This study seeks to carry out the identification, reading and comparison of the subject and form taken by delusion as an aesthetic trend in recent Colombian narrative. To do this I will focus on four novels published during the first decade of this century: Bello animal (2002) by Fanny Buitrago; Delirio (2004) by Laura Restrepo Casabianca; Los ejercitos (2006) by Evelio Jose Rosero Diago; and Tres ataudes blancos (2010) by Antonio Ungar. The totality of the literary work of each of the selected authors will serve as a second informational level on the autonomous aesthetics and personal journeys of each, but the social significance of these four novels can be argued if they are regarded as a corpus and not as individual works.
From a recovery of the discussion of realism as a literary genre that is renewed for Latin America after the explosion of the avant-garde, I aim to generate a positive category for describing a specific context, that is, to update the notion of realism in its contemporary aspect —current and simultaneous to the social context that produces it— to make it functional to the reality that is sought to intervene.
Thus, I establish from the beginning some of the basic premises that guide the reading of the novels: first, that realism is an always current genre, "fresco de epoca" (Horne), and a discourse that reveals the systems of classification and signifying practices of a definite society. Second, that the fictions chosen to form the corpus use the referents of the troubled reality that produces them with the intent of redistributing the symbolic loads of the conflict. And third, that being manifestations of "contemporary realism," these novels neutralize the question of the origin of the violence, in this case, in Colombia, and come to model a difficult experience that otherwise would remain indiscernible.
These, and other premises that will be constructed, clarified and functionalized throughout the study, acquired importance as a critical complement to reading contemporary Colombian narrative; they help to characterize and delineate of aesthetic criteria and formal strategies that this narrative seems to drive or ambition.


Abstract: This chapter discusses the main aspects playing a role in the prevention of ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin cancer and photodermatoses by means of clothing. The chapter first reviews the in vitro and in vivo test methods and standards on sun-protective clothing. It then describes various fabric parameters (e.g. composition, construction, dye) and other factors that can have an influence on the UV-blocking properties of clothing. The chapter concludes with a brief outlook on the future of sun-protective garments.


ABSTRACT Adventure recreation pioneers play a crucial role in the development of adventure tourism. Without these pioneers' efforts, it would be difficult to turn adventure recreation into adventure tourism. This article aims to use motivation as a starting point to understand adventure recreation pioneers, and is based on semi-structured interviews with seven Taiwanese kayaking pioneers. Adventure experiences, love of nature, and enjoyment of having like-minded fellows were the motivations which pushed these pioneers to start their white-water kayaking careers, while the beautiful streams and the advances in kayaking equipment were the motivations pulling them to engage in the activity. Moreover, the motivation of advanced kayaking equipment was found to be a particularly clear-cut distinction between white-water kayaking pioneers and tourists. The findings of this study also provide useful information for establishing partnerships between pioneers and government agencies.


A few years ago I called one of my updates for this magazine 'Season of myths and mellow fruitfulness' with apologies to Keats. At the time I was writing about the myths that had built up around the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. Sadly these persist, with many more being added. As I am actually writing this looking at some lovely Autumn trees, I am going to use the same quote slightly differently to address some myths that are currently increasingly common. So the Keats variation for this month is 'Seasons of myths and hollow joylessness'. Again with apologies to Keats.


Some highlights of the physics sessions of the Kaon Factory Workshop held in connection with the 8th International Conference on High-Energy Physics and Nuclear Structure in British Columbia in 1979 are presented. Particular emphasis is placed on the different investigations that can be carried out with kaons and antiprotons as opposed to pions and protons. Some data on K + /sup 12/C elastic scattering are shown. 3 figures.


In the present work, the acetylation of glycerol over zirconium phosphates and mixed zirconium phosphate sulphate catalysts was investigated. In details, the catalysts with formula Zr<inf>3</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>4</inf>, Zr(SO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>, Zr<inf>2</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>SO<inf>4</inf>, Zr<inf>3</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>(SO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>3</inf>and Zr <inf>4</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>(SO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>5</inf>have been prepared. Characterizations by XRD, FT-IR and acid capacity measurements by titration with NaOH aq. were performed. The glycerol acetylation reactions were performed by using a mass ratio of catalyst/glycerol equal to 5wt% and molar ratio acetic acid/glycerol corresponding to 3:1. The products were analyzed by GC-MS. Zr<inf>3</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>(SO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>3</inf>, Zr <inf>4</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>(SO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>5</inf>were the best performing catalysts giving full glycerol conversion in 1h only. Then the activity decreased as a function of the phosphate/sulphate groups. A relationship between acid capacity, activity in glycerol acetylation and selectivity to triacetylglycerol was found. Zr<inf>4</inf>(PO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>(SO<inf>4</inf>)<inf>5</inf>showing the highest acid capacity (7.5 mmol g-l) exhibited the best catalytic performance and the highest selectivity to triacetin. Recycling experiments up to 5 cycles were performed over such catalyst.


Functions for the representation of the thermodynamic properties of nonideal solutions were applied to the experimental data for several highly nonideal solutions. The test solutions were selected to cover both electrolyte behavior. The results imply that the functions are fully capable of representing the experimental data within their accuracy over the whole composition range and demonstrate that many nonideal solutions can be regarded as members of the defined class of nonideal solutions.


Based on plots investigation and literatures of the mossy dwarf forests,this study tried to determine their distribution in China,analyzed the species composition and floristic geographic elements of this kind of forests,and calculated the similarity among communities.The results showed that these communities scattered in a large areas of southern provinces as "islands" in China,with the northern boundary located in the Funiu Mountain in Henan Province.The distribution sites appeared to vary with three-step topography in China and altitude in every specific mountain.The floristic composition which included 16 species of Pteridophytes and 251 species of Spermatophytes was not complicated.The floristic areal-type elements were affected by tropical and subtropical flora,and also influenced by temperate.From east to west,significant differences was found to exist in mossy dwarf forest communities: in the east the similarity was higher while the richness was lower in the eastern and northern part.In view of the unique habitats and particular distribution of these communities,more attention should be paid to the protection of this type of ecosystem and further studies are needed.


Well known globalization and societies on going technical process also the appeal of massive augmentation of all technologies considered as Information and Communication Technologies, had allowed the on line education as an open and long distance option –nontraditional or conventional– and methodological offensive answer that is being used more often by countries to challenge each other, by their respective public and private policies, challenges related to universal right to education, flexibility and acquisition ease, that demographic growth demands towards traditional and life education systems. From its virtual education importance, due to its methodology variety and dynamics, getting a profile of universal remedy, yet it unclear strategy because of myths and prejudice that its relation to knowledge, being and language, offering to excluded and forgotten social groups wide access to opportunities, and to those whose needs of space or time are rather peculiar, in order to guarantee and improve education service quality by using technology developments into teaching and learning processes also stimulating innovation at and for education praxis as a whole and creating a new "virtual reality"; a new way to simulate in order to develop –education's virtuality–.Our interest and aim in our proposal is to reflect and present the objective of origines, debates, influeces, interpretations and realities –from education institutes and context as human life as well– presented as opportunities for learning and knowledge construction and yet its eventual future.


Louis F. Kort has recently put forward what seems a salient criticism of both my theory of justice and my claim that the duty to promote justice is fully consistent with a teleological account of the criteria of moral rightness.' I had argued that it is right to comply with practices which would maximize good and that fostering just distributions would be such a practice, as in just distributions (with certain qualifications) everybody's relatively basic needs have priority over anybody's less basic needs, and intrinsic good is thus maximized.2 Kort replies that just practices must additionally be impartial, that nonimpartial ones could maximize good, and hence that my theory of justice is incomplete and my defense of teleology unsuccessful. In what follows I shall present Kort's objection and contend that, whatever the weaknesses of my position, they do not lie where Kort locates them. Kort's summary of my position is admirably lucid and fair as far as it goes, though it could give the impression that in my view a society whose distribution is just is invariably fit for moral praise, whereas in fact I had pointed out that a just distribution need not reflect credit on anyone in particular.3 Thus a society's distribution of goods and services could be just without its government (or even any of its members) being just. The relevance of this point will soon emerge. While he does not dissent from the account of justice outlined above, Kort holds that justice requires in addition that resources be distributed impartially.4 He illustrates the difference this makes by portraying two societies, neither of which can satisfy everyone's need not to starve but in both of which "no one's minor needs are satisfied at the price of denying food or any other basic necessity to anyone else."5 But "in A it is determined by some unbiased method, say by a lottery, who is to be adequately fed and who is not to be, whereas in B it is the practice always to distribute food rations first to the white population and then to the nonwhite." (So only nonwhites starve.)


The undisputed importance of professional ship management in international shipping makes the area worthy of scholarly consideration. This paper identifies that problems faced by contemporary ship management organizations may be effectively tackled by applying relationship marketing. The empirical investigation of professional ship manager-client relationships identifies the existence of relationship segments among the ship management sector. The results culminate into a series of recommendations for achievement of greater effectiveness in marketing ship management as well as suggestions for future research in the area.


The archives of the universities have in their care essential documents created in the course of teaching, research and extension. These documents are witness to the memory of the institution and may be a research resource for students, teachers, historians, researchers, and others. In this sense, the archive is custodian of the university institutional memory. This article aims to reflect on the archives of Brazilian universities and their role in the preservation of documentary heritage and promoting the memory of the institution. In this sense, we sought to review the main authors who discuss the topic as well as current actions on behalf of the university archives.


