Abstract Background Destructive thyroiditis is the most common endocrine immune related adverse event (iRAEs) in patients treated with anti-PD1/PD-L1 agents. Given its self-limited course, current guidelines recommend no treatment for this iRAE. Nevertheless in patients with enlarged thyroid volume and a poor performance status, thyrotoxicosis may be particularly severe and harmful. Aim of the study is to evaluate if steroid treatment might be useful in improving thyrotoxicosis in subjects with a poor performance status. Methods We conducted a case-control study, comparing the course of thyrotoxicosis of 4 patients treated with oral prednisone at the dosage of 25 mg/d (tapered to discontinuation in three weeks) and an enlarged thyroid volume to that of 8 patients with similar thyroid volume who were left untreated. Results No difference was found between the two groups at the onset of thyrotoxicosis (time 0) in demographic characteristics and in the levels of thyroid hormones. The levels of thyroid hormones were lower in subjects treated with prednisone compared to those untreated at time 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 60 and 90 days (P<0.05 at each time). The median time to remission of thyrotoxicosis was 24 days in patients treated with steroids and 92 days in untreated patients (P<0.001). At 6 months, the rate of evolution to hypothyroidism was similar in the 2 groups (4/4 in steroid group vs 7/8 in untreated group, P=0.74) and no difference was found in tumor progression (Progression free survival in treated group 5.1 months vs 5.0 months in untreated patients, P=0.89). Conclusion A short period of prednisone therapy is useful to restore more quickly euthyroidism in patients with a poor performance status and a severe destructive thyrotoxicosis induced by PD-1 blockade. This treatment does not impair the efficacy of immunotherapy. Presentation: Sunday, June 12, 2022 11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.


This paper presents the results of a study on performance of flexible stab resistant ceramic-based composite body armour that our research group has initiated, designed, assembled, and tested. The test outcomes were characterized in terms of the kinetic energy of the stabbing weapon at impact and the depth of penetration of the stab into the armour. A neutral date fitting model that departs from the classical least square approach is proposed. The test results show that the flexible panels are especially suitable for medium and low protection levels and by comparison with rigid panels, the flexible panels allow a deeper penetration which increases with thrust energy.


This study analyzes the spatial genes of traditional villages by taking Zhang Guying village in northern Hunan Province as an example.Starting from the theory of heterogeneous isomorphism, we discover the methods and paths of identifying, presenting and translating the spatial genes of traditional villages in Hunan region.Through the gene identification extraction method, it analyzes the spatial and cultural genes of Zhang Guying village and obtains the genetic elements and composition of the traditional villages.Based on the design model of gene translation, the "Duanwu family" is systematically analyzed, and it can build a traditional village regeneration and development system.In view of this, his research relies on the application of "heterogeneous isomorphism" theory, which can be obtained from the gene translation method, isomorphic design model.It can promote the regenerative continuation of traditional villages and low-carbon ecological development.


An increase in the content of heavy metals in the environment causes many socio-environmental problems, and phytoremediation is a tool to reduce the environmental impact caused by these elements, with prospects for the use of forage grasses. This group of plants features characteristics for the environment-decontamination process, but further studies are necessary about the damages caused by heavy metals on the uptake of cationic micronutrients and on the antioxidant system, which are essential processes for the growth of plants in contaminated sites. Exposure of forage grasses to heavy metals results in a lower content of Mn in the shoots of almost all plants, but the contents of Cu, Fe, and Zn vary according to heavy metal and forage grass. Activities of enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) usually increase to reduce the oxidative stress induced by heavy metals, but when the content of any of these metals is high, enzymatic activity is decreased. Scale of toxicity of heavy metals to forage grasses can be described as: Pb ≈ Cr > Cd ≈ As > Zn ≈ Cu ≈ Ni > Mn.


[Purpose]To observe the biodistribution and therapeutic effects of nuclide 125I-labeled lipiodol ultra-fluide (LUF)in the treatment for patients with primary liver cancer (PLC). [Methods]125I-LUF was prepared by the isotopic exchange reaction. Sixty patients were enrolled in the study. They were divided into three groups : group A, 19 patients treated with I251-LUF plus external radiation;group B,21 patients with 125 I -LUF; group C, 20 patients with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) . The average number of times in A , B and C group treated with TACE were 2.56, 2.48 and 2.60 , respectively.The median values of the radiation dose( MBq/ case) of A, B group were 303.77±120.99 and 350.02 ± 163.91, respectively. [Results] The result of biodistribution study and SPECT showed that 125I was retained within the tumor for a long time. The response rate (CR + PR + MR) ofA,B and C groups was 68.42% (13/19), 47.6% (10/21) and 25% (5/20), respectively (P0.05),and decrease level of AFP were 84.6% (11/13), 85.7% (12/14) and 60.0% (9/15) , respectively(P 0.05) .The 1, 2, 3, 4years cumulative survival rates were 94.74%, 80.64%, 69.12% and 69.12% in group A; 58.38%, 58.38%, 43.79% and 29.19% in group B; 32.73% ,26.18% ,26.18% and 0 in group C, respectively(P 0.0009). The median survival months of A,B,C groups was 40.96(95%CI = 33.30%-48.62%), 30.83(95%CI = 22.29% - 39.37%) and 17.04(95%CI= 11.72% - 22.37%), respectively. [Conclusion] ① 125I-LUF can retain within the tumor for a long time .②Marked effect with 125 I-LUF might be due to the synergistic effects of internal radiotherapy and external radiation combination enhancing the killing effect to tumor cell. ③125I-LUF internal radiation combined with external radiation therapy may be considered as a safe and effective method for PLC with portal vein thrombosis.


In the last few years, the number of businesses establishing a presence on the World Wide Web (WWW) has grown exponentially. The question of how to construct the Internet Website effectually has ...


A 40-year-old male who had been undergoing dialysis for 21 years was investigated for progressive hypercalcemia in the context of very high intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Three years earlier, he had developed secondary hyperparathyroidism and had undergone a partial parathyroidectomy. Imaging showed a functional parathyroid gland in the inferior portion of the left thyroid gland. Cervical exploration was performed with a total parathyroidectomy and autotransplantation of the normal gland into the forearm. The histology of the inferior parathyroid gland showed invasive parathyroid carcinoma. Parathyroid carcinoma is rare in the normal population and in hemodialysis patients; only 21 cases involving dialysis patients have been reported. This is the first report in Korea. We review the diagnostic and therapeutic information on the management of parathyroid carcinoma in the setting of hemodialysis.


1. Introduction Retrograde analysis is a qualification and generation technique of positions in two-player, complete information games. In Chess [Thomson 1986], retrograde analysis enabled researchers to generate all six-piece positions [Thomson1996] and most of seven-or-eight-piece positions, retrograde analysis was used to solve these games.


The purpose of this research is to analyze the naming of business places in South Tangerang. The theory used in analyzing naming is Chaer's theory (2009). This study uses a qualitative research model. The data collection process carried out in this study used the documentation method, followed by the observing and noting method. The data in this study are presented in a descriptive form or informal method. Based on the results of this study it was found that from 35 data on the naming of business places in South Tangerang, there were grammatical, lexical, and connotative meanings. In addition, the naming process that occurs in 35 data on the naming of business premises in South Tangerang, produces 23 data based on inventors or makers, 2 data based on characteristics, 4 data based on new names, 2 data based on place of origin, 1 data based on material, 1 data based on owner and shortening, 1 data based on new naming and owner, 1 data based on uniqueness and new naming. So, it can be concluded that the naming of business places in South Tangerang is dominated by the process of the inventor or maker because most of the business places use the name of the owner or maker.


The invention relates to an antenna system and an antenna thereof. The antenna system comprises an antenna array which is provided with a plurality of antennae and at least one baffle which is used for separating two adjacent antennas. Each antenna comprises a first surface and a second surface; wherein, the first surface comprises a metal area coated by metal and a pore area which comprises three pores. Each pore is provided with a first area and a second area; the first areas of the pores are connected with each other; and the second areas thereof extend in different directions. The second surface is coated by a metal line segment which ends in the position corresponding to the signal feed pore and is used as a signal feed end. The signal feed pore is one of the three pores.


The reversibility of the first stage of adsorption of zwitterionic cytochrome c on a hydrophobic quartz surface was investigated using time‐resolved slab optical waveguide (SOWG) absorption spectroscopy. Using a novel prism‐free broadband coupling approach, absorbance data were collected successfully at a 50 ms time interval during the first few seconds after solution–surface contact. Near the isoelectric point where the cytochrome c molecules possess a net charge of zero and hence cannot be influenced by an electric field, the speed at which adsorption proceeded was found to be dependent on cytochrome c concentration as well as on surface hydrophobicity. It was also observed that the degree of protein adsorption increased as the surface hydrophobicity was increased. Within 6 s the adsorption process appeared to be reversible, as revealed by extremely low chi‐squared values when the absorbance data were fitted into the reversible Langmuir‐type kinetic model. The standard Gibbs free energy of adsorption was also calculated from the absorbance data. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the culmination of diabetes mellitus that results in unrestrained ketone body formation in the liver, metabolic acidosis, severe dehydration, shock and possibly death. Hepatic lipid metabolism becomes deranged with insulin deficiency and nonesterified fatty acids are converted to acetyl-co-enzyme A (acetyl-CoA) rather than being incorporated into triglycerides. AcetylCoA accumulates in the liver and is converted into acetoacetyl-CoA and then ultimately to ketones including acetoacetic acid, beta-hydroxybutyrate (primary ketone in dogs and cats) and acetone. As insulin deficiency culminates in DKA, accumulation of ketones and lactic acid in the blood and loss of electrolytes and water in the urine results in profound dehydration, hypovolemia, metabolic acidosis and shock. Ketonuria and osmotic diuresis caused by glycosuria causes sodium and potassium loss in the urine exacerbating hypovolemia and dehydration. Nausea, anorexia and vomiting, caused by stimulation of the chemoreceptor trigger zone via ketonemia and hyperglycemia, contribute to the dehydration caused by osmotic diuresis. Dehydration leads to further accumulation of glucose and ketones in the blood. Stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine contribute to the hyperglycemia in a vicious cycle. Eventually severe dehydration may result in hyperviscosity, thromboembolism, severe metabolic acidosis, renal failure, and finally death.


