A 73-year-old male whom suffers from stage 4 adeno-squamous lung carcinoma with high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1 immunohistochemistry-tumor proportion score (TPS)>50 began his treatment with a type of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) therapy. After 8th cycle of treatment, patient experiences vague symptoms of fever, lethargy and drowsy. Initial working diagnosis was infection and empirical treatment was initiated. Subsequently as patient's condition did not improve despite appropriate antibiotics, other diagnosis was considered which include adrenal insufficiency and this confirms after checking cortisol level. Hydrocortisone was started promptly and patient clinical condition improved. Decision was to stop ICI treatment interim. Consideration to re-challenge again with ICI may be considered once patient is more fit in the future. Adrenal insufficiency following ICI treatments are rare and misdiagnosed due to its non-specific symptoms. Nonetheless, it comes with high morbidity and mortality. Hence, we wanted to emphasize more on this condition as more elderly patients whom suffers from various type of cancers will be exposed towards ICI treatment.


The communication of the homework assigned to elementary school students between teachers and parents is limited given that there are no electronic alternatives originated within the elementary schools in the State of Zacatecas México. Therefore the homework is a generally unknown activity for the parents. For this reason to improve the communication process between teachers and parents we developed a website that allows the teachers at an elementary school to generate homework notices for the parents. With the use of "Notifica a los padres" at the Prof. María Soledad Fernández Bañuelos Elementary School a 9% reduction in the homework failure rate in the last bimonthly period of the school term was achieved. Now the parents can have a better knowledge about the homework and with that they can motivate and help the students to carry out such homework and improve their school performance.


This article introduces an improved monarch butterfly optimization (IMBO) algorithm to solve a multi-to- multi weapon-target assignment (WTA) problem. First, the proposed WTA model uses the threat evaluation model and interception performance model to obtain a weapon assignment criterion. Second, to ensure that each target is allocated appropriate interception resources, a penalty function is used to treat the constraints. Then, the proposed algorithm solves the problems of slow convergence and low accuracy by using a greedy strategy migration operation and an adaptive crossover operator. The IMBO algorithm is validated for the WTA problem and is compared with monarch butterfly optimization (MBO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithms. The experimental results indicate that the IMBO algorithm is clearly superior to the standard MBO, PSO, and ABC algorithms.


Based on the Love theory,the internal forces and moments of laminated composite cylindrical shells are obtained from the relationship of infinitesimal stress-strain,and thereby the kinematic differential equation is derived.The characteristics of vibrationa power flow in a laminated composite cylindric shell were studied in the present paper.The vibration power flow from exciting force traveling along the shell was analyzed.It was concluded that all kinds of power flow transformed with each other during their traveling period,and ultimately tended towards a certain value.The vibration power flow carried by different internal forces was given to prove the characteristics of wave propagation while taking energy into consideration.The ratio of different kinds of waves can be determined quantitively according to the proportion of the power flow from different internal forces.


Triploid fish were induced successfully in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) by cold shocking fertilized eggs 3 minutes post fertilization at for 45 minutes. Percent incidence of triploid was in this treatment. Floating rate and fertilization rate of eggs were not significanlty different from that of diploid controls (P> 0.05). However, hatchability and abnormal larvae of triploids were significantly different from that of diploid controls (P


Large volume of current Web information is constructed in HTML format. Extracting (information) from Web and then reusing them is an important target in the research field. The authors (propose) a stack-based HTML to XML transformation approach in order to simplify information extraction task.


A technique for UWB pulses generation based on incoherent optical signal processing through a dispersive element is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The generated waveform is given by the optical signal power distribution. Therefore, waveform reconfigurability is achieved by the proper control of the incoherent optical signal power distribution. UWB pulses generation have been experimentally demonstrated by means of the synthesis of monocycle and doublet waveforms using an optical channel selector to control the optical signal power distribution. Moreover, for wireless communications, the complete control on the waveform permits to fulfil the FCC spectral requirements and thus an increasing of the UWB radio signals coverage area.


The evolution of the epidemic of HIV in Brazil has especially affected women, and the control of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) has been a new challenge to be faced. This study assessed the compliance with the algorithm recommended by the Ministry of Health (MH) for diagnosing the children born to HIV-positive mothers, followed-up in the Regional Central Laboratory of the Instituto Adolfo Lutz of São José do Rio Preto-X, and to evaluate the occurrence of mother-to-child transmission. This cross-sectional descriptive study collected data on the CD4+ T-cell count and viral load System for Controlling Laboratory Examinations (SISCEL) and System for Hospital Management (SIGH) from January 2009 to December 2014. In this period, 265 children were registered, being 141 (53.2%) male and 124 (46.8%) female; and only 217 (81.9%) complied with the algorithm recommended by the MH. The mean prevalence of MTCT was 5.9%. Despite the efforts exerted by the MH, the HIV algorithm noncompliance still occurs, and the vertical transmission rate is higher than 2%. These data reinforce the need to intensify the surveillance, to improve the information and the follow-up of pregnant women, and to rescue those responsible who do not strictly comply with the algorithm proposed by the MH.


This article explores the legal framework in place in Europe to protect people against LGBT+ discrimination, hate speech and hate crime. The fundamental human right to equality and dignity are analysed. The protection provided by EU anti-discrimination law is examined in detail, with attention being given to the question whether discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression and/or sex characteristics is covered. The anti-discrimination law in the five countries taken part in the Divercity project will be touched upon. EU measures in relation to hate speech and hate crime will be discussed together with national criminal law provisions in the five countries. The EU Victims Directive, which establishes minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, will be given specific attention as this could be important for victims of LGBT+ hate speech and hate crime. Its implementation in the five project countries will be included in this analysis.


its primary, developmental site, 2,3 the open question remains whether the secondary implementation can be as effective and whether student learning shows gains as striking as at the primary site. In this report, we show results that indicate that the RTP/ILD curriculum materials are effective at helping students gain a deeper understanding of the conceptual issues in learning introductory physics. Student learning gains are large in comparison to traditionally taught schools at the same university, though not as large as at the primary implementation sites. While conceptual learning is greatly improved, student attitudes and expectations toward the course are commensurate with those in traditionally taught classes. These results are to be expected due to the nature of the curriculum redesign that is asked for when using RTP/ILD materials. In the sections below, we describe the data in more detail. We briefly summarize how the data were collected. More detailed descriptions of this process have been given to FIPSE previously (Nov. 99 report, available upon request). We then describe the data from the different test sites, with special emphasis on those schools and classes that do not match the general trends observed in the overall data. Finally, we describe which elements of the dissemination need further work, and how these additional elements will be incorporated into a final evaluation report. II. Data collection At this stage of evaluation, the primary emphasis lies on data gathered through the use of five conceptual tests and one attitudinal survey. These data are interpreted based on instructor comments supplied during the semester and in outside conversations. The primary goal of the conceptual tests is to measure student performance in the classroom. It is the assumption of this evaluation project that the primary measure of effective dissemination is that students have a better understanding of and attitude toward physics when they leave the course than a traditionally taught course. A secondary assumption is that


In the context of protecting the rights of entrepreneurs, the authors investigate the problem of determining the legal nature of such an act of reaction to an offense as a warning. The lack of a proper understanding of the nature of the warning determines the problems associated with the announcement of the warning, provided for By the law on the Prosecutor's office and various Federal laws. Analysis of the practical implementation of these rules has shown a lack of necessary clarity and unambiguity of the regulations. The lack of a unified doctrinal approach to understanding the essence of the warning against violation of requirements is another confirmation of this. Having identified and analyzed the essential properties of the warning and its basis, the authors conclude that by its legal nature, the warning is a nonnormative legal act and can be challenged in court, which is confirmed by relevant examples of judicial and prosecutorial practice. Current legal provisions that obscure the obligation of the addressee to comply with the warning are subject to adjustment in order to ensure legal certainty.


In order to realize web service automation in collaborative product commerce,a semantic-based web service description meta-model supporting web service automation was proposed.The meta-model extended the Web Services Description Language(WSDL) method and founded a remedy for defects by adding the semantic and performance information.The meta-model was made up of three parts by answering the following questions: What does the web service do,How to conduct the web service,How to get the web service,and What supports are needed for using the web service.Subsequently,through the discussion on the implementation technologies of web service description,it was pointed out that DARPA Agent Markup Language for Services(DAML_S) could satisfactorily support the instantiation of the meta-model.Finally,a case study was provided to verify the correctness of the meta-model and the feasibility of the specified implementation technology.


Plasma processes in the Earth's neighborhood determine the environmental conditions under which space-based equipment for science or technology must operate. These processes are peculiar to a state of matter that is rare on Earth but dominates the universe as whole. The physical, and especially the electrodynamic, properties of this state of matter is still far from well understood. By fortunate circumstances, the magnetosphere-ionosphere system of the Earth provides a rich sample of widely different plasma populations, and, even more importantly, it is the site of a remarkable variety of plasma processes. In different combinations such processes must be important throughout the universe, which is overwhelmingly dominated by matter in the plasma state. Therefore, observations and experiments in the near-Earth plasma serve a multitude of purposes. They will not only (1) clarify the dynamics of the space environment but also (2) widen the understanding of matter, (3) form a basis for interpretating remote observations of astrophysical objects, thereby even (4) help to reconstruct events that led to the evolution of the solar system. Last but not least they will (5) provide know-how required for adapting space-based technology to the plasma environment. Such observations and experiments will require a close mutual interplay between science and technology.


