Uniaxial and biaxial fatigue test results related to Inconel 718 specimens are analysed by using the critical plane-based multiaxial fatigue criterion by Carpinteri et al., formulated in terms of strain, in conjunction with a model similar to that by Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT). More precisely, both smooth solid specimens and thin-walled tubular specimens subjected to proportional and non-proportional loading consisting of tension, torsion, and combined tension and torsion loading under strain control are examined, for strain ratio equal to 0 or -1. Fatigue life is then analytically computed through the above procedure and compared with the experimental one, in terms of number of loading cycles needed to form a surface crack whose length is equal to 1 mm.


Disputes have become an inherent feature of the construction industry. A plethora of studies have been undertaken to identify the causes of disputes so as to determine the most appropriate prevention and resolution strategies. While it is widely known what the main causes of dispute are, they still remain prevalent in the Australian construction industry. This is because there is a need to better understand the complexity and interplay between causal variables. Using data derived from the literature a conceptual causal model of construction disputes is developed. The model identifies the key causal variables and pathogens that can contribute to disputes.


There is increasing evidence that with the onset of adolescence, girls experience higher rates of depression than boys. However, a comprehensive understanding of the risk factors contributing to this emerging gender difference has yet to be attained. Previous studies indicate that both self-discrepancy, the perception that one is failing to attain an important personal goal, and ruminative coping, a tendency to passively and repetitively focus on one's failure and the causes and consequences of that failure, contribute to depression and that adolescent girls are more likely to manifest each than adolescent boys. In this translational study we tested the hypothesis that, whereas both actual:ideal discrepancy and ruminative coping style would independently predict depression in adolescent girls, the combination of high levels of actual:ideal discrepancy and ruminative coping would predict more severe depressive symptoms. Analyses of cross-sectional data in a sample of 223 girls ranging from 7th through 12th grades revealed a significant main effect for ruminative coping style and a trend for actual:ideal discrepancy, as well as the predicted interaction effect. We discuss the implications of this integrative psychosocial model for the etiology, treatment, and prevention of depression in adolescent girls.This work was funded by the following grants to A. A. Papadakis: the Duke University Women's Studies Program Ernestine Friedl Research Award, the Society for the Psychology of Women Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant, and the Duke University Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship; and grants to T. J. Strauman from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH59106, MH67447). Support was also provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (5-T32-HD007376) and the Duke University Initiative on Child and Family Health. We thank Ann Aspnes, Janina Brodsky, Kimberly Burdette, Tsu-Yin Chang, Lindsay Derman, Hillary Hays, Caitlin Hogan, Cara Kimberg, Patricia Kuo, Lori Kwapil, Ruby Lekwauwa, Megan McCrudden, Ellen McGinnis, Amy Noll McLean, Keri-Ann O'Leary, Rebecca Parrish, Dana Torpey, Emily Traupman, Carolyn Yarian, and Natalie Zervas for their invaluable assistance in conducting this study. We are grateful to the students, teachers, and administration of the schools and summer camp who generously participated in this research.


Combining with relevant standards of GB/T 18046-2000 Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Powder to Use Cement and Concrete,through experiment comparison and engineering usage,it describes the effect of super fine slag powder used in cement concrete,which can improve concrete performance and economic benefits,and puts forward some guiding suggestions.


Nowadays, several health models consider stress an agent that increases the vulnerability to illness. Researches in health sciences and humanities regard stress as a psychosocial factor that increases the probability of individuals and groups have health problems induced by psychological and social experiences. The stress derived from successive evaluations of the perceived stimulus, that occur when environmental pressures, psychological or biological maladjustment evokes activate of adaptive resources until stressor character decreases or the body succumbs to the magnitude and/or time of exposure to the stressor. Although it is found greater volume of studies regarding the characteristics of the stressors or the consequences of stress, the current state of knowledge is scant regarding the mediation process of stress, especially when it emphasizes the effect of the various facets of the multidimensional ability adaptation. Moreover, most investigations prioritized the evidence of impact on health in specific contexts. However, few studies detailed the interactive action of individual differences and the social context on vulnerability to stress. This study aimed an empirical test of a psychosocial adaptability theoretical model, according to the perspective of explanatory architecture of stress. We have studied conjoint and isolated impact of characteristics of psychosocial context and the psychosocial adjustment resources in the stress variability. The sample consisted of 471 participants and six instruments were applied: Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC), Positive and Negative Affects Scale, Resilience Scale, Ways of Coping (EMEP), Social Support Scale (SSQ-6), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a questionnaire about the psychosocial context. We developed two theoretical models for testing with Structural Equation Modeling. The first model analyzed the mediation of psychosocial adjustment resources of stress. The second model, defined as Adaptive Capacity Model, tested the conjoint impact of the main predictor of psychosocial context and the mediators of stress. The results showed that in the Mediation Model only internal locus, negative affect, resilience and problem-focused coping were mediators of stress. In Adaptive Capacity Model, the main predictor of psychosocial context was the individual income, exhibiting indirect effect on stress (d=-0,10). As the mediators of this model, internal locus (d=0,09), negative affect (d=0,09) and resilience (d=-0,33) had indirect effect. With direct effect, the problem-focused coping exhibited negative impact on stress levels (d=-0,52), while negative affect denotes positive effect (d=0,59) on stress levels. We conclude that the analysis of the combined impact of predictors and mediators can contribute to studies on the psychosocial adjustment, because simultaneous testing of the variables discriminated how the variability of stress is produced, and has been introduced a theoretical proposal of activation of the various facets of adaptive responsiveness.


Foraminifera abundance patterns and accompanying sediment analysis from Arctic Ocean sediment cores are useful tools in paleoecologic interpretations. In the Brunhes interval, there are at least two abundance peaks of Foraminifera; one, representing present conditions, in the top part of all cores, and the other near the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary (700,000 yrs B.P.). In addition, many cores show a continual fluctuating abundance pattern throughout the Brunhes interval. Cores with older age sediment have two additional Foraminifera abundance peaks, both in the Maruyama. The younger is in the middle part of the Maruyama and the older is near the time of the Olduvai Event in the early part of the Matuyama.

Study of the oldest age sediment available (middle Pliocene) confirms that Foraminifera never have been more abundant in the Arctic Ocean than they are today. Therefore, the ice-covered conditions of the present are taken to represent the warmest conditions necessary to explain other older abundance peaks in the cores. If carbonate solution is eliminated as an explanation, the intervals of few or no Foraminifera must represent conditions quite different from those represented by the abundance peaks and the present. The equilibrium ice conditions of the modern Arctic Ocean could be altered by minor atmospheric variations. Thicker ice could form rather quickly and rather simply and this could upset plankton productivity. Thicker ice could also prevent a free accumulation of coarse detritus and erratics such as accumulate in the Arctic Basin today. These sediment types generally are most abundant during times of abundant Foraminifera deposition and are rare in the intervals during which few or no Foraminifera were deposited.

These factors considered together lead to the theory that the Arctic Ocean has been frozen since at least the middle Pliocene and that the most significant change in the Arctic ice has been in its thickness. Thicker ice restricted photosynthesis and Foraminifera productivity. Times of thinner ice with conditions more like those of the present are represented by abundance peaks of Foraminifera and concentrations of glacially rafted material.

None of the patterns of Foraminifera abundance or glacially rafted material show good correlation with the classical continental glacial stages. Continental glaciers advanced and retreated in the northern hemisphere while the Arctic ice-cover remained relatively stable.

There would be important ecologic, economic, and political problems if the Arctic Ocean were to become ice-free. The historical evidence does not support the idea that a renewed pattern of Pleistocene glaciation would be one of the problems, however.


Abstract : This report presents two studies concerned with learning how to operate a simple control panel device, and how this learning is affected by understanding the internal structure of the device, which is a device model for the device. The first experiment compared two groups, one of which learned a set of operating procedures for the device by rote, and the other learned the device model before receiving the identical procedure training. The model group learned the procedures faster, and even after one week, retrained them better and executed them faster; a typical effect size is a 20% improvement. Furthermore, the model group could simplify, or make more efficient, the procedures far more often then the rote group. The second study examined the hypothesis that the improvement is due to the model group being able to infer the procedures, which would lead to more rapid learning and better recall performance. The same group manipulation was used, but subjects inferred the procedures rather than learning them, and thought out loud while doing so. The model group based their reasoning on direct inferences from the device model, and inferred the correct procedures in almost the minimum amount of time.


