The evaluation of hair loss is a diagnostic challenge to both dermatologist and pathologist. A good clinicopathological correlation is very much essential. Furthermore, trichoscopy is considered a simple, rapid, and non-invasive diagnostic tool, which has become a standard procedure in differential diagnosis of hair loss. Here, we describe the clinical, histopathological, and trichoscopic features of four cases of an extremely rare inborn skin disorder of unknown etiology; hypotrichosis with keratosis pilaris (HTKP). It is characterized by sparse, short, and brittle hair with keratosis pilaris on the scalp and sometimes on other areas. To the best of our knowledge, few cases of HTKP were reported to date. However, trichoscopic features were not yet described. Four patients with HTKP were included in the study. Clinical, histopathological, and trichoscopic features of all patients were studied. A punch biopsy of the scalp from each patient was preserved in formalin solution (10%) for 24 h. Then, the samples were washed by tap water and dehydrated using increasing concentrations of ethanol. Specimens were purified in xylene and embedded in paraffin at 56°C in a hot air oven for 24 h. Paraffin blocks were sectioned (4 μm thickness) and stained by hematoxylin and eosin stain, then examined by light microscope. Trichoscopic assessment of the patients was done using polarized dermatoscope (Dermlite 4) using the contact method. Several photographs were taken by the attached camera (digital Canon IXUF). The study was approved by the Ethics' Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University. Informed consent was obtained from patient's guardians. HTKP is a very rare skin disorder characterized clinically by sparse, short brittle, and poorly pigmented hair dating since birth with gradual development of keratosis pilaris on the scalp and other sites. Histopathologically, it is characterized by reduced hair follicles numbers with keratosis pilaris with no inflammatory or fibrotic changes. We describe for the 1st time in literature the consistent trichoscopic features favoring the diagnosis of HTKP which are reduced hair density and perifollicular white keratotic plugs.


Furin is a membrane-associated endopeptidase located in the trans-Golgi network that has the enzymatic capabilities to process a large number of precursors (6,11). Furin catalyzes the cleavage of a specific sequence (R-6X-5-R-4-X-3-R/Lys-2-R-1) with the added condition that there is no hydrophobic aliphatic amino acid at position +1 (12). Furin substrate sequence occurs in many proteins, including the secretory protein stromelysin 3 (10). It has been demonstrated previously that introduction of a 10 amino acid furin substrate sequence of stromelysin 3 into MMP1 (10), sandwiched between the pro and active segments of the enzyme, renders this protein, which is normally secreted in a latent form, to be secreted in an active form. Furin is localized in the trans-Golgi network and catalyzes cleavage of various protein precursors. For example, proinsulin has been engineered to be processed to an active form by introduction of furin substrate sequence in the cleavage sites of the propeptide (7). Similarly, fusion of a secretory protein signal sequence allows expression of the Fc fragment of human IgG1 in COS-1 cells in a secretory form (8). Different vectors have been designed for expression of secretory proteins. Some require co-transfection of a second vector containing a reporter gene (5). Others produce fusion proteins that in many cases impair normal activity of the protein of interest and necessitate laborious proteolytic cleavage protocols after production (9). We describe the design of a new expression vector for secretory proteins that eliminates some of the foregoing difficulties. To illustrate the strategy, we describe experiments using a construct containing bacterial RNase H as a reporter gene fused in-frame to progelatinase A, with a 30-bp furin substrate of stromelysin 3 sandwiched between them. Bacterial RNase H served as reporter gene for the transfection because its detection entails a simple and sensitive assay, and it is not expected to be secreted under normal conditions into the extracellular compartment. Also, the furin substrate sequence insertion between the gene of interest (gelatinase A) and the reporter gene (RNase H) renders the two genes to be secreted in separate forms with no need to further process the gene of interest. Gelatinase A-furin substrate-bacterial RNase H (GFR; Figure 1) was constructed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in several steps.


mannitol during a renal biopsy. A normaf biopsy specimen was obtained before mannitol administration, but a second biopsy obtained 30 minutes after mannitol infusion showed tubular vacuolization. 7 Goldwasser and Fotino described two cases of mannitol nephrotoxicity and stated that a cause-effect relationship existed between mannitol and acute renal failure. The onset of anuria coincided with the infusion of mannitol, and withdrawal of mannitol resulted in subsequent polyuria. No renal biopsies were obtained. 8 Currently available data do not support the use of mannitol as effective therapy for the prevention of amphotericin B-induced nephrotoxicity. Alternative measures that may prevent nephrotoxicity include every-other-day dosing of amphotericin B, careful monitoring of renal function, and avoidance of other nephrotoxic agents. 2 • 7 • 8 ~


Some state departments of transportation (DOTs) have adopted design solutions—often labeled "practical design"—for specific roadway projects at reduced costs, thereby allowing the agencies to better address critical needs of the entire roadway system. This synthesis presents information on the application of practical design approaches in roadway project development. Information used in this study was acquired through a review of the literature, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with six state DOTs that have adopted formal practical design policies.


The embodiment of the invention discloses a method for realizing prearranged operation at a specific area of the electronic equipment. The electronic equipment comprises a touch information collecting module and a display screen, wherein the touch information collecting module is provided with an input area which is divided into a first area and a second area; and the first area is coincident with the display screen; the specific area is the second area. The method comprises the following steps of receiving the touch information of a pointed object at the starting position in the specific area, judging the touch type corresponding to the touch information, and determining and executing the corresponding operation instruction according to the relationship between the prearranged touch type and the operation instruction. In the whole process, a user can only need to carry out gesticulation operation at any position in the specific area of the electronic equipment, so as to start the operation instruction corresponding to the gesticulation. The embodiment of the invention also discloses the electronic equipment and a handset; functional keystrokes does not need to be set in the specific area, as long as the corresponding gesticulation operations are carried out, the function of shortcut keys can be started correspondingly, and the operation flexibility of the user can be improved.


Research and development work on cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries has been reviewed with particular emphasis on battery systems using electro-deposited conducting polymers. The general features of Li+-intercalation compounds and anion-doping conducting polymers are described in the light of their application to in lithium cells, and the criteria for lithium/polymer cells are then summarized to allow appropriate material selection. Examples are also introduced to show of how electro-polymerizing affects the electrochemical properties of deposited polypyrrole film and the charge-discharge performances of Li/LiClO4/polypyrrole battery. In addition, a technique for the optimization of electrochemical properties of polypyrrole has been suggested, along with a method of morphology orientation using insulating NBR films.


The famous Ceriihium giganteum from middle Eocene deposits of the Paris Basin is known for almost two centuries (Lamarck 1804). Its best illustrations have been pub¬ lished by early authors such as Lamarck (1806, Pl. 14. Fig. 1), Deshayes (1837, P1.42, Figs. 1. 2). and Cossmann (1906, Pl. 1. Figs. 1, 2. Pl.2. Fig. 1). Ceriihium giganteum is the type species of Campanile (subsequent designation by Sacco 1895, p. 37), but there has been some controversy concerning the type species of this genus, which has recently been commented on by Houbrick (1981, pp.280281). The stratigraphie distribution of species of Campanile has been summarized by Cossmann (1906. p. 73), and additional occurrences are listed in Wrigley (1940, pp. 110— 111). The peak of diversity and distribution of species of Campanile was reached in Europe during middle Eocene times (Cossmann 1906, p. 73; Boussac 1912; Wrigley 1940; Delpey 1941, p. 23). Campanile giganteum is the largest species of the genus; according to Houbrick (1981, p. 264; 1984, p. 232) specimens may reach a height of one meter. After middle Eocene times there was a sharp decrease in species diversity. In fact there are no records of Campanile from beds of Miocene age. The next younger record is C.gigas (Martin) (1881, p. 117, P1.6, Fig.4, Pl. 7, Figs. 1, 2) from Pliocene deposits of Java. In other words: the genus Campanile disappeared from Eurasia after Oligocene times and retreated to the east-southeast. The only surviving species is C.symbolicum 1redale(1917, p. 326), which lives along the southwestern coast of Australia (Houbrick 1981, Fig.9). C.symbolicum is also recorded from Pleistocene beds of Australia by Ludbrook (1971. p. 33). According to that author two additional species of Campanile are known from deposits of late Pliocene age of Australia, and a third, unnamed species from an early Miocene limestone of Western Australia. In the Western Hemisphere the genus is known from a number of species, none of which, however, reaches the dimensions ofthe species dealt with below. White 1887, p. 142, Pl. 14, Figs. 8-12) described Nerinaea buarquiana. which appears to be a species of Campanile, from Maria Farinha, Province of Pernambuco, Brazil. According to Woodring 1966, p. 431 the Maria Farinha Formation is of Paleocene age.


A formula of fluid swelling pressure (FSP) has been presented under the conditions of hypothesis testing in combination with the data collection in geothermal-geological fieldwork. The formula is fit for all temperature-pressure conditions. It shows that ① the FSP is a restrictive factor of geothermal injection,which ranges from 0.53 to 0.61 MPa in Palaeogene reservoir in Tianjin area; ② the FSP of thermal source points in the basin is basic dynamics of liquid towards thermal source points and shallow positions; ③ the differential pressure of gravity potential (DPGP) is closely related to the liquid density. The less of its density is,the less percentage of the DPGP. When the fluid density reaches the half of initial density,DPGP will be 0 MPa,and the temperature range will be 350℃~408℃,which is related to the super critical point of liquid. The corresponding depth of low resistant zone in studied area is at 8~10 km,which is the maximum depth in fluid gravity circulation.


In this paper, based on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, we investigate a stochastic mathematical model, focusing on the dynamics of β‐amyloid (Aβ) plaques, Aβ oligomers, PrPC proteins, and the Aβ‐x‐PrPC complex. Within the framework of the Lyapunov method, we first show existence and uniqueness of global positive solution of the model and then establish the sufficient conditions for existence of an ergodic stationary distribution of the positive solution. Ultimately, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of theoretical results.


