The invention discloses a data measurement acquisition method, a device and a system. The system comprises a master aerostat node, slave aerostat nodes and a ground measurement and control station. The master aerostat node is in communication connection with the plurality of slave aerostat nodes and is used for controlling the plurality of slave aerostat nodes to move to corresponding measurement locations, then acquiring and analyzing the measurement data of the plurality of slave aerostat nodes at the measurement locations. The ground measurement and control station is in communication connection with the master aerostat node and is used for controlling the master aerostat node to drive the plurality of slave aerostat nodes to conduct the measurement operation. According to the technical scheme of the invention, the technical problem in the prior art that due to the fixation of the ground measurement and control station, the wind measurement range of the ground measurement and control station is too small to limit the high-altitude wind measurement range can be solved.


The conditions that limit the possible excitation of ideal MHD axisymmetric ballooning modes in thin accretion disks are discussed. As shown in 2001 by Coppi & Coppi, these modes are well localized in the vertical direction but have characteristic oscillatory and nonlocalized profiles in the radial direction. A necessary condition for their excitation is that the magnetic energy be considerably lower than the thermal energy. Even when this is satisfied, there remains the problem of identifying the possible physical factors that can make the considered modes radially localized. The general solution of the normal mode equation describing the modes is given, showing that it is characterized by a discrete spectrum of eigensolutions. The growth rates are reduced and have a different scaling relative to that of the "long-cylinder" modes, commonly known as the magnetorotational instability, that have been previously studied.


Rationale: Zieve syndrome, a rarely reported disease resulting from alcohol abuse, consists of a triad of symptoms: hemolytic anemia, cholestatic jaundice, and transient hyperlipidemia. It is largely under-recognized and under-reported, possibly because of unawareness of the condition by physicians. Here, we report a case of Zieve syndrome managed at the Jilin University First Bethune Hospital. Patient concerns: A 30-year-old Chinese woman presented with a 4-month history of fatigue, yellowish discoloration of the eyes, and tea-colored urine. She had been a heavy drinker for 2 years prior to onset of the disease with an average daily alcohol intake of 60 g/d and more than 80 g/d for the previous 6 months. Diagnosis: The diagnosis of Zieve syndrome was confirmed based on hemolysis and cholestatic jaundice secondary to alcoholic liver disease and heavy drinking. Bone marrow biopsy and liver biopsy both supported the diagnosis. Interventions: We treated her with abstinence from alcohol and supportive therapy. Outcomes: The patient was discharged 14 days after admission with an improvement in symptoms, which continued to subside during the 2-month follow-up period. Lessons: Doctors confronted with hemolysis in a patient with alcoholic liver disease should be aware of the under-reported Zieve syndrome. Recognition of this syndrome could help doctors avoid unnecessary invasive procedures and emphasize the importance of alcohol abstinence as the mainstay of management. Glucocorticoids may not be useful in treating hemolytic anemia in Zieve syndrome.


Snapshot-based visual localization is an important problem in several computer vision and robotics applications such as Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM). To achieve real-time performance in very large-scale environments with massive amounts of training and map data, techniques such as approximate nearest neighbor search (ANN) algorithms are used. While several state-of-the-art variants of quantization and indexing techniques have demonstrated to be efficient in practice, their theoretical memory cost still scales at least linearly with the training data (i.e., O(n) where n is the number of instances in the database), since each data point must be associated with at least one code vector. To address these limitations, in this paper we present a totally new hierarchical encoding approach that enables a sub-linear storage scale. The algorithm exploits the widespread sequential nature of sensor information streams in robotics and autonomous vehicle applications and achieves, both theoretically and experimentally, sub-linear scalability in storage required for a given environment size. Furthermore, the associated query time of our algorithm is also of sub-linear complexity. We benchmark the performance of the proposed algorithm on several real-world benchmark datasets and experimentally validate the theoretical sub-linearity of our approach, while also showing that our approach yields competitive absolute storage performance as well.


The commonly-held belief that mid-century Modern buildings clad with single-glazed, non-thermally-broken glass and-steel curtain wall systems are less energy-efficient than those with modern-day systems is a common argument used to justify demolishing these older buildings, which are coming of age to be considered historic and many of which are beautiful examples of Modern architecture. However, this belief does not consider the ability of these systems in cold climates to conduct internal heat to the exterior. These curtain walls typically clad mid- to high-rise office spaces, which have both high occupancy and computers, servers, and other "plug loads" that generate a significant amount of heat that the mechanical system must cool and ventilate. In some cases, the performance of the curtain wall is only a minor piece of the overall building performance, with other factors such as plug loads, ventilation, and lighting contributing much more significantly to the overall energy use in the building. Older curtain wall systems allow more of this heat to escape to the exterior, reducing the cooling load and overall energy use of the building. This presentation will explore the energy use of historic vs. modern-day curtain wall systems, including embodied energy, life-cycle costs, and demolition and construction costs, to show that older curtain wall-clad buildings can be more energy efficient than many currently believe.


Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the contribution of the Islamic banking and financial institutions (IBFIs) to economic growth in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – Focusing on the post-1997 economic turmoil, the paper relies on several time series tests, such as autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), vector error correction model (VECM) and variance decompositions (VDCs). Findings – The paper documents significant role played by the IBFIs in Malaysian economy. In particular, significant unidirectional causality was found from the IBFIs development to economic growth, supporting the finance-growth led hypothesis or the supply-leading view. Research limitations/implications – The paper only focuses its analysis on the role of the IBFIs in the Malaysian economy and not the financial sector as a whole. Thus, the findings of this paper are indicative, but inconclusive for the entire financial sector in the country. Practical implications – Continuous efforts should be undert...


We classify the unitary, renormalizable, Lorentz violating quantum field theories of interacting scalars and fermions, obtained improving the behavior of Feynman diagrams by means of higher space derivatives. Higher time derivatives are not generated by renormalization. Renormalizability is ensured by a ''weighted power-counting'' criterion. The theories contain a dimensionful parameter {lambda}{sub L}, yet a set of models are classically invariant under a weighted scale transformation, which is anomalous at the quantum level. Formulas for the weighted trace anomaly are derived. The renormalization-group properties are studied.


An optical-fiber methane sensor that uses a correlation technique based on pressure modulation is reviewed. The sensitivity to methane was measured and the cross-sensitivity to a number of contaminant gases, such as ethane, has been determined. The performance of this system is compared with conventional gas-absorption measurement techniques in order to determine a figure of merit for the selectivity improvement.


In many practical field problems, it may not be possible to identify the actual characteristics (location, magnitude and duration of contamination) of the groundwater contaminant sources. Most of the time, very sparse information regarding spatiotemporal contaminant concentration is available initially, which is inadequate for reliable identification and simulation of the contaminant plume. Simulation of the contaminant plume is necessary to predict the future distribution of the
contaminant in the groundwater aquifer. It is also essential for developing an efficient contamination monitoring strategy. To address this practical problem of data inadequacy, an interactive methodology is proposed, incorporating sequential design of optimal monitoring
networks. These sequentially developed and implemented monitoring networks provide feedback information on measured concentrations. These measurement information help in progressively improving the prediction of the contaminant plume, starting with very sparse initial information about the contaminant sources and spatial distribution of concentration.

A Simulated Annealing (SA) based methodology is developed which utilizes feedback information to sequentially characterize the contaminant plume when adequate initial information regarding the contaminant sources is not available, and the contaminant sources are unknown. It is demonstrated that such an approach is potentially applicable for reliable prediction of contaminant plume
movement in groundwater aquifers. The optimal monitoring network design is based on the objective function of minimizing the contaminant mass estimation error. It is shown that the proposed methodology of using feedback information on actual field measurement values from
sequentially designed monitoring networks is capable of predicting the contamination plume movement in groundwater aquifers, even when very little initial measurement data are available. This proposed methodology will be very useful for accurate prediction of the contaminant movement in an initially unmonitored aquifer.


As the global demand for water increases, so does the quantity of wastewater requiring treatment. Due to a relatively low carbon footprint, compared with conventional wastewater treatment technologies, anaerobic digestion (AD) was identified in the 1970s as a forerunner in the push for sustainability, when interest in sustainable technologies and renewable energy sources was first sparked. AD technology development ultimately resulted in the discovery of the 'anaerobic granule'. It is a spontaneously-forming bio-aggregate of microbial cells capable of digesting pollutants and producing methane-rich biogas as a renewable source of bioenergy. The high settling velocity of such granules meant that AD systems could be operated as high-rate treatment processes, because the active, relatively-slow-growing, pollutant-removing biomass would be retained inside, and not washed out of, even bioreactors operated at extremely high volumetric loading rates. In the intervening years the emergence of the anaerobic ammonium oxidising (anammox) granule, aerobic granule, hydrogenic granule, oxygenic photogranule, and many other functionally-specialised granules, has opened new opportunities in wastewater treatment biotechnology. Whilst environmental engineering based around wastewater treatment is still a growing field of research and implementation, the granule (in all forms) is starting to catch the attention of microbial ecologists. It is a self-immobilised biofilm, with many of the properties of 'conventional' biofilms formed in Nature. However, as a single entity, a granule represents an entire community of microorganisms, competing or functioning cooperatively or in syntrophy. Together, inside a bioreactor, granules perform side-by-side arguably representing a meta-organism. Granules are gaining traction as the perfect samples for high-throughput studies on fundamental ecological concepts. Granular biofilms can be used to test hypotheses around drivers of diversity, community assembly, biofilm formation and maturation, community expansion and succession, community stress response, among others. This review outlines the history of three of the most influential types of granules: the anaerobic (methanogenic), aerobic and anammox granule. The main biochemical processes found in each type; their primary characteristics; and the typical makeup of the microbial community underpinning the processes are compared. Finally, the adoption of granules as the perfect 'playground' for experiments in microbial ecology is reviewed.


