R is an anti-CD20 MoAb developed to treat B-cell malignancies. While R has been used to treat various autoimmune disorders including AIHA, a systematic review of reports of R to treat AIHA in adults has not been performed. We describe the clinical features and response to R in patients (pts)18 yrs or > with AIHA from PubMed English language citations and manufacturer (Genentech, Inc.) provided reports from 1998–2004. 39 reports (34 case reports, 5 case series) identified 92 pts (M 47, F 44, NS 1) with a mean age of 60.7 yr (range, 18–91). 1°/2° Warm ( W ) Ab, Cold ( C ) Ab (± associated disease), and mixed ( C/W ) AIHA was observed in 11/33, 46, and 2 pts, respectively. Associated disease included: lymphoproliferative (LPD)-( W : NHL 4, CLL 20; C : NHL 26, CLL 1, other 6; C/W : other 1), rheumatologic-( W :6), infectious-( W :2, C :1 with EBV); and other ( W :3; C :2) disorders. Other baseline pre-R features included: mean Hgb 7.5 g/dl (range, 2.8–12); >45 pts with a Hgb W -AIHA; Cold Ab or agglutinin (+): all C -AIHA; both DAT/ C Ab(+): C/W -AIHA; previously untreated 17%; prior splenectomy >11 patients; transfusion dependent 21%; and a mean of 2.6 (range, 1–8) prior immunosuppressive regimens. R was administered as 375 mg/m 2 IV weekly X 4 in 83% and in other schedules (15%) for a mean of 3 doses (range, 2–8); cycle no. was not stated in 2% pts. R was administered alone in 52 pts and with IVIG 3, chemotherapy 13, or corticosteroids 27. The criteria for response to R included: CR [stable↑ Hgb by 2 or > g/dl or Hgb 12 or > g/dl and (−) W or C Ab or agglutinin, resolution of symptoms of anemia, transfusion independent]; PR (↑ Hgb by 2 or > g/dl or Hgb 10 or > g/dl but C Ab/agglutinin titers, + warm Ab, improvement in symptoms of anemia, transfusion independent); NR (failure to meet CR/PR). 83% were eligible for response determination: R monotherapy -CR 10, PR 22, NR 14; R+other regimen- CR 12, PR 10, NR 8. Pt. response by type of AIHA included: 1° W -Ab (CR 3, PR 1, NR 3), 2° W -Ab (CR 7, PR 14, NR 7), C -Ab ± associated disease (CR 11, PR 17, NR 12) and C/W (CR 1). In the total group, the Hgb increased a mean of 3.8 g/dl (range, −1.4–10.5). Hgb increased in CRs by 5.6 (range, 2.9–10.5), in PRs by 4.0 (0.7–8.1), and in NRs by 2.1(−1.4–9.5). The mean time to response/response duration among CR+PRs was 22 days (range, 5–120)/10.5 mo. (range, 1.5–42). Response duration was recorded as last f/u if the pt did not relapse. Re-treatment with R was reported in 17 pts after initial best reported response (1 st cycle PR 14, NR 3) with R alone (9) or in combination with CTX + DEX (5), or IFN (3) achieving 12 PRs (R 5, R+C+D 5, R+IFN 2) and 5 NRs (R 4, R+IFN 1). Reported R toxicity (n): infusion-related (7), myalgia (1), pruritis (2) rash (1) Gr.4 WBC (2) hypotension (1) and headache (2). One pt died from a fungal infection 3 mo.after R therapy. In this report, R ± other agents was effective and well-tolerated producing a 71% response rate with clinically meaningful response durations. LPDs were reported in 63% of pts. Studies of R to prospectively assess treatment and response variables, particularly among pts with with W -Ab AIHA, are warranted.


Rule extraction is viewed as an important pretreatment step for machine learning and data mining. In allusion to the shortcomings of the rough set method for rule extraction in systems with incomplete fault diagnosis, in this paper we propose a novel fusion approach based on rough set theory and particle swarm optimization for rule extraction (RSTPSORE) in order to improve the diagnostic robustness and accuracy. In the proposed method, first, an iterative linear subsection interpolation completion method is used to achieve completion of the fault diagnosis process. Then rough set theory is used to find a subset which can preserve the meaning of the attributes. Particle swarm optimization is used to discover the best rule within the flying subset space. To verify the efficiency of the proposed method, experiments are carried out on the collected data in a centralized control substation incomplete fault diagnosis system. The results indicate that the proposed method can provide an efficient solution to finding a minimal subset.


It is well known that if R is a ring such that each right R-module Ž . embeds in a free module, then R is a quasi-Frobenius QF ring. However, if the embedding is restricted to finitely generated right R-modules, then the situation is much more difficult to handle. A ring R is called right FGF whenever every finitely generated right R-module embeds in a free module and the so-called FGF problem which asks whether a right FGF ring is Ž w x w QF remains open see 5 for a discussion of this question and 7, 8, 10, 12, x . 13, 16 for more recent results . w x w x In 9 Menal used the counting arguments developed by Osofsky in 11 to prove that if R is a ring such that each cyclic right R-module embeds in Ž . a free module R is then called a right CF ring and the injective envelope Ž . E R is projective, then R is already a QF ring. Thus, given a ring R, R there exists a cardinal c with the property, that if every c-generated right R-module embeds in a free module, then R is QF. However, Menal


The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ–A) has been used in a variety of forms and in a range of countries. This study involves a detailed examination of the PAQ–A to determine its applicability and effectiveness in an Ethiopian setting. We administered the scale to 110 Ethiopian adolescents on two occasions, 5 weeks apart. Data were inspected for features typical of the participants and analyzed to identify interitem correlations, the scale's factor structure, and a range of descriptive statistics concerning composite scores. Most of the scale's items were satisfactorily interrelated according to lenient criteria, and most items loaded on a single factor in exploratory factor analyses. However, a number of the scale's properties were deficient according to stringent or conventionally accepted psychometric criteria. Close inspection of participants' responses highlighted problems in the way the scale is worded, interpreted by participants, and scored. Although the scale does not capture PA as an homogeneous construct, we argue that this is not a problem and neither is its poor test–retest reliability. We make recommendations concerning presentation and scoring of the PAQ–A that are likely to enhance its validity beyond Ethiopia, and we provide a modified version of the scale.


iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Bacteremia 1 1.2 Anthrax 3 1.2.1 Cutaneous (skin) anthrax 4 1.2.2 Inhalation anthrax 4 1.2.3 Gastrointestinal Anthrax 4 1.2.4 Antibiotic therapy 5 1.3 Bacillus Anthracis 5 1.4 The pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway 5 1.4.1 Aspartate Transcarbamoylase (ATCase) 6 1.4.2 Dihydroorotase (DHOase) 7 1.5 B. anthracis DHOase 7 1.6 Aquifex Aeolicus 9 1.7 Sequence homology of B. anthracis and A. aeolicus DHOase 9 1.8 DHOase from A. aeolicus 10 v 1.9 A stoichiometric complex (DAC) of A. aeolicus DHOase and ATCase......12 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH GOAL AND OBJECTIVIES 13 2.1 Significance of the proposed study 13 2.2 Hypothesis 13 2.3 Specific aims/goals 13 CHAPTER 3: METHODS AND MATERIALS 15 3.1 MATERIALS 15 3.2 Expression and Isolation of the Recombinant Proteins 15 3.3 ATCase Assay 16 3.4 DHOase Assay 16 3.5 Formation of the ATCase-DHOase Complex 17 3.6 Gel Filtration Chromatography 17 3.7 Inhibition Studies 18 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 19 4.1 Expression of B. anthracis Proteins 19


Since its creation, the enterprise represented a core institution of the economic sphere and also a definitory coordinate of the modern world. Being part of the society, the enterprise was subject of a continuous development. A major turmoil in the structure and functioning of the enterprise was the ICTs implementation. In what consists the virtualisation of the enterprise? What are the dimensions of the virtualisation and the consequences of implementing the ICTs? What future for the enterprise in the new framework represented by the fourth industrial revolution? These are some of the questions our study aims to respond to.


The control of durability of crusher fines produced from an igneous or metamorphic source has depended in part on knowing the properties of the source rock. For crusher fines used as an admixture in crushed rock and asphalt mixes, the quality of the source rock may not be known because of uncontrolled production or transport of materials from other sites. A test which uses some of the apparatus currently specified in the sand equivalent and washington degradation test methods has been developed to assess the durability of crusher fines. A relationship has been shown to exist between the result obtained from the test described (termed the degradation factor - crusher fines) and the washington degradation factor obtained for the source rock. While a different relationship overall was demonstrated for basalt on the one hand, and for granitic, rhyolitic and hornfelsic rock types on the other, a similar relationship was demonstrated for the two rock groups when only the fresher and more durable materials were examined. Provisional specification limits set by the Country Roads Board for the degradation factor - crusher fines are the same as those specified for the washington degradation factor of the source rock.


The future of the British people has become intimately involved with the question of the skin color of the Wolverhampton bus conductor or the Aylesbury typographer. Perhaps 100,000 of Kipling's "lesser breeds without the law" now live in Great Britain. They have come from the "under-developed" areas of an Empire which is in the process of democratizing itself into the British Commonwealth of Nations. A decade ago there were about 500 million dependent peoples in the Empire. Today there are some 65 million, and the majority of them-in Africa and in the West Indies--seem to be well along the road to independence and commonwealth status.


