Abundant literature now exists on the acceptability of the new pricing measure represented by urban tolls. However, this literature contains few examples providing a "political" analysis of their introduction. Here, our aim is to study how the political behavior of individuals, identified on the basis of general attitudes regarding the principles of regulation and pricing, influences, or does not influence, attitudes to urban tolls. The authors study the determinants ex-ante of a vote on urban tolls. They use the results of a survey performed in France in the framework of the European ExpAcc project (Explanatory Factors of Road User Charging Acceptability). They processed the data using a Principle Components Analysis (PCA) then performed an ordered logit estimation. Regarding the question specific to the referendum, the authors showed that it would be rejected by electors. They also show that there is a significant link between general attitudes to regulation by legislation, tax or pricing policies in transport on the one hand, and the vote in the referendum on tolls on the other.


The recorded history of the Jamaican Iguana is reviewed and brought up to date. Once abundant, iguanas were greatly reduced by hunting and were rare by the middle of the nineteenth century. For a hundred years, they were only known to survive on the Goat Islands but, after the introduction of the mongoose and the interference consequent on the Second World War, that population became extinct in about 1948. But iguanas had, after all, survived on the mainland; in the Hellshire Hills. Hog-hunters have been catching occasional specimens up to 1978 and one of these, killed in 1969, was obtained by the author and positively identified. It is unlikely that the Jamaican Iguana, already very rare, will survive the proposed development of the Hellshire Hills.


As befitted the advent of the age of Aquarius, the year 1970 brought with it new moves to arrest the rapid erosion of the traditional legal order of the high seas. Some causes of the threatening disruption could be found in the omissions and the uncertainties in the Law of the Sea Conventions of 1958, but these failures were themselves symptomatic of the changing and multiple uses of the seas. In the days when the navigation of a few powerful maritime states was the principal use of the oceans they together could enforce their mutual interest in "freedom of the seas." As the uses multiplied, so have the number of nations whose differing interests must be accommodated if stability in the seas is to be achieved by general concurrence.


An ultra-short-term wind power prediction model independent of meteorological data is proposed to solve the problem that there are some wild farms do not have meteorological sensors. The model consists of a two-stream network module and an attention module, one stream is used to extract spatial and time series features, the other stream is used to extract temporal features; the features of the two streams are fused with the attention mechanism to get final feature. Finally, the dimension of the final feature is reduced by the fully connection layers to get ultra-short-time wind power prediction. The validity and practicability of the prediction model are proved by an example analysis of a wind farm in east China for one year, the accuracy of prediction is high, which also provides a strong support for making power generation plan and power dispatching in actual scenarios.


Clinical guidelines advise similar anticoagulant treatment for symptomatic and incidental cancer‐associated venous thromboembolism (VTE). We investigated clinical features and outcomes of cancer patients with incidental or symptomatic VTE randomized in the Caravaggio study.


The authors describe the application of yield models to define the relative contribution of equipment to particle limited yield and outline methods for developing a detailed yield model which includes process characteristics, equipment particle measurements, and product design characteristics. Collecting equipment particle per wafer pass (PWP) measurements using particle measurement systems and validating model results are also discussed. These methods are illustrated using published equipment particle and process flow information. It is noted that use of detailed yield models is not restricted to the newest technologies. Integrating equipment PWP measurements in existing manufacturing operations allows use of yield models for improving existing processes. Continuous improvement from particle reduction increases yields in all stages of product maturity. Thus, using PWP measurements and yield models to estimate semiconductor yield from equipment particle measurements can improve semiconductor manufacturing productivity.<<ETX>>


The objective of this study is to develop a new online controller tuning method in closed-loop mode. The proposed closed-loop tuning method overcomes the shortcoming of the well-known Ziegler-Nichols (1942) continuous cycling method and it can be an alternative for the same. This is a simple method to obtain the PI/PID setting which gives the acceptable performance and robustness for a broad range of the processes. The method requires a closed-loop step set-point experiment using a proportional only controller with gain Kc0. On the basis of simulations for a range of first-order with time delay processes, simple correlations have been derived to give PI/PID controller settings. The controller gain (Kc/Kc0) is only a function of the overshoot observed in the set-point experiment. The controller integral and derivative time (τI and τD) is mainly a function of the time to reach the first peak (tp). The simulation has been conducted for a broad class of stable and integrating processes, and the results are co...


Carmakers face ever more frequently the phenomenon of spring-back after stamping, especially with new high strength steels (HSS and VHSS). Renault and Arcelor have been working together for many years on the formability and spring-back of VHSS. Recently, they aimed at establishing a method to optimize die shape in order to compensate for the spring-back after stamping. A method, named "Outifo" has been developed in order to obtain by simulation, from the initial CADs of the part and its referential stamped die, a CAD of a die with a modified shape. This allows the real stamping part, after forming and spring-back, to recover as closely as possible the geometry of the theoretical part defined by the designer.


This article analyzes housing as a culturally mediated phenomenon, as a subtle but powerful means of enculturation by which perceptions of reality are learned and revised. Based on a transnational, multigenerational comparison of the uses and designs of domestic space in parts of Jalisco, Mexico, and the United States, it argues that sociospatial relations are integral to the continuing process of social change for Mexicans living in the United States and migrant workers returning to Mexico. It further suggests that conflicting conceptual and spatial frameworks become a means by which the dominant society attempts to assimilate and control subordinates. [domestic space, Mexico, the United States, social change]


In 1884, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a damage claim on a patented mop head improvement for failure to apportion profits attributable to the patented feature against the entire mop. 130 years later, jurists deal with the same core challenge of damage apportionment except with much more complicated products. Given the fact that as many as 250,000 patents impact the average consumer smart phone, can anyone say confidently that any single one of these patents drives consumer demand for the whole product or even for any particular feature of the product? And if not, how much worth does any one patent have in relation to the value of the entire product? For example, what portion of the sales price of an iPhone is attributable to a particular individual feature of that phone, such as the ability to use FaceTime?


22 The Euler-Eytelwein equation indicates that the tension from one end of the rope 23 to the other end decays exponentially with the wrapping angle after wrapping around a 24 target object, and the tensions at two ends can differ by several orders of magnitude. 25 The ability to scale the force magnitude of this wrapping structure may be exploited for 26 space captures. This paper simplifies the modeling of the actual scene of space capture, 27 analyzes the kinematic characteristics of the wrapping process of tethered projectile 28 systems, and obtains the trajectory equation of the projectile. Carrying out the force 29 analysis of the element, forces acting on the satellite and the target object under different 30 friction coefficients are obtained. Finally, considering two constraints of rope tension 31 and wrapping time, as well as the number of wrapping turns for safe, a design scheme 32 of projectile velocity and initial rope length required for successful capture is proposed. 33


Purpose: Marketing literature has previously and repeatedly outlined the positive sales effects of displays in food retailing. Therefore, its increasing usage and space allocation is not surprising. Although the promised sales increases of more than 400% should result in even higher usage rates. So the question is if sales and store managers are mismanaging their stores or if a more differentiated evaluation of displays in food retailing necessary. This paper addresses the benefits of displays in food retailing from a holistic perspective, evaluating its overall profitability for stores rather than just sales effects. Additionally it compares displays from a product category's perspective.


From the relative absorption intensities of two characteristic bands in the ultraviolet spectra of 2,4,6-trinitroaniline and its derivatives, it is possible to estimate angles of twist from planarity of the 2-, 4-, and 6-nitro-substituents. In at least one instance, such estimates correspond closely to angles observed in a total crystal structure determination. Other aspects of the spectra are also discussed.


The article presents the results of a study of competitiveness as a factor in the development of the EAEU member states since the creation of the integration association in 2015 and 2020. The study is based on data from EAEU statistics. The article assesses the competitiveness of the economies of the EAEU countries on the basis of indicators of foreign and mutual trade, the share of the manufacturing industry in the total volume of industrial production, as well as labor productivity. According to the results of the analysis, the countries were identified - those that receive a greater effect from participation in the integration union, and those who are more focused on trade with third countries. Using the author's methodology, an assessment of the competitiveness of industry was carried out and an index of export similarity was calculated in comparison with the European Union. The results showed that the complementarity of economies within the EAEU is still low, and therefore the contribution of integration processes to the development of the economy is still insignificant. The main reasons for the current state of affairs, in addition to the factor of low complementarity of the structure of the economies of the EAEU countries, are that the advantages associated with the creation of the EAEU require the implementation of national economic policy measures related to supporting promising areas of cross-border interregional cooperation.


Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, University Road, SO17 1BJ, Southampton, United Kingdom


A retrospec�ve analysis was done for 9141 pa�ents who underwent Laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery between the year 2011-2020 years (AD). The type of surgery, gender, age, opera�ve �me, conversion and complica�on rate were reported. Laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery was performed for 9141 with a mean of 46.3 (range=2.5-90). of 9141 included in this study, 8668 pa�ents underwent Cholecystectomy, 232 161 appendectomy, cystectomy, underwent myomectomy, 8 diagnos�c laparoscopy and 7 cases of salpingo-oophorectomy. The our study was The advantages of single access surgery include be�er cosme�c effect, reduced bleeding, infec�ons, hernia�ons and hospital stay.


