Despite great diagnostic and therapeutic advances in oncology, most patients will ultimately die of their disease. Dealing with end-of-life (EOL) issues can be stressful for the oncologist and other healthcare providers, and it can be devastating for the friends and family of the dying patient. There is a wealth of data on delivering bad news to patients and families about a terminal diagnosis (Ptacek & Eberhardt, 1996; Lo et al., 1999; Ambuel, 2001; Van de Kieft, 2001; Rosenbaum, 2004; Kalber, 2009). There are several models of communication strategies on how to most effectively deliver this information, which cross many disciplines in medicine and psychology (Fallowfield et al., 1998; Baile, 1999; Baile et al., 2000; Coulehan, 2001; Razavi et al., 2003; Back, 2005a; Watling, 2007; Baer, 2008; Lienard, 2008). The impact of these conversations is indisputable. The manner in which this information is delivered lays the framework with which the patient and family approach what will eventually become their final journey (Roberts, 1994; Singer et al., 1999; Sarensen, 2004; Lienard, 2008). Much has been written about how terminal patients brings closure to their impending condition, how they come to terms with their prognosis, and how they say goodbye to family, friends, and colleagues. Both the lay press and the scientific medical literature contain abundant material that deals with this aspect of terminal illness. One of the bestselling works on this topic is "The Last Lecture" in which Randy Pausch, a computer science professor dying of pancreatic cancer, details his final journey (Pausch & Zaslow, 2008). However, very little is written in regard to how the practitioner says goodbye or the impact of that interaction on the physician's wellbeing (Meier et al., 2001; Back, 2005b). It would appear that we learn this critical skill from our mentors, not all of whom are particularly artful themselves. It is at this point where science meets art and compassion. Consider the following case: A 20-year-old woman, a single mother with a five-month old child, was admitted to the hospital with a severe cardiomyopathy. Her condition worsened in spite of aggressive inotropic agents and placement of a left ventricular assist device. A heart transplant was recommended; however, the patient had no insurance and also refused to sign an informed consent, because of religious convictions. Discussions regarding home care and, ultimately, hospice followed. After weeks of care in a tertiary setting, with long demanding hours caring for the patient and extensive discussions with the patient and family, her care was suddenly and quickly downsized to the minimal of palliative comfort care, and she was discharged. The primary attending physician on the case completed the discharge summary and hospice referral plans but did not say goodbye to the patient. She died at home a couple weeks later. Although not a cancer patient, this young woman nonetheless demonstrated much of the angst of someone with a terminal illness. At times frustrating, at other times emotionally devastating, the roller coaster of feelings that must have been experienced by the doctors and other caregivers over the several weeks that this young woman was aggressively treated with lifesaving intentions certainly took a toll on everyone. In the end, when comfort care was the plan and EOL was imminent, the patient was unceremoniously discharged and the staff found it difficult to simply say goodbye. When discussing EOL care, the practitioner may rarely use the words "there is nothing more that we Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Frank E. Mott, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Thoracic Medical Oncology, Ochsner Cancer Institute, Gayle & Tom Benson Cancer Center, 1514 Jefferson Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70121. E-mail: fmott@ ochsner.org Palliative and Supportive Care (2013), 11, 277–279. # Cambridge University Press, 2012 1478-9515/12 $20.00 doi:10.1017/S1478951512000223


The wide interest in amino alcohol functionality, as found in chiral auxiliaries and ligands, and in various bioactive compounds, has resulted in numerous synthetic strategies for this important class of compounds. 1 Our recent contributions in this field include the preparation, from tartrate diester, of O(1)-benzyl-N(2)-Boc-O(3)-benzoyl-O(4)-TBDMS-protected 2-amino-1,3,4-butanetriol ( 2), an orthogonally protected syn-2-amino-1,3,4-butanetriol, which we have proposed as a general building block for syn-amino alcohol compounds. 2


Critics have called Else Lasker-Schuler the greatest of all German women poets and one of the finest Jewish poets. This large and representative selection of translations by Robert P. Newton, supplemented by a biographical and critical introduction and a selected bibliography, was the first substantial presentation of her works in English at its original publication in 1982.


The purpose of this study is to use Webblog and Videoscribe as learning media on the accounting equation basic competencies to improve student learning outcomes in class X Accounting at SMK Muhammadiyah Delanggu. This research is descriptive research. In this study also used experimental research as a research design. The research instrument uses a learning media validation sheet from media experts as well as student learning outcomes sheets. Before the webblog and videocribe learning media are used on students, validation is done first by the media experts, the results of the validation from the media experts obtained a value of 74 which is located in a very good range, so that the webblog and videocribe learning media can be used for research. Measurement of learning outcomes was carried out on 16 students of class X Accounting at Muhammadiyah Delanggu Vocational School which were used as the control class and experimental class. Student learning outcomes obtained from the control class and the experimental class will then be tested with a parametric statistical test that is the Independent Sample T Test. Independent Sample T Test Results obtained sig (2-tailed) value of 0,000 <0.05 which means there are significant differences in average learning outcomes before and after using webblog and videoscribe media. an increase in the average student learning outcomes by 20.94% of the average learning outcomes before using media 73.13 and the average learning outcomes after using media by 88.44.


(1) Institute for Geoand Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, (2) Faculty of Arts, Department of Archaeology, Ancient History of Mediterranean Studies and Near Eastern Studies, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands., (3) Cluster Earth and Climate, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands., (4) TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Princetonlaan 6, 3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands., (5) Department of World Heritage, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands.6, (6) Department of Human Origins, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Reuvensplaats 3, 2311 BE Leiden, The Netherlands.


Abstract Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) initiatives are gaining momentum in Canada and around the globe with many communities making commitments to becoming age-friendly. Aging lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2+) Canadians are a diverse subpopulation whose social histories and contexts may not have been considered in such initiatives. In response, many community-level organizations have created programs and supports for older LGBTQ2+ persons. Through a survey and environmental scan, we sought to identify and profile such initiatives. In addition, in-depth interviews were held with representatives from community groups to ascertain how community leaders construct and define communities that are both age and LGBTQ2+-inclusive. Participants were also asked to reflect on how their sense of community and support was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings indicated that many supports for LGBTQ2+ older adults emerged outside of formal AFC initiatives and in response to a perceived normativity among services for older adults.


The microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu46.5Zr48.5Al5 and Cu50Zr50 rods are investigated. Cu50Zr50 is composed of nanostructured martensitic phases, while the Cu46.5Zr48.5Al5 alloy comprises micrometer‐sized dendrites (mainly austenitic phase) in an amorphous matrix. Both samples show considerable plasticity under compression and a work‐hardening ability. Martensitic phase transformations during deformation play a significant role with regard to the mechanical properties. Nanoindentation tests on the different phases comprising the alloys indicate that the amorphous matrix in Cu46.5Zr48.5Al5 is harder than the crystalline phases and has a less‐pronounced indentation‐size effect.


This research was focused on ethnocentrism in religion encountered by Rizvan in My Name is Khan film. This reseach had two purposes, there were: (1) to figure out the religion of ethnocentrism faced by Rizvan in My Name is Khan film; and (2) to figure out the impacts of ethnocentrism in religion faced by Rizvan in My Name is Khan film.
The method used in this research was qualitative research design, because this research deals with social phenomena, in this case ethnocentrism in religion based on Karan Johar's in My Name is Khan film. The data were collected from the conversation on the script and the captured film scenes that described ethnocentrism in religion. Meanwhile for the instrument, the researcher used note papers to write the dialogs, a laptop tp watch the movie, and a mobile phone to captured the scenes as the tools to collect the data. In addition, in analysis the data, the researcher used 2 steps: firstly, screen shooting the particular scenes, and secondly, selected the data and organized of each data.
The findings showed that the ethnocentrism in religion on My Name is Khan film was inflexible ethnocentrism. It portrays when the owner of motel said that he wanted to put a board and write 'no Muslims guests' in front of his motel. And for the impact of the ethnocentrism in religion faced by the main character Rizvan Khan was intergroup relation. It portrays in the film when the United States people thought that Muslim is a religion which taught violence and war after the tragedy 9/11 which happened on September 11, 2001.


This study features Seoul gate ball participants of the aged. elderly social support, leisure attitude, leisure function, leisure satisfaction influences each other and investigate them in detail. I conducted investigation to 352 of the age leisure sports participants in Seoul who were over 65 years old and used data collected by the SPSS 15.0 for descriptive analysis, factor analysis, multiple regression analysis. Through this analysis, following results were obtained. The relationships between leisure recognition, leisure competence and leisure continuation of leisure sports participants were causal relationships. First, leisure recognition influenced leisure competence of leisure sports participants of the age. Second, leisure recognition and leisure competence influenced leisure continuation of leisure sports participants of the age. Thire, leisure competence influenced leisure continuation of leisure sports participants of the age.


