Flow in porous media (or porous flow) is the manner in which fluids behave when flowing through a porous media. There are many types of porous media, such as rocks (including various types of minerals), soils, biological materials, and artificial porous media materials. The porous flow phenomena widely exist in the natural world, engineering materials and inside the body of plant and animals. The porous flow theory is fundamentally important in exploiting underground resources, such as underground water, geothermal resource, petroleum, natural gas and coal. This article explains the basic concepts, classifications, influencing factors and key characteristics associated with porous flow. The research significance of porous flow is also discussed.


Our country is facing a serious energy crisis and natural pollution. Based on the analysis of my country's basic situation, the energy consumed by the entire building life cycle from material manufacturing to use in our country is more than 50% of the total social energy consumption. With the rapid growth of the construction industry, the proportion of building energy consumption will continue to increase, and the current situation of building energy efficiency will become more severe. Green, low-energy, or near-zero-energy building design has become more urgent. This paper studies the green building energy consumption monitoring platform based on the BIM model, and understands the related theories of green building energy consumption and BIM model based on the literature, and then designs the green building energy consumption monitoring platform based on the BIM model. The designed platform was tested, and the test results showed that the shorter the sampling interval, the more the number of collection points, and the more time it takes to collect energy consumption.


This paper analyzes the crisis of contemporary societies, especially the urban way of life, as the cities are facing growing social problems, such as violence, criminality, traffic, housing, pollution, sedentariness, social exclusion and hunger, among others. The article examines this problem from the perspective of philosophy and sociology, developing the concepts of instrumental rationality, communicative reason and world of life in Habermas' thinking and discussing at the same time Boaventura de Souza Santos' proposal of social emancipation. Insofar as viable alternatives are not found for contemporary cities, which are immersed in a wide and complex range of interdependen t factors, the paper discusses the proposal of the Educational City as an alternative to rethink education and existence in society itself. The educational crisis will not be solved only by the school, just as the crisis of the cities will not be solved without the direct participation of education and the organization of society in solidarity networks, seeking to develop a new culture of citizenship and of humanizing relationships among the citizens, who, in fact, are the ones who give life and recreate the city.


Balance is the fundamental skill behind human locomotion, and its impairment is the principal indicator of self-perceived disability. Despite significant improvements in balance assessment, there is still large incidence of fall related injuries among elderlies. The Base of Support (BoS) is a popular method for bipedal stability assessment, but its accuracy depends on the accuracy the BoS geometry measurement. This work presents a method to ease the BoS tracking by the identification of a reference frame that allows to define postural models of the BoS geometry. Although we also propose a geometry based on the geometry determined from centre of pressure range of motion within the foot obtained from literature, this methodology can be used with other models (i.e., the feasible base of support). The model has been tested with 12 healthy subjects, which have been asked to explore their stability in six different postures. The results show that the model can accurate deform the geometry of the BoS to adapt its shape to the different postures, which can remove the necessity of force/torque sensors in some application. Potentially the proposed method can be also applied to describe any posture dependent attribute (e.g., gravitational forces), and it can be also applied to bipedal robots. Therefore, it constitutes a novel mathematical tool that can be deployed to develop both better sensors and models for bipeds. For example, it can be used with the Extrapolated CoM model to evaluate dynamic stability from the body kinematics.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the penetration resistance (PR) of a red-yellow latosol submitted to two subsoiling depths for implanting a forest plantation. The subsoiling was evaluated at 40 cm (S-40) and 50 cm (S-50) of depth by determining the soil moisture and soil density, while soil PR was evaluated before and after subsoiling at five points transversely to the subsoiling line (furrow) up to a depth of 60 cm using an electronic penetrometer. The soil density in both treatments was not altered by soil management. Before soil preparation, the soil presented PR values above the critical limit in the 0 cm to 30 cm layers, and after subsoiling a reduction in those values was verified at depth. It can be concluded that the 50 cm (S-50) subsoiling depth is the most suitable for soil preparation in a forest stand implantation.


We present generalized scattering theory for multi-terminal spin transport in systems with broken SU(2) symmetry either due to spin-orbit interaction,magnetic impurities or magnetic leads. We derive equation for spin current consistent with charge conservation. It is shown that resulting spin current equations can not be expressed as difference of potential pointing to {\it non applicability of linear response for spin currents} and as a consequence equilibrium spin currents(ESC) in the leads are non zero. We illustrate the theory by calculating ESC in two terminal normal system in presence of Rashba spin orbit coupling and show that it leads to spin rectification consistent with the non linear nature of spin transport.


In " Freedom and Resentment, " P.F. Strawson seeks to recast the ordinary debate about moral responsibility and accountability. His main opponent is the incompatibilist – someone who does not believe that the claim that free will exists and the claim that everything that occurs is causally determined are compatible. Strawson also offers a critique of the view that is held by a certain kind of compatibilist: the kind who believes that our practice of holding people morally responsible – blaming and praising them, for example – can be justified by the causal efficacy of these attitudes in shaping future behavior. Strawson does not dwell on the issue of whether or not determinism is true, but proceeds by examining everyday interactions and the resulting emotions and reactive attitudes that we have towards others. He hopes that by doing so he can make his compatibilist opponent concede that there is a deeper rationale for these attitudes than their causal efficacy. Regarding his incompatibilist opponent, Strawson tries to show that since we are not capable of completely suspending all of our attitudes of praise and blame and our other reactive attitudes, it is unreasonable to argue that if determinism is true, we ought to do so. Though reactive attitudes like resentment and gratitude are not widely discussed, Strawson makes the case that these attitudes are much more important to the conversation about moral responsibility than one would ordinarily think, and indeed that they are much more important than quarreling over determinism to get at the root of this issue. 4 Strawson argues that, of the set of philosophers who claim that they know what determinism is, there are the 'pessimists' – those who, if determinism is true, believe that such things as " the concepts of moral obligation and responsibility really have no application, and the practices of punishing and blaming, of expressing moral condemnation and approval, are really unjustified. Others – the optimists, perhaps – hold that these concepts and practices in no way lose their raison d'être if the thesis of determinism is true. " 1 To use more traditional 'free-will-debate' terminology, the 'pessimists' would be called incompatibilists, and are made up of both the hard determinists and libertarians. Hard determinists uphold the deterministic side of the debate, meaning that they believe there is a deterministic universe, which by their thinking precludes the possibility for human beings to have free …


This is Appendix Two of the book Abacus and Mah Jong: Sino-Mauritian Settlement and Economic Consolidation. The appendix focuses on the distribution of the Chinese population in the districts of Mauritius in 1921. Details regarding this distribution are tabulated under the following headings: District, Males and Females. The book uses the case study of Chinese in Mauritius to investigate the complex mechanisms and processes involved in the transplantation of groups of people within the colonial context.Keywords: abacus; Chinese population; mah jong; Sino-Mauritian settlement


Inter-turn short-circuit (ITSC) faults do not necessarily produce high temperatures but have special heat distribution and characteristics. Therefore, a new recognition solution for diagnosing faults is proposed, based on the fault overlay method, and the convolutional neural network (CNN) is trained to achieve the automatic identification of infrared images. In this method, through the coverage of layers, the proposed image augmentation method is carried out and simulates the fault data of increasing training. We produce 43 fault traces through the fault overlay method on the three-phase winding of a transformer and use 90 infrared images of transformers in normal operation combined with them to enhance the amount of image data. The fault recognition ability is realized based on CNN model training, including analysis of experimental results of grayscale and color images, and Gaussian noise. In the test of the practical case, a short-circuit test of the 11.4 kV dry-type transformer is carried out, and the ITSC fault is identified when the load is about 15%. The fault characteristic block on this thermal image is 36.3 degrees, which verifies the identification available by this method, and has a certain reference value for the development of infrared image diagnosis technology for power equipment.


Objective:  To examine the usefulness of the standard allergen series as a sole tool in the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis and consider the diagnostic benefits yielded by the routine use of an extended standard series in general dermatology practice.

Methods:  From January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2003, one hundred patients attended in a general dermatology unit were recruited for patch testing. Every patient underwent testing with the standard tray recommended by the Spanish Contact Dermatitis Research Group, and simultaneously, with a supplementary series of 35 allergens. Other specific series were performed in some cases, but their results have been omitted in this study. Patients with positive allergic reactions were divided into two groups based on the clinical relevance of their reactions. These groups were subsequently stratified in four subgroups: (1) reactions only to allergens in the standard series; (2) reactions only to additional allergens; (3) reactions to both standard and additional allergens; and (4) reactions to own substances or allergens in other series.

Results:  Of patients tested, 62 had at least 1 positive allergic reaction, and among these, 44 had reactions deemed clinically relevant. Of all the patients with relevant positive tests, 70.5%(31/44) reacted only to allergens in the standard tray; 11.4%(5/44) reacted to supplementary allergens exclusively; 4.5%(2/44) reacted to both standard and supplementary allergens. Finally, 6 more patients (13.6%) reacted to other sensitizers.

Conclusion:  In our study, 15.9% relevant allergies would have been missed by the standard series alone. Patch testing an extended standard series increased our diagnostic capability, and might be a useful screening tool in those dermatology offices where other series are lacking.