Abstract This paper presents a simple risk model for assessing whether sprinklers should be incorporated in buildings from the point of view of asset protection and/or business continuity. The basis of the assessment is the comparison of the difference between the costs and benefits, expressed in monetary value, over the life of the buildings. Life safety considerations are not addressed. This assessment provides a rational basis such that in cases where the costs outweigh the benefits, the installation of sprinklers is not justified. The converse is also true. It also provides a systematic approach whereby the relative risks of various fire scenarios can be highlighted and specific actions can be taken to minimise the risks.


In the present paper, we have investigated the non Lienard system. We have shown that limit cycles may bifurcate at the origin. Bendixons theorem has been used in our study to prove non-existence of limit cycles. We have also proved that the system has unique limit cycle through change of the parameters.


In this paper we give conditions on the internal wear process under which the resulting time to failure model will be of the simple collapsible form Oakes Duchesne and Lawless when the usage accumulation history is available We suppose that failure occurs when internal wear crosses a certain threshold and or a trau matic event causes the item to fail Cox and Bagdonavi cius and Nikulin We model the in nitesimal increment in internal wear as a function of time accumulated internal wear and usage history and we derive conditions on this function to get a collapsible model for the conditional distribution of time to failure given the usage history


This project has been done with joint cooperation of Pars Khazar industrial group – Nur Toushe home appliances company and NVA research center of the university of Tehran on the HVC412 commercial product. Each part of the vacuum cleaner assembly is geometrically optimized according to fluent streamlines in order to minimize the noise level. In this procedure it is attempted to avoid most important aero-noise generating mechanisms such as : turbulence , rapid air passage changes , impact , sudden exhausting traps , cavity noise and etc. In addition to noise reduction of the product the main purpose was to increase the vacuum pressure of the device. In each segment prototypes of concerned parts have been made and tested in various conditions. Tests results include noise level reduction and vacuum pressure increase.


An assembly for a portable RF(Radio Frequency) receiver having an embedded antenna is provided to block a propagation path of noise caused by propagation of electromagnetic waves between antennas and each PCB(Printed Circuit Board) by using an electro-magnetic shielding bracket, thereby suppressing generation of noise. An electro-magnetic shielding bracket(100) consists of the first surface(101), the second surface(102) opposing the first surface, and the third surface(103) for forming an electro-magnetic shielding film by being protruded from at least one edge of the first and second surfaces(101,102). A display panel(200) is mounted on the first surface. The first PCB(300) is mounted on the second surface. More than one antenna(400) is mounted on the third surface. A housing receives the bracket, the first PCB, and the antenna, and exposes a display of the display panel.


Polymer blends incorporating poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET), polyamide-6 (PA-6), and a reactive compatibilizer (low molecular weight bisphenol-A epoxy resin—E-44) were prepared with the following E-44 weight percent concentrations: 0, 0.3, 0.6, 1, 3, 5, and 10. The samples was studied by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a polarizing microscope (PLM), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and mechanical testing. SEM and PLM showed noticeable changes in both the amorphous region and the crystalline region of the blends. The changes indicated better compatibility between the dispersed phase (PA-6) and the matrix (PET), which was further confirmed by the DMTA test. The WAXD showed that PET and PA-6 crystallized separately and no cocrystallite was found. The melting and crystallization data, obtained by DSC, suggested that the crystallization of the blend was blocked, although the hindered mechanism for the effect of E-44 on PET was different from that on PA-6. The notched impact strength and flexural strength of the PET/PA-6 blends were significantly improved when the content of E-44 was 5 wt % (improved about 500 and 400%, respectively). IR was used to study the reaction among E-44, PET, and PA-6. The result indicated that the grafting reaction and the crosslinking reaction occurred during melt blending. The obvious increase of mechanical properties and the reinforcing and toughening effect were attributed to the formation of the crosslinking net in the blend. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1505–1515, 1998


Photoacoustic tomography is an emerging biomedical imaging method, which has a high image contrast and good spatial resolution in deep tissues. Because of these merits, PAT has broad applications in biomedical imaging. However, acoustic scattering is unavoidable in tissue with inhomogeneous acoustic properties. Acoustic scattering brings a challenge for the applications of PAT. A new PAT method is presented to obtain the photoacoustic images in scattering tissue. This method is based on the time-reversal invariance of acoustic wave propagation during the acoustic scattering process. Both numerical simulations and experiments are used to validate this method. The results show that the proposed method can provide better PAT images in scattering tissues than the traditional photoacoustic tomography. Therefore, this method could serve as an alternative for imaging inhomogeneous biological tissues with acoustic scattering.


Calcium has a containing action to strengthen the organization, and a project to provide a safe first (劑) and its use are available, isoflavones flow, Playa Bo nolryu, Playa Bar nonryu, Playa Ascension nolryu, dinryu no city St, Playa by providing a calcium-containing tissue reinforcement, it characterized in that the bar nolryu, knife or konryu ohron (aurone) acids containing one or more kinds solves the above problems.


Abstract Modelling techniques are proposed for describing a two-phase axial-flux brushless motor in a direct-drive electric vehicle. Similarity transformation and singular value decomposition (ST-SVD) methods are used to linearize the system model. Stationary and cosecant coordinate models are derived on the basis of the methods proposed. Decoupled inductances and constant torque relations are also obtained. The model proposed is a very useful aid in describing the system dynamics. Simulation and experimental results are illustrated to verify the validity of the model. The given system modelling techniques can provide valuable mathematical models for associated vector control.


This study aims to investigate the effect of different Ca2+ levels (0, 80, 160 mg·L-1 and 320 mg·L-1) on seed germination, activities of SOD, POD, and CAT, and protein content of Radix Isatisdis seedlings under different Cd2+ stress levels (10 mg·L-1 and 30 mg·L-1). The results show that low concentration of Ca2+, especially the concentration of 160 mg·L-1, may mitigate the deleterious effect of Cd2+ by increasing germination rate and vigour index, and enhancing activities of SOD, POD, and CAT, and increasing protein content. The influence of Ca2+ on the Cd2+ toxicity was not obvious at high Cd2+ concentration because of the inhibition of the above indexes. These results suggest that the low concentration of Ca2+ could be favorable for coping with Cd2+ toxicity, whereas high concentration of Ca2+ shows synergistic effect with Cd2+ for Radix Isatisdis.


Cybercrime has many dimensions. Mails sent from one person to another may have much illegal content. Cybercrime has gained recent significance in current situation. Mathematical models have proved to give more accurate results in Cybercrime analysis and prediction. Euclidean distance with Voronoi diagrams is a recent mathematical diagram which is divided into regions based on points in a plane. Thiessen polygons gain popularity in science and technology. This paper finds the solution to analyse data based on persons arrested under cybercrime.


Terminal Report submitted to Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, Ogden, Utah / In accordance with a cooperative agreement between the Forest Service and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at University of Arizona for a joint inventory and dendrochronological study of bristlecone pine.


Abstract Objectives The purpose of this research is to assess and compare the self-reported hydration practices of long-distance trail runners during an intended long training run (LTR), an intended event, and during an actual event during COVID-19. The hypothesis is that hydration practices are inconsistent between these three scenarios and runners sometimes consume more than intended during an event. Consuming more fluids than intended may lead to exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH). Methods Cross-sectional pre- and post-survey design. The setting was the Macedonia Trail Race was in Kent, CT and the Angevine Farm Trail Race was in Warren, CT. A total of 26 (of 310 registered) eligible runners from one of the events volunteered to be participants. The pre-race survey assessed intended hydration practices of training and a possible event. The post-race assessed the actual hydration practices of the race. Main outcome measures were hydration practices, including strategies and volumes during a LTR, and intended event, and the actual event. Awareness and knowledge of EAH, and the understanding of an effective hydration plan were assessed. Results There was a strong correlation (0.91) between intended volumes before the LTR and the intended event. When comparing volumes consumed during the event to the intended event, the correlation was moderate (0.52). Moderate agreement (64–85%) was found when comparing the hydration strategies in the intended and the actual events. The comparisons were statistically significant when measured by the Kappa statistic (P < 0.05). Runners reported drinking according to thirst an average of 30% across the three scenarios. This study found that 50% of runners reported knowledge and awareness of EAH, while 62% felt they had a solid understanding of an effective hydration plan. Conclusions In this study, long-distance trail runners reported differences in hydration practices when comparing an intended LTR, an intended trail event, and an actual trail event. Drinking according to thirst is the recommended hydration strategy to prevent EAH, in lieu of a personalized hydration plan. This indicates a need for ongoing education on hydration practices and EAH. The primary limitations of this study are self-reported data and small sample size due to COVID-19. Funding Sources None


Propolis is a product with many benefits, honey bees produce propolis by mixing the resin substances they collect from the bark, leaves, and plant secretions of trees with honey, wax, pollen, and their salivary enzymes. They use this product for several purposes including protecting bee larvae, honey stores, and honeycombs from infections, repairing damaged areas, covering holes and cracks in the hive. It was also used in folk medicine with its antimicrobial and healing effects since ancient times. Beside these properties, with the advancements in science, various other properties of propolis like immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antiprotozoal, antiviral, antiulcer, local anesthetic, cytotoxic, and many more were also discovered. When it was discovered that antibiotics create residues in foods and cause resistance in some microorganisms, the use of antibiotics in farm animals has been restricted in many countries. This led to an increase in the demand for organic products in the public and drove scientists to search for new natural alternative feed additives that can show similar effects with antibiotics in order to prevent economic losses caused by the restriction. In this study, it was aimed to discuss the effects of propolis in ruminants as a feed additive and its usability as a natural alternative to antibiotics by analyzing studies on the field.


Cultures change, and as cultures change, so do students. The students now entering college classrooms have a different worldview than the millennials did, and the differences have spiritual and classroom implications that professors should take note of. In this paper, we first explore three social forces that have imprinted the new iGeneration and contributed to its distinctives. We then discuss three main distinctives of the iGeneration and suggest spiritual and classroom techniques to successfully educate this generation.


