a previous study by Héma-Québec, coincides with donor reported reinfection. Study Design/Methods: A cohort of 3437 blood donors were tested at each donation for Ab against the spike (S) protein (Ortho VITROS S Total Ig), and S-reactive samples were tested for N Ab (Roche Elecsys Total Ig) between June 2020 and June 2021. Ortho VITROS N Total Ig replaced Roche in July 2021 and testing continued through October 2022. Quarterly surveys in 2022 were used to identify donors with selfreported infections. Reinfections were defined as a second reported infection. We evaluated whether reinfections were corroborated by a 1.5 increase in N Ab S/CO from consecutive donations after the first observed N Ab decline from a previously tested peak. The proportion of donors with confirmed reinfection was calculated. Inter-assay variability by correlation and mean log10 paired difference for samples tested on both assays were assessed. Results/Findings: Among 88 donors with reported reinfections, 77 had donated specimens tested before and after the infection; 69/77 (90%) were identified using the 1.5x ratio criteria. For all reinfections (n = 69), median boost inter-donation interval was 90 days (IQR: 63-126 days); median boost ratio, 10.9 (IQR: 5.3–29.1 , range: 1.6–644.2 ); and median postinfection N Ab S/CO was 277.0 (IQR: 229.0–322.0). Comparison of 1112 dual N Ab tested samples showed strong correlation (r = .91); VITROS N S/COs were slightly higher (mean log10 diff: 0.2, SD: 0.56). Conclusions: The ratio-based boosting method had good sensitivity, with 90% of reinfections identified. However, the approach may be limited if N Abs are measured infrequently due to long inter-donation intervals where unobserved boosts may be negated by waning. Almost all confirmed reinfections occurred after July 2021 (n = 68), a likely consequence of increasing primary infections along with immunity escaping virus variants. As reinfections increase, so too does the importance of their identification to monitor the burden of SARS-CoV-2. P-BB-59 | Optimizing Donor Malaria Management in Australia Using a Risk and Cost Effectiveness Analysis


Geographic information system (GIS) technologies can be used for working with spatial data on subject of transport. Different kinds of transport are being characterized by their specific functions, which can be determined by using GIS. The problem of data's selection for spatial analysis has special difficulty. In the abstract several versions of data's estimating are tested. In complex approach for solving problems of regional automobile transport's clustering analysis was applied. Also, estimating indicators of density and configuration of Mordovian administrative districts' transportation network were used. Researchers of ecological problems caused by automobile transport functioning, usually, use data of pollution rate of motor vehicle and road-net density. In this abstract the authors have used algorithm of estimate classification for construction of territorial unit's typology. On the date base that receives by tools of ArcView GIS-packet, several maps were created. They reflect specifics of Mordovian Republic's road-net and transportation's influence on population life activity. Proposed modeling of typological and estimating characteristics of Mordovian Republic's roadnet can be used for solving problems of regional automobile transport functioning and spatial governing.


Introduction of a robot arm lifting crutches, crutches robot arm lifting the present invention, the lifting device is through a speed reducer may be from the front of the body, and the gently lifted slowly down the operation of two human patients, it can be very safe good control center of the body position of the security issues fixed the sick and elderly, greatly reducing the labor intensity, improve safety and reduce the risk of the occurrence of responsibility and, at the same time, but also reduce for severely ill patients have helped someone , the nurses, the labor intensity is great, but sometimes too easily lead to dangerous. The work of the present invention is by hand crank on the gear unit, about the direction of rotation of the hand crank, height adjustment lever down, let the patient or the elderly feel safe and comfortable.


The Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery began management under an individual fishing quota (IFQ) system in January 2007. The expectation is that direct ownership stakes by fishers would bring greater involvement on behalf of the boat owners and fishers and more responsible and sustainable fishing practices for a depressed fish population. Online and phone surveys of fishers involved in the Florida red snapper fishery were performed to gauge their responses to this change in management policy. In addition, red snapper prices were evaluated before and after the IFQ system. Contrary to opinions published by IFQ supporters, our survey found that most fishers disapproved of the IFQ design process overall and generally distrusted fishery management. Although the suggestion by many of the survey respondents to restrict ownership of IFQ shares strictly to active working fishers may seem extreme, such regulation may be appropriate. In addition, the available ex-vessel price data for red snapper indicate a 10 percent increase in the price that fishers receive for their catch.


Development and Verification of a Laboratory for the Emissions Testing of Locomotive Engines Michael R. Shahan West Virginia University (WVU) currently has a Transportable Emissions Laboratory capable of measuring the exhaust constituents produced by a heavy duty diesel engine. The laboratory has the capability of measuring the exhaust constituents from a partial exhaust stream of a locomotive diesel engine. As the field of locomotive engine emissions testing broadens, it has become desirable for WVU to develop a laboratory that is capable of sampling the gaseous exhaust constituents produced by a locomotive engine from a raw, undiluted gas stream, in tandem with a partial flow dilution tunnel system for particulate matter. This document provides the design philosophy behind such a laboratory, as well as laboratory studies to verify the proper functionality of such system. Results from the study include the comparison of gaseous emissions between WVU's Engines and Emissions Laboratory (EERL) full exhaust dilution tunnel system resulting in laboratory percentage differences of 3.4%, 3.57%, 0.33%, and 2.93% for hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, respectively. The partial flow dilution tunnel system was tested on a locomotive engine. The results from that study produced an overall system percentage difference of 4.8% for the line-haul mode of the first engine, 5.69% and 8.2% for the line-haul and switch mode, respectively for the second engine.


This report is a result of a master thesis project. The project was launched to get more information of the factors affecting the mass balance of small glaciers in Northern Iceland. Observations on the glaciers were analysed in comparison with previous estimations of mass balance (Eythorsson and Sigtryggsson, 1971), a degree-day mass-balance model (MBT) and an atmospheric model MM5 (National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) / Pennsylvania State University).


The development of paravalvular leak (PVL) following surgical replacement of an aortic or mitral valve is an uncommon complication with significant morbidity and mortality. Surgical or percutaneous repair of PVL can be technically challenging. We describe the application of intracardiac echocardiography guided 3‐dimensional electroanatomic mapping to facilitate PVL closure in a symptomatic patient with a previously placed bioprosthetic mitral valve. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


ABSTRACT Liefu, A., 2020. An analysis of the dynamic relationship between the Maritime Silk Road and the economic growth of China's import and export trade. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 121–125. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The degree of economic growth of import and export trade is the key factor in evaluating the development of the Maritime Silk Road. To further analyze the dynamic relationship between the Maritime Silk Road and the economic growth of China's import and export trade, this paper builds the spatial econometric model, judges the relationship of the analysis error with the spatial external effect model, and carries out lag regulation. The countries along the Maritime Silk Road are roughly divided into Gulf, South Asia, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. To begin, it is necessary to build a preliminary linear regression equation for the economic growth of import and export of countries along the Maritime Silk Road and China. Taking the output value of import and export, the total amount of investment in the infrastructure, and gross domestic product as the analysis indicators, this study explores the dynamic relationship between the Maritime Silk Road and the economic growth of China's import and export trade and tests the validity of the analysis model through empirical testing. The results show that in different periods and with different policies, the relationship between the Maritime Silk Road and the economic growth of China's import and export trade will change accordingly. At the same time, the participation of different indicators will affect the change range.


The heat of formation of HNO is determined from ab initio calculations to very high accuracy. Two independent approaches have been used to verify the reliability. The singles and doubles coupled‐cluster approach that includes a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations, denoted CCSD(T), has been used in conjunction with very large one‐particle basis sets that include up to g functions. Correlation of the core electrons has also been investigated. The two approaches agree to within 0.4 kcal/mol, and our best estimate for ΔHf,0o (ΔHf,298o) is 26.7±0.8 kcal/mol (26.0±0.8 kcal/mol). This value is 2.2 kcal/mol larger than the currently accepted experimental value, indicating an error in the experimental determination.


1. A study was made of the voluntary intake of hay of low nutritive value by sheep when given four different amounts of concentrate foods (9, 18, 27 and 36 g/kg W0.73/day) each providing three levels of protein (1·3, 2·6 and 3·9 g DCP/kg W0.73/day). Hay alone was offered as a separate treatment. The trial was designed as an incomplete Latin square with thirteen treatments, thirteen sheep and four replicates. 2. Voluntary intake of low-protein hay by sheep was invariably lowered when they were given increasing amounts of concentrates. Hay consumption was also affected by level of supplementary protein; intakes increasing sharply from the lowest level provided (1·3 g DCP/kg metabolic body weight) to maximal intakes when about 3 g DCP/kg W0.73 were given to the sheep. 3. Total food and digestible energy (DE) intakes were similarly affected by changes in dietary protein level. Successive increments in concentrate allowances, except at the highest level of concentrate input, caused corresponding reductions in hay intake so that total food consumption remained similar (when protein level was kept constant). In consequence, DE intakes rose to maxima when approximately 30 g concentrate/kg W0.73/day were fed to the sheep.


ABSTRACT In training, task proficiency is typically assessed through relevant performance measures. Such measures provide information about how effectively the individual can perform the task, but they give no insight about cognitive efficiency. Neural signals may provide this information regarding a trainee's task proficiency that performance measures alone cannot. The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns in neural activity that are indicative of task proficiency. Ten novice participants completed ten trials of a maneuvering task in a lifeboat simulator while their neural activity was recorded via electroencephalography (EEG). Power spectral features were used along with linear discriminant analysis to classify the data from pairs of adjacent trials. Repeated measures mixed model linear regression showed that, on average, the accuracy with which adjacent trials could be discriminated from each other decreased significantly over the course of training. The result indicates that with practice, the associated neural activity becomes more similar from trial to trial.


