The potential to fabricate metallic nanoparticles directly on silicon substrates from liquid solutions is ideal for three-dimensional lithography systems, drug delivery materials, and sensing applications. Here, we report the successful synthesis of Au, Cu, and Fe nanoparticles from the corresponding liquid solutions [gold(I) trisodium disulphite, copper(II) sulfate, and potassium ferricyanide] by synchrotron (SR) X-ray irradiation. The deposition of gold nanoparticles in the gold(I) trisodium disulphite solution was performed by monochromatic X-ray exposure from synchrotron radiation. The use of ethanol as an additive enabled the nucleation and growth of Cu particles, while no Cu particles were produced in the copper sulfate solution without ethanol with polychromatic SR X-ray irradiation. Fe particles were generated by direct polychromatic SR X-ray irradiation. These results demonstrate the behavior of three-dimensional printers, enabling us to build composite material structures with metallic and plastic materials.


Background: Activating mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase RET are associated with oncogenic function in medullary thyroid cancer. Results: RET is a dual specificity kinase, phosphorylates ATF4, and inhibits expression of the ATF4 target proapoptotic genes. Conclusion: RET prevents apoptosis through inhibition of ATF4 activity. Significance: Simultaneous targeting of RET and ATF4 may provide clinical benefit in cancers with RET abnormalities. The RET proto-oncogene, a tyrosine kinase receptor, is widely known for its essential role in cell survival. Germ line missense mutations, which give rise to constitutively active oncogenic RET, were found to cause multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, a dominant inherited cancer syndrome that affects neuroendocrine organs. However, the mechanisms by which RET promotes cell survival and prevents cell death remain elusive. We demonstrate that in addition to cytoplasmic localization, RET is localized in the nucleus and functions as a tyrosine-threonine dual specificity kinase. Knockdown of RET by shRNA in medullary thyroid cancer-derived cells stimulated expression of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), a master transcription factor for stress-induced apoptosis, through activation of its target proapoptotic genes NOXA and PUMA. RET knockdown also increased sensitivity to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. We observed that RET physically interacted with and phosphorylated ATF4 at tyrosine and threonine residues. Indeed, RET kinase activity was required to inhibit the ATF4-dependent activation of the NOXA gene because the site-specific substitution mutations that block threonine phosphorylation increased ATF4 stability and activated its targets NOXA and PUMA. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that ATF4 occupancy increased at the NOXA promoter in TT cells treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or the ATF4 inducer eeyarestatin as well as in RET-depleted TT cells. Together these findings reveal RET as a novel dual kinase with nuclear localization and provide mechanisms by which RET represses the proapoptotic genes through direct interaction with and phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of ATF4 during the pathogenesis of medullary thyroid cancer.


Comparative Analysis of Economic Indicators along the WAWpresented at the 14th
Annual Tourism Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference Waterford
Institute of Technology


The co-author networks are important type of social network. In this paper, we establishes the Erdös co-author network and proves that the Erdös co-author network is a complex network which has three main properties, including small world, scale-free and clustering properties. Besides, this article gives the calculation formulas for degree centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality of a network. According to the calculation result we give a ranking order for authors within Erdös co-author network.


Recently, university students' contribution to a local community is expected in the context of regional revitalization. On the other hand, many provincial universities have introduced the learning programs on the local communities where the universities are located. In this study, the web questionnaire survey was conducted for the students in provincial universities. The effect of the learning program about a local community on students' motivation for the participation in community development was evaluated quantitatively. As the result of the survey, it was found that the learning experience on a local community in a university had the significant effects on students' motivation for the participation in community development. The learning experience was especially effective for the students with no communication with other universities and the students at the universities in small cities.


The present invention relates to an analytical method for the quantitative determination of the gene and comparing expression levels for screening genes implicated in disease cure significant for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases created. The present invention is a quantitative characteristic by using bioluminescence, the amount of gene expression using gene sequencing in comparison between individuals or between the same set of samples, so as to seek disease-related genes. Specific steps of: (i) after the messenger RNA from different sources (mRNA) labeled by an appropriate method, mixed in equal amounts, as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a substrate; (ii) a gene corresponding to each source primers and gene specific primers for PCR amplification; (iii) determining the sequence of bioluminescence assay to base species from different sources, the signal representative of the intensity of a representative gene expression of genes from various sources.


measure" the cooling power the kata-thermometer was first introduced by Leonard Hill. Since air velocities can also be calculated rapidly and accurately with it, it is of very great value for testing atmospheric conditions in schools, factories, etc. The wet katathermometer is of particular value in warm atmospheres where skin perspiration is pronounced, as in the tropics and in textile mills and mines. The first systematic kata-thermometer readings to be undertaken in Burma were begun on the 4th January 1927. and thence every week for a whole year readings were recorded. It is hoped that these will furnish useful preliminary data from which to for-


Objectives: Electronic Trans-European Network (TEN) programmes, conducted in European Union countries aim to diminish differences in life quality among participating countries. To improve life quality they want to implement some informational services/portals to provide easy access to important information. Methods: The example of such project is EWS (EuroWorkSafe) - a website which aims to inform about cancer risk in working environment and its prevention. As research conducted in Western Europe has shown, very often the ordinary citizen is not aware of all the risk he is exposed to. The EuroWorkSafe date metabase is divided into categories helpful to intuitive and easy navigation for the ordinary User. The EWS portal is containing carefully chosen and crucial for his topic complex information about cancer risk in working environment, procedures or regulations protecting from the health hazard. That should be helpful to those under increased risk of cancer. The aim of our part of the project was to estimate the concern about the issue and needs for accessibility to such metabase for the educated public in Poland. The preliminary study investigated the level of the cancer risk awareness in a very special group of academic society. The fields of interest were directed to those young people, who, on one hand, should in a couple of years become persons responsible for health protection of other people in their work places. On the other hand that group, in general, should be privileged by no limited access to computer information sources. The first investigated group consisted of 520 students from nine universities in the area of Central and Southern Poland.Results: Our studies have shown among others that female students appeared more interested in the issue of occupational cancer risk, than males. More than fifty percents of responding to the questionnaire were persons who would accept an occupational risk in their work places. Few more percentage would accept such a job under conditions of getting more knowledge about prevention. More than 80 % of students were interested in enlarging their knowledge in the field of occupational cancer, and more than 91% of responders expressed the need for the access to the portal like: http://www.euroworksafe.eu.


There is a clear need for more sustainable solutions to provide energy within the built environment. A Smart Electrical Energy supplyGrid is being developed by the major Electricity distribution companies to cope with fluctuations in energy generation from the different renewableenergy sources. To achieve improved overall efficiency, the process control of the energy infrastructure in buildings also needs to become smart.Especially of great importance is to take in account the goal of the energy use: human comfort. Many buildings were designed and calculated byadvanced software tools and simulation tools. However in real practice these buildings do not achieve the calculated energy efficiency, but use up to40 to 50% more energy. One of the reasons for the difference between designed performance and real performance is the individual perceived humancomfort of which no real adequate integration into the process control of the HVAC systems exists. Therefore new process control approaches areneeded to implement the real individual perceived comfort of occupants of buildings. A so called Human-in-the-loop process control strategy is beingdeveloped; a strategy to implement individual perceived comfort in the process control loop of HVAC systems. By starting from the humanperspective and use available and new technology, we determined critical performance indicators for the perceived human comfort. To furtheroptimize the performance of these systems, further development was done into use of infra red heating systems for individual comfort control onworkplace level. The results of experiments on the level of workplace were preformed and showed an energy saving potential of around 17% of thenew process control strategy approach for the heating scenarios


A variety of metallic components rely on properties that are specific to the alloy and its surface. Coatings have been extensively used to protect metallic surfaces from the aggressive effects of the environment to which it is exposed. In this investigation, the high temperature oxidation behavior of a FeCr and a FeCrY alloy coated with an aluminium based paint has been studied. The objective was to form the more resistant alumina surface layer on an aluminium free alloy. Aluminium based paint coated and uncoated specimens of the two alloys were oxidized for up to 200 hours at 1000 °C in air. The oxidized specimens were examined in a scanning electron microscope coupled to an energy dispersive system and the surfaces were analyzed by X ray diffraction analysis. The aluminium based paint coating increased the oxidation resistance of the alloys, mainly over extended periods. The FeCrY alloy coated with the Al based paint exhibited the highest oxidation resistance.


To realize the reasonable assignment of employees' tasks, this paper proposes a multi-objective human resource allocation model based on genetic algorithm for the multistage combinatorial optimization problem. We analyzed the basic idea of the resource allocation model, established the necessary network model and a multi-objective mathematical model. Then, the global optimal solution can be found by searching from the point set with the objective of optimizing the three practical indexes of reasonable grouping. Finally, a multi-objective optimization method based on genetic algorithm was proposed to solve the model, and it was verified by an example case. The experimental results showed that the method can maximize the sum of the effective cumulative rate of all the roles who undertake the task, and it had the characteristics of clear logic, simple calculation and practical application value.