Background: To determine the practice of barrier precautions (BPs) among health care workers(HCWs), quantification of exposure during patient contact and exploring the reasons of noncompliance. Methods: The study was conducted in a government teaching hospital setting. A structured questionnaire was distributed among all medical and paramedical staff in all wards of a hospital. The department of Radiology, Family Medicine and Pathology were excluded. Results: The participation of HCWs in a survey was 84.5% with 169 survey forms returned out of 200 distributed. Majority(98.5%) reported at least one exposure to body fluids. Direct skin contact (62.13%) and skin breaking through sharp objects (24.85%) were the commonest. Blood (57.98%) was the commonest body fluid exposed. Conclusion: Despite having the knowledge and awareness of BPs, there is a limited use of these.


Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of smoking among Australian men and women in 1995 and to examine trends in smoking prevalence in Australia over the past 10 years.


The codes of ethics of the national professional associations for audiologists mandate a commitment to lifelong professional development and learning through continuing education (CE). A fictional case study is presented to demonstrate an audiologist's quest for an autonomous professional identity and an evidence-based practice through CE. The LASER acronym is a proposed approach to CE for audiologists. The LASER acronym represents the following: L, letting go of outdated mindsets and methods; A, assuming ownership of one's professional development and identity as an expert in hearing and vestibular disorders; S, seeking scientific knowledge and technical expertise to offer the highest level of patient care; E, embracing a clinical philosophy of evidence-based practice; and R, reaping the benefits of expertise, competency, and life-long learning.


This paper discusses the technical and policy issues that West Virginia Network (WVNET) encountered when it expanded its statewide Internet dialup service through an outsourcing partnership. Although this outsourcing project is still in its infancy, much can be learned from our experiences to date. WVNET provides dialup Internet access for state higher education. We currently serve approximately 12,000 Internet dialup modem users clustered around 28 higher education campuses statewide. A WVNET modem account holder can dial in to the Internet from any one of these locations. Although these 28 higher education locations covered a significant portion of the state, there remained areas where there were no other ISPs, and a long-distance call was the only way to get onto the Internet. Additionally, local and state government entities were looking toward WVNET for many of the same services it has been traditionally providing for state higher education. In late 1999, Bell Atlantic Data Solutions Group (DSG) offered to WVNET a partnership plan: DSG would assume access, engineering and management responsibilities for WVNET's Internet dialup service, while WVNET would continue to "own" its relationship with the higher education institutions. The plan called for the creation of a single, in-state toll-free telephone number with which WVNET customers could dial into the Internet. Busy lines and modems would be virtually eliminated, because calls could be load-balance across the state. It would allow us to provide unlimited access. Sounds almost too good to be true? The devil is in the details.


Many people are trying to be smarter every day. How's about you? There are many ways to evoke this case you can find knowledge and lesson everywhere you want. However, it will involve you to get what call as the preferred thing. When you need this kind of sources, the following book can be a great choice. critical infrastructures at risk securing the european electric power system is the PDF of the book.


In a mathematical model involving a set of ordinary differential equations, a particular solution of the system is completely determined by the initial condition. When the omega limit set reduces to a point, the solution settles at steady state. The possible steady states of the system are completely determined by its parameters. However, it is possible that more steady states can originate from different initial conditions but with the same parameter set (multi-stability). In that case the outcome of such model depends on the initial condition. Therefore, it is important to assess the domain of attraction for each possible attractor. We have already analyzed the problem of the reconstruction of the basins of attraction for competition models presenting bistability in [1, 2, 3]. Here we focus instead on systems of two and three ordinary differential equations presenting bior tri-stability, aiming again at assessing the basins of attraction of these different stable equilibria. In particular our algorithm is general and robust enough so as to accommodate the three equilibria case as well as the particular case in which two of these equilibria coalesce. For this purpose we have implemented several Matlab functions for the approximation of the points lying on the curves or on the surfaces determining the basins of attraction, obtained by a bisection algorithm, and for the graphical representation of such curves and surfaces. We approximate the latter with the implicit Partition of Unity method, using as local approximants the compactly supported Wendland's functions [4].


An unprecedented expansion of vector-borne diseases, especially those caused by viruses transmitted through mosquitoes, has posed a serious public health challenge worldwide. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which mainly invades tropical and subtropical regions, is one of the recently emerging pathogens associated with severe morbidity in humans. Although Pakistan is known to be endemic for arboviral infections, only Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and dengue have been officially recognized over the last three decades, despite a recent trend of increasingly frequent chikungunya cases, first detected in December 2016. Chikungunya infection is not new to Pakistan, as the presence of anti-CHIKV antibodies has been reported in rodent and human sera since the 1980s [1]. After a lapse of three decades, the first cases were reported from Sindh Province and the Federal Capital, with cases expanding to three provinces by mid-2017 (Fig 1). A sharp decline in cases was observed by the end of 2017, after the onset of winter, leading to restricted vector activity. We hereby present an update on CHIKV testing at National Institute of Health in Islamabad, the only public-sector laboratory at the federal level providing free diagnostic services for pathogenic arboviruses. Interestingly, utilization of the Trioplex real-time PCR [2] assay helped us to screen samples for two additional flaviviruses (dengue and Zika virus), making this the first ever study on Zika virus screening from Pakistan. Out of a total 1,549 samples tested through July 31, 2018, we found chikungunya and dengue infection in 776 (50%) and 109 (7%) patients, respectively, without a single patient positive for Zika virus. Our data further reflect the importance of population mobility and the abundance of potential mosquito vectors (Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus) as key factors favoring efficient virus transmission in Pakistan. Likewise, even though this is the first CHIKV outbreak reported at a vast geographical scale in Pakistan, identification of concomitant cases across all four provinces indicates an increased gravity of the burden of mosquito-borne diseases in the coming years. Without implementation of a nationwide functional surveillance system, thorough investigations of disease determinants cannot be achieved to preempt disease trends and initiate control measures before they affect large populations. A sustainable surveillance program with potential epidemic indicators is also required to reduce the risk of virus transmission by generating early warnings, which is among the best-known interventions considering the fact that impeccable vector control is not feasible. Although Pakistan is known to be at high risk for arboviral infections, with unswerving epidemics of dengue and CCHF each year, the disease prevention and control measures are still below par. The very recent CHIKV outbreak, initially perceived as a "mysterious" pathogen [3], is a testament to debilitated preparedness plans existing at the local and regional scale. Considering the fact that humans are the only amplifying host for such anthroponotic pathogens, the most effective interventions, such as vector


Under the background of innovation driven development strategy, China proposes to build an innovative country and attach great importance to the effect of technological innovation. Due to the special role of financial science and technology expenditure in innovation, this paper focuses on analyzing the benefits of financial science and technology expenditure in innovation and construction. In addition, a unified performance evaluation system of financial science and technology expenditure have been established, which provides the analytic hierarchy process for the benefit evaluation of financial science and technology expenditure. Finally, combined with the existing problems of financial science and technology expenditure, some targeted development suggestions have been put forward.


The purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the institution of parliamentary monarchy in the Kingdom of Belgium. The institution of parliamentary monarchy is one of the classical forms of government in the European community, and it is represented in 11 states, which is almost one quarter of European countries. The Belgian version of the monarchical form of government is a classic example of European parliamentary monarchy, the study of the state of which allows us to concretize the essence of similar political institutions in other European countries, as well as the specifics of the political process in a democratic state. The research methodology is based on a systemic, comparative and functional analysis of the key elements of the institution of parliamentary monarchy in the Kingdom of Belgium, based on official sources of information, resources of the royal family, websites of authorities and political parties, Belgian legislation and media reports. The result of the study is the definition of the essence of the Belgian parliamentary monarchy in modern realities and the identification of prospects for further institutional development of the structural elements of democratic political system.


The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is one of the general-purpose detectors to be provided for the LHC project at CERN. The design field of the CMS superconducting magnet is 4 T, the magnetic length is 12.5 m and the free bore is 6 m. Critical current measurements in fields up to 6 T have been performed on the CMS stabilized conductors using the MA.RI.S.A. test facility at INFN-Genova. A comparison among the measurements gives information about the possible critical current degradation and assures an accurate quality control of the conductor production.


