Traffic information service for Oulu Region (OLLI) collects a lot of regional traffic information, develops new data collection methods and further disseminates refined information via all relevant channels. In this study the usage, user experiences, quality and the meaning for different travellers have been evaluated. The development of the service is based on Public Private Partnership model. Quite a small share of the citizens of Oulu, 12 % have heard about the service. It is best known amongst middle-axed men, worst known amongst women and the young. The users evaluate the service as useful and of good quality. The information content was evaluated as the most versatile in Finland at the moment. OLLI-service is most useful when planning a trip in advance for different modes. Car users are served also while on-trip, but public transport users and cyclists get less help from the service. The user interface was evaluated as clear and interesting and the use of the service fast. The usage of the internet-service has been quite stabile since the opening, approximately 500 front page views per day. Considering the comprehensive and high-quality content, the service has reached only a small part of its user potential. OLLI-service has improved the supply of traffic information in the Oulu Region. The users have good possibilities to make informed decisions based on real-time information. However, the effects of the service on traffic flow and safety are hard to estimate accurately. The versatile content and applicability of the service for all kinds of users should be brought out more effectively in the marketing efforts. The challenges of the marketing are well highlighted by the fact that only one of seven people who had heard about the service actually tried it even once. It is also notable, that at the moment none of the 500 interviewed citizens mention OLLI as the primary source of traffic information in the Internet. The PPP-model that was used in the funding of the OLLI-service, has proved useful for both the service provider and the public partners. The development of the service is only in the beginning and on 2008 new content and features will be introduced. In the future the funding of the service will be based on commercial elements. From this viewpoint it is important to integrate the content of OLLI into services of the third players that already have enough customers for commercial viability. This report may be found at http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/julkaisut/pdf2/3201083-v_OLLI-liikennetietopalvelun_pilotin.pdf


Neurological complications are a rare but important and significant source of information about morbidity and mortality in liver transplant patients. Based on the clinical and radiological findings of 21 patients, neurological complications were categorized into five main groups; focal hemorrhagic or occlusive complications (n=11); diffuse hypoxic-ischemic injury (n=3); hypertensive encephalopathy (n=1); central pontine or extra-pontine myelinolysis (n=4); and infection (n=2). Neurological manifestations varied according to the location of the lesion, although seizures were the most common manifestation. In this pictorial review, we illustrate the radiological findings, focusing on MR and CT images, of a spectrum of neurological complications following liver transplants, as well as their clinical correlations.


A total of 153 marketing educators responded to a questionnaire dealing with the importance of the consumer behavior course within the marketing curriculum. This study found that the consumer behavior course has become one of the most im portant courses in the minds of marketing professors. Younger professors tended to rank the consumer behavior course as comparatively more important than did their older counterparts. Professors from smaller schools seemed to give less importance to consumer behavior than did professors from larger schools.


This paper presents the acoustic performance of multi-storey housing for the different construction systems considered in the Basic Document DB HR Protection against noise of the Building Code. It focuses on airborne and impact sound insulation in interior walls and floors. Shown data comes from acoustic insulation tests made during these ten years of the validity of acoustic regulation in Spain. This way the degree of compliance with the acoustic requirements established is checked and, in addition, a comparison with the corresponding acoustic class is done according to the draft of the standard of acoustic classification of dwellings in Spain (PNE 74201), still under development.


1. The climate system 2. From climate to vegetation 3. Plants on the move 4. Microclimates and vegetation 5. The desert makes the desert: Climate feedbacks from the vegetation of arid zones 6. Forests 7. Plants and the carbon cycle 8. The direct carbon dioxide effect on plants


The utility model discloses a tertiary burning type burning processing system of liquid and solid wastes for processing solid wastes. The system comprises a waste burning system, wherein the waste burning system comprises a rotary furnace, a secondary burning furnace and a tertiary burning furnace, the gas inlet end of the tertiary burning furnace is connected with the gas outlet end of the secondary burning furnace and the gas outlet end is connected with a tail gas processing system. Because the waste processing system of the utility model uses the tertiary burning furnace, substances of many harmful ingredients and difficult decomposition enter the tertiary burning chamber to make a sufficient oxygen-enriching cracking incineration according to different processing substances so as to completely realize the quantity reduction and the innocuity purpose for treating wastes.


This study was carried out to propose the new symbol pattern & expression prototype of perceived environmental space based on multimedia network communication system for the future. The organization of this study can be briefly summarized as follows. First is an introductory chapter which describes research goal & objectives. The 2nd describes in the background & procedure of research subject and deals with the basic theory, important field on the multimedia network system. The 3rd deals with in detail, sign communication system & symbol communication process, and the visual aspects of environmental organization as the relations among its elements. The 4th deals with the symbol pattern & expression prototype of percevied environmental space and explain the meaning & communication media system with special example study. And the final gives the summary and conclusions of this study. It also deals with the proposal research criteria and conceptual model on this study subjects for the future.


Records are presented of typical measured motions of a modified forced Stoker column, including periodic motion around a stable fixed point of the unforced column; periodic snapthrough motion aroun...


The purpose of this proposal was to monitor the spectral variability of two luminous ULXs. One was awarded for study, in the galaxy NGC1365. The ULX NGC1365 X-1 is one of the few reported reaching X-ray luminosities near 10(exp 40) erg/s, and as such is a good IMBH candidate. The ULX was seen to vary in the ROSAT data. We now have 6 new observations: 1 archival Chandra observation and 5 observations we have obtained with XMM, including this proposal and a follow up XMM-Newton observation of NGC1365, aimed at studying the variable nuclear AGN. With this data set, we are studying in detail the spectral variability properties of this source. We observe a factor 4 variability among the XMM observation, with a peak luminosity approx.9 x 10(exp 39) ergs/s. There is also evidence of variability in the X-ray colors and spectral parameters. The last two XMM exposure of 60 ks each demonstrate that a simple power-law spectrum is not a good fit to the data, suggesting in both instances soft excesses, with possibly different temperatures.


Micropropagation of Sumatra Benzoin is potential to provide good-quality seed for future preservation of the forest and improve the incense sap production. The production of Styrax plants is currently limited by the availability of seed. This research demonstrated the micropropagation of Sumatra Benzoin (Styrax benzoin Dryander), producing good-quality saplings that could be used for obtaining nontimber forest products. Elite mother plant was selected and used as a source of explants. Identification of healthy trees was carried out based on the phenotype criteria, and the selection of a mother plant was performed through information on the quality and quantity production of incense sap. Micropropagation started from callus induction in young leaves followed by subculture to obtain regeneration of shoots and roots. The combination of NAA and BAP in the culture media greatly affected the growth and development of callus, shoots, and roots. The use of 3 mg/L NAA and 3 mg/L NAA rendered the heaviest calli. Shoots were regenerated with 0.5 mg/L NAA and 3.0 mg/L BAP, and the highest growth of roots was obtained by using of 3.0 mg/ NAA without BAP. This research reports the first in vitro propagation technique for Styrax benzoin. Further research is underway to obtain very good-quality plant saplings to be used for forest conservation and to increase the production of incense sap as a nontimber forest commodity.


Although the complexity of Chaucer's most puzzling pilgrim, the Pardoner, has elicited a variety of critical reactions, the best recent scholarship elucidates the religious patterns in his portrait and tale.1 For example, A. L. Kellog studies the Pardoner as an illustration in Augustinian terms of spiritual degeneration, the secret punishment of sin,' and Robert P. Miller interprets the Pardoner's character through comparison with the Scriptural eunuch, concluding that he is spiritually, as well as physically, impotent.3 The present study extends this religious approach by considering imagery of transubstantiation and transformation in the Pardoner's Tale. In traditional Christian terms, the Pardoner, unable to participate in Christ's sacrificial act through the transubstantiation rite of the Mass, transforms his works into meaningless material successes only, not into spiritual achievement. Interestingly enough, the dynamics of this personality development are corroborated by the modern religious psychology of Carl Jung. The positioning of the Pardoner's typical sermon within the sacrifice of the Mass creates religious implications of considerable importance in a reading of his character. Unfortunately, criticism has not considered the typical setting of the Pardoner's histrionics as thoroughly as the scene of the recorded performance on the Canterbury pilgrimage. The General Prologue demonstrates that he usually speaks at the Offertory of the Mass:


Background:  A prospective evaluation of the pattern of fundus autofluorescence in cases of acute versus chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR).


ABSTRACT Over the last two decades documentaries have been receiving more recognition as a way of influencing public perception and generating discourse about societal problems. Previous studies within the field of communication research have given some attention to the agenda-setting effects of environmental documentaries but have overlooked the issue of plastic pollution. This study addresses this gap in the literature by exploring whether The BBC environmental documentary series, The Blue Planet, set the agenda for plastic pollution in the UK. The research was designed using a combination of both a prominence analysis, measuring the frequencies of plastic pollution-related key terms, and a quantitative content analysis, giving an in-depth study into plastic pollution interest, of internet search data, newspaper articles and political debates. The results show that since the documentary was broadcast, plastic pollution-related terms were mentioned by the media and politicians and searched for online significantly more often than previously. The results also seem to imply that The Blue Planet generated this interest in plastic pollution which was, for both the media and political agendas, long-lasting. These results have implications for understanding the importance of documentaries as a viable source of putting environmental issues on the public, media and political agendas.


In this paper, we investigate the well-posedness theory of compressible jet flows for two dimensional steady Euler system with non-zero vorticity. One of the key observations is that the stream function formulation for two dimensional compressible steady Euler system with non-zero vorticity enjoys a variational structure, so that the jet problem can be reformulated as a domain variation problem. This allows us to adapt the framework developed by Alt, Caffarelli and Friedman for the one-phase free boundary problems to obtain the existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions to the subsonic jet problem with non-zero vorticity. We also show that there is a critical mass flux, such that as long as the incoming mass flux does not exceed the critical value, the well-posedness theory holds true.