An evaluation was carried out on AISI304 stainless steel by adding tungsten and titanium on the surface using gas tungsten arc as heat source under argon and nitrogen atmosphere were performed. The microstructure was observed be refined. The SEM image shows the dispersion of tungsten particles in the alloyed layer. The EDS analysis confirms presence of Cr, Ni, N, W, Fe and Ti on the alloyed layer. The XRD reports the presence of intermetallic phases in the alloyed layer. The hardness of the alloyed layer was increased from 277HV to 1968HV for W and Ti alloyed layer under argon atmosphere and 2139HV for W and Ti alloyed layer under Nitrogen atmosphere, with decreasing the wear rate from 1.09 × 10−4 mm3 m−1 to 7.08 × 10−6 mm3 m−1 and further decreased to 4.58 × 10−6 mm3 m−1 for W and Ti alloyed layer under argon and nitrogen atmosphere, respectively. Corrosion resistance of the surface alloyed layer was studied in a HANKS balance salt solution with a pH range of ∼7.2 ± 0.2 by Tafel polarization. The alloyed layers exhibits an effective improvement towards the corrosion than the substrate.


Background: Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal roots are known for their anti-inflammatory and rejuvenative properties. This study focuses on the growth inhibitory activity of W. somnifera root extracts against some bacterial triggers of autoimmune inflammatory diseases, as well as the extracts in combination with conventional antibiotics. Methods: W. somnifera root powder was extracted with solvents of varying polarity and screened for inhibition of bacterial growth. Inhibition on agar was assessed by disc diffusion techniques, whilst the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were quantified by liquid dilution assays. To screen for combinatorial effects, the W. somnifera root extracts were combined with a range of conventional antibiotics and tested against each bacterial strain using liquid dilution assays. Extract toxicities was examined using Artemia nauplii bioassays, while their phytochemical profiles were determined using standard methodologies. Results: W. somnifera root extracts were unable to inhibit the growth of P. mirabilis, K. pneumonia, A. baylyi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the methanolic and aqueous extracts were good inhibitors of Y. enterocolitica, with MICs of 696 and 358 μg/mL respectively. These extracts also inhibited S. pyogenes growth, albeit with substantially higher MIC values indicative of only mild inhibition. Only small zones of inhibition were observed on agar for these extracts against both strains. Combinations of the W. somnifera extracts and conventional antibiotics generally produced additive or indifferent interactions, indicating that they are safe to use concomitantly without compromising the efficacy of either component. A single antagonistic combination (aqueous extract and tetracycline) against Y. enterocolitica was observed. All extracts were determined to be non-toxic as assessed in Artemia nauplii bioassays. Conclusions: Methanolic and aqueous W. somnifera extracts were strong inhibitors of Y. enterocolitica growth and mild inhibitors of S. pyogenes. These extracts were also non-toxic in the Artemia nauplii bioassay, indicating their potential for the prevention and treatment of Hashimoto's disease.


The anionic ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide was initiated by dipotassium-poly-isobutylene-alcoholate telechelic polymer to yield poly(L-lactide)-block-polyisobutylene-block-poly(L-lactide) triblock copolymer, a partially biodegradable thermoplastic elastomer. The pure triblock copolymer was obtained by gradient column chromatography on silica gel. The molar mass and molar mass distribution of the block copolymer was ascertained by SEC and quantitative 1H NMR spectroscopy. It showed two glass transitions and microphase separation.


We have determined properties of cold 39 K + 39 K and 41 K + 41 K collisions by a multichannel Inverted Perturbation Approach applied to spectroscopic data of highly-excited 39 K singlet and triplet bound states. We predict positive scattering lengths for the 39 K + 39 K and 41 K + 41 K singlet potentials, as well as for the 41 K + 41 K triplet potential, and a negative value for 39 K + 39 K triplet scattering. From a study of the magnetic eld dependence we conclude that 41 K may be the rst example of an alkali species with a Feshbach resonance in the magnetic eld range where these atoms can be trapped in the f = 1; m f = ?1 hyperrne state, thus providing a possibility to switch between stable and instable condensates in a Bose-Einstein condensation experiment.


CERCLA Section 107(a) imposes liability on "operators"; of facilities where there has been a release or threatened release of hazardous substances. However, CERCLA contains no clear definition of "operator."; Therefore, it has been left to the courts to interpret the term. Courts dealing with issues of corporate director and officer liability under CERCLA Section 107(a) have differed in their approach to such liability. Some have determined that CERCLA does not change the traditional rule of corporate liability, holding that directors or officers are liable only if they were directly involved in the disposal activity leading to the release or threatened release. Others have found liability where directors or officers exercised control over the facility where the release or threatened release occurred, even if they had no involvement in or awareness of the actual disposal activities. A third group has found liability where officers or directors had the capacity to control disposal activities, even if that ...


Soils are usually weak in tension therefore different materials such as geosynthetics are used to address this inadequacy. Worldwide annual consumption of geosynthetics is close to 1000 million m2, and the value of these materials is probably close to US$1500 million. Since the total cost of the construction is at least four or five times the cost of the geosynthetic itself, the impact of these materials on civil engineering construction is very large indeed. Nevertheless, there are several significant problems associated with geosynthetics, such as creep, low modulus of elasticity, and susceptibility to aggressive environment. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) was introduced over two decades ago in the field of structural engineering that can also be used in geotechnical engineering. CFRP has all the benefits associated with geosynthetics and it boasts higher strength, higher modulus, no significant creep and reliability in aggressive environments. In this experimental study, bearing capacity of foundation on reinforced soil with CFRP has been investigated. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimum depth and arrangement and optimal length of CFRP sheets to achieve to highest level of resistance of reinforcement of soil. Also in the present study has been discussed the difference between the performance of the CFRP and two types of geotextiles in increasing the bearing capacity ratio of soil.


Warm mix reclaimed asphalt is a kind of new road material,which is energy-saving and environmental protection. Firstly,the aged asphalts and aggregates are separated through extraction,and which qualities are tested according to specification. The moisture sensitivity performance,low temperature performance and high temperature performance of WMRA with different RAP dosages( 0%,30%,40%,50%) are tested; at last,the impact rulers are analyzed. The results show that: the properties of aged asphalts and the gradation of aggregates vary significantly,but the physical and mechanical properties of aggregates change insignificantly and still meet the regulatory requirements; temperature performance is not the RAP dosage limitation; with the RAP dosage increasing,moisture sensitivity performance decreases after increasing,and the RAP content is 40% in peak; low temperature performance is not obvious with the RAP dosage increasing,but there is a " peak",where RAP content is 40%; the RAP dosage based on properties of warm mix asphalt is 40%.


Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of laser transmyocardial revascularization(TMR) for acute myocardial infarction(AMI) in dogs using 99mTc-MIBI SPECT imaging. Methods: Control dogs of AMI(n=9) and the TMR dogs(n=12) all underwent 99mTc-MIBI SPECT imaging 24 hours post-operation, the radioactive defect fraction(DF) of the left ventricle was measured using Bull's eye analysis, and the results were compared with the ratio of the infarct size to the left ventricle(ISLV) by TTC method in different time intervals after 24 hours. HE staining was also done and survival of dogs was evaluated. Results: ①99mTc-MIBI SPECT imaging showed the radioactive defect in anterior wall and apex of left ventricular myocardium in all dogs, but the extent of defect was smaller in TMR dogs than in control dogs. DF in the AMI(0.35±0.05, n=9) was larger than in the TMR(0.30±0.06, n=12), P0.05. ISLV in AMI(0.18±0.06, n=8) was larger than that in TMR(0.07±0.05, n=11), P0.05. ②HE staining showed wide old myonecrosis in AMI dogs, but in TMR, old MI was mostly local, and the extent of MI was small. Some patent laser channels with evidence of endothelialization was all seen, a number of erythrocytes filled the cavities of channels and permeated into the adjacent myocardial interstitium, and there were many small vessels around the channels. ③the survival time in AMI(18.0±2.7)days was shorter than that in TMR(51.3±3.4)days, P0.05. Conclusion: TMR could effectively increase vascular supply to the ischemic myocardium, alleviate ischemic damage and decrease the infarct areas, and raise survival rate of animals with AMI. 99mTc-MIBI SPECT imaging could accurately, noninvasively evaluate the myocardial perfusion post TMR in dogs with AMI, and it also could predict the therapeutic effectiveness of TMR.


By using the recently proposed F-expansion method, the periodic wave solutions expressed by Jacobi elliptic functions to the (2+1)-dimensional Nizhnik equation are derived, and in the limit case, the solitary wave solutions and other type solutions for Nizhnik equation are obtained.


Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is an economically important fruit tree in tropical and subtropical countries. In late March 2017, symptoms of powdery mildew were observed on 80% of papaya plants that were grown at the campus of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China. The initial symptoms of powdery mildew on papaya appeared as circular to irregular white colonies on both sides of leaves of papaya. As the disease progressed, the leaves became covered with white mass of fungal colonies; eventually leaves showed chlorosis and necrosis followed by desiccation and rapid senescence. Fungal mycelium was amphigenous, white, and effuse. Hyphae were hyaline, septate, branched, and 5 to 8 μm wide with lobed appressoria. Conidiophores were approximately 90 to 150 × 8 to 10 μm with cylindrical foot cells of 30 to 60 × 8 to 10 μm followed by one to three short cells of 14 to 25 μm. Conidia were hyaline, ellipsoidal-ovoid, or doliform, 30 to 60 × 14 to 20 μm in size, and were produced singly on the tip of conidiophores. Germ tubes were terminal or subterminal, with lobed ends. The sexual morph was not found. Based on these characteristics, the pathogen was identified as a Pseudoidium sp. (Kiss et al. 2001). A voucher specimen (HMAS 247192) was deposited at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Herbarium Mycologium, Beijing, China. DNA was extracted and the nrDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was sequenced. The ITS sequence (deposited in GenBank as KY887788) was identical to that of Pseudoidium neolycopersici isolates AB032484, KY776199, and JQ972700. Pathogenicity was confirmed through gently pressing infected leaves onto the leaves of three asymptomatic papaya plants (approximately 90 cm high). The inoculated papaya plants were covered with plastic bags placed outdoors for 7 days at 25°C under natural daylight conditions in April. Typical symptoms of powdery mildew were observed after 7 days, whereas noninoculated plants remained asymptomatic. To confirm pathogen identity, an eggplant cultivar (unknown) and two tomato cultivars (Zaofen and Fenguo) were also cross inoculated (five plants of each cultivar) with inoculums from infected papaya plant. Only tomato cultivars showed powdery mildew symptoms. The ITS sequence of sample MG846017 from the tomato host plant was identical to that of the Pseudoidium sp. on papaya plants (KY887788). The inoculated eggplant cultivar remained asymptomatic. To our knowledge, this is the first report of papaya powdery mildew caused by P. neolycopersici in mainland China. The only report of this disease caused by P. neolycopersici along with Erysiphe diffusa and Podosphaera xanthii was in Taiwan (Tsay et al. 2011). Other powdery mildew species have been reported on papaya in many tropical and subtropical areas (Liberato et al. 2004). Papaya is a popular and widely grown crop in China, and the presence of a new pathogen could have an impact on its production. P. neolycopersici has been reported on tomato in China (Li et al. 2008). Powdery mildews with similar ITS sequences have recently been found on other plant species as well (Liu et al. 2015; Southwell et al. 2018).


Using the rotation friction instrument, we tried the measurement of friction of crushed ice and found that the friction of plastics, paraffin, skiing wax may will be studied in an ordinary laboratory by the use of crushed ice instead of snow.Thus much information about the friction of snow and crushed ice was obtained, we finally used organic crystals in place of snow and measured friction in the neighbourhood of theirmelting point.In this case, μS and μK at low temperatures were found to take nearly the same values as in the case of snow and to decrease gradually as the temperature approaches the melting point of organic crystal. Above melting point, excess melt showed abnormal increase of μK and decrease of, μS as the case with snow.From old times, the phenomena due to the friction of snow has been considered as quite peculiar to snow, but the above mentioned data show that these phenomena are common to all kinds of crystals, organic and inorganic. It is true, in the case of snow crystal, molten crystal water absorbed by sliding surface or suspended between sliding surface and compressed snow layer causes more complication, but it has now been shown that the same sort of complication arises also in the frictional phenomena of other kind of crystals in the neibourhood of their melting point.


The need for power to grow silicon of a size suitable to make into devices is addressed. The expected results are tied to available power. The projection of the size of float zone crystals as a function of time is discussed. An accompanying graph shows that 4 in. will be the normally used diameter by 1985 and 5 in. by 1990. Material to be tested in device lines in this time frame should be 4 in. or more. The various power losses, 25 kW with a 50% power efficiency, which is much improved over present RF heating efficiencies.


We demonstrate comparing two types of X-ray generation source based respectively on 10 Hz repetition rate laser pulses with using massive solid target and 1 KHz repetition rate from a thin-foil target in a rather small configuration. The variation of generation parameters such as the incidence angle of laser pulse, size of target and target materials was described and evaluated by theoretical estimations. The dependence of number Káphotons generated by Cu and Ni targets has shown as function of the intensity laser radiation. The size of x-ray source was detected in both cases.


We redescribe Hyla pulchella joaquini and describe its tadpole and vocalization. The taxonomic status of this subspecies is reevaluated; and on the basis of morphology, geographic distribution, and vocalization, we propose the elevation of this subspecies to specific level with the name Hyla joaquini B. Lutz 1968. We also discuss the relationship of H. joaquini within the species groups of H. pulchella Duméril and Bibron 1841 and H. circumdata (Cope 1871).


Steel plate with tensile strengths of from 440 MPa to 980 MPa is increasingly being adopted for the structural elements of automobile bodies to both reduce weight and increase collision safety. However, the use of such material brings defects in press forming and other problems. The research reported here focuses on the form-forming method, which is effective for forming high tensile strength steel plate. To clarify the features of form-forming, we used eight types of steel plate having tensile strengths of from 270 MPa to 980 MPa in three forming processes, draw-forming, one-step form-forming, and two-step form-forming, to evaluate the shape freezing property. The results showed that the shape freezing property depends on the mechanical properties of the material; speci cally, a correlation with tensile strength, 0.2% proof stress, and elongation was seen. The effectiveness of form-forming for materials of higher strength was con rmed. Improved shape freezing by dividing the form-forming process into two steps was also con rmed. For draw-forming, the entire shaped surface was affected by unbending, so form-forming effectively suppresses unbending. The spatial distribution of unbending was evaluated quantitatively by measuring the residual stress distribution, con rming that residual stress serves as a useful index for clarifying the forming mechanism. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.P-M2017840]


The utility model provides a pen with a function of counting writing time. The pen comprises a pen holder, a pen cap, a pressure sensor and a timer, wherein the pen cap is detachably mounted on the pen holder, the pressure sensor is mounted at a pen holding part of the pen holder and is connected with the timer, the timer is mounted at the tail end of the pen holder, the timer starts timing when a pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is larger than a preset value, and the timer pauses timing when the pressure value is smaller than the preset value. According to the pen with the function of counting the writing time, the writing time of a student can be well counted, and the use is convenient.


In this paper, we propose an image watermarking technique that effectively hides confidential data in the LSB of image pixels by utilizing the characteristics of the image. In the proposed technique, the image is precisely divided into boundary surface and normal region other than the boundary surface and performs different processing. The boundary surface existing in the image is created by meeting different regions and contains important information of the image. One bit of confidential data is concealed in the LSB of the pixel at the boundary surface to preserve the characteristics of the boundary surface. In normal region other than the boundary surface, the pixel values are similar, and the change with the adjacent pixel values is smooth. Based on this property, even if the 2 bits of confidential data are hidden in the lower 2 bits of the pixel in the normal region, the difference cannot be visually distinguished. When confidential data is concealed in an image as described above, the amount of confidential data concealed in an image can be increased while maintaining excellent image quality. Concealing confidential data by applying the proposed method increases the amount of confidential data concealed by up to 84.6% compared to the existing method. The proposed technique can be effectively used for commercial image watermarking that hides copyright information.


In this paper, we present monolithic thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) emitting in the region around 2 μm. To our knowledge, this is the first rare-earth-doped fiber laser with a FBG pair written with deep UV femtosecond laser radiation.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Faecal biomarkers are used as indicators of disease activity in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which include Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Micro-RNA (miRNA) are small non-coding RNAs detectable in extracellular fluids that can be used as clinical biomarkers. The aim of this study was to determine if the faecal miRNAs composition is altered in IBD.

METHODS
More than 800 different human faecal miRNAs were measured in stool samples from control individuals and patients with active CD using the Nanostring technology. Selected miRNAs were quantified by RT-qPCR in faeces, serum and intestinal tissue of controls (n = 23) and patients with inactive or active CD (n = 22, n = 22) or UC (n = 11, n = 24) as well as patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI, n = 8).

RESULTS
150 miRNAs were significantly detected in faeces from controls and patients, and multivariate analyses showed that CD patients with high disease activities had a distinct miRNA profile and that miR-223 and miR-1246 were distinct from other faecal miRNAs. In a larger cohort, active UC patients displayed significantly higher levels of miR-223 and miR-1246 than controls while patients with CDI had higher levels of faecal miR-1246 but not miR-223. No differences were noted in serum samples.

CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first faecal miRNA comprehensive screen performed in IBD. Further investigation will aim at confirming these findings in a bigger cohort and at understanding the biological function and cellular sources of faecal miRNAs.


The momentum transfer cross section for electron-argon collisions in the range 0–4 eV has been derived from an analysis of recent measurements of DT/μ as a function of E/N at 294 K (Milloy and Crompton 1977a) and W as a function of E/N at 90 and 293 K (Robertson 1977). Modified effective range theory was used in the fitting procedure at low energies. An investigation of the range of validity of this theory indicated that the scattering length and effective range were uniquely determined ,and hence the cross section could be accurately extrapolated to zero energy. It is concluded that for e ≤ 0.1 eV the error in !he cross section is less than ± 6 % and in the range 0.4 ≤ e (eV) ≤ 0.4 the error is less than ± 8 %. In the range 0.1 < e (eV) < 0.4 the presence of the minimum makes it difficult to determine the errors in the cross section but it is estimated that they are less than −20 %, +12 %. It is demonstrated that no other reported cross sections are compatible with the experimental results used in the present derivation.


