Background: Only a subset of breast cancer patients responds to the HER2 inhibitor trastuzumab, and methods to identify responders are needed. Patients and Methods: We studied 28 patients with metastatic breast cancer that had amplified human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) genes in their primary tumour and were treated with a combination of trastuzumab and chemotherapy. Plasma was collected and amplification of the HER2 gene in circulating DNA and the amounts of the extracellular domain (ECD) of HER2 were measured just before first treatment (n=28) and just before second treatment three weeks later (HER2 DNA (n=22), HER2 ECD (n=23)). Results: Pretreatment levels of HER2 gene amplification and HER2 ECD did not correlate to clinical parameters. However, 9 out of 22 patients had a more than a 14% (2 × SD) reduction in HER2 gene amplification following treatment and showed improved response (p=0.02), and overall survival (p=0.05). HER2 ECD kinetics did not correlate to clinical data. Conclusion: We suggest that a decrease in HER2 gene amplification in the plasma predicts a more favourable response to trastuzumab. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is one of four receptors of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) system. It is a characteristic of HER2 that it is overexpressed in approximately 20-30% of invasive breast tumours by a molecular mechanism most frequently involving an amplification of the gene on chromosome 17. The presence of HER2 overexpression in breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis (1, 2). Trastuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against HER2, which binds the extracellular domain of HER2 thereby blocking its activity. Treatment of breast cancer patients with trastuzumab has been shown to increase response rates and survival of these patients with HER2-positive metastatic disease. The beneficial effect of trastuzumab was observed not only when used in combination with chemotherapy (3-6), but also when used as a single agent (7, 8). Traditionally, the overexpression of HER2 protein has been identified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and amplification of the gene has been determined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) (9, 10). In a subset of breast cancer patients there is an increased proteolytic release of the extracellular domain of HER2 (HER2 ECD). A commercial kit (HER2/neu kit from Bayer) is available for measuring the HER2 ECD released to the blood. The usefulness of HER2 ECD measurements in predicting the efficacy of trastuzumab treatment of breast cancer patients has been shown (11, 12). Tumour DNA is present in the blood of patients with a number of cancer types (13). Measurement of circulating tumour DNA has been suggested to have prognostic value in several types of cancer, such as malignant melanoma (14), prostate cancer (15), non small cell lung cancer (16) and colorectal cancer (17). In the present study, we investigated amplification of the HER2 gene using plasma DNA from breast cancer patients with an amplified HER2 gene in the primary tumour and studied its relationship to survival and response to trastuzumab treatment. Patients and Methods Patients. Women with HER2-positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who started first-line treatment with trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy were eligible for the study. Patient characteristics are indicated in Table I. HER2 positivity was determined first by immunohistochemistry using HercepTest (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark) and this result was verified by FISH testing using Vysis Path-Vysion HER-2/neu DNA probe kit (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL, USA) according to the procedures previously described for both methods (18). Patients entered the study in a consecutive manner and all patients were diagnosed with an amplified HER2 gene in the primary tumour as determined with the methods described above. 2463 Correspondence to: Boe S. Sorensen, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Aarhus University Hospital, Norrebrogade 44, DK 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Tel: +45 89493048, Fax: +45 89493060, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


Landscape indices,as quantitative description to landform characteristics,have obvious scale effect and have being used widely.Researches on the scale effect of landscape indices have important significance in understanding the relationship between pattern and scale of landforms.Based on TM images,we choose four different geomorphologic types,i.e.plain,hill,mountain and complex landform in Yuncheng City,Shanxi Province,and seven landscape indices to analyze the multi-scale effects.Firstly,we did the resample from landform images to get ten grain sizes and twelve extent sizes;secondly,according to the response curves of landscape indices of different grain and extent sizes to the four landforms,we analyzed the grain effect and extent effect of seven common landscape indices.The result showed that: patch density(PD),landscape shape index(LSI),patch cohesion index(COHESION) show a gradual downward trend with increasing of grain size with different geomorphologic types,largest patch index(LPI),perimeter-area fractal dimension(PAFRAC),landscape contagion(CONTAG) and Shannon diversity index(SHDI) have no significant changes.All landscape indices showed complicate changes with the changed spatial extent in different geomorphologic types.Landscape shape index(LSI) gradually declined with the increasing spatial extent,the other landscape indices curve changed rather complicatedly in the smaller spatial extent and showed no significant changes in the larger spatial extent.In addition,according to the different landforms,the landscape indices have obvious distinction in different grain and extent sizes,so we can distinct the complexity of different landforms by landscape indices.


The geometrical spreading approximations for a layered medium were shown for isotropic case (Ursin, 1990) and transversely isotropic case (Ursin and Hokstad, 2003). We derive new approximation for the relative geometrical spreading in a layered transversely isotropic medium using three traveltime parameters, two-way vertical traveltime, the normal moveout velocity and the heterogeneity coefficient. Few numerical tests show that the new approximation is more accurate that the standard approximation (Ursin and Hokstad, 2003) using the traveltime approximations.


AIM:To study the bioequivalence and relative bioavailability of domestic Oxcarbazepine tablets.METHOD:A single oral dose (300 mg of tested and reference formulation) was given to 20 healthy volunteers in a randomised crossover study. The plasma concentrations of the active metabolite (10-monohydroxy carbamazepine, MHD) of Oxcarbazepine were determined by RP-HPLC method. The pharmacokinetics parameters were calculated and the bioavailability and bioequivalence of two formulations were evaluated.RESULT:The calibration curve was liner over the range of 0.10~10.00 mg/L and the detection limit was 0.10 mg/L. The average recovery of the method was (99.4±4.2)%. After a single dose, the pharmacokinetics parameters for MHD were as follows: c _ max were 4.61±0.57 mg/L and 16.34±5.29 mg/L; t _ max were 4.65±2.74 h and 4.20±2.02 h; t _ 1/2 were 16.57±4.01 h and 16.34±5.29 h;AUC_ (0-48) were 100.24±16.62 mg·h/L and 97.97±19.01 mg·h/L;AUC_ (0-inf) were 118.93±4.61 mg·h/L and 115.43±4.64 mg·h/L for T and R respectively;the relative bioavailability was (103.4±10.5)%.CONCLUSION:The method is simple, sensitive and rapid. The results of the statistic analysis showed that the two formulations were bioequivalent.


Several important variations in Australian adoption law are reviewed. Some concerns over disparities and policy discrepancies in laws and practices in the States are discussed. The author suggests that adoption needs to reclaim its respectability and be recognised as an essential and suitable institution serving the best interests of the concerned children.


The invention discloses a making method of theaflavine and Congo red element from fresh green tea, which comprises the following steps: adopting fresh green tea leaf as raw material; adding juice or vegetable liquid to ferment; dissolving through alcohol; centrifuging; adopting alcohol to extract; condensing; removing caffeine; exchanging ion and adsorbing through resin; eluting gradiently; obtaining the theaflavine and the Congo red element with different molecular weight. The invention avoids toxic and harmful organic agent to protect environment, which improves the receiving rate of the product with high content.


The general situation of antimicrobial peptides(AMPs) was summarized.The research progress of transgenic plants with AMPs gene and insect antimicrobial peptides against to plant fungi was analyzed,and the research trend was prospected.This study will provide the reference for developing antimicrobial peptides to control plant diseases.


The aim of the study was to investigate the biofilm inhibition efficiency of endophytic fungi isolated from Acacia nilotica Linn. which is a traditional plant used for oral ailments. About 10 oral pathogenic strains of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans were collected from patients with dental caries and tested for their biofilm forming ability by crystal violet assay. Endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of Acacia nilotica and secondary metabolites were extracted using ethyl acetate as the solvent. The crude extracts of endophytic fungi at different concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 µg) were then subjected to biofilm inhibition studies against the biofilm forming oral strains of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans with chlorhexidine as the positive control. The percentage of biofilm inhibiton efficiency of endophytic fungal extracts were calculated from the optical density values at 570 nm. The isolates of Streptococcus mutans (SM08) and Candida albicans (CA09) showed stronger biofilm formation and was further used for biofilm inhibition studies. The endophytic fungi Eupenicillium sp. and Aspergillus nidulans were isolated in dominant numbers and at 100 µg concentration of extracts, the percentage of Candida albicans biofilm inhibition efficiency of extracts of Eupenicillium sp. and Aspergillus nidulans were 79.53% and 74.86% respectively. Similarly, at 100 µg concentration of Eupenicillium sp. and Aspergillus nidulans extract, there was 55.94% and 51.49% of biofilm inhibition of Streptococcus mutans.The present study proved the potential of endophytic fungi isolated from Acacia nioltica for their biofilm inhibition of oral pathogens and the compounds in the endophytic fungal extracts would further serve as the leads of drugs for oral ailments.