The finite element analysis software package,Plaxis 8.2,is used to investigate the regularity of deformation and the characteristic of bearing of CFG columns composite foundatio in the widened embankments over soft soil.The results presented in this paper indicate that the maximum settlement and horizontal displacement occour in the new widending part.The application of CFG columns composite foundation can reduce settlement and horitional displacement efficiently.The length of columns and the ratio of column spacing to column diameter are the more important factors in the distribution of the loads.


Received: 16 August 2019 Accepted: 10 February 2020 Flow constrictions occur when canals or rivers are subjected to a reduction in width because of natural constraints (e.g. debris accumulations, longitudinal bars, confluences) or hydraulic works (e.g. bridge embankments, guide banks, spur dikes). This paper aims to provide new insights on the temporal evolution of the bed profiles at and downstream of river contractions based on special experiments at laboratory scale. In a previous experimental campaign at University of Basilicata, Italy, several runs were performed under steady flow and clear-water scour conditions. In this study new experiments are presented under unsteady flow conditions. Six experiments were carried out considering stepped hydrographs of different shapes. Laboratory tests were performed in a 20 m long straight channel having a rectangular cross section 1.0 m wide and 1.0 m deep. The working section was made by almost uniform coarse sand. The contraction model was 1.0 m long and the contraction ratio (i.e. the ratio of the width of the uniformly contracted area to the width of the undisturbed channel) equal to 0.80. The experiments were performed under clear-water scour regime also for the peak discharges. Starting from novel empirical formulas related to steady flow conditions, an approach is proposed for the prediction over time and along the channel centreline of the maximum (contraction) scour depth, the scour hole length, and the bed profile. Comparison between observed data and predicted values reveals a satisfactory agreement. The relationships here introduced appear to be suitable for practical purposes.


Jozef Brudzinski died December 18th, 1917 at the age of 43. In his short life, he achieved prominence as a pediatrician, neurologist, bacteriologist, and also as a political figure. In Poland, he is remembered as the first rector of Warsaw University (fig.1) following its revival after a century of turmoil (partition of Poland, several uprisings, and World War I). He was also wholehea rtedly involved in organizing several pediatric hospitals in Poland, at the time among the most modern in Europe.


As as in the case the charge storage device of the nonvolatile memory devices, or have utility as an amplifier, a charge storage device features, conductive channel between the source electrode (31) and the drain electrode (33) are MOS transistors 29 to be used as the method for modulating the resistance. On doped substrate (11), a gate oxide layer (17) separates electrically isolated charge storage layer is doped with (19) from the substrate. Tunnel barrier layer overlying (21), a charge storage layer is separated from the nanocrystal layer (23), the nanocrystal layer, a control gate which are separated by an oxide layer overlies the nanocrystal layer (25) under the influence of 27, it is possible to receive a charge, or fed to the charge storage layer. Charge on the charge reservoir layer influences the conductivity of the channel. This device is a memory mode as EEPROM, or a change in gate voltage can be operated in an amplifier mode to be reflected in the conductive changes in the channel.


This paper proposes a theory to explain why some forecasting organizations institutionalize forecast accuracy evaluation while others do not. The theory considers internal and external aspects of managerial, political, and procedural factors as they affect forecasting organizations. The theory is then tested using data from a survey of the US Federal Forecasters Group. Though some support for the theory is developed, multiple alternative explanations for results and the 'public' nature of the sample organizations prevent wide-scale generalization. The results suggest that larger organizations are more likely to have some form of forecast evaluation than smaller units. The institutionalization of forecast accuracy evaluation is closely linked to internal managerial and procedural factors, while external political pressure tends to reduce the likelihood of institutionalization of evaluation of forecast accuracy.© 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Clofazimine (Cfz) has shown activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains in vitro and in animal studies. Here we evaluate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of using Cfz to treat MDR-TB in China. Methods: We enrolled 105 patients who had sputum-culture-positive MDR-TB in six major tuberculosis specialized hospitals in China. Patients were randomly assigned to either Cfz therapy group (n=53)or control group (n=52). Patients in the two groups were given 21 months of individual-based chemotherapy regimens based on medication history and drug susceptibility test results. The Cfz therapy group regimens incorporated 100 mg of Cfz once daily for 21 months. Results: 3 patients in each group discontinued therapy because of side effects or other reasons. Sputum culture conversion to negative was earlier in patients who received Cfz compared to controls (p = 0.042 by log rank test). Chest computed tomography showed cavitary changes in 46 patients in the Cfz therapy group, and in 45 of the control group. Cavity closure was earlier in patient who received Cfz compared to controls (p = 0.047 by log rank test).The treatment success rate in the Cfz group was 73.6%, higher than that in control group (53.8%,p=0.035). Side-effects in skin only occurred in the Cfz group. The rates of skin discoloration and ichthyosis were 94.3% and47.2% respectively. Conclusions: Using Cfz to treat MDR-TB promote cavity closure, accelerate sputum culture conversion and improve treatment success rates.


The biocidal efficacy of THPS on oil pipeline biofilms was determined by direct MPN counts of SRB and APB after incubations at various concentrations of THPS for 14 days and also by its inhibitory effects on functional group activities of some oil field microorganisms. THPS was unable to drastically inhibit SRB growth at lower concentrations (0.1–0.3%) but its selective action on the activities of the hNRB and so-NRB further inhibits SRB growth and prevents sulfide formation at lower concentrations (0.2–0.3%). It was also observed that sulfide formation occurred at relatively high concentration of SRB (>106 cells/mL) at 0.1% THPS concentration.


We give a solution to the inverse problem of Möbius geometry on the circle. Namely, we describe a class of Möbius structures on the circle for each of which there is a hyperbolic space such that its boundary at infinity is the circle, and the induced Möbius structure coincides with the given one. That class is not empty and form an open neighborhood of the canonical Möbius structure in an appropriate fine topology.


Supportive care during palliative chemotherapy of advanced stage lung cancer is essential to enable successful control of the disease. Active oncologic treatment most often used in lung cancer has many side effects which may impair patients' quality of life and compromise the effectiveness of therapy. Most side effects of chemotherapy are preventable or treatable with optimal supportive care which enhances success in patient care. The aim of this review is to summarize the most important conditions that may be associated with palliative chemotherapy of advanced stag lung cancer, their prevention or treatment from the daily clinical point of view, with additional special focus on the important role of oncology nurses.


QT-ESL SELF-TEST 10 for podcasts 46-50: a way for you to evaluate your progress in spoken English (oral skills) in EFL/ESL/ELT courses.


Einstein's field equations are considered for a locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi type II space-time with perfect fluid and a timedecaying cosmological term Λ(t). Exact solutions of the field equations for stiff matter are obtained by applying a special law of variation for Hubble's parameter. An anisotropic cosmological model is presented with a negative constant deceleration parameter which corresponds to the accelerated phase of the present universe. The physical and kinematical behaviors of Bianchi type II cosmological models are discussed. We have also studied the consistency of the model with observational parameters through kinematic tests. It has been shown that the model is compatible with the recent observations.


This paper describes the development of an expert system for defining and dynamically updating procedures for an orbital rendezvous maneuver. The product of the expert system is a procedure represented by a Moore automaton. The construction is recursive and driven by a simulation of the rendezvousing bodies.


The most common syndromic form of hereditary SNHL, Pendred syndrome (PS) was described by Pendred in 1896. The condition is autosomal recessive, and affected individuals also have goiter. The prevalence of PS is estimated at 7.5 to 10 per 100,000 individuals, suggesting that the syndrome may account for 10% of hereditary deafness. The hearing loss is usually congenital and severe to profound, although progressive mild to moderate SNHL is sometimes seen. Bilateral dilation of the vestibular aqueduct is common, and may be accompanied by cochlear hypoplasia. Most cases of PS result from mutations in the SLC26A4 gene that encodes an anion transporter known as pendrin that is expressed in the inner ear, thyroid, and kidney. Expression of SLC26A4 has been shown throughout the endolymphatic duct and sac, in distinct areas of the utricle and saccule, and in the external sulcus region within the developing cochlea. Pendrin is thought to be involved in chloride and iodide transport and not sulfate transport.


In this paper is described implementation of different orbit constellation, such as Polar Earth Orbits (PEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) in function of the Satellite Distress and Safety Systems (SDSS) of Cospas-Sarsat networks for all mobile applications. The panel of International Maritime Organization (IMO) together with Inmarsat mobile satellite operator provided technical and economical studies regarding the extension of the GEO satellite system and to cover Polar Regions. This initiative was performed by international Cospas-Sarsat in designing LEO-polar constellation for full Earth coverage. Some important features of a constellation are introduced such as type of polar and other satellites orbits needed for continues coverage in function of combined distress and safety communication solutions for all Mobile Earth Stations (MES) at sea, on the ground and in the air.


