Dear Editor, Thymolipomas are infrequently occurring benign neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum, typically seen in children and young adults. A search of the available indexed English literature yielded fewer than 50 cases of paediatric thymolipoma. We describe the clinical, radiological, cytological and histopathological features of a case of mediastinal thymolipoma in a young child diagnosed by correlation of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) cytology and computed tomography (CT). An 11-year-old boy presented to the hospital with a history of recurrent chest pain for the past month. There were no associated respiratory symptoms, and there was no fever or surgical history. Physical examination, including that of cardiovascular and respiratory systems, was unremarkable. Plain radiographs showed a lobulated soft tissue density mass in the right parahilar region with a broad base towards the mediastinum silhouetting the right upper mediastinal border. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a lobulated mixed soft tissue and fat density mass lesion measuring 45 9 35 9 33 mm located in the antero-superior mediastinum closely abutting the thymus. The mass lesion showed homogenous enhancement (Figure 1). A radiological impression of mediastinal teratoma or thymolipoma was rendered. The child underwent EUS-FNA. Cytological smears were cellular and showed predominantly lymphocytes in various stages of maturation (Figure 2a). Scattered epithelial cells with squamoid features were also seen (Figure 2b). There was no evidence of a teratomatous component. The cytological features were suggestive of thymic tissue. Considering the radiological and FNA smear features, a cytological possibility of thymolipoma was rendered and excision biopsy was advised. A right thoracotomy with excision of the mass was performed. Intraoperatively, a 5 9 4-cm firm mass was seen near the right atrium and thymus. The mass was dissected free from the thymus and submitted for histopathology. On gross examination, the mass was encapsulated and lobulated, and measured 5.2 9 4.1 9 2.0 cm (Figure 2c). Cut section showed a grey–brown to yellowish lobulated lesion lacking haemorrhage or necrosis. The mass was extensively sampled for histopathological examination. Microscopically, a lobulated lesion was seen composed of thymic tissue in the form of lymphoid component and Hassall's corpuscles, together with varying amounts of mature adipose tissue (Figure 2d). No teratomatous component was seen in the numerous sections examined. No evidence of malignancy was noted. A final histopathological diagnosis of mediastinal thymolipoma


This paper proposes a new pixel-based background subtraction technique, applicable to range images, to detect motion. Our method exploits the physical meaning of depth information, which leads to an improved background/foreground segmentation and the instantaneous suppression of ghosts that would appear on color images. In particular, our technique considers certain characteristics of depth measurements, such as failures for certain pixels or the non-uniformity of the spatial distribution of noise in range images, to build an improved pixel-based background model. Experiments show that incorporating specificities related to depth measurements allows us to propose a method whose performance is increased with respect to other state-of-the-art methods.


Sounds and Images of the Floating World: Re-Presentations of Music in Japanese Woodblock Prints in the Art Gallery of South Australia Instrument: Solo Japanese Koto (13 stringed zither) Extent: 70 minutes Sponsored by the Art Gallery of South Australia


Background The adoption of telehealth became a necessity for healthcare organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transplant pharmacists are integral members of the multi-disciplinary care team who quickly adapted application of these technologies to ensure continuity of care. Objective To assess transplant pharmacists' experience with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A 23-question online survey was developed to assess transplant pharmacists' experience with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Forty-five pharmacists responded to the survey from a broad range of transplant centers. The majority of respondents indicated infrequent use of telehealth (98%) before the COVID-19 pandemic, but this was significantly changed during the pandemic with only 9% reporting infrequent use. Pharmacists anticipated a decrease in future use, but 91% of respondents stated they would like to continue utilization of telehealth in their practice post-pandemic. Conclusions The adoption of telehealth during COVID-19 was widespread and has the potential to facilitate continuity of care. Though pharmacists anticipated a decrease in future use, a majority favored continued utilization of telehealth in their practice.


The invention discloses a modularized automatic filling production line. The modularized automatic filling production line comprises a conveying device, a filling device and a control system, wherein the filling device is arranged above the conveying device, and the control system is connected with the filling device and the conveying device respectively; the filling device comprises a group of filling unit modules, and each filling unit module is formed in a manner that a plurality of detachable filling nozzles are arranged. According to the modularized automatic filling production line, by arranging the filling nozzles in the filling unit modules, the filling unit modules can be rearranged according to the production output, so that the technical problems that the production cost and resources are wasted because a production line needs to be re-customized in the prior art are solved; besides, the production space can be saved and transporting devices can be eliminated, and an original manner that more than 8 filling nozzles are arranged in one row is changed into a manner that 1-4 filling nozzles are arranged in one row.


Background: Following state-level health care reform in Massachusetts, young women reported confusion over coverage of contraception and other sexual and reproductive health services under newly available health insurance products. To address this gap, a plain-language Web site titled "My Little Black Book for Sexual Health" was developed by a statewide network of reproductive health stakeholders. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the health literacy demands and usability of the site among its target audience, women ages 18–26 years. Study Design: We performed an evaluation of the literacy demands of the Web site's written content and tested the Web site's usability in a health communications laboratory. Results: Participants found the Web site visually appealing and its overall design concept accessible. However, the Web site's literacy demands were high, and all participants encountered problems navigating through the Web site. Following this evaluation, the Web site was modified to be more usable and more comprehensible to women of all health literacy levels. Conclusions: To avail themselves of sexual and reproductive health services newly available under expanded health insurance coverage, young women require customized educational resources that are rigorously evaluated to ensure accessibility. Implications: To maximize utilization of reproductive health services under expanded health insurance coverage, US women require customized educational resources commensurate with their literacy skills. The application of established research methods from the field of health communications will enable advocates to evaluate and adapt these resources to best serve their targeted audiences.


River floodplain soils are sinks and potential sources for toxic trace metals like Cu and Zn. We hypothesize that stable Cu and Zn isotope ratios reflect both the mobilization and the sources of metals. We determined the soil properties, the concentrations and partitioning of Cu and Zn, and variations in δ65Cu and δ66Zn values in a core obtained from an Aquic Udifluvent developed on a freshwater intertidal mudflat of the River Elbe, Germany. The core was sampled at 2 cm intervals to a depth of 34 cm, which corresponds to approximately 9 yr of sedimentation. Elevated concentrations of Cu (up to 320 μg g−1) and Zn (up to 2080 μg g−1) indicated anthropogenic pollution. At the time of sampling the redox conditions changed from oxic (Eh 200 to 400 mV, above 22 cm deep) to strongly anoxic conditions (-100 to -200 mV, below 22 cm deep). The δ65Cu values varied systematically with depth (from -0.02 to 0.16‰) and were correlated with the Fe, C, and N concentrations. Although pre-depositional variations cannot be ruled out, the systematic variation with depth suggests post-sedimentation fractionation of δ65Cu in response to seasonally variable organic matter deposition and redox conditions. In contrast, the δ66ZnIRMM values were uniform (from -0.07 to 0.01‰) throughout the core, indicating that the Zn isotopes did not significantly fractionate after deposition and that the Zn sources were homogeneous throughout the sedimentation.


Vehicle re-identification aims to retrieve and match vehicles under non-overlapping cameras. Although this technology has made some progress in recent years, the problem of vehicle appearance ambiguity caused by perspective shift still can not be well resolved. To alleviate the above problem, this paper proposes a vehicle re-identification method based on keypoint-guided semantic feature alignment and graph matching strategy to enhance complementary information under the transformer framework. The method first uses the pre-trained vehicle attitude detection model to extract keypoints, and proposes an information mapping strategy. Through the coordinate information of keypoints, the corresponding local feature tokens under the transformer framework are extracted and given semantic content to achieve the same semantics. Feature alignment for attribute tokens. Then, a graph matching network is constructed to realize the transfer of semantic information between similar samples, and the expressive ability of features is further improved through the multivariate interaction of information. The proposed model achieves state-of-the-art performance and superiority compared to similar methods on two large vehicle re-ID datasets.


In 1969, the International League Against Epilepsy published a scheme for classification of epileptic seizures. Professor H. Gastaut, then Secretary-General of ILAE and a member of the Commission an Classification, related the history of the work which represents a milestone in efforts at classifying epileptic seizures and has led to world-wide adoption (Gastaut, 1970). Since the publication of the 1969 classification, objective and sophisticated methods for studying epileptic seizures have became commonplace. These methods include video display of epileptic seizures on magnetic tape, the simultaneous recording of the electroencephalogram using hard-wired recording techniques and radiotelemetry with split screen display and instant replay capability. Since 1975, twofurther Commissions on Classification and TerminoIogy of the International League Against Epilepsy have convened in order to continue to update, amend, and improve the dassification in the light of the cap y afforded by the newer techniques to study seizures. Several workshops were convened. In December 1975 a workshop on complex partia1 seizures took place at Bethesda, Maryland, under a Commission chaired by Jerome K. MerIis of Baltimore and comprising Dr. Merlis, Dr. D. David Daly of Dallas, Dr. Dieter Janz of Berlin, Dr. J. Kiffin Penry of Bethesda, Dr. Carlo Albert0 Tassinari of Marseille. In addition, Dr. Rudolph Dreyer of Bethel, Dr. Antonio V. Escueta of Los Angeles, Dr. K. F. Masuhr of Berlin, Dr. Richard H. Mattson of New Haven, Dr. Roger J . Porter of Bethesda, Dr. Dieter Schmidt of Berlin, and Dr. Gregory 0. Walsh of Los Angeles attended as participants and discussants in this workshop. In 1977, a workshop on generalized seizures was held in Berlin. The above Commission members were present with the addition of Dr. Toyoji Wada of Shizuoka and invited participants who presented videotape data, including Dr. A. Cirignotta of Bologna, Dr. Peter Kellaway of Houston, Dr. Cesare Lombroso of Boston, Dr. K. F. Masuhr of Berlin, and Dr. D. Stefan of Bonn. The results of these workshops comprise the majar portions of the version of the International Classification of Epileptic Seizures herewith proposed. In 1979, the present Commission was constituted, consisting of Dr. Jean Bancaud of Paris, Dr. Olaf Henriksen of Oslo, Dr. Francisco Rubio-Donnadieu of Mexico City, Dr. Masakatsu Seino of Sbizuoka, Dr. Fritz E. Dreifuss of CharlottesvilIe (Chairman), and Dr. J. Kiffin Penry, President of


San Diego Gas Electric has been through tough times including the high fuel-cost era of the early '80s, which contributed to high rates, and a two-and-one-half-year merger attempt with Southern California Edison Co., recently rejected by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) - but has emerged a strong and vital company, tested and ready for the challenges of the future. This paper reports on San Diego Gas and Electric's ability to flourish as a company despite problems involving dwindling natural resources and regulations (environmental and otherwise) that style growth.


