We used the high density electricity method to detect underground water conveyance tunnel in a project, then we compared the difference of apparent resistivity profiles between Schlumberger device and Winner device. Lastly, we analyzed the difference between the combined inversion method and the Levenberg-Marquardt method in Res2dinv software, and inferred the trend and depth of underground water tunnel through the results of electrical detection. Several conclusions are drawn as follows. Firstly, the resistivity anomaly of underground tubular object is more prominent in Schlumberger device than in Winner device. Secondly, the Levenberg-Marquardt inversion method which contained in Res2dinv software can easily conceal the horizontal resistivity variation characteristics of small-scale tubular anomalous body and the horizontal resolution of the original apparent resistivity profile is higher than that of the inversion result. Thirdly, the combined inversion method can improve the horizontal resolution of resistivity method for detecting tubular anomalous body with larger burial depth and smaller scale.


With recent investments in broadband network development, policymakers have devoted new attention and resources to the social, economic, and political questions surrounding broadband development. While progressive policy in this space necessarily depends on careful forward thinking, it would also benefit from more thoughtful forms of hindsight that bring the lessons of history to bear on the ongoing problems of network development. This paper re-thinks and re-grounds current broadband development efforts from the standpoint of three central challenges -- concentration, incumbency, and interconnection -- that have long shaped and limited policy efforts in the telecommunications and wider infrastructural industries. Long-term success of the sort envisioned under the National Broadband Plan and broadband stimulus programs will depend on new and better solutions to these problems.


A study of the experiments which have been made to determine the composition of atmospheres, which act extinctively upon flame, shows that in many cases the atmosphere under examination was in contact with water. The solvent action of water on the carbon dioxide present seems in such cases likely to disturb the composition of the mixture. In other cases, only the proportion of oxygen in the extinctive atmosphere was noted, and the nature of the diluent gas or gases was not taken into consideration.


In the title compound the indazole portion is planar and the nitro group and the pendant phenyl ring are coplanar within 7°. Oblique stacks along the a-axis direction are formed by π–π-stacking interactions between the indazole unit and the pendant phenyl rings of adjacent molecules. The stacks are linked into pairs through C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.


Objective: Although prevalence rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have kept decreasing in blood donors, there is little information on incidence rates of these hepatitis viruses in Japan. Methods: During 10 years from June 1994 through April 2004, 418,269 inhabitants of Hiroshima, Japan, donated blood (1,409,465 units in total). They were screened for serum markers of HBV and HCV infections, and individuals who developed de novo infections were identified. Results: Infection with HBV occurred at a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 1.78–4.14/100,000 person-years) and that with HCV at a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 1.06–3.01/100,000 person-years). Residual risks of transmission by transfusions, based on the relationship risk [window period (estimated at 0.15 and 0.03 years in chimpanzees inoculated with minimum infectious doses for HBV and HCV, respectively) × incidence], were 1/243,000 for HBV and 1/1,960,000 for HCV infections. Conclusion: At present, incidence rates of HBV and HCV infections are extremely low in Japan.


We perform a lattice calculation of the Schr\"odinger functional running coupling in SU(2) Yang-Mills theory with six massless Wilson fermions in the fundamental representation. The aim of this work is to determine whether the above theory has an infrared fixed point. Due to sensitivity of the $SF$ renormalized coupling to the tuning of the fermion bare mass we were unable to reliably extract the running coupling for stronger bare couplings.


Computer and Smart Device-assisted Learning (CSDL) has gained increasing attention from educational researchers and practitioners in recent years. However, it remains controversial whether students can benefit from CSDL and what moderators could affect the impact of CSDL. Within the specific context of Korea, where the interest in digital education is steadily increasing, the number of empirical studies exploring the causal effect of CSDL remains relatively scarce. The primary objective of this empirical study was to investigate the impact of CSDL on students' academic achievements in Korea. To achieve this objective, a two-way fixed effect model was employed, utilizing a panel dataset spanning three years derived from the "Korean Education Longitudinal Study 2013". The findings revealed a significant positive impact of CSDL on students' mathematics achievements. Notably, higher income levels, increased availability of computer resources provided by schools, and the implementation of more individualized education were identified as factors that moderate the effect of CSDL on students' achievement levels in Korean and English subjects. These findings underscore the need for an approach that optimizes the educational benefits of CSDL by considering subject-specific characteristics. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of allocating educational resources, such as computers and smart devices, and integrating individualized educational activities within the classroom environment.


The article considers the possibility of reconciliation graphics of the load and generation of renewable source of energy with the help of morphometric analysis. It is shown that inconciliation between the graphics of the load and generating of renewable sources of energy increases the irregularity of the graphics of the electrical loads. As renewable energy sources belong to conventionally driven energy sources the reconciliation of their work with the load will be organized by the moving of the graphics of the electrical loads to a maximum daily generation of renewable energy sources particularly solar power plants. As the matter of reconciliation graphics of the electrical loads and generation of renewable sources of energy morphometric analysis has been proposed. The main morphometric parameters of the graphics of the load and generation of renewable source of energy such as roundness, compactness, convexity and elongation have been analysed. According to the integral characteristics of these indicators we were able to prove the appropriateness of levelling of the graphic of electrical loads and reconciliation of the graphics of generating of the renewable sources of energy. A special software package has been created for that purpose. The software provides main morphometric parameters for the graphics of the load and generation.


This paper presents a design method for manufacturable casting parts based on topology optimization of structural assemblies, which considers the geometry requirement and the manufacturing constraint of die-set material cost. The problem formulation follows the previous work presented in multi-component topology optimization for stamped sheet metal assemblies (MTO-S). Based on the vector method combined with Heaviside function, the moldability constraints for casting parts is formulated. As the base structure of component is easily misidentified as an undercut structure by the moldability constraints in the structural assemblies, the component baseline is proposed to realize the automatic filtering of the "fake" undercut structures which can be extended to the parting line to obtain the form of two-mold design. Several numerical examples on compliance minimization of single-mold and two-mold casting parts are conducted to verify the validity of the proposed method. The optimized results show that there is no interior void for each component and the component manufacturability has been improved obviously. The setting of minimum-area bounding box (MABB) area constraint limits and the number of components will have a significant effect on the performance of the optimized structure. Users can achieve the desirable solution based on their actual demand by making trade-offs between the structural performance and manufacturing cost.


The purpose of the study is to empirically investigate the relationship between environmental concern and environmental knowledge on consumers' intention to buy green products in Indian context. Based on 220 samples, the study also tries to find out the moderating effect of price and availability of eco-friendly products on intention of consumers' to buy green. The result showed that the price of green products weakens the positive relationship between environmental concern, environmental knowledge and Indian consumers' intention to buy green products. Further, availably of the green products strengthen the positive relationship between environmental concern, environmental knowledge and Indian consumers' intention to buy green products. The results from this study help explain the attitude-behaviour gap in green consumption behaviour: why consumers may have an intention to behave in an environmentally friendly way but then do not engage in the actual behaviours. It gives insights to devise marketing strategies to encourage consumers' green buying behaviour.


Identifying Intracellular Sperm Metabolites Using HR MAS NMR Jack Tristan Pearson, Steven Reynolds, Adriana Bucur, Allan Pacey, and Martyn Paley Human Metabolism, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, Cardiovascular Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom Purpose: There have been numerous attempts to develop sperm function tests to assist the diagnosis of male infertility, but none have been adopted clinically. 1H NMR has previously been used to identify biomarkers of male fertility in seminal plasma [1] and to differentiate between spermatogenic failure and obstructive azoospermia [2]. NMR has also been used to observe the effects of environmental toxins on sperm function and semen quality in primates [3]. Given that there is a need for improved tests of sperm function, we used HR MAS to measure sperm metabolite concentrations after incubation at two temperatures and in the presence of absence of α-chlorohydrin (ACH) – an inhibitor of glycolysis, to see if changes in metabolite concentrations could be detected.  Methods: Boar sperm of high quality and motility were prepared by washing through isotonic Percoll gradients using density centrifugation before being re-suspended in 1ml Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS). All experiments were conducted using a Bruker Avance III 9.4T Scanner with HR MAS probe. In all experiments 40μl of sperm sample was placed into a 4mm HR MAS zirconium rotor along with 10μl 20mM Trimethylsilyl Propionic Acid reference compound. Rotor frequency was 3000Hz at 39°C. 1H Watergate excitation sculpting pulse sequence was used (zgppw5; NS=8; DS=2; SWH=8223.685; AQ=0.6; D1=0.6). For the temperature experiments, sperm from 8 individual boars were incubated at either 21°C or 39°C for 3 hours. For the inhibition experiments, sperm from 8 individual boars were incubated in 1ml 50mM ACH in PBS for 1 hour before scanning. The data were processed using the Bruker Topspin package. Assignment of metabolite peaks was performed by comparison to the literature [4, 5] and an online spectral database.  Results: Figure A shows representative spectra of boar sperm metabolites after 3 hour incubation at 21°C (Blue) & 39°C (Red), difference (Green). Figure B shows significant increases in acetate (p<0.01), glutamine (p<0.05) & glucose (p<0.05) were detected in sperm incubated at 39°C. Figure C shows representative metabolite spectra before (Blue), and after (Red) inhibition of glycolysis with ACH, difference (Green). Peaks seen at 3.7ppm in the ACH treated sample (Figure CRed) are associated with ACH itself. There was a significant decrease in lactate (p<0.001) when motility was inhibited with ACH (T) compared to an untreated sample (UT) (Figure D).  Discussion: HR-MAS successfully detects changes in metabolite concentrations at different temperatures and following incubation with ACH. The significant decrease in lactate when ACH is added is consistent with the theory that glycolysis plays a significant role in pig sperm metabolism [6]. The significant increase in acetate when temperature is increased may be explained by its formation from pyruvate in the sperm of many species [5]. The significant increase in glutamine could be related to its influence on sperm motility in mammals [7].The difference in glucose peaks cannot be explained. Future work will examine metabolites in human sperm and their role as biomarkers of infertility, including assessing the intracellular metabolites of fertile and infertile men. 1.Gupta, A., et al., (1)H NMR spectroscopic studies on human seminal plasma: A probative discriminant function analysis classification model. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011. 54(1): p. 106-113. 2.Hamamah, S., et al., Quantification by magnetic resonance spectroscopy of metabolites in seminal plasma able to differentiate different forms of azoospermia. Human Reproduction, 1998. 13(1): p. 132-135. 3.Hung, P.-h., et al., Effects of environmental tobacco smoke in vivo on rhesus monkey semen quality, sperm function, and sperm metabolism. Reproductive Toxicology, 2009. 27(2): p. 140-148. 4.Lin, C.-Y., et al., (1)H NMR to investigate metabolism and energy supply in rhesus macaque sperm. Reproductive Toxicology, 2009. 28(1): p. 75-80. 5.Jones, A.R. and W.A. Bubb, Substrates for endogenous metabolism by mature boar spermatozoa. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, 2000. 119(1): p. 129-135. 6.Bedford, J.M. and D.D. Hoskins, The mammalian spermatozoon: morphology, biochemistry and physiology. Marshall's physiology of reproduction. Volume 2: reproduction in the male., 1990: p. 379-568. 7.Manuela Francou, M., J.R. Hombrebueno, and J. De Juan, Identification and cellular location of glutamine synthetase in human sperm. Cell and Tissue Research, 2012. 350(1): p. 183-187.  (d (A)


