Congenital heart defects are classes of birth defects that affect the structure and function of the heart. These defects are attributed to the abnormal or incomplete development of a fetal heart during the first few weeks following conception. The overall detection rate of congenital heart defects during routine prenatal examination is low. This is attributed to the insufficient number of trained personnel in many local health centers where many cases of congenital heart defects go undetected. This dissertation presents a system to identify congenital heart defects to improve pregnancy outcomes and increase their detection rates. The system was developed and its performance assessed in identifying the presence of ventricular defects (congenital heart defects that affect the size of the ventricles) using four-dimensional fetal echocardiographic images. The designed system consists of three components: 1) a fetal heart location estimation component, 2) a fetal heart chamber segmentation component, and 3) a detection component that detects congenital heart defects from the segmented chambers. The location estimation component is used to isolate a fetal heart in any four-dimensional fetal echocardiographic image. It uses a hybrid region of interest extraction method that is robust to speckle noise degradation inherent in all ultrasound images. The location estimation method's performance was analyzed on 130 four-dimensional fetal echocardiographic images by comparison with manually identified fetal heart region of interest. The location estimation method showed good agreement with the manually identified standard using four quantitative indexes: Jaccard index, Sorenson-Dice index, Sensitivity index and Specificity index. The average values of these indexes were measured at 80.70%, 89.19%, 91.04%, and 99.17%, respectively. The fetal heart chamber segmentation component uses velocity vector field estimates computed on frames contained in a four-dimensional image to identify the fetal heart chambers. The velocity vector fields are computed using a histogram-based optical flow technique which is formulated on local image characteristics to reduces the effect of speckle noise and nonuniform echogenicity on the velocity vector field estimates. Features based on the velocity vector field estimates, voxel brightness/intensity values, and voxel Cartesian coordinate positions were extracted and used with kernel k-means algorithm to identify the individual chambers. The segmentation method's performance was evaluated on 130 images from 31 patients by comparing the segmentation results with manually identified fetal heart chambers. Evaluation was based on the Sorenson-Dice index, the absolute volume difference and the Hausdorff distance, with each resulting in per patient average values of 69.92%, 22.08%, and 2.82 mm, respectively. The detection component uses the volumes of the identified fetal heart chambers to flag the possible occurrence of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a type of congenital heart defect. An empirical volume threshold defined on the relative ratio of adjacent fetal heart chamber volumes obtained manually is used in the detection process. The performance of the detection procedure was assessed by comparison with a set of images with confirmed diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and a control group of normal fetal hearts. Of the 130 images considered 18 of 20 (90%) fetal hearts were correctly detected as having hypoplastic left heart syndrome and 84 of 110 (76.36%) fetal hearts were correctly detected as normal in the control group. The results show that the detection system performs better than the overall detection rate for congenital heart defect which is reported to be between 30% and 60%.


This paper portrays the point of view on the investigation of enormous information created by sensors and gadgets on the edge of systems. The paper incorporates a talk of the significance of information at the edge of systems where some of ―biggest‖ enormous information is produced. Additionally fast diagram of rising innovations, including disseminated systems, for example, the Apache Hadoop structure and Apache* Map Reduce.


Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is produced in the rumen by isomerization of linoleic acid and has been shown to be anticarcinogenic. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding dietary CLA to pre-ruminant lambs or linoleic acid-rich safflower oil to weaned ruminating lambs. Fat content, CLA content and fatty acid (FA) composition of diaphragm, leg, rib, subcutaneous (SC) adipose and liver tissues were determined. The triacylglycerol (TAG) fractions of the total lipid (TL) from the diaphragm, rib and SC adipose tissues were analyzed for FA composition and FA positional distribution. The phospholipid (PL) fractions of the TL were analyzed for FA composition. The positional distribution of FAs of liver PL was determined. Tissue fat content was affected by diet only in SC adipose tissue. Dietary supplementation with safflower oil increased the fat content of the subcutaneous adipose tissue whereas CLA supplementation resulted in decreased (P<0.05) fat content. Dietary supplementation with safflower oil increased (P<0.05) the CLA content of tissues by more than 200% whereas dietary supplementation with CLA did not affect CLA content. Positional distribution analysis indicated that CLA tends was localized to the sn-1/3 positions of TAG and the sn-2 position of the liver PL.


Degree of emulator's ability to imitate emulated machine is defined by its accuracy. EmuStudio platform, used mainly for educational purposes, tries to be an accurate emulator. The most widely implemented accuracy level is preservation of emulated computer speed. Modification of host machine hardware affects the emulation speed and therefore it is necessary to guard if the emulation speed match the requirements.


Reccurent translocation t(4;14) associated ectopic expression of FGFR3, sometimes containing the activation mutation K650E (TDII), has been identified in 25% of human multiple myeloma (MM) patients and cell lines. However, current empirically-derived cytotoxic chemotherapy does not effectively treat this disease. One potential therapeutic strategy of treating MM is to inhibit the tyrosine kinase activity of FGFR3. In this report, we evaluated the efficacy of PKC412 (N-benzoyl-staurosporine), a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of FGFR3 mutants induced diseases. PKC412 effectively inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity and activation of downstream effector pathways of FGFR3 TDII or the constitutively activated TEL-FGFR3 fusion that was reported in a subtype of human peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), as well as proliferation of hematopoietic Ba/F3 cells transformed by the FGFR3 mutants. Furthermore, PKC412 drastically inhibits proliferation of four different multiple myeloma-derived primary cell lines that are associated with t(4;14) and expression of dysregulated FGFR3. Moreover, oral-gavage treatment with PKC412 resulted in statistically significant prolongation of survival in the murine bone marrow transplant (BMT) models of FGFR3 TDII-induced pre-B cell lymphoma or TEL-FGFR3 fusion-induced myeloproliferative disease, which suggests suitable pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles of PKC412 for clinical use. Together, our data establish the small molecule inhibitor PKC412 as a molecularly targeted therapy for multiple myeloma and other human malignancies expressing activated FGFR3.


This unit describes two methods of genotyping DNA sequences containing known nucleotide variations. The first protocol describes a colorimetric method for genotyping DNA samples amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using an oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA). The second protocol describes the ligase chain reaction (LCR), a method for simultaneously amplifying and genotyping genomic DNA samples. A describes the preparation of modified biotin‐ and digoxigenin‐labeled oligonucleotide primers.


The containing double (CD) is a clinically modified psychodrama intervention that provides holding, grounding, and safety when used with individual, couples, families, or groups. The latest neurobi...


Broad-band multiplex vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) was used to study CO2 reduction on a polycrystalline Ag electrode with a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) electrolyte, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIM-BF4), with 0.3 mol % water. The Ag/RTIL/H2O system has been shown to reduce CO2 with low overpotential and, depending on water concentration, with Faradaic efficiency of nearly 100% (Rosen, B. A.; Salehi-Khojin, A.; Thorson, M. R.; Zhu, W.; Whipple, D. T.; Kenis, P. J. A.; Masel, R. I. Science 2011, 334, 643–644). The adsorbed CO created by CO2 reduction was probed with infrared (IR) pulses tuned to the CO stretch. Nonresonant (NR) SFG was used to probe the double layer. SFG showed that CO binds weakly to Ag at the CO2 reduction threshold of −1.33 V (vs Ag/AgCl), so CO does not poison the surface. At potentials equal to or more negative than the threshold, the curvature of the parabolic potential-dependent NR intensity significantly increased, and the Stark ...


Since its formulation, Turan's hypergraph problems have been among the most challenging open problems in extremal combinatorics. One of them is the following: given a $3$-uniform hypergraph $\mathcal{F}$ on $n$ vertices in which any five vertices span at least one edge, prove that $|\mathcal{F}| \ge (1/4 -o(1))\binom{n}{3}$. The construction showing that this bound would be best possible is simply $\binom{X}{3} \cup \binom{Y}{3}$ where $X$ and $Y$ evenly partition the vertex set. This construction has the following more general $(2p+1, p+1)$-property: any set of $2p+1$ vertices spans a complete sub-hypergraph on $p+1$ vertices. One of our main results says that, quite surprisingly, for all $p>2$ the $(2p+1,p+1)$-property implies the conjectured lower bound.


The paper is devoted to analysis and econometric modeling of innovative activity of the regions of the Russian Federation with the use of multivariate statistical methods and building a recursive system of regression equations.


This paper focuses on the process latitude for achieving 100-500 nm dimensions in SAL-601 e-beam resist. Si wafers were coated with 140 nm of resist and lithographically exposed with a JEOL JBX-5DII e-beam lithography system, operated at 50 kV and a probe standard deviation, (sigma) , of approximately 10 nm. Post exposure bake (PEB) conditions were 105 degrees C for 1, 3, and 10 min. and 110 degrees C for 1 min. The measured backscatter coefficient was 0.51, in agreement with out Monte Carlo simulation results. Resist thickness measurements showed a factor of 2 variation in sensitivity with PEB conditions but no change in contrast. The measured linespread functions for isolated lines could be fit to single Gaussians with (sigma) of 27-33 nm, depending of the PEB conditions. The measured widths of the linespread functions were more than a factor of 2 larger than predicted by the Monte Carlo simulation. The PEB condition of 105 degrees C for 1 min. showed slightly better dose latitude than the other PEB conditions for fabricating gaps between pads. Still the process latitude became acutely narrow in patterning 100 nm gaps. For 20 micrometers pads the dose latitude was less than 3 percent. There was no single dose that could produce a gap of less than 250 nm in a tower pattern with pad widths of 0.5 to 20 micrometers . The results are compared to calculated dose profiles that incorporate both measured linespread functions and those generated by a Monte Carlo code.