This article (Part II) introduces a joint project being carried out at the Institute of Social Medicine, Rio de Janeiro, and the United Medical and Dental Schools, Guy's Hospital, London, concerning the epidemiology of the elderly population of Rio de Janeiro. The methodology used and the stages of the community survey are presented. The sampling methods and the steps of the enumerator process are detailed, and the design on the reliability and validity study of mental health is also presented. The main purpose of this article is to present the methodological approach.


Objective To determine the incidence,clinic epidemiological characteristics and the roles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis L forms infection in the diffusion and metastasis of lung carcinoma.Methods One hundred and two cases of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embeded tissue samples of surgically resected lung carcinomas were confirmed further by histopathological observation with hematoxylineosin(HE)staining.With MPB64 probe,the target gene and it's location in the tissue samples were detected with in situ hybridization technique.Meanwhile the Mycobacterium tuberculosis L forms in the sample was detected with intensified Kinyoun's acid fast staining.Results MPB64 gene fragment was detected in 83 of 102 lung cancinoma paraffin-embeded tissue(81.4%).Totally 67 Myobacterium taberculosis L forms positive cases were found in 102 lung cancinoma tissues(67.6%).The results of the two methods had no significant difference(P0.05).Conclusion The incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis L forms infection in lung carcinoma suggests that the infection is likely to be involved in the occurrence or development of lung carcinoma.


Low temperature vacuum drying technique, whose drying time and quantity of exhausting energy is about 1/3~1/4 of hot air drying, is very excellent in the drying efficiency. This paper is made out in the aspects of heat engineering with the object of developing Korean drying machine which can dry once a large quantity of objects to be dried in the state of low temperature and vacuum. As the results, it took about 15 hours(3~4 days in case of hot air drying) for cayennes to reach about 18% of the final moisture content in order to store products for a long time, from about 70~80% of the early moisture content at the beginning of drying, and maximum drying rate comes to about 0.35 ㎏/㎡hr at about 400% of the moisture content.


In 1965, I was a postdoc at the Massachusetts General Hospital, recently arrived from the United Kingdom and faced with a major crisis. My supervisor, on whose grant my livelihood depended, was abandoning the United States for New Zealand. I knew no one and had no prospects back in England. My wife and I had arrived by tramp steamer the previous year with less than $10 in our pockets. A major power outage proved our saving grace. In November 1965, the electric power grid failed across most of the northeastern United States. I was at a meeting of the Biophysical Society in Philadelphia and could not leave. Marooned with me was Robert Painter, who had a vacancy in his new laboratory in San Francisco. This lucky encounter resulted in a long-lasting collaboration and career. My graduate work in Cambridge, UK, had employed [H] thymidine and autoradiography. I had failed to appreciate how new it then was, and how seminal Painter's role had been in this tracer's development and subsequent major applications. In fact, when Rasmussen and Painter published a 1964 Nature paper showing that [H] thymidine would label all cells after doses of ultraviolet (UV) light (1), my then Ph.D. supervisor Charles L. Smith said, "I do not understand that, but Painter knows what he's doing, so it must be true!" Little did I realize, not only was it true, but it would be the cornerstone of many subsequent discoveries, least of all my own. [H] thymidine was first synthesized at Brookhaven National Laboratory by a team led by Walter (Pete) Hughes (2). Two motivations appear to have prompted its development: one was the interest in irradiating cells from the inside, influenced by the Atomic Energy Agency (AEC), a major source of funds; the other was the realization that the short range of the [H] particle coupled with autoradiography would afford greater resolution of the location of DNA synthesis in nuclei and on chromosomes than [P], which had been in use for some years for such work (Fig. 1). [H] has a half-life of 12.26 yr; the particles have a maximum energy of 18 keV and a mean energy of 5.7 keV, with a mean range in tissue of 0.45 m and in the autoradiographic emulsion of 0.13 m). [H] thymidine was initially synthesized by catalytic exchange from the carboxyl group of labeled acetic acid to thymidine, followed by purification (3, 4), although the precise experimental details were not published. Commercially, several more specific forms of [H] thymidine became available, with the label either on the 6 position of the pyrimidine ring or in the 5-methyl group. The latter provided the highest specific activity when all three of these hydrogens were replaced with [H]. This version was invaluable when we investigated the low levels of incorporation in later experiments with cells exposed to UV light. In due course, [C] thymidine appeared on the scene. One company's unpublicized technique for manufacture of [C] thymidine was revealed when a batch appeared to increase photosensitivity (5). This was the result of contamination in manufacture by which synthesis was started from bromodeoxyuridine, some of which persisted into the final product.


AUTHOR Bird, Ronald TITLE An Analysis of the Comparability of Teacher Salaries to the Earnings of Other College Graduates in the Southeast: 1988 Update. Research Report 08-008. INSTITUTION Southeastern Educational Improvement Lab., Research Triangle Park, NC. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Mar 89 CONTRACT 400-86-0007 NOTE 50p. PUB TYPE Statistical Data (110) -Reports Descriptive (141)


T HE OBJECT OF THIS PAPER is to discover the relationship among the extent of inter-party competition, the presence of certain economic factors, and the extent of nine public welfare policies, using the American states as the units for investigation. The fifty states share a common institutional framework and general cultural background, but they differ in certain aspects of economic and social structure, political activity, and public policy. Therefore, they provide a large number of political and social units in which some important variables can be held constant while others are varied. Our general concern is to investigate the relation between political processes and the policies adopted by political systems. In this study public policies, or more particularly, social welfare policies of the various state political systems, are the dependent variables. Public policy, its formulation, implementation and effects, is one of the major interests of students of politics. Political science is concerned with how various formal and informal institutions, economic, social, philosophical and geographic conditions influence the adoption and implementation of policy.' For theoretical purposes it seems useful to place the problem of the relationship be-


This paper presents a set of translation strategies from state machines using the history attribute to a class of non-autonomous Petri nets named Input-Output Place Transition Nets (IOPT nets). IOPT nets extend the well-known low-level Petri net class of place transition nets with input and output signals and events. Other state machine elements translation mechanisms were already proposed and are here revised and improved to support the last available version of UML (UML 2.4 - Beta 2, March 2011). There are various goals that we intend to achieve with the translation from state machines to IOPT nets: benefit from the integration on a Petri net-based framework for the development of embedded systems using co-design techniques allowing generation of code for different platforms and languages; contribution for the development of tools to create, edit, verify proprieties, optimize, support model transformation, execute and visualize UML state machines.


Suzhou-style furniture is a rare art treasures in traditional Chinese culture.It not only has the charm of plastic arts,but also conveys a natural harmony,containing design philosophy worth reference by modern design.Through the study of design concepts of Suzhou-style furniture,the essence of furniture art can be bettered understood,which can provide inspirations for modern furniture design and help create furniture filled with connotation that meet the needs of people.


This paper proposes a different idea of knowledge management (KM) and an alternative path to understand innovation processes within the organizations. We compared two paradigms of the firm. On one hand, the Unified Approach, widely dominant in management studies, reifies the firm and interprets it as a collective entity, a pre-determined system with respect to the actors. On the other hand, the Situationist View defines the firm as a concrete system built by the actors and qualifies it as a space of games, interactions, negotiations and conflicts among actors and their coalitions. Our purpose is to contribute to enrich the scientific debate on innovation management through different concepts — power, coalitional dynamics and institutional pressures — until now in shadow, if not absent at all.


In addition to its critical role in biogeochemical cycling, the mesopelagic zone has the potential to become an important global fisheries resource. A growing number of studies have focused on estimating the global biomass of mesopelagic fishes, but that of mesopelagic zooplankton is far more uncertain. Yet, quantification of zooplankton biomass and distribution is crucial to both understanding the ecology of the mesopelagic zone and informing policy makers on sustainable exploitation. Shipboard, narrowband, volume backscattering measurements—typically performed at 18 and/or 38 kHz—are likely dominated by gas-bearing organisms, hindering accurate assessment of zooplankton biomass. A towed vehicle, Deep-See, was developed and equipped with broadband acoustics from 1–450 kHz, optical sensors, and environmental sensors to address the challenges associated with systematically acquiring holistic, quantitative data to infer mesopelagic biomass. Broadband backscattering spectra (50–160 kHz) collected by Deep-See in Summer 2018 and 2019 off the New England shelf break are used to classify scattering layers into fluid-like zooplankton (e.g., jellies, copepods, krill) or gas-bearing organisms (e.g., fishes, siphonophores), then physics-based scattering models are used to estimate abundance and biomass. Consistent with the acoustic measurements, digital holographic images collected by Deep-See reveal multiple deep scattering layers, some consisting mainly of weakly scattering krill.In addition to its critical role in biogeochemical cycling, the mesopelagic zone has the potential to become an important global fisheries resource. A growing number of studies have focused on estimating the global biomass of mesopelagic fishes, but that of mesopelagic zooplankton is far more uncertain. Yet, quantification of zooplankton biomass and distribution is crucial to both understanding the ecology of the mesopelagic zone and informing policy makers on sustainable exploitation. Shipboard, narrowband, volume backscattering measurements—typically performed at 18 and/or 38 kHz—are likely dominated by gas-bearing organisms, hindering accurate assessment of zooplankton biomass. A towed vehicle, Deep-See, was developed and equipped with broadband acoustics from 1–450 kHz, optical sensors, and environmental sensors to address the challenges associated with systematically acquiring holistic, quantitative data to infer mesopelagic biomass. Broadband backscattering spectra (50–160 kHz) collected by Deep-See...