Nidus vespae is a drug derived from insec ts that is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). No syste m atic review has previously been made about this drug. This paper summarizes previous investigations about the 49 identified chemical constituents and clinical app lication of Nidus ves pae , and explores its pharmacological mechanism of treating disease. Nidus vespae has been reported to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psor iatic arthritis, intractable skin diseases, dental disease, rhinitis, respiratory disor d ers , cervical erosion etc. Nidus vespae can be used alone or in combination with other drugs and compounds for a wide range of clinical applications. The objective of t his review is to provide a comprehensive reference for further deve l opment and utilization of Nidus vespae . K eywords : Nidus vespae; insect drug; structure; chemical composition; bioactivity; clinical applic a tion; review


invasion of either the root canal or periodontal ligament via the gingival pocket. Gingival collagen bers are usually Reimplantation refers to the insertion and temporary xation of completely or partially avulsed teeth that have resulted from traumatic injury. Reimplantation of an avulsed tooth depends on clinical conditions like physiological status of periodontal ligament (PDL), the stage of root development and the length of extra oral time. The prognosis of avulsion cases is very poor and many factors have been thought to affect their success rate. Combined clinical, radiographic and mobility ndings indicated that healing after replantation could be divided into the following modalities Normal healing, replacement resorption, Inammatory resorption, ankylosis and gingival health. This article gives us the review of periodontal outcomes in reimplanted tooth.


We examined whether U.S. schools systemically discriminate when suspending or otherwise disciplining students with disabilities (SWD). Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. We coded 147 available risk estimates from these 18 studies. Of four studies including individual-level controls for infraction reasons, over half of the available estimates (i.e., 14 of 24, or 58%) failed to indicate that SWD were more likely to be suspended than otherwise similar students without disabilities. Of the seven available estimates adjusted for the strong confound of individual-level behavior, most (i.e., five of seven, or 71%) failed to indicate that SWD were more likely to be suspended. The other two estimates indicating SWD were more likely to be suspended were from one study. We also examined whether SWD were less likely to be suspended than otherwise similar students without disabilities. There was no strong evidence of this. Empirical evidence regarding whether U.S. schools discriminate when disciplining SWD is currently inconclusive.


Non-commutative geometry indicates a deformation of the energy–momentum dispersion relation for massless particles. This distorted energy–momentum relation can affect the radiation-dominated phase of the universe at sufficiently high temperature. This prompted the idea of non-commutative inflation by Alexander et al (2003 Phys. Rev. D 67 081301) and Koh and Brandenberger (2007 JCAP06(2007)021 and JCAP11(2007)013). These authors studied a one-parameter family of a non-relativistic dispersion relation that leads to inflation: the α family of curves f(E) = 1 + (λE)α. We show here how the conceptually different structure of symmetries of non-commutative spaces can lead, in a mathematically consistent way, to the fundamental equations of non-commutative inflation driven by radiation. We describe how this structure can be considered independently of (but including) the idea of non-commutative spaces as a starting point of the general inflationary deformation of . We analyze the conditions on the dispersion relation that leads to inflation as a set of inequalities which plays the same role as the slow-roll conditions on the potential of a scalar field. We study conditions for a possible numerical approach to obtain a general one-parameter family of dispersion relations that lead to successful inflation.


ABSTRACT In this paper, we present the curriculum development process as a complex, iterative and integrated phenomenon. Building on the early work of Stenhouse [1975, An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London: Heinemann Educational], we position the teacher at the heart of this process and extend his ideas by exploring how complexity thinking and ecological perspectives have helped us frame the curriculum process as self-organising, emergent, recursive and interactive. As such, we present a curriculum approach that recognises the need for teachers to concurrently develop appropriate knowledge and understanding of the learners they work with, the environment in which they work and the capacity to design learning tasks appropriate for this context. We discuss how the complexity principles of similarity and diversity offer a frame of reference to design learning tasks that bring connectedness and coherence to the primary physical education experiences of children and teachers. However, in line with Stenhouse, our ideas are not presented as a 'package of materials or a syllabus of ground to be covered' but as a complex and ecological learning process that is more 'a hypothesis testable in practice' and an invitation for critical evaluation 'rather than acceptance'.


A new type of personal sampler for quantitative estimation of atmospheric concentrations of contaminant gases was first reported from this laboratory in 1972. The sampler requires no pumps or flow regulators and employs instead the motion of the gas molecules themselves to furnish the power for sampling. Work was completed on development of a kit for the field determination of both NO2 and NO. Detailed instructions for the preparation of the samplers and the use of the kit were supplied and attempts were made to adapt the same type of sampler to the measurement of SO2 and CO. Both gas chromatographic and turbidimetric procedures for the final estimation of the SO2 proved to be unsatisfactory. For CO no reagent was found that would react with sufficient rapidity with this gas to utilize the essential feature of the diffusion sampler, the maintenance of a diffusion gradient which is at least approximately numerically equal to the ambient concentration. A number of publications on use of the NO2 sampler, both at occupational and community air pollution levels, have resulted from this work.


In the work the possibility of using the large-capacity waste the production of phosphate fertilizers phosphogypsum as filler in polymer composite materials on the basis of urea-formaldehyde, polyester, epoxy resin and polyamide-6.


The coordination geometry of the tetrapyridine copper(II) complex in zeolite Cu−NaY and mesoporous siliceous MCM-41 material is investigated by two-dimensional proton and deuterium hyperfine sublev...


Iron losses in doubly salient permanent magnet (DSPM) machine are difficult to predict, as the flux waveforms are complex and dc bias existed. This paper measures iron losses at no load for different rotor speeds and these measured loss data are used to calibrate the iron loss model of the DSPM machine. Then the iron losses at rated load are predicted under three phase rectangular currents exerting on the armature windings. The result shows that small increment of iron losses is in the rotor at rated load which do benefit to the rotor thermal dissipation design.


SUMMARY Liver involvement in autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS) in the form of chronic active hepatitis has been well described. However, to our knowledge, primary biliary cirrhosis in APS has not been reported. Here we report the case of a 27‐year‐old man who presented with classical insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus and subsequently developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hypogonadism, and primary biliary cirrhosis. The latter diagnosis was confirmed by a cholestatic pattern of liver enzymes, positive anti‐mitochondrial antibody, normal cholangiogram, and characteristic liver biopsy findings. Primary biliary cirrhosis should probably be regarded as a possible, though uncommon, component of APS.


the negotiations. A common element of all proposals and of the RS framework is the use of a quantitative indicator to measure the degree of trade or output distortion that results from various agricultural policies. The Schwartz and Parker (SP) paper contributes significantly to an understanding of the potential use and economic properties of several quantitative indicators of trade and output distortions.


In this note rheological properties of two different polymer modified asphalts (PMA) are compared. PMAs were prepared from two different base asphalts, a soft one (200/300 Pen grade) and a hard one (70/100 Pen grade), by addition of 4% by weight of radial SBS as modifier. Dynamic mechanical properties were determined in a wide temperature range for bases and modified asphalts both before and after artificial aging. As expected, the moduli of the soft base are more sensitive to polymer addition and the two PMAs attain similar maximum values after aging. However a significant difference in the frequency at which the maxima of the loss modulus are reached is maintained within the two materials irrespectively of aging or polymer addition.


This paper described a decarboxylative deaminative dual-coupling reaction of amino acids with indoles to afford BIM scaffolds and its further application to the one-pot total synthesis of natural products. This method featured a stimulating example of activating amino acids in one pot as multi-carbon building blocks for transformation into final targets which are equipped with amino acid side chain backbones.


The use of fuzzy rule-based systems in regression problems is widely extended due to the precision of the obtained models. Moreover, the use of Mamdani models is usually referred to as a good choice in many real problems, since it provides an interpretable and precise functional relationship between the output and input variables. In this paper we present a new leaning Mamdani fuzzy system FRLC-Rgress (Fuzzy Rule Learning through Clustering for Regression Problems). This provides an accurate fuzzy system and simple Mamdani fuzzy rule bases for regression problems. FRLC-Rgress based on linguistic modifiers and fuzzy clustering achieves a low complexity of the learned models while keeping a high accuracy, by following two stages: multi- granularity, fuzzy discretization of the variables, and perceptual learning of the fuzzy rules. FRLC-Rgress is experimented using six real-world datasets. It outperforms two of the most and simple fuzzy systems (genetic fuzzy systems) in state of the art.


The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates immune responses. Previous studies in this laboratory have found that AhR activation with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in mice suppresses the anti-cholera toxin (CT) IgA response, but fecal antibody levels recover at least two weeks earlier than serum levels after repeated immunization. Studies by others have shown that TCDD exposure increases splenic myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) numbers in mice, and MDSC have been associated with enhanced IgA responses. In this study, we hypothesized that TCDD exposure would increase MDSC numbers in CT-immunized mice. Female C57Bl/6 mice were administered peanut oil (vehicle) or TCDD (40 μg/Kg) orally on day 0, and each animal was orally immunized with cholera toxin (CT, 10 μg/Kg) on days 1 and 8. On day 14, CT-specific serum IgA levels (ELISA) were significantly suppressed by TCDD exposure to 21.6% of control (P < 0.05), but fecal IgA levels were not significantly different. Total spleen cell numbers were significantly reduced by TCDD exposure to 72.9% of control (P < 0.05), but neither the percent nor number of MDSC (CD11b+ Gr1+, by flow cytometry) per spleen was significantly altered: 2.21% ± 0.48% and 1.91% ± 0.23% (450,000 ± 98,000 and 290,000 ± 34,000) for control and TCDD-treated, respectively (mean ± SEM). These results suggest that AhR activation differentially impacts antigen-specific IgA responses between serum and feces in cholera toxin-immunized mice, but not the number of MDSCs.


