The utility model discloses a dual-purpose electric fan, comprising a bracket and a desk fan, wherein the bracket comprises two supporting columns which are vertically arranged in parallel; corresponding to the supporting columns at the corresponding sides, the left end part and the right end part of the desk fan are respectively provided with connectors which can be adjusted by relative rotation; the connectors are provided with sheathing holes which are vertically and completely communicated; the supporting columns can be embedded and inserted into the sheathing holes of the connectors at the corresponding sides in a relative sliding manner; when the dual-purpose electric fan is used as a floor fan, the desk fan is arranged at the upper end part of the bracket; since the connectors can be rotatably adjusted relatively to the desk fan, the desk fan can swing up and down to realize wind-direction adjustment; in addition, since the connectors can move vertically and relatively to the vertical columns, the height of the desk fan can be adjusted randomly according to the need; and when the dual-purpose electric fan needs to be used as an independent desk fan, the desk fan only needs to be disassembled from the vertical columns. Therefore, the dual-purpose electric fan disclosed by the utility model can be used as the desk fan and the floor fan, and effectively combines the advantages of the desk fan and the floor fan so as to have the advantages of diversified functions and convenience in use.


ObjectivesTo analyse the one-year efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy for children with respiratory al lergic diseases.MethodsA total of 137 children have been enrolled and allocated into the SLIT group(N=85)receiv ing SLIT plus drug and control group(N=52)receiving drug only. The day and night asthma symptoms, rhinitis symp toms, medication, frequency of acute episode and self-evaluation in both groups were evaluated before treatment, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year after treatment.Results:After one year, the day and night asthma symptom scores, rhinitis symptom scores and medication scores in both groups showed a significant reduction(All P0.01). In ter-group analysis indicated that day and night asthma symptom scores and rhinitis symptom scores in the SLIT group were much lower than those in the control group after 9 months, with significant difference(P0.01). Moreover, after one year, there was significant lower reduction of medication scores, frequency of acute episode and self-evaluation scores in the SLIT group, with significant difference(P0.01).Conclusion:The efficacy of SLIT plus drug in children with respi ratory allergic diseases is better than that of drug only.


This paper expounds the necessity of integrated management of books and archives,and advances some guarantee measures for implementing the integrated management.


FIELD: electricity. SUBSTANCE: when fabricated, the Peltier elements (4) are connected on a current-carrying side by means of a sintered layer (15) or by sintering welding to a contact surface (3). Fabrication of the Peltier elements (4) and sintering welding are combined with using a mask (22) containing a number of openings (23). The mask (22) is used to coat a prepared ceramic substrate (2) with contact surfaces (3) in such a manner that each opening (23) is above the contact surface (3). The openings (23) are filled with the material for fabrication of the Peltier elements which then by sintering and pressure application is transformed thereafter into the Peltier elements (4). The openings (23) are filled with the powder blend material for fabrication of the Peltier elements. Sintering and sintering welding are carried out by a spark-plasma procedure with sintering pressure application. EFFECT: fabrication simplification, improvement of thermal properties and efficiency of the module. 15 cl, 18 dwg


The purpose of this work was to assess the features of biochemical markers changes in women with periodontal pathology associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome using optimal management of chronic generalized periodontitis prevention and treatment. Materials and methods. There were examined two groups of 25 women each in the course of moderate severity chronic generalized periodontitis associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome. The control group consisted of 25 women. The treatment-and-prophylactic complex (locally – mouthwash "Biodent-4" and mucosal gel "EKSO", orally – an amaranth oil-based drug and tablets "EKSO") was used in the first group; only conventional treatment was used in the second group. Results. In the first group urease activity decreased by 36.0 % after a month of treatment, in 6 months - by 46.0 %, in 12 months - by 62.4 %; lysozyme increased within 1 month by 40.5 %, in 6 months – by 52.4 %, in 12 months – by 53.6 %, diene conjugates in 1 month – by 32.0 %, in 6 months – by 43.5 %, in 12 months – by 42,8 %; malondialdehyde in 1 month by 31.7 %, in 6 months – by 43.9 %, in 12 months – by 42.6 %. Catalase increased in 1 month by 40.0 %, in 6 months – by 52.0 %, in 12 months – by 62.0 %. In the second group urease activity decreased by 12.6 % in 1 month, in 6 months – by 25.3 %, in 1 year – by 34.2 %. The level of diene conjugates decreased in 6 months by 22.3 %, in 12 months – by 24.8 %. Activity of superoxide dismutase decreased in 1 month by 20.0 %, in 6 months – by 22.6 %, in 12 months – by 27.8 %, glutathione peroxidase in 6 months – by 28.9 %, in 12 – by 26.3 %, catalase and lysozyme increased in 12 months by 36.7 and 30.5 %, respectively. Conclusions. The oral fluid biochemical parameters dynamics in women with moderate severity chronic generalized periodontitis associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome evidences the high efficiency of the prophylactic and therapeutic complex. Positive changes in the periodontal status of patients can be explained by a decrease in the intensity of lipid peroxidation, an inflammatory response, and activation of antioxidant protection in the oral cavity.


Data from previous literature were used to compile a checklist of the fauna of aquatic Adephaga (Coleoptera) of Egypt. Five subfamilies of the family Dytiscidae were studied: Agabinae, Colymbetinae, Copelatinae, Dytiscinae and Laccophilinae. The checklist contains 31 valid species from 12 genera belonging to 9 tribes: Agabini, Colymbetini, Copelatini, Aciliini, Cybistrini, Dytiscini, Eretini, Hydaticini and Laccophilini. The present checklist provides notes concerning the type localities, type specimens, descriptors, new combinations and biogeographic distributions.


Background: Congenital heart disease is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in the paediatric population of both the developing and developed countries. Variability in incidence and prevalence of CHD from various countries of Indian subcontinent and rest of the world could be because of genetic, cultural, and environmental factors.  The objective of the study was to find the prevalence and pattern of CHD in a tertiary care hospital in Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir).Methods: All children admitted at territary care hospital with age 0-15 years were screened for congenital heart disease. The study was conducted for period of one year to ascertain the prevalence and spectrum of CHDs.Results: A total of 232 patients out of 23000, were found having CHDs measuring a prevalence of 10.5/1000. About 170 (73%) were the acyanotics, and 62 (27%) were cyanotic heart patients. Among the acyanotic heart diseases ventricular septal defect was the most frequent lesion seen in 54 (23%), followed by patent ductus arteriosus in 50 (22%) children. Among the cyanotic heart diseases tetralogy of Fallot was the most frequent cyanotic heart disease seen in 15 (6.4%) patients.Conclusions: Authors observed high prevalence of CHD in our population. The pattern and spectrum of CHD were comparable to national and international data.


The current ecological crisis in India must be traced back to its origins because, similar to Western beliefs and practices, colonization of the natural world is fostered and justified. Materialistic creed, techno-culture, enlightenment principles of human progress, and industrial developments successfully exploit the resources of nature and threaten the existence of rivers, lands, and their flora and fauna. As a result, the lower sections of society, including the deprived and marginalized tribes, bear the inevitable outcome of this exploitation of nature, and the tribal are pushed into socio-cultural and economic decline. The condition of the tribal people and their environment find best expression in the works of Mahasweta Devi, one of the most famous journalists, social activists, and creative writers of West Bengal. After witnessing the pitiful condition of the tribes of Western, Central, and North-East India, she decides to delineate their livelihood, and naturally their relationship with nature comes into discussion. Her writings trace the ecological history of India, and for this she cites incidents from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and thus her narratives encompass the journey of the tribes from forest life to industrial life. The lost ecological histories of the tribals are again shown in The Book of the Hunter. The close bond between nature and men is given the fullest expression here, and their ecological wisdom should be followed and embodied to avert the current ecological crisis. The recreation of the tribal history of the Mundas, historical events of the Ulgulan, and ecological movements are portrayed in Aranyer Adhikar and Chotti Munda and his Arrow. In the same way, in her short stories like Seeds, The Hunt, Little Ones and Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay and Pirtha, she not only depicts the ecological equilibrium of tribal culture, but also the subjugated condition of the tribal and their lands, forests, and surroundings, so this paper delineates the ecological history of the tribes in the selected works of Mahasweta Devi.


This paper presents the results of an exploratory study that analyzes data from 500 students in MOODLE to understand the students' activities and how they relate to their course performance. The frequencies of the student's activities and the transitions between these activities are analyzed. This article analyzes the student's participation in Moodle activity via python code and their performance based on the marks scored in the quiz activity, which was given on Moodle platform. The analysis of students' performance of each question in that quiz. Also, the analysis of the easiness and difficulty of those questions asked. This study performs the facilitation value and discrimination index to find the easiness and difficulty of all questions, taking a percentage of questions which was easy, moderate, and hard. This is useful for the teaching staff to find a way to improve student performance and motivate them to score good marks.


In this letter, an induced gas discharge approach is proposed and described in detail for obtaining a uniform atmospheric-pressure glow discharge with air in a γ mode using water-cooled, bare metal electrodes driven by radio-frequency (13.56MHz) power supply. A preliminary study on the discharge characteristics of the air glow discharge is also presented in this study. With this induced gas discharge approach, radio-frequency, atmospheric-pressure glow discharges using bare metal electrodes with other gases which cannot be ignited directly as the plasma working gas, such as nitrogen, oxygen, etc., can also be obtained.