The process of procurement of production materials and
semi-finished products belongs to the process supply chain
logistics, which is essential to ensure the production
schedule. It is necessary to ensure that production material
was supplied at the right time, at the right place and in the
right quality. Purchasing and supply mainly related with the
determining and ensuring needs and material resources for the
effective operation of the production process. Ensuring of
purchase and continuous supply during the manufacturing process
is extremely challenging task, because often regards hundreds
or even thousands of items specified to scheduling daily
production tasks. To handle this task decisive manner affects
the economy of the production process.


Slinger in his music videos. (He turns out to be a fake, but is clearly a reference to Pieter Hugo's collection "The Hyena and Other Men" [2007], also referenced by the art directors of Beyonce's music video for "Girls Run the World" [2007].) The animals, however, do imbue their hosts with certain powers, or shavi. Zinzi's is the ability to find lost things. When we meet Zinzi, she has just been hired by a Mrs Luditsky, an older white woman "well preserved" by plastic surgery, to find a weirdly nostalgic lost object, a wedding band made from the ashes of her husband, compacted and fused with platinum. Zinzi finds the ring in the stormweather drains after wading "shin-deep in...years of musty rainwater and trash and rot and dead rats and used condoms." Zinzi is pressed to find a more efficient way to pay off her huge debt, and one less morally corrupt than the 419 Internet scams she had been running for the "company" she owes money to. She accepts a missing persons job, offered by two of the oiliest characters in the book, Marabou and Maltese, who represent the shady and reclusive music producer Odysseus Huron. Zinzi must find a lost girl, Songweza Radebe, one of a twin, with her brother S'busiso, in the pop music duo, iJusi. Despite the ephemeral history-less "now" of the book (it is written in the present tense), there is much here about memory. Some fictionalized versions of South African and Zimbabwean tradition gets spun into alternative uses. The animals of the "aposymbiots," as they are called, are the vessels of mashavi—wandering, discontented spirits—which look to attach themselves to humans. There is a lethal stickiness to the past; "apos" cannot leave their animal or they will be subsumed by a dark force called the Undertow. Neither punishment is levied by the state; the animals appear after a crime is committed, and the Undertow emits from a mysterious spiritual realm. But whither the state? As Ninja of Die Antwoord says, racism was "kind of an 80's thing," to which Yolandi Visser adds, "yah, kind of old fashioned now, not cool anymore." Despite the haunts, the book is also curiously, if not traumatically, amnesiac.


This paper investigates the action of an individual bouncing on a structure, including the load generated and the effect on the dynamic behavior of the structure. A simply supported beam at The University of Manchester is used as a supporting structure for an individual bouncing and its responses to bouncing are recorded. Four hundred thirty three tests were conducted ranging bouncing frequency from 0.4 to 3.2 Hz for determining the load factors of individual bouncing loads. Over 7,300 bouncing frequencies are identified from the tests and analyzed statistically for examining how well people respond to metronome or music beats. The frequency range for coordinated bouncing between individuals is determined and is between 1.0 and 3.1 Hz. The first four dynamic load factors or Fourier coefficients are determined based on the measurements and the concept that dynamic responses induced by the sum of harmonic functions are at discrete loading frequencies. The proposed load model is validated by comparing the predicted responses and measurements on another beam. Two hundred forty human-structure interaction tests for an individual bouncing are also conducted. It reveals that a bouncing person interacts with the test rig, but the degree of the human-structure interaction is less significant than that between a standing person and the rig.


The objective of the work reported was to develop a graphical interface that would be able to represent and manipulate parallel programs written in conventional high-level languages. The result of this effort was SISKIN (symbolic immediate system-to-kernel interface), which is in the form of a directed graph and serves as an intermediate level between a high-level language and a code generator for a parallel machine. The attributes of SISKIN are the ability of top-down design, modularity and stepwise refinement, so it can be used as a programming language as well.<<ETX>>


The role of maternal support has been perceived as vital throughout the recovery process of sexually abused children. However, it is important to look at the concept "support" from the perspective of non-abusing mothers' personal needs. This narrative review of the literature aimed to find out how non-abusing mothers' need for support in their responses to disclosure of child sexual abuse has been recognised. A comprehensive search on XXX university library interface yielded 12 academic articles based on empirical research. These articles were selected from those considered to have sufficiently investigated support for non-abusing mothers and included a mixture of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method research. The data consisted of peer-reviewed online articles published in English between 2000 and 2017. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis: improving the quality of the whole social support network for non-abusing mothers; being blamed, maternal guilt and shame; anger; and coping strategies. The findings show that the support needs of non-abusing mothers are usually explained based on their interaction with sexually abused children. However, it is necessary to listen to women's needs independently of their mothering role. If these mothers are better understood, not only they, but also their children, could be empowered.


Signal denoising is closely related to function estimation from noisy samples. Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) theory provides a general framework for estimation of dependencies from finite samples. This theory emphasizes model complexity control according to the structural risk minimization inductive principle, which considers a nested set of models of increasing complexity (called a structure), and then selects an optimal model complexity providing minimum error for future samples. Cherkassky and Shao (1998) applied the VC-theory for signal denoising and estimation. This paper extends the original VC-based signal denoising to practical settings where a (noisy) signal is oversampled. We show that in such settings one needs to modify analytical VC bounds for optimal signal denoising. We also present empirical comparisons between the proposed methodology and standard VC-based denoising for univariate signals. These comparisons indicate that the proposed denoising methodology yields superior estimation accuracy and more compact signal representation for various univariate signals.


Objective To establish loop-mediated isothemal amplification for detecting Streptococcus pneumoniae.Methods Amplification of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains was performed using LAMP technologies.Traditional culture,PCR method,and the LAMP method were used to detect 50 cases of clinical specimens.The detection rates by the 3 methods were compared;the specificity and sensitivity were measured.Results Amplification products were obtained from all the cultures of Streptococcus pneumoniae;no cross reaction with non-Streptococcus was found.The sensitivity of LAMP detection was 102 CFU/mL.Among 50 clinical specimens,LAMP method checked out 9 positive cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae(18.0%),and 4 positive cases were detected out by culture method(8.0%).Conclusion Compared with traditional culture method,LAMP is of strong specificity,high sensitivity,and is convenient,fast,as well as suitable for Streptococcus pneumoniae detection.


This paper proposes a computational model of design that attempts to capture within a social context two important aspects of style: 'content' and 'manner'. We present a characterisation of style for the artefact based on a framework that consists of information theoretic measures. We discuss the benefits the study of social networks offers a computational analysis of both aspects of style. It is our aim to bring style as 'content' and style as 'manner' together using this approach.


In this paper we study the global existence and completeness of classical solutions of gravity coupled a scalar field system called Einstein-Klein-Gordon system in higher dimensions. We introduce a new ansatz function to reduce the problem into a single first-order integro-differential equation. Then, we employ the contraction mapping in the appropriate Banach space. Using Banach fixed theorem, we show that there exists a unique fixed point, which is the solution of the theory. For a given initial data, we prove the existence of both local and global classical solutions. We also study the completeness properties of the spacetimes. Here, we introduce a mass-like function for $D\geq 4$ in Bondi coordinates. The completeness of spacetimes along the future directed time-like lines outward to a region which resembles the event horizon of the black hole.


Technology is rapidly evolving to became main component in education process. Nowadays, schools are relying on Management Information System (MIS) to handle operations. In this paper we propose to design SMIS architecture capable of serve multiple schools by using Representational State Transfer (REST) as architectural style. Case study, REST constraint and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) design pattern is being used to design the architecture. From the design process, multitenant architecture is chosen. Kubernetes is chosen as deployment orchestration to make architecture scalable. Then we examine and evaluate engineering trade-off and risks in architectures design decision by using Architecture Trade-off Analysis Method (ATAM). The evaluation is based on scenarios and each scenario related to several software quality attributes. At the end, the architecture implementation is improved overtime based on the evaluation result.


STEPHENSON, in 1904 (p. 383), made reference to albinos occurring among the Zuffi Indians in New Mexico. Hrdlicka (1908, pp. 192-196) also described albinos in this Indian population and in addition gave a detailed account of this disorder among the Hopi Indians living in Arizona. He estimated that the prevalence among the Hopis in 1900 was 1 in 182. Certain other writings, some appearing more recently, have made vague and sometimes misleading references to the frequency of albinos in Indian populations in Arizona and New Mexico. These references, as well as personal reports of the occurrence of albinos in the Hopi, Zufii, and other Indian populations, led to the present study. The objectives were to document which Indian populations in these states actually have a high frequency of albinos; to determine the prevalence for each of these populations; and to formulate, if possible, a hypothesis to explain the high frequency of the autosomal recessive gene producing albinism in some of these populations.


