Prior information of blood dielectric properties is important and a valuable tool to examine cell morphological structures, functions and mechanisms of their metabolic systems; however, this is under investigated. The study explores the technique of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements to reveal the proper biostimulation conditions for diabetic blood-low level laser therapy. Dielectric spectroscopy of the diabetic patient's blood was studied using Impedance analyser (Agilent 4294A) within the range of frequency 40 Hz-30 MHz. Blood biostimulations were done using a 532 nm wavelength portable solid-state laser (diode-pumped). The accurate characterization of irradiated diabetic blood impedance and proper observations at power output of 50 mw within exposure duration of 10-15 minutes yield an efficient biostimulation and positively enable rejuvenation and proliferation of the deformed erythrocytes and stimulate healthy blood condition. The irradiated diabetic blood got rejuvenated and had their electrode polarization (α-dispersion region) stretched from frequency of 40 Hz until within a range of 11.7- 11.9 kHz similar to the healthy human blood. This formed appreciable positive effect of the properly stimulated diabetic blood with significant impedance within the cell structures, cytoplasm and plasma of the blood.


Mechanical fault diagnosis of high voltage circuit breakers (HVCBs) based on vibration signal analysis is one of the most significant issues in improving the reliability and reducing the outage cost for power systems. This paper proposes a fault diagnosis method based on the combination of variational mode decomposition (VMD) and the grid search (GS) optimization support vector machine (SVM). Firstly, the original multi-component vibration signal is decomposed into a set of single-component intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) by using VMD. Secondly, the feature entropy vector is calculated by combining the Hilbert transform and information entropy. Finally, based on the k-fold cross-validation (K-CV), GS was applied to seek for the optimal intemal parameters of the SVM classifier. Compared with the traditional fault diagnosis method, the model method of VMD-GS-SVM has obvious advantages, which improves the precision of mechanical fault diagnosis and the universality of application.


Background: Denim sandblasting is as a novel cause of silicosis in Turkey, with reports of a recent increase in cases and fatal outcomes. We aimed to describe the radiological features of patients exposed to silica during denim sandblasting and define factors related to the development of silicosis. Methods: Sixty consecutive men with a history of exposure to silica during denim sandblasting were recruited. All CT examinations were performed using a 64-row multi-detector CT (MDCT). The nodules were qualitatively and semiquantitatively analyzed by grading nodular profusion (NP) on CT images. Results: Silicosis was diagnosed radiologically in 73.3% of patients (44 of 60). The latency period (the time between initial exposure and radiological imaging) and duration of silica exposure was longer in patients diagnosed with silicosis than in those without silicosis (p < 0.05). Nodules were present in all cases with centrilobular type as the commonest (63.6%). All cases of silicosis were clinically classified as accelerated and 11.4% had progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). Mild NP lesions were the most prevalent in all six zones of the lung. The NP score was significantly correlated with the duration of silica exposure, the latency period, presence of PMF, and pleural thickening. Enlarged lymphadenopathy was present in 45.5% of patients. Conclusions: The duration of exposure and the latency period are important for development of silicosis in denim sandblasters. MDCT is a useful tool in detecting findings of silicosis in workers who has silica exposure. Background Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust containing free crystalline silica. Extremely high exposures are associated with a short latency and rapid disease progression [1]. The condition is irreversible and progresses even when exposure stops. Silicosis is one of the oldest occupational diseases and kills thousands of people worldwide every year. Silicosis occurs in two distinct clinical forms: acute silicosis, also known as silicoproteinosis, and classic or chronic silicosis. Acute silicosis occurs following exposure to a large quantity of silica, most frequently as a result of sandblasting. Classic or chronic silicosis is characterized by the development of nodular infiltrative lung disease [2] and occurs following long-term exposure (i.e., 10-20 years) to a low concentration of silica dust. Accelerated silicosis is similar to classic silicosis, but occurs following exposure to higher dust concentrations for a shorter period (as little as 5 years) [3]. Silicosis has two radiological forms: simple and complicated [2,3]. Denim sandblasting was recently identified as a novel cause of silicosis in Turkey, with reports of a recent increase in cases and fatal outcomes [4-8]. Denim sandblasting uses silica-containing sand as an abrasive on blue jean surfaces to produce a "worn-out" look. This exposure is more dangerous than others because it involves intense exposure for long periods under poor hygienic conditions and in the absence of ventilation systems or respiratory protection [5-8]. Acute silicosis can also occur in quartzite millers, tunnel workers, silica flour workers, and workers in the scouring powder industry [9,10]. Although chest radiography is the most convenient imaging technique for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of silicosis, it has some limitations in the assessment of pneumoconiosis [11]. Thin-section com* Correspondence: firstname.lastname@example.com 1 Dicle University School of Medicine Department of Radiology 21280,


A transmission power control method for a spectrum expanding communication system that performs communication between a base station (203) and a plurality of mobile devices (204) using a plurality of channels, wherein: the plurality of channels has first channels (3) associated with the mobile devices, for transmitting a data packet to the base station, and a second channel (140) used by the base station to transmit a control signal to the mobile devices, the mobile devices sharing the second channel, the second channel (140) is a downlink traffic channel; the base station measures the reception level of a signal received on each of the first channels, generates a transmission power control signal in accordance with the reception level of each first channel, and a common transmission power control signal including the transmission power control signals for the respective first channels in a system predetermined format inserting in the second channel and transmitting the common transmission power control signal including the transmission power control signals for each of the first channels via the second channel; and each mobile device receives the dedicated transmission power control signal on the second channel and controls the transmission power for a signal to be transmitted via a corresponding one of the first channels in accordance with the received transmission power control signal.


Collision zones worldwide show a vast array of complexity that is difficult to relate to simple collision dynamics. Here we address the problem of linking surface observables to collision dynamics through the use of two and three-dimensional numerical models. We will focus on two specific observables, topography and the presence of ultra-high pressure metamorphic terranes. Our model topography predictions are used to explain the uplift and subsidence history for the Arabia-Eurasia collision. This allows us to relate the post-collisional marine deposits, found on the overriding plate, to a steepening of the subduction interface.
Our three-dimensional model is used to explore possible exhumation mechanisms for the Western Gneiss Complex in Norway. From these models we show how an asymmetric collision can help drive exhumation of material that has experienced comparable conditions to the Western Gneiss Complex. The linking of upper mantle and lithosphere dynamics to both topography observation and exhumation patterns allow better understanding of the subduction and collision process.


This paper estimates structural parameters of both a simple and an extended job separation model with the purpose of understanding constraints in the labor market in Bolivia. The results confirm the hypothesis that skilled labor is a scarce commodity in Bolivia, while unskilled labor is abundantly available. This implies that skilled employees shop around for alternative employment opportunities and quit jobs when a better opportunity arises. The quit rate among skilled employees in the private sector is much higher than the quit rate among skilled employees in the public sector. The reverse is true for the lay-off rate, and together this suggests that the private sector has difficulties maintaining its skilled labor. The results suggest that the public sector in Bolivia, inflated by high levels of foreign aid (about per cent of GDP), may be detracting scarce human resources form local productive sectors potentially jeopardizing the opportunity for sustainable development.


Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to determine the nature of the adhesive bonding which occurs through interchain transesterification (ITR) in thermosetting polyester materials (TS) and in liquid crystalline polyester polymers (LCP). An all aromatic copolyester thermoset was prepared as a deuterated and undeuterated film. These films were cured and then consolidated using heat and pressure to form a good adhesive bond. SIMS produced no direct observation of interdiffusion indicating that the length scale over which it occurred must be less than 500 A (the resolution of the technique). A similar set of experiments was carried out using a deuterated and non-deuterated film of a liquid crystalline copolyester (LCP) consisting of 73/27 p-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid. In this case, the deuterated units diffused throughout the entire undeuterated films within less than one hour at 280 °C.


The effect of fiber chromatic dispersion on the performance of a multichannel optical coherent CPFSK system is analyzed including also the effects of shot and thermal noises and crosstalk interference. The sensitivity penalty is found to increase due to waveform distortion caused by chromatic dispersion. The channel frequency separation is, therefore, required to increase to overcome the dispersion effect. The channel spacing requirements become worse with increase in intermediate frequency (IF) and IF bandwidth.