This report details the use of infrared imaging for temperature measurement and thermal pattern determination during simulated altitude engine testing in the NASA Lewis Propulsion Systems Laboratory. Three identical argon-cooled imaging systems were installed in the facility exhaust collector behind sapphire windows to look at engine internal surfaces. The report describes the components of each system, presents the specifics of the complicated installation, and explains the operation of the systems during engine testing. During the program, several problems emerged, such as argon contamination system, component overheating, cracked sapphire windows, and other unexplained effects. This report includes a summary of the difficulties as well as the solutions developed. The systems performed well, considering they were in an unusually harsh exhaust environment. Both video and digital data were recorded, and the information provided valuable material for the engineers and designers to quickly make any necessary design changes to the engine hardware cooling system. The knowledge and experience gained during this program greatly simplified the installation and use of the systems during later test programs in the facility. The infrared imaging systems have significantly enhanced the measurement capabilities of the facility, and have become an outstanding and versatile testing resource in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory.


Abstract : A cantilever beam force transducer was modelled as a massless elastic section at the base with the remaining section of the beam rigid and having mass. Computer programs were written to simulate free or forced, damped or undamped vibrations of the beam. Good agreement was found between predicted and experimental frequencies of undamped free vibration for two different beams. After further verification, the computer programs can be used to determine beam configurations, viscous damping factors, and loading rates which will reduce unwanted oscillations of the transducer element. (Author)


The purpose of this descriptive study with qualitative approach was identifying the types of errors, the causes of errors, and how to correct them. According to Newman, these types of errors include reading, comprehension, shifting, processing, and numerical errors. The research subjects in this study were 25 students who use the test, interview, and writing methods from the first phase of the water research program. The results of the results of the interview and the student's answers to the test were tested. The paperwork method is uses to determine the names of the students to be studied. Bases on the results of the study, 23,6% of reading error, 21,8% of reading comprehension difficulty, 17,3% of transform error, 26,4% of students experienced error in the process skill stage, 10,9% of students experience errors at the notation stage. These errors are caused by a lack of understanding of the questions given, the students are not able to change questions in the form of stories into mathematical sentences, are not careful, lack practice in working on story problems, and forget about the formulas. Lecturers should often introduce problems spherical triangle contextual to the student to improve student understanding, the student must often be trained to work on matters story that relates to the spherical triangle with various variations to practice accuracy and skills.


Fritz Fischer's decade has ended. It began, neatly enough, in 1961 with Der Griff nach der Weltmacht, and drew to a close, in 1969, with Krieg der Illusionen. In between, there has been more discussion, scholarly and otherwise, than has been caused by any other single historian in our lifetime. Some of it has been stimulating. But the debate has just about run its course. Brecht's lines come to mind. I always hear Caesar did, Caesar conquered. Was not there at least a cook along?


The meter device presented in this work consists of a photo-detector mounted on the mechanism of a mobile rectangular arc. One stepper motor located on the lateral axis of the device displaces the sensor along a semi-circular trajectory of 170°, almost half meridians. Another motor located at the base of the device enables 360° rotation of the illumination source under test. This arrangement effectively produces a semi-spherical volume for the sensor to move within. The number of measurement points is determined by programming the two stepper motors. Also, the use of a single photo-sensor ensures uniformity in the measurements. The mechanical structure provides enough rigidity for supporting the accuracy required by the data acquisition circuitry based on a DSPIC. Measurement of illumination sources of different sizes is possible by using adjustable lengths of the mobile base and the ring for a maximum lamp length of 0.16 m. Because this work is partially supported by a private entity interested in the characterization of its products, especial attention has been given to the luminaries based on LED technology with divergent beams. The received power by the detector is useful to obtain the irradiance profile of the lighting source under test. The meter device presented herein is a low-cost prototype designed and fabricated using recyclable materials only such as "electronic waste".


ABSTRACT Businesses increasingly seek graduates from business schools who can demonstrate strong communication and collaborative skills. Further, accrediting agencies such as the AACSB now require that member and candidate schools document how such skill development is delivered and documented. This paper details the use of one course management system (CMS), Blackboard, in helping faculty organize, manage, and document student work groups. Key advantages of the Blackboard CMS include asynchronous collaboration, tracking features for monitoring individual contributions to group work, and a permanent record of participation to aid faculty in assessing individual and group grades as well as providing illustrative data to accrediting agencies on how the school measures the development of team building skills. INTRODUCTION Speaking in a recent interview at the Colombia School of Business, financier Warren Buffet was asked about the single most important business skill MBA students could acquire. Without hesitation, Buffet named communication skills as the most important, especially in relation to getting teams to work together towards a common goal. Of the prospects of the Colombia graduates, Buffet said all of them had bright futures, offering to give any of them $100,000 today for 10% of their lifetime gross earnings. If they developed team building communication skills, Buffet continued, he would offer them $150,000 (Buffet, 2009). If business leaders such as Warren Buffet recognize the value of communication and team building skills in particular, reformers from both outside and inside academia have focused on the problem of workforce preparation more generally (Hartley, Mantle-Bromley, & Cobb, 1996). Managers had complained that schools failed to teach graduates the team approach to problem solving (Porter & McKibbon, 1988), and the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (1990) reported that graduates lacked knowledge in a team approach to problem solving. Usluata (1997) reported that students spend much time in school learning to be competitive and earning the highest scores but lack the teamwork skills necessary for the competitive world of business. Within the business curriculum, some courses are designed to foster the development of team work skills. For example, Business Communication courses utilize several techniques to encourage the development of teamwork such as cooperative learning, collaborative learning, group techniques, and active learning (Chalupa, Sormunen, & Charles, 1999; Hershey and Wood, 2006). According to Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec (1994), students maximize their own as well as other's learning through cooperative learning. For example, Simendinger (2008) notes the use of dyadic exercises to develop team skills in advance of grouping students into term project work groups. Similarly, after using team learning projects for over eight years, Metheny and Metheny (1997) reported that their students attained higher levels of learning than with the traditional lecture format. What we suggest here is that these same techniques can, and should be, extended beyond the entry-level communications course into other courses in business. In this paper, we propose extending these techniques for developing team work skills in the marketing principles course. Team projects can utilize face-to-face or computer-mediated activities (Warkentin, Sayeed, & Hightower, (1997), and e-mail is a popular computer-mediated tool to help students communicate (Extejt, 1998). A Gallup poll found that 90 percent of all businesses use e-mail (Dichter & Burkhardt, 1996), and Ku (1996) found younger employees more likely to use e-mail. Dillon (2004) reported that managers stress the importance of teaching e-mail clarity as our correspondence becomes more electronic and global. Since managers often work in geographically dispersed teams, Kaiser, Tullar, and McKowen, (2000) chose a human resources project to prepare their students for future management roles. …


Supply the package technique to store the green oats is new techniques.Evaluate the quality of storing green oats by sense,PH,NH-N/TN%etc,the result is:the rate of good quality of package storing green oats is over 80%.


A method and apparatus for reducing interference is provided. The method may include the step of determining the service period end time from the step, and the interference indicator, which receives a interference indication from a station (STA). Method may further include the step of determining the end of step, or the service period end time to end the service period is terminated service period on or before the time the service period, wherein the sleep interference indication service period end time It includes a schedule start time of the one or more of the interference in the time display or STA for.


Plasma (~600 mL), platelet components (2.5 – 6.0 x10 11 platelets in ~300 mL of 35% plasma/65% InterSol TM ) and RBC components (~280 mL in AS-5) were inoculated with HIV, bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV, model for HCV) or duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV, model for HBV) to a titer of approximately 5-6 log/mL when possible. The HIV inoculum consisted of chronically infected H-9 cells, BVDV and DHBV were inoculated as cell-free virus. Platelet and plasma units were treated with the commercial IBS (Figure 2). Samples were taken before illumination to determine input titer and after illumination to detect residual viable pathogens. The contaminated RBC units were treated with the Second Generation S-303 Treatment Process intended for use in clinical trials and for commercialization – the units were combined with GSH and Diluent in the 2 nd generation RBC PI processing set, S-303 was then added to the RBC mixture (Figure 3). Samples were taken before addition of S-303 to determine input titer and after 3 hours at RT to assay for residual viable organism. Viability was assessed in assay systems appropriate for each organism (Table 1).


Ballet originated in France during the reign of Louise XIV, the Sun King, who performed in these grand court dances, usually as the star of the show! The steps came from basic country dances but over time became more stylised.


In This work we present a hybrid push-pull algorithm which combines broadcasting of push data items, with dissemination upon request of pull items in asymmetric communication environments. These environments are made up only of one database server and many clients. Requests made by the clients are queued up for the pull items. The (pull) item with the number of pending requests is the one selected to be pulled. We present performance analysis of our scheme, and determine individual response time for each item disseminated and the overall time for the pull queue to be flushed. Next, we extend our algorithm by incorporating QoS factors, and, then, study its performance analytically.


Personnel changes Nolan Crabb, former editor of the Braille Forum at the American Council of the Blind, has been appointed technology supervisor at the Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. For more information, contact Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, 3418 Knipp Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109; phone: 573-751-4249; fax: 573-751-4984. Mitchell Dul has been appointed chairman of the Department of Clinical Sciences and director of the Glaucoma Institute, and Richard Madonna has been named chief of Ocular Disease and Special Testing at the State College of Optometry, State University of New York. For more information, contact State University of New York, 100 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010-3676; phone: 212-780-5060; Web site: <www.sunyopt.edu>. Robert K. Hanye has been appointed executive director of the Blind Work Association. Mr. Hanye succeeds Conrad Range, who has retired after 20 years of service to the agency. Mr. Hanye comes to the Association from National Industries for the Blind, where he worked for the past 25 years, the last 10 as a senior manager-director of rehabilitation services. For more information, contact Blind Work Association, 55 Washington Street, Binghamton, NY 13901-3770; phone: 607-724-2428; fax: 607-771-8045. Ike Presley has been appointed national program associate in literacy at the American Foundation for the Blind Southeast. Mr. Presley previously worked at the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology, the Georgia Sensory Rehabilitation Center, and as a teacher of children who are visually impaired. Mr. Presley has a wide range of experience as a trainer and instructor on the topics of braille literacy, assistive technology, and low vision issues throughout the life span. For more information, contact American Foundation for the Blind Southeast, 100 Peachtree Street, Suite 620, Atlanta, GA 30303; phone: 404-525-2303.