Aim: To compare fetal and maternal outcomes between elective and emergency cesarean sections in patients with gestational diabetes
mellitus (GDM).
Material and Methods: Data from patients with GDM delivered by cesarean section between January 2015 and July 2020 were
retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped according to whether the cesarean section was elective (n=129) or emergency (n=158).
Results: The cesarean section rate was higher in patients with GDM (31.16%) than in patients without GDM. There were more patients
with inadequate maternal care in the emergency cesarean section group than in the elective cesarean section group (p=0.003). One
neonate in the elective group and six in the emergency C/S group died, but the rates of neonatal mortality were similar (p=0.198).
Maternal morbidity (wound infection, fever, blood transfusion, and maternal intensive care) and fetal morbidity (birth asphyxia,
respiratory morbidity, and neonatal intensive care) were higher in the emergency C/S group (p


Public service is the process of simultaneously output showing how government functions running. The implementation of decentralization and regional autonomy in Indonesia is believed to be able to improve services to the community, improve people's welfare, and fostering democracy. Effected by the importance of the role of public services on the one hand and the number of issues that bind them on the other hand, issues concerning the performance of the institutions as well as public service apparatus became one of the important issues in the reform of public administration in different countries, including for the context of contemporary Indonesia. Driving licences (SIM) is one of the mandatory documents which must be owned by citizens of Indonesia who drive good or rodadua. In addition to a license for motorists, driving licences can also be used as proof of identity for its owners in various other administrative affairs, thus maintaining a driver's licence (SIM) become important in order not to hamper travel and other affairs. POLRESTA Jakabaring Palembang was a place where the public can obtain a driver's license (DRIVING LICENCE) with the hope of driving licences (SIM) they can be retrieved quickly, easily and inexpensivelyRESEARCH METHODOLOGY: this study uses Qualitative research methods, descriptive through in-depth interviews to 8 Informant, observation, search and document additional instruments be assisted with guidelines for interviewing, recording device, and stationery to write. RESEARCH RESULTS: based on indicators of Dwiyanto used in this penerlitian, productivity, service quality, Responsiveness, Accountability and corporate responsibility, then note that the performance of POLRESTA Jakabaring in the service of Creation Licence (SIM) is already quite good even though there are still some things that need to be improved such as the responsiveness of the officer service in the future. Conclusion: the performance of POLRESTA Jakabaring Palembang is based on research conducted in the offices of POLRESTA Jakabaring has been running pretty well, but still requires improvement.


Ground-flora and overstory composition and abundance patterns in 76 upland forest stands were related to the glacial geomorphology of a five-county area in northwestern lower Michigan. Nine classes of landforms were identified based on parent material and surface configuration. Chi-squared analyses of standardized residuals indicated that spatial distribution patterns of the ground flora were significantly associated with glacial landform. Detrended correspondence analyses showed that specific overstory–ground flora assemblages recur in characteristic landscape positions. The Interlobate Moraine, a predominant landform in the northeastern portion of the study area, was characterized by a northern hardwood canopy, primarily sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.), basswood (Tiliaamericana L.), and red oak (Quercusrubra L.), with herbaceous annuals, perennials, and ephemerals forming the ground flora. Other morainal and glaciofluvial landforms supported oak (Quercus spp.) overstories with a woody ericaceous or g...


The invention relates to a back chamfering process for semiconductor chips. The back chamfering process includes the steps of fixing a flip-chip bonding circuit on a dicing film in a preset direction; setting cutting depth and times according to the thickness of a flip-chip bonding circuit chip, and selecting a blade and using a grinding wheel dicing saw to cut; after cutting, taking down the circuit, wiping the back of the chip with dustproof fiber paper, and taking out the circuit. The back chamfering process for semiconductor chips has the advantages that changes to existing cutting equipment, fixtures and the like are not needed; after back treatment, the edge bevel of the chip is stepped, and steps are well uniform in gradient and attractive; the flip-chip bonding chip is free of damage or cracks on the edge, contamination by foreign bodies is avoided, the circuit is well reliable, and the yield is high; no equipment or fixture is added, and back chamfering of the flip-chip bonding chip is realized.


Research purposes (1) Determine the criteria of instructional materials desired by students and teachers in learning on human interaction materials with the natural, social, cultural and economic environment of class VII (2) Developing teaching materials used in learning on human interaction materials with the natural, social, cultural and economic environment of class VII VI (3) Determine the effectiveness of teaching materials in learning material of human interaction with natural environment, social, culture, and economy class VII. This study is a Research and Development (R & D) model procedural with steps adapted from Dick and Carrey. The study was conducted in MTs Negeri Surakarta 1 with sampling technique using cluster random sampling technique. The technique of collecting data used by questionnaire and test. Development of teaching materials is done through several stages, the first is to analyze the needs of students and teachers, then the stage of product development. The next stage is the assessment of teaching materials by material experts and materials experts, and the last stage is individual trials conducted by teachers and field trials by students. Result of experimental teaching materials of human interaction with the natural, social, cultural, and economic environments show that teaching materials are feasible and effective in the learning process. The results showed that the students' learning outcomes by using teaching materials increased 18% from before using teaching materials, while student learning result without using teaching materials only increased by 7.73%.


A unitary K1-analog of the Karoubi–Villamayor functor is constructed, which solves the problem of homotopization of the unitaryK1-functor on the category of rings with involution.


In this study, diatom indices such as the Biological Diatom Index (BDI), Shannon Index, Berger-Parker Index, diatom assemblages and trophic condition were analyzed and discussed. Results of the present study cautions the indiscriminate dumping and release of pollutants into rivers which might lead to serious environmental deterioration which could be considered as a potential source of threat to the biotic life.


This paper explores the commercial activities of the wholesaler in Kaizuka port that located in the southern part of Osaka prefecture through the investigation of the account books of Hiroumi family (Kaisen Tonya). It is often said that the main business of these wholesalers was commission-based transaction that avoided the risk taking activities. Although the commission consisted the major part of the income of Hiroumi family, the pure consignment business was not the main field of its activities. In a case of 1862, Hiroumi's main commercial activity was pure agency that made sellers and buyers meet in its office. One of the important points was that Hiroumi financed this transaction by paying to the seller at the same of the transaction and waited several weeks to be paid by the buyer. It is also revealed that Hiroumi itself often appeared as the buyer in these transactions. In these cases, Hiroumi had to sell the items by its own account. Therefore, Hiroumi had been taking the financial risks or sales risks through their commission based activities. These risk taking behaviors by Kaisen Tonya had supported to form the stable distribution system between the port and its hinterlands.


A technique for computing the input impedance of a monopole on a finite ground plane is provided. The case of an infinite ground plane is first examined, and then the concept of using a magnetic edge current as an equivalent source of diffraction on the limited size ground plane is introduced. The technique used is serf-consistent in that the circular ground plane considered is the limit of a polygonal ground plane as the number of sides tends to infinity. Good agreement has been demonstrated when the nearest edge of the ground plane is at least 0.3 wavelength from the base of the monopole.


Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) hold promise as a novel immune‐modulatory therapy in organ transplantation. First clinical studies have used autologous MSCs; however, the use of allogeneic "off‐the‐shelf" MSCs is more sustainable for broad clinical implementation, although with the risk of causing sensitization. We investigated safety and feasibility of allogeneic MSCs in renal transplantation, using a matching strategy that prevented repeated mismatches. Ten patients received two doses of 1.5 × 106/kg allogeneic MSCs 6 months after transplantation in a single‐center nonrandomized phase Ib trial, followed by lowering of tacrolimus (trough level 3 ng/mL) in combination with everolimus and prednisone. Primary end point was safety, measured by biopsy proven acute rejection (BPAR) and graft loss 12 months after transplantation. Immune monitoring was performed before and after infusion. No BPAR or graft loss occurred and renal function remained stable. One patient retrospectively had DSAs against MSCs, formed before infusion. No major alterations in T and B cell populations or plasma cytokines were observed upon MSC infusion. Administration of HLA selected allogeneic MSCs combined with low‐dose tacrolimus 6 months after transplantation is safe at least in the first year after renal transplantation. This sets the stage to further explore the efficacy of third‐party MSCs in renal transplantation.


In the hierarchical structure of the protocol stack LTE,the layer of RRC(Radio Resource Control) locates in the third layer which belongs to control plane,and the control function of RRC has an important influence on the performance and behavior of LTE system.Meanwhile,RRC establishing connection in the whole process is an important link in the communication process.RRC connection is set up among different network terminals on the same layer.This paper makes the detailed description about the implementation process of RRC connection establishment process based on network,and reasonable design on the properties of RRC layer protocol.It presents the detailed introduction methods about the design idea of SDL which taking RRC connection establishment process as an example.Meanwhile,it shows validation results of all design by using the tool of TTCN.


How Buildings Work The Natural Order Of Architecture Are you looking for ebook how buildings work the natural order of architecture? You will be glad to know that right now how buildings work the natural order of architecture is available on our online library. With our online resources, you can find how buildings work the natural order of architecture easily without hassle, since there are more than millions titles available in our ebook databases.


