The Science and Mathematics Alliance for Recruiting and Retaining Teachers (SMARRT) is a collaborative partnership pursuing aggressive strategies to recruit high quality minority teachers to teach in high-need schools in urban school districts. This partnership is dedicated to recruiting, preparing, and retaining high quality teachers with strong academic content knowledge in science and/or mathematics and a wide repertoire of research-based teaching practices including ESL strategies. The SMARRT project is designed to allow urban school districts experiencing severe shortages in mathematics, science and ESL teachers to create a pipeline of highly qualified teachers by partnering with the university to recruit, prepare, and retain teachers in high need schools. Insights, concerns, and implications for teacher education related to the SMARRT project are addressed. Despite all the educational reform activity over the past three decades, our nation currently faces one of the most daunting challenges in recent history. According to the latest U.S. Department of Education reports, the nation is facing an impending teacher shortage, especially in specific high need areas. In addition, a report by the American Association for Employment in Education, Educator Supply and Demand in the United States (2004), cites that current shortages of qualified teachers are most severe in traditional high-demand areas of special education, mathematics, science, bilingual education, and technology education—and it will worsen in the coming years. With student enrollments rising rapidly and more than a million veteran teachers nearing retirement, experts predict that over the next ten years the nation will need 2.2 to 2.4 million more teachers. (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 2005). The demand for teachers is rising rapidly which is greatly accelerating the gap between supply and demand. However, shortages are not in every region or school districts, and the shortages do not affect all communities equally. Teacher shortages are particularly acute in urban areas, where there is an immediate need to fill teaching positions in mathematics, science, and special education (National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, 2006). According to data from urban school districts, these districts face unique challenges because of rapidly growing student enrollments, accelerating rates of teacher retirement, class size reduction initiatives and demanding working conditions. Urban schools nationwide also educate between 40% and 50% of the students who are not proficient in English, about 50% of minority students, and 40% of the country's low-income students. Schools in urban areas also Australian Journal of Teacher Education Vol 33, 4, August 2008 56 contend with the lowest levels of student achievement, the highest dropout rates, and a disproportionate percentage of students with special needs (Lippman, Burns, and McArthur, 1996). According to a comprehensive study of the largest urban school districts in 2000, nearly 98% of responding districts noted an immediate demand for science teachers and 95% reported an immediate demand for mathematics teachers (Urban Teacher Collaborative, 2000). This need for math and science teachers has existed for more than three decades. Teacher education programs are not able to either recruit enough future math and science teachers or predict those future teachers who will remain teaching (Pullen, 1999). The severe shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers comes just when the expectations for what students should know in these subjects are rising (Urban Teacher Collaborative, 2000). The Urban Teacher Challenge report in 1996 asserted that, "without improved teacher recruitment and development practices, this nation will fail to build a qualified, diverse, and culturally sensitive teacher workforce that today's and tomorrow's classrooms demand." (Urban Teacher Collaborative, 2000, p.6). Unfortunately, improved teacher recruitment and development practices have not changed almost a decade later, particularly in urban districts in the areas of mathematics and science. A study by the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21 Century (2000) found that more than one in four high school mathematics teachers and nearly one in five high school science teachers lack even a minor in their teaching field. This extremely concerns educators, since we live in a society where the need for mathematics and science knowledge has penetrated virtually every aspect of life. It is indisputable that our urban schools, as a whole, are failing to provide the solid mathematics and science foundation our students require and deserve. According to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science 2003 Study (TIMMS), the nation's fourth graders have stagnant scores and are slipping behind international peers in mathematics and science. Several countries, particularly in Asia, continue to outperform the United States in science and math, fields at the heart of research, innovation and economic competitiveness. One of education's challenges in the mist of a severe teacher shortage is providing quality teaching in our nation's underperforming urban schools. This shortage is not the result of teacher supply, but instead as a result of teachers simply choosing not to teach in these schools or of teacher turnover as many teachers depart these schools after a short period of time (Ingersoll, 2003). According to the report, Qualified Teachers for At-Risk Schools: A National Imperative (2005), "few challenges facing America today are as critical as improving the educational attainment of poor and minority children". At-risk schools tend to serve a high proportion of minority students, students from low-income families, English as a Second Language students, and at-risk students. They also have relatively few-well qualified teachers, persistent low achievement and graduate rates and are found most often in urban districts. Teachers in such schools tend to have temporary or emergency certification, lack subject-matter knowledge or are inexperienced (National Partnership for Teaching in At-Risk Schools, 2005). The shortage of teachers is more pronounced in districts that offer lower salaries and less attractive working conditions. Ingersoll (1999) reported that teachers of students in at-risk schools are far more likely to be poorly trained in the subject they teach than teachers in more affluent schools. Specifically, he found that more mathematics, science, English, and social studies teachers in high-poverty schools lack a major or minor in their teaching field. Consequently, teacher turnover is a greater concern in such districts. Teachers may choose to transfer to other campuses or districts, or leave the profession entirely. While there may be challenges in entering any profession, and challenges particular to teaching, an awareness of Australian Journal of Teacher Education Vol 33, 4, August 2008 57 these issues may lead to improvements in teacher preparation, and accordingly, teacher retention. Teachers who have a strong content foundation, possess strategies for working with a culturally and academically diverse student population, and have support during the induction period are more likely to remain in the classroom. With rising academic standards, increasing use of standardized assessments and growing numbers and diversity of English language learners in the at-risk elementary schools, teachers prepared in English as a Second Language (ESL) strategies are desperately needed. Of particular concern is the profound shortage of qualified teachers of English language learners (ELL); a situation demanding particular attention considering that the ELL population is now the fastestgrowing K-12 population. The shortage of qualified teachers is most extreme in urban areas, where between 40% and 50% of English Language Learners reside (21% of all urban public school students are English language learners) (Barron & Menken, 2002). In their survey of large city school districts and colleges of education, the Urban Teacher Collaborative (2000) found that 67.5% reported an immediate shortage of ESL teachers. School districts in Texas reported a shortage of 2,906 teachers in the elementary bilingual/ESL area for the 2001-2002 school year (Texas A&M University, 2002). While there is a shortage across grade levels in urban schools, the demand for ESL teachers is greatest at the elementary level. There is also a need to increase the diversity of the teaching force that has the skills to work with the growing minority student population in urban districts. Eric Hirsch (2001) summarized data presented in the report, Teacher Recruitment: Staffing Classrooms with Quality Teachers. He explained that about 42% of all public schools in the United States have no minority teachers. Yet minority students make up about 33% of enrollment in public schools while the total of minority teachers reaches just 13.5%. The drop out rate of minority students is considerably higher for minority students on a national front; the impact greater in states such as Texas where the minority population is greater. Of the many reasons for such, the lack of minority teachers in the public schools has been cited as a contributing variable (Salinas, 2000). Studies on the impact of minority teachers on minority student performance indicate a positive correlation. Benefits of such a teaching relationship, particularly in urban areas where the majority of the student population is comprised of minority students, include: understanding of cultural, language and community differences; improved communication between teachers and parents; and may be able to help students overcome language barriers. Additionally, minority teachers serve as role models for minority students and majority students alike. It is generally accepted


Before even thinking of approaching charitable trusts for funding, consideration needs to be given to a whole range of issues. As with many endeavours, preparation paves the way for success...


People living with asthma will experience various symptoms, however, those living in poverty, deprived areas or with a low income may experience them more severely. Caroline Fredericks from Asthma ...


The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) flat-fields must repeatedly trace not only the spatial response variations, but also the chromatic response through the entire optical system, with an accuracy driven by the photometric requirements for the LSST survey data. This places challenging requirements on the LSST Calibration Dome Screen, which must uniformly illuminate the 8.4-meter diameter telescope pupil over its 3.5-degree field of view at desired monochromatic wavelengths in a way that allows the measurement of the total system throughput from entrance pupil to the digitization of charge in the camera electronics. This includes the reflectivity of the mirrors, transmission of the refractive optics and filters, the quantum efficiency of the sensors in the camera, and the gain and linearity of the sensor read-out electronics. The baseline design uses a single tunable laser and includes an array of discrete projectors. The projected flux of light produced by the screen must fill the entire telescope pupil and provide uniform illumination to 1% at the focal plane and to within 0.25% over any optical trajectory within 0.5 degrees of each other. The wavelength of light is tunable across the LSST bandpass from 320 nm to 1080 nm. The screen also includes a broad-band ("white") light source with known Spectral Energy Density (SED) that spans the same range of wavelengths.


Abstract Background. Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common arrhythmic complication following cardiac surgery. We performed a meta-analysis based on all currently available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to confirm the hypothesis that statins pretreatment may lower the risk of postoperative AF in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods and results. The published literature was scanned by formal searches of electronic databases up through August 2010. RCTs were eligible for inclusion if they compared preoperative statins treatment versus control in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery and had the data of postoperative AF reported. Pre-specified criteria were met by eight RCTs involving 841 patients. During the follow-up period, 80 of 422 patients (19.0%) in the statins pretreatment group developed postoperative AF, significantly less than 149 of 419 (35.6%) patients assigned to the control group (P < 0.001). Postoperative hospital stay was significantly shortened in patients pretreated with statins compared with the control (P < 0.01). Conclusions. This meta-analysis supports the effectiveness of statins pretreatment on reducing the incidence of postoperative AF in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.


This paper is concerned with technical investigations of traffic operations on automated highways. Estimates are made of the steady- state capacity of such freeways, paying particular attention to the effect of entry and exit maneuvers. The possibility of scheduling departing vehicles appropriately into platoons to minimize extraneous maneuvers is investigated. Characteristics of urban areas likely to be candidates for automated freeways are discussed, and some shortcomings of automated freeways, in relation to conventional freeways, are pointed out. Areas of future research are identified.


