Objective To investigate the effect of sex rehabilitation intervention on postradiotherapy patients with cervical carcinoma.Methods Sex rehahilitation intervention were performed into 48 cases of post-radiotherapy patients with cervical carcinoma,including sexual life guidances,psychological support,and the construction of social support network.Questionaire about the quality of sexual life had been carried out and compared the difference between pre-and post-intervention in statistics.Results After radio therapy,the men-numbers and frequency of sexual intercourse were increase,the satisfaction of sexual life was better,and the rate of sexpetting was elevated.Conclusion Sex rehabilitation intervention can improve the quality of sexual life of postradiotherapy patients with cervical carcinoma.


In the process of matching optical and infrared images, the gray scale correlation of the two images is low, and the gradient direction of the same key point neighborhood is also different, resulting in the failure of the point feature description and matching. Therefore, a new illumination robust SIFT model is proposed. In the feature detection stage, the CSS-DoG detector is used to extract CSS corner points on the edge by use of the similar features of the two image edges, which is an effective supplement to the DoG detector. In the feature description, the gradient direction correction function is defined to enhance the correlation between the two image gradients. Experiment results show that the illumination robust SIFT model is suitable for multi-mode image matching of optical and infrared images.


Introduction: clinical trials are tools where individuals are chosen in view of predetermined eligibility criteria, they can constitute at the same time a useful strategy to enhance the quality of patients care, taking into account their potential of


Tensegrity systems are structures in equilibrium under an initial self-stress state. This self-stress state is composed of elementary self-stress states, which constitute its basis. They have complex behaviour and the self-stress state can be modified by external loads. A continuous dialogue between numerical simulations and experimental tests made it possible to validate previous models. In this paper, we checked the validity of the indirect methods currently used to measure cable tension. We show that the connection between elements is embedding in spite of an apparent freedom movement of the structure. We show the necessity to use structural beam elements to correctly describe the bars behaviour in the structure. Static and vibratory measurements show the importance of the bending moment for the elements. We here improve the modelling of the behaviour of the Tensarch ® project tensegrity grid. Keyword: tensegrity, self-stress state, vibration, measure, EF model.


Intelligent tutoring systems for ill-defined domains, such as reading and writing, are critically needed, yet uncommon. Two such systems, the Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART) and Writing Pal (WPal) use natural language processing (NLP) to assess learners' written (i.e., typed) responses and provide immediate, accurate feedback. The current paper reports on efforts to implement adaptive instruction and task selection into both systems. In iSTART, we developed a new practice module, in which learners' past performance data governs two adaptive functionalities: 1) the use of self-explanation scaffolding and 2) the increase or decrease of difficulty of practice texts. In W-Pal, adaptivity is implemented by triggering targeted instructional support on the basis of deficits identified in learners' essays. In this paper, we describe the need for adaptive reading and writing instruction, along with the design and development of adaptivity in the two systems.


Before embarking upon the problem of sex determination it is necessary to realize that the very definition of sex is difficult. The Oxford Dictionary defines the male as the one who begets and the female as the one who bears children. This obviously has a limited application, for, amongst other things, a distinction between the sexes in childhood would be impossible. Anyhow, the simple social separation of human beings into two definite categories, male and female, does not quite agree with the medical conception which allows for morphological misfits between the sexes. The problem of these misfits, sometimes confused with aberrations of behaviour, such as transvestitism and homosexuality, has led to a considerable amount of legal strife and sensational publicity. Rather like the one lost sheep, it might seem that thus the occasional intersex has obtained more attention than the frequency of the condition should warrant, but it is believed that as many as i per I,ooo persons are affected (Young, I937). These malformations of the genitalia, although sometimes a source of considerable social embarrassment to the unfortunate individual, do provide natural experiments in embryology and their investigation has revealed intriguing scientific problems. Though almost all these intersexes are sterile, they are too diverse a group to suggest a ' neutral sex,' for, apart from the very rare true hermaphro-dites, only 74 in the literature (Overzier, 1955), they do not lie ' midway between the sexes,' but form a spectrum of individual types ranging from one sex to the other. The suggestion that the sex of an individual should be decided by the gonads present (Arm-strong, I953) is also incomplete and difficulty arises with individuals apparently of male or female phenotype; that is, as regards body configuration, external genitals and psychological outlook, but who nevertheless have gonads of the opposite sex. Although not the whole answer, this gonadal method has advantages and is used as the basis of the Klebs classification of intersexes into male pseudo-hermaphrodites, true hermaphrodites with both testes and ovaries and female pseudo-hermaphrodites. Since Painter (I924) demonstrated the XY male and XX female chromosome structure it seems agreed that sex is genetically determined, and therefore scientifically the sex of an individual should be based upon the genotype. Although it is theoretically possible to establish the genetical sex from analysis of mitotic figures in the spermato-gonia-and it has been done in male intersex cases-the technique is very difficult …


Objective: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) cisgender individuals are more likely to experience harassment based on their sexual orientation than their heterosexual cisgender counterparts, and other sociodemographic characteristics may exacerbate experiences of anti-LGBQ harassment. This study examines the prevalence of harassment among LGBQ adults based on location (e.g., public spaces, workplaces) and/or the perpetrators of harassment and investigates factors associated with these experiences. Method: We conducted secondary analysis of data from the One Colorado LGBTQ Needs Assessment (N = 3,690), examining rates of location-based harassment for cisgender LGBQ individuals and differences in location-based LGBQ harassment based on racial identity and sexual orientation. We also examined factors associated with LGBQ harassment across locations. Results: Differences in racial identity and sexual orientation were both associated with location-based harassment for LGBQ individuals. Additionally, racial identity, sexual orientation, educational level, and age were predictors of LGBQ harassment across locations. Conclusions: More research is needed to understand the salience of identity in the interpretation of harassment for LBGQ people of color, the role of perceptions of sexual orientation and disclosure of sexual orientation as potential risk or protective factors for experiencing harassment, and the impact of social identities on anti-LGBQ harassment.


Digital television user interfaces are composed of text, graphics and video. Usability issues that arise include information visualization, searching and navigation. This paper introduces two user interface prototypes for digital television. Both prototypes were tested with real users and the test results are discussed.


OBJECTIVE To explore the mechanism of Atractylodis Rhizoma-Scrophulariae Radix drug pair against type 2 diabetes mellitus using network pharmacology. METHODS The chemical components and targets of Atractylodis Rhizoma-Scrophulariae Radix were searched from TCMSP database and Cytoscape 3.6.1 was used to build a network between components and targets. Secondly, "type 2 diabetes mellitus" targets were searched form TTD, and targets retrieved were used to build a PPI network based on the analysis by STRING database. To obtain type 2 diabetes mellitus targets of the active components, the PPI network was fused with the component-target network. Finally, the DAVID database was used to perform KEGG pathway enrichment analysis in order to explore the mechanism of Atractylodis Rhizoma-Scrophulariae Radix drug pair against type 2 diabetes mellitus. RESULTS The 27 kinds of effective compounds were obtained, 10 target proteins and 6 enrichment pathways were selected. Key targets included PTGS2, DPP4, PTGS1, NR3C2, etc. Regulation included regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, PPAR signaling pathway, insulin resistance, AMPK signaling pathway, etc. CONCLUSION The active components of Atractylodis Rhizoma-Scrophulariae Radix act on insulin receptor in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mainly through PTGS2, DPP4, PTGS1, NR3C2, etc. This study provide a new foundation for further study on the mechanism of Atractylodis Rhizoma-Scrophulariae Radix composition.


By using at density functional theory(DFT) at B3LYP/6-31G* levels,The effect of optimized geometries and binding energies of morpholinium ionic liquid have been studied by different anions or cations.The computed results indicate that the hydrogen bond between halogen ion and hydrogen atom connected with 3 carbon or 4 carbon in morpholinium ring is strongest,except that the hydrogen bond between chlorine ion and hydrogen atom connected with oxygen atom is strongest.All reactions are exothermic,the binding energies between anions or cations are very larger that indicate reciprocity between anions or cations are very stronger.Different anions or cations can affect their binding energies.


Abstract We study thermoplasticity with the Prandtl-Reuss flow rule and with a linear evolution equation for the kinematic hardening. The yield function associated with the system under consideration depends explicitly on the temperature. To have a control on the temperature, we slightly modify the heat equation and prove that an approximation process, based on the Yosida approximation, converges to a global in time solution of the (modified) system of thermoplasticity.


Titanium grade 4 is a widely used material in the manufacturing industry due to its properties like high strength to weight ratio, low density, high-temperature resistivity, high corrosiveness. But due to its high strength, it is hard to machine in conventional machines. So here a different approach is shown to machine Titanium. Electro-discharge machine(EDM) is used for machining this metal. In this research work, an investigation is done to find the set of process parameters (peak current, gap voltage, pulse on time) for which responses like metal removal rate will be highest, but electrode wear rate and surface roughness is least. Optimization is done using Grey relation analysis coupled with Taguchi philosophy.


In this article, the stability issues are addressed for switched linear systems (SLSs) with mode-dependent average dwell time (MDADT). By dividing the dwell time into several segments, and constructing a reverse timer which starts timing at the end of each segment, we propose a new reverse-timer-dependent multiple discontinuous Lyapunov function (RTDMDLF), which is more general than the multiple Lyapunov function (MLF) and the multiple discontinuous Lyapunov function (MDLF). With the help of the RTDMDLF approach, several convex and nonconvex stability conditions are derived for SLSs with both stable and unstable subsystems, and the relation of these conditions and existing ones is revealed. Moreover, the stability conditions for SLSs with all stable subsystems are also given. All the results are presented in terms of infinite-dimensional linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be relaxed into computable conditions by using a discretized approach. It is shown that the tighter bound of MDADT can be achieved by the RTDMDLF approach compared with those of the literature. Finally, the advantages of the results are illustrated within three numerical examples.