SYNTHESIS 2004, No. 15, pp 2479–2484xx.xx.2004 Advanced online publication: 02.09.2004 DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-831203; Art ID: M02704SS © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York Abstract: An efficient and practical synthesis of N-p-tosyl-aziridine-2-ketones and carboxylates through the use of a,b-unsaturated esters and ketones has been reported. The synthesis was conducted via a one-pot procedure consisting of aminohalogenation and in situ intramolecular SN2 substitution. Triethylamine was found to be an effective base for the in situ cyclization for most substrates. Interestingly, for several enone cases, a slightly modified procedure in which 1.0 equivalent of p-TsNCl2 was slowly added into 2.0 equivalents of enone for aminohalogenation followed by quenching with aqueous Na2SO3 resulted in crude aziridines which were proven to be nearly pure by the crude 1H NMR analysis. Moderate to good yields and excellent anti stereoselectivity were achieved for 21 examples.


Article shows a specific process of the points' generation in advertising, comes to light peculiarities of the indirect intentional and unintentional advertising effect on a man, explains, why latent points and advertising meanings can be dangerous, substantiates a necessity of the cultural assessment of the advertising texts and images.


This paper highlights an understudied aspect of the history of anti-colonial resistance – the role of people who sat on the fence, displayed ambivalence, or at times played an active role in wrecking, damaging and sabotaging resistance against the state. Such people appear, if at all, in popular parlance as 'traitors' and in academia as 'collaborators', labels which carry a categorical moral bias. By examining nationalism through the lens of betrayal, this paper engages with a methodological question – is there a way of broadening the scope of the history of anti-colonial nationalism which incorporates acts of collaboration (e.g. spying, informing, perfidy, denunciation), without the implicit moral judgment embodied in each term? To tackle this question, this paper reconstructs the history of one renegade revolutionary, Hans Raj Vohra (1909–1985), a government witness who testified against his comrades, the revolutionaries of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army in the Lahore Conspiracy Case trial (192...


The neural network has made outstanding achievements in many fields, while comparing with traditional machine learning models, the neural network has poor interpretability, which brings great limitation to its practical application. Therefore, many researchers try to combine neural networks with traditional models to improve the interpretability of the neural network. Their methods either result in performance depreciation or lead to computation-intensive. In this paper, we propose to transform a neural network into the interpretable neural tree. In the interpretable neural tree, each node contains transformation function and routing function. Each transformation function corresponds to a layer in the neural network, using for controlling data transformation. The routing function is utilized to control the direction of data flow in the tree structure. Our experiments have indicated that the interpretable neural tree makes the neural network interpretable to some extent while maintaining the performance.


Phytoplankton population dynamics are controlled by the relative rather than absolute timescales of mixing, growth, and loss processes such as sedimentation, grazing etc. In the first part of this thesis, the vertical distribution and biomass of phytoplankton populations are quantified by two timescale ratios: the Peclet number Pe, the ratio of mixing and sedimentation timescales, and the growth number G, the ratio of sedimentation and net growth timescales. Three mixing regimes are defined for phytoplankton and other particles. For Pe>100, the population is translated linearly down the water column over time, and will leave the surface mixing layer completely after sedimentation time TS. For 0.1<Pe<100, the population distribution depends on the relative magnitude of Pe and G. Finally, for Pe<0.1, the population will be vertically uniform, and biomass changes exponentially over time with characteristic timescale rc = TQ^JThis analysis is valid for negatively buoyant phytoplankton, except when mixing time is much longer than growth time and Pe<0.1, which may occur for very slow sinking species. These regimes can be used for assessing the impact of changes in the mixing, growth or sedimentation conditions on population dynamics. Published data from a lake and a diurnally stratified river weir pool are used here to verify the minimum thermocline depth hypothesis of Huisman and Sommeijer (2002). Mixing and growth regimes are used to calculate minimum mixing depth hmin, and to determine phytoplankton sinking rates from published sediment trap data. The framework developed in the first section of this thesis assumes that phytoplankton can be described by a uniform size and density. Hence this cannot be directly applied to bloom-forming cyanobacteria, which can alter both density and size in response to mixing. In the second part of this thesis, samples of the cyanobacf erium Microcystis aeruginosa from a surface bloom in a small pond were used in laboratory experiments with a grid-stirred tank to quantify the effect of turbulent mixing on colony size. Turbulent dissipation in the tank was varied from 10~ m 2 s 3 to 10~ m 2 s 3 , simulating the full range of turbulence intensities experienced by M. aeruginosa colonies in the field. Throughout the experiments, a


The ground motion of Yongning M4.6 earthquake on November 20,2012 were recorded by 33 stations of the Ningxia Strong Motion Network.The maximum peak acceleration recorded was as much as 303.2cm/s2.It is the first earthquake with the most strong motion records simultaneously since the strong motion observation was carried out in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,which exhibits the preliminary results of the strong motion network construction.The records were analyzed preliminarily in this paper.


This paper introduces the current situation and the development trend of the electronic toll collection systems at home and abroad. It describes the operating principles of the electronic toll collection systems as well as the main problems and the key technologies relating to them.


Suppose that Susan did not go to the movies. The reconciling project attempts to show that this plus Determinism does not imply that Susan could not have gone to the movies. The estranging project attempts to show the opposite. A counter-entailment argument is of the form A is consistent with C, and C entails not-B, therefore A does not entail B. An instance of the counter-entailment arguments undermines a central argument for the reconciling project. Another instance undermines a central argument for the estranging project. This is one symmetry. In each case, the natural response to the counter-entailment argument begs the question. This is another symmetry.


We welcome the insightful comments of Dr. Cook and appreciate the opportunity to address the issues he raises. The UMVUE ordering used in our paper not only satisfies the three properties, but is the basis for the most popular statistical procedures for multistage Phase II clinical trials (Armitage, 1958; Jung and Kim, 2004). In addition, we believe it is important to calculate p-values based on the same ordering used in the statistical test. In Cook (2002) and in his discussion of our paper, Dr. Cook argues that the assessment of significance by a p-value can be separated from that of a statistical testing procedure, and advocates the calculation of the p-value based on the likelihood ratio (LR) ordering rather than the UMVUE ordering. We agree that it would be natural to calculate a p-value based on the LR ordering if we conduct a LR-based test. However, by using different orderings from the one used in the statistical testing procedure, the p-value based on LR may introduce problems as indicated in our paper and below. Although we present a simple alternative hypothesis in introducing the problem in our paper, the alternative hypotheses in Phase II trials are composite, i.e., H1 p > p0. The LR described in Dr. Cook's discussion is for a simple alternative hypothesis. As described in Section 3, the appropriate LR for multi-stage Phase II trials should be given as


Zonal geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum 'Real Mintaka') and petunias (Petunia × hybrid Hort. Vilm.-Andr. 'Giove') were grown in closed soilless systems to evaluate the effects of irrigation system (drip and subirrigation) and nutrient solution concentration (half and full) during spring growing season in terms of substrate electrical conductivity (EC(s)), growth, quality, crop evapotranspiration, and growth index water use efficiency (WUE(GI)). For both crops, at the end of the cultural cycle the highest EC(s) in the upper and lower layers were recorded in plants fertilized with the full strength solution, whereas the effect of irrigation system was less pronounced where the highest EC(s) was recorded in subirrigation but only in the upper layer. The highest EC(s) recorded with subirrigation under full strength nutrient solution on geranium had a negative effect on plant growth parameters (shoot dry weight, root-to-shoot ratio, final leaf area, and growth index) and on number of flowers, while no significant effects were observed for petunia, indicating that this bedding plant can be considered more tolerant to salinity. No significant differences among treatments were recorded for the petunia WUE(GI), whereas for geranium the lowest value of WUE(GI) was observed in the subirrigation treatment using half strength nutrient solution.


-Illustrates the uniqueness of the Hong Kong banking supervisory and regulatory system;-Demystifies Hong Kong Money Authorities' monetary power in market stabilisation under the Basic Law;-Explains Hong Kong's Clearing system functions for the RMB offshore clearing hub; and-Examines and explains the changes and/or impact of the Chinese Policy on Hong Kong's common law and conflicts (sovereign immunity) concerning the issues of litigating in Hong Kong Courts.


Three theses that attempt to explain the rise of concentrated poverty and the growth of racial inequality in urban areas are examined in this study: (1) education/job mismatch and social class transformation, (2) labor market segmentation, and (3) industrial decline and uneven economic development. The author tests the undergirding assumptions of these theses for the Detroit metropolitan area using 1970 and 1980 census tract data. Although data provide some support for each thesis, the industrial decline and uneven economic growth view emerges as the strongest explanation for the growth of concentrated poverty and racial inequality in the Detroit area.


It is shown that different forms of quantum impenetrability lead to different physical consequences. This should be kept in mind in analysing experimental data. The relativistic impenetrability conditions are considered and the corresponding relativistic Aharonov-Bohm cross-sections are obtained. The possibility of the AB effect occurring in simply-connected space regions is discussed.


Acquired tracheal stenosis (ATS) is an unusual disease often secondary to prolonged mechanical trauma. Acquired tracheal stenosis pathogenesis involves inflammation and subsequent fibrosis with narrowing of the tracheal lumen. Transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β) represents a pivotal factor in most fibrotic processes, and therefore a potential target in this context. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of TGF‐β as a target for anti‐fibrotic interventions in tracheal stenosis.


