As a high-stakes standardized test, IELTS is expected to have comparable forms of test papers so that test takers from different test administration on different dates receive comparable test scores. Therefore, this study examined the text difficulty and task characteristics of four parallel academic IELTS reading tests to reveal to what extent the four tests were comparable in terms of text difficulty, construct coverage, response format, item scope, and task scope. The Coh-Metrix-TEA software was used for the text difficulty analyses and expert judgments were used for task characteristics analyses. The results show that the four reading tests were partly comparable in text difficulty, comparable in terms of construct coverage and item scope, but not comparable in terms of response format and task scope. Based on the findings, implications were discussed on test development and future research.


Agricultural workers suffer from various physical problems and mental stress, including depression and insomnia. Various factors affect brain stress, including harsh agricultural working conditions. Further brain stress may also be due to changes in working conditions such as temperature, noise, and vibration. This study aimed to determine the brain stress in response to ambient temperature changes under agricultural work using agricultural machinery. The electroencephalograms (EEGs) of 17 agricultural workers who work using various agricultural machines was measured and analyzed. The EEG was measured for 3 min at the inactive and active state of agricultural work, respectively, at 24 °C, 28 °C, and 32 °C. The EEG was analyzed using the stress indices such as spectral edge frequency 95% (SEF95%), relative gamma power (RGP), and EEG-based working index (EWI). The EEG analysis indicated that brain stress was generated when the subjects performed the agricultural work after an inactive state. Additionally, as the temperature increased to ≥24 °C, the brain regions where SEF95%, RGP, and EWI exhibited an increase were identified. The findings of this study can be used as basic data in determining the working stress in agricultural workers during work as the ambient temperature changes from 24 °C to 32 °C.


Generally, the redox activity of polyaniline (PANI) can only be retained in acidic media at pH<4, because the occurrence of deprotonation of the nitrogen atoms in the PANI backbone at high pH values may result in the loss of conduc- tivity and electroactivity in neutral or alkaline solutions. This high acidity requirement greatly limits its potential applications like biosensor, marine antifouling and anticorrosion, where neutral or alkaline environments must be faced. Much effort has been exerted in the development of approaches to overcome this issue. In summary, two principal strategies have been pro- posed to shift the electroactivity of PANI to a high pH environment. One is based on a mechanism of protonic acid doping, the other is based on a charge transfer process. The former is to introduce acidic groups into the PANI chains or PANI sys- tems to hinder the deprotonation of its conducting form and thus to preserve its electroactivity at higher pH values. The main approaches to introduction of acidic groups include the sulfonation of the emeraldine base of PANI, the homopolymerization of aniline derivatives with acidic ionogenic groups or the copolymerization of aniline and aniline derivatives, and the forma- tion of PANI complexes by doping with macromolecular acids. The latter is to use a hybrid film fabricated by incorporating conductive nanomaterials into a PANI matrix, which can improve the charge transfer rate across the PANI matrix and facili- tate its redox processes. The development of PANI nanocomposites prepared by doping with carbon nanotubes, graphenes and Au nanoparticles, etc., falls into this category. This review article provides an overview of various approaches to preserve the electroactivity of PANI in high pH solutions on the basis of the two main strategies. Special emphasis is placed on the synthetic methods and electrochemical features for the self-doped, polymer acid-doped and CNT-doped PANIs, including their underlying mechanisms for achieving good electroactivity. The main challenges and future research directions in this field are also discussed. Keywords polyaniline; electroactivity; high pH values; protonic acid doping; charge transfer


The three-dimensional finite-element method is used to evaluate the electromagnetic and electrical parameters of a TE/sub 01 delta / cylindrical dielectric resonator (DR) housed in a parallelepiped metallic enclosure. The case of free oscillation is investigated. Numerical results concerning resonant frequencies, field vectors, and coefficients of coupling between two adjacent DRs are presented.<<ETX>>


Part 1 of this article* defined the process of and rationale for problem-based learning (problem-focused education). Part 2 describes the new BSc(Hons) programme in occupational therapy at the West London Institute, which is designed around a series of true-life problems encountered by people who have been referred for occupational therapy. It was developed following experience of problem-focused education in the diploma course. Problems are presented to students in a special sequence, within units of study, graded to promote understanding and critical evaluation of the process of occupational therapy. There is an accent on fieldwork reasoning, and on the accumulation of usable knowledge required for each case. The capacity for self-direction for lifelong learning is promoted. The curriculum is intended to be motivating, exciting, relevant and challenging for students and staff. Evaluations of the diploma course have been positive, and the outcomes of this new degree are being monitored to ensure standards and to ascertain more clearly the educational value of fieldwork problems.


Economic growth is crucial for all the business stakeholders (political parties, policymakers, industrialists and entrepreneurs and the public in general). All stakeholders invest their efforts on crafting impactful ways to achieve higher and sustainable economic growth. Starting from the theory of economic growth (Solow, 1956), many important avenues such as financial development (Levine, 1997), stock market and corporate finance (Demirgüç-Kunt, & Levine, 1996; Levine & Zervos, 1998), entrepreneurship (Wennekers & Thurik, 1999) and the list of these focuses goes on. We cannot deny the fact that economic growth and the environment have a close relationship (Grossman & Krueger, 1995). There are a number of shifts that took place in the societies across the globe such as urbanization, deforestation and environmental degradation. Economic growth today is not less than a puzzle where, on the one side, we are dealing with both macroeconomic and microeconomic issues and, on the other side, several statistical and mathematical tools are dominating the domain. The big question of growth and divergence calls scholars to simply over scientific research in a way that stakeholders can understand and implement effectively. Technological change, social change, international trade, political dynamics and religious debates are a part of every economy in an almost daily basis. In this dynamic environment, growth theories that include models on human capital, political scenarios and social change are important to be integrated. Fundamental causes of economic wealth and growth are needed to be brought into the business and economics research. Scholars are investing efforts in combining growing concerns about the range of environmental, social and human issues with economic growth and sustainability. Volume 11.2 of FIIB Business Review is an effort to open meaningful debates that help in combining various issues that provoke different problems and responses. The contribution included in this volume covers the important areas for an economy: the way forward for non-performing assets (NPA); challenges faced in the sustainable business models and practices; future research avenues on balanced scorecards (BSCs); corporate social responsibility (CSR) and deficit financing for economic growth; socially responsible investment; microcredit; the road of recovery post-lockdown; and financing social enterprises (SEs). A description of the contributions included is given in subsequent sections.


and Sectarian Writings from Qumran (JSPSup, 11; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1992), pp. 386. Cloth, £40.00 (30.00)/$70.00 (52.50). ISBN 1-85075-332-6 This book is primarily a descriptive catalogue of all the references to angels in the Enoch literature represented amongst the Dead Sea scrolls (i.e., not 1 Enoch 37-71) and in the so-called 'sectarian' works published up to 1988 from Qumran itself (a chapter each on 1QS, CD, 1QH, 1QM, and the Sabbath Songs, together with a further chapter on 11 QMelch, 4Q'Amram, 4Q280, 4Q286, 4Q287, 4Q180, 4Q181, the New Jerusalem texts, 1QSa, 1QSb, 4QFlor, 4QCata, 4Q51O, 4Q511). Davidson makes separate points about each of the sections of Enoch. The Book of Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36) is thoroughly composite, with some parts suggesting a place for human responsibility for sin whilst others point accusingly at the watchers. Good angels have a role in intercession and in providing reliable and authoritative messages in contrast with the illegitimate revelation given by the fallen angels. In Enoch's journeys angels are the interpreters of what Enoch sees; God himself remains out of sight. In the Astronomical Book Uriel is the teacher of the true


The practices of political sovereignty, such as nation building, and the achievement of a stable economy through practices of economic sovereignty are intimately intertwined— and the role of small-business diversity in creating this economic stability can be indispensable. Consequently, these relationships and the situational interdependence of government-owned corporations (e.g., gaming) and privately owned small businesses, especially in the case of the EBCI, are vital to supporting the practices of both political and economic sovereignty, especially when countering the effects of the US governments' economic hegemony.
Drawing on the economic anthropology literature helps to complicate notions of "per caps" (dividends) operating as universal basic income and guaranteed annual income on the national level while also expanding notions of entrepreneurial impacts, such as in the realm of cultural reclamation.