Solutions to the problem of globally exponentially stabilizing linear systems with an arbitrarily long pointwise delay with sampled feedbacks are presented. The main result of a contribution by the author and D. Normand-Cyrot is recalled. It is compared with other results available in the literature.


Based on the 'Galileo Principle of Relativity', a numerical model is proposed to describe the quasi-stationary motion of a particle in a straight pipe, by which the inertial lift is numerically obtained on the spherical particle inside a straight micro-channel with squared section, combined by computational fluid dynamics(CFD) technique. The spatial distribution of the inertial lift is numerically investigated and the influence on the inertial force is also obtained by the particle's diameter. Results indicate, the inertial lift shows an obvious regularity in spatial distribution: it is towards the channel wall in the vicinity of the channel axis with its magnitude increasing firstly to the maximum and then gradually decreasing to zero in radial direction while it is towards the channel axis in the vicinity of the channel wall with its magnitude increasing sharply close to the channel wall. There is a unique position with zero inertial lift in radial direction, which is just the position of 'Inertial Focus of Particles'. The inertial force consists of two components, one is the viscous stress, the other is the pressure stress, but the latter is the determinant to 'Inertial Focus of Particles'. These results help to perfect the mechanical mechanism on the solid-liquid flow field with low Reynolds number and enhance the further commercial applications of the 'Inertial Focus of Particles'.


To study the response of terrestrial plants in hydro-fluctuation belt to the first time habitat flooding-drying cycle in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Yangtze River, we investigated community characteristics, such as plants composition, number of individuals, species coverage, when this place was flooded in winter and then exposed in summer in the elevation from 156 to 172 meters. We calculated species' important value as well as the proportion of all plant life forms in the community. The result showed that there were 147 vascular plants species belonging to 55 families before the fluctuation cycle. However, there were only 32 species belonging to 17 families after the fluctuation cycle and the proportion of families and species were reduced by 69.1% and 78.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, the plots newly emerged 49 plant species which accounted for 60.5% in the total species. The composition of plant life forms changed, that is, trees and shrub species declined while the herbaceous increased. Different plants reacted differently to environmental changes. Cyperaceae, Gramineae, and Compositae herbs showed a strong adaptation capacity to the change. The representative species were Cyperus rotundus, Setaria viridis, Bidens tripartite, Digitaria sanguinalis, Gynura crepidioides, Artemisia apiacea, etc. One-year-old seedlings of shrub species of Vitex negundo, Rhus chinensis, Discocleidion rufescens, Coriaria nepalensis , Myrsine africana, and tree species of Sapium sebiferum, Koelreuteria bipinnata, Broussonetia papyrifera all showed strong adaptability.


The integral transform method based on joint application of a fractional generalization of the Fourier transform and the classical Laplace transform is applied for solving Cauchy-type problems for the time-space fractional diffusion-wave equations expressed in terms of the Caputo time-fractional derivative and the generalized Weyl space-fractional operator. The solutions, representing the probability density function, are obtained in integral form where the kernels are Green's functions represented in terms of the Fox H-functions. It is shown that the results derived include some well known results as particular cases.


Psychotherapeutic work with lesbians is confounded by both sexist and heterosexist factors. This paper traces three aspects of women's socialization—self-concept, feminine sex-role behavior, and sexuality— which have particular implications for lesbians and discusses the implications of these three in therapy. The impact of women's conditioning to base self-esteem on acceptance by others is noted, particularly as such conditioning combines with the cumulative stresses of lesbian life. Finally, examples of ways in which heterosexual bias may become apparent in therapy are given, and alternative therapeutic approaches are discussed.


This investigation presents the fuzzy nanoparticle volume fraction on heat transfer of second-grade hybrid 2 3 Al O +Cu/EO nanofluid over a stretching/shrinking Riga wedge under the contribution of heat source, stagnation point, and nonlinear thermal radiation. Also, this inquiry includes flow simulations using modified Hartmann number, boundary wall slip and heat convective boundary condition. Engine oil is used as the host fluid and two distinct nanomaterials ( Cu and 2 3 Al O ) are used as nanoparticles. The associated nonlinear governing PDEs are intended to be reduced into ODEs using suitable transformations. After that 'bvp4c,' a MATLAB technique is used to compute the solution of said problem. For validation, the current findings are consistent with those previously published. The temperature of hybrid nanofluid rises significantly more quickly than the temperature of the second-grade fluid, for larger values of the wedge angle parameter, the volume percentage of nanomaterials. For improvements to the wedge angle and Hartmann parameter, the skin friction factor improves. Also, for the comparison of nanofluids and hybrid nanofluids through membership function (MF), the nanoparticle volume fraction is taken as a triangular fuzzy number (TFN) in this work. Membership function and -cut  are controlled TFN which ranges from 0 to 1. According to the fuzzy analysis, the hybrid nanofluid gives a more heat transfer rate as compared to nanofluids.


ABSTRACT : A 44 year old smoker and hypertensive male presented with complaints of claudication of the hip and impotence. Investigations revealed stenosis in distal aorta (infra renal) extending into the origin of common iliac arteries. The patient was managed with endovascular reconstruction by using the novel simultaneous kissing stent technique. Six month follow up showed considerable improvement of symptoms with repeat angiogram exhibiting 100% patency of the stents.


. Climate change should trigger the development of concrete arguments to justify the choice of the best energy mix, which is not the same depending on the countries involved. Life cycle assessment (LCA) uses tools that can help to define a successful energy transition, from an environmental perspective, by including a large panel of indicators. An LCA of the different sources of electricity was performed based on inventories from literature, leading to an environmental ranking of the different energies through endpoints. Four examples of energy transition scenarios corresponding to different energy demands up to 2050 were chosen for France, and compared in terms of LCA. Several multicriteria indicators were proposed for a new methodology to follow a sustainable development strategy, i.e. including economic and social parameters. The scenarios were submitted to a multicriteria sustainable assessment in order to obtain a ranking based on tuneable parameters, depending on different stakeholders' viewpoints.


The physical rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular pathology is poorly studied and developed in our country, especially in patients with heart failure. There are studies in the literature that confirm that a decrease in the grasping force of the hand is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. The physical deconditioning of patients with heart failure can be assessed with the help of the Amadeo robot, which is a device capable of measuring the flexion and extension force of the hand in kilograms. Material and methods. We prospectively analyzed a group of 44 patients diagnosed with heart failure class II-III NYHA who were hospitalized between June 17 and July 15, 2019 in the Cardiology Department of Elias Hospital. We evaluated the grasping force of the hand of patients with heart failure using the Amadeo robot. The Amadeo robot is a device used in the rehabilitation of stroke patients, which can measure the flexion and extension force of the hand using sensors attached to the hand and fingers. Results. By evaluating patients with heart failure using the Amadeo robot, the average value of the hand extension force was 2.364 kg at admission and 2.264 kg at discharge. The flex-ion force of the hand was 6.78 kg at admission and 7.361 kg at discharge. Patients enrolled in the study who had valvulopathies, atrial fibrillation and diabetes had a lower value of the extension force of the hand compared to patients with heart failure who did not have these pathologies. Patients with valvulopathies, high blood pressure, and ischemic heart disease also had a lower flexion strength than those without these diseases. Conclusions. It is known that the grasping force of the hand is an important indicator in assessing the fragility status of patients. Patients with heart failure are frail patients with multiple comorbidities in which physical deconditioning acts as a negative prognostic factor on morbidity, mortality, and increased hospitalization rates. Thus, the physical rehabilitation of patients with heart failure is essential for increasing the quality of life and also for decreasing morbidity and mortality and the rate of hospitalization.


As part of the ongoing development of an ocean data assimilation system for operational ocean monitoring and seasonal prediction, an adjoint sea ice model was developed that incorporates sea ice rheology, which was omitted from previously developed adjoint models to avoid model instability. The newly developed adjoint model was merged with the existing system to construct a global ocean–sea ice adjoint model. A series of sensitivity experiments, in which idealized initial values were given for the adjoint sea ice area fraction and thickness, were conducted, with particular attention to the differences between the cases with free-drift approximation in the adjoint sea ice model as in previous studies and with full sea ice dynamics including rheology. The internal stress effects represented in the adjoint rheology induced remarkable differences in the evolution of the initialized and generated adjoint variables, such as for the sea ice velocity by O(102) in magnitude, which highlighted the importance of the adjoint rheology in the central Arctic Ocean. In addition, sensitivities with respect to the nonprognostic variables associated with the sea ice dynamics were obtained only through the adjoint rheology. These results suggested a potential for providing an improved global atmosphere–ocean–sea ice state estimation through a four-dimensional variational approach with the adjoint sea ice model as developed in this study.