The most famous forging of paintings in recent times was the work of the Dutch artist Han van Meegeren, shaking the art world to its foundations by fooling the top experts. He fooled the Nazi leader Hermann Goering, an avid collector of stolen art, so becoming something of a hero. His forgeries, ranging from Dutch masters to Picasso, were hung as masterpieces in the most prestigious galleries and visited by thousands of fans. His triumphs were wonderful new Vermeers. He fooled almost all the experts, and received large state payments. He was finally caught out on technical details, such as occasionally using pigments not available in the seventeenth century; though he did set up an improvised laboratory and took immense care, mixing his own paints in the traditional ways. The van Meegeren story is wonderfully told by Frank Wynne (2006) in I was Vermeer. Here we learn a great deal about perception of art, and curious social phenomena emerge. An initial question is: `̀ What is a genuine painting?'' Frank Wynne points out, that the criteria for what is genuine have changed greatly over the last few hundred years. What is the sole work of the named artist and what is that of students, and members of his `school' was blurred; yet the same painting may change its value a hundred or more times by attribution to master or student. `School of ' was, and perhaps still is, an uncertain epithet. Since the monetary value depends so much on attribution, market value must be imperfectly related to visual experience; and, of course, value and appreciation fluctuate wildly with fashion. Ownership of a work of art can confer instant social prestige, from its price and its evidence of knowledge and taste. Ownership represents joining an exclusive club. Van Meegeren's now acknowledged forgeries do have considerable value, stemming from their fame, though nowhere near the prices commanded when they were seen as genuine. Talented, though unrecognised in his own right, van Meegeren became a cynic of the art world and delighted in challenging it with his remarkable skill. Though his paintings lost their beauty when seen as forgeries, some appearing as mere daubs, they astonished the art world while seen as genuine. A prominent authority wrote (Wynne 2006, page 152):


A mechanism for void formation is suggested, involving an analysis of the resin flow at macro and micro levels. Both these types of flow arise from the characteristic structure of woven fabrics. In order to investigate the mechanism of void formation in woven fabrics, a new dimensionless number was defined as the ratio of the superficial velocity to the initial spreading rate. The prediction of void formation using this dimensionless number had a good correlation with the results from the cross sectional observation and void content measurement. It was confirmed that the mechanism introduced in this study is very desirable and that the morphological structure of the woven fabric plays a key role in void formation.


The present paper investigates the determination of the bargaining agenda in a unionised monopoly with managerial delegation, without and with network effects in consumption. First, we show that, in contrast with the received literature, monopolist hires a manager even in the absence of risk-sharing and asymmetric information considerations. Without network effects, in contrast to standard oligopoly results, managerial delegation benefits the monopolist, while harms consumers, workers and society. Moreover, in contrast to the conventional wisdom, monopoly profits with managerial delegation are higher with sequential Efficient Bargaining (EB) than Right-to-Manage (RTM), while union's welfare can be higher with RTM than EB: then a conflict of interests between the parties may exist but, paradoxically, for reverted choices of the bargaining agenda. Consumption externalities change the picture: managerial delegation benefits consumers, workers and society, provided that the network effect is sufficiently strong and union's power relatively low. The monopolist still prefers sequential EB; however, the union's welfare becomes larger under EB even for relatively low value of their power, provided that the network effect is sufficiently strong. Thus, the monopolist and the union endogenously choose the EB agenda which is also Pareto-superior.


This research examines a relationship between loneliness with celebrity worship among adolescents using BTS fan accounts on social media twitter. BTS is one of the Boy groups that occupy the first position from 2018 to 2021 which is widely discussed by fans on Twitter social media. Through social media, fans often perform celebrity worship behavior towards their idols. Celebrity worship is described as obsessive behavior involving a one-way relationship between a fan and one or more idols. Many factors influence fans to shape celebrity worship behavior, in this research is loneliness. This study involved 200 respondents, consisting of 193 females and 7 males who had moderate and high levels of loneliness and celebrity worship. The measuring instruments used are the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) which was adapted by Malahayati (2018) and the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) which was adapted by Lauwhanda (2020). Analysis uses pearson correlation technique, and obstains r (200) = 0.625, p = 0.000 < 0.05. The result shows that there is positive and significant correlation between loneliness and celebrity worship.


Citation: Avila LN, Gonçalves VSP and Perez AM (2021) Corrigendum: Risk of Introduction of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) Into TB-Free Herds in Southern Bahia, Brazil, Associated With Movement of Live Cattle. Front. Vet. Sci. 8:789706. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.789706 Corrigendum: Risk of Introduction of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) Into TB-Free Herds in Southern Bahia, Brazil, Associated With Movement of Live Cattle


The aim of this paper is to present a fault simulation technique that could help engineers to study the consequences of faults in the output filter of a switch mode power supply. To do so, in this paper, it is presented two techniques: a new experimental off-line technique based in the DFT algorithmic, which can determine the equivalent circuit of capacitors at the operating frequency of the converter, and a simulation technique based in Laplace transform, which could predict the behavior of the converter. Simulation and experimental results will be presented in order to prove the applicability of both techniques.


In this paper, the Group Mean Square Synchronization (GMSS) of a new class of adaptive Complex Dynamical Network (CDN) with Limited Stochastic Perturbation (LSP) and interval Time-Varying Delays (TVD) is investigated. The zero-mean real scalar Brownian Motion (BM) with LSP is also discussed. In this CDN, the weight configuration matrices are considered in two cases : TVD and Non-Time-Varying Delay (NTVD). The outer-coupling matrices are also assumed to be two cases : symmetric and dissymmetric. Based on the control theory and stochastic analysis such as : adaptive control method, Itô formula, Lyapunov Stability Theory (LST) and Kronecker product rules, the controllers nd adaptive schemes are constructed which let all nodes reach the GMSS asymptotically in the CDN. Finally, some examples of several complex chaotic systems are presented to demonstrate the proposed theoretical analysis.


The presence of methane (CH4) in the atmosphere of Mars is controversial yet the evidence has aroused scientific interest, as CH4 could be a harbinger of extant or extinct microbial life. There are various oxidized compounds present on the surface of Mars that could serve as electron acceptors for the anaerobic oxidation of CH4, including perchlorate which was recently found at elevated concentrations in high latitude Martian soils. We examined the role of perchlorate (ClO4 ) chlorate (ClO3 ) and chlorite (ClO2 ) as oxidants linked to methane oxidation. The pathway for dissimilatory perchlorate reduction begins with reduction of perchlorate to chlorite (ClO2 ) and ends with dismutation of chlorite to yield chloride (Cl ) and molecular oxygen (O2). Perchlorate reduction could conceivably be linked to a conventional aerobic pathway of methane oxidation by release of O2, a process we term Cryptic Aerobic Methane Oxidation ("CAMO") to distinguish it from anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) carried out by a reverse process of methanogenesis and ANME archaea. Hence, this process would be analogous to that of nitritelinked methane oxidation via NO dismutation achieved by Methylomirabilis oxyfera (Ettwig et al., 2010). The following studies explore the potential for aerobic CH4 oxidizing bacteria to couple with oxygen derived from chlorite dismutation during dissimilatory perchlorate reduction. In one instance, 0.2 kPa CH4 was completely removed within several days from the headspace of cell suspensions of Dechloromonas agitata strain CKB and Methylobacter albus strain BG8 in the presence of 5 mM ClO2 . We also observed complete removal of 0.2 kPa CH4 in bottles containing natural soil (enriched in methanotrophs by CH4 additions over several weeks) and strain CKB and in the presence of 10 mM ClO2 . This soil (seasonally exposed sediment) collected from a freshwater lake shoreline, demonstrated endogenous CH4 uptake as well as perchlorate, chlorate and chlorite reduction/dismutation. These experiments required physical separation of soil from the aqueous bacterial culture and also minimization of the amount of soil used in order to reduce competition between methanotrophs and other soil microorganisms or reduced chemical species [e.g., sulfide, Fe(II)] for O2. Although a link between ClO2 and CH4 consumption was established in soils and cultures, no upstream connection with either ClO4 or ClO3 was discerned. This result leads us to surmise that the release of O2 during enzymatic perchlorate reduction was low, and that the oxygen produced was unavailable to the aerobic methanotrophs. This was borne out by patterns of O2 and CO2 production during experiments with lake soil and pure cultures of dissimilatory perchlorate reducing bacteria. In summary, these results provide proof of concept that martian microbial oxidation of methane can be linked to disproportionation of chlorite encountered with regolith perchlorate.


Wiresaw has become a standard slicing tool especially for large ingots in the wafer preparation industry since late 1990s. To meet the requirements of the surface finish and topology, it is critical to control the process parameters to render good surface finish and to minimize kerf loss. The vibration of moving wire in the wiresaw manufacturing operation affects the wafer surface finish and kerf loss; therefore, the study and analysis of vibration of moving wire become very important and relevant to this manufacturing process. Built on the previous research, the free vibration response of axially moving wire with damping is a combination of infinite sets of response solutions, with trigonometric functions due to end constraints. The apparent damping due to the increase of speed on the first several components of responses will be presented and discussed in this paper. The results also show that the increase in speed will excite components of response except the dominating one. Since the free vibration response is a combination of infinite sets of solutions, it is not possible for the system to be completely critically-damped or over-damped because of the existence of under-damped modes at higher order. Therefore, a damped index is introduced to help in understanding the behavior of such system. When the physical damping is increased (for example, by using a more viscous carrier fluid in slurry), all components are more damped accordingly. However, in addition to the physical damping, the apparent damping caused by the increase of wire speed will also damp out the response. These two parameters, physical damping and apparent damping, control the behavior of an axially moving wire. This is a new finding in vibration analysis of moving wire that, to our best knowledge, has not been reported in the previous literature.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


In this paper, we present a new and general method for measuring the astrophysical S factor of nuclear reactions in laser-induced plasmas and we apply it to 2H(d,n)3He. The experiment was performed with the Texas Petawatt Laser, which delivered 150–270 fs pulses of energy ranging from 90 to 180 J to D2 or CD4 molecular clusters (where D denotes 2H). After removing the background noise, we used the measured time-of-flight data of energetic deuterium ions to obtain their energy distribution. We derive the S factor using the measured energy distribution of the ions, the measured volume of the fusion plasma, and the measured fusion yields. This method is model independent in the sense that no assumption on the state of the system is required, but it requires an accurate measurement of the ion energy distribution, especially at high energies, and of the relevant fusion yields. In the 2H(d,n)3He and 3He(d,p)4He cases discussed here, it is very important to apply the background subtraction for the energetic ions and to measure the fusion yields with high precision. While the available data on both ion distribution and fusion yields allow us to determine with good precision the S factor in the d+d casemore » (lower Gamow energies), for the d+3He case the data are not precise enough to obtain the S factor using this method. Our results agree with other experiments within the experimental error, even though smaller values of the S factor were obtained. This might be due to the plasma environment differing from the beam target conditions in a conventional accelerator experiment.« less