In this article, we present Knight, an automated surveillance system deployed in a variety of real-world scenarios ranging from railway security to law enforcement. We also discuss the challenges of developing surveillance systems, present some solutions implemented in Knight that overcome these challenges, and evaluate Knight's performance in unconstrained environments


An existed abstract result is given,with which we obtained the existence of sign-changing solutions to a class of fourth-order equations boundary value problems.


Discover library research tools to help you find articles, books, and other resources related to chemistry Background information on chemistry


The utility model discloses a breaker vibration on-line monitoring device including an industrial control computer and a vibration sensor, the vibration sensor uploads the acquired vibration signals of a breaker to the industrial control computer, the industrial control computer is successively connected with a signal amplifier and an A/D conversion device, the industrial control computer is further connected with an alarm, the A/D conversion device is connected with a client end and a host computer, the vibration sensor is a piezoelectric vibration sensor and the industrial control computer is a PC104 industrial control computer which adopts an embedded type LINUX operation system, the client end is a computer, and the alarm is an audible and visual one. The breaker vibration on-line monitoring device aims to evaluate the running state of the breaker based on the comparison and determination of the accumulated data by monitoring the vibration status of the breaker.


A performance experiments was carried out to verify the effects of the inclusion of the increasing levels (0, 3% and 6,0%) of fish silage in diets of growing pigs. Eighteen female pigs were used Moura and crossbred Duroc x Moura, with medium weight 24,0± 3,0kg of and medium age of 90 days and eighteen male pigs Moura and crossbred Duroc x Moura, with medium weight of 31,5± 5,0kg and medium age of 70 days in randomized with three treatments and six replicates for treatments. The inclusion of increasing levels of SSFP in rations of growing pigs increased the ration consumption without influencing the weigh diary gain and feed conversation. Sensorial differences were not detected as for the meat of the animals fed with SSFP, except for the flavor parameter, that was more accentuated in the animals fed with six percent of SSFP and temperat with salt.


Abstract Tumorous crown gall tissue in sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) initiates a mechanism for making Fe available to itself as evidenced by its ability to reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+. The objective of this study was to determine if a limited Fe supply to the plant might affect the growth, nutrition and reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ by the tumorous crown gall. Healthy green 14‐day‐old sunflower plants (cv mammoth Russian) were either stem‐inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens to induce tumorous crown gall tissue development or were left uninoculated for comparison. The plants were grown in a modified Hoagland nutrient solution with treatments containing 0.0, 0.15, 0.6 and 2.0 mg Fe L‐1. The 0 mg Fe L‐1 treatment induced maximum Fe chlorosis, and consequently there was a release of hydrogen ions and of a yellow pigment by the roots, but there was no measureable release of 'reductants' by the roots. Iron‐deficiency stress (0 mg Fe L‐1) also resulted in reduced tumorous crown gall growth, less reduction of Fe3+ to...


The coverage and biomass fluctuations of Caulerpa prolifera (Chlorophyta) were used to assess the influence of the alga on the composition of its associated...


Prefabricated system has been used extensively in many developed and developing countries to provide low cost housing. There are many case studies that took the advantage of prefabricated system as part of self help approach in house construction. Prefabricated system in self help housing proved to be cost effective, provide employment opportunities, utilise low skill levels and maximise local natural resources. Malaysia is also promoting prefabricated system to be used in low cost housing provision. There are obstacles to implement such technology into the conventional construction industry. This paper investigates the possibility of adapting local resources, such as timber, into prefabricated components as a mean to promote not only modular coordination concept but also promote self build approach in the community at a lower skill labour. It is not an immediate solution to housing issues yet it provides alternatives to house the low income group and contribute to increase the supply of housing.


This study aims to investigate interlanguage pragmatics in Turkish. For this pur-pose, a discourse completion questionnaire including four request situations was given to 33 learners of Turkish at a university in Istanbul, Turkey as well as 45 Turkish native speakers in two different programs at the same institution. The data were then coded into request strategies. The length of requests and the number of strategies employed were also coded. The request strategies were analyzed using the chi-square test while the length and the number of strategies were analyzed using the independent samples t-test. Results indicate that the two groups differed in head act strategies and downgrader strategies only in situation 3 while they differed in situation 2 through 4 in using supportive moves. In the length of the requests, number of supportive moves and the number of downgraders, the groups differed in only one situation. This shows that although differences are observed, there is no drastic difference between native-Turkish speaking students and learners of Turkish as a second language. This shows that even after one academic year in the target speech community, learners tend to choose strategies similar to the native speakers of the target language. The effect of sojourn in the target community could be further researched by comparing learners of Turkish in the target speech community to those that learn Turkish outside of the target speech community after the same amount of time spent learning Turkish..


The excitation of whistlers in a system of two identical interpenetrating electron streams moving in opposite directions with the relative velocity of the order of their thermal velocity is considered. The quasilinear relaxation of the stream distribution function is shown to cause the build-up of a plateau on the distribution function over longitudinal velocities of resonant electrons ( mod nu /sub /// mod nu 1). Instabilities of the type discussed may develop in the Earth's magnetosphere where inverted loss cone electron distributions have been observed and also in the counter-steaming electron flows in the gaps of electromagnetic traps and in colliding plasmas. The problem considered is an example of a possible application of the quasilinear theory to the case when the number of resonant particles is of the same order of magnitude as the number of adiabatic particles and the noise energy is of the order of the thermal energy of plasma.


Composite films based on polypyrrole (PPy) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized on titanium electrode, using various percentages of PEG, as the insulating material in order to enhance surface properties of the polymer composite films. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was performed to demonstrate the formation of a PPy-PEG composite film. The corrosion behaviour of coatings has been studied by Tafel tests and cyclic voltammetry. The PPy-PEG films/electrolyte interface was analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the specific parameters of corresponding equivalent circuits were calculated. The polymeric layer morphology on titanium substrate has been evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and enhanced properties of the PPy-PEG films are discussed as the effect of PEG incorporation in the polypyrrole structure.


Objectives: This study aims to investigate the level of Career Resilience among Medical Staff members and examine the psychometrics of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Subjects and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study; the study population included medical staff from basic and clinical departments at the Faculty Of Medicine, Suez Canal University (FOM-SCU) (n=75). The instrument was Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) to assess medical staffs' career resilience. Results: This study reveals that the medical staff at FOM-SCU agreed that things happen for a reason, past success gives them confidence for new challenge and, sometimes fate or God can help (78%, 72% and 72%, respectively). Ninety two percent of participants had a resilience score of ?50%. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) of the CD-RISC was conducted. This analysis yielded four factors. These factors were labeled as follows: Factor 1: Personal Competence, Factor 2: Tolerance of Negative Affect; Factor 3: Acceptance of change, secure relationships, and spiritual influences; and Factor 4: Control. Conclusion: The findings revealed that the medical staff received a high level of career resilience, and they especially felt that God gives them confidence. Resilience reveals how the medical staff copes with change and how they face challenges and risk events in the health profession. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the CD-RISC questionnaire and concluded that it is a reliable and valid instrument to measure career resilience in medical staff.


Received: June 28, 2015 Revised: September 17, 2016 Accepted: September 17, 2016 Abstract: Background: Living with robots has always been regarded as a science fiction theme, however due to rapid advances in technology it is becoming more of a reality. The use of robots in surgery dates back to more than 25 years, and has previously been of great assistance to humans in the fields of Aeronautics and Armed forces. An evolutionary step was made after collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Stanford Research Institute in the field of robotic-assisted surgery. Thereafter, more surgical specialties incorporated this technology in surgical procedures. The objective of this article is to review different applications, challenges, and the future of robotic surgery.


System xc− exchanges intracellular glutamate for extracellular cystine across the membrane of many cell types, including astrocytes. Its activity directly regulates the synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione and the extracellular concentration of glutamate in some areas of the brain. Dysregulation of the transporter can lead to excessive glutamate release and excitotoxic cell death or the depletion of glutathione stores and the development of oxidative stress. We recently demonstrated that oxidants acutely upregulate System xc− activity by triggering the rapid redistribution of the transporter from intracellular compartments to the cell surface. Our current work suggests that the trafficking of the transporter may be regulated by ubiquitination and that oxidant exposure directly influences the ubiquitination of the transporter. Since increased ubiquitination tends to decrease the cell surface expression of many membrane transporters, we sought to test the hypothesis that System xc− is ubiquitinated and that the ubiquitination status of the transporter regulates both its cell surface expression and activity. We have used a mutagenesis approach to disrupt putative ubiquitination sites and a putative ubiquitin ligase binding site within a myc‐tagged System xc− construct so that we can understand the role ubiquitination plays in regulating the cell surface expression of System xc−. There are seven highly conserved lysine residues within xCT that are located on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. These residues are located at positions 4, 37, 41, 43, 422, 472, and 473. We have created mutant forms of this construct containing single or multiple lysine to arginine mutations so that we could assess the effect of these mutations on cell surface expression of System xc‐. Using biotinylation assays and immunocytochemical analysis, we have demonstrated that mutation of the N‐terminal lysine residues increases the cell surface expression of the transporter. We are currently assessing the ubiquitination status of these mutant transporters to determine if the changes in ubiquitination of the transporter are associated with changes in the cell surface expression and activity of the transporter. In addition, we have identified a putative ubiquitin ligase binding site in the C‐terminus of the transporter. Disruption of this binding site also leads to an increase in cell surface expression of the transporter. Collectively, these data suggest that System xc− is regulated by changes in its ubiquitination status such that factors which lead to diminished ubiquitination will allow for increased cell surface expression of the transporter.