Adams, R., et al., Dry Lands: Man and Plants, 78 Advances in Human Genetics, ed. by H. Harris and K. Hirschhorn, Vol. 9, 179 Advances in the Biochemistry and Physiology of Plant Lipids, ed. by L.-A. Appelqvist and C. Liljenberg, 187 African Dam: Ecological Survey of the Kamburu/Gtaru Hydro-Electric Dam Area, Kenya, ed. by R. S. Odingo, 91 Aging in Nonhuman Primates, ed. by D. M. Bowden, 312 Aging of the Central Nervous Systems, by V. V. Frolkis and V. V. Bezrukov, 460 Agriculture in Semi-Arid Environments, ed. by A. E. Hall et al., 313 Agrometeorology, by J. Seemann et al., 319 Ahmadjian, V., Flowering Plants of Massachusetts, 81 Akins, F. R., et al., Behavioral Development of Nonhuman Primates: An Abstracted Bibliography, 206 Alcock, J., Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach, 2nd ed., 94 Alexander, R. McN. The Invertebrates, 189 Algae of Southern Victorialand, Antarctica: A Taxonomic Study, by K. G. Seaburg et al., 186 Algal Assays and Monitoring Eutrophication, ed. by P. Marvan et al., 297 Ali, M. A. (ed.), Sensory Ecology: Review and Perspectives, 200 Aloe Vera, by C. M. Kent, 217 Amazing Earthworm, by L. Hess, 171 Amino Acids as Chemical Transmitters, ed. by F. Fonnum, 99 Ammonia, ed. by National Research Council, 301 Amos, D. B., et al. (eds.), Immune Mechanisms and Disease, 317 Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia, by B. S. Martof et al., 448 Analyse und Bewertung von Pflanzengesellschaften im nordlichen Frankenjura, by H.-J. Schuster, 454 Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environmental samples, ed. by M. Castegnaro et al., 455 Andreoli, T. E., et al. (eds.), Membrane Physiology, student ed., 430 Andrews, E. J., et al. (eds.), Spontaneous Animal Models of Human Disease, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, 315 Andrews, F. M. (ed.), Scientific Productivity, 424 Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach, by J. Alcock, 2nd ed., 94 Animal Learning: Survey and Analysis, by M. E. Bitterman et al., 94 Annual Review of Neuroscience, ed. by W. M. Cowan et al., Vol. 2, 97 Anochin, P. K., Beitrage zur allgemeinen Theorie des funktionellen Systems, 207 Antimetabolites in Biochemistry, Biology and Medicine, ed. by J. Skoda and P. Langen, 65 Aphid Parasites (Hymenoptera, Aphidiidae) of the Central Asian Area, by P. Stary, 192 Appelqvist, L.-A., and C. Liljenberg (eds.), Advances in the Biochemistry and Physiology of Plant Lipids, 187 Applied Biology, ed. by T. H. Coaker, Vol. 4, 111 Approches moleculaires de l'evolution, by J. Ninio, 177 Aquarium Plants, by N. Jacobsen, 79 Arai, M. N., and A. Brinckmann-Voss, Hydromedusae of British Columbia and Puget Sound, 445 Arber, W., et al. (eds.), Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, Vol. 87, 438 Archosauria, by J. C. McLoughlin, 61 Arid-Land Ecosystems: Structure, Functioning and Management, ed. by D. W. Goodall and R. A. Perry, Vol. 1, 203 Armington, J. C., et al. (eds.), Visual Psychophysics and Physiology, 96 Arthropod Phylogeny, ed. by A. P. Gupta, 86


1. Health, care, resources 2. Allocational bases of health care 3. Health and Illness in Britain 4. Health and Deprivation 5. Resource Allocation policies: integrating principles and substantive outcomes 6. The Geography of Welfare. Bibliography. Index.


Kata Kunci: Jejaring Bisnis, Pelanggan, Kualitas, Service Quality. In the construction industry, the relationship between customers and contractors is a complex and multilevel relationship between the parties together and collaborating in a network. Customers in the construction industry are an integral part of a business network that is built and developed so that construction companies grow and develop. One of the companies engaged in the construction and property industry in Indonesia is PT PP Properti. Understanding related to the dimensions of service quality in construction companies, especially at PT PP Properti, needs to be improved so that the actions of the entire organization are able to provide the best service to its customers, both internal and external customers. In the literature review that has been carried out, service quality in the construction discipline has been researched by many experts. Service Quality is a tool that can be used in the process of getting a network business, creating and maintaining partnerships. In an effort to strengthen the PP Properti business network, the dimensions of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and tangibles are important in Penguatan Jejaring Bisnis melalui Kualitas Layanan di PP Properti


The Variscan section exposed across north Sardinia consists of migmatitic complexes intruded by the huge Corsica-Sardinia Batholith (CSB). This latter represents one of the largest magmatic provinces assembled in Late Variscan times, between about 340 and 280 Ma. The composition of most plutons ranges from monzogranitic to granodioritic, with subordinate gabbro-dioritic terms and leucocratic, muscovite ±cordierite ± garnet-bearing, peraluminous granites. The compositional homogeneity of plutons often makes geological mapping a difficult task, unless large geochemical, geochronological and isotopic datasets areavailable. In this work we present a new structural map of northern Sardinia. The results are based on detailed field-structural survey, U-Pb zircon dating and extensive, in situ, geochemical characterization with aportable gamma ray spectrometer.


East Los Angeles is widely considered as the heart of Southern California's strong and vibrant Mexican American community – yet, it is also an unincorporated area whose only general purpose government is provided by Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the nation. Through the lens of East Los Angeles' quest for cityhood, this paper explores and critiques the limited governance options that exist for low-income unincorporated communities. Introduction East Los Angeles (East L.A.) is widely heralded as the social, cultural, and political heart of Southern California's large and vibrant Mexican American community. It is the geographic epicenter of the "Eastside," comprised of East L.A. and its surrounding communities of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Highland Park, Commerce, and Montebello, which together have the largest concentration of people of Mexican descent outside of Mexico City. Since 1930, the Eastside has been home to the largest Mexican American community in the United States. According to 2005-2007 Census statistics, there were over 124,000 residents in East L.A., with over 97% reporting their ethnicity as Hispanic. Part of East L.A.'s significance lies in the generations of Mexican American political leaders it has nurtured, including the late Edward Roybal, who entered Congress in 1963 as the 1 "East Los Angeles is to Mexican-Americans what Harlem is to African-Americans: ethnic symbol, social center, and cultural capital." Daniel Wood, East L.A., Latino Heartland, Revives its Dream of Cityhood, Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 9, 2008. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1210/p01s01-usgn.html. 2 David R. Diaz, Barrio Urbanism 235 (Taylor and Francis Group) (2005). 3 Ricardo Romo, East Los Angeles: A History of a Barrio 3 (University of Texas Press) (1983). 4 U.S. Census Bureau, 2005-2007 American Community Survey, East Los Angeles CDP, California.


Publisher details for Saving the Antarctic Wilderness: by Geoff Mosley. Envirobook, 2009. 128 pages, paperback. RRP $19.95. Available from Envirobook, or post-free from the author: email firstname.lastname@example.com, write c/o 90 Boyds Rd, Hurstbridge, Vic. 3099, or phone 9718 2998.


This paper provides a method for studying the penny-shaped cracks configuration in functionally graded material (FGM) structures subjected to dynamic or steady loading. It is assumed that the FGMs are transversely isotropic and all the material properties only depend on the axial coordinate 2. In the analysis, the elastic region is treated as a number of layers. The material properties are taken to be constants for each layer. By utilizing the Laplace transform and Hankel transform technique, the general solutions for the layers are derived. The dual integral equations are then obtained by introducing the mechanical boundary and layer interface conditions via the flexibility/stiffness matrix approach. The stress intensity factors are computed by solving dual integral equations numerically in Laplace transform domain. The solution in time domain is obtained by utilizing numerical Laplace inverse. The main advantage of the present model is its ability for treating multiple crack configurations in FGMs with arbitrarily distributed and continuously varied material properties by dividing the FGMs into a number of layers with the properties of each layer slightly different from one another.


This study examined emotional responding (sympathy and distress) and prosocial behavior as well as their relations across four cultures in a specific context. Preschool children ( N = 212) from two Western cultures, Germany and Israel, and two South-East Asian cultures, Indonesia and Malaysia, participated in this study. Children's emotional reactions and prosocial behavior were observed when interacting with an adult in a quasi-experimental situation. Results showed that children from the two South-East Asian cultures, as compared to children from the two Western cultures, displayed more self-focused distress and less prosocial behavior. Across cultures, a positive relation between sympathy and prosocial behavior and a negative relation between self-focused distress and prosocial behavior were found. The strengths of these relations were moderated by culture. These results are discussed with regard to their cultural meaning in the specific experimental situation as well as to general culture-specific characteristics.


Abstract To observe fog, a 35-GHz scanning Doppler radar was designed, assembled, and tested. The radar, mounted on a flatbed vehicle for portability, transmits peak powers of 100 kW in a pulse of 0.5-µs width and a beamwidth of 0.3°. Thus, a reflectivity factor Z of −20 dBZ at a range of 10 km generates a signal-to-noise ratio of 0 dB. Doppler velocity measurements are made by sampling the radio frequency phase within each pulse transmitted by a magnetron oscillator and referencing the phases of the received echoes to the transmitted phase. A Nyquist velocity of approximately 9.7 m s–1 is obtained in real time using the spaced pulse-pair method, and aliases of radial velocities are corrected using software. The three-dimensional structure of sea fog and its advection are depicted with the radar.


Against the backdrop of COVID-19 outbreak, the people-centred, mutual-assistance cultural commonality, the resilience of economic and trade relations, and the determination to adhere to multilateralism held by people in China and ASEAN countries are valuable assets for the future development of bilateral relations. While a normalised mechanism for the prevention of pandemics is being established, ASEAN-China relations urgently need to be optimised, particularly in terms of combing through what is important under such a new circumstance.


The DNA polymorphism of thirty-five hawthorn accessions(Crataegus pinnatifida Bge.)were analyzed using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD)and inter-simple sequence repeat(ISSR)markers in the present study.Twelve RAPD primers generated a total of 110 clear and reproducible bands,of which 89 were polymorphic,with an average of 7.4 polymorphic fragments per primer.Thirteen ISSR primers generated a total of 110 clear and reproducible bands,of which 94 were polymorphic,with an average of 7.2 polymorphic fragments per primer.The dendrogram based on RAPD and ISSR data were constructed separately by using UPGMA analysis.The distance coefficient of the analyzed materials ranged from 0 to 0.62 and 0 to 0.64 for RAPD and ISSR markers,respectively.The results indicated that the C.pinnatifida species had high level of genetic diversity.


A method of sample size calculation for deciding whether the difference of the expectations of two normal random samples is positive or negative is introduced. Prior information is used in the form of a set of plausible prior distributions and plausible loss functions for the two kinds of incorrect decisions. The sample size is set so that the prior-related probability of concluding the analysis with an impasse is smaller than a given threshold or by minimizing the total of the cost of the planned experiment and the expected losses due to an incorrect decision or an inconclusive outcome of the analysis.


