Since the number of superpixels is lower than that of pixels, superpixels can substantially speed up subsequent processing steps and have been widely used in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image segmentation. However, in most of the existing superpixel-wise segmentation algorithms, superpixel prediction is an isolated preprocessing step and is independent of the segmentation task. The performance of the segmentation results is determined by the accuracy of superpixels. Once superpixels are generated, their shape cannot be changed in the following segmentation stage, even if the same superpixels contain pixels of different landcovers. To address this, we propose an end-to-end trainable superpixel-wise segmentation method for single-polarization SAR images. First, we design a differentiable boundary-ware clustering method for estimating task-specific superpixels. Instead of the hard association between pixels and superpixels in the existing superpixel algorithms, this method introduces the soft association map to make the clustering differentiable. Hence, it can be implemented using a simple deep fully convolutional network. In the segmentation part, we propose a novel soft graph convolution network (Soft-GCN), which takes the association map as input and performs superpixel-wise segmentation. The advantage of our method is that superpixel generation and graph convolution parts can be trained under a unified framework, until two parts obtain the optimum parameters. In the training process, it can adaptively adjust the shape of the superpixels according to the segmentation results, ensuring the superpixels correctly adhere the boundaries. Experimental results with simulated and real SAR images demonstrate that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art segmentation algorithms, while also being faster.


Thin films of LiNixCo1−xO2 were prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique. Two important deposition parameters such as substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure during the thin film deposition were controlled. The electrochemical measurements were carried out on Li//LiNixCo1−xO2 cells with a lithium metal foil as anode and LiNixCo1−xO2 film as cathode of 1.5 cm2 active area using a Teflon home‐made cell hardware. Electrochemical titration was made by charging and discharging the cells using the galvanostatic mode of a Mac‐Pile single 608 electrochemical analyzer system in the potential range between 2.0 and 4.1 V. Specific capacity as high as 220 mC/cm2 μm was measured for the film grown at 700 °C.


This study investigates the impact of international outsourcing to low and high income countries on total factor productivity (TFP) growth based on manufacturing industry data for 14 OECD countries for the period 1995-2000. We find that both the broad and narrow measure of international outsourcing of material inputs to low income countries are not significantly related to total factor productivity growth. In contrast, there is significant impact of purchased services from abroad on TFP growth. In particular, purchased services from abroad account for 20 percent of total factor productivity growth in the manufacturing sector in the selected OECD countries.


Objective
To explore multidisciplinary team (MDT) for the treatment of hip fracture in the elderly.

Methods
A retrospective analysis was done of the 196 elderly patients who had been admitted to Department of Joint Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital from September 2017 to December 2018 for hip fractures. They were divided into 2 groups depending on whether MDT had been applied or not. In the MDT group of 102 patients, there were 43 males and 59 females with an age of 81.9±8.4 years, and 63 femoral neck fractures and 39 intertrochanteric fractures. In the traditional treatment group of 94 patients, there were 37 males and 57 females with an age of 81.3±8.6 years, and 55 femoral neck fractures and 39 intertrochanteric fractures. The 2 groups were compared in terms of complications and mortality during hospitalization, interval from admission to surgery, total hospital stay, and Harris hip scores at 6 months after surgery.

Results
There were no statistically significant differences in general data before surgery between the 2 groups, indicating comparability (P>0.05). Eighty-four patients (89.4%) in the traditional treatment group and 98 patients (96.1%) in the MDT group underwent surgery, showing no significant difference between the groups (χ2=3.327, P=0.068). In the patients undergoing surgery in the MDT group, the incidences of postoperative delirium [12.2% (12/98)], pulmonary infection [11.2% (11/98)], cardiogenic disease [13.3%(13/98)], electrolyte disturbance[12.2%(12/98)] and deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity [6.1% (6/98)] were significantly lower, the interval from admission to surgery (1.9 d±0.9 d) and total hospital stay (10.2 d±0.9 d) significantly shorter, and Harris hip scores (81.3±6.2) at 6 months after surgery significantly higher than those in the patients undergoing surgery in the traditional treatment group [31.0%(26/84), 22.6% (19/84), 25.0% (21/84), 28.6% (24/84), 16.7%(14/84); 3.1 d±1.6 d and 14.1 d±6.2 d; 75.4±7.8; respectively] (all P<0.05).

Conclusion
In the treatment of hip fracture in the elderly, multidisciplinary team is effective in reducing complications during hospitalization, shortening the interval from admission to surgery and total hospital stay, and promoting functional recovery of the hip.

Key words:
Hip fractures; Fracture fixation, intramedullary; Bone nails; Arthroplasty, replacement, hip; Multidisciplinary team


Objective: To discuss how to use the characteristics of humanity in interpersonal relationship to improve the nursing management. Methods: The necessity and the essentiality of characteristics of humanity in interpersonal relationship in nursing management are analyzed. The contents of the characteristics of humanity in interpersonal relationship are narrated, including preference of the positive stimulate, selfhood, the transitivity of the mood, being respected by others and the specifics, and the revelation in improving the nursing management is explained. Conclusions: The characteristics of humanity in interpersonal relationship should be used in nursing management and learned by head nurses to renovate the idea of management, form the option of humanity management, widen their visual field and improve the creativity.


Under the circumstances of open-up policy,China's monetary policy faces many opportunities and challenges from abroad.To ensure the efficiency of monetary policy,we should research the correlationship of many targets,find out the causes for contradictions.To realize the decided policy target,attain equilibrium of economy,we should choose the best intermediate index.


Objective To investigate the effect of Sipunculus nudus Polysaccharides(SNP)on immunological functions in mice.Methods By lymphocyte transformation test and NK cells activity test,the effects of SNP on cellular immunity were evaluated.By the hemolysin level of serum and plaque-forming cell(PFC) test of mice sensitized by sheep red blood cell(SRBC),the effect of SNP on humoral immunity was measured.Carbon clearance test was used to detect the promotion of phagocytosis function caused by SNP.Results Compared with the normal group,SNP could promote the cellular immunity and humoral immunity,and promote eyewinker's phagocytosis function of liver and spleen in mice.Conclusion SNP can stimulate the immunological function in mice.


. Nowadays, Clothing business is one of the mostimportantcomponentsinthee-commerceindustry. So, there is plenty of online clothing sites are available where people can search and retrieve the most clothing items for their user query image. Clothing genre recognition is a very active topic in computer vision and multimedia research. In the textile industry, image processing techniques provide sensitive attention in the fieldoftheimage-basedclothingrecognitionsystem.The sequence of cloth images can be given as input to the recognition system. This clothing genre recognition system helps to detect the patterns and features of cloths which helps to classify them using effective feature extraction and classification algorithms. Feature extractiontechniquescanbeusedtoobtainfeaturesfrom thecloths.Classificationalgorithmsfromsoftcomputing help to automatically classify clothes genres depending on style elements and their salient visual features. Deep learning and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier achieved better performance in classifying both upper wear and lower wear genres. The main motivations of this paper focus on automatically classifying both upper wearandlowerweargenrefromafull-bodyinputimage. Evaluation metrics like precision, recall, F-score were used to measure the classification accuracy.This paper addresses on issues, challenges, applications, frameworks, tools, and techniques for recognition of clothing genres is carriedout.


In this article, an FDSOI-based neuron is demonstrated to mimic the functionalities of LIF neuron. As the proposed device-based neuron utilizes the single transistor latch (STL) mechanism and it takes the current input and voltage output in the shape of a spike, it does not require any extra circuit for reset. Furthermore, the proposed neuron shows an impressive energy consumption per spike i.e., less than 0.11 pJ/spike for all input values under 500 nA. Interestingly, it shows a spiking frequency in MHz range, which is ~5 orders greater than the biological neuron. Hence, due to its high frequency, energy and area efficiency, equivalent to that of a biological neuron and compatibility with CMOS process, the proposed FDSOI-based LIF neuron is more appropriate for large-scale hardware implementation of a spiking neural network (SNN).


The optimal management of the subscapularis tendon during total shoulder arthroplasty remains controversial. Subscapularis mobilization is required to gain access to the glenohumeral joint during the deltopectoral approach. Failure of the subscapularis to heal, or postoperative rupture, has been associated with poor clinical outcomes. Current evidence supporting subscapularis tenotomy, lesser tuberosity osteotomy, and subscapularis peel are summarized, as surgical techniques. Regardless of technique used, an anatomic and substantial repair with heavy nonabsorbable stitches and plate augmentation is necessary to withstand gentle postoperative rehabilitation. Lack of consensus may be due to difficulty of reliable clinical assessment of subscapularis function after shoulder arthroplasty and lack of agreement between clinical studies comparing techniques.


The process of radioinduced void swelling in Ni-base superalloys was investigated. Irradiation specimens having the following compositions were used: Ni--14Cr--1Al--3.5Ti, Ni--14Cr--1Al--3.5Ti--8Mo, Ni--14Cr--4.5Al, Ni--14Cr--4.5Al--2Mo, and Ni--14Cr--4.5Al--8Mo. These alloys represent the full available range of ..gamma..'/..gamma.. precipitate mismatch used to control alloy coherency strengthening. Results are presented using slides. It is noted that experimental work is in progress to establish the mechanism of void control in these alloys. (JRD)


Objective To explore the influence of continued health education on pregnant women with abnormal umbilical cord blood flow.Methods 67 cases of pregnant women with umbilical cord blood flow S/D value abnormality were randomly divided into the observation group(n = 33) and the experimental group(n = 34).The observation group was given general health knowledge education during pregnancy,and the experimental group was given continued healthy education from the first monitoring of umbilical cord blood flow abnormality at 24 week of pregnancy to delivery inpatient,and made pregnant women master related knowledge of abnormal umbilical cord blood flow treatment,actively cooperate with treatment,compliance of medication,compliance of oxygen,check fetal movement by oneself,monitor umbilical cord blood flow regularly,adopt the best sleep supine,improve its medical compliance behavior,promote the improvement of abnormal umbilical cord blood flow or reduce it to normal,and promote the full-term fetus and pregnant women natural birth.Results The pregnant women with medical compliance behavior,S/D value down to normal during delivery,term delivery in the experimental group were higher than those of the observation group;then the cesarean section rate of the the experimental group was lower than that of the observation group;the differences were statistically significant(P 0.05).Conclusion Continued healthy education is helpful to improve the compliance behavior of pregnant women,reduce S/D value,extend gestational weeks,improve term delivery,and reduce cesarean section.