This study presents an assessment of efficiency of the use of scientific and technological information of Colombian accredited universities to scientific production and networks consolidation: two results of Intellectual Capital production. The results show sustained growth in the production of intellectual capital by making efficient use of human capital and scientific and technological information. This progress is consistent with the strategies outlined in national policies. Colombia shows steady progress in scientific production in Latin America. As policy recommendations, strengthening international co-authorship networks, the joint acquisition of databases, and the use of open access digital resources, are suggested. The methodological strategies employed are Data Envelopment Analysis, Social Network Analysis and a survey.


The Silk Road was an important channel for cultural exchanges between ancient China and the West, and glass was a precious material evidence of early trade exchanges. In order to explore the changes of relevant properties and chemical compositions of these glass relics before and after weathering, it is necessary to calculate their correlation degree and predict the changes of compositions. In this paper, the correlation and correlation between the components are calculated by establishing the grey correlation analysis method, independent sample T test method, random forest algorithm, K-means algorithm and other models, so as to analyze and predict the correlation properties and chemical components of glass relics before and after weathering.first, preprocess the data, remove the invalid data, and take the glass type, decoration and color as the comparison sequence. Whether the cultural relic surface is differentiated into a reference sequence, use the gray correlation analysis method to calculate that the gray correlation between the glass type and whether it is differentiated is the largest, which is 0.7939, indicating that the glass type is most closely related to whether it is weathered. According to the type of glass, the average, median and standard deviation are calculated, and the chemical composition with strong correlation with weathering is determined by independent sample t-test. The prediction results are obtained by predicting the principal components of weathering points.


11 DOI: 10.37398/JSR.2021.650303 Abstract: The Eastern Himalaya region is a comple * x combination of two events: (a) collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates and (b) erosional and depositional processes occurring in the area. The study area is a part of Sub-Himalaya, which comprises the Siwalik Group of rocks. The present study includes the Dikrong River, which has a vast valley of about 4-5 km, and there is an offset in the mountain front on both sides of the river. The presence of horizontal and tilted terraces and uplifted rock formations provide an excellent set up to study the degree of tectonic activity. Geomorphic indices used to fulfil the objective are stream-length gradient, Mountain front sinuosity, valley floor width to valley height ratio, asymmetry factor. In this paper, we have discussed the results of the geomorphic indices and also the evidence of active tectonic activity. Also, we have discussed the cause of negative indication of few geomorphic indexes, which indicates the area to be less active. It is known from the tectonic evidence that the region is tectonically very active. A new set of data range of tectonic activity classes with particular reference to the Eastern Himalayas is required to eliminate the error in the results.


ABSTRACT Limb salvage with knee arthrodesis remains the treatment of choice in the management of the failed, multiply revised total knee arthroplasty not amenable to further reconstruction. Nonetheless, obtaining quality bone-on-bone contact for fusion and maintaining limb length is difficult in a knee that has undergone multiple revisions, particularly for history of infection. Described here is a new knee fusion technique that uses a modular tumor system to minimize shortening and cement for both fixation and additional antibiotic exposure to the joint. The Global Modular Intercalary Replacement System is a tumor endoprosthesis that allows the selection of different diameters and lengths of the femoral and tibial components. Each intramedullary stem is stabilized in its respective canal via impaction bone grafting and antibiotic-laden cement. Limb length is further maintained by filling the residual gap between femoral and tibial bone stock with cancellous bone graft. This method has been successfully implemented, with up to 5 years' follow-up, in patients with failed multiply revised total knee arthroplasty caused by infection and significant bone loss and for revision of previously failed knee fusion using a Neff nail. This new technique using the Global Modular Intercalary Replacement System can be used inpatients with significant bone loss to maintain the limb length and result in stable fusion at the knee joint.


n the third part of the Ethics, Spinoza express the desire to talk about "human actions and appetites just as if it were a question of lines, planes, and bodies" (E3, Appendix).1 With this sentence, it seems clear that Spinoza sides with Hobbes and Descartes and that he wants to construct a mechanistic theory of the affects. In the same part of the Ethics, Spinoza also introduces the concept of conatus: "Each thing, as far as it can by its own power, strives to persevere in its being" (E3P6), Spinoza says. One will immediately understand this concept of conatus as the core concept of his mechanistic theory of the affects, the concept without which this mechanistic account of the affects would be impossible. However, in the second part of the Ethics, there is another concept that could have accomplished that same goal, namely, the principle of inertia. In the words of Spinoza, "A body which moves or is at rest must be determined to motion or rest by another body, which has also been determined to motion or rest by another, and that again by another, and so on, to infinity" (E2L3). Interestingly enough, in the philosophy of Hobbes, the concept of endeavour/conatus is much nearer to the Spinozistic principle of inertia in its meaning than it is to the Spinozistic version of the conatus. However, Hobbes is still able to construct a deeply mechanistic theory of the affects with this concept, and one may think that Spinoza should have been too. In this paper, I aim to address the question of why Spinoza has decided to use the concept of conatus rather than the principle of inertia to achieve his goal of constructing a mechanistic theory of the affects. I will then argue that for this


Abstract A series of unprecedently air‐stable (tricyanoboryl)plumbate anions was obtained by the reaction of the boron‐centered nucleophile B(CN)3 2− with triorganyllead halides. Salts of the anions [R3PbB(CN)3]− (R=Ph, Et) were isolated and found to be stable in air at room temperature. In the case of Me3PbHal (Hal=Cl, Br), a mixture of the anions [Me4−n Pb{B(CN)3} n ] n− (n=1, 2) was obtained. The [Et3PbB(CN)3]− ion undergoes stepwise dismutation in aqueous solution to yield the plumbate anions [Et4−n Pb{B(CN)3} n ] n− (n=1–4) and PbEt4 as by‐product. The reaction rate increases with decreasing pH value of the aqueous solution or by bubbling O2 through the reaction mixture. Adjustment of the conditions allowed the selective formation and isolation of salts of all anions of the series [Et4−n Pb{B(CN)3} n ] n− (n=2–4) including the homoleptic tetraanion [Pb{B(CN)3}4]4−.


THIS is an attempt to provide a broad and critical analysis of British policy towards the Siamese Malay States which lay to the north of the British possessions and protectorates in the Malay Peninsula. Four of them, Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Trengganu, were transferred to British suzerainty in 1909 and now form part of Malaysia. The period under examination was one of unusually keen rivalry between Britain and France in the whole of mainland Southeast Asia and one of its unique features was the preservation of the independence of the Kingdom of Siam. Apart from the other needs of imperialism, the policies of die two Powers in Siam were to a considerable extent influenced by the presence of their vast colonial possessions in the periphery of Siam. These basic facts of the history of the region have, not unnaturally, led to a variety of approaches to the problem of the extension of British political control in the Malay Peninsula.


This thesis studies the introduction of the idea of human rights to China, and traces the continuing debate on human rights during the period 1898 to 1949. The writings of advocates of human rights such as Zou Rong, Chen Duxiu, Luo Longji and Zhou Jingwen, among others, are discussed and analysed, as are those of critics of the idea of human rights, such as Liang Qichao, Sun Yat-sen, and Wu Jingxiong. The Chinese language sources used in this study can be divided into two major types: neglected sections in the writings of well-known political figures, and articles in relatively little-known magazines and books penned by minor, yet representative, Chinese intellectuals. This material on human rights has been ignored, to a great extent, by both Chinese and Western researchers. As a result, the complexity and richness of Chinese thinking on human rights has hitherto remained relatively unknown and unstudied. The thesis analyses Chinese writings on human rights in a historical and theoretical perspective. An overview of similaliries and dissimilarities regarding human rights thinking in the Chinese and the Western discourses is presented. The general argument of the study is that the Chinese held ideas about human rights which were as complex and heterogeneous as those found in the West. Although the study deals with the pre- 1949 peliod, the author believes that an understanding of this period is essential for a deeper comprehension of the ongoing contemporary debate between China and the West on human rights. The study concludes with an epilogue sketching the post-1949 discussion on human rights. (Less)


This study aims at investigating the principle and ideological root of Korean traditional dance by taking notice of the point that the "Yi Zhuan" was...