Recent studies have assessed operative skill in surgical trainees "objectively" based on patient outcomes by attempting to statistically separate many contributory variables. Compression hip screw fixation (CHS) for neck of femur fracture (#NOF) is a standard operation commonly performed by orthopaedic trainees of varying experience. Our aim was to determine if trainees could be assessed objectively on their efficiency and aptitude in performance of this operation. A secondary aim was to evaluate the predictors of fixation failure for CHS described in the literature. Records and radiographs for all CHS performed by trainees of all levels for acute adult #NOF were examined retrospectively for 2 calendar years. Preoperative patient and fracture variables were scored. Outcome measures included operative time, scores of accuracy of fracture reduction and fixation, blood loss and complications. Failure of fixation was compared to the scores given to radiographs. Multivariate analysis was used to apportion variance between multiple contributing factors. Three hundred and eight two eligible operations were performed by 26 trainees. Operative time was effected by fracture complexity, trainee level and trainee operator (all p Trainees of variable experience perform CHS with a low overall complication rate and the most noticeable performance difference seems to be in speed of surgery.


Quevedo's antagonism for Gongora and the cultistas knew no bounds, and it was expressed in a variety of ways during Gongora's lifetime. These range from the scabrous exchange of poetry between the two men to Quevedo's eviction of Gongora from a house he had purchased in Madrid specifically for that purpose. After Gongora's death, Quevedo had to contend with the legacy the older poet had left behind in Spanish letters. Gongora's works were first published shortly after his death in 1627, and already in 1629 the first printed edition with commentary (Salcedo Coronel's edition of the Polifemo) was on the market. Gongora, in short, was being given the status of a classic, since the commentaries are in the tradition of the learned exegeses of Graeco-Roman texts that abounded in the Renaissance. The most visible antecedent of the commentaries on Gongora was the similar treatment accorded to Garcilaso by Francisco Sanchez de las Brozas and Fernando de Herrera, whose Anotaciones constitute the major work of poeti...


Objective To understand the reason for the high incidence of measles in infants aged 8 months in Wenzhou,Zhejiang province,and provide evidence for the development of measles immunization strategy to reduce the incidence of measles in young infants. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis w as conducted on the 350 measles cases in infants aged 8 months in Wenzhou reported to national measles surveillance information management system during 2009- 2013. Frequency matching case control study w as conducted( case group: measles cases reported through surveillance system,control group: non measles cases). Logistic regression analysis w as done to identify risk factors, and the serum antibody level to measles virus w as detected. Results The average annual incidence rate of measles w as 83. 05 / lakh during 2009- 2013 in Wenzhou,the cases in infants aged 8 months accounted for 35. 79% of the total and w ere mainly distributed in age group 6- 8 months. The OR for infants receiving no medical care 7 days before the onset w as 0. 68( 95% CI: 0. 49- 0. 94). Compared w ith the infants in floating population,the OR w as 0. 53( 95% CI: 0. 39- 0. 72) for local infants aged 8 months and 1. 53( 95% CI: 1. 07- 2. 18) for local infants aged 3 months. The detection of serum measles antibody level in healthy infants indicated that the mean antibody level w as 214. 94 IU / L for the new borns and 86. 38 IU / L for infants aged 6 months,and over 80% of infants in Wenzhou might be susceptible to measles at the age of 6 months,. Conclusion Infants aged 8 months are at risk to be affected by measles due to low antibody level among them and other risky factors,such as nosocominal infection and being floating population. The reproductive w omen are recommended to receive MCV vaccination before marriage to increase maternal measles antibody level. It is necessary to strength the management of floating population and control of nosocominal infection.


internalities in our DTC vision. We presume that digital twins are autonomous agents, in other words, systems that operate autonomously. This is because we assume that digital twins will represent and strengthen human activities in virtual societies. We believe that digital twins will need


y i.BL-10109 m Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA juse. To be published in the Proceedings of the 6th Ini.ernitio'u! Congress of Radiation Research, Tokyo, Japan, fa. 13-19, Wi SPERMATOGOMAL STEM CELL RENEWAL FOLLOMMG 1 RRAl.;AT i0 < J. L. Tdtji i k a n t May 1979 '<b£-* - «V,^ &' ;;:; A Prepared for the U.S. DeDar*ment of Energy under Contract W-7405-ENG-48


The aim of this paper is to understand how socio-economic characteristics can serve as a barrier to ICT adoption or usage among rural small-scale farmers in the Amathole District Municipality (ADM). The study utilises two main approaches to survey 57 small-scale farmers in the rural areas of the ADM, namely quantitative and non-probability sampling methods. The study identified potential barriers to the selected farmers adopting ICT as most of the survey farmers are illiterate, and few have attained basic education and gone past secondary school. Other factors also identified are the lack of access to modern ICT and its perceived usefulness, which many farmers see as facilitating communication. Cost, the lack of computer skills and Internet connectivity were also identified by most respondents as a problem that could hamper ICT adoption. The study recommends that to ensure effective use of ICT among rural, small-scale farmers in the ADM, the first step is for stakeholders, policymakers, and agencies to come up with intervention programmes such as e-skilling to address the reported barriers.


Addition of allyl bromide (5) to N-benzyl-N-carbobenzoxy-O-tert-butyldimethyl-d-serinal (4) afforded with high diastereoselectivity anti-adduct 6 which subsequently transformed into (2R,4S,5R)-1,3-dideoxynojirimycin (1).


Chronic kidney disease is associated with the accumulation of so-called medium molecules in the blood, in particular parathyroid hormone, and the formation of secondary hyperparathyroidism with a tendency to extra-bone calcification. The most vulnerable organ in relation to calcification is the vascular wall. The ail of the study to study the features of vascular wall remodeling in patients with chronic kidney disease who are being treated with programmed hemodialysis.

 The study included 86 patients with CKD C5 (mean age 47.44±5.04 years) who had been on programmed hemodialysis for at least 6 months. All patients underwent examination, including multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) with an assessment of the calcium content in the coronary arteries (Agatston index), ultrasound examination of the carotid arteries with determination of the thickness of the intima-media complex, the degree of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in a sample with 5-minute compression of the brachial artery and determination of changes in the diameter of the brachial artery. The data obtained (presented in the form of an arithmetic mean and its standard error) were compared with normal values typical for a healthy population.

 There was an accumulation of calcium in the coronary vessels with an average Agatstone index of 146.83 ± 13.26 units. Also, during MSCT, calcifications were found in the aortic wall in 86 out of 57 patients. The intima-media complex in patients with CKD was significantly increased and averaged 1.21±0.06mm. The degree of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in patients with CKD was reduced and amounted to 5.48± 0.03% of the initial diameter of the brachial artery. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations of average strength between the value of the Agatson index, the thickness of the intima-media complex of the carotid arteries and the concentration of parathyroid hormone in peripheral blood (g = +0.58,P<0.05 with the Agatson index and P = 0.42, P<0.05 with the thickness of the intima-media complex), as well as a significant negative relationship between the product of the concentration of calcium and phosphorus in peripheral blood and the degree of endothelium-dependent vasodilation (g = -0.49, P<0.05).

 In patients with CKD, against the background of programmed hemodialysis, there is a remodeling of the heart with an increase in the size of the heart cavities and LV myocardial mass, a violation of regional and general LV contractile function, LV diastolic dysfunction and an increase in pressure in the pulmonary artery system. The introduction of sevelamer hydrochloride into the therapy regimen is associated with the prevention of the progression of cardiac remodeling. Calcification of the aortic valve progresses, regardless of the therapy used. Vascular remodeling in patients with CKD on the background of programmed hemodialysis is manifested by an increase in the thickness of the intima-media complex of the carotid arteries and a violation of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in favor of paradoxical vasoconstriction. Against the background of calcium carbonate therapy, structural disorders of the vascular wall progress. The introduction of sevelamer phosphate binder into the therapy regimen allows to prevent the progression and improve the functional state of endothelial function.


The purpose of this study is to compare the predictive power of different machine learning models to reproduce the credit ratings of Moody's assigned to machine-building companies. The study closes several gaps found in the literature related to the choice of explanatory variables and the formation of a sample of data for modeling. The task to be solved is highly relevant. There is a growing need for high-precision and low-cost models for reproducing the credit ratings of machine-building companies (internal credit ratings). This is due to the ongoing growth of credit risks of companies in the industry, as well as the limited number of assigned public ratings to these companies from international rating agencies due to the high cost of rating process. The study compares the predictive power of three machine learning models: ordered logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting. The sample of companies includes 109 enterprises of the machine-building industry from 18 countries for the period from 2005 to 2016. The financial indicators of companies that correspond to the industry methodology of Moody's and the macroeconomic indicators of the home countries of the companies are used as explanatory variables. The results show that among models studied the artificial intelligence models have the greatest predictive ability. The random forest model showed a prediction accuracy of 50%, the gradient boosting model showed accuracy of 47%. Their predictive power is almost twice as high as the accuracy of ordered logistic regression (25%). In addition, the article tested two different ways of forming a sample: randomly and taking into account the time factor. The result showed that the use of random sampling increases the predictive power of the models. The inclusion of macroeconomic variables into the models does not improve their predictive power. The explanation is that rating agencies follow a "through the cycle" rating approach to ensure the stability of ratings. The results of the study may be useful for researchers who are engaged in assessing the accuracy of empirical methods for modeling credit ratings, as well as practitioners in banking industry who directly use such models to assess the creditworthiness of machine-building companies.


