Care of people in the last period of their lives frequently falls to nurses working in primary care, and can be a rewarding and satisfying component of our work (Department of Health (DH), 2008). Nurses with different roles, working in various settings, will be involved throughout the patient's disease trajectory. Familial carers may also have contact with health services in a number of guises, whether it be for their own health, or that of their family member. Some of these services will be specialist palliative care services, some will be generalist services providing palliative care; others may not identify with the 'palliative' title, but their care provision may overlap, as they offer interventions to people affected by advanced disease. This could include district nurses, Macmillan nurses, Marie Curie nurses, health or social-care workers, clinical nurse specialists, community matrons, practice nurses, outof-hours community nursing, and other locally-developed services. This is of course in combination with medical services and allied health and social-care professionals. Among this plethora of services, patients and their families have to navigate their way through these networks to get their care needs met. Often, this will be their first experience of a system, which can be confusing to even experienced health professionals. Different roles, functions, uniforms, hours of work, and contact details can add to the confusion. Service users must make daily decisions in relation to the services involved in their care: who should I contact when a new symptom is present? How do I get hold of them? Has his condition got so much worse that I need to ask for extra help? What is the role of the person who is visiting today and should I direct my questions to them? At a time when people are facing multiple changes in their experience of being-in-the-world, there is a danger that, as service providers, we can potentially add to the uncertainty of their unfamiliar situation. The recent Palliative Care Funding Review (2011) suggests that a core element of good palliative care services should be that someone coordinates the care of the patient, a complex and multifaceted role that would work across organizational boundaries to ensure that the patient and their family get all the care they need. There are, however, known difficulties in introducing additional roles into the primary care environment. Recent examples of new services that have a role in palliative care provision, such as the community matron, demonstrate the complexities of professional identities, roles and relationships in primary care (King et al, 2010). The introduction of a palliative care coordinator has the potential to improve the care experience of people affected by advanced disease, but only if other key stakeholders involved in palliative care accept its additional value and recognize its unique contribution to the multidisciplinary team. I hope that, as organizations look to introduce this service, consideration is given as to whether existing stakeholders could undertake this function, how it will integrate with existing teams, and that specific work is undertaken around acceptance of this new way of working. At the University of Huddersfield, we have been conducting research into experiences of these complex networks involved in the care of people affected by advanced disease. It can be difficult for people to discuss and describe these situations and we have found that often service users, in particular, are uncertain as to the names and roles of the various people who they have contact with – they are the 'nurse who wears blue and visits on a Thursday', or the 'nurse from the clinic'. It is important that we understand what it is like for people involved in these situations, as well as how these networks function in practice; therefore, to facilitate information sharing, we have been using a technique called 'Pictor'. This is a simple visual technique that helps people to reflect on and communicate their experiences of situations involving multiple agencies, and has proved to be very facilitative of information sharing in research interviews (Hardy et al, in press). We all have a role to play in helping patients and their families effectively navigate care systems, whether this is through reflecting on our own clinical practice, breaking down barriers to develop effective collaborative working, introduction of new roles to help coordinate care, or through research to enhance understanding of this complex area of care delivery. By striving for improved practice, we can all help to make palliative care a less complicated environment for people who need to access these services. BJCN


The most significant expansion of population education in the U.S. has occurred over the past 5-year period. The environmental movement of the 1960 decade established a foundation on which population education quickly developed in the 1970 decade and gained acceptance in the population establishment and among funding agencies. During the years 1970-1976, several private organizations became actively involved in the population education field. Several viewpoints and population education approaches are now evident in the U.S. These approaches stress different aspects of the issue: extension of family planning, individual and social awareness, demography, behavioral objectives, value analysis, environmental strategy, and inquiry. Although these approaches are diverse, the U.S. has provided a basic framework for population education. Research in population education has consisted of little more than review studies, knowledge and attitude surveys, and several studies on the appropriateness of population education in the formal college school setting. Further research is needed to identify the goals, objectives, and strategy of population education, and these studies would have to be linked to the cognitive and moral development of the student.


In the decoration of the room,people are often the most attention to the living room of the layout and decoration,Chinese success of the neo-classical entrance design is the traditional values of modern civilization and the sense of mutual integration,and not in shape to imitate the spirit of the ancient and Health to move.Chinese decorative neo-classical style is very sophisticated."Yibu change on the King" decorative way to bring a wealth of space for visual effects has demonstrated the traditional Chinese art of eternal beauty.


AMID the current agitation for a comprehensive national housing program for the United States, it has become customary to turn to European housing experience for guidance. This inclination is well founded, for with more than a hundred years of experiment, of success and failure, foreign nations have much of value to offer in this field. The most frequent approach in the analysis of foreign experience is to examine the integrated national program of each country and to judge its accomplishments in the solution of housing problems on the basis of the over-all effect of the pro-


which include disorientation, loss of social interactions and housetraining, and disturbances in sleep 3, . Veterinary behaviourists interpret these as symptoms of cognitive impairment, which can be used to characterise canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Both identification of CDS and clinical evaluation of pharmacological interventions have relied on questionnaire data. This methodology involves considerable subjectivity, and is subject to large placebo effects. Our laboratory has used a neuropsychological perspective to study the problem of age-dependent cognitive dysfunction in dogs. This has necessitated development of a set of laboratory-based tests that provide quantitative measures of various aspects of cognition 1, . From this perspective, cognitive dysfunction manifests itself in the loss of various cognitive functions, which include behavioural flexibility (ability to switch from one response set to another); acquisition new information (learning), increased variability (behavioural instability), and impaired memory. These deficits probably account for the clinical symptoms associated with CDS. Our aim was to investigate the impact of both nutritional and experiential intervention on canine cognition, using the above-mentioned objective and quantitative parameters to measure the efficacy of the interventions. Effect of an Antioxidant-Diet and Cognitive Enrichment on Age-Dependent Cognitive Dysfunction in Dogs Norton W Milgram PhD


The article considers one of the management tasks resource allocation for indistinctly given initial information, which is both theoretical and practical interest.


Recent work on hearing loss to intermittent stimulation [G. R. Price, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 56 (1974)] has documented an early recovery process (ERP) in the cochlear microphonic (CM) and led to the hypothesis that if the ERP is interrupted by subsequent exposures, loss in CM sensitivity would be greater than the loss to an equivalent amount of continuous stimulation or to an equal amount of intermittent stimulation timed to avoid interrupting it. This hypothesis .was tested by exposing anesthetized cat ears to 5.0‐kHz pure‐tone stimulation at an intensity 30 dB above that producing a maximum in CM output at the round window. Stimuli were on for 1 min and off for an appropriate period until a total of 30 rain of stimulation had been delivered. In one experimental group (N = 10), the exposure schedule interrupted the ERP when it had 5 dB left to run and for a second group (N = 10), the inte rexposure interval was 9 min, a period allowing the ERP to run to completion. Interrupting the ERP did result in significantly more loss than continuous stimulation. Allowing the ERP to go to completion resulted in less loss, although the difference was not statistically significant. Data from studies using human ears indicate that similar processes may also be acting in the human ear as well.


The p-nitrophenylazo calix[4]arene derivatives 1a-1d with nonlinear optical (NLO) properties were prepared by the diazo-coupling reaction of calix[4]arene with p-nitrophenyl diazonium. The diazotization reaction of p-nitroaniline was carried out with isoamyl nitrite as a source of nitrous add in EtONa/EtOH under refluxing condition. X-Ray crystallographic analysis and 1H NMR spectra reveal that they exist as cone conformation in crystal state or in solution. HRS measurements at 1064 nm in THF indicate that p-nitro-phenylazo calix[4]arenes have higher hyperpolarizability βz values than the corresponding reference compound 4-(4-nitrophenylazo)-2, 6-dimethyl-phenol, without red shift of the charge transfer band. The tetrakis p-nitrophenylazo calix[4]arene (2) with longer alkyl chains can form monolayer at the air/water interface.


In the current paper, time-varying formation tracking (TVFT) problems for second-order multi-agent systems with external disturbances are studied. Based on the active disturbance rejection controller, a robust TVFT protocol is proposed, which contains the disturbance compensation. To restrain the influence of external disturbances, an extended state observer is designed to estimate the disturbance compensation using the control input and output information of the system. For the case that the desired formation trajectories are known, an approach to give the time-varying formation with a stationary transient process is proposed by constructing a tracking-differentiator, which actually plan a motion taking the shortest time along the desired trajectories. An algorithm is designed to determine the control parameter matrix of the protocol, in which the formation tracking feasibility condition is given. Finally, to verify the theoretical results, two numerical simulation examples are presented.


In all eras, the size and quality of the population have been and remain the basic factors that determine the economic, military, scientific, and industrial potential of any country. According to comparative demographic studies at the beginning of the twentieth century (D. Mendeleev), in the proceeding 270 years, the population of Russia increased by eleven times. On the average, the size of the population doubled over about seventy-eight years.


16-mm thick three-layer particleboards of densities 600 and 660 kg.m-3 were manufactured in a 2-step procedure: (I) manufacturing of face and core layers as separate one-layer "component boards" and (II) bonding (assembling) of "component boards" into three-layer board. Industrial pine as well as fibrous willow and robinia chips were used as raw materials. UF, PVAc and EPI resins were used as binders. MOR, MOE and IB were determined for the manufactured boards. A 2-step procedure allows to obtain advantageous cross-sectional density profile revealing highdensity layers (900 kg.m-3). Regardless of the binder, the highest mechanical parameters were obtained for the willow boards. The resultant performance of the three-layer boards is strongly affected by the parameters of assembling the "component boards".