Cyclone is the one of the dust-separating mechanism that using centrifugal force. Performance of the cyclone is indicated by pressure loss and collection efficiency. Sometimes, Multi-cyclone is used to improve the collection efficiency in limited area. In this case, install the guide-vane in the 1st cyclone's vortex finder in order to reduce the additional pressure loss. In this study, we have found that the shape of guide vane can affect the reduction effect of multi cyclone's pressure loss. And this effect can be varied by the diameter and length of vortex finder and the flow direction between 1st cyclone and 2nd cyclones.


Managing change is about handling the complexity of the process. It is about evaluating, planning and implementing operations, tactics and strategies and making sure that the change is worthwhile and relevant. The aim of this study was to establish the role of change management on the performance of public institutions in Kenya. The study also sought to establish the effects of information technology, innovation, employees' motivation and management skills on the performance of Kenyatta National Hospital. This study used descriptive research design. The target population of this study was 158 management staff working at Kenyatta National Hospital. This study used a stratified random sampling to select 30% of the target population. The sample size of this study was therefore 48 respondents. The study established that information technology has significant potential to improve patient safety and organizational efficiency. Innovation in healthcare continues to be a driving force in the quest to balance cost containment and health care quality. The study also found that employees' motivation improves service delivery and quality of healthcare in the hospital, increases revenue, reduces accidents and leads


Two experiments used 184 pigs (PIC, 22.7 and 21.3 lb BW, respectively) to develop an available P (aP) release curve for commercial phytase products. In Exp. 1 and 2, pigs were fed a basal diet (0.06% aP) and 2 levels of added aP from inorganic P (monocalcium P) to develop a standard curve. In Exp. 1, 100, 175, 250, or 500 phytase units (FTU)/kg OptiPhos (Enzyvia LLC, Sheridan, IN) or 200, 350, 500 or 1,000 FTU/kg Phyzyme XP (Danisco Animal Nutrition, Marlborough, UK) was added to the basal diet. In Exp. 2, 250, 500, 750, or 1,000 FTU/kg OptiPhos; 500, 1,000, or 1,500 FTU/kg Phyzyme XP; or 1,850 or 3,700 phytase units (FYT)/kg Ronozyme P (DSM Nutritional Products, Basel, Switzerland), was added to the basal diet. Manufacturerguaranteed phytase levels were used in diet formulation. Diets were analyzed for phytase using both the Phytex and AOAC methods. Pigs were blocked by sex and weight and allotted to individual pens with 8 pens per treatment. Pigs were euthanized on d 21, and fibulas were analyzed for bone ash. In Exp. 1, pigs fed increasing monocalcium P had improved (linear; P = 0.01) ADG, G/F, and percentage bone ash. Similarly, pigs fed increasing monocalcium P in Exp. 2 tended to have improved (quadratic; P = 0.09) ADG in addition to significantly improved (linear; P ≤ 0.001) G/F and percentage bone ash. In Exp. 1, pigs fed increasing OptiPhos had increased (linear; P ≤ 0.02) ADG, G/F, and percentage bone ash. Likewise, pigs fed increasing OptiPhos in Exp. 2 had improved (linear; P ≤ 0.001) ADG and G/F, as well as increased (quadratic; P ≤ 0.001) percentage bone ash. In Exp. 1, pigs fed increasing Phyzyme XP had increased (linear; P ≤ 0.04) ADG and G/F and tended to have improved (linear; P = 0.06) percentage bone ash. Pigs fed increasing Phyzyme XP in Exp. 2 had increased (quadratic; P ≤ 0.001) G/F and percentage bone ash. In Exp. 2, pigs fed increasing Ronozyme P had improved (linear; P ≤ 0.001) ADG in addition to increased (quadratic; P ≤ 0.03) G/F and percentage bone ash. When AOAC analyzed values and bone ash are used as the response variable, aP release for up to 1,000 FTU/kg of Escherichia coli-derived phytases (OptiPhos and Phyzyme XP) can be predicted by the equation (y = -0.000000125x2 + 0.000236245x + 0.015482000), where x is the phytase level in the diet.


Objective
To investigate the feasibility of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) combined with type Ⅱ collagen- hyaluronic acid- oxidized chondroitin sulfate (Col Ⅱ-HA-OCS) biomimetic hydrogel to repair articular cartilage defect in porcine and the role of the transplanted cells played in the process of cartilage repair.

Methods
A articular cartilage defect model which remaining cartilage calcified zone was created in the knee of Bama minipigs, the autologous BMSCs was used as seeds for transplantation and was labeled by the 5, 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFDA SE). Animals were randomly divided into three groups: Group A (blank group) was left untreated, group B (cell-free biomimetic hydrogel group) was filled with biomimetic hydrogel and group C (BMSCs combined with biomimetic hydrogel group) was filled with the CFDA SE labeled autologous BMSCs combined with biomimetic hydrogel. One month after the operation, BrdU labeled liquid was injected intravenously into the animals 24 h and 48 h before specimens were taken from the executed animals. Partial cartilage repaired tissue in Group C was taken, cryosectioned and stained with DAPI and BrdU immunofluorescence. Confocal laser scanning microscope was used to observe and count the cells. Specimens of the three groups were analyzed through gross observation and histological staining, and scored according to the international cartilage repair society (ICRS) gross morphological score and ICRS histological score.

Results
Laser scanning confocal microscopy showed (97.3±2.6)% of the cells were derived from the implanted BMSCs in repaired tissue and that the ratio of these cells with proliferative capacity was (76.6±2.5)%. Gross observation suggested most of the cartilage defect areas in Group C were filled with ivory tissue, but those in Group A and B were still obvious depression. Histological staining showed the cartilage defect areas in Group C were filled with cartilage like tissue, which was well integrated with the surrounding normal cartilage, presented a few cartilage lacunas could be seen, and had contents of Col Ⅱ and glycosaminoglycan similar with the adjacent normal cartilage. There was almost no filler in the defect area in Group A. There was little fibrous tissue in the defect area in Group B. ICRS gross score was (8.3±1.0)points in Group C, higher than that in Group A [(0.5±0.6)points] and Group B [(2.3±0.5)points] (P<0.05). ICRS histological score was (10.3±2.4)points in Group C, higher than that in Group A [(0.5±0.6)points] and Group B [(4.5±1.0)points] (P<0.05).

Conclusions
BMSCs combined with Col Ⅱ-HA-OCS biomimetic hydrogel for repairing porcine articular cartilage defects can achieve satisfactory results. Implanted BMSCs are the main component of the cell composition in the repaired tissue and gradually differentiated into chondrocytes.

Key words:
Cartilage; Mesenchymal stem cells; Collagen type Ⅱ; Bone regeneration


Loaded with practical knowledge, "Reactive Polymers Fundamentals and Applications: A Concise Guide to Industrial Polymers" comprehensively presents the state-of-art of methods and materials for the formulation of polymeric resins. It is an indispensable tool for chemists, engineers, and manufacturers who use, formulate, and cure raw materials into final products. The text focuses on the chemical modification of properties during the final stage of part fabrication from plastics. Newer applications range from the small scale, such as dental fillings, to industrial processes for batch fabrication. The book covers resin groups in major use in industry and under active research and development.


