(10/02/2019)  Corrosion in electronics: Overview of failures and countermeasures Many field failure returns of electronics are marked as "no failure found", yet numerous of these failures are likely due to corrosion, since corrosion related failures are not easily detected during subsequent failure analysis. In some cases failures are intermittent and occur because of service life conditions (humidity and contamination) where water film formation on the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) leads to leakage currents resulting in wrong output signal of the electronic device. If the leakage current itself will not result in malfunctioning of the electronics, the formed water film and potential bias of the PCBA will eventually lead to failure caused by more easy recognisable corrosion. Typical corrosion failure types seen in electronics are galvanic corrosion, electrochemical migration, and other types of bias induced corrosion. This paper describes the most commonly used metals and alloys in electronic devices including aluminium, gold, copper, silver, tin, lead and their alloys. Galvanic series performed in a flux solution is presented together with examples of galvanic corrosion causing failure of electronics. Failures that find root cause in the manufacturing process are described in details, e.g. flux activator related failures. Failures caused by service life conditions with high humidity and sulphur containing gaseous environments are also described. Finally it is described how the architecture of the PCBA (the placement of components) will affect its corrosion reliability. Infrared camera imaging is used to show the thermal distribution of the PCBA during power on periods and can reveal local cold spots on the PCBA being prone to condensation and corrosion.


Introduction & Objective: Pedestrian injuries are a significant source of morbidity, mortality and disability among children. Children are injured or killed as pedestrians, but behavioral factors in pedestrian injury etiology remain poorly understood. Prevention of these injuries is thus a major priority for public health and requires a comprehensive approach and educational strategies. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluation of an educational program based on the PRECEED model for improvement safety behavior in primary school boys.

Materials & Methods: This study is a field trial design to evaluate an educational intervention based on the PRECEED Model to improve health related safety behavior in primary school boys. This study cared out in Tehran 6 area at 1386 year. Participants were in Year 10 – 11 (N=88) who followed by items measuring the PRECEED model before and after two months of intervention. The data were then analyzed with T test, X2 and pair T test in SPSS software.

Results: Significant improvements were found in the following components of PRECEED model measures (knowledge, attitude, behavior, enabling and reinforcing factors) after participating in educational program.

Conclusion: The implementation of a pedestrian safety education program in public schools can change the knowledge and beliefs about safe pedestrian behaviors among students. The findings suggest beneficial effects of educational intervention based on the PRECEDE Model on improving safety behavior. It is recommended that health education plan could be used on educational models. Road safety training programs for children may need to take into account the development of children's attention.


Annual health checks for adults with learning disabilities are now being offered in general practices across the UK, to improve access to mainstream primary healthcare and detection of unmet health needs. This article will cover the rationale behind annual health checks and the evidence regarding the health benefits of comprehensive health checking in this group. We will also summarise the requirements for annual health checks specified in the learning disabilities Directed Enhanced Service (DES) in England, before discussing the barriers to and strategies for undertaking effective health checks in general practice.


Objective To observe the efficacy and side effects of pure radiotherapy and radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy to older patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma( LA-NPC).Methods Seventy-two cases of LA-NPC were analysed retrospectively and 34 cases among them were treated with pure radiotherapy,38 cases with radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy,the therapeutic and side effects were compared between them,respectively.Results The clearance rates of primary lesion in nasopharynx were 85.71% in pure group and 91.89% in union group,respectively P 0.05.The remain rates were 22.86% and 10.81%,respectively P0.05.The three years survival rates were 47.50% and 55.17%,respectively P0.05.The side effects including gastrointestinal response and bone marrow depression in union group was markedly higher than those in pure group P 0.05.The recurrence rates and metastasis rates of pure group was higher than union group,0.050P0.025.Condclusions Radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy may not increase the effect of LA-NPC of older patients compared with pure radiotherapy.


SDDG (semantic desktop data grid) is a novel semantic peer-to-peer architecture built on top of previous work [1][2] to fully leverage the enterprise information resides in both enterprise and personal information sources. In SDDG, the combination of P2P data integration paradigm, semantic integration principle and grid service oriented framework provides both the required level of flexibility and scalability, and the high interoperability on information and semantic level. The semantic P2P model of SDDG is discussed in detail from the aspects of the definition of peer node, the master-slave P2P mapping mechanism, the classified P2P query. A semantic service oriented implementation framework based on OGSADAI is also discussed in this paper.


In order to pursue the cause of welding fume-generated fever, rabbits were given fume suspen-sion which was subjected to pretreatments- (1) centrifugation, (2) prolonged storage at room temperature, (3) boiling, (4) heat-desiccation, and (5) freeze-desiccation-and the development of fever was observed. Furthermore, body temperatures, brain temperatures, blood pressures of rabbits and catalase activity in the liver of rats were measured to determine the relation of the fume pyrogen to some of the temperature-regulating factors such as the autonomic nervous system and Fe-related enzymes (magnetic, oxidation-reduction and metal enzymes).A water-soluble fraction fume suspension failed to develop fever in rabbits, while a water-insoluble fraction showed pyrogenecity. Thus this pyrogenic agent was relatively thermo-stable, but became inactive when desiccated by heat (freeze-desiccation did not prevent the activity). Rabbits developed fever a few minutes after the administration of lipopolysaccharide, and a rise in brain temperature preceded that of rectal temperature. However, a rise in brain temperature did not precede after fume administration, and the latent period was longer, and the liver catalase activity was somewhat affected. Moreover, the catalase blocker reduced fume-generated pyrexia. It was suggested that the pyrogenic activity of the intravenously injected fumes might not be central but might affect the metabolic mechanism, and that the pyrogenic factor in the welding fume might be changed physically in its structure when heated in dehydrated state, and the pyrogenecity would vanish due to this physical change.


Oxidation rate of Mn-Zn ferrite, which means the rate of change in oxygen content in spinel phase, was determined from the diffusion coefficient of 59Fe, by assuming that the diffusion coefficient was proportional to the cation vacancy density, i.e., the excess oxygen content. Volume oxidation rate and grain boundary oxidation rate are expressed by coefficients having the same dimension as the diffusion coefficient, and measured respectively from the experiments on a single-crystal and a polycrystal. The oxidation process is well expressed by the familiar "parabolic law." The parabolic law constant obtained by the latest investigation corresponded to that by the weight gain technique. Phase diagram of Mn-Zn ferrite–hematite–oxygen system was also determined by the behavior of the diffusion coefficient of 59Fe. This method of determining phase boundaries seems easier and more accurate than any other method utilized.


Streptococcus iniaeis the major etiological agent of streptococcal disease,which is responsible for hemorrhagic septicemia in fish,particularly olive flounders(Paralichthys olivaceus).In this paper,healthy flounders were vaccinated with 3types of Streptococcus iniaeimmunogen,which were formalinkilled cells(FKC),extracellular products(ECPs)and mixture of the former two components(FKC+ECPs).The antibody kinetics were detected in the blood sample collected from the caudal veins of flounders before vaccination and on 7d,14 d,21d,28 d,35d,42dpost-vaccination and 7dpost-challenge by the homologous(NUF849)and heterologous isolates(NUF812)respectively.The results showed cross-reaction phenomena were observed between the specific antibodies against FKC and ECPs which were elicited in flounder vaccinated with either FKC or ECPs,and the group immunized with FKC presented a higher antibody titre than ECPs.The antibody levels were significantly higher in the group immunized with FKC+ECPs than the other two groups(P0.05);Also the levels of antibody to FKC and ECPs were higher in the flounder challenged with NUF849 than NUF812.Furthermore,Western-blot analysis was performed using the anti-sera collected from post-challenge survival flounders reacting with whole cell lysates and ECPs from both NUF849 and NUF812.The result of Western-blot showed that bands of whole cell lysates and ECPs proteins reacting with the sera located from 25 kDa to100kDa and 18 kDa to 100 kDa in the gel respectively.These results showed that specific antibodies could be induced in flounder by either FKC or ECPs,but the mixtures of the two immunogens could produce higher titre antibody;Additionally,cross-protective antibodies against NUF812 could be elicited in flounders vaccinated with immunogens from NUF849.This study will give insights into the selection of immunogens as effective vaccine components to against Streptococcus iniae.


Effectively integrating tests into the counseling process is often a difficult problem for counselors. Flow chart models that systematically describe and analyze the counselor's functioning can be ...


Cereal straws constitute a considerable source of biomass that can be used for bioenergy applications. Its composition is crucial for the energy value in biological or thermochemical conversion processes. Therefore, this study aimed at (i) exploring the global diversity in the composition of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) straw; (ii) testing the effect of drought on straw composition; (iii) correlating compositional traits with energy value; and (iv) identifying loci associated with straw composition through genomewide association study (GWAS). A population of 179 barley accessions was grown in control and drought conditions, and straw was analyzed for thioglycolic acid lignin (TGAL), total phenolics (TP), carbon, crude protein (CP), C/N ratio, and ash. Substantial variability was observed in all traits. Moreover, drought treatment affected all traits leading to significant decreases in carbon, CP, ash, TGAL and TP concentrations, and a significant increase in C/N ratio. In vitro incubations in rumen fluid were used to estimate the energy value in biological energy conversion, while calorimetry was used to estimate the energy yield in thermochemical energy conversion. Thioglycolic acid lignin was singled out as the most influential trait determining energy value, as it was negatively correlated with the digestibility of organic matter and metabolizable energy in in vitro incubations, but positively correlated with gross energy measured by calorimetry. The GWAS yielded four loci significantly associated with TGAL irrespective of plant water status, which explained between 22.5% and 38.7% of the phenotypic variation. In addition, three loci significantly affected the response of TGAL to plant water status, and explained between 11.2% and 16.6% of the phenotypic variation. These loci contained plausible candidate genes that could be associated with lignin biosynthesis based on their annotations. In conclusion, this study illustrated great potential for the molecular breeding of barley varieties with enhanced straw quality for bioenergy applications.