This paper proposes a new multimodal stereovision framework for wildland fires detection and analysis. The proposed system uses near infrared and visible images to robustly segment the fires and extract their three-dimensional characteristics during propagation. It uses multiple multimodal stereovision systems to capture complementary views of the fire front. A new registration approach is proposed, it uses multisensory fusion based on GNSS and IMU data to extract the projection matrix that permits the representation of the 3D reconstructed fire in a common reference frame. The fire parameters are extracted in 3D space during fire propagation using the complete reconstructed fire. The obtained results show the efficiency of the proposed system for wildland fires research and firefighting decision support in operational scenarios.


Objective:To establish a bacterial endotoxins determination method for Compound Glycyrrhizin for Injection. Methods:The experiment and the judegment of its result were made according to the appendix ⅪE of Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2005 vol Ⅱ. Results:The injection interfered to the bacterial endotoxins test, but inhibition effect could be eliminated by diluting to 240 times. Conclusion:The bacterial endotoxins test can be used to determinate Compound Glycyrrhizin for Injection.


We consider a coupled quantum system, where two identical one-atom lasers interface with each other via the light-induced long-range dipolar interaction between two laser-active atoms. We theoretically investigate the effects of the interatomic interaction on the lasing dynamics from three experimentally measurable aspects, including the light intensity, the first-order correlation of the laser field, and the intensity–intensity correlation. We find that the long-range interatomic coupling leads to the high intercoherence between two laser fields. Finally, we discuss the experimental feasibility of this coupled system.


This article provides comprehensive information about new developments in the field of quality evaluation in Europe. It focuses on the most important international documents adopted and signed by the European authorities responsible for higher education--the Sorbonne and the Bologna Declarations and the Prague Communique´. It briefly analyzes the follow-up activities of the Bologna process initiated by the academic community of European higher education institutions, their students and their various organizations, and describes certain important consequences linked to them. Some background information about several European countries is given so as to highlight real situations.


An electroluminescent diode utilizing vapor-deposited poly(alkylfluorene) has been demonstrated. Efficiency of electroluminescence has been increased by using vapor deposition of poly(alkylfluorene) as an emitting layer. A three layered structure of poly(alkylfluorene) diode has been fabricated using the vapor deposition technique. The energy band diagram is discussed for the layered structure of the diode.


Objective To evaluate the urodynamic outcome after bladder augmentation using double de-epithelialized segment of small intestine lined with urothelium. Methods Twenty-five children with neurogenical bladder (age range,4 to 14 years;16 males and 9 females) underwent bladder augmentation using de-epithelialized segment of small intestine lined with urothelium.Pre- and post-operative voiding cystoureterography,urodynamic and clinical evaluation were performed on them.Of them 21 cases were followed up for 6 to 24 months after operation. Results Bladder volume was increased from pre-operative (142.14±45.88)ml to post-operative (242.62±60.04) ml,compliance from (3.26±1.57) ml/cmH 2O (1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa) to(8.10±3.00)ml/cmH 2O,and maximum urine flow rate from (3.00±1.00) ml/s to (7.60±2.90)ml/s,respectively(P0.01).Detrusor pressure was decreased from (52.00±14.11)cmH 2O to (33.33±15.39)cmH 2O and residual urine/bladder volume from 0.33±0.11 to 0.16±0.10,respectively (P0.01).Detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia and urethral closing pressure had no change.Non-inhibitory contraction was reduced.Urinary feeling recovered in 7 cases. Vesicoureteral reflux was relieved in 9 cases. Conclusions Bladder augmentation using double de-epithelialized segment of small intestine lined with urothelium can increase the bladder volume and compliance,meanwhile decrease the detrusor pressure and hyperreflexia. Detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia,detrusor hyperreflexia and low urethral closing pressure are the main factors that result in poor clinical outcomes.


This work by a literary critic examines the cultural and historical connections between Christian, aesthetic, and erotic discourses in the works of J.-K. Huysmans, Walter Pater, Oscar Wilde, and other lesser-known figures associated with the decadent movement of the late nineteenth century. The author defines "decadence" as the "late romantic movement in art and literature that raised the aestheticism dictum of 'art for art's sake' to the status of a cult" (2). From a religious perspective, the movement was notable for the unprecedented number of converts to Rome and its intense interest in the historical relationship between homoeroticism and Roman Catholicism. The decadents took the romantic's interest in mysticism to new heights (or depths), displaying a distinctive taste for all that they viewed as "sumptuous, brutal, and bizarre in Christian traditions" (5). Stylistically and thematically, according to Hanson, decadence was an aesthetic in which "failure and decay [were] considered as seductive, mystical, or beautiful" (3). Catholicism, albeit a Catholicism embraced episodically and ambivalently, was central, Hanson argues, to both the stylistic peculiarities and the thematic preoccupations of the decadents. Rejecting the tendency to disparage the decadents' engagement with Catholicism as heretical, insincere, or otherwise aberrant, Hanson claims that "[i]n decadent Catholicism we can glimpse the beginnings of a conception of religion that we might now regard as poststructural or postmodern in its valorization of perversity, paradox, textuality, and performativity" (26).


From western Hubei to northwestern Hunan,the product position of lead-zinc ore increases from north to south.It is found that the source bed position controls the product position of lead-zinc deposit,as it is argillaceous carbonaceous clastic rock in lower Sinian System Doushantuo Formation in the north of western Hubei.In the south of western Hunan,the source bed could be argillaceous carbonaceous clastic rock in lower Cambrain System Niutitang Formation.When the stratigraphic unconformity interface and filling system of basin are the ore forming units,the occurrence and location of lead-zinc ore in carbonatite stratum upside are limited by the source bed of lead-zinc ore in clastic rock stratum underpart.The deposit position is the result of coupling and critical transformation by hydrotherm,source bed,report mine construction,storage space and shielding layer.The lead-zinc deposit is classified as the basin-derived hydrothermal deposit.


The cold dark matter (CDM) cosmological model unambiguously predicts that a large number of haloes should survive as subhaloes when they are accreted into a larger halo. The CDM model would be ruled out if such substructures were shown not to exist. By contrast, if the dark matter consists of warm particles (WDM), then below a threshold mass that depends on the particle mass far fewer substructures would be present. Finding subhaloes below a certain mass would then rule out warm particle masses below some value. Strong gravitational lensing provides a clean method to measure the subhalo mass function through distortions in the structure of Einstein rings and giant arcs.Using mock lensing observations constructed from high-resolution N-body simulations, we show that measurements of approximately 100 strong lens systems with a detection limit of 10^7h−1M⊙ would clearly distinguish CDM from WDM in the case where this consists of 7 keV sterile neutrinos such as those that might be responsible for the 3.5 keV X-ray emission line recently detected in galaxies and clusters.


The adsorption characteristics of carbofuran on commercial ac tivated carbon (C AC-F200) from aqueous solution were evaluated. Batch adsorption processes were conducted to study the effects of various parameters such as initial concentration, agitation time and solution pH on carbofuran adsorption. Adsorption capacity was found to increase with incr ease in initial concentration and agitation time, while acidic pH was more favorable for the adsorption of ca rbofuran. Equilibrium data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. Th e equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir isotherm, yielding maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 97.1 mg/g at 30 o C. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo second order kinetic model.


The design of a notch filter poses challenges in managing the tradeoff between distortion in the passband and the notch band. The ideal notch filter has a 3-dB notch bandwidth (BW) equal to zero in the notch band and the unity gain in the passband. Therefore, the design objective is to shrink the BW as small as possible while preserving the gain as close to one as possible. The task of a notch filter is to eliminate interference while preserving the target broadband signal. These filters have many applications for narrowband interference removal in biomedical engineering [1], speech processing [2], image processing [3], [4], and communication [5]. In this article, we describe two ways to implement a notch filter. First, we present a simple notch filter and then illustrate why its performance is less than ideal. Next, we present a trick to apply a novel feedback structure to that notch filter, which improves its performance to nearly ideal. With the help of the feedback structure, we obtain an adjustable parameter. By tuning this parameter, different characteristics of the notch filter are obtained due to the change of its poles' position.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the usefulness of situated learning in business education.Design/methodology/approach – Illustrative case study.Findings – The increasingly popular situated learning approach holds some possible solutions to the emerging crisis of business schools' educational models. The key challenge in our view is to develop an area where action‐oriented learning can take place – and take place in a form that resembles the key idea of situated learning – that learners must become involved in a knowledge‐production process.Research limitations/implications – Situated approaches to learning, such as communities of practice (CoP), are not directly transferable to business schools' curricular teaching without considering the power relations and structural characteristics of the actors potentially constituting the CoP in which learning is to unfold.Originality/value – This paper addresses the issue of power relations and structural characteristics and shows through an illus...


Systemic autoimmune diseases are characterized by the overexpression of type I IFN stimulated genes, and accumulating evidence indicate a role for type I IFNs in these diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms for this are still poorly understood. To explore the role of type I IFN regulated miRNAs in systemic autoimmune disease, we characterized cellular expression of miRNAs during both acute and chronic type I IFN responses. We identified a T cell‐specific reduction of miR‐31‐5p levels, both after intramuscular injection of IFNβ and in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS). To interrogate the role of miR‐31‐51p in T cells we transfected human CD4+ T cells with a miR‐31‐5p inhibitor and performed metabolic measurements. This identified an increase in basal levels of glucose metabolism after inhibition of miR‐31‐5p. Furthermore, treatment with IFN‐α also increased the basal levels of human CD4+ T‐cell metabolism. In all, our results suggest that reduced levels of miR‐31‐5p in T cells of SjS patients support autoimmune T‐cell responses during chronic type I IFN exposure.


