MOST BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FOCUSES ON THE quest to discover new methods for reducing morbidity and mortality from serious illnesses. Once these interventions are created and developed, the next steps in science are directed toward confirmation of the efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions and then estimating their potential impact. On some level, for most investigators, this represents the beall and end-all of research. The last decade of medical practice and the changes that have occurred have led to a dramatic alteration in how clinicians perceive the utility of these interventions. No longer is it sufficient that a medication or procedure prolong life or even cure the patient. Today, medical costs also play a role in assessments and judgments of what interventions to use and under what circumstances to use them. In an era of limited resources, these judgments enable physicians to choose among interventions based on these considerations. Expensive drugs or treatments that cure a few individuals may not stand up against less effective but cheaper programs that can cure many. Because of this focus on the societal benefits of therapy, cost-effectiveness has become an important, even crucial, part of health policy decisionmaking with regard to the use of expensive, or even inexpensive, treatment modalities. Hence, from a health policy perspective, a cost-effectiveness policy regarding testing and preventive treatment options may save millions of dollars each year on the costs of introducing highly expensive, but marginally effective, technology. Cancer is certainly one of the most important health concerns in the United States, and lung cancer leads all other types of cancer in mortality. But because of the high frequency of lung cancer mortality and the relatively short survival time, the actual costs of lung cancer to the health care economy are among the lowest of the major cancers in the United States. Furthermore, because so much of lung cancer incidence can be attributed to tobacco use, smoking cessation must remain the first and foremost priority in reducing the burden of lung cancer in the population. Despite such efforts, and despite some significant success in reducing the rates of cigarette smoking in the United States, further strategies are needed to cope with the lung cancer epidemic. A new development in this area that has generated much interest and controversy has been the use of spiral helical computed tomography (CT) scanning for the detection of very early lung cancers, and the apparent improvements in lung cancer treatment and survival. Many disagree about the true benefits of spiral CT screening for lung cancer. However, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recently initiated a large randomized trial to test its efficacy more adequately. As with most large, expensive, and long-term screening trials, both the public and the medical community are left to wonder what to do in the interim, until the results of the trial are available. At the same time, though, commercially available cancer screening programs have been rapidly disseminated nationwide, fueled by direct promotion to consumers and funded by direct payment on the part of consumers. In this issue of THE JOURNAL, the decision and costeffectiveness analysis by Mahadevia and colleagues evaluates whether lung cancer screening using helical CT might be considered an appropriate strategy for adult smokers and those who have recently quit smoking. The authors find that such an approach is very expensive from both health policy and societal perspectives. The investigators have assembled the best data available on the outcomes associated with lung cancer screening, as well as the costs associated with most of the elements involved in the early diagnosis, treatment, and long-term outcomes of lung cancer. Furthermore, they have conducted painstaking analyses, with appropriate attention to sensitivity analyses and other accepted methods, to explore and compare the relative costs of this type of screening in various subgroups and under different sets of circumstances. Based on their results, even with the assumption that helical CT screening will truly prove to be efficacious, it currently appears to be too expensive in most reasonable and foreseeable situations.


On the basis of the political-philosophical ideas of the American revolution of the XVIIIth century and the works of the classics of political realism the author analyzes the principles of the formation of the USA foreign policy concerning Cuba and pays special attention to the evolution of Monroe's doctrine and the realization of its basic ideas in American foreign policy strategies.


The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the financial performance and stock returns of the companies operating in the BIST Chemical, Petroleum, Rubber and Plastic products sector for the period of 2015-2018. For this purpose, an analysis consisting of two stages is carried out in the study. In the first phase of the study, the financial performance of companies is evaluated with a hybrid decision-making model consisting of Entropy and MAUT methods. Afterwards, whether there is a significant relationship between the calculated performance rankings of the firms under the integrated Entropy-MAUT model and the annual stock returns rankings of the same firms is evaluated by correlation analysis. According to the findings obtained from the integrated Entropy-MAUT method, it is determined that in terms of financial performance, the most successful company is SODSN as of the examined period, but the most unsuccessful company is SANFM. In addition, as a result of correlation analysis, a positive and significant relationship is found between financial performance ranking and return ranking. This finding reveals that savers who invest in the sector examined within the scope of the study take into account the past performances of companies when making decisions regarding their investments.


Ga-face GaN∕AlGaN∕GaN heterostructures with different cap thicknesses are investigated by electroreflectance spectroscopy (ER). The voltage dependent electric field strengths of the barrier and cap layers are determined. The AlGaN electric field amounts of up to −2.6MV∕cm, whereas the GaN electric field is always below 700kV∕cm. The two electric fields have opposite signs. Characteristic features in the voltage maps of the ER spectra are assigned to the formation/depletion of a two-dimensional electron gas below and a two-dimensional hole gas above the AlGaN barrier. Between −6.5 and 0V, both carrier gases coexist.


Background: A high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency has been found in the general population and in patients with chronic


The invention discloses an aluminium nitride-based multi-element nano-composite ceramic die material and a preparation method thereof. The material comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 60-80 parts of aluminium nitride, 10-20 parts of aluminium carbide, 15-25 parts of silicon boride, 2-6 parts of scandium oxide, 4-8 parts of neodymium oxide, 2-4 parts of chromium, 1-3 parts of tungsten and 1-3 parts of nickel, wherein nanoscale powder of all the materials is adopted; the grain size of aluminium nitride is 10-100 nanometers; the grain sizes of aluminium carbide and silicon boride are 1-10 nanometers; the grain sizes of the other raw materials are 1-100 nanometers. The preparation method is characterized by using aluminium nitride as the matrix, adding aluminium carbide and silicon boride as reinforcing phases, scandium oxide and neodymium oxide as stabilizing agents and chromium, tungsten and nickel as sintering aids and carrying out hot pressed sintering on the materials, thus preparing the material. A die has strong ageing and defect resistance, good comprehensive mechanical properties and excellent antifriction and wear resistance properties.


Hearing loss compromises optimal development of language and communication unless effective intervention is started within the urst year of life. Despite the JCIH recommendation as universal screening of all infants for hearing loss within the first few months of life; only some countries were successful in executing it. This study was undertaken in order to determine the most important predictors of Otoacoustic emission (OAE) as initial hearing screening of infancy in south of Iran. This may help in targeted hearing screening in high risk infants. The present study is a prospective cohort study examining all newborns throughout 2013to2014 delivered in Emam Khomeini hospital, Ahvaz, Iran. The neonatal hearing screening was carried out by portable transient evoked automated otoacoustic emissions (OAE) before discharge from the hospital. The Association between probable predictors (birth weight, history of blood exchange due to Hyperbilirubinemia, family history of hearing loss and history of admission in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for more than 48 hours) and the rate of failure in the screening was then analysed. During the study, 1850 children were born in the maternity ward of this hospital. The frequency of hearing screening refers rate was obtained at 9.8%. history of NICU admission and Low birth weight (<1500 gr) were significantly associated with hearing impairment as measured by OAE (P<0.001for both of them). History of blood exchange due to Hyperbilirubinemia and positive family history were not significantly different between two groups. History of NICU admission and low birth weight are two significant predictors for OAE failure in south of Iran. So if universal newborn hearing screening is unavailable, targeted screening in high risk infants including those admitted to the NICU and newborns with low birth weight is highly recommended.


ABSTRACT As computing becomes more portable, an ever-increasing number of people are dependent upon smartphones, personal digital assistants, webpads, and other wireless devices. This paper addresses the effect, if any, of these current and future wireless technologies on electronic journal publishing. Have these technologies impacted e-journal publishing to this point? What are the expectations and strategies of journal publishers in dealing with the changing technology? What special issues do these devices present regardimng licensing?


This paper presents a new analytical formulation for the analysis of tapered thin-walled beams. A new expression of the non linear axial strain for tapered beams is first proposed; it is then used to derive the general equilibrium equations. These last are detailed in the case of linear elasticity and tapered monosymmetric I-beams. Particular attention is paid to lateral-torsional buckling, including initial bending curvature. Accordingly, a new beam finite element has been carried out and implemented in a FEM software. Several examples of stability analysis are given, showing that classical prismatic elements can provide erroneous results when used to simulate the behaviour of tapered members.


A gate driver selects an odd-number-row gate line and the subsequent even-number-row gate line and sets said even-number-row gate line to the potential at the point of the aforementioned selection by delaying the aforementioned odd-number-row gate line by a predetermined time period from the timing for setting the potential at the point of the aforementioned selection. Subsequently, the gate driver sets the potential of the gate line set to the potential at the time of the abovementioned selection to a potential during non-selection. Moreover, a source driver switches the polarity of pixels in each column for every two rows and sets the polarity of pixels in neighboring columns to a reverse polarity while the potentials of each source line are set to a potential according to the image data of each pixel in one row.