14676 Background: Angiotensin II receptor (AT1 receptor) blockers (ARBs) are a class of antihypertensive agent. Based on our previous study that demonstrated ARBs can suppress cell proliferation of prostate cancer cells by inhibiting signal transduction pathways through the AT1 receptor (Mol. Cancer Ther. 4:1699, 2005), a clinical trial of an ARB for PSA failure after retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) was undertaken. We also investigated whether ARBs can inhibit prostate cancer incidence in transgenic rats (Tag rats) that develop prostate cancer. Methods: Fourteen patients who had undergone RRP and had PSA failure were enrolled in this study. Patient characteristics were: median study nadir of PSA =0.076 ng/mL (range 0.003–0.165), median duration from RRP to nadir PSA =59.5 days (26–448), median duration from nadir PSA to >0.2 ng/mL =468.7 days (35–2905). They were all started on olmesartan (OLM), an ARB, at the point when PSA was more than 0.2 ng/mL. PSA doubling time (PSA-DT) was compared between b...


Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma (PTCL), a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a heterogeneous group of mature T cells that have undergone transformation into a malignant form. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is very heterogeneous and is comprised of different cell types. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are one of the vital components of the TME. Further, MDSC are associated with tumor growth, angiogenesis and enhanced metastasis. The aim of this study was to compare MSDCs isolated from TME and splenic MDSCs from tumor-bearing hosts (TBHs) as well as splenic MDSCs from naïve mice by using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNASeq). For this reason, C57BL/6 mice were injected with 1×106 EL4 cancer cells subcutaneously to induce tumor growth and 14 days later, cells were isolated from these three tissues, and flow cytometry and scRNASeq were performed. The flow cytometry results showed an increase in MDSC recruitment in the spleens from TBHs in comparison with spleens from naïve mice. scRNASeq analysis showed most of the genes upregulated in MDSCs from TME and spleen of TBHs were responsible for generation, recruitment and proliferation of MDSCs (Lgals5, CXCL10, Alox5ap, CCL6, IL1b, S100A8/A9/A11, CCL4, CCL5). Furthermore, we found several genes overexpressed in MDSCs promoted the proliferation and migration of cancer cells as well as tumor formation (Lyz2, Plac8, Ifitm3, Vim, S100A6, Crip1). In addition, we found some genes have anti-tumor effects by suppressing T and B cells (Lgals5, Ly6c2). In summary, these studies demonstrated that MDSCs from TME and spleens of TBHs have unique features for inducing immunosuppression, as well as recruitment and expansion of MDSCs in TBHs, which make these cells critical for target for immunotherapy.


Abstract Over the last few years, the concept of agility has become increasingly popular in organizations. Companies are hoping to foster speed, adaptability, and innovation by rolling out an agile strategy, implementing agile methods, and creating an agile mind-set among leaders and employees. There is, however, much ambiguity about what the concept of agility entails and how it can be successfully implemented in an organization. The purpose of this practice-focused paper is to organize the extant agility literature for readers by giving an overview of different definitions of agility; outlining evidence-based factors that contribute to agility at the individual, team, and organizational levels; and describing three practical examples at a large German car company. Finally, the authors suggest steps that organizations can take to increase agility in their workforce.


Diagnostic methods for dental caried include visual examination, clinical examonation with explorer and bite wing radiography. Currently, there is an attempt to develop new efficient methods of caries detection to quantitatively determine the level of demineralization and remineralization, providing information for preventive treatment. They can also reduce the time for epidemiological sutdy and decrease inte-examiner variations. This article reviews four caries diagnostic methods, whicj appear to have great potential, including quantitative laser/light fluorescence, fiber optic transillumination, electrical conductance meansurement, digital radiography in terms of concept and comparative study with other conventional methods. Key words : Dental caries/Methods/ Occlusal surface


This paper uses a discussion of struggles over attempts by the National Union of Seamen to exclude seafarers form the maritime labour market in the inter-war period to contribute todebates at the intersection of maritime spaces and transnational labour geographies (cf Balachandran, 2012, Hogsbjerg, 2013). Through a focus on struggles over the British Shipping Assistance Act of 1935 it explores some of the transnational dynamics through which racialized forms of trade unionism were contested. I argue that the political trajectories, solidarities and spaces of organising constructed through the alliances which were produced to oppose the effects of the Act shaped articulations of 'decolonisation from below' (James, 2015). Engaging with the political trajectories and activity of activists from organisaions like the Colonial Seamen's Association can open up both new ways of understanding the spatial politics of decolonisation and new accounts of who or how such processes were articulated and contested. The paper concludes by arguing that engagement with these struggles can help assert the importance of forms of subaltern agency in shaping processes of decolonisation.


In this paper we present a theoretical study of incoherent electronic energy transfer (EET) in an impurity band of substitutionally disordered, mixed, molecular crystals. Dispersive diffusion of the electronic excitation was treated by an Average Dyson Equation Approximation (ADEA) to the master equation for EET. The ADEA rests on expressing the Green's function (GF) for the probability of site‐excitations in a single fixed spatial configuration in terms of a Dyson equation with a normalized vertex function and subsequently performing the configurational average of the GF, invoking a decoupling approximation which omits many‐site contributions. Explicit expressions were derived for the initial site occupation probability, Po(t), the mean square displacement, Σ2(t), and the time dependent diffusion coefficient D(t). We have explored the relation between the ADEA and the stochastic continuous time random walk (CTRW) model applied by us for EET. We have demonstrated that the ADEA and the CTRW results for Σ2(...


for Richmonders in the years following the Civil War. It was that date in 1865 when Southern soldiers fled the Confederate capital as Union troops approached, setting fire to tobacco warehouses and bridges during their retreat. The ensuing conflagration and looting that followed the next morning left smoldering piles of rubble where newspaper offices, banks, and hotels once stood. Almost a half century later, the date would bring a feeling of vindication to a city that spent decades recovering from that devastating fire and the economic upheavals of the Reconstruction era. On April 2, 1914, it was announced that Richmond would become one of 12 cities to serve as a base of operations for the Federal Reserve System. The Fed's formation culminated years of debate over what kind of central bank the United States needed to avert liquidity problems and bank failures in the future. Should the Fed be governed by the private sector in association with government officials or by political appointees? Should the Reserve banks have a high level of autonomy or be mere branches of a powerful central authority? For various economic and political reasons, Congress decided on a regional approach with the Federal Reserve Act of Dec. 23, 1913. That was only half the battle. For the next three months, the Reserve Bank Organization Committee made some tough choices on the number of Reserve banks, the boundaries of the districts that the banks would serve, and the headquarters city for each district. The latter task attracted formal petitions from 37 cities, including Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte; Columbia, S.C.; and Richmond. Every contender had its merits, its fierce supporters, its political levers. While Richmond was smaller in population compared with Baltimore or Washington, the city loomed large in the eyes of Southern businessmen. This was reflected in the flow of capital at the time. Richmond's national banks loaned $33.5 million to borrowers in 13 Southern states as of January 1914, more than any other community in the country — except New York — and four times greater than Baltimore and Washington combined. This historical connection likely gave the River City an edge in gaining a Reserve bank.


Aero-engine discs must be demonstrated to have sufficient low cycle fatigue lives. To evaluate the low cycle fatigue lives of aeroengine discs, we have carried out several cyclic spinning tests. During the testing, some discs were burst, and some discs were cracked. Through the experience of the testing, we have developed a technique for detecting the crack initiation of the discs during spinning tests. By using the technique obtained, it is possible to stop driving before the discs would burst. Procedures and obtained data are presented in detail. NOMENCLATURE a� : An arbitrary point of the rotor Kw + KB : Constant Rv � : Peak vibration ratio Vi � : Peak vibration at i cycle Vn � : Normal peak vibration 6 .� : Stress difference diT,E(a) : Thermal stress difference between W1 andUO2 during engine testing Stress at an arbitrary point of the rotor Stress depending on centrifugal force of blades Thermal stress Thermal stress at speed i Ultimate tensile strength Stress determined by a spinning rotor itself Speed of rotation (i=1, 2 ....)


For high-precision cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments, contamination from extragalactic point sources is a major concern. It is therefore useful to be able to detect and discard point source contaminated pixels using the map itself. We show that the sensitivity with which this can be done can often be greatly improved (by factors between 2.5 and 18 for the upcoming Planck mission) by a customized hi-pass filtering that suppresses fluctuations due to CMB and diffuse galactic foregrounds. This means that point source contamination will not severely degrade the cleanest Planck channels unless current source count estimates are off by more than an order of magnitude. A catalog of around 40,000 far infra-red sources at 857 GHz may be a useful by-product of Planck.


It is widely acknowledged that increasing complexity is a key attribute of ecosystem genesis. This is particularly true for primary succession on homogeneous substrates. However, a mechanistic understanding of spatial colonisation and pattern formation during primary succession has not been achieved yet. Thus, we studied this topic for 7 years within an experimental catchment (6 ha) established in the post-mining landscape of eastern Germany. Equidistant permanent plots (120 plots a 25m²) allowed for autocorrelation analyses, and thus tracing the spatial development of species cover performance. For each species tested, the "cover balance" first increased due to colonization, while decreasing in the course of succession. Drawing a benefit from these temporal trends, we suggested cover balance levels revealed by autocorrelation analyses to best indicate well-defined phases in primary succession at spatial entities. Hence, with the help of this spatial approach, terrestrial succession can be understood now much better at the most general level of the hierarchy provided by Pickett et al. (1987). In accordance with these authors, at subordinated levels of the causal hierarchy differential species performance might get collectively explained by contributing processes or conditions, such as ecophysiological traits, life history strategies, competition and allelopathy of the occurring plant species. Further research is needed to understand their relative contributions to the pattern formation.