Abstract This article uses Anna Eliza Grenville, first duchess of Buckingham and Chandos, as a lens through which to explore the gendering of aristocratic property- and slave-ownership in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Britain. Alongside the extensive metropolitan property that Grenville brought to her marriage was Hope estate, a Jamaican plantation upon which worked 379 enslaved men, women, and children. Using legal records, family papers, and correspondence, the article examines the ways in which Grenville negotiated her position as a married woman and substantial property-owner, and considers what it meant for a married woman to 'own' property, landed and in the form of other human beings, in the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century aristocratic world. Examining her absentee slave-ownership alongside her metropolitan property-ownership highlights the complex intersections between race, class, and gender across both metropole and colony. In doing so, the article makes an important contribution to the rapidly expanding scholarship exploring female property-ownership in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain, hitherto almost entirely metropolitan in focus. It demonstrates how seamlessly enslaved property could be integrated into aristocratic forms of property-ownership and transmission, and highlights the important role that women played in bringing slave-ownership 'home' to metropolitan Britain.


Marlina. K7113137. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THINK TALK WRITE (TTW) STRATEGY AND FLASHCARD LEARNING MEDIA TO IMPROVE THE WRITING DESCRIPTIVE SKILL (The Classroom Action in the Fourth Grade Students of SD Negeri Dari 2 of the academic year 2016/2017). Thesis, Surakarta: Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Sebelas Maret University, July 2017. The purpose of this research is to improve the writing descriptive skill by applying the Think Talk Write (TTW) strategy and Flashcard learning media at fourth grade students of Dari 2 State Primary School in the academic year of 2016/2017. The type of this research is the Classroom Action Research (CAR). The research is conducted in two cycles. Each cycle consist of 2 meetings with 4 steps are planning, implementation, observation and reflection. Subject of research are teacher and fourth grade students of Dari 2 state Primary School in the academic year of 2016/2017, consist of 23 students. The technique data collecting using are test, interview, observation and documentation. The data validity of this research are tested by content validity and triangulation. The data analysis used were interactive analysis. The result of research at preaction stage, average value of writing descriptive skill reached 58,82 with 21,74% of classical completeness. On the first cycle, the average value achieved 71,91 with 65,22% of classical completeness. On the second cycle, the average value increased up to 77,60 with 86,96% of classical completeness. The conclusion of the research is applying the Think Talk Write (TTW) strategy and Flashcard learning media can improve the writing skill at fourth grade students of Dari 2 State Primary School in the academic year of 2016/2017. Keywords: Think Talk Write, Flaschcard learning media, Writing descriptive skill


Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) framing is divided into two parts: uplink and downlink channels with proportion called as downlink ratio. In addition, frame size can be adjusted to traffic rates. Further, the WiMAX scheduler is application-dependent. Such characteristics make WiMAX suitable for various applications. This paper highlighted a preliminary study of using WiMAX for downlink video application such as video on demand (VoD) or multichannel broadcasting. The NS-2 evaluation of the adjusted WiMAX framing showed energy consumption reduction in subscriber stations (SSs) when idle uplink channel is minimized. The uplink portion reduction leads to downlink packet loss decrement.


Fresh water fish , Channa punctatus were exposed to three sub-lethal concentrations of zinc (10 mg/l, 15 mg/l and 25 mg/l) for 15 days. The effects of this exposure have been studied on bioaccumulation of zinc and histology of the kidney at intervals of 8, 10 and 15 days. Statistically significant increase in zinc concentration was noted in fish of all treated groups. Simultaneously, severe histological changes were noted in the kidney of all exposed groups. Both, bioaccumulation and histopathological changes were dose and duration dependent. Post exposure recovery in fish was noted after transferring these fish to normal tap water for another fortnight. Slow elimination of zinc was observed though the concentration of zinc remained significantly higher than controls till the end of the experiment. Histopathological changes observed in the kidney also persisted. However, by the termination of the experiment kidney of group II showed signs of mild recovery.


To prepare biological-organic fertilize(JBF),dominant microorganism were extracted from rhizosphere soil of Zizyphus jujube Mill.Dongzao trees by keeping green method and weight increase method and then compounded with decomposed chicken manure(OF).Effect of JBF,normal biological fertilizer(NBF) and OF on biological characteristics of six-year-old Zizyphus jujube Mill.Dongzao trees were studied in Binzhou Chinese jujube orchards.As well as the effect on yield and quality of Zizyphus jujube Mill.fruit were studied too.Result showed that application of JBF had no effect on the content of phosphorus.However JBF effectively enhanced the potassium content in leaf and branch.In different grow period,nitrogen content was different both in leaf and branch.Compared with NBF,JBF increased nitrogen content in leaf and branch by 16.88% and 16.2% in vegetative growth stage,respectively.In picking period,JBF had no effect on the nitrogen content in leaf.However,the nitrogen content of branch was increased by 8.76%,20.41% and 19.09% in JBF than in NBF,OF and CK.Root activity of JBF was still higher than OF and CK both in growth period and in picking period.Application of JBF increased the photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content of leaves in picking period.However,there was no difference in growth period among different treatments.Besides,JBF remarkably increased the activity of peroxidase(POD) and catalase(CAT) by 18% and 26.8% respectively,but greatly decrease the malondialdehyde(MDA) accumulation in leaves by 20.6%.Compared with OF and CK,JBF had no effect on the yield of Zizyphus jujube Mill.fruit,but improved its quality to some extent.That was to say,JBF raised the content of vitamin C,soluble sugar and soluble solids.Although there was no difference of titratable acidity in different treatments,JBF increased the ratio of soluble sugar and titratable acidity effectively.In short,application of JBF not only increased the root activity and adsorption of nitrogen and potassium,but also improved the storage nitrogen and resistance of Zizyphus jujube Mil.tree caused by band girdle.Though there was no effect on yield,JBF improved the quality to some extent of Zizyphus jujube Mill.Fruit.


This paper considers the impact of variables at three different levels-city, community and individual-on the depression of adults aged 45 years and above in China. Evidence shows that community factors, such as infrastructure and elderly centres, are critical to reduce depression but the effect of city-level factors such as lowering income inequality and improving public health investment is different for the segments of poor and non-poor as well as the rural and urban residents. This highlights the need to consider targeted policy mix options to avoid resource misallocation. Lastly, Chinese females' depression has worsened over time with ageing, particularly those who drink alcohol or are less educated are prone to depression prompting the need for specialist women health centres.


Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for intuitively surfacing a teaching animation that demonstrates a manual gesture recognized by a writing-pad tool are provided. Initially, the writing-pad tool is interrogated to determine a context of a computing environment associated with a touchscreen interface. Generally, determining includes recognizing a current condition of the writing-pad tool based on whether text is provided within a content-entry area generated thereby, ascertaining whether a focus of a cursor tool resides within the content-entry area based on whether a portion of the text is selected, and ascertaining which actions are available for invocation at the writing-pad tool based on the current condition and the focus of the cursor. The context of the computing environment is utilized to identify which teaching animations to promote to an active state. Typically the promoted teaching animations are associated with the actions ascertained as available for invocation.


Abstract The study presented in this paper aims to investigate the prospects of using bender elements in the offshore industry for determining shear wave velocity of fragmented, fragile and brittle clay samples and cuttings. The result from the study shows that the laboratory-measured S-wave velocities of intact samples of Søvind Marl, a sedimentary stiff Palaeogene clay, in general, are lower than those determined from in-situ seismic cone penetration testing. The reason may be unavoidable volume-constant distortion and changes to effective stress conditions experienced by the natural clay upon sampling and subsequent sample preparation. Correlation between the size of the samples and velocity is not noticed. In contrast, the S-wave velocities for natural samples that were remoulded and then reconstructed are observed to be comparable with the in-situ seismic measurements, however, the results are found to be dependent on sample density. The influence of cross-talk, near-field, and boundary effects on the results is assessed.


Background & Objectives: This study aimed to compare PD patients with and without COVID-19 and to evaluate the associated factors about prognosis.
Methods: The data of 37 hospitalized PD patients associated with COVID-19 pneumonia were evaluated. It was compared with the data of 40 PD patients who did not have COVID-19 in the same period. Clinical findings, prognosis, mortality and other related factors were compared in PD patients with and without COVID-19.
Results: Hypertension was higher comorbid disease in PD patients with COVID-19 (p = 0.005). The duration of PD was longer in patients without COVID-19 disease (6.02 ± 2.80 vs 5.08 ± 4.59) (p = 0.028). In PD patients with COVID-19, the most common symptoms were myalgia-arthralgia (73.0%) and fatigue (48.6%). Intensive care was required in 17 (45.9%) patients, and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) was required in 9 (24.3%) patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 29.7% (n = 11). Mortality and IMV requirement were higher in patients whose initial symptom was diarrhea (p = 0.004, p = 0.008, respectively). No correlation was detected between PD stage, treatment options and prognosis (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Mortality rate and IMV requirement are higher in PD patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, particularly in patients with initial symptoms of diarrhea. These patients should be followed more carefully in terms of probable poor prognosis.


