Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is nuts. The authors make a simple proposal on doing something different.


ABSTRACT Critical decision making comes with high risk and uncertainty in our daily life. This situation most consumers face with service industries in consumer decision making. This research has purpose to investigate the influence of product involvement, information search and information sources in critical decision making. This research used quantitative approaches to test the hypothesis. The data were collected through telephone interviews from 200 patients list of a company. The finding indicates that there is significant relationship between product involvements on critical decision making. However, the information search and information source are not significant in Thai context in this research. Implication for future research and extended scope of the study are discussed.


A novel design of polarization rotator (PR) based on Silicon on insulator (SOI) is proposed and analyzed using full vectorial finite element method and finite element beam propagation method. The asymmetric etching of the silicon nanowire with specific values allows the polarization rotation between transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes. The proposed SOI PR has a compact device length of 6.45 fim with small insertion losses of 2.2 dB. Further, the suggested design is easy for fabrication with CMOS compatibility.


The present invention discloses a higher fatty acid and / or esters prepared by the liquid phase catalytic hydrodeoxygenation nonmetallic liquid hydrocarbon fuel, the method comprising: in a reaction vessel, a higher fatty acid and / or esters thereof , an inert organic solvent, a boron-based compound as a catalyst and a hydrogen source, the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 2-48h, wherein said higher fatty acid is a primary carbon chain of a fatty acid containing 12 to 18 carbon atoms. The method of the present invention having a mild reaction conditions, without using a metal catalyst, a wide range of suitable substrates, hydrocarbons yield, less by-products and so on.


The secondary ossification center is one of the major factors which influence the dysgenopathy of skeleton and anamorphotic limbs and trunk,while the factors cause this dysontogenesis are affluent.They can be independently acted as well as many factors be mutual effect and influence each other in a cascaded way.Moreover,cell apoptosis has very close relation with secondary ossification center.This paper gives a summary on the regulation and effect of dysontogenesis in secondary ossification center in order to reveal the impact of diverse factors on the secondary ossification center.


A kind of ultra-thick film epoxy coatings suitable for steel structure in ocean wave splash zone was introduced. Dry film thickness of one coat application could reach up to 1 000 μm,which shortened application time,lowered the cost,and avoided problem of poor intercoat adhesion. It possessed good impact and abrasive resistance.


Local data are required at short intervals of time mainly for undertaking regional development projects on ascertaining area-wise socio-economic requirements, proper devolution of funds and resources from central pools and allocation of legislative seats. A census is an infrequent source for them and is also incomprehensive. Official records and registers are a second source but are generally inadequate. Sample surveys are a recognized third alternative. But even for large total sample sizes, when numerous local areas are involved, many are not represented well enough in samples. Consequently, for totals of small areas classical survey estimates turn out inefficient having large mean square errors admitting uselessly wide confidence intervals. Improved estimation procedures however are rapidly emerging based on postulated models which encourage borrowing strength from samples outside local areas and from past data. A brief review is attempted illustrating applications.


With an increasing number of aircraft, navigation requirements and fast development of avionics systems, as well as the need for the integration of UAVs into airspace, pilots are facing new challenges that need to be mitigated by the development of additional training and assessment systems. These measures would both assess and encourage student pilots to improve their performance by using predetermined flight accuracy requirements based on established flight corridors. In this paper, automatic assessment methods to be used for pilot flight assessment while flying in the circuit are analysed.


Replicated regular two-level factorial experiments are very useful for industry. The basic purpose of this type of experiments is to identify active effects that affect the mean and variance of the response. Hypothesis testing procedures are widely used for this purpose. However, the existing methods give results that are either too liberal or too conservative in controlling the individual and experimentwise error rates (IER and EER respectively). In this thesis, we propose a resampling procedure and an exact-variance method for identifying active effects for the mean and variance of the response, respectively. Monte Carlo studies show that our proposed methods perform extremely well in terms of controlling the IER and EER. We also extend our proposed methods to control the false discovery rate. Two real data sets were used as case study to illustrate the performance of the proposed methods.


It is well known that ionizing radiation is genotoxic, and can trigger heritable mutations in the germ cells of an animal. Recently, researchers have used hypervariable expanded simple tandem repeat (ESTR) regions of DNA to explore this phenomenon. ESTRs facilitate the examination of induced genetic mutations using relatively low radiation doses and fewer mice than more traditional approaches. Numerous studies have examined the responses of ESTRs to radiation in the germ line; however the mechanism behind germ line mutations at ESTR loci is poorly understood. Current hypotheses propose that error-prone DNA repair, which allows for misalignment of DNA strands through replication slippage produces in changes in ESTR size. P53 is involved in DNA replication as well as repair of DNA damage, apoptosis and other cancer-related processes. We use p53-deficient heterozygous male mice to examine the role ofp53 in germ line mutations at ESTR loci. Males were irradiated with a variety of dose combinations both prior to and post-meiosis, and were mated to unirradiated wildtype females. DNA from the adults and offspring was analyzed for mutations at ESTR loci using DNA fingerprinting. Surprisingly, the study found no significant differences in germ line mutation rate between any treatment groups, including the OGy and 1 Gy treatments. I discuss the possibility that these results are due to the p53 deficiency of the males, and that p53 homozygosity is necessary for radiation-induced germ line mutations at ESTR loci to occur. I conclude that further studies need to be done, including a control study using wildtype males of the same background strain as that of the p53 deficient line in order to verify our results. iii Acknowledgments Funding for this project was generously provided by Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry of Japan (CRIEPI), Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, NSERC and Bruce Power. I would like to acknowledge Rebecca Mantha, Patricia Burchart, Mark Weston and Jonathon Liberda for their excellent technical support. I would also like to thank my supervisors Dr.s Jim Quinn and Doug Boreham. I thank Jim for his consistent feedback and academic guidance and Doug for his enthusiasm and moral support, and for providing me with numerous opportunities to present this work and to learn from experts in the field of radiation biology at various scientific conferences. I would like to thank the rest of my committee members, Dr. Ron Mitchel and Dr. Andrew Rainbow for their comments, ideas and constructive criticisms. Finally, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to my predecessor and mentor, Dr. Chris Somers, whose knowledge, encouragement and guidance every step of the way was invaluable. Chris' passion for science, learning, teaching and the environment have inspired me to continue with my academic career.


Objective To study the serum pharmacochemistry of Lindera volatile oil and observe its effects on rabbit intestinal movement.Methods HPLC analysis was used to analyze the composition changes in plasma samples before and after volatile oil administration from Radix Linderae and in vitro plant volatile oil,and to identify transitional components in the blood.According to the in situ experimental operation,we observed the contraction frequency and amplitude changes of rabbit intestinal movement before and after intragastric administration of Lindera volatile oil.Results Lindera volatile oil reached one peak at 11.6 min;the rabbit plasma at 30 min,1 h,1.5 h,2 h,4 h and 6 h after administration of Lindera volatile oil had two substance peaks at 11.6 min and 46.5 min compared with the blank plasma.Rabbit bowel movement frequency and amplitude did not differ significantly before or after volatile oil administration(P0.05),but showed a decrease tendency.Conclusion Some components of Lindera volatile oil are absorbed into the blood,and can inhibit vivo rabbit intestinal movement.


While recent trials of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) transplantation for advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment have been promising, the existing strategies still have limitations including the uncertain survival of RPE cells delivered by cell suspension and the risk of uncontrolled cell proliferation in the vitreous cavity. Human cadaveric donor RPE cell (ahRPE) transplants have been shown to rescue vision in a rat model of retinal dystrophy and survive in the rabbit retina for at least 1 month, suggesting its suitability as an alternative cell resource. The present study placed an ahRPE monolayer under the macula of a non-human primate model for up to 3 months. It was able to mature in-vivo and support photoreceptor function. Most importantly, transplanted monolayers did not undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition to form epiretinal membranes. Gliosis was suppressed in adjacent retina. These findings indicate the safety and potential of ahRPE monolayer as a cell replacement source.


The invention discloses an arch rib embedded section installing and positioning support and an adjusting and positioning method thereof. The installing and positioning support comprises a support main body, four support seats and four vertical horizontal jacks. A left distribution beam and a right distribution beam are arranged at the top end of the support main body, and a left lifting beam and a right lifting beam are fixed under the left distribution beam and the right distribution beam and respectively provided with a front slide block and a rear slide block in a sliding mode. The four support seats matched with space geometry relation of an arch rib embedded section are respectively placed on the left distribution beam and the right distribution beam. The four vertical jacks are respectively fixed on the front slide blocks and the rear slide blocks, and extending-out ends of the vertical jacks are respectively fixed with the front slide blocks and the rear slide blocks. By adopting the support seats matched with the space geometry relation of the arch rib embedded section, transverse inclination, vertical inclination and horizontal deflection adjustment of the arch rib embedded section performed on site are avoided, operating procedures are simplified, and adjusting and positioning accuracy is improved.


The article dwells on actual theoretical and methodological problems of JV formation and functioning, the author determines JV role and place in the system of regional development, he characterizes JV advantages. The importance of foreign investitures into the formation of JV statute fund and technological park is emphasized. JV indices in Sughd viloyat, changes of JV development and location structure have been analyzed. The issue concerned with the signs of their classification is considered.