The benefits of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD), proposed to improve the postoperative outcome in patients with obstructive jaundice caused by tumor of the pancreatic head, are still debated. After a review of the physiopathological basis and the results of the published studies, it appears that PBD should not be performed systematically. We suggest the following indications for PBD: i) cholangitis; ii) serum bilirubin level > 350 μmol/l; iii) severe malnutrition (> 10% of body weight); iv) time to surgery predicting serum bilirubin level > 350 μmol/l on operative day; v) chemotherapy or radiochemotherapy before surgery. When a PBD is planned, an optimal endoscopic drainage should be performed in first intention, with the placement of a short selfexpandable metallic stent in an expert centre. A bacteriological bile sample should be taken systematically during surgery, to guide perioperative antibiotic therapy.


Mini dental implants with a diameter of less than 3 mm have been used increasingly often in dental implantology. Several years ago, they were typically placed in combination with conventional implants and served as provisional solutions for the stabilisation of dentures during the healing phase.5 Today, they are also approved for long-term use. On the one hand, mini dental implants are placed to fix complete or partial dentures and contribute to increased stability. One the other hand, they are used as abutments for fixed bridges in specific situations, e.g. in small gaps.12


Editors' Note: This essay by Alexander Murphy begins the final set of retrospective works commissioned to celebrate the centennial volume of the Geographical Review. In this group, American Geographical Society Councilors undertake the challenge of reviewing major conceptual approaches or topical fields as presented in the journal's first ninety‐nine volumes and to muse about how those approaches will contribute to the field in its second century. In addition to Murphy, the contributors comprise Councilors Marie Price and Douglas Sherman, as well as a review of fieldwork by Associate Editor Dydia DeLyser and her coauthor, Paul Karolczyk. As much as retrospective views, we hope these essays point the way for scholarship in the coming years.


The subject innovation is an adhesive between the equipped with a print model of the soft compression ulreo and the support roller with the gold film at the state where a film of a roll form having a gold foil to the adhesive to cross the top of the printing material is applied to the print model printing model can prevent the gold foil printing and then by to occur the winding operation of the closed film to be recovered intermittently only printing foil film waste of time to be transferring a gold foil to the surface of the print substrate in succession to be passed through a coating object by to allow for the gold foil printing apparatus according to a roll drive, That is, the coating installation pressing roller and adhesive printing model of one or more soft is formed on the outer peripheral surface is to be rotated in engagement with maintaining adequate space for the supporting roller which is supported a printing material applied to the print model and pressing roller and the adhesive is a print model printed between the object has according to the installation to proceed a gold film having a roll form having a gold foil with the print substrate, wherein the adhesive is at least one tension roll with tension control sphere on one side which enters the printing material is applied to the print model by installing the roll form of, but through the gold foil film being closed gimrol the installation is driven by the motor for recovering the waste film used for printing on the outlet side which printing material is discharged after printing, the motor applied to the sense gimrol the while maintaining a balanced state of tension of each other, along the drive force and a tension roll press rotation of the pressing roller To the support, so to proceed to gold leaf film between the rollers with the printing material to paper wound around a printing process in a sense as a take-off the gold film gimrol from the tension roll in which, by a distance that some margin relative to the print range or print range by one will ever recovering the gold film. Gold foil printing, a film, a tension roll, closed gimrol


After the second oil crisis (1979-80), the developing countries in the Asian-Pacific region adopted two major energy policies: conservation and the introduction and stimulation of alternative sources of energy to oil. Energy conservation was successfully achieved only in the newly industrialized countries, including Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore; the potential for conservation was very limited in other less-developed countries. In order to promote energy conservation, many countries adopted a policy of higher prices for particular petroleum products. The results of the push to introduce or expand nonoil alternative sources of energy have been quite encouraging. Excellent examples are the development of natural gas in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia; of coal and lignite in Indonesia; and of lignite in Thailand. Energy management and the expansion of domestic energy resources in the developing countries will require not only imported technology but the upgrading of indigenous human resources to guarantee long-term and successful development.


Objectives: This activity aims to educate and empower students to become active guardians of their water supply. It is designed to illustrate historic fire fighting methods. The students will be able to: • Describe firefighting methods used by early settlers • Compare methods used by early settlers and present-day firefighters Introduction: Earliest Fires First Nations and pioneers in this area were challenged many times by fire. Early settlers had no fire-fighting equipment and often there were no neighbours nearby to organize a bucket brigade. A fire out of control meant almost certain destruction of property. Care and prevention was the best protection from fire as it is today.


The purpose of this paper is to explore the micro-level driving forces of the emerging of urban villages,which is analyzed by judging the related three types of actors'strategies on seizuring the land rent residuals.The research methods include urban economics and land economics.The results show that the reason of urban village emergence consists in the pursuit of land rent residual by local government,collective economic organization,and village members,which is the rational choice of the main stakeholders.The land rent residuals in urban villages arise from the China's dual-land-system.The research concludes as follows(:1)in order to solve the urban village problem,the dual structure in urban-rural land administration must be gradually improved;(2)land plots,whether collective-owned or state-owned,should be treated as equal prices and equal rights;(3)a unified urban-rural construction land market should be gradually established(;4)land expropriation scope for public welfare should also be strictly limited(;5)farmers'property right should be protected(;6)and to allow the farmers'participation in the process of urbanization with their rights.


Objective:To discuss the CT appearance and the value of CT in diagnosis of clinical atypical pyogenic osteomyelitis. Methods:The CT and X-ray findings of 6 cases of pyogenic osteomyelitis with atypical chinical signs were retrospectively analysed and correlated with operative and pathologic findings.Results:From the six cases,there were two cases of acute osteomyelitis,chronic osteomyelitis and Brodie's abscess each. CT made a correct diagnosis in 4,misdiagnosis in 1 and was difficult to make a diagnosis in one. Radiography made a correct diagnosis in 2 of six cases.Conclusion:Plain film should be still the initial imaging study for diagnosis of clinical atypical pyogenic osteomyelitis,and CT can provide important information if the radiographic findings are indefinite.


We use high-resolution observations of the Sun in Ca II H 3968 A from the Solar Optical Telescope on Hinode to show that there are at least two types of spicules that dominate the structure of the magnetic solar chromosphere. Both types are tied to the relentless magnetoconvective driving in the photosphere, but have very different dynamic properties. ``Type-I'' spicules are driven by shock waves that form when global oscillations and convective flows leak into the upper atmosphere along magnetic field lines on 3-7 minute timescales. ``Type-II'' spicules are much more dynamic: they form rapidly (in ~10s), are very thin (<200km wide), have lifetimes of 10-150s (at any one height) and seem to be rapidly heated to (at least) transition region temperatures, sending material through the chromosphere at speeds of order 50-150 km/s. The properties of Type II spicules suggest a formation process that is a consequence of magnetic reconnection, typically in the vicinity of magnetic flux concentrations in plage and network. Both types of spicules are observed to carry Alfven waves with significant amplitudes of order 20 km/s.


This study presents hardware realisation of chaos-based stream cipher utilised for image encryption applications. A third-order chaotic system with signum non-linearity is implemented and a new post processing technique is proposed to eliminate the bias from the original chaotic sequence. The proposed stream cipher utilises the processed chaotic output to mask and diffuse input pixels through several stages of XORing and bit permutations. The performance of the cipher is tested with several input images and compared with previously reported systems showing superior security and higher hardware efficiency. The system is experimentally verified on XilinxVirtex 4 field programmable gate array (FPGA) achieving small area utilisation and a throughput of 3.62 Gb/s.


In PWR, the Zircaloy based clad is the first safety barrier of the fuel rod, it must prevent the dispersion of the radioactive elements, which are formed by fission inside the UO2 pellets filling the clad. We focus here on internal corrosion that occurs when the clad is in tight contact with the UO2 pellet. In this situation, with temperature of 400 °C on the internal surface of the clad, a layer of oxidised Zircaloy is formed with a thickness ranging from 5 to 15 µm. In this paper, we will underline the specific behaviour of this internal corrosion layer compared to wet corrosion of Zircaloy. Simulations will underline the differences of stress field and their influences on corresponding dissolved oxygen profiles. The reasons for these differences will be discussed as function of the mechanical state at inner surface of the clad which is highly compressed. Differences between mechanical conditions generated by an inner or outer corrosion of the clad are studied and their influences on the diffusion phenomena are highlighted.


In structurally complex areas, prestack depth migration (PSDM) needs to be performed in tandem with some velocity estimation procedure in order to produce an acceptable image.


The present invention relates to a cured product of a curable polyorganosiloxane composition which comprises (A) an alkenyl-group-containing polyorganosiloxane containing at least two alkenyl groups in the molecule, (B) a polyorganohydrogensiloxane having at least two hydrogen atoms each bound to a silicon atom in the molecule, and (C) a platinum-containing catalyst, wherein the ratio of the number (Vi A ) of alkenyl groups in the component (A) to the number (H B ) of hydrogen atoms each bound to a silicon atom in the component (B) is 0.5 to 100 and the component (C) is contained in an amount of 0.5 to 1000 ppm in terms of platinum-type metal atom content, and wherein the composition that is not cured yet comprises at least two parts selected from the group consisting of a part containing the component (B), a part containing both the components (B) and (A), a part containing the component (C) and a part containing both the components (C) and (A).


