In the 40 years since the war on cancer was announced, over a $105 billion and hundreds of thousands hours by researchers, statisticians, data managers, and clinical trial offices have been spent in oncology research. There has been amazing progress made in some cancer types during these four decades, however the process is still taking too many resources for too little gain. It is time to speed up this progress by, among other things, re-envisioning the goals, or the bar of oncology clinical research. The accompanying article for this editorial, Ellis et al provide specific guidance on how to raise the bar for oncology clinical trials in selected patient populations. This report of four working groups, convened by American Society of Clinical Oncology, challenges current clinical trial design to stop seeking only limited gains but to strive for clinically meaningful results that are "larger incremental gains than have been achieved in the past." While the article identifies these goals as aspirational or stretch goals currently, it is time that trial designs with such high expectations be created, executed, and prioritized by funding agencies, companies, and regulatory agencies. Throughout history, innovations have been influenced by stretch goals, or prizes, which to be achieved required meaningful advances to their fields. We know of Thomas Edison as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb not because he was the first to invent one (there were over 22 inventors of light bulbs before Edison) but because he was the first to create a bulb that lasted a meaning amount of time. Indeed, different organizations have been set up strictly to foster material, significant innovations, including government agencies (eg, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [DARPA], responsible for early global positioning system and the Internet) and commercial entities (eg, Bell Lab, responsible for transistors, lasers, and chargecoupled devices; IBM Research Lab, responsible for hard disks, the modern automatic teller machine, and universal product code barcodes; and Palo Alto Research Center, responsible for the laser printers and graphical user interface). Returning to clinical trials with high aspirations, the problem is that such trials are by definition meaningful (ie, they upset the status quo and require a different view of what is needed in and by a clinical trial). Two views that should be included in every new trial are the inclusion of "-omics" and the use of adaptive trial design. The former provides information concerning which patient populations may benefit from the intervention, and the later uses such information to help properly select which patients for which treatment arm, thus reducing the total accrual requirements for the trial. Such trials have already been successfully executed in oncology, including the BATTLE (Biomarker-Integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination), the I-SPY 2 (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response With Imagine and Molecular Analysis 2), and the CUSTOM (Molecular Profiling and Targeted Therapy for Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Thymic Malignancies) trials. Like many meaningful innovations, using such knowledge can make the phase III trial faster to complete, provide more and better information, and be less expensive to complete. These designs then fulfill the old Bell Labs motto: better, cheaper, or both. However, like all radical innovations, they also come with risks. The first risk is that of lack of knowledge. As acknowledged in the article, validated biomarkers or companion diagnostics are not always present. It is difficult to hit a target when it is not certain where it is or if it is valid. This, not insubstantial risk, should be ameliorated in the near future as all major clinical research organizations are banking specimens, some of which are highly annotated, and as technology to analyze such specimens become faster, better, and cheaper. The second risk is that the expectations of patients and regulatory agencies out strip the technical capabilities of achieving the aspirational trial goals. There are numerous examples of technologies that could not keep up with meaningful expectations, including the personal robots, the self-cleaning kitchen, and, until recently, self-driving cars. Thus expectations need to be tempered with reality. However, saying that, there is a complementary risk of not striving hard or fast enough. The genius of Steven Jobs was not only that he was a consummate inventor but also that he understood how to create a future that customers wanted, even if they didn't know they wanted it. Apple computer, without Jobs' leadership, became an organization that concentrated on incremental improvement and it nearly entered bankruptcy. Today, Apple is acknowledged to be one of the most radically innovative firms in the world. This took risk taking, an understanding of customer's desires, and a tight knowledge of underlying technologies. It is time that oncology clinical trials become less incremental and more innovative, striving for more, faster. Basically, it is time for them to invent the future of oncology care. The final risk with striving for aggressive goals is in not understanding the need to manage the inevitable failures in a visible and collective manner. It is important that such failures not be a focus of blame but viewed as a set of lessons learned to improve the entire clinical trial process. For example, when Corning was creating the JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY E D I T O R I A L VOLUME 32 NUMBER 12 APRIL 2


the tail of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial pathogen that Anja Lambrechts, Jean-Luc Verschelde, uses actin assembly to move forward (Theriot et al., 1994). Veronique Jonckheere, Mark Goethals, Profilin also binds phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphJoël Vandekerckhove and ate (PIP2) (Lassing and Lindberg, 1985, 1988). PhosphoChristophe Ampe1 lipase C1 cannot hydrolyse profilin-bound PIP2 in vitro, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Department of unless the phospholipase is phosphorylated (GoldschmidtBiochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiteit Gent, 9000 Gent, Clermont et al., 1990, 1991; Machesky et al., 1990). Belgium These experiments led to a model in which profilin plays 1Corresponding author an important role as mediator in cell signalling to the


Figure 1. Calcite, 5.5 cm high, Elmwood mine, Smith County. Terry Huizing specimen, Jeff Scovil photo. Tennessee covers an area of 41,220 square miles in the southeastern United States. It a 500-mi...


Literature study, survey, mathematical statistics and other research methods, in the background of "combining education and sports", study the development status of the high levels of the clubin Shandong universities. The result shows the construction of a high level of aerobic team has achieved initial success, but there are still some inadequacies in the specific implementation process. In this paper,for these problems, put forward countermeasures Shandong college high levels aerobic team development should take.


ABSTRACT Developing a high level of efficacy can be challenging to teachers who work with low-achieving students. The authors adopted a pragmatic qualitative research design to investigate the sources of efficacy information reported by five high-efficacy teachers and four low-efficacy teachers of secondary low-achieving students in Singapore. The results show that the psychological sources of information postulated by Albert Bandura (i.e., mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experience, and physiological and emotional arousal), are valid but insufficient to explain high teacher efficacy. Three additional nonpsychological sources of information, including teachers' knowledge about students, rapport with students, and previous working experiences, also played significant roles in the creation of high teacher efficacy.


Abstract With mounting pressure of heavy metal pollution on agriculture, the demand of practical tools and protocols for nondestructive, pre-visual detection of plant response towards heavy metals has received great impetus. Advances in modern spectroscopic techniques such as synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy have the capability of providing a complete picture of the metabolic events taking place in plants stressed with heavy metals without subjecting the sample to pre-processing. The present study explores the utility of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy along with multivariate analysis for the detection of the response as spectral indices of wheat seedlings towards chromium treatment. For this, wheat has been grown under optimized growth conditions and exposed to chromium at concentrations from 20 to 100 µM. The synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectra of control and chromium exposed seedlings show that exposure to chromium leads to its accumulation in the leaves of wheat seedlings which results in a reduction of the uptake of calcium, potassium, manganese iron, copper and zinc by the seedlings. The alterations in the biochemicals of wheat seedlings as a result of chromium exposure have been assessed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of the infrared data reveals that chromium significantly alters the spectral signatures of cellulose, pectin, hemicelluloses, lignin, amide II, amide I and lipid in the leaves of wheat seedlings. The observed changes are dependent on the dose of chromium. The spectral signatures obtained in this study serve as important monitoring indices for observing alterations in the physiological, biochemical and metabolic status of plants under heavy metal stress.


ABSTRACT This paper presents the design and development of planar triplexer slot antenna using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology. The proposed antenna is realised using 'Y' shaped slot backed by SIW cavity. SIW cavity is excited by three separate feed lines for resonance at three different frequencies of 5.7 GHz, 6 GHz and 6.4 GHz with unidirectional radiation pattern and gain of 6.26 dBi, 5.87 dBi and 5.19 dBi, respectively. Average isolation of the three ports is better than 24 dB. All the simulations are carried out using high frequency structure simulation (HFSS) software. The proposed antenna is fabricated on RT Duroid 5880substrate and measured results show better performance. The developed antenna is small in size (0.79 × 0.78 ), simple to fabricate and easy to integrate with planar technology making it suitable for C-band application.


Vol. 36, No. 2 (2004) BioTechniques 223 Transposons are mobile sequences commonly found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Their dispersal, repetitiveness, and the fact that their mobilization is a source of polymorphism make them choice candidates for use as molecular markers in mapping technologies. In recent years, variations of a technique inspired by amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) (1) that take advantage of transposons have emerged as valuable tools for molecular analyses (2–7). These transposon-based mapping techniques, referred to as transposon insertion display (TID) after the first published report (2), have been applied to plants as well as to animals for population analysis (8,9), detection of transposition events (10), gene tagging (2), and the recovery of integration sites (3). The common basis of all TID techniques is an adaptor-mediated multiplex PCR amplification of genomic restriction fragments that contain a transposon marker sequence, along with the variable length of the DNA sequences flanking the insertion sites (Figure 1). However, to avoid the amplification of restriction fragments that do not contain transposon marker sequences (i.e., nonspecific), different adaptor designs have been adopted (Figure 1, A and B) (2–11). TID protocols also differ in the type of transposon chosen as a marker. However, transposon abundance, diversity, and distribution vary greatly between organisms. For example, transposon content can range from 3% in the yeast genome to over 60% in maize, and mammalian genomes primarily contain long and short interspersed nuclear elements, whereas the maize genome is mostly populated by long terminal repeat retrotransposons (12). This high variability can complicate the choice of an appropriate marker since clarity and resolution depend on the copy number of the transposon type used. Furthermore, the accuracy of TID is dependent on the design and PCR conditions of a transposon-specific primer. Transposons are characterized by structural features that may be problematic for PCR [e.g., terminal and subterminal repeats, secondary structures, A and T richness, or poly(A)/(T) tails]. Thus, the ability to predict the banding pattern generated by a specific primer in a specific genome would be useful for optimizing PCR conditions and for assessing the reliability and quality of the observed data. A large data set of genomic sequence is currently available, including the complete sequence for eukaryotic model organisms such as Arabidopsis, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, mosquito, rice, and human (http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/PMGifs/ Prediction and quality assessment of transposon insertion display data