The optimization problem for the brake squeal noise consists of a complex-valued objective function (COF) and physical design variables (PDV). A direct solution has been hampered by many unknowns between the COF and PDV. Nonetheless, an optimal solution is possible if the problem is separated into two steps. In the first step, sensitivity analysis is used to calculate the optimal components' eigenvalues capable of eliminating all unstable eigenvalues. If only the sensitive components' eigenvalues for each unstable eigenvalue are chosen as design variables, finding an optimal solution is virtually guaranteed. Once the optimal components' eigenvalues are found, the second step of the optimization involves the real-valued objective function. Resolving complex eigenvalues in essence allowed us to resume the conventional optimization with response surface methodology. The optimal physical dimensions are obtained using this approach.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


Purpose - This paper aims to introduce a new large-scale panel study ("PASS") for research on the labour market, the welfare state and poverty that combines a sample of 6,000 recipient households with an equally large sample of the general population. Design/methodology/approach - The authors show how research goals and the specific population of the survey are accounted for in a tailored survey design. Findings - The authors point the reader to new research potential created by the new study. The new potential is mainly derived from the sampling design (large recipient sample combined with a population sample), the direct measurement of poverty by a deprivation index, the detailed measurement of the migratory background, additional information (like attitudes, search intensity) for models of recipiency dynamics, and the linkage of the survey data with administrative data. Originality/value - The data set described fills a major gap in the data-infrastructure available for labour-market research. From a methodological point of view it presents an innovative sampling design.


Motivation: The authors are interested in the problem of financing of theatres as cultural institutions also because of the arising conflict between the objectives set by the organizers of the institutions, and those managers and artists consider the most important in the public cultural institutions. Aim: The aim of this article is the efficiency evaluation of statutory subsidies granted to cultural institutions in the context of subsidizing rules of these institutions. Results: The system of financing municipal cultural institutions is predominantly based on statutory subsidies from the organizer's budget. Therefore, statutory grants play an important role of creating income and of stabilizing finances of cultural institutions. Their share in the total amount of revenue of the examined cultural institutions persisted at a high level throughout subsequent years of the study period. Although statutory subsidies significantly improve the financial situation of cultural institutions. Those which are using subsidies to a lesser degree, and those whose important source of financing their activities were their own revenues, are characterized by higher efficiency. Unfortunately, the analysis of the data indicates that there is a very small group of institutions characterized by a high indicator of financing. ORIGINAL ARTICLE received 13.06.2017; revised 01.12.2017; accepted 31.12.2017 Citation: Gałecka, M., & Smolny, K. (2017). Financing rules of the activity of cultural institutions in the context of economic efficiency. Ekonomia i Prawo. Ecomomics and Law, 16(4): 387–399. doi:10.12775/EiP.2017.027. EKONOMIA I PRAWO. ECONOMICS AND LAW, 16(4): 387–399 388


Background: AD is characterized by deleterious deposits of Ab and t proteins, which are central to AD pathogenesis. In addition to these pathophysiological changes, AD is also characterized by abnormal glucose metabolism that precedes neuropathological changes. Despite these data, the underlying molecular mechanism behind the potential cause and effect relationship between decreased glucosemetabolism and increased Ab deposition is unknown. In this context, we hypothesized that decreased glucose metabolism may result in decreased Ab clearance and hence its increased deposition in AD brain. Here, it is noteworthy that Liver X receptor (LXR)-mediated Apolipoprotein E (APOE) lipidation and secretion plays a major role in cerebral Ab clearance. Therefore, we aimed to investigate glycolytic control of LXR-APOE pathway and identify its positive modulators for therapeutic purpose. Methods: The astrocytes expressing human APOE2/E3/E4 isoforms (from Dr. David Holtzman, Washington University) were used. The astrocytes were treated for 24 hrs with known LXR and RXR agonists (GW3965 and Bexarotene, respectively), either in presence or absence of inhibitors of glucose uptake and glycolysis (cytochalasin B and 2-deoxy-D-glucose, respectively). Furthermore, astrocytes were also treated with various FDA-approved drugs with potential to enhance glycolysis and in turn activating the LXR-APOE pathway. The uptake of glucose and the production of lactate were measured as markers of glycolysis. The level of secreted APOE was measured using human APOE ELISA, while lipidation status of APOE was measured using non-denaturing gel electrophoresis followed bywestern blotting.Results:The treatment of APOE3 astrocytes with Bexarotene increased APOE lipidation and secretion, which was inhibited by co-treatment with Cytochalasin B and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (Fig.1A). Furthermore, astrocytes were also treated with three drugs from three different categories viz., a b-blocker (Drug 1, 5mM), an anti-cancer agent (Drug 2, 5mM) and an anti-inflammatory agent (Drug 3, 2mM). The Drug 1 and 2 significantly enhanced glucose uptake and lactate production by astrocytes (Fig.1B). Interestingly, these two drugs also significantly enhanced APOE secretion (Fig.1B). The experiments with other drug molecules in APOE3 as well as APOE2 and E4 astrocytes are ongoing. Conclusions: Our data so far suggests potential role of glucose metabolism in APOE lipidation and secretion by astrocytes, further emphasizing our hypothesis.


caesarean section rate: a controlled trial. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 90,392-399. Hofmeyr G. J., Sadan 0.. Myer I. G., Gala1 K. C. & Simko G. (1986) External cephalic version and spontaneous version rates: ethnic and other determinants. Br J Obstet Gynaecol93,13-16. Hofmeyr G. J. (1989) Breech presentation and abnormal lie in late pregnancy. Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. (Chalmers I., Enkin M. W. & Keirse M. J. N. C., eds), Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 653-665. Hofmeyr G. J. (1990) External cephalic version at term. In Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials. Version 1.2, Disk Issue 4, Record No. 3087, (Chalmers I . , ed), Oxford University Press, Oxford. MacArthur J. L. (1964) Reduction of the hazards of breech presentation by external cephalic version. Am J Obstet Gynecol88,302-306. Mahomed K., Seeras R. & Coulson R. (1991) External cephalic version at term. A randomized controlled trial using tocolysis. Br J Obstet Gynaecol


The work performed and presented in this thesis explores the efficacy of using planning Computed Tomography (CT) images as prior knowledge to improve quantitative cone-beam CT (CBCT) image quality in radiation therapy. CBCT is a significant component in the treatment planning process of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Current CBCT images have various shading artifacts such as scatter, noise, and non-uniformity that create challenges in accurately identifying tissue abnormalities and reduce their usefulness for clinical applications. This thesis proposes a method to enhance the CBCT image quality when using commercial image correction methods (i.e. images corrected by a Varian algorithm). The results show that scattering and image non-uniformity are greatly reduced by the proposed method. Therefore, the proposed method achieves better image correction results than does the Varian correction algorithm.

Since all patients who receive radiation treatment routinely undergo a multiple detector array CT (MDCT) scan as part of the diagnostic procedure, the high quality MDCT serves as the "free" planning CT (pCT). To improve the CBCT images that are taken during radiation treatment, the CBCT is first spatially registered with the pCT via rigid and deformable registration using Velocity software. Primary projections in the CBCT scan are estimated via forward projections of the registered MDCT image. The low frequency errors in the projections, which are a major cause of shading artifacts in CBCT images after reconstruction, are estimated by filtering the difference between the original line integral and the estimated scatter projections. The corrected CBCT image is then reconstructed from the projections using the Feldkamp, Davis, and Kress (FDK) algorithm. With the planning MDCT treated as ground truth, the CBCT image corrected by the proposed method is compared against the corrected image using the Varian Medical Systems (VMS) algorithm, a commonly used commercial shading correction method. The results are presented in the axial, coronal, and sagittal views, and are evaluated by comparing the mean number of error for three image quality evaluation factors - CT number, spatial non-uniformity (SNU) value, and image contrast value. A paired t-test is performed on the results to prove the consistency and reliability of the proposed method of shading correction.

The proposed method is evaluated on 20 sets of thorax and pelvis cancer patient data from Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). CT numbers, measured in Hounsfield units (HU), for four uniformly selected regions of interests (ROIs) are found in each set of images. The mean errors in CT number, SNU, and contrast value for the Varian corrected image and the image corrected by the proposed method are 53 HU and 41 HU, 7.3% and 3.0%, and 37 HU and 34 HU respectively. The results show that as compared to the Varian correction algorithm the proposed method delivers a CBCT image quality with better spatial uniformity and fewer CT number errors at the 95% confidence…


Making the transition from war to peace and establishing justice is a challenging but vital condition of long term peacebuilding in post-conflict societies. This paper explores this post-conflict issues in Sierra Leone which suffered from a decade long civil war (1991-2002) after the neglect and corruption of the 1980s that combined have left the country languishing in poverty by most global measures. This research explores the role of different peace making and maintaining institutions in post-conflict Sierra Leone through the analysis is taken from a series of 50 interviews s conducted across the country and across social, cultural, tribal, religious and economic boundaries. It examines the role of three different sites of peace-making and maintaining. Firstly, the role of courts and particularly the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone that ran from January 2002 to December, 2013, convicting 23 people for crimes committed during the war, including former Liberian President Charles Taylor the first African head of state to be convicted for war crimes. Secondly, the Inter Religious Council and the role it played in helping to establish peace during the civil war and its ongoing role in mediating community conflict and supporting peace. Finally, the role of community-based organisations, typified by the group Fambul Tok, a community restorative-justice agency working across the country to mediate conflict and support local and peaceful resolution to conflict. This presentation outlines the research process and some of the initial findings from the interviews.


The aim of this thesis is to analyse legal status of partners in a business company and its role in connection to legal regulations covering the trading company business. In our thesis we aim at particular types of business companies, their structure and resulting differences between partners of these companies that are regulated both by Commercial Code provisions as well as particular law provisions. First chapter focuses on the characteristics of a business company and gives a brief survey of particular types of business companies. Second, third, fourth and fifth chapter analyse the status of partners in business companies, classification and a more detailed characteristics of their rights and duties resulting from the particular type of the trading company.


