To determine brain tissue affected by dystonia by making group comparison of parameter‐based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) distributions of patients with control subjects. A 2D distribution analysis of mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy index was used for modeling brain tissues according to the inherent diffusion characteristics.


Genetics and Genomic Medicine, UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street NHS Foundation Trust, London, England Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada *Correspondence to: Sylvie Langlois. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com This written debate summarizes the oral presentations made at the 2015 International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis meeting in Washington, DC, USA. It does not necessarily reflect the personal opinions of each of the authors. All authors contributed equally to this work.


Recent workplace studies claim that the latest advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and flexible work arrangements have enabled alternative ways of working that can now provide a wider scope of interactivity across geographic distances, a scope that would have once restricted interaction among groups, if not prohibited it altogether. Such claim has challenged the conventional understanding which asserts that proximity among firms provides crucial face-to-face interaction in the inter-organisation collaboration.
 It is, however, debatable that the acceptance of the alternative workplace depends on the nature of the work, context, and culture of the organisation or nation. Therefore, this research examines the extent to which traditional locational assumptions and the proclaimed transformations performed in a developing country, such as Malaysia. The aim is to investigate the impact of university location – in terms of the characteristics of place and distance between places – to users' face-to-face, and ICT interactions in the collaborations.
 This research analysed a structured interview conducted with 32 academic staffs in two universities, and 25 scientists and engineers in 15 research organisations. The findings showed that face-to-face interaction has strong relationship with distance, and the impact of telecommunication technology in replacing face-to-face interaction is rather small.

 Key words: ICT, face-to-face interactions, communication, location, distance, inter-organisation collaboration


Abstract The conformation of cytochrome c oxidase at pH 7.4 has been examined by circular dichroism measurements in the Soret and the intrinsic absorption regions. The studies include the conformational characterization of native oxidized and reduced oxidase, and the corresponding complexes with cyanide and carbon monoxide, as well as investigation of the conformational effects associated with increasing concentrations of detergent, aging of the preparation, and the ionic nature of the detergent. It is concluded that the conformation of the prosthetic group is dependent upon the nature of the detergent used, the age of the preparation, and the valence state of heme a. The ionic detergent, deoxycholate, and aging alter the conformation of heme a, especially in the reduced state of iron, whereas oxidized oxidase seems to be more or less insensitive to both. In the ferric state of iron the purified preparation exhibits a complex Soret spectrum which is replaced by a single symmetrical peak upon reduction with dithionite. A conformational change from a rather asymmetric heme a environment to relatively symmetrical surroundings seems to accompany the valence change of iron. It is further concluded that there exists no heme-heme interaction in any of the valence states of the enzyme. In the intrinsic absorption region, the native enzyme and its complexes exhibit extrema at 222 and 210 nm, typical of proteins and polypeptides containing α helical structures. The positive extremum, 197 nm, and the cross-over point, 204 nm, however, are indicative of the presence of other structures. The possibility of β structure is considered.


The present study was undertaken to determine the onset of sensory block, time to achieve maximum level of sensory block and analgesic efficacy of intrathecal midazolam given in combination with bupivacaine and also to observe undesirable side effects(if any) produced by midazolam bupivacaine combination. One hundred patients (ASA I & ASA II) scheduled for elective gynaecological surgery in age range of 45-60yrs were randomly allocated to two equal groups. Group I received 12.5mg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with 0.4ml of normal saline in L3- L4 interspace while Group II received 12.5mg(2.5ml) of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with 0.4ml (2mg) of preservative free midazolam. Standard monitoring of haemodynamic parameters was recorded throughout the procedure. Onset of sensory block, time to achieve maximum sensory block and the level of block were also recorded. Sedation scores were recorded every two minutes for twenty minutes and then every 10 minutes till the end of surgery. Pain assessment was done by VAS score. Duration of pain free period up to rescue analgesia or VAS score greater than 40mm was noted. Unwanted side effects were also noted. There was no significant difference in demographic distribution of patients. There was no statistically significant difference in onset of sensory block (p=0.735) and time to achieve maximum level of sensory block in both groups (p=0.45). Sedation score was comparable in both groups. There was a significantly higher duration of pain free period in Group II (274.9±18.07min) than Group I (187.2±16.8 min) (p<0.05). The number of patients developing bradycardia and hypotension was comparable. Midazolam prolonged the post-operative analgesia of intrathecal bupivacaine in gynaecological patients without increasing the incidence of side-effects.


Solar energy is one of the most practical sources of free and convenient renewable energy in the tropics.  Capturing this energy and converting it into electricity by a solar or a photovoltaic (PV) cell became commonly pursued in the field of physics, engineering, and renewable energy advocates for decades and in the recent years.  The first and second generation solar cells were made in bulk design with the best efficiency ranging from 30 to 40% conversion.  Related studies have shown, almost 70% of the losses accounted for thermalization, extraction inefficiencies and non-absorption of solar energy. These known losses can be drawn as a result of properties intrinsic to the material used and geometric design of solar cell. Understanding the wave nature of the solar spectrum and treating it as an electromagnetic wave, it is most viable that the said losses can be recovered using a geometric approach by capturing solar energy at its corresponding wavelengths.  It was determined that by employing a fractal Sierpinski's carpet as a PV cell design could theoretically improve the maximum efficiency 3.7 times than the conventional Euclidean PV cell. The effects were supported by related studies in Photonics and Fractal Antennas.  Equations for the evaluation of the actual efficiency performance and maximum power point had also been established.


The emergence of Cloud Computing has become one of hottest topics in IT industry. So, what is cloud computing? There are many definitions summarized by people from different areas in their perspect ...


Abstract We determined the best plumage and morphometric variables for ageing and sexing the Maui Parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys), an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper found only on east Maui, Hawaii, by examining and measuring 30 museum specimens and 71 live birds captured in mist nets. Juvenal plumage was identified by the presence of pale-tipped wing bars on the middle and greater coverts, grayish olive dorsal plumage, and dingy white underparts and superciliaries. Birds undergoing first prebasic molt retained the juvenal remiges, rectrices, and wing coverts. Birds in first basic plumage possessed juvenal wing bars and a dull juvenal-like plumage. Subsequent molts were complete, and adults lacked wing bars. Adult males had bright yellow plumage on the cheeks, throat, and superciliaries, as did 27% of adult females. All other adult females had less yellow in the underparts. The dorsal plumage of adult females was more variable than adult males and was either yellow-olive like the males or grayish olive. Adult males had longer wing, bill, tail, and tarsometatarsus and greater mass than adult females. Virtually all males and females could be distinguished by wing length. Morphometrics of immature birds were significantly smaller than for adult males. Only immature male wing chord was significantly larger than that of adult females. Although it was difficult to distinguish between immatures and some adult females based on plumage coloration or measurements, a cut-off point of 70.4 mm for wing chord separated 91% of females from 93% of males, regardless of age.


A structural thick‐plate theory that accounts for the propagation of both extensional and flexural waves in an infinite elastic plate is used to calculate the farfield directional response of the sound radiated by a plate with fluid on one side. The plate is driven by a harmonic point force, and the radiation in the farfield of the driving point is considered. Computations are made for metal plates and plates composed of polymeric materials in water and in air. Anelastic behavior of the plates is considered. The computations, which are made in order to compare the radiated fields of plates in which only flexural waves or only extensional waves can propagate, or in which both wave types can propagate concurrently, show that the radiation caused by extensional waves can make an important contribution to the sound field of an elastic plate.


Patients with central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating disease (IDD) usually have acute relapses of neurologic symptoms that frequently remit spontaneously or after corticosteroid administration; they may also present with a progressive neurodegenerative condition, either de novo or after 1 or more acute relapses. Most patients with acute relapses of demyelinating disease do not have severe disability and can be treated as outpatients. Most hospitalizations for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), for instance, are for reasons unrelated to MS, such as infection. However, patients with CNS IDD occasionally present with serious, emergent complications caused directly by CNS inflammation or indirectly by secondary complications, either of which can require critical care management.


The properties of the modes generated by multipole sources in a fluid‐filled borehole embedded in (radially layered) formations that include transversely isotropic poroelastic layers are investigated. These layers are modeled following Biot's and homogenization theories, under the assumption that the principal axes of symmetry of both the transversely isotropic skeleton and the complex permeability tensor are parallel to the vertical axis of the borehole. A general formulation based on the Thomson–Haskell method accounts for any combination of fluid, elastic, and poroelastic layers, either isotropic or transversely isotropic. The investigation is achieved through the computation of dispersion and attenuation curves, and frequency‐dependent sensitivity coefficients with respect to the parameters. In the presence of a fast or slow radially semi‐infinite transversely isotropic poroelastic formation with an impermeable borehole wall, the shear‐wave transverse isotropy of the skeleton can be determined using t...


This paper explores the plant maintenance management system that has been used by a giant oil and gas company in Malaysia. The system also called as PETRONAS maintenance management system (PMMS) used to manage the upstream operations for more than 100 plants of the case study company. Moreover, from the observations, focus group discussion with PMMS personnel and application through simulation (SAP R/3), this paper reviews the step-by-step approach and the elements that required for the PMMS. The findings show that the PMMS integrates the overall business strategy in upstream operations that consist of asset management, work management and performance management. In addition, PMMS's roles are: to help operations personnel organise and plan their daily activities, to improve productivity and reduce equipment downtime, and to help operations management analyse the facilities and create performance and to provide and maintain the operational effectiveness of the facilities.