This paper describes a research on the application of
commercial marketing approach to sanitation. The research
project is being conducted in Nkawie/Toase, a small
town in Ghana by WEDC; LSHTM, and TREND (a local
NGO based in Kumasi, Ghana) in collaboration with the
Atwima District Assembly. The research is still on going;
therefore this paper presents the process that is being
implemented and some of the results.


The theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is always penetrated by the epistemological thread of mind emancipation and factualism,the axiological thread of realizing the radical benefits of the mass,the methodological thread of making overall plans and taking all factors into consideration,and the practical thread of promoting development.These four threads are the distillation,soul,basis and key points of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.They systematically answered the following three questions:How to understand socialism? What socialism to construct? And how to construct socialism? They have important theoretical and practical meaning for us to understand and practise socialism with Chinese characteristics.


It turns out that's not the case. As reported Friday in Molecular Ecology, the likelihood that nematodes have similar microbial profiles does not correlate with how closely they are related. Holly Bik, an assistant professor in UCR's Department of Nematology, led the study. Although there has been little research on the microbiomes of invertebrates, Bik's findings differ from previous studies in other nematode species (including those raised in laboratory conditions) and insects, where particular microbial profiles appear to cluster within families. The turtle ant, for example, survives on a diet of hard-to-digest food that is low in nutrients. Without its unique gut microbiome, which helps in the breakdown of inaccessible nutrients, the ants would have to compete with other species for more readily available food sources.


In the ensuing years, Norshield's name remained in the crosshairs of the financial press which escalated in May, 2005 when the Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC") applied under section 129 of the Securities Act, R.S.O., c. S.5 for an Order appointing RSM Richter Inc. ("Richter") as Court Appointed Monitor of a number of Norshield companies, including Olympus Funds. The impetus behind the motion was that Norshield had failed to meet increasingly frequent redemption requests from retail investors of, inter alia, Olympus Funds looking to pull their money out. At the time of the OSC's application, some 1900 retail investors had outstanding redemption requests of $159 million.


The rise of Dawlat al-Islamiyah f'al-Iraq w Belaad al-Sham (Daesh), or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in the vacuum created by the war in these countries has reignited the Kurdish question that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk skilfully bypassed after World War I, when several nation-states were carved out of the defeated Ottoman Empire. The Kurdish problem began in the early 19th century when the Ottomans centralised the administration, emphasised Turkish identity, erased the autonomous Kurdish emirates and ruthlessly suppressed their protests. This purge of ethnic identity was behind the Armenian massacres of the late 19th century, which became a full blown genocide in 1915–1916. The Greeks were handled via population exchanges, leaving the Kurds as a large and restless minority in the region. The Kurds supported the Turks during World War I, until the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Until then, Kurdish lands were divided between the Ottoman Turks and the Safavids of Iran, but after the war the British and the French split Kurdish lands into four, retaining 'mandates' of Kurdish territory in Iraq and Syria, until these countries became independent. Since then, all four nations have viewed the Kurdish quest for ethnic and cultural identity and autonomy with suspicion, subjecting them to policies of assimilation and violence, while making formal or secret alliances to cope with their respective Kurdish issues. These have triggered Kurdish revolts for cultural and political survival, most seriously in Turkey and Iraq, although Iraqi Kurds secured significant autonomy as a collateral outcome of the American invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein. This commentary examines the Kurdish issue in Turkey, where Kurdish participation in the democratic process is moving in tandem with a guerrilla war, a regional war and an on-off peace process. Turkey is home to roughly half of the world's 35–40 million Kurds, an ethnic group with a distinct culture and several dialects, who have failed to standardise a common language as the Jews did in the early 20th century. The Kurdish struggles and goals in their respective countries vary, but the main demands include an end to policies of cultural assimilation and violent repression, recognition of their political status as a people with autonomous institutions, or independence. The cultural repression is best gauged from Kemal Ataturk's approach to the Sheikh Said rebellion of 1925: 'Our duty is to immediately Turkify those within


Semiparametric copulas are useful tools for modeling a multivariate distribution whose dependence structure is induced by a known copula and whose marginal distributions are estimated. In this paper, a Bayesian semiparametric copula approach is used to model the underlying multivariate distribution . First, the Dirichlet process is constructed on the unknown marginal distributions of . Then a Gaussian copula model is utilized to capture the dependence structure of . As a result, a Bayesian multivariate normality test is developed by combining the relative belief ratio and the Energy distance. Various interesting theoretical results of the approach are derived. Several examples that cover the high dimensional case are discussed to illustrate the approach.


According to the rank of basketball in the competitions of the 28~(th) Olympic Games, this paper analyzes the difference between China basketball and international basketball and puts forward countermeasures to resolve the questions of preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games.


Another face of American soft power often neglected by people is to manipulate cultures of other countries for its hegemo-ny.It comes into being among the wars of hegemony between the Western Powers and has undergone three phases including war of propaganda,war of psychology,and war of culture.The American soft power is controlled by the military-industry-media union,and based on electronic information science,social psychology and culture studies and so on.Moreover,cultural commodity export and secret cultural war controlled by American government are main approaches of the soft power.But once the aim and process of the manipulation are discovered,the soft power will lose its influence.


PurposeThis paper aims to identify the factors affecting university students' behavioral intentions towards adopting the new Facebook currency while controlling for the direct and the moderating impacts of narcissism.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire of 344 respondents from six major Palestinian universities was analyzed. The structural model is fitted for assessing the hypothesized relations.FindingsFindings indicate that the effect of Facebook advertisement in predicting the behavioral intentions to adopt the new Facebook currency relies on: privacy, security, the expectations in the new Facebook currency and knowledge about the targeting options within the Facebook platform. Moreover, the moderating role of narcissism supported the relationships between perceived privacy, the expectations in the new Facebook currency and knowledge about the targeting options within the Facebook platform but did not support the moderating role of narcissism in the relationships between perceived security and the behavioral intentions.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, only the Facebook platform and the behavioral intention were investigated with data collected from Palestinian University students through self-reported cross-sectional survey.Practical implicationsThis study adds insight on the moderating role of narcissism in predicting the behavior intentions towards adopting the new Facebook currency (Diem) which has a substantial potential to threaten all other crypto currencies and the other alternatives. Therefore, managers should consider altering or adapting their Facebook advertising tactics accordingly.Originality/valueThis study is the first to contribute through empirical evidence from a developing country to theory building the results of clarifying the propensity to adopt the new Facebook currency, outlining the consumers' reaction to social media advertising and its influential factors and providing evidence proving relevance of narcissism for non-Western users.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-12-2021-0666


: This research aims at identifying the system of applying the QR-code system for acquisition of chemistry by first class female students studying at intermediate schools knowledge and its effect on creative thinking. The research sample consisted of (63) female students in one of the intermediate schools in Baghdad/Iraq using two equivalents experimental and control groups. The scientific context used was based on the chemistry text book related to the periodic table, (Metals) for the first group of students and Alkaline metals,Nonmetals, Metalloides) for the second group. The research methodology employed consisted of the followings


In Canada, the deferral for men who have sex with men (MSM) was decreased from a permanent deferral to a 5‐year then a 12‐month deferral. Current HIV testing can detect an HIV infection in donated blood within 2 weeks of exposure; thus, a 12‐month deferral may be unnecessarily restrictive. We aimed to estimate the residual risk of HIV if the deferral were further decreased to 3 months.


Abstract: People tend to perceive atheists as being immoral. We tested whether this perception also applies to moral transgressions against animals. Study 1 ( N = 288) and Study 2 ( N = 306, pre-registered) utilized a conjunction fallacy paradigm to show that people attributed harming animals most frequently to criminals, then to God-believers, and least often to nonbelievers. Study 3 ( N = 248, pre-registered) used a job-choice paradigm and found that people choose a God-believer over an atheist for a job involving animal harm because the God-believer was supposed to hold a more hierarchical view of the relationship between humans and animals than the atheist. Consequently, we discuss the limits of antiatheist prejudice in the domain of human–animal interactions.


The invention relates to a pump type shotgun bullet conveyer, which comprises a bullet conveyer, wherein the bullet conveyer is provided with a bullet baffle; the bullet baffle is provided with a semicircular sunken structure; and the radius of the sunken structure is greater than primer radius of a bullet. The pump type shotgun bullet conveyer has the advantages of compact structure, rational arrangement, reliable performance and capability of finishing the function of limiting the position of the bullet by using the structure of the pump type shotgun bullet conveyer without increasing a raw material. Asymmetric contact is changed into symmetric bilateral contact, so that the stability after discharge of the bullet is increased, and meanwhile, the visual aesthetic feeling of the bottom of the bullet conveyer is also increased.


For any perfect field k a triangulated category of K-motives DKeff .k/ is constructed in the style of Voevodsky's construction of the categoryDM eff .k/. To each smooth k-variety X the K-motive MK.X/ is associated in the category DKeff .k/ and Kn.X/D HomDKeff .k/.MK.X/Œn ;MK.pt//; n 2 Z; where pt D Spec.k/ and K.X/ is Quillen's K-theory of X .