"No good deed goes unpunished." This catchy phrase, attributed to the 20th century American diplomat and playwright Clare Boothe Luce,* may well apply to the multitasking hepatocyte and its broad responsibility to handle toxins, both from within (endobiotics) and without (xenobiotics). Some cell has to do it, and the majority of this responsibility lies within the hepatocyte, perfectly poised to be a first-line defense from potential xenobiotics present in both diet and drug therapies. In brief, the hepatocyte is a sensor and responder to toxins—able to disarm and place these toxins into blood or bile, destined for delivery outside the body in urine or feces, respectively. In normal circumstances, the hepatocyte is able to perform this function by engaging a marvelously rich and diverse means of self-protection and detoxification that involves a host of gene products. Although the mechanisms are broad, there are three generalizable components, usually divided into phases. First, hydroxylation (phase 1), then conjugation (phase 2) to increase solubility, and finally export (phase 3) out of the hepatocyte across either the sinusoidal or canalicular membranes. In cholestasis, the route of biliary excretion of toxins is markedly diminished or even blocked, leading to the accumulation of intracellular biliary constituents including bile acids, a prototypic endobiotic. The enterohepatic circulation of these detergent molecules is usually not a burden to the hepatocyte, but in cholestasis this biliary constituent is retained within hepatocytes and this "good deed" of handling bile acids soon becomes a form of cellular "punishment" in the form of markedly disordered structure and function, as well as engaging a procession to cell death. One would hope that if bile acid efflux across the canalicular membrane is blocked, then the hepatocyte can figure out ways to boost its ability to unload them through export across the sinusoidal membrane. From work over the past few years, it is clear that the hepatocyte does possess the molecular means to handle intracellular accumulation of bile acids, ultimately resulting in sinusoidal export. Interestingly, these phase 1-3 processes are not static, but highly regulatable.1 One of the more exciting findings has been that bile acids are themselves cholestatic sensors, and can engage processes of self-protection, mainly through altering the transcriptional program in the hepatocyte that centers on the activities of the nuclear receptor (NR) for bile acids, FXR.2,3 Although FXR-regulated genes lead to reduced sinusoidal bile acid import, reduced bile acid synthesis, and increased bile acid canalicular export, it is not clear that such processes are critical for the hepatocyte to respond to increased bile acid retention and increase sinusoidal export. In fact, it may be harmful in some cholestatic models like bile duct ligation, although this is controversial.4,5 Moreover, if the processes of handling retained bile acids were perfectly effective and self-protective, then liver disease would not develop in cholestasis. This wish is unfulfilled, as we note daily in our cholestatic patients, perhaps most readily evident in children who have a specific genetic defect in the canalicular bile acid exporter, BSEP (Abcb11; disease known as PFIC2), as well as those with cholangiopathies.6 For essentially all of these diseases, liver transplantation is the only durable route to a cure. Thus, the natural mechanisms for handling bile acid retention are present, but inadequate, providing a fertile field for consideration of engaging other non-FXR-dependent components of phase 1-3 detoxification of bile acids as potentially amenable to enhancement. In this issue of HEPATOLOGY, Wagner et al. from Michael Trauner's group in Graz, Austria, provide a series of experiments that support the concept there may very well be a means to pharmacologically augment bile acid handling in cholestasis.7 Their work is based on recent findings from several labs that detoxification and elimination pathways are under the control of genes regulated by members of the NR superfamily.3,8,9 This family of multipartite gene regulators now totals about 48 members in humans, and involves most notably steroid hormone receptors, as well as a host of other receptors, many of which Abbreviation: NR, nuclear receptor. From the Texas Children's Liver Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. Address reprint requests to: Saul J. Karpen, M.D., Ph.D.,Texas Children's Liver Center, Department of Pediatrics/GI, Hepatology & Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; fax: 832-825-4893. Copyright © 2005 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hep.20833 Potential conflict of interest: Nothing to report. *I believe this aphorism is accurately attributed to the witty and well-spoken Clare Boothe Luce, but I cannot firmly locate the original source. For additional information and quotes, see http://www.answers.com/topic/clare-boothe-luce, or http:// www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/luce-cla.htm.


Most of the CBR-based fault diagnosis research ignore the possibility of case drawing between similar equipments or parts and explore a new fault diagnosis method: Based on the fault case definitions and establishment of fault characteristics keyword dictionary, building an effective case storage and indexing mechanism, in order to improve fault coverage of the source cases in case warehouse, providing a reference for similar type of new equipment fault diagnosis, and verifying it by an example at last.


This paper considers the authors' audiovisual work Geometries of Flight as an example of nodal practice as proposed by Philip Gochenour. The paper outlines Gochenour's concept and situates the 'remix' and the 'mashup' within this model. The paper interrogates various models of thought concurrent with Gochenour's to question the nature of the 'remix', appropriation, and originality in creative practice.


The repressive activity of a transcription factor allows thymocytes to shed alternative cell fates and become T cells. Within the human hematopoietic system that gives rise to all blood cell types, the generation of lymphocytes—T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells—is orchestrated at the early developmental stages, when progenitor cells selectively block alternative developmental pathways (for example, erythroid and myeloid) to become lymphoid-committed (1). On pages 89, 93, and 85 of this issue, L. Li et al., Ikawa et al., and P. Li et al., respectively, identify the transcription factor Bcl11b as a critical determinant of this exclusion process during T cell specification (2–4).


We present an appropriate tool for the reservoir operation, particularly for non-flood conditions. As its execution assumptions were presented, the maximum normal level was known and fixed. Under the circumstances of information shortages, and given the requirements governing the operation establishments for the observance of a definite flood control volume, it seems that the latter viewpoint is much simpler than the comprehensive optimization model. Key-Words: Karkheh-Water Resources-Zagros Iran-BasinManagement


When the prior noise statistic is unknown and time-varying, the conventional probability hypothesis density(PHD) filter declines in accuracy and loses targets. An adaptive multiple-model PHD(MMPHD) filter is proposed to estimate the states of targets and their noise variances. The unknown and time-varying noise is estimated based on multiple-models methods, and the MMPHD filter is designed to jointly estimate the target states and the statistics of the noise. The sequential Monte Carlo method is used to implement the MMPHD filter. Simulation results show that the proposed filter can accommodate the unknown measurement variances effectively and improve the estimation accuracy.


Individuals feel lonely when they perceive a discrepancy between their desired and their actually experienced quantity and quality of social relationships. Prior research has demonstrated the importance of loneliness for various health-related aspects. In the present article, we extend the existing literature on loneliness by investigating its role for predicting personality traits and their development from late adolescence to early midlife. Using data from a representative German sample (N = 12,402) sampling individuals from three different birth cohorts, we found loneliness to predict the levels of all Big Five traits except openness five years later. The effects of loneliness on the development of neuroticism and extraversion reached statistical significance but were only marginal in terms of effect size. Furthermore, we found that a self-regulatory focus geared to the prevention of negative events mediated the effects of loneliness on later levels of the Big Five.


INTRODUCTION The basic means of protecting the children transported in cars are special car safety seats introduced in the USA in 1970s. It has been established that effective protection in case of a car crash can be achieved by fastening the child to the cabin frame as its deformation can partially absorb the impact energy. Along with the efforts to improve the construction of traditional car safety seats, works are continued to find new solutions based on the concept of the seat and the child rotation relative to the car cabin in case of traffic collision. The concept is to mitigate the collision impact on the child by converting a portion of kinetic energy into rotational motion [1-3].


Introduction: Today diagnosis and treatment planning in patients for orthodontic or surgical treatment is expected to correspond with the same ethnic cephalometric norms. This study aimed to determine the cephalometric norms of the Iranian population living in Ahvaz via McNamara's analysis and to verify the presence of gender related disparity and compare it with the standard norms and similar studies.
Materials & Methods: Cephalograms of 79 patients (39 females, 40 males in the age range of 19-29 years old) were selected from the Orthodontic department of Ahvaz Dental School archive during 2018-2019. The subjects had a Class 1 molar relationship with a balanced profile, no history of orthodontic or surgical treatment or trauma, and no congenital anomalies. According to the McNamara analysis 8 linear and 4 angular measurements were traced manually and analyzed statistically by Shapiro-Wilk, independent t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests with a meaningful level of p value < 0.05.
Results: According to our findings significant differences were observed in the effective length of the maxilla and mandible, Maxillo-mandibular differences, Distance point A from maxilla to chin from N perpendicular line, 1.3 lower face height (p value < 0.05) but not found in the upper and lower incisor position and facial axis and mandibular plane angle (p value > 0.05).
Conclusion: Despite the differences observed in the cephalometric parameters with the normal range among Caucasians, McNamara's analysis was applicable for surgical and orthodontic treatment in Iranians.


Self-adjustment is an important aspect of someone's life. Individual who can adjust themselves well will get happiness, independence and harmony within themselves and their environment. Unfortunately, not all children with special needs can adapt themselves well to their environment, especially in inclusive schools. The limitations of experiences make her/him difficult to adjust. As a result, children with special needs actually withdraw themselves from their environment, feeling unhappy, and bullied by their friends make them vulnerable. Therefore, children with special needs require help to adjust in school and help them to participate in the community. In the article will discuss the role of teachers in inclusion schools to help children with special needs adjust in school so that they can be accepted in the school and community. Keywords—Self adjustment; children with special needs; teacher.


This article tries to tell the difference in meaning and distinguish between right and wrong in sen- tences of the same structure by analysing their deep structure,grammar and also by inference.