The problem of calculating the temperature distribution in an insulated slab is investigated. Exact and approximate solutions are obtained, and the results are compared to determine the ranges of applicability of the approximations. The approximations are found to be within 5 percent of the exact solution when the ratio of the thermal capacitance of the metal to that of the insulation and the ratio of the conductance of the metal to that of the insulation are sufficiently large. The roots of the characteristic equation of the exact solution are generally applicable to the two-slab heat-transfer problem and are tabulated up to the first nine roots.


Abstract : Vertical mixing in the surface layer of the ocean will affect phytoplankton growth by changing the light field to which cells are exposed. Conversely, indicators of phytoplankton photoacclimation should be diagnostic of mixing processes. A combination of laboratory and field experimental work, field observations, and theoretical models were used to quantify the relationship between vertical mixing and photoacclimation in determining the time and space evolution of single cell optical properties for the photosynthetic picoplankton, Prochiorococcus spp. Diel time-series observations from the Sargasso Sea revealed patterns in single-cell fluorescence distributions within Prochiorococcus spp. populations which correspond to decreasing mixing rates and photoacclimation during the day, and increased mixing at night. Reciprocal light shift experiments were used to quantify the photoacclimation kinetics for Prochicrococcus spp. fluorescence. In addition, a continuous culture system was developed which could simulate the effects of mixing across a light gradient at the level of the individual cell. When this system was operated at four different simulated diffusivities, Prochiorococcus marinus strain Med4 fluorescence distributions showed distinct patterns in the mean and higher moments which are consistent with a simple quasi-steady turbulent diffusion-photoacclimation model. Daytime photoacclimation drove the development of a gradient in mean fluorescence, a decrease in variance overall, and skewing of distributions away from the boundaries. These results suggest that picophytoplankton single-cell fluorescence distributions could prove to be a useful diagnostic indicator of the mixing environment.


Fungi are widespread in our environment. During the past decade, concern has increased about the quality of air at home, in workplaces, and in public buildings. Although fungi should not grow indoors owing to potential health problems, many cases of fungal contamination in indoor environments exist. Outdoor fungal propagules enter homes and buildings through doors; windows; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems; and the clothing and footwear of occupants. Fungal spores, metabolites, and mycotoxins have affected the health of some individuals. The laboratorian should be aware of fungal contamination in indoor environments.


Elastoplastic finite element analyses were performed to determine the effects of elastic anisotropy on surface settlements caused by a uniform surface loading and by tunnelling. For typical ranges of elastic cross-anisotropic parameters, the effect of anisotropy on settlement induced by surface loading is modest; however, for the case of tunnelling, the effect of elastic anisotropy, in particular the ratio of the independent shear modulus Gvh, to vertical modulus Ev, should be considered if reasonable predictions of settlement are to be obtained. The practical implications of these find- ings are shown by considering the centrifugal model tunnel tests conducted at Cambridge University. It is found that the anisotropy has a significant effect on the shape of the settlement trough and that reasonable agreement between observa-tion and theory is obtained for Gvh/Ev, of between 0·2 and O·25, which is smaller thanthe isotropic value of Gvh/Ev, = 0·33 (for the undrained condition). The reasons for this are disc...


In many cases, the advantages of electro-thermal processes vis-a-vis conventional methods only become apparent once the electro-thermal process has been optimized in the context of its interaction with the overall industrial production process and any disadvantages associated with the electro-thermal process have been eliminated. Melting furnaces incorporating high-power channel-type inductors for copper alloys have already distinguished themselves by their achievement of high productivity and product-metal quality. The electric heating method's relatively high primary energy consumption and its low refractory lives have frequently had a negative effect on the overall economic analysis, however. This article illustrates the way in which the development of new high-power inductors with a low energy consumption and a high service-life has made possible a quantum leap in the cost-efficiency of copper alloy melting. A consistent analysis and evaluation of all the relevant parameters, the use of modern simulation and measuring methods, and the holistic optimization of inductor design formed the basis for this significant advance. The utilization of such innovative inductors in a number of copper and copper alloy melting installations, and in one of the world's largest brass foundries, provides sound proof of the success of this development.


An extracellular cellulase which was highly active in solubilizing the highly hydrogen bond-ordered cellulose in cotton fibre was found in a culture filtrate of the anaerobic fungus, Neocallimastix frontalis, isolated from the rumen of a sheep. The cellulase was several-fold more active in solubilizing cotton fibre per unit of endo-1,4-β-glucanase than the cellulase of the aerobic fungus Trichoderma reesei mutant strain C-30, which is one of the most active cellulases isolated so far.


The low energy spectrum of a zigzag graphene ribbon contains two gapless bands with highly non-linear dispersion, (cid:15) ( k ) = ±| π − k | W , where W is the width of the ribbon. The corresponding states are located at the two opposite zigzag edges. Their presence reflects the fact that the clean ribbon is a quasi one dimensional system naturally fine-tuned to the topological multicritical point. This quantum critical point separates a topologically trivial phase from the topological one with the index W . Here we investigate the influence of the (chiral) symmetry-preserving disorder on such a multicritical point. We show that the system harbors delocalized states with the localization length diverging at zero energy in a manner consistent with the W = 1 critical point. The same is true regarding the density of states (DOS), which exhibits the universal Dyson singularity, despite the clean DOS being substantially dependent on W . On the other hand, the zero-energy localization length critical exponent, associated with the lattice staggering, is not universal and depends on the topological index W .


OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display) microdisplay is useful in near‐to‐eye applications like head mounted virtual reality displays and glass‐like augmented reality displays. With its ultra‐high pixel density above 3000 PPI (pixel per inch), the OLED microdisplay has very high display resolution while its physical size is rather small, typically less than one inch. Traditional microdisplay are analog driven with the serial scan sequential from the first pixel to the last pixel. This paper proposes a novel atomized scan strategy based on the digital fractal scan strategy with the pseudo‐random scan order. A color OLED microdisplay with 1600(*3)*1600 display resolution is designed and fabricated. It is driven with the digital atomized scan strategy. The test results show that the gray level of the microdisplay reaches 256 with the 50MHz pixel clock. The contrast and the power of the microdisplay are improved compared with the traditional analog drive OLED microdisplay.


The specific character of radiant energy is analyzed and the arguments in favour of not electromagnetic nature of light are resulted. It is shown, that the exchange of radiant energy is caused by spatial heterogeneity of scalar field of radiations and its motive power is the gradient of peak - frequency potential of a wave.


∗UAVhas beenwidely used in aerial photography, agriculture, entertainment, security and other fields, which has helped the industrial upgrading, but also brought potential safety hazards. Therefore, the research on UAV detection and recognition technology is of great significance. This paper first introduces the background and significance of UAV identification based on RF signal, then briefly describes the basic principle of this technology, then focuses on the research status of the technology and makes a comparative analysis, and finally gives the problems to be solved and the development trend in the future.


From year 2010,we will enter the stage of"Twelfth Five Years Plan".The article reviews the world economics and our economic situation in the past five years,analyzes the threats and opportunities of Guangdong Regional Pearl River Delta in next five years,and makes predictions about the development tendency of domestic and overseas and Guangdong regional Pearl River Delta.


Nineteenth century Britain witnessed an increased interest with the Orient, largely as a result of the imperial expansion that reached its peak during that time. India was one of the main Oriental interests of the Victorians because of the political, commercial, religious and scientific passion of the nineteenth century people in India. For that reason, various Victorian authors who wrote about India were mostly characterized as being orientalist and writing in a biased way. One such example of this was Joseph Rudyard Kipling. This, as Edward Said explains, was because nineteenth century writers were aware of the empire's authority. However, I propose that Wilkie Collins tended to have a positive attitude towards the Orient in his novel The Moonstone and towards the Brahmins specifically, which is an attitude that deviates from what is currently known about him. To argue this, the paper will analyse the narrative techniques and the reflection of some of the characters' attitudes towards the Orient that Collins adopts in his novel in order to allow Victorian readers to challenge the stereotyped beliefs of the Orient. It will also comment on Collins's employment of the sensational sub-genre particularly to draw his own attitude of the Orient.


Scattering of electromagnetic waves from a 2D groove fllled with a lossy dielectric in an inflnite conducting plane is modeled using the method of auxiliary sources. The scattering structure contain two mediums (perfectly electric conductor and the lossy dielectric) considered as strongly coupled. According to the MAS, in order to approximate the electromagnetic flelds in each domain, flc- titious current sources verifying the Helmoltz equation in the considered domain are introduced and distributed around the physical boundary. Three bases of AS must be taken into account, the satisfaction of the respective boundary con- ditions between the dielectric, the PEC and the upper free space model the strong coupling afiecting the structure. Therefore, the scattered fleld is the superposition of the scattered flelds by the two mediums. The implementation code was realized with Mathematica, and the numerical results (RCS, near fleld) agree very well with references. The MAS in conjunction with the EM coupling model is able to analyze the scattering from flnite gratings.