Westinghouse Hanford Company has designed and is constructing a nuclear fuel fabrication process line for the Department of Energy. This process line includes a pellet surface inspection system that remotely inspects the cylindrical surface of nuclear fuel pellets for surface spots, flaws, or discoloration. The pellets are inspected on a 100 percent basis after pellet sintering. A feeder will deliver the pellets directly to a fiber optic inspection head. The inspection head will view one pellet surface at a time. The surface image of the pellet will be imaged to a closed-circuit color television camera (CCTV). The output signal of the CCTV will be input to a digital imaging processor that stores approximately 25 pellet images at a time. A human operator will visually examine the images of the pellet surfaces on a high resolution monitor and accept or reject the pellets based on visual standards. The operator will use a digitizing tablet to record the location of rejected pellets, which will then be automatically removed from the product stream. The system is expandable to automated disposition of the pellet surface image.


This research project is part of the macro-project "Didactic and writing practices in the classroom". It belongs to the line of "Education, Language and Communication" at the Faculty of Education in La Salle University, and it was developed between 2015 and 2017. It was guided to describe the concepts and writing teaching practices of Urban Chronicles, which encourage the creation of journalistic texts in secondary education in Enrique Olaya Herrera and Juan Lozano y Lozano schools in Bogotá city. It was part of a qualitative approach with a descriptive study according to Content Analysis and Distill de Information, using a semi-structured interviewing technique applied to six teachers. The results allowed us to find the writing concepts as a process and as a form of expression, as well as, teaching practices of writing and the Urban Chronicle creation from planning, execution and evaluation. The main theoretical referents are: in writing with Kalman (2008), Cassany (1993; 1995), Camps (2003), Lerner (2001) and Vásquez (2007). Didactics from Camilloni (2007), Díaz (1998) and Litwin (1997), didactics of writing in Casanny (1999), Kaufman (2007) and Graves (2002); the text from Bajtín (1982) and Cárdenas (2013), texts types with Adam (1992) and discursive genres with Bajtín. Teaching practices with Palomares (2003), Gimeno and Fernández (1980), chronicle with Juan Villoro (2005) and Martín (1979), Martínez (2002); in Urban Chronicle with a Monsivais (2003) and Lemebel (2001).


This paper discusses about the fundamental cause of conflict in ethnicity and identity: stereotype and prejudice. The writer uses the perspective of Jurgen Habermas's theory of rational discourse and communicative action to analyse the phsycological problem, and to find it's implication to political action and system of law in the multicultural society. The basic concept here is Lebenswelt, an ideal living society with natural elements of life and no discrimination and ideological domination. Stereotype and prejudice action is an epistemological and phsycological problem of society. So, open discourse and rational dialogue are always needed to build an ethical and just democratic society.


For flood prediction and optimized dam control, it is crucial to predict whether a rain area will be over the river basin or not after few hours, and this needs very fine prediction of time and space distribution. For system development focusing on the 'location' of rain areas, it is effective to introduce the information of cloud distribution from the observations into the model as initial conditions. Clouds can be observed by microwave remote sensing by satellite. But it is not easy to observe the cloud over the land from the satellite because emissivity of clouds is so week compared to that of land surface. In order to observe cloud over the land, we at first have to adequately represent the heterogeneity of land state, especially soil moisture distribution, which has large effect on emissivity of the land, and estimate the surface emissivity, then remove it as background information for cloud observation. Therefore, we developed a satellite-based land and cloud data assimilation system coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (CALDAS-WRF) and applied it to the Kanto area. The CALDAS-WRF includes Simple Biosphere model version 2 (SiB2) as a land surface driver, radiative transfer models for soil and atmosphere as observation operators, and Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and 1DVAR as assimilation algorithms for land and cloud, respectively. The CALDAS-WRF first initializes the whole system, integrates the WRF and the SiB2 repeatedly until observations are available, and then assimilates the soil moisture heterogeneity, using passive microwave brightness temperature (Tb) at lower frequency, which has a high sensitivity to soil moisture. Then the CALDAS-WRF assimilates cloud over the land, using Tb at higher frequency, which is sensitive to cloud, and optimized emissivity of land as a background information. We applied the CALDAS-WRF to the Kanto area, and the system effectively assimilated information of clouds and largely improved the representation of cloud distribution. Precipitation areas were also reproduced in the correct locations and consistent atmospheric fields were generated around the cloud areas through dynamical and physical processes in the atmospheric model. However the precipitation amount and duration were not enough, which will be the next target of our development.


Titanium Zirconium alloy ingot was smelted by vacuum arc remelting(VAR) furnace.Effect factors and the mechanical properties of the titanium zirconium alloy smelting in VAR have been investigated.The results demonstrated that the titanium zirconium alloy has higher hardness and nicer tensile strength than that of pure titanium.


A hot–air dryer was designed, built and tested for small scale drying of tomato (Lycospersicum esculentum). Design considerations focused on portability, durability, ease of operation and maintenance, and techno–economic status of the micro and small scale tomato farmers and processors who are the intended users of the dryer. The functional parts of the dryer included an 0.67 hp centrifugal fan inside a fan casing, four heaters each of 1.25 kW inside a heating chamber and a drying chamber consisting three shelves of drying trays. In operation, air is heated by the heaters in the heating chamber and the heated air is conveyed to the drying chamber where it dries the tomato samples by heat and mass transfer processes. The dryer was tested by drying 840 g samples of sliced tomato at a temperature of 55°C for 6 h and results showed that the dryer was able to dry the tomato sample from the initial moisture content of 89% (wb) to the final moisture content of 21.8% (wb). Powered by a 1.0 hp single–phase electric motor, the dryer has a production cost of USD 250.


BACKGROUND: Stored platelet concentrates (PLCs) for transfusion develop a platelet storage lesion (PSL), resulting in decreased platelet (PLT) viability and function. The processes leading to PSL have not been described in detail and no data describe molecular changes occurring in all three components of stored PLCs: PLTs, PLC extracellular vesicles (PLC‐EVs), and plasma.


The aim of this study was to identify the silica eluent (SE) proteins generated in beer during the brewing process, using a proteomics approach. In this study, we found that the distribution and amino acid composition of SE proteins depended on the raw materials and technology used for beer production. The protein and amino acid contents were significantly different in samples taken at various stages of the process. Coomassie blue-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting revealed SE proteins of approx. 40, 25–29, and 6.5–17 kDa that originated primarily from malt water-soluble protein, but also from hordein. SDS-PAGE and two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis in combination highlighted the malt protein modification that occurred during the brewing process. Using mass spectrometry (MS), major 2-DE gel protein spots were identified as barley trypsin inhibitor CMe precursor germin E (Hordeum vulgare) and protein Z. These proteins were resistant to proteolysis and heat denaturation during the brewing process and might be important contributors to beer haze formation.


Abstract The well-known matrix exponentiation for linear first order systems of ODE is generalised to polynomial vector fields. The substitution process of our Exponential Formula is closely related to the usual iteration of polynomial mappings.


The utility model discloses a tail gas reclaiming device which comprises a hydraulic ring type vacuum pump (7), a heat exchanger (6), a storage tank (5), a filling tower (4), a liquid distributor (3), a condenser (2) and a circulating pump (1), wherein the upper part of the storage tank (5) is provided with the filling tower (4); the upper part of the filling tower (4) is provided with the condenser (2) through the liquid distributor (3); the storage tank (5) and the hydraulic ring type vacuum pump (7) are communicated with the heat exchanger (6) through pipelines; and the circulating pump (1) is communicated with the storage tank (5) and the condenser (2) through the pipelines. When the tail gas reclaiming device is adopted, firstly, tail gas after vacuum rectification is preliminarily absorbed through the hydraulic ring type vacuum pump; secondly, the tail gas passes through the heat exchanger, the filling tower and the condenser sequentially under the normal atmosphere; and finally, the tail gas reaches the standard and is discharged. Therefore, the tail gas reclaiming device improves the product yield, reduces production cost, improves the competitiveness of products in enterprises, greatly reduces the emission amount of hazardous substances in the tail gas, and has obvious economic and social benefits.


Abstract Spherical Ti-MCM-41, synthetized by co-condensation method, presented very promising activity in catalytic and photocatalytic oxidation of diphenyl sulfide with H2O2 to obtain diphenyl sulfoxide and diphenyl sulfone. Mesoporous silica materials with various titanium content were analyzed with respect to chemical composition (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry), structure properties (X-ray diffraction), textural properties (low-temperature N2 adsorption–desorption), morphology (scanning electron microscopy), forms and aggregation introduced titanium species (diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy), and surface acidity (NH3-TPD). Titanium introduced in the samples was present mainly in the form of highly dispersed species, presenting catalytic and photocatalytic activities in diphenyl sulfide oxidation with H2O2. Efficiency of the reaction increased with an increase in titanium loading in the samples and was significantly intensified under UV irradiation. The role of various Ti species in diphenyl sulfide oxidation was presented and discussed.


The present invention relates to a method of producing an elastomeric composition in a row. The method includes a) at least one elastomer (elastomer), the step of weighing the at least one filler (filler) and at least one auxiliary component (minor ingredient), b) at least one elastomer, at least one filler and at least one supplying a sub-component in at least one extruder, c) the step of mixing and dispersing the at least one filler and at least one of the sub-component by the at least one extruder at least one elastomer, d) the at least one extruder, obtaining a subdivided product from the resulting elastomeric composition discharged from, e) step of storing a predetermined amount of said subdivided product, f) a step of stirring said accumulated amount of subdivided product constant. Furthermore, to the present invention, a) mixing at least one extruder, b) at least one first metering device, c) result at least one device, and e) to be accumulated milled products to achieve a subdivided product from the elastomer composition , it relates to an apparatus for continuously producing an elastomeric composition comprising at least a device for accumulating and stirring. Elastomer composition thai


The success of foam displacement in porous media largely depends on its stability, which is adversely impacted by the presence of oil. In this study, we present the results of an experimental investigation into the effect of oil type and saturation on foam rheology in Berea sandstone using the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging technique. The results of foam quality scan in the presence of remaining hexadecane was compared with those from the oil-free case. We showed that the calculated apparent viscosity values in the presence of remaining hexadecane were higher than those in the absence of oil except at very high foam qualities. This was attributed to the dominance of relative permeability reduction and generation of oil-in-water emulsions over the foam-weakening effect of oil. A closer analysis of the fluid distribution further allowed us to quantify the relative significance of the identified oil displacement mechanisms, namely, the increased capillary number, and the micellar solubilization. Addition...