AIM: This study aims to evaluate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on estradiol levels in patients with HER 2-overexpression breast cancer in a developing country. METHODS: This comparative study with preand post-design model observation approach, involving patients with HER 2-overexpression breast cancer who had undergone surgery and had never received chemotherapy or hormonal therapy before, who were then given adjuvant chemotherapy. Estradiol levels were measured before and after chemotherapy. The study was carried out in the surgical oncology division of RSUD Dr. Moewardi (RSDM) Surakarta from January 2020-December 2020. Descriptive data are presented in a frequency table based on age, menstrual status, parity status, breastfeeding status, contraception, contraception duration, family history, stage, and histological grade. Before and after chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer, the estradiol levels employed the paired sample t-test of the Wilcoxon rank test because the data did not meet the normality assumption. RESULTS: From the total data of 21 patients, 15 patients experienced a decrease in estradiol levels after chemotherapy, while six patients underwent an increase. The mean estradiol level before chemotherapy was 89.41 pg/ml, whereas the mean estradiol level after chemotherapy was 55.90 pg/ml. It indicates a difference in the decrease in estradiol levels of 33.51 pg/ml. The statistical test results also obtained a p-value of = 0.033 (p < 0.05), which signifies a significant difference between estradiol levels before and after chemotherapy. Thus, chemotherapy is effective in lowering estradiol levels in patients with breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy affects decreasing estradiol levels in patients with HER2 overexpression breast cancer. Edited by: Ksenija Bogoeva-Kostovska Citation: Zaini IH, Soewoto W, Budhi IB. The Effect of Chemotherapy on Estradiol Levels in Patients with HER 2-Overexpression Breast Cancer in Dr Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta, Indonesia. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2021 Nov 30; 9(B):1570-1574. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.6967


Learning geometry is one that students fear. They have difficulty understanding the concepts of geometry. Students experience problems with Lobachevsky's axiom alignment, as well as Riemann's axiom alignment. Therefore, we need learning that makes it easy for students to imagine these axioms more concrete, although geometry cannot always be carried in a concrete world. The purpose of this study is to describe students' cognitive processes in understanding the properties of triangles in Riemann Geometry through local content. This is a part of development research. We conducted a needs analysis of the ability of students to understand new concepts in geometry. The subject of this research was chosen from students of mathematics education at one of the tertiary institutions in Bengkulu City, Indonesia. Subjects were interviewed in-depth through task-based interviews. His job is to solve the problem of the properties of triangles in Riemann Geometry. Interview data were analyzed through genetic decomposition analysis. The results of this study were subjects able to analyze the interrelationship between concepts, axioms, and basic properties of geometry through orange peel media. He can attribute and organize. The attributes are obtained from three segments that meet at the ends. Subjects can organize the elements of the triangle so that the nature of a large number of angles in the triangle is more than 180. The conclusions of this study are the subjects can achieve the cognitive process of analysis, and can arrange the correct population.


We investigate the value distribution of dierence polynomials of entire and meromorphic functions, which can be viewed as the Hayman's conjecture. And we also study the uniqueness of dierence polynomials sharing a common value.


This empirical study explores the application of formal schema theory to the EFL writing teaching. The author firstly administrated questionnaire to the students from two Grade 2 classes of Zengcheng Zheng Zhongjun High School, in order to find out their problems in English writing. Then the author conducted a teaching experiment, which lasted for four months, and collected data of the pre-tests and post-tests of both the experiment class and control class. After that, the author employed SPSS 21.0 to analyze all the statistics. The results indicated that formal schema would help senior students construct well-formed English texts and textual schema, improve their writing ability, strengthen their confidence in English writing, and cultivate their English thinking.


Open-space networks in cities in disaster-prone environments can be designed to facilitate recovery. This study explores residents' perceptions of urban wetlands in earthquake-prone Concepción, Chile. Two scenarios were posed, one representing everyday life and a second representing life after an earthquake, in which wetlands were perceived in terms of their utility. Multivariate data analysis revealed the residents' cognitive structure underlying perception of the wetlands in each scenario. The cognitive structures, comprising objective biophysical attributes related to subjective utilitarian attributes, varied with context. These findings can inform the design of open space in disaster-prone cities to ensure their resilience.


Children speak and listen and think long before they enter school for the first timeand they will continue to speak and listen and think long after they leave a formal course of instruction. Hopefully they will do a better job of all three because of what happens in school. Hopefully too, to the skills they bring, they will add reading and writing. Any limitations on thinking, either imposed by orders or resulting from lack of nurture, will limit the maximum growth of children to listen and speak well, to read and to write the language which is their social heritage. Learning to choose selfimposed limits of logic, reasonableness, order, and common good can hardly be left to chance.


Abstract The feeding activity of warm- and coolwater fishes can be severely restricted during the long period of cold temperatures characteristic of winter in temperate zone lakes and rivers. The effect of such restriction is greater for smaller fish. Weight-specific basal metabolism increases as size decreases; however, there is no corresponding increase in energy storage capacity. Thus, smaller fish tend to be less tolerant of starvation conditions because they exhaust their energy stores sooner. Such size dependence of starvation endurance has often been observed in laboratory experiments. In wild populations commonly subject to winter starvation, population viability hinges on the ability of young of year to complete a minimum amount of growth during their first year of life. From south to north, this ability is increasingly restricted as the growing season shortens and the starvation period lengthens. We show that this constraint is sufficient to explain the present locations of the northern distribu...


Research in international marketing has long considered the question of how firms make their entry decisions in foreign markets. A key concept for the understanding of this process is the psychic distance construct. A firm would choose to first enter markets that appear to be more similar to the domestic market, and only later enter those that significantly differ from their own. This study intended to contribute to the understanding and measurement of this phenomenon by testing two data collection instruments designed by other researchers to measure psychic distance. Results showed a very strong correlation between the two instruments. Besides the contribution to the measurement of the construct itself, this study also provides an independent measure of psychic distance from Brazil to other countries, not yet available in the literature. If perceptions of psychic distance are in fact culturally shared, if it portrays the way by which individuals from one culture see another, the measure of psychic distance from Brazil to other countries obtained in this study may be valuable to other researchers.


Thirty weaner rabbits of Soviet Chinchilla (35d old) were divided into three groups of ten each. They were fed a diet (T1) containing maize-30, groundnut cake-20, sunflower cake-5, soyaflakes-5, wheat bran-30, fish meal-3, molasses-5, mineral mixture-1.5, and common salt-0.5 % and mixed green grass ad lib. In T2 and T3 maize was replaced by 25 and 50 % rice polish, respectively. All the proximate principles excluding nitrogen free extract increased with rice polish supplementation. Final body weights (84d), live weight gain and feed intake during the experimental period were not affected whereas, feed conversion ratio improved (P<0.05) from 5.15 to 4.80 and 4.96 in T1, T2 and T3, respectively. This might be due to the increased level of fat and energy concentration in these diets. Differences among the gastrointestinal contents were not observed except for weight of caecum which decreased (P<0.05) with increase in proportion of rice polish in the diets. This might be due to the higher level of fibre in rice polish than maize which resulted in fast excretion of digesta. Carcass parameters as dressed carcass, liver weight and dressing percentage remained unaffected due to presence of rice polish in the diet. Digestibility of dry matter was not affected whereas that of crude protein decreased and of crude fibre, ether extract, neutral detergent fibre was increased with rice polish supplementation. The balance of nitrogen decreased which was reflected by lower DCP contents but growth of rabbits was not affected though the availability of energy as TDN remained similar due to rice polish supplementation. The results reveal optimum protein to energy ratio with diets containing rice polish; secondly the importance of rice polish as source of energy for rabbits. Thus it could be concluded that rice polish can replace dietary maize supplement up to 50 % or could be used up to 15% in the feeding regime of weaner rabbits.


Objective To evaluate the safety of intranasal use of beclomethasone dipropionate, budesonide, fluticasone propionate and mometasone for adults and children with chronic sinusitis/nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis. Methods Randomized controlled trials were located. Study quality was evaluated by two researchers independently. RevMan 4.2 was used for meta-analysis. Results Seven RCTs involving 826 patients were included. Compared with placebo, local use of fluticasone proprionate in adults showed no statistically significant trend to increase incidence of acute sinusitis (OR 16.87, 95% CI 0.87 to 301.62), but no significant difference was seen for epistaxis (OR 7.76, 95% CI 0.38 to 157.14): 1 trial, 60 patients. In another trial, no cases of nasal atrophy were reported in either fluticasone or placebo groups. No significant differences were seen between local use of budesonide and placebo in adults for dryness of nasal mucosa (OR 3.38, 95%CI 0.66 to 17.18) and epistaxis (OR 2.20, 95%CI 0.39 to 12.32) : 1 trial, 193 participantions. No significant difference was seen between budesonide and pollinex for headache (OR 1.71, 95%CI 0.52 to 5.62). No differences were seen between placebo and fluticasone propionate in children for epistaxis (OR 0.85, 95%CI 0.20 to 3.66), headache (OR 0.25, 95%CI 0.02 to 2.83), plasma cortisol concentration (OR 1.56, 95%CI 0.06 to 38.69) and dryness of nasal mucosa (OR 4.76, 95%CI 0.25 to 89.54). Beclomethasone dipropionate in children showed no statistical differences for dryness of nasal mucosa (OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.14 to 1.87), epistaxis (OR 0.68, 95%CI 0.26 to 1.73) and rhinitis (OR 0.47, 95%CI 0.04 to 5.36). No decrease of plasma cortisol concentration was detected in either group. Mometasone and placebo showed no significant differences in children for epistaxis (OR 1.57, 95%CI 0.41 to 5.95), rhinitis (OR 0.33, 95%CI 0.01 to 8.22) or headache (OR 0.33, 95%CI 0.01 to 8.22). Decrease of plasma cortisol concentration was not detected. Conclusions According to this systematic review, long term intranasal use of steroid for adults and children may be safe based on the two high quality, four moderate quality trials and one with strong bias. High quality studies with larger sample sizes and in other languages are needed to provide stronger evidence.


Distant hybridization remains the most effective ways to introducing excellent germplasm of Chinaorigin rose into modern rose, and embryo abortion is the bottleneck of the ways. Therefore, in the test, theyoung, green and mature fruit were dissected and observed respectively after different pretreatment to study theovule development characteristics of different stages and provide the theoretical basis for the implementation ofthe embryo rescue in rose. A new phenomenon was found in the experiment: two ovules formed in a singlecarpel in rose. The phenomenon prevailed in young fruit(15 days after flowering) in many rose varieties, growthsituation of the two ovules were same at this stage; double-ovule was also observed in 30-60 days afterflowering, accompanied with the significantly reducing of its ratio, and one ovule developed normally but theother was in the abortion status. Also, it found that, two seeds in one mature achene germinated at the sametime after a low-temperature sand reservoir, indicating the two ovules in the single ovary may normal developand germinate under the right conditions.


