Amelioration has dramatically altered the distribution of semi-natural grasslands in Latvia and as a result of the drainage, and the ocurrance of humid grassland habitats has decreased sharply. The aim of the paper was to identify drainage rate for habitat 6270*_3 ecohydrological requirements which is necessary for its successful management and long-term existence. The work looked at 15 equally managed (extensively grazed and/or mowed) perennial, natural grasslands at different levels of drainage resulting in various quality states. To reveal the most habitat-preserving drainage rate, for each site of the habitat 6270*_3 a decrease of groundwater table was identified. As a result a rate that meets ecohydrological requiremets is procured.


There are various types of UWB antennas can be used to scavenge energy from the air and one of them is the printed disc monopole antenna. One of the new challenges imposed on ultra wideband is the design of a generalized antenna circuit model. It is developed in order to extract the inductance and capacitance values of the UWB antennas. In this research work, the developed circuit model can be used to represent the rectangular printed disc monopole antenna with double steps. The antenna structure is simulated with CST Microwave Studio, while the circuit model is simulated with AWR Microwave Office. In order to ensure the simulation result from the circuit model is accurate, the circuit model is also simulated using Mathlab program. The developed circuit model is found to be able to depict the actual UWB antenna. Energy harvesting from environmental wirelessly is an emerging method, which forms a promising alternative to existing energy scavenging system. The developed UWB can be used to scavenge wideband energy from electromagnetic wave present in the environment.


The appointment of Ma'ruf Amin as Jokowi's running mate in the presidential election of 2019 resulted in pros and cons among political elites in the country. This paper, thus, aims at explaining the dynamic of political communication that allowed the appointment of Ma'ruf Amin as Jokowi's running mate in the election. This paper concludes that Ma'ruf Amin has a unique political position among amny other potential running mates. As a senior ulama with records of political positions during his career, Ma'ruf Amin has the potential to boost votes for Jokowi in the upcoming election, especially from the traditional Muslim of Nahdatul Umala, the largest Muslim organisation in the country, and in the world. Moreover, by appointing Ma'ruf Amin, one of the highest rank ulamas in Nahdatul Ulama, Jokowi can get rid of the stigma of himself being not friendly to Islam as he has been target of black campaigns for years.Keywords: Indonesian Presidential Election, Ma'ruf Amin effect, and political communication.


For the purpose to know changes in blood contents, seasonal changes and changes by age in blood contents of peasants and fishermen were studied, while comparing the results reported by other authors. During our surveys we gave them advice according to the results of the examination. 1) As a result it has been found that relation exists in males between the blood contents and age, but it was not clear in case of females. 2) Increase in the blood contents can be observed in peasants and fishermen irrespective of seasonal changes. 3) Decrease in the blood contents was recognized in summer. 4) Anemia in the farmers engaged in vinyl green house culture seems to be intimately associated with the serum iron concentration. The seasonal changes in the serum iron concentration occur, that is to say, the serum iron concentration in peasants and fishermen decreases in summer, but increases again in autumn, however, it does not increase in farmers engaged in vinyl green house culture. 5) It has been also demonstrated that a correlation exists between the specific gravity of the whole blood. 6) Changes in the blood contents of males seem to be less than those of females. 7) A correlation of the blood contents is found existing between man and wife.


ABSTRACT This article begins by examining UK government discourse on welfare and migration for the period 2010–2016, viewed here as the expression of a distinctive process of moralisation. This discourse is characterised by claims to fairness, responsibility, and austerity, and explicitly sets domestic welfare dependency and migration in opposition to each other. Its operationalisation is traced through a formal mapping of civic stratification in relation to both domestic welfare and freedom of movement within the European Union, while also noting the absence of supporting empirical evidence. The article then looks to the informal aspect of civic stratification, and the role of political discourse in negatively shaping the moral standing of both domestic welfare recipients and EU migrants. Together with the uneven impact of welfare reform, their discursive opposition provides an important amplification of common understandings of the Brexit vote as delivered by the 'left behind' (Goodwin, M. and Heath, D. (2016) 'The 2016 Referendum, Brexit and the Left Behind', The Political Quarterly 87(3): 323–332).


The invention discloses a preparation method of a modified limestone filler used for sewage purification, which belongs to a preparation method of a sewage treatment filler in the field of environmental protection. The preparation method comprises the following steps of: crushing a raw material of limestone; screening the raw material; grinding and processing the raw material into irregular particles; processing the irregular particles into particles with a required size; modifying the particles by using ionic liquid containing low-concentration lanthanide rare-earth elements; soaking the modified particles at normal temperature for 4 to 24 hours; and drying the particles to obtain a finished product. The modified limestone filler is low in raw material cost, simple in processing technique and good in using effect. The modified limestone filler can be widely applied to a trickling filter bed, an anaerobic biological filter, a filtering tank, a biological fluidized bed, an aeration biological filter, a high load capacity biological filter, a tower type biological filter, an activity biological filter, a wetland and the like.


Abstract Macroscopic and microscopic composition of lignite from the Szczerców deposit belonging to the Bełchatów Lignite Mine (Polish Lowlands) has been examined. The macroscopic composition was determined according to the newest lithological classification of humic coal. On this basis, it has been shown that the main lithotypes occurring in the Szczerców deposit are the detritic and xylodetritic lignites. The petrographic composition of the investigated lignite was determined microscopically for 11 samples. The examined lignite is predominantly composed of macerals from the huminite group. It is in the range from 75.2 to 86%, including atrinite (23.1–40.7%, averaging 28.9%) and densinite (18.2–41.4 %, averaging 24.9%). It also demonstrated that the statistical variability of the macerals content from the huminite group in the studied lignite is very weak in all samples. In addition, the random reflectance of ulminite was measured traditionally. The results, ranging from 0.247 to 0.282%, with the maximum permissible standard deviation < 0.07, were achieved for all analysed lignite samples.


Conflicts have become an integral part of and a common phenomenon in international relations over last two decades. The European continent has been no exception in this regard. The European Union, a supranational organization established to prevent further devastating wars between the continent's major powers, has been struggling since its very foundation to prevent the escalation of violent behavior of countries or to manage and mediate the already existing conflicts. Throughout this period, it has witnessed many brutal confrontations nearby its borders, including eruptions of fierce fighting after the collapse of Yugoslavia, bloody Kosovo war, the 2008 Georgia-Russia war, and the Russian occupation of parts of Ukraine. These tensions left five of the six Eastern Partnership countries with territorial conflicts, where the EU has been involved with varying degree. Taking into consideration that the conflicts have been an pressing issue for so many societies and one of the main hindering factors of the countries' development, it is interesting to academically investigate what is conflict management, what is international mediation, and what is the EU doing in these fields, what is the EU experience in conflict management and mediation processes? Being a complex bureaucracy, it is usually difficult for practitioners and representatives of governmental, non-governmental and international organizations to identify those EU bodies, structures and instruments that were developed to address the conflicts effectively. In this regard, the information demonstrated in this paper will be productive and contribute to the societal relevance of the research. For these purposes, first section of the paper will review the academic scholarship on the aspects of conflict management. Second section will consider mediation, its characteristics as well as factors affecting the mediation. Third part will be dedicated to the discussion of the EU involvement in conflict management and mediation processes, relevant EU bodies and instruments. Keywords: conflict management, international mediation, EU bodies and instruments


The current regulations prohibit to concretebuildings sights on a base with low temperature. The base warming is a long and energy-intensive process. The substantiation of concreting technology was carried out to concrete the foundation slab at an air temperature of 20°C on a frozen base. The first stage was the use of mathematical method modeling for the feasibility of a base heating. After making sure that the heating had been inefficient, the possible to provide favorable temperature holding conditions due to the heat release of the cement, compensating for heat loss through the side faces of the slab or by the concrete heating on contact with the base and on the exposed surface was estimated. Mathematical modeling, confirmed by the results of real concreting, allowed to determine the technology of heat treatment, which provided the necessary quality of concrete, hardened on a frozen base.


Biological resources are gaining importance in the synthesis and applications of the nanomaterials. Plants are able to reduce the metal ions faster than fungi or bacteria. Furthermore, plant extract found to be an easy and safe green method in scale up and industrial production of well dispersed metal nanoparticles as compared to plant biomass or living plants. Future research on plant mediated biological synthesis of nanoparticles with unique optoelectronics and physicochemical properties are of great importance for applications in chemistry, electronics, medicine and agriculture. The study presents extracellular and intracellular synthesis of AuNPs and AgNPs from leaf extracts of Cassia auriculata, Cassia fistula, Cassia occidentalis, Cassia sophera and Cassia tora belonging to Family: Ceasalpiniaceae. The present study demonstrated the extracellular synthesis of AuNPs and AgNPs from leaf extract of Cassia auriculata L. by varying concentrations of leaf extract and HAuCl4 and AgNO3 resulted in spherical and polydispersed nanoparticles. Increase in concentration of leaf extract was found to decrease the size of AgNPs and increase in particle size of AuNPs.


Orange a very rich source of vitamin C is a perishable fruit that can only be stored unpreserved for few days before its biological degeneration. When processed to juice, the chemical preservatives that are usually added coupled with the contaminations by its back skin fluid instantly change its natural flavor. This has made many consumers to still prefer freshly peeled fruit to its processed juice. As a solution to laborious hand peeling process that is highly prone to injury due to the sharp tools used several devices have been developed for its peeling. Each of these has its own technical, economic and other shortcomings. This work designed and fabricated a manual orange peeling device with a capability of processing oranges for a domestic family household. The device incorporated a rotary handle through which power was introduced into the system, power screw, spur gear train mounted on a base and cutting blade that performed the peeling function. The fabricated device was operated and assessed to have a peeling efficiency of 97%, generated 2.6% over peeled and damaged oranges and a capacity to peel about 140 oranges per hour as compared to hand peeling that can produce 32 peeled oranges per hour. It is robust, simple to operate and maintain, had good aesthetics and light weight of 619g due to transparent light but strong plastics used to construct the frame and base. Keywords: Orange, peeling, device, household, juice .