Morphometric differentiations may explain biogeographic distinctions among populations of a given species. The possibility of morphometric distinctions between two populations of Eurygaster maura L. collected from the northeast (Golestan province) and the northwest (Azarbayejan province) of Iran was examined using principal component analysis over 25 body measurements (eight absolute and 17 proportional, separately). The northeast individuals were relatively larger and darker in colour than those of the northwest; total body lengths of the former were 13.56 ± 0.49 and 13.25± 0.38 mm (female and male, respectively), and the respective values for the latter were 12.74 ± 0.39 and 12.63 ± 0.49 mm. Generally, proportional indices including genital width had positively the highest contributions to population discrimination. Different habitats and climatic conditions may explain, in part, these morphological variations between the studied populations. Key words: Eurygaster maura, Heteroptera, population differentiation, biogeography, morphometrics, Iran. Introduction In the genus Eurygaster Laporte, similar to the rest of the Heteroptera, the main diagnostic character is the male genitalia (1, 2, 9, 14, 15, 16). Within the species, morphological differences among populations may explain a bio-ecological distinction. In the well-known sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton, morphometric differences among populations have been investigated by Bryantseva (3), who demonstrated three different population-groups from five studied populations. Sarafrazi (13) also showed seven distinct clusters of sunn pest populations collected from 16 different localities in Iran, based on morphometric indices. Distribution of E. maura in Iran has been reported by Safavi (12), Brown & Eralp (2), and Mohaghegh (8). There are two main distribution areas in the country: Azarbayejan 1Plant Pest & Disease Research Institute, P.O. Box 1454, 19395 Tehran, Iran e-mail: email@example.com Mohaghegh: Morphometric analysis of two populations of Eurygaster … 2 ÎÍÑ (northwest) and Golestan provinces (northeast);p each of them represents its specific climate. To the best of my knowledge, there are, however, no publications dealing with the population differentiation of E. maura, at least from statistical point of view. Specimens of E. maura collected from these regions seemed differently in size and colour. The objectives of this study are first to examine whether a distinct morphological difference exists between the two populations, and secondly, if so, to identify characters contributing this differentiation using statistical approaches. Materials and methods Populations of E. maura collected from the northeast (Gorgan, Golestan province, 160 m.a.s.l.) and the northwest (Tabriz, East Azarbayejan province, 1362 m.a.s.l.) were subjected to a morphometric study. For each population, 50 adult specimens (25 ♀ and 25 ♂) were examined and continuous variables measured using an ocular micrometer (± 0.1 mm). Measurements used for statistical analyses are illustrated in fig.1. Up to eight absolute and to 17 proportional measurements were analysed using t-test and principal component analysis (PCA) from the SPSS software (6). Figure 1. Measurements used for morphometric study of E. maura. (AW, abdominal width; BL, body length; PL, length of pronotum; PW, width of pronotum; GL. length of genital segment; GW, width of genital segment; XL, length of gonocoxite VIII; XW, width of gonocoxite VIII). Journal of Entomological Society of Iran. 25 (1), 2005 1 æåÒ Results and discussion In general, bugs from the northeast were larger and darker in colour than those from the northwest of the country. Means of body measurements for females and males are shown in table 1. All absolute measurements were significantly different between two populations (ttest; P< 0.001), except for the width of the female genital segment which was borderly significant (P = 0.053). The darker colour of the northeast individuals can be a considerable remark to distinguish the populations. McQuillan and Ek (7) in their study on Oreixenica ptunarra Couchman (Lep.: Nymphalidae) stated that butterflies from warmer, less cloudy eastern Tasmania, were larger and less dark in colour than those form the west. The northeast population of E. maura occurs in a relatively-humid subtropical climate with mild winters, whereas the northwest population inhabits a relatively-humid temperate climate with cold winters (11). Annual average of mean daily temperature and annual total of sunshine were 17.9 °C and 1973.7 h for Gorgan, and 11.8 °C and 2757.3 h for Tabriz, respectively (data from the Meteorological Organization of Iran). Therefore, larger and darker individuals may reflect the warmer and cloudy climate of the northeast, compared with smaller and brighter bugs from the northwest representing temperate and less cloudy weather. Table 1. Mean ± SD body measurements of two E. maura populations from northeast (NE) and northwest of Iran (NW). Measurement Female Male NE (n = 25) NW (n = 25) NE (n = 25) NW (n = 25) BL 13.56 ± 0.49 a 12.74 ± 0.39 b 13.25 ± 0.38 a 12.63 ± 0.49 b AW 8.78 ± 0.25 a 8.07 ± 0.18 b 8.72 ± 0.29 a 8.16 ± 0.27 b PW 8.25 ± 0.24 a 7.67 ± 0.23 b 8.13 ± 0.28 a 7.65 ± 0.27 b PL 3.88 ± 0.14 a 3.59 ± 0.12 b 3.80 ± 0.12 a 3.58 ± 0.14 b GW 2.85 ± 0.11 a 2.79 ± 0.11 a 2.04 ± 0.08 a 1.92 ± 0.06 b GL 1.50 ± 0.09 a 1.37 ± 0.06 b 1.14 ± 0.06 a 1.04 ± 0.05 b XW 1.82 ± 0.08 a 1.77 ± 0.09 b XL 0.73 ± 0.06 a 0.63 ± 0.07 b 1 See fig. 1 for abbreviations. 2 For each sex, means followed by different letters in a row are significantly different (t-test, P<0.001). Results of PC Analyses are summarized in table 2, showing the coefficients of correlation of each index with each component. They, however, indicated the relationship between the original variables. In general, proportional indices including genital width (GW) had positively the highest contributions to PC-Is of both sexes. First two components together covered 58.13 and 62.39% of the overall variance in females and males, respectively. 3


The complex and constantly changing epizootic situation for a number of especially dangerous and socially significant infectious animal diseases, such as anthrax, foot and mouth disease, african swine fever, avian influenza, etc., puts forward important tasks for veterinary and sanitary science aimed at ensuring food, biological and environmental safety of the country, including bioterrorism and man-made disasters. The article presents the directions of fundamental research work and organizational measures, the implementation of which is advisable to solve important strategic issues to ensure the protection of animal and human health from especially dangerous diseases and food-borne diseases, biological, ecological and food security of our country.


The need for people to protect themselves and their assets is as old as humankind. People's physical safety and their possessions have always been at risk from deliberate attack or accidental damage. The advance of information technology means that many individuals, as well as corporations, have an additional range of physical (equipment) and electronic (data) assets that are at risk. Furthermore, the increased number and types of interactions in cyberspace has enabled new forms of attack on people and their possessions. Consider grooming of minors in chat-rooms, or Nigerian email cons: minors were targeted by paedophiles before the creation of chat-rooms, and Nigerian criminals sent the same letters by physical mail or fax before there was email. But the technology has decreased the cost of many types of attacks, or the degree of risk for the attackers. At the same time, cyberspace is still new to many people, which means they do not understand risks, or recognise the signs of an attack, as readily as they might in the physical world. The IT industry has developed a plethora of security mechanisms, which could be used to mitigate risks or make attacks significantly more difficult. Currently, many people are either not aware of these mechanisms, or are unable or unwilling or to use them. Security experts have taken to portraying people as "the weakest link" in their efforts to deploy effective security [e.g. Schneier, 2000]. However, recent research has revealed at least some of the problem may be that security mechanisms are hard to use, or be ineffective. The review summarises current research on the usability of security mechanisms, and discusses options for increasing their usability and effectiveness.


This dissertation includes (a) a theoretical review of the pion production by electrons and its subsequent application to the study of nucleon structure, and (b) a theoretical analysis of the bremsstrahlung process with regard to its supplementary role in the analysis of (a), as well as other applications. In addition, the electron itself can be studied. Modification of the theory by the addition of finite size distributions for the electron's charge and current,


Immunization is very important aspect of a healthy childhood. It is the major key to ensure health of a child and to secure the future health of the child. It is among the foremost responsibility of the parents to get their child immunized. The aim of the present study is to assess the knowledge and practices of mothers of infants regarding immunization. The objectives of the present study are as stated below: 1. To assess the knowledge of immunization among mothers of infants. 2. To assess practices regarding immunization among mothers of infants. 3. To associate findings with selected variables i.e. age, education, occupation, number of children and area of residence. For the assessment and practices regarding immunization among mothers of infants a self-structured questionnaire comprising of 15 questions for assessing knowledge and 10 questions for assessing practices of mothers was used to evaluate knowledge and practices. The results shows that among 50 mothers of infants, the knowledge about immunization was poor among majority of Subjects, while comparing with practices regarding immunization was relatively good in the selected subjects. According to associations with selected demographical variables such as age, education, occupation, number of children and area of residence it was significantly associated with age, education, occupation and area of residence while association was nonsignificant with number of children. The overall findings depict that there was poor knowledge regarding immunization among the mothers of infants attending pediatrics OPD at Bebe Nanaki Mother and Child Care Center, Guru Nanak Hospital, Amritsar. But the scores for practice regarding immunization was quite contrary to the knowledge scores as the majority shows good practices for immunization among the same study subjects.


Communication is a way to share information, develop culture, and interact in society. Computing technologies and collaborative systems have contributed to improving access to communication for people in an inclusive process. This research is an extension of the article "iLibras as a Facilitator in the Effective Communication of the Deaf: A Mobile Cooperative Tool." This research presents an approach to support the communication of deaf people and Libras communicators through collaborative and mobile computing tools. The research methods design science research (DSR), interaction design (ID), user-centered design (UCD), and participatory design (PD) are adopted in this paper. Therefore, it was possible to explore knowledge to understand the users better as well as to build computing resources to facilitate communication with deaf people.


Three classes of ozone sounders have been developed since the first Echo Satellite measurements in 1960. They are the (1) backscatter ultraviolet (b.u.v.), (2) infrared limb and nadir radiance, and (3) stellar and solar occultation methods. With these techniques, ozone has been measured from 20 to 100 km. Tropospheric ozone measurements are beyond present technology, bu t total ozone is determined with the b.u.v. and nadir infrared methods.


Th e organization of religion in modern, industrialized, Western countries, where state and religion are structurally separate, has led to an increase in tolerance for religious pluralism and to the mitiga tion of conflict not only between different religions, but also between different denominations within the same religious group ing. The reason for this, according to Peter Berger, is that religion's plausibility structure is becoming less relevant to the entire societal plausibility structure, although retaining significance for individu als in society.1 An example of this is the three main denominations of Judaism in the United States. There, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism (in ascending order of adherence to traditional Jewish doctrine) are very much tolerant of one another, despite the basic differences in their belief structures. While Marshall Sklare notes that this is partially due to the cohesive, ethnic aspects of Judaism, especially in confrontation with non-Jews in the United States, this can only be so in a society not governed by religious adherence.2 Societies in which religion plays a relatively important part in determining societal behavior, as the case of Iran demonstrates, carry with it the seeds for severe conflict and turmoil. Religious conflict, based as it is on an ideological plane, makes compromise much more difficult to achieve, for the very act of compromise (or the self-perception that one is compromising) can undermine the religious doctrine. The problem of tension between religious groups is exacerbated when religion and state are intertwined, and it is in this context that the case at hand—the religious situation in Israel— is discussed.