Background: Anemia may reduce oxygen brain transport and worsen neurological prognosis af ter severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, blood transfusion may have harmful ef fects in critically ill patients and the optimal transfusion threshold af ter TBI remains under debate. The aim of this study was to assess the ef fect of red blood cell transfusion on cerebral metabolism af ter severe traumatic brain injury, comparing a restrictive and a liberal strategy. Method: Randomized controlled multicenter trial (Nancy, Toulon, Rouen). We included 33 patients with severe TBI who were found with hemoglobin concentration of less than 9.0 g/100 ml. They were randomized to a liberal transfusion strategy (hemoglobin target: 10-12 g/100 ml) or a restrictive strategy (hemoglobin target: 7-9 g/100 ml). In all TBI patients were monitored intracranial pressure (ICP), brain cerebral tissue oxygen (PtiO2) and cerebral metabolic parameters using microdialysis. The primary outcome was mean brain lactate during the first 72 hours. All parameters are reported for the first 72 hours. Results: Mean hemoglobin concentration: 7.8±0.7 in the restrictive group, 11.1±0.9 in the liberal group. Cerebral metabolic parameters are reported on table 1. Duration of brain hypoxia (PtiO2< 10 mmHg): 2.4±3.0 hours/day in the restrictive group, 2.7±5.1 hours/day in the liberal group (p=0.28). There were no dif ference in the number of elevated ICP(>20 mmHg)( 6.5±4.2 vs 5.0±4.8 episode/day, p=0.31) nor in the duration of low cerebral perfusion pressure (< 70mmHg)( 7.3±5.0 vs 6.9±5.5 hours/day, p=0.72).


This paper proposes a new approach to upsample depth maps when aligned high-resolution color images are given. Such a task is referred to as guided depth upsampling in our work. We formulate this problem based on the recently developed sparse representation analysis models. More specifically, we exploit the cosparsity of analytic analysis operators performed on a depth map, together with data fidelity and color guided smoothness constraints for upsampling. The formulated problem is solved by the greedy analysis pursuit algorithm. Since our approach relies on the analytic operators such as the Wavelet transforms and the finite difference operators, it does not require any training data but a single depth-color image pair. A variety of experiments have been conducted on both synthetic and real data. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach outperforms the specialized state-of-the-art algorithms.


Non-Forest Woody Vegetation (NFWV) is a very important element of a human environment as well as landscape-ecological stability; it fulfils many major functions. The linear formations of NFVW as elements of ecological networks have a direct impact on the potential of a landscape. International policies and programs constitute a foundation for developing national programs of ecological networks, an example of which is the so-called Territorial System of Ecological Stability (TSES) in Slovakia. Within the existing methodology concept of TSES, however, the issue of NFWV is significantly understated, particularly in evaluations of its features, its functional significance from various points of view, and its measures intended to bring about ecological stability. The aim of this contribution is to present results from a study focused on evaluating the landscape-ecological and biotic significance of linear formations of NFWV based on detailed field research. The model territory is located in central Slovakia in the southeastern part of the Štiavnické vrchy Mountains, near the village of Žibritov.


Measurements of the cross sections of 10 B(γ, p) and 10 B(γ, pn) with tagged photons have been performed at E γ =66∼103 MeV. The results of both the 10 B(γ, p) and (γ, pn) measurement show the dominance of a two-nucleon photoabsorption process in this energy region.


This paper presents a comparison between several topologies of Wideband Common Gate Low Noise Amplifiers including conventional and multiple feedback topologies. The comparison is based on finding the best Figure of Merit (FOM) of the different architectures. Accordingly, the proposed design steps to yield the best FOM for each architecture are presented. This FOM shows the tradeoff between noise, nonlinearity, and power consumption. The comparison is verified using circuit level simulation in the 0.13 μm CMOS technology node. Results show that for a certain bias current, the FOM is appreciably enhanced. For the conventional common gate LNA with current reuse, the highest FOM is obtained in spite of its high noise figure compared to other architectures.


This study aimed to examine the effect of the characteristics of the board of
commissioners as measured by the number of commissioners, the presence of
independent directors, diversity in the council, as measured by the percentage of
women's presence on the board of the corporate tax planning. As well as the
profitability of the company to test the effect of corporate tax planning. Researchers
also tested the effect of the control variables in the model research sector. Tax planning
companies measured using Current ETR (Effectife tax rate).
Researcher using secondary data, the population of all manufacturing and nonfinancial
services listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange 2013-2015 period. Companies
that are used as samples taken by using purposive sampling method. Total final sample
used is 306 samples.
The results showed that there is a negative and significant impact on the number of
commissioners, board of commissioners of the diversity in corporate tax planning.
Besides the presence of independent directors and the performance is measured by the
profitability of the company has a positive and significant impact on corporate tax
planning. This means that the higher the level of attendance of independent directors,
the greater the responsibility to fulfill the tax obligations and were directly involved in
corporate tax planning strategies. Likewise with the performance of a company, if the
company's performance, the better the company will tend to tax planning.


Mathematical model of quenching residual stress filed of 7075 aluminum alloy thick plate was established to theoretically and experimentally analyze the influences of quenching residual stress on plate natural frequency during VSR.The results show that plate natural frequency,based on constant physical material characteristics like dimension,density and homogeneity,etc.,is mainly influenced by the residual stress distribution characteristics while quenching residual stress always increases plate natural frequency.And the higher the rank number is,the larger the influence of residual stress on frequency is.Moreover,natural frequency in each order would decrease following residual stress relaxation or homogenization caused by stress re-distribution during VSR.


To test whether energy metabolism is responsive to changes in the aquatic environment and to better understand the exercise physiology of acid-tolerant fish species and populations, I compared metabolic responses to exercise and recovery in a population of perch from a naturally acidic lake (acid-lake perch, ALP) and a circumneutral lake (neutral-lake perch, NLP). White muscle from the two populations was sampled after 16 h of acclimation in a swim flume to either pH 4.0 or pH 7.8 water, after exhaustion induced by a critical swimming speed protocol, or after 6-12 h of recovery from exhaustive exercise. Extracts were analyzed for nucleotides, phosphagens, and glycolytic intermediates. Acid-lake perch had less severe postexercise metabolite perturbations and poorer exercise performance in neutral water than NLP, which suggests that fish that fully activate anaerobic metabolism during exercise may have been selected against in this population. Populations differed most in lactate and pyruvate levels, with ALP accumulating more pyruvate and less lactate after exercise than NLP. There was some support for my hypothesis that ALP are selected for minimal proton accumulation during recovery from exercise. Acid water altered the postexercise metabolic profile in NLP only. The significantly lower lactate, AMP, and IMP levels in "acid-naive" NLP signaled an inability of these fish to fully use anaerobic sources of ATP in acid water.


S 23 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS Analyzing Payment Behaviors and Introducing an Optimal Credit Limit 68 AI Based Depression and Suicide Prevention System 73 Intelligent Flood Management System 79 Intelligent Timetable Scheduler: A Comparison of Genetic, Graph Coloring, Heuristic and Iterated Local Search Algorithm 85 FIMAA: Four-way Integrated Mobile Authentication API 91 Security Platform for Mobile OS 97 An Automated Tool for Memory Forensics 103 Enhanced Secure Solution for POS Architecture 109 A Mobile App for Location Based Customer Notifications about Sales Offers 116 Online Music Platform to Create Interaction between Music Artists and Fans 122 TABLE OF CONTENTS


The next step will be to address correlative 3D applications. To achieve this, it is necessary to exactly define volumes of interest (VOI) in the data of the first microscope. Further, the precise relocation of the identical VOI in the second microscope is essential as well as the registration of the 3D object in all spatial directions. However, the correlation of 3-dimensional data from different microscopes (e.g. laser scanning microscopes and focussed ion beam scanning electron microscopes) is feasible due to cross correlation methods but this workflow is not fully-automated up to now [1,2].


Objective To study the clinical value of home non-invasive positive pressure ventilation(NIPPV) in patients with stable-phase chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)and chronic respiratory failure.Methods Stable COPD patients complicated with chronic respiratory failure received Bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation.The frequency of acute exacerbation,admissiontimes-admission expending,blood gas analysis were compared in these patients with those received long term oxygen therapy. Results After one year home non-invasive positive pressure ventilation,PaCO2,HCO-3 were decreased,while pH and PaO2 increased.Compared with patients received long term oxygen therapy,PaCO2 was greatly ameliorated and the frequency of acute exacerbation,admission times and admission expending declined.Conclusions Home non-invasive positive pressure ventilation will do good to COPD patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure during stable phase.

Key words:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation; Respiratory failure; Long term oxygen therapy


Abstract Controlled atmosphere electron microscopy (CAEM) has been used to observe and compare directly the behavior of palladium particles supported on γ-alumina, silica and zirconia, when heated in the presence of oxygen. Palladium is converted to PdO on all three supports at temperatures in excess of 325°C and undergoes a wetting and spreading action to form thin flat crystallites. At temperatures above 750°C a significant fraction of the PdO disproportionates to form metallic Pd, which subsequently undergoes a rapid interaction with both alumina and silica at 800°C to form compounds that probably consist of mixtures of the respective oxides; however, the precise composition of these species cannot be determined. It is suggested that this phenomenon is responsible for deactivation of these catalyst systems at high temperatures. This type of interaction was not observed when zirconia-supported palladium specimens were treated under the same conditions. In this case, the support appeared to stabilize the formation of PdO up to 900°C. It is significant that on all supports a fraction of the palladium remains in the form of PdO up to the highest temperatures even though bulk thermodynamics predict that it should all be in the metallic state.