Objective To determine the efficacy and prognosis of liver transplantation for Wilson's disease(WD).Methods From October 2002 to August 2008,8 cases(3 men and 5 women) with a mean age of 22.6 years(12-42 years) underwent liver transplantation for WD in our department.All the recipients had low serum levels of ceruloplasmin and copper before transplantation,and 5 of them demonstrated the neurological manifestations.Results There were 3 orthotopic liver transplantation(OLT) and 2 living donor liver transplantation(LDLT) in this study.Seven recipients recovered satisfactorily with excellent liver functions,while 1 patient died of acute liver steatosis in 1 month after transplantation.Discharged patients were well followed up for a mean duration of 79.7 months(35-124 months).Compared to the levels before transplantation,the total bilirubin levels were significantly declined(P0.05),the serum levels of albumin,ceruloplasmin and platelet were obviously increased(all P0.05),while that of copper was increased though no significant difference was found(P0.05).The neurological manifestations were also partly relieved or disappeared after liver transplantation.No K-P loop was found in the patients 12 months after operation.Conclusion OLT and LRLT are effective treatments for patients with WD,which not only improving their copper metabolism but also significantly relieving the severe neurological manifestations and improving life quality.


We thank Drs. Gabbi and Gustafsson for their interest in our study on serum metabolomic analysis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice (1). We measured the hepatic contents of taurocholate and tauro-β-muricholate using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. However, the hepatic levels of these bile acids were not decreased in mice treated for two weeks with a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet (Fig. 1). Although changes in expression of the canalicular bile acid transporters were not detected, hepatic bile excretion might be decreased to some degree. When hepatic bile acid levels are altered, the expression of small heterodimer partner (Shp) may be changed accordingly to maintain hepatic bile acid levels. Indeed, the levels of Shp mRNA were decreased by MCD treatment, even in the absence of a significant decrease in hepatic bile acid content (Fig. 2). These findings suggest an abnormal response of transcription factors and their target genes associated with bile acid homeostasis, and thus we propose a disruption of bile acid homeostasis during the course of NASH where pro-inflammatory cytokines and cellular stress may disrupt bile acid homeostasis, causing a vicious cycle. Thus, we are generally in agreement with Drs. Gabbi and Gustafsson's view that clarification of the dynamic changes in bile acid homeostasis and the related transcriptional factors during NASH development might lead to new bile-modulating therapies for NASH.


First, we study the planar continuous piecewise differential systems separated by the straight line [Formula: see text] formed by a linear isochronous center in [Formula: see text] and an isochronous quadratic center in [Formula: see text]. We prove that these piecewise differential systems cannot have crossing periodic orbits, and consequently they do not have crossing limit cycles. Second, we study the crossing periodic orbits and limit cycles of the planar continuous piecewise differential systems separated by the straight line [Formula: see text] having in [Formula: see text] the general quadratic isochronous center [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] after an affine transformation, and in [Formula: see text] an arbitrary quadratic isochronous center. For these kind of continuous piecewise differential systems the maximum number of crossing limit cycles is one, and there are examples having one crossing limit cycles. In short for these families of continuous piecewise differential systems we have solved the extension of the 16th Hilbert problem.


The incidence and fear of COVID-19 continue to devastate the globe compromising the lives of over a million. As of 17th November 2020, India stands as the second-worst affected country with approximately 8.10 million recorded confirmed cases, and deaths totaling up to 131,435 (Government of India). India's unprecedented lockdown measures and direct diversion of the country's limited financial and workforce resources to manage COVID-19 have further aggravated India's pre-existing fragile health system causing immense disruption of essential healthcare services. Evidence suggests that the country had witnessed significant difficulties and a sharp decline in accessibility and uptake of essential maternal healthcare services when it was under strictest lockdown (The Times of India, 2020). Although the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India identified pregnant women as the 'high risk group' and ensured uninterrupted access to essential maternal health services by issuing guidelines in mid-April 2020, health facilities are currently facing immense challenges to maintain the demand (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2020). More than 50% of institutional deliveries in India including urban and rural take place in public health facilities with rest occurring in private facilities and trustees (International Institute for Population Sciences Mumbai, 2016). With decades of efforts in place, India has indeed achieved progress in averting preventable maternal deaths by approximately 56% decrease in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) (254 in 2004 to 113 in 2018) with a significant rise in safe institutional and home deliveries in the presence of skilled birth attendants (Government of India, 2018; International Institute for Population Sciences Mumbai, 2016).


This is our main paper in a series in which we prove the full, unconditional, nonlinear stability of the Kerr family $Kerr(a, m)$ for small angular momentum, i.e. $|a|/m\ll 1$, in the context of asymptotically flat solutions of the Einstein vacuum equations (EVE). Three papers in the series, \cite{KS-GCM1} and \cite{KS-GCM2} and \cite{GKS1} have already been released. We expect that the remaining ones \cite{GKS2}, \cite{KS:Kerr-B} and \cite{Shen} will appear shortly. Our work extends the strategy developed in \cite{KS}, in which only axial polarized perturbations of Schwarzschild were treated, by developing new geometric and analytic ideas on how to deal with with general perturbations of Kerr. We note that the restriction to small angular momentum appears only in connection to Morawetz type estimates in \cite{GKS2} and \cite{KS:Kerr-B}


The effect of graphite content on formation of decarbonization layer and corrosion resistance of zirconia graphite materials were studied by the corrosion test in induction furnace, and the effect of decarbonization layer on corrosion of zirconia graphite materials was also analysed by the kinetic models for the corrosion of SEN in mold, the result show that: (1) Thickness of decarbonization layer of slag line is decreasing with the increase of graphite content. When the mold fluxes for high carbon steel is used, decarbonization layer is thin and graphite content has little effect on corrosion resistance of zirconia graphite materials, and 10wt%graphite is better. When the mold fluxes for low carbon steel is used, decarbonization layer is thick and 14wt% graphite is the best. (2) Corrosion of zirconia graphite materials in mold is characterized by the features of consecutive reaction:original layer (k1) decarbonization layer (k2) corrosion layer . If k1<<k2, there is no decarbonization layer forming and decarbonization is the key step for the corrosion; If k1>>k2, there is decarbonization layer on the hot surface of zirconia graphite materials and the corrosion of the layer is the key step. Graphite content is too high or too low is all harmful for the corrosion resistance of zirconia graphite materials.


Recently, the Euler strut is used as the supporting spring in the low frequency isolation. An Euler spring is a column or strut of steel material which is compressed elastically beyond its buckling load, which makes the ratio of the isolated mass to the mass of the supporting spring maximum, and greatly increasing the internal resonant frequencies of the isolator. In this research, the unique mechanical properties and the expressions of the displacement transmissibility of the Euler strut are deduced. The influences of structural parameters of the strut on the stiffness and vibration isolation characteristics are investigated in detail. The results show that the Euler strut has the potential in low frequency vibration isolation, and the length and breadth of the strut can influence the stiffness, transmissibility and critical loading mass respectively.


B-trees with lazy parent split (lps) are B-tree variants, according to which parent splits are postponed until a future access of the latter node. This way, the number of splits during an insert is decreased and the number of locks is also decreased. Consequently, better concurrency is achieved. In this paper 2‐3 trees with lps are studied. Fringe analysis is used to obtain bounds on some performance metrics of 2‐3 trees with lps. The performance metrics of 2‐3 tree with lps are compared with those of the classical 2‐3 trees. The conclusions are that 2‐3 trees with lps have slightly better performance, more keys in the fringe, larger storage utilization and a slightly shorter path length from the root to the leaves.


COVID-19 has become a pandemic concern with the clinical manifestations ranging for asymptomatic to severe organ failure. Early contact tracing and isolation are important keys to slow the infection spread within communities. Clinical triage and early recognition of warning signs on admission are needed to classify patients based on clinical severity. Due to the limited capacity of hospital settings for COVID-19 patients, a makeshift isolation center is needed for all confirmed and suspected cases with mild or no symptoms who will be provided with basic medical care, frequent monitoring, and rapid referrals. During observations, the physician needs to raise early alertness of the patient who is at risk to develop a worse outcome. This study reports five cases of patients who came with mild or no symptoms at initial presentation and developed into worsening disease progression after several days of observation. These patients developed shortness of breath, fatigue, abdominal disturbances, and chest pain. These findings were supported by the physical examinations that showed a decrease in blood oxygen saturation. Similarly, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for the early warning signs, these patients were referred to the hospital-based isolation setting that could provide more advanced and optimal management. This study describes clinical manifestations of COVID-19 patients to decide the ideal time for referral.


We provide a correspondence between the subjects of duality and density in classes of finite relational structures. The purpose of duality is to characterise the structures C that do not admit a homomorphism into a given target B by the existence of a homomorphism from a structure A into C. Density is the order-theoretic property of containing no covers (or "gaps"). We show that the covers in the skeleton of a category of finite relational models correspond naturally to certain instances of duality statements, and we characterise these covers.


For pre-service teachers the first year in higher education is often a challenging time as students struggle with new academic, institutional, personal, professional and financial demands. First Year Experience initiatives aim to support students with these demands yet they are usually presented and delivered as separate from academic study. Arguably, first year curriculum design can facilitate the students' first year transition or hinder it. In this paper we advocate for an approach to first year curriculum design that supports first year students' transition by focusing on soft outcomes, such as building their personal resilience and self-efficacy, in addition to hard outcomes such as their academic competencies and results. Our argument draws upon current higher education curriculum design principles to propose that first year curricula in professional degrees, such as teacher education, could focus on both soft outcomes and hard outcomes in order to foster students' holistic well-being and support transition.