This is an Italian video discussion in Windows Media format. Duration is 5 minutes and 49 seconds. Created by Dr. Anne O'Connor, Italian Department, NUI Galway.


The challenge in today's corporations is that even though the technology portfolio of a company plays a crucial role in delivering revenue—falling as a topic mainly under the area of technology management—technology may have a negative image due to observed risks or failing the sustainability criteria. It may influence the company's image and brand image, possibly also influencing decisions at corporate level. The monitoring of technology sentiments is therefore emphasized, benefiting from the advanced methods for business environment scanning, namely market and competitor intelligence functions. This paper utilizes a new big data based method, mostly utilized in market(MI)/competitor intelligence(CI) functions of the company, opinion mining, to analyse the global media sentiment of nuclear power and projects deploying the technology. With this approach, it is easier to understand the linkage to corporate images of companies deploying the technology and also related corporate decisions, mainly done in the areas of technology market deployment, marketing and strategic planning. The results indicate how the media sentiment towards nuclear power has been mostly negative globally, particularly in social media. In addition, results from similar analyses from a single company's images for the companies currently deploying the technology are seemingly less negative, indicating the influence of company's communication and branding activities. This paper has implications showing that a technology's media sentiment can influence a company's brand image, marketing communications and the need for actions when technology is deployed. In conclusion, there seems to be a need for better co-operation between different corporate functions, namely technology management, MI, marketing and strategic planning, in order to indicate technology image impacts and also counteract firestorms from social media.


This reasearch found that business environment affected significantly to intent to cooperate and response to foreign direct investment but it did not affect to response to good corporate governance. Managerial skill affected significantly to intent to cooperate and good corporate governance but it did not affect to responce in foreign direct investment.Knowledge management affected significantly to good corporate governance and response to foreign direct investment but it did not affect intent to cooperate.The entrepreneur in Makassar wishes to cooperate with foreign direct investment, and committed to implement good corporate governance but they lacking managerial skills. In terms of knowledge management, the entrepreneur did not want to cooperate, but they recognized good corporate governance and respect to foreign direct investment.


This study is a réévaluation of past theories that recommend the use of mortuary practices to determine rank within cultures as applied to children. A comparative study of 40 cultures world wide, 30 egalitarian and 10 stratified groups for contrast, is conducted using the Human Relation Area Files (HRAF) for ethnographic examples of mortuary practices. Funerary and mourning rituals performed for both children and adults are studied to see how the deceased's social position affects mortuary treatment. Thirteen of the 26 egalitarian cultures that yielded information have funerary and mourning rituals that are the same or very similar for both adults and children. With thirteen remaining egalitarian cultures the data indicates that once a child has been initiated into the community, treatment upon death is similar to that of adults. The treatment of a dead child is determined by other variables independent of rank, such as grief, initiation into the group, or religious beliefs. The parents, family, or even the entire group's emotional commitment to the child, which may entail a personal attachment, since the child represents the continuation of the group, is sufficient to grant a child the same treatment as an adult.


Melon farming is characterized as an important family agriculture activity and the organic production of fruits and vegetables has shown a large growth in terms of areas in Brazil and around the world. This work aimed to study the postharvest quality of melon cultivated in an organic system. The organic treatments constituted of base fertilizer with cattle manure vermicompost (recommended dose, ½ dose and double dose) plus the use of biofertilizer (sprayed or sprayed + irrigated), and an additional treatment with chemical fertilization. The postharvest quality was evaluated through physico-chemical and phytochemical attributes. The organic management with half the recommended dose of vermicompost plus the sprayed biofertilizer and the chemical fertilization management produced fruits with higher levels of sugar, total carotenoids, ascorbic acid and folates, obtaining more balanced fruits, with a better phytochemical quality. The antioxidant capacity was defined mainly by the presence of the phenolic compounds, which were influenced by the type and the dose of the evaluated fertilizers, with superiority in the organic treatments with double the dose of cattle manure vermicompost.


Timbre is the conscious control over sound in playing musical works,as well as the artistic embodiment of the combination between perceptual and rational knowledge in playing musical works to convey their connotations.Thanks to great originality in art and variations in dealing with their timbre,Liu Tian-huas ten pieces of Er-hu works are required for Er-hu learners.When playing Liu Tian-hua's works,the player should dig into their connotations,on the base of the original works,grasp the characteristics of their timbre and deal with them resonably with consummate skills.


The paper presents the realization of Internet proxy technology in the application layer,TCP layer,IP layer and network interface layer of Internet based on TCP/IP hierarchical model,and exemplifies concretely the realization of the proxy technology in network interface layer.


Steps for the principal to follow in working with teachers whose work has been judged as unsatisfactory are provided here.


An apparent temporary narrowing of income inequality has been observed during several recent banking crises. But it would be a mistake to conclude that such crises don't matter for the poor. For one thing, the correlation is not strong, and the opposite pattern has also been present. Besides, the poor are much less able to absorb a cut in income: safety-net policies are crucial during a downturn even if the gap between rich and poor has temporarily narrowed. More fundamentally, distributional shifts during the crisis may be less important than the fact that underlying financial policy and infrastructures conducive to crisis can also be associated with more unequal societies.


The similarity is common among our lives and learning.To help English learners master English vocabulary more effectively,this will be similar to the theory,to explore the similarity between words point to summarize the points of English vocabulary learning strategies to students replicability,the ability analogy.


Athenian panegyric to emerge' (p. 65). However convincing the account of Athenian ideological posturing vis-à-vis Sparta may be, the consideration of the domestic historical issues which no less animate the play disappoints and undercuts the rest of the chapter. Such criticisms pay tribute to the many stimulating analyses that proliferate through the book: were this critic not regularly intrigued, they would not arise. T.'s study will prove indispensable for future work on the relationship between Athenian ideology and tragic poetry.


This postscript reflects on the ambiguous political song posted by Zizo—the young man the author used to know in Cairo who worked for him all the way to the end of his apartment renovations—on Facebook. It then argues that the existence of the hoped-for subterranean progressive political consciousness spreading beneath everyday oppression is frustratingly intangible. To be sure, previously unpoliticized people who lost friends or witnessed death experienced the revolution as a life-changing event, whether or not it "succeeded" in political terms. Many youths who were already politicized on the eve of the January 25 Revolution remained politicized but were either broken or biding their time in a state of political hibernation—or out of the country if they had the means to leave. The notion that from beneath a state of malaise a transformed generation would emerge to demand its rights is seductive and comforting. But this is a generational proposition. In the short term, militarism ran rampant. Ultimately, the defining feature of a liminal crisis is pure contingency. To put it differently, one can never be entirely sure what will emerge from the void.


Time course changes in 13C enrichment of respiratory CO2 in young chickens intravenously injected with [1-13C] sodium acetate were examined to clarify the rapidity of oxidation of intravenous acetate to CO2 in chicken body. The 13C enrichment reached the peak level within 20-30 minutes after single intravenous injection with 1 ml of 1% [1-13C] sodium acetate and returned to the initial level by 180 minutes. On the other hand, no change in 13C enrichment of respiratory CO2 was observed in control chicks injected with saline throughout the experimental period. The recovery of the injected [1-13C] sodium acetate was estimated to be 47.0%. These results indicate that intravenously injected acetate into young chickens is rapidly metabolized to CO2 and suggest a rapid use of cecal acetate as an energy source in chickens.


The article examines from a comparative perspective how policy regarding the accommodation and social assistance for asylum seekers in Hamburg and West Berlin shifted in the period between the beginnings of decentralisation in mid-1973 and the 1982 Asylum Procedures Act, as well as how the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and its federal state governments influenced this shift. Because the dispersal of asylum seekers between 1974 and 1982 was based only on non-binding decisions of the Conference of Interior Ministers, German federal states could refuse to actually receive their quota. Most asylum seekers were accused of lying about prior political persecution in their homelands. Moreover, municipalities were forced to bear the financial burden of providing social assistance for unemployed asylum seekers. For these reasons, many German federal state governments set themselves the goal of receiving as few asylum seekers as possible by lowering the standard of accommodation and social assistance available for asylum seekers. Drawing on the written records of senates and districts in the Berlin and Hamburg State Archives, the documents of the state parliaments, and press reports, the article examines the historical context behind the local introduction of measures to deter asylum seekers, which are nowadays better known as being part of national policy.


Virgina Coconut Oil is containing saturated fatty acid compound such as lauric and oleic which can soften dry and rough skin. While the natural ingridients of black tea extract, secang wood and telang flower contain polyphenol compounds which have antioxidant activity, they also have attractive colors making them suitable as natural dyes for cosmetic ingredients. The purpose of this study was to determine how to make skin lotion from VCO with the addition of natural coloring extracts, as well to determine the physical, chemical, microbiological and the level panelists preference for color, odor, adhesiveness and appearance. The result of this study indicate that the best formulation is foun in F3 with the addition of black tea extracts. VCO skin lotion with the addition of black tea with has a specific gravity value of 0,97, stability of 70,12%, dispertion of 7,3 cm, pH 6,3, free fatty acids 0,021%, antioxidant activity 83,26%, SPF 36,13 and total plate figures were not found. The panelists preference level for color 4.0, odor 4.3, appearance 4.5 and adhesiveness 4.5.