Taking the air-cooled diesel engine of B/FL413F/513 series from Germany DEUTZ Corp. as an example,which is widely used on domestic heavy off-road vehicles,the author analyzes the affecting factors of its cold-starting,puts forward the improving methods for its maintenance and application of the attached parts. Two experimental cases are offered to verify its effectivity.


Evolution of the density matrix in a quantum amplifier is described for initial conditions corresponding to superposition of the coherent states. The approach developed in the paper is also applicable for an arbitrary initial condition allowing the inverse Mellin transform. As such an example, we consider the evolution of the squeezed state.


Highly efficient preparation and carboxylation of nanocelluloses were achieved simultaneously using innocuous and recyclable citric acid with the assistance of ultrasonication.


We describe experiments investigating the (coherence) properties of a finite-temperature one-dimensional (1D) Bose gas with repulsive interactions. The confining magnetic field is generated with a micro-electronic circuit. This microtrap for atoms or `atom chip' is particularly suited to generate a tight waveguide for atoms close to the chip surface. In contrast to the usual case of Bose-Einstein condensation in 3D, in 1D the system is not characterized by long-range phase coherence. Further interest in the 1D Bose gas stems from the fact that it forms the textbook example for the many-body quantum-mechanical systems that can be exactly solved using the Bethe Ansatz. Moreover, using a method developed by Yang and Yang, exact expressions for the thermodynamics of this system can be given. We summarize the theoretical background that is relevant to describe the (nearly) 1D gas in our experiments. The design and construction of our microtrap is described in some detail. We discuss the technique of Bose-gas focusing, in particular how it applies to our 1D system, and demonstrate that it can be used to probe the momentum distribution of the 1D gas. Finally, we perform a direct comparison of the measured in situ density distribution to the predictions of a model based on the exact Yang-Yang thermodynamics and find very good agreement.


A unique and facile means of producing room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) from colloidal or microcrystalline suspensions of aromatic molecules in aqueous media is reported. Unlike previously reported RTP techniques, colloidal RTP is insensitive to quenching by dissolved oxygen. Delayed fluorescence was observed from several non-phosphorescent species. Potential uses of the technique are for the determination of the solubility of highly insoluble compounds and the ability to distinguish between suspended and dissolved matter.


The invention discloses a fire-hydrant water supply system, and belongs to the technical field of fire hydrant facilities. The fire-hydrant water supply system comprises a fire hydrant, a first valve switch, a control system, a water storage tank, a second valve switch, a first pipe and a second pipe. The fire-hydrant water supply system is composed of the fire hydrant, the first valve switch, the control system, the water storage tank, the second valve switch, the first pipe and the second pipe. A first circular through hole is formed in the surface of the fire hydrant, and a second circular through hole and a third circular through hole are formed in the side face of the water storage tank; one end of the second pipe and the first through hole are welded together, the other end of the second pipe is welded to one side of the first valve switch, and the other side of the first valve switch and the second through hole are welded together through the second pipe; one side of the second valve switch and the third through hole are welded together through the second pipe, and the other side of the second valve switch and the first pipe are fixed together through the second pipe. It is avoided that no water exists in the fire hydrant or the water pressure in the fire hydrant is over low, and water can not be drained, a large amount of time is saved, and first time of firefighting can not be delayed.


Because the modern concept of number emerged within a quadrivium that included music alongside arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy, musical considerations affected mathematical developments. Michael Stifel embedded the then‐paradoxical term "irrational numbers" (numerici irrationales) in a musical context (1544), though his philosophical aversion to the "cloud of infinity" surrounding such numbers finally outweighed his musical arguments in their favor. Girolamo Cardano gave the same status to irrational and rational quantities in his algebra (1545), for which his contemporaneous work on music suggested parallels and empirical examples. Nicola Vicentino's attempt to revive ancient "enharmonic" music (1555) required and hence defended the use of "irrational proportions" (proportiones inrationales) as if they were numbers. These developments emerged in richly interactive social and cultural milieus whose participants interwove musical and mathematical interests so closely that their intense controversies about ancient Greek music had repercussions for mathematics as well. The musical interests of Stifel, Cardano, and Vicentino influenced their respective treatments of "irrational numbers." Practical as well as theoretical music both invited and opened the way for the recognition of a radically new concept of number, even in the teeth of paradox.


The rectifier member of the molten metal plating bath can be suppressed curling of the bottom dross, from the lower side of the both side ends of the sink roll, which is rotatably disposed in the plating bath in an outward direction of the sink roll a horizontal plate disposed horizontally respectively, are disposed at a position spaced from both ends of each end upward at an in sink roll in the horizontal plate, and gradually height toward the wall surface side of the plating tank characterized in that a louver having a slope to which the flow direction changing member to be higher.


ABSTRACTEffects of ceramics on the microwave dielectric properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites filled with MgTiO 3 (MTi) and/or MgTa 2 O 6 (MTa) were investigated. The dielectric constant (K), quality factor (Qf), and temperature coefficient of res-onant frequency (TCF) of the composites were dependent on the type and volume fraction (V f ) of the ceramics. For the compos-ites mixed with MTa and MTi, the K and TCF values decreased with increasing MTi content. The Qf values of the compositeswere affected by relative density. The measured K values of the composites were compared with those predicted by several the-oretical models. Good microwave dielectric properties with values of K =3.6, Qf = 7,788 GHz, and TCF = − 0.19 ppm/ o C wereobtained for the composites with 0.1 V f ceramics (mixed 0.025MTa and 0.075MTi).Key words : Microwave dielectric properties, Composites, Polytetrafluoroethylene, Ceramics 1. Introduction ecently, ceramic / polymer composites consisting ofceramic particles in a polymer matrix have beenwidely studied for microwave substrate and electronic pack-aging applications, because they combine the good dielectricproperties of ceramics and the chemical stability, mechani-cal flexibility, and processing possibility of polymers.


The complex [Au(Fmes)(tht)] (Fmes = 2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl or nonafluoromesityl; tht = tetrahydrothiophene) was obtained by reaction of [AuCl(tht)] and Li(Fmes). Monoarylated complexes are readily obtained when the tht ligand is displaced by other neutral ligands, giving [Au(Fmes)L] (L = PPh3, P(o-tol)3, 2,6-lutidine) or [Au2(Fmes)2(μ-bipy)] (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridyl), the latter containing a bridging bipy ligand. tht can also be displaced by halides to give the gold anionic complexes NBu4[Au(Fmes)X] (X = Cl, Br, I). [Au(Fmes)(NCMe)] is obtained from the latter by treatment with TlBF4 in the presence of MeCN. The bis-arylated complexes NR4[Au(Fmes)2] (R = Et, Bu) were obtained by treatment of NR4[AuBr2] with excess Li(Fmes). They react with AgBF4 and 4-methylpyridine to give [Ag(4-Mepy)2][Au(Fmes)2]. Oxidative addition of halogens to the monoarylated NBu4[Au(Fmes)X] and the bis-arylated NR4[Au(Fmes)2] gives the gold(III) complexes NBu4[Au(Fmes)X3] and NR4[trans-Au(Fmes)2X2], respectively. The stru...


The present sales channel of life insurance is a serious problem and a great test to the newly-born industry. There is an urgent need to improve it and the sales consultation is the most practical way of choice. As life insurance is demanding in specialty and operation, cooperation between enterprises and colleges has become possible and this cooperation can help bring up new force for durable development of the life insurance industry in our country.


Summary White blood cells, mainly lymphocytes, in culture from patients with cystic fibrosis, showed a diminution of the activity of beta-glucuronidase. The mean activity of this enzyme in cystic fibrosis was 30% lower than in the controls at 5 days of culture and 35% lower than the controls at 7 days. Acid phosphatase activity in cystic fibrosis cultures was not significantly different from control cultures, while beta-acetylglucosaminase activity was significantly decreased in cystic fibrosis cultures of 7 days compared to control cultures.


For a system of N diffuse, gray body radiation shields which view only adjacent surfaces and space, the net radiation method for enclosures has been used to formulate a system of linear, nonhomogeneous equations in terms of the temperatures to the fourth power of each surface in the coupled system of enclosures. The coefficients of the unknown temperatures in the system of equations are expressed in terms of configuration factors between adjacent surfaces and the emissivities. As an application, a system of four conical radiation shields for a spin stabilized STARPROBE spacecraft has been designed and analyzed with respect to variations of the cone half angles, the intershield spacings, and emissivities. Nomenclature tf / = absorptivity of surface / A j = total area of surface / dA j = element of area of surface / A-/,/ = axial spacing between adjacent shield surfaces / - 1 and / Ebi =the total black body emissive power density of surface /, a 7?


Purpose
Online innovation communities are central for many organizations seeking to advance their innovation portfolio. While these communities rely on consumers to collaborate in the innovation process, it remains unclear what drives these consumers to perform value co-creation activities and what value dimensions they derive as a result. This paper aims to advance the understanding of value co-creation in the online collaborative innovation context. Specifically, it aims to examine social and individual factors driving such activities, and the value derived from the perspective of the member.

Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect data from collaborative innovation community members yielding 309 complete responses. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data, using variance-based structural equation modelling with partial least squares path modelling in SmartPLS.

Findings
Results confirm that distinct social and individual factors facilitate individual value co-creation activities, including the provision of feedback, helping, rapport building and information sharing. Furthermore, the research confirms the mediating role of learning on these relationships.

Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the micro-foundation movement in marketing by undertaking an independent examination of value co-creation activities and their nomological network.

Practical implications
A shift in the mindset of managing for collaborative innovation is required, from a focus on collaborative product development to the management of an online community where members derive value from their co-creation activities.

