SUMMARY We have described the flowering and fruiting phenology of 14 accessions of six Opuntia species grown in Morocco: O. ficus-indica, O. robusta, O. aequatorialis, O. dillenii, O. leucotricha, and O. stricta. We also determined the physicochemical characteristics of their cladodes. For each accession, we used four-to-20 plants. Two systems were used to measure phenology: the extended Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie (BBCH)-scale and the National Phenology Monitoring System. Five principal stages were described: the development of vegetatively-propagated organs (vegetative buds), the development of flower buds, flowering, fruit development, and fruit maturity. The number of vegetative buds varied significantly among the 14 accessions, while only four accessions produced flower buds. After reaching their final size, fruit lengths varied from 3.40–6.40 cm, while fruit diameters varied from 1.93–3.90 cm. The average cladode number differed significantly among genotypes and varied from 1.75–7.75. There were also significant differences in cladode length (13.75–30.63 cm), width (6.25–17.33 cm), thickness (0.65–1.38 cm), fresh weight (FW; 67.50–766.00 g), and dry weight (DW; 8.75–67.15 g) between species. Water content and ash content, as well as total protein and total sugar concentrations, showed significant differences and were within the ranges of 86.67–92.04% (w/w), 12.97–22.08g 100 g−1 DW, 4.64–11.56g 100 g−1 DW, and 3.22–12.51 g 100 g−1 DW, respectively. Our results will help in the development of agronomic management practices and improve the characterisation, valorisation, and use of cactus pear species grown in Morocco.


The green macroalgal genus Ulva (incl. Enteromorpha) is the most common, ubiquitous, and environmentally important genus. Certain taxa serve as experimental organisms for fundamental research such as algal genetics. We established three lines of Ulva compressa from the coasts of Japan, named Ehime, Nagasaki and Iwate lines which consist of two strains of different mating types. For further genetic research of U. compressa, genetic markers are imperative. Here we report nine polymorphic microsatellite markers developed from enriched genomic libraries. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 7 to 19. These markers will be applicable for investigations of population structure.


Focus groups with teenagers (ages 15–18) were conducted to understand how they define news; what motivates them to consume news; what news sources they use; and how much knowledge about the news media industry, content, and effects they bring to the task of consuming and thinking critically about the news. Findings suggested exposure to news came largely incidentally via social media and/or parents; participants expressed the sense that news would find them. These teens saw news as depressing, conflict-ridden, and something that, although important, was of less value to them than to adults. Considered in light of a media literacy model adapted for news, these focus group participants exhibited a basic sense of news literacy but lacked the kind of knowledge about news industries, content, and effects that could better direct their own exposure, understanding, and subsequent civic engagement.


Objective To evaluate narrow-band imaging(NBI)system with magnifying endoscopy combined miniprobe sonography in the diagnosis of early squamous esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions.Methods 58 cases with suspected and non-protrusion lesions detected by endoscopy were enrolled,whose pathological diagnosis were chronic inflammation.Then,miniprobe sonography were enrolled.The magnifying endoscopy images were graded as four patterns by intraepithelial papillary capillary loop(IPCL)changes by NBI.Biopsy tissue NBI with magnifying endoscopy combined miniprobe sonography underwent pathologic evalution.The comparison between the imaging patterns of endoscopy and histological diagnosis was evaluated.Results 58 cases pathology diagnosis narrow-band imaging system with magnifying endoscopy combined miniprobe sonography included:10 cases(17.24%)were diagnosed pathologically squamous cancer including 8 cases of early esophageal cancer,4 cases(6.89%)were high grade intraepithelial neoplasia,16 cases(27.58%)low grade intraepithelial neoplasia,27 cases(48.27%)were chronic inflammation.100% esophageal carcinoma and high grade intraepithelial neoplasia were Ⅳ,Ⅲ type IPCL,50.00% low grade intraepithelial neoplasia was Ⅲ type IPCL,43.75% was Ⅱ type IPCL,85.18% esophagitis was Ⅱ type IPCL.The difference was significant between esophageal carcinoma,high grade intraepithelial neoplasia and esophagitis(P0.05).Conclusion NBI with magnifying endoscopy combined miniprobe sonography is an effective method in the diagnosis of early squamous esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions.


FPN-based detectors have made notable progress in general object detection, but the performance and efficiency of detecting small objects are far from satisfactory. Even through FPN can fuse semantic information from deep layers to shallow layers, it also brings noise containing spatial information of large objects to shallow layers. To address this challenge, we propose an attention-based fusion factor (AFF) consisting of two components, $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{CBAM}$ and $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{Query}$, to enhance the semantic information of small objects in the fusion process. The $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{CBAM}$ can be used to learn the vertical fusion factor of the FPN to control the information passed from deep to shallow layers. The $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{Query}$ acts as an fusion factor to control the horizontal transfer impact of FPN. $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{Query}$ first predicts the coarse locations of small objects in low-resolution feature maps and then increases their weights in high-resolution feature maps. Ablation studies on the publicly available dataset PASCAL VOC are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{CBAM}$ and $\boldsymbol{\alpha}-\mathbf{Query}$. Moreover, experimental results on the datasets MS COCO and VisDrone show that the baseline model with additional AFF evidently outperforms itself in almost all the related metrics.


This article seeks to highlight the differences between devolution to Scotland and devolution to Wales through the example of the 1997 referendums. Though the referendums were both held in September 1997 and they were both victories for the 'Yes' side, the projects on offer were different, so that the referendum campaigns, and even the questions asked, were different too. This in turn led to markedly different results: a huge 'Yes' majority in Scotland, and the slightest of majorities in Wales.


To improve vehicle stability, passenger comfort and road friendliness of the virtual track train (VTT) negotiating curves, a multi-parameter and multi-objective optimization platform combining the VTT dynamics model, Sobal sensitivity analysis, NSGA-II algorithm and [Formula: see text] optimal selection method is developed. Considering the mutual coupling between vehicles and taking random road roughness as excitation, the VTT dynamics model with 66-DOF is constructed and verified. Design variables and objective functions are defined, and then key design variables are obtained via Sobol sensitivity analysis. The NSGA-II algorithm is used to optimize the key design variables of the VTT, and the [Formula: see text] optimal selection method is used to select the Pareto solution sets. The results demonstrate that the optimization platform can effectively reduce the number of design variables (from 11 to 6) and improve stability, lateral comfort, vertical comfort and road friendliness, (2.78%, 1.19% and 14.71%, 3.09%, respectively). Also, a multi-parameter and multi-objective optimization platform of the VTT has certain applicability to straight-line conditions and different curve radius conditions. This research provides a feasible solution for the comprehensive performance improvement of the VTT passing through a minor curve. In addition, it also provides a reference for the optimization analysis of multi-marshaling vehicles considering the interaction between vehicles.


To all, whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MAURICE CERESOLE, doctor of philosophy, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, residing at Neuville, in the De 5 partment of the Rhóne, France, have in vented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of a New Red Dye-Stuff, of which the following is a specification. In my Letters Patent Nos. 377,349 and Ie 377,350 I described the invention of two mem bers of a new class of dye-stuffs to which I gave the name of "rhodamines.' The said dye stuffs result from the condensation of one molecule of phthalic anhydride with two mole 15 cules of alkylized meta-amido-phenol and are red basic dye-stuffs characterized by the pos session of an intense fluorescence, which shows itself most striking upon silk. In the prosecution of my researches in this field I 2O have discovered that a new dye-stuff closely resembling the said rhodamines is produced if in the above reaction the phthalic anhy dride be replaced by benzo-trichloride. From its relation to the above-mentioned 25 rhodamines I call my new dye-stuff "benzo rhodamine." To obtain it in accordance with my invention I take, for example, ten (10) parts of benzo-trichloride, fifteen (15) parts of dimethyl-meta-amido phenol, and twenty 3o (20) parts of toluene (the parts are by weight) and mix them well in an enameled vessel, which is kept closed, so as to prevent as far as possible the access of air. The temperature is then gradually raised by heating on the wa 35 ter-bath to nearly 100 centigrade and main tained thereatfor, say, about four to fivelhours. The toluene used does not take part in the reaction, but merely acts as a diluting me


We read with interest the recent article by Caldwell and colleagues, who report a case of reversal of hepatic myelopathy by liver transplantation and review the pertinent literature. We present another case of successful treatment of hepatic myelopathy by transplantation. In July 2009, a 47-year-old male with hepatitis C virus–related cirrhosis was referred to us because he had developed lower limb paraparesis over the previous 6 months. Before this, his predominant complication had been persistent encephalopathy with recurrent episodes of hepatic coma. He had hyperammonemia and a documented portosystemic shunt. On his first visit, he had overt encephalopathy (flap, fetor, rigidity, and abnormal psychometry and electroencephalography; Fig. 1A). His gait was paraparetic and spastic, and he could not walk without support. He had a symmetrical strength deficit in his lower limbs, brisk tendon reflexes, and Babinski sign; sensation was preserved. His thyroid function, vitamin B1 and B12, copper and homocysteine levels were within the normal range. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were substantially normal, and brain MRI showed minor cerebral/cerebellar atrophy. Motor evoked potentials revealed central motor conduction impairment. His anti-encephalopathy regime (disaccharides and rifaximin) was potentiated with sodium benzoate, probiotics, carnitine, and branched chain amino acids. His neuropsychiatric status improved, and so did his rigidity; however, he remained unable to walk without support. The patient was listed for liver transplantation with a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 12, and the indications for transplantation were hepatic encephalopathy and myelopathy. He underwent transplantation at the end of July 2009. The procedure was uneventful, the recovery of graft function was immediate, and the patient was discharged 12 days after surgery. Three months after transplantation, he was able to walk without support, but his gait remained spastic; his neuropsychiatric performance had completely normalized (Fig. 1B). At 11 months, his liver tests were normal, he had virtually no motor disturbances, and he had resumed working and driving. This degree of reversal of hepatic myelopathy after transplantation is possibly the highest described to date. In most reported cases of hepatic myelopathy and in our patient, an association has been observed between myelopathy, encephalopathy, and portosystemic shunting. Interestingly, Caldwell and colleagues state that their patient had no overt encephalopathy. However, the clinical diagnosis of low-grade overt encephalopathy can be difficult, and Caldwell and colleagues seem to have made no attempt to diagnose minimal encephalopathy by psychometric or neurophysiological testing. Finally, the patient's MRI fluid attenuation inversion recovery features seem compatible with encephalopathy. Thus, some degree of neuropsychiatric impairment might have been present. The link between hepatic myelopathy and encephalopathy is supported by the following: (1) their association with portosystemic shunting, (2) the analogies between cerebral and spinal MRI abnormalities in patients with cirrhosis, and (3) the high prevalence of motor impairment in encephalopathic patients. Indeed, in our patient, the full anti-encephalopathy regime relieved lower limb spasticity to an extent. In conclusion, hepatic myelopathy remains difficult to diagnose and presents a significant management problem. The ''hepatic myelopathy transplant registry'' produced by Caldwell and colleagues seems to be a useful tool because it provides hepatologists and