The investigation of the hydrothermal exposure effect on the glue-line strength is obvious when outdoor application of wood products is in option. In our research the bonding quality of oak ( Quercus L.) and beech ( Fagus syl- vatica L.) wood was tested in different conditions according to EN 205. After each exposure the lap joint test specified the shear strength of wood bonded with PVAC and PU adhesive. In our research different behaviour concerning both types of adhesives and selected wood species was observed. The most significant decrease (-80%) of the shear strength was found when the PVAC was used to bond oak wood. Therefore the PVAC adhesive is most likely less suitable for the bonding of the block board in outdoor conditions. On the contrary, the best results in the same conditions were obtained by the oak when the polyurethane adhesive was used. It indicates that the PU adhesive is more suitable for the bonding of oak wood. Considering results of beech wood, there were not found this interaction.


This paper further develops a 'Natural Logic' inference system which is based on the Lambek calculus and works directly on the Curry-Howard counterparts of the natural language syntactic representations, with no intermediate translation to logical formulae. We show how adding normalization axioms allows the system to prove additional kinds of inferences and propose a proof search algorithm.


Dear Sir, In their discussion on the effect of corticosteroids on patch testing, Molander and co-authors state that studies on the effect of local corticosteroid pretreatment on patch-test reactions are rare (1). In 1975, Smeenk (2) found that 0.1% triamcinolone applied for 24 hr prior to patch testing in known nickel-sensitive subjects resulted in inhibition or diminution of the allergic reaction in 6 of 8 tested. Similarly, in 1981, Sukanto et al. (3) reported that potent or moderately potent corticosteroid applied for 24 hr prior to patch testing caused suppression of þ and þþ allergic reactions and a decrease in size and intensity of grade þþþ reactions. In addition, in 1996, I reported on a study from our department in which patients with known positive allergens had their backs pretreated 2 times daily for 3 days with potent corticosteroid; in 8 of 10 cases, such treatment caused partial or total suppression of the allergic reaction (4). Whilst admittedly the numbers in the abovementioned studies are small, it is disappointing that the authors failed to cite them. A falsenegative patch test can have serious consequences for the patient. Further studies should certainly be performed, but until the picture is clearer, I consider that our current departmental policy of avoiding the application of potent or moderately potent corticosteroid on the test site for 3 days prior to patch testing is probably safest for the patient.


According to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia dated 1992*1 and the European Charter of Local Self-government as ratifi ed by Estonia in 1994*2 (the ECLSG), our local government system derives from the base model of representative democracy. Hence, the existence and functioning of a representative body of the local government, elected by local people — that is, a local council — is an obligatory element under the Constitution. The fi rst amendment of the 1992 Constitution relates to the elections of local government councils; made in 2003, it extended the term of authority of the representative body of a local government from the previous three years to four years, and a constitutional basis was provided for altering administrative-territorial organisation for the period between regular municipal elections.*3 The municipal elections of a local government as a representative body of a constitutional institution are regulated by the Local Government Council Election Act*4 (LGCEA), which, as a constitutional act, required the votes of a majority of the membership of the Riigikogu for its entry into force (Constitution the second sentence of § 104 (4)). Since the restoration of independence in 1991, fi ve local government elections have taken place in Estonia, held in 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, and 2005.*5 For the fi rst two of them, the parliament established a new elections act*6, the third elections were held on the basis of the previous Elections Act (as amended), and the fourth and the fi fth elections were organised on the basis of the same Elections Act of 2002 (to which also several


With the advent of high speed internet, smart-phones, Wi-Fi, Cloud computing, and IOT, our desire for creating and consuming data has been growing exponentially. It has resulted in great demand for storing and processing of this data with increase in number and scale of data center facilities around the globe. Data centers have started consuming much higher amount of power and high-performance IT equipment have presented a bigger challenge for cooling systems. Large technology companies have realized the need for making their data centers more energy efficient and, in turn, modern mechanical systems have been designed to work more efficiently. This research study endeavors to analyze these mechanical systems and present the way they affect Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratios of data centers. Data from numerous data center projects carried out by a leading general contractor in last 5-years was obtained and correlation analysis was carried out to assess how modern mechanical systems help in reducing their PUE ratios.


Proteins in the nuclear factor 90 (NF90) family of dsRNA binding proteins are abundantly expressed in a broad spectrum of vertebrate tissues and participate in many aspects of RNA metabolism. NF90, also known as DRBP76 and NFAR1, forms heterodimeric complexes with NF45 protein. We detected several small non‐protein‐coding RNAs that associate with NF90 in vivo. They include snaRs (small NF90‐associated RNAs), a novel family of RNAs that are unique to the African Great Apes and display a restricted tissue distribution in humans.


Many positive trends in kidney transplantation were notable in 2017. Deceased donor kidney transplant rates and counts continued to rise, the kidney transplant waiting list declined for the third year in a row after decades of growth, and both short‐ and long‐term allograft survival continued to improve year over year. In total, more than 220,000 patients were living in the United States with a functioning allograft. With 3 years of data available since implementation of the new kidney allocation system, better prediction of longer‐term results of the allocation policy changes became possible. The data also reveal several areas in need of improvement and attention. Overall, the challenge of providing adequate access to kidney transplant persisted nationally, with additional dramatic regional variation. The proportion of living donor kidney transplants in both adults and children continued to fall, and racial disparities in living donor kidney transplant grew in the past decade.


The histology of skin lesions of TAFRO (thrombocytopenia, anasarca, reticulin fibrosis/renal failure, and organomegaly) syndrome has rarely been reported. We report herein two cases of TAFRO syndrome with characteristic vascular skin lesions. The lesions resembled a tufted angioma, although those of case 1 partially resembled a glomeruloid hemangioma, which was known as a specific lesion in POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M‐protein and skin changes), a variant of multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). The high titer of serum vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin‐6 could explain common characteristic vascular lesions in both TAFRO syndrome and POEMS syndrome/MCD.


The application of halogen compounds in biological system is introduced. The halogenation and some biogenating enzymes used in halogenation known at present are reviewed. It is pointed out that, biogenetic technology used in production of halogenating enzymes can produce a series of halogen derivatives of much more additive values. The synthesis of halogen compounds by biological method has a broad prospect of application. 


The piece is a twenty minute work discoursing the integration and eventual dissolution of two separate musical strands. The pitch material of each strand is determined from synthetic scales whose intervalic content duplicates at the following intervals: Perfect 12th, Diminished 12th, Minor 9th, Perfect 8ve, and Major 7th. A proportional means of temporal compression is generated through the use of the factor, 11/15 (e.g. Event 2 is 11/15 the duration of Event 1). Various elements of jazz music informed the construction of plies, including the instrumentation of the ensemble and the means by which the performers interact throughout the piece. Internal cueing and performer decisions are meant to eliminate the need of a conductor in favor of increased interpretive freedom by the performers.


In video compression techniques, it is very important to implement the most efficient bit allocation strategy in order to achieve the best quality with the minimum number of bits. This paper presents a new feedback/feedforward controller, for MPEG-2 coding, that dynamically tunes the quantization parameters by analysing the image sequence from a psycovisual point of view. The analysis is carried out on an 8×8 pixels block basis to determine the visual characteristic of each macroblock. This pre-analysis classifies macroblocks and assigns quantization parameters to them according to a proposed scale measuring their visual relevance. A post-analysis procedure provides the final tuning. The system generates images with higher quality with respect to the standard Test Model 5.


In this paper, we study the macroscopic traffic dynamics and propose models of traffic mean speed and density of each lane under speed drop of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) in three-lane freeway scene in wave propagation perspective. The propagation of macroscopic traffic waves in mixed streams is analyzed to derive functions of macroscopic traffic flow parameters of each lane in different evolution process. Three superposition principles of traffic wave are proposed to analyze compound disturbances in different propagation periods. The experiments are performed in simulation of urban mobility SUMO platform under various CAVs penetration, speed drop of CAV, the proposed model is capable of adequately describing the evolution process of mixed traffic flow after speed drop,


INTRODUCTION The use of flexible circuits has become quite widespread because of their low cost, ease of assembly in interconnection systems, and the low volumes that they occupy [1]. Flexible circuits are most commonly used in board-to-board, board-to-chip, and chip-to-chip connections in packages having limited space and stacked rigid boards, thus requiring three-dimensional connections. Flexible circuits are largely used in portable electronic products, such as notebook, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, etc. One of the applications for flexible circuits is highfrequency circuit film, which is a printed circuit board base material for high and very high frequencies. The material consists only of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and copper. Key point of this technology is the very high bond strength between the copper layer and the PTFE. Such bonding can be created due to transition layer, which is essentially the mixed material of PTFE and Cu atoms, implanted into the surface. In this work, the numerical simulations are used to investigate the possibilities to create the transition layer by using ion beam assisted deposition technological process [2]. TRIDYN program [3] simulates cobombardment of PTFE surface with low-energy Cu atoms and high-energy Ar ions. The results are used to study the dynamics of transition layer and factors, which affect the shape of the layer.