The chiral compound (2-Me2NCH2C6H4)PhSbCl (1) was obtained from (2-Me2NCH2C6H4)Li and PhSbCl2 in 1:1 molar ratio, while (2-Me2NCH2C6H4)Mes2Sb (2) was prepared from (2-Me2NCH2C6H4)SbCl2 and MesMgBr in 1:2 molar ratio. The compounds 1 and 2 were used to obtain the Pd(II)/stibine complexes: [Me2NHCH2C6H5]+[PdCl3{SbCl(Ph)(C6H4CH2NMe2-2)-Sb}]− (3) and [PdCl2{SbMes2(C6H4CH2NMe2-2)-N,Sb}] (4). All the compounds were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy in solution, elemental analysis, mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. In compounds 1–3 the coordination geometry around the antimony atom is pseudo-trigonal bipyramidal, while in compound 4 a tetrahedral geometry around the antimony atom is observed. Theoretical calculations at the DFT level on compounds 1–4 were used in order to gain insight into the nature of the coordinative bonds.


Serious neurological complications following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, have rarely been reported. Here, we report a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) that occurred within 2 weeks of receiving the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1-S/nCoV-19 vaccine. A 61-year-old man presented with weakness and hypesthesia of the legs 9 days after the first dose of the ChAdOx1-S vaccine. The patient progressed to respiratory failure and severe quadriparesis. Nerve conduction studies showed markedly reduced amplitudes of compound muscle action potentials and sensory nerve action potentials in both upper and lower extremities, without definitive evidence of demyelination. The patient was diagnosed with axonal GBS and received intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, with a poor response. This is a rare case of GBS after COVID-19 vaccination in Korea. Physicians should be aware of this rare but serious complication of the COVID-19 vaccine to effectively manage such a situation in clinical practice.


: This study investigates the English and Spanish lower-order writing development of 185 bilingual students in two-way immersion (TWI) programs and explores the extent to which home language exposure may explain different writing trajectories in each language. Students were administered English and Spanish basic writing skills assessments once and development of of per year over four years, from second through fifth grade. Multi-level modeling revealed that students demonstrated significant growth in lower-order writing ability in both languages, but the rates of acceleration slowed over time. Moreover, increased use of a given language at home was significantly associated with higher writing ability in that language in 5 th grade. However in English, students with higher levels of Spanish exposure at home exhibited a faster growth rate, thus approaching the performance of those with more English exposure at home.


Presented is the prenatal sonographic detection of a case of symelic bipodia sirenomelia associated with bilateral renal agenesis. This is the rarest form of sirenomelia (mermaid syndrome), and the diagnosis is important as the condition is lethal. Termination of the pregnancy is generally recommended for these cases, regardless of gestational age.


This article provides an analysis of the dynamics of the basic indicators of activity of small business Novgorod oblast for 2011-2013. Detailed data on the relationship development of subjects of small business indicators business structures of other regions of the northwestern Federal district. Discusses the dynamics of development of small entrepreneurship in the context of the number of small businesses per hundred thousand inhabitants, the average number of employees, analysed the turnover of small businesses, as well as the volume of investments in fixed capital. The analysis in the context of development of small business in the Russian Federation the northwestern Federal district (NWFD), Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions. On the basis of the analysis revealed the main trends of development of small enterprises of the Novgorod region.


The utility model relates to an articulated insulating device for electrified drainage connection and disconnection of a 66kV tubular busbar. The insulating device comprises a pole ladder, an operation platform, a platform support, a working ladder and a support ladder, wherein each of the working and support ladders is composed of an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion is fixedly connected to the lower portion via ladder sleeves and pin rods, the upper portion of the working ladder is hinged to the operation platform, the upper portion of the support platform is hinged to the platform support, the platform support is connected with the operation platform via a hinge which is provided with locking buckles, the pole ladder is fixed between the operation platform and the platform support, the pole ladder is hinged to the upper portion of the working ladder via a connecting rod, the pole ladder and the upper portion of the working ladder are respectively provided with support bars, pieces of insulated limiting net are respectively arranged among the pole ladder, the upper portion of the working ladder and the support bars, the lower portion of the working ladder is connected with the lower portion of the support ladder via a limiting rope, and ladder feet of the lower portion of the working ladder and the lower portion of the support ladder are respectively provided with length adjusting mechanisms. According to the utility model, the problem that there is no operation platform for operation as lively connecting and disconnecting a drainage wire of the tubular busbar is solved.


This work was carried out with the objective of developing a computational model using the simulation language EXTEND TM to simulate the dynamic of poultry slaughter industry and conduct sensitivity analysis experiments. Hence, a dynamic, stochastic, discrete model was developed. The modeled real system is located in the southwestern region of the Parana State, Brazil, which has a daily slaughter capacity of 500000 poultries using three processing lines and operating in three daily schedules. To validate the model data from three schedules were collected and compared to the output variables from the real system generated by the model; those variables were: (i) processing time; (ii) gross weight; (iii) live weight; (iv) sub-product weight; (v) total production weight; (vi) whole slaughtered weight; and (vii) net weight. The model implemented proved to be efficient since the percentage of average errors was less than 1.13%. The sensitivity analysis carried out, with processing rates changed to 7000; 8000 and 9000 poultries per hour per line, showed the following processing time averages 8.69, 7.86 and 7.86 hours, respectively. In addition, the experiment demonstrated that the processing rate of 9000 poultries h


ABSTRACT Knowledge of rainfall characteristics such as drop-size distribution is essential for the development of erosion-mitigation strategies and models. This research used an optical disdrometer to elucidate the relationships between raindrop-size distribution, median volume drop diameter (D50), kinetic energy and radar reflectivity (dBz) of simulated rainfall of different intensities. The D50 values were higher for the simulated rain than for natural rain at almost all rainfall intensities, perhaps due to variations in rainfall types and the turbulence in natural rain that breaks up large drops. The kinetic energy ranged from 26.67 to 5955.51 J m−2 h −1, while the median volume drop diameter (D50) was in the range 1.94–7.25 mm, for intensities between 1.5 and 202.6 mm h−1. The relationship between radar reflectivity (Z) and the intensity (R) of the simulated rain was best described by a power law function (Z = aRb), with a and b coefficients in the ranges 162–706 and 0.94–2.46, respectively, throughout the range of rainfall intensities (1.5–202.6 mm h−1).


We demonstrate a compact and robust picosecond fiber amplifier system that produces >25-μJ pulse energy and average powers exceeding 25W while maintaining a narrow spectral bandwidth. This simple and compact CPA-free fiber amplifier system is well suited for micro-machining applications as well as for scientific applications that require narrow optical spectra as e.g. CARS spectroscopy.


Background:  Uretolithiasis is one of the most common cause of urinary tract obstruction which leads to the admission into the emergency ward. The detection of urolithiasis or acute renal colic is by the radiography, conventional ultrasonography (US) and intravenous urography (IVU). A colour Doppler USG measures this change as a resistive index (RI) of the arcuate arteries at the corticomedullary junction or the interlobar arteries. Methods: 84 patients between the ages 15-50 years, who were admitted to the Emergency department of our hospital with unilateral renal colic were included into our study. Detailed demographic data was collected from all the patients and they were all subjected to a thorough physical and clinical examination. Bladder ultrasound was taken along with color Doppler for all the patients at the time of admission for every 6 hours. Thus, an increased RI index signifies an obstruction without a dilatation. Results:  Left flank pain was slightly more than the right flank pain, although this was not found to be significant. Most of the patients were presented with vomiting or nausea and dysuria was seen in 48 patients. there were 41 cases of hydronephrosis in total and all of them were positive for mean RI. The specificity with the mean resistive index with color Doppler was 90%, while the sensitivity was 100%.  Around 95% of the prediction was accurate with mean resistive index, with more than 90% efficiency. Conclusions:  The mean resistive index is a very good tool for the diagnosis of hydronephrosis, with a very high level of specificity and sensitivity.


The author analyzes the current situation of Chinese energy consumption and the importance of building energy saving,discusses the development of heating in construction field,studies ventilation and air exchange problems in construction,points out renewable energy's related principle which should be followed in the application of HVAC system,researches constantly new craft,new energy and new technology,promotes the development of building energy saving.


ImageJ libraries and plugins are traditionally developed using Java. Java provides execution speed and a programming environment suitable for creation of large code bases. Smaller, more expressive, code is created using ImageJ macros and scripting in dynamic languages like JavaScript or Groovy. Macros/scripts help quickly create specialized code with minimal boiler-plate, in syntax more expressive than Java. Main drawbacks are a much slower execution speed and a need to learn/use two different types of syntax for scripting and plugin/ library code. Scala is a statically-typed general purpose language that has a feel of a dynamic language. You can create code that is as expressive as a dynamic language but executes at the speed of compiled Java code. It can be used both for scripting, without loss of execution speed, and for "regular" library code. Scala code integrates with existing Java libraries like ImageJ. Java can also call Scala libraries. Scala builds on strength of Java, adding many advanced language features like closures, traits, type inference, powerful generics and concurrency support, and many more. This presentation will show how Scala can be used to create image analysis libraries and scripts that are more expressive (smaller number of lines and characters) then existing Java code, at the same time being at least as fast or faster. Scala annotations can be used to actually generate code that is more computationally efficient than equivalent Java code. Specialized compiler plugins can be used to further optimize the byte code and to take advantage of dedicated hardware, like GPUs.


