: High-quality fish oil for human consumption requires low levels of toxic elements. The aim of this study was to develop a method to extract oil from fish wastes with the least toxic elements contamination. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was applied to detoxify fish oils from toxic elements. The SFE unit used consisted of an intelligent HPLC pump equipped with a cooling jacket to deliver CO2. The freeze-dried fish waste sample was extracted by heating in a column oven. Under supercritical conditions, the oil dissolved in CO2 was separated from the supercritical phase using pressure reduction. The SFE parameters (pressure, temperature, CO2 flow rate, and extraction time) were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to extract the highest levels of toxic elements. The results showed that toxic elements in fish oil can be reduced using supercritical CO2 at optimum pressure 40 MPa, temperature 61 ºC, CO2 flow rate 3.8 MPa, and extraction time 4.25 hr. There were significant reductions in the mercury (98.2%), cadmium (98.9%), arsenic (96%), and lead contents (99.2%) of the fish oil. The fish oil extracted using this method contained elements at levels that were much lower than the accepted limits of 0.1 μg/g. The reduction of toxic elements using the SFE method was more efficient than that of the conventional methods due to the high selectivity of supercritical CO2 for non-polar compounds.


Age-related joint degeneration is a burden for the patients, their families, and the entire healthcare system. Cartilage disappearance may arise from disturbed muscle activation patterns, which lead to excessive co-contractions and thus higher-than-normal joint contact forces. To develop a wearable skin to correct these imbalances, a comprehensive model that can predict joint wear using noninvasive measurements such as gait asymmetry, ground pressure distributions, and EMG signals is needed. As a first step towards this goal, we quantified muscle co-contractions of healthy young subjects during gait.


Abstract LetGqbe a quantum group. In this paper, we introduce and completely characterize a semi-group and its Borel sub-semi-groups consisting of algebra homomorphisms from the coordinate algebrak[Gq] ofGq. Also, we present invariant elements for the semi-group, which are closely connected to Hopf ideals ofk[Gq]. Finally, based on the theory of structures of the semi-group, we prove the existence of a Frobenius morphism overGqwhenever the parameterqis a root of unity.


This research was designed to evaluate the effect of resin infiltration material (Icon) and remineralizing agents casein phosphopeptideamorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) and Nano hydroxyl apatite (n-HA) on surface roughness and microhardness of enamel white spot lesion. A total number of 120 sound non-carious human anterior teeth were collected. The labial surfaces of all specimens are treated by 37% phosphoric acid for one minute to create artificial enamel white spot lesion. The teeth were divided into two main groups (60 teeth each); Group H: for assessment of enamel microhardness and Group R: for assessment of surface roughness. Each main group was further divided into four equal subgroups (15 teeth each) according to the treatment applied as follows: Subgroup (C): control, Subgroup (P): CPP-ACP, Subgroup (I): Icon, Subgroup (N): Naohydroxyapatite. Each subgroup was further subdivided into three equal divisions (5 teeth each) according to the storage period in artificial saliva; one week (1W), four weeks (4W) and eight weeks (8W). For assessment of microhardness; the enamel white spot lesion specimens in the four different subgroups were examined three times (after one week, four weeks and eight weeks from the first time of treatment application) by Digital Display Vickers Micro-hardness Tester. The results of microhardness revealed that the subgroup (N) group was provided the highest hardness mean value, followed by subgroup (I), then subgroup (P) while subgroup (C) showed the lowest microhardness mean value. For assessment of surface roughness; the enamel white spot lesion specimens in the three different subgroups were examined three times (after one week, four weeks and eight weeks from the first time of treatment application) by non-contact profilometer. The results of surface roughness revealed that the subgroup (P) was provided the highest roughness mean value, followed by subgroup (C) group while subgroup (I) showed the lowest surface roughness mean value.


The ac susceptibilities were measured on the powdered samples of La2-xSrxCuO ?? with various Sr and oxygen contents. Only the sample containing x-0.16 and y-4 showed the sharp superconducting transition at Tc=38K with a large volume fraction, f, of more than 80%. The others had rather broad transitions at lower temperatures with smaller f, while the onset temperature of the Meissner effect was close to 38K, suggesting that there existed a small amount of superconducting phases with Tc of 38K, and that the weak coupling in between by the Josephson effect took place at lower temperatures. These results may imply that only the compound with x-0.16 and y-4 is intrinsic in the superconductivity of this system.


This article discusses the linguoculturological paradigm of the analysis of special-purpose languages that serve communication in the professional sphere, strengthening international contacts, increasing interest in learning languages leads to the intensification of intercultural communication, which makes the issue of the relationship between language and culture both at the national and international levels extremely relevant. Currently, in the modern world, the problem of mutual clash of linguoculturology and medicine is more common. history, associations, and assessments. The concept has a lexico-semantic paradigm.


Offshoring of American Jobs: What Response from U.S. Economic Policy? by Bhagwati, Jagdish and Alan S. Blinder. Edited and with an introduction by Benjamin M. Friedman, CambridgeMassachusetts: The MIT Press. 2009. xiv + 141 pp. $18.95.


Supramolecular aggregation of fluorophores will result in a variable absorption spectrum, which is beneficial for tunning the photophysical properties and improving their functionalities. Herein, ordered aggregates of liposoluble porphyrin molecules...


Objective:To discuss fracture the most suitable way og internal fixation for fracture of mid-shaft of clavicle.Methods:A total of 426 middle 1/3 of clavicular fracture adopted steel wire,K-needle,steel plate from January 1990 to June 2007 were summarized,with a follow-up of 6 months to 1 year.The efficacy of treatment was evaluated.Results:The steel wire was used in 53 cases,with 18 cases failed,and the successful rate was 66.04%;the k-needle in 97 cases,with a failure in 12 cases,and the good successful rate 87.63%;plating in 276 cases,with 19 failures,and the good successful rate 93.12%.Conclusion:The wiring for clavicular middle 1/3 fracture is not adequate to provide necessary stability inaccurate,K-needle wire fixation had a narrow indication,stainless steel plate fixation was reliable,it could resist shearing force and was advantageous to healing the fracture.In the application of the four kinds of fixation,the dissection and reconstruction plate had few complication,and the two kinds of plate were more surgery method for middle 1/3 fracture of clavicle.


In the modern society, the issues on mental health have always been pressing and global problem, and unfortunately it remains today unsolved. It does not apply only to a personal matter, but also having a huge impact on economics as it has estimated a decade ago of that the social cost concerning mental health problem in European Union was 3 to 4% of GNP (Gabriel, 2000). However generally speaking, the mental stress is quite difficult to be aware of personally. It is hard for anyone to manage mental stress by on his/her own. Therefore it is an urgent task to figure out a "practical" methodology to evaluate, manage and control the mental stresses.


The use of language strategies to express power varies according to the status, sex, and ethnicity of the interactants. A total of 50 same-sex dyads in unconstrained conversation were videotaped: 10 each of Australian student with Australian student, Australian student with ethnic Chinese overseas student, Chinese student with Chinese student, Australian student with Australian academic staff member (lecturer), and Chinese student with Australian lecturer. Results indicated that students shared management of the interaction with other students but that lecturers controlled management of interactions with students. Although both male and female lecturers controlled the discourse, however, men did so particularly with nonverbal behaviour whereas women controlled the interactions with discourse management and interpersonal control. Female students in mixed-status interactions behaved more similarly to males than they did in same-status interactions. Lecturers and male Australian students controlled interactions with Chinese students more than they did with Australian students.


A technique is described for the zone refining and growth of single crystals of titanium dioxide (rutile) using a floating zone method with r.f. induction heating at 4 Mc/s. The segregation coefficients for Fe, Cr and Nb are found to be 0.01, 0.3 ± 0.05 and 1.2 ± 0.25 respectively. The value for iron is only approximate because of its high volatility.


The discharge of treated and untreated wastewater into marine systems, as well as runoff from populated towns and cities and from agricultural land, combined with an increased use of our oceans for leisure and sports and our traditional contact with the sea for food and transport, has led to an increasing public awareness of diseases associated with the sea. Oceans and Health: Pathogens in the Marine Environment gives a very comprehensive overview of the factors affecting the growth of pathogens in the marine environment (biotic and abiotic), methods for detection and quantification of pathogens, and molecular aspects of bacterial survival in marine ecosystems. Most of the chapters focus on pathogens of humans, for which the greatest body of information exists. However, there are also sections devoted to pathogens of marine microbes (phage), seaweed and marine plants (fungi and bacteria), invertebrates (mainly vibrios), marine fish (virus, bacteria and protists), and marine mammals (virus and bacteria).