Background: The ethanol extract of Combretum dolichopentalum (EECD) is employed in Nigeria to stabilize the uterus after parturition. The ability of EECD to confer protection on rats destabilized by moderate concentrations of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was evaluated. Methods: Fifty rats were assigned to 5 groups of 10 rats each. The experimental animals after acclimatization were handled accordingly: Groups 1 and 2 respectively were maintained on food and water only throughout the study. Group 3, 4, and group 5 were pre-treated with 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight of EECD and 50 mg/kg of silymarin for 28 respectively. All groups except group 1 were intoxicated to 0.2 ml/kg body weight of CCl4, administered via an intraperitoneal route on day 29. Serum pipetted from the blood of the rats after cardiac puncture was assayed for antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation product and serum iron, zinc and biocarbonate. Haematological analysis was also conducted. Results: Administration of CCl4 at 0.2 ml/kg b.w slightly increased the oxidizing species as indicated in the concentration of malondialdehyde in the rats while reducing the antioxidant enzymes; it increased the Iron and zinc concentrations and also the haematological parameters except for the white blood cells. However, this was corrected by pre-treatment with the EECD dosedependently. Conclusion: These characteristics portends that the crude ethanol extract of C. dolichopentalum could be employed to correct minor oxidative perturbation induced by CCl4 intoxication


T he dissemination of the European currency affords an opportunity to observe the movements and contacts that are evolving among the different regions in Europe. The national-faced euros, that were first circulated early this year, have been disseminated since then by individuals in the course of their travelling, whether for business, tourism or other purposes. A series of surveys yielded a picture of the extent to which foreign euros were used in France at three points of the year—in March, June and September 2002 (1). The following question was put to each of the 1,000 or 2,000 people interviewed in each survey: " We are now going to talk about the euro and particularly about the circulation of coins in the euro zone. I would like us to see together if you have any euro coins, whether French or foreign, in your purse ". Approximately three-quarters of the respondents agreed to open their purse and see with the interviewer where the euros in it (an average of 14 coins) came from (2). The proportion of coins issued abroad almost doubled in France between March and September 2002, rising from 5% to 9% (table 1). Curiously, the proportion varies depending on the value of the coins: in September, only 3% of the 1 cent coins were struck abroad, as against 14% of the € 2 coins. The coins do not circulate at the same rhythm depending on their value, and more of those with a higher value come from abroad into France (figure 1) (3). Now considering, not the proportion of foreign coins, but the proportion of individuals in whose purse at least one foreign coin was found, it turns out that 1 French national out of 5 had at least one foreign coin in March, as against 1 out of 3 in June, and 1 out of 2 in September. In March, foreign coins were already to be found in the purses of some half of residents in the départements near the German border, and in over one third of the purses of the residents in the northeastern regions of France (figure 2). In contrast, there seemed to be much less such activity on the Spanish and Italian borders, probably due to low flows of tourists at that period of the year, but also to Italians belatedly using euros—in Editorial – The circulation of euros as a reflection of people's …


The invention discloses a glue pouring cable terminal box, which overcomes the problems of poor air-tightness, poor strength and inconvenient operation of the prior glue pouring cable terminal box. The glue pouring cable terminal box consists of a box body (1) and a box cover (2), wherein a junction surface of the box body and the box cover are scarfed by a seal groove and a seal ring (7), cable inlets (12) at two axial ends of the box are composed of protruding symmetrical semicircles (18) which are respectively arranged on the box body and the box cover, the seal ring (7) is rectangular and is fixedly connected to rubber rings (14) at two axial ends, the rubber rings are arranged in the cable inlets (12), the box cover is provided at least two holes which are communicated with the same cavity and matched with blanking covers, one of the holes is an exhaust hole and an earth line introducing hole, and other holes are glue pouring insulating glue holes, combination wedges fixedly connected to two axial side faces of the box body and box cover are matched with dovetail grooves.


Chemicals which selectively radiosensitize hypoxic mammalian cells have been considered as adjuvants in the radiotherapy of human tumours (Adams, 1973). The screening of various nitroheterocyclic drugs indicated numerous structures which are active as sensitizers in mammalian cells in vitro (Chapman, Reuvers and Borsa, 1973). The discovery that some drugs with current clinical usage were excellent radiosensitizers of hypoxic mammalian cells (Reuvers, Chapman and Borsa, 1972; Chapman et al., 1972), generated some optimism as regards an early clinical trial. A successful application of such drugs in the radiotherapy of human tumours would depend upon favourable pharmacological properties. In the selection of metronidazole for this study, radiosensitizing effectiveness at low drug concentration was sacrificed in favour of acceptable pharmacological properties.


Purpose. The analysis of the role of local governments in the administrative and legal regulation of environmental safety.

Methods. The interaction among administrative-legal and economic tools of environmental safety regulation in the analysis of collection, receipts and use of funds from the payment of environmental tax by the cost method is studied.

Results. The comparative analysis of the main provisions of the Strategies of the state environemtnal policy till 2020 and till 2030 is carried out. It was found that until 2020, the responsibility for the availability and accuracy of environmental information was on the executive, not local governments. It is noted that by 2020 the indicator of effectiveness of the Strategy was the number of adopted local action plans for environmental protection, a strategic environmental assessment is among the qualitative indicators, however, the relevant law was adopted 7 years after the Strategy, and the first assessments were conducted only in 2019. It was found that the Strategy until 2030 needs to be adjusted either in terms of recalculating the planned targets for achieving the Environmental Performance Index (ERI) (achieving a score below 83 points) or recalculating the entire Strategy in order to intensify it and overcome "weaknesses". are highlighted when using the new ERI assessment methodology.

Conclusions. It was found that the transfer of most of the revenue from the environmental tax to the general fund of the state budget created risks of their misuse, which does not allow local governments to fully implement environmental measures in accordance with the needs of cities and regions. Among the main proposals to improve this situation are to increase the size of the environmental tax, change the distribution of revenues from the environmental tax by increasing revenues to local budgets, developing a mechanism for economic incentives for enterprises that implement measures to maintain environmental safety.


ABSTRACT Wildlife tourism has become a vital part of the tourism industry, especially in developing countries. However, due to its popularity, this form of tourism can attract quite a large number of visitors that can quickly exceed the social carrying capacity of a natural area (such as a national park), leading to poor visitor experiences, negative word-of-mouth and lower return rates. The purpose of this research was to determine whether one could lower the perceptions of overcrowding in a South African park by enhancing aspects that might lead to a memorable experience. Six memorable experience factors were found to lower the perceptions of overcrowding, whereas none of the memorable experience factors influenced perceptions of traffic and speeding in the Park. The findings can be used by park managers to create better experiences in parks in cases where it might not be feasible to restrict visitor numbers.


NavioPFS™ is a hand-held robotic technology for bone shaping that employs computer control of a high-speed bone drill. There are two control modes – one based on control of exposure of the cutting bur and another based on the control of the speed of the cutting bur. The unicondylar knee replacement (UKR) application uses the image-free approach in which a mix of direct and kinematic referencing is used to define all parameters relevant for planning. After the bone cutting plan is generated, the user freely moves the NavioPFS handpiece over the bone surface, and carves out the parts of the bone targeted for removal. The real-time control loop controls the depth or speed of cut, thus resulting in the planned bone preparation. This experiment evaluates the accuracy of bone preparation and implant placement on cadaveric knees in a simulated clinical setting.Three operators performed medial UKR on two cadaver specimens (4 knees) using a proprietary implant design that takes advantage of the NavioPFS approach. ...


Based on the determination of soil moisture under the artificial forest in Chang′an, the change of soil moisture from zero to six meters and dried layer of soil are studied. The experiments show that the soil moisture are 9.13 percent, 9.23 percent and 9.50 percent from two to four meters of artificial forests that are seventeen, thirteen and ten years old in Yinzhen and Weiqu of Chang′an, and the dried layer of soil are obviously formed. Soil moisture in wheat land is normal and the dried layer of soil has not developed. In a rainy year, the soil moisture from two to four meters of 17-year-old, 13-year-old and 10-year-old artificial forest are 22.55 percent, 21.20 percent and 21.15 percent, and the dried layer has thoroughly disappeared. It shows that the dried layer of soil can return to normal, which is significant to afforestation and ecological recovery.


Scientists are conducting grape trials at Hopland to test irrigation protocols and the suitability of varieties to North Coast growing conditions. his quest to bring new varieties to CalifIN ornia's wine industry, Glenn McGourty has taken on a project other agricultural researchers could only dream of: He's sampled imported wines, toured southern Europe, grown prized grape cultivars and savored the results of his experiment.


We consider cooperative relaying systems employing amplify-and-forward (AF) distributed space-time block codes (DSTBCs) in which only backward channel-state-information (CSI) is known at relays and destination. For such systems, we study the particular case where, in order to minimize overhead, each of N relays decide independently whether to join the cooperation with basis on the received signal as compared to a certain threshold. Since in such a scheme the number of active relays K at a given realization is random, the channel becomes a random set relay channel (RSRC). The mutual information (MI) of AF-DSTBC in the RSRC are analyzed, addressing the ergodic delay-tolerant case. Results on MI are given in the form of three different upper bounds, each offering a different trade-offs of complexity and closeness. It is found that the maximal MI is not achieved under full-time-all-relay cooperation (K = N), even if the total power at the receiver increases with K. It is also shown that the optimum power allocation depends on the threshold, such that the MI is maximized not under equal power allocation, but rather when more power is allocated to the second stage (relaying).


Over the past decade or so, improvements and changes in descriptive models of systems have been occurring. This has mainly come about in the shift from a document-centered approach to an approach using a dedicated language known as the Systems Modeling Language (SysML). SysML has allowed Systems Engineers (SEs) to consolidate information about a system and even automate some tasks leaving the SEs to concentrate on the actual engineering and decision-making. Many of our quality assurance (QA) tasks either overlap or interface with systems engineering tasks, thus, it is important for quality engineers to understand and contribute to these system engineering models. We will explore some of the ways in which QA processes and products may be model within the framework of SysML. First let us look at how quality can be assured by using requirement elements in a systems model.


To reduce the effects of information redundancy caused by noise and band correlation on the hyperspectral image analysis, a method for hyperspectral images classification using Spectral Correlation(HCSC) is proposed. Firstly, the hyperspectral images are preprocessed. Secondly, band selection algorithm based on correlation coefficient(BCCS) is proposed to reduce the information redundancy caused by adjacent bands. Thirdly, The spatial pixel purity index(SPPI) is used to extract the pure pixel and end-member extraction is accomplished. The experiments have been done on AVIRIS database. The experimental results have shown the proposed algorithm(HCSC) can improve the efficiency in the pure pixel extraction and classification, and the classification accuracy is 86.4%.


In the simulate the High-Power Microwave(HPM) propagation in the air by FDTD,the distribution of HPM at the target point is our only focus,without concerning its distribution of each point in space.The propagation space can be considered separately.An absorbing boundary is needed at the sub-point.Save the HPM data at this point and the data is added to the follow-up step as a source.So the data transfer is completed.By this circular processing,computing time and memory are saved.In other words,the calculation is accelerated.