One has to admire Circe Sturm's courage to undertake what is undeniably the most volatile and sensitive issue in American Indian communities today. An anthropologist, Sturm conducted her fieldwork in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, where she solicited tribal members to speak about how identity politics work within the Cherokee Nation. To outsiders, "Cherokee" must seem a simple term, but Sturm shows that it is multitudinously complex. Cherokees whom Sturm talked to or heard others talk about were often categorized under rubrics denoting family heritage or phenotype ("white-Cherokees," "full-bloods," "mixed-bloods," "black freedmen"). But as Sturm learned, these genealogical and racial labels simultaneously serve as metaphors describing how people behave and live.


The process of urbanization brackets quickening the urbanization of population, in which we must deal with the problems of farmer workers. Setting up social security system for farmer workers is very necessary in social transformation period because it can give consideration to both justice and efficiency.It is a long-term goal to reform social security system and it is very important for the construction of the harmonious society.


The current state of the network formation theory in the pregel and postgel stages of network formation is reviewed. Attention is paid to stochastic and spatial correlations as well as diffusion control of the reaction.


Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent in south‐eastern Asia, particularly southern China, Singapore and Taiwan. The aim of this study was to identify the pivotal genes that may be altered during NPC progression. Using cDNA microarray analysis, we compared the expression of 18 genes between NPC and normal nasomucosal cells. qRT–PCR analysis found the expression of IBFBP‐6 in NPC cell lines and immunolocalization of IGFBP‐6 in NPC to be very weak. To explore the effects of IGFBP‐6 on NPC tumour growth, we constructed inducible plasmids containing full‐length IGFBP‐6 cDNA (pBIG2i‐IGFBP‐6) and established pBIG2i‐IGFBP‐6‐transfected NPC stable cell lines (NPC‐TW01‐pBIG2i‐IGFBP‐6). We then performed functional analysis of the IGFBP‐6 in cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Over‐expression of IGFBP‐6 significantly suppressed the proliferation, invasion and metastatic activity of NPC cells and increased their apoptosis. We found the EGR‐1, caspase‐1 and TSP‐1 genes to be markedly up‐regulated when NPC‐pBIG2i‐IGFBP‐6 was treated with doxycycline. Knocking down EGR‐1 with EGR‐1 siRNA resulted in a decrease in expression of caspase‐1, TSP‐1 and EGR‐1 but not the expression of IGFBP‐6. However, in knockdown cells the unchanged expression of IGFBP‐6 did not inhibit the migration of NPC cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay experiments showed that IGFBP‐6 bound the EGR‐1 promoter regions and activated EGR‐1 promoter. We conclude that IGFBP‐6 can regulate the progression of NPC by regulating the expression of EGR‐1. These results suggest that IGFBP‐6 could be used as a new target in NPC therapy. Copyright © 2010 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A millimeter wave (mm-wave) communication system provides multi-Gb/s data rates in short-distance transmission. Because millimeter waves have short wavelength, transceivers can be composed of large antenna arrays to alleviate severe signal attenuation. Furthermore, the link performance can be improved by adopting precoding technology in multiple data stream transmission. However, the complexity of radio frequency (RF) chains increases when large antenna arrays are used in mm-wave systems. To reduce the hardware cost, the precoding circuit can be jointly designed in both analog and digital domains to reduce the required number of RF chains. This paper proposes a new method of building the joint RF and baseband precoder that reduces the computation complexity of the original precoder reconstruction algorithm and enables highly parallel hardware architecture. Moreover, the proposed precoder reconstruction algorithm was designed and implemented using TSMC 90-nm UTM CMOS technology. The proposed precoder reconstruction processor supports the transmissions of one to four data streams for 8 × 8 mm-wave multiple-input multiple-output systems. The operating frequency of this chip was 167 MHz, and the power consumption was 243.2 mW when the supply voltage was 1 V. The core area of the postlayout result was about 3.94 mm 2. The proposed processor achieved 4, 4.9, 6.7, and 6.7 M channel matrices per second in four-, three-, two-, and one-stream modes, respectively.


We analyzed the chemical bond between antimony, tin, titanium, and niobium chlorides with several Lewis bases using an energy partitioning analysis (EPA) and Weinhold's NBO method. The optimized geometries are in good agreement with the experimental results. The NQR-35Cl frequencies appear to be fairly close to the experimental values. Theoretically obtained nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of antimony and niobium atoms are in good agreement with the experimental values. The bonding energies and experimentally known heats of formation are well reproduced by the employed level of theory. All investigated bonds in the donor-acceptor complexes are highly polar, so that the Townes-Dailey theory cannot be applied. The NBO approach shows that the donor–acceptor interactions of main-group elements such as Sb and Sn can basically be described in terms of sp hybridization, just as these interactions of the transition metal elements Ti and Nb can be described by sd hybridization. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005


We thank Drs. Cook, Kerr, Bansal, and Pepe for their careful review of our work and insightful critiques. Several of the points they raise require further highlighting, discussion, or rebuttal.

In her commentary, Dr. Cook presents 2 interesting examples that shed additional light on some of the properties of the 3 measures of interest (1). On the basis of the developments presented by us (2), as well as those presented by Kerr et al. (3), the increments between the measures of interest must go in the same direction. Cook's example with diabetes shows that this need not be the case for binary variables. She explains the reason for this anomaly: "The problem is that counterintuitively, there are more cases among people without diabetes than among those with because nondiabetic participants comprise the majority of the cohort" (1, p. 488) and concludes that "[t]he new model may look worse because more are moving in the wrong direction, but the correct changes are larger and the incorrect changes are much smaller" (1, p. 488). This accentuates an important feature of the continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI(>0)); it focuses on the net numbers with altered risks without regard for the magnitude of the change. If we want to weight the movements by their magnitudes, we need to obtain the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Although we agree with Cook that helping many people very little may not be better than helping a few people a lot, obtaining such information can actually be valuable, and that information is easy to understand. One additional consideration that might improve the clinical interpretability of the NRI(>0) could be to require that only changes in risks greater than some minimal clinically significant amount be considered. This was the rationale behind our original notation, NRI(>x); x has usually been taken to be 0, but other numbers, for example 0.01 or 0.05, might sometimes be more appropriate.

This example shows the complementarity of the 3 measures in the general setting, an issue raised by Kerr et al (3). A number of other examples can be constructed for further illustration. We give only one here, based on Table 2 of our original article (2). A weak marker is added to a baseline model that has poor performance because of a limited range of some important predictors (for example, age). The observed increase in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is 0.025, which would usually be considered somewhat promising. However, based on the NRI(>0) of 0.16, we would be able to conclude that it is a weak marker, the impact of which on the AUC will diminish if we extend the range of baseline predictors. Again, the complementarity of these 3 measures lies in their slightly different focuses: The AUC is primarily concerned with the risk model at hand and the NRI(>0) is primarily concerned with the novel marker at hand, whereas the IDI falls in between.

Cook's second example is perhaps even more important. It shows that it is possible (and in our experience quite likely) to have a predictor with no meaningful improvement in the AUC or the IDI but with a highly positive NRI(>0) that is statistically significant. The note of caution that Cook attaches to this observation needs to be highlighted and re-emphasized: Statistical significance of the NRI(>0) indicates practically nothing, and any inference based on this measure needs to be based on its magnitude. Hence, the benchmarks we provide are so important.

Here again, the above example can also serve as an answer to the criticisms of benchmarks by Kerr et al. (3). They note that "the motivation of providing benchmarks actually reinforces previous observations that the problem with these measures is they do not have useful clinical interpretations. If they did, researchers could use the measures directly and benchmarks would not be needed" (3, p. 482). We disagree. First, benchmarks can be helpful whenever binary or ordinal assessment must be imposed on continuous phenomena. Furthermore, it is not clear what the authors mean by clinical interpretation. In our opinion, the distance between average risks for events and nonevents is a very natural and interpretable summary unless one specifically requires incorporation of clinical decision-making, which will necessitate the use of categories and thresholds. This approach has been explicitly endorsed by Dr. Cook in her commentary. In general, we agree that in situations in which established categories exist, their incorporation into the assessment of improvement in model performance affords an additional level of clinical interpretability. However, we do not think that this has to happen to the exclusion of the global measures.

Threshold-based inference may be premature unless improvement in the global performance measures has been established. First, reliance on global measures greatly improves the chances for successful replication of the results. Second, it might theoretically be possible to construct markers that do well based on threshold-based clinical rules but that do poorly when assessed with global measures. However, the chances of discovering such predictors in clinical practice are slim.