Tardive Dyskinesia Drug Approved The first drug for adults with tardive dyskinesia (TD) has received FDA approval. Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological disorder that causes repetitive, involuntary movements such as abnormal tongue and lip movements, cheek bulging, foot tapping, shoulder shrugging, and rocking and swaying movements. The condition often results from long-term use of antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other mental health conditions. Drugs such as metoclopromide taken for gastrointestinal disorders also can cause TD. By blocking dopamine receptors, antipsychotics are thought to cause irregular dopamine signaling in the brain's basal ganglia, a region that controls movement. Valbenazine, marketed as Ingrezza, is a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 that helps improve TD symptoms by regulating the release of dopamine in the brain. "Tardive dyskinesia can be disabling and can fur ther stigmatize patients with mental illness," Mitchell Mathis, MD, director of the Division of Psychiatry Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. "Approving the first drug for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia is an important advance for patients suffering with this condition." Valbenazine's efficacy was demonstrated in a phase 3 trial including 234 patients with TD, most of whom had schizophrenia and were taking a typical or atypical antipsychotic. Patients were randomly assigned to take 40 mg or 80 mg daily of valbenazine or a placebo. After 6 weeks, patients taking an 80-mg dose had significantly improved scores on the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale compared with patients in the placebo group. Patients taking a 40-mg dose had more modest improvements. Adverse effects included somnolence and QT prolongation. Patients with congenital long QT syndrome or arrhythmias associated with a prolonged QT interval should not take valbenazine. Digitized Surgical Slides The FDA has cleared the way for pathologists to use whole-slide imaging when they view and interpret digital surgical pathology slides prepared from biopsied tissue. The Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution is the first such system to receive the agency's approval for primary diagnostic use.


Alan Block, East Side West Side: Organizing Crime in New York 1930-1950. Cardiff: University College Cardiff Press, 1980. 265 pp. Tables. 3 maps. £7.95. From the earliest days of the Republic, native-born, old-stock Americans hated and despised cities as nurseries of vice, pauperism and crime, closely, if not exclusively, associated with foreign-born new comers. Contemporary urban violence in the United States is random and all-pervasive but in the decades from 1920 to 1950 it seemed to be mainly confined to the close fraternity of professional criminals, with Italian and Jewish names, who eliminated each other in a deathly struggle for power. The author's aim is to present a serious investigation of organized crimes in New York City as a corrective to the lurid distortions of the popular accounts. He does not accept the Kefauver Committee's conclusion that there existed during the 1930s and 1940s a phenomenon called Organized Crime, as distinct from organized crimes and criminal syndicates. Nor does he subscribe to the theory of increasing and inevitable centralization and bureaucratization in the field of criminal activity. Finally he denies that organized crime was part of an alien conspiracy to overturn American values. Somewhat regrettably he makes no attempt to test Bell's contention that involvement in racketeering, bootlegging and gambling represented 'a queer ladder of social mobility' for immigrants and their children. The book is in two sections. In the first, the author argues that organized crime was part of a social system in which reciprocal services were performed by the criminal, the client and the politician. The underworld, that is to say, had close relations with an apparently respectable, but deeply corrupt, upper world. The key figures in the upper world of New York City were the assembly district leaders, in other words professional machine politicians, who, through their control of votes, constituted an invisible, informal government of the city, able to make, break or bend hundreds of elected city officials. They were essentially power brokers, intermediaries between criminal elements and the formal world of city administration. Using, among other sources, the records of Seabury's inquiry into New York's criminal judiciary in 1930, the reports of the subsequent Hofstadter Committee into New York City's departments of government, the investigations of Thomas Dewey and evidence from the Kefauver Committee, he documents the connections between the judiciary, city officials and criminals over two decades. In the second section, Block conducts the reader on a rather uncomfortable journey through the milieu of organized crime, making an informative distinction between two types of criminal organizations, enterprise syndicates and power syndicates. The former engaged in illicit activities, racketeering, policy gambling, the organization of prostitution and the latter were either invited to give protection or insisted on providing it. The author presents a picture of a vicious and brutal world where violence, extortion and murder were the means of demonstrating possession of that scarce and valuable commodity, power. He shows, convincingly, that although there were attempts to centralize or trustify criminal activity, these attempts failed and the world of organized crime was remarkably resistant to overall control by one syndicate, and was in fact characterized by a high degree of 'anarchy and disorder'. He is convincing, too, in his observations about the relative unimportance of ethnic differences as a source of rivalry in organized criminal activity.


Background: Pre-analytical phase is the major source of errors in a clinical biochemistry laboratory.
Aims and Objectives: The study aims to determine the quality of laboratory performance in the pre-analytical phase using quality indicators (QI) specified by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Working Group on Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety and sigma metric scale for both the inpatient and outpatient samples received in the clinical biochemistry laboratory.
Materials and Methods: All samples and requisition forms received in the laboratory were examined before analysis. The percentages of the seven QI were calculated. The frequency, percentage, and defects per million rates of each pre-analytical error were calculated. Sigma value was obtained using an online sigma calculator. The laboratory performance was then categorized by the IFCC-based performance levels and sigma-based values.
Results: Out of 30,546 samples received during a period of 6 months, pre-analytical errors occurred in 2.8% of them. The highest number of pre-analytical errors was due to hemolysis (29.9%). The outpatient samples showed a desirable to optimum performance with a good sigma value. There were more errors and lower quality-based performance, in the case of inpatient samples. Errors were highest in September at the start of the study followed by a gradual decrease over the next 5 months.
Conclusion: The laboratory performance in the pre-analytical phase was found to be favorable and consistent with the international specifications.


In this article, I will briefly mention the events that led to the uprisings of the Arab Spring. My major focus will be on the causes that led to the civil war against the regime of Muammar Gadaffi. I will mention all the major factors that contributed towards the civil war i.e the history of the regime, the international influences, the territoriality of the conflict, and the militarization of the two opposing forces. Then I will briefly describe the death event of Muammar Gaddafi. Once the objective of the revolutionists was obtained (the downfall of Gaddafi), the country fell apart. Instead of leading towards the state of democracy, the state was divided into much more opposing forces. Finally, I will discuss some causes that were the contributing causes towards the failure of the efforts of national reconciliation.


[Purpose] This study examined the difference in nerve conduction velocity (NCV) between two groups: in one group, a physical therapist performed median nerve mobilization (MNM) for the subjects of one group, and in the other group, the subjects received training and practice MNM for themselves. Based on the results, the therapeutic basis of MNM was examined, and the usefulness of self-MNM education was tested. [Subjects] Twenty healthy female college students without symptoms or signs of peripheral neuropathy were the subjects. [Method] The subjects of both groups received a median motor nerve conduction study before and after MNM. While keeping the elbow joint and wrist joint extended, MNM was maintained for 15 seconds, followed by a 10 second break. This was repeated three times. [Results] In the wrist-elbow section, NCV increased in the MNM group but did not significantly change in the self-MNM group. NCV rose in the MNM group but fell in the self-MNM group. For the elbow-axilla section, NCV increased in the MNM group but did not significantly change in the self-MNM group. NCV rose in the MNM group but fell in the self-MNM group. [Conclusion] The analysis of the results showed that a physical therapist's application of MNM was more effective than self-MNM at increasing nerve conduction velocity.


A very general fading scenario is considered for which exact, closed-form formulas for the correlation coefficient of the instantaneous power at the output of a Maximal Ratio Combining receiver is derived. The model includes the main fading environments as very particular cases. It is valid for both identically and non-identically distributed multipath clusters, and for both stationary and nonstationary environments. Most interestingly, the model allows for an uncountable number of combinations of novel fading scenarios. A further generalization is achieved with the angle as well as the time of arrival of the waves permitted to vary throughout the multipath clusters, as opposed to known models for which these parameters are fixed. Several particular examples illustrate the applicability of the general formulations.


Let be a Hölder-continuous linear cocycle whose driving semiflow preserves a probability μ on a compact metric space X. Using the concept of two-sided quasi-Pesin orbits introduced in this paper, we show that the Lyapunov characteristic spectrum of μ can be approached arbitrarily by that of periodic points of f. So, if all periodic points of f have only positive Lyapunov exponents and such exponents are uniformly bounded away from zero, then μ also has only positive exponents. In our arguments, the exponential closing property of the driving semiflow is a basic condition, and it is easy to check that every C1-expanding map of a closed manifold obeys this closing property. Consequently, if f is a C1+Hölder local diffeomorphism of a closed manifold and if it is Hölder conjugated to some C1-expanding map, then f is itself expanding. This gives a positive answer to a question suggested by Anatole Katok.


Agriculture is important for human welfare and economic growth in Ethiopia. Gross domestic product (GDP) from agriculture in Ethiopia is 41.6% of the total GDP. Exports are dominated by agricultural products and more than 80% of the population in Ethiopia depends on agricultural production for their livelihood. Ethiopia's 12.7 million smallholder farmers account for approximately 95% of agricultural GDP (Central Statistics Agency 2013).


Autonomous navigation of steel bridge inspection robots are essential for proper maintenance. Majority of existing robotic solutions for bridge inspection require human intervention to assist in the control and navigation. In this paper, a control system framework has been proposed for a previously designed ARA robot [1], which facilitates autonomous real-time navigation and minimizes human involvement. The mechanical design and control framework of ARA robot enables two different configurations, namely the mobile and inch-worm transformation. In addition, a switching control was developed with 3D point clouds of steel surfaces as the input which allow the robot to switch between mobile and inch-worm transformation. The surface availability algorithm (considers plane, area and height) of the switching control enables the robot to perform inch-worm jumps autonomously. The mobile transformation allows the robot to move on continuous steel surfaces and perform visual inspection of steel bridge structures. Practical experiments on actual steel bridge structures highlight the effective performance of ARA robot with the proposed control framework for autonomous navigation during visual inspection of steel bridges.


Numerical study of double-diffusive natural convective heat transfer in a curved cavity filledwith a porous medium has been carried out in the current study. Polar system has beenselected as coordinate system. As a result, all equations have been discredited in r and θdirections. Brinkmann extended Darcy model has been utilized to express fluid flow inporous matrix in the enclosure. Smaller and larger curved walls are supposed to be hot andcold sources, respectively. Other two walls are insulated. The numerical solution has beenobtained based on the finite volume methodology via staggered grid system, which will beexplained in detail in its respective section. Finally, at the result section the effects of allpertinent parameters i.e. Grashof number, Lewis number, Darcy number, and Buoyancy ratioon the fluid motion and medium thermal behavior have been illustratively discussed. Resultsreveal that an increasing in Lewis number has a negative effect on heat transfer, while it hasa positive impact on mass transfer. It is also seen that the flow intensity is increased bydecreasing Lewis number. In addition, it is observed that for the aiding flow case, averageNu and Sh numbers decrease with increasing buoyancy ratio, while for opposing flow casesNu and Sh augment with decreasing buoyancy ratio.