The article emphasizes that borrowed lexis can both enrich the language, expanding and deepening the consciousness, and clog it, narrowing the conscious reflection of the world. The authors specify the criteria for attributing the loanwords as littering or enriching the language and analyze the functioning of certain Ukrainian, Russian and Rusinian lexemes in the Russian and Ukrainian languages. It is noted that the senses of the word are determined not by separate words, but their clusters (families of words, stable phrases, etc.), with individual lexemes being able to indirectly affect the senses of other words without changing their meanings. Different languages and dialects have individual lexemes or loanwords, which, when lost, can affect the dynamics of formation of general concepts in closely related languages. The authors investage the linguistic codes in different languages that function in different ways and can exist for long without people realizing their senses. Having determined the specificity of evoking images (lexical meanings) and emotional connections (senses) in closely related languages, the authors find out that the same universal human values rely on unconscious speech codes and can be transmitted to descendants by various means in different languages: through the etymology of word families in one languages or through set-expressions in others. The researchers substantiate the possibility and necessity of borrowing individual lexemes as elements of sacral language codes of universal human values that could enrich literary languages both in quantity and quality.


We have developed a coaxial-type holographic disk system with a small drive. We achieved stable operation without use of a vibration-isolating table, with a 91-Mbps data-transfer rate for recording and retrieving using LDPC code.


ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of alanyl-glutamine supplemented total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on immune function of patients with gastric cancer.MethodsFifty gastric cancer patients with radical gastrectomy were randomly divided into the control group (n=25) and experiment group (n=25). Patients in the control group received conventional TPN support, and patients in the experiment group received TPN support and alanyl-glutamine (0.34 g/kg). All patients were observed for 7 days. The levels of IgG, IgA, IgM, CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD4/CD8 were measured before operation and on first and eighth day after operation.ResultsAll the levels of immune function were decreased on first day after operation in two groups. But the levels of IgG, IgA, IgM, CD3, CD4 and CD4/CD8 were significantly different between two groups on eighth day after operation ( P0.05). No serious infectious complication occurred in both groups.ConclusionTPN supplemented with alanyl-glutamine can improve the immune function of patients with gastric cancer radical gastrectomy.


Caesarean scar ectopic is a rare but significant variant of ectopic pregnancy where the implantation is in the cesarean scar. Objective: To study the clinical profile and outcome of cesarean scar pregnancy during the year 2016 in the department of O&G, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram. Results: Among 8520 deliveries in 2016 there were 8 cases of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies. Majority were third gravida with history of previous one cesarean delivery. Mean age of the patients was 30 years. The gestational age of diagnosis was between 6-7weeks in 75% of the cases. Only half of the patients were primarily diagnosed as scar ectopic. Two patients were successfully treated with systemic methotrexate. Two directly underwent laparotomy and scar excision, one for impending rupture and the other at the request of the patient for sterilization. Rest were initially misdiagnosed as missed abortion. After failed medical abortion, two were diagnosed as scar ectopic in repeat sonogram. Both of them responded to systemic methotrexate, but was not willing for follow up and so underwent laparotomy. In the other two patients after failed medical abortion, surgical evacuation was done. This resulted in profuse hemorrhage necessitating laparotomy which confirmed scar pregnancy in both the cases. Conclusion: The implantation site of pregnancy in a scarred uterus is significant. Most of the time scar ectopic is misdiagnosed as normal intra uterine pregnancy or missed abortion and managed accordingly. This can result in unforeseen complications like severe hemorrhage, uterine perforation necessitating emergency laparotomy and multiple blood transfusions and even hysterectomy. If scar ectopic pregnancy is timely diagnosed there are various options for conservative management.


This poster presentation highlights three complementary research studies that examined preservice and inservice teachers' visions for teaching. The studies applied Duffy's (2002) definition for teacher vision: "a personal stance on teaching that rises from deep within the inner teacher and fuels independent thinking" (p. 334). Accordingly, we have our students write vision statements articulating what they are passionate about as future and current educators. The theory is that this vision will allow them to persevere in the difficult and low-status profession of teaching (Duffy 2002). We have found that teachers' visions influence their teaching decisions. However, teachers' biases and classroom contexts can serve as obstacles to implementing research-based instructional practices. Whether teaching in a specific content area or working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, visioning provides educators with the opportunity to reflect and further acknowledge their students through an introspective approach of why one teaches. The results from the studies not only further our understanding of future and current PK-12 teachers, but also provide a reflective stance for those teaching in the academy to consider.


The rubber-stamp trend is one of the major trends of the present political system development. The paper analyzed the manifestations of the trend and reviewed some of its causes and relativity as well.


Abstract A relatively simple technique has been described which allows observation of the deformation zone at tear tips in rubber specimens. Investigation of various rubbers revealed qualitative information about the type of yielding that occurs in the deformation zone under different conditions. The initial appearance of the tear tip in nitrile, polybutadiene (both with and without carbon filler), and natural rubber suggests a process of stretching followed by rupture and then relaxation onto the tear walls. Only in the case of a fluoro-elastomer was there evidence of cavitation, although microcavitation (of sizes ≪1 µm) may be occurring in the other rubbers at much higher magnification. On the other hand, aging in laboratory air had the dramatic effect of producing fibrous and nodular networks in the tear tip material of all the rubbers except the fluoroelastomer. In the first few hours, the network structure developed as cavities (Figure 9), but after 24 h the network was fully developed across the tea...


Abstract Data assimilation has traditionally been employed to provide initial conditions for numerical weather prediction (NWP). A multiyear time sequence of objective analyses produced by data assimilation can also be used as an archival record from which to carry out a variety of atmospheric process studies. For this latter propose, NWP analyses are not as accurate as they could be, for each analysis is based only on current and past observed data, and not on any future data. Analyses incorporating future data, as well as current and past data, are termed retrospective analyses. The problem of retrospective objective analysis has not yet received attention in the meteorological literature. In this paper, the fixed-lag Kalman smoother (FLKS) is proposed as a means of providing retrospective analysis capability in data assimilation. The FLKS is a direct generalization of the Kalman filter. It incorporates all data observed up to and including some fixed amount of time past each analysis time. A computatio...


This study aimed to analyze the effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment to Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Quantitative Verifikatif method was used in this research, Total sample of 60 respondents who constitute the entirety of the population PT. Sarana Usaha Sejahtera InsanPalapa (TelkoMedika) Head Office Jakarta so used saturated samples, The data used in this study is obtained from primary data and secondary data with data collection method used literature study, observation and questionnaire. The analysis technique used is multiple linear regression analysis and hypothesis testing using the t test, f test and determination coefficient analysis. The results showed that simultant job satisfaction and organizational commitment have an effect on Organizational Citizenship Behavior.


A well-recognized complication of silicone oil use is the development of band keratopathy. The keratopathy occurs when the silicone oil touches the endothelium and probably results from reduced fluid flow across the cornea with subsequent change in the pH. 1 In some eyes with silicone oil, emulsification of the silicone oil occurs. This produces the tiny droplets of silicone oil that float freely, separated from the major body of the oil. The frequency of this occurrence appears to increase the longer the silicone oil is in the eye and may approach 100%. 2 The presence of emulsified silicone oil droplets in the anterior chamber is not usually associated with keratopathy. 3 We have recently seen a patient with silicone oil in the posterior chamber, which was well separated from his cornea by iris and by a posterior chamber lens, who developed emulsified silicone oil in the anterior chamber. The emulsified


The electro magneto elastic actuator with the piezoelectric, piezomagnetic, electrostriction, magnetostriction effects is used for nanomedical research in the scanning tunneling microscopy.


The object of this work is to study and predict the tensile properties (tensile strength, elastic modulus, and elongation at break) of ternary nanocomposites based on epoxy/glass fiber/nanosilica using the fuzzy logic (FL). Two factors in three levels including glass fiber at 0, 5, and 10 wt% and nanosilica at 0, 0.5, and 1 wt% were chosen for adding to an epoxy matrix. From FL surfaces, it was found that the glass fiber content had a main role in the tensile properties of nanocomposites. The high levels of glass fiber content led to a significant increase in the elastic modulus and generally, the presence of glass fiber decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break. Also, addition of the nanosilica content resulted in an increased elastic modulus but decreased the elongation at break of nanocomposites. Finally, an FL model was obtained for each tensile property.


Anesthesia the term comes from the Greek for "loss of sensation," anesthesia essentially a reversible condition induced by drugs, traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away. It is a pharmacologically induced and reversible state of analgesia loss of responsiveness, loss of skeletal muscle reflexes or decreased stress response, or all simultaneously. This allows patients to undergo surgery and other procedures without the distress and pain. Types of anesthesia include: local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, general anesthesia. Complications of anesthesia has been recognized from very long time. Fortunately serious complication is rare. Safe, effective practice of anesthesia requires a detailed knowledge of potential complications, their incidence and risk factors associated with their occurrence. © 2012 Srilatha B, et al.


CERes is a method of cut-elimination that uses resolution proof search to avoid some kinds of redundancies that affect reductive cut-elimination methods. This paper shows that, unfortunately, there are also cases where CERes can produce proofs that are more redundant and even exponentially larger than the proofs produced by reductive cutelimination methods. The paper then describes a few novel variants of CERes that are much less susceptible to these redundancies.