Under the competitive environments, power companies may calculate optimal power flow (OPF) in many occasions: especially for such real time applications as contingency analysis and congestion management. However, caused by congestions, etc., it is not guaranteed that OPF has the feasible solution in every calculation case. This paper proposes a new optimal power flow calculation model applicable to the infeasible power flow cases. Namely, a concept of virtual generator is introduced to OPF to make it applicable to the infeasible power flow cases. Fuel costs of the virtual generators are set very large compared with those of the real generators. Therefore, a virtual generator generates electricity only when constraint violations must be resolved through its output. Then, if a virtual generator is connected to every node, any congestion is expected to be resolved through hypothetical generators. To demonstrate the method, several numerical examples are shown. Key-Words: Optimal power flow, Virtual generator, Tabu search, Congestion management, Feasible solution


Innovative 1 − x ( Bi 0.5 Na 0.78 K 0.22 0.5 TiO 3 ) − x Bi ( Zn 0.5 Ti 0.5 ) O 3 lead free piezoelectric ceramics ( 1 − x B N K T − x B Z T , x = 0 − 0.100 ) were synthesized by the broadly used solid state reaction method. The outcome of BZT count into the BNKT ceramics was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature, field dependent structure, microstructure, dielectric and ferroelectric characterization, and electric field-induced strain. The XRD data revealed that all the synthesized samples have perovskite phase, also a phase transition from tetragonal to pseudocubic phase is observed at x = 0.040 . The temperature dependent dielectric study showed that as the BZT content increased, the transition point T F − R decreased and eventually disappeared at higher concentration of BZT ( x = 0.040 − 0.100 ) . The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images confirmed an increase in the average grain size of BNKT with increasing BZT content. The polarization and strain hysteresis loops showed that the ferroelectric order of the BNKT ceramics were remarkably disturbed by the addition of BZT, which results in degradation of the remnant polarization and coercive field. Though, the disruption of the ferroelectric order is escorted by a substantial improvement in the unipolar strain which peaks at x = 0.040 with a worth of ∼ 0.36 % , which resembles to a normalized strain, d 33 ( = S max / E max ) of 654 pm V−1. The results showed that the composition ( x = 0.040 ) maintain high value of normalized strain ( ≥ 500 pm V − 1 ) at temperature around (110 °C), suggested that the material is a good candidate for actuator applications working in this temperature range.


The Flemish economy is a very open economy and as such heavily relies on trade with both the neighbouring economies as well as more distanced economies and it also tries to attract foreign direct investments. The paper reviews the evolution and interrelation of some competitiveness indicators in the recent past at the sectoral level. A first approach is discriptional of nature. Different indicators which are standard in a competitiveness comparison are investigated both graphically and numerically. This points out already some interesting, although tentitave, conclusions. These indicators comprise, among others, the real labour cost per working hour, relative prices and labour productivity. In a second approach a growth accounting framework is used to disentangle between the three main contributors to economic growth, namely the production factors capital and labour and total factor productivity growth. Furthermore, this framework is used to determine the main drivers of labour productivity growth, i.e. the evolution of capital intensity and total factor productivity growth. Although the applied production function framework is simple, with only two production factors, this already proves to be non-obvious, since the regional accounts of the Institute of National Accounts do not contain series about e.g. the capital stock. There seem to be quite some differences between the regions and sectors concerning both the evolution of the various indicators as well as e.g. the importance of the different drivers of labour productivity growth.


The women writers have different feelings and experiences of girlhood.Whether the mother is on the scene or absent,daughters still yearn for mother love.But,the stunted anxiety and revolt of "the second sex" spur daughters to flee from mother and try to realize the intention of rebirth.The women writers think the mother-daughter relationship compassionately and seriously in these texts.


This report concerns the construction of a database of Swedish historical textbooks in mathematics education (grades 1–9) in the programme Excel. The aim is to provide a technical description of th ...


The principal economic pursuit of the Lebanese people is agriculture: of a total population of 1.2 million, over 66 per cent are tilling the soil; trade represents the second most important source of income. Although the country's natural resources are limited and population density is high, 102 persons per sq. km. as compared with 25 in Turkey and 17 in Syria, the per capita national income of the Lebanon is slightly higher than that of any other Middle Eastern country except Palestine. This is due in large part to the industry and resourcefulness of a comparatively better educated, and more thrifty and business-minded population which has, for centuries, provided trade and middle-men's services for a large Middle Eastern area. All the difficulties mentioned above are reflected in the foreign payments position of the country. While the disproportion between imports and exports grows, earnings from invisibles tend to, de9rease; at present the state has no significant reserves of forei.gn exchange, and the funds provided by the monetary agreement with France will soon be exhausted. In contrast to this situation, however, unrecorded transactions show an abundance of dollar and sterling availabilities on the free market of Beirut, to which both government and traders have recourse. The large supply of free foreign exchange undoubtedly constitutes an element of strength in the Lebanese position. It also will enable the government to procure the currency required for the servicing of a moderate-sized loan, if such currency should not be available at a cheaper rate from trans-Arabian pipeline company revenue. The resumption of operations by this company considerably brightens Lebanon's economic prospects.


The fact that alliteration in prose nowadays receives but scant mention in English textbooks, if indeed it is included at all, is surprising. For alliterative phrasing, an inheritance from Old English, for good or evil, is part of the structure of the language. Alliteration supplies the adhesive power that holds scores of basic phrases together and acts as a kind of pulmotor in keeping hundreds of cliches from dying. Its range is astonishing. The names of books, comic strips, articles in magazines, and characters in fiction and drama have been created with its assistance. Alliteration may name the restaurant on the corner or help to elect a president of the United States. It furnishes copy for the advertiser, invective for the orator, and beauty for the man of letters.


Headlight (20) having a fundamental light assembly (28), a remote light assembly (40) and, arranged on an optical axis of the headlight projection lens (32), wherein the projection lens (32) one of the basic light assembly (28) and the remote light assembly comprising facing the light entry surface and a light entry surface side focal surface (40), and wherein at least has the basic light assembly (28) comprises a semiconductor-light light source (34) and a basic light-primary optics (36) with at least one light-deflecting surface, and wherein the remote light assembly (40) a plurality of semiconductor-beam light sources (42.1, 42.2, 42.3) and a high-beam primary optics (44) which converts one of the high-beam light sources (42.1, 42.2, 42.3) outgoing light beam and a having high-beam light exit surface and which headlight (20) comprises a reflective screen surface (26) which is bounded by a diaphragm edge (38) between the Light entry surface of the projection lens (32) and the base light primary optics (36), wherein a minimum distance of each light redirecting surface of the base light-primary optics is greater than 10 mm from the internal surface of the projection lens, and wherein the high-beam light exit surface of the high-beam primary optics (44) in a distance from the focal plane of the projection lens (32) in front of the projection lens (32) which is smaller than 1 mm, and wherein the light exit surface of the high-beam primary optics (44) individual regions (45.1, 45.2, 45.3), wherein each of these areas (45.1, 45.2, 45.3) in the sense of a 1: 1 mapping an individually switchable and / or dimmable high-beam light source, or group of high-beam light sources (42.1, 42.2, 42.3) is assigned to correspond to the allocated region (45.1, 45.2, 45.3) alone illuminates, characterized in that the fundamental light-primary optics (36) is a lens or catadioptric optical system and that the high-beam Primarop tik on its side facing the high-beam light sources (42.1, 42.2, 42.3) page from a plurality of individual light guide fingers (43.1, 43.2, 43.3), wherein this light guide fingers (43.1, 43.2, 43.3) on its side facing the projection lens side in a common, coherent light exit surface open out, so that the high-beam primary optics is a one piece integral part from the light guide material.


New quadratic bent functions in polynomial forms are constructed in this paper. The constructions give new boolean bent and generalized boolean bent functions. Based on Z4-valued quadratic forms, a simple method provides several new constructions of generalized boolean bent functions. From these generalized boolean bent functions a method is presented to transform them into binary bent and semi-bent functions.


In this paper, broadband sound propagation in shallow water environments is studied. Fourier synthesis method of frequency-domain solutions is selected to do the simulation of time-series. The frequency-domain calculations in Pekeris waveguide are carried out by normal mode model KRAKEN. To improve the computational efficiency, parallel computing of KRAKEN is implemented based on MPI (Message Passing Interface) environment. And the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) part of Fourier synthesis is performed using CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture). Evaluation shows that parallel programming of Fourier synthesis saves run-time effectively. Then, a more realistic shallow water environment involving elastic bottom is taken into consideration. Simulations present that the propagation of a broadband pulse in shallow water environments is strongly affected by the elastic parameters of the ocean bottom. The modal arrival structures are analyzed for all cases. And the dispersion characteristics are exhibited by simulation results.


This research study was conducted primarily to determine the effectivity of classical music in reducing test anxiety among highly anxious forth year AB Psychology students of De La Salle University-Aguinaldo. Classical music was used to examine the students' test performance, whether it improved when they were exposed to classical music or if their test performance remained the same without classical music.

Conclusion:
 Based on the foregoing findings and conclusion, the following recommendations are presented:
 1. Those who wish to conduct the same study should utilize a larger sampling to get true representatives of the total population.
 2. To test the effectivity of the study, the researchers should not limit their participants to AB Psychology students. There are other students from other courses whose academic demands burden then with higher anxiety level pressures (e.g., Physical Therapy, Nursing, Biology).
 3. Classical music can be used in the school library to relax the students while reading or studying.
 4. Other types of tests can be given to the participants of the study aside from the Purdue Non-Language Test such as reading comprehension tests.

 Findings:
 On the basis of gathered data and information resulting from this study, the following were revealed:
 1. For the control group, the computed value is lesser than the theoretical value, which lies on the area of acceptance.
 2. For the experimental group, the computed value is greater than the theoretical value, which lies on the area of rejection.
 3. The experimental group having been exposed to both conditions yielded the most significant results.


This paper investigates how classical measurement error and additive outliers (AO) influence tests for structural change based on F-statistics. We derive theoretically the impact of general additive disturbances in the regressors on the asymptotic distribution of these tests for structural change. The small sample properties in the case of classical measurement error and AO are investigated via Monte Carlo simulations, revealing that sizes are biased upwards and that powers are reduced. Two-wavelet-based denoising methods are used to reduce these distortions. We show that these two methods can significantly improve the performance of structural break tests.