Based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) and metasurface polarization converter, this paper presents a circularly polarized (CP) frequency-operated beam scanning antenna (FBSA). In this design, the linearly polarized scanning beam is brought by a serpentine distribution of SIW leaky-wave slotted antenna and then transformed into CP beam by a metasurface. Furthermore, the SIW leaky-wave slotted antenna reduces reflection loss by adding additional matching posts. The simulation results show that the proposed FBSA can obtain frequency-operated beam scanning angles from −26° to 38° with increasing frequency from 28.9 to 32 GHz and the axial ratio (AR) less than 3dB.


This article provides an overview of the current state of research in the field of reliability of combinational circuits. The developed methods for combinational circuits generation and their subsequent implementation in the form of software are described. The implemented algorithms were used to generate combinational circuits in the structured Verilog format; the circuits generated were converted to circuits using the Nangate open standard cell library. For schemes, their parameters were calculated and stored in a structured form for subsequent conversion into a dataset in csv format. Using the developed software, a dataset of combinational circuits was generated; it can be used to conduct research on predicting the reliability of combinational circuits based on limited information about them. The dataset generated was tested using two machine learning methods.


Background: This study presents a review of our experience with surgical therapy for Japanese men with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis. Patients and Methods: This study assessed the clinical outcomes in 64 Japanese patients undergoing surgical therapy for primary SCC of the penis. Results: Of these 64, 3 underwent local excision, 43 partial penectomy, 15 total penectomy and 3 emasculation. During the mean observation period of 37 months, 14 patients developed disease recurrence, and 12 died of the progression of penile SCC. The 5-year recurrence-free and cancerspecific survival rates of these 64 patients were 76.0 and 81.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis identified clinical as well as pathological inguinal lymph node (LN) metastases as significant predictors for cancer-specific survival, of which only pathological LN metastasis was independently associated with cancer-specific survival on multivariate analysis. Furthermore, pathological LN metastasis appeared to be independently predicted by clinical LN metastasis and microvascular invasion on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Pathological LN metastasis would have a powerful predictive value for the prognosis of patients with SCC of the penis following surgical treatment; therefore, intensive therapeutic strategy, including lymphadenectomy, should be warranted for those at high risk of pathological LN metastasis.


Rare earth elements and compounds form a unique group of materials with diverse properties. Because the magnetic interactions in rare earths, to which Tb belongs, are mediated by the valence electrons, they are very sensitive to the structure and the filling of the conduction bands. Thus small changes in the band structure, originating from nanoscale dimensions, are expected to result in a dramatic effect on the magnetic properties. However, due to difficulties in sample preparation (the rare earths are highly reactive), the studies on nanoparticles are rather scarce [1-3] and no microstructural data have been published yet. The aim of this work was to fabricate Tb nanoparticles and characterize their microstructure, as a first step towards studying the finite size effects on their magnetic properties. Because it is difficult for conventional TEM techniques to reveal microstructure features and elemental distribution at the nanometer scale, energy-filtered image and HREM were used in this study.


This paper seeks to review the results of TRIPS (the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) negotiating processes and to evaluate the degree of success achieved by different parties. It uses an objective measure of the success or failure of negotiating strategies, namely the proportion of the original known negotiating positions or objectives achieved in the final output. It takes into account the influence of spatially and chronologically dispersed events both inside and outside the negotiating contexts. This paper does not, however, attempt to describe the full content of the negotiated changes in international IP law, nor explain their meaning or interpretation or judge their importance.


Knowledge within organizations is increasingly distributed, which raises the challenge to connect the right individuals for knowledge exchange when needed. In this contribution we analyze this challenge in detail and propose a concept to connect the right individuals by relying on the task histories of the knowledge workers. We first investigate relevant theoretical models such as transactive memory theory, social capital theory for knowledge exchange and a model based on socio-motivational and problem solving theory to find relevant constructs. We then analyze the relevant state-of-the-art to find that all approaches have some limitations with respect to the theoretical models. Our proposed solution to the challenge builds on using task histories for the matching, and we show how it can be used to determine contextual overlap and level of expertise ? the first one is an adequate indicator for willingness to interact while the second one is an indicator for ability to have a fruitful interaction. We then describe a case study in which we employed our concept in a three month timeframe with 93 individuals. A survey after the case study shows that our assumptions concerning the relevance and benefit of context overlap are substantiated.


s "CAS celebrates one hundred years of service to world science as an integral part of the American Chemical Society. That is a century in pursuit of a single mission— to provide access to chemical and related information that speeds and enables scientific discovery to improve people's lives." Robert J. Massie, President, CAS


Combined with the construction practice of small-size skid-mounted natural gas liquefaction(NGL)unit, the production processes of MDEA deacidification, molecular sieve dehydration and ammonia pre-cooled mixed refrigerant refrigeration are determined by comparison and selection of the schemes. The technological process of small-size skid-mounted NGL unit and the composition of each skid module are described.


The present study documents the findings that picophytoplankton is one of the fundamental contributors to primary biomass production not only in aquatic environments with very low content of inorganic nutrients, but also in lakes with higher trophicity. The autotrophic picophytoplankton (APP) comprises bacterial- sized (0.2-2µm) picocyanobacteria and eukaryotic phototrophs (mainly green algae). These organisms can provide up to 90% of the primary production of shallow soda lakes. Shallow soda pans are very characteristic of the Pannonic Ecoregion (Austria, Hungary and Serbia) and they represent a considerable part of the lakes present in this region. Between 11 May and 20 June 2009, the authors determined the total biomass of the phytoplankton (based on chlorophyll-a) in 65 soda pans (with an average depth of 17 cm) of the Pannonic Ecoregion. They also estimated the biomass and abundance of the picophytoplankton, using epifluorescence microscopy. The physico-chemical characteristics of the water, relevant for the phytoplankton, were also investigated. The chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration ranged between 1 μg l -1 and 1400 μg l -1 with an average of 115 μg l -1 . The abundance varied between 1000 cells ml -1 and 88 million cells ml -1 . Picoplankters were represented by 1.5 µm-sized green algae and 1.0 µm- sized phycocyanin-rich bacteria. Phycoerythrin-rich picocyanobacteria have not been detected. Based on the present findings, in these water bodies, the contribution of picoplankton to total phytoplankton did not show a decreasing tendency with increasing trophic state, as it was recorded earlier by other authors in different types of aquatic environments. The present results reveal that in soda lakes the picophytoplankton has a crucial contribution to the total primary production not only under conditions of nutrient deficiency, but also in lakes with higher trophicity. The total phosphorus (TP) concentration in the soda lakes studied varied between 70 μg l -1 and 59 000 μgl -1 . Based on TP, four of the lakes were considered eutrophic and 61 hypertrophic. Based on phytoplankton biomass, half of the lakes were classified as oligotrophic, respectively mesotrophic, while the rest were considered eutrophic, respectively hypertrophic.


Blood platelets from reserpinized rabbits produced a larger amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) in response to thrombin than the platelets from control rabbits. The MDA production was almost completely inhibited by aspirin and indomethacin, indicating that the MDA was produced through the cyclooxygenase pathway. When intracellular free Ca" was diminished by tetracaine or dibutyryl cyclic AMP, thrombin could not induce MDA production in the reserpinized or in the control platelets. When intracellular Ca" was raised by ionophore A23l87 plus Ca", MDA was produced in the absence of thrornbin. difference in production, however, between the reserpinized and the control platelets. The calcium chlortetracycline that the fluorescence after thrombin addition in the reserpinized platelets was decreased more than in the controls, suggesting an enhancement of intracellular liberation of Ca" from the binding sites of the reserpinized platelets. The augmentation MDA in the reserpinized platelets a result a stimulation the cyclooxygenase


Three ternary co-crystals of the title compound are reported. The design strategy hinges on the identification of a robust synthon with O-H center dot center dot center dot N hydrogen bonds in a binary co-crystal. Construction of this module allows the tuning of pi center dot center dot center dot pi stacking interactions and weak hydrogen bonds to incorporate the third component into the crystal structure. Screening of various co-formers showed that a delicate balance of electrostatics is required for stacking to favor the formation of ternaries. A C-H center dot center dot center dot N hydrogen-bonded motif was also found to occur repetitively in the ternary co-crystals. The directional nature of weak hydrogen bonds allows them to be used effectively in this study.


Abstract The advisability of upgrading the educational requirement for psychologist registration from four to six years has recently been the subject of considerable debate. Previous research has revealed that employers, senior psychologists, and students support such a reform. This study examines the views of the members of Australian psychologist registration boards on the issues of six-year education and the content of the first four years of education. Possible problems arising from the introduction of a six-year educational requirement are discussed and solutions proposed.


During the National Health Survey of 1971–1973, pure‐tone threshold measurements were made for octaves from 500 to 4000 Hz. At the same time, subjects were presented with lists of test sentences, and scores were kept identifying the individual words missed. Initial presentation of the test material was keyed to the subject's hearing level at 1000 Hz, and if more than a few words were missed, the level of successive test lists was raised in 10‐dB increments until a high score was achieved or the maximum level of 80 dB for the list presentation was reached. By classifying the individual phonemes of each word and grouping the test results for each list, growth functions for intelligibility were derived for each ear of every subject who received more than a single list for each ear. The results show distinct groupings of slope of growth function and intercept along the level of list presentation, separating classic cases of "recruitment," sensorineural loss, and conductive losses. The categorization permitted...


Brillouin lasing in a single-longitudinal mode at 1.55 mum is demonstrated using As2Se3 single-mode fiber for the first time. The As(2)Se(3) fiber provides sufficient Brillouin gain for the Stokes wave to initiate single frequency oscillation in a 2-m long fiber Fabry-Perot cavity with a nonresonant pump power of 56 mW. For a pump power of 78 mw, 12 mW of Stokes power was obtained, which corresponded a conversion efficiency of 15%.