The perennial sea ice cover in the Arctic is shown to be declining at -8.9 plus or minus 2.0% per decade, using 22 years of satellite data. A sustained decline at this rate would mean the disappearance of the multiyear ice cover during this century and drastic changes in the seasonal characteristics of the Arctic ice cover. An apparent increase in the fraction of second year ice in the 1990s is also inferred suggesting an overall thinning of the ice cover while co-registered satellite surface temperatures show a warming trend of 0.8 plus or minus 0.6 K per decade in summer and a good correlation with the perennial ice data.


I would like to offer, from the ground in Germany and Poland (and Brussels), some observations on Kenneth N. Waltz's recent article, "The Emerging Structure of International Politics."' In this essay, Waltz accepts without challenge some conventional wisdom about Germany and Europe that is in fact wrong. And while incorrect details might not undermine his overall theory-such an evaluation lies well outside the scope of this letter-these details should at least be rectified so as not to weaken his line of reasoning. This is more than just nitpicking. Newly (re-)unified Germany will surely be one of the main testbeds of Waltz's theory. Moreover, a certain casualness in looking at German evidence often seems to be the norm among academics who are not themselves focused on German studies; acquiescence in this practice in a major theoretical work like Waltz's would only reinforce this inclination. The casual approach might be paraphrased crudely as: we know how the Germans threw their weight around in the past. Therefore any assertion that they are doing so at present can be taken at face value; it does not need to be tested empirically. Or, as Martha Gellhorn put it less delicately: "I think Germans collectively are unsound. I think they have a gene loose, though I don't know what gene it is."* Waltz, of course, does not endorse Gellhorn's pejorative view of the Germans. For him the natural course for any nation, not just the German one, is to throw around as much weight as it reasonably can. Nonetheless it seems safe to assume that Waltz would demand more rigorous evidence of such behavior on the part of other nations than he does in describing post-1989 German actions. For example:


In order to understand the vibration characteristics of a variable mass hoisting system,according to Hamilton principle of nonholonomic systems,a dynamic model of extension-torsionally coupled vibration of a variable mass hoisting system was built,and its modal shape and the transcendental equation determining its natural frequency were obtained.Based on two cases that the modal shape varied with the variable mass and the modal shape was invariable,displacement,tension force and torque were calculated numerically.Aiming at the operating condition of skip loading for mine hoist,the results showed that the responses obtained under the two cases are approximately same;frequency of the variable mass system decreases with mass increasing gradually,and the displacement,tension force and torque increase fluctuatively.Thereby,supposing the modal shape to be invariable could be used to calculate the response expediently,and the coupled characteristics of the variable mass system about frequency and fluctuating load should be considered under impact strong load,which is helpful to enhance the safety and reliability of the hoisting system.


ship, whether its mediating role stands in the way, or is a facilitator, of the politics of encounter that Ferdinand espouses. While he admirably takes the material world as-is for a starting point, that starting point arguably underaccounts for the reality of a technologically mediated economic, political, and social sphere, which would surely play a significant role in the politics of encounter required for transformative cross-cultural and cross-species worldmaking. In terms of style, some may find the imagistic language occasionally heavygoing, but it stands in Ferdinand's favour that it is proffered without apology. His description of the project is itself a metaphor: this is 'sutural writing' (22) to heal the fracture between these two perspectives of the world, stitching them together into a singular critique and horizon of possibility. This is a work heavy in metaphor that is at the same time resolutely supported by evidence: extensive archival research and the author's own ethnographic fieldwork in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, and others. The book is a provocation to those thinkers who stress the importance of thinking about the environment through the perspective of geological time, which is a temporal horizon that considers the details of events like colonialism to be insignificant on a planetary scale. Ferdinand's work is a vehement rejection of that move, an insistence that any thought about modernity's 'crisis' must start with the racist and ecocidal violence of colonialism that created it.


Perinatal encephalopathy, is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a critical diagnostic tool for detecting brain injury shortly after birth. In clinical practice, longitudinal bed-side monitoring is performed by the amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG), which is a time-compressed version of the EEG measured using four electrodes. Perinatal encephalopathy is often accompanied by seizure activity, which is treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). It is well known that AEDs can actively change (a)EEG characteristics, which may hamper interpretation of the (a)EEG and assessment of brain injury. The first aim of this study is to quantify the effects of two common AEDs, midazolam and lidocaine, on EEG spectral power for full-term infants presenting with seizures after perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS). The patient group consists of 12 full-term neonates with PAIS, undergoing multi-channel EEG and aEEG recordings, and receiving midazolam and/or lidocaine for seizure control. Spectral analysis using the Fourier transform is performed on 4hour EEG segments surrounding the time of AED administration. Artifacts are detected and omitted from analysis by restrictions of frequency power. The frequency spectrum is divided in δ (1-4 Hz), θ (4-8 Hz), α (8-13 Hz) and β (13-30 Hz) frequency bands. This is the first study investigating the spectral effects of AEDs in neonates. The results of the spectral analysis show that both drugs induce a shift from low to high frequency electrocortical activity. For lidocaine, the effects are more pronounced in the stroke-affected hemisphere. Additionally, midazolam reduces total EEG power. These spectral changes differ from those seen in adult studies. aEEG data shows that midazolam has a low seizure suppression effectiveness, whereas lidocaine is highly effective in terminating seizures. Early detection of neonatal encephalopathy is important to timely enact treatment and prevent additional brain injury. EEG can be recorded immediately following birth, whereas MRI is typically available one week after birth. 3D source localization of neonatal EEG data might provide additional information about possible encephalopathy in the early stage. Therefore, the second aim of this study is to evaluate the monitoring feasibility of EEG source localization by standardized weighted low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (swLORETA) in full-term newborns with hypoxic-ischemia. Three representative examples of neonatal hypoxic-ischemia are included. EEG source localization results are compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data obtained within the same day of EEG recording. Source localization is calculated for a generic anatomical head model from EEGs recorded with 19 scalp electrodes, placed according to the international 10-20 EEG montage. This is the first study investigating monitoring capabilities of EEG source localization in neonates. The results of the EEG source localization show that regions of low signal intensity on 3D swLORETA inverse solutions correlate well with hypoxic-ischemic areas, as are visible on MRI. In addition, neonatal seizure activity may be localized using swLORETA. Furthermore, the results indicate that the current implementation may be less sensitive for WM lesions. The calculated current density probability distributions may provide easy-to-interpret localized information about neonatal brain function, which may enable detailed longitudinal monitoring and potential assessment of treatment efficacy. Additionally, since EEG data are available from the first day after birth, whereas MRI data are typically available one week after birth, EEG source localization may allow early diagnosis of possible encephalopathy in neonates.


into thin polymer for a wide range of new applications in structural health monitoring for and aircraft process control in production the life fully integrated, large area optical foils with extensive optical sensor functionality. Therefore, the primary challenge is to develop sensor concepts which translate the physical and chemical parameters into optical signals, such that the resulting sensor networks will allow large-area, spatially-resolved measurements, and to manufacture and integrate all components required, e.g. laser sources, detectors, optical waveguides and coupling elements into thin foils, ideally using high-volume, roll-to-roll manufacturing technology. Consequently, research in the field has been very active during the few years and, besides the investigation of suitable optical sensor concepts, revolves about the development of novel production technologies, often through combination of modern laser technology and state-of-the-art micro-structuring, as well as concepts for large-area integration. In my talk, I will give an overview on our research in this field. Our activities range from the realization of efficient optical waveguides and coupling elements using laser and hot embossing techniques, the development, simulation and demonstration of all-polymer optical sensor devices for detection of, e.g., strain, humidity, or concentration to combination of such systems to more complex arrays intended for distributed 2D sensing. I will present some of the results we recently obtained and discuss the next steps of our work as well as the route towards resource and cost-efficient implementation.


human male organism matures at a slower rate than the female for the same chronological age, and that learning and behavior disorders occur three to ten times more freq uentl y among boys than girls. This paper advances the hypothesis that some of those disorders are the stress re sponse of an immature organism to the demands of a society that fails to make appropriate provi sion for this biological age diffe rential.


One hundred and twenty-four Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)strains were isolated from the clinical mastitis milk samples.Two hundreds and thirteen S.aureus isolates caused subclinical mastitis.Enterotoxin genes and tst genes were detected in 337 Staphylococcus aureus isolates using PCR.It was found that 27.42% of bovine clinical mastitis S.aureus isolates harboured enterotoxin genes and tst genes,so did 1.41% of bovine subclinical mastitis S.aureus isolates.Enterotoxin A,enterotoxin C and TSST-1 were the major toxins produced by bovine mastitis S.aureus.All S.aureus isolates carrying enterotoxin genes or tst genes were examined by ELISA or RPLA. The results from of the three methods(PCR,ELISA and RPLA) were consistent.