In this paper we propose a novel regularization strategy for the local discontinuous Galerkin method to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi equation in the context of level-set reinitialization. The novel regularization idea works in analogy to shock-capturing schemes for discontinuous Galerkin methods, which are based on finite volume sub-cells. In this spirit, the local discontinuous Galerkin method is combined with an upwind/downwind finite volume sub-cell discretization, which is applied in areas of low regularity. To ensure the applicability on unstructured meshes, the finite volume discretization is based on a least squares approach.


The role of response termination of the CS in the reinforcement of shuttlebox avoidance responding is well established (Mowrer & Lamoreaux, 1942; Kamin, 1957b). Previous study of this effect suggested the incidental finding (Kamin, 1957a) that delay of CS-termination on the initial escape trials retarded the "emergence" of avoidance responding. The running response, though instrumental in terminating the US, did not readily become anticipatory unless, on escape trials, it terminated both CS and US. This observation, confirmed in a subsequent study (Kamin, Campbell, Judd, Ryan, & Walker, 1959), does not make clear whether response termination of the CS positively contributes to the emergence of avoidance, or whether continuing the CS after the escape response inhibits avoidance responding. These alternatives can be de-confounded by use of an experimental group for whom, on escape trials, the CS terminates before the escape response is made. The present note contrasts performance under such conditions with performance under prompt, and delayed, response termination of the CS. Ss were 24 experimentally naive hooded rats, about three months of age. The apparatus was a modified Mowrer-Miller shuttlebox, more fully described in an earlier paper (Kamin, 1957a). The CS was a 74 db buzzer, and the US 1.1 ma. electric shock. Interstimulus intervals were controlled by a Hunter timer. There were, for all groups, 100 trials in a single session. The CS-US interval was 5 sec., and the intertrial interval, 1 min. Whenever, in any group, S responded to the CS by running before the scheduled delivery of the US (avoidance trial), the CS was at once terminated and the US withheld for that trial. Whenever, in any group, S ran in response to the US (escape trial), the US was at once terminated. The sole differential treatment of groups occurred on escape trials, and only with respect to termination of the CS. There were three experimental groups, with eight Ss randomly assigned to each. With Group I, the CS on escape trials terminated simultaneously with delivery of the US; since escape latency approximates .75 sec., this was the average interval by which CS-termination preceded the escape response. (Termination of the CS after some briefer interval would have involved trace, as opposed to delayed, conditioning; this would in turn involve differential treatment of groups on avoidance trials.) With Group 11, the CS on escape trials terminated immediately with S's running response. With Group 111, the CS continued for 5 sec. after S's response. The basic procedure, as well as data for Groups I1 and 111, are given in detail elsewhere 'This research was supported by a grant from the Associate Committee on Applied Psychology of the National Research Council of Canada, and facilitated by a University College grant-in-aid from McMaster University. Thanks are due to F. Van Fleet and J. Walker for experimental assistance.


The invention provides a medicine for curing the tinea pedis. The medicine comprises the traditional Chinese medicines such as angilo, corbicula meal, mussel, betel nut, corn stigma, rheum officinale, gallnut, syzygium aromaticum, rhizoma atractylodis, golden cypress, alum, purslane, pepper, pawpaw, liquorice, fructus kochiae, garden burnet, radix puerariae, agastache rugosus, groundsel, cortex dictamni, ledebouriella seseloides, fructus cnidii, sealwort, ailanthus prickly ash, lily, perilla leaf, arrowhead and lightyellow sophora root. The medicine has the beneficial effects of: having the function of curing the tinea pedis and the function of protecting the skin, being capable of swelling, softening and stripping the epidermic cells into a cutin stripping agent in a wet environment, being capable of restraining the happening process of the inflammation, and having the function of dual-inflammation. When the medicine is in use, the medicine can be used for effectively reducing the dryness and the tension of the skin, and is small in excitability and easy to accept by a patient.


A formal model of educational decision-making is presented, the aim of which is to generate the essential characteristics of the empirical aggregate patterns of educational stratification. The so-called "Interdependent Educational Choice Model" (IECM) purports to integrate three kinds of social mechanisms: a/ generative mechanisms of the link between actor's origin group and his individual evaluations of the social returns, costs and risks of educational investment; b/ generative mechanisms of the link between actor's origin group, social networks and individual evaluation of educational degrees; c/ generative mechanisms of the link between certain elements of the actor's decision-making function and social aggregates that actors themselves create dynamically. The mathematical form of the IECM fits into the framework of discrete choice models with externalities. The claim is that agent-based computational simulation is the most suitable technique for studying aggregate implications of models that formalize such kind of generative mechanisms. The educational stratification generated by agent-based simulation of the IECM is then presented and compared to cross-sectional empirical data for Italy and France in the 1990s. It is suggested that the mechanisms formalized in IECM generate educational stratification that is structurally homologous to empirical stratification of these two countries by triggering an "amplification process" driven by a "cumulative advantage process". Lastly, the author studies the artificial aggregate educational stratification generated by manipulating characteristics of the network that IECM agents are located in, particularly, locale density, structure of heterophily links and proportion of these links. In conclusion, the main limitations of the IECM and, more generally, the "validity problem" for results achieved with agent-based simulation are discussed.


The components which were found to be easy to fail during the test are chosen under the guidelines of"The Code of Safety Evaluation of Boiler and Pressure Vessel for Electric Industry",and based on long time field testing experience,the quality problems are analyzed and the reasonable suggestions are proposed.


Abstract X-ray exposures have been computed at a focus-to-skin distance of 40 in. for a wide range of mAs, kVp and filtrations to cover most diagnostic X-ray procedures. The computations, based upon Kramer's rule for differential bremsstrahlung spectra, are in good agreement with experimental values obtained under a variety of operating conditions.


With the advent of smartphones, many people have the ability to take a photo and upload it to the internet whenever they want. Most smartphones will include basic metadata in the image file; however, this is usually limited to information about the camera itself, and not the content of the photo. This data is also easy to access, as there are many websites and applications that will extract the metadata from an image, thus it is unsuitable for personal information.While there are many applications out there which will allow a user to take and upload photos for their friends or the public to view, such as Facebook or Instagram, these applications rely on information provided along side the image for privacy settings, commenting, and image searching. Other search engines would have difficulty categorising the pictures they find on various sites, and if the image is saved and re-uploaded somewhere else, the information about them would likely be lost.Steganography provides a feasible and viable solution to these problems. By embedding information directly into the image, the information about the image will not be lost, if it is separated from its original source. The aim of the capstone is to demonstrate this aspect via an image sharing app that allows users to exchange messages and personalised information that is embedded in the image such that it is inaccessible without knowing their keys, and metadata that can be used by search engines to categorise the image and its contents. The developed application will provide a platform for users to create an account, share images, embed information within the image, and search for images other users have uploaded.


The utility model relates to a double-face backboard connector. The front backboard 3 and the back backboard 5 have same specification and same contact pin definition, thus the connection of the front and back backboards can be conveniently achieved by conventional backboard connector. The front and back backboard are universal and do not need to be separately designed, thus reducing the design cost of single backboard. It has no special requirements on the design and production of printed circuit board using backboard 4, and the production of backboard, thus reducing production cost and engineering difficulty.


This issue of JBE features papers that cover the usual wide range of topics, with authors coming from Asia, Australia, South America, North America, North Africa and Europe. This international authorship reflects the increasingly networked and connected academic community working in biological education. Technology makes it as simple to talk to someone across the world as it is to talk to a colleague across the road. When looking at the authorship within this issue, it also reflects a trend noted by Nabout et al. (2015) regarding increased multi-authorship of papers. Excluding the commentaries, the papers in this issue average just over 3 authors per paper. There have been numerous ideas put forward to explain the rise in multi-authorship, including the increasingly fragmented nature of academic disciplines, and the increase in interdisciplinary collaboration within research. Whereas Biology is organised into a large number of subfields, the biological education research community has been viewed by Singer et al. (2012) as emerging in a more centralised way that cuts across disciplinary boundaries with a singular voice on education research. This would explain the diversity of subject matter that we see presented in JBE. From the research journals surveyed by Gul and Sozbilir (2016), it was found that JBE accounted for over 30% of published papers in Biological Education Research (BER) between 1997 and 2014. This means that JBE will consider a broad range of topic areas in its role as the only BER journal (Gul and Sozbilir 2016, 1636). Drawing on an ecological analogy, Malsch and Tessier (2015) comment that just as biodiversity may be seen as a measure of an ecosystem's overall health, 'idea diversity' may be seen as an indicator of the intellectual health of a research field. The level of idea diversity expressed within JBE should therefore be regarded as healthy.


excuse itself before the profession for its failure in the homomopathic consultations affair, follows the Old Bailey method of distracting attention by flinging, about abuse. Amongst other things thus it writes itself down :-" If we condescended to imitate the 'old tricks' of the BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, it would be very easy to impute low motives to the present editor"-low motives, be it understood, for his fighting the battle against homceopathic consultations; "but," the ledical Times and Gazette goes


Social networking services, such as Twitter and Sina Weibo, have tremendous popularity in recent years. Mass of short texts and social links are aggregated into these service platforms. To realize personalized services on social network, topic inference from both short texts and social links plays more and more important role. Most conventional topic modeling methods focus on analyzing formal texts, e.g., papers, news and blogs, and usually assume that the links are only generated by topical factors. As a result, on social network, the learned topics of these methods are usually affected by topic-irrelevant links. Recently, a few approaches use artificial priors to recognize the links generated by the popularity factor in topic modeling. However, employing global priors, these methods can not well capture the distinct properties of each link and still suffer from the effect of topic-irrelevant links. To address the above limitations, we propose a novel Social-Relational Topic Model (SRTM), which can alleviate the effect of topic-irrelevant links by analyzing relational users' topics of each link. SRTM jointly models texts and social links for learning the topic distribution and topical influence of each user. The experimental results show that, our model outperforms the state-of-the-arts in topic modeling and social link prediction.