Originality/value
This research is the first to offer insight into important individual and social pre-conditions and subsequent value outcomes of four common value co-creation activities. It informs practice about how to facilitate value co-creation activities and contribute to the co-creation of value for online innovation community members.


Using generating functional and replica techniques, respectively, we study the dynamics and statics of a spherical Minority Game (MG) which, in contrast with a spherical MG previously presented by Galla et al, displays a phase with broken ergodicity and dependence of the macroscopic stationary state on initial conditions. The model thus bears more similarity with the original MG. Still, all order parameters including the volatility can be computed for the ergodic phases without making any approximations. We also study the effects of market impact correction on the phase diagram. Finally we discuss a continuous-time version of the model as well as the differences between on-line and batch update rules. Our analytical results are confirmed convincingly by comparison with numerical simulations. In an appendix we extend the analysis of Galla et al to a model with a general time step, and compare the dynamics and statics of the two spherical models.


The pattern of the great Hellenistic kingdoms was fixed, under the three dynasties: the Ptolemaic, the Seleucid and the Antigonid, which were to preside over their destinies until their respective ends. Having narrowly escaped from the massacre of Ipsus, Demetrius Poliorcetes had hurled himself at Ephesus: he had to keep control of the sea. The occupation of the northern half of Macedonia in 288/7 expense of Demetrius, had further increased the importance of Lysimachus' state, and its ruler might well have seemed to have a chance of achieving what the Antigonids had attempted in vain, if not the re-establishment of Alexander's empire, at least a kingdom centred on the Aegean sea with all the coasts held by the same sovereign. The European Greek cities were broadly sympathetic to Lysimachus from hatred of the Antigonids, since Gonatas still held Corinth, Piraeus, Chalcis and some other towns, mainly in the Peloponnese.


Defining "high performance," identifying high performers, and understanding characteristics, systems, and practices associated with that status are issues of major interest to the healthcare quality improvement community. The importance of these issues has increased with the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Medicare Modernization Act [MMA]), which provides financial incentives to hospitals to voluntarily provide the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with quality data to be used for public reporting purposes. The next logical step is some sort of pay-for-performance incentive, further rewarding hospitals for achieving and sustaining high-performer status. In this increasingly competitive climate, improving quality performance in hospitals takes on a new sense of urgency. A hospital's ability to affect and sustain quality improvement (QI) may become key to its survival. How can this ability be promoted? Is pursuing culture change the answer? Experts agree that certain aspects of an organization's culture are associated with quality performance (Senge, 1990). What they don't agree on is how to cultivate an organization's culture to conform to a set of values that drive QI. Jencks, Huff, and Cuerdon (2000) predicted it would take decades to reach CMS's desired levels of hospital performance at the existing rate of improvement, using current methods. Even with a new focus on culture change, conservative estimates project 3-5 years to achieve an intentional culture change using the customary organizational effectiveness approaches. Under the present climate, that time line is unacceptable. Therefore, the time has come to devise and test a transformational approach for managing change in hospitalsan approach that accelerates QI and cultural change and facilitates rapid cycle results. Such an approach has now been conceived by way of a new paradigm. The traditional change paradigm, tlzinking your way into a new way of acting, is based on the premise that culture drives systems change. It is a developmental model for cultivating the desired I


Objective To explore the influence of smoking ban policy on physicians′ smoking behavior.Methods A two-stage random sampling method was used to select physicians for the face-to-face survey of smoking behavior.One city each was chosen for provincial,prefectural and county levels from 31 provinces(autonomous regions,municipalities) and Xinjiang Construction and Production Legion.Results 60.4%,35.8% and 3.8% of the hospitals implemented absolute,partially,and no smoke-free policy,respectively.The current smoking rate of physicians was lower in the hospitals with absolute smoke-free policy than that in other hospitals(P0.05).However,the strict enforcement of smoking ban occurred in 39.8% of the hospitals even with the absolute smoke-free policy.The rates of smoking quitting,support of smoking quitting and willingness-to-quit were significantly higher in the hospitals with the effective enforcement of the policy than those in other hospitals(P0.05).Conclusion The smoking ban policy of hospitals can change physicians′ smoking behavior.The low proportion of hospitals with the policy and ineffective enforcement require additional educational and administrative strategies.


We propose two almost-all optical packet switch architectures, called the packing switch and the scheduling switch, which when combined with appropriate wait-for-reservation or tell-and-go connection and flow control protocols provide lossless communication for traffic that satisfies certain smoothness properties. Both switch architectures preserve the order of packets that use a given input-output pair, and are consistent with virtual circuit switching. We find a lower bound on the number of elementary (2-state) switches required by any switch architecture to meet the objectives we have set. The number of 2-state switches used in the scheduling switch is of the optimal order jointly with respect to the number of inputs and with respect to the burstiness of the traffic streams (as measured by an appropriate parameter). The packing switch requires very little processing of the packet header, and uses a number of 2-state switches that is of the optimal order in terms of the burstiness parameter. We also examine the suitability of the proposed switches for the design of circuit switched networks. We find that the scheduling switch combines low hardware cost with little processing requirements at the nodes, and is an attractive architecture for both packet switched and circuit switched high-speed networks.


The photoplethysmography (PPG) is a non invasive method, which is suitable to measure blood volume change. In this research, second derivative method of PPG (SDPPG) was used for monitoring the arterial condition. Data from eleven healthy volunteers were used to analyze the changes in the SDPPG waveform during rest position and immediately ten minutes after exercise. The results showed that SDPPG can be a potential method of monitoring arterial condition of an individual exerciser. Results also showed that the individual before exercise having higher index of vascular aging compared to after exercise.


The optimal way to map localized drivers in persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. The objective of the study was to apply a novel vector mapping approach called Stochastic Trajectory Analysis of Ranked signals (STAR) in AF.


The invention discloses impurity removing equipment for dichlorosilane. The impurity removing equipment comprises a purifying column, wherein the purifying column comprises a filler purifying zone and an adsorption zone; the adsorption zone is arranged above the filler purifying zone and an adsorbent is arranged in the adsorption zone for finely purifying the gaseous dichlorosilane to remove the impurities in the dichlorosilane. According to the impurity removing equipment for the dichlorosilane, which is disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, firstly, the dichlorosilane with a lower boiling point is separated by rough purification; and secondly, boron, phosphor and metal impurities in the gaseous dichlorosilane are removed by an adsorbent to obtain high-purity dichlorosilane. The impurity removing equipment has the advantages of simple structure, less investment and low energy consumption; and the obtained product, namely the dichlorosilane is higher in purity and favorable in quality of products and certain economic benefits can be obtained.


The dissolution behavior of Mg-1 mass% Mn alloy anode for cathodic protection in tap-water was investigated with an electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA), a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX), and a microscope. It was found that the local dissolution of the alloy anode is due to the formation of a local cell within the alloy, and metallic impurities on the alloy surface act as cathode sites of the local cell. When the alloy specimen polished by ƒ¿-Al2O3 of the particle size in 0.5 ƒÊm was used at current densities of 0.1mA/cm2 or less, the local dissolution of the alloy was suppressed at least for three months, and the current efficiency was about 80%, which is the twice of the usual values. Under this condition, the alloy was dissolved almost uniformly, and amorphous film was formed on the alloy. When the polished alloy specimen was used under the condition exceeding 0.3mA/cm2, the film was not formed, and the current efficiency was decreased.


SUMMARY

A virus was transmitted from sweet cherry trees with cherry ring mottle disease to cucurbitaceous plants with the aid of liquid nitrogen, caffeine or polyethylene glycol, which were more effective than sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, polyvinylpyrrolidone and other materials used in sap-transmission studies. The virus was transmitted from dormant buds, petals, young leaves, anthers and pollen. Of 172 herbaceous species and varieties tested, twenty-five (thirteen spp.) became infected with virus. Ribes nigrum and peach seedlings were also infected. Of the systems produced in woody plants, those in Italian Prune resembled the symptoms caused by prune dwarf virus, but those in other Prunus spp. did not. In cucumber extracts the thermal inactivation point was between 40 and 44 dC; dilution end-point was 1/16 to 1/32 and longevity in vitro 8–16 h. Formaldehyde (4%) fixed the particles and preserved their shape for electron microscopy; they were spherical, with a mean diameter of 24 nm. The virus reacted with prune dwarf virus antiserum but differed in several ways from other isolates


Species longevity in Lower Tertiary volutids (Gastropoda) is primarily controlled by a combination of developmental type and environmental tolerance. Larval dispersal may be an important factor in molluskan evolutionary rates.


All production processes produce variance around the desired target value of quality characteristic. This variance affects the product quality level. Accordingly variance reduction needs to be done as the main goal of quality improvement programs. However effort to improve quality of each product unit must take into account to improvement costs. This paper proposes an optimization model for quality improvement in multi-stage processes using a non linear programming model by selecting alternatives process and determining unit of production of each stage to maximize profit as the difference between total income and total relevant cost. Total cost includes manufacturing cost, quality loss cost, rework and scrap cost, and quality improvement implementation cost. This optimization model is implemented in make-to-order manufacturer that produces crimper (a parts of joining plastic packages in packaging machine) which consist of five main stage manufacturing processes. Sensitivity analysis shows that the optimal solution is not sensitive if little changes occur in the constraints scenario. Thus, adding the value constraint on the quality specification, stage capacity, and quality improvement budget will not improve the objective function.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Loss of long-term potentiation (LTP) expression has been associated with a worse disease course in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) and represents a pathophysiological hallmark of progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS). Exercise and physical rehabilitation are the most prominent therapeutic approaches to promote synaptic plasticity. We aimed to explore whether physical exercise is able to improve the expression of LTP-like plasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

METHODS
In 46 newly diagnosed RR-MS patients, we explored the impact of preventive exercise on LTP-like plasticity as assessed by intermittent theta-burst stimulation. Patients were divided into sedentary or active, based on physical activity performed during the 6 months prior to diagnosis. Furthermore, in 18 patients with PMS, we evaluated the impact of an 8-week inpatient neurorehabilitation program on clinical scores and LTP-like plasticity explored using paired associative stimulation (PAS). Synaptic plasticity expression was compared in patients and healthy subjects.