Two years later T. J. Kaczynski* [3] answered Sutcliffe's question in the negative. His elegant proof showed that if there exists a 3-digit solution for n, then deleting the middle digit gives a 2-digit solution for n. Together with Sutcliffe's work, this proved that there exists a 2-digit solution for n if and only if there exists a 3-digit solution for?. Given the nice correspondence between 2- and 3-digit solutions described by Sut cliffe and Kaczynski, it is natural to ask if there exists such a correspondence for higher digit solutions. In this paper, we will explore the relationship between 4- and 5-digit solutions. Unfortunately, there is not a bijection between these solutions, but there is a nice family of 4- and 5-digit solutions which have a natural one-to-one correspon dence.


The present invention provides a method for implementing a user location identifier, the user is identified by using two VlanCI tag and the VlanPI access broadband access network, increasing the number of broadband access network access user, the broadband access solution network problem VLAN ID number is not enough to achieve any number of access users in a broadband access network. Application of the present invention, when a packet is transmitted, the broadband access network devices can only be VlanPI scheduling, the user need not be concerned about the specific service, which is equivalent to only coarse management pipeline, the pipeline without meticulous management, characteristics associated with the user traffic is solved by mating between broadband access devices and BAS. In addition, private tag information of the user for the internal network, will be transparently transmitted across the network, the broadband access network is not the information processing apparatus.


How are art works created by artists? In this study, we focused on the drawing processes of a Chinese ink painter through a field study and a field experiment. In the field study, we observed processes of fusuma drawing in a temple, and in the field experiment, we asked the painter to draw sixteen pictures (eight drawings in BLANK condition and eight drawings LINES condition). We analyzed those drawing processes and found that: (1) this artist seems to gradually form a global image of the drawing as he draws each part one by one; (2) lines that the audience drew seem to create new constraints for his drawing and force him to create new patterns; and (3) moving his brush in the air before actually drawing lines on the paper seems to serve one of the following functions: Positioning (where to draw), rehearsal (how to draw), and image generation (what to draw).


The present invention relates to a method for analyzing a molten metal sample, wherein the sample taken by the sampling device from the molten metal, the sampler having a sample chamber and formed as a dip tube, the method according to the present invention comprising: samples collected by the sampler via a delivery tube transported to the scope of the analysis means; and, the sample is analyzed within the scope analyzing means.


Although a number of snow-cover-soilmoisture plant distribution studies have been carried out in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of the United States, the emphasis of such studies has been on vascular plants, and lichens and bryophytes have received little attention. Bryophytes and lichens are seldom a conspicuous element of the plant community above timberline in the Front Range. They rarely form large masses but usually exist as small individual specimens hidden by the canopy of vascular plants or plant litter and are often overlooked or ignored. A study was made of the percentage cover and abundance of 92 lichen taxa and 39 bryophyte taxa in 42 stands in a 1-km2 area in the lower alpine zone of Niwot Ridge in the Colorado Front Range. The percentage of total area covered by individual species was seldom very high, but taken collectively the cover of lichens and bryophytes combined averaged 38%.


Purpose. In the conditions of accelerated development of modernization processes in Kazakhstan, there is increased interest in the study of Kazakh heritage by historians and ethnographers of the 19th – 20th centuries. The purpose of this work is to identify the main scientific issues in the ethnography of the Kazakhs covered in Grigorii Nikolaevich Potanin's studies. Scientific works of this outstanding scientist in this respect are particularly relevant. Firstly, the researcher was born in one of the fortifications in the Kazakh steppe and had a good command of the Kazakh language as he was familiar with the peculiarities of culture and life of the Kazakh people since his childhood. Secondly, he was a famous ethnographer, a member of the Russian Geographical Society and participated in several scientific expeditions on the territory of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China. This article deals with studying the traditional culture of the Kazakh people by the famous ethnographer G. N. Potanin (1835–1920). We analyze the main works of the researcher devoted to the study of the spiritual culture of the Kazakh people. On the basis of our study, we identify that the study of folklore was one of central and most important issues among the various scientific aspects G. N. Potanin raised.
Results. G. N. Potanin focused on studying oral folk art of the Kazakh people including genealogical legends. He analyzed the origin of those legends and their similarities with legends of other peoples. The researcher also collected and recorded fairy tales, proverbs, riddles and tongue twisters of the Kazakh people. G. N. Potanin proved the so-called "eastern hypothesis" of the origin and development of the medieval European epic. In our opinion, G. N. Potanin concentrated on studying oral folk art because it reflects the life of the Kazakh people. The researcher noted a certain influence of Islam and Central Asian culture on the traditional culture of the Kazakh people. He studied ethnic composition, social structure, traditional economy and material culture of the Kazakh people.
Conclusion. Thus, the study of Kazakh folklore, including oral and musical creativity, was the main important issue in G. N. Potanin's research. He made conclusions on the ethnic composition, the traditional system of life support of the Kazakh people. In this small work, we noted only a small range of aspects that are reflected in the work of the great researcher. It is necessary to widen the range of archival materials studied to continue investigating the heritage of this outstanding Russian scientist, a true friend of the Kazakh people.


Today, thanks to increasingly positive responses to tribal leadership and advocacy, more state and county governments are honoring claims to tribal sovereignty across the country. Governments are increasingly recognizing tribes as independent nations and are dealing with them on a government to government basis. In response to this positive development, tribal leaders have made the pursuit of education a top priority in their governance and administration because education is a vital force in their quest to strengthen tribal sovereignty. By fostering educational programs today that address social, economic, cultural and environmental challenges in Native American communities, tribal leaders will help create the next generation of leaders on reservations. Universities need to respond to this challenge, and Northern Arizona University has done so with Applied Indigenous Studies. The core mission of Applied Indigenous Studies is to prepare students to assume leadership roles on reservations in the twenty-first century. In addition to providing students knowledge of tribal histories and cultures, federal policies, and contemporary reservation conditions, the curriculum provides students with tools and experience for contributing to their communities. The unit's students can gain skills in academic areas of importance (economic development, policy, and environmental studies, for instance) as well as learn how to use those skills on reservations. Should the Arizona Board of Regents approve departmental status (expected in January 2001), the new department be-


- The article presents the content assessment of the application of deep cement mixing technology. From laboratory and field experiments with geological conditions in Duyen Hai - Tra Vinh areas, Vietnam, we will find out the factors that affect the quality and durability of the deep cement mixing column. At the same time, we can determine the optimal ratio about content of cement and water for soil samples after being reinforced to meet the economic - technical requirements. Finally, test data is analysed to serve calculations and simulation based on linear regression models of Microsoft Excel.


FIELD: metallurgy. SUBSTANCE: invention can be used for production of seamless hot-rolled pipes from "15Х1М1Ф"- and "10Х9МФБ-Ш"-grade steels for pipelines of the steam intermediate overheating at boiler units. Hollow ESR ingots are bored and turned to hollow blanks sized to 670xvn.370x1650±50 mm, heated to ductility temperature and broached-rolled at cross-rolling mill to sleeves sized to 600xvn.590x3280-3480 mm. Sleeves are rolled at PRU 8-16'' with Pilger mills to commercial pipes sized to 610x28-32x4700-5400 mm. EFFECT: higher mechanical properties and precision of pipe sizes. 7 cl, 2 tbl


In this issue of Clinical Cancer Research , Allen et al. ([1][1]) report that serum levels and temporal velocities of multiple cytokine and growth factors interleukin IL-6, IL-8, growth regulated oncogene 1 (GRO-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF),


One of the main ideas of modern philosophy of mind is that there isn't consciousness without self-consciousness. Some contemporary philosophers reject this idea because it falls into paradoxes among which there is an infinite regress of srates of consciousness. In this paper I show how Descartes and Kant could subscribe to that idea avoiding this infinite regress.


Letter from M. F. Kretzmann to the faculty of Concordia College, asking that they not collect money without first asking the Board of Directors of the Synod.