ABSTRACT γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (EC 126.96.36.199) of Bacillus subtilis, which is an extracellular enzyme, hydrolyzes the γ-glutamyl linkage of glutathione. YwrD, which is homologous to γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, was speculated to have a similar physiological role. It was shown that γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, but not YwrD, is important in utilizing glutathione as the sole sulfur source in Bacillus subtilis.


Panpsychism can be clinically inferred from dissociative identity disorder or multiple personality disorder. The universe as such is conscious and consciousness is an intrinsic nature of all subatomic particles living and non-living things. The universal consciousness or force can influence animate and inanimate things, stars, computers and human beings. The universal consciousness or force is a mysterious energy that permeates to galaxies and which all life forms interact but rarely few can harness. The living force or consciousness connects everything in existence and affects all of us and some of us can manipulate the force and other individuals as well as objects. Everything in the universe is conscious. Consciousness is a fundamental part of matter. Substrate of everything is of mental character. The quantal state merges with the macroscopic world in panpsychism. The quantal state can have the simultaneous presence of the past, present and future. This forms the basis of astrology or Jyotisha formulated by Bhrigu.


This paper analyzes the pulverized coal, milling system and power load features of coal-fired power plants; indicates that coal-fired power plant has favourable conditions for cogenerating acetylene by using pyrolitic process of coal in plasma reactor; introduces the characteristics of plasma reactor, and analyzes the mechanism of producing acetylene through coal pyrolysis in plasma reactor and the pilot-test progress. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model for such new technique is set up, and through the fuzzy evaluation study of techno -economics of application of this technique in coal-fired plant; its potential superiority and development prospect are analyzed.


The cost pressure on the electric distribution companies has increased after the liberalization of electric- ity markets. Network efficiency analysis becomes impor- tant. Distribution companies carry out network efficiency analysis through benchmarking for the internal control- ling. Regulatory authorities use efficiency analysis to check the use of system fees. Today a lot of assets in German distribution systems will reach the end of the useful lifetime within the next twenty years, therefore restructure and renewal measures will be necessary in the coming years. "Green Field" based long-term distribution system plan- ning can provide a reference network for network effi- ciency analysis and an objective network for the restruc- ture. It is known that the planning problem is a NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem and is normally for- mulated as a non-linear mixed integer-programming prob- lem. To solve the problem efficiently, we propose a meta- heuristic method, which combines guided local search and large neighborhood search. Results of test case show that the proposed hybrid metaheuristic method can provide a high-quality solution of a medium-size problem requiring only some minutes and is therefore especially suitable for efficiency analysis.


Research in classrooms reveals that the institution of school is not an empty slate, but rather is characterized by peculiar patterns of interaction which tend to be short exchanges directed by the teacher. Language teachers who wish children to learn language by participating in extended meaningful conversation, then, must consciously resist institutionally defined 'teacher talk'. In this paper we examine a case of extended conversation in a dual-language kindergarten for clues as to how the teacher and children were able to negotiate alternative ways of engaging each other in a conversation. The purpose of the paper is to reveal both challenges and approaches for teachers to design real-life conversations in a traditional school where rigid 'teacher talk' dominates the classroom discourse.


Rates of detritiation of 5-X-2-tritiothiophens (X = CI, Br, I, Me, But, Ph, 2-thienyl, and 5-methyl-2-thienyl) in trifluoroacetic acid–acetic acid mixtures at 24·8° have been measured. The effects of the substituents generally parallel those of para-substituents in detritiation of substituted tritiobenzenes, and are in accord with the σp+- constants of the X groups, but 5-phenyl-2-tritiothiophen is rather less reactive than would be expected by comparison with 4-tritiobiphenyl. The activating effect of a 5′-methyl group on reaction at the 5-position of 2,2′-bithienyl agrees with that of a 4′-methyl group on reaction at the 4-position of biphenyl.


Germination of aeciospore (9.26 %) was observed on 0.2 % water agar. Germination varied from 5.35 to 6.5% on leaf. Germtube length was reduced upon leaf with increased diameter. Only 1.2 to 1.5 % germinated aeciospores developed appressorium on stomata. Dikaryotic nuclear condition was found both in aeciospores and germtubes. Vesicles like structures were also found on germtubes. Penetration peg emerged from the vesicle like structures and infected the host through stomata. After, penetration fungal mycelium aggregated at few places in the mesophyll cells. Morphogenesis was initiated in the aggregated mycelium after 6 to 8 days of infection. Mycelial cell differentiated in the aecidial initials which subsequently developed into acediophores and peridial cell. These aecediophores bear aeciospores under the protective cover of peridial layer. Mature aeciospores released from aecidia by breaking the peridial layer.


Replacement of white fluorescent tube (FL) with compact fluorescent light (CFL) as an alternative source of light for tissue culture in developing countries like Nigeria was evaluated. The effect of different CFL bulbs with photon flux densities (PFD) of 23, 41, 51 and 184 μMol m -2 s -1 arranged in horizontal, angular and vertical orientations on plant height, leaf node formation, root proliferation and plantlets regeneration were investigated. All four factors were differently affected by light intensity and orientation. Plantlet regeneration was positively impacted by light intensity of 51 μMol m -2 s -1 and by angular orientation, plant height and root proliferation were optimum at light intensity of 184 μMol m -2 s -1 and vertical orientation respectively, while differences in light intensities and orientation had no significant impact on leaf node formation. Light intensities of 51 μMol m -2 s -1 and angular orientation were adopted as optimal for all four factors considered.


In order to improve the large membrane resistance of symmetric conventional porous glass membrane in microfiltration, new asymmetric type of porous glass membrane was prepared by use of two kinds of NaO-CaO-Al2O3-B2O3ZrO2-SiO2 glass with different growth rate of phase separation, and was characterized for separative membrane. Growth rate of separated phase from the primary glass composition decreased with increasing content of Al2O3. Therefore, Al2O3-rich glass and Al2O3-poor glass were laminated in two layers to be formed into a tube. The primary glass tube was thermal-treated to cause the phase separation, and the separated phase was leached out with an acid. Both skin layer and support layer of the asymmetric porous glass membrane had the uniformly controlled pore size. Skin layer with 15 i m in thickness was formed inside the membrane. The pure water flux through the asymmetric porous glass membrane were much higher about 10 times of that through conventional symmetric porous glass membrane, because of decreasing of membrane resistance. The flux in crossflow microfiltration of acrylic resin suspension were much higher about 2 times of those through symmetric membrane. High permeability of the asymmetric porous glass membrane was confirmed through these measurements.


In this paper, the influence of the nominal value of a currency, also known as the face value, on one"s willingness-to-pay is being examined. Two studies were conducted both in Israel and the Netherlands to detect patterns in consumer decision making considerations when attaching one"s willingness-to-pay for a certain product. Additionally, the sources of these pricing mechanisms are presented. The studies show that as the currency in use is a multiple of another, people tend to underspend, while using this currency; On the other hand, consumers tend to overspend when the currency in use is a fraction of the other.


Though popular in the nineteenth century and widespread since, the elements of the hoax form can be traced to the origins of rhetorical theorizing, principally in the strategies of probability and counterprobability developed by the early orators and sophists. This article begins by defining features of the hoax as a textual event and then describes how hoaxes use traditional rhetorical techniques of both probability and improbability to transport viewers from credulity and acceptance to doubt and disbelief, demonstrating technical mastery over rhetorical conventions of the genre to mock their targets and to entertain and instruct their audience.


We proposed a novel digital video watermarking that embeds dual watermarks in the block DCT domain to solve the deadlock problem. Daul watermarks are composed of private watermarks and robust blind watermarks. Firstly, private watermarks are embedded into the lowest AC coefficients of the P or B-frames in accordance with the motion direction gained from a previous frame. Secondly, blind watermarks that have the robustness are inserted into the DC coefficients of the I-frames using a private key made from temporal I-frame motion information. Thus, when a deadlock situation occurs, the proposed algorithm can efficiently solve the problem. Experimental results confirmed that the proposed algorithm can produce good subjective and objective results for MPEG coding with a variety of bit rates. Furthermore, the proposed watermarking algorithm can potentially be applied to broadcasting monitoring systems due to its simplicity and high robustness.


By a lot of experiments on preparation and evaluation,the high temperature shift(HTS) catalyst with low content of chromium (≤1%) was produced.The catalysts from different preparation procedures were characterized by means of XRD,BET,DTA,CA(chemical analysis).The results showed that this catalyst existed largely in γ Fe 2O 3 phase,which was good for catalytic activity.The addition of Cu complex could decrease the side reaction of F T even under low vapor/gas ratio condition.The addition of K with host guest method kept its catalyst stable (not leaching),and also increased catalytic activation.Comparison with B 117 sample (industry standard),the catalyst prepared here has more high activity and stronger mechanical strength,and has much lower content of chromium which is beneficial to environment.Furthermore,it was proved that the property of the piloted catalyst (100Kg scale) achieved the technical object for industry application.It will be supposed to enter the market in the future.


We present an overview of a unified description of the structure and α-emission properties of even-even nuclei. The low-energy spectrum relevant for α-emission is described within the framework of the Coherent State Model (CSM). The treatment of the α-emission process is based on an α-daughter interaction containing a monopole component, calculated through a double folding procedure with a M3Y interaction plus a repulsive core simulating the Pauli principle, and a quadrupole-quadrupole (QQ) interaction. The decaying states are identified with the lowest narrow outgoing resonances obtained through the coupled channels method. The α-branching ratio to the first excited state is reproduced by means of the QQ strength. Simultaneously, a reasonable agreement is obtained for the α-branching ratios to the second and third excited states.