The title nanowires with diameters of about 200—700 nm and lengths up to 300 μm are hydrothermally synthesized from AgNO3 powder, vanadium foil, and H2O (autoclave, 200 °C, 20 h).


On utilising the spectral representation of selfadjoint operators in Hilbert spaces, some trapezoidal inequalities for various classes of continuous functions of such operators are given.


Based on the experiment in ballistic range with explosion device,a numerical simulation of the interaction of a supersonic moving body and a blast wave under the condition of a constant ratio of specific heat and laminar flow model is presented.First,the flow field of axisymmetric blast wave is simulated by solving the axisymmetric N-S equations using finite volume numerical method.The numerical interference pictures and the experimental interference pictures are analyzed and the profiles of numerical and experimental density distributions at three cross sections are compared.Taking the obtained axisymmetric field as the initial blast wave field and using multi-block overlapping grid technique,the interaction of blast wave with supersonic moving cone is simulated under the condition of constant ratio of specific heat and laminar flow by solving three dimensional laminar N-S equations using finite volume numerical method.The numerical interference pictures and experimental holographic interference pictures are compared,and the effect of the blast wave on the surface pressure of the moving body is analyzed.


Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA-15) molecular sieve was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis method. The surface and pore structure of SBA-15 were characterized by low-temperature N2 adsorption isotherm, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Methylene blue dye solution was adsorbed by the synthetic SBA-15, the best adsorption condition and the maximum adsorption capacity of methylene blue by SBA-15 were obtained by experiments, and the maximum adsorption capacity is 223 mg g–1. The kinetics of the adsorption of methylene blue by SBA-15 was in accordance with the quasi-secondorder kinetic equation. The results were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model, and the adsorption of methylene blue on SBA-15 was in accord with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The Gibbs free energy changes during the adsorption ΔG° < 0 can judge that the adsorption process is spontaneous. The enthalpy change in the adsorption process is –16.623 kJ mol–1, that is ΔH° < 0, indicating that the adsorption process is an exothermic reaction. The negative value of entropy indicates that the adsorption process is a process of entropy reduction. The composite materials after adsorption were characterized by powder XRD, SEM, FT-IR spectra, low temperature N2 adsorption-desorption. The characterization results show that the composite materials still retained the skeleton structure of the mesoporous materials, but the order degree of the composites was decreased. After adsorption, the average pore size, total pore volume and specific surface area of the composite materials are lower than those of the mesoporous materials before adsorption, indicating that the pores of mesoporous materials were partly filled and blocked. This indicated that the dye molecules were contained in the mesoporous channels.


We are pleased to launch the first issue of the New England Journal of Statistics in Data Science (NEJSDS). NEJSDS is the official journal of the New England Statistical Society (NESS) under the leadership of Vice President for Journal and Publication and sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut. The aims of the journal are to serve as an interface between statistics and other disciplines in data science, to encourage researchers to exchange innovative ideas, and to promote data science methods to the general scientific community. The journal publishes high quality original research, novel applications, and timely review articles in all aspects of data science, including all areas of statistical methodology, methods of machine learning, and artificial intelligence, novel algorithms, computational methods, data management and manipulation, applications of data science methods, among others. We encourage authors to submit collaborative work driven by real life problems posed by researchers, administrators, educators, or other stakeholders, and which require original and innovative solutions from data scientists.


Acute cerebellar ataxia is more common in pediatric patients than in adults and is usually caused by a postinfectious process or drug ingestion. Although a myriad of other causes have been described, acute cerebellar ataxia has not been reported as the presenting symptom of Sjogren syndrome. We report a previously healthy adolescent girl who was examined for acute cerebellar ataxia and MRI findings of parotitis and who was diagnosed with primary Sjogren syndrome (PSS).

A girl aged 16 years developed a headache; evaluation at a local emergency department with head CT revealed sinusitis, and she was treated with antibiotics. A few days later, she developed leg numbness, dysarthria, and ataxia. An MRI at another hospital demonstrated "cerebellar inflammation," and a lumbar puncture revealed a protein of 110 and leukocyte count of 210 with a lymphocytic pleocytosis. Treatment with cefotaxime and acyclovir was stopped after CSF cultures, herpes simplex virus PCR, and blood cultures were negative. After discharge, her primary doctor …


Research in the area of multimedia learning so far has focused on the effectiveness of instructional methods and course design. Various approaches of delivery have been investigated and basic principles in terms of memory and associated cognitive process identified (e.g., Fletcher & Tobias, 2005; Low & Sweller, 2005; Mayer, 2005). Examining pedagogical strategies which encourage students' conceptual understanding of the way the world works is very important. (e.g., Efendioglu & Yelken, 2010; Trey & Khan, 2008).


Formal specification methods have been widely adopted in recent software development in the industrial field. There exist a variety of specification languages that support it. The article summarizes the advantages of using formal methods in software development, and provides some criteria for selecting an appreciate specification language for a specific application. Two kinds of specification languages are discussed. TLA, which is rooted in logic, emphasizes system correctness and verification, and provides a powerful mechanism to compose specifications and manage specification modules. Larch, which is based on algebra, concentrates on abstract data types (ADT). It uses logic formulas to support reasoning about the data type and checking inconsistencies of design. Through inheritance, large specifications can be composed of separate, smaller specifications.


Luminance-contrast-based pavement marking visibility models are widely used in the design of street and automobile lighting systems, the design and evaluation of retroreflective sheeting materials and pavement-marking materials, and in the establishment of minimum visibility requirements for nighttime motorists. Computer-based visibility models usually determine the visibility of pavement markings by comparing the available luminance contrast formed between the pavement marking and the immediate surrounding road surface with a human threshold contrast value. However, to be able to calculate the luminance contrast between a pavement marking and the road surface, a pavement-marking visibility model needs matrices of retroreflectance as a function of the entrance angle and the observation angle, both for the pavement and the pavement markings. However, no extensive field data are available on the reflective properties of road surfaces under an automobile headlamp geometry (observation angles less than 1°). Retroreflectance matrices were developed for old asphalt, new asphalt, old concrete, and new concrete road surfaces. The road surface retroreflectance was measured with a specially designed apparatus in the field. Multiple linear regression models were developed with the retroreflectance data obtained for each measured road surface. Traffic sign luminance measurements under automobile headlamp illumination conditions were conducted in the field at night to determine the degree to which a post-mounted traffic sign (sign center 1.98 m above the ground) receives indirect light reflected from the road surface.


In Scienti c Writing is titled: "Consumer Satisfaction Level Of Service Apartment" Margonda Residence "In EortTo Im prove Customer Satisfaction", the author would like to know the level of customer satisfaction in Apartment" Margonda Residence" by using the Likert scale method and ujie chi square. Data or variables used are the primary data where the data is retrieved based on the research questionnaire directly to consumers. Analysis tools used method is to use Likert scales and chi square test. The results of calculations from data obtained using these methods showed the nal results as follows: Research conducted by taking samples at random by the number of 50 respondents. Margonda Residence on consumer satisfaction of the obtained results of the calculation level of customer satisfaction by using the method of Chi Square for three dimensions as the following: Count = 37.98 is greater than the value of Chi Square tables ?2 = 26.29 thus Accept Reject Ho Ha means pelaggan Margonda Res- idence were satis ed with the service given by Margonda Residence.


Lean simulations provide a critical "aha moment" that helps with the understanding and buy-in of key lean principles. The purpose of this article is to share the process of development and implementation of an ongoing international on-line Lean-IPD simulation experimentation community called Administering and Playing Lean Simulations Online (APLSO). The group emerged following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic to include academics from 38 universities (70%) and consultant practitioners (30%). This paper documents the inception and growth of this community so that lessons learned can be shared with the international lean construction community. Serious games and simulations were transitioned to an online format, relying heavily on commonly available software such as Zoom™ and Google Slides™. The most frequently developed simulations tended to be those most typically played by academics and consultants prior to the pandemic. The authors classified games presented, as well as identified physical simulations still needing to be converted to an online format. © Prof. Luis F. Alarcón and Assoc. Prof. Vicente González, IGL2021 All rights reserved.


The six papers in this special section were presented at the IEEE BIBM 2015 conference that was held in Washington, D.C., November 9-12, 2015. The scientific program highlighted five themes to provide breadth, depth, and synergy for research collaboration: 1 genomics and molecular structure, function, and evolution; 2 computational systems biology; 3 medical informatics and translational bioinformatics; 4 cross-cutting computational methods and bioinformatics infrastructures; and 5 healthcare informatics,


Objective To investigate the executive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD),the relations between executive dysfunction and performances in other neuropsychological domains and the effects of executive dysfunction on patients'daily functioning.Methods Forty patients with AD,30 patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI) and 40 healthy elderly subjects were tested with a wide neuropsychological battery of tests including those of executive function,memory and other cognition domain tests.Executive function was evaluated by using the Stroop test,frontal assessment battery(FAB),executive clock drawing test(CLOX) and rapid verbal retrieve(RVR) test.Results The results showed the presence of significant executive function impairment in AD patients as compared with the healthy controls(P0.01).The scores of executive function tests in AD patients were 5.29±2.47(FAB),(4.63±)3.56(CLOX1),14.17±8.99(Stroop1),and 17.56±10.51(RVR) respectively.The performance of MCI patients on executive function tests was shown worse significantly(P0.05) as compared with the controls except from Stroop2 test.The scores of executive function tests in MCI patients were 7.67±2.44(FAB),7.86±3.78(CLOX1),7.21±8.07(Stroop1),and 30.86±8.38(RVR) respectively.In the stepwise linear regression analysis,FAB test made a significant independent contribution to instrumental activity of daily living(IADL) and loaded it first(β=-0.778,t=-7.079,P0.01).Executive function was not related to age(P0.05) and only FAB test had a wake relation with education(r=0.264,P=0.028).All executive function tests were correlated very significantly with mini-mental state examination(MMSE) and memory(r=0.438~0.786,P0.01).Conclusion Executive dysfunction is commonly seen in patients with AD,even occurring in MCI stage which does not reach the dementia level.Executive function is closely correlated with general cognitive function and other cognition domains such as memory,resulting in daily function decline.