Background and Objectives: Female‐controlled methods of HIV prevention, such as vaginal microbicides, are urgently needed, particularly among drug‐involved women. Acceptability research is critical to product development. Goal: To assess the acceptability of forms and application methods for future microbicides. Design: Eighty‐four drug‐involved women were introduced in groups to three lubricant products, asked to try each for 3 weeks, and scheduled for individual follow‐up interviews. Results: Participants and their partners felt positive about the products, and expressed willingness to use microbicides if they were shown to be effective against HIV. Women agreed on product characteristics that influenced their reactions (e.g. ease of insertion, degree of "messiness"), but often disagreed on whether their reactions to these characteristics were positive or negative. Conclusion: Development of acceptable and effective HIV‐prevention products depends on understanding the interaction between characteristics of the products and the characteristics and perceptions of women. Levels of sexual risk and acceptability factors based on drug‐use patterns, race and ethnicity, culture, age, and types and attitudes of male partners suggest that a "one size fits all" approach will not win broad acceptance among drug‐involved women.


Background: Evaluation of sepsis accounts for one third of all nursery triage admissions. If umbilical cord blood could be accurately substituted for infant blood, it would spare infants the discomfort of an invasive procedure and save both time and resources. While awaiting 48-hour blood culture results, we decide on clinical management based on whether the white blood cell (WBC) immature to total (I:T) granulocyte ratio is ≧0.2. Objectives: Our goal was to assess the correlation of complete blood count (CBC), I:T ratio and blood culture results between umbilical cord and infant blood. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study comparing CBC/differential and blood culture results of paired samples of umbilical cord and infant blood from term newborns. Results: We sent 113 paired samples of cord and infant venous blood for CBC/differential and blood culture. All 113 umbilical cord and infant blood cultures were negative, yielding a false-positive blood culture rate of zero. For 92% of babies, both the cord and infant blood I:T ratio were <0.2 or both were ≧0.2. Cord and infant WBC, hematocrit and platelet counts were moderately to highly correlated. Conclusion: We conclude that cord blood can be safely substituted for infant blood in routine sepsis evaluations of asymptomatic, term infants based on both the low false-positive cord blood culture rate and the significant association between high I:T ratios in cord and infant blood.


The potential yield of corn may be affected by weed interference. The aim of this research was evaluate the chemical control of weed in fields of corn (BRS 1035), with sub lethal rates of nicosulfuron associated with atrazine in order to reduce doses without lose large spectrum of action in the control of weed community. The herbicides treatments were: nicosulfuron at 20, 40 e 60 g ha -1 , nicosulfuron + atrazine at 20 + 1000 and 40 + 1000 g ha -1 and a check without weed management. The crops management was the same from region. The spraying was done with CO 2 backpack pressurized equipment at 210 kPa, with four spray nozzles DG 11002, at 200 Lha -1 of application volume. The evaluations were based on the efficacy of herbicides and production characteristics and weight of 100 grains. It may be concluded that using nicosulfuron associated to atrazine showed satisfactory control of Ipomoea triloba, Alternanthera tenella and Digitaria horizontalis . The major grains productivity of corn was obtained with the application of nicosulfuron + atrazine at 40 + 1000 g ha -1 . The weight of 100 grains was not affected by the weed community and herbicides treatments.


A series of substituted 4-methylphenols 1 and 2 was oxidized with PbO2 in the presence of nitroso compounds 3–10. The formation of adducts of benzyl radicals with the nitroso spin traps in the reaction mixture was established, suggesting the abstraction of an H-atom from the methyl substituent of 1 or 2. In the consecutive steps, the adducts underwent a further rearrangement to the corresponding nitrones. When the starting phenol contained bulky tBu groups in ortho-position (see 2,6-di(tert-butyl)-4-methylphenol (1a)), the stable 2,6-di(tert-butyl)-4R-phenoxy radicals (R=CHN+(O−)X) were detected as the final radical products. The indirect evidence of nitrones in the reaction mixture was performed in one case by the reaction with a RO radicals.


Two-way selection for the survival time of allografts in chickens was carried out over eight generations. The foundation stocks used for selection were composed of only B11 B11 genotype at the major histocompatibility B locus. The graft from the long survival line was used for testing the survival time of allografts for both long (L) and short (S) survival lines. The selection was effective in the L line, but not necessarily effective in the S line. The differences between the L and S lines increased with each successive generation of selection except with the second generation. The realized herita-bility was comparatively high, with a mean value of 0.334. At the seventh generation of selection, the proportion of survival allografts in the L line was 48.5% at 90 days after transplantation and that in the S line was zero. However, when another line (GVHR line) was used as donor line, the proportions of survival grafts in the L and S lines were only 12.5 and 4.0%, respectively. In comparison of graft-versus-host competence at the seventh generation of selection, the mean splenomegaly index of the L line was significantly larger than that of the S line. The immune response to sheep red blood cells was also compared in the L and S lines at the fifth generation of selection. No line difference was found.(Jpn. Poult. Sci., 27: 337-345, 1990)


Apparatus (10) for generating an alarm signal for the driver of a vehicle in relation to an actual vehicle speed, comprising a. a device (12) for determining the actual vehicle speed and b. a device (12 ') to automatically determine the country in which the vehicle is traveling by identifying geographical coordinates relative to the vehicle position using a GPS receiver or a selector multiple options (102) through which can be selected the country for which the vehicle is traveling, c. means (111) for detecting the speed limit for the stretch of road where the car is circulating, d. one electronic control unit (11) connected to the device (12) and detection means (111) and provided with a storage unit data (110) to memorize the speed limit, comprising the electronic control unit (11) a database that stores, for each country, speed limits established by law in the country for which the vehicle is traveling and penalties related to the speed limits, the electronic control unit (11) configured being to determine the difference between the speed limit and the actual vehicle speed, the apparatus (10) further e. signaling means (112) for generating at least one alarm to the driver, characterized in that the signaling means (112) are configured to differentiate the alarms according to the penalty points driving license statutory in the locality by which the vehicle is traveling according to the determined difference between the actual vehicle speed and the speed limit.


Tourism development is one of the priority programs of the regional development. The reason is that the effect of tourism development can improve the regional economy. However, in order to improve the regional economy, tourism development should be managed based on the good governance. This research aims to identify the development planning of the Ujung Pandaran. This tourist attraction is one of the leading tourisms in Kotawaringin Timur Regency, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. This research uses qualitative research type with analysis method proposed by Miles, Hubberman, and Saldana. The research results show that the tourism development planning of Ujung Pandaran beach has some limitations. The example of the limitation of the planning is the absence of feasibility analysis process and evaluation stage for the planning that has been determined. The failure of this process has impacted the implementation stage. The cooperation planning with the private sector that has been determined cannot be realized properly. Meanwhile, the existence of private sector participation in the tourism development is one of the criteria of tourism development planning based on the good governance perspective.


The Athena mission was selected for the second large-class mission, due for launch in 2028, in ESA's Cosmic Vision program. The current solution for the optics is based on the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology with the goal of 2m2 effective area at 1keV (aperture about 3m diameter) with a focal length of 12m. The SPO advantages are the compactness along the axial direction and the high conductivity of the Silicon. Recent development in the fabrication of mirror shells based on the Slumped Glass Optics (SGO) makes this technology an attractive solution for the mirror modules for Athena or similar telescopes. The SGO advantages are a potential high collecting area with a limited vignetting due to the lower shadowing and the aptitude to curve the glass plates up to small radius of curvature. This study shows an alternative mirror design based on SGO technology, tailored for Athena needs. The main challenges are the optimization of the manufacturing technology with respect to the required accuracy and the thermal control of the large surface in conjunction with the low conductivity of the glass. A concept has been elaborated which considers the specific benefits of the SGO technology and provides an efficient thermal control. The output of the study is a preliminary design substantiated by analyses and technological studies. The study proposes interfaces and predicts performances and budgets. It describes also how such a mirror system could be implemented as a modular assembly for X-ray telescope with a large collecting area.


14 Studies of environmental impacts of gas flaring in the Niger Delta are hindered by limited 15 access to official flaring emissions records and a paucity of reliable ambient monitoring data. 16 This study uses a combination of geospatial technologies and dispersion modelling 17 techniques to evaluate air pollution impacts of gas flaring on human health and natural 18 ecosystems in the region. Results indicate that gas flaring is a major contributor to air 19 pollution across the region, with concentrations exceeding WHO limits in some locations 20 over certain time periods. Due to the predominant south-westerly wind, concentrations are 21 higher in some states with little flaring activity than in others with significant flaring activity. 22 Twenty million people inhabit areas of high flare-associated air pollution, which include all 23 of the main ecological zones of the region, indicating that flaring poses a substantial threat to 24 human health and the environment. Model scenarios demonstrated that substantial reductions 25 in pollution could be achieved by stopping flaring at a small number of the most active sites 26 and by improving overall flaring efficiency. 27 28


The purpose of the article is to determine the Type I error and Average Run Length values for charts   and R, for which control limits have been determined based on the Skewness Correction method (SC method), with an unknown probability distribution of the qualitative feature being tested. The study also used the Monte Carlo Simulation, in which two sampling methods were used to obtain random input scenarios - matching theoretical distributions (selected skewed distributions) and bootstrap resampling based on a manufacturing company's measurement data. The presented article is a continuation of Czabak-Górska's (2016) research. The purpose of the article was to determine Type I error value and ARL type A for chart   and R, for which the control limits were determined based on the skewness correction method. For this purpose, measurement data from a company producing car seat frames. Presented case study showed that the chart determined using the skewness correction method works better for the data described by the gamma or log-normal distribution. This, in turn, may suggest that appropriate distribution was selected for the presented data, thanks to which it is possible to determine the course and nature of the process, which is important from the point of view of its further analysis, e.g. in terms of the process capability.