2014 Recent R.M.N. and quasi-elastic neutron scattering experiments on smectics A have given comparable values for the self-diffusion coefficients D~ (diffusion normal to the layers) and D~, in spite of the possible occurence of a permeation process which would lead to much lower values for D ~. It is shown that there is no permeation in a self-diffusion experiment, and therefore that the Einstein relation connects D~ to an effective viscosity ~~ but not to the permeation coefficient 03BBp, which explains the experimental results. LE JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE LETTRES TOME 37, JUIN 1976, Classification Physics Abstracts 7.130


Chimeric epidermal reconstructs made with Negroid melanocytes and Caucasoid keratinocytes (or vice versa) were studied before and after UVB irradiation to understand the respective roles of these cells in tanning and photoprotection, especially lipoperoxidation and enzymatic defences against free radicals. Using this approach, we have confirmed overall the theory of the epidermal melanin unit. We have also shown that melanocytes of poorly tanning Caucasoids, which have a comparatively higher content of unsaturated fatty acids in their cell membrane, are more prone to the peroxidative effects of UV light, and that keratinocytes participate in photoprotection via phototype-dependent antioxidant enzyme activities, especially for catalase.


This article attempts to further develop the IR research agenda on video games. The argument starts with a critique of the narrow focus on war-themed blockbuster games of current IR work on video games. I argue that this narrow view of IR and of video games is unsustainable and counterproductive, and has led to the positioning of IR as a regime of value with an unwarranted focus on the ideological effects of video games, and also to a paradoxical closing off of its research agenda. In the second half of the article I attempt to sketch two directions of research that could help overcome these initial limitations. The first outlines the potential for the IR study of the global aesthetic economy of video games, and the differentiated distribution of its regimes of value. The second encourages the study of game-worlds as practical-theoretical spaces where a particular relationship between academic subjectivity and its objects is constituted. The significance of this argument transcends IR video games research: it has relevance for cross-disciplinary issues regarding the status of academic moral-aesthetic judgements about cultural artfacts and practices; the relationship between academic and 'popular' knowledge; and the potential for political mobilisation at the interface of entertainment and social critique.


In recent years, the notion of phase has acquired a central position in the minimalist program (Chomsky 2001, 2004, 2006, forthcoming).1 In this paper, we examine the notion of phase as it has evolved in Chomsky's most recent papers, putting it in the broader perspective of the minimalist theory. In section 2, we first take a look at the notion of phase, why it was introduced and how it figures in the current theory. In the rest of the section, we look at several other essential points of the theory, all of which are in some fundamental way linked no the notion of phases. In section 3, we turn to several questions that the current model raises. We first look at the notion of TRANSFER, which raises questions about the way in which the interfaces work. Further issues we discuss are the idea that the No-Tampering Condition can be violated in specific ways, expletives, Icelandic experiencer constructions, and the notion of parallel probing. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the framework that Chomsky develops in his latest papers, and to identify potential problems. We offer tentative solutions for some of these problems, but especially the problems surrounding expletives and Icelandic experiencers are left open as problems to be solved.


Objective:To observe the effects on manual correction of persistent occipito-posterior position of fetus.Methods:Three hundred and fifty cases of persistent occipital posterior position from December 2008 to December 2010 were randomly divided into manual correction group(group A,182 cases) and spontaneous labor group(group B,168 cases).Delivery outcome was compared between these two groups.Results:In group A,manual correction of 148 cases were successful,the success rate was 81.32%.In group B,spontaneous labor of 37 cases were successful,the success rate was 22.02%.There was remarkable difference of natural labor rate,cesarean section rate and body weight of the neonates between the two groups(P0.05),but there was no remarkable difference of neonatal Apgar score,postpartum hemorrhage and genital tract lacerations between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusion:It is worth recommending the use of manual correction of persistent occipito-posterior position of fetus because of its health and safety to mothers and infants.


The present invention relates to a solid laundry detergent composition comprising: (a) detersive surfactant; (b) brightener in micronized particulate form, having a weight average primary particle size of from 3 to 30 micrometers; (c) from 0 wt% to 10 wt% zeolite builder; (d) from 0 wt% to 10 wt% phosphate builder; (e) optionally from 0 wt% to 10 wt% silicate salt; (f) optionally from 0 wt% to 10 wt% layered silicate; and (g) other detergent ingredients.


The Kaufman Functional Academic Skills Test (K-FAST) was introduced as an alternative to the Wide Range Achievement Test – Revision 3 (WRAT-3). The goal was to provide a measure that would help determine whether individuals have the adequate reading and mathematical skills to function appropriately in society. Fifty-one individuals from neuropsychologically diverse populations were tested using the K-FAST, WRAT-3, and Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT). Strong correlations were found between the various raw and standard scores of the K-FAST and WRAT-3, indicating that the administration of both tests is redundant; and scores on both tests also correlate well with performance on the K-BIT.


One strain of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus isolated from a pool of Ae. albopictus and Ae. butleri in Peninsula Malaysia in 1992 was sequenced for its PreM gene region, by direct sequencing the product from reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR). The sequence in the length of 240 nucleotides (nt) and deduced amino acid (AA) sequence were compared with the published sequences for the various JE virus strains from different geographical regions. This virus strain, MaSAr39692, showed a close homology to the strains from epidemic areas such as Japan, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and India. The homology between MaSAr39692 and JaOArS982 strain, for which entire genome sequence was first determined, was 95.8%, with 10 nt and 3 AA sequence divergence.


Since quite some time, dynamic aperture studies have been undertaken with the aim of specifying the required field quality of the new magnets that will be installed in the LHC ring in the framework of the high-luminosity upgrade. In this paper the latest results concerning the specification work will be presented, taking into account both injection and collision energies and the field quality contribution from all the magnets in the newly designed interaction regions.


Saarinen, Jussi A. A Conceptual Analysis of the Oceanic Feeling – With a Special Note on Painterly Aesthetics Jyvaskyla: University of Jyvaskyla, 2015, 34 p. (+ included articles) (Jyvaskyla Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 518) ISBN 978-951-39-6077-3 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-6078-0 (PDF) The present study focuses on the concept of the oceanic feeling. It consists of four individual articles and an introduction. The introduction lays out the theoretical background for current debate on the topic, specifies the scope and aims of the thesis, and introduces its main ideas and arguments. The first article provides a comparative analysis of three primary accounts of the oceanic feeling, namely those of Romain Rolland, Sigmund Freud, and Anton Ehrenzweig. It is argued that these accounts share a basic theoretical structure that establishes as the necessary criterion for all oceanic states the loosening of ego boundaries and sufficient modal contact between differentiated and undifferentiated modalities of the mind. The implications of this notion are critically discussed. The second article examines Ehrenzweig's theory of oceanic states within painterly aesthetics. It calls into question two particular claims: first, that utilizing the undifferentiated mode of oceanic depth perception is a necessary precondition for authentic creativity, and second, that it projects into the artwork an unconscious substructure that lies beyond the reach of conscious perception. To sidestep some of the problems that these claims entail, a modification to Ehrenzweig's theorization is put forward. The third article introduces a novel taxonomical account of the oceanic feeling. It holds that oceanic feelings come in two distinct forms: (1) as transient episodes that consist in a feeling of dissolution of the psychological and sensory boundaries of the self, and (2) as relatively permanent feelings of unity, embracement, immanence, and openness that do not involve occurrent experiences of boundary dissolution. Based on the work of philosopher Matthew Ratcliffe, it is argued that both forms of oceanic feeling are existential feelings, i.e. pre-intentional bodily feelings that structure overall self-world experience. The fourth article elaborates on the aforementioned novel view within the context of painterly creativity. It is suggested that existential feelings may become the actual object of creative work. Oceanic changes in existential feeling may thus lead to a wider process of artistic self-transformation and to a restructuring of one's fundamental relations with oneself, others, and the world.


In digital design process, due to the large dimensions of the designs, automated techniques are needed for a fast design phase. Because of high complexity of the logic this circuits, verify that the implementation of the digital designer is correct and follows all the specfication defined by standard protocols, an automated process is needed as well for verification side. It's unfeasible for the verification engineer to develop a simple testbench by having an instance of the DUT (Design Under Test), sending stimulus to it, getting its outputs and checking and analizing that the DUT works properly. Somenthing more automated is needed to verify fastly what the designer developed. The Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) aims to provide to verification engineer a layered structure, where each layer has a particular meaning for the final purpose of verifing the DUT. The idea of having a hierarchy in this structure is helpful for the verification engineer, so that it's possible to divide the problem in several steps and to not dealing with an huge verification scenario. To simplify, it's possible to distinguish between "data item" creation, "data driving" on DUT and "data checking" from DUT. An important help that we get from UVM is that its strcture is based on software classes. Being based on System Verilog (an Object Oriented Programming Language), it's possible to exploit the Inheritance, such that it's possible to extend classes from others, getting useful properties from parent classes and adding new features to child classes. Thanks to the software properties is more easy to verify huge hardware structures. Designing and verifying hardware are two phases that have to go in pararell to provide a good final result (HDL code) to the following steps of SoC's development.


Objective To estimate the value of high ligation for pediatric bilateral indirect inguinal hernia by two-port laparoscopic treatment.Methods 156 patients with bilateral indirect inguinal hernia who presented in our hospital from June 2010 to December 2011 underwent simplified two-port Laparoscopic Treatment.Results High ligation of bilateral hernia sac was successfully performed with laparoscopy in all 156 patients.51 cases were in group of 0.5-2 years old with operation time of(35.0±2.2)mins and 105 cases in group of 2-7 years old with operation time of(26.5±2.5)mins.No post-operative hydrocele,testis pain and avascular necrosis were detected.Follow-up was achieved in 95 patients for 1-6 months,30 patients for 6-12 months and 23 patients for 12-15 months.No postoperative peritoneal adhesion presented.1 patient showed unilateral recurrent hernia(0.6%).Conclusion Two-pot laparoscopic high ligation of hernial sac offers many practical advantages such as simplicity of operation,minimal incision,safety,reliable effect,less complications and low recurrence rate,which is an ideal operation method and worth being recommended.


The study described herein aimed to examine changes in histone deacetylases and histone modification in immobilization‐induced rat skeletal muscle atrophy.