Stereo vision is a technique used to recover depth information from stereo (two) images that capture the view from different perspectives. The stereo-matching/stereo-correspondence process presents an essential role in stereo vision. Much research has been done on this process. However, the accuracy of stereo-matching/stereo-correspondence algorithms is affected by many characteristics related to the scene, such as the lack of discriminative image features, repetitive patterns, specular reflections, and regions of uniform texture. In this paper, we propose a pre-processing schema called brightness-based enhancement for disparity maps (2BEDM). 2BEDM is used to enhance the accuracy of local stereo-matching/stereo-correspondence algorithms (which are affected by the aforementioned characteristics related to the scene in stereo images) and to enhance the output-disparity map of stereo-matching/stereo-correspondence algorithms. It is based on the brightness of each pixel in the stereo images (left image and right image) rather than on the pixel itself. 2BEDM works on the basis of the hypothesis that the brightness of each block of stereo images of the same views is equal. The experimental results illustrate the enhancement provided by the proposed 2BEDM schema.


Background: Pleomorphic salivary adenomas (PSA) are the commonest salivary tumor and are benign neoplasms that affect mostly the parotid glands. PSA's can however affect the minor salivary glands, typically around the palate. The treatment of choice for minor gland PSA's is via complete surgical excision and close monitoring to exclude recurrences. Case Report: We describe here a rare case of a minor salivary gland pleomorphic adenoma arising from the glosso-tonsillar sulcus in a 41-year-old patient. The presented tumor was treated with full surgical excision and was followed-up with regular MRI scans to rule out recurrences. Conclusion: PSA's of the minor salivary glands are uncommon and should be treated with a high level of suspicion due to a high malignant potential.


10011, Xalb , DORIS ANS SMITH,S, w.nts ever)'thl~ to ,0 well o~ ber ftnt day of Ichoo1, Tuesday. 0 be and her mother held "dre rebeanal" FrIda)" Dor" Ann Is the daul'h er of Mr. and frs. Garvin mlth, US 8. Capitol t. She will ,0 t.o the afternoon klnderl'lften sea Ion under Mrs. Helen Eberl d lIenr abln Ichoo). Doris nn hall heard a 10' .bou' school from ber • &er Connie, wbo will enter econd rude. Her brother Paul, ., won't start school till next year. Eat. 1868 AP Leased. Wire .


The endpoints were specified by the protocol and cannot be changed. The main endpoint included total mortality instead of cardiovascular mortality for two reasons. Firstly, DYNAMIT was a strategy trial, not an explicative trial, and we adopted the patient or public health point of view; secondly, with the kind of follow-up that we adopted, mainly based on patient contact, it is usually very difficult to obtain sufficient documentation to make an unambiguous classification of the cause of death.


In the discussion of the recently domestic heavy haze causes,this paper states the progress of monitoring of PM2.5 concentration,the chemical characteristics and pathogenesis of PM2.5,and research achievements of PM2.5 impacts on human health at home and abroad.More detrimental substances,which could easily intrude into human body without obstructed by immune system,absorbs on PM2.5 compared to larger particles.Epidemiological researches have shown a strong positive correlation between PM2.5 concentration and cardiopulmonary diseases morbidity and mortality.Toxicological studies have indicated PM2.5 poses toxic effects on respiratory system,cardiovascular system,reproductive system,blood system and immune system.


The San Antonio district of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began the development of a comprehensive, system wide, long term maintenance contract specification in the summer of 2005, for the purpose of simplifying and strengthening the overall approach to the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) maintenance program. Previously, contracted maintenance was obtained using component specific purchase orders for materials and labor on an as needed basis, using a traditional TxDOT maintenance contracting method that was not well suited for the needs of the ITS maintenance program. The aging ITS equipment and infrastructure, the growing issue with maintaining obsolete equipment, and the need to streamline the administration of the ITS maintenance program were all factors in the contracting approach selected and the development of the specification advertised. An efficient method of implementing technology upgrades was also needed. TxDOT awarded TransGuide System Wide Maintenance & Technology Upgrade Contracts to two companies in August 2009. The contracts included more than 350 line items, with separate payment schedules for materials and labor. Each contract was for an initial two year period, with two additional two year extension options. The contracts included performance measurement requirements, and allowed for the upgrade of obsolete technology to current TxDOT standards. This paper describes the contracting methodology used; reasons for the delay in the advertising of the Request for Offers; the contract selection and award process; and lessons learned during the specification development, advertising, award and execution of the TransGuide maintenance contracts.


The neutron capture cross sections of Ta and In were measured in the energy range from 0.34 to 1.68 MeV.A large liquid scintillator detector was used for detecting the prompt ca- pture γ radiation.Two long-counters were used for monitoring the neutron flux.In order to reduce background the fast coincidence between the two half-spheres of the detector and the time-of-flight technique were used.The capture cross sections of Ta and In were determined relative to the standard cross section of Au.Present results were compared with others and discussed.


Single crystals of Te(OH)6Na2HPO4 · H2O were grown in silica gel medium using single-test tube diffusion method. Hexagonal pyramidal and hexagonal tabular single crystals were obtained. Crystals were characterized by IR, X-ray, and Raman studies.


Thank you very much for reading interface design the art of developing easy to use software. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look hundreds times for their chosen novels like this interface design the art of developing easy to use software, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful bugs inside their desktop computer.


In this study, we develop two methods for the inference of rotation vector on ground surface, two rocking rotations and a single torsional rotation. The first, termed nth-order elastic method, is based on the elasticity of the ground surface. The rotation vector is constructed from the first derivative with respect to the space of the ground surface motions. The first derivative is calculated from simultaneous equations by n-th order Taylor expansion obtained by difference motion between multiple observation points. Meanwhile, the second, termed rigid method, is based on the rigidity of ground surface and the rotation.


Based on the geological characteristics and production dynamic data of Maokou Formation gas reservoir,Kongtan gasfield,a new idea classifying fracture trap systems has been put forward.Furthermore,according to the static and dynamic data,this paper analyzes the storage mode of formation water for each fracture trap system.Result shows that there exist four fracture trap systems in this reservoir,including: Kong 6 wellblock,with bottom formation-water storage mode;Kong 9 wellblock,with edge formation-water storage mode;Kong 24 and 27 wellblocks,having storage mode of partially connate-water with physical difference.Moreover,water-invasion property of the reservoir is analyzed,which provides a reliable basis for water control.


Combined with general engineering situation and geologic condition,the author introduces the construction technologies of each construction link as make and burial of steel pile casting,measure and control of pile position,element of pore-drilling,make and installation of steel reinforced cage,and installation of conduit,which to offer experience for the construction of deep water large-diameter super-long cast-in-situ pile in tidal zone in the future.


The goal of this work is to study the evolution of thermoelectric transport across the members of the Ruddlesden–Popper series iridates Srn+1IrnO3n+1 ?>, where a metal–insulator transition driven by bandwidth change occurs, from the strongly insulating Sr2IrO4 to the metallic non Fermi liquid behavior of SrIrO3. Sr2IrO4 (n=1 ?>), Sr3Ir2O7 (n=2 ?>) and SrIrO3 (n=∞ ?>) polycrystals are synthesized at high pressure and characterized by structural, magnetic, electric and thermoelectric transport analyses. We find a complex thermoelectric phenomenology in the three compounds. Thermal diffusion of charge carriers accounts for the Seebeck behavior of Sr2IrO4, whereas additional drag mechanisms come into play in determining the Seebeck temperature dependence of Sr3Ir2O7 and SrIrO3. These findings reveal a close relationship between magnetic, electronic and thermoelectric properties, strong coupling of charge carriers with phonons and spin fluctuations as well as the relevance of multiband description in these compounds.


Being related to people's livelihood,salt had been a commodity under the direct monopoly of every feudal dynasty in China.Various dynasties regarded "the monopoly system of salt" as the main principles of management of salt.The government of the Ming Dynasty applied special policies to Yunnan Province,which is situated in border region and enlisted businessmen in many areas of Yunnan to run salt by means of vesting them with monopoly rights.These measures led to the direct emergence of "commerce" and gave a powerful promotion to the development of the feudal commodity economy in Yunnan.The reform of nomination of magistrates started at it in some areas.


Using the method of sodium aluminate-aluminum nitrate to prepare pseudo-boehmite,the factors which impacted dispersion index of pseudo-boehmite,such as the reaction temperature,precipitation pH value and aging time were analyzed.The results showed that as the reaction temperature at 50 ~ 60 ℃,precipitation pH value of about 6.0 ~7.5 and aging time of 0.5 ~ 1 h,pseudo-boehmite of dispersion index larger than 85% can be prepared.Using pseudo-boehmite of different dispersion index to make the alumina carrier,it was found that as the dispersion index of pseudo-boehmite bigger,the crush strength of alumina made by it was harder.


