The authors discuss x-ray fluorescence holography (XFH) measurements taken from an epitaxial layer of the digital versatile disk random access memory (DVD-RAM) material Ge2Sb2Te5 grown on a single-crystal GaSb(100) substrate. By using fluorescent photons from the Ge atoms in the matrix, a three-dimensional atomic image was obtained around the Ge atoms in a Ge2Sb2Te5 film; details of the three-dimensional atomic arrangement will aim at clarification of the high-speed writing and erasing mechanism of the laser-induced crystal-amorphous phase transition in this DVD-RAM material. Analysis of the XFH images revealed that the epitaxial layer did not possess a hexagonal structure as in the equilibrium phase of Ge2Sb2Te5, but a cubic structure with tetrahedral site symmetry about Ge atoms, different from the previous powder diffraction result. The present structure may support the umbrella-flip model of the Ge atoms between the octahedral site in the distorted rocksalt crystal and the tetrahedral site in the amor...


Beta-thalassemia is a group of hemoglobin diseases caused by a reduction (_ + thalassemia) or absence (_ 0 thalassemia) in the synthesis of beta-globin chains. More than 400 different types of mutations have been described as being responsible for this disease. Affected individuals can be heterozygous, compound heterozygous, or homozygous for beta-thalassemia, or even have interactions with other hemoglobinopathies. Kedah has a high prevalence of thalassemia (4thhighest state), with 20.25/100000 populations. More than 400 different mutations have been reported and identified in the β globin ( HBB ) gene which are responsible for the development of the β-thalassemia . They generate a wide variety of different clinical phenotypes. The identification of the genotype is important for providing proper counseling to patients and their families. Characterization of these mutations should aid the planning of prenatal diagnosis program for β-thalassemia. To determine the clinical, haematology and beta mutation profiling of beta thalassemia patients in state of Kedah. 63 patients with diagnosis of beta thalassemia were traced through hospital information system. A detailed history with clinical evaluation of all the patients were retrieved. For β-thalassaemia genotyping, 20 different mutations were tested: 19 by M-ARMS and one by simple ARMS technique. Out of 63 patients, 54% were transfusion dependent beta thalassemia with 62% heterozygous beta thalassemia/HbE and 38% are homozygous beta thalassemia. 46% of the studied patients were non-transfusion dependent with 76% were heterozygous beta thalassemia/HbE and the remaining were homozygous beta thalassemia. The most common mutation among transfusion dependent beta thalassemia was compound heterozygous CD26 and CD41/42 (27%) whereas among the non-transfusion dependent thalassemia were compound heterozygous CD26 with IVS1-5 and IVS 1-1 with frequency of 21% and 16% respectively. By characterising the type of mutation among thalassemia patients should aid in planning of the genetic counselling among the newly diagnosed thalassemia patients. Keywords: beta thalassemia; non transfusion dependent; transfusion dependent; mutation


Background: The nucleosome assembly protein (NAP) family facilitates the dynamic assembly of nucleosomes. Results: We reveal the large molecular assemblies of NAP-histone complexes. Conclusion: NAP-histone complexes assemble to form a heterogeneous population of ring-like scaffolds. Significance: Knowledge of the oligomeric states of NAP-histone complexes is crucial for understanding their diverse functions. The nucleosome assembly protein (NAP) family represents a key group of histone chaperones that are essential for cell viability. Several x-ray structures of NAP1 dimers are available; however, there are currently no structures of this ubiquitous chaperone in complex with histones. We have characterized NAP1 from Xenopus laevis and reveal that it forms discrete multimers with histones H2A/H2B and H3/H4 at a stoichiometry of one NAP dimer to one histone fold dimer. These complexes have been characterized by size exclusion chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation, multiangle laser light scattering, and small-angle x-ray scattering to reveal their oligomeric assembly states in solution. By employing single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, we visualized these complexes for the first time and show that they form heterogeneous ring-like structures, potentially acting as large scaffolds for histone assembly and exchange.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of national level Delphi study carried out in Spain aimed at providing inputs for higher education administrators and decision makers about key e-learning trends for supporting postgraduate courses.

Design/methodology/approach

The ranking of the e-learning trends is based on a three-dimensional analysis that combines the cost of implementation, the impact of each trend on learning outcomes and the diffusion forecast among postgraduate courses in the time horizon. The authors use the Delphi method for managing an expert panel.

Findings

Mobile learning, gamification, social media and open education are found as some of the key e-learning trends that might have greater educational impacts in postgraduate programs in the next years. These results are expected to help educational institutions to plan future positioning strategies depending on their starting positions, resources and intentions to innovate.

Originality/value

Educational managers and planners need to identify priority issues and principal trends in higher education in order to raise their innovative offer and to maintain competitiveness. The results might help them. Moreover the indicator and the methodological approach is a novelty in the field.


ABSTRACT:
 As part of the 65th Medical Brigade, U.S. Army, arthropod-borne disease surveillance program and in collaboration with the Korea National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), bats were captured from caves and abandoned mines in the Republic of Korea. A total of 39 adult bat flies including five species of Nycteribiidae [Penicillidia jenynsii, Nycteribia parvula, N. formosana, N. allotopa mikado, and an unidentified species of Nycteribia (N. cf. formosana)], and one species of Streblidae, Brachytarsina kanoi, were collected from bats belonging to two families, Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae. This is the first report of N. allotopa mikado and N. formosana from the Republic of Korea.


OBJECTIVES: To conduct a survey among Brazilian academic research studies on humanization of childbirth, to identify timing, location, topic, and methodological approaches, and to determine whether or not these academic research studies contributed to nursing practice. METHODS: This was an exploratory descriptive study. Abstracts of doctoral dissertations and master's theses were retrieved from two databases: Virtual Health Library (BIREME - OPAS/OMS) and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) of the Brazilian Ministry of Education. RESULTS: 26 dissertations and 4 theses were found in the period of 1987 the 2004. The majority (20; 66.7%) of these academic research studies were conducted on graduate programs of Southeast Brazil. More than a half of theses studies (16; 53.3%) were conducted in graduate programs in nursing. The majority of the studies (24; 80%) used qualitative methodology. Ethical-political aspects of health care were the most common topics or themes (20; 66.7%). CONCLUSION: Graduate research studies propose technician-scientific paradigm change, professional education, professional attitude towards the social and human rights, and redefinition of professional roles of nurses and midwives.


At 2.15 a.m. on 7 February 1984, fire broke out in the Playbox Theatre on Exhibition Street in Melbourne, tearing through the downstairs theatre and damaging the smaller upstairs theatre and offices. That night there had been reports from the theatre's security staff of having chased away 'a youth from the back of the building, soon before the fire began'. The next day, Carrillo Gantner sifted through the wreckage of the building, estimated at the time to be around $300,000 worth of damages, and took interviews from the press to show that the company's spirits were still high. They were, after all, riding the crest of a particularly successful wave at the time. Harry Kippax had, in the Sydney Morning Herald, called them a company of 'national importance' and they were playing in Melbourne in the downstairs theatre with The Search for Andy Cadabra and upstairs with The Execution of Steele Rudd; and on tour in Sydney with the Athol Fugard play Master Harold and the Boys at the Seymour Centre and Insignificance in the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House, a production presented by the Sydney Theatre Company (STC).


8595 Background: The role of consolidative thoracic and prophylactic brain radiation in extensive stage small cell lung cancer patients is controversial. We investigated the factors associated with the use of any radiation therapy (RT) and whether Radiation has a benefit to overall survival (OS) in the total patient group and whether this benefit is the same if Chemotherapy (CT) only is used, or chemo-immunotherapy (CT-IO) is used. Methods: The NCDB database was queried from years 2017-2019. Patients receiving systemic therapy- STX (CT or CT-IO) had to have at least 6 months of follow-up and have no brain metastases at diagnosis. All RT patients had to receive upfront systemic therapy, were treated 2 to 6 months from diagnosis, and if treated to the brain received 25Gy in 10 fractions only. Multi-variate analyses (MVA) were used to determine factors associated with OS and selection for any radiation. Propensity matching for factors affecting OS were used to generate Kaplan-Meier OS curves. Log-rank tests were used to determine differences in Kaplan Meier survival curves for the effects of RT on OS. Results: The total number of patients receiving RT or systemic therapy alone as well as their median follow-ups(months(mn) were (981, 33.02mn) and (8909, 30.59mn). The median time to the start of STX and RT were 22days and 135 days respectively. MVA noted that RT had a greater effect on OS (Thoracic, Brain, Both – HRs = 0.78, 0.75, and 0.68) than other interventions including IO (HR 0.87) and palliative care without RT (HR 1.07). Selection for radiation depended significantly upon factors affecting OS(HR) including liver metastases (0.59), females (1.21), age/10yr(0.78) and Charlson co-morbidity index of > 3(0.66), but did not depend upon insurance status, race, or county income/high school graduation rates. Propensity score matched OS curves noted the same effects of RT on OS whether CT or CT-IO was given. The lowest HRs were noted when both thoracic and brain RT were given (see table). Conclusions: The patient with extensive stage small cell lung cancer who reach candidacy and receive RT may have a significant improvement in OS compared to the patients treated only with CT or CT-IO. Combined thoracic and prophylactic brain RT seems to be better than either one alone. The impact of radiation whether given to one or two sites may be more beneficial than immunotherapy added to chemotherapy. [Table: see text]


We consider the problem of efficient financial surveillance aimed at "on-the-go" detection of structural breaks (anomalies) in "live"-monitored financial time series. With the problem approached statistically, viz. as that of multi-cyclic sequential (quickest) change-point detection, we propose a semi-parametric multi-cyclic change-point detection procedure to promptly spot anomalies as they occur in the time series under surveillance. The proposed procedure is a derivative of the likelihood ratio-based Shiryaev-Roberts (SR) procedure; the latter is a quasi-Bayesian surveillance method known to deliver the fastest (in the multi-cyclic sense) speed of detection, whatever be the false alarm frequency. We offer a case study where we first carry out, step by step, statistical analysis of a set of real-world financial data, and then set up and devise (a) the proposed SR-based anomaly-detection procedure and (b) the celebrated Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) chart to detect structural breaks in the data. While both procedures performed well, the proposed SR-derivative, conforming to the intuition, seemed slightly better.