This paper describes an automated self commissioning procedure for voltage referenced voltage fed vector controlled induction motor drives. A method for off-line determination of machine electrical parameters is presented. The measurement of the motor electrical variables at standstill time-domain test is used as an identification procedure base. Experimental results achieved with a 10 HP induction motor drive show good agreement between estimated and nominal electrical parameters. The proposed strategy is compared with other identification mechanisms, previously described in the literature, that have been improved with a proposed off-line current-dependent /spl sigma/L/sub s/ adaptation mechanism to obtain better accuracy. Results show similar behaviour using both identification schemes although the proposed scheme requires simpler tests.


ABSTRACT: Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) induces proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. Additionally, rhGM-CSF enhances the physiologic responses of adult polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) especially with respect to oxidative metabolism and chemotaxis. Neonatal PMN are deficient in chemotaxis and have been demonstrated to have reduced oxidative responses in times of stress. We evaluated the priming effects of rhGMCSF (1-100 pmol/L) on cord (neonatal) superoxide production and chemotaxis. Cord and adult PMN were incubated with 100 pmol/L rhGM-CSF (Amgen, 4 × 107 U/mg) for 0-120 min and stimulated with N-formyl-1-methionyl- 1-leucyl-phenylalanine. RhGM-CSF enhanced O2− production at all time periods with maximal priming at 60 min (147.97 ± 11.14% p ≤ 0.006) with less, but significant enhancement at 120 min (116.53 ± 7.92% p ≤ 0.05). Maximal adult PMN O2− release occurred at 120 min (190.02 ± 8.71% p ≤ 0.003) and was more pronounced than cord PMN. RhGM-CSF (100 pmol/L × 30 min) incubation of cord PMN also primed for increased PMN O2− release after zymosan-activated serum stimulation (p ≤ 0.05) but not PMA (p = NS). Co-incubating cord PMNs with 100 pmol/L rhGM-CSF and a murine anti-human GM-CSF antibody (0-100 mcg/ml) resulted in 95% inhibition of the priming effect of rhGM-CSF enhancement of cord PMN (V release. RhGM-CSF, primed cord PMN for enhanced chemotaxis during early incubation (5 min) with both N-formyl-1-methionyl-l-leucyl-phenylalanine (10∼8 M) and Escherichia coli filtrate (113.54 ± 6.11% p ≤ 0.025 and 110.84 ± 4.69% p ≤ 0.001), respectively, but not at 30-min or 60-min incubation. These studies suggest that rhGM-CSF similarly primes neonatal PMN like adult PMN for enhanced in vitro PMN oxidative responses and chemotaxis.


The article is a source study of a number of administrative documents on the history of school construction. The documents are preserved in the collection of the Office of Director of Russian Settlement in the Uriankhai Territory for the years 1907-1921. They illustrate the rise of schools in what came to be the Republic of Tuva – the rise which gave a powerful impetus to the further development of education in the People's Republic of Tuva. 914 archival units of documentation are comprised into four units of opis' (1-3 and 5) within Fond 123 at the National Archives (prior to 07.04.2020 known as the State Archives) of the Republic of Tuva.All in all, the documents belong to the category of administrative documentation. They are relatively well-preserved, with the largest part handwritten, and a small section typewritten. In their volume and number of archival units, the opis' materials are quite variegated: they include presentations, correspondence, newspaper clippings, memos, registers, employee files, plans, reports and cost sheets. The file "On appointing teachers to work at the settlements of the Uriankhai Territory" is of special interest for researchers.Almost every aspect of the Resettlement Agency's work concerning school construction can be seen in 29 documents from Opis' 3 and 5, which include meeting proceedings, protocols, presentations, nomination documents, cash advanced reports, etc.Shedding light on a little-known set of unpublished historical sources will allow us to expand the horizon of studies in the history of education in Tuva.


Objective To explore mild hypothermia treatment on mechanical ventilation of acute lung injury(ALI) with chesttrauma and its mechanism.Methods 137 patients with chest trauma and ALI were divided into mild hypothermia and control groups,statistied mechanical ventilation time and parameter,the local of IL-6 lung tissue,and plasma procalcitonin(PCT),respiratory airway closed the legal assessed lung compliance changes,the monitored body of oxygen were recorded and analyzed.Results Compared with the control group,mild hypothermia group shortened the duration of mechanical ventilation and ventilator support,IL-6 and PCT decreased,lung compliance and arterial oxygen tension increased,alveolar-arterial oxygen declined,improved lung function,there was significant difference(P0.05).Conclusion Mild hypothermia on the chest trauma and ALI mechanical ventilation had a positive impact on the improvement of lung function,which may be related with anti-inflammatory and the improvement of oxygen.


This paper addresses the division of all trading, and investigates the cross-sectional variations in the return of stocks with different levels of trading activity by institutions and individuals. I find that institutions as a group do not gain more than their trading partners do. While over the entire sample period neither institutions nor individuals consistently earn superior gains by trading, there are more times and stronger evidence of comparative advantage of individuals. I also find that a plausible explanation for the lack of institutional trading advantage is that they mistime the momentum cycle: Institutions hold on to momentum trading too long thereby fail to exploit the return potential which trading on momentum offers. My findings challenge the mainstream view that institutions are information traders and individuals are noise traders.


Presents our approach to upgrading standard robots in industrial use with a 3 DOF micro positioning system (MPS) to compete with expensive high precision robots in assembling tasks. The autonomous MPS consisting of different microsystems is placed between the robot's hand and the gripper. The static positioning and feeding displacements as well as the tolerances of the object's dimensions and the dynamic robot vibrations are sensed with the MPS's miniature sensor system. The correction movement is done by the MPS's micro piezo actuators. Thus reaching an accuracy of about 10 microns and a reduction of the mounting cycle time. The high precision can be reached because the MPS is focused on the movement of the object to be mounted and the position of the target. The MPS is a flexible system, that can be used with different kinds of robots, because neither the robot's control system nor the robot itself has to be changed.


Renewed interest has been devoted to the study of the crystallographic and physical properties of the ternary intermetallic compounds RTX with R = rare earth metals, T = nd transition metals and X = Si, Ge or Sn. For the time being, more than 1000 intermetallic RTX compounds are known. They crystallize in more than 30 different crystal structures. Detailed structural analysis of 100 ternary rare earth equiatomic intermetallic compounds RTX with X = Si and Ge was carried out by Hovestreydt et al.


Abstract. Two new species of Halictophagidae, Halictophagus crassiartus n. sp. and Coriophagus hansoni n. sp. are described from material collected in Malise traps in Costa Rica. Coriophagus hansoni n. sp. is the first in that genus from Central America and the second Coriophagus species from the New World. Halictophagus crasiartus n. sp. is the second species described from Costa Rica in this genus and the third in Central America. The characters used to separate Coriophagus and Halictophagus are discussed in light of the new species descriptions.


Histamine has been converted into a non‐imidazole H3‐receptor histamine antagonist by addition of a 4‐phenylbutyl group at the Nα‐position followed by removal of the imidazole ring. The resulting compound, N‐ethyl‐N‐(4‐phenylbutyl)amine, remarkably has a Ki = 1.3 μM as an H3 antagonist. Using this as a lead compound, a novel series of homologous O and S isosteric tertiary amines was synthesised and structure‐activity studies furnished N‐(5‐phenoxypentyl)pyrrolidine (Ki = 0.18 ± 0.10 μM, for [3H]histamine release from rat cerebral cortex synaptosomes) which, more importantly, was active in vivo. Substitution of NO2 into the para position of the phenoxy group gave N‐(5‐p‐nitrophenoxypentyl)pyrrolidine, UCL 1972 (Ki = 39 ± 11 nM), ED50 = 1.1 ± 0.6 mg/kg per os in mice on brain tele‐methylhistamine levels.


The present invention relates to a burner with low nitrogen oxide emission with recycle gas circuit comprising at least two conduits generally concentric feeding fuel and primary combustion air representing a maximum of 15% of the total air , which ducts together form a nozzle (1) of axis XX 'at the output of which can realize the start of combustion (2) and around which there is fed secondary air (3) representing at least 85% of the total air and having a temperature of over 500 degreC; said burner includes at least four independent supply circuits of which feeds an annular duct (4) surrounding the assembly (1) of said ducts fuel feed and primary air, into which is injected gas oxygen-depleted, and outside which is fed secondary air (3), the outlet (5) of said annular conduit (4) being offset radially relative to the conduit concentric nozzle of the outermost (1 ) by an annular hub having a thickness d of at least 25 mm and 3 to 8% of the diameter D of said nozzle.


LIN network (600) includes a transmit driver for communicating on a single communication bus (615) (610). Slope control module (650) is operatively coupled to the supply voltage (640), when the voltage transition, based on the detected power supply voltage, the first voltage transition mode comprising a fixed DV / DT slope transition, or controlling the selectively applied to as the transmit driver (610) one of the second voltage transition mode comprising a fixed time transition.


Based on the conventional analytic theories for shear lag,distorsion and restrained torsion of the thin-wall box girders,an analytic calculation mode of the general concrete box girders for high-speed railway is established.By means of the finite element numerical method,the laws of stress distribution in the cross sections of the box girders and other related critical influential factors are analyzed,and the conception of enlargement coefficients for the distorsion and restrained torsion of the box girders for double-track high-speed railway is put forward in accordance with the general design of the girders.


Objective:To block the expression of Livin gene by RNA interference combined with cisplatin,investigate the suppressive effect to Livin gene of Hela cells.Methods:Recombinant plasmids-pGenesil-1-BIRC71,pGenesil-1-BIRC72 and pGenesil-1-HK were transfected into Hela cells,and added cisplatin with different concentrations(3 μg/ml,6 μg/ml,9.9 μg/ml) to observe the inhibition of Livin in Hela cells,the expressions of Livin gene mRNA and protein were detected by fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot.The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry after 24 hours and 48 hours.Results:After transfection,mRNA and protein levels of Livin gene were obviously reduced,the apoptosis rate in transfection group was significantly higher than that in control group(P0.05).The apoptosis rate detected by flow cytometry increased significantly after adding cisplatin(3 μg/ml,6 μg/ml,9.9 μg/ml)(P0.05).The apoptosis rate increased dependent on the dose and time.Conclusion:RNA interference can inhibit the expression of Livin gene in Hela cells and enhance the apoptosis effect induced by cisplatin,presenting time and dose dependence.