NY in Systems Firmware recruitment and retention of women under-represented students in integrative training for graduate teaching assistants, and curriculum for introductory programming Hannah Choi is an assistant director of assessment and curriculum design at the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. She collaborates with faculty to conduct research, program evaluations, and learning outcomes assessments pertinent to innovative curriculum designs and educational technologies. She is responsible for fostering continuous improvement in teaching, student experiences, and educational programs through the use of development and learning theories. Her areas of focus include, among others, experiential learning, internationalizing curriculum, online learning, and educational technology innovations. and instructional laboratory manager of Mechanical and His research interests include experimental fluid mechanics, measurement science, and engineering education. He oversees undergraduate laboratories in fluid mechanics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer. Pedagogically, Dr. Johnson employs active learning, inquiry-based laboratory instruction, and any initiative that empowers students to do hands-on learning. Additional service interests include teaching and leadership training for graduate students, enhancing communication education for undergraduate engineering students, developing evidence-based design project team formation strategies, and improving engineering design curricula. Abstract Since the spring of 2017, the Integrated Engineering Leadership Initiative for Teaching Excellence (iELITE) team has been developing and offering a course that seeks to train graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The training is to be applicable to all types of GTA contexts: lab, discussion, and lecture. Because many of our engineering students' career goals are within non-academic settings, students often have little natural motivation to develop effective pedagogical skills. As explained in our previous paper 1 , the team made a strategic decision to combine the teaching of leadership skills and pedagogical skills in order to appeal to GTAs who plan to go into non-academic careers. In this paper, we will present our logic model for the iELITE program, which has four categories of inputs: GTAs, Engineering Faculty, Administration (College and Departments), and External Partners (in-dustry sponsors). The logic model will lay out corresponding short-term, intermediate-term and long-term outcomes for each of the categories. The External Partners category is a new addition to the program this year. After collecting feedback from the teaching community in the college, we think that it is crucial to connect our content to what is being done in the professional workplace to make the learning experience more realistic. Intermediate-term outcomes in the GTAs category will be our main focus for the moment. Furthermore, we will discuss faculty feedback from those who have worked with past GTA participants in the program.


Objective To explore the risk factors for multiple infarct dementia(MID).Methods A 1∶1 matched case control study on 102 cases of multiple infarct dementia and 102 matched controls was conducted,and multivariate analysis with fitting conditional Logistic model was used to infer the influence factors. Results It was shown that MID was closely related to five factors:hypertension( OR =3 56),heart disease ( OR =3 01),fundus arteriosclerosis ( OR =2 73),the training grade ( OR =2 67),and lipid protein a(LP(a))( OR =2 58). Conclusion Hypertension,heart disease,fundus arteriosclerosis,the low training grade and high LP(a) were main risk factors for MID.Epidemical factors of MID were various in different areas,the preventive measures should be pertinent.\;


This paper considers the relationship between the Coase Theorem as a normative tool of policy analysis and the Preferential Option for the Poor in Catholic Social Thought (CST). After explaining the conceptual foundations of the theorem for the benefit of those who work in CST but have little experience with economics, I argue that, although using the theorem normatively to design efficient legal rules does indeed have distributional consequences, nevertheless in a wide variety of cases these consequences are not incompatible with CST's Preferential Option for the Poor.


Polymer Light Emitting Diodes (PLEDs) with an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK/PFO-poss/LiF/Al structure were prepared on plasma-treated ITO/glass substrates using spin-coating and thermal evaporation methods. The annealing effects of the PFO-poss film when it acts as the emission layer were investigated by using electrical and optical property measurements. The annealing conditions of the PFO-poss emission film were 100 and 200 C for 1, 2 and 3 hours, respectively. The luminance increased and the turn-on voltage decreased when the annealing temperature and treatment time increased. After examining the Luminance-Voltage (L-V) properties of the PLED, the maximum luminance was found to be 1497 cd/m at 11 V for the device when it was annealed at 200 C for 3 hours. The peak intensity of the PLED emission spectra at approximately 525 nm in wavelength increased when the annealing temperature and time of the PFO-poss film increased. These results suggest that the light emission color shifted from blue to green.


This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Public Lands Institute at Digital Scholarship@UNLV. It has been accepted for inclusion in Presentations (PLI) by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com. Repository Citation Rees, M. N. (2005, March). CESU Agreements: Beyond Traditional Science Applications. Presentation at Beyond Traditional Science Applications, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.


Smart windows possess the potential to contribute significantly to reducing the world-wide energy consumption in the future. The properties of the thermochromic metal oxide VO2 are closest to the material requirements set by economic considerations for the use as an active layer in thermochromic glazings. We show that the required parameters can be achieved by modifying VO2 on the atomic level, i.e., by simultaneous co-doping with Sr and W on the cation site. In particular, the transition temperature ϑ c can be adjusted in the range between 15 and 68 °C by varying W contents, whereas the incorporation of Sr mainly increases the band gap yielding a greyish color of the films. Interestingly, the simultaneous presence of W and Sr enhances both effects. The co-doping leads to values of the luminous transmittance T lum and the solar transmittance T sol fulfilling the requirements set by application. The variation of the solar transmittance Δ T sol of the plain thin films on a glass substrate already is larger ...


* Foreword * Preface * Acknowledgments * Chapter 1. Threat Management: Organizational Challenge * A Threat Review Team * Chapter 2. Work Place Violence: An Overview * Defining Workplace Violence * Recognizing the Types of Workplace Violence * Statistics on Workplace Violence * Myths Regarding Workplace Violence * Conditions That May Lead to Workplace Violence * Warning Signs * Chapter 3. Organizational Response Options * Threat Response Process * Incident Response Checklist * Chapter 4. Intake Process * Initial Stage of Contact * Second Stage of Contact * Chapter 5. Category Classification * Category 1 * Category 2 * Category 3 * Category 4 * Category 5 * Case Examples * Chapter 6. Threat Management: Interviewing Strategies * Introduction * Interview and Investigation * Chronological Documentation * Establishing the Pattern * Collateral Interviews * Assessment of Case Material * The Interview Environment * Interview Phases * Chapter 7. Liaison with Law Enforcement * Chapter 8. Analysis of Threats * Principles of Threat Communication Analysis * Communicated Threat Rating * Case Example * Chapter 9. Threat Assessment Feedback for Management * Feedback Elements * Case Example * Chapter 10. Stalking As a Contemporary Crime in the Workplace * Background * Stalking Defined * Stalking As a Mental Disorder in the Workplace * Threat Assessment and Response * Chapter 11. Cyberthreats * Defining Cyberthreats * Risk Control * Case Examples * Chapter 12. Insider Threat: Risk Management Consideration * Behavior, Personality, and Motivation of the Employee at Risk * The Development of a Problem * Behavioral Indicators of Insider Risk * Applications * Chapter 13. Executive Vulnerability * Appendix A: Threat Information Card for Potential Victims * Appendix B: Stay Away Letter * Appendix C: Behavior Improvement Plan * Appendix D: Health Provider Questions * Appendix E: Announcement of Employees Regarding Security Changes * Bibliography * Index * Reference Notes Included


This paper describes the use of field and zone modelling techniques in studying the behaviour of LPG tanks when subjected to accidental fire conditions. The field modelling approach is used to determine the free convective flows and heat transfer in both the vapour and the liquid regions, and also the heat transfer through the tank wall. Zone modelling techniques are employed to calculate the fire heat flux and the radiation heat transfer from the vapour wetted wall to the liquid/vapour interface. The model is verified by comparing predicted results with full scale experimental data obtained by the Health and Safety Executive, U.K.1 The comparisons indicate that the model can accurately predict the tank pressure and time to first valve opening. The model is used to investigate the effect of fire exposure level on the tank behaviour.


This paper preseuts a novel portable hot line measurement device.Which can be used in the measurement of power frequency leakage current Ig,equivalent capacitance and dissipation factor tgδ ,Partial discharge PD for H.Vinstrument fransformen and resistance current for Zno Surge arrestors.With high resolution A/D Sampling and the technique of hetero-frequence spin correction phase and digital correlator,the device possesses high anti-disturbance and measuring accuracy and is valuble for practical engineering use.


In the late spring of 1796, with Napoleon's armies already occupying parts of northern Italy, the English architectural student Charles Heathcote Tatham was in the process of organising his election to the Accademia di S. Luca in Rome prior to his hurried departure from the city. By seeking affiliation with an Italian fine arts academy, Tatham was following in the footsteps of a number of British students who had visited Italy in the second half of the eighteenth century, but the nature of such Italian academic membership remains widely misunderstood.' In the latest edition of the standard history of British architecture in this period, for example, it is stated that 'from Adam to Soane there is a continuous tradition of participation by young Britons in the current architectural thought of the Italian academies'.2 Tatham's case, which is by far the best documented, suggests that such memberships were in fact conceived by British architects almost entirely in terms of the honorary status and self-publicity they conferred at a time of emerging professionalism. The particular circumstances of Tatham's election in Rome also illuminate the uncertain relationship which existed between an historic Italian academy and more recently founded British fine arts institutions, such as the Royal Academy and the Architects' Club. Moreover, a broader survey of the records of the Accademia di S. Luca suggests that Tatham's dealings with the institution were typical of those of British later eight- eenth-century artists.