Background/Aims: This study was to evaluate the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in diagnosing suspected chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. Methods: EUS was performed on 48 patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) for recurrent episodes of alcohol induced pancreatitis. According to the ERP findings, the patients were divided into two groups: the group I showing normal pancreatogram (n=18) and the group II showing abnormal dilatated pancreatogram of Cambridge classification II or higher (n=30). EUS evaluated parenchymal changes (inhomogeneity, interlobular septae, echogenic foci, pseudocyst) and ductal changes (dilatation, tortuosity, thickened wall, stone or calcification, and side branch ectasia). Results: Group I showed one or more abnormal parenchymal features were found in 17 patients (94.4%), two or more in 11 patients (61.1%), and three or more in 6 patients (33.3%). However, no abnormal ductal features were found in the Group I. In the group II, all patients had three or more abnormal EUS features. Conclusions: EUS shows definite parenchymal changes in patients suspected of having chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. Therefore, EUS can be an useful diagnostic tool in the early stage of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis.


Objective To determine the spectrum and drug resistance of no-pseudomonas aeruginosa in respiratory intensive care unit(RICU),and to provide basis for proper use of antibiotics and prevent and control infection in the hospital.Methods The data on drug resistance of no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the RICU in our hospital from 2004 to 2008 was retrospectively analyzed.Results Totally 108 strains of no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated,of which 66 were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains(66.11%),29 were Burkholderia cepacia strains(26.85%).Sputum was the main source of no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa(96.30%,104 /108).The results of drug susceptibility showed that the resistance rate of no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa to most drugs were high;the resistance rates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia to minocycline,gatifloxacin and levofloxacin were low,being 3.45%,29.63% and 33.33% respectively;the resistance rates of Burkholderia cepacia to meropenem and piperacillin/tazobactam were lowest,being 24.00% and 28.57% respectively.Conclusion The most common strains of no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa are Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Burkholderia cepacia,and the most common site of infection is lower respiratory tract.The no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa shows high and multiple drug resistance,so clinical treatment of no-Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection should be based on the results of the drug susceptibility tests.


A high-performance quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) is reported, which consists of a TiO2/CuInS2-QDs/CdS/ZnS photoanode, a polysulfide electrolyte, and a CuS counter electrode. The sensitization process involves attaching presynthesized CuInS2 QDs (3.5 nm) to a TiO2 substrate with a bifunctional linker, followed by coating CdS with successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and ZnS as the last SILAR layer for passivation. This process constructs a sensitizing layer that comprises CdS nanocrystals, closely packed around the earlier-linked CuInS2 QDs, which serve as the pillars of the layer. The CuS counter electrode, prepared via successive ionic solution coating and reaction, has a small charge transfer resistance in the polysulfide electrolyte. The QDSSC exhibits a short-circuit photocurrent (Jsc) of 16.9 mA cm−2, an open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) of 0.56 V, a fill factor of 0.45, and a conversion efficiency of 4.2% under one-sun illumination. The heterojunction between the CuInS2 QDs and CdS extends both the optical absorption and incident photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectra of the cell to a longer wavelength of approximately 800 nm, and provides an IPCE of nearly 80% at 510 nm. The high TiO2 surface coverage of the sensitizers suppresses recombination of the photogenerated electrons. This results in a longer lifetime for the electrons, and therefore, the high Voc value. The notably high Jsc and Voc values demonstrate that this sensitization strategy, which exploits the quantum confinement reduction and other synergistic effects of the CuInS2-QDs/CdS/ZnS heterostructure, can potentially outperform those of other QDSSCs.


We propose and verify in an experiment a wavelet transform approach for analysis of x-ray absorption anisotropy (XAA) patterns recorded using a broadband polychromatic x-ray beam. XAA results from the interference between an incident plane wave with spherical waves scattered from atoms inside the sample. This interference modifies the total x-ray field amplitude at the sites of absorbing atoms and effectively changes the atomic absorption cross section. XAA is monitored by measuring the secondary yield while the sample is rotated relative to the incident-beam direction. For broadband polychromatic hard x-ray illumination, owing to the short coherence length, significant anisotropy in absorption is only found close to directions of the incident radiation coinciding with interatomic directions. In this work, we show that the signals from individual atoms have the same universal shape and differ only in the scale and angular position. Combined with the directional localization this allows us to construct a spherical wavelet family matched to the shape of the observed signal. Application of the wavelet transform to experimental x-ray absorption anisotropy has provided high-resolution projections of the local atomic structure in an InAs crystal up to the sixth coordination shell. While in a recent work XAA delivered a three-dimensional image of the unit cell obtained through a tomographic algorithm, the wavelet approach provides projections of the local structure of absorber atoms with depth resolution and does not depend on the translational long-range order. This opens a way for a quantitative analysis of polychromatic beam x-ray absorption anisotropy for local structure imaging.


A description is given of incontinentia pigmenti, with special reference to the various clinical stages and the theories of the causes of the condition. One case seen in a girl is described. The case was characterized by a very severe vesicular stage and marked eosinophilia in the blood as well as in the skin lesions. Herpes simplex virus could be regularly demonstrated in fluid from fresh vesicles. The neutralization test for herpes simplex showed no increase in the antibody titer of the patient, while during the following months an increase in titer was noted in the mother. At 2 years of age the child was normally developed, apart from a somewhat retarded eruption of the decidous teeth.


The response of the connector of the radiating elements in antenna arrays greatly influences the behavior of the overall system. In this work we present a novel yet simple procedure for the effective extraction of the connector response. Our method allows the calculation of the exact response of the connector by means of the solution of a linear system of equations obtained from the measurement of the impedance matrix of a test array and its simulated value. Once the connector response has been obtained in a simple test case the connector model can be used in the analysis and synthesis of a wide class of problems.


Passenger transport demand analysis is strategically important in mastering ever-changing market for each transport mode. In order to improve the predict accuracy in complex reality situation, the ARMA-GRNN technique is proposed to capture both the linear and nonlinear perspectives of the intercity passenger demand forecast problem. Taking flight demand from 1991 to 2008 in Beijing-Shanghai corridor as an example, the numerical experiment results demonstrate that after subtract from the linear part by AR, the GRNN network based on principal component analysis can effectively fit the non-linear section with maximum error 1.08%.


The application of illuminated rutile TiO2 powder modified with a metal cocatalyst to the overall water splitting into H2 and O2 was studied. Although unmodified rutile exhibited little activity, modification with a suitable amount of Pt nanoparticles resulted in observable H2 and O2 evolution from pure water under band-gap irradiation. Pt-loaded rutile TiO2 exhibited stable and high photocatalytic activity in pure water. The photocatalytic performance is much lower under acidic and basic conditions, due to a photo-corrosion effect and inefficient water reduction process, respectively.


Under natural restrictions it is known that a nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation is a Hamiltonian PDE which defines a symplectic flow on a symplectic Hilbert space preserving the Hilbert norm. When the potential is one-periodic in time and after passing to the projectivization, it makes sense to ask whether the natural analogue of the Arnold conjecture holds. After employing methods from non-standard model theory, we show how Hamiltonian Floer theory can be used to prove the existence of infinitely many fixed points of the time-one flow of nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations of convolution type.


WE SEE and perceive football in many different ways. A football fans' or TVwatcher's view of football differs from that of e.g., a football player, referee or trainer. These experts may also hold quite different views among themselves. Sports reporters present yet another picture of football. This picture is characterized by spectacles and exceptional incidents in play which is clearly seen in the selection of the angle and objects of description. The difference between our views and the variety of football pictures derive from our diverse perceptions and experiences but also from the angle from which we, at the moment, are viewing football. Scientists also perceive football in different ways depending on what field of study they represent. A game theorist sees in football primarily the application of game strategy, a physiologist is interested in the game as a physiological function and a psychologist is concerned with its psychic character: &dquo;What is characteristic of football? To achieve enjoyment and relief through forgetting oneself. Yet, every match is also a performance (Leistling) and in a given sense an adventure, but


In this paper, we propose a fuzzy rule-based system that performs position control for futures trading. The fuzzy position controller enables a trading agent to balance in the amount of bought and sold futures. Each fuzzy if-then rule in the fuzzy rule-based system has weights. The weights are updated every settlement based on the result of the futures trade. That is, the fuzzy position controller performs an off-line learning. In our computer simulations, we evaluate the performance of a trading agent with the fuzzy position controller. We show through our computer simulations that the fuzzy rule-based system improves the trading performance in a virtual futures market.


In this paper, the performance of uncoded uplink transmissions in a broadband code division multiple access (CDMA) system using tapped delay line (TDL) antenna array under multipath conditions is investigated. An expression for broadband CDMA system is derived to calculate the optimal weights of TDL antenna array. Using the derived broadband expression, the performance of TDL antenna array is investigated and compared with that of the already existing narrowband systems. Simulation results show that TDL antenna array can reduce multipath fading and multiple access interference (MAI). It is shown that if the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) level is maintained at 20 dB and two‐ray channel model is used, two antennas with four taps each can support 30 users with a BER of 10−3. If three‐ray channel model is used, the same antenna arrangement is not enough to support 30 users. To support these 30 users with BER of 10−3, the number of taps needs to be increased to eight. Finally, the number of taps needs to be further increased to 16 if four‐ray channel model is used. Not only that, the SNR should also be increased to 25 dB to achieve the same BER. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This article allows for both sole-ownership enterprises and joint ventures as forms of integrated production organizations in an economic environment with contract incompleteness and relationship-specificity. When joint ventures are possible, the variable profit of integrated production organizations is always higher than that of outsourcing organizations. We then explore welfare effects of ownership restrictions imposed by a developing country (the South) with the assumption of no cash constraints. We show a decline in Southern welfare and world welfare. We then assume there are cash constraints on Southern agents and show that the equity share chosen by foreign agents is higher than the efficient level, in which case some degree of ownership restriction may improve the world welfare. However, if there is no international discipline on ownership restrictions, the ownership restriction level chosen by the Southern government tends to be overacted and will deteriorate the world welfare. Copyright 2011 Oxford University Press 2010 All rights reserved, Oxford University Press.