Ebooks have undergone a spectacular development in the past two years, extending their success beyond the forecasts of specialists. Attest to this digital reading statistics, the growth of the publishing offer, and the increased reading devices sales. One interesting thing has been the emergence of the iPad, a device introduced in early 2010 that, although it is not specifically devoted to reading, it has been discovered as one of the preferred e-readers. The importance of the phenomenon is in the fact that major publishers and authors, and large media groups are producing applications and products for exclusive use in this device. In contrast to static and mimetic reading of traditional books, there are new products and ways of digital reading with multimedia features.


This paper discusses the importance of expansion of the quantity of schooling and enhancement of the quality of schooling, both of which can be seen as directed towards the same goal, the improvement of educational outcomes for the population. Because both quantitative and qualitative investment projects in the education sector compete for the same limited public investment funds, from a public policy point of view, there is likely to be a trade off between quantitative expansion and qualitative improvement. In order to provide information on which sound policy-making can be based, it is important to identify the educational and economic returns to investment in both quantity and quality, and to understand the interactions between them. In this way overall strategies can be formulated and assessed that will provide an appropriate balance between these two avenues for achieving national objectives for educational development. This paper discusses the link between quality and performance by exploring what research shows. A disparity exists among countries at different stages of development because when existing quality levels are low, as in most developing countries, the impact of quality improvements on student achievement at the margin are far more marked than when quality levels are already quite high. Factors affecting quality are: (1) teacher quality; (2) class size; (3) instructional materials; (4) language of instruction; and (5) curriculum reform. Characteristics of effective schools are listed, and conclusions and policy implications are discussed. Contains 42 references divided into 9 sections. *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** Commission internationale sur l'eclucation pour le vingt et unieme siecle EDC/IV/2 APRIL 1994 International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AND EFFECTIVE SCHOOLING KEN GANNICOTT PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, NSW AUSTRALIA


Objective:Pemetrexed was approved for the second-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer as a multitarget antifolate chemotherapeutic drug.The aim of this study was to evaluate the response and adverse reaction of pemetrexed alone or pemetrexed combined with cisplatin/carboplatin in the treatment of advanced chemo-reccurrent non-small cell lung cancer.Methods:Fifty-four advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients,which had been treated with at least 1 regimen obtained platinum previously,were treated with pemetrexed alone or pemetrexed combined with cisplatin/carboplatin.Twenty-one cases were enrolled in pemetrexed alone group,and thirty-three cases were enrolled in pemetrexed combined with cisplatin/carboplatin group.Single agent regimen:patients received pemetrexed 500mg/m2 on day 1,with every 21 days.Combination regimen:patients received pemetrexed 500mg/m2 and cisplatin 75mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC=5 on day 1,with every 21 days.Results:All patients were evaluated response and toxicity.Among single agent group,CR 0 case,PR 1 case(4.8%),RR(CR+PR)4.8%,and SD 10 cases as their best response,disease control rate(DCR=CR+PR+SD)52.4%,PD 10 cases(47.6%),the median progression-free survival time was 3.8 months.Among combination group,CR 0 case,PR 4 case(12.1%),RR(CR+PR)12.1%,and SD 20 cases as their best response,disease control rate(DCR=CR+PR+SD)72.7%,PD 9 cases(27.3%),the median progression-free survival time was 4.8 months.The drug-related adverse reactions were grade I/II marrow toxicity and gastrointestinal response.Conclusion:Pemetrexed or pemetrexed combined with cisplatin/carboplatin is effective in advanced,previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer,and it is well tolerated with minimal adverse reactions.


Background and Aims: Acute pancreatitis is the most common complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and has remarkable rates of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of local epinephrine administration alone in reducing the frequency and severity of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis. Materials and Methods: The data of 979 patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were evaluated retrospectively. Age, gender, indications for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedure, technique, conditions that increase the risk of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis, presence of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis and it's severity, serum amylase, leukocyte and C-reactive protein levels (before and after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) were recorded. The data were compared between two groups as 473 patients who received only local epinephrine prophylaxis and 506 patients that did not. Results: Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis rate was 6.8% in all patients and 13.6% in patients with high risk. Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis was observed less frequently in the group that received local epinephrine prophylaxis when compared to the group that did not (9.1% vs 4.4%; p = 0.004). Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography amylase, leukocyte and C-reactive protein levels were significantly lower in the epinephrine group when compared to the null group (p = 0.001, p = 0.004, p = 0.001). Less severe and moderate pancreatitis was observed in the epinephrine group (p = 0.003). Local epinephrine irrigation was observed to reduce the rate of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis in patients with high risk (18.9% vs 7.9%; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Epinephrine irrigation with direct spraying method to major papillae is an easy-to-apply, safe and promising method in prevention of post- endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis. Further studies with large populations are needed to investigate its effectiveness.


The invention relates to a self adaptive visual sensing system for an arc welding molten pool image. The system includes a filtering unit, a molten pool image collecting unit and an image processing unit. The filtering unit includes a drawtube and a protection glass sheet, a dimmer and a narrow band filtering sheet arranged in turn according to an incident light path; the molten pool image collecting unit includes a camera and a trigger circuit electrically connected with the camera; the camera is a CMOS camera and the trigger circuit includes a current sensor, a voltage follower, a voltage comparator and a voltage follower that are electrically connected in turn; the drawtube of the filtering unit is mechanically connected with the CMOS camera of the molten pool image collecting unit; the image processing unit includes an interface switch card and a computer and software; the interface switch card is arranged in a mainboard slot of the computer when used as independent interface switch card, the CMOS camera is connected with the interface switch card through an interface cable; when the interface switch card becomes an USB interface of the CMOS camera, the CMOS camera is connected with the computer through a USB cable.


─ This study explore that if personality traits can predict harmful usage of the Internet . It is a descriptive and correlational study. The population of this study were male students Teachers. The sample consisted of 112 students from various academic disciplines of the university who were selected by cluster random sampling .NEO Personality Inventory - Short Form (NEO-FFI) questionnaire and Harmful use of the Internet inventory were used. For analyzing the data descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression analysis) were used. results showed that: Between The personality trait Neuroticism and factors (spending time, negative consequences of Internet use, preoccupation and social symptoms) - harmful use of the Internet, there is an inverse significant relationship; Between the personality trait extraversion and factors (negative consequences of Internet use, preoccupation and social symptoms and impact on academic performance) - harmful use of the Internet, there is a significant direct relationship. Between the personality trait of openness to experience and factors (mood change, and social symptoms) - harmful use of the Internet, there is a significant direct relationship. Between the personality trait of agreeableness and factors (negative consequences of Internet use, preoccupation and social symptoms and impact on academic performance)-of harmful use of the Internet there is a direct significant correlation. Between the personality trait Conscientiousness and factors (spending time, negative consequences of Internet use, preoccupation and social symptoms and impact on academic performance)- of harmful use of the Internet, there is a significant direct relationship. And also : Openness to experience personality traits can predict social advantage; Personality trait of conscientiousness can predict spending too much time on the Internet; Personality traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness can predict preoccupation; Openness to experience, agreeableness personality traits can predict mood changes; Openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness personality characteristics, have predictive power to social indicators; Agreeableness and conscientiousness personality traits can predict the impact on academic performance.


Long cycle times in semiconductor manufacturing represent an increasing challenge for the industry and lead to a growing need of break-through approaches to reduce it. Small lot sizes and the conversion of batch processes to mini-batch or single-wafer processes are widely regarded as a promising means for a step-wise cycle time reduction. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive and meaningful studies. In this paper we present first results of our modeling and simulation assessment. Our simulation analysis shows that small lot size and the replacement of batch tools with mini-batch or single wafer tools are beneficial but lot size reduction lacks persuasive effectiveness if reduced by more than half.


Traditional database storage based on file mode is difficult to resolve problems such as data sharing, network communication, concurrency control and recovery mechanism of data security, meanwhile, the research on dynamic monitoring, evaluation and prediction of China cropland resources is becoming widely concerned. Referring to the system structure of SQL Server 2000, adopting the SDE administrator command method with ArcSDE data engine interface, and using component object model library of ArcGIS Engine 9.2, we realize seamless integration of the spatial data warehousing and complete client-side GIS development and applications in Microsoft VB 6.0 circumstance. As a result, spatial-temporal database based on China cropland resources and remote sensing is built with C/S operated mode which can reach the top TPC-C performance. In conclusion, the database system achieves four major functions: First, it realizes map searching, spatial analysis and result displaying by using spatial database. Second, it achieves information searching, statistical analysis and data tabulation by using attribute database. Third, it carries out database updating in time with real-time remote sensing database. Fourth, it makes productive potential estimating become true by using algorithmic models.


This assay aimed to evaluate the effects of the superficial application of different doses of wood ashes and cattle manure, on vegetative growth and production of grapevines cv. Bordo. The doses used were 0, 750, 1,500 and 2,250 g plant-1 of wood ashes and 0, 5 and 10 kg plant-1 of cattle manure, in factorial scheme 4 x 3 (doses of ash x manure doses). During two years, the following variables were evaluated: diameter of the trunk and canes, leaf area index, yield, mean weight of cluster, number of clusters and macro and micronutrients contents in leaf. There were positive effects of the treatments for all variables, without, however, changing the nutritional status in terms of contents of elements in leaves. In general, for the majority of the variables, the treatment with 5 kg plant-1 of cattle manure added to 1,500 kg plant-1 of wood ashes, allowed to achieve the best results, with increments in leaf area index (38-71%) and yield (106-167%). The two sources can be used to supply nutritional demands of grapevines in production, needing, nevertheless, a supplementation with other sources.