Objective To establish a sensitive, specific and simple measurement for serum collagen Ⅳ which can be used with HBsAg, HBsAb. HBeAb HBcAg and HbcAb. Method By Preparing anti - human type Ⅳ collagen IgG with rabbits and utilizing sodium periodate horse - radish peroxidase - labelling anti - human type Ⅳ collagen monoclonal antibody to change dilution component and concentration, we established sandwich ELISA. Results ELISA had a lowest testing limit of 30μg/L, the average recovery was 102. 75%, CVs of intra - assay were respectively 6.0 and 11.8% and the reference value by testing 50 healthy people was 97.9μg/L±36.3μg/L, the average value of liver cirrhosis type Ⅳ collagen was 254.82μg/L±69.9μ/g. Conclusion The improved method is sensitive, exact, stable and spe- cific with small amount of sample and short testing time. It is easy to spread in clinical practice.


Abstract Absolutely summing processes are defined, which form a subclass of weakly operator harmonizable processes. When the parameter space is the set of real numbers, it is proved that an absolutely summing process is represented as an integral of operator stationary processes with respect to an appropriate probability measure. To do this, weak convergence of scalar and vector measures is considered. Then we prove compactness of the unit ball of vector measures under certain topologies, and we apply the Choquet theorem to derive an integral representation.


Wireless power transfer (WPT) through magnetic resonance coupling (MRC) offers a safe and simple solution for underwater (UV) vehicles without being affected by water conductivity. Due to its ease of control in WPT systems, the most suitable topology is Serial-Serial (SS). In this study, square transmitting and receiving coils with dimensions of 40 cm - 40 cm were designed for 3.3 kW power transmission at 85 kHz. The design was studied in the air, pure water, and seawater environments. Three different cases were analyzed with ANSYS Maxwell 3D. The WPT system responded similarly in air and pure water environments. However, it was determined that the eddy current loss increased, the mutual inductance decreased, the coupling factor weakened, and the critical air gap decreased by about 0.2 cm in the seawater environment. The results showed that the WPT system's efficiency was similar for air and pure water but tolerably lower in the marine environment. Further, the health effects of the WPT design were examined through the ANSYS HFSS, in line with the IEEE standard and ICNIRP guidelines.


Introduction Basic Concepts Constituent Materials for Composites Structural Applications of Composites Fabrication Processes Elements of Mechanical Behavior of Composites Review of Basic Mechanics of Materials Equations Problems References Lamina Stress -- Strain Relationships Introduction Effective Moduli in Stress -- Strain Relationships Symmetry in Stress -- Strain Relationships Orthotropic and Isotropic Engineering Constants The Specially Orthotropic Lamina Problems References Effective Moduli of a Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Lamina Introduction Elementary Mechanics of Materials Models Improved Mechanics of Materials Models Elasticity Models Semiempirical Models Problems References Strength of a Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Lamina Introduction Multiaxial Strength Criteria Micromechanics Models for Lamina Strength Problems References Analysis of Lamina Hygrothermal Behavior Introduction Hygrothermal Degradation of Properties Lamina Stress -- Strain Relationships Including Hygrothermal Effects Micromechanics Models for Hygrothermal Properties Problems References Analysis of a Discontinuous Fiber-Reinforced Lamina Introduction Aligned Discontinuous Fibers Off-axis Aligned Discontinuous Fibers Randomly Oriented Fibers Nanofibers and Nanotubes Analysis of Laminates Introduction Theory of Laminated Beams in Pure Flexure Theory of Laminated Plates with Coupling Stiffness Characteristics of Selected Laminate Configurations Derivation and Use of Laminate Compliances Hygrothermal Effects in Laminates Interlaminar Stresses Laminate Strength Analysis Deflection and Buckling of Laminates Selection of Laminate Designs Application of Laminate Analysis to Composite Structures Problems References Analysis of Viscoelastic and Dynamic Behavior Introduction Linear Viscoelastic Behavior of Composites Dynamic Behavior of Composites Problems References Analysis of Fracture. Introduction Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Through-Thickness Cracks Stress Fracture Criteria for Through-Thickness Notches Interlaminar Fracture Problems References Mechanical Testing of Composites and Their Constituents Introduction Measurement of Constituent Material Properties Measurement of Basic Composite Properties Measurement of Viscoelastic and Dynamic Properties Problems References Appendix A -- Stress Equilibrium Equations Appendix B -- Strain-displacement Relations


A review of:

Korinek,Valerie. 2000. Roughing It in the Suburbs: Reading Chatelaine Magazine in the Fifties and
Sixties. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Freeman, Barbara. 2001. The Satellite Sex: The Media and Women's Issues in English-Canada,
1966-1971.Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.


In order to solve the poor performance of busbar protection for outdoor installation, a distributed design method based on MapReduce architecture is introduced. The distributed busbar protection sub-machine which connects with HSR ring is divided into the scheduling node and the task node. The differential protection module of busbar protection is allocated some nodes to compute and merge according to the number of sub-machines, then the backup protection related to each sub-machine is assigned to the corresponding sub-machine and some redundant computing sub-machines, this design completes the busbar protection distributed computation and logical judgement, and the protection trip uses the 'action three take two' logic. Through RTDS test, this design has proven to be reliable and improve the available resources and performance of the busbar protection.


The invention of photography made it possible for objects, places, landscapes and even ordinary people around us to play a symbolic role and have a clear effect on the mental path of meaning-making and content-making. Seeing these ordinary natural objects with the eye, while it may be emotional or even reminiscent of memory, can be less symbolic, meaningful, or content-creating, leading the mind to a truth beyond the subject itself unless the eye that sees is the eye of truth. Be between mystics. However, if the same objects, landscapes and subjects are present in a photo frame with their different visual forms and characteristics, they will rise above their individuality, and will have the status of a typical sample (general sample). A tree is a specific tree that has grown in a certain place before it is placed in the camera frame, but by placing it in the photo of the general sample of all similar trees, it will recreate the general meaning of the tree. Thus, when an object is present in a photograph, it gains more credibility than its individuality, and therefore can have a more specific effect, as well as a stronger symbolism or deeper meaning.


We propose a dual-process memory model for incorporation into current generative models of collaborative tagging. This would be in line with a large body of research in cognitive psychology showing dissociation of implicit and explicit memory processes. We present initial findings from experimental studies that show the reality of the two memory processes in collaborative tagging. Our proposal has both theoretical and practical implications, mainly in terms of gaining a better understanding of the underlying processes in tagging and the differential impact that different manipulations in tagging environments will have on memory processes.


On the basis of \%Jinshi(History of Jin Dynasty)\% and other literatures, this paper makes a study of such issues about urban geography as the establishment, function, nature and time\|space character of the urban \%Jingxunyuan\% in \%Jin\% Dynasty. The author believes that the \%Jingxunyuan\% of each city had become an independent administrative authority, subordinated to \%Jing Fu\% with other counties at the same level. Therefore, every city with a \%Jingxunyuan\% was in fact a formally established city at that time. The establishment of the urban \%Jingxunyuan\% marked the high\|level development of cities in China. This occupies an important place in the history of urban development and management in the world.


Background: Malnutrition is a multifaceted problem requiring interventions that address the multi-sectoral determinants contributing to it. As per National Family Health Survey - 5 (2019-21), with 33.8% stunted, 20.3% wasted, and 32.2% underweight children, West Bengal is one of the high burden states for childhood undernutrition in India.
Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess household-level access (i.e. the percentage of households availing select services) to various nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions and understand the extent to which convergent action has taken place in the most hard-to-reach areas of the Sundarbans.
 Methods: Cross-sectional survey following 30 x 30 cluster sampling; the sampling was done based on population proportion to size (PPS) methodology. A total of 912 households were recruited for a quantitative survey, and the data was collected through computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) tools. Data was collected from October 15-25, 2021 from households having at least one child in the age group of 6 – 24 months.
 Result: The study focused on 19 nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions. Household-level coverage of 13 of these interventions was 1.5%; coverage of the six others was 4.2%. The estimated coverage of all 19 interventions was found to be almost non-existent (0.2%).
Conclusion: The conspicuously low coverage of services at the household level is a clear indicator of poor convergence of government schemes and programs, reflecting, in turn, disjointed action on the part of the various departments of the government. The results suggest the need for reconsidering the household-level delivery of services as a wholesome package of interventions rather than seeing them as discrete departmental deliverables.