A strain of Penicillium expansum Thorn, tolerant to benomyl (methyl 1-(butyl-carbamoyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate) was recently isolated from pears in South Australia (8). Tests similar to those previously described (8) were used to evaluate the effect of chlorothalonil (tetrachloroisophthalonitrile) and captan (N-trichloromethylmercapto-4 cyclohexene-1, 2-dicarboximide) on spore germination and growth of this strain. One or two colonies of P. expansum developed on each agar plate containing chlorothalonil and several of these colonies were used to confirm the sensitivity to chlorothalonil and to compare the incidence of tolerance in different strains. Aqueous suspensions of wettable powder formulations of fungicides were incorporated into potato dextrose agar (P.D.A.) just before the plates were poured. Each fungicide treatment was replicated at least twice and each plate was inoculated with a 0.08 ml drop of spore suspension in five separate areas. Spore suspensions of approximately 3.5 x 10 spores/ml were prepared for each strain by vigorously shaking several 8 to 10 rnrn" pieces of culture in sterile distilled water plus 0.1% v/v wetting agent. Plates were held at approximately 21°C and examined after 10 to 14 days. The P. expansum strains used were, (1) Wild Strain previously shown to be sensitive to benomyl. Originally isolated from pears but since transferred at least three times on P.D.A. least three times on P.D.A. (2) Benomyl Tolerant Strain previously shown to be tolerant to benomyl. Originally isolated from pears dipped in benomyl but since transferred at least three times on P.D.A. (3) Suspect chlorothalonil tolerant strain taken directly from chlorothalonil amended plates (750 and 1500 ,LIgm/ml) that had been inoculated two weeks previously with the benomyl tolerant strain.


ODDITY IS NOT A MEDICAL CONdition that can be treated or cured. But Fred Cerise, MD, says the sheer peculiarity of reassembling health care systems, jobs, and homes a year after Hurricane Katrina pummeled New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast hangs over health professionals in the city like a chronic illness. "Our biggest challenges have to do with just the oddity of this entire situation, of putting society back together en masse," said Cerise, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, during an August briefing on the state of New Orleans' health that was sponsored by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. "It's not as if we are going to evolve back into normalcy here, and so we have issues dealing with work force and infrastructure that are just incredibly complicated," he said. "When we look at work force issues, things like housing become such an important piece. That's just hard to overcome."


A method for displaying shared electronic calendars, comprising: initiating (704) an application (200) calendar software; selecting a plurality of calendars (240, 250, 260) to display in the view frame common display; passing to each selected calendar a position of display in the view frame; passing to each selected calendar a size of display in the view frame; and displaying each selected calendar in the view frame simultaneously in direction side by side, characterized by obtaining a view mode and display settings for a calendar selected first, wherein the view mode is the interval current calendar time; calculating an amount of space of the view frame required for displaying each selected calendar simultaneously; and passing (734) the view mode and display settings of the first selected calendar to each additional selected calendar through an object view data, wherein the view mode is a daily view mode, the step of displaying each selected calendar in the view frame simultaneously in direction side by side, further includes displaying each selected calendar with the same daily view mode and display settings that the first selected calendar passed to each calendar additional selected, and display a banner (360) all day events over a rod (350) time for each displayed calendar, wherein enlargement of the banner events throughout the day for any given selected calendar causes a Similarly enlargement banners events all day all displayed calendars.


The supply of electrical energy to industrial, civil and laboratory equipment and installations takes place by means of contacts and conductors on which a part of the transmitted power is dissipated by thermal effect. Especially on the connection surfaces between the conductors and the loads they feed, such as sockets, contacts, switches, the power dissipated by the thermal effect can have dangerous values. Therefore, the present paper aims to study the data obtained through in-situ measurements in the electrotechnical laboratory on the heating of several types of contacts through which electrical loads are supplied in the laboratory. The measurements were carried out with a high-accuracy thermal imaging camera that determined the thermal behavior of the contacts and conductors at different distances from the connection terminals of the conductor with the electrical loads fed through that conductor. An increase in the temperature of the contacts was found both near the connection. Moreover, this increase depends also on the values of the power absorbed by the load. The change of the temperature of the conductors used in the laboratory was small, not being noticed by the thermal imaging camera. The results of the measurements were then used to develop mathematical models of the dependence of the temperature of the contacts depending on time and depending on the type of load. These models are useful for optimal choice of types of conductors and of different types of connections between the conductors and the load. The measured (real) data and numerical models obtained can also be used in the design of industrial and civil electrical installations.


Background: Injury is an increasing cause of
childhood morbidity and mortality globally. Purpose: The objective of
the study was to evaluate caregivers' perception of unintentional child and
adolescent injuries in Enugu. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected from caregivers of children attending the
children's outpatients' unit of the hospital during the period of the study,
who were selected consecutively using semi-structured interviewer administered
questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. The level of
statistical significance was set at p Results: A total of 728
caregiver-child pairs were interviewed, out of which 526 (72.3%) recalled history of injuries in their wards within the past
12months. Most of the injuries occurred at home (334; 63.5%), in males 329 (62.5%), and in the 1 - 4 years age group 239 (45.4%).
On further analysis, age of the child, male sex, residence in rural area and stage
of child's development significantly predicted the risk of having an
unintentional injury. Majority of the interviewees had heard of first aid (432;
59.3%) though only a few 23 (5.4%) actually owned well equipped first aid boxes.
Most of the respondents felt that injuries in children were preventable, 429
(58.9%). However, a good number agreed that they needed clear education on
preventive measures of childhood injuries, 485 (66.6%). Conclusion: Unintentional
injuries occur commonly in children and are largely preventable. Appropriate
health and environmental education is needed to reduce the rising incidence of
injuries in children in our setting.


On the 30th of January 2020, The WHO proclaimed COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International concern. As a direct response to COVID-19, on the 14th of March 2020, the Pakistani government decided to close all educational institutions and directed Higher educational institutions in Pakistan to begin distance learning (DL) modes and to assist their students online regularly until the COVID-19 crisis is resolved. The objective of this study is to identify the challenges that Pakistani students faced while participating in online learning environments and (1) determine whether or not there are any differences between male and female students and different socioeconomic statuses of the students who faced challenges during online learning; (2) highlighted whether online education is still feasible in Pakistan or not. The research was carried out with their permission and was conducted using an analytical and cross-sectional study. The survey was collected from 550 students through Google forms. The sampling technique used in this study was random sampling. The results of the independent sample t-test indicated that there was a difference between the responses of male and female students regarding challenges encountered in online education. Online learning cannot produce positive results in developing countries like Pakistan, where a large majority of students do not have access to a reliable internet facility due to financial and technical problems. Educational institutions that provide online courses or programs need to incentivize their teaching staff to reimagine traditional lecture-based classes for delivery in an online setting.

Keywords: Online Education, KMO and Bartlett's test, t-test, random sampling, COVID-19.


This guide contains information that will be useful for Dr. Deadman's Music History classes. What to do when ETSU doesn't have what you want.


The development of a tailored, patient-specific medical and surgical approach is becoming the object of intense research. In robotic urologic surgery, where a clear understanding of case-specific surgical anatomy is considered a key point to optimizing the perioperative outcomes, such philosophy has gained increasing importance. Recently, significant advances in three-dimensional (3D) virtual modeling technologies have fueled the interest in their application in the field of robotic minimally invasive surgery for kidney and prostate tumors. The aim of the review is to provide a synthesis of current applications of 3D virtual models for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and partial nephrectomy. Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane Database, and Embase were screened for literature regarding the use of 3D augmented reality (AR) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and partial nephrectomy. The use of 3D AR models for intraoperative surgical navigation has been tested in prostate and kidney surgery. Its application during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy has been reported by different groups as influencing the positive surgical margins rate and guiding selective bundle biopsy. In robot-assisted partial nephrectomy, AR guidance improves surgical strategy, leading to higher selective clamping, less healthy parenchyma loss, and better postoperative kidney function. In conclusion, the available literature suggests a potentially crucial role of 3D AR technology in improving perioperative results of robot-assisted urological procedures. In the future, artificial intelligence may represent the key to further improving this promising technology.


Abstract : A skillful ocean forecasting capability will depend on adequate data input and computing power, and properly designed and adequately validated ocean models for data assimilation and forecasting . Once these conditions are satisfied, forecasts of meandering currents and eddies up to a few months appear to be a reasonable expectation. Simulation studies suggest that prediction of meandering currents and eddies requires high horizontal resolution. High vertical resolution can be obtained by using the circulation model to provide horizontal and vertical advection to a grid of one-dimensional mixed-layer models. Circulation models on subdomains of major ocean basins with extensive open ocean boundaries require accurate boundary information at all levels in the vertical and for the duration of forecasts longer than a few days. Basin-scale models appear to be the most promising source for this information. To provide useful boundary conditions, the basin-scale models must also resolve the meandering currents and eddies. Class 7 computers approx. expected on the market in the mid to late 1980s, are required for eddy-solving models of major ocean basins.