From risk and income perspectives,this article analyzes corporate social responsibility activities of 766 listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen Securities Exchange.The findings show that corporate social responsibility activities consume many resources irrelevant to production and operation activities and lower financial income,which directly gives rise to the fact that a number of Chinese enterprises are unwilling to assume corporate social responsibility.However,the study also indicates that since corporate social responsibility activities can win the trust and support of stakeholders,those enterprises which are actively engaged in social responsibility activities demonstrate low performance volatility and stable development in comparison with general enterprises.


It is known that the several-times irradiation of a short pulse laser with fluence near the ablation threshold on material induces self-organization of fine periodic surface structures (so called LIPSS: laser induced periodic surface structure) with periodic interspaces Ʌ smaller than the laser wavelength ʎ. In particular, LIPSS such as Ʌ ≪ ʎ are called "fine LIPSS". And they are attracting much attention as a method of processing for structures finer than the diffraction limit of laser light. However, their formation mechanism has not been clarified yet. To clarify the formation mechanism of LIPSS, in-situ observation is an effective way. However, the measurement of the small periodic interspaces with fast time scale (comparable to the laser pulse duration) are the difficulties. On a way to in-situ observation, we have reported the LIPSS formation on semiconductors irradiated by mid-infrared Free-Electron Laser (MIR-FEL). Their periodic interspaces are several micrometers and therefore can be measured by visible light. In this presentation, we compared the features of LIPSSs by MIR-FEL to the several models applied to LIPSSs by near-infrared or visible light lasers. Through this discussion, we estimated the temporal resolution needed for in-situ observation.


In conventional FORC (First Order Reversal Curve) analysis of a magnetic system, reversible and low-coercivity irreversible materials are treated as being qualitatively different: the FORC distribu...


Abstract The composition of Italian industrial lemon petitgrain oil has been examined by HPLC-GC/MS (ITD), GC/MS (quadrupole) and GC using GC capillary SE-52 and Carbowax 20 M columns. A total of 66 compounds have been identified, which represent 98–99% of the whole oil. Among the oxygenated compounds identified, aldehydes were found in highest proportions. 1,8-Cineole, which is either absent or present only as trace in the other Citrus petitgrains, represented 1.1–2.1% of lemon petitgrain oil. Lemon petitgrain oil is more similar to lemon peel oil, than the other Citrus petitgrain oils to the correspondent peel oils.


Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can stimulate angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, which are crucial processes in the growth and metastasis of tumour cells.1,2 The immunohistochemical status of VEGF protein expression in tumour tissue of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) has not yet been evaluated. Herein, we investigated VEGF protein expression, as well as its prognostic value in cutaneous ENKTL patients.

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Authors of a new study identified four strategies for cervical cancer screening that maximize benefits while reducing the potential for harm.


The usage of gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in the differentiation of heart failure related to dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease has been demonstrated in previously published studies. It currently remains one of the basic methods for assessing myocardial ischemia, which has been reflected in many international guidelines, including those of the European Society of Cardiology (1-3). Also, T2 mapping for myocardial edema, cine CMR for regional wall motion abnormalities, rest first pass and adenosine stress perfusion are well sanctioned methods of myocardial ischemia assessment, also used in patients with acute coronary syndromes (4-6).


The Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna are the three major river systems which flow through both India and Bangladesh and create flood problems in the respective basin areas during monsoon months in both the countries almost every year. The basin scenario and also the flood scenario of the three rivers have been described in brief in the paper. It has been stated by the author that the measures taken by the two countries, both structural and non-structural, have shown positive results in a limited space only without much effect. Specially, the problem in Bangladesh has not been solved so far. The author has suggested that joint measures are to be taken on the basis of mutual understanding and regional co-operation between different affected countries, specially between India and Bangladesh in order to minimise the flood hazards in both the countries. Side-by-side peoples' participation on regional co-operative basis would minimise the losses due to floods.


Industrial facility's often have very complex electrical systems and equipment. Much of this equipment was installed many years or even decades ago and therefore may have deteriorate into an unsafe condition. All too often equipment covers are left off or are not properly fastened in place, there are unused openings that have not been effectively closed, and listing and labeling requirements are not adhered to. Another major issue is that sufficient access and working space is not maintained about all electric equipment to permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of such equipment. Regularly scheduled electrical safety inspections can assist in identifying these deficiencies, as well as other electrical safety issues that may put personnel at risk from electrical hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have developed regulations and standards that, if adhered to, can reduce the hazardous conditions that are identified through electrical safety inspections or assessments.


Transparent amplified all-optical networks using conventional fibre amplifiers are vulnerable to transient interchannel cross-saturation when they undergo dynamic reconfigurations. Because the amplifiers saturate on a total-power basis, addition or removal of channels in a multi-access wavelength-routed network will tend to perturb channels at other wavelengths, which share all or part of the route. We present theoretical and experimental results of surviving channel power fluctuations in a cascade of five erbium-doped fibre amplifiers (EDFA) caused by channel addition/removal in networks employing all-optical routing and suggest measures leading to suppression of these power fluctuations. Application of all-optical gain-clamping, pump-power-loss-controlled EDFA and highly inverted amplifiers is discussed in detail.


Two hours following the subcutaneous injection of 10.0 mg/kg Polymyxin B, a histamine liberator, 90% of the rats tested had gastric hemorrhages. Epinephrine was the most effective agent tested for prevention of the gastric lesions. Antihistaminics such as cyproheptadine, chlorpheniramine and pyrilamine were also active. Chlorpromazine and Dibenzyline were active but required high doses to provide protection. Anticholinergic drugs and an antacid were not effective against the Polymyxin B lesions. The pharmacological data, combined with experiments on the effect of Polymyxin B on gastric secretion, indicated that the production of lesions was due to gastric vascular changes with no involvement of the gastric secretory mechanism. The data also suggest that drug antagonism of Polymyxin B gastric lesions can be ascribed to a general effect of the drugs on the cardiovascular action of released histamine rather than to the direct antagonistic effect on the gastric vasculature.


Many of us have resumed in-person learning following pandemic lockdowns, and it may be apparent that some of our old "tried and true" teaching strategies are not working as effectively as they once did. Students' and teachers' dispositions toward school have changed, and it is our responsibility to adapt to those changes. That said, what a wonderful opportunity to rethink our practice and consider incorporating new instructional strategies and classroom procedures in our orchestras! One such strategy that can be highly effective in improving both student performance level and morale is peerassisted learning, or PAL. PAL has been referenced in educational literature using multiple terms, such as peer learning, peer tutoring, peer teaching, and peer mentoring. While there are subtle differences among these terms, Topping and colleagues (2017) provide a succinct definition for all PAL-related terms, defining the interaction as "people from similar social groupings who are not professional teachers helping each other to learn and learning themselves by teaching." In our orchestra classrooms, this consists of a designated student (the tutor) assisting one or more of their classmates (the tutee) to review and reinforce musical and academic course content presented previously during teacher-led instruction. PAL is a great tool to help support fundamental performance skills such as posture or bow hold, and implementing PAL helps develop student musicianship through structured sectionals or chamber music. While there are several instructional strategies to choose from to change up your classroom routine, PAL offers a way to target academic, musical, social-emotional, and pedagogical aspects of your practice. This article will outline strategies for establishing a large-scale PAL program in your orchestra(s) that will help you address individual student needs and reduce your time spent lecturing. By building on established research in PAL and previous articles in American String Teacher, the goal of this article was to provide you with a toolkit that you can draw from to best serve the needs of your students rather than a proscriptive, "one size fits all" methodology.


Only the wheels of this overloaded truck were visible after activists jumped on board for a free ride home from Athlone yesterday.


The present invention provides a method for connecting a first component (102) to a second component (104) by means of electromagnetic pulse welding in the motor vehicle sector, wherein the weld formed during the welding of the first and second components (102, 104) extends in a substantially planar manner in a plane perpendicular to a joining direction (122) along which the first and/or second component (102, 104) is/are moved in order to weld said components to each other.


Externally added fibroblast growth factor‐1 (FGF‐1) is capable of crossing cellular membranes to reach the cytosol and the nucleus in a number of cell types. We have monitored the translocation of the growth factor by two methods: phosphorylation of FGF‐1, and prenylation of an FGF‐1 mutant that contains a C‐terminal prenylation signal. Inhibition of endosomal acidification by ammonium chloride or monensin did not block the translocation of FGF‐1, whereas bafilomycin A1, a specific inhibitor of vacuolar proton pumps, blocked translocation completely. A combination of ionophores expected to dissipate the vesicular membrane potential (valinomycin plus monensin) also fully inhibited the translocation. The inhibition of translocation by bafilomycin A1 was overcome in the presence of monensin or nigericin, while ouabain blocked translocation under these conditions. The data indicate that translocation of FGF‐1 to cytosol occurs from the lumen of intracellular vesicles possessing vacuolar proton pumps, and that a vesicular membrane potential is required. Apparently, activation of vesicular Na+/K+‐ATPase by monensin or nigericin generates a membrane potential that can support translocation when the proton pump is blocked.


Based on the information disclosure,portfolio and its components risk measurement are studied.In order to hold more risk information in portfolio,this paper present using g-h distribution to calculate portfolio VaR and using asymmetry response model to decompose portfolio VaR.The result shows employing VaR measure portfolio risk and decomposing portfolio VaR are propitious to disclosure risk information in portfolio and control risk for investors and the regulatory.