The valued studies of alternative psoriasis treatment options are in a much higher need among the Scientific Community. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-psoriatic activity of ursolic acid cream in imiquimod-induced psoriasis in BALB/c mice. The creams containing ursolic acid, a pentacyclic triterpenoid at percentages of 0.1 and 0.2% were formulated. The pH, spreadability, physical characteristics and acute dermal irritation of the cream were assessed. Animals were grouped into five each having 6 animals. Clobetasol, a topical corticosteroid, was used as the standard. One group was used as control and four groups were treated with the formulated imiquimod cream while receiving treatment. Parameters such as skin inflammation severity, ear thickness, plasma level of interleukins (IL)-17, histology of the back of the skin and spleen weight were evaluated. Erythema and scales were scored on a daily basis with the 0.1 and 0.2% ursolic acid cream significantly ameliorating psoriatic-like symptoms in a manner comparable to clobetasol. Imiquimod-induced epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation were inhibited by topical application of ursolic acid as shown by the results of histopathology. Spleens of the positive control group were larger in comparison with the rest of the groups. BALB/c mice treated with ursolic acid creams exhibited a decrease in the plasma levels of cytokines IL-17 when compared to the positive control group. The result of this study provided an insight that topical application of ursolic acid can be a potential treatment for psoriasis


In this work, a new theory of thermo-diffusion in elastic solids is derived using the methodology of fractional calculus. The theories of coupled thermo-elastic diffusion and of generalized thermo-elastic diffusion problem with one relaxation time and also of generalized thermo-elastic diffusion in GN models follow as limit cases. A uniqueness and reciprocity theorem for these equations are derived using Laplace transform technique on the assumption of symmetry of stress tensor and positivity of associated parameters. Finally, a variational theorem is obtained for the governing equations. MSC: 26A33 • 74A15 • 80A20 • 44A10


Constrained by the transimpedance limit, the conventional 1-stage shunt-feedback transimpedance amplifier (1S-SF-TIA) suffers poor noise and gain at higher data rates. In this paper, we propose to use a multi-stage stagger-tuned amplifier (MSTA) to constitute TIA (MSTA-TIA), which not only transcends the transimpedance limit of 1S-SF-TIA, but also realizes noise reduction in multiple fronts. First, the high-gain MSTA enables 17X TIA gain over 1S-SF-TIA, which effectively suppresses the white noise. Second, the MSTA realizes at least 2.8X~1.6 lower noise than the conventional multi-stage amplifier, which is essential to form low-noise TIA since the amplifier noise usually dominates. Third, the TIA built upon the 3-stage STA also shows steeper out-of-band roll-off to enable high-frequency noise reduction. Overall, the MSTA-TIA achieves 6.9X and 1.9X noise power reduction over conventional single-stage and multi-stage SF-TIAs. As a demonstration, a 10 Gb/s optical receiver front-end prototype employing proposed MSTA-TIA topology is implemented in a standard <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.18~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS technology. It achieves transimpedance gain of 68.3dB<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, electrical bandwidth of 8.5GHz, and excellent input-referred noise current of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.97~\mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula>Arms. The chip occupies 0.78 mm2 while consuming 43 mA from 1.8 V power supply. The low-noise design methodology in this paper empowers mature CMOS to compete with SiGe to make low-noise high-gain optical IC.


Many criticisms have been leveled at the ARUBA trial (A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations).1 However, the study stands as the only prospective, randomized trial of unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The questions we need to answer are: What have we gained from this trial? And how do we apply this to the management of these patients? Many of the outcome data in the treatment arm of the ARUBA trial are contaminated by prior therapeutic trends that have since been largely abandoned because of high complication rates and low obliteration rates. On the other hand, the natural history data provided by the trial are particularly compelling and remind us about the important role of microsurgical resection. Conservative management resulted in a 10% risk of stroke or death and a 15% risk of disability over 33 months. These results require that we provide patients with effective, low-risk management strategies. Published data have already outlined appropriate protocols for the classification and treatment of cerebral AVMs.2 Pooled analysis of outcomes has shown that Spetzler-Martin Grade I and II (Class A) AVMs can be managed with microsurgical resection alone, achieving good outcomes in 96% and 90% of patients, respectively. These results support microsurgical resection based on the ARUBA trial's natural history data. Class B or Spetzler-Martin Grade III AVMs are a heterogeneous collection of malformations that require a case-by-case evaluation with special consideration for multimodal therapy. A conservative approach is warranted in patients with these AVMs when they present without a history of rupture. Conservative management is the recommendation for Class C or Spetzler-Martin Grade IV and V AVMs, with intervention being considered only with progressive neurological decline and/or repetitive hemorrhage. Although these recommendations are not new, the published results of the ARUBA trial emphasize the required adherence to evidence-based treatments. Endovascular training continues to expand, with entry via neurology, radiology, and neurosurgical residencies creating an environment in which complex cerebral pathologies are being managed by subspecialists with very different backgrounds. The evolution of endovascular interventions has been invaluable to the management of cerebrovascular disease. However, it is critical that best practices be employed in the management of AVM cases in order to achieve acceptable outcomes compared to the natural history data. Nowhere has this been more clear than in the results of the ARUBA trial. Minimally invasive technology may ultimately evolve to challenge microsurgical outcomes for Class A AVMs, but it has not yet reached that point. Although endovascular treatment may seem more attractive to patients, its use as a primary or combined therapy for low-grade AVMs is not supported by the current data. In summary, microsurgical resection remains an indicated and effective therapeutic intervention for unruptured low-grade AVMs. It is our responsibility as physicians to properly inform and guide our patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. The ARUBA trial is a critical reminder of this responsibility. (http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2014.5.FOCUS14256)


UNLABELLED
The vasooclusive features of scleroderma are attributed to the vessel wall anomalies, while platelet's intervention is less studied.

AIM
platelet activation markers (PAM) pattern and significance in systemic sclerosis.

DESIGN
20 scleroderma patients with severe Raynaud phenomenon, under aspirin treatment, were evaluated by quantitative flow-cytometry for PAM (P-selectin, GPIIbIIIa, CD40L) in correlation with scleroderma activity and severity, systemic endothelial dysfunction (flow-mediated vasodilatation), systemic inflammation (serum CRP and IL-6) and cold-provocation test. Associated autoantibodies (ANCA, antiTPO, anticardiolipin, antiplatelet, antimitochondrial antibodies) were evaluated in relation to IL-6.

RESULTS
PAM were expressed in 11 (55%) cases: P-selectin in 5 (45.45%), GPIIbIIIa in 1 (9.1%), combined P-selectin and GPIIbIIIa in 5 (45.45%), CD40L in 0 cases. Scleroderma patients expressing PAM had increased incidence of disease activity and severity. There was no correlation between PAM and systemic endothelial dysfunction. CRP increased in 14(70%) cases was correlated with P-selectin and GPIIbIIIa expression (r = 0.28). Normal IL6 present in 19 (90.9%) cases was correlated with lack of CD40L expression (r = 0.69) and with low autoantibodies incidence (r = 0.69 for ANCA, 0.55 for anti TPO and antiplatelet, 0.39 for anti cardiolipin, 0.45 for antimitochondrial). After cold provocation test PAM were significantly lost and were not expressed de novo.

CONCLUSIONS
In systemic scleroderma platelet activation markers are correlated with disease activity and severity and increased CRP and are not correlated with systemic endothelial dysfunction or exposure to cold. Normal IL-6 was correlated with lack of CD40L expression and with low incidence of associated autoantibodies.


In this paper, we propose a Bayesian nonparametric approach for modeling and selection based on the mixture of Dirichlet processes with Dirichlet distributions, which can also be considered as an infinite Dirichlet mixture model. The proposed model adopts a stick-breaking representation of the Dirichlet process and is learned through a variational inference method. In our approach, the determination of the number of clusters is sidestepped by assuming an infinite number of clusters. The effectiveness of our approach is tested on a real application involving unsupervised image categorization.


In this investigation sputtered silicon carbide annealed at 300°C for one hour is used as a conformal thin film package. A RF magnetron sputterer was used to deposit 500 nm silicon carbide films on gold metal structures on alumina wafers. To determine the reliability and resistance to immersion in harsh environments, samples were submerged in gold etchant for 24 hours, in BOE for 24 hours, and in an O2 plasma etch for one hour. The adhesion strength of the thin film was measured by a pull test before and after the chemical immersion, which indicated that the film has an adhesion strength better than 108 N/m2; this is similar to the adhesion of the gold layer to the alumina wafer. MIM capacitors are used to determine the dielectric constant, which is dependent on the SiC anneal temperature. Finally, to demonstrate that the SiC, conformal, thin film may be used to package RF circuits and sensors, an LC resonator circuit was fabricated and tested with and without the conformal SiC thin film packaging. The results indicate that the SiC coating adds no appreciable degradation to the circuits RF performance.


In this paper we present a new direct solution to the problem of reconstructing a two-dimensional discrete signal of finite support from knowledge of only its Fourier transform magnitude and support. Using the autocorrelation function of the unknown signal, zeros are calculated of a polynomial whose coefficients correspond to the unknown image or the image reversed. From these zeros, a set of linear equations is developed whose solution yields either the original image or the image rotated by 180°.


Fisherman Islands Grain Terminal in the Brisbane River is a highly efficient facility which receives stores and loads ships of up to 60,000 d.w.t. Its storage capacity is 60,000 tones and its annual throughput is 1.5 million tones. A simple but effective Maintenance Management System was tailored for the facility to be in place at plant commissioning. The system is computer operated and work order based. It was established using Reliability, Maintainability and Availability (RMA) analysis and Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) procedures. It was in place in fourteen weeks and cost around $50,000 in total.