Kerr et al. devote a large portion of their commentary to the issue of correlation. They correctly point out that "the notions of incremental value and marginal strength are distinct concepts" (3, p. 482). However, they also use this distinction to criticize our choice of new markers with zero conditional correlation as the reference standard and ascribe to us the desire "to reinforce a common misconception that it is ideal for a new predictor to be uncorrelated with existing predictors" (3, p. 482). In our opinion, their reasoning confuses the issues of a theoretical relation between incremental value and marginal strength and the selection of reference standard and places an overtly large emphasis on the theoretical possibilities. We are aware that in some cases, large correlation can improve discrimination, and the increase in marginal effect size might actually be detrimental to the increase in incremental value. This was shown previously by Cochran (4) and Mardia et al. (5) and is illustrated in Figure 2 of the commentary by Kerr et al. (3). However, the fact that this "paradox" is possible does not mean that it represents the most likely scenario (unconditional correlations commonly observed in practice do not reach the levels required for them to improve discrimination), and it definitely does not represent one that is the easiest to conceptualize. The last 2 features are the key characteristics of a reference standard. Without the loss of generality, any correlated marker can be transformed into an uncorrelated one by a linear transformation that preserves the change in AUC, the IDI, and the NRI(>0). Once such a transformation is performed, predictors can be compared using their conditional effect sizes alone. Thus, even variables with more complex correlation structures can be brought to the plane of our reference standard. Furthermore, working with uncorrelated predictors makes the conceptualization of the increase in model performance easy: The Mahalanobis distance between the event and nonevent populations increases by the square of the effect size of each added variable. Of note, our choice of zero conditional correlation corresponds to a small (<0.1 for most situations) unconditional correlation that is likely to be encountered in practical applications.

Finally, we note that the ideas presented in our article (2) should be considered against the backdrop of the current state of the biomarker research, in which the focus is based solely on statistical significance. Weak predictors are hailed as big winners just because they can have a small enough P value. Our proposal is meant as a first step in the major reorientation of the field to have it rely on the magnitude of the observed effects rather than on their statistical significance. It is hard to imagine that such transformation could take place without the improved understanding of the magnitude of observed effects for which simulations and benchmarks serve as tools.


Autophagy, a process of self‐digestion of cellular constituents, regulates the balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation. Beclin 1 represents an important component of the autophagic machinery. It interacts with proteins that positively regulate autophagy, such as Vps34, UVRAG, and Ambra1, as well as with anti‐apoptotic proteins such as Bcl‐2 via its BH3‐like domain to negatively regulate autophagy. Thus, Beclin 1 interactions with several proteins may regulate autophagy. To identify novel Beclin 1 interacting proteins, we utilized a GST‐Beclin 1 fusion protein. Using mass spectroscopic analysis, we identified Beclin 1 as a protein that interacts with GST‐Beclin 1. Further examination by cross linking and co‐immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that Beclin 1 self‐interacts and that the coiled coil and the N‐terminal region of Beclin 1 contribute to its oligomerization. Importantly, overexpression of vps34, UVRAG, or Bcl‐xL, had no effect on Beclin 1 self‐interaction. Moreover, this self‐interaction was independent of autophagy induction by amino acid deprivation or rapamycin treatment. These results suggest that full‐length Beclin 1 is a stable oligomer under various conditions. Such an oligomer may provide a platform for further protein–protein interactions. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 1262–1271, 2010. Published 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


An introduction is given to the concept, characteristics and function of biology information technology in packaging, and an analysis is made on the kinds and ways of the biology information technology used in packaging. A detailed analysis and explanation is given on how to utilize biology information technology to improve packaging function, packaging study, and testing methods. The concept of packaging information technology is introduced to widen the application space of packaging technology and promote the development of packaging technology.


Deadlock is one of the most serious problems in multitasking concurrent programming systems. The problem is further complicated when the underlying system is distributed and when tasks have timing constraints. Although deadlock detection has been studied to some extent in database systems and timesharing operating systems, it has not been widely used in real-time systems. In this dissertation we analyze, develop, and formally validate deadlock detection algorithms in distributed environments. The results are then extended to real-time applications by considering timing constraints in the algorithms. Also, attempts are made to apply these algorithms to real systems such as Ada environments. The Ada runtime environment is used as a system model to address problems and issues related to distributed deadlock detection in real-time applications.
One of the major achievements of this dissertation study is the development of a systematic method for the design and the verification of distributed deadlock detection algorithms. This novel methodology is applied to a variety of deadlock models ranging from simple (resource) deadlock models (e.g., the Single-Resource request model) to complex (communication) deadlock models (e.g., the OR request model). The developed algorithms are then extended for real-time applications. For verification and performance evaluation, these algorithms are implemented in a distributed real-time database testbed called RT-CARAT (Real-Time Concurrency And Recovery Algorithm Testbed) where transaction timing constraints and soft real-time scheduling protocols are supported. Various experiments are conducted to study and evaluate these algorithms.
Our experimental results show that distributed deadlock detection can be very efficient. Compared to a baseline scheme "break deadlocks by deadline," any of these deadlock detection algorithms can significantly improve the overall system performance. Also, the deadlock detection/resolution approach outperforms another class of baseline schemes "timeout from waiting state and retry" when the deadlocks are simple and short (e.g., the simple resource deadlocks). However, the former approach performs worse than the latter when the average deadlock length is long (e.g., the complex communication deadlocks). The results also suggest that in real-time applications when the average wait-for path is long, an integrated solution is necessary to detect and resolve both the deadlocks and the long wait-for paths.


Global Positioning System (GPS) signal tracking algorithms have been developed using the concepts of Kalman filtering and smoothing. The goal is to improve phase estimation accuracy for non-real-time applications. A bit-grabber/software-receiver has been developed for the GPS L1 coarse/acquisition signal. The bit grabber down-converts, digitizes, and stores the raw RF signal. The software receiver tracks each signal using a 2-step process. The first step uses phase-locked and delaylocked loops. The second step refines the tracking accuracy through the use of linear smoothing techniques. These techniques make optimal use of after-the-fact data.


The leukocyte integrin alpha(M)beta(2)/Mac-1 appears to support the inflammatory response through multiple ligands, but local engagement of fibrin(ogen) may be particularly important for leukocyte function. To define the biological significance of fibrin(ogen)-alpha(M)beta(2) interaction in vivo, gene-targeted mice were generated in which the alpha(M)beta(2)-binding motif within the fibrinogen gamma chain (N(390)RLSIGE(396)) was converted to a series of alanine residues. Mice carrying the Fibgamma(390-396A) allele maintained normal levels of fibrinogen, retained normal clotting function, supported platelet aggregation, and never developed spontaneous hemorrhagic events. However, the mutant fibrinogen failed to support alpha(M)beta(2)-mediated adhesion of primary neutrophils, macrophages, and alpha(M)beta(2)-expressing cell lines. The elimination of the alpha(M)beta(2)-binding motif on fibrin(ogen) severely compromised the inflammatory response in vivo as evidenced by a dramatic impediment in leukocyte clearance of Staphylococcus aureus inoculated into the peritoneal cavity. This defect in bacterial clearance was due not to diminished leukocyte trafficking but rather to a failure to fully implement antimicrobial functions. These studies definitively demonstrate that fibrin(ogen) is a physiologically relevant ligand for alpha(M)beta(2), integrin engagement of fibrin(ogen) is critical to leukocyte function and innate immunity in vivo, and the biological importance of fibrinogen in regulating the inflammatory response can be appreciated outside of any alteration in clotting function.


Because the discovery of the mosaic at Noheda has aroused great expectations, not to mention constant demands for information, we offer here a concise preview,1 without going into too many details about the architecture, decorative stones, iconography, coins, ceramics or animal bones, all of which will be presented in the definitive report2 and which will generally be indispensable for understanding and interpreting the site.


We have developed and employed the technique of surface temperature modulation to examine the dynamics of the oxidation of Ca on the Pt(110)-(1×2) surface [2]. This technique permits a straightforward analysis of the energetics of elementary surface reactions even in the presence of strong nonlinearities, providing a decided advantage over competing techniques such as modulated molecular-beam reactive scattering. We shall emphasize here the coverage dependence of the kinetic rate parameters (Er and kr(2)Z)) that describe the elementary surface reaction CO(a) + O(a) → CO2 (g). These data will be compared briefly with results obtained previously concerning the coverage dependence of the energy retained in the translational [3] and internal [4,5] modes of the product CO2 molecule.


The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the pasteurization method on the microbiologicalquality of goat's milk stored at different times in the refrigerator. The research was conducted in MarchMay 2020 at the Animal Production Laboratory of the University of Lampung and the Laboratory ofthe Lampung Veterinary Center. The goat milk sample were colleted from Etawah Grade goats fromsmallholder farms in Metro City. Milk samples were taken from 20 goats from Etawah Grade in the 2ndand 3rd lactation periods. The goat milk sample used was 9 liters. Goat milk samples were pasteurizedusing the high temperature short time (HTST) method at a temperature of 72oC for 15 seconds thencooled and put in a plastic bottle and stored in the refrigerator. This study used a completely randomizeddesign (CRD) with long storage treatment (0 days, 12 days, 24 days, 36 days, 48 days, and 60 days) in therefrigerator. The results showed that pasteurized goat milk with different storage times had no effect onthe microbiological quality, namely TPC, S. aureus, coliform bacteria, E. coli, reductase numbers andpH values. The conclusion of this study is that pasteurized goat's milk using the HTST method is stillsuitable for consumption until the 60th storage day


This work is an attempt to objectively calculate the «language of values» in modern Russian practice of speech by analyzing the contexts for the use of a unit, which act as the most relevant ones for explication of its positive or negative evaluation potential.


