The approach to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of road concrete using optical lever system was introduced. CTE of 144 concrete specimens was determined with it. The coarse aggregate in these specimens contains 8 kinds of stones from 19 origins. Measured data was satisfactory verified by AASHTO TP60. The results showed that: CTE of road concrete was between 4.76×10/C and 12.1×10/C. Coarse aggregate type had a great influence on CTE. When aggregate content was equivalent, the higher CTE of the aggregate, the higher CTE of concrete contained that aggregate. The sensitivity of concrete for different temperature ranges and the same temperature gradient has no significant difference, such as 20C to 30C and 30C to 40C. Meanwhile, amount of concrete expanse when temperature increment was equal with concrete shrinkage when temperature reduction. Keywords-coefficient of thermal expansion; road concrete; measurement approach optical lever; aggregate


The goal of this technical note is to design a switching signal estimator for a class of elementary continuous-time switching or switched systems. First, the elementary system is recast into a polynomial form and, secondly, some tools borrowed from Algebraic Geometry are used to express the switching signal as a function of the time derivatives of the output and of the input.


The dietary intake of nutritional elements by Koreans as determined by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's National Nutrition Survey have been reported for $1969{\sim}1993$ . But these data were based on not dish but food. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare dish sources of energy...


n e w YORK (UPI) Stocks plunged sharply Wednesday amid Congressional clamor fo r some form o f U.S. retaliation against N orth Korea fo r the downing o f a U.S. reconnaissance plane. Turnover was moderate. Oils and electronics were among the hardest h it issues, w ith oils holding the top four positions on the most active list. Three were losers. The o il industry faces a possible cut in its depletion allowance. The UPI stock market Indicator, measuring all stocks traded, dropped 0.64 per cent on 1,559 issues crossing the tape. O f these, 910 declined and 408 advanced. There were 126 new lows and 22 new highs. The New York Stock Exchange Index mirrored a loss o f 42 cents in the average common share price. Fifth girl found slain In Ann Arbor


Images of shuttle launches and earthrise over the rim of the moon are iconic representations of American strength, technical capacity, and the future of humankind. Yet, the agency responsible for these images, NASA, finds itself chronically underfunded, buffeted by changes in externally defined direction, and currently without a clear next mission. This raises questions about the place of the agency in American space science and engineering. Here NASA's relations with its aerospace contractors are explored to uncover its changing roles vis-à-vis industry, from directive to adaptive to facilitative, and the impact of these contracting relations on agency program definition.


The mobile learning literature, particularly studies that focus on interaction or context, has the tendency to be top-down and highly scripted. Mobility is designed into learning scenarios and spaces. In this article, I proposed a practice perspective for research as an alternative starting point to 'set in motion' all modes of learning (blended, e-, distance, campus-based and mobile) based on mobilities research. A practice perspective seeks to understand what is being done in terms of both the social and material reconfiguration of bodies, spaces and technologies through the increasingly dialectic links between absence and presence, proximity and distance and individualism and community. This article takes into account not only the technologies we 'wear', but also the embodied and material performances implied by repeated and relocated media production and consumption in terms of what used to be known as oxymorons: absent presence, public privacy and isolated connectivity. These realities do not merely suggest the widening of context. This article argues that the context of inquiry is no longer where things happen, instead it is what happens as practice. Two accounts borrowed from media studies on how to mobilise 'mediaspace' are described as new analytical orientations for consideration to 'move' research into practice.


A free trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine would help accelerate institutional improvements that are needed in Ukraine to better use the agri-food sector's potential. An improved business environment would support Dutch companies to explore the many opportunities offered by the present state and development potential of Ukraine's agri-food supply chain.


This study aims to see and analyze how Value for Money influences the financial management of the Bireuen district government. The population to be studied in this study are all employees at the BPKD office in Bireuen district and for sampling to be used is probability sampling which is a random sampling method. The data analysis method used is multiple linear regression with the help of using the SPSS Version 26 application. Based on the results of the research and discussion that has been carried out, the authors can conclude that Economy, Efficiency, and Effectiveness, simultaneously affect government financial management at the BPKD office in Bireuen Regency. The importance of increasing Value for Money (economy, efficiency, and effectiveness) in order to create quality local government financial management.


If the boundary surfaces of a three-dimentional image are blurred bynoise,the normal moment onvariants can not be used.In this paper,the blurredboundary surfaces are more accurately induced in a modified principal componentmethod,and some invariant quantities under a special linear transformation havebeen also obtained.This research could be considered an extension of results notedin[4].


Quantitative electron microscopy is used to provide new information regarding the purity and the amounts of plasma membrane originating from various regions of the surface of the boar spermatozoon when such membranes are prepared by nitrogen cavitation and sucrose density centrifugation. These data show that the plasma membranes originate primarily from the head of the spermatozoon; they also show that contamination of these plasma membranes by acrosomal and mitochondrial membranes is negligible. Immunolocalization, using plasma membrane vesicles and divalent IgG directed against plasma membrane antigens, shows that plasma membrane vesicles bind extensively to intact sperm plasma membranes but rarely bind to the outer acrosomal membrane. These new data, taken together with that which has been previously reported, indicate that means for obtaining undamaged, highly purified


We review the many-body nature of the quantum material copper carbodiimide, CuNCN, which exhibits seemingly contradictive physical properties such as a local Cu(II)–N coordination conforming to a 1st order Jahn–Teller effect, the total absence of magnetic neutron scattering and a fairly complex temperature dependence of its magnetic susceptibility indicating both Pauliand Arrhenius-like regimes. It is shown that a spin-liquid (or resonating valence bond, RVB) approach for modelling the frustrated antiferromagnetic interactions in CuNCN not only allows for a vivid physicochemical picture of the compound but also predicts three RVB states differing in their dimensionalities as a function of the temperature. In addition, RVB theory semi-quantitatively describes subtle (and to a certain extent even paradoxical) structural effects in the lattice parameters at very low temperature. The alternative magnetically ordered or spin-Peierls models of CuNCN, however, are in conflict with the physical nature of the material.


policy. Climate change, environmental standards for export credit agencies (ECAs), and regulation of geneticall y modified organisms (GMOs) have all proven to be significant sources of transatlantic divergences. This is primarily the case because thes e topics are not purely environmental issues, but rather cross-cutting policy challenges with substantial impacts on a number of policy areas. The se topics entail both complex cost-benefit assessments and coordination among different domestic and foreign policy bureaucracies . In order to protect the earth's ecosystem, climate change policy calls for adjustments in energy production, transport, infrastructure, industry and economics; climate change, however, also poses critical questions regarding North-South relations , inter-generational equity, and the future of the capitalist system. Likewise, international environmental standards for ECAs do not only address ecological concerns in international investment decisions, they also create a level playing field for international competition. Finally, the regulation of GMOs aims at minimizing the risks of biotechnology for humans and their environment; at the same time, however, regulations can become non-tariff barriers to trade. The examples in this paper provide only a glimpse into the broad range of transatlantic environmental policy challenges. Yet, each of them represents a pattern for negotiation dynamics in other cases of transatlantic environmental negotiations: International environmental standards for ECAs are based on a U.S. initiative; the result of which can be regarded as an internationaliz ation of U .S. domestic regulation entailing high adaptation costs for other industrialized countries. In GMO politics we find a counterfactual case: here, Europeans have managed to agree on domestic regulation early and create a set of rules


In this study we present an analysis of a sample of field blue straggler (BS) stars that show high ultra violet emission in their spectral energy distributions (SED): indication of a hot white dwarf (WD) companion to BS. Using photometry available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX ) surveys we identified 80 stars with UV excess. To determine the parameter distributions (mass, temperature and age) of the WD companions, we developed a fitting routine that could fit binary model SEDs to the observed SED. Results from this fit indicate the need for a hot WD companion to provide the excess UV flux. The WD mass distribution peaks at $\sim$$0.4\ M_{\odot}$, suggesting the primary formation channel of field BSs is case B mass transfer, i.e. when the donor star is in red giant phase of its evolution. Based on stellar evolutionary models, we estimate the lower limit of the binary mass transfer efficiency to be $\beta \sim 0.5$.


The invention is directed to an improvement in centrifugal contactors of a type used for solvent extraction systems in nuclear reactor fuel reprocessing. The centrifugal contactor is vertically oriented and is provided with an annular vertically oriented mixing chamber between the rotor housing and the rotor wherein the mixing of the process liquids such as the aqueous and organic phases of the solvent extraction process used for nuclear fuel reprocessing takes place. A set of helically disposed vanes carried by the housing is positioned in the lower region of the mixing chamber at a location below the inlets of the process liquids for the purpose of urging the liquids in an upward direction. The upper region of the mixing vessel above the inlets for the process liquids is also provided with a helically disposed vane set carried by the housing which urges the liquid in a downward direction when the liquid flow rates through the inlets are relatively high and liquid contacts the vane set in the upper region. The use of these opposing vane sets in the mixing zone within a desirable level while providing a greater degree of mixing of the process liquids which generates more liquid surfacemore » area for contact and improves the mass transfer between the process liquids. The van set in the lower region also significantly reduces or eliminates the formation of vortices which induces cavitation and air entrainment in the process liquids which detract from the efficiency of the centrifugal contactor. 2 figs.« less


During DNA double-strand break repair, two structure-specific DNA nucleases are controlled by the same regulator Pxd1, but in opposite manners.