It is well known that the extended Kalman filter (EKF) neural network training algorithm is superior to the standard backpropagation algorithm. However, there are many variations on the EKF implementation that can significantly affect its performance. For example, improper initialization of three parameters cause the algorithm to perform poorly. There are also two advanced methods, decoupling and multistreaming, which need to be properly applied based on the specifics of the problem. This paper presents the results of extensive experimentation in applying the EKF training method for recurrent and static neural networks. The goal is to demonstrate how different variations on its implementation effect performance and to find methods to optimize performance. The paper examines the effects of decoupling, multistreaming, and initial values of constants used by the algorithm. Three new ideas are suggested that can lead to improved performance. These ideas are: initializing parameters to values outside the range previously suggested, a new decoupling strategy, and reducing the update rate of the error covariance matrix for faster training.


Objective To evaluate the clinical value of serum troponin and myocardial enzymes in diagnosing myocardial injury originated from acute carbon monoxide poisoning(ACOP).Methods 110 patients were randomly divided into the mild group of 25 cases,the moderate group of 45 cases and the severe group of 40 cases in line with the degree of intoxication,and 40 patients were selected as the normal control group.The levels of serum troponin and myocardial enzymes were determined through the collection of blood after 24 hours of their admission and in the following seven days of their admission.The results were compared among the groups.The results were also compared between the MODS group of 27 cases,the non-MODS group of 83 cases and the normal control group.Results The levels of serum troponin and myocardial enzymes in the moderate and severe groups were found significantly higher than those in the mild group and the normal control group(P0.01).Significant differences were also found between the MODS group and the non-MODS(P0.01).Conclusion The levels of troponin and myocardial enzymes increase with the aggravation of carbon monoxide poisoning.Continuous observation plays an important role in assessing myocardial injury originated from ACOP,and can help to prevent cardiogenic sudden death.


From the stifling smog of congested megacities to the artificial atmosphere of a postmodern shopping mall, air is intimately involved in a whole range of societal devices, ranging from microscale to macroscale. The transformation of contemporary territories may involve installing specific atmospheres, controlled climates, and other forms of modified air. How about the existence of air in its different modalities and in our ability to experience it in various ways? We are immersed in a transversive field which plays on all the senses and all the registers of social experience. As a tentative proposition, we may draw a distinction between air as weather, subnature, commodity, and the ambient.


Definitive diagnosis of a human prion disease requires neuropathological examination of the brain of the affected individual. In the laboratory investigation of human prion diseases a combined, morphological, immunohistochemical, biochemical and molecular genetic approach is desirable. However, many cases of human prion disease can be confirmed on morphological assessment alone, including the vast majority of cases of sporadic and variant CJD. Continued surveillance of the diverse neuropathological features which occur within this group of neurodegenerative disorders has been instrumental in the identification of a widening spectrum of human prion diseases.


Nowadays, only organizations meet the appropriate status in the competitive area that their main activity is directed to meet the needs of their customers and satisfy them at lowest price and best quality. In fact, successful and effective presence in local and world competitive markets with optimal use of facilities and appropriate utilization of new sources to produce and provide appropriate services with appropriate quality based on the customer satisfaction is an inevitable requirement. The main purpose of the research is to study the relationship between job satisfaction and banking service quality at branches of Tejarat bank in Amol. In this study, two standard questions meaning Lin's job satisfaction and Serqual's service quality have been used to collect information. The sample consists of 110 people employees and customers of these branches. In this study, based on Krejcie & Morgan's table, 86 workers and 384 customers of Tejarat Bank in Amol are chosen as samples. The results of the study indicated a positive and meaningful relationship between job satisfaction and service quality at branches of Tejarat bank in Amol. Results have shown the meaningful relationship between job satisfaction of workers and all aspects of service quality at branches under study.


Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) is a development of an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression which is quite effective in estimating spatial non-stationary data. On the GWR models, regression parameters are generated locally, each observation has a unique regression coefficient. Parameter estimation process in GWR uses Weighted Least Squares (WLS). But when there are outliers in the data, the parameter estimation process with WLS produces estimators which are not efficient. Hence, this study uses a robust method called Least Absolute Deviation (LAD), to estimate the parameters of GWR model in the case of poverty in Java Island. This study concludes that GWR model with LAD method has a better performance.


We report continuous, multiple-day measurements of polarization transients of a C-band channel on an installed 1800-km terrestrial, wavelength-division-multiplexed link. Both elastic and inelastic transients were observed, with speeds up to 90 degrees in 20 microseconds.


*Work below ground *External walls *Eround floors *Suspended upper floors *Roofs *Internal walls *Windows, doors and ventilation openings *Staircases *Fireplaces, hearths and chimneys *Gas and oil fired equipment, heating and hot water *Bathrooms, toilets and above ground drainage *Below ground drainage, rainwater disposal and solid waste storage *House and bungalow conversions *Means of escape and fire fighting facilities


The effect of Mo and Co on germination percentage, early seedling growth, leaf area, root development and pigment composition (chlorophyll and carotenoids) of mung (Vigna radiata) seedling were evaluated. Mo and Co treatment at 10, 50 and 100 μM L−1 affected germination percentage, early seedling growth, leaf area, root development and pigment composition (chlorophyll and carotenoids) of mung as compared to control. It was found that 10, 50 and 100 μM concentration of Mo showed beneficial effect. However, Co at 10 μM concentration also showed beneficial effect, but at 50 and 100 μM concentration it showed toxic effect on all the parameters.


A method for operating a support apparatus in a welding process comprises: an approach step for allowing a counter bar (15) moving backward by a predetermined distance from a side surface of an adhesive lid (13′) of two cells to approach by a predetermined distance in the direction of the adhesive lid (13′) of two cells; an adhesion step for allowing the counter bar (15) to move forward the rear surface of the adhesive lid (13′) of two cells after the approach step so as to enable the counter bar to come in close contact with the rear surface of the adhesive lid (13′) of two cells; and a support step for allowing the counter bar (15) to approach by a remaining distance after the adhesion step so as to enable the front surface portion of the counter bar (15) to come in close contact with the rear surface of the adhesive lid (13′) of two cells. Accordingly, interference between the counter bar and the lid can be avoided when the counter approaches so as to secure the regular position of the lid, and adhesion can be secured during clamping.


The voluntary services play an important role in China's public welfare.With the development of voluntary services,tortuous actions of volunteers do exist.The allocation of volunteers' tortuous liabilities should refer to the existing provisions concerning other civil conducts which are without award.At the same time,the particularities of voluntary services shall also be taken into account.In order to promote the development of China's voluntary services,the allocation of volunteers' tortuous liabilities has to comply with the doctrine of fareness and the interactive theory of interests and risks.


The objective of the present study is to employ the Finite Element Method (FEM) for the dimensional optimization of a compressed gas cylinder for cars, with classical shape, made of the 34CrMo4 material. The 34CrMo4 material as an excellent alloy has been increasingly applied in the design and manufacturing of compressed gas cylinders for cars. The predicted results using the finite element analysis are in good agreement with those obtained through experiments in terms of the normal unitary efforts and linear deformations.


Starting in 1983 the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) embarked on a project to incorporate current computer technology into the project development process. Today the system for engineering calculation, graphics based roadway design and computer aided drafting is installed and in use in 12 districts throughout the state. Peripheral support systems are also installed and being developed to increase the productivity of the CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting) system. This paper presents a short history of the project, an overview of the installation of the system, the software and hardware in use, the training program for operators and finally the process flow of design through the Caltrans CADD process.


Normalization at classification of initial data is an indispensable condition of an opportunity of comparison of technical and economic characteristics of the equipment and devices of power supply systems. In work, results of comparison of efficiency of ways of normalization of quantitative estimations of analyzed characteristics used in practice are resulted.


Product quality signifies the degree which product quality characteristics are satisfied with Voice of Customer (VOC). In this paper, combining to develop instrument product, the VOC acquirement tool framework based on the artificial intelligence and Internet techniques is established. The key techniques of realizing VOC acquirement tool are introduced. The automatic generating technique of VOC templet based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model are emphatically studied. Combining an application example, the validity of model is verified.


Streptococcus pneumoniae causes invasive and noninvasive infections. Among infectious diseases, invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children and adults. Community acquired pneumonia in adults is the main presentation of non-IPD and is the most common infectious source of IPD. The incidence, severity and mortality of pneumococcal disease vary widely depending on several factors, some are host related, and others are organism related. After introduction of the vaccine, rates of pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotypes have dramatically decreased among vaccinated children, nonvaccinated children, and adults. However, incidents of pneumococcal disease due to new emerging nonvaccine serotypes and antimicrobial resistance have increased. Continuous monitoring and surveillance studies focused on the clinical and molecular epidemiology of pneumococcal disease will be required to understand the impact of the new vaccines and possible alteration in the pattern of disease presentation.