The evolution of macro inclusions during continuous casting was investigated by large-area inclusion characterization using ASPEX and analysis of nozzle blockage deposits. Six kinds of inclusions over 5 μm were observed in samples taken from the tundish and the slabs: single alumina particles, alumina dendrites, refractory-related alumina, alumina associated with bubbles, alumina clusters and Al–Ti complex oxides. By examining the morphology of the nozzle blockage deposit, it was concluded that the refractory-related alumina in the slabs came from the decarburization layer washed away by the steel stream. Some of the alumina clusters that came from the nozzle blockage deposit dislodged by the steel flow, were formed by the agglomeration and sintering of 5–20 μm inclusions that were carried over from the tundish. Two kinds of Al–Ti oxides were found in the tundish, and their evolution mechanisms during the casting process were proposed.


Based on the sleeve monopole antennas, this paper introduce a kind of method to design UHF series fed sleeve antenna by transforming its feed and structure. And then it briel y introduces the design process of UHF series fed sleeve antenna. We obtain the variation of parameters which inl uence antenna performance by using simulation software for analyzing dif erent structure parameters. Also we get ideal radiation pattern by using matrix simulation. Finally, the paper expounds the method to reduce the cost of raw materials, improve the electrical parameters and optimize the structure of antenna on the premise to ensure electrical index. VSWR of UHF series fed sleeve antenna(≤1.2) is better than one of similar foreign antennas(VSWR≤1.4).


The Cancer is defined as abnormal and repetitive growth of the cell on various region of the body, Chemotherapy is a much of the time utilized treatment for cancer which include medicines (drugs) like carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, cisplatin, topotecan, cyclophosphamide, irinitecan, gemcitabine, docetaxel, doxorubicin and mitomycin. The above Drugs have certain toxicities such as Nephrotoxicity, Hepatotoxicity, Anemia, Thrombocytopenia, Leucopenia, Degeneration of hair follicle etc, Because of the low therapeutic index, the drugs degenerate normal cells with cancerous cells, Thus it is necessary to develop the medication and therapy to reduce this cytotoxic effects, This can be achieve by using natural and safe agents for the treatment of cancer. In this point of view some phytochemical constituents were recognized, for example, taxol, vincristine, and vinblastine [1-2]. There is expanding number of distributions on Azadirachta indica and its concentrate to battle against various tumors. Azadirachta indica is evergreen, tropical, having angled molded green leaves and trunk of timber with bug repellent properties. Generally, Azadirachta indica demonstrated an anticancer movement by advancing the cell reinforcement chemical, and adjusting the intracellular segments fundamental for tumor development and advancement, for example, Cyclin D, Cyclin B, Cyclin B1, Cyclin1, Cyclin E, P53, PCNA, P21,GST-P. Nimbolide was found to bind with the cell cycle energy in cancer cells by inhensing the cell cycle capture at G1/S or G2/M stage through concealment of Cyclin, CDKs and PCNA [3-6].


A doctor winging his way hundreds of miles to the bedside of a sick child. A woman in labor who must have the help only a trained physician can give. The broken bone in the "out back" which requires a fast flight to a far-off hospital. The needs of the children of the Australian aborig ines.


Abstract This paper examines the implications of recent theory and research in cognitive psychology for the understanding and assessment of intelligence. Three major themes are developed. The first has to do with how changes in the social and educational climate for testing can influence the conception of intellectual competence and the technology of testing. The second theme concerns the ways that cognitive psychology, with its emphases on memory, problem-solving, and knowledge acquisition, has begun to provide a new framework for viewing differences in intellectual functioning. Finally, it is argued that study of the kinds of performances required for success in school suggests ways in which intelligence testing can be made more responsive to current social and educational needs.


Let u denote a function which is harmonic in a simply-connected domain G and suppose that u is bounded in absolute value throughout G by a known positive constant M. Let D denote a simply connected domain contained in G and suppose that u is bounded in absolute value throughout D by a known positive constant m, where m is less than M. It is well known [3], [4], [5], [7], [8] that for any compact set S in G, there exist constants K K(M, G, D, S) and a a(G, D, S), 0 < < 1, such that,


We offer a range of training courses, including Food Safety in Catering level 2 to suit your business and personal development requirements.


: Smart health monitoring system is a system that shortens the distance between a patient and the relevant
medical organization. These systems have rapidly evolved during the past two decades and have the potential to
change the way health cases are currently delivered. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an innovation for smart health
management. It provides monitoring patients remotely and guarantees giving patients the medication and getting
complete health care without the latter getting infected. As we know that the NovelCorona-virus also known as
covid-19 expanded its impacts from China and still expands its catchment, national as well as international
measures are being taken to contain the outbreak such as the placing of lockdown in nations. As a result, many
people are being infected making the hospital incapable of providing proper healthcare.
This paper proposes a smart health system that monitors the patients holding the coronavirus remotely and to
protect the lives of the health service members (like physicians, nurses) from infection. This smart system observes
patients by using sensors, to gather rich information every minute seconds. This benefits the patient as well as the
service members because the physicians can observe the patient while freeing up beds in the hospitals for the
critical cases.


(Yb3+, Er3+) and (Yb3+, Tm3+) codoped Lu2O3 nanorods have been prepared by a low temperature hydrothermal procedure. Their optical behavior, in terms of luminescence and waveguiding properties was analyzed. Room temperature upconversion (UC) under excitation at 980 nm and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra were studied in function of the Yb3+ concentration. UC spectra revealed the strong development of Er3+ 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 (red) and Tm3+ 1G4 → 3H6 (blue) bands, which were favored by a high Yb3+ concentration. UC mechanisms privilege the population of 4F9/2 and 1G4 emitting levels through phonon assisted energy-transfer and non-radiative relaxations, which are helped by the large phonons existing in the current nanorods. CL spectra show a moderate increase of the intensity ratio between the Er3+ 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 (red) and 2H11/2, 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 (green) emissions with the increase in the Yb3+ content, while for Yb3+, Tm3+-codoped Lu2O3 nanorods the dominant CL emission is Tm3+ 1D2 → 3F4 (deep-blue). Uniform light emission along Yb3+, Er3+-codoped Lu2O3 rods has been observed by using SNOM photoluminescence images.


The aim of this thesis is to define an aspect-oriented non-functional requirements analysis process named PARNAFOA. This process applies nonfunctional requirements methods in an integrated manner, based on NFR Framework, and aspect-oriented methods. A use case model that embodies non-functional requirements as new functions is the main result obtained from this process. PARNAFOA application was performed in five software systems, with diverse features, domains and complexities. The evaluation of this process application showed that the treatment of these non-functional requirements, from the early phases of software systems development, complements the use case model with additional new functions or generates project restrictions. If these requirements are not considered from the very beginning, the introduction of these functions at a later phase can generate modifications in consolidated models or project activities, that do not consider these restrictions, can be performed. The PARNAFOA applications and consequent improvement, incorporated after the assessment, allowed it to become more flexible than the initial version. Future applications, with other non-functional requirements types, will provide this process maturity.


The loading cycle of many (perhaps most) commercial adsorption and ion exchange operations involves a favorable isotherm. Concentration fronts for favorable isotherms approach a constant pattern for long bed lengths, and most industrial adsorption and ion exchange operations use sufficiently deep beds that the constant-pattern conditions are approached. Once a constant pattern is established, the region around the front can be analyzed using conventional methods developed for continuous absorption/stripping operations, but the location of the feed and withdrawal points must be assumed to move down the bed at the same rate at which the front moves. Using this approach, the constant-pattern front can be calculated for any shape of constant-pattern isotherm. The dimensionless distance in the bed is expressed in terms of transfer units, and the shape of the front can be evaluated graphically even when the relations can not be integrated analytically. This procedure is illustrated for binary ion exchange isotherms. In the simplest cases, exchange of ions like charge, the integration can be performed analytically. For other cases, numerical and graphical solutions are illustrated


Using the reaction pi /sup + d yields pp (MM) at 2.13 GeV/c with photons from the final-state pi /sup o'/s detected by tantalum plates in the 30- in. ANL bubble chamber, a 2 pi /sup o/ mass spectrum has been obtained in several ways. This spectrum is found to be in good agreement with phase-space expectations and presents no evidence for the production of a narrow'' epsilon ( GAMMA <200 MeV). The 2 pi /sup o/ cross section for DELTA /sup 2/ < 15 mu / sup 2/ is 386 plus or minus 80 mu b. pi pi production and scattering angular distributions are presented. Good agreement with the onc-pion-exchange model is noted. Assuming that the ratios of peripheral pion-production cross sections are equal to their pole values, a new method for extracting pi pi seattering parameters is discussed. Using this method the I = O s-wave phase shift is uniquely determined from threshold to I GeV/c/sup 2/ and found to be similar to the so-called UP-DOWN solutions of s-p wave interference analyses. In addition, the ratios of I = 0 to I = 2 s-wave scattering phase shifts and scattering lengths are found to be equal to -(3.2/supmore » +1.5//sub -1.0/) near pi pi threshold. Using a dispersion sum rule, t he pi pi scattering lengths are found to be a/sub o/= +(0.15 plus or minus 0.08) mu /sup -1/ and a/ sub 2/ = - (0.05 plus or minus 0.01) mu /sup -1/. (auth)« less


Introduction the purine analogs (PA) cladribine (CDA) and pentostatin have dramatically improved the prognosis of HCL and are considered the standard of care both in front-line therapy and at relapse. However, some patients still fail to respond or will eventually relapse after treatment with PA. Chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab has shown significant activity in HCL and is an option for relapsed/refractory patients either alone or in combination with PA.