Summary.  Chronic hepatitis C is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in persons undergoing haemodialysis. This single‐arm, open‐label clinical trial investigated the safety and efficacy of an escalating dosage regimen of pegylated interferon (PEG‐IFN) alpha‐2b in this patient population. Patients with chronic hepatitis C who were undergoing haemodialysis began treatment with PEG‐IFN alpha‐2b at a dose of 0.5 μg/kg/week, which was increased every 4 weeks to a maximum of 1 μg/kg/week. Treatment duration was 24 weeks for patients with genotype (G) 2 or 3 infection and 48 weeks for patients with G1 infection. The primary end point was sustained virological response (SVR). Of 46 patients screened, 34 (G1: 70.6%; G3: 29.4%) were treated and 23 (67.6%) completed treatment. Overall, 85.3% of patients experienced early virological response, 52.9% experienced end‐of‐treatment response, and 50% attained SVR, with a trend toward higher SVR rates in G3 compared with G1 patients (80%vs 37.5%; P = 0.06). Anaemia was the main reason for discontinuation of treatment. Patients with chronic hepatitis C who are undergoing haemodialysis can be successfully treated with an escalating dosage regimen of PEG‐IFN alpha‐2b monotherapy. G3‐infected patients can attain high rates of SVR with only 24 weeks of therapy.


Oxygen therapy is one of the principal nonpharmacological treatments for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The recent GOLD strategy for diagnosis and management of COPD identifies the three modes of oxygen administration as long-term continuous therapy (LTOT), ambulatory oxygen therapy and short burst oxygen therapy to relieve acute dyspnoea.' It is well recognized that the administration of continuous oxygen (> 15 hours per day) improves the survival of patients with


Design knowledge, for its most part, is tacit. The embedded and inherent nature of tacit knowledge implies that it is a cognitive and internal construct acquired through the design act of doing. However, it is also socially constructed through shared experiences, collaborations and interactions. The design studio is a dynamic, pedagogical site that facilitates the construction of tacit knowledge through its myriad of interactive spaces. Online and virtual platforms offer opportunities to extend the learning boundaries of its social realm. Studies in the influence of these spaces on tacit knowledge construction are currently insufficient. An interpretive study was conducted in different studio environments within the Environment and Interior Design discipline of the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to further the understanding of tacit knowledge construction in blended learning environments.


The feasibility for using code division multiple access technology in power spread spectrum communication(SSC)system is discussed. The ability of anti multipath interference of the SSC system is analyzed. The feasibility using diffraction fields is discussed. Some inaccurate concepts concerning the spread specerum communication are pointed out. The measures for the frequency management and establishing a SSC system are proposed.


The research is all about the "EFFECTS OF ABSENTEEISM ON STUDENTS PERFORMANCE". Author was collected data from the department of Lahore school of Nursing "The University of Lahore" the total population of the department is N#170. 119 survey questionnaires were distributed to the students of the LSN department. Answers were collected on 5-Likert scale which was based on options; 1 for strongly agree and 5 for strongly disagree All female and male, below 20 years to above 30 years were included .They filled the questionnaire after consents. The results of findings show that there are three main factors or indicators which are badly affecting by absenteeism i.e. class participation .coordination of students with teachers and peers and the third is the Grades of students. Out of 119, 82 females and 37 male participant's opinions were recorded and it is concluded that 84.5% agree for the effects of class participation, 68.67% agree for the effects on student's coordination. 69.40%.agree for poor GPA. As shown in table (4.1, 4.2, 4.3) respectively. It is recommended that University should take effective measures in order to control the absenteeism. Attendance teams should recognize barriers of absenteeism and deal with them through interventions, such as work in partnership and find needs students. Attendance policy makers should provide incentives or rewards to motivate the students for the good percentage of attendance hence the academic outcomes of the students and the organization can become outstanding.


Breast cancer is one of the diseases of most profound concern, with the most prevalence worldwide, where early detections and diagnoses play the leading role against this disease achieved through imaging techniques such as mammography. Radiologists tend to have a high false positive rate for mammography diagnoses and an accuracy of around 82%. Currently, deep learning (DL) techniques have shown promising results in the early detection of breast cancer by generating computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems implementing convolutional neural networks (CNNs). This work focuses on applying, evaluating, and comparing the architectures: AlexNet, GoogLeNet, Resnet50, and Vgg19 to classify breast lesions after using transfer learning with fine-tuning and training the CNN with regions extracted from the MIAS and INbreast databases. We analyzed 14 classifiers, involving 4 classes as several researches have done it before, corresponding to benign and malignant microcalcifications and masses, and as our main contribution, we also added a 5th class for the normal tissue of the mammary parenchyma increasing the correct detection; in order to evaluate the architectures with a statistical analysis based on the received operational characteristics (ROC), the area under the curve (AUC), F1 Score, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity. We generate the best results with the CNN GoogLeNet trained with five classes on a balanced database with an AUC of 99.29%, F1 Score of 91.92%, the accuracy of 91.92%, precision of 92.15%, sensitivity of 91.70%, and specificity of 97.66%, concluding that GoogLeNet is optimal as a classifier in a CAD system to deal with breast cancer.


The UK's Gene Therapy Advisory Committee defines gene therapy as "the deliberate introduction of genetic material into human somatic cells for therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic purposes". The field of gene therapy was enabled by the development of recombinant DNA technology, which allows precise and customised "cutting and pasting" of DNA molecules to produce a desired gene construct within specially adapted bacterial plasmids (see Figure 1, p262). These can then be cloned and amplified in safe, laboratory strains of bacteria (Escherichia coli). Some clinical trials have involved delivery of therapeutic genes as plasmid DNA. Skeletal muscle can take up "naked" plasmid DNA quite efficiently, leading to gene expression, and this simple approach may be suitable in vaccination regimens. However, DNA uptake into most cells is inefficient, so DNA is usually complexed (packaged with a chemical coat) to facilitate its uptake by cells. There are many different formulations, including cationic lipids, polyamines, peptides and polymers; improving the efficiency of gene delivery to target tissues remains an area of active research and development. Three decades of human endeavour to improve the efficiency of gene delivery has yet to rival the success of the millennia of evolution that have optimised the ability of viruses to deliver their genomes into target cells. Scientists have therefore chosen to exploit viruses to carry therapeutic genes into cells — both for basic research and for gene therapy.


The invention discloses a weld appearance shape based on line laser scanning and a surface defect detection method. The method comprises the steps of acquiring the actual profile curve of any section of a welded joint by laser; carrying out high-dimensional fitting on the actual profile curve to obtain a fitting profile curve, so as to obtain a first-order derivative curve of the fitting profile curve; determining the addressing ranges of the starting point and the final point of the welded joint by the first-order derivative curve; finding a point which has maximum differential value with the fitting profile curve on the actual profile curve as the starting point and final point of the section of the welded joint to obtain an integrally three-dimensional profile image of the welded joint. The welded joint is deemed to have a defect when a differential value between any point of the profile curve of the welded joint and the fitting profile curve exceeds the preset standard value. According to the detection method provided by the invention, the starting point and the final point of the welded joint can be accurately judged, and various surface defects of the welded joint can be precisely judged.


The quantity of document and data from enterprise-level users increases exponentially,and the existing file storage facilities cannot meet the growth.This study proposes to establish an enterprise private cloud storage platform based on Hadoop.Using Linux cluster technology,distributed file systems and cloud computing framework,a mass data storage and high-speed data processing service can be achieved.The study compares the private cloud storage with the traditional storage model,analyzes the advantage and feasibility of private cloud storage technology,and presents an architecture model for enterprise private cloud storage.Theoretical analysis shows that the enterprise private cloud storage platform is suitable for critical business applications,and online transaction processing.The platform can meet the requirements from mass data storage and data scale expansion.


Low back pain is a common health problem often complained around the world with prevalence of 12% -35% 2 . Low back pain is the second causes of patient consult in United State of America and become the etiology of patient under 45 years old disability. 3  Apart from a number of strategies recommended for the causes of low back pain , the initial diagnosis and correct diagnosis of the pain location is of clinical importance. In Indonesia, diagnostic test for lumbosacral radiography, EDX and neurological clinic examination that might help to diagnose HNP have never been compared to MRI as gold standard.  Many studies have tried to find diagnostic alternatives using other modalities to help with HNP screening such as myelographic CT scans, conventional myelography or discography, but those tests are invasive. Common test that is expected to help in screening is clinical neurological examination because it is easy to do, requires no fees, can be carried out by a neurology resident supervised by a neurologist and a neurologist himself, and can be done anywhere. The accuracy of neurological clinical examinations, along with lumbosacral radiography and electrodiagnosis in assessing signs of lumbar HNP as a screening method is compared to gold standard MRI. The study is a diagnostic study with a cross sectional approach. This research was conducted at the Department of Neurology, Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Hospital Palembang in the period of 6 months from February to July 2018. The study population were patients who were suspected of having lumbar HNP. Samples were patients with suspected lumbar HNP who came to Dr. RSUP. Mohammad Hoesin Palembang and conducted a Lumbosacral MRI examination and according to the research acceptance criteria (inclusion and exclusion criteria). We find that ischialgia history, lumbosacral radiographs, upright AP projections, electroneuromyograph (ENMG) and neurological clinical examinations can be used as a screening modality in diagnosing lumbar HNP and have an accuracy that approaches the gold standard examination, namely MRI.