ABS TRACT Ob jec ti ve: Ina de qu a te pa in ma na ge ment has be en es ti ma ted to oc cur in most can cer pa ti ents. Fen tanyl trans der mal the ra pe u tic system (TTS) pro vi des con ti nu o us con trol led syste mic de li very of fen tanyl for up to 72 ho urs. In or der to as sess the ef fi cacy and to le ra bi lity of TTS-fen tanyl, an open, mul ti cen tered, un con trol led pha se IV study was conducted in pa ti ents with can cerre la ted pa in. Ma te ri al and Met hods: One hun dred and forty eight strong opi o id-naïve pa ti ents started with the lo west TTS-fen tanyl do sa ge ava i lab le (25 μg/hr). A do se in cre a se was al lo wed every third day if ne e ded. Pri mary ef fi cacy me a su re ments we re to tal do se of TTS-fen tanyl, Vi su al Ana lo ge Sca le (VAS) sco re in the pa ti ent da iry and ove rall eva lu a ti on of the pa in tre at ment. Se con dary ef fi cacy me a su re ments we re sa fety con cerns. Re sults: Of the 148 pa ti ents en rol led, 79 (53.4%) we re re cor ded as opi o id to le rant and 69 (46.6%) pa ti ents as strong opi o id-naïve. Pa in con trol, si de effects and ove rall im pres si on im pro ved from vi sit 1 to Vi sit 3 (p< 0.0001). Most pa ti ents ra ted the con ve ni en ce of the patc hes as ex cel lent. The most fre qu ent men ti o ned ad ver se events we re na u se a (32.4%) and vo mi ting (18.9%). Only 37.2% of the pa ti ents ex hi bi ted ad ver se events, which we re re la ted to the study drug. Conc lu si on: Long-term tre at ment with trans der mal fen tanyl was sa fe and tolerable to many can cer pa ti ents.


This is a gripping narrative of the family of a scientist who was involved in the humanitarian research of processing freeze-dried blood plasma vaccines during World War II. His work was also used by the U.S. government in top secret defense weaponry involving germ warfare. The pressures led to a tragic break-up of the family, and he who was responsible for saving thousands of lives became responsible for the destruction of life. The story and its aftermath is told in prose and poetry, and is followed by commentary which reflects on the psychological and philosophical issues that emerge from the account. Readers will find the story powerful and disturbing, one which raises many issues and questions for professionals in the field of psychology, criminology, political science, ethics, as well as other areas.


Panic disorder is a disease which belongs to anxiety disorders. Although there are several models of therapy for this disease, the most effective model is cognitive behavioral therapy. According to Irvin Yalom who is a existential psychologist, All of anxiety comes from death anxiety. For him, the most important anxiety is the death anxiety. Rollo May who is also existential psychologist emphasizes death anxiety. He also insists that we need theological approach as well as psychological one to anxiety. The result of qualitative studies show that most of participants were really worried about death. And The conception of anxiety by Yalom and May is really similar to researches of Paul Tilich who is one of the most famous theologian in 20th century. Also the Christian counseling interprets the death anxiety as an issue of faith. This paper finished with referring to need and possibility of Christian possibility on panic disorder.


Aging Effect Iver Dendrites Electrocrystallised Sulfamate on Corrosion of Steel in Water at Elevated Temperature and Pressure. on Electrorefining of Aluminium in NaF-Et 3 AI-C H System EI ectrolyti c Solution.


Autonomous navigation based on optical flow can be significantly simplified by coordinate transformation or retinotopic mapping prior to motion detection. For detection and avoidance of obstacles in the plane, the appropriate map is the inverse perspective. This mapping transforms the egomotion field into a parallel vector field where the velocity vector of points in the ground plane has equal length. Obstacles will stand out by the length of their flow vectors, the deviation scales with their height above the plane.1 We tested this mapping paradigm with moving synthetic images. Motion detection was performed in the transformed images using a parallel motion algorithm which is not subject to the aperture problem.2 This area-based voting is computationally expensive when performed in a 2-D neighborhood (4 s for 2562 images on the Connection Machine) and less suited for natural and artificial real-time vision systems. The inverse perspective mapping speeds up the voting step considerably by restricting the 2-D search to a 1-D search along the egomotion vector. The map thus implements the ecological constraint that movement occurs in a plane while all derivations from that assumption are considered obstacles.


Experiments on swirling flows through conical diffusers have been carried out. Mean and fluctuating velocities, and static pressure in three diffusers of different included angle were measured under the various swirl intensity. In addition, relationships between static pressure recovery and flow characteristics were investigated. In the case of weak swirl that the static pressure recovery is improved, it is shown that the separation of the flow from the wall is prevented and the velocity is made rapidly uniform, and additionally that the turbulence is suppressed. In the meantime, the vibration of the pipe is observed in the flow with strong swirl and it is clarified that this vibration is induced by eccentricity of the center of the swirling flow, its center circulating about the pipe axis, from the results of the velocity measurement.


The problems of dynamic states of electric machines arose relatively recently, as it was conditioned by development of modern computation equipment. The theory of electric machines including the operation modes at constant rotational speed and the problems of electromagnetically unsteady condition at constant rotational speed have been developed long time before. Nevertheless, the studies on dynamic state, i.e. on the behaviour of the machines under electromagnetically unsteady condition at varying rotational speed became feasible only when an appropriate computation equipment and computational software appeared. The dynamic state may be researched with the use of the circuit or field methods. The paper describes mainly the circuit method as the most suitable for analysis of the operational problems. In modern automated drive systems the dynamic states of electric machines occur nearly continuously and, therefore, knowledge of machine behaviour in these circumstances has a large practical meaning.


This study estimated the correlation between surface area/weight ratios and pesticide residues in two varieties of tomato, mini tomato and tomato. The ratios of surface area/weight of mini tomato and tomato were and respectively. Pesticide residues were measured with four kinds of pesticide, chlorothalonil WP, chlorothalonil SC, oxadixyl WP, thiophanate-methyl WP. Ie residue amount of mini tomato was times higher than those in tomato regardless of the application date and frequency. The ratios of surface area/weight on tomato varieties played a key role for determining pesticide residue.


Selective O-monoalkylation of the vic-glycol of dimethyl L-tartrate with alkyl halides has been found to take place smoothly under mild conditions in the presence of cesium fluoride.


In March 2020, the WHO initiated the SOLIDARITY trial to evaluate the effects on patients hospitalized with COVID-19 of four antiviral drugs previously


Polyrhachis gravis and micans species-groups of the subgenus Campomyrma Wheeler are reviewed. Ten species in the gravis-group are recognised, including two previously described, Polyrhachis gravis Clark and P. pseudothrinax Hung, and eight species are described as new: P. bispinosa sp. nov., P. capillata sp. nov., P. captiva sp. nov., P. curtospinosa sp. nov., P. hespera sp. nov., P. opacita sp. nov., P. palmerae sp. nov. and P. unicornis sp. nov. Five species are recognised in the micans-group, with three species previously described, P. incerta Kohout, P. micans Mayr and P. prometheus Santschi, and two species are described as new: P. eureka sp. nov. and P. shattucki sp. nov. A key to the species of both groups is included. All species are illustrated and their known distribution summarised.  Polyrhachis gravis, micans, Formicidae, Campomyrma, Australia, systematics, new species. The subgenus Campomyrma was established by Wheeler, (1911) as a replacement of the Emery's (1896) 'cohors Polyrhachides camponotiformes'. He designated Polyrhachis clypeata Mayr, 1862 (= Polyrhachis exercita Walker, 1859) as the type species, but did not provide a description of the subgenus. Forel (1915) elaborated on Emery's classification by subdividing several of the Polyrhachis subgenera established by Wheeler. Within the subgenus Campomyrma he included Emery's 'manipulus clypeata' and 'manipulus femorata', but excluded 'manipulus thrinax', which he formally established as subgenus Myrmothrinax. A description of Campomyrma was eventually provided by Emery (1925), who also subdivided the subgenus into two species-groups, with most species included in the clypeata-femorata group and two species from south-east Asia placed in the halidayigroup. An additional, inconspicua-group, was listed by Andersen & Burbidge (1991), but the authors did not give any further details. Later, Andersen (2000) recognised six species groups within Campomyrma creusa, gravis, inconspicua, micans, schwiedlandi and 'Group A', most of them pertinent to the monsoonal and arid zones of northern Australia. He provided a key for their separation and portrayed three of these groups (gravis, micans and schwiedlandi) as composed of 'some of the most spectacularlooking of all Campomyrma'. Andersen (2000) characterised the species comprising the gravisgroup as 'hairy and conspicuously striate species (although often rather shiny), often with contrasting reddish legs. They typically have a scale-like petiolar node, with four erect, approximately equal teeth or small spines'. Two exceptions are P. pseudothrinax Hung, 1967 and P. unicornis sp. nov., described below, both featuring a Myrmothrinax-like petiole with a single, long, central spine. Besides P. gravis Clark, 1930 and P. pseudothrinax, the gravisgroup presently includes 8 newly described, closely similar species differentiated mostly A review of the Polyrhachis gravis and micans species-groups Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature  2013  56(2) 93 by the sculpturation of the mesosoma and the configuration of the petiolar spines. Most species of the group are relatively rare, with many known only from a short original series or single specimens collected during recent environmental surveys of poorly known and isolated parts of the country. Andersen (2000) characterised species of the micansgroup as 'easily recognised by their Myrmalike petiole, with a central pair of long, sharp spines'. The only relatively common species of this group are P. micans Mayr, 1876 and P. prometheus Santschi, 1920, the latter also being the most widespread species of the group. As perceived here, the micans-group includes the two latter species, the recently described P. incerta Kohout, 2008 and two new species described below. The third, schwiedlandi-group, according to Andersen (2000), is 'extremely rich' in species which are 'distributed primarily throughout the arid zone'. It includes rather 'large, bulky species with highly distinctive, curled petiolar node, with strongly curved carinae running between the central and lateral teeth' (Andersen, 2000). The taxonomy of the schwiedlandi-group will be dealt with in a separate paper. While this framework is being followed here, it is anticipated that further studies on this subgenus will result in refinements and changes to the groups recognised by Andersen (2000). This will be undertaken in a future study.