This paper reflects the results of an empirical study, based on which the hypothesis was confirmed that pedagogical optimism of bachelors means external reinforcement and encouraging cognitive activity. The subject of the research is the process of formation of pedagogical optimism of bachelors by means of cognitive activity. The problem development analysis in theory and psychological-pedagogical practice has been carried out; the meaningful content of the concept «pedagogical optimism as a professional-personal quality of an educational psychologist» has been clarified. The purpose of the research is to develop and verify the formation model of pedagogical optimism as a professional and personal quality by means of external reinforcements and incentives for cognitive activity and specially created pedagogical conditions for its effective implementation in the process of teaching high school students. A number of methods were used in the paper; among them the study and analysis of the progressive, innovative work of higher education teachers, who consider the optimist's theory of formation as the basis personality perception of the world. This is an integrative quality of the personality, including the cheerfulness of the personality, its cognitive activity, positive, motivational mood for educational activities, based on the belief in creative, intellectual forces and their own capabilities. The source of pedagogical optimism is the teacher's sense of humor, contributing to the establishment of good, sincere relationships, providing psychological comfort, encouraging students to learn, to motivational cognitive activity. © 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK


Objective To investigate the relationship between IgG antibody titer in pregnant women with maternal-fetal ABO blood incompatibility and hemolytic disease of fetuses and newborns.Methods From January 31 2009 to January 31 2010,1269 singleton pregnant women who were suspected to have maternal fetal ABO blood incompatibility in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,Southwest Hospital,Third Military University were collected.Anti-A or anti-B IgG titers of them were detected at 28-30 gestational age,and umbilical cord blood were taken when delivery and hemolytic disease of the newborn serological test were done to diagnose hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN).The relationship between the titers and incidence of fetal or neonatal hemolytic disease was retrospectively analyzed by Kendall tau rank correlation.Results No IgG of anti-A or anti-B in serum were found in 58.4% (741/1269) pregnant women,while the antibody titer of 5.1% (65/1269) pregnant women were more than or equal to 1 ∶ 128.When they were tested again at 36 gestational week,the titer of 17 cases increased twice but lower than 1 ∶ 512.No signs of intrauterine hemolysis,such as edema,ascites and pleural effusion,were found.Three hundred and eighty neonates (29.9%,380/1269) were diagnosed as HDN.Among which,12 cases (3.2%,12/380) showed mild anemia and (or) jaundice within 24 hours after delivery.There was positive correlation between incidence of neonatal hemolysis and antibody titer(Tb=-0.293,P<0.01).The incidence of HDN increased from 85.4% (35/41) in women with antibody titer of 1 ∶ 128 to 5/5 inwomen with antibody titer at 1 ∶ 512 (x2=108.906,P<0.01).Among 380 HDN neonates,322 cases were transferred to neonatal intensive care unit for phototherapy based comprehensive therapy,and two underwent exchange transfusion.All patients were cured.Conclusions The intrauterine hemolysis incidence of patients with suspected maternal-fetal ABO blood incompatibility is very low,and no special care is required during pregnancy.Anti-A or anti-B tests during pregnancy is helpful in early diagnosis and management of HDN.

Key words:
Maternal-fetal ABO blood incompatibility;  Intrauterine fetus hemolysis; Neonatal hemolysis ;  Treatment outcomes


Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), two of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Mammalian neuronal cells abundantly express a deubiquitinating (DUB) enzyme, Ubiquitin Carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), which is involved in the pathogenesis of both of these neurodegenerative diseases. This DUB is selectively expressed in the brain and its activity is required for normal synaptic function. Here we show that UCH-L1 activity is up-regulated by NMDA receptor activation and that this upregulation leads to increase in mono-Ub levels in the cell. Furthermore, we show that pharmacological inhibition of UCH-L1 leads to reduction of mono-Ub levels in the cell and causes dramatic alterations in size and distribution of many pre- and post- synaptic proteins. Moreover, for the first time we show that, both in vitro and in vivo, application of UCH-L1 specific inhibitor LDN, reduces UCH-L1 ability to bind to ubiquitin. In addition to using pharmacology, genetic tools such as RNAi against UCH-L1 and overexpression of mutant constructs were used to study the effect of altered UCH-L1 activity on synaptic protein composition. These findings suggest that through modulating mono-ubiquitin levels in cells, in an activity dependent manner, UCH-L1 plays an important role in neuronal synaptic remodeling.


Abstract Calcite collectors often ask, "How many kinds of calcite twins are there?" The answer is hard to give because the word kinds is ambiguous. The question can be given an unambiguous answer, however, if the question is rephrased: "How many twin laws are there for calcite?" In this case, the answer is "four." I will go further and assert that there are four, and only four, twin laws for calcite. The rest of this article will be spent explaining my answer and providing enough information that an observant collector should be able to tell whether a calcite crystal is twinned or not and to determine which of the four twin laws is represented. The basics of calcite crystallography are well covered in the excellent article by Brock (1993), and basic aspects of twinning are covered by Werner Lieber elsewhere in this issue.


In this paper we present an experimental set up, built with low cost materials, for studying three-phase generators and alternating current circuits. The setup allows several experiments in c.a. regime to be carried out, which will be proposed throughout the article. In addition, the setup can be arranged to generate several waveforms with peak voltages in the order of 1 V. The student can observe harmonic distortion effects of the generator signal and its influence on the maximum average power transferred. The setup can also be used as a demonstrative tool for assisting in the phenomenological understanding of Faraday's induction law and can be used in either classrooms or laboratories.


Several measures on power reduction for electrolyzer were discussed, including the design of electrolysis plant building, reasonably choosing electrolyzer, diaphragm and guide board, and the measures on strengthening management of electrolyzer.


The Environmental Laboratory (EL) and the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) have jointly completed a number of large-scale hydrodynamic, sediment and water quality transport studies. EL and CHL have successfully executed these studies utilizing the Geophysical Scale Transport Modeling System (GSMB). The model framework of GSMB is composed of multiple process models as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) accepted wave, hydrodynamic, sediment and water quality transport models are directly and indirectly linked within the GSMB framework. The components of GSMB are the two-dimensional (2D) deep-water wave action model (WAM) (Komen et al. 1994, Jensen et al. 2012), data from meteorological model (MET) (e.g., Saha et al. 2010 - http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/2010BAMS3001.1), shallow water wave models (STWAVE) (Smith et al. 1999), Coastal Modeling System wave (CMS-WAVE) (Lin et al. 2008), the large-scale, unstructured two-dimensional Advanced Circulation (2D ADCIRC) hydrodynamic model (http://www.adcirc.org), and the regional scale models, Curvilinear Hydrodynamics in three dimensions-Multi-Block (CH3D-MB) (Luong and Chapman 2009), which is the multi-block (MB) version of Curvilinear Hydrodynamics in three-dimensions-Waterways Experiments Station (CH3D-WES) (Chapman et al. 1996, Chapman et al. 2009), MB CH3D-SEDZLJ sediment transport model (Hayter et al. 2012), and CE-QUAL Management - ICM water quality model (Bunch et al. 2003, Cerco and Cole 1994). Task 1 of the DOER project, "Modeling Transport in Wetting/Drying and Vegetated Regions," is to implement and test three-dimensional (3D) wetting and drying (W/D) within GSMB. This technical note describes the methods and results of Task 1. The original W/D routines were restricted to a single vertical layer or depth-averaged simulations. In order to retain the required 3D or multi-layer capability of MB-CH3D, a multi-block version with variable block layers was developed (Chapman and Luong 2009). This approach requires a combination of grid decomposition, MB, and Message Passing Interface (MPI) communication (Snir et al. 1998). The MB single layer W/D has demonstrated itself as an effective tool in hyper-tide environments, such as Cook Inlet, Alaska (Hayter et al. 2012). The code modifications, implementation, and testing of a fully 3D W/D are described in the following sections of this technical note.


Background: Glioblastomas are highly aggressive and malignant brain tumors which are difficult to resect totally. The surgical extent of resection constitutes a key role due to its direct influence on the patient's survival time. To determine the resection extent, the tumor volume on pre-operative and post-operative magnetic resonance (MR) images should be calculated and compared.Materials and Methods: An active contour segmentation method was implemented to segment glioblastoma brain tumors on pre-operative T1-contrast enhanced MR images in axial, coronal and sagittal planes by self-developed software. The volume was rendered from the tumor contours using Delaunay triangulation. Besides the segmentation and volume rendering, a graphical user interface was developed to facilitate the rendering, visualization and volume calculation of the brain tumor. The software was implemented in MATLAB (version 7.2). Two MR image data sets from glioblastoma patients were used and the repeatability and reproducibility of volume calculation was tested. Dimensions of the calculated tumor volume were then compared to the dimensions obtained in Amira® software.Results: The tumor volumes for data set 1 and data set 2 were 62.7 and 39.0 cm3, respectively. When tumor was segmented by different users (n=4), the volumes were 62.5 ± 0.3 and 42.6 ± 3.5 cm3. Segmentation errors were seen during the segmentation of data set 2. Mainly under- and over-segmentation due to hypointense MR signals caused by cerebrospinal fluid, or hyperintense MR signals caused by skull bone and weak tumor boundaries led to wrong segmentation results.Conclusion: Segmentation using active contours method is able to detect the brain tumor boundaries. The volume rendering and visualization allows the user to explore the tumor tissue and its surrounding interactively. Using the software, tumor volume is precisely calculated.


is not an ontological state' nor an intrinsic property of the individual. ... Such a rejection of an essential human nature ... bears significant implications for theological anthropology, and for the Christian doctrine of the Imago Dei. It challenges notions of an eternal, pre-existent human nature, and suggests that theological teachings concerning a God-given order of creation or Natural Law which pre-ordains separate functions for women and men may be untenable' (pp. 217 & 223). This then, is a book that, depending on theological background and outlook, will be variously celebrated or rejected out of hand. However, the question at its heart is a pertinent one. '[It] is effectively a question about the authority of secular perspectives; but also about the nature of Christian orthodoxy,


1. Introduction This article reviews EU cases reported in e-Competitions and dealing with the application of Article 101, or its national equivalent, to vertical agreements in 2012. Previous…


This report describes work funded by Department for the Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) and carried out by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), with support from the National Environmental Technology Centre, to measure the gaseous emissions from an onshore crude stabilisation plant. The measurements were made using the NPL Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) facility at the BP Exploration Wytch Farm Gathering Station. This site receives crude oil from local wellsites, stabilises the crude, separates LPG and natural gas, and then exports the products by pipelines. The DIAL facility was used to measure controlled and fugitive emissions of VOCs from all areas of the site. Measurements took place over a 5 day campaign, from 23/3/97 to 27/3/98. The measurements were used to determine an estimate of the total site emission factor of ~0.04% +- 0.005% by mass.