There is growing demand for high‐throughput measurement of biochemical reactions in drug discovery and directed evolution programs. To meet this need, a powerful platform based on droplet‐based bioreactors manipulated by microfluidic systems is being developed, which can overcome the limitations of scale and power encountered in conventional screening methods. This paper reports our progress in the synthesis of enzymes and assay of their activity within a microfluidic droplet system. The model system we use involves the organophosphorus hydrolase enzyme OpdA from Agrobacterium radiobacter and a robust microchip made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Synthesis of OpdA from cognate DNA within water‐in‐oil droplets was tested using both in‐house and commercial in vitro transcription and translation (IVTT) kits. OpdA activity was measured using coumaphos as substrate and by monitoring the fluorescence released by its product, chlorferone. OpdA was demonstrated to be synthesized and assayed within the droplets using the commercial in vitro transcription and translation kit, although the activity measured within the droplets diminished over time, apparently due to leakage of chlorferone out of the droplets.


Bacteria colonize reactive minerals in soils where they contribute to mineral weathering and transformation. So far, the specificity, patterns, and dynamics of mineral colonization have rarely been assessed under natural conditions. High throughput Illumina sequencing was employed to investigate the bacterial communities assembling on illite and goethite during exposure to natural grassland soils. Two different types of organic carbon sources, simple carbon compounds representing root exudates and detritus of two dominant grassland plant species were applied and their effects on the temporal dynamics of bacterial communities were investigated. The observed temporal patterns suggest that the surfaces of de novo exposed minerals in soils drive the establishment of bacterial communities and override the effect of the type of carbon sources and of other environmental properties. Mineral colonization was selective and specific bacterial sequence variants exhibited distinct colonization patterns, among which early, intermittent and late colonizers could be distinguished. Based on our results, soil minerals are not only colonized by specific bacterial communities but enable a succession of different bacterial communities. Our results thereby expand the concept of the mineralosphere and provide novel insights into mechanisms of community assembly in the soil ecosystem. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Abstract By 2030, nearly 3 in 10 older Americans will identify as a member of a diverse or underrepresented group. To better support diverse, aging communities and help professionals meet the growing needs of family and friend caregivers, the Diverse Elders Coalition developed a comprehensive cultural competency training curriculum that, in the first year of development, engaged over 2,500 healthcare and social service providers. To evaluate the short and long-term impact of the training curriculum, this paper focuses on two types of anonymous evaluations that were electronically distributed to training attendees: 1) Subjective knowledge post-tests (n=162), and 2) 3-month post-training follow-ups (n=232). Majority of participants identified as female, White/Caucasian, and earned at least a college degree. Upon completion of the trainings, participants reported improved subjective knowledge about diverse communities, more confidence and preparedness to meet diverse caregivers' needs, and also indicated that because of the training they would engage in a variety of diversity related actions (e.g., use more inclusive language, share training resources with colleagues, attend additional diversity trainings). At the 3-month follow-up, 91.8% of respondents reported they engaged in two or more diversity related actions since attending the training. Respondents (73.8%) also indicated that their organization engaged in one or more diversity-related actions since attending the training (e.g., provided staff additional diversity-related trainings, translated materials). Discussion will focus on ways to improve healthcare and social service providers' advocacy efforts and awareness surrounding the needs of older adults and caregivers from diverse communities.


N TODAY'S SCIENTIFIC ERA,MOLECULAR RESEARCH HAS PAVED thewayforthedevelopmentofpharmaceuticalsthatare improving the lives of millions of patients. The discovery of the human immunodeficiency retrovirus as the causativeagentofAIDSledtothedevelopmentofreversetranscriptase inhibitors such as zidovudine. Monoclonal antibodiesdirectedagainsttumornecrosisfactorhavechanged the lives of many patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Imatinib mesylate, a specific inhibitor of the bcr-abl protein kinase,hastransformedtheprognosisforpatientswithchronic myeloid leukemia; and as drug-resistant variants arise, DNA sequencing can identify the mutations responsible and providearationalbasisforfurtherdrugdevelopment. 1,2 In2004 thefirstangiogenesisinhibitorswereapprovedbytheUSFood and Drug Administration, in one case for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and in another for age-related macular degeneration. 3,4 There is reason for optimism that this is justthebeginning,andthatthehugeinvestmentsinmolecular biology and genomics research made 10 to 30 years ago will provide an increasingly robust flow of new and effective medicines. Yet this gap of 10 to 30 years between discovery research andpharmaceuticalsbeingprescribedbyphysiciansalsogives


Abstract A re-examination of the type material of the atelostomate echinoid Enallopneustes Pomel reveals that the type species E. jullieni (Peron & Gauthier) represents small specimens of Hemipneustes Agassiz. A new genus, Medjesia, is erected for E. meslei Gauthier, the only other species previously ascribed to Enallopneustes- a form with a Hemipneustes- like plastron, a marginal fasciole and an ethmophract apical system. Full descriptions of both these species are presented and details of plastron structure are given for the first time.


In this paper, we overview the design of tablet apps built to teach introductory computer science concepts, and present the results and conclusions from a study conducted during a first year computer science course at McMaster University. Game design elements were incorporated into the apps we designed to teach introductory computer science concepts, with the primary aim of increasing student satisfaction and engagement. We tested these apps with students enrolled in the course during their regular lab sessions and collected data on both the usability of the apps and the student's understanding of the concepts. Though overall we found students preferred instruction with the apps compared to more traditional academic instruction, we found that students also recommended combined instruction using both traditional methods and the apps in the future. Based on this we conclude that gamification and serious game design approaches are effective at increasing student satisfaction, and make several recommendations regarding the usage and design of educational software incorporating game design elements.


The number of foreigners who choose to come and live in China is increasing year by year.Is life in China more comfortable,exciting, affordable,or luxurious than the life they live in their countries? Let's see what foreigners have to say.


On 24 March 1976, the Argentine military staged a coup d'état and established dictatorship. To eliminate radical left activists, the armed forces perpetrated mass civilian murder until democratic transition in 1983. The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo emerged, protesting their children's disappearance by mobilizing portraiture to make visible familial rupture and indict the state. This article examines the archival exhibit, Esta se fue, a esta la mataron, esta murió (2017), which displayed trans women's vernacular photographs and family albums from the 1970s–1980s, the same years as dictatorship. Analyzing the exhibit's curatorial choices and the photographs' material and haptic qualities, this article reads the exhibit alongside the Mothers' iconic activist visual culture and national narratives of family loss. In doing so, the author suggests the exhibit renders trans sociality familial and familiar to a national viewing public, thereby reinterpreting Argentine history by installing trans subjects as proper subjects of national mourning.


Abstract A helical antenna that is printed on a layered dielectric hemisphere has been studied when a parasitic helical wire is incorporated in the structure. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the 3 dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth can be enhanced by approximately 100% for optimized length and position of the parasitic wire. The analysis has been implemented using the method of moments (MoM), and good agreement has been achieved between computations and measurements.


Background: Many women in clinical practice desire a panniculectomy following a cesarean section to remove excess skin and stretch marks that have grown during pregnancy. Aim of the study: : to see how panniculectomy and cesarean section worked together. Patients and Methods: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial that took place in the obstetric department of a hospital. Elmahalla, Elkobra -general hospital. Eligible 66 patients had been randomly collected; the groups were divided into two equal groups using a computer-generated randomization table, with group assignments hidden in sealed opaque envelopes: (n=33) Control Group (C): Patients underwent elective CS alone. Combined group (C+P) (n=33): Patients underwent panniculectomy Combined with Cesarean Delivery. Results: In terms of operative time and intraoperative bleeding, there was a substantial difference between the groups tested. There was a considerable distinction between the two groups regarding persistent bulging of abdomen, bulging of umbilicus Postoperative complications, operative time, intraoperative bleeding and stretch mark removal. Conclusion: Panniculectomy after cesarean section is linked to a higher rate of post-surgical fever and a higher rate of other wound problems, such as seromas and wound dehiscence. During cesarean section, removing the pannus was linked to higher incidence of blood loss, longer operative time and a larger incision. Further studies need to be undertaken to investigate the effect of combining panniculectomy with cesarean section.


A case study in the Tumut region of New South Wales with the aim of gaining an understanding of how people perceive environmental changes in the country they have lived in for many years is presented to better understand processes about land management and land use change. Local people accumulate knowledge about the country both from prior generations and from their own experiences, and this knowledge is closely related to aspects of their identity, which are vested in the landscape.


The distinction between canonical and canonoid transformations, introduced by Currie and Saletan (1972), is emphasised through an example, which also shows that the initial condition of their theorem was quite strict. A step forward is taken by reducing the requirement that all quadratic Hamiltonians be canonoid to the requirement that a finite number of them be canonoid.


Senior nursing managers have been urged to 'dump the hierarchy' in a bid to make health services more responsive to change.