Advantages and disadvantages of the peroxidase test with Treponema pallidum and the FTA-ABS test were compared. The results were veryfied through the TPI test. Sera from diseased patients suffering from various forms of syphilis, from patients with other clinical histories and from a group of (relatively) healthy persons (blood donors) were the object of the examinations. An absolute conformity of the peroxidase and FTA reaction was attained in 87.5% of cases. The authors analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of both reactions and concluded that the peroxidase reaction can be carried out only in highly specialized laboratories and therefore does not represent a dramatic back-up of the routine diagnostics of syphilis.


An air conditioner and an operating method thereof are disclosed. The air conditioner is provided with a plurality of controllers, indoor units and outdoor units are controlled by the plurality of controllers, setting data is sent to and received from the plurality of controllers so as to be applied, and each of the controllers is configured to output operational information for the units corresponding to an inputted user command on the screen. Accordingly, a setting changed by a predetermined controller may be applicable to other controllers. Thus, a friction between the plurality of controllers is prevented, the efficiency of control is enhanced, the plurality of units can be selectively monitored and the operation control thereof is possible, and the convenience of management and control of the air conditioner is enhanced.


We developed a one-step method for fabrication of addressable suspended SWNT films and demonstrate excellent detection performance of paraoxon based on OPH-immobilized SWNT films for environmental monitoring. For dispersed SWNT suspension, COOH-SWNT was prepared by the oxidation of carbon nanotubes using acid treatment and sonication. Suspended SWNT-film was fabricated between cantilever electrodes by dielectrophoretic force and surface tension of the water meniscus. After that, OPH were immobilized on suspended SWNT-films by nonspecific binding for enzymatic hydrolysis of paraoxon. The electrical properties of the SWNT films were measured in real time at room temperature. Structurally suspended SWNT films from substrate surface made possible rapid and highly sensitive detection of target molecules with increased convectional and diffusional fluxes of the molecules and with a large binding surface area. SWNT film FET resulted in a real-time, label-free, and electrical detection of paraoxon to the concentration of ca. 10 ǺNwith a step-wise rapid response time of several seconds.


Rapid development and wide application of DER(Distributed Energy Resource) will bring new opportunities and challenges to ISM (Intelligent Sales and Marketing). The developmental outlook of DER is proposed based on the technological roadmap of smart grid. Some new concepts involving distributed generation units are introduced:three-level control information management,power consumption principle,virtual sales marketing,demand-side guidance,etc.,with the innovations brought by DER to ISM emphasized. Aiming at the hotspots of the smart grid vision and energy usage,the ISM involving DER is deeply considered,its modeling and access rights introduced,and its development prospects and research directions discussed.


Background: The inability of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery to reduce tibial internal rotation causes many problems. A large tibial internal rotation will result in a patellofemoral pain syndrome. This study aimed to introduce a new technique of modified exorotation graft tension at tibial fixation to minimize endorotation, reduce tibial internal rotation, and prevent patellofemoral pain syndrome.Methods: This study was a randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial. ACL rupture patients underwent ACLR surgery between December 2014 and Februrary 2015. They were randomized to standard endorotation group or modified exorotation group. Hamstring autograft was used and fixed with an EndoButton® and bioabsorbable interference screw. Tibial tubercle to trochlear grove (TTTG) was used to evaluate rotation, whereas cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) was employed to analyze cartilage breakdown. The functional outcome was measured using the Kujala score to assess patellofemoral joint function. Evaluations were conducted before the surgery and at 6 months postoperation.Results: A total of 29 subjects were recruited. Sixteen subjects were allocated into the standard endorotation group, and 13 were assigned to the modified exorotation group. The exorotation group demonstrated better results than the endorotation group in all three parameters: TTTG (p=0.028), COMP (p<0.001), and Kujala score (p=0.015).Conclusion: A new technique of modified exorotation direction of graft tension for ACL reconstructive surgery at tibial fixation showed a significant reduction in tibial internal rotation and cartilage breakdown. The proposed method could significantly improve the functional outcome of those with total ACL rupture.


Agriculture is the major economic backbone of the world in improving the livelihood the population and contributing the highest GDP of the world. However, agricultural productivity is limited by diverse biotic and abiotic constraints. Biotic stress is the adverse conditions for crop growth and production caused by biological factors. These are diseases, insects, wild animals, lack of high yielding crop variety and parasitic weeds. These all are the major impeding factors and contributing to the low productivity of crop production. An abiotic stress is the adverse conditions for crop growth and production caused by environmental factors. Such as deficiency or excess of nutrition, moisture, drought, salinity, soil acidity, light, freeze, chill, heat, shortage of agriculture inputs like fertilizers, herbicides and air pollution. All are already important abiotic stress factors that cause large and widespread yield reductions. Crop losses are a major threat to the wellbeing of rural families, to the economy of traders and governments, and to food security worldwide. Agricultural production in the world is characterized by subsistence orientation, low productivity, low level of technology and inputs, lack of infrastructures and market institutions, and extremely vulnerable to rainfall variability. Productivity performance in the agriculture sector is critical to improvement in overall economic well-being in world. Low availability of improved or hybrid seed, lack of seed multiplication capacity, low profitability and efficiency of fertilizer, lack of irrigation development, lack of transport infrastructure, inaccessibility of market and prevalence of land degradation, unfertile soil, over-grazing, deforestation and desertification are among the constraints to agricultural productivity in the world. Future crop yields and global food security may well hinge on the ability of farmers around the world to narrow the gap between current yields and yield potential ceilings, especially as progress in the latter may slow because of climate change and diminishing returns in breeding. Because average crop yields are critical drivers of food prices, food security, and crop land expansion, there is tremendous value in better quantification and understanding of yield gaps. Generally, the causes of climate change, stresses produced due to climate change, impacts on crops, modern breeding technologies, and biotechnological strategies to cope with climate change, in order to develop climate resilient crops. Revolutions in genetic engineering techniques can also aid in overcoming food security issues against extreme environmental conditions, by producing transgenic plants. Overall, improvement in agricultural sustainability by means of increasing yields of low-input production systems is not only possible, but also urgently needed. By using breeding methods that are geared to the common limitations experienced by farmers around the globe, varieties with superior traits and adaptations can be achieved. Increasing the availability of superior varieties specifically bred to low-input systems, either through traditional or advanced breeding methods will improve agricultural sustainability and global resource management, as well as decrease the energy demanded for food production during a time of historic global relevance as population peaks and valuable finite resources decline


CONTENTS Some Geographical Works of the Early Nineteenth Century 117 Textbooks as Materials for History of Education 119 Textbooks for Elementary Schools 119 Experience of Stanley Hall and of the Writer 123 Evolution and Mutation of Textbooks 124 Report of the Committee of Ten 124 Review of Leading Textbooks 125 Teachers and Materials in Elementary Schools 128 Development of Secondary School and College Geography 129 The Gazetteer Stage 130 The Wonder Book Stage 130 The Natural Teleology Stage 130 The General Physiography Stage 131 The Specialized Physiography Stage 132 The Biogeography Stage 134 Commercial Geography... 134 Synthesis of Physical and Commercial Geography 135 Gregory Keller and Bishop; Dryer; Salisbury 135 Barrows and Tower; Smith 136 The Human Stage-Huntington; Whitbeck and Finch.139 Relatively Low Rank of Geography in Schools 140 Geography in Normal Schools 141 Geography in Colleges and Universities 142 Geographical Societies and Journals 148


This narrative research aimed to determine the cultural practices associated with indigenous rice ( Oryza sativa Linn.) production, vis-a-vis varietal diversity in Panay, in Supanga, Hilwan, Binolosan, Garangan, Tapaz, and Bingawan. Farmers have been growing indigenous rice from the mountain barangays who were the participants were interviewed as to the association of rice to their cultural knowledge and practices. Thirty samples have been collected from the farmers. They planted indigenous rice because the land is sloping which is ideal for fancy rice. This type of rice does not require commercial fertilizer but only organic materials that were decayed naturally. Rice has very particular purpose for their tradition or cultural practices especially during festivities and ceremonies like marriage, and baptism. The community folks served wine processed from fancy rice called Pangasi to visitors and guests. People from the community offered Sapal and other native delicacies such as suman, ibus, alopi, and many others during ceremonies. What makes rice so vital and preferred is its unique characteristics and besides when cooked, rice is soft, aromatic and palatable with or without viand. Specifically, this research documented the preservation of cultural practices and local knowledge associated with the cultivation and use of indigenous rice varieties that will push knowledge on the diversity of rice and determine farming practices. The study is one way of reclaiming peripheral knowledge and putting them at the center of academic discussion and literature.


This article describes a technique using the Thomson Reuters' Journal Citation Reports and the SHERPA RoMEO Web site to identify a set of core journals in a discipline and determine whether the journals' publishers allow preprint or postprint archiving in their copyright transfer agreements.


The purpose of this research is to answer two problems, firstly the forms of compound words and the second is the meaning of compound words found in English translation of Sahih al-Bukhari. In collecting data the writer used documentation method. The steps are reading then selecting and collecting the data. In analyzing data the writer used descriptive qualitative method. The steps are describing the variation forms of compound words by employing the tree diagram of the compound words. Then describing the meaning of compound words. Based on the data analysis the writer found 102 data of compound words in English translation of Sahih al-Bukhari. There are three forms of compound words, they are Noun compound (66 or 64.8%), Verb compound (22 or 21.5%), and Adjective compound (14 or 13.7%). And the meaning of compound words, there are 53 (52%) data which belong to transparent meaning and there are 49 (48%) data which belong to opaque meaning.