The bachelor work deals with psychological profilig of offender, which is one of many methods of revealing criminal aktivity. It is based on process, which investigator-psychologist of expertise regarding human behaviour and experience used to create a presumable portrait of unknown offender. The first part is descriptive, it concentrates on progress and probleme in theory. The other part states process of profile building, opportunities of its use and examples.


This background of the research because the learning outcomes of students who are still under the KKM 70 because learning is monotonous, more teachers lecture so that students are less enthusiastic in participating in the learning process so that what the teacher was not well received by the students. The problems revealed in this study is there any method of recitation influence on learning outcomes of students on the theme of "indahnya negeriku" about student comprehension class IV 6 Suwawal Jepara? Goals to be achieved in this study was to determine the method of recitation is there any influence on student learning outcomes in the theme of "indahnya negeriku" about student comprehension class IV 6 Suwawal Jepara. This type research is quantitative. The population in this research is class IV in the SD Negeri 6 Suwawal Jepara. The samples taken were 40 learners using nonprobability sampling is a cluster sampling. The data in this study was obtained through the observation of observation of the activities of students to acquire value as well as on aspects of psychomotor tests to determine student learning outcomes in the cognitive aspects. The design in research is a pretest-posttest control group design. Based on the analysis of research data using the t-test is obtained t cognitive separated by 3,570; psychomotor t value 2,100 to 2,021 t table for both the 5% significance level. So t value > t table and H 0 is rejected. Average increase cognitive learning outcomes for students class IV in SD Negeri 6 Suwawal Jepara before treatment was given by 45% and after the treatment was given at 100% and the average psychomotor learning outcomes which is 70%. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a method of recitation influence on student learning outcomes theme of "indahnya negeriku" about student comprehension class IV SD Negeri 6 Suwawal Jepara. Suggestions made, namely to use the method of recitation should be in a class that number of students is not more than 25 students. That is because at this recitation method takes quite a long time, especially in the execution of duties and responsibilities.


Received: 14/May/2018, Revised: 29/May/2018, Accepted: 09/Jun/2018, Online: 30/Jun/2018 Abstract A computer program has been developed in TURBO C ++ to obtain theoretical X-ray satellite spectrum. Using the available theories for the origin of the X-ray satellite spectral lines, we calculate the energies and intensities of the different possible electronic transitions which give rise to the satellites. The energies and intensities of the transitions are fed in the developed computer program. The energy is taken as X and the intensity as Y. The position of each line is taken to be the energy of transition on X-axis and the height of each line is taken to be equal to the relative intensity on Y-axis. Each spectral line corresponding to a transition is taken as a Gaussian line. The data for each Gaussian line is computed by the program. The data for composite spectrum of all the electronic transitions, i.e., for the envelope of all the Gaussian curves is computed by the program. The data obtained as the output of the program is plotted as a graph, using software Origin. The graph obtained is the theoretical X-ray satellite spectrum. This theoretical spectrum is compared with the available experimental results and the origin of the satellites is explained. In the present paper, we are reporting the algorithm, the developed computer program and the outputs obtained using the program. The program is versatile and can be used to obtain any theoretical spectrum when the energies and intensities of the transitions giving rise to the spectrum are known.


The design theory for easy disassembly and reuse in green manufacturing are applied in the design and research of the NC machine tool,and the NC lathe design rules are established.Following the rules,the design model of NC horizontal lathe is built and analyzed in detail.The results have more special significance for the realization of NC lathe green design.


The readily available (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid (1) was treated with triethyl orthoacetate, with azeotropic removal of ethanol, to yield (6R)-2-ethoxy-2,6-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-4-one (3a). Pyrolysis of 3a led to the β-Lactone of (S)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid and other products. The influence of pressure, temperature, solvents, and some additives has been tested. A procedure for preparing (S)-4-methyloxetan-2-one (4) in a 0.25-mol scale is described.


Poster: "2016 ASM / R-0052 / Early Detection of Radiation Therapy Response in Glioblastoma Using Short Diffusion Time Diffusion Weighted MRI" by: "E. Hau, H. Shen, K. McDonald, A. Bongers; NSW/AU"


Small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering have been combined with electrochemical measurements on polyacetylene-rich polyisoprene–polyacetylene block copolymers to understand the differences in oxidation–reduction properties and charge storage of the copolymer compared to the behaviour of the separate homopolymers. Microphase separation into micelle-like structures with the polyacetylene component surrounded by the less oxidisable polyisoprene occurs in solution, in electrodeposited films and in solvent-cast films, and has pronounced effects on the electrochemistry and the kinetics of charge storage. Electrodeposition of the copolymer offers a possible separation route for copolymer from the mixed homopolymer.


1. What media are available, and where can they be obtained? 2. What are the uses of each medium, insofar as area is concerned? 3. What is the dosage of each medium and what special methods are employed when using it? 4. How long does each technique take to perform and what additional help is necessary? 5. What danger exists to the patient? 6. What is the cost involved in the performance of particular techniques, and therefore are these economic in our area of medicine? 7. Of what practical value are particular techniques?


The outcome of a common European asylum system (CEAS) is an open question in which the answer will situate itself somewhere between two conflicting frames: the realist with focus on internal security and border controls, and the liberal with focus on human-rights and refugee protection. This thesis analyses how these frames are expressed in the European Commission's publications in the asylum area. The purpose is to explore how the tension between the frames appears. This is interesting since the asylum policy is influenced by what principle is emphasized. How this is implemented is by an idea analysis based on two polar ideal types, realism and liberalism, where their basic assumptions are distinguished in a number of key points. The theoretical framework is presented and followed by a review of the content in the Commission's publications. The norms and ideas that appear in these publications are then compared with the theoretical assumptions; this to answer the question of which ideal type the Commission's concept of the CEAS is most similar with. The answer is that the Commission's ideas, unlike the most common notion, correspond the most with the liberal ideal type.


X-ray examination of the abdomen was made on February 23 at 2 p.rn. and the following report received: "The upper quadrant of the abdomen is occupied and moderately distended with coils of intestine, apparently mainly small intestine. The colon shows only a moderate amount of gas. No fluid levels were detected." The appearance suggested a possible incomplete obstruction in the lower part of the small intestine. A bowel washout produced a clear return and no meconium. Two hours after the child's admission to hospital distension had increased and she was showing signs of respiratory embarrassment. Laparotomy was performed at 5 p.m. on February 23 through a lower right paramedian incision. A small amount of bile-stained fluid was found in the peritoneal cavity. The whole of the peritoneal cavity was filled with coils of dilated small intestine. The large intestine was not dilated. A small band was found proximal to the ileo-caecal junction, passing round the terminal part of the ileum. Proximal to this band the ileum was filled with a large amount of soft meconium. Meconium filled about fifteen inches of small intestine. The consistency of the meconium became softer as the bowel was traced proximally. The band was cut, and it was found possible to push meconium into the ileum. A purse-string suture was then placed in the terminal part of the ileum and the bowel incised at this point. The meconium was milked through the opening, and as much as possible was removed by this method. The meconium was pasty in consistency and of a lighter COlour than usual. The bowel was closed by a purse-string suture. The condition of the child was fair at the end of operation. Continuous intravenous therapy was commenced on the child's return to the ward, and a naso-gastric tube was passed and connected to a Wa.ngerrsteert drainage system. Pancreatin. 0'5 gramme, was instilled every six hours, the suction being controlled by clamping for half an hour. Two days after operation the tube was removed as two napkins had been soiled. The child's condition remained satisfactory for twenty-four hours, but after this distension increased and bowel sounds were absent. Gastric suction was recommenced. but distension continued. The condition of the child had deteriorated by 4.30 p.m, on February 27, and "Prostigmin", a quarter of a millilitre, was given. One hour later the child passed meconium, the distension was relieved, and the bowel sounds became normal in intensity. Next day gastric suction was discontinued and oral feedings were begun. On March 2 expressed breast milk was given, and two days later 120 mill1litres of blood were given in a continuous transfusion. On March 10, although the child was taking her feeds well she looked very ill; she had a slight cough, but her chest was clinically normal. On March 14 a fluctuant mass was found below the knee over the thrombosed right saphenous vein (the vein had been ligated after intravenous therapy); this was aspirated, and Bacterium coli communis was obtained in pure culture from the pus. X-ray examination of the chest revealed fairly extensive consolidation at the mid-zone of the right lung with elevation of the right hemidiaphragm. The appearance suggested pneumonic consolidation, but embolus could not be .excluded. On March 16 treatment with streptomycin, 50.000 international units twice a day, was commenced, as well as with penicillin, 20,000 international units three-hourly. The child improved slightly, but her weight was unsatisfactory. On March 20 the stools, which had been frequent but not bulky, were examined on three successive days, and as the trypsin content was very low and the fat content high, pancreatin administration which had been suspended on March 2 was recommenced. The child was fully breast fed. The weight then began to increase and the stools lessened in number. On April 11 X-ray examination of the chest revealed that resolution in the right lung was complete. The child's weight was increasing slowly. On April 13 her weight was still increasing and she looked well. Dr. Wesley said that examination so far suggested a deficiency of .pancreat.ic secretions, probably due to fibrocystic disease of the pancreas, but investigation of the patient was incomplete as her condition did not warrant duodenal secretion estimation.


Male rats were exposed to vinyl chloride at the concentrations of 50, 500, and 20 000 ppm, 5 hours daily, 5 days a week for 10 months. Morphological lesions in the liver and the testes detected by light and electron microscope and depression in body weight increase intensified with the duration of exposure. Increased relative weights of some organs and slight hematological and biochemical changes in blood during the course of the experiment were also observed. Some toxic effects including morphological liver injuries arose at the smallest exposure level, i. e., 50 ppm. Assuming 50 ppm as the threshold concentration for rats, the 5 ppm level has been estimated as the safe exposure limit in industry in relation to systemic effects of vinyl chloride.