Summary. Testicular growth and maturation of the hypothalamic\p=n-\pituitary\p=n-\testicular axis were assessed in male tammars from 12 to 25 months of age to establish the time of sexual maturity. The testicular dimensions and body weights of 20 male tammars, \m=~\ 12 months of age at the beginning of the study, were measured monthly for 1 year. Groups of 3 animals were castrated at 13, 19 and 25 months of age and their testes sectioned for histological examination. Testicular volume increased between 12 and 24 months of age and was highly correlated with body weight (r = 0\m=.\91). In the 13-month group the seminiferous tubules were closed with few mitotic figures. Spermatogenesis had begun in 2 of the 19-month animals. All stages of spermatogenesis were present in the other 19-month male, and in all of the 25-month males. Basal FSH concentrations increased with the age of the animal (21\m=.\0 \m=+-\ 32\m=.\48, 94\m=.\40\m=+-\55\m=.\18and19.\m=.\05\m=+-\40\m=.\21ng/ml(mean\m=+-\s.d.)at19,20and25months respectively) while basal LH concentrations were similar at 20 months and 25 months (0\m=.\43 \m=+-\0\m=.\18and0\m=.\58\m=+-\0\m=.\25ng/ml respectively). Basal testosterone concentrations were also similar 0\m=.\11 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\04, 0\m=.\35 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\16 and 0\m=.\22 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\10 ng/ml in 13-, 19- and 25-month-old animals. LHRH injection in tammars at 13, 19 and 25 months of age induced release of both LH and testosterone 10-30 min after injection. The hormone concentrations increased in both magnitude and duration with increasing age. At 13, 19 and 25 months, peak testosterone values of 1\m=.\13 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\27,1\m=.\90 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\45 and 6\m=.\58 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\91 ng/ml (mean \m=+-\ s.d.), respectively, were measured by 90\p=n-\120 min after injection and peak LH values at 13, 19, 20 and 25 months of age were 2\m=.\46 \m=+-\ 0\m=.\82, 8\m=.\31 \m=+-\ 2\m=.\02, 9\m=.\0 \m=+-\ 2\m=.\18 and 7\m=.\86\m=+-\1\m=.\41 ng/ml, respectively, when measured 30 min after injection. By contrast, LHRH injection did not increase FSH concentration at 20 or 25 months of age above the basal concentration. Taken together, the morphological and endocrinological data show that puberty in male tammars begins around 19 months and is complete by 25 months of age. DHT, we conclude that the immunoreactive androgen measured in the present study was testos¬ terone. The efficiency of extraction of [3H]testosterone from 100 µ] plasma by 1-5 ml diethyl ether was 78-9% and assay sensitivity was 80 pg/ml. Serial dilutions of testosterone in plasma from a castrated tammar were assayed and yielded a significant correlation between expected and assay results (r = 0-89, < 001). Triplicate aliquants of a plasma sample with a mean testosterone level of 437 pg/ml was run in each assay, and the results pooled to calculate the inter-assay coefficient of variation (17-2%). Intra-assay coefficient of variation was 3-86%.


Bond-length distributions have been examined for 55 configurations of alkali-metal ions and 29 configurations of alkaline-earth-metal ions, for 4859 coordination polyhedra and 38 594 bond distances (alkali metals), and for 3038 coordination polyhedra and 24 487 bond distances (alkaline-earth metals).


Dr. Savarino et al. reported that prevention of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)/COX-2 selective NSAID (COXIB)-associated gastric ulcers was one of the evidence-based indications for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) acknowledged by many scientific societies [1]. PPIs are not safemedicines. PPIs cause many serious adverse effects including lower gastrointestinal complications [2]. When NSAIDs are prescribed in combination with PPIs, upper gastrointestinal complications are decreased, however, lower gastrointestinal complications are increased. When NSAIDs are prescribed in combination with PPIs, adverse effects of PPIs are added to adverse effects of NSAIDs. Rebamipide protects NSAIDs-induced upper and lower gastrointestinal complications [2]. Rebamipide is available only in some Asian countries (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Japan) and Egypt. I believe that PPIs should not be administered to prevent NSAID/COXIB-associated gastric ulcers at least in those countries. I believe that PPIs should not be administered as much as possible if other medicines are effective in other indications. Funding


Our regulatory institutions, broadly taken, include our moral norms and models and have not fully adapted to significant changes in data mining technology. For example, we suggest that the metaphors — Big Brother and "data mining" itself — commonly used to describe and assess this new technology are deficient, overemphasizing social discipline by the state and the passivity of the so-called data subject. We move from metaphors to a set of models more adequate for building an ethics of data mining, using a framework of informal game theory. We sketch three models of interaction: pure conflict, pure coordination, and a mixed motive cooperation game, with special application to security, health, and commerce, respectively. We recommend these three models as heuristics within a simple account of an ethics of data mining regulated by informed consent.


A has good miscibility with the liquid medium such as water, have good operability during application to hair, providing powdered hair dye composition stability over time in the case of long-term storage is good . A containing the following components (A) ~ (C) component, the (A) powder hair dye composition content of 1-5 wt% during use of the components. (A) sodium percarbonate. (B) sodium carboxymethylcellulose. (C) (B) the thickener other than the component. .BACKGROUND


Objective To prove the difference between Brucella ovis 019 strain isolated in Xinjiang and reference strain. Methods The Omp31、Omp25、Omp22、Omp2a、Omp2b gene sequences of Brucella ovis 019 strain were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. Results There was significant difference in either DNA or amino level between Brucella ovis 019 strain and 63/290 reference strain; Conclusion Brucella ovis 019 strain is an unique local strain in Xinjiang.


Brand extension and brand alliances are two possible strategies to expand the brand towards different product categories. In this chapter, the authors focus on brands that are well-known for their online services launching offline products. They analyse the results of these strategies in terms of their effects on parent brand image and under different conditions of initial brand image and perceived fit. In order to meet these aims, an empirical study was conducted to 407 undergraduates in a Spanish University. Data are analysed through multivariate analysis of variance. Main results lead us to conclude that: (1) the effects of extensions and alliances are mainly negative on the online brand image, (2) the impact is focused specially on the functional and emotional dimensions of brand image, (3) the effect is more negative for online brands with higher image than for online brands with lower image, and (4) the effect is more negative in the case of an alliance with an offline brand with low image than in the case of an alliance with an offline brand with high image or in a brand extension. This work covers some gaps in the previous literature in online branding. The authors apply concepts and theories used in brand extensions and alliances literature in an offline setting by delving into the differences of these effects on the brand image dimensions. The results obtained in this work may help brand practitioners expand their brands towards different product categories. Rafael Bravo Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain Leif E. Hem Norwegian School of Economics, Norway José M. Pina Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain


Abstract 4977 Background: Multiple myeloma is characterized by osteolytic bone lesions, wherein coupled bone remodeling is disrupted with increased osteoclast activation and decreased osteoblast differentiation. We have previously demonstrated that adenosine, acting via A 2A receptors, diminishes human and murine osteoclast formation and others have reported that adenosine, acting at A 2B receptors, promotes osteoblast differentiation in murine osteoblast precursors and cell lines. In this study, we examined the effect of adenosine on osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation derived from multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Methods: Human bone marrow was collected from multiple myeloma patients. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and bone marrow derived mononuclear (BMMs) cells were isolated and osteoblasts and osteoclastswere cultured, respectively. Adenosine A 1 receptor agonist CHA and antagonist Rolofylline, A 2A receptor agonist CGS and antagonist ZM, and A 2b receptor agonist BAY and antagonist MRS 1754, A 3 receptor agonist IB-MECA and antagonist MRS 1191; and dipyridamole, a nucleoside transport inhibitor, were added to the culture media. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay was used to quantitate the osteoblast differentiation. In vitro osteoblast calcification was determined by alizarin red staining. TRAP+ staining was used to examine the osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption assay was used to study the osteoclast activity. Results: We found that A 1 R blockade by rolofyllineand A 2a R ligation by CGS21680 inhibited differentiation of both normal and MM BMMs into TRAP+ multinucleated cells (IC 50 = 1nM for A 1 R, IC 50 = 10μM for A 2A R;p 2A receptor antagonist completely reversed the effects of CGS21680 on osteoclast differentiation. Moreover, enhanced adenosine accumulation in the presence of dipyridamole (0. 5μM) and A 2B R activation promoted the differentiation of BMSCs from myeloma patients into osteoblasts shown byArlizarin red staining and ALP activity assay (by 1. 8 ± 0. 41 and 1. 57 ± 0. 26 fold, respectively, p Conclusions: These results indicate that adenosine A 2 receptors may be useful targets for the treatment and prevention of MM-induced bone disease. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Dedicated to a specific audience, women willing to be professionally successful and financially independent, the current magazines for women tend to alter the feminism`s mission stated at the beginning of the XXth century. It seems that the "new woman", promoted by those magazines, has a single purpose: not to hide anymore her sexuality. The pages dedicated to this "liberation" abound in diets, pieces of advice, testimonials of a "more exciting sex"1, daily sensuality, leading towards a new point of view. Does the feminism exposed by nowadays stars drag the attention of potential readers? Which are the basics of this new type of feminism? A potential answer can be obtained by analyzing the main glossy and mass-market magazines published in Romania. Despite the change of direction, the women`s magazines preserved their main utilitarian function, of informing readers. Browsing a thematic magazine, a woman finds out which cooking style is healthy or not, which make-up and outfit suits her best, which stores offer substantial discounts and what are the recommendations for leisure activities. One perennial value of those magazines is the woman`s performance as business woman or just a woman excelling in any field of activity. Leaving aside the international or local brand, any magazine for women attempts to change features of the collective mentality, regarding both the loyal female readers and the secondary audience, represented by men.


The action of the distributed jamming system becomes more and more important in the current electronic warfare(EW).Using jam-to-signal ratio(JSR),this paper calculates and researches into the effect of distributed deception jamming and noise jamming through the jamming equation,which is of important meaning for evaluating the jamming efficiency of jammer and calculating the detection range of radar.