A procedure to measure low levels of trans-alkene content in samples of natural rubber has been developed based on 'H-NMR spectroscopy at 400 MHz. Modification levels ranging between 0.20 mole% and 0.79 mole% have been measured in natural rubber originating from a variety of grades of Malaysian rubber. There is no general correlation between tr&ns-alkene content and grade of natural rubber. A combination of 'spin-counting' and comparative NMR analyses has demonstrated that the sol and gel phases of natural rubber are homogeneous with both phases containing the same level of tr&ns-alkene content.


Abstract This article examines types of informational technologies application problems, shows their scheme, observes basic data structures of technological problems, principles and methods of modeling these structures. It is noted that the solution of transport technology problems is based on the improvement of technological supply, the rational usage of informational modeling methodology of the whole transportation process. There are informational search and presentation computerized technologies when indexation and coding system are used to create them. As an example, dangerous freight forwarding resolution codification is shown, which is used for searching the most important resolutions and for their presentation to all the dangerous freight-forwarding participants. The present informational search and presentation programs that improve the possibilities of the presented search are observed as well.


Summary Three nitrogen-containing can-nabinoids caused a dose-dependent fall of intraocular pressure when administered either topically or orally to rabbits. Concentrations of 0.001 to 1% applied topically and 0.3 mg/kg orally were effective. Topical concentrations of 0.5% caused a substantial decrease of intraocular pressure in rhesus monkeys. These compounds may prove therapeutically useful in the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure. This work was supported in part by PHS Research Grants EY 01413, EY 01590 and DA 01213. We thank Dr. Harry Pars of SISA, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., for the generous supplies of the benzopyranopyridines, Ms. D. Hancock and Mrs. I. Prior for secretarial assistance, Ms. K. Bowman and Ms. D. Johnson for technical assistance, and Drs. M. Kling, R. Shimp and Mr. R. Morrison for their help with the monkey experiments.


High definition videos contain huge data to be transmitted and received, which is difficult to be sent and stored. In this paper a compression technique based on binary motion vector technique is used to compress HD videos. In which the process of searching for the best matching block for each current block occurs. The proposed technique keeps HD quality with at least Peak Signal to Noise Ratio 62 dB and along with 26% compression ratio on gray scale. The proposed technique is implemented on a Xilinx Vertex 2 2V250fg456 FPGA. The maximum operating speed of the hardware is 63.8 MHz. The FPGA utilization is 12.37% of total CLB slices and 8.61% of total latches.


In a recent paper ( Jin, Yan, and Zhou 2005 ), it is proved that efficient strategies of the continuous‐time mean–semivariance portfolio selection model are in general never achieved save for a trivial case. In this note, we show that the mean–semivariance efficient strategies in a single period are always attained irrespective of the market condition or the security return distribution. Further, for the below‐target semivariance model the attainability is established under the arbitrage‐free condition. Finally, we extend the results to problems with general downside risk measures.


God and Contemporary Science. By Philip Clayton. Edinburgh Studies in Constructive Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1997. xii + 274 pp. $25.00 (paper). Earlier in his career Philip Clayton made very important contributions on issues of methodology for the relating of theology to the social sciences and the natural sciences, especially in his book, Explanation from Physics to Theology. Now this later work, God and Contemporary Science (GCS) moves in the direction of constructive issues both in theology and the philosophy of mind, with sustained sensitivity to the methodological issues. Clayton begins GCS by identifying two pivotal historical developments shaping contemporary theology: one being the early modern era through the Enlightenment, and the other the post-modem intellectual climate of today. In the former, Christian particularity appeared scandalous in the face of the universalizing force of scientific reason and critical philosophy. In the latter, the claims of reason to universal validity are themselves seriously questioned, and the stigma on particularity per se is lifted. Now the problem becomes: How can the particulars of any cultures history, including Christianity's, be the source of universal significance? This is the background for Clayton's philosophical and theological strategy. There can be no foundational certainty in a universal reason, he claims; we start our quests for truth within the conditions of our histories. Thus, the starting point of the book is biblical theology which opens the world of Christian theology in general, and divine agency in particular. That the God referred to in this tradition is creator of all that is, means there is a universal claim in place in the biblical story: it cannot be just "true for us," but must refer to what the world is, its derived purpose and destiny. This point of departure attempts to avoid insularity@ and only does so if there are some standards of reasoning, some grounds for inter-subjective conversation, which can lead us to judgments about claims, and grounds for determining best explanations. If Christian theology is about truth claims, then these must be justified in the context of science and other ways of knowing in our present situation. Thus, in the next part of the book the focus turns to the contemporary scientific context in our culture. Far from retreat into the insularity of its particular story, hoping that somehow it is found persuasive, Christian theology must place itself-its history, sources, narratives, doctrines, practices-within the present context, and must live with the appropriate constraints that the larger framework establishes, according to Clayton. At the same time, the Christian framework functions as an interpreter, among other interpreters, of knowledge from every source, including the sciences. It is among the large scale perspectives not afforded by any of the more specialized disciplines. In another essay, Clayton uses the image of "crossing the river at its narrowest point," to describe the relationship theology must hold in its engagement with the natural sciences, and I think it applies well to his approach in this book. I take this to mean-using the relationship among theology, philosophy of mind, and the neuro-sciences as an example-that we should start with: 1) what science and philosophy give us which is least controversial, and at the same time, 2) hold fast to the minimal conditions necessary for defending a robust theological concept of the person. This becomes an instance of the narrow point along the river bank that divides conceptually, if not in spirit, the landscape of theology and of science. I like this image and find it useful for proceeding at this interface. This is an aggressive strategy, for it presumes that there is real engagement to be had between science and theology, and that the goal is nothing short of finding monotheism not just possible, but the best among possible explanations for the world. …


This report  describes in detail the working process of constructing a normalized relational database with an associated graphical user interface, based on raw data data sets in CSV-format acquired ...


This study sought to determine the predictors of anatomical‐functional discordance between quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) derived diameter stenosis (QCA‐DS) and diastolic pressure ratio during wave‐free period (dPRWFP).


Student drug abuse and experimentation are no longer within the realm of the high school counselor. Today's elementary and middle school students are exposed to, and often abusing, drugs at an alarming rate (McGovern & DuPont, 1991; Paisley, Gerler, & Sprinthall, 1990). In recent years, counselor educators and other helping professionals have called for the implementation of student assistance programs (SAPs) within elementary and middle school settings (Dykeman, 1994; Einspruch, 1996; Palmer & Paisley, 1991). These SAPs are based on the widely effective employee assistance programs (EAPs) used in many work settings (Dykeman, 1994; McGovern & DuPont,1991; Moore & Forster,1993). Early SAPs, starting in the late 1970s, generally contracted out substance abuse services with community agencies. In the early 1980s, initial attempts were made to integrate existing school counseling services with the SAP's referral network. Student assistance teams were formed in the schools with school administrators, faculty, and student service professionals. Over time, more parents became involved and SAPs gained more credibility within the schools (Harrison, 1992; Moore & Forster,1993). Since the late 1980s, there has been a continuous push for greater professionalism and training within SAPs. Personnel who conduct these programs in schools are often called Substance Abuse Intervention Specialists (SAIS), and are trained in assessment, referral, and case management. Although SAPs are becoming prevalent within the public schools, there is still little research regarding the effectiveness of such programs (Dykeman, 1994; Moore & Forster, 1993). The extant research on SAPs is primarily descriptive in nature (Dykeman,1994; Einspruch,1996), but results imply that these programs are effective. While SAPs consist of numerous components (Anderson, 1988; Moore & Forster,1993; Newsam,1992; Palmer & Paisley,1991), one of the direct services provided is the student support group. Several different types of groups are usually offered to students through SAPs (Anderson, 1988; McGovern & DuPont, 1991; Newsam, 1992), but the support group is often seen as most effective. Student support groups are time efficient, developmentally appropriate, and effective in dealing with drug-specific issues (Anderson, 1988). This article will describe the implementation of SAP support groups in one middle school and one elementary school in Buncombe County Schools in western North Carolina. The student assistance program is administered through the Health Education department of the local system, and licensed school counselors are assigned to local schools as program Counselors. Currently, there are three licensed school counselors who provide services to specified middle schools and high schools; each of these counselors serves one middle and one high school. Additionally, one licensed school counselor is assigned to all the elementary schools (22 schools) in the system and is available to work with student assistance groups at those schools on an as-needed basis. Her time is coordinated with the school counselor at each elementary school. Because of the limited service at this time, the focus of student assistance programs at the elementary level is on concerned-persons groups and prevention groups (i.e., anger management, changing families, loss). In addition to other duties, middle school SAP counselors are responsible for coordinating and implementing support groups at the local school level. SUPPORT GROUPS OFFERED In an attempt to address the diverse needs of students who participate in support groups through the SAP at the elementary and middle school levels, groups are developed around a variety of topics. Although some group topics are specific (e.g., concerned persons, insight, break free, recovery), others (i.e., changing families, anger management, life skills) are more general and are similar to topics offered in developmental, comprehensive school counseling programs. …


In this paper we describe a behavior-based approach that can be used to control a mobile multi-robot system in the context of hyper-flexible work cells. To this aim, a key feature to be provided is making the robots able to achieve different kind of missions and to move in dynamic scenarios. Thus, we present the Null-Space-based Behavioral (NSB) approach that makes the robots able to achieve several missions by properly defining elementary behaviors and arranging them in priority. The NSB, in fact, has been used to achieve different missions with both grounded and marine vehicles, and it resulted to be versatile and robust to work in different unstructured scenarios. In the paper we summarize the mathematical framework of the approach, show some of the performed missions, and discuss how it can be applied in the context of hyper-flexible work cells. G. Antonelli, F. Arrichiello and S. Chiaverini are with the Dipartimento di Automazione, Elettromagnetismo, Ingegneria dell'Informazione e Matematica Industriale, Università degli Studi di Cassino, Via G. Di Biasio 43, 03043, Cassino (FR), Italy, {antonelli,f.arrichiello,firstname.lastname@example.com, http://webuser.unicas.it/lai/robotica


This article offers a psychographic framework for approaching exercise participation. More specifically, it investigates the role of an overall preventative orientation toward health as an underlying dimension that promotes exercise behavior. Based on two sources of data, results provide preliminary support that individual propensity to engage in physical activity is related to his or her underlying sense of health orientation. Theoretically, these results support past attempts to increase our understanding of the factors underlying individual predispositions to support a healthy lifestyle. Specific recommendations are made for campaign initiatives that take a comprehensive and long-term approach to health behavior change in populations in addition to the traditional, more episodic approach found in much of the literature.