The Electronic Freight Management (EFM) initiative is a U.S. Department of Transportation-sponsored project that applies web technologies to improve data and message transmissions between supply chain partners. This report describes a new EFM Governance Model and the necessary steps to implement the model. EFM Governance is the system through which the national and international freight communities' demand for and supply of electronic business services to support freight operations (EFM) is directed and controlled. Governance involves evaluating and directing the implementation and operations of EFM communities among collaborating organizations and monitoring its employment to achieve planned business objectives. It also includes the strategy and policies for using EFM among those collaborating communities. This document outlines and details these overarching strategies and policing for using EFM and assesses the options for structural models that are appropriate for EFM Governance.


This paper introduced the design of water supply and drainage in buildings, giving an account of the distribution of the toilet and kitchen room, set up of devices and equipments, installation of water and gas meters, arrangement of pipe and the selection of pipe material.


This paper evaluates the potential economic and labour market effects of attracting more high-skilled immigrant workers in Canada in the context of an ageing workforce. The analysis is done using a computable overlapping generations model, which accounts for differences in the skill composition of immigrant and non-immigrant workers. The analysis first indicates that selecting the same proportion of high-skilled immigrants as in the second half of the 1990s would raise labour productivity and living standards in the long run. It could also reduce the expected negative impact of population ageing on growth in real GDP per-capita by about one-quarter. In addition, raising the proportion of high-skilled immigrants by 0.25% of the population each year could reduce by another 50% the anticipated decline in real GDP growth. However, these gains are conditional upon the recognition of permanent residents' credentials. Finally, attracting more high-skilled immigrants may significantly reduce the skill premium, which on one hand lowers earnings inequality between high and low skilled workers, but on the other hand may reduce incentives for young adults to invest in human capital.


A finite element method, as an alternative to upwinding, is proposed based on the elimination of the factors which could cause numerical oscillation and instability by properly choosing a set of unconventional weighting functions. The proposed method is first developed and verified for a one-dimensional case and then extended to two-dimensional problems. The calculation results for a two-dimensional problem, along with the exact solutions and those obtained from Galerkin's and optimal upwinding methods, show that the proposed method is superior to these other methods in terms of accuracy and freedom from oscillation. >


A method for measuring the mode conversion coefficients of overmoded waveguide components exhibiting both forward as well as backward mode conversion is described. The coefficients may be evaluated from either transmission or reflection coefficient measurements when the components are connected in a simple resonator system and may be used for both H 10 rectangular and H 01 circular oversize waveguide components.


In this paper, a comparison of the visual appearance and detection of different man-made objects in an urban area in Norway is presented using IKONOS and RADARSAT-1 images. Results show that RADARSAT-1 fine mode images add very limited information to the IKONOS panchromatic image for many mapping applications. One explanation for the seemingly lack of information from the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, is that the IKONOS sensor image the Earth ground with a resolution of 1 m, while the RADARSAT-1 fine mode only has 9 m resolution. Despite these matters, it is shown that RADARSAT-1 may uniquely detect certain objects or structures and thereby give additional knowledge to the interpretation of an IKONOS image. Multi-temporal RADARSAT-1 acquisitions can also be used to detect man-made changes at times when weather conditions hamper optical image acquisitions. It is expected that new SAR satellites with resolutions down towards 1 m, work much better as a complementary, all-weather information source to the optical ones.


CARLOS UXO GONZALEZ, Representaciones del personaje del negro en la narrativa cubana. Una perspectiva desde los estudios subalternos. Madrid: Verbum, 2010. 306 pp. ISBN 978-84-7962-487-3.In his study, Carlos Uxo Gonzalez traces how blacks (including mulatos) have been represented in Cuban narrative literature from the seventeenth century to the end of the twentieth century. By choosing Subaltern Studies as the critical paradigm for this ambitious exploration, the author manages to arrive at a number of original insights. His first chapter introduces the basic theoretical premises of Subaltern Studies, outlining the movement's history from its origin in Southeast Asia's post-colonial context to the emergence of its (Latin) American counterpart in the early 1990s. While this theoretical introduction demonstrates the author's critical awareness and sensitivity to the movement's key concerns, the discussion does relatively little to inform the argument of the ensuing chapters.In the second chapter, Uxo Gonzalez presents a historical survey of the black population's situation in Cuba, spanning the five centuries from the arrival of the first black slaves in the Caribbean to the turn of the millennium. This highly informative overview leaves little doubt about the subaltern condition in which blacks have found themselves throughout Cuban history. It further highlights the endurance of social structures and processes that - despite a number of improvements - have perpetuated this marginalization well beyond the so-called triumph of the Cuban Revolution. However, for all its intrinsic interest, the level of historical detail provided in this skilfully compiled chapter far exceeds what is necessary to contextualize the subsequent literary analysis.In chapters three and four, Uxo Gonzalez addresses the study's principal concern. Unsurprisingly, the chronological review in chapter three, ranging from Balboa's Espejo de paciencia (1608) to the late 1980s, confirms that the narrative representation of blacks tends to adhere to certain reductive, negative stereotypes that betray the ideology and interests of its predominantly white authors and readers. Uxo Gonzalez demonstrates that even the nineteenth-century abolitionist novel, provocative in its time, does not escape the ideological parameters of the criollos' vision for a white(ned) independent Cuba and denies black subjects opportunities to speak for themselves or to be agents of their own destiny. This critical verdict extends largely to the narrative literature of the Republic, which, with a few notable exceptions, continues to merely exhibit the Afro-Cuban world, rather than voice it from within. …


The present invention relates to a catalyst for olefin polymerization and co-polymerization, a method for preparing the same and an olefin polymerization and co-polymerization method using the catalyst. More specifically, provided is a catalyst for olefin polymerization and co-polymerization having excellent catalytic activity and controlled molecular weight of a polymer by manufacturing catalytic components by loading aluminoxane, a metallocene compound and a non-halogenated mono cyclopentadienyl group 4 metal compound in a carrier. Also, provided is an olefin polymerization and co-polymerization method using the catalyst.


By pondering on the Chinese traditional culture, this paper analyzes Mr. Wei Zhengtong's thought of the cultural philosophy, one of the world\|famous critics of Chinese history of philosophy. Again it presents his ideological transition from a Confucian to a liberalist, revealing his philosophic outlook of combining ethics, democracy and science together. Finally, this paper comments on his thought's contribution to the 20th century westernized cultural philosophy in China and the shortcomings of his philosophy.


EMISSIONS AND IMPACTS FROM PRESCRIBED FIRE IN A LONGLEAF PINE ECOSYSTEM by Scott J. Strenfel Prescribed fire is a frequently utilized land-management tool in the Southeastern US. In this study, effects of seasonal-related variations and of turbulence generation on emissions and impacts from prescribed fires were evaluated. High frequency in situ data were obtained from three summer (July 2008) and three winter (January 2009) fires within the active burn perimeter and downwind by use of a 10 m instrumented tower and 2 m tripod, respectively. Two cases were selected to evaluate the performance of the EPA-approved short-range regulatory dispersion model, AERMOD, for prescribed fire applications. Results showed that summer fuels were much greener than winter fuels and did not burn as efficiently, thus resulting in enhanced particulate and CO emissions during summer fires compared to winter. Statistically significant correlations between turbulence, modified combustion efficiency, and pollutant concentrations were found. For both cases, AERMOD was able to reproduce the observed period and hourly averaged downwind particulate concentrations.


The conditional covariance between aggregate stock returns and aggregate consumption growth varies substantially over time. When stock market wealth is high relative to consumption, both the conditional covariance and correlation are high. This pattern is consistent with the "composition effect," where agents' consumption growth is more closely tied to stock returns when stock wealth is a larger share of total wealth. This variation can be used to test asset-pricing models in which the price of consumption risk varies. After accounting for variations in this price, the relation between expected excess stock returns and the conditional covariance is negative. AFTER DECADES OF RESEARCH ,f inancial economists have tentatively concluded that there are predictable variations in excess returns to the stock market. The uncertainty in this conclusion is partially driven by our inability to interpret comfortably these variations in a sensible model of asset pricing. In a world of rational investors who care about consumption, variations in expected excess returns should be driven by variations in either the amount of "consumption risk" in stock returns—the conditional covariance between stock returns and consumption—or the required compensation per unit of consumption risk. But attempts to link these potential explanations to the data have either failed empirically or have not been rigorously tested. A major problem is that existing research has found little evidence for time variation in the conditional covariance between stock returns and aggregate consumption growth. Given this conclusion, there are only two interpretations we can place on time-varying expected excess returns in a consumption-based model. The first possibility is that investors are heterogeneous and there is time variation in the conditional covariance between stock returns and the consumption of marginal stockholders that is not matched by a similar variation at the aggregate level. The second possibility is the price of consumption risk varies through time. Neither possibility is easily tested empirically. Consumption data on individual investors is noisy and limited, while proxies for the price of consumption risk tend to be chosen based on the known behavior of expected stock returns, making the models close to tautological.