Revonsuo makes a provocative and interesting claim: that currently available neurophysiological recording techniques will be unable to discover the neural basis of consciousness in the brain. Although the title refers exclusively to functional brain imaging, Revonsuo considers MEG, EEG, ERP and measurements of firing rate in single cell electrophysiology all in principle incapable of discovering consciousness in the brain. This conclusion is reached by assuming that only one particular type of physical entity constitutes awareness.


Anger is potentially the most important human emotion to be detected in human-human dialogs, such as those found in call-centers and other similar fields. It directly measures the level of satisfaction of a speaker from his or her voice. Recently, many software applications were built as a result of the anger detection research work. In this paper, we design a framework to detect anger from spontaneous Arabic conversations. We construct a well-annotated corpus for anger and neutral emotion states from real-world Arabic speech dialogs for our experiments. The classification is based on acoustic sound features that are more appropriate for anger detection. Many acoustic features will be explored such as the fundamental frequency, formants, energy and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs). Several classifiers are evaluated, and the experimental results show that support vector machine classifiers can yield more than 77% real-time anger detection rate.


On the basis of what is now known about individual differences the lockstep graded system in our public schools is archaic and unrealistic. Physical development, socio-economic background, educational experience, emotional stability, interests, learning rates, work speeds, motivations, achievement levels, degree of dependence, intelIigence, skills, ascendeney drives, and work habits are just a few of the many ways in which students are different. Not only do students differ in all these areas, but in educational experience alone they will be different in all the various subject-matter fields, in achievement in physical, social, and intellectual skills used in the subjects, and in the mastery of content in each field. Homogeneous grouping is little more than an euphemistic sop'to the realization that these differences exist and present almost insurmountable obstacles to the traditional total classroom teaching procedures. As soon as the differences are narrowed by homogeneous grouping according to one characteristic, all the other divergencies still exist. Not only that, but any learning that takes place soon spreads the group disparities into new dimensions. Grouping within the classroom furnishes only feeble feints at meeting the problem. Nearly all teachers seem to feel that three groups provide for the problems; once the groups are structured they become nearly as permanent as the assignment to classrooms. The groups travel at different speeds, toward different goals, have different experiences, and transfer from one group to another becomes the exception rather than the rule. And what is so magic about the number three? Diversified assignments are almost always given in trinities, When more than a hundred teachers were asked to prepare lesson plans which provided for individual differences in developing reading skills, sixty-seven uniformly gave three assignments to the high, average, and low groups; seven occasionally varied this procedure; and twenty-seven ignored the problem entirely and concentrated on uniform materials and assignments. Most secondary school teachers still prepare a uniform lesson for the entire class. Mute evidence to this was found in the summer demonstration class experiment reported in Chapter IV. 'The teachers almost completely' ignored good material when only fifteen copies were available for a class of twentytwo. This was true even when several levels were available in a series which could have been used on a diversified basis. When teachers used this material it was reproduced in mimeographed form to provide sufficient copies for uniform use by the entire class. A wide variety of teaching was demonstrated, much of it excellent, but in general it was on the undifferentiated basis of uniform mass teaching procedures. The teachers came from a variety of schools in several states. Although' attention was not directed specifically toward diversity, the children had a wide range of ages, intellectual capacities, skills problems, social backgrounds, and motivations that were readily apparent. If the teachers taught the group on a uniform basis, it could be safely assumed that this was the typical pattern of teaching in the classrooms in the schools from which they came. The biggest problem with any kind of grouping to meet individual differ-


Article 231 EC If the action is well founded, the Court of Justice of the European Union shall declare the act concerned to be void.


One of the world's most advanced AAC plant has officially opened its doors in October 2019. Australian listed building materials company, CSR Hebel, is now the proud owner of a second autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) production facility at its Somersby site, just north of Sydney, Australia. With the opening of this stateof-the-art facility (Fig. 1), CSR Hebel enters into an exciting new manufacturing era and reconfirms Aircrete Europe's leading position as a global leader in AAC panel production technology.


position paper, we discuss the problem of extracting information about chronic diseases from the large volume of text written in health blogs, mailing lists, forums, and other electronic venues, then making this information accessible via structured queries, while analyzing it to map out patterns among the opinions and demographics of users. Information retrieval systems exist for spatially-referenced demographic data about diseases such as diabetes and their therapies, but as in the case of communicable diseases, the databases that contain such data are manually populated. For example, in information portals such as HealthMap.org, which are searchable by location and disease, the data are user-reported and collaboratively maintained, but not automatically extracted from text. Furthermore, there is as yet no automated means of relating sentiments expressed by users in their text postings to their semistructured profile data. This is because the primary sources for this kind of information have been statistical surveys such as opinion polls, where text responses are often human-interpreted and demographic analysis is done post hoc, rather than as part of an information retrieval and extraction task. These limitations indicate a present need for text summarization techniques that integrate quantitative information extraction - which captures symptoms, diseases, and complications of diseases - with opinion summarization.


In this context "long term" means 20 years which is the time-frame considered in IEO'97 and also by the author. For reasons given below, I would rather prefer to call this short to medium term, reserving the concept "long term" for the more distant future 20 to 100 years. Matsui suggests that mainstream projections have been "used as a base for energy policy decision making." In such a role they should have served as self-fulfilling prophecies. Against this background it is surprising that they have performed so badly. Decision makers have, since long, been fully aware of the shortcomings of the projections. I therefore venture to suggest that such projections have played only a minor role in the policy making process, in particular since other, short term determinants, have presented more compelling forces in shaping energy policy. The reason for the failure of the mainstream projections seems to be that they are the product of two separate factors, future GDP and future energy intensity (energy /GDP), both of which are characterized by large uncertainties. Economic growth, i.e., Gross Domestic Product as a function of time, is treated as an exogenous parameter. Different assumptions lead to different "scenarios." But economic performance is hard to predict. The uncertainties are large, in particular in the long run. There is plenty of room for wishful thinking. The second factor, the energy intensity is a weird concept. It is an incomprehensible combination of physics and economics. Its frequent use has given rise to a great deal of confusion.


We fabricated a silicon mold for thermal Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) with EB exposure and Deep-RIE. As a result, we obtained that including a grating whose pitch was 230nm with low roughness.


The countries in which data banks on dangerous goods were studied are as follows: Belgium, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, The Federal Republic of Germany, The United Kingdom, and Sweden. The data banks studied and compared are as follows: BIG (Belgium); KEMINFO (Denmark); SIGMAD (France); DBVLG (Netherlands); GEFAHRGUT (Germany): and EXCIS (U.K.). The study evaluated the performance of different systems in relation to the transport of dangerous goods excluding radioactive materials, and how they meet user needs. It was found that there was little uniformity regarding the transport of such materials, targeted users were not the same, and their was little uniformity in the classification of materials. Their was little uniformity governing the regulation of transport of dangerous goods. Stricter controls on the most dangerous goods, and more flexible controls on the less dangerous goods is desirable.


Foaming in biogas plant is a major operational issue that needs to be addressed for efficient biogas production. The reasons considered for foaming in biogas plant are associated with presence of surfactants, overfeeding of protein and fat rich substances, and proliferation of filamentous microorganisms. The present study investigates the impact of poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) on foam suppression as well as bio-methane production in the chicken waste based biogas reactors. The cationic polymer, PAC in the concentration range of 50-500 ppm, was fed into the biogas reactor; at the PAC concentrations of 300 and 400 ppm the foam formation was suppressed up to 33% and 41% respectively. Moreover, the addition of PAC increased bio-methane production. PAC provides a potential solution for excessive foaming in biogas reactors.


. We aim to quantitatively measure the practical usability of medical image segmentation models: to what extent, how often, and on which samples a model's predictions can be used/trusted. We first propose a measure, Correctness-Confidence Rank Correlation (CCRC), to capture how predictions' confidence estimates correlate with their correctness scores in rank. A model with a high value of CCRC means its prediction confidences reliably suggest which samples' predictions are more likely to be correct. Since CCRC does not capture the actual prediction correctness, it alone is insufficient to indicate whether a prediction model is both accurate and reliable to use in practice. Therefore, we further propose another method, Usable Region Estimate (URE), which simultaneously quantifies predictions' correctness and reliability of confidence assessments in one estimate. URE provides concrete information on to what extent a model's predictions are usable. In addition, the sizes of usable regions (UR) can be utilized to compare models: A model with a larger UR can be taken as a more usable and hence better model. Experiments on six datasets validate that the proposed evaluation methods perform well, providing a concrete and concise measure for the practical usability of medical image segmentation models. Code is made available at https://github.com/yizhezhang2000/ure. a clinically meaningful correctness constraint.


We introduce the notion of a bi-linear mapping which generalizes some known ones, and note that bi-linear mappings satisfy a functional equation. The Hyers-Ulam stability of this equation is studied in Banach, 2-Banach and complete non-Archimedean normed spaces. c ©2017 All rights reserved.


Within usage-based theory, notably in construction grammar though also elsewhere, the role of the lexicon and of lexically-specific patterns in morphosyntax is well recognized. The methodology, however, is not always sufficiently suited to get at the details, as lexical effects are difficult to study under what are currently the standard methods for investigating grammar empirically. In this short article, we propose a method from machine learning: regularized regression (Lasso) with k-fold cross-validation, and compare its performance with a Distinctive Collexeme Analysis.