This article outlines the rich local cultural sporting practices endemic in south and east Lancashire from the 1820s through to the 1880s, particularly in the Bolton-Darwen-Blackburn triangle. These included playing football and foot-racing for money and other prizes; links with commercialism via the licensed trade and betting are also stressed. The existence of a localized football culture in this area, in a period when many historians have suggested that football development was confined to the public schools, helps to explain the transition to full professionalism in Lancashire during the 1880s. The transitional links are especially evident in the small-sided games played for money at athletics festivals organized by the newly-formed association clubs from the 1870s and into the early 1880s.


The MoViNets family offers accurate and efficient video recoginition networks deployed on mobile deveices, by alleviating the high memory consumption of 3D convolutional neural networks. The application of Stream Buffer greatly reduces the memory footprint, making MoViNet a lightweight video recognition framework for online inference and mobile devices. While causal operations including CausalSE are utilized to improve the MoViNet's performance, however, the location information in spatial dimension is ignored. By incorporating the spatial dimension attention into the MoViNet, a lightweight Causal Spatio-temporal Attention(CSTA) is proposed to enhance video recognition efficiency. CSTA can not only embrace the causal relationship in time dimension to fit the Stream Buffer, but also pay attention to the spatial location information. The video classification experiment results show that the proposed lightweight attention module CSTA, increases MoViNet's efficiency on the HMDB51 and UCF101 datasets, with a small computation budget.


The full sequence of cDNA sequence of Cu/Zn-SOD gene was cloned from Puccinellia tenuifolra. The Cu/Zn-SOD gene is 2 700 bp in length. It has an open reading frame (ORF) of 615 bp, encoding a protein of 204 amino acid residues, with protein molecular weight of 20.6 kD and isoelectric point of 5.63. The similarities between the Cu/Zn-SOD from Puccinellia tenuifolra shared the highest similarities (87%) in amino acid sequence with that from maize. The Cu/Zn-SOD gene was transformed into yeast cells (saccharomyces cerevisiae) for expression. The recombinant yeast INVSc1 (harboring ppYES2-SOD) and control INVSc1 (harboring empty pYES2) were treated with salt and oxidation stresses. The results revealed that the recombinant yeast cells have a higher stress resistance than control cells. It also proved that the Cu/Zn-SOD from Puccinellia tenuifolra has the ability of salt and oxidation resistance.


From the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Good Samaritan Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona. Supported in part by the E. Nichols and Kim Sigsworth Memorial Funds, and by the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Inc. The development of high-gain vectorcardiography has afforded insight into the noninvasive aspects of atrial depolarization. P-loop vectorcardiograms (VCG) have provided heretofore unrecognized features of left and right activation in normal subjects and in patients with a variety of heart disease.I,2 There is a scarcity of data concerning the relationship of quantitatively defined P-loop deformities and their relationship to the etiology of heart disease. We describe here a comparison of the P-loop VCGs in patients with coronary artery disease and rheumatic heart disease with specific reference to measured deformities in the configuration of the atrial recordings.


The introduction of European agriculture and livestock transformed the natural and human landscape of the Americas profoundly. In the borderlands of the continent, it was often missionaries who introduced these practices to areas where mobile Indians groups had adapted their cultures to an environment that was irrevocably changed. Transforming a landscape usually doomed a mobile ethnic group to forced adaptation, migration or extinction, but could also prove a catalyst to an ethnogenesis that could not have occurred without the effects the Columbian Exchange brought about by the missionaries. The so-called Lagoon March (Comarca Lagunera) of the northeastern borderlands of New Spain experienced perhaps the most dramatic of these episodes in this story of Colonial North America. This region was home to the Lagunero Indians, the most populous pre-contact group in the borderlands, and as late as the last decade of the sixteenth century it was a lush lagoon environment surrounded by wooded mountains. The Jesuits founded the Parras mission there in 1598, and within two generations, the Laguneros had largely disappeared, and the area was transformed into an archipelago of highly productive oasis surrounded by scrub barely suitable for livestock. Viticulture made the area the richest non-mining region of the entire frontier, and a magnet for population. Tlaxcalan (Nahua) colonist that had lived in the mission and survived the Lagunero extinction became a borderlands community intrinsically attached to viticulture and communal rights to water from the region's only major spring, giving them a legal status that distinguished them from other Indian groups (including other Tlaxcalans) and underlining a social cohesion that lasted until the Independence period. Thus, the unintended effects of the Jesuit presence transformed the Parras environment and the way Indian identity related to it.


Synthetic, polycrystalline samples of alunite [K 0.88 (H 3 O) 0.12 Al 2.64 (SO 4 ) 2 (OH) 4.92 (H 2 O) 1.08 ] and oxonium-substituted alunite [H 3 OAl 2.87 (SO 4 ) 2 (OH) 5.61 (H 2 O) 0.39 ] have been investigated using incoherent, inelastic neutron-scattering (IINS) methods in order to determine the nature of the non-OH "H 2 O". IINS measurements were made on non-deuterated samples at 20 K using the HRMECS chopper spectrometer with 250 and 600 meV incident energies. Alunite and oxonium-substituted alunite exhibit similar spectral features over the energy range of 120–550 meV, where assignments for local vibrations can be made based on the presence of OH and H 2 O groups. Salient differences in the intensities and positions of the observed low-energy vibrational bands reflect the effects of chemical substitution on the structural environment of the monovalent cation site and neighboring Al and OH sites in the framework.


Abstract Background: We have already reported that there are some periods when a high interleukin 8 (IL‐8) concentration is observed in the tracheobronchial aspirate of infants with chronic lung disease (CLD), although the changing pattern of the IL‐8 concentration varies depending on the type of CLD. Interleukin 8 is known as a neutrophil chemotactic agent. Therefore, we asked whether IL‐8 is an important neutrophil chemotactic factor in the tracheobronchial aspirate of infants who later develop CLD.


The role of a client has significant impacts on construction project performance. Major regular clients (the project owner) can afford in-house expertise to play the role as the client's representative (also called the project sponsor), to enhance the quality, value for money and suitability of the building procured. However, small occasional clients (SOCs) are not likely to enjoy the advantages stated above due to limited budgets and the occasional commissioning of projects. For this reason, it has been said that SOCs show a lack of knowledge that is necessary to act effectively as the client. To counteract the disadvantage, the theories and practices of knowledge management (KM) seem to present a logical way to support SOCs to acquire knowledge. Stemming from organizational competence theory, it could, in part, be adopted to facilitate KM for SOCs. Hence, this paper not only presents a review of several KM theories that appear to offer benefits, but it also addresses the limitations, supplemented by a societal-approached theory. The paper concludes with a societalapproached domain model to facilitate KM for SOCs, which is merely a basis for further research. The entire research framework will be briefly mentioned in the conclusion.


Hydrological climate variables such as precipitation, temperature, humidity, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and streamflow provide useful information for the effective planning, design, and management of water resources. In the present study, monthly precipitation and streamflow data were analyzed to assess the variability in trends of precipitation over the Upper Narmada Basin (UNB), Middle Narmada Basin (MNB), and Lower Narmada Basin (LNB) for 41 years (1981–2021) using the widely accepted Mann–Kendall Test (MKT), Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA), and magnitude by Sen's Slope estimator, thereby extending further by a decade, the last study by Thomas et al. (2015). The inclusion of more factors affecting the streamflow in response to the rainfall often makes the model very complex and unreliable. In the present study, to overcome this limitation, a simple yet most definite correlation was established between rainfall and streamflow, which can serve as a meaningful indicator of basin behavior. Poor correlation was observed for the UNB and the MNB compared to the LNB, which may be attributed to the presence of tributaries. The result of this study will be helpful to policymakers and water resource managers to plan and adopt suitable schemes of water conservation and management in the Narmada basin.


radiation-free and non-invasive and can almost replace radiography as the preoperative screening tool for diagnosing shoulder injuries, although its diagnostic value for various pathologies has to be appreciated separately from radiography. Nonetheless, a comprehensive clinical evaluation should always be the first step of any diagnostic workup. MRI is useful in detecting muscle and tendon injuries, soft-tissue pathologies, and major cartilage defects. Uncommon injuries can be readily diagnosed. For example, a rare case of seatbelt injury causing rupture of the deltoid muscle has been diagnosed by MRI.1 A ganglion cyst in the suprascapular fossa is uncommon and can cause a nerve palsy; noncontrast MRI helps diagnosing this pathology and planning of the surgical procedure.2 Bony pathology can be associated with other structures; MRI helps assess the anatomic association of acromioclavicular joint degeneration with supraspinatus outlet Commentary: Non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing shoulder injuries


Let G be a finite group, and write cd(G) for the set of degrees of irreducible characters of G. We define F(G) to be the graph whose vertex set is cd(G) - {1}, and there is an edge between a and b if (a, b) > 1. We prove that if Γ(G) is a complete graph, then G is a solvable group.