Introduction OASIS are associated with significant morbidity including flatus and faecal incontinence, faecal urgency, and coital dysfunction. Aims Ensure adherence to agreed standards of management Method Retrospective study of women diagnosed with OASIS at St Thomas's Hospital in 2010 Results Out of 71 cases, the standards of: repair in theatre, regional/general anaesthesia, repair by accredited personal, PDS to sphincter muscle, PR following, antibiotics, and laxative prescribing all scored over 90% compliance. Follow up with link consultant (73.2%), and pelvic floor interdisciplinary clinic (80.3%). Conclusion The audit demonstrated a sound adherence to local guidelines but exposed the need for improvements with follow up and education on antibiotic prescribing. The audit identified areas of potential research in evaluating the effects of the pelvic floor interdisciplinary clinic on long-term outcomes.


We propose a computation model based on the separation between truth and action. The state of an agent is considered to consist of two components: the task, representing actions to be performed, and the database, representing certain truths. The task specifies a composition (parallel, sequential, choice, synchronous) of elementary actions: queries and commands. Queries may only be executed when certain truths are entailed by the database. Commands always execute and as an effect may change the database. We thus have the osmosis metaphor: the task and database are separated as if by a membrane through which information flows in both directions causing the system to evolve. Truth may enable actions (queries) to be accomplished, and actions (commands) may change what is true. Commands are assumed to have a deterministic nature. We discuss the fundamental semantic properties needed for accommodating this basic model, and consider extensions to accomodate named tasks and their refinement rules, variables in tasks, and systems of named agents with separate rules and databases.


This article addresses ideas about the particulate nature of matter that are considered to be correct or acceptable in science education and studies of children's misconceptions. It argues that science teachers and educators use educational as well as scientific criteria for correctness, and that these criteria do not always coincide. Relations between the particulate nature of matter in science and science education are analyzed in an attempt to make more intelligible children's inclination to attribute all kinds of macroscopic properties to particles. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Dentures are prosthetic device made of polymethyl methacrylate acrylic (PMMA) resin generally used by elderly people to replace their real teeth. However, the porosity and surface irregularities of acrylic resin are undesirable aspects of the denture base that can support colonization of oral microorganisms on the denture surface, particularly those associated with malodor. Oral malodor is a common and upsetting situation frequently found in denture wearers due to inadequate denture cleaning. A large number of strategies had been employed to minimize the potential bacterial pathogens, including mechanical brushing and using chemical agents. Therefore, we have developed denture PMMA resin containing vanillin and evaluated antimicrobial potential against four species of bacteria related to oral malodor. Denture base resin samples were prepared with dimensions of 10 mm x 10 mm x 1 mm. according to the amount of incorporating vanillin concentrations (0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0% w/w) and coated with saliva. Then, the biofilm formation of four species of bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ATCC 33384, Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586, and Actinomyces viscosus ATCC 19246) was performed on resin samples in anaerobically condition for 48-72 h. Denture resin sample without vanillin was prepared in the same way and used as a control. The quantity of vital biofilm was assessed by WST Microbial Cell Counting Kit (Dojindo Molecular Technologies, USA). Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn's method were applied for statistical analysis. The results showed that in the groups of 0.5% and 1.0% w/w vanillin, significant decreases of biofilm mass were observed in all tested bacteria (P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and F. nucleatum) compared with controls, except for A. viscosus. Approximately 30% to 38% bacterial biofilm reduction was demonstrated at 1.0% w/w vanillin on three species of bacteria, whereas 7% to 27% biofilm decreases were observed at 0.5% vanillin. No significant biofilm reduction was observed in A. viscosus. This conforms to our previous studies which revealed the antimicrobial properties of denture PMMA resin containing vanillin on respiratory pathogens and oral yeast. Denture base resin consisting of vanillin may be considered as a promising dental appliance for the use to prevent or solve the problem of oral malodor in patients who wear dentures.


A lot of imaging data is generated in medical, and particularly in the microscopy field. Researchers spend a lot of time analyzing this data due to slow algorithms and exhaustive manual work. Recent advancements in machine learning and especially deep learning areas resulted in methods that could be used to efficiently solve challenges in the microscopy imaging field. Image segmentation is one of the most common labor-intensive tasks that could be automated with deep learning approaches. One of the biggest challenges for computer algorithms in this domain is the problem of domain shift. The domain shift is the difference between the distribution of the data used for training and the distribution of the new upcoming data. In this work, we show that deep neural networks could efficiently segment microscopy images with the domain shift present. Moreover, we show that transfer learning from other medical tasks is an effective strategy to reduce the amount of required annotated data, whereas fine-tuning ImageNet models for microscopy segmentation gain little benefit.


Associations between the nature of Chinese Language Classroom Environments and Singapore secondary school students' motivation to learn the Chinese Language were investigated. A sample of 1,460 secondary three (grade 9) students from 50 express stream (above average academic ability) classes in Singapore government secondary schools was involved in the study. The perceptual measure approach was used to investigate the nature of Chinese Language classroom learning environment. A well-validated classroom environment instrument, the Chinese Language Classroom Environment Inventory (CLCEI) (Chua, Wong, & Chen, 2006; Chua, 2004) was used to investigate teachers' and students' perceptions towards their Chinese Language classroom learning environments in six dimensions, namely 'Student Cohesiveness', 'Teacher Support', 'Involvement', 'Cooperation', 'Task Orientation' and 'Equity'. Students' motivation to learn the Chinese Language was examined using the Chinese Language Motivation Scale (CLMOTS) (Soh, 1993). Two statistical procedures, simple correlational analysis and multiple regression analysis, were used to examine the relationships between students' motivation to learn the Chinese Language and the nature of their Chinese Language classroom learning environments. The results from the simple correlational analysis indicated that students' motivation to learn Chinese Language was found positively correlated with all the six learning environment dimensions under investigation. However, the results from the multiple regression analysis indicated that students' motivation to learn Chinese Language were associated with only three dimensions of the learning environments, 'Teacher Support', 'Involvement' and 'Task Orientation', where the 'Task Orientation' dimension having the most significant association with students' motivation to learn Chinese Language. The findings are consistent with many previous studies on motivation that academically motivated students are usually those students who are task-orientated (Gardner, 2001; Stipek, 1993).


of nickel ingestion. One such case was discussed at a Consultants' Seminar at the Institute of Dermatology, London, in 1969. Case: A thirty-year-old female worked as a public relations secretary at a pharmaceutical firm. From 1967 she suffered from circular excoriations on the back, buttocks and thighs (up to 4 mm diam). Presumptive diagnoses were: dermatitis herpetiformis or acne excoriee. The following modalities of treatment had no effect: dapsone, tetracycline, griseofulvin, steroid creams, Grenz rays, UV-light, outdoor sun. Unlike most patients with acne excoriee, she insisted that she did not scratch, and that the excoriations could arise from gentle rubbing with a bath towel. Several biopsies were submitted to the panel at the Consultants' Seminar (E. Wilson-Jones and I. Whimster), whose diagnosis was: superficial allergic vasculitis. Standard patch tests showed a strong positive reaction to nickel. Nickel 0.01 % intradermally gave a positive reaction at 48 hours. She never had nickel dermatitis under suspenders, clasps or elsewhere. She was justifiably dissatisfied by the results of my treatment. I saw her last in 1970.


Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of surgical operation on tibia pilon fractures.Methods Among 39 patients with pilon fractures who were admitted from May 1999 to September 2003,29 cases were followed up (25 males,4 females,age range:17~62 yr,average age:35.6 years),8 cases with open fracture,21 cases with closed fracture,including 24 cases of fibula fracture.According to the Ruedi-Allgower classification,there were 3 cases of type Ⅰ fracture,16 cases of type Ⅱ fracture and 10 cases of type Ⅲ fracture.8 patients with open fracture were treated urgently with diaplasis and internal fixation after debridement,of which 3 cases were treated with tensile screws and gypsum,2 cases were fixed with normal plate,3 cases were stabilized by unilateral external fixation.Among 21 patients with closed fracture,11 cases were treated with tensile screws,3 cases with steeliness acus and gypsum,5 cases with anatomical plate and 2 cases with stress plate.19 patients were operated urgently,10 cases were operated within 10 to 16 days after injury.The final outcomes of treatment were evaluated based on the ankle score of Teeny and Wiss.Results 29 cases were available for follow-up (range:6 months-4 years,average time:2.9 years) after surgical operation.According to the ankle score of Teeny and Wiss,11 cases were excellent,13 cases good,3 cases fair,and 2 cases poor results (excellent rate 82.8%).Conclusion The results of surgical operation on tibia pilon fractures is satisfactory,however,the fractures are not always urgently needed to be treated surgically.


Every tool used in software development has both advantages and disadvantages.This article discusses the methods to realize hybrid programming of common development tools in current software develop- ment,and analyzes in detail some technical problems while using hybrid programming.Through hybrid pro- gramming in different programming languages,the problem of code reuse is resolved,and forming the reuse technique in the software development is realized,the predominance of all kinds of development tools in the software design is exerted,software productivity is promoted.Finally,this article gives examples of hybrid pro- gramming in the software development.