Objective To explore the synthetic ionic liquids whether or not can enrich the ester compounds in indoor air.Methods The ionic liquids 1-methyl acetate-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide([CH2 COOCH3 MIM] NTf2) and 1-(4-methyl methyl benzoate)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide([CH2 C6 H4 COOCH3 MIM] NTf2) were synthesized by a two-steps method.Their structures were characterized and analyzed by IR,HNMR and MS spectroscopy.And the conductivity in various solvents including DMSO and ethyl acetate was studied at different concentrations and temperatures.Results The spectrum analysis showed that the ionic liquids were qualified.The conductivity of ionic liquids in different solvents increased as the concentration and temperature increased.The conductivity of ionic liquids in DMSO was higher than that in ethyl acetate.The ionic liquid [CH2 COOCH3 MIM]NTf2 had higher conductivity than [CH2 C6 H4 COOCH3 MIM]NTf2 in the same condition.Conclusion The synthetic ionic liquids have stronger interaction with ester solvents,so they are suitable for enriching the ester materials.


– The presence of two-phase fluid inclusions in thin secondary mineral crusts at the potential Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository has raised questions regarding the origin, timing, and temperature of past fluid flow through the repository horizon. The geologically recent passage of fluids with high temperatures would call into question the suitability of the site for the storage of high level nuclear waste. This study determined the thermal history of fluid flow through the site using fluid inclusion analyses and constrained the timing of thermal fluids by dating silica minerals, spatially associated with the fluid inclusions, using U-Pb techniques. Results provide a detailed time-temperature history of fluid migration through primary and secondary pore spaces during the past 8 to 9 million years. One hundred and fifty-five samples were collected in the unsaturated zone from the Cshaped Exploratory Studies Facility, the ECRB cross drift which crosses the potential repository horizon, and exploratory alcoves. Detailed petrographic and paragenetic studies indicated that the oldest secondary minerals consisted of heterogeneously distributed calcite with lesser chalcedony, quartz, opal, and fluorite. The oldest secondary minerals were overgrown by intermediate bladed calcite. The youngest secondary minerals include chemically distinct Mgenriched, growth-zoned sparry calcite (MGSC) and intergrown U-enriched opal. Fluid inclusion petrography indicated that 50 % of the samples (n = 78) contained fluid inclusion assemblages with two-phase fluid inclusions, and that assemblages of liquid-only fluid inclusions represent > 96% of all fluid inclusions within the secondary minerals. Assemblages of two-phase inclusions also contain liquid-only inclusions that did not nucleate a vapor-bubble owing to formation at relatively low temperatures. Virtually all two–phase fluid inclusions occur in paragenetically old calcite; rare two-phase inclusions were observed in old fluorite (n = 3) and quartz (n = 2). Rare two-phase fluid inclusions were observed in early-intermediate calcite; sparse, irregularly shaped liquid-only inclusions form the only fluid inclusion assemblages observed in late–intermediate minerals and young MGSC. Homogenization temperatures across the site are generally 45 – 60 °C, but higher temperatures reaching 83 °C were recorded in the north portal and ramp of the ESF and cooler temperatures of ~ 35 – 45 °C were recorded in the intensely fracture zone. Samples from lithophysal cavities in the ESF and ECRB contain multiple populations of two-phase inclusions. Inclusion temperatures are highest in early calcite (> 45 °C) and cooler in pargenetically younger early calcite, indicating cooling with time. The cooler temperatures coincide with temperatures recorded in the intensely fractured zone and indicate that secondary minerals in the intensely fractured zone began to precipitate later than secondary minerals in others locations. Freezing point depressions determined for inclusions range from -0.2 to -1.6 °C indicating trapping of a low salinity fluid. Two approaches were used to constrain the timing of thermal fluids at Yucca Mountain. First, the age of MGSC was determined, and it provides a minimum age for fluids with elevated temperatures owing to the presence of only liquid-only inclusions in MGSC. Results indicate that MGSC began to precipitate across the site between 2.90 ± 0.06 Ma and about 1.95 ± 0.06 Ma, and MGSC has continued to precipitate to within the last half million years. These ages constrain fluids with elevated temperatures to have accessed the site more than about 2.90 Ma. Second, more precise temporal constraints were determined for samples in which opal or chalcedony that could be dated occur in the intermediate or older parts of the mineral crusts, or are spatially related to 2-phase fluid inclusions. Such ages indicate that two-phase fluid inclusions are older than 5.32 ± 0.02 Ma, and that fluids with elevated temperatures were present at Yucca Mountain before this time.


Although research tends to focus on the sexual and/or erotic aspects of consensual BDSM participation, there are many non-erotic and nonsexual beneficial outcomes arising from participating in BDSM. This research aims to elucidate those other meaningful aspects of BDSM that reach beyond the sexual in order to highlight their salience for BDSM practitioners and to ensure that these non-erotic aspects of BDSM participation are not overlooked. Eleven regular practitioners of consensual BDSM took part in customized in-depth, face to face interviews conducted within an interpretive phenomenological perspective that focused on the lived experiences of consensual BDSM. The template analysis method was used to analyse the data. Findings illustrated that various non-erotic and non-sexual aspects of BDSM are important to practitioners. These elements are necessary and significant to participants' lived experiences of BDSM and will be discussed in this paper in terms of transformative experiences and demonstrate that BDSM should be studied from a holistic perspective.


Conversion of a digital multimeter for projection on an overhead screen and employing an accessory for the presentation of temperature measurements.


A three-dimensional display device and a method for manufacturing the same are provided to reduce manufacturing cost of a lens and to manufacture a flexible lens. A method for manufacturing a micro lens includes: preparing a first substrate(125a) on which a first electrode(121a) is formed and a second substrate(125b) on which a second electrode(121b) is formed; a mixture of a polymer(131) and a liquid crystal(133) between the first and second substrates; applying an electric filed and irradiating ultraviolet ray to the first electrode and the second electrode to cure the polymer; forming orientation layers on the first substrate on which the first electrode is formed and the second substrate on which the second electrode is formed, respectively.


We present a new racetrack coil magnet design, with an open midplane gap, that keeps decay particles in a neutrino factory muon storage ring from directly hitting superconducting coils. The structure is very compact because coil ends overlap middle sections top and bottom for skew focusing optics. A large racetrack coil bend radius allows "react and wind" magnet technology to be used for brittle Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductors. We describe two versions: Design-A, a magnet presently under construction and Design-B, a further iterated concept that achieves the higher magnetic field quality specified in the neutrino factory feasibility Study-II report. For Design-B reverse polarity and identical end design of consecutive long and short coils offers theoretically perfect magnet end field error cancellation. These designs avoid the dead space penalty from coil ends and interconnect regions (a large fraction in machines with short length but large aperture magnets) and provide continuous bending or focussing without interruption. The coil support structure and cryostat are carefully optimized.


Through the research to the characteristic equation of Fibonacci number sequence, we get a few of new results of the number sequence and the characteristic root, Besides this, we give a new means to prove the theorems in document and .


Although the importance of facial expression in human computer interaction and in normal human interaction is widely acknowledged, there is very little data on the normative characteristics and stable individual differences for even the most common facial expressions. Dynamic characteristics of 195 spontaneous smiles from 95 individuals were measured using the facial action coding system, automated facial analysis and facial electromyography. Normative patterns observed included the characteristic timing of other facial actions with respect to action unit 12 ("smile") and a mean duration of 15.7 frames for smile onset. Stable inter-individual differences included patterns of nonverbal actions associated with individuals' smiles, and the amount of activity in the zygomaticus major muscle in two sessions recorded a year apart. These data are important in quantifying and fully describing individual differences in naturalistic human facial expression, as well as adding to our knowledge of spontaneous human smiles.


The present invention relates to a hole-compensated skutterudite thermoelectric material and its preparation method, a hole-compensated skutterudite thermoelectric materials, the following composition formula: RyA4-xBxSb12 / z? NC wherein, 0.01≤x≤0.5,0.01≤y≤1,0% ≤z≤10%; R is at least one element selected from the group consisting of: Ca, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Yb; a is at least one element selected from the group consisting of: Fe, Co, and Ni; B is at least one transition metal element selected from the group: Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Nb, Mo, Tc, and Ru, such that the element B is less than the number of the electronic element a is the number of electrons; the NC is the second phase, the thermoelectric material wherein z is the mole% of a second phase. The present invention further provides a method of compensating a hole-type skutterudite thermoelectric materials prepared.


Appearance Commentary (AC), any negative or positive verbal feedback received regarding one's physical appearance (Stormer & Thompson, 1996), experienced at a high frequency has been associated with high levels of body image disturbance (Myers & Rosen, 1999). Less is known about the perceived effects (i.e., perceived severity) of AC. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the frequency and perceived effect of AC, both positive and negative, could predict two health-related behaviours: level of dietary restraint (DR) and vigorous/moderate physical activity (V/M-PA). Participants (N=77) were college-aged women who completed a series of questionnaires. Separate linear regression analyses were conducted to predict V/M-PA and level of DR. Results indicate the overall model accounted for approximately 22.1% of the variance in V/M-PA. The frequency of positive AC (p=.001; s=1250) and the perceived effect of negative AC (p=.018; s=785) were significant predictors of V/M-PA, indicating participants who reported a higher frequency of positive AC and perceived greater negative effect from negative AC (i.e., more severe negative comments) had higher predicted levels of V/M-PA. Neither AC frequency nor perceived effects predicted DR. Future studies should explore possible reasons why women who report high amounts of positive feedback tend to have high levels of V/M-PA.