Abstract We have started a long term project to analyse the role played by bars in bulge formation and the formation and evolution of bars from the point of view of their star formation histories and stellar populations. To this aim, we have obtained high S/N long slit spectra of 22 barred galaxies, ranging in morphological types between S0 to Sb galaxies. We have obtained Lick/IDS indices along the bar for all the sample galaxies. We used Vazdekis et al. (2007) models to derive simple stellar population ages and metallicities. Extreme care has been taken to correct the indices for any nebular contribution. Preliminary results show that the bulges of barred galaxies are similar to those of unbarred galaxies. The metalicity gradients along bars show a dependency with the central stellar velocity dispersion. The galaxies with higher central dispersion appear to have a gradient in both age and metallicity changing radially outward to a younger and more metal rich population. The galaxies with lower central velocity dispersion show a change in age and metallicity with respect to the inner part of the bar with the populations at the end of the bar being younger or same age and more metal poor. There is no correlation between the gradient and the morphological or nuclear type. There is no correlation either with the total K-band luminosity. The fact that we observe galaxies with the outer parts of the bar more metal rich than the inner parts shows that at least some bars are old, since it requires long time for the observed enrichment to take place. The gradients in these bars are opposite to what is generally found in disks. The correlation between the central velocity dispersion and the bar gradient relates both, the dynamical and stellar population aging of the bar.


Some distinctive features of the Soviet and Russian historiography on the State of Israel are considered. The factors that influenced the main trends of research are analyzed. The author investigates principal areas of focus in the scientific work on this topic in USSR and Russia.


This report discusses inflationary cosmology; dark-matter detection; axions, astrophysics, and cosmology; topological defects; and astrophysical/cosmological constraints to particle properties. (LSP)


This guide is intended for students who are doing research in art and digital media, either for classroom assignments, research papers, or exploring a career in art and digital media. Learn key background info on your topic with encylopedias before looking at other sources.


In this paper, a prototyping system for dial-up remote access image database is proposed. As a videotex system, the system includes Information Customer, Information Provider, Communication Server, Public Switch Telephone Networks, and a database server containing an image database. Because the color natural image is included in the database, the high resolution visual medium are given and many possible applications can be provided. Currently, a color image with a resolution of 400 by 400 can be accessed in about 25 seconds by using JPEG compression and high-speed modem. The system can be employed on many applications, such as home-shopping, remote education, etc. Also, it can be a pioneer system to provide teleservice in Integrated Serve Digital Network.


This study focuses on two factors that may influence the premarital sexual behavior of adolescents in Yogyakarta. The two factors are parental involvement and level of religiosity. Teenage premarital sexual behavior is one of the concerns, especially in Yogyakarta. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the variables of adolescent premarital sexual behavior in terms of parental involvement and level of religiosity. The research method used is quantitative correlation with multiple regression techniques. Based on multiple linear regression testing in this study, the sig value was 0.082 or > 0.05. It is known that the significance value for the influence of parental involvement (X1) and the level of religiosity (X2) simultaneously on Y is 0.082 > 0.05 and F Count 2.559 > F Table 3.07, so it can be concluded that the hypothesis is rejected which means there is no significant effect. Simultaneous relationship between parental involvement and level of religiosity with adolescent premarital sexual behavior.


Hypogalactia is one of the problems for breastfeeding mothers that accounts for 63%. Nowadays, efforts have been done to prevent hypogalactia pharmacologically. However, this approach often comes with side effects for the mothers. This research proposes the implementation of non-pharmacological electrical acupoint method via activation of neurological, bio-mechanical, and psychological systems. It is aimed at proving the method's efficacy in improving breast milk volume and prolactin level. The model of electrical acupoint is carried out at 0. 5 watt frequency of scale 3 for 10 minutes at acupoints SI 1 , ST 36 and SP 6 . Paired t-test statistical test was then conducted to differentiate the effects of electrical acupoint treatment on breastfeeding mothers. Results show significant differences (p electrical acupoint. This significant difference is proven from the unpaired t-test which indicated different results of pre-and post-treatment. This means that electrical acupoint improves breast milk volume by an average of 70. 915 mL and prolactin level by around 313. 47 ng/Ml. It can then be inferred that the use of electrical acupoint readily handles the problem of hypogalactia .


In order to effectively prevent the overload,unbalanced load and the unbalanced weight of the freight train at the loading station,aportable and fast installation device is developed for detecting the overload and unbalanced load of railway freight car.The hardware of the detection device comprises of the load-bearing structure,high-precision sensors,the host computer,high-speed data display and storage systems.The software of the device consists of such modules as parameter setting,self-checking,data acquisition,processing,display,query and transmission,etc.When the wheels run on the rail that is equipped with the load-bearing structure,the gravity bearing by the measurement block is converted into a group of detection signals.The detection signals are converted into the digital signals through the analogue signal processor and the A/D converter and then transmitted to the data processor unit of the host computer.Finally,the detection result can be obtained through data operation.The detection results,such as the total weight,overload,unbalanced load,and unbalanced weight of the vehicle can either be display on the LCD or stored in the disc memory.The detection device is currently installed and used in Qingbaijiang Station,and is in good operation condition.


University of North Alabama students Jessie Williams, Katilin Curl, and Chelsea Daniel with Southeastern Vice President Paul Yokley. Jessie, Katilin and Chelsea worked long hours each day to make this conference a success. Tuesday May 18. Southeast 1 District Director Steve Coggin, Northcentral District 3 Director Deb Martin, and Northeastern Vice President Fred Brenner at the Executive Board meeting.


A thiocyanate-degrading bacterium, Thiohalobacter sp. strain COW1, was isolated from activated sludge treating coke oven wastewater, and the complete genome sequence was determined. COW1 contained a single circular chromosome (3.23 Mb; G+C content, 63.4%) in which 2,788 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 3 rRNA genes were identified. ABSTRACT A thiocyanate-degrading bacterium, Thiohalobacter sp. strain COW1, was isolated from activated sludge treating coke oven wastewater, and the complete genome sequence was determined. COW1 contained a single circular chromosome (3.23 Mb; G+C content, 63.4%) in which 2,788 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 3 rRNA genes were identified.


Since most adults generally evaluate children's creative expression by adult standards, view it as meaningless, and frequently present children with hackneyed forms of visual "art"--such as stencil patterns, or color books in which the children are encouraged to copy adult drawings--the purpose of this study is to develop legitimate standards which the adult observer may use in judging children's paintings and to explain these standards through analyses of children's paintings selected from Grades I through III.


The relation and difference are described of the consonants, vowels and tones of the Heye dialect of Shuangfeng County and Beijing speech, trying to disclose the sound character of the Heye dialect of Shuangfeng County.


FEW IOWA POLITICANS have been involved in more controversies during their public careers than William Lloyd Harding, who has the unhappy distinction of being the state's only governor to have impeachment proceedings initiated against him. Rising rapidly in Republican party ranks following his election to the Iowa House of Representatives fromWoodbury County in 1906, Harding served two terms as Lieutenant Governor before winning the bitterly divisive 1916 Republican gubernatorial primary. He then went on to defeat Democrat Edwin T. Meredith in one of the most acrid campaigns in Iowa history. Hence, by the time he entered the governor's office in 1917. Harding had aroused the anger of several significant forces in Iowa politics. His alleged "moistness" on the issue of prohibition had infuriated many drys while his stand with farmers opposed to paved roads had earned him the antipathy of the good roads people. In addition, he had become embroiled in a personal feud with Gardner Cowles, publisher of the Des Moines Register, and thus could expect continued criticism from one of the state's leading newspapers.


Historically, many educators persist that competent teaching cannot be defined. Such a philosophy has hindered attempts to account for the products of teacher education and frustrated the establishment of systematic procedures to evaluate teacher performance in the classroom. Currently, however, states such as Florida and New York are moving toward the adoption of performance-based certification programs to help evaluate preservice teacher behavior. Educators subscribing to such programs are faced with the problem of defining, in measurable terms, those behaviors that a competent, certified teacher should exhibit. Problems of organizing and using the clusters of performance behaviors in study programs are also present. Such efforts would be aided by the organization and implementation of an effective evaluative agency. I suggest that performance-based certification programs would be greatly facilitated by the establishment of teacher assessment centers (TAC). These centers would offer the following services: 1. Specific behavioral experiences related to certification for the preservice teacher 2. Opportunities for the experienced teacher to identify areas of strengths as well as any behaviors which need modification 3. Record preparation indicating individual performance 4. Assessment service for either employers or employees These services have two general thrusts: one in the direction of certification that is mandated by the adoption of performance criteria; the other in the direction of teacher renewal, commonly called continuing education.


The newly-established compensation system for divorce damage of the revised "Marriage Law" has filled the gaps in marriage legislation of China.How to perfect this system is concerned by the theory circle of law science.This paper makes legislation suggestions about the range of compensation for divorce damage,the responsibility subject of compensation for divorce damage and other questions.


This manuscript presents an important analysis of soil organic carbon stocks (SOCs) and CO2 emissions changes in response to tillage treatments. The authors identify majors driver of these changes using very rich dataset from 46 peer-reviewed papers and discuss their findings in a careful and comprehensive manner. This work is clearly an important contribution to the literature surveying the state of the art in terms of tillage impacts and highlighting important aspects that could improve models. Overall, the paper is clearly structured and is in the scope of Biogeosciences, thus is suitable for publication.


In this paper, coverage, capacity, and delay of LTE-based wireless private network are investigated. Coverage and signal fading of LTE-230 system and LTE-1800 system are analyzed theoretically. The system capacity and transmission delay of LTE-230 and LTE-1800 system is compared from the perspective of protocol process. The real network testing verified the analysis result. The LTE-230 system has better performance in coverage. In terms of transmission rate and delay, in the case when the LTE-230 system has a lower transmission power, it obtains similar performance of LTE-1800.