Maternal health is a crucial indicator of the quality of health care in any country. This is because maternity is the greatest single factor in high maternal mortality in developing areas. The factors that have been identified include lack of access to and utilisation of quality maternal healthcare facilities. This study was undertaken to assess the availability, utilisation and relationship with maternal health outcome (childbirth). The cross sectional study was carried out among women of reproductive age in the urban areas of Obudu and Ogoja Local Governments of Cross River State, Nigeria. The results indicated that maternal health facilities are available but majority of them do not satisfy the international standards for both Basic Essential Obstetrics Care (BEOC) and Comprehensive Essential Obstetrics Care (CEOC). In addition, the utilisation of health facilities was hampered by cost, culture and decision-making. The study also found that there was a significant relationship between utilisation of maternal health facilities and maternal health outcome manifest in successful and healthy birth outcomes. The upgrading of maternal health facilities in all areas is germane to improving maternal health outcome. This can be done by providing facilities cheaply and readily to the people and relevant information to women.


Circulorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, selection and care of equipment and facilities, and programs in the areas of flexibility, weight training, and aerobics.


Strained‐layer Si1−xGex/Si heterostructures have created a great deal of interest due to the potential of integration with the conventional silicon very large scale integrated technology. With the current advances in silicon molecular beam epitaxy (Si‐MBE) and other low‐temperature epitaxial techniques, many Si1−xGex/Si heterojunction devices have been realized. For example, among those realized are avalanche photodiodes, modulation‐doped field‐effect transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and more recently, resonant tunneling structures, hot‐carrier transistors, and quantum well metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors. In this paper, several quantum size effects in strained Si1−xGex layers and their potential in device applications will be reviewed. Among those to be discussed are resonant tunneling, miniband transport, and intersubband absorption in Si1−xGex/Si superlattice structures, optical properties of monolayer SimGen superlattices, and observation of large Stark effect associ...


We consider peer-to-peer video broadcasting using cooperation among peers in an ad hoc wireless network. As opposed to the traditional single hop broadcasting, multiple hops cause an increase in broadcast video quality while creating interference and increasing transmission delay. We develop heuristics for the NP-complete problem of finding the subset of cooperating peers and the number of hops to maximize the data rate and to minimize the maximum observed delay in the system. Simulations show that using the proposed heuristics, different video sequences can be viewed at high qualities with acceptable delay among all peers.


Welcome to the Civil Rights Movement project in U.S. History! During this project, your group will work as a team to study one aspect of the civil rights movement of the 1960s in depth.


The photoelectrochemicalresponse of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) was studied in buffered electrolyte solutions. The photocurrent intensity was inversely proportional to the buffer concentration in a wide range, and theresponse time became shorter with increasing buffer concentration. When plotted as a function of the electrolyte pH, the ratio of the peak photocurrent in the presence of a buffer to that in the absence of the buffer exhibited a minimum at a pH nearly equal to the p K ′_a of the buffer. Theseresults are explained by invoking the buffering capacity, and are in line with the view that the transient bR photoresponse originates in the pH change near the electrode due to protonrelease/uptake by bR molecules. Keywords Bacteriorhodopsin, purple membrane, photocurrent, buffer capacity, protonrelease/uptake


This entire enterprise is devoted to the proposition that contempt for the poor has remained constant throughout the history of America. Washington: The lower class should perform only the most menial jobs. Jefferson: People should be bred like horses. Franklin: The poor not welcome to the hospital he founded in 1751. Sympathy for the poor is pointless. Sympathy for the poor does not exist. Yet our writers, Mark Twain, Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, do express sympathy for the poor. So do our readers. The English sent their riffraff to America. The surplus poor, the destitute, the vagrants, the criminals, the orphan children. Bogtrotters, Briar hoppers, Clay-Eaters, Crackers, Degenerates, Hillbillies, Low-Downers, Lubbers, Mudsills, Offscourings, Rascals, Rednecks, Rubbish, Scalawags, Squatters, Swamp People, Tackies, Trailer Trash, Waste People, White Trash. (Put in alphabetical order for your convenience.) Nancy Isenberg names all the new names. We don't hear their voices, the "white trash." We hear only the voices of their antagonists. She writes about the belief in eugenics in the late nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries. We read about the Jukes, but not the Kalikaks, pseudonyms for two families depicted as degenerates from generation to generation, not as deprived families. We do not read about the Tuskegee experiments, in which African American men were told they were being treated for syphilis. They were not. They were victims. That's the civilized period 1932 to 1972. In my high school biology class, as late as 1944, my teacher naively presented the Jukes and the Kalikaks as if they were actually degenerate. In all other respects the school was quite good. Nancy Isenberg is Professor of American History at Louisiana State University. In 400 pages, her account of contempt for the poor doesn't change. Technology doesn't change. The standard of living doesn't change.


SVC is an effective solution for power system voltage stability problem,however,SVC controller brings new state variables into system dynamic equations,which are likely to modify the system character especially the type of power system bifurcation,thus,SVC controller may arouse new power system voltage problems,such as low frequency oscillations,and harmonic problem.A mathematic analysis of the likelihood is proposed in this paper.Case studies on IEEE 14 node system are used to validate the result.


Every patient wishes for prosthesis which looks more like a natural tooth. One the most prime criteria to achieve this goal is by matching appropriate shade with the adjacent teeth. Shade selection has evolved from visual technique to instrumental technique, thus shifting subjective measurement to more objective measurement. This article gives an insight into the various digital shade matching systems highlighting the differences between visual shade selection and advanced techniques.


The emulsion base pressed by dynamic pressure was studied,and the(micro-photography) was used to explore the(microstructure) changes of emulsion base.The results show that the destruction of the sensitizing carriers and the microstructure changes of the emulsion explosives are the reasons of the desensitization,and the destruction of the sensitizing carriers is the main reason.The explosion behaviors of three kinds of emulsion explosives pressed by dynamic pressure were studied.The results show that the anti-pressing property of emulsion explosive sensitized by glass micro-balloon is the best,sensitized by chemical bubbles is the better and sensitized by expanded perlite is the worst.The critical desensitization pressures of the three kinds of emulsion explosives are 134.66 MPa,99.83 MPa and 27.13 MPa,respectively.


ABSTRACT. A new species, Adelpha margarita Willmott & Hall, new species, is described from Andean cloud forest habitats from southern Ecuador to Bolivia. Adelpha margarita garleppi Willmott, new subspecies, is described for southern Peruvian and Bolivian individuals, which differ from the nominate subspecies in having complete orange postdiscal bands on the dorsal surface. The new species differs from related species in the Adelpha serpa group in wing pattern, DNA sequence data and habitat. A lectotype is designated for Adelpha seriphia therasia Fruhstorfer, because the type series of this name contains individuals of both A. seriphia and A. margarita. Neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony analyses of 579 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) 'barcode' region, for 27 Adelpha specimens representing 9 species and 13 taxa, suggest that the closest relative to A. margarita is the Central American to west Andean taxon A. seriphia godmani Fruhstorfer. The DNA sequence data, coupled with a re-analysis of museum specimens, suggest that Adelpha godmani should be treated as a distinct species (revised status). Finally, a new subspecies, Adelpha justina pichincha Willmott & Hall, new subspecies, is described from Pichincha province in western Ecuador.


"Floxed PTEN mice and LysMCre recombinase transgenic mice were kind gifts from T.W. Mak (Cancer Institute at Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and R. Johnson (University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA), respectively. We want to thank Sophie Walter, Susanne Humpeler and Angela Knöbl for their great technical assistance and Michael Grusch and Elisabeth Lang for kindly providing us pSMAD2/3 and SMAD2/3 antibodies.


Prior to the introduction of the Machin head series of British definitive stamps in 1967 (printed for the first time on a coated paper stock), the stamp paper used had been watermarked and, for definitives, uncoated, but in 1966 trials were undertaken with various types of paper, including an unwatermarked and coated version produced by Harrison (hitherto not used) and known as its 'ST400' paper. The coating resulted in a thicker stamp, meaning that a watermark would not have been visible, especially with the several dark Machin ink colours proposed, and watermarks on British stamps became a thing of the past.


An N-heterocyclic carbene ligand precursor bearing a π-extended phenanthridine (3,4-benzoquinoline) unit is presented. The proligand was isolated as the imidazolium salt of chloride (1•HCl), bromide (1•HBr), or hexafluorophosphate (1•HPF6) counterions. These salts can be deprotonated and the carbene installed on silver centres using Ag2O as both a base and a source of metal ion. The resulting Ag(I) complex (1)AgCl can be used in a transmetalation reaction to generate a Pd(II) coordination complex (1)Pd(CH3CN)Cl2. The characterization and photophysical properties of these complexes is presented, along with a demonstration of the utility of (1)Pd(CH3CN)Cl2 in mediating a catalytic C-N cross-coupling reaction for the preparation of the pharmaceutical Piribedil.