This paper completes the design of control system simulation of convolutional code error based on MATLAB software platform, the convolution encoding the input signal through the AWGN channel transmission, the receiver decodes the statistical transmission error rate, different rate and different SNR BER statistics under the receiver. The practice shows that the smaller the bit rate, the smaller the interference and the smaller bit error rate, and the higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the smaller the bit error rate. Introduction With the development of modern communication, especially in the 4G communication network, information transmission with high speed and reliability now become the research direction, in the harsh environment, the signal will inevitably change under different influence. It is conceivable that reliability information transmission has become the focus of research on [1,2]. Generally, there are two ways to realize reliability transmission: first, to increase the power of signal transmission, and to enhance the received signal-to-noise ratio; secondly, the channel can be controlled by convolutional code. Since the first method is limited by the conditions, the birth of convolutional codes in the field of communication has been widely applied since the birth of the Viterbi decoding algorithm. Convolutional code is a kind of superior performance of channel error control encoding, the encoder and decoder which are relatively easy to implement and has strong error correcting capability, with the deepening of the theoretical research on error correcting encoding, convolutional code has been widely applied in [3,4]. This paper describes the design of a convolutional code error control simulation system based on the system of not using convolutional code and convolutional code performance before and after analysis and comparison, and study the effect of different rate of convolutional code error performance and draws a conclusion. Design of Error Control System Based on Convolutional Code Convolutional Code Error Control System Design Steps This paper uses m file to realize the design of error control system based on cyclic code, which can be divided into the following steps: The first step is to generate binary random information and enter the sequence of symbols; The second step: convolutional coding of the input symbol sequence; The third step: BPSK modulation; The fourth step: through the AWGN channel transmission; The fifth step: BPSK demodulation; The sixth step is to decode and decode binary data using Vitby algorithm; The seventh step is to analyze the performance of the system using convolutional coding, and the influence of different bit rates on the BER performance of convolutional codes, and draw the conclusion that [5,6].


ELLEN F. DAVIS* In this lecture, I'm falling in line behind Professors Corney and Norris in arguing that the Song of Songs is not finally or primarily about sex, arguing that it is meant to be read symbolically. This is a remarkable thing, that all of us have independently come to this position, since it puts us in a distinct minority among modern scholars, certainly among biblical scholars. (Although if you take the long view, as the previous lectures have shown, we are in the strong majority.) My two colleagues have spoken out of the historical tradition; I will speak more to the contemporary scene of interpretation and offer my own suggestion about the significance of the Song for the modern church. To put my reading of the Song in a nutshell: this is a highly imaginative evocation of the intense mutual love between God and the people Israel, and at the same time a passionate evocation of the land of Israel, the lovely garden in which that love affair takes place. Note that this is somewhat different from a traditional Christian allegorical reading, although it is possible to connect that tradition with my reading. I believe that the allegorical reading is historically rooted in the kind of symbolical reading I set forth here, which I take to reflect the compositional intention underlying the Song as well as the intention of the canonizers, the rabbis who voted (so to speak) to include the Song in the canon. We know they had quite a debate about it, in which Rabbi Akiba, the great teacher of early Judaism, offered his famous defense: "All the Scripture is holy, but the Song of Songs is the holy of holies. All the world is not worth the day that the Song of Songs was given to Israel!" Both the allegorical reading and the one that I shall set forth are symbolical. That is, they consider that the story, in so far as we have a story in the Song, points to another level of significance. But if an allegorical reading sees the biblical text as pointing forward to the relationship between Christ and the Church, the reading I propose points in the first instance backward, to the story of God and Israel as set forth in Torah and Prophets. I say "points backward," because the Song is probably one of the later books to reach final form and to enter the canon. Based on the linguistic evidence, it is reasonable to date its final form to the Persian period, say the fifth or fourth century BCE (cf. Murphy). Since the broad subject we were asked to engage in these lectures is "hermeneutics," I note that I intend to make my case for this reading on two grounds: common sense and hermeneutical principle. In an ideal world, I should not bother to distinguish hermeneutical principle and common sense, for in an ideal world they would always go together. In plain language, "hermeneutics" is the art of interpretation, and any art that violates common sense and sensibility will not long endure. But one of the forms of our post-modern fallenness is that too many contemporary biblical interpreters have no great regard for common sense of the best sort-which is to say, the kind of sense that sensitive, serious people can make of the Bible and normally wish to make of it, especially after they have received some guidance in how to read it well. If people in the church often don't care what is going on in the academy, I suspect it is not because they are innately duller than church-goers in Luther's Germany or Calvin's Geneva or Augustine's Hippo (I pick those three because many or most of their important works were written for people in the pews), and not entirely because they are less religious or more distracted. If people in the church don't care what the academy has to say about the Bible, I imagine that is because they find little of it useful. Even if they never look at the Journal of Biblical Literature or some other journal of the biblical guild, they intuit correctly that much scholarship aims at being clever rather than sensible, innovative rather than helpful. …


A HOME-CARE PROGRAMME FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS IN JOHANNESBURG* Other Classes of Drugs Nicotine, in the form of tobacco, is, next to alcohol, the most widely used drug of dependence. Nicotine has effects on the central nervous system, and the over-all effect of small doses is stimulation with an increased alertness and a subjective impression of increased efficiency. Regular smokers do experience psychological withdrawal symptoms if they give up the habit. An interesting contradiction is that the tobacco advertisements always use the sexual appeal, whereas nicotine has, in fact, a depressive effect on sexual performance and desire. There is little doubt that nicotine dependence is a serious problem in our society and that ihe effect of smoking on health is deleterious; if you wish to increase your chances of dying at an early age from either lung cancer or, more probably, a heart attack, just carry on smoking. The hallucinogens, which include LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), mescaline, STP, psilocybin, DMT and others, are claimed to be 'mind-expanding'; other exotic properties have also been attributed to these drugs. The only property that they do have is to disorganize normal functioning of the brain, resulting in distortions of mechanisms of sense and perception. Thus a person under the influence of these drugs loses touch with reality since the sensory and perceptual information whereby he normally assesses his relationship to time, space, colour, shape and emotions becomes radically altered. Hence we find that for many 'normal' people, the administration of these drugs produces a state of terror. In other people who have withdrawn from the world through religious and other spiritual means, these drugs merely reinforce this withdrawal and thus the religious or spiritual experience is increased. In other words, the conditioning of the person and the situation in which the drug is taken have a marked effect on the psychological reaction to the drug. It should also be remembered that it is unwise to accept all the glowing reports about these drugs from those who have experienced the hallucinations; often they are merely trying to convince themselves. These individuals who claim they are being non-conformist may also try to get others to conform with their views and habits by making exaggerated claims for the drugs they use.


At the center of medical morality is the healing relationship. It is defined by three phenomena: the fact of illness, the act of profession, and the act of medicine. The first puts the patient in a vulnerable and dependent position; it results in an unequal relationship. The second implies a promise to help. The third involves those actions that will lead to a medically competent healing decision. But it must also be good for the patient in the fullest possible sense. The physician cannot fully heal without giving the patient an understanding of alternatives such that he or she can freely arrive—together with the physician—at a decision in keeping with his or her personal morality and values. In today's pluralistic society, universal agreement on moral issues between physicians and patients is no longer possible. Nevertheless, a reconstruction of professional ethics based on a new appreciation of what makes for a true healing relationship between patient and physician is both possible and necessary. * Originally published in The Journal of Medical Humanities, 8(1), Spring/Summer 1987. Reprinted with permission from Springer Science and Business Media.


scriptural abilities, recently discovered in the area known as the Exner area, argues for this body/culture circularity and makes it possible to imagine new research programs covering all the media. The diffusion of digital multisensory media brings a new element to this perspective. Indeed, the intensive use of these media causes an ultrafast impact on the functional architecture of the human brain. This new situation, in which the learning of a new medium and the cognitive impact that its use arouses, coincides with the process of its conception and circulation, confers on designers the role " pro- geneticists" .


A laboratory experiment was carried out to study the effect of drying phases on transformation of different fractions of K in submerged limed and the corresponding unlimed soil in presence and absence of N and K fertilizers. Changes in different fractions of K were monitored with time. Results showed that irrespective of treatments, available K increased in the limed soil throughout the period of incubation. However, non-exchangeable K showed an exactly opposite trend of results particularly in limed situation indicating a dynamic equilibrium between these forms of K in soils. Although, the trend of results of both available and non-exchangeable forms are totally different in unlimed situation. The decrease in 1N boiling HNO3 extractable K is comparatively more in limed soil subjected to single drying phase. No drastic variation in lattice and total K is observed under different treatment combinations. It indicates, maintenance of drying phase has little effect on lattice and total K in soils.