Laboratory diagnostics is the medical discipline devoted to obtain, explore and employ knowledge about using various techniques for the analysis of body fluids composition and properties of cells and tissues, and interpretation of the results in relation to health and disease. It should be stressed that laboratory diagnostics or laboratory medicine is both the clinical discipline and the separate medical science. These two fields of laboratory diagnostics are tightly bound as in the case of other clinical sciences.


The shortage of N95 masks have spurred efforts on developing safe and scientifically-validated decontamination and reuse protocols that are easily scalable and universally applicable even in low-resource settings. We report on the development and implementation of a heat-based N95 mask decontamination system in a large hospital setting (Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India) with over 8000 N95 masks from about 1400 individual users decontaminated and in reuse till date. We describe the challenges and constraints in choosing a proven, scalable, and easy-to-implement decontamination solution. We discuss the heat treatment and particle filtration efficiency measurement experiments done to validate a decontamination treatment protocol at a target temperature of 70{degrees}C for a duration of 60 minutes, and the scaling up of this method using a standard hot drying cabinet at the hospital. The logistics of ensuring optimal utilization of the decontamination facility without compromising on basic safety principles are detailed. Our method relies on equipment available in standard hospitals, is simple to set-up, scalable, and can be easily replicated in low-resource settings. We further believe such limited reuse strategies, even in times of abundant N95 mask availability, would not only be cost-saving but also be environmentally responsible in reducing the amount of medical waste.


In Ayurveda, hair-fall is known as Khalitya. Acharaya Sushrut and Acharaya Vagbhatta mentioned it under the heading of Shudra Roga and Shiroroga respectively. It is the most common condition in both young and old age. Khalitya is caused mainly by overusing a variety of hair products, including chemical shampoos, soaps, creams, dyes, and hair colours; excessive use of hair tools; poor dietary practises and lifestyle choices; pollution; hormone imbalances; and more. A 26-year-old female patient reported at the Agad Tantra department's OPD in the National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur with the primary complaints of Khalitya (hair fall), Darunak (dandruff), Shirah Kandu (itching on scalp) and Kesha Rukshata (dryness of hair). In this case, patient was suggested to use Dhatturadi Tail along with the oral administration of Yashtimadhu churna with milk. The therapy's effectiveness was evaluated based on the difference between the patient's pre and post-treatment signs and symptoms. For evaluating, a unique scoring scheme was created.


The natural flow paradigm (NFP) emphasizes the need to partially or fully maintain or restore the range of natural intra‐ and interannual variation of hydrologic regimes to protect native biodiversity and the evolutionary potential of aquatic, riparian and wetland ecosystems. Based on our studies of natural and managed flow regimes in New Zealand, we do not believe that all components of the natural flow regime are necessary to achieve the objectives of the NFP, either partially or fully, because many aquatic species have very flexible niches and life‐history requirements (i.e. there is 'ecological redundancy'). Obviously, maintaining the natural flow regime will maintain the hydrologic and hydraulic conditions necessary for sustaining natural ecosystems. However, if there is adequate knowledge of what 'values' need to be maintained in a waterway, and the aspects of the flow regime that are required to maintain those values are also known, then regimes can be designed that target these requirements and thus optimize conditions for the 'values'. We believe that an assessment of ecosystem requirements using information on river processes together with habitat requirements and life‐history strategies of biota can achieve the best balance between resource use and sustaining ecosystem function and value, and show examples where changes to natural flow regimes have maintained, or even improved, instream values in some New Zealand rivers. We caution that simple flow‐based rules, such as those that might be developed under the NFP, could be unnecessarily restrictive on multiple use of water in New Zealand while, at the same time, preclude the opportunity for enhancement of key ecosystem values in many waterways. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Established on the basis of teaching experiences under certain guidance of educational thought and social background,teaching model is a relatively stable and systematic teaching activity to achieve specific teaching goal and content.Under the teaching background of "item-guided and task-driven in work",we established six-step teaching model to stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning,and foster students' interest in learning,establish a harmonious relation between teachers and students,cultivating students' ability in learning,research,co-operation,expression in language and letters,living and innovation,to improve teaching effect and promote students' all-round development.


Getting a Ph(cid:1)D(cid:1) or M(cid:1)Phil is hard work(cid:1) This document gives advice about various aspects of the task(cid:1) Section (cid:2) describes the problem (cid:3) what is a thesis(cid:4) Section (cid:5) sets out the formal requirements of gaining a thesis(cid:1) Sections (cid:6) and (cid:7) describe some of the pitfalls and hurdles which students have encountered(cid:1) Sections (cid:8) and (cid:9) advise about choosing and then executing a research project(cid:1) Sections (cid:10)(cid:11) (cid:12) and (cid:13) deal with two of the three R(cid:14)s(cid:15) reading and writing(cid:1) Section (cid:2)(cid:16) describes the examination process for a research degree(cid:11) and how to cope with it(cid:1) Finally(cid:11) section (cid:2)(cid:2) lists journals which accept A(cid:1)I(cid:1) material(cid:1) (cid:1)


Abstract This paper is concerned with the characterization of public debt policies that are consistent with competitive equilibria in which (i) money is positively priced, and (ii) intertemporal allocation is efficient. The framework used is an overlapping generations model with many goods, agents with two-period lifetimes, and nonstationary tax-transfer policies. We show, under some regularity conditions on such policies that the size of the public debt not growing "too fast" is both necessary and sufficient for the existence of an efficient monetary equilibrium. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: 021, 311, 321.


Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of Xray for benign and malignant breast tumors and analyze the correlation between the mammography and pathologic findings.Methods Ninety-six patients with breast tumors receiving mammographic examination were analyzed the characteristics of the border,calcification,etc,and compared with pathologic features. Results Ninety-six cases were proved by pathology including 42 cases of breast carcinoma,54 cases of benign pathologic changes.Ninety cases were diagnosed correctly with mammography,with an accuracy of(93.75)%.The coincidence between mammography and pathology was satisfactory.There was a significant difference in X-ray features of border between breast carcinoma and benign pathologic changes(P0.01).Conclusion X-ray features of irregular border,micro-calcification are useful in differentiating carcinoma from benign tumors.All these characters are based on the clinicopathologic features of the disease.


Physical education student teachers were investigated to identify
their concerns and to verify weather these concerns develop the way Fullers
.developmental theory hypothesizes
Data was collected through an adapted stages of concerns
questionnaire (S of CQ: Physical Education) at 3 time points during the
.teaching practice semester
Analysis of data revealed that the top concerns of the sample relate
to self or surviving the teaching practice including worries of being
evaluated, adequacy in subject matter, own proficiency in teaching, crowded
.classes and relations with other colleagues
Regarding concern development, statistical analysis (one way
ANOVA for repeated measures) revealed significant positive different
,changes in the "self-survival" concerns and the "teaching tasks" concerns
No significant differences were found regarding "impact" concerns. The
,study supports Fuller's conceptualization for concerns only partially


The components of a gas turbine operate in an aggressive environment where the temperature of service varies from ambient to near melting point of materials which introduce a variety of degradation on the components. Some components that lose their dimensional tolerance during use require repair and refurbishment when high cost replacement is avoidable. Erosion of fly ash and sand particles damages compressor blades which cause engine failure at an early stage. Dovetail roots of the compressor blades are subjected to fretting fatigue due to the oscillatory motion caused by vibration. Casing of the compressor comes in contact with rotating blades due to shaft misalignment, ovality of the casing and or inadequate clearance which cause blade and casing damage. Close clearance control that has bearing on the efficiency of the engine is therefore required in addition to preventing fire where titanium to titanium rubbing might occur. Wear out of the several contact surfaces which undergo rotating and reciprocating motion occur during the running of the engine need protection. Hot gases that are produced by burning the contaminated fuel in the combustion chamber will cause oxidation and corrosion on their passage. In the hot section rotating and stationary components need thermal insulation from higher operating temperature leading to enhanced thermodynamic efficiency of the engine. This wide range of functional requirements of the engine is met by applying an array of coatings that protect the components from failures. This paper focuses on various coatings used in gas turbine engine and its methods of application, characterization, degradation mechanisms and indicative future directions to a practicing industrial engineer.