A nation's reproductive health is an important medical and public indicator. A significant decrease in the birth rate has put Ukraine on the list of Top 8 European countries with the lowest birth rate.
Uterine fibroids are one of the most widely spread gynecological diseases, which ranks the 2nd place after the inflammatory processes of the small pelvis organs and affects from 20 to 30% of women above 30 years. In 13.3 to 27% of cases, uterine fibroids are observed in the reproductive age. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the number of young women affected by the tumor. Uterine fibroids remain a serious issue and are one of the main causes of miscarriage and infertility, especially in women above 30 years [1, 2, 3].
The treatment of uterine fibroids remains a disputable issue. The slow development of the disease, without obvious clinical manifestations, has long been the reason for passive observation of patients, until the onset of symptoms requiring surgical treatment. The clinical manifestations of the disease, which are observed in every second patient affected by uterine fibroids, require a more active strategy of management of such patients. One of the factors impeding effective organ preservation treatment of fibroids is the lack of information about the mechanisms of the tumor development. As it is known, the progression of any tumor is directly dependent on it blood supply [4, 5].
So far, radical treatment (hysterectomy) remains the main method of treatment of uterine fibroids and is applied in 75 - 83% of cases. However, such radicalism is not justified in the majority of patients as new treatment methods come into being, which inhibit tumor growth and lead to the regression of the disease symptoms. According to various authors, the percentage of fibroidectomy in the total number of surgeries is lower than 1%, which is unreasonably low. The main advantage of fibroidectomy is the preservation of fertility, the main disadvantage – is the high risk of disease recurrence – from 15 to 20% [6].
There has been more and more debate recently about the issue of interrelation of uterine fibroids, the results of assisted reproductive technologies and embryo transfer. The improvement of results of ART after fibroidectomy encourages the broadening of indications for such surgeries in patients with symptomless fibroids. Drug therapy also makes it possible to preserve the reproductive function but, in contrast to surgical treatment, it does not mean the risk of intra- and postoperative complications. The combination of drug therapy and organ preservation surgeries reduces the risk of complications related to surgical treatment and contributes to the preservation of fertility. The use of complex rehabilitation measures with hormone therapy improves the results of surgical treatment, reduces the risk of recurrence of uterine fibroids and contributes to a more favorable postoperative course.
At present, there are no clear criteria for managing patients after organ preservation surgeries on the uterus; at the outpatient stage, there are few effective approaches aimed at the recovery of fertility and the rehabilitation of such patients. Thus, the recovery and preservation of the reproductive function is one of the priorities in the development of medicine in Ukraine.


Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility has no clinically significant impact in cadaveric liver transplantation. Less is known regarding living‐donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Our prior analysis of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) database suggested a higher graft failure rate in patients who underwent LDLT from donors with close HLA match. We further investigated the effect of HLA‐A, ‐B, and ‐DR matching on 5‐yr graft survival in adult LDLT by analyzing OPTN data regarding adult LDLT performed between 1998 and 2005. We evaluated associations between 5‐yr graft survival and total, locus‐specific, and haplotype match levels. Separate analyses were conducted for recipients with autoimmune (fulminant autoimmune hepatitis, cirrhosis secondary to autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis) or nonautoimmune liver disease. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate interactions and adjust for potential confounders. Among 631 patients with available donor/recipient HLA data, the degree of HLA match had no significant effect on 5‐yr graft survival, even when analyzed separately in recipients with autoimmune vs. nonautoimmune liver disease. To be able to include all 1,838 adult LDLTs, we considered a first‐degree related donor as substitute for a close HLA match. We found no difference in graft survival in related vs. unrelated pairs. In conclusion, our results show no detrimental impact of close HLA matching on graft survival in adult LDLT, including in recipients with underlying autoimmune liver disease. Liver Transpl 13:1405–1413, 2007. © 2007 AASLD.


Disasters that happened in Beijing during the Ming dynasty includes floods,droughts,rains of ice,wind storms,earth quakes,locusts,and diseases.These natural disasters are characterized by great variety,high frequency,wide coverage,and high density.The frequently happening of the natural disasters caused great damages and harms on farming,public project,daily living,people's life,social security,and social order.In some sense,these severe disasters led to the fall of the Ming Dynasty.Happening of these severe disasters in Beijing can be traced to the geographical location,atmosphere circulation,landforms,presence of rivers,Little Ice Age climate,irrational overdevelopment in this area,and deterioration of natural environment.A whole set of measures had been taken under the direct leading of the Ming Central government.These measures and disaster reliving fund are greater than what other regions and provinces could afford.


We contemplated concerning the borders in the social relationships, verifying that way the speech poetic internalizes the moral conventions and it fastens identities when proposing the alterity as a one "other" radically different. We studied the woman's representation in the poetry of Manoel de Barros, in the grandmother's figures, of the mother, of the women of the people and of the prostitutes. We verified the way as the women are figured and the function that they carry out in the universe of poetic's Barros.


Stainless steel is widely used in the industries nowadays due to their good properties of resistance to corrosion and rust. Due to its application in many industries, an analysis of fatigue crack growth was carried out to study the effect of stress ratio. The study of fatigue crack growth is important since fatigue has become a critical issue in industries that plague any structures that is subjected to cyclic and variable loading. A necessary analysis of fatigue crack growth need to be done to study the behaviour of fatigue crack growth. The effect of stress ratio on fatigue crack growth can affect the behavior of fatigue crack growth. In the project, three different stress ratios were used to investigate the effect of stress ratio towards crack growth. As the stress ratio increase, the stress intensity threshold and fracture toughness will decrease. This shows that an increasing stress ratio will lead to material failure. This happens when the stress intensity factor has entered the critical region where it exceeds the fracture toughness value. To remain the material unbroken or fail, the stress intensity factor value must not exceed the value of stress intensity threshold where below the stress intensity threshold value, the material remains stable. An analysis of fatigue crack growth was done using MSC software where the stress analysis is done using MSC PATRAN and MSC NASTRAN. After the results of stress analysis were obtained, the analysis of fatigue crack growth with different stress ratio was done using MSC FATIGUE software. Life prediction of the material is determined using Modified Paris Law equation of Fracture Mechanics. At certain level of stresses, below the endurance limit of the material, the effect of stress ratio does not affecting the life of the material. This is because the stress is not big enough to break the material.


The ENDF community is endeavoring to release an updated version of the ENDF/B-VII library (ENDF/B-VII.1). In the new release several new evaluations containing covariance information have been added, as the community strives to add covariance information for use in programs like the TSUNAMI (Tools for Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis Methodology Implementation) sequence of SCALE (Ref 1). The ENDF/B formatted files are processed into libraries to be used in transport calculations using the AMPX code system (Ref 2) or the NJOY code system (Ref 3). Both codes contain modules to process covariance matrices: PUFF-IV for AMPX and ERRORR in the case of NJOY. While the cross section processing capability between the two code systems has been widely compared, the same is not true for the covariance processing. This paper compares the results for the two codes using the pre-release version of ENDF/B-VII.1.


A prototype of the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) for the ATLAS detector at the LHC has been built and tested. The TRT is an array of straw tubes which integrate tracking and electron identi cation by transition radiation into one device. Results of experimental measurements and of comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations are presented for the electron identi cation performance as a function of various detector parameters. Under optimal operating conditions, a rejection against pions of a factor 100 was achieved with 90% electron e ciency. (Submitteed to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics, section A) 1) Fysiska Institutionen, Lunds Universitet, Lund, Sweden 2) Moscow Engineering and Physics Institute, Moscow, Russia 3) Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia 4) Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Germany 5) European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland 6) Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 7) Max-Planck-Institut f ur Physik, M unchen, Germany 8) Physics Department, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA 9) P. N. Lebedev Institute of Physics, Moscow, Russia 10) Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA 11) Fachbereich Physik, Universitat Siegen, Siegen, Germany 12) Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Gatchina, St. Petersburg, Russia 13) Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Techniques of the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy, Cracow, Poland 14) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, United Kingdom 15) Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Cracow, Poland 16) Moscow State University, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow, Russia 17) now at Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, USA 18) Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom


This paper describes a bioreducible polymer for efficient delivery of Fas-silencing small interfering RNA (Fas siRNA) into human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The genetically modified hMSCs could be formulated as spheroids with enlarged sizes (≥ 800 μm in diameter) to enhance their angiogenic efficacy. The Fas siRNA delivered into the cytoplasm of hMSCs via the bioreducible polymer could efficiently inhibit Fas expression, leading to effective inhibition of hypoxia-induced apoptosis in the core of an enlarged spheroid of hMSCs. The enlarged spheroid not only increased the number of viable hMSCs but also significantly enhanced the secretion of bioactive angiogenic growth factors per hMSC relative to small spheroids that were not treated with Fas siRNA. Twenty-eight days after transplantation into mouse with ischemic hindlimbs, the enlarged hMSC spheroids significantly enhanced cell survival, limb salvage, blood perfusion, and vessel formation while substantially reducing muscle degeneration and tissue fibrosis. This study demonstrates a promising strategy that combines siRNA and spheroid-based stem cell therapies using a stimuli-responsive nonviral siRNA carrier for the efficient treatment of ischemic disease.