It is important to maintain on operational availability of aircraft during wartime. The KF-16 fighter, the backbone of the ROKAF (Republic Of Korea Air Force), has a single engine. Therefore, the engine has a critical influence on operational availability. The purpose of this study is to estimate optimal levels of spare part inventories concerning both engines and modules. That is provided by linear programming methods utilizing a developed meta-model. For drawing out the meta-model, we develop a simulation model which can consider wartime demands. In the previous study, 2k factorial design method is used to check the influence of each independent variable. That method requires relatively many scenarios because every extreme value combination of independent variables should be checked. However, this study adopts NOLH (Nearly Orthogonal Latin Hypercube) as an experimental design. By adopting NOLH, this study increases not only efficiency but also accuracy. That is proven by comparing the validity of the developed meta-model on both experimental designs. This study also utilizes the OptQuest simulation tool in ARENA to derive the optimal level of spare stocks. By comparing the result of OptQuest to that of the developed meta-model, the validity of this study is secured.


Purchasing a car can be a normal decision for some, but can be a very special decision for others. Of the many attributes a car signifies, aesthetics is one of the most significant while making a decision. Colour of a car has been rated as a very important attribute as per studies carried by various agencies so far. The objective of the study is to highlight importance of colour in selecting a vehicle and finding a correlation between influence of personality traits of a person and his choice of colour. It has also been seen that the purchase decision is dependent on Aesthetic orientation of a person which is in turn dependent on personality traits. So the study tries to find the dependence of colour on both personality as well as aesthetic orientation. Methodology deployed for the study is surveying 214 people of different backgrounds and questioning them on the basis of a questionnaire, and mapping their behaviour basis the responses and generating a pattern for understanding choice of colour dependent on the personality traits and aesthetic orientation. The study performed first detected the personality traits of a person, and hence aesthetic orientation was defined. It was largely seen that personality traits are very significant in determining the colour preference, but linking it to aesthetic orientation gave results which were better linked to colour choices. The study was carried basis age groups, gender, and MHI. In the study a strong correlation was found and a scale was designed mapping color of car basis the personality traits of a person.


Propeller noise is one of the main radiation sources of underwater targets. It contains substantial physical information for feature extraction and recognition. Most of the extraction methods of propeller shaft frequency based on the Detection of Envelope Modulation on Noise (DEMON), which have the disadvantages of large computation cost and low reliability, some even require the prior information of target. In this paper, we propose to combine wavelet and Hilbert– Huang transform (HHT) to suppress background noise, and a shaft frequency method based on Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) is used to reduce the computation of Cyclic Modulation Spectrum (CMS). Here, we have two contributions: firstly, HHT-based improved envelope is exploited for more thorough filtering of low-band continuum noise. Secondly, the searching method of shaft frequency and harmonics improve the searching accuracy in both multi-target and single-target detection.


For determining the effect of illumination on nutrient removal in an artificial food web (AFW) system, we launched a pilot continuous-flow system. The system consisted of a storage basin, a phytoplankton growth chamber, and a zooplankton growth chamber. A 25,000 Lux AFW-light emitting diode (LED) on system and an AFW-LED off system were separately operated for 10 days. In the AFW-LED on system, the maximum chlorophyll- a concentration of the phytoplankton chamber was four times higher than that of the AFW-LED off system. With artificial nighttime illumination, the microalgae became both smaller and more nutritious; the microalgae became high quality food for the zooplankton, Daphnia magna . Consequently, this zooplankton became more efficient at extracting nutrients and grew more densely than in the AFW-LED off system condition. In the LED-on condition, the amounts of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) flowing into the system for 10 days were 84.7 g and 20.4 g, and the amounts flowing out were 19.5 g (23%) and 4.0 g (20%), respectively. In contrast, in the LED-off condition, 83.8 g and 20.6 g of TN and TP flowed into the system while 38.8 g (46%) and 6.8 g (33%) flowed out, respectively. Artificial illumination significantly improves the removal rate of nutrients in an AFW system.


Soon after the south-west monsoon, mean surface meteorological parameters at the Kavaratti Island begin to change. Wind, which was south-west in direction during the monsoon period, turns to north-north and eventually to north-east direction with lesser intensity. Monthly mean wind speed in October was ~2 ms while in July it was~7 ms. Monthly mean surface air pressure in October was ~1008 hPa as against ~1007 hPa in July. Surface air-temperature and relative humidity also exhibited similar variability. Monthly mean air temperature and humidity in October were ~28C, and ~76% respectively, while in July ~26C, and ~87% respectively were recorded. In general, wind was predominantly in the north/north-westerly direction throughout the year, except June-July during which a west/south-westerly winds was observed. Minimum atmospheric pressure occurs during June-July (southwest monsoon period) and the maximum during December-January (northeast monsoon period). Air temperature demonstrates steady increase from January to May before descending to minimum during July-August. During the observational period (2009) inverse relationships between barometric pressure and air-temperature was observed. Similar relationship between relative humidity and airtemperature was also noticed.


Today, the internet and computer networking areessential parts of business, learning, and personal communications and entertainment. Virtually all messages or transactionssent over the internet are carried using internet infrastructure- based on advanced internet protocols. Advanced internet protocols ensure that both public and private networks operate with maximum performance, security,and flexibility.This book is intended to provide a comprehensive technical overview and survey of advanced internet protocols, first providing a solid introduction and going on todiscuss internetworking technologies, architectures and protocols. The book also showsapplication of the concepts in next generation networks anddiscusses protection and restoration, as well as various tunnelling protocols and applications.The bookends with a thoroughdiscussion of emerging topics.


A b st r a c t : This article presents an analysis of the socio-econ omic development of the 16 federal states of Germany as compared to the whole country. The main goals of the analysis are to measure the developmen t with the use of selected taxonomic methods, to examine the similarities and diff erences between the states inasmuch as that development is concerned, as well as to illustrate the distance existing between the new eastern states (Brandenburg, Me cklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia) and the remai ning states of Germany. The analysis is preceded by an illustration of the present socio-economic situation of the German states. Germany is characterized by internal diversity as regards the socio-economic development, and the polic y of supporting the East German economy has failed to reach its goals. An unfav ourable demographic situation is a factor that effectively inhibits the developme nt of the new states. A falling birth rate, an increasing population beyond retirement ag e, as well as great numbers of


The text analyzes the conflict over land between settlers and Indians in Indigenous Reserve of Nonoai, north of Rio Grande do Sul state, at the end of the 1970s. Such conflict crystallizes an indigenous struggle in the Southern Brazil to cope the historical processes of reduction and extinction of their land. The trigger of this conflict and the expulsion of settlers from the interior of this reserve will be a mark in the in the establishment of great social movement of struggle for land in Rio Grande do Sul state. The paper reflects on the historical processes in which these two subjects social, subordinate, become victims of agricultural policies wrong.


The invention discloses a method and a system for automatically tracking and shooting a moving object. The method comprises the steps as follows: obtaining first position data of the position where the moving object is located currently; obtaining second position data of the position where a tracking and shooting device is located currently; calculating distance between the tracking and shooting device and the moving object according to the first position data and the second position data; adjusting the position of the tracking and shooting device if the distance which is obtained by calculating is not in a preset distance range until the distance between the tracking and shooting device and the moving object is the preset distance to realize the track and the shoot of the moving object. Through the above manner, the method and the system of the invention can be used for tracking and shooting the moving object and have better shooting effect.


The stability of propagation of a laminar flame or combustion wave is studied for a general type of flame propagating medium. This is done by investigating the stability of the steady‐state solution of the flame equations for such a system. The method is to solve the linearized system of partial differential equations resulting from an instantaneous heat release perturbation of the steady‐state solution. An approximate solution in analytic form to this linearized partial system is obtained. This permits the statement of an analytic stability condition, and shows the existence of stability limits. The existence of stability limits is suggested as an explanation of inflammability limits.


Thepaperproposes a model which is helpful for obtaining some growth trajectories in relation to one factor, namely nitrogen-based fertilizers. Figures 1 - 4 show good concordance between the experimental data and the theoretical curves, which means that the model is good in assessing agricultural yield in relation to the dosesapplied. It is useful and important for farmers to knowthe optimum of some economic indicators. The present paper presents the results of our research of the maximum benefit, both theoretically and graphically.


We have carried out 3D hydrodynamic simulations of a precessing jet/counterjet ejection. We have included the photoionization from the central source, considering three different ionizing photon rates ( , 1046, and 1047 phots s−1), in order to determine its effect on the morphology and kinematics of the protoplanetary nebula. We have considered a time-dependent ejection density that generates dense knot structures in the jet, which are then partially photoionized by the ionizing photon field from the central source. We also explore the role of the medium in which the jet is propagated, under these conditions. The photoionization results in a larger Hα emission of the knots, and in an acceleration of the knots as a result of the so-called "rocket effect." We find that for larger values of the ionizing photon rate, a clear outwards acceleration of the knots is produced. These models are appropriate for explaining protoplanetary nebulae in which such outwards accelerations are observed.