The present study is aimed to find out the relationship between Spirituality and Depression on Professional and Non-Professional students. The sample consists of 50 Professional course and Non-Professional course students (25 men and 25 Women).The data was collected on Daily Spiritual Experience Scale by using purposive sampling technique to assess the Daily Spiritual experience of the Professional and Non-Professional students and the data was analyzed by using SPSS. The results are discussed in the light of Psychological interventions.


The University of Agder changed status from a university college to a full-fledged university with all university privileges in 2007. However, the academic roots of the university go back to the year 1839, when the first teacher training college was established in Holt in Agder, close to the small town of Tvedestrand. This year (2014), then, the University of Agder can celebrate that the oldest studies at the university are 175 years old. This paper takes a closer look at the man who became the first rector of the college at Holt, the priest Andreas Faye (1802-69). Faye was an extremely active scholar and an important pioneer in several areas – folklore, history and education being perhaps the most important ones. This paper also shows how he, and more than his contemporary Norwegian colleagues, was engaged in an international network of researchers, especially in Denmark and Germany.


Chaos/complexity theory (C/CT) and closely related dynamic systems theory were first proposed in the physical sciences and mathematics to explain the behavior of complex dynamic systems. The systems usually involve a large number of elements or agents, which interact and give rise to a different order of complexity at a higher level. An oft-cited example is how individual birds interact to form a flock of birds. The systems are dynamic because they are always changing, sometimes gradually, sometimes abruptly. Thus, the study of change is central to C/CT researchers. They seek to understand how change occurs and how elements or agents interact to produce it. Change in such systems is often nonlinear, which means that the effect is not proportionate to the cause. The nonlinearity is attributed to the fact that such systems are sensitive to initial conditions, a characteristic popularly referred to as the butterfly effect, whereby even the flapping of a single butterfly's wings in one part of the world can have an effect on a weather system in another. It is this sensitivity to initial conditions that makes complex systems chaotic—they can change in unpredictable ways.

Keywords:

cognitive development;
language variation and change;
language and social interaction;
second language acquisition


The paper discusses the formulation of a steady-state coupled hydrodynamic/water quality model of Chesapeake Bay. The intent of this model was to provide insight into the processes and factors influencing eutrophication and anoxia in the bay. Specifically the model was to investigate; the relative impacts of point versus nonpoint source nutrient loadings; the importance and magnitude of tributary loadings delivered to the main stem bay; the importance of sediment oxygen demand versus water column respiration processes; which, if any, nutrient is limiting algal growth in the bay; and to provide input into the direction of future scientific field investigations and modeling efforts. The paper covers model calibration, results and projections.


Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a crucial role in many important processes that take place in terrestrial and aquatic systems. These include carbon and nutrient cycling, pedogenesis, and microbial metabolism. Here we highlight the results of studies that demonstrate the role of DOM in linking terrestrial and aquatic systems. We emphasize three fundamental aspects of the research, which together show the importance of DOM in linking terrestrial and aquatic systems: First, tracing DOM properties during its transport through terrestrial and aquatic systems is a powerful tool for improving our conceptual understanding of the mechanistic drivers of DOM dynamics. Second, linking DOM dynamics to important physical processes such as hydrology provides important insights into the nature of terrestrial–aquatic links. Third, interrelations between DOM dynamics and human impacts on ecosystems highlight how the role of DOM in coupled terrestrial–aquatic systems may change in the future. New measurement and modeling approaches have enabled a more thorough assessment of all three aspects of DOM dynamics. They show that both natural and anthropogenic drivers not only greatly influence DOM dynamics in soils, but owing to the mobility of DOM, also have substantial influence on aquatic systems. This physical connection of soils and surface waters demonstrates the importance of understanding fundamental processes such as nutrient cycling, pedogenesis, and microbial metabolism at a whole‐landscape scale.


Objective: To summarize the operative experience and clinical value of laparoscopic operation in the treatment of traumatic rupture of spleen. Methods: A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 51 patients who suffered from traumatic rupture of spleen from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2013 and underwent laparoscopic operation. Results: Thirty-one patients underwent splenectomy,13 patients of them received splenic auto-transplantation. There were 2 cases of partial splenectomy and selective ligation of spleen pedicle vessels,13 cases of splenic repair,5 cases conversion to open operation. The average operation time was( 126 ± 32) min,average operation time of laparoscopic splenectomy was( 94 ± 21) min,the average operation time of laparoscopic splenic repair was( 150± 13) min. Intraoperative hemoperitoneum was( 560 ± 457) ml. The ambulation time of patients with liver rupture and repair of spleen was 2 weeks,the ambulation time of splenectomy patients without hepatorenal contusion was( 1. 5 ± 0. 2) d. Postoperative anal exhaust time was( 2. 0 ± 1. 3) d. 2 splenectomy patients suffered from hemorrhage on the operative day,open exploration was performed and hemorrhage of gastric short artery on the gastric wall was found and treated by transfixion hemostasis. 1 case of splenic vein thrombosis relieved after anticoagulation therapy. All the patients were cured and discharged. After follow-up of 1 year,no fulminant infection was found. Conclusions: Laparoscopic treatment of traumatic rupture of spleen is safe and feasible,but surgeons should assess the rupture of the spleen and the general conditions of patients before operation,and perform individualized treatment,laparoscopy should be converted to laparotomy if necessary.


The invention belongs to the technical field of composite fireproof heat insulation materials, and relates to a composite lightweight sheet material and a preparation method thereof. The composite lightweight material comprises a plurality of layers of structure acupuncture fiber felt layers and thermosetting phenolic resin layers which are alternatively paved, wherein the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer of the lightweight composite sheet material respectively are the thermosetting phenolic resin layer. Compared with existing heat insulation materials, the fireproof heat insulation composite lightweight sheet material provided by the invention has the advantages of light weight, high strength, good waterproof property, good fireproof property, and good heat and sound insulation property, overcomes the disadvantages of inflammability, easy effloresce and large brittleness of the existing heat insulation materials, improves the compression strength of products, and is convenient to construct.


The economics and sociology literature that deals with churches and sects provides a valuable framework when considering the social structure of environmental organizations. Iannaccone's church-sect model provides an explanation of how rational individuals can join radical environmental groups, and why the characteristics of these radical groups are similar to sectarian religious groups. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that Iannaccone's church and sect propositions hold not only for religious groups, but for secular (environmental) groups as well. This paper does not seek to prove whether environmentalism is a secular religion, but rather looks at the social structure of environmental groups.


Abstract Paperless documentation and processing of international trade in goods is essential, as it offers economy-wide benefits in time and cost savings, efficiency and convenience for business and government. Both business and government recognize this, and have been working for the past few decades to facilitate paperless trade (PT). However, efforts to move to PT have to-date faced serious operational and legal barriers, leading to a slower than anticipated progress. Asian economies, and those in the Pacific region, are making particularly concerted efforts to facilitate PT, and are progressing rapidly. This article discusses the barriers to PT generally, and how Asian economies have tackled them. It gives an overview of the situation in some 11 economies. It concludes that the concerted approach in the region enhances harmonization of systems and procedures, which is necessary for straight-through PT processes.


To evaluate the value added by information reported in narratives (extracted through text mining techniques) in enhancing the characterization of falls patterns. Data on falls notified to the Risk Management Service of a Local Health Authority in Italy were considered in the analysis. Each record reported detailed pre-coded information about patient and fall's characteristics, together with a narrative description of the fall. At first, multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was performed on pre-coded information only. Then, it was re-run on the pre-coded data augmented with a variable representing the output analysis of the narrative records. This second analysis required a pre-processing of the narratives followed by text mining. Finally, a Hierarchical Clustering on the two MCA was carried out to identify distinct fall patterns. The dataset included 202 falls' records. Three clusters corresponding to three distinct profiles of falls were identified through the Hierarchical Clustering performed using only pre-coded information. Hierarchical Clustering with the topic variable provided overlapping results. The present findings showed that the cluster analysis is effective in characterizing fall patterns; however, they do not sustain the hypothesis that the analysis of free-text information improves our understanding of such phenomenon.


ABSTRACT Various claims have been made concerning the role of narrative in grief. In this paper, we emphasize the need for a discerning approach, which acknowledges that narratives of different kinds relate to grief in different ways. We focus specifically on the positive contributions that narrative can make to sustaining, restoring and revising a sense of who one is. We argue that, although it is right to suggest that narratives provide structure and coherence, they also play a complementary role in disrupting established structure and opening up new possibilities. We add that both of these roles point to the importance of interpersonal, social and cultural factors in shaping the trajectory of grief. We conclude by briefly considering the implications for distinguishing between typical and pathological forms of grief.


ABSTRACT Field data of a harbour basin are compared with analytical formulations for predicting maximum scouring depth due to propeller jets. Spatial data analysis of seven-year biannual bathymetries quantifies the evolution of the scouring hole along with the sedimentation process within a harbour basin. The maximum scouring depth is found to be of the order of the propeller diameter with a maximum scouring rate within the first six months of docking manoeuvring. Three of the analysed expressions yielded realistic results while observed discrepancies between the theoretical predictions and field data are related to scaling factors. The outcomes of this analysis can be extrapolated to other harbours to improve their management. The obtained results highlight the importance of field data in developing combined physical and numerical models.