Using the staggered enactment of constituency statutes across US states, we find that banks with directors whose legal duties are expanded to consider stakeholder and long-term interests significantly reduce risk-taking by increasing capital and shifting to safer borrowers. Additionally, we find that the effect of statute enactment on bank performance is insignificant on average but significantly positive for banks that take excessive risk. Furthermore, we find that banks that previously received a statute enactment fared significantly better during the crises. Our findings support the increasing calls for greater emphasis on stakeholder interests amidst the current bank regulatory and governance reforms.


&NA; Evaluation of the Oncology Intensives Initiative, an oncology curriculum to improve patient care BACKGROUND: A community hospital combined its medical and surgical patients with cancer on one unit, which resulted in nurses not trained in oncology caring for this patient population. OBJECTIVES: The Oncology Intensives Initiative (ONCii) involved the (a) design and implementation of a daylong didactic boot camp class and a four‐hour simulation session and (b) the examination of nurses' worries, attitudes, self‐efficacy, and perception of interdisciplinary teamwork. METHODS: A two‐group, pre‐/post‐test design was implemented. Group 1 consisted of nurses who attended the didactic boot camp classes alone, whereas group 2 was comprised of nurses who attended the didactic boot camp classes and the simulation sessions. FINDINGS: Results of data analysis showed a decrease in worries and an increase in positive attitudes toward chemotherapy administration in both groups, as well as an increase in self‐efficacy among members of group 2.


Structural, petrological and geochronological data from the Variscan chain of northern Sardinia are discussed, with the aim to improve our knowledge on the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the northern Sardinian basement and its role in the tectonic puzzle of the southern Variscan massifs. In northern Sardinia, which corresponds to the Inner zone of the chain, the metamorphic grade rapidly increases towards the NE from biotite to sillimanite+K-feldspar zone. The highest grade rocks cropping out in the Migmatite zone reached amphibolite facies conditions in the sedimentary and igneous-derived migmatite and eclogite/granulite facies in the enclosed metabasite lenses. Evidence of HP metamorphism has also recently been found more to the south in micaschist from the garnet zone. The D 1 deformation can be observed in the southern part of the Inner zone, whereas, moving progressively northwards, the D 2 deformation progressively obliterates the previous foliation. The other, less pervasive, deformation phases (D 3 , D 4 , D 5 ) are sometimes recognizable in the outcrop localities, but they are not as ubiquitous as the previous D 1 and D 2 . HP metamorphism in metabasites and schists is related to the collision and/or northwards-directed subduction of the continental crust, which was part of the northern Gondwana or peri-Gondwanian terranes in Early Palaeozoic times. The HP metamorphism, which is pre- to syn-D 1 , was followed by Barrovian metamorphism. The stacking of metamorphic sequences with the building up of the nappe pile was a consequence of the High Grade Metamorphic Complex exhumation. This was activated by NW-SE striking and top-to-the S and SW shear zones and faults with a major dip-slip component of movement, coeval with the late phase of the D 1 deformation. Transpressional deformation then developed until the High-Grade Metamorphic Complex continued to be exhumed and the Low- to Medium-Grade Metamorphic Complex was underthrust to the north. Finally, the extensional tectonic regime was accompanied by local occurrences of HT-LP metamorphism. Deformation and metamorphism in the Sardinian Variscides were accompanied by the intrusion of igneous suites of the Sardinia-Corsica batholith, which was emplaced during the Middle Carboniferous/Permian post-collisional phase.


Australian Prime Minister, John Howard would be surprised at the description of shake, rattle and roll. He is shaking his head on petrol prices, rattling the money jar with things getting tougher and the decision of allowing a free vote on therapeutic cloning is an example that he knows when to roll.


This paper provides a concise summary of the current status of the research and future perspectives discussed in the Mini-Conference on Angular Momentum Transport in Laboratory and Nature. This mini-conference, sponsored by the Topical Group on Plasma Astrophysics, was held as part of the American Physical Society's Division of Plasma Physics 2007 Annual Meeting (November 12–16, 2007). This mini-conference covers a wide range of phenomena happening in fluids and plasmas, either in laboratory or in nature. The purpose of this paper is not to review these phenomena comprehensively, but to provide a starting point for interested readers to refer to related research in areas other than their own.


Within the last decade, cardiovascular medicine has seen a proliferation of algorithms, functions, and scores that have been generated with the aim of accurately predicting the probability of a subsequent cardiovascular event in individuals free of symptomatic disease of the heart and the blood vessels. Most national and international guidelines for the management of patients with cardiovascular risk factors presently contain some formal assessment of the absolute risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) or cardiovascular disease (CVD).2–5 The magnitude of this risk is commonly expressed as the per cent chance of suffering a fatal or non-fatal event over the next 5 or 10 years. The data required for calculating risk involve basic demographic information such as age and sex, and varying biochemical, physiological, clinical, and lifestyle factors. Customarily, individuals under assessment should not yet have received medical interventions, such as medication, to lower their risk factor levels. Without exception, all risk prediction charts and risk scores are based on evidence obtained in prospective observational studies, thus constituting one of the rare examples in present day medicine where results of epidemiological observation are to be employed directly in the daily clinical care of individual patients. The first attempts to assess the absolute risk of CHD date back to 1973 when the Committee on Reduction of Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke of the American Heart Association (AHA) published the Coronary Risk Handbook.6 In this booklet, the AHA presented for the first time an estimate of the 6-year risk of fatal and non-fatal CHD that was associated with certain values of the risk factors age, sex, systolic blood pressure, and total serum cholesterol, and, in addition, the presence of current smoking, diabetes mellitus, and ECG signs of left ventricular hypertrophy. These estimates were derived from an analysis of 16 years of follow-up in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). The FHS used to invite participants for regular biennial re-examinations thus providing an unprecedented close and systematic follow-up of its cohort. Initially, the risk functions used to calculate cumulative risk were based on multivariate logistic regression. Methods were subsequently refined and became statistically more sophisticated when Anderson introduced a Weibull model7,8 to be able to accommodate rate density and different periods of follow-up in the computations. Of note, separate models were fit for distinct clinical endpoints including cerebrovascular and all cardiovascular events. The flexibility of this approach raised its acceptability and applicability for various purposes. It coincided with a debate about the utility of absolute, rather than relative, risk for public health and clinical decision making.1,9 Proponents of absolute risk eagerly adopted the new options of risk assessment and integrated them into innovative approaches to the management of patients in primary cardiovascular prevention.10 Elaborations11 of the initially rather complex computational procedures7,8 were subsequently suggested by the FHS investigators. The presently preferred coronary risk functions are based on coefficients derived from Cox regression models and an altered set of predictor variables.2 Indeed, until recently, use of the FHS risk functions was virtually synonymous with cardiovascular risk assessment in clinical guidelines. However, alternative approaches have emerged. Algorithms derived from the pooled Danish Glostrup Population Studies and the Copenhagen City Heart Study were used to develop a coronary risk score in combination with an interactive management tool (PRECARD) that has been translated into several European languages.12,13 Likewise, the German PROCAM study developed another coronary risk score for men including risk factors such as low density lipoprotein instead of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and family history of premature coronary disease.14 The PROCAM score has gained access to the recommendations of the International Task Force for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease (http://www.chdtaskforce.com). Concurrently, the European SCORE project (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation) pooled the data from 12 European cohorts with over 2.7 million years of follow-up to address the problem of regional variation of risk.15 As there was a lack of sufficient data on morbidity endpoints, the SCORE investigators had to use CHD and CVD mortality as an endpoint for risk estimations. They provided two separate risk charts to display the probability of death due to cardiovascular disease in European populations with a high and low background risk, respectively. SCORE was included in the most recent European Guidelines for the Prevention of CHD published by the European Society of Cardiology3 where it replaced the FHS charts. Recently, a methodologically unique approach was chosen by Voss et al. who, using data from the PROCAM study, employed neural network techniques to predict the risk of coronary events.16 They concluded that neural network prediction was Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Germany. E-mail: email@example.com


— Chhattisgarh state is widely popular as handloom industry. It involves the process of weaving which is done on a machine called loom. Numbers of active looms present in public and private handloom sector are studied in context of different parts of Chhattisgarh state. Secondary data is used to collect the required information. The present study reveals that Janjgir-Champa appears with highest number of active looms while Kabirdham shows least number of active looms in all over Chhattisgarh state. Amongst all areas of Chhattisgarh state, Central area of Chhattisgarh comprises of maximum number of active looms.