The Arrhenius concept. The conjugate behavior of acids and bases in solution has long been a subject of interest to chemists. In his classic dissertation a t Uppsala in the late 19th century, Arrhenius put forth the "ionization theory" which ascribed the well-recognized phenomenon of acidity to the presence of hydrogen ions produced by the electrolytic dissociation of substances termed acids. Similarly, basic or alkaline properties were due to the presence of hydroxyl ions originating in the dissociation of bases. The primary acid-base interaction process, called "neutralization," could always be represented by


Abstract. 176 samples of amniotic fluid were obtained by abdominal amniocentesis from 69 women with complicated pregnancies (toxemia, diabetes mellitus or rhesus isoimmunization) in the 27th–43rd week of pregnancy. The concentration of creatinine (172 cases), the ratio of lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S‐ratio, 155 cases) and phospholipid phosphorus (155 cases) were determined and related to gestational age. The results were compared with normal pregnancy. The mean level of creatinine in toxemia was significantly higher from the 32nd week till term (p >0.05) and the L/S‐ratio was significantly higher (p >0.05) in the 34th–35th week compared with normal pregnancy. Creatinine concentration was significantly elevated in diabetic pregnancy in the 36th–37th week (p >0.05). Creatinine concentration tended to be low in Rh‐isoimmunization. A creatinine concentration ≤1.8 mg% and a L/S‐ratio ≤2.25 always corresponded to a gestational age ≤35th week. To get increased precision in estimating gestational age in complicated as well as in normal pregnancy the determination of both creatinine concentration and L/S‐ratio in amniotic fluid is recommended.


Background Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a prominent supraglottic airway device, widely used especially in difficult airway management. However, the LMA sizes recommended by the manufacturers are not always well matched in clinical practice, which leads to complications. To date, there are rare models to validate whether the manufacturers' standard is suitable for use in clinical practice. Methods A total of 58,956 patients undergoing general anesthesia using LMA device were included in the study between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2018, to validate the adherence rate of LMA sizes according to the manufacturers' recommendations. A logistic regression analysis was performed based on the actual LMA size used in clinical practice to establish separately size selection guidelines with gender, weight, and age as variables in adults, adolescents, and children. Results LMA insertions were analyzed in 50,776 (86.1%) adults, 3,548 (6%) adolescents, and 4,632 (7.9%) children. Suitability of manufacturers' recommendations was higher in children [male: 86.02%; female: 85.09%] than adults [male: 72.75%; female: 78.13%] or adolescents [male: 73.4%; female: 70.79%]. For adults and adolescents, LMA size was better predicted using the regression model rather than the manufacturers' recommendations [male adults: 82.4% (81.16–83.57%) vs. 73.21% (71.79–74.59%), P<0.05; female adults: 87.82% (86.65–88.9%) vs. 77.07% (75.6–78.48%), P<0.05; male adolescents: 79.45% (74.86–83.4%) vs. 72.05% (67.09–76.53%), P<0.05; female adolescents: 78.4% (71.11–84.31%) vs. 72.22% (64.54–78.82%), P<0.05]. For children, there was equal performance suitability using the regression model and the manufacturers' recommendations. Conclusions The model-based guidelines may provide more accurate directions for LMA size selection for adolescents and adults than the manufacturers' weight-based recommendations, whereas the manufacturers' recommendation in children is consistent with clinical practice.


The agricultural vehicle includes the low-speed truck tractors and agricultural machinery, and so on.Because of poor use environment of agricultural vehicle, must do well in good running, start braking, moving operation and maintenance and so on, in order to protect the motorcycle safety, long life, low production costs and improve operational efficiency and economic benefits.


Highly efficient laser sources are required for deep space optical telecommunication. This paper investigates the efficiency components for pulsed diode pumped solid state laser transmitters and determines the overall wall-plug efficiency applicable to a space-borne system. Thermal control of the pump diodes is critical to achieving optimum photon efficiency. Hence, a thermal model involving either a thermo-electric cooler or loop heat pipes is applied to the efficiency calculations. The electro-optical conversion efficiency for an optimized bulk design is expected to be up to 28% with the overall wall-plug efficiency being in the 12 - 16% range depending on the radiator temperature. A fiber based master-oscillator power-amplifier design is also investigated with passively cooled pumped diodes and promises high efficiency operation. Preliminary results from an evaluation model are also discussed.


IN arecent article, 'The Importance of Positionalvoting Bias in British Elections,' G. J. G. Upton and D. Brook presented evidence from local and general elections which suggested that a candidate's position on the ballot paper can have a significant effect upon the number of votes that he receives. This effect, they said, helps to account for the fact that in multi-member electoral divisions, candidates representing the same party usually receive different numbers of votes. Before the significance of 'positional voting bias' can be properly assessed, however, the whole question of why candidates of the same party receive different numbers of votes needs to be considered in a more general way. In this note we explore the sources of differential party votes in multi-member electoral divisions, illustrating our argument from the results of the 1973 elections for the fourteen new District Councils in Lancashire. I t is worth noting at the outset that the question only arises because party voting is the norm. We know that the great majority of electors vote for candidates because they represent a particular party and not because of their personalities, policy positions or whatever. We expect that in a multi-member division, therefore, supporters of a party will vote for every one of that party's candidates. As we shall see, one of the most striking aspects of our evidence is the extent to which it confirms this expectation. In all cases, however, candidates of the same party receive different numbers of votes and in some cases the differences are large. We have measured the spread of votes for candidates of the same party by an index of vote 'dispersion', which we define as the standard deviation of the votes for a party's candidates as a percentage of the mean number of votes received by the same candidates. Because most voters are party voters we would expect the dispersion of party votes to be relatively small. In the Lancashire elections this is certainly the case. In multi-member divisions, where there was a full slate of Labour candidates (138 cases) the mean dispersion of the Labour vote was 5.9 per cent and for Conservative full slates (149 cases) the mean was 7.0 per cent. How then does this dispersion occur? There are two possible sources of differential party votes. The first might be called 'unused votes'. In multi-member divisions electors have as many votes as there are seats to be filled and if they do not use all of them, this may give rise to candidates of the same party having different vote totals. The second source is 'cross-voting', where electors vote for candidates of different parties. We shall deal with each of these sources of differential party votes in turn.


Nature-inspired algorithms emulate the mathematical and innovative techniques for non-linear and real-life problems worldwide. Imaging technology is emerging out as one of the most prominent and widely used domain in medical field such as cancerous cell nuclei detection, blood vessel segmentation, study of organs or structure of tissues and many more. Nature-inspired algorithms emulate the mathematical and innovative techniques for non-linear and real-life problems and can be applied to segment or analyse the images. An efficient image segmentation technique may help the subject experts such as radiologist and pathologist for early and effective examination or diagnosis of disease. The authors proposed a firefly-based segmentation technique that can be employed to segment the breast cancer image regardless the type or modality of the image. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is validated by comparing the procured results with the existing state-of-art techniques.


This paper considers the use of online focus groups as a method for conducting qualitative research in the social sciences. Researchers have increasingly utilised online focus groups involving live, synchronous chat room interactions. However, to date there has been little insight and a lack of discussion as to the applicability of online focus groups in the social sciences. Reflecting on a study of young people's housing opportunities and financial welfare in the UK, this paper considers the advantages and limitations of online qualitative methods. We argue that online methods offer significant advantages, especially in longer-term studies crossing time and space, but that their design and implementation raise methodological challenges, with implications for the depth and insight of the knowledge produced. Their use for social science research therefore requires reflexivity and adjustment, including attention to the positionality of the researcher, the nature and level of participant involvement, and adjustment to the loss of non-verbal cues and interactions found in conventional qualitative research. This paper advances knowledge on the opportunities of and challenges to online methodologies, and highlights how creative use of webbased technology can support social scientists conducting qualitative research.


The influences of the temperature, speed and deformation ratio of rolling during producing composite stainless steel band by inversion casting on the bonding between the mother band and solidified layer were investigated. The results show that the bonding is good when the temperature, two passes deformation ratio of rolling are 1 250 ℃, 50 % respectively. The influence of rolling speed is not distinct. The analysis results show that the mother band and solidified layer are bonded through the transition layer formed by element diffusion.


American Convention on Human Rights (Convention) Articles 46(1) and 46(2) seek compromise yet appear to create ambiguity. In fact, Article 46(1) requires a complainant to exhaust domestic remedies and file their petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR or Commission) within six months of a final domestic judgment. Conversely, Article 46(2) provides three exceptions to 46(1) when the exhaustion of domestic remedies is not viable. A superficial comparison of these provisions may find them unworkable, arbitrary, and creating legal uncertainty in practice. However, recent implementation of these provisions within the Inter-American system is remarkably consistent. This paper describes (I) Articles 46(1) and 46(2); (II) highlights the implementation of these provisions within Inter-American jurisprudence through both a quantitative and qualitative analysis; and finally (III) attempts to identify best practices. This paper seeks to establish that, while many States attempt to utilize the exhaustion of domestic remedies as an Achilles Heel to the Inter-American human rights regime, recent jurisprudence within the system illustrates that this potentially fatal flaw is mitigated through the exemption found within Article 46(2).


Objective To investigate the methods and clinical outcome of the operative treatment of thoracolumbar fractures through the approach between the para-vertebral muscle(PVM).Methods From June 2005 to August 2006, a total of 62 patients, who suffered from thoracolumbar fractures with neurological intact, underwent surgical treatment,including 48 males and 14 females with an average age of 45.2 years(range,21-58 years).According to the injured location,21 T12 fractures,24 L1 fractures and 17 L2 fractures were involved,however,as to Denis fracture classification,the study comprised 15 compression fractures and 47 burst fractures with posterior column intact.Then 34 cases were selected on random to receive treatment through the above approach,the other 28 cases underwent the traditional procedure,respectively.During the operation, the interval between the longissimus and multifidis muscle was undermined following the incision of posterior midline, not only can it make the fixing of pedicle screws easier and spare the PVM, but help to allow the bone graft be inserted into facet ioints.No drainage was needed routinely and the patients can mobilize with brace earlier post-operatively.Results Through comparison between the above two groups earlier post-operatively,the results confirmed that the new approach had obvious advantage over traditional method in blood lOSS,drainage,duration of recumbence and visual analogue scale(VAS),and the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.05), although the time-consuming was almost the same between the two approaches.Till August 2007, 56 patients were available and all got bone union on final follow up with duration from 12 to 26 months (mean, 18.6 months).Neither reduction loss nor loosening or breakage of the fixator had occurred in two groups.Conclusion This technique of operative treatment through the approach between the PVM is much less invasive and applicable for the thoracolumbar fractures,which can reduce the blood loss, accelerate the rehabilitation simultaneously.