A sampling technology by boreholing in the process of consolidation by vacuum preloading was presented on the basis of field tests.The technology can guarantee the stability of the vacuity,so it can provide a new experimental means for further research about the vacuum preloading method,especially for the study of the variation of geotechnical parameters and consolidation theory in the process of soil consolidation by vacuum preloading.


The DAEδALUS collaboration seeks to construct a number of high-intensity cyclotrons for use throughout neutrino physics, including searching for a sterile neutrino, sensitivity to non-standard neutrino interactions, measurements of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering and ultimately, a determination of CP violation in neutrinos. This proceedings focusses on the physics goals of the DAEδALUS project.


The study is a proposition of the application of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a spectrophotometric UV range detector to analyse the chemical purity and assay of tetrabenazine in bulk drug and tablet formulation and also to apply the proposed method to determine the content uniformity according to USP specification. During computer assisted literature search only a few publications were found about tetrabenazine, so the ultimate objective of the present investigation was aimed to develop stability-indicating LC method and the development of the newer analytical method was achieved under optimised chromatographic conditions by using mobile phase composed of potassium phosphate buffer: acetonitrile in the ratio (40: 60v/v). The seperation was achieved by using isocratic elution mode with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The effluent was monitored on a UV detector at 284 nm. The retention time of tetrabenazine was found to be at 5.05min and the standard calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 6.25–37.5 μg/mL with r value of 0.999. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 0.562 and 1.704 μg/mL respectively. The recovery studies were performed and the percentage recoveries were found to be in the range of 98.64–98.88%. The drug was also subjected to acidic, basic, oxidative and photolytic degradation as per the ICH guidelines. The developed method allows to separate all degradation from tetrabenazine and to quantitate the tetrabenazine amount. As there is no official monograph in the pharmacopeias about tetrabenazine, the performed full validation procedure makes the method ready to use in routine analysis.


It is well known that the Weibull probability distribution finds application in phenomenon or processes modeling involving risk, such as earthquakes, break down of equipment or system, life-time, etc. Financial investors wish to count on methods or methodologies to support decisions making, estimating when a critical event is more likely to occur, such as downs or ups of a certain share price. In this paper we present the Weibull model application for the occurrence time random variable between two consecutive critical events. Study case: CEMEX equity shares


Energy poverty is one dimension of poverty. As such, its impact in a population with high rates of poverty and exclusion like the people assisted by the Red Cross can be determinant. The consequences of energy poverty at medium and long term could also be determinant for these people. Population groups most affected by energy poverty are over-represented in the population assisted by the Spanish Red Cross. Data on the economy of households and some severe material indicators (people who cannot afford to pay their rent, mortgage or utility bills; or to keep their home adequately warm) allow to show the social and economic context in which energy poverty takes place, and analize its consequences on the most vulnerable. This article tries to underline multidimensional character of poverty and exclusion and make understandable the interrelationships between different aspects engaged in social vulnerability.


Computer generated scenes are usually represented by polygon models. While graphics hardware capabilities have advanced rapidly in recent years many natural scenes are still much too complex to be rendered in real-time as polygon models. A solution is to simplify such models by reducing the number of polygons in them. However, for many complex models, such as models of trees, a polygon reduction is difficult to achieve. Recently a new image-based method called "Billboard Clouds" has been suggested for extreme model simplification. The idea is to replace a complex model by a set of texture mapped images (billboards) of it. The algorithm can deliver impressive results but has several severe limitations: the set of possible planes is restricted to a discretised plane space and the number of resulting billboards can not be controlled directly. In this paper we present a new algorithm for generating billboard clouds using k-means clustering. We show that our algorithm is fast and offers improved performance and user control.


A variety of test statistics have been employed in the finance and accounting literatures for the purpose of conducting hypothesis tests in event studies. This paper begins by formally deriving the result that these statistics do not follow their conventionally assumed asymptotic distribution even for large samples of firms. Test statistics exhibit a statistically significant bias to size in practice, a result that I document extensively. This bias arises partially due to commonly observed stock return traits which violate conditions underlying event study methods. In this paper, I develop two alternatives. The first involves a simple normalization of conventional test statistics and allows for the statistics to follow an asymptotic standard normal distribution. The second approach augments the simple normalization with bootstrap resampling. These alternatives demonstrate remarkable robustness to heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, non-normality, and event-period model changes, even in small samples, and they are useful for event studies with non-clustered events.


Background: Improving the quality of life among patients with spinal cord injury is an imperative goal of treatment. The study's objectives were to assess the Quality of Life (QOL) and identify the factors of QOL among the patients with spinal cord injury. Methods: Using the total enumeration method, 121 patients of SCI were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Ethical clearance was taken from Ethics Commit-tee, and consent was taken from patients. World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF scale (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to assess QOL. Results: The average age of the patients was 47.99±14.70 years. More than half the patients were males. Almost half of the patients (48.0%) reported poor QOL. The psychological and physical domains of QOL were most affected with a mean QOL score of 34.41±11.79 and 38.90±8.55, respectively, out of 100. Significantly poor QOL was reported by patients with higher education (p=0.006), high per capita income (p=0.01), patients who were widow/widower (p=0.03), patient with tetraplegia (p=0.01), depressive symptoms (p<0.03), and patients who were dependent (p<0.03). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the patient with SCI had poor QOL, where psychological and physical domains were most affected. To boost the holistic well-being of these patients, healthcare providers should incorporate appropriate and individualized rehabilitative services and mind-body interventions. The caregivers should also be involved in the care, both psychological and physical care, as they were with the patient round the


Edge-light pupil oscillations induced by a thin slit of light projected from a streak retinoscope and focused on the pupillary margin were recorded by an infrared television pupillometer. The oscillation period expressed as pupil cycle time (PCT) was calculated by hand from the recorded chart and by means of a digital computer with an analogue to digital converter in selected cases. In these cases, Fourier analysis was also undertaken.Forty patients with optic neuritis and 60 normal subjects, matched for age. were examined. The mean value and standard deviation of the PCT obtained by hand analysis of the pupil oscillation were 851±70 msec in the affected eyes of patients with optic neuritis and 834±65 msec among the controls. By computer analysis. the PCT in the affected eyes of patients with optic neuritis was 892±89 msec, while the value obtained for the controls was 890±64 msec. There were no statistical differences between patients and controls in either method. However, in patients with optic neuriti...


Changes in the area of spatial planning are the reason why sustainability and sustainable development are getting in the focus of attention. The trend of suburbanization – the growth of areas on the fringes of cities – is the main reason for requiring more sustainable land use planning. In the US, suburbanization received its own term – urban sprawl. In the 1990s architects and planners realized that the current trend of urban planning in the US is not sus-tainable and thus they started an informal anti-sprawl-movement. One perspective of this movement is New Urbanism, which promotes walkable neighborhoods containing a range of housing andland use types. It encompasses various such design principles. For several years, sustainable land use planning has also become more important in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this paper, the New Urbanist design principles applied for attaining sustainable land use planning are reviewed and their implementation in two exemplary cities located in the San Francisco Bay Area is analyzed. About the author: Elena Gilcher studied Spatial Planning (Bachelor of Science) and Urban and Regional Development (Master of Science) at the University of Kaiserslautern. Now, she is research assistant at the Chair of Urban Planning (Lehrstuhl Stadtplanung) at the University of Kaiserslautern.


This veto message from Governor Mark Sanford vetoes H. 3107, R-177, a bill which would add two lay members to the State Board of Medical Examiners.


The use of personal computers of the IBM PC type in coking plants has been expanding for several years; they are quite reliable and have wide-ranging program systems, including color graphics, etc. The PCs are more or less fully loaded with applications such as financing, bookkeeping, staffing problems, etc.; They are seldom used by the production and technical staff. The software is either standard or slightly modified; the equipment is used for data processing with programs of the {open_quotes}electronic table{close_quotes} type or simple editor programs which convert the computer to a word processor of sorts. The development of software for technological purposes might begin with the solution of the problems facing those responsible for the technological aspects of plant management. However, since the recording and primary processing of information start at the shop-floor level, it is better to develop software relating to technological processes on the horizontal (shop-floor) level, and then to determine precisely what information, and in what form, is required by the management, so that vertical data transmission can be organized.


In order to understand the control of plasma glucose concentration it is helpful to form qualitative and quantitative models of the system. This work illustrates how experiments can be designed to isolate a portion of the complex glucose control system, allowing it to be modelled from input-output data at the subsystem level. It specifically models glucagon control of hepatic glucose production (HGP) using an approach based on proportional-plus-derivative control. The proposed model can describe the glucose production response to a step increase in glucagon and predict the response in a second experiment where glucagon infusion is increased for 30 minutes and then returned to basal.


ABSTRACT Eddy covariance (EC) systems are expensive and not financially viable in a budget-restricted hydrological monitoring network. The surface renewal (SR) method is a cheaper alternative that requires a reduced fetch, but is currently dependent on EC for calibration. SR methods not requiring calibration (surface renewal 2 (SR2) and surface renewal dissipation theory (SRDT)) have been used but are not widely tested over indigenous vegetation. The aim of this research was to test the SR approach as a viable alternative to EC for the estimation of sensible heat flux (H) over indigenous vegetation (Leucosidea sericea) in a montane catchment for unstable periods. For both summer (7 d) and winter (9 d) campaigns, the three SR methods showed a good relationship with the EC method for the estimation of H. Overall, the SRDT method was the most viable alternative to EC and produced acceptable estimates of H over an indigenous vegetation canopy in a montane catchment.