This paper is directed towards the issue of engendering research and policy advocacy. It draws largely on a project carried out in Somanga and Songo Songo Islands located on the southern coast of Tanzania. The project and the studies associated with them, aimed to understand women's role in the fishery, how women participated in the economic sustenance of their families and how patriarchal social relations impacted on their lives and affected their capacity to create meaningful and sustainable lives for themselves and their children. These studies revealed deeply structural ways in which policies and practices in the legal and customary system, in government policies and in fisheries policies and cultural restrictions impacted women negatively. We looked particularly at how women's efforts to maintain and nourish their families were being undermined by both formal and informal sexist and patriarchal practices.


In this research, we propose a new objective function for optimizing damping materials to reduce the resonance peak response in the frequency response problem, which cannot be achieved using existing criteria. The dynamic compliance in the frequency response problem is formulated as the scalar product of the conjugate transpose of the amplitude vector and the force vector of the loading nodes. The proposed objective function methodology is implemented using the common solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) ∗Corresponding author. Tel: +81-82-424-7544; Fax: +81-82-422-7194 Email addresses: firstname.lastname@example.com (Akihiro Takezawa), email@example.com (Masafumi Daifuku), firstname.lastname@example.com (Youhei Nakano), email@example.com (Kohya Nakagawa), firstname.lastname@example.com (Takashi Yamamoto), email@example.com (Mitsuru Kitamura) Preprint submitted to Journal of Sound and Vibration January 9, 2016 method for topology optimization. The optimization problem is formulated as maximizing the complex part of the proposed complex dynamic compliance under a volume constraint. 2D and 3D numerical examples of optimizing the distribution of the damping material on the host structure are provided to illustrate the validity and utility of the proposed methodology. In these numerical studies, the proposed objective function worked well for reducing the response peak in both lower and upper excitation frequencies around the resonance. By adjusting the excitation frequency, multi-resonance peak reduction may be achieved with a single frequency excitation optimization.


ABSTRACT: Connective tissue diseases are notoriously difficult to treat and the cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus (LE) can be severe, leading to significant and progressive disfigurement. Fortunately several modalities exist for the treatment of this condition. However, oftentimes patients manifest severe disease and are refractory to conventional treatment. Second‐ and third‐line agents used to treat cutaneous LE (CLE) can also exhibit many intolerable side effects. Thalidomide, a drug with a notorious past, has been found to be efficacious in the treatment of most of these patients. Response can be dramatic and patients are often maintained on thalidomide as a monotherapy. We review thalidomide's past, with a focus on its use in the treatment of CLE. We also discuss the practical issues involved in safely administering this drug, using three case histories. In conclusion, thalidomide is very effective in the treatment of CLE, however, prolonged use is often needed to maintain long‐term remission. Properly used, thalidomide is very safe, with minimal and mild side effects. However, proper implementation and monitoring is imperative to guard against known serious side effects of teratogenicity and neuropathy.


The inhibition of cell proliferation by ouabain has been analyzed with respect to the cell cycle. Three lines of evidence indicate that growth rate is modified by altering to different degrees the rate of progress through stages of the cell cycle: (1) a three hour lag occurs between the time of ouabain addition and the inhibition of proliferation; (2) ouabain must be present at least two to four hours prior to the mitotic burst of synchronized cells for inhibition of mitosis to occur; (3) parasynchrony is observed when cells are resuspended in ouabain‐free medium after 12 hours of exposure to ouabain.


The utility model discloses a light aluminium cellular sandwich suction type workbench device for printing equipment. The workbench device comprises a frame, an aluminium cellular board, an upper face board with suction holes, and a bottom face board connected with a suction device. The aluminium cellular board is a light material, and the frame can be formed by a hollow square tube so as to further reduce the weight of the workbench, so that the weight of the workbench is reduced greatly, and when a servo brake is carried out, the movable workbench generates a small inertia and is high in positioning precision; and the upper face board and the bottom face board can be SUS304 boards, so that the upper face board and the bottom face board have stronger corrosion resistance and deformation resistance, and are easy to weld.


Considered are some issues of stress corrosion failure of metal of main gas pipeline under operation. It is shown that, except for conventional orientation of stress corrosion cracks in longitudinal direction, the defects of such a type can propagate in transverse direction relatively to axis of the gas pipeline. Found transverse stress corrosion cracks, including ones passing through the whole thickness of the pipe wall, were formed in a zone of girth weld, joining 1420 mm diameter pipes of K60 strength class. Defective zone of 800 mm length was located from both sides of the weld and propagated at approximately 60 mm width from fusion line. Failure surface in zone of defects has specific step nature as a result of coalescence of finer semi-elliptical cracks, nucleated in different planes being displaced relatively to each other. The cracks are mainly characterized by rounded tips, that is typical for stress corrosion defects, formed as a result of anode metal dissolution. Failure of girth welded joint of the pipeline, except for corrosion factors, was promoted, to significant extent, by additional stresses typical for process of pipe assembly during performance of «tie-in». Information of this paper can be used during performance of diagnostic operations on main pipelines. 7 Ref., 1 Table, 9 Figures.


Aiming at the lack of arming environment for following fuze of tandem warhead,a method of the following fuze arming using precursory detonation was put forward.The method used the shock wave produced by precursory detonation to make shear pin cut the copper wire.Experiments results showed that the following fuze could make use of the precursory charge as an arming environment,which was testified by theoretical analysis and simulation results.


When people communicate with robots, the most intuitive mean is by naming the different regions in the environment. The capability that robots are able to identify different regions highly depends on the unsupervised topological segmentation results. This paper addresses the problem of segmenting a metric map into regions. Nowadays many researches in this direction develop approaches based on spectral clustering. However there are inherent drawbacks of spectral clustering algorithms. In this paper, we first discuss these drawbacks using several testing results; then we propose our approach based on information theory which uses Chow-Liu tree to segment the composed graph according to the weight differences. The results show that our method provides more flexible and faster results in the sense of facilitating semantic mapping or further applications.


Summary Aim: Physicians typically are unaware of the radioiodine uptake (RIU) detection limit (LoD) on scintigrams of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients. We evaluated a novel method to determine LoD as a quantitative upper limit for RIU in negative scans and as a value to contextualize faint visible uptake. Patients, methods: To test whether LoD is related to physicians' ratings, RIU and LoD were calculated from scintigraphic count statistics for 120 static planar neck scans and were compared with the ratings of five nuclear medicine specialists blinded to patient/ scan characteristics regarding visible cervical uptake. Scans were acquired on days 1 (d1) and 2 (d2) post-administration of 298 ± 30 MBq iodine-131 in 60 consecutive DTC patients after recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) or thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) (n = 30 each). Results: Indicating good inter-observer agreement, ≥ 4 readers concurred regarding 56 (93.3%) [54 (90.0%)] d1[d2] scans. Seventeen scans from 12 patients received ≥ 3 positive votes; in 15 (88.2%), RIU exceeded LoD. RIU assessed from regions-of-interest over former thyroid beds in scans with ≤ 2 positive votes was typically below the LoD (99/103 scans, 96.1%). In 48 patients with ≤ 2 positive votes in both scans, LoD was a median 0.0094% (0.0050%) in d1(d2) images and was significantly lower (p < 0.01) on early or late scans in 22 euthyroid rhTSH patients versus 26 hypo thyroid THW patients. Conclusion: LoD data obtained by the proposed method closely reflect nuclear medicine specialists' scan ratings and provide comparators in serial scintigrams, improving diagnostic 131I imaging accuracy in differentiated thyroid carcinoma.


A method of incorporating implementation aspects in the algorithm-level design of nonlinear filters is proposed. As a case study, the trade-off between the visual properties and the complexity of soft morphological filters is studied using training-based optimization methods. Specifically, it is shown that the use of the complexity constraints can provide the filter designer valuable information on to what extent it is reasonable to increase the complexity of the filter structure.


As an alternative to other approaches to facial rejuvenation, the air‐toxin technique (dermal injection of air with micro‐doses of botulinum toxin) is a promising method. We aimed to describe this novel technique and assess the overall safety and efficacy of the air‐toxin technique in facial rejuvenation.


Drag and torque coefficients of a stationary four bladed Savonius rotor are investigated by measuring the pressure distribution on the blade surfaces for various rotor angles. The experiments are carried out at a Reynolds number of 1.89 x105 in a uniform flow jet produced by an open circuit wind tunnel. To calculate the drag forces and torque in non-dimensional form, Fortran programmes are developed. Data inputs are pressure on 17 tapping points on each blades of the four ,bladed Savonius rotor for every 10° interval of the angle of rotation and different fluid properties. The outputs of these programmes are subsequently plotted and analyzed. The effects of the individual blade and also the combined effects of four blades on different aerodynamic characteristics are analyzed in the present research work. The total static torque coefficient increases with the rotor angle and reaches its maximum value at a rotor angle of a=20 and then decreases at a=30 il and remains constant from a=50o to 80°. Total static torque coefficient at different rotor angles curve repeats from a=90il to 170°, a= 180 to 260° and a=270o to 350 11 angle of rotation. A quasi-steady approach is applied for the prediction of dynamic performance of the rotor using the static drag and torque coefficients.


Liberal socialism has always been an uncomfortable compromise. The principles of liberty seem to require a minimum of interference in or coercion with respect to the lives of any person, whether by other persons or by the state. But socialism, whether thorough going or a modest welfarist icing on a basically capitalist cake, necessarily involves a greater degree of interference and coercion than would be the case in a free enterprise capitalist society. The more the state does, the more it forcibly extracts from its citizens to pay for what it does, and hence the more it interferes with the liberty of the individual to dispose of or utilize his justly acquired holdings (e.g. a large income earned by productive activity achieved without fraud, theft, deception, or violation of contractual obligations) in accordance with his own preferences. The primary mechanism of extraction is taxation of earnings, of which Robert Nozick writes.