To examine the effect of stocking and management models on growth and yield of freshwater pearl mussel,Hyriopsis cumingii,an enclosure experiment was carried out in the Science and Technology Service Center for Freshwater Pearl Industry of Zhejiang Province at Fengqiao,Zhuji,from July 28 to October 28,2004.Three types of stocking including monoculture of the pearl mussel,polyculture of the pearl mussel and gibel carp(Carassius auratus gibelio), and polyculture of the pearl mussel,silver carp(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp(Aristichthys nobilis) were established.For each type of stocking,two types of management including fertilizing and the combined use of fertilizer and formulated diet were used.At the start and end of the enclosure experiment,shell length,shell width,total weight of the pearl mussel,and body weight of the fish were measured.Yield of the pearl mussel and fish was calculated based on survival and growth of the pearl mussel and fish.Results of the experiment show that growth and yield of the 1 year-old and 2 year-old pearl mussel are closely dependent on the stocking model used,while the management model examined does not affect growth and yield of the pearl mussel significantly.By using polyculture,yield of both the pearl mussel and fish can be multiplied.Further comparison shows polyculture with gibel carp results in relatively good growth of 1 year-old mussel,and polyculture with silver carp and bighead carp is helpful to enhance growth of 2 year-old mussel.


The system of kin classification used by the Baniata-speaking people of Rendova Island, Western British Solomons, is here subjected to structural semantic analysis. The formal semantic model thus derived is discussed and evaluated with reference to numerous claims that other models of the same general sort are invalid for a variety of reasons and that other kinds of models have greater psychological or cognitive validity. The conclusion is that these claims are false and that the alternative models are descriptively inadequate, largely because none of them takes adequate account of the polysemy of the terms in question. The discussion concludes with some observations on the problem of explaining why it is that a particular people employ particular rules of kin-class definition and extension.


We aimed to validate Monte Carlo (MC) simulation models against measurements and evaluate the effect of object size on axial absorbed dose distributions during abdominal computed tomography (CT) acquisitions based on MC simulations. A medium-sized abdominal phantom, with holes to insert a pencil ionization chamber, was acquired using a 192-slice dual-source CT scanner at a tube voltage of 120 kVp and a displayed volume CT dose index of 5.0 mGy. Absorbed doses were measured using the pencil ionization chamber and an electrometer, and normalized absorbed doses to center were calculated for all measurement locations. The Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System version 3.02 was used to simulate normalized absorbed doses of 19 locations through small-, medium-, and large-sized abdominal phantom models with a tube voltage of 120 kVp. In the measurement and MC simulation, the normalized absorbed dose to center in the medium-sized abdominal phantom was 1.48 ± 0.28 and 1.62 ± 0.35, respectively. Higher normalized doses were observed at peripheral regions when the phantom size was larger.


It is shown that the very sensitive reaction between manganese and 4:4′-tetramethyldiaminodiphenylmethane ('methane base') in the presence of periodate can be applied to the quantitative estimation of the element in the range 0.1–1 μg. The effect of possible interfering factors is studied and the method is shown to give satisfactory results for the determination of manganese in plant material and in the ammonium acetate 'leachate' of soils.


We have previously reported an abnormal expansion of CD3+Leu7+ (CD57+) large granular lymphocytes in long-term renal allograft recipients. These cells lacked NK activity, T-helper activity and did not respond to T cell mitogens. The following studies were done in order to further define the functional characteristics of these cells. We sorted CD3+Leu7+ T cells from the peripheral blood of 45 recipients (all with good renal allograft function), and found that these cells suppress mixed lymphocyte culture responses and pokeweed mitogen—induced IgG secretion in a non-genetically restricted manner. PWM-induced IgG secretion assays are suppressed by 60–100%, and MLC responses are suppressed by 20–85% at a ratio of 1:10 CD3+Leu7+ cells to responder/effector cells. Supernatants from CD3+Leu7+ cell cultures are also suppressive. On the other hand, unsorted cells and non-CD3+Leu7+ sorted cells either enhance responses or produce less than 10% suppression under the same conditions. Patients who were tested more than once showed a relatively stable percentage and suppressive effect of their CD3+Leu7+ cells over an interval of 6–12 months. These nonspecifically suppressive CD3+Leu7+ large granular lymphocytes are similar in many ways to the natural suppressor cells that have been identified in hematopoietic tissues, in graft-vs. -host disease, and in the lymphoid organs of neonates.


The coronavirus pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system of Bulgaria, especially in the context of the shortage of professionals such as public health inspectors. As a result, additional obligations were added to their routines which increased their workload and put them at risk of developing burnout. Purpose: To study the level of burnout among public health inspectors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make a comparative analysis of the results in view of the inspectors' increased workload in the time of the pandemic. Materials and methods: Three studies of public health inspectors from the system of the Regional Health Inspectorate were conducted: two burnout studies using the Maslach Burnout Inventory in 2019 and 2021 (respectively of 62 and 61 persons) and a questionnaire survey of 116 subjects in 2020-2021 on the workload level. Results: During the pandemic, a considerable increase in the values of the three questionnaire aspects was observed. The highest level of emotional exhaustion was reported in the 31-44 age group with work experience of 11-20 years (88%), whereas the highest level of depersonalization and the lowest of personal accomplishment were identified in the over 55 age group (50% and 92%). In 2019 around 38.7 % of health inspectors were at a high risk of burnout, while in 2021, the number increased to 73.7%. Conclusions: During the pandemic, the share of health inspectors at risk of burnout has significantly increased. Therefore, early intervention and prevention of the syndrome are needed.


As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic unfolded in the spring of 2020, educators and students alike sought to cope with the sudden shift to online instruction, while also managing the immense lifestyle changes necessitated by the rapidly spreading virus Coincidentally, I had the improbable experience of teaching a Psychology of Disaster course during the emergence of the pandemic This essay will describe how a readings seminar quickly evolved into an experiential learning opportunity, as my 15 students and I applied and discussed course material in the context of events unfolding around us in real time Specifically, students engaged in animated discussions of disaster risk perception and communication, fear and the neurobiology of trauma, and the effect of COVID-19 on marginalized groups Moreover, writing assignments allowed students to recontextualize a number of societal events, such as the effect of groupthink on social distancing and spring break gatherings and analyses of irrational panic buying behaviors Students reflected on how their newly acquired knowledge about resilience and disaster preparedness could prove to be invaluable in facing an uncertain future postpandemic Recommendations for faculty to integrate knowledge from the COVID-19 pandemic and disaster psychology into other psychology courses are discussed, as well as ways this information can be utilized to support students during the ongoing response to the crisis (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)


That the music examination is one of the important research items in conservatories. The writer proposed a relative research method, especially on the quality of examination for the theory of music in The Music Examination. The writer practice the method in this article, which divided into two parts: cases analysis and experiment report. In the part of cases analysis, he analyzed a real matriculation test paper for Doctor's degree from some university, and he experimented and analyzed the Test of Theory of Music Knowledge in the part of the experiment report.


Floods are the leading cause of natural-disaster losses in the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is actively involved in the development of flood inundation mapping across the nation. This work is pursuant to its major science strategy goal of reducing the vulnerability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards. Working with partners including the National Weather Service (NWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state agencies, local agencies, and universities, the USGS is providing flood inundation mapping science resources to build more resilient communities.


The effect of solid solution temperature (1100 and 1200°C) on microstructure, phase composition and temperature dependence of 0.2% offset yield strength R0.2, in the temperature range of 77 to 673 K was studied for high-nitrogen austenitic Fe–19Cr–21Mn–1.5V–0.3C–0.9N (wt. %) steel. Increase in solid solution temperature provides a partial dissolution of (V, Cr)(N, C) particles and increases a concentration of carbon and nitrogen in austenite. A complex effect of solid solution hardening and particle strengthening provides strong temperature dependence of the yield strength in the steel independently on solid solution temperature. The mechanisms, responsible for the variation in the yield strength with test temperature and solution treatment, are described on the basis of the microstructural parameters of the steel.The effect of solid solution temperature (1100 and 1200°C) on microstructure, phase composition and temperature dependence of 0.2% offset yield strength R0.2, in the temperature range of 77 to 673 K was studied for high-nitrogen austenitic Fe–19Cr–21Mn–1.5V–0.3C–0.9N (wt. %) steel. Increase in solid solution temperature provides a partial dissolution of (V, Cr)(N, C) particles and increases a concentration of carbon and nitrogen in austenite. A complex effect of solid solution hardening and particle strengthening provides strong temperature dependence of the yield strength in the steel independently on solid solution temperature. The mechanisms, responsible for the variation in the yield strength with test temperature and solution treatment, are described on the basis of the microstructural parameters of the steel.


An experiment was carried out during the period of December/2008 to February/2009 in order to evaluate the effects of bovine biofertilizer on the yield of bell pepper plants ( Capsicum annuum L.), cv. All Big., under irrigation with saline water. Treatments were arranged in randomized blocks using the factorial design 5 × 2, corresponding to five levels of irrigation water electric conductivity (0.3; 1.5; 2.5; 3.5 and 4.5 dS m -1 ), and two substrates, without and with bovine biofertilizer. The irrigation was carried out based on the weighting process, by daily providing the volume of each type of evapotranspirated water, in order to elevate the soil to the field capacity level.. The evaluated variables were seedling emergence speed, normal emerged seedlings percentage, stem diameter and height growth, main root length, dry matter of the roots and shoots and electric conductivity of the substrate saturation extract. The increase of salinity on the irrigation water resulted in expressive losses in the plants emergence and growth, but the decreases were lower in treatments with the bovine biofertilizer. In the substrate, the electric conductivity was increased as function of the irrigation water salinity level increase , but in lower proportion in treatments with organic input. Bell pepper seedlings irrigated with saline water in soil without bovine biofertilizer did not present adequate quality for transplanting. However, in treatments with the organic fertilizer and irrigation with saline water with electric conductivity up to 3 dS m -1 , the seedlings showed adequate conditions for transplanting.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is well adapted to detect ocean pollution independently from daily or weather conditions. Oil slicks have a specific impact on ocean wave spectra because the presence of oil slicks can induce a damping of the backscattering to the sensor and a damping of the energy of wave spectra. Thus oil slicks can be discernible from the radar image. Several algorithms are applied for local segmentation of oil slicks but most solutions are tailored for specific applications. This paper describes a multi-scale kernel-based fusion approach by using textural and statistical features. This cascade svm approach reduces the problems of speckle and sea clutter and preserves subtle variations of oil slicks. The experimental results carried out on SAR images prove the effectiveness of proposed approach.