Developed countries have had a number of years' head-start on the design and development of road safety interventions when compared to least-developed countries. Consequently and fortunately, most least developed countries (LDCs) can now look to more developed countries for potential technology transfer solutions: policy-makers in LDCs can benefit from the successes (and mistakes) of developed countries. In adopting road safety solutions from developed countries, however, LDC policy-makers must consider the policy instruments and institutions at their disposal. Successful knowledge transfer involves the careful selection not only of proven products and processes, but of the methods of their implementation. In particular, the institutional differences between developed and developing countries are essential variables which if not effectively accounted for can lead to policy failure even when the technology involved has been thoroughly tested. This paper argues that successful knowledge transfer requires a clear understanding of the available implementation methods and, for this reason, an overview of current literature regarding public policy transfer and diffusion is presented, with particular emphasis on the role of institutions in the policy implementation process. To illustrate and accentuate the two central factors of the technology transfer process, the theoretical concept of 'twin loops' is set out. The twin loops represent: (1) the product or procedure; and (2) the method by which the technology is to be implemented. The method loop is likely to pose the greater challenge for policy-makers because, while proven road safety products and processes are likely to require few adjustments before being transferred to LDCs, the implementation method options vary considerably with institutional differences.


Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (EM) has emerged as important opportunistic pathogens that can cause sporadic nosocomial outbreaks as well as infections in neonates. They are known for their multidrug resistance and their unique susceptibility pattern. Present study is a retrospective single centre study where the sensitivity pattern and comorbidities associated with infection by this organism is systematically being noted. All samples received in the microbiology lab and yielding EMas identified by automated method (Vitek2, Biomerieux) from October 2020 to September 2021 were included in the study. The strains were re-identified to species level by polymerase chain reaction amplification of 16s r RNA gene.All samples where clinical significance could not be proven and repeat samples from same patient were excluded from analysis. The case sheets of the patients were collected from record section and analyzed for presence of various risk factors.In this study 57 patients were included withmean age of patients being 47.12 and most of the patients belonged to 51-60 age group (22.81%).Most common sample of isolation was blood (57.89%) followed by respiratory samples (26.32%). Majority (89.28%) of patients were in ICU and most of the infections were hospital acquired (92.9%).  Mean duration of ICU stay before isolation was 13.8±8.07. Other major associated factors were diabetes mellitus (42.86%), high dose steroid use (57.14%) and post COVID pneumonia (35.71%). The isolates were resistant to betalactams and combination agents; minocycline (98.2%) followed by cotrimoxazole (47.2%) and levofloxacin (45.6%) and ciprofloxacin (35.1%) were the most useful antibiotics.EM is an emerging nosocomial pathogen in ICU setting. Clinicians and microbiologists need to be aware of its unique sensitivity pattern. In contrast to previous studies we find a high degree of resistance to tigecycline and piperacillintazobactam. Thus in planning combination regimen this should be kept in mind.


In this paper we propose a new way to verify eligible voters in a blockchain election. Usually verifying a voter in a list of eligible voters is done using linear search-based algorithms which runs with a worst-case time complexity of O(N) or O(kN). Our system shall use a Merkle tree to implement a search algorithm which runs with a worst-case time complexity of O(Log (N)). Under normal circumstances, when there are 1,000,000 eligible voters, the server would have to scan through 1,000,000 voter address hashes in order to verify a voter. In our system, only 20 hashes will be checked in order to verify a voter. The number of hashes required to calculate the number of hashes needed to process can be found out by getting the logarithm value of the number of hashes, to the base 2 since our Merkle tree has a branching factor of 2. A logarithmic algorithm will exponentially reduce the time and make the eligibility verification process more efficient. Since we are hashing the addresses of the voters before creating the tree, the privacy of the voters shall also be maintained. Instead of using a centralized database for handling the vote requests, we shall use a blockchain database in order to make this system decentralized. Making the system decentralized will make it almost impossible to tamper with the results of the election as once the election is deployed, even the owner of the election that is, the address that deploys the smart contract cannot tamper with the results or the functions in the deployed smart contract.


A production thermal spraying test programme has been undertaken at a U.S. Naval Shipyard with the aim of maintaining or upgrading parts by thermal spraying to improve the cost effectiveness of current repair methods. Evaluation of the various process available led to selection of arc spray and plasma spray for further testing and assessment. The materials investigated included arc-sprayed stainless steel, plasma-sprayed aluminium oxide and plasma-sprayed aluminium-oxide-titanium dioxide coatings. The David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Centre will monitor the performance of the sprayed parts for four years.


The temperature dependence of resistance, a.c. susceptibility, specific heat, XPS and x-ray diffraction were measured both in single-phase Ba/sub 2/YCu/sub 3/O/sub 9//sub --//sub delta/ and multiphase Ba/sub x/Y/sub 1-//sub x/CuO/sub 3-//sub y/ samples, respectively, with different compositions prepared under various sintering conditions. The experimental results support the view that bulk superconductivity exists in these compounds. We also found that the Ba/sub 2/YCu/sub 3/O/sub 9-//sub delta/ phase plays an important part in the superconductivity of the multiphase samples, and the high density of electronic states at the Fermi level is usually associated with the high T/sub c/. Only 0.5% (x = 0.005) content of Ba still leads to high T/sub c/ superconductivity which should not be attributed to the interface. As a result, we may not rule out the possibility that the Ba atom acts as an impurity to affect the electronic structure, thus leading to superconductivity. It has also been observed that the M-S (metal-semiconductor) transition, which might be driven by the electrons, occurs near x = 0.


The aim of this tutorial is to present practical techniques for structuring objects, with a particular focus on implementation strategies for making object structure explicit. Programming language support for encapsulation is primarily provided at the class or module level. Design methods merrily talk of object composition and aggregation, but there is little effective support provided in programming languages for direct representation of these abstractions in code. Typically composite structures are The tutorial will present the notion of object ownership, its underlying theory based on the graph theoretical notion of domination, and programming idioms for representing and maintaining ownership.


The problem of characterizing transfer functions of Analog to Digital Converters (ADC) for use in compensation of Time Interleaved Analog to Digital Converters (TIADC) is ubiquitous in the area of mismatch correction algorithms. Identifying, classifying, and quantifying the presence of errors in ADCs and TIADCs is fundamental in the pursuit of correcting these errors. This problem, characterization of error effects, is investigated through calculation of higher order cumulants on the error signals of each type of system. The concept of cumulant calculation and interpretation is presented and applied to varying error environments and input signals.


Let K be a commutative field; an algorithmic approach to residue symbols defined on a Noetherian K-algebra R has been developed. It is used to prove an effective Nullstellensatz for polynomials defined over infinite factorial rings A equipped with a size. This result extends (and slightly improves) the previous work of the authors in the case A = Z. Let p1, . . . , pM be polynomials in n variables with coefficients in an integral domain A, and respective degrees D1 ≥ D2 ≥ · · · ≥ DM , with no common zeros in an integral closure of the quotient field K of A. It follows from the versions of the Hilbert Nullstellensatz in [B], [CGH], [Ko] that one can find an element r0 ∈ A\{0} and polynomials qj ∈ A[x] such that r0 = M ∑ j=1 qjpj (1) with a priori estimates on the degrees max j deg qj ≤ (3/2)D1 · · ·Dμ, where μ = min{n,M} and ι = max{j : 1 ≤ j < μ − 1, Dj = 2}. When A = Z, using analytic methods, and mainly integral representation formulas and multidimensional residues in C, one can show [BGVY, Section 5] that system (1) can be solved with the estimates  max j deg qj ≤ n(2n+ 1)(3/2) μ ∏ j=1 Dj , maxh(qj) ≤ κ(n)D 1 ( μ ∏ j=1 Dj )8 (h+ logM +D1 logD1), (2) for the Mahler size h(qj) in terms of the maximal Mahler size h of the original polynomials pj . Recall that the Mahler size of p ∈ Z[x1, . . . , xn] is given by h(p) = ∫ [0,1]n log |p(e1 , . . . , en)| dθ . For A = Z, one can also recover the estimate for log |r0|, implicit in (2), from the Arithmetic Bezout Theorem (see [Ph2],[BGS, Theorem 5.4.4]), which shows that Received by the editors April 15, 1996. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 14Q20; Secondary 13F20, 14C17, 32C30.


Abstract Women have entered the field of law enforcement in increasing numbers and played a critical role in the development of modern policing. Yet the number of women in law enforcement has remained small and the pace of increase slow. The present study was conducted to evaluate the status of women and their progress within one large law enforcement agency. At the time of the survey administration, only 2.65% of the sworn personnel within this agency were female. Thus, all of the female (N = 69), minority male (N = 293), and a random sample of the white male (N= 301) sworn personnel were administered a lengthy questionnaire assessing their personal and professional characteristics, health and well-being, attitudes toward diversity in policing, and a wide range of experiences and opinions regarding agency policies and practices. Findings suggest that considerable progress has been achieved for women in law enforcement, but barriers continue to exist.


Pyrauxite powder of high surface acfivity is obtained by means of co-grinding pyrauxite with additives. The effect of co-grinding aid and the mechanism of proliferation of surface activity are studied.


The IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample (RBGS) comprises galaxies and unresolved mergers stronger than S = 5.24 Jy at λ = 60 μm with Galactic latitudes ∣b∣ > 5°. Nearly all are dusty star-forming galaxies whose radio continuum and far-infrared luminosities are proportional to their current rates of star formation. We used the MeerKAT array of 64 dishes to make 5 × 3 minutes snapshot observations at ν = 1.28 GHz covering all 298 southern (J2000 δ < 0°) RBGS sources identified with external galaxies. The resulting images have θ ≈ 7.″5 FWHM resolution and rms fluctuations σ ≈ 20 μJy beam−1 ≈ 0.26 K low enough to reveal even faint disk emission. The rms position uncertainties are σ α ≈ σ δ ≈ 1″ relative to accurate near-infrared positions, and the image dynamic ranges are DR ≳ 104: 1. Cropped MeerKAT images of all 298 southern RBGS sources are available in FITS format from 10.48479/dnt7-6q05.