Methods we retrospectively reviewed 49 treatments with rituximab for classical HCL, undertaken in 41 patients (pts) from 10 centers in France and Belgium between july 2002 and september 2012. Patients were included if they had received at least 3 infusions of rituximab. Eight pts were treated twice with rituximab. Complete hematologic response (CHR) was defined as recovery of normal blood counts (without circulating HCL cells) and absence of HCL-related symptoms. CHR was further divided into 3 groups: (i) stringent complete response (sCR), if bone marrow evaluation was normal; (ii) unconfirmed complete response (uCR), if bone marrow evaluation was not done and (iii) CHR with persistent medullar infiltration (iCHR). Partial response (PR) corresponded to a ≥ 50% improvement for every CHR-defining criterion or normalization of at least one blood count, without circulating HCL cells.

Results characteristics of pts before treatment are summarized in [table 1][1]. Rituximab was given as front-line therapy in 8 cases (16.3%). When used at relapse/progression, the median number of previous lines was 3 (range 1-8) and all pts had already received PA (both CDA and pentostatin in one third of them). Rituximab was given alone in 55% of cases, while it was combined with a PA in the 45% remaining cases, mostly CDA (18 of 22 cases). The median number of infusions was 4 (3-12). After treatment, median absolute neutrophil count (ANC), hemoglobin (Hb) level and platelet count were 2.75 x 109/L, 135 g/L and 180 x 109/L respectively. Persistent significant neutropenia (ANC < 1 x 109/L) and anemia (Hb < 100g/L) were each found in only 2 cases and 10.6% of patients had platelets < 100 x 109/L. Overall response rate (ORR) was 89.6% with 70.8% CHR including 6 sCR (12.5%), 26 uCR (54.2%) and 2 iCHR (4.2%). PR was achieved in 9 cases (18.8%) and 5 pts were non responders (10.4%). All the 8 pts who received rituximab as front-line therapy (along with CDA in 5 of them) achieved CHR. In the relapsed pts, ORR was 87.5% (including 65% CHR) with a better outcome for those having received both rituximab and PA (100% ORR including 85.7% CHR versus 79.2% ORR and 54.2% CHR after rituximab alone). The 5 pts who failed to respond were relapsed pts treated with rituximab alone. Interestingly, all the 8 pts who were re-challenged with rituximab responded again to treatment (6 uCR, 1 iCHR and 1 PR). Multivariate analysis identified 3 independent prognostic factors for response to rituximab: absence of previous therapy (OR=0.027 [0,001-0,555], p=0,0192), combination therapy (OR=10,120 [1,227-83,485], p=0,0316) and ANC before treatment (OR=1,002 [1,001-1,004], p=0,006). The median follow-up is 36 months (4-117). Relapse or progression was observed in 15 cases (34.1%), with a median time to relapse of 19 months (2-39). Relapse rate was higher (54.5%) and time to relapse shorter (17.5 months) when rituximab was administered alone, as compared to combination therapy with a PA (10% and 38.5 months respectively). Overall, 3-year relapse-free survival is 68.3%. Six pts have died and 3-year overall survival is 90.3%.

View this table:

Table 1
Patients' characteristics (n = 41)

Conclusion this study confirms the efficacy of rituximab in HCL patients, mostly when combined to PA. Nevertheless, the relapse rate is high and time to relapse short when rituximab is used as monotherapy beyond front-line treatment. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm the superiority of the combination PA + rituximab over PA alone.

Disclosures: Off Label Use: Rituximab for the treatment of hairy-cell leukemia.

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Abstract When a compact of particles densities- by grain boundary diffusion of matter from the boundaries between the particles, the matter entering the neck must redistribute itself over the neck surface. It is normally assumed that this redistribution is rapid, and that the rate of boundary diffusion limits the overall rate of densification. Under certain circumstances, however, the redistribution can be rate-limiting. An approximate model is developed for this coupled process, and the circumstances under which it is important are discussed.


A novel ultrasound (US) system has been developed to make possible the real-time assessment of both blood velocity profile and wall displacements in human arteries. The system consists of a modified US machine and a custom PC add-on board based on a high-speed DSP board. The software has been customized to make possible the simultaneous selection of two independent M-lines. In the B-mode display. With respect to the artery of interest, such lines can be set at optimal angles for wall detection and blood velocity detection, respectively. When switched to PW-mode, the system fires the elements of the linear array probe in such a way that US bursts are alternatively transmitted into one of the two selected M-line directions. Quadrature demodulated echo signals produced along both such lines are sent to the DSP board, which allows the corresponding blood velocity profile and wall displacement (or distension) waveforms to be calculated and displayed in real-time. From the velocity profile, the wall shear rate (WSR), i.e. the spatial velocity gradient close to the blood-wall interface, is extracted. The system has been preliminarily tested in the common carotid arteries of 11 healthy volunteers. Results of simultaneous diameter distension and WSR measurements are reported.


With the rapid development of science and technology, the accelerated pace of life, people need to rely on language and hearing to exchange information, share information, learn and progress together. Currently there are about 70 million deaf and dumb people in the world, and in China there are about 20 million patients with different levels of hearing impairment. It is imminent to develop a set of devices that can connect the deaf and the normal people. With the development of human-computer interaction technology and pattern recognition technology, more and more researchers have entered into the field of sign language recognition and sign language translation. In this paper, we design a multi node sign language translation based on the pattern recognition technology. After data preprocessing, feature extraction, C4.5 decision tree algorithm recognition, 50 sign language actions with arms and body can get the recognition rate about 98%.


Dear Editor, The tropical plant Madagascar periwinkle Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don is a rich source of plant-derived medicinal ter-penoid indole alkaloids (TIAs), including the anti-hypertensive ajmalicine, the sedative compound serpentine, and the anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. However, the latter two compounds are produced in C. roseus plants only in very low amounts. Elicitors such as hormones (e.g. jasmonates or salicylic acid) activate plant natural defense responses, including increased secondary metabolite production (El-Sayed and Verpoorte, 2007; Lackman et al., 2011). There are two different metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of terpe-noids leading to the formation of the C 5 central precursor isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), namely the classical cytosolic mevalonate pathway and the mevalonate-independent plas-tidic 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. The biosynthesis of C. roseus TIAs starts with the condensation of tryptamine (shikimate pathway) and secologanin (MEP pathway) to form the key intermediate strictosidine, the common backbone structure of all TIAs. However, to our knowledge, the late steps of the alkaloid pathway in C. roseus and the genes involved remain partly unknown (Rischer et al., 2006). When there is a high demand for the product and only low levels accumulate in plants, plant cell cultures have shown to be an alternative production system of valuable secondary metabolites offering controlled conditions on a large scale for the rapid reproduction of plant cells without the need for depleting natural sources (Oksman-Caldentey and Inzé, 2004). Metabolic flux analysis using 13 C-labeled substrates is essential for understanding the control and regulation of metabolic networks, and it has been often observed that significant changes in C-flow are sometimes associated with only small adjustments in metabolite abundance (Ratcliffe and Shachar-Hill, 2006; Baxter et al., 2007). Whilst transgenic lines, which are one prerequisite for this approach, are available for a multitude pathways of secondary metabolism, methods for assessing metabolic fluxes, which are another prerequisite, are largely not. In this study, we performed a 13 C-stable isotope feeding experiment using [ 13 C 3 ]-pyruvate as substrate. Given that mass spectrometry does not distinguish atomic level resolution, [ 13 C 3 ]-pyruvate was introduced into the network for enhanced sensitivity, and the labeling pattern of metabolites was subsequently measured using two complementary techniques: gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (GC–TOF–MS) (Lisec et al. and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution Fourier Transform mass spectrom-etry (UPLC–FT–MS) (Giavalisco et al., 2009; Tohge and Fernie, 2010). High-resolution UPLC–FT–MS analysis was used for the …


The utility model provides a multifunctional video ear examining device, which belongs to the technical field of medical instruments, and relates to a clinical inspection instrument for the ear-nose-throat department. The ear examining device structurally comprises a handle, a camera insert tube, a connecting wire and an external display screen. As the visual otoscope utilizes optical fibers to achieve light transmitting and is provided with a camera at the front end, pathological changes of the external auditory canals and the eardrums of a patient can be clearly observed, and teaching needs can be satisfied due to the functions of image shooting, record, storage and the like. The multifunctional video ear examining device is applicable to external auditory canal examinations, external auditory canal surgeries and air blast examinations, is small in size and convenient to carry, and can be connected with a computer or a television for image display.


The questions of development concept,product structure,tour facilities existing in developing of the around city tourism vacation belt of Shenyang were analyzed,and the development thoughts in the around city tourism vacation belt of Shenyang and the problems from 4 aspects that should be paid attention are put forward.5 product models of spending a holiday in village,recreational industry tour,park playing,tour recreation with special subject and the meeting travel are designed,which provides reference to realize sustainable envelopment of the around city tourism vacation belt of Shenyang.


This chapter talks about the film 12 Monkeys from 1995, which was written by the co-author of Blade Runner in 1982 and author of Unforgiven in 1992, David Peoples, and his wife and collaborator Janet Peoples. It mentions Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame, who directed 12 Monkeys. It also discusses how 12 Monkeys was made on an extremely modest budget of slightly under $30 million, resulting in the film's stars working for far less than their usual fee. The chapter recounts how 12 Monkeys defied expectations by raking in $170 million worldwide and receiving a number of nominations and awards. It describes the critics' response to 12 Monkeys, calling it a spectacular mess, a convoluted film with too many ideas for its own good, and a film with an involving, occasionally baffling storyline.