This paper introduces two kinds of random Cantor sets and the results of the stockastic processes related to those sets.


Influence oftrace elements (zinc, nickel, copper, manganese, cadmium and lead) on AM colonization of Albizzia lebbeck and Acacia nilotica was investigated. Cobalt, nickel and lead inhibited the colonization of Glomus fasciculatum. On the other hand, zinc promoted root infection by G. fasciculatum. Addition of nickel caused significant decrease in spore population ofG./asclculatum in the rhizosphe re of A. lebbeck,wtrile it was toxic and caused sigrrificant <iecrease in spore population of G.fasciculatum in the rhizosphere ofl. nilotica. Addition ofdifferent heavy metals also resulted in the changg the availability ofother nutrients to both the plants under investigations. Thus AM fungi have great potential for exploitation in the reclamation ofheavy metal polluted soils.


In this research,conventional breeding methods was employed to hybridize (Populus alba×P.tomentosa) Populus bolleana and (Populus alba×P.tomentosa) P.tomentosa.And 7 better hybrids with better rooting properties than the parent materials were selected for further studies.Results indicated that there were significant differences in the earliest rooting time,number of main roots and lateral roots,total lengths of main roots and number of lateral roots among the 7 clones.Both genetic error of main and lateral root number was bigger than that of environmental error,and their repeat was 95% and 87% respectively.Further analysis indicated that there was more root primordium in easy rooting clone than that of difficult rooting one.Results to the clones by AHP (Analytical hierarchy process) indicated that the rooting properties of 9606,9603, 9608,9607,9614,9610 and 9602 were all better than that of its parent and Populus tomentosa.


Short presentation about using OpenLabyrinth virtual patient platform for learning and teaching in other areas. Although OpenLabyrinth was designed specifically for virtual patients, any algorithmic pathway or decision tree can be represented - it does not have to be clinical at all. OLab also contains many options for presenting questions and quizzes, including Situational Judgement Testing, Script Concordance Testing and other survey designs.


Based on elliptic curve cryptosystem, a new off-line electronic cash with blind signature scheme is constructed. We also proved the security of our scheme based on some cryptographic assumptions.


This database tool provides a structured approach to recording design decisions that impact a facility's design intent in areas such as energy efficiency.Owners and de signers alike can plan, monitor and verify that a facility's design intent is being met during each stage of the design process. Additionally, the Tool gives commissioning agents, facility operators and future owners and renovators an understanding of how the building and its subsystems are intended to operate, and thus track and benchmark performance.


In this paper, we aim to provide a new perspective on the methods of software development. We find most software development methodologies to be overly prescriptive; they focus primarily on what methods to use without adequate consideration of what problems are being addressed and without a comparison of different methods that apply to the same problem. We maintain that software developers can be most effective if they are provided both with a variety of methods from which to choose and with the understanding necessary to select the methods that are best suited to their project. To that end, we introduce a framework for describing the principles of software development, a vocabulary for characterizing and understanding the constraints under which software is being written. We present some principles of software development, relating them to specific problems that occur in software projects and to practices that are used to address those problems. We observe that the practices of different methodologies can be understood in terms of how they weigh the relative importance of the underlying principles. We illustrate how identifying such principles can help in selecting the most appropriate practices. We note that some of the most significant differences among methodologies arise when principles provide conflicting viewpoints. We then discuss how iterative or incremental software development practices can be used to minimize the risks that result from conflicting principles. DRAFT of August 26, 2002 2


The paper reviews methods used to study the electronic and structural properties of silicon/insulator interfaces. Methodological approaches to study the interface states and charge trapping in the oxide are considered. An overview of archetypical structural defects of the Si/SiO2 interface is given.


The adaptive reclosure of double circuit lines on the same tower and its field test technology are introduced. The different types of test methods are put forward and the existing problems which were detected during the test are analyzed and solved.


Indonesia has great natural resources. UNESCO recognized at least six geoparks, and Indonesia will continue to develop more geoparks in the future. However, currently, Indonesia's geoparks are not widely known. One of the reasons is that the existing websites do not pay attention to performance guidelines, information, economics, and search engine optimization even though the website is a vital marketing medium so that geoparks can be promoted widely and effectively. A comprehensive study of the website contents is required to build a good geopark website. In addition, it is also necessary to study user experience when visiting web pages. This study aims to find the standard website content on the geopark website and compare existing website performance and user experience. This study compares three geopark websites. The three websites include the Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu, Hongkong geopark, and Cliff of Fundy Geosite website. Three indicators are used: website performance, user experience, and what information should be on the geopark website. These three indicators are essential as an attraction for website visitors so they can enjoy the content of the website and they can stay longer so that the visitors can turn into potential geopark tourists. Good website performance is supported by consistent ease of providing information and speed in providing information to website visitors. In comparison, the user experience visiting the website relates to the interactive visual design, organization, and navigation structure of the website framework and the completeness of the content. We use performance and user experience metrics as evaluation tools for the three selected websites. As a result, the general availability of information is as follows: information about geoparks, UNESCO, list of tourist attractions, activities, itinerary, tourist accommodation, education, contacts, language choices, news articles, pamphlets, maps, and virtual tours. In terms of performance, the three websites have slow speeds, but in cumulative layout shifts, they have good scores.


Cloud computing and virtualization are the novel deployments of large-scale computing systems over the Internet. Customers get their computation and storage from the cloud computing providers and can pay for the service on demand. However, the security of communication between a client and cloud is highly concerned and increasingly becoming important. Virtual private network (VPN) is the mostly used technology to ensure the security of network communications. However, there are many factors which results in VPN failure, e.g., poor network, software/hardware problem of VPN gateway. In either case, users will loss a connection and stream communication from the cloud although there are a backup VPN gateway and a backup cloud server. Especially, when users use transmission control protocol (TCP) applications, all the TCP connections will be broken. This paper proposes an improved virtual private network (iVPN) which can continuously serve users who would like to use TCP applications on a cloud site. The users do not have to modify their existing applications or operating systems in order to use iVPN over an existing VPN communication. Moreover, the existing VPN gateway and cloud server can still operate as before.


STOCK DEFINITION AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE Only three species of Mesoplodon are known, from strandings and/or sightings, to have occurred in the Gulf of Mexico (Jefferson et al. 1992; Hansen et al. 1995). These are Blainville's beaked whale (M. densirostris), Gervais' beaked whale (M. europaeus), and Sowerby's beaked whale (M. bidens). The occurrence of Sowerby's beaked whale in the Gulf of Mexico is considered extralimital because there is only one known stranding of this species in the Gulf of Mexico (Bonde and O'Shea 1989), and because it normally occurs in northern temperate waters of the North Atlantic (Mead 1989). Identification of Mesoplodon species at sea is problematic. Therefore, nearly all sightings of these species are identified as beaked whales and may include sightings of Ziphius cavirostris which were not identified as such. Beaked whales were seen in all seasons during recent seasonal GulfCet aerial surveys of the northern Gulf of Mexico (Davis et al., in preparation). Strandings of Gervais' beaked whales have occurred along the northwestern Atlantic coast from Florida to New York (Mead 1989), and there have been at least ten documented strandings of this species in the Gulf of Mexico (Jefferson et al. 1992). There is no information on stock differentiation.


The study aimed at finding variables predicting the implicit and explicit attitude towards body scanners and to assess possible correlations with regard to dual-process. Age, gender, the personality variables technological affinity and systemizing, knowledge about body scanners and media consumption served as predictors. The explicit attitude was operationalized through a questionnaire measuring expectations about a body scan. A Single Target Implicit Association Test assessed the implicit attitude. Gender and knowledge were significant predictors for the explicit attitude: Women worried more about the effects of a body scan and requested more information. People with more knowledge about body scanners worried more about possible discrimination through body scanners. Predicting the implicit attitude there was a trend that people who have more enthusiasm about technology had a worse implicit attitude towards body scanners. Implicit and explicit attitude did not correlate. The findings suggest that it makes sense to integrate different kinds of users in the design and development process of security technologies to account for different opinions, needs and worries.


From the initial stage of the 20th century, S.Freud started the revolution in the realm of novel concept. He extended the theory of Depth Psychology into the study and criticism of novels, affirmed the human significance and modern aesthetic value of psychological novel, and revealed the psychological nature of the history of Western fiction from the phenomenon of the unconsciousness. Freuds theories pounded at the novel writing principle of Western Classicism, and affected the theoretical position and the writing concept of modern Western novelists. However, because of the limits of Libido Theory and repercussions of classical tradition, Freuds novel theories cant mix together with the writing and criticism of modern Western novels deeply.


The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for the development of aspiring female coaches based on the ideas of existing high-performance female coaches. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with national-level female coaches in the United Kingdom, four recurrent ideas for developing female coaches in a male-dominated profession emerged. These were (1) role modelling and mentoring, (2) greater frequency and quality of coaching opportunities, (3) the creation of supportive networks, and (4) a policy of positive discrimination. Using a feminist cultural studies conceptual framework, this paper highlights how a culture dominated by masculine hegemony restricts the participants' opportunities for career development. Their experiences also reveal a lack of responsibility taken by governing bodies for the development of aspiring female coaches. As a result, I make a call for the inclusion of a more complex, sustained programme of socio-cultural education for coaches to inform women of the reasons for their underrepresentation as coaches, and call for greater action and leadership to be taken by sporting governing bodies.