ABSTRACT A facile approach has been developed to fabricate ZnO hierarchical architectures with different morphologies under hydrothermal conditions. ZnO nanorod-based whisks and nanorod-based dandelions have been synthesized through the adjustment of the ratio of Zn(NO3)2 to glycine. The structures of ZnO hierarchical architectures have been examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and the possible growth mechanism of these ZnO nanostructures has also been discussed. In addition, the photocatalytic properties of these ZnO nanostructures have been also investigated. Investigations confirm that the morphology and specific surface areas play important roles in the photocatalytic properties of these ZnO nanomaterials.


The impact of nitrogen plasma nitridation on the interfacial quality of ultrathin oxide (1.8 nm and 2.6 nm) and negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) have been investigated. It is found that the plasma-nitridation can more effectively suppress nitrogen-induced and boron-induced hole mobility degradation than that of thermal nitridation. Therefore, a higher amount of nitrogen can be incorporated into the plasma-nitrided oxide to suppress boron penetration without compromising the oxide interfacial quality. Furthermore, plasma-nitrided oxides have higher resistance to NBTI and longer NBTI-lifetime than that of thermal-nitrided oxides.


Physical experiments are effective means to bring up students' creative thinking and skills.The reform and invention of the teaching modes in physical experiments,different experiment designs for nurturing different creative qualities and the training of students' independent operating skills are important and effective ways to bring up the exploration spirit,the observation skills,the analytical ability,and the creativity in students.


We present herein a simple, sensitive and specific method for CK-MB detection for the early diagnosis of myocardial infarction through magnetic separation integrated with chemiluminescence. FITC and ABEI labelled anti-CK-MB antibodies and magnetic beads functionalized with anti-FITC antibodies are used to make a CK-MB complex after magnetic separation and the intensity of the chemiluminescence is used as a readout signal. The limit of detection is as low as 0.296 ng mL−1 in serum and other common substances in serum do not cause interference. We test 120 real clinical samples using our method and the results are consistent with the existing commercial platform, which confirms the practical promise of our proposed method.


Commercial grain oriented silicon steel was cold rolled from 0. 746 mm to 0.34 mm, by cross shear rolling with a roll mismatch speed ratio 1.17, after first cold rolling and intermediate annealing as normal. The subsequent annealing was just as that in industry. The texture distribution and development through the thickness were researched by ODF and reverse pole figure quantitative analyses, and the magnetic properties were measured. The results indicate that the deformation texture is similar to that obtained by traditional one,favorable deformation texture can also be found near the both outer layers of sheet, but they deviate obviously to the fast speed roll. Therefore, the deformation texture shows an asymmetry distribution through the thickness. After decarbon annealing, η-fibre increases,texture with a symmetry distribution reappears through the thickness: sharp Goss texture forms after the secondary recrystallization annealing, and the magnetic properties measured are not lower than that rolled by traditional one.


In an era of climate change, economic globalization, and technological innovation, the Arctic region has been increasingly open to competing jurisdictional claims, commercial activities, and outside players. In the meantime, China's engagement in the Arctic has drawn great attention. While some Arctic commentators are concerned about China as a threat to the region, many Chinese officials and scholars tend to portray China as a "rule-follower" in the Arctic. However, this "rule-follower" image fails to take full account of the evolving nature of Arctic governance and Arctic international law. This paper recasts China's role in the Arctic. It argues that, to fulfill a "constructive participant" role in Arctic development, China can participate as a rule follower, a constructive challenger, and a keen learner concurrently, depending on the different issue-areas involved.


Based on the hypothesis of human nature, the development of management has undergone different hypothesis starting from 'economy man', 'society man', 'self-actualization man', 'complex man', to 'policymaker'. The management goes through the following three stages: the classic management theory, the latest classic management theory and the contemporary management theory. The management development in the future will also be on the basis of the evolution of the hypothesis of human nature. Therefore, the hypothesis of human nature forms the inherent logic of the management development.


The negative temperature coefficient of E for teflon is used to compensate the frequency drift of a metal cavity due to thermal expansion. An experimental X-band transmission resonator was compensated in this way with a 10 mm teflon post. The results are considered of great interest for the compensation of waveguide millimiter wave oscillators.


Interleukin‐1 is a pro‐inflammatory cytokine found in two forms (α and β). The α form is mainly cell‐bound, whereas IL‐1β is primarily secreted by macrophages in response to immune system stimulation. We hypothesized that polymorphic variants of interleukin 1 genes may play a role in childhood asthma risk. The aim of this study was to investigate if IL‐1α and β polymorphism is associated with asthma in a pediatric population and if the genotype affects its serum level.


There have been a number of instances in which an aircraft that suffered in-flight damage to the airframe or control system has been brought safely to the ground using unconventional means of control. To help explore control strategies that might be successful in such situations, a method has been developed that allows a quick and systematic investigation of such cases by determining a control law for a desired maneuver using optimal control theory. The control law is optimized for a chosen aircraft configuration, which could have damage to its control system or airframe, subject to imposed state and control constraints. The formulation of the method results in a tracking problem in which the user-defined state trajectory, which can be nonlinear, is solved by numerically integrating the Riccati equation. As a result, a performance index that contains measures of the minimum control effort, as well as tracking and terminal state errors, is minimized. The usefulness of the method developed is demonstrated with several sample maneuvers on aircraft with and without damage to their primary control systems. In many cases, of course, positive control is not possible, while in others, it is found that unconventional control strategies, sometimes with as little as differential thrust being available, can be employed to get a damaged aircraft safely to the ground. Nomenclature


In order to realize the high-accuracy prediction of steel plate camber and the accurate control of roll gap tilt for straightness, a fusion method with mechanism model and machine learning of the strip at the exit side is investigated. Based on the basic equation of transverse asymmetric rolling, a mathematical model of plate camber curvature radius of the exit side and entry side is derived. Meanwhile, a machine vision method for camber measuring is adopted in which the subpixel coordinates of the rolled piece edges can be obtained, and the size of the plan view of rolled piece can also be settled indirectly to carry out feedback control on the camber defect. Tilt value of the roll gap can be controlled in advance to avoid the occurrence of camber which predicted with high accuracy. Prediction model of camber synthesis leveling based on PSO-LSSVM algorithm is used, the relative error is within ± 5% of both the training set and the testing set. Combine the mathematical model of roll gap tilt adjustment and PSO-LSSVM camber prediction, the roll tilt adjustment for different processes and product specification is calculated by predicting plate camber accurately to obtain good straightness for the final product, the relative error range of curvature value is within ± 6% after being compensated by PSO-LSSVM algorithm. The research result reveals that this method is suitable for camber prediction and model optimization in plate rolling process.


As supply chains become leaner, supply chain (SC) managers are often subjected to decrease inventory. Determining the appropriate inventory level for seasonal products without compromising the level of service provided to customers is crucial. This poses a challenge for supply chain managers to find the best trade-off between having excess or less inventory. A well-known model to determine such trade-offs is the newsvendor model. This model is focused on a decentralized business strategy. This research seeks to evaluate the contributions of collaborative inventory management for seasonal products with demand uncertainties having a single order in a cycle through newsvendor and buyback contract for a two-tier SC for both decentralized and centralized business strategies. To explore the effects of these uncertainties on seasonal products such as newspaper, apparels, perishable foods and major holiday products, a Monte Carlo simulation model was used to optimize the decision variable (the maximum order quantity, Q*) to improve the financial performance of the SC. The results indicate that wholesale price discount and buyback contract are efficient in collaborative inventory management. Buyback contract is less attractive when costs associated with returns are high. High return costs reduce the profitability of the SC significantly.


In this paper, we propose nonparametric hierarchical Bayesian models based on two inverted Dirichlet-based distributions and Pitman–Yor process for positive data features clustering. The choice of the inverted Dirichlet and the generalized inverted Dirichlet distributions is motivated by their flexibility and modeling capabilities when dealing with this kind of data, while deploying the Pitman–Yor process prior is justified by its power-law behavior, which makes it a natural choice in real-life application compared with Dirichlet processes for instance. The inference for the resulting models takes into account the challenging problem of feature weighting/selection and is conducted under a Bayesian setting by means of the recently proposed stochastic variational Bayes technique. The efficacy and merits of the proposed approaches are examined using the synthetic data and a challenging real-life application that concerns video background subtraction.