A random mathematical model applied to response time test, the bilateral Poission point process (BPPP), and its extension are studied.The statistical properties of BPPP and its interarrivals are investigated, and BPPP is extended to homogeneous bilateral point process.As an example of the application to response time test, the sample composition, the parameter estimation, the model verification and the process simulation of CIS data are introduced.


Beta vulgaris is an edible plant and herbal medicine traditionally used to treat diabetes and breast cancer and protect against liver damage induced by an HF diet. The aim of this investigation to evaluate the inhibitory activity of B. vulgaris (CH) extract on the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) against fluorescent and Non-fluorescent AGEs, protein oxidation, and protein aggregation in an in vitro model of glucose and fructose protein glycation and Congo red test. Our study provides evidence that CH significantly reduced fluorescent and no fluorescent (Nε-CML) and fructosamine levels in AGEs-BSA systems during four weeks of study. It also avoided protein oxidation, which was shown by the depletion of protein thiol and reduced protein carbonyl, preventing structural loss of protein and AGEs formation by inhibiting protein oxidation and protein glycation. Furthermore, CH extract also inhibited amyloid cross β-structure and increased GPx enzymatic activity. This study demonstrated that CH has a noticeable antiglycation effect in a varied glycation modification of albumin and can retard or forewarn AGEs-related diabetes type 2.


Sensitivity analyses for a critical facility near a credible fault source suggested that the in-structure response spectra and corresponding costs for structures, systems, and components could be significantly reduced by improving the foundation subgrade materials. A plan was selected to remove the in-situ materials and replace it with a mass concrete fill (MCF). A laboratory, mix design program was performed to obtain an MCF mix that achieved the target dynamic properties and optimal workability, while minimizing heat of hydration concerns. Resonant column and compressive strength tests were performed in the laboratory on cylinders made using a range of MCF mix recipes. While traditional concrete mix designs typically do not consider dynamic properties as a design criterion, this case study illustrates that dynamic testing can and should be an integral part of mix design for seismic ground response improvement of important and critical facilities.


Abstract Topological measures and deficient topological measures generalize Borel measures and correspond to certain non-linear functionals. We study integration with respect to deficient topological measures on locally compact spaces. Such an integration over sets yields a new deficient topological measure if we integrate a nonnegative continuous vanishing at infinity function; and it produces a signed deficient topological measure if we integrate a continuous function on a compact space. We present many properties of these resulting deficient topological measures and of signed deficient topological measures. In particular, they are absolutely continuous with respect to the original deficient topological measure, and their corresponding non-linear functionals are Lipschitz continuous. Deficient topological measures obtained by integration over sets can also be obtained from non-linear functionals. We show that for a deficient topological measure μ that assumes finitely many values, there is a function f such that ∫X $\begin{array}{} \int\limits_X \end{array}$ f dμ = 0, but ∫X $\begin{array}{} \int\limits_X \end{array}$ (–f) dμ ≠ 0. We present different criteria for ∫X $\begin{array}{} \int\limits_X \end{array}$ f dμ = 0. We also prove some convergence results, including a Monotone convergence theorem.


In order to realize the function of short-term rapid cooling and long-term soothing refrigeration of mini desk fan, an innovative design solution of mini desk fan based on experimental analysis and numerical simulation technology is proposed. Firstly, the market investigation and information retrieval of the design research object are carried out to determine the design goal; secondly, the performance characteristic of the existing products is analyzed with the experimental test and numerical analysis technology, and the preliminary design direction is clarified; then, the feasibility hypothesis is put forward and verified according to mechanism analysis about the previous design direction; finally, the product appearance design is driven based on the core functional characteristics of the design solution, and the final design concept is output. This design and research strategy can provide reference for similar household appliance innovation design and development.


Introduction/Hypothesis: There have been relatively few analyses of the pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) workforce with regards to the characteristics of fellowship training, academic productivity and the employment patterns of the nearly 3000 practicing pediatric intensivists in the United States. Methods: Using the National Provider Identifier (NPI) registry we sought to identify physicians practicing in pediatric critical care. Using publicly available searchable databases, including Doximity ®, the American Board of Pediatrics, the US News and World Reports and Scopus ®, we determined training history, current employment details, and peer-reviewed publication outcomes of a random sample of these physicians. Results: We analyzed records for 754 physicians, ranging from 1 to 45 years from completion of fellowship training. Half of all practicing intensivists are working in an institution with an active pediatric critical care fellowship program, with 1/3 of individuals in the same geographical region, and nearly 1/5 at the same institution where they trained. Individuals are more likely to be in an institution with a fellowship program early (<10 years out of training) or much later (>25 years out of training) in their career. As suspected, publication and citation number and H-index increase with years since training, with a median total of 4 [IQR1,13] publications across all intensivists. Medical school research rank of both the current institution of practice as well as the fellowship program they trained in was associated with greater publication success (P<0.001). After adjusting for all factors associated with a higher H-index, completion year, affiliated medical school rank of current institution, and having a PCCM fellowship program at the current institution are all independently associated with a higher h-index (p<0.001). Conclusions: This analysis of practicing pediatric intensivists in North America sheds light on practice patterns and academic outcomes of PCCM providers who have trained over the past nearly five decades. While ultimate career "success" cannot merely be characterized by number of publications or academic prestige of where they are employed, there are clear patterns that may help influence career trajectory of our trainees.


This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an engineering leadership development course under two formats: regular lecture and a flipped classroom. Flipped classrooms are designed to incorporate cognitivist and constructivist learning strategies into the classroom environment. Cognitivist-learning strategies build knowledge through internal processing of information while constructivist-learning strategies build knowledge through experiences. The objective of this study was to determine if a flipped classroom is associated with an increase in student self-rating of professional and leadership skills and perceived learning outcomes. Preand post-course survey data were collected in an engineering leadership principles course across nine semesters. The first five semesters (n=170) were structured as standard courses with lecture material and inclass activities, a cognitivist approach. The final four semesters (n=152) were structured with a flipped classroom approach. Students accessed course material through weekly online modules and class time was spent in reflective discussion and experiences based on the material offered online, a constructivist approach. The survey included 55 items that covered seven sub-scales: understanding of ethical issues, global awareness (world view), communication skills, organization/leadership skills, self-knowledge, creativity, and teamwork. Only student paired (pre and post) data were used in the analyses in this study. Most survey items had a significant increase from pre to post course survey response in the desired direction. To evaluate whether differences exist between the standard classroom and the flipped classroom, difference scores were calculated for each individual and a Mann-Whitney test, for group differences, was performed on the difference score with males and females combined and within each gender separately. Two items showed significantly higher difference scores in the standard classroom: 'I can explain at least one ethical framework' (p=0.038) and 'I can apply a professional code of ethics to analyze an ethical problem' (p=0.0003). The second item was also significant in the male and female individual analyses. In females, two survey items indicated significantly higher difference scores in the flipped classroom: 'I am confident taking on leadership roles on projects' (p=0.052) and 'I understand my leadership style' (p=0.018). These differences may be reflected in the differences between knowledge and emotional domains. Explaining and applying ethical frameworks are more in line with a knowledge domain, associated with cognitivist learning theories, whereas being confident in one's leadership ability and understanding one's own leadership style may be more related to emotional domains and a result of the constructivist approach to learning through the flipped classroom approach. Several additional trends were noted in the female difference score data that may be more evident with increased statistical power. Preliminary data indicate that the revised flipped classroom may be more effective than the standard classroom in developing student's emotional intelligence. Background and Literature Review Industry' calls for professional skills in engineering curriculum has opened up the debate for best practices for implementation in the classroom. Packed curriculum and added ABET requirements for professional skill development poses challenges for engineering educators. Not only do the curriculum requirements pose challenges, but also assessment techniques, which are often in stark contrast to traditional engineering teaching and assessment styles. Assessing hard skills through coursework is a time-tested assessment method confidently utilized by engineering faculty. Confidence in assessment of professional skills, like leadership, has yet to find a consistent approach [1]. Approaches to assessing professional skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership are likely developed through a culmination of learning experiences both in and out of the classroom and require behavioral observations, assessments, feedback, and reflection activities [1]. However, research in the application of these strategies suggests that these methods are costly for both faculty and student as well as time consuming [2]. Moreover, promising strategies to address these outcomes include the use of Problem-Based learning or cooperative learning approaches [3]. These approaches, developed out of constructivist learning theories, places the learner in the context by which the knowledge and skills are needed [4]. These approaches provide opportunities for students to learn through the experiences within the contextualized team or problem-based learning environment. Additionally, the emergence of the flipped classroom has provided another strategy to assist in learning approaches that require both knowledge and skill development. Researchers debate on a unified definition of the flipped classroom. For the purposes of this discussion, a flipped classroom is defined as having activities that might traditionally take place in the classroom moved outside the classroom through the use of technology, in the form of online learning [5]. Problem-based learning/cooperative learning approaches combined with a flipped classroom structure allows an engineering educator to provide knowledge exchange around key professional skill concepts while saving time in the classroom for experiential learning and appropriate assessment techniques. The purpose of this study is to assess the differences in learning outcomes from a leadership development course, which was delivered in a traditional lecture-based format, versus a flipped class that incorporated problem-based learning. Flipped Classroom Background Increasingly engineering educators have found success in student learning outcomes through implementing a flipped classroom structure. Recent studies have found an improvement in meeting learning objectives in a flipped classroom structure compared to a traditional lecture based structure. Daher reported positive results in implementing the flipped model into Civil Engineering [6], Electrical Engineering [7], and Thermodynamics courses [8]. Busato, Berruto, & Zazueta (2016) also found that students uniformly performed better in a flipped classroom experience and also that students preferred the flipped model to traditional lecture based engineering courses [9]. As summarized by Baytiyeh & Naja (2016), flipped model strategies increase one-on-one interaction, performance on tests, and student satisfaction [10]. While these studies consistently support positive outcomes of implementing a flipped course model, they are not without drawbacks. Specifically, students tend to resist change when first taking a course delivered in a flipped model and fail to complete the out-side-of class requirements resulting in a lack of understanding during classroom activities [11]. Other studies have suggested that there is no significant differences in the learning outcomes of students in traditional lecture courses versus flipped courses and that those in less affluent areas may have difficulty with accessing the technology needed to complete the course [10]. The studies identified above are relevant to engineering education and to specific engineering disciplines. As engineering education requires soft-skill development to meet industry needs, the question arises as to the effectiveness of the flipped classroom technique in engineering leadership courses. However, the exploration of a flipped classroom strategy implemented in an engineering leadership course is not found in the current literature. Busato et al. (2016) discusses the importance of a human centered learning approach as a theoretical model for flipped classroom approaches, but studies its implementation only in a technical course [9]. The qualitative analysis in Baytiyeh & Naja (2016) found five themes emerging from student feedback on learning outcomes from participation in a Dynamics Structures course that align with professional skills and ABET criteria: self-regulated learning, problem-solving, critical thinking skills, self-confidence, and teamwork [10]. This finding shows that a flipped classroom may also be effective in developing leadership and professional skills in engineering students. Roehling (2018) reviewed the benefits of flipped classroom learning on five learning domains: higher-order thinking skills, academic and professional skills (skills-based) learning domain; the affective learning domain, the human dimension domain, and learning to learn [12]. The active learning techniques that are used in the flipped classroom help to develop higher-order thinking skills and professional skill development, a central objective of leadership development courses. Flipped classes have also been shown to increase affective learning domain outcomes which are associated with a student's interest in course material or how they value the course [13]. Students' perceptions and value placed on the course material or discipline can be an indicator of academic success and continued future engagement [12]. The human dimension learning domain includes many interpersonal skills that are associated with leadership including knowledge about yourself and others and an individual's ability to relate, understand, and work collaboratively with others [14]. The human dimension includes abilities and characteristics related to cultural awareness, empathy, sensitivity, and the ability to work cooperatively in teams. To be successful, individuals must be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses [12]. "Those with highly developed skills in the human dimension domain demonstrate leadership abilities, emotional intelligence, and an openness and ability to work with diverse groups and to understand others" [12]. Several aspects of a flipped classroom facilitate the development of t