We investigated variation in the Melampyrum sylvaticum group in the Carpathian and Hercynian regions using morphological and molecular tools. The aim of our study was to examine differences in the pattern of variation between the Eastern Carpathians and region of the Western Carpathians and the Hercynian Massif. We also tested correlations between putatively taxonomically important variation in corolla colour present in the Melampyrum sylvaticum group in the Eastern Carpathian region and other morphological and molecular traits. Samples were collected from populations of the M. sylvaticum group in the Hercynian Massif and the Eastern and Western Carpathians. Morphometric analyses of the size and shape of the corolla (based on thin plate spline with sliding semilandmarks), length of the anthers and especially molecular analyses based on sequencing the nuclear ITS and trnL-trnT regions of chloroplast DNA, confirmed that the populations occurring on the opposite sides of the Eastern-Western Carpathian biogeographic boundary are very different. It is likely that the eastern and western lineages have been isolated for a long time and the extant pattern of variation with character disagreement within the border zone, originated from hybridization and introgression. The differences in corolla colour did not coincide with the variation in morphological traits or molecular markers within the North-Eastern Carpathian region. In addition, the geographical distribution of the populations with contrasting corolla colours lacked any pattern and there are populations with both corolla colours as well as plants with transitional pale-yellow flowers. Therefore, it is suggested that M. saxosum and M. herbichii, microspecies delimited on the basis of corolla colour, are conspecific. The high level of molecular variation and its pattern indicate that the M. sylvaticum group may have survived in or near the Eastern Carpathians during the Weichselian Ice Age. This hypothesis is supported by several recent phytogeographical and palaeoecological studies, which indicate the existence of a glacial refuge in the Eastern Carpathian region. Molecular uniformity of the Western Carpathian and Hercynian populations might in contrast indicate recent (Holocene) migration from assumed perialpine refuges.


The invention belongs to overall reinforcing structures for outer walls with complex surfaces, and particularly relates to an overall reinforcing outer sleeve for surface net shaping. A high-pressure device is sleeved with two steel sleeve semi-rings which are in butt joint. The overall reinforcing steel sleeve which is formed by hot stamping through a die consistent with the high-pressure device in shape is tightly attached to the outer wall of the high-pressure device, the two semi-rings are welded together through butt welding, and an overall reinforcing effect on the high-pressure device is achieved; in a heat run, the sleeve bears high pressure in an inner cavity of the high-pressure device, so that the high-pressure device is prevented from being damaged; through the saddle-type overall reinforcing steel sleeve, the strength and the rigidity of the whole high-pressure device are remarkably improved. After a product is molded, an internal surface does not need to be processed, the process is simple, and precision is higher; the overall strength and the overall rigidity are remarkably improved.


Less than 10% of patients in the United States enroll in clinical trials, and even lower rates are noted among minority populations. Barriers to recruitment include lack of awareness, strictness of eligibility, and practical concerns, including travel distance and financial costs. The widespread use of social media offers the potential to use dynamic communication mechanisms to reach large, diverse populations—increasing awareness and ultimately accrual to clinical trials— and can be more user friendly than the existing (usually static) online resources. In addition, social media platforms can be used for the dissemination of clinical trial information to participants, ultimately including trial results. However, the use of social media in this setting is not without risks both to interested individuals and to the integrity of the clinical trial. Given the importance of this topic, the National Institutes of Health recently hosted a 2-day workshop entitled At the Crossroads of Social Media and Clinical Trials: A Workshop on the Future of Clinician, Patient, and Community Engagement. When considering the pros and cons of communicating about clinical trials with social media, we should try to place patients at the center to understand the context. If there are issues with clinical trial design or execution, then we need to think about how we develop and operate clinical trials and not blame the patients, who are volunteer participants.


Background: According to previous research in Taiwan and in other countries, the prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes mellitus are rising and are the main health concerns in developed countries. We assessed the status of prevalence, awareness, treatment and control among adults who participated in health checkups in Taiwan in order to provide epidemiological information for clinicians. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study. Data came from records of adults who participated in health examinations in a regional hospital in Taipei City during 2009. We analyzed prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates with respect to hypertension (n=3,389), and diabetes (n=3,024). Results: The prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates in our study group were 22.3%, 76.4%, 67.1% and 48.2% for hypertension and 6.1%, 65.9%, 51.9% and 32.7% for diabetes, respectively. Men had significantly higher rates for all four parameters of hypertension than women (p<0.01) and a significantly higher prevalence (8.2%) of diabetes than women (4.4%) (p<0.01). Adults with the highest prevalence and best control rates for both diseases were aged 70-79 and 60-69, respectively. The best awareness and treatment rates were among adults aged over 60. Among patients with both diseases (n=121), 62.8% were aware of both diseases and 52.1% received treatment for both, but in only 18.2% were both diseases well-controlled. There was no statistical difference between awareness and control rates, but the rate of treatment was much lower for diabetes than for hypertension (p<0.01). Conclusions: The prevalence rates for hypertension and diabetes were higher among men than among women. Awareness and treatment of chronic disease, especially for diabetes mellitus should be improved. The focus of health education should be in early adulthood, so that we can implement earlier detection and treatment. (Taiwan J Fam Med 2011; 21: 157-166)


A method for enhancing objects of interest having a sequence of a method of image noise, said method comprising: acquiring a sequence of images (11); extracting the object of interest on the background image in the sequence having an image reference (11) related features (61), (62), (71), (72); and calculating at least two moving object of interest corresponding to the motion vector, the motion of the object of interest and the sequence (11) associated with the image; an image based on the motion vector corresponding to the sequence of each come blurred image (11) in order to form a sequence of images (13) deblurring; relative to the reference image in the image sequence to match the deblurring at least two integrated with the registration image and an image sequence (15) using the registration time in the integrator in the warp; registration features related to the object of interest, to generate registered image sequence (15) both are interested in the subject and background.


Teachers' information literacy is a key factor to the success of educational informatization.Based on the survey and analysis,the research comes to a conclusion that most college teachers have the elementary competence in applying the internet re-sources.However,it is necessary to improve the information literacy of most college teachers.


When anuria or severe oliguria occasionally complicates the immediate puerperium, a serious clinical problem is presented. Eclampsia and the chronic hypertensive type of toxemia in themselves may give rise to oliguria post partum, often because of transient hypotension. Other conditions, the etiology of which is vague, such as bilateral cortical necrosis of the kidney, may also cause grave concern because of suppression of urine post partum. We report a case that resembles bilateral cortical necrosis, recently encountered, in which recovery took place. REPORT OF CASE A primipara aged 29, admitted to the Mayo Clinic Dec. 7, 1938, complained of having had slight edema of the face one week before term. Elevation in blood pressure, albuminuria or other evidence of toxemia of pregnancy was not present. December 3 the patient's physician had induced labor with 15 grains (1 Gm.) of quinine and 1 ounce (30 cc.) of castor oil. A normal


The most important insight of the transportation team came during the first hour, when Dutch participants stressed that success in implementing a sustainable vision for waterfront redevelopment depended largely on starting with a multi-modal transportation program as the foundation for redevelopment planning. "What transportation program was envisioned for the area?," Pex Langenberg of the Dutch Ministry of Transportation, Public Works, and Water Management wanted to know. New York team members explained that many projects and plans were underway, but that transportation agencies typically found themselves following, rather than leading, decisions about major development plans in the United States. "In the Netherlands, we develop the strategic transportation framework with or even ahead of the specific development plans," according The task assigned to one of the teams during the New York Workshop was to develop a holistic proposition for the transformation of waterfront uses in SW Brooklyn. The team identified six 'pearls' as high-potential locations along the SW Brooklyn waterfront. The six nodes represent opportunities to develop as focal points of the waterfront, but just as important is the 'necklace' connecting the pearls and creating an integrated waterfront with a variety of functions and uses. One of the 'pearls' identified as a key development node on the SW Brooklyn waterfront is Atlantic Basin and its surroundings. Currently the location is an underutilized port area (as shown on the photos of the site). Part of the area comprises a new cruise terminal facility, developed to provide additional capacity to the Manhattan cruise terminal and catering to large vessels that are unable to call at the Manhattan facility. The location of the cruise terminal directly opposite Governors Island is outstanding and allows for unobstructed views towards downtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, the terminal building handes cruise liner passengers, but offers not much more. There is no appealing program connected to the cruise terminal, nor are there additional functions that introduce activities at the terminal building when no ship is along the quay. The cruise terminal is a home port facility, meaning people start or finish their cruise here. Since not everybody arrives just in time, and people often take extra time to visit the city, home port cruise visitors tend to spend quite a large amount of cash during their stay, and should be encouraged to spend it. Bars, souvenir shops, tax/duty free shops, restaurants, art shops and galleries, museums and hotels are all amenities that serve cruise passengers, crew and interested Environmental sustainability became a common ideal underlying the themes of economic development, transportation, and land and water use planning at the Brooklyn-Rotterdam Waterfront Exchange. Linking the blue and the green networks: A shared vision quickly emerged from the team of expert environmental professionals, including engineers, planners and architects that environmental sustainability along the SW Brooklyn waterfront will be achieved by linking the "blue network" with the "green network," or water with land. In the heyday of the maritime industry, the area was defined by this link to the water. However, as the shipping activity that once crowded the harbor shifted away, parts of the waterfront were left to dilapidate. The opportunity that lies ahead is to once again connect blue and green; to create a welcoming waterfront to bring residents and visitors back to the water. In order to achieve this goal, the environmental quality of the land


The first heavy-ion run at the LHC with Pb+Pb collisions at SNN = 2.76 TeV took place in the fall of 2010. In a short and relatively low luminosity run, the three detectors, ALICE, ATLAS and CMS showcased an impressive performance and produced a wealth of a high quality results. This article compares the new LHC results with those accumulated over the last decade at RHIC, focussing on the quantitative and qualitative differences between the different energy regimes of these two facilities.