Objective To investigate the synergistic effect of formaldehyde pre-exposure on the damage to the respiratory system in rats after microbial aerosol inhalation.Methods The intoxication model was established in rats by the dynamic aerosol exposure system.Serum IgM concentration and SOD activity were measured by ELISA and luminescence assay respectively.Morphologic injury of the lung tissue was detected by HE staining.Tunnel chromogenic in-situ detection was used to detect the apoptosis of lung epithelial cells and Gram staining was performed to detect the capacity of lung epithelial cells in bacterial clearance.Results Serum IgM levels in rats increased significantly,after microbial aerosol inhalation,when compared with that of the control group,with the serum IgM levels of the formaldehyde combined with microbial aerosol inhalation group increased more significantly [(0.35 ±0.09) g/L].The serum SOD activity of the experimental groups all increased,with the level of the formaldehyde combined with microbial aerosol inhalation group [(2.22 ± 0.25) × 106 U/L] being significantly higher than that of the 2 other groups [(1.50 ±0.37) × 106 U/L] and [(1.58 ± 0.34) × 106 U/L].Morphological observation showed that widened alveolar septum,interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration could be clearly noted in the lung tissue of the 3 experimental groups,with the pathological changes in the formaldehyde combined with microbial aerosol inhalation group being most significant.Tunnel detection also indicated that the nnmber of apoptotic cells in the lung tissue for the formaldehyde combined with microbial aerosol inhalation group increased significantly.Gram staining showed that the number of residue bacteria in the rat bronchiole for the rats of the formaldehyde combined with microbial aerosol inhalation group after 2-hour air intervention was significantly more than that of the simple bacteria exposure group.Conclusions Formaldehyde pre-exposure combined with microbial aerosol inhalation could induce synergistic damage to the rat lung tissue and decrease the capacity of the lung tissue to clear out heterogeneous pollutants.

Key words:
Microbial aerosol ;  Formaldehyde;  Exposure ;  Respiratory system;  Synergistic damage


This paper presents the results of a comparison of data from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) 4th (n=179) and 8th (n=143) grade student and teacher samples to the data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 4th and 8th grade student and teacher samples. This is part of a larger study of mathematics education in the LCMS that seeks to determine the overall effectiveness of its parochial school system's mathematics education. The sample was randomly selected from the LCMS school system student population. Consistency between LCMS and NAEP samples was determined on a percentage basis for each question. Student attitudes towards mathematics and the amount of student time spent on mathematics homework (4th grade) were found to be consistent between LCMS and NAEP. Inconsistencies were found in the amount of mathematics instructional time, the amount of student time spent on mathematics homework (8th grade), the use of calculators and computers in the mathematics classroom, and the mathematical activities occurring in the mathematics classroom (textbooks, worksheets, group vs. individual work, test-taking, reports, projects, and manipulatives). Other similar studies between public and private schools are recommended. (Contains 14 references.) (JAF) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


Single planar Langmuir probes and fiber optic probes are used to concurrently measure the plasma properties and neutral density variation in a 30cm diameter ion engine discharge chamber, from the immediate vicinity of the keeper to the near grid plasma region. The fiber optic probe consists of a collimated optical fiber recessed into a double bore ceramic tube fitted with a stainless steel light-limiting window. The optical fiber probe is used to measure the emission intensity of excited neutral xenon for a small volume of plasma, at various radial and axial locations. The single Langmuir probes, are used to generate current-voltage characteristics at a total of 140 spatial locations inside the discharge chamber. Assuming a maxwellian distribution for the electron population, the Langmuir probe traces provide spatially resolved measurements of plasma potential, electron temperature, and plasma density. Data reduction for the NSTAR TH8 and TH15 throttle points indicates an electron temperature range of 1 to 7.9 eV and an electron density range of 4e10 to le13 cm(sup -3), throughout the discharge chamber, consistent with the results in the literature. Plasma potential estimates, computed from the first derivative of the probe characteristic, indicate potential from 0.5V to 11V above the discharge voltage along the thruster centerline. These values are believed to be excessively high due to the sampling of the primary electron population along the thruster centerline. Relative neutral density profiles are also obtained with a fiber optic probe sampling photon flux from the 823.1 nm excited to ground state transition. Plasma parameter measurements and neutral density profiles will be presented as a function of probe location and engine discharge conditions. A discussion of the measured electron energy distribution function will also be presented, with regards to variation from pure maxwellian. It has been found that there is a distinct primary population found along the thruster centerline, which causes estimates of electron temperature, electron density, and plasma potential, to err on the high side, due this energetic population. Computation of the energy distribution fimction of the plasma clearly indicates the presence of primaries, whose presence become less obvious with radial distance from the main discharge plume.


EDITOR,--We wish to report the "missing data"-- namely, patients' views--in the debate on routine follow up in breast cancer.1 As part of the design process for a multicentre study of hospital follow up versus follow up based in the community we sought patients' views using research methods described by the College of Health.2 Focus groups of women in remission were drawn both randomly and from the network of cancer support groups established around Mount Vernon …


In these days face recognition is a latest approach for the security and authentication of the users in different fields. The main use of the face recognition is in the field of commercial sector and law enforcement applications. The automatic recognition system achieves great success in real time applications. In recognition system, the main limitation is to acquire the outdoor images and their properties are different in each image due to illumination. The main aim of this work is to understand and discuss the recognition process of similar faces. The other aspects related to the recognition system also discussed in this work. The work is based on the recognition from images and videos.


The K 6[(H 2O)Cd(MW 11 O 39 )]·XH 2O(M=Ti、Zr,X=9、12) were synthesized and they were characterized by IR,UV,XRD,TG DTA,Chemical analysis and Conductimetric titration.The effect of K 6[(H 2O)Cd(TiW 11 O 39 )] as corrosion inhibitor on Iron in cooling water and blackening process on surface of iron were studied.These results indicate,that the complexes reported hereby were derivatives of Keggin type complexes.With a good corrosion inhibitive action on Iron in water.


Numerical parametric study is performed to investigate ballistic impact performance of a novel fiber metal laminate (FML) based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber composite and aluminum 2024-T3 layers. A finite element modeling is developed and validated with experimental tests. A user-defined material subroutine based on continuum damage mechanics is used to define damage constitutive model of UHMWPE composite. High velocity impact simulations shows similar modes of failure to that observed in experiments. The effect of various parameters such as metal thickness, composite core thickness, metal volume fraction (MVF), and lay-up sequence on ballistic limit velocity, absorbed energy and specific perforation energy (SPE) of samples has been investigated. The results show that increasing the number of composite layers increases the SPE while increasing the thickness of metal layers decreases the SPE. Although, as the core thickness increases, the growth of SPE decreases. Changes in the lay-up sequence do not have much effect on ballistic velocity and absorbed energy. Whereas, the MVF is an important parameter in the high velocity impact performance of the PERALL specimens. In addition, with equal MVF, stacking sequence change has no significant effect on the ballistic limit velocity. Finally, a simple linear equation is suggested to describe the relationship between MVF and specific perforation energy.


Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures have historically been regarded as structurally unsound in response to seismic events. Retrofit of URM walls in particular is necessary in order to prevent brittle out-of-plane collapse. A new out-of-plane retrofit design for a URM wall was verified through structural testing. The selected retrofit technique incorporates vertical coring of URM walls to allow for the insertion of single unbonded post-tensioning (PT) tendons spaced at a regular interval. Tensioning of PT tendons increases the strength of the wall and allows it to behave in a ductile manner in response to out-of-plane seismic demands. Mortar mix designs were generated and tested such that a mix could be selected to best reflect the target 80-year-old structures in San Luis Obispo, CA. An unreinforced masonry wall using vintage brick from the 1920s was constructed in the testing lab. The wall was subjected to cyclic, pseudo-static outof-plane loading. Testing confirmed that unbonded post-tensioning tendons can be successfully implemented in URM walls to resist out-of-plane loading. Testing showed significant increase of flexural strength and the accommodation of large out-of-plane displacements without collapse. The unbonded PT tendon remained elastic throughout testing and therefore provided a restoring force to the wall returning it to the original alignment after each displacement cycle.


In this study, NaOH dissolution method was applied to dissolve cellulose fibers which extracted from date palm fronds (type Al-Zahdi) taken from Iraqi gardens. In this process, (NaOH)-solution is brought into contact with the cellulose fibers at low temperature. Experiments were conducted with different concentrations of NaOH (4%, 6%, 8% and12%) weight percent at two cooling bath temperatures (-15 oC) and (-20oC). Maximum cellulose dissolution was 23 wt% which obtained at 8 wt% concentration of NaOH and at cooling bath temperature of -20oC. In order to enhance the cellulose fibers dissolution, the sample was pretreated with Fenton's reagent which consists of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), oxalic acid (C2H2O4) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). This reagent reacts with cellulose fibers and produces free radicals which increase cellulose dissolution. In this work three variables were studied: cooling bath temperature (-15oCand-20oC), NaOH concentration (4%, 6%, 8% and12%) and time of Fenton's reagent treatment (1-48) hrs. The results showed that the best percent of cellulose dissolution was (42 wt %) which occurred at treatment time (24 hours), temperature (-20oC) and NaOH concentration 8%. In another set of experiments urea was added to NaOH solution as a catalyst with proportion (6%NaOH+4% urea) at two temperatures -15 and -20 oC. The results show that the solubility of cellulose increase to 62% for the sample which treated with Fenton's reagent and to 35% for the untreated sample, both values were obtained at -15oC.


Aim: Determine the prevalence of peri-implant diseases; mucositis and periodontitis, of patients from the Center of Studies of Continuing Education in Implant Dentistry of the Federal University of Santa Catarina. In addition to the extension of the disease, the proportion of affected implants was studied.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 200 patients presenting 760 external-hexed cylindrical dental implant supported prosthesis with at least 1 year of loading time (range: 1–9 years). Probing depth, bleeding on probing and suppuration data was collected. Radiographs were required to evaluate supporting bone levels around implants.
Results: One hundred and thirty-nine (69%) patients presented all healthy implants, 46 (23%) patients presented peri-implant mucositis and 15 (8%) presented peri-implantitis. The overall outcome was 547 (72%) healthy implants, 161(21%) with peri-implant mucostitis and 62 (7%) with peri-implantitis. Conclusion: According to the results, it is concluded that the prevalence of peri-implant mucositis was 23% and peri-implantitis to 8%.