We describe the use of simple binary masks for implementing multiple, local impulse responses. In this way a 1-D signal can be processed in parallel with several nonconventional operations, such as a Bessel function processor, or a fractional Hilbert transformation.


A psychometrically valid measure of perceived mentoring expectations congruency between a mentor and protege in a mentoring relationship was developed. Using a scale created with a panel of experts and tested with two professional cohorts, exploratory factor analysis led to the identification of a reliably strong, one-dimension, four-item instrument - the Mentoring Expectations Congruency Scale (MECS). Evidence of convergent, discriminant and predictive validity was demonstrated. While controlling for race, mentoring expectations congruency was positively related to relationship quality. Also, participants who had experienced mentoring training prior to the reported mentoring relationship reported significantly higher levels of mentoring expectations congruency, than those who had not experienced mentoring training prior to the mentoring relationship. Results provide support for Mentoring Schema Theory (Ragins & Verbos, 2007) and uncover potential relational processes underlying the relationship found bet...


The Ruderman-Kittel theory of the interaction of magnetic impurities with each other is combined with Shiba's theory of the interaction between magnetic impurities and conduction electrons in superconductors. The result explains the experimental observation that, for a given ratio of the transition temperature of the alloy to that of the pure host metal, the effect of the impurity-impurity interaction is typically no larger for alloys with magnetic impurity concentration $n\ensuremath{\approx}1$ at.% than for those in which $n$ is three orders of magnitude smaller.


The Toddlerhood is an important period in the process of human growth and development. Development and growth in that period became a determinant of the success of children's growth and development in the next period. Early life of children starts from parents, so parents are responsible for the child's future. This study aims to analyze the influence of providing Anticipatory Guidance on the growth and development of infants aged 0-6 months. This study uses a quasi experimental design with a post test only non equivalent control group design. The respondents involved in this study were 54 mothers who had babies aged 0-6 months who were taken using a purposive sampling technique which was divided into treatment and control groups. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that there were differences in growth in the treatment group with the control group with a value of ρ = 0.009 while the results of the Mann-Whitney U test on the development variable showed a difference between the treatment group with the control group with a value of ρ = 0.021. Assessment of infant growth is carried out by measuring anthropometrics which include weight (BW), length / height (TB), and head circumference then compared with the WHO-NCHS BB / U index. Assessment of infant development using KPSP (Kuesioner Pra Skrining Perkembangan). Anticipatory guidance is an educational method provided to provide guidance to parents so that children can grow and develop optimally and aims to improve family independence in maintaining health, preventing and overcoming child health problems.


In November, 1979, the CCITT Study Group XIV met to complete, among other items, several years of work on the Recommendations defining Group 3 digital facsimile. This paper reviews the results of this work in terms of technical implication, terminal features, and facsimile services. In particular, CCITT Recommendations T.4 and T.30 are discussed. (These Recommendations will be finalized by the CCITT in Geneva, November, 1980.)


OF THE THESIS SUCCESS IN THE MIDST OF DEFEAT: MAJOR GENERAL JOHN SEDGWICK AND THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN by Richard Forziati Jr. American Public University System, December 18, 2016 Charles Town, West Virginia Professor Dr. John Chappo, Thesis Professor This thesis will examine Union Sixth Corps Major General John Sedgwick and his performance during the Chancellorsville Campaign from April 28, 1863 to May 5, 1863. The foundation of this study will cover Sedgwick's conduct both in the micro-tactical level and the larger operational scale with the overall focus on his triumphs and inevitable challenges. The research findings provided through official reports, dispatches, memoirs, and personal letters indicate Sedgwick performed strongly in an independent command role as emphasized by his consistent decisions and flexibility to unexpected events. Additionally, the use of statistics and logical inferences will further support the conclusion on Sedgwick's positive achievements. This judgment is in contrast to a vast majority of existing historiography originated by immediate post-battle criticisms that characterize Sedgwick's command style during the campaign as slow and tentative. Although the Chancellorsville Campaign ended in defeat for the Army of the Potomac, the highest moments of the campaign came from John Sedgwick and his Sixth Corps as shown by their participation in the sub-battles of Second Fredericksburg, Salem Church, and Banks' Ford.


Consider partitions of the vertex set of a graph G into two sets with sizes differing by at most 1: the bisection width of G is the minimum over all such partitions of the number of ''cross edges'' between the parts. We are interested in sparse random graphs Ž . G with edge probability c n. We show that, if c ln 4, then the bisection width is n n, c n with high probability; while if c ln 4, then it is equal to 0 with high probability. There are corresponding threshold results for partitioning into any fixed number of parts. 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 18, 31 38, 2001


The love poems of OU Yangxiu don't make so much contribution to the art;however they have great values on cultural recognition.The arguments about the ownership of the love poems from ancient to modern times reflect the different standards of value judgment about the academic research.The lives of the scholars described in these love poems are important evidence,from which we could see the complete personalities of OU Yangxiu and the scholars of early and middle Northern Song Dynasty represented by him.Meanwhile,the women themes referred to in these love poems are essential live basic sources to study the women issue in early and middle Northern Song Dynasty.OU Yangxiu's amorous poems are of great value in these fields and it can't be replaced by other types of literature.


The paper analyses different methods of remanufacturing worn-out machine parts in order to get the best performance characteristics. One of the most promising of them is a plasma spraying method. The mathematical models presented in the paper are intended to anticipate the results of plasma spraying, its effect on the properties of the material of internal combustion engine cylinder liners under repair. The experimental data and research results have been computer processed with Statistica 10.0 software package. The pare correlation coefficient values (R) and F-statistic criterion are given to confirm the statistical properties and adequacy of obtained regression equations.


By using not only TRMM (the tropical rainfall measuring mission) precipitation radar (TRMM/PR) and microwave imager data, but also NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the paper compares and analyzes the two rainstorms caused by the southwest vortex (SWV) and eastward Tibetan Plateau vortex (TPV) in Southwest China, respectively. It shows that the heavy rainfall systems of both two vortex rainstorms are consist of a main rain band and several scattered precipitation clouds, with non-uniform distributed precipitation intensity. The horizontal scale of the main rain band and the intensive precipitation clouds of TPV rainstorm on 21st July, 2008 are larger than those of SWV on 17th July, 2007. The common feature of the two mesoscale precipitation systems detected by precipitation radar (PR) is that most of precipitation are stratiform precipitation which has large scale but weak intensity caused by the two kinds of precipitation. However, the convective precipitation contributes more to the total precipitation, with larger rain rate than the stratiform precipitation. The rainfall intensity spectrum of the convective precipitation is wider than that of the stratiform precipitation, which ranges from 1 to 50 mm/h. It also indicates that the height of the rain top increases along with the surface precipitation intensity in the two rainstorms. The highest height of the rain top reaches 16km. The SWV rainstorm is more intensive than TPV rainstorm, and the microwave brightness temperature varies inversely as the height of the rain top. The release of the precipitation latent heat, the increase of the raindrops and the change of the ice particles mainly occur below 8km. Moreover, mid- and low-level precipitation are the main source of the column precipitation. The convective precipitation and the stratiform precipitation caused by SWV release much more latent heat than those caused by TPV.


Sectorial mutation, loss of ability to produce spores and the multiplicity of species, attest to the lability of the fungi. The size and morphological complexity of fungi reveal at once to the observer many overt aspects of variability and the physiologist easily detects other mutants which are masked by a common phenotype. The consequences and potentialities of the lability of fungi in didactic mycology, in use of fungi as research tools, in plant pathology, and in industrial mycology, are too many and varied to enumerate before an audience already familiar with them. I shall discuss those aspects of the adaptability of fungi which enable them, under appropriate conditions, to turn immediately from a saprophytic existence to parasitism of animal tissues. I submit that this aspect of the adaptability of the fungi places upon mycologists a responsibility which has been only partially acknowledged. Medical mycology should be the concern of mycologists generally and not a subspecialty of medical bacteriology or medicine. Specialization and complexity among the fungi are spectacularly mnanifested by those molds and yeasts which flourish under generally inhospitable environmental conditions, grow on substrates unavailable to most microorganisms or play sometimes beneficial, sometimes lethal roles in the economy of nature. Many of the fungi which are found in unusual habitats are now fixed in their present relationships. Some require special substrates, some are obligate parasites which require for survival


In the design process of reconfigurable radars, it is required to study the interaction between antennas and the power amplifiers in order to quantify the distortion and predict the performances of power amplifier (PA) on TX-chains. This paper presents an accurate behavioral model for PAs, based on nonlinear scattering functions, which allows taking into account large output loading impedance mismatches, i.e. Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) up to four. First application presented is a black box modeling technique limited to Taylor first order expansion dedicated to moderate VSWR (VSWR ≤ 3). Unfortunately, the first order model is not efficient enough, so a second application is presented, showing an accurate model expanded to Taylor second order in the case of large VSWR (VSWR > 3) which allows predicting circuit performances at system level and establishes a mixed simulation tool for a bilateral communication between amplifiers and antennas.