Based on the data of date tests on paddy rice Yunhui 290 in the Yunnan plateau,the effect of meteorological conditions to the starch content of rice was studied to identify the key factors and growing period.A comprehensive climatic-ecological model on the starch content of rice was developed.The results showed that the amylase content was positively related to the temperature,but related to the sunshine hour in a parabola form.The key period was between 15 days before heading and 5 days after heading.The amylopectin content was related to the temperature in a parabola form and the key period was between 10 days before heading and 15 days after heading,while it was positively to the sunshine hour and the key period was between 15 days before heading to 5 days after heading.With increasing of the sunshine hour,the amylopectin content increased.


The debate regarding fiscal policy has given support to the formulation of an economic policy based on control of indebtedness and in persecution of public savings, acting as important support for the economic growth. This paper presents evidence that counter acts this theory of expansionary austerity. A set of panel data regressions is estimated – through Driscoll & Kraay's, FGLS, panel corrected standard errors, and SUR estimators and the causality test approach proposed by Konya (2006) – in search of robust inference related to the main determinants that encompasses the fiscal framework. Our conclusion is that the empirical evidence - using a set of 20 developed economies and other of 24 emerging economies - suggests that identical economic policies for different countries might conduce to results that are opposite to the desired outcome. Notwithstanding the adverse effects associated to explosive debt path, the search for "fiscal space" should be determined essentially by a pro-growth agenda. This is particularly important for the emerging economies facing the transition path challenges.


Arch construction is discussed, describing present method of placing fire clay tile. Tile are suspended on cast iron hangers by means of a tee-shaped slot molded in the top end of each tile, giving room for expansion in every direction. Larger quantities of heat units are released, more intense chemical reactions and there is ample shearing strength and small loss from weight or pressure.


Vehicles employing idle reduction system need a step up DC-DC converter which operates stably for a voltage drop of a battery during engine restart. This paper proposes a power supply for idle reduction system employing a ripple regulator having an excellent transient performance and stability without using electrolytic capacitors which results in long life. The feedforward circuit is employed in order to improve transient response for large input voltage change. The prototype converters were experimentally examined to verify the transient performance for the large variations of the load current and input voltage.


Satellite Formation Flying (SFF) is a key technology for several future missions, since, with respect to a single spacecraft, it allows better performances, new capabilities, more flexibility and robustness to failure and cost reduction. Despite these benefits, however, this new concept poses several signicant design challenges and requires new technologies. The Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system is a key element in the SFF concept since it must be reliable in coordinating all the satellites fying in formation during each mission phase, guaranteeing formation integrity and preventing from formation evaporation, and, at the same time, efficient in using the limited on board resources. Model Predictive Control (MPC), also referred to as Receding Horizon Control, is a modern optimal control technique that seems to be suitable for these purposes because of its three main features: model-based control scheme, constraints handling ability and replanning nature.
The final aim of my Ph.D. activities was to develop and test MPC strategies for SFF applications. This task was accomplished by means of both computer simulations and experimental tests conducted on both the MIT Synchronized Position Hold Engage & Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) testbed and the SFF Hardware Simulator under development at the Center of Studies and Activities for Space "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova.
MPC capabilities were first tested in computer simulations in carrying out a formation acquisition maneuver for two space vehicles, taking into account two scenarios: a Leader-Follower (LF) formation and Projected Circular Orbit (PCO) formation. The performances of the MPC-based controller were compared with those of a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) based controller in the presence of active constraints on the maximum control acceleration, evaluating also the effects of the gravitational harmonics J2 and J3 and atmospheric drag perturbations on the proposed maneuvers. Simulation results of both scenarios showed that, with similar performances in tracking the same reference state trajectory in terms of settling time, the MPC controller is more efficient (less delta-v requirement) than the LQR controller also in the perturbed cases, allowing a delta-v requirement reduction by 40% in the LF formation scenario and by 30% in the PCO formation scenario.
The next activity concerned the development of some guidance and control strategies for a Collision-Avoidance scenario in which a free-flying chief spacecraft follows temporary off-nominal conditions and a controlled deputy spacecraft performs a collision avoidance maneuver. The proposed strategy consists on a first Separation Guidance that, using a computationally simple, deterministic and closed-form algorithm, takes charge of avoiding a predicted collision. When some safe conditions on the relative state vector (position and velocity) are met, a subsequent Nominal Guidance takes over. Genetic Algorithms are used to compute a pair of reference state trajectories in order to place the deputy spacecraft in a bounded safe or "parking" trajectory, while minimizing the propellant consumption and avoiding the formation evaporation. The performances of a LQR and a MPC in tracking these reference trajectories were compared, showing how a MPC controller can reduces the total delta-v requirement by 5 - 10% with respect to a LQR controller.
MPC capabilities were then evaluated on the MIT SPHERES testbed in simulating the close-proximity phase of the rendez-vous and capture maneuver for the Mars Orbital Sample Return (MOSR) scenario. Better performances of MPC with respect to PD in executing this maneuver were conrmed both in a Matlab simulator and in the MIT SPHERES software simulator, with a total delta-v requirement reduction by 10-15 %. The proposed MPC control strategy was then tested using the SPHERES Flat Floor facility at the MIT Space System Laboratory.
The last part of my research activities was devoted to the SFF Hardware Simulator of the University of Padova. My contributions to this project dealt with: (a) conclusion of the designing, building and testing of the five main subsystems of the hardware simulator; (b) software development for the hardware simulator and its Matlab software simulator; (c) preparatory experimental activities aimed at characterizing the thrust force performed by the on board thrusters and estimating the hardware simulator inertia properties; and (d) test of attitude control maneuvers with the use of predictive controllers.
In particular, three main tests were carried out with the hardware simulator moving at one degree of freedom about the yaw axis. The first one aimed at tuning a Kalman Filter to properly estimate the yaw axis angular velocity using a double-integrator as dynamic model and angular position measurements provided by the yaw quadrature encoder. With the use of a simple Kalman Filter, the yaw angular position and velocity could be estimated with an error less than 0.1 ° and 0.1°/s, respectively. In the second test, an explicit MPC was used to perform a 170° slew maneuver of the hardware simulator attitude module about the yaw axis. The final target angular position was reached with an error less than 0.5° in 20 s. In the third test, a 3 degrees of freedom attitude reference trajectory was first computed using pseudospectral optimization methods for a repointing maneuver with active constraints on the attitude trajectory. The state trajectory was then projected along the satellite z-Body axis and tracked in the hardware simulator using an explicit MPC. Experimental results showed that with an explicit MPC the reference trajectories can be tracked with an error less that 1.5° for the angular position and less than 1°/s for the angular velocity, both in dynamic conditions. The final target state was reached with an error less than the estimation accuracy.
The SFF Hardware Simulator is a ground-based testbed for the development and verification of GNC algorithms that in the present configuration allows the development and testing of advanced controls for attitude motion and in its final form will enable the derivation of control strategies for
Formation Flight and Automated Rendezvous and Docking.


This work is devoted to the need to attract resources based on the analysis of two author's studies conducted on the topic "Family Business" and "Business Inheritance in Entrepreneurial Families". It was based on the concept of capitals by Ludwig Lachmann, who considered capitals as resources that have not only a material nature, but also a social context that determines and accumulates the actor's activity as an opportunity to generate new properties of existing capitals.


In order to study the mechanism of age-hardening in Al-Cu-Sn alloy, a study was made on alloys containing 2 to 5 percent copper and 0 to 5 persent tin quenched from 500° in water after being heated at that temperature for I/2 hour, and tempering for various hours at 100°, 150°and 175°respectively;The variation in hardness of the alloys due to the above heat treatment has been studied by means of hardness tester. When a small amount of tin is added to the alloys, the artificial age-hardening property was vigorously accelerated compared with Al-Cu alloy for instance, the degree of hardening of some alloys reached to two hundred percent.


Depending on the level of technological advancement knowledge has always been shared and passed on from one generation to the other using different modes such as oral tradition and writings. Since the success of any organisation in the society depends on what knowledge it holds, many corporate organisations are embracing knowledge management programmes in order to improve their performance. The WASH sector is one sector where the application of knowledge management is being appreciated. This paper addresses some key issues on knowledge management in relation to the WASH sector and highlights the key findings of a research conducted to assess the WEDC international conferences and their contribution to the WASH Knowledgebase.


Wushu of the Hui people is the traditional sport of the Hui nationality and cultural treasure of the Hui people. The cultural exchange between different nationalities and the holding of sports games of nationalities promote the inheritance and development of ethnic minorities' sports culture.


The double budget 2009-10 is appropriate for the projected course of business activity: it envisages a significant increase of expenditures and allows the automatic stabilisers to work. The Maastricht deficit of the general government will rise to 4.7 percent of GDP in 2010 and the following years. A decrease (to 3.9 percent of GDP) is not expected before 2013. Accordingly the debt ratio of the general government will rise to 78.5 percent of GDP by 2013.


Traditional digital media system can not complete the format conversion and video transcoding of massive image and video information at the same time, which leads to long time of information processing and loss of data storage. Therefore, a digital media system driven by artificial intelligence and big data is designed. Using FastDFS design of digital media data management module. Design digital media image, video conversion module and digital media resource data dictionary library. Develop image plug-ins based on the MapInfo platform. Design video plug-in, introduce virtual reality technology to retrieve image information, call video source, create CvCapture object. Design system software functions and digital media information acquisition algorithm. Intelligent artificial pixel feature acquisition technology is used to collect 3D visual information of digital media and design its pseudo-code. Compared with the traditional system, the information processing time of the designed system is shorter, and it takes 11.555 ms when there are more information objects. The experimental results show that the designed system can complete more complete storage of data.