The negative impact of the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on indoor air quality has motivated researchers to develop different air treatment technologies. Although, building mechanical ventilation systems can provide a comfortable thermal indoor environment, they are not capable of removing the VOCs effectively. Thus, other components must be integrated with them to be able to carry out this function. Plasma-based air treatment techniques are a series of processes in which a high voltage discharge is used for elimination of VOCs. Development of plasma-based methods, and their capabilities for chemical gas decomposition, has motivated designers to employ these methods for indoor air purification. This paper addresses the outcomes of a critical literature review on plasma-based air cleaner technologies, thermal to non-thermal plasma and plasma catalyst, and their application for indoor environment VOCs removal. The reaction mechanism, effect of different parameters on the performance of the method, and abilities and limitations of these methods are discussed. Different types of reactors and the most common used catalysts are classified. The role of the presence of the catalyst in improving the non-thermal plasma efficiency is reviewed. Finally, the scope of the future work to enhance the performance of this method for application in sustainable buildings is discussed.


Cetaceans in the Red Sea are poorly known and the lack of information on species presence and abundance is precluding assessments of population status. This work reports the first abundance estimates for delphinids in the southern Egyptian Red Sea based on vessel surveys. Three surveys were conducted in summers 2010, 2011 and 2012 using conventional distance sampling techniques covering a study area of 10,651 km 2 . A total of 3,702 km were searched on transects (sea conditions Beaufort ≤ 5) resulting in 81 sightings of five species. The following abundance estimates and coefficient of variation were obtained for these species: S. attenuata 8,146 (0.26), S. longirostris 6,609 (0.24), T. truncatus 407 (0.36), T. aduncus 497 (0.49) and G. griseus 303 (0.34). Detection probabilities were estimated for groups of combined species due to limited sample sizes (S. attenuata + S. longirostris; Tursiops sp.; Stenella sp. + G. griseus) and as function of covariates likely influencing the detectability. The abundance estimations obtained are the essential first step in developing conservation measures for cetaceans in the area as recommended by the Regional Master Plan developed by the countries of the Red Sea region in 2002.


This paper introduces the theory of complex adaptive system,addresses the ideas and features of the agent technology and the multi-agent system,puts emphasis on explaining the agent-based analysis and modeling of complex adaptive system,and summarizes their characteristics and superiorities over traditional methods.The agent-based technology is an effective analysis tool for a complex adaptive system consisting of many agents.And it not only suitably describes the architecture of complex adaptive system but also provides a powerful tool for modeling of its evolvement process.The agent-based analysis and modeling are new trends in discussing complex adaptive system.


The article considers the essence of the financial activity of the enterprise, which is a system of using various forms and methods for financial support of the functioning of enterprises to achieve their goals. The main tasks of the financial activity of the enterprise are determined and systematized. Important indicators for assessing financial performance, which comprehensively characterize the efficiency of the enterprise, and on the basis of which we can assess the effectiveness of enterprise management, as high profits and a sufficient level of profitability depends on the correctness and efficiency of management decisions. Analyzed indicators of profitability and business activity on the example of JSC "Turboatom", as a result of which, identified negative changes that do not allow the company to develop its potential, indicate the threat of crisis, low demand for products, as a result, considered ways improvement of these indicators, as well as defined strategies for controlling the repayment period of receivables and payables. The essence of bankruptcy has been determined and the main measures have been developed to increase the efficiency and prevent the possibility of bankruptcy of JSC "Turboatom". The results revealed that if you do not pay attention to the negative changes in profitability and business activity in assessing the financial performance of the enterprise, it can lead to a threat of crisis, and as a consequence to the possibility of bankruptcy. Therefore, a set of basic measures to increase the profitability and business activity of the company to improve production, increase product competitiveness, which in the future will increase profits and profitability of the company, because the profitability of the company depends on its profits, and developed key measures to to prevent the possibility of bankruptcy, because the successful, stable and promising operation of the enterprise depends on the right and timely measures.


This paper explores the distributional impacts associated with the formation and management of the Exchange Difference Fund in Uruguay during the period 1937-1959. Under the economic crisis of the thirties and the implementation of mechanisms to cope with it, the government assumed the control over the foreign exchange market and thus the possibility of establishing by his discretion the values of foreign currency, especially the price that was to rule in any transaction of purchase or sale of it. The study of this Fund offers the possibility of an approximation –at a micro level- of the sources that have financed public spending, its destination and the redistributive impact of government's fiscal policy.


Comparing with the real assets,intangible assets has its unique value change rule.Intangible assets investment management carries on the foundation of the intangible assets value change rule.This article analyses the intangible assets book value and the change rule of usage value,studies the characteristics of the intangible assets in the investment and includes several common ways of intangible assets investment.


Currently, with the rapid development in digital era, the image equipment related to multi-media is becoming commercialized. However, in the process of transmitting image data, deterioration occurs due to various causes, and the most representative deterioration is salt and pepper noise. There are many methods of eliminating salt and pepper noise such as SWMF, RSIF, MNRF, which are rather insufficient in eliminating noise in high-density slat and pepper noise environment. Therefore, in order to eliminate salt and pepper noise, this thesis proposes an algorithm by first judging the noise, and when the center pixel value is non-noise, the original pixel is preserved, and when it is noise, the partial mask is subdivided into 4 directions to apply cubic spline interpolation to the direction with most non-noise pixels. Also, for the objective judgement, it was compared to existing methods, and the PSNR(peak signal to nise ratio) was set as the judgement standard.


Heat deformation temperature(HDT),fluidity and mechanical properties of polypropylene(PP) modified by M-HOS and K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers were studied.Experimental results showed that the whiskers could increase the HDT of PP evidently,and they also improved the mechanical properties of PP.When the content of M-HOS whiskers was 30%,the HDT of PP was 151.8℃,and as the content of K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers was 30%,the HDT of PP was 146.5℃.


A fast-convergence frequency-domain adaptive filter is described. A simple normalisation scheme in the frequency-domain optimum block algorithm (FOBA) is used to set the convergence factor separately in each frequency bin. This normalised FOBA (NFOBA) yields significant convergence improvements.


*1 System Technology Development Department, ICT Solution Headquarters *2 Chief Staff Manager, System Technology Development Department ICT Solution Headquarters *3 Chief Staff Manager, Quality Assurance Department, Nuclear Energy Systems Division, Energy & Environment *4 Quality Assurance Department, Nuclear Energy Systems Division, Energy & Environment Technology of Flexible Thin-film Ultrasonic testing Sensor with High Temperature Resistance


Synonymous codon usage is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the genes of organisms. It is a phenomenon that is closely associated with gene expression level, understanding of which may have practical applicability in biomedicine sector. In this study, the synonymous codon usage in Nlrp1 gene was investigated. Because Nlrp1 gene encodes for NLRP1 inflammasome, which is an important cytosolic pathogen sensor in the immune system, our results may shed light in the immunopathology and therapeutic strategies.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to quantify intratumoural viable tissue perfusion with contrast-enhanced greyscale ultrasound to evaluate tumour response to anti-angiogenic treatment.

METHODS
H22 hepatoma-bearing mice were treated with low-dose thalidomide (Group B), high-dose thalidomide (Group C) or 0.5% carboxylmethylcellulose (Group A). Contrast-enhanced greyscale ultrasound was performed after 7 days of treatments to evaluate the percentage of non-enhanced area for each tumour; regions of interest within the enhanced area were analysed offline to determine the area under the curve (AUC), maximum intensity (IMAX), perfusion index (PI), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP) and quality of fit (QOF). Immunohistochemical analysis was performed for evaluation of microvascular density (MVD).

RESULTS
The percentage of non-enhanced area was significantly larger in Group C than in Groups A and B (p<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between Groups A and B. Treatment with thalidomide resulted in a significant decrease in AUC, PI and IMAX compared with Group A (p<0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed significant decreases in MVD in Groups B and C compared with Group A (p<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in MVD between Groups B and C. MVD was positively correlated with IMAX (r = 0.419, p = 0.023) and PI (r = 0.455, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION
Quantitatively analysing intratumoural viable tissue perfusion enables early evaluation of tumour response to anti-angiogenic therapy before apparent changes in tumour necrosis.


This research investigates entrepreneurs in a constrained environment: female entrepreneurs in Iran. Through a matched design with U.S. entrepreneurs, seven female entrepreneurs from each country w...


In materials machining, using multi objective genetic algorithm to obtain optimal solutions is a trend in recent researches. Non dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) and also multi objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) are capable to optimize more than one objective functions concurrently. This study presents combination of regression (second order polynomial) and soft computing techniques to maximize material removal rate (MRR) and minimize surface roughness (Ra) simultaneously for cobalt bonded tungsten carbide material using die sinking electrical discharge machining (WC/Co EDM). Single objective genetic algorithm (SoGA), MOGA and NSGA-II are used to search for the optimal solutions of WC/Co EDM parameters, pulse on time (T), pulse current (I), flushing pressure (P) and electrode rotation (R). The optimization performances are investigated using Matlab 7.12 (R2011a). The maximum value of material removal rate is obtained from NSGA-II optimization, 178.324 mg/min meanwhile the lowest surface roughness from SoGA optimization, 0.155 μm. MOGA optimization shows medium level of output in the conditions whereby did not dominate for either maximum material removal rate or minimum surface roughness, however the solutions are within the acceptable range of experimental results. Copyright © 2016 Penerbit Akademia Baru All rights reserved.