The objective of this research project was to determine the effectiveness of a variable message fog warning sign system on a 6.5 mile fog prone section of Interstate 5 in Oregon. Prior to installing this variable message sign system in 1968, an intensive literature search was conducted to determine the optimum signing system for our needs. It was determined that prior experience with this type of system had not been adequately documented. Therefore, the "Oregon Design" was developed, and this study conducted to determine the system's effectiveness. The primary finding of this study was that the "Oregon Design" variable message fog warning sign system has been effective in reducing the number of fog related accidents on this section of highway. (FHWA)


In the toponymic picture of the world, toponyms are bearers of meanings. At the same time, it should be noted that both logical (universal) and idioethnic information can be embedded in them at the same time, therefore, toponyms acquire special linguistic and cultural significance, by combining universal and idioethnic reflection of Space. Initially, the toponymic concept of "Space" in the toponymy of Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Adygea was associated with the idea of time, structurally constituting it and fixed in the concept of "Time". Sacred and mythologized objects of Space organize it in time and consolidated in the culture of the folk that gives toponyms. The mythological archaic consciousness defined the center of Space – Human – and ordered its tribal territory, by reflecting the horizontal and vertical models of Space construction. In the toponymic concept of "Time", the figurative and value component is fixed, on the one hand, the semantic field includes the properties of the surrounding world reflected by the human consciousness, and on the other hand, it fixes in the toponym the ability of consciousness to reflect the surrounding world. In this study, we have set the comprehensive analysis of the conceptualization of time in the toponymy of a multicultural region as the objective. To implement this objective, a group of authors used a component method of linguistic analysis.


The paper presents the use of logistic regression to compute the reliability of MANets based on AODV, DSR and DSDV routing protocols. Simulation is performed in ns-2.35 simulation software. Comparisons of reliabilities of various types of MANets are presented in the paper. The simulation result shows that the reliability of MANet based on AODV and DSR routing protocols are better than MANet based on DSDV routing protocol. The reliability is better for smaller MANets based on DSR routing protocol and better for larger MANets based on AODV routing protocol respectively.


A protracted and severe cold outbreak struck Florida's peninsula during the first half of the month, causing varying degrees of damage to citrus, vegetables, and other crops. Much of the significant damage occurred on January 6-7 and 10-12, when temperatures dipped below 32°F as far south as the Everglades. Monthly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal across most of Florida's peninsula, and were also below normal across the remainder of the Southeast. Below-normal temperatures were also noted in much of the upper Midwest, where a very deep snow cover had become established during December and persisted through January. In contrast, above-normal January temperatures dominated the nation's northern tier and much of the West. Monthly readings averaged at least 5°F above normal in northern New England and portions of the Northwest. At some northwestern locations, it was the warmest January on record. Relatively dry conditions accompanied the northwestern warmth, while a barrage of midto late-month storms struck areas from California to the southern Plains. The storms more than doubled the water content of the Sierra Nevada snow pack and improved water-supply prospects throughout the nation's southwestern quadrant. Farther east, wintry weather added to already impressive snow depths in parts of the Midwest. Elsewhere, frequent precipitation maintained unfavorably soggy conditions from Alabama, Georgia, and northern Florida into the southern MidAtlantic states. However, heavy rain weatherwatch


Regeneration of functionally normal synapses is required for functional recovery after degenerative central nervous system insults and requires proper expression and targeting of presynaptic proteins by regenerating neurons. The reconstitution of presynaptic terminals by regenerating adult neurons is poorly understood, however. We examined the intrinsic ability of regenerating adult retinal photoreceptors to reconstitute properly differentiated presynaptic terminals in the absence of target contact. The expression and localization of vesicle‐associated membrane protein (VAMP), synaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2), synaptophysin, synapsin I, and synaptosomal‐associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP‐25) was assessed immunocytochemically. Photoreceptor terminals in the intact retina contain VAMP, SV2, synaptophysin, and SNAP‐25, but not synapsin I. Isolated, regenerating adult photoreceptors intrinsically expressed the proper complement of synaptic vesicle proteins in the absence of target contact: VAMP, SV2, and synaptophysin were present at all stages of regenerative growth; synapsin I was never expressed. At early stages of regenerative growth, VAMP, SV2, and synaptophysin were diffusely localized in the cell, with prominent VAMP labeling distributed along the plasma membrane. SV2 and synaptophysin rapidly localized to regenerated terminals, but VAMP accumulated much more slowly, indicating that these proteins are trafficked independently. In contrast, labeling for SNAP‐25, which is associated with the presynaptic plasma membrane, was undetectable in regenerating photoreceptors, suggesting that SNAP‐25 expression is target‐regulated. Thus, regenerating photoreceptors can intrinsically regulate the expression of the proper set of synaptic vesicle proteins. Proper expression of other presynaptic proteins, such as SNAP‐25, and proper subcellular localization of synaptic proteins such as VAMP, however, may require extrinsic cues such as target contact. J. Comp. Neurol. 443:275–288, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Artificial BaTiO3(BTO)/SrTiO3(STO) superlattices on STO substrates were fabricated by the molecular beam epitaxy process. The capacitance and the complex admittance of superlattices with interdigital electrode structures were measured at 1–110 MHz. The dielectric properties of the superlattices were evaluated by the electromagnetic analysis. It was found that the dielectric permittivity changed with the structure of superlattices and the highest permittivity of 33 000 was obtained for [(BTO)10/(STO)10]4 superlattice from 1 to 110 MHz.


The temperature of the sea and the movements of water carrying with it planktonic organisms have been the subject of study since the early days of marine biological research. As investigation of cold-blooded marine animals progresses, the controlling r61e played by the temperature of the surrounding water upon their breeding, rate of growth, and general metabolism, becomes increasingly evident.


Thirty pristine Shasta red fir stands (Abiesmagnifica var. shastensis Lemmon) in the North Coast Range and in the southern Sierra Nevada of California were sampled for stand and age structure by point-quarter and quadrat methods. In most respects, the two group of stands were not significantly different. The average Shasta red fir importance value was 285, the density of individuals >45 years old and >3 cm dbh was 318 ha−1, the basal area was 58 m2 ha–1, and the canopy cover was 56%. Sapling (1–45 years old) density averaged 1636 ha−1 and seedling (<1 year old) density averaged 12 400 ha−1. Shrub and herb cover and species richness were moderately low and most species were not present in more than one stand. Stand population age structure was many aged. Generally, there was a steep decline in numbers from seedling to sapling to understory tree (45–250 years) to mature overstory tree (250–600 + years) categories, a pattern characteristic of a climax species. The average annual radial trunk increment (breas...


Eustachian tubal function in patients with otitis media with effusion (OME) was qualitatively evaluated. Following observation of middle ear pressure, draining function of the Eustachian tube was tested by introduction of specially prepared dye into the middle ear and subsequent inspection of the nasopharyngeal opening of the tube for dye during application of swallowing. Obtained were followings:1. In cases of children, Eustachian tube may be reversibly functioned by equalizing the negative middle ear pressure to the ambient pressure. Draining function was considerably improved in 82.9% of cases. On the contrary, equalization of pressure difference may not provide the improvement of the Eustachian tubal function in cases of adults. Improvement in draining function was achieved only in two cases out of 34. These suggest that tubal dys-function is usually constituted by temporary functional disturbance of tubal opening and closing mechanism caused by persistent middle ear negative pressure in children, whereas Eustachian tube muscles are mainly involved in adults.2. Application of swallowing induced two different types of pressure change in the middle ear;(1) the positive pressure change followed by negative change (observed in 25% of cases), (2) just the negative pressure change (75%). Negative pressure dominant change may be considered to mainly contribute to the development of OME


This study aims to analyze the influence of leadership style, competence, compensation on employee performance and the impact on organizational performance on the employees of the Directorate General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities. This study used a survey method by distributing questionnaires to employees of the Directorate General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities. As the respondent. This research method uses quantitative methods with technical analysis of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the AMOS version 22 application. The research sample used in this study were 158 respondents. The results showed that leadership style, competence and compensation directly had a positive and significant effect on employee performance. Leadership style, competence and compensation directly have a positive and significant effect on organizational performance. Leadership style, competence and compensation indirectly have a positive and significant effect on organizational performance through employee performance.


We describe a hospital-based outbreak caused by multidrug-resistant, Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase 3–producing, mcr-1–positive K. pneumoniae sequence type 45 in Portugal. mcr-1 was located in an IncX4 plasmid. Our data highlight the urgent need for systematic surveillance of mcr-1 to support adequate therapeutic choices in the nosocomial setting.


Recent changes in the ideology of welfare have led to reductions in the scope for some individuals to play their desired part in funding the social welfare system through taxation. At the same time, there is a widely held view in the housing world that over the next 20 years the supply of rented homes is going to be too low to meet rising demand. Prospects for significantly increased public investment in new rented housing look slight. Private finance is now seen by government as the preferred source of capital funds for the creation of extra housing, not only in the private rented sector but also in the housing association sector, and perhaps in future in the local authority sector. However, the financial institutions-the most often quoted source of private finance currently appear reluctant to take on this role, at least in the privately rented sector. Presently, little attention is being given to the individual, as opposed to the institutional, investor. This paper-based on evidence gathered in a natio...


The role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the convergence of income level and growth has been investigated by panel data regressions. Bilateral FDI data from OECD from 1982 to 1997 is used. Income level and growth gaps between source and host countries turn out to decrease as bilateral FDI increases. It is also found that geographical closeness and common language play an important role in convergence in income level and growth.


The reusable capability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae FD11b was determined,which was used in the asymmetric reduction of phenylglyoxilic acid to R-(-)-mandelic acid.In the period of six continuous batches(14 days),FD11b kept a high catalytic reduction activity and the e.e.value of R-(-)-(mandelic) acid was higher than 96.5% in each one.When the biomass concentration was 12.5?g/L(cell dry weigh/ reactive volume) and the concentration of substrate phenylglyoxilic acid was controlled(between) 20 and 30?mmol/L,the concentration of product mandelic acid of 125?mmol/L could be achieved in 30 L fermentor after the reduction of 49?h,and the yield and enantiomeric excess of mandelic acid were 96.1% and 98.3%,respectively.


Objective
To explore the effect of the reconstruction of philtrum by strainless suture with symmetrical suture embedding for bilateral complete cleft lip.