Background: Contrast echocardiography is frequently used to enhance endocardyal definition, Doppler signals, and to assess myocardial perfusion in percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation. Material and method: We followed clinically and echocardiographic 5 female patients with Septal Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which observed symptoms despite undergoing maximal medical therapy – angina, functional class NYHA III dyspnea, which underwent septal alcohol ablation. Clinical and echocardiographical examinations were performed at admission, before, during and after the procedure, at discharge, at 6 months and at 1 year. During the ablation contrast echocardiography was used. Results: Maximum subaortic gradient was reduced by 30 mmHg in all cases, immediately after the procedure, with no increase in further examinations and reduced mitral regurgitation (grade I or minor after the procedure). Symptoms resolved in all patients with NYHA functional class I transition. Transient complications of the procedure in the first 24 hours after ablation were paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in 2 cases, atrioventricular block 2nd degree in 1 case and 3rd degree in 2 cases. Permanent complications were right bundle branch block 3 cases, left bundle branch block 1 case, 1st degree atrioventricular block 1 case. Conclusions: All 5 patients opted for percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation, although, according to guidelines, they had indication for septal myomectomy. Contrast echocardiography has proven to be a useful addition to percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation.


Most skin surgery is done under clean, but rarely sterile, conditions, yet the rate of wound infection is surprisingly low. This in vitro study assessed the bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties of lidocaine with and without epinephrine (1:100,000) by adding a suspension containing 105 colony-forming units of bacteria …


This exclusive department is created to include findings of special significance and to identify areas of subtle research nuances through mutual debates, discourse and discussions. Elenctic method is used wherein knowledge progresses through articulation, aoss-examination and rejection of spurious hypotheses. Thus, probe aims at encowaging scholars to think against the grain by unmasking the stereotype and dogmatic that has taken the mould of research conservatism. Contact the Editor-in-chief for more details. Context The metaphor of the tourist as pilgrim and tourism as a pilgrimage has been an important idea in tourism studies, reproduced in both academic and popular accounts with varying degrees of criticality. This research probe considers a number of different ways of thinking through the degree to which tourists could be said to be either secular pilgrims or hedonists in search of pleasure. As such it considers the meanings, uses and potential extensions of metaphors of pilgrimage and how these relate to religion, to tourism and to hedonism, as well as how all of these categories interconnect. There is no unity of approach to this question among the authors here and this on the whole makes for a lively and stimulating debate. Knox and Hannam extend the metaphor of the pilgrim into the realm of hedonistic tourism through an account of popular and mass tourist practice which considers the role of religion and spirituality as objects of tourist practice. Margry makes the case that secular pilgrim is an oxymoron and that more scholarly effort ought to be expended on identifying the limited but significant commonalities between tourism and pilgrimage. Olsen situates the discussion in relation to secularization and challenges Knox and Hannam's playful extension and multiplication of metaphors. Salazar undertakes an analysis of the emergence and development of metaphors in tourism studies to demonstrate their continued utility but also the ways in which they shape representations and understandings. The range of opinions here represents a sustained reconsideration of established terminologies.


Tris(salicylaldehydato)chromium(111) reacts readily with primary amines or ammonia to give complexes of the form Cr(sal-NR)3 where R = n-C3H9, i-C4H9, p-C6H4CH3, p-C6H4Br. The complexes are monomeric in benzene, and have magnetic moments in the range 3.77-3.81 B.M. at room temperature. Crystal field splitting energies have been obtained for the complexes from their spectra. Ethylenediamine reacts with the salicylaldehyde complex to give a cationic complex containing the tridentate ligand -0-C6H4-CH=NCH2CH2-NH2.


Cache-based shared memory multiprocessing o$ers a cost-eflective solution for most applications by reducing bus contention as well as memory access latency. However, incorporating private caches into shared memory multiprocessors leads to coherence problems. The frequency of the communication between processors may exceed the fundamental requirements of an algorithm due to the memory consistency model. This paper presents a new model of memory consistency called Acquisition Consistency (AC) to reduce the immoderate communication in a cache-based multiprocessor. Other cache consistency models are evaluated; the evaluation indicates that a system with our model has the greatest potential to eliminate the false-sharing. Under the scheme for AC, programmers are not required to explicitly correlate shared data with locks and do not have to insert additional synchronization into programs. Simulation resulis indicate that with little overhead, this scheme significantly reduces the miss rate and the traJgic amount in almost all applications.


System and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor fed by a battery power drive motor and a stepped automatic transmission, which are connected by a clutch selectively in series, comprising engagement of the clutch for coupling the engine and the motor and controlling the engine torque for providing a braking torque through the transmission to maintain a cruise control speed substantially. In one embodiment, a hybrid electric vehicle includes a powered by a battery power drive motor which is connected to a transmission, an engine, which is connected to the motor by a clutch selectively in series, and a controller coupled to the drive motor and the combustion engine communicates and which is configured to control the motor for providing a braking torque when the clutch is engaged and if the engine brake torque is not sufficient to maintain a cruise control speed of the vehicle while the vehicle is driving downhill.


Extracts of orange peel (Balady Var.) with different organic solvents (methanol, petroleum ether, ethanol diethylether, hexan and acetone) were studied. Methonol proved the best solvent for yeild extract. Antioxidant activity of sunflower oil treated with different concentrations of methanolic extracts of orange peel (MEOP) were also studied by determining peroxide value (POV), free fatty acid (FFA) and iodine value (IV) during 5 months storage at room temperature (20 + 3 O C)., Result indicated that: Orange peel is considered as a good source of polyphenols. Methanol proved the best solvents of yield extracts and also polyphenol contents. The higher concentration of MEOP, the Lower value of (POV) and FFA) and the higher value of IV was observed during storage at the end of storage. Sunflower oil treated with 1500 and 2000 ppm of MEOP showed a significant (p≤ 0.05) lower value of POVs (6.90 and 6.77 meq/ kg -1 ); FFA (0.280%, 0.275%) and higher IVs (67.0 and 70.3). Meanwhile, refined oil (POVs 77.3 meq/ kg -1 , FFA 0.710 and 1V, 51.2), respectively. Addition of BHT and BHT with 200 ppm showed POVs(10.4 and 8.80 meq/ kg -1 ); FFA (0.251 and 0.270) and IVs(71.3 and 71.0), respectively. MEOP proved their strong efficiency as a natural antioxidant activity as compared to BHT and BHA, therefore it is suggested that it can safety be used instead of synthetic antioxidants for preservation of oils and fats from peroxidation and rancidity.


Purpose – There has been little research that includes reliable deductions about the positive influence of learning capability on business performance. For this reason, the main objective of the present study is to empirically explore the link between learning capability in organizations and business performance evaluated in both financial and non‐financial terms.Design/methodology/approach – Using data from 111 Spanish companies, research was conducted through a structural equation modelling. In doing so, a measurement model was conducted for the main constructs – learning capability, financial performance and non‐financial performance‐ and examine the paths between them.Findings – The analysis shows the positive link existing between: learning capability and non‐financial performance; and non‐financial performance and financial performance.Originality/value – This is a detailed empirical examination of learning capability as a source of performance in organizations. It should be of value to all those wh...


Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is a process performed in the absence of free water on non- soluble materials which can act as physical support and source of nutrients to microorganisms. In this paper white rot fungus Trametes versicolor was cultivated in solid state-operating bioreactor with the air inlet flow of 3 L min-1 kg-1 using sugar beet waste as a substrate. The main objective of the work was to determine the lignin- degrading capacity and TC (total carbon) removal capacity of the applied fungus. The initial material was comprised of 6.92 % lignin, 43.79 % TC, out of which 0.01 % inorganic carbon (IC) and 43.78 % organic carbon (TOC). In comparison to lignin degradation, where 55 % of lignin was degraded, results of TOC analysis indicate TC degradation capacity of 1 % mainly due to the lack of cellulolytic enzymes in Trametes versicolor.


Mitigation of progressive collapse was highlighted in 1968 with the collapse of the Ronan Point building in the United Kingdom. Technical standards followed suit with increased requirements and recommendations to encourage the design and construction of more robust buildings. The intent has been to establish a design process that recognizes and considers the potential that buildings could experience abnormal and extreme loads or events that seriously compromise one or more critical load-carrying elements. This article aims to show that if the main goal of the design is to protect human lives in these extreme conditions, even sacrificing the building functionality, simple measures such as the activation of the elasto-plastic catenary behaviour of the slab reinforcement, could be very effective to increase the building robustness without substantially increasing the cost of a structural system.


Genistein is an isoflavones compound from soybean,sharing structural features with estrogen.Recent studies confirmed that genistein has prevention and treatment effects on the diseases such as cancer,cardiovascular disease,osteoporosis,diabetes,and dermatologic disease.The current research advance on its sources,kinds,biological function and the mechanisms of genistein were summarized in this paper.At last,some prospects of its application have been put forward.