RESULTS
Reduced LTP expression was found in RR-MS patients compared with controls. Exercising RR-MS patients showed a greater amount of LTP expression compared with sedentary patients. In PMS patients, LTP expression was reduced compared with controls and increased after 8 weeks of rehabilitation. In this group of patients, LTP magnitude at baseline predicted the improvement in hand dexterity.

CONCLUSIONS
Both preventive exercise and physical rehabilitation may enhance the expression of LTP-like synaptic plasticity in MS, with potential beneficial effects on disability accumulation.


Nanoparticles represent useful drug delivery systems for the specific transport of drugs to target cells and tissues. Over the last 30 years a multitude of different nanoparticle systems based on several starting materials were described. Recently, albumin based nanoparticles were approved by the FDA and EMEA as drug delivery device for tumor therapy. Most often nanoparticles are developed with the aim of selectively transporting a drug to a diseased tissue or organ. To reach this goal, such drug carrier systems may be combined with targeting ligands, which enable a cell-specific accumulation of the nanoparticles. Within the presentation the development of targeted nanoparticles for tumor therapy will be described. The preparation and characterisation of antibodymodified protein-based nanoparticles will be focused [1]. The ability of the particle systems to specifically accumulate in different tumor cell models by receptor-mediated endocytosis will be presented [2]. The results indicate that protein-based nanoparticles conjugated to an antibody against a specific cellular epitope hold promise as selective drug delivery systems for the treatment of cells and tissues expressing a specific cellular antigen.


By using computer simulation the idea and algorithm of Hopfield neural network on solving TSP is carried out. A lots of results on analyzing parameters and the correspondent conclusion have been given.


Using staggered fermions, we calculate the perturbative corrections to the bilinear and four-fermion operators that are used in the numerical study of weak matrix elements for {epsilon}'/{epsilon}. We present results for one-loop matching coefficients between continuum operators, calculated in the naive dimensional regularization (NDR) scheme, and gauge invariant staggered fermion operators. In particular, we concentrate on Feynman diagrams of the current-current insertion type. We also present results for the tadpole improved operators. These results, combined with existing results for penguin diagrams, provide a complete one-loop renormalization of the staggered four-fermion operators. Therefore, using our results, it is possible to match a lattice calculation of K{sup 0}-{bar K}{sup 0} mixing and K{yields}{pi}{pi} decays to the continuum NDR results with all corrections of O(g{sup 2}) included.


In 1996, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center began an ambitious program designed to find alternative methods of repairing conventional TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welds and VPPA (Variable Polarity Plasma Arc) welds on the Space Shuttle External Tank without producing additional heat-related anomalies or conditions. Therefore, a relatively new method, invented by The Welding Institute (TWI) in Cambridge, England, called Friction Stir Welding (FSW), was investigated for use in this application, as well as being used potentially as an initial weld process. As with the conventional repair welding processes, nondestructive evaluation (NDE) plays a crucial role in the verification of these repairs. Since it was feared that conventional NDE might have trouble with this type of weld structure (due to shape of nugget, grain structure, etc.) it was imperative that a complete study be performed to address the adequacy of the NDE process. This paper summarizes that process.


From time to time, the medieval times is called as the era of darkness. Nevertheless, the medieval times left a legacy of faith with the longest history in Church history. In addition, many elements that started from medieval times such as education in monastery, catholic school, colleges became the base of Western education today. In this respect, study about Christian education which started from the medieval era gives important clues for understanding and developing an archetype of education structure today. The purpose of medieval Christian education originates from escaping anxiety that comes from sense of guilty and reprobation in God-oriented world-view. This was highly influenced by St. Augustine's the original sin theory. St. Augustine asserted a human-being is sinner who disobeyed God, and therefore it is impossible for every human-being to avoid suffering that causes from one's own sin. Debated issues about penance, indulgences, and asceticism in medieval era can be seen as people's struggling against one's anxiety that caused from sense of guilty. In this process, scholasticism which prioritizes power of faith had developed in medieval Christian education, leaving philosophical rationality behind. The way of medieval Christian education had formed with meditation based on mysticism, sacraments and feasts based on symbolism, and many icons. The mystical approach centered around monastery highly developed with its purpose in amalgamation of soul of people and God. Meanwhile, symbolism was very effective way for illiterate barbarians. However, this lost its educational significance and degenerated into idolatry with symbol's mystification. It was abbeys, colleges, and Catholic Church schools that Christian education was held in the medieval era. Spiritual training was emphasized in abbeys for monks who came to abbeys with rejecting secularization of faith. Candidates for priest learned practical works in churches in Catholic Church while aristocrats' children learned things that are needed for their daily lives. In college, in addition, took the role of teaching 1) spreading of freedom 2) retaining of classic culture and 3) revival of art and literature with having its base in rationality. This spirit from medieval college have its influence to many universities even until 21st century. Representative educators in medieval period are St. Columba (521-597), St. Thomas Aquinas (1223-1274), and Geert Groote (1340-1384). Unlike mystics, these people interacted with society frequently, and this influenced a lot on education and social reformation. Looking at medieval education activities and spirit show us where our education will have to go. In particular, it is necessary to develop spirit in monastery education and symbolism from medieval period since this is education and legacy of faith that protestant have lost. Furthermore, today's purpose in Christian education will have to be reshaped as making integrated human-being and social reformation rather than expanding the number of congregation.


Gas content and composition are important parameters in predictive models for coal seam gas emission calculations, ventilation requirements and design of mine gas drainage systems. Accurate measurement of gas content is not easy. A number of different methods and approaches have been developed İn Europe, the US and Australia. This paper examines various testing methods particularly a recently developed instrument, the Portable Gas Analyser (PGA). The PGA is a lightweight and low cost instrument used for direct measurements of seam gases such as CFU, CO2 and H2S. It significantly changes the way seam gas quantities and concentrations can be estimated quickly. It allows quick estimations of these values to be made and reduces the need for full laboratory testing of exploration cores and mine samples to only those with very significant levels.


Abstract : This paper intends to examine how Fringe, which is in an inseparable relationship with modern fashion, hasbeen changed and what characteristics it is expressed to have in fashion on the basis of its formative property expressedin modern fashion. In order to empirically analyze Fringe, this paper analyzed a total of 346 Fringe of every type that weregenerally found in the worldis four biggest collections, from 2006S/S to 2011S/S. This paper found some methods Fringeis made, which are: using a snagged fabric or knit as it is; intentionally snagging or tearing a fabric to make the effect ofbeing snagged; knotting the tail or the edge of clothes, and then, macramE; and cutting leather or suede, which canit besnagged easily, and making Fringe strands. Fringe strands which are made in the above ways are made into a band andthen, attached, or Fringe strands, a feathers, a comb, or beads are attached one by one. Or a tassel is independently orconsecutively applied to clothes or ornaments, which are expressed in the form of fringes. Threads, strings, leather,suede, metals, plastics, raffia, horsehair, paper, beads, pearls, crystals, or felt were used for rich texture or unique visualeffects. Colors of various brightness and chromas were used in consideration of materials. Through the effects of same-ness, similarity, contrast, harmony and gradation with colors of clothes, emphasis or unified harmony was expressed. Theexpressive characteristics of Fringe, which were found in the modern fashion through those formative characteristics,were organic rhythmical beauty, handicraft decorative beauty, and folksy natural beauty. Key words:fringe, organic rhythmical beauty, handicraft decorative beauty, folksy natural beauty


In the field of education in China, a large number of learning management systems have been deployed, in which vast amounts of data on learners and learning processes have been stored. How can one make use of these data? How can one transform the data into information and knowledge that inform decision-making in teaching and optimize learning? These questions have become a matter of concern for educators and learners. Learning analytics helps to unlock the value of the learning process data, so that the data can become an important basis for prudent decisions and process optimization. 'Learning analytics' was listed in the 2013 NMC Horizon Report as one of the emerging technologies that will have a great impact on learning, teaching and innovative research in higher education in two to three years. The report notes that learning analytics aims to decipher trends and patterns in the teaching and learning process from educational big data. In this paper, an online course on the Moodle platform is used for the research. The study examines reflection on online teaching and learning based on massive records of the learning process from the perspective of a tutor employing learning analytics. It is a brand new form of reflection on teaching and learning. The analysis of interactive course forums can help tutors to focus on key teaching and learning activities, and achieve more accurate analysis than with conventional face-to-face teaching activities. The research indicates that learning analytics is effective in supporting tutor reflection on interactive online teaching and learning.


Aim To evaluate the acceptability and perceived value of the Otago diabetes mellitus management guidelines for general practices in Otago. Method A postal survey of all general practitioners and practice nurses in Otago. Results The response was 71%. The majority (83.2%) were aware of the guidelines, with 56.8% of rural doctors being aware compared to 88.7% of urban doctors. Rural practitioners were less likely (64.6%) to have attended an educational session compared to 91.0% of urban practitioners. Under half of doctors (46.7%) and nurses (45.9%) who used the guidelines thought the health of their diabetic patients had improved after their introduction. Conclusions The Otago diabetes guidelines had reached the majority of general practitioners and practice nurses, although practitioners in rural areas were less likely to be aware of the guidelines or have attended education sessions. There was a demand for further guidelines in areas such as nutrition and pre-pregnancy counselling.