In the present study, sloshing problem is analyzed by the application of Finite Difference Method. SOLA-SURF scheme is applied to the analysis of fluid motion considering free surface. Especially, the concept of impact buffer zone is introduced for the prediction of more realistic impact pressure on tank. Numerical computation is carried out for the typical three models, and the computed results show good agreement with experimental data. The computation is also performed for 300,000 tons VLCC as a real-ship application. From the present study, it is proved that this numerical technique is quite practical to the prediction of sloshing impact pressure.


The present invention discloses a hybrid downhill based on subjective intent auxiliary brake and safety exit, comprising the auxiliary brake when the auxiliary brake during acceleration and braking intention intended exit strategy exit strategy. When the accelerator pedal signal is found, the vehicle is calculated accelerator pedal opening degree corresponding to the acceleration of a flat road, when a≤0, the auxiliary brake torque does not exit; when a> 0, the auxiliary brake torque to the first exit hydraulic brake, and then exits the motor brake, and finally exit the engine braking principle phased out. When the brake pedal signal is found, prior to total auxiliary brake torque Tsum zero, the brake pedal is gradually increased while decreasing the braking torque Tsum, but always maintain the same overall braking torque, the vehicle speed change; Tsum after zero, gradually increasing the braking torque auxiliary brake pedal, the total braking torque increases. The present invention contemplates an auxiliary brake under acceleration and braking intent intent under an exit strategy, with great security.


Every week of term, on Wednesday afternoons, during most of his years at University College, Ayer held a seminar. Strangely, he makes no mention of that seminar in his autobiography, although it was a more serious and productive affair than his Monday evening seminar, which he does mention. At the Wednesday seminar, conditionals were often the subject for discussion. They are intriguing things in themselves but the attention they received must have been due, in large part, to their central role in Ayer's philosophy. Ayer was a phenomenalist, but he did not go so far as that prince of phenomenalists, George Berkeley, and assert that the things around us in space, chairs and tables, trees and rocks and lakes, the sun, moon and stars, were sensations, sensations of various kinds. Ayer's view was more that of John Stuart Mill, that these things were permanent possibilities of sensation. To assert the existence of a lake was to assert that if certain characteristic sensations occurred, then certain other characteristic sensations would follow. In that way, conditionals played a central role in Ayer's phenomenalism. That phenomenalism, however, needed to agree with an even more central element of his thought, the positivism he derived, perhaps from the philosophy of the Vienna Circle, perhaps from David Hume. According to that positivism, experience sets limits to understanding. If we can experience nothing but the presence or absence of sensations, then propositions concerning the presence or absence of sensations are all we can understand. Now a conditional concerning sensations does not imply the presence of sensations and, although it does imply the absence of sensations, it implies more besides. What Ayer's phenomenalism required, his positivism could not allow.


A face recognition system is one of the biometric information processes, its applicability is easier and working range is larger than others, i.e.; fingerprint, iris scanning, signature, etc. The real-time Camera module face detection has been made possible by using the method of Viola-Jones, Blob Analysis algorithms. The software first takes Camera video/image of all the authorized people and stores the information into database (MySQL). Proposed work deals with automated system to classify the Faces using CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) algorithm. The real-time Camera module body detection has been made possible by using an algorithm of ViolaJones. Proposed work deals with automated system to detect face and recognized the person. Further classification of face is done using CNN algorithm. The methodology comprised of two phases, first takes video and converts it into frames. Next apply blob analysis and Viola Jones for the purpose of face detection from camera module, second apply CNN for the purpose of classification. Face recognition is further integrated with speech recognition module in which there will be a numeric dynamic generation of code that will imply authenticated access. If there is an unknown person at the door notification will be sent to the owner, who will have an option to raise an intruder alert message to the nearby police station which will include the image, time and location of the unknown person, as we are using GSM Sim900A interfaced with Raspberry Pi Model 3B. Thus we are implementing face recognition using image acquisition and processing combined with speech recognition technology.


A nickel-based superalloy honeycomb sandwich was manufactured by high-temperature brazing. The microstructure and the out-of-plate mechanical properties were determined for honeycomb sandwiches at high temperature. The maximum tensile stress was 28.5 MPa and the compressive yield strength was 29.6 MPa for the specimens at room temperature. These parameters decreased to 23 MPa and 25 MPa for specimens at 550°C, to 13.8 MPa and 19.6MPa for specimens at 850°C and to 9.3 MPa and 15.9 MPa for specimens at 900°C, respectively. With increasing temperature, the tensile elongation increased, then declined; the tensile elastic modular and the compressive modular decreased. There are intermetallic compounds and a eutectic structure in the brazing region and the critical brazing clearance is 20 μm.


Objectives: To compare and contrast the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic foundations of traditional "peak–trough" vancomycin dosing methods versus newer "area under the curve" (AUC) strategies. To propose a new AUC-based dosing chart for empirically determining an initial vancomycin dosing regimen designed to achieve a desired AUC24 using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), creatinine clearance (CrCl), and vancomycin clearance (ClVanco). Review of vancomycin dosing: Peak–trough vancomycin dosing is designed to achieve a Cpeak of 20–40 mg/L and a Ctrough of 10–15 or 15–20 mg/L, depending on the severity of the infection and the nature of the pathogen. New treatment guidelines for vancomycin suggest that therapy should achieve an AUC24/MIC of ≥400. AUC-based vancomycin dosing derives the daily dose from ClVanco, MIC, and the desired AUC24/MIC, without consideration of the patient's weight. New AUC dosing chart: A vancomycin dosing chart is proposed that estimates ClVanco using the following formula developed by Matzke et al: ClVanco in L/h = [(CrClmL/min × 0.689) + 3.66] × 0.06, which simplifies to (CrClmL/min × 0.41) + 0.22. Two levels of dosing are included—high dose (Ctrough: 15–20 mg/L) and moderate dose (Ctrough: 10–15 mg/L). Although the chart has not been validated clinically, it represents the product of standard dosing equations that are used to determine a starting dosing regimen based on well-established vancomycin pharmacokinetic parameters. Conclusions: An understanding of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles, including the relevance of AUC in relation to MIC, enables clinicians to make the best use of vancomycin dosing options. The proposed dosing chart is pharmacokinetically valid but has yet to be applied clinically. It provides a foundation for further study of how clinicians can determine an optimal AUC-based starting vancomycin dosing regimen without having to derive ClVanco or AUC24.


- Soil stabilization is a crucial process in the construction industry to improve the strength and durability of soil for various engineering applications. In recent years, researchers have explored the use of natural materials such as coconut coir and incense stick dust to stabilize soil. Coconut coir, which is a fibrous material obtained from the outer shell of coconut, has been found to have excellent properties for soil stabilization. It is biodegradable, renewable, and readily available. When mixed with soil, it improves the soil's compressive strength, shear strength, and permeability. Similarly, incense stick dust, which is a byproduct of the incense industry, in temple, in mosques, in home temple etc. has also been found to have soil stabilization properties. It contains a high amount of silica and other minerals that can help bind soil particles together, improving the soil's strength and stability. Studies have shown that the use of a combination of coconut coir and incense stick dust can provide even better results for soil stabilization. The combination can enhance the soil's mechanical properties, such as shear strength, modulus of elasticity, and permeability, making it suitable for various construction applications. Overall, the use of coconut coir and incense stick dust for soil stabilization is an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution that can contribute to sustainable development in the construction industry.


The article deals with the use of QFD methodology in the development of new grain products of high nutritional value for servicemen. The research identified major consumer requirements for a new product that directly affect its specifications. By using quality management tools (affinity charts, tree charts, benchmarking), customer wishes were transformed into quantitative product specifications. The consumer requirements for the quality of instant cereals were ranked, and the weights were determined. The tree of indicators of quality of the developed products characterizing the level of consumer satisfaction is formed, their compliance with regulatory requirements is established. The "House of Quality" of developed instant cereals to transform consumer demands into quality parameters of the expected products was built. It is found that the development of new products of high nutritional value for servicemen should ensure the preventive orientation of the new product, due to the use of natural grains and additives with high content of biologically active substances, and of course, special attention should be paid to the shelf life and safety indicators which will allow develop a product with good organoleptic indicators


From the three level on the person politics, the person economy and the person society, the basic intension of Deng Xiaoping's concept founding person and it's value goal are expounded.


Antibody binding to polysaccharide antigens has been thought to be based upon recognition ofarelatively simple oligosaccharide epitope consisting ofno more than six or seven sugar residues (1-3). The existence of more complex conformational epitopes has been postulated, but there has been little experimental evidence for conformational immunodeterminants in polysaccharide antigens. Recently, how-ever, we have found evidence of a conformational epitope recognized by antibodies directed against the capsular polysaccharide of type III group B Streptococcus, and others have reported similar findings with both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the a(2--,8) linked sialic acid polysaccharide capsules of Neisseria meningitides group B and Escherichia coli K1 (4-6). In each case, the affinity of antibody binding to derivative oligosaccharides increased as the chain length ofthe antigen increased, up to hundreds of sugar residues in the case ofthe group B streptococcal polysaccharide and up to at least 16 residues for the group B meningococcal/E. tote K1 system, supporting the hypothesisthat anticapsular antibodies recognized a conformational epitope fully expressed only in high molecular weight forms of the saccharide. conformational epitopes in these two polysaccharides these polysaccharide the group B meningococcal/E. coli Kl polysaccharide and as side chain termini in the type III group B streptococcal polysaccharide. In addition, amAb against the former polysaccharide crossreacts with certain other negatively charged polymeric mole-cules These observations raise the question whether the presence of negatively charged functional groups is an essential structural feature for polysaccharides to express a conformational epitope. of IgG binding increased progressively from 5.6 x 10-4 M to 7 .0 x 10-11 Mas the inhibiting saccharide chain length increased from 1 tetrasaccharide repeating unit to 2,500 repeating units. These data indicate that antibodies directed against the Pn14 polysaccharide recognize a conformational epitope fully expressed only in high molecular weight forms of the antigen. Similar results were found for inhibition of Fab fragment binding, suggesting that recognition of the conformational epitope is largely dependent on the intrinsic affinity ofthe Fab combining region . Un-like previously reported polysaccharides for which conformational epitopes have been described, the Pn14 polysaccharide does not contain negatively charged residues, indicating that expression of conformational determinants is not limited to acidic polysaccharides. Antibody recognition ofconformational epitopes maybe a common mechanism by which the host immune response discriminates between bacterial polysaccharides and host oligosaccharides of similar structure.