Decay of building stone used in the Cracow area has been investigated by microscopical observations of thin sections of the stone, x-ray diffraction, and SEM-EDAX analyses. Different types of limestone, both hard and porous, have been considered. The effects of exposure to wind, rain, and air pollution were taken into account by collecting a large number of samples from various spots of the buildings located at places with different levels of air pollution. Stone corrosion has been found to be a complex process depending mainly on the petrographic character of the stone, but also on the mode of exposition to weathering agents and type and concentration of air pollutants. Different deterioration mechanisms were found for compact and porous limestone. In the former case the deterioration involves chipping and cracking, as a result of penetration of leaching solution along the sedimentary discontinuities in otherwise very resistant stone. In the latter case it consists of dissolution of the calcitic cement, development of cracks, disaggregation, and crusting. Exposure to the predominant wind direction and high levels of air pollutants in the city center or in the vicinity of industrial pollution sources accelerates the decay.


This study aims to determine and analyze the effect of actuating and controlling on the performance of the South Sumatra Province Porprov XII organizing committee in Prabumulih in 2019. The data used in this study are primary data by distributing questionnaires to 128 respondents. The analysis technique used is linear regression analysis. Based on the results of this study, using SPSS version 23 shows that: (1) Actuating has a positive and significant effect on the performance of the Porprov committee. (2) Controlling has a positive and significant effect on the performance of the Porprov committee. The percentage value of the coefficient of determination (R Square) of 0.524 illustrates that 52.4% of the variation in performance variables can be explained by the actuating and controlling variables at Porprov XII South Sumatra Football Branch in Prabumulih in 2019, while 47.6% others are explained by causes other than the model under study. Keywords : Actuating, Controlling, Performance, Porprov, Football


BACKGROUND
Herbicide-resistant crop technology could provide new management strategies for the control of parasitic plants. Three herbicide-resistant oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) genotypes were used to examine the response of attached Cuscuta campestris Yuncker to glyphosate, imazamox and glufosinate. Cuscata campestris was allowed to establish on all oilseed rape genotypes before herbicides were applied.

RESULTS
Unattached seedlings of C. campestris, C. subinclusa Durand & Hilg. and C. gronovii Willd. were resistant to imazamox and glyphosate and sensitive to glufosinate, indicating that resistance initially discovered in C. campestris is universal to all Cuscuta species. Glufosinate applied to C. campestris attached to glufosinate-resistant oilseed rape had little impact on the parasite, while imazamox completely inhibited C. campestris growth on the imidazolinone-resistant host. The growth of C. campestris on glyphosate-resistant host was initially inhibited by glyphosate, but the parasite recovered and resumed growth within 3-4 weeks.

CONCLUSION
The ability of C. campestris to recover was related to the quality of interaction between the host and parasite and to the resistance mechanism of the host. The parasite was less likely to recover when it had low compatibility with the host, indicating that parasite-resistant crops coupled with herbicide resistance could be highly effective in controlling Cuscuta.


Free Papers 1 – Long Term Conditions I End of life care for people with dementia: an evaluation of implementation of the GSF and LCP Susan Ashton Liverpool John Moores University Bob McClelland Liverpool John Moores University Brenda Roe Edge Hill University Deborah Mazhindu Liverpool John Moores University Robert Gandy Liverpool John Moores University Background: End of Life care needs of older people with advanced dementia were identified by North West NHS as a priority. Implementation of advance care planning by use of Gold Standards Framework (GSF) and Liverpool care of the Dying Pathway (LCP) was studied in five long term care 'pilot' sites in Greater Manchester. Aims: To determine the effects of introducing GSF and LCP from the perspectives of staff, service users, family caregivers and practitioners involved in the care of older people with dementia. Methods: A case study design using mixed methods was used in four nursing care homes and one NHS (mental health) ward. A wide range of views and experiences were documented (n1⁄4 200). A self completed survey of all care staff; General Practitioners and other Multi-disciplinary team members; Interviews with the relatives and senior nursing care staff; focus groups with key care staff; Economic evaluation of potential costs/benefits in preventing unscheduled hospital admissions. Results: Qualified staff perceived that the use of the end of life care tools and staff education improved their assessment skills of the physical and cognitive decline and management of the dying resident. Anticipatory prescribing was viewed as a key element in the management of pain and other distressing symptoms. GP's were more confident that care staff could assess and manage symptoms and use medication appropriately. Staff were more confident that residents achieved their preferences for place of death at home and reduced inappropriate hospital admissions due to advance care planning undertaken with residents, relatives and GP's. Conclusion: General agreement by care staff and the wider MDT that the use of GSF/LCP tools promoted staff confidence to assess monitor and meet the needs of dying residents, enabled good communication with indicative economic benefits for reducing hospital admissions. A national survey of specialist palliative care services for patients with end stage renal disease Stephanie Gomm Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team Katie Hobson Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK Fliss Murtagh Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Kings College London, London, UK Ann Louise Caress School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Background: The National Service Framework for Renal Services Part 2 (2005) aimed to improve end of life care for people with ESRD and the Kidney End of Life Care Framework (2009) sets out how to achieve this. A survey of UK renal units (2004) reported only 38% and 20% had usual or regular involvement with hospital SPCS and hospices respectively. Aims: Assess the current provision of SPCS for adult patients with ESRD in the UK and determine the factors that affect SPCS provision. Method: A questionnaire was sent to the lead clinician for all UK adult hospital, hospice and community SPCS, identified from the Hospice and Palliative Care Directory 2008. Non-responders were mailed again after 5 weeks. Quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis were performed. Results: 318/611 (52%) questionnaires were returned. 96% stated SPCS have a role in caring for patients with ESRD. 281/318 (88%) accepted referrals and 185/281 (66%) reported that ''none or few were referred''. Only 7% and 17% of respondents used specific ESRD referral and treatment guidelines respectively; whereas 79% used the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient. 7% undertook joint renal and SPCS multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings and 3% held joint out-patient clinics. 128/ 318 (40%) respondents proposed initiatives to improve palliative care for ESRD patients. Of the 214 proposed initiatives, 22% were concerning ''better communication and working links with renal teams'' and 23% were around ''education of both SPCS and renal teams''. Conclusions: The majority of SPCS accept ESRD patients but limited numbers are referred. Respondents indicated this barrier could be addressed by closer collaboration, better communication and education between renal and SPCS. Other initiatives to enable delivery of SPC to increased numbers of ESRD patients include:use of specific referral and clinical care guidelines and expansion of joint MDT meetings and out-patient clinics. Do people with Parkinson's disease need palliative care? George Kernohan Professor of Health Research, University of Ulster Mary Waldron Research Assistant, University of Ulster Felicity Hasson Senior Lecturer, University of Ulster Barbara Cochrane Director of Medical and Care Services, Northern Ireland Hospice Helen Chambers Director of Clinical Services, Northern Ireland Hospice Susan Foster Lecturer in Palliative Care, Northern Ireland Hospice and University of Ulster Background: Palliative care involves the holistic care of people who live with incurable disease, to help themmaintain a good quality of life and it has been argued that palliative care services should be extended to all who need them, whatever their diagnosis. Although it is acknowledged that patients with PD warrant a palliative care approach (BuntingPerry 2006; Hudson et al., 2006), they are not automatically provided with palliative care and rarely benefit from hospice care (Kristjanson et al., 2005).Objective: To explore the perceptions of health and social care professionals on the palliative care needs of people with PD. Methods: A range of health and social care professionals (n1⁄4 111), including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, social workers and voluntary sector workers took park in individual qualitative semistructured interviews and focus group discussions. The data was then analysed for thematic content. Results: Participants held mixed views on palliative care ranging from end of life care to holistic care beginning at diagnosis. The palliative care needs of people with PD were identified as physical (symptom and pain control, optimising mobility, avoiding falls and communication support) psychological (dealing with loss of independence, depression and anxiety) and practical (information and advice on benefits and provision of mobility aids). Participants were unsure when or how to introduce PC to patients with PD. Furthermore, few PC health and social care professionals in the sample had worked with people specifically for their PD. Conclusion: People with PD have PC needs but it is difficult to decide when and how to introduce PC into the patient's care. Although this was a limited scale investigation, involving one time-point, it raises issues for further research into this area. The Author(s), 2010. Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav 10.1177/0269216310363376 Free Papers 2 – Prognostic Indicators Prognostic factors for survival of terminally ill cancer patients in Shanghai, China Gu Xiao li Palliative Care Department Shanghai Cancer Center Fudan University Cheng Wen Wu Palliative Care Department Shanghai Cancer Center udan University Purpose: The objective of the study was to reveal the factors related with the survival of terminally ill cancer patients who received palliative care in Shanghai, China. Methods: 117 patients who enrolled and died in the Palliative Care Department, Fudan University during March, 2007 to March, 2009 were included in this study. Information including general demographic information, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), symptoms present, biological markers were collected. Survival was measured from time of enrollment to death. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test were used to determine the corresponding factors with survival. Variables with P< 0.05 were included in the Cox regression model to exam the independent prognostic factors. Different survival length of groups divided by different prognostic index was compared by log rank test. Results: In 117 patients, with a median survival of 16 days, 16 factors were found to be related with the survival according to univariate analysis (p< 0.05). There were no significantly association between the general characteristics such as age, gender or cancer site and metastasis site. The related factors were Karnofsky Performance Score (p< 0.001), dyspnea (p1⁄4 0.043), serious insomnia (p1⁄4 0.015) and anorexia (p1⁄4 0.001), bleeding symptoms (p1⁄4 0.029) and cognitive impairment (p1⁄4 0.001). Some biological markers such as low hemoglobin (p1⁄4 0.010), low lymphocyte percentage (p1⁄4 0.024), high neutrophil percentage (p1⁄4 0.037), high total bilirubin (p1⁄4 0.001), high alkaline phosphatase (p1⁄4 0.002), high aspartate aminotransferase (p< 0.001), high lactate dehydrogenase (p1⁄4 0.003), low serum albumin (p1⁄4 0.004), potassium (p1⁄4 0.023) and calcium (p1⁄4 0.038). The multivariate analysis selected seven independent factors: Karnofsky Performance Score <40, serious insomnia, bleeding symptom, low hemoglobin, high aspartate aminotransferase, low serum albumin and abnormal potassium. Conclusion: The study shows the clinical survival prognostics with Chinese characteristics. The combination of the seven factors maybe useful but studies in this area deserve further investigated. Prognosis prediction by Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI): a prospective multi centre study Sivakumar Subramaniam EllenorLions Hospice, Northfleet, Kent, UK Andrew Thorns Pilgrims Hospice, Thanet, Kent, UK Thiru Thirukumaran Pilgrims Hospice, Ashford, Kent, UK Thomas Osborne Pilgrims Hospice, Canterbury, Kent, UK Ridout Martin Department of Statistics, Univers