This study assessed the effectiveness of a 3.5-h training session for general practitioners (GPs) in providing brief stop-smoking advice and compared two methods of giving advice – ABC versus 5As – on the rates of delivery of such advice and of recommendations of evidence-based smoking cessation treatment during routine consultations. A pragmatic, two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial was carried out including a pre-/post-design for the analyses of the primary outcome in 52 GP practices in Germany. Practices were randomised (1:1) to receive a 3.5-h training session (ABC or 5As). In total, 1937 tobacco-smoking patients, who consulted trained GPs in these practices in the 6 weeks prior to or following the training, were included. The primary outcome was patient-reported rates of GP-delivered stop-smoking advice prior to and following the training, irrespective of the training method. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported receipt of recommendation/prescription of behavioural therapy, pharmacotherapy or combination therapy for smoking cessation, and the effectiveness of ABC versus 5As regarding all outcomes. GP-delivered stop-smoking advice increased from 13.1% (n=136 out of 1039) to 33.1% (n=297 out of 898) following the training (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.25, 95% CI 2.34–4.51). Recommendation/prescription rates of evidence-based treatments were low (<2%) pre-training, but had all increased after training (e.g. behavioural support: aOR 7.15, 95% CI 4.02–12.74). Delivery of stop-smoking advice increased non-significantly (p=0.08) stronger in the ABC versus 5As group (aOR 1.71, 95% CI 0.94–3.12). A single training session in stop-smoking advice was associated with a three-fold increase in rates of advice giving and a seven-fold increase in offer of support. The ABC method may lead to higher rates of GP-delivered advice during routine consultations. A brief, single training session is effective in changing GP behaviour for providing stop-smoking advice and evidence-based cessation treatment. Training according to the very brief ABC method may lead to higher rates of such GP-delivered advice. https://bit.ly/2TciPSO


On 5th November 2010, Oxford Archaeology East were commissioned to carry out an archaeological evaluation at the rear of 52 High Street, Somersham in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire. The investigation consisted of an L-shaped trench measuring 21m in total in the footprint of a proposed residential development.
The evaluation revealed what appears to be evidence of quarrying dating to the late medieval period. The archaeology was recorded at a depth of between 1.68 and 2.20m from the current ground surface. It was considered unsafe to fully investigate at this depth and unlikely to be impacted upon by the proposed bungalow foundations and therefore protected in-situ.
A small assemblage of pottery was retrieved from the top fill of the pit which dates to between 1500-1650. This confirms the presence of late medieval quarrying activity which has also been recorded at other locations within the village.


Despite researchers' strong interest in individualism and collec- tivism (I-C), the conceptualization and measurement of I-C constructs remain controversial. Through a cross-cultural study, the present research examines the dimensionality of I-C and tests equivalence of a measurement scale recently developed by Triandis and Gelfand. Through confirmatory factor analyses, the authors find that conceiving I-C as separate constructs with multiple dimensions is superior and better fits the data. The measurement scale developed based on such a conceptualization is found warrantable although refinements can be made. The results suggest a need for future research on further testing the dimensionality and measurement of the individualism and collectivism scale.


At the same time that Nietzsche's work enjoys such enthusiastic attention, his political views seem to inspire only unanimous contempt. While Martha Nussbaum, for instance, will admit that "the resurgence of interest in Nietzsche at the present time is certainly a good thing in many respects," she feels compelled to conclude that "in political thought, however, let us simply forget about Nietzsche, except to argue against his baneful influence."1 Others consider Nietzsche's politics not dangerous but vacuous, including Tracy Strong who claims that "Nietzsche is available to a wide range of political appropriations, indeed perhaps to all." And Richard Rorty has gone as far as to use the words mad and crazy to describe Nietzsche because, writes Rorty, "extensive attempts at an exchange of political views have made us realize that we are not going to get anywhere."3 The first aim of this essay is simply to construct a meaningful political dialogue with Nietzsche. I will pursue this dialogue by means of a critical examination of a peculiar and recent response to Nietzsche, namely, the attempt by some of his apologists to excuse his anti-democratic remarks, to distance these remarks from the core of Nietzsche's thought, and to construct a new defense of democracy within the terms of Nietzsche's postmodern legacy. Specifically, I have in mind a position that wants both to adopt the Nietzschean language of power and to defend democracy as the arena for a rich and free expression of power. After a brief characterization of Nietzsche's critique, I will examine a recent piece of scholarship that tries to limit its implications for democracy. Then I will make use of Foucault's work to isolate the basic principles behind much of the contemporary discourse on democracy. And finally, I will argue that Nietzsche's critique is more resilient than has been acknowledged. Nietzsche's critique of democracy comprises two basic components, each of which is well enough known to require only a cursory rehearsal at this point. The first is a denial of the traditional, theological (or at least metaphysical) foundations upon which democracy has beenjustified, and the second is an analysis of democracy's effects, that is, its harmful effects, if Nietzsche is to be believed. In the first case, Nietzsche wants to part ways with the Enlightenment tradition that would found democratic theory upon a doctrine of equal rights. While such defenses of democracy may have been palatable when we were able to allow ourselves belief in God-it is easy, for instance, to understand why everyone should be treated equally if we understand ourselves to be made in the image of a perfect God-Nietzsche wants at least to encourage our mistrust of such transcendent or metaphysical explanations. Of course, not every doctrine of equal rights makes explicit appeal to a theology, but Nietzsche is prepared to argue that all must do so at least covertly. In short, modern liberalism is simply Christian morality grown ashamed of its religious heritage. To justify its democratic institutions it must rely upon any number of other idols-surrogate gods, if you will-each of which Nietzsche sets out to undermine. For instance, in response to those who wish to establish democratic theory upon a metaphysics of subjectivity, Nietzsche presents the autonomous subject to be a myth created for the protection of certain human interests and at the expense of others.4 And he offers similar arguments against other founding principles, including the common good and the social contract. It should be said that this first component of Nietzsche's critique is simply intended to expose a crisis in justification; it alone is not sufficient to undermine democratic theory as such. Nietzsche hopes only that by highlighting justificatory weaknesses he might focus attention on the consequences of democracy. The second component of Nietzsche's critique is his estimation that democracy leads to mediocrity or the leveling of human possibility. …


RNA interference is a phenomenon that organism utilizes dsRNA to induce homologous target gene's mRNA special degradation,thus resulting in the silencing of post ranscriptional genes.For the past few years,the wide application of RNAi technology has gained notable gene silencing effect.RNAi will be a new method to research gene function owing to its significant superiorities as high specificity,high performance and so on.With the features of the high malignancy,rapid development,difficult treatment,and high mortality,the occurrence and development of colon cancer involves the activation of proto-oncogenes,the inactivation and mutation of tumor suppressor genes,as well as the abnormal expression of the apoptosis-related genes.Mostly,such processes are ccompanied by substantial over-expression of genes.This article provides the overview of RNAi's technology mechanism,character and its application in colorectal cancer researches.


A new species, Chrosiothes jenningsi, is described. The presence of this species in West Virginia is remarkable because other members of the genus Chrosiothes are limited to the American Southwest, Mexico, and the Neotropics. The morphology of this new species is compared and contrasted with its close relatives, C. jocosus and C tonala.


Taking G11 as the check variety,seven varieties such as NL8,T22,T23,T16,G17,T20,CP80/1827 were planted at 13 dry sloping lands that were selected from the 13 main sugarcane region of Guangxi.Resistance,agronomic traits,yield,sugar content,and sucrose yield of eight varieties were determined during the new plant period and the one-year-ratoon period.Results showed that:(1) During the new-plant period,G17 had the highest yield of 112.04 t/hm~2,T20 had the highest sugar centent of 15.03% and T22 had the highest sugar yield of 15.06 t/hm~2;(2) During the one-year-ratoon period,T22 had the highest yield of 81.96 t/hm~2,T20 still had the highest sugar centent of 16.55%,and NL8 had the highest sugar yield of 12.11 t/hm~2;(3)Suming up the two periods of the eight varieties,T22 was the best.


An analysis has been carried out to Numerical study of MHD boundary layer stagnation point flow and heat transfer over an exponentially stretching surface with thermal radiation. The coupled partial differential equations are reduced into ordinary differential equations by similarity transformations. Numerical solutions of the coupled non-linear system is obtained by using shooting technique namely known as Runge-Kutta method. The convergence salient features of the flow and heat transfer characteristics are analyzed and discussed in detail through graphs .The variation of pradntl number, Grashoff number, Eckert number are discussed in detail, comparison of the present results with known numerical results of stagnation point flow and thermal radiation is made excellent agreement is noted. Applications are used in engineering process such as extraction of polymer sheet, paper production, glass fiber production and chemical engineering systems.


Purpose
Few studies on hospitality firm survival consider the impact of online media exposure. This paper aims to investigate how the online news coverage of restaurants, characterized in terms of the number of articles, channel (Web page or mobile app), topic (operations or products) and consistency (mix of news tones), influences their survival.

Design/methodology/approach
A yearly panel data set covering 682 news-reported restaurants in Shanghai, China, over the period 2011–2019 is analyzed using a Cox model, and an extended cross-sectional data set containing 9,488 restaurants is used for robustness checks.

Findings
A larger number of online news articles, regardless of channel or topic, significantly improves restaurants' chances of survival, and this positive impact of online exposure is greater if that news is published by mobile apps (rather than on Web pages) or reports topics related to operations (rather than products). Although, generally, news inconsistency is not good for restaurant survival, when the number of online news items is eight or more, inconsistency becomes good for survival.

Practical implications
This research guides restaurant operators to use news exposure in an online marketing environment to increase the firm's chances of long-term survival.

Originality/value
Online media exposure has hitherto been ignored in the literature on the survival of hospitality firms. This paper provides a new perspective on hospitality firm survival and also contributes to the literature on media exposure by conceptualizing a unique factor, namely, the consistent online exposure.


It would seem proper for me in my part of this discussion to avoid a repetition of what is contained in most of the special works as well as in the various monographs on stone of the kidney and ureter, which are so complete and exhaustive that, in connection with the recent papers by Braasch,1Eisendrath,2Young,3, Cabot,4Eliot,5Merritt6and others, the field has been splendidly covered. It would seem well worth while, however, for me to consider stone of the kidney and ureter from the standpoint of the clinical surgeon, especially because I have been constantly active in the treatment of these cases since they have been looked on as surgical. I assisted Prof. Charles T. Parkes7in 1887 in the diagnosis and operation of his first case, which was one of the earliest cases treated by operation in this country.