We may need to be open to new ideas Editor—If evidence based diagnosis is still in the dark ages, as Delamothe writes, 1 then so is evidence based treatment. The doctor's job is to choose the right treatment. If the diagnosis is wrong then the treatment will be wrong. Inaccurate diagnoses will also affect clinical trials. A treatment may be "evidence based" because it has worked in a published study, but some patients who would have responded might have been left out because of diagnostic inaccuracy while some patients with no prospect of responding might have been included incorrectly. 2 Evidence based diagnosis is about convincing others using shared rules of evidence that a diagnosis (and its implications in terms of treatment) should be accepted by others. Evidence is gathered from the individual and from groups of patients. 3 Evidence based diagnosis means specifying the individual's facts in addition to pointing to facts relating to that diagnosis in the literature. 4


Hawaii shares with many other isolated areas and island communities of the Pacific a near-total dependence for energy on imported oil--a supply source which during the past decade has become increasingly expensive and less secure. Hawaii also shares with many of these areas which are deficient in conventional energy supplies, a variety of renewable energy resources which can serve as substitutes, or alternatives to seaborne petroleum. A case study showing what has been accomplished in Hawaii in moving one of these resources--wind energy--closer to commercialization is based on the limited amount of known information on the potential of wind energy in the Pacific region and studies which are underway to expand the knowledge on the extent of the wind resource throughout thi region. The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) and the Department of Meteorology of the University of Hawaii have developed over the past 6 years an inventory of the wind resource in Hawaii. This effort involved an extensive system of 18 long-term wind data stations located on the five major islands, supplemented by a series of mobile, short-term stations and a loan program of wind measurement devices for specific site measurements. The Hawaii Wind Data Bank provides information both to wind researchers and to those who are seeking optimum sites for installing wind energy conversion systems (WECS). HNEI also is engaged in a WECS reliability verification program and is conducting research on various wind energy applications, including storage and nitrogen generation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 983------------


As a discrete analog to Minkowski's theorem on convex bodies, Wills conjectured that the Ehrhart coefficients of a $0$-symmetric lattice polytope with exactly one interior lattice point are maximized by those of the cube of side length two. We discuss several counterexamples to this conjecture and, on the positive side, we identify a family of lattice polytopes that fulfill the claimed inequalities. This family is related to the recently introduced class of $l$-reflexive polytopes.


The phenomenon of early marriage us currently fife in various places. Early marriage arises because there is a trigger factor. In of the main factors in early marriage is the case of premarital pregnancy. This case happens a lot because of lack of knowledge about education. Besides education factors. Lack of knowledge and information is not enough to help navigate the household ark. The unpreparedness of the mental aspect. Economic, social status affects the continuity of early marriage. As result early divorces occur between early marriage couples. This research is qualitative research with analytical descriptive analysis technique, which gives or describes a phenomenon, the views of Islamic education figures, factors, and the positive and negative sides of early marriage. The research subjects were determined by purposive sampling technique, where the informant was determined intentionally based on a specific location that is the big city of Yogyakarta with 6 participants. Data collection is done by interview, observation and documentation and literature collection according to the research theme. Based on the results of the analysis and findings it can be conclude that the


An approach to decentralized control of supply networks based on the collective intelligence theory and multiagent systems is proposed. A test-bed is deployed on the CAPNET agent platform. The experimental results are discussed.


The increasing piracy in the Gulf of Aden has captured the attention of the international community. Somali pirates have proven their ability to attack all types of vessels from small yachts to giant oil supertankers. As a result, series of serious efforts by international community have been undertaken to put an end to this emerging phenomenon. These include, deploying the biggest anti-piracy fleet in modern history, permitting warships to purse pirates in Somali territorial waters under special conditions, and the new approach toward establishing international tribunals to prosecute pirates. However, there is a growing need to re-examine Somali piracy counter-measures and evaluate their effectiveness. In this respect, a profound analysis of the circumstances surrounding Somali piracy is required. It is crucial to question to what extent the current anti-piracy efforts respond to the original roots of the problem and the needs of Somalia. This research critically analyzes anti-piracy efforts taken by the international community and its impact on the ground. In this regard, a holistic approach was taken to examine Somali piracy. Any anti-piracy measures have to respond to the roots of the problem in order to guarantee their effectiveness in the long-term. Undoubtedly, building a military coalition to patrol ships passing through Somali waters is a needed measure to deter pirates. However, it is crucial to ask ourselves to what extent such measures are sustainable and to what extent it responds to the roots of the problem. Thus, the international community needs to look to the bigger picture and to carefully analyze factors contributing to spread of piracy especially off the coast of Somali. The solution to piracy may lie on the land not in the sea.


Abstract Monthly precipitation based on forecasts from the new 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) is evaluated for the north polar region (the region north of 45°N), the terrestrial Arctic drainage, and its four major watersheds: the Ob, Yenisey, Lena, and Mackenzie basins. Corresponding evaluations are performed for precipitation from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis, the earlier 15-yr ERA (ERA-15), and satellite-derived estimates from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). Evaluations rely on an improved gridded dataset of precipitation derived from monthly gauge data during the period 1979–93. The available number of gauges has declined since 1993, making it difficult to perform evaluations for later years. ERA-40 depicts monthly precipitation much better than NCEP–NCAR. This is with respect to both lower mean biases and higher squared correlations between modeled and observed grid-cell time series. Squared correlations between monthly time series of ERA-40 and observed precipitation, averaged over...


Now,more and more colleges and universities began to focus on entrepreneurship education for college students,the article attempts to build entrepreneurial training model Note from college,preparatory work,and how to build to make some suggestions to help colleges and universities to establish the university of entrepreneurial training model to adapt to the needs of social development.


Contributors, vi Preface, vii Acknowledgements, viii 1 Introducing Geriatric Medicine, 1 Nicola Cooper & Graham Mulley 2 Prescribing in Older People, 5 Jon Cooper & Julia Howarth 3 Delirium, 11 John Holmes 4 Falls, 16 Nicola Cooper 5 Bone Health, 23 Katrina Topp 6 Syncope, 28 Raja Hussain 7 Transient Ischaemic Attack and Stroke, 34 Jon Cooper 8 Dementia, 39 John Wattis & Stephen Curran 9 Urinary Incontinence, 43 Eileen Burns & Anne Siddle 10 Peri-operative Problems, 48 Kirsty Forrest 11 Rehabilitation, 53 Lauren Ralston & John Young 12 Palliative Care, 59 Lucy Nicholson & Suzanne Kite 13 Discharge Planning, 64 Mamoun Elmamoun & Graham Mulley 14 Intermediate Care, 69 Nicola Turner & Catherine Tandy 15 Benefi ts and Social Services, 73 John Pearn & Rosemary Young Index, 77


Hinduism is a source of various sciences. Among the famous Vedic scripture, Arthaśāstra has known as one of the primary references in finding leadership values. The remnants of leadership values from Arthaśāstra in Indonesia can be traced through the existence of Old Javanese Scripture ( Lontar ) such as Kakawin Niti Sastra , Lontar Nitipraya , Lontar Sewaka Dharma , and many others. This study examines the Sewaka Dharma work ethic, An Implementation of Hindu leadership on the Text of Arthaśāstra in The Government of Denpasar City. As a qualitative study, the data collection methods used in this study are in the form of observation, in-depth interviews, and literature studies. Furthermore, the analytical strategy applied in this research is the Qualitative Content Analysis in the form of Ethnographic Content Analysis (ECA). The Implementation of Hindu Leadership in the Text of Arthaśāstra in The Government of Denpasar City is embodied in the work ethic spirit of Sewaka Dharma . The essence of leadership in Arthaśāstra is an effort to realize Yogaksema . A situation where the state and its people live in welfare and prosperity, both in terms of physical/material, inner/emotional & spiritual. This essence is illustrated by the work ethic spirit of Sewaka Dharma , where the Government of Denpasar City always serves and nurtures its people to realize the yogaksema of the people of Denpasar City. The implementation of the Sewaka Dharma spirit is not only seen in the development of the Leadership model in the Government of Denpasar City, but also in their efforts to realize good governance and excellent public service.


In the period up to 1970 most β-lactam research was concerned with the penicillin and cephalosporin group of antibiotics. Since that time, however, a wide variety of new mono- and bicyclic β-lactam structures have been described. The carbapenems originated from natural sources; the penem ring and its derivatives are the products of the chemical synthetic approach to new antibiotics. The chemical names are: 7-oxo-(R)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid, C7H7NO3, and 7-oxo-(R)-4-thia-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid, C6H5NO3S, respectively. Carbapenems include thienamycin (C11H16N2O4S), MM 4550 (C13H16N2O9S2), MM 13902 (C13H16N2O8S2), MM 17880 (C13H18N2O2S2), PS-5 (C13H18N2O4S), carpetimycin A (C14H18N2O6S), asparenomycin A (C14H16N2O6S), and pluracidomycin A (C9H11NO10S2). Only S. cattleya and S. penemfaciens have been reported to give thienamycin. Thienamycin is isolated as a colorless, hygroscopic, zwitterionic solid. Carbapenems are extremely sensitive to many reaction conditions. Many derivatives of the amino, hydroxy, and carboxy group of thienamycin have been prepared primarily to study structure–activity relationships. One consequence of the discovery of the carbapenem natural products has been the development of new synthetic methods. Only chemical synthesis could provide the quantities of N-formimidoyl thienamycin (MK 0787) necessary for clinical trials and commercial production. A synthetic approach that involves the [3,4] bond formation using a carbene insertion reaction has been highly successful. A second method makes use of the lactone from acetone dicarboxylate. Thienamycin, the olivanic acids, and the majority of carbapenems are highly active broad-spectrum antibiotics. Of the natural products, thienamycin is the most potent. Unlike carbapenems, no penems have been found in nature. The penem acid was shown to possess antibacterial activity in spite of its rather limited stability. Penems include SCH 29482 (C10H13NO4S2), SCH 34343 (C11H14N2O6S2), FCE 221201 (C10H12N2O6S), and others. 6-Unsubstituted penems exhibit good activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Extensive carbapenem and penem antibiotic research has been ongoing since thienamycin was discovered in 1978. However, only the imipenem–cilastatin combination has become a commercial product. Meropenem was expected to be the second carbapenem on the market.