Reducing the springback after forming cracks and compression at the time of compression bonding, and an object thereof is to provide a terminal a reduced oxidation and corrosion between the dissimilar metals of the metal. Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of the terminal. Moreover, which is obtained by connecting the terminal and the electric wire, and an object thereof is to provide a termination structure of the wire. A crimp terminal having parts of wires and crimp connection tubular crimping to the tubular crimp portion, it is constituted by a metal member, and has a welded part formed by a non-welded portion and a weld metal constituting the electrical metal member of the non-welded portion the substrate provides a terminal which is constituted by a tubular annealing. Further, there is provided a method of manufacturing the terminal. Moreover, which it is obtained by connecting the terminal and the electric wire, there is provided a cross-connection structure of the electric wire.


I am going to design you a story. Design as an Ecological Practice was the name of a subject that I team-taught with my colleagues at the EcoDesign Foundation in the mid-1990s. The foundation was established as a new learning institution - a not-for-profit foun - dation with charitable status, whose aim was to educate, consult and research in the field of design for sustainability, or what was then called 'ecodesign'. We were housed in a building in the grounds of Rozelle Public School, Sydney, which was retrofitted to showcase ecodesign products, principles and practices and had a large rooftop photovoltaic solar array, the largest in Australia at the time. Everything we did emerged from the radical premise that design is deeply implicated in the unsustainability of both ourselves and our worlds and therefore has a critical role to play in thinking and acting our way into other modes of being and worldmaking. I remember being introduced to a quote from the poet Friedrich Holderlin that encapsulated the foundation's under - standing of design: 'But where danger is, grows the saving power also'. Everything we did was an effort to learn sustainable modes of being and world-making and to try to embody them. This was in the very early days of 'ecologically sustainable develop ment' con - sulting, so we were often employed to do straightforward jobs consulting on material specifications or renewable energy projects for clients like the Sydney Olympic Authority. If we did win a tender, we ended up totally shifting the terms of the brief.


We developed a silicon (Si) dielectric diplexer module for 600-GHz-band frequency-division multiplexing wireless communication. This diplexer was developed based on Si dielectric waveguide technology, which provides low-loss transmission characteristics compared with the conventional metallic terahertz-transmission platform, such as metallic hollow waveguides. It includes straight waveguides based on an effective medium composed of Si and air, and a coupler comprising of two adjacent unclad Si waveguides. Furthermore, for the communication system integration, we developed a practical and low-insertion loss module with WR1.5 metallic hollow waveguide input–output interfaces and modularized the diplexer. We performed transmission measurement experiments with the fabricated diplexer module and achieved 3-dB bandwidths of 101 and 37 GHz, and crosstalk of $-$34 dB at 680 GHz and $-$41 dB at 618 GHz in the cross and bar directions, respectively. Finally, we performed a two-channel wireless communication experiment using the developed diplexer module in the 600-GHz band. We achieved error-free communication at 10 and 6 Gbit/s on the cross and bar channels, respectively. In addition, we achieved a data rate of up to 12.5 Gbit/s at the forward error correction limits for both channels.


Abstract : This thesis examines the effects of personal, job-related, and college characteristics on the job success of women college graduates employed by a major U.S. manufacturing firm. Job success was defined in terms of performance evaluations, wage growth, and promotion rate models. The relative success of graduates of women's colleges were compared to graduates of coeducational institutions. Ordinary Least Squares analysis was used to evaluate the data. Empirical results indicate that performance evaluations were positively influenced by salary grade, various college majors, and attendance at a women's college. Conversely, the number of women faculty at the college attended adversely affected performance. The results of the promotion rate model show that performance evaluations reduce the time to promotion. Finally, the wage growth model illustrated the positive effects that marriage and education have on job success. Theses.


Use of radioactive materials and sources is increasing within the Arab Republic of Egypt. With this increase comes a need to prepare for accidents involving these materials. For years there has been an informal agreement between the National Centre for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control (NCNSRC), one of the four centers operated by the Atomic Energy Agency (AEA), and the Civil Defense Authority (CDA) to cooperate in a radiological emergency. CDA currently has the responsibility for responding to all types of emergencies. The increasing use of radioactive materials and the complexity of the response required by accidents creates a need for a more formal arrangement. In response to the increasing possibility of radiation accidents in or near Egypt, the government is preparing the {ital Egyptian Emergency Response Plan for Radiological Accidents} to coordinate the response efforts of the national agencies. This plan, which is now being finalized, provides information on agency roles and responsibilities during a response. The plan will also provide a basis for initiating training, planning for emergency public information, and developing public education efforts.


In this study, carcass quality evaluation of six Kadaknath × Rhode Island Red, Aseel × Rhode Island Red, Aseel × Brown Cornish, Kadaknath × Brown Cornish, Rhode Island Red × Aseel and Brown Cornish × Kadaknath crossbred groups was done by slaughtering six birds of each genetic group. Dressing (%) was recorded maximum in Aseel × Brown Cornish followed by Rhode Island Red × Aseel and Kadaknath × Aseel. The weight of different cut up parts was in the sequence of breast, thigh, back, drumstick, wing and neck in the decreasing order, for all the genetic groups except in Rhode Island Red × Aseel. Perusal of the results indicated that different genetic groups differed significantly for all the cut up parts. Maximum giblet weight (40.46±2.46 g) was recorded in Aseel × Brown Cornish. Feather (%) ranged from 5.9 to 7.9, which did not differ significantly among the genetic groups. Maximum blood loss was recorded in Rhode Island Red × Aseel and minimum in Aseel × Brown Cornish.


IntroductionEmail spam could be one of the most prevalent crimes in the sense that almost every email user probably has received at least a few unsolicited commercial emails at some point of time. The motivation of spam usually involves revenue generation, higher search ranking, promoting products and services, stealing information, and phishing (Hayati & Potdar, 2008). Spam could result in damaging impact on the economy. Some research has claimed spam accounted for nearly 20 billion dollars in lost time and productivity (Yeargain, et al., 2004). Furthermore, McAfee's Carbon Footprint of Email Spam Report (2009) indicated that the energy used to transmit, process, and filter spam amounted to 33 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), which is equivalent to the electricity used in 2.4 million households or the greenhouse gas emissions as 3.1 million cars using two billion gallons of gasoline.Despite the effort trying to stop spam, unsolicited commercial emails never seem to stop arriving in our email inboxes. Many email providers, such as Gmail or Hotmail, have diligently developed their spam filters to detect possible spam emails. However, if the filter mistakenly identifies an important message as spam, it could create a problem more than just an annoyance as users might miss an important date or fail to follow up in a communication of great consequence (Weinstein, 2003). Besides, nearly 80% of the energy consumed as mentioned earlier was related to users deleting spam and searching for false positives. Spam filtering accounted for 16% of such energy use, but successful filtering was able to reduce the energy use incurred by spam otherwise. Therefore, accurate spam filtering saves not only time but also energy and money. Moreover, it should be kept in mind that spam is more than just an economic concern as in the USA it could constitute a criminal offense under the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (the CAN-SPAM Act).This article was intended to perform a qualitative analysis on 3,983 spam emails with respect to their content, format, techniques, and their compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act.Literature ReviewThe CAN-SPAM ActIn December 2003, the CAN-SPAM Act was enacted and took effect in January 2004 (Lee, 2005). The Act was enacted in an attempt to regulate interstate commerce by imposing penalties and limitations on sending unsolicited commercial email via the Internet (Yeargain et al., 2004). The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was authorized to enforce provisions provided in the CAN-SPAM Act, and unsolicited commercial emails that fail to comply with its regulations were declared criminal. The punishment could be a fine up to $16,000 for each separate email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act (FTC, 2009), or it could be imprisonment (Yeargain et al., 2004). In 2008, the so-called "Spam King" Robert Soloway was convicted under the CAN-SPAM Act for sending fraudulent emails along with two other charges and was sentenced to 47 months in federal prison (Rabinovitch, 2007). The Act also allows states and Internet service providers to file civil lawsuits against spammers (Ford, 2005; Yeargain et al., 2004).The rationale of the CAN-SPAM Act can be seen as based on the expected utility theory in economics, which posits spammers would only choose to send spam when the expected gains exceed the expected cost (Lee, 2005). Since the Act was aimed to increase the cost to spammers, it was expected spammers would be discouraged. However, this did not seem to be the result. According to Symantec's monthly spam reports, the amount of spam is actually increasing (Symantec, 2010). More than 90% of emails sent in the world now are possibly spam, depending on how spam is defined (Symantec, 2010).The CAN-SPAM Act defines spam as unsolicited commercial electronic mail that includes any commercial emails addressed to a recipient with whom the sender has no existing business or personal relationship and not sent with the consent of the recipient, and commercial electronic mail is defined as any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is commercial advertisement or promotion of products or service (Rogers, 2006). …


To investigate the effects of taurine on testosterone secretion in mouse Leydig cells,cultured adult mouse Leydig cells and 3-day-old mouse testes cells were dealt with different concentrations of taurine,and the testosterone production in the media was then measured with RIA.The results revealed that taurine had no significant influence on testosterone secretion in cultured adult mouse Leydig cells under basal and 10 μg/L hCG stimulated conditions,but 3 mmol/L taurine had significant effect on testosterone production in cultured 3-day-old mouse Leydig cells in the presence of 100 μg/L hCG.This suggests that taurine may play a role in reproductive system development of neonatal male mouse.