It has been proposed that phonological contrasts are phonetically realized not only by their primary articulations, but often also by enhancing gestures [Kingston & Diehl ''Phonetic knowledge,'' Language, 70, 419–454 (1994); Stevens & Keyser, ''Primary features and their enhancement in consonants,'' Language, 65, 81–106 (1989)]. Meanwhile, enhancement appears to parallel the well‐known phenomenon of multiplicity of cues in speech perception [Lisker ''Voicing in English: Acatologue of acoustic features signaling /b/ versus /p/ in trochees.'' Lang. Speech, 29, 3–11 (1986)]. An interesting question is therefore whether the two are one and the same. By a narrow definition, only articulatory maneuvers not obligated by the articulatory gestures of the phonetic units in question play an enhancing role. Thus not all cues that benefit perception are generated for the sake of enhancement. On the other hand, there may indeed be cases where genuine enhancement occurs, for which a further question is why is it needed ...


This exploratory study demonstrated the positive impact of live music as a holistic patient intervention directed toward reducing pain, anxiety, and muscle tension levels of patients admitted to a tertiary care center for an emergent medical condition. Music can be combined with other holistic interventions to positively impact patient outcomes. KEY WORDS: live therapeutic music, music therapy, pain control strategies, relaxation and pain control Music has been a part of culture throughout history and has been linked to health and emotional well-being since the times of Greek mythology. 1 In Old Testament biblical times, David soothed King Saul's spirits with his harp (1 Samuel 16:23, Revised Standard Version), and many mothers have long known that a soothing lullaby can calm and comfort a fussy baby. Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, specifically addressed how music could aid the patient-healing process. 2 Although some empirical evidence of the benefit of music for specific types of patients has been identified in the last 3 decades, data are lacking in terms of identifying when patients may derive the most benefit from therapeutic music interventions, such as during or after painful or anxiety-producing procedures, or at times of mild versus moderate or severe pain, anxiety, and tension. In addition, the issue of use of taped versus live music interventions and patient-chosen versus provider-chosen musical selections has not been addressed adequately enough to propose a standard protocol for use of therapeutic music interventions for either specific patient populations or hospitalized patients as a whole. Use of music as a nursing intervention is based on several theoretical perspectives, both from within and outside the nursing arena. Nursing " focuses on the holistic care of human beings and the use of multiple healing modalities when participating in a caring–healing relationship. " 3(p56) Holistic nursing, in particular, focuses on the interconnectedness of body, mind, spirit, emotions, energy, environment, and relationships in the totality of a person's health state, and in the development of interventions to promote healing and well-being. 4 Holistic nurses design environments that promote healing, comfort, and well-being, in partnership with patients and family. Using music to promote comfort and well-being fits well within the scope of holistic nursing practice. 5 Theories from outside the nursing field also support the use of music for reducing pain and promoting patient well-being. The gate-control theory of pain is familiar to most nurses, having been published in 1965 …


The main particularity of gesture-based learning is that users interact in the learning process in the same way as they interact in thenon-digital world. It can also support kinesthetic pedagogical practices to benefit users with strong bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.However, without proper assistance or guidance, the performance of gesture-based learning is usually not satisfied. To cope withthis problem, the aim of this paper is to propose a concept map-oriented approach with a gesture-based learning system in thebasic engineering circuit course. There were ninety-three participants in the experiments designed with the three learningapproaches: concept map-oriented gesture-based learning, conventional gesture-based learning, and traditional e-book learning. Theexperimental results showed that the concept map-oriented learning approach with the gesture-based learning system increased thelearning performance of the students in the basic engineering circuit course more than traditional e-book learning and theconventional gesture-based learning approach did.


The charge structure was designed with high-low pressure chamber launching principle according to the large caliber and super short barrel of the launching system to ensure the ignition simultaneity and burning stability.The classical interior ballistics theory was applied to set up the model in which the composite propellant charge and nozzle combustion gas flow rate were all considered.Then numerical simulation under the conditions of normal charge,supercharge and reduced charge and corresponding experimental study were performed to validate the reliability of the simulation results.The results shows that the numerical results are very consistent with the experimental ones,which indicates the reasonability and reliability of the established model.


Zammouri, A. et al. 2000. Ind. Eng. Chem.Res. 39:1397.* Swern, D. 1980. Bailey's Industrial Oil and Fat Products, vol. 1, 4' edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York. p. 352-362.* F. Gunstone, Reactions associated with double bonds, in Fatty Acid and Lipid Chemistry, 1999, Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg, MD USA. E. Frankel, Lipid Oxidation, 1998, The Oily Press, Dundee, Scotland. J. B. Rossell, Classical analysis of oils and fats, in Analysis of oils and fats, 1986, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London, England. A. Altschul, Biological processes of the cottonseed, 1948, p. 157 212. Alton E. Bailey, Editor, Interscience publishers, New York, New York, USA. C. Dickert, Ion Exchange, in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Fourth Edition (vol. 14), 1995, p. 737-741 John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York, USA. N. Toru, The effect of lipid oxidation on the activity of interesterifica tion of triglyceride by immobilized lipase, Dev. Food Eng., Proc. Int. Congr. Eng. Food, 6th 1994, Me. American Oil Chemists' Society, Determination of Oxidative Stabil ity Index American Oil Chemists' Society Official Method Cd 12b 92, in Official Methods and Recommended Practi. American Oil Chemists' Society, Determination of p-Anisidine value, American Oil Chemists' Society Official Method Cd 18-90, in Official Methods and Recommended Practices oft. ADM Feed Ingredients, Liquid Lysine 50%2 2003, ADM Specialty Ingredients Europe BV. Koog aan de Zaan, The Netherlands. ADM Feed Ingredients, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride 98.5% Feed Grade, 2003, ADM Specialty Ingredients Europe BV. Koog aan de Zaan, The Netherlands. Patent Cooperation Treaty, International Search Report, Apr. 2005, pp. 1-14.


The invention discloses a sealing gasket for a hydraulic cylinder and a preparation method thereof. The sealing gasket is prepared from the raw materials including nitrile rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polyformaldehyde (POM), polyisobutene, 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide, 2,2'-disulfide dibenzo thiazine, dioctyl sebacate, n-butyl methacrylate, microcrystalline wax, modified wollastonite, nano sepiolite, calcium sulfate whiskers and the like. On the basis of blending of the nitrile rubber and the epichlorohydrin rubber, POM and polyisobutene are also added, so that the performances such as the oil resistance, the temperature tolerance, the abrasive resistance, the compressive strength and the like of the rubber can be improved; and the modified wollastonite is also added, so that the dispersibility of the wollastonite in the rubber can be obviously improved; and the performances such as the mechanical strength, the oil resistance, the abrasive resistance, the high thermal resistance and the like of a seal material are improved.


This research analyzes the effect of training, motivation, and job satisfaction on employee performance at PT Techwin BKT. The research objectives are to analyze the effect of training on employee performance, the effect of training on employee performance through job satisfaction, the effect of motivation on performance, and the effect of motivation on employee performance through job satisfaction at PT Techwin BKT. The research population involved 55 respondents. This research processes the data from questionnaires that were distributed to respondents. The data analysis technique of this research applied Partial Least Square (PLS). Based on the analysis results, training has a positive and significant effect on performance, training has a positive and significant effect on performance through job satisfaction, motivation has a positive and significant effect on performance, and motivation has a positive and significant effect on performance through job satisfaction. Traning, Motivation and Job Satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on Employee Performance.


The aim of this paper is to analyse empirically the effects of real exchange rate volatility on sectoral exports in Turkey under intermediate and flexible exchange rate regimes. The cointegration test and error correction models are used to test the long-run relationship and short-run effects, respectively. The estimation results show that the real exchange rate volatility has negative and significant effects on sectoral exports in both intermediate and flexible exchange rate regimes. These empirical results are consistent with the theory. However, the impact of real exchange rate and foreign income appeared to be quite different for the two exchange rate regimes. Further, research is required to analyse the impacts of real exchange rate and foreign income on sectoral exports.


Black holes (BHs) formed by collapsing of magnetized progenitors, have magnetic fields penetrating the event horizon, and there are several possible scenarios. Bearing this in mind and considering a Schwarzschild BH of mass $M$ immersed in a uniform magnetic field $B$, we show that all three frequencies related to the equatorial circular orbit of a test particle become imaginary for the orbits of radii $r_B>2/B$. It signifies that if a BH is surrounded by a magnetic field of order $B \sim M^{-1}$, a test particle could unable to continue its regular geodesic motion from/at $r>r_B$, hence the accretion disk could not be formed, and the motion of other stellar objects around the BH could be absent. As the BHs are generally detected by watching for their effects on nearby stars and gas, a magnetic field of order $B \sim M^{-1}$ could be able to shield a BH in such a way that it could remain undetectable. Motivated with this theoretical investigation and considering the sphere (of radius $r_f$) of magnetic influence around an astrophysical BH, we constrain $B$, above which a magnetized BH could remain undetectable. For example, $M=10^9M_{\odot}$ BH surrounded by $B>10^6$ G and $M=10M_{\odot}$ BH surrounded by $B>10^{14}$ G could remain undetectable for $r_f \sim 10^5M$. In other words, our result also explains why a detected SMBH has surprisingly weak magnetic field.