Space observations of fainter and more distant astronomical objects constantly require telescope primary mirrors with a larger size. The diameter of monolithic primary mirrors is limited to 10 m because of manufacturing and logistics limitations. For space telescopes, monolithic primary mirrors are limited to less than 5 m due to fairing capacity. Segmented primary mirrors thus constitute an alternative solution to deal with the steadily increase of the primary mirror size. The optical path difference between the individual segments must be close to zero (few nm) in order to be diffraction limited over the full telescope aperture. In this paper a new system that may co-phase 7 segments at once with the light of a star and without artificial one is proposed. First the measuring methods and feedback system is explained, then the breadboard setup is presented and the results are analyzed and discussed, finally a comparison with Keck telescope is performed. This system can be adapted in order to be used in the co-phasing system of future segmented mirrors, its dynamic range starts from several hundred of microns till some tenths of nanometers


Purpose: The availability of fresh Citrus fruits is limited by their susceptibility to invasion by microbial pathogens which leads to cause serious postharvest losses. The present study was carried out to isolate and morphologically identify postharvest fungal associations from selected Citrus fruit species (C. sinensis, C. limon, C. crenatifolia and C. medica) and to confirm their identity by molecular characterization. Research Method: Postharvest fungal associations of selected Citrus fruit species were isolated, and identification was done based on morphological characteristics. Confirmation of fungal associations was done through phylogenetic analysis of newly generated ITS sequencing data. Further, frequency of occurrence of each fungal isolate was calculated in three different districts in Sri Lanka. Findings: From the morphological and molecular identification, Collectrichum fructicola, Collectrichum gloeosporioides, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Aspergillus niger and Pestalotiopsis sp. were recorded from C. sinensis. Neofusicoccum parvum, Collectrichum gigasporium and Aspergillus clavatus were isolated from C. crenatifolia. Further, Lasiodiplodia theobromae and L. pseudotheobromae were the only fungal association isolated from C. limon and C. medica fruit species, respectively. It is worthwhile noting that this is the first report of association of the C. gigasporium and Pestalotiopsis sp. from Citrus fruits in Sri Lanka. Research Limitations: Since this research was mainly focused on the isolation and identification of the potential fungal associations, pathogenicity evaluation could not be carried out. Findings of potential disease causative agents in citrus will be valuable for agriculture sector, to adopt and practice effective strategies to minimize postharvest losses of citrus fruits.


After the normal progress of the rice culture of the Miao peo ple, whos e initial transform from the dry farming to the planting of rice was finished by the Miao ancestors inhabiting the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River according to the Miao epics, was interrupted by wars and immigrations, another form of rice culture in the terraced fields in the mountains of SW China was created to suit the new geographical environment. Closely connected with the local festivals and the farming seasons and completely unified with the rice-planting activities, the Miao drum societies and sacrificial ceremonies integrate and pas s down the cultural elements such as the spirit worship, ancestor worship and bi rth worship, forming the inter-active and inter-dependent relationship between the rice culture and sacrificial ceremonies.


Tat-Hean Gan, Graham Edwards, Malik Kayous and Bryan Bridge, TWI, UK, present an evolution of pipeline inspection techniques since the 1970s and offer a comparison of techniques, such as pigs and crawlers and the more recent guided wave systems.


A field experiment was conducted at AICRP on Agroforestry, PDKV, College of Agriculture, Nagpur to study the effect of water conservation practices and bamboo felling intensity on production of bamboo and to evaluate suitable combination of water conservation practices and felling intensity on its production. Among the sixteen treatment combinations circular trench (with 1.75 meter diameter, 25 centimeter depth and 60 centimeter width around the bamboo clump.) + 30% felling intensity of bamboo was found best to produce highest biomass 38.13 tons/ha. The Cost Benefit ratio (3.06) and gross monetary gain/ha Rs. 311940 /ha was highest for treatment Circular trench + 30% felling intensity.


This paper presents calculated results for the surface temperature rise and free convection heat transfer coefficient in the case of a vertically oriented pot-core inductor or transformer for which the total loss is known. The average surface temperature rise and convection heat transfer coefficient are shown to primarily depend on two characteristic parameters: the height of the core and the average convective heat flux dissipated from the side surface. In fact, simulations illustrate that only the side surface of the core effectively dissipates convective heat and the contribution of the core top surface to convection is negligible. The heat transfer due to radiation is also calculated from the average surface temperature rise. It becomes apparent that the radiative heat transfer is in the same order as the total convective heat transfer. A generalized equation is developed to correlate the temperature rise and total loss for pot-core components of the same height. In addition, through an experimental example, we show that the analysis for pot cores produces high errors if applied for ETD cores.


ABSTRACT Multiple oily wastewaters are necessary for scientific research and technological development. Experimental oily wastewater is prepared with an in-line high shear mixer at a constant flow rate. Rotor speeds have a significant effect on pressure drops across shear mixer, while oil/water ratios have less effect. With the increase of rotor speeds, most of the oil droplet size (D50, D90) show a downward trend. D10 of oil droplets may increase at low oil/water ratios while those decrease at high ones. Oil droplet sizes (D50 and D90) change slowly and emulsibility values decrease with the increase of oil/water ratios, and 0.06% is most favorable for fine emulsion. Higher rotor speeds prepare the turbulent environment easily, and higher oil/water ratios are available to improve droplets coalescence. Rotor stirring changes the drop size, and in turn influences the Zeta potential and stability of the emulsion. As oil/water ratios increase, absolute Zeta potential tends to decrease and coalesce easily. The oil contents of prepared wastewater measured with polyacrylamide addition are more than those without polyacrylamide addition respectively, and all of them are lower than their theoretical counterparts respectively. The results can provide necessary parameter references for the laboratory to prepare the character-specific oily wastewater.


Various ethyl 2-(3-cyanoallylidene)- or 2-[3-(ethoxycarbonyl)allylidene]-1,2-dihydropyridin-1-ylacetates were prepared from the reactions of 1-(1-ethoxycarbonylalkyl)-2-methylpyridinium halides with activated ethoxymethylidene compounds in the presence of a base. The treatment of these 2-allylidene-1,2-dihydropyridine derivatives with acetic acid at the reflux temperature gave directly the title compounds in low to moderate yields.


44:45 Chatter: Uncovering the Echelon Surveillance Network and the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping by Patrick Radden Keefe (New York: Random House, 2005—$14.95, paper, ISBN 978-0-8129-6827-9, 302 pp., notes, bibliography, glossary, index) has a slightly different subtitle than the hardback original (now out of print). Chatter starts out at Menwith Hill, a secret eavesdropping station covered in mysterious, gargantuan white golf balls, in England's Yorkshire moors. From there, the narrative moves quickly to another American spy station hidden in the Australian outback; from the intelligence bureaucracy in Washington to the European Parliament in Brussels; from an abandoned National Security Agency base in the mountains of North Carolina to the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. In some sense, this book only marginally belongs in this essay—it's more about listening than ''codebreaking'' but the latter is often needed in the surveillance process. A former Marshall scholar and now an attorney, this is Keefe's first book. It was widely and favorably reviewed when it first appeared.


Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women. Although the etiology of breast carcinoma is not completely understood, exposure to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is suggested as a risk factor for breast cancer. Studies have reported since 1995 that EBV is involved in the development of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of EBV in patients with breast cancer in Isfahan province. Methods: This study was performed using 40 paraffin-embedded tumor tissues and 40 tumorfree breast tissues from women with breast cancer in Isfahan province. After extraction of the DNA using salting-out method and the amplification of housekeeping gene betaactin, all samples were examined for EBV DNA using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method. Data were analyzed with chi-square test using SPSS 16software. Results: EBV was detected by PCR in 20 out of 40 (50%) cases of breast cancer samples and 5 out of 40 (12.5%) control samples. The chi-square statistics for the analysis of EBV infection in tumor and normal samples was 0.000 indicating a significant relationship between breast cancer and EBV infection in Isfahan province. Conclusion: The presence of EBV gene in a significant subset of women with breast cancer in Isfahan province shows EBVcan be one of the reasons for breast cancer, but more studies are needed to demonstrate the relationship between the virus and breast cancer.


This issue of the Index to NASA News Releases and Speeches contains a listing of news releases distributed by the Office of Public Affairs, NASA Headquarters, and a selected listing of speeches presented by members of the Headquarters staff during 1989. The index is arranged in six sections: Subject Index, Personal Names Index, News Release Number Index, Accession Number Index, and Speeches and News Releases.