1. In view of conflicting reports on the source of Ca2+ needed to trigger the secretory response to muscarinic stimulation of chromaffin cells, we have reinvestigated this problem in the cat adrenal gland perfused with oxygenated Krebs solution at 37 degrees C. Above a basal rate of secretion of 60 ng/30 s of total catecholamines, 5 s pulses of 100 microM‐methacholine evoked 10‐fold increases of secretion. This response was entirely mediated by muscarinic receptors, since it was blocked by submicromolar concentrations of atropine but not by d‐tubocurarine. 2. Delayed application of methacholine pulses after Ca2+ removal from the Krebs solution led to a progressive decline of the secretory response with a t1/2 of 15 s. Secretion was blocked by 85% after a 60 s period of Ca2+ deprivation; extension of the external Ca2+ (Ca2+o) wash‐out period up to 5 min did not further reduce the secretory response. 3. When EGTA (1 mM) was present in the 0 Ca2+ solution, the rate of decline of methacholine responses, as a function of the time of exposure to 1 mM‐EGTA, was similar to that obtained with 0 Ca2+. Again, about 15‐20% of the secretory response was resistant even to prolonged periods of washing out with the 0 Ca(2+)‐EGTA solution. 4. The Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin (1 microM) first decreased and then accelerated the rate of decline of methacholine responses upon Ca2+o wash‐out. Particularly relevant is the complete blockade of secretion when the Ca2+o wash‐out is performed in the presence of this ionophore. This suggests the existence of a small intracellular functional Ca2+ store sensitive to ionomycin. 5. After abolition of the secretory response through 60 s periods of wash‐out with a 0 Ca(2+)‐EGTA‐ionomycin solution, followed by delayed 5 s methacholine pulses after Ca2+o reintroduction, the glands instantly recovered their normal muscarinic‐mediated secretory response. This suggests that upon muscarinic stimulation, Ca2+ required by the secretory machinery to trigger such response immediately comes from extracellular sources. How Ca2+o gains the cell interior so fast upon muscarinic stimulation is unknown; we have previously suggested that the muscarinic receptor in the cat chromaffin cell could be coupled to an ionophore channel which might be chemically activated by muscarinic agonists. 6. Secretory responses to 5 s pulses with 35 or 100 mM‐K+ declined faster (t1/2 of 3 and 6 s, respectively) upon Ca2+o wash‐out than those of methacholine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


It has been thought that natural removal of astringency in three types of Japanese persimmon fruits, i. e. pollination-variant/astringent(PVA), pollination-variant/nonastringent (PVNA) and pollination-constant/astringent (PCA), depends on the level of volatile compounds such as ethanol and acetaldehyde produced by their seeds during fruit development. We studied the internal gas condition of the fruit in relation to ethanol production by the seeds, and also examined the effect of several artificial gas environments on detached whole fruits or excised seeds. 1) Ethanol production by the seeds of any type of fruit seemed to be partly triggered by the anaerobic conditions and high carbon dioxide concentration generated in the early stage of fruit development. No differences in the degree of anaerobicity were observed between the fruit types. 2) When whole fruits or excised seeds were placed in different concentrations of gas mixtures (N2, 02 and C02), PVNA seeds produced more ethanol than PCA seeds under given anaerobic conditions. 3) In conclusion, the level of ethanol production by the seeds mainly reflected the differences in their inherent ethanol producing capacity. The observed differences may partly be due to differences in permeability of the seed coats to ethanol, resulting in a differential ability to remove astringency.


Objective:To establish an HPLC method for the determination of bicalutamide in human serum.Meth- ods:The serum samples were pretreated by solid-phase extraction method and biealutamide was determined by HPLC-UV.Waters Symmetry C_(18)chromatographic column(150 mm×4.6 mm,3.5 μm)was used and the mobile phase consisted of 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate-acetonitrile(50:50)with a flow rate of 1 mL·min~(-1), the detection wavelength was set at 272 nm and the temperature of the column was controlled at 25℃.Results:The calibration curve was linear within the range of 0.013 to 1.300 μg·mL~(-1)(r=0.9993).The lowest limit of detec- tion was 0.0013 μg·mL~(-1)(S/N=3).The mean absolute and relative recovery for three concentration of bicalu- tamide were 95.0% ±3.2%,97.8% ±1.8%,97.5% ±0.5% and 99.1% ±4.0%,107.0% ±2.0%,99.3% ± 0.2%,respectively.Intra-day and inter-day RSD(n=5)were 4.77%,1.03%,0.38% and 5.46%,1.77%, 0.47%,respectively.Conclusion:The method is simple,sensitive,accurate,reproducible and suitable for the clini- cal pharmacokinetic study of bicalutamide.


These volumes contain the papers presented at ASTM's Third International Symposium on Nonlinear fracture mechanics, held from 6 to 8 October 1986 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Over fifty papers were presented, the lion's share (35) from the United States, 5 from France, 2 from Italy, 3 from the United Kingdom, 2 from Canada, 1 each from Japan and West Germany, with the balance being co-authored papers from two countries. Volume 1, Time-dependent fracture, is grouped into four main areas: creep crack growth, dynamics fracture, cyclic loading and fracture of non-metals. The papers on creep crack growth deal with the issues of crack growth under small-scale creep conditions, the usefulness of the recently proposed C, parameter, the applicability of damage mechanics concepts in understanding micromechanics and micromechanisms of creep crack growth, embrittlement due to ageing in service and its influence on creep crack growth behaviour, and experimental methods. Some issues not addressed in the papers at the symposium include the influence of cyclic loading and inclusion of creep deformation other than that represented by power-law creep. These are areas of current research. Also, further evaluation of the C, parameter is likely to continue until a consensus can be reached, and stable and unstable crack growth and fracture at elevated temperature should be addressed. Therefore, a good number of problems still remain unresolved in this area. Although some of the original reasons for developing TDFM are no longer the primary driving force, the field has found considerable use in remaining life assessment of fossil power-plant components and will be useful in the development of advanced aircraft. The second section is devoted to dynamic fracture. This is also one of the newer areas of research in fracture mechanics. The papers in this section deal with the issue of calculating the crack driving force, with proper emphasis on inertial effects and the measurement of fracture toughness under conditions of high rate loading. This area continues to be of significant interest to the nuclear power industry and the US Navy. The papers in the section on cyclic loading are concerned with experimental evaluation of AJ for characterizing fatigue crack growth behaviour under gross plasticity conditions and with cracking under mixedmode loading. Crack-tip mechanics under cyclic loading was studied by measuring displacements, using optical interferometry. Damage accumulation in the form of dislocation motion at the crack-tip field was modelled in another paper. The final section of Volume 1 is devoted to papers based on exploratory work in the area of fracture in non-metallic materials, such as polymers and ceramics. This is an emerging field in which there is considerable need for new ideas.


This paper considers a dynamic game with transferable utilities (TU), where the characteristic function is a continuous-time bounded mean ergodic process. A central planner interacts continuously over time with the players by choosing the instantaneous allocations subject to budget constraints. Before the game starts, the central planner knows the nature of the process (bounded mean ergodic), the bounded set from which the coalitions' values are sampled, and the long run average coalitions' values. On the other hand, he has no knowledge of the underlying probability function generating the coalitions' values. Our goal is to find allocation rules that use a measure of the extra reward that a coalition has received up to the current time by re-distributing the budget among the players. The objective is two-fold: i) guaranteeing convergence of the average allocations to the core (or a specific point in the core) of the average game, ii) driving the coalitions' excesses to an a priori given cone. The resulting allocation rules are robust as they guarantee the aforementioned convergence properties despite the uncertain and time-varying nature of the coaltions' values. We highlight three main contributions. First, we design an allocation rule based on full observation of the extra reward so that the average allocation approaches a specific point in the core of the average game, while the coalitions' excesses converge to an a priori given direction. Second, we design a new allocation rule based on partial observation on the extra reward so that the average allocation converges to the core of the average game, while the coalitions' excesses converge to an a priori given cone. And third, we establish connections to approachability theory and attainability theory.


The importance of wireless cellular communication in our daily lives has grown considerably in the last decade. The smartphones are widely used nowadays, besides voice communication; the authors routinely use them to access the internet, conduct monetary transactions, send text messages and query a lot of useful information regarding the location of specific places of interest. The use of smartphones in their day-to-day communication raises many unresolved security and privacy issues. In this paper they identify relevant security attacks in Wireless Cellular Network. The authors conduct experiments in four different platforms such as Iphone, Android, Windows and Blackberry. The packets captured through Wireshark for approximately 24 minutes, giving them a lot of information regarding security and privacy issues involving the users. A lot of useful apps installed and used by the end-users have serious issues in terms of privacy and the information exposed. Which is the better platform comparing all four and what exactly do they expose from the user's information? What are the threats and countermeasures that the users should be aware of? The aim of the authors' paper is to give answers to the above questions based on the data captured by conducting real-life scenarios.


This letter presents an improved two-dimensional (2-D) direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm for L-shaped array. Based on the relationship among three partitions of the steering vectors, the 2-D DOAs are estimated. By multiplying a selection matrix, the estimation error in Nizar's algorithm is compensated. The proposed algorithm can achieve good estimation performance when the elevation angles of mobile targets are between 70° and 90°. Moreover, the proposed 2-D DOA estimation algorithm is robust and computational efficiency. Simulation results demonstrate the proposed estimation algorithm has good performance, especially at low SNR.


Abstract : Contents: Correcting inertial systems by using astronomical instruments; Hydrodynamic suspension-forces and centering; Calculation of the force characteristics of the external spherical suspension device of a cryogenic cyroscope.


The tracheal tube according to the present invention is provided with a tube main body that demarcates a space from the distal end to the proximal end, at least two suction lumens are demarcated in a peripheral wall between the outer peripheral surface of the tube main body and the inner peripheral surface demarcating the space of the tube main body, and the at least two suction lumens extend so that the position of the peripheral direction of the tube main body varies depending on the position of the central axis direction of the tube main body.


Abstract. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) carries aboard the Precipitation Radar (TRMMPR) that measures the backscatter (σ°) of the surface. σ° is sensitive to surface soil moisture and vegetation conditions. Due to sparse vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions, TRMMPR σ° primarily depends on the soil water content. In this study we relate TRMMPR σ° measurements to soil water content (ms) in the Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB). σ° dependence on ms is studied for different vegetation greenness values determined through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). A new model of σ° that couples incidence angle, ms, and NDVI is used to derive parameters and retrieve soil water content. The calibration and validation of this model are performed using simulated and measured ms data. Simulated ms is estimated using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model and measured ms is acquired from ground measuring stations in Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW). σ° model is calibrated using VIC and WGEW ms data during 1998 and the calibrated model is used to derive ms during later years. The temporal trends of derived ms are consistent with VIC and WGEW ms data with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.89 and 0.74, respectively. Derived ms is also consistent with the measured precipitation data with R=0.76. The gridded VIC data is used to calibrate the model at each grid point in LCRB and spatial maps of the model parameters are prepared. The model parameters are spatially coherent with the general regional topography in LCRB. TRMMPR σ° derived soil moisture maps during May (dry) and August (wet) 1999 are spatially similar to VIC estimates with correlation 0.67 and 0.76, respectively. This research provides new insights into Ku-band σ° dependence on soil water content in the arid regions.