The growth plate cartilages obtained from two patients with metaphyseal chondrodysplasia were investigated by light and electron microscopy.Histologically, the linear columns were irregular and occasionally round ball like clusters were seen in the hypertrophic zone.Electron microscopically, a large number of chondrocytes had dilated cisternae of rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, the degenerating chondrocytes with enlarged mitochondria, dense nucleus, large lipid granules and numerous vacuoles were frequently observed even in the resting and proliferating zone. The cartilagenous matrix represented an unusual fibrillar appearance.The present study reveals that the involvement of the metaphysis in this disorder may be a result of degenerative changes due to the abnormal mechanism of protein biosynthesis or protein transport in resting and proliferating chondrocytes.


The daily activities are restricted by elbow architecture changes which causes instability and pain. Total elbow arthroplasty is considered last way to relief pain and instability. Various stem cross sectional shapes are designed to reduce loosening of the cemented stemmed implants. The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect of three different humeral stem shapes on implant displacement. Computed tomography scan image was used to reconstruct humerus bone. A three dimensional model of elbow humeral component with three different stem shapes (rectangular, triangular with round edges and circular) with the same length were modelled to be inserted in the constructed bone. All materials were assumed linear, homogenous, elastic and isotropic. A 4 N.m torque was applied and displacement for each implant was analysed. The results of this study showed displacement is more for distal region compared with proximal region. It was also found that rectangular stem had more resistance to torsional loading in comparison with circular and triangular. The present study demonstrates that changing the stem shapes affects the implant displacement and consequently the implant loosening.


The current study proposes a verb-based method of relation pattern extraction, which aims to extract entity relations with high accuracy from Chinese website corpus. In this study, entity identifications of human names and island/reef names are carried out by means of ICTCLAS and entity table; accurate sentence examples are generated; and, consequently, verb-based relation patterns are constructed. The experiment results show that the proposed method has good extraction performance.


The goal of this paper is to construct a Monte Carlo simulation in order to systematically analyze how equilibria arise in evolutionary games. I examine the "Hawk-Dove" game, where the equilibria are already understood, in order to judge whether the model matches the analytic expectations. In all situations, the model approaches the expected results.


Given the dramatic defence spending cuts occurring on both side of the Atlantic, the time would seem ripe for greater transatlantic cooperation in operational energy security — that is, the energy necessary to train for, deploy to, conduct, and redeploy from combat operations. However, with few exceptions, the prospects for greater cooperation in this area — in terms of common strategies, plans, doctrine, materiel and training, for example — appear quite low. Europe remains hobbled by institutional, organisational, and fiscal limitations, while the USA — largely for cultural reasons — struggles to overcome an episodic commitment to energy security.


Antimagnetic rotation is a manifestation of Shears mechanism. In this specific case, the perpendicular components of the dipole moments of the two shears cancel each other due to the symmetry of the structure which leads to the absence of M1 transitions. The talk will cover the recent data on Cd and a model based on classical particle plus rotor. This model has been used to explore the underlying systematics of even-even Cd isotopes and a self consistent picture for the observed behaviours of Cd will be discussed. This systematic study also helps to estimate the strengths of particle-hole and hole-hole interactions of this mass region. The applicability of this model to the odd-odd Cd isotopes, namely Cd, will also be discussed.


We describe a monocular real-time computer vision system that identifies shopping groups by detecting and tracking multiple people as they wait in a checkout line or service counter. Our system segments each frame into foreground regions which contains multiple people. Foreground regions are further segmented into individuals using a temporal segmentation of foreground and motion cues. Once a person is detected, an appearance model based on color and edge density in conjunction with a mean-shift tracker is used to recover the person's trajectory. People are grouped together as a shopping group by analyzing interbody distances. The system also monitors the cashier's activities to determine when shopping transactions start and end. Experimental results demonstrate the robustness and real-time performance of the algorithm.


Many enzymes are known to exist in various molecular forms and their separation and identification may be achieved by a number of techniques. The present paper describes the identification of a-amylase isoenzymes present in normal human saliva and urine. The detection compound is a water-insoluble cross-linked and coloured starch substance that is incorporated into agar medium (Ceska, Hultman Ingelman, 1969b; 1969c). The molecular varieties of some other hydrolytic enzymes, e.g. dextranase, lysozyine, papain etc., may be detected by this technique by using their respective insoluble and specific suib- strates incorporated into agar media. The The present shows the identification by the of oc-amylase isoenzymes in


Background: A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the complement receptor 2 (CR2) gene was previously identified in a large lupus association study to be associated with decreased risk of lupus and increased expression of complement receptor 1 (CR1), specifically on B cells. The SNP lies within a putative B cell enhancer and is associated with increased levels of a nearby long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). Previous work has also shown a positive correlation between CR1 expression and mTOR pathway activation in B cells, as well as increased mTOR pathway activation in B cells of individuals with the SNP compared to those without. Purpose/Hypothesis: To further define the relationship between the CR2 lncRNA, CR1/CR2, and mTOR, and possibly identify new mechanisms by which the lncRNA may confer protection against lupus and be utilized for future treatment studies. We predict that the CR2 lncRNA confers lupus protection by directly modulating the transcription of CR1 in B cells and promoting antigen-specific B cell tolerance via the mTOR pathway. Methods: Knockdown of mTOR was performed on isolated primary B cells using previously developed siRNAs. RNA transcripts were harvested after a 24-hour incubation period, and expression levels of mTOR, CR1, and β-actin, an endogenous gene control, were assessed using qPCR. Relative expressions of each sample were evaluated using the comparative CT method. We then ran a standard curve qPCR protocol using known amounts of RNA template obtained from primary B cells in order to assess our ability to accurately measure expression levels of CR2 and other lncRNAs of interest in anticipation for knocking down the CR2 lncRNA. Results: Results showed successful knockdown of mTOR for one of the siRNAs at 10nM and 1nM concentrations, with knockdown efficiencies around 50%, which is in line with those seen in previous literature. The other two siRNAs showed no change in mTOR transcription. For CR1, no change was seen


ObjectiveTo investigate early diagnosis and treatment of false aneurysms formed after the rupture of intracranialaneurysms.MethodThe clinical data of 13 patients with false aneurysms formed after the rupture of intracranial aneurysms, whounderwent microsurgery from January, 2002 to January, 2012, were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsOf 13 patients with false aneurysmsformed after the rupture of intracranial aneurysms, 9 were recovered well, moderately disabled and 1 severely disabled and 1 died 3months after the surgery according to GOS.ConclusionsThe false aneurysm may be formed around the ruptured aneurysm. Themicrosurgery by which the necks of the real aneurysms are clipped and the hemotomas around them are evacuated should be performedas early as possible in order to reach good prognoses in the patients with false aneurysms formed after the rupture of intracranialaneurysms.


Most recent demographic studies suggest that women are postponing marriage to their twenties. However data from the 1978 Cameroon Fertility Survey and 1991 Demographic and Health survey suggest that an average rural woman in Cameroon experiences marriage and motherhood very early in life even by Sub-Saharan African standards. By the time a cohort of women is celebrating its 20th anniversary; very few are single. While marriage is closely tied with motherhood experience an appreciable number of rural women do start sexual relationships and have their first birth seven before contracting a socially recognized marital union. Marriage does not seem to be the prerequisite for childbearing as 21% of the never married women (mostly teenagers)were already into motherhood. (authors)


Stereoregular (1→5)-α-D-ribofuranan (α-D-R) derivatives were synthesized by selective ring-opening copolymerization in the various ratio of 1,4-anhydro-2,3-di-0-benzyl- and 1,4-anhydro-2,3-di-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)- α-D-ribopyranoses with boron trifluoride etherate as catalyst in CH 2 Cl 2 . Selective removal of the silyl groups gave α-D-R which are composed of 1,5-α-D-ribofuranosidic units and benzylated 1,5-α-D-ribofuranosidic units. Branched α-D-R having branches at 2- and/or 3-positions were obtained after reaction with D-mannose, D- and L-glucose orthoesters followed by deprotection


Abstract : An attempt was made to find a material to replace Pt as the anode in the industrial preparation of Na ClO4 from Na ClO3 by electrolysis. Preliminary experiments were conducted on silicides of Mo and Ti and magnetites embodying TiO2 and CuO. Process tests were run on specimens of 70% dense Cr, 77% dense Cr, W carbide, Smith alloy, Ta, nimonic alloy, inconel alloy, Ti carbide, and TiO. An investigation was made of the effect of superimposition of alternating current circuit including the NaClO3 electrolyte. A series of experiments were carried out using surface treated steels as perchlorate anodes. Theoretical considerations relevant to the perchlorate anode problem were explored.