In this study, a Push-Push oscillator with four sub-oscillators is proposed to reduce the phase noise. The four sub-oscillators are connected to a ring resonator by using an electric and magnetic field coupling. Use of these two types of couplings allows us to use four sub-oscillators without increasing the length of the resonator. The proposed oscillator is expected to have low phase noise by increasing the output power using multiple sub-oscillators. Improvement of the phase noise performance is experimentally confirmed. The output power increased by about 3 dB and the phase noise at 1-MHz offset frequency was also reduced by about 3 dB.


This article investigates an oft-alleged kinship between the political thought of Machiavelli and Thucydides concerning "virtue." In the background is the current debate over whether or not Machiavelli initiates "modern" thought with (among other things) a radically new teaching on "virtue." Machiavellian virtù is reprised; Thucydidean attributions of aretē, catalogued; observations proffered. Then Thucydides' assessment of the career of Nicias is discussed; this, to support the contention that when read in their proper contexts, contexts carefully crafted by Thucydides, Thucydidean attributions of aretē do not support the apparent kinship between Thucydides and Machiavelli: Thucydides is not a "Machiavellian."


ABSTRACT Background: The incidence of anatomic variations of hepatic artery ranges from 20-50% in different series. Variations are especially important in the context of liver orthotopic transplantation, since, besides being an ideal opportunity for surgical anatomical study, their precise identification is crucial to the success of the procedure. Aim: To identify the anatomical variations in the hepatic arterial system in hepatic transplantation. Methods: 479 medical records of transplanted adult patients in the 13-year period were retrospectively analyzed, and collected data on hepatic arterial anatomy of the deceased donor. Results: It was identified normal hepatic arterial anatomy in 416 donors (86.84%). The other 63 patients (13.15%) showed some variation. According to the Michels classification, the most frequently observed abnormalities were: right hepatic artery branch of superior mesenteric artery (Type III, n=27, 5.63%); left hepatic artery branch of the left gastric artery (Type II, n=13, 2.71%); right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery associated with the left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery (Type IV, n=4, 0.83%). Similarly, in relation to Hiatt classification, the most prevalent changes were: right hepatic accessory artery or substitute of the superior mesenteric artery (Type III, n=28, 6.05%)), followed by liver ancillary left artery or replacement of gastric artery left (Type II, n=16, 3.34. Fourteen donors (2.92%) showed no anatomical abnormalities defined in classifications, the highest frequency being hepatomesenteric trunk identified in five (01.04%). Conclusion: Detailed knowledge of the variations of hepatic arterial anatomy is of utmost importance to surgeons who perform approaches in this area, particularly in liver transplantation, since their identification and proper management are critical to the success of the procedure.


We propose and demonstrate a low-power and low-current cryogenic readout interface for a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SSPD) using adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron (AQFP) logic. The AQFP readout interface samples and digitizes the current signal from an SSPD, generating binary output data in accordance with the detection behavior of the SSPD. We demonstrate the correct operation of an SSPD with the interface, where the AQFP readout interface and the SSPD are placed in separate 0.1-W Gifford–McMahon (GM) cryocoolers and are interconnected via coaxial cables. It was found that the temperature of the sample stage did not change even after the AQFP readout interface was turned on, which revealed that the AQFP readout interface uses sufficiently low power and current for a compact cryocooler.


By the middle of the ninth century, the Eastern Empire in Constantinople had begun a long recovery under the Macedonian dynasty. Although the rhetoric of decline and renewal was used to explain the necessity of the coup that brought Basil I, the first member of the dynasty, to power, the stability of the dynasty meant that emperors like Leo VI and authors writing about later Macedonian emperors like Constantine VII also often evoked the Antonine idea of renewal without decline. The tendency for tenth-century Macedonian rulers to rule alongside co-emperors meant that this rhetoric could blame the co-emperor for problems while affirming the basic continuity of the dynasty. After discussing the Macedonian dynasty, which ended in the 1050s, the chapter concludes by looking at the return of the rhetoric of decline in authors like Michael Psellus and Michael Attaleiates who worked in the troubled 1070s.


This paper deals with the coupling of two major problems in lubrication theory: cavitation phenomena and roughness of the surfaces in relative motion. Cavitation is defined as the rupture of the continuous film due to the formation of air bubbles, leading to the presence of a liquid-gas mixture. For this, the Elrod-Adams model (which is a pressure-saturation model) is classically used to describe the behavior of a cavitated thin film flow. In addition, in practical situations, the surfaces of the devices are rough, due to manufacturing processes which induce defaults. Thus, we study the behavior of the solution, when highly oscillating roughness effects on the rigid surfaces occur. In particular, we deal with the reiterated homogenization of this Elrod-Adams problem, using periodic unfolding methods. A numerical simulation illustrates the behavior of the solution. Although the pressure tends to a smooth one, the saturation oscillations are not damped. This does not prevent us from defining an equivalent homogenized saturation and highlights the anisotropic effects on the saturation function in cavitated areas.


The implementation of artificial airway suction measures of care often result in dangerous complications, including: low oxygen, the lungs expand insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmias, intracranial hypertension, and even cardiac arrest, asphyxia, etc.. Choose safe and effective suction artificial airway is a priority of care. Clinical approach to the current open-ended suction suction mainly because of the implementation process from the ventilator circuit and often result in complications such as low oxygen; they have been there Swivel Adapter adapter and suction aspiration and confined the the emergence of the present study pointed out that the adapter Swivel Adapter aspiration than open suction have fewer low-oxygen, such as arrhythmia occurred. The use of closed suction cardiopulmonary complications occurred in comparison to open lower suction, but has the disadvantage for the respiratory tract secretion and cost-effectiveness is not easy to remove, such as the more expensive, and two of ventilator-associated pneumonia was no significant difference in the incidence of . However, the closed suction method and Swivel Adapter difference in the effectiveness of suction devices has yet to explore the literature In view of this, so this study wishes to explore the Swivel Adapter adapter suction aspiration with the closed method of cardiopulmonary-induced response of ventilator-associated pneumonia incidence and the difference between the cost-effectiveness study will be the Department of quasi-experimental design to a medical center in the northern part of the thoracic intensive care unit patients to use breathing apparatus to study the object, the case received a total of 90 people. Research tools, including the basic properties of scale, blood pressure, arterial oxygen saturation, heart rate, blood pressure, as well as the collection of ventilator-associated pneumonia incidence and cost-effectiveness of the differences between the two. Research data as a percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, paired-t test and ANOVA repeated measurement analysis. Is hoped that through the empirical study, the clinical selection of patients for the use of breathing apparatus the suction method is safe and effective. The results showed that adapter Swivel Adapter closed suction method and suction method and suction on the arterial partial pressure of oxygen in the process of change and magnitude of inter-group differences were significantly higher than the open suction method (p .05), it is Swivel Adapter adapter with the confined liposuction suction-type are more suitable for the prevention of suction provided to the low oxygen induced lung injury and ARDS patients; Swivel Adapter adapter closed suction method and suction method of heart beat frequency and mean arterial pressure in the suction process The rate of change was no significant difference (p> .05); Swivel Adapter adapter closed suction method and suction on the incidence of VAP without statistically significant differences (p> .05). Open suction group and the incidence of VAP significantly higher (p <.05); open-suction method in the daily average cost of supplies suction significantly less than the other two groups (P <.05); closed suction group in the suction of the cost of daily care to spend time with a suction significantly less than the other two groups (P <.05). Swivel Adapter adapter through the suction method and closed suction method to intervene after the implementation of clinical nursing staff to provide respirators in accordance with their adult patients with the disease characteristics of the search for appropriate suction method in order to avoid complications induced suction process and the cost savings in the cost of suction, thus reducing the incidence of VAP, as well as shorten in the intensive care unit of the hospital date, ventilator days and the number of days, such as use of antibiotics, it should be involved in the promotion of measures or the use of mechanically ventilated patients in order to reduce the health care costs and enhance quality of care.