Key words:
Spinal fractures; Surgical procedures,minimally invasive; Treatment outcome


The variation of pre-monsoon Thunder Storm Frequency (TSF) depending on the appearance of sun spot (S.S.) have been studied for the period 1955-80 for total 96 stations distributed allover India. For most of the stations we can identify a critical S.S. number in the neighbourhood of mean S.S. 140 above which a clear increasing or decreasing trend of mean TSF is observed with increase of S.S. number. It has also been seen that for almost all the stations having altitude greater than 280m, TSF increases with increase of S.S. number provided it is greater than the critical number.


At 8:45 in the morning on a hot August Thursday, I reported for jury duty in New York last summer. A week earlier Mayor Michael Bloomberg had made headlines by reporting for jury duty flanked by his aides. The mayor served two days before being sent home. I went three days before I was sent home.


We address a combinatorial optimization problem, namely the 1D array partitioning problem (1D-APP), having several real world applications such as scheduling independent tasks in parallel environments under contiguity constraint. We propose an exact binary search algorithm of pseudo-linearithmic complexity since the latter depends on the input data values. Our approach involves two phases. The first one consists in determining a bounding interval for the searched partitioning makespan. We then proceed to construct successive partitionings through a binary search (BS) procedure. This latter may be either static (SBS) or dynamic (DBS) i.e., the interval bounds are either kept constant as done in classical BS or updated at each iteration in order to reduce the search interval thus improve its performance. Our theoretical contribution is validated through a series of experiments achieved on two input data sets i.e., a first set of randomly generated item costs and a second set of benchmark data corresponding to the number of nonzeroes in large sparse matrices picked from Matrix Market. This permits to establish comparisons between our algorithm with its two versions and the best dynamic programming algorithm known so far in the literature i.e., the algorithm of Olstad & Manne, thus underlining the practical interest of ours.


The present invention, RSV is based on the verification of in vivo is inhibited by the parenteral administration of intranasal administration and the iRNA agent of the iRNA agent. Furthermore, it is shown that the effective reduction of viral simultaneously treating more than one virus can be achieved. Based on such findings, the present invention provides the subject, for example RSVmRNA levels in mammals such as humans, the general and specific compositions and methods useful in reducing RSV protein levels and viral titers . These findings may be applied to other respiratory viruses.


Anatomy is the foundation of clinical practice. Serving as a near‐peer teaching assistant (TA) is believed to reinforce previously acquired anatomic knowledge. Performance in medical gross anatomy has been shown to correlate with performance on licensure exams. Of the many studies that have described factors associated with USMLE Step 1 scores, none could be located that examined the influence of experience as an anatomy TA. The objective of this study was to test if medical students that served as anatomy TAs performed better than their peers on the USMLE Step 1 exam.


Lang and Bradley's Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) is an assessment tool that has been successfully used in different areas to elicit the affective responses in the three levels of valence, excitement and dominance. The pictographic format of this instrument makes it accessible for those with low literacy skills, including children and the elderly. In this article, we report and discuss our experiences using SAM and we present the adaptations made to SAM along a process that originated new formats of SAM, used in design practices with children.


Describes how microcomputers which make synthetic speech feasible promise to open up job opportunities for the blind in fields hitherto closed to them. A prototype microcomputer-controlled voice generator which allows a computer to communicate by synthesised voice with the programmer is described. The programmer interacts with the computer by keyboard in the conventional manner.


EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$0.60 *Bilingual Education, *Bilingual Schools, Cultural Exchange, Curriculum Development, Educational Experiments, Educational Objectives, Educational Policy, Educational Research, *Elementary-Grades, *English, *French, Instructional Program Divisions, Language Programs, Modern Languages, Program Descriptions, Program Development, Second Language Learning, Student Evaluation *Canada


This study was conducted to determine problematic behaviors observed among adolescent in Turkey. The study was conducted as a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The sample group of the study was composed of 131 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. It was determined that the leading problem was suicide attempt by 44.4%, the second problem was injuring behaviors by 40.4%, and these problems were followed by other problematic behaviors (15.2%). These results suggest that risky families, children, and adolescents should be detected and followed up by nurses and appropriate interventions should be made.


. With the increasing shortage of feed resources, hybrid Pennisetum (HE) shows promise as a potential animal feedstuff. The present study aimed to evaluate the fermentation quality, microbial community and functional shifts in HE during ensiling. HE was ensiled naturally (NHE) for 1, 3, 7,


Animal cloning is a high impact tool for scientific and economical production, but still with inefficient results. The efficiency of the cloning process depends on the state of differentiation of the donor cell. An adult equine somatic cell can be differentiated to a pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) inducing the expression of certain transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, and K1f4; Breton et al. 2013). The objective of this work was to assess the effect of the intracytoplasmic injection of pluripotency inducing genes on embryo development and pregnancy rates of equine cloned embryos. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were obtained from slaughterhouse ovaries. Oocyte collection and maturation procedure were performed as described by Lagutina et al. (2007). After the removal of cumulus cells, oocytes showing first polar body were microinjected with a mixture 1/3 of plasmids/liposomes (Mi group). The plasmid used was the pEP4-E02s-EM2k, which encodes the human genes Oct4, Sox2, Myc, and K1f4. The DNA concentration was adjusted to 0.5 μg mL–1. Microinjected oocytes were enucleated using the zona free method. Adult male skin fibroblasts from the same animal were used as donor nucleus cells. These fibroblasts were attached to the ooplasts with phytohemagglutinin and then fused with an electric pulse. Activation was performed using 8.7 mM ionomycin for 4 min, followed by culture for 4 h in a combination of 1 mM 6-DMAP and 5 mg mL–1 cycloheximide. Zona free reconstructed embryos (ZFRE) were cultured for 7 to 8 days in DMEM-F12 in the well of the well (WOW) system, aggregating 3 embryos per well. A control group (CC group) of not microinjected embryos was included. Cleavage and blastocyst development was assessed at Days 2 and 7, respectively. Transcervical transfer of 49 Day 7 to 8 blastocysts was performed 6 days after ovulation. The mares received 2 blastocysts per transfer. Pregnancy was diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography 15 days after ovulation. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were analysed by Chi-squared test and pregnancy rate by Fisher test (P < 0.05). Cleavage was 92.1% (n = 58/63) for the Mi group and 90.4% (n = 868/960) for the CC group. Blastocyst rate was statistically higher per well, 28.6% (n = 6/21) v. 13.4% (n = 43/320) but not per oocyte, 9.5% (n = 6/63) v. 4.5% (n = 43/960), for the Mi and CC groups, respectively. Pregnancy rate was 17% (n = 1/6) for the Mi group and 7% (n = 3/43) for the CC group. No twin pregnancies were found and all the pregnancies are still ongoing. The higher blastocyst rates obtained with the embryos microinjected with pluripotency inducing genes compared with the control group showed an improvement in embryo quality. In conclusion, the data presented indicate that the intracytoplasmic microinjection of pluripotency inducing genes in equine zona free cloned embryos improved blastocyst rates on a per well basis and showed a tendency to improve the pregnancy rates. The expression of the Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, and K1f4 genes could be probably generating better reprogrammed donor nucleus compared with adult differentiated cells used in conventional cloning.


Three new hydroxyl-functionalized secondary benzyl ammonium salts were synthesized and complexed with dibenzo-24-crown-8. Three [2]semirotaxanes and then their two [2]rotaxanes each with two different stoppers were prepared successfully by reactions of the hydroxyl groups with bulky reagents. X-ray analysis of a single crystal of a [2]semirotaxane confirmed its structure. The formation of the [2]semirotaxanes can be reversibly controlled by adding KPF6 and 18-crown-6 sequentially. These new unsymmetrical [2]rotaxanes afford a way to prepare planar chiral rotaxanes and related supramolecular systems.


The use of acyl guanidine as an organic activator to enhance the bleaching performance of hydrogen peroxide for cellulosic materials had been studied. It's reported that the new process might allow effective bleaching of cellulosic textiles to be achieved under relatively mild conditions. Therefore, the synthesis of acyl guanidine had been researched in this paper. Based on the activation theory where hydrogen peroxide and acyl guanidine would react to produce higher active chemical agent, the activation ability of SPC/ACG and the decontamination of HD had been investigated. The experimental results will help on the exploitation of a new decontaminant.


The article considers sucrose crystallization as a mass transfer process, which is a phase transition from a liquid phase to a solid phase, and includes two main stages: the formation of crystallization centers and the growth of crystals to the desired size. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the development of existing theoretical and practical ideas about the formation of centers of crystallization of sucrose and their growth in the massecuite mass, the analysis of the main factors affecting this process. On the basis of the studies obtained, a method has been developed to improve the efficiency of the technology for boiling the massecuite of the first crystallization, which refers to the methods of boiling the massecuite I crystallization with intermediate centrifugation of the massecuite. A feature of the method is the formation of crystallization centers in the massecuite by their spontaneous formation. The analysis of the obtained research results showed that the work on the proposed method makes it possible to increase the efficiency of boiling massecuite I crystallization, to ensure an increase in the yield and quality of crystalline white sugar.