The traditional 2D dynamic segmentation approach,which developed from roadway centerline network model,inhabits the increasing needs of flexible 2D or 3D applications because they are strictly one-dimensional and thus,are unable to support the lateral and vertical dimension of events.In this paper,a novel lane-based 3D dynamic segmentation approach,shortly 3DDS,is proposed.The datum is set directly on the 3D lane ribbon,while "link-distance-lane sequence" based linear reference method and two events description alternatives(point sequence-based description and semantic-based description) are developed.The 3DDS is proved to be robust and effective through theoretical comparison analysis.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently heat a steel slab to be hot rolled at a specified temperature. SOLUTION: An exhaust gas to be discharged through a regenerative switching combustion burner 10 is introduced into a recuparator 13 so as to satisfy the inequality of Trec>=Ta×(1-α×f)+Tb×α×f, where Trec is the heat resistant temperature of the recuparator, Ta is the temperature of the exhaust gas on an inlet side of a gas duct 9, Tb is the temperature of the exhaust gas at an outlet of a regenerative body, (f) is the pull-back ratio of the regenerative switching combustion burner, and α is the ratio of the total combustion capacity by the regenerative switching combustion burner to the total combustion capacity to be supplied into a furnace. The gas duct 9 can be installed on an extraction side. In a heating method, the ratio β of the flow rate of the fuel to be supplied through the generative switching combustion burner to the flow rate of the total fuel to be supplied into the furnace is set in a range of satisfy the inequality of Trec>=Ta×(1-β×f)+Tb×β×f(2). The mean temperature of the slab when extracted is preferably >=900 deg.C and <=1100 deg.C. The energy saving effect can be maximized without shortening the longevity of the recuperator.


A method is described for the rapid and objective estimation of the amount of carbon in the living, non-resting microbial biomass of soils. The method, which is based on the initial respiratory response of microbial populations to amendment with an excess of a carbon and energy source, was quantified using an expanded version of Jenkinson's technique. The simultaneous application of the two methods to 50 soil samples showed a highly significant correlation (r = 0.96) between both, From this correlation it could be deduced that at 22°C a substrateinduced maximal respiratory rate of 1 ml CO*. h ' corresponds to c. 40 mg microbial biomass C. Evidence supporting these results was obtained from pure culture studies. The various soil types investigated were collected from agricultural as well as forest sites and they contained between 15 and 240mg microbial C. IOOg dry soil-i. The respiratory method provides reproducible estimates of biomass size within l-3 h after soil amendment. It can be combined without difficulty with a seiective inhibition method for determination of bacterial and fungal contributions to soil metabolism.


DNA immunization was discovered in early 1990s, and its use has been expanded from vaccine studies to a broader range of biomedical research areas, such as the generation of high‐quality polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies as research reagents. In this unit, three common DNA immunization methods are described: needle injection, electroporation, and gene gun. In addition, several common considerations related to DNA immunization are discussed. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 31:18.3.1‐18.3.24. ©2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


In response to the controversy surrounding the publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons depicting Islam's prophet, Muhammed, we, the Association of the Manifeste des Libertés, insist on a dual commitment. We condemn fundamentalism and those who feed it. And we reassert and nourish hope for a democratic, common future together, with pluralism of cultural backgrounds. This hope is hated by the extreme right parties in Europe and by the radical Islamists. They throw the ball back and forth between each other. We aim to seize it.


Time-to-market is a critical factor in the commercial success of new consumer devices. To minimise delays, system developers and third party software vendors must be able to test their applications before the hardware platform becomes available. Instruction Set Simulators (ISS's) underpin this early development by emulating new platforms on ordinary desktop machines. As target platforms become faster the performance demands on ISS's become greater. A key challenge is to leverage available simulator technology to produce, at low cost, incremental performance gains needed to keep up with these demands. In this work we use a very simple strategy: in-place-block-replacement to produce improvements in the performance of the popular QEMU functional simulator. The replacement blocks are generated at runtime using the LLVM JIT running on spare processor cores. This strategy provides a very lightweight way to incrementally build an alternate code generator within an existing ISS framework without incurring a substantial runtime cost. We show the approach is effective in reducing the runtimes of the QEMU user-space emulator on a number of SPECint 2006 benchmarks.


The chemical and physical properties of cotton fabrics treated with formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst (HCl) under aqueous (Form W) and essentially nonaqueous (Form D) conditions were investigated. Physical properties (tear strength, breaking strength, and crease recovery), functional group content (acid, aldehyde, and ketone), and chain length of the samples were determined. Results indicated that acid degradation was responsible for the major part of the strength loss in the samples treated under aqueous conditions. Under essentially nonaqueous conditions, the majority of the strength loss was due to the cross links. Accessibility of the cross-linked cotton to a swelling agent was also deter mined and the following results were obtained: control, acid control > Form W>>Form D.


In the manufacturing method of the TFT array panel and a manufacturing machine, the method comprising, after the formation of the grids (31a, 31b) and the grid insulator layer 32 of the thin film transistor, the semiconductor layer 33 and the first protective layer 34 a and deposited in sequence, after the first pattern the protective layer (34) screen, using the patterned first protective layer 34, after a photo mask to pattern the semiconductor layer 33, a semiconductor of the thin film transistor to form a channel. Through the above manner, it is possible to reduce the quantity photomask, it is advantageous to reducing the cost.


In order to design electro-catalytic system with high activity, we should know the structures at electrode / electrolyte interfaces in situ with both high spatial and time resolutions. Here, we introduced in situ in real time investigation of potential induced structure and its change at Au(111) and Au(100) single crystal electrodes / sulfuric acid solution interfaces by surface X-ray scattering (SXS).


: Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) is an underutilized oil-bearing seed found in Nigeria. The fatty acid, phospholipids and phytosterols composition of germinated and non-germinated seed of Sorghum bicolor were evaluated using standard analytical techniques. The result showed that the most concentrated fatty acids (%) found in the geminated and non-germinated oils were linoleic acid (41.16, 59.45), oleic acid (33.80, 23.05), palmitic acid (18.20, 10.68) and stearic acid (2.35, 1.72). The fatty acids composition of the germinated and non-germinated oils contained a healthy mixture of all the types of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The polyunsaturated/saturated index (P/S) was 2.12 % and 3.82 % for germinated and non-germinated oils, respectively. The most prominent phospholipids (mg/100 g) found in the germinated seed oil was phosphatidylcholine (23.86) followed by phosphatidylethanolamine (9.22) and phosphatidylinositol (9.08) while the most prominent in the non-germinated seed oil was phosphatidylcholine (32.39) followed by phosphatidylethanolamine (13.03) and lysophosphatidylcholine (13.07). The high value of phosphatidylcholine showed that Sorghum bicolor may help in protecting the liver from disease and hepatitis. The total phytosterols for germinated and non-germinated were (45.93 mg/100 g and 56.69 mg/100 g), respectively. This suggests that Sorghum bicolor lipid is a good source of food supplement or dietary and health benefits to human.


7 better lines were studied as the energy sugarcane.The results showed that the cane yield of Mintang 92-142 was 140.145 t/ha,sugar yield was 20.321 t/ha and was 22.55% and 19.90 % than Mintang 70-611,respectively.It should be considered to develop and utilize as the sugar and energy sugarcane.The rest lines,Mintang92-222,Mintang97-191 and Mintang97-193 have shown some good characters with strong stooling,more millable staks and high fiber,and could be improved to utilize as the special energy sugarcane.


ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to identify and examine the factors affecting Greek hotel employees' perception and attitudes toward empowerment. To achieve the aforementioned objective primary research was conducted among the employees of a big hotel group. Factor analysis was applied to determine a principal factor and its main components, thus allowing the measurement of human resources attitude and perception toward empowerment. At the next stage, the said factor was checked as to its correlation on the one hand with the sense of the employees about their jobs and on the other hand with the satisfaction they draw from them.


1 2 Introduction. _._ _ Plan of investigations Field experiments with Sudan grass cut at different stages of maturity '.i Chemical composition and protein content fi Yields of dry matter and protein per acre 9 P'ceding experiments with hay 9 Palatability and consumption of the hays cut at different stages of growth H Milk yields during the exi)erimeDts 12 Feed consumed and milk produced, by 7-day periods. 14 Page Feeding Sudan-grass sil^e in comparison with Sudan-grass hay for milk production __ 15 Feeding experiments with silage, and with hay and silage, made at full-head stage. _ IS Feeding experiments with silage and with hay, made at the first-heads-out stage 18 Value of Sudan-grass pasture for milk production 21 Value of Sudan-grass pasture in comparison with Sudan-grass hay 23 Summary and conclusions 26


Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major cause of premature death and disability in both rural and urban India. Wide gaps in the translation of best practice into primary health care exist. M-health interventions for overcoming these gaps hold promise but as yet robust evaluations of such systems is missing.

Objectives: To develop a multifaceted non-physician healthcare worker (NPHWs) intervention utilizing an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) and preliminarily evaluate it for utility, effectiveness and acceptability by the community, NPHWs and primary health care (PHC) physicians in this setting.

Methods: A CDSS algorithm for screening and management of CVD was developed based on WHO and country specific guidelines and built as an Android V4.0 application for a 7 inch tablet. The algorithm was validated using a large de-identified existing data-set. First, a physician based validation was conducted followed by comparison of the CDSS output with output from an independent SPSS software programme. The CDSS was then field tested in eleven rural villages of Andhra Pradesh in India. Eleven NPHWs and three PHC physicians were trained to use the tablet to screen, refer and manage consenting adults aged 30+ years over a four week period. Data were uploaded securely to an open source health record. Following field testing, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with all NPHWs and PHC physicians, and a focus group discussion with community participants were conducted and thematically analysed using NVivo 10.