Keywords:

Carbapenems;
Penems;
Biological properties;
Thienamycin;
Woodward's route;
Fermentation;
Biosynthesis


The study sought to evaluate the response of three groundnut genotypes (Binachinabadam-3, Dacca-1 and Zhingabadam) to various salt concentrations (D0 – Control, D1 – 2.5 dS/m, D2 – 5.0 dS/m, D3 – 7.5 dS/m, D4 – 10.0 dS/m, D5 – 12.5 dS/m) through observation of morphological and physiological characters. Based on relative performance of yield contributing characters and nutrient contents of leaves and stem, Binachinabadam-3 emerged to be a tolerant variety and based on root shoot characters, Dacca-1 appeared as tolerant while Zhingabadam always performed as sensitive variety. Salinity treatments had most adverse effects at flowering stage and followed the trend of sensitivity as flowering stage > vegetative stage> pre sowing stage > pod filling stage. All varieties were found to be tolerant up to salinity level of 7.5 dS/m.


Plasma-based processes to inactivate micro-organisms are usually called 'plasma sterilization'. Based on the debatable assumption of exponential first-order micro-organism inactivation kinetics, sterilization process validation is realizable by a combination of experimental tests and data extrapolation. In this article, an alternative concept for a solid and reproducible process qualification is proposed to guarantee reliable microbiological safety on a sufficient level for products that must be sterilized by alternative procedures like plasma processes. A proof of antimicrobial efficacy on the highest experimentally accessible level under experimentally realizable, reproducible, and statistically evaluable conditions is demanded.


The purpose of the study is to assess changes in Russian legislation and legislative initiatives related to cryptocurrencies and digital financial assets. The article focuses on the possible economic consequences of using cryptocurrency for Russian business; determining the degree of impact of transactions with digital assets on the country's economy in connection with the introduction of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation regarding cryptocurrency. The scientific novelty lies in the development and theoretical justification of the legal principles of regulation of cryptocurrency and its place in the domestic legal system, the need to improve the legislation of the Russian Federation in relation to cryptocurrency is substantiated. As a result, the existing legal framework governing the circulation of cryptocurrencies and digital assets in Russia was analyzed, measures of responsibility for failure to report on transactions with cryptocurrencies were identified, and the need to eliminate disagreements on the legalization of cryptocurrencies in the country was substantiated.


We report the sequence of a cDNA clone, RSLEA2, corresponding to a radish dry seed abundant mRNA. It was selected from a dry seed cDNA library (1) screened successively with single-stranded cDNA probes prepared from immature seeds (30 DAF), dry seeds and 24 h-old seedling poly(A) RNA. RSLEA2 showed a strong hybridization signal only with the homologous probe. The nucleotide sequence was determined by the Sanger method using T7 DNA polymerase on alkali-denatured supercoiled plasmids. The cDNA is 744 bp in length and hybridizes to a unique class ofmRNAs of approximately the same size (not shown). Only one plausible ORF was identified and the initiation site was determined by comparison with consensus sequences. The deduced protein is very hydrophilic, as are most other Lea proteins and consists of 184 aa residues corresponding to a molecular weight of 19 kDa. A potential polyadenylation signal AATAAA is found in the 3' non-coding region, 155 nt upstream from the poly(A) tail. A search for polypeptide homologies in data banks has revealed strong local similarities with a particular family of plant seed proteins (Lea Dll in cotton (2), RAB21 in rice (3), RAB17 in maize (4) or dehydrin in barley (5)). These genes have been shown to respond to ABA and also to water stress in leaves. The three highly-conserved motifs within this family are underlined. Particularly remarkable is a stretch of 8 serine residues which is conserved in all these proteins. EMBL accession no. X56280


In the past decade and a half, an alternative analysis of phase transitions, based in the topological behavior of system configuration spaces, has been introduced. This method offers a new understanding of many phase transitions, particularly those in finite systems, using topology and manifold behavior. While the broadest hypotheses offered by researchers have proven overly optimistic, the methods proposed have proven useful in many cases and offer some intriguing insights into the origins of phase transitions.


The adoptive transfer of donor CD4 + CD25 high regulatory T (Treg) cells has been suggested for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). In preparation of such trials we previously described protocols for the efficient in vitro expansion of human Treg cells (Hoffmann et al. 2004, Blood104:895). Strong costimulation provided by immobilized anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies together with high-dose IL-2 resulted in a more than 3-log polyclonal expansion of Treg cells with strong suppressive activity. In contrast to CD4 + CD25 − T cells, the majority of the CD4 + CD25 high Treg cells maintained expression of the lymph node homing receptors CD62L and CCR7 during in vitro culture. Detailed examination of sorted subpopulations from Treg cell lines now revealed that only CD62L + CCR7 + cells combined all phenotypic and functional characteristics of natural Treg cells, such as FOXP3 expression, lack of cytokine secretion and potent suppression of responder T (Tresp) cell proliferation. To elucidate the origin of this cell population, we initiated cultures from CD45RA + naive as well as CD45RA − effector/memory-type CD4 + CD25 high Treg cells. The CD45RA + population initially contained 95 ± 2.5% CD62L + CCR7 + cells and maintained this phenotype with still over 90% CD62L + CCR7 + cells after 2 weeks and appox. 70% after 3 weeks in culture (n=10). In contrast, CD62L and CCR7 expression in CD45RA − Treg cells was less stable and decreased from 58 ± 8% CD62L + CCR7 + cells after isolation to 32 ± 20% after culture for 3 weeks. Similar differences were observed with respect to cytokine production, as determined by intracellular staining: Whereas less than 5% (n=8) of expanded CD45RA + Treg cells expressed IL-2 and/or IFN-γ, almost 40% of expanded CD45RA − Treg cells produced one or both of these pro-inflammatory cytokines upon stimulation with PMA/ionomycin. Interestingly, expanded CD45RA − Treg cells also contained a defined subpopulation of IL-10-producing cells (6.9 ± 5.6%; n=8), which was absent in expanded CD45RA + Treg cells. Both subpopulations showed suppressive activity after polyclonal restimulation, however, suppression of Tresp cell proliferation by expanded CD45RA + Treg cells was much more profound with only 13.6 ± 4% proliferating cells as compared to 35.4 ± 7.7% in the presence of expanded CD45RA − Treg cells and 79.6 ± 18.7% in the absence of Treg cells, as measured in a CFSE-dilution assay at a 1:4 ratio of Treg and Tresp cells (n=7). Most importantly, when determined on a single cell level by intracellular staining, 93.6 ± 1 % (n=3) of expanded CD45RA + Treg cells still expressed FOXP3 after 3 weeks in culture, whereas only 10.8 ± 6.8% of expanded CD45RA − Treg cells remained FOXP3 + . No re-expression could be induced in FOXP3 − expanded CD45RA − Treg cells by short-term restimulation via CD3/CD28, whereas expanded FOXP3 + CD45RA + Treg cells transiently upregulated FOXP3, with peak expression levels as early as 24h after stimulation and return to baseline levels by 48 to 72h. Based on these unexpected findings that only naive CD45RA + , but not memory-type CD45RA − CD4 + CD25 high T cells give rise to homogeneous Treg cell lines, we suggest that isolation and expansion of CD45RA + CD4 + CD25 high T cells is the best strategy for adoptive Treg cell therapies.


Geothermal energy potential in Indonesia is very large of about 28 Gwe which are distributed in various geothermal systems. Based on their geologic settings, geothermal sistems in Indonesia can be classified in three main types: vulcanics, vulcano-tectonics and non vulcanics. The vulcanic type geothermal system may consist of single strato volcano, vulcanic complex, and caldera systems, whereas, the vulcanotectonic type generally occurs both in depression structures (graben) and vulcanic cones. This classification of the systems may be used for preliminary estimation of their geothermal energy potentials. Vulcanic complex or caldera types generally have much larger geothermal energy potentials then other types.


With the rapid development of DC power system in recent years, more stringent requirements have been put forward for the rapid reliability of DC circuit breakers. At present, series and parallel breakers are commonly used in medium-voltage DC circuit breakers to improve the breaking capacity, but there are some problems such as poor uniformity of breakers, large size of circuit breakers and high cost. In this paper, a double-break DC circuit breaker structure based on reactance coupler is proposed. In the process of current breaking, two vacuum switches in series operate simultaneously, and the capacitive discharge and reactance coupler are used to realize rapid current commutation, which improves the voltage bearing capacity of the circuit breaker. Connecting IGCT in the commutator branch can shorten the break time and make reclosing easier. The working principle of the circuit breaker is analyzed, and the rationality of the proposed scheme is verified by simulation calculation.


A two-dimensional model for the turbulent flow in an agitated vessel is developed by modifying a two-dimensional laminar flow model. The proposed model is based on the assumption that the tangential velocity adjacent to the vessel wall satisfies the slip condition. Specifically, it is assumed that the tangential velocity is inversely proportional to the radius. The eddy diffusivity of momentum is assumed to be constant. The eddy diffusivity calculated from the model is in good agreement with the available experimental data, while the calculated tangential velocity depends on the Reynolds number in a manner similar to that observed experimentally.