In the article efficiency of water distribution in the territory of Amu-Surkon basin is analysed and based on the results, provided the recommendations. The study is conducted within the project QH-A-QH-2018-409 "Increase efficiency of water resources management in Surkhandarya region: improve interbasin re-distribution of the water resources of Surkhandarya and Sherabaddarya Rivers" funded by Uzbekistan government. The main problems of water management in the Surkhandarya region are: outdated irrigation systems requiring an urgent modernization; large dependence on pump irrigation; low energy efficiency of pumping stations due to use of the old high energy-consuming equipment; irrational distribution and large unproductive technical and operational water losses. Increase of sensitivity to climate change with forecasting of 50% water deficit by 2050 leads to drought and further desertification, including impact on food security. In the article some results are introduced related to improve water allocation by redistribution of water resources between the river basins in the region aimed to reduce of pumped water use for irrigation.


Background Severe burn injury impacts heavily on an individual's physical, psychological and social integrity. The pain following this injury can be severe, distressing and difficult to manage with a combination of inflammatory pain, procedural pain and pain due to nerve injury and dysfunction. The focus of this research is the concept, incidence, aetiology, treatment and prevention of neuropathic pain after burn injury. Aims This research had several aims: 1. Review the medical literature on pain after burn injury with a emphasis on the neuropathic component 2. Determine the nature and quality of acute pain after burn injury 3. Collect data and publish a case series on the use of gabapentin in burn-injured patients 4. Conduct a randomised controlled trial of pregabalin to determine safety and efficacy in the management of burn-injury pain 5. Determine if pregabalin, given at the time of a clinical burn injury, will decrease the incidence of persistent pain 6. Propose an animal model that will further investigate the underlying mechanism of pain after burn injury 7. Raise awareness of this clinical challenge through promoting the phrase "Phantom Skin Pain" as a reasonable clinical term to use for patients and healthcare workers 8. Propose a burn pain assessment tool Methods Following is the methodology for each aim: 1. Search of medical literature using Ovid Medline and Google Scholar with keywords: 'burn injury', 'thermal injury', 'pain', 'pain management', 'gabapentin', 'pregabalin' and 'phantom skin pain' 2. The Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS) was utilised in a survey of patients after burn injury to determine the intensity, nature and quality their pain experience 3. Medical records of six patients given gabapentin following burn injury were reviewed, assessing their pain experience and response to gabapentin 4. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and tolerability of pregabalin to alleviate the neuropathic component of moderate to severe burns pain was conducted. Patients aged 18 to 65 years admitted to the Burns Unit with a 5% or greater total body surface area burn injury were screened to participate in the trial. The NPS was again utilised; if patients scored 4 or higher on the primary outcome measures of 'sharp' or 'hot' pain, they were invited to participate in the trial. Consenting patients were randomly assigned to receive pregabalin or placebo for 28 days with individual dose titration commencing at 75mg bd to a maximum of 300mg bd. Secondary outcome measures included the remaining elements of the NPS, daily opioid requirement, length of hospital stay and side-effects of nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and giddiness. 5. Patients in the pregabalin RCT were followed up at 6 months to determine incidence of long-term pain. 6. The literature was reviewed for a possible burn-injury animal model that further defined the mechanism of action of gabapentin and pregabalin. 7. The previous use of the term 'phantom skin pain' was investigated in the medical and lay literature. 8. Review the common and important symptoms of burn injury pain in the context of existing pain scales. Results and Conclusions Presented below are the results for each aim: 1. Animal and human burn injury models suggest that secondary hyperalgesia from central sensitisation is an important part of burn pain pathophysiology. In addition, several mediators may play an important role, including TRPV1, IL-6 and microglial activation. 2. The NPS demonstrated that patients after burn injury scored highly for 'skin sensitivity', 'unpleasantness of the pain', 'surface pain', 'intensity of the pain', 'sharp pain' and 'hot pain'. 3. Six burn-injured patients responded well to gabapentin in reducing neuropathic pain. The data from this small case series with a discussion has been published. 4. The randomised placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that pregabalin significantly reduced the primary outcome measures of 'hot' and 'sharp' pain. Secondary outcome measures that improved when compared to the placebo were 'itch', 'unpleasantness' and 'surface' pain. Adverse effects were uncommon with no difference between the treatment groups. There was no significant difference between the groups for opioid consumption or duration of hospital stay. 5. Patients in the pregabalin trial were followed up at 6-months. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of pain between the pregabalin (24%) and placebo (29%) groups. 6. Following review of the literature, an animal model was proposed that involved a scald burn to a unilateral hind-paw followed by western blot and immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of the α2-δ type 1 subunit of the neuronal voltage-gated calcium channel. This unit upregulates in neuropathic pain models but has not been examined in a burn injury model. This may explain, in part, the antihyperalgesic mechanism seen with gabapentin and pregabalin. 7. The phrase 'phantom skin pain' was first coined in 1991; since that time, it has not been utilised consistently. It is proposed that the phrase be adopted to describe acute and persistent burn-injury pain of a neuropathic nature. 8. A Burn Pain Assessment Tool was developed and awaits validation.


 Abstract —Industrial steel chimneys are in the group of the tallest shell shaped structures, and these structures are one of the most important parts of power plants. The main rule of chimneys is transferring Emissions resulting from fuels to the higher level of ground. In this article the capacity curve of the structure calculated by Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) and nonlinear static analysis (pushover). Therefore, ductility, over strength, Deflection amplification factor and response modification coefficient were computed by considering capacity curve. For modeling of the chimney, finite element software ABAQUS is used. The results show good agreement between response modification coefficient obtained from IDA and poshover analysis with the coefficient that suggested by AISC code. Results show that response modification coefficient suggested by AISC code is conservative. At the second part two opening were added at the bottom of the chimney, and time history analyses for ten different earthquakes were applied on the chimney. Finally the value of Mises stresses compared for chimney with and without opening. The results show existence of opening increases significantly Mises stresses at the bottom of the


The surface albedo is important for the Earth's energy budget. An accurate determination of this parameter is difficult to achieve over large areas because the only available measurements at this scale must be made from space. The directional behavior of the surface and the temporal variability of the atmosphere are a problem. A method has been developed in order to compute the land surface albedo from satellite measurements and has been tested over bare soil. In this study, the authors used the Hapex Sahel data and applied the same method over sparsely vegetated area. The sampling necessity, incompatible with temporal evolution of the canopy, has been satisfied by using a sliding window a few days wide to retrieve the parameters of the models for the corresponding period. The albedos were then computed using retrieved parameters to integrate the reflectance over the hemisphere.<<ETX>>


The embodiments of the invention disclose an Internet Protocol (IP) address auto-configuration method, a server device, a client and a communication system. The method includes steps: determining a client with a formal IP address within the communication range which a client to be configured with a formal IP address belongs to, wherein, the formal IP address is a configured IP address; transmitting a relay configuration indication message to the client with a formal IP address, wherein, the relay configuration indication message carries Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) configuration information; after the client with a formal IP address configures itself as a DHCP relay according to the DHCP configuration information, assigning a formal IP address to the client to be configured with a formal IP address by the client which has been configured as a DHCP relay. With the embodiments of the invention, the setting of a dedicated DHCP relay is not necessary when an IP address is configured automatically with DHCP, and the system investment and maintenance cost are decreased.


Harmony between Ideas"and"Harmony between Forms"are characteristics of Chinese and Engˉlish language structures.The Chinese and English nations have different philosophical values and ways of thinkˉing because of their different cultural backgrounds,resulting in the different ways of language expressions.This paper discusses the differences between the ways of thinking of Chinese and English nations from the asˉpects of language culture,psychology culture and language structure.


Recommender systems typically rely on past user interactions as the primary source of information for making predictions. However, although highly informative, past user interactions are strongly biased. Impressions, on the other hand, are a new source of information that indicate the items displayed on screen when the user interacted (or not) with them, and have the potential to impact the field of recommender systems in several ways. Early research on impressions was constrained by the limited availability of public datasets, but this is rapidly changing and, as a consequence, interest in impressions has increased. Impressions present new research questions and opportunities, but also bring new challenges. Several works propose to use impressions as part of recommender models in various ways and discuss their information content. Others explore their potential in off-policy-estimation and reinforcement learning. Overall, the interest of the community is growing, but efforts in this direction remain disconnected. Therefore, we believe that a workshop would be useful in bringing the community together.


Factors in the design of instruments for the measurement of X-ray dose are considered with particular reference to a self-contained instrument using a quartz-fibre electroscope. Sufficient theory is given to show how manufacturing tolerances may be accommodated. The design of condenser ionization chambers is also discussed and three chambers are described. Results are given which show their suitability for their intended purpose and attention is given to effects to be expected when they are used at radiation qualities and intensities outside their normal working range. An appendix is devoted to the machining of polystyrene.