Field isolates are usually heterocaryotic. This condition is revealed by the wide variation in physiological characteristics among single· basidiospore cultures from the one parent, and among single-cell cultures derived from older hyphae where the nwnber of nuclei per cell is reduced from 8-10 to 2-4. The occurrence of muta· tion is revealed by sectoring in single-basidiospore cultures derived from uninucleate single spores. Mutation is also exhibited in the variation among F2 single-spore cultures from a homocaryotic, homothallic, F 1 single-spore culture. These mechanisms lead to variation in a wide range of cultural characteristics, and also to differences in virulence on different hosts. The only indication of a change in pathogenicity or host range was that a few single-spore isolates of the root-attacking strain of T. cucumeris apparently failed to attack the roots of wheat seedlings. Anastomosis between different pathogenic strains was investigated, but the death in 12-36 hr of the anastomosed cells prevented the ready formation of heterocaryoris. Such death of cells was investigated in single-spore cultures and appears to be due to one or more factors which segregate during spore formation. Variation through anastomosis and basidiospore formation may be rare in the soil, but mutation probably occurs with the same frequency as in other fungi. Some isolates of both species of Thanatephorus appear to be homothallic. The other isolates either have sterility factors inhibiting the re-formation of basidia in single-spore cultures, or are heterothallic or require specific and as yet undetermined envirorunental conditions for fruiting.


In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy is a useful technique for non‐invasive biometry of cutaneous inner structures. In this study, the changes in the inner structures were examined in a wide age range of healthy Japanese using this technique.


The gold deposits found in Tulasu Basin of West Tianshan area belong to epithermal gold deposits related to continental volcanic\|intrusive complexes, which can be divided into three types: low sulphide epithermal type, porphyry type and stratabound\|reformation epithermal type. The study of fluid inclusions shows that the three types of gold deposits have experienced a similar history of hydrothermal system of pre\|metallogenic phase and a subordinate hydrothermal system of syn\|metallogenic phase. Of the same hydrothermal system of pre\|metallogenic phase and the subordinate hydrothermal system, the former was the result of the volcanic eruption; the latter was formed by local dynamical activity in the basin of the former and could be divided into three types. Both of the two fluid systems are K + SO 2- 4 types, and there are comparabilities for most characters,and all of them belong to the mixed fluid of volcanic magmatic water and meteoric water. There is a regular change with time in the elements of the two kinds of fluid systems. K + and SO 2- 4 gradually decrease, and the content of meteoric water obviously increases.


Let X1, X2,... be independent random variables with distribution functions F1, F2,... respectively, Mn = max {X1,..., Xn} and Ln = min {k [less-than-or-equals, slant] n: Xk = Mn}. Assume that there exist constants an > 0 and bn such that (Mn - bn)/an converges in distribution to a non-degenerate random variable. It is easy to show that if for all t in (0,1) (M[nt] - bn)/an converges in distribution, so does Ln/n. We study the converse problem, namely, is it true that the convergence of Ln/n to a non-degenerate random variable implies the convergence in distribution of (M[nt] - bn)/an for all t[epsilon](0, 1)?


A new method is presented of solving Laplace's equation for equidiameter coaxial cylinders separated by a finite distance. The results are used to obtain the focal lengths, focal points and spherical aberration coefficients of double cylinder electrostatic lenses over a large range of voltage ratios and cylinder separations.


This paper introduces a new end-Hall ion source,and describes the design of the hall accelerator. It not only has many advantages of large beam currents?low energies and big radiate area,but also overcomes technology limits of gridded ion source. In the test,it is found that the even nature of ion currents distribution is good and ion energy is in the range of 30~120eV. It has excellent properties and good application future.


The functional role of IL-12 in rheumatoid arthritis is controversial. Moreover, whether IL-12 contributes to regulation of Ab-induced joint inflammation remains unclear. To address these issues, we explored the functional roles of IL-12 in Ab-induced arthritis using the K/BxN serum transfer model. IL-12p35−/− and IL-12Rβ2−/− mice were resistant to the development of arthritis. Injection of K/BxN serum into IL-12p40–yellow fluorescence protein reporter (yet40) mice induced CD11b+ cells, CD11c+ cells, and Gr-1+ granulocytes to produce IL-12p40 in the joints. The levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-6 production were lower in joint tissues of IL-12p35−/− and IL-12Rβ2−/− mice than in B6 mice, whereas levels of TGF-β expression were higher. Administering IL-12p35−/− mice rIL-12 or IFN-γ restored joint inflammation and suppressed TGF-β production in joint tissues. Moreover, administering neutralizing anti–TGF-β mAb enhanced joint inflammation. Among the immune cells that infiltrated joint tissues during Ab-induced arthritis, NKT cells expressed IL-12β2 receptors. Furthermore, the adoptive transfer of splenocytes from B6 or Gr-1+ granulocyte-depleted mice restored joint inflammation in IL-12Rβ2−/− mice as much as in B6 mice, whereas splenocytes from Jα18−/− mice did not. These findings indicate that signals via IL-12β2 receptors on NKT cells play a critical role in the development of Ab-induced arthritis. The IL-12p35/IFN-γ axis promotes Ab-induced joint inflammation by activating NKT cells and suppressing TGF-β, which may provide novel information for the development of new therapeutic strategies for the inhibition of rheumatoid arthritis.


This research project quantifies the direct, indirect and induced economic impact generated by the Fiesta de la Fruta y de las Flores (F.F.F.). As direct impact are considered the expenses made by the Comite Permanente of the F.F.F., the Direccion Tecnica de Tungurahua del Ministerio de Turismo (MINTUR) and the managers of enterprises which have participated in public events of the official celebration. The indirect impact is related to the expenses made by tourists staying at accommodation places registered at MINTUR in Ambato; it is also considered one visitor per bed. The induced impact is the multiplier effect in the rest of the economic system of the country responsible for implementing the F.F.F. The selection of people to be interviewed was performed with criteria and stratified random probability sampling. The direct impact was quantified in US 993,398.27, this amount was mostly spent in the following cities: Ambato, Quito and Guayaquil, an important amount derived to other countries than Ecuador, mainly for artistic and entertainment activities. The Comite Permanente has made the 66 of the direct investment. The indirect economic impact applying the expansion factor was estimated at US 2,186,717.37. By using the multipliers of the expenses in the tourist sector of the input-output economic matrix, the induced impact was calculated as US 6,776,674.24, 33% of this amount was allocated into the manufacturing industry, 22% was allocated in artistic activities, 17% was allocated in wholesale-retail trading and, finally, 10% was allocated in lodging and food services.


SARS-CoV-2 mainly affects the respiratory system, from mild upper respiratory symptoms in acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, a significant amount of evidence has demonstrated that Coronavirus disease 2019 affects the cardiovascular system in many ways and has manifestations ranging from asymptomatic increases in cardiac biomarkers for cardiovascular and cardiac collapse arrest. The primary diagnostic method of COVID-19 is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction of the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs. There is growing evidence regarding the 2019 coronavirus disease imaging results on chest x-rays and computed tomography but the accessibility to standard diagnostic methods may be limited during the pandemic. Consequently, the significance and potential of bedside diagnostic modalities increases, including pulmonary and cardiac ultrasound, that are cost-effective, widely available, and provide information that can influence management. This review summarizes wide pattern of cardiac and pulmonary anomalies diagnosed by ultrasound, comparing them with other imaging methods such as magnetic resonance and computed tomography, discusses the possible mechanisms involved and the prognostic role.


Aichelburg and Rieger report in this journal of a primary syphilitic chancre on the upper arm. To their knowledge only three cases of syphilitic chancres have been described on the arm, hand and finger. However, the older literature is loaded with descriptions of extra-genital chancres, among which there are numerous cases on the hands, fingers and arms. – 5 Alfred Fournier found among 642 extra-genital chancres, 56 (23%) on the upper extremity. Jeanselme reported on 31,669 extra-genital chancres and found among those 1881 primary chancres on the fingers and hand and 198 on the arms. Primary chancres of the finger were at the end of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century a well-known occupational hazard of physicians, surgeons, midwives, nurses and dentists caring for syphilitic patients. They result from manipulations involving the genitalia both in diagnosis and operative work and in digital explorations of the oral cavity. Many cases of primary chancres on the fingers in health-care workers – 11 and after direct sexual contact – 15 are described. There are also cases of primary syphilis on the wrist, hand and arm. Among the extra-genital syphilitic chancres, those on fingers, hands and arms are less rare than usually reported, especially when one studies the older handbooks and articles on venereal diseases. It is then no trouble to find literature mentioning, describing and illustrating more than 2500 cases of primary syphilis of the finger, hand and arm. Erwin J O Kompanje


Human–Computer Interfaces (HCI) deals with the study of interface between humans and computers. The use of radar and other RF sensors to develop HCI based on Hand Gesture Recognition (HGR) has gained increasing attention over the past decade. Today, devices have built-in radars for recognizing and categorizing hand movements. In this article, we present the first ever review related to HGR using radar sensors. We review the available techniques for multi-domain hand gestures data representation for different signal processing and deep-learning-based HGR algorithms. We classify the radars used for HGR as pulsed and continuous-wave radars, and both the hardware and the algorithmic details of each category is presented in detail. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of ongoing trends related to radar-based HCI, and available radar hardware and algorithms is also presented. At the end, developed devices and applications based on gesture-recognition through radar are discussed. Limitations, future aspects and research directions related to this field are also discussed.


The Remembering, an original drama set in rural Georgia in 1864, is about three ex-slaves, two men and an old woman, all runaways, whose fictional encounter in a deserted church sets off a series of conflicts and, significantly, incidents of remembering past conflicts which lead them to an understanding of the war, slavery, freedom, and individual responsibility. Many of the events which the slaves, naive witnesses to a great moment in history when mobilized modern warfare was being born, and the nearby Union soldiers remember reflect upon the pervasiveness, speed, and destructiveness of the new campaign. The efforts of the characters to survive in that harsh and bitter war represent one of the primary concerns of this dramatic study.