This paper presents the design of an educational game, that has as a main objective to minimize the difficulties of space localization and volumetric knowledge that children with hearing desability present. It's also shown the context of this game with the politics of inclusive education of Brazil, the plot, the characters, the scenes and the used technologies.


From 1995 to 2011, the phenomenon known as persecution violence took place in the Basque Country, when the strategy known as the socialization of suffering implemented by ETA and its diffuse environment of Herri Batasuna expanded its objectives to broad layers of the Basque population. In this work, one of these target groups is presented, the militant youth in the PSE-EE, who at that time joined political activity when they were very young, and how this phenomenon impacted on them. On the other hand, the phenomenon is contextualized, with special emphasis on how the persecution violence occurred, what mechanisms were put in place (especially the kale borroka). Access to the past has been done both through documentary sources and oral history.


Controlling a deflection of an irradiation direction of a vehicle lamp based on a detected steering angle includes calculating a target angle of the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp based on the steering angle and calculating a difference angle between the target angle and a current deflection angle of the irradiation direction of the vehicle lamp. A new deflection angle is calculated and includes setting the new deflection angle to the target angle if the difference angle is equal to or smaller than a given limit angle, and setting the new deflection angle to an angle obtained by adding or subtracting the limit angle to or from the current deflection angle if the difference angle is larger than the given limit angle. Deflection of the irradiation direction of the lamp is controlled based on the deflection angle.


Abstract Environmental education is best achieved through the established disciplines among which geography has a major role to play. Both pattern and process are incorporated in the spatial concepts used by geographers to aid understanding of the environment. Recent emphasis upon cognitive/behavioural approaches has enhanced geography's claim to provide effective environmental education. Implications for curricula are contained in the concepts, models and content of contemporary geography which possesses a wealth of potential relevance if applied through wise selection of strategies and materials. Both the cognitive and affective domains must be involved in geographical learning about and for environment which should be regarded as a means of education rather than as a means of producing geographers.


Objective
To investigate the expression of hippocampus proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats and to explore its relationship with hippocampal injury in rats.

Methods
Nineteen healthy male Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats were selected as model group [13 weeks old and (290±10)g] and seventeen healthy male wistar rats with the same age and genetic homology as model group were selected as control group [weight (290±10) g]. Weight, fasting blood glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobinA1c (HbA1c) were measured after 2 and 10 weeks of feeding. Fasting C-Peptide (FCP), total cholesterol (TC) , triglycerides (TG), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were measured after 10 weeks of feeding. Using Morris water maze test to evaluate the learning and memory ability of rats after 10 weeks of feeding. Histopathological changes of hippocampus were observed by HE staining. Immunohistochemistry method was used to detect and analyze the expression levels of PCSK9 protein in hippocampus of each group, and Western blot method was used to detect and analyze the expression levels of PCSK9, cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase caspase-3 (caspase-3) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein. Using t test to compare the two groups.

Results
FPG, HbA1c, HOMA-IR and TC were all higher in the model group than those in the control group after 2 and 10 weeks of feeding (t=-29.305-7.813, P 0.05) . Morris water maze showed that compared with the control group, the escape latency of the model group rats was significantly prolonged in the navigation experiment after 10 weeks, and the quadrant residence time of the platform was significantly shortened in the space exploration experiment in the model group [ (24.2±3.7) vs (17.8±3.3) s, t=6.599, P<0.05]. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the positive rates of PCSK9 immune-reactive neurons in model group increased than those in the control group significantly. Western blot results showed that the expression of PCSK9 and caspase-3 in hippocampus of model group increased significantly than that of control group (0.517±0.103 vs 0.806±0.114, 0.021±0.004 vs 0.136±0.019, t=-11.038, -19.598, both P<0.05) , the expression of Bcl-2 in hippocampus of model group was less than that of control group (t=8.099, P<0.05) .

Conclusion
The expression of PCSK9 increases in hippocampus of T2DM rats, which may be involved in the process of hippocampus injury in T2DM rats.

Key words:
Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Hippocampus; Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9


Photonic crystal is a new artificial complex media and the transfer matrix method is one of the most popular methods of analyzing the band-gap of one-dimension photonic crystal.Some improvements for this method are reported,such as adding multiple reflections and amending the phase items.In this paper,the authors propose a novel approach to compute the non-vertical incidence scenarios.The new method is validated through the measurement data.Moreover,the effects on the location and the width of the photonic band-gap caused by the ratio of refractive index,optical thickness and the number of cycle structure are also analyzed.AT last,the authors propose a methodology to improve one-dimensional photonic crystal behavior by choosing its thickness,number of periods,material property,and defects.


Generalized edema associated with renal, cardiac and nutritional disease and with certain diseases of the blood is commonly recognized; the so-called angioneurotic edemas are also well known, but generalized edema not associated with any of the disorders mentioned is not so frequent and may even escape attention. Constatt, 1 in 1856, classified certain forms of hydrops not readily explained on the basis of the then known etiologic factors, as a manifestation of pathologic changes of the skin. Wernich 2 reported an interesting case in which a complete autopsy failed to reveal any pathologic change that might explain the cause of the edema. In a comprehensive review, Wagner 3 reported his observations in eight cases of generalized edema; six occurred in children ranging in age from 22 months to 12 years; three children recovered and three succumbed. The following symptoms occurred in his cases: The character of the onset of the


Th ere is little doubt that home sleep studies can be used for the diagnosis of OSA. Th is is supported by randomized trials 1 3 comparing the outcomes of an in-laboratory pathway for diagnosis and CPAP titration to an out-oflaboratory pathway. Th ese studies focused on outcomes of care as advocated by a trisociety report. 4 These studies were similar in design using a parallel group strategy to compare outcomes of an in-laboratory pathway to that from an out-of-laboratory home pathway. Th e in-laboratory pathway used the standard laboratory polysomnography followed by technologist-directed CPAP titration. Th e out-of-laboratory pathway used a home sleep study without EEG followed by autoadjust CPAP titration for several nights at home before being switched to fi xed CPAP. Outcomes assessed at follow-up include changes in the Epworth Sleepiness Score, 5 the Functional Outcomes of Sleepiness Questionnaire, 6 and CPAP adherence. Outcomes at 6 weeks in one study 1  and 3 months in two others 2 , 3 were essentially identical between the in-laboratory and in-home pathways. Kuna et al 2 found that CPAP adherence was higher but not signifi cantly so in the in-home pathway while Rosen et al 3 did fi nd signifi cantly higher CPAP adherence in the in-home pathway compared with the in-laboratory pathway.


Termination of criminal proceedings is one of the procuratorates' functions.Many states in the continental law system or in Anglo-American Law System steach important to it's name,way,limits,procedure and prescribe it by law.At the same time,For the power of the procuratorates in prosecution,Many states also supervise and restrict the procuratorates.By comparison we know that the procedure of termination of criminal proceedings needs to be perfected in our state.But from restriction on the power of the procuratorates in prosecution by law,our state prescribe it more widdy,clearly,powerfully.


1. Introduction. - Ruth Page and Bronwen Thomas Part I: New Foundations 2. From Synesthesia to Multimedia: How to Talk about New Media Narrative - Daniel Punday 3. The Interactive Onion: Layers of User Participation in Digital Narrative Texts - Marie-Laure Ryan 4. Ontological Boundaries and Methodological Leaps: The Importance of Possible Worlds Theory for Hypertext Fiction (and Beyond) - Alice Bell 5. Seeing through the Blue Nowhere: On Narrative Transparency and New Media - Michael Joyce Part II: New Architectures 6. An Interactive Fiction System for Narrative Variation. - Nick Montfort 7. Digitized Corpora as Theory-Building Resource: New Methods for Narrative Inquiry. - Andrew Salway and David Herman 8. From (W)reader to Breather: Cybertextual De-intentionalisation and Kate Pullinger's Breathing Wall - Astrid Ensslin 9. Songlines in the Streets: Story Mapping with Itinerant Hypernarrative - Brian Greenspan 10. Narrative supplements: DVD and the idea of the "text" - Paul Cobley and Nick Haeffner Part III: New Practices 11. All Together Now: Hypertext, Collective Narratives, and Online Collective Knowledge Communities - Scott Rettberg 12. "Update Soon!" Harry Potter Fanfiction and Narrative as a Participatory Process - Bronwen Thomas 13. Blogging on the Body: Gender and Narrative. - Ruth Page 14. Using the Force: Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, Intertextuality, Narrative and Play. - James Newman and Iain Simons 15. Digital Narratives, Cultural Inclusion and Educational Possibility: Going New Places with Old stories in Elementary School - Heather Lotherington Glossary


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of the quarter-section cricoid split on cartilage growth.

METHOD
The rabbits were killed 8 months after surgery of anterior, anteroposterior and quarter section cricoid split. The larynxes were harvested and the cross sectional areas of the cricoid cartilage were calculated.

RESULT
There was no significant in the cross sectional area of the cricoid cartilage of any of the four groups.

CONCLUSION
The quarter section cricoid split has no adverse effect on subsequent growth of cricoid cartilage and animals.