This program evaluation uses a mixed-method approach to determine the extent to which Responsive Classroom® supports an increase in social-emotional competence in students leading to a reduction in discipline infractions. Through the use of student and teacher rating scales from the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition (BERS-2), the social-emotional competence strength of participating 5 th grade students was measured and an analysis conducted of the relationship between the students' socialemotional competence and frequency of discipline infractions incurred over a 3-year period. The study incorporated school staff focus groups to identify any facilitating conditions and barriers which exist in the implementation of Responsive Classroom® and the program's efficacy in reducing discipline infractions. School staff reported the following facilitating conditions supported a reduction in discipline infractions: a positive change in their practice as educators, the inclusion of logical consequences in managing student misbehavior and an increase in student social-emotional competence as evidenced by a decrease in severe infractions and fewer peer conflicts. Some of the barriers presented by school staff included: a lack of initial and ongoing training, limited staff buy-in, and inadequate administrative support with severe student behaviors. Although all teachers seemed to see the value in Responsive Classroom®, the challenges of implementing the program with fidelity were prominent. A document review of all discipline referrals over the 3-year period drew non-conclusive data due to inconsistencies in recording. A significant decrease was found, however, for severe infractions which require documentation for suspension approval. Recommendations for schools interested in implementing social-emotional learning programs include incorporating a district-wide approach which focuses on program planning and implementation, incorporating a focus on both formative and summative program evaluation and ongoing professional development and support for school staff to ensure a high level of fidelity and consistency with implementation.


Provided are a server, a system and a method by which a utility value of information relating to fuel efficiency of a vehicle can be improved. A fuel efficiency information management server (100) functions so that a driver of each vehicle or a third party are informed of a ranking corresponding to the fuel efficiency level of each vehicle, together with a travel state factor of each vehicle when the fuel efficiency is achieved, through a system of eco-information.


Purpose – To explore and analyse various learning organizations and to attempt to outline the form of a holistic learning organization.Design/methodology/approach – The tool described in this article is a continuation of the work published in a Licentiate thesis in 1996 and developed further in a doctoral dissertation in 2001. The Learning Organization Diamond Tool is based on a holistic concept of a learning organization being regarded as a structure of related elements: driving forces, finding purpose, questioning, empowering and evaluation at two interconnected levels of individuals and the whole. Data from 686 respondents were gathered from 25 Finnish organizations in 1998.Findings – The outcomes of the study are mainly presented in the form of imaginary diamonds complying with the basic framework. In 24 organizations the individuals placed more trust in themselves and their own learning than in their organization as a learning environment. When comparing different business sectors the variation on th...


In this paper,study on the training pattern of the technological undergraduate about the Mechanical Designing and Manufacturing Automation specialty is introduced,which is based on the concept of CDIO and international partnership.Under the new condition,the cultivation goal and the course system construction and the reform of teaching scientific research are emphasize introduced,which provide reliable foundation of the technological undergraduate training pattern.


The location of the surge tank is definitely the top concern in the diversion system design in hydropower station.Because it not only relate to the construction cost,but also effects the guaranteed regulations in transient process of power station.Based on the mathematic model of hydraulic transient process,three diversion system schemes were numerical simulated.The results show that it is feasible to enlarge the diameters of diversion tunnel and penstock properly for improving the guaranteed regulations when diversion system is not too long.And more closer to the critical position the surge tank is,more favorable to guaranteed regulations,but the chamber surge would increase.


The article presents a method developed by the authors to assess the accessibility of urban improvement facilities for low-mobility groups of the population based on the analysis of text data from social networks and the socio-psychological well-being of city residents. The object of the study was the profiles of landscaping objects in Google Maps located in the Petrogradsky district of St. Petersburg, 25 urban landscaping objects (parks, gardens, squares) were selected. During the study, the total number of comments for each improvement object was determined, reviews were analyzed, reviews were identified that describe the impressions and experiences of elderly and low-mobility groups, and the tonality of these messages was evaluated. The analysis of the reviews showed that the comments contain information from low-mobility groups of the population describing the problems of improvement facilities, in particular accessibility. The conclusion is made about the great potential that can be extracted from the use of automated data collection from geoinformation social systems. Findings show that overlapping data from Google Maps enriches the analysis that would previously have relied on a single source.


Oral frailty is defined as the mild decline in oral function and located at the early and reversible stage of frailty. Therefore, early detection and early treatment of oral frailty is very useful. Simple and easy questionnaires, such as an oral frailty checklist, have been widely used for the screening and enlightenment of oral frailty of the Japanese people. We evaluate the structure and validity of the oral frailty checklist. The questionnaire of oral frailty was distributed for the citizens more than 50 years old from December 2018 to January 2019. The structural validity of the questionnaire is analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM). The characteristics of the items are analyzed by Item Response Theory (IRT). The data of 725 subjects (360 men, 359 women, 6 no answer, mean age 71.3 ± 9.05) are analyzed. The questionnaire consisted of three latent variables. Items of "Brushing teeth at least twice a day", "Regular attendance of dental clinic", and "Using denture", had low discrimination ability. The questionnaire used in this study is a useful tool for the screening of oral frailty. However, its scoring system needs to be improved.


We report the first case of sarcoidosis‐like reaction in a patient treated by anti‐PD‐L1 for a breast cancer. A 69‐year‐old woman presented with a histologically confirmed lung metastasis of a triple negative breast cancer. She was treated by nab‐paclitaxel plus anti‐PD‐L1 in first line. After 2 months, a dramatic lung response was noticed but an involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes appeared. Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration of these lymph nodes revealed multiple epitheloid granulomas without caseating necrosis in favour of a sarcoidosis‐like reaction. The patient remained free of symptom and in complete lung response on anti‐PD‐L1 treatment as a maintenance therapy.


Background:
 Carfilzomib (Car), a second-generation proteasome inhibitor (PI), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as therapy for relapsed and /or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), either as a single agent or in combination with other agents. It has proven to be superior in many ways compared to the the first generation PI, bortezomib, both in terms of superior efficacy and neuropathy related adverse effect profile. Carfilzomib has lower rate of peripheral neuropathy. In this review, we gathered data from trials which studied Carfilzomib for newly diagnosed MM (NDMM). Carfilzomib based two and three drug combination as induction regimens for the management of NDMM is an emerging approach. Through this systematic review, we explore efficacy, adverse effect profile of Car based regimens for NDMM.
 Methods:
 Per PRISMA guidelines, a thorough database search was conducted on 06/24/2019 using the following search engines; PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Clinicaltrials.gov. We included all published trials that used carfilzomib as an induction agent in NDMM patients and had at least response rates after induction.
 Results:
 The total number of articles identified with initial search were 1131, out of which 19 articles met our selection / eligibility criteria (n=2286).
 The overall response rates (ORR) after induction therapy with carfilzomib based regimens was very impressive (range: 84.3% - 100%). Two drug combination using carfilzomib and dexamethasone (n=72) had an ORR of 90% and a greater than very good partial response rate (>VGPR) of 84%. Three drug combinations used for induction therapy included carfilzomib/dexamethasone with immunomodulators (n=391) and alkylating agents (n=308). The combination of carfilzomib/dexamethasone with lenalidomide (n=189, ORR: 97% - 98%, >VGPR: 69% - 98%) and thalidomide (n=202, ORR: 90% - 94%, >VGPR: 66% - 68%) showed the best response. Alkylating agents used in combination with carfilzomib were melphalan (n=98, ORR: 90% - 93%, >VGPR: 58% - 70%), cyclophosphamide (n=192, ORR: 87% - 95%, >VGPR: 39% - 71%) and bendamustine (n=18, ORR; 100%, >VGPR: 89%). Four drug combinations with carfilzomib used were daratumumab/lenalidomide/dexamethasone (n=22, ORR: 100%, >VGPR: 90%, 12m PFS: 95%) and cyclophosphamide / thalidomide / dexamethasone (n=64, ORR; 91%, >VGPR: 69%, 24m PFS: 76%).
 One trial directly compared carfilzomib/melphalan/dexamethasone (n=478, ORR: 84%, >VGPR: 61%, PFS: 22.3m) with bortezomib/melphalan/dexamethasone (n=477, ORR: 79%, >VGPR: 49%, PFS: 22.1m). Another trial compared the combination of carfilzomib / dexamethasone with lenalidomide (n=315) or cyclophosphamide (n=159) that showed similar ORR (97% vs 91%) though >VGPR rate was better with lenalidomide (75% vs 60%). Efficacy data including progression free survival (PFS) for carfilzomib based regimens is reported in table 1.
 Most common >grade 3 hematological adverse effects reported were anemia (2% - 35%), lymphopenia (5% - 76%), thrombocytopenia (4% - 28%) and neutropenia (1% - 38%). Most Common >grade 3 non-hematological adverse events included cardiac events (5% - 10%), respiratory disorders (8% - 16%), infections (2% - 9%), hypertension (6% - 17%), renal events (9% - 10%) and hyperglycemia (6% - 23%). (Table 1)
 Conclusion:
 The overall efficacy and favorable adverse effect profile of Carfilzomib-based induction regimens seem very promising for the treatment of NDMM. Car is now approved for weekly dosing which is convenient. Due to cardiovascular toxicity seen in upto 10% cases, Car should be used very judiciously in patients with cardiovascular risk factors and heart failure. Several ongoing phase 3 clinical trials are studying Carfilzomib in various combinations will help to establish foundation for future standard therapy as well as next phase of drug development through clinical trials.