The subject of the article is to analyze the effectiveness of a new method for detecting heterogeneities in a digital image by estimating the bimagnitude maximum of the pixel intensities. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the new method of detecting heterogeneities in the image using the maximum of the bimagnitude compared to the known method based on the estimation of the local root mean square deviation (LRMSD) of pixel intensity values. The objectives of the paper are the following: to formalize the procedure for computing the bimagnitude maximum of the pixels in the local segment; create a test image with different contrast values on the borders; to develop a mathematical model for calculating in the Matlab system the efficiency of detecting heterogeneities in the image in the presence of additive Gaussian noise with different values of noise RMS; provide for analysis and comparison of the graphs the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) contained the number of correctly classified non-homogeneous areas versus the number of incorrectly classified areas. The used methods are the following: bispectral data analysis method; methods of probability theory and mathematical statistics; methods of digital image processing. The following results were obtained. A boundary map for the test image without distortion and the presence of additive Gaussian noise with a variance equal to 0.2 is constructed for two types of detectors: the first one is based on the maximum amplitude and the second one is based on the estimation of the local RMS. The results of computer simulations show that both detectors fine-tune the boundary for the images in the absence of noise. But in the presence of additive noise, the detector based on the biamplitude maximum provides a significant advantage. Graphs of the dependence of the number of correctly classified inhomogeneous sections on the number of incorrectly classified areas for the proposed and known reference detection methods are represented. The area under the curve (AUC) values that characterize the efficiency of detecting heterogeneities in the image are calculated. The scientific novelty of the obtained results is the following: a new approach of detecting inhomogeneities in the image is proposed with the help of a new informative feature estimated in the form of the local biamplitude maximum. To analyze the effectiveness of the proposed method, a test image was formed with different border contrast values. Using the proposed technique and the known method, boundary maps were constructed for the test image without distortion and in the presence of additive Gaussian noise. To evaluate the effectiveness of two methods, the graphs were plotted against the number of correctly classified inhomogeneous sites by the number of incorrectly classified (ROC) for both proposed and known detection methods. A detector based on the local RMS value is more effective at small Gaussian noise variance values, but as the noise variance increases, detector based on the biamplitude maximum estimation is more effective. The calculated AUC values for studied methods based on local RMS estimation and maximum biamplitude estimation are equal to 0. 678 and 0. 8468, respectively. Even though the proposed method loses efficiency, the bispectrum-based method is more effective at large values of noise variance, in particular, when the noise RMS is 0.6, AUC = 0.8748.


The invention relates to a nano-selenium anion far infrared fabric tight vest for preventing electromagnetic radiation, belonging to the technical field of health fabrics for textile use. A fabric is prepared by the steps of: mixing nano Chinese medicine powder with special efficacy of treating same diseases, SnO, SiO2, Fe2O3 and Al2O3 with far infrared radiation function, tourmaline with anti-bacterial and electromagnetic radiation protective functions and capacity of generating anions, other natural ores of medical stones and the like capable of generating anions, critical short selenium and germanium elements which are rare in nature, and natural bee series mixtures with complete and enrich nutrients; and adding mixed nano fine micropowder prepared by adopting a new high-technical crushing and processing technology into a spinning liquid of Chitosano fibers, cotton, cashmere, fur, flax, bamboo, polyester fibers, polypropylene fibers and the like; and extruding, spinning and the like. The fabric has the functions of far infrared health care, anti-bacterial property and virus resistance, and can prevent radiation pollution of electromagnetic waves; and the generated anions can improve the cell regeneration capacity and the immunity of human beings and build human bodies.


All currently known local sources of gamma-quanta with energies > 10 eV do not contradict with the uniformed energy spectrum F(> Eγ) ∼ E−1.36±0.15 γ . The power of extragalactic sources some 10 −1012 more then of the galactic ones as the distance is greater and the observable flux intensity is comparable. Far greater power of extragalactic sources indicates the metagalactic origin of cosmic rays and existence of uniform for all protons and nuclei of cosmic radiation energies process of energy loss in Metagalaxy forming observable protons and nuclei energy spectrum ∼ E−2.72 o . It is shown that there is no break in energy spectrum of primary protons with energies 10 − 10 eV, and the break of EAS spectrum by electrons number is the implication of changing the process of multiply generation at the first act of EAS forming, which is confirmed by the changing of EAS absorption length from λ < 90g/cm to λ > 150g/cm after break. The local sources of extra-high energy cosmic radiation search by the EAS flux excess at narrow angular interval at the direction on supposed sources did not give conformable results because of extremely low flux of showers generated by gamma-quanta, which is connected with the process of accumulation of charged particles in Metagalaxy, wich includes intergalactic space. This was confirmed at experiments of total EAS formed by gamma-quanta which have no muons and hadrons flux determination. The result of EAS containing no hadrons searching is shown on fig 1. EAS having their core passing through the ionization co0lorimeter with Pb absorbent were observed. The analysis of such showers showed that between EAS on observation level of 3760 m high above sea level the "no hadron" showers flux is slight 0.005±0.001 of full EAS flux with the same electron number at the observation level. Trial observations of "no muons" showers showed the same result at 0.004 ± 0.001 EAS with primary energy > (3 − 4)10 eV not a pp. 1–7 c ©2002 by Universal Academy Press, Inc.


Today it is observed that there are lots of reasons which effects environment. One of them is Computer or Laptop or media we are using for communication over internet. It is observed that using these there is energy consumption which in turn responsible in climate change. To reduce energy consumption GOOGLE provide an innovative solution "BLACKLE". Although it is not related to Google, the site does use our custom search engine.


A large-volume glow discharge is produced using a microhollow cathode sustained discharge (MCSD) with a needle-plate second anode in argon. The length and volume of the glow discharge are approximately 3 cm and 7 cm3, respectively, and the electron density is on the order of 1011 cm−3. The MCSD is also simulated using a two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model with a single plate as the second anode. Both the experimental and simulated results show that MCSD generation originates from cooperative formation that involves the microhollow cathode discharge and a discharge that arises from the second anode. The second anode plays an important role in MCSD generation. The electric field and the average electron energy clearly increase in the region near the second anode. The influence of the structure of the second anode on the MCSD characteristics is investigated. When the second anode has a needle-plate structure instead of a single plate structure, the sustaining voltage, breakdown, and annihilation current of the cathode for MCSD decrease substantially, a higher discharge current is obtained, and a more stable, uniform MCSD is produced. The results also show that both needle and plate contribute to glow discharge formation in the region near the second anode.


This work presents the significant role of barrier layer (interlayer) used in multilayer bearing of combustion engines. It is know, that the slide bearing of high-load combustion engines independently from manufacturing technology, must have a barrier layer between overlay and bearing material layer with regard on diffusion process of the alloy components. The present state materials used on barrier layer in slide multilayer bearings of combustion engines did not change during the last 30-years – the same materials of barrier layer are generally used. Only small changes and modifications of interlayer used on multilayer bearings, with the use of the same groups of materials, independently from specific manufacturing technology of bearing and their used were observed. Nickel is commonly used on barrier layer in slide multilayer bearings. Explorers tried to use different materials on bearing barrier layer many times and they proposed to change its construction. Unfortunately they did not fine acknowledgement of bearings manufacturers in this range. The change of bearings materials, growth of operating requirements of combustion engines, ecological limitation and the price of materials may force changes in present constructional and technological conception of barrier layer, in range of materials selection and building the bearings. This work presents the results of research of barrier layer. It was found that barrier layer Ni-Cr is physically and thermally stable up to at 180 C.


A number of atomic beam experiments, related to the Ramsey experiment and a recent experiment by Brune et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 4887 (1996)], are studied with respect to the question of complementarity. Three different procedures for obtaining information on the state of the incoming atom are compared. Positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) are explicitly calculated. It is demonstrated that, in principle, it is possible to choose the experimental arrangement so as to admit an interpretation as a joint nonideal measurement yielding interference and ``which-way'' information. Comparison of the different measurements gives insight into the question of which information is provided by a (generalized) quantum mechanical measurement. For this purpose the subspaces of Hilbert-Schmidt space, spanned by the operators of the POVM, are determined for different measurement arrangements and different values of the parameters.


The training of specialist librarians working in library and information institutions requires a deep mastery of theoretical and practical knowledge and active participation in the socio-economic, cultural and spiritual reforms ongoing in our country. Library and information activities are closely related to two factors: the object-reader and the product of the printed publication. The librarian, on the one hand, provides readers with publishing products, on the other hand, provides information about publications and provides reader culture, recommends studying and analyzing printed publications. All of the above requires from the librarian deep erudition, knowledge in the field of library and information activities.


Purpose: The present study was conducted on undergraduate dental students to asses and compare the levels of salivary stress biomarkers including cortisol, immulnoglobulin-A and α-amylase enzyme during periods of academic assessments and nonassessments and to relate these biomarkers to students' academic performance. Methods: Saliva samples were collected from undergraduate dental students; one before taking a final assessment exam and another during non-assessment period. Salivary stress biomarkers concentrations were obtained using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: The level of salivary stress biomarkers including s-cortisol, α-amylase, and immulnoglobulin-A significantly increased during periods of assessment exams as compared to non-assessment (p=0,000, 0.001, and 0.003 consecutively). The study found a significant correlation between salivary α-amylase and academic performance especially among male students (p=0.008) and those in their final academic year (p=0.040). Conclusion: We conclude that the stress of academic assessment can markedly increase the level of salivary stress biomarkers. Students who show less academic performance generally depict higher levels of salivary α-amylase, especially male students and those in their final academic year.


The process of globalization contains contradiction structure of homogenization and heterogenization.At the mercy of it,private international law in 21century appears the view of two opposite tendency of cosmopolitanism and nationalism.Private international law of China should follow the bilateral trend of mondialisation and nationalization.Furthermore,it should take nationalistic private center on cosmopolitanism,namely harmonisme private as reform direction.


This is a study of the development of farming in the prairie states. The book emphasises the individual farmer (the man with dirt on his hands and dung on his boots), and the problems and developments that have forced him to make decisions about his farm business.


abstract BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis causes nearly 20% of all acute care hospitalizations for young children in the United States. Unnecessary testing and medication for infants with bronchiolitis contribute to cost without improving outcomes.


A generalized version of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing interleave division multiple access (OFDM-IDMA) referred to as grouped OFDM-IDMA (G-OFDM-IDMA) is introduced in this paper. By dividing the users into several groups and transmitting each group's data only on part of the subcarriers, the G-OFDM-IDMA system is capable of having much lower decoding complexity compared with the conventional OFDM-IDMA while preserving the bandwidth efficiency and the bit error rate (BER) performance. We study the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the decoding complexity and diversity order. We also extend the results to the multiple receive antennae case. Simulations are performed to corroborate the performance of the proposed G-OFDM-IDMA.