There is no unified and comprehensive definition of arbitration in legal science.3 Most of the positive regulations that regulate it, both in the world and in our country (the Arbitration Act), omit the issue of its definition. However, in science and in legal practice, arbitration is most often defined through arbitration dispute, its elements, course and legal effects, and through indicating differences between arbitration and judicial process, i.e., arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution methods. It is concluded that arbitration is an alternative to judicial settlement of a dispute, formed by consensus or consent of the will of the parties involved, private, and that its decisions are legally binding and final.4 5 This paperwork is trying to explain differences and different way of conducting in case when participants in arbitration cases are from different legal systems, especially differences between the most important and the most spreader legal systems in the world, European, civil law system and Anglo-Saxon law (common law). In the second and third chapter, attention is paid to the procedural and material differences between the continental and the common law arbitration procedures, especially in differences between the investigative (continental legal system) and the common law principles of the proceedings. In the fourth chapter, the difference between the starting of the arbitration procedure was dealt with, while in chapter five, special attention was paid to the presentation of evidence in the mentioned legal systems. The 1 LL.M, lawyer, law firm in Geneva email address: firstname.lastname@example.com 2 LL.D, assistant professor, Faculty of Economics at University of Banja Luka, email address: nenad. email@example.com 3 Jean-Francois Poudret, Sébastien Besson et all. Comparative Law of International Arbitration (Sweet & Maxwell, 2007) 1-3. 4 Маја Stanivuković, International Arbitration (Belgrade: Official Gazette, 2014) 19-20 5 Poudret, Besson, Comparative Law of International Arbitration. 3-12.


Aboriginal women have higher rates of homelessness than non-Aboriginal women and they are overrepresented in the prison population. Those who are homeless are at increased risk for incarceration; equally, those just released from prison are particularly vulnerable to homelessness. In this paper we review the historical context and the literature on homelessness and incarceration among Aboriginal women, and summarize best practices or promising programs for interrupting the cycle of homelessness and incarceration. The literature suggests that an effective program contains one or more of the following characteristics. First, it recognizes sociohistorical factors that have contributed to homelessness and criminality. Second, it helps establish a sense of identity and connection with Aboriginal culture, tradition, and spirituality. Third, it addresses the particular needs of women, specifically, the interpersonal violence that Aboriginal women have experienced throughout their lives, and the importance of women's relationships 1. Acknowledgements: This study, funded by Human Resources Skill Development Canada, Homeless Partnering Secretariat, represents the background work necessary for our community-based research project, Aboriginal Women's Voices: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Incarceration. In the study we partner with Aboriginal and other women in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and Calgary, Alberta to develop solutions to reduce homelessness and recidivism.


MANY OF the current tests and reference books used by educational researchers are quite sharp in their condemnation of the practice of performing t-tests on each pair of means as a method of testing the hypothesis that, in a completely randomized de sign, jUj. = ju2 = ... = Lij. whenk>2. The prac tice generally recommended as a suitable alterna tive, however, has but little more merit. The authors of these works quite rightly indi cate that when a given critical value is set for test ing all the possible pairs of differences between a number of means in this way, the probability of at least one false significant difference will be great er than the critical value. The practice sometimes suggested and followed today involves applying the F-test for analysis of variance and following that with t-tests for all possible comparisons between means. Such a procedure ignores one of the prin cipal arguments against applying the t-test in the first place. As Steel and Torrie (19) point out, with three treatments the observed value of "t" for the greatest difference will exceed the tabled .05 level about 13% of the time even if the treatment popula tions truly do not have differing means. This change in significance level is progressive, and for six treatments the value of "t" for the greatest dif ference will be greater than the tables . 05 level about 40% of the time. It is true that some protection against the er ror of rejecting a true hypothesis of no difference is provided if specific comparisons are made only after the application of the F-test and only if the result indicates rejection of the hypothesis that ?i = M2 = MkIt would seem, however, that at this point it would be appropriate to turn to one of a number of procedures for specific comparisons among treatment means which have been developed in recent years. These procedures, in general, are designed to set an experiment-wise error rate or level of significance. A number of the more apparently useful meth ods of comparison have received some attention in recent years (5, 9,10,11,15,19, 22). In an article in the September 1955 issue of Psychological Bulletin, McHugh (9) discussed the problem of examining comparisons between means which are suggested by the data. A method pro posed by Scheff? (13) was applied to two examples of this type of situation. Additional interest in such a posteriori or "post-mortem" analyses was stirred by a paper prepared by Stanley (15) and also pub lished in the Psychological Bulletin. Stanley point ed out that Scheff?'s test, while offering an experi ment-wise level of significance, was not as power ful as some other tests proposed. A procedure de veloped by Tukey (20) was offered as an alternative. For the instance in which comparisons of each ex perimental group with a control only are desired, Stanley offered the procedure suggested by Dun nett (4). More recently, Thomas A. Ryan (11) discussed the questions of logic which arise in choosing methods of dealing with multiple comparisons and other multiple statistical tests. He contended that the decision with respect to which methods of com parison are correct should not revolve around whether or not the comparisons being made were specified in advance of data collection (a priori) or were suggested by the data (a posteriori). Rather, wrote Ryan, the fact is that the classical methods are inappropriate for multiple comparisons under any circumstances, and should be replaced by the newer methods in either instance. It should be noted that Ryan also presented a very comprehen sive discussion of the considerations involved in determining the actual error rate or level of sig nificance in a given experiment involving multiple comparisons. A resulting exchange by Gaito (6) and Ryan (12) resulted in further clarification of the problem and proposed solutions. Nevertheless, the question of whether the appropriate error rate should be per comparison or per experiment con tinues to be debated (13, 21), with the weight of evidence seeming to fall on the side of those who espouse the use of an experiment-wise error rate. One point raised by Ryan (12) with respect to the newer methods for multiple comparisons should be made quite clear. The Scheff?, Tukey, Dunnett and certain other of the available methods may be applied without the use of an initial F-test of the


India has taken up the initiative of developing smart cities hence there is a need for designing proper underground infrastructure which includes underground water pipelines, drainage monitoring for the purpose of keeping the city clean. If the drainage system is not monitored properly it may lead to blockage and sewage overflow which in turn leads to contamination of pure water resulting in spreading of infectious diseases. An underground drainage monitoring system is designed which has various sensors that detect the overflow of the sewage, level of drainage, the concentration of harmful gases within the manhole, flow rate and sends the information to the authority via GSM module.


The fungus Sclerotinia minor is presently under development in this laboratory as a granular bioherbicide for broadleaf weed species. With a view to enhancing the virulence of the fungus, the effect of increasing endogenous oxalic acid concentration through modification of the growth conditions was investigated. S. minor was grown in 125 ml of eight different liquid culture media in shake flasks incubated at 20°C for 7 days. The final pH, mycelial dry weight, and oxalic acid content of the spent growth media were determined and the virulence of S. minor grown on each solid culture medium was screened on detached dandelion leaves. A 330% increase in oxalic acid was obtained plus 56 mM of sodium succinate to Modified Richard's solution (MRS) as compared to MRS alone. A concomitant increase in virulence of 218% was expressed as increased lesion diameter.


The article situates medical missions within the broader context of the healing ministry of the Christian Church. In its first part it sketches the biblical tradition of this healing ministry and its meaning in the life of Jesus and his disciples. The second section provides a survey of Christian healing initiatives and care for the sick from the Early Church until the emergence of medical missions in the nineteenth century. The third part focuses on the development of the concept medical missions and its changes up to the present, while the final part briefly reflects on the lasting legacy of medical missions which is seen in that, if Christians ignore and neglect corporeality, they disgrace God the Creator and God's incarnation in Jesus Christ. The article therefore concludes that medical missions remind the Church that at the root of too spiritual a concept of mission and too materialistic a concept of health lies a misconceived, non-biblical anthropology which profoundly distorts the Christian witness to God incarnate in Christ.


The important value of expert system applied to airplane system fault diagnosis is discussed generally. The techniques of CBR are used for the design of airplane system diagnosis expert system(MDES).According to the characters of airplane fault diagnosis,the framework of MDES is designed and the relative key techniques are researched.