The purpose of this study is to analyze the examples of fashion created by Issey Miyake, an architect of materials, continuously revealing his original philosophy of fashion based on Japan's traditional aesthetic sense and find out the visual characteristics of different material types formatively. As a study method, this author conducted case study accompanied by reviewing literatures including Korean and foreign books or journals and examining visual materials extracted from fashion-related internet websites, fashion collections, and fashion books. The scope of this analysis covers Issey Miyake's works from 1989 when he introduced his representative pleats works up until now. Concerning study contents, first, this study explains Issey Miyake's ideas and his fashion. Second, this author classifies Issey Miyake's fashion material types into A-POC, the origami type, decometric, and the drape type and analyzes each of their characteristics. According to the results, visual characteristics found in Issey Miyake's fashion materials in terms of contemporary fashion include lines' reorganization, flexible transformation, solid texture, and space extension. First, lines' reorganization is shown as new solid forms and dynamic patterns with the free alterations of lines, and lines' overlapping and repetition maximize rhythmical movement and visual effect. Second, with flexible transformation, materials' variability and the human body's movement lead to the free transformation and extension of forms, and this constant change realizes the expression of new formative beauty. Third, about solid texture, he integrates the unique surface effect with the rich texture expression of material surfaces using texture transformation to pursue the originality of materials. Fourth, concerning space extension, expressing forms adding space to a material itself, he tears down the borders of existing costume designs and extends the range of space. Based on the above analysis results gained by examining the visual characteristics of Issey Miyake's materials formatively unlike advanced research focusing on his fashion design itself, this author intends to lay theoretical grounds to recognize the value and apply the results as theoretical data to develop materials and extend the areas of creation afterwards. Moreover, this analysis on Issey Miyake's fashion materials does contribute to considering organic relationship between artistic expressions in fashion therefore, it will be able to provide the perspective of establishing applicability and vision to develop creative materials.


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for programming and verifying EEPROM pages and a corresponding computer software product and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium, in particular, which can be used to increase the amount of data or code into the EEPROM of speed, such as when the smart card is personalized to occur. The present invention relates to a device which establishes the connection between the EEPROM and the DMA RAM - not including the core of the microcontroller according to - and may be performed automatically programmed from RAM to the EEPROM random length data block including a logic EEPROM program verify operation on the RAM under the control of the original data.


American Heart Association. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 1941-7705. Online ISSN: 2013 Copyright © Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 72514 Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes is published by the American Heart Association. 7272 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.966697 2012; 2013;6;66-74; originally published online December 11, Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes Workgroup Klamerus, Rob Holleman, Eve A. Kerr and for the Diabetes Clinical Action Measures Ashley J. Beard, Timothy P. Hofer, John R. Downs, Michelle Lucatorto, Mandi L. Mellitus : Moving From Target to Treatment Assessing Appropriateness of Lipid Management Among Patients With Diabetes http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/6/1/66.full on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located 697.DC1.html http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/suppl/2012/12/11/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.966 Data Supplement (unedited) at:


Objective To explore the efficacy of Budesonide power for inhalation in treatment of postinfectious cough. Methods Two hundred and fifty-two patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group. Control group was given general anti-infective and antitussive and expectorant drug treatment, the treatment group was added with Budesonide power for inhalation. Results The effective rate of treatment group was 96.1%, and control group was 80.8%, there was significant difference between two groups (P 0.05). Conclusion Budesonide power for inhalation is effective and safety in treating postinfectious cough.


Habitually used by the people in two regions of Guangxi and Guangdong,the llex Kudincha has the antioxidation to observed by us.To determine the specimen inhibition to the lipid peroxide(LPO) the methods of TBA and spectroptoto were used in determing the contents of Malonic dialdehyde(MDA) of lipid peroxide(LPO) products.The experience has indicated that the llex kudincha extracts with different test concentrations presented some inhibition to the lipid peroxide(LPO).


All weather and all time microwave remote sensing is one of most effective means to monitor natural disasters.Multi-channel brightness temperature from satellite-borne passive microwave remote sensing has played important role to retrieve quantitative physical information on global and regional weather and climate,atmospheric precipitation,land hydrology,oceanic surface winds,etc.However,during serious snowing and frost in usually warming southern China,January 2008,the operational algorithm of multi-channel brightness temperature failed to detect the snowing.In this paper,based on simulation of vector radiative transfer of a layer of snow,we present the characteristic indices of scattering and polarization differences,average indices in previous year under normal situation,and change of antecedent index.A new logic tree is presented to effectively detect the regional snow and frost disaster in southern China.


A convenient method for the synthesis of furo[2,3-e]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepin-9-one is described. It has been C-alkylated with amine (piperidine, morpholine, 4-methylpiperazine) and N-alkylated with alkyl halides (methyl iodide and benzyl chloride).


Despite a more robust experience with lidocaine infusions for pain management in adults and general pediatric population, there is limited evidence of efficacy of lidocaine infusions for pain management in patients with pediatric hematology and oncology diagnoses.


and principle lay outside history and beyond contestation. The historiographical issue which this volume raises may be put in a different way. In Leviathan and The Air-Pump, their superb account of the late seventeenth century controversy in England over experimental procedures, Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer open by stating their firm intention to play the stranger to contemporary accounts, to pose awkward questions about what then commanded firm consensus (and in many instances still does today). They cite H. M. Collins, another scholar who has written excellently on controversy, whose metaphor is of institutionalized beliefs about the natural world being like the ship in a bottle, insulated from too close a scrutiny. The heuristic usefulness of studying controversial episodes is that it may force us to see that the ship was once a pile of sticks and gum, and was once outside the bottle. There is nonetheless a difficulty with strangers' accounts: this is to reproduce them in a form, indeed in a language and style, which not only preserves their strangeness but accounts for it as well. The very fact that a controversy was resolved, or at least faded from view, that a victorious party emerged, that history was subsequently written and rewritten— all of this inflicts a subtle bias on the material. Retrospection does more severe damage still. So what are historians to do, particularly when many expect in their work to find the imposition of order and structure on quarrels which are often noisy and chaotic? The reader of historical studies enjoys the queerness of the stranger's role, but only if it serves the heuristic function, indeed holds out the promise, of eventual familiarity with the period and actors involved. The past is, as they say, a foreign country. Who would travel there alone, abandoned by a guide, never to return? Martin Rudwick's recently published study of the great Devonian controversy suggests some of the pitfalls which arise when a scholar shows unwillingness to play to the accepted historiographical rules and break new ground in the process. The major drawback of this work is that it makes life so impossibly difficult for its readers, who all too easily suffocate in its density of detail and cannot cope with the author's refusal for much of the time to impose value judgments on the primary materials. There is something rather objectionable in being handed a spade and asked to do the intellectual spadework for oneself amongst letters, diaries and records. What then becomes of the historian's traditional task, to render the past comprehensible? That question is posed time and again for any scholar who wishes to advance any contextual and comprehensive account of controversy in, of and about science. If The Great Devonian Controversy is to be a model for further research into disputes and developments in science— and it could rightly claim to provide at least a standard for such research—then the perspectives developed at the theoretical and empirical levels in Scientific Controversies may well serve as a first point of repair. This suggests a particular function for this book. But such a varied and rich collection of original studies may be recommended without hesitation to a wide readership—to those with an interest in recent controversies involving science, technology, public bodies and lay people; to those who find themselves needing some insight and interpretative frameworks for historical research into disputes involving anything from standards of accuracy to the reality of entities; and, not least, to those who have the inkling that science may reveal most about itself in moments of fracture and disarray.


In this paper, the strength characteristics of unsaturated loess are studied. Based on the general tri-axial test results the nonlinear relationship formula between suction strength and saturated degree is presented. The exponential function relationship between shear strength and water content of unsaturated loess are confirmed.


Sirs, Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in older adults. The mechanism causing the disease is not known, but infectious triggers have been suggested (1). The coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in China at the end of 2019 and then spread rapidly worldwide. COVID-19 has various clinical presentations, from asymptomatic forms to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multi-organ failure. The vascular tropism of SARS-CoV-2 may result in endothelial activation with thrombosis (2) and viral-induced systemic vasculitis (3). We observed an increase in the incidence of GCA in our hospital in 2020, which suggested SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to be a trigger. We thus explored a possible direct relationship between SARS-CoV2 infection and GCA occurrence. From 2010 through December 2020, we prospectively enrolled all patients diagnosed with GCA using the American College of Rheumatology criteria in the Internal Medicine department of a tertiary-care teaching hospital. The main GCA features of patients diagnosed in 2020 were compared with those of patients diagnosed during the previous decade. To track the regional SARSCoV-2 pandemic, we collected the number of daily hospitalisations related to the virus during 2020 in our hospital's main catchment area, the Haute-Vienne Department, from the French public health website, which records daily hospitalisation declarations from each health centre in the department. Serum samples were analysed using two FDA-approved tests for the qualitative detection of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human serum and plasma using a chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). The Alinity SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Abbott, Chicago, USA) assay detects IgG antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and Liaison SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy) detects IgG antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S1/ S2). Total RNA was extracted from biopsies in paraffin with a Maxwell® 16 LEV RNA FFPE Purification kit (Promega, Madison, USA). PCR was performed with the SARSCOV-2 R-GENE® kit (bioMérieux, Marcyl'Étoile, France) allowing qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2. In accordance with French law, the study was approved by the local ethics committee. Informed consent was obtained from all assessed patients. During 2020, we diagnosed GCA in 28 patients. Figure 1 shows the incidence of new patients hospitalised for COVID-19 in Haute-Vienne and monthly new cases of Table I. Comparison of characteristics of patients diagnosed with GCA in 2020 with those of patients diagnosed in 2010 to 2019.