Interrogation is one of investigating ways in criminal cases, which has a great influence on the fairness and equity of criminal process. According to the principle of innocence of presumption, the suspect's basic human rights should be respected by the official investigators. Any suspect being interrogated shall have the right to know the nature and reason of accusation, the right against self-incrimination, the right to have the assistance of counsel for his defense and no torture and unusual punishments inflicted according to the requirements of due process of law stipulated by international covenants and universal declarations. The criminal suspect's rights are usually guaranteed by due process of law in those countries and regions with the tradition of Rule of Law, but the opposite situation exists in current China. In order to prohibit all kinds of inhumane interrogating by way of power abuse, the suspect should have the basic rights of defense in the interrogation. The essence of due process of law for interrogation in criminal investigation in future China is to keep proper balance between individual right and investigative power.


Understanding human mobility is mostly based on destination prediction. The reality that training and test data frequently differ makes it challenging to broaden the application of destination prediction, and when a prediction model that was trained on certain areas is then applied to the area of interest but with a different data distribution, the accuracy is suboptimal at best. The objective of the IEEE Big Data Cup 2022 is to solicit a robust and generalizable model that can effectively forecast a person's daily destination based on facts and qualities obtained from four Japanese urban areas, as well as to predict the destination for a new metropolitan area using the models that were trained with the prior data. To address the issue and face the challenge of this Cup, our KDDI Research team has developed a prediction method based on Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) that does not employ geographical zone information that varies from area to area. Instead, we employ the mobility characteristics of human groups, where each group is categorized according to demographics, which according to our EDA are relatively universal across areas. Our experimental findings show that our method achieves a relatively good prediction accuracy, which is attested by this Cup's leaderboard. Albeit our method is simple and straightforward, we can argue that our approach can be used as good baseline for human mobility destination prediction.


This talk will focus on the isomer-specific IR spectra of benzene-(water)n (BWn) clusters with n = 1-8, returning to a topic studied by our groupa some 20 years ago, but now with higher resolution (OH stretch region), with inclusion of data from isotopically substituted clusters, and with extension into the HOH bending mode region. Spectra are recorded using resonant ion-dip infrared spectroscopy, an IR-UV double resonance method. Isomer-specific IR spectra in the regions of OH, OD stretches and HOH, HOD bend of benzene-H2O, -D2O, -HOD, -(H2O)2, -(D2O)2, -HOD-DOD were recorded in order to investigate in greater detail the intermolecular potential energy surface between water and benzene. These spectra show strong combination bands in addition to the OH/OD stretch fundamentals arising from large-amplitude "tumbling" and tunneling along internal rotation and torsion coordinates of water(s) on the surface of benzene. Interestingly, the number of extra bands and spectral patterns change dramatically depending on cluster size, the kind of deuterated isomer, and the spectral region probed. In larger clusters with n=3-8, the water HOH bending region is explored for the first time. The prominent bending mode transitions in BW1-8 are spread over a relatively small range (1610-1660 cm−1), and shift with cluster size in a way that reflects the known structural changes that accompany the increase in size. By comparison of experiment with calculation, it is possible to assign the experimentally observed 1614 cm−1transition of BW1 and 1615 cm−1of BW2 bands to the π-bound water molecule. The 1620-1660 cm−1bands of BW3-8 are due to water molecules that can be categorized as single-acceptor, single-donor (AD) hydrogen-bonded waters. In the case of single-acceptor, doubledonor (ADD) water molecules, which are expected to be seen from BW6, they show higher-frequency bending vibrations and weaker IR intensity, which would correspond to very weakly observed bands in 1660-1750 cm−1for BW6-8.


The invention discloses a technological method for extracting zinc, in particular to a technological method for extracting zinc by roasting blast furnace gas mud by virtue of a rotary kiln, belonging to the technical field of metallurgy production. By applying the technological method provided by the invention, zinc oxide in the gas mud can be thoroughly reduced, and the production cost is low. The technological method comprises the following steps of: a) burdening, namely adding coke powder with the mass ratio of 16-20% into the gas mud and mixing to be uniform; b) checking, namely carrying out a sampling test on the calorific value of mixture of the gas mud and the coke powder which are uniformly mixed, wherein the acceptable calorific value is 1600-2000 kcal/kg; c) roasting and reducing, namely directly sending the qualified mixture of the gas mud and the coke powder into a kiln body of the rotary kiln to be roasted and reduced, thus zinc oxide particles and metallized slag are generated; and d) collecting, namely collecting the zinc oxide particles at the tail of the kiln and discharging residual metallized slag from the head of the kiln.


A variety of different measures for the localization of high-aperture scalar wavefields, based on the moments of the pupil, are compared. These are applied to particular examples such as Gaussian beams in the complex focus model, and aplanatic and Herschel focusing systems. These measures can be used to investigate focusing properties of different optical systems, and the use of apodizers and super-resolving masks. The optimum apodizer for achieving minimum axial second moment width is investigated.


The study of Metallic ratios has profound impact and applications not just in mathematics but also in various other branches of Science and Technology. In this paper, I will introduce the Metallic Ratios formally and prove three interesting and new properties related to them. These results will add more value to already known results on Metallic Ratios.


Aiming at such characteristics that the load torque in asynchronous motor system is usually variable and is not easy to measure,a load torque observer was designed to observe the load torque.The observation results were used to modify online the nonlinear state-feedback control law to ensure the nonlinear decoupling of the asynchronous motor control system. Finally,the MATLAB was used to simulate the load torque observer,and the observer is proved to be valid by the simulation result.


This guide is a convenient graphic description of all the salient features of the bioluminescent ostracods in the family Cypridinidae from the Caribbean Sea that are useful, and essential, for their accurate identification upon microscopic examination of dissected specimens. Over 70 species of courtship-signaling ostracods [with 22 of these formally described] have been discovered in the Caribbean, but nowhere else, and many more await discovery. The guide is also helpful for providing comparative information on the morphology of all myodocopid ostracods in the family Cypridinidae from around the globe. We also include a tabular key to males of the six known genera (3 described) of signaling cypridinid ostracods and one commonly collected non-luminescent congener.


Code comments are considered an efficient way to document the functionality of a particular block of code. Code commenting is a common practice among developers to explain the purpose of the code in order to improve code comprehension and readability. Researchers investigated the effect of code comments on software development tasks and demonstrated the use of comments in several ways, including maintenance, reusability, bug detection, etc. Given the importance of code comments, it becomes vital for novice developers to brush up on their code commenting skills. In this study, we initially investigated what types of comments novice students document in their source code and further categorized those comments using a machine learning approach. The work involves the initial manual classification of code comments and then building a machine learning model to classify student code comments automatically. The findings of our study revealed that novice developers/students' comments are mainly related to Literal (26.66%) and Insufficient (26.66%). Further, we proposed and extended the taxonomy of such source code comments by adding a few more categories, i.e., License (5.18%), Profile (4.80%), Irrelevant (4.80%), Commented Code (4.44%), Autogenerated (1.48%), and Improper (1.10%). Moreover, we assessed our approach with three different machine-learning classifiers. Our implementation of machine learning models found that Decision Tree resulted in the overall highest accuracy, i.e., 85%. This study helps in predicting the type of code comments for a novice developer using a machine learning approach that can be implemented to generate automated feedback for students, thus saving teachers time for manual one-on-one feedback, which is a time-consuming activity.


Abstract Effects of tides and storm surges on wind waves in shelf seas are assessed by hindcasting three North Sea storm cases. It is shown that tides and storm surges in shelf seas should be considered as an unsteady medium for wind wave Propagation if wave–current interactions are assessed. Tides mainly result in oscillations of mean wave Parameters whereas surges result in systematic variations. Due to accumulation of effects, small wind-induced currents might have a larger impact on wave parameters than larger but oscillating tidal currents. Although these results are obtained from typical North Sea conditions, it is expected that they are fairly representative for tides and surges in shelf seas in general. For the North Sea relatively small tide and surge-induced modulations of mean wave parameters such as the significant wave height or the mean wave period have been found (typically 5 % to 10%). Modulations of the spectral density of the wave energy can be of the order of 50% to 100%. Effects of cur...


Dispersed repetitive DNA elements in genomes of microorganisms differ among and within species. Because distances between repetitive sequences vary depending on bacterial strains, genomic fingerprinting with interspersed repetitive sequence-based probes can be used to distinguish unrelated organisms. Among well-known bacterial repetitive sequences, Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic (REP) sequence has been used to identify environmental bacterial species and strains. We applied REP-PCR to detect and differentiate four major Gram-negative food-borne bacterial pathogens, E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio. Target DNA fragments of these pathogens were amplified by REP-PCR method. PCR-generated DNA fragments were separated on 1.5% agarose gel. Dendrograms for PCR products of each strain were constructed using photo-documentation system. REP-PCR reactions with primer pairs REP1R-I and REP2-I revealed distinct REP-PCR-derived genomic fingerprinting patterns from E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio. REP-PCR method provided clear distinctions among different bacterial species containing REP-repetitive elements and can be widely used for typing food-borne Gram-negative strains. Results showed established REP-PCR reaction conditions and generated dendrograms could be used with other supplementary genotyping or phenotyping methods to identify isolates from outbreak and to estimate relative degrees of genetic similarities among isolates from different outbreaks to determine whether they are clonally related.


Ulcerative colitis (ulcerative colitis) is a kind of intestinal inflammatory disease with easy recurrence and long course. Modern medicine does not have a clear understanding of its pathogenesis, and there are no specific drugs to treat it in the world. Therefore, by analyzing, summarizing and summarizing the possible pathogenesis of the disease in existing studies and combining with network pharmacology research, this paper provides references for exploring the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and provides ideas for finding new therapeutic targets. While summarizing the literature research on ulcerative colitis in the past five years, combined with the relevant literature and knowledge of network pharmacology, it is believed that ulcerative colitis is mainly related to genetic, immune, microbial, diet, infection, environment and other factors internationally. In the treatment of ulcerative colitis, nf-kappa signaling pathway, tlr4-m y8-nf-kappa signaling pathway and pi3k-akt-mtor signaling pathway play a key role. Therefore, in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, IKK, kappa kappa, MyD88, TAK1, and nf-kappa can be regarded as new therapeutic targets, so as to have a significant effect on ulcerative colitis.