For too long, no-fault divorce laws have served as a "handy vehicle for the summary disposal of old and used wives." No-fault laws that authorize divorce at will place all women who assume primary caretaking responsibilities in jeopardy. No-fault mistakenly assumes that the division of property and little, if any, maintenance will afford equity to these women. The broad discretion given trial courts exacerbates this mistake, by inviting unrealistic and gender-biased views of a homemaker's opportunities for rehabilitation and self-support. Divorce has thus become an economic catastrophe for homemakers.Often attributing this disaster to no-fault's partnership model of marriage, concerned legal scholars have searched for a better model of marriage that will provide a basis for maintenance. While their efforts have laid important groundwork, none has identified a model that provides a satisfactory basis for maintenance in the ordinary case of a wife whose role as primary caretaker limits her career options and advancement, and thus reduces her post-divorce income.In this Article, I advocate a new model of marriage based on contemporary partnership law. Under this model, divorce occurs when a spouse dissociates from the marriage before expiration of the term. Dissociation ends the relationship, but it does not usually end the spouses' shared enterprise, which continues to generate income in the .hands of one or both spouses. The spouse who takes the smaller portion of the marital enterprise - that is, the spouse who earns less - should receive a buyout. Most often, this buyout rule will require a husband to pay maintenance to a wife who served as primary caretaker. To implement a buyout rule, I offer a simple mathematical model for legislative reform that limits trial court discretion. It is my hope that this effort will help to halt the financial exploitation of caretakers under no-fault, and so contribute to the effort of the American Law Institute to formulate a set of principles that brings integrity to the law of divorce.


The gene dropping method was applied to the pedigree of Danish Shorthorn in order to estimate the proportion of alleles of the old type of Danish Shorthorn in the population of 1997. It was found that about 23% of the alleles in the population of 1997 originated from the old type. Of 21 base animals of the old type, alleles of seven animals were completely lost in the gene dropping while only six base animals contributed with 20.2% of the alleles in the 1997 population. Inbreeding coefficients ranged from zero to 35.6% with a mean of 4.1%.


Adopted five kinds of extractants respectively to extract the availability of heavy metals Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cufrom the stabilized municipal sludge, at the same time did wheat pot experiments. Then made correlation analysis between the extracting content and the accumulation amount in wheat leaves and roots. It showed that the availability contents of each elements was quited different from the others. Compared with other four extractants, EDTA was in obvious advantages for its best correlation degree. However, comparatively speaking, Pb and Zn don't had so obvious correlation. It may be related with the transfer ability of one element from roots to leaves. The results showed that EDTA was a more satisfactory extractant.


It includes an acoustic layer having a plurality of transducer elements and the acoustic matching layer to the de-coupled layer of the ultrasound transducer and the ultrasound imaging system. Solutions matching layer having a large specific acoustic impedance of the acoustic layer, and a dematching layer has a thickness varied in order to vary the bandwidth of the ultrasound probe.


A recent paper from the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) working groups suggests that whilst there is substantial agreement around many health informatics principles there remain substantial disagreements about the process involved in implementation and around clinical interaction with systems post adoption.1 This theme recurs through this issue of the Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics.


: We studied the compatibility system and the autonomous selfing capacity of 32 native species from the Chaco Serrano forests (central Argentina), and compared fruit set, considering plant life form and compatibility status to evaluate: (i) the extent of the association between life form and compatibility system, (ii) the influence of the life form and/or of the compatibility system on natural fruit set, and (iii) the preemergent reproductive advantages provided by self-compatibility and autonomous self-pollination. Ca. 60 % of the species were self-compatible (SC). Natural fruit set of SC species triplicate those of self-incompatible (SI) species. Almost all SC species have autonomous selfing capacity. Nevertheless, on average, SC species produce more than twice as many fruits through natural pollination in comparison to autonomous selfing, and fruit set obtained after autonomous selfing was significantly lower than hand-selfed fruit set. Most SC species received insufficient pollen from themselves via autonomous selfing, and natural fruit set was mostly pollinator-mediated. Thus, the reproductive assurance provided by autonomous selfing is relatively low in comparison with that provided by pollinators. We supplemented our data with published results from different sites in South America, to assess how general are the associations between life form and compatibility system and between natural fruit production and the self compatibility index. There is a differential distribution of SC and SI species according to life form, with a skew towards incompatibility among woody plants and towards compatibility in herbs. On the other hand, regression analysis showed there is a general positive trend between natural fruit set and the self compatibility index of the species.


Patient‐derived cancer disease models conserve many key features of the original human cancers, potentially allowing higher predictive power than traditional cell line models. Accordingly, in vivo patient‐derived xenografts (PDX) are frequently utilized in preclinical and translational oncology studies as patient surrogates for population‐based screens ("mouse clinical trials"), for which large PDX biobanks have been generated over the last decade from various cancer types. In vitro patient‐derived organoids (PDO) have recently emerged as a disruptive technology, enabling early "patient in a dish" clinical trials. Like PDX, PDOs retain the histology/genomics of the original tumor and are highly predictive of the clinical response. Organoids derived from adult stem cells (ASC) in patient tissue can function as mini‐organs. They have greater advantages over other 3D in vitro systems, making them highly predictive, reliable, and consistent in vitro models. Large biobanks enable the adoption of organoids in early drug screening and patient selection. PDX biobanks, as a source of human material, have been used to create 3D in vitro screens, but with limitations. However, creating organoids from the ASCs residing in PDXs has been successfully used as a rapid and cost‐effective way to enable higher throughput in vitro screens and generate matched in vitro/in vivo model pairs that retain genomic, histopathological, and pharmacology profiles. This overview summarizes the generation of matched in vitro/in vivo models from patient material, the advantages over other systems, and the applications to drug discovery. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.


Proceedings of the National Conference on the Promotion andPrivatization of Radio and Television Broadcasting in Ghana, held at GIMPA, Greenhill, Achimota, March 1-3, 1993.


The article presents a theoretical review of the issues of image and image changes in an organization. The author observes results of empiric research of the role of psychological characteristics of employees when shaping styles of their reaction to transformation of image in the organization


The mechanochemical synthesis of pentatitanium trisilicide (Ti5Si3) by the ball-milling of elemental mixed powders using zirconia, stainless steel, and tungsten carbide milling media was performed. These reactions were mechanically induced self-propagating reactions. The induction period during the reaction using zirconia milling media was the shortest among these reactions. Because the thermal conductivity of zirconia is the lowest, it is assumed that the heat produced during milling using the zirconia milling media was effectively stored, and the ignition temperature was attained within the shortest time. The ignition temperature was estimated to be ∼500°C. The particle size of the Ti5Si3 obtained using the tungsten carbide milling media was the finest because of the induction time and specific gravity.


Thirty years ago, the present author discussed the pure state unraveling (stochastic quantum trajectories) of Markovian open system dynamics. The fact that he considered all positive dynamics, not restricted to the Lindblad–Gorini–Kossakowski–Sudarshan complete-positive subclass, has remained unnoticed so far. We emphasize the importance of the transition-rate-operator W and the merit of the invariant (representation-independent) approach. From the urtexts we point out the condition W⩾0 of positive dynamics, the extension of quantum state diffusion for positive dynamics, and as a major new result, the description of all the diffusive unravelings of positive dynamics.


Buckwheat wine is produced by using buckwheat containing anticancer matter selenium as raw material and through high temperature extraction and compounding with Chinese herbal medicine material. The buckwheat wine is a kind of health drink with disease treating and health care function.


Background: Sleep Disordered Breathing has become one of the primary causes of mortality in especially obese individuals owing to the modern lifestyle Material and methods: 60 patients coming to outpatient clinic of a tertiary care hospital with Epworth sleepiness scale between 8 to 24 representing increasing levels Results: There were 60 (34 males and 26 females) subjects with mean age 56.45±12.51years and BMI 28.7±3.1. 16, 9, 22 subjects had mild, moderate Conclusions: OSA predominantly affects middle aged men who are overweight with many having high neck circumference. Severe OSA patients had longer.


Antipredator behaviour of fathead minnows Pimephales promelas increased significantly on exposure to hypoxanthine-3-N-oxide at concentrations as low as 0.4 nM with no further increase in response at concentrations up to 6.7.


In this paper, we study the performance of Boundary Value Methods (BVMs) on second-order PDEs. The PDEs are transformed into a system of second-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using the Lanczos-Chebyshev reduction technique. The conditions under which the BVMs converge and the computational complexities of the algorithms are discussed. Numerical illustrations are given to show the simplicity and high accuracy of the approach.


Leadership in complex business process transformations is crucial for effective process change. Yet, it is poorly understood and under-researched particularly within the public sector and in developing nations where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the form of e-Government initiatives is increasing. This case study of a change process at The Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka offering services for attestation and document authentication provided the means to explore effective leadership behaviours. Using Complexity Leadership Theory and Actor-Network Theory, we examine the different leadership actions and interactions of the leadership team with the stakeholders. Our findings show the positive effects of the combined use of operational and enabling leadership behaviours resulting in the emergence of entrepreneurial leadership behaviours exhibited by staff during the latter stages of the transformation process. The top leader role was vital in creating an effective process-centric and citizen-centric culture for change.