Experience of the Bjork-Shiley tilting disc valve as replacement for irreparably diseased tricuspid valves in 70 consecutive patients is reported. There were 11 isolated tricuspid valve replacements and 59 in combination with other valve replacements. Only 1/17 early deaths was attributable to the tricuspid prosthesis per se and 1/3 late deaths was probably an anticoagulant complication. The main problem was late thrombotic malfunction of the tricuspid prosthesis in four patients on eight occasions (3.2% year−1). Ebstein's anomaly and deficient anticoagulation were probable aetiological factors, although the complication remained unexplained in three instances. Relief by means of thrombolytic treatment(4) and re-replacement(4) involved neither disabling complications nor mortality. Normal function of the tricuspid prosthesis was observed in 49/53 patients over an average period of 4.9 years (range 0.2–9 years). There were no instances of tricuspid prosthetic endocarditis, paraprosthetic leakage or other serious complications. We consider the Bjork-Shiley prosthesis a suitable replacement for most cases of irreparable tricuspid valvular disease, provided that anticoagulation can be managed effectively. The only questionable indication is Ebstein's anomaly, which constitutes a high risk of thrombotic malfunction of the tricuspid prosthesis.


This study investigates whether the greater in-group favoritism typically expressed by numerical minorities could be minimized by cross-cutting role assignment to the tasks in a cooperative setting. Study 1 manipulated the numerical representation of two groups and role assignment to a team task. The results showed that cross-cut role assignment decreased the in-group bias of both minority and majority groups, compared to convergent role assignment. Study 2 further examined the benefits of cross-cut assignment while controlling interaction among in-group and out-group members. The outcomes of Study 2 replicated those of Study 1 and showed that even without prior interaction during the cross-cut task, both minorities and majorities were less biased when role assignments cross-cut category membership. Moreover, the results showed that whereas both social category salience and identification were affected by role assignment, only identification mediated the effect of role assignment on in-group bias.


Summary form only given. Photoinduced long-period fiber gratings (LPGs) have been demonstrated as bend sensors measuring curvature by detecting the bending-induced wavelength shift. We report the realisation of an optical bend sensor based on the measurement of bending-induced resonance mode splitting of the LPG. This is a new approach to fibre optic bend sensing which exhibits a significantly higher sensitivity than the wavelength-shift detection method. We have also investigated the effect of the initial mode coupling strength on the spectral response of the sensor under bending yielding practical design information.


Aims: The focus of this study was to isolate and to identify strains with antibacterial activity followed by a partial characterization of their extracts. Study Design: Screening and identification of bacteria having an anti-mycobacterial effect from soil and water of different biotopes of Fez Morocco were performed and active substances responsible for the biological activity were partially characterized. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technical, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, BP 2202, Road of Immouzer, Fez, Morocco, during the period from January 2011 to October 2011. Methodology: Samples of soil and water of different biotopes of Fez Morocco were explored to isolate compounds-producing microorganisms. The inhibitory spectrum of the isolated bacteria was evaluated against M. smegmatis, M. aurum, S. aureus, S. haemolyticus, B. subtilis, E. coli DH5 α, P. aeruginosa and Erwinia chrysanthemi by using agar well diffusion test and/or a modified spot-onlawn assay. Identification of strains was executed on the basis of Gram stain, biochemical characteristics and PCR followed by DNA sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Crude extracts obtained after precipitation by ammonium sulfate were exposed to proteolytic enzymes (Pepsin and


The documentary Blackfish raised public awareness of captive cetacean welfare and concerns over attractions exhibiting orcas. Yet despite this, a substantial number of people still visit these facilities. To understand the drivers behind visiting facilities with captive orcas, an online survey was developed using human behaviour change science targeting adult visitors to SeaWorld™ San Diego between 2015-2019. This facility was specifically chosen because there are also opportunities to visit wild orcas in this area. The survey incorporated closed questions, Likert scale statements derived from the COM-B model, and free-text boxes giving respondents the opportunity to explain their answers. The survey yielded 335 complete datasets. The findings were analysed as they related to capability, opportunity, and motivation. The majority of respondents were from the USA, and 55% of respondents had one or more children in their household. Many respondents expressed their desire to relive their childhood experiences at SeaWorld with their own children. Respondents seemed aware of the body of evidence that cetacean welfare was not optimal in captivity but felt that the orcas were looked after as well as they could be by facility staff. Reflective motivation, psychological capability, and physical and social opportunity all played a role in visitor attendance.


ABSTRACT Laricobius osakensis Montgomery & Shiyake, native to Japan, is being measured as a potential biological control agent of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, in the eastern United States. Adelges tsugae, a destructive pest threatening the hemlock ecosystems in the eastern United States, was introduced from Japan. This is the first detailed study of the life history of L. osakensis, A. tsugae, and their interaction in Japan. The seasonal abundance of L. osakensis and A. tsugae was assessed in a field study conducted from December of 2007 to November of 2008 in Hyogo, Nara, and Osaka Prefectures (Japan). The sistentes generation of A. tsugae in Japan matured 2 mo later than that reported in British Columbia, Canada, but 1 and 2 mo earlier than in Virginia and in Connecticut, respectively. Timing of the sexuparae generation occurrence in Japan was similar to that observed in Connecticut and Virginia, but this generation has not been observed in British Columbia. Phenological differences among the various A. tsugae population in the eastern U.S. states and Japan can be explained by temperature differences at the locations. Aestival diapause of the predator L. osakensis coincided with diapausing first-instar A. tsugae sistentes. The start of L. osakensis adult activity, oviposition, and larval development was synchronized closely with sistentes development resumption, sistentes adults close to oviposition, and sistentes adults with eggs, respectively. These results indicate good synchrony between L. osakensis and suitable prey stages of A. tsugae in the native habitat of both species.


Chagas disease, a chronic parasitic infection that can damage the heart, is widespread in the US and is a frequent cause of sudden cardiac death but often goes undiagnosed by physicians, the American Heart Association has warned.

More than 300 000 people in the US each year are infected by the protozoan causing Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi , the association warned in a scientific statement in the journal Circulation .1 About a third of infected people eventually develop overt heart disease because of the damage done by the parasite. A further 10% develop chronic neurological or gastrointestinal complications.

The vector is the bloodsucking triatomine insect or kissing bug, a name given because of its tendency to bite the face, especially around the mouth. …


Objective To evaluate the prognostic risk factors and establish a predicting model of survival rates of the hospitalized children with chronic renal failure(CRF). Methods Totally 71 patients with CRF were collected from January 2002 to September 2008 in Beijing Children's Hospital. All patients were followed up through phone calls,mailing or out-patient reviewing. Kalplan-Meier methods and Cox's proportional hazard regression model were used to analyze prognostic risk factors. Prognostic index (PI) was calculated. Results The average survival time was 47.3 months. The median survival time was 42.0 months. The second and fifth year survival rates of CRF children were 53% and 37% respectively. The risk factors associated with prognosis were treatment modality (symptomatic treatment P=0.000,RR=53.901,dialysis P = 0.047,RR = 4.361),hyperphosphatemia (P = 0.000,RR = 10.298),hyperkalemia(P = 0.008,RR = 5.053),water-sodium retention(P = 0.003,RR = 3.714)and hyperproteinuria(P = 0.027,RR = 2.438). Whether receiving renal graft or not was the most important impact factor on prognosis. The predicting formula was PI = -5.556 + 1.620 X1 + 2.332 X2 + 0.891 X3 + 1.312 X4 + 3.987 X5 + 1.473 X6. According to the value of PI,the prognosis of the patients was significantly different among the three subgroups (P = 0.000). Conclusion The prognostic risk factors of CRF in children are treatment modality,hyperphosphatemia,hyperkalemia,water-sodium retention and hyperproteinuria. The established predicting model of survival rates can predict the prognosis of the children with CRF.


The paper proposes a measure of renewable bio-capacity. We argue that some dimensions of ecological sustainability should not be included in the Ecological Footprint. These include human activities that should be phased out to obtain sustainability, such as emissions of persistent compounds foreign to nature and qualitative aspects that represent secondary uses of ecological areas and do not, therefore, occupy a clearly identifiable additional ecological space. We also conclude that the Ecological Footprint, by aggregating in a consistent way a variety of human impacts, it can effectively identify the scale of the human economy by comparison with the size of the biosphere. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of ESPERA 2013.


Reverse engineering is a process by which a geometric model is created from sensor data. In this paper we show how to create a geometric model that can be read into a Computer Aided Design system using as input multiple range images of an object. Our reverse engineering method combines a number of new algorithms in a novel way to create the parametric patches that make up the model. The resulting system greatly accelerates the model building process, and makes it possible to guarantee that the model has a speci ed accuracy relative to the original range data.


A clock skew-compensation and duty-cycle correction circuit (CSADC) is used as the second-level clock distributing circuit to align a system global clock while maintaining a 50% duty cycle. A power-efficient, range-unlimited, and accuracy-enhanced CSADC, designed mainly with a new delay-interleaving and -recycling technique that mitigates operating frequency limitations while keeping overhead costs low, is proposed in this paper. Our preliminary research results prove the feasibility of the proposed technique and show that the operating frequency ranges from 110 MHz to 1.75 GHz, with the corrected duty cycle varying from 51.2% to 48.9% based on 0.18-μm CMOS technology. Meanwhile, the lock-in time, static phase error, and power consumption are, respectively, 26 clock cycles, 4.2 ps, and 5.58 mW at 1.75 GHz.