Analytical relations for determining the headland width when making T-turns by a machine-tractor unit with a mounted machine on an irregularly-shaped field have been specified. Five types of T-turns are described in two variants – open turn and closed turn. Each of these is done in two directions of movement. A total of 20 variants of the turns are described. The method for determining the headland width of a specific machine-tractor unit consisting by a tractor and mounted row seeder is demonstrated. For each type of turn the headland width is determined according to the angle between the direction of movement of the agricultural unit and the field border. A range of angle modification from 10° to 90° is adopted. The analysis show that for obtaining minimum headland width closed turns in left to right direction of movement should not be made. The smallest theoretical headland width is when making a closed T-turn with arch-shaped backward movement and left-to-right direction of movement on the field. When using T-turns with an arch-shaped backward movement and T-turns with straight ahead movement when entering the headland, the actual headland width is the same (6 m) regardless of the type and direction of the turn.


FIELD: machine building. SUBSTANCE: method comprises the formation on a substrate product surface by pre-heating of compressed air to the temperature 400-500°C, its feeding into a supersonic nozzle, formation in it of high-speed air flow, adding into this flow of powder material from aluminium and copper oxides in equal shares and application of powder coating on a substrate until formation of the substrate layer thickness 0.3-0.4 mm, and also application of coating by pre-heating of compressed air to the temperature 400-500°C, its feeding into the supersonic nozzle, formation in it a high-speed air flow, feeding into this flow of powder material from aluminium and nickel oxide in equal shares and application of the powder coating with the thickness 0.2-0.3 mm. EFFECT: method allows to increase low-carbonaceous steel resistance to destruction of corrosive medium more than 10 times and thus increase service life of products. 1 ex, 2 tbl


In an experiment of 120 days duration, twenty healthy growing male kids (Sannen x Beetal and Alpine x Beetal) of 2–3 months of age, weighing 12±0.73 kg were divided into 4 equal groups (T1 to T4) in a randomized block design. Two types of isonitrogenous and isocaloric concentrate mixtures (CM-I and CM-II) were fed to group T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively The two concentrate mixtures were similar in composition except RDP:UDP ratio (73:27 and 59:41). Animals in T2 and T4 were additionally supplemented with molasses at the rate (8% CM on DM basis). All the animals were fed roughages (Berseem:wheat straw i.e. 2:1) to meet 50 per cent of DM intake. Blood samples were collected at 40, 80 and 120 days of post feeding and plasma samples were analysed. Plasma albumin and α-AAN levels were highest (P<0.05) in group T4, fed high UDP along with energy. However, plasma urea concentration was lower (P<0.05) in group T3 and T4 than T1 at 80 and 120 days of post feeding. DM intake in control group was lower (P<0.01) than to other 3 groups. Average daily gain (ADG) recorded was 47.6, 52.3, 62.9 and 71.4 in groups T1, T2 and T4, respectively, with the values being significantly higher (P<0.05) in T4 than in group T1, but at par with T2 and T3. Feed conversion efficiency was also significantly higher (P<0.05) in group T4 (10.14) than T1 (7.28) and T2 (7.47) but similar with T3 (9.35). It is thus inferred that additional supply of energy in the form of molasses along with undegradable protein positively influenced the growth rate and feed conversion efficiency without any significant effect on blood metabolites.


A nonablative 1,550 nm erbium-doped fiber laser effectively treats facial and non-facial photodamage, rhytids and dyspigmentation with a favorable side effect and recovery profile, according to a recent study.


Adult male rats which were castrated or made cryptorchid were compared to intact or sham-operated controls with respect to serum and pituitary FSH and LH, serum testosterone, testicular weight and morphology and ventral prostate weight. Castrated rats showed a rapid and marked increase in serum FSH and LH and a progressive increase in pituitary LH concentration and content. Pituitary FSH content in the castrated animal showed an initial decrease followed by a progressive rise. The cryptorchid animals showed similar but less marked changes in serum FSH and LH and pituitary LH concentration and content. An early decrease in pituitary FSH content was not seen in the cryptorchid animal. A surprising finding was a decrease in serum testosterone and progressive alteration of Leydig cell morphology in the cryptorchid animal despite maintenance of normal weight of the ventral prostate. (Endocrinology 88: 872, 1971)


We show that groupoid rings are separable over their ring of coefficients if and only if the groupoid is finite and the orders of the associated principal groups are invertible in the ring of coefficients. We use this to show that if we are given a finite groupoid, then the associated groupoid ring is semisimple (or hereditary) if and only if the ring of coefficients is semisimple (or hereditary) and the orders of the principal groups are invertible in the ring of coefficients. To this end, we extend parts of the theory of graded rings and modules from the group graded case to the category graded, and, hence, groupoid graded situation. In particular, we show that strongly groupoid graded rings are separable over their principal components if and only if the image of the trace map contains the identity.


The SARS-CoV-2 protein Nsp2 has been implicated in a wide range of viral processes, but its exact functions, and the structural basis of those functions, remain unknown. Here, we report an atomic model for full-length Nsp2 obtained by combining cryo-electron microscopy with deep learning-based structure prediction from AlphaFold2. The resulting structure reveals a highly-conserved zinc ion-binding site, suggesting a role for Nsp2 in RNA binding. Mapping emerging mutations from variants of SARS-CoV-2 on the resulting structure shows potential host-Nsp2 interaction regions. Using structural analysis together with affinity tagged purification mass spectrometry experiments, we identify Nsp2 mutants that are unable to interact with the actin-nucleation-promoting WASH protein complex or with GIGYF2, an inhibitor of translation initiation and modulator of ribosome-associated quality control. Our work suggests a potential role of Nsp2 in linking viral transcription within the viral replication-transcription complexes (RTC) to the translation initiation of the viral message. Collectively, the structure reported here, combined with mutant interaction mapping, provides a foundation for functional studies of this evolutionary conserved coronavirus protein and may assist future drug design. Introduction Upon entry into human cells SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, produces two large polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab. These polyproteins are further processed by two viral proteases into 16 individual non-structural proteins (nsp1-nsp16). These non-structural proteins fulfill a number of essential viral functions including RNA replication, replication proofreading, double-membrane vesicle formation, and others1. Many of these also interact with host factors to effectively subvert the host cell to meet the virus's needs2. Such subversion, for example, includes suppressing host innate immune responses, host translation, nuclear import, and other effects3–5. Despite their central importance to viral pathogenesis, many non-structural proteins remain structurally and functionally uncharacterized. Furthermore, the interactions between 2 . CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license available under a was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprint (which this version posted May 12, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.10.443524 doi: bioRxiv preprint


Somatic embryogenesis has been reported in different papaya cultivars across the world. However, all report suggests indirect embryogenesis in papaya with minimum of 3-6 months required for embryo formation. We have investigated role of polyamines (spermidine, spermine and putriscine) on direct embryogenesis on immature zygotic embryos excised from papaya cultivar Pusa Delicious. A brief exposure (2-4 weeks) of putriscine on induction medium (100 μM) augmented direct embryogenesis on explant. However, prolonged exposure of putriscine was found detrimental.


A new kind of cloud service, called Database-as-aservice (DaaS), provides a novel paradigm which allows data to be stored in remote databases. The types of database used in remote sites can be divided into two categories: Relational Databases (RDB) and NoSQL. NoSQL databases store data in a flexible format, and without schema, so NoSQL databases can be easily scaled across multiple devices. Because of the advantages of the NoSQL databases, many large data applications use NoSQL databases as the backend data management system. Because NoSQL databases usually access the stored data as files, through a distributed file system, the problem of decentralized data management is critical in NoSQL databases. In order to address this issue, many energy-efficient algorithms for file placement are used in distributed file systems. However, these energy-efficient algorithms only focus on reducing the power consumption of storage systems and they ignore the cost of data reliability, which is affected by frequently setting the disk status to standby mode. To maintain data reliability, energy-efficient storage systems usually combine framework of power conservation and a fault tolerance mechanism. However, most developers of energy-efficient frameworks do not consider whether the fault tolerance mechanism can avoid data loss when this combination is used for energy-efficient storage systems. This study proposes a general energy-efficient framework that can be integrated different fault tolerance mechanisms. The experimental results show that the capability of the proposed framework with different erasure code algorithms.


The 2017 hurricane season caused more economic damage than any other hurricane season in US history, with total losses above 200 billion USD. Hurricane Harvey flooded a third of the fourth largest city in the US, Houston, and more than 200,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Hurricane Maria was the worst storm to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years, leaving 75% of the impoverished US territory without power for at least six weeks [19]. Every year, natural catastrophes threaten communities and their respective economies around the globe.


Sedimentation of phytoplankton has an important ro le in lake ecosystems as a source o f nutrient regeneration and algal recruitment. Positive correlations are found among many lakes between epilimnetic chlorophyll concentration and sedimentary chlorophyll content (GORHAM et al. 1974 ), and between primary production and sedimentation of organic carbon (GALYEZ & NIELL 1993 ). However. in an interannual comparison in the Ishitegawa Reservoir, Japan, we could not find any significant correlations between epilimnetic chlorophyll concentration and sedimentary ch!orophyll content (KAGAWA et al. 2000). In the present study we reinvestigate this relationship, taking into consideration redistribution of bottom sediment.


An analytic study of the spectral problem for finite size one‐layer graphene sheets is presented. The solutions of the derived earlier transcendental eigenvalue equation is thoroughly examined and their highly accurate approximations are obtained. The accuracy of the approximations is illustrated by the comparison of approximate and exact results. The range of use of the proposed approach covers graphene, its daughter structures such as zigzag and armchair nanoribbons, and also real polyenes.