Banks and the wider financial services sector are witnessing sharp increases in the number of users interacting with them through digital channels. In light of these changes, traditional password-based mechanisms are becoming insecure, inconvenient, or both, as evidenced by the rise of digital fraud rates and users who report frustration with authenticating to financial services. Biometrics are an alternative that offer potential usability improvements, while retaining or improving the security guarantees. This paper is motivated by the need for a demystification of the deployment of a biometric system for financial services use cases. This paper is based on two separate studies: (1) a longitudinal study of users' attitudes towards the adoption of biometric authentication for online payment use cases; and (2) an opinion survey of a targeted group of financial services professionals. The findings of these studies are two-fold. The user study shows that users (>90%) believe biometrics are more secure and convenient than passwords, and that they are willing to adopt biometrics to replace existing password-based authentication. Nonetheless, the industry survey highlights gaps in experience and importance on different aspects of deploying biometric systems: only 36% of respondents are familiar with biometrics, compared to 88% of them that would be involved in their deployment. These gaps inhibit adoption of biometrics, as they prevent effective communication and collaboration among different entities involved in the process of deployment. In this paper, we use the insights gathered in the studies to identify five key factors that contribute to the success of a biometric system in financial services. For each factor, we outline and discuss the main challenges and trends that need to be analysed before deployment, combining perspectives from academia, industry groups, and regulators. The Five Factor Framework provides a broad range of guidelines and necessary considerations for the deployment of mobile biometrics in financial services.


The development of chinese characters embodies the development of the character's form and its pattern, while the latter influences the meaning expression of chinese characters directly. On one hand, the pattern of character made the chinese character transform from pattern motivation to symbol motivation, which loses the meaning creation of chinese character. On the other hand, it made chinese character demonstrate the tendency of pluralism in the course of the mainstream of simplification of chinese characters; sound and form of a character also play a very important role in the process of meaning expression, which intensified the function of meaning expression.


This article presents the deterministic system for susceptible-infective model for HIV. In this paper the homotopy analysis method is employed to compute an exact analytical approximation to the solution of the deterministic system for this model. We do a comparison between this method and Runge-Kutta method.


Perlites, naturally occurring phenomena of Okushiri Island, can be divided into the following three types by their petrographic features: A. massive type. B. pumiceous type. C. flow-textured type. They are very similar to each other in petrochemical character. Perlites from Okushiri contain large quantities of microlite, crystallite and small amounts of phenocrysts which consist of oligoclase, quartz and biotite. Based on X-ray spectrographical analysis and optical examination it can be deduced that the microlite essentially consists of oligoclase, albite and cristobalite with small amounts of biotite and quartz. A comparison study of Okushiri perlites to microlite indicates that perlite is less crystalline in structure than microlite. Okushiri perlites and those from other parts of Japan, although poor in CaO content, are rich in alkalies, especiallyin K2O and when plotted against the ternary eutectic point on the Q-Or-(Ab+An) triangular diagram devised by Bowen and Vogt. Also, the (Fe2O3+FeO)-(Na2O+K2O)-MgO triangular plot indicates that perlites concentrate near the apex (Na2O+K2O) listed in Kuno's hypersthenic rock series. Okushiri perlites are easily transformed into natural glass by heating and rapid cooling into a solid state. Thus producing a glass of high alkalies and silica similar to magma which has undergone the same physical transformations. As founded by differential thermal and thermogravimetric analyses, the H2O content was gradually dehydrated.


— The use of information tools is a common activity for students of any educational stage when they encounter online learning activities. Finding the relevant information for particular learning tasks is the topic of this paper as it investigates the use of information tools for a group of student participants. The paper describes and discusses the results with particular implications for use in higher education, and the findings suggest that improvement in assessment design and subsequent student learning may be achieved by structuring the purposefulness of information tools usage and online reading behaviors of university students.


The invention discloses a method and a device for providing application programs and user recommend information. The method comprises the steps: determining use sequence information of all application programs in terminals by a user; determining an incidence relation among the application programs according to the use sequence information; uploading incidence relation information among the application programs to a server end so as to enable the server end to synthesize the incidence relation information uploaded by all the terminals, determining at least one third application program related to the first application program and sending recommend information of the related application programs or determining at least one second terminal user similar to a first terminal user and sending recommend information of the similar terminal user. According to the method and the device, the effectiveness of the recommend information can be improved.


The purpose of this study is to determine the plastic distribution factor of continuous, composite bridges for use with the Load Factor Design Method. An analytical method was developed for the elastic and inelastic behavior of such systems. The resulting equations were solved by a computer program. Using the computer program, 48 two-span and three-span composite bridges were analyzed. The plastic distribution factors were then obtained. Existing data for simple span composite bridges was also analyzed. The following equation for the plastic distribution factor, (DF sub p), was found to give excellent correlation with the numberical results. (DF sub p) = 2.0 (Number of traffic lanes)/(number of girders).


Gridded design rules[1] is major process in configuring logic circuit used 193-immersion lithography. In the scaling of grid patterning, we can make 10nm order line and space pattern by using multiple patterning techniques such as self-aligned multiple patterning (SAMP) and litho-etch- litho-etch (LELE)[2][3][5] . On the other hand, Line cut process has some error parameters such as pattern defect, placement error, roughness and X-Y CD bias with the decreasing scale. Especially roughness and X-Y CD bias are paid attention because it cause cut error and pattern defect. In this case, we applied some smoothing process to care hole roughness[4]. Each smoothing process showed different effect on X-Y CD bias. In this paper, we will report the pattern controllability comparison of trench and block + inverse. It include X-Y CD bias, roughness and process usability. Furthermore we will discuss optimum method focused on X-Y CD bias when we use additional process such as smoothing and shrink etching .


Abstract : Supersonic nozzle flows of a condensible vapor are discussed in the limit when the collapse of the supersaturated state occurs close to the condensation point. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation are considered. It is shown that in this limit the collapse is not governed by a condensation shock. Some useful similarity rules are obtained.


The dual-stripe MR head configuration has advantages such as high signal amplitude, symmetrical waveform, symmetrical cross-track profile and thermal asperity immunity. We have designed, fabricated and tested dual-stripe MR heads for 1 Gb/in/sup 2/ areal density. Small read gap-length (0.28 /spl mu/m), narrow track width (2 /spl mu/m read/3 /spl mu/m write), low fly height (1.4 /spl mu/in) and planarized shared poles are the key design parameters. Test results of these heads have shown typical isolated-pulse amplitude of 800 /spl mu/V/sub p-p/, positive-negative peak amplitude ratio less than 10%, symmetrical track-profiles, and good stability. Using a PRML channel, we have demonstrated a linear bit density of 150 kbpi and a track density of 6700 tpi. The off-track capability is about 0.6 /spl mu/m at the error rate of 10/sup -7/.


Abstract Two broiler chick feeding trials were conducted to determine the protein quality of dried house cricket meal. The first used semipurified diets to identify limiting amino acids. There were no significant differences in weight gain of chicks fed diets with amino acid additions, but feed:gain ratios indicated that arginine, methionine, and tryptophan were probably limiting. In the second experiment, dried house cricket meal was incorporated into practical diets replacing soybean meal as the major source of protein. There were no significant differences in weight gain between chicks fed corn-soybean meal diet and those fed corn-cricket diets. Feed:gain ratios improved significantly when diets were supplemented with methionine and arginine.


Breast cancer is considered a major public health problem for women throughout the world. In the United States, breast cancer is still the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and the 2nd most frequent cause of cancer mortality [1]. Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality among females, accounting for 23% of total cancer cases and 14% of cancer deaths, however, there is a 5-fold variation in incidence between high-incidence areas such as the United States and Western Europe, and low incidence areas such as Africa and Asia [1]. In Egypt, breast cancer is estimated to be the most common cancer among females accounting for 37.7% in 2008. It is also the leading cause of cancer related mortality accounting for 29.1% of their total. The incidence to mortality ratio is poor (1.9:1). These estimates are confirmed in many regional Egyptian cancer registries as well as in hospital-based frequencies [2-4]. Women presenting with abnormal imaging findings alone should undergo biopsy guided by mammography (stereotactic biopsy or wire localization breast biopsy), ultrasound, or breast magnetic resonance imaging. Women presenting with a breast mass should undergo fine needle aspiration or core needle biopsy. Newly diagnosed breast cancer cases should be tested for by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression and for Original Article Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology 2018;14:108-115 https://doi.org/10.14216/kjco.18019 pISSN 1738-8082 ∙ eISSN 2288-4084


This randomized clinical trial compares the effectiveness of varenicline and cytisine with nicotine replacement therapy for reducing alcohol consumption among individuals with HIV who smoke daily and engage in risky drinking.


The purpose of this symposium paper is to give an overview and progress report of developments on root-colonizing bacteria to promote plant health. This topic includes such subjects as factors affecting the dynamics of root colonization, mechanisms of microbial antagonism, use of bacteria to control diseases, and commercial development of microbiological inoculants. Papers cited below and reviews (3, 5, 27–30, 34, 39) provide a more detailed account of specific investigations on root-colonizing bacteria and plant health and microbial interactions in the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere is defined as the sphere about roots that is influenced by root activities, such as the exudation of chemicals.


Purpose: Flat‐panel based digital volume tomography (DVT) gained more and more popularity over the last years, especially in otorhinolaryngology. These systems offer excellent image quality, especially high resolution, in relation to the purchasing price. It is discussed controversially, how DVT compares to multi‐slice computed tomography with respect to radiation dose and image quality. To determine the organdose for DVT and CT systems is still complex. Thus, we present a Monte‐Carlo simulation via GMctdospp to simulate DVT and CT examinations and determine the related organdose. Methods: GMctdospp is a frontend of the EGSnrc user code ctdospp, which was developed in house for simulations of CT examinations. GMctdospp was extended by a DVT‐mode for simulating cone‐beam CT examinations too. The software was calibrated to simulate a DVT system and using a 300 mm long pencil chamber for free air measurement of the dose length product along the z‐axis. To prove that the simulation is correct, the DLP was also measured in the central chassis of a 16 cm CTDI‐phantom for validation. In addition we compared the results of the simulations, using anthromorphic voxel phantoms, with the results of measurements, which were performed earlier using an anatomic head phantom. This was done to prove that the simulation delivers repeatable results. Results: The results of the validation and the comparison to the measurements fit excellent. In addition the simulated values of the eye lensedose fit very well to measurements previously performed. The eye lensedose simulation delivered equal results for all used voxel phantoms. Conclusions: It was shown that Monte Carlo simulations are able to substitute extensive dose measurements in radiologic diagnostics without loss in accuracy. We were able to prove that MC simulations with GMctdospp offer a time saving and easy to use methodology for doseoptimization.