"Twentieth-century studies have almost uniformly ignored the literary value and distinctive generic characteristics of eighteenth-century nonfiction travel literature," complained Charles L. Batten, Jr., in the introduction to his study of eighteenth-century travel literature in Europe entitled Pleasurable Instruction.1 This complaint is regrettably equally applicable to Hebrew literature as well. For modern studies have ignored the literary value and the distinctive generic characteristics of eighteenth-century Hebrew


Objective: to verify the association between diagnosis and clinical outcomes in suspected cases of stroke treated in the emergency room of a high complexity hospital. Method: a cross-sectional and observational study, with secondary data and a quantitative approach, carried out on visits to patients with suspected ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke for six months. Results: from the total of 50 consultations, it was observed that among the diagnoses of stroke, the ischemic one with 18 cases (36%) and the hemorrhagic one with five (10%) stood out, and this represented the largest proportion of cases. deaths, with a total of three (6%). Within the sample, 24 (48%) had no confirmation of stroke, without any occurrence of death (p-value= 0.001). Conclusion: an association between the diagnosis of stroke and its clinical outcome was observed in the sample, with hospital discharge as the main outcome, but with a high percentage of deaths.


The purpose of this research is to find out whether the students who are taught by using mind mapping have better achievement than the students who were taught by using a non-mapping strategy. This research used a quasi-experimental method. The population of this research consisted of tenth-grade students of MAN Palopo. The writer used purposive sampling, where there were two classes as the sample. They were; class X MIA I and X MIA II. Each class consisted of 30 students. The writer gave pretest and posttest to the students—three aspects of speaking skill assessed, namely accuracy, fluency, and comprehensibility. The result of this research shows that the students who were taught by using mind mapping did not have better achievement than the students who were taught by using non-mind mapping. The data showed that t-obtained was higher than t-table (t-o > t-table). The findings of t-obtained were 0.216, whereas the level of significance of 0.05 (5%) was 2.002. It means that 2.002 ≥ 0.216. The orienting number of significance shows that 0.830 > 0.05. Therefore, the Null Hypothesis (H0) accepted, and the Alternative Hypothesis (H1) rejected. Some problems found by the writer namely, the students switch code to speak up because they did not know the English meaning of the words, the students still read the text to speak because they did not memorize the language pattern that had been given. So, they had difficulties in speaking without reading the text. They felt hungry, tired, and bored in the class, and some of the students had meetings' organization after they were an exam.


We propose a mechanism to decrease the time needed to initialize nuclear spin qubits by resonant coupling of the nuclear spins to a heat bath composed of nanomechanical degrees of freedom. To achieve this, we suggest that the nuclear spins be attached to the tip of a cantilever oscillating in a nonuniform magnetic field. The gradient of the magnetic field couples the spin and mechanical degrees of freedom, inducing an additional spin-relaxation mechanism. The nanomechanical oscillator can also serve as one of the contacts of a tunnel junction, facilitating a voltage control of the nuclear spin-relaxation time. We derive an explicit microscopic expression for the relaxation rate of nuclear spins and analyze its voltage and temperature dependencies.


The objective of this research is to find the effectiveness of using Station Rotation model to improve students' reading skill achievement, especially for recount text at the tenth grade students of MA NU Mu'allimat Kudus academic year 2017/2018. The subjects of this research were 80 students. Experimental research was used as a method in this research. The research was conducted in two group, they are the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group was students which were taught by Station Rotation model, while the control group was students which were taught without Station Rotation model.  The data were gathered through tests which were delivered into the pre-test and the post-test. The result of the research showed that Station Rotation model is effective to use in teaching reading skill in recount text. Gained score of the experimental group (19.7) is higher than the control group (9.6). From the result of statistic calculation, it was obtained that the value of t-observation (t o ) is 3.97 and degree of freedom (df) is 78. In the table of significance 5%, the value of degree of significance is 1.99. Comparing those values, the result is 3.97 > 1.99 which means t-observation (t o ) score is higher that t-table (t t ) score. In other words, the Alternative Hypothesis (H a ) is accepted and the Null Hypothesis (H o ) is rejected. Therefore, teaching reading skill in recount text by using Station Rotation model is effective.


Microplastics (MPs), a small piece (<5mm) of plastic debris, are amongst the most serious threats to aquatic ecosystems. These are commonly found in aquatic environments due to the widespread use of plastic items. Plastic components are broken down from the large fragments into small fragments during the treatment procedure in treatment plants of wastewater, these plants can operate as the entry points for the MPs into the aquatic ecosystem; so it is necessary that MPs must be removed from the wastewater during the treatment process. However, there is not sufficient data available about MPs' impact on the ecological services cascade and how it is linked with the declining biodiversity. This review examines the outcomes of MPs in the aquatic environment, their role as carriers, and the possible influence of MPs on aquatic biota. In this review detailed overview of existing knowledge regarding MP aggregation in the aquatic ecosystem is provided.


For the three rows nine positions three-dimensional warehouse model,field bus structure was built by the FX2N-PLC as the main and sub stations.The control method of single-row three-dimensional warehouse was introduced.CC-Link bus signal transmission principle,working mode and technical points of three local stations were analyzed.BMF address of each stations was allocated.The key points of data link were expounded.By way of example,data transmission format was pointed out,data link key program was given.According to the PC control instruction,the main PLC sended data link signal on the bus,automatically control access to the goods.


The deterioration of materials under the environment influence is generally called corrosion. The metals are obtained from ore by the reduction semi-reaction of the global redox reaction. When used, the metal enters a semireaction oxidation with the working environment, the complementary part of redox. For the users, this situation is undesirable as a result of the running characteristics worsening [2, 3, 4, 7]. The financial losses determined by this kind of degradation are considerable. Statistical data [8] show that, in the developed countries, the direct and indirect costs determined by corrosion are estimated to reach 4% of the gross national product. The National Institute of Standards and Technology estimates that corrosion annually costs the United States $70 billion, of which at least $10 billion could be prevented by a good selection of materials [9]. With few exceptions, the corrosion resistance of metals is considered as a surface property. The elements that influence this resistance are bounded both to the material and environment. The possibility to influence the environment is very reduced because it is determined by the specific service process. For steels, among the elements that favour the corrosion, the heterogeneousness of the structure and the chemical composition (sulphides, oxides, carbides, nitrides etc.) must be considered. All these elements can form an electrochemical cell. The presence of grains having different potential or crystallographic orientations can also induce chemical attacks. The grain boundaries are zones


The performance of coded exposure photography-based image deblurring highly depends on its coded pattern to use. Conventionally, the length of the coded pattern has been optimized under the assumption that its length is equal to the length of motion blur. However, coded patterns of different lengths from the same motion blur may have better invertibility than the conventional patterns. In this paper, we investigate a method to optimize the coded pattern within an extended range of length candidates. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using a real dataset.


Various strains of cutaneous micro‐organisms were tested in vitro for their survival rates in 0.5 mol/1 (8.4% w/v) azelaic acid solution. All bacterial strains exhibited large reductions in viability (at least 40‐fold) over a 24 h test period, but little response was noted with Pityrosporumovale. The bactericidal effect of azelaic acid was reduced considerably in the presence of nutrients. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal (or fungicidal) concentrations (MBCs) were also determined. MICs varied from 0.03 mol/1 to 0.25 mol/1; MBCs were all either 0.25 mol/1 or greater.


This work describes the development of an optical sensor for measuring the moisture level of clay, during building material production. The measurement principle is well-know: optical reflection meter at different wavelength in the infrared region. The aim of this research is the design of a low-cost compact sensor, realized without moving parts or optical filter, by means of a couple of telecommunications lasers at 1300 nm and 1550 nm. Custom low-noise electronics allows rejecting ambient light disturbances and digital processing makes the system independent of the clay distance.


The need for Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis is indicated by a discussion of the limitations of accuracy and of sensitivity and specificity as indices of diagnostic detection or discrmination performance. The concept of a variable decision threshold is shown to lead in a natural way to the ROC curve as a means for specifying diagnostic performance. Practical techniques for measuring ROC curves are described, and directions for possible generalizations of conventional ROC analysis are indicated.


The article describes recent enhancements which have been made to damage stability software to meet the demands of OPA 90 vessel response plans.


A new-type portable lifting equipment is designed,mainly by hydraulic jacks,retractable folding beam,rotatable columns and base parts etc.The product has characteristics including strong function,portable,low cost,high performance-cost ratio and so on.It can be suitable for various applications hoisting up such as mechanical equipment maintenance.


For those of us who treat chronic skin ulcers, the review article entitled "The Biology of Skin Grafts" by Kirsner et al 1 in the April 1993 issue of theArchiveswas of special interest. The authors noted a common phenomenon that all who do skin grafting see with regularity. They observed that transferred live keratinocytes, whether they survive or are incorporated into the healed integument in the future, seem to greatly speed the healing of chronic wounds. Any clinician who transfers live keratinocytes with skin grafts to a chronic wound bed has noticed that there is a remarkable improvement in the wound over several days of observation, even if the graft does not "take." The wound bed seems to develop healthier granulations; obviously new growth of blood vessels has taken place. Moreover, there is movement from the wound edge, with migrating epidermis noted by a soft dull pinkness progressing


The Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) outcrop of EIs Nerets (Tremp, Lleida) has yielded sorne sauropod bones: a fragment of centrum from a dorsal vertebra, an incomplete humerus, femur and tibia. This material is identified as Titanosauridae indet. based on the following synapomorphies: acuminate pleurocoelous posterior outline, cancellous osseus tissue, humeral prominent posterior supracondylar ridges, prominent fourth trochanter. Additional material from EIs Nerets includes three caudal centra identified as Iguanodontidae indet. The site of Sant Roma d' Abella, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) in age, is located at Della (Lleida). Fourteen caudal centra coming from this locality have been identified as Hadrosauridae indet., based on a single postulated synapomorphy, the hexagonal outline of the centra.