The TanDEM-X mission has opened a new era in spaceborne radar remote sensing. Its primary objective, the acquisition and generation of a global Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 12 m horizontal resolution and 2 m relative height accuracy, has been completed in autumn 2016. Since the end of 2010 the two twin synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X have been flying in a controlled close orbit formation. The resulting large single-pass SAR interferometer allowed to map the complete Earth's land surface at least twice. Moreover, the flexibility offered by both SAR instruments in terms of imaging, interferometric, and polarization modes, has been further exploited to serve several secondary mission objectives, e.g. acquisitions based on along-track interferometry as well as new bistatic SAR techniques. In this paper, we present the current status and activities within the mission and the quality assessment of the final TanDEM-X global DEM.


1. A digital computer can make a drawing by a point-bypoint procedure. Given the initial location of a series of points describing a basic geometrical shape or basic unit, a computer program can direct the computer to develop a drawing from it. This initial point information may be a long list of graphical coordinates of points if the basic shape is complex. However, if the list is very short,


Multi-photon nonlinear laser wave-mixing spectroscopy is presented as an ultrasensitive detection method for pancreatic cancer biomarkers, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) and carbohydrate antigen 242 (CA 242), and heart-failure biomarkers, pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (proANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Wave mixing is an ultrasensitive optical absorption-based detection method, and hence, it can detect both fluorescing and non-fluorescing biomarkers. One can detect biomarkers in their native form, label-free, without the use of time-consuming labeling steps. The wave-mixing signal beam is strong, collimated and coherent (laser-like) and it can be collected using a simple photodetector with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). The wave-mixing signal has a quadratic dependence on the analyte concentration, and thus, small changes in analytes can be monitored more effectively (i.e., an ideal sensor). Compared to currently available detection methods, wave mixing offers inherent advantages such as short optical path length (micrometer-thin samples), high spatial resolution, ultrasensitive detection limits comparable or better than those of fluorescence- or ELISAbased methods, and native label-free detection. Since laser wave-mixing probe volume is small (nanoliter to picoliter), it is intrinsically convenient to couple with microfluidics or capillary-based electrophoresis systems to enhance chemical specificity. Different biomarkers can be placed on a simple slide or flowed inside a capillary and then detected. Our nonlinear multi-photon detectors can be easily configured as portable battery-powered devices that are suitable for use in the field. Potential real-world applications include detection of various biomarkers, cancer cells, and reliable early detection of diseases.


This work is aimed at quantifying the dispersion strength and environmental impacts of gaseous pollutants such as Carbon (II) oxide, Sulphur (IV) oxide and Hydrogen sulphide emitted from 12 hp Diesel powered watercooled engine at some selected sites in North central Nigeria. A real time analysis was adopted in monitoring these sources by the use of ALTAIR Multigas detector. The estimated emission rates of 139.04mg/s, 4.227mg/s and 2.335mg/s were obtained for CO, SO2 and H2S respectively. The average monitored concentration of CO, SO2 and H2S for dry season at 5.0m from these sources are 4.0mg/m 3 , 0.185 and 0.270 respectively while that of rainy season at 5.0m from these sources are 2.272mg/m 3 , 0.197mg/m 3 and 0.174mg/m 3 respectively. The respective coefficient of regression, R 2 for CO, SO2 and H2S for measured and modeled concentration from these sources are 0.874, 0.960 and 0.968. These depict measured and modeled CO, SO2 and H2S concentrations correlating highly. Based on National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the immediate microenvironments (< 5.0m) of these sources are unsafe. It is therefore recommended that exposure to these sources be grossly reduced by relevant environmental management agencies enacting environmental policies that regulate the duration of exposure to these sources so as to reduce the health impact of these emissions. Also, since these pollutants are generated in combustion, modifications to the combustion process itself by ensuring greater air to fuel mixture in the combustion chamber design can be quite effective in reducing their formation.


The addition of polatuzumab vedotin to bendamustine and rituximab (Pola-BR) has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) in stem cell transplant (SCT)-ineligible patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). It is also increasingly used as bridging to CAR T-cell therapy (CAR-T). We retrospectively analysed the efficacy of Pola-BR in 133 patients at 28 UK institutions. Treatment intent was bridging to CAR-T for N=40, re-induction with planned SCT for N=13 and stand-alone treatment for N=78. The overall response rate (ORR) was 57.0% (complete response (CR) 32.8%). After median 7.7 months follow-up, median PFS and OS were 4.8 months and 8.2 months respectively. For stand-alone treatment shortened PFS was associated with bulk disease (>7.5cm) (HR 2.32 (95% CI 1.23-4.38), p=0.009), >1 prior treatment (HR 2.17 (95% CI 1.19-3.95), p=0.01) and refractoriness to the last treatment (HR 3.48 (95% CI 1.79-6.76), p<0.001). For CAR-T bridging the ORR was 42.1% (CR 18.4%) and for treatment after CAR-T failure the ORR was 43.8% (CR 18.8%). These data demonstrate efficacy for Pola-BR as a treatment for SCT-ineligible patients with R/R DLBCL, help to delineate which patients may benefit most, and provide preliminary evidence of efficacy as bridging to CAR-T and after CAR-T failure.


Presents our finding of a critical point that has not been reported thus far in the inverse kinematics of redundant manipulators under inequality constraints. The critical point, named algorithmic barrier was first encountered in the form of peculiar phenomena in our experiment with an 8-DOF robot, which we believe to have significance in the order of so-called algorithmic singularity. In addition, the paper deals with the characteristics of optimal solutions (COS) in resolving manipulator redundancy under inequality constraints. In order to analyze the COS, analytic functions of sufficient conditions and critical point conditions are derived. As a result, we find that COS is drastically affected by the introduction of inequality constraints. That is, COS under no inequality constraints is known to change only at algorithmic singularity while COS under inequality constraints turns out to change at semi-singularity and algorithmic barrier as well as algorithmic singularity. We prove the existence the critical points and present their analytical properties by using a planar 3-DOF manipulator.