Results:
Validation: The physician review identified only a few cases of disagreement with CDSS recommendations resulting in minor programming changes. When comparing the CDSS ouput with the SPSS program initial correlation/agreement was high. Discrepancies were examined and iterative changes were made to the code until perfect correlation/agreement was obtained.
Field testing: NPHWs and physicians used the CDSS to screen 227 and 65 adults respectively. NPHWs identified 57% (128/227) of patients to be at high CVD risk and referred them to the physician. Among those at high risk, 40% had a past history of CVD, 15% had a clinically high risk condition,13% had a calculated high CVD risk based on the algorithm, and 32% had diabetes or were identified at high risk of diabetes. Only 30% (37/128) of those recommended for referral actually visited a PHC clinic within one month of referral with 57% among them visiting the government PHC clinic and 43% visiting private clinics. Four key interview themes were identified: (1) Community participants, NPHWs and physicians found the tool intuitive and useful; (2) despite its high acceptability, several refinements (e.g. improved educational resources) were identified to optimize its ability to influence health care practices (3) competing priorities faced by PHC physicians and NPHWs are barriers to use; and (4) access to a doctor was a major barrier for patients identified at high risk;

Conclusions: A tablet based CDSS, integrated with existing PHC system could contribute to improved CVD detection, prevention and management in Indian primary health care system. Following refinements to the system, it will now be evaluated in a cluster randomized clinical trial involving 54 villages and 16000 people. []


This concluding article summarizes and comments on the training cases in terms of the identity of the participants, the stated objectives, the claimed outcomes, the issues addressed and the methods of evaluation. The cases address a range of internal conflicts with international ramifications at various stages of expression from ongoing difficulties, to stalemate, to settlement. There is considerable variety in the scope and focus of objectives, from changing the culture of conflict of a society to shifting the norms of negotiation from adversarial to cooperative. The overall theme is that training interventions can increase the participants' capacity for problem solving and conflict management in ways that support the ultimate resolution of their conflict. The analysis of the issues addressed in the cases shows a moderate level of concern on the part of this group of trainers, with some issues receiving more attention than others. The issue of cultural appropriateness is partly addressed by the cases, but a need is identified for more sophisticated attention through cultural analyses of an anthropological nature and through cross-cultural training for trainers themselves. The educational approach adopted in the cases is largely prescriptive within a collaborative orientation, thus demonstrating a need for more elicitive procedures. Maintaining the training focus and managing political intrusions were issues not commented on frequently in the cases, and yet they are concerns of continuing importance. The issue of succession appears to be well handled in this sample of interventions, with lead trainers being sensitive to developing apprentices who can function independently at the point of program termination. Evaluation is addressed in all the cases, but the depth and scope of such efforts varies considerably, thus demonstrating that the evaluation agenda requires greater investment by the field. Similarly, the question of transfer is raised in most cases, but is addressed in very different ways depending largely on the identity of the participants. Concluding comments provide a general assessment of the cases, and raise questions intended to direct the practice of training as interactive conflict resolution toward continued professional development.


Objective: To analyse the biological behaviour and differentiation of osteoblasts obtained from diabetic rats' mandibles. Methods: 20 female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to two groups equally and randomly: diabetic group induced by alloxan(200mg/kg) peritoneal injection and control group injected physiologic saline. The rats were killed and mandibles were harvested 10 days after the successful induction of diabetes for osteoblasts culture. Comparison of cell biological activity was made between the two groups using MTT, PNPP, BGP content radioimmunoassay and alizarin bordeaux stain of calcified nodules. Results: MTT value (2d、4d、6d) of diabetic group was significantly higher than the control group(P0.05), yet ALP(3d、7d、14d、21d) and BGP(28d) value were on the contrary(P0.01). Conclusion: Early acute diabetes mellitus may promote osteoblasts' proliferation but inhibit extracellular matrix maturation and mineralization in vitro optimal microenvironment. Diabetic osteoblasts with intrinsic defects model may be developed .


AbstractIncreased levels of particulate matter in the air have been associated with increased pulmonary morbidity and mortality in epidemiologic studies. The recent mortality findings are remarkable for the demonstration of an apparent adverse effect of particles in concentration ranges below the present National Ambient Air Quality Standard. This finding warrants consideration in the context of both our understanding of clinical disease and relevant data from toxicologic studies. The elderly and persons with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPDJ would be expected to be particularly at risk; causes of acute cardiopulmonary death might be attributed to pulmonary edema, acute respiratory infection, exacerbation of COPD, or perhaps arrhythmias. Available toxicologic studies provide few clues in explaining acute mortality at low particle concentrations. Controlled clinical studies with acidic particles at concentrations greater than 20 times ambient fail to produce a pulmonary inflammatory respo...


The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a space-borne high-energy particle detector launched on 17 December 2015. It can observe the 𝛾 -ray sky from ∼ 2 GeV to 10 TeV with the acceptance at most 1800 cm 2 sr. With over 7.5 years of continuous operation, DAMPE has surveyed the whole sky for about 15 times and collected more than 300,000 candidate photon events. In the last few years, the understanding of the payload has been improved and the instrumental response functions have been calibrated with the on-board data. Besides, progresses have been made on the 𝛾 -ray line search, point source detection, diffuse emission analysis, and transient source monitoring. In the talk and this accompanying proceeding, the latest results on these topics are reported.


'Access to law' examines both personal and substantial conditions of access to the different phases of law creation and its legislative, executive and judicial manifestations. These conditions also include actual authority structures which affect threats to freedom and equality.
 The conference volume addresses access to legal and extrajudicial knowledge, private influence on legislation, the relationship between courts and legislatures, and access to the government and its offices. The volume discloses strategic litigation approaches and state actors' attempts to escape from legal scrutiny.


In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of the red drum Sciaenops ocellatus was determined first. The genome was 16,500 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 main non-coding regions (the control region and the origin of the light-strand replication); the gene composition and order of which were similar to most other vertebrates. The overall base composition of the heavy strand was T 25.5%, C 30.7%, A 27.5%, and G 16.3%, with a slight AT bias of 53%. Within the control region, the discrete and conserved sequence blocks were identified. Motif 5′-ACCGG-3′ rather than 5′-GCCGG-3′ was detected in the origin of light-strand replication (OL) of red drum, which is rare in the mitogenomes of Sciaenidae species. These results would play an important role in elucidating sequence–function relationships of the OL.


Evaluating the regional trends of air pollution disaster risk in areas of heavy industry and economically developed cities is vital for regional sustainable development. Until now, previous studies have mainly adopted a traditional weighted comprehensive evaluation method to analyze the air pollution disaster risk. This research has integrated principal component analysis (PCA), a genetic algorithm (GA) and a backpropagation (BP) neural network to evaluate the regional disaster risk. Hazard risk, hazard-laden environment sensitivity, hazard-bearing body vulnerability and disaster resilience were used to measure the degree of disaster risk. The main findings were: (1) the air pollution disaster risk index of Liaoning Province, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong Province increased year by year from 2010 to 2019; (2) the mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of each regional air pollution disaster risk index in 2019, as predicted by the PCA-GA-BP neural network, were 0.607, 0.317 and 20.3%, respectively; (3) the predicted results were more accurate than those using a PCA-BP neural network, GA-BP neural network, traditional BP neural network, support vector regression (SVR) or extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), which verified that machine learning could be used as a method of air pollution disaster risk assessment to a considerable extent.


Recent advances in neurophysiology have permitted the development of biophysically-realistic models of local recurrent cortical networks. These models have proved to be valuable for investigating the cellular and network mechanisms of information processing and memory in cortical microcircuits. Recurrent network models of spiking neurons are highly non-linear and display a variety of interesting dynamical behaviors, such as spatially organized firing patterns, synchronous oscillations or coexistence of multiple attractor states. It is notoriously hard to predict, solely by intuition, the behavior of such networks. Moreover, these large-scale network models routinely consist of many thousands of spiking neurons, so their computer simulations are timeconsuming. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop and mathematically analyze simplified yet faithful 'mean-field' theories that are derived from these biophysically-based models. In this chapter, we review the mean-field theory of recurrent cortical network models in which neurons discharge spikes stochastically with high variability and interact with each other via biologically realistic synapses. Using the theory, models of working memory (active short-term memory) are discussed.


The aim of this paper is to examine policies to promote commercial aquaculture, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Commercial aquaculture is defined as the rearing of aquatic organisms with the goal of maximizing profit. Commercial aquaculture contributes to food security, directly by producing food fish, and indirectly by generating employment and income for the purchase of food. It can also contribute to a country's balance of trade as an export, or as an import substitute, and can be a source of tax revenues and a stimulus to technological advances. Commercial aquaculture may also bolster the development of isolated regions, thereby discouraging outward migration. Since it depends on private rather than public funds, it can be sustainable; its sustainability depends on adequate use of resources rather than tax revenues. However, some forms of commercial aquaculture, especially coastal shrimp farming, can cause environmental costs and social conflicts. For commercial aquaculture to develop, macroeconomic conditions, and cultural and political attitudes must favour entrepreneurship. Cultivation practices must also be environmentally friendly. In sub-Saharan Africa, stabilization or decline of the capture fisheries, growing shortage of fish for domestic consumption, opportunities for exports, suitable land and water, and cheap labour combine to produce prospects for commercial aquaculture development. However, the sector is generally very small in some countries, or has not taken off. It is hampered by difficult access to credit, shortages and high cost of feed, lack of good quality seed, and a low flow of domestic and foreign capital to fuel investments in the sector. A mix of good governance, openness to trade, macroeconomic growth policies, emphasis on private investment as a source of wealth, guaranteed land security, tax exemptions and tax holidays, loan guarantees, debt-equity swaps, promotion of large farms, producer associations, strategic planning, and existence of transparent regulatory procedures are key ingredients in attracting investors to commercial aquaculture and in positively influencing long-term development of the sector in sub-Saharan Africa.