The consistent determination of changes in the transverse relaxation rate R2* (ΔR2*) is essential for the mapping of the effect of hyperoxic and hypercapnic respiratory challenges, which enables the noninvasive assessment of blood oxygenation changes and vasoreactivity by MRI. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of two different methods of ΔR2* quantification from dynamic multigradient‐echo data: (A) subtraction of R2* values calculated from monoexponential decay functions; and (B) computation of ΔR2* echo‐wise from signal intensity ratios. A group of healthy volunteers (n = 12) was investigated at 3.0 T, and the brain tissue response to carbogen and CO2–air inhalation was registered using a dynamic multigradient‐echo sequence with high temporal and spatial resolution. Results of the ΔR2* quantification obtained by the two methods were compared with respect to the quality of the voxel‐wise ΔR2* response, the number of responding voxels and the behaviour of the 'global' response of all voxels with significant R2* changes. For the two ΔR2* quantification methods, we found no differences in the temporal variation of the voxel‐wise ΔR2* responses or in the detection sensitivity. The maximum change in the 'global' response was slightly smaller when ΔR2* was derived from signal intensity ratios. In conclusion, this first methodological comparison shows that both ΔR2* quantifications, from monoexponential approximation as well as from signal intensity ratios, are applicable for the monitoring of R2* changes during respiratory challenges. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Due to the broad scattering spectral profiles, localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of Pd nanoparticles have low resolution and limited sensitivity for hydrogen detection. In this work, we use a simple light‐irradiation method to demonstrate that free‐space light can be efficiently coupled into and from the microfiber whispering‐gallery modes (WGMs) by the Pd nanoantennas. The nanoantenna–microfiber cavity system provides strong intermodal coupling between LSPRs and WGMs, and induces significant modulation of the scattering spectra. A measured full width at half‐maximum of 3.2 nm at 622.7 nm is obtained, which is the narrowest in Pd nanoparticle‐based LSPR structures reported up to now. The ultranarrow resonances offer enhanced sensitivity to hydrogen gas detection with a figure of merit reaching ∼2.22. Other advantages of the Pd nanoantenna–microfiber cavity system including independence of precise alignment of excitation light, large tunability of the resonant wavelengths, easy and low‐cost fabrication of the system, have also been demonstrated.


Washing using inorganic acids is a common method for treatment of metal-polluted soils. Metals solubilized during soil washing have to be removed from washing solutions (leachates). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficiency and the selectivity of cocoa shells to adsorb metals contained in acid leachates of soil decontamination. Shake flask experiments were done using 15 g/L of cocoa shells and a doped (addition of 100 and 300 mg metal/L) acid leachate (pHi = 2.4) using 1 or 10 metal salts. These tests have revealed that this natural sorbent is particularly efficient to remove lead and, to a lesser degree, copper from solution. A maximal lead concentration of 17 900 mg/kg, corresponding to 75 % of lead removal, has been adsorbed on cocoa shells during tests using a soil leachate doped with 300 mg Pb/L. This research also showed that cocoa shell selectivity generally follows this order: Pb >> Cu >> Fe > Al > Cr >> Co > Zn > Mn > Cd > Ni. Kinetic studies over a 24-h period have indicated th...


Pakistans Ministry of Health has initiated the development of private sector insurance programs based on the principles of managed care as part of its health financing reform effort. Because existing private health insurance programs are categorized by escalating costs fraud and abuse new approaches are needed to achieve expanded coverage. Managed care principles help contain costs and eliminate fraud by directly paying providers a fixed sum to have a set of services available for a group of people. The study presented in this report 1) reviewed the health insurance market and products to assess the potential for development of managed care service in Karachi and Islamabad 2) defined the incentives necessary to establish a private sector health insurance market and 3) surveyed employers to ascertain the market for a managed care product. This analysis reveals that the general business environment is not conducive to private health insurance that financial incentives and legal measures are lacking and that providers are wary of the initiative. Therefore the following recommendations are made for short-term government actions: 1) present the findings of this study to potential insurers employers and providers in a workshop format; 2) help potential insurers acquire technical training in managed care plans; 3) encourage selected health care providers to initiate managed-care plans; 4) provide financial incentives for the institution of a managed care health insurance plan; and 5) provide a government-sponsored demonstration of a managed care plan. Short-term recommendations to insurers include: 1) surveying employers for revisions to the model of managed care benefits; 2) conducting a managed care feasibility study; and 3) marketing the managed care plan to multinational and state-owned organizations. Longterm government actions should include enacting legislation to provide the framework for the managed care programs revising the Employee Social Security Insurance policy and assessing the impact on employers of providing compulsory health insurance for employees.


This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, and EU ERDF funds (CGL2010-16451)


Objective To evaluate noise pollution in residential high building environment along a main road in Beijing City. Methods Equivalent noise levels(LAeq)at 4 different positions of the building(namely along the road side and opposite side,indoor and outdoor respectively)were measured on every floor of the 12-storey residencial building to describe noise levels and time,spacial distribution of the environment noise in the building. Results The investigation showed that the average outdoor noise level on the road side is 73.88 dB during a whole day,74.37 dB during the day-time and 72.61 dB during the night-time.There was no remarkable difference of the noise levels among the indoor spot of the road side,indoor and outdoor spots of the opposite side which were 58-60 dB during a whole day,59-61 dB during the day-time and 53-56 dB during the night-time. Indoor noise level along the road side was 45.8 dB,which was 5 dB higher than the opposite side during sleeping time(2 am-5 am). Conclusion The noise levels exceeded acceptable limits at all spots according to the Standard of Environmental Noise of Urban Area(China GB3096-93),and the road side of the high building was more significantly influenced by traffic noise.


Organic agriculture is a sector of growing importance in many agricultural countries. The reduction of financial assistance to acquire agricultural inputs, leads organic systems to be more productive. Biodiversity stabilizes the agricultural ecosystem providing protection against environmental stress and increasing the resilience of agricultural economies. Demand for food, organic fibers and a sustainable development of society, provides development opportunities for farmers and companies worldwide. Considering this, and the current problems of agriculture, as excessive use of fertilizers and soil and water pollution, which leads to the deterioration and difficulty of resources renewal. This situation promotes an integrate and diversified use of natural resources in a fluctuating and restrictive environment. In recent decades, something that has had an impact on agriculture is the application of biofertilizers by beneficial microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), which exchange nutrients with plants. There are three outstanding groups: nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungi and growth promoting bacteria (PGPB-Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria).


BACKGROUND
In adult cardiac surgery, the predictive value for AKI of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) appears to have wide variability. The choice of definition of acute kidney injury (AKI) might, at least in part, account for such variability.

METHODS
In a prospective study of 100 adult cardiac surgery patients, we assessed the value of postoperative plasma NGAL in predicting AKI according to the degree of severity used for its definition.

RESULTS
The predictive value of plasma NGAL varied according to the AKI definition used and was higher for more severe AKI (increase in creatinine >50%: mean AUC-ROC 0.79 +/- 0.01) compared to less severe AKI (>25%: mean AUC-ROC 0.65 +/- 0.02); P = 0.001. The discriminatory ability of NGAL for AKI also increased with increasing RIFLE classes (AUC-ROC R: 0.72, I: 0.79, F: 0.80) or AKIN stages (AUC-ROC 1: 0.75, 2: 0.78, 3: 0.81); P = 0.015. It was highest for the prediction of renal replacement therapy (AUC-ROC: 0.83).

CONCLUSIONS
In adult cardiac surgery patients, the predictive value of NGAL increases with grade of AKI. This observation needs to be taken into account when interpreting any future studies of this biomarker.


The research topic of boards of directors in companies in general and in startups in particular has been addressed by several disciplines including, management, finance, and organisational behaviour.

This developmental paper reviews and reflects upon a selection of core corporate governance theoretical frameworks that have been extended to study boards of directors in the context of VC-backed startups, including agency theory, resource-dependence theory, team production theory and emerging behavioural theory of boards.

The discussion will serve as an input into research design of a study into processes, working relationships and dynamics of startup boards.


We present several improvements to the understanding of strained silicon's second-order optical nonlinearity. In addition to incorporating the material into electro-optic modulators and wave-mixers, we analyze the nature of the optical nonlinearity on the nanoscale.


A FEW CONSIDERATIONS, DILEMMAS AND RECTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE BIOGRAPHY OF FIELD MARSHALL BOROEVICThe article alters or amends the previous realisations about the life of Field Marshall Svetozar Boroevic von Bojna. At the same time it also attempts to provide answers to certain dilemmas arising from his biography. It discusses the questions and dilemmas like: was he a hero or bon vivant? Was he Croatian or Serbian, born in Mecencani or Umetic? When was he ennobled, in 1902 or 1905? Was he a baron at all? It also clarifies which decorations of the Order of Maria Theresa he received and when.