Preliminaries on probability Generalities about the conventional theory of design of experiments Optimal sample size Preliminaries on regression Design for linear regression: Elfving's method Maximum-likelihood estimation Locally optimal designs for estimation More design in regression experiments Testing hypotheses Optimal sample size in testing Sequential probability-ratio test Optimality of sequential probability-ratio test Motivation for an approach to sequential design of experiments in testing hypotheses Asymptotic optimality of procedure A in sequential design Extensions and open questions in sequential design The problem of adjacent hypotheses Testing for the sign of a normal mean: no indifference zone Bandit problems Sequential estimation of a normal mean sequential estimation of the common mean of two normal populations.


This paper seeks to examine the form and content of the culinary television programmes and cookbooks of Australian-Chinese celebrity chef and restaurateur, Kylie Kwong. It will utilise Bill Nichols' theory of "The Challenge of Persuasion" to demonstrate how Kwong's cookery show, Kylie Kwong: Cooking with Heart and Soul, is not just about food and cooking, but embodies particular ideologies and "myths," as theorised by Barthes, about Chinese culture and identity. It also draws upon selected excerpts from Kwong's cookbooks and food memoir, Kylie Kwong: Recipes and Stories (2003) and My China: A Feast for the Senses (2007), to unpack their representations of Chinese culture and identity. My aim is to elucidate how Kwong's cooking show and cookbooks transcend their pragmatic function to become representational tools that carry specific meanings about Chineseness, both in terms of its production and consumption.


Sequential Quadratic Programming(SQP)method is one of the most effective ways to solve a nonlinear programming problem,but it may result in the incompatibility of Quadratic Programming(QP) subproblem if the method is combined with the trust region technique.For this phenomenon,Powell proposed the penalty function method by introducing variable for the constraint condition of QP subproblem,and it was used to deal with this problem.The test steps were calculated,and whether accept test steps or not was chose by the filter acceptance criteria.If the unit step was not accepted by the filter,the Second Order Correction(SOC)step was calculated to make it easy to be accepted by the filter. Under certain conditions,the algorithm has global convergence,finally the numerical experiments also show that the algorithm is effective.


This paper addresses the subject matter of harmonic analysis in MV and HV distribution networks. EDP has been developing harmonic analysis models for simulation of voltage distortion for different topologies in different load and reactive compensation conditions. The corresponding tools will help planners and operators guarantee voltage quality to the maximum number of clients. This paper discusses modeling issues such as the algorithms used and the representation of non-linear loads, lines and transformers. The problem of identification of potential polluters and their representation is also discussed. Procedures to prevent high voltage distortion are presented based on the identification of potential resonance conditions in most probable network configurations.


Although the 3D orientations of edges and surfaces are theoretically sufficient for reconstructing the 3D object shape, this does not mean that the 3D object shape can actually be reconstructed: Inconsistency may result if image data contain errors. We propose a scheme of oprimization to construct a consistent object shape from inconsistent data. Our optimization is achieved by solving a set of linear equations. This technique is first applied to the problem of shape from motion and then to the 3D recovery based on the rectangularity hypothesis and the parallelism hypothesis. 1. Constraints on 2%D Sketches In the past, various 3D shape recovery techniques called shape from ... have been proposed (shape from motion, shape from shading, shape from texture, etc.). Now, we must ask the following question: Do these techniques really enable us to recover the 3D object shape? The shape from ... paradigms usually present us with object images equipped with the following types of 3D information: (i) The surface gradient (p , q), or equivalently the unit surface nor


The utility model discloses a membrane pasting positioning tool used for pasting a membrane key to a membrane pasting position of a carrier component. The membrane pasting positioning tool comprises a base plate; a positioning member used for fixing the carrier component to the base plate; a mould provided with a groove, wherein the configuration of the groove is matched with that of the membrane key, and the inside of the groove is provided with a sucker used for adsorbing the membrane key; a turnover arm used for aligning the groove and the membrane pasting position of the carrier component, wherein one end of the turnover arm is hinged to the base plate, and the other end of the turnover arm is connected with the mould; and a pressing member used for pressing the membrane key to the membrane pasting position of the carrier component. Membrane pasting operation by utilization of the membrane pasting positioning tool is simple, membrane pasting accuracy is high, and eyestrain of workers can be improved effectively, thereby avoiding the problem that the membrane key is damaged or scraped due to inaccurate alignment, and increasing the utilization rate of the membrane key.


Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is a world renowned automotive design competition that requires engineering students to design and test a single seater race car. The car utilizes a four stroke motorcycle engine with a maximum displacement of 781 cc. The rules require the engine to be restricted using a 20 mm diameter air intake. The challenge is to design an engine restrictor that enables the engine to operate efficiently with minimal power loss despite the significant reduction of volumetric efficiency. The engine restrictor consists of nozzle, plenum (air-box) and runner. CATIA V5 is used to design the restrictor system and ANSYS CFX was used to analyse the air flow. Several nozzle and plenum designs were simulated to determine the best design. It was discovered that the converging nozzle angle, position of restrictor hole inlet and plenum shapes have significant effect on the performance of the restrictor system. Nozzle with converging angle of 18 and inlet hole position of 59.5 mm gave the lowest pressure difference of 8.698 kPa. Engine restrictor Design 3 gave the lowest overall pressure difference of 7.73 kPa


The handicraft of Phulkari is a blend of creativity, colour and skill. Daughters from every house of the Punjab women were made proficient in the embroidery as she transformed into a beautiful women. With the predominance of westernisation the traditional craft has witnessed disappearance. An amalgam of tradition and modernity has been tried to figure out for the present day consumer without any compromise with quality. This has been implemented through development of fashion articles made using Phulkari work. The preferences of the female prospective consumers were taken to have a clear view of knowledge of consumer taste and create customer amazement for the traditional craft in a new avatar.


This study compared the antibody titers to infectious bursal disease (IBD) virus in village chickens using agar gel precipitation test (AGPT) and indirect haemagglutination test (IHAT). 484 serum samples were collected from these chickens, which were rarely vaccinated against IBD. In the AGPT, 282 (52.1%) of the serum samples tested positive and in the IHAT, 428 (88.4%) tested positive for presence of IBD antibody. IHAT was therefore found to be more sensitive than AGPT. IHAT was also observed to be comparatively inexpensive and rapid in the diagnosis of IBD especially in developing countries where diagnostic facilities are limited. Key words:


PURPOSE: To provide a blasting device capable of achieving the two-stage blasting in which at least two kinds of abrasive materials are used in one device, and a die finishing device utilizing the blasting device. CONSTITUTION: This blasting device in which high-speed air containing abrasive materials is ejected from a blast nozzle 2 arranged in a blasting chamber 1 is provided with a first abrasive material storage container 5 for the abrasive material large in grain size and a second abrasive material storage container 6 for the abrasive material small in grain size, and abrasive material feed pipes extended from the abrasive material storage containers 5, 6 are connected to the blast nozzle 2 through control valves 4a, 4b, respectively. A separation device 11 to separate the abrasive materials recovered from a lower part of the blasting chamber into the abrasive material of each grain size is further provided, and the separated abrasive material of each grain size is returned to the first and second abrasive material storage containers 5, 6, respectively.


Enedis has established an approach to develop Smart Grid solutions for its distribution network using the latest technologies, in order to ensure a wide digitalization of its activities by 2022. These solutions will help Enedis develop new uses and improve its efficiency in terms of safety, O&M, quality of supply and renewable energy integration, greatly contributing to its mission of public service: ensuring user satisfaction in a cost-effective way.


An elongated tool handle has a solid wood shaft member and a molded, tool holding section molded directly to the wood at the tool end portion of the shaft member. The tool holding section is composed of a high impact material which is effective to secure a tool in place on the tool holding section. The tool holding section includes a volumetric mass of high impact material which gives off an amount of heat in its molten condition effective to drive moisture out of kiln dried wood. The wood of the shaft member has an amount of moisture sufficient to maintain the natural handle strength characteristics of the wood with the tool holding end section molded directly thereto. When the tool having an eye for the reception of the handle is placed over the molded, tool holding section, a slight outward expansion occurs in the material behind the tool head. A novel method is required to produce the tool handle with a molded tool holding section molded directly to a wood shaft.


Arkadiy Zhukovsky made a weighty contribution to the theory, methodology and practice of political geography. Study of the territorial organization and geographical patterns of formation and development of the political sphere of public life, reflecting the essence of political geography as a science, underlie many of his researches. The purpose of this article is to reveal and clarify the main works of the scientist, which characterize important political and geographical events. The work "All-Russian Constituent Assembly" by A. Zhukovsky is an interesting exploration related to political geography. It is valuable because it highlights the role of the highest electoral institution of the former Russian Empire through the prism of all-Ukrainian interests. World political map, its stages of formation and existing state constitute another key area of political-geographical research, constantly staying in the focus of A. Zhukovsky. This is evidenced by his "World Wars" exploration. Doubtless, Ukraine was in the center of his research. The next, equally important direction of political geography, contributed by A. Zhukovsky, are peculiarities of national territory formation, the place and significance of national capitals, and the issues of administrative-territorial division of the countries. Finally, the territorial organization of political activity, being an instrument of individuals or communities to implement their political interests, was an aspect that A. Zhukovsky also made a lot of effort to investigate.