Additive manufacturing, popularly known as "3D printing", enables us to fabricate advanced scaffolds and cell-scaffold constructs for tissue engineering. 4D printing makes dynamic scaffolds for human tissue regeneration, while bioprinting involves living cells for constructing cell-laden structures. However, 3D/4D printing and bioprinting have limitations. This article provides an up-to-date review of 3D/4D printing and bioprinting in tissue engineering. Based on 3D/4D printing, 5D printing is conceptualized and explained. In 5D printing, information as the fifth dimension in addition to 3D space and time is embedded in printed structures and can be subsequently delivered, causing change/changes of the environment of 5D printed objects. Unlike 3D/4D printing that makes passive/inactive products, 5D printing produces active or intelligent products that interact with the environments and cause their positive changes. Finally, the application of 5D printing in tissue engineering is illustrated by our recent work. 3D/4D/5D printing and bioprinting are powerful manufacturing platforms for tissue engineering.
 Graphical abstract


Tashian (1 961, 1969) demonstrated several different esterases in human red cells by electrophoresis. Azo dye coupling techniques were used to locate the esterase isozymes. Three main groups of esterases were defined on the basis of their electrophoretic properties, substrate specificities and inhibition characteristics, and were referred to as the A, B and C esterases. Isozymes of carbonic anhydrase, which also has esteratic activity, were also demonstrated using essentially similar techniques. Fig. 1, which is based on Tashian's work, shows a diagrammatic representation of the various red cell esterase isozymes after electrophoresis of haemolysates in borate starch gels at pH 8.0-8-6. The A esterases are subdivided into three sets of isozymes, A,, A, and As, which differ electrophoretically and in their storage properties and inhibition characteristics ; also the As isozymes have a larger molecular size than A, or A,. Inherited variants of these isozymes are rare in man but two different variant phenotypes have been reported (Tashian & Shaw, 1962; Tashian, 1965). They are of particular interest because each of the three subgroups of A esterase are affected in the variant isozyme patterns suggesting that A,, A, and As contain a common subunit. Family studies on one of the variants indicated that this esterase A locus is autosomal. Esterase B is primarily a butyryl esterase and no variants have been reported in population surveys to date. Esterase C is a rather weakly staining invariate acetyl esterase. Several different variants of the carbonic anhydrase isozyme CA I (or B) have been recorded in the literature (see Tashian, 1969) but they are all individually rare except in certain cases where they have been identified in small isolated populations, e.g. the CA I, variant in Guam and Saipan. The CA 1 locus is autosomal and the variants do not affect CA I1 (or C). The latter is determined at a separate autosomal locus and recent studies (Moore, Funakoshi & Deutsch, 1971) using an immunological detection technique have led to the recognition of a genetic polymorphism of CA 11 in Blacks. Another esterase which occurs in red cells is acetylcholinesterase. This is membrane bound and not therefore readily detected by electrophoresis of simple lysates. The present paper describes yet a further human red cell esterase. It will be referred to as esterase D (Es D). It was discovered by the use of the fluorogenic substrates, 4-methyl-umbelliferyl acetate and 4-methyl-umbelliferyl butyrate, for the detection of esterase isozymes after starch gel electrophoresis. The isozymes of this new esterase are different from the red cell A, B aiid C esterases, the carbonic anhydrase isozymes, and from acetylcholinesterase in their


Traditional ant colony algorithm is modified in the aspects of transition probability and dynamic updating mechanism sociohormone.In the design of transition probability the gang control of two parameters is adopted to implement the Dorigo and Maniezzo's conception proposed in the year of 1992.The dynamic updating mechanism of sociohormone makes the weight of sociohormone varied with the increment of iteration times,so the all-round and speedy search in whole feasible region is realized and the defects of low training efficiency and easy to fall into local minimum in traditional ant colony algorithm are remedied.The result of distribution network optimization shows that the modified algorithm is effective.


The effects of altering resource value on agonistic behaviour were investigated by staging fights between pairs of male shore crabs, Carcinus maenas (L.) in the presence and absence of food. The nature of the agonistic behaviour of Carcinus maenas is described. The behaviour of winners and losers appears to be different from an early stage in the fights. Contests do not begin with initial display followed by a progressive increase in intensity. The fights become very intense almost immediately at the start of a bout and display acts are performed throughout the fights. As expected, there appears to be an increase in intensity in the contests with food. The duration of fights is highly variable but is significantly lower for contests when food is present than in contests without food (mean fight length 559 ± S.E. 53 and 1143 ± S.E. 135 seconds respectively). The results are discussed in relation to current predictions from game theory models.


[2 + 2] Cycloaddition of imines with sulfenes (prepared in situ from alkanesulfonic acids under the action of propylphosphonic anhydride T3P) afforded the corresponding cis b-sultams.


We used polyethylene glycol (PEG) and enhanced the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS from 0.3 S cm-1 to 805 S cm-1 with only 2% PEG additive. The conductivity was further enhanced to 1100 S cm-1 by combining PEG and methanol treatment. PEG treated PEDOT:PSS films showed better phase separation between PEDOT and PSS with fiber like 3D PEDOT networks. The carrier concentration increased by three orders of magnitude after PEG treatment. ITO-free polymer solar cells with PEG treated PEDOT:PSS anodes were fabricated and optimized. Double layer PEDOT:PSS treated with 2% PEG200 anodes showed power conversion efficiency of 3.71% while and the ITO counterpart showed 3.73%.


The paper deals with control solutions for an electric drive system where the reference and the load disturbance are continuously variable and the plant has variable parameters. The main variable parameter of the process is the moment of inertia in the context of a system that corresponds to laboratory equipment. Using a detailed mathematical model of the process and the particular features of the drive system, the paper proposes variable control structures with switching between three or more control algorithms. This solution is preferred instead of a continuously parameter adaptation due to its simplicity in adaptation to the representative operating points. The control design results are focused on development of two-degree-of-freedom PID control solutions. The control solutions are applied in case studies based on digital simulation but, considering fixed values of the process parameters, they can be easily verified on laboratory equipment [1]. The proposed control solutions have a large applicability in the field of mechatronics systems, where such applications with variable moment of inertia and control system inputs are always present.


The Nerve Root Sedimentation Sign in transverse magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to discriminate well between selected patients with and without lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), but the performance of this new test, when used in a broad patient population, is not yet known (Barz et al. 2010). We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive patients with suspected LSS from 2004–2006, before the sign had been described, to assess its association with health outcomes. Based on clinical and radiological diagnostics, patients had been treated with decompression surgery or conservative treatment (physical therapy, oral pain medication). Changes in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) from baseline to 24 month follow-up were compared between Sedimentation Sign positives and negatives in both treatment arms. Of the 146 included patients (52% female, mean age 59 yrs), 71 underwent surgery. Baseline ODI in this treatment arm was 52%, the sign was positive in 44 patients (mean ODI improvement 25 points) and negative in 27 (ODI improvement 24), with no significant difference between groups. In the 75 patients of the conservative treatment arm, baseline ODI was 44%, the sign was negative in 45 (ODI improvement 17), and positive in 30 (ODI improvement 5). Here a positive sign was associated with a smaller ODI improvement compared with sign negatives (t-test, p=0.003). This study allowed an unbiased clinical validation of the Sedimentation Sign by avoiding it influencing treatment selection. In the conservative treatment arm a positive sign identifies a group of patients who are less likely to benefit. In these cases, surgery might be effective; however, this needs confirmation in prospective studies.


Current surveys indicate that more than 70% of married couples in Japan use condoms as their primary contraceptive method. The popularity of condoms is due to the oral contraceptive (OC) pills not being recognized as safe forms of contraception and IUDs not being legalized by the government until 1974. The history of condom use in Japan goes back to 1872 when condoms of thin leather were imported into Japan from England and France. Manufacturing of condoms in Japan began in 1909, mainly as a method for venereal disease prevention. The condom and induced abortion are now the major methods of contraception. 60% of the distribution of condoms is through pharmacies and cosmetic stores; 50% of the buyers are women. Since 1955, teams of family planning workers have distributed condoms by selling on a door-to-door basis, especially to lower middle class couples. Between 1969-75, 75% of contraceptive users were using condoms. Currently there are 81% users. The rhythm method ranks second in popularity at 30% between 1969-75. OCs have gradually increased recently to 3% users, but side effects have deterred people from selecting them. The proportion of IUD users has remained at a consistently low level for the past several years. Japan accounts for 1/3 of the total world production of condoms.


To investigate the Nonaqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL)−vapor phase mass transfer, a series of NAPL volatilization experiments was carried out using toluene as the contaminant. Three sizes of glass beads and a medium silica sand were selected as the porous media. Experiments were performed for a NAPL saturation range of 13.8−71% and a pore gas velocity in the range of 0.1−2 cm/s. Previously, the interphase mass transfer process was characterized as a lumped parameter together with the interfacial area between the phases because of the complexity of the porous medium and the NAPL morphology. In this paper, actual vapor phase mass transfer was evaluated using the corresponding air−liquid interfacial area. The value of air−liquid interfacial area was calculated following the procedure presented in our previous studies. An empirical correlation for the actual NAPL−vapor phase mass transfer process was developed statistically for the variable zone of NAPL saturation, and the model showed that the interphase mass tra...