The outstanding philosopher, historian, anthropologist Yuriy I. Semenov remembers the primary milestones of his scientific biography, articulates some of his most important theories and discusses  contemporary theoretical problems of anthroposociogenesis and the primitive society history as well as the theory of social and economic structures.  Anthroposociogenesis theory was developed by Yu. I. Semenov in the 60-ies of XX century, and up to now it  has been constantly evolving based on new scientific evidence. The concept of anthroposociogenesis, that was introduced by Y.I. Semenov, reveals the essence of the process of human being origination: the interconnection of biological formation of man and the formation of social relations. The process of anthroposociogenesis is in the perspective of consciousness and thinking development: thinking is not a reflection of the individual (as in higher animals), but a reflection of the general, since the  labor activity is associated with changes in the objects of the world and allows to discover and identify internal connections and patterns and so to cognize the essence of objects. The scientist reconstructs in detail the process of anthroposociogenesis, introduces the concept of «reflex labor", reveals the mechanism of formation of morality as a social result of the labor activity and group selection. Restriction of food and sexual instincts in the process of anthroposociogenesis leads to the formation of a taboo system, communal economy, and primitive group marriage. The fundamental development in the economy of primitive society, which is divided by scientists into two stages — early primitive society («primitive-communist») and late-primitive («primitive-prestigious») — leads to the disclosure of the «prestigious» economy causes, the remnants of which are preserved in our days. In general, reconstruction of the anthroposociogenesis and the internal logic of the primitive society development allows us to reveal universal social laws that are important for the modern human society understanding.


The present invention relates to a method for dying ceramic surfaces, whereby a mixed phase pigment is produced on the surface layer of the ceramic mass. Said pigment consists of a colorless metal oxide that crystallizes in a spinel or turile grating used as host grating, and an aqueous dying solution containing a soluble compound of a bivalent or trivalent metal ion, which dyes the host grid, and a soluble compound of a pentavalent or hexavalent metal ion for electrostatic balancing. According to the invention, this is done by either incorporating the finely divided colorless oxide to the ceramic mass and applying the aqueous solution to the surface layer, or by mixing the aqueous dying solution with a sufficient amount of a soluble host-grating forming compound which forms the metal ions of the host grating and applying said mixture to the ceramic surface. Once the solvant has dried, the ceramic body is baked at a temperature of 300 to 1,400 DEG C during 0.5 to 5 hours.


The invention relates to a crystallographic form I of salt of a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor, and a preparation method and application thereof, in particular to a crystallographic form I of the dihydrochloride of the compound (R)-2-[[7-(3-amino piperidine-1-radical)-3,5-dimethyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-beta] pyridine-1-radical] methyl]benzonitrile, which is shown in formula (1) of a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor, a method for preparing the crystallographic form and application of the crystallographic form. The crystallographic form I of the dihydrochloride of the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor, which is shown in the formula (1), is characterized in that the Cu-Kalpha radiation is used, and the 2 theta angle (degree) which represents X-ray powder diffraction has characteristic peaks at 8.7+/-0.2 degree, 19.4+/-0.2 degree, 23.5+/-0.2 degree and 27.2+/-0.2 degree.


Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) providers typically offer multiple service classes to deal with the wide variety of users adopting this cloud computing model. In this scenario, IaaS providers need to perform efficient admission control and capacity planning in order to minimize infrastructure costs, while fulfilling the different Service Level Objectives (SLOs) defined for all service classes offered. However, most of the previous work on this field consider a single resource dimension – typically CPU – when making such management decisions. We show that this approach will either increase infrastructure costs due to over-provisioning, or violate SLOs due to lack of capacity for the resource dimensions being ignored. To fill this gap, we propose admission control and capacity planning methods that consider multiple service classes and multiple resource dimensions. Our results show that our admission control method can guarantee a high availability SLO fulfillment in scenarios where both CPU and memory can become the bottleneck resource. Moreover, we show that our capacity planning method can find the minimum capacity required for both CPU and memory to meet SLOs with good accuracy. We also analyze how the load variation on one resource dimension can affect another, highlighting the need to manage resources for multiple dimensions simultaneously.


The clinicalfeatures of nevus of Ota have been discussed in the articles of Ota (1), Tanino (2), and Yoshida (3) and will not be reviewed here. Material for study. l am deeply indebted to Dr. Tatsuji Kobori who provided the specimen of skin that made this study possible. The specimen consisted of a triangular piece of formalin fixed human skin measuring 2×11/2 inches. This had been removed from a nevus of Ota in the left supraorbital area of a Japanese male. It was divided into 21pieces which were sectioned routinely. Microscopic sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. silver nitrate and Bodian silver stains。 Observations. Ektidermal melanocytes. The epidermal melanocytes were actively producing melanin (dendrities and stratum corneum coBtained melanin granules) in all areas。 The activity of these cells fluctuated from area to area. The greatest melanin production was seen in sections from one edge of the specimen (presumably medial edge) which contained many vessels and nerves. Dermal melanoeytes. Pigment filledmelanocytes were seen in the upper third of the dermis in all areas. 0n the medial edge of the specimen where the epidermal melanocytes were very active the dermal melanocytes were large. well developed and tended to sheathe the superficial vessels (Fig. 1). In other areas the dermal melanocytes had only a few dendrites, were smaller and did not surround the superficial vessels. A few melanocytes were present in the the deeper dermis. These cells were never as large or as well developed as the more superficialcellsin the same area. The dermal melanocytes did not penetrate into the sebaceous glands. sweat glands. erector pilimuscles or the striated muscle. Some of the dermal melanocytes lay along lymphatics but did not invade the lumen. Perineural melanocytes. In several specimens (primarily from the medial edge) melanocytes were observed intimately associated with the perineurium and epineurium of cutaneous nerves (Fig. 2). There appeared to be no connection between these melanocytes and Schwann cells. Vascular melanocytes. In the same areas where perineural melanocytes were seen a few vessels contained pigmented melanocytes within the muscle layer. Most of these vessels were in the dermis but a few subcutaneous vessels were involved (Fig. 3)。


We report the first determination of lattice structure for classical (fatty acid and alcohol) monolayer systems on the surface of water, based on our observation of first- and second-order x-ray diffraction peaks. Monolayers of both heneicosanoic acid and heneicosanol in the highest-pressure phase pack into a distorted hexagonal lattice with orthorhombic cell dimensions of {ital a}{congruent}7.5 {ital A}, {ital b}{congruent}5.0 {ital A}. From the observed peak intensities, we have calculated the molecular tilt directions and magnitudes, using the assumption (reasonable given the dense packing) that the chains are parallel to each other and in the all-{ital trans} configuration. the temperature range 0--5 {degree}C, the molecules tilt towards the {ital b} axis, but at higher temperatures the tilt direction changes to the {ital a} axis.


Multilayer panels, as used in train floors, walls and roofs must be designed to fulfil many requirements, including acoustic and structural demands derived from global vehicle requirements. In order to maintain or increase the acoustic performance with reduced weight, porous materials are often used as a part of the panels. The acoustic and elastic properties of the open cell foam are determined by its micro geometry. Modelling the full actual geometry for the foam is still computationally too demanding, and therefore a representative unit cell on micro level can be used to describe the overall behavior in the long wavelength region, provided the micro-geometry can capture the most important characteristics of the foam. The flow resistivity is calculated from a micro geometry and compared to measured anisotropic results for melamine foam. Even though the model is very simple, it can predict the right order of magnitude of flow resistivity, and can also be adapted to anisotropic foams.


Armed conflict or war stipulated in International Humanitarian Law is the way that is used in conflict resolution. As a result of the armed conflict or war is material losses, damage to a regional area include damage to the environment, buildings, and even mengakibat human victims as perpetrators of war and civilians were injured, slightly injured, seriously injured, dying or critical even result in death. Of armed conflict that is there the International Committee of the Red Cross. International Committee of the Red Cross is a subject of international law which is an organization that is impartial, neutral and independent, whose mission is purely humanitarian, namely to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict or war and other violent situations, and give them the help . With normative juridical research methods, data collection, interviews, and document study qualitatively. The results of the study International Committee of the Red Cross and protections governed by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977. The causes of the violation of the protection of the International Committee of the Red Cross is due to the war criminals do cunning, ignorance of the parties, and Humanitarian Law is not always respected and violations of humanitarian law is not always followed. The role of the International Committee of the Red Cross as a neutral party that is carrying out its mandate under international humanitarian law. War is not a game, but the war has rules that governed the Humanitarian Law. Keywords: Armed Conflict, The ICRC Protection, Violation, Humanitarian Law.


The invention provides vectors encoding hybrid fusion proteins and vector sets encoding different hybrid fusion proteins useful, for instance, in protein complementation assays.


One kind of storage stable, sterile, pyrogen-free, anthracycline glycoside solution injectable. This solution is basically a physiologically acceptable by salts of an anthracycline glycoside dissolved in a physiologically acceptable vehicle composed, it is not reconstituted from a lyophilized formulation, which has been adjusted to pH 2.5 4.0.


relation to the difficulty of maintaining a halal diet in Hong Kong, and it offers an extremely vivid image of the variety of approaches that these Muslim youth take towards eating, depending mostly on their socioeconomic profile: Hong Kong Pakistani girls who live between the spaces of school and home will keep a strict halal, home-cooked, diet; those who have Chinese friends appear more relaxed and would eat 'non-halal' food insofar as it has no pork; Indonesian domestic workers might be forced to eat pork under the request of their employers. These differences are further illustrated in Chapter 9, as it narrates the lives of two young Muslim women – a Hong Kong-born Pakistani and a Chinese Hui. The end point of these reflections is that prejudice in Hong Kong is never based on religion, but rather on ethnicity and as connected to materialist considerations. Coupled with Muslim youths' consciousness that most Hong Kongers respect Islam, and the fact that they feel freer compared to their own peers in theWest or in their countries of origin – free to wear a headscarf or not, free to be out late in safety – enables these youth to dismiss racist remarks and overcome experiences of discrimination (Chapter 10). O'Connor's choice of ending the book with reflections on the use of space (from the mosque to a basketball court, the mall, and the internet) and gender may be tricky. As important as space is in Hong Kong, and as debated as the position of women in Islam is, these seem an odd fit as a conclusion to this narrative, but are interesting indicators of where his research might go. That said, Islam in Hong Kong is a much-needed contribution to the fields of Asian studies and religious studies as a window into the reality of Muslim diversity that has too often been overshadowed by Western experiences of Muslim minorities or attempts to unfold the puzzle of Islam in China. Hong Kong is a world in itself, and its religious life has been long neglected by scholars. This book makes the everyday experiences of Muslim residents in this city available for comparative purposes and it opens numerous opportunities for further research.