Heritage Tourism is a business practice which attracts visitors to places that are based on historical aspects, culture and landscapes. This form of tourism displays several unique characteristics such as education, exhibition and conservation of heritage aspects. In addition, museums play a vital role in Heritage Tourism. Since a museum is a non-profit gaining, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and the environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment, it has potential to be promoted under the concept of Heritage Tourism. This study attempts to analyses the ability of developing the Dutch National Museum under the concept of Heritage Tourism. The study is based on collected data through a field research. The specific aim of the research was to propose strategies to develop the Dutch National Museum using the concept of Heritage Tourism. The objectives of the research were to identify the current situation of the Dutch National Museum, to identify its potential in being developed through a different concept, and to develop a strategic plan to develop it through this relatively novel concept. The significance of the research was to develop Heritage Tourism in Colombo, the merchant city of Sri Lanka.


The crystal structure of the title compound C 17H 24ClO 4P ( M r =358 77), has been determined by single crystal X ray diffraction. The crystal is triclinic with space group P1, a=7.95(1), b=10.49(1), c=13.10(2) , α=68.218(2), β=77.998(2), γ=77.308(2)°. V=979.4(2)  3, Z=2, D c =1.213 g/cm 3, F(000)=378, μ (Mo Kα ) =0.292 mm -1 and final R=0.0798, wR =0.2222 for 3348 unique reflections ( I2σ(I) ). X ray analysis reveals that the two carbon carbon double bonds in the molecule are of E,E configurations, which is in good agreement with the structure of 5 (4 chlorophenyl) 1 hydroxy 2E,4E pentadienylphosphonate.


Transformation of the E form of Et cyanoglyoxalate phenylhydrazone (E-I) into Z-I is catalyzed by proton-acceptor-type H-bonding solvents (H-bonding bases). Kinetic and allied data gathered on the approach of E-I towards equil. with Z-I in acetone have been utilized to delimit possible processes by which acetone may catalyze the transformation, under the basic premise that a consequence of H-bonding by the base solvent is enhancement of electron d. at amino N.


We report a case of male primary breast cancer found incidentally on whole body FDG-PET/CT scanning with mammographic and histologic correlation. The relative lack of glandular activity in the male breast potentially increases the sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT for detection of male breast cancer. As in this case, even mild uptake in a male breast lesion should be regarded with suspicion. Although the incidental detection of breast masses on whole body FDG-PET/CT requires great vigilance, the modality provides both anatomic and physiologic data to help characterize primary breast cancer.


The role of both psychiatric disease and cognitive deficits in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been observed, reported, systematically investigated, and argued about in the literature. The first part of this paper will briefly address the various psychiatric presentations encountered in patients with SLE and will describe criteria for accurate psychiatric diagnosis using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).' The diagnostic and treatment dilemmas of personality alteration and psychosis, respectively, are addressed in somewhat greater detail. In the last section, TABLE 1 illustrates the widely variable results of numerous studies of cognitive function that highlight the heterogeneity of cognitive profiles in patients with SLE. A discussion of how both formal neuropsychological assessment and brief cognitive screening during neurology clinic visits contribute to the identification of individual patient needs and treatment planning follows. Finally, specific guidelines to assess a wide array of cognitive domains are suggested.


The studies of the filtering antenna have performed many methods and type of resonators used in co-design between the filter and antenna. But none of them using the interdigital resonator with a via through hole. Interdigital resonator with a via through hole has a unique characteristic for it is short-circuited at one end and open circuited at the other. This condition is expected to have an effect to the electric field and the surface current direction. This paper performs a second order of the interdigital filter co-design with a proximity fed rectangular patch antenna. The simulation shows that the interdigital resonator with a via through hole affects the polarization of the antenna from a vertical polarization alter to a slant polarization. The design is fabricated and measured, both the simulation and measurement show a good agreement with a bandwidth of 330 Mhz at 4.65 GHz center frequency, maximum gain of 6.72 dBi and a −75° slant polarization.


Jarrell S. Austin, soil scientist with the USDA-Forest Service on the Bude Ranger District at Meadville, MS, passed away on Oct. 24, 1985. He was a participant of the National Cooperative Soil Survey program and active in the affairs of the Professional Soil Classifiers Association of Mississippi. Austin was working on the soil survey of Franklin County, MS at the time of his death. He was born in Harrison, AR, on Dec. 31, 1940, and also lived at Mt. Ida, AR. He was a graduate of the Univ. of Arkansas; and in 1966, he began his career with the USDA-Forest Service at Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. Burial was at Providence Church, in Meadville, MS. Survivors include his wife, Patricia; two sons, lohnathan and Brian; and daughter, Jennifer. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and loved ones.


This paper highlights the role of socio-economic research in the European Research Area, while putting focus on emerging trends in the field. In the meantime, the paper presents and analysis the projects that won the "Ideas" competition: ERC Advanced Inve


The design features of central banks have international significance due to their impact on other countries. Domestically, a more conservative central bank generates a tighter policy, which reduces inflation fears, but meanwhile, it increases unemployment fears for labor unions (due to the trade-off along the Phillips curve). Therefore, domestic conservativeness has an ambiguous effect on real wage claims. This paper shows that a foreign central bank's conservativeness differs in impact, as it reduces both types of fears, and hence, it always deters real wage claims. Therefore, the home country has a clear interest in the design of an ultra-conservative or strictly inflation targeting foreign central bank. JEL Classification: E24, E58, F41.


Abstract Background Although many reports classify drug-induced pneumonitis based on the tumour type or drug category, mortality of drug-induced pneumonitis across tumour types or drug categories at high-volume cancer centres are rarely reported. Methods From January 2014 to December 2018, we reviewed patients who experienced drug-induced pneumonitis requiring hospitalization. We collected the patient's background, clinical and radiological features, and outcome of treatment for drug-induced pneumonitis. To evaluate the risk factors of death from drug-induced pneumonitis, we conducted a multivariate analysis of the history of interstitial lung disease, drug-induced pneumonitis, lung surgery, chest radiotherapy, performance status, oxygen supplementation, and traction bronchiectasis on computed tomography (CT) at diagnosis as explanatory variables. Results A total of 129 patients experienced drug-induced pneumonitis in the study period. The median age (range) was 72 years (25–86 years). There were 60 men (69.8%) and 39 women (30.2%). The number of patients with lung cancer, breast cancer, biliary tract and pancreatic cancer, upper gastrointestinal tract cancer, lower gastrointestinal tract cancer, melanoma, and other cancers were 70,11,11,10,9,8,10, respectively. According to the clinician, drug-induced pneumonitis was induced by immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), molecular targeted agents (TKI), and cytotoxic agents (CTX) in 26, 22, 81 patients, respectively. Among patients with drug-induced pneumonitis requiring hospitalization, a total of 15 (11.6%) patients (ICIs: 2 [7.6%]; TKIs: 1 [4.5%]; CTX: 12 [14.8%]) died because of drug-induced pneumonitis. A logistic regression analysis revealed a history of chest radiotherapy and lung surgery, poor performance status, and traction bronchiectasis on CT at diagnosis as the independent risk factors for mortality in drug-induced pneumonitis requiring hospitalization. Conclusions The mortality rate of drug-induced pneumonitis requiring hospitalization was 11.6% and tended to vary with the antineoplastic agent. In patients hospitalized because of drug-induced pneumonitis, history of lung surgery and chest radiotherapy and traction bronchiectasis on CT indicated poor prognosis. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure H. Horinouchi: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Chugai; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Taiho; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Astellas; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck Serono; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Genomic Health; Honoraria (self): Lilly. K. Tamura: Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Daiichi Sankyo; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Eli Lilly; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Eisai; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Cyugai; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Ono. T. Okusaka: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis Pharma K.K.; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Eisai Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Eli Lilly Japan K.K; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self): Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self): Teijin Pharma Ltd; Honoraria (self): Shire; Honoraria (self): AbbVie Inc; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self): Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol-Myers Squibb. K.K.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer Japan Inc.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca K.K.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Nano Carrier Co., Ltd.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Baxter. N. Boku: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Taiho; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Ono; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol Myers-Squibb; Honoraria (self): Chugai; Honoraria (self): Eli-Lilly. N. Yamazaki: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): ONO Pharmaceuticals; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis Pharma K.K.; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD K.K.; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck Serono Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self): Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Honoraria (self): Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Takara-bio. Y. Ohe: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Chugai; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): ONO; Honoraria (self), Leadership role, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Kyorin; Advisory / Consultancy: Celltrion; Advisory / Consultancy: Amgen; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Lilly; Honoraria (self): Boehringer Ingelheim; Honoraria (self): Bayer; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer; Honoraria (self): MSD; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Taiho; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Dainippon- Sumitomo; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Kissei; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Ignyta; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Takeda; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Kissei; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Daiichi-Sankyo. M. Kusumoto: Honoraria (self): Ono pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.; Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca K.K; Honoraria (self): MSD K.K; Research grant / Funding (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Canon medical systems corporation. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


During February 2011–June 2012, invasive infection with Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W was identified in 11 persons in southeastern China. All isolates tested had matching or near-matching pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns and belonged to multilocus sequence type 11. The epidemiologic investigation suggested recent transmission of this clonal complex in southeastern China.