We propose a deep neural network (DNN) approach to speech bandwidth expansion (BWE) by estimating the spectral mapping function from narrowband (4 kHz in bandwidth) to wideband (8 kHz in bandwidth). Log-spectrum power is used as the input and output features to perform the required nonlinear transformation, and DNNs are trained to realize this high-dimensional mapping function. When evaluating the proposed approach on a large-scale 10-hour test set, we found that the DNN-expanded speech signals give excellent objective quality measures in terms of segmental signal-to-noise ratio and log-spectral distortion when compared with conventional BWE based on Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). Subjective listening tests also give a 69% preference score for DNN-expanded speech over 31% for GMM when the phase information is assumed known. For tests in real operation when the phase information is imaged from the given narrowband signal the preference comparison goes up to 84% versus 16%. A correct phase recovery can further increase the BWE performance for the proposed DNN method.


Iron hydroxides synthesis occurs in soils mainly by two mechanisms, i.e., the oxidation of Fe(II), and the destruction of [Fe(OH) 3 ] n -FA adsorption complexes. The chemogenic oxidation of iron proceeds very slowly in an acidic environment at low partial oxygen pressure and low Fe(II) activity in the solution. The role of iron-oxidizing Gallionella and Leptothrix bacteria is pronounced under these conditions. They participate in the formation of ferrihydrite 2Fe 2 O 3 . FeOOH 4 H 2 O and ferroxyhyte δFeOOH. The adsorption complexes [Fe(OH) 3 ] n -FA are destructed upon the relatively high partial pressure of oxygen under the effect of Siderocap-saceae bacteria. Supposedly, they contribute to ferrihydrite formation. In humid landscapes, biogenic neoformations are represented by Fe-Mn nodules and ochre. Ferroxyhyte and goethite nodules are distinguished according to the predominating Fe hydroxide. The Fe: Mn ratio is low in ferroxyhyte nodules, and it is high in goethite nodules. Ochre consists of ferrihydrite and goethite. It is poor in Mn and rich in C org .


Abstract The present study of self-diffusion data for pure solid elements has revealed that the diffusivities of body centered cubic (b.c.c.), face centered cubic (f.c.c.) and hexagonal close packed (h.c.p.) metals at their melting point temperatures (Tm) do relate in a systematic manner to the atomic number of the elements and their Period numbers. Also, the activation enthalpy of self-diffusion varies in a regular manner with the atomic number and Period number of the elements. It is surmised from these regularities that the activation enthalpy (Q) of self-diffusion may be considered as a direct measure of the interatomic force constant ε/k = (&phis;/R)Tm where &phis; = Q/Tm is the enthalpy coefficient. For solid metals ε/k = (15 to 19) Tm, K; for non-metals the Tm coefficient is (20 to 35), for rare-earth metals (10 to 13) and for liquid metals (3.32±0.24). A comparison is made of these ε/k values with those derived from the standard enthalpies of dissociation of inorganic compounds to the constituent elements. A critical assessment is made of the experimental self-diffusion data for pure elements which conform to the observed regularities in the self-diffusion parameters in relation to the atomic number and Period number of the elements. Also see Addendum.


Abstract : The fuel cell program has made progress in four key areas including (1) fabrication and testing of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), (2) fundamental studies of methanol oxidation on smooth alloy electrodes, (3) half cell studies of membrane electrode assemblies and (4) X-ray studies of anode catalytic materials. Two fuel cell test stands with computerized data acquisition systems are now fully operational. We have fabricated MEAs with hydrogen/oxygen performance curves competitive with state-of-the-art electrodes. In addition, studies of Pd barrier electrodes have been initiated and currents of 400 mA/sq cm at 0.5 volts are typical with hydrogen/methanol-oxygen. We have now terminated the hydrogen/methanol blend experiments and are now focusing on liquid methanol/water feed. We are currently struggling with the methanol delivery system and development of macroporous electrodes for methanol. Since the time of this report, IIT and Argonne National Laboratory have made one visit to the synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Data analysis is in progress. jg


an agricultural growth be sustained? More specifically, have the efforts of the last several decades to put in place a global agricultural research system established the research capacity that will enable the farmers of the developing world to meet future demands? This report, which summarizes and interprets the research policy recommendations made by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Third System Review Panel, attempts to respond to these questions.1 M&endra M. a potential world food crisis generated by rapid population growth. Freedom from want had been part of the vision of the architects of new post-World War I1 international institutions. In


Abstract  We review the carbon‐isotope data for finely disseminated carbonates from bioaltered, glassy pillow rims of basaltic lava flows from in situ slow‐ and intermediate‐spreading oceanic crust of the central Atlantic Ocean (CAO) and the Costa Rica Rift (CRR). The δ13C values of the bioaltered glassy samples from the CAO show a large range, between −17 and +3‰ (Vienna Peedee belemnite standard), whereas those from the CRR define a much narrower range, between −17‰ and −7‰. This variation can be interpreted as the product of different microbial metabolisms during microbial alteration of the glass. In the present study, the generally low δ13C values (less than −7‰) are attributed to carbonate precipitated from microbially produced CO2 during oxidation of organic matter. Positive δ13C values >0‰ likely result from lithotrophic utilization of CO2 by methanogenic Archaea that produce CH4 from H2 and CO2. High production of H2 at the slow‐spreading CAO crust may be a consequence of fault‐bounded, high‐level serpentinized peridotites near or on the sea floor, in contrast to the CRR crust, which exhibits a layer‐cake pseudostratigraphy with much less faulting and supposedly less H2 production. A comparison of the δ13C data from glassy pillow margins in two ophiolites interpreted to have formed at different spreading rates supports this interpretation. The Jurassic Mirdita ophiolite complex in Albania shows a structural architecture similar to that of the slow‐spreading CAO crust, with a similar range in δ13C values of biogenic carbonates. The Late Ordvician Solund–Stavfjord ophiolite complex in western Norway exhibits structural and geochemical evidence for evolution at an intermediate‐spreading mid‐ocean ridge and displays δ13C signatures in biogenic carbonates similar to those of the CRR. Based on the results of this comparative study, it is tentatively concluded that the spreading rate‐dependent tectonic evolution of oceanic lithosphere has a significant control on the evolution of microbial life and hence on the δ13C biosignatures preserved in disseminated biogenic carbonates in glassy, bioaltered lavas.


In order to study how to manage the polluted water in Guanting Reservoir,poured from theYongding River directly,and how to reduce the gross pollutant,the relevant experiment is carried out at Heituwa wetland.The sampling of two typical monitoring cross-sections,which are inlet of Yongding River and outlet of wetland,are analyzed by the standardized method,especially the effect of water quality purification of the artificial wetland is analyzed.The results show that,the wetland system of Guanting Reservoir achieved good treatment effect on water quality purification and water environment improvement;the treatment efficiency of wetland is affected by the factors of seasonal variation.The research provides the powerful technical support for the North Area using artificial wetland system treating river micro-polluted water.


The effect of Al stress on leaf pigment contents, chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence transient, and leaf gas exchange of Citrus sinensis and Citrus grandis were investigated in sandy culture with nutrient solution (control) or supplemented by 0.5 mM AlCl3.6H2O (Al toxic) for 54 weeks. We found a significant decline of Chl a, carotenoids (Car), Ch a/b, and Car/Chl (a+b) in C. grandis caused by Al stress. Except the significant increase of Car/Chl (a+b), no remarkable difference was found in C. sinensis. The Al-induced downregulation of CO2 assimilation was related to the imbalance of reduction and oxidation of primary quinone acceptor of PSII in two Citrus species. Compared to C. grandis, increasing ratio of Car/Chl (a+b) for photooxidation protection and decreasing inhibition of electron transfer contributed to electron conversion efficiency maintenance of PSII under Al stress in C. sinensis, a relatively Al-tolerant species.


Objective:To investigate the influence of the patients' factors on the expectation of porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth by questionnaire.Methods:One-hundred and fifty-two patients who had porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth were selected.involved.Every patient filled in the basic circumstance questionnaire and the N(neuroticism)quantity form in the Eysenck personality questionnaire(EPQ).The data of the two questionnaires were carried on describing covariance by SPSS 11.0 statistics software.The N value was computed and the relativity analysis of the patients' factors and Eysenck personality style on the expectation of porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth and the expectation value of the beauty.Results:The ratio of the patients having the porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth had dropped with the age segment of the patients going up.The patients' cultural degree was relatively higher.The time difference of tooth imperfection/defection was large.The ratio of the patients taking beauty as the main expectation was 71.7%.The mean of influence degree of anterior teeth defect on beauty of the patients was 90.69.The expectation value of beauty on average was 90.91.The N value was 8.11±4.517.There was relativity of age,sex,and the influence degree of anterior teeth defect on beauty of the patients with the expectation value of beauty(P0.01).There was relativity of sex,influence degree of anterior teeth defect on beauty of the patients with the expectation of porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth.There was relativity of the expectation value of beauty with the expectation of porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth,and its related coefficient is -0.450(P0.01).Conclusion:The expectation of porcelain fused metal repair for anterior teeth was subjected to the influences from various factors of patients them self.