Transform-domain adaptive signal processing proved to be very successful in very many applications especially where systems with long impulse responses are to be evaluated. The popularity of these methods is due to the efficiency of the fast signal transformation algorithms and that of the block oriented adaptation mechanisms. The applicability of the fast sliding transformation algorithms is investigated for transform domain adaptive signal processing. It is shown that these sliding transformers may contribute to a better distribution of the computational load along time and therefore enable higher sampling rates. It is also shown that the execution time of the widely used overlap-save and overlap-add algorithms can also be shortened. The prize to be paid for this improvements is the increase of the end-to-end delay which in certain configurations may cause some degradation of the tracking capabilities of the overall system. Fortunately, however, there are versions where this delay does not hurt the capabilities of the adaptation technique applied.


Connection of distributed generation makes power systems more complicated. This paper summarises the most important potential consequences to power system protection that have to be taken into account when connecting distributed generation (DG) into distribution networks. Both MV and LV networks are discussed, and possible solutions to the protection problems are suggested. Most of the problems caused by DG can be solved by traditional means, but there is one exception. There seems to be no satisfying solution to the Loss-of-Mains (LoM) protection. In this paper the importance of LoM protection is discussed. As a solution to the problem this paper introduces and argues for a universal, power line signalling based LoM method.


In automated micro-hole drilling system, in order to improve the drilling performance and reduce of production costs by maximizing the use of drill life and preventing drill failures, the drill bit wear state monitoring is more important. However, drill bit wear is difficult to measure in drilling process. By observation, wear failure of the drill bit could cause related changes of the spindle current signal, so construct fuzzy control mathematical models with the relationship between drill bit wear and spindle current, genetic algorithm and fuzzy control theory are applied to micro-drilling system in this paper .The membership functions of fuzzy control model are optimized by genetic algorithms. Through calculation, we can get drill bit wear value which used as monitoring threshold value in micro-hole drilling on-line monitoring system to avoid the drill breakage and improve the monitoring reliability.


(54) CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE 3,211,658 A 10/1965 Hirtz et al. ................... 252/99 DECONTAMINATING SOLUTION USING 3,956,159 A 5/1976 Jones ......................... 252/104 BLEACH ACTIVATORS 4.483.781 A 11/1984 Hartman ......... ... 252/17412 4,536,313 A 8/1985 Hignett et al. .............. 252/100 4539,130 A 9/1985 Thompson et al. ........... 252/94 (75) Inventor: Jerry S. Brown, Woodford, VA (US) 4,541,944. A 9/1985 Sanderson ................... 252/95 4,681,592 A 7/1987 Hardy et al. ........ (73) Assignee: The United States of America as 4,783,194. A 11/1988 Dugenet et al. ................ 8/111 represented by the Secretary of the 5,360,573 A 11/1994 Smith et al............ 252/186.39 Navy, Washington, DC (US) 5,612,300 A 3/1997 von Blücher et al. ....... 510/110 5,681.805 A 10/1997 Scheuing et al. ........... 510/277 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 5,760,089 A 6/1998 Cronce ....................... 514/643 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5,859,064 A 1/1999 Cronce ....................... 514/643 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. Primary Examiner Steven P. Griffin (21) Appl. No.: 09/477,941 ASSistant Examiner Eileen E. Nave (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James B. Bechtel, Esq.; (22) Filed: Jan. 5, 2000 Wyatt B. Pratt, ESq.


This article analyzes the feature of the Web-based survey platform to figure out the lack of its reliability.An effective method is put forward, which is graded reliability and modulus statistic prototype, after analyzing the characteristics of restricted survey. The prototype can efficiently abstract the most worthful information based on different requests of survey to support decision-making, despite of its category.


We prove the Grothendieck-Serre conjecture for quasi-split reductive groups schemes. Our method involves reducing to the Borel subgroup in order to conclude the result from purity for tori and the structure theorem for unipotent radicals of parabolic subgroups in a reductive group.


Objective:
Our goal is to create a new generation of fluorescent nano-neural tracers (FNNTs) based on non-toxic carbon dots.
Background:
Retrograde neuroanatomical tracing method is a key technique to study the complex interconnections of the nervous system. Traditional tracers have several drawbacks, including time-consuming immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining procedures, rapid fluorescence quenching and low fluorescence intensity. Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely used as a fluorescent bio-probe due to the ultrasmall size, excellent optical properties, chemical stability, biocompatibility and low toxicity.Cholera toxin B (CTB) the non-toxic, cell binding moiety of cholera toxin, is a highly sensitive retrograde neural tracer and is also a very suitable ligand for synthesizing novel neural tracers.
Methods:
CTB-CDs conjugates were synthesized by EDC/NHS reaction. CTB-CDs were injected into sciatic nerve to test for fluorescent signal in dorsal root ganglia and spinal segments L3-L5. The immunohistochemical staining of CTB was used to validate previous results.
Results:
CTB-CDs could be taken up and retrogradely transported by neurons in the peripheral nervous system of the rat. It possessed high photoluminescent intensity, good optical stability, a long shelf-life and non-toxicity. Tracing with CTB-CDs is a direct and more economical way of retrograde labelling experiments.
Conclusions:
CTB-CDs are reliable fluorescent retrograde tracers and fluorescent nano-neural tracing technique will become a new "weapon" for neuroanatomic studies. Disclosure: Dr. Zhou has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lu has nothing to disclose.


This paper investigates the feasibility of wireless charging to multiple electronic devices in enclosed box. Specifically in our scheme, multiple receivers deployed within a box with conducting walls receive wireless power simultaneously. Simulations and measurements are conducted in a fully-enclosed cubic box with dimensions 1 meter by 1 meter by 1 meter for three scenarios: "1 transmitter and 1 receiver," "1 transmitter and 2 receivers," and "1 transmitter and 3 receivers." In all the three scenarios, high power transmission efficiencies are demonstrated. Particularly in the third scenario, each of the three receivers receives more than 25% of the power from the transmitter around 410 MHz.


The utility model discloses a driving position suitable for a cab with a narrow longitudinal space. The driving position is characterized in that: a bottom bed seat of the driving position has an inwardly-concave arc-shaped structure; a bottom bed connected with both sides of the arc-shaped structure has an obliquely backward structure; and the entire bottom bed of the driving position is wave-shaped. In the utility model, a driver seat region of the driving position is forwardly and inwardly concave, so that a comfortable riding space is provided for a driver. A side door is contracted towards a front end, and has an obliquely backward structure, so that an enough space is reserved for the driver to enter the cab from the driver side door, and the driving position is convenient to operate.


Abstract Following Heading (4) a systematic search is made for useful refractive index profiles in spherically stratified isotropic media which are capable of yielding wave functions expressed in terms of the standard transcendental functions. Previously known profiles are shown to emerge as special cases of the analysis. Subject to the criteria adopted all possible profiles are derived.


Abstract The Rosenfeld Library re-designed its Web site to serve as its gateway to library services and resources, and to provide an interactive platform for its formal Library Orientation sessions, including its triple-option Virtual Tour of the Library. Among the Web-based library services and resources now available through the Rosenfeld Library Web (http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/resources/library/) are information-gathering "decision tools," new models of remote user reference assistance.


AbstractThe requirements for the anchorage of beam longitudinal reinforcement at interior beam-column joints in earthquake-resistant RC moment-resisting frames are reevaluated. An introductory comparison of international design criteria shows that a broad disparity currently exists between these requirements. The suitability of existing criteria was assessed by assembling a database of more than 90 interior beam-column joint tests and comparing the assessed test performance with the performance that was predicted by each design criterion. This comparison showed that none of the existing design criteria were adequately able to predict experimental performance. To improve the design of earthquake-resistant RC frame structures, an improved design criterion was developed by parametrically determining the influence of important variables on anchorage performance.


I. Objective This study aims at analyzing the current reform of public management of mountain forests in Switzerland. It asks to what extent the recent reform of the subsidy system can improve the fulfillment of the various functions that mountain forests have for society. In Switzerland financial compensation is granted to forest owners by the public sector for the accomplishment of public functions of their forests. For the last ten years an overall reform of Swiss public administration has been discussed and partly introduced under the name of New Public Management (NPM). Administrative activities should become more effective and oriented on results and on the citizens as "customers". NPM has had a significant impact on forestry in Switzerland: In recent years, a shift from cost covering subsidies toward result rewarding indemnities has taken place. The research is mainly based on a qualitative survey at the Swiss Forest Agency and the Forest Service of Schwyz Canton during a research stay in Switzerland in 2001. It is only part of a more ambitious comparison of public forest management and its reform processes in Switzerland and Japan.


The Constrained Delaunay Triangulation of a set of obstacle line segments in the plane is the Delaunay triangulation of the endpoint set of these obstacles with the restriction that the edge set of the triangulation contains all these obstacles. In this paper we present an optimal O (log n + k) algorithm for inserting an obstacle line segment or deleting an obstacle edge in the constrained Delaunay triangulation of a set of n obstacle line segments in the plane. Here k is the number of Delaunay edges deleted and added in the triangulation during the updates.