Abstract It is shown that nonlinear segregation effects (saturation, interaction of species) lead to nonlinear grain-boundary penetration plots. If the diffusion penetration depth is larger than a critical value, the concentration profiles become linear. The sign of the curvature and the deviation from a straight concentration profile depend on the segregation parameters (segregation energy, energy of mixing). As an illustration results of numerical calculations are presented and discussed.


Abstract: This study investigates the extent to which hotel employees are conscious of their abilities to identify facial expressions and emotions conveyed by customers while interacting with those customers. Facial expressions and emotions may have significant implications when interpreted as a sign of satisfaction and the quality of the service that was provided. According to the findings, a sizeable portion of hotel staff members do not have an accurate understanding of their abilities to recognise facial expressions and emotions, and a large number of them have a tendency to exaggerate their capabilities. This study has significant ramifications in regard to employee efforts put into tasks (such as effort and concentration), employee selfdevelopment and training, and employee willingness to take risks in their respective service encounters.


Phase-change material building mass contains phase-change matenals. It can decrease air-conditioning load and indoor temperature fluctuations, and improve comfort degree in summer because of thermal storage property of phase-change material. Thereby, the scale, initial investment and operational cost of air-conditioning system decrease effectively. The indoor surroundings improve. In this paper, suitable phase-change material used in architecture and combination mode between phase change material and architectural material were studied. By considering the properties of materials, such as phase-change temperature, phase-change latent heat, thermal conductivity and expansion coefficient, phase-change materials were selected and evaluated. Combination mode between phase-change material and architectural material were provided. The influence of phase-change material structure on thermal performance in room and energy-saving effect were analyzed and compared with traditional structure without phase-change material. It is proved that phase-change material structure is feasible in the practical engineenng. These provide the basis for developing phase-change material building mass.


The Meninting Dam under construction on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, requires a good planning to build a diversion tunnel to support its development and mobilization. The diversion tunnel is planned to be built through rocks with medium to poor rock mass quality. The planning stage involves various parameters, i.e., the rock mass classification, using either the RMR or GSI method. Converting values from one method to another makes planning work easier. However, the constraints found were the limitations of the observational data, such as discontinuity conditions. The objective of this article is to discuss the alternative depiction of discontinuity conditions in rock mass using RMR method. An alternative equation was developed to obtain a prediction model for determining the RMR value, based on GSI data. The evaluation showed that the mathematical models developed in this research had a small gap of error compared to other values. The models then can be used to predict RMR value based on GSI data and vice versa, with a higher degree of accuracy and precision according to the actual rock surface conditions, especially in the construction site of diversion tunnel at Meninting Dam.


Penetrating limestone in Malmo, Sweden, the underground works at Citytunneln comprise two parallel 7·8 m internal diameter railway tunnels, 6 km long, excavated with tunnel-boring machines. Triangeln Station, halfway along the tunnels, is a 30 m wide cavern with 15 m soil/rock cover and a row of pillars for central support. Malmo C Station at the northern end is an open cut-and-cover structure. There are two contracts, one for the tunnels and cavern (Lot E201) and another for Malmo C Station (Lot E101). Differing risk management techniques maintained an appropriate balance in the risk distribution. Groundwater lowering close to the harbour and the stability of adjacent historic buildings were the main hazards in E101. The design was based on the client's geotechnical interpretative report (GIR), and encountered deviations were compensated within a unit rate contract (E101). By contrast, the tunnelling risks in E201 were handled in a design–build contract (Lot E201), with the contractor responsible for the...


The invention provides a device comprising: a display unit configured to display an image corresponding to image data and to be rotatable with respect a body case of the device; a detection unit configured to detect a rotation angle of the display unit; and a data processing unit configured to process the image data to rotate the image in accordance with a rotation angle of the display unit detected by the detection unit.


This paper proposes a new numbering method for a fragile watermarking algorithm aimed at improving color medical image watermarking. The proposed method uses Hilbert pattern numbering before watermarking operations such as parity bits check and comparison between average intensities as the authentication data. The authentication data embedded in the same host image are utilized to localize any tamper using block-wise approach. The method is very effective since it only requires a secret key and public, chaotic mixing algorithm to recover the attacked image. We use the Hilbert mapping approach, which is more compatible with medical image modalities, which is not only specifically to the square shape of image but applicable to all kinds and modalities of the image. We propose the algorithm to match the criterion of having 3 planes in a color image. The peak-signal-noise-ratio value of the proposed scheme is very good, achieving up to 56 decibelf.


Heritabilities, dominance variation and genetic correlations (rpc) among pure and crossbred performance were estimated for egg production and egg quality traits in 4 generations of two nucleus lines of egg-laying chickens and their cross, all reared in similar environments. Estimates of rpc were high (0.76 to 0.94) and coupled with estimates of dominance variance (d2 = 0.04 to 0.09) and the absence of obvious heterosis, indicate little advantage to be gained from use of crossbred data in genetic improvement, where pure lines and crossbreds are reared in a similar non-stressful environment.


While deconstructionism, one of the cardinal features of postmodern philosophy, was not popular until the preceding century in Western intellectual circles, the traditional Yorùbá are not new to the practice. This claim is especially striking once an inquiry into the procedural and epistemic underpinning of Ifá divination is attempted. If this holds, it is not unwise to query: Who are the Yorùbá? What kind of practice in Ifá divination is redolent of deconstructionism? Does deconstructionism among the traditional Yorùbá validate not only the persistence but also the practice of postmodern philosophy among these people? Through the method of analysis and interpretation, this study posits that the Ifá divination process reeks of deconstructionism even before the term and idea became ubiquitous in concurrent academic circles. In addition, this study highlights that deconstruction in Ifá divination is not only for the attainment of new meaning, but also serves as groundwork for the guidance, counsel and resolution of challenges both at personal and social levels.


Purpose: To better delineate intervention programs, knowledge of the factors that are associated with physical fitness in stroke survivors is crucial. This study aimed to predict cardiorespiratory fitness based on standardized measures along the several dimensions of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model at several time intervals in the first year after stroke. Methods: Forty patients were assessed at 3, 6 and 12 months poststroke. A symptom-limited graded cycle ergometer test was used to assess cardiorespiratory fitness. Outcome variables were VO2 peak and the Oxygen Uptake Efficiency Slope (OUES). Impairments, activity limitations, participation restrictions, personal and environmental factors were assessed to determine predictive factors. Results: Explained variance at 3, 6 and 12 months poststroke was 39%, 55% and 91% for VO2 peak and 55%, 63% and 79% for OUES. A strong association between knee muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness was found at each measurement time, explaining up to 72 % of the variance in fitness. At 12 months poststroke, functional mobility, body mass index (BMI) and emotional status also contributed to explain variance. Conclusions: Knee muscle strength was found to be a very strong predictor of cardiorespiratory fitness during the first year after stroke and functional mobility became important at 12 months poststroke. Implications for Rehabilitation Knee muscle strength was found to be a very strong predictor of cardiorespiratory fitness during the first year after stroke and functional mobility became important at 12 months post-stroke. Cardiorespiratory endurance training should be implemented with strength-developing exercises of both lower limbs, with emphasis on the weaker paretic side.


We know that the friendly ties between Europe and the United States and Canada are unique and without alternative. There is no lack of shared challenge. I believe they are more likely to increase than decrease. But we know together as partners we are strong.1During the course of Germany's EU council presidency in 2007, Canada was mentioned often in official speeches, government documents, and petitions. Nonetheless, EU-Canadian economic integration was not a serious priority for Germany-or for that matter the European Union. The EU-Canada economic partnership project remained vague in design and scope; there was no mention of free trade or a transatlantic marketplace. Instead, Chancellor Angela Merkel concentrated on an EU-US-centred transatlantic marketplace. This article outlines and explains the dominance of the United States in Merkel' s transatlantic market place initiative. The first part analyses official documents and speeches from Germany's EU council presidency to show how and when Canada appears on Merkel' s transatlantic agenda. The second part of the article explains Canada's role in transatlantic economic relations by evaluating commercial ties, interests, and strategies. The article concludes that the fate of the EU-Canada economic partnership project depends very much on high-level support on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as the development of a clear vision. Otherwise the initiative is destined to fail, as have many of its predecessors.GERMANY'S EU PRESIDENCY: APUSH FOR DEEPER TRANSATLANTIC INTEGRATION? EU-US ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND THE TRANSATLANTIC MARKETPLACEOn 1 January 2007, Germany took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. During its tenure, Germany proved to be a strong strategic leader with regard to transatlantic economic integration. The initiative for a transatlantic marketplace came directly from the chancellery and was driven at the highest political level from fall 2006. In contrast to other trade issues on the presidency's agenda, the chancellery was in charge of Merkels transatlantic initiative, with the groundwork being carried out by the federal ministry of economics and technology (BMWi) and the federal foreign ministry, via their respective country desks.The chancellor announced her idea to create a transatlantic free trade area in September 2006, reacting to the lack of progress in the WTO Doha round of negotiations and rising global competition due to the economic emergence of China and India. At first Merkel's initiative, which was at the time still vague, caused reactions in Berlin and Brussels that ranged from the reserved to the outright critical. It was not clear what she had in mind, a free trade area along the lines of previous proposals or deeper internal market integration. The idea of using a European-US free trade area as a bulwark against the leading emerging economies was particularly strongly criticized. Bernd Pfaffenbach, state secretary in the BMWi, described the initiative as the "deathblow" of the Doha round. EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson warned that the rest of the world would react with dismay if the two largest economic powers agreed to exclusive trade preferences.2.Above all, the idea of a transatlantic FTA met with resistance because it is no longer deemed appropriate, given that free trade agreements have hardly any effect on non-tariff barriers (FTAs, by definition, focus on the elimination of tariffs). Average customs duties in transatlantic trade, with the exception of some areas with high import tariffs, such as trade in agriculture and textiles, are now extremely low-less than four percent. The problem lies with non-tariff barriers, which continue to represent a serious impediment to market access. These barriers are to be found in standards set for industrial goods-in testing, licensing, and accounting-as well as in customs systems and in the area of government procurement. According to the OECD, liberalizing transatlantic trade could therefore result in considerable growth of up to three percent of GDP for both trade partners. …