In this work, the hydrogen fatigue of pipeline steel X60, its girth welds and weld defects were investigated through in situ fatigue testing. A novel in situ gaseous hydrogen charging fatigue set-up was developed, which involves a sample geometry that mimics a small-scale pipeline with high internal hydrogen gas pressure. The effect of hydrogen was investigated by measuring the crack initiation and growth, using a direct current potential drop (DCPD) set-up, which probes the outer surface of the specimen. The base and weld metal specimens both experienced a reduction in fatigue life in the presence of hydrogen. For the base metal, the reduction in fatigue life manifested solely in the crack growth phase; hydrogen accelerated the crack growth by a factor of 4. The crack growth rate for the weld metal accelerated by a factor of 8. However, in contrast to the base metal, the weld metal also experienced a reduction of 57% in resistance to crack initiation. Macropores (>500 µm in size) on the notch surface reduced the fatigue life by a factor of 11. Varying the pressure from 70 barg to 150 barg of hydrogen caused no difference in the hydrogen fatigue behavior of the weld metal. The fracture path of the base and weld metal transitioned from transgranular and ductile in nature to a mixed-mode transgranular and intergranular quasi-cleavage fracture. Hydrogen accelerated the crack growth by decreasing the roughness- and plasticity-induced crack closure. The worst case scenario for pipelines was found in the case of weld defects. This work therefore highlights the necessity to re-evaluate pipelines for existing defects before they can be reused for hydrogen transport.


The purposes of this research were, firstly, to study the level of self-regulation, adversity quotient, intrinsic motivation and academic success of sophomores at Kasetsart University, Bang Khen campus. Secondly, it compared academic success of sophomores at Kasetsart University, Bang Khen campus by their personal factors.Thirdly, it analyzed the correlation between self-regulation, adversity quotient, intrinsic motivation, and academic success of sophomores at Kasetsart University, Bang Khen campus. Samples were 379 sophomores at Kasetsart University, Bang Khen campus. Data were collected by questionnaires. Results indicated that self-regulation, adversity quotient, and academic success were at high level but intrinsic motivation was at moderate level. Sophomores who differed in mother's occupation had significant differences in academic success at the 0.05 statistical significance level. Self-regulation, adversity quotient, and intrinsic motivation showed positive correlations with academic success at the 0.001 statistical significance level.


Generating SQL queries through natural language is a way to both reduce the cost of learning SQL for users and improve the efficiency of data queries, and has attracted great interest in recent years. To address this problem, the text proposes a new approach: building feature vectors by linking question and table contents, then building a classification model on top of a pretrained BERT for fine-tuning, and breaking down the Text2SQL process into multiple sub-processes based on template populated multi-classification, using both a general classification model and a conditional value classification model to generate SQL. The conditional value model relies on the results of the general classification model and is optimized using an exhaustive combination. This approach was tested on the WikiSQL dataset and yielded at least 9.8% improvement in accuracy and very good results on the decomposed subtasks, with an accuracy of 85.3% on the test set.


6‐Hydroxynicotinate 3‐monooxygenase (NicC) is a group A flavin dependent monooxygenase (FDM) that catalyzes the regioselective decarboxylative hydroxylation of 6‐HNA into 2,5‐dihydroxypyridine (DHP) with the concomitant oxidation of NADH to NAD+. This enzyme‐catalyzed reaction involves three segments: (1) substrate binding, (2) FAD reduction by NADH, and (3) hydroxylation‐decarboxylation of 6‐HNA through a hydroperoxy‐flavin intermediate. Past studies have shown that NicC can catalyze this reaction with alternate aromatic substrates including 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid (4‐HBA), a substrate analogue with a homocyclic ring (i.e. lacking the ring nitrogen). However, 4‐HBA is bound weakly (355 ± 66 μM) and only 50% of the reaction progresses to substrate hydroxylation, versus hydroperoxy‐flavin degradation to H2O2, suggesting the importance of the ring nitrogen in the coupling efficiency of NicC. To further explore the role of the ring nitrogen, the efficiency of the reaction with coumalic acid (CA) was determined. The NicC‐CA dissociation constant measured by monitoring the change in absorbance at 450nm (flavin) shows that NicC binds CA (Kd = 5 ± 1 μM) 10x more tightly than 6‐HNA (Kd = 58 ± 12 μM). Binding of CA by NicC is an isothermal process (∆H = 0), indicating that it is driven by a favorable change in entropy. Analysis of the reaction products by Q‐TOF MS indicates that NicC catalyzes the decarboxylative hydroxylation of CA into 5‐hydroxy‐2H‐pyrane‐2‐one. However, coupling experiments by HPLC analysis and detection of H2O2 by a fluorescence assay both indicate that the reaction with CA is highly uncoupled with only minor 5‐hydroxy‐2H‐pyrane‐2‐one formation. Steady‐state kinetic analyses show that CA bound to NicC enhances its rate of NADH oxidation 16‐fold (by comparison, 6‐HNA enhances the rate of NicC NADH oxidation 30‐fold). Transient state kinetic analyses by stopped flow under anaerobic conditions to permit single‐turnover kinetics shows that, unlike in the binding of 6‐HNA, the binding of CA does not enable the formation of a charge‐transfer complex prior to FAD reduction. These results indicate that an H‐bond accepting group in the aromatic ring at position 1 is important for establishing the correct conformation of the ES complex to enable effective binding, flavin reduction and, ultimately, substrate hydroxylation.


An interactive method of detecting colorblindness (especially dichromacy) based of a set of simple internet applications (also for mobile platforms) is presented in this article. The results of tests conducted using described method are presented and discussed.


This paper indicates two lines in which Locke's epistemology may be implemented: phenomenalism regarding the substance and his theory of so-called « cognitivistic » meaning. We rest on them to expose the way those principles influenced John Toland's Christianity Not Misterious, when applied to the field of the revealed notions of Christianity, and then George Berkeley's Alcifron.


This paper develops the models that can be used in different flight scenarios to retrieve the wind speed using the width of the normalized delay waveform (NDW). First, the factors that influence the NDW width, including the wind speed, wind direction, flight height, and elevation angle, are analyzed. The contribution of each independent variable to the regression is explored. The results show that the wind speed, flight height, and elevation angle contribute more significantly than the wind direction so the wind direction can be ignored in the model. The multiple regression, in which the function terms of NWD width, flight height, and elevation angle above are taken as independent variables and wind speed is taken as the dependent variable, is proposed to develop the model of retrieving wind speed. Through the simulation, a root-mean-square error (RMSE) over 3 m/s can be obtained. In order to improve the retrieval performance, a Back-Propagation (BP) network is trained as an alternative to the analytical models above. Better performance is achieved with an RMSE less than 2.5 m/s under the same conditions with the analytical model. The errors of retrieved wind speed are analyzed. The conclusions are that: 1) both analytical model and BP network have inherent regression biases, especially for high wind speed from 15 to 20m/s so that at wind speeds higher than 16 m/s, the tendency for retrieval accuracy to rapidly become worse appears and 2) the number of incoherent averaging should be over 1000 to reduce the impact of thermal and speckle noise. At the end of the paper, airborne data are processed to retrieve wind speed utilizing proposed models and the matching method to compare in-situ wind speed from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFS). By comparing the retrieval results, the proposed methods could obtain the accuracy with the same level of matching method.


These words describe how Sethe, a former African‐American slave, felt about herself as she reflected on the treatment of slaves. But these three sentences could also easily describe how many American military men and women felt after returning from the Vietnam War. These words are the very essence of despair felt by "about 479,000 men ... and ... about 610 women" who served in Southeast Asia, according to Richard A. Kulka, M.D. That is, of the 1.7 million veterans who served in Vietnam, approximately 30% suffer from a psychological condition aptly named post traumatic stress disorder.


The impact of the two-year pay freeze on recruitment, retention, morale, motivation and patient care must be monitored, the RCN says in its evidence to the independent NHS pay review body (RB).


Some years ago I devised a long, slender barrel syringe (fig. 1) for treatment of the female urethra. This instrument became very popular and was useful to those doing gynecology and urology. It may be used also as a uterine syringe. Recently I devised another model, for the female urethra and bladder only. It has a capacity of about 30 cc. of fluid, a longer curved conical tip reaching the bladder, and eccentrically placed so as not to interfere with a vaginal speculum if used. Slight pressure prevents the return of the liquid (fig. 2). These syringes are always in working order; they have the nonfilling bulb, and are easily cleaned and sterilized. They are manufactured through the courtesy of Becton Dickinson & Co., makers of the "Asepto" line. 401 Travis Building.


The destruction of the atmosphere are the reasons for worldwide increase temperature. This problem come from utilization of petroleum fuel electrification. The increased use of clean power to replace petroleum can slow the destruction of the atmosphere. ESS energy storage engineering advances complements renewable source functions. ESS has a bi-directional power control system, charging and discharging process, output voltage or current, and Power Shaping Control. ESS balances power during periods, eliminates rapid load fluctuations, controls frequency to ensure system stability, and reduces the power consumption of the generator.


Power electronics-based medium-voltage direct current (MVdc) microgrids consist of several interconnected feedback-controlled switching converters. Such systems experience bus voltage stability challenges owing to the negative incremental resistance of constant power loads and converter control loop interactions. To tackle the stability challenges, this paper presents the application of the interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control (IDA-PBC) approach to the port-controlled Hamiltonian model of dual active bridge (DAB) source-side converters in an MVdc microgrid. For the DABs, a fundamental average model approach considering phase shift modulation is provided and used for deriving the corresponding IDA-PBC control law. We analyze the effectiveness of the controller on large signal scenarios considering disturbances such as load step up, and DAB disconnection. Hardware-in-the-Loop experiments using Opal-RT and Labview field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), as well as, low power prototype tests are carried out to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the proposed approach.