Realize the convenience of a high non-contact power transmission system capable of responding to diverse customer needs. After the power reception side apparatus 510 has a power reception device (4), automatically detecting that the power reception according to the contactless power transmission installed in the possible place, usually transmission for powering the load of the power reception side apparatus 510 Auto mode, the operation trigger switch SW1 is by an operation mode switching terminal (AUTO) for inputting an operation mode switching control signal for switching the switch mode for starting the normal power transmission after ondoen, an operation of the operation trigger switch SW1 for starting operation trigger terminal (SWONX) and a transmission side control with controls the power transmission to the power reception device 40, based on the operation mode switch control signal switching an operation mode of the power transmission device for inputting the generated operation trigger signal, It has a circuit (20). Power reception side apparatus, the operation trigger switch, switch-mode, the operation mode switching terminal, an auto mode switch, a portable terminal, the antenna, AC adapter


This debate this week is critically important for all American families to sustain the economic expansion which we have seen for the last 7 years. I yield back the remainder of my time. Mr. ROCKEFELLER addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia. Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak for 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair. Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I yield to the majority leader. Mr. LOTT. I thank the Senator for yielding. We are working on a unanimous consent request that we might want to try to get cleared in the next 6 or 7 minutes. So if that should occur, I would ask the Senator to yield me time to do that. But we would do it in such a way where his remarks would not be interrupted. I thank the Senator for yielding to me. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized. Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I thank the majority leader for his courtesy. f VETERANS HEALTH CARE Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I had not expected to talk this afternoon. But I am here. The Senator from West Virginia is here. I am the ranking Democrat on the Veterans' Committee. I am overwhelmed with the sense of urgency , and almost despair, about the condition of health care for veterans in our country. Because of caps, the veterans health care budget, which is really the most important part of the veterans oper-ation—benefits are important but what they really care about is, is health care going to be there if they need it?—has been flat-lined for the next 5 years. By flat-lined, I mean there is no increase. Even though there are more expenses, there is more requirement for their services, there is no more money. The Veterans' Administration is the largest health care system in the country. The only difference from any other health care system is that it is entirely a Government health care system. Therefore, the Government determines what it can spend and what it cannot spend. Unlike the private health care systems, it cannot spend a dime over what it is appropriated. So the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which capped all discretionary programs—which said they could not increase—obviously, therefore, included the veterans health care budget. I cannot tell you the damage …


Objective To study the correlation of blood drug concentration determination of sodium valproate in children with epilepsy by using enzyme-multiplied immunoassay test(EMIT) andhigh performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),so as to provide basis of selection in clinical determination of sodium valproate(VPA).Methods 200 blood samples of epileptic children taking sodium valproate were collected,blood concentration were determined by EMIT and HPLC method,and the correlation was analyzed.Results The following regression equation was obtained by determination results of HPLC(X) and EMIT(Y) : Y = 1063.517X-331.351(r = 0.933),whichhad significant correlation(P 0.05).The plasma concentration of VPA determined by EMIT washigher than that by HPLC.Conclusion The determination results of VPA concentration in epileptic children by using EMIT and HPLChas significant correlation,and it should choose the suitable method to determine the blood drug concentration of VPA based on the actual situation.


For many diaspora Scots, Scotland has remained the ancestral land, the home to which they could potentially return, and from which their identities originated. Through familiar spiritual, educational, and cultural beacons, diaspora Scots have often recreated a Scotland of the mind helping them maintain their Scottish heritage and cope with their new environments. This looking back to Scotland has been described by historians as "Homeland Orientation". This article demonstrates, through a case study on tartan, that the relationships between the homeland and its diaspora are not unidirectional since Scotland and North America have established a bilateral partnership in that field over the last decades. Scotland's recent positive re-assessment of tartan by academics and politicians alike has to some extent been made possible thanks to the support of North America.


The mode of deuterium uptake during Pd–D co–deposition has been explored using galvanostatic perturbation techniques. The resultant potential relaxation curves exhibit four distinct potential—time intervals where the relaxation process is controlled by the interaction between the transport of deute-rium from the lattice to the surface to form adsorbed deuterium and the reduction of palladium from solution. These interactions are discussed in terms of the palladium + electrolyte interphase.


Electroluminescence has been obtained from ZnSe p-n junctions. ZnSe films were grown on n-type GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The dopant used for n-type ZnSe was Ga, and p-type ZnSe was formed by nitrogen ion implantation into undoped ZnSe which was grown on the Ga-doped ZnSe layer. Rapid thermal annealing was performed using an infrared lamp in N2 ambient. The formation of a p-n junction was confirmed by measuring electron beam-induced current. The electroluminescence spectra were dominated by two peaks of band-edge emission at 446 and 459 nm at 77 K.


In order to remove basic nitrogen compounds from coking wax oil,denitrification of coking wax oil was researched by adopted an acidic compound complexing denitrification agent,and used toluene as solvent in this experiment.The treating temperature,the treating time,the agent oil ratio and the settling time were investigated.It was found that the removal rate of basic nitrogen in coking wax oil reached 91.34%,and the yield of coking wax oil achieved 95.54% under the best test conditions of the treated temperature of 55℃,treating time of 40min,the agent oil ratio of 1:4 and the settling time of 30 min.


This essay challenges the historiography of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, India. Drawing on colonial and postcolonial source materials, in addition to contemporary discussions and scholarship that places the 1919 events in the context of the longue duree of British colonial violence and historiography, this essay assesses the appropriateness of a potential centenary apology by the British.


. Simple, portable and low-cost experiments as RC and RL series circuits are proposed as examples to experiment with DC circuits. Very common elements are used: few electronics components (resistors, capacitors, coils and connecting wires) and two smartphones. We consider the charging and discharging of a capacitor in the RC circuit and also that of coil in the RL circuit. Using a smartphone as a oscilloscope we observe voltages variations which are the transient response to a square signal generated in the second smartphones. These voltage variations are directly related to the electrostatic or magnetic energy stored in the circuits. The experimental data have been collected with the smartphone used as an oscilloscope. This approach which avoids the use of expensive signal generators, oscilloscopes, or any specialized hardware can be performed in less-favored contexts and even as a home assignment.


Editor – The recent report by Fraser et al. represents pioneering work in developing understanding of cognitive load within simulation education. We applaud this effort and wish to offer comments on its interpretation. Firstly, the authors state '...training must be considered suboptimal when 25–30% of students fail to recognise a cardiac murmur...' Thereafter, this standard is presumably the basis for restatements of simulation's 'failure to improve'. This is problematic. Without a comparator pre-experience assessment, it is not possible to know the actual effect of the simulation encounter. These Year 1 medical students actually fared remarkably well in comparison with previously reported advanced learners and clinicians. The implied expectation that Year 1 students should perform better than doctors in training or practice requires justification.


The physiological response of Addo elephants (Loxo- donta africana) to etorphine hydrochloride (M-99) and acetylpromazine maleate is discussed. As in the case of Kruger National Park elephants, the described dosage rates of drugs are highly effective for safe anaesthesia of these elephants.


Objective
To investigate the effect of griping exercise on wrist palmar swelling after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods
A total of 90 patients of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University with planned percutaneous coronary intervention via radial artery were enrolled and divided into the control group, griping exercise group 1 and griping exercise group 2 with 30 cases in every group according to the sequence of admission. Preoperative education and postoperative care were performed with a conventional approach in the control group. Griping exercise in group 1: Fisting exercise with electronic grips in 15 times per min, lasted 1 min, 2 hours per day for 3 days. Griping exercise in group 2: Fisting exercise with electronic grips in 25 times per min, lasted 2 min, 2 hours per day for 3 days. The degree of swelling and pain in patients' wrist palmar 6 hours after operation (sheath tube removal) were observed.

Results
The pain score in wrist and palm in griping exercise group 2 was 0.83±0.39, and 4.20±1.98 in the control group, the difference was significant (t=3.912, P < 0.05), and also lower than that of the griping exercise group 1 (1.92±0.78, t=3.087, P < 0.05). The swelling value of finger circumference in griping exercise group 2 was (0.13±0.05) cm, and in the control group was (0.39±0.13) cm, the difference was significant (t=3.013, P < 0.05), also lower than (0.23±0.11) cm in the griping exercise group 1 (t=2.612, P < 0.05).

Conclusions
Fisting exercise with electronic grips in 25 times per min, lasted 2 min, 2 hours per day for 3 days preoperation could reduce the swelling and pain in patients' wrist and palm on the operation side.

Key words:
Radial artery; Swelling


Lateral vibrations are the most destructive type of vibrations affecting rotary drilling. They are recognized by a phenomenon popularly known as drill bit whirl. The major causes leading to drill bit whirl are identified as the effect of a bend drill string or a manufacturing unbalance in the drill bit. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the drill bit whirl phenomenon by laboratory tests on a rotary drilling prototype built for the purpose. Practical methods which could control or limit these vibrations below the damaging threshold values are discussed in this paper. The paper also presents an explanation of the under actuation of the drill bit and hence its complex control objectives. A few typical under actuated system control solutions are presented, to analyze the scope of applying similar techniques to the drill bit whirl problem.


Marit Inngjerdingen, Bent Rolstad and James C. Ryanhttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/171/6/2889J Immunol€2003; 171:2889-2895; ;Referenceshttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/171/6/2889.full#ref-list-1This article cites 42 articles, 32 of which you can access for free at: Subscriptionshttp://jimmunol.org/subscriptionsInformation about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: Permissionshttp://www.aai.org/ji/copyright.htmlSubmit copyright permission requests at: Email Alertshttp://jimmunol.org/cgi/alerts/etocReceive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at:


A performative lecture / presentation with a painting, Dejeuner sans L'herbe, acrylic and oil on linen, 100 x 50cm, and 2 texts (one with a powerpoint presentation).


The 2nd Annual WPI-UMASS-UPENN EDM Data Mining Challenge required contestants to predict efficient testtaking based on log data. In this paper, we describe our theory-driven and psychometric modeling approach. For feature engineering, we employed the Log-Normal Response Time Model for estimating latent person speed, and the Generalized Partial Credit Model for estimating latent person ability. Additionally, we adopted an n-gram feature approach for event sequences. For training a multi-label classifier, we distinguished inefficient test takers who were going too fast and those who were going too slow, instead of using the provided binary target label. Our best-performing ensemble classifier comprised three sets of low-dimensional classifiers, dominated by test-taker speed. While our classifier reached moderate performance, relative to competition leaderboard, our approach makes two important contributions. First, we show how explainable classifiers could provide meaningful predictions if results can be contextualized to test administrators who wish to intervene or take action. Second, our re-engineering of test scores enabled us to incorporate person ability into the estimation. However, ability was hardly predictive of efficient behavior, leading to the conclusion that the target label's validity needs to be questioned. The paper concludes with tools that are helpful for substantively meaningful log data mining.