Herein, the authors examine the presence of internal resonance in aeroelastic structures, and illustrate the pathologies that internal resonance may have on these systems. These studies consider an aeroelastic model which possesses nonlinear aerodynamic loads such as those that arise from aerodynamic stall. Analyses of the equations of motion representing a physical aeroelastic structure are presented. The aerodynamics are in quasi-steady form and implement stall effects which introduce strong cubic nonlinearities into the equations of motion. These nonlinearities lead to a 3:1 internal resonance.


This report discusses many low energy neutron capture gamma ray spectra from many elements. Also, a series of neutron capture gamma ray spectra from a wide variety of meteorite and terrestrial rock samples were obtained.


Floating zone melting is used in crystal growth and purification of high melting materials. The use of a reduced gravity environment will remove the constraint imposed on the length of the zone by the hydrostatic pressure. The equilibrium of the fioatmg zone may involve, (1)Hydrostatic forces, when the zone rotates as a whole. (2)Convective driving forces, when the zone is stationary
but fluid property gradients appear.(3) Hydrodynamic forces, when some parts of the zone are set into motion with respect to others. The last effects are considered in this paper. The flow pattern of a floating zone held between two discs in relative motion is complicated, and thence the solution of the problem is difficult even assuming a constant property-newtonian liquid Nevertheless, when a small parameter appears m the problem, the complete flow field can be split into zones where simple solutions are found. To illustrate this approach, the spin up from rest of an initially cylindrical floating zone is considered with detail. Here the small parameter is the time elapsed from the impulsive starting of motion. Since the problem which has been considered, as well as some others which can be tackled by use of similar methods, concern the viscous layer close to either plate, they can be
simulated experimentally in the ground laboratory with short floating zones. Procedures to produce these zones are indicated.


The chemical potential of the electron gas on a two-dimensional recttangular lattice is determined.An approximate expression for exp(-mu/T) is obtained,and its second order approximation is discussed to some extent.This result will find applications in studies of high temperature superconductors and Q2D organic conductors.


ABSTRACT: The article describes a numerical approach to the flutter analysis of a general two degree-of-freedom oscillatory system moving in the high Reynolds air flow. The main goal of the study was to develop a stable numerical solution of the Navier Stokes equation by means of a stabilization term and to compare the results with an experiment. Two dimensional numerical model of three different rectangular shapes was created and solved in the open code FEMLAB using the combination of structural and fluid elements. The experiments were carried out by a new generation technique allowing excessive amplitudes of the oscillation.


Functional renal homografts have been obtained as long as 14 hours post mortem by a technique of extracorporeal cadaver perfusion. The method has also given satisfactory liver homografts after perfusion up to 2 hours. Details of the technique and experimental and clinical applications are described. Analysis of the data indicates that optimal perfusion times for renal homografts should not exceed 6 hours. For the liver, 2 hours appears to be the maximum tolerable period of perfusion.

For clinical application, certain adjuvant measures are important. Perfusion failure has been encountered in human cadavers, presumably as a result of the presence of a reduced blood volume. This can be prevented by acute postmortem expansion of the intravascular volume with compatible whole blood or plasma. Proper donor selection is as important a factor as the method used for preservation. Indirect evidence is cited that premortem tissue injury in protracted terminal disease may be a greater deterent to success than the parenchymal damage which occurs during postmortem perfusion.

The extension of this technique for the procurement of other organs such as heart and lung is discussed.


ICAR Technical Series No 5 A review was presented on the objectives, scope and current size of the field recording business of ICAR member organizations. In the second part of the paper the on-going trends in animal recording including recording for farm management purposes, quality assurance and breeding purposes are discussed. In the final section, an outlook is given into future recording systems with special reference to ICAR. This includes the scope of farm management aid and the recording of milk and meat producing animals for breeding purposes. Finally, the emerging structures of future farm animal recording organizations is discussed.


The roundabout form of intersection underwent a huge boom in Switzerland in the 1990s. So-called compact roundabouts have proved particularly successful with regard to traffic safety; in many cases it was possible to eliminate accident "black spots" by converting existing intersections. Analysis of accident data has shown, however, that safety improvements have not produced satisfactory results at all roundabouts. Indeed, before-and-after comparisons indicate certain roundabouts actually experienced increases in the number of accidents. The causes of these negative effects appear to lie in local circumstances. A research project was launched to investigate the relationships between accident occurrence, traffic flow, and geometry in the area of roundabouts. The goal of the project was to develop basic principles for a Swiss design standard. The central importance in roundabout design of the deflection of vehicle pass-through tracks by means of the roundabout's central island was established. An insufficient deflection of the vehicle stream from the straight direction of travel results in failures to give way, increased pass-through speeds, and underestimations of these speeds by the other parties in conflict situations. These consequences are manifested in increased accident frequency.


Objective To investigate side-effects and relevant influential factors of total body irradiation(TBI) in pretreatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.Methods From May,1999 to December,2005,total 312 cases undergoing stem cell transplantation pretreated with TBI using Co-60 γ rays were analyzed retrospectively.Total dose delivered was among 7-12Gy,total 1-3 fractions,and 1 time per day were given.The dose rate at body median plane was 4-6cGy/min,mean was (5.2±1.13)cGy/min.Results It was safe and effective with mild and moderate radiation related side-effects(grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ) on general status,gastrointestinal tract,oral cavity mucosa,and bladder responses after TBI,and the TBI was well tolerated and interstitial pneumonitis rate was no more than 10%.There were no issues in occurrence of earlier and late complications.Conclusion Total irradiation dose of 7-12Gy in 1-3 fractions with dose rate of around 5cGy/min in which the lung received maximal dose under 7.5Gy is a safe and effective pretreatment method for hematopoietic stem cell transplantations.


Justification: Exclusive maternal breastfeeding (EBF) is considered to be the ideal type of nutrition for newborns until they are 6 moths ol d. Breastfeeding can however be continued to the age of two or further when associated to complementary nutrition. In spite of these recomendations provided by WHO (World Health Organization), it has been noted that in our hospital teenage mothers lack motivation to establish an effective and long lasting breastfeeding. Objective: To determine the main factors contri buting to lack of motivation towards breastfeeding or early withdrawal and other factors linked to improvement of EBF rates in this group. Methodology: Narrative literature review of researc hes in English and Spanish in the period between 1985 and 2015.Articles were obtained usi ng the following data sources: PUB MED, MEDLINE, LILACS, SCIELO. Results: Early withdrawal is mainly affected by some teenager's behavioural aspects like lack of maturity, lack of knowledge, education, pr imiparity and less favourable social background. Some studies however reveal that mater nal education and special health care would be beneficial to improve EBF rates. Conclusions: Due to their behavioral characteristics, teenage mothers require specific physical and psychological care during pregnancy, labor and pos tnatal period in order to preserve their babies health and their own. It is therefore evi dent that antenatal classe s would be beneficial for this target group. However, case studies are scarce and further investigation is required to establish a link between antenatal classe s and successful exclusive breastfeeding.


The results of researches of dialysis permeability
hydrogel films on the basis of copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl
methacrylate with polyvinylpyrrolidone dependently on their
composition and modes of dialysis have been carried out.
Possibility of synthesized hydrogels applying as the diffusion
dialysis membranes has been confirmed.


The optimal therapy for patients with relapsed indolent B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma is unclear. Combination chemotherapy such as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) or purine analogues including fludarabine are frequently used and the anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab has recently been licensed for use. However, no comparative studies of these therapies have been reported. Since relapsed indolent B‐cell NHL is generally regarded as incurable with current therapies, the place of each of these therapies is likely to be determined by their relative efficacy, toxicity and cost. We undertook a literature review and a retrospective analysis of patients receiving combination chemotherapy for relapsed indolent B‐cell NHL at our institution to determine the response rates and the duration of response when treated with CHOP or fludarabine. Reported response rates and median response duration for these regimens are similar, and similar to those reported in phase II studies of rituximab. A cost minimization analysis was therefore conducted.


cAMP-stimulated Cl– secretion is known to be defective in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, Ca2+ mediated electrolyte secretion still remains intact. We measured the intracelular Ca2+ activity ([Ca2+]i) in the permanent cystic fibrosis cell line CFPAC-1 in connection with electrophysiological investigations. Cells grown on glass coverslips for 2-7 days were loaded with fura-2. The influence of various known pancreatic secretagogues and agonists on [Ca2+]i were tested in an inverted fluorescence microscope. Application of ATP (10-5 mol/l) raised [Ca2+]i within seconds from a mean resting value of 123 ± 33 nmol/l to a peak value of 1,138 ± 304 nmol/l (n = 13). [Ca2+]i returned to basal values when ATP was removed. Similarly, carbachol (CCH, 10–5mol/l; n = 14), neurotensin (NT, 10–8 mol/l; n = 15), epinephrine (EPI, 10–4 mol/l, n = 8) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP 10–8 mol/l, n = 6) increased [Ca2+]i (in nmol/l) from 101 ± 24 to 386 ± 62 (CCH), from 91 ± 19 to 681 ± 8 5 (NT), from 47 ± 7 to 171 ± 29 (EPI) and from 43 ± 9 to 298 ± 153 (VIP). The Ca2+ response was biphasic in the case of ATP and CCH with an initial peak declining to a plateau in the presence of the agonist. The EPI-induced [Ca2+]i increase was always transient, lasting approximately 60 s. Similarly, the VIP– and NT-induced [Ca2+]i increases were transient at concentrations > 10–9 mol/l and showed a [Ca2+]i plateau at 10–9 and 10–10 (VIP) and 10–9 (NT) mol/l. Using Ca2+-free bath solutions, each agonist still showed a transient [Ca2+]i increase. Hypotonic cell swelling (in mosm/1: 240; n = 5; 225; n = 7; 190; n = 6; 160; n = 13) induced an elevation of [Ca2+]i persisting as long as the hypotonic solution was present. The present data indicate that CFPAC-1 cells express P2, muscarinic, NT, VIP and α-receptors, all inducing a rise in [Ca2+]i. The [Ca2+]i elevation caused by these agonists and hypotonicity is probably responsible for the marked increase of Cl– and K+ conductances.