The lack of data in rainfall stations of Iran is one of the main problems in design and management of hydrologic systems. Moreover, the density of these stations network is not sufficient for estimation of rainfall at ungauged regions. Therefore, regionalization can be an essential tool to be applied for clustering the rainfall and spatial pattern analysis of homogeneous regions to quantify regional rainfall patterns. Homogeneous regions are usually defined based on different methods and with consideration of a category of attributes. Selection of attributes as representatives of the study region is an important aspect in clustering of a region, as is the importance degree (or determined weight) that each of these attributes can allocate to themselves. Consequently, the aim of this study is to select a broad category of climatic, geographical, and statistical attributes of the maximum 24‐h rainfall of the Urmia Lake Basin for 63 selected stations for the period 1979–2008 and next to determine an appropriate weight for each of the attributes in each defined category. To investigate the weighting effect in regionalizing and to determine the appropriate weight for each defined attribute, respectively, Ward's clustering technique, principal component analysis, and correlation coefficients matrix methods were used. The homogeneity measure test showed that all identified clusters are homogeneous. The clustering results showed that based on the different attributes categories, different results can be presented in terms of the number of clusters, distribution of stations, and spatial pattern of clusters. Moreover, the performances of the proposed weighting approaches for spatial clustering analysis are better than no‐weight scenario in most modes according to the spatial patterns and homogeneity measurements.


[1] Farmland Assessment Overview, July, 2015. (2015). United States. State of New Jersey. Department of Agriculture. New Jersey Department of Agriculture: Agricultural and Natural Resources. http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/anr/pdf [2] Santo, Raychel, Anne Palmer, and Brent Kim. (2016) Vacant Lots to Vibrant Plots: A Review of the Benefits and Limitations of Urban Agriculture. Rep. Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkinscenter-for-a-livable-future/_pdf/research/clf_reports/urban-ag-literature-review.pdf. [3] McClintock, N, Wooten, H, and Brown, A. (2012). Toward a food policy "first step" in Oakland, California: a food policy council's efforts to promote urban agriculture zoning. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development JAFSCD, 2.4, 15-42. [4] Lawson, L. (2004). The planner in the garden: a historical view into the relationship between planning and community gardens. Journal of Planning History 3.2, 151-76. I would like to acknowledge and thank my family & friends who have supported me over the past eight weeks with their encouraging and uplifting support and motivation. I would especially like to thank Alice Cooper, Melissa James, Kelsie Thorne, and Jada Anderson for their never-ending support, laughter, and love. I would also like to thank Laura Lawson & Meredith Taylor from the Department of Landscape Architecture for being patient and endearing faculty mentors. Lastly, I would like to thank our collaborators for their time and knowledge at the various sites across the state of New Jersey. Complete surveying and evaluating each site in the respective demographic regions of New Jersey and how their communities are impacted by the restrictions of the New Jersey Farmland Assessment Act's 'Five-Acre Rule. Reassessing the New Jersey Farmland Assessment Act: Barriers to Urban Farmer's Market Commercial Sales


Objective
To observe noninvasive positive pressure ventilation with typeⅡrespiratory failure treatment effect in the combined treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).To explore the application value of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the treatment of COPD with typeⅡrespiratory failure.And to provide clinical indications guidance for the better application of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation.

Methods
60 cases of COPD with typeⅡrespiratory failure patients were collected as the research object.30 cases in each group were randomly divided into the control group and treatment group.Two groups of patients were given the treatment of expectorant,anti infection,thearapy according to the basis of disease and complications. The control group were given nasal catheter oxygen.In the treatment group therapy and routine therapy combined with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation.Acute Physiology and Chronic Health EvaluationⅡ(APACHE scoreⅡ) was used as the standard.The two groups were observed before and after treatment in the heart rate,respiratory rate,blood gas analysis and clinical index changes.

Results
The patients in the two groups after treatment p H,PaO2,PaCO2 of blood gas indexes were better than before treatment,the difference was statistically significant(P< 0.05).The treatment group improved more obviously compared with the control group(P< 0.05).Compared with the control group, the treatment group patients hospitalization days,tracheal intubation and mortality declined or shorten,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).

Conclusion
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease combined with typeⅡrespiratory failure by using of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation at the same time, can improve the therapeutic effect in the conventional treatment.Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation reduces the incidence of complications and mortality.It is worthy of clinical reference.

Key words:
Respiratory Insufficiency; Pulmonary Disease,Chronic Obstructive; Ventilators,Mechanical


Aphidocolin, a specific inhibitor of the alpha DNA polymerase, has been shown to induce chromosomal breakage at the common, or constitutive fragile sites. Of all the fragile sites present in the human genome, the site with the highest frequency of aphidocolin-induced breakage is within chromosomal band 3p14.2. This chromosomal region is of particular interest since it is also the site of a chromosomal translocation associated with hereditary renal cell carcinoma, the t(3;8)(p14.2;q24.1) translocation breakpoint. This band may also contain a tumor suppressor gene deleted in the formation of lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma. We previously generated a series of somatic cell hybrids from a chromosome 3-only hybrid that had a single breakpoint within 3p14.2 and had lost all distal sequences. Boldog et al. isolated a 1.3 Mb YAC clone which traversed the translocation breakpoint. We have used a lambda library constructed from this YAC to localize our breakpoints distal to the familial renal cell carcinoma translocation breakpoint. Of 13 3p14.2 aphidocolin-induced breakpoints, we have precisely located 6 within one 4.5 kb fragment. The remaining 7 appear to be clustered approximately 100 kb proximal. There are, therefore, two distinct regions distal to the familial renal cell carcinoma translocation breakpoint thatmore » contain aphidocolin-induced breakpoints clustered together. Preliminary sequence analysis of the 4.5 kb fragment have failed to identify traditional motifs (trinucleotide, etc.) to explain fragility.« less


The present paper is a review of the fauna of Lacciferidae of China, with description of a new species, Metatachardia myrica sp. nov.The new species was collected from the branches of Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc. in Chekiang Province, on March 27, 1969. The type specimens were deposited in the college's collection.Adult female globose, 1.82 mm in diameter, with hemispherical resinous test, on which 12 radiating bands forming a definite partern.The new species closely resembles the type species of the genus, but can be definitely separated by the form and the number of tubular ducts of marginal duct cluster. There are 70-90 ducts in this new species, much more than that of the type species which consisting of only 9-12 ducts in one cluster. Besides many other differences in perivaginal pore clusters, ventral duct clusters and anal plates are also available.


Take a shopworn, hardboiled dick, softened with bourbon, rumpled at the edges, a piece snug under his arm, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Take an Armani-clad attorney-at-law, all suave urbanity and legalese elocution, a Gucci briefcase dangling from his manicured hand. We are talking night and day, the pauper and the prince, the marginal and the mainstream, right? Well, not quite. Although not wholly obvious at first glance, the premier difference between the American gumshoe from the pages of hardboiled fiction and the lawyer-hero of contemporary courtroom drama may be that one carries a gun and the other a briefcase. This flies in the face of a common perception that the two genres-hardboiled and legal fiction-have little in common. After all, they are not even of the same era. Tough guy prose peaked in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, while the legal procedural did not go nova until the 1980s, enjoying its phenomenal success until this very day.1 And yet first impressions can be misleading. Take a look at the heroes, for instance. Both are archetypal, fast-talking urban cowboys, moving through the shark tanks of mean city streets or mean city courtrooms. Both are for hire for a fee plus expenses. Both are reluctant to use force at first, although when push comes to shove neither the PI nor the attorney-at-law will back down from a tangle with the wise guys-or pretty dames, for that matter. As even this thumbnail tableau reveals, the tough guy of the hardboiled school may be more closely related to the hero of the legal procedural than previously allowed. Could this resemblance be more than a coincidence? For an answer to this question, we will look to two novels that in their own way typify their respective eras, Zeitgeists, and modes of writing. Samuel (Dashiell) Hammett's proto-hardboiled Red Harvest (1929) and John Grisham's novelistic and Hollywood blockbuster, The Rainmaker (1995), usefully highlight a number of the apparent differences and underlying similarities of their respective genres. Taking a closer look at the narrative styles, cultural roots, and socio-historical contexts of these two novels, we aim to establish beyond reasonable doubt the hardboiled roots of contemporary law fiction. Paying particular attention to the prime mover of the crime and courtroom thriller-the hero, we'll trace how the conjunction "hardboiled lawyer" plays out in modern-day legal procedurals such as The Rainmaker. Although implicitly, at least, this article joins the debate on aesthetic and cultural merits of popular literature. We take the answer to the question "Is there a point in studying genre fiction?" as largely settled in the affirmative.2 Quite apart from the demonstrable inaccuracy of critiques aiming to put the aesthetic merit of popular fiction to doubt, this type of elitism is misplaced in the consideration of literature in its socio-cultural context. More to the point, genre fiction is by now a universal forum for the propagation and assimilation of ideas. Commenting on all aspects of contemporary life, it ends up informing, and in some cases even forming, the background of many people's values and beliefs. A good case in point may be the 1927 trial of Ruth (Momsie) Snyder and Henry Judd (Lover Boy) Gray, convicted of murdering Ruth's husband, Albert Snyder. Even though every paper, from Hearst tabloids to the New York Times, covered the sensational hearings, few of us remember anything about Snyder v. Gray. And yet anyone familiar with James M. Cain's classics, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity (1936) -or their movie adaptations (Postman 1946, remake 1981; Oscar-nominated Indemnity 1944)-will recognize the case in a flash. While the names have changed -Cain, a seasoned journalist who covered the Snyder trial on assignment, turned them to Cora, Frank, and Nick in Postman, and to Phyllis, Walter, and Herbert in Indemnity-the circumstances did not. …


Abstract Errors associated with the recovery of fin-marked fish include "unauthentic" recoveries, duplication of marks, and fin regeneration. Establishing validity of recoveries has been difficult, especially for Pacific salmon marked by the excision of a single fin and recovered in samples from ocean troll fisheries. Studies of error were made for recoveries of coho salmon of the 1950 brood that were marked by fin excision, planted into Puget Sound (Washington) streams in 1952, and recovered mainly in coho salmon fisheries in 1953. The total number of recoveries was large in comparison to the maximum estimated number of recoveries from traditional sources of error. On this basis analysis of recoveries from ocean fisheries would not be precluded even though the absolute magnitude of error was not known.