Face alignment is a crucial step in many facial processing applications. It has received extensive attention in the last two decades. The general approach consist in estimating the parameters of a deformable shape model, which minimize a cost function. Most of the existing methods are based on empirical cost functions. In this paper we propose to learn an ideal global cost function (i.e. the quality of the alignment) as convex as possible in order to lead to a simple and robust optimization step. This learning process relies on the Boosted Input Selection Algorithm for Regression (BISAR). It selects the best set of Haar-like features as input of a Neural Network to predict the value of the cost function. Performance of this method is evaluated on unseen data from the training database. The generalization performance is assessed on unseen data from unrelated datasets. This approach is also favorably compared with a state-of-the-art method.


This paper studies three related aspects of the Chilean banking's systemic risk: (i) to what extent the degree of common risk exposure in the Chilean banking system has changed over the past decades, (ii) during which periods this exposure increased the most, and (iii) when this degree of commonality became a systemic concern. Additionally, it identifies systemically important financial institutions in Chile based on their contribution to the degree of common risk exposure. It finds that prior to the 2008-09 global financial crisis the degree of common risk exposure in Chile increased significantly, and that the banks that contributed the most were not necessarily the biggest ones in size, as measured by their assets share.


This paper aims to find the importance and contribution of spiritual poverty alleviation using people's subjective evaluation data of deeply impoverished areas. The research is conducted according to the method of five-level scale evaluation and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, combined with on-site questionnaires with the masses, and interviews with village cadres. The main findings reveal that the spiritual measures are more important than the material measures, and some of the second-level indicators have relatively low recognition of poverty alleviation contribution, which is an important basis for our targeted policies.


Fabricating hollow-core anti-resonant fibers (HC-ARFs) introduces imperfections to the geometry, significantly influencing loss and transmission-bandwidth. Here, for the first time, we investigate random geometry imperfections on the loss and guiding performance of 5-tube nested HC-ARFs.


OBJECTIVE:To explore the interactions between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine to promote combined use of traditional Chinese medicine with western medicine.METHODS: We retrieved and performed a meta-analysis on the pertinent literature reported in recent yearss.RESULTS CONCLUSION: To avoid adverse drug interactions,maximize the value of the drug combination and improve the curative efficacy,it is essential to optimize the drug combination through a full knowledge of the properties and pharmacological actions of chemical constituents of different drugs in formula.


Five complete rations as mash having (t) berseem (Trifolium alexendrium; control), (2) hedge lucerne (Desmanthus virgatus), (3) sunhemp (Crotalaria juncea), (4) groundnut (Arachis hypogean) hay and (5) gliricidia (Gliricidia maculata) leaves as roughage source were fed to 20 Russian Grey Giant rabbits (4 in each group) in a 56-day growth trial. At the end of the experiment, 3 rabbits from each group were slaughtered to study the meat characteristics. The average daily gains were not significantly different among the groups. Feed efficiency was lowest (p <0.05) on ration containing hedge lucerne resulting in higher cost of feed per kg live weight gain. The dressing per cent of hot and chilled carcasses differed significantly on live weight basis but was comparable on empty body weight basis. The ratios of bone : meat and edible : non-edible organs were not significantly different among the five rations.


One day, after participating in an auto race at Zhuhai's international race track in Guangdong Province, Mandy Zhu took off her helmet. Her long, straight hair tumbled to her shoulders. As she walked near the crowds, the spectators gasped and gazed at Zhu, as they realized that she's a woman driver. It's the same reaction she gets every time she competes, or as she's working on her car at Goldenport Motor Park in northeastern Beijing. Her racing team is based at the raceway.


Purpose:To investigate the resistance and spread of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from patients with respiratory tract infections. Methods:The homology among strains was determined by antimicrobial resistance pattern, serotyping, BOX PCR, PFGE and pbp fingerprint. Results:Among 128 isolates,118 were penicillin sensitive strains(PSSP),10 strains were penicillin intermediate Streptococcus pneumoniae (PISP), no penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP). One hundred and eleven surviving strains belonged to 25 serotypes, the main serotypes being 23F, 3, 19F, 14, 9V, 6A, 6B, et al. Six PFGE patterns were found in 9 surviving PISP, and strains of same PFGE pattern possessed similar resistance patterns and belonged to same serotypes. Two strains of different PFGE patterns possessed similar pbp fingerprints and susceptiblily to penicillin and ceftriaxone. PFGE patterns and pbp fingerprints of these clinical isolates were different from those of the worldwide prevalent resistant clones. Conclusions:Penicillin resistant rate of these S. pneumoniae strains was still low. Among these strains, the spread of penicillin resistant clone and resistant gene could exist, no worldwide prevalent resistant clone was found.


The article deals with the problem of using converter slag as secondary raw materials in the steel and construction industries. The chemical composition of the converter slag and possible ways of their application are described. Low temperature plasma application possibilities are being considered to improve the efficiency of magnetic separation.


Key Points • Real-world evidence (RWE) studies are gaining relevance in the clinical development programmes of drugs for advanced cancer. • RWE studies of drugs for advanced cancer can be challenging because the study drug can be part of several of the many lines of treatment (LoTs) patients can receive, and occasionally, the component drugs of a LoT are not started concomitantly. • The target trial emulation framework can help in the design, analysis, and interpretation of RWE studies of drugs for advanced cancer.


Testosterone therapy for low libido in women has become more prevalent over recent years. While numerous testosterone formulations exist and have been studied in women, there has been little data assessing the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous testosterone pellet use in this population.

 The aim of this study was to understand the biochemical effects and side effect profile of female patients who underwent testosterone pellet insertion by a single provider at an academic institution.

 An Institutional Review Board approved retrospective chart review of all female patients undergoing testosterone pellet insertion from 2009-2022 was undertaken. Women taking 75 mg and 100 mg testosterone pellets were identified, and separately analyzed for biochemical and clinical data. Analysis of variance was performed to determine statistical significance of laboratory values over duration of testosterone pellet insertion.

 A total of 220 separate pellet insertion sessions were undertaken amongst the two cohorts. In the 75 mg cohort, the average number of pellets inserted per session was one. The average time between pellet insertion was 4.7 months (Standard error (SE) 0.1) over a five year period. There was no statistically significant change in testosterone trough levels over the duration of treatment (P=0.5105). There was also no statistically significant change in hematocrit levels from baseline (P=0.9696). In addition, no statistically significant change in systolic blood pressure was noted (P=0.8798). None of the patients in this cohort reported new or worsening acne. One patient reported mild increased facial hair growth. Two out of 19 (10.5%) patients reported vaginal bleeding during the study period, but both were also on systemic estrogen therapy at the time. In the 100 mg cohort, the average number of pellets inserted per session was one. The average time between pellet insertion was 4.3 months (SE 0.1) over an 18 month period. There was a statistically significant rise in testosterone trough levels over the duration of treatment (P=0.0168). There was no statistically significant change in hematocrit levels from baseline (P=0.7805). There was no statistically significant change in systolic blood pressure (P=0.7030). Two patients in this cohort were started on new blood pressure medications during the treatment course. None of the patients in this group reported new or worsening acne, changes in facial hair growth, or vaginal bleeding.

 In both the 75 mg and 100 mg cohorts, testosterone pellet insertion lead to steady testosterone levels based on trough data, with a statistically significant rise amongst the 100mg cohort, and without any statistically significant rise in erythrocytosis rates, which is commonly seen with exogenous testosterone administration in the male population. In addition, no statistically significant changes in systolic blood pressure were noted in either cohort, along with minimal other side effects. This data suggests a relatively safe biochemical profile for regulated testosterone pellet administration in women with low libido, with a minimal side effect profile.

 Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Boston Scientific


We present, for the first time to our knowledge, a dual strain/temperature sapphire fiber Bragg grating sensor. Temperature and strain coefficients of the grating are evaluated. By recording the blackbody radiation level above 650 degrees C, wavelength shifts due to temperature can be decoupled from those due to strain.


The Raman spectrum of selenium dissolved in an aqueous solution of sodium sulfide was measured using an YAG laser and a multiple-reflection cell, and an intense broad band was observed at 264 cm-1. This frequency is higher than those of the corresponding symmetric bond-stretclaing modes in any solid form of selenium. This is explained by considering the decrease of the interference between inter- and intramolecular bondings in the solution.


Infrared hemispherical reflectance measurements that were made on 58 chromic acid anodized tray clamps from LDEF are described. The measurements were made using a hemiellipsoidal mirror reflectometer with interferometer for wavelengths between 2-15 microns. The tray clamps investigated were from locations about the entire spacecraft and provided the opportunity for comparing the effects of atomic oxygen at each location. Results indicate there was essentially no dependence on atomic oxygen fluence for the surfaces studied, but there did appear to be a slight dependence on solar radiation exposure. The reflectances of the front sides of the tray clamps consistently were slightly higher than for the protected rear tray clamp surfaces.


Winter melon (Benincasa hispida), locally known as Petha, is a vegetable crop with high functional properties (especially in medicinal treatment), were analyzed for nutritive parameters (dietary fiber, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and ash) and oil fatty acids composition. Proximate analysis showed that the winter melon seeds have crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber and ash content of 16.57%, 34.12%, 21.53% and 2.7% respectively. The extracted winter melon seed oil mainly consisted of linoleic acid (C18:2 ω-6), accounting for 80.07% of the total fatty acids. Other important fatty acid detected were palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1) and stearic (C18:0) acids with contribution of 11.71%, 4.10% and 3.74% respectively. The fatty acids profile of the tested winter melon seed oil was quite comparable to those of previously reported cucurbitaceae seed oils and some other wholesome oils, revealing that it can be used as a potential seed oil crop.