Four new organic–inorganic hybrid compounds, namely, [Cu3(4,4′-bpy)3][HSiW12O40]·(C3H4N2) (1), [Cu3(4,4′-bpy)3][PMo12O40]·(C5H6N2)·0.5H2O (2), [Cu2(4,4′-bpy)2][HPMo12O40]·(C5H6N2) (3) and [Cu(Phen)(4,4′-bpy)(H2O)]2[PW12O40]·(4,4′-bpy) (4) (C3H4N2 = imidazole, C5H6N2 = 2-aminopyridine, bpy = bipyridine, Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), have been synthesized and characterized by IR, UV-vis, powder XRD, cyclic voltammetry analysis, photoluminescence analysis, elemental analyses and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The four compounds represent new examples of secondary organic moiety templated frameworks constructed from Keggin polyanions, metal ions and organic ligands. Compounds 1 and 2 present 3-D framework structures; compound 3 exhibits a 1-D ladder-like structure and compound 4 shows a 2-D layered framework structure. It is noted that the packing structures of compounds 1 and 2 are almost identical; however, the crystal space groups and cell parameters of the two are thoroughly different. Such a phenomenon has also been observed between compound 3 and a compound recently reported by us. Compound 4 is the first framework structure constructed from polyoxometalates, metal ions and mixed organic ligands. In addition, all the four frameworks are combined with dissociated organic moieties as templates.


Military training, especially army basic training, is a completely new environment for the new recruit. For many, it is a hostile environment and they either will get injured or not complete the basic training course. Soldiers at the beginning of their military training are especially prone to stress fracture (SF) development as indicated by as high as a 31% occurrence rate in a 14week basic training course [1]. Recruits face high physical demands aimed to improve their physical fitness in order to perform their tasks successfully. This is especially true among combat recruits who face much greater physical demands due to their expected future tasks. In recent years different studies were performed in order to evaluate why some recruits develop SF while others do not. A low level of physical fitness at recruitment [2, 3] and lower levels of physical activity prior to recruitment [4, 3, 5] were found to increase the risk for SF. However, this correlation was not consistent in all studies [6]. One study evaluated the type of the performed physical activity and found that recruits who played basketball at least three times a week for at least 2 yrs had a low risk for SF, while long distance running was not protective [1]. The aim of this study was to evaluate different aspects of lifestyle before recruitment in addition to physical activity that contribute to the SF occurrence rate among highly trained combat recruits.


This study focuses on understanding students who receive remedial teaching aided by a digital teaching platform and students who receive traditional blackboard teaching to see whether the two groups of students show different learning outcomes. A total of 20 students at a junior high school in Miaoli County were selected as this study's research participants. In this study, the Moodle software was used to build a digital teaching platform to provide educational video clips, teaching materials and assignments. According to the results of this study, the learning outcomes of students who receive remedial teaching apparently outperform the learning outcomes of students who receive traditional blackboard teaching.


Given two independent Symmetrie diffusion processes A^ and X$\ the skew product diffusion is the process (X^\ XA^ where At is a positive continuous additive functional of the first process. In this work, a core and an explicit expression on it of the Dirichlet form of the skew product diffusion is determined. In the proof, general theorems on the invariance of the Dirichlet form under the random time change and on the representation of martingales s stochastic integrals play basic roles. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification (1985 Revision): 60J, 31C25. §


Abstract This paper is intended as a contribution to the continuing discussion on the problem of site definition in surface survey. The data are drawn from the results of surveys undertaken by the author on the islands of Kephallenia and Lefkas off the western coast of Greece. Following a brief description of the islands, the aims and strategies of the surveys are described. Some methodologies are then proposed that can aid the researcher in the decision-making process in the field and allow for testing and reassessment of those decisions later. It is argued that sites are only part of a continuum of artifact distribution and that they can only be defined in relation to visibility and to the level of surface artifact density across the entire study region; this material is also referred to as "background noise."


As the core of AVR single-chip computer ATmega128,the unconnect card collection system of highway is introduced,and the hardware design are also given.The collection software based on data-base and VB are complied to achieve communication with upper computer.Lastly the IC card collection safety measurements are analyzed.


Romanos' dialogic kontakion "Mary at the Cross" seeks to reconcile competing literary and religious traditions concerned with lamenting death, in the historical context of the growth of the cult of Mary and that of icons.


This article focuses on the examination of digital work in the heart of industry 4.0, with a theoretical focus in order to examine the impacts of the corona virus pandemic on the working class that emerges from the new work relationships permeated by applications. As an objective, this study focused on examining the impact of the pandemic on the world of digitalized work, as well as the impact on the working conditions of digital workers. The article is structured in topics, focused on the exam, initial of the crisis category (economic and health) and its relationship with the pandemic of COVID-19, as well as impacts on the world of work. In addition, the precarious condition of the digitized working class and the importance of the [re] constructive evaluation of the legal phenomenon in order to ensure better working conditions were also examined. In the end, it was noted that the transformation of current labor relations, in order to ensure the realization of the civilizing level of labor rights, permeates the recognition of the condition of working class to men and women who provide services through applications.


Isotopic tracing of H[sub 2]O degassing in both small and very large rhyolitic magmas in continental tectonic settings (USA and New Zealand), and isotopic studies of high-temperature fumaroles (USA, Japan, and elsewhere) indicate that the hydrogen isotope compositions of magmatic waters vary primarily with the composition of source material and tectonic setting. Water from felsic magmas in volcanic arc settings has a mean [delta]D value off [minus]25 [+-] 5 permil, whereas water from volcanic and plutonic magmas in continental settings has a slightly lower mean [delta]D of [minus]40 [+-] 10 permil. These differences reflect the variation in composition of source materials: hydrated oceanic crust and marine sediments for the arc volcanoes, and largely metamorphic crust for magmas in continental settings. The isotopic record in certain ore deposits associated with felsic magmas (e.g., W skarns, Sn-W veins) and geothermal systems records the influx at critical times of magmatic water with a [delta]D value of [minus]35 to [minus]45 permil. This is best documented where isotopic contrast between magmatic and meteoric waters is large. The [delta]D of MORB H[sub 2]O presumably lies between the mean [delta]D for MORB glass ([minus]75 permil), the [delta]D of H[sub 2]O in equilibrium with this glass ([delta]D ca.more » [minus]35; assuming closed-system degassing).« less


The US FDA has accepted the VIVUS, Inc. (CA,USA) drug application for Qnexa for the treatment of obesity. The FDA aim to complete their review of the new drug application for Qnexa by 28 October, 2010. In critical Phase 3 clinical trials (previously announced), patients treated with all three doses of Qnexa achieved considerable weight loss compared with placebo, and significant dose-related improvements across a wide variety of secondary end points including reductions in cardiovascular and inflammatory risk factors. VIVUS, Inc. have high hopes for Qnexa. This oral-taken formulation of low-dose phentermine and topiramate, it is hoped, will address both appetite and satiety – the two main mechanisms that impact eating behavior. In Phase 2 and 3 clinical data to date, Qnexa has induced significant weight loss in patients, as well as improved gly cemic control, reduced sleep apnea events and improved cardiovascular risk. "The FDA's acceptance of the Qnexa new drug application marks an important milestone in the development of Qnexa as a treatment for patients who are obese or overweight with co-morbidities," stated Leland F Wilson, Chief Executive Officer for VIVUS. "We believe that Qnexa, if approved, will play an important role in treating the millions of patients living with obesity and related diseases, and who are in need of safe and effective options."


Abstract : The results of experiments on machining of the 45, 35 KhGSa and EI654 steels by VK8 hard alloy tool showed that on the tool front surface, there are qualitatively different sections of friction surface interactions. On the first section, adjacent to the cutting edge, there is no transfer of chip material along the front tool surface while a plastic run of near contact chip layers is observed. On the second section, the wear is related to the presence of external metal mass transfers over the tool surface and cannot be explained only by diffusion alone. A diffusion wear occurs in the absence of external metal mass transfers in the zone of attachment. (Author)


A series of site and laboratory tests were carried out in order to evaluate the detecting effectiveness for subgrade compaction. Based on test results,SDG shows preferable stability in subgrade compaction detecting,and the test values can response the density of compacted fill accurately in suitable range. With modified model,it will be possible to use SDG to density test of compacting fill in wider range.


The article deals with the personal history of L. Efremov who was the outstanding representative and the head of the Kursk Committee of the USSR Communist Party in 1950s. The author analyses his social and political activity and his contribution to the Kursk Region development during the so-called "Khrushchev's era".


Today will be mostly preliminaries, including some complex and symplectic geometry, such as the symplectic quotient, and an introduction to Kähler and hyperkähler geometry. Over the rest of the week, we'll discuss some examples (which are usually left implicit) such as quiver varieties, introduce the moduli space of Higgs bundles, and more. A good reference for this is Andy Neitzke's lecture notes on the moduli space of Higgs bundles: https://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/neitzke/teaching/392C-higgs-bundles/higgs-bundles.pdf. Kähler manifolds are great because they involve a whole bunch of angles towards differential geometry: Riemannian, complex, and symplectic manifolds. Riemannian manifolds are likely the most familiar, so we won't discuss them in too much detail.


Method for predicting the response to chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer. # Method of obtaining travel information predicting response to chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer, kit, device and microarray for carrying out said method.