AIM To investigate the pharmacokinetics of paracetamol and caffeine in paracetamol,caffeine,atifi- cial cow-bezoar and chlorphenamine maleate capsules.METHODS A sensitive and rapid HPLC method was developed to determine paracetamol and caffeine concentration simultaneously in human plasma.Data of plasma level-time were dis- posed with 3P97 software.RESULTS The main pharmacokinetic parameters of paracetamol were as follows:t_(max)(1.03±0.76)h,ρ_(max)(12.00±3.10) mg·L~(-1),t_(1/2)(4.33±1.18)h,AUC_(0→t)(52.51±16.81) mg·h·L~(-1),AUC_(0→∞)(54.34±17.72)mg·h·L~(-1),respectively.For caffeine,the main pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows:t_(max)(0.89±0.50) h,ρ_(max)(1.290±0.379)rng·L~(-1),t_(1/2)(5.37±2.15)h,AUC_(0→t)(7.19±3.03)mg·h·L~(-1),AUC_(0→∞)(8.26±3.69)mg·h·L~(-1),respectively.CONCLUSION The plasma concentration-time curves of paracetamol and caffeine appear to fit two and one compartment models,respectively.


Schoenoplectus corymbosus is a sedge from tropical wetlands widely distributed in Pakistan, India and Africa. Recent collections confirm its presence in wetlands of southern Spain and Morocco. We consider the presence of this plant in the western extreme of the Mediterranean as a consequence of recent colonization, because it was not collected here until 1999, in spite of its medium–large size. Additionally, it grows in much visited areas like nature reserves (such as Donana National Park). The populations from Spain and Morocco are characterized here, a description of S. corymbosus and a key for Schoenoplectus from Europe and north Africa is supplied. Finally, the possible natural and recent colonization processes of these new populations are discussed.


The murine paucity of lymph node T cell ( plt ) mutation leads to abnormalities in leukocyte migration and immune response. The causative defect is thought to be a loss of secondary lymphoid-organ chemokine (SLC) expression in lymphoid tissues. We now find that the plt defect is due to the loss of both SLC and EBI-1 ligand chemokine (ELC) expression in secondary lymphoid organs. In an examination of the plt locus, we find that commonly used inbred mouse strains demonstrate at least three different haplotypes. Polymorphism at this locus is due to duplications of at least four genes, three of them encoding chemokines. At least two cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK), three SLC, and four ELC genes or pseudogenes are present in some haplotypes. All haplotypes share a duplication that includes two SLC genes, which demonstrate different expression patterns, a single functional ELC gene, and an ELC pseudogene. The plt mutation represents a deletion that includes the SLC gene expressed in secondary lymphoid organs and the single functional ELC gene, leaving only an SLC gene that is expressed in lymphatic endothelium and an ELC pseudogene. This lack of CCR7 ligands in the secondary lymphoid organs of plt mice provides a basis for their severe abnormalities in leukocyte migration and immune response. The Journal of Immunology, 2001, 166: 361–369. t is now recognized that chemokines mediate the trafficking of leukocytes to and within lymphoid organs and thereby participate in the development of an immune response


There will be huge changes in Securities Market in 2006.With the solution of Non-Tradable Share problem,Securities Market will begin to "Post-Non-Tradable Share Period".In the trend of global population-aging,as the basic of the old-age insurance,pension fund is facing serious financial crisis.This paper first analyzes the actualities of pension payment,then forecasts the pension fund gap.Finally,the feasibility,urgency ways of transferring state-owned assets to pension fund were discussed in the background of post-non-tradable share period.


Ethical problems are receiving a great deal of attention recently in medical community. In the school of dental community, it has been concerned with these things. This survey was conducted to find out of the school of dentisty Korean students' perceptions toward the ethical problems. Data was collected by using questionnare. We received 128 cases that senior was 61 and freshman was 67.
This collected data showed that school of dentistry students regard bribery as the most common ethical problem. Other frequently mentioned problems are treatment equality, refusal and unkindness of patient. Also, they agreed to artificial abortion in 65.6%, euthanasia in 88.8%, brain death in 90.2%, in vitro fertilization in 95.2%, and homosexuality in 56.8%. But, They disagreed to human duplication in 80.0%. School of dentistry students' perceptions was not statistically by grade. It means that school of dentistry education is far from ethics education. Therefore, school of dentistry curriculum ought to occupy a greater portion of the ethical curriculum for students. Also, Many researchers should carry out that these issues needs to be done in a more comprehensive way.


Abstract We establish the existence of nodal solutions to the supercritical problem - Δ  u = | u | p - 2  u   in  Ω , u = 0   on  ∂  Ω , $-\Delta u=|u|^{p-2}u\quad\text{in }\Omega,\qquad u=0\quad\text{on }\partial\Omega,$ in a symmetric bounded smooth domain Ω of ℝN${\mathbb{R}^{N}}$, N≥3${N\geq 3}$, for p>2N∗:=2NN-2${p>2_{N}^{\ast}:=\frac{2N}{N-2}}$, up to some range which depends on the symmetries, and we study their asymptotic behavior as p→2N∗${p\rightarrow 2_{N}^{\ast}}$. We exhibit solutions up${u_{p}}$ to this problem in symmetric domains with a shrinking hole, which concentrate at a single point as the hole shrinks and p approaches 2N∗${2_{N}^{\ast}}$ from above, and whose limit profile is a rescaling of a nonradial sign-changing solution to the limit problem - Δ  u = | u | 2 N ∗ - 2  u , u ∈ D 1 , 2  ( ℝ N ) . $-\Delta u=|u|^{2_{N}^{\ast}-2}u,\quad u\in D^{1,2}(\mathbb{R}^{N}).$


Cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CBCT) is essential in the treatment of testicular cancer (TC), and platinum can be detected in TC survivors decades after cessation of treatment. CBCT has been implicated as a risk factor in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

 Our study aimed to assess the relationship between residual serum platinum concentrations and changes in cardiac function and morphology in TC survivors 30 years after CBCT.

 Seventy TC survivors diagnosed and treated with CBCT (1980–1994) were recruited from the longitudinal Norwegian Cancer Study in Testicular Cancer Survivors. Serum platinum concentration was measured twenty years after CBCT. Patients were then allocated to either a high or low platinum concentration group. Echocardiography was performed in all subjects.

 The participants were on average 60±9 years old. There was a trend towards smaller left ventricular (LV) volumes in the high residual platinum concentration group (Table). No intergroup difference in cardiac function was found. Six (9%) participants had reduced EF (<52%) and 14 (20%) participants had reduced LV global longitudinal strain (> −18.0%), however, there was no intergroup difference. Neither cumulative cisplatin dose nor residual serum platinum concentration showed any correlation with LV or right ventricular functional parameters.
 Table 1 Low residual Pt concentration >85 ng/L (n=35) High residual Pt concentration <85 ng/L (n=35) p-value Cumulative cisplatin dose, mg/m2 680±249 814±271 <0.05 Residual Pt concentration, ng/L 44±22 136±44 <0.001 3D LV end-diastolic volume, ml/m2 66±17 60±8 0.07 3D LV end-systolic volume, ml/m2 29±15 24±5 0.08 3D ejection fraction, % 57±9 59±6 0.24 LV global longitudinal strain, % −19.2±3.3 −20.0±2.0 0.26 LV global circumferential strain, % −21.1±4.2 −22.1±1.8 0.30 E/e' 10.6±4.4 9.2±2.2 0.10 TAPSE, mm 2.2±0.4 2.3±0.4 0.22 RV fractional area change, % 40±7 41±7 0.67 Data are presented as mean ± SD. The P-values were derived from the Student's t-test. LV, left ventricle; MV, mitral valve; Pt, platinum; RV, right ventricle; TAPSE, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion.

 Our 30-year follow-up study of testicular cancer patients could not demonstrate impact on cardiac function caused by cumulative cisplatin dose or residual serum platinum concentrations.

 South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority


Surface texturization is well known as one of the major paths to improve the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells by increasing the short-circuit current through the enhancement in antireflection property and effective photon trapping. Compared to the antireflection coating, it is more lasting and effective process. The anisotropic texturing of a (100) n-type monocrystalline silicon surface was performed using alkaline etching solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) including isopropyl alcohol (IPA) additive. The reflection properties of alkaline-etched wafers were investigated using UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer and the images of the surface morphology were obtained using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The influence of KOH/IPA concentration on etched wafers has been studied i.e. process variables considered were KOH & IPA concentration. An optimum value of surface reflectance has been achieved by exploring the better concentration of alkaline solution (KOH, IPA). Minimal reflectance of textured surface achieved was -0.83 % at wavelength of 800nm in the visible region. Keywords—Monocrystalline silicon; Solar cell; Texturization; Alkaline solution; Surface reflectance.


Many problems are encountered in the synthesis of polyamines, natural compounds of biological interest. We describe here the rapid optimization of experimental conditions for the synthesis of orthogonally substituted triamines starting from simple building blocks-diamines and bromoalkylphthalimides. For this purpose we have adapted Bergeron's liquid-phase method (N-alkylation of sulphonamides) to solid-phase organic synthesis. The solid support was Multipin crowns enabling rapid optimization of the key-step-deprotonation of the sulphonamide. The combination of different building-blocks could lead to wide diversity.


The scope of graft reactions to produce starch-based latexes was extended by graft polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) onto gelatinized cationic starch possessing quaternary amine functionality and by graft terpolymerization of AN and t-butylaminoethyl methacrylate (TBAEM) onto gelatinized starch by cerium (IV) initiation at 25°C. Grafting onto starches containing highly basic quaternary amines gave polyacrylonitrile [poly(AN)] grafts having about one fourth the number-average molecular weight (Mn) (178,000–232,000) of those produced by grafting AN onto starches containing the less basic tertiary amine groups. Sonification at 20 KHz of graft polymerization reaction mixtures having up to 8% solids reduced viscosities from 400–3000 cP to 10–40 cP. Diameters of dried particles measured about 300–1500 A. Shaker-type agitation during grafting onto starch having quaternary amine groups produced poly(AN) chains with lower Mn values than those produced during blade stirrer-type agitation. Mn values of grafted poly(AN) decreased with increasing reaction time, degree of substitution of amine in the starch, gelation time of cationic starch at 95°C, and cerium (IV) concentration. AN was copolymerized with TBAEM at molar ratios of 14–85:1 in grafting onto gelatinized starch to yield copolymer side-chain grafts analyzing 8–52:1 of polymerized AN to TBAEM moieties.