Social networking sites (SNSs) have gained remarkable acceptance in South Africa as platforms for social communication. The increase in platforms or spheres through which SNSs can be accessed has contributed to the growth in numbers of users both in the rural and urban settings. Although this increase in use covers various age groups, young people remain at the forefront of embracing the SNSs. Owing to their popularity and potential, SNSs have since ceased to be platforms only for social communication but have also now been used for more beneficial purposes such as education and health communication. This article thus explores how one SNS (MYMsta.mobi) focussing on HIV/AIDS related issues is being used by young people in South Africa, who in this case are represented by Rhodes University students, with the intent of unveiling the consequences of using such sites towards increasing knowledge on HIV/AIDS and supporting the adoption of preventive efforts. Drawing from a quantitative survey and the use of open-structured questions with Rhodes students, this article argues that when strategically designed and implemented, HIV/AIDS social networking sites can become significant tools towards reinforcing and increasing knowledge about HIV/AIDS which is an essential element towards the adoption of preventive behaviours among young people in South Africa. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n6p191


In this paper, the researcher presented the study of alienation among rural and urban undergraduate students of government and private universities in Rajasthan. for this purpose, 200 undergraduate students (100 from government and 100 from private universities) were randomly selected. out of these 200 students, 75 were from rural background and 125 from urban background. students alienation scale developed by Dr R. R. Sharma was used. results show that male and female undergraduate students of both government and private universities do not differ significantly on total alienation and its all dimensions.


ABSTRACf population of Cal ttri after mast frui observed over 1 f growth rates, m itment in a tropi West Sumatra. E seedlings were e one-ha plot at th however the seco s large as that in 1 rred during the fol Young juveniles ranee to shade u f a mother tree h suffered higher mortality and lower growlh rate in more shaded conditions. Abundanl fruit production by mast fruiting and the following spalial fruil dispersion enabled the establishment in suitable habitats for the next generation. These regeneration mechanisms could be simulated as lime and dis lance being major parameters. Population dynamics over Ihree generations including disappeared grandmother trees was discussed.


None of the published methods of extracting Thysanoptera from foliage samples proved suitable for the estimation of Thrips nigropilosus Uzel on pyrethrum. A new method was therefore evolved which is described in detail and which was found to be effective not only for this problem but for several others involving small leaf or flower-dwelling insects. In addition a coarse technique for field estimations and for use by farmers is briefly described.


Objective:To investigate the relationship between adiponectin gene single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) and atherosclerosis in the Taizhou population.Methods: By using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP) analysis,198 AS patients and 68 controls were characterized for adiponectin gene polymorphisms (-11377C/G,and +276G/T).Results: The frequency of adiponectin gene SNP+276TT genotype and T allele were significantly lower in patients of AS than controls.There was no significant difference in adiponectin-11377C/G SNP genotype among each group,The frequency of SNP-11377 C allele were significantly lower in patients of AS than controls.There was significant difference in C reactive protein,triglyeride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein(LDL-c) and glucose(Glu) between adiponectin SNP+276TT genotype and SNP+276GT+GG.Conclusion: SNP276 polymorphism of adiponectin gene is associated with AS in the population of Han ethnicity in Taizhou.The risk of AS increases in GG or GT genotype compared to TT genotype.The G allele may be a risk factor of AS in Han ethnicity of China.


The synthesis of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers and semi-telechelic polymers (PHPMA) conjugates superoxide dismutase (SOD) is described. The polymer was conjugated with SOD by means ofnondegradable or degradable oligopeptide spacers randomly distributed along the polymer backbone. A second type ofconjugation, to a semi-telechelic polymer, poly(HPMA), (PHPMA) containing reactive chain end groups, with the SOD amino groups formed star structures. Physicochemical properties of the conjugates, such as temperature stability and stability to oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, were studied and compared to native SOD; an increase in temperature stability by the conjugates and an increase in stability towards oxidation with hydrogen peroxide was observed. The in vivo biological evaluation of PHPMA–SOD conjugates showed a significant decrease in immunogenicity compared to free SOD. A preliminary in vivo study of ischemic/reperfusion injury, revealed significantly more pronounced protective effects by PHPMA–SOD conjugates in comparison with the free SOD.


Molecular networking has been used to develop the world's largest repository and data analysis tool for tandemmass spectrometry (MS/MS) data, named Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS). GNPS is being used to decipher the metabolomic 'dark matter' of our world, in everything from plant extracts and microbial cultures to a variety of human and environmental samples, by propagating spectral library-based annotation and showing that there are chemical TIPS 1384 No. of Pages 12


Summary Using a heterologous virus-cell system, an EMC virus interfering substance having many properties similar to those of interferon(3,4) was detected in the growth medium from mouse embryo cell cultures infected with the murine salivary gland virus. The interfering material was non-dialyzable, heat labile at 60°C for one hour, stable at pH 2, not affected by MSGV antiserum, not sedimented at 90,000 X g, and was active in a cell system unable to support MSGV replication. In infected cultures, the rise in MSGV titer was associated with a corresponding rise in the interferon activity. Efforts to relate interferon production to latency in vivo are in progress. The authors would like to thank Mr. John Gehrke for his excellent technical assistance.


The industrial relighting program can provide an excellent opportunity for energy conservation as well as cost reduction. Electric energy saved from relighting with high pressure sodium lamps can have a far-reaching impact on the national economy. However, the problems that also exist in this type of lighting are recognized. The purposes of this program and its up-to-date progress are reviewed. Some of the problems and the most available solutions today are discussed, as are its future prospects.


Diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS), which is also called whole body diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-DWI) [1], has been used for screening bone marrow diseases [2], tumor staging, monitoring, and predicting tumor response to therapy [3]. For a correct interpretation, the signal characteristics of normal biological tissues should be known to better differentiate normal from abnormal tissues. However, the signal characteristics of normal adult bone marrow in diffusion-weighted (DW) images has not been clearly depicted in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, few papers have studied this topic. Ording Muller et al. [4] studied the WB-DWI (b=1000 s/mm2) signal features of bone marrow in the normal lumbar spine and pelvis of 42 children (24 boys, 18 girls; age range, 2 months-16 years) by visual evaluation. High signal intensities both within the vertebral bodies and pelvic skeleton were observed in all children. Two papers indicated that the normal bone marrow apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were negatively correlated with age (0-84 years) [5,6], but one paper did not support the relationship in 53 male participants aged 28-82 years [7]. In clinical practice, visual assessment of signal intensity on DW images is commonly used for diagnosis rather than ADC measurements. However, no literature depicts the DW signal intensity as related to age and gender in normal adults. The purposes of our study were to evaluate the signal characteristic of normal adult bone marrow on WB-DWI as related to age and gender and to determine the causes of the adult bone marrow signal characteristics related to age and gender.


This presentation explores Omega Point, a digital interactive art installation that works as an electronic visualisation of a new theory of consciousness as a quantum physics phenomenon.

Recent discoveries in neuroscience support a twenty-year-old controversial theory of consciousness entitled Orch-OR that states that consciousness does not emerge from complex computational activities inside the brain, as it was previously thought, but rather it emanates from quantum vibrations inside the microtubules. These microtubules are microscopic tubular structures present inside brain neurons.

According to this theory, developed by Sir Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, consciousness exists as quantum information everywhere in the universe; we are merely the receivers of it rather than the creators. The title of the work is borrowed from a term first coined by the French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who believed that Omega Point "is the purported maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which some believe the universe is evolving". The title Omega Point is used here to suggest that, based on the theory by Sir Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, consciousness has already reached that level of maximum complexity and already exists as a force that encompasses the universe.

The electronic visualisation is achieved with the use of custom software and Kinect sensors. The work is split into two parts, the proto-consciousness and the human consciousness. In the proto-consciousness a steady harmonic drone sound is combined with the steady movement of particles in and out of a main particle-light source. It is the proto-consciousness as a Quantum Unity (Figure 1).

In the second part the participant steps into the cyber green grid and launches the Omega Point where the proto-consciousness morphs into a singular human consciousness. The sound is a non-harmonious, high-pitched noise and the participant can experience a figure of him/herself made out of the same particles as the Quantum Unity (Figure 2).

The installation loops between the Quantum Consciousness and Human Consciousness and it invites the participants to perceive themselves as part of a cybernetic universe of infinite quantum information feedback loops.


The biological effects of ELFMES including proliferation and apoptosis of cells as well as the damage of DNA are initially evaluated with the treatment of plant cells and human pulmonary fibroblasts in low frequency magnetic fields with certain intensity and different time intervals in vitro. Cell culture, counting in vitro, fluorescent dyeing analysis and single cell gel electrophoresis are adopted. The results demonstrate that the electromagnetic field with the intensity of 3mT can affect the proliferation and apoptosis of cells significantly.


The advent of the era of artificial intelligence has promoted the transition from financial accounting to management accounting, and financial management has thus entered a new stage. Enterprises should improve the accounting work system, promote the optimization of internal functions, strengthen the use of accounting information technology, and strive to create accounting compound talents in order to promote the healthy and long-term development of the enterprise and realize the double improvement of the economic and social benefits of the enterprise. Based on this, this article mainly analyzes the transition from financial accounting to management accounting in the era of artificial intelligence.