A key aspect of modern drug research is the development of delivery methods that ensure the possibility of implementing targeted therapy for a specific biological target. The use of nanocarriers enables to achieve this objective, also allowing to reduce the toxicity of used substances and often extending their bioavailability. Through the application of docking methods, the possibility of using cube rhombellanes as potential carriers for two oxindole derivatives was analyzed. In the studies, compounds identified as inhibitors of the CDK2 enzyme and a set of nanostructures proposed by the Topo Cluj Group were used. The popular fullerene molecule C60 was used as the reference system. The estimated binding affinities and structures of obtained complexes show that use of functionalized cube rhombellanes containing hydrogen bond donors and acceptors in their external molecular shell significantly increases ligand affinity toward considered nanocariers, compared to classic fullerenes. The presented values also allow to state that an important factor determining the mutual affinity of the tested ligands and nanostructures is the symmetry of the analyzed nanocarriers and its influence on the distribution of binding groups (aromatic systems, donors and acceptors of hydrogen bonds) on the surface of nanoparticles.


Lettuce is one of the most produced and consumed vegetables in Brazil. Much of this preference can be explained by its low cost, the ease of being found and its nutritional value, in addition to having potential health benefits. However, this reality is put to the test when poor sanitation associated with irrigation with contaminated water, and the precariousness in the production and storage of this vegetable is observed. These factors have led to increased contamination by pathogenic microorganisms. These, when ingested, can cause gastrointestinal infections in human beings, being able to present symptoms of varied gravitas. With this in view, the present literature review aimed to highlight the main microorganisms propagated by the plant species Lactuca sativa and the importance of the sanitation quality of this vegetable. For this purpose, 15 articles were selected with the following inclusion criteria: written in English or Portuguese, and published between 2010 and 2018. Data published in the literature indicate that the most frequent microorganisms were Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli, being these gram negative rods belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Considered to be the main cause of foodborne infectious diseases, they are responsible for an exacerbated number of hospitalizations, which highlights the importance of combating these pathogens throug public health policies. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the need for public health education campaigns is evident in order to raise the awareness of the importance of reducing the risks of infection by biological agents.


Concerning the Tax Reform 2000 point of time and design are controversial. Because of the anyway high level of public debt a pre-drawing of the next stage of tax reform can not be financed by government borrowing argues Rolf Peffekoven. Furthermore he points out that "Lander und Gemeinden" have to accept additional public debt. Though additional tax cut is necessary for higher growth and higher employment, it must be financed by cutting down public spending, particularly transfer payments and subsidies. The different treatment of revenues contravenes the tax structure and leads to efficiency losses. Therefore Peffekoven contributes that a reform must take into consideration the principle of equal treatment, independent of source. But a comprehensive tax reform is linked to the abolishment of German trade tax (Gewerbesteuer).


Background Cross-linguistic tendencies of VO and OV languages have received a lot of attention since the seminal work by Dryer (1991). However, there have been few quantitative studies (Liu, 2010; Chen and Gerdes, 2017), and these only focus on one or a few languages (Celano, 2014). Most studies have insisted on finding a representative word order for every language, and finding correlations with other orders based on it. How to determine the basic word order for any language is a problem on itself, but even if one accepts this premise, it means that stricter OV order languages like Japanese are treated like flexible OV order languages like German. This means that despite of the strong correlations that have been found so far, we still have a poor understanding of how quantitative word order tendencies behave cross-linguistically. We want to explore the question of whether the fact that some languages allow for flexible orders between the verb and its arguments may have some influence on whether the language allows flexible or fixed orders between nouns and their dependents, and whether these tendencies are cross-linguistic or language specific.


An examination of the unusual policy making process of direct rule in Northern Ireland prior to the Good Friday Agreement


Cu_ 47Ti_ 34Zr_ 11Ni_8 and Cu_ 47Ti_ 33Zr_ 11Ni_8Si_1 bulk amorphous alloys are prepared by differential pressure casting, and the alloy thermal stability is studied. By the substitution of Si for 1%Ti, the glass transition temperature T_g, crystallization temperature T_ x1 and temperature interval of super cooled liquid region ΔT_x and reduced glass transition temperature T_ rg of the alloy are proved to be changed from 672K, 735K, 63K and 0.575 to 692K, 753K, 61K and 0.592, respectively. The glass transition temperature T_g is improved by the addition of the third kind element Si, which is different from constituting elements, then the glass-forming ability of the alloy is increased.


This paper describes the characteristics of Zigbee technology,trends and the development of greenhouse data acquisition system.Followed by a detailed discussion of the Zigbee specific application in the greenhouse data and multimedia information acquisition system.Finally,this paper give a discussion and analysis to the trends of multi-source data acquisition for the greenhouse control system.


Otomycosis is a common clinical problem in Hyderabad Karnataka region because of the hot, humid climate of this region. The infection can be diagnosed clinically on the basis of symptoms like itching, otalgia, discharge, blockage, hearing loss and presence of debris resembling wet blotting paper appearance in the external auditory meatus. It is common in males and occurs more in the 21- 30 year age range. The most common symptoms in our review were itching followed by hearing loss, otorrhoea and blockage. Otomycosis was predominantly unilateral with left ear affected more. The species of fungus causing the disease in our center is Aspergillus Niger. Drugs like clotrimazole/ lidocaine, acetic acid hydrochloride (eardrops) or Gentian violet are indispensible topical agents in the management of otomycosis. Gentian violet should only be used as treatment of last resort because it discolors the external auditory canal giving a poor cosmetic appearance during treatment.


Simple relations for estimating the accuracy of relative positioning and timing by means of GLONASS and GPS are obtained; the space - time variability of the errors due to fluctuations in radiowave propagation and selective availability of the GPS is taken into account.


This particular paper presents a discussion on the perspective of renewable energy on solar, wind, biomass and wave as part of making strategies required for the future development. These kinds of strategies will involve three main changes in the technological development. They include efficiency improvement in the production of energy, energy saving on the demand side and finally using of renewable energy sources as replacement of the fossil fuels. Similarly, the renewable energy implementation plans for large scale must include strategies for renewable energy sources integration. Such integration must be coherent with the system which is coherently influenced by measures of efficiency and savings of energy. As per the case study of Denmark, the paper presents a discussion of the perspective and problems of converting systems of the present energy into 100% systems of renewable energy. The paper concludes that the proposed developments are achievable. The necessary sources of renewable energy are present and any improvement on the same technology can successfully lead to the creation of renewable energy.


ABSTRACT In this study, we sought to evaluate the inter-batch consistency and safety of the CTN-1 V human rabies vaccine (Vero cells). A total of 594 healthy participants aged 10–60 years were enrolled from Mianzhu, Sichuan Province, and randomized into three batch groups to receive vaccination via the Essen Regimen, that is, a single dose on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28 in the deltoid muscle of the upper arm. The serum antibody geometric mean concentration (GMC) and positive conversion rate of each group were determined using a rapid fluorescence focus inhibition test (RFFIT) before the first-dose immunization, 14 d after the first-dose immunization, and 14 d and 12 mo after full immunization. Adverse events (AEs) 30 min and 30 d after immunization were observed in each group. There were 322 cases of AEs during the observation period, with an overall incidence of 54.4%. The incidences of AEs in groups A, B, and C were 57.4%, 51.5%, and 54.3%, respectively. There were no significant differences among the groups (P > .05). Moreover, there were no significant differences (P > .05) in the serum GMC or antibody-positive conversion rate between any two groups at any time point. The bilateral 95% confidence interval of the GMC ratio between any two groups 14 d after the first-dose immunization was within the range of 0.67–1.50. This study shows that the CTN-1 V human rabies vaccine (Vero cells) has reliable safety and stable immunogenicity between batches. Plain Language Summary This was a randomized, double-blind, equivalent clinical study on the inter-batch consistency of rabies vaccine. The rabies virus CTN strain adopted for the vaccine was isolated by China National Institute for Food and Drug Control. It has a gene sequence homology of 82.0%–93.0% with the representative strains of street virus isolated in China (i.e., CQ92, HN06, and J strains), higher than that of other vaccine strains (aG, PM, and PV strains). A total of 594 participants were enrolled in this study, and were randomized into three batch groups. Blood samples were collected from participants in each group before vaccination, at 14 days after the first dose of vaccination, and at 14 d and 12 mo after the fifth dose of vaccination, in order to detect antibody levels and observe adverse reactions. There was no significant difference in serum antibody levels and adverse reactions between any two of the three groups, indicating that different vaccine batches manufactured at the commercial scale can maintain stable immunogenicity and safety profiles.


Bedding‐plane partings, particularly those enlarged by stress relief, tend to provide principal ground‐water flow pathways which are often overlooked. In order to identify them, the use of a proper conceptual model of the bedrock aquifer system and appropriate methods of hydrogeologic characterization are necessary. Several pervasive bedding partings were identified at a study site located within a dipping sequence of mudstone and shales, typical of the Passaic Formation in the Newark Basin of New Jersey. These bedding fractures constitute the discrete aquifer units of a multiunit, leaky bedrock aquifer system. One such unit of exceptional transmissivity (the "Raritan unit") was identified and selected for a detailed characterization. Results of three short‐duration pumping tests verified the continuity and relatively uniform transmissivity of the Raritan unit over distances exceeding 1,500 feet. Significant hydrochemical differences between the various aquifer units at this 100‐acre site were found to be consistent with the multiunit structure of the bedrock aquifer system. A similar pattern can be observed in regional hydrochemical data recently published by others. The principal finding, that a few bedding fractures dominate ground‐water flow at many sites in the region, has a major implication on hydrogeologic characterization requirements for the water supply, well‐head protection, and aquifer remediation projects in the Newark Basin and similar areas of sedimentary bedrock.