Based on the linear theory for optical vortex (OV) formation in volume holographic elements (HE) with embedded phase singularity (A. Bekshaev et al., Opt. Commun. 285 (2012) 4005), we analyze theoretically the OV-beams obtained when the incident Gaussian beam axis deviates from the optical axis of the HE. For different displacements of the incident beam with respect to the HE centre, the spa- tial characteristics of the diffracted beams and their evolution during the post-HE propagation are investigated numerically with allowance for the radiation extinction in the HE depth. A special attention is paid to behaviour of the beam centroid (centre of gravity) trajectory. The sensitivity of the generated OV-beam profile to the inci- dent beam misalignments can be used for the output beam shaping and control, in particular, for compensation of the OV-beam distortions associated with the light ex- tinction.


the article gives the concept of contractual sources of law, a broad approach to understanding the contractual sources of constitutional law is given, their basic forms are defined, classification by types (international, domestic and regional) is carried out. An author's approach is proposed to address the issue of the correlation between the Constitution of federal legislation, on the one side, and international legal acts, including the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, on the other side.


The probabilistic model of grouping data (including multidimensional data) is described. We have also generalized Euler-Maclaurin's formulas. With its help Sheppard's corrections and corrections on grouping for correlation coefficient are received. We have found and studied asymptotical corrections on grouping data generally. Accuracy of approach has been estimated


The object of the invention is intended to provide 3D concave board material aligner operator is comfortable and it is facilitated, for arranging the location of intaglio and welding. A 3D concave board material aligner comprises an intaglio support jig supporting the concave board material; a reference line preload station(200) of the multiple unit formed in the reference surface of above circuit board above circuit board is arrayed in the home location after adjusting weld line location of the sunken-in board material; an apparatus(300) it pushes with the concave board material of the multiple unit is formed in order to push the sunken-in board material to two page which is adjacent to the reverse surface of the reference line preload station; and a central line aligner(100) of the plurality formed in the center of the board material the welding unit is fitted of the sunken-in board material.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide an adsorbing/desorbing material which comprises a porous carbon material and which can smoothly conduct the adsorption and desorption of gas or liquid. An adsorbing/desorbing material that comprises a porous carbon material which is provided with micropores and mesopores and/or macropores, these three kinds of pores being surrounded by carbonaceous walls, and in which the micropores are formed so as to connect to the mesopores and/or the macropores, characterized in that x falls within a range specified by the formula 1.0*10-5 = 1.67*10-1x+ 2.33*10-6 (1) [wherein x is a relative pressure (P/P0) as determined using nitrogen as an adsorbate gas at 77K, and y is a mass transfer coefficient (Ksap) as determined similarly].


The invention provides modified high chlorinated polythene long-acting anti-corrosive paint and a preparation method thereof. The long-acting anti-corrosive paint is made by using HCPE-L (high chlorinated polythene) resin and self-made LAK-14 resin as base materials and adding auxiliary materials. The LAK-14 resin prepared by the invention is very flexible and is compounded with the HCPE-L resin to form a film-forming material, thereby having a remarkable environmental friendliness effect and high stability. A composite coating formed by applying the LAK-14 resin on an object is both firm and soft and has good adhesion, weather fastness and oil resistivity. The long-acting anti-corrosive paint provided by the invention has a high solid content and consumes fewer diluents under the condition of the same applicable viscosity, thereby reducing the consumption of fossil resources. The long-acting anti-corrosive paint can excellently protect and coat harbor facilities, bridges, marine facilities, power transmission towers, mining machinery, steel-structure workshops and the like, thereby unifying corrosion resistance and decoration and achieving the goals of environmental protection and cost control.


Enrollment in Electrical Power Engineering courses has been in a steady decline, and many institutions have dropped power and energy conversion courses. At the same time, the demand for engineers in the field has remained constant, and in some cases has increased significantly. To meet the demand for engineers in the electrical construction sector, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and local industry have worked together to develop a sequence of courses for a Building Electrical Power Systems Design Specialty in the Architectural Engineering program. This sequence includes four courses from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department: Electrical Systems, and three courses on Electrical Power Distribution Systems (system basics, small systems, and large systems). The Architectural Engineering and Building Construction Department offers five courses: Illumination for Buildings, Communication Systems, National Electrical Code, Electrical System Cost Estimating and Specifications, and Electrical Power Quality for Buildings. This paper describes the development of these courses, along with feedback from the first graduating class, current students, and industry.


A diastereoselective synthesis of the alkaloid stemo-amide has been achieved using the intramolecular propargylic Barbier reaction to construct the seven-membered ring.


Epigenetic regulation is a phenomenon that changes the gene function without changing the underlying DNA sequences. Epigenetic status of chromosome is regulated by mechanisms such as histone modification, DNA modification, and RNAi silencing. In this review, we focused on histone methylation for epigenetic regulation in ES cells. Two antagonizing multiprotein complexes regulate methylation of histones to guide expression of genes in ES cells. The Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), including EED, EZH2, and SUZ12 as core factors, contributes to gene repression by increasing trimethylation of H3K27 (H3K27me3). In contrast, the Trithorax group (TrxG) complex including MLL is related to gene activation by making H3K4me3. PRC2 and TrxG accompany a variety of accessory proteins. Most prominent feature of epigenetic regulation in ES cells is a bivalent state in which H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 appear simultaneously. Concerted regulation of PRC2, TrxG complex, and H3K4- or H3K27-specific demethylases activate expression of pluripotency-related genes and suppress development-related genes in ES cells. Modified balance of the regulators also enables ES cells to efficiently differentiate to a variety of cells upon differentiating signals. More detailed insights on the epigenetic regulators and their action will lead us to better understanding and use of ES cells for future application.


Experimental evidence is presented for the DCl+1, HCl+1, DCl+2, and HBr+2 molecular ions, using a modified Consolidated‐Nier mass spectrometer. Although Cl+3, Br+3, and A+3 were observed, no evidence was obtained for H1,2Cl+Z, or HBr+Z above Z=2. This result contradicts the recent calculations of Magee and Gurnee2 that HBr+3 and HBr+4 would be stable toward dissociation. Finally a crude calculation is done assuming hydrogen 1s atomic orbitals which agrees amusingly with the experiments.


Countries around the world are struggling to deal with rising energy demand as nonrenewable energy sources are depleted at an alarming rate. One of the goals of developed countries is the utilization of renewable energy and ecologically beneficial technologies to produce electricity. Energy security, social and economic development, energy access, tackling climate change, and the lessening of negative health and environmental repercussions are all areas where renewable energy sources present promising new avenues for exploration. Investors can benefit from Iran's abundant renewable energy capacity, which is mostly attributable to the country's location. Although specialists in the industry say solar energy can supply all of Iran's electricity demands, the absence of adequate distribution of credits in recent years has prevented the development of huge power facilities in the country. Because of this wasted potential, Iran spends tens of billions of dollars annually on fuel and foreign currency only to produce electricity and maintain its power facilities. Examining the effects of a wide range of factors on renewable and alternative energy sources, this study employs a four-scenario energy system model to determine the most cost-effective path forward for the nation's electrical supply system. Energy independence can be achieved by investments in the emerging energy sector. Assuming the current rate of growth in electricity consumption continues to 2030, the total capacity of a power plant needs reach roughly 250,000 megawatts to meet the requirement for electricity. Long-term cost savings, saved national capital, the increased gross domestic product, increased national income, new job opportunities, and environmental protection can all be achieved by encouraging private and non-governmental sector investment in the field of participation in the expansion of renewable industrial power plants in energy supply.


This paper highlights the various segmentation algorithms used in the automated melanoma detection .The application of biomedical image processing for diagnostic purpose is a non invasive technique. In order to identify skin cancer at an early stage without performing unnecessary biopsies, digital images of melanoma skin lesion have been investigated. Different segmentation techniques which aids in the efficient detection of malignant melanoma has reviewed in this paper. Among the implemented algorithms, wavelet network shows better segmentation results for skin cancer images. Automatic border detection is a challenging task in dermoscopic images. Keywords— Melanoma, Segmentation, Dermoscopy, Thresholding, Clustering, Region Merging, Contour,Wavelet Networks


MODIS vegetation index time series of products can reflect the coverage of vegetation continuously,and is an important data source for remote sensing of crops. The authors selected Hubei Province as the study area.Using the MODIS-normalized difference vegetation index( MODIS-NDVI) data of 75 phases in the period from2008 to 2013,and combining the crop phenology with samples of ground survey and other auxiliary details,the authors established the model for extracting the area of rape growing,and then extracted the distribution of rape growing in Hubei Province in the period from 2009 to 2013. The overall accuracy of the extraction was 85%,as shown by the verification of the HJ-1A CCD data of small environmental satellite,and this indicates that the reliability of the data of MODIS vegetation index time series and the study methods proposed in this paper for the extraction of the area of rape seed cultivation. The results achieved by the authors are very important for detecting the area of rape growing and information of output,reinforcing the management of agricultural production,adjusting the structure of agriculture,and assisting the government to formulate the agricultural policy scientifically and rationally.