The issue of "pain" phenomenon is covered in the article. The types of pain are distinguished and five major components are emphasized in their general structure. The covering of pain syndromes depending on the origin of its pathogenesis (notsygenic, neurogenic, psychogenic) in literature has been analyzed. Conceptions of pain appreciation, neurogenic pain and inflammation pain pathogenesis, most widespread pain theories (the theory of intensity, the theory of pulse distribution (so-called "gate control theory of pain"), the theory of specificity, gene theory) are represented. The authors of this article have not set a goal to present the above information as a full system analysis of pain phenomenon issues but only to demonstrate its multiple meaning, complexity, relevance, and medical and social significance. The problem of "pain" definition formulation has been solved on the basis of system approach. Therefore, there are conceptions of human organism as a system, its structural and functional organization and its elements (functional systems) has been covered in the article. To assume these conceptions the definition of "pain" has been formulated. Pain – is a manifestation (symptom), relevant by psychoneurological mechanisms, of systemic reaction or a certain state of structural and functional human organism organization determined by potential danger or fact of tissue damage.


Earlier work showed that autocrine synthesis of angiotensin II (ANGII) and c‐Jun‐N‐terminal kinase phosphorylation (pJNK) are required events in alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) apoptosis which is linked to severe lung diseases. Angiotensin 1‐7 (ANG 1‐7) prevents AEC apoptosis which is induced by locally synthesized ANG II. However the exact inhibitory mechanisms of ANG 1‐7/mas are currently unclear in AECs. The objective of the current research is to identify molecular mechanism(s) by which ANG1‐7 promotes AEC survival. We hypothesized that ANG 1‐7 activates a map kinase phosphatase (MKP) and maintains low pJNK levels thereby preventing apoptosis. To evaluate whether adding ANG 1‐7 acts through MKP‐2, freshly prepared ANG 1‐7 (0.1µM) in serum free media was added to a mouse lung epithelial cell line (MLE‐12). Cell lysates were run on 10% SDS‐PAGE to detect MKP‐2 protein by Western blotting. Current preliminary data suggests that ANG 1‐7 increased MKP‐2 protein (p=0.0286). Further, blockade of endogenous ANG 1‐7 with the mas receptor antagonist A779 reduced MKP‐2 levels (p=0.0014). Moreover data shows that inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) in MLE‐12s induced pJNK and hence may be involved in promoting AEC survival. The results from these studies suggest that MKP‐2 is a key protein in the ANG 1‐7/mas pathway, and may provide insights to potential therapeutic strategies for lung diseases that involve AEC apoptosis.


FIELD: oil and gas industry. SUBSTANCE: group of inventions refers to method and system of injecting process fluid medium into well. According to the invention the well is equipped with safety valve controlled from land surface. The valve is controlled by alteration of pressure in the valve control pipeline. Also process fluid medium is pumped into the well so that the flow runs through the valve control pipeline. There is provided running the flow from the valve to a well head and to the aperture of process fluid supply into the well. The system consists of a pipeline connected to the valve control pipeline and containing at least one aperture for process medium supply and one back valve which prevents flow of bed mediums from each aperture for supply of process medium via the pipeline supplying process medium into the valve control pipeline. Also the pipeline supplying process medium is installed at the section of the well below the safety valve so, that at least one aperture for process medium supply is located below the safety valve. EFFECT: increase efficiency of method and reliability of system for well development. 19 cl, 1 tbl, 1 dwg


This is the long-awaited first book-form result of the author's pioneering interdisciplinary research on a key problem for understanding Chinese texts, and, therewith, China: its ways of expression of emotions and states of mind. Relying on his immense database on (mostly) Ming and Qing sources, the author here presents the first truly solid, source-based survey on the subject. After analysing the methodological problems involved, the volume focuses on contradictions between official values on the one hand, and practical compromises between individual appetitive energies and personal tendencies for wealth and gratification of desires on the other hand. It analyses the negotiating process between the rigid ethical codes and dynamic social changes, as well as how social control influences the cognitive elements of emotions, both in restraining personal passions and promoting the "virtuous sentiments".


EEG is represented to referential derivation with ear lobe reference and bipolar derivations for quantitative inter- pretation. When the ear lobe was activated, referential derivation with ear lobe reference was contaminated by ear lobe artifacts. In this study, the focus and extension of EEG components were estimated based on the cross spectrum of bipolar derivation. A referential derivation was constructed by choosing the electrodes out of the focus and extension area to obtain the distribution of EEG components. The constructed referential derivation can avoid the artifacts of ear lobe activation for quantitative EEG interpretation. Keywords-cross spectrum; bipolar derivation; focal and extension; automatic EEG interpretation; slowing wave


One of the major themes explored by the late Hedley Bull and others in their studies of the expansion of the European society of states across the globe is the entry of extra-European states into that society. It has given rise to two challenging and inescapable questions: when was each extra-European state drawn and accepted into the expanding European international society, and how? The answers to these questions are central to understanding when and how the contemporary global society which embraces states belonging to every culture and civilization emerged. Research in this area also raises questions about the future of the now universal international society. Can a global society of states devoid of cultural homogeneity survive? If so, how? Will the acceptance of common rules and institutions foster the perception of common interests by states of different cultural systems? Or conversely, will the perception of common interests move member states to work out new rules, institutions, and values to cement the structure of a universal international society? The inquiry into the historical process in which an extra-European state was drawn into the expanding international society cannot provide answers to these questions. Historical illumination is only capable of suggesting the direction in which those answers can be productively sought.


The aim of this study was to determine the effect of problem-based learning model and visual-spatial intelligence in developing student's geometry achievement. This study used non-equivalent control group design and the sample collection technique was purposive sampling. The populations were students of class VIII SMP 7 Padang in the school year of 2017/2018 involving 32 students of class VIII.2 as an experimental class and 32 students of class VIII. 1 as the control class. The instrument used in this study was test of visual-spatial intelligence and geometry achievement. The data were analyzed quantitatively by using independent samples two path analysis of variance. Based on the data analysis, it was found that: (i) the geometry learning outcomes of students learning with PBL model was higher that those learning with DL model; (2) geometry learning outcomes of students having high spatial-visual intelligence were higher than students having low spatial-visual intelligence; (iii) there was interaction between the application of PBL model and spatial-visual intelligence; (4) students having high spatial- visual intelligence got higher geometry learning outcomes after learning with PBL model compared with that after learning with DL model.


The purpose of this study is to analyze how the horror films resist the official memories of Korean society. Chosen two films, 〈A Tale of Two Sisters〉 & 〈The Uninvited〉 as family narratives, show that the family, called over by the Project of Korean Modernization and the memories repressed by patriarchy are related with the present fear. A memory is a mental act that a subject connects his past to present. If an anxiety arose from this process, it should mean that he encounters something difficult. From this point of view, the self-giving mothering, a foundation of sweet home ideology, failed in 〈A Tale of Two Sisters〉 and the strong man lost himself in the trace of Oedipus in 〈The Uninvited〉. The Korean society is now faced with the problem that goes to socio-economical extremes in the waves of globalization. Though the official memories have recently absorbed the crisis of the nearly deconstruction there is no reasonable alternative until now. A family is no exception to this rule. Therefore, it seems natural that the anxiety, made at home, turns into the fear, a form of fantasy in recent Korean horror films.


The published proceedings of most symposia are disappointing on several counts. Happily, this record of the 1968 Rochester Conference on Toxicity is not ill organized, outdated, overedited, or even underindexed. The 26 presentations range from specific research reports on pesticide toxicology to reviews on the consequences of our dependence on biocides. The discussants focus on organomercurial and chlorinatedhydrocarbon pesticides, all of which are biologically active, chemically stable, and physically mobile. These characteristics account for the universal contamination by DDT a mere quarter century after it became available commercially. The candid, often pointed, discussions following each paper and during two special sessions contribute greatly to the volume. Recurring subjects include the role of birds as sentinels of environmental poisoning, toxicological problems of pesticide synergisms, direct and indirect effects on nontarget organisms, pesticide-induced hormonal imbalances with attendant reduction in reproductive success, and the inadequacy of government to protect our environment as well


. One of the most exciting results from ASCA has been the discovery of relativistic line profiles for iron Ka emission from Seyfert 1 galaxies. Recent results concerning the properties of Fe Ka lines from the inner regions of black-hole accretion disks are reviewed.


Objective To investigate the significance of lens photography for the diagnosis of trinitrotoluene cataract.Methods After mydriasis,Cannon CF-60 ZA and Topcon 50 EX type fundus camera was used to take lens shooting.Results All the lens opacity can be shown clearly.Conclusion Lens shooting can record the lens opacity clearly and objectively,it will avoid subjective error.It is convenient to observe developing change of the opacity.Also it can provid an important evidence for evaluation of professional disease.


EverCare, cherry picking, premium support, S/HMO--get the explanations behind the fast-changing terminology of managed care in this third annual update.


The paper deals with two frequency domain versions of stability conditions for switched control systems equivalent with the quadratic Lyapunov function construction. The first FD stability condition is Small Gain Theorem-based, the second one evolves from the relation between quadratic stability and Strictly Positive Realness properties An original switched controller SGT-based design technique is presented and applied to design a switched controller for a simple two-model SISO plant. Fulfilment of the both switched stability conditions is verified, and benefits and drawbacks resulting from their usage are compared.


—In contrast to most local amphibian populations, northeastern populations of the Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) have displayed uncharacteristically high levels of genetic diversity that have been attributed to large, stable populations. However, this widely distributed species also occurs in areas known for great climatic fluctuations that should be reflected in corresponding fluctuations in population sizes and reduced genetic diversity. To test our hypothesis that Northern Leopard Frog genetic diversity would be reduced in areas subjected to significant climate variability, we examined the genetic diversity of L. pipiens collected from 12 sites within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. Despite the region's fluctuating climate that includes periods of recurring drought and deluge, we found unexpectedly high levels of genetic diversity approaching that of northeastern populations. Further, genetic structure at a landscape scale was strikingly homogeneous; genetic differentiation estimates (Dest) averaged 0.10 (SD = 0.036) across the six microsatellite loci we studied, and two Bayesian assignment tests (STRUCTURE and BAPS) failed to reveal the development of significant population structure across the 68 km breadth of our study area. These results suggest that L. pipiens in the Prairie Pothole Region consists of a large, panmictic population capable of maintaining high genetic diversity in the face of marked climate variability.