CAI(computer assistant instruction) software of polymer viscoelasticity was designed based on Matlab/Simulink.The computer programs consisted of various functional modules according to the viscoelasticity priciple of polymer.Experimental data and simulation parameters may be input and modified by clicking the corresponding modules.The direct-viewing simulation results will be obtained from the output modules such as oscilloscope,digital display and XY recorder. This software can demonstrate and simulate the viscoelasticity behavior of polymer both in static and dynamic state,such as hysteresis effect,dynamic mechanical loss,Boltzmann superimposition of strain and free vibration decay curve.The software can be used not only for instruction demonstration in polymer physics course,but also for design and study of polymer materials.


BACKGROUND
Adequate nutrition is important for bone health, especially for bone mineral accretion.

OBJECTIVE
The primary objective tested whether increasing dairy intake using the motivational interviewing technique (MInt) improves lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral density (BMD) after 2 years in post-pubertal adolescents with habitual dairy intake of < 2 dairy servings/day.

DESIGN
Participants (14-18.9 y) were randomized to: Group 1 (control), group 2 (target of 3 dairy servings/d), or group 3 (target of ≥ 4 dairy servings/d) for 12 months with groups 2 and 3 using MInt, with an additional 12-month non-intervention follow-up. The primay outcome was LS BMD, and secondary outcomes: whole body (WB), total hip (TH), and 33% distal radius BMD using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, bone geometry using peripheral quantitative computed tomography, and bone biomarkers.

RESULTS
Ninety-four adolescents (16.6 ± 1.5 y) were recruited. Seventy-six (80.9%) completed the 12-month assessments. From baseline to 12 months, dairy intake in female groups 2 and 3 increased by 107% and 208%, respectively; and by 48% and 153% in males of group 2 and 3, respectively. In females, group 3 had greater increases in THBMD (4.3 to 7.5%) compared to control (3.7 to 4.9%, P = 0.04) and group 2 (0.0 to 1.7%, P = 0.04) at 12 and 24 months. No effects due to dairy intake were observed for DXA outcomes in males or radial and tibial volumetric BMD in both sexes. None of the bone biomarkers were different among the dairy groups in females or males.

CONCLUSION
MInt effectively increased dairy intake with benefits to bone health only in female adolescents with previously low calcium intake who consumed 4 dairy serving or more/day for 12 months. Larger studies are required to explain the lack of intervention effect in males.This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as. NCT02236871.


ABSTRACT The conventional transit assignment models that depend on either probabilistic or deterministic theory have failed to accurately estimate rider demand for dense and crowded bus transit networks. It is well known that the existing models are so blunt that they cannot accommodate the impact of miscellaneous changes in activity and transportation systems on bus demand. Recently, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been refocused after two monumental breakthroughs: Big-data and a novel pre-training method. A deep-learning model, which simply represents an ANN with multiple hidden layers, has had a great success in recognizing images, human voices, and handwritten texts. The present study adopted a deep-learning model to forecast bus ridership at the stop and stop-to-stop levels. While the stop-level model, which had insufficient training data, suffered from an overfitting of the data, the stop-to-stop-level model showed good performance both in training and testing. The success of the latter model is owed to a larger sample size compared with the former model. This represents the first meaningful attempt to apply a data-driven approach to forecasting transportation demand.


The late medieval era exhibits a rich variety of relationships between music and devotion. These relationships range from singing songs during meditation, meditation occurring within sacred plays, and harp-playing as a spiritual metaphor for meditations on Christ; prayer books containing musical notation and pictures of angels making music; musical meditation during the liturgy; and much more. In monastic circles, spiritual songs could be performed outwardly or inwardly; biblical and mystical models exist for both methods. In the late Middle Ages, private devotion gained considerable importance not only in monastic, but also in semi-religious and even lay circles. In the 15th century, monastic reform was carried out in northern Germany in the spirit of the Windesheim Congregation. It resulted in the spiritual and musical practices of the Devotio moderna becoming far more influential in northern German monasteries. Keywords: Devotio moderna ; late Middle Ages; monastic reform; musical meditation; northern Germany


Considering the Rayleigh light scattering behaviour by small particles, current study adopts a new technique to classify nano-scale particles with noise intensity histograms features. Noise was generated using the scattered light by five different sized particles with a continuous spectrum of light. Each captured video frame was divided into its red, green and blue (RGB) planes (single channel arrays) and noise was isolated using a modified frame difference method. Mean and the standard deviation of the maximum value index of intensity histograms over predefined number of frames (N) were used to discriminate the particles. Results shows that the classifier was able to distinguish four types of particles (Polyurethane smoke, kerosene smoke, water steam and cooking oil smoke) with the 100% accuracy when N≥100. The classifier failed to distinguish wood smoke particles from the other particles since the maximum value index of the intensity histograms of wood smoke images varies widely due to its complex composition (wood smoke contains different sized particles such as water vapour, resin smoke etc.).


Within a two-sector general equilibrium model, women's productivity in the marketplace decreases with the amount of household work they perform at home. Assuming that men's and women's household labour inputs are complementary here we prove the existence of multiple equilibria. In some, men and women allocate their labour equally and earn identical wages. In others, they allocate labour differently and earn different wages. In this context, beliefs about the inferiority of women's productivity are shown to be self-fulfilling. By use of numerical examples, we show that welfare is highest when spouses allocate labour equally and suggest policy recommendations.


Abstract:
 The objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro developmental competence of porcine in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes vitrified after removal of cytoplasmic lipid droplets (delipation). After vitrification and warming, the delipated porcine IVM oocytes were inseminated and subsequently cultured in vitro. The rate of development to the blastocyst stage of delipated, vitrified oocytes (5.9%) was significantly lower than that of control oocytes (untreated oocytes) (26.2%). We also examined the influence of delipation of porcine IVM oocytes on development to the blastocyst stage following in vitro fertilization (IVF). Delipated porcine IVM oocytes (not vitrified) were inseminated and subsequently cultured in vitro. The rates of development to the blastocyst stage were similar for delipated and undelipated oocytes (21.1% and 26.2%, respectively). The results of the present study showed that delipated, vitrified porcine IVM oocytes can develop to the blastocyst stage following IVF, though blastocyst formation rate was low, and that delipation of porcine IVM oocytes did not negatively affect their development to blastocyst stage.


This action research focused on developing the community-based palliative care for stroke patients at home in urban community area within the catchment area of Pracha-Samosorn Primary Care Center under Khon- Kaen Hospital network. The selected target group consisted of 52 participants. The data were collected using Palliative Performance Scale (PPS v2), Quality of Life for stroke patients (WHO-QUAL), through semi-structured in-depth interviews and group discussion. The research conducted from June 2555 to March 2556. Started from situational analysis and community participatory for planned palliative care, then implementation of community- based palliative care for stroke survivors was conducted. The activities were as followings: knowledge and skills training; establishing the community leaders, health volunteers and caregivers dialogue; improving of home visit and multi-disciplinary team counseling for caregivers and community-based team care. Results revealed that stroke survivors obtained continuous extensive and appropriate care by community-based multidisciplinary team. Their quality of lives were improved as related-problems were reduced and no stroke recurrence. Moreover, social network for stroke awareness and surveillance were initiated by community participation.


This research report presents the results of the design and implementation of a "Teaching sequence based on the interrogation of the story, for narrative reading comprehension of students in Third C, of School Canarte Religion Antonio, home Samaria, of the city of Pereira". The teaching sequence is based on the ideas of Camps (2004), which refer to a period of teaching and learning oriented towards achieving a particular task. By this sequence is a series of activities designed articulated in a given time and aimed at achieving the objectives. The proposal is based interactive approaches from Sole (1992). This author presents valuable insights against reading comprehension, interpretation and use of the text, as a prerequisite to function in everyday life and in society. Similarly, this research is based on guidance from Jolibert, J. and Sraiki, C. (2006), who presented some categories for addressing narrative. These categories are related concepts that operate at the general context of the text, the concepts that operate at the text as a whole and concepts that operate at the micro-structural phrases prayers and words of the text. The main objective of this report is to present the results of the design and implementation of a teaching sequence developed in the Educational Institution Canarte Remigio Antonio, home Samaria, the city of Pereira with students in third, this experience helps with other institutional initiatives as the "reading plan" in the general interest of the students reading, and to develop their skills in understanding narrative texts in particular. Methodologically it is a quantitative research quasi-experimental, which allowed us to determine the impact of the teaching sequence in narrative text comprehension by identifying an initial pre-test that assessed the three levels of understanding of the students (level literal, inferential and critical) versus narrative text. The results indicate the need to design and implement the sequence surrounding the concepts that operate at the general context of the text, the whole text and the concepts that operate at the micro-structure of the text. Finally, the post-test yields significant progress on all three levels of understanding, leading to the conclusion that the students were able to raise their level of understanding.