Faults in electrical grids supplying industrial substations lead to voltage dips on them. With close electrical connections between the backbone substations, the use of fast-automatic transfer switch at the enterprises is not effective, since the power system itself is also used as such. A proven technical solution is to use electrochemical energy storages (EES) as a backup energy source. The article discusses the possibility of their use as a source of reactive power to stabilize the voltage on the buses of an industrial substation with short-term power outages (STPO). In this case, when an external fault is recognized by emergency control systems, the EES is put into operation before the relay is disconnected by a fault. As a result, the load practically does not experience disturbance from the supply grid. The EES operates as a reactive power generator in the forced mode for no more than a few seconds, which allows the use of maximum permissible discharge currents and practically does not lose the stored energy. Simulation modeling showed that when choosing an EES for the full power of the active load power on the buses of an industrial substation, five-fold forcing of its rated current in the short-circuit discharge mode in the external supply grid helps to reduce the critical length of the line by four to five times. Thus, the number of STPO is reduced by the same amount of time, which leads to technologically unacceptable voltage dips from the consumer of electricity.


This paper examines the impact of exchange rate devaluation in an open island economy. By taking account of the non-stationarity of the variables, and identifying the consequent cointegrating relation, the long-run and short-run impacts are identified. The results suggest a significant and negative long-run elasticity of output in response to a devaluation of the real exchange rate. The short-run dynamics indicate that the real exchange rate makes fairly rapid adjustment when there is deviation from the long-run equilibrium relation. Such rapid response to any demand side shocks suggest that the Jamaican economy may be susceptible to Dutch Disease effects. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The circular Lorne Basin, located in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, contains plutonic and volcanic rocks that appear to be linked with the basin's evolution. This thesis presents a detailed petrographic, geochemical and geochronological investigation of the most prominent units of igneous rocks within the basin to establish their origin. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology has been undertaken on several igneous rocks to constrain basin development. A felsic volcanic clast from the Jolly Nose conglomerate in the lower part of the basin's stratigraphy indicates an eruption age of 217±10 Ma (all ages are Pb/U weighted means at 95% confidence and MSWD≤1). This indicates basin initiation in the Triassic. Inherited zircon in this felsic volcanic rock plus detrital zircons in a sedimentary clast in the same horizon show derivation from mostly Carboniferous (c. 320 Ma) sources in the hinterland of the basin, with older Gondwanan-aged grains (particularly latest Neoproterozoic and c. 1 Ga) also present. The Diamond Head rhyolite from higher in the basin's stratigraphy has a zircon eruption age of 217±10 Ma, indistinguishable from the age of the felsic volcanic clast in the Jolly Nose conglomerate. Plutonic rocks that cut the felsic volcanic units have yielded marginally younger ages. Thus a quartz-diorite from the North Brother intrusion yields an age of 212±4.4 Ma, whereas a similar rock from the Middle Brother intrusion has been dated by Geoscience Australia at an indistinguishable age of 212±4.4 Ma. These results indicate the rapid evolution of the Lorne Basin for less than 10 million years in the late Triassic. The plutonic rocks range from diorite to quartz-rich granitic composition, whereas the Diamond Head volcanic is rhyolitic. The majority of the igneous rocks are highly fractionated, with enrichment in SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O, K2O, FeOt, Zr, Ba, Pb and Sr with low abundances of TiO2, P2O5, MgO, Cr and Ni. Harker diagrams indicate linear trends for many elements, with hornblende and plagioclase control being important. Aberrant data such as very low Na2O and Sr in some volcanic rocks is attributed to weathering or alteration, with the breakdown of plagioclase. The geochemical signatures of the rocks such as low Ni and Cr are counter those expected in impact generated melts. Therefore the Lorne Basin is interpreted as a caldera, not an impact structure. In discrimination plots, the Lorne Basin igneous rocks straddle the divide between Iand A-type rocks. Primitive mantle normalised trace element spectra ('spider diagrams') indicate enrichment of the


Abstract The gastrointestinal tract is considered as one of the main target organs affected by heat stress. Phytogenic feed additives containing phenolics and flavonoids can improve the resistance of broilers to heat stress. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with enzymatically treated Artemisia annua (EA) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, immunity and antioxidant capacity of broilers challenged with heat stress. One hundred and forty‐four 21‐day‐old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly distributed into 3 treatments: 1) non‐challenged control (CON); 2) heat‐stress‐challenged control (HS); and 3) heat‐stress‐challenged group + 1 g EA/kg diet (HS‐EA). From 22 to 41 d, broilers in the CON group were housed at 22 ± 1°C, the HS and HS‐EA groups, in which broilers were raised at 34 ± 1°C for 8 h (0900‐1700 h) and the temperature for the rest time was the same as that of the CON group. The EA supplementation alleviated the compromised body weight gain and intestinal morphology impairment caused by heat stress challenge (P < 0.05). The EA attenuated heat‐stress‐induced decreased intestinal lipase, trypsin and total superoxide dismutase activities, and reduced intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and IgG concentrations (P < 0.05). The EA inclusion prevented the elevation of intestinal malondialdehyde content and reduction of intestinal glutathione concentration induced by heat stress challenge (P < 0.05). The intestinal mRNA abundances of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2, heme oxygenase 1, glutathione peroxidase, gamma‐glutamyl cysteine ligase larger catalytic subunit and gamma‐glutamyl cysteine ligase smaller modulator subunit in heat‐stressed broilers were increased in response to dietary EA treatment (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 1 g/kg EA could alleviate heat‐stress‐induced compromised growth performance and intestinal damage of broilers.


Studies on the natural control of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.) in British Columbia from 1943 to 1948 emphasized the importance of the complex of dipterous parasites. Sixteen species were reared from larval and pupal collections of the budworm. The key herein developed, provides the important characters for identifying and separating those adults most commonly encountered.


In most of real world problems, alternatives are evaluated according to a large set of criteria which confuses the Decision Maker (DM) in terms of allotting alternatives' assessments. So, to reduce the complexity of the presented problem, it is recommended to organize the criteria into a hierarchy tree to decompose the main problem into sub-ones. Therefore, the DM gains detailed insight on each level of the hierarchy instead of focusing only on one level. In this context, we propose an extension of the Additive Ratio ASsessment (ARAS) method to the case of hierarchically structured criteria. The proposed approach is called Hierarchical Additive Ratio ASsessment (ARAS-H) method. A major advantage of the ARAS-H method is that it enables the DM to analyze the partial pre-orders (the rankings of the alternatives) at each node of the criteria tree i.e. according to each sub-criterion. The partial pre-orders present solutions of the problem with respect to each subset of criteria. In view of determining the criteria weights at each level of the hierarchy tree, we apply the AHP method. Finally, we apply the ARAS-H method on a case study related to tourism which aims to rank tourist destination websites brands in accordance with a four levels criteria hierarchy.


Hog Island Bay, Virginia, is a shallow back barrier lagoon that is subject to seasonal inputs of inorganic nitrogen and related episodes of hypoxia. Numerical simulations were carried out to estimate the importance of physical flushing times relative to biochemical turnover times known to be a few days or less within the system. A 2D vertically averaged finite element hydrodynamic model, which was designed to accommodate regular flooding and dewatering of shallow flats and marshes, was coupled with a particle tracking model to estimate median lagoon residence time and the spatial distribution of local residence time in the lagoon. The model was forced with observed tidal elevations and winds from the end of the growing season when hypoxia tends to occur. The median residence time estimated by numerical modeling is on the order of weeks (358 hours), and variations in tidal stage, tidal range and wind produced deviations in median residence time on the order of days. Residence times near the inlets were very short, while those near the mainland were long, showing that (i) horizontal mixing in the Bay is insufficient to successfully apply integral methods to obtain residence times, and (ii) residence times near the mainland are long compared to timescales of biologically driven chemical transformations.


Polyclonal antibodies against melamine are produced from rabbits, which were injected with a certain rule of time and dose of melamine conjugated with protein. Titrations of serum was determined by methods of protein electrophoresis and indirect ELISA. The generation of IgG was verified with 10% and 12.5% of SDS-PAGE. After the forth immunization, the titer reached 1.2 × 107 by methods of indirect ELISA. It is simple and easy method to operate, and the serum has a high titer. This experiment will provide a reliable experimental evidence for the purification of polyclonal antibody against melamine in future.