With the development of socialist market economy,the economical activities have become active at an unprecedented rate and the subjective consciousness of individuals have been awakened and enhanced.So people's sense of value and discipline of actions have greatly changed.Business crimes like extortions and swindles start to make frequent appearance.To solve these problems and to keep the healthy,stable and sustainable development of the social economy,synthesized administration composed of institutional,legal and ethical regulations must be taken to keep the economic rationality of economic subjects.


The anomalies and the threshold voltage shifts in GaN and GaAs based high electron mobility transistors over temperature were reported and analyzed using on wafer measurements. Discrepancies are noticed; most conspicuously that the thermal trends of the threshold voltage of the two device technologies are utterly contrasting. This anomaly extends for the other parameters of the devices such as sheet carrier densities of the two-dimension electron gas. In addition barrier inhomogeneities and the band offset of the semiconductor heterojunction with temperature provides some valuable insights between the two competitive device technologies.


Dear Sir.—I have been informed by the New York State National Guard authorities, that an opportunity is to be provided in the near future for a series of experiments to be conducted under my direction, pertaining to the practical application of methods of incineration for excrement and garbage, to be used by military forces in field service. Should you have ideas on this subject, I will be greatly honored if you will acquaint me with same and will endeavor to put in practical operation any beneficial suggestions that may be offered. In the final report on this subject, special credit will be given those persons offering suggestions that prove, in this connection, of value. Respectfully, WILLIAM G. BISSELL, M.D., Bacteriologist, Department of Health, Buffalo, N. Y.


Abstract The paper presents two cases of Europeanization in health policy – an area that has so far been viewed as hardly affected by European integration. We show that even in the less likely case of coverage decision-making, some traces of Europeanization can be found. This is possible because the Commission has a strong interest in further integration in this field and all other relevant actors have motives to at least engage in cooperation. Our first case deals with the EU's transparency directive and shows that this has forced member states to establish formal decision-making procedures, but did not result in a harmonization of decision-making processes and institutions, which is why the Commission has fostered cooperation and networking. The second case looks at the Europeanization of health technology assessment, demonstrating how cooperation and policy learning take place and how the Commission has successfully promoted the emergence of a new policy field.


A method of manufacturing nickel electrodes distinctive for its use of a composite material for the electrode made up of nickel compound, electrode material, cobalt in metal form or cobalt in compound form is investigated. The composite is over-discharged (same as reverse charging) in an alkaline solution. After dealkalization, synthetic resin adhesive is added and the electrode is formed. Selection of the cobalt compound is made from a group consisting of cobalt oxide, cobalt hydroxide, cobalt carbonate and cobalt sulfate. The method upgrades plate characteristics by using an active material in a non-sintered type nickel electrode, which is activated by electro-chemical effect.


The role of computer and internet as the means for socialization, education, information access, entertainment, shopping and communication is increasing dramatically in the life of youth. The internet has completely revolutionized the way information is accessed. Keeping in view the importance of the internet in general life and particularly in research and studies, the present paper was planned on PAU, Ludhiana research scholars with the objectives; to work out the extent of internet usage by research students; and to find out the gender difference in internet usage among research students. The sample size comprised 200 students. For the purpose of data collection, questionnaire was structured for the students. The required primary data from the students were collected in the questionnaire through personal interview method. The collected data were analyzed by applying t-test, chi-square test and z-test. The results of the study revealed that the male and female respondents spent higher time on educational sites, social networking sites and chatting sites as compared to that on religious sites, pornographic sites and magazine sites. The analysis showed that significantly higher frequency score was there for class assignments /projects, searching related literature and structuring of data collection tool among female respondents as compared to that among male respondents. On the other hand, significantly higher frequency score for preparing synopsis was there among male respondents as compared to that among female respondents. Time spent for different topics of research was similar by male and female respondents, except for searching appropriate statistical tools where female researchers devoted higher time as compared to that by the male researchers.


19 20 Safety is defined by the interactions and relationships between road-users, vehicles and the 21 infrastructure. But what is it that determines whether a situation is critical or unsafe? Due to 22 the many disadvantages of analyzing accident statistics, safety is often defined as its 'output 23 measures', or proximal or behavioral safety indicators. Examples are speed, speed variability, 24 time headway, SDLP, TLC and TTC. But where do we draw the line, what are good cut-off 25 values for these behavioral indicators? In order to come up with international standards, more 26 research is needed to fill in knowledge gaps. This article provides an overview of the link 27 between behavioral indicators and traffic safety. It also discusses earlier attempts and new 28 possibilities for setting cut-off values. The central research question in a new TNO project is 29 how to link behavioral indicators to what can be qualified as safe or unsafe. This paper is a 30 call to join forces and combine the existing data of naturalistic driving studies and field 31 experiments with new research. There is a need to combine behavioral indicators into one risk 32 factor, and add the link with behavior in specific surroundings. Cut-off values can be the end 33 result of a large research proposal, combining data from alcohol studies, visual distraction 34 data and driver drowsiness studies. 35 36


Our aim was to evaluate the role of IgG antibodies in allergy and definite whether food specific IgG antibodies are related with penicillin allergy. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) were used to examine 3 kinds of specific IgG antibodies to foods ( peanut, egg, milk) in sera of 99 penicillin allergic individuals so as to explore the role of IgG in allergy, and we analyzed the relationship between food specific IgG antibodies and penicillin allergy. Our data showed that the positive rate of specific IgG antibodies to peanut, egg, milk and crab was 30.3%, 37.4%, 31.3%, and 23.2%, respectively. The levels of specific IgG antibodies to peanut, egg, milk in individuals with penicillin allergy were all higher than that in controls (P 0.05). Compared with subjects without peni- cillin allergy, the positive rates of IgG antibodies to peanut, milk and crab were all higher in subjects with penicillin allergy (P 0.05). A- mong all penicillin allergic individuals with different symptoms, significant difference was found in specific IgG antibodies to egg (P 0.05). Based on the results, we concluded that IgG may be blocking antibodies in allergy. In penicillin allergy, specific IgG to egg may be associated with allergic symptoms.


Our delegate lawsuit system is the way of solving dispute of agents. With the further development of market economy, the bad effects of delegate lawsuit system appear gradually. Therefore, it is necessary to draw on the foreign rational factors of community lawsuit system. And we must combine our judicature practice and go further in the reform and make our delegate litigation better functionally.


The work represents experimental and morphological studies of regeneration of damaged areas of maxillofacial bones under the influence of the plasmatic stream. During the treatment we used micro plasmatic scalpel-irradiator ''ARIELI XXI''. The therapy showed positive results. Thus we recommend this method of treatment for introducing in practice.


Over recent years, iris recognition has been an explosive growth of interest in human identification due to its high accuracy. Iris recognition is a biometric system that uses iris to verify and identify human identity. Iris has pattern that is rich with textures and can be compared among humans. There are many methods can be used in iris recognition. The methods based on the integro-differential operator and Hough transform are the most widely used in iris recognition. Unfortunately, both methods require more time to execute and has less accurate recognition accuracy due to the eyelid occlusion. In order to solve these problems, the Chan-Vese active contour is modified to reduce the execution time and to increase the recognition accuracy of iris recognition. Then, this method is compared with the integro-differential operator method. The iris images from CASIA-v4 database are used for the experiments. According to the results, the proposed method recorded 0.91 s for execution time which was 61.28 % faster than the integro-differential operator method. The proposed method also achieved 0.9831 for area under curve (AUC) which was 2.66 % higher recognition accuracy than the integro-differential operator method. To conclude, the modified Chan-Vese active contour was able to improve the performance of iris recognition compared to the integro-differential operator method.


Abstract: Thermal reaction norms of sprint speed were examined in three lacertid lizard species (Takydromus tachydromoides, T. smaragdinus, and T. dorsalis). We found inter- and intraspecific variations in maximum sprint speed, optimal body temperature, and thermal performance breadth for the best sprints. The thermal performance breadth of T. smaragdinus was broader than that of T. tachydromoides or T. dorsalis, whereas T. dorsalis sprinted faster than the others. In T. smaragdinus, individuals with narrower performance breadths run faster within their thermal range of expertise. There were "specialist" individuals of which performance depended heavily on high temperatures, as well as "generalist" individuals that performed well over a broad range of temperatures even within a single population. We discussed that the spatiotemporal instability of habitats might favor more than one type of thermal reaction norm of sprint performance, and this phenomenon may be driven by specialist-generalist trade-offs.


Objective: Although studies suggest that erythrocyte concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are lower in individuals with schizophrenia, evidence of beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is limited. This study therefore aimed to determine whether omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid levels are causally related to schizophrenia. Methods: Causality was evaluated using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method using fatty acid levels and schizophrenia genome-wide association study results. Weighted median, weighted mode, and MR Egger regression methods were used as sensitivity analyses. To address the mechanism, analyses were performed using instruments within the FADS and ELOVL2 genes. Multivariable MR (MVMR) was used to estimate direct effects of omega-3 fatty acids on schizophrenia, independent of omega-6 fatty acids, lipoproteins and triglycerides. Results: MR analyses indicated that long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid levels were associated with lower risk of schizophrenia (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] ORIVW: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.92). In contrast, short-chain fatty acids were associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia (alpha-linolenic acid ORIVW: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.98-1.18). Causal effects were consistent across sensitivity and FADS single-SNP analyses. MVMR indicated that the protective effect of DHA on schizophrenia persisted after conditioning on other lipids (ORIVW: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71-1.01). Conclusions: Results are consistent with protective effects of long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on schizophrenia suggesting that people with schizophrenia may have difficulty converting short-chain to long-chain PUFAs. Long-chain PUFA supplementation or diet enrichment, particularly in higher risk individuals, might help prevent onset of disorder.