Improvements are described for apparatus used in the measurement of acoustic admittance in ear canals including circuit means for permitting the measurement of relatively small acoustic volumes with an accuracy of better than one percent.


The invention relates to the technical field of communications, in particular to a passive optical network (PON) communication method and system for use in the case of ONU (Optical Network Unit) mixed insertion, and aims to solve the problems of waste of PON board card resources and service interruption in the prior art. The method comprises the following steps that: during reporting of data messages, ONUs determine protocol formats of the data messages according to a load balance algorithm, and send packaged data messages to an OLT (Optical Line Terminal) at any wavelengths in wave bands which correspond to the protocol formats used during packaging after completion of the packaging; and during issuing of data messages, the OLT determines the protocol formats of the data messages according to the load balance algorithm, and broadcasts the packaged data messages to the ONUs according to any wavelengths in the wave bands which correspond to the protocol formats used during packaging after completion of the packaging. Through adoption of the communication method and system, under the situation of ONU fusion mixed insertion, the data message transmission efficiency can be increased better; service interruption and resource waste are avoided; and load balance of the dynamic OLT and ONUs is realized effectively. Thus, the bandwidth utilization ratio is increased.


In this paper, the detection/localization of a target based on radio-frequency (RF) and infra-red (IR) data sources problem is addressed. The target is assumed to radiate an RF signal to multiple widely distributed sensors in space and is imaged using multiple frames of an IR sensor. The goal is to integrate RF and IR data to reliably detect and localize the target. The generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) approach is employed to find the detector. In order to reduce the computation required by a straightforward GLRT, the random basis function (RBF) approach is used.


The Thesis is about the Communication Strategies used by English learners of Conversation 4 Class at Language Education Program, Petra Christian University. Descriptive qualitative was the research method used by the writer to conduct the research. The types of Communication Strategies used by the students, and reasons of using the strategies were analyzed based on the theory of Communication Strategies by William Littlewood. An observation was conducted upon the students in a classroom in the entire sentences produced by the students were recorded. The data of Communication Strategies were analyzed based on the typed and the characteristics of Communication Strategies. The result of this study concluded that the students generally adjusted their message in overcoming gap of linguistic repertoire in communication using foreign language, in this case is the English Language. The students? reason of using Communication Strategies was generally because they lacked of English vocabulary and hesitated of using the term they wanted to produce.


Radiologists who are looking for a new job may have to adjust their approach and develop a strategy in the tightening job market.


Oysters, one of the most popular shellfish, constitute an important food commodity in Australia. With the rapid growth of production, Australian oyster suppliers have realized the need for a better understanding of oyster consumption patterns to maximize economic returns. This study examines oyster consumer demographics and attitudes towards oysters, which in turn identify antecedent variables influencing consumer choice of oysters. Relevant antecedent variables such as quality, safety, labelling and preferred values were identified by factor analysis. A logistic regression analysis predicts consumer choice of oysters using those antecedent variables and the demographic factors. We recommend factors to be considered in the marketing of oysters.


Men kill women in bedrooms, usually by hand, or gun. Women kill men, less often, in kitchens, with knives. Don't be alarmed, there is understanding to be sucked from all such hard and bony facts, or at least a sense of symmetry. Drowned men—an instance—float face down, women up. But women, ignited, burn more fiercely. The death camp pyres were therefore, sensibly, women and children first, an oily kind of kindling. The men were stacked in rows on top. Yes, there is always logic in this world. And neatness. And the comfort of fact. Did I mention that suicides outnumber homicides? Recent figures are reliable. So stay awhile yet with me: the person to avoid, alone, is mostly you yourself.


Background: A 13-year-old boy was referred for MR imaging of the thoracolumbar spine to further differentiate a spindle shaped hyporeflective soft tissue mass in the back seen on ultrasonography (not shown) most characteristic for a lipoma. After a closer look at the medical history we learn that the boy is known since the age of 7 with a problem of paresis with atrophy of the left arm. An earlier MR examination of the thoracic outlet showed bilateral soft tissue masses interpreted as diffuse thickening of the plexus brachialis nerves, thus explaining the patient's complaints, without however a clear etiology being withheld. One year ago a new small mass was excised from the boy's lip. Anatomopathological analysis revealed an interesting diagnosis: submucosal neurofibroma. Now putting these at first apparently independent events in a greater context, we decided to also realize a MR examination of the brain.


This paper investigates stress-strain state of hull with longitudinal and transverse stiffeners under compression due to flexible lines (straps). Architecturally, two hull variants have been studied: rectangular with roundings at bilges and cylindrical.
The problem was solved as per well-known analytical expressions, whereas stress-strain parameters of "hullstrap" system, depending on strap stiffness and presence of "loose" contact with the strap and the plating, were updated in ANSYS and LS-DYNA software packages. The study yielded the following data: stress-strain parameters of plating taking into account longitudinal and transverse stiffeners; loading patterns for separate hull elements (plate, stiffener) depending on strap stiffness; and loading patterns for separate hull elements in case of "loose" contact with straps in the
areas of finite length.


A book on travel and exploration on the border of Russia and China in 1913 when China had just had its revolution and the Russian one was still to come, written by the soldier, linguist, spy, keen early photographer, plant collector, big game hunter and explorer Lt. Col. Charles Howard-Burry.


At the end of the eighteenth century, there was a profound transformation of English dissenting churches as they embraced evangelical theology and piety. The expansionist and activist signs of that evangelical renewal have been well catalogued: reinvigorated associational life, the promotion of international missions, voluntary societies for spiritual growth, widespread itinerancy and lay ministry, and initiatives in education. These new emphases and activities changed the shape of the church in important ways. Deryck Lovegrove has argued persuasively, for example, that the new emphasis on evangelistic itinerancy, entailed "the adaptation of the traditional pastorate" by enlarging the scope of preaching ministry and by allowing greater lay involvement. W.R. Ward has similarly noted that the evangelical transformation of the church was compelling a redefinition of pastoral ministry. The direction of the change that Lovegrove and Ward describe is outward: pastors and congregations engaging new hearers, rural villages, social reform, and even the nations. Andrew Fuller's (1754-1815) contributions to this evangelical transformation of the church were many: his participation in the Northamptonshire Particular Baptist Association's cooperative ventures in prayer, itinerancy, education, and social reform; his role in founding, and then as an administrator and advocate for, the Baptist Missionary Society; and especially his articulation of an evangelical and moderate Calvinism which was seen as enabling, even obligating, this more activist


ABSTRACT The climate crisis raises urgent questions. How do we understand human-caused ecological destruction? What will motivate human beings to care for our environmental home? While some believe that fear will spur us to act, anxiety can have the opposite effect. Even those who acknowledge the increasingly precarious situation may dissociate in the face of dire predictions or disavow personal responsibility, thus avoiding lifestyle changes. This paper argues that experiences of awe may serve as better motivators than threats of annhilation. Social psychologists describe awe as a "self-transcendent emotion:" an emotion that shifts one's focus away from self, binds us to others and promotes collaboration. Experiences of awe, research suggests, help us to feel less preoccupied with our individual needs and more receptive to "otherness," reorienting us towards the "greater good." I suggest that awe perturbs the neoliberal, individualistic mindset that characterizes the Anthropocene era by drawing humans into a closer relationship with the "other-than-human" world and encouraging an "ethic of care." Short personal and clinical vignettes that demonstrate awe's transformative potential are included.


Submitted for the 4CF12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Enhanced Spin Squeezing Through Quantum Control of Qudits LEIGH NORRIS, Center for Quantum Information and Control, University of New Mexico, COLLIN TRAIL, University of Calgary, IVAN DEUTSCH, Center for Quantum Information and Control, University of New Mexico, POUL JESSEN, Center for Quantum Information and Control, University of Arizona — Spin squeezed states have applications in metrology and quantum information processing. Most spin squeezing research to date has focused on ensembles of qubit spins. We explore squeezed state production in an ensemble of spin f>1/2 alkali atoms (qudits). Collective interactions are achieved through coherent quantum feedback of a laser probe, interacting with the ensemble through Faraday interaction. This process is enhanced with control of the atomic qudits, both before and after the collective interaction. Initial preparation increases the collective squeezing parameter through enhancement of resolvable quantum fluctuations, but comes at the price of increased decoherence. We find an optimal state preparation, achieving an increased squeezing parameter while remaining robust to decoherence. After the collective interaction, qudit control maps generated entanglement to different pseudo-spin subspaces where it is metrologically useful, e.g., the clock transition or the stretched state for magnetometry. These considerations highlight the unique capabilities of our platform: we can transfer correlations between subspaces to explore a wider variety of nonclassical states, with ultimate application in sensors or quantum information processors. Leigh Norris Center for Quantum Information and Control, University of New Mexico Date submitted: 28 Sep 2012 Electronic form version 1.4


The utilization of hydrogen as a fuel source through the microwave-initiated catalytic deep-dehydrogenation (MICDD) of Saudi Arabian light crude oil (LCO) using Fe metal supported on activated carbon has been proposed for this study to achieve the current target of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Should renewable technologies, for example, wind and solar, be not able to decarbonise the energy industry sufficiently in the near future, other approaches are needed to generate energy without the emission of massive amounts of aerial carbon (CO2). The composition of crude oil varies depending on its source; however, it is mainly composed of three families of hydrocarbons (paraffins, naphthenes, and aromatics). The aim of this work is to gain an understanding into the contribution of a single hydrocarbon model compound and combinations of these model compounds in proportions close to their real proportions in the LCO preparing a "synthetic crude oil". In this work, hexadecane, cyclohexane, and benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) were selected to closely represent paraffins, naphthenes, and aromatics respectively. It was found that this as a facile route to produce both high concentrations of hydrogen from hexadecane (~90 vol. selectivity) and significant amounts of carbon multiwalled nanotubes over 30 wt. % Fe/AC catalyst at 1000 W input power. The results highlighted the effect of the composition of crude oils on the efficiency of H2 production and showed that paraffinic feedstock was relatively better for producing H2 among other hydrocarbons, and the presence of cyclic hydrocarbons, particularly aromatics, may inhibit H2 production. Importantly, this process creates solid carbon as a by-product of the process instead of CO2 and therefore does not contribute to climate change. The approach also has the potential to synthesise other high-value hydrocarbons as by-products.