The life histories of Ameletus celer and A. similior were compared at Ford Creek and Elbow Creek, two sites in the same drainage system that differed in their annual temperature regimes. We used electrophoresis to identify very small larvae and to determine parasitism by a mermithid nematode. Ameletus similior had an overwintering egg diapause and a univoltine summer cycle at both sites. Ameletus celer eggs appeared to take about 1 yr to hatch and larvae took a further year to develop at the warmer site but 2 yr at the colder site. Both species were parasitized by a mermithid nematode, the prevalence of parasitism reaching ∼10% in the A. celer population at the colder site. Parasitism had the effect of prolonging larval life by 2 mo, and parasitized mayflies laid no eggs, even if they survived to adulthood. Temperature and larval size had significant effects on growth rates in the laboratory but larvae of both species of mayfly grew at the same rate at each temperature between 0.6°C and 18°C. The number of day-degrees at the colder site was sufficient to allow the smaller A. similior to mature in one year, but not the larger A. celer. Extension of physiological time to complete the life cycle at the colder site could not be satisfactorily explained by delayed development, a thermal minimum above 0°C, a nonlinear relationship between temperature and growth rate, placement of recruitment within the thermal cycle, food supply, or parasitism. However, some extension of the life cycle in A. celer may be achieved by increase in final size.


Due to its geometric properties, hyperbolic space can support high-fidelity embeddings of tree- and graph-structured data. For graph learning, points in hyperbolic space have been used successfully as signals in deep neural networks: e.g. hyperbolic graph convolutional networks (GCN) can outperform vanilla GCN. However, existing hyperbolic networks are computationally expensive and can be numerically unstable, and cannot scale to large graphs due to these shortcomings. In this paper, we propose HyLa, a completely different approach to using hyperbolic space in graph learning: HyLa maps once from a learned hyperbolic-space embedding to Euclidean space via the eigenfunctions of the Laplacian operator in the hyperbolic space. Our method is inspired by the random Fourier feature methodology, which uses the eigenfunctions of the Laplacian in Eu-clidan space. We evaluate HyLa on downstream tasks including node classification and text classification, where HyLa shows significant improvements over hyperbolic GCN and other baselines.


Evidence-based interventions often fail to achieve their goal, not so much because of an inherent flaw in the interventions, but because of the unpredictable behavior of the system around them. Every intervention, from the simplest to the most complex, has an effect on the overall system, and the overall system has an effect on every intervention (Savigny and Adam 2009). As a result of this, the current Disease Control Priorities series has shifted its focus from a strictly disorder-oriented intervention analysis (vertical approach) to a more horizontal approach focusing on health system strengthening.This chapter seeks to identify cost-effective interventions that can be appropriately packaged for one or more specific mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as for different levels or platforms of the health or welfare system. A platform is the level of the health or welfare system at which interventions can be appropriately, effectively, and efficiently delivered. A particular platform is defined on the basis of where the intervention will be delivered (the setting) and who will deliver the intervention (service provider). There are essentially three major platforms for the provision of interventions: population, community, and health care. A specific delivery channel—such as a school—can be the vehicle for the delivery of a particular intervention on a specified platform (the community platform). Similarly, a primary health care center is the delivery channel for a specified platform (the health care platform). Identifying the set of interventions that fall within a particular delivery channel will help decision makers to identify potential opportunities, synergies, and efficiencies. This identification will also reflect how resources are often allocated in practice, for example, to schools or primary health care services, rather than to specific interventions or disorders.Chapter 10 of this volume (Petersen and others 2015) considers the evidence relating to interventions that improve mental health at the population and community levels. This chapter outlines the main elements and features of a health care platform and its delivery channels, namely, informal health care, primary health care, and specialized services. We consider evidence-based interventions that can be delivered in general health care settings and mental health care settings, as well as broader health system–strengthening strategies for more effective and efficient delivery of services on this platform.


Dynamic thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) was used to study the decomposition kinetics of melamine.By comparison of fitting results with that of KAS method or FWO method,the iterative procedure was employed to calculate the activation energy Eα based on its better fitting results.Integral method with 36 types of kinetic function was proposed to define the most probable kinetic function.The decomposition kinetic parameters were determined,which the most probable kinetic function belonged to g(α)=(1-α)-3-1,the average activation energy Eα was 142.38×103 J/mol,the pre-exponential A was 1.98×106 s-1,and the corresponding thermal decomposition dynamic function was dα/dT=1.98×106/βexp-142.38×103/RT·1/3(1-α)4.


An air monitoring program is in place at a wafer fab to characterize outdoor air quality and its potential impact on manufacturing processes. Airborne molecular contamination (AMC), and specifically acid contamination, was of particular concern as the facility incorporated 90-nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology. Impinger ionic analysis, passive and real-time reactivity monitoring, and litmus paper hue readings were among the techniques used to assess air quality. Historical data for each monitoring technique was evaluated and compared to determine the applicability of each monitoring technique for these purposes. Data from this monitoring program also offered an opportunity to evaluate the performance of chemical filters installed in makeup air handling units for their ability to remove AMC. This study presents the results of air monitoring, detailing outdoor air quality and how that air quality compares to established specifications; comparison of different monitoring techniques used in the study; pe...


The Conjoint Co-constituting Model and Face Constituting Theory rest on nine assumptive commitments, three of which are central to Communicating & Relating's departures from other accounts of communication and relationships. First, what is social and what is individual in human life are linked in a yin/yang dialectic. Neither can be privileged over the other in an account of human communicating. Second, human social systems are non-additive, emergent, and interactively organized as persons communicate with one another. Social systems are not additive aggregates of what is individual. Third, communicating is sequential interaction that generates non-additive systemic interdependence among persons, as evidenced in examining an episode of everyday interacting. The assumptive commitments are basic to Communicating & Relating's departures from commonly held positions.


We would like to commend Ari Zivotofsky and Alan Jotkowitz (2009) for their engagement with the recent Instruction Dignitas Personae. Intrinsic to these kinds of engagement, and indeed to all forms of dialogue across traditions, are the various responses to the claims made by rival traditions as well as characterizations of their various disagreements. So, to engage in a fruitful dialogue across traditions one must proceed from a shared premise about the nature of traditions: that in adhering to some particular tradition, one commits oneself to that particular tradition's account of what is to be considered true and false and hence involves necessarily a rejection of the possibility of adhering to some other tradition (MacIntyre 1988, 367). And this means that all traditions of enquiry, to the extent that qua traditions of enquiry they offer particular accounts of the true and false, are necessarily rival and incompatible. Thus, those who inhabit particular traditions should recognize that they will be required, if they are to adequately understand the claims of those rival traditions, to situate those claims within the context of that rival tradition's method of enquiry and framework of rational justification. To do otherwise is to fail to put oneself in an adequate position to engage in constructive dialogue. For if one does not situate the claims of rival traditions within the context of the tradition of enquiry in which they find rational justification, they will have


A large variety of Local Area Networks (LANs) have been introduced recently. Almost all are "buses" which use Collision Sense Multiple Access techniques in the spirit of Ethernet [i]. The most publicised alternative is the idea of "rings" [2,3]. The intention of this article is to introduce another reasonable alternative, the Coincident Star. Although a proper evaluation is difficult, arguments will be presented that this approach combines the VLSI and bandwidth advantages of the ring approach with the intrinsic reliability of a passive bus. It is also argued that the Coincident Star could be the least expensive of the three, and could support applications which are not currently feasible.


Abstract 1437 JAK2 mutation testing and karyotye are routinely used for diagnosis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) but they have not been incorporated into risk stratification. Although JAK2V617F mutation in MPNs has been one of the most seminal medical discoveries in recent years, it is not clear the importance of the amount of JAK2V617F allele. Some studies correlate the JAK2 allele burden with a higher hemoglobin level, leukocyte count, splenomegaly and thrombosis and more probability of transformation to MF or AML. The aim of this study was to determine whether cytogenetic data, JAK2 mutation status and allele burden correlates with cytological subtypes, clinical complications or provide prognostic information. Methods A retrospective study was conducted with samples centralized in a unique laboratory since 2005. A total of 526 patients were included (median age 63; 243 males) with classic MPNs (348 ET, 135 PV, 43 PMF) fulfilling 2008 WHO criteria and in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Conventional cytogenetic was performed in bone marrow samples obtained at diagnosis (n=205) and at progression to MF or AML (n=46). DNA was extracted from peripheral blood using QIAamp DNA mini kit (Qiagen). All samples were coded and assayed blindly in duplicate to detect JAK2V617F mutation with an allele-specific PCR using TaqMan allelic discrimination, with 2 specific probes to measure the respective fluorescence of each allele. Then, JAK2 MutaQuant assay (Ipsogen, Luminy Biotech) was used to detect the JAK2V617F quantity by real-time PCR, detecting fluorescent signals using double-dye hyrolysis oligonucleotide probes with calibration standards at 4 different concentrations. Homozygous (HOZ) ratio was considered when percentage was higher than 50. Laboratory (hemoglobin, WBC and platelet counts) and clinical data (constitutional symptoms, splenomegaly, complications, OS and DFS) were collected. For continuous variables parametric and non parametric statistics were used. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimate and log-rank tests were used for comparisons. The χ2 and Fisher9s exact tests were used to analyze differences in the distribution of variables among patient subsets. p-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Aberrant karyotypes were seen in 15/205 (7%) cases at diagnosis (4% in ET and PV and 40% in PMF). At progression to MF or AML we have cytogenetic studies in 22 patients, and 10 (45%) harbor alterations. A total of 283 patients (64%) were JAK2V617F , 61% ET (4% HOZ), 75% PV (28% HOZ) and 55% PMF (16% HOZ). The median value of JAK2V617F was 26% (range, 1–99.9%). No correlation was seen between JAK2 and karyotype at diagnosis, but 7/9 patients with aberrant karyotype at progression had JAK2V617F mutation. JAK2 correlations with laboratory and clinical data are summarized in Table 1 and 2. Conclusions JAK2V617F is associated with a more pronounced myeloproliferative phenotype (higher hemoglobin level, platelet or leukocyte count). Patients with JAK2V617F HOZ have a higher probability of splenomegaly. Hematological complications do not depend on JAK2 ratio but mutated patients have more probability of thrombosis or hemorrhage. OS and PFS do not depend on JAK2 status, but patients with JAK2V617F heterozygous seem to have a slightly better outcome. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


In this work, microsized cubic BP particles was produced by vacuum-sealed solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction Rietveld refinement and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate the prepared BP particles are highly crystalline and high purity. In-situ x-ray diffraction and Raman measurements under high pressure show the cubic BP particles possess high structural stability up to 36.0 GPa with high reversible structure recovering ability. Meanwhile, a high bulk modulus of 205(2) GPa and pressure derivative B 0 ′ of 3.8(1) are obtained from in situ x-ray diffraction measurements. Grüneisen parameters of 1.01 and 1.17, and the pressure coefficient dω/dp = 4.07 and 4.57 cm−1/GPa for LO and TO mode, respectively, are also deduced from Raman measurements under various high pressure.