The paper presents an integration method for the equation characteristic to a dumped collision. The equation which describes the dumped collision is nonlinear ODE of second order. The solution consists from two stages: in the first stage the equation order is reduced with a unity finding a prime integral. In this moment the maximum approach can be evaluated. Next, using a elementary numerical method the relation between approaching versus time is found. The method is applied for two equations which describe a dumped collision. The results obtained with the proposed method are in a perfect agreement with those from original paper. Finally, in order to emphasize the difference between the two models and the effect of dumping, the hysteresis loops for two values of the coefficient of restitution, corresponding to the two models are plotted to emphasize the difference are plotted.


One of the serious complications of diverticulitis eventually develops in 25 to 30 per cent of patients with this disease.The use of the multiple-stage procedure for these complications has considerably reduced surgical mortality, but morbidity remains high.To reduce the surgical morbidity in diverticulitis, inadequate operative procedures should be avoided. However, a more effective method is to operate on patients likely to have obstruction or perforation before these serious complications develop. A one stage procedure can then be safely used.Inability to exclude carcinoma is also an imperative indication for surgery in patients with diverticulitis.


For electrotactile displays to become useful for supplementary sensory feedback for transfemoral prosthesis users the interface needs to be optimized. A closer look is taken at the nature of adaptation during electrocutaneous stimulation. In this portion the effect of intermittent stimulation patterns on the sensation is investigated. Seven different intermittent stimulation signals and two continuous signals were applied to the subjects skin in random order. Each of the nine trials lasted for about fifteen minutes and during these trials the stimulation current was adjusted at 80% of the dynamic range, as recommended in a previous study. The Visual Analog Scale was used to record the course of sensation during the period of stimulation. Results suggest two things. One, a minimal stimulation time (Ton) of 0.5 seconds is required to reach a maximal sensation. Two, a minimal rest period of about 0.3 seconds is required in order to postpone the occurrence of full adaptation (Toff).


The author addresses the methods of verification of historical research. For the purpose of reasoning, the author considers the process of "semiosis" as the realization (and representation) of experience in a cultural framework, which provides culturally significant meaning. The cultural framework can be contrasted with the elusive myth, which is able to change. The metahistorical study pays attention to cognitive distortions that may arise in this regard – in particular, perception of "indigenous / native" and "alien". Settlement of contact with the acquired denotation of the culturally significant past allows to live through past traumatic experience in the present. Living through history provides an access to trauma grounded in the culturally significant past. Hence, a channel for the "detraumatization history" can be maintained. KEYWORDS Metahistory, mythology, R. Barthes, detraumatization


This project designed and implemented a high-performance DC-DC KY boost converter for photovoltaic application. Targeting at the growing solar energy market, the proposed PV generation system is used to directly transfer the power from PV panel to AC power grid. The system adopted a topology of DC-DC converter called KY converter to step up DC voltage to a suitable level. Its characteristics include high efficiency, fast transient response, and small output voltage ripple, in comparison with the traditional DC-DC boost topologies. With feedback control circuits with digital signal processor (DSP), system can adjust the output level immediately. After the correctness of the system, the design was verified by simulation for both continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) of KY boost converter; experiments for CCM was conducted, which showed a peak efficiency of 97.0% in 1.2kW load condition, with 0.5% low voltage ripple and transient response time within 25ms.


In 1933, after Hitler's seizure of power in Germany, which forced him into exile, Walter Benjamin addressed the Great War generation's completely erased prewar experience. They suddenly found themselves deprived of all habitual footholds of orientation, standing "in the open air in a landscape in which nothing remained unchanged but the clouds, and in the center, in a force field of destructive currents and explosions, the tiny frail human body" (Benjamin 1933: 291). Unwittingly but ominously, this "tiny frail human body" anticipated the upcoming fate of the Jews whose distinct identities were, in an enormously accelerated tempo, reduced to bare life. In the Austrian part of disaggregating imperial Europe, another writer of Jewish origins who had been exposed to the rising antisemitism in his country, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, stated that "the nature of our age is ambiguity and indeterminacy. It rests only on the slippery [...]. A slight chronic dizziness vibrates in it" (Hofmannsthal 1906: 60). In this deeply disconcerted Zeitdiagnose, one cannot fail to notice the underlying feeling of endangerment. The Jews, deprived at that time of their own territory, state, and language, were much more dependent upon the Empire's survival than any of its other constituencies. Because the forces of historical circumstances bereft them of their "genuine" belonging, they relied on a distanced belonging to various cultures. Those who opposed the rising Zionist idea, were, as Karl Kraus remarked, "fated to dissolve entirely into their surrounding cultures, and nevertheless still to remain a ferment in them" (Kraus 1898: 23). This allocated internal exteriority forced "them to come to terms with things in a way others, generally, were not [forced]. There was thus in a sense a special role for Jews, one might say a secular version of the chosen people" (Beller 1989: 217). In a world of embattled national identities, they epitomized the non-


Microstructure and texture of the friction stir welded 5083 and 7075 aluminum alloys were characterized by means of the electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray techniques. A complex vortex-like microstructure with distinctive bands of the both joint materials was found in the centre of the weld. The alternating bands filled roughly equiaxed dynamically recrystallized grain volumes. The grain size was slightly smaller in bands of the alloy 7075 than in bands of the alloy 5083. Grains in the thermomechanically affected zone were elongated, especially on the retreating side of the weld (7075 alloy). On the other hand, the grain shape in the heat affected zone was similar to that for the base material.


A total of 797 kinds of mosses from Duliu Reserve Wetland Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province were collected and identified,which belonged to 34 families,89 genera,263 species(including subspecies and variation).The dominant families included Dicranaceae,Pottiaceae,Thuidiaceae and Hypnaceae etc,and the dominant genera were Fissidens,Brachythecium and Entodonas etc.Three newly recorded species were investigated,which were nominated as Distichophyllum cirratum var.elmeri(Broth.) B.C.Tan et P.J.Lin,Fabronia rostrata.Broth.and Campylium porphyriticum C.Muell.


ABSTRACT The cover glass for thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel is the high aluminum silicate glass. Compared with the conventional soda lime glass, its higher viscosity of glass liquid brought more difficulties in the melting and fining process of mass production. For better fining performance, some oxides that can reduce the viscosity are necessary. In this paper, the fining properties of high aluminum glass batches with and without B2O3 were investigated by CeO2 agent under reduced atmospheric pressure of 1000 mbar, 500 mbar, and 300 mbar. Area Fraction, mean bubble size, number of bubbles and the ascending velocity of bubbles were analyzed quantitatively by high-temperature observation (HTO) system in the fining process. The results showed that B2O3 could efficiently promote the melting and fining process.


Abstract A board of 'law-guardians', or nomophulakes, has long been associated with the Athenian regime of Demetrius of Phalerum (317-307 BC). The duties of Demetrius' officials have been surmised from an entry on nomophulakes in the Atthis of Philochorus (FGrHist 328 F64), which lists their central functions as the supervision of magistrates and the prevention of illegal resolutions by the assembly and council. This understanding of the fourth-century nomophulakes stands in contradiction to the explicit testimony of Pollux (8.102), who asserts that Demetrius changed the name of the hendeka, the eleven Athenian gaolers, to nomophulakes. A case is made here for the acceptance of Pollux, a case based on textual grounds and on comparison with other reforms associated with Demetrius. It is further argued that Philochorus' description applies – as the sole excerpter of the Atthis to give a temporal context, the Lexicon Cantabrigiense, indeed states – to nomophulakes created in the aftermath of Areopagite reform in the mid-fifth century, and that Demetrius' officials were linked to these early nomophulakes through their inheritance of different aspects of nomophulakia associated with the early Areopagus.


Heats of mixing hM of aniline + toluene have been measured at 30 and 50°C over the entire composition range and have been correlated with published values of the excess free energy gE to obtain the excess functions of the system between 30 and 100°C. The results have been interpreted assuming aniline to be associated. The excess functions calculated by means of the Mecke-Kempter model, characterized by only two adjustable parameters, agree excellently with the experimental gE, very satisfactorily with hM, and predict correctly the almost zero excess heat capacity cEp of the mixture. The association constant K, the enthalpy of association ΔH°(energy of the N—H … N bond), and the entropy of association ΔS° have been derived. K is given by the equation log K= 442/T–1.06, from which ΔH°=–2025 ± 50 cal/mole (in agreement with spectroscopic and other data), and ΔS°=–4.85 ± 0.20 cal/deg mole.


We aim at resolving deca-nanometer features in microelectronic samples using a laboratory SEM-based X-ray tomography microscope. Such a system produces X-rays through the interaction between a focused SEM electron beam and a metallic target. The effective source size of the X-ray beam can be adjusted by varying the target material and geometry. For instance, the use of tungsten nanowires (few hundred nanometers of length) combined with a high electron beam current leads to an increased X-ray flux generated in a reduced volume, necessary for detecting interface details of the analyzed object. It improves resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but is also sensitive to electron beam-target instabilities during the scan. To improve robustness, a FFT-based image correlation is integrated in the process through a closed-loop control scheme. It allows stabilizing the electron beam on the target and to preserve the X-ray flux intensity and alignment. Also, a state of the art high-resolution scientific-CMOS (sCMOS) X-ray detector was installed, allowing to reduce noise and to increase quantum efficiency. Results show that such numerical and equipment improvements lead to significant gains in spatial resolution, SNR and scanning time of the SEM-based tomography. It paves the way to routine, high resolution, 3D X-ray imaging in the laboratory.