Recently we proposed to build an X-ray laser oscillator (XLO) in the 6-10 keV range providing intense, stable, transform-limited x-ray pulses in the 6-10 keV range, based on an x-ray pulse train operated at 100 Hz repetition rate. Here, we provide an analysis of recent experimental results and theoretical/numerical simulations showing that it is possible to build and operate a second generation x-ray laser oscillator, XLO-II, operating at up to 125 kHz and pumped by 6-10 keV x-ray SASE pulses generated by the new LCLS-II-HE x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) now under construction at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. XLO-II will generate transform limited, coherent x-ray pulses, with an average power in the tens of mW range. It will open new experimental capabilities, for instance in fields like imaging, interferometry and quantum x-ray optics. We discuss the recent results leading to this conclusion and present the main characteristics of XLO-II and of its main components, like the optical cavity.


It has been shown by historical examples that neglect of the basic system principles in creation or development of complex systems led always to problems, failures and/or disasters. System engineering techniques were used to build a common classificatory of system problems. Its structure have been validated and verified. No projects, events or processes have been identified that could not find its natural place in this classificatory. Classification of system problems helps to better understand the reasons why complex systems are not able to perform the tasks assigned to them.


Cancer common in our country and in the world. And it causes many physical, psychosocial and spiritual challenge. The purpose of the treatment of cancer; disease with developments in the field of medicine completely eliminate or ensure quality of life and to extend the time. Therefore, to maintain quality of life and has an important place in the work to improve the care of cancer patients and all of these reasons reveals the palliative care needs. The purpose of the review explain to aproach about pallative care.


Aim of the study: This paper aims to valorize the wood of Quercus faginea Lam. for high quality end uses (e.g. furniture) by studying growth and quality properties using mature trees. Age trends in tree-ring width and wood density are shown and the main factors responsible for variations in tree-ring width and wood density within and between trees are investigated. Area of study : The study site is in the center of Portugal within the natural species distribution area. Material and methods: Radial samples from ten mature trees were collected at 6 heights (from base to 9.7 m) and prepared for X-ray microdensity. Main results : Wood density showed high values, ranging from 0.868 g/cm 3 to 0.957 g/cm 3 . Wood density decreased from pith to bark and with stem height. Cambial age showed a linear relationship with wood density and most of the variation in wood is explained by age. Intra-ring and axial within-tree homogeneity was good. Research highlights : Mature trees of Q. faginea showed high wood density and a high potential for high quality end uses, comparable to other oaks. Wood density is influenced by cambial age and tree-ring width. Wood quality may be improved by tree growth rates adjustment e.g. through an adequate tree stand density (e.g. thinning operations).


Ricean fading is common in dense urban cellular networks and, as a mobile moves through that environment, the K-factor of the Ricean fading will change. This paper presents a statistical model for dense urban vehicular nonstationary Ricean fading, where the K-factor gradually changes due to movement through changing surroundings. This model is empirical and is based on K-factor fluctuations that are observed in dense urban cellular radio channel measurements. The K -factor is modeled using a random process with a distribution that is fit to the measured K-factor values. An autoregressive (AR) model is also used to ensure that the autocorrelation of the simulated K-factor process matches the empirical data. The nonstationary Ricean fading envelope that is generated using this model is verified by comparing it with the fading envelope that is observed in the measurements.


This study focuses on the visibility and acceptance of alternative family compositions in public schools. A total of 35 parent/caregivers and 24 teachers from three elementary schools in Vermont were surveyed. A review of school textbooks, curricula, and schol contact forms was undertaken to determine the degree to which they represented nontraditional families. The findings indicated that tfrachers saw themselves as more inclusive and accepting of alternative family compositions in classroom materials and practices ap=parent /caregivers felt they were. The impression gained from rent/caregivers is that teachers try to be inclusive, but do not et fully accept all family compositions in their language and practices. Results indicate that some children from alternative family compositions function under lower teacher expectations and a prevailing perception that they are at risk. Textbooks and forms do not appear to be inclusive, while formal written curricula seem to be somewhat more inclusive. Seven appendixes provide examples of: (1) the parent/caregiver survey questionnaire; (2) the request to the school districts to conduct the research; (3) the teacher survey questionnaire; (4) the text evaluation form; and (5) various student information forms. Contains 94 references. (Author/MDM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization Originating it C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official 0E111 Position or Co , ^.y THE CHANGING COMPOSITION OF FAMILIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PARENT/CAREGIVERS AND EDUCATORS by: Sandra J. Limoge and Paul S. Dickin "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY


GOULD & RAISTRICK reported the isolation of three new crystalline colouring matters which they obtained by extraction with light petroleum of the dried mycelium of 25 species in the Aspergillus glaucus series. The colouring matters and the empirical formulae provisionally assigned to them were: (a) flavoglaucin, C1,H2803, lemon-yellow needles; (b) auroglaucin, C1,H2203, orange-red needles; (c) rubroglaucin, C16HL205, ruby-red needles. colouring for rubroglaucin. In all the species examined, physcion


The Surviving Sepsis Guidelines were first published in 2004, with revisions in 2008 and 2012.In January 2017, the fourth revision of the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines was presented at the 46th annual SCCM meeting and published online in Critical Care Medicine.The updated guideline was generated by 55 international experts and providing 93 recommendations on early management of sepsis and septic shock.There are numerous major advances in the revision of the guidelines.Among the various topics covered, initial resuscitation and antibiotic therapy are the domains in which the most important changes and advances were made.

Key words:
Guidelines; Infection; Sepsis; Septic shock; Surviving sepsis campaign,


Communication strategy for people with visual disabilities in Porvenir S.A. Carried out during the business practice, where a communication plan is implemented to people with visual disabilities in the offices of Porvenir S.A, based on pieces and material information in Braille reading System and adaptation of the company's website for the disabled population, relying on the INCI (National Institute for the Blind) and my tutor Jairo Andres Zapata.


Objectives The aim of the study was to achieve arterial myocardial revascularization using the ′Y-graft or T-graft′ techniques and to measure intraoperative graft flow by transit-time flowmetry. Background Composite grafting techniques for coronary artery bypass grafts have been widely used. However, it remains unclear whether this technique provides similar blood flow to the left coronary artery. In this study, we evaluated composite grafting techniques by intraoperative measurement graft flow by transit-time flowmetry. Materials and methods Fifty patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting during a time period of 24 months were enrolled in this prospective study. All patients received sequential grafting using both internal thoracic arteries and left radial artery joined as a composite Y or T graft. Intraoperative left internal mammary artery (LIMA) flow was measured by transit-time flowmetry. Results This study provided evidence that the LIMA limb of a composite Y or T graft had intraoperative increase in mean flow, and there was statistical significance (P < 0.01) between mean flow with clamping Y or T graft (41.72 ± 15.59 ml/min) and with patent Y or T graft (78.60 ± 29.58 ml/min). Conclusion LIMA has the potential to provide sufficient blood flow to revascularize left coronary system.


This paper presents an investigation of the performance of single and double exposure solar air heaters. A conventional solar air heater consist of a flat passage between two metallic plates through which heating fluid (air) is made to pass. the conduction loss along the lengths of the plates in the direction of the air flow and the radiation loss of heat from the absorbing plate to the bottom plate have been incorporated in the analyses. the analyses consist of the exact solutions of the heat balance equations for the absorbing plate, bottom plate and the air stream. Analytical expressions for the plate and the air stream temperatures as a function of distance along the direction of air flow and some other parameters have been derived. It is found that the heat conduction effects are negligible in both the air heaters and the reradiation of heat from the absorbing plate to the bottom plate is also insignificant.


Predictions of a free-piston Stirling engine model are compared with RE1000 Sunpower engine test data taken at NASA-Lewis Research Center. The model validation and the engine testing are being done under a joint interagency agreement between the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA Lewis. A kinematic code developed at Lewis was upgraded by Mechanical Technology, Inc. to permit simulation of free-piston engine performance; it was further upgraded and modified at Lewis and is currently being validated. The model predicts engine performance by numerical integration of equations for each control volume in the working space. Piston motions are determined by numerical integration of the force balance on each piston or can be specified as Fourier series. In addition, the model Fourier analyzes the various piston forces to permit the construction of phasor force diagrams. The paper compares predicted and experimental values of power and efficiency and shows phasor force diagrams for the RE1000 engine displacer and piston. Further development plans for the model are also discussed.


We search for stars with proper motions in a set of deep Subaru images, covering about 0.48 square degrees to a depth of $i' \simeq 26$, taken over a span of five and a half years. We follow the methods described in \citet{Richmond2009} to reduce and analyze this dataset. We present a sample of 69 stars with motions of high significance, and discuss briefly the populations from which they are likely drawn. Based on photometry and motions alone, we expect that 14 of the candidates may be white dwarfs. Our candidate with the largest proper motion is surprisingly faint and likely to prove interesting: its colors and motions suggest that it might be an M dwarf moving at over 500 km/sec or an L dwarf in the halo.