The electrical energy generation via the Photovoltaic system is widely utilized in the world especially in the countries where it is characterized by considerable potential of solar energy. PV systems are affected by several factors that can reduce its efficiency such as PV generator aging, failures. Photovoltaic systems monitoring is a important task for guaranteeing the reliability and stability of PV system operation. This paper addresses the monitoring of PV systems in renewable energy research unit in the Saharan region (URERMS) Adrar, through to give an insigth about the methods of measuring, acquisition, data storage of monitored parameters. In addition, the existing problems for insuring the suitable solution.


".. it was a strange feeling, like a connection with him.. someone I hadn't met and who didn't know me, but I might have had something to do with getting him released. When I read he'd been let out I felt different… it was like being on a whole different level of existence.." (16 year-old young woman, member of Amnesty International) This paper aims to challenge the way in which we view young people. Young people in most countries of the world are viewed stereotypically, as alienated, apathetic, and self-centred. This paper will present research which demonstrates that this image is not correct. Rather, many young people today are involved in a wide range of exceptional activities, in volunteering, campaigning, and a wide range of community activities. The data presented is drawn from a study undertaken by the authors of 1,150 young people, aged 14–16, from a variety of backgrounds and living in different parts of the U.K. The research demonstrates that participation in pro-social and altruistic activities is enormously beneficial not only for society in general, but also for the young people themselves, leading to the development of a range of practical, personal, and social skills. Quantitative and qualitative data from the study will be presented to illustrate these points.


Thispaperpresents a new bloodvessel recognition algorithm thatmatches principle shapes andmajorpoint features between apairofimages byrepeatedly using the Iterated Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. Intheinitial stage, a setofprimary blood vessels isextracted fromtheimages. A transformation forglobal adjustment isfoundbymatching primary bloodvessels. Inthesecond stage, atransformation forlocal adjustment isfoundbymatching corresponding point features intheoverlap area. Bothmatching procedures arebasedontheminimization oftheSumofSquares of Differences (SSD)between twoimages andareperformed byICPalgorithm. Thisapproach guarantees bothglobal and local alignment accuracy because global features areusedto find theinitial transformation andlocal features areusedfor optimal pixel alignment.


From the work in performance art developed by the Mexican artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña, I present considerations on how the transvestism begins a problematization of the question of gender and ethnicity that is added to other speeches, poetic / activists, "shot" on the scene in relation to identity. In this reflection, I mainly use the thinking and research of Judith Butler and Marvin Carlson.


The characteristics of crankshaft stresses were investigated by experiments and calculations for a 10 cylinder V-engine. The three-dimensional vibrations of the crankshaft system were calculated by the dynamic stiffness matrix method. The dynamic bending stresses at the front and rear fillets of the No. 1 crankpin in the crankthrow plane and torsional vibrations at the front pulley were measured. From the experimental and calculated results we found that : ( 1 ) The maximum bending stresses are caused by the bending vibrations coupled with torsional vibrations, and the peaks of the bending stresses always appear at the resonant engine speeds of the torsional vibrations. ( 2 ) The bending stress at the front fillet is strongly affected by the moments of inertia of the front pulley about the axis orthogonal to the No. 1 crankthrow plane, whereas the stress at the rear fillet is little affected by them.


- This review presents the results of studies on the issue of reducing the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines formed in meat products. The analyzed works have shown that it is possible to influence the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines through their precursors, heat treatment of meat products, and the introduction of non-meat ingredients into the recipe. An analysis of works devoted to the effect of temperature and duration of heat treatment on the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines formed is presented. As a result of the analysis, it was found that free amino acids, moisture, and the water-holding capacity of the raw material play an essetial role in the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines. Many analyzed works proved the inhibitory effect of vitamin E in the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines. Inhibitory effects of pomegranate seed extract, artichoke extract are described. The impact of replacing animal fat with vegetable oils on the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines formed is described. aromatic amines, meat products, inhibitors, precursors, catalysts, heat treatment, extracts, antioxidant activity. Abstract- This review presents the results of studies on the issue of reducing the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines formed in meat products. The analyzed works have shown that it is possible to influence the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines through their precursors, heat treatment of meat products, and the introduction of non-meat ingredients into the recipe. An analysis of works devoted to the effect of temperature and duration of heat treatment on the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines formed is presented. As a result of the analysis, it was found that free amino acids, moisture, and the water-holding capacity of the raw material play an essetial role in the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines. Many analyzed works proved the inhibitory effect of vitamin E in the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines. Inhibitory effects of pomegranate seed extract, artichoke extract are described. The impact of replacing animal fat with vegetable oils on the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines formed is described.


The aim of the study is to identify the factors that influence the choice of medical destination for tourist. The importance of the study is to understand the needs and the perspective of the medical tourist and to determine why they seek medical attention from other countries and what their satisfaction levels and factors are. The main argument in the study is the reason why patients travel for medical treatment in other countries and what factors make them choose which country they will go to. There is always a hype that surrounds medical tourist in relation to health travel but most patients main focus is on health preferences than the travel preferences. The argument why tourist make chooses for the destination for their medical treatment mainly focuses on the success stories of those who have sought medical treatment for a particular country, the issue of cost saving, the legitimate of the service and procedures offered and the convenience.


The synthetic pyrethroid, cypermethrin toxicity was studied in fresh water fish 'Heteropneustes fossilis and the tissues like gill and liver were chosen for Histopathological effects by light microscopy, for 4 days and 7 days under
sublethal concentrations. No Histopathological effects were observed in control group and 4 days group. Hence 7 days group was selected for the present study. Significant changes in Hepatic cells of liver were observed like cloudy swelling of hepatocytes, vacuolour degeneration, and dilation of sinusoids, Hepatic lesions, and Karyo Lexis. In Gill, oedema,
Epithelial lining, curling of lamellae were observed. This study demonstrates the potential of electron microscopy in particular SEM, as a tool for detecting cypermethrin induced damage to liver and surface of gill lamellae.


Current mobile devices commonly use vibration feedback to signal incoming notifications. However, vibration feedback exhibits strong attention capture, limiting its use to short periods and prominent notifications. Instead, we investigate the use of compression feedback for notifications, which scales from subtle stimuli to strong ones and can provide sustained stimuli over longer periods. Compression feedback utilizes inflatable straps around a user's limbs, a form factor allowing for easy integration into many common wearables. We explore technical aspects of compression feedback and investigate its psychophysical properties with several lab and in situ studies. Furthermore, we show how compression feedback enables reactive feedback. Here, deflation patterns are used to reveal further information on a user's query. We also compare compression and vibrotactile feedback and find that they have similar performance.


This presentation is more an exercise in theorizing history (in this case the dialectics of world-history and utopistic praxis) than in historiography, though I am not sure if the two can really be separated and dualized as such. My concern here is with contested identities (in a world-history context) of not just who we are, but who we can and should be. What attracted me to this panel topic was in fact the ways in which it could accommodate comparative and cross-disciplinary discourses of self and world on one hand and theory and practice on the other. Above all, however, from the standpoint of my applied sociological interest in comparative utopistics, it allowed me to problematize and historicize the taken-for-granted notion of "contestation" itself, questioning whether identities have to be contested, even if they have undoubtedly been so, throughout millennia. In what follows I will try to share with you in outline the argument advanced in my dissertation research titled "Mysticism and Utopia: Towards the Sociology of Self-Knowledge and Human Architecture" (Tamdgidi 2002). Therein, I have explored the utopistic theories of Karl Marx, G. I. Gurdjieff, and Karl Mannheim as contested efforts towards the good life in self and society within a world-historical framework. I argue that the three approaches--representing western utopian, eastern mystical, and academic movements--are fragmented microcosms of an otherwise singular creative human search for the good life. Their mutual alienations, I argue, are rooted in fragmented philosophical, religious, and scientific ideologies which have emerged in conjunction with the broad historical transitions of ancient civilizations to classical political, medieval cultural, and modern economic empires. Human architecture and the sociology of self-knowledge are then introduced as creative conceptual, curricular, and pedagogical efforts beyond the contested terrains of fragmented utopistics in favor of a just global society. "Utopistics" is a term recently coined by Immanuel Wallerstein denoting "the serious assessment of historical alternatives, the exercise of our judgment as to the substantive rationality of alternative possible historical systems. It is the sober, rational, and realistic evaluation of human social systems, the constraints on what they can be, and the zones open to human creativity. Not the face of the perfect (and inevitable) future, but the face of an alternative, credibly better, and historically possible (but far from certain) future. It is thus an exercise simultaneously in science, politics, and morality" (1998a 1-2). I use the concept with certain important qualifications, however. First, utopistics in my view must simultaneously deal with macro and micro processes, with broad structural concerns as well as everyday interactive issues. Second, it must eschew ethnocentrism and actively embrace comparative approaches across cultural traditions. Third, it must involve both rigorous assessment and actual application. Utopistics, in my view, is the comparative applied sociology (or historiography--reflective and creative) of the good life--of realistic seeking of optimally better selves, persons, communities, and worlds. The utopistic approach to applying sociology moves beyond either the mainstream or merely oppositional/antisystemic modes of resolving concrete everyday problems; it seeks positive self and social change by the example of its alternative methodological, theoretical, practical, and inspirational innovations and solutions. My purpose here is to use Marx, Gurdjieff, and Mannheim as representative doors for entering the stratified building rooms of theories we have inherited from modern or traditional, western or eastern, spacetimes, critically assessing their usefulness in helping us effectively move beyond our inner and broader social contestations and alienations in favor of the good life. I will conclude with my translation of another representative example from the mystical poetry of Rumi with a brief note on his poetic utopistics in a world-historical context--one in which the audience is simultaneously one's own selves, the face-to-face "others," and all future (and in remembrance all past) human generations. …


connecting the word religion and violence conflict is a contrdictory terminology, becaus the true religion is a divine teaching that implies goodnees. But on the other hand religion is often used as a tool of legitimacy against acts of vionlece and even conflitc in the name of religion