In this paper, we report the adaptation of a named entity recognition (NER) system to the biomedical domain in order to participate in the "Shared Task Bio-Entity Recognition". The system is originally developed for German NER that shares characteristics with the biomedical task. To facilitate adaptability, the system is knowledge-poor and utilizes unlabeled data. Investigating the adaptability of the single components and the enhancements necessary, we get insights into the task of bio-entity recognition.


Learning science is a learning done in Elementary School (ES). During this time, science learning is still felt difficult by most teachers and prospective ES teachers. These difficulties include difficulty in designing learning. These difficulties affect the readiness and ability of teachers in implementing learning in the classroom. The purpose of this study is to analyze the difficulties experienced by the PGSD study program in terms of planning science learning in ES. The research method used is descriptive quantitative research method. The population of this research is the students of PGSD IKIP Siliwangi who take the course of Learning Planning in ES as many as 50 students. The sampling method used purposive sampling technique, which is apprentice applicant 1 who get the learning planning in ES as much as 25 students. The data collected were questionnaire and data analysis using mode. The results showed that the sequence of the most difficult steps to the easiest in planning science teacher candidate elementary as follows: 1). Mapping SK / KD and indicators; 2). Determining indicators; 3). Determining effective weeks; 4). Arrange syllabus; 5). Establish an assessment; 6). Preparing RPP; 7). Prepare teaching materials.


This report reviews the level, composition and outcomes of government spending and distills some of the lessons that emerge from efforts by the Southeast Europe (SEE) countries in reforming expenditure policies. The report identifies key remaining challenges and proposes a broad menu of options in further reforms of sectors that account for the largest shares of public spending across the countries, and where reforms are likely to have significant budgetary implications. This has motivated the choice of sectors discussed in the report: social protection (including pensions), health, education, public administration, and infrastructure.


On-chain data (metrics) of blockchain networks, akin to company fundamentals, provide crucial and comprehensive insights into the networks. Despite their informative nature, on-chain data have not been utilized in reinforcement learning (RL)-based systems for cryptocurrency (crypto) portfolio management (PM). An intriguing subject is the extent to which the utilization of on-chain data can enhance an RL-based system's return performance compared to baselines. Therefore, in this study, we propose CryptoRLPM, a novel RL-based system incorporating on-chain data for end-to-end crypto PM. CryptoRLPM consists of five units, spanning from information comprehension to trading order execution. In CryptoRLPM, the on-chain data are tested and specified for each crypto to solve the issue of ineffectiveness of metrics. Moreover, the scalable nature of CryptoRLPM allows changes in the portfolios' cryptos at any time. Backtesting results on three portfolios indicate that CryptoRLPM outperforms all the baselines in terms of accumulated rate of return (ARR), daily rate of return (DRR), and Sortino ratio (SR). Particularly, when compared to Bitcoin, CryptoRLPM enhances the ARR, DRR, and SR by at least 83.14%, 0.5603%, and 2.1767 respectively.


The batch of 2016-17 of Post Graduate Diploma in Culinary Arts contributed to this event by undertaking a Collage Making Competition


According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR 2014) there were approximately 51.2 million forcibly displaced individuals worldwide by the end of 2013—the highest number on record since monitoring of these global trends began in 1993. Of this total number, approximately 16.7 million people were refugees and nearly 1.2 million were asylum seekers. A total of 98,400 refugees were offered resettlement places from 21 countries last year (UNHCR 2014, p. 2). Obtaining refugee status can be critical for people living in protracted and tenuous situations where their safety and security is seriously compromised, as it affords access to critical support and resources from the 142 states signatory to the 1951 Convention and the associated 1967 Protocol (UNHCR 2014). The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees formally defined a refugee as:


The establishment of OHA(Open Handset Alliance) and the publication of Android platform by Google have caused uproar in communication industry.This paper firstly introduced and analysed characteristics of this platform by compared with others,to explain that this platform has the formidable openness and the compatibility.Then it introduced the application interfaces of Google Map,and the basic development procedure of a application,which used a location service to gain the geographical position of the current equipment,to verify the formidable technical support which the android sdk provides.


We determine the asymptotic symmetry group of Killing horizons by choosing Gaussian null coordinates in the neighbourhood of the horizon and boundary conditions that respect the leading order terms in the metric. The analysis divides naturally into the two cases of subextremal and extremal horizons. In general, we find rather involved asymptotic symmetry generators that nevertheless involve supertranslations and Killing vectors on the compact horizon. The most striking observation is the difference in the dependence on the coordinate along the horizon; we relate this to the redshift effect for subextremal horizons. We consider the spherically symmetric case as a special and illuminating example.


In selecting cancer treatments, as in life, sometimes it pays to be persistent. But not knowing when to quit carries its own hazards as well, particularly in the face of potentially diminishing benefits, increasing toxicities, and significant costs. These issues become even more relevant as new treatment options emerge with more favourable toxicity profiles, enabling long term treatment without the cumulative toxicities of chemotherapy. Whether or not there is benefit to continuing a targeted drug past progression depends on a host of factors, and likely varies by drug and tumor type. For example, does the tumor retain at least some dependence on a target blocked by the drug, or does the resistance mechanism completely bypass the target? Does stopping the drug induce a "rebound" effect that could accelerate tumor progression when the drug is stopped?


We study the formation of band gap bound states induced by a non-Hermitian impurity embedded in a Hermitian system. We show that a pair of bound states emerges inside the band gap when a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) imaginary potential is added in a strongly coupled bilayer lattices and the bound states become strongly localized when the system approaches to the exceptional point (EP). As a direct consequence of such $\mathcal{PT}$ impurity-induced bound states, an impurity array can be constructed and protected by energy gap. The effective Hamiltonian of the impurity array is non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) type and hosts Dirac probability-preserving dynamics. We demonstrate the conclusion by numerical simulations for the quantum transport of wave packet in right-angle bends waveguide and $Y$-beam splitter. Our finding provides alternative way to fabricate quantum device by non-Hermitian impurity.


The present experiment examines the effects of negative campaigns on voting participation and preference over which previous studies have provided inconsistent findings. This study focuses on the impact of negative campaigns covered in the news rather than those delivered in political advertising. Findings do not support an across-the-board "negativity-demobilization" hypothesis but demonstrate that the focus of campaign (i.e., policy-versus personality-focused) moderates the impact of campaign attacks on the likelihood of turning out to vote. While policy-based attacks covered in the news slightly stimulate voter turnout, personality attacks significantly depress one's participatory intention. The data also indicate that negative strategies generally do not benefit the sponsoring candidates, and it is even more so when attacks concern personal matters. In general, voters appear to prefer a policy-appealing candidate over a personality-appealing one.


During life-threatening situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic, disinformation is rife. While people project their affective aspects into understanding the situation, their fear of Covid-19 interferes with their logical and reasonable assessment of disinformation. Less credible information such as rumors becomes reliable for some people. This study aims to map the disinformation category based on the Ministry of Communication and Information report from January to March 2020. There are 359 hoaxes with five categories and 30 sub-categories. This study uses qualitative content analysis as a method. The study results revealed that most of the disinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic was related to the spread of hoaxes on health issues. This research implies that several recommendations are made to respond to the urgency of handling disinformation during Covid-19 in Indonesia, such as initiating digital literacy and media literacy in the national education system.


With the development of economic society, the real estate industry plays a vital role in national economy and greatly correlates with other industries. This paper reviews the current mature marketing theory and related concepts of consumer psychology, and combines the characteristics of real estate marketing, focusing on the position and application of consumer psychology in real estate marketing from the perspective of customer psychology. 1. Research background The real estate industry is one of the pillar industries of the national economy and plays a vital role in economic development and social stability. At the same time, the real estate industry and other industries have strong correlation. With statistics, there are more than 70 upstream and downstream industries related to the real estate industry. The driving coefficient for industry is 1:3, and the driving coefficient for employment is 1:2. It has an irreplaceable role in driving the development of related industries and stimulating employment [1]. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the real estate marketing theory in depth and to develop a successful real estate marketing strategy. For China, the history of real estate development is not long. The marketing theory of real estate is still relatively weak. It still needs a guide to real effective marketing strategies. Among many factors, whether the real estate marketing strategy can truly meet the needs of consumers has always been the key to the formulation of marketing strategies. The success of modern marketing ideas is largely a correct grasp of consumer psychology, corporate marketing strategies. The formulation requires an in-depth study of the internal needs of consumers, so that relevant projects are recognized by consumers, thereby achieving project value. In this regard, this paper reviews the current mature marketing theory and related concepts of consumer psychology, and combines the characteristics of real estate marketing, focusing on the position and application of consumer psychology in real estate marketing from the perspective of customer psychology. 2. Current status of marketing theory research Marketing theory is an applied science in which enterprises regard marketing activities as research objects [2]. Since the development of the 1930s, many theories have been published. According to the different characteristics of the times, the most famous are the 4P, 4C and 4R marketing theories. The 4P theory [3] was proposed by the famous American marketing scientist McCarthy in the 1960s. The theory divides the marketing process into four elements: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. McCarthy believes that a successful marketing only requires companies to produce quality products, find the right dealers to develop reasonable prices, and use appropriate promotional methods. The 4P theory mainly studies marketing issues from the perspective of enterprises, and its fundamental goal is to meet current market demands. Although the 4P theory focuses on the product itself rather than the consumer, and does not consider the role of consumers in marketing, it simplifies and International Conference on Economics, Business, Management and Corporate Social Responsibility (EBMCSR 2018) Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, volume 67


This paper developed a forward body-bias technique to reduce the power consumption of a low power and compact size low noise amplifier (LNA) in tsmcTM 0.18 µm CMOS technology. The LNA can operate at very low power consumption of 4.9 mW from a 0.7-V supply voltage. The proposed LNA achieves a gain of 11 dB and an input IP3 of −7.5 dBm at 25 GHz. The operating bandwidth is from 24 to 26.5 GHz. The chip is very compact of the size of 0.71 mm by 0.56 mm.