Unlike conventional continuous-wave lasers with wide spectra, the amplification of single-frequency lasers in optical fibers is much more difficult owing to the ultra-high power spectral density induced nonlinear stimulated Brillouin scattering effect. Nevertheless, over the past two decades much effort has been devoted to improving the power scaling and performance of high-power single-frequency fiber amplifiers. These amplifiers are mostly driven by applications, such as high precision detection and metrology, and have benefited from the long coherence length, low noise, and excellent beam quality of this type of laser source. In this paper, we review the overall development of high-power single-frequency fiber amplifiers by focusing on its progress and challenges, specifically, the strategies for circumventing the stimulated Brillouin scattering and transverse mode instability effects that, at present, are the major limiting factors of the power scaling of the single-frequency fiber amplifiers. These factors are also thoroughly discussed in terms of free-space and all-fiber coupled architecture. In addition, we also examine the noise properties of single-frequency fiber amplifiers, along with corresponding noise reducing schemes. Finally, we briefly envision the future development of high-power single-frequency fiber amplifiers.


Background Cryptococcal meningitis is common and associated with high mortality among HIV infected persons. The World Health Organization recommends that routine Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening in ART-naïve adults with a CD4+ count <100 cells/μL followed by pre-emptive antifungal therapy for CrAg-positive patients be considered where CrAg prevalence is ≥3%. The prevalence of CrAg among HIV adults in Namibia is unknown. We estimated CrAg prevalence among HIV-infected adults receiving care in Namibia for the purpose of informing routine screening strategies. Methods The study design was cross-sectional. De-identified plasma specimens collected for routine CD4+ testing from HIV-infected adults enrolled in HIV care at 181 public health facilities from November 2013 to January 2014 were identified at the national reference laboratory. Remnant plasma from specimens with CD4+ counts <200 cells/μL were sampled and tested for CrAg using the IMMY® Lateral Flow Assay. CrAg prevalence was estimated and assessed for associations with age, sex, and CD4+ count. Results A total of 825 specimens were tested for CrAg. The median (IQR) age of patients from whom specimens were collected was 38 (32–46) years, 45.9% were female and 62.9% of the specimens had CD4 <100 cells/μL. CrAg prevalence was 3.3% overall and 3.9% and 2.3% among samples with CD4+ counts of CD4+<100 cells/μL and 100–200 cells/μL, respectively. CrAg positivity was significantly higher among patients with CD4+ cells/μL < 50 (7.2%, P = 0.001) relative to those with CD4 cells/μL 50–200 (2.2%). Conclusion This is the first study to estimate CrAg prevalence among HIV-infected patients in Namibia. CrAg prevalence of ≥3.0% among patients with CD4+<100 cells/μL justifies routine CrAg screening and preemptive treatment among HIV-infected in Namibia in line with WHO recommendations. Patients with CD4+<100 cells/μL have a significantly greater risk for CrAg positivity. Revised guidelines for ART in Namibia now recommend routine screening for CrAg.


Oxidative stress is implicated in many neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. As an alternative, Punica granatum peels are widely used in the treatment of several ailments. To date, this is the first study on the anti-acetyl/butyrylcholinesterase effects of diethyl ether extract from Algerian pomegranate peels.

This research aimed to evaluate the content of total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, and tannins in Punica granatum peel crude extract and its fraction diethyl ether, as well as to assess its antioxidant and neuroprotective activities.

The total phenolic, flavonoid, flavonol, and tannin contents in the extracts were evaluated using spectrophotometric methods. The inhibitory effects on acetyl/butyrylcholinesterase were assessed using the in vitro models. In addition, several methods were used to investigate the antioxidant capacity of extracts, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) free radicals scavenging, phenanthroline, reducing power and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays.

Phytochemical analysis revealed that the diethyl ether extract recorded the highest content of total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, and tannins with values of 643.3±9.96µgGAE/mg, 78.97±9.97µgQE/mg, 31.32±1.79µgQE/mg and 96.6±13.65µgTAE/mg, respectively. Moreover, the diethyl ether extract exhibited the strongest activity in the DPPH scavenging assay (IC50=3.36±0.11µg/mL), ABTS scavenging assay (IC50=1.46±0.10µg/mL), CUPRAC assay (CA0.5=3.62±0.36µg/mL), phenanthroline assay (CA0.5=1.04±0.10µg/mL), reducing power assay (CA0.5=4.14±0.32µg/mL), anti-acetylcholinesterase assay (IC50=114.86±13.66µg/mL), and anti-butyrylcholinesterase assay (IC50=147.00±10.41µg/mL).

The present study has shown the extracts from Punica granatum peel to be a rich source of bioactive compounds, potent antioxidants, and cholinesterase inhibitors. They could be considered as natural agents that can be used in anti-neurodegenerative pharmaceutical formulations.


In the post liberalisation period, many Indian organisations have taken up quality management programs (QMPs) in order to compete with global standards, but it has been observed that organisations frequently confront problems during implementation of such programs. In this study, a questionnaire survey has been performed to explore the problems in the organisation and tried to find the linkages of the problems with the organisational context as well as the approach adopted by management while recovering the problems. It has been observed that the organisations implementing quality management programs (QMPs) often confront hurdles in the process of managing the organisational change associated with such programs. On average quality practitioners in Indian service industry indicated significantly higher perceived values of barrier than in manufacturing industry in the attributes expertise in QMPs.


This work reports phase equilibrium experimental data at high pressures for systems formed by carbon dioxide with ethanol and triglycerides. Phase equilibrium experiments were carried out using the static synthetic method in a high-pressure variable-volume view cell in the temperature range of 20–70C up to 270bar, for binary carbon dioxide-triglycerides and ternary carbon dioxide-triglycerides-ethanol systems at various overall compositions. Phase equilibrium P-T and P-x diagrams were constructed allowing the identification of fluid-liquid transitions. A very intriguing phase behavior has been found at high carbon dioxide concentrations, which seems to be an U-LCST pressure transition curve.


This article introduces the next version of MathPSfrag. MathPSfrag is a Mathematica package that during export automatically replaces all expressions in a plot by corresponding LaTeX commands. The new version can also produce LaTeX independent images; e.g., PDF files for inclusion in pdfLaTeX. Moreover from these files a preview is generated and shown within Mathematica.


Iterative learning control method is proposed for the single pendulum which is a typical fast-speed multi- variable nonlinear absolutely unstable system. The closed loop iterative learning algorithm based on Lyapunov theory is presented, where the sufficient condition of convergence for closed loop iterative learning algorithm is proposed. The closed loop iterative learning control gains are designed through resolving LMI method. Simulation results show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.


A method of operating a dialyzer in the extracorporeal circuit, the dialyzer having a membrane having a contained in a blood circuit and blood side of a dialysate contained in a dialysate circuit, wherein one of a patient during hemodialysis pumping at least once a dialysis fluid for a short period of the dialysate side of the membrane through the dialyzer, whereby it washes away accumulations of blood components on the blood side of the membrane from the membrane, and the blood components wegpumpt through the bloodstream via a blood pump of the membrane to give the blood pump during this short period of time with reduced capacity operates, so that the accumulation of blood components is removed on the blood side of the membrane during dialysis, improving dialysis the patient's blood and increases the life of the dialyzer.


The persistence of large numbers of local gov ernments in the United States emphasizes the continuing need for interlocal cooperation. In the American federal system, where local units are the creatures of the states, it is the states which must play a key role if the service needs of the 1970s are to be met by local governments. It appears that the states are increasingly recognizing this key role by granting local governments broader powers of home rule, by empower ing them to enter into agreements among themselves to pro vide badly needed services, by extending some state pow ers—such as purchasing—to local units, and by devising revenue sharing programs which have the effect of strength ening local governments. Although the federal government undoubtedly has a greater impact on interlocal cooperation than it did in the pre-New Deal days, it would appear that the early results of the federal revenue sharing program do not reflect the hopes of those who saw the program as a great stimulant for localities to become more innovative and more cooperative with each other, particularly when the early record of the program seems to show a net loss in resources for the local units.


When asked to write down the name of their favorite color and number (between 0 and 9), 353 boys and 308 girls from Niger tend to write 9 and red; the majority of 121 Japanese boys and 112 girls think first of all 7 and blue; Transkeian children (95 boys and 126 girls) prefer generally 8 and black; 126 boys and 155 girls from Brazzaville tend to choose 9 and red. These heterogeneous results indicate once more that number and color preferences are related to cultural context.


METHODS: This is a multicenter cross sectional study that took place in four hemodialysis clinics in Jakarta from October to December 2016. We evaluated patients that have undergone hemodialysis for 1 year. Female sexual dysfunction was measured using Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Quality of life (QOL), depression, anxiety and sleep quality was measured using WHOQOL-BREF, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) respectively. WHOQOL-BREF contains 4 domains (physical health, psychological, social relationship and environmental domain). Higher PSQI scores indicate worse sleep quality. Analysis for numerical variables was done using Pearson or Spearman Correlation Test. Analysis to find the mean difference between two groups was done using Student's T-test. RESULTS: There was a total of 46 patients. Mean age of the patients was 52.3(612.8) years. Lack of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction were present in 45 (97.8%), 45 (97.8%), 38 (82.6%), 40 (86.9%) and 38(82.6%) patients respectively. Dyspareunia was present in 45 (97.8%) female patients. Age (p1⁄4 0.007), depression (p < 0.001), anxiety (p1⁄4 0.044) and PSQI score (p1⁄4 0.029) have significant negative correlation with female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Physical health domain of QOL (p1⁄4 0.013), psychological domain of QOL (p1⁄4 0.001), social relationship domain of QOL (p1⁄4 0.001) and environmental domain of QOL (p1⁄4 0.021) have significant positive correlation with FSD. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension and anemia did not have any significant association with FSD.