Author(s): Dong, Xiaofei | Advisor(s): Houk, Kendall N | Abstract: The mechanism of NHC catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of lactide and the factors controlling the reactivities of photoswitchable NHC catalysts have been investigated with the DFT method. The general base mechanism is favored comparing to the nucleophilic mechanism for the ring-opening polymerization of lactide catalyzed by NHC. The reactivities of the NHC catalysts are determined by their electrophilicities. The NHCs which are highly electrophilic form adducts in the presence of alcohol. These mechanistic studies will help the design of novel multifunctional catalysts.The initiation mechanism of Z-selective ruthenium catalysts and the effects of anionic ligands on the initiation rates are studied with DFT calculation. The dissociative pathway is favored for the initiation and the metallacyclobutane cycloreversion is the rate determining step. Catalysts with more steric bulk and less nucleophilic ligands have higher initiation rates because of the structural differences between the precatalyst and the transition state.


The rise in the number of elderly in India has invited the attention of medical professional towards the medical and health need of elderly. With genetic, social, environmental, dietary and disease profile differences from their western contemporaries, Indian elderly demand a slightly different approach to their medical and health problems.


This paper analyzes the throughput of an adaptive hybrid ARQ communications protocol used with a continuous-time two-state Markovian channel. The proposed protocol adapts to changes in the channel state. i.e., changes in noise level, by selecting one of two block error-correction codes for each packet according to an estimate of the next channel state; the estimate, based on the error pattern in the previous packet, is fed back to the transmitter via the acknowledgment. We compare throughputs and computational costs of three next-state estimators. The first, an optimal estimator, is shown to be impractical. A second, suboptimal, estimator is found to require negligible computation and memory. An improved suboptimal estimator is also considered. Throughputs are evaluated; numerical results are presented. The throughput improvement due to adaptation is shown to be greater for the continuous-time channel than for the discrete-time channel with sirmilar parameters. The improvemient is also less sensitive to the parameters.


The Council of the European Union has banned marketing cosmetics and its ingredients tested on animals since March 2009. Because of this regulation, various alternatives to animal experimentation to test efficacy or toxicity of cosmetics and other products have been developed. Evaluation of the skin sensitization potential is an important part of the safety assessment of new ingredients in cosmetics and drugs to be applied topically. In recent years, various in vitro alternative methods on the basis of DC maturation were postulated to identify the contact sensitizers. Because of availability and abundance, some monocytic leukemia cell lines (KG-1, THP-1, U-937, and MUTZ-3, etc) were proposed as in vitro dendritic cell differentiation models. Especially, the expressions of CD54 and CD86 on the human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1 are used as indicators for skin sensitization potential after intensive investigation as an in vitro alternative approach for the identification of contact sensitizers. We applied this test method to predict the possibility that Nelumbo nucifera root extract (P7TE) could inhibit paraphenylenediamine (PPD) induced sensitization. While PPD 90 μg/ml induced CD54 expression on THP-1 cells, co-treatment of various concentrations of P7TE and PPD decrease the augmentation of CD54 at the 350 μg/ml of P7TE. We also found similar suppressive effect in Local lymph node assay (LLNA). We suggest that sensitization test method using THP-1 cell could be also applied to screen the substances mitigating allergic contact dermatitis and these substances could be used in cosmetics and quasi drugs.


On the basis of analyzing the shortage of multi-level demand forecast of present inventory control strategies,the paper introduces a new thinking as "transvectional alignment strategy",proposes a new strategy as "core enterprise control inventory" and uses supply chain total henefit mathematical model established by itself to prove the comparative advanages of the strategy quantitatively.


Contents: A Preview. Selective and Nonselective Encoding. Developmental Trends in Information Processing. Developmental Changes in Reasoning. Automatic Learning and Rational Hypothesis Testing. Explaining Learning Sets. A Model of Lower Level Operation. Acquired and Intrinsic Dominance. About Higher Level Processing. An Overview.


This study evaluated the immobilization and mortality effects of selected wet and dry chemical treatments on the giant African snail. The chemical treatments used were 5 g and 10 g respectively of sodium chloride, calcium hydroxide and copper sulphate. Distilled water was used as a control in the wet phase evaluation of the study. In the first phase, each treatment was dissolved in 1000 ml of water. A total of ten (10) snails were submerged into each treatment and this was replicated ten (10) times. In the second phase of the study, 5 g and 10 g respectively of each dry treatment was evenly sprinkled over ten (10) snails within a confined area. This was replicated ten (10) times. It was concluded that the submergence effects of the wet treatment resulted in 100 percent immobilization and mortality for both the calcium hydroxide and copper sulphate treatment at six (6) hours post submergence. The dry treatments had no effect on immobilization and mortality up to six (6) hours post treatment. There was no treatment effect of sodium chloride for both the wet and dry treatments. The study concludes that low cost solutions such as calcium hydroxide can have an effect on the immobilization of the giant African snail. This finding can enable the development of trap designs which could eliminate the one-way door design and enable multiple entrances. Although both calcium hydroxide and copper sulphate solutions were effective for the immobilization and death of the snails, calcium hydroxide is the recommended option given its low toxicological profile when compared to copper sulphate.


Objective:To investige the effect of EPO on hypoxia cardiomyocytes and evaluate the possible molecular protective mechanism.Methods:The survival,apoptotic and necrotic rates of cardiomyocytes were assessed by flow cytometry.Cardiomyocytes were divided into three groups:normal group,hypoxia group and hypoxia treated with EPO group.Bcl-2,Bax,Caspase-3 mRNA levels were determined by Northern-blot analysis while cytochrome C,STAT-3,Caspase-3 protein levels were determined by Western-blot analysis in each group.Results:The survival,apoptotic and necrotic rates of three groups were significantly different(92.1% vs 70.9% vs 89.0%,2.3% vs 18.73% vs 6.0%,3.5% vs 8.0% vs 3.5%,P0.01).At the concentration of 1U/mL of EPO,the protective effects occured,the effects of 5U/mL,25U/mL,and 125U/mL of EPO were similar.Compared with the hypoxia group,the expressions of Bcl-2 mRNA and STAT-3 protein were upregulated while the expressions of Bax,Caspase-3 mRNA and Caspase-3 protein were downregulated significantly in EPO group(P0.01).Conclusion:The optimized concentration for EPO to make effect was 5U/mL.Hypoxia cardiomyocytes were protected by activating JAK-STAT signaling pathway in EPO group.


The utility model relates to a plate rolling machine machining a conical cylinder. The plate rolling machine comprises a machine base, a left roll, a right roll and an upper roll are arranged on the machine base and are parallel to one another, the upper roll is arranged above the position between the left roll and the right roll, a certain gap is formed among the upper roll, the left roll and the right roll, and a sector plate is rolled into a cylinder shape through the gap. A left blocking wheel and a right blocking wheel are arranged on two sides of one end of the machine base only, the left blocking wheel is arranged on the left side of the left roll and fixed to the machine base, the right blocking wheel is arranged on the right side of the right roll and fixed to the machine base, the left blocking wheel and the right blocking wheel block the end face of one side of the sector plate, and therefore the sector plate is rolled into the conical cylinder. The plate rolling machine conducts machining and forming smoothly through the conical cylinder forming theory. The conical cylinder machined through the plate rolling machine meets relevant technical requirements, and machining efficiency is high. When the conical cylinder does not need to be machined, the blocking wheels are removed, and straight cylinders can also be machined through the plate rolling machine. By means of the plate rolling machine, transformation cost of a three-roll plate rolling machine is low, no new machining equipment needs to be purchased, and the forming effect is good.


One strain of actinomyces which can produce cyanine is screened,and named Cya-5.The conditions of cyanine fermentation have been studied,and the results show that the suitable formula of medium is that glycerin 20 g/L,KNO3 1 g/L,K2HPO4 0.5 g/L,MgSO4 · 7 H2O 0.5 g/L,FeSO4 · 7 H2O 0.01 g/L,NaCl 0.5 g/L,pH=8.5,100 mL/250 mL triangle bottle,temperature 30 ℃ fermentation 96 h,and A590 of fermented liquid is 1.202.The crude extracting pigment is obtained by alkali sink method,and its colourity is 45.8.