The effects of vanadium on the deformation induced ferrite transformation (DIFT) in low carbon steel during heavy deformation at the temperature slightly higher than Ar3 and on the coarsening of DIFT microstructure during the continuous cooling processes after deformation were investigated using a thermo‐simulator. The results show that vanadium has little effect on the volume fraction of DIFT microstructure under heavy deformation, whereas the deformation induced ferrite (DIF) grains are refined with increasing vanadium content. The steel containing a small amount of vanadium exhibits similar velocity of grain growth compared to vanadium free steel, while the vanadium remarkably inhibits grain growth in a steel containing a high amount of vanadium during the continuous cooling process. The diffusion activation energy of grain boundaries for all the tested steels is calculated and the influencing mechanism of vanadium on the grain growth during the continuous cooling process is discussed.


The variable ratio steering system of a vehicle, comprising a variable steering ratio mechanism, for changing the steering wheel angle θs θw ratio steering wheel relative to the steering wheel steering angle; a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed; with a to the detected steering angle of a steering angle sensor; a steering ratio control unit which, when the steering angle is less than or equal to the predetermined angle substantially corresponds to the manual operation of the steering mechanism of the neutral position, the steering control unit according to a fixed steering ratio characteristics ratio control. In contrast, when the steering angle θs is greater than the predetermined angle substantially corresponds to the manual operation of the steering mechanism θ1 neutral position when the steering ratio control unit for a steering ratio characteristic of the steering ratio is controlled according to a vehicle speed dependent steering characteristic in which angle with respect to the wheel steering angle characteristic is changed according to the vehicle speed value.


The fish oil alone and in combination with other antilipidemic drugs are studied in detail with special reference to cardiac ailments and this paper is in continuation of the same context carried out on fish oil as antilipidemic agents [1-3]. The naturally occurring ω-3 fatty acid (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil had led to a detailed investigation about its effect alone and in combination with competitive inhibitor HMG-CoA reductase (lovastatin) and it was found to be a potent lipid and cholesterol lowering agent. In the present study, the synergistic effects of fish oil with that of lovastatin or gemfibrozil were studied in order to reduce the quantity of these drugs to attain a better profile of activity thus avoiding side effects and toxicity of these drugs. As a result a better and workable formulation of a combined product was developed.


Objective Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) plays a vital role in regulating oxidative stress in tissue injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the radioprotective effects of honokiol (HKL) in a zebrafish model of radiation-induced brain injury and in HT22 cells. Methods The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) were evaluated in the zebrafish brain and HT22 cells. The expression levels of SIRT3 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were measured using western blot assays and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results HKL treatment attenuated the levels of ROS, TNF-α, and IL-1β in both the in vivo and in vitro models of irradiation injury. Furthermore, HKL treatment increased the expression of SIRT3 and decreased the expression of COX-2. The radioprotective effects of HKL were achieved via SIRT3 activation. Conclusions HKL attenuated oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses in a SIRT3-dependent manner in radiation-induced brain injury.


This paper studied on the change of peroxidase(POD) catalase(CAT) and electric conductivity(EC) by using Zanth oxylum tube plantlet and wild seeding. The result showed that Zanth oxylum in vitro activities was higher than wild seeding in PODCAT, but the EC was lower. This study describes the effect that cultivation Circumstances on Zanth oxylum in vitro from the angle of physiological-biochemical.


We exploit the exogenous variation in credit market contestability brought on by banking deregulation in the United States to study the narrowing of the gender gap in labor markets. We find that deregulation reduces the gender gap in labor force participation, as the subsequent increase in the demand for labor induces non-working women to enter the labor force. Deregulation also reduces wage inequality as women become more likely to work in the private sector, to enter high-paid "male" jobs, and to acquire higher education. Tests of contiguous MSAs sharing a state border corroborate a genuine deregulation effect. JEL classification: G28, J16, J22.


The retrograde motor cytoplasmic dynein is involved in a host of cellular activities, including the trafficking of diverse cargos such as organelles, vesicles, and mRNA as well as mitotic spindle alignment and chromosome positioning (Allan, 2011). In contrast to yeast dynein, which can achieve long-range transport on its own (Reck-Peterson et al., 2006), mammalian dynein must form a tripartite complex with the 1.2-MD dynactin complex and an adapter protein to move processively along microtubules (McKenney et al., 2014; Schlager et al., 2014a). A number of different adaptor proteins that join dynein and dynactin into an active motile complex have been identified (McKenney et al., 2014; Cianfrocco et al., 2015). For example, bicaudal D2 (BICD2), one of the best-studied dynein adaptors, interacts with the small GTPase Rab6, which is found on early endosomes and ER–Golgi vesicles (Matanis et al., 2002). BICD2 is thought to be autoinhibited through an interaction between its C-terminal coiled coil domain with the N-terminal domain of the protein, which prevents it from associating with its other partners, including dynein (Matanis et al., 2002; Hoogenraad et al., 2003; Liu et al., 2013). Autoinhibition is thought to be relieved by binding to an effector, such as Rab6a in its GTP-bound form (Liu et al., 2013); however, evidence for this model is lacking. BICD2 recently emerged as a genetic locus associated with dominant spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder characterized by the degeneration of anterior horn cells and leading to eventual muscle atrophy and weakness. (Neveling et al., 2013; Oates et al., 2013; Peeters et al., 2013). The effects that these point mutations have on BICD2's ability to function as a dynein adaptor are not known, although overexpression of these mutants has been reported to cause Golgi fragmentation and changes in BICD2 localization in cultured cells (Neveling et al., 2013; Peeters et al., 2013). Interestingly, point mutations in the tail region of heavy chain 1 of cytoplasmic dynein have been associated with another form of SMA, SMA-LED1. These mutations were reported to cause an increase in the affinity between the motor and BICD2 (Peeters et al., 2015) and a decrease in dynein–dynactin processivity (Hoang et al., 2017). Here, using biochemical and single-molecule motility assays, we demonstrate that BICD2 disease mutations cause a gain of function in the motility of DDB complexes both in vitro and in cells. In addition, we show that the expression of BICD2 mutants in neurons leads to impaired neurite outgrowth. These results indicate that the SMA BICD2 mutants hyperactivate dynein motility, a gain of function consistent with a dominant genetic trait that could explain the gradual loss of motor neuron function in SMA.


OBJECTIVE To understand the drug resistance status in Staphylococcus aureus(SAU) from lower respiratory tract and provide evidence for reasonable use of antibiotics.METHODS Retrospective review was performed to analyze the drug resistance SAU isolated from lower respiratory tract specimen from Jan.2008 to Dec.2009.RESULTS Among 137 strains of SAU,100.0% were susceptible to glycopeptide antibiotics such as vancomycin and teicoplanin.The isolating rates of methicillin resistant S.aureus(MRSA) and methicillin sensitive S.aureus(MSSA) were 44.5% and 55.5%,respectively.100% of MRSA were resistant to penicillin and oxacillin.The MRSA had the lower resistance rate of chloramphenicol(10.2%) and higher resistance rates of quinolones,macrolides,aminoglycoside antibiotics.The resistance rates of β-lactam antibiotics and the other commonly used antibiotics in MRSA were distinctly higher than those in MSSA.CONCLUSION The drug resistance of SAU from hospital is very serious,and it is suggests that the leadership should strengthen the monitoring to prevent the outbreak and prevalence of nosocomial infections caused SAU.


The United States President represents our nation: he is our public face and the collective voice of the American people. As our elected representative, his actions directly reflect on our society's values and culture. Although a President should progress his Administration's policy objectives, he should do so with at least some regard for the public's opinion of those policies, especially the opinion of the elected body who most closely speaks for the American people: the United States Congress. But what happens when a President acts primarily on his own accord, without regard for diplomacy, discourse, or public opinion? What if the President instead acts as a sovereign Executive-in-Chief, unilaterally implementing the Administration's policy decisions despite the nation's traditional systems of checks and balances? President Bush was such a President. He and his Administration pushed the boundaries of executive power, undermined historical checks on power, and adulterated organizations crucial to the non-


Based on a theoretical model proposed for quasi-one-dimensional organic polymer ferromagnets, the next-nearest neighbor hopping interactions of π-electrons are considered. Allowing for full lattice relaxation, a set of self-consistent equations is established to study the system. The spin-density-wave (SDW) and the possible ferromagnetic ground state of the system are investigated in detail. It is found that the next-nearest neighbor hopping interactions will make the SDW stronger and consequently make the ferromagnetic state more stable as compared with the nonmagnetic reference state.


Rationale: Carotid endarteractomy is a surgical intervention that is performed for prevention of cerebrovascular accidents, up to 80% of them being of ischemic origin, in the presence of a marked stenosis and occlusion of carotid arteries. A detailed description of specifics of postoperative changes in carotid arteries depending on the type of surgical intervention has not been published. Aim: To evaluate internal carotid arteries in the early postoperative period by means of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and to match the changes detected with the type of surgical intervention. Materials and methods: In 2014, 23 patients with atherosclerotic stenoses of internal carotid arteries were assessed in the Department of Roentgenology of MONIKI. As a part of preoperative work-up, the patients underwent ultrasound examination (USE) of the neck vasculature and MDCT with bolus contrast enhancement. Postoperative monitoring also included USE and MDCT. The data obtained were matched against the type of surgical intervention. Results: After the eversion procedure (15 patients), there were 14 cases of expected (normal) postoperative changes and 1 case of changes that required a follow-up. After an open (classic) carotid endarterectomy (3 patients) there was 1 case of expected postoperative changes and 2 cases requiring a follow-up. Among 5 patients who underwent a resection of internal carotid artery and its prosthetic replacement, 2 patients had expected changes, 2 patients had changes that required a follow-up and 1 patient had a complication after surgery. Conclusion: The postoperative use of MDCT for assessment of reconstructed arteries allows for identification of various types of postoperative changes, for detection of symptoms of severe complications and borderline conditions that require subsequent targeted diagnostics and monitoring.