The process of copying and pasting information, source URLs, and photographs for a report or multimedia presentation is often a laborious process. Multi-tasking between a web browser and a word processor when conducting online research requires a large number of mouse clicks for each piece of information to be saved appropriately. Thankfully, the availability of  the free, web-based Google Notebook program ( www.google.com/notebook ) can dramatically streamline the research process. This article was published in a Spring 2007 issue of the TCEA TechEdge magazine .


A multilayer combline filter with high harmonic suppression is presented. The filter utilizes multilayer capacitors and coupled stripline resonators. It has high selectivity and high harmonic suppression. Harmonics are suppressed by using a multilayer structure that can be built by standard printed circuit board fabrication process. A good agreement between simulation and measurement results is achieved. The proposed filter shows harmonic rejection up to 5 times the center frequency.


The initiation of T cell dependent immune responses requires the T cell to utilize a heterodimeric cell surface antigen receptor to recognize an antigenic peptide in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs). This is a necessary but insufficient signal for T cell activation. T cells must additionally receive a costimulatory signal that can be delivered through a variety of receptor-ligand pairs. Of these, the best characterized is the CD28-B7 (CD80 and CD86) couple. It has been appreciated for decades that the outcome of the T cell-APC interaction is highly variable and can lead to different forms of immune responses. The past decade has witnessed major advances in the definition of how distinct lymphocyte functions are dictated by expression of distinct cytokines, activation of defined signal transduction pathways, and, most recently, expression of distinct transcription factors. The production of ever increasing numbers of induced mutant mouse strains has created new reagents in which to analyze the role of particular cytokines or other proteins in defined immune responses. While the temptation remains to accomodate emerging information into reductionist models of T cell dependent immunopathology, it is our view that in vivo immune responses are highly complex and regulated events that defy simple categorization.


High temperature conventional triaxial compression test of shale were carried out by using the MTS815 servo-controlled testing machine,based on the results of the tests,the relationships between confining pressure and the characteristic of shale stress-strain curve,peak strength,elastic modulus,Poisson's ratio,peak strain were investigated,and the general regulation is obvious.According to the characteristics of volumetric strain,the stress-strain curves were classified into three types.They are dilatation type,compression-dilatation type,compression type,and the confining pressure has conspicuous dilatation effect on shale.At the same temperature,when confining pressure rises from 5 MPa to 25 MPa,shale peak strength(σ1-σ3) is comparatively lower,indicating stronger plastic deformation,and peak strength and elastic modulus increase with uprising confining pressure.When confining pressure is lower than 15 MPa,shale Poisson's ratio increases with increasing confining pressure while peak axial strain and peak circle strain decreases with increasing confining pressure.When confining pressure is higher than 15 MPa,shale Poisson's ratio decreases slightly with the increasing confining pressure,while peak axial strain and peak circle strain increase slightly with the increasing confining pressure.


The corrosion behavior of die-cast Mg-9Al magnesium alloy with RE addition(AR091) has been evaluated by general corrosion measurements and electrochemical methods in 3.5% NaCl solution saturated with(Mg(OH)_2.) The experimental results were compared with those of commercial magnesium alloy ZM5 and AZ91D.AR091 magnesium alloy has better corrosion resistance than ZM5 and AZ91D alloy.The microstructure of AR091,ZM5 and AZ91D were examined by Electron Probe Microanalysis(EPMA) and Energy Dispersion Spectroscopy(EDS).The AR091 magnesium alloy showed microstructure characterized by α-phase solid solution,surrounded by less β-phase and more needle-like RE-containing phase.The excellent corrosion resistance of the AR091 alloy could be explained by the fact that the precipitated RE-containing phases are less cathodic.Moreover,the corrosion product film formed on the AR091 alloy surface was more protective.


A positive psychology, cultural, and family framework is useful to understand Latina/o college students' psychological grit. In the current study, we examined how presence of meaning in life, hope, gratitude, enculturation, and family importance influenced Mexican American students' grit. Using a multiple regression analysis, we found that hope predicted and accounted for 21% of the variance in psychological grit. A discussion regarding the importance of these findings and recommendations for future research and practice are provided.


Abstract Metal magnesium is mainly produced from the calcined dolomite by the silicothermic production. However, in this process, the reduction temperature is higher while the reaction speed is slow, which results in higher energy consumption and serious environmental problems. In this paper, adding aluminum into the ferrosilicon reducing agent is expected to lower the reaction temperature so as to solve the problems above. The phase transition involved in the whole reduction process including with and without aluminum addition were investigated in details by theoretical calculation and experimental research. The influence of aluminum on the magnesium oxide reduction path was analysis to clarify the internal mechanism. The results show that aluminum added into the ferrosilicon would first react with magnesium oxide to form magnesium vapor and alumina under vacuum pressure of 10 Pa when the temperature rises to 720°C. Then, calcium aluminate would be formed by the reaction of aluminum oxide and calcium oxide. Once the temperature reaches 1150°C, silicon begins to reduce the magnesium oxide to create the silicon oxide that will finally react with calcium oxide to form calcium silicate. When the temperature rises above 1150°C, both the aluminum and silicon will participate in the reduction of magnesium oxide. In the process of heating up, the mixture of aluminum, ferrosilicon and calcined dolomite forms Mg2Al4Si5O18 and Ca3Al2(OH)12 phase with the components in calcined dolomite. Mg2Al4Si5O18 and Ca3Al2(OH)12 phase finally form Ca12Al14O33 phase. The interaction between aluminum and ferrosilicon in the mixture is less; the mixture of aluminum and ferrosilicon first forms Al3FeSi2 phase, and finally has the trend of forming Al4.5FeSi phase. There is a great difference between the phase transformation of aluminum in the mixture of aluminum, ferrosilicon and calcined dolomite and that of aluminum in the mixture of aluminum and ferrosilicon.


Abstract
Background: - Palatal Rugae are irregular, asymmetric ridges of mucous membrane extending laterally from incisive papillae and anterior part of palatal raphe. Palatal rugae patterns are relatively unique to individuals and are well protected by lips, buccal pad of fat and teeth.
Aims & Objectives: - The aim of the study was to identify pattern of palatal rugae in terms of number, size, and shape and also to compare rugae patterns in males and females of Punjab population.
Materials & Methods: - A total of 280 maxillary casts that were randomly collected and were examined  using graphite pencil and magnifying glass under adequate light  with equal number of males & females. Statistical analysis was done by T-test using SPSS software version 20.
Results: - The mean rugae were found to be more in females than males. Most prevalent form on basis of shape is found to be straight and on basis of size is primary form. Statistically, significant values were found in curved and secondary type, both more in females than males.
Conclusion: - Palatal rugae pattern is definitely a sufficient characteristic to discriminate between the genders. The present study highlighted the prevalence of palatal rugae in individuals of Punjab population. It is unique to an individual and can be used successfully in identification.


A generalized binomial theorem is developed in terms of Bell polynomials and by applying this identity some sums involving inverse binomial coefficient are calculated. A technique is derived for calculating a class of hypergeometric transformation formulas and also some curious series identities.


How do we prepare current and future generations of learners to anticipate, recognize, and act on high-technology opportunities so that they can join the ranks of future entrepreneurial leaders in our nation's emerging knowledge-based and technology-oriented economy? As one of the natural first steps in addressing the above questions, this study investigates for existing high-technology entrepreneurs the motivations, influencing factors, and obstacles encountered during their youth and early adult years. The authors developed an extensive survey instrument to probe the desired information, and the study's data was collected from a random national sample of 1,001 owners/founders of high-technology businesses with under 200 employees. Major findings are reported with respect to age of initiation; time from idea to action; key trigger events, reasons, and other factors influencing the high-technology venture initiation decision; best sources of preparation; and insufficient education as a major obstacle theme. The findings suggest an important potential role for education in general and entrepreneurship education in particular. One potential strategy recommended is to craft cross- cutting educational partnerships that carefully blend entrepreneurship education, technology content-specific education, and high-technology venture experience at both the high school and college levels.


We address the problem of state feedback translational motion control of a spacecraft formation through a modied sliding surface controller using variable gains and I 2 action for disturbance rejection. The exponential varying gains ensure faster convergence of the state trajectories during attitude maneuver while keeping the gains small (and the system less sti) for station keeping. Integral action is introduced for rejection of disturbances with a constant nonzero mean such as aerodynamic drag. A direct consequence is a drop in energy consumption when aected by sensor noise and a decrease in size of the error states residual when operating close to the equilibrium point. A large number of simulation results are presented to show the control performance.


Changes in terrestrial water storage as observed by the satellite gravity mission GRACE represent a new and completely independent data set for constraining the net flux deficit of precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (E), and lateral runoff (R) in atmospheric reanalyses.

In this study we use daily GRACE gravity field changes to investigate high-frequency hydro-meteorological fluxes over the continents. Band-pass filtered water fluxes are derived from GRACE water storage time series by first applying a numerical differentiation filter and subsequent high-pass filtering to isolate fluxes at periods between 5 and 30 days.