Sera of 102 patients with allergic drug reactions were investigated for IgE levels by radioactive single radial immunodiffusion. High IgE serum concentrations were more frequently found in these patie


The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of indigenous starter culture capable to synthesize exopolysaccharides (EPSs) on physicochemical properties of yoghurt. Two starter cultures, EPS-producing and non-EPS-producing, were developed from the autochthonous lactic acid bacteria strains by pairwise combining Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus strains. In the present study the ropy strain of Streptococcus thermophilus CNMN LB-50 was incorporated in EPS-producing starter culture. The microstructure, viscosity, EPS amount, structural properties and syneresis of yoghurt samples were assessed. It has been established that the EPS-producing starter culture provided a reduction of structural degradation and increased degree of structural recovery after deformation. Besides, it was observed that the use of EPS synthesized starter culture in yoghurt production restrains the syneresis of the gel.


Abstract Objectives To investigate whether anti-CCP2-positive at-risk individuals with musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms but without clinical synovitis (CCP2+ at-risk) develop US subclinical synovitis before inflammatory arthritis and if US subclinical synovitis can be predicted. Methods First, US scans of CCP2+ at-risk individuals who developed inflammatory arthritis ('progressors') were reviewed for subclinical synovitis prior to inflammatory arthritis development. Patients in whom the pre-progression US scan was negative but the scan was conducted >6 months before progression were excluded. Subsequently, regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of US synovitis in CCP2+ at-risk individuals without baseline US abnormalities who had one or more longitudinal US scan and a complete dataset. Results US subclinical synovitis was detected in one or more scan in 75 of 97 progressors (77.3%) {median time to inflammatory arthritis development from first evidence of US synovitis 26.5 weeks [interquartile range (IQR) 7–60]}, in whom one or more scan was available, excluding those with a negative scan >6 months from inflammatory arthritis development (n = 38). In 220 CCP2+ at-risk individuals with normal baseline US scans, who had one or more longitudinal US scan and a complete dataset, US synovitis was detected in 69/220 (31.4%) [median time to first developing US synovitis 56.4 weeks (IQR 33.0–112.0)]. In the multivariable analysis, only anti-CCP3 antibodies were predictive for the development of US synovitis [odds ratio 4.75 (95% CI 1.97, 11.46); P < 0.01]. Conclusions In anti-CCP2+ at-risk individuals, a stage of subclinical synovitis usually precedes the development of inflammatory arthritis. Anti-CCP2+/CCP3+ individuals without clinical or US subclinical synovitis may represent the optimal window of opportunity for intervention to prevent joint disease.


The complex,[Zn(DMF)2(H2O)4]·C8Cl4O4,was synthesized with the procedure of slow diffusion of pyridine(DMF=N,N'-dimethylformamide).The crystal belongs to triclinic,space group P-1.The cell parameters are as follow:a=0.57680(10)nm,b=0.85991(14)nm,c=1.2030(2)nm,α=95.781(3)°,β=102.074(3)°,γ=98.594(2)°,V=0.57154nm3,Z=1,Mr=585.51,Dc=1.701g/cm3,F(000)=298,μ=1.594mm-1,R1=0.0315,wR2=0.0914[I2sigma(I)],R1=0.0345,wR2=0.0946(all data).IR and elemental analysis were carried out to characterize the complex.


Has conducted research relationship of body mass index (BMI) and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis in South Sumatra. Method research with a case control study with cae group was post menopausal women with osteoporosis and control group was similar subjects with in normal bone mineral density (BMD). BMD was resulted by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and BMI was defined by Asian population category from World Health Organization (WHO). There were 38 postmenopausal women 52 to 70 years old in each group study. Age matching was performed between groups and data was obtained by chi-square and odds ratio. Result statistical analysis has showed a significant correlation between BMI and osteoporosis (p = 0.004). Based on odds ratio could be concluded that postmenopausal women with low IMT has 4.25 times to suffer osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women with low IMT has risk suffering osteoporosis therefore they should be informed to prevent they self by healthy life style.


The hydromagnetic mixed convection flow and heat transfer in a vertical lid-driven square enclosure is numerically simulated following a finite volume approach based on the SIMPLEC algorithm. Both the top and bottom horizontal walls of the enclosure are insulated, and the left and right vertical walls are kept isothermal with different temperatures. The left vertical wall is translating in its own plane at a uniform speed, while all other walls are stationary. Two cases of translational lid motion, viz. vertically upward and downward, are considered. A uniform magnetic field is applied along the horizontal direction normal to the translating wall. A heat conducting horizontal solid square cylinder is placed centrally within the outer enclosure. Simulations are conducted for various controlling parameters, such as the Richardson number (1 ≤ Ri ≤ 10), Hartmann number (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 50), and Joule heating parameter (0 ≤ J ≤ 5), keeping the Reynolds number based on lid velocity fixed as Re = 100. The flow and thermal fields are analyzed through streamline and isotherm plots for various Ha, J, and Ri. Furthermore, the pertinent transport quantities such as the drag coefficient, Nusselt number, and bulk fluid temperature are also plotted to show the effects of Ha, J, and Ri on them.


Compounds of formula (I) wherein R 1 includes alkyl, halo, nitro, amino, cyano, and alkoxycarbonyl; SUP R 2 is alkyl and substituted alkyl; YR 3 is OH or NHOH; They are useful for inhibiting enzymes ANIMAL matrix metalloproteinase and therefore, preventing and treating diseases resulting from tissue breakdown connectives.


study provides findings from six IFAD11 Impact Assessments that have used the integrated Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (i-WEIA). Evidence showed that women's empowerment scores and household inequality scores are similar in both i-WEAI and Pro-WEAI. Although there have have been some positive effects, some dimensions of women's empowerment still need improvement." paper presents the main findings from a comprehensive literature review on smallholder value chains, market integration, food security and nutrition, and technology. It presents aspects of the value chain transformation, changes in welfare, export orientation and concentrated on stressing the differences between traditional and transitional stages. The governance of Value Chains and on targeting is also discovered." the impact This paper estimates the effects on rural labor markets of a safety net programme in Ethiopia using a diff-in-diff and accounting for the targeting criteria. Results show no impacts on overall employment rate, time spent working or wages in rural districts. While evidence of reallocation of workforce to non-agricultural self-employment is not found in the targeted communities but in the targeted districts, underlying the importance of collecting data also on non-beneficiaries to assess the overall effects of safety programmes . (Schinaia) (#SafetyProgramme #RuralAreas #Employment) This work provides quantitative evidence on the role of Global Value Chains (GVCs), green technologies and air pollutant emissions in EU regions. Based on an original dataset, results find that this process relies on backward linkages. Highlighting the presence of the "pollution haven" hypothesis: results might indicate a delocalisation of polluting activities involved in GVCs. research focused on wetland ecosystems of Nigeria with flood disasters, assessed the impact of flooding, adaptation strategies, level productivities and per capita crop income per season. Findings of this research supports the extension of climate-smart technologies and private sector partnerships to increase efficiency." residents feel psychologically more comfortable and safer, better assess their family relationships, and adhere to traditions and customs. Respondents suggest equal rural and urban well-being, even though urban areas show better economic and social (e.g., infrastructures, medical care) conditions. Findings are useful for policymakers to improve state program."


Vertical electrical resistivity soundings were conducted in order to delineate groundwater potential aquifers in Akobo area, Ibadan, South western, Nigeria. Twenty-one vertical electrical soundings were conducted using the Schlumberger configuration, covering the area. The data were interpreted with the help of Abaque (master) curve. The geoelectrical sections for the study area were: the topsoil, the clayey sand, sandy clayey, shale/clay basement and the fresh basement. The dominant rocks comprise suites of quartz schist and pegmatite. Interpretations of vertical electrical sounding (VES) were used to generate longitudinal conductance map. Isoresistivity contour map was prepared and interpreted in terms of resistivity and thickness of sub-surface layer at 56 m spacing using computer software (SURFER), and resistivity results were correlated with the existing lithology. Similarly, aquifer unit(s) thickness map was also prepared, in which good, moderate and poor zones are classified. The study reveals that the weathered and fractured horizons that occur in the easternmost part of the area constitute the productive water-bearing zones referred to as good groundwater potential aquifers with a thickness value greater than 20 m.

 Key words: Electrical resistivity, fractured horizon, groundwater potential aquifers, vertical electrical soundings, weathered horizon.


The sustainable development of the country is an essential condition of strengthening the national power.So thus paper probes the necessity of sustainable development on the basis of a country's sustainable development theory,analyses the necessity of sustainable development under the socialist market economy condition in detail,put forward to effective measures which meet the tendency of social future development correspondingly.


Subtitle: Is your warehouse bursting at the seams? Are you tired of quick fixes and making do with your antiquated DC? Here's how you can wipe the slate clean and free yourself from your building's physical constraints -- and help your business grow in the process.


This study examined employers' expectation of computer technology skills required of business education graduates from colleges of business education in Rivers State. To achieve the main purpose of the study, two research questions were formulated to guide the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted to elicit responses from a sample of 100 employers of business education graduates and 200 business education graduating students drawn out of the population of 150 employers and 345 business education final year students respectively during the 2019/2020 academic session. Data collected using checklist and questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage and bar chart. The findings reveal that employers of business education students in Rivers State expect the graduates to have high skills in the following computer application areas: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Desktop Publishing, Databases, Computer Networking, Website Application, POS Application, Payroll Application and Computer Internet. The findings also reveal that business education students rated their competency level in these computer application skills as low. These show that there is a gap between the expectation of the employers and the computer technology skills of business education graduates. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were put forward among others: employers of business education graduates should collaborate with the National Commission for Colleges of Education to review the curriculum content for computer application areas in business education to cover skills in areas needed for their productivity. Business education students who have already graduated and are lacking in the various computer technology skills highlighted in this study should endeavour to embark on personal development in order to develop such skills needed for employability.