This guide provides links to some of the newspapers that NOVA subscribes to online. For other titles, check with your campus librarian. Guide by firstname.lastname@example.com


Measurements of the midrapidity transverse-energy distribution, dE(T)/d eta, are presented for p + p, d+Au, and Au+Au collisions atv root s(NN) = 200 GeV and additionally for Au+Au collisions atv root s(NN) = 62.4 and 130 GeV. The dE(T)/d eta distributions are first compared with the number of nucleon participants N-part, number of binary collisions N-coll, and number of constituent-quark participants N-qp calculated from a Glauber model based on the nuclear geometry. For Au+Au, /N-part increases with N-part, while /N-qp is approximately constant for all three energies. This indicates that the two-component ansatz, dE(T)/d eta alpha (1 - x)N-part/2 + xN(coll), which was used to represent E-T distributions, is simply a proxy for N-qp, and that the N-coll term does not represent a hard-scattering component in E-T distributions. The dE(T)/d eta distributions of Au+Au and d+Au are then calculated from the measured p + p E-T distribution using two models that both reproduce the Au+Au data. However, while the number-of-constituent-quark-participant model agrees well with the d+Au data, the additive-quark model does not.


The development of frequency-scan array antennas of three-dimensional air surveillance radars is briefly analyzed. According to the materials of Russian and foreign open sources a review of such antennas and the analysis of technical solutions for their implementation in the different frequency bands are presented. The basic types of used frequency-scan antennas, starting from simplest to monopulse are considered. Some of required parameters and the implemented characteristics are given.


Research on the alliance has mainly focused between-patient data (e.g., how differences in alliance among patients are related to outcome for a patient compared to other patients). However, this level of analysis partly misses its target because psychotherapy theories and therapists focus primarily on within-patient processes (e.g., whether change in a client's alliance during the course of therapy may lead to a reduction of symptoms in that client). So far, the ability to separate these effects has not been fully capitalized upon in alliance research. Notable exceptions are the studies of Tasca and Lampard [1] and Falkenstrom et al. [2] and our own study Hoffart et al. [3]. The purpose of the present short communication is to present and discuss these studies, with particular emphasis on our own study.


Abstract
 Currently, air pollution is one of the most imperative problems and has a major role in global climate change and premature deaths throughout the world. Various types of air pollutants (e.g. particulate matter, NOx, SOx, CO and O3) are present in the atmosphere and have significant effects on human health, agriculture, weather and climate. Accurate measurements of air pollutants on local, regional and global levels at high spatial and temporal resolution are needed to quantify their distribution and resulting impacts. Real-time ground-level measurements of air pollutants help to understand secondary aerosol formation through atmospheric chemical transformation. On the other hand, satellite measurements of air pollutants and trace gases provide a good platform to understand the current scenario of air quality and future climate change on a global scale. Measuring air pollutants with higher accuracy is challenging because of a variety of considerations, including their chemical composition, lifetime, emission sources and complex instrumentation. A continuous improvement in air pollutant measurement techniques and instrumentation has occurred during the last two decades; however, more efforts are needed to achieve more realistic data with higher accuracy. In this chapter, an overview of various measurement techniques of air pollutants (from ground-based and satellite-based measurements) are presented.


In the recent fifth generation (5G) research, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC) technique is one of the competitive substitutes to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The conventional FBMC schemes, such as FBMC staggered-modulated multitone (FBMC-SMT) and frequency spreading FBMC (FS-FBMC), have the intrinsic time-domain interference which is caused by the overlap of symbols and depend on offset quadrature amplitude modulation (OQAM). In order to overcome the two drawbacks, a non-overlapping QAM-FBMC scheme is proposed based on the FBMC-SMT and analyzed in this paper. Moreover, the non-overlapping QAM-FBMC scheme not only discards cyclic prefix (CP) as other FBMC schemes, but also shortens the duration length of symbol waveforms compared with that of FS-FBMC. Therefore, its spectrum efficiency (SE) outperforms other multi-carrier systems. Simulation results indicate that non-overlapping QAM-FBMC scheme indeed improves the SE and obtains almost the same bit error rate performance as that of the FBMC-SMT as well as OFDM in multi-path fading channel.


The foraminiferal faunas of 150 Holocene-latest Pleistocene samples from ODP Site 1033 (Leg 169 S), Saanich Inlet, were quantified. Sediments of this anoxic inlet in southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia consist of varved clays interbedded with slightly coarser massive layers. The 25 species of benthic foraminifera found were predominantly shallow water, calcareous forms, although a few planktic foraminifera and rare arcellaceans, as well as deeper water dysoxic benthic forms were also recorded. Most samples contained an impoverished fauna (average of 25 to 30 individuals), but massive layers contained statistically higher numbers and diversity of foraminifera than varves. A high proportion (> 50 %) of the foraminiferal fauna in the massive units were also found to be either damaged or broken. Such a high proportion of broken/damaged foraminifera along with the presence of arcellaceans in the massive layers lend credence to the hypothesis that they were transported from well oxygenated shallower, and nearshore parts of the inlet and deposited on the anoxic bottom of Saanich Inlet during subaqueous debris flows. Subaqueous debris flows in the inlet are induced by both seismic and non-siesmic events. The varved sediments also contain broken specimens of foraminifera. Although intact benthic foraminifera within the varves are typical forms capable of withstanding dysoxic conditions and appear to be autochthonous, broken specimens are mostly shallow water types requiring higher levels of oxygen. They are transported to the deeper anoxic parts of the inlet during spring freshet along with mineral rich silt. It is difficult to distinguish between seismic and non-seismic debris flows as few recorded earthquakes in the region have been conclusively linked with massive layers.


Abstract Introduction Esophageal atresia (EA) is a rare malformation that often requires a series of procedures, including surgical primary anastomosis, staged repair, and endoscopic procedures. Actual numbers and trends in interventions and variety in treatment strategies remain unclear. Materials and Methods Data from the German federal bureau of statistics containing all EA-related inpatient procedures encoded from 2005 until 2018 were analyzed for children during the first year of life. The sum of esophageal anastomoses and replacements was used to calculate an estimate of incidence of EA. Results Over 14 years, 12,627,888 inpatient cases were recorded in infants in Germany. The mean incidence of EA was 1 per 4,217 live births. On average, 163.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 150.8–176.1) esophageal anastomoses, 11.2 (95% CI: 8.7–13.7) esophageal lengthening procedures, and 6.7 (95% CI: 5.42–8.00) esophageal replacements were recorded annually. Overall, 187.8 (95% CI: 147.1–200.4) endoluminal treatments (ballon dilatation, bougienage, stent placement, or injection) were performed per 100 anastomoses. Over the years, bougienage was increasingly replaced by ballon dilatation as primary treatment. Boys had a significantly higher number of esophageal procedures than girls, but the incidence of endoscopic treatments in relation to anastomoses was the same for both genders. Conclusion The low incidence of EA in relation to a relatively large number of units treating those patients in Germany may pose challenges for maintaining competency and training of all specialists involved. The number of esophagoscopic treatments for esophageal stricture per anastomosis is lower than previously estimated.


Hydrological extremes (drought-flood) are a phenomenon that is occurring more and more frequently because of climate change. The human-altered landscape cannot sufficiently withstand these extreme phenomena. For this reason, society feels pressure on the design, and assessment, but especially the implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures in the landscape. For best-designed measures, it is crucial to determine where the given problem arises and what are the possibilities of its solution with subsequent quantification of effectiveness. In the Czech Republic, this problem is solved in the long term by processing flood maps and determining flood areas. In 2009, a methodology was created for the identification of places that are potentially threatened by flash floods [1]. In the interest area of the Dyje basin, 1356 critical points were determined by this methodology. The work's main goal was to evaluate these points and their contributing areas based on current data, and the summary and evaluation of the accessible data that will be used for proposals for measures. All analyses were made by using geographic information systems. It was specifically about evaluating the percentage representation of arable land, as one of the main criteria for determining the critical point. It was found that in almost 42 % of the critical points (or in their contributing areas) there was a decrease in arable land by more than 10 %. Furthermore, the occurrence of recorded erosion events was addressed. According to information from the Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, there were 622 erosion events in the Dyje basin area, and 43 % were in catchment areas of critical points. One of the crucial topics that are currently resonating in society in terms of proposals for measures in the landscape is drainage areas. According to vectorized documents from the Agricultural Water Management Company, these areas are in 57 % of the collection areas of critical points. The evaluation will further enter a multi-criteria analysis for the selection of a priority area, as the Dyje basin is quite extensive for more detailed analyses. Subsequently, protective measures close to nature will be designed and evaluated in the priority area using mathematical modelling.


The article discusses the roles and education of management information systems (MIS) specialists, and describes the MIS major program that is offered at the University of Minnesota. The article de...


EDITOR, - The Grampian asthma study concluded that peak flow meters and self management plans offered "little clinical benefit."1 Closer examination of the methods shows that the self management plans used by Beasley et al.2 and by us3 were not used and that the crucial ingredient of doubling the dose of inhaled steroid as the peak flow falls was not adhered to. Our recently published work confirms the importance of this step. If patients manage themselves by increasing bronchodilators only, as occurred in one arm of our study, the outcome is not as impressive.4

The self management plans of the Grampian asthma study focused on when to start oral steroids and when to seek immediate medical help. Such a plan is more suited to preventing admission and increasing doctor contact rather than reducing morbidity. It is therefore no surprise that the number of consultations with general practitioners rose in the intervention group.