Abstract Radial shock wave therapy is used for different therapeutic indications. In order to assess the effect on the treated tissue, it is important to know the sound field parameters. However, it is challenging to measure the pressure curves of ballistic devices, especially at high pulse repetition rates. In the new standard IEC 63045:2020 two possibilities for sound field measurements of non-focusing devices are described, a wet and a dry test bench. The whole sound field can be characterised using a wet test bench, but the process is cumbersome and cavitation is likely to occur at high pulse repetition rates. This effect is avoided using a dry test bench where the measurement position is limited to a single spot. Therefore, a hybrid test bench was developed combining the dry bench's device mounting and coupling with a small water basin. The ballistic device was coupled to the basin filled with degassed ultrapure water using a latex membrane covered with ultrasound gel and the contact pressure was applied with a spring. A fibre optic probe hydrophone was used for the sound field measurements. The pressure curves of every 10th shot were measured on the beam axis in a distance of 1mm to the membrane. The device was analysed at 3.5 bar with different pulse repetition rates (1 Hz, 10 Hz, 20 Hz). The test setup enables an easy handling and reproducible results at all pulse repetition rates. The ballistic device provides constant peak pressures over different frequencies. The small water basin has the advantage that the water quality is easy to control and the measuring process is fast and uncomplicated. Cavitation suppression requires a clean water basin filled with degassed ultrapure water kept at a constant, low temperature. The hybrid test bench can be used to easily study shock wave parameters of ballistic devices at high repetition rates.


The aim of the paper is to quantitatively assess the impact of globalization on the economy of Poland in the medium term. Four channels of the impact of globalization are distinguished: (i) trade openness, (ii) productivity improvement, (iii) labour migrations, (iv) liberalization of the services sector. We employ a computable general equilibrium model with multiple industries and households and imperfect competition features. Our results show positive and quite significant effects of globalization on the performance of the Polish economy, stemming mainly from productivity improvements and liberalization of services. The sizeable expected migrations result in negative effects of globalization by decreasing growth potential and causing upward pressure on wages. At the sectoral level, globalization is particularly beneficial to some exporting sectors and skilled segments of the labour market.


Electrochemical capacitors (ECs), also known as super capacitors or ultra capacitors charge and discharge faster than batteries; they are still limited by low energy densities and slow rate capabilities. Standard Light Scribe DVD optical drive is used to do the direct laser reduction of graphite oxide films to graphene. The produced films are mechanically robust, show high electrical conductivity (1738 Siemens per meter) and specific surface area (1520 square meters per gram), and can thus be used directly as EC electrodes without the need for binders or current collectors, as is the case for conventional ECs. Devices made with these electrodes exhibit ultrahigh energy density values in different electrolytes while maintaining the high power density and excellent cycle stability of ECs. Moreover, these ECs maintain excellent electrochemical attributes under high mechanical stress and thus hold promise for high-power, flexible electronics. Engineering a low-cost graphene-based electronic device has proven difficult to accomplish via a single-step fabrication process. Here we introduce a facile, inexpensive, solid-state method for generating, patterning, and electronic tuning of graphene based materials. Laser scribed grapheme (LSG) is shown to be successfully produced and selectively patterned from the direct laser irradiation of graphite oxide films under ambient conditions. Circuits and complex designs are directly patterned onto various flexible substrates without masks, templates, post processing, transferring techniques, or metal catalysts. In addition, by varying the laser intensity and laser irradiation treatments, the electrical properties of LSG can be precisely tuned over 5 orders of magnitude of conductivity, a feature that has proven difficult with other methods. This inexpensive method for generating LSG on thin flexible substrates provides a mode for fabricating a lowcost graphene-based NO2 gas sensor and enables its use as a heterogeneous scaffold for the selective growth of Pt nano particles. The LSG also shows exceptional electrochemical activity that surpasses other carbon-based electrodes in electron charge transfer rate as demonstrated using a ferro-/ferricyanide redox couple.


ABSTRACT Background: Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. People believe that opium improves blood glucose and lipid profiles in these patients and controversial studies show the effect of consumption of opium in controlling these indices. Accordingly, this study aimed to compare the serum levels of blood indices such as fasting blood glucose (FBS), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and lipid profile in opium users and non-users in type ΙΙ diabetic patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, among type II diabetic patients referred to the Diabetes Clinic of Birjand 45 opium users and 135 non-users were selected and entered the study by the convenience sampling method. Results: The results of this study showed that the mean serum levels of FBS, HbA1c, and serum lipid profiles were not significantly different between the two groups of opium users and non-users, but the levels of triglyceride (TG) were significantly 0.18 unit higher in the opium users, compared to non-opium users. Conclusion: According to the results, the use of opium does not affect the indices of blood glucose, HbA1c and serum lipid profiles except triglyceride in diabetic patients. The general belief that opioid use reduces biochemical indices does not seem to be correct. Abbreviations: FBS: fasting blood sugar; HbA1c: Hemoglobin A1c; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: High-density lipoproteins; HDL-C: High-density lipoproteins-cholesterol; BMI: Body mass index; IQR: Inter quartile range; TG: triglyceride; TC: total cholesterol; NS: non-significant; S: significant; ATN: Acute tubular necrosis


NSCLP/CP (Non-Syndromic Clefts Lip-Palates) is the most general congenital distortion throughout the globe, with highly significant social and psychic effects. NSCLP/CP (Non-Syndromic Clefts Lip-Palates formation happens from the genetic factors and environmental interactions and this study will try to deliver recent progress review while defining the NSCLP/CP (Non-Syndromic Clefts Lip-Palates genetic causes. A literature review was directed through the Medline Database according to a search regarding following keywords: non-syndromic, genes, cleft lip-palate and genetics of clefts lip-palates to Jan 2017. Several genes are recognized in diverse countries and population with the parent's trio study. The basic aim if this research underwrites to relative gene review that has been recognizing in non-syndromic cleft palate and lip and to support to gain a better identification of the inheritance pattern of such pathology with the genetic disease prevention. Though there are three main genes have been recognized the genetic review is important to deliver the understanding of the clefts lip-palates pathophysiology.


Summary Experimental trials were conducted on North Sea Nephrops grounds to compare the catch rate of an 80mm diamond mesh codend fitted with (i) a 35 mm Swedish grid and (ii) a 40 mm Swedish grid to that of a 40 mm control codend. Both grids were very successful in eliminating catches of large fish and no cod, haddock, whiting or hake greater than 34, 35, 38 or 39 cm were caught by the 35 mm grid gear and none greater than 41, 45, 41 or 47cm by the 40 mm grid gear. There was a significant loss of smaller Nephrops (< 41-45 mm carapace length), which can be attributed to the selection of smaller Nephrops from the 80 mm codend. There was no significant loss of larger Nephrops from either the 35 or 40 mm grid gear. Introduction At the EU December Council meeting in 2008, Scotland committed to trialling the Swedish grid in the West Coast Nephrops ( N. norvegicus ) fishery. In 2009 two sets of trials, on the west and east coast of Scotland respectively measured the selectivity of a 35 mm Swedish grid fitted in the extension fished in conjunction with an 80 mm diamond mesh codend. These trials gave encouraging fish results with all species examined from the grid gear showing a very significant decrease in retention as compared to a 40 mm total population net tending to a point of zero catch. However the trials also showed a decrease in retention of the larger size classes of


For good or otherwise, the legal system has discovered the world of computers and its practitioners. Anyone opening a daily newspaper knows that litigation involving computers and software has exploded in recent years. On balance, the net effect of this attention might be positive because it gives practitioners an economic incentive to improve the way we work. Indeed, lawyers might well be the ones who provide the incentives for realistic contractual commitments, worst-case software engineering development practices, and a total organizational commitment to quality. Something similar happened to the US automobile industry, benefiting both car makers and the public.


A 66-year-old woman experienced sudden headache and loss of consciousness for about 10 minutes. After regaining consciousness, she complained of severe pain in her neck and head. On physical examination, she had a stiff neck and bilateral Babinski's sign. An axial unenhanced computed tomography (CT) scan (Panel A-1) showed extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage, including blood in the basal cisterns and fourth ventricle (arrows). Intraventricular hemorrhage is a classic presentation of the rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm. A maximum intensity projection axial CT angiographic image (Panel A-2) indeed showed an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (arrowhead), with a maximum diameter of approximately 4 mm. Interestingly, sagittal (Panel B-1) and coronal (Panel B-2) slab maximum intensity projection CT angiographic images showed that the right extracranial internal carotid artery had a typical 'string-of-beads' appearance at the level of the second and third cervical vertebrae (arrows), which is pathognomonic of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) of the medial type.1,2 A magnified three-dimensional reconstructed CT angiographic image of the right extracranial internal carotid artery (Panel B-3) confirmed these findings. FMD is a segmental, non-atherosclerotic, noninflammatory disease of unknown cause, and most commonly affects the renal and cervicocranial arteries. It is most often encountered in the fifth decade of life and occurs predominantly in women.1,2 Cervicocranial FMD is often asymptomatic and an incidental finding on imaging or at autopsy.1,2 The condition is also associated with arterial dissection, arteriovenous fistulas, and, importantly, intracranial aneurysms.1,2 Compared to adults without any risk factors in whom intracranial aneurysms are found in Images in vascular medicine


OBJECTIVE To investigate the GyrA mutation,extended-spectrum beta-lactamases(ESBLs)and integron in Escherichia coli.METHODS Eight E.coli isolates from the feces of eight diarrhea patients caused by Salmonella choleraesuis were collected in 2008.KB method was used to perform the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing for all isolates,and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase(ESBLs)production was tested for all isolates according to CLSI criteria.PCR were used to amplify ciprofloxacin resistance associated gene,gyrA,and ESBLs genes,blaTEM,blaSHV and blaCTX-M,and integrase genes,intⅠ1,intⅠ2 and intⅠ3,and variable sequence of class 1 integron.PCR products were sequenced and analyzed.Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis(PFGE)was performed for all isolates.RESULTS Five out of eight isolates were showed multidrug resistant.Of the 8 isolates,2 isolates had the changes,83 site Ser→Leu and 87 site Asp→Asn,inside the quinolone resistance-determining region(QRDR)of GyrA,and producing TEM1 and containing class 1 integrons;1 isolate had the change,83 site Ser→Leu,in the QRDR and producing TEM55;1 isolate had the change,83 site Ser→Leu,in the QRDR;2 isolates produced TEM1 and TEM55 respectively.The cassettes of class 1 integrons were the following:aacA4,cmlA1,dfrA1 and aadA1.PFGE analyses showed eight PFGE patterns were obtained.CONCLUSION GyrA mutation(s),ESBLs-producing and integron-containing are the major mechanisms for E.coli to develop the drug resistance.