A series of model tests was conducted to investigate the one-dimensional consolidation behavior of an improved ground where sand compaction piles(SCP) were either fully or partly installed in the model clay ground. In order to check the one-dimensional consolidation settlement and stress concentration ratios, earth pressure, pore pressure transducers and dial gauges were installed in the model clay ground. The test results revealed that the consolidation settlement of the partly penetrated SCP ground was larger than that of the fully penetrated SCP ground, and the stress concentration ratios (m) of the fully penetrated SCP ground were higher than these of the partly penetrated SCP ground. The stress concentration ratio was decreasing with the increase in the penetration depth of SCP


A method for surface preparation of a composite substrate prior to adhesive bonding. A curable surface treatment layer is applied on a curable resin composite substrate and subsequently co-cured. After co-curing, the composite substrate is fully cured, but the surface treatment layer remains partially cured. The surface treatment layer may be a removable release layer composed of a resin film or a fabric impregnated with a resin. After surface preparation, the composite substrate provides a chemically active, bondable surface that can be adhesively bonded to another composite substrate to form a covalent adhesive structure. [Selection] Figure 3


1. Max-3-SAT: In this case, Γ represents the OR-predicate. 2. Max-Cut: We can model this as a CSP where the vertices that get assigned to one side get 0 value and the other gets 1; so the domain set is D = {0, 1}. The set Γ contains only 6= predicate. 3. Max-E3-LIN2: The domain is {0, 1}. There are two types of precidates in Γ, i.e. xi + xj + xk = 0 and xi + xj = xk = 1 (under modolu two.) 4. Max Acyclic Subgraph: An edge is satisfied if it goes from lower to higher number. The domain is [n]. The predicate is <.


Present classifications of "schools" of sociological theory indicate widespread confusion as to what exactly is involved in the different approaches. Developments of the last decade, however, indicate that the different theories tend to converge as increasing attention is paid to ways and means of empirical verification. The resulting convergences in the works of Parsons, Merton, and Bales, on the one hand, and of Stouffer, Lazarsfeld, Lundberg, and Dodd, on the other, are documented. A similar tendency is apparent in recent Catholic sociological theory. Convergence in research techniques has been especially notable. Semantic and philosophical reasons for remaining controversies are reviewed.


Summary Implementing a motivational approach in MMT acts as a powerful resource in influencing in a positive way the dominant programme atmosphere, staff-client interactions, quality of services and programme functioning as a whole. There are various ways in which motivational interventions can be successfully applied in MMT. The evidence to date is very encouraging in suggesting that even brief interventions can enhance client motivation and trigger significant improvement and change. The use of these promising methods in the future will depend on the creativity of clinicians and researchers in adopting, adapting and evaluating motivational interventions to make them more widely and effectively implemented in MMT clinical practice for the good of our clients.


The multi-scale representation of spatial information is one of the warmly studied issues in GIS and remote sensing information science. The useful geometric rules and algorithms on Voronoi images provide powerful approaches for the description and analysis of complicated spatial relationships among the map objects. Spatial conflicted problems, such as selections and abandons, intersections and crowds, etc., resulted from symbolization and generalization of ground features in spatial multi-scale representation, were discussed. According to principles of Voronoi and Delaunary of computational geometry, the selection of point elements, the intersection of line elements, and the converging and predigesting of area elements, were studied to make them more favorable to the human visual and perceptive system, and consequently getting the spatial data more propitious to analyze, process and visualize.


Recent QCD measurements obtained by the CDF Collaboration at the Tevatron in pp collisions at s = 1.96 TeV are presented. Results on inclusive jet physics are first reported. They include the measurement of the inclusive jet production cross section, a phenomenological study of the underlying event and the measurement of the jet shapes. Some specific processes of interest are then discussed. The measurements of W + jets, γγ and γ + heavy flavor productions are presented. Finally, the diffractive physics program is approached with reports on the measurements of the diffractive structure function and on the searches for exclusive final states.


Cytology is the sub-domain of Pathology that deals mainly with the diagnosis of cellular changes caused by disease. Current clinical practice involves a cytotechnologist that manually screens glass slides containing fixed cytology material using a light microscope. Screened slides are then forwarded to a specialized pathologist, a cytopathologist, for microscopic review and final diagnostic interpretation. If no abnormalities are detected, the specimen is interpreted as "normal", otherwise the abnormalities are marked with a pen on the glass slide by the cytotechnologist and then are used to render a diagnosis. As Pathology is migrating towards a digital environment it is important to determine whether these crucial screening and diagnostic tasks can be performed as well using digital slides as the current practice with glass slides. The purpose of this work is to make this assessment, by using a set of digital slides depicting cytological materials of different disease processes in several organs, and then to analyze how different cytologists including cytotechnologists, cytopathologists and cytotechnology-trainees explored the digital slides. We will (1) collect visual search data from the cytologists as they navigate the digital slides, as well as record any electronic marks (annotations) made by the cytologists; (2) convert the dynamic visual search data into a static representation of the observers' exploration strategy using 'search maps'; and (3) determine slide coverage, per viewing magnification range, for each group. We have developed a virtual microscope to collect this data, and this interface allows for interactive navigation of the virtual slide (including panning and zooming), as well as annotation of reportable findings. Furthermore, all interactions with the interface are time stamped, which allows us to recreate the cytologists' search strategy.


e16258 Background: The IMMray® PanCan-d blood test for early detection of PDAC has been commercially available in 45 U.S. states since the laboratory's licensure in August 2021. This is the first clinically-available blood test dedicated to the early detection of PDAC, combining an 8-plex biomarker signature with CA19-9 in a proprietary algorithm. Here we report the initial results of this assay. Methods: All orders received and results reported were reviewed for the IMMray PanCan-d test between August 4, 2021 and February 11, 2022. Serum specimens were processed at the Immunovia, Inc. laboratory in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Demographic information of individuals undergoing testing is based on the completed test requisition submitted by their health care providers. All information was de-identified prior to this analysis. Results: The median age of those tested was 59 years and 46% were male. 76% of patients were referred because of a history of familial pancreatic cancer. Germline mutation prevalence is reported in the table below. 12% of patients had IPMNs or mucinous cystic neoplasms, 2% had chronic pancreatitis and 3% had new onset Diabetes Mellitus. Table. Demographics of Individuals Tested with the IMMray PanCan-d test 80.5% of IMMray PanCan-d results were negative, 1.1% were high-risk signature present, and 11.5% were borderline. These results are fully consistent with validation studies for this assay in high-risk surveillance populations (Brand RE et al Clin Transl Gastroenterol, doi: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000468). 6.9% of individuals tested had a CA19-9 value of less than 2.5 U/ml, which we identify as presumptively Lewis null (le/le) and CA19-9 non-secretors. Given that CA19-9 contributes significantly to calculated decision values for the IMMray PanCan-d test, individuals with a CA19-9 less than 2.5 U/ml receive a result of test not performed. Conclusions: The commercial availability of a biomarker assay for the early detection of PDAC resulted in a testing population with demographics and referral criteria similar to that of PDAC high-risk surveillance programs in the U.S. IMMray PanCan-d test results were as expected based on prior validation studies.[Table: see text]


IntroductionResearch on boards of directors' influence on a company's performance has increased in the past years as more scholars have shown a great interest in this subject. Researchers have looked at this relationship from various angles and tried to find connections using different corporate governance theories, such as agency, stewardship, social network, institutional and resource dependence theory (Davis et al, 1997; Jensen and Meckling, 1976; Pfeffer and Salancik, 1978). However, there are few studies that assess the impact of boards' attributes on financial performance from a strategic perspective. Moreover, studies that address these issues all together within the context of Romania are even scarcer. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining how five attributes of Romanian listed companies on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) - size, age, female representation, non-executive directors, CEO-duality - relate to diversification strategy and to corporate performance.Studies on corporate governance issues have focused merely on developed economies and these findings cannot be extrapolated to emerging economies (Jackling and Johl, 2009). Furthermore, investigations that assess Romanian companies are necessary as the country has been experiencing more foreign direct investments in the last few years, which calls for more transparent approaches to corporate governance.Conducting research on boards related to their strategic involvement has never been an easy task. The main reason for this is the reluctance of directors to share knowledge that is seen as extremely important for the success of the companies (Kesner and Johnson, 1990). Management researchers have difficulty in establishing the strategic role that boards might play within companies. Directors' influence on the strategy-making process is highly controversial within the corporate governance literature. Pugliese et al. (2009) showed that the strategic involvement of boards can be done in various ways: (1) through engagement in developing elements of the general strategy, like mission statements, long-term targets; (2) through contribution to different strategic outcomes, like innovation, diversification and mergers and acquisitions; (3) through involvement in various stages of strategic decisions by interacting with top managers.The purpose of this study is to advance international corporate governance research by focusing on the corporate governance practices of an emerging economy. Using data collected from 56 major publicly traded companies in Romania we examine the board attributes, diversification strategy and company performance. We begin with an overview of research related to this field and then we develop hypotheses asserting that board attributes will have no influence on diversification strategy. Additionally, we hypothesize that board attributes will impact company performance, whereas diversification strategy will serve as a mediator between board attributes and performance. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings for theory and practice.1.Literature review and hypotheses development1.1.Board attributes and company performanceTaking into account the main role of directors, which is to supervise and to prevent opportunistic behaviour of managers (Fama and Jensen, 1983), the composition of a board of directors becomes vital within corporate governance frameworks. The struggle to find what lies behind a boards' "black-box" (Leblanc, 2004) has increased significantly in the last years in an attempt by researchers all over the world to identify key features of the most efficient boards. In this sense, a plethora of studies has tried to explain the relation between board attributes and company performance. Romanian research on board of directors is less developed than that in western countries. Furthermore, the focal point of Romanian scholars has been rather descriptive with an emphasis on describing the composition of boards and the relation between various boards' attributes. …


c � Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Abstract The implementation of cloud computing has at- tracted computingasa utility andenablespenetrativeapplica- tions from scientific, consumer and business domains. How- ever, this implementation faces associated TCO (total cost of ownership) concerns. Cloud service providers are becom- ing increasingly concerned. For that purpose, cost models for cloud have been developed. In this paper, we present service that compares the total cost of ownership of a physical ma- chine with the cost of a virtual cloud-based machine. In addi- tion, services for monitoring, estimating and analyzing com- prehensive costs associated with cloud computing environ- ment have been developed. The model for the physical ma- chine takes into account previous works and incorporates a more detailed study of the costs related to power and energy consumption. The model for the virtual cloud-based machine considers reserving instances offered by Amazon EC2 on a long-term basis. We format suits of measurable metrics and formulas for our calculations. The results show that, physi- cal clusters are still more viable for organizationswith a high usage rate, while virtual cloud-based machines are interest- ing option for organizationswith a high degree of uncertainty with respect to computational requirements.


The effects of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), activators of particulate and soluble guanylate cyclase, respectively, on K+ currents were investigated in patch-clamp recordings of smooth muscle cells cultured from rat thoracic aorta. In the cell-attached patch configuration, ANF enhanced Ca(2+)-activated K+ (KCa) channel activities as reported previously. When KCa channels were blocked with 1 mmol/L tetraethylammonium or 10(-7) mol/L charybdotoxin, ANF and ISDN applied to the bathing solution activated ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels without altering channel conductance. Pretreatment with methylene blue, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, abolished the effects of ISDN on KATP channels, whereas 8-bromo-cGMP activated these channels, suggesting that the effects of ISDN on KATP channels were mediated by cGMP. Our results suggest that vasorelaxant agents that increase intracellular cGMP concentrations modulate the gating of two major potassium channels, ATP sensitive and Ca2+ activated, that might play an important role in controlling vascular tone by changing the membrane potential.


The mean-field approach of Grunewald and co-workers (1982) provides a consistent way of extending the one-electron hopping theory to account for the effect of intersite Coulomb interactions. In this paper the authors show that the density of states of 4096-donor random simulations obtained in the limit T=0 is very similar to that obtained from the established energy-minimising procedure. They provide numerical results that imply that, remarkably, the states obtained by iteration on the mean-field equations, with no regard to energy minimisation, are in fact likely to be pseudo-ground-states for large enough systems.


The paper introduces processes and tools to design generative learning objects (GLO) through feature model (FM) transformations for CS education. In the first stage, to represent the variability of CS education, we apply feature-based modelling using FAMILIAR and SPLOT tools. In the next stages we present processes and newly developed tools to design GLO through high-level transformations. Case study demonstrates our methodology in ARDUINO-based e-learning environment.


Citation: Suzanne Talal Kutbi., et al. "Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: An Overview". EC Microbiology 17.9 (2021): 01-08. Introduction: The first cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was first seen in China in late 2019 and has rapidly spread across the world. As per the previous reports of SARS-CoV-2 infection, it was not seen very commonly in young children. The reason for such a low number of cases could be either asymptomatic cases or mild forms of the disease in this age group. A new syndrome termed "multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children" (MIS-C) was first described in April 2020, with a probable relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Aim of Work: This review aims at highlighting an overview of, and an update on, the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Methodology: The review is a comprehensive research of WHO official page, Google Scholar, and PUBMED from the year 2005 to 2021. Conclusion: A lot of knowledge has been gained about MIS-C temporally associated with COVID-19 in a very short span of time; nevertheless, there are still many uncertainties that exist. It is an unusual disease with varying severity and symptoms. The course of the disease is usually turbulent, leading to multiple organ failure and may require hospitalization in intensive care. Although an association does exist between SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, more serological tests and viral research need to be conducted to establish definitive evidence of COVID-19 being caused by SARS-CoV-2.


This study determines if an examination of knee joint position sense using electrogoniometers could serve as an indicator for one aspect of knee function. The reliability of this examination was obtained by using the test-retest method. Effects of knee problems, local anaesthesia, two different kinds of training, and knee bracing on knee position sense were evaluated. Thirty-one normal subjects and 31 patients with knee complaints were examined to investigate the influence of knee problems. The latter was also examined before and after local anaesthesia at arthroscopy. Ten students were examined before and after 8-week muscle strength training or dynamic joint control training. Another 10 students were examined before and after 8-week knee bracing. There was an impairment in joint position sense after local anaesthesia and 8-week knee bracing (p<0.05). Patients with knee problems did not have impaired joint position sense. Subjects with 8-week muscle strength training and dynamic joint control training showed an enhanced joint position sense (p<0.05), but did not show a significant difference between these training groups. It is proposed that the examination of joint position sense of the knee could be used for evaluating knee function.


The energy consumption per capita per year throughout the world is increasing. The scientists and engineers throughout the world are focusing more attention to develop potential methods that would use waste heat. A significant amount of thermal o o resources are available in the form of low temperature (between 60 C and 99 C) industrial waste heat, approximately 500 trillion kJ per year is known to be wasted every year. This waste heat could be used to drive absorption chillers. In order to utilize that waste heat, a new chiller generator consisting of dual chambers called "dual chamber vortex generator" has been designed and manufactured. As a proof of concept, a test stand was constructed for testing the performance of the vortex generator for possible use in absorption refrigeration systems. The experimental result and the analysis showed that the vortex generator could create a strong enough vortex and produce water evaporation in the generator. In some cases, the COP of the vortex generator system can reach 0.8 using a low temperature (60-90 C) heat resource. This number is higher than the COP of conventional absorption chiller, which is typically around 0.7. Also, According to exergy efficency analysis presented here, it is more thermodynamically efficicent if the absorption systems are operated using low-grade wasted heat rather than high-temperature heat sources. TARTF OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i CONTENTS ii LIST OF FIGUERS iv LIST OF TABLES vfi


Interest, guided by Law is a most important means to enforce the needs of subjects of any legal relationship. The author proves the necessity of taking into account the trial's public interest as a condition of creating a system of effective and just jurisdiction in Russia.


Image sensors have become ubiquitous due to their integration into smart phones, laptops and more recently wearable devices. However, the majority of these devices tend to utilize camera sensors in traditional usages like photography and video communication. Recently, we have seen a rise in context aware applications of ambient sensing utilizing a diverse set of sensors like audio, wireless, and bio-sensors. In this talk, I will describe new usages of ambient sensing across a multitude of sensors, and highlight some of the constraints and challenges that we and other researchers have encountered in trying to use image sensors for such usages.


Abstract A finite element model has been developed to determine the temperature distribution generated during a high power diode laser (HPDL) tile grout sealing process. Because of the complexity of the process, which involves five different materials in a complicated geometrical arrangement, finite element (FE) numerical simulation using ADINA rather than an analytical system has been used to model the temperature profile. The analysis has involved simulation of the three-dimensional transient temperature field produced by a laser beam with constant power scanning over the glazed enamel surface at constant speeds. Latent heat effects due to melting and solidification of the glazed enamel have been taken into account in the FE model, thereby facilitating a more realistic thermal analysis. Experimental validation of the FE predicted temperature profile has also been presented. The results show that both the FE predicted temperatures and those determined experimentally are in close agreement with each other. The effect of varying process parameters on temperature profiles is discussed to facilitate prediction of optimized process parameters.


Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral health behaviors of patients with hypertension and diabetic patients on the number of remaining teeth in Korean adults over 45 years of age, furthermore, we also aimed to develop oral health care programs and health promotion for patients with hypertension and diabetes. Methods: Altogether, 1,526 subjects with hypertension and diabetes from the 6th Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (2013-2015) were analyzed. Results: A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of oral health behavior and periodontal disease on residual teeth in patients with hypertension and diabetes after adjusting for age. We found 1.53 times the risk of having less than 20 remaining teeth in the group of brushing more than 3 times a day (95% CI: 1.00-2.35, p 0.05), compared to the non-smoking group 0.77 times (95% CI: 0.51-1.14, p >0.05), 1.33 times (95% CI: 0.98-1.80, p >0.05) in the drinking group compared to the non-drinking group, in the periodontal disease group, the risk of having less than 20 remaining teeth was 2.19 times higher (95% CI: 1.48-3.24, p >0.001) than in the normal group. Conclusions: As a super-aging society, develops in Korea, the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes will increase gradually. Therefore, an oral health policy should be implemented at the national level for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease as well as the management of oral health the elderly.


The embodiment of the invention discloses a power supply method, device and system for storage batteries, wherein the power supply method comprises the step as follows: the power supply state of a storage battery circularly used in a system is detected, wherein the system supplies power to a load through the storage battery circularly used firstly; when the voltage of the storage battery circularly used is reduced to a voltage threshold, a standby storage battery is started to supply power to the load. The embodiment can realize mixed application between different storage batteries.