The paper describes the use of electric al resistivity tomography in order to recognize the geological structure of the cliff from the point of view of landslide hazard. The Jastrzębia Góra cliff is the western extension of Rozewie Cape cliff. The study area is located in the Jastrzębia Góra town near a school and recreation center "Bałtyk". The cliff in the study area is almost entirely built over with gabions. The large variation in lithology in the gabion band vicinity (sand, clay, silt) was stated. This structure with suitable layer slants and glacitectonic deformations is conducive to landslide formation.


Although an increasing volume of x-ray photoemission spectroscopic ~XPS! data has been accumulated on boron and boron-rich compounds because of their unusual properties, including a unique three-center, two-electron bonding configuration, their common nonmetallic nature has been overlooked. Typically, the measured energy-state data are not clarified by surface Fermi level positions of these nonmetallic samples, which compromises the scientific contents of the data. In the present study, we revisited the XPS studies of sputter-cleaned b-rhombohedral boron ( b r-B), the oxidized surface of b r-B, B6O pellet, and polished B 2O3, to illustrate the impact and resolution of this scientific issue. These samples were chosen because b r-B is the most thermodynamically stable polytype of pure boron, B 2O3 is its fully oxidized form, and B6O is the best known superhard family member of boron-rich compounds. From our XPS measurements, including those from a sputter-cleaned gold as a metal reference, we deduced that our b r-B had a surface Fermi level located at 0.7 60.1 eV from its valence-band maximum ~VBM ! ~referred asEFL) and a binding energy for its B 1s core level at 187.2 eV from VBM ( Eb,VBM). The latter attribute, unlike typical XPS binding energy data that are referenced to a sample-dependent Fermi level ( Eb,FL), is immune from any uncertainties and variations arising from sample doping and surface charging. For bulk B2O3, we found anEb,VBM for its B 1s core level at 190.5 eV and an Eb,FL at 193.6 eV. For our b r-B subjected to a surface oxidation treatment, an overlayer structure of ;1.2 nm B2O3 / ;2 nm B2O/B was found. By comparing the data from this sample and those from b r-B and bulk B2O3, we infer that the oxide overlayer carried some negative fixed charge and this induced on the semiconductingb r-B sample an upward surface band bending of ;0.6 eV. As for our B6O sample, we found anEFL of ;1.7 eV and two different chemical states having Eb,VBM of 185.4 and 187.2 eV, with the former belonging to boron with no oxygen neighbor and the latter to boron with an oxygen neighbor. The methodology in this work is universally applicable to all nonmetallic samples. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. @DOI: 10.1063/1.1651321 #


This study examines the conditions under which dual commitments to competing institutional logics, particularly a social vs. a commercial logic, are both important to organizational functioning for social enterprises. Using hand-collected data from a survey of 190 social enterprises in South Korea, we identify a reliable measure for the sustainability of competing logics. We also identify the factors associated with variation in a social enterprise's capacity to sustain dual commitments to competing institutional logics. Using an imprinting perspective, we show that a social entrepreneur's non-profit experience has a curvilinear effect on the sustainability of competing logics. Moreover, the non-linear effect of a social entrepreneur's non-profit experience on the sustainability of competing logics is less profound in social enterprises with a highly ambivalent founder.


Cardiac involvement is common in patients severely ill with COVID-19 and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The mechanism for myocardial injury in COVID-19 has been proposed to be at least in part due to a direct viral cytotoxic effect on cardiomyocytes. Preclinical data corroborate the notion that SARSCoV-2 can enter and replicate within hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. However, clinical evidence demonstrating direct viral effects on the heart remains limited. Alternatively, cardiac injury may result from excessive inflammatory cytokine production which is the main driver for the pathogenesis in COVID-19. Despite this, cardiotoxicity secondary to hyperinflammation constitutes a potentially amenable mechanism that remains largely unexplored. To investigate serological drivers of cardiotoxicity in COVID-19 we have established a bioassay that assessed the effects of serum from COVID-19 confirmed patients on human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs). We demonstrate that serum from COVID-19 positive patients significantly reduced cardiomyocyte viability and contractility independent of viral transduction. Serum from patients with greater disease severity led to worse cardiomyocyte viability and this significantly correlated with levels of key inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-α, IL1-β, IL-10, CRP and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio with a specific reduction of CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Combinatorial blockade of IL-6 and TNF-α partially reversed the phenotype and preserved cardiomyocyte viability and function. Interestingly, treatment with serum from Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) patients recapitulates the effect observed with COVID-19 patients' serum indicating that the phenotype observed is most likely not unique to COVID-19 disease. In conclusion, our results provide direct evidence that inflammatory cytokines are at least in part responsible for the cardiovascular damage seen in COVID-19 and indicate possible targets for therapeutic intervention.


A 52-year-old woman with atopic asthma and a long smoking habit underwent CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for investigation of atypical, pleuritic chest pain. There was no history of heart disease or cardiovascular risk factors. As per usual practice for non-cardiac imaging, CTPA was performed without ECG gating. While there was no pulmonary embolism, CT showed an apparent large left atrial filling defect (arrows), demonstrated in axial ( Panel A …


There is a need to evolve from the simple mapping of water points, now often numerous, to effective decision making using these data. This paper outlines new developments of mWater as the preferred online Management Information System (MIS) tool to analyse significant volumes of water and sanitation data in Malawi. mWater exemplifies an evolving strategic decision-making tool used to formulate rural water supply investment strategies. A time series of 25,000 water points have been mapped since 2011 to build a complete asset register of water infrastructure to support government endeavours to reach Sustainable Development Goal 6. This comprehensive live database allows real-time analysis of over sixty variables, including linkage to concurrent mWater sanitation and waste data. This paper briefly illustrates several emergent uses of the facility to exemplify its potential in strategic decision making using Big Data. It is currently being rolled out across the entire country.


Well-preserved and diverse silicoflagellate and ebridian populations are found in the lower and middle Eocene sediments of DSDP Site 605 and the upper Miocene sediments of DSDP Site 604. The ebridians outnumber the silicoflagellates in the siliceous interval of Site 605, but are less numerous at Site 604. The abundances of the various taxa are tabulated.


There continues to be confusion in the healthcare design industry about the differences between the processes of research, evidence-based design, and process improvement. While there is significant overlap between these three processes, there are distinctive differences as well. This issue of HERD features articles on the process improvement and quality improvement processes referred to as Lean Six Sigma. While these two processes are often used together, they are two separate processes used to improve projects, performance, through- put, and outcomes. Lean Six Sigma is not only a philosophical and belief system, but it is also widely recognized as a strategic change process with a suite of tools that can be used to make improvements to the physical work environment or work processes (Graban, 2012). Lean Six Sigma is all about change and how to ensure that you change, or "fix," the right problem as opposed to applying pre- cious resources to solve the wrong problem. Lean Six Sigma is not about "quick fixes," although some of these can be recognized and adopted early in the pro- cess as rapid cycle changes. Lean Six Sigma is about identifying the root cause of problems and the other interrelated variables that influence the problem.How does Lean Six Sigma relate to architectural and design research or the use of an evidence-based design (EBD) approach in the planning and design of health- care facilities? The Lean Six Sigma process should be used prior to commencing the planning and design process to prevent designing process and/or operational failures in a new or renovated building. All too often, designers are influenced by healthcare professionals who approach design with the "this is how we do it here" mentality. What's curious about this approach is that they are often unhappy with "how they do it here" and have even developed numerous "workarounds" to make the existing facility work for them.Recently I was invited to meet with some physicians and nurse leaders from a large healthcare organization who had recently completed a new building addi- tion that included a large new emergency department (ED). Nurses and physicians had been involved in the design and they had used the "this is how we do it here" approach. Now they were finding that their new facility simply was not work- ing for them, and patients were waiting in the large wait- ing area for up to an average of 8 hours before being moved through the ED care process. The patients were often quickly assessed in a triage area and sent back out to the waiting room to stay until they were called. The new ED had been designed much larger than the previous one to solve the problem of long wait times for patients, but the wait times were longer than ever. Patient satisfaction in the new ED was surprisingly low and patient comments validated their discontent with being moved back and forth between the waiting room, triage, diagnostic and treatment areas, and the laboratory before they were ever seen by a physician.The hospital leadership employed consultants to assist them with a Lean Six Sigma process to improve patient flow and to reduce long waiting periods for patients in their new ED. The Lean Six Sigma process, using multiple tools and approaches, broke the problem down to determine root causes using Fishbone diagrams, process flow charts, the 5S process, and other methods to improve patient flow and minimize the wait time to be seen by a physician and ultimate- ly discharged home or admitted to an inpatient bed in the hospital. This exam- ple is the reality of a number of different departments throughout hospitals all across the U.S. If Lean Six Sigma processes had been used prior to planning and design, the "this is how we do it here" approach that is memorialized in concrete and steel could be eliminated.The Lean Six Sigma process should be recognized as the new first phase of the planning and design process for healthcare design. Lean Six Sigma should be employed after the visioning for the new facility and before space program- ming occurs. …


The dissipative flow of Casson fluid in the presence of heat generation and absorption is investigated. The flow is induced due to stretching wedge. The similarity transformations were used to to transformed the governing equations into ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are solved numerically via Keller-box method. Numerical results for skin friction coefficient are compared and found in excellent agreement with published results. The effects of pertinent parameters on velocity and temperature profiles as well as skin friction and heat transfer rate are graphically displayed and analyzed. It is noticed that fluid velocity drops with the increase of Casson fluid and magnetic parameters when the wedge is stretching faster than free stream. It is also noted that the heat transfer rate at wedge surface reduces with the increase of Eckert number, whereas the reverse trend is noted in the case of Casson and radiation parameters. Moreover, with increasing of heat generation or absorption parameter the fluid temperature rises.