The utility model relates to a press-resistance split solar water heater. In order to improve the combination with the building and increase the security and durability of the whole system, the water tank of the utility model applies a press-resistance inner lining, and adopts a non-contact solar heat collector, and the heat transferring medium of the non-contact solar collector is not contacted with the vacuum tube, and the stability and the security is greatly improved. The system consisting of the non contact heat collector(1), a water tank with press-resistance inner lining(8), a liquid replenishing tank(11), a control instrument(10), a temperature sensor(9) for water tank, a temperature sensor( 12) for heat collector, a thermal recycle pump(6), an electromagnet valve and pipeline, and supporting piece and electric fittings. The heat collector receives the solar energy and transfers the solar energy into heat energy to heat the medium; the thermal recycle pump enables the medium in the heat collector exchange with the medium in the interlayer of press-resistance inner lining in the water tank, therefore, the temperature of the medium in the interlayer of inner lining of the press-resistance water tank is increased; then the heat exchange increases the water temperature in the press-resistance inner lining, meeting the utilization demand.


This study aimed to: (1) determine prevalence of depression in patients referred to specialist pain services using the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) diagnostic interview, (2) compare results on the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI‐II) with the SCID to determine the utility of the BDI‐II as a screening tool in this population.


A strong evidence-based case is made for a reduction in the drink driving blood alcohol concentration (BAC), currently in the UK 80 mg to 50 mg per 100 ml which worldwide has been shown to decrease the number of drink driving including fatal accidents. An even lower BAC of 20 mg per 100 ml is recommended for the younger novice representing 7% of driving licence holders in the UK but involved in 20% of fatal and serious collisions. The danger of binge drinking and of combining alcohol with other drugs such as cannabis and marijuana is emphasised and the harmful influence of simple energy drinks when combined with alcohol. The review also emphasises the need for enhanced police enforcement and more public awareness campaigns which to date have indicated growing public support for reducing the drink driving limits.


Background and objectives: Nosocomial infections occur worldwide. Screening of infection sources in ICU is of major concerns which need doing surveillance studies. Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen commonly implicated in nosocomial infections. The occurrence of worldwide methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is increasing worldwide. Investigation of the frequency and resistance profile of S. aureus isolates from six ICU staffs was aimed at this study.

Material and methods: 954 nasal and hands swab samples were collected from six ICUs in Tehran. Culture on selective media and biochemical identification tests were done according to standard methods. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by disk diffusion method according to the standard criteria for CLSI.

Results: Among 954 hand and nasal samples from 272 staffs, 58 (18.06%) S. aureus bacteria were collected. The highest resistance rate were belonged to oxacillin (56.94%) and tetracycline (45.86%) in compare to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (4.09%) and vancomycin (9.69%). Sixteen (35.55%) isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics and five (11.1%) isolates were resistant to all antibiotics, except for vancomycin and SXT.

Conclusion: Results from this study showed a higher resistance rate to oxacillin in compare to other antibiotics. So this study again confirmed that the MRSA is increasing worldwide. The relative congruency in resistance patterns among the isolates from each hospital proposed these strains as resident bacteria therein. Comparison of these results with resistance patterns among the clinical isolates will help us to detect any possible role of these carriers in increase of resistant untreatable S. aureus bacteria in ICUs of Tehran.


Classroom is an ideal place for teachers to put English Curriculum philosphy into practice and teacher talk(that is,the language used in classroom teaching and class management) may be viewed both as an externalized representation of a teacher's cognition and as a signal for the transformation of English curriculum philosphy to teachers' personal views.Therefore,by adopting corpus approaches,the paper takes one senior reading class as a case,analyzing the lexical quality, questioning quality and evaluation quality in teachers' classroom discourse for the purpose of examining its closeness to teaching content,teaching aim and course objective.The results show that teachers have some knowledge of English curriculum philosphy though it needs to go much further. Enhancing teacher development is strongly suggested in the process of the reformation of English curriculum.


Efficiency of tris (8-hydroxyquinolato) aluminum (Alq3) based organic light emitting diodes has been obviously improved by inserting a parylene-N (PPXN) buffer layer with proper thickness and location in the Alq3 layer. For an optimized PPXN inserted structure, current efficiency of 6.89 cd/A and luminous power efficiency of 1.85 lm/W were achieved; both are 42% higher than the 4.84 cd/A and 1.30 lm/W of the buffer free structure, respectively. The light emitting spectra of 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-p-dimethylaminostyryl-4H-pyran (DCM) doped Alq3 (Alq3:DCM) strips showed the electron current enhancement resulted in the observed efficiency improvement of PPXN inserted devices. The device current evolutions were explained by nonuniform potential distribution in the organic layer and the tunneling barrier reduction.


The invention belongs to the technical field of generating sets, particularly to a wind energy jet and solar energy composite generating set. In the generating set, an energy collector arranged on the upper part of a negative pressure guide cylinder is connected with a releaser through a jet cavity; a steer tail vane is arranged on the energy collector and the releaser and connected with the shells of the energy collector and the releaser; the negative pressure guide cylinder on the lower part of the jet cavity is provided with an upper hinged support, a cone support and a lower hinged support; the lower part of the lower hinged support is provided with a platform; the negative pressure guide cylinder is provided with a plurality of solar silicon wafer groups and a platform; the lower end of the negative pressure guide cylinder is provided with an air suction inlet; the lower part of the negative pressure guide cylinder is provided with a rain protector; the lower part in the negative pressure guide cylinder is provided with a filter screen and a turbo machine; the turbo machine is connected with a generator; the generator and the lower part of the negative pressure guide cylinder are arranged in the rain protector; and the lower part of the negative pressure guide cylinder is also provided with a base. When the fan blade can not be propelled at a low wind velocity to generate power, the wind energy jet and solar energy composite generating set can still propel the turbo machine and the generator to generate power by utilizing the high energy negative pressure air flow generated from energy collection jet, thereby having high economic value in the aspects of acquisition and investment of power generation.


A large project to collect natural gas at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport required the rapid construction of more than 80 mi of pipeline. To overcome space limitations and other impediments to construction typical of an airport, 15 mi of the pipelines were installed by means of horizontal directional drilling.


An energy management strategy (EMS) is important in marine hybrid propulsion systems while the global optimal solutions are more significant for the EMS to improve the fuel economy of system. Aiming at finding the more accurate global optimal solutions for EMS, an improved dynamic programing (DP) algorithm was proposed to overcome the basic DP algorithms' weaknesses and improve the fuel economy. Then the model of gas-electric hybrid propulsion system was also established to verify the strategies. What's more, the improved DP algorithm was applied to the minimum natural gas consumption and charge-sustaining strategy. And a bi-level optimization scheme that decoupled the interaction between the EMS and components matching was also studied. The results showed that the improved DP algorithm not only avoided the shortcomings in the basic DP algorithm such as the weak effect of penalty functions and curse of dimensionality but also gave more accurate solutions. Compared to the basic DP, the improved DP algorithm can reduce the gas fuel consumption by 3.67% and the computational complexity decreases 100 times.


The purpose of this study is to determine the level of awareness among PICOMS staff towards safety at the workplace. The respondents comprised of 110 academic and nonacademic staff who work in Academic block and Administration block. Questionnaires were used as the main instrument for obtaining data for this study. The data were analyzed descriptively based on frequency, percentage and mean in order to determine the level of awareness of the respondents towards safety. The results showed that PICOMS staff had a high level of awareness of safety based on their overall mean score of 4.17. Aspects of the staff's level of awareness towards safety that were studied were policy, procedure, equipment, training, Department of Safety and Health and commitment as well as environment. The analysis showed that PICOMS staff have awareness of the aspects of security policy with a mean score of 4.80 where the respondents are aware of the importance of the security policy. While it appears that staff PICOMS have the lowest level of awareness with scores of 3.70 in terms of safety in the workplace in relation to the equipment. The results also clearly show that PICOMS staff have a high level of awareness of aspects of the commitment and attitude also has a high level of compliance set by PICOMS training relating to job security when their show scores of consciousness at a rate of 4.47 and 4.45. However, although the level of awareness of the environment, and procedures JKKKP quite high, this aspect should be given more attention because of these aspects is an important factor in ensuring job security more secure. T-test results show the level of safety awareness by demographic factors showed significant differences in mean score on the probability level α = 0.05 in terms of the Safety Policy, Safety Procedures, Safety and Environmental Training.


Human Resources Management Professionals Act was enacted in January 2013 which was expected to govern the entry and conduct of professionals in the human resource management. Performance of the human resource function and the organization as a whole is expected to improve with the implementation of the HRMP Act. The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of Human Resource Management Professionals Act on the Human Resource Function in Kenya. In particular the study sought to establish the relationship between training strategies as stipulated by the HRMP Act on human resource function in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study will be conducted in selected sub-counties in the County Government of Nakuru. The research study adopted descriptive research design, specifically survey study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The target population constituted 100 employees working in the aforementioned sub-Counties. A census study was conducted. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. The collected data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and Pearson's correlation coefficient. At the end, study findings and implications were presented.


Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is generally utilized for producing large area, good quality graphene films on suitable substrates. Copper (Cu) substrate is used mainly as a substrate and catalyst during graphene synthesis process by CVD method. The purpose of the present work is to investigate the evolution of Cu surface morphology after graphene growth and its influence on grown graphene quality. In this study, graphene was grown using methane as the carbon source at temperature 1040 °C for 5 minutes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Optical Microscopy (OM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were utilized to analyze the change of Cu surface morphology after graphene synthesis. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the characteristics of grown graphene. SEM and AFM results showed that copper substrate surface morphology was modified after graphene growth associated by formation of large size Cu particles located basically on the surface terraces, resulting in deposition of multilayer, very small graphene domains aligned linearly along rolling marks direction.