IT has become more or less de rigueur, when discussing the rise of the domestic novel in the nineteenth century, to quote Haw thorne's famous and acidulous observation about scribbling women. "America," complained Hawthorne, "is now wholly given over to a d d mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public is occupied with their trash—and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed. What is the mystery of these innumerable editions of the Lamplighter, and other books neither better nor worse?—worse they could not be, and better they need not be, when they sell by the 100,000.'n Certainly its petulant sin cerity and patent quotability make it too good a bon mot for most re searchers to pass up, and so it is sure to be included, uncut and un expurgated, whenever and wherever the ladies come under discussion. There are reasons for regarding this oft-quoted remark with renewed interest, however. That Hawthorne should have directed this out burst to William D. Ticknor is of more than incidental significance, for as Hawthorne's publisher he was one of the few men who might have answered the question that followed hard upon the execration. While it is an exaggeration to say that America in the 18 50s was wholly given over to the scribbling women, it is true that they dom


A Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) is a decentralized type of network. It is a wireless network without having any infrastructure. There are no fixed route each node act as both a router and a host. Node mobility is the major problem in MANET. Most existing ad hoc routing protocols are easily affected to node mobility especially for large scale networks. This paper aims to survey various mechanism used for reliable data delivery in MANET. Keywords— MANET, POR, Geographic Routing, Void handling, Reliable data delivery


As discussed in Chapter 1, imprint lithography involves a mechanical
replication process where surface reliefs from the template/stamp are embossed into a thin layer of polymeric fluid or liquid monomer with crosslinking agents on the substrate. Two versions of imprint lithography are currently practiced. One version is based on the thermal embossing of a thermoplastic polymer and is called thermal imprint lithography (TIL). The other version is based on embossing of photocurable monomers and oligomers with crosslinking agents and is called photoimprint lithography (PIL).

The components of a given imprint resist are chosen consistent with the type of imprint process for which the resist in question will be used. TIL resist comprises basically the thermoplastic resin that is chosen to have a glass transition temperature that is within the desired operating temperature, sufficient adhesion to the substrate, and sufficient mechanical strength to withstand post-imprint processes such as reactive ion etching. Popular TIL imprint resist polymers include dielectrics such as poly(methyl methacrylate),1 polynorbornene, poly(tetrafluoro ethylene), polystyrene, polyurethane, etc., as well as conducting polymers such as poly(hexylthiophene).


We measure the subgap conductance across a superconductor-GaAs junction at low temperature. Below T=4 K we observe a zero bias conductance peak. For the first time, we observe that at even lower temperatures (T{le}0.8 K ), the conductance peak is shifted to a finite voltage. Application of a magnetic field restores a zero bias conductance peak. This is consistent with theoretical predictions for superconducting-semiconducting junctions in the regime where the contact conductance is larger than the coherent semiconductor conductance. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}


This paper uses a simultaneous equations system to examine the effect of extreme accounting events in the previous fiscal year on analyst following and forecast accuracy. We measure extreme accounting events by the magnitude of a company's restructuring charges and by an information signal based on the fundamental variables in Lev and Thiagarajan (1993). Our results indicate that the existence of an extreme accounting event impairs analysts' ability to predict future earnings. These results are consistent with our hypothesis and suggestions in the popular press that market participants have difficulty understanding the implications of extreme accounting events for future operating performance. We also find that forecast accuracy and analyst following are determined simultaneously, with greater accuracy associated with higher analyst following. Our results suggest analysts prefer to follow companies for which earnings are easier to forecast, consistent with analysts complementing rather than substituting for other sources of information.


This paper describes an improved Nagata current source insensitive to temperature utilizing MOSFET drain current temperature characteristics, as well as supply voltage variation. The proposed circuit does not require a start-up circuit or special resistors, and it is simple-yet-effective as a stable reference current source. Its circuit operation principle and SPICE simulation results are presented.


Abstract This article is based upon an investigation into a course which aimed to improve primary teachers' knowledge and understanding of geography. The course has been in action for four years, initially as a 20-day course, but more recently as a 10-day course. Rather than focus on one cohort of course members, all the participants were contacted either through a questionnaire or an interview and school visit. The evidence suggests that the course contributed to the improvement of geography in course members' schools and the effects were sustained over time. There was also evidence of the effects in other areas of the curriculum and for whole school planning. This is significant as it appears the primary curriculum is being progressively narrowed to focus on Literacy and Numeracy. The evidence presented here suggests that a broad balanced curriculum, which includes geography, is fundamentally important for the citizens of the future. There is also evidence of the most effective way of organizing teacher...


The Josephson vortex (fluxon) interaction with the rectangular impurity of finite size
in two-dimensional Josephson junction with dissipation is studied. The energy density
radiated during the scattering of fluxon on inhomogeneity is found. The total radiation
energy dependence as a function of the fluxon velocity and impurity size is obtained.
The dependence has a resonant behavior that can be explaned by the interference of
emitted waves.
Keywords: fluxon, microshort, Josephson junction, sine-Gordon equation.


Bioarchaeological perspectives of collapse scenarios have contributed to our understanding of the persistence and regeneration of communities after the fall of states and empires. We suggest that the osteological examination of everyday lived experience can further elucidate local lifeways during these transitory periods. Focusing on ancient Nubia after the decline of the colonial Egyptian New Kingdom Empire, we examine musculoskeletal activity patterns (entheseal changes) and traumatic injury in remains uncovered at Tombos, a cemetery at the Third Cataract of the Nile. We find evidence that entheseal changes increased at Tombos from the New Kingdom Period to the postcolonial Third Intermediate/ Napatan Periods; however, accidental trauma does not significantly increase between the two periods. With regard to the elevated entheseal changes, we suggest that Nubians may have been engaged in quarrying, agropastoralism, and construction efforts. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that this population was biologically resilient, which may have limited accidental/occupational traumatic injury. We view these changes to the Tombos quotidian experience from an agent-centered perspective; we posit that during the postcolonial period, Nubians revitalized their sociopolitical and economic systems through these everyday practices, which contributed to the independent and powerful Napatan state.


Generally, cutting force models use a sin function method to calculate chip thickness. In slot end milling, the error from a sin function method is much bigger than other machining because a tool rotation angle in cutting is much larger. Thus in this paper, a new method to calculate chip thickness was suggested and evaluated. In a new method, tool position data according to tool rotation are checked and stored so that it is possible correct chip thickness is calculated. Cutting force waveforms simulated from a sin function method and a new method and measured waveforms from experiments were compared and error percentages were obtained. Finally, a new method had good results for simulating cutting force in slot end milling.


General Management Performance is the common, most important and basic skill and competence of all managers and refers to the common management skills and knowledge management requirements reflected by different management occupational groups. When training the General Management Performance of economics and management undergraduates, it should first correctly summarize and divide the basic content of General Management Performance then build the appropriate model to improve education. In this paper, with the example of Management Science which is the basic course of economics and management specialty, based on the teaching goal of enhancing General Management Performance of students, the teaching reform measures, including curriculum orientation, curriculum objectives and curriculum content, are discussed.


I am not going to go through all stages that the Brexit process has known so far: at this point, we could write an encyclopedia about the countless mistakes, lies, crookedness and amateurism of…


To determine the effect of the surface potential of dielectric samples on the yield of positive ions during
ion irradiation, we studied the dependence of the current of secondary particles on the thickness of dielectric
films. It is shown that the yield of positive secondary particles increases significantly with increasing thickness
if the film charging potential does not exceed the breakdown value determined by the electrical strength of
the film. An indirect confirmation of the film charging in these experiments is the time dependence of the
current from the sample holder. An experimental evaluation of the apparatus effect caused by the emission of
secondary electrons from a hemispherical collector has been carried out. Possible mechanisms of the observed
phenomena are discussed.


This article's main purpose is to analyse Adam Smith's thought about the land
rate economic category. The introduction presents a retrospect on the land rent
concepts developed by authors prior to him. In section one we situate "The Wealth
of Nations" among the author's works, and show how its particular organizational
form affects the explanations of its concept changes along the book. In section two
we analyze the concept "land rent" face the value theory developed by Adam Smith.
Section three presents a detailed and accurate study of the specific chapter refering
the analysis made by Adam Smith on this economic category. It is divided in three
subitems, respecting the explanatory sequence followed by Adam Smith. In the
concluding remarks we refer the changes suffered by the land rent concepts along


The domestic and overseas status of the investigation on hydrogen embrittlement(HE) and experimental methods for hydrogen permeation behavior is reviewed.Several mechanisms of HE and test methods for hydrogen permeation are introduced.It is pointed out that the nature of HE is not clarified theoretically so far,and there are some shortcomings of test methods for hydrogen permeation.A new specimen treatment method was proposed,and hydrogen permeation test was carried out,and reliable results were obtained.


This is an example of an enormous building, designed to be truly flexible and adaptable, as well as durable and quick to build.


The Indian power system is developing at an accelerated pace and it is anticipated that peak demand shall increase to over 400 GW by 2022 and beyond for which total installed generation capacity of about 500 GW is envisaged. To optimally utilize the unevenly distributed energy resources and taking into account severe right of way issues, transfer of bulk power over long distance is required. Towards this, National Grid interconnecting all the five(5) regional electrical grids comprising high capacity 400 kV/765 kV AC and ±500 kV HVDC system has been established. Today, National Grid with inter-regional capacity of about 17,000 MW is in place. Further, central grid comprising of the Northern, Western, Eastern and North-eastern Regions is operating as a single synchronous grid of 105 GW capacity and asynchronously connected to the Southern region of about 40 GW. To meet the growing power demand of various regions power transfer capacity of the inter-regional links are being enhanced continuously.