Control of C. papaya diseases requires intervention both on the field and post harvest. Leaf and stem diseases may spread to the fruit and result in poor fruit yields. This study described common papaya diseases of the fruit, leaf and stem with associated pathogens of C. papaya L. Powdery mildew affecting fruit, leaf and stem, necrotic stem, Phytophthora blight, stem end rot and Erwinia rots of fruits characterized field diseases while anthracnose, watery soft rot and Alternaria spots were frequent post harvest fruit rots. The primary pathogens were moulds (Alternaria, Rhizopus, Phomopsis, Phytophthora, Oidium and Colletotrichum) and a bacterium, Erwinia. The other bacteria genera isolated (Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Streptococcus and Gram positive short rods) were more of secondary invaders are importantly human pathogens and thus of health significance. Post-harvest damage of C. papaya fruit is influenced by the quality of harvested fruit, an incubating disease and storage conditions.


Controversy exists as to the utility of the MMPI in diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies of an empirically developed PTSD Subscale for the MMPI have had conflicting results. In this study 84 MMPI clinical and research scales, including the PTSD Subscale, of 234 Vietnam War veterans (+PTSD=117, -PTSD=117) were compared to determine the clinical usefulness of the scales for differential diagnosis of PTSD. The veterans were all inpatients applying for admission to a PTSD treatment program. The MMPI clinical profile for PTSD was corroborated, though it had little statistically significant difference than the average profile of the -PTSD group. The PTSD Subscale was slightly better than chance in classifying veterans. A number of research scales were found to be as or more accurate than the PTSD Subscale in terms of true hit rates.


Problem statement: The study aims to offer a discussion on social networks and their effect on firm performance and also to illustrate the ways by which the firms utilize social capital through networks. Approach: The literature review and arguments were conducted to provide a systematic discussion of social networks and their effects. Results: The study had provided with a detailed understanding of the strategies that had been found to be highly significant in successful organizational performance. The results of this discussion suggested that social networks affect firm performance in a positive manner and can contribute to sustainable competitive advantage. Conclusion: It confirms that building up of social networks for big and small firms provides valuable links and solves numerous issues which auger well for the companies and should be treated with great importance.


Theory of air flotation was introduced from point of view of thermodynamics,kinetics and hydraulic characteristics.Principle and characteristics of five new air flotation processes were reviewed.Development of air flotation technology and its study trend in water or wastewater treatment were also discussed.


Percutaneous left atrial (LA) appendage closure is increasingly used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). While LA appendage plays a key role in LA physiology, data regarding the impact of LA appendage occlusion on LA hemodynamics are lacking. The alteration of LA compliance by LA appendage occlusion may represent a clinical issue in AF patients which are at high risk of heart failure.

 To describe the impact of LA appendage occlusion on LA hemodynamics.

 From july 2015 to january 2020, all patients undergoing LA occlusion procedure at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (Paris, France) in whom LA pressure curves were recorded, before and immediately after device implantation, were included. The LA mean pressure was measured at baseline and after LA appendage occlusion during the same procedure. Abnormal LA mean pressure was defined as >15mmHg. We also recorded cardiovascular death and hospitalization for congestive heart failure at longest follow-up.

 We enrolled 85 patients (78±8 years, 46 men), the CHA2DS2-VASc score was 5±1 and the HAS-BLED score was 4±1. The mean LA volume index was 51±15mL/m2, the left ventricular ejection fraction was 60±7%. The LA mean pressure increased significatively after LA appendage closure from 12.6±3.9mmHg to 15.5±5.2mmHg (p<0.0001, Figure). The prevalence of abnormal LA pressure was 20% (17/85) at baseline and 45% (38/85) after LA appendage closure (p=0.005). Post procedural LA pressure elevation was not related to procedure duration nor to fluid expansion volume.
 During a median follow-up of 364 [124–726] days, 3 (3.5%) patients died from a cardiovascular cause. Hospitalization for heart failure occurred in 6 (16%) of the 38 patients with abnormal postprocedural LA pressure, whereas no congestive episode was observed in the rest of the study population (p=0.006).

 Catheter-based LA appendage occlusion induces an acute alteration of LA hemodynamics. Post procedural abnormal LA pressure may be linked to heart failure episodes in some patients. Further studies are warranted to investigate heart failure as a potential late complication of LA appendage closure.
 Variations of mean LA pressure

 Type of funding source: None


A suboptimal approach to the fixed-interval smoothing problem for Markovian switching systems is examined. A smoothing algorithm is developed that uses two multiple-model filters, where one of the filters propagates in the forward-time direction and the other one propagates in the backward-time direction. A backward-time filtering algorithm based on the interacting multiple model concept is also developed. Results from a simulation example are given to illustrate the performance of the smoothing algorithm with respect to that of filtering. The example involves radar tracking of a Mach 1 aircraft.


The infrared and Raman spectra of diacetyl and diacetyl-d6 have been measured, and vibrational assignments are proposed for the fundamental bands and for several infrared active combination bands. The Raman spectrum of diacetyl-d6 has not hitherto been determined, and only a few of the stronger Raman bands of diacetyl have been reported in previous work.

For both molecules a planar trans structure with C2h symmetry fits the experimental data; this confirms the conclusions of earlier investigators based on the analysis of the infrared and fluorescence spectra and on electron diffraction measurements.


The unusual flow behaviors of linear PE melts are caused by high molecular weight, tight entanglements of molecular chains, and strong adsorption of the melt at the capillary wall. Especially, the extreme change of interface adsorption is followed by an unusual flow, and at the molecular level, the dynamic variety of entanglement and disentanglement between the adsorption chain near the wall and the nonadsorption chain is the cause of the extrusion pressure vibration. Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/kaolin composites prepared by polymerization filling could be smoothly extruded through the capillary. Also, with increase of the kaolin content, the apparent viscosity of the composite decreased and the processability was improved. Under slip boundary conditions, the real shear rate and shear stress of the melt near the capillary wall were reduced. The viscosity descent (desorption) and the deformation energy decrease of the melt near the wall were the important preconditions to gain a steady flow in a second glossy zone. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 2154–2161, 2001


Signature-based tree structures which have been proposed in the past do not perform well for large databases. The problem arises from the fact that they are incapable of pruning searching, especially at the upper tree levels, and thus they have decreased selectivities. In this paper, we locate a number of reasons for this problem and propose several methods for node splitting and partial-tree restructuring, which lead to improved query-response times. We have implemented all methods and we present experimental results, which indicate that the proposed methods are superior in all cases to the standard one and up to 5‐10 times better for medium and higher weights in inclusive (partialmatch) queries. Additionally, we have developed new functions for the performance estimation of signature trees which, in contrast to a previous estimation function, are able to take into account the outcome of different split methods and to provide more accurate estimation.


The capital cost is the total outflow of a firm's economic profit in order to obtain and use capital.In the industry-based economy era,financial capital is the main capital.But in the age of knowledge-based economy,human capital is the most important capital.Financial capital is the condition of creating value.The request of building human capital accounting is proposed in accounting theory.But in the financial theory,no research is about moving human capital cost into capital cost.So the content of capital cost is not consummate.In the paper,the content of capital cost and the financial theory is developed.


On a moving vehicle, speedy motion extraction from video is demanded. Different from the traditional motion estimation methods that track or match 2D features in consecutive motion-blurred images, this work explores a novel approach to find motion without explicit shape analysis. We take spatial integration of intensities in each frame and the obtained consecutive profiles provide distinct motion traces in a visual form. The camera motion can be followed in the integrated images briefly, rather than from complex feature extraction and iterative computation. The resulting motion parameters are used for normalizing length and removing shaking of route panoramas. The results are robust and the method is particularly efficient for real time processing.


In this article are some reflections on the creation of the course on Brazilian Literature for Foreigners and the conduction of the classes as a freelance teacher in a languages school in Sao Paulo from May to June 2015. This is a case study and an attempt to contribute to the newly established field of research on teaching Brazilian Literature for speakers of other languages in Brazil.


Part 1 of this two-part column, which appeared in the last edition of the New York State Journal, outlined the basics of New York will drafting. This column is about the importance of clarity in will drafting.


AIM:To observe the changes of neoplastic growth and metastasis and the variation of inflammation in neoplasm in the serial passage of tumor-bearing mice and to discuss the correlation between the variations of tumor biological characters in vivo and inflammation. METHODS: Lewis lung tumor cells were inoculated subcutaneously into C57/BL6 mice and the first generation of tumor bearing mice was established. The tumor bearing mice were then serially passaged. Forty-five mice were inoculated on the second generation (the early group), the eighth generation (the intermediate group)and the fifteenth generation (the late group), with 15 mice in each group. To observe the time of oncogenesis and the rate of pulmonary metastasis, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the density of macrophages, the microvessel density (MVD), the expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF- κB) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in neoplasm in each group. RESULTS: Oncogenesis was speeded up in the 3 groups with the increasing times of passages(P0.01). The rate of lung metastasis increased significantly (P0.01)and the rate of pulmonary metastasis in the early, intermediate and late groups was 13.3%, 60% and 100%, respectively. The density of macrophage and the microvessel density (MVD) in the 3 groups was respectively (24.87±8.54), (36.33±10.02)and (47.20±13.49), and (24.73±10.38), (41.27±13.50)and (55.80±21.31), with significant difference(P0.01, both). The expression of NF-κB and MMP-9 in neoplasm gradually increased (P0.01) and the expression of CD31, NF-κB and MMP-9 were positively correlated to the density of macrophage in peoplasm(P0.01). CONCLUSION: The growth and metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma gradually enhance in the process of serial passage in mice and the dynamic variations are correlated with the inflammation in neoplasm.