Objective To observe the clinical effective treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis(PMS)by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(auto-PBSCT).Methods The patient was a case of PMS,Peripheral blood stem cells(PBSCs) were mobilized with G-CSF,The CD34~(+)cells harvesting was performed by continuous flow leukopheresis using a CS3000 plus blood separator about 50mL,CD34~(+)cells at 2.85×10~(6) /kg and preserved at-80 ℃ in liquid nitrogen.PBSCs were repefusioned after conditioned by CTX and Bu.G-CSF was used to help haematopoietic and immunologic reconstitution.Results After transplantation the patient received clinical remission,and T cell subgroup were improved obviously.There was no relapse after 3 months follow up.Conclusions Auto-PBSCT is effective and safety for PMS.Duration of remission remains to be decided in long-term follow up.


An innovative heteropolyacid salt of ion exchanger, nano-zirconium tungstovanadate has been synthesized under varying conditions using sol–gel technique. The different synthesized ion exchange materials were compared based on both their ion exchange capacity (IEC) and their efficiency in separating lead ions from aqueous streams by conducting batch experiments with a batch factor of 50ml/g. Nano- zirconium tungstovanadate prepared from the reaction of 0.2 M zirconium oxychloride, 0.2M ammonium metavanadate and 0.1 M sodium tungstate in presence of 0.01 M HCl at room temperature was record the highest IEC value that equal to 1.5 mequiv/g. Structural characterization of this most proper ion exchanger was performed with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The X-ray spectrum of the prepared material suggested that of Zr (IV) tungstovanadate is crystalline in nature with average crystallite size between 19 and 37 nm. The SEM result confirmed that the ion exchanger was produced in nano-scale with average particle diameter equal to 28 nm. Good thermal and chemical stabilities have also been observed for the prepared nano-zirconium tungstovanadate. On the basis of these results, the prepared nano-zirconium tungstovanadate is a promising cation exchanger for lead ion decontamination from the polluted water in view of the fact that lead ion removal rate was recorded up to 99.24 % within 3hours. Keywords: nano-zirconium tungstovanadate; sol-gel technique; equilibrium isotherm; Lead ion separation.


In our latitude, expectations of the kiwifruit sector regarding kiwi productions with high yields and an adequate fruit size have been fulfilled. Thus, at present, this sector is focusing its efforts towards the quality improvement of fruit sensory properties, highly demanded by the consumer, so as to be competitive in the international market. There are several sensory properties that determine quality in kiwifruit. A kiwifruit is considered to have a good flavour quality standard, when the content rate of soluble solids (°Brix) is the highest when consumed. Dry matter is another parameter internationally accepted as an indicator of the "intrinsic" quality of kiwifruit. The acidity and the starch content play an important role on the attainment of these quality standards. The aim of the present work is to determine the effect of fertilization and training (T- bar or pergola) on content and evolution of these sensory parameters. Assays were performed during 2007 in kiwi orchards in Northern Portugal (Kiwi Iberica S.A.), taking fruit samples every two weeks from anthesis until harvest. Sensory properties of these fruits were analyzed according to AOAC methods. Results showed that training systems influenced significantly on dry matter, soluble solids, starch content and acidity. Significant differences were also observed between both fertilization practices during the first phases of fruit development; but these differences disappeared in later stages.


Abstract : Contents: Peculiarities of a micro-impact load in cavitation-abrasive action; Cavitation and cavitation-abrasive wear in the flow around a rectangular projection by a hydroabrasive current; Structure and properties of cavitation-resistant steel 30Kh10G10; and Investigation of cavitation resistance and kinetics of cavitation breakdown of metallic alloys.


BACKGROUND
The use of propofol has been associated with episodes of bradycardias. The mechanism(s) underlying these phenomena are not well defined. Therefore we investigated (1) the chronotropic and dromotropic effects of propofol, (2) the frequency-dependent effects of propofol on the atrioventricular (AV) node, and (3) the physiologic mechanism(s) underlying propofol's effects on AV nodal conduction.

METHODS
Guinea pig isolated, perfused hearts were instrumented for measurement of atrial rate and AV nodal conduction time in spontaneously beating hearts, or stimulus-to-His bundle (S-H) intervals in atrially paced hearts. In addition, the Wenckebach cycle length, effective refractory period and S-H interval prolongation to an abrupt increase in pacing rate were measured to further define propofol's dromotropic effects and frequency-dependent behavior.

RESULTS
Propofol, in a concentration-dependent manner, (1) slowed atrial rate and AV nodal conduction time in spontaneously beating hearts, (2) prolonged the S-H interval in atrially paced hearts, and (3) prolonged Wenckebach cycle length and effective refractory period. The negative dromotropic effect of propofol was greater during atrial pacing than in spontaneously beating hearts. Furthermore, this effect was enhanced at faster pacing rates, indicating frequency-dependent behavior. Atropine significantly antagonized propofol-induced S-H interval prolongation. The results of competition binding studies also supported a M2-muscarinic receptor-mediated mechanism.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that in the isolated guinea pig heart, propofol slows atrial rate and depresses AV nodal conduction in a concentration-dependent manner. The negative dromotropic effect of propofol shows frequency dependence and is predominantly mediated by M2-muscarinic receptors. Given the marked rate dependence of propofol's AV nodal actions, this anesthetic agent may impart antidysrhythmic protection to those patients susceptible to supraventricular tachycardias.


The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) has been designed to help identify adults who are malnourished or at risk of developing malnutrition. Effective identification and nutritional intervention is known to improve clinical outcomes for patients. The patient population admitted to the teaching hospital is drawn from a local area of high socioeconomic deprivation; therefore effective screening and intervention needs be a priority for the organisation. MUST was introduced across the Trust in July 2006. Screening should be completed within 24 h of admission, as recommended by National Institute of Clinical Excellence. The Electronic Patient record was audited in April 2007, (see cycle 1 in the Table). At the time these results compared unfavourably with completion of Waterlow Scores (57% completed within 24 h, 87% during their hospital admission. Given the initial audit results, MUST was launched as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) with the support of hospital matrons and ward managers. A repeat audit was then undertaken after 3 months (see cycle 2 in the Table).


University of SydneyDepartment of Electrical EngineeringSydney, New South Wales 2006AustraliaE-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com LamHong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Electrical EngineeringHong KongAbstract. A new generalized algorithm is proposed to automatically ex-tract a mouth boundary model from human face images. Such an algo-rithm can contribute to human face recognition and lip-reading-assistedspeech recognition systems, in particular, and multimodal human com-puter interaction systems, in general. The new model is an iterative al-gorithm based on a hierarchical model adaptation scheme using deform-able templates, as a generalization of some of the previous works. Therole of prior knowledge is essential for perceptual organization in thealgorithm. The prior knowledge about the mouth shape is used to defineand initialize a primary deformable model. Each primary boundary curveof a mouth is formed on three control points, including two mouth cor-ners, whose locations are optimized using a primary energy functional.This energy functional essentially captures the knowledge of the mouthshape to perceptually organize image information. The primary model isfinely tuned in the second stage of optimization algorithm using a gener-alized secondary energy functional. Basically each boundary curve isfinely tuned using more control points. The primary model is replaced byan adapted model if there is an increase in the secondary energy func-tional. The results indicate that the new model adaptation technique sat-isfactorily generalizes the mouth boundary model extraction in an auto-mated fashion.


The following hepatics were recently collected in northern Brit- ish Columbia: Eremonotus myriocarpus (Carring.) Lindb. et Pears. in Pears., Gymnomitrion apiculatum (Schiffn.) K.Miill., Marsupella condensata (Angstr.) Schiffn., Odontoschisma macounii (Aust.) Underw., Plagiochila arctica Bryhn et Kaal., Radula prolifera S.Arnell, Scapania simmonsii Bryhn et Kaal. and Scapania spitzbergensis (Lindb.) K.Muill. Eremonotus myriocarpus is also re- ported from Washington State. Extensions of individual ranges for many of these species southward into British Columbia from primarily unglaciated arctic or northern arctic-alpine distributions imply that the possibility of lo- calized glacial refugia in an area long thought completely glaciated may have to be considered along with any type of postglacial recolonization in an at- tempt to explain phytogeographic relations of these plants.


In their letter, Drs Michalsen and Dobos correctly highlight the influence that several lifestyle-related factors may have on heart rate. Indeed, sedentary habits, unhealthy diet, excessive stress, smoking, high alcohol, and coffee consumption increase the sympathetic nervous system activity with consequent effects on resting heart rate.1 Therefore, improvement of unhealthy lifestyle might be an effective therapeutic approach in subjects with high heart rate. Among the non-pharmacological measures mentioned by Drs Michalsen and Dobos, regular endurance exercise appears to be the most effective one. Physical training causes a reduction of the sympathetic tone with beneficial effects …


This study aims to investigate the relationship among audit quality, earnings management, and financial performance among public listed companies in Malaysia. Sample companies were randomly selected from the Industrial Products and Consumer Products industry listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia during the time period of 2008 to 2013. The findings indicate that audit quality does not actually constrain earnings management practices in Industrial Products and Consumer Products companies. This may be due to the difference between the audit environment in Malaysia and that in other developed countries. On the other hand, high audit quality can contribute to better company financial performance, since large-scale audit firms are always perceived to have higher audit quality that can increase the confidence of investors. However, when earnings management is added as a mediating variable, it mediates the relationship between audit quality and financial performance. In other words, the audit quality that is delivered by either Big Four audit firms or non-Big Four audit firms does not actually improve financial performance when earnings manipulation activities are conducted by the management divisions of these firms.