One can observe terahertz (THz) radiation from various kinds of materials, when excited with a femtosecond laser, owing to ultrafast current modulation. THz waves reflect various kinds of properties such as local electric field, particularly ultrafast transient phenomena, in their waveforms. The observation of the THz waveforms enables us to explore ultrafast nature of electronic materials and devices as a THz emission spectroscopy.


The concept of a market downfall on the example of wide distribution of products containing genetically modified ingredients, safety of which till now give raise the mass of arguments. To decide finally the problem of harmlessness in the conditions of market is impossible without active part of a state. State must guarantee the protection of human rights of its citizens on safe existence


This paper describes the synthesis of kilogram quantities of the sulfonamide moiety 3 involved in a coupling reaction with acid moiety 2 to provide batches of drug candidate 1 for preclinical studi...


Abstract This study investigates oblique entry pressure loss in automotive catalyst monoliths. Experiments have been performed on a specially designed flow rig using different lengths of monolith (17—100 mm) over a range of Reynolds number and angles of incidence (0–75°). Losses were found to be a function of Reynolds number and angle of incidence and a general correlation has been derived. Computational fluid dynamics predictions of the flow distribution across axisymmetric catalyst assemblies have been performed. Incorporating the oblique entry loss provided much better agreement with experimental data with the assumption that such losses were constant above an angle of incidence of 81°.


Ceramic superlattice is one of approaches for new ceramic film development. We deposited TiN/AIN superlattice films by arc ion-plating process, and evaluated the crystal structure of these films by transmission electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction. It was revealed that the crystal structure of AIN changes from Wurtzite type to NaCl type for superlattice periods ≤ 3 nm. The film hardness increased to about twice that of the TiN single layer film at a period = 2.5 nm. NaCl phase of AIN is one of the phases that exists under high pressure and it is expected that there will be a high bulk modulus.


In this paper,through analyzing the solidification property of the Zn Al alloy and using the infinitesimal analysis,a new solidification model was proposed,which includes the continuity equation, the momentum conservation equation and the energy conversation equation.And the equations are differentiated in the 3 D Cartesian coordination system. This model can be used to solve the convection and gravitational segregation during the solidification.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of routine blood markers regarding their predictive potential for treatment outcomes of elderly head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. In total, 246 elderly HNSCC patients (≥65 years) undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy from 2010 to 2018 were analyzed for treatment outcomes, depending on their hemoglobin, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin values, representing anemia, kidney function, inflammation and nutrition status, respectively. Local/locoregional control, progression-free and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox analyses were performed to examine the influence of blood parameters on oncological outcomes. In the univariate Cox regression analysis, hemoglobin ≤ 12 g/dL (HR = 1.536, p < 0.05), a GFR ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (HR = 1.537, p < 0.05), a CRP concentration > 5 mg/L (HR = 1.991, p < 0.001) and albumin levels ≤ 4.2 g/dL (HR = 2.916, p < 0.001) were significant risk factors for OS. In the multivariate analysis including clinical risk factors, only performance status (HR = 2.460, p < 0.05) and baseline albumin (HR = 2.305, p < 0.05) remained significant prognosticators. Additionally, baseline anemia correlated with the prevalence of higher-grade chronic toxicities. We could show for the first time that laboratory parameters for anemia (and at least partly, tumor oxygenation), decreased renal function, inflammation and reduced nutrition status are associated with impaired survival in elderly HNSCC patients undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy.


In the last two decades, the sequential optimality conditions, which do not require constraint qualifications and allow improvement on the convergence assumptions of algorithms, had been considered in the literature. It includes the work by Andreani et al. (2017), with a sequential optimality condition for nonlinear programming, that uses the second-order information of the problem. More recently, Fukuda et al. (2023) analyzed the conditions that use second-order information, in particular for nonlinear second-order cone programming problems (SOCP). However, such optimality conditions were not defined explicitly. In this paper, we propose an explicit definition of approximate-Karush-Kuhn-Tucker 2 (AKKT2) conditions for SOCPs. We prove that the proposed AKKT2 conditions are satisfied at local optimal points of the SOCP without any constraint qualification. We also present two algorithms that are based on augmented Lagrangian and sequential quadratic programming methods and show their global convergence to points satisfying the proposed conditions.


Uric acid is an end product of purine metabolism. Hyperuricemia is defined as serum uric acid level 〉420 μmol/L in man, and 360 μmol/L in woman. Several mechanisms can cause elevated serum uric acid levels. Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses have shown that hyperuricemia is significantly correlated with the increased morbidity and mortality in patients with ischemic stroke. However, as a powerful antioxidant and a radical scavenger, uric acid seems to have a neuroprotective effect in ischemic stroke. Uric acid administered early can enhance the effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) thrombolytic therapy in rats with thromboembolic stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a randomized controlled trial for the clinical effects of rtPA thrombolysis in combination with uric acid in patients with acute ischemic stroke. A phase 3 clinical trial is ongoing, and its results are worth waiting for.

Key words:
Stroke;  Brain Ischemia;  Uric Acid;  Hyperuricemia


During 1927-1949, Mao ZeDong advanced the cultural guiding principle of the new democratic revolution, it was famously known as"national, scientific and popular culture"which conformed to the direction of Chinese culture's development.While the National People's Party stuck to feudal and fascist culture,it obviously went against the direction of social development and got its failure inevitably.


AIMS
To examine the relationship between homecare nurses' length of conversation with nurse managers and colleagues and intention to remain at the workplace.

BACKGROUND
Nurse turnover is an important issue. Previous studies focused on the perceived function of communication. However, we do not know the contribution of homecare nurses' actual conversations to nurse turnover prevention.

METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study in 330 homecare nurse organizations in Japan. We recruited 2,315 homecare nurses and analyzed the data of 608 nurses. We used a questionnaire to investigate participants' intention to remain.

RESULTS
Nearly 68% had the intention to remain. The mean length of conversation was 34 min/day with the manager and 68 min/day with colleagues. Multilevel logistic regression analysis showed that long conversations with the nurse manager (20 minutes and more) and colleagues (40 minutes and more) were significantly related to the intention to remain.

CONCLUSIONS
Ensuring the time of conversation with a manager and colleagues may contribute to preventing potentially avoidable nurse turnover.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
Nurse managers should encourage homecare nurses to have daily conversations of 20 minutes or more with the nurse manager and 40 minutes or more with colleagues to continue working at their current workplace.


The Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS) is used to test the sensitivity of heavy precipitation to various model configurations: horizontal resolution, domain size, rain rate assimilation, perturbed physics, and initial condition uncertainties, through a series of convection-permitting simulations of three heavy precipitation (greater than 200 mm day−1) cases in different synoptic backgrounds. The larger disparity of intensity histograms and rainfall fluctuation caused by different model configurations from their mean and/or control run indicates that heavier precipitation forecasts have larger uncertainty. A cross-verification exercise is used to quantify the impacts of different model parameters on heavy precipitation. The dispersion of skill scores with control run used as "truth" shows that the impacts of the model resolution and domain size on the quantitative precipitation forecast are not less than those of perturbed physics and initial field uncertainties in these not intentionally selected heavy precipitation cases. The result indicates that model resolution and domain size should be considered as part of probabilistic precipitation forecasts and ensemble prediction system design besides the model initial field uncertainty.


Global aviation is beginning to deploy and use automated dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) for surveillance in air traffic control. Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) are installing ground stations, experimental procedures and flight trials are beginning, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investing over $ 1 Billion in ground infrastructure. The FAA intends to implement rulemaking and by 2014, all aircraft must be equipped with limited ADS-B capabilities to operate in the National Airspace System (NAS). But as we look forward to the next generation air transportation system (NGATS) in the United States and the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) initiatives in Europe, a new generation of ADS-B is necessary. Called ADS-x, the avionics and ground systems are built around the NGATS concepts of network-centric air traffic management, 4D trajectory-based separation, self-spacing, sequencing and separation, and much greater air-to-air integration and use of information. This look into the future is not based on what today's technology can do, but what the air transportation system demands by 2025. Dependent surveillance needs to transform to meet these new performance demands. This future leverages continuing successes of required navigation performance, precision positioning, and the concept of control by exception to form the basis of a performance "contract" that allow pilots to use ADS-x and cockpit display of traffic for maintaining aircraft sequencing and spacing built on a 4D trajectory. The ADS-x operational concepts and scenarios presented provide a look forward into the NGATS/SESAR transformation and shares some observations that avionics developers need to consider to 1) assure that existing ADS-B product line offerings can be forward compatible, and 2) that ADS-B is on a transformation path to ADS-x so that initial investments in technology still make sense 15 years from now


In the paper,the topic of simulating paper making worksite is put forward for improving the working efficiency of the QCS design.Several fundamental factors,such as procedure of quality formation,scanner,control valve,meter and net transmitting are discussed and the fundamental functions of the paper making process simulation,such as the manual operating interface,the profile on forming of the quality,the interface of simulating scanner,the interface of net connection,several random events and their realizing method etc.are also discussed in the paper.