Methods
19 cases of serious bilateral complete cleft lip were randomly selected and underwent the following therapy: arc-shaped cut was designed on the anterior lip operatively; anatomical dissociation were made in the lateral lip's muscle and were sutured strainlessly by symmetrical suture embedding. The result was observed postoperatively.

Results
The incisions in all the 19 cases primarily healed. Satisfactory configurations were achieved in the upper lips either during moving or in still and all philtrums had upper-narrow and infra-wide outline with obvious concave and ridge on them in 18 cases. Only 1 elderly patients got poor treatment effect because of too little tissue in anterior lip.

Conclusions
Strainless suture through symmetrical suture embedding for Serious bilateral complete cleft lip can achieve a satisfactory contour of philtrums but not for the elderly patients with too little tissue in anterior lip.

Key words:
Serious bilateral complete cleft lip; Cleft lip repair; Strainless suture with symmetrical suture embedding; Reconstruction of philtrum


T HE PUBLIC LAND LAW REVIEW Commission (hereinafter referred to as PLLRC) was established by a special act of Congress on September 19, 1964.1 It was directed to make a comprehensive review of the public land laws, rules and regulations, to study the policies and practices of the federal agencies charged with administrative jurisdiction over (public) lands, and to recommend necessary revisions. The Commission's landmark report included a discussion of the problem of revenue sharing and payments in lieu of taxes on federal property, together with three related recommendations.2 These recommendations are summarized as fol-


Most researchers hold the role of dynamic capability (DC) as a key factor of achieving sustainable entrepreneurship performance (SEP) and Organizational Performance (OP) with the competitive advantage of knowledge management practices (KMPs). However, the effects of KMPs with SEP and OP are still under discussion. Moreover, the ambidexterity view, exploring the direct impact of KMPs mediated by dynamic capabilities (DC), gives evidence of sustainable entrepreneurship and organizational performance. Measuring the gathered data of 480 textile-based SME entrepreneurs and organizations through structural equation modeling, the study's finding shows that KMPs positively and significantly influence sustainable entrepreneurship and organizational performance. Furthermore, this study explores the partial mediation of dynamic capabilities among KMPs with SEP and organization performance. At the same time, opportunity recognition is a moderator that strengthens the relationship between DCs with sustainable entrepreneurship and organizational performance. The study is limited to male textile-based SMEs and can be enhanced by female entrepreneurs. Furthermore, this research contributes to entrepreneurship students by encouraging better research work in current and existing studies, and practically assists government and private policymakers and business practitioners to formulate better strategies for the sustainability and economic growth of a country.


Parabolic coordinates allow Schrodinger's equation to be solved analytically for a particle confined to the xy plane and incident with velocity v on a potential C/r. In sharp contrast to the three‐dimensional case, the cross section assumes its classical value only in the rationally foreseeable classical regime ‖C‖/ℏv≫1, but not otherwise; and in this low‐velocity regime the enhancement factor (probability density at the origin) for an attractive potential tends to 2 (independently of the value of ‖C‖), instead of diverging as in three dimensions like some inverse power of v.


In hypersonic vehicles, regenerative cooling is used to handle the thermal load encountered in the combustion chamber. In this method, the fuel itself flows through a cooling channel and is circulated around the combustion chamber. The channel is made of porous material that enables fuel to also partially flow directly from the channel to the chamber by transpiration, which cools the wall by internal convection. The exposure of the fuel to high temperatures results in fuel pyrolysis producing carbon particles (coke). These particles are transported by the fuel and deposit inside the pores of the material resulting in a decrease of permeability of the medium. This process is very complex since it affects the heat transfers which generate the fuel pyrolysis and the formation of the particles. A test bench is developed in the current work to study the transient effect of the key parameters (i.e., filtrating mass flow rate, a load of particles in the flow) on the particles' transport and on their spatial dist...


This article proposes the application of the research-based teaching model to the course of advanced English reading for English majors.This teaching model is based on the teaching theories of constructivism and the interactive nature of the reading process.Through students' research on given topics with the use of the Internet resources and a greater focus on formative evaluation,the application of the research-based teaching model to the course of advanced English reading guides students in reading and in the analysis of the reading materials,broadens their knowledge scope,enriches their understanding of life and society,cultivates their abilities to critically analyze and appreciate literary masterpieces,consolidates and further improves their use of the English language.


Attribute-based Encryption has been ordinarily utilized in circulated computation wherever an information supplier re-appropriates his/her mixed data to a cloud professional association and may grant the information to customers having unequivocal capabilities (or properties). Regardless, the quality ABE structure does not backing secure elimination of excessive data, and that is vital for removal of duplicate copies of undefined knowledge, thus saving extra space and framework data transmission. During this paper, we tend to gift an attribute-based mostly limit system with secure elimination of excessive data during an ewer cloud setting, wherever a non-public cloud is in charge of duplicate acknowledgment associated an open cloud manages the limit. Differentiated and, therefore, the previous knowledge elimination of excessive data systems, our structure has two central focuses. Directly off the bat, it'd be wont to subtly bestow knowledge to customers by demonstrating access approaches instead of sharing unscrambling keys. Moreover, it brings home the portions of bacon the quality plan of linguistics security for knowledge protection. Whereas existing structures merely achieve it by representational process and additional delicate security thought. Besides, we tend to set forward a framework to vary a code text over one access approach into figure writings of the proportionate plaintext nonetheless below varied access game plans while not revealing the first plaintext.


Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), is causing a paradigm shift in coding practices and software solutions across diverse fields. This study focuses on harnessing the potential of ML/DL strategies in the geospatial domain, where geodata possesses characteristics that align with the concept of a "lingual manuscript" in aesthetic theory. By employing ML/DL techniques, such as feature evaluation and extraction from 3D point clouds, we can derive concepts that are specific to software, geographical areas, and tasks. ML/DL-based interpretation of 3D point clouds extends geospatial modelling beyond implicit representations, enabling the resolution of complex heuristic-based reconstructions and abstract concepts. These advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to optimize and expedite geodata computation and geographic information systems. However, ML/DL encounters notable challenges in this domain, including the need for abundant training data, advanced statistical methods, and the development of effective feature representations. Overcoming these challenges is essential to enhance the performance and efficacy of ML/DL systems. Additionally, ML/DL-based solutions can simplify software engineering processes by replacing certain aspects of current adoption and implementation practices, resulting in reduced complexities in development and management. Through the adoption of ML/DL, many of the existing explicitly coded GIS implementations may gradually be replaced in the long term. Overall, this research illustrates the transformative capabilities of ML/DL in geospatial applications and underscores the significance of addressing associated challenges to drive further advancements in the field.


The concept of children's literature has always been the focus that literary circle has discussed. Mr. Guo Mo-ruo points out children's literature is the " literature of children's standard " and descendants' summarization of Children's literature, both of which due to the factors of children's psychology. The novels of children's standard also show children's psychology with one's own aesthetic characteristics, which represent the infinite glamour of the novels of children


A discussion of potentially useful high-temperature poison systems for reactors is presented. The desirable properties in addition to favorable neutron capture include high melting points, low vaporization rates, mechanical stability, and chemical stability. The borides of transition metals of the IV and V groups and some rare earth oxides appear to be most interesting. (J.R.D.)


Quantitative microwave holography is a recently proposed imaging method that offers quantitative reconstruction in a quasi-real time. Since it is a direct inversion method, its utility is limited to weak-scattering problems. The feasibility of microwave holography in tissue reconstruction is studied here. The reconstruction results are promising, suggesting microwave holography is suitable as a linear inversion module within a nonlinear iterative procedure.


Since the '70s new therapeutic practices have been developed, involving the interaction between humans and dolphins - Tursiops truncatus in particular. Such practices are known as Dolphin-Assisted Therapies (DAT), a specific case of a more heterogeneous set of experiences with cetaceans called Dolphin-Assisted Activities (DAA). These include programs of dolphin watching and swimming in high seas, and shows in dolphinariums and marine parks. Although the promoters of this type of...


The explosive growth of traffic demand challenges the current cellular network. Device-to-Device assisted offloading is a promising solution for alleviating traffic overloading burdens. However, a content transmitter (CT) unwillingly participates in cellular offloading due to the selfish nature and non-cooperation. To this end, an incentive mechanism initiated by mobile users (MUs) is proposed to motivate the CT's participation for maximizing the CT's profit and mobile users' utilities. In particular, we consider the utility of a mobile user by jointly combining effects of social awareness and network congestion. The MUs and content providers offer proper economic payments to compensate the CT's energy consumption cost. The interactions among participants formulate a two-stage Stackelberg game. The main aim of this game is to reach Nash equilibrium (NE) that neither the CT nor MUs have incentives to deviate unilaterally. We theoretically prove the existence and uniqueness of NE. Furthermore, iterative algorithms are designed to calculate NE for obtaining the best strategies of the CT and MUs. Numerical results demonstrate the robustness and feasibility of our proposed model.


This article discusses how today's generation of water‐conserving plumbing products are completely re‐engineered to deliver conservation without compromise; however, there remains the issue of winning back the trust of end‐users, installers, and legislators. The article describes an effort to convince metropolitan Atlanta's 4 million residents to retrofit their bathrooms for water efficiency, including water‐efficiency testing to prove that high‐efficiency plumbing products carrying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense® label and/or those tested by respected third party agencies can be trusted to save water.