Blackberry pulp was hydrolyzed with the immobilized pectinases, which could improve the blackberry juice yield, reduce production cost and increase the economic efficiency of enterprises. The process condition of blackberry juice which produced in immobilized pectinases was optimized through the response surface analysis of influence factor by Design-Expert software on the basis of single factor experiment. The result indicated that the effect of the hydrolysis temperature of the immobilized pectinases was greater than that of the hydrolysis time of the immobilized pectinases, the amount of the immobilized pectinases and, the p H of blackberry pulp, and the effect of the p H of blackberry pulp was the minimum during four influence factors; the regression equation of blackberry juice rate was established in the response surface analysis of the effect factors,the equation reached the extremely significant level(F=50.48;P 0.000 1)and good agreement(R2Pred=0.794 5;R2Adj=0.965 3); The optimization process parameters which the immobilized pectinases produced blackberry juice as follow: 30 g blackberry pulp, 5 g immobilized pectinases, the immobilized pectinases hydrolysis time for 1 hour, the immobilized pectinases hydrolysis temperature of 52 ℃, in which the average juice yield of blackberry was 70.83 %. The immobilized pectinases was used for 13 times, blackberry juice yield was 65.91 %at the thirteenth(control group 62.37 %).


Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) combined with ultra-early tirofiban therapy in patients with unstable angina pectoris(UAP). Method:Eighty patients with moderate or high risk UAP were randomly allocated to either tirofiban and PCI(tirofiban group,n=38) or primary PCI alone(control group,n=42).Not only baseline characteristics,TIMI grade of target artery after PCI and the number of stent between 2 groups were observed,but also the angiogcaphic features,such as blood flow velocity of target artery,corrected TIMI frame count(CTFC) were analyzed at the end of PCI.Bleeding complications and the incidence of major adverse cardiac events(MACE) at 30 days after PCI were also compared. Result:There was no difference of baseline clinical characteristic between the two groups.Compared with the control group,the tirofiban group had more higher rate of TIMI grade 3 after PCI,but had no significant difference(88.00% vs 73.91%,P0.05).However,the no-reflow phenomenon were reduced obviously(4.00% vs 17.39%,P0.05).Blood flow velocity was more swift in the tirofiban group than that in the control group([137.12±19.65]mm/s vs [123.46±21.35]mm/s,P0.01) after PCI.CTFC immediately was lower in the front group([20.36±2.52] vs [24.52±3.43],P0.01).The occurrence of bleeding and MACE at 30 days after PCI were similar between the two groups(P0.05). Conclusion:Ultra-early tirofiban therapy for patients with moderate or high risk UAP who undergo PCI is safe and improves coronary flow of target atery and myocardial reperfusion.Useness of tirofivan has no more risk for bleeding complications.


An at least ternary metal alloy of the formula, AB(5--Y)X(y), is claimed. In this formula, A is selected from the rare earth elements, B is selectedfrom the elements of groups 8,9


This paper investigates the effects of different voltage magnitude unbalances with the same voltage unbalance factor (VUF) on the stator loss and rotor copper loss and total copper loss of three classes of three-phase induction motor. Under six different voltage magnitudes unbalance conditions, the copper losses of three different three-phase induction motor under full load conditions has been analyzed through simulation. Following the investigations, the importance of the positive-sequence voltage and the negative-sequence voltage has been pointed out. In the present work, the relative percentage increase in the stator copper loss, rotor copper loss and total copper losses have been computed for the motor working under unbalanced and balanced voltages. For this analysis Matlab environment using Simulink toolbox has been used. In this paper the three definitions (line voltage unbalance in percent-LVUR, phase voltage unbalance in percent-PVUR and voltage unbalance factor-VUF) of voltage magnitude unbalance have been considered. The operation of the induction motor has been considered at full load. The analysis shows the effects of resulting losses during unbalanced voltage supply. The increase in losses under unbalanced voltages leads to the necessity of derating the motor.


Performance art has been regarded as solidly rooted in the OHier und Jetztr, asserted by Walter Benjamin as the only remaining condition for the Aura. However, as Philip Auslander observes, every performance today is always already mediatized in one way or another, and still we might experience liveness and then also authenticity. Mediatization is, therefore, a (necessary) condition for authenticity. In my discussion on the Swedish artist Oyvind Fahlstromrs (1928–76) performance Kisses Sweeter than Wine 1966, I nonetheless argue that not even the use of Verfremdungseffekts in avant-garde performance disrupts the construction of authenticity, even though this effect is used to attack the (presupposed) media-transparency believed to be necessary for an Oauthenticr experience. In his use of new technology and different broadcasting media, Fahlstrom was a forerunner for media art. The intermedial intricacy can be fully understood and discussed only in our own information age. His and other similar experiments in the 1960s are important links in the genealogy of todayrs networked, global and multiscreen world, since they constitute early confluences of cybernetics, art and media. This is best seen in his performance, which was part of 9 Evenings. Theatre and Engineering arranged, in 1966, by Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York. Fahlstrom mixes performance on stage with a plethora of mediated and mediatized events, which results in a show that is characterized by strong Verfremdungseffekts, yet still gives rise to an experience of authenticity.


GaN high-electron-mobility-transistors (HEMTs) on SiC were fabricated with field plates of various dimensions for optimum performance. Great enhancement in radio frequency (RF) current-voltage swings was achieved with acceptable compromise in gain, through both reduction in the trapping effect and increase in breakdown voltages. When biased at 120 V, a continuous wave output power density of 32.2 W/mm and power-added efficiency (PAE) of 54.8% at 4 GHz were obtained using devices with dimensions of 0.55/spl times/246 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ and a field-plate length of 1.1 /spl mu/m. Devices with a shorter field plate of 0.9 /spl mu/m also generated 30.6 W/mm with 49.6% PAE at 8 GHz. Such ultrahigh power densities are a dramatic improvement over the 10-12 W/mm values attained by conventional gate GaN-based HEMTs.


We deal with the solutions of the systems of the difference equations , , and , , , with a nonzero real numbers initial conditions. Also, the periodicity of the general system of variables will be considered.


In view of the existing problems in the process of cooperation,this article studies and practices the cooperative operation management system on training,school and enterprise development,the spirit of cooperation and win-win principle,to establish the cooperation between school and enterprise operation management mechanism of school enterprise cooperation,safeguard the interests of both sides,standard operation management mechanism of established laboratories,and promote health sustainable development of school-enterprise cooperation.


When I was a child, we had shelves full of encyclopedias—encyclopedias on the history of humanity, encyclopedias on the human body, encyclopedias of world geography. I vividly remember the day we landed everyone's favorite, the industry standard Encyclopaedia Britannica (EB)! My sister and I read these encyclopedias voraciously. My sister would occasionally pick a volume off the shelf and disappear. You would not see her for hours until finally she surfaced, having read, page-by-page, all of the letter L. I was an obsessive reader of a different kind. I had my favorite entries (rabies and hypnosis come to mind) and I would read those over and over. It was not until I left for graduate school and did not have the chance to refresh my memory regularly that I finally forgot the specifics of each entry. That was then. Today, my four-year-old promptly tells me to "check it on Wikipedia" or "ask Google" if I do not immediately know the answer to a question. She lives in a world that did not exist a mere ten years ago, a world where shelves and shelves of encyclopedias do not represent the whole of knowledge, even to a fouryear-old. Where does the Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society fit in? Although a dedicated reader of encyclopedias, I have not yet purchased one for my children. When Wikipedia, Google, and so much more is at our fingertips, why bother? So where do these volumes belong? It seems like the intended audience might be school libraries, but as they are defunded and slowly scraped off the face of the earth, at least in this country, I do not know who will find these books and read them. That is not to say that I was not thrilled to get a copy of the Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society (EMS) to read and review. And read I did. The EMS boasts approximately 500 entries, split into fifteen categories:


The statistical and geometrical properties of fracture systems were obtained by analyzing remote sense images and outcrop data, in the Region of Guartela Canyon, in the central-eastern of Parana State. The probability distributions of fractures, with their parameters and attributes, were obtained through extensive statistical exploration of data. These parameters were used as input data for generating 3-D stochastic fractures models through the "discrete fracture network - DFN" method. The modeling is performed by using the code FRED®. To study the persistence of statistical parameters in multiple scales were used remote sensing images (SRTM, Landsat TM7 and aerial photos), covering a scale range from outcrops (few meters) to basin scales (hundreds of kilometers). The results indicated the presence of power-law (fractal) statistics for the spatial and size distributions. Fractals distributions were found for all sets studied, in some cases with different fractal exponents. The implications of fractal behavior for the generation of discrete fracture network, and consequently for the hydraulic properties, are briefly discussed.