Papers in this section are based on submissions to the MRS Symposium Proceedings that were selected by Symposium Organizers as the outstanding paper. Upon selection, authors are invited to submit their research results to Journal of Materials Research. These papers are subject to the same peer review and editorial standards as all other JMR papers. This is another way by which the Materials Research Society recognizes high quality papers presented at its meetings.


In this paper, we generalize retrospective cost adaptive NARMAX control (RCANC) to a command-following problem for uncertain Hammerstein systems. In particular, RCANC with ersatz nonlinearities is applied to linear systems cascaded with input nonlinearities. We assume that one Markov parameter of the linear plant is known. RCANC also uses knowledge of the monotonicity properties of the input nonlinearity to select the ersatz nonlinearity. The goal is to determine whether RCANC can improve the command-following performance compared to the linear RCAC controller.


Navajo students whose beliefs forbid them from touching dead bodies need not forgo pursuing careers in medicine; some medical school administrators are teaching anatomy without cadavers.


Service system of university students' employment guidance is a systematical project,and it should include a main system that includes government,intermediary institute and universities,talent-training system meets market's need,a professional system on employment guidance all along,to build an information platform on employment and to optimize information security system.


Recent work has explored the use of computational argumentation-based dialogues as a mechanism to support two-party human-robot interaction and collaborative decision making. Many real-world application scenarios involve interaction between multiple humans and multiple robots—not just two parties, i.e., not just one human and one robot. In this paper, a range of social issues are considered that arise in multiparty human-robot situations. These include issues of trust, privacy and ethics with respect to sharing information and modeling the beliefs of others. Using computational argumentation and argumentation-based dialogues can provide a sound basis for addressing the mitigating circumstances presented by these issues, and for reasoning under the uncertainties that these issues present. Here, a running example is developed, along with an approach for addressing the issues that is based on the application of computational argumentation strategies. A set of challenges are identified, and some directions for future research are proposed.


It was suggested that AngII is involved in the regulation of sympathetic nervous system and could have a facilitatory role in stress-induced cardiovascular responses, possibly though the stimulation of prejunctional AT1 receptor. It is be coming increasingly evident that reactive oxygen species (ROS) specially O2 .- participate in the AT1receptor signaling transduction pathways, that are important in maintaining cellular homeostasis in the neurons. We assessed the role of prejunctional AT1 receptor, NAD(P)H oxidase and superoxide in the cardiovascular response in acute stress, which is known to increase arterial pressure and heart rate, such as footshocks (FS) and forced immobilization applied to rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 180-200 g, were placed in a Plexiglas chamber with a copper rod floor where they received mild FS (2Hz/100V/5mseg/5min, delivered by a Grass stimulator and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded daily, before and after FS, using tail-cuff plethysmograph. FS and IMO increased MAP and HR. Pretreatment with EPRO significantly reduced the pressor response to FS and IMO, while no changes were observed in heart rate response. Inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase with apocynin and with the superoxide mimetic agent, tempol, blunted the pressor response to FS and IMO and induced a significant vasodepressor response. Our results demonstrate that prejunctional AT1receptor, NAD(P)H oxidase and O2 .- signaling pathway play a role in the cardiovascular response to acute stress.


A multi-level sub-structuring(MLSS) algorithm has been developed and proposed as a possible candidate for finite element fluid solvers. The present algorithm consists of four stages such as a gathering, a condensing, a solving and a scattering stage. At each level, a predetermined number of elements are gathered and condensed to form an element at higher level. At the highest level, each sub-domain consists of only one super-element. Thus, the inversion process of a stiffness matrix associated with internal degrees of freedom of each sub-domain has been replaced by a sequential static condensation of gathered element equations. The lid driven cavity problem has been tested using the element interpolation degree up to cubic. In this case, preconditioning technique usually accompanied by iterative solvers are not needed.


The organization and codification of the field of Communication Sciences is studied, mainly in regard to UNESCO codes. The objective is to propose a change in these codes, because the classification and organization method of a scientific discipline has operational and epistemological consequences in the academic work. In this paper the current classification is presented, which shows a limited and scattered presence of terms related to Communication. Practical and theoretical difficulties of its reorganization, possible sources (curricula, conferences, scientific journals, documentary proposals, keywords) and work methods are described, considering two theoretical bases: Knowledge Organization and Communication. Finally, two different disciplines (History of Communication and Communication Technologies) are analysed through the information collected in a database, which includes subjects of Bachelor and Master degrees in 12 Spanish universities. It is also noted that this kind of proposal requires knowledge derived from documentary instruments such as classifications and thesauri.


The application to be developed, the functionality features of the other existing applications available to the student and the learning experience of the students, as well as the teaching
of learning


We present a Bayesian technique for the reconstruction and subsequent decimation of 3D surface models from noisy sensor data. The method uses oriented probabilistic models of the measurement noise and combines them with feature-enhancing prior probabilities over 3D surfaces. When applied to surface reconstruction, the method simultaneously smooths noisy regions while enhancing features such as corners. When applied to surface decimation, it finds models that closely approximate the original mesh when rendered. The method is applied in the context of computer animation where it finds decimations that minimize the visual error even under nonrigid deformations.


This work describes the measurement of the diffusion coefficient in lithium-battery electrolytic solutions. We have adapted the method of restricted diffusion to measure diffusion coefficients of LiPF 6 in various solvents using ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) absorption. The use of UV/vis absorption provides a simple alternative to more arduous experiments and reduces the potential for experimental error due to side reactions. The diffusion coefficient was seen to decrease with concentration according to the following: D = 3.018 X 10 -5 exp(-0.357c) for LiPF 6 in acetonitrile and D = 2.582 X 10 -5 exp(-2.856c) for LiPF 6 in ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate (with D in cm 2 /s and c in mol/L). This technique may be useful for any liquid solution with a UV-active species of D greater than 10 -6 cm 2 /s.


The Productivity Commission was established in April 1998 as the Government's principal microeconomic research and advisory body. It undertakes analysis of a broad range of social and economic issues affecting Australia as a whole. For example, it has recently reported into private charities, public housing, government assistance to industry, health insurance and ecologically sustainable land management. The Commission provides independent analysis and advice, using processes that are open and public and driven by concern for the well-being of the community as a whole. Information on the Productivity Commission and its current work program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.pc.gov.au or by contacting Media and Publications. FOREWORD III Foreword This report has been prepared for the ACT Government. It follows a request to the Commonwealth Treasurer that the Commission undertake public benefit tests on ACT legislation banning the production and sale of battery eggs and requiring specific labelling of eggs. These tests are required under the Competition Principles Agreement for any legislation that restricts competition. Public benefit tests require an assessment of all the costs and benefits of a regulation. In the case of battery hen regulation in the ACT, the costs largely stem from higher egg prices for ACT consumers and the costs of adjustment in production, both of which can be quantified. The benefits are much more complex, however, as they relate to expected changes in hen welfare and the effect of such changes on the wider community. This report investigates these matters in detail, drawing on a wide literature and extensive public consultations, and provides a framework for assessing whether the benefits exceed the costs. It does not, however, attempt an overall judgment on this matter, given the inherent subjectivity and ethical considerations in some elements of the benefit calculation. These will ultimately require an exercise of judgment by the ACT community's elected representatives. The Commission would like to thank all of those organisations and individuals who contributed to the study. IV FOREWORD CONTENTS V Contents Foreword III Main abbreviations X Summary XI 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background to the debate 1 1.2 Why is a public benefit test needed? 4 1.3 What is a public benefit test? 5 1.4 What is the scope of the public benefit test? 5 1.5 Consultative processes 7 1.6 Structure of the report 7


After Qikou 17-2 Oilfield has been cleaned up and hybrid injected,the water quality treatment process needs to be adjusted urgently.The oil-bearing concentration of the injected water exceeds the standard.The inspection results of oil-bearing concentration of every node of water injection process show that the low oil removing rate of hydraulic cyclone is the node which results in the excess of oil-bearing content of the injected water.The operation parameters of hydraulic cyclone have been optimized.The results show that the oil removing rate of hydraulic cyclone can be improved to 70%,when its PDR value is 1.75 and flow rate 95 m3/h.The injected water oilbearing concentration meets the requirements of controlling indexes.


Bioimpedance spectroscopy measures measures the resistance (impedance) of body tissue to electrical current flow to assess changes in fluid volume associated with lympoedema. This assessment strategy is valid, and well-correlated with other objective measures of lymphoedema (for example, circumference measurement) (Level 1.b evidence); however, the resources may not be available in all clinical settings.


The analysis of trends in recent biotechnology patenting in the USA reveals that many patents issued between 1976 and 2005 are based on biological material sourced from the Indian subcontinent. The chapter also warns about the probability of deploying these newly emerged technologies in developing countries and causing unsustainable practices. It refers to the basic ecological services provided by the natural environment and stresses the need for understanding their economic dimension, particularly in relation to rural people. Building self-reliance and using local knowledge and skills are suggested as a way to counteract the pressure from the West. The case of rural Bangladesh where the Baul culture is highly influential is used as a case study. © 2009 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.


A new method to extract the foetal electrocardiogram (ECG) using an abdominal ECG signal and a thoracic ECG signal of the mother is presented. The nonlinear mapping of the maternal ECG component from thoracic signal to an abdominal signal is approximated by the support vector regression (SVR) method. The foetal ECG signal is then extracted by subtracting the mapped thoracic signal from an abdominal signal. In an SVR algorithm, the nonlinear regression problem in an original signal space is transformed into a linear regression problem in high-dimensional Hilbert space by kernel technology. It avoids the 'overfitting' problem and could obtain good results for the small sample training set. The validity of the proposed method is validated by the real ECG signals, and compared with the existing method.


According to the economic variable with time function and its distribution, readjusts the index calculations such as NPV, FIRR Pt. And get the expected value of economic indexes its distribution by numerical simulation. Then it can estimate the economic risk of the project and make the decision according to the investor attitude to the risk.