Background Eustachian tube dysfunction and tuba aperta occurs when a patient has a problem with performing one or more of the primary functions of the Eustachian tube: Ventilation, clearance and middle ear sound protection. Recent research is primarily focused on treatment options, especially in obstruction of the Eustachian tube. Without clear diagnostic criteria, it is difficult to compare the results of these studies, as the inclusion criteria for the patient group differ between the studies. This thesis is a review of articles about tests of Eustachian tube function. Methods Literature review of articles about Eustachian tube function tests. Search performed in PubMed in April 2016, 1229 abstracts were reviewed and 129 articles included in the thesis. All articles with a test of ET function and clear methodology were included, as well as review papers. The were There


The Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Education at Purdue University cooperatively maintain a materials work center primarily for teachers of biology, elementary school science, and general science. The center is located in Stanlev Coulter Hall in the Department of Biological Sciences. This Work Center houses science and science education periodicals; texts for high school biology, general science, and elementary school science; a variety of reference books for students of various grade levels and their teachers; laboratory manuals and workbooks; pamphlets; courses of study; units developed by teachers and prospective teachers; charts; aids for student projects; laboratory equipment; tapes of "Ask the Biologist," a radio program for high school students and their teachers; and many other materials particularly useful to teachers of the biological sciences.


Objective To analyze the clinical features of the upper gastrointestinal bleeding in elderly patients.Methods The clinical features of 245 aged patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding confirmed by gastroscope or X-ray barium meal from January 2008 to December 2010 were analyzed retrospectively,and was compared to the results of 295 non-geriatric patients.Results The main cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in elderly patients was gastric ulcer,followed by gastric cancer and esophagus varicosity breakage.While the main cause in non-geriatric patients was duodenal ulcer,gastric ulcer and esophagus varicosity breakage.The aged patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding had more underlying diseases and complications(hypotension or shock),P0.05.The cases taking aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was 25 in the elderly group and 12 in the non-elderly group,P0.05.3 cases died in the elderly group with a mortality rate of 5.33%,while 3 cases died in the non-elderly group with a mortality was of 1.01%(P0.05).Conclusion The aged patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding have more underlying diseases and complications.The main cause was peptic ulcer and gastric cancer.To collect patient history in detail,conduct physical examination fully and take route stool occult blood test and timely gastroscope examination,early diagnosis and treatment of complications can reduces the mortality rate.The use of NSAIDs should be cautioned.


This aticle tries to reveal the law of culture changes and culture features of the fisherman on the Xieyang lsland by a show of their typically traditional manners as well as their harmonious social life through cases investigations.


The present study examined the influence of emotional support on teachers' efficacy, teachers' stressors, and teachers' intention of leave of absence/resignation, and it aimed to an analysis using Structural Equation Modeling to examine whose emotional support was effective for teachers' mental health. The author carried out an inventory survey with 455 public elementary and junior high school teachers, which contained questions to measure the following four variables:1) emotional support;2) teachers' efficacy;3) teachers' stressors;and 4) teachers' intention of leave of absence/resignation. The author examined the model based on the hypothesis: While teachers' stressors increase teachers' intention of leave of absence/resignation, (a) emotional support increases teachers' efficacy; and (b) emotional support reduce teachers' stressors and teachers' intention of leave of absence/resignation. Furthermore, the author examined whose emotional support increased teachers' efficacy, and reduced teachers' stressors and their intention of leave of absence/resignation. By a analysis using the Structural Equation Modeling, the results suggested that while teachers' stressors increased teachers' intention of leave of absence/resignation, (a) emotional support by superiors reduced teachers' stressors; (b) emotional support by colleagues increased teachers' efficacy, and as a result, would reduce teachers' intention of leave of absence/resignation; and (c) emotional support by colleagues increased teachers' efficacy, and as a result, would reduce teachers' stressors. Therefore, the hypothesis was partially supported.


Background
The Clarus Video System(CVS) designed by Clarus Medical is a novel fibreoptic intubating device.With a LCD and J shape stylet, it features both fiberoptic bronchoscopy and lightwand. CVS plays a very important role in normal intubation as well as dealing with difficult airway in foreign country.

Objective
A clear understanding of structure of it, preparing work before intubation, manoeuvres, clinical use, problems and countermeasures in practise can improve the effectiveness of using CVS.

Content
Introduce the structure of CVS, preparing work before intubation, manoeuvres, clinical uses (in normal airway and difficult airway as well as modified method), problems and countermeasures in practise.

Trend
As a new fibreoptic stylet, CVS is an effective intubating device no matter in processing normal airway and difficult airway, single-lumen/double-lumen endotracheal intubation, rapid induction intubation or awake intubation. But clinical physicians should make decisions in accordance with specific conditions.

Key words:
Clarus video system; Tracheal intubation; Difficult airway


Anonymised transcripts of interviews carried out between March and June 2017. The interviews involved representatives from five stakeholder groups: game developers, researchers, educators, young players, and policy makers. The interviews explored the cultural, educational and ethical implications associated with the design and the usage of video games in European society. A report based on the findings can be downloaded from https://www.gaminghorizons.eu/deliverables/


To overcome the drawbacks of sub-optimization involved in standard particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm,a new design method is presented.Firstly,in order to improve the diversity coefficient,a Fourier series is defined and the method uses its characteristics properly.Secondly,a random velocity is added,in order to search the space unexplored and prevent PSO from converging prematurely.The new method follows heuristic rule and has better global searching performance and accuracy,also the particle parameter can be adjusted dynamically by searching results.Finally,four typical-standard functions are used for comparing tests,at the same time,a unimodal function and a multimodal function are selected for simulation analysis,which demonstrate the new method is feasibility.


This paper makes a study of application of GIS system in the power network and its development based on the actual management situation of the rural hydropower network.The system can be used to manage and maintain various installations,and help capital and operation management by applying SCADA real-time monitoring system,introducing real-time data into GIS and realizing the integration of GIS and SCADA.


Four LOGO-based, computer adaptive angle and distance estimation assessment tools are described and verified for internal consistency, test/retest reliability, and construct, face and content validity in this article. The methods delineated serve as the foundation for a call for similar instrument verification in other educational research. Issues concerning the appropriateness of traditional notions of instrument reliability and assumed distinctions between measurement instruments and learning tools are also discussed.


Obtaining equation for fiber orientation angle of a composite anisotropic solid rod with a circular cross section is presented in this paper. Anisotropic pultruded rods can be manufactured using a special technology complex, developed by the authors. To derive the fiber orientation angle the equations of structural mechanics were used, as well as specific approach to determine the shear modulus of the heterogeneous Fiber/Resin System.


BACKGROUND
An increasing number of Americans are using urgent care (UC) clinics due to: improved health insurance coverage, the need to decrease cost, primary care offices with limited appointment availability, and a desire for convenient care. Patients are treated by providers they may not know for episodic illness or injuries while in pain or not feeling well. Treatment instructions and follow-up directions are provided quickly.

PURPOSE
To examine health literacy in the adult UC population and identify patient characteristics associated with health literacy risk.

METHODS
As part of a larger cross-sectional study, UC patients seen between October 2013 and January 2014 completed a demographic questionnaire and the Newest Vital Sign. Descriptive, nonparametric analyses, and a multinomial logistic regression were done to assess health literacy, associated and predictive factors.

RESULTS
A total of 57.5% of 285 participants had adequate health literacy. The likelihood of limited health literacy was associated with increased age (p < .001), less education (p < .001), and lower income (p = .006).

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS
Limited health literacy is common in a suburban UC setting, increasing the risk that consumers may not understand vital health information. Clear provider communication and confirmation of comprehension of discharge instructions for self-management is essential to optimize outcomes for UC patients.


ABSTRACT Social capital resources affect careers. Yet, insufficient attention has been given to how access to social capital resources differs for social groups and, therefore, differentially affects careers. This study consists of in-depth interviews with 246 white interviewees from three parts of the U.S.: New Jersey, Tennessee, and Ohio. The interviews provide extensive details about how social capital resources affected the respondents' educational and employment endeavors. We found that men had greater access to social capital resources than women. Thus, career advantages accumulated for men, while career disadvantages accumulated for women. There were few class differences in access to social capital resources, but the middle/upper middle class had better career returns than the working class. Unlike many other studies of social capital resources and careers, our study examines the processes by which the resources were derived, how they were used, and how they affected careers. As such, we detail a primary mechanism of career disparities and, ultimately, socioeconomic inequalities.


This paper analyzed the data about the attack ability of the key guards of Chinese male-basketball team and foreign basketball teams in Athens Olympic Games. Its purpose is to find out the weakness and gap, to make some suggestion, and provide the instructive reference to the key guards of Chinese male-basketball in the attack ability.


Most of the identification methods are eventually converted to a linear algebraic equation set. Different ways to solve the equation set will result in solutions with completely different levels of accuracy. Bused on the frequency-time domain method (FTDM), the moving vehicle-axle loads are identified from the measured responses induced by the vehides crossing a bridge. The focus is on evaluation of two solutions i.e.,direct calculation of pscudo inverse (PI) and calculation of pseudo inverse via the singular value decomposition (SVD) technique to the equation set estahlished in the FTDM. The effects of various parameters on identified results also are discussed. Assessment results show that the SVD technique can obviously improve identification accuracy as compared to the Pl solution.


Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) is a new algorithm developed for MODIS. MAIAC uses a time series analysis and processing of groups of pixels to perform simultaneous retrievals of aerosol properties and surface bidirectional reflectance without typical assumptions about the surface. It is a generic algorithm which works over both dark and bright land surfaces, including deserts. MAIAC has an internal Cloud Mask, a dynamic land-water-snow classification and a surface change mask which allows it to flexibly choose processing path over different surfaces. A distinct feature of MAIAC is a high 1 km resolution of aerosol retrievals which is required in different applications including the air quality analysis. The novel features of MAIAC include the high quality cloud mask, discrimination of aerosol type, including biomass burning smoke and dust, and detection of surface change - all required for high quality aerosol retrievals. An overview of the algorithm, results of AERONET validation, and examples of comparison with MODIS Collection 5 aerosol product and Deep Blue algorithm for different parts of the world, will be presented.


In one of his speeches the President of the United States of America took the responsibility to free the world from all globally operating terrorist groups. Honestly, is a realistic end to such a task foreseeable? Or does the former Operation "Infinite Justice", which was recently renamed "Enduring Freedom" lead to infinite or enduring war?


It is known that mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes confer a high risk for developing breast cancer. DNA sequencing analysis on these two genes often requires intensive time, high cost and is laborious, as both are large genes with 24 exons and 27 exons, respectively. Therefore, an alternative screening technique is desirable for the mutational analysis on both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes prior to sequencing. This study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of DHPLC as a pre-screening technique for the mutational screening of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. DNA from 45 high-risk breast cancer patients recruited from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) and Hospital Putrajaya (HPJ) were screened for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The complete coding region of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were concurrently screened using DNA sequencing and DHPLC. A total of nine mutations (3 BRCA1 and 6 BRCA2) were identified by DNA sequencing, of which two were novel mutations. The two novel mutations are 2189delAA in BRCA1 and 4242_3dupGG in BRCA2 gene. The DHPLC technique resolved 100% of the DNA alterations that were observed in DNA sequencing. In conclusion, DHPLC is a sensitive and effective pre-screening technique.


Objective To explore the effect of Fufangdanshendiwan on levels of blood lipids and high sensitive C-reactive protein in patients with acute coronary syndrome.Methods 111 cases with ACS were randomly divided two groups.The normal group was treated with normal therapy alone,the treatment group was treated with Fufangdanshendiwan,10 pills three times a day,orally taken,in addition to routine therapy.Treatment duration was 1 month.The level of blood lipids and hs-CRP and adverse reaction were measured before and after therapy.Results The level of blood lipids improved significantly in two groups after drug intervention(P 0.05).TG,TC,LDL-C,and hs-CRP levels of the treatment group were significantly lower(P 0.05),but HDLC level did not decrease remarkably(P 0.05),with little adverse drug reaction.Conclusion Fufangdanshendiwan could obviously modulate hs-CRP and blood lipids in patients with ACS,with little adverse drug reaction,it was worth popularizing.


The paper firstly discusses the current situation of research and research findings of digital ancient literature of TCM,and analyzes the research results of digital ancient literature of TCM.And then,with the herb ancient literature example,it puts forward to build the digital information platform of the same interface by originally database,digital database and assistant system of herb ancient literature.Finally,it introduces the process of the digital information platform construction as an example of Ben Cao Gang Mu.


In this paper, we draw on a conceptual model for promoting the health of people with disabilities. 1 We present a method for designing health promotion and preventive services protocols that are inclusive of and sensitive to people with disabilities. These interventions include clinical preventive services for individuals and communitybased health promotion strategies. Changes in health care delivery in the United States, most notably managed care with restrictions on specialty referral, place an unprecedented emphasis on prevention as well as on the assessment of outcomes. To promote the health of people with disabilities, traditional strategies of prevention must be tailored more closely to their needs and demands. Traditional concepts of prevention have emphasized primary prevention of disease and impairments that lead to disability. The goals and the approach to prevention change, however, when considering people with disabilities, that is, people born with an impairment, people injured during the life course who cannot recover function, or people who incur disabilities associated with the onset and course of chronic conditions. ~


No significant changes in viral load and CD4 cell count were observed 2-4 weeks after the withdrawal of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) from the current therapy of patients exhibiting resistance mutations to this class of drugs. The data suggest that in the presence of specific resistance mutations NNRTIexert no residual antiretroviral activity and could be withdrawn without viral rebound.


1. Introduction 2. The Structure of a Counterfeit Industry 3. The Market of Counterfeit Goods 4. Consuming Counterfeit Goods 5. Counterfeit Culture as Protest and Rebellion 6. Conclusion


A 98 femtosecond electron beam with energy of 32 MeV has been generated successfully at bunch charge of 0.17 nC in Osaka University by using a rf gun and a magnetic bunch compressor. However, an electron bunch of <50 fs is important for developing pulse radiolysis with time resolution of 100 femtosecond. In order to generate a 50-femtosecond electron bunch, the higher-order effects in the bunch compressor was investigated theoretically. A compensation technique of second order effect was proposed to generate the femtosecond electron bunch by using a nonlinear energy-phase correlation in the booster linac. To reduce third order effect in the bunch compressor, a slit which is installed mid-plane of the compressor was used.


The three‐dimensional discrete element method has been employed to analyze the dynamic fragmentation and lubrication mechanisms of coseismic Tangjiashan landslide induced by the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. The numerical results show that the internal rock damage occurs and propagates gradually along the basal failure plane due to seismic shaking. At the peak seismic shaking, a sudden increase of tensile and shear stresses can lead to the complete breakage of basal bonds. This is associated with a sudden relief of overburden stress and rapid decrease of basal stress ratio. Thus, the slope fails as a whole and moves quickly downslope. In this process, several large transversal cracks develop at the middle and upper rear regions, disintegrating the slope mass into several large blocks. During landslide propagation, the thickness of basal fragmented layer increases progressively due to intense shearing, and the basal stress ratio reduces accordingly from 0.68 to 0.28. The reduction of landslide basal stress ratio occurs when the strong basal resistance is overcome by seismic‐ and gravity‐induced shear forces together with intense particle rearrangements. It can be quantified by vibrational and rotational granular temperatures of the basal shear layer, with the peak values of 35.2 and 11.6 m2/s2, respectively. The widespread internal slope fragmentation and subsequent lubrication have been identified as the key mechanisms governing landslide motion, which appear to be the intrinsic features of landslide irrespective of its triggering mechanism. The seismic shaking is more relevant to the detachment than to the spreading of landslide mass.


The invention relates to a post weld vacuum heat treatment process of TC18 titanium alloy welding component. The method comprises the following steps of: (1) placing a clean high-intensity TC18 titanium alloy welding component and a furnace test sample into a vacuum heat treatment furnace, wherein the vacuum working pressure in the vacuum chamber is not greater than 6.7*10-2Pa; (2) heating the welding component with the temperature of the furnace to 810-850 DEC G via a step temperature increasing method, and maintaining the temperature for 1-2h; (3) cooling the TC18 titanium alloy welding component and the furnace test sample below 300 DEC G at the cooling speed of 0.3-5 DEG G/min, and taking the component and the sample out of the furnace to cool via air; and (4) carrying out the heat treatment on the component, and carrying out the tension performance test on the furnace test sample for testing the tension performances of the welding component substrate and the welding joint. The intensity of the component acquired by adopting the process can reach above 1030MPa required by the design index. The post weld vacuum heat treatment process has simple process, high production efficiency and can effectively avoid the alloy intensity reduction caused by the conventional annealing process at the same time.


When the public provision of private goods is partial rather than universal, public supply may be supplemented by the entry of private firms in the market for the private good. The main purpose of this paper is to explore whether partial public provision helps or hinders aggregate access to the private good by exploring the effect of public provision on that of private firms. We find that the outcome depends on such things as the targeting of public provision, market structure, and the level of public provision.


The authors describe environmental service-learning (SL) programs in Florida high schools and colleges through a statewide program census that explored (a) academic, service, and reflection program features; (b) effects of Furco's SL outcome domains on student outcomes; and (c) program partnerships. The results of the study reveal that secondary schools and colleges in Florida practice environmental SL in a variety of ways. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for environmental SL and offer recommendations for further research and educational practice.


PT XYZ, which is formed in mid-2013, is responsible for the five business units in marine logistics services. The company wants to have good governance and standardized documents according to the needs of each management system used in the corresponding business unit. However, the different types, characteristics and processes of the business units and the lack of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) acceptance drives the initiative to propose a strategy for ECM implementation. This study uses Soft System Methodology (SSM) approach in ECM implementation strategy combined with supporting theories namely content maturity models and content audit. This research resulted in 24 activities derived from the 14 major activities in the conceptual model. These 24 activities are transformed into ECM implementation strategy. This implementation strategy can be used as the baseline for PT XYZ to pursue its ECM implementation until the end of 2015.