Despite recent advances in numerical modeling of machining processes showing a significant potential for shortening product and process design activities, the broader application of the Finite Element Method (FEM)–based modeling approaches in the manufacturing industry is still limited by the expensive and time-consuming techniques involved in obtaining accurate material flow stress data. This study proposes a new efficient approach consisting of a combined numerical-empirical methodology for inversely identifying the thermomechanical material behavior of AISI 316L stainless steel from machining experiments. In order to establish the work material's flow stress properties under the extreme conditions of machining, the Johnson–Cook (JC) constitutive equation is chosen to consider the impacts of strain, strain-rate, and temperature. Due to the unstable material behavior of AISI 316L stainless steel under certain thermomechanical conditions in the primary shear zone, the calibration of a damage model is integrated into the process for evaluating the flow stress data. The methodology approximates the material constants of the JC relationship by systematically comparing experimentally measured machining results with those predicted equivalents of a 2D implicit FEM process model. The methodology is experimentally verified on AISI 316L stainless steel with respect to cutting forces, chip geometries and temperatures in the tool-chip interface.


This thesis is focused on several aspects of neural crest biology, largely related to two main issues: 1) understanding its mechanisms of migration and 2) analyzing the potential of neural crest stem cells or their derivatives for nervous system repair. If repair is the aim, knowledge of both timing and events leading to axonal degeneration is required in order to block it and/or increase regeneration outcome. In these studies I have made use of mouse, rat and chicken in vivo and in vitro models to address specific questions regarding the scope of this thesis. In paper I, changes in distribution of myelin proteins are described after ligation of the sciatic nerve, an injury model which does not allow nerve regeneration to occur. Clustering of MBPs and P0 (the two most abundant peripheral myelin proteins) was shown to precede their degradation, involving subsequent roles of Schwann cells (SCs) and macrophages in the removal of debris distally to the injury zone. Both clustering and protein degradation steps were found to be accelerated in young rat animals when compared to adult ones. In paper II, similar kind of studies were applied in other two injury models allowing regeneration to occur: a transient compression (crush) of the nerve or an intraneural injection of colchicine, which transiently blocks axonal transport. Changes in distribution of myelin (MBPs) and axonal (PGP9.5) protein immunoreactivities were monitored for up to one month and degeneration/regeneration processes followed and compared in the two models. By applying the trophic factor apotransferrin we were able to block the degeneration produced by colchicine, likely through stabilization of axonal and/or SC cytoskeleton. In paper III, original culture protocols have been applied to efficiently generate highly pure cultures of mature SCs from boundary cap neural crest stem cells (bNCSCs). The in vitro SC differentiation from stem cells was found to resemble the in vivo process when looking at combinations of markers changing expression during SC lineage. Stem cell-derived SCs were able to myelinate axons both in vitro and in vivo. These results prompted further work shown in paper V, in which the regenerative potential of neural crest stem cell-derived SCs has been tested in the contused spinal cord injury model. Even though in most cases grafted cells died soon after transplantation, when grafted alive they were found to improve locomotor behavior and to enhance endogenous regenerative mechanisms, producing both an increase in axonal re-growth and in recruitment of endogenous glial cells. In this study, evidences are shown suggesting that after injury ependymal cells of the spinal cord central canal can generate endogenous glial cells of myelinating phenotype, likely including some of the Schwann like cells which populate the injury zone allowing axonal re-growth. In paper IV, the scaffolding protein Nedd9 is shown to be expressed by multipotent migrating and post-migratory neural crest cells (NCCs). Nedd9 expression is induced in NCCs at the level of the dermamyotome dorsal lip. Loss-of-function and gain-offunction studies were consistent with a principal role for Nedd9 in NCC migration. Retinoic acid, known to be synthesized by the dermamyotome, was found to induce Nedd9 expression in NCCs. Nedd9 expression pattern in mouse is described in paper VI, including mesencephalic ventral midbrain as well as other discrete progenitor populations from diverse tissues and organs. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS I. Setton-Avruj C.P., Aquino J.B., Goedelman C.J., Soto E.F., Villar M.J. (2002) P0 and myelin basic protein-like immunoreactivities following ligation of the sciatic nerve in the rat. Neurochem Res. 27(11):1293-303. II. Aquino J.B., Musolino P.L., Coronel M.F., Villar M.J., Setton-Avruj C.P. (2006) Nerve degeneration is prevented by a single intraneural apotransferrin injection into colchicine-injured sciatic nerves in the rat. Brain Res.


Iodine fortification programmes are implemented in many countries and often associated with an increase in population iodine intake. However, the initial attempt may not be sufficient and in Denmark the level of iodine added to salt was increased in 2019. Sparse evidence is available on the impact of such modification in iodine fortification. The aim of this study was to evaluate iodine status in Danish pregnant women in 2021 after this increase in iodine fortification and compare to iodine status in 2012.


This paper gives an overview of workflow management systems (WfMSs) and their security requirements with focus on access mechanisms. It is a descriptive paper in which we examine the state of the ...


The hypotheses implicit in the choice of tetramethylsilane (TMS) as an internal reference for liquid‐phase proton magnetic resonance spectra are examined. Experiments are designed to test the postulated chemical inertness, and the equality of van der Waals shifts for TMS and the solute. It is found that TMS, as well as GeMe4, or PbMe4, gives rise to interactions with aromatic solvents such as pyridine, nitrobenzene, benzaldehyde, benzonitrile, or aniline. The apparent heat of formation for these complexes are in the 1‐2‐kcal/mole range, while the observed chemical shifts are of the order of 0.10‐0.15 ppm. Caution is therefore urged in the use of TMS, and suitable molecules, not presenting these effects, are suggested for internal referencing.


This study presents the origins and manifestations of the economic crisis that started in 2008 at both world level and in the European Union. In both cases the study analyzes also some of the measures undertaken in order to overpass the crisis and their results. During the same year, 2009, the European Union witnessed a decline of its GDP by 4.4 %, while the Euro zone had a decline of 4.5 %. Only from this synthetic data results a conclusion that the European Union and the Euro zone were more affected by the economic crisis than the rest of the world. This situation remained true in 2013 and 2014. In 2013 the world economy had a growth rate of its GDP of 2.3 % while European Union had a growth rate of 0.1 % and the Euro zone of – 0.5 % (World Bank Data). In 2014, according to the forecasts of the World Bank the world economy had a growth rate of 2.6 % while the Euro zone of only 0.9 % (World Bank Data) and the European Union as a whole of 1.3 % (Forecast for European Union for 2014 from Eurostat). A second part of the study is focused on the situation of European Union from the perspective of the current year, 2015, as well as from the point of view of the prospects for 2015 and the coming years.


This paper examines real-time applications of quickest disorder detection techniques for timing stock markets. The focus is on the stochastic disorder model by Shiryaev, Zhitlukhin, and Ziemba (2014, 2015), Zhitlukhin and Ziemba (2016) and their optimal stopping rule. The model uses sequential price data to identify a directional change in the market trend and determines the optimal exit moment from a long position in a bubble-like market. Together with the sensitivity analysis of the exit rule's signals to model parameters, we study out-of-sample performance of the entry-exit investment strategy that exploits signals from the rule. Using historical data on the S&P 500, we find that the entry-exit strategy underperforms the buy-and-hold strategy over the whole testing period 1975-2016, but outperforms it in the fall of 1987 and during the bear market of 2007-2009.


Objectives: PCK rats, an animal model of Caroli's disease, show a dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts (IHBD) called "ductal plate malformation". Mesenchymal cells and the Notch and Hedgehog signalling pathways in portal tracts are reportedly involved in the normal development of IHBD, though there have been no studies on the roles of these signalling pathways in PCK rats. Methods: We examined mainly immunohistochemically the expression of the molecules related to these signalling pathways in portal tracts. Results: All molecules related to these signalling pathways expressed in portal tracts in SD rats (control), were also expressed in PCK rats. Mesenchymal cells (myofibroblasts) were frequently found in the connective tissue of portal tracts of SD and PCK rats at E20D, 1D and 1W, and were abundant in PCK rats. Interestingly, myofibroblasts almost disappeared at 3W in both strains. Jagged1 was expressed in mesenchymal cells in portal tracts, and was abundant in PCK rats. Double immunostaining showed that Jagged1-positive cells were myofibroblasts. Notch2 and HES1 were expressed in cholangiocytes of the bile ducts of both rats. Sonic Hedgehog was expressed in the bile ducts of both rats, similarly. Conclusions: A well-balanced and time-sequential expression of the Notch and Hedgehog family in portal tracts might be essential for the normal development of IHBD from E20D until 1W in SD rats, and an imbalanced interaction of these molecules, particularly increased Jagged1 expression in periductal and periportal myofibroblasts and Notch2 expressed in cholangiocytes, may be involved in the formation of bile duct lesions in PCK rats.