In our experience, consultants who tailor treatment to individual patients produce less effective self management plans than asthma nurses who follow the protocol and implement tested self management plans.

Teaching patients self management skills requires an initial consultation of 45 minutes and a follow up examination one week later. Specifically designed diary cards can enhance this process.4 It usually takes patients three months before they are familiar with such plans. Patients often need to be guided through their first attack. Once the concepts have been grasped then patients require little input and quite often use their peak flow meters only during an asthma attack. Although initially time consuming, such an approach reduces morbidity and is cost effective for both patient and doctor.5 The Grampian asthma study made no mention of what efforts were made …


The characteristics of local deformation and failture of reinforced concrete slabs to low velocity impact are analyzed, and accordingly the evaluation method is given.


Indoor localization promises a lot of benefits on the application in various fields. The fingerprint method is often used because it has high mobility, low network cost, and high compatibility. However, the distance and RSSI relationships are non-linear which decreases the accuracy of the system. KNN is required as a matching algorithm to solve the problem. The error result of Fingerprint-KNN system for indoor localization is still less satisfactory, therefore weighting factor is added in KNN algorithm as a modification to optimize the accuracy and precision of the localization system. The usual W-KNN is adding a value in form of the distance error from estimation result. In this paper, the constant as the result of iteration process within a range is multiplied by the error value which is added to the system as a weighting of KNN algorithm. The iterated weighting constant provides optimization on the system up to 25% better than the conventional system.


Precipitation nowcasting at very short lead times is a difficult and important earth science goal. The implications of nowcasting extend into aviation, flood forecasting and other areas. Using correlation analysis for the generation of velocity vectors to advect a composite radar rainfall field is the method of nowcasting utilized in this work. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory Growth and Decay Storm Tracker (GDST) is a correlation-based nowcasting algorithm that utilizes spatial filtering to eliminate the potentially adverse effects of transient, small-scale rainfall features in the correlation step. The GDST is used in this work to evaluate the benefits of image filtering as compared to a situation where the filtering is absent. The GDST generates a spatially variable velocity field for input rainfall field advection. Forecasts made using this enhancement are compared to forecasts made using a single velocity value for all input pixels in order to determine the benefits of allowing for differential motion within the storm envelope. The results from three storm cases show that image filtering provides improvement in forecast accuracy over an unfiltered case however, to fully determine any benefits from using spatially variable velocities requires more work. This work also documents the development and testing of a new correlation-based nowcasting algorithm. The Automated Precipitation Extrapolator (APEX) builds on advancements made over the past 40 years to provide highly accurate precipitation nowcasts. Initial testing shows that APEX-generated forecasts are more accurate than persistence forecasts, and are approximately as accurate as forecasts generated by the GDST or with a uniform advection method. Allowing for small errors in forecasted rainfall location, through an extended verification kernel, APEX-generated forecasts are visibly more accurate than GDST forecasts or uniform advection forecasts. Thesis Supervisor: Dara Entekhabi Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering


Background: Early prediction of disease severity in COVID-19 patients is essential. Chest X-ray (CXR) is a faster, widely available, and less expensive imaging modality that may be useful in predicting mortality in COVID-19 patients. Artificial Intelligence (AI) may help expedite CXR reading times, and improve mortality prediction. We sought to develop and assess an artificial intelligence system that used chest X-rays and clinical parameters to predict mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, India. The study included patients who had a positive real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 and at least one available chest X-ray at the time of their initial presentation or admission. Features from CXR images and clinical parameters were used to train the Random Forest model. Results: Clinical data from a total of 201 patients was assessed retrospectively. The average age of the cohort was 51.4 {+/-} 14.8 years, with 29.4% of the patients being over the age of 60. The model, which used CXRs and clinical parameters as inputs, had a sensitivity of 0.83 [95% CI: 0.7, 0.95] and a specificity of 0.7 [95% CI: 0.64, 0.77]. The area under the curve (AUC) on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) was increased from 0.74 [95% CI: 0.67, 0.8] to 0.79 [95% CI: 0.72, 0.85] when the model included features of CXRs in addition to clinical parameters. Conclusion: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) model based on CXRs and clinical parameters demonstrated high sensitivity and can be used as a rapid and reliable tool for COVID-19 mortality prediction.


Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Georgia Regents University, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 Objective: To provide a detailed summary of current scientific knowledge on uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) in vitro and in in vivo animal models, as well as to postulate the potential role of vitamin D3 as an effective, inexpensive, safe, long-term treatment option for uterine fibroids. Design: PubMed search articles were used to identify the most relevant studies on uterine fibroids, as well as effects of vitamin D3 on uterine fibroid cells and fibroid tumor growth in in vivo animal models. Setting: University research laboratory. Patient(s): Not applicable. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Not applicable. Result(s): Despite numerous publications available on uterine fibroids, information about the role that vitamin D3 plays in the regulation of uterine fibroids is limited. Most of the recent vitamin D3–related studies on uterine fibroids were published from our group. Recent studies have demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency plays a significant role in the development of uterine fibroids. Our recent studies have demonstrated that vitamin D3 reduces leiomyoma cell proliferation in vitro and leiomyoma tumor growth in in vivo animal models. These results postulate the potential role of vitamin D3 for an effective, safe, nonsurgical medical treatment option for uterine fibroids. Conclusion(s): This article reviews human and animal studies and uncovers new possibilities for understanding the vitamin D–based


The study of combustion-thermoacoustic instabilities is a topic of interest in the development of engines. However, the modelling of these systems involves a high computational burden. This paper focuses on a simpler class of systems that still features such instabilities: inverted conical flames anchored on a central bluff-body. Here these flames are modelled by solving species mass, momentum and energy transport equations, coupled with a skeletal methane/air chemical kinetic mechanism. The aim is to characterise the dynamic behaviour of inverted conical flames, both due to their natural dynamics and to external incoming velocity fluctuations. The main contribution is the detailed model of the flames, including the smallest scales. The analysis of the impact of the mesh adaption on the flame response shows a trade-off between model accuracy and computational burden that can be adjusted by changing the temperature gradient threshold. The flame response analysis in terms of the temperature and OH mass fraction gives a detailed characterisation of the flame front behaviour in its different scales, both in time and space. The analysis of the flame front dynamic response employing a spectral analysis shows that these have a natural frequency of 35 Hz, and this frequency interacts with the flame response due to incoming velocity excitations. More specifically, when forcing the flame with low frequencies ( Hz) the flame responds only to the forcing and some harmonics, whereas when forcing between Hz the flame response comprises both the natural and forced behaviour. Forcing beyond 200 Hz shows the natural flame response only.


Investment appraisal is an important issue in transport planning and policy. The investments are usually long lasted, practically irreversible, and costly, and may also have a great impact on quality of life and the development of communities and regions. Investment decisions should therefore be well thought out, and various alternatives compared carefully before making a final choice. This chapter provides an overview of the most widely applied appraisal technique in the transport industry, the cost benefit analysis (CBA), and discusses how the CBA can be used to evaluate transport projects based on their likely environmental impacts.


Diagrammatic Query allows users to compose a query through diagrams in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) environment. Diagrammatic Query has three basic requirements that must be fulfilled: (1) Both the query and query results should be presented graphically. (2) The users should be able to query database intuitively. (3) Queries should not only refer to information that resides at databases, but also to views based on defined queries, defined previously, which are saved in the system. We utilize the logic of Graphlog and CORAL so that users are able to pose queries by drawing nodes, edges and blobs, and probably by specifying which existing views are to be included. This thesis proposes the definition of Transferable Graph Language and the analysis, design, and implementation of the translation system. The transformation and storage format used by our project is specified in Transferable Graph Language (TGL), which uses XML DTD to regulate the program structures. The translation system will be driven by TGL programs transferred from the GUI system. These TGL programs collect node, edge, and blob status and information about how they are related. Also they will inform which existing views will be involved. Then the translation system will analyze these data and translate them to CORAL programs. Next, the translation system will organize calls to CORAL system and collect query results received from the CORAL system. At the end, the translation system will transform the results as TGL result programs and return them to the GUI system for displaying to users.