Recently, microwave and millimeter-wave bands have been considered for outdoor applications to cope with the emerging increase in communication traffic. However, as the frequency increases, the propagation loss increases in non line-of-sight (NLoS) environments with many obstacles such as urban areas. Consequently, a system that uses UAVs (e.g., drones) as relay stations to communicate in a line-of-sight (LoS) environment has been studied. By using a drone as a relay station, it is possible to avoid obstacles such as buildings and to communicate in a LoS environment, thus reducing propagation loss. In this paper, we confirm the effectiveness of drone relay stations in millimeter wave communications by comparing channel capacity with and without the use of drones as relay stations.


The detection of Earth twins with the radial velocity (RV) method requires extreme Doppler precision and long term stability. One of the limiting factors in RV precision is the variation of the instrumental response due primarily to guiding errors, changes in focus or seeing. In order to provide extreme stability, we propose to use single-mode fibers to couple small amateur telescopes to a compact and ultra-stable high-resolution spectrograph. Here, we present a concept study for DREAMS, a Dedicated Robotic EArths-finding single-Mode Spectrograph, which should allow unprecedented RV precision on very bright stars.


ernism in the spectacular buildings of the Soviet 1920s, in the form of a "walking tour" of Moscow's "modern" monuments. These buildings are the architectural manifestation of our commonsense notion of the cultural pluralism and vitality of the NEP period. Since this book is beautifully illustrated with photographs by Brumfield and Ruble, the reader has a firm reminder of this phenomenon, a good thing to remember just now when the American historical profession seems about to change the NEP paradigm completely and abolish the category. In the next chapter, Milka Bliznakov continues her investigations into Ladovskii and Krutikov and their Utopian architecture, dreamed under the heady stimulus of the expectation of technological takeoff with western help and doomed to frustration in the Five Year Plan era. In the final chapter, Anatole Kopp describes the similar frustrations of foreign architects who came to build the Promised Socialist Land in the 1930s; they were mostly German refugees from the depression and fascism who hoped to realize their social ideals on this "other shore," but there was also Le Corbusier and Lurcat and Henry Ford's "house architect," Albert Kahn. They all came from the west with hopes, invited, as it were, by a century of Russian admiration for the west's technological prowess. The story ends, almost as it began, with Chernyshevsky's What Is to Be Done? Thus, what might appear at first glance to be a potpourri of spinoff material, which each of the authors has explored at greater length in well known monographs, has in fact been transformed into a single story illustrating the eternal Russian search to overcome backwardness by imported technological bootstrapping. In this volume we have the architectural variation on the familiar Russian motif, including the inevitable gap between aspiration and achievement. The very contemporary ramifications of the story are manifold. If the book were to be published in paperback at a more affordable price, it could be a useful text for survey courses on modern Russian history.


This paper introduces the application of SIMATIC S7 series PLC in evaporator control in the sugar factory.The technological process of the evaporator system is introduced,and the hardware configuration and software program-ming of the system are oytlined.The traditional PID control algorithm is used for the level control of the evaporator.


Sixty-six N -benzylsalicylamides substituted in the acyl moiety in positions 3, 4 or 5 and in position 4 on the benzylic aromatic ring were synthesized. The compounds were tested for in vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Mycobacterium kansasii and Mycobacterium avium . To evaluate structure-antimycobacterial activity relationships (QSARs), approaches based on the Free-Wilson as well as a combination of the Free-Wilson and Hansch methods were employed (substituent constants were used to describe the influence of the benzyl substituents, indicator parameters were used for the substituents on the acyl moiety). The use of the Hammett constants for benzyl substituents was not important for QSAR equations. The quadratic representation of lipophilicity parameters (π 2 ) was significant only in QSAR equations of antimycobacterial activity against M. avium .


On March 29, 2006, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development announced in Geneva, Switzerland, that it is forming an alliance of leading global companies to determine how to design and construct buildings to use zero energy from external power grids, be carbon neutral, and be built and operated at fair market values. This paper is a contribution to the many possible Zero Energy House (ZEH) solutions that deserve further attention. The geoexchange, solar thermal combined heat and power (CHP), and low exergy building approach to ZEH is based on select R&D projects that, together, imply several important synergies. Not using "overqualified" energy in the house (i.e., energy quality, or exergy) is a significant step toward realizing a cost-effective ZEH. Most of the energy conversion and energy storage can be obtained through the appropriate use of purely renewable solar energy. However, a fuel reserve is needed to assure all of the building's energy needs are met 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The future ZEH implies the production of this fuel, potentially as hydrogen or alcohol, by using CO2 plus water synthesis, powered by solar heat from concentrating solar power (CSP).Copyright © 2007 by RANOTOR


Critical current densities J c have been measured in A15 compound superconductors as a function of field-intensity, field-direction and temperature to study the so-called J c peak-effect which is characterized by the positive magnetic field dependence of J c in field regions close to upper critical field B c2 . Samples examined are bronze-processed V 3 Ga and Jelly-rolled Nb 3 Al conductors reacted at elevated temperatures. The scaling of the bulk pinning force with temperature is not found, which suggests the multiple pinning mechanisms with different temperature dependencies. The peak-effect is in fact observed and particularly clear for V 3 Ga conductor in the transverse field perpendicular to the columnar-grain growth-direction. Due to this effect voltage-current characteristics strongly depend on the preceding measurement conditions, and J c shows a positive temperature dependence and a sharp maximum with field-direction.


Objective: To investigate the effects of electrical stimulation on gait pattern of chronic post stroke hemiplegic patients, who had previously received intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type A.
Design: Case Reports.
Setting: A rehabilitation center ? Lar Escola S?o Francisco (S?o Paulo ? SP, Brasil).
Subjects: Three post stroke hemiplegic subjects with chronic lower limb spasticity, being two males and one female, ages 58, 61 and 63, respectively. Subjects had received intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type A in triceps surae muscles a month before the intervention.
Interventions: Subjects received electrical stimulation on the motor points of the anterior tibialis muscle during a month, each session lasting 30 minutes. The equipment used was ENDOMED 582 ID with an intermittent alternating current (Russian Stimulation) with the following parameters: Carrier wave frequency of 2500Hz (medium frequency); Burst frequency of 50Hz; Relation burst/interval time of 1:2; Ramp up/ Ramp down of 2 seconds and Amplitude was individualized for each patient (0 ? 100mA).
Main Outcome Measures: Assessments were made in the beginning and at the end of the study to evaluate walking speed (m/s), Physiological Cost Index, spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale) and ankle range of motion with knee at 90? (Goniometry).
Results: Walking speed and ankle range of motion increased in all subjects and Physiological Cost Index and spasticity decreased in two subjects. Thus, the use of electrical stimulation after intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type A seems to bring improvements in gait pattern of the studied subjects, but a larger study is needed to quantify the treatment effects.

Key Words: Physical Therapy; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Botulinum Toxin Type A; Cerebrovascular Accident; Hemiplegia.


Robust control is often applied to systems with uncertainties and disturbances. Above all, the H∞ loop shaping method is known to achieve good control performance and robustness. In this method, the final controller consists of weighting functions and a stabilizing controller. The stabilizing controller is derived for the shaped plant to suppress the H∞ norm of the transfer matrix consisting of a sensitivity function, a complementary sensitivity function, and so on. In addition, the stabilizing controller improves robust stability margin while keeping gain characteristic of the shaped plant if weighting functions are suitable. As a result, the closed‐loop system is well‐balanced between good tracking and robustness. However, a final controller tends to be high‐order. For this problem, reduction techniques are often applied to the final controller. In this case, performance and stability is not always adequately evaluated due to errors by the controller reduction. This paper proposes a fully parameterized fixed‐order controller design method using frequency responses of the plant. We formulate a design problem for multi‐input–multi‐output systems as an optimization problem. Therefore, we can directly design a low‐order controller from frequency responses using the iterative LMI optimization. Accordingly, we can avoid to deteriorate the evaluation of performance and stability.


Introduction: Diarrhoea due to rotavirus continues to cause significant morbidity in children less than five years of age especially in developing countries. Prior to the incorporation of rotavirus vaccine in the national immunisation program the prevalence of rotavirus in stool samples of children in India has been reported to vary from 4.6-33.7%. However, there is not much data regarding the burden of rotavirus diarrhoea after the widespread use of rotavirus vaccine. Aim: To find out the extent to which rotavirus is responsible for causing infection in children under five years of age. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the Department of Microbiology, in collaboration with the Department of Paediatrics, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, among children who presented with acute gastroenteritis to the biggest tertiary care institute of the region. After seeking written consent from the parents/caretakers stool samples were collected and subjected to Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Demographic variables including vaccination status and seasonality were recorded for all the cases. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 and p-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: A rotavirus positivity of 17.2% was seen in the studied population with 31 (63.8%) patients affected being males. A total of 37 (77.1%) children belonged to the age group of 0-12 months and 27 (56.3%) of those affected were from rural areas. Diarrhoea was the most common symptom in 28 (58.3%) patients. Most of the rotavirus positive children, that is, 26 (54.2%) were not vaccinated. Majority of the cases, 34 (70.8%), were seen in winter season. Conclusion: Majority of the children who visited the hospital were not vaccinated and were rotavirus positive despite a robust vaccination program. This puts an emphasis on the need to improve the vaccination rates in order to fight this illness.