The realization of systems of spatially separated electrons and holes, in the search of the equilibrium excitonic condensate foreseen by [1], has gone on for more than two decades, but so far the condensate has eluded experimental detection [2], in the absence of a magnetic field. It has been recently suggested that a substantial enhancement of the electron-hole attraction, to favour the condensate, could be obtained in coupled graphene bilayers [3], systems that have a quadratic energy dispersion on a wide density range and a twofold valley degeneracy in each bilayer. We thus embarked in extensive QMC simulations of an electron-hole bilayer with mass symmetry and twofold valley degeneracy (in each layer), to partially mimic the coupled graphene bilayers proposed in [3]. An additional goal of our study is to provide benchmark results for the electron-hole bilayer, investigating the qualitative and quantitative effects of the valley degeneracy, inferred by comparison with the conventional electron-hole bilayer possessing only spin degeneracy [4]. We have studied systems of 168 particles, for in-layer densities corresponding to 1 ≤ rs ≤ 8 and inter-layer distances 1 ≤ d/aB ≤ 4. We find an excitonic condensate for rs & 1 at intermediate distances, whereas a quadriexciton fluid [5] and a plasma fluid are stable respectively at smaller and larger distances. The region of stability of the excitonic condensate is significantly shrunk with respect to the system without valley degeneracy [4]. Moreover, we observe for the first time the formation of quadriexcitons, first predicted by Wang and Kittel [5] 45 years ago. Currently, we are estimating excitation energies and the pairing gap in the excitonic condensate. The first experiments[6] on coupled graphene bilayers in zero magnetic field have found no evidence of excitonic condensation, at variance with the very recent mesaurement [7] on the same system in the quantum Hall regime.


In this paper, we point out a Gruss type inequality and apply it for special means (logarithmic mean, identric mean, etc... ) and in Numerical Analysis in connection with the classical trapezoid formula.


The Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the School of Medicine at Stony Brook University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Immunology at the Assistant Professor level. Applicants must have a PhD or MD and have at least three years of postdoctoral experience. The successful candidate will establish a vigorous extramural research program, participate in the Department's educational mission of graduate and medical school teaching, and perform University and departmental service as needed. Ideal candidates will be those with interests in the immunology of infection.


Warm-up of 267 competitors at British Dressage affiliated competitions was observed, including competitors at novice (N) ( n  = 104), medium (M) ( n  = 65), Prix St Georges (PSG) ( n  = 60) and Grand Prix (GP) ( n  = 38) levels. Competitions were classified as local ( n  = 103), regional ( n  = 57) and national championship ( n  = 107) events. Overall, the mean warm-up duration for competitors at dressage competitions was 29 min 53 s. Total warm-up duration was 25 min 23 s ± 10 min 2 s (mean ± SD) at N level; 31 min 32 s ± 11 min 32 s at M level; 32 min 53 s ± 11 min 19 s at PSG and 34 min 34 s ± 10 min 10 s at GP. Mean proportion of walk, trot and canter at each level was N: walk = 39.26%, trot = 40.31%, canter = 20.43%; M: walk = 43.77%, trot = 32.54%, canter = 23.69%; PSG: walk = 38.53%, trot = 31.03%, canter = 30.43% and GP: walk = 38.79%, trot = 33.26%, canter = 27.95%. There was no effect of rider experience, but level and type of competition affected the proportion of time spent in different paces and total time of warm-up, which was increased at higher levels and championships. Increased warm-up time and specific warm-up design were positively associated with final score at novice and Prix St Georges levels.


approved: ________________________________________________________________________ Glen E. Murphy Woody biomass transportation costs and market values/costs are strongly correlated with the woody biomass moisture content. Properly managing moisture content can potentially lead to economic and environmental advantages in biomass energy markets. Good management requires accurate moisture content measurements. Therefore, availability of accurate, precise, reliable, and efficient tools to assess woody biomass moisture content is essential. In this study, six different tools (Fibre-Gen HM200, IML Hammer, Humimeter BLW, Timbermaster, Humimeter HM1 and Wile Bio Meter) were evaluated. The six tools employed three different measurement technologies; acoustic, conductance, and capacitance. Woody biomass samples were collected over one season (summer 2011) at three different locations in western Oregon (Corvallis, Dallas, and Clatskanie) for three softwood species and three hardwood species: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa L.), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), hybrid poplar (Populus spp.), Madrone (Arbutus spp.), and Garryana Oak (Quercus garryana Dougl. ex Hook). Twenty 3-meter long log (20 to 400mm diameter) specimens were collected per species; 18 specimens were divided into two different treatments (open vs. covered), and the two remaining specimens were chipped. In addition, approximately 100 kilograms per species of hogfuel (limbs and tops) were collected and chipped. Moisture content measurements of logs, chips, and hogfuel were made regularly over a four month period. These data was used to develop multiple linear regression models for assessing the moisture content of the six species using the six tools. The major factors considered in the regression models were species (6), treatment (2), and tools (6). The data were also used to estimate the sample size needed for each tool. The best tool from each technology type was identified. The results generated from this study show that (1) none of the tools are accurate without calibration for different species, (2) the best model/tool combination could only explain about 80% of the variability in measurements, (3) further product development is required in some cases to ensure that the tools are robust for industrial application, and (4) there is a wide range in efficiency of the tools (i.e., 50 minute tool efficiency range). The Fibre-Gen HM200 and Wile Bio Meter were the most accurate, precise and efficient tools tested. The cost of transporting woody biomass from the forest to woody biomass plants is "optimized" when the moisture content drops to approximately 30% (wet basis). Validation of the models developed for three of the tools tested (Fibre-Gen HM200, Humimeter BLW and the Wile Bio Meter) indicates that the tools are accurate below 35% MC (wet basis). This suggests they could be used for making threshold transportation decisions, i.e., determining when to haul. © Copyright by Fernando Amador Becerra Ochoa December 13, 2012 All Rights Reserved Evaluation of Six Tools for Estimating Woody Biomass Moisture Content by Fernando Amador Becerra Ochoa A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of


Compulsory education is a fundamental state policy in our country. Early in 1990, Beijing has already made nine-year compulsory education basically universal, and great achierements have been made. However, there are still a lot of questions to be settled, mainly embody in unbalanced education development. To solve the problem, we should make greater efforts both in teachers and in education funds.


The means are established which united production of calcium chloride、ammonium sulfate and hydrochloric acid. The small test with regard to hydrochloric acid, the middle test with regard to calcium chloride,and industrial test with regard to ammonium sulfate are done. The experiences and the basic data are obtained for industrialized produce through tests.


ABSTRACT A new multiparameter lake assessment protocol, the Ohio Lake Condition Index (Ohio LCI), was developed by the State of Ohio to comply with the 305(b) guidelines in the Water Quality Act amendments of 1987. Thirteen in-lake parameters were assessed for each of Ohio's 417 publicly owned lakes. Both monitored data and evaluated information based on responses to a questionnaire were included in the assessment process. Raw data were transformed into subindex points for summation into a final numerical Lake Condition Index score. Sets of parameters were identified to determine whether or not designated uses and the goals of the Clean Water Act were being met. Applications of the Ohio Lake Condition Index are discussed, including using it to target lakes affected by nonpoint source pollution. The Lake Condition Index protocol can be modified to accommodate revisions to water quality standards and changes in a state's water quality management objectives for lakes. The authors question the appropriateness...


During the 80's and 90's «Information Management» belongs to one of the buzzwords in both professional and private domain. Staff in the field of information and communication backed up the trend while raising up a company from its information and communication structures. A serious attack comes from the professional oriented controlling. There are several signs for an new internal battlefield. First of all this paper deals with an outlining of controlling as an information and communication oriented activity


A device for mounting and inflating a tubeless tire on an automotive wheel rim. An inflatable annular member of tubular cross section is placed between the flanged rim of the wheel and the sidewall of the tire to establish a sealed air chamber after the annular member has been inflated. Upon initial inflating of the tire, the annular member rolls off from between the rim and the sidewall.


In the recent years, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) played an important role for the prediction of exons in DNA sequences. The performance of DFT depends upon the window functions. Therefore, in this study the analysis of DFT using different window functions for protein coding region detection in DNA sequences has been done. Also the performance of different window functions has been compared based on the area under the curve (AUC).


The article presents the results of studies on the absorption, distribution and excretion of the antibiotic Poledoxin (the active substance is doxycycline hyclact) from the body of healthy broiler chickens of the Koob-500 cross when taken orally. Studies have established the rapid absorption of doxycycline hyclact from the digestive tract of the chicken into the blood and its entry into the internal organs. The maximum concentration of doxycycline hyclact was detected 2-4 hours after the start of Poledoxin administration, the content of which in the liver was 9,07±0,07 μg/g, in the lungs – 8,39±0,20 μg/g, in the heart – 4,24±0,09 μg/g, in the pectoral muscles – 4,28±0,23 μg/g. In the kidneys, the maximum concentration was found after 12 hours – 7,63±0,38 μg/g. When clinically healthy broiler chickens were fed with Poledoxin solution, the ability to materially cumulate doxycycline hyclact (active ingredient) was not established, since its content in the internal organs and muscles of the bird did not depend on the duration of the drug use. Studies have established the absence of organ affiliation of doxycycline hyclact, because its maximum content, depending on the study period, was recorded in various organs that provide biotransformation and excretion – liver, kidneys, lungs. The cancellation of drinking Poledoxin ensured the rapid elimination of doxycyclin hyclact from the body of broiler chickens and, after 5 days (for 216 hours of the experiment), its content was minimal for the entire study period and amounted to: in the kidneys – 0,15±0,01 μg/g; liver – 0,12±0,01 μg/g; pectoral muscles – 0,05±0,01 μg/g; lungs – 0,04±0,01 μg/g. Only in one sample of the heart, doxycycline hyclact was shown in an amount of 0,01 μg/g.
Key words: Poledoxin, doxycycline hyclact, broiler chickens, distribution, accumulation, hatching, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, excretion.


Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the preventive effect of cilostazol on in-stent restenosis in patients after superficial femoral artery (SFA) stent placement. Materials and methods Of 28 patients with peripheral arterial disease, who had successfully undergone stent implantation, 15 received cilostazol and 13 received ticlopidine. Primary patency rates were retrospectively analyzed by means of Kaplan–Meier survival curves, with differences between the two medication groups compared by log-rank test. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was applied to assess the effect of cilostazol versus ticlopidine on primary patency. Results The cilostazol group had significantly better primary patency rates than the ticlopidine group. Cumulative primary patency rates at 12 and 24 months after stent placement were, respectively, 100% and 75% in the cilostazol group versus 39% and 30% in the ticlopidine group (P = 0.0073, log-rank test). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model with adjustment for potentially confounding factors, including history of diabetes, cumulative stent length, and poor runoff, patients receiving cilostazol had significantly reduced risk of restenosis (hazard ratio 5.4; P = 0.042). Conclusion This retrospective study showed that cilostazol significantly reduces in-stent stenosis after SFA stent placement compared with ticlopidine.


To the editor:

In their thorough review of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL),[1][1] Ghielmini and Zucca describe that central nervous system (CNS) disease involvement, albeit rare at presentation, has an incidence of 4% to 22% in relapsed patients. Nevertheless, they do not state their recommendations


Abstract

Purpose: This paper takes a deep insight into the factors having contributed for the success of women to become managers. There is a need to understand the facts about the career progress for those successful women reaching their respective positions. There are several elements such as education, perseverance, spousal support, management support and other factors which have contributed for the career advancement of women in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach: For this study, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 women managers from different organisations. They were both from public and private sectors in Mauritius.

Findings: The research identifies the main factors which contributed towards the achievement of women to become managers. From the data collection, the participants described different elements for their career success, such as educational qualifications, family support, personality traits, working experience and organisational support. Their responses were also validated from the literature.

Research limitations/implications: Future research is needed to examine the contributory factors for women's career advancement. As this research work cannot be generalised to all women managers, extensive in-depth studies by using different medium on the theme could give better results.

Practical implications: Top level management should take cognizance of the difficulties women face during their career. An equal gender policy should be applied at management level.

Originality/Value: The paper contributes to the literature with regards to the evolution of Mauritian women managers in organisations and identifies the key elements having contributed for their current success.

Keywords: Contributory factors, Career, Managers, Organisations.


Abstract We investigate the role of manipulation in boundedly rational opinion dynamics. Agents are subject to persuasion bias and repeatedly communicate with their neighbors in a social network. They can exert effort to manipulate trust in the opinions of others in their favor and update their opinions about some issue of common interest by taking weighted averages of neighbors' opinions. We show that manipulation can connect a segregated society and thus lead to mutual consensus. Second, we show that manipulation fosters opinion leadership; and surprisingly agents with low trust in their own opinion might get more influential even by being manipulated. Finally, comparative simulations reveal that manipulation is beneficial to information aggregation when preferences and abilities for manipulation are homogeneous, but detrimental in case abilities are concentrated at few powerful agents.


This paper presents the nonlinear control system design algorithm - the localization method - applied to the output superheater of the coal power plant once-through boiler. Theoretical basics of the localization method are shown. Linear and nonlinear models of the superheater were earlier developed. Basic descriptions of these models properties are presented, too. The control of the plant is processed by two control cascades; each of these cascades uses the localization controller and the special element for derivatives evaluating the differentiating filter. Through the research there were the different localization loop configuration developments. Simulation results for these variants of the localization loops are presented.


Caspase inhibition was known to be therapeutically effective in treating the excessive programmed cell d ath related disorders. We investigated the novel, poten t and irreversible small molecules inhibitors of ca sp se-3 having reasonable selectivity, ADME properties and pharmac ologically active compounds for in-vitro cytotoxici ty test and in-vivo acute tolerated studies in male balb-c mice . Preliminary safety assessment indicates that maxi um safest concentration in the in-vitro test using freshly is olated rat primary hepatocytes was up-to 30μM for a ll the tested compounds. Interestingly, compound 3D displayed advantage (3fold) in protecting the hepa tocytes toxicity when cells were treated with flavopiridol (flavonoid as pan-CDK inhibitor). It also exhibited non-significa nt changes in behavior of animals, body weight loss, gross pathol ogy, plasma ALT and AST levels when administered or ally at 30 mg/kg dose . These results support further development of compou nd 3D as a potential anti-apoptotic agent.


We construct the theta-exact covariant noncommutative model and obtain various closed constraints on the noncommutative scale from inelastic neutrino-nucleon scatterings, from plasmon decay into neutrino pair, from the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and from the reheating phase after inflation, respectively. We find neutrino two-point function in a closed form and decoupling of the UV divergent term from softened UV/IR mixing term. Deformed dispersion relations at low energies are capable to account for the recent results from the OPERA collaboration on the superluminal speed of the muon neutrinos.


Shaughnessy & Company recently moved from Vancouver, Wash., and set in place 13 large orthotropic bridge girders at the Cypress "E" Bridge site in Oakland, Calif. (see Fig. 1). The 13 bridge girders ranged in size from 200′L × 37′W × 10′D, weighing 490 t, 131′L × 37′W × 10′D, weighing 300 t.


Improvements in communication technology and in the understanding of the physical components of the plant/earth/atmosphere interface have combined to increase the quality, sophistication, and potential utility of agrometeorological services offered to or provided to the agricultural industry. Regardless, many problems and shortcomings in analytical techniques and in the way in which the products are provided remain. These include longterm issues such as the spatial analysis of agrometeorological variables as well as new concerns such as the economic challenges facing many elements of the agricultural industry worldwide. Recent advances in the development of spatial analytical techniques such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offer some solutions to these difficulties. To become more effective, agrometeorologists need to demonstrate the utility of their products, including potential economic benefits. Finally, in order to provide the best quality agrometeorological information in the future, greater collaboration is needed among the major participants in the information provision system: farmers, agricultural meteorologists, and agricultural extension services.


This paper is based on a study of a sample of small manufacturing firms operating in the Kobe region of Japan. On the basis of the perceptions of owner/managers, the study attempts to identify a set of variables that may contribute to the growth of small firms. The results of the study indicate that good customer relations, high quality of products and skilful workers have been identified by respondents as the most important contributors to the growth of these firms. The other highly contributing factors in their order of ranking are efficiency of manager(s), owner's knowledge and experience, good labour relations, competitive prices of products, systematic planning for the future, and owner's active participation in management. However, some of the results of this study are attributable, at least partly, to the different nature of Japanese industrial structure and their unique management philosophy. This shows that the degree of effectiveness of the factors contributing to the growth of small manufacturing firms may vary from country to country.


The global number of visually impaired is growing fast due to aging world population. People suffering of severe visual impairments face many difficulties in their daily routine. Pavement holes are a major problem for their navigation and walking. The proposed algorithm detects holes in the sidewalks and roads using a Convolutional Neural Network. Starting from the previously published research, this paper proposes a practical solution for pothole detection used in the Navigation Module of the Sound of Vision Lite (SoV Lite) project. YoloV5s, Mobilenet V1 and Mobilenet V2 Lite were trained on Nvidia RTX using the obtained dataset, then deployed for testing on Nvidia Jetson NX. Due to the mobile platform constraints Mobilenet V1 was chosen to be integrated in SoV Lite. Because objects which are closer have higher detection confidence but also because the visually impaired person wearing the system is interested in the dangers close to him, in practice, we limit the detections of negative obstacles within a range of 8m. By creating a region of interest the run time is also enhanced. For training and experiments we used in-house acquired frames using a ZED 2 Stereo Camera as well as publicly available data and annotated it for the specific task of detecting potholes and drains in the pavement and streets. The obtained dataset was augmented and made publicly available.


Government Procurement Act came into force as of the date of its promulgation in 1988, and according to Article 98 of the act, the way of the motivation of hiring the disabled and the indigenous with obligation for a winning tenderer is a minimum of two percent of the total number of employees. After that, the Indigenous Peoples Employment Rights Protection Act was proclaimed in 2001, and the protection of indigenous percentage employment in government procurement system that the indigenous employees should comprise at least 1% of the total employees is prescribed by Article 12 of the indigenous people employment rights protect act. Since the implementation of Article 88 of the government procurement act in 1998 and Article 12 of the indigenous peoples employment rights protection act in 2001, it has encountered problems and issues of law and to deal with disagreement and resistance because there have been too many levels, units, and organizations involved in the process of the implementation. The first purpose of this research focuses on the changes of the indigenous employment protection systems in Taiwan. Second, I probe into the contents, the process of implementation, and the consequences of the indigenous percentage employment in the two laws from 2001 to 2012 by the data I collected. Third, I analyze the issues and the precedents of administrative appeals and lawsuits of indigenous percentage employment in public and private sectors. Fourth, I gather information about the systems of indigenous protection employment from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Finally, I propose recommendations about law amending of the indigenous percentage employment in the two laws and the indigenous employment policies in the future. According to the analysis and results in my research, the concerns of the attributes of indigenous people, and the social changes nowadays, the research recommendations are as follows: 1.The government should amend laws in the direction of increasing the numbers of long-term and stable jobs for indigenous people. 2.The government should establish a comprehensive system of employment matching and human resources survey. 3.The government should devote itself to cultivating every aspect of talent in the labor market and encourage indigenous people to enroll and to engage in advanced studies. 4.To integrate tribes' resources and to promote the employment status of indigenous peoples. 5. To shape the culture of entrepreneurship of indigenous youth.