Applied Economics and Finance (AEF) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether AEF publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue.Reviewers for Volume 10, Number 3 Ali Darub Al-Hiyali, University of Anbar, IraqBabacar Seck, University of Bahrain, BahrainHichem Maraghni, University of Taibah, TunisiaIgor Matyushenko, School of Foreign Economic Relations and Touristic Business, UkraineKeffala Mohamed Rochdi, University of Manouba, TunisiaLingkai Kong, Izmir University of Economics, TurkeyMagdalena Radulescu, University of Pitesti, RomaniaMarco Muscettola, Independent Researcher-Credit Risk Manager, ItalyNikoloz Chikhladze, Akaki Tsereteli State University, GeorgiaPatrycja Kowalczyk-Rolczynska, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, PolandRajeev Rana, APB Govt. P.G. College, IndiaRamona Orastean, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, RomaniaSzabolcs Blazsek, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, GuatemalaY. Saidi, M'sila University, Algeria     Nikki GibbsEditorial AssistantOn behalf of,The Editorial Board of Applied Economics and FinanceRedfame Publishing9450 SW Gemini Dr. #99416Beaverton, OR 97008, USAURL: http://aef.redfame.com


The oxidation of photosensitizers during photodynamic therapy (PDT) has important implications for their therapeutic and diagnostic potential. The reduction in sensitizer concentration during illumination progressively reduces the effectiveness of therapy and, ultimately, limits the destruction of the host tissue. In the course of our studies of the effects of PDT upon superficial skin disorders, following topical application of 5- aminolaevulinic acid (ALA), we routinely record the surface fluorescence emission of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) before, during, and after therapy, in order to monitor the sensitizer photo-oxidation. It is important, therefore, to establish that measurements made in this way are representative of the variation in sensitizer concentration throughout the illuminated volume. We have developed a time- dependent Monte-Carlo model to simulate PpIX photo-oxidation during either low intensity laser (488 nm) or white light irradiation of plaque psoriasis. We have assessed the effect of differences in the optical properties of tissue at sites on different patients prior to treatment, and the effect of these variations on the surface fluorescence signal detected during treatment, at sites within the same plaque. The results show that the PpIX fluorescence intensity recorded from plaque psoriasis is an accurate indicator of the relative concentration of the sensitizer and can be used as a direct comparison between different sites and different patients. Also, the reduction in fluorescence emission during PDT is an effective measure of the depletion in sensitizer concentration throughout the illuminated volume. These results illustrate that the light dose required to achieve significant PpIX photo-oxidation is significantly lower than that often adopted for the treatment of superficial skin conditions.


This paper measures and compares the user's glance time required to perform a secondary task in different interfaces while driving an automobile in a simulator. The simulator was built using a videogame equipped with steering wheel, pedals and shift gears. A pre-determined route is set on the simulator and, while driving, the user is required to perform a list of three secondary tasks: turn on an automotive radio, change tuning and rise volume. The tests are performed using three different devices: a conventional car radio, a virtual touchscreen copy of this radio, and a modified touchscreen interface. The tests were conducted with 21 participants, between 18 and 72 years old. Every user was tested using all the three layouts in similar simulated conditions. While the participants were been tested, they were also filmed. Later, each video was analyzed to determine the time that each user look away from the main monitor to realized the required secondary task. The results were compared to determine the impact of replacing conventional devices for touchscreen technologies in the driver's attention.


Recently there has been increasing interest in and researches on personal positive changing after undergoing traumatic stresses. In this article, previous studies on that phenomenon which was referred as posttraumatic growth(PTG) were reviewed and the direction to further study was schemed. The conc...


INTRODUCTION
The echocardiogram is the gold standard, in the diagnosis of the hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hs-PDA) of the premature newborn (PNB). Type B brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) may be useful in the diagnosis and management of CAP-hs.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to assess the utility of BNP as a marker of hemodynamic overload of the patent ductus arteriosus in newborns with gestational age < 32 weeks or weight < 1500 g, and to identify the best cutoff point for BNP levels that would best predict a PDA with hemodynamic impact requiring pharmacological and/or surgical treatment.

METHODS
Retrospective, observational, and descriptive study of PNB < 32 weeks gestation or weight < 1500 g, in which echocardiogram and BNP determination was performed. Analysis of the global sample and by subgroups, depending on the hs-PDA status was performed.

RESULTS
A total of 29 patients were analyzed. A significant correlation was found between the PDA/weight ratio and BNP levels (Spearman: 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.45-0.87; p < 0.001). The best BNP cutoff point to predict CAP-hs was 486.5 pg/ml with a sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 92% (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
The BNP cutoff point identified in the present study was correlated with the presence of CAP-hs.


We propose a method to account for voltage driven coils when solving 3D eddy-current problems with a discrete geometric approach. The formulation we use is based on the circulation A of the magnetic vector potential on primal edges and on a gauge functionχ on conductor primal nodes. An iterative technique to make the right-hand-side term of the linear system consistent is shown. It can be used both for simple coil geometries, where the external electric field is known in advance, and in the case of more general coil geometries, provided that a steady-state current conduction problem is solved first, from the impressed voltage, using a discrete approach. The results are compared with those obtained with Finite Elements.


Editor's Note The following two items, the editorial, "Geriatric Psychiatry for African Americans,'' and the article, "African American Issues in Geriatric Psychiatry: A Perspective on Research Opportunities," should be viewed along with a companion commentary, "Acute Care of the African American Elder," which was published in the April-June 1993 issue of the Jorirtinl of Geriatric Psycliinf y mid Neurology, Volume 6, Number 2, pages 66-71, and was first presented at the October 1990 Conference.


A chiral stationary phase prepared by bonding L-valine-t-butylamide to XE-60 has been coated on glass and metal capillaries. The performances of the chiral glass and metal columns were equivalent to those of commercial fused silica capillary columns. The thermal stability of the glass column was examined up to 280°C. It was found that no appreciable change in separation factor (α value) was observed up to 230°C. The α values gradually decreased between 240 and 260°C, and enantiomer separation was no longer achieved at 280°C. It was concluded that the allowable upper limit temperature of the chiral stationary phase is between 230 and 240°C in the isothermal mode, and ca 260°C in temperature-programmed mode.


Nitrogen inversion barriers and structural effects on the barriers have been studied by variable temperature n.m.r. spectroscopy in monocyclic (six- and seven-membered ring) and bicyclic (bicyclo[2,2,2]octane and bicyclo[3,2,2]nonane) amines.


Objective To examine the effects of newly designed LY52 on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and invasive ability of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Methods The effects of LY52 on the proliferations of HepG2 cells were detected by MTT assay. Gelatin zymography and Western blot were used to detect the effects of LY52 on matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in the cell line. Transwell chamber assay was used to detect the effects of LY52 on the invasion of the cells. Results No obvious inhibitory or cytotoxicity effects of LY52 was found in lower concentrations (200 μg/ml) of LY52. Gelatin zymography and Western blot showed that matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression were inhibited by LY52 in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. Furthermore,transwell chamber assay showed that LY52 could significantly inhibit the invasion of the cell line in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion The results suggest that LY52 may inhibit the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by suppressing the matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity.


Thesauri merging is the activity of consolidating a set of thesauri into a thesaurus which accommodates the vocabularies and the structure of all thesauri being merged. In this paper, we introduce a general framework for monolingual thesauri merging. We also present a domain independent settheoretic model for the representation of terms, relationships, and integrity constraints. Finally, we presenta method for the merging of monolingual thesauri focusing on its mechemisms for the detection of equivalent terms among the thesauri being merged. Our method expands previous work on the problem; we introduce equivalence asaumpt ions that express similarity between terms and we propose a term distance model which can be used to guide the confirmation or rejection of equivalence assumptions.


The principle and some modes of soft reduction technique of final stage of solidification are briefed.The main technological parameters of the technique are analyzed and discussed,such as position of soft reduction,soft reduction ratio,total soft reduction amount,soft reduction rate,casting speed and so on.The application results of this technology in some plants are compared.It is concluded that this technology is effective to abate central segregation,improve quality of product,produce high value added product .


ABSTRACT The multiple crises faced by the European Union – economic stagnation, geopolitical insecurity, refugee and migration flows – and some side-effects of the integration process (e.g. fiscal austerity, transnational redistribution, borders protection) seem not only to have exacerbated the public-elite divide in almost all member states, but also re-vitalised the North-South rift. If public support and trust in the capacity of EU institutions to resolve problems have seriously declined over the last few years, mutual prejudices between Northern and Southern countries have been reinforced by recent developments within the EU. The article uses the cases of Germany and Italy as illustrative examples of this 'within' and 'cross-country' malaise. By using a longitudinal and cross-sectional approach, it systematically explores the changing orientations of public opinion and political leaders with regard to the European integration project, supranational cohesion, and, last but not least, the perceived image of the other member state in the last four decades. The article moves forward the theoretical discussion on the state of intra-European relations by offering a unique source of data to study how attitudes towards the EU have been shaped by domestic and external conditions and how, in turn, these attitudes have impacted on the reciprocal views of Italians and Germans.


This study aims to examine and explain the effect of professionalism and locus of control to job satisfaction and performance of auditors. The research design used explanatory approach. The data were collected by survey method using the instrument of questionnaire. The sample was 122 Internal Control Officers (APIP) in Regional Inspectorate in Southeast Sulawesi, selected by using sampling technique of proportional stratified random sample. The hypothesis was tested by using Partial Least Square (PLS). The research results indicated that auditors' professionalism can increase job satisfaction. Similarly, locus of control has significant effect to job satisfaction of auditors. High job satisfaction will improve significantly the auditors' performance. Most APIP perceived that performance achievement had not been good in quantity. There was still a tendency to delay the work that resulted in the finishing of a number of auditing assignment to be late, particularly related to finishing the report of examination result (LHP) BPK RI. This study was limited to respondents' perception on their activity as internal control officers. It did not examine the antecedent of professionalism variable that the practical implication of the development of professional attitudes and behaviors cannot be done comprehensively.


In novel drug delivery system, the encapsulation of therapeutic cells in microparticles has great promises for the treatment of a range of health con- ditions. Therefore, the encapsulation material ...


This paper studies empirically the voting outcomes for the first post-revolution presidential elections in Egypt. In the light of strong success of the Islamist candidate, Mohamed Morsi, I identify three dimensions which can affect voting outcomes: human capital stock, wealth and employment structure. I find that less educated, poorer and more unequal districts support more Islamists. I also find an effect of the employment structure of a district on voting. I test the results by comparing the determinants of voting outcomes of the presidential elections to those of the 2011 and 2012 constitutional referendums.