Externalities occur where an economic actor takes a decision which results in actions that affect other parties without their consent. In most cases, the creator of the externality will be a corporation because they are the most important actors in modern economies. There is a market failure as the corporation obtains all the benefits of the activity but does not bear all the costs. Since Ronald Coase's seminal work, economists have generally argued that externalities should be dealt with either by instrumental regulation or by bargaining between the creator and victim. The regulator should choose between these two options on the basis of cost-benefit analysis. In particular, the costs associated with government intervention should be compared with the transaction costs confronting parties where they attempt to deal with the externality by means of a contract. Most economists assume regulatory costs (including the costs of producing and enforcing regulation and the distortions of economic activity to which it gives rise) will be very high, so the 'cure' of regulation will normally be worse than the 'disease' of externalities, making government intervention undesirable from an efficiency standpoint. This makes them sanguine about leaving many, or even most, externalities to the market, even though its failure led to the externality in the first place. They then assume that if the parties fail to reach agreement on a solution to a particular externality, this will be for transaction costs reasons, so leaving the externality where it falls is the most efficient outcome in the circumstances.This paper argues that neither of these methods offers a wholly adequate way of dealing with externalities in a globalised economy characterised by factually and technologically complex chains of causation. As is widely recognised by sociologists as well as economists, instrumental regulation faces massive difficulties in dealing with externalities. It can also be argued that transaction costs are not the only barrier to bargaining. The result is that many externalities go uncorrected, and it cannot simply be assumed that this is an efficient outcome. The paper then argues that this governance 'gap' could be filled by the doctrine of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but only if two conditions are met. First, CSR must be understood as corporations voluntarily taking responsibility for, or internalising, the externalities their operations create. This requires corporate decision-makers to change the frames they use so as to take account of the costs their activities create. Second, corporations must be steered towards a socially adequate identification and internalisation of those costs by the careful use of procedural, or reflexive, regulation. A reflexive regulatory approach to CSR would require corporations to meet with those who consider themselves affected in order to construct the 'facts' about the externality, and then require corporate decision-makers to internalise that externality in a manner which is acceptable to all concerned. This would arguably result in many externalities being identified and corrected in a cost-effective way, and should be considered as an alternative or complement to other methods of governing externalities.


This paper focuses on the combined use of ERT measurements and optical observations to study four types of settling slurry flow regime in horizontal pipeline. The technique is based on the analysis of solids concentration profile and solids axial velocity profile obtained from a dual-plane Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) sensor. Sand-water slurry was used in two throughput concentrations, 2% and 10% and transport velocity range 1.2-5.0 m/s. The predicted flow regimes are reasonably compared to the photographic images of actual flow within the test section. It is expected that this study can provide a new technique for on-line slurry flow regime identification.


Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a key transcriptional factor in response to hypoxia and is involved in ischemic stroke. In the present study, the potential for HIF-1α to inhibit neuronal apoptosis through upregulating erythropoietin (EPO) was investigated in a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) rat stroke model. For this purpose, a recombinant adenovirus expressing HIF-1α was engineered (Ad-HIF-1α). Control adenovirus (Ad group), Ad-HIF-1α (Ad-HIF-1α group) or Ad-HIF-1α in addition to erythropoietin mimetic peptide-9 (EMP9), an EPO-receptor (-R) antagonist (Ad-HIF-1α+EMP9 group), were used for an intracranial injection into rat ischemic penumbra 1 h following MCAO. All rats demonstrated functional improvement following tMCAO, while the improvement rate was faster in rats treated by Ad-HIF-1α compared with all other groups. The EPO-R inhibitor partially reversed the benefits of Ad-HIF-1α. Apoptosis induced by tMCAO was significantly inhibited by Ad-HIF-1α (P<0.05). The expression of HIF-1α, evaluated by immunohistochemistry either in neurons or astrocytes, was upregulated by Ad-HIF-1α. Both EPO mRNA and protein expression were increased by Ad-HIF-1α, however, there was no significant change of EPO-R either on an mRNA level or protein level. Furthermore, EMP9 did not change the EPO expression which was upregulated by Ad-HIF-1α. Activated caspase 3 in neurons was suppressed by Ad-HIF-1α. Activated caspase 3 downregulated by HIF-1α was partially blocked by EMP9. Altogether, the present data demonstrated that HIF-1α attenuates neuronal apoptosis partially through upregulating EPO following cerebral ischemia in rat. Thus, upregulating HIF-1α subsequent to a stroke may be a potential treatment for ischemic stroke.


This chapter highlights British composer Philip Cashian's The Sun's Great Eye (2008). In this short but arresting work, Cashian manages, with an impressive display of sleight-of-hand craftsmanship, to assimilate some of the more obvious characteristics of fashionable minimalism within a scheme that combines repeated patterns with asymmetrical rhythmic contours. The result, ingenious and highly concentrated, is not in the least mechanical, but has charm and a natural musicality. The fascinating piano part is written on just one stave, to be shared by both hands. This emphasizes the close interweaving of both protagonists as equal partners, and adds subtly to the feeling of intimacy and unforced expression. Through elliptical rhythmic hurdles and differing alignments, the voice glides in and out, in supple, lilting fragments which must seem effortless, bearing no hint of the hard work needed to acquire perfect coordination and accurate pitching, or the necessity of counting beats in groups of two and three.


Combining with the retaining wall projects of HM workshop of the conventional island civil project of first period of Taishan nuclear power plant,the paper introduces the design methods for the model of the arc retaining wall,analyzes its economic benefits,and proves the application of the model system can achieve better effect.


Spearheaded by the industry's transition from volume- to value-based care, the healthcare reform movement has spurred both unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities for developing more effe...


The effects of nonlocal heat transport on stimulated Brillouin scattering are discussed, and so is the applicability of nonlocal transport on the effects. (AIP)


The damaged layer in metal cutting is derived from plastic deformation, the transformation of metal structure. In this study, the damaged layer of micro-machined surface of copper is evaluated according to various machining condition. The damaged layer structure is measured by optical microscope and the metallurgical characteristics are evaluated by scanning electron microscope. It is shown that the scale of damaged layer depends on cutting process parameters and machining environments. By experimental results, the damaged layer is less occurred in down-milling compared to up-milling during micro endmilling operation.


The aim of this multisite field survey was to examine the DSM‐IV‐TR criteria, proposed DSM‐5 diagnostic criteria, as well as a number of possible additional diagnostic criteria, in patients with hair‐pulling disorder (HPD, or trichotillomania).


Rationale RNA modifications, containing m6A, m1A, alternative polyadenylation and adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing, involve in critical cancerous immunity and cancerous processes. However, the functional roles of RNA modification writers in bladder cancer (BLCA) are largely unknown. Methods In this study, unsupervised clustering was used to identify novel RNA modification writers -mediated molecular subtypes in BLCA. A corresponding quantitative indicator called WriterScore was developed using univariate Cox and Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. Then, we systematically analyzed the correlation between RNA modification writer-related clusters (WriterScore) and immunological characteristics, classical molecular subtypes, clinicopathologic features and treatment options in BLCA. Finally, we validated the WriterScore in multiple other external BLCA datasets, clinical sample dataset in Shengjing Hospital and pancancer. Results Two RNA modification writer-related clusters and three DEGclusters were obtained. These RNA modification writer-related clusters (WriterScore) were strongly associated with immunological characteristics, classical molecular subtypes, clinicopathologic features of BLCA. Moreover, WriterScore can properly predict the clinical outcomes and immunotherapy of BLCA patients. Conclusion Our study systematically investigated the role of RNA modification writers and developed a significant WriterScore to guide several treatment options in BLCA, which might bring some potential benefits for BLCA patients.


Mineral binder and expanded polystyrene granule insulating material was mixed in the proportion of the two major components of mineral binder and expanded polystyrene granule,effects on its performance which was caused by the changes of mineral binder's composition and effects on its apparent density,heat conductivity,strength,construction of different expanded polystyrene granule were studied through experiments to provide reference for the manufacturers and construction companies.


Scolopygos, new genus, is described and illustrated with one species, S. pallida new species, from Canada. Scolopygos is assigned to the tribe Delphacini within the subfamily Delphacinae (as defined by Asche). The new genus superficially resembles Pissonotus, Megamelus, and Parkana by the presence of processes on the ventral opening of the male pygofer. Genera with similar features in the Delphacini are discussed.


Objectives: To know the mothers fearing of caesarean birth in Kirkuk governorate as well as to classified their fearing according to the severity and found the priority of method for treatment.
Methodology: A descriptive study of a quantitative design was carried out at Azadi teaching hospital and Kirkuk general hospital in Kirkuk governorate for women after caesarean birth June 5th2013 to April 31st2014. A convenience sample of (200) women after cesarean from Azadi Teaching Hospital and Kirkuk General Hospital in Kirkuk governorate. Developed questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study which consists of (26) items, the first part include the demographic data of the respondent, the second part fearing of mothers. The data were collected through the use of interview. They were analyzed through the application of descriptive statistical analysis (frequency and percentage).
Results: The findings of the study indicated that (29%) of the sample Age group were (20-24) year's old, (37%) were primary school graduated, (82%) were house wives, (25%) were first pregnant and (70%) were never had abortion.
Conclusion: There have been different reasons for mother's fears such as fear of fetus death, the fear of labor pain and fear of fetus harm.
Recommendation: Provide advanced efficient Nursing staff to treat fearing associated with the patient by Caesarean birth, Psychological support to the pregnant women before Caesarean birth and answer all questions of pregnant mothers about Caesarean birth.


Within the highly glacierized Karakoram Himalaya situated largely within Pakistan, there have been many cases of catastrophic floods, some the result of river damming by landslide, others the result of river damming by glacier ice with subseguent dam failure. The purpose of this case study is to show, by reference to one particular example, the magnitude and conseguences of a glacier outburst flood and possible ways of alleviating the social and economic impacj: of such floods. This case study is taken from a much more extensive paper on the subject by Hewitt (1982).


Shallow freshwater systems often exhibit two alternative stable states. The clear-water stable state is dominated by macrophytes, and the turbid stable state is dominated by phytoplankton, with fewer macrophytes. Two factors that may influence a shift in stable state are nutrient loading, and presence of macrophytes. Enclosures were used to manipulate nutrient loading and exclude macrophytes to determine their impact on the stable state and invertebrate communities at Delta Marsh, Manitoba, a large, freshwater lacustrine wetland. The scope of the study was to provide a comprehensive examination of the roles of all major players in the food web in both water column and among macrophytes, including macroinvertebrates. Turbid conditions with phytoplankton blooms were established when nutrients were added. Zooplankton density was low in all treatments most likely reflecting predation by fathead minnows. Macrophytes did not maintain the clear-water conditions with increased nutrient loading and did not provide a refuge for zooplankton. Macrophyte exclusion alone did not produce a shift to turbid conditions. Density of herbivorous macroinvertebrates that feed on epiphyton showed no response to nutrient addition and did not control algal biomass.