The role of legumes for increasing pasture production and quality to ensure the long-term sustainability prospects for a high country sheep and cattle farm, with reference to options, impediments and future directions. The currently available pasture legumes have serious shortcomings in the face of drought, low soil fertility, aluminium toxicity and competition from Hieracium species. I describe a vegetation study in the Caucasian mountains in the search for more persistent, diverse, aluminium-tolerant and fertiliser-efficient pasture species.


Antidense fine speckles 70 (anti-DFS70) antibodies, a peculiar antinuclear antibody (ANA) pattern by indirect immunofluorescence, is frequently observed in ANA-positive individuals with no evidence of systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease. They may be found in many different inflammatory conditions and in healthy individuals. We herein report a case of an 8-year-old girl presenting with generalized edema, hypertension, hepatomegaly, and a history of pharyngitis, which occurred 3 weeks earlier. Laboratory analysis revealed low complement C3 (6 mg/dL), microhematuria, and proteinuria. A diagnosis of acute glomerulonephritis was made. Anti-dsDNA, antiextractable nuclear antigens, and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were negative. However, a highly positive (1:640) ANA immunofluorescence test with dense fine speckles pattern was found. The presence of anti-DFS70 immunoglobulin G antibodies was confirmed by a specific immunoassay. In conclusion, the presence of isolated anti-DFS70 antibodies may be useful to exclude an autoimmune pathogenesis in those children with a positive ANA test and a clinical picture possibly attributable to systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease. This will avoid further unnecessary investigation with the potential for incorrect diagnosis and possibly harmful treatment. Pediatrics 2014;134:e1706–e1708 AUTHORS: Martina Fabris, MD,ab Silvia Zago, MD,b Raffaello Tosolini, MD,c Paola Melli, MD,c Nicola Bizzaro, MD,d and Elio Tonutti, MDe aInstitute of Clinical Pathology, cPediatric Clinic, and eLaboratory of Immunopathology and Allergy, University Hospital S. Maria Misericordia, Udine, Italy; bInstitute of Clinical Pathology, DSMB, University of Udine, Udine, Italy; and dLaboratory of Clinical Pathology, San Antonio Hospital, Tolmezzo, Italy


There have been rare researches on the economic efficiency problem of China's exports encouragement policy, and the government could seek little available advices in formulating and appraising trade encouragement poli- cy.Under this background,this article for the first time tries to establish an indicator system to appraise export encouragement policy and to estimate the economic efficiency of export encouragement trade policy in China. Extending J.Ding Burgon's efficiency coefficient theory to exports encouragement policy,this paper defines the efficiency coefficient for the appraisal of export encouragement policy tools,and use the coefficient to evaluate efficiency of major export encouragement tools adopted in China,i.e.,export tax-refund,export subsidy and export credit.Some policy options are suggested at the end of this research.


The consumption of industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFA) has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. In recognition of this, countries, states and cities worldwide have implemented TFA policies (e.g., mandatory or voluntary limits, labeling) aimed at reducing their availability in the food supply. This study builds on a previously published review that examined the impact of TFA policies worldwide from 2000–2013. A systematic literature search of the peer reviewed and grey literature was conducted to identify additional studies examining the impact of TFA policies published between 2013 and 2016. Studies that were: 1) empirical, 2) examined a TFA policy and 3) examined the effect of the policy on TFA levels/availability pre and post policy intervention were included. Modelling studies examining the impact of TFA policies were also included. A total of 13 studies published between 2013 and 2016 were included in the review, including seven modelling and six studies examining 'real world' TFA policies. Overall, the modelling studies indicated that TFA bans would reduce heart disease risk, would benefit socioeconomically disadvantaged populations the most and would be cost saving. The 'real world' TFA policy studies all reported reductions in TFA. When combined with the findings of the previous review which included a total of 15 studies, there is strong evidence to suggest that mandatory TFA bans lead to the largest reductions in TFA levels and that whilst labelling policies also lead to reductions in TFA levels/intakes additional progress could still be made given that high levels of TFA remain in some products. The combined studies also show that reformulation of products to reduce TFA has had variable effects on saturated fat levels in these foods – in some cases saturated fat levels increased, in others they decreased and for some products they remained the same. Policies aimed at reducing TFA in the food supply are effective and will likely reduce the burden of diet‐related disease, particularly among the most vulnerable socioeconomic groups. Moving forward, national, regional or global approaches to reducing TFA should be adopted in order to further reduce the levels of TFA in the food supply.


In recent years, natural stone becomes one of popularly used materials as facade on the exterior of buildings. However, natural stone is unlike from other materials (e.g. glass, aluminum, steel, glass fibre reinforced concrete, or others) which are manufactured from factories under good production quality environments to control the consistency of material properties. Stone itself is a naturally variable material which is formed by different raw material compositions under various natural environments and conditions. It is of various types, names, as well as strength and durability properties from a quarry to another around the world. More even, properties of the same stone type may vary within the same quarry or/and the same stone block due to possible rift and microcrack inside the stone. In the recent development of advanced technology and engineering knowledge, stone cladding may be cut into a thinner thickness as like as 30 mm thick panels which are being commonly used in recent buildings, possibly due to relatively low cost in stone volume, transportation, installation and associated work. In view of variety of stone properties, certain stone testing categorized into durability and strength tests are necessary to be conducted in order to evaluate and monitor the properties of the stone type intended to be used in a project. In this chapter, some tests on stone are introduced and the implications of strength-related test results to the design of stone cladding are outlined.


In order to achieve the purpose of quality and cost of large-scale mechanical and electrical equipment installation engineering under control,and reduce engineering risk,This article first analyze the characteristics of such large-scale works,then study three associated installation works progress,quality,safety,finally come to the result of not only quality and cost meeting requirements,but also beautiful appearance.


In 1954 M. H. Protter [1] formulated the following boundary value problem as an analogue of the plane Darboux problem.


To date, most of the major types of Kir channels, Kir2s, Kir3s, Kir4s, and Kir6s, have been found to partition into cholesterol‐rich membrane domains and/or to be regulated by changes in the level of membrane cholesterol. Surprisingly, however, in spite of the structural similarities between different Kirs, effects of cholesterol on different types of Kir channels vary from cholesterol‐induced decrease in the current density (Kir2 channels) to the loss of channel activity by cholesterol depletion (Kir4 channels) and loss of channel coupling by different mediators (Kir3 and Kir6 channels). Recently, we have gained initial insights into the mechanisms responsible for cholesterol‐induced suppression Kir2 channels, but mechanisms underlying cholesterol sensitivity of other Kir channels are mostly unknown. The goal of this review is to present a summary of the current knowledge of the distinct effects of cholesterol on different types of Kir channels in vitro and in vivo. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life 61(8): 781–790, 2009


We consider the allocation of Virtual Arrays (VAs)with different RAID levels in a Heterogeneous Disk Array (HDA). This is expected to provide significant cost savings by consolidating multiple disk arrays into one. Disk load balancing across disk arrays is a by-product of HDA. We provide an example of potential performance benefits expected from HDA. The number of Virtual Disks (VDs) required to materialize a VA is determined by upper bounds on VD bandwidth and space per physical disk drive. Only RAID1 and RAID5 are considered in this paper, but we develop the analysis for other RAID levels. A VA allocation is successful if disks sharing VAs with a failed disk are not overloaded in degraded mode. Single-pass data allocation methods for HDA are evaluated with a synthetic stream of allocation requests. Experimental results show that allocation methods minimizing the maximum disk bandwidth and capacity utilization or their variance across all disks yield the maximum number of allocated VAs. When the disk bandwidth is the bottleneck resource we utilize clustered RAID5 arrays to increase the number of allocated VAs.


On the basis of study on extant research,this paper attempts to explain the strategic response process of incumbent firms by legitimacy mechanisms when they are faced with disruptive innovation.The study suggests that the strategic response of incumbent for the challenges about disruptive innovation depends on the different situations with the combinations of external legitimacy and internal legitimacy.This research concludes that when both external and internal legitimacy are at a low level,the incumbent firms may pay close attention to it;while external legitimacy is high but with low internal legitimacy,the incumbent are forced to participate in the disruptive action;while external legitimacy is low but with high internal legitimacy,the incumbent will actively promote the innovation;when both internal and external legitimacy are high,the incumbent will actively take part in the innovation.


Mobile Devices and Health Mobile health involves sensors, mobile apps, social media, and location-tracking technology used in disease diagnosis, prevention, and management. This article provides an...


An easy-to-prepare inexpensive disposable infusion swivel for small animals is described for acute and chronic experiments. The swivel is constructed from common plastic laboratory syringe components, needles, and a three-way stopcock.


Systemic Gordonia spp. infections are rare and occur mostly among immunocompromised patients. We analyzed 10 cases of Gordonia bacteremia diagnosed in 3 tertiary care centers in France to assess risk factors, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Most patients were cured within 10 days by using β-lactam antimicrobial therapy and removing central catheters.


The Reagan administration is credited with one major success: the reduction in inflation. But it was not achieved painlessly, through "monetarism" and "supply" policies. Money growth swung widely and disinflation required, as always, a high and protracted unemployment rate. The deep tax cuts failed to increase saving, but contributed to the largest deficits in U.S. peace time history, high interest rates , dollar overvaluation, loss of competitiveness, and rising foreign d ebt. Output grew weekly as unemployment was high through 1987 and productivity growth low. Nonetheless, real per capita disposable income grew substantially, but thanks to the tax reductions and gains in terms of trade which are destined to reverse. Copyright 1988 by Royal Economic Society.