Summer report of birds found in and around Amana contributed by Carl J. Bendorf. Verifying documentation of an extraordinary sighting of a Worm-eating Warbler is included. This item was used as supporting documentation for the Iowa Ornithologists' Union Quarterly field report of summer 1981.


The basic theory of Web Server and building a Boa Server under uClinux are explained.Then CGI(common gateway interface) is used to complete dynamic Web technology.At last,an example is put forward to prove the realization of Web Server and CGI.


Objective To study the effect of traditional laryngoscopy and shikani optical stylet (SOS) combined application in difficult intubation.Methods Forty patients predicted difficult intubation were chosed in the elective surgery for general anesthesia and randomly divided into two groups,patients in group A of 20 cases were intubated with traditional laryngoscope,patients in group B of 20 cases were intubated with both traditional laryngoscope and SOS.The changes of radial artery blood pressure (SBP and DBP),HR were recorded in the four times of after narcotic induction (T0),when intubation (T1),after intubation (T2),after intubation for 5 min (T3).And the changes of ECG and SpO2 were observed continuously.Complications of intubation such as arrhythmia,respiratory inhibition were watched.The intubation frequency and time were compared.Results The intubate successful rate for one time were 40% in group A,and 95% in group B.The intubation time of group B was shorter than group A obviously (P 0.05).Both SBP and DBP increased after intubation in group A,and they backed to normal after intubation for 5 minutes in group B.SBP and DBP had no significant differences between two groups at T0 and T1.SBP and DBP in group A at T2,T3 were significantly higher than those in group B (P0.05).HR increased in two groups at T1 and T2 (P 0.05).HR in group A at T3 were higher than those in group B (P0.05).Conclusion The combined application of traditional laryngoscopy and SOS shortens the intubation time,decreases complications of difficult intubation and ensures vital signs of patients more smoothly.


The invention relates to a method for preparing normal hexan solvent oil by using absorption-method deep debenzolization, which comprises: gasifying No.6 solvent oil containing 0.5 to 0.7 percent of benzene; and contacting the solvent oil with an absorber in reverse flow in a packing absorbing column to remove the benzene from the No.6 solvent oil to realize deep debenzolization and make the benzene content of the solvent oil reach the standards for extraction solvents of high-purity normal hexane and international A-class plant oil. The method has the advantages of simple operation, mild absorption conditions, normal-pressure operation, high production safety and suitability for production of small and large scale devices. Meanwhile, the circular use of the absorber greatly reduces production cost.


Machine learning has widely spread in the areas of pattern recognition, prediction or forecasting, cognitive game theory and in bioinformatics. In recent days, machine learning is being introduced into manufacturing and material industries for the development of new materials and simulating the manufacturing of the required products. In the recent paper, machine learning algorithm is developed by using Python programming for the determination of grain size distribution in the microstructure of stir zone seam of Friction Stir Welded magnesium AZ31B alloy plate The grain size parameters such as an equivalent diameter, perimeter, area, orientation etc. were determined. The results showed that the developed algorithm is able to determine various grain size parameters accurately.


........................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... ii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 PROJECT THEME ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PROJECT TITLE .............................................................................................................. 1 1.3 AIMS ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.4 MOTIVATION................................................................................................................... 1 1.5 HYPOTHESIS .................................................................................................................. 4 1.6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 7 2.1 MEAT TENDERNESS ...................................................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Baseline tenderness .................................................................................................. 7 2.1.2 Conversion of muscle to meat.................................................................................... 8 2.1.3 The pH temperature relationship ................................................................................ 8 2.1.4 Electrical stimulation.................................................................................................. 9 2.1.5 Calcium dependant proteinases ............................................................................... 12 188.8.131.52 Prolonged aging............................................................................................... 14 2.2 BETAADRENERGIC AGONISTS ................................................................................. 15 2.2.1 Mode of action of beta-adrenergic agonists .............................................................. 15 2.2.2 Effects of beta-adrenergic agonists on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue ................ 18 2.3 VITAMIN D3 ................................................................................................................... 21 2.3.1 Function of Vitamin D3 ............................................................................................ 21 2.3.2 Homeostasis of Vitamin D3 ...................................................................................... 21 2.3.3 Hypervitaminosis D3 ............................................................................................... 22 iv 2.3.4 Vitamin D3 supplementation of feedlot cattle ............................................................. 22 2.4 OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING MEAT QUALITY........................................................... 26 2.4.1 Colour..................................................................................................................... 26 2.4.2 Water holding capacity/ drip loss .............................................................................. 30 2.5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 31 2.6 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................ 44 3.1 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND FEEDLOT PHASE ........................................................ 44 3.2 SLAUGHTER AND SAMPLING PROCEDURES ............................................................. 44 3.3 WARNER BRATZLER SHEAR FORCE MEASUREMENTS ............................................. 45 3.4 HISTOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS ............................................................................... 46 3.5 MUSCLE BIOCHEMISTRY ............................................................................................. 46 3.6 SERUM CALCIUM AND PARATHYROID ANALYSES ..................................................... 47 3.7 COLOUR AND DRIP LOSS OF FRESH MEAT................................................................ 47 3.8 STATISTICAL ANALYSES ............................................................................................. 48 3.9 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 49 CHAPTER 4: THE EFFICIENCY OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION TO COUNTERACT THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF BETA-AGONISTS ON MEAT TENDERNESS OF FEEDLOT CATTLE ......................................................................................................... 50 4.1 ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... 50 4.2 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 51 4.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................................ 52 4.3.1 Experimental design and feedlot phase .................................................................... 52 4.3.2 Slaughter and sampling procedures ......................................................................... 52 4.3.3 Warner Bratzler shear force measurements ............................................................. 53 v 4.3.4 Histological measurements ...................................................................................... 53 4.3.5 Muscle biochemistry ................................................................................................ 54 4.3.6 Statistical analyses .................................................................................................. 54 4.4 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................... 55 4.4.1 Main effects of treatment, stimulation and aging ...................................................... 55 4.4.2 Interactions between treatment, stimulation and aging ............................................. 58 4.5 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................. 63 4.6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 68 4.7 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 69 CHAPTER 5: THE EFFECTS OF A BETA-AGONIST TREATMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENTATION AND ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON MEAT QUALITY OF FEEDLOT STEERS ........................................................................................................ 74 5.1 ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... 74 5.2 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 74 5.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................................ 76 5.3.1 Experimental design and feedlot phase .................................................................... 76 5.3.2 Slaughter and sampling procedures ......................................................................... 77 5.3.3 Warner Bratzler shear force measurements ............................................................. 78 5.3.4 Histological measurements ...................................................................................... 78 5.3.5 Muscle biochemistry ................................................................................................ 79 5.3.6 Serum calcium and parathyroid analyses ................................................................ 79 5.3.7 Statistical analyses .................................................................................................. 80 5.4 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................... 80 5.4.1 Effect of treatment, stimulation and aging on physical and histological characteristics ............................................................................................................. 80 5.4.2 Effect of treatment, stimulation and aging on the calcium dependant proteinase system ....................................................................................................................... 84 vi 5.4.3 Effect of treatment on blood parameters ................................................................... 87 5.5 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................. 88 5.6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 93 5.7 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 94 CHAPTER 6: EFFECT OF DIETARY BETA-AGONIST TREATMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENTATION AND ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF CARCASSES ON COLOUR AND DRIP LOSS OF STEAKS FROM FEEDLOT STEERS ........................... 100 6.1 ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................. 100 6.2 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 100 6.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS .......................................................................


(Abridged) The question of how most stars in the Universe form remains open. While star formation predominantly occurs in young massive clusters, the current framework focuses on isolated star formation. One way to access the bulk of protostellar activity within star-forming clusters is to trace signposts of active star formation with emission from molecular outflows. These outflows are bright in water emission, providing a direct observational link between nearby and distant galaxies. We propose to utilize the knowledge of local star formation as seen with molecular tracers to explore the nature of star formation in the Universe. We present a large-scale statistical galactic model of emission from galactic active star-forming regions. Our model is built on observations of well-resolved nearby clusters. By simulating emission from molecular outflows, which is known to scale with mass, we create a proxy that can be used to predict the emission from clustered star formation at galactic scales. We evaluated the impact of the most important global-star formation parameters (i.e., initial stellar mass function (IMF), molecular cloud mass distribution, star formation efficiency (SFE), and free-fall time efficiency) on simulation results. We observe that for emission from the para-H2O 202 - 111 line, the IMF and molecular cloud mass distribution have a negligible impact on the emission, both locally and globally, whereas the opposite holds for the SFE and free-fall time efficiency. Moreover, this water transition proves to be a low-contrast tracer of star formation. The fine-tuning of the model and adaptation to morphologies of distant galaxies should result in realistic predictions of observed molecular emission and make the galaxy-in-a-box model a tool to analyze and better understand star formation throughout cosmological times.


Recently immigrant effects have emerged as a potential business strategy in international marketing management. It has two types of effect ‐ the "employer" and "employee" effect. The latter is more commonly used. This study focuses on the "employee" effect. Based on the outcomes of a multivariate logistic regression analysis, this study proposes a model for firms intended to use the "employee" immigrant effect to develop their business operations in a foreign host market. It uses the experiences of 233 Australian and New Zealand firms, operating in three foreign host markets. The results suggest that consumption patterns, conditions of product usage, consumer preference, competition and product life cycle are significantly related to the choice of immigrant effects.