Let D be a division ring with center k and let fc(i) denote the field of rational functions over k. A square matrix r 6 Mn(D) is said to be totally transcendental over fc if the evaluation map e : k(x) —> Mn(D), e(f) = }(r), can be extended to fc(i). In this note it is shown that the tensor product D®k k(x) is a V-domain which has, up to isomorphism, a unique simple module iff any two totally transcendental matrices of the same order over D are similar. The result applies to the class of existentially closed division algebras and gives a partial solution to a problem posed by Cozzens and Faith.


Background: Comorbidities are prevalent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and associated with worse outcomes as well as higher economic burden. Little is known about the impact of multimorbidity on the direct and indirect costs of RA. Evidence of the incremental scale of these multimorbidity costs will usefully inform RA interventions and policies. Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe how multimorbidity impacts on the cost-of-illness, including direct and indirect costs, in patients with RA. Methods: The Scottish Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) is a registry of patients newly presenting with RA since 2011. It contains data on patient characteristics, clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life, and employment status data. These data were linked to routinely recorded hospital admissions and primary care prescribing data. Direct costs were estimated by applying relevant unit costs to healthcare resource use quantities. Indirect cost estimates were obtained from information on employment status and hospital admissions, valued by age and sex specific wages. Two-part models (probit followed by generalized linear model) were used to estimate direct and indirect costs, adjusting for age, gender, and functional disability. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score was calculated using patient ICD-10 diagnoses from hospital records. The number of comorbidities was categorized into "RA alone", "single comorbidity" and "multimorbidity (>1 comorbidity)". Results: Data were available for 1,150 patients, 65.7% were female and a mean age of 57.5±14 years. The majority of patients only had RA (54.1%), followed by a single comorbidity (23.4%) and multimorbidity (22.5%). Annual total costs were significantly higher for patients with multimorbidity (£6,669 95% CI £4,871-£8,466; OR 11.3 95% CI 8.14-15.87) and for patients with a single comorbidity (£2,075 95% CI £1,559-£2,591; OR 3.52 95% CI 2.61-4.79), when compared with RA alone (£590). The excess costs were mainly driven by direct costs (£6,281 versus £1,875 versus £556). Although the difference in indirect costs between patients with multimorbidity and a single comorbidity were not statistically significant (£1,218 versus £914, p=0.11), patients with multimorbidity were associated with significantly higher costs than those with RA only (£594, p Conclusion: The presence of comorbidity contributes significant excess to both direct and indirect costs among RA patients. In particular, patients with multimorbidity incurred substantially higher direct costs than those with a single comorbidity or RA only. Acknowledgements: The study analysed the data from the Scottish Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) study with a linkage to routinely recorded health data from Information Service Division, National Service Scotland. We would like to thank all the patients, clinical and nursing colleagues who have contributed their time and support to the study, the SERA steering committee for the approval, and Allen Tervit from the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Glasgow for the timely technical supports. Disclosure of Interests: Ping-Hsuan Hsieh: None declared, Claudia Geue: None declared, Olivia Wu Consultant of: OW has received consultancy fees from Bayer, Lupin and Takeda outside the submitted work., Emma McIntosh: None declared


BACKGROUND: Ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. is the currently recommended dosage in the United States for the treatment of erosive oesophagitis. To determine whether a higher dose of ranitidine administered less frequently would also be effective in healing erosive oesophagitis, we compared ranitidine 300 mg b.d. with ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. in the treatment of erosive oesophagitis. METHODS: This multicentre, double‐ blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study conducted in the United States compared two dosages of ranitidine in 772 patients with endoscopically diagnosed erosive oesophagitis. Patients were treated with ranitidine 300 mg b.d., ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. or placebo for up to 12 weeks. Endoscopies were repeated after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Ranitidine 300 mg b.d. was significantly more effective than placebo in healing erosive oesophagitis at weeks 8 and 12 (51 vs. 36% and 66 vs. 52%, respectively; P < or = 0.004). Significantly higher healing rates were also achieved with ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. compared with placebo at 4, 8 and 12 weeks (37 vs. 21%, 62 vs. 36% and 77 vs. 52%, respectively; P < 0.001). Healing rates were significantly higher with ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. than with ranitidine 300 mg b.d. at all scheduled endoscopies (P < or = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Ranitidine 300 mg b.d. is effective in healing erosive oesophagitis and may be appropriate as an alternative dosage regimen to ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. in some patients with erosive oesophagitis.


It was envisaged to screen and select an efficient arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AM fungus) for inoculating Sida cordifolia for cultivation. The efficacy of ten arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) on S. cordifolia (Medicinal Plant) was carried out in the nursery conditions. Plants grown in the presence of AM fungi generally showed an increase in plant growth and plant biomass over those grown in the absence of AM fungal inoculation. The extent of response of S. cordifolia varied with species of AM fungi inhabiting the roots. Considering various parameters and plant biomass, it was concluded that Glomus citricolum is the best AM symbiont for S. cordifolia compared to other fungi.


The article provides analysis of European security in the sphere of migration. It deals with the changes of the image of migration, of its role and positions. The special emphasis is made on the migration as a soft power.


In this study, the mechanical properties of polymer-liquid crystal composite films have been investigated as a function of changing polymer concentration. Nematic liquid crystal was encapsulated in waterborne polymer matrix of the polymer-liquid crystal composite films. The mechanical tests were carried out applying three- point bending tests on these films and the experimental results showed that the bending strength increases with the increasing polymer matrix concentration. The effects of the bending strength and polymer concentration on the morphological behaviors of these droplets were examined by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The morphological and mechanical tests showed that the bending strength decreased with the increasing size and density of the waterborne encapsulated liquid crystal droplets.


A leading American specialist on Soviet and Russian agriculture examines the politics and economics of agrarian reform in Russia. Coverage includes institutional reform, finance, local privatization, and interest group activities. Based on six extended visits to Russia during 1992-1994, participant observation, interviews and documentary materials, the author concludes that any successful reform must craft economic measures that will avoid recreating a unified rural bloc in opposition to reforms. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers P32, Q15, Q18.


During the germinal center reaction, B lymphocytes proliferate, mutate and differentiate, while being submitted to a powerful selection, creating a micro-evolutionary mechanism at the heart of adaptive immunity. We introduce and analyze a simplified mathematical model of the division-mutation process, by considering random walks and branching random walks on graphs, whose structure reflects the associated mutation rules. In particular, we investigate how the combination of various division and mutation models influences the typical time-scales characterizing the efficiency of state space exploration for these processes, such as hitting times and cover times. Beyond the initial biological motivation, this framework is not limited to the modelling of B-cell learning process in germinal centers, as it may be relevant to model other evolutionary systems, but also information propagation in networks, gossip models or epidemic processes.


The way of physical modeling of stochastic processes based on use of optical fibre converters of the images is considered. The physical model is described by means of the device of the theory of sets and Markov-circuits. For formalization of process of transformation of the images the raster structure of fragments of the primary and transformed images from a position of the theory of sets is considered.


Assessing Nurses' Demographic Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Pharmacogenetic Testing Knowledge and Acceptance By Stella Chibuzor Ohanuka MSN Gardner-Webb University, 2007 BSN, University of South Carolina, 1996 Proposal Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Epidemiology Walden University February 2017 Abstract The lack of knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD), coupled with their increased risk for CVD, may impair nurses' cognitions and attitudes toward pharmacogenetic testing for CVD. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study, conducted with 230 RNs without CVD who worked in acute-care settings in Georgia, was to determine if their years of education, years of experience, and gender significantly influenced their perceived risk for CVD (Questions 1–3) and their perceived knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD (Questions 4–6), and if their perceived risk for CVD significantly influenced their acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD (Question 7). Various regression analyses (hierarchical multiple linear regression, multiple linear regression, hierarchical, linear regression) were conducted for hypothesis testing. Results showed that: (a) gender significantly predicted perceived risk for CVD, in that male nurses perceived themselves to be more at risk for CVD than did female nurses; (b) years of education was a significant predictor of knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD, in that as nurses' education level increased, so did their knowledge; and (c) knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD, but not perceived risk for CVD, significantly predicted acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD. This study may act as a catalyst to promote empirical work and inform practice in nurses' CVD health and their knowledge and acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD.The lack of knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD), coupled with their increased risk for CVD, may impair nurses' cognitions and attitudes toward pharmacogenetic testing for CVD. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study, conducted with 230 RNs without CVD who worked in acute-care settings in Georgia, was to determine if their years of education, years of experience, and gender significantly influenced their perceived risk for CVD (Questions 1–3) and their perceived knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD (Questions 4–6), and if their perceived risk for CVD significantly influenced their acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD (Question 7). Various regression analyses (hierarchical multiple linear regression, multiple linear regression, hierarchical, linear regression) were conducted for hypothesis testing. Results showed that: (a) gender significantly predicted perceived risk for CVD, in that male nurses perceived themselves to be more at risk for CVD than did female nurses; (b) years of education was a significant predictor of knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD, in that as nurses' education level increased, so did their knowledge; and (c) knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD, but not perceived risk for CVD, significantly predicted acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD. This study may act as a catalyst to promote empirical work and inform practice in nurses' CVD health and their knowledge and acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD. Assessing Nurses' Demographic Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Pharmacogenetic Testing Knowledge and Acceptance By Stella Chibuzor Ohanuka MSN, Gardner Webb University, North Carolina, 2007 BSN, University of South Carolina, 1996 Proposal Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Epidemiology Walden University February 2017 Acknowledgements I am indeed very grateful to God for giving me the knowledge, patience, understanding, and energy to accomplish this task. It has been a long journey and many people helped me fulfill all the requirements needed to finish this dissertation process. First, I must not fail to thank my mentor and close friend, Dr. Ego Onyejekwe, for her enormous emotional support and advice toward the completion of this dissertation. My sincere gratitude to all my friends for believing in me and encouraging me to hang in there when it was too difficult to continue. Thanks to my wonderful professors at Walden University for their academic support. Thanks to my wonderful chair, Dr. Richard Palmer, and my committee member, Dr. Harold Griffin, for providing me with all the necessary guidance and support to accomplish this task. Thanks to all my brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews, and in-laws for believing in me. Most importantly, I am sincerely grateful to my four wonderful and beautiful children: Kimberly, Chelsea, Ashley, and Preston for their understanding and support throughout this ordeal. Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, the late Mr. Anthony Osigwe and Mrs. Bridget Osigwe, for being perfect parents and for my perfect upbringing. You were wonderful and I could not ask for more.