Ensuring the effective development of the business sector of the economy is an essential condition for the economically sustainable development of the national economy. Small business has a special role in this. First of all, this is due to the fact that it is small business that provides for the reduction of unemployment in various sectors of the economy, the growth of incomes of the population, contributes to the growth of tax revenues to budgets of all levels, initiates innovations. In this regard, leveling the manifestations of the deformation of the functioning of small enterprises, which have become the most common form of entrepreneurship, provides the conditions for sustainable socio-economic development of the country. The development of entrepreneurship in forestry, including small, is the most problematic in modern economic conditions. Due to the specifics of the field of activity and the lack of financial opportunities, small business in this sector of the economy demonstrates insufficient efficiency in its development, which is reflected in an increase in arrears in the budgets of all levels, an increase in the scale of shadow activity, etc. Small business development in the forest sector is one of the main conditions growth of efficiency and competitiveness of forestry, forest industry and related industries. The interaction of forest entrepreneurship and government should be developed in the forms and directions that are optimal for the forest sector: ensuring favorable conditions for the integrated, multi-purpose use of forest resources; rational, non-depleting environmental management; targeted support and state guarantee of the sustainability of the functioning of entrepreneurship in the field of forest use; growth of professionalism and competence in forestry issues; creation of forest infrastructure; reduction of deformations in the development of forest enterprises. The developed organizational model allows to ensure the attractiveness of entrepreneurial activities in the field of forest use primarily by reducing its level of deformation and shadowing.


The impact of inter-band crosstalk due to nonlinear fibre transmission on the performance of direct-detection single-sideband multi-band orthogonal frequency division multiplexing metro networks is evaluated through numerical simulation for one optical channel. Distortion powers with single-band and with five bands are compared. The number of independent signal runs required to achieve accurate performance estimates is assessed. An average over 16 independent signal runs is shown enough to guarantee an error vector magnitude (EVM) discrepancy not exceeding 0.5 dB from the average EVM obtained with 32 independent signal runs. Inter-band crosstalk due to nonlinear transmission of 5 bands over 240 km of standard single-mode fibre limits the average power at the fibre input to levels not exceeding -2.5 dBm.


The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the application of the algorithmic analysis of hybrid systems to idle speed control. This problem can be formulated as to design a safety hybrid controller. In principle, such controllers can be derived from the maximal invariant set. It is, however, hard to compute this set for a nonlinear hybrid system with both continuous control and disturbance inputs. We propose to use a class of piecewise constant control functions, which allows to develop an effective synthesis algorithm based on reachability computations. In addition, we show how assume-guarantee reasoning from automatic verification can be used to reduce the computational complexity.


We investigate the relations between the spin structure functions in the scaling and resonance regions. We examine the possible duality between the two, and draw inferences for the behavior of the asymmetry A{sub 1} at large x. Finally, we point out the importance of additional polarized structure function data in the resonance region for observing lingering effects of single quark interactions in a region where final state interactions are large. thinsp {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}


We consider the minimally coupled 3-form field which has been considered as a candidate to realize inflation. We have studied the conditions to avoid ghosts and Laplacian instabilities and found that some classes of potentials, e.g. the Mexican-hat one, will in general be unstable. We then propose other classes of potentials which are instead free from any instability, drive a long-enough slow-roll regime followed by an oscillatory epoch, and as a consequence, can provide successful inflation. Finally, we also provide stable potentials which lead to a small enough propagation speed for the scalar perturbations, giving a possibility for these models to produce non-Gaussianities.


Objective To evaluate the efficacy of bilateral deep brain stimulation(DBS) in the treatment of Parkinson′s disease(PD).Methods Six PD patients were undergone DBS, implanted electrodes to bilateral subthalamic nucleus(STN) guided by MRI, and implantable pulse generators were implanted at the same time.Results There was significant improvement in all six patients post-operation without any severe complications. The tremors disappeared completely, rigidity relaxed,gait and posture improved obviously. Especially, bilateral DBS of STN may significantly decrease the dose equivalents of levodopa.Conclusion Bilateral DBS of STN is associated with significant improvement in motor function in PD patients. It is indiciated that DBS is an effective and safe measure to treat PD.


Objective To understand the prevalence and genetic characteristics of hemagglutinin of influenza H3N2 virus in Chenzhou during the period of 2007~2009. Methods Eight H3N2 strains isolated were selected according to different time phases.RNAs were extracted and their HA1 genes were amplified by RT-PCR.The purified PCR products were sequenced and analyzed. Results Influenza H3N2 virus was dominant in Chenzhou in 2007,but as compared with influenza H1N2 virus,it was weaker during the period of 2008~2009.As compared with the vaccine strain(A/Wisconsin/67/2005) in 2007,the variation sites of influenza strains isolated in 2007 were G50E,S138A,K140I,R142G,N144D and L157S.There was a change of amino acid sequence of HA1.But as compared with the vaccine strain(A/ Brisbane/10/2007) in 2008~2009,the variation sites of influenza strains in 2008 were R142G and L157S,the variation sites of influenza strains in 2009 were L157S and K173Q.As compared with the vaccine strain,there was no significant variation observed in the amino acid sequence of HA1 in 2008~2009. Conclusions HA1 gene variation of influenza H3N2 viruses in Chenzhou in 2007 was recorded.The H3N2 subtype vaccine strain had an effective protection,which was the main cause leading to the spread of influenza.The amino acid sequence of HA1 had no distinct variation and the vaccine provided enough protection,which was the cause that the influenza H3N2 had lower activity among the population in Chenzhou during the period of 2008~2009.


In this article the field of mental retardation will be examined focusing on the changes that have taken place in this field. In so doing an attempt will be made to indicate that because of these changes, new ideas and attitudes, the role of the social worker has emerged as a very important one.


Communicative training of future service workers is a wide field for pedagogical research in the field of vocational (vocational) education. This is especially true of the training of a hairdresser - a master whose work involves close physical and emotional contact with clients and requires him to be able to build confidence, to act in each case not only technically but also psychologically competent.
The article argues for the need to form in the context of professional training of the future specialist in the field of services of his communication skills. The principles of professional interaction of the future hairdresser are formulated, which, according to the author, are the basis of productive business communication (tolerance, integrity, balance of business and personality-oriented communication, priority of client interests, cooperation and compromise, objective self-esteem). The importance of educational modeling of communicative situations as a method of adjusting the individual communicative style of the future service worker is revealed. This ability must be formed over the years, based, in particular, on the possibilities of educational modeling. We see the development of its content and methodological support as an actual direction of our further research.


Hypothesis / aims of study Intravesical Onabotulinumtoxin-A (BoNT-A) injection is considered to be a safe and effective therapeutic option for interstitial cystitis/ bladder pain syndrome (IC/ BPS), though its sustainability after only one single injection remains unsatisfactory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of repeated Intravesical BoNT-A injections in the treatment of IC/ BPS.


Pulse width modulation (PWM) is a key element of a voltage source inverter, inverter which is widely used for electric motor control and electric energy conversion. Several PWM methods have been proposed in the literature, focusing on performance, ease of implementation, and maximization of the transfer ratio. The difference between most of the proposed modulation methods like sine-triangular, SVM, and 120° - 60° - 30° Discontinuous PWM consists in the redistribution of the time-length applied for the zero voltage vectors during a fundamental frequency period. This paper presents a unified analytical equation for determining the theoretical spectra components for all the carrier based PWM methods with redistributed zero space vector time-length using the double Fourier integral analysis. The proposed unified equation can also be used for determination of the phase and line-to-line voltage spectra when the modulator works in over-modulation region. Moreover, the effect of the DC-link voltage ripple on the line-to-line voltage spectra is also considered. The experimental results show a very good agreement with the theoretically calculated spectra.


This paper provides guidelines to assist policymakers and analysts in (1) identifying promising public and private actions for promoting agricultural intensification by improving the availability and profitability of agricultural inputs; and (2) evaluating the relative costs and benefits of alternative actions. The guidelines are illustrated by reference to a study of phosphate fertilizer promotion in Mali originally conducted by IFDC researchers.


Background : Short toddlers or stunting was a condition where a person has a shorter height compared to the height of people of the same age in general. Factors that may cause stunting include poor parenting practice, lack of maternal knowledge about health and nutrition, mother giving birth, limited health services. This study aimed to analyze the effect of maternal behavior during pregnancy, education level, and socioeconomic status on stunting prevention effort. Subjects and Method : This was a cross-sectional study design. The research was conducted in the village of Bangkok, Gurah District, Kediri Regency, East Java. The study population were 72 mothers who had toddlers aged 2-3 years. The dependent variable was stunting. The independent included maternal behavior, education, and family income. The data were collected by questionnaires, then analyzed using logistic regression analysis model. Results : Prevention of stunting in children increased with good maternal behavior (OR= 2.55; 95% CI= 1.20 to 3.89; p< 0.001) and high maternal education (OR= 1.25; 95% CI= 0.27 to 2.22; p= 0.012). The relationship between prevention of stunting and family income was statistically non-significant (OR= -0.44; 95% CI= -1.90 to 1.02; p= 0.551). Conclusion : Prevention of stunting in children increases with good maternal behavior and high maternal education.


An increasing number of patients with keloids present to the plastic surgeon and dermatologist practising in a predominantly black population such as ours. The black and Asian races are more affected than Caucasians. Apart from the aesthetic, psychological and social consequences, keloids may be symptomatic, causing severe itching, pain and tenderness, restriction of chest movement (presternal keloid), sleep disturbances, infection and suppuration. The multiplicity of treatment modalities suggests that there is no satisfactory therapy, with frustration to both the patients and physician. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of the pathophysiology and the various approaches to treatment. Research efforts are still ongoing to discover more effective therapeutic intervention.