ABSTRACT This paper reports on the thoughts 6-year-olds and 9-year-olds have related to the serious issue of air and sea pollution. More specifically, twenty seven 6-year-olds and thirty 9-year-olds attending two state schools in Volos, a small provincial town in Greece participated in the research which assessed the students' competence to think systemically about dealing with pollution. The study sheds light on whether students are able to identify interrelations between the components of pollution, and clarifies the mental models they hold. Data was collected through drawings and interviews, subsequent analysis of which indicates that students appeared to hold two mental models related to pollution; pollution is connected both spatially and temporally with visible pollutants; and, pollution is connected indirectly with invisible pollutants. The students seemed to exhibit a kind of systemic thinking, which was done unconsciously to a certain degree. Thus it is a challenge for education to enhance students' systemic thinking in an attempt to bring it to a more conscious level, which will assist them to reconstruct their mental models of pollution.


SummarySpecies composition and structure of strongylid (Nematoda: Strongylidae) community were examined in 15 plains zebras (Equus burchelli) and 8 Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) kept in the "Askania-Nova" Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine). Strongylids were collected from zebras in vivo following deworming with the "Univerm" (0.2 % aversectin C, Russia). Twenty-two strongylid species (3 species of subfamily Strongylinae and 19 — of Cyathostominae) were found. In plains zebras, 21 strongylid species were found; from 3 to 14 species per host. In Grevy's zebras, 18 strongylid species were recorded; from 4 to 14 species per host. Cyathostominae dominated in the communities of both zebra species; they composed more then 99 % of strongylid number. Comparison of strongylid biodiversity in plains zebras from the "Askania-Nova" reserve with data collected from four African countries showed low similarity of strongylid faunas in zebras from Ukraine and Africa; the strongylid community was similar to those of domestic ponies from the same area.


In order to improve the service life of the needle roller bearing used in a precision cycloid reducer, and to reveal the skew and collision phenomenon of the needle roller bearing, based on the force analysis of the transmission mechanism of the cycloid reducer and considering the friction between the cycloid wheel, needle roller, cage, and crank shaft, the dynamic contact between the rolling bodies is simulated by the Hertz elastic contact, where the contact between the cage pocket hole and needle roller is equivalent to the spring and damping, and a nonlinear dynamic model of the needle roller bearing is established. The influence of different load and cage clearances on the deflection impact of the rotating needle roller bearing is calculated. The results show that the inclination of rollers is different under different pocket clearances, and the larger the pocket gap, the greater the fluctuation of the roller inclination angle; the action force of the crank shaft on the roller suppresses the deflection of the roller; the impact force of the roller on the cage has periodicity, which is consistent with the impact force of the crank shaft on the roller. The impact force of the cage is different under different loads, and the greater the load, the more rollers there are in the bearing area, the larger the impact force is, and the smaller the impact force of the rollers in the middle of the bearing zone is, compared with that of the rollers on the two sides; when the load is small, a pocket cage gap of 0.3 mm is selected, and when the load is heavy, a pocket cage gap of 0.2 mm is selected in order to make the bearing run more smoothly.


The combination of hyperpolarized Xe with chemical exchange saturation transfer (Hyper‐CEST) is a powerful NMR technique to detect highly dilute concentrations of Xe binding sites using RF saturation pulses. Crucially, that combination of saturation pulse strength and duration that generates the maximal Hyper‐CEST effect is a priori unknown. In contrast to CEST in proton MRI, where the system reaches a steady‐state for long saturation times, Hyper‐CEST has an optimal saturation time, i.e. saturating for shorter or longer reduces the Hyper‐CEST effect. Here, we derive expressions for this optimal saturation pulse length. We also found that a pulse strength, B1, corresponding to five times the Xe exchange rate, kBA (i.e. B1 = 5 kBA/γ with the gyromagnetic ratio of 129Xe, γ), generates directly and without further optimization 96 % of the maximal Hyper‐CEST contrast while preserving spectral selectivity. As a measure that optimizes the amplitude and the width of the Hyper‐CEST response simultaneously, we found an optimal saturation pulse strength corresponding to 2 times the Xe exchange rate, i.e.  B1=2kBA/γ . When extremely low host concentration is detected, then the expression for the optimum saturation time simplifies as it approaches the longitudinal relaxation time of free Xe. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


An efficient numerical method based on simulated annealing was developed to extract the diffusion and electromigration (EM) parameters for multi-phase intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed between under-bump-metallurgy (UBM) and solder bumps. This method was applied to the growth of Cu-Sn IMCs during thermal aging and electromigration in Pb-free solder joints with Cu UBM. Diffusion coefficients and effective charge numbers of Cu and Sn in IMCs were derived in this study. The simulated annealing approach provided superior efficiency and accuracy over the conventional grid heuristics, and was proven to be particularly useful for analyzing multiple parameters in multiphase systems, such as solder joints. The effect of EM-enhanced IMC growth on stress fields in solder joints was also studied using finite element analysis. The negative volumetric strain appeared to be an important factor contributing to the degradation of EM reliability of solder joints.


The venom proteome of the poorly studied desert coral snake Micrurus tschudii tschudii was unveiled using a venomic approach, which identified ≥38 proteins belonging to only four snake venom protein families. The three-finger toxins (3FTxs) constitute, both in number of isoforms (~30) and total abundance (93.6% of the venom proteome), the major protein family of the desert coral snake venom. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s; seven isoforms, 4.1% of the venom proteome), 1–3 Kunitz-type proteins (1.6%), and 1–2 l-amino acid oxidases (LAO, 0.7%) complete the toxin arsenal of M. t. tschudii. Our results add to the growing evidence that the occurrence of two divergent venom phenotypes, i.e., 3FTx- and PLA2-predominant venom proteomes, may constitute a general trend across the cladogenesis of Micrurus. The occurrence of a similar pattern of venom phenotypic variability among true sea snake (Hydrophiinae) venoms suggests that the 3FTx/PLA2 dichotomy may be widely distributed among Elapidae venoms.


Photopolymerizable acrylic coatings are widely used in present day optical devices. However they usually failed on the inadequate optical parameters and low water resistance. A novel class of the photopolymerizable coatings on the basis of multifunctional carbonate methacrylates with unique combination of properties is described. Their applications range from optical discs to different kinds of lenses and gradient elements for optical waveguides.


In the modern period, great scientific interest is aroused by the institutions of customary law, which have not only survived, but sometimes manifest themselves, increasing attention to the problem of the institution of blood feud in the North Caucasus region, for example, in the Republic of Ingushetia. In the republic, the authorities are doing a lot to reconcile the blood feuds and the final elimination of this institution is of interest not only the institute itself but also different periods in the history of the Republic of Ingushetia (pre-revolutionary, secular and modern) when the authorities tried not only to reconcile but also to eradicate blood feuds. These periods and the work on limiting blood feuds are described in the works of N. Yakovlev, B. K. Dalgat, M.-S.G. Albogachieva, D.H. Saidumov, I. L.Babich, T.Pliev, M. S.Arsanukaeva, L. T.Agieva, L. B. Gandarova et al. authors. revenge was considered from different angles but there are still questions not investigated regarding the prevention of revenge in the early twentieth century. What is interesting is that in all periods, the government has strongly opposed the institution of revenge, which is understandable in principle. The attempts of the tsarist authorities, the clergy and the public to resolve the issue of blood feud among the Ingush are described in the interesting source "Sentences ..." the study of which is devoted to this article


In this issue, we shift gears to examine topics related to employment and health. AAPIs are very heterogeneous with respect to both labor-market and health outcomes. While our previous issue on employment (Volume 3, Number 2, Summer/Fall 2005) focused on those at the lower end of the economic ladder, the three articles that form the employment cluster in this issue are related to the "glass ceiling," which has been defined as the adverse impact of artificial barriers limiting women and minorities from rising to managerial and leadership positions. We purposefully use a question in the title for this cluster of articles because the authors take disparate positions regarding the "glass ceiling" and thus the phenomenon remains an empirical question.


The 6061- T6 aluminium alloy was modified by multi- pass friction stir process with air or water cooling. Corrosion behavior of the processed zone was investigated by immersion test and electrochemical corrosion test, as well as optical microscopy, SEM and TEM. The results show that the grain size of stirred zone was successfully refined and its corrosion resistance became better obviously after the base metal was modified by FSP with different cooling methods. Compared with the base metal, the nugget zone exhibited higher free-corrosion potential, smaller corrosion current density and greater corrosion impedance. Compared to FSP with water-cooling, the nugget zone prepared by FSP with air-cooling showed better corrosion resistance.


kinesiology methods for a 10-year-old child with headaches, neck pain, asthma, and reading disabilities. Objective: The purpose of this case report is to describe the chiropractic care of a 10-year-old boy who presented with developmental delay syndromes, asthma, and chronic neck and head pain and to present an overview of his muscular imbalances during manual muscle testing evaluation that guided the interventions offered to this child. Clinical Features: The child was a poor reader, suffered eye strain while reading, had poor memory for classroom material, and was unable to move easily from one line of text to another during reading. He was using 4 medications for the asthma but was still symptomatic during exercise. Intervention and Outcome: Chiropractic care, using applied kinesiology, guided evaluation, and treatment. Following spinal and cranial treatment, the patient showed improvement in his reading ability, head and neck pain, and respiratory distress. His ability to read improved (in 3 weeks, after 5 treatments), performing at his own grade level. He has remained symptom free for 2 years. Conclusion: The care provided to this patient seemed to help resolve his chronic musculoskeletal dysfunction and pain and improve his academic performance. Objective: To describe the use of Applied Kinesiology (AK) in the management of a pre-adolescent female with candidiasis, recurrent ear infections, and severe postural imbalances that occurred when these infections were present. Clinical Features: This six-year-old patient had painful earaches on a monthly basis since the age of 4-months. She had undergone antibiotic treatment 25 times in her life, suffered two urinary tract infections, and displayed oral thrush. Exposure to water and cold air consistently produced an ear infection according to her parents. Intervention & Outcome: AK methods were utilized to diagnose and treat this patient with rapid resolution of her candidiasis, ear pain in cold air and water, and ear infections. She has been symptom-free for 2 years since her first 4 AK treatments over a three-month period. Conclusion: In this case a multi-modal chiropractic system for the evaluation of muscle-joint subluxations were useful for the discovery of a number of complex causative factors underlying this patient's digestive and immune system compromise, as well as her recurring infections and earaches. Developmental delay syndromes: psychometric testing before and after chiropractic treatment of 157 children. OBJECTIVE: This study presents a case series of 157 children with developmental delay syndromes, including the conditions such as dyspraxia, dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity …


3,4-Epoxybutanol nitrate was synthesized with 3-butane-1-ol as raw matieral via two-step reactions,nitration and epoxidation,and characterized by IR,1HNMR and elemental analysis.The optimum nitration reaction conditions are as follows: n(HNO3)∶n(EBO)=1.5∶1.0,reaction temperature,-10℃ and the reaction was quenched after addition was over when temperature began to descend.The yield of nitrating reaction is 65.2%.The purity of the product is 98.2%.