. In this paper, we established a regression model to identify factors that significantly influenced both positively and negatively school-level yearly teacher attrition rate within North Carolina public schools using Belk Endowment Educational Attainment Data Repository for North Carolina Public Schools [1], district-level North Carolina IRS income tax data [2], and county-level North Carolina crime data [3]. Fre-quent teacher turnover has been negatively affecting teacher retention, student academic achievement, and educational attainment. School administrators are struggling to reduce teacher attrition rate since teacher retention is important to students ' academic achievements. Our regression model utilized an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) Regression model to predict school-level teacher attrition rates using controllable school features that school administrators can affect, tax revenue features and public safety features. Out of 252 features reviewed, we found that school-level features impacted the most on predicting school-level yearly teacher attrition rate. The most important features were the school-level percentage of teachers with 0-3 years experiences, school-level short term suspensions per 100 students, school-level percentage of teachers that have reached proficient standard 1, school-level percentage of students who have economical disadvantages and school-level percentage of teachers who are licensed. Our findings provide opportunities for educational administrations to recognize key factors that can influence teacher attrition rates in North Carolina public schools.


We operationalize some of the richest, but as of yet unexamined data resources within developed, 'Open Data' economies. We show how it is possible to scrape, parse, clean and merge tens of thousands of disaggregated public payments datasets, and we then take an inter-disciplinary approach to answering a range of diverse questions across the fields of public economics and political economy. As an illuminating example, we construct a cleaned database of 24,581,192 local government payments subject to the Local Transparency Codes in England totaling £169.87bn. We develop a range of tools to map this database to various freely available institutional registers, and we offer guidance on overcoming the substantial challenges of heterogeneous provision and administrative recording errors in the absence of uniform resource identifiers. We emphasize the power of such an endeavor -- a social issue of significant political interest -- by utilizing various methodologies such as network visualization and spatial analysis. Finally, we motivate future work in this area, and further discuss potential international applications and practical advancements.


Primary chemotherapy of breast cancer followed by perioperative chemotherapy: feasible, but are there clinical benefits? Systemic chemotherapy administered within a few days following surgery is often referred to as 'perioperative' chemotherapy [1]. While primary (preoperative) systemic chemotherapy and adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy are standard treatments for early breast cancer, perioperative chemotherapy is not. Relatively few randomised trials have evaluated either single agents or combination chemotherapy given during the perioperative period. A meta-analysis, based on five clinical trials and 6093 randomised patients, found perioperative polychemotherapy reduced the hazard ratio for disease-free survival by 18% (95% confidence interval 0.72–0.92), when the control groups received no systemic therapy. However, no reduction (0%) in the hazard ratio was observed when perioperative chemotherapy was added to post-operative systemic therapy. Of note, perioperative chemotherapy did not improve overall survival in this analysis [1]. Although perioperative chemotherapy has generally been well tolerated with the regimens used, there have been concerns of more frequent and severe postoperative complications and impaired wound healing following perioperative chemotherapy. Because pre-operative chemotherapy has not improved survival compared with postoperative chemotherapy despite earlier timing [2], it seems unlikely that the few weeks time period between breast surgery and initiation of conventional postoperative systemic therapy plays any larger role. Thus, at present, perioperative chemotherapy appears to be associated with few or no proven benefits when added to another adjuvant systemic therapy. A recently reported randomised trial found a single perioperative dose of 14 mg/m 2 mitoxantrone ineffective in a series of 552 breast cancer patients, which merely serves to strengthen this view [3]. Yet, a closer look may make perioperative chemotherapy more appealing. The growth factors that initiate and maintain tissue healing after surgery might stimulate residual cancer cells, which may be detected at the time of surgery in the bone marrow of a considerable proportion of breast cancer patients [4]. A surgery-driven release of growth factors, such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) [5], platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) [6] and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) [7], may be involved in growth stimulation of residual cancer. In a few rodent models, surgery-associated enhancement of residual tumour growth is more effectively inhibited by pre-or peri-operative chemotherapy than by postoperative chemotherapy [8, 9]. Major surgery may also impair immunosurveillance and increase tumour cell shedding into the systemic circulation [10, 11]. Peri-operative chemotherapy might be particularly effective in the prevention …


In Ming and Qing Dynasty,some businessmen apply Confucian ideas to the business activities and have been shaped Confucian businessmen.There are many Confucian businessmen image in Sanyan and Erpai.The Confucian economic ethics is composed of the idea of making money by morality,Sincerity and Friendliness,which provide valuable experiences for the modern business morality construction in the harmony market-oriented economy and management of modern enterprises.


Whole fresh goat's milk was heat treated at 135 degrees C for 4 s using a miniature UHT plant. The temperature of the milk in the preheating and sterilizer sections, and the milk flow rate were monitored to evaluate the overall heat transfer coefficient (OHTC). The decrease in OHTC was used to estimate the extent of fouling. Goat's milk fouled very quickly and run times of the UHT plant were short. The use of sodium hexametaphosphate, trisodium citrate and cation exchange resins to reduce ionic calcium prior to UHT processing, increased the pH and alcohol stability of the milk and markedly increased the run time of the UHT plant.


This paper describes a high-speed measurement protocol using a high-order implementation of the complex power series representation (CPSR). The CPSR is used to relate AM-AM and AM-PM conversion (large signal S/sub 21/) to the 3rd-order intermodulation distortion (IM3) of an amplifier up to gain compression. This method requires the use of a network analyzer only and eliminates the need for a spectrum analyzer speeding-up the measurements tremendously. The method has proven to be very powerful in a real-time optimization of bias parameter of a novel linear distributed amplifier for base stations.


THE EXEMPLARY USE OF THE PAST IN ANTIQUITY AND THE MODERN AGE Reinhart Koselleck starts his book Futures Past with a discussion of Albrecht Altdorfer's painting 'Die Alexanderschlacht'. Altdorfer seems to have taken pains to be as exact as possible. His painting shows in much detail the different sections of the battlefields. On the flags, we even find inscribed the number of troops as listed by Curtius Rufus. And yet, strikingly, the Persians look more or less like the Turks who besieged Vienna when the picture was painted in 1529 ce . On the other hand, three hundred years later, Friedrich Schlegel described the painting as an expression of old knighthood, thereby distinguishing both antiquity and the sixteenth century ce from his own time: Formulated schematically, there was for Schlegel, in the three hundred years separating him from Altdorfer, more time (or perhaps a different mode of time) than appeared to have passed for Altdorfer in the eighteen hundred years or so that lay between the Battle of Issus and his painting. As Koselleck points out, the 'temporalization of history' created an awareness of the specific features of times and thereby led to an emphasis on the individuality or even autonomy of epochs. One of the consequences of this is the questioning of the topos of 'historia magistra vitae'. While the exemplary use of the past has not completely vanished in the modern age, the uniqueness of epochs makes direct juxtapositions of different events rather problematic and if such juxtapositions want to claim some plausibility, they have to take into account and carefully weigh the cultural settings of the events that are compared with one another.


Bit transmission technologies are not communication technologies! I argue that most so-called Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are neither information nor communication technologies. They are, instead, simply bit transmission technologies that need to be critically decompiled and rebuilt if they are ever to have any potential as communication technologies. The so-called "theory of communication" authored by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver in 1949 is the root cause of this widespread misunderstanding of transmission-as-communication. As one example, I examine the technical underpinning of so-called " automatic translation " technologies to illustrate this critical flaw in almost all contemporary " communication " technologies. I am especially concerned with the way existing ICTs dumb down the content of conversation, exclude communicational context and participation, and sterilize the spaces of online interaction by employing simplistic means to condense and map information and communication exchanges. In 1949 Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver published their mathematical theory of communication (Shanon and Weaver, 1949). This theory, and subsequent work, has made it possible to understand information and communication technologies (ICTs) as technologies that transmit bits over fixed capacity channels. But isn't there a difference between transmission and communication? Transmission is successful between two people if the receiver can recreate-perhaps repeat-the sender's message. In contrast, communication is successful between two people if some form of shared understanding is achieved. Thus, the email message in my inbox written in a language unknown to me constitutes a successful transmission, but an unsuccessful communication. So-obviously-yes, there is a difference between transmission and communication. This difference between transmission and communication explains why-even as ICTs become more numerous in number and kind-communication seems to be on the wane. In short, communication technologies-as they are currently designed-do not help us communicate with one another. Even though we can exchange bits with one another via the Internet, we do not necessarily communicate with one another. The ubiquity of online "flame wars" in public discussion forums illustrates the truth of this. In fact, it may very well be the case that the main result of providing universal access to the Internet would be to make it certain that groups fundamentally at odds with one another would butt heads frequently. In the words of the philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard, online exchanges can illustrate a differend, a difference so vast between participants that it can never be bridged (Lyotard, 1988). How can technologies be designed to facilitate the calm …


The TNM classification of cancers proposed by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a widely accepted guide for predicting prognoses, selecting therapy and facilitating the development of new treatment strategies. In 2016, the UICC and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) applied the TNM cancer staging system to thymic epithelial tumors (1). In this edition, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and the International Thymic Malignancies Interest Group (ITMIG) staging committee proposed the classification (2-4).