There is a continuing interest in "2D solids" which appear at various interfaces for their novel structure and dynamics. Many simple molecules are adsorbed on solid surfaces, such as graphite, to form 2D layers that are solid at low temperatures. Interestingly, similar solid monolayers are formed at the interface between bulk liquid adsorbates and graphite. In this work, we report a 2D-like ice structure which appears in the initial stage of crystallisation of aqueous solutions from the undercooled state. We present results obtained by neutron scattering to demonstrate the formation of this novel structure and its temperature evolution.


Background : Stress has long been known to play a role in many dermatologic disorders ard can affect the onset and course of the disorder in some patients. Stress-induced exacerbation or onset of symptoms has been reported in chronic urticaria, alopecia areata, berpes simplex, herps zoster, and psoriasis vulgris, and these diseases can be classified as stress-associated dermatoses. Beta p-endorphin is one if the most important mediators of stress, which is known to be generat ed upon stimulation of t.he pituitary adrenal axis, and its secretion increases during periods of stress. Objective : In order t,o see wheather p-endorphin might be related to the onset or recurrence of stress-associated dermatses, we compared the plasma concentration of p-endorphin in patients with stress associated dematoses with those of healthy subjects. Methods : The concentation of p-endorphin in sera was quantified by radioimmunoassay, usirg the INCSTAR 'IRIA Kit for plasma p-endorphin. Each patient was asked to indicate if they be lieved that their skin proilem began after an important stressful event in their lives. Results : There was no significant difference in plasma p-endorphin levels between patient,s with chronic urticaria, alopeciareata, herpes simplex, and herpes zoster and healthy subjects(p>0.05), whereas in patients witi psoriasis vulgaris, plasma level of p-endorphin was significantly in creased(p<0.001). There was no relationship between the stressful events and plasma pendorphin concentrations. Conclusions : The plasma p-endorphin level is not correlated with the onset or recurrence of stress-associated dermatuses such as chronic urticaria, alopecia areata, herpes simplex, and herp.s zoster. The increase in p-endorphin in psoriasis vulgaris is more likely that this peptide is generted by the lymphocyte irliltrate in the skin and/or by lymphocytes when they recirculate rath:.r than by the activation of the pituitary-adrenal axis by stress.
(Kor J Dermatol 1995;33(5): 841-846)


In order to create the new wheat germplasms,'Zhongyu5'was induced by NaN3 with three ways,including in'seed treated by NaN3 with adding air','NaN3 put in glume','NaN3 injected into the growing point in stem tip'.The results showed that 'seed treated by NaN3 with adding air'was the best way to induce'Zhongyu5'.By this way,'Zhongyu5'had high rate of emergence and the variation rate of M1 plants were the highest and the variation type were plenty.Three unaltered germplasm lines including in YZY5-1,YZY5-2 and YZY5-3 were selected out by subsequent continuous selection of the variational descendants.DNA of 'Zhongyu5'and YZY5-1,YZY5-2,YZY5-3 were detected by SSR markers to select some differential fragments by primer xgwm148,xgwm428,xgwm260,xgwm469.It further attested that YZY5-1,YZY5-2,YZY5-3 came from 'Zhongyu5'induced by NaN3 at molecular level.


In this paper we deal with the estimation of the stochastic frontier model using panel data. Panel data provide a fruitful setting for analyzing firm efficiency and a rich proving ground for the development of useful new techniques. We discuss three classes of models, fixed effects, random parameters, and latent classes, that should provide promising platforms for researchers.


The study of arteriovenous fistulas, and the alterations in local and systemic circulation which they produce, has been a means of not only understanding this particular lesion better, but of extending our knowledge of many other more common circulatory phenomena. In peacetime, investigations have been conducted on the relatively rare clinical cases and on animals with fistulas produced in the laboratory. The recent war, with its many vascular injuries, presented an unusual opportunity to study the circulatory alterations in patients with arteriovenous fistulas. This and succeeding reports deal with observations on a large group of patients treated at Ashford General Hospital. The clinical manifestations exhibited by patients with an arteriovenous fistula have been described elsewhere (1, 2). It is generally recognized that these patients may develop congestive heart failure. There has been controversy, however, regarding the mechanism producing the circulatory failure. Some have ascribed it to greatly increased demands on the heart, others to diminution of coronary blood flow secondary to the lowered mean arterial pressure (3). Since a knowledge of the output of the heart is so important in defining the mechanism of the altered circulatory dynamics in these patients, we have measured the cardiac output as part of a general study of the circulation in patients with arteriovenous fistulas. In 1923 Lewis and Drury (4) reported the results of their studies of arteriovenous fistulas in both man and the experimental animal. In the latter, using a glass cardiometer to enclose the heart, they found an increase in cardiac output, in


Our objectives were to determine if Spea bombifrons and Bufo woodhousei occur in southwestern Minnesota. If these species were found we would describe their breeding habitats, characterize the spadefoot tadpoles' ephemeral community and develop a listening protocol. During the summer of 2000 we surveyed for these species using night driving and listening for calling males along preselected routes in Rock and Pipestone counties. However, rainfall was insufficient to provide optimal spadefoot calling conditions during our survey period, and neither species was heard. In 2001 rainfall was abundant during May and June and soils were hydrated. We surveyed our routes, mainly along the western border of Minnesota and South Dakota, in late June under optimal spadefoot calling conditions (warm, rainy nights with water standing in fields, following afternoon thunderstorms). However we heard no spadefoot toads or Woodhouse's toads. A potential Woodhouse's toad call recording sent to us by Carol Hall, Minnesota DNR, from Grant County turned out not to be Bufo woodhousei. It is probably either Bufo hemiophrys or a hybrid of that species with Bufo americanus. We conclude that even though the species of interest have been reported near the Minnesota border in neighboring states, it is unlikely that they occur in the counties that we surveyed. Objectives The objectives of our research were: 1. To determine if the Plains Spadefoot Toad, Spea bombifrons, and Woodhouse's Toad, Bufo woodhousei, are present in southwestern Minnesota. 2. To locate breeding habitats of the Plains Spadefoot Toad. 3. To determine if spadefoot breeding sites contain the typical spadefoot tadpole/fairy shrimp community which contains both carnivore and omnivore tadpole morphological types. 4. To recommend a listening protocol that could be used by individuals wanting to monitor Spea bornbifrons elsewhere in the state. We addressed only objective one because the other objectives depended on locating the species of interest in southwest Minnesota. Location of Study We conducted our study in southwestern Minnesota, primarily in Rock and Pipestone counties. Although our proposal included Nobles County, we decided to focus on Rock and Pipestone Counties because they are closest to previously reported spadefoot sites in South Dakota. Had we discovered either species of interest in Rock and/or Pipestone Counties we would have extended the surveys into Nobles County. We checked out potential sites recommended to us by DNR personnel


The paper proposes a conceptual framework and a method for assessing impact that cyber attacks might have to cyber assets, services, and missions. The paper describes the model of a cyber attack based on an extended conceptual graph. It introduces the notion of a cyber-terrain as a multilevel information structure containing assets and services, and their inter-dependencies. It also describes the model of a mission, and impact dependency graph that in a uniform way presents the dependencies between the cyber terrain and missions. The paper presents an algorithmic base how to calculate impacts that cyber attacks cause to the directly attacked assets, how the direct impacts propagate through the inter-asset, service, and mission dependencies and affect the operational capacity of ongoing missions.


The residents of seasonal resorts must annually accommodate to the influx of large numbers of vacationers. This study conducted in two beach communities reveals that vacationers impact many aspects of people's lives, causing them to cur tail certain activities and causing deterioration of some parts of their communities. However, residents are also economically dependent upon visitors and benefit from the services and facilities which cater to tourists. On balance, most permanent resi dents are satisfied with their communities and their development. Hence, it is appar ent that communities can reconcile the demands of residential and commercial growth without destructive conflict.


This research describes a modification of synthetic nonwoven materials for cadmium ion removal from wastewater. The performance of cadmium binding capacities of polypropylene (PP) fabrics with and without the modification of carboxylate functional groups was studied. PP nonwoven fabrics were functionalized by gamma radiation-induced polymer grafting of an acrylic acid and an itaconic acid monomers. Effects of gamma radiation dose and heating time on polymerization grafting were studied. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analyses were performed to characterize the functional groups of poly วารสารวิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี มหาวิทยาลัยอุบลราชธานี ปีท่ี 22 ฉบับท่ี 1 เดือนมกราคม-เมษายน 2563 118 (acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly (itaconic acid) (PIA) modified PP fabrics. ATR-FTIR spectra showed evidence of carboxyl groups of PP fabrics after grafting by only PAA. The fiber quality and surface morphology of PP fibers before and after polymer grafting were examined by optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy. Water permeability and static cadmium adsorption capacity measurements were conducted to show the performance of PP fabrics before and after PAA modification. It was found that the static cadmium adsorption capacities of PAA functionalized PP fabrics were not different from PP fabrics without the modification due to too low impact of hydrophilic property by PAA grafting.