Objective To investigate the effects of licorice extract on the expression of mice hepatic nuclear factor E2- related factor 2(Nrf2)and its downstream genes of UDP- glucuronyl transferase 1A1(UGT1A1),gamma glutamylcysteine synthase(γGCS),multidrug- resistance associated protein 1(MRP1) and multidrug- resistance associated protein 2(MRP2)in mice. Methods Twelve mice were randomly divided into control group and the licorice extract group(150 mg·kg-1). Mice were sacrificed to take the liver 24 hours after the medication. qRT- PCR was used to measure the expression of Nrf2,UGT1A1,γGCS,MRP1 and MRP2 mRNA in mice liver. Western blotting methos was used to measure the protein expression of Nrf2. Results Compared to the control group, licorice extract significantly induced mRNA expression of Nrf2,UGT1A1,γGCS,MRP1,MRP2 and the protein expression of Nrf2(P 0.05). Conclusion Licorice extract induces the expression of phase II detoxifying enzymes UGT1A1 and γGCS as well as transporters MRP1 and MRP2. Its mechanism may be related with the induction of Nrf2 transcription factors and with the activation of Nrf2 cellular signal transduction pathways.


Images provide a language to describe the dynamics of bone and tissue. Bone density and space distribution vary and indicate greater or lower reaction and adaptation to functional demands, such as masticatory loads, on natural teeth or osseointegrated implants. In rehabilitation, load distributions have to be planned, and the remaining teeth and their relation with neighboring bone should be evaluated. The detection of bone responses to pre-existing occlusal trauma may provide a more accurate evaluation of masticatory conditions and parafunctional habits, that is, a true functional history of remaining teeth. Occlusal interference and overloads take months or years to induce classical signs and symptoms of occlusal trauma as a clinical entity. When a tooth has pulp necrosis and signs of occlusal trauma, the evaluation of history, as well as all tests, should be directed to the diagnosis of superposed dental trauma even when posterior teeth are affected. There is no scientific basis to confirm that occlusal interferences and overloads lead to pulp necrosis. A frequent question: Up to what point should orthodontic forces be applied to osseointegrated implants? Orthodontic forces are not greater, in any situation, than occlusal forces in terms of intensity, amplitude and variability. If an implant can bear masticatory loads, it may also receive orthodontic forces resulting from anchorage.


In recent years portfolio management within a large universe of hedge funds has become a key area of research. In this paper, the authors propose a strictly quantitative hedge fund investment approach that is of straightforward practical relevance for family office practitioners. It can be shown that portfolios constructed under the new approach are able to considerably outperform an equally-weighted index of hedge funds in an out-of-sample analysis. Thus, there seems to be evidence that the proposed approach represents a valuable tool for investors.


ARTICLEIn Reply.—

It is our responsibility as pediatric health care providers to promote the health and well-being of the children who present to us for care. We respectfully disagree with Crowe et al that, "[t]here is simply no firm evidence that children will live longer when medicated earlier with AIDS drugs." On the contrary, there is ample evidence that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has had tremendous effects on improving morbidity profiles, reducing mortality rates, and delaying death among HIV-infected children.1,2 Regarding infants in particular, analyses from a large prospective study of 360 HIV-infected US children (Perinatal AIDS Collaborative Transmission Study) showed that infants who received early treatment with HAART were significantly less likely to progress to AIDS or death compared with those who received no therapy, adjusting for year of birth and maternal disease factors.3 The increased potency of regimens containing protease inhibitor (PI) drugs has resulted in enhanced survival of HIV-infected children and a reduction in opportunistic infections and other complications of HIV infection as demonstrated in a prospective longitudinal cohort study (Perinatal AIDS Collaborative Transmission Group, PACTG 219),4 which started enrollment before the availability of PI therapy. The increased use of PI-containing therapy (from 0% before 1996 to >70% by 1998) was accompanied by a substantial decrease in mortality: mortality decreased from 5% in 1995/1996 to only 1% in 1997/1998. Similar reductions in mortality with introduction of HAART in HIV-infected children in Europe have also been reported.2,5,6

Crowe et al suggest that because children face a greater number of years on therapy than adults, a rational approach is to delay the initiation of therapy as long as possible. We agree with this approach as long as the child's clinical, immunologic, or HIV RNA status does not …


Fifty-three strains of bacteria have been isolated from acidulated brine. They are classified into Bacillus, Micrococcus, Sarcina, and Lactobacillus. Of these the Bacillus strains failed to grow at hydrogen-ion concentrations more acid than pH 6.20, while the Micrococcus and Sarcina forms showed a greater tolerance, producing limited growth from pH 5.22 to 5.64. Other workers describing wider limits for the genus Bacillus failed to allow for the change produced in the weakly buffered environment by the living cell. The microaerophilic Lactobacilli grew at pH 3.52. These aciduric types are not actively proteolytic.


Countries seek to attract foreign direct investment using a multitude of strategies, from pro-active image-building to aftercare services for investors. A contemporary trend is to coordinate these activities through a national investment promotion agency (IPA). This study looks to achieve clarity on the relationship between this promotional activity and FDI. Furthermore, this paper explores the subsequent impact of FDI on national development. A time series analysis of top Latin American FDI destinations Brazil, Mexico, and Chile from 1997-2011 demonstrates that of the many strategies employed by IPAs, the presence of advertised tax credits and performance export zones appear to be commonly used and successful in attracting investment. Further analysis shows that each country's level of development as measured by GDP per capita is significantly and positively related to IPA advertised tax credits and performance export zones which proxy for an accommodating investment environment.


Modeling and simulation requires higher-fidelity, physics-based human models to conduct proper analysis of human behavior, and to predict how humans will conduct various tasks. The widespread use of "scripted" avatars within modeling and simulation today limits analysis and prediction of human behavior. Thus, organizations have not realized the full cost savings, improved decision aids, and better training promised by modeling and simulation. The following paper will demonstrate two innovations: first, a description of the most realistic human virtual models available today, known as Santos and Sophia. These models differ from other "scripted" human avatars in that they've been developed using physics-based, high-fidelity predictive analytics, not just motion capture. Santos and Sophia are physiologically accurate (i.e., musculoskeletal system, vascular system), physics-based virtual human models that allow for customized inputs (individual height, weight, stride, strength, fitness, environment, task, etc.) and enable the output of measurable and quantifiable mechanical and physiological human behavior metrics (e.g., fatigue, discomfort, joint torque, hydration and calorie expenditure, VO2). In other words, Santos and Sophia predict how various humans will complete tasks and then output the human performance and physiology metrics required for analysis. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has used Santos and Sophia to analyze body armor/personal protective equipment for both males and females, to study extended load carriage (analyzing the impact of heavy loads on knees and backs), and now for the Army Combat Fitness Test. Secondly, we will share a roadmap for the adoption of improved human behavior representation definitions that can inform standards, requirements, and measures of effectiveness and performance. The presentation will contain videos of the TRL9 software, examples of analysis and prediction, and how the technology can help industry.


Adsorption of m-xylene on partially hydrated zeolite BaX is studied by thermogravimetry, mass spectrometry, temperature-programmed desorption and neutron diffraction for different m-xylene loadings of the zeolite. Macroscopic and microscopic measurements, for both molecules, were correlated and relationships were found between the crystallographic positions of the adsorbed molecules on the zeolite and macroscopic properties such as the number and the area of the peaks in the desorption spectra for m-xylene or water. The influence of water molecules on the adsorption phenomenon of m-xylene on BaX zeolite was characterized. In particular, it was shown that the increase of the filling of the prehydrated zeolite with m-xylene leads to a rearrangement of the adsorbed aromatic molecule on its adsorption site. This displacement produces a weakening of the m-xylene−adsorbent interactions. It was also shown that the filling of the zeolite BaX with m-xylene modifies the distribution (and the energy of activation fo...


In an attempt to demonstrate whether β endorphin (BED) diurnal rhythm existed in neonates, 17 infants with mean (+SD) gestational age of 31.7 ± 4.8 weeks and birth weight of 1790 ± 898 grams were studied at a mean postnatal age of 3.3 ± 0.5 days. Plasma samples were obtained from a pre-existing umbilical arterial line at 9:00 a.m., noon and 3:00 p.m. Plasma BED was isolated using Sephadex column chromatography and radioimmuno assay. Sensitivity was between 5 and 500 pg/.1 ml of sample. Recovery was 84%. Mean plasma concentrations of β endorphin were 68.3 ± 27.7 pg/ml, 54.5 ± 13.7 pg/ml and 45.1 ± 10.8 pg/ml respectively. Highly significant (P=0.0002) variation of plasma β endorphin concentration was observed in these neonates using one way analysis of variance with repeated measures with 3 points in time suggesting the presence of a diurnal rhythm of β endorphin in neonates. It is important to specify the time of collection of blood samples for determination of opiates in neonates.