Incorporation of Process Sustainability Concepts in a Senior Design Course at a Minority Serving University Dr. Matthew Lucian Alexander P.E., Texas A&M University, Kingsville Dr. Alexander graduated with a BS in Engineering Science from Trinity University, a MS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. He worked for 25 years in environmental engineering consulting before joining the faculty at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville in 2015.


This chapter contains sections titled: Dolly and Her Discontents, The Idea of a Liberal Democracy, Bioethics and the Challenge to Liberal Tolerance, The Plan, Conclusion


The paper shows that explanations in terms of economic models should be embedded in institutions in order to understand economic phenomena in a given historical situation. Thus, the way in which institutions and institutional changes are addressed from a neo-classic economic point of view is reviewed. In particular, it is argued that such a method fails to consider the market as an actual institution where the participants are by no means equal in terms of economic power. Examples from Indian agriculture are used to show that both agrarian credit and the product market exhibit arrangements and characteristics which are best explained as consequences of the unequal distribution of economic power. As an alternative to analysing economic institutions, the author puts forward the concept of class efficiency. Any institutional arrangement is considered class efficient when the most powerful class can maintain a higher income in its favour, despite the lower productive efficiency of the system. To conclude, institutions consider efficiency to be a useful concept to analyse agrarian institutions in backward regions, provided it is not mechanically understood as devoid of individual agency.


A laboratory procedure was devised to recover bromine from waste alkaline aqueous solutions used in the isotopic determination of N-15. The laboratory apparatus comprises two round bottom flasks (1 and 2 L), a dropping funnel, a gas bubbler, a gas regulator and glass fittings. The waste solution is acidified with sulfuric acid forming molecular bromine that is stripped out by a flow of nitrogen gas bubbled through the solution. This gas is then bubbled through a solution of lithium hydroxide generating lithium bromide and lithium hypobromite. The efficiency of bromine recovery was estimated to be 82±2%. This resulting solution was successfully reused in the isotopic determination of N-15. The procedure can recycle most of the bromine used in the laboratory saving resources and preserving the environment. The procedure can be adapted to recover bromine of other laboratory waste streams.


Understanding arsenic toxicity and metabolism requires quantitation of individual arsenic species. However, it has been difficult to separate many biochemically and environmentally important arsenic species on a single chromatography column. We have studied the separation of 11 arsenic compounds by using ion pair chromatography at 30, 50, and 70 °C column temperatures. The use of elevated column temperature improved separation efficiency and dramatically reduced chromatographic retention time for arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, tetramethylarsonium, and arsenosugars. On-line microwave derivatization combined with hydride generation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HGAFS) was used for detection, which was able to differentiate more toxic from less toxic arsenic species. The speciation technique was successfully applied to a study of metabolism of arseno sugars present in commercial seaweed products. Two uncharacterized arsenic-containing metabolites were detected in urine samples collected 20−33 h after ...


ABSTRACT Effects of planting methods and row cover on the production of yellow crookneck squash, Cucurbita pepo L. var. melopepo Alef., were evaluated over a two-year period at the E.V. Smith Research Center, Shorter, Alabama. Summer squash was direct-seeded or transplanted in the field with or without black plastic mulch and grown with or without row cover. Yield of transplanted squash was significantly higher than that of direct-seeded squash. Except for plant height, neither plastic mulch nor row cover had an effect on summer squash production.


Cross-domed churches with corner piers were few in Old Russian architecture. Located in Moscow princedom these churches were contemplated by scholars either as a result of Balkan influence or as autochthonous inventions. To support either point of view one should make research on both the Old Russian monuments and their possible sources in Byzantine and Balkan architecture. This article explores Old-Russian cross-domed churches taking into consideration the most recent interpretations of archeological excavations. Review of the contemporary Moscow architecture and contemplation of Byzantine context complete the overall study of this particular type in Old Russia and give an opportunity to determine the ratio of local features to borrowed ones.


In shock‐wave lithotripsy – a medical procedure to fragment kidney stones – the patient is subjected to hypersonic waves focused at the kidney stone. Although this procedure is widely applied, the physics behind this medical treatment, in particular the question of how the injuries of the surrounding kidney tissue arise, is still under investigation. Here we contribute to the solution of this problem with large scale numerical simulations of a human kidney under shock‐wave loading.


The study of the physical geology and geochemistry of the Ribeirao Preto basalts was part of a hydrogeological research, which aimed to investigate the recharge of the Guarani Aquifer System (SAG) through the basalts of the Serra Geral Aquifer (ASG), a project shortly named FRATASG. In addition to the hydrogeological research, a detailed geological investigation was conducted to develop a conceptual model of groundwater flow in complex aquifers, as is the case of the fractured basalts of the ASG. Therefore, this study included a thorough structural survey and analysis of horizontal and subvertical fractures, which resulted in the identification of four tectonic events. It was concluded that the vertical groundwater flow is important up to 10 m in depth and, secondarily, up to 25 m. Horizontal flow, more evident up to the depth of 50 m, predominates and occurs along sub-horizontal fractures, which occur mainly at the contact between basalts 2 and 3 and in its vicinity. Because the great majority of subvertical fractures do not propagate into the vesicular layers, which occur at the basalt contacts, it is suggested that these layers act as regional hydraulic barriers, and greatly hamper the recharge of the SAG through the ASG. As a consequence, groundwater flow in the basalt stack is of stratabound type, as it occurs mainly along the basalt contacts. Based on diagnostic features of the flow, it is proposed in this study that the vertical flow, which crosses the basalt stack reaching the SAG, is local and probably occurs along NE structures.


Some surgeons believe that infraclavicular brachial plexus blocks tends to result in supination of the hand/forearm, which may make surgical access to the dorsum of the hand more difficult. We hypothesised that this supination may be reduced by the addition of a suprascapular nerve block. In a double‐blind, randomised, placebo‐controlled study, our primary outcome measure was the amount of supination (as assessed by wrist angulation) 30 min after infraclavicular brachial plexus block, with (suprascapular group) or without (control group) a supplementary suprascapular block. All blocks were ultrasound‐guided. The secondary outcome measure was an assessment by the surgeon of the intra‐operative position of the hand. Considering only patients with successful nerve blocks, mean (SD) wrist angulation was lower (33 (27) vs. 61 (44) degrees; p = 0.018) and assessment of the hand position was better (11/11 vs. 6/11 rated as 'good'; p = 0.04) in the suprascapular group. The addition of a suprascapular nerve block to an infraclavicular brachial plexus block can provide a better hand/forearm position for dorsal hand surgery.


e20061 Background: The aging veteran population represents a unique demographic with potential exposures to carcinogens. Multiple myeloma has been linked to exposure to Agent Orange, burn pits, radiation, and water contamination. There have been remarkable advances in the management of multiple myeloma. We investigate whether the survival of veterans diagnosed with multiple myeloma and/or plasmacytoma has changed over time. Methods: Using ICD-O criteria we identified 14,026 veterans diagnosed with multiple myeloma and/or plasmacytoma between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2020 in the national electronic Veterans Administration (VA) medical records. Variables including age and date of diagnosis, race, gender, branch of military service, tobacco use, military exposures, cause of death and survival were analyzed. Patients were subdivided into 4 time periods for analysis based on date of diagnosis: Group 1 (1/1/2000-12/31/2005), Group 2 (1/1/2006-12/31/2010), Group 3 (1/1/2011-12/31/2015), Group 4 (1/1/2016-12/31/2020). Results: Of the 14,026 cases, 98% of patients were male, 58% were white and 28% black; 57% were current or previous tobacco users, 26% were never users. The table summarizes military exposures and causes of death. Median overall survival (OS) for Group 1 was 0.9 years [95% CI, 0.8-1], Group 2 was 2 years [95% CI, 1.8-2.9], Group 3 was 2.8 years [95% CI, 2.6-2.9], and Group 4 was 3.5 years [95% CI, 3.3-3.6]. These differences in OS were statistically significant (p<0.0001). Deaths attributed to myeloma accounted for 67%, 65%, 63%, and 56% of patients in Group 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. On multivariable analysis of 6023 cases where selected variables were consistently available, tobacco use, exposure to Agent Orange or burn pits, older age and earlier time period of diagnosis were significantly associated with shorter survival. However, race did not significantly impact survival. Conclusions: In US military veterans diagnosed with multiple myeloma and/or plasmacytoma, survival has significantly improved over the past two decades. Survival was adversely impacted by tobacco use and military exposures, but not impacted by race. Advances in diagnosis, therapies and supportive care may have contributed to the observed improvement in survival over time. Future research should investigate if differences exist in the pathophysiology of malignancies developing in veterans with military exposures, and whether novel treatments can improve their outcomes. [Table: see text]


To study the atomization characteristics of fan spray nozzle,five fan spray nozzles with different spraying angle,different outlet form and different size were designed.An experimental bed system was built.The spraying experiment for the nozzles was performed under the design conditions.In the aspects of mass flow and atomization characteristics,the influence of gas-liquid ratio and nozzle structure on flow coefficient of nozzle and distribution of atomization particles was analyzed.The qualitative influence trend of nozzle structure on atomization characteristics is given.


In order to implement the internet SCSI(iSCSI) protocol which is a newly risen internet storage protocol, furthermore, keepthe data throughput at a higher level over the increasing speed of Ethernet, in these thesis, we develop SCSI miniport driver to real-ize the technology of Network storage which is based on TCP/IP protocol.