Robert Driskill is Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University. His recent papers include 'Income effects, wealth effects, and multiple equilibria in trade models with durable goods' (with Eric Bond), in the Review of International Economics and 'Multiple equilibria in dynamic rational expectations models: a critical review', in the European Economic Review. His current focus is on the application of dynamic games to trade.


The present invention relates to a power transmission apparatus for a vehicle. The apparatus may include: a motor-assisted drive unit; having a first rotary element, a torque converting means rotating a second rotational element and the third element, wherein a first rotation element connected to an electric auxiliary drive unit, a second rotary element connected to an engine , and a third rotation element as the output element; directly connected to the second input shaft to the first rotating element, and a second input shaft is directly connected to the third rotation element; selectively connecting a first rotary member, a first It means directly coupling two rotating elements among the second rotary element and the third rotation element, a first speed output unit having a first synchronizer module and the second synchronizer module, and a third and a fourth synchronization synchronizer module the second speed output unit module; and engaged with the idler gear and the first input shaft to an arbitrary input shaft and a second reverse speed input gear wheels.


Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) steering is an important quantum resource in quantum information and computation. The relationships between EPR steering and the fidelity of quantum teleportation for two- and three-qubit states are investigated in this paper. For two-qubit states, the upper bound of the average teleportation fidelity based on the EPR steering is derived. When the receiver can only perform the identity or the Pauli rotation operations, the two-qubit X-type states which violate the three-setting measurements steering inequality could be used for teleportation. In the end, the steering observables and the average teleportation fidelities of two-qubit reduced states for three-qubit pure states maintain the same ordering. The complementary relations between the steering observables and the average teleportation fidelities for three-qubit pure states are also established.


Abstract : The ultimate goal of standardization is to develop a safe and effective program that is recognized within the USAF, DoD, and by other Federal and state law enforcement agencies, and the general public. The objectives are to enhance enforcement and environmental laws/Regs, enhance force protection capabilities, improve program effectiveness, improve safety and reduce liability.


By carefully following the spatial and temporal criteria of the Debye-Hückel (DH) approximation, we present a detailed theoretical study on the redshifts of the spectroscopically isolated Heα lines corresponding to the 1s2p 1P → 1s2 S emission from two-electron ions embedded in external dense plasma. We first focus our study on the ratio R = ωα/ωo between the redshift ωα due to the external plasma environment and the energy ωo of the Heα line in the absence of the plasma. Interestingly, the result of our calculation shows that this ratio R turns out to vary as a nearly universal function of a reduced Debye length λD(Z) = (Z − 1)D. Since the ratio R dictates the necessary energy resolution for a quantitative measurement of the redshifts and, at the same time, the Debye length D is linked directly to the plasma density and temperature, the dependence of R on D should help to facilitate the potential experimental efforts for a quantitative measurement of the redshifts for the Heα line of the two-electron ions. In addition, our study has led to a nearly constant redshift ωα at a given D for all He-like ions with Z between 5 and 18 based on our recent critical assessment of the applicability of the DH approximation to atomic transitions. These two general features, if confirmed by observation, would offer a viable and easy alternative in the diagnostic efforts of the dense plasma.


A method is proposed for identifying the location of an open transverse crack in flexible rotor systems by modeling the crack as a localized element with rotating asymmetry. It exploits the strong correlations between the modal constants of the reverse directional frequency response functions (r-dFRFs) and the degree and location of asymmetry. A map of the modal constants of the r-dFRFs for all elements is constructed to identify the location of crack by comparing the identified modal constants to those of the reference map. This paper also addresses practical issues associated with measurement noises and limited number of sensors. The proposed crack identification method is finally applied to a flexible rotor system with an open transverse crack in order to demonstrate the identification procedure for detection of the crack location.


The utility model discloses a DCS system response time testing apparatus, belonging to the field of nuclear power station, comprising a display screen for displaying FPGA processing process and result, an FPGA module used for receiving and processing signals, and a photoelectric conversion module used for converting the image color change of a controlled device, wherein the FPGA module is connected with the display screen, the photoelectric conversion module and the controlled device respectively, and the photoelectric conversion module is connected with a DCS control end. In the utility model, the FPGA is used for receiving a motion change time of the same controlled when the same controlled device receives a control signal and a feedback time of the DCS control end when the DCS control end receives the control signal, and the current response time of the controlled device can be obtained through calculation. The DCS system response time testing apparatus can perform comprehensive test and verification on the response time of a digital nuclear power station instrument control system, thereby ensuring the reliable and stable operation of the nuclear power station.


Cement based grouting material as a functional materials, in addition to the general characteristics of the single cement slurry, has many excellent characteristics in its permeability, stability,etc,which has a significant application prospect. The research and applications of polyurethane cement grouting materials,superfine cement grouting materials,fly-ash cement grouting materials,and other underground grouting materials was introduced in this paper. At last,cement-based grouting materials are summarized and prospected.


This paper tests the conditional multi-asset Intertemporal CAPM of Merton (1973). When a single-asset static or Intertemporal CAPM is estimated, the risk-return relation is weak. Inclusion of additional assets inceases the power and efficiency of the test, making the price of market risk positive and significant. The prices of market and intertemporal risk are allowed to vary over time thanks to the regime switching model of Hamilton (1988, 1989, 1990, 1994). Two regimes are identified, one in which the price of market risk is high and the price of intertemporal risk is low, and one in which the reverse occurs, i.e. the first price is high and the second low. This can be interpreted as a switch in investors' preferences whose degree of risk aversion increases in correspondence to or after financial turmoil. Moreover, while stocks appear to be good hedges against business cycle downturns, fixed income securities do not.


Abstract Swamp forests dominated by Picea abies contribute strongly to the total plant species richness in boreal forests. The variation in species composition and environmental conditions in swamp forests and the relationships of swamp forests to mires and upland forest, have, however, remained insufficiently known. From a preliminary survey of 57 spruce swamp forests, eleven localities were selected to represent the variation in the study area with respect to size and nutrient status, and altitude and position in the landscape. Physiographic and hydrotopographic descriptions were made. A total of 150 1-m2 plots were distributed on the localities by a restricted random procedure. In each plot, the abundance of all vascular plants, bryophytes and macrolichens was recorded as frequency in 16 subplots, 53 variables (topographic and geographic, tree influence, water-table, water chemical and physical, and soil chemical and physical) were measured. The gradient ( coenocline) structure of vegetation was found by parallel DCA and LNMDS ordinations, interpreted ecologically by analysis of correlations and geostatistical patterns. The two main coenoclines were the same for the full species composition and for vascular plant and cryptogams considered separately. The first gradient was related to soil acidity and nutrient concentrations: plots segregated into relatively poor (and intermediate) and richer swamp forests. Nitrogen availability is considered a decisive factor for species' responses to this gradient. The second gradient was related to depth to the water table and mesotopographic relief of the swamp-forest surface, varying mostly on fine (0.75-1.5 m) scales. Vascular plants segregate along this gradient due to a trade-off between tolerances to waterlogging and drought, bryophyte are influenced by a complex set of factors. Two minor vegetation gradients were also found; one related to microtopography (extending from flat, lawn-like areas dominated by large bryophytes to more strongly sloping sites dominated by small mosses and hepatics; 'pocket species') and one weakly related to the annual water-table amplitude. Relatively strong coenoclines were found that separated entire swamp forests but were uncorrelated with measured variables. These occurred because all swamp forests, notably the richer, had a strong element of uniqueness in species composition, probably because species are recruited from a large species pool during thousands of years. Swamp forest is proposed as a broad term for all peatlands with trees, including mire margin, from which it is essentially indistinguishable. Similarities with, and differences from, open mire and forest on mineral soil are discussed. Some unique features of swamp forests are pointed out. A classification of swamp forests into eight site-types by division of the two main gradients is proposed. Descriptions are provided for the six site-types encountered in the study area. All intact richer swamp forests and a representative selection of poor swamp forests should be protected if maintenance of the biological diversity of (coniferous) forests in general, and swamp forests in particular, is aimed at.


Abstract This paper considers the membership, terms of reference and assumptions governing the work of the Plowden Committee. It evaluates criticisms made since of its proposals and findings. It relates the Committee's conclusions to possible change models and to forms of policy analysis that might have been used.


This research and development aims to develop immunization report format in  Regional health  9 th  by apply the theory of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) that consists of 6 steps such as (1) plan (2) analyze (3) design (4) develop (5) implement and (6) maintain to do report by write scripting language to require data from a provincial health data center (43 files) then process and display according to a report format. The user including the executives of  Regional health  9 th , the officer who work with immunization data in region, province, district and sub-district, and the officer of Disease Prevention and Control 5 and Provincial Health Office in Regional health  9 th .  This study found that we could produce immunization report format of Regional health  9 th , developed by follow standards of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and developed by follow structure of academic products standards that use process of ADDIE Model. The data, that we got, have a quality of health data standard (43 files) and Public Health Ministry standard that link the same set data in every service.  The user could be quickly and easily access via internet all the times and have overall satisfied at high level (average 3.85).  This study could be used as a guide to evaluate quality of data and develop other health report format by linking with health data system from record level of all services (43files) to analysis level that suitable for use in region, that could be used for surveillance, prevention and control disease and health hazards in health area. This is lead to the policy decision, solve problem decision, and general management has be improved.