Paul Smolensky (Johns Hopkins University): Parallel Distributed Symbol Processing: Wellformedness optimization and discretization in cognition Does Optimality Theory provide a satisfactory basis for cognitive modeling of on-line processing? The description of OT as a competence theory—in which potentially infinitely many candidates are each evaluated by all constraints and then compared—is often mistaken as a performance model. But it is of course a basic characteristic of computation theory that an efficient algorithm (a processing theory) rarely corresponds in any direct way to the most insightful characterization (a competence theory) of the function the algorithm computed by the algorithm. OT computation was originally derived from a connectionist-grounded cognitive architecture, and in this talk I will describe how (continuous) connectionist networks can compute (discrete) outputs of OT grammars. These network computations bear no connection whatever to the sequential evaluation, by a sequence of constraints, of an infinite sequence of symbolic candidates. In fact, the only symbolic candidate ever represented in the processing system is the final output. Examples will be given illustrating gradient performance effects resulting from OT competence grammars in phonological production and syntactic comprehension. Outside the domain of language, an application of OT to cross-cultural variation in moral systems—who sleeps with whom—will also be briefly described. Petra Hendriks (University of Groningen, Netherlands): Asymmetries between production and comprehension and the development of Theory of Mind Children's development of production and comprehension do not always go hand in hand. Particularly puzzling are cases where children's production seems to be well ahead of their comprehension, as with object pronouns in languages such as English and Dutch. Such asymmetries between production and comprehension present a challenge to rule-based theories of language, but receive a straightforward explanation in constraint-based frameworks like Optimality Theory. A crucial aspect of such an explanation is the assumption that the adult grammar is the result of bidirectional optimization, which formalizes the idea that mature listeners take into account the speaker's options and choices and vice versa. This talk will discuss the implications of this view for language acquisition and its relation to the development and use of Theory of Mind reasoning. Doug Jones (University of Utah): Linguistic grammar and moral grammar: The case of kinship What is the scope of Optimality Theory? At its narrowest, it might be a theory of phonology only. At its broadest, it might be a theory of cognition in general. I use human kinship as a test case to argue for an intermediate position. OT seems to account for variation in kin terminology, suggesting that it may be useful in explaining the "grammar" of some semantic fields. Beyond this, it may also be useful in accounting for typological variation in rules of marriage, which suggests a role for OT in "moral grammar." Lotte Hogeweg (Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands): Optimality Theory as a general linguistic theory Optimality Theory is mostly associated with phonology but it has been applied to practically all linguistic subfields, including syntax, semantics and pragmatics. In this talk I will discuss the differences that can be identified in the way OT is applied to several linguistic disciplines. In relation to this, I will address the application of OT to kinship terminology by Jones (2010) and discuss why the analysis has more in common with previous OT analyses in the domain of phonology than with OT analyses in the domain of (lexical) semantics. Géraldine Legendre and Mary Schindler (Johns Hopkins University): Bilingualism and the optimizing of code-switching When speaking to one another bilingual speakers routinely and unconsciously code-switch, i.e. switch from one language to another, producing 'mixed' speech. We discuss the case of Urban Wolof, a mixture of French and Wolof spoken in the cities of Senegal which challenges all previous attempts at characterizing code-switching in a constrained fashion. We argue that an OptimalityTheoretic approach straightforwardly captures its otherwise unexpected properties as well as predicts the range of code-switching patterns attested cross-linguistically. A COMPARISON BETWEEN OT AND HG FROM A COMPUTATIONAL PERSPECTIVE


The global economic crisis has threaten the stability of banking systems around the world, which has impact on the Croatian bank. Banks as financial intermediaries between money sufficient and money defi cient subjects through their core business, credit lending, significantly affect the stability and economic development. This study examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the changes in the Croatian banking system which reflected on the amount and structure of bank lending.


Background: In the era of precision medicine, better response of anti-tumor therapies attribute to detection of specific molecular markers. However, up to the present no validated biomarker for platinum-based chemotherapy could be used in clinic. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has been applied for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) molecular typing for years. Whether analysis of homologous recombination (HR) gene mutations based on NGS results could predict the efficiency of platinum-based therapy in NSCLC is still obscure. Methods: NGS has been performed for screening homologous recombination (HR) gene mutations, as well as common driver genes in NSCLC, with tumor samples. Advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy were included for efficacy analysis. Results: 129 patients with HR genes information were included for analysis. Among the 129 patients, 55 patients were received platinum-based chemotherapy. The efficiency results showed the objective response rates (ORR) of patients with BRCA1/2 and without BRCA1/2 mutations were 71.4% and 31.3%; and the median progression free survival (PFS) were 7.5 and 5.6 months(p=0.161), respectively. The ORR of patients with and without HR genes mutations were 57.9% and 25.0%; and the median PFS were 8.0 and 5.3 months (p=0.039), respectively. Conclusions: NGS based profiling of BRCA1/2 and other gene mutations in HR pathways have a promising predictive value for efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in advance and metastatic NSCLC. Citation Format: Linlin Zhang, Xin Wang, Hui Song, Fanlu Meng, Guowei Yu, Diansheng Zhong. NGS based profiling of homologous recombination genes to predict response to platinum-based chemotherapy in NSCLC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 374.


The modulational instability and envelope solitons of ion-acoustic waves have been investigated in an unmagnetized collisionless warm electron–positron–ion (e-p-i) plasma with both the electrons and positrons having nonthermal distribution. Using standard multiple scale perturbation technique a nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) governing nonlinear evolution of the wave envelope has been derived. Using this equation we have shown through numerical analysis that the presence of nonthermal electrons and positrons plays significant role on the formation and the structure of ion-acoustic envelope solitons.


Based on inductive reasoning—case evidence from Indian family business groups and the authors' experience with family businesses in India—this article explores the impact on succession performance of succession to a nonfamily professional manager as compared to a family member, commonly referred to as professionalization of management. An important distinction is drawn between family-owned and family managed businesses and family-owned and professionally managed businesses. Then, drawing from case studies on succession process in three Indian family business groups, the article puts forth five propositions pertaining to the impact of professionalization of management on succession performance. Several directions for further research are indicated.


In a complicated field such as the active and passive immunity of the infant one cannot readily be encyclopedic. The usual limitations of space are, in this case, enhanced by the long span of time covered by pertinent studies of the topic at hand. There are excellent sources of background information on the subject, such as the studies of Ratner, Jackson, and Gruehl,' the chapter on "Natural Antibodies'' in Topley and Wilson's Principles,2 and the excellent, upto-date review sections in a recent monograph by Brambell, Hemmings, and Henderson" In addition, several other papers included in this monograph deal with specific aspects of immunity in the newborn. I shall confine myself, therefore, largely to the citation of selected findings that illustrate or emphasize the turning points in our knowledge or our speculation in this field. Awareness of the existence of immunity to infectious disease in the newborn no doubt goes back to antiquity. Recognition of this immunity as a scientifically observed phenomenon, however, appears to have arisen along with the development of experimental immunization in the 1870's. Bollinger4 may perhaps deserve credit for making the first observations of this type, having reported in 1877 that lambs delivered of recently vaccinated ewes were immune to cowpox. This finding was soon confirmed by Burcbhardt.6 Chauveau6 demonstrated soon afterward that immunity to anthrax could be established in lambs by vaccinating the ewes. Ehrlich similarly showed that maternal immunity to various toxins could be transmitted to newborn m i ~ e . ~ . ~ There followed a series of observations on the transmission of antibodies to diphtheria in guinea pigsg and in rnan,lo. l1 and to tetanus in man," even before Theobald Smith's famous report of this finding in guinea pigs.12 Rosenau and Anderson then demonstrated that sensitivity to horse serum could be similarly transmitted in the guinea pig13 simultaneously with passive immunity to diphtheria toxin.14 In his original studies7 Ehrlich, in beautifully designed experiments, presented evidence that the transmission of passive immunity from mother mice to their offspring was mediated in part through the placenta and in part via the mother's milk. Little attention seems to have been paid to the question raised by these experiments, until FamuleneP showed that artificially induced hemolysins in goats were transmitted to their young through the ingestion of colostrum. The clinical importance of this mechanism was later strikingly shown by Smith and Little,I6 who found that about 75 per cent of newborn calves, if deprived of colostrum, would die of Escherichia coli septicemia, whereas even a single brief ingestion of colostrum resulted in survival. Little and Orcutt,17 in a parallel study, found that Brucella abortus agglutinins were transmitted from cow to calf via colostrum. Howe18 demonstrated that the ingestion of colostrum was rapidly followed by the appearance of euglobulin and pseudoglobulin in the calf's serum-a finding much later confirmed in calves


Kauri (Agathis australis (D.Don.) Lindl.) is a coniferous forest species endemic to New Zealand. This unique resource is currently under threat from Phytophthora taxon Agathis infection that causes kauri die-back. This situation highlights the need not only for reliable clonal propagation methodologies to amplify genotypes exhibiting disease resistance but also the development of protocols that could be used for mature material for ex situ conservation of important genotypes. Understanding the viability of previously stored seed for culture initiations is also critical if trees subsequently die. Six agar-based culture media were compared for their effects on shoot production from in vitro germinated mature zygotic kauri embryos. All root and some hypocotyl tissue was removed from the germinated embryos prior to initiation onto the culture medium. The number of shoots produced was highest (10 per embryo) in a full-strength, modified Quiorin and Lepoivre medium containing 3.5 g L-1 activated charcoal. Four treatments incorporating use of rooting hormones were compared for their effects on root development from shoots produced in vitro. The dipping of stem ends in rooting powder containing talc plus 2% indole-3-butyric acid before transfer to potting mix stimulated root development in 68% of the shoots. Only 5 – 14% of shoots maintained in agar-based cultures with added rooting hormones before transfer to potting mix produced roots. Rooted plants continued to grow vigorously when transferred to standard nursery conditions. Variability among seed sources was high and there was no evidence that genotype influenced in vitro production of either shoots or roots.


We propose a modular rule-based system for Text Simplification and show that it outperforms the state-of-the-art neural-based simplification system in terms of simplicity. We compare the output of both systems to highlight the differences between the two approaches. Further, we present an adaptation of our system to handle domainspecific tasks, where we employ a hybrid approach of our rule-based system and phrase-based machine translation to simplify medical discharge summaries in a low-resource situation. We compile a small medical simplification dataset to evaluate our proposed solution.


Limited ductility and toughness of NiAl and related aluminides near room temperature pose major problems in their potential application as structural materials. An analysis of these problems is presented as part of a review of the flow and fracture behavior of binary NiAl. Following this discussion is a demonstration that conditions of elastic and plastic constraint associated with phase boundaries afforded by surface films, internal lamellae, or precipitates may introduce sufficient densities of mobile dislocations to enhance the ductility of NiAl-based materials by significant amounts. Examples of this behavior are presented for several model materials, including 001- and 123-oriented single crystals of oxide-coated NiAl, directionally solidified beta-gamma-prime (Ni70Al30) and beta-gamma (Ni50Fe30Al20) in situ composites, and several NiAl/precipitate systems. The nature of the resulting dislocation substructures and the effects of several materials variables are described.