Objective To assess the efficacy of the hemoperfusion in the treatment of the patients with acute severe organophosphorus pesticide poisoning.Methods Sixty patients with acute severe organophosphorus pesticide poisoning were enrolled and divided into hemoperfusion group(HP group) and non-hemoperfusion group(non-HP group),the non-HP group only accepted traditional treatment including gastric lavage,catharsis,emetic,atropine and pralidoxime chloride,HP group were treated with both HP and traditional treatment at the same time.Observe all the patient'cytokine TNF-α、IL-6、IL-10、IL-1β、hs-CRP between HP-group and non-HP group.Results The HP groups'cytokine TNF-α、 IL-6、IL-10、IL-1β,hs-CRP of HP-group were lower than those of non-HP group(P0.05).Conclusion Hemoperfusion can clear up some cytokines and protect the organ injury caused by organophosphorus pesticide poisoning.


Polycrystalline Cr-doped TiO2 (Cr0.05Ti0.95O2) anatase films have been prepared on Si(001) substrates by sol–gel method. The Cr0.05Ti0.95O2 anatase film annealed in air ambient shows weak ferromagnetism with a magnetic moment of 0.026 µB/Cr in a field of 3000 Oe at room temperature. After further annealed in a hydrogen atmosphere, the ferromagnetic response in the Cr0.05Ti0.95O2 anatase film is significantly enhanced, reaching a magnetic moment of 0.234 µB/Cr. X-ray diffraction (XRD) fails to detect the existence of second phases such as Cr or CrO2 in Cr0.05Ti0.95O2 films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study shows that Ti is in +4 valence state and Cr in +3 valence state. Oxygen vacancies are created in the Cr0.05Ti0.95O2 film after hydrogenation, suggested by the XPS measurement. These results suggest that oxygen vacancies created by hydrogen annealing play a role on ferromagnetism in the Cr-doped TiO2 anatase films.


An application of coherence techniques in fault interpretation has been researched in this paper. According to the 3 D seismic data, the techniques involve a practical algorithm, which can give a new means to the interpretation of these seismic data. A program, followed this way, has been designed to analyze the 3 D seismic data, and has been proved to be very effective.


Options prices have been used extensively to assess the cost of short selling. The price of the underlying of the options implicit in the options prices is obtained using the Call-Put Parity and compared to the underlying price prevailing in the market. The disparities between the two prices are attributed to short sale constraints. This approach overlooks the fact that in the same way that options could be used to short sale the underlying, they could also be used to buy it. Therefore, Call-Put Parity disparities are related to both possibilities and thus standard measure of short sale costs implicit in options prices underestimated this cost. We suggest a new decomposition of the Call Put Parity disparities that we implement in the case of European options on a dividend protected stock index in a market without market makers. We estimate the cost of buying the underlying and the cost of short selling it through the option markets, the difference between the two costs being the incremental cost of short selling.


The purpose of this study was to find out what mistakes were made by the students of SD Negeri 1502 Pioner Siborna in grade 5 odd questions when solving math problems. The method used in this research is qualitative and descriptive type of research. The subjects of this study were all fifth grade students of SD Negeri 1502 Pioner Siborna, totaling 26 students consisting of 16 female students and 10 male students. The data collection technique used in this research is the use of documents and interviews. The purpose of this documentation is to find out the mistakes students made with their math problems in Semester 2. The purpose of the interviews was to obtain information about alternative answer choices and to analyze students' errors in the questions given. Based on the data analysis of the results of this study, it can be concluded that students make more conceptual errors than errors caused by principles, operations, and carelessness. Conclusions based on the results of data analysis are the conceptual error rate is 35.54%, the principle error rate is 31.24%, the operating error rate is 21.95%, and the careless error rate is 11.27%


The medium composition for poly-β-hydroxybutyrate(PHB) production by Ralstonia eutropha H16 was optimized in this paper.Based on the single factor experiments,two most significant factors(initial carbon source concentration and initial C/N ratio) on Ralstonia eutropha H16 growth and PHB accumulation were confirmed by the Plackett-Burman design.According to response surface analysis,the optimal fermentation medium was composed as following:glucose 28.8 g/L,yeast extract 0.2 g/L,C/N ratio 5,KH2PO4 1.0 g/L,Na2HPO4 0.3 g/L,MgSO4 1.0 g/L,CaCl2 0.1 g/L,ZnSO4 0.65 mg/L,FeSO4 0.1 mg/L,(NH4)6Mo7O24 0.3 mg/L,H3BO3 0.3 mg/L,and pH 7.0.Under this optimal conditions,the biomass and the PHB concentration reach 16.1 g/L and 7.9 g/L,respectively.Conversion of glucose is 64% and 32% based on cells and PHB,respectively.


Objective To study the efficacy and safety of treating Parkinson's disease(PD) by high frequency repetitively transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS).Methods 35 patients with PD received rTMS therapy.The efficacy was assessed by UPDRS score and motion evoked potentials(MEP).Results In rTMS treatment group,the UPDRS total scores,UPDRSⅠ,Ⅱand Ⅲ were significantly decreased after treatment comparing with that of pre-treatment(all P0.01).The mean motion numbers of timed motion test were significantly increased(P0.01).MEP relaxed motion threshold was elevated,cortical latency and cortical silent period were prolonged (P0.01).There was significant differences after 1 months when follow-up(P0.01).Conclusion High frequency rTMS may improve the symptoms of the patients with PD and raise their quality of life.


The objective of this project was to evaluate a wide range of sensitive analytical techniques, to develop methodology for their application to the analyses of extruded cable materials, and to determine which could offer significant insight into those changes within these materials that result from aging. In most cases, existing, accepted techniques were applied, while in other cases methods and instrumentation were developed for this research. In all cases, analyses were conducted and compared on virgin and aged cables. The latter were either field-aged or laboratory-aged. The following were explored in detail during the course of this project: analysis and characterization of volatile compounds within cable insulation; identification of volatile compounds using computer search protocols developed for this project; automated microscopic inspection of cable insulation for voids and trees using methods developed for this project; localized organic chemical analyses using infrared microspectrophotometry methods; localized inorganic chemical analyses of cable insulation and semiconducting shields using x-ray emission spectroscopy; bulk evaluation of insulation contamination through use of ion chromatography; bulk moisture analysis of cable insulation using two commercially available methods; detection of insulation contaminant sites susceptible to oxidation through a visualization technique; analysis and characterization of non-volatile compounds within the cable insulationmore » using a liquid chromatograph and infrared detector combination; analysis of XLPE structural properties using dynamic mechanical analysis; and evaluation of oxidative activity in XLPE insulation using chemiluminescence spectroscopy.« less


The modulation scheme in a VSAT system plays an important part in defining the characteristics of that system and it is necessary to choose the scheme with care so that the system as a whole performs in the required way. The aim of this chapter to discuss the signalling philosophy of VSAT systems and identify the issues which influence the choice of modulation schemes. The nature of the satellite communications link means it is rarely possible to consider the VSAT as a completely transparent communications system to the end user. The system features which arise from the modulation aspects are covered in order to highlight some of the compromises that must be made to design and realise a functional system. This discussion of modulation is restricted to two-way VSAT systems using digital communications to geostationary satellites utilising a hub-VSAT star network. Phase shift keying (PSK) modulation schemes are used as examples to illustrate the various concepts. The emphasis is placed on land based systems; many of the concepts are applicable to maritime systems but the particular problems associated with these terminals are not discussed.


In economic theory, space is not a much-anayzed concept. Economic theory assuming that countries and regions are non-dimensional generally, has excluded the space factor from its analyses. However, recently the surge in the interest in spatial analysis is striking. The main objective of this study is to put forward, from the past to the present, the point of view of space through the selected models of the theories analyzing space. In this study, space is basically discussed in terms of three periods and three traditions. Firstly, the Classical Location Theory which prevailed from the 19th century to the World War II is analyzed. Then the Regional Science which emerged after the World War II, and the New Economic Geography Theory which was put forward at the beginning of the 1990s are addressed, respectively. The Location Theory underlies both the Regional Science and the New Economic Geography. Thus, in fact, the analysis of these three traditions also shows to what extent they differ from each other. Moreover this literature assessment, demonstrates whether the New Economic Geography Theory which has become quite popular in recent years is really new, and its differences from the other two theories.


The HLA Interface Specification defines services for Data Distribution Management (DDM) and Ownership Management (OM). In addition to Declaration Management, DDM is introduced to provide value based filtering on the attribute values to be communicated. The main objectives of DDM are reduction of the data to be processed by the receiving federate (scalability) and reduction of the data actually sent over the network (performance). However, applying DDM leads to an increase in computational effort by the RTI, especially when many regions need to be updated regularly. To determine the conditions, under which DDM is of benefit, a predator-prey federation has been designed and implemented. The effects of applying several strategies using DDM and OM were analyzed and experiments were conducted using the available DMSO RTI. The usage of DDM and OM is evaluated and guidelines for future use of these services are presented.


Major Sawyer asks this question,-"The army is being sent home clean. Will your community make it easy or difficult for the men to remain so?" His short paper is an introduction to the longer one that follows it.


Recently, solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) have caused much attention due to their large latent heat. In order to solve their sealed problem, shape-stabilized methods have become a popular research topic. In this study, we prepared epoxy/polyethylene glycol (PEG) shape-stabilized PCMs with different mass ratios successfully by in-situ reactive blending. The maximum mass percentage of PEG dispersed into epoxy to form epoxy/PEG shape-stabilized PCM was determined as 70wt % by observing the morphology at the temperature above the phase transition. The thermal properties, such as melting temperature, latent heat, were measured by DSC. The results showed that the melting temperatures ranged from 55.5 OC to 60.4 OC and the latent heat was proportional to the mass percentage of PEG.