Purpose: We perform quality assurance (QA) for indirect dynamic tumor tracking (DTT) using four-dimensional radiation therapy (the Vero4DRT™ system). Methods: A single photon beam was set with a 40 × 40 mm 2 field size at a gantry angle of zero degrees and a low monitor unit setting of 200. Doses were measured using a 0.016 cm 3 ionization chamber inserted in a phantom under stationary, DTT, and non-DTT conditions for sinusoidal (peak-to-peak) amplitude [ A ] and breathing period [ T ] (20 mm, 2 s; 20 mm, 4 s; and 40 mm, 4 s). The stationary condition was measured for comparison. Dose profiles were measured using Gafchromic EBT3 films in the phantom under the same conditions. Results: For chamber measurement, the relative doses were as follows: 0.99 with non-DTT and 1.00 with DTT at A = 20 mm and T = 2 s; 0.99 with non-DTT and 1.00 with DTT at A = 20 mm and T = 4 s; and 0.84 with non-DTT and 1.00 with DTT at A = 40 mm and T = 4 s. For film measurement, the spatial distances between the 90% dose of the dose profiles were as follows: 6.53 mm for non-DTT and 0.40 mm for DTT at A = 20 mm and T = 2 s; 6.33 mm for non-DTT and 0.15 mm for DTT at A = 20 mm and T = 4 s; and 10.61 mm for non-DTT and 0.17 mm with DTT at A = 40 mm and T = 4 s. Conclusion: Our results showed high dosimetric and geometric accuracy for DTT using four-dimensional modeling and marked reduction of the blurring effects on dose distribution. We recommend the use of a QA procedure for DTT performed using the Vero4DRT™ system.


View of the north elevation, showing incorporation of the existing bank elevation; With Architectura. "...the 32,000-square-foot complex--designed jointly by Architectura and Canada's living architectural legend, Arthur Erickson--is more than another pretty monument in the battle for urban renewal. The project was dedicated by Canada's Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in August 2001 and opened officially by Scotiabank President Bruce Birmingham in September, a mere two years and four months after the selection of the site. The Dance Centre has emerged as a model for collaboration between the nonprofit sector and the business community. There's something symbolic about the structure: One side retains the temple-style facade of the Scotiabank branch, built in 1929 (when it was called Bank of Nova Scotia) and still functioning with a staff of two. Erickson's airy inspiration clings to the older frontage (preserved as a Canadian Heritage structure) and extends down the side street, where dancers, their support staffs, and audiences will enter to participate in the artistic ferment of the new millennium. The bank still owns the land. The center holds the deed to the building, pays for its maintenance, keeps all funds from rentals of the plant, and has a twenty-nine-year lease on the site, with an option to renew." Source: http://www.kitchener.com/Public-library/Dance-Magazine


Achievable rate for a single-relay channel with finite input practical constellations like QAM and PSK, which operates under the decode and forward protocol, is studied. An achievable rate is computed for full duplex relay (FDR) channel and half duplex relay (HDR) channel. We consider the cases: (i) the source node's and relay node's signals can be correlated for the FDR channel, (ii) repetition coding scheme and (iii) independent symbol coding scheme for the HDR channels, and propose for both the FDR and the HDR channels a superposition coding scheme with finite alphabets. Through simulation results it is shown that for the FDR channels, the proposed superposition coding achieves higher rate than the correlated signaling scheme for the BPSK input alphabet and for the HDR channels, the superposition coding outperforms the independent symbol coding as well as the repetition codes.


Abstract By the combined use of a decomposition vessel, chelating resin, and atomic absorption spectrometry, a simple method for the determination of copper in silicate rocks was devised. A sample was digested overnight at room temperature with small amounts of hydrofluoric acid and aqua regia in the Teflon vessel having a sealing stopper. In the presence of citrate, only the supernatant of the digested sample solution was passed through a small column of the chelating resin, Dowex A-1, at pH 4. After elution with nitric acid, copper was determined by ordinary atomic absorption spectrometry. The recovery, reproducibility, and accuracy of the method were quite satisfactory. The analytical results obtained for the standard rocks agreed well with reported results.


We present a catalog of visual-like H-band morphologies of ∼50.000 galaxies (Hf160w < 24.5) in the 5 CANDELS fields (GOODS-N, GOODS-S, UDS, EGS, and COSMOS). Morphologies are estimated using Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets). The median redshift of the sample is ⟨ z ⟩ ∼ 1.25 . ?> The algorithm is trained on GOODS-S, for which visual classifications are publicly available, and then applied to the other 4 fields. Following the CANDELS main morphology classification scheme, our model retrieves for each galaxy the probabilities of having a spheroid or a disk, presenting an irregularity, being compact or a point source, and being unclassifiable. ConvNets are able to predict the fractions of votes given to a galaxy image with zero bias and ∼10% scatter. The fraction of mis-classifications is less than 1%. Our classification scheme represents a major improvement with respect to Concentration-Asymmetry-Smoothness-based methods, which hit a 20%–30% contamination limit at high z. The catalog is released with the present paper via the Rainbow database (http://rainbowx.fis.ucm.es/Rainbow_navigator_public/).


In literature, music, fine arts and folklore there are innumerable cases of narrative units crossing the borders between different works, genres and media of artistic expression. In recent years scholarly interest in such transpositions has been on the rise.1 There also has been a considerable change in the methods of analysis. In the past researchers either sought the time and place of origin and the routes of migration of a given narrative unit (the so-called influences and borrowings) or looked for sets of features common to works that might not be directly related (typological parallels). Nowadays, especially in literary studies, attention focuses primarily upon the intertextual dialogue between the works. The theories of intertextuality and readerresponse criticism have provided a particularly effective methodology. The purpose of this article is to expand the options for interpreting three twentieth-century transpositions of The Life of Peter and Fevroniia by using the new methodology.2 It also will demonstrate that an implied author who identifies himself


The utility model relates to a thin plate double-faced spraying support system, which is characterized in that a fan is connected with a high-pressure gas chamber through a wind pipe, nozzles are arranged on the upper two sides of the high-pressure gas chamber, and a deflecting plate and a deflecting strip are fixedly connected on the high-pressure gas chamber. A dip angle exists between the nozzles and the gas chamber. The dip angle between the nozzles and the gas chamber is 30 degrees. The thin plate double-faced spraying support system not only can effectively solve the problem that the sprayed surface is damaged due to the contact between the support system and a strip-shaped thin plate, but also can reduce the drag force of the strip-shaped thin plate, the thin plate becomes flatter, the product quality is improved, the structure is simple, and the realization is easy.


We prove that the number of perfect matchings in 𝒢(n,d) is asymptotically normal when n$$ n $$ is even, d→∞$$ d\to \infty $$ as n→∞$$ n\to \infty $$ , and d=O(n1/7/logn)$$ d=O\left({n}^{1/7}/\log n\right) $$ . This is the first distributional result of spanning subgraphs of 𝒢(n,d) when d→∞$$ d\to \infty $$ . Moreover, we prove that 𝒢(n,d−1) and 𝒢(n,d) can be coupled so that 𝒢(n,d−1) is a subgraph of 𝒢(n,d) with high probability when d→∞$$ d\to \infty $$ and d=o(n1/3)$$ d=o\left({n}^{1/3}\right) $$ . Furthermore, if d=ω(log7n)$$ d=\omega \left({\log}^7n\right) $$ , d=O(n1/7/logn)$$ d=O\left({n}^{1/7}/\log n\right) $$ , and d≤d′≤n−1$$ d\le {d}^{\prime}\le n-1 $$ then 𝒢(n,d) and 𝒢(n,d′) can be coupled so that asymptotically almost surely (a.a.s.) 𝒢(n,d) is a subgraph of 𝒢(n,d′) .


Background: The modes of transmission of HHV‐8 are still unclear. Goal: To evaluate the distribution and transmission of HHV‐8 infection. Design: Serosurvey conducted in a Cameroon hospital among 292 persons, including children (5‐10 years), adolescents (15‐20 years), and adults (30‐40 years). Antibodies against lytic and latent antigens to HHV‐8 were detected by immunofluorescence assay; antibodies against Epstein‐Barr virus viral antigens were detected by enzyme‐linked immunoabsorbent assay. Results: The prevalence of HHV‐8 antilytic antibodies remained stable and was 39.8% among children, 51.5% among adolescents, and 61.8% among adults. Epstein‐Barr virus seroprevalence was high among children, and remained stable among adolescents and adults. A history of sexually transmitted diseases was an independent determinant of HHV‐8 infection (adjusted odds ratio 2.47; 95% CI 1.09‐4.91). Conclusion: The high prevalence of HHV‐8 infection among children indicates nonsexual modes of transmission in Cameroon, with sexual transmission occurring among adolescents and adults.