Teatime on the Thames. We're in Marlow, a hamlet that's a short drive west of London. Dusty Springfield moved back to England seven years ago, following the success of her collaborations with those postmodern popsters the Pet Shop Boys. The chart renaissance was brief, but it made her believe she had a place in her home country again. She lives just up the road with her cat, and she's been house hunting, wanting to get even closer to the river. It has a calming influence on her, but one that's dangerous to her fans because it can put singing out of her mind for years at a time. "Ah, here comes the regatta," she says wistfully, espying a line of geese. Gray wisps dangle from inside her straw hat; she let the air out of her hair long ago, and any vestigal puffs of her beehive were flattened by the chemotherapy she underwent for breast cancer. Though in her official public appearances her face still looks a bit mummified, she wears surprisingly little makeup today, and her eyes, liberated from their mascaral burden, have a yearning, we'll-always-have-Paris look. Despite her zaftig delusions, she looks trim and spry in her light denim, a rock-and-roll version of Auntie Mame. A country churchyard that lies a stone's throw across the river brings the poet Thomas Gray to Springfield's mind. But she's not ready for an elegy....


In recent years, optical evanescent wave biosensors have been used to characterize protein‐protein interactions, including determination of equilibrium binding constants and bimolecular rate constants. This surface binding technique can provide information about chemical on‐rate constants, the lifetimes of complexes formed, and the time course of the signal. This unit provides a thorough, well‐illustrated discussion of the principles of optical biosensors, experimental design, ligand immobilization, experimental data analysis, and common obstacles and possible solutions.


Understanding brain connectivity patterns that may spontaneously emerge in response to biofeedback training remains of great interest to neuroscientists. Along those lines, Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) mediated by EEG signals that dynamically evolve as the user attempts to control a cursor on the screen, has helped identify brain areas recruited during the learning process. There is an adaptive process that takes place between the computer algorithm and the solution that the brain arrives at to mentally control the instructed cursor direction through intentional thoughts. Using new personalized techniques, we here address how different participants learn during this co-adaptive process, in which bodily motions are curtailed in favor of mental motion. First, the person uses mental imagery of directional movements to attempt the cursor control, but as the computer algorithm and the brain work together to gain accuracy, this mental imagery reportedly reaches a different level of abstraction to the point when the participants are mentally controlling the external computer cursor, yet no longer imagining the movement direction. We compared the evolution of a participant without proprioception owing to neuronopathy, to that of participants with intact afferent nerves and found fundamentally different patterns of activation. In the former, the connectivity patterns were far higher and distributed across the entire brain during the initial stages of learning, along with the changes across the learning stages being more pronounced in contrast to the other participants. We infer from this result that in the absence of kinesthetic reafference, heavy reliance on other senses like vision and hearing, may endow the brain with higher capacity to handle the excess cognitive load.


This article addresses the process of formation of the mercantile group during the second half of the XVIII century and the first decades of the XIX century in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the scope of the Portuguese Colonial Empire. Thus, it analizes the ways of recruitment and the familiar and commercial networks in which his members are included. The analyses of the large amount of wealth, the composition and the extent of business of this local mercantile group allowed the comparison with the traders from Rio de Janeiro. This research also verifies that the necessary capital te neo constitute the first 'charqueadas' come from the commercial activities handled by this local mercantile group.


The continuous improvement of China's comprehensive national strength gives it more voice on the international stage. The old Western capitalist countries led by the United States have stirred up enmity wrong and smeared China's image in the public opinion environment.In this case, it is of great significance to tell China's story well and increase China's influence overseas.With the continuous development of the Internet, many central media have adopted the "network parallel" mode, so that global users can have richer channels to see the multifaceted image of China. This article will select the Facebook account of China Three Minutes (China Mosaic) to analyze its overseas communication effect by the quantitative analysis method of symbol code, summarize its advantages, find the shortcomings, and explore feasible ways to tell the Chinese story well to the world.


It is well established that megacolon in carnivores, including both cats and dogs, is a common finding. Megacolon occurs more often in the cat that the dog. Based on current data idiopathic megacolon is a common cause of constipation in cats (62% of constipated cats are affected by diopathic megacolon). There is no evidence of idiopathic megacolon in dogs and publications about this disease in this species is very scarce. We investigated the enteric nervous system in the dilated portion (DP) of the colon in dogs with idiopathic aquired (n=7) or secondary aquired megacolon (n=21) and compared the results with a normal colon in control dogs (n=3). Colonic sections of surgical specimens were investigated by conventional and immunohistochemical methods, including pan-neuronal markers (NSE, synaptophisin, and neurofilament) and VIP, as well as S-100 protein for detection of ganglionic glial cells. Compared to controls, the two megacolon groups showed no changes of density of enteric neurons in both submucosal and myenteric nervous plexuses in DP of the colon and of enteric glial cells. However, compared to controls and dogs with secondary megacolon, there was a significant decrease in the density of NFP-ir nerve fibers in the longitudinal muscle layer in dogs with idiopathic acquired megacolon. In addition, dogs with idiopathic megacolon display decreased VIP-ir in the myenteric plexus and lamina propria mucosae, and absence of VIP-ir neurons in the submucosal plexus of DP of the colon. Similar alterations, although of lesser severity, may be found in dogs with secondary aquired megacolon. We consider that both idiopathic and secondary aquired megacolon might occur on the basis of a dysplastic changes of VIP-ir enteric neurons.


ABSTRACT: When the structural analysis is performed for the concrete lining of the water pressure tunnel, many parameters are considered such as relaxed ground loads, internal water pressure, external water pressure, the shrinkage of the concrete lining, grouting pressure, etc. But, there are no standards and manuals for the structural analysis for the concrete lining of the water pressure tunnel. Above all, the external water pressure has an much effect on the stability of tunnel. So, in case that permeability of ground is large, the external water pressure should be decreased by installation of weep hole, or reinforced ground by ground improvement grouting should be pressed by the external water pressure instead. But, when weep hole is installed to reduce the external water pressure, the many problems may me occurred. Thus, reasonable approach for treatment of the external water pressure is necessary if weep hole is not installed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze design cases and studies for treatment of the external water pressure in performing structural analysis for the concrete lining of the water pressure tunnel, and to find reasonable method for tunnel lining modeling which is the treatment of the external water pressure according to permeability of ground and consequently the design of ground improvement grouting.Keywords: Water pressure tunnel, Weep hole, Concrete lining modeling, External water pressure, Internal water pressure


The beautiful spherical blastwaves of theory are disrupted by interaction with density inhomogeneities and by thermal and dynamical instabilities. Various tricks, involving either Doppler shift velocities or model assumptions, make it possible to construct a 3-D picture of the structure from a 2-D image. This paper will discuss the expected nature of the density inhomogeneities and the consequences for the appearance of an SNR, along with the conditions for some instabilities, and it will present an example of attempts to sort it all out and discuss the role of interstellar turbulence.


Abstract. Establishment of basic processes leading to differences in immune response at genetic level occurs in the course of studying associations between certain polymorphic alleles, as well as evaluation of correlations between the haplotypes of cytokine genes, and specific protein production in vitro. The features of association between main parameters of humoral and cellular immunity, as well as levels of pro-inflammatory (TNFA и IL2) and anti-inflammatory (IL4 и IL10) cytokines with allelic variants of promoter regions of the mentioned genes were analyzed in HIV-infected patients, as compared with healthy Russian population of Caucasoid origin. In present work, we have performed genotyping, along with evaluation of humoral and cellular immunity, in 127 HIV-infected patients, and 52 donors served as a control group. To determine spontaneous and ConA-stimulated cytokine production in some patients, ELISA technique was used for assays with conditioned media from mononuclear cells. From the data obtained one may be inferred, that 308А TNFA, -330Т IL2, -592А IL10 alleles are more characteristic to the HIV-infected patients with decreased cellular pro-inflammatory component of immunity, and increased activity of B-cell immunity, in comparison with persons carrying other gene variants. In general, it should be stressed that the mentioned genes variants may determine general susceptibility for more severe course of disease, exerting some pleiotropic action upon some pathogenetically important parameters of HIV.


Abstract This article explores how design-build programs are moving beyond the goals of hands-on learning and community service to engage in "research-driven" design-build. These programs demonstrate how the design-build studio can serve as a base for the synthesis, integration, and transformation of knowledge through teaching and project execution.


Psychological stress refers to the load or oppression that people's thoughts, feelings, and other inner processes bear, as well as the emotional shifts brought on by the school, work, society, everyday life, interpersonal connections, and other things. It can trigger people's worry and other negative feelings, making them mentally dejected and frustrated, as well as raise people's spirits to cheer up and meet stimuli and difficulties. College students are in their 20s, and they are energetic, have extreme mood swings, and are prone to mental problems. As a distinct group in the social development trend, college students are influenced by the learning and growth environment, and their understanding of the world, values, and outlook on life is maintained at the theoretical level, lacking practical thinking and experience, making it difficult to adapt in a short period of time. Excessive psychological strain is caused by new events and new contradicting conditions, which interfere with normal living and learning. This study employs a deep learning model to test and assess the psychological stress in college students, with the goal of addressing the varied psychological stresses that college students are prone to. The deep learning model employed in this paper is based on the classic ResNet50 network model, which compresses its network structure, lowering the computational cost of ResNet50 network model training and increasing the network's efficiency. To boost processing performance and save storage and computational resources, we trained a network with few parameters, a small model, and high precision. The findings of the investigation can help college officials prevent and recognize problems in students early on. It actively builds a good home-school cooperation mechanism and enhances the students' ability to cope with and solve stress through enhancing the students' behavioral experience, so that students can form a good psychological stress coping thinking and behavior, while attaching importance to the cultivation of college students' psychological quality.