Aim: In ART cycles, embryo is transferred at clivagestageconventionally, whenembryocontains 2-8 cells. Onedaydelay at transfer maylead endometrial differentiation and improveimplantationrates and pregnancyoutcomes. Material and Methods: Inthisstudy, 1793 patients' data who were treated with IVF and ICSI at Dokuz Eylul IVF Center between January 2003 and February 2013 was evaluated retrospectively. 86 patients with missing data, 32 patients with reccurent pregnancy loss and 20 patients with abnormal HSG results were excluded. 1655 patients were included to the study. Results: Age, cause of infertility and basal hormone levels were not significantly different between day 2 and day 3 transfer groups. Antral follicule count was significantly higher in day 3 transfer group (3.2vs 4.2, p<0.001). Retrieve doocyte number, total embryo number and fertilization rate weresignificantly higher in day 3 transfer group (p<0.001). Differences inimplantationrate (%33.7 vs %48.4) and clinical pregnancy rate (%21.3 vs %36.3) between day 2 and day 3 transfer groups were statistically significant (p<0.001). Live birth rate was statistically higher in day 3 transfer group (%32.7vs % 18, p<0.001). Conclusion: Cycle and pregnancy out comes were significantly better in day 3 transfer group.


HA coatings prepared by a solvent-compression method, displayed a microrough, relatively homogenous topography that was strongly bound to the underlying PU surface. HA coated PU substrates showed bioactivity when incubated in vitro in SBF for 9 days, while the virgin uncoated PU substrates were non-bioactive. The HA coated PU substrates have demonstrated cytocompatibility towards fibroblasts, osteosarcoma, and epithelial cells as determined by the crystal violet assay for DNA staining and the MTT assay for metabolic activity. The Graham 293 fibroblasts were found to be the most metabolically active cell line on the HA coated PU surfaces after 24 and 72 hours indicating that if this material were to be implanted in soft tissue, it should anchor well under the skin surface and prevent movement of the implant. In addition preference of the HA coating towards bone cells has also been confirmed. Since cell lines were used for these cell culture studies, it can only be considered as an early stage investigation of cytocompatibility. These cytocompatibility studies must be confirmed with primary isolated cells before application in soft or hard tissue is considered. These HA coated PU substrates could find application in soft tissue engineering, including cartilage replacement and maxillofacial implants, as well as in ID tags, biosensors, etc. Figure 2: SEM image of HA coated PU surface (A&B) after 9 days of incubation in SBF at pH 7.4 and 36.5oC Surface Coated Polyurethane with Improved Bioactivity and Cytocompatibility


Aarnio and colleagues importantly highlights the need for qualitative data regarding the physicians' considerations when choosing among vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for stroke prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. In our recent study, we presented and discussed patient factors affecting choice of type of oral anticoagulant for stroke prophylaxis in AF patients.(1) In other studies, we have investigated time trends in choice of oral anticoagulants and clinical factors associated with shifts of oral anticoagulants for stroke prophylaxis in AF patients.(2,3) Since our data is registry-based, we have access to important and exact information regarding age, sex, comorbidities, pharmacotherapy, and risk scores for stroke and bleeding.

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Madrasas are educational institutions characterized by Islam religion, a combination of Islamic boarding school (pesantren) and public schools. Madrasa's development in this paper is divided into two stages in outline, namely before and after Indonesian independence. Thus this article aims at explaining the development of Madrasa of those two stages. In writing this article, the researcher followed the systematic literature review method. The researcher collected and analyzed the data from books and scientific journals that explain about Madrasa. The analysis results show that before Indonesian independence, the Madrasa was founded by religious individuals and organizations. Meanwhile, after Indonesian independence, mainly since the Ministry of Religion's establishment, efforts to develop madrassas have been continuously carried out by the government. Among the policies that have been made are joint decision letter/decree (SKB) of three Ministers, joint decision letter/decree (SKB) of Ministers, the 1984 curriculum, Special Program Madrasah Aliyah or Religious Madrasah Aliyah, 1994 curriculum, and Featured Madrasah. Those regulations show that the government supports the development of Madrasa in Indonesia.


Background: It is estimated that 25-50% of ALS patients develop cognitive impairment during the course of their illness. The clinical signifi cance of this cognitive impairment is becoming increasingly apparent. Cognitive dysfunction in ALS patients has been linked to poor decision making, reduced compliance with medical interventions, and increased carer burden as well as shorter survival. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments do not constitute a practical option in busy multidisciplinary clinics. There is an urgent need for a validated screening tool that can be used by clinicians in busy clinics to identify ALS patients with cognitive impairment.


Thank you very much for downloading cry of the oppressed cry of jesus meditations on scripture and contemporary struggle. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look numerous times for their favorite readings like this cry of the oppressed cry of jesus meditations on scripture and contemporary struggle, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious bugs inside their desktop computer.


Few would disagree that the diseases which affect poor people in tropical countries are neglected, and more should be done to address this inequity. That means improving and deploying interventions which work, and developing new ones. Fortunately, there has been an upsurge in interest in neglected diseases, and a considerable increase in support for the development of new vaccines, drugs and methods of vector control. Clinical trials are essential to evaluate these new interventions, and also to improve existing ones. The standards increasingly demanded by funders and review committees are those of Good Clinical Practice, a rubric which has a little to do with good clinical practice, i.e. taking good care of patients, and a lot to do with documentation. I am not against the principles of good clinical practice, of course they are excellent, but I am concerned about the recommended practices and their blind adoption in poor settings. The mountains of paper and the burgeoning e-mail traffic, conference calls, committees, international air flights and meetings that characterize clinical research in the 21st century are supposed to ensure quality, and therefore facilitate progress. Whether all the procedural aspects and paperwork are truly necessary or even useful is a moot point. They are certainly very expensive and demanding. I fear that adoption of 'industry standards' in tropical medicine research will actually limit important postregistration research, particularly for groups with limited funds, will promote bad clinical practice by encouraging greater attention to the case record form than the patient, and that the ever-increasing bureaucratic burden will bury innovation and dissuade clinical investigators from entering this important field. 'Industry standard' good clinical practice does not ensure the research question is a good one, or the design of the trial is appropriate and I do not believe that it guarantees a better (i.e. more likely to be true) result. It has to be set against the impoverished reality of under-resourced and under-staffed health structures in countries which often have < US$10 per person per year to spend on all aspects of health. The usual trappings of a regulatory study, viz Contract Research Organizations (highly expensive commercial entities), Data and Safety Monitoring Committees, Trial Monitors (who are often part of the CRO, and usually pay more attention to the CRFs than the clinical procedures), may all do a good job, but they do not guarantee the probity of the trial, the appropriateness of the informed consent process, the quality of the clinical observations, or the accuracy of the result. More importantly, they do not guarantee that the patients or volunteers are well cared for. There may be an inverse correlation between the thickness of the case record form and the reliability of its contents. Is there really any need for a CRF to have more than 30 pages or weigh more than 1 kg? Try filling one in properly in a busy hospital ward or out-patients department at the end of a long day at an ambient temperature of 33 C and with humidity approaching 100%. Clinical researchers are being encouraged to be process rather than patient orientated. The case record form, rather than the patient, has become the focus of attention. Sometimes large financial incentives to investigators (remuneration per case studied as much as 50 times the average per capita income of the patient) encourage dishonest practices. The spiralling costs of such studies and the spiralling perceived requirements for committees make it difficult for small under-funded groups to conduct clinical research, thereby concentrating resources in large powerful established groups or consortia (often based in wealthier countries). Because Good Clinical Practice implies good clinical practice ethical review committees are increasingly insisting on these bureaucratic details, considering them to be an essential element of ethical conduct. Funding bodies often follow suit. Whilst the principles of good clinical practice to ensure that clinical research is correctly planned, supervised, recorded and reported are laudable, the increasing complexity and costs of the process imported from organizations and companies in Tropical Medicine and International Health doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2006.01765.x


Objective: This study was conducted to find out the presentation, clinical features, diagnosis, and outcome of seizures in children in a secondary care hospital.
Methodology: This was a prospective, cross-sectional analytical study conducted from September 2018 to April 2020 in a secondary care hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Children presented with seizures to the hospital were included and studied for the demographic profile, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and course of the disease.
Results: A total of 73 cases were included in the study. Out of these, 48 (65.8%) were in the age group of 1-5 years, while 25 (34.2%) were in the age group of 6-14 years. Males were 33 (45.21), while females were 40 (54.8%). More than half of the cases were already diagnosed 43 (58.9). Generalized tonic-clonic seizures were the most common seizure type in the patients. The most common etiology of seizures was febrile seizure, followed by epilepsy.
Conclusion: Seizures in children are not uncommon presentations with varying profiles in various regions of the world. Febrile seizures and epilepsy are the commonest cause of seizures in children. Most seizure disorders have a good prognosis, provided that a comprehensive approach is used for the management.


Monosyllabic words recorded at the lips and left ears of six speakers were fed to the headsets of 24 trained listeners at −12, −15, and −18 S/N ratios. Although the trend for intelligibility scores throughout the test is in the same direction for signals of both origins, decreasing S/N ratio is more destructive to the speech picked up at the lips.


The educational setting, for being the place of confluence of various social and cultural practices, has become a convulsed space and saturated with controversies; as well as problematic situations that merit the use of individual and group intervention strategies such as the promotion of social skills, teamwork, management of emotional competences, and peaceful solution of conflicts. All these strategies provide the appropriate conditions for the student and the other educational actors to solve either by themselves or with the cooperation of third parties personal, emotional, affective, educational, and social conflicts that precludes the consolidation of optimal and healthy ways of life. In attention to the expressed above, the content of the article discourse about the guiding role of the professor in the community and educational context, from a multidisciplinary perspective that allows integrating the aspects, contributions, and concrete actions that their work offers to integral human development and transformation of the educational and community settings.