Background: Children Diabetic foot is one of the serious health problems for patients with diabetes. In order to reduce the risk of developing diabetic foot, patients are encouraged to follow specific self-care and preventive guideline to control the occurrence of diabetic foot. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the recommended self-care guideline on knowledge and practice of diabetic patient toward preventing development of diabetic foot. Method: Quasi experimental design was used to conduct this study in medical wards in El Salam Hospital. A purposeful sample technique was used according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, fifty diabetic patients were agreed to participate in the study. Data Collection Tools two tools were used in the current study as follow: first tool was patient's demographic data assessment tool; second tool was interview questionnaire for assessing knowledge and practice of diabetic patients about self-care and foot care. Results: revealed that, there is statistical significant difference in the patients' knowledge and practice toward self-care guideline and foot care before and after implementing self-care guideline and foot care. Conclusion : implementation of self-care guideline for diabetic patients had statistically significant effect on their knowledge and practice toward preventing development of diabetic foot. Recommendation: Finally, it is recommended to establish a system to increase the awareness of patients with a follow up policy on how to improve knowledge and practice to prevent development of diabetic foot.


Equal Education under Law is a succinct and pleasantly written Baedeker on the developments in law and federal policy on equal educational opportunity since the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. Professor Salomone, who has a law degree and a Ph.D., is concerned with the legal rights of disadvantaged children in elementary and secondary schools. Her perspective is one of unflinching commitment to equality (pp. 199-200) and to "progressive pragmatism" (p. 203), a perspective that causes her to be highly critical of the educational policies of President Reagan and his administration (pp. 168-92). Professor Salomone begins with a brief introduction on the rationale of compensatory education. She traces the evolution of a traditional concept of equality, based on negative directives forbidding discrimination by race, gender, or other morally and legally illegitimate criteria, to one of differential and affirmative entitlements based on educational disadvantage and need. In her view, the recent barrage of research reports (e.g., National Commission on Excellence in Education 1983), calling for dramatic improvements in public education, has masked an underlying hostility toward or at least a neglect of equity issues: "Excellence has now become the shibboleth of the 1980s" (p. 12). After a more or less unsatisfactory chapter on the philosophy undergirding educational equality, with the standard cameo appearances by Nozick, Walzer, and Rawls, she proceeds to the heart of her enterprise. In chapter 2, she artfully describes Brown and its progeny, the increasing involvement of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in school desegregation after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the great change in the law wrought by the Green, Swann, and Keyes Supreme Court decisions-that is, the shift from prohibiting


Infective endocarditis (IE) remains one of the deadliest cardiac diseases. Despite optimal antibiotic and surgical treatment, still one in three patients do not survive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) IE. In order to cause this disease, bacteria need to first overcome shear stress and adhere to cardiac valves. Secondly, they need be able to progress into a complex lesion. Previously, we have shown that S. aureus adheres to cardiac valves via platelets and von Willebrand factor. However, the process of progression from initial bacterial adhesion to a complex vegetation, particularly how bacteria bypass the immune system and thrive in the host environment, remains unclear.

 We aimed to determine the role of neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in IE progression using a novel mouse model.

 We intravenously injected mice with S. aureus and locally stimulated the endothelium with histamine, resulting in IE lesions that originate on inflamed heart valves. After three days we determined the development of IE on the aortic valves with Gram staining and echocardiography. We investigated the presence of NETs in 14 mice by immunostaining for citrullinated histone H3 (H3Cit), extracellular DNA, and myeloperoxidase. Of these 14 mice, 9 developed endocarditis. In a separate set of experiments, we investigated the role of neutrophils in IE development by injecting a neutrophil-depleting or control antibody 24h before surgery.

 Echocardiography revealed real IE lesions attached on inflamed aortic valves. Mice with endocarditis had significantly (P=0.005) more detectable H3Cit (9/9) than those without (1/5). More specifically, four mice had H3Cit+ neutrophils within thrombi, indicating early NETosis. Seven mice had an extracellular H3Cit staining pattern within the thrombus. These extracellular H3Cit-positive regions were associated with DNA and myeloperoxidase, indicating the presence of a network of NETs. When we depleted neutrophils, mice developed significantly more endocarditis (7/16 vs. 1/15, P=0.03).

 Endocarditis lesions contained NETs or neutrophils undergoing NETosis, and neutrophil depletion led to increased IE incidence. Further investigating these two players in IE could potentially provide new strategies to combat this deadly disease.

 FWO SB


Students learn to speak and act comfortably in a new culture by sharing cultural thoughts, notions, and experiences, and comparing these with the behaviors, customs, and everyday situations common to life in North America.


In this paper, we present a fully integrated 5.8GHz frequency synthesizer realized in 0.13µm CMOS technology. It incorporates a LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) which is capable of automatically adjusting its nominal center frequency to a desired frequency. A digital controlled band-switching topology employing Accumulation-Mode MOS varactors (AMOS) with virtual ground node was adopted to provide a wide-band frequency range to allow calibration for process and temperature variations (PTV). An optimal VCO gain (Kvco) method, allows Kvco to be small and be flat over a wide tuning range, results in good phase noise performance and loop linearity. To minimize the reference spurs and stabilize the loop bandwidth, a matched charge pump with a current correction technique for frequency synthesizer is proposed. The measured VCO tuning range is 400MHz from 5.70 GHz to 6.1GHz with a gain of 45MHz/V. The phase noise of the frequency synthesizer is −121dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset away from the 5.840GHz carrier. The synthesizer consumes 40mW dc power, and its reference spurs and settling time are −60dBm and 40µS respectively.


~ Cl o · 12 ...J .. ..!l! o IJl . 2 s.. .~ · 4 E e determinations ofdirectly collected solar wind noble gases by the GENESIS mission, which is currently in progress. The timing of solar particle implantation has to be inferred from detailed studies of the regolith histories . The primitive chondritic meteorites, which serve as reference materials for solar elemental and isotopic abundances, can not be used for noble gases since the relative elemental abundances are strongly depleted relative to those in the Sun (see Fig. 1), and their isotopic signatures are at variation with solar wind data . How were these gases incorporated into planetary materials? The largest planets incorporated and retained noble gases in nearly solar proportions in their atmospheres, as verified by spacecraft on Jupiter. The atmospheres of Venus, Earth and Mars, as well as primitive chondritic meteorites show depletion factors of about a million and more for the lighter noble gases (see Fig. 1). In the case of Mars major differences are found between atmospheric signatures and those of the solid planet for both elemental and isotopic abundances (e.g ., Bogard et al., 2001). While a solar-type xenon isotopic signature was observed for Xe in the interior of Mars (Mathew and Marti, 2001), this signature has not (or not yet?) been observed for solid Earth. On the other hand, the atmospheric xenon isotopic signatures of both planets were rather similarly fractionated (by -3.7% per mass unit relative to solar Xe) in favor of the heavy isotopes. The chondritic meteorites in tum show a rather uniform xenon component (OC-Xe) which can not be related to the solar signature by a mass-dependent fractionation mechanism (Lavielle and Marti, 1992). Heavy noble gases in


Introduction Active school transport, such as by walking or biking, increases physical activity levels, which has health and academic benefits for children. We examined school demographic and other characteristics to determine their association with the percentage of students who walk or bike to school. Methods We analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study. The response rate for the module containing questions about transportation was 70% (N = 577). Multivariate logistic regression models examined whether certain school characteristics were associated with a school having 26% or more of students who walk or bike to school in the morning on an average school day. Results In most (61.5%) schools, 10% or fewer students walked or biked to school in the morning on an average school day; in 22.7% of schools, 26% or more students did so. Although having crossing guards (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9–6.0), having bicycle racks (AOR = 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2–5.8), and providing promotional materials to students or families on walking or biking to school (AOR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.7–5.1) were associated with having 26% or more students who walk or bike to school, only 47.7% of schools had crossing guards, 62.4% had bicycle racks, and 33.3% provided promotional materials. Conclusion Several low-cost or no-cost strategies were associated with having 26% or more students who walked or biked to school, but these strategies are not commonly used in schools.