The article examines the theory of the short story genre. It deals with the definition of the short story genre and its genesis in Ch. Dickens' works. On the one hand, the writer followed some traditional rules of the short story and the novel. On the other hand, Dickens experimented with genres by mixing the lyric and epic prose, dramatic effects and humor, satire, psychological features and the conditionality.


The 1990 Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students (AFT, NCME, & NEA, 1990) made a documentable contribution to the field. However, the Standards have become a bit dated, most notably in two ways: (1) the Standards do not consider current conceptions of formative assessment knowledge and skills, and (2) the Standards do not consider teacher knowledge and skills required to successfully work in the current accountability and "standards-based reform" context. This article briefly reviews the 1990 Standards and their influence, describes some other lists of assessment knowledge and skills that might be considered in updating them, and then proposes educational assessment knowledge and skills for teachers that reflect current teacher assessment needs. This set of competencies should help focus the work of teachers, teacher supervisors, professional developers, teacher educators, and others responsible for teachers' assessment knowledge and skills.


A simple model is used for dilute polar/nonpolar systems, based on the additivity of electric susceptibilities of a solute/solvent interaction species and a nonpolar solvent. A spherical cavity is considered. Permittivity values, calculated as a function of concentration, are in good agreement with experimental results when the model is applied to systems containing water or lower alcohols in nine nonpolar solvents. The catalytic activities of metallotetraphenylporphyrlns (M-TPP's) and their supported forms on some oxides for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide were studied in buffers of pH ranging between 6.5 and 10.2. Unsupported M-TPP's including H2-TPP showed a small but definite constant activity at pH 10.2 regardless of their central metal ions and tbe first oxidation potentials. Supporting M-TPP on the oxides distinguished Co-TPP from other complexes and TPP ligand. The activity of the former complex was much enhanced by being supported on alumina and nickel oxide, whereas the others lost their activity, suggesting a strong and selective interaction of the catalyst material with the supports. The large conjugate ring of the ligand which has much the same oxidation potential regardless of the central metal ions may provide the active site for the catalysis common to the unsupported catalysts. In contrast, the active site of supported Co-TPP may be assumed to be the central metal ion, which can be modified to be active by the electronic transfer to the support through its axial coordination bond. Increased effective surface area and the hydrophilic nature of the supported catalyst may also contribute to the increase of the activity.


An investigation is performed on the interfacial control of Glass/Polypropylene composites using polypropylene (PP) sheet treated by oxygen plasma. All T-peel tests for each treated specimen are carried out using an Autograph materials testing machine in order to estimate the strength of the interlaminar between the glass fabric and the PP resin. To determine the factors for controlling interfacial bond properties and delamination processes from the test results, two parameters were used, i. e. T-peel strength : calculated from tensile peaks in tension-displacement diagrams and T-peel amplitude : calculated from tensile alternations in it. The present plasma treatment increases the T-peel strength and amplitude about 50% and 120% higher than non-treated spacimens, respectively. These results that the properties of the interface between the fiber and the resin were effectively improved by this process. It was found that the T-peel strength was related to the surface energy of the PP sheet, which was calculated from the contact angle of distilled water. The T-peel amplitude was related to the fracture morphologies of the delamination surface.


This diploma thesis deals with the issue of the eradication of infectious polio and its current problems. Polio is a highly infectious disease of viral origin. The most effective form of protection from the disease is vaccination. The main aim of this work was to determine the major issues in polio surveillance in the Pilsen region at present. Intermediate goals were determined in relation to the main aim: to ascertain the awareness of practicing paediatricians about the principles of poliomyelitis surveillance with an emphasis on diagnosing and reporting cases of acute palsy and further to ascertain the quality of the cooperation between the locally competent public health authority and practicing paediatricians in the field of poliomyelitis surveillance. The work is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. The practical part was elaborated using a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews with practicing paediatricians and with the locally competent public health authority. The research was participated in by 9 practicing paediatricians and one public health authority worker from the Pilsen region, with an average length of practice of 20 years. The resulting data was then evaluated by a coding method and divided into schemes according to Svařicek and Seďova (2007). Three research questions were defined based on the set aims: RQ1: What do practising paediatricians see as the prime problems in polio surveillance? RQ2: How many cases of acute palsy do practising paediatricians record and subsequently report to the competent public health authority? RQ3: What is the quality of the cooperation between practising paediatricians and the locally competent public health authority? The research revealed that, according to the practising paediatricians, the problem in poliomyelitis surveillance is refusal of the vaccination and the associated decreasing immunisation coverage of the population. The next most commonly reported problem was population migration. Furthermore, it was found that not one practising paediatrician recorded or reported cases of acute palsy in their surgery. Only one respondent encountered acute palsy 10 years ago. The answer to the last research question is also apparent from the information obtained. More than half of the respondents agreed that so far there is no cooperation on this issue. Although four respondents stated that the cooperation is at a high level and is of very good quality.


Substrate is one of the key factors affected the nitrification efficiency in biofilter. In this study, biofilter with bamboo sphere substrates was used to treat high concentration nitric seawater which was simulated by synthetic nutrient of wastewater with high TAN concentration. The results showed that the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen was beyond 70% and the effluent after treatment was satisfied with the requirement of aquaculture water quality when the flow rate was 0.5~2.5 m·h-1, the temperature was 18~28 ℃ and the volume of air to water was 1∶1. The optimum hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 1 hour when the water flow rate was 0.5~2.5 m·h-1. The compatible height of substrates was 60 cm at he flow rate 1.0 m·h-1 and the volume of air to water being 1∶1. The biofilter with bamboo sphere substrates showed a good perspective for the treatment of high concentration nitric seawater.


Abstract Please click here to download the map associated with this article. PG Wodehouse is widely considered to be one of the best known and best loved English comedic authors and one of his most loved creations was that of Blandings Castle. In recent years researchers within the English Literature discipline have tried to pinpoint the location of Blandings, using the author's memoirs and interviews, along with architectural research and site visits. A split site location has been the result of this earlier work, covering Sudeley Castle, Weston Park, Shifnal and Buildwas. In this research we use a multi-criteria evaluation method through GIS and spatial analysis to create a surface of suitability for Blandings using clues from the Wodehouse novels. The final result of this is that Apley Park in Shropshire best fulfils the geographic criteria extracted from Wodehouse's novels.


One gelator consisting of four amide units and one chromophore was designed and synthesized. These four amide groups could induce the self-assembly of the gelator molecules in one-dimensional (1-D) direction. Two cyano and one nitro terminal groups were also appended into the chromophore as electron withdrawing groups to make the gelator's own typical D–π–A electron structure. As a result, it was found that the color of the gel phases, the sol–gel phase transition temperature, microscopic morphologies, emission behaviour and response to anions were dependent on the solvent because of the different packing models and solvation effect in different solvents. For example, the color of the DMSO gel was orange, but ODCB gel possessed a yellow color. In addition, multicolor emission could be realized in DMSO gel systems, but ODCB gels only emitted yellow fluorescence. Moreover, the gelator was responsive to F−, H2PO4− and OAc− in DMSO, but in ODCB it selectively responded to F−.


This paper aims to investigate the influences of the quality of dried timber and the surface property changes of wood materials on bonding interface in the microscopic level and to establish the inter-relationship between the bonding interface properties and the bonding mechanical strength in the macroscopic level,thus to make out the effect of the quality of dried wood on the bonding strength.By using mathematical analyzing method,theoretic assertions of how to improve the characters of the bonding interface are presented,which could be used for optimizing wood drying techniques and controlling wood drying process so as to let the quality of dried wood meet the requirement of design of bonding structure.


The objective of this experiment was to determine effects of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), derived from parasite‐resistant St. Croix (STC) and parasite‐susceptible Suffolk (SF) sheep, on motility of Haemonchus contortus L3 stage larvae in vitro. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 10 lambs of each breed, 5 naïve and 5 which had received a priming infection with H. contortus. Larval motility was quantified using a MIF Nikon Sweptfield microscope and NIS Elements AR software, and measurements included path length (PL) (μm), velocity (VEL) (μm/s) and acceleration (ACC) (μm/s2). After 18 h of incubation, PL and VEL were greatest in larvae cultured with SF‐derived PMBC and were significantly different from all other groups (P < 0·01). No difference was observed in PL or VEL between larvae exposed to naïve or primed STC‐derived PBMC and primed‐SF PBMC. Differences in ACC were detected between larvae cultured with primed STC‐derived PBMC (10·91 μm/s2) and naïve SF‐derived PBMC (45·7 μm/s2) (P = 0·035). These data indicate an innate ability of STC‐derived PBMC to severely inhibit larval motility.


A new experimental device has been constructed to study the flux build-up and sustainment of a field reversed configuration (FRC) with a rotating magnetic field (RMF). Even though complete penetration was expected from RMF theory, the RMF field was observed to penetrate only a few centimeters inside the FRC separatrix. Despite the limited penetration, significantly larger toroidal currents (40 kA) were driven than in previous experiments (∼2 kA) with the same RMF field. The high currents and lack of deep penetration allowed the axial field to be the dominant field throughout the FRC. The radially inward pondermotive force arising from axial screening currents at the FRC edge had a significant influence on energy and particle confinement, reducing convective losses to the limit of observability. With only ohmic heating, the measured low ion temperatures (2 eV) left the ions unmagnetized while the electrons (∼40 eV) were well magnetized. No destructive instability was observed for the RMF driven FRC despite...