 Anwer: In-Cyte: Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


This paper addresses the relationship between conscience and authority, first within the standpoint of conscience, that stems since its awakening, with an ever-greater foundation than herself, and following this, from the standpoint of authority, whose purpose is to serve the conscience and freedom. Conscience and authority, then are reciprocally implied. The paper also deals with the abuse of authority over the conscience, following on the unjustified pretense of the conscience over authority. Finally, it is exposed the importance the concern in the life of John Henry Newman and the principles for a solution he offerred.


Customer satisfaction has been recognized as the predominant factor in a business organization's success. This research is the assistance in extending the understanding of the relationship between customer satisfaction, store image, and service quality. The considerable interest is both to practitioners and academics in the management of chain convenience store industry. The objective is to identify the factors of store image and service quality that are positively related to customer satisfaction. Using data collected from chain convenience stores in Taiwan, the findings indicate that store image and service quality with the performance of cashier, product variety, store environment, and price are positively correlated to customer satisfaction.


Addition chloro acetyl isothiocyanate (C3H2ClNOS) with 3-Aminoaceto phenone (C8H9NO) to prepare a fresh Ligand [N-(3-acetyl phenyl carbamothioyl)-2-chloroacetamide](L). The ligand (L) behaves as bidentate coordinating through O and S donor with metal ions, the general formula of all complexes [M(L)2(Cl)2](M+2 = Manganese(II), Cobalt(II), Cadmium(II) and Mercury(II)). Compounds were investigation by Proton-1, Carbon -13 NMR spectra (ligand (L) only), Element Microanalysis for C, N, H, O, S, Fourier-transform infrared, UV visible, Conductance, Magnetic susceptibility and Atomic Absorption (A.A). Based on spectral data, complexes appear octahedral geometry. The anti-bacterial activity of the complexes against two type of bacterial was higher than for free ligand.


Small-bandgap InAs channel materials are potential candidates for high-speed and low-power applications and have been demonstrated in AlSb/InAs/AlSb QWFETs. Taking advantage of their excellent transport properties, we successfully develop an InAs-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor modulation-doped field-effect transistor (MOS-MODFET) using 100-nm PECVD-deposited SiO2 dielectrics for gate dielectrics. A 2µm-gate-length depletion-mode InAs n-channel MOS-MODFET shows a maximum drain current of 270 mA/mm, a peak transconductance of 189 mS/mm, and a low output conductance of 18 mS/mm in dc characteristics, and a maximum current-gain cut-off frequency of 14.5 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency of 24.0 GHz in rf performances. The InAs-channel MOS-MODFET presents potentials for further developing complementary circuit devices.


Wall bound α-glucosidase (EC 220.127.116.11) has been solubilized from suspension-cultured sugar-beet cells with Sumyzyme C and Pectolyase Y-23 and purified by a procedure including fractionation with ammonium sulfate, Sephacry S-200 HR column chromatography, and CM-cellulose colum chromatography. The enzyme readily hydrolyzed maltose, nigerose, malto-oligosaccharides, and soluble starch, but hydrolyzde isomaotose more slowly. The enzyme hydrolyzed malto-oligosaccharides and soluble starch at a faster rate than maltose. The wall-bound α-glucosidase from sugar-beet cells is different from the enzymes extracted from the cells and seeds in substrate spesificity.


As this issue of the journal was going to press, much anticipated legislation making fundamental reforms to Australia's privacy law framework had been passed by the House of Representatives and was being considered by the Senate. The Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 (the Act), which seeks to amend the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act), will implement wholesale reforms to the Australian privacy protection framework.


The required properties of structural criteria for materials quality assessment are discussed. An example of the application of various 3D computer simulated models of polycrystalline materials microstructure for assessment of accuracy and versatility of hitherto used methods for the determination of grain volume distribution parameters is presented. It is shown that none of these methods ensured the required accuracy and versatility of grain size evaluation at acceptable labour consumption. The semi empirical relationships between parameters of distribution of plane section area and grains volume were determined. They are the basis of simple method for grain size estimation. This method was applied in the study of dynamic recrystallization of austenitic steels. The importance of proper selection of morphological and stereological parameters for materials microstructure description was shown on the ground of the improvement of quantitative description of microstructure of austenitic steels and sintered carbides. New empirical relationships between structural factors and properties of these materials are presented. Significant improvement of quantitative assessment of volume fraction, size and shape of grains or particles is also presented. Methodology for the evaluation of microstructure of materials containing dispersed particles of highly differentiated size with the application of light, electron scanning and transmission microscopes (LM +SEM +TEM method) is also shown.


Subjects, methods, and results Three hundred and five people with multiple sclerosis (207 women, 98 men; 74% of those identified) were interviewed by the research physician (MHWR). Whenever possible the nearest relatives of those living in the community were interviewed by the research sociologist (AJS). The 229 relatives interviewed comprised 194 spouses or cohabitees, 22 parents, and 13 offspring or siblings. The ratio of husbands and male cohabitees to wives and female cohabitees was 2: 1, but the overall sex ratio was 132 men to 97 women owing to the number ofmothers, daughters, and sisters given as nearest relatives. Most of the close relatives were not carers in the sense used in the survey, in which the term was restricted to people regularly helping a person with multiple sclerosis with at least one personal, domestic, or social care activity from a specified list. Eighty relatives met this definition. Each was asked to keep a 24 hour diary listing and timing all care activities undertaken. The 74 who did so lived at the same address as the person with multiple sclerosis for whom they cared, and 66 were spouses or cohabitees. Their mean age was 57, and 25 were 65 or older. The people being cared for were moderately or severely disabled, scoring -5 0 on the Kurtzke expanded disability status scale.2 Forty two had periodic urinary incontinence, 32 on a daily basis. None had seen a continence advisory nurse. Disturbance at night was normal for 52 carers and was recorded by 44 of those who kept diaries, 42 of whom were the sole carers while two were helped by relatives. None received help from community health or social services. Most disturbances (18) were associated with toiletting; others were to make the people comfortable (10), to help them turn in bed (eight), and to help back to bed those who could get out of bed unaided (eight). Lesser activities included giving drugs, preparing drinks or food, dressing or undressing, and being sociable with those unable to sleep. Although 31 of the 44 carers spent less than half an hour helping in total, the disturbances tended to be spread throughout the night, averaging 2-6 per carer. During the day the carers spent a mean of five and a half hours on caring activities.


This paper critically scrutinizes Timothy Snyder's book The Road to Unfreedom. Russia, Europe, America (The Bodley Head, Vintage, London 2018). It claims that the main reason for his failure to present a convincing account of the current neo-nationalist and authoritarian turn and outline an adequate intellectual and political response to it is his clinging to an anti-totalitarian framework which he had applied to Eastern Europe in some of his previous historical works (Snyder 2003, 2010). The framework reduces three main ideological alternatives that fought with each other in the last century into two: liberalism was supposedly challenged by totalitarianism. Since Snyder reduces the present crisis to the threat of the return of totalitarianism, he sees an appropriate response in the revival of the human and civic solidarity associated with the anti-totalitarian movements of the last century. The essay outlines an alternative view: it links the present crisis of democracy to the ravaging effects of neo-liberal globalization and, accordingly, suggests combining anti-authoritarianism with anti-capitalism – or human and civic solidarity with social solidarity.


Abstract The effect of adenosine on 45Ca uptake by rat brain synaptosomes electrically stimulated was studied as function of time of stimulation (10, 30, 120 s). Inhibition of 45Ca uptake was more evident for 120 s.


To determine the efficacy of herbal-based treatment for HIV disease clinical trials should be carried out and implemented by a project specially created for this purpose. This document highlights the research suggestions for assessing the efficacy of an herbal-based treatment for HIV disease in Tanga Tanzania. It discusses the project description project strategy as well as its staffing.


POM/UiO-66(Zr) with hierarchical porosity and double active sites was synthesized by a solvent-free method for oxidation desulfurization of fuel oil.


Real silicon reveals a lot about how new silicon processes work, so test chips are particularly helpful for the semiconductor manufacturers to evaluate a new technology. Traditionally, semiconductor manufacturers relied only on SRAM test chips for ramping up, qualifying and monitoring new semiconductor fabrication processes. Unfortunately, the transistor and circuit geometries used in an SRAM test chip represent only a small fraction of the transistor and circuit geometries found in a real product [BHA98]. In recent years, logic test chip that narrows the gap between the SRAM chips and the real products are used extensively [BHA98] [HES07] [KAR08]. The logic test vehicle is more representative of real product, but may not be as easily testable and diagnosable as the SRAMs. The logic test chips must capture information related to device and interconnect variability, including systematic and random variations, as well as manufacturing features used in lithography, thermal, stress, proximity effects, and they must use all potentially to-be-used library cells. The logic test chips will help manufacture to incorporate silicon-accurate models and enhanced the manufacturing process. In the past, logic test chips are a small function design that contains as more manufacturing features as possible. As for the test chips, the functionality of a chip does not matter. It is required that the test chip must be designed to cover all manufacturing features. It would be feasible if we can design a test chip with many scan cells such that each scan cell contains some manufacturing features to be used, and all scan cells cover all manufacturing features. Testing such a test chip becomes testing all scan cells and their interconnections. In case a failure occurs, diagnosis down to a scan cell can be easily achieved if we use some special scan architectures. In this paper we present the concept of a two-dimensional scan architecture that makes testing and diagnose down to defective scan cells more easily.


Ken Thompson recently communicated some results mined from his set of 64 6-man endgame tables. These list some positions of interest, namely, mutual zugzwangs and those of maximum depth. The results have been analysed by the authors and found to be identical or compatible with the available or published findings of Karrer, Nalimov, Stiller and Wirth.