Abstract: For the cascade five-degree-of-freedom inchworm-imitating bipedal climbing robot body mechanism, multiple kinematic inverse solutions maybe generated due to redundancy in the D-H kinematics modeling process. Therefore, an optimal kinematic inverse solution selection method based on energy consumption is proposed. This method studies the driving load or robot joints first, and works out the static load energy consumption function between gaits with the static load simplification method. Then, it carries out coordinated control of the cascade robot joint driving speed to obtain the joint's rotational angular velocity function, which is substituted into the parameter to work out the energy consumption corresponding to the multiple inverse solutions. The optimal inverse kinematics solution is screened with minimal energy consumption. Finally, the rationality and effectiveness of the inverse kinematics optimization solution method are verified through MATLAB simulation analysis.


Abstract : The Naval Surface Weapons Center, Dahlgren Laboratory, was responsible for development of the ballistic subsystem of an in-flight extraction escape system which is to be retrofitted into the AH-1 helicopter. Work was done in the following areas of the ballistic subsystem: (1) rotor blade severance; (2) canopy jettison; (3) gunsight retraction; (4) launcher for the extraction rocket; (5) lap belt release; and (6) initiation, sequencing and energy transfer. Also a computer program was prepared to simulate the extraction of the crewmen from the stricken helicopter. It was demonstrated that (1) the canopy can be jettisoned at aircraft speeds up to 170 knots; (2) rotating rotor blades can be severed both in a hover mode and at 150 knots forward speed; and (3) the extraction rocket can be launched successfully at speeds up to 150 knots. The trajectories of the crewmen were mathematically simulated and data generated were used in extraction tests. A design of an initiation, sequencing and energy transfer assembly was prepared using off-the-shelf components where possible. The design of the assembly will allow it to be retrofitted into the AH-1 with minimum changes required to the aircraft.


Objective To explore the molecular mechanism for the self-limitation of adenoviral infections in human airway,the different impacts of adenovirus serotype 5 ( Ad5 ) and serotype 7 ( Ad7 ) infections on mucin 1 ( MUC1 ) expression in airway epithelial cells were preliminarily investigated.Methods The Ad5 and the Ad7 infection models were established in A549 cell line.qRT-PCR was performed to determine the transcription of MUC1 mRNA,and the expression of MUC1 in A549 cells infected by Ad5 or Ad7 was by detected Western blot.Results An up-regulation of the MUC1 mRNA level were observed after Ad5 infection for 6 h(P<0.05 ),and the protein expression level of MUC1 increased in a time-dependent manner in 48 hours of Ad5 infection,while similar response of MUC1 mRNA was absent in Ad7 infection (6 h),even after prolonged (20 h) treatment ( P > 0.05 ).Conclusion This study reveals an up-regulation of MUC1 expression as one of the early immune response to Ad5 infection,which implies that MUC1 may function fully or partially as an anti-inflammatory factor in the self-limitation effect of Ad5 infection.However,type7 adenoviral infection,may introduce a mechanism otherwise,but through MUC1.

Key words:
Adenovirus serotype 5;  Adenovirus serotype 7 ;  Airway epithelial cells;  Mucin 1 ( MUC1 ) ;  Inflammatory regulation


Children's dread of the dark at night is a common occurrence as they develop, but if we disregard their worries without taking action, then they will develop a phobia of the dark, which will negatively impact their future. This study investigates the use of VR games in the prevention and treatment of dark phobia in youngsters. The majority of VR research, though, is not entirely appropriate for treating psychiatric disorders in young patients. We therefore invited children and their stakeholders to explore solutions to this issue in order to better grasp the issues and needs of treating children's phobia of darkness. In this paper, we develop a VR game for the prevention and treatment of dark phobia for children aged 4 to 6 years by engaging children and their stakeholders personally in our research to understand the design requirements and elements. Our research seeks to offer fresh design concepts for the VR treatment of mental illness in children between the ages of 4 and 6.


— The integration of the physical capabilities of an industrial collaborative robot with a social virtual character may represent a viable solution to enhance the workers' per- ception of the system as an embodied social entity and increase social engagement and well-being at the workplace. An online study was setup using prerecorded video interactions in order to pilot potential advantages of different embodied configurations of the cobot-avatar system in terms of perceptions of Social Presence, cobot-avatar Unity and Social Role of the system, and explore the relation of these. In particular, two different configurations were explored and compared: the virtual char- acter was displayed either on a tablet strapped onto the base of the cobot or on a large TV screen positioned at the back of the workcell. The results imply that participants showed no clear preference based on the constructs, and both configurations fulfill these basic criteria. In terms of the relations between the constructs, there were strong correlations between perception of Social Presence, Unity and Social Role (Collegiality). This gives a valuable insight into the role of these constructs in the perception of cobots as embodied social entities, and towards building cobots that support well-being at the workplace.


This study examines the carbonaceous-aerosol characteristics at three contrasting urban environments in Greece (Ioannina, Athens, and Heraklion), on the basis of 12 h sampling during winter (January to February 2013), aiming to explore the inter-site differences in atmospheric composition and carbonaceous-aerosol characteristics and sources. The winter-average organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations in Ioannina were found to be 28.50 and 4.33 µg m−3, respectively, much higher than those in Heraklion (3.86 µg m−3 for OC and 2.29 µg m−3 for EC) and Athens (7.63 µg m−3 for OC and 2.44 µg m−3 for EC). The winter OC/EC ratio in Ioannina (6.53) was found to be almost three times that in Heraklion (2.03), indicating a larger impact of wood combustion, especially during the night, whereas in Heraklion, emissions from biomass burning were found to be less intense. Estimations of primary and secondary organic carbon (POC and SOC) using the EC-tracer method, and specifically its minimum R-squared (MRS) variant, revealed large differences between the sites, with a prevalence of POC (67–80%) in Ioannina and Athens and with a larger SOC fraction (53%) in Heraklion. SOC estimates were also obtained using the 5% and 25% percentiles of the OC/EC data to determine the (OC/EC)pri, leading to results contrasting to the MRS approach in Ioannina (70–74% for SOC). Although the MRS method provides generally more robust results, it may significantly underestimate SOC levels in environments highly burdened by biomass burning, as the fast-oxidized semi-volatile OC associated with combustion sources is classified in POC. Further analysis in Athens revealed that the difference in SOC estimates between the 5% percentile and MRS methods coincided with the semi-volatile oxygenated organic aerosol as quantified by aerosol mass spectrometry. Finally, the OC/Kbb+ ratio was used as tracer for decomposition of the POC into fossil-fuel and biomass-burning components, indicating the prevalence of biomass-burning POC, especially in Ioannina (77%).


As demand for organic and natural foods increases in the U.S., it is important to understand consumer preferences and willingness to pay in terms of premiums for specialty or non-traditional products. This information can assist specialty meat producers, such as organic, natural, and grass-fed producers in selecting sustainable pricing and production management practices, leading to long term profitability.


[Objective] To evaluate the feasibility of the reconstruction of portal vein/superior mesenteric vein using the ligmentum teres hepatic. [Methods] The data of 4 cases with portal vein/superior mesenteric vein reconstruction using the ligmentum teres hepatis were analyzed retrospectively.[Results] The length of vascular resection was 3.5 cm to 6.5 cm.The length of ligment teres hepatis used during operation was 4.0 to 7.0 cm.The portal vein clamping time during the interposition grafting ranged from 30 to 126 min.No patient died in operation.The follow-up time was 10 to 39 months . The graft of ligment teres hepatis had no thrombosis and kept unblocked .[Conclusion] Portal vein/superior mesenteric vein reconstruction using the ligment teres hepatis during the pancreatoduodenectomy combined with vascular resection is a feasibility method.


PROFILES is a project of teacher education and curriculum innovation funded by the FP7-programme of the European Union. The aim of PROFILES is implementing innovative science teaching practices  incorporating a societal perspective and compassing inquiry-based science learning. The University of Bremen, Germany, as one of the partners, combines teacher continuous professional development with the research-based design of new teaching and learning modules for science  teaching. This paper presents – as an exemplary case – how the University of Bremen is operating PROFILES. This case is illustrated according to the development of a teaching and learning module on sugar and sweeteners, incorporating the use of advertising in science education.


This series explores the reasons why some nurses abuse or even kill the patients in their care and asks why such unthinkable behaviour is so difficult to understand.