This study aims to examine the effect of intellectual capital on financial performance and market value of the firm. The intellectual capital variable uses three proxies, namely employed capital efficiency, human capital efficiency and structural capital efficiency, while the company's financial performance variable uses return on equity proxy and market to book ratio to proxy the company's market value. The object of this research is companies included in the Jakarta Islamic Index 2011-2017 period. Sampling is done by purposive sampling so that there are 19 companies that are used as research samples. The data analysis used is regression analysis to examine the effect of intellectual capital on financial performance and market value of the company. The results showed that intellectual capital had no effect on financial performance so that it affected the company's market value.


Tandem mass spectrometry has been used to differentiate positional isomers of some monoalkylated naphthalenes. The basis of the distinction is the cluster of peaks from m/z 150 to 155. Principal components analysis can extract isomer-specific information that is not obvious from simple visual inspection of the spectra. The analysis led to the observation of similar trends in single-stage electron impact mass spectra.


A kind of distributed seawater carbon sequestration equipment is designed for achieving the target of carbon neutrality steadily and solving the problems including high energy consumption, high pollution and low conversion rate existing in the traditional carbon sequestration technologies. A single-step carbon sequestration technology is used to sequester the carbonate ions and obtain the by-product - hydrogen and preliminarily desalinated seawater by means of electrolysis reaction. The proposal is efficient in energy saving and emission reduction with simple chemical principles and a high availability for promotion. An ideal model is established, a corresponding control system is designed and a physical model of the core device is established for the experimental research to ensure feasibility of the proposal in the study.


To method of restrain harmonic in intelligent building,a based hybrid power filter is presented.the configuration and working principle of the filter are studied.The experimental results exhibit excellent performance of the hybrid filter.the required rating of the active filter can be very low.


A novel small field of view medical gamma camera the Compact Gamma Camera (CGC) has been developed at the University of Leicester to provide portable, high-resolution gamma imaging for applications in nuclear medical imaging. The suitability of this camera for medical imaging is investigated through Monte Carlo simulation, phantom studies and preliminary clinical testing. Quality assurance protocols are adapted for use with small field of view gamma cameras. These protocols are then used to provide a full characterisation of the CGC. The CGC is found to compare favourably to other small field of view systems in development. Phantom studies are described which show that the CGC is well suited to intraoperative imaging, particularly for use in sentinel lymph node biopsy. A Monte Carlo model is described that is designed to simulate the response of a pinholecollimated, scintillator-based gamma camera. The model is shown to accurately model sensitivity and spatial resolution. Previously derived analytical models are shown to be unsuitable for modelling finite source profiles and a new analytical model is described which addresses this shortcoming. This model is used to define appropriate test source sizes for the characterisation of small field of view systems. A modified version of the CGC the Hybrid Compact Gamma Camera (HCGC) is described which includes an optical imager in a coaligned configuration. The HCGC allows for functional and anatomical images to be obtained simultaneously. The use of hybrid optical-gamma imaging is novel in small field of view cameras and offers new possibilities for assisting surgeons in localising the site of uptake in procedures such as sentinel node detection.


Poly(lactic acid) was prepared by means of melt polycondensation. The effects of reaction temperature, the variety and content of catalyst, and the reaction time on the preparation were studied, and the prepared products were characterized by means of IR and 1H NMR. The results showed the optimum conditions of the polycondensation were that reaction time 30 h, reaction temperature 160 ℃, with TSA of 0.2wt% as acid catalyst, SnCl 2 of 0.5wt% as catalyst and vacuum of 0~1 333 Pa. Purity of the lactic acid was one of the key points in the preparation of poly(lactic acid) with high molecular mass.


Industrial districts can be conceived as complex systems characterised by a network of interactions amongst heterogeneous, localised, functionally integrated and complementary firms. The paper introduces an industrial district computational prototype that allows to simulate fundamental industrial districts' mechanisms. The paper aims at showing firstly that economic performance of industrial districts proceeds to the behavior of firms and the form through which they interact and co-ordinate each others. Secondly, the role of institutional supporting scaffolds able to improve technological adaptation paths of firms is investigated, too.


The present scenario of the Indian printing industry can change drastically, with the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in media sector. At which point of time, all small, medium and large printing organizations will face threats from Global players in the area of Today majority of the leading printers in India have realized that they must be competitive in the global market, by focusing on productivity and customer satisfaction, which can be achieved by efficiently using all the resources, optimizing and integrating or synchronizing all the process of the printing operation.
Due to the above realistic condition of the Indian Printing Industry, it is the appropriate time to adopt Total Production Maintenance (TPM), which is mainly focusing on optimizing and integrating the printing operation. In printing Industry across the globe, with Hybrid technology and imported materials, it is not possible to have efficient operation. Hence along with other factors, maintenance today has become an integral part of the printing operation.
This paper focuses on the maintenance activity as a profit center and not a cost center. The research variables of interest are quantity rate and availability rate. The procedure adopted in this research is to have extensive literature review and identify the variables affecting maintenance and profit of organization, constructing a fish bone analysis, making a casual loop diagram and developing a System Dynamics model. The results have indicated that Productive Maintenance affects the profit. The outcome of this research is useful for any manufacturing industry, which is focusing on maintenance activity to generate profit


How managers take decisions with respect to the acquisition and deployment of technology to promote technological innovation is central to the field of strategic management. The main objective of this research is to explore how technology decisions drive technological innovation in organizations. Technology decisions have been explored through the lens of substance and enactment of technology strategy. The paper reports findings from three Indian Power Distribution Firms that have taken various initiatives to turn around the dilapidated power distribution situation in the country. The study proposes typologies of technology acquisition and deployment strategies


The utility model relates to a gasoline engine crankshaft journal quenching device, which comprises a quenching coil, a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, a left sprinkler head, a right sprinkler head, a left sprinkling pipe and a right sprinkling pipe. An insulation cushion is arranged between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, and a heat conducting strip is disposed on the semicircular quenching coil and adhered to the inner arc surface of the quenching coil. The quenching device is capable of quenching a whole journal including a round corner portion of the connecting position of a crankshaft and a crank, thereby greatly increasing gasoline crankshaft quality, and improving fatigue strength of the crankshaft by a large margin.


Nutritional assessment for home health care patients has commonly been perceived as an unnecessary and unbillable service. However, just as hospitals have implemented nutrition screening programs, home care agencies can use similar screening methods to identify and treat those patients at potential nutritional risk. Addressing nutritional deficiencies and making appropriate treatment recommendations can improve overall patient outcomes. This article describes the process that one home care agency took in developing and implementing nutritional services. The discussion will include successes and pitfalls experienced along the way as well as some valuable recommendations for other agencies to use in implementing their own nutrition service.


Camylofin dihydrochloride is an anti-spasmodic drug available in India and other Latin American and African countries, for the treatment of abdominal colic and for acceleration of labor. Although, the drug has been in use for over six decades, with multiple citations in academic text books of repute, treatment protocols, and multiple research publications, there is no consolidated published information on the pharmacology and clinical details of camylofin. This drug statement/monograph is an attempt to collate and present scientific information that will come in handy to practicing obstetricians and gynaecologists, as well as other primary care physicians, when treating cases of abdominal colic or managing prolonged labor. Approved clinical indications, clinical pharmacology, dosage, contraindications, precautions, drug interactions, adverse effects, overdose and clinical evidence in different indications are covered herein.


One hundred and fOrty of nursing students of the 3rd class Of Hirosaki university school were evaluated with two kind of psych010gical test(Yatabe_Guilford test;Y― G test and Cornell lvledical lndex; Ch/11)before their surgical nursing practice in the university hospital The relationship between the type of student's characteristic and our evaluatiOn mark for thier primary practice was compared


In this paper, a kind of active coefficient detection (ACD)-based maximum correntropy criterion (MCC) algorithm is proposed to estimate a sparse multi-path channel under the non-Gaussian environments. The proposed ACD-based MCC algorithms are realized by developing an active coefficient detection mechanism, which can distinguish the active taps within the sparse channels and find out the position and the number of active taps. Therefore, only the active taps coefficient is updated while the trivial channel coefficients are set to be zeros. Various computer simulation experiments are carried out to investigate the performance of the proposed ACD-based MCC algorithms under different impulsive noises. The achieved simulation results prove that the proposed ACD-based MCC algorithms are effective and outperform the previous adaptive filtering algorithms for the sparse channel estimation with regard to both the convergence and the estimation error.