Implantation of a transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a recognized method of secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death [1]. In some patients with indications for such a device, circumstances may occur that render ICD implantation difficult or impossible. Implantation of a subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD), not requiring introduction of any elements into the cardiovascular system, might be a solution in such cases. Another feature that distinguishes the S-ICD from the ICD is the inability to terminate arrhythmias with antitachycardia pacing, but only with an electrical 80 J shock. Moreover, bradycardia pacing is limited only to the immediate post-shock period (50 bpm for 30 s). The S-ICD system consists of a 145 g can, placed subcutaneously over the 5th and 6th left intercostal space in the midaxillary line, and the lead, also placed in the subcutaneous tissue, along the left margin of the sternum. The battery life is approximately 5 years [2]. If correctly implanted, the device provides detection of ventricular arrhythmias with a sensitivity of nearly 100% and specificity of differentiation from supraventricular arrhythmias of 98%, which is more than in traditional transvenous systems [3]. Possible problems include sensing disturbances due to the oversensing of T-waves or myopotentials, which may lead to inadequate interventions. That problem may affect 5% to 16% of patients [4–6]. Due to that fact, S-ICD implantation is indicated only in patients with a positive screening test result, aimed to assess the amplitude and relation of R and T waves. Until recently, defibrillators of such kind had not been implanted in Poland. The reported case is one of the two first implantations in Poland.


and to caricature the views of anticommunist leaders such as Ronald Reagan. Despite these flaws, this book stands as a refreshing effort to come to terms with the inescapably moral character of political life. It is also an important contribution to the academic study of statesmanship. It succeeds in its stated goal of helping to recover a truly capacious sense of political reality, and successfully demonstrates that moral capital is a fact with which any science of politics must come to terms if it is to do justice to the true efficacy of moral prestige and personal character in human affairs.


The use of reinforcement learning (RL) has led to huge advancements in the field of robotics. However data scarcity, brittle convergence and the gap between simulation & real world environments, mean that most common RL approaches are subject to over fitting and fail to generalise to unseen environments. Hardware agnostic policies would mitigate this by allowing a single network to operate in a variety of test domains, where dynamics vary due to changes in robotic morphologies or internal parameters. We utilise the idea that learning to adapt a known and successful control policy is easier and more flexible than jointly learning numerous control policies for different morphologies.This paper presents the idea of Hardware Agnostic Reinforcement Learning using Adversarial selection (HARL-A). In this approach training examples are sampled using a novel adversarial loss function. This is designed to self regulate morphologies based on their learning potential. Simply applying our learning potential based loss function to current state-of-the-art already provides ~ 30% improvement in performance. Meanwhile experiments using the full implementation of HARL-A report an average increase of 70% to a standard RL baseline and 55% compared with current state-of-the-art.


The pandemic of The COVID-19 caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has changed global systems, at least temporarily. There is good evidence that the virus originated in wild animals around the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread to other areas and became a pandemic affecting almost all countries in the globe. This article explores the pandemic through a systems science approach and views it from the perspective of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It proposes a novel conceptualization where the pandemic emerges from four converging systems: the earth systems, the urbanocene (i.e. the urbanization processes and spaces that have become the main living space of the human species), the system of mobile humans and objects, and the virus with its potential to infect. Loss of biodiversity is an important change to the earth system that promotes the emergence of zoonotic infections. The infective virus and its transmissibility are other factors promoting the epidemic. The urbanocene has resulted in high densities of populations that facilitate the spread of epidemics. Finally, the hyper-connectivity of human species and physical objects it has produced (e.g. planes and cargo) and their movement across thousands of miles often from city to city has promoted widespread dissemination of the virus. As the underlying systems evolved in parallel, a critical point was reached which resulted in synergies that led to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Objective To observe the therapeutic effect in 170 cases of naevus fuscocaeruleus zygomaticus (NFZ) treated by using the Q-switched laser, and analyze the factors which influence therapertic effect. Methods We used several kinds of the Versapulse laser designed by American Coherent Company. These included the Nd:YAG with 1064nm wave length and 3.0~6.5J/cm~2 energy density; the Verdure Jewel with 755nm wave length and 3.0~6.0J/cm~2 energy density; the multiple-frequency Nd:YAG with 532nm wave length and 1.6~2.8J/cm~2 energy density. The diameter of the beam is 2~4mm. The patients each accepted 2 to 6 cycles of treatment with 3~12 months interval between each cycle. The therapeutic effects were evaluated according to the preoperative and postoperative views and were graded as levels Ⅰ~Ⅳ. Results Of the 170 patients, 56 cases were completely cleared, 65 cases were significantly improved and 49 cases were moderately improved. So the total effective rate was 100% and the cure rate was 33%. Subsequently, in followed up for 6 months-5 years, there was short-term pigmentations in 13 patients, but the pigmentations in pathological tissue of all 170 patients dispeared totatly without any scars and relapse. Conclusion Q-switched laser is safe and effective device for treating NFZ.


attribute it to the city's fast-paced and capitalist living conditions, but to their rural upbringing, which some might describe as 'traditional' rather than 'modern'. From an anthropological standpoint, more detail on the interplay between traders' and artisans' responses in the survey and their actual practices would have been desirable. This, however, does not compromise the well-argued case that Mary Kinyanjui makes against top-down urban planning that disregards the skills, knowledge and ethics of self-organized workers in African cities, whose practices and business models are obscured rather than understood if we keep referring to them as 'informal'.


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for detecting foreground, and an adaptive threshold adjustment method and apparatus. The present invention can each frame of the current input image and the background image are compared to obtain the difference between the current input point and each point of the image corresponding to each pixel, then the statistical difference value is greater than the percentage of the number of points of different threshold values, and a difference according to spot size as a percentage of the threshold value increasing trend, is adapted to select a threshold value of the current input image. Thus, when performing foreground detection, to adjust for noise or high or low surveillance scene threshold value, it is possible to use the threshold value adjusted to determine foreground pixels in the image, thereby improving the accuracy of the foreground detection, and will increase the movement accuracy of object detection and tracking.


It is often assumed that when an alternating magnetizing force is superposed on a constant magnetizing force, the permeability of the magnetic material is increased and the hysteresis loss decreased owing to the shaking-up action of the alternating field on the magnetic particles. It is shown that these effects are only apparent and that the true permeability and hysteresis remain approximately the same as under constant field conditions. What are actually measured are the midpoints of displaced minor hysteresis loops. From the known laws of variation of these minor loops the apparent magnetization curves and hysteresis loops under a superposed alternating field can be calculated. The method of doing this is illustrated. Under these assumptions a superposed alternating field actually increases the hysteresis loss instead of suppressing it as has often been assumed, the resulting hysteresis including losses due to displaced minor loops besides those due to an increased major loop. These conclusions are supported by magnetization curves obtained with 1 percent Si steel punchings which are shown to agree with the calculated curves. Some consideration is given to the case when the fields are at right angles but at present it is not susceptible to quantitative calculations.


The propagation of passion fruit is done through sexual way, however, there is a genetic variability in orchards, as well as germination is slow and variable. Thus, it is recommended to use plant growthThus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the passion fruit seeds emergence in gibberellic acid and substrates. The experiment was conducted in Unioeste between May and June/2014. We used commercial seeds of passion fruit. For the germination tests were used three substrates being germitest paper, vermiculite and sand. The substrates were sterilized in an autoclave, and deposited in Gerbox ® box sterilized with 70% alcohol. Thereafter the seeds were soaked for 10 seconds in a solution containing 500 mg L -1 of gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), and/or distilled water. After the treatments, the seeds were kept in germination BOD, with 2 oC without photoperiod control. Under these conditions, the seeds remained for 30 days, conducting daily counts of the number of germinated, thereby determining whether to germination percentage, overall germination and emergence speed index. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial 3x2, with four replicates and 25 seeds per repetition. The use of gibberellic acid imbibition increased germination rate as well as the total percentage of germination. The use of AG 3 along with germitest paper and vermiculite substrates provided better germination of passion fruit seeds.


State and federal policymakers are increasingly focused on creating high standards of academic achievement for all students. Schools that serve large numbers of low-income students face particular challenges in meeting these standards. As a result, a number of states have implemented education funding policies that direct additional resources to local school districts on the basis of poverty. This paper presents the results of a survey of state poverty-based education funding programs, and explores policy options for policymakers working to implement or expand programs designed to improve education funding for low-income children.


The protein identity of sarcosine-insoluble outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Helicobacter pylori J99 was determined with the basic study of understanding the function of proteins. A sarcosine-insoluble OMPs was resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis with immobilized pH gradient strips. The most abundant proteins were shown in the alkaline pI regions (6.0~11.0) with molecular masses of 10 to 100 kDa. We have performed an extensive proteome analysis by quadrupole time of flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). Here, of 50 spots processed, 42 spots were identified, which represented 16 genes and we newly detected 8 kinds of proteins (JHP0119, JHP0388, JHP1046, JHP1405, JHP0073, JHP0551, JHP1382, JHP0552) from the sarcosin-insoluble fraction of H. pylori J99. Those may be used to elucidate the characterization of the OMPs of H. pylori J99, which will help identify new potential target proteins for vaccine development and drug therapy.


In order to provide basis for using electrolyzed water in the cultivation of Chinese cabbage and other leafy vegetables,the effect of electrolyzed water on photosynthesis,growth and yield,nutritional quality of Chinese cabbage was studied under laboratory conditions in present paper.The results showed that the photosynthesis,the growth and yield,the nutritional quality of Chinese cabbage treated with electrolyzed at different pH water differed significantly.Acidic electrolyzed water could enhance the leaf Net Photosynthetic Rate(Pn).The chlorophyll accumulation,leaf number and yield of Chinese cabbage were increased by sprinkle irrigation acidic electrolyzed water and alkaline electrolytic water on the roots.Alkalin electrolyzed water irrigation on the root could increased the Vc content of Chinese cabbage.