For some time now there has been in Keats criticism the sense that the odes have something to say to Keats's critics. The disguised irony of the spring 1819 odes does indeed plot a response that until now has escaped notice. Marjorie Levinson was the first to highlight a form of self-parody in Keats in relation to the reviewers: "a transformation of social and genetic nothingness to 'camelion poet' . . . instead of 'apothecary', there would be 'physician, sage, healer'; and the so-called purveyor of 'extenuatives and soporifics' would name himself a provider of balms, hemlock, and sweet solutions."1 What had previously been read as a form of indeterminate irony in Keats, generated by the experience of life's contradictions,2 is after Levinson "aggressively literary,"3 a highly self-conscious rendering not so much of the poet's experience of life generally, as of his social and literary position. More recently, Richard Marggraf Turley has written of Keats's use of a "directed puerility and jejune tastelessness" to challenge the reviews,4 while Jeffrey N. Cox has underscored the way that Keats's puns demonstrate his "Catullan and Cockney delight in toying with what others consider serious."5 Cox and Turley provide valuable readings of "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and "To Autumn" respectively, but neither considers the odes as a sequence in this respect, and Levinson makes only passing reference to them. Of course the odes


Computational cardiac current source imaging aim to mathematically reconstruct current source activities from noninvasive voltage data sensed on the body-surface. However, the progress in this field is hindered by the ill-posedness and the lack of a unique solution of the reconstruction problem. Common L2 and L1-norm regularization tend to produce a solution that is either too diffused or too scattered to reflect the complex spatial structure of current source distribution in the heart. In this work, we propose a general regularization with Lp-norm (1 <; p <; 2) constraint to bridge the gap and balance between an overly-smeared and overly-focal solution in cardiac source reconstruction. In a set of phantom experiments, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed Lp-norm method over its L1 and L2 counterparts in imaging cardiac current sources with increasing extents. Through computer-simulated as well as real-data experiments, we further demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method in imaging the complex structure of current sources activity along the infarct border. This ability to preserve the spatial structure of source distribution is important for revealing the potential disruption to the normal current flow in the heart.


Since the beginning of 2020, the world has been hitted by a new coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrom Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to a devastating pandemic affecting all generations. Among them, children and adolescents are known to be a at-risk population, more likely to be strongly affected and at length by measures put in place to fight SARS-CoV-2 pandemic worldwide just as national lockdowns. As suicide is estimated to be the world's second cause of death among children and adolescents, it is of interest to study the impact of government actions, especially lockdowns, on children and adolescents' mental health and suicidal behaviors. Some clarifications could be proposed, cre ated and used to cope with young population deteriorated mental health and to limit suicide extension.


With the gradual enrichment of performance management practice,it is quiet applicable and effective for universities to improve their administration efficiency by enforcing the construction of efficency(the core of performance management).Consequently,efficiency-construction will work as positive role in further deepening the information and innovation of administration in universities and even in propelling the development of the whole universities and university education.


A simple technique for measuring optical fibre dispersion (or pulse spectrum if fibre dispersion is known) is demonstrated. Ultra-short pulses are linearly dispersed in the fibre under test, thus mapping their spectrum to the time domain. The delay between two spikes in the dispersed pulse's temporal profile, corresponding to two spectral spikes, accurately gives the dispersion.


Aiming at overcoming the disadvantages of environmental pollution and difficulty in cleaning out of the pedestals fixed with epoxy mortar, this paper puts forward some measures for fixing pedestals of the 50-meter-long beams of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge with new material to substitute the epoxy mortar. It may act as a useful reference for the further study and development of similar pedestal-fixing methods.


The intracellular activity of motoneutons during ' fictive' respiration in the isolated lamprey brain was investigated. In association with each respiratory cycle three distinct PSP phases were observed: an early, low amplitude EPSP phase; a large, brief EPSP phase that drove action potentials; and a subsequent IPSP phase (Fig. 1). Selective midline and trigeminal lesions, and trigeminal stimulation, demonstrated that the large excitatory and inhibitory phases were generated by a previously described pair of central pattern generators located in the trigeminal region of the medulla(V) (Figs. 3, 4). Lesion studies further Showed that the low amplitude excitatory input could be produced independently of the trigeminal pacemakers (Figs. 3, 5), near the region of the medulla that contains the respiratory motoneurons (VII, IX, and X). In addition to 'normal ' fictive respiration, the isolated brain was found to produce several variations of the respiratory pattern. These motor programs, ' coughs', ' arousal breathing', and ' weak breathing', were distinguished from the normal respiratory pattern by their much longer burst durations, distinctive underlying synaptic input, and separate coordinating mechanism (Figs. 6-8). Activity similar to these motor programs could be independently produced by the caudal medulla after both trigeminal central pattern generators had been removed (Figs. 5, 6). Lesion studies, and the observation that respiratory-related neural activity ceased in the trigeminal region during the production of these long-duration programs, sug-


What is the importance of the concept of information measure in quantum mechanics? To answer, it is necessary to try to establish the importance of the concept of information, which is a general concept and perfectly applicable to any case. For example: What do they have in common codes used to send messages from a communications satellite and the bases of a DNA molecule? How does the second law of Thermodynamics and Communication, to the extent that is possible to speak of the entropy of a musical score? Why the intricate problems of probability is related to the way we express ourselves orally or in writing? The answer to all is information and the fact that one concept can link different ideas so reveals its great generality and power. Until the forties, had not been defined information as a scientific term, and this definition was quite new, different from all the common meanings, and precisely because they were described with sufficient accuracy for mathematicians and engineers in telecommunications, the concept became more and more fascinating to the scientific community. The word began to regain some of its meanings that had fallen into disuse. The idea of information as an active agent, i.e. something that informs the material world in a manner similar to the messages of the genes that instruct the cellular machinery to build an organism. This information emerged as a universal principle operating in the world that shapes, which specifies the special character of living forms, and even help determine, by means of special codes, forms of human thought. Thus, the information covers the disparate fields of computers, Communications Technologies, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, among others. The information became a scientific concept when it began the era of electronic communication. Scientists were largely what their nineteenth-century predecessors did with the concept of energy. They turned it in theory, gave laws, festooned as usual equations and stripped it of vagueness and mystery. In its pure form, the information theory was discovered by engineer Claude E. Shannon. His most notable achievements were in the transmission of color television, the design of radar systems for warning and recovery of intact messages coming from a communications satellite. Shannon, of Bell Telephone Laboratories, presented the world in two papers published in Bell System Technical Journal in July and October 1948. 10


The invention discloses an examination method for rationality of the variability of continuously reinforced concrete. The examination method can examine the tensile strength, elastic modulus and drying shrinkage strain linear expansion coefficient of the concrete and rationality of the variability of a friction resistance coefficient of a surface layer and a base layer and can control the number of dense cracks, so the method can control the number of thrusts and ensures that a continuously reinforced concrete pavement has no serious thrust damage in the designed life, thereby ensuring the service life and driving comfortableness of the pavement. After the method examines the tensile strength, elastic modulus and drying shrinkage strain linear expansion coefficient of the concrete and rationality of the variability of the friction resistance coefficient of the surface layer and the base layer, designing of the material composition of concrete can be optimized according to requirements of variability, so the service life of the pavement can be improved in the aspect of materials. The examination method is simple in thinking and is short in examination time and convenient to use after programmed into a computer program.


Exposition of the poem Pipaxing from the angle of sociology leads to the theme of indictment, while from the angle of literature we can see that the deep sorrow of girl loquat player, in deep level, is because of the human permanent contradiction between matter and spirit as well as reality and romantics. And this is the artistic charm in depicting the image of the girl loquat player in Pipaxing.


ABSTRACT The designing of acoustic material with high efficiency absorption is cutting edge research for acoustician as well as architectures' in the acoustic industries attracts the material scientist due to its numerous significant characteristic properties. Nondestructive technique such as ultrasonic processing is employed for surface modification of corn husk which changes the interfacial as well as skeletal arrangement in interlocking of fibers with polymer chain. Tensile strength of single corn husk fiber before and after surface treatment was observed to be increasing from 332.57 MPa to 345.16 MPa, which confirms the strong fibrillation due to surface treatment. Further the hardness of the fabricated corn husk composite was found to be 23HV as observed in three different places. Thermal conductivity of the samples increases with temperature supporting the validation of the sample for acoustic application. The high sound absorption performance of the composite classified the material as Class-A type with 0.94 absorption coefficient supported by the different characterization and surface analysis of the composite.


Based on the predecessors' calculation to the gap for the pension insurance fund in future period of China, the article analyses the financial bearing ability of gap of pension insurance fund and puts forth the feasible suggestions to solve the problem, it thinks that the gap of pension insurance fund can be made up by enlarging financial income and adjust structure fragment departure.


This presented study is part of the research project: "Productivity Investigation of the System Borehole Heat Exchanger (BHE) with Heat Pump", financed by the Projekt und Studienfond der Elektizitätswirtschaft (PSEL) and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (BFE). It was jointly performed at the Institute of Geophysics and at the "Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich" (EKZ) (by order of the "NordOstschweizerische Kraftwerke" NOK). The study aimed at the understanding of the scientific basis and the performance improvement of shallow low-enthalpy systems such as geothermal heat pumps. This includes a variety of subjects: The 3D Finite Element modeling software FRACTure is used to simulate the hydraulic and thermal processes related to the operation of borehole heat exchanger (BHE). The suitability of FRACTure to simulate a BHE is demonstrated by performing various sensitivity studies. This is emphasized furthermore by a simulative comparison with the semi-analytical software EED and by validation with measured data. The modeling parameters which largely determine the dimensioning of a BHE system are the ground surface temperature (GST) and the thermal conductivity of the subsurface. Methods to estimate these two factors are presented and discussed. A regional GST analysis of Switzerland was performed considering both climatic and geothermal data. The altitude dependence of GST and the relationship between GST and surface air temperature was investigated carefully. By further processing, a GST map for Switzerland was generated. The results are important for evaluating geothermal resources and determines regional GST distribution under different climatic conditions typical in central Europe. Thermal response tests became popular to measure the in-situ thermal conductivity. The breadth of their ideal application is investigated by FRACTure simulations. The applied procedure provides information about the necessary test duration, and the effects of heterogeneous subsurface conditions, groundwater movement, and of variable data quality. The results indicate that most thermal response tests underestimate the thermal conductivity; the difference can amount to over -10 %. A comparative analytical and numerical evaluation of an actual thermal response test


This paper examines the primary forex statistics for the euro in relation to the German mark prior to 1999. Contrary to widespread expectations, our evidence indicates that the euro lost ground against the US dollar in forex spot trading and in some dimensions does not even match the international transaction role of the German mark. We argue that the euro changed the forex market structure and particularly increased market transparency through currency elimination. The higher market transparency exposes the dealers to higher inventory risk as his inventory imbalances are revealed more easily to other dealers. Dealers in the euro markets recover increased inventory costs through higher spreads that make the euro a less attractive transaction medium than the German mark. We explore the policy implications for the ECB, for euro outsiders and reflect upon the future of the forex market.