The impacts of tourism development on the distribution of micro-and meso-scale vegetation types were evaluated for the Gudoushan Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province. The results show that: (1) Based on investigation in 10 plot areas, the impact index of phytoecology was generally high, indicating that tourism development has caused ecological degradation in the study area; (2) Tourist activities have major adverse impacts on the plants in either side of the tourist path, areas surrounding the scenic spots and shops; (3) The degree of impact on vegetation varied with landscape type and shows the following decreasing order: mountain meadow mountain shrub mountain forest; within forests, mixed forest evergreen broad-leaved forest rain forest; and artificial forest natural forest; (4) Number of shade plant species, number of tree seedlings, litter thickness and species diversity index are among the good indicators for impact assessment while grass coverage gives a poor indication for the same purpose; (5) Human activities such as intermediate cutting in timber stands, road or tourist path construction have significantly adverse impacts on the landscape ecology; (6) From a standpoint of landscape ecology, evergreen mixed forest and monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest are more sensitive to tourism development and areas south of the service district and Mt. Nanwu are among the ecologically sensitive zones; (7) The multi-index approach provides a useful tool for early warning of ecological threat from improper tourism development which may assist the natural reserve managers in better managing the development of tourism in this area.


This article considers the extensification of cultivated fields and irrigation networks, and the concomitant intensification of farming practices in the lower Nepena Valley during the Early Horizon (800-200 BC). This period marked shifts in local procurement strategies, production intensities and food preferences. Beginning around the sixth century BC, various processes led to profound, long-lasting shifts in the perception and management of agriculture in this small valley of the north-central coast of Peru. Recent archaeological investigations highlight the emergence of dense human settlements, the increased importance of camelids for regional trade, and a heavy reliance on maize to produce alcoholic beverages. The synergistic effect of these processes appear to have included new opportunities for social and political competition in which food—and in particular maize cultivation—might have occupied a more salient role. While taxonomic data on floral and faunal remains have been published and allow a reconstruction of diachronic changes in local foodways, little is known about ancient field systems. This article considers the distribution of irrigation systems and ancient human settlements to evaluate levels of farming production during the first millennium BC. Results of the spatial analyses are considered in light of the complex entanglements between commensal politics, agrarian labor traps, and broader path dependencies in ancient coastal Peru.


This paper examines the responses of foreign merchant communities to the Caroline reforms carried out in Spain between 1759 and 1793. In 1700, the so called naciones (foreign communities in Spain) inherited strong corporate privileges from the Spanish Habsburg kings. However, their position progressively deteriorated, especially after the accession of Charles III in 1759. Against the backdrop of dramatic cuts in their privileges, the naciones adapted themselves to the new circumstances in different ways: a greater flexibility on the part of the Flemish and Irish communities could explain the better adaptation of these groups, whereas the French community decided, as early on as 1700, to adopt a strong institutional defence of their privileges. This eventually proved to be their downfall, as evidenced by their mass expulsion from Spain in 1793. Traditionally this expulsion was linked to the shock caused by the French Revolution in Spain. However, there had been a political line drawn between Caroline reformers and Spanish policymakers on the need to clarify the privileges of all foreign merchants in Spain dating back to 1759. The reforms responded to the traditional pressure from the peripheral cities and their concerns regarding foreign competition. However, as this paper suggests, these reforms also surpassed the limits of commercial activity by becoming a key element in the transformation of the old political framework of relations between the Spanish king and the naciones . This model definitively went into crisis giving way to a new concept of «the foreigner» as an individual.


Modernity has been creating spaces, new boundaries and borders, as metaphysical, mythological and symbolic marks of physical and imaginary territories. Modern space and its borders are metaphors, boundaries that are created, walls that rise to identify with some and categorize others. In this short paper we want to approach the problem of the transformation of the idea of border (geographical, cultural, symbolic, etc.), for a reflection on the transformations of that civilized obsession called border. The border has always been a reference in facing the identities, names, symbols, different imaginary: it is more confrontational line between two otherness. From the previous framework, we reflect on Turnerian mythology, as we believe that behind the creation of the imagination of the northern border is the mythical vision of the American frontier as ideological canon that explains and confirms the presence of the white race in a border re-made in the image and likeness of the "American Dream". Frederick Turner's reflection on the role of the frontier in American history is not only the study of the importance of progress towards the West but –even more so, is the analysis of meaning that had the American frontier as a historical process that ended in 1893, as Turner said, but


The management of today's very large databases requires high storage capacity and parallel searching to ensure real-time operation. The two main characteristics of database processing are: a) most of the transactions are based on comparisons of the data fields with a search argument, and b) a large amount of data have to be retrieved and processed in order to generate the query result, which is usually a small fraction of the database. Therefore, a common solution to the problem is a special purpose processor operating as a data filter. This unit receives records from the database and screens them on the fly accordingto user defined criteria. If a record satisfies the query, it is transferred to the end user, otherwise, it is rejected.


We have visualized two phase flow cooling of R245fa refrigerant in a 1 cm × 1 cm × 200 μm microgap, equipped with circular pin-fins. The device has the microgap with sparse circular pin-fin arrangement of transverse pitch, longitudinal pitch, and pin-fin diameter of 225 μm, 225 μm, and 75 μm, respectively. On the back side of the chip, four integrated platinum heaters are fabricated and are arranged in series. The microgap is installed in a closed flow loop that is pressurized. The inlet flow is subcooled at the elevated pressure. Flow boiling is obtained in the microgap for a range of heat flux values between 7 W/cm2 to 34 W/cm2. Using a high speed camera, flow visualization results are presented for the range of heat flux values.


Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) are the most common fluvial ecosystems in the world. They will become even more abundant in the future due to climate change and increased water abstraction. IRES are rivers that cease to flow (seasonally or sporadically) at some point(s) along their course. Despite the importance of IRES and their unique biodiversity, there are important aspects of their ecology and management that remain poorly understood. For example, few studies have investigated the rewetting period, i.e., the moment of flow resumption that occurs after the dry period. Here, we tested the response of taxonomic and functional features along hydrological and spatial isolation gradients across eight IRES in a Mediterranean region during the rewetting. We found a strong influence of hydrological isolation (i.e., low flow permanence) and a lower (yet significant) effect of spatial isolation on the macroinvertebrate communities. Those sites with lower hydrological and spatial isolation showed higher taxonomic richness (also EPT and OCH richness), functional richness, functional redundancy and functional dispersion. In contrast, we found poor communities dominated by Chironomidae and other Diptera with high mean functional similarity in the most intermittent and ephemeral sites. Moreover, the results of spatial isolation and dispersal traits analyses suggested that the recolonisation of macroinvertebrates to the rewetted sites was mainly produced through the river network, especially through long-distance dispersal events by drift favoured by preceding flash floods. The amount of water bodies located at one kilometre around the sites (i.e., surrounding water bodies) did not show any significant correlation with any of the community metrics, suggesting that aerial recolonisation through overland dispersal from nearby refugia was not important.


All entities and individuals can use, design or generate content appealing to emotions to maximize message saturation, audience reach, and engagement on Twitter during a crisis. The purpose of this study was to identify which specific emotion(s) yielded the highest engagement during the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting. Specifically, tweets conveying the emotional appeals of fear, anger, empathy, and advocacy were measured in terms of average likes, retweets, replies, and overall engagement using a content analysis and the constant comparative method. Results revealed which emotional appeal(s) yield the most likes, retweets, replies, and overall engagement with tweets.


Abstract Introduction Gay and bisexual (GB) men report anxiety about rejection based on sexual identity. The impact rejection has on GB men's mental health was investigated to understand how rejection impacts positive psychological constructs (hope and self-compassion), as well as anxiety, depression, and internalized homophobia. Rurality was also considered. Methods Data from 154 GB men were analyzed via linear regression. Results Results showed higher levels of gay-related rejection were associated with decreased self-compassion and hope agency and increased depressive symptoms and anxiety. No associations with rurality were found. Conclusion Implications include suggestions for practitioners in helping GB men with self-compassion and hope.