NetOpen RA (Resource Aggregate) is the programmable network substrate containing resources supporting OpenFlow-based programmable networking. A number of experiments can be performed by sharing resources built by connecting NetOpen nodes. As today's Internet does not support layer-2 (L2) data-plane connectivity required for OpenFlow-based programmable networking, tunneling techniques are important in building NetOpen RA with NetOpen nodes. In this paper, we present several tunneling techniques and evaluate the performance of the connections according to tunneling techniques. We also present demonstration experiences with the NetOpen RA.


In 2011, Robert Kaplan proposed that the 21st century's defining battleground would be located not on the land masses of Europe or Asia but instead on water. Kaplan offered that just as German soil constituted the military front line of the Cold War, the waters of the South China Sea may constitute the military front line of the coming decades.


Novel models and algorithms for MOS transmission gates, buses and functional memories for use in statistical fault analysis (Stafan) are described. A bus is modeled as a multiple input multiplexer with feedback to account for its memory state. A CMOS transmission gate, modeled as a unidirectional device, always feeds into a bus that processes the high impedance state. Novel algorithms are devised to compute input observabilities of functional memory blocks. A novel implementation of Stafan algorithms is described for the MARS hardware accelerator environment. MARs is run in the true-value simulation mode and sends signal changes for all lines through a Unix pipe to the Stafan process running on a SUN workstation. The Stafan process computes controllabilities, observabilities, detection probabilities, and fault coverage. MARS and Stafan thus run as a pipeline. Results on several CMOS circuits are obtained and compared with those obtained from a concurrent fault simulator.<<ETX>>


In this paper, we investigate the properties of q-Hermite polynomials related to q-Bernstein polynomials. From these properties, we derive some interesting relations between q-Berstein polynomials and q-Hermite polynomials.


INTRODUCTION Road deaths and injuries are preventable by understanding the causes of accidents and developing effective countermeasures to manage these issues. Research has suggested that at least 70 per cent, and possibly as many as 92 percent, of all traffic accidents are attributable to the human element in traffic (Sanders and McCormick, 1992). Other research by Hakkinnen and Luoma (1991) suggests that traffic accidents may be preceded, on average, by as many as 75,000 errors. Therefore, an understanding of the types or errors that occur, and the underlying contributory mechanisms, is critical for successful safety improvement.


Objective To investigate the expression of COX-2, VEGF and their clinical significance in gastric cancer.Methods Expression of COX-2 and VEGF in 64 gastric cancer group, 57 adjacent nontumorous gastric and 12 normal gastric groups were detected by Ultrasensitive Streptavidin-Peroxidase immunohistochemistry staining.Results There was a positive correlation between the expression of COX-2 and VEGF in 64 gastric carcinoma specimens (r-s=0.365,P0.05). The positive expression rate of COX-2 and VEGF in gastric cancer group was significantly higher than in mucosa membrane adjacent tumor and in normal gastric mucosa membrane(P0.05).Conclusion COX-2 and VEGF are over-expressed in gastric cancer tissues. The progression of gastric cancer is related to the up-regulation of expression of COX-2 and VEGF. The expression of COX-2 and VEGF has a close correlation. Combination of VEGF and COX-2 detection maybe helpful to evaluate the capability of the tumor invasion, metastasis in gastric cancer. They are indexes to know the biological behavior of gastric cancer and serve as fairly good markers for prognosis and therapy.


In this paper, the finite-time bounded control problem for coupled parabolic PDE-ODE systems subject to time-varying boundary disturbances and to time-invariant boundary disturbances is considered. First, the concept of finite-time boundedness is extended to coupled parabolic PDE-ODE systems. A Neumann boundary feedback controller is then designed in terms of the state variables. By applying the Lyapunov-like functional method, sufficient conditions which ensure the finite-time boundedness of closed-loop systems in the presence of time-varying boundary disturbances and time-invariant boundary disturbances are provided, respectively. Finally, the issues regarding the finite-time boundedness of coupled parabolic PDE-ODE systems are converted into the feasibility of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), and the effectiveness of the proposed results is validated with two numerical simulations.


other. For those interested in choice under uncertainty, a paper discusses this with an excellent summary of the thinking relating to this issue and further considers the issue from both individual and corporate perspectives. Insurance is a common method of mitigating risk, and it is suggested the role of the broker is to increase market efficiency as the broker brings greater knowledge of a risk than the insurer might otherwise gain. In a natural progression, a paper then discusses the issues relating to the demand for and supply of catastrophe insurance, and addresses the need for some insurances to be compulsory, with government involvement. The book then moves more to corporate issues, and a paper discusses the consequences of investors and management having different views on the KuU risks facing the enterprise, and coupled with greater intensity in the capital markets, the value of enterprises can move rapidly. This raises the question of how to suitably incentivise management to manage risks appropriately, but the papers dealing with these issues are relatively short.


Synthesis and properties of a new class of styrenic polymer are reported. The radical polymerization of 2-vinyl-9,9'-spirobifluorene yielded high molecular weight poly(vinylspirobifluorene) with high thermal stability and high solubility, which gave a self-standing transparent film with high refractive index.


Cloze tests play an essential role in language assessment and help language learners improve their skills.In this paper, we propose a novel task called Cloze Quality Estimation (CQE) — a zero-shot task of evaluating whether a cloze test is of sufficient "high-quality" for language assessment based on two important factors: reliability and validity.We have taken the first step by creating a new dataset named CELA for the CQE task, which includes English cloze tests and corresponding evaluations about their quality annotated by native English speakers, which includes 2,597 and 1,730 instances in aspects of reliability and validity, respectively.We have tested baseline evaluation methods on the dataset, showing that our method could contribute to the CQE task, but the task is still challenging.


The method comprises: detecting any pixel in a video image, and comparing its value with values of its neighboring pixels; according to the comparative result, deciding whether it's a still image or it's a motion image; if it's a motion image, then starting edge detection to make detection for said pixel and all its neighboring pixels in order to select a pixel pair with minimal difference by which making an in-field interpolation calculation for the motion video image.


The invention provides a Memcached instance configuration method and a Memcached instance configuration system. The Memcached instance configuration method comprises that the Memcached use protocol is packaged to be an interface in a Memcached client library of a business application, and information of all Memcached instances is stored; the Memcahced client library, aaccording to the information of the Memcached instances, establishes TCP connection with corresponding Memcached instances in a Memcached server through a socket; an application server acquires requests and data from the interface, and the Memcached client library converts the interface requests into the Memcached use protocol, converts the data into Memcached identifiable binary data, and transmits and estabilishes the Memcached instances connected with the TCP. The Memcached instance configuration method and the Memcached instance configuration system can solve a problem that the data can be stored yet cannot be retrieved due to load balancing, improve the performance of application programs and accelerate the response speed.


In the current paper, various possibilities of minimizing consequences of high-speed rail vehiclederailments have been studied through a combination of empirical observations and multi bodysystem ( ...


Bow wave formation can cause large variation in peak water level around a thin circular pile in shallow-water waves. The symmetry of this variation might be used to measure wave direction on a crest-by-crest basis. This paper empirically examines the resolution possible in objectively estimating the symmetry point of data sets consisting of small numbers of peak-water-level measurements made around a pile in laboratory wave action. Data sets for several types of single incident crests, in wave action of steepness such that 0.007≤\NH/≤\N0.05, were analyzed by three different estimation methods. For example, with 10 peak water level measurements (36° spacing around the pile), one estimation method gave directions within a range of 2.8°, on the average, for all test crests. The results indicate that four water-level sensors embedded in a vertical pile at 60° spacing might be used to measure the direction of single nearshore wave trains to a point within ±\N3° over a 120° range, in an instrument that can be made fully automatic.


Holographic lithography, in which the interference pattern of two coherent waves is used to expose a resist film, is the preferred technique for producing large‐area gratings with low distortion. The spatial period of a pattern produced by holographic lithography is directly proportional to the wavelength of the radiation and inversely proportional to the sine of one‐half the angle between the incoming beams. To expose gratings with periods ≊100 nm (50‐nm‐nominal linewidth) the source wavelength must be ≊200 nm. Since coherent deep‐ultraviolet sources are not readily available, we have investigated an achromatic holographic configuration which permits the use of incoherent sources (e.g., CdXe arc lamp) or short‐coherence‐length (≊10 μm) excimer lasers. The configuration consists of two gratings, one acting as a beamsplitter, the other as a recombiner. The beam from the source is split into plus and minus first‐order beams by the beamsplitter grating, and the zero order is subsequently blocked. The plus an...


The power of PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) generator needs to be controlled to follow the variable load demand, and the voltage also needs to be conditioned for the load use. An intelligent power and the voltage control strategy of a 60 kW PEMFC generator current researched is presented in this paper. A BP (Back propagation) neuron network including a hidden layer is used to model the inverse system of PEMFC stack power. Then the nonlinear neuron network inverse control method is used to control the generator output power. A DC/DC boost converter and a DC/AC inverter are used to condition the stack voltage, which are both controlled by single neuron PI controllers in close loops. The total control strategy for the power and the voltage of the 60 kW PEMFC generator is proved efficient and easy implement by simulation tests.


Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of non-invasive coronary angiography with 16-slice spiral CT(CTA)on the diagnosis of coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods Both plain and enhanced 16-slice spiral CT scanning were performed in 122 cases with suspected CHD.3D reconstruction was done with enhanced scans.Thirty-nine cases underwent additional selective coronary angiography by DSA.Results In the total 122 cases,58 cases were normal in CTA;in 25 patients with CHD in following-up after percutaneous coronary interventional therapy(PCI),8 cases had restenosis;39 cases with coronary stenosis lesion in CTA underwent DSA,28 patients in this group were further proved CHD by selective coronary angiography,the other 11 cases were negative or false positive in CTA.Conclusion The non-invasive means CTA is effective in the diagnosis of CHD and the follow-up after PCI.


Pentafluoroformanilide has been synthesised from ethyl formate and the monosodium salt of pentafluoroaniline; its spectroscopic properties are discussed, and its decarbonylation to pentafluoroaniline with hot calcium oxide and dehydration to pentafluorophenyl isocyanide with phosphorus pentaoxide at 250 °C are described.


The process of directional alcoholysis of cellulose and hemicellulose in bamboo was investigated using solid acid as catalyst and dialkoxymethane/lower alcohol as co-solvent. By adjusting the reaction conditions (composition and ratio of the co-solvent, the type and amount of solid acid catalyst, reaction temperature and time), the optimal reaction conditions are obtained (dimethoxymethane/methanol with a mass ratio of 5 g/15 g, the solid acid catalyst silicotungstic acid 0.002 mol, reaction time 120 min, and reaction temperature 200 ℃), the conversion of bamboo was 81.53 wt%, and the yield of methyl levulinate was 28.39 wt%. At the same time, the conversion process of a variety of biomass model compounds (xylose, glucose, furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, pentosan and microcrystalline cellulose) was studied in detail, then the fundamental mechanism of directional alcoholysis conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to produce methyl levulinate was put forward according to the detection results of intermediate products in the reaction process.


The market demand for online learning continues to increase and so do online enrollments in higher education. Online learning is gaining a strategic focus among academic leaders while at the same time we are seeing an emergence of new and innovative models of information systems (IS) graduate programs and instruction delivery methods. Given these trends, what does the future hold? What are our "blue oceans"? The objective is to engage in a conversation about how technology is changing teaching and learning in higher education and specifically, in the design and delivery of graduate degree programs in IS. An international panel with members representing academic administrators, faculty, and online learning researchers will share their perspectives about the progress and direction of online learning. The overarching questions are: How are online technologies transforming higher education for the better or worse? As IS educators, what are our blue oceans?


The invention relates to a large-scale aircraft trailing edge flap mandril assembly vehicle. The large-scale aircraft trailing edge flap mandril assembly vehicle is characterized in that the assembly car comprises a base 19, height adjusting frames 8, fixed platforms 7, guide rail frames 20, moving platforms 9 and support frames 2, wherein traveling wheels are arranged on the lower end surface of the base; height adjusting frames are symmetrically and transversely arranged on the upper end surface of the base; fixed platforms are respectively arranged on each height adjusting frame; each guide rail is connected and hinged transversely on each fixed platform; moving platforms are connected to each guide frame in a sliding mode; and the support frames are fixed on the moving platforms. The large-scale aircraft trailing edge flap mandril assembly vehicle has functions of positioning a conical shaft of the mandril, supporting a main body part of the mandril and controlling the feeding direction of the mandril, so that the requirement on labors in the assembly is effectively reduced, the assembly time is shortened, the working efficiency is greatly improved, the assembling working quality is improved, the surface accuracy of the assembled components is guaranteed, and the problem of damage of components caused by the traditional assembly can be solved.


We evaluate the performance of 150-nm SCL-band optical transmission over 1280-km G.652.D and G.654.E fibers. By optimizing power allocation and system configuration, SCL-band long-haul transmission enables the same performance as commercial C-band system.


Introduction: Life expectancy and the rate of survival into old age have risen dramatically throughout the past century. The positive ageing outcomes may be due to a variety of factors including healthy lifestyle behaviors, but it is clear that longevity has a genetic basis, with heritability estimate of 20–35%. In this contest, it was emerged that human longevity seems strongly influenced by gender defined as the combination between biological sexual characteristics and factors related to behavior, social role, lifestyle and life experiences. Body—research methods: Successful ageing seems to be related to gene involved in different pathways of regulation, such as immune-inflammatory responses and oxida tive stress. The aims of the present review are to discuss recent findings and highlight the genetic basis of longevity. For these reasons we are aimed to describe the most important underpinning which is the gender differences in longevity between males and females. Conclusion—key results: It appears clear that longevity may represent a complex poly-genic trait that is influenced by the interaction of multiple genetic variants, as was dem - onstrated by several genetic studies conducted in the last years. Furthermore, epigenetic and environmental factors actin on the longevity phenotype. Data deriving from different studies indicate that stress response pathway is an integrated network of molecular activities, ranging from immunity to inflammatory regulation and acti -vation, to glucose homeostasis and mitochondrial metabolism. Therefore, ageing seems to be associated with a loss of complexity in the dynamics of multiple control systems that may reduce the ability to adapt to stress, leading to a state of impaired homeostasis and vulnerabil-ity to internal and external stressors. On the contrary, the healthy oldest old seems be able to maintain a higher level of integration among the different physiological pathways operating within the cell, thus interacting more successfully with stressors.


The urine of 500 children with various disease processes is studied. The samples were obtained directly, without using the catheter and the study of sediment, gram staining and quantitative culture was performed. Is proposed according to the distribution of bacterial counts , relating to the clinical picture and the study of sediment which significant bacteriuria horn to over 15,000 germs per ml is considered figures . According to this concept, of the 500 cases studied , 147 ( 29.4 %) were positive, with a greater incidence among newborns and infants s between school and pre - school . As for sex , between 0 and 2 years, the proportion of positivity was higher in men ; between 2 and 5 years , and was virtually unchanged between 5 and 12 years was higher in women. The most striking symptoms that prompted the request for examination , were fever , vomiting and diarrhea , which were more frequent in 0-2 years was more frequent cystitis from 2 to 12 years. The most commonly isolated bacteria were E. coli , 65.3 % : proteus , 35.37 % ; Klebsiella , Enterococcus 21.C8 % and 10.88 % . Mixed or several seeds crops is found in higher percentage in newborns and infants. The study revealed that sediment pyuria only found in 61.9 % of cases with significant bacteriuria. The sediment gram correlates in 96.6% of cases with counts of 1 x 10 bacteria . The quimioantibiograma showed that the most effective drugs " in vitro " against urinary germs are , nalidixic acid, nitrofurans , ampicillin, kanamycin and colistin .


CONCLUSIONS In reviewing the results obtained by extirpation of the sac, it is evident that there has been considerable dissatisfaction caused by the high percentage of cases in which epiphora persists. With the Toti-Mosher operation the percentage of epiphora is much reduced. Quoting again from Dr. Mosher, there is tearing after excision of sac in 30 to 50 per cent of cases; tearing after Toti-Mosher operation in 10 to 15 per cent. At our infirmary the ophthalmologists rarely excise a tear sac now.


This paper describes an algorithm for the solution of mathematical programming problems having a linear objective function and non-linear constraints. The algorithm is basically an adaptation of the simplex method to the case of non-linear constraints. Certain complications are, however, introduced through non-linearity in the constraints, and it is shown how these can be overcome.


Transduodenal Sphincteroplasty can be performed in a simple reproducible and low morbidity fashion. The surgical technique used by the Department of Surgery of the Mayagüez Medical Center is presented.


Background: The radiographic assessment for lung edema (RALE) score has an association with mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It is uncertain whether the RALE scores at the start of invasive ventilation or changes thereof in the next days have prognostic capacities in patients with COVID-19 ARDS. Aims and Objectives: To determine the prognostic capacity of the RALE score for mortality and duration of invasive ventilation in patients with COVID-19 ARDS. Methods: An international multicenter observational study included consecutive patients from 6 ICUs. Trained observers scored the first available chest X-ray (CXR) obtained within 48 h after the start of invasive ventilation ("baseline CXR") and each CXRs thereafter up to day 14 ("follow-up CXR"). The primary endpoint was mortality at day 90. The secondary endpoint was the number of days free from the ventilator and alive at day 28 (VFD-28). Results: A total of 350 CXRs were scored in 139 patients with COVID-19 ARDS. The RALE score of the baseline CXR was high and was not different between survivors and non-survivors (33 [24–38] vs. 30 [25–38], P = 0.602). The RALE score of the baseline CXR had no association with mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24 [95% CI 0.88–1.76]; P = 0.222; area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) 0.50 [0.40–0.60]). A change in the RALE score over the first 14 days of invasive ventilation, however, had an independent association with mortality (HR, 1.03 [95% CI 1.01–1.05]; P < 0.001). When the event of death was considered, there was no significant association between the RALE score of the baseline CXR and the probability of being liberated from the ventilator (HR 1.02 [95% CI 0.99–1.04]; P = 0.08). Conclusion: In this cohort of patients with COVID-19 ARDS, with high RALE scores of the baseline CXR, the RALE score of the baseline CXR had no prognostic capacity, but an increase in the RALE score in the next days had an association with higher mortality.


A wireless charger combined with an electric radiation shielding and capacitive sensing function is provided. The wireless charger includes a charging module, a capacitive sensor and a control part. The charging module includes a primary coil, a mounting area, and a comb-shaped shielding part located between the mounting area and the primary coil. The capacitive sensor is connected to the comb-shaped shielding part in order to sense capacitance variation between the comb-shaped shielding part and the surrounding environment. When the wireless charger is in a standby mode, the comb-shaped shielding part senses capacitance. When the capacitance variation exceeds a threshold value and an electronic device for wireless charging is located on the mounting area, the control part converts the wireless charger into a charging mode and the comb-shaped shielding part shields electric radiation.