Abstract The present study addresses the pollen preferences of two species of wild bees of the genus Melissodes in the intensively farmed temperate Pampean region of Argentina. The resources used by M. (Ecplectica) tintinnans and M. (Ecplectica) rufithorax were studied in a commercial plot of sunflower and its field margins in the locality of Carlos Casares, province of Buenos Aires. Surveys before, during and after the bloom of sunflower were carried out. The bees emerged synchronously with the beginning of the bloom, but continued foraging for over a month after maturation of the crop. Pollen analyses of scopal loads indicated that sunflower was a major component of the diet. Bees also collected pollen from other Asteraceae during and after the blooming of the sunflowers. Pollen from Ligustrum sp. and Eucalyptus sp., two trees common in the hedgerows, was also collected in significant amounts. The vegetation on the field margins facilitated maintenance of the populations after the blooming of the sunflower. The two species of native Melissodes used pollen of plant taxa that are frequent and widespread in the Pampean agricultural ecosystems. This fact, together with their habit of nesting in aggregations, indicates that these bees represent a valuable resource as crop pollinators.


In vitro maturation (IVM) is being increasingly used to treat human infertility, especially as rescue therapy for patients of polycystic ovarian syndrome and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Quality control and the determination of optimal fertilization conditions—important to increase the use of IVM oocytes for embryo production and improve pregnancy success rates—require a detailed understanding of oocyte maturation mechanisms. Such an understanding would allow production of high-quality oocytes and selection based on predictive markers for successful oocyte maturation. Oocyte maturation involves nuclear maturation, comprising chromosome alignment and spindle formation, and cytoplasmic maturation. The details of the molecular mechanism underlying these processes are unknown, despite chromosome segregation following spindle formation being an important oocyte maturation process. Meiotic spindle formation differs considerably from that during mitosis, and oocyte mitotic spindle formation is better understood than the corresponding process in meiosis. Elucidating the molecular players in this process might inform oocyte marker identification for IVM. Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), implicated in many cellular processes, are both localized at the spindle in mouse oocytes—this unique distribution contributes to meiotic resumption and completion 2, 3). The occurrence rate of chromosomal abnormalities in oocytes increases with aging and is related to abnormalities in spindle checkpoints. Therefore, spindle formation, chromosome segregation, and their underlying mechanisms during meiosis must be accurately understood. At this seminar, I will discuss morphological characterization of oocytes with high developmental competence and changes in the localization of proteins such as Akt and mTOR, which might be potential oocyte selection markers.


This paper is focused on the non-intrusive load monitoring(NILM) system, which allows the identification of residential appliances in a non-intrusive way. The previous techniques are not performing perfectly in all aspects of economy, feasibility and accuracy. A new method, via the feature of working style and power characteristic of residential appliances, using human reaction time as the time scale unit (sampling frequency), to complete the classification and identification in a financially viable and easily applicable solution. The attribution of this paper is simplify the identification, which can be integrated into the meters now, and this simplification will improve the application of NILM system in demand side management(DSM). Feature selection, mathematic model and algorithm details are described. Analysis of typical experiments is shown in detail. Classification objects including 12 important power consumption types of the most common residential appliances.


This paper proposes a Contourlet de-noising method based on transla tion invariance. We compare this method with the translation invariance wavelet method. The experiments show that the proposed approach can remove the visual ar tifacts, obtaining better visual result and higher PSNR.


The open systems perspective of an organizationtKatz & Kahn: 1966. 19781 assumes a dynamic transaction process between the environment and the system. Both the system and the environment are affecting each other in the process of transaction. The organization and the environment are engaged in exchange of resources, energy and information. Adams(1988) proposed that the condition of organizational survival depends upon effective interaction with the external environment. He proposed the boundary roles as the linkage points in the boundary of the system engaged in boundary spanning role behavior, including specialized roles of marketing, purchasing agents\ dispatchers, information gatherers and negotiations. Minzberg(l990) proposed that the three informational roles


A transflective diode substrate and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to simplify a process by using a two-terminal type diode instead of a three-terminal type TFT(Thin Film Transistor) as a switching device, thereby manufacturing the substrate through 3 mask processes. Plural reflection areas comprise scan electrodes(134a,134b), an insulating pattern(130) formed on the scan electrodes, diodes(D1,D2) including a pixel electrode(116), plural organic material patterns(138) formed around the diode and a reflection electrode(142) overlapped on the organic material pattern, and reflect light. A transmission area is interposed between the reflection areas and transmits the light. The pixel electrode is formed in the reflection area and the transmission area.


The article presents the recent research development in polymer ferroelectric non-volatile memory. A brief overview is given of the history of ferroelectric memory and device architectures based on inorganic ferroelectric materials. Particular emphasis is made on device elements such as metal/ferroelectric/metal type capacitor, metal-ferroelectric-insulator-semiconductor (MFIS) and ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET) with ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers with trifluoroethylene (TrFE). In addition, various material and process issues for realization of polymer ferroelectric non-volatile memory are discussed, including the control of crystal polymorphs, film thickness, crystallization and crystal orientation and the unconventional patterning techniques.


Thin layers of orthorhombic uranium ({\alpha}-U) have been grown onto buffered sapphire substrates by d.c. magnetron sputtering, resulting in the discovery of new epitaxial matches to Ti(00.1) and Zr(00.1) surfaces. These systems have been characterised by X-ray diffraction and reflectivity and the optimal deposition temperatures have been determined. More advanced structural characterisation of the known Nb(110) and W(110) buffered {\alpha}-U systems has also been carried out, showing that past reports of the domain structures of the U layers are incomplete. The ability of this low symmetry structure to form crystalline matches across a range of crystallographic templates highlights the complexity of U metal epitaxy and points naturally toward studies of the low temperature electronic properties of {\alpha}-U as a function of epitaxial strain.


Nowadays, ear biometrics is regarded as an effective method for human identification using 2D side face images which has inspired the attention of researchers. In this paper, we explore a new local feature extraction technique pyramid histogram of oriented gradients (PHOG) to make simple, fast and high performance ear identification system. We also explore here two distance measures: the histogram intersection and the Chi-squared statistics for calculating similarity between images. However, the global feature descriptor of the ear image is significantly large. To reduce the dimension of the PHOG descriptor, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) has been used to remove noise and avoid overfitting, while the identification performance only slightly decreases. The comparative study is carried out in a ear identification system using large number of images from public ear databases, namely IIT Delhi ear database and University of Notre Dame ear database (Collections E). The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method which increases its performance over the existing techniques.


According to the trends of 50 years meteorological data such as temperature,precipitation and sunlight hour from Hechi Meteorology Station,the characteristics of climate change in this area were analyzed.The positive and adverse effects of climate change on the agricultural production in Jinchengjiang district were discussed.In order to positively response to the adverse change of climate,some measures should be adopted such as adjusting planting season,strengthening the pest and disease control,breeding high resistant varieties,establishing ecological agriculture system and strengthening the agricultural meteorological monitoring and prediction.


In this paper, operating algorithms are investigated for a parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). In order to estimate the performance of the HEV, a HEV simulator is developed using MA TLAB SIMULINK. Simulations are carried out for the following three algorithms: (1) power assist, (2) equivalent fuel and (3) power distribution. The simulation results show that the equivalent fuel and power distribution algorithm do not provide an improvement of the fuel economy due to the decreasing battery SOC. It is found that the power assist algorithm is best suited for a parallel HEV studied, which consists of relatively small motor and battery.


Kaschin-Beck disease,an endemic disease which occurs mainly in Heilungjiang Provjnce of the People's Republic of China, causes multiple and symmetric degeneration and necrosis in the articular and epiphysial cartilages and subsequent secondary osteoarthritis. The effects of the disease are observed throughout the body, but it is rare for the shoulders to be affected. In this study we report two patients with the disease and degeneration in the joints who had spent their childhood in the province and came back to Japan. Case I is a 46-years old female who had lived in Heilungjiang province from birth to 41 years. X-ray examination showed osteoarthritis in the metacarpo-phalangeal(MP) and carpometacarpal(CM) joints of the hand, as well as in the wrist, elbow, knee, ankle joints. We also confirmed cartilaginous radiolucent lesion in the heads of both humeri. MRI of the shoulders revealed necrosis in the heads of both humeri. Case 2 is a 48-years old male who had lived there from birth to 43 years. X-ray showed osteoarthritis in the distal and proximal interphalangeal (DIP)(PIP),MP and CM joints of the hand, wrist, elbow, knee, and ankle joints, but no marked change in the shoulders. However, MRI revealed the necrosis in the head of the humeri as in the case 1. Although Kaschin-Beck disease,is a systemic joint disease caused by cartilage metablic disorder, involvement in the shuolders has rarely been reported. However, as our case 2 shows degeneration in the shoulder joints was detectable only by MRI, not by X-ray examination. Consequently we consider this disease should be carefully observed.


concept of more than one reference frame has been taught to undergraduate students and basic texts, such as Shames [1]," implies the use of more than one (see example problem 15.3 of [ 1 ] ) . A set of books on Analytical Mechanics by Kane [2] gives a very good explanation of vector calculus. Vector functions of any scalar variable is introduced and the vector calculus discussed around this, placing great emphasis on the importance of reference frames. This approach gives one a better understanding of vector operations carried out in mechanics. For example, Kane gives the derivative of a vector A with respect to a scalar variable t as