COVID-19 has claimed millions of lives and devastated economies worldwide. In efforts to control and limit the spread of COVID-19 many early detection methods are reviewed in this survey. Pneumonia has proven to be closely related to COVID-19 in how it appears on X-rays. This can affect the accuracy of diagnosis for both Pneumonia and COVID-19 when using X-ray imaging. Therefore, this survey will analyze current leading, highly accurate models for COVID-19 detection and its comparison to Pneumonia. These models adopted a variety of different approaches and performance metrics that this survey reviews. The current leading models at detecting COVID-19 are VGG-19, ResNet-50, and Histogram of Oriented Gradients in conjunction with the Support Vector Machines approach.


BACKGROUND
Sea lice infestations on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farms are a considerable burden on the industry and put wild salmonid populations at risk. Frequent delousing treatments are necessary to keep lice densities below allowable limits, but currently viable treatments have drawbacks in terms of financial cost, animal welfare, or environmental impacts. We tested if 254 nm ultraviolet C light (UVC) could function as a new preventative method to suppress reproduction of salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) by sterilizing fertilized eggs. We exposed salmon lice eggstrings to a range of UVC intensities and durations to identify effective doses.

RESULTS
A cumulative dose of 0.008 J cm-2 induced 5% egg mortality, while 95% egg mortality occurred at 0.09 J cm-2 , indicating that UVC can be effective as a preventative treatment. The total cumulative dose appeared to be more important than the duration or number of individual exposures by which the total dose was achieved.

CONCLUSION
UVC treatment has immediate applications for the salmon aquaculture industry, including for the treatment of wastewater from delousing or other operations. Future work will assess the feasibility of UVC dose delivery on host salmon in sea cage environments that involves little or no fish handling and creates negligible environmental impacts. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Based on the elliptic mild slope equation and the Message Passing Interface (MPI), a parallel solution method is proposed for the simulation of nonlinear wave transformation over a topography with mild slopes, and implemented numerically on a personal computer (PC) cluster The nonlinear wave transformation over a typical topography with mild slopes is simulated A comparison of numerical results with experimental data shows that the application of the nonlinear dispersion relation to the elliptic mild slope equation can effectively take the nonlinear effect into account It can also be seen from the parallel efficiency and speedup rate that the parallel solution method proposed in the present paper can effectively increase the efficiency of numerical simulations


Design: Off-on-off, interrupted time series with intent-to-treat analysis. Setting: University hospital emergency department. Subjects: 830 febrile children less than 3 years of age and the physicians who treated them. Interventions: Implementation of an electronic medical record that provides real-time advice regarding the content of the history and physical examination and recommendations regarding laboratory testing, treatment, diagnosis, and disposition. Measurements: Documentation of essential items in the medical record and after-care instructions; compliance with guidelines regarding testing, treatment, and diagnosis; charges. Results: The computer was used in 64 percent of eligible cases. Mean percentage documentation of 21 essential history and physical examination items increased from 80 percent during the baseline period to 92 percent in the intervention phase (13 percent increase; 95 percent CI, 10–15 percent). Mean percentage documentation of ten items in the after-care instructions increased from 48 percent at baseline to 81 percent during the intervention phase (33 percent increase; 95 percent confidence interval, 28–38 percent). All documentation decreased to baseline when the computer system was removed. There were no demonstrable improvements in appropriateness of care, nor was there evidence that appropriateness worsened. Mean charges were not changed by the intervention. Conclusion: The intervention markedly improved documentation, had little effect on the appropriateness of the process of care, and had no effect on charges. Results for the febrile child module differ from those for the module for occupational blood and body fluid exposure (a more focused and straightforward medical condition), underscoring the need for implementation methods to be tailored to specific clinical complaints. n JAMIA. 2000;7:186–195. Affiliation of the authors: University of California–Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California. This work was supported in part by grant HSO6284 from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and by an unrestricted grant to Dr. Schriger for health services research from the MedAmerica Corporation. Correspondence and reprints: David Schriger, MD, MPH, 924 Westwood Boulevard, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90024-2924; e-mail: ^firstname.lastname@example.com&. Received for publication: 7/14/99; accepted for publication: 11/2/99. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association Volume 7 Number 2 Mar / Apr 2000 187 It has been repeatedly documented that guidelines must be actively implemented if they are to modify patient care. Computers have been established as one way to improve physician performance, yet results are mixed. In contrast to the numerous studies that have evaluated the utility of computers in the execution of a single task (e.g., using the laboratory, taking preventive health care measures), few studies have evaluated the computer immplementation of a comprehensive guideline. The difficulties in producing implementation software from broad guideline documents has been noted. We previously reported that clinical guidelines embedded in an electronic medical record (EMR) markedly improved documentation and appropriateness of testing and treatment decisions while reducing charges by 28 percent for emergency department patients treated for occupational exposure to blood or body fluids. We now report on the use of the same system in the emergency department care of febrile children less than 3 years of age. This presenting complaint is one of five modules developed for the EDECS (Emergency Department Expert Charting System) project. We developed each module with the goal of improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of care. We developed a module for the care of the febrile children because: 1) improved quality of care and medical record documentation were highly desirable goals in their own right, and this clinical problem is the second most common cause of malpractice complaints in emergency medicine, 2) we wanted to standardize the management of children with fever without a source, and 3) we wanted to include a pediatric condition in our evaluation of EDECS to determine whether any unique concerns arose when the system was used in the care of children. The fundamental principle of the EDECS system is that if guidelines are to have impact, they must be integrated into functions that physicians find useful in the routine care of patients. The febrile child module was designed to provide evidence-informed advice regarding the content of the history and physical examination, use of laboratory testing, interpretation of laboratory results, administration of medications, diagnosis, disposition, and content of after-care instructions for patients sent home. We hypothesized that this guideline-embedded EMR would produce at least a 20 percent absolute improvement in documentation in the medical record and after-care instructions, and similar improvements in the appropriateness of testing, treatment, and selected diagnoses. Methods Setting and Patients The study was conducted at the UCLA Emergency Medicine Department from 1992 to 1995. Of the 37,000 patients seen in the UCLA Emergency Medicine Department each year, 5,500 (15 percent) are children, and 1,400 of these children are less than 3 years of age and present with a febrile illness. Children less than 3 years of age were eligible for the study if they presented with febrile illness or were noted to have a temperature of 387C or higher at triage. Patients were excluded if they had an underlying condition or disease likely to alter the management of their acute febrile illness (e.g., organ transplant, immunosuppression, congenital heart disease, renal failure); if respiratory distress (acute bronchospasm or stridor) was the primary reason for the visit; or if the patient presented for a scheduled recheck. In our department, about 1,100 children meet these eligibility requirements each year. The majority of children are cared for by 1 of 36 emergency medicine residents. Before 1993, residents in pediatrics were assigned to the emergency department during certain hours of the day. From 1993 to 1995, pediatric residents were available more sporadically. All house staff were supervised by attending physicians who were board-certified in emergency medicine. The attending physician typically functioned in a supervisory role, permitting the resident to operate independently so long as there was no substantiative disagreement about the proper course of action. While there was no formal attempt to ensure that the attending faculty agreed and complied with the guideline, the faculty were well aware of our publications in this area and did not express specific disagreement. Parents of patients were not asked to provide informed consent, since the intervention sought only to improve documentation and compliance with existing departmental practice regarding the management of febrile children. The exemption from informed consent was deemed acceptable by the study section of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research that funded the project, and exemption forms were filed with the UCLA Institutional Review Board. Guideline Development In anticipation of this project, we reviewed the literature and compiled existing guidelines addressing the management of children with fever. Following standard guideline development methods, we created guidelines for various aspects of the management of 188 SCHRIGER ET AL., Guideline Implementation via Charting System F i g u r e 1 Section of the rule for ordering a complete blood count (lab #1). The ''Fail'' forces the software to consider each indication. The rationale is captured in the ''r$'' variable, and the screen color for CBC is set to red (value 14) in the ''labs{}recom'' array. febrile children and published baseline analyses and a clinical guideline for the care of children with fever without a source. Rules for other aspects of the care of pediatric patients were derived from standard textbooks. Software Development and Operation We programmed the EDECS in the rule-based expertsystem shell Applications Manager (Intelligent Environments, Tewksbury, Massachusetts) using Database Manager (the database packaged with OS-2) as the database and OS-2 as the operating system (both IBM). The Applications Manager program is an expert system shell/client-server application development environment that uses the proprietary Universal Rules Language for defining the medical logic. Separate rule modules were made for each of the program's functions (checking adequacy of documentation, selecting tests, selecting treatments, choosing diagnoses, selecting diagnoses, and preparing after-care instructions) (Figure 1). All modules are run every time the physician updates a screen. Details of programming goals and methods have been described elsewhere. The EDECS program begins with separate screens for history of present illness, past medical history, and physical examination. Each screen presents colorcoded items, with essential items in red. Essential items must be answered before the history and physical are deemed complete; however, each item has an ''Unknown'' option so that clinicians are not forced to answer incorrectly when information is unavailable. Data entry is accomplished primarily with the mouse: the user selects from pull-down boxes and pick lists. After completing the history, the physician reviews screens for laboratory testing and treatment. Colorcoding indicates whether each commonly used laboratory test or treatment is recommended, optional, or not recommended for that patient. While all tests and treatments available at UCLA can be ordered through EDECS, only those commonly indicated in the evaluation and treatment of febrile children are visible on the main screens. When the physician selects the ''Rationale'' button, the reasoning for each recommendation is displayed. When a physi


Privatised healthcare and the push for energy diversity are likely to be big generators of legal work as Finland slowly recovers after the global crash.
There seems to have been little consolidation in the Finnish legal market. Why is that, and do you see it changing in the coming year?
Juha Pekka Katainen, managing partner, Krogerus: Eversheds' entry into the Finnish market in 2014 through its consolidation with Juridia Butzow resulted in a firm with a significant lawyer headcount in Finland. But, as is the case with other international brands in the country, such as Bird & Bird and White & Case, it remains to be seen if it will develop into a full-service firm or retain a presence in certain niche sectors