Objective:To reveal the extinction character of ketamine-induced conditioned place preference(CPP)in rats.Methods:Twenty-four SD♂ rats were randomly divided into three groups(n=8)for saline control,spontaneous ketamine-CPP extinction,and accelerated ketamine-CPP extinction.From d1 to 16,ketamine CPP model was set up by intraperitoneal injection of 10-15 mg·kg-1 ketamine every other day.On d18,rats in accelerated extinction group were given a single saline training in previously drug-paired apartments.On d19,d24-26,d54-56,all of the three groups were subject to CPP test.Results:Ketamine-induced CPP can maintain for 38 days.A single saline-paired session accelerated extinction of ketamine-induced CPP.Conclusion:The rewarding effect of ketamine is robust,but can be extinguished by intervention,such as saline injection.


Anatomically modern humans origin is one of the most passionately debated questions of the moment. The objective of this work, using a new methodology (3D geometric morphometrics) for studying human cranial shape evolution, is to shed some light on the evolution of the genus Homo in East and Southeast Asia, with African fossils for comparisons. This is a region of major palaeoanthropological interest due to the large number of fossil remains discovered beginning at the end of the 19th century. This part of the Old World is a key geographical area as far as the debate on the origin of anatomically modern humans is concerned. We present here our first results of architectural comparisons of human skulls dating from about 2.5-2 Ma to present days (from H. habilis to extant H. sapiens). We attempt to underline the main architectural differences between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, but also to analyse eventual geographical and/or temporal intraspecific architectural variability.


The paper investigates the relationships between domestic and foreign price levels and the exchange rate and other macro-variables. The results indicate that exchange rate, foreign rate of inflation and domestic credit drive the rate of inflation with no feedback effects. What are the policy implications of the study? The findings in this analysis offer significant challenges to the formulation of inflation policy in Malawi. First, the presence of co-integration or long run co-movements between variables, from a policy point of view, indicates the effectiveness of targeting inflation rate in influencing the long run movements of other variables. Second, developments in the external sector of the economy seemingly contribute more to domestic inflation rate. The policy implications are that the government ability in influencing the behavior of domestic inflation is limited. This is because the ability of a small open economy like that of Malawi to insulate itself from external shocks is limited. Finally, it might be interesting to determine whether and how domestic supply constraints raise inflation. This may involve, for instance, using smallholder maize or cereal output as one of the explanatory variables. Inflationary control in Malawi has been emphasized on non-food inflation through controlling money supply leaving out the supply constraint. But evidence shows that food costs constitute 58.1 percent of the inflation basket. Inflationary control should therefore go beyond monetary instruments to address the supply constraints in the real sector. This brings into focus the management of crises associated with droughts.


I assess the role of bankability and information in environmental policy design. I develop a model demonstrating that banking and borrowing can be allowed for a price policy as well as a quantity policy. I compare expected welfare between price and quantity policies, with and without banking, under several different scenarios regarding uncertainty and information. A bankable policy can provide an efficiency improvement by allowing for smoothing of costs, though it is not necessarily more efficient than a policy that does not allow banking. The ranking of prices versus quantities and of bankability versus nonbankability depends on both the slopes of marginal costs and benefits and on the specification of uncertainty and information.


Information gatekeepers, such as Internet search engines, travel experts, comparison shopping systems, credit raters, radio deejays, and movie critics, are an essential entry point for many information search and decision making tasks. They make recommendations on these tasks based on their expertise, but also frequently due to sponsorship by interested merchants. We develop and analyze a tractable model in which consumers may prefer or dislike the use of sponsored results in the recommendations, merchants' value for sponsorship increases with the gatekeeper's user base, and when there are negative externalities among merchants competing for consumers' attention. The optimal strategy strikes a balance between sponsorship revenues from merchants and user-based revenues. The gatekeeper may employ sponsored recommendations even when doing so is detrimental to users, or may not present enough sponsored results even when these improve the quality of recommendations. Product innovations or better domain expertise give the gatekeeper greater flexibility in using sponsored results.


The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of working memory training on reading difficulties of students with reading disorder.  The design of this study was experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all elementary school children with reading disorder, who had attended counseling centers of Tehran Education Department in the spring of 2017. Then, these students were randomly assigned to two groups of 15 (one control group and one experimental group) and the intervention program of working memory training was performed on the experimental groups over a period of 10 sessions, with each session lasting for half an hour. Both Simple Random Sampling and Convenience Sampling methods were applied. To measure reading difficulties, WISC- R (3rd edition) and Reading and Dyslexia Test (NEMA) were used. The obtained data were analyzed using the statistical method "Covariance Analysis".  The results of Covariance Analysis showed that working memory training intervention is effective on all sub-components of Reading and Dyslexia Tests (p <0.01), with its greatest impact being on picture naming, sound elimination and category mark. Accordingly, it was concluded that the experimental group`s interventions based on working memory training, as a useful intervention method, can be effective on reducing reading difficulties of students with learning disorder, and can be applied as a complementary exercise to reduce reading difficulties among this group of students.


Multiple ubiquitin ligases with nuclear substrates promote regulated protein degradation and turnover of protein quality control (PQC) substrates. We hypothesized that two ubiquitin ligases with nuclear substrates – the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome with the Cdh1p substrate recognition factor (APC/C Cdh1p ) and the Slx5p/Slx8p SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase – contribute to PQC. We predicted yeast lacking subunits of these enzymes would exhibit compromised growth in the presence of hygromycin B, which reduces translational fidelity. We observed that loss of Cdh1p, Slx5p, or Slx8p sensitizes yeast to hygromycin B to a similar extent as loss of two ubiquitin ligases with characterized roles in nuclear PQC and hygromycin B resistance. In addition to their well-characterized function in regulated protein degradation, our results are consistent with prominent roles for both APC/C Cdh1p and Slx5p/Slx8p in PQC.


This report presents research results in the areas of industrial hygiene, radiation protection, fire safety, and instrument development. Items have been individually abstracted. (ACR)


Aims To address the natural history of severe post‐tuberculous (TB) kyphosis, with focus upon the long‐term neurological outcome, occurrence of restrictive lung disease, and the effect on life expectancy. Patients and Methods This is a retrospective clinical review of prospectively collected imaging data based at a single institute. A total of 24 patients of Southern Chinese origin who presented with spinal TB with a mean of 113° of kyphosis (65° to 159°) who fulfilled inclusion criteria were reviewed. Plain radiographs were used to assess the degree of spinal deformity. Myelography, CT and MRI were used when available to assess the integrity of the spinal cord and canal. Patient demographics, age of onset of spinal TB and interventions, types of surgical procedure, intra‐ and post‐operative complications, and neurological status were assessed. Results All except one of the 24 patients were treated with anti‐TB chemotherapy when they were first diagnosed with spinal TB. They subsequently received surgery either for neurological deterioration, or deformity correction in later life. The mean follow‐up was 34 years (11 to 59) since these surgical interventions. Some 16 patients (66.7%) suffered from late neurological deterioration at a mean of 26 years (8 to 49) after the initial drug treatment. The causes of neurological deterioration were healed disease in nine patients (56.2%), re‐activation in six patients (37.5%) and adjacent level spinal stenosis in one patient (6.3%). The result of surgery was worse in healed disease. Eight patients without neurological deterioration received surgery to correct the kyphosis. The mean correction ranged from 97° to 72°. Three patients who were clinically quiescent with no neurological deterioration were found to have active TB of the spine. Solid fusion was achieved in all cases and no patient suffered from neurological deterioration after 42 years of follow‐up. On final follow‐up, six patients were noted to have deceased (age range: 47 years to 75 years). Conclusion Our study presents one of the longest assessments of spinal TB with severe kyphosis. Severe post‐TB kyphosis may lead to significant health problems many years following the initial drug treatment. Early surgical correction of the kyphosis, solid fusion and regular surveillance may avoid late complications. Paraplegia, restrictive lung disease and early onset kyphosis might relate to early death. Clinically quiescent disease does not mean cure.


Background In the language of the steel industry, the term coated steel means, for all practical purposes, mild steel sheet or strip which is coated before it leaves the steel mill. Various coatings are employed depending upon product end use but basically they divide up into metallic coatings such as tin, zinc or aluminium; and organic coatings which are essentially paints or plastic films. Organic coatings are very often applied on top of metallic coatings, so that in the most advanced coated products there may be as many as five separate layers of material between the underlying steel and the exposed outer surface.


COVID-19 have caused a great burden in health care and in terms of finance. Despite the current control of COVID-19 in many countries due to the application of vaccination and treatments, the rebound of COVID-19 symptoms or repositive cases examined by either antigen test or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) have been noticed in patients post recovery, especially after certain treatments. However, if the rebound was a part of natural course of COVID-19 recovery, or if it was triggered by certain factors, have not been confirmed. Herein, we reviewed the history and time course of COVID-19 rebound in patients without treatment. Further, we compared the rebound rate in patients treated with Paxlovid or Molnupiravir, the two recently approved treatments for COVID-19. In addition, the present study summarizes the possible causes and the clinical implication of studying COVID-19 rebound in patients with or without treatments. At present, the existing studies on COVID-19 rebound are not enough. More studies and data are warranted to analyze factors associated with the occurrence of COVID-19 rebound.