A metamaterial spacer composed of spiral resonators (SRs) and narrow metal strips has been tested to operate like a bidirectional artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) reflector at 2.45 GHz. The performance of the spacer has also been evaluated in a closely spaced multiple-antenna system applied to successfully increase the transmission capacity of a commercial wireless IEEE 802.11b router.


3rd Meeting of Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Working Group SCOR-WG134. Workshop: The Microbial Carbon Pump in the Ocean, 26-28 August 2012, Delmenhorst, Germany


Abstract Discontinuing mechanical ventilation presents a challenge in many patients, including those with acute on chronic respiratory failure and those who have required prolonged ventilatory support. Discontinuing mechanical ventilation at the earliest opportunity decreases the risk of developing ventilatory-associated pneumonia and upper airway injury from prolonged ventilation, but has to be balanced against the increased morbidity and mortality associated with premature extubation and re-intubation. Weaning is considered once the underlying condition requiring mechanical ventilation has started to improve. Factors that contribute to weaning failure include inadequate central drive, increased respiratory system load, and weak respiratory muscles. The two most effective weaning techniques are: intermittent trials of spontaneous breathing (T piece trial); and progressive withdrawal of inspiratory support during pressure support ventilation. Protocol-based weaning conducted by non-physicians (nurses or respiratory therapists) has been associated with more effective and rapid weaning than physician-guided weaning. A weaning protocol is provided in this article.


Computational systems for design and diagnosis of sound field were developed. The concept of these systems are based on the model of human auditory-brain system [Y. Ando, Architectural Acoustics -Blending Sound Sources, Sound Fields, and Listeners (AIP/Springer-Verlag, New York, 1998)], including the autocorrelation mechanisms, interaural cross-correlation mechanism, and the specialization of the human cerebral hemispheres. Thesis consists of following four parts: (1) Computer simulation system for calculating the four orthogonal factors (LL, t1, Tsub and IACC) at each seat using architectural drawings were developed. The accuracy of this system were examined by comparing the calculated factors with the measured ones at Kirishima International Concert Hall. (2) The diagnostic system to measure the four orthogonal factors and additional factors (IACC, WIACC and A-value) was developed. This system can be used for the measurement in the scale model. The effect of the reflectors' array above stage which can n...


Existing (experimental and computational) linguistic work uses participant paraphrases as a stand-in for event interpretation in complement coercion sentences (e.g. she finished the coffee → she finished drinking the coffee ). We present crowdsourcing data and modelling that supports broadening this conception. In particular, our results suggest that sentences where many participants do not give a paraphrase, or where many different paraphrases are given are informative about to how complement coercion is interpreted in naturalistic contexts.


End_Page 1577------------------------------Regional stratigraphic studies of the Middle and Upper Devonian clastic sequence of West Virginia have been based on gamma-ray-density logs, cores, and sample studies. In northwestern West Virginia, the Upper and Middle Devonian unit is characterized by interbedded gray and black shales, with the darker shales recognized on gamma-ray logs as zones of increased radioactivity. The overall thickness of the section decreases toward the west whereas the proportion of black shale increases toward the west. The proportional increase in black shale occurs in two ways; there is an increased number of black shale beds in the west, and the thickness of the interbedded gray shales decreases. The study area extends across the western boundary of the Rome trough, with the presence of this tectonic feature manifested in two ways in the sediments accumulated over the trough. First, there is a pronounced thickening of the sediments into the trough, and second, the Rhinestreet Shale Member of the West Falls Formation and the Huron Member of the Ohio Shale undergo a facies change from black shale west of the trough to gray shale in the trough area. Further, cross sections and isopach maps provide additional evidence that the Rome trough controlled basin configuration in the region and thus influenced sedimentation during the deposition of the Upper and Middle Devonian clastic sequence in northwestern West Virginia. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1578------------


Part 1 Preface Chapter 2 Overview of Public Policy Analysis Chapter 3 Influences on Criminal Justice Policy Chapter 4 How Crime Policy Is Made Chapter 5 The Policy Cycle Applied to the Crime Issue Chapter 6 Mission Statements and Policies and Procedures Chapter 7 Planning and the Policy Process Chapter 8 Tools for the Criminal Justice Policy Analyst Chapter 9 Improving Crime Policy in Theory and Practice


The report offers preliminary recommendations for near-term actions to strengthen the U.S. effort to develop and deploy advanced energy technologies. The report comes as the Obama Administration and the 111th U.S. Congress face enormous challenges and opportunities in tackling the pressing security, economic, and environmental problems posed by the energy sector. Improving the technologies of energy supply and end-use is a prerequisite for surmounting these challenges in a timely and cost-effective way, and this report elaborates on how policy can support develop of these important energy technologies.


The optical absorption coefficient of amorphous 40TeO 2 -(60-x) V 2 O 5 -xMoO 3 thin films was determined in a spectral range 190-1100 nm at room temperature. The fundamental optical absorption edge was sharp. The optical gap generally increases as the proportion of MoO 3 in the mixed films increases. The width of the tail of the localized states in the band gap was determined for different compositions, which is because of the lack of long range order. The results of the usual density-of-state models of amorphous materials are presented in this paper.


SUMMARY : The irrigaiion project of the Demirdoven dam is in the investment program. Iis siruction Vr>as recendy complete d. Irrigatedfarrmng and related irrigaiion project will be applied in the Pasinler valley, which has a very importanl agriculturalpotential when the Demirdoven dam siarts to run. In this siudy, the soils of the Demirdoven dam irrigaiion area w er e classificated in terms of irrigation and ihe suitable irrigation method was chosen to give


Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of the reflective practice theory based debriefing in high-fidelity simulation in the midwifery continuing education program.

Methods
A midwifery simulation training program was constructed and conducted with the simulation training structure, combined with the core capability requirement for midwifery nurses. 69 trainees and 12 instructors enrolled in the midwifery continuing education program from December 2016 to March 2017, were selected as study objectives to investigate the training experiences. The Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH) was used to evaluate the effect of debriefing from trainees and instructors after the simulation training.

Results
In the instructors' view, debriefing was the most difficult part of the process of simulation. The average DASH-scores evaluated by the trainees were above 6.8; The average DASH-scores evaluated by the instructors were lower than trainees, and the score of "Provokes engaging discussions" was the lowest.

Conclusions
The debriefing based on the reflective practice theory can make positive effect in midwifery simulation training.

Key words:
Debriefing; High-fidelity simulation; Reflective practice theory; Midwifery continuing education program


Considering a network with a frequency reuse one where intercell interference is a limiting factor, an unfair distribution of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) for different users results. A method to improve the SINR is fair multicell max-min beamforming (MBF). In addition to intercell interference, shadow fading is another performance limiting factor. Strongly shadowed users can decrease the performance of all jointly scheduled users if fairness is desired. To overcome this shadow fading effect, this paper investigates one-way half-duplex decode-and-forward relays in combination with MBF. The user is served only by the relay in the second hop and in the first hop only BS transmits the signal to the relay. In large networks, obtaining instantaneous channel state information (CSI) is difficult, therefore, the algorithm proposed in this paper is based on long-term CSI in the form of correlation knowledge. In addition to sum rate performance energy efficiency becomes a much more important issue. This paper proposes an algorithm which can achieve a higher performance as networks without relays with 20% reduced transmit power.


Recent changes in the food distribution and marketing systems in Russia are described. Findings from a survey of the marketing strategies used by directors of joint-stock companies (JSC) and private farmers in Novosibirsk oblast' to cope with these changes are presented and compared. These farmers have adopted different strategies. JSC directors withdrew from value-adding enterprises (VAE) complaining of poorly regulated markets — which remove incentives to create product distinctiveness — problems with bad debts, unstable markets and low profitability. As a result many JSCs have reverted to their core production activities, strategies that suggest they are prioritising longevity rather than profit maximisation. However, the larger private farmers, later entrants into farming and food production, had no apparent complaints in any of these areas. Unlike the JSC directors, they did not welcome more government intervention but wanted a stable macroeconomic climate within which to conduct business. To re-couple JSC directors with VAE and markets, the Russian authorities need to tighten regulation over competition, branding and food quality, and provide better access to market information. These changes will let the federal food corporations reduce their role as farmers, able to extract full benefit from investments made to create distinction, will develop their products and vertically integrate along the food chain.


Nadal-Sala, D., Sabate, S., Gracia, C. 2017. The relative importance of soil depth for Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis Mill.) resilience in face of the increasing aridity induced by climate change.  Ecosistemas 26(2): 18-26. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2017.26-2.03 Most of Spanish forests are currently growing under water deficit conditions. Climate change projections indicate an increase of water deficit stress upon Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis Mill.)  forests. Thus, soil water holding capacity and  its availability for trees are important traits to consider when modeling forest responses to climate change and the  effective soil volume for trees is closely related to their maximum rooting depth. In this work we evaluate the evolution over the 21th century of P. halepensis spanish plots under climate change conditions and at two maximum rooting depths. We conclude that, under moderate climate change conditions, the fertilizing effect of an increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentration would result on higher productivity, increased carbon sink capacity and higher resilience of P. halepensis forests. Conversely, under severe climate change scenario conditions, the CO 2 fertilizing effect would be counterbalanced by the negative effects of increasing aridity. We show that the positive effect of an increased maximum rooting depth decreases under major climatic constraints (high temperature and low precipitation). However, we also obtained that it decreases under favorable conditions (mild temperatures 15>T>19, and precipitation > 520 mm·year -1 ). As precipitation becomes less restrictive, photosynthesis is more linked to seasonal precipitation patterns.