Numerous physiological and pathological processes are controlled by free fatty acids (FFAs), which act as a signaling molecule in mammals. We hypothesized that oleic acid (Ole) may stimulate the formation of satellite cell-derived intramuscular adipose tissue. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of Ole on GPR43 and factors related to the adipogenic differentiation of bovine satellite cells. Bovine satellite cells were isolated from the semimembranosus of two 14-month-old crossbreed steers. The isolated muscle satellite cells were incubated in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) solution with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum. Upon reaching 80 to 90% confluence, the growth medium was replaced with differentiation medium composed of DMEM and 2% horse serum, 10μg/mL insulin, 10μg/mL hydrocortisone, 10μM ciglitizone, and 1×antibiotic-antimycotic with dose of: 0, 1, 10, 100, or 500 μM of oleic acid (Ole). Addition of Ole on BSC induced transdifferentiation of myogenic lineage into adipocyte-like cells which formed lipid droplets within cells. Use of 100 μM and 500 μM Ole doses tended to result in a greater (P < 0.1) amount of mRNA gene expression of C/EBPβ compared to all other doses. This might suppress myogenic differentiation. Expression of PPARγ was not altered (P > 0.1) by treatment. The addition of 100 μM and 500 μM upregulated (P < 0.05) mRNA gene expression of GPR43 and 100 μM of Ole increased protein level of GPR43 (P < 0.05) and phosphorylated AMPKα (P < 0.05).


'adventurer-hero' seeking to 'affront the &dquo;universelle d6sagr6gation&dquo;&dquo; in the 'struggle of man and fate'. For W. M. Frohock, Perken is the 'true tragic figure, the hero whose defeat comes in a manner which affirms his humanity'.2 2 Elizabeth Fallaize regards Perken as the adventurer for whom action is an &dquo;'antidestin&dquo;, a form of defence against death and an expression of man's determination to reject &dquo;l'ordre du monde&dquo;'. Fallaize interprets this as a struggle for human dignity and a refusal to yield to temptations of savagery and degradation, citing in particular the key scene in Part Three of the novel in which Perken confronts hostile Moi tribesmen. She writes:


【Melamincyanurate(MC), as an non halogen flame retardant are used as the polymer and plastic materials. In this study, melamine and cyanuric acid were used for the synthesis of MC. The optimum condition of synthetic MC were controlled by different molar ratio of melamine to cyanuric acid. MC was modified by coupling reaction with four different agents. The influences of modified MC were based on the coupling agent types. Preparation methods are available to offer the prospect of improved morphology control deposit stability in polyol. The results reveal that glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane(GDS) has the best storage stability. The best properties were obtained with melamine and cyanuric acid from 1:1 molar ratio. Modification of MC through coupling agent can efficiently enhanced the deposit stability in polyol up to 30 %.】


Based on cumulating damage model of concrete,the damage effect of explosive in concrete was simulated by the three dimensional simulating code MMIC3D under different buried depth and weight of dynamite(warhead),and considered including free surface.And the stress wave propagation and the formed process were studied in the concrete explosive field of the infinite or the semi-infinite.The moving images of computational results dealt with the Visc2D and the Visc3D software illuminate the development of the hollow,the formation of the pit and law of the surface motion form.Some results in accordance with physical and theoretical analysis were obtained.


In this paper, we prove strong and $Delta$ − convergence theorem for monotone nonexpansive mapping in a partially ordered hyperbolic metric space using Mann iteration scheme. Moreover, we give an numerical example to illustrate the main result in this paper.


War on terror. Preventive attacks. State of alert. As security fears emerge all over the world, we experience threats in a new way. Brian Massumi's latest book, Ontopower: War, Powers, and the State of Perception, is a key contribution toward understanding how a new kind of power has emerged from a new ecology of menace. After The Power at the End of the Economy and Politics of Affect in Ontopower: War, Powers, and the State of Perception Massumi opens up new paths for philosophical reflection and also for political engagement. Skillfully weaving philosophy and contemporary political life (he cites many examples from the George W. Bush administration as well as the invasion of Iraq and the diplomatic tensions with North Korea) into a dialogue with other fields such as political philosophy and military theory, the book can be seen as a kind of guidebook but also as an intellectual warning against the perils of the militarized threat and its consequences on public perception, informational power, and collective affections.


This paper describes the studies and measurements performed to assess the sweep efficiency and remaining oil saturation after water flooding in the mixed-wet to oil-wet, low permeability Kharaib B carbonate reservoir, which is further characterized by pronounced homogeneneity of the reservoir matrix and substantial lateral variation in fluid properties. The Kharaib B reservoir is developed with extended reach horizontal wells and has been successfully water flooded since the field development started in the mid-1990s.


By means of investigation of PEARL language characteristics and analysis of the RT-Z grammar,semantics,and construction in the integrated formalism method,a development mode of real-time system was presented,which possesses the features of both the PEARL and RT-Z.This mode gives full play to the merit of the real-time language and formalism method,making the entire process of system development independent of concrete hardware and application environment.Meantime,the difficulty of system development is reduced to some extent by means of smart resolution of real-time constraints.


A promising approach to effectively use of fiber-reinforced-polymer composites in new construction is as structurally-integrated formwork in hybrid concrete/FRP structural components. This paper summarizes research developments on a concept that combines filament wound Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) cylindrical shells/tubes filled on-site with concrete for composite columns. The CFRP shell provides the functions of formwork and external reinforcement, while the concrete core supplies the main compression force mechanism and allows for the anchorage of connection elements. Ductile and elastic (strength) designs were developed for applications in seismic zones. Analytical and design models were developed and the performance for both column design approaches was experimentally validated through large-scale lateral load tests. Introduction The use of advanced composite materials, or Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP), in civil infrastructure has become increasingly important as they offer unique mechanical and chemical characteristics in terms of strength, stiffness, and durability. These advantages have already become apparent in their application for the rehabilitation (retrofit and repair) of existing buildings and bridges. However, the full potential of FRPs to replace traditional structural materials, such as steel and concrete, in new design and construction remains to be realized. This is primarily due to economic reasons related to the high materials and manufacturing costs and simplistic design approaches which replace conventional structural components with FRP components on a member-by-member basis and which utilize design criteria developed for conventional structural materials and not specifically for FRPs. The advantages of FRPs can only be effectively used when structural designs and construction concepts combine these "new" materials with conventional structural materials such as concrete and steel to form new composite structural members that are designed based on the mechanical characteristics of the new composite member. Recent research has shown that a promising way to technically and economically use FRP composites in new construction is through structurally-integrated formwork in hybrid concrete/FRP structural components. Once such concept is the use of thin prefabricated filament-wound carbon/epoxy (CFRP) cylindrical shells filled on-site with concrete. The CFRP shell serves the dual function of reinforcement and stay-in-place formwork for the concrete core. The concrete provides compression force transfer, Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Env. Engr., Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1226, USA


A mode analysis is presented for the case of a planar electron beam in a ridged waveguide slow-wave structure. By matching boundary conditions between a Fourier expansion of the mode between the ridges with a space-harmonic expansion of the mode in the region below the ridges, a dispersion relation for a traveling-wave interaction is found. The dispersion relation is numerically solved for both the case with and without beam. For the nominal geometry, gains as high as 30 dB/cm at 300 GHz are found for a 15 A, 155 keV beam.


The Fisher information matrix induces a metric on parametric spaces of families of probability density functions. We analyse here the family of normal distributions showing how hyperbolic geometry arises naturally from the Fisher information metric.


The screening (Triage) of patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) is a process which applies when the number of the arriving patients is greater than the ability of the staff and of the resources of each institution.
In Greece, the economic downturn seems to have affected the traffic in ED, as there is a huge percentage of the population, who are uninsured and who for any health problem, addressed to the tertiary hospital. However, although needs require a more integrated system of ED, the results are unfavourable. The Emergency Medicine, although legally patented specialty in > 54 countries around the world and in 19/27 countries-members of the EU, in Greece is still not recognized as a specialty or specialization. In addition, the ED-Triage, is not organized and does not follow the guidelines. The only exception is the General Hospital 'Papageorgiou' at Thessaloniki, which uses for ED-Triage a 5-level system, using the algorithm ESI (Emergency Severity Index).
The purpose of this work is on the one hand, the creation of an intelligent system for sorting and categorization of patients who come to the Emergency Department, and a comparison of various methods of creating the core of intelligent system. The aim of the system is to be a useful tool for better and faster triage of patients.
Initially, the collection was a considerable quantity of data by patients who came to the ED of the Universal Hospital of Patras. These data, which were collected anonymously, include demographics, the main symptom of the patient, the evaluation of TRIAGE, how the patient arrival in the ED and a set of features for each separate organic system. At the same time, made interviews with experts (doctors-nurses). Knowledge, which was taken by the data, interviews and literature became the source for the production of the rules of the system. The categorization of patients, which is based on the sorting system, ESI is to output classes. The number of output classes, is 5 times the number of medical specialties. The effectiveness of the system, evaluated by internationally-used metrics.