Differential magneto-optics are used to study the effect of dc in-plane magnetic field on hysteretic behavior due to geometrical barriers in $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta}$ crystals. In absence of in-plane field a vortex dome is visualized in the sample center surrounded by barrier-dominated flux-free regions. With in-plane field, stacks of Josephson vortices form vortex chains which are surprisingly found to protrude out of the dome into the vortex-free regions. The chains are imaged to extend up to the sample edges, thus providing easy channels for vortex entry and for drain of the dome through geometrical barrier, suppressing the magnetic hysteresis. Reduction of the vortex energy due to crossing with Josephson vortices is evaluated to be about two orders of magnitude too small to account for the formation of the protruding chains. We present a model and numerical calculations that qualitatively describe the observed phenomena by taking into account the demagnetization effects in which flux expulsion from the pristine regions results in vortex focusing and in the chain protrusion. Comparative measurements on a sample with narrow etched grooves provide further support to the proposed model.


Primary care groups are required not only to provide health care to patients but also to improve the health of their populations, i.e. to promote better health. The former is a reactive activity, the latter proactive. One can be done on your own, independently face to face, while the other demands outside resources, involves team-working and partnerships and addresses large constituencies. Is it possible to marry these apparently diametrically-opposed activities within the primary care environment? To mix oil and water?

This report, the result of an eighteen-month study, looks in detail at this issue and explores the extent to which there can be synergy between primary care and public health. It will require the WHO's definition of primary health care, based on principles of equity, community involvement and intersectorial collaboration to become a reality. This report investigates the new relationships that will need to be forged and the challenges that will have to be faced if success is to be achieved.

Policy makers, health authority managers, primary care practitioners and public health professionals will all find revealing insights into what the future might hold for their roles in the development of primary care and public health.


Many important image cues such as 'T'-,'X'and 'L'junctions have a local two-dimensional structure. Conventional edge detectors are designed for one-dimensional 'events'. Even the best edge operators can not reliably detect these two-dimensional features. This contribution proposes a solution to the two-dimensional problem. In this paper, I address the following: • 'L'-junction detection. Previous attempts, relying on the second differentials of the image surface have essentially measured image curvature. Recently Harris [Harris 87] implemented a 'corner' detector that is based only on first differentials. I provide a mathematical proof to explain how this algorithm estimates image curvature. Although this algorithm will isolate image 'L'junctions, its performance cannot be predicted for T'-junctions and other higher order image structures. • Instead, an image representation is proposed that exploits the richness of the local differential geometrical 'topography ' of the intensity surface. Theoretical and experimental results are presented which demonstrate how idealised instances of two-dimensional surface features such as junctions can be characterised by the differential geometry of a simple facet model. • Preliminary results are very encouraging. Current studies are concerned with the extension to real data. I am investigating statistical noise models to provide a measure of 'confidence' in the geometric labelling. The richness and sparseness of a two-dimensional structure can be exploited in many high-level vision processes. I intend to use my representation to explore some of these fields in future work.


1. A composition comprising an aqueous carrier, hydrogel particles comprising one or more polysaccharides, and one or more surfactants, wherein said composition does not exhibit phase separation over a period of ten days at room temperature as measured by the test faz.2 stability. A composition according to claim 1, wherein the polysaccharides are selected from the group consisting of carrageenan, nizkoatsilnuyu gellan gum, low methoxyl pectin or smesi.3. A composition according to claim 1, wherein one or more polysaccharides comprises k-karraginan.4. A composition according to claim 1, wherein one or more polysaccharides comprises i-karraginan.5. A composition according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogel particles contain a polysaccharide, a crosslinking agent and vodu.6. A composition according to claim 5, wherein the crosslinking agent comprises a metal salt or metal kislotu.7. A composition according to claim 6, wherein the crosslinking agent comprises potassium chloride, calcium chloride or smes.8. A composition according to claim 7, wherein the crosslinking agent is a chloride kaliya.9. A composition according to claim 5, wherein the composition comprises from greater than zero up to 1% of one or more polisaharidov.10. A composition according to claim 5, wherein the composition comprises from 0.5 to 2.5% crosslinking agenta.11. A composition according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogel particles have an average particle size of from 1 micrometer (microns) to 500 mkm.12. A composition according to claim 1, wherein the one or more surfactants selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, amphoteric surfactants, and combinations of two or more thereof soedineniy.13. A composition according to claim 12, wherein the one or more surfactants comprise one or more anionic n


W'hen we speak of the "industrial revolution," we com monly think of the great economic transformations that engulfed Western nations in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. If we extend our perspective into the twentieth century, however, we quickly discover that this phenomenon was by no means limited to earlier times or to the West, but was an ongoing process that reached global proportions after 1900. In the estab lished and newer industrial countries alike, the process underwent successive permutations, causing many observers to refer to a second and even a third industrial revolution. Meanwhile, just as industri alization spread from Britain to various Western followers in the nineteenth century, so did it fan out in the next century from the West to other parts of the world (most notably to East Asia),


Gordon G. Krauss is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Engineering Design in the Department of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College. His design research interests include improving the way designers interact with each other in the design process and how design process tools are applied. Prior to joining Harvey Mudd College, Dr. Krauss was a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan and enjoyed a career in industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, both from Boston University, and completed his undergraduate degree in Physics and Astronomy at Haverford College.


Surfactants which have ability to decrease surface tension through surface activation between interfaces are used as essential materials for cosmetics. These days, there is an increase in the world-wide interest to develop new natural surfactants which are biodegradable, mildness and multi-functional new amphiphilic materials to replace the synthetic surfactants. The saponin of Sapindus mukorossi seeds was obtained via hydro-alcoholic extraction at 60℃ by stirring for 2hours. The final yield was 5.8% (w/w). The chemical structure of the saponin was determined by TGA, FT-IR, LC/MS, and 1H-NMR. The results showed that the glycones of Sapindus mukorossi are oligosaccharide and aglycones are triterpenoid. The simultaneous presence of hydrophobic triterpenoid and hydrophilic oligosaccharide imparted amphiphilic nature. By using 1% saponin solution the surface tension of water could be reduced from 72 mN/m to 38.8 mN/m. through Du Nouy ring method. Foaming ability and foam stability were measured by standard bubble generating apparatus. The Ross-miles index value was 152 mm. The maximum foam volume was 162 mm. Odor adsorption ability of 1% saponin solution for ammonia gas was estimated to be 99% removal after 120 min. This value was more than activated carbon which showed 60% removal after 120 min. In conclusion, the saponin from Sapindus mukorossi seeds showed strong potential as an ingredient of multi-functional shampoo as well as a good candidate for functional hair care products.


The reconstruction of the cities has come out in the postmodern period in which a lot of changes emerged. Today, the cities are no longer just the ordinary places of everyday life, but also have become tourist attractions meeting the individuals' needs and desires, such as shopping, entertainment, sightseeing, etc. Thus, tourism activities have been transformed into the activities which can be carried out every time and everywhere regardless of time and space. The purpose of this study is to make assessments on the reflections of hyperreality applications in tourism. In this context, the reflections of hyper reality applications in tourism have been examined in the framework of the discourse "the end of tourism" and the theoretical basis of this discourse was also discussed. As a result, in this study discussing the applications of hyperreality in theoretical perspectives, it is emphasized that the generally accepted definitions of tourism should have been questioned.


Municipal solid waste (MSW) massifs stored on the landfills represent reinforced soil-like mate-rial with typical features. MSW modelling allows to predict the development of stress-strain behav-iour as during the maintenance as at postclosure period for the analysis of the possibility of reuse of the territories of closed landfills.


The plant electrical signal has some features, e.g. weak, low-frequency and time-varying. To detect changes in plant electrical signals, LED light source was used to create a controllable light environment in this study. The electrical signal data were collected from Sansevieria leaves under the different illumination conditions, and the data was analyzed in time domain, frequency domain and time–frequency domain, respectively. These analyses are helpful to explore the relationship between changes in the light environment and electrical signals in Sansevieria leaves. The changes in the plant electrical signal reflected the changes in the intensity of photosynthesis. In this study, we proposed a new method to express plant photosynthetic intensity as a function of the electrical signal. That is, the plant electrical signal can be used to describe the state of plant growth.


AbstractIn this study, energy consumption and operation cost of using the H2O2/UV process to treat wastewater from a local textile factory were evaluated. The results showed that both decolorization and mineralization followed the pseudo-first-order reaction. Further, the electrical energy per order (EEO) was used as the figure of merit for electrical energy consumption. The values of EEO for UV power of 13 W were reduced from 7.15 to 3.90 kWh m−3 per order for dissolved organic carbon and from 3.25 to 1.73 kWh m−3 per order for color over the range of H2O2 from 100 to 300 mg/L. EEO decreased when either UV power or H2O2 dose increased due to faster reaction. The obtained optimum cost was 0.36 US$/m3 for decolorization and 0.52 US$/m3 for mineralization, respectively. For practical application, proper selections of UV power and H2O2 dose were required so that both cost and operation time could be optimized.


H.264 is a new international video coding standard based on motion estimation, transform, quantization and entropy coding framework. H.264 adopts plentiful new technologies, which greatly improve coding efficiency but hugely adding complexity. This paper studies the H.264 which is the most popularly coding technology current in-depth, and analyzes the key technology of H.264. And then select the motion estimation and integer transform and quantization as the breakthrough point to improve and optimized the speed of encoding. Finally, through the data of experiment, under the premise of a satisfactory video quality, algorithm achieves the purpose of speed up the video encoding.