In spite of the unique combination of properties of Re-based alloys and the use of electroless plating in many relevant industries, the early stages of electroless plating of Re-based thin films have not been reported before. This paper is focused on the study of the early stages of growth of ultrathin (<20 nm) Re–Ni films with high Re-content by electroless plating on a functionalized-SiO2 substrate. Each step, from the modification of the substrate to the formation of a continuous film, is characterized. Moreover, the


This study presents a numerical investigation into the effects of interfacial damage on the bond behaviors of the interfaces between two adjacent cracks in a fiber-reinforced polymer-plated reinforced concrete beam. The interfaces investigated herein refer to both fiber-reinforced polymer-to-concrete interface and steel-to-concrete bonded interface which were well represented in this study by a simplifying fiber-reinforced polymer-to-concrete bonded joint or steel bar-to-concrete bonded jointed joint loaded at their two ends, aiming to simulating the interaction between two adjacent flexural cracks in the fiber-reinforced polymer-plated reinforced concrete beams. Parametric studies were carried out using nonlinear finite element model built in ABAQUS to investigate the effects of a number of significant factors such as bond length, ratio of loads applied at the two ends (i.e. load ratio), and types of bond–slip models, with the main objective being to clarify the effect of interfacial damage (i.e. bondline damage) during slip reversals on the bond behaviors of the interfaces. The numerical results show that in finite element analysis of intermediate crack debonding of fiber-reinforced polymer-plated reinforced concrete beams where multiple cracks may exist, an appropriate consideration of the interfacial damage during slip reversals is necessary in order to achieve accurate predictions on the behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer-to-concrete bonded interfaces, while for the steel bar-to-concrete interface, the consideration of the interfacial damage has insignificant effect on the numerical results if the yield strength and bar diameter are in their practical range.


Malaysian Standards (MS) are developed through consensus by committees which comprise balanced representation of producers, users, consumers and others with relevant interests, as may be appropriate to the subject at hand. To the greatest extent possible, Malaysian Standards are aligned to or are adoption of international standards. Approval of a standard as a Malaysian Standard is governed by the Standards of Malaysia Act 1996 [Act 549]. Malaysian Standards are reviewed periodically. The use of Malaysian Standards is voluntary except in so far as they are made mandatory by regulatory authorities by means of regulations, local by-laws or any other similar ways.


Among the factors that prevent a student from having an entrepreneurial intention is the capacity and competencies that he or she can develop throughout his or her life. Therefore, universities can be seen as a solution to this constraint, through the quality programs that they can offer, which increase their skills related to entrepreneurial intention. Against this background, in this paper the level of risk tolerance in undergraduate engineering students by age or semester is examined, which may show that individuals accept greater risks. We propose an exploratory study and transversal and field design, where a questionnaire is self-administered to 365 university students active in engineering programs, which allows analyzing the determinants of this propensity by selecting the company α, which is an option with lower risk and moderate return on capital, and the company β with higher risk and return on capital than α. The results show that there is no evidence that the propensity to risk is related to any age class and semester level.


It is pointed out that a space manufacturing facility may be economically more effective than alternative industries on the earth for the construction of products which are to be used in geosynchronous or higher orbits. The suggestion is made to construct solar power stations at a space colony and relocate them in geosynchronous orbit to supply energy to the earth. Attention is given to energy problems and approaches for solving them, taking into account environmental effects and economic factors. Economic aspects of space manufacturing are discussed in some detail.


A considerable number of forests, i.e. about one fifth of the forest and other wooded land area in Europe, are reported as serving the protection of water supplies, the prevention of soil erosion and the provision of other important ecosystem services. Although the mechanisms for ensuring and safeguarding these services may vary, the importance of these functions is clearly recognized. Due to the variability in the interpretation of the indicator, trends over time need to treated with caution.


A method for remotely monitoring lamp of city road includes using monitor center to display and monitor parameter of each lamp of city road, using control subunit to control operation of each road lamp circuit and then using communication server to transmit data and command between monitor center and control subunit.


This paper describes an approach to application software development (the Application Software Factory) that enables over 90 percent reuse of code, produces application code where quality is measured in defects per million lines of code, and generates productivity exceeding that of interpretive 4GL environments. The environment is built on top of a commercial CASE tool and does not rely on exotic technology. The delivered systems are COBOL transaction processing systems using relational database technology and are predominantly online. Two applications of approximately 200,000 lines of code have each been developed by teams at two different sites. A third application of over 2 million lines of code is nearing completion. The paper depicts the important relationships between technology, management, methods, and design approaches that comprise the Application Software Factory.


Coupled with difficult management,the collection and transportation of grease in the remote wells of Xinjiang Oilfield is costly.The characteristics of produced water were ascertained by surveying the environmental conditions in Di 12 well area.An idea named "regional treatment using the nearest recharge" was proposed,and a suitable process combining gravity oil removal,vortex reaction and coagulation precipitation was put forward.The effluent quality achieved the requirement for recharge water,with a negligible oil content and SS of less than 8.1 mg/L.The process could bring an economic benefit of 640 000 yuan/a for the Cainan Oilfield.


Slug flow is a flow pattern commonly encountered in offshore multiphase flowlines. It is characterized by an alternate flow of liquid slugs and gas pockets, resulting in an unsteady hydrodynamic behavior. All important design variables, such as slug length and slug frequency, liquid holdup, and pressure drop, vary with time and this makes the prediction of slug flow characteristics both difficult and challenging. This paper reviews the state of the art methods in slug-catcher sizing and slug-volume predictions. In addition, history matching of measured slug flow data is performed using the OLGA transient simulator. This paper reviews the design factors that impact slug-catcher sizing during steady state, during transient, during pigging, and during operations under a process-control system. The slug-tracking option of the simulator is applied to predict the slug length and the slug volume during a field operation. This paper will also comment on the performance of common empirical slug-prediction correlations.


Our group recently synthesized a new, low‐cost photosensitizer, chlorophyllin f. In this study, the effects of chlorophyllin f‐mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) and its potential mechanisms were examined in human bladder cancer cells.


LBL-12721 rnur-tfi/MO-lM [ E l Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory • E d i UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Engineering & Technical Services Division Pre.sented at the 9th Symposium on Engineering' Problem.s of Fusion Research, Chicago, IL, October 26-29, 1981 NEUTRAL-BEAM PLASMA SOURCE METAL-ARC PROTECTION CIRCUIT G.J. deVrie.s, D.B. Hopkins, A.F. Liet.zki; and 11.M. Owren October 1981 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract W-7405-ENG-48