Cysts of the jaws are very common in clinical stomatology.Cysts of the maxilla,mandible,and perioral regions comprise several entities that vary markedly in histogenesis,frequency,behavior,and treatment.Although most cysts in this region are true cysts(they have an epithelial lining),some entities represent pseudocysts because they are not epithelium-lined.The World Health Organization(WHO) established an International Reference Center for the Histological Definition and Classificatin of Odontogenic Tumors,Jaw Cysts and Allied Lesions at Copenhagen in 1966.Second edition of histological typing of odontogenic tumors was published in 1992.Some of the concepts and principles included in this paper are derived from the monograph.Patients suffered cyst of the jaw can't feel the disease in time because the symptoms of the illness are not very obvious at the onset.According to undergoing cysts treatment for many years,the authors intend to share and assess the methods of cyst management,especially the therapy of tremendous odontogenic keratocysts which adopt fenestration,filling with calcium sulfate and calcium phosphate turned out to be a satisfactory results.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the Complex exercise on activity fitness and cardiovascular disease risk factors in elderly women. The subjects of this study were total twenty persons, who are residents of S city. Subjects in complex exercise performed their assigned exercise 60 min./day, 3 days/week for 12weeks. Data obtained at pre and post test were compared between before and after test utilizing paried t-test. Results were as follows: In activity fitness factors, left grip strength, chair stand test, stand up test, trunk forward flexion, open eyes one leg had significant difference between before and after 12weeks complex exercise program, but right grip strength, catching a dropped bar, bean transfer test had no significant difference. In cardiovascular disease risk factors, resting SBP, resting HR, HDL-C had significant difference between before and after 12weeks complex exercise program, but resting DBP, glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglyceride had no significant difference. These results have effects on some factors, physical function fitness and cardiovascular disease risk factors in elderly women.


Temperature is a key process variable at any nuclear power plant (NPP). The harsh reactor environment causes all sensor properties to drift over time. At the higher temperatures of advanced NPPs the drift occurs more rapidly. The allowable reactor operating temperature must be reduced by the amount of the potential measurement error to assure adequate margin to material damage. Johnson noise is a fundamental expression of temperature and as such is immune to drift in a sensor's physical condition. In and near the core, only Johnson noise thermometry (JNT) and radiation pyrometry offer the possibility for long-term, high-accuracy temperature measurement due to their fundamental natures. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) place a higher value on long-term stability in their temperature measurements in that they produce less power per reactor core and thus cannot afford as much instrument recalibration labor as their larger brethren. The purpose of the current ORNL-led project, conducted under the Instrumentation, Controls, and Human-Machine Interface (ICHMI) research pathway of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced SMR Research and Development (R&D) program, is to develop and demonstrate a drift free Johnson noise-based thermometer suitable for deployment near core in advanced SMR plants.


This paper proposes an indoor positioning algorithm, WBI based on WiFi Received Signal Strength (RSS) technology in conjunction with trilateration techniques. The WBI algorithm estimates the location using RSS values previously collected from within the area of interest, determine whether it falls within the Min-Max bounding box, corrects for non-line-of-sight propagation effects on positioning errors using Kalman filtering, and finally update the location estimation using Least Square Estimation (LSE). The paper analyzes the complexity of the proposed algorithm and compares its performance against existing algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed WBI algorithm was able to achieve an average accuracy of 2.6 m.


Intra-operative bleeding is very rarely a complication of laparoscopic appendicectomy. Despite this, it is often mandatory for any patient undergoing an emergency appendicectomy to have pre-operative ABO blood type sampling. This could be an unnecessary expense and may lead to patients being delayed for theatre. The aim of this study was to see how many patients who underwent an appendicectomy required a blood transfusion intra-operatively or within 30 days of their operation.

 Data were collected retrospectively for patients of all ages who underwent an appendicectomy for suspected appendicitis at a single centre from March 2018 to May 2020. The primary outcome measure was intra-operative and post-operative blood transfusion up until 30 days after the operation.

 Over 26 months, 698 appendicectomies were performed. Preoperative ABO blood typing was performed in 95% (n = 663) of patients. Collectively, 1,305 blood samples were obtained at a combined total cost of £13,703 to the hospital. None of the patients required blood transfusion intra- or post-operatively. Pre-operative blood transfusion was performed in only three patients, all due to chronic anaemia. 21 (3%) patients were delayed in going to theatre whilst awaiting two valid ABO blood typing results.

 Emergency appendicectomies very rarely experience complications associated with bleeding or requiring blood transfusion. Clinical guidelines should reflect this by avoiding recommendation of such tests in emergency appendicectomies, reducing delays to surgery and resulting in a more efficient allocation of financial and staff resources.


In responding to this question, we draw upon data collected in a study undertaken in 2020 and recently accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of the journal Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research. This study aimed to assess the nature of the relationship between music consumers and playlists on streaming services. In particular, the study examined the capacity for algorithmic playlists to engender feelings of attachment between consumers and the musicians and songs they discover via this medium. The findings of the work will be shared below, and the findings reconceptualised and discussed in the context of the CMA's remit.


Background: Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy is one important cause of spinal stenosis. Ligamentum flavum thickness of more than 4 mm measured on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging is considered hypertrophy, but causes of hypertrophy and distribution characteristics remain poorly understood. Previous studies showed that the ligamentum flavum thickness at the segments L2/3 , L3/4 , L4/5 and L5/S1 was positively correlated with age. It remains unclear whether ligamentum flavum thickness is associated with nationality, sex and obesity. Methods/Design: We conducted a retrospective, single-center, case analysis at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University, China. We collected lumbar CT imaging data of 104 patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University from May 2012 to May 2016. The primary outcome was the ligamentum flavum thickness of patients with different nationalities, sexes, heights, ages, and weights. The secondary outcomes were the morphology of lumbar vertebrae in patients with different nationalities, sexes, heights, ages, and weights; the correlation of nationality, sex, height, age, and weight with ligamentum flavum thickness; results of multiple linear regression analysis of relevant factors for ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Discussion: This study will determine the variations in the ligamentum flavum thickness of lumbar spinal stenosis patients of different nationalities, sexes, heights, ages, and weights in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by measuring the ligamentum flavum thickness using CT, and analyzing risk factors for ligamentum flavum hypertrophy; the findings will provide quantitative reference data for preventing lumbar spinal stenosis induced by ligamentum flavum hypertrophy in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03057353. Ethics: The study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University, China, and conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, formulated by the World Medical Association. Informed consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.


The 111th Congress will likely consider a variety of issues involving family planning and reproductive health. Legislation related to family planning and Title X of the Public Health Service Act, including appropriations measures that could affect the funding of Title X family planning initiatives, is expected.


The notion of Radical classes is introduced in (1). We prove here some useful equivalent conditions for a subclass of a fixed universal class to be a radical class. We introduce the notion of Hoehnke radical and give some consequences of Hoehnke radical and Kurosh-Amitsur radical.


We present an alternative theoretical formulation of the Coulomb dissociation process. We apply the formalism to the deuteron as an example of a weakly bound two-body composite nucleus with a charged core and a neutral valence particle and for which exclusive experimental data exist in an appropriate kinematical regime. The theoretical scheme assumes that the projectile excitation is predominantly to states with low internal energy and is expected to be applicable at incident projectile energies of tens of MeV per nucleon and above. A readily calculable expression for the quantum mechanical breakup transition amplitude is obtained without the use of the distorted-wave Born approximation weak channel coupling approximation or of additional approximations for finite-range effects. Calculations are presented, analyzed, and compared with high precision, kinematically complete, measurements of elastic deuteron dissociation into very forward scattering angles. The calculations and data support the importance of the Coulomb breakup mechanism under these kinematical conditions. @S0556-2813~98!00206-4# The Coulomb breakup of weakly bound composite systems has been studied extensively in nuclear physics. The relationship between the cross section for Coulomb breakup and that for the inverse low-energy nuclear capture process @1# has also stimulated much experimental and theoretical effort for applications to nuclear astrophysics. These theoretical ideas and applications are discussed and reviewed in Ref. @2#. Analyses of Coulomb dissociation of the recently discovered, and very weakly bound, neutron halo nuclei @3# have also been numerous, e.g., Refs. @4,5# and references therein. Coulomb dissociation is believed to be a significant reaction channel in the scattering of such nuclei from a stable heavy target nucleus. Halo nuclei are indeed an exciting application but the low intensities of the available secondary beams of these nuclei means that experimental data are still quite limited—although they are improving rapidly. In this paper we reconsider calculations of the Coulomb dissociation of a weakly bound two-body composite nucleus, consisting of a charged core and a neutral valence particle, by a charged target at energies of a few tens of MeV per nucleon and above. Within the framework of this three-body model description we present a theory which makes two approximations—that the dominant projectile breakup configurations excited are in the low-energy continuum and that the valence particle does not interact with the target. The theory is fully quantum mechanical and is also nonperturbative. It will be shown to lead to a factored expression for the quantum mechanical breakup transition amplitude similar to forms reported previously, but which were derived using approximations to distorted-wave Born approximation ~DWBA! theory. The result of the present approach differs significantly from these in both detail and in interpretation. We show that, without the use of DWBA weak coupling approximations or of additional approximations, we are able to calculate explicitly the quantum mechanical breakup transition amplitude and so make comparisons with the most


1,25 - dihydroxyvitaminD3 plays many roles on the health of Human body.In addition to its central functions in diseases of bones、nervous system、muscle tissue and blood system,1,25 - dihydroxyvitamin D3 has important effects on respiratory disease in children.In this paper,studies about the important active form of vitamin D - 1,25 - dihydroxyvitamin D3 and respiratory disease in children are reviewed.We realize that the effects and mechanisms of 1,25 - dihydroxyvitamin D3 in respiratory disease in children,so as to offer reference for further treating respiratory disease in children.