The problems of world population growth are summarized and the population redistribution problem in Japan as viewed from a densely inhabited society is examined. The World Population Conference ran into several points of confict: 1) waste of resources in industrialized countries 2) desire of developing countries to develop and use their own resoures 3) the need of new international economic order 4) the need to relate lowering of fertility to modernization of society and 5) the right of each country to determine its own population policy. In Japan although low fertility has been reached the cities continue to grow and there is confusion of land use in the narrow and limited flat land. Although rural-urban migration is decreasing a new stage of urbanization may be expected when young people grow up and select their jobs and residences. Development planning for promoting population redistribution must include dispersion of factories and universities. (summary in ENG)


The virus diseases cause yearly losses in the quantity and quality of the production of pepper. Ecologically clean means safe for human health that can inhibit plant viruses are necessary for keeping of clean environments and healthy people. Such means are extracts from medicinal plants, essential oils and others. The object of present study is leuzea maral root [Leuzea carthamoides (Willd) DC]. Dried powdered root material from Leuzea was extracted with 80% methanol by maceration. After evaporation of the solvent the crude extract was subjected to subsequent analysis. The inhibiting effect of the extract of L. carthamoides was studied on pepper against economically important virus for vegetables, as Тomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). The tests were carried out 2018 and 2019 in different concentrations of the diluted with distilled water extract – 1000 ppm, 5000 рpm, 10000 ppm, 15000 ppm и 20000 ppm by using immune enzyme method ELISA, variant DAS-ELISA. The results showed, that the dilution of the L. carthamoides extract in concentration 20000 ppm in the trials "in vitro" is suitable for use, because the extinction values for TSWV were negative i.e. inhibiting effect against TSWV was established. The tests "in vivo" in 2019 showed also 20000 ppm was a concentration with a good inhibiting effect against TSWV without one phytotoxic effect on the pepper plants. Metabolic profile of studied extract was analyzed by GC-MS. A variety of fatty, organic and phenolic acids, alkanes, fatty alcohols, monoand disaccharides were identified. Among fatty acids palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2) were the most abundant. Chlorgenic, syringic, quinic and caffeic acids were found as free phenolic acids. Additionally after alkaline hydrolysis of methanolic extract vanilic, protocatechuic and (p) hydroxycinnamic acids were established.


In order to achieve high precison,high speed,low cost A / D conversion,a new design based on STC12C5A32S2 SCM is given.The design mainly makes use of new funcation of STC12C5A32S2 SCM to realize a conversion between analog signals and digitals.In order that reseachers can analyse and use the conversion results,the designs add a LCD display module.The paper primarily analyses the design of circuit and interface technology between the SCM and other chips.The peculiar funcation of STC singlechip,the LCD display method of LMB202 DDC and the flow of software are expounded.The simulation result based on proteus is given at the end of paper.


The study prouides an overview of our investigations on tlie ^ct of different forms of resistance exercise on postural stability. Prior to, during, and after exerases the COP velocity zvas registered at 100 Hz by means of posturograpihy system FiTRO Sway dieck based on dyiiamometric platfiinn. It has beert pund tliat posttiral siL'ay response to resistance exerdse depends on 1) its intensity (additional load used), 2) rate of movement, 3) number of repetitions and sets, 4) inusde mass activated, 5) intensity of proprioceptive stimulation, and 6) type of exerase.


Objective To determine the cytomorphometric changes in the ampullary mucosa of the human uterine tube and to study the distribution of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and macrophages during a natural menstrual cycle and after menopause. Study design A comparative study. Participants and methods Twenty-eight uterine tubes were obtained from women with a normal menstrual cycle at the proliferative or secretory phases and menopausal women who had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy or tubal surgery for benign conditions. Specimens from ampullary regions were processed to prepare sections to be stained with hematoxylin and eosin and to be used for immunohistochemical localization of CD68. An image analysis system was used to measure the epithelial cell height and to count the IELs and CD68+ macrophages. Results Statistical analysis indicated a significant increase in the mean epithelial cell height and the mean number of IELs during the proliferative phase (P=0.000). However, there was a significant increase in the mean number of CD68+ macrophages during the secretory phase (P=0.000). After menopause, there was a significant decrease in cell height, IELs, and CD68+ macrophages. Conclusion According to the menstrual status, the human uterine tube undergoes epithelial morphological changes that aid gamete transport and the reproductive process. Also, changes in IELs and the macrophage pattern might be involved in regulating immune tolerance to spermatozoa during the proliferative phase and the removal of apoptotic epithelial cells during the secretory phase. After menopause, there is a decrease in the number of both IELs and macrophages perhaps as part of age-induced alterations in the immune system that could be attributed to estrogen deprivation.


James Sellers, OTR, i.s Director ol O ccupational T herapy, Braintree Hospital, Braintree, Massachusetts. flexion is actively present. The elastic should support the MCP joints at 20 degrees of flexion, but allow full, active rangJe of motion in flexion. Thus the patient will be able to pick up and release objects during the performance of functional tasks. Made of Orthoplast@ (Johnson & Johnson), Velcro@, and half-inch (1.25 cm) drill rod wire, the basic pattern is similar to that for a dorsal wrist cock-up splint'(Figure l). Care should be taken to dome over the ulnar styloid to avoid skin breakdown in that area. The drill rod wire is cut, bent, and attached over the dorsal distal end of the splint with a piece of Orthoplast@ (Figure 2). The elastic


Huperzine A is an alkaloid isolated from Huperzia serrata. It belongs to anticholinesterase class and used for neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Huperzine A is the metabolite of ZT-1, which is also used for the treatment of memory disorders and inhibits the effect of enzyme and brings back sufficient levels of acetylcholine. This review provides an overview of various HPLC, LC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods for quantitation of Huperzine A alone or along with ZT-1 in different biological fluids (plasma, serum and blood). In addition, this review provides complete details on sample preparation, extraction recoveries, matrix effect, internal standard selection, selectivity optimization, chromatographic separations, mass spectrometric spectrometry and other detection techniques etc.


Objective To observe the influence of toll-like receptor 4( TLR4) on expression of type 17 helper T cells( Th17 cells) related factors( IL-17A,IL-23 and RORrt) in the liver tissues of rats with ischemia-reperfusion injury,and to investigate the possible mechanisms. Methods Forty healthy male SD rats were divided into 4 groups,10 in each group: the sham operation group,model group,anti-TLR4 group and isotype antibody group. The carotid artery and femoral artery and vein of rats were separated in the sham operation group,and then intubated and injected with the same dose of heparin. Liver damage models of traumatic hemorrhagic shock reperfusion were made in the model group,anti-TLR4 group and isotype antibody group. The anti-TLR4 group and isotype antibody group were respectively injected with antiTLR4 antibody,isotype control antibody 50 μg from femoral vein 10 min before reperfusion,and the pace of injection was slow with microinjector. The rats were executed to obtain the tissues after treatment for 12 h. The TLR4 protein expression in each group was detected by Western blotting; the expression of IL-17A and IL-23 in liver tissues was detected by ELISA; IL-17A,IL-23 and RORrt mRNA changes were observed by RT-PCT. The correlation analysis on IL-17A,IL-23 and RORrt of the model group,anti-TLR4 group and isotype antibody group was conducted. Results The expression of TLR4 protein increased in the model group compared with that of the sham operation group( P 0. 01),and decreased after treatment with anti-TLR4 neutralizing antibodies( P 0. 01),and no significant difference was found in the isotype antibody group as compared with the model group( P 0. 05). Compared with the sham operation group,the expression of IL-17A and IL-23 was increased in the level of protein and mRNA,and RORrt mRNA was increased in the model,antiTLR4 and isotype antibody groups. Compared with the model group,IL-17A and IL-23 expression in the level of protein and mRNA,and the expression of RORrt mRNA was decreased in the anti-TLR4 group( P 0. 05 or P 0. 01). The level of IL-23 was positively correlated with the level of IL-17A,and IL-23 mRNA had a positive correlation with RORrt mRNA. Conclusions Neutralizing TLR4 can decrease the expression of IL-23,IL-17A and RORrt. The mechanism may be that blocking TLR4 can reduce IL-23 expression,and then affect the expression of RORrt which is the specific transcription factor of Th17,thus lead to the reduction of Th17 / IL17 expression in the liver tissues of rats with ischemia-reperfusion injury.


Using a case study of four schools at which tracking has been eliminated ("detracked" schools), this paper provides empirical data that examines the effect of detracking on academic achievement. In the four study schools in a Virginia city, detracking was not a result of planning and deliberation, but a pragmatic byproduct of each school's size. Faced with declining test scores and a high dropout rate, the school system established four "focus" schools, each centered around a theme, on the site of a former junior high school. Each school began with only a 9th and 10th grade, or in one case, with only a 9th grade, with plans to add a grade per year. Faculty members were interviewed, classroom observations were conducted, and year-end academic and attendance data were analyzed. Data point to a fairly direct correlation between a faculty's explicit acknowledgment and acceptance of a detracked environment and subsequent social and academic enhancement. Detracking in and of itself did not promote enhanced academic achievement. When a school ignored or marginalized issues of inclusion, equity, and high expectations for all, exclusionary practices were found in detracked learning environments. The structure of detracking was found to be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for facilitating equity and achievement. (Contains 6 figures and 38 references.) (SLD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Exclusionary Practices and Detracked Learning Environments: A Case Study By Dan W. Butin University of Virginia firstname.lastname@example.com BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Exclusionary Practices and Detracked Learning Environments: A Case Study' Dan W. Butin University of Virginia firstname.lastname@example.com Introduction The last quarter century has seen a sustained critique on the practice of tracking. Tracking has been implicated in engendering and exacerbating academic inequalities among students, of promoting racial and socio-economic stratification within schools, and of fostering a climate of failure for those students not at the top of the academic pyramid. Detracking is thus promoted as a necessary step towards alleviating cognitive, affective, and social inequities (Oakes, 1985; Wheelock, 1992). Some recent research, though, disputes many of these claims. Arguing that tracking has been unfairly cast in the role of an overarching bogeyman, this research states that the dismantling of tracking may cause more harm than good (Rees, Argys, & Brewer,