In this paper we investigate the capability of harvesting the electric energy from mechanical vibrations in a dynamic environment through a unimorph piezoelectric membrane transducer. Due to the impedance matrices connecting the efforts and flows of the membrane, we have established the dynamic electric equivalent circuit of the transducer. In a first study and in order to validate theoretical results, we performed experiments with a vibrating machine moving a macroscopic 25 mm diameter piezoelectric membrane. A power of 1.8 mW was generated at the resonance frequency (2.58 kHz) across a 56 kQ optimal resistor and for a 2 g acceleration.


A method for determining the degree of heat treatment of a liquid product in a liquid product processing system is provided. The method comprises the steps of measuring (21) at least a first value representing the temperature of the liquid product within a first time period; measuring (22) at least a second value representing the flow of the liquid product within the first time period; and calculating (23) at least a first heat treatment index value based on said first and second values, wherein said heat treatment index value is associated with a current degree of heat treatment of the liquid product.


Revonsuo's Threat Simulation Theory of dreaming asserts that dreaming was selected during human evolution because it has the adaptive function of providing a threat-free context in which threat perception and avoidance can be rehearsed. This study aimed to test the prediction that the threat simulation mechanism will activate differently depending on waking exposure to ecologically valid threat cues. It also compared the impact of waking threat events on dream content with that of waking positive events, as TST asserts that only threat impacts on dream content. Data was collected from three contexts: a high threat context (the Western Cape in South Africa; n 208); a medium threat context (a black southern university in the US; n = 34); and a low threat context (North Wales; n 116). Questionnaires included a Most Recent Dream report, details of exposure to waking threatening and positive events, and dreams of such events. Chisquare analysis indicated the groups differed significantly in terms of recent exposure to an ancestral type life-threatening event (X[2,N=208j = 17.25, P < 0.0002). However, the differential activation predicted by Revonsuo for the different threat contexts did not occur: participants in the low threat context reported significantly more realistic physical threats in dreams (x,2[2,N=314] 6.18; p < 0.0455); and dream life-threats and escapes from threats were equally low in all contexts. It was also found that most participants did not report dreaming of actual recent life-threatening experiences; and those who did, tended not to escape the dream threat. Ancestral life-threatening experiences were no more likely to lead to dream simulations than modem life-threatening experiences (x,2[1,N=104) = 0.808, p < 0.3687). Furthermore, as many people reported dreaming of positive waking events as reported dreaming of actual life-threatening events (X[l,N=389j = 0.17, P < 0.6772), and these dreams were also reported to have recurred. The mean estimates of recurrence for dreams subsequent to actual life-threatening events were similar to those for dreams subsequent to positive events. These results contradict TST s predictions, and cast doubt on the validity of the theory. Word Count: 339 Max Limit: 500 Un ive rsi ty of Ca pe To wn


The Human Genome Project mapped the complete DNA sequence that exists in each human cell, but questions remain about how genes are expressed. Epigenetics is defined as mechanisms of gene expression that can be maintained across cell divisions, and thus the life of the organism, without changing the DNA sequence. Recent research has identified important epigenetic mechanisms that play essential roles in normal and abnormal development. Of special significance for psychology are the findings that environmental and psychosocial factors can change the epigenome. Research also suggests that some experiences and epigenetic changes of an individual can be passed down to more than one generation of descendants. Linkages between epigenetics and psychopathology are emerging that point to new possibilities for conceptualizing, preventing, and treating disorders.


Two-dimensional turbulence in unbounded or double periodic domains, in Navier-Stokes fluids and plasmas has been investigated intensively during the last decades by means of numerical simulations. The presence of an inertial range in the energy spectrum of these flows has been well documented. As two-dimensional flows exhibit an inverse cascade in the energy, coherent structures comparable with the size of domain will eventually emerge. Thus, the presence of boundaries and the conditions imposed on them will play a significant role in the evolution of the turbulence and the coherent structures, see e.g. [1].


A 69-year-old female presented with increasing dyspnoea NYHA classes III–IV and peripheral cyanosis 10 years after mechanical mitral valve replacement (St Jude Medical, 27 mm) of a degenerated bioprosthesis. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed severe paravalular leakage of the mitral valve prosthesis (Panel A, colour Doppler jet indicating paravalvular regurgitation volume with apparent dehiscence). Repeated open heart …


A two-dimensional nonlinear dynamic finite element (FE) model was developed and calibrated against dynamic centrifuge tests to study the behavior of soil-pile-structure systems in liquefied and laterally spreading ground during earthquakes. The centrifuge models included a simple structure supported on pile group. The soil profiles consisted of a gently sloping clay crust over liquefiable sand over dense sand. The FE model used an effective stress pressure dependent plasticity model for liquefiable soil and a total stress pressure independent plasticity model for clay, beam column elements for piles and structure, and interface springs that couple with the soil mesh for soil-structure interaction. The FE model was evaluated against recorded data for eight cases with same set of baseline parameters. Comparisons between analyses and experiments showed that the FE model was able to approximate the soil and structural responses and reproduce the lateral loads and bending moments on the piles reasonably well.


The paper introduces the basic principle,the structure and the formation of the failure monitor sensor of a new type cation-exchanger.


To survive and grow in a competitive scenario and with changing with changing technology organsations must he constantly kept up to date through effective training and development programs. Employees training and development is important in industries with rapidly changing technology such as shoes industry. It has become an issue of strategic importance. There is however a limited focus on the evaluation of the effectiveness of training and development practices in an organisation and yet training and development of employees is critical for the survival and growth of any entity. The methodology adopted for this study was convenience sampling. The major findings of the study indicated that training and development practices directly and indirectly benefit both to employees and the organization as a whole. Employees and the organization gain in the form of motivation, knowledge, communication, team work, change in attitude, trust, supervision and morale. Thus factories should keep up their strengths and should alleviate their weaknesses by applying clear and scientific principles regarding human resource training and development.


Variation in target volume delineation from clinical trial protocols has been shown to contribute to poorer patient outcomes. A clinical trial quality assurance framework can support compliance with trial protocol. Results of the TROG 08.03 RAVES benchmarking exercise considering variation from protocol, inter‐observer variability and impact on dosimetry are reported in this paper.


Thin films of Bi and Ga deposited at 300 K on thin Ni underlayers are strongly coupled superconductors at liquid-helium temperature. A layer of 0.1--5.0 nm of Ni apparently seeds a superconducting phase in each of these metals. For Bi films {Tc}{le}4 K, with an energy gap 2{Delta}{le}1.30 meV; for Ga films {Tc}{le}7 K and 2{Delta}{le}2.30 meV. For both elements 2{Delta}/{ital kT}{sub {ital c}}{approx}4.2. The superconductivity of the Bi film {ital was} {ital not} confined to the interface, but extended throughout the film up to thicknesses of at least 40 nm, as was shown by tunneling studies on each surface of the film. X-ray diffraction shows that the Bi films grow pseudomorphically as an fcc phase with the lattice parameter of 5.71 A, in contrast to the orthorhombic structure of bulk Bi. Upper critical fields were measured as a function of temperature and were several teslas. Ga films with or without seeding with Ni show only a disordered structure by x-ray diffraction. Electron-spin-polarization tunneling studies indicate that the Ni underlayers up to a thickness of about 2.0 nm are not ferromagnetic.


AcknowledgmentsCh. 1The Mistake of the Emperor Mystique3Ch. 2The Chariot and the Donkey23Ch. 3The Magician54Ch. 4Larger-than-Life92Ch. 5Christ Chameleon115Ch. 6Convergence142Ch. 7The Intimate Icon177List of Abbreviations181Notes183List of Figures205Index213


Abstract   The 1985 WHO recommendation on caesarean-section (CS) stated that CS rates over 10-15% might be clinically unnecessary. The Performance Evaluation System of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies systematically monitors the regional health performance of Tuscany, ITALY. CS rates in Pisa Teaching Hospital (TH) were the highest in Tuscany before 2018 (almost 30%), but then started to decrease, reaching the lowest values in Tuscany, around the WHO threshold (15%). We aimed to assess and demonstrate such performance improvement in Pisa TH, taking the other two THs of Tuscany as comparators. Our outcomes were NTSV CS rates (nulliparous, term pregnancy, singleton, vertex), total CS rates, Robson Class 1 CS rates, NTSV episiotomy rates, and operative delivery rates, computed annually from 2016 to 2020 in the three THs of Tuscany. We obtained data from regional administrative databases. We performed difference-in-differences to compare the average change from the pre- (2016-2017) to the post-period (2018-2020) in the outcomes between Pisa TH and the other two THs, assuming that Pisa TH implemented organizational changes at the end of 2017 to improve the hospital performance on CS. Comparing Pisa TH with the other two THs, we found a significant pre-to-post reduction in NTSV CS rates (p < 0.001), total CS rates (p = 0.016), Robson Class 1 CS rates (p = 0.039), and episiotomy rates (p = 0.059), while no significant change emerged for operative deliveries. As a result, after 2017, Pisa TH reached significantly lower NTSV CS rates (p < 0.001) and Robson Class 1 CS rates (p = 0.027) and non-significantly higher total CS rates and episiotomy rates compared to the other two THs. This case study proved beyond a mere descriptive assessment that a statistically significant performance improvement in CS and episiotomy rates occurred in Pisa TH after 2017 following organizational changes. Comparison with the pre-period trend and the other two THs of Tuscany made these findings robust and reliable. Key messages • The Performance Evaluation System allowed to benchmark the performance of Tuscan THs, revealing the worst practice of Pisa TH on CS, and fostering organizational changes to be explored qualitatively. • Such organizational changes improved hospital performance on CS rates and on the maternity pathway in general, eventually making Pisa TH the best performer on CS in Tuscany.