This study aims to: (1) Knowing the description of the needs of Islamic Religious Education learning media (2) Knowing the design of the media (3) Knowing the valid and practical learning media (4) Knowing the effective learning media . The development procedure is based on 4-D development, namely "define, design, develop, and disseminate". Results of the study 1) Need of Islamic education instructional media, necessary given the scope of material is very wide and time is very limited. 2) An overview of the design of learning media through stages; a) design, b) The design of the device c) Development Instrument Design d) learning media design 3) Media Learning is valid, the media validation has average of 4.7 is excellent. The average learning aspect is 4.6 very good. The average learning aspect is 4.8 in the very good category . While the practicality by looking at the activities of students and teachers the average value of 4 categories is carried out. 4) Overview of effectiveness a) Student activities by observing. In general, student activities are in the range of tolerance limits, b) the teacher's response obtained an average value of 4.57 (89%) very good category.


Generating motions for robot arms in real-world complex tasks requires a combination of approaches to cope with the task structure, environmental noise, and hardware imperfections. In this paper we present an efficient framework for adaptive motion task learning on real hardware that consists of task transfer, probabilistic roadmaps (PRM), and an online reinforcement learning algorithm. Online refers to the agent making decisions and then receiving information about that decision immediately after the decision has been made, instead of receiving a complete training set. The task transfer jump starts training on the hardware with knowledge learned in simulation. To achieve faster trainings speeds we integrate a PRM with the learning agent. For motion-based task learning, we use a reinforcement learning algorithm loosely based on human cognition. We demonstrate the framework by applying it to two pointing tasks on a 7 degree of freedom Barrett Whole Arm Manipulator (WAM) robot. The first task has a stationary target and illustrates the ability of the framework to quickly adapt and compensate for hardware noise. The second task goes a step further and introduces a non-stationary target, demonstrating the framework's ability to adapt quickly to a new environment and new task.


The Qiarbahete complex in NW China consists of gabbroic diorite, granodiorite, and late-stage quartz diorite porphyry veins. Zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb analyses show that the gabbroic diorite and granodiorite formed at 368 ± 5.2 Ma and 354 ± 4.1 Ma, respectively, indicating that the complex was emplaced in the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous. The gabbroic diorites, characteristic of Sanukitoids, exhibit high Mg# (62 average), MgO (6.84% average), Cr (195 ppm average), and Ni (61.4 ppm average) contents. The rocks show moderately fractionated rare earth element (REEs) patterns and weak negative Eu anomalies (δEu: 0.83–0.89), enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), and depletion of high field strength elements (HFSEs), with low ϵNd(t) values (1.46–1.73). The gabbroic diorites originated from partial melting of a hydrous mantle wedge followed by assimilation of crust during ascent. The granodiorites show a geochemical affinity with adakitic rocks, e.g. SiO2 (64.95–67.87%) > 56%, Al2O3 (15.88–16.56%) > 15%, MgO (1.79–2.31%) < 3%, Sr (315–375 ppm) > 300 ppm, and Yb (1.84–2.06 ppm). They are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and LILEs and depleted in HFSEs, with weak negative Eu anomalies (δEu: 0.78–0.87). The granodiorites were mainly derived by the partial melting of a subducted oceanic slab, followed by subsequent melt–mantle interaction and crustal rocks contamination. All these indicate that the Qiarbahete complex was emplaced in a continental arc setting attending the southward subduction of the Junggar Ocean during the Late Devonian–early Carboniferous, generating the lateral accretion of continental crust in NW Tianshan.


Through a careful study of genealogical records in Chinese and Malay on the two branches of the Han family in Surabaya,East Java,and analysis of relevant local gazetteers,this article has an in-depth examination on the history of Han family,including the leading family members,local social structure,the assimilation,as well as the key role played by the Han family in local economic life,with the hope to better understand the assimilation and cultural adaptation patterns of Chinese migrant families in Southeast Asia.


In the seventeenth century the process of appointing court musicians was often complicated by struggles between conflicting agendas. Recently discovered letters of Saxon Prince Johann Georg II (1613–80) document the nature of the process in Dresden during the tenure of court Kapellmeister Heinrich Schtz, and the attempts of Schütz and the prince to steer Elector Johann Georg I's hiring decisions in a direction that would further their cause: the cultivation of an awareness of the modern Italian style of singing in the Dresden court musicians. The letters reveal the previously unknown collaborative effort of Schütz and the prince to fill the position of vice-Kapellmeister with the 'right ' musician (i.e. an Italian or Italian-trained one), and to keep the 'wrong ' man out of the job. In the course of this enterprise, the prince participated in the negotiations for several appointments, including that of Christoph Bernhard, whom he then sent to a northern court to study with an Italian singer. Although the collaborators' mission ended in failure, the story of their efforts casts light on the musical politicking at a seventeenth-century court and on the implications such campaigns had for the lives of individual musicians.


The following functions of the spleen can be considered, in the light of current knowledge, unquestionable: 1) it is an organ of physiological and pathological destruction of blood; 2) it regulates the exchange of iron in the body; 3) it is the main organ of formation of anti-bodies; 4) finally, it regulates, in the sense of suppression, washout of eosinophilic leukocytes from places of their formation.


We present a simple picture of the gauge factor (GF) enhancement in highly heterogeneous materials such as thick-film resistors. We show that when the conducting phase is stiffer than the insulating one, the local strains within the latter are enhanced with respect to the averaged macroscopic strain. Within a simple model of electron tunneling processes, we show that the enhanced local strain leads to values of GF higher than those expected for a homogeneous system. Moreover, we provide formulas relating the enhancement of GF to the elastic and microstructural characteristics of thick-film resistors.


ENERGY. Our world confronts few, if any, challenges of a greater global importance. During recent years, and especially over the past few months, we have seen an increased emphasis on energy systems in the scientific literature, the popular press, and in legislative discourse. We read weekly about potential developments for alternative energy sources, distribution systems, and storage systems. But the path forward is not clear. There are many parallel avenues for research with different goals and timelines. A number of the adjectives we apply to the word "energy" change our view of what we need for the future: affordable, available, secure, renewable, safe, environmentally friendly, accessible, et cetera. But all of these descriptors focus our attention on just one facet of our future energy supply needs. How do we, as a nation, select the right research and development projects to invest in? What is the desired outcome, and what data do we need to consider ...


Two archaea walk into a bar and the bartender says, "If you guys are going to start in with the jokes again, Woese is me."


Weekly prospective treatment conferences for breast cancer are the mainstay of most comprehensive breast centers. It is at this conference that the multidisciplinary experience of patients seeing multiple physicians becomes interdisciplinary in nature - with the multiple physicians discussing the same patients and reaching a consensus recommendation. These prospective conferences typically include a single hospital medical staff. This article describes the efforts in northwest Houston where physicians from several competitive hospitals have developed a bi-monthly, regional breast cancer conference with the purpose of discussing problems encountered with complex cases and solutions attempted. The article discusses the due diligence process required to establish a regional conference and the inevitable OncoPolitics that arose among the physicians. The program has evolved into a mature meeting characterized by open and honest dialogue, collaborative discussion, and a sincere commitment to the conference.


We examined the demographic structure and mortality rate of the Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population from the early 2000s when the population increased rapidly to the late 2000s when the growth rate slowed down. We calculated life tables based on the age structure of hunted grey seals in the Finnish sea area. The catch was treated as a sample of the dying part of the population. The catch was male biased and the proportions of female pups and mature males in the catch increased from the early to late 2000s. Annual mortality rate of the youngest age classes was high and higher among males than females, which resulted in low sex ratio (males to females) of the population. Sex ratio was, however, higher in the latter years due to the increased mortality rate of females, especially those < 10 years of age. Accordingly, the proportion of mature females in the population decreased and relatively fewer pups were produced during the late 2000s than in the early 2000s.


Currently, dental implant procedures for prosthodontic rehabilitation of edentulous situations have received widespread acceptance. Osseointegration is a process, which signifies the simultaneous activity of the osteoclasts, and osteoblasts in the process of bone repair, bone formation, and bone adaptation for better functioning process. Various inflammatory biomarkers have critical role in the wound healing in the placement of dental implants. Hence, this particular review was planned for assessing inflammation of peri-implant tissues and various biomarkers in the restoration of edentulous arches by dental implants.


The broad goal of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of fully solid-state ornithopter-like flight using only smart materials. To this end, first, a parametric static and dynamic finite element analysis is conducted to understand the behavior of a non-active rectangular composite wing. A one-piece plate-like wing surface was assumed similar to the glide planform of a Great Blue Heron. Several non-active composite wings and one active wing prototypes were fabricated. The flapping and twisting motions of the wing were induced with the use of several distributed surface-bonded piezocomposite actuators. In preliminary experiments, a commercially available microcontroller and a high-voltage converter was used to excite the active piezocomposite wing demonstrating tip deflections in excess of 10 cm. A one degree-of-freedom testing apparatus constrained to the lift direction is used to simulate boundary conditions as experienced during flight. This paper focuses on detailed theoretical and experimental analyses on the fabricated prototypes. Results for halfinactive-wing force-displacement response and full-active-wing voltage-displacementresponse are presented.


Map shows location and types of United States and Mexican troops at each battlefield. Includes legend on Palo Alto map. Scale [ca. 1:22,000].


Titanium alloys offering lower elastic modulus,excellent corrosion resistance and enhanced biocompatibility are ideal biomedical materials.The development history of medical titanium alloys and research status of new β-type titanium alloys and developed new alloy system are summarized.Among current developed biomedical titanium alloys,the modulus of elasticity of Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta and Ti-29Nb-13Ta-7.1Zr alloys is 55GPa,very near the modulus of density bone,and have better mechanical compatibility with natural bone.