Peptic ulcer is the most common GIT disorder with a prevalence of 2%, peaking around the age of 70 years. Laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer began to evolve and replace the ordinary upper laparotomy. We studied 47 patients suffering from perforated duodenal or gastric ulcer in Al-Mawanee General Hospital in Basrah in the period 2014-2017, the patients were categorized into 2 groups: 1st group(24 patients) managed laparoscopically and the 2nd group (23 patients) managed by open approach. Perforation found to occur more with duodenal ulcer (29 pt. 61.70%) and more in male patients (26 pt. 55.33%). The peak perforation seen in age group >60 years and the commonest risk factors was the NSAIDs usage. Operative time was insignificantly longer in laparoscopic approach. However, the laparoscopic approach has less post operative pain and less overall complications (4 pt. 16.6% vs. 8 pt. 34.7%). In conclusion, laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer is a feasible operation and considered promising with less postoperative pain, less postoperative complications and better cosmetic results. Introduction eptic ulcer is the most common GIT disorder with a prevalence of 2% and lifetime cumulative prevalence of 10%, peaking around the age of 70 years. Etiology of peptic ulcer basically is due to imbalance between: increase aggression (H.pylori infection, increase acid secretion, bile, NSAIDs), decrease defense (decrease blood flow and mucus barrier) & decrease repair (decrease restitution and decrease proliferation). However, in general, the most common two causes of peptic ulcer are: H.pylori infection & NSAIDs. Where the H.pylori infection causes peptic ulcer by both increasing acid secretion and compromise mucosal defense, NSAIDs causes peptic ulcer by only compromising mucosal defense. Actually, it's found that 20% of the patients who are older than 60 years and presented with perforated peptic ulcer, they were taking NSAIDs at time of presentation. Peptic ulcer disease usually occurs in the 1st part duodenum and lesser curvature of stomach. However, it can occur at distal esophagus, Mickel's Diverticulum and in the stomas following gastric surgery. Perforated peptic ulcer usually presented as an acute abdomen. Initially, gastric and/or duodenal secretions produce chemical peritonitis. Soon, and after hours it changes into bacterial peritonitis. Usually, patient can often give the exact time of onset of pain which starts in the epigastric region then becomes generalized. Despite that "air under diaphragm" on Chest x-ray is the most dependant radiological finding practically, still it's just seen in 70-80% of cases and its absence doesn't exclude the presence of perforation. Actually, the most sensitive imaging tool is the CT-scan, but due to its cost, it's not routinely done. Once perforated peptic ulcer is diagnosed, immediate surgical intervention would be mandatory. However, still non-operative management can be applied if: perforation has been sealed (should this seal proved radiologically) or patient has no clinical features of peritonitis. The surgical options for perforated Duodenal P Bas J Surg, December, 23, 2017 53 Laparoscopic versus open repair of perforated peptic ulcer Abutalib Alluaibi, Ali Al-Wajeeh & Mansour Amin ulcer are: simple patch closure, batch closure with HSV, Patch closure with (Vagotomy & Drainage). Perforated gastric ulcer has higher mortality due to older age and delay seeking medical attention. surgical options are: Batch closure with biopsy, Local excision with closure, Distal gastrectomy, Trunal vagotomy with drainage, biopsy and closure (all gastric ulcer should be biopsied if not excised, even the prepyloric ulcers). Recently, there has been a decline in performing acid reducing procedures in the management of perforated peptic ulcer due to the evolution of PPI and unfamiliarity of surgeons with these operations. Thus, the principle procedure done in most of cases is simple patch closure +/omental patch ( with biopsy if it's a gastric ulcer). In the new era of minimal invasive surgery, and due to improved technical laparoscopic skills, laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer began to evolve and replace the ordinary upper laparotomy. Laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer described for the 1st time in 1990 for a perforated duodenal ulcer. It has not only allowed the identification of perforation, but allowed also acceptable peritoneal lavage and closure of perforation, which can be added to the well known advantages of laparoscopic approach (decrease postoperative pain, decrease risk of wound complication "like wound infection and wound dehiscence or hernia", in addition to early return to daily activity and finally the better cosmetic outcome. Despite the fact that studies reported the feasibility of laparoscopic omental patch repair of perforated peptic ulcer, still it can be technically challenging for surgeons as it involves steep learning curve and needs advanced laparoscopic suturing skills. At present, no evidence is available that supports the superiority of laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer over the laparotomy approach. Many metaanalysis studies has been done all over the world to assess the superiority of either approaches. however, since 2010, there has been increase trend toward laparoscopic approach in many countries like singapore. This study aimed to compare between laparoscopic and open approach for the repair of perforated peptic ulcer and to find which approach is superior and has better results. Patients and methods This is a prospective study done in AlMawanee General Hospital from April 2014 to April 2017. In this study, 47 patients suffering from perforated duodenal or gastric ulcer were included. Certain parameters were considered during taking the History regarding the demography and etiology of the peptic ulcer, these are: sex, age, smoking, alcohol intake and NSAIDs intake. All the patients had presented with history of epigastric pain or generalized abdominal pain with features of peritonitis (tenderness, rebound tenderness, abdominal guarding or boardlike rigidity). General investigations were done for patients in form of complete blood picture, blood sugar and urea. ECG for patients older than 40 years, or with any history of hypertension or ischemic heart diseases . Diagnosis was ascertained by Chest x-ray in an erect position (which revealed air under diaphragm in all cases. serological test to check for the presence of H. pylori done to all patients. all patients were admitted to the ward, Intravenous lines were inserted and IV fluid (Ringer's lactate) was started with antibiotic cover in form of intravenous Cephatriaxone vial(1gm twice daily) and intravenous Metronidazole vial(500mg three times daily). Esmoprazole infusion also was started and in cases with intolerable pain, analgesia in form of Tramadol ampoule was given. Based on lottery method, patients were randomized into two groups. We used equal number of cards marked with: Bas J Surg, December, 23, 2017 54 Laparoscopic versus open repair of perforated peptic ulcer Abutalib Alluaibi, Ali Al-Wajeeh & Mansour Amin Bas J Surg, December, 23, 2017 55 OA (for patients who were to undergo open repair of perforate peptic ulcer). LA (for patients who were to undergo laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer). Written consents were taken from patients whether to undergo open, laparoscopic, or conversion from laparoscopic to open approach . The group of patient underwent open approach, were proceeded for surgery under general anesthesia, through an upper midline incision (sometimes wound extended slightly through umbilicus). If there is gastric or duodenal secretions in the peritoneal cavity, a saline wash of about 500-1000 ml and suction was performed. The perforated ulcer was to be identified. If it was a gastric ulcer, multiple biopsies were taken from the edges of perforated ulcer or excision of ulcer and then modified Graham patch was done (2-3 stitches of 2/0 vicryl suture were used to close the perforation followed by a viable omental patch being fixed with the same stitches). Two drains were inserted if wash was done (pelvic and subhepatic) and one drain is applied if there was no soiling and no wash was done(usually being put subhepatic). closure of incision in layers and patient kept on cephatriaxone vial 1gm twice daily, metronidazole vial 500mg three times daily, esmoprazole infusion 80mg daily, IV fluid and analgesia. Patient kept nill by mouth until positive bowel sound started. drains were removed when they were empty. Stitches removed in the 8th post operative day if there were no complications. Patients underwent laparoscopic approach were also preceded for surgery under general anesthesia, CO2 insufflation done by direct trocar insertion and 3-4 ports were inserted depending on the feasibility and site of ulcer. the trocar positioned as following: Midline supra-umbilical(10mm, camera port), Right upper midclavicular(5mm, working port), Left upper midclavicular (5mm, working port), Epigastric port (optional 5mm liver retraction). Remaining steps are approximately the same as in open approach. However, sometimes the identification of perforated ulcer needs precise search because in some patients the perforation may be covered by fibrinous material or covered with liver or sometimes with even gall bladder that is not easy to be seen and need more efforts than usual to find the perforation. if perforation failed to be identified laparoscopically, the case converted to open and excluded from study (two patients accordingly were excluded from this study: one was gastric ulcer covered with fibrinous materials and the other was jejunal perforation). All patients were followed for the following parameters: Operative time, Postoperative pain (using Numeric Rating Scale NRS), Post-operative Hospital stay, Post-operative complications (Ileus, leakage fr


Dear Editor:

Congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) is defined as a lesion present at birth and containing melanocytic nevus cells. It is characterized by the diffuse infiltration of melanocytes in the deepest reticular dermis and subcutis, and by the presence of melanocytes around skin appendages1. Here, we present an interesting case of CMN with distinctive nevus cell proliferation within multiple epidermal cyst-like changes.

A 57-year-old man presented for evaluation of a lesion on his face, which he had had since birth. He reported that the lesion had gradually become darker and larger, and complained about foul-smelling cheese-like discharge upon squeezing. Physical examination revealed a solitary 1.2×2.0-cm dark-colored plaque on his right cheek. The lesion had a large dilated pore in the center and multiple adjacent small pits on its surface. The nevus was excised, and a rotational flap was used to cover the defect.

Histopathological examination of the excised lesion revealed diffuse infiltration of melanocytes in the reticular dermis, hair follicles, and sebaceous glands, showing typical features of CMN along with multiple cysts filled with keratinous material (Fig. 1A). Unlike other CMN-containing epidermal cysts, melanocytic nevus cells were imbedded along the epithelium of a huge epidermal cyst, resembling buddings from a tree (Fig. 1B). At the 4-month follow-up, the patient had a well-healed scar and no evidence of recurrence.

Fig. 1

(A) Solitary dark-colored plaque on the patient's right cheek with foul-smelling discharge on squeezing. (B) Histopathological findings in the excised specimen showed congenital melanocytic nevus with multiple cysts filled with keratinous material (H&E, ...

There are multiple cases of nevus with cysts in the literature2,3. Cohen and Rapini4 described several cases of melanocytic nevus overlying or surrounding an epidermal cyst. However, there are currently no reports of nevus cells imbedded in the wall of a cyst as seen in the present case. Thus, here, we report a rare case of CMN with distinctive nevus cell proliferation within multiple epidermal cyst-like changes. We suspect that this happened through migration of nevus cells into the epithelium during the formation of connections between the cyst wall and epidermis, or by direct invasion of the epithelium of the epidermal cyst.


Amis's first volume of short stories for over a decade includes Mr Barrett's secret account of his daughter Elizabeth's involvement with the poet Browning, and a sardonic depiction of the capitulation of America to Japan in World War II. By the author of "The Old Devils" and "Memoirs".


The coordinated development between regional innovation environment and innovation output is the research object.Firstly,the paper establishes the index system for the regional innovation environment and innovation output.Then,their comprehensive evaluation is conducted applying the entropy weight method;the coordinated development degree of 30 provinces is calculated according to the coordinated development degree model.Finally,the statistical test is carried out for the differences and changing tendency of the three main economic regions based on the Kruskal-Wallis test and Jonkheere-Terpstra test.The result shows that:(1) the degree of coordinated development of the whole country is comparatively low with half of the provinces being in a maladjustment state to some extent;(2) the difference of the degree of coordinated development between the provinces is significant;(3) the difference of the degree of coordinated development between the three main economic regions is significant,the degree of coordinated development follows the progressing stages with the order the western China,central China and eastern China.Finally,some policy suggestions are offered in accordance with the research result.