We report an unexpected theoretical discovery of a spin one-half matter field with mass dimension one. It is based on a complete set of eigenspinors of the charge conjugation operator. Because of its unusual properties with respect to charge conjugation and parity, it belongs to a nonstandard Wigner class. Consequently, the theory exhibits nonlocality with (CPT){sup 2}=-I. Its dominant interaction with known forms of matter is via Higgs, and with gravity. This aspect leads us to contemplate it as a first-principle candidate for dark matter.


Based on the adaptive reward-shaping mechanism, we propose a novel gradient descent (GD) Sarsa(λ) algorithm to solve the problems of ill initial performance and low convergence speed in the reinforcement learning tasks with continuous state space. Adaptive normalized radial basis function (ANRBF) network is used to shape reward. The reward-shaping mechanism propagates model knowledge to the learner in the form of the additional reward signal so that the initial performance and convergence speed can be improved effectively. A function approximation algorithm named ANRBF-GD-Sarsa(λ) is proposed based on the ANRBF network. The convergence of ANRBF-GD-Sarsa(λ) is analyzed theoretically. Experiments are conducted to show the good initial performance and high convergence speed of the proposed algorithm.


Space/Absolute Space Our experience of space is organized in terms of what Lefebrvre calls an "abstract space", an uneasy alliance between two structures. On the one hand, there exists what he calls a "representation of space" or "absolute space", that is, a symbolic representation of places, directions, and shapes. On the other, there exists a "representational space" or "lived space" that is addressed to the body rather than to the intellect. The latter is implicit in the way that people structure their environment in terms of normative boundaries that separate the sacred from the profane, the forbidden from the permitted (Lefebvre, 231-233, 235-236). According to Lefebvre these two aspects of abstract space, the "absolute" and the "lived", do not simply reflect each other as Panofsky claims (258), but instead exist in dialectical tension. To be specific, the representational forms of absolute space take on an ideological role in a traditional marxist sense, namely as misrepresentations that conceal or mystify "real", that is, lived, social relations. Lived spaces, on the other hand, are ideological in an Althusserian sense. That is, they are implicit maps, that show where people go/do not go, or more correctly, where they are allowed/not allowed to go. According to Lefebvre, these two aspects of abstract space, the lived and the absolute, are in mutually destructive tension. The lived erodes and is eroded by the system of representations that always and already work to misrepresent it. As Lefebvre


Learning to act optimally in the complex world has long been a major goal in artificial intelligence research. Reinforcement learning (RL) is an active research area that attempts to achieve this goal. In the past, studies on RL have been focused mainly on stationary environments, in which the underlying dynamics do not change over time. This assumption, however, is often unrealistic for real-world tasks. Previous works on nonstationary RL typically assume that nonstationary environments change slowly enough for adaptation to take place. The dominating approach thus far is to employ online learning techniques to give higher emphasis on recent experience in order to cope with environmental changes. This online learning approach is memoryless in the sense that even if the environment does ever revert to its previous dynamics, the learning agent must still need to re-learn the environment model.
This dissertation focuses on the nonstationary environments that repeat their dynamics in certain ways. Several forms of memory mechanism are employed to allow a rapid adaptation to take place. In the first part of the dissertation, a formal model is proposed for the nonstationary environments in which environmental changes are confined to a fixed number of hidden modes. Each hidden mode specifies a Markov decision process and is itself governed by another Markov process. The relationship between the proposed model and the partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) is then-discussed. Two efficient model learning algorithms and a policy learning algorithm are subsequently developed. Empirical results show that the new model is computationally more tractable than POMDPs. A heuristic algorithm that works on a variant of the model is also studied.
In the second part of the dissertation, I propose a memory-based RL algorithm for navigation-type nonstationary problems. The algorithm extends the idea of exploration bonuses proposed by Sutton, and can be implemented in a distributed manner. It has been applied to the network routing domain with encouraging results. Empirical studies show that the new algorithm outperforms a previous approach as the network traffic load varies over time.


The aim of the thesis is to estimate the cost function for Měsťanský pivovar v Policce, JSC and for the Czech brewing industry as a whole and also to measure its efficiency. In the first part of the thesis we focus on the theoretical framework of the thesis, i.e. functional shape of the cost function, stochastic frontier analysis. In the second part we pay attention to the description of the collected data and their modification. In the third part of the thesis we devote to estimating the cost function models and to measurement of efficiency of brewing industry.


How did the study come about? The origin of the Doetinchem Cohort Study lies within the Monitoring Project on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors (MP-CVDRF), which was aimed at providing prevalence estimates of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as smoking, blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels. During 1987–91 each year an age-and sex-stratified random sample of men and women aged 20–59 years, was invited to participate. The MP-CVDRF was carried out in three towns in The Netherlands (Amsterdam in the west, Doetinchem in the east and Maastricht in the south), and from each of the three towns, about 12 000 men and women were examined. In the subsequent Monitoring Project on Chronic Disease Risk Factors (MORGEN-project), carried out from 1993–97, in Doetinchem only respondents from the MP-CVDRF were invited to participate, while in Amsterdam and Maastricht again random samples from the general population were examined. The protocol was extended, because the focus broadened from cardiovascular to other chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and COPD. Due to extension of the protocol, with similar budget, not all 12 405 participants in the MP-CVDRF could be re-invited. Instead, a random sample of in total 7769 of the respondents at baseline was invited for re-examination. This random sample is considered the basis of the cohort (Figure 1). The aim of the Doetinchem Cohort Study is to study the impact of (changes in) lifestyle factors and biological risk factors on aspects of health, such as the incidence of chronic diseases, physical and cognitive functioning and quality of life. During the course of the study, the scope has continuously broadened. At baseline, the focus was on determinants of cardiovascular diseases. Starting from the second examination of the cohort, the scope has extended to a broad spectrum of chronic diseases that have a substantial public health impact, such as diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, asthma and COPD. During the fourth round the social aspects were assessed and in the fifth round that will start in 2008 the focus will be more on healthy ageing and the measures will also include bone density, osteoarthri-tis, osteoporosis and fractures, other chronic diseases than the big five (such as diseases of bowel, liver, thyroid gland), incontinence, muscle strength and tests for physical functioning. The study is thus aimed at a broad spectrum of hypotheses, with respect to both exposure and outcomes (Table 1). A biobank, with blood samples from each …


Our understanding of the pathophysiology of emesis has improved over the past 2 decades, and we now have drugs that can prevent acute emesis in most patients. Prevention and treatment of the delayed and anticipatory forms of chemotherapy-induced emesis remain a challenge.


This paper deals with the development of a processing technique that will improve the signal‐to‐noise ratio at the single sensor for a received signal that is embodied in a partially correlated noise field. The approach of this study is unique in that the noise will be treated as being nonwhite and partially correlated. The concept of the proposed development is based on the time interval over which the temporal coherence or correlation properties of a noise field are defined. For narrow‐band signals, the associated temporal coherence period is much longer than the correlation time interval of the anisotropic noise field. Thus a coherent integration of discontinuous segments of received signals will enhance the signal‐to‐noise ratio at the sensor by lowering the correlation properties of the associated nonwhite noise. Reconstruction by the proposed technique of the narrow‐band signal time series with improved signal‐to‐noise ratio at the sensor will allow the use of the existing high resolution techniques...


Aluminum thin films on flexible substrates are very popular as a back electrode in solar photovoltaic technology. However, during their manufacturing and use, the package is subject to cyclic bending, which leads to cracks in the conductive thin film and ultimately failure of the package. This paper investigates the effect of film thickness, bending diameter (BD), and number of cycles (NOC) on crack development and the percentage change in electrical resistance (PCER) of aluminum thin films under cyclic bending conditions. PCER-NOC diagrams are constructed at all considered factor-level combinations. These curves are used in comparisons between high and low levels of BD and film thickness. The Design of Experiment tool is used to investigate the effect and significance of film thickness, BD, NOC, and the interactions between them on the PCER. In this regard, all factors are found to be significant. Furthermore, thickness-NOC and BD-NOC interactions are significant, while thickness-BD interaction is not significant. Moreover, a finite element model is built to investigate the area of the highest stress on the aluminum thin film, in other words, the area with the most fatigue potential.


The Ukrainian-Russian war has garnered significant attention worldwide, with fake news obstructing the formation of public opinion and disseminating false information. This scholarly paper explores the use of unsupervised learning methods and the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) to detect fake news in news articles from various sources. BERT topic modeling is applied to cluster news articles by their respective topics, followed by summarization to measure the similarity scores. The hypothesis posits that topics with larger variances are more likely to contain fake news. The proposed method was evaluated using a dataset of approximately 1000 labeled news articles related to the Syrian war. The study found that while unsupervised content clustering with topic similarity was insufficient to detect fake news, it demonstrated the prevalence of fake news content and its potential for clustering by topic.


The paper analyzes the relationship between enterprise production strategies and supply chain network architecture,explores the commonplace supply chain integration strategies,and through a case study on a certain enterprise A,demonstrates the importance for an enterprise to adopt production strategies compatible with the network architecture of the supply chain it is a part of as well as the significance of supply chain integration.