Abstract In this experimental study, we examined the effects of a technology-mediated intervention to improve students' understanding of academic vocabulary and its impact on measures of vocabulary and comprehension. The Vocabulators program was implemented in two states involving 24 teachers and 200 third-grade students identified as in need of supplemental vocabulary instruction. Individual students within each classroom were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 100) or typical instructional practices (n = 100) conditions. In the treatment condition, students received, on average, 29 lessons on vocabulary and comprehension. Results of linear regression analyses showed statistically significant and practical effects on experimenter-developed proximal measures of decoding (ES = 0.52), expressive vocabulary (ES = 0.78), receptive vocabulary (ES = 0.51), and near transfer measures of understanding vocabulary in sentences (ES = 0.65), and informational text comprehension (ES = 0.28). Group performance did not differ statistically on near transfer measures of sentence verification with vocabulary and narrative text comprehension as well as distal standardized measures of general vocabulary or reading comprehension. Findings suggest the potential impact of technology-based vocabulary/comprehension lessons to supplement typical instruction.


Statistical analysis of a large set of current profile data obtained for sawtoothing discharges in the DIII-D tokamak indicates that the safety factor (inverse rotational transform) in the plasma center, [ital q][sub 0], is close to 1.0. The increase of [ital q][sub 0] associated with the sawtooth crash is found to be of the order of 0.05. The results of time resolved measurements of the current profile and the soft x-ray emissions support a model of the sawtooth instability based on total reconnection of the [ital m]=1 magnetic island.


WHEN I first visited Constantinople, in 1896, I was for a short time the guest of my friend, Dr. Edwin van Millingen,1 one of the surgeons to the Imperial harem and personal attendant on the Sultan Abdul Hamid 11. This practitioner belonged to a Dutch-English family several of whose members were prominent figures in the chronicles of the Near East during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and held positions of trust and responsibility under the Ottoman and other governments. Knowing that Mr. (Dr.) Julius Millingen, my host's father, had been one of Lord Byron's physicians and was with him when he died I was naturally curious to secure a first-hand account of the Grecian episode in the career of a writer whose poetry I had always admired. The circumstances that led to the association of Julius Millingen with Byron are fully detailed in the interesting history2 which the doctor himself published seven years after the poet's death. It is rather a rare volume, and I am indebted to the


A comparison is made and shown in this paper that the advancement,reliability,safety of ignition unit of hot oil melting paraffin boiler with that of original ignition unit.An analysis is also made in this paper,which shows the advancement,reliability,safety of the ignition unit of hot oil melting paraffin boiler.The author elaborates the structure,principle, application of the ignition unit of the hot oil melting paraffin boiler systematically.Because its structure is simple and its performance is reliable,the ignition unit of the hot oil melting paraffin boiler can avoid disadvantages and potential safety hazard of using the original ignition unit,so it can work safely.


Abstract The article analyzes the situation of the Roma people in the Lubuskie Region in the years 1945-1989. Being part of the so-called "Western Territories", the Lubuskie Region, first as the Zielona Góra Voivodship and later divided into Zielona Góra Voivodship and Gorzów Voivodship, attracted a number of ethnic minorities, including Gypsies. "e article presents how local political and security authorities reacted to the presence of the Roma people, adapting central laws, most notably the 1964 forced settlement bill, to local situation. In their analysis, the authors use documents held in various local and central archives, including the Institute of National Remembrance archive and Ministry of the Interior archive.


To determine the prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction (OD; TD) among COVID‐19 positive health care workers (HCWs), their associated risk factors and prognosis.


Nonlinear acoustics of wind instruments conducts to study unidimensional fluid flows. From physically relevant approximations that are modelized with the thin layer Navier Stokes equations, we propose a coupled model where perfect fluid flow is described by the Euler equations of gas dynamics and viscous and thermal boundary layer is modelized by a linear equation. We describe numerical discretization, validate the associated software by comparison with analytical solutions and consider musical application of strongly nonlinear waves in the trombone.


Abstract Objective: To monitor the nutritional status of patients with Parkinson's disease using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire. Patients and methods: This was a 3-year longitudinal study conducted in a national referral centre for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. The cohort included 61 Parkinson's disease patients, 37 men and 24 women, mean age of 70.5 ± 5.5 years, mean duration of disease 9 ± 6.3 years; 35 patients were followed-up after 3 years. Results: MNA score diminished from 24.9 ± 1.6 to 24 ± 2.5 (P = 0.02); the proportion of patients at risk of malnutrition increased from 22.9% to 34.3%. A linear correlation was observed between MNA score and the duration of disease (P = 0.0096). The dietary assessment subscore significantly diminished (8.6 versus 8.1; P = 0.0009) as did body mass index (25.9 ± 3.5 kg/m2 versus 27.1 ± 3.1 kg/m2; P = 0.001). Conclusions: The evaluation of nutritional status should be part of the routine work-up of a Parkinson's disease patient. Dietary education should be included amongst the therapeutic measures designed to improve the general conditions in Parkinson's disease.


The invention relates to a numeric value transfer method, a terminal, a server and a numeric value transfer system, and belongs to the field of computers. The method comprises the following steps: transmitting description information about a first matched pattern to a second terminal; receiving an identifier, which is returned after a second matched pattern is detected to be matched with the first matched pattern by the second terminal, of the second terminal; transmitting a numeric value transfer request comprising an identifier of a first terminal, the identifier of the second terminal and a numeric value to be transferred to the server. According to the method, the terminal, the server and the system, the description information about the first matched pattern is transmitted to the second terminal, the identifier, which is returned after the second matched pattern drawn in the second terminal is detected to be matched with the first matched pattern by the second terminal, of the second terminal is received, and the numeric value transfer request is transmitted to the server, so that the problem that a personal account of another user is required to be acquired in advance and manually input in related technologies is solved, and the purposes of expanding application scenarios, simplifying operation steps, saving time and improving the numeric value transfer efficiency are achieved.


An experimental investigation was conducted on two types of reinforced concrete deck slabs, restrained and unrestrained, to determine their static and fatigue life under a simulated wheel load. For the restrained panels, large size simulated girder-slab type bridge decks were cast and for the unrestrained panels, small size concrete slabs were used. One of the significant aspects of this study was to observe the influence of initial non-structural cracks in deck slabs which are caused by different phenomena such as plastic shrinkage, plastic settlement and thermal effects on the static capacity and fatigue of deck slabs. Two construction practices were followed, good and bad. The only difference between the two was in the curing method. Badly constructed panels were left to self cure in air immediately after casting in order to induce initial non-structural cracks, whereas well constructed panels were covered with polythene sheeting immediately after casting and water was sprayed twice a day for seven days. Static and fatigue tests were conducted on these panels using a 50T MTS actuator to apply a patch load that increased slowly until the failure was reached. The loaded area was kept small to induce punching type failure and to reflect the behavior under high abnormal loads exceeding the design limits. In fatigue tests a fraction of the ultimate static capacity was taken as the maximum load for the fatigue cycle, and the load ratio was kept close to 0. 1. Based on the test data, fatigue life has been prescribed in a nondimensionalized form which appears to be independent of the type of concrete.


The modelization, fabrication and characterization of inductors using Molded Interconnect Device technology for multidirectional inductive proximity sensing is reported. Inductive proximity sensing allows contactless measurement of the position of electrically conductive objects. The principle of measurement relies on the use of an inductor which impedance is modified by the induced eddy currents at the surface of the conductive object. Inductors on LCP polymer are fabricated with MID technology, electroless metallization and electrodeposition of copper. 2D inductors are fabricated and characterized. Key parameter values are analyzed with a simplified model. Then proof of concept for 3D proximity sensing with a MID device is demonstrated.


"The disappearance of open and natural lands, particularly in and near rapidly growing urban and suburban areas is of grave concern to the legislature and to the people of the state. Once such lands are used for residential or commercial purposes, they are often permanently rendered unsuitable for parks, conservation, or other recreation purposes. The present and future needs of the growing population of the state require the immediate acquisition of such lands for park, conservation, and other recreation purposes."'


In his recent article, "The Neglected 95%: Why American Psychology Needs to Become Less American," Arnett (October 2008) provided a thought-provoking analysis of the current state of psychology. He made two primary arguments: (a) Psychological research using American samples cannot generalize to the rest of the world, and (b) psychology's emphasis on basic processes should be replaced by an emphasis on context and culture. We agree with the author's call for greater attention to issues of context. However, we fundamentally disagree with his position on issues related to generalizability and basic research. The goal of this comment is to provide a critical evaluation of Arnett's primary arguments as well as to offer alternative strategies for facilitating scientific progress on cultural and diversity issues.


The instability of the plane interface between two uniform, superposed, and streaming fluids through porous media is considered. The configuration is taken to be bottom-heavy. In the absence of sur...