Argyre: The Argyre group counts 8 members, that were supplied by the Doanus Vallis system. Some of them display spectacular fluviolacustrine structures (e.g., deltas, sedimentary terraces), and evidence of several episodes of flow or one sustained long episode. The material deposited both on the channel lakebed floor shows a small population of superimposed impact craters (1 to 5 over areas ranging from 10,000 to nearly 15,000 km). Many craters are subdued or partially filled by this unit. The best estimate would give a Middle Amazonian age to this unit (Cabrol and Grin, 2000)), placing it in climate c onditions close to what Mars is experiencing today. Although the crater sample is small and the area reduced, the worst case estimate still puts this geological unit at the fringe of the Upper Hesperian and Lower Amazonian.


The shadowed set-based rough fuzzy clustering (SRFCM) methods have shown great performance on the data with outliers. But for the data with non-spherical clusters, the SRFC approaches cannot produce good results. The reason is the SRFCM, just like classical fuzzy c-means algorithms, works on the original data space and assures the linear separability of different clusters. The kernel methods can be combined with fuzzy clustering to deal with the non-spherical problem, but the size of kernel matrix is the square of the number of the input data, which makes the kernel fuzzy clustering is not suitable for very large data. But if we approximate the kernel space by using Fourier random feature mappings, the SRFC can be directly applied over the random features generated by data. This approach combines the advantages of SRFCM in handling outliers and the random features in processing non-spherical clusters. The experimental results show good performance of the SRFCM in the random feature space.


Several strategies for the comparison of numerical simulations of compressible flows with experimental interferograms are presented, and examples are given. In particular, the quantification of experimental interferograms and the visualization of numerical data are discussed. It is shown that, depending on the situation, it is not always necessary or possible to fully quantify experimental interferograms in order to obtain data for CFD validation. It can be sufficient to visualize CFD results in a manner that allows direct comparison with experimental images. Guidelines for the selection of a useful approach are given, and achievable levels of confidence are discussed. Possible limitations of CFD validation with experimental interferograms are also determined. (Author)


Although recent years have witnessed a dramatic improvement in our understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the mechanisms by which the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome is first formed are unknown and the role of heritable aspects and predisposing environmental factors in the etiology of the disease remains unclear [1]. Observations about CML occurring in families are rare, but a recent population-based study investigating malignancies among first-degree relatives of patients affected by myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), assessed a two-fold increased risk of developing CML [2]. Here, we describe the occurrence of CML in a brother and sister and discuss the possible role of heritable aspects in the pathogenesis of the disease. In March 1999, a 45-year-old female was referred to a hematology center for leukocytosis, (white blood cells (WBC) 145.76 10/L, hemoglobin (Hb) 8.5 g/dL, platelets (PLT) 7506 10/L), severe splenomegaly and fever. After a bone marrow aspirate, she was diagnosed with CML in the chronic phase. The karyotype 46,XX,t(9;22)(q34;q11), i(17)(q10) was found in 100% of the metaphases. Molecular analysis showed the b3a2 (p210) BCRABL fusion transcript. Cytoreductive therapy started with hydroxiurea 2.5 g/day. In April, WBC decreased to 15.96 10/L, with Hb1⁄4 8.5 g/dL and PLT1⁄4 7806 10/L. Therapy with interferon a 9 MU/day combined with cycles of subcutaneous Cytarabine 40 mg/day and hydroxiurea 1 g/day was scheduled. After 3 months of treatment, blood tests showed leukocytosis and thrombocytosis (WBC1⁄4 25.76 10/L, Hb1⁄4 8.9 g/dL, PLT1⁄4 4186 10/L); cytogenetic evaluation of bone marrow revealed 85% of metaphases harbouring the t(9;22) translocation. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was then considered and HLA typing showed: HLAA*11,*30; B*18,*55; Cw*03,*05; DRB1*03; DQB1*02. Because an HLA-match was not found within the family, BMT was performed from an unrelated donor in September 1999. The patient died 1 month after transplantation without achieving engraftment. In January 2007, her 50-year-old brother was admitted to our center for severe thrombocytosis and leukocytosis (PLT1⁄4 1.5676 10/L, WBC1⁄4 12.66 10/L, Hb1⁄4 14.5 g/dL). Bone marrow aspirate showed 46,XY,t(9;22)(q34;q11) in 90% of the metaphases and molecular analysis revealed the b3a2 (p210) BCR-ABL fusion transcript; JAK2v617f mutation was negative. Treatment was started with Imatinib 400 mg/day. Complete hematologic response was achieved after 27 days of therapy: blood tests showed WBC1⁄4 5.66 10/L, Hb1⁄414.2 g/dl, PLT1⁄4 4076 10/L. Complete cytogenetic and molecular response was achieved after 5 months of treatment with Imatinib and the patient continued to be in remission after 20 months of therapy. Patient HLA typing showed: HLA-A*03,*32; B*07,*64; Cw*07; DRB1*07,*11; DQB1*02,*07. Analysis of HLA haplotype segregation within the family revealed that the two affected siblings had inherited two different haplotypes from their parents and were therefore totally HLA-mismatched.


The objectives of this three-year program are to: perform dielectric breakdown and loss measurements in liquid hydrogen and liquid-hydrogen-impregnatd synthetic dielectrics at temperatures between 14 and 20/sup 0/K and at hydrostatic pressures up to 5 atmospheres and to determine the effects of dissolved impurities/additives in the liquid; and characterize the self-field and low-field superconducting properties of high-critical temperature materials at temperatures between approximately 14 and 20/sup 0/K. During the current reporting period, the following was accomplished. The construction of the dielectric test apparatus continued and the system of small electrodes was completed. Difficulties were encountered in the construction of the LH/sub 2/ vessels and the junction box, which have retarded their completion. Other work to be performed at the Westinghouse R and D Center on the dielectrics part of this project has been postponed indefinitely due to the shortage of funding.


International development cooperation has experienced large changes in recent years. One spectacular issue is the emergence of new donors, which are playing a more significant role than ever. China, India, Brazil, Russia, and the Arab countries — together with other emerging countries — support developing countries, though their activity is highly criticized by 'traditional' donors. The paper aims to analyse the behaviour of emerging donors with reflection on the question whether the additional resources complement or substitute the aid flows from traditional donors. The investigation shows that emerging donors do not behave as traditional donors and their aid allocation is determined by political and economic factors rather than the needs of the recipient countries. However, the statistical analysis reflects on the fact that in some cases emerging donors do behave similarly as traditional donors. Altogether, it is not proven that the additional resources complement existing aid flows.


CONTEXT The analysis of major demographic characteristics of study subjects, we noted that the population of students from the Universidad Autónoma de Chile of Talca is mainly urban-based (about 80%), students are mainly from the Maule region which is categorized as one of the regions with higher levels of vulnerability (unemployment rate above 10%, essentially Agroforestry zone, low presence of industry and large corporations, youth unemployment exceeds 20%). For its part the Universidad Autónoma of Chile is a private institution with five years of presence in Talca, which has an office in Santiago and its headquarters in the city of Temuco, the University has 3,200 students in Talca (10,500 nationally) is geared to students from middle and socioeconomic status low. 44% of the students come from municipal schools, 46 subsidized private establishments and 10% come from private institutions paid. Participating population: Students in focus groups (4 groups) configured for 10-12 students Source: Socio-economic level preferably middle and low levels C-2 and C-3. gender: Male and Female Problem area: Knowing the meaning and significance about PE class, possessed by students pursuing career in Physical Education Pedagogy at the Universidad Autónoma of Chile Talca. The project aims to investigate the imagination of the young college student at the Physical Education class, namely, perception, representation, meaning and significance that have students on the Physical Education class that takes place in schools and colleges of the region mainly


Experiments were conducted during four consecutive seasons of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 on three grape cultivars including "Bez-El-Anza", "Thompson Seedless" and "Red Roomy" planted at the Experimental Orchard of fruit section, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University in a complete randomized blocked design. This investigation was carried out to study the effect of spraying Seaweed extract, Amino acids and Vitamins on C/N ratio, yield and berry quality of some grape cultivars. The obtained results showed that Tyrosin at 500 ppm recorded the highest yield (9.47 kg/vine) during the 1st season. All treatments had a significant impact in the respect of TSS %, acidity% and TSS/acid ratio. Concerning C/N ratio, Vit.B12 at 150 ppm recorded the highest ratio (44.85) during the 1st season. Hence, the present study concluded applications of Seaweed extract, amino acid and Vitamins improved vine C/N ratio, yield and berry attributes of "Bez-El-Anza", 'Thompson Seedless' and "Red Roomy" grape cultivars.