Penetrating intra orbital injury with wooden foreign body (FB) is not an uncommonophthalmic emergency. The retention of organic material frequently leads to complications and the irremoval is of paramount importance. We present here a patient who had a penetrating injury of the left orbit with a wooden FB, which believe is the largest to be reported. The patients presentation, investigations, treatment and the followup is reported here with a succinct review of management oforganic foreign bodies.


Background and Purpose— Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are one of the most frequently diagnosed vascular malformations of the brain and constitute a potential source of intracranial hemorrhage. In CCM patients suffering ischemic stroke or heart disease, the use of anticoagulants or antiplatelet therapy is generally avoided by fear of hemorrhagic complications, but no systematic studies exist to support this hypothesis. Methods— We prospectively followed-up consecutive patients with a diagnosis of one or more CCMs in a prospective database since 2008. Retrospective data collection was used for patients with a diagnostic event or imaging studies done before first assessment. Symptomatic hemorrhage and other focal neurological events during prospective follow-up were defined according to the current guidelines of the Angioma Alliance Scientific Advisory board. Results— A total of 87 patients were prospectively enrolled in our cohort [50 women (57%), mean age 44.8 years (SD ± 17.6), mean follow-up 3.9 years], harboring a total of 738 CCMs. Fifty-five patients (63%) had a single CCM, and 32 patients (37%) had multiple CCMs. Longitudinal follow-up included 16 (18%) patients receiving long-term antithrombotic therapy by antiplatelet treatment (n=11) or oral anticoagulants (n=5). During 5536 lesion-years of observation, none of the patients under antithrombotic therapy experienced CCM hemorrhage on follow-up. Conclusions— Our observational data suggest that long-term antithrombotic treatment by antiplatelet drugs or warfarin does not increase the frequency of CCM-related hemorrhage. Patients harboring single or multiple CCMs suffering ischemic stroke or heart disease should not be withheld antithrombotic therapy.


The authors report on the analysis and experimental evaluation of a parallel Schönflies-motion generator (SMG) intended for fast pick-and-place operations and actuated with cylindrical drives (C-drives). Its CRRHHRRC isostatic architecture offers high rotability of the moving platform and a reduced number of limbs, as compared to robots available on the market. A simulation model using the dynamics of the robot as well as an experimental prototype are described. The results obtained are used to assess the pros and cons of two alternative C-drive architectures. A workspace analysis including the feasible wrenches is conducted. The industry standard Adept test cycle is used to evaluate the performance of the prototype. The data obtained prove that C-drives augmented with strain-wave gears give the SMG significantly better wrench capabilities and lower trajectory-tracking error, compared to their alternative C-drives based on cables.


Based on our work teaching undergraduate Calculus courses, we offer insight into teaching the chain rule to reduce cognitive load for students. A particularly difficult topic for students to grasp, problems likely arise due to student struggles with the concept of function and, particularly, function composition relative to when they first encounter the chain rule. We suggest that, by incorporating the intentional use of color in instruction, we can highlight the particular aspects of the symbols we want students to focus on, thereby reducing cognitive load and early difficulties solidifying the topic.


New exploration results proved the presence of Tertiary sedimentary basins with hydrocarbon potential in the boundaries of Vietnam continental shelf. These basins were perhaps formed in the Early Oligocene on the Mesozoic basement of continental crust and were filled with mainly deltaic clastic sediments. Since very early Miocene these basins have linked together and extended wider. Sediments of marine and prograding delta facies accumulated and widespreaded on the whole continental shelf. At the Middle Miocene to present-day the opening of the Bien Dong Sea (Vietnam East Sea), the regional tectonic subsidence and the eustatic fluctuation had created sedimentary formations of open and deep marine facies with turbidite shale, platform carbonate including reef build-up. Andesite and basalt extrusion occurred in form of dykes resulting from tectonic inversions in Late Oligocene, in the beginning of Middle Miocene, particularly in Late Miocene-Pliocene. These Tertiary sedimentary basins are expected to have hydrocarbon potential and need to be investigated and explored adequately. The main risk is the drilling technology, the exploitation in the deep sea and high investment cost. The recently exploration results in illustrated a better potential in Lower Oligocene reservoir in South East margin of Cuu Long basin and many new signs. These signs need to be highlight researched for predicting accumulation distribution in study area, in purpose of oil and gas exploration for next stages. Keyword: Boundaries of continental shelf, prograding, retrograding, petroleum system, potential play, South East margin, lower Oligocene reservoir. TAÏP CHÍ PHAÙT TRIEÅN KH&CN, TAÄP 19, SOÁ K12016 Trang 181


In this paper, we analyzed lateral migration (LM) mechanism of V-NAND occurring during retention operation depending on scaling of geometric parameters using TCAD simulation. Modeling for LM was performed and the behavior of time-constant (τ) parameter used for modeling was analyzed. In addition, we analyzed retention characteristics according to the states of neighbor word line (WLNei.). Comparing the extracted τ for different patterns, checker-board pattern (C/P) has the smallest τ, followed by NPN and solid pattern (S/P).


The utility model relates to a power plug capable of rotating at an angle of 180 DEG. The power plug is provided with a plug base (10) which is formed by connecting an upper cover (11) and a bottom cover (12) in an assembling mode, wherein a hinging base (121) is arranged outside the lower cover (12); a rotary base pin component (20) which can rotate at the angle of 180 DEG is hinged on the plug base; the base pin component (20) is composed of a conduction base pin (21) and a base pin fixing seat (22); the base pin component is hinged with the plug base (10) by a bracket (40) which is provided with a soleplate (41); two connecting plates (43) and two side plates (42) which are perpendicular to the soleplate are arranged on the soleplate, and the base pin component (20) is connected with a circuit board (30) installed in the plug base (10) by conducting wires (50). The utility model has the characteristics that the power plug can be folded, and the plugging direction between the power plug and a power socket can be changed to satisfy different use requirements.


The instant invention relates to a composition and process for the stabilization of halogen containing polymer slurries, in particular polyvinylchloride (PVC). The composition comprises a halogen containing polymer in the form of an aqueous suspension or emulsion, a partially hindered phenolic antioxidant and selected sulfur containing antioxidants, which are both solid at 20° C. A further aspect of the invention is the use of specific antioxidant mixtures for the stabilization of halogen containing polymer suspensions or emulsions, in particular PVC.


Corn (Zea mays L.) is commonly grown in rotation with peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to improve management of peanut pests, including weeds. Field studies were conducted from 1988 through 1990 at Tifton, GA, to determine the effects of crops and weed management systems on weed populations in a corn-corn-peanut rotation. Florida beggarweed [Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC] and yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) were the predominant species in corn where high-input weed management systems were used. Florida pusley (Richardia scabra L.) was the predominant species in corn where no herbicides were used (...)


A new series of 4-(3-chloro-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyllidene)-4-oxoazetidin-1-yl)amino-N-(substituted) benzenesulfonamide, 4-{3-chloro-2-(5-methoxy-2-nitro-4-(prop-2-en-1-yloxy)benzyllidene)-4-oxoazetidin-1-yl})amino}-N- (substituted)benzenesulfonamide and 4-{3-chloro-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-5-(prop-2-en-1-yl)benzylidene)-4-oxoaze- tidin-1-yl}amino}-N-(substituted) benzenesulfonamide were synthesized using appropriate synthetic route. The chemical structures of all the synthesized compounds were deduced on the basis of elemental analysis and spectroscopic data. The antifungal activity of the synthesized compounds was screened against several fungus. The synthesized compounds show potent antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger & Aspergillus flavus and significant structure-activity relationship (SAR) trends.


A semi-empirical valence bond calculation of potential surfaces for the gas phase reaction between methyl bromide and chloride ion is described. The system is treated in a four participant electron approximation with precautions to include the effects of orthogonalization to the core electrons not involved in bond formation during reaction. The core is taken to include the methyl group as a single fragment whose valence state energy is determined by hybridization at the carbon atom. The qualitative features of the surface are confirmed by a less extensive CNDO calculation. The lowest potential surface is found to have a central dip, the minimum energy being 0·98 ev below the energy of the reaction products when the C-Cl distance is 3·60 a.u., the C-Br distance 4·11 a.u., and the H-C-Br angle 86°. Analogy with classical two-body scattering suggests that at incident energies of less than 2 ev, the reaction cross section is of the order of 10(1 + 1/E) a 2, where E, the initial energy of relative motion, is i...


We conduct a two-flavor (Nf=2) lattice QCD calculation of the elastic phase shifts for pion-pion scattering in the scalar, isoscalar channel (the σ-meson). The calculation is performed for two quark masses corresponding to pion masses of 315 and 227 MeV. The σ-meson parameters are extracted using various parametrizations of the scattering amplitude. The results obtained from a chiral unitary parametrization are extrapolated to the physical point and read Mσ=(440-16+10(50)-i240(20)(25))  MeV, where the uncertainties in the parentheses denote the stochastic and systematic ones. The behavior of the σ-meson parameters with increasing pion mass is discussed as well.


"Noninformative" priors are widely used in Bayesian inference. Diffuse priors are often placed on parameters that are components of some function of interest. That function may, of course, have a prior distribution that is highly informative, in contrast to the joint prior placed on its arguments, resulting in unintended influence on the posterior for the function. This problem is not always recognized by users of "noninformative" priors. We consider several examples of this problem. We also suggest methods for handling such induced priors.