According to Kranich, Reid and Willingham (2004), "New civic engagement initiatives on campuses offer a perfect opportunity for libraries to fulfill their traditional roles of promoting civic literacy and ensuring an informed citizenry". Makerere University Library (Maklib) has made deliberate endeavours to this end. Having been in existence for 64 years, Maklib serves both as an academic library and since 1972, through the fifth National Development Plan as a national reference library for Uganda. Therefore, Maklib does not only serve the university community but also external registered users. Maklib has conducted on-demand information literacy training for officials in the Uganda government such as the army, individual officials, etc. The paper examines the role of promoting access to unique national and regional archives housed at Maklib in promoting civic literacy using the SWOT method. Access to the archival collection has enabled users to peer into Uganda's and regional history thereby explaining the prevailing political and social atmosphere. Maklib has been involved in school outreach programmes. The school outreach programme has been a highlight in the events that have characterized the annual World Library Day celebrations hosted annually in May at Makerere University. The school outreach has been seen as a source of inspiration to the young generation who will eventually be groomed into civic literate citizens. The paper underlines the successes and lessons learnt during Maklib's school outreach programmes. The author conducted a follow up mini study to capture the learners' and teachers' experience of Maklib's outreach programme. The study revealed that the learners and teachers from the selected school were greatly inspired by this programme, which has also equipped them to be better and informed citizens. The paper highlights the impact of Maklib's outreach programme and lessons learnt that other players can adopt for similar initiatives in the quest to continue to civic literacy to the citizenry of Uganda. The paper reveals the enabling environment and strategies that Maklib has employed to this end. It finally, concludes by showing the need to evaluate the various training programmes that Maklib conducts and it calls on more players to join the school outreach programmes underscoring the need demonstrated in the study.


The generation of airborne ultrasound is presented using the thermoacoustic principle applied to carbon materials at the micro- and nanoscale. Such materials are shown to be capable of emitting ultrasound when being fed by an alternating current. We tested the acoustic performance of carbon fibers, bucky papers and electrospun polyacrylonitrile-derived carbon nanofibers and determined the sound pressure for frequencies up to 350 kHz. A comparison between the experimental results and the theoretical prediction showed remarkable agreement for frequencies up to 150 kHz. Beyond 150 kHz, we found slight deviations from the expected sound pressure dependence on the square root of the frequency.


Cytobiocompability evaluation is essential for any biomaterial before its clinical application.At present cytotoxicity tests are the most used methods for cytobiocompability evaluation.Test principle and test methods have been demonstrated in detail in domestic and international standards.With the rapid development of modern cell biology and molecular biology technology,some new evaluation indicators and methods which have not be included in relevant standards arise.This text dedicates to providing an overview on the popular evaluation indicators and methods for biomaterial cytobiocompability evaluation.


Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic that can be produced from renewable resources, and so was considered as a major alternative to petroleum-based plastics for packaging applications. However, plasticisation of PLA was required in order to obtain films with sufficient flexibility. Poly(1, 3-butylene adipate) (PBA) was used as a novel plasticiser for PLA, and acetyltributyl citrate (ATBC) was used as the control. FTIR revealed that interaction took place between PLA and plasticiser. With an increasing plasticiser content, storage modulus and glass transition temperature decreased, but elongation at break increased. The elongation at break of PBA-plasticised PLA (PBA content 30 wt.%) could be above 600%, higher than that of ATBC-plasticised PLA (ATBC content 30 wt.%). Moreover, PBA was able to restrain thermally induced migration of plasticiser in plasticised PLA. It was also found that the migration rate of ATBC was directly proportional to the ATBC content in the blends. The rheology showed that the plasticiser could obviously decrease the shear viscosity and improve the fluidity of the blends. PBA was therefore recognised as a novel plasticiser for enhancing the properties of PLA. In particular, as a biodegradable polymer, PBA, when used as a plasticiser in PLA, can enhance migration resistance for its proper molecular weight. Moreover, the area of application of plasticised PLA is broadened.


In this research paper, authors investigated the social media (e-discussion, websites, online chat, email etc) parameters that have effect over the customers buying decisions. The research focused on the development of research model to test the impact of social media on the customer purchase intention. The literature review done to explore the work done on social media. The authors identify the problem and defined the objectives of the studies. In order to achieve them, a research model is proposed that followed by the development of research hypotheses to testify the model.


Needle (3) it is presented for administration of fluids. Needle (3) includes a needle body (4) of the hollow for guiding the fluid. The needle body (4) defines a first flow direction inlet section (20) for the fluid of the needle body (4), a second flow direction outlet section of the needle body (4) (21) to the fluid the further formed to define a first flow direction is inclined with respect to the second flow direction.


The market price of labour is the price which is really paid for it. From the natural operation of the proportion of the supply to the demand, thousands and thousands of our fellow creatures and feelow subjects.


that fluid motion through externally applied linear shear resulted in a faster rate of approach to equilibrium. Yeh5) and Tsai6) developed transport equations for batch and continuous flow thermal diffusion columns and pointed out that the separation by thermal diffusion column employed with moving walls was greater than one with stationary walls (ClusiusDickel column), that is, moving-walls effect. In the present paper moving-walls effect and the relation between the improved separation and operating conditions are generalized. A method for solving simply and graphically the optimal moving walls velocity and the maximumseparation is proposed and illustrated by an example.


Categorizing Thailand as small country and the United States as large, the stylized fact reveals a striking difference: The fluctuation of aggregate cycle is higher in the small country. The research explores the reasons for this volatility using a two-country real business cycle model, where the social planner faces with the different country sizes. After parameterization and replication are performed, the benchmark economy roughly conforms to the stylized fact in important dimensions. In the experiment, the country size parameters of the United States are replaced on the parameter of Thailand. As the simulation results, the higher fluctuation of Thailand's aggregate cycle is almost totally attributable to the high variance of the shocks.


In many instances data are available as aggregated measurements for a set of areal units that are arbitrarily defined in terms of number and boundaries. Analysis using spatial data is a multi-disciplinary subject attracting the attention of statisticians, geographers, physical and social scientists. The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) is the sensitivity of results of statistical analysis to the definition of areal units for which the data are available. The results vary with the level of aggregation and the configuration of the zoning system. Multilevel models offer an approach to the MAUP. Multilevel modeling is potentially subject to the MAUP, since different estimates of the variance components can be obtained if boundaries are changed or a different scale is used. This thesis presents results of experiments conducted to look into the scale effects of statistics calculated directly from aggregated data and statistics derived from a simple multilevel under different initial conditions. The analysis of spatial data is usually affected by the complex relationships between variables and the existence of spatial autocorrelation. A reason for multilevel models being subject to the MAUP is that, while the data available may be hierarchical, the population structure may be more complex. Theoretical and empirical investigations to link a simple multilevel model and spatial autocorrelation and the implications for the MAUP are conducted.


In the course of China's economic transition, the government set up a policy goal to gradually withdraw from the market, while, at the same time, increasing the intensity of anti†corruption actions. This article reviews the development of Chinese modern corporations and corresponding policy changes. The development and expansion of modern corporations as a result of reforms that occurred after 1978 reveals the government's decision not to fully withdraw from the market. When private companies are allowed to pursue maximum profits, especially in areas of public resources and services, society and the environment suffer severe negative consequences. Case studies of corporate control of seed companies and water utilities demonstrate in detail the damage caused by privatization. In order to protect the interests of society from corruption, government must concentrate on reducing the rent†seeking behavior of corporations and collusion between businesses and government officials. The Chinese government's fight against corruption in recent years has been based on its market involvement, as well as on its determination to confine the power of corporations, which is a tough game.


Author(s): Crawford, HL; Macchiavelli, AO; Fallon, P; Albers, M; Bader, VM; Bazin, D; Campbell, CM; Clark, RM; Cromaz, M; Dilling, J; Gade, A; Gallant, A; Holt, JD; Janssens, RVF; Krucken, R; Langer, C; Lauritsen, T; Lee, IY; Menendez, J; Noji, S; Paschalis, S; Recchia, F; Rissanen, J; Schwenk, A; Scott, M; Simonis, J; Stroberg, SR; Tostevin, JA; Walz, C; Weisshaar, D; Wiens, A; Wimmer, K; Zhu, S | Abstract: © 2017 American Physical Society. The calcium isotopes have emerged as a critical testing ground for new microscopically derived shell-model interactions, and a great deal of experimental and theoretical focus has been directed toward this region. We investigate the relative spectroscopic strengths associated with 1f7/2 neutron hole states in Ca47,49 following one-neutron knockout reactions from Ca48,50. The observed reduction of strength populating the 7/21- state in Ca49, as compared to Ca47, is inconsistent with shell-model calculations using both phenomenological interactions such as GXPF1, and interactions derived from microscopically based two- and three-nucleon forces. The result suggests a fragmentation of the l=3 strength to higher-lying states as suggested by the microscopic calculations, but the observed magnitude of the reduction is not reproduced in any shell-model description.


Minks (Mustela vison) fed diets based on either freshwater fish or marine fish were exposed to 1 mg of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Aroclor 1242) daily for 28 d. To minks on the freshwater diet, copper was also given with or without PCBs. The marine diet included more vitamin A, and E than the freshwater diet. The authors studied how the exposures affected levels of vitamins A{sub 1}, A{sub 2}, and E in liver and adipose tissues and levels of vitamins A{sub 1} and A{sub 2} in plasma. In females and males on the freshwater diet, the hepatic level of vitamin A{sub 2} was decreased because of the PCBs, and in these males the hepatic levels of vitamin E also decreased. Interestingly, with coexposure to PCBs and copper, the vitamin levels were, in general, close to the control values. In adipose tissues also, the PCBs induced significant changes in the concentrations of vitamins A{sub 1} and A{sub 2}. In plasma, vitamins A{sub 1} and A{sub 2} were decreased in all patterns of exposure and on both diets. However, plasma thyroxine was slightly increased, a finding opposite to that reported previously in rodent studies. The results suggest that, in mink, diet greatlymore » modulates the responses to PCBs, which may also differ in males and females. Furthermore, vitamins A{sub 1} and A{sub 2} may not be metabolized equally during PCB administration.« less