This comment discusses the consequences of a potential fourth industrial-digital revolution ("Industry 4.0") from a labour market perspective. In particular, we look at the development through the lens of a comprehensive macroeconomic modelling approach for Germany. Additionally, the significance for public policies is addressed.


Reducing the loss of raw material and improving production are tasks in continuous development in the productive sector. The aim of this study was to determine the conversion factor of raw material into pallets for packaging products. The sawing process was evaluated in four sawmills in El Salto, Durango, Mexico, selecting 308 pine logs with diameters of 14 to 41 cm and 1.07 m in length, divided into four diameter categories. Sawmilling time was obtained by timing the process with a precision of 1/100 second; the volume of logs and the products generated were measured by xylometer; performance was estimated by the proportion of lumber between the volume round wood and production costs, given by the sum of the fixed and variable costs of the process. Results showed that for every cubic meter of round wood that is sawn, it is possible to obtain 217 board feet (bf) in pallet parts and 207 bf of waste. The time needed to saw 1.00 m 3 of logs was estimated at 1.95 hours, thus the productivity was 0.513 m 3 r h -1 . The conversion factor indicated that for 1.00 m 3 of pieces for pallets is required 1.95 m 3 r h -1 of round wood. The production cost was US $ 161.30 per sawn cubic meter. As the diameter of the logs increases, also does performance and productivity, while the processing time and production costs diminish.


The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has received a total of $11.7bn (£7.3bn; €8.4bn) for the next three years pledged by donors who met in New York earlier this year. The United States made the largest single donation in the history of the Global Fund: $4bn. France is the second largest contributor, with $1.5bn, while the European Commission, in addition to commitments from individual European Union member states, will provide $452.3m. The United Kingdom has pledged $607m.

The funding will enable programmes that have already been approved to be continued …


A 561-year (5.13 ~ 5.69ka B.P.) oxygen isotope time series in the Mid-Holocene is established on the basis of ~(230)Th, annual-layer counting and the Δ~(14)C of growth ring dating results of a stalagmite from Mingling cave at Yixing, Jiangsu province. The remarkable positive correlation (r=0.54) between the 3 ~ 4 year resolution oxygen isotope curve and the Δ~(14)C of growth ring curve during the same period reveals that East Asian Monsoon precipitation is positively related to solar activity at centennial time-scale during Mid-Holocene. Power spectrum analysis for δ~(18)O of the stalagmite proves that there were the periodicities of 28 ~ 25 year and 10 year respectively, which shows the East Asian Monsoon precipitation was also affected by decadal scale variations of solar activities.


Accompanying Julia A. Ericksen's feature on dance, Jonathan S. Marion provides photos and commentary to enchance our understanding of the body work of ballroom.


This study explored ways to analyse gains in children's cognitive skills through playing computer games. Eighty-seven children aged from 7 to 10 years participated in a computer game called 'Find the Flamingo', one of Safari Search series (O'Brien, 1985). The game consisted of a set of rules, given with affirmative and negative if-then statements. Development, individual differences and learning were found in children's inferential game play. It was also found that there were already different play patterns from the beginning of the games between the good problem solvers and the random guessers. Discussions were made on the methods for analysis of computer game activity.


In the "energy transition era" we are experiencing today, natural gas grows strongly and much faster than either oil or coal, being an environmentally friendly fuel supported by a broad-based demand and the continuing expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Natural gas mainly consists of methane, but also some contaminants are present in it. Among them, nitrogen is an inert gas whose content, if too high, must be reduced to levels acceptable for producing a pipeline-quality gas or LNG. When dilution of the high-nitrogen gas stream with a low-nitrogen gas is not practical, a nitrogen removal unit (known as nitrogen rejection unit or NRU) must be installed. This is becoming more and more important as we shift to lower-quality gas feedstocks. Cryogenic distillation is the only viable option for the removal of N₂ on a large scale and in the case of stringent specifications both in the product stream and in the rejected stream. Typically, the feed gas to the NRU has to contain methane and N₂ and only very low quantities of compounds (such as CO₂) that might freeze at the NRU operating temperatures and cause equipment blockage. Focusing on the production of pipeline-quality natural gas, the aim of this work is to analyze the cryogenic removal of N₂ from natural gas streams that also contain CO₂ because a CO₂-tolerant NRU may lower capital and operating costs reducing the upstream removal of CO₂. Different process configurations (i.e., the single-column, the double-column, and the three-column systems) are investigated to determine the maximum allowable CO₂ content in the feed gas that avoids solidification within the process and permits reaching the desired value of the Wobbe index. Therefore, a range of applicability for each configuration is determined depending on the N₂ and CO₂ contents in the feed gas.


The present study was carried out to know about inheritance of two characters namely branching behavior and bearing pattern in clusterbean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub] in F2 segregating population. The initial experimental material consisted of F1 seeds of three different crosses along with parents of clusterbean viz., F5 × RGC-1066, PNB × CAZG-16-10-3, IDB-29-2 × BSL(11×15). The segregating progenies were raised at 50 cm row to row and 20 cm plant to plant spacing. All the F2 segregating plants of a cross were tagged and observations were recorded periodically till confirmation of the phenotype. The statistical analysis done by chi square method to find the goodness of fit for genetic ratio for different gene action involved in these segregating populations. The present study revealed that the branching behavior was controlled by two pairs of genes interacting in different pattern in two segregating F2 population viz., PNB × CAZG-16-10-3 (9:6:1) exhibited polymeric gene action, F5 × RGC-1066 (9:3:4) exhibited with supplementary gene action, while IDB-29-2 × BSL (3:1) branching and bearing pattern controlled by one pair of gene which exhibited monogenic inheritance.


Health workforce misdistribution is a major challenge faced by almost all countries. A more profound understanding of the dynamics of the health labor market provides evidence for policy makers to balance health workforce distribution with solid evidence. However, one major deficit of existing theoretical and empirical studies is that they often ignore the intra-regional spillovers of the health labor market. This study builds a theoretical "supply–demand–spillover" model that considers both intra-regional supply and demand-side factors, and inter-regional spillovers, hence providing a theoretical reference point for further in-depth studies. Using spatial econometric panel models, the effect of all determinants and spillovers were empirically measured based on a Chinese panel data set, shedding light on health workforce policies in China.


This book presents a classification of all (complex) irreducible representations of a reductive group with connected centre, over a finite field. To achieve this, the author uses etale intersection cohomology, and detailed information on representations of Weyl groups.


Background:
 Rapid activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves outcomes for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but selected emphasis on minimizing time to reperfusion may lead to an increased frequency of false -positive STEMI activations (FPSA). While delays in reperfusion therapy are associated with worse outcomes, inaccurate diagnosis also has potential clinical as well as cost related repercussions. According to prior reports, FPSA rates vary between 15-52 percent.

 Method:
 We analyzed consecutive patients referred for primary PCI for a possible STEMI at a single center from November 2013 to February 2017. False-positive STEMI activation was defined as lack of electrocardiographic criteria consistent with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for diagnosis of STEMI, and clinical assessments. Overall differences amongst various STEMI activators were evaluated using Chi-square test. Differences between working-hours (0700-1600) versus off-hours (1601-0659) were evaluated using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test.

 Results:
 Of 355 STEMI activations, 194 (55%) were called by emergency physicians (ED), 81 (23%) by emergency medical services (EMS) and 80 (22%) by other (inpatient services & out of hospital transfers). A total of 120 (34%) cases occurred during working-hours and 235 (66%) cases occurred during off-hours. The average age of the study population was 62 (13) years, with 245(68%) males and average BMI of 30 (6) kg/m2. The prevalence of FPSA initiated by the ED, EMS, and others was 32 (16.5%), 9 (11%), and 14 (18%), respectively (p=0.06). Of FSPA, 40% were anterior, 25% inferior, 21% lateral, and 14% inferolateral wall infarctions. Out of 55 total FPSA, 37 (67%) occurred during the off-hours. Comparing activators based on hours, the prevalence of FPSA during off-hours initiated by the ED, EMS, and others were 69%, 66%, and 66%, respectively (p=0.6).

 Conclusion:
 In this study, approximately 1 out of 6.5 STEMI activations was a false-positive. This trend is the same during working as well as off-hours and does not differ between various STEMI activators. Improved and structured communication between cardiology, emergency medicine, and paramedic teams may promote lower false positive rates and positively impact overall delivery of care.


Objective To evaluate the quality and proficiency testing of HIV confirmatory laboratories in China.Methods Sevenyear consecutive assessments of the laboratories added up to 297 times,including function and serum technology evaluations from 1997 to 2004.Questionnaires were used for the evaluation of function,including laboratory quality management, training and quality validation of the lower level laboratories.The serum technology evaluation used the same serum panel to screen HIV antibody and perform western blot(WB) confirmatory test.The two parts of evaluation results gave 100 scores each with excellent(above 95),good(81~95),pass(71~80),weak(60~70) and failure(below 60).Results The consistency rate between ELISA and WB in all laboratories was above 85 percent from 1998 to 2004,with a rate above 95 percent from 2001 to 2004.The excellent rates were all above 55 percent during these years,among which the highest is 91.67 percent in 2003.Only one laboratory failed in 1999.Conclusion The strict quality evaluation shows the testing ability of HIV confirmatory laboratory is improving year by year.The standardized management,performed with the training,validation and technical guidance to the lower level laboratory would continuously improve the quality of HIV confirmatory laboratories.