In a production environment it is important to know the effect of topography on plant productivity. This will allow them to place crops in agricultural landscapes and to make fuller use of existing agroclimatic resources. The study of the influence of slopes of different exposures on peculiarities of formation of productivity elements and yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiments were conducted from 2011 to 2013 on the fields of farms of Belebey district located on the south wing of Bugulmin-Belebey upland. The object was to study the slopes of the southern, northern, south-eastern and south-western exposures with slope from 1,5 to 2,5 0. The flattened area was as a control. The soil leached Chernozem. It was established, that on sloping fields, the preservation of plants to harvest on average by 2,4-53,5% less than the flattened area, and the prevalence of root rot reached 34,5-57,7 %, besides the weed infestation of crops on the slopes of 1,4-1,8 times higher than the target value. The productivity of spring wheat on sloping sites is reduced by 4,1-61,5 %, while the Northern slope exposure by 2,1-3,4 times. However, crops in the middle part of the slopes areon average by 18,7-33,7 % more productive than the crops of the bottom part and by 55,0-63,2% than the crops from the top part. At the same time the greatest number of grain formed on the slops of south-western -16,0-24,2 dt/hа and south-eastern exposure -15,5-23,4 dt/hа. It can be concluded that under the conditions of Bugulmin-Belebey upland the spring soft wheat is advisable to sow in the middle part of the slope. This will allow to obtain stable yields of grain on average by 3,0 to 7,8 dt/ha more than on the lower and upper parts of the slope. If possible, the crops should be placed on the slopes of the south-western, south-eastern and southern exposure, the yield of plants on them, on average, by 1,9-2,1 times higher than on the slope of northern exposition.


This paper discusses the effect of a general oblique magnetic field on the stability of two superposed fluids in relative horizontal motion. The stable and unstable cases at the interface (z = 0) between two uniform fluids with constant denRities and velocities of streaming are separately discussed. The combined effect of horizontal and vertical magnetic fields is to increase the wavelength at which the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability sets in.


• Review information immediately. The best review time is soon after learning has taken place. The beginning and the end of material studied is the best remembered, so pay close attention to the middle as you study. Review the material to refresh your memory before going to bed unless you are physically or mentally overtired. Freshly learned information is better remembered after a period of sleep than after an equal period of daytime activity.


A Research Project Submitted to Addis Ababa University College of Business and Economics
Post Graduate Executive Masters of Business Administration (EMBA) Program in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of EMBA.


A review of the live virtual production of King Lear, presented by the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival for their "Shakespeare at Home" season 2020. Freely available to all via YouTube, this production featured actors performing the play in multiple and individual locations, the socially-distanced imperative facilitated by Zoom and Open Broadcaster Software technology to create a performance in "real-time" that captured the spirit of living theatre, while keeping all involved safe and gainfully employed.


Peroxoiron species have been proposed to be involved in catalytic cycles of iron-dependent oxygenases and in some cases as the active intermediates during oxygen-transfer reactions. The catalytic properties of a mononuclear iron complex, [Fe(II)(pb)(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)] (pb=(-)4,5-pinene-2,2'-bipyridine), have been compared to those of its related dinuclear analogue. Each system generates specific peroxo adducts, which are responsible for the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides. The dinuclear catalyst was found to be more reactive and (enantio)selective than its mononuclear counterpart, suggesting that a second metal site affords specific advantages for stereoselective catalysis. These results might help for the design of future enantioselective iron catalysts.


This paper is about the comparison of the cycle of money with the impact factor of health, and without it. Hence, this thesis is based on the cycle of money and on the impact factor of health. This means that we should have the appropriate health system for the support of the financial market and of the economy. Thus, the impact factor of the health is important as it enforces the economic dynamic of any economy. This is not obvious as there is taxation of factors which are not returned back to the market. Therefore, we extract conclusions about the importance of this impact factor, and for the purposes of the Q.E. method and a real case scenario are used.


hard. It will be a major task, a major campaign like the first one, though with the good fortune of having the first to guide its destructive slicing away. While there are many ancient tells in Israel and Jordan waiting for those who would attack fresh ground, mounds dug in an earlier day are now feeling a fresh attack on the mysteries of the old ground Jerusalem, Shechem, Samaria, Gezer, Megiddo. To this list someone someday will have to add Beth-shan.


This paper explores architectural designs of approximate unsigned integer dividers based on restoring and non-restoring algorithms. As the subtractor cell is the basic building of a divider, three designs of approximate subtractors are proposed. These approximate subtractors when used in divider reduce the complexity, power consumption and delay at the cost of lower accuracy. The efficiency of proposed dividers are evaluated by simulating the circuits in 45-nm CMOS technology. The results indicate that the third design of approximate non-restoring and restoring dividers are consuming only 31% and 33% delay and power respectively as compared to conventional design. The accuracy of proposed designs is analyzed with several error metrics. The approximate restoring dividers are performing superior to non-restoring dividers both in-terms of design parameters and error metrics.


The term chronic daily headache refers to a heterogeneous group of headache disorders characterized by a frequency of headaches on ≥15 days per month. Chronic migraine is a subtype of chronic daily headache. The prevalence of chronic migraine is ∼1%. Baseline attack frequency and acute medication overuse have been identified as potential risk factors for the progression of migraine from an episodic disorder to a chronic condition. There is an unmet patient need for effective and safe treatments for patients with chronic migraine, but data from rigorous controlled trials are limited. Previous studies have demonstrated that topiramate is an effective and safe preventive treatment for episodic migraine. In addition, pilot studies have suggested the utility of topiramate for the prevention of chronic migraine. Two randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, multicenter trials investigating the efficacy and safety of topiramate in the treatment of patients with chronic migraine have recently been completed. This review presents comparative data from these 2 clinical trials, which suggest that topiramate at a dose of 100 mg daily is effective and generally well tolerated in chronic migraine.


In light of the recent rapid increase in the number of private schools in India as well as the number of students being enrolled in them, one cannot help but ponder about the reasons for this unprecedented growth of the private schools. Firstly, this research describes the Indian educational philosophy with respect to individual growth and collective progress of the society. Secondly, it examines the conditions that led to this growth of private schools as a result of the failure of implementation of the right to education in terms of access to schools and teacher qualifications, training, salaries, and attendance. Thirdly, it analyses the Right to Education Act, 2009 in light of the requirement of government regulation in private schools to maintain a quality of education as set by the Act. Fourthly, it proposes self-regulatory mechanisms that would remove the information asymmetry regarding the working of private schools between these schools and the government to better the overall learning process. Lastly, the paper provides few suggestions to improve the quality of education and proposes the setting up on an independent body for as a mechanism to regulate the working of private schools.


Abstract The technological aspects of adding carbon–fluorine-containing additions to AN-348, AN-60 and AN-67 fluxes in welding 09G2S steel are investigated. It is shown that the addition decreases the total oxygen content of the welded joint, lowers the degree of contamination with oxide non-metallic inclusions and the level of gas saturation of the weld metal, and increases the mechanical properties and impact toughness of the welded joints. The carbon concentration of the welded joint remains similar to that of the parent metal.


In this paper, it is demonstrated by DNS of turbulent rough channels that a proportionality between u2′|w (the wall-normal Reynolds stress u2′=⟨u2′2⟩1/2 at the top of the roughness elements) and the roughness function does exist. This observation confirmed by experiments allows the derivation of a simple expression for the velocity profile in the log-region. This parameterization of rough walls through u2′|w is suggested by the direct link between wall structures and ∂2u2′2∂x22. Identification of the wall structures, near smooth and different kinds of rough surfaces, demonstrates flow isotropization near rough walls, corroborated by profiles of ∂2u2′2∂x22, is depicted by visualizations of ∇2p. The relationship between the roughness function and u2′|w allows the derivation of a new kind of Moody diagram, useful in the prediction of friction factors of rough flows at high Reynolds numbers.


ABSTRACT The false carmine cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae has been originally used as biological control agent of the prickly pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica Miller, considered as an exotic invasive species in many countries including Spain. However, the extremely high level of infestation has resulted in great inconvenience to the population of local residents and a serious threat to wipe out a plant that is already part of the Andalusian landscape. In the present research, different control means were evaluated towards this cochineal at field condition in a site in the province of Cadiz (Spain). The populations of the insect in the study site were confirmed to belong to D. opuntiae. We detected this insect throughout the study area with a very high population density in terms of number of colonies per cladode and the extent of the infestation. We also evaluated the efficacy of four different methods (Chlorpyrifos-methyl, Potassium soap, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri larvae, the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana) for the control of D. opuntiae. Our results demonstrated that the Potassium soap and Chlorpyrifos-methyl were the best treatments in reducing D. opuntiae populations, with relative population density values being negative only in these two treatments, and efficacies of 91.5 and 76.7% respectively. The results of this investigation showed that the current situation of false carmine cochineal is worrisome, but nevertheless, the use of Potassium soap for its control is recommended because of its high efficacy and low environmental impact.