A method of removal of all hydrocarbons in natural gas other than methane is described. Pyrolysis of the higher hydrocarbons under such conditions of temperature and rate of flow that methane is not affected is used. The products of pyrolysis are easily removed by common chemical methods.


Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of healthcare-associated infection in the US and is increasingly recognized as a pathogen in the community. C. difficile is considered one of the most urgent antibiotic-resistant threats to public health and can cause a variety of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic colonization, to mild diarrhea, to toxic megacolon and death. C. difficile infection is secondary to dysbiosis, or a condition whereby the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted (often secondary to antimicrobial therapy), creating an environment where C. difficile can flourish and cause a toxin-mediated illness. We have asked 4 experts with different roles in this field to share their thoughts on contemporary challenges in diagnosing, treating, and preventing C. difficile infection.

What are some of the challenges in diagnosing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)6?

Larry Kociolek: There are 2 general types of tests to detect C. difficile: (1) tests that detect free toxin, and (2) tests that detect an organism with the potential to produce toxins (i.e., toxigenic strains of C. difficile). Cell culture cytotoxicity neutralization assay and toxigenic stool culture, the gold standards for detection of free toxin and toxigenic strains of C. difficile, respectively, have very limited utility in the clinical setting because of long turnaround times (several days) and excessive labor requirements. Therefore, these assays are primarily used for research. Toxin enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are the most commonly used tests for C. difficile. Although toxin detection is more specific for CDI (i.e., symptomatic disease), most hospitals have abandoned toxin EIAs because of potentially suboptimal sensitivity and concerns for falsely negative results. NAATs are now the most commonly used diagnostic tests for the detection of C. difficile in US hospitals. NAATs are easy to perform, provide rapid results, and …


This research aims to describe (1) the validity and reliability of the instruments adapted from the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and (2) its implementation to measure elementary school students' critical thinking skill in Indonesian language learning. The research data were the scores obtained from the validity and reliability testing and from the implementation of the instrument to measure the students' critical thinking skill. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods . The results are (1) the adapted instrument to measure students' critical thinking skill has a quite high validity (in interpreting, analyzing, and regulating) and high validity (in concluding, evaluating, and explaining). The reliability testing shows that the instrument is highly reliable with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.634; and (2) the implementation of the instrument shows that 5% of the students have a high critical thinking skill, 14% high, 45% medium, and 36% low. The degree of critical thinking skill is described respectively: interpreting (48%), analyzing (51%), concluding (14%), evaluating (45%), explaining (74%), and self-regulating (56%). The implication of this research is that teachers need to design learning that is more innovative and creative to help improve students' critical thinking skills, so that there is a significant increase in aspects of the ability to interpret, the ability to analyze, the ability to conclude, the ability to evaluate.


Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and scanning force microscopy (SFM) have been applied to characterize the surface topography of carbon fibres before and after activating electrochemical treatment. Electrochemical activation is seen to have a significant effect on the structure of the surface layers. The influence of scanning parameters on STM and SFM images was examined and it was found that alteration of the scanning direction allows important additional information about surface structure of carbon fibres to be obtained. It also makes it possible to estimate the contribution of the artefacts to resulting images. The results indicate the great potential of both STM and SFM for three-dimensional surface characterization of carbon fibres.


This pap' describes recent results obtained with an Il.~~lAl-bn,scrl trcoirstic recognizer using a virtually unlimilc (1 r!octrbrilary (86,000 words) to perform speaker-dependent i,solrr/ed-woid rccognitiora. The task domain of this recog,nizrr is quile general, consisting of paragraphs read from acirious nciospnpc'rs, books and magazines. We present the rc.crrl/s of n con~~inrntive acoustic recognition study using various 1ylic.s of IfA,lAf7s and various amounts of training data (from 700 to about 4000 words). The models explored include corllext-dependent allophonic HMM's (including gencrcilixrl rliphotrc a,nd triphone models with unimodal Gaussinri otilliut dcnsities) and context-independent phonemic IlAli\lL (using eilher unimodal or mixture densities). Ex1icritnciltoI resiills indicate that phonemic HMM's with many cortrponeiits in the mixture output densities provide the highest acoustic recognition accuracy. The acoustic recognition accuinc~~ for a total of about 7000 test words spoken by 4 innlc aiid 5 Jen~nle speakers is 82%. Recognition accuracy rifter npplicalion of the language model increases to 92%.


According to characteristics and basic principle of lime-ferrate process,the process for treating arsenic and iron acid wastewater with three stage neutralization-ferrate coagulation method was designed. After using the process,arsenic removal rate can reach more than 98%,effluent pH was about 8.5,SO42- and iron in wastewater were removed mostly. Except for the realization of anticipated pretreatment effect,the process can also recycle plaster with better dehydration properties and purity,which would reduce the operation cost for the enterprise and avoid the secondary pollution.


What happens to the Cromwell Current as it passes the Galapagos Islands has been a topic of great interest ever since the discovery of the Cromwell Current itself. Montgomery [1962], in a review of the Cromwell Current, concluded that the Cromwell Current is usually weak or absent on the east side of the Galapagos Islands. Wyrtki [1966] said that the Cromwell Current disintegrates west of the Galapagos Islands and it splits into north and south branches, with a part of the water extending to the upwelling region off Peru. Knauss [1966], in his report on the Swan Song Expedition, the specific purpose of which


Thank you for downloading dante chaucer and the currency of the word money images and reference in late medieval poetry. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search hundreds times for their favorite readings like this dante chaucer and the currency of the word money images and reference in late medieval poetry, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious virus inside their laptop.


In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the characteristics of rheological properties of a themally oxidized soybean oil. Various flow curves of the oxidized oils were obtained using a broad range of shear rate (452-904 rpm). The flow curves showed the characteristics of thixotropic flow, and as temperature decreased (range : 13-) they demonstrated increasingly stronger thixotropic properties. A thixotropic slope similar to the coefficient of thixotropy as applied to the rheological characteristics of the thermally oxidized soybean oil to predict its rheological properties quantitatively at an equilibrium state. The empirical formula with the thixotropic slope was found satisfactory in predicting the Non-Newtonian behavior of the thermally oxidized soybean oil.


Understanding sexuality in our society is difficult. Understanding the sexual abuse of children is even more difficult. This book presents a wealth of information-a history of sexual abuse, actual statistics, first person accounts from victims, legal issues, as well as theological reflections-all condensed into a concise handbook on what many will readily concede is a 'moral emergency.'


The article presents: 1) lower bounds on energy consumption of noisy digital gates and 2) the concept of noise tolerance via coding for achieving energy efficiency in the presence of noise. A discrete channel model for noisy digital logic in deep submicron technology that captures the manifestation of circuit noise is presented. The lower bounds are derived via an information-theoretic approach whereby a VLSI architecture implemented in a certain technology is viewed as a channel with information transfer capacity C (in bits/sec). A computing application is shown to require a minimum information transfer rate R (also in bits/sec). Lower bounds are obtained by employing the information theoretic constraint C>R. This constraint ensures reliability of computation though in an asymptotic sense. Lower bounds on transition activity at the output of noisy logic gates are also obtained using this constraint. Past work (for noiseless bus coding) is shown to fall out as a special case. In addition, lower bounds on energy dissipation is computed by solving an optimization problem where the objective function is the energy subject to the constraint of C>R. A surprising result is that in a scenario where capacitive component of power dissipation dominates: the voltage for minimum energy is greater than the minimum voltage for reliable operation. For an off-chip I/O signaling example, we show that the lower bounds are a factor of 24/spl times/ below present day systems and that a very simple Hamming code can reduce the energy consumption by a factor of 3/spl times/. This indicates the potential of noise tolerance in achieving low energy operation in the presence of noise.


In horizontal flue wall carbon baking furnaces, the flue walls consist of brick wall which are usually linked together by mortar. During service, the thermal expansion of flue walls is restrained due the presence of headwalls. This, as well as the effect of the load of the packing cokes and the anodes, promotes the deflection of the flue walls thus limits their life. The development of a 3D computational model able to take into account a large number of phenomena and parameters that play a role in the baking process and affect the flue wall aging process is then justified. In this study, we developed a 3D model that take into account the thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling due to coupled fluid flow, heat transfer and flue wall deformation. The coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical simulations were done by the finite element multi-physics commercial software COMSOL, where only a coupled flow thermal problem is solved. The mechanical problem is coupled indirectly by considering a deflected deformed flue walls. Such a 3D multi-physics modelling can be used as a powerful tool in predicting the effect of flue wall deformation on anode temperature distribution and homogeneity and thus predicting the anode baking quality. The tool may also be used to gain insights on temperature distribution adjustment as a function of the flue wall and furnace design. The main objective of this kind of investigation is to establish a flue wall deformation modes database and link it to the anode baking quality, by developing this tool, we can effectively predict the deformed flue wall reliability under varying operating conditions, and provide useful insights on enhancing the long-term structural integrity through furnace design adjustment.