We can show that on these time scales GRACE is able to identify quality differences between different reanalyses, e.g. the improvements in the latest reanalysis ERA5 of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECWMF) over its direct predecessor ERA-Interim. We will therefore use GRACE as an evaluation tool to compare hydro-meteorological fluxes in various global atmospheric reanalyses, such as ERA5(-Land), ERA-Interim, Merra2, JRA-55, or NCEP.


Children love sculpting clay or building sand castles, creating objects in three dimensions before they have the motor skills to draw in two dimensions. Play-doh® before drawing--this progression seems relevant to development of spatial sense (van de Walle 2006). Similar arguments applied to the study of curves and graphs in high school mathematics would suggest that students' work and calculation with shapes should move sequentially from concrete to more abstract thought (Carson and Rowlands 2007). We live in a three-dimensional world, and two-dimensional shapes are either a mathematical abstraction of reality or the projection of three-dimensional objects onto flat surfaces.


The oral bioavailability of many drugs can be limited by the residence time of pharmaceutical dosage forms in the gastrointestinal tract. Mucoadhesion has been proposed as a method to increase residence time at a specific area, hence increasing the therapeutic effect of drugs. Most research efforts on mucoadhesion have focused on the stomach and small intestine, with promising results observed from in in vitro studies. However, γ-scintigraphy data obtained in human studies have revealed the lack of success of mucoadhesion approaches in order to increase the contact time of formulations in the upper gut. The lack of in vitro/in vivo correlation can be attributed to the complex nature of the human gastrointestinal tract, with most in vitro models providing little resemblance to the in vivo situation, such as motility, pH, mucus thickness and mucus turnover, presence of enzymes and food. In the colon, the mucus turnover, the sensibility to mucus secretory stimulus and motility are lower than in the stomach and small intestine. Therefore, colonic mucoadhesion may be a more successful approach. Nevertheless, more studies in animals and humans are needed to evaluate its potential, as well as, pharmacokinetic studies to investigate drug release and absorption from mucoadhesive systems.


Watching this exchange, my lnunedlate thought was that if the st udent teacher had only known more about children's artistic developmen t, she would not haw questioned the propriety of color chosen arbitrarily, without regard for accuracy, by a preschooler; she would have known that children in the preschemauc stage have little regard for the literal , basing their choices on matters orprererence and co nven ience , creating pictorial world.. that so metimes seem like alternate universes.


The method to exploit a CAD system for the outer groove-wheel seedmeter as a whole is described by using the ActiveX Automation to develop AutoCAD 2002 in Visual Basic. The system has the parameterization design function. The design method presented is proved to be reasonable after being used.


Cold active isolates #76, #102, and #D of Steinernema kraussei and the Czech isolate #B1 of S. feltiae pre‐adapted for the parasitation of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, were used for the laboratory control of the European corn borer larvae and pupae at low temperature. The experiments performed in Petri dishes were divided into two alternatives, both at a constant temperature of 7°C, exposition time 250 h with 200 infective juveniles and 10 insects per dish. In the first experiment the only non‐ligatured Ostrinia larvae and Canadian isolates were tested, while in the second experiment the Canadian isolate #D and Czech isolate #B1 were compared when using against ligatured larvae of the pest. The average mortality of the pest larvae in the first experiment reached maximally 26% and the average number of adult nematodes recovered by dissection was 7.2 per insect in the best #D isolate. Low efficacy of steiner‐nematids to pest larvae was probably significantly influenced by forming a cocoon by insect. In the second experiment the pest larvae were ligatured before nematode application and forming of the cocoon was blocked. Surprisingly, the #B1 isolate killed on average 88.3% of Ostrinia larvae while the cold active #D isolate killed only 48.3% of the pest larvae. Number of recovered adults per insect by dissection was 30.3 in the #B1 isolate and 10 in the #D isolate. The results were analysed by means of one‐way analysis of variance and of t‐test. The percentage of parasitation (P < 0.01) and number of recovered adults (P < 0.05) were statistically significant between S. kraussei #D and S. feltiae #B1. It is speculated that the adaptability of the #B1 isolate had more significant role for the parasitation than the cold activity of the #D isolate.


Onomatopoeic words refer to words that simulate natural sounds. Based on the Chinese and Japanese corpora, this paper makes an analysis and comparison from three aspects: syllable formation, morphology and semantics, and grammatical functions, trying to explore the similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese onomatopoeic words, so as to provide enlightening suggestions and thoughts for learners in the process of acquiring Chinese and Japanese onomatopoeic words.


Despite increased awareness of a healthy diet and lifestyle, the number patients in the UK diagnosed with obesity is increasing year on year. To satisfy consumer desires for taste and quality, but in healthier, reduced energy form, a wide range of reduced calorie foods have been developed over many years. Reduced fat versions of many emulsified foods such as dairy products, dressings, sauces and ice creams are often perceived as poorer quality because the perception of fat in food is a complex mixture of sensory, physical and psychological factors. Fat content and oil droplet size both have an effect on perceived creaminess of foods; a higher fat content and smaller oil droplets both give a perception of increased creaminess. If the rheological behaviour of emulsions can be optimised by rational design of the colloidal interactions between the emulsion droplets, it may be possible to improve the overall sensorial qualities of reduced fat foods and hence the uptake of these products. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of the interfacial structure on the rheology of more realistic emulsions, specifically at lower phase volumes in the presence of a stabilising polymer network.


Dynamic consolidation of a SiC fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite is simulated using a particle-level numerical model. Simulation results are compared with the microstructure of a composite formed using a plate impact to consolidate a close-packed array of aluminum wires containing SiC fibers of the appropriate diameter to fill in the interstices approximating the geometry of the model. With respect to the observed deformation and the location and extent of melting of the aluminum wires, the simulation predictions are in good agreement with the experiment. 6 refs.


never to take place" (p. 280). "After the Iran/Iraq war . . . financial interests, the distraction provided by upheavals in Eastern Europe and plain inertia" led to the continuation of a strong U.S. tilt toward Iraq (p. 260). The most curious part of this very mixed bag of a book is the extensive treatment lavished on the move of Falasha Jews from Ethiopia to Israel, in which the U.S. Mission in Sudan played an important role. Mr. Kaplan devotes an entire chapter, entitled "Indiana Jones," to this episode. The principal character, the "Jones" clone, is Jerry Weaver, an AID officer with a Ph.D. in Latin American studies. Inasmuch as Weaver is not an Arabist and the movement of Ethiopian Jews to Israel did not directly engage the Arab world (apart from moving through an Arabic-speaking part of an African country), this portion of the book is irrelevant to Kaplan's subject, American Foreign Service Arabists. Moreover, although an interesting tale, it did not unwind quite as he portrays it. This is a book that has all the earmarks of a hastily written, impressionistic, journalistic attempt to deal with a serious subject. The bibliography runs to four and a half pages. If he had read more carefully and drawn judiciously on the material he lists, it would have yielded a more substantial result. Unfortunately, this is not a serious study.


How data is shared among employees at one or two schools and colleges in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan was investigated by the researchers. Various analytical methods such as chi-square, thematic analysis, weighted average mean, frequency and percentage analysis, and average weighted mean were employed to analyze the data. It was found that the majority of responses were from individuals aged between 18 and 38, predominantly male, working in the college of education at open Access to Higher Education Institutions (HEI), and accessing or checking their Facebook accounts once to three or more times per day. Participants showed a strong interest in retrieving information related to teaching and learning, current events and news, entertainment, fitness, love, and family through social media platforms. The research findings suggest that factors such as age, level of education, course group, and time spent on social media can influence the way individuals share information. Among various social networking sites (SNS), Facebook emerged as the most popular tool for education and training purposes. The respondents identified the chat function, information exchange feature, and page feature as their preferred means for facilitating collaboration among instructors. However, ethical concerns regarding the use of social networking sites were also raised.


Macroeconomic factors usually have an impact on the capital market, but not to the same extent on stock prices, which is related to the lag in the transmission of macroeconomic policies, the short observation period, and market volatility. Usually an increase in money supply, decrease in interest rates, and liquidity easing affect stock price volatility, while inflation has a more complex impact on the stock market. In this paper, the volatility of HS300 stock price index is studied by exploratory analysis of correlation factors and simple linear regression analysis is applied to analyze the correlation.


Although the scientific research projects' selection institution has played a very important role in subsidizing the scientific research,this institution really isn't flawless.The case study indicates that there are three serious defects in the scientific research projects' selection institution: the peer reviews lack consistency;there are stochastic in the selection outcome;the social relationship has influence on the peer reviews.It's because that the ownership of scientific research resources and achievements don't belong to the peer reviewers;there are asymmetric information phenomenon between the peer reviewers and the applicants;There are 'transaction profit' in the selection process;and the scientific research projects' selection institution is bound by the selection costs.


In 2015, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), in the judgment of the TC n. 030.916/2015-7, was called upon to hold a decision on two relevant topics relating prescription: a) whether the TCU's punitive claim is subject to prescription; and b) in case of a positive answer to the first question, which term should be applied to prescription in that case. In the judgment, three thesis were mainly argued: the first, suggesting no prescription at all; the second, arguing a deadline of five years to prescription; and the latter, standing up for a deadline of ten years. Thus, the present article aims to identify the reasoning that supported each one of the those thesis, in order to de- tail them from the dogmatic point of view, as well as identifying the reasons that made one prevail over the others. To do so, the research adopts the study of case method as long with the procedure of bibli- ographical review, seeking, at first, to shed light over the device of pre- scription from the point of view of the theory of law and then to focus thoroughly over the thesis that were argued in the case.


In Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR), images have to be segmented into the main semantic parts describing the objects present in the image. The texture is one of important features which identify and characterize the objects of an image. So, we propose a method based on wavelet decomposition. This technique delivers a schematic description of an image : that is to say, it provides the main regions generally associated to the objects of the images. The process divides images into (2 × 2) blocks. Then it tracks texture through levels of wavelet decomposition to form texture vectors. When vectors are calculated, a Kmeans algorithm partitions these vectors into clusters and a connected component extraction delivers the final schema. Experiments on real images are exhibited.


Objectives Studies of growth hormone (GH) effectiveness in prepubertal children with cystic fibrosis (CF) have been published previously. We present a retrospective study of GH treatment in adolescents with CF.


Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are conducive to full exposure of catalyst sites, which can be used to synthesize highly efficient electrocatalysts. However, the design of stable and efficient GNRs catalysts remains...


1. A process for liquefying natural gas, wherein: - at least one step of cooling the natural gas is cooled by heat exchange with at least one coolant mixture circulating in the closed cooling circuit (I); - a separation system are fed to at least one portion natural gas stream, characterized in that the measured ambient temperature versus time for detecting increase or decrease the ambient temperature, and in that upon detection of raising or lowering the ambient temperature perform the following steps: - the cooling circuit is taken at least one partial stream cooling the mixture, - the selected portion of the flow of the refrigerant mixture is fed to a separation system, - a system of separation of the natural gas stream and the selected portion of the flow of the refrigerant mixture is separated to produce at at least two components - the cooling circuit is administered at least one component obtained in the previous step division, to change the composition of the refrigerant mixture to change the cooling temperature boiling smesi.2 guide. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling mixture circulating in the cooling circuit, compressed and condensed by cooling and is then expanded and evaporated to cool the natural gaza.3. The method of claim 2, wherein cooling the mixture was fed to a storage device prior to expansion and evaporation to cool the natural gaza.4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the storage device of said selected portion of the refrigerant mixture before it is fed into razdeleniya.5 system. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the natural gas cooling


Today, companies are facing a global, technological, and competitive market (commerce through e-commerce and Industry 4.0). Due to this competition, supply chain management represents one of the most important factors in the profitability of a business. Among the different links in the supply network, warehouses are an essential component in the chain and are increasingly seen as strategic facilities to provide competitive advantages. The operational challenges in inventory control and management in complex operating environments are due to the uncertainty or randomness of the various interlocking business processes. To face these challenges, incorporating emerging Industry 4.0 technologies into logistics and supply chain processes can actively contribute to accelerating solutions related to warehouse operations and management. In this manuscript, is presented qualitative research, of a bibliographic and documentary nature, to identify the main components of an architecture for an intelligent inventory management system based on Industry 4.0 technologies. Research shows that architecture is based on two major technologies, Internet of Things and Rad io Frequency Identification systems. It was also identified that the majority of intelligent systems based on Internet of Things, must consider 5 layers to manage and control inventory intelligently.


This study aims to analyze the marketing mix strategy, quality of human resources, entrepreneurial characteristics, and accounting knowledge for the development of MSMEs in Wonosobo District. The population in this study were food processing industry business actors registered at the Department of Trade Industry, Cooperatives and UMKM, Wonosobodi Regency, Wonosobo District, which listed 315 MSMEs. The sample in this study was 76 business actors obtained through the accidental sampling technique and the SmartPLS structural equation model (SEM) analysis test. The results show that the marketing mix strategy, quality of human resources, entrepreneurial characteristics, and accounting knowledge have a positive and significant effect on the development of MSMEs in Wonosobo District.


an austere God, Kitty Cohen hears, behind phrases adapted from the Old Testament, stories that remind her of God's attractive virtues. For one illustration, scriptural descant on Milton's plainsong links the Son's plea for mercy to mankind verbally with Abraham's for mercy to the innocents living in Sodom. In accounting for Michael's effect on Adam, Sister Mary Brian Durkin studies figures of rhetoric. In Books xi and xn she ascribes, sometimes, more to the angel's art than to the events he relates. G. Stanley Koehler wrestles with Milton's language of color, complicated by his changing preferences, by emblematic meanings, and by classical precedent. Writing on the minor poems, Donald M. Friedman and Stewart A. Baker open the volume with a pair of essays on Lycidas and the process by which Milton's creature, the uncouth swain, gains wisdom and a high vision of the poet's function. Friedman studies psychologically the swain's alternations between resistance and acceptance; Baker, more the literary historian here, places him at the center of a complex poem that draws on various established modes of the pastoral. Milton's Samson has been seen as Greek, as Christian, and as Jewish. He is apparendy not Jewish by the measure of the early rabbis—or Greek or perfectly Christian, if we follow Samuel S. Stollman. Milton's once weak-minded champion of liberty is not the amiable sensualist of rabbinical tradition, carnally weak but scrupulously obedient to the Law in ritual and in marriage. Barbara Breasted most readably tackles the persistent mystery in Cotnus, its measure of priggishness. She looks for one key in the gaudy sex orgies that, three years before the masque, had caused the execution of the Countess of Bridgewater's brother-in-law, the Earl of Castlehaven, and two of his menservants. Specifically, she thinks that, though Milton intended a lustration, tact prompted him, or Lawes, to cancel some of the Lady's explicitly sexual lines on chastity. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY H o w a r d SchultZ


Magnetic treatment involves putting a non-magnetic fluid into a magnetic field to be magnetized, then properties of the fluid are improved to some expectations, and its production and servicing efficiency will be increased. Study on the influence of magnetic treatment shows that magnetization improves performance of conventional drilling fluid substantially. Properties of foam drilling fluid after magnetization were investigated and the electric conductivity was determined and controlled to obtain precise formation characteristic evaluation from logging plot. Results show that in foam drilling fluid, electric conductivity is in linear with density and electric conductivity increases with density increasing. Properties of the fluid change evidently after magnetization with electric conductivities decreasing in different degree, and at point of magnetic field intensity of 100 mT and second peak, the conductivity decreases to a deepest valley, averaging about 16%.


Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multi-factorial degenerative joint disease and a leading cause of disability worldwide. A number of risk factors associated with development of OA have been identified. Among these, lower extremity muscle strength has been shown to influence loading and dynamic stability of the knee joint (1). In particular, quadriceps weakness has been shown to precede the onset of knee OA and is associated with increased risk of OA development (2, 3). However, the role of each individual muscle within the quadriceps muscle group in OA remains unclear and there is a paucity of data regarding the implication of vastus lateralis and vastus medialis balance in the development of OA. In this study we aim to study the role of vastus lateralis and vastus medialis balance in preclinical knee OA using cartilage T2 mapping technique (4) and 3 Tesla MRI morphological analyses in non-symptomatic subjects selected from the OAI incidence cohort, which represents a large population of individuals who would potentially benefit from early intervention for prevention of OA. Methods: 178 non-symptomatic individuals with risk factors for OA were selected from the OAI incidence cohort. Inclusion criteria were: 1) baseline WOMAC pain score of zero for both knees, 2) age range: 45–55, and 3) BMI of 19–27. Semi-quantitative analysis of right knee morphological abnormalities using 3T MRI was performed using a modified whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS) system. Using a semi-automatic, standardized segmentation technique, knee cartilage T2 maps and cross-sectional area of vastus medialis and vastus lateralis were obtained. Physical activity levels were determined using PASE scale (range 0-400). Statistical significance was calculated using Student's t-test, ANOVA, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient test, and multiple regression models. Results: We identified a very significant gender difference in cross-sectional area of vastus lateralis and vastus medialis with males having larger muscle size. Both male and female subjects with larger muscle size demonstrated enhanced physical performance including higher muscle strength. We next calculated the vastus lateralis to vastus medialis cross-sectional area ratio (VL/VM ratio) and found a wide variability in this ratio (Figure 1A and B). We found a highly significant difference in combined mean T2 values of all knee cartilage compartments between subjects with low VL/VM ratio and those with high VL/VM ratio (mean 45.09 ± 2.62 versus 44.10 ± 2.19, p = 0.0039, Figure 1C and D and Table 1). Linear and second degree regression analyses of cartilage …


Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is characterized by the absence of transverse contraction joints and the presence of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement. The continuous longitudinal reinforcement holds the transverse cracks, caused by the longitudinal shrinkage of concrete, tightly together and thus provides long term performance with minimal maintenance cost. Field investigations on recently constructed CRCP's in Flanders region of Belgium indicated horizontal cracking in the vicinity of the longitudinal reinforcement under the transverse cracks which eventually causes the punch-out distress at the edge of the pavement slab. This paper shows the results of a finite element (FE) study to investigate the effect of varying longitudinal reinforcement on the risk of horizontal cracking in CRCP under typical Flanders conditions. For this purpose, a (3D) FE model of CRCP is developed using a FE package Diana 10.2. The varying longitudinal reinforcement with a most narrow spacing of 125mm in the outer region of the pavement slab is applied while keeping the same CRCP reinforcement ratio. A comparison is made with the conventional longitudinal reinforcement spacing (170mm). Development of concrete stress in the vicinity of the longitudinal reinforcement is plotted against the different longitudinal steel spacing. Findings show that the stress in concrete near longitudinal reinforcement is significantly reduced up to maximum 17% when the narrow spacing is used. In addition, the steel stress in the longitudinal reinforcing is reduced up to maximum 31.75% in the outer region of the pavement slab.


The objective of this research is to find out the influence of firm size, profitability, leverage, growth, regulation factor and unqualified audit opinion toward Corporate Governance Perception Index (CGPI) score. There are 94 samples of data used in this study. The sample size is obtained from companies that are listed in CGPI and Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) during 2007 – 2012. The result from this study shows that firm size and profitability and unqualified audit opinion have positive significance influence to corporate governance perception index (CGPI) score. Meanwhile, leverage, growth and regulation factor have positive insignificance influence to corporate governance perception index (CGPI) score.