Hypocotyl-derived callus cultures of Brassica campestris L. ssp. pekinensis cv. Kim-jung (Chinese cabbage) were grown on Murashige and Skoog medium containing no additional salt, NaCl or Na2SO4. Na2SO4 was more than twice as inhibitory in comparison to the same concentration of NaCl when growth and fresh:dry weight ratios of established callus were measured. Levels of protein, starch, sucrose and α-amino nitrogen were not significantly altered in salt-grown callus. Concentrations of reducing sugars and chlorophyll were 2–3 times greater in callus grown on either salt. Proline concentration increased 15–20 fold on the highest levels of salt. Final concentrations (reached in 20–24 days) were closely correlated to the initial Na+ concentration of the medium, regardless of salt type. The osmotic potential in callus transferred to NaCl or Na2SO4 reached a maximum negative value after 16 days. For both salts, subsequent increases were correlated to increases in fresh:dry weight and growth. On both salts, turgor remained relatively constant (0. 6–0.75 MPa). Changes in Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ content were correlated to initial Na+ concentration in the medium, not salt type. Accumulation of Na+ was accompanied by loss of K+ and Mg2+. Six to seven times less sulfate was measured in callus grown on Na2SO4 than chloride in callus grown on similar concentrations of NaCl.


This article using a gas chromatograph equipped NPD detector to be measured on the N-nitroso-dimethylamine,a more stable and accurate data can be obtained,and the concentration in the range of 10 μg/ mL-100 μg/mL good linearity(R2=0.991 9),the averagerecovery rate of 79.68 %,RSD=3.67 %. The detection limit was 0.1 μg/mL. The reaction of the formation of dimethylnitrosamine was stimulated in vitro condition.Study on the inhibition effect of wolfberry polysaccharide,proanthocyanidins and aniseed oil on formation of Nnitrosodimethylamine(NDMA), and compared with the inhibitory effect of ascorbic acid. Used of gas chromatography equipped with nitrogen and phosphorus detector determined the content of NDMA before and after the suppression reaction.The results showed that wolfberry polysaccharide,proanthocyanidins,aniseed oil have a certain inhibitory effect on the formation of NDMA;Wolfberry polysaccharide in the amount of 0.05 %when the maximum inhibition rate of 65.78 %,it activity was similar to the ascorbic acid.Inhibitory effect of lower amount of procyanidins was not obvious,adding 0.1 % proanthocyanidins,maximum inhibition rate of 30.24 %was got. When the quantity of extracts of spices increases,the inhibitory effect of aniseed intensified. When the amount increased to 10 %,the inhibition rate to the formation of NDMA can reach 98 %.


This paper aimed to analyze seasonal time series data on monthly water production in the Gaza Strip during the period between 2006 and 2012 using the Box-Jenkins methodology. A model was proposed that could forecast future monthly water production in the Gaza Strip, one of the mostly densely populated areas with one of the highest natural growth rates in the world and very limited water resources. The increasing demand for domestic water consumption requires Palestinian officials and international donors to take suitable measures to conserve or allocate water supplies. A model was found that best represented the time series data according to different criteria; the Box-Ljung test identified a


Human C8 is one of five complement components (C5b, C6, C7, C8, and C9) that interact to form the cytolytic membrane attack complex (MAC). It is an oligomeric protein composed of a disulfide-linked C8α-γ heterodimer and a noncovalently associated C8β chain. C8α and C8β are homologous; both contain an N-terminal thrombospondin type 1 (TSP1) module, a low-density lipoprotein receptor class A (LDLRA) module, an extended central segment referred to as the membrane attack/perforin (MACPF) domain, an epidermal growth factor (EGF) module, and a second TSP1 module at the C-terminus. In this study, the segment of C8β that confers binding specificity toward C8α-γ was identified using recombinant C8β constructs in which the N- and/or C-terminal modules were deleted or exchanged with those from C8α. Constructs were tested for their ability to bind C8α-γ in solution and express C8 hemolytic activity. Binding to C8α-γ was found to be dependent on the TSP1 + LDLRA + MACPF segment of C8β. Within this segment, the TSP1 mo...


Abstract Whether polymer cords embedded in rubber under compression have a reinforcing function is still an important question in the analysis of tire structures. In this paper, on the basis of exp...


Long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) are energy-rich compounds, which are abundantly present in raw and waste materials. Thus, wastewaters that contain LCFA may yield high levels of methane in an anaerobic digestion process. Biogas formation from LCFAcontaining wastewater is a sustainable technology that warrants further investigation, specifically in terms of more fundamental microbiological aspects. The aim of this work is to get more insights into the syntrophic microbial communities that degrade LCFA anaerobically. Bacterial shifts of a mesophilic sludge incubated in the presence of palmitic, stearic or oleic acid was estimated by means of automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). Slightly differences were observed between the communities incubated with saturated LCFA (palmitic and stearic acids) and the ones of the blank assay. On the other hand, evident changes were found between ARISA profiles of the communities that were incubated with oleic acid and the ones obtained for the blank assay. These results suggest that the microbial communities that degrade saturated fatty acids are very close to each other and different from the ones that degrade unsaturated fatty acids.


A key feature of SCOOT is its traffic model which predicts the main elements of traffic performance -such as flow, delay stops and congestion -from information received every second from detectors on each link in the network. In addition to its use for network control, this up-to-the-minute information is available for any other purpose and can be obtained via standard SCOOT messages at a variety of levels of detail. One of the many potential uses for the data is in traffic responsive route guidance systems such as autoguide, which is likely to be in operation in London in the early 1990s. The following sections describe the characteristics and accuracy of the data available from SCOOT which could be useful for route guidance and discusses possible ways in which the data may be used for this purpose. (Author/TRRL)


With the rise of Deep Learning, speech Recognition has shown great results in recent years. As people who use video conferencing software on daily basis, we aim to demonstrate the viability of generating meeting transcripts using speech recognition combined with a preprocessing step of identifying unique speakers in the meeting. If successful, participants in the meeting can focus on engaging fully in the conversation without spending effort on note taking.


The orbit of the second Russian sputnik was almost circular with altitude extremes of 307 and 339 km. The count rate obtained from a scintillation counter (NaI (Tl) crystall on board the sputnik showed an increase from 4 to 11 disinteg/cm/sup 2/-sec on going from the equator to latitudes of plus or minus 40 to 50 deg due to the variation in cosmic ray count with latitude. Then, a sharp increase in count rate of 20-600 disinteg/cm/sup 2/-sec was observed at geometrical latitudes 50 to 65 deg . Conjugate points were determined, where a zone of increased activity in Siberia was related with a region in the South Indian Ocean, and a zone in North America was related with a zone in the South Pacific Ocean. Thus, zones of increased radiation in the Northern Hemisphere were related to corresponding zones in the Southern Hemisphere by means of the force lines of the geomagnetic field which determines the external radiation belt. The limit of the radiation belt at small latitudes corresponds with the isocline delta = 70 deg in the Northern Hemisphere and with delta = 66 deg in the Southern Hemisphere. The radiation was found to be due to gammamore » rays having an energy of 100 to 300 kev which originated from the slow-down of electrons hitting the shell of the sputnik. It was estimated that the upper limit of the lifetime of the electrons in the belt was 10/sup 6/to 10/ sup 8/ seconds. Hence it is more likely that the electrons are captured by local acceleration of electrons within the limits of the geomagnetic field than in accordance with a neutron hypothesis (TTT)« less


Freedom of information (FoI) legislation has been represented as a valuable but underused means of generating otherwise unavailable data from public authorities in health and social care research. This article complements extant literature on the use of FoI requests for research intended to inform health and social care policy and improve the quality of practice. Reflections are provided on challenges and ethical considerations, drawing on relevant literature and the authors' experience undertaking studies addressing different topics in mental health and child welfare using FoI requests as the primary source of data collection. The recommendations are practically orientated and aimed primarily at social work and health and social care researchers who may have limited knowledge of how FoI requests might be utilised in their work but be curious about this method's application.


This paper presents the Secondary Voltage Regulation system (SVR) for the IEEE 39 bus New-England test system, taking into account different control area partitioning methods reported on the literature. PID controllers are used for this purpose. Furthermore, a comparison of the controllers performance for each partitioning method is carried out using the total integral absolute error accumulated for all nodes with respect to a reference voltage. This comparison showed that the k-way graph method has in general a better performance, however, when changes in the system topology are presented, the learning algorithms offer a better voltage control response.