The effects of intercropping with cowpea(Vigna unguiculata L.Walp) for 3 years on cold hardiness of shoots of 3-year-old apple trees and some indexes of tree structure for young apple trees were studied,with clean cultivation as control.The results showed that the cold hardiness of apple trees in the apple-cowpea intercropping system was significantly lower than that of the pure apple tree stand during the winter and before sprout(P0.01).The physiological parameters including soluble sugar,starch and soluble protein were assayed.The results showed that the soluble sugar and soluble protein contents in one-year-old apple shoots which intercropped with cowpea were significantly lower than those in the control in the two periods(P0.05),and the starch content was lower in the midwinter(P0.05) but no significant difference before sprout.Correlation analysis showed that the soluble sugar and soluble com.protein contents were negatively correlated with the semilethal temperature of apple shoots in the midwinter and before sprout(r=-0.908~-0.992).There was a negative correlation between the content of starch and the semilethal temperature in the midwinter(r=-0.913),but no correlation was found before sprout(P0.05).Compared with clean cultivation,the ratio of the vertical long shoots in intercropping system was significantly higher,and the average length of super long shoots and the autumn shoots were much longer,but the diameter of the super long branch was much smaller.


Based on FPGA'S Balance and exchange principle of area and speed, Using the FPGA internal rich logic resources and powerful hardware characteristics , the traditional median filtering algorithm is reduced to 2 clock cycle , Greatly improving the image processing speed . And by using threshold, in a certain extent, reducing the image fuzzy phenomena brought by the median filter . The results of test show that the system runs stability, the time of achieving the median filtering algorithm are narrowed to the shortest clock cycle.


Entanglement, which quantifies non-local correlations in quantum mechanics, is the fascinating concept behind much of aspiration towards quantum technologies. Nevertheless, directly measuring the entanglement of a many-particle system is very challenging. Here we show that via supervised machine learning using a convolutional neural network, we can infer the entanglement from a measurable observable for a disordered interacting quantum many-particle system. Several structures of neural networks were tested and a convolutional neural network akin to structures used for image and speech recognition performed the best. After training on a set of 500 realizations of disorder, the network was applied to 200 new realizations and its results for the entanglement entropy were compared to a direct computation of the entanglement entropy. Excellent agreement was found, except for several rare region which in a previous study were identified as belonging to an inclusion of a Griffiths-like quantum phase. Training the network on a test set with different parameters (in the same phase) also works quite well.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of trace element supplementation on semicontinuous anaerobic digestion processes of sugar beet pressed pulp. We also investigated the phytotoxicity of anaerobic sludge via an ecotoxicological test for white mustard (Sinapis alba) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). To determine the accumulation of microelements, the spring barley test was followed by microelement analysis of sludge, soil and barley biomass samples. The results show that average values of specific methane yields were 11.0 and 11.7% higher in the supplemented and supplemented plus iron trials compared to the non-supplemented trial, respectively. In the root elongation test of white mustard, the highest stimulation rate (-59.41%) was observed for the 10-fold dilution in the treatment with trace element and iron supplementation. We observed major stimulation of spring barley biomass production in all trials, with the strongest effect (stimulation of 62.80%) in the trace element supplementation plus iron trial. In sludge samples, cobalt levels increased by 14 and 16 times, nickel by 10 and 14 times, boron by 1.8 and 1.9 times, iron by 1.6 and 2.1 times, respectively, in the supplemented and supplemented + Fe trials. The bioaccumulation factors of different elements varied widely (0.07-110.8).


Torque ripple is an important factor affecting the performance of Brushless DC motor(BLDCM).In this paper,the non-commutation torque ripple was analyzed,focusing on the torque ripple caused by PWM_ON modulation.The main part of the torque ripple was caused by the PWM_OFF,and the diode freewheeling of inactive phase can compensate the torque ripple to some extent.Meanwhile,hysteresis current control was proposed to suppress the non-commutation torque ripple.The simulation and experiment show the difference between the method and the traditional method,and prove the validity of the method suppressing the torque ripple during non-commutation.


Are we to accept quantization as a fundamental property of nature, the origin of which does not require or admit further investigation? To get an insight into this question we consider atomic systems as open systems, since they are by necessity in contact with the electromagnetic radiation field. This includes not only photonic radiation, but, more importantly for our purposes, the random zero-point or nonthermal radiation that pervades the Universe. The Heisenberg inequalities, atomic stability and the existence of discrete solutions are explained as a result of the permanent action of this field upon matter and the balance between mean absorbed and emitted powers in the equilibrium regime. A detailed study carried out along the years has led to the usual quantum-mechanical formalism as a powerful and revealing statistical description of the behavior of matter in the radiationless approximation, as well as to the radiative corrections of nonrelativistic QED. The theory presented gives thus a response to the question posed above, within a local, realist and objective framework: quantization appears as an emergent phenomenon due to the matter-field interaction.


Phenolic oxidative coupling of 1-(3,4-dihydroxybenzyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-isoquinolinium iodide gave 2,3,5-trihydroxy-6-methoxyaporphine methopicrate, which was methylated with diazomethane to give glaucine methopicrate, identical with an authentic sample obtained by an alternative synthetic method.


We revisit the results of a recent paper by Equipo Anova, who claim to find evidence of an improvement in Venezuelan imports of food and medicines associated with the adoption of U.S. financial sanctions towards Venezuela in 2017. We show that their results are consequence of data coding errors and questionable methodological choices, including the use an unreasonable functional form that implies a counterfactual of negative imports in the absence of sanctions, the omission of data accounting for four-fifths of the country's food imports at the time of sanctions and incorrect application of regression discontinuity methods. Once these errors are corrected, the evidence of a significant improvement in the level and rate of change in imports of essentials disappears.


Influenced by existentialism-phenomenology,R.D.Laing viewed people as unique existence. He disagreed with the modes of traditional mental disorder diagnoses by an experienced classified manual. He maintained we should look schizophrenia in the context and treat them with more personality. Laing was against the stiff technical treatment,paying more attention to the relationship between psychotherapists and sufferers. He regarded treating as a special spirit travel with sufferers. Laing's ideology has promoted the reform and development of contemporary psychiatry,and hence has practical significance.


Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in patients aged 19 years or younger is increasing significantly and many patients possess risk factors that predispose to ACL re-tear. Lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) may be performed in conjunction with ACLR to reduce the risk of ACL re-tear. Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of performing a lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) with a modified Lemaire technique (MLT) in conjunction with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in children and adolescents at increased risk for failed ACLR. Methods: A consecutive series of patients who underwent ACLR and LET with a minimum of 2-year follow-up data was analyzed retrospectively. ACLR techniques included all-epiphyseal (AE) and complete transphyseal (CT) and were indicated based on skeletal age. Skeletally immature patients underwent a QUAD ACLR. Patients with closed or closing growth plates underwent a BTB ALCR. Outcome measures included participants' return to sports, concomitant or subsequent surgical procedures and multiple patient-reported outcome measures, including Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), Pediatric International Knee Documentation Committee (Pedi-IKDC) and HSS Functional Activity Brief Scale (HSS Pedi-FABS) scores. Results: Sixty-seven consecutive patients (mean age 15.16 ±1.74 years, range 11-19 years, 64% female) were analyzed (Table 1). Sixty-five patients (97%) participated in organized sports including soccer, basketball, football and lacrosse, with soccer being the most popular one. The median grade at the time of surgery was 9th grade. Eleven patients (16%) were revision ACLR procedures. Eight (12%) patients underwent AE and 59 (88%) underwent CT ACLR. Forty-six (69%) cases employed a QUAD autograft, while 21 (31%) utilized a BTB autograft. All patients underwent a LET with a MLT and 2 patients underwent simultaneous implant mediated guided growth with a plate for structural genu valgum. At two-year follow-up, median SANE score was 97, median Pedi-IKDC score was 91, and median HSS-Pedi Fabs score was 25. RTS rate was 93%. Fifteen patients had subsequent surgical procedures, including 3 hardware removal procedures for hemiepiphysiodesis, 4 contralateral ACLR, 5 meniscus surgeries, 1 lysis of adhesions, 1 hammertoe correction and 1 revision ACLR for BTB graft re-rupture. Two patients were lost to follow-up and excluded from the study. Conclusion: The findings suggest that concomitant LET and ACLR in adolescent patients with risk factors for failed ACLR is associated with favorable patient-reported outcomes, high return to sports participation, and low ACL re-rupture rate at two years follow-up. Table 1 Patient Demographics and Surgical Characteristics


Home gateway is the key equipment of home information system. SOC design is more and more dependent on reusable IP, in the meantime on chip memories become very popular. As on chip memories act important position in SOC and occupy a large share of the total area of SOC, when we design the homegate SOC, we use a new modified march2 algorithm and support MIBST run on full-speed operate mode and asynchronous debug mode. The design meets quit good performance.


Abstract. The contents of prealbumin, retinol binding protein, and retinol in normal human serum have been estimated. The amounts of prealbumin were, on average, 6 times larger than those of RBP, that is a two‐fold molar excess of prealbumin over RBP. Retinol and RBP were present in about the same molar amounts. Prealbumin occurred in two molecular forms in serum. About half of the prealbumin was bound to RBP (prealbumin‐RBP complex) and half was in free form. In spite of the molar excess of prealbumin, small amounts of free RBP were encountered. The free RBP was isolated from normal serum and displayed about the same characteristics as RBP isolated from the prealbumin‐RBP complex. Some significant differences were noted however. The free RBP had a lower content of retinol and one amino acid residue less of arginine. The contents of prealbumin, RBP, and retinol were also estimated in the sera of patients subjected to chronic haemodialysis. The amounts of prealbumin and retinol were normal or somewhat low whereas the values for RBP were considerably elevated. The size distribution of RBP and retinol in the serum of one of these patients showed that the amount of free RBP was considerably elevated whereas the amount of the prealbumin‐RBP complex was normal. Retinol was apparently associated only with the prealbumin‐RBP complex. Various analyses revealed that RBP, isolated in free form from serum, did not bind to prealbumin in contrast to RBP from the prealbumin‐RBP complex. It is suggested that the free species of RBP, present in serum, represents a transitory form which has fulfilled its physiological role and will rapidly be degraded by the kidney.