INTRODUCTION I. THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF PATENTED TECHNOLOGY II. THE SCOPE OF PATENTABILITY A. A Brief Examination of Patentable Subject Matter in the United States 1. Formal Requirements 2. The Substantive Scope of Patentable Subject Matter B. Patentable Subject Matter in Foreign Laws and International Treaties 1. Exclusions for Harmful Inventions 2. Exclusions for Beneficial Inventions 3. Exclusions in International Treaties III. A PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FOR THE SCOPE OF PATENTABILITY A. Harmful Inventions: What to Exclude 1. Banned Substances 2. Other Inherently Reasonable Exclusions 3. Scientific Uncertainty and True Precaution B. Beneficial Inventions and Selective Exclusion CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION The primary goal of patent law is to promote technological progress. (1) To this end, a patent generally provides an inventor with the incentive of a temporary monopoly on the right to make, use, and sell a patented invention, (2) in return for full public disclosure of the invention. (3) However, both the incentive to invent and the reward for inventing may have unintended and undesirable consequences because the harm caused by some inventions, or in some cases simply by the grant of the monopoly, may outweigh the benefits of the disclosure. On one hand, society may not wish to provide an incentive to invent in areas where the potentially harmful effects of an invention outweigh its putative benefits. On the other hand, even for an entirely beneficial invention, providing a patent may limit public access to the invention by allowing monopolistic pricing during the term of the patent. In such cases, the patent incentive is arguably misplaced. Rather than ignoring the unintended--but nonetheless, harmful--effects of granting a patent, and focusing solely on maximizing the economic benefit to the inventor, patent law should counteract those effects by selectively limiting both the incentive to invent and the reward for inventing. This Article examines the undesirable consequences that may result from the patent incentive currently provided under U.S. and international law, and proposes a method by which those impacts can be limited by selectively narrowing the legal scope of patentability. In this country, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is required by federal law to grant patents without considering either an invention's possible harmful impacts or the effects on public health of monopoly pricing resulting from a patent. (4) Instead, U.S. law requires only a showing of utility, novelty, and nonobviousness, (5) with patentable subject matter broadly defined to include "anything under the sun that is made by man." (6) This policy has two important consequences. First, the USPTO routinely grants patents for inventions that are harmful to the environment and public health. (7) Second, by indiscriminately granting patents on beneficial inventions, U.S. law allows monopoly pricing of many such inventions without regard to the impact of such pricing. This may, for example, contribute to the high costs of pharmaceuticals and of health care generally in this country. (8) Although such costs may be appropriate in the United States--and in other highly industrialized and relatively wealthy Nations (9)--monopoly power can severely limit access to pharmaceutical drugs and other beneficial inventions in developing nations. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many developing nations lack the effective antitrust regulations of the United States. Denying a patent based on the potentially harmful impacts of an invention is complicated by the fact that scientific consensus regarding the environmental and public health impacts of a new technology often arrives years, or even decades, after the technology itself. In the interim, the state of knowledge regarding the potential impacts of an invention generally progresses from scientific ignorance, when any harmful impacts of the invention are completely unknown and unsuspected, to scientific uncertainty, when harmful impacts are suggested by some scientific evidence, but the scientific community has not yet reached consensus, and finally to scientific certainty, when harmful impacts, if any, are well accepted by the scientific community. …


Relevance . Type-1 diabetes mellitus affects usual oral microbiome for active growth of periodontal pathogenic bacteria concentration in geometric progression, which leads to decrease in function of local immunity of oral cavity, inflammation of periodontal tissues and resorption of alveolar bone – the characteristics of chronic generalized periodontitis. This article provides analysis of qualitative and quantitative composition of microflora of periodontal pocket among type-1 diabetes patients before and after conservative periodontal therapy using ultrasonic treatment technique with a polishing suspension based on calcium hydroxide («Vector Paro», Durr Dental). Purpose . To evaluate the antibacterial effectiveness of professional oral hygiene complex with the additional treatment of periodontal pockets with «Vector Paro» device among patients with type-1 diabetes and chronic generalized mild periodontitis. Materials and methods . 30 patients with chronic generalized mild periodontitis and type-1 diabetes were examined with using analyses of periodontal pockets microflora contents. All patients underwent a standard complex of professional oral hygiene and gentle periodontal therapy with the «Vector Paro» device. Re-examination was in 4 weeks. Results . The performed complex of conservative periodontal therapy improved periodontal status in both groups, but in control group changes were more significant. Conclusion . Dynamic monitoring of qualitative and quantitative composition of periodontal pockets in combination with conservative periodontal therapy using the «Vector Paro» apparatus improves hygienic and periodontal status among patients with type-1 diabetes.


Natural disasters can have lasting impacts on regional economies. Island economies, in particular, have protracted recoveries from disasters due to their location, size, and economic dependence on trading partners. As imports and exports are especially explicit and discernible in ports, islands facilitate investigations on the long-term effects of disaster relief, reconstruction, and redevelopment on trade. In this paper, we examine the transformational impact of the 2004 Indian ocean earthquake and tsunami. We examine changes to physical imports and exports in the archipelago to reflect on the social, economic, and ecological impacts of the 2004 disaster and subsequent recovery. We analyse disaggregated physical import and export data for 2003–2017 from revenue ports in the Nicobar Islands in India along with data from field surveys and interviews conducted on the islands. We find that while the archipelago's physical trade balance has been continuously growing since 2003, it increased at a higher rate after the disaster and thereafter stabilized to levels comparable to the pre-tsunami period. However, further analysis indicates that the nature and quantity of physical imports during this period, such as of fuel and construction materials, are unprecedented; and there are diverging trajectories of redevelopment within the archipelago...


Between May, 1994 and May, 1995 serum ferritin concentrations were measured in 74 pregnant women who were HIV‐1 positive (17 with CD4 cell counts below 200 cells/uL) and in 148 HIV‐1 negative pregnant controls in first trimester of gestation to determine if a high level of serum ferritin is present in pregnant women with HIV‐1 infection. Comparisons were made between groups stratified by CD4 cell counts. Pregnant women with HIV‐1 infection had 92% higher mean serum ferritin levels (112.8 versus 58.8 ug/L, p<0.005) compared to controls, whereas the mean maternal age, parity, gestational age, haemoglobin levels and body mass index at entry into the study did not differ significantly between the control and HIV‐1 infection groups. The serum ferritin levels inversely correlated with the percentage of CD4 lymphocytes, CD4 cell counts and the CD4/CD8 ratio. This study suggests that serum ferritin levels can also be used as an immunological marker in HIV‐1 infected pregnant women.


A Monte Carlo simulation study of the steric component to the disjoining pressure of a thin fluid film is presented for a system with parallel planar surfaces bearing terminally attached chains. A continuum model of freely jointed linear chains with excluded volume interaction in the good solvent regime is used. Results for the segment density profile as a function of film thickness are obtained which show a considerable degree of interpenetration of the two attached chain layers at small surface separations. The disjoining pressure is found to be purely repulsive and a strong function of the surface coverage. The disjoining pressure displays a much weaker dependence on the chain length. The results are compared and contrasted with those from a lattice-based mean field theory.


This study examines the relationship between ambiguity and the ideological positioning of political parties across the political spectrum. We identify a strong non-monotonic (inverted U-shaped) relationship between party ideology and ambiguity within a sample of 202 European political parties. This pattern is observed across all ideological dimensions covered in the data. To explain this pattern, we propose a novel theory that suggests centrist parties are perceived as less risky by voters compared to extremist parties, giving them an advantage in employing ambiguity to attract more voters at a lower cost. We support our explanation with additional evidence from electoral outcomes and economic indicators in the respective party countries.


O-Methylfluorescein phosphate hydrolysis, catalyzed by purified erythrocyte Ca 2a -ATPase in the absence of Ca 2a , was slow in the basal state, activated by phosphatidylserine and controlled proteolysis, but not by calmodulin. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate competitively inhibits hydrolysis in the absence of Ca 2a , while ATP inhibits it with a complex kinetics showing a high and a low affinity site for ATP. Labeling with fluorescein isothiocyanate impairs the high affinity binding of ATP, but does not appreciably modify the binding of any of the pseudosubstrates. In the presence of calmodulin, an increase in the Ca 2a concentration produces a bell-shaped curve with a maximum at 50 W MC a 2a . At optimal Ca 2a concentration, hydrolysis of 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphate proceeds in the presence of fluorescein isothiocyanate, is competitively inhibited by p-nitrophenyl phosphate and, in contrast to the result observed in the absence of Ca 2a , it is activated by calmodulin. In marked contrast with other pseudosubstrates, hydrolysis of 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphate supports Ca 2a transport. This highly specific activity can be used as a continuous fluorescent marker or as a tool to evaluate partial steps from the reaction cycle of plasma membrane Ca 2a -ATPases. fl 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


PURPOSE: An apparatus for separating foreign materials from waste vinyl and waste nets is provided to separately collect and discharge weighted foreign materials and clay from waste vinyl or waste nets by using a rotary plate and a vein. CONSTITUTION: An apparatus for separating foreign materials from waste vinyl and waste nets is composed of a first conveyor(4), a rotary disk unit, a rotary disk semi-driving unit, a foreign material discharging unit, a waste vinyl and waste net discharging unit, a cover, a partition, and a frame(1). The cover guides various foreign materials to drop into the foreign material discharging unit. The partition prevents waste vinyl and waste nets from being introduced into the foreign material discharging unit and guides the waste vinyl and the waste nets to the waste vinyl and waste net discharging unit. The frame fixes the units.