Animal-Visitor Interactions (AVIs) have become commonplace in zoological institutions and facilities globally. However, most AVI research focuses on the effects of visitors on the welfare of animals, with considerably less studies examining the visitor experience itself. Furthermore, robust evaluations of the efficacy of zoo education programs and engagements for increasing visitor awareness of conservation issues, and for fostering long-term pro-conservation behavior changes in them, are under researched. This paper reviews the current literature that pertains to the effects of zoo visitation and AVIs on visitor perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. We briefly note some of the known effects that zoo visitors have on zoo animals, and conversely explore the effects that factors such as enclosure design, animal visibility and behaviors, and AVIs can have on visitors' overall experience whilst attending the zoo. We suggest that future research needs to more closely examine the relationships and interactions between zoo visitors and zoo animals; why some zoo visitors maintain repeat visitation over others; what the differences in beliefs and attitudes may be between "zoo visitors" and "non-zoo visitors" (i.e., other general public); and to make a concerted effort to understand: (1) what visitors are doing after they leave the zoo, and (2) whether visitors are adopting long-term pro-conservation behaviors into their daily lives. We further suggest that future research needs to start investigating indirect measures related to the visitor experience, such as: (a) individual conservation support outside of the zoo; (b) internet activity; (c) changes in sustainable purchasing practices related to knowledge gains; (d) financial investment in sustainable or ethical companies after knowledge gains; (e) and the longitudinal effects of zoo visits.


This work describes a detailed mathematical procedure in relation to a novel third‐order WENO scheme for the inviscid term of a system of nonlinear equations in the generalized grid system. The scheme developed minimizes the linear and nonlinear sources of dissipation error associated with the classical fifth‐order WENO scheme. The former is minimized by optimizing the resolving efficiency of the scheme whereas the latter is minimized by fixing the accuracy at the second‐order critical point via redefining the nonlinear weights. Moreover, the spectral property of second‐order viscous derivative, approximated by the single and double applications of the standard fourth‐order central finite difference scheme, is presented. The two‐dimensional Euler and Navier–Stokes equations in the generalized grids are mainly pursued. For the robustness in terms of capturing discontinuous and smooth structures, particularly two problems, which are difficult to handle in Cartesian grids, are chosen for discussion. The first one deals with a supersonic shock hitting the circular cylinder and generating all the possible flow inconsistencies. The other one deals with a subsonic flow over a circular cylinder at the incompressible limit. The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.


Let $X_1,\cdots,X_m$ be vector fields satisfying H\"ormander's Lie bracket generating condition on a smooth manifold $M$. We generalise Connes's tangent groupoid, by constructing a completion of the space $M\times M\times \mathbb{R}_+^\times$ using the sub-Riemannian metric. We use our space to calculate all the tangent cones of the sub-Riemannian metric in the sense of the Gromov-Hausdorff distance. This generalises a result of Bella\"iche.


The invention discloses a thin-film fabrication system and a method for balancing thin film stress. The method comprises the following steps of: plating a thin film similar to a base material in refractive index by ion-assisted deposition (IAD), plating a designed thin film structure by thermal evaporation, and bonding the two thin films on the base material to form a thin film structure. Since the two thin films produced by the two methods have opposite thin film stresses, the thin-film structure can prevent surface warpage by the opposite stress influence, thus improving the surface flatnessof the thin film structure.


This article tries to answer the following questions: Why are novels written in prose? Why are they usually adventure stories? Why, during the 18th century, there was the rise of the novel in Europe? The aim is to enlarge the conception of the novel and the fields comprised by literary studies.


The aim of the present essay is to review and discuss the transformations High School Education in Argentina is going through, in the context of a period of ...


It seems to be very generally believed that in shrubs and trees there is storage of organic matter in the lower part of the trunk and in the roots, and that, as growth starts in the spring, this food becomes soluble and passes upward through the xylem to the developing shoots and leaves. The fact that has been most commonly offered as proof of upward translocation through the xylem is that the xylem tissues of woody plants commonly contain quantities of organic storage products, particularly sugars and starches. It has been shown by Atkins (I9I6), Fischer (I89I), and others that not only the living parenchyma cells but also the water-conducting cells proper, the tracheae and tracheids, contain appreciable quantities of soluble carbohydrates, and Atkins has found these to be present at all seasons of the year. The latter considers that sugars are commonly carried through the xylem. He even goes so far as to say that ". . . the transference of carbohydrates can no longer be regarded as an occasional and accessory function of the vessels, but is certainly a continual and principal function . . . .." It may well be, however, that there is no flow of solution through the xylem for any great distance, for a possible frequent interposition of living cells across the water-conducting tissues may prevent such a flow. Atkins himself clearly recognizes that water may flow across tissues containing a high solute content without carrying the solutes with it. Experiments performed by Hartig (I858) are also commonly cited in texts as offering proof of upward translocation through the xylem. Hartig ringed a number of trees early in the summer and found early in the following spring that the starch stored below the ring had disappeared. He concluded that the storage products must have been translocated upward through the xylem. It might be, however, that the food stored below the ring was used locally for growth in diameter, or that it was translocated downward through the phloem and was used in root growth. In order to determine more definitely whether the upward translocation of food takes place primarily through the phloem or through the xylem, the writer has conducted a series of experiments part of which are reported in this paper. Some of these experiments also throw light on the matter of food movement from roots or trunks to growing shoots. The discussion therefore naturally falls into two main parts: (i) When upward translocation of organic matter takes place, as it certainly must for at least short distances, does it take place through the water-conducting tissues, the xylem, or


On the basis of theory of motor coordination and testing system and method, and according to the result of 1539 boys and girls behavior in 9 tests on coordination,we take a deep and synthetic analysis of each testing item from their nature and the feature of motor combined with the feature of ane,sex and the increasing curve,at last find out the reoson causing the behavior result mentioned above and have a retional,objective and comprehensive understand of the regularity of development of Children motor coordination during this period.


Methionine is a specific amino acid which contains sulfur, and can be used to make proteins, found in fish, meat, and dairy products, the excess intake of L-methionine lead to elevated homocysteine (Hcy) level that known as Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy). Increased Hcy plasma may represent an independent risk factor for osteoporotic fractures, and therefore may also negatively affect bone metabolism. This study was designed to examine the impact of Hcy on osteoclast activity in Male Rabbits, following methionine overload. To achieve this study's aims, we recruiting (20) males of New Zealand white rabbits that were divided into (10/group) control group and a group treated with methionine. Then after the intubation of methionine overload, we measured the "Receptor Activator of Nuclear factor Kappa-b" (RANK) and "Receptor Activator of Nuclear factor Kappa-b ligand" (RANK-L) levels in the blood, in addition to histological examination of the trabecular structure of femur bone. The results show a significant (p≤0.001) increase in serum RANK and RANK-L levels of methionine treated group in comparison with the control group. The histological examination of the trabecular structure of femur bone shows an increase in osteoclasts percentage, activity, and large resorption pits in the methionine treated group. The HHcy that was induced by methionine overload, caused an increase in osteoclast activity and numbers in male rabbits suggested a mechanistic role for bone resorption by Hcy. Future research clarifying the mechanistic function of elevated concentrations of Hcy in osteoporosis may have important therapeutic implications.


The adequateness of IIR models for acoustic echo cancellation is a long-standing question, and the answers found in the literature are conflicting. We use the results from rational Hankel norm and least-squares approximation, and we recall a test that provides a priori performance levels for FIR and IIR models. We apply this test to the measured acoustic impulse responses. Upon comparing the performance levels of FIR and IIR models with the same number of free parameters, we do not observe any significant gain from the use of IIR models. We attribute this phenomenon to the shape of the energy spectra of the acoustic impulse responses so tested, which possess many strong and sharp peaks. Faithful modeling of these peaks requires many parameters, irrespective of the type of the model.


In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in economic losses caused by flood events on the coastal region of south‐eastern Spain. The increase of extreme rainfall events forecast by the climate change models is currently not reflected in the statistics which suggests that the principal cause is due to the exposure experienced within the past 40 years. Consequently, it is interesting to evaluate the effect of urban growth in flood‐prone areas and the role played by government institutions in mitigating the increase in exposure. For this study, the cadastral information and the hydrological modelling data for the return periods of 10, 50, 100 and 500 years were used. This allows high‐resolution spatial–temporal results to be obtained that show one of the most significant growths in exposure in Spain and Europe, as well as the low efficiency that risk mitigation measures have had.


ABSTRACT Although anaerobic adhesives are extensively used in addition to mechanical tightening in flanged couplings, interference fits, and threaded connections, their constitutive behaviour still needs to be investigated. According to the micromechanical model proposed by Dragoni and Mauri [Proc. of the IMECHE Part L J. of Mat.: Des. and Appl. 2002; 216: 9–15], the shear strength of the anaerobic adhesives significantly improves with the contact pressure applied to the thin adhesive layer. In order to assess this hypothesis, this work investigates the shear strength of an anaerobic adhesive layer with finite thickness and surface area, subject to a nearly-uniform contact pressure, up to 1000 MPa. The tests involved a head to head bonded specimen, made of high strength steel adherends (39NiCrMo3), with a controlled roughness on the bonding surfaces. Both a weak and a strong anaerobic adhesive (Loctite 243 and Loctite 638) are investigated. A full-field technique, such as the Digital Image Correlation, was used in order to detect the 3D displacement and strain fields, and to evaluate the twist angle of the entire external surface, with particular attention to the interface area. The preliminary results prove the reliability of the test bench and confirms the piezo-resistive response of the anaerobic adhesive.