This paper discusses the virtual prostate needle biopsy system and the construction of the virtual prostate model, considering the actual distribution of prostate abnormalities. A needle biopsy simulation is performed for the constructed virtual prostate, and the actual biopsy procedure in the clinical situation is evaluated. The prostate needle biopsy is a histologic diagnosis procedure in which a sample is acquired from the prostate tissue by needle biopsy and is inspected under a microscope. In order to achieve reliable prostate needle biopsy, it is necessary to consider systematically and numerically the number of needles required, and their locations and insertion angles. For such a purpose, a system is developed in which a virtual prostate is constructed on a computer and the biopsy procedure is evaluated quantitatively by performing virtually the prostate needle biopsy. Furthermore, two different models are constructed, for the prostate with and without hypertrophy, based on the actual statistical distribution data for prostate abnormalities. Each model is partitioned into the peripheral zone and the transition zone. The constructed virtual prostate is input into the virtual needle biopsy simulation system, and three different systematic biopsy procedures actually used at clinical sites, and four different needle biopsy procedures, are experimentally evaluated. The experiments show that the insertion angle that maximizes the hit probability is not always the same as the insertion angle that maximizes cancer sample acquisition. It is evident that the proposed method can indicate a biopsy procedure which realizes a high hit probability with a small number of needles. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(1): 93–104, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20181


In this article, I examine the formation of the first Latin Quarter in London (ON) at the end of the nineteenth century, and thus at the dawn of modernity. I analyse how these first (mostly Southern) Italian immigrants attempted to soothe their need for a sense of belonging, how they negotiated their collective nostos and, concomitantly, how they dealt with the palpable nostalgia for a return to their Mediterranean homeland.


Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of gall induction on leaf phenolic compounds and their indirect effects on the subsequent attack of folivorous insects in Achatocarpus gracilis, Cordia alliodora, Guapira macrocarpa, Guettarda elliptica and Ruprechtia fusca that occur in both hillside and riparian sites at Chamela-Cuixmala tropical dry forest in western Mexico. There are differences in soil water content between riparian and hillside sites where trees in the first are mainly evergreen and deciduous in the second. A few tree species occur in both sites and their intraspecific phenological response is also different between sites. In this case, trees of a given species that occur in riparian sites will be evergreen whereas trees on hillsides of the same species will be deciduous. Four plant species had significantly greater total phenol concentrations in galled than ungalled leaves in both deciduous hillside and riparian sites. In three plant species associated with galls, host total phenol concentrations were significantly greater in short than in tall plants. The frequency and amount of folivore damage were greater in leaves without galls than leaves with galls in these four plant species. These results indicate that galling insect species may directly affect leaf phenolic concentrations and indirectly may affect the incidence and consumption of folivorous insects in tropical plant species. This may have important consequences on the preference of leaves by folivorous insects that might be excluded by galling insect species in this dry tropical system.


Objective: To unveil the experience of the surgical patient in the immediate postoperative period regarding thirst, from the perspective of the Symptom Management Theory. Method: A qualitative study, undertaken with 14 patients in a large university hospital in southern Brazil. For discourse analysis, we used the Discourse of the Collective Subject method. Results: Four categories came up: the body manifesting thirst, experienced feelings, using coping mechanisms, and receiving thirst management strategies. Signs of this symptom are disturbing and extremely stressful for those experiencing them and the multidisciplinary team does not value them. Conclusions: From the perspective of the Symptom Management Theory, thirst, as a multivariate symptom, is perceived and experienced through physical and emotional repercussions, reflecting feelings of anguish, fear, and helplessness when facing the symptom.


Sea clutters with Doppler-varying spectrum exert a notable negative impact on the detection performance, especially with low-velocity targets, when a passive bistatic radar is employed to detect sea-surface targets. One feasible solution is to modulate the reference signal onto the Doppler dimension and, as such, a filter with a wide notch and sharp edges can be obtained to suppress the residual clutters. However, to achieve this goal, a considerably high computational complexity is demanded in the existing two-dimensional (2D) adaptive filters. In this context, a novel 2D partial-update normalized least mean square algorithm is proposed to reduce the computational load, as well as to yield a superior clutter suppression performance. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by real-data experiments.


Backgrounds: The anticoagulant activity of warfarin (R/S-WF) is due mainly to S-WF, which is primarily metabolized by CYP2C9. Previous reports have presented an increase in the International Normalized Ratio (INR) after concomitant administration of WF with sorafenib (SF), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. However, few studies have focused on quantitative prediction of this INR increase. Objectives: We attempted to predict SF/S-WF concentrations, INR, and the optimal dose of WF in the presence of SF for Japanese patients, based on the metabolic interaction between WF and SF related to CYP2C9 inhibition. Methods: The previous population PK model of SF in the literature was employed to predict the SF concentration. The inhibition constant of SF for S-WF metabolism was determined in in vitro. The unbound fraction of SF in the liver was estimated using the published equation. The competitive inhibition model between WF and SF was incorporated into previously reported population PK-PD models of S-WF to predict the S-WF concentrations and INR. Based on these data, a population PK-PD model describing the interaction between WF and SF was developed using NONMEM. Clinical data and INR values were collected from the literature and used for the model evaluation. Results: The observed time course of INR retrieved from a patient given WF and SF was mostly within the 90% range of the predicted values. We predicted the SF/S-WF concentrations and INR after administration of WF (3 mg/d) alone and WF (3 mg/d) + SF (400 mg/d). It was found that the mean values of S-WF concentration and INR at steady state were 4.8 and 1.9 times greater in the presence of SF with WF, respectively, than those with WF alone. The predicted S-WF concentrations and INR after reduction in the WF dose in the presence of SF Conclusions: These results suggest that a reduction in the daily dose of WF (e.g., from 3 mg to 0.5 mg) might be mandatory when WF and SF are administered concomitantly.


In the current era, several methods have emerged in the process of memorizing the Koran, but the implementation of the Sima'an and Muraja'ah methods has persisted to this day, especially at the Nurul Quran Kraksaan Islamic boarding school. The aim of this research is to find out the implementation of the simaan and murajaah methods at the Nurul Quran Patokan Islamic Boarding School, Kraksaan Probolinggo. The qualitative approach was chosen by collecting data through observation. The results of the study show that there are supporting and inhibiting factors in memorizing the Al-Quran. The supporting factors are enthusiasm in memorizing the Koran properly and correctly, increasing and being able to reach the target. While the inhibiting factor is prioritizing simaan, namely wanting to memorize a lot but putting aside murojaah. So, it is not uncommon for many students to memorize verse by verse but are not fluent in the previous verses.


Let $P$ be an irreducible and reversible transition matrix on a finite state space $V$ with invariant distribution $\pi$. We let $k$ chains start by choosing independent locations distributed according to $\pi$ and then they evolve independently according to $P$. Let $\tau_{\mathrm{cov}}(k)$ be the first time that every vertex of $V$ has been visited at least once by at least one chain and let $t_{\rm{cov}}(k)=\mathbb{E}[\tau_{\mathrm{cov}}(k)]$ with $t_{\rm{cov}}=t_{\rm{cov}}(1)$. We prove that $t_{\rm{cov}}(k)\lesssim t_{\rm{cov}}/k$. When $k\leq t_{\mathrm{cov}}/t_{\rm{rel}}$, where $t_{\rm{rel}}$ is the inverse of the spectral gap, we show that this bound is sharp. For $k\leq t_{\mathrm{cov}}/t_{\rm{mix}}$ with $t_{\rm{mix}}$ the total variation mixing time of $(P+I)/2$ we prove that $k \cdot \max_{x_1,\ldots,x_k}\mathbb{E}_{x_1,\ldots,x_k}[\tau_{\rm{cov}}(k)] \asymp t_{\rm{cov}}$.


Objective To investigate the positive critical value of serum procalcitonin(PCT) in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Methods German BRAHMS PCT-Q test kits were used to detect PCT levels among 2,423 hospitalized neonates. 625 cases were detected to have neonatal sepsis and 1,798 cases non-sepsis. Results The sensitivity,specificity, positive predictive value,negative predictive value,positive likelihood ratio,negative likelihood ratio,and coarse inline of the PCT method were 96. 84%,91. 40%,81. 03%,98. 71%,11. 26,0. 035 and 92. 90% respectively. The positive rate of PCT was significantly higher in sepsis group than in non-sepsis group(P 0. 05). The method of using PCT≥05ng / ml as the positively critical value to diagnose neonatal sepsis has higher specificity and sensitivity Conclusions PCT≥ 05ng / ml can be used as the specific positive critical value of laboratory tests in the diagnosis of early neonatal sepsis.


Six multi‐decade‐long members of SRA reflect on the 1983 Red Book in order to examine the evolving relationship between risk assessment and risk management; the diffusion of risk assessment practice to risk areas such as homeland security and transportation; the quality of chemical risk databases; challenges from other groups to elements at the core of risk assessment practice; and our collective efforts to communicate risk assessment to a diverse set of critical groups that do not understand risk, risk assessment, or many other risk‐related issues. The authors reflect on the 10 recommendations in the Red Book and present several pressing challenges for risk assessment practitioners.


Protein remote homology detection is a key problem in bioinformatics. Currently, the discriminative methods, such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), can achieve the best performance. The most efficient approach to improve the performance of the SVM-based methods is to find a general protein representation method that is able to convert proteins with different lengths into fixed length vectors and captures the different properties of the proteins for the discrimination. The bottleneck of designing the protein representation method is that native proteins have different lengths. Motivated by the success of the pseudo amino acid composition (PseAAC) proposed by Chou, we applied this approach for protein remote homology detection. Some new indices derived from the amino acid index (AAIndex) database are incorporated into the PseAAC to improve the generalization ability of this method. Our experiments on a well-known benchmark show this method achieves superior or comparable performance with current state-of-the-art methods.


Three-dimensional modeling is employed to simulate various Kelvin structures for detecting the change in bump resistance due to void formation and propagation during electromigration in flip-chip solder joints. It is found that the Kelvin structures can sense the highest voltage drop when its voltage probes are placed at the current entrance into the bump on the chip side, and it is thus the most sensitive design to monitor void formation and propagation. When the bump resistance increases 20% of its initial value, the depletion percentage of contact opening ranges from 21.0% to 65.0%, depending on the position of the probes.