Disaster areas have been figured out as a typical usage scenario for mobile wireless ad-hoc networks (MANETs). In contrast to this, there are no specific mobility or traffic models for MANETs. We present a realistic approach to realize mobility in disaster areas based on tactical issues of civil protection. The new model is analyzed and compared to Gauss-Markov and random waypoint mobility models. Furthermore, we present first simulation results. The mobility model analysis as well as the simulation are based on two real disasters that occurred in Germany in 1999 and 2001. We show that disaster area scenarios have specific characteristics. Thus, they should be considered in MANET performance evaluation.


cision to leave home and H.F.'s decision in The Journal of the Plague Year to remain in London at the time of the plague. In one fascinating passage we are also asked to reconsider the episode of the cave and the goat in Crusoe as a kind of psychodrama pitting Robinson against his own ''wild and uncured self.'' The third and final section of the book, devoted to some ''narrative representations of the cure of passion'' after 1740, begins with a chapter on the Reverend John Lewis, whose manuscripts ''illuminate a lifetime of struggle to cure his passions'' and who wrote a ''Life of Servetus.'' Mr. Sill follows this with a comparison of Fielding's reformative attitude toward the passions, which he suggests is best understood withHutcheson in mind, to the more radical attitude of Richardson and Frances Burney, where the passions must be disciplined or even extirpated. The Hutcheson connection with regard to Fielding especially illuminates Fielding's theory of laughter. In terms of the desire to subdue the passions, however, we are on the road to Austen's ElinorDashwood, and the way is marked by Charles Grandison, Evelina, Cecilia, and Maria Edgeworth's Belinda Portman. The book overall is not blind to the other side of the coin. Mr. Sill in fact begins with a look at a conduct book by Watts on the ''unsettled state of knowledge—or, as we might say, the crisis of thought and opinion—about the passions that waxed and waned through much of the eighteenth century.'' Readers will appreciate in this regard the comments on Lennox's The Female Quixote, where the ambiguities on passion Mr. Sill identifies in Watts's text are abundantly clear. In Lennox's work, another Physician of the Mind, the ''Pious Learned Doctor,'' finally ''cures''Arabella of her ruling passion of quixotism, but the author's heavy irony at the expense of this ''worthy Divine,'' whose intellect is so inferior to his patient's, underlines the poison/remedy dialectic that defines discourse on passion in the period. Arabella cannot survive as she is, and yet she is clearly superior to her insipid companions. Mr. Sill also looks at the famous passage in Joseph Andrews where Parson Adams, after preaching a stoic control of the passions, reacts passionately to the news, first, of the death of his son, and then to the news that the boy is still alive. Fielding's understanding of Stoicism may have been skewed, as Mr. Sill suggests, but the outburst by Parson Adams is a marker of his humanity. Here and elsewhere Mr. Sill's principal achievement is in sorting out negative from positive valuations of the passions and focusing on their dangers. His larger accomplishment, however, is his suggestion that the emergence of the novel in the period had to do with the cure of the passions. William Donoghue Emerson College


Objective To observe the relationship between the expression of p16 gene and the indices of PCNA in primary gastric carcinoma. Methods Immunohistochemistry of labelled streptavidin biotin method was used in this study. Results The positive rate of p16 gene and mean indices of PCNA in the group with histological gradeⅠbut without lymphaden metastasis were significantly lower than those in the group with histological grade Ⅲ and lymphaden metastasis (P 0.01, P 0.05). Conclusions The results further showed that the expression of p16 gene and indices of PCNA might be related to the genesis and development of gastric carcinoma. High-levels of p16 expression and indices of PCNA in gastric carcinoma may be associated with poor differentiation, rapid progression, and high risk of lymphaden metastasis.


Occupational stress has been a concern for human resource managers in light of research investigating the work stressor-employee adjustment relationship. This research has consistently demonstrated many negative effects between stressors in the workplace and employee adjustment. A considerable amount of literature also describes potential moderators of this relationship. Subjective fit with organizational culture has been established as a significant predictor of employee job-related attitudes; however, research has neglected investigation of the potential moderating effect of subjective fit in the work stressor-employee adjustment process. It was predicted that perceptions of subjective fit with the organization's values and goals would mitigate the negative effect of work stressors on employee adjustment in an employee sample from three organizations (N = 256). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed support for the stress-buffering effects of high subjective fit in the prediction of physical symptoms, job satisfaction, and intentions to leave. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.


This paper,with the methods of literature consultation,the application of mathematical statistics and contrastive analysis,makes a technique statistics analysis of the three matches that Chinese Men Basketball Team played with the other two strong teams in the 25th Asian Basketball Championship.The statistical data show that various indexes of Chinese Men Basketball Team do not have obvious superiority to that of other Asian strong teams,the overall level cannot exert stably,and the team does not inherit the spiritual and tactical style shown in Beijing Olympic Games.The data also show that Chinese Team lacks collective cohesion and indomitable playing-style,and both its technique and tactics need to be improved.


Disability, Health, Independent Living, Rehabilitation and Research Leaders from Traditionally Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Populations: Career Development and Success Factors Corey L. Moore, Ningning Wang, Dytisha Davis, Fariborz Aref, Edward O. Manyibe, Andre L. Washington, Jean Johnson, Kenyotta Eugene-Cross, Atashia Muhammad, and James Quinn ..................................................................................................................19


Unintended or unmediated data sharing is a frequent cause of insidious bugs in multithreaded programs. We present a tool called SharC (short for Sharing Checker) that allows a user to write lightweight annotations to declare how they believe objects are being shared between threads in their program. SharC uses a combination of static and dynamic analyses to check that the program conforms to this specification.
 SharC allows any type to have one of five "sharing modes" -- private to the current thread, read-only, shared under the control of a specified lock, intentionally racy, or checked dynamically. The dynamic mode uses run-time checking to verify that objects are either read-only, or only accessed by one thread. This allows us to check programs that would be difficult to check with a purely static system. If the user does not give a type an explicit annotation, then SharC uses a static type-qualifier analysis to infer that it is either private or should be checked dynamically.
 SharC allows objects to move between different sharing modes at runtime by using reference counting to check that there are no other references to the objects when they change mode.
 SharC's baseline dynamic analysis can check any C program, but is slow, and will generate false warnings about intentional data sharing. As the user adds more annotations, false warnings are reduced, and performance improves.We have found in practice that very few annotations are needed to describe all sharing and give reasonable performance. We ran SharC on 6 legacy C programs, summing to over 600k lines of code, and found that a total of only 60 simple annotations were needed to remove all false positives and to reduce performance overhead to only 2-14%.


A stack package using a stacked substrate connected by using a metal post as a medium is provided to guarantee a solder ball mounting region without increasing the area of a unit package even if a resin sealing part for sealing a semiconductor chip on the upper surface of a first substrate by mounting a second substrate on the first substrate while using a metal post as a medium and by exposing the second substrate to the upper surface of the resin sealing part. A first chip is mounted on the center of the upper surface of a first substrate(120). A plurality of metal posts(170) are formed on the circumference of the first chip on the upper surface of the first substrate, electrically connected to the first chip. A second substrate(180) is stacked on the metal post, electrically connected to the metal post. A resin sealing part(150) includes the first chip and an electrical part of the first substrate, sealing the first chip mounted on the upper surface of the substrate wherein the upper surface of the second substrate is exposed. A plurality of solder balls are bonded to the lower surface of the first substrate. Solder balls(160) of stack unit package are bonded to the second substrate of a stacked unit package. The first chip may be flip-chip bonded to the upper surface of the first substrate.


Aiming at localizing the telemetric capsule for detecting gastrointestinal physiological parameters in vivo accurately,a portable alternating current(AC)electromagnetic localization system is designed.To verify the feasibility of the method,the model and construction of the localization system are detailed.And static and dynamic accuracy of the localization system are tested by experiments.Next,we compare the simulating results of the electromagnetic radiation aroused by the localization system with the electromagnetic safety standards of human(ICNIRP guidelines and IEEE standard C95.1-1991).Finally,in terms of the results of the static and dynamic experiments,conclusions are drawn that the accuracy of portable positioning system is high(less than 10 mm)enough to satisfy the localization need of the micro invasive medical devices in vivo,and there is no harm of electromagnetic radiation to human.


We give a variant of the pairing heaps that achieves the following amortized costs: O(1) per find-min and insert, O(log log n) per decrease-key and meld, O(log n) per delete-min; where n is the number of elements in the resulting heap on which the operation is performed. These bounds are the best known for any self-adjusting heap and match two lower bounds, one established by Fredman and the other by Iacono and Özkan, for a family of self-adjusting heaps that generalizes the pairing heaps but do not include our variant. We further show how to reduce the amortized cost for meld to be paid by the other operations, on the expense of increasing that of delete-min to O(log n + log log N), where N is the total number of elements in the collection of heaps of the data structure (not just the heap under consideration by the operation).