Comparison of methanol photochemistry at three-dimensionally (3D) networked aerogels of TiO2 or Au–TiO2 reveals that incorporated Au nanoparticles strongly sensitize the oxide nanoarchitecture to visible light. Methanol dissociatively adsorbs at the surfaces of TiO2 and Au–TiO2 aerogels under dark, high-vacuum conditions. Upon irradiation of either ultraporous material with broadband UV light under anaerobic conditions, adsorbed methoxy groups act as hole-traps and extend conduction-band and shallow-trapped electron lifetimes. A higher excited-state electron density arises for UV-irradiated TiO2 aerogel relative to commercial nanoparticulate TiO2, indicating that 3D networked TiO2 more efficiently separates electron–hole pairs. Upon excitation with narrow-band visible light centered at 550 nm, long-lived excited-state electrons are evident on CH3OH-exposed Au–TiO2 aerogels—but not on identically dosed TiO2 aerogels—verifying that incorporated Au nanoparticles sensitize the networked oxide to visible light...


A prototype of fault diagnosis based on Petri net, which is developed for a satellite tele-control subsystem, is introduced in this paper. Its structure is first given with the emphasis on a Petri net modeling tool which is designed using the object oriented method. The prototype is connected to the database with DAO (Date Access Object) technique, and makes the Petri net's firing mechanism and its analyzing methods to be packed up as DLL (Dynamic Link Library) documents. Compared with the rule-based expert system method, the Petri net-based one can store the knowledge in mathematical matrix and make inference more quickly and effectively.


Abstract : The purpose of this project is the design and construction of four advanced development models of a low-speed and two of a high-speed converter (PCM Buffer), digitalto-digital -- each for inserting a number of digital data channels into Data I or Data II of the PCM Multiplexers TD-352( )/U or TD-353( )/U. The High-Speed Buffer (Task 1) must be capable of handling synchronous and asynchronous data; the Low-Speed unit (Task 2), synchronous data only. The manufacturing drawings for the high-speed buffer were delivered. The following work was accomplished on the low-speed buffer: (a) Logic design, including that for the Data Source Simulator, was completed. (b) Circuit design, incorporating the changes necessitated by addition of the Voice Order-Wire Facility and the Variable-Output-Rate Capability, was completed. (c) Mechanical design was completed. Fabrication and assembly is in progress. (d) All printed-circuit-card types passed preproduction tests satisfactorily.


Background and Objectives Worldwide, osteoarthritis (OA) is the major cause of musculoskeletal pain and mobility disability in elderly people. The objective of this randomised, double-blind, placebocontrolled clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of laser acupuncture on osteoarthritis knee (OAK) pain. Traditional acupuncture philosophy, treatment principles and techniques were integrated with modern laser technology. The study tested the null hypothesis that laser acupuncture does not reduce pain and stiffness and improve physical function in OAK. Study Design and Methods Forty participants screened against Kellgren-Lawrence OA scale 2-3 and other inclusion/exclusion criteria were randomised equally into two groups – active and sham laser acupuncture – using computer-generated sequential numbers. Both the operator and participants were blinded to allocation. An 810 nm 100mW Class 3B infra-red laser fitted with two identical probes – one active and one deactivated by the manufacturer – was used in the study. This type of laser provided a credible placebo arrangement because its invisible beam produces neither heat nor sensation when applied to the skin, thus eliminating potential bias. At each treatment, the laser delivered 18J for two minutes to two sets of OAK-specific acupuncture points targeting Phlegm Retention and Blood Stasis and the underlying causes and symptoms according to the TCM paradigm. The 13 acupuncture points were aimed at reducing dampness and swelling, tonifying the Kidney, clearing blockages and stagnation of Qi and Blood, and soothing the Liver. In terms of Western science, laser is known to regenerate osteoblasts and cartilage, and produce analgesic effects through the release of serotonin and endorphins. Treatments were administered three times a week over four weeks (i.e. a total of 12 treatments). Assessments occurred at four-week intervals with four time points over three months using a General Linear Model with repeated measures. Data were


Activism by student affairs administrators can provide powerful methods for change within higher education for LGBTQ students. Though the LGBTQ community has experienced improvements in campus climates, marginalizing policies for members of that community are still prevalent in higher education. Using the tempered radicals theory to guide this narrative study, we explored how student affairs administrators engaged in advocacy, used educational programs, and worked for policy changes to create more inclusive campuses in the South.


with the development of China's higher education system reform,poor college and university students is more and more widely concerned by society.Based on preliminary analysis of the characteristics of poor students in colleges and universities,and combined with the current main problems in educational management,this paper gives countermeasures and suggestions to strengthen the ideological and political education of poor students in colleges and universities.


By a slight strengthening of one axiom, a technical slip is corrected in R. S. Palais' proof of a basic lemma on functors from vector bundles over compact manifolds to Banach spaces of sections. For each compact n-dimensional Co manifold M, possibly with boundary, let VB(M) denote the category of (finite dimensional real) C'* vector bundles and CO vector bundle maps over M, and for each t in some VB(M), let S(t) and Co() denote respectively the real vector spaces of all sections and of all Co sections of t. In [1], R. S. Palais studies ways of assigning to each such t a Banachable space nZ(t) which obeys CO") C MTW) C S( ) and certain other requirements, of which the first two are as follows [1, pp. 9-10]: AxIoM (B?1). For each M, M1t is a functor from VB(M) to the category of Banachable spaces and continuous linear maps. AXIOM (B ?2). If El VB (N) and if 4: M-*N is a diffeomorphism of M into N, then sh-*s o 4 defines a continuous linear map of Q(t) into S(?f*t) From these properties he immediately deduces the fundamental "MAYER-VIETORIS" THEOREM. Let Ml, * * *, M, be compact Co submanifolds of M whose interiors cover M, and let Ez VB (M). Define MWS) = {(si, *sr)i k M(uI Mi):siJ M, =SsJ MI}Then the map F: tm ( M)-* (0) defined by sl>(s I Ml, * * , s I Mr) is an isomorphism of Banachable spaces. Unfortunately this theorem is false:' F need not be surjective, as is shown by the example below. In the proof [1, pp. 10-i1], Palais Received by the editors December 24, 1969. AMS Subject Classifications. Primary 5730, 5750.


The accumulated data related to the recently discovered functions of laminin receptor 1 (LR1) in the early stages of placentation (1-5) made us to think that it may also have an important role in human reproduction, which may be regarded as a very new job for this multifunctional protein overexpressed in many types of cancer and is very well known for its important roles in tumour-cell migration and invasion. In human reproductive physiology, one of the essential steps for the development of a normal pregnancy is the invasion of uterine decidua and myometrium by fetally derived extravillous trophoblast cells and the associated spiral artery transformation which proceed in a complex but stereotyped manner (6). Within this process, laminins which are a family of well-described extracellular matrix glycoproteins have many effects on cell adhesion, differentiation, migration, signalling and invasion. One of the molecules that may also play a key role in both normal and pathologic trophoblast invasion is a non-integrin-type receptor of laminins, laminin receptor 1 (LR1) which acts as a cell-surface receptor of laminin in the interactions for these biological processes. Together with Nagymanyoki et al. (4) we have previously shown LR1 in the decidua of normal and molar human pregnancies (1). Based on the pathological data, there is a growing body of evidence that impaired early trophoblastic invasion and more consistently, restricted endovascular invasion may be associated with preeclampsia which is an almost exclusively human pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by new-onset proteinuria and hypertension occurring usually after 20 weeks of gestation. For the first time in the literature, we showed that decreased LR1 expression may be related to the shallow trophoblastic invasion in human placentas from preeclamptic patients (2). In the following studies, it has been suggested that knockdown of LR1 may inhibit trophoblast cell invasion and migration by modulating matrix metalloproteinase/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (MMP/TIMP) expression via the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinases) pathway (5). A recent study has demonstrated that Brucella replicates in several human trophoblast subpopulations and can interfere with the invasive capacity of extravillous trophoblast-like cells in vitro (7). In one of the largest series of pregnancies complicated with brucellosis, we have also showed that brucellosis in pregnancy is associated with increased incidence of spontaneous abortions not only in livestock but also in human pregnancies (8). At this point, we hypothesised that LR1 may also have a role in diminished invasive capacity of extravillous trophoblast-like cells in abortions related to Brucella infections (3). Although it has been suggested that failed trophoblast invasion and spiral artery transformation do not have a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of early miscarriage (6), the abortions related to Brucella infections may be exceptional. As a conclusion, limited present data related to the role of laminin receptor-1 in human reproduction supports the idea that it may have an important role in the development of the fundamentals of a normal pregnancy. There is enough evidence to show that shallow trophoblastic invasion in preeclampsia may be associated with the decreased LR1 expression in the cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts in the placentas of these patients. However, the role of LR1 in some other major obstetrical syndromes implicated with defective deep placentation such as preeclampsia with fetal growth restriction, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes, preterm birth as well as abortions linked to Brucella infection needs to be elucidated with further studies.


This article describes efforts by the Society of Automotive Engineers to establish the Standard for Navigation and Route Guidance Function Accessibility While Driving (J2364). Focus of the standard is on creating a valid criterion for function accessibility, with attention paid to the acceptable time for a task.


A comparison of the intelligence quotients of academic and vocational graduating students in the three schools in 1926 showed the averages to be 108.0 and 100.4 respectively; the experimental coefficient is 2.68. In 1927, the average intelligence quotients were 107.8 and 96.4 respectively, experimental coefl'icient 4.80; in 1928, the average intelligence quotients were 108.4 and 102.5 respectively, experimental coefiicient 3.20. When the results for the three years were combined, the average intelligence quotients of academic and vocational students were 106.5 and 100.5 respectively. The experimental coefficient of the difference is 12.8. Thus there is 12.8 times practical certainty that the academic students excel the vocational students in intelligence test scores.