Aim of the study: To compare alcohol-based handrub solutions and standard surgical scrub in preoperative hand disinfection.Methods: Single center, blinded, controlled study performed over a period of 4 weeks in the Ibn Al Haithem hospital. Surgeons, seniors and residents (with more than 2 years of experience) volunteered for inclusion in this study by taking their fingerprints on blood agar before and after hand disinfection.The two methods of disinfection were the following:A: Alcohol-based handrub with sterillium. The solution is applied to the hands for 1.5 min and then left to dry. The fingertips and thumb prints are then taken on blood agar plates.B: The hands are washed with soap and water using a gentle brush for 5 min and then left to dry.The fingertips and thumbprints are then taken on blood agar plates.Results: One hundred samples were collected twice. Fifty volunteers were in each group, and samples were collected before and after washing the hands.The mean reduction in colony counts was 104.6 (P 0.001) in the standard scrub group.Conclusion: In preoperative hand disinfection, alcohol-based handrub significantly reduces the bacterial colony counts compared with standard surgical scrub.


We suggest a construction that allows us to bring methods of denumerable Markov chain theory and coagulation-fragmentation processes to bear on the question of locating the threshold in Bak-Sneppen type models.


A novel metal compound of general formula (1), a material for chemical vapor phase growth containing the compound, and a process for forming a metal-containing thin film by chemical vapor phase growth using the material. Among the compounds of formula (1), those wherein X is a chlorine atom are preferred because of inexpensiveness and high volatility. When M is titanium, those wherein m is 1 are preferred as having a greater difference between a volatilization temperature (vapor temperature) and a deposition temperature (reaction temperature), which provides a broader process margin.
In formula (1), M is titanium, zirconium, or hafnium; X is a halogen atom; and m is 1 or 2.


Although it is difficult to believe that there may be something new to say about normal approximation in the twenty-first century, the fact still remains that there exists no simple and certain method of proving central limit theorems. All techniques known to statisticians and probabilists require extensive information about the nature of the system, and some good luck. On the other hand, variance bounds (and hence weak laws) are routine issues which daunt no one. The purpose of this talk is to introduce a new method by which it is possible to reduce every normal approximation problem to a variance bounding exercise. Applications, including one involving a nontrivial statistical problem (due to Peter Bickel), will be described.


Transport processes inside polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC's) are highly complex and involve convective and diffusive multiphase, multispecies flow through porous media along with heat and mass transfer and electrochemical reactions in conjunction with water transport through an electrolyte membrane. We will present a computational model of a PEMFC with focus on capillary transport of water through the porous layers and phase change and discuss the impact of the liquid phase boundary condition between the porous gas diffusion layer and the flow channels, where water droplets can emerge and be entrained into the gas stream.


The way that Spanner crabs (Ranina ranina) are treated on boats may explain why commercial operators have difficulty keeping these crabs alive in storage tanks on shore. We stored crabs on boats using three different methods, in baskets (the established industry practice), in cool air and in an aerated flow-through seawater tank. The condition of the crabs was assessed by taking haemolymph samples and measuring lactic acid and ion concentrations and then by recording the mortality of crab's from different treatments during subsequent storage in land-based tanks. If dehydration occurred, it was not reflected in the haemolymph ionic composition. On landing, the crabs held in baskets (25-28°C) had high levels of lactate in the haemolymph (about 40 mmol/L). Road transport prior to tanking saw no further lactate accumulate but many crabs died subsequently. Crabs stored in cool air (20°C) accumulated less lactate and lasted a few days longer before they too began to die. The crabs previously held on the boat in seawater (27-28°C) showed unexpectedly high mortality soon afterwards.
The counter-intuitive result from submerged crabs led us to the option of using cooled seawater sprays on the crabs. In the laboratory, the cool spray (19'C) improved the crab's ability to control haemolymph pH and delayed accumulation of lactate. We recommend that if spanner crabs are stored out of water then they should be kept cool (e.g. 20°C). Use of cooled seawater sprays may further improve physiological condition but this method is yet to be studied on catching boats. While these improvements are probably necessary, none of the parameters we measured adequately predicted onshore mortality. We suggest that the problem with long-term storage may be related to the fact that the claws are not immobilised and that submerged crabs may struggle and injure each other.


Owing to the fragile ecological environment and poor basic establishment, exploitation of the west in a large scale must be carried out in order to reduce the development difference between eastern and western areas in China, presupposing ecological construction and environment protection, and the step of urbanization construction must be quicken, by transferring rural population into cities and towns orderly as soon as possible. In the course of urbanism , the development of big and medium-sized cities must be stressed, and strength of urban radiation ability, improvement of the investment environment and scale economic benefit of the third industry should become the orientation of development. With the increasingly popularization of internet, and the rules of mining-prohibition, lumbering-prohibition, return cultivated land to woods and grass carried into execution entirely, changing the duality-household-registration system into scientific and just mono-household-registration-system becomes the necessary condition in quickening the process of urbanization;otherwise, some factors must be taken into account , such as the joint action of the east and the west, harmonious development of the imbalance of region economy, and so on.


The Kalamazoo Promise was announced in the fall of 2005, offering free college tuition at any public state college or university for graduates of the district who have gained acceptance to a postsecondary institution. This program was funded through the generous support of anonymous donors, and a federally-funded evaluation is underway to examine potential changes that result from its implementation. This paper situates perceptions of school climate in this moment of punctuated equilibrium of school reform, and in the context of this universal postsecondary scholarship program. This evaluation research draws from multiple data sources including interviews with educators, and surveys and interviews with students in the school district. Findings indicate that school climate has improved since the announcement of the program. We discuss the implications of research findings and the potential of the Kalamazoo Promise as a catalyst for systemic change in the district.


Purpose: To assess the accuracy of dose calculations for Cyberknife treatment of small lungtumors, performed with the Monte Carlo Dose Calculation algorithm (Multiplan v2.1 and later). Method and Materials: Verification measurements were performed in slab phantoms and in a newly constructed anthropomorphic thorax phantom, both made tissue equivalent materials (Gammex RMI). The modular thorax phantom can be configured with spherical Solid Water tumors of 10, 20 or 30 mm in diameter, embedded in lungtissue equivalent material. Measurements were mainly performed with Gafchromic EBT film, complemented with single point diode measurements. Single beam experiments were performed for various slab phantoms for cones of 5, 10, 20 and 60 mm beam diameter. Monte Carlo calculations were also compared with the simpler ray tracing dose calculation algorithm also available in MultiPlan. Results: Gafchromic EBT film measurements and Monte Carlo calculations for single beam irradiations of homogeneous slab phantoms were in excellent agreement with water phantom measurements and the ray tracing algorithm predictions. This proved that (1) our beam data was correctly modeled in the Monte Carlo algorithm, and (2) the Gafchromic EBT film was suitable for further experiments. For inhomogeneous slab phantoms, Monte Carlo calculated absolute doses generally agreed within 3% with measurements, even for the smallest field (5 mm). For the ray tracing algorithm, large deviations of up to 45% in the dose re‐build area in tumor behind lung were observed. Also for the 3 solid lungtumors in the thorax phantom, Monte Carlo dose calculations were in excellent agreement with measurements, while with the ray tracing algorithm high dose areas were over‐predicted both in size and in dose. Conclusion: Excellent agreement was found between Monte Carlo and measurements in inhomogeneous (anthropomorphic) phantoms. For treatment of (small) lungtumorsMonte Carlo is the preferred dose calculation engine.


Bismuth based ternary oxide photocatalysts are of considerable interest in photoelectrochemical water splitting. Yet these oxides are highly stable in different environment, their relative inertness limits the available synthesis routes to obtain desired stoichiometry on the final product. This report describes a method to prepare barium bismuth niobate (specifically, Ba2(BiNb)O6 and Ba2Bi1.4Nb0.6 O6) target by sintering a mixture of individual oxides and successfully fabricate desired barium bismuth niobate thin film on TCO substrate. The surface morphology, physical, and chemical properties of thin film were systematically investigated. Compositional uniformity was obtained by sputtering in oxygen argon plasma environment and higher photocatalytic activities were observed after subsequent surface treatments. Sodium fluoride surface treatment further enhanced the photocurrent density and improved electrode stability against corrosion. This work further suggests a viable approach to improve the PEC performance of sputtered barium bismuth niobate by modulating their fundamental energy states.


Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the performance of composite pulses in the pure NQR spectroscopy of spin- 3 2 nuclei. Computer simulations are given of the offset compensation efficiency of such pulses as applied to single crystals as well as powders. A set of Pauli operators that are linear combinations of single-transition operators has been used for the spin-dynamics calculations. Experimental investigations of the 35Cl and 37Cl NQR of mercuric chloride powder and 35Cl NQR of pentachlorophenol powder are reported as a function of resonance offset. These results suggest that the 45 ° 135° sequence is an efficient composite π/2 pulse, while 90°0° 270°90° 90°0° and 315° 225 ° 90° are efficient composite π pulses; these effectively compensate for offset/EFG inhomogeneity effects and are not critical to setup, being tolerant to flip-angle errors.


Following discussion and deliberation between the four national Age Concerns and Help the Aged it has been agreed that joining together to create four new independent and interdependent charities is the best way to achieve a shared commitment to tackling the serious and multiple disadvantages that older people face in the UK and around the world.


Leg design is crucial to the performance of a legged vehicle. To achieve good walking efficiency, a leg should be able to generate a horizontal straight line by a single actuator in the walking phase. In the return phase, additional actuator(s) is used to lift and place the foot. In this paper, a study of a cam-controlled, single-actuator-driven leg is presented. It does not require additional actuator for the return motion. In addition, the legs are driven by continuous, constant speed rotary input and they move in a constant speed. Therefore, it is conceivable that the legged vehicle can be driven by a traditional rotary engine. The cam curve is designed to have connectivity of third derivative (jerk). The driving torque is analyzed. The gait and stability related to such leg mechanism are discussed. This leg mechanism has the potential to be the leg of a practical and affordable walking machine.Copyright © 2004 by ASME