Background: Raised serum uric acid has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and is commonly encountered with essential hypertension, even untreated hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, which are in turn associated with coronary heart disease. Aim: To estimate the levels of uric acid in patients with essential hypertension. To correlate the levels of uric acid with the severity of hypertension in newly detected hypertensive patients. To compare the levels of uric acid in hypertensives with that in non hypertensives so as to assess the role of uric acid as a risk factor for hypertension. Materials and Methods: This study was an age and sex matched prospective case control study. Matching for other confounding factors such as diet, alcohol and smoking was also done. The study was conducted during the period from September 2010 to September 2012 after obtaining the clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Inclusion Criteria: Patients of age > 18 years, newly detected patients of essential hypertension and patients with essential hypertension on treatment. Exclusion Criteria: Patients with renal failure. Patients on treatment with drugs altering uric acid levels such as thiazides, loop diuretics, pyrazinamide and allopurinol. Lymphoproliferative or myeloproliferative disorders. Secondary hypertension and pregnancy induced hypertension. The study included a total of 142 patients of which 80 were cases (hypertensives) and 62 were controls (non hypertensives). Results: The range of the serum uric acid in cases was 1.40 to 11.30 mg/dl. In hypertensive males it was found to be from 1.40 to 11.30 mg/dl and in hypertensive females it was found to be from 2.70 to 11.10 mg/dl. The range of the serum uric acid in controls was 1.50 to 6.50 mg/dl. In hypertensive Mudumala Issac Abhilash, NL Varun Mai, K.B.R. Sastry. Raised serum uric acid levels as an independent risk factor for the development of hypertension. IAIM, 2017; 4(11): 37-46. Page 38 males it was found to be from 1.50 to 6.50 mg/dl and in hypertensive females it was found to be from 1.60 to 6.20 mg/dl. Serum uric acid is significantly elevated in hypertensives as compared to normotensive individuals. Serum uric acid can be used probably as an early biochemical marker to determine the severity of hypertension as stage 2 hypertensives had more elevation in serum uric acid levels as compared to other hypertensives. The uric acid levels did not differ significantly between hypertensives with and without treatment. There is a considerable difference in the mean serum uric acid levels between stages 1, 2 and isolated systolic hypertension in the newly detected hypertensives but it is not of a linear correlation The total number of newly detected hypertensives were 39 out of which 13 were diagnosed as stage 1 hypertension, 22 as stage 2 hypertension and 4 as isolated systolic hypertension. The mean of the serum uric acid was 4.20 (1.37) mg/dl, 6.56 (1.40) mg/dl and 4.40 (1.40) in stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension respectively, in newly diagnosed hypertensives. Conclusion: Thus serum uric acid estimation can be used for aiding in the diagnosis of essential hypertension as well as in assessment of the severity.


The utility model provides a dedicated pot for a micro-wave oven. Both the bottom of the pot body and the top of the pot cover comprise three layers, namely a housing, a heat preservation layer and an inner tank; heat preservation and insulation material is arranged on the middle layer; energy-saving and environmental-friendly micro-wave heating material is stuck to the side surface of a near heat preservation material of the inner tank; when the heating material is heated after absorbing microwaves, the heat is transmitted to the inner tank, so as to heat foods in the pot; to prevent contact surface of metals from generating electric sparks to the microwaves, the pot cover is in point contact with the pot body and clearances are formed on the buckling surface, thereby preventing the microwaves from producing electric sparks between metal contact surfaces; and the pot can be designed into a single-body heat preservation type or a double-layer full heat preservation type. The pot has the advantages of high electricity-heat conversion efficiency, significant energy conversation effect, even heating of entire foods, no oil fume , no electric current passing through the heater, electricity leakage eradication, no open fire, no waste gas, energy conservation, environmental friendliness, high cost performance, high safety performance, and simple and convenient use; and furthermore, a heating component is smartly designed on the pot cover, thereby realizing double-faced heating during baking and roasting without rolling food.


To improve the memory bandwidth in MPEG2 decoder,a new memory storage architecture was proposed,which was based on the inherent features of SDRAM and the characteristics of MPEG2 decoder in memory access.Using this architecture,the number of overhead cycles needed for row-activations in SDRAM can be minimized to satisfy the design requirements for MPEG2 MP@HL decoder.It is demonstrated that the proposed method can reduce about 90% of row activations and 60% of the cycles needed for decoding,compared with linear translation.


Performance measures to characterize fault tolerant multiprocessors used in the control of critical processes are considered. Our performance indices are based on controller response time. By relating this to the needs of the application, we have been able to derive indices that faithfully reflect the performance of the multiprocessor in the context of the application, that permit the objective comparison of rival computer systems, and that can either be definitively estimated or objectively measured. An example of a controller in an idealized satellite application is provided.


The question of NHS independence is being raised because of the belief that it has been damaged by a series of reorganisations and dramatic shifts in policies. The Department of Health has been reorganised three times; the regional structure and purchasing tier in the NHS have each been reorganised four times; there have been mergers of providers of acute services and reorganisation of mental health services; and inspectorates have been created, expanded, abolished, and merged (with one lasting 17 days).1–5 The policy of a market driven by provider competition in which money followed the patient was introduced in 1991,6 abolished in 1997,1 and reintroduced from 2006, …


We discuss the six‐quark structure of the deuteron and show that this structure can be observed and studied through D(e,e′p)Δ,N* reactions.


Due to the difficulties in differentiating bilingual children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) from bilingual children with temporary language difficulties that may be caused by heterogeneous language input, language assessments of bilingual children are challenging for clinicians. Research demonstrates that assessments of bilingual children should be in all the languages a bilingual child speaks. This can be arduous for clinicians, but computerised screening approaches provide potential solutions. MuLiMi is a new web-based platform designed to automatise screening procedures for bilingual children at risk of DLD. To validate this procedure and investigate its reliability, 36 Spanish-speaking children, aged 4–6 years old, living in Italy, were tested remotely using the Italian–Spanish MuLiMi DLD screening. Sixteen of the participants were previously diagnosed with DLD. L2 (second or societal language) as well as L1 (first or family language) language abilities in static (nonword repetition, grammaticality judgement, and verb comprehension) as well as dynamic tasks (dynamic novel word learning) were assessed. Speed and accuracy of the children's responses were automatically recorded (except nonword repetition). Significant associations emerged between the results obtained in the screening tasks when comparing them to parental questionnaires and standardised tests. An exploratory analysis of the diagnostic accuracy indicates that the single screening scores as well as the overall total score significantly contribute to DLD (risk) identification.


Background: Stenting is currently the standard of care in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Whether young patients remain at increased risk after PCI in the present stent era has not been investigated widely. We evaluated angiographic characteristics and short- and mid-term outcomes in patients younger than 40 years of age who underwent PCI. Methods: From April 2003 to March 2005, prospective data were collected in 118 consecutive patients, who were less than 40 years of age and underwent PCI at our referral center. The PCI outcomes in these patients were compared to those in 354 patients, randomly selected from 2493 patients older than 40 years of age in our database. Follow-up was scheduled at 1 month, 5 months, and 9 months through clinic visits, telephone interviews, and reviewing hospital records. Results: Patients<40 years of age were more often male (91.5% vs. 71.8%, P<0.001), current smokers (33.9% vs. 15.2 %, P<0.001), and had more family history of coronary artery disease (38.1% vs. 21.8%, P<0.001) and myocardial infarction (44.1 vs. 31.1, p=0.01), while diabetes mellitus (6.8% vs. 22.1%, P<0.001), hypertension (13.6% vs. 35.3%, P<0.001), and hyperlipidemia (34.7% vs. 44.8%, P=0.055) were less common in these patients. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding vessel involvement, reference vessel diameter, stenosis rate (before and after procedure), and lesion characteristics, with an exception that angulated lesions were more common in the patients≤ 40 years of age (P<0.05). The young patients, who underwent PCI, presented more frequently with single-vessel disease (61% vs. 46%, P=0.01).The vessel and lesion sites of PCI and clinical success rates were similar in these age groups. Usage of stent was high and similar, and drug- eluting stent use was not significantly different between the two groups. With a high procedural success (94.9% vs. 91.8%), intra-hospital and late complications were very low and similar in both groups. Conclusion: Percutaneous coronary intervention is a safe and effective procedure for young patients, and major adverse cardiac events are similar in young and older patients .


THE SAFETY ASSESSMENT of a drug relates its usefulness for an intended purpose to its inherent manifestations of toxicity; any useful drug can be shown to cause some undesirable effects in man or animal if searched for adequately. Thus, following the election of a new compound for clinical trial, the pharmacologist undertakes to assess how useful it may be and the toxicologist determines how toxic it is for animals. The reconciliation of efficacy with toxicity determines the element of safety and on this basis a new and interesting chemical may merit clinical trial. How safe the drug is for general use in therapeutics requires a third factor of judgment: "For what purpose is it intended?" This decision frequently is a clinical one. If we accept the concept that a drug can produce toxic effects in animals if tested under experimental conditions that may be more rigorous than those employed in


A hierarchical power management scheme is proposed in this paper for a typical DC Microgrid. Different from other Microgrids, the DC Microgrid can interface to the distribution system by Solid-State transformer (SST). The hierarchical power management strategy includes three control levels: 1) primary control for DC Microgrid to implement distributed operation 2) secondary control for the DC Microgrid bus voltage recovery to achieve seamless mode switch 3) tertiary control to manage the battery charge and discharge. The DC Microgrid can operate in islanding mode, including the individual control for distributed renewable energy source (DRER) and distributed energy storage device (DESD). In addition, the DC microgrid can operate in SST-enabled mode to interface to the distribution system. The DC Micorgrid can seamlessly switch between islanding mode and SST-enable mode. The consideration of state of charge (SOC) for battery is also involved into the tertiary control. To this end, a lab test-bed is constructed to verify the system performance. Lastly, several typical case studies are carried out and the experimental results verify the proposed power management strategy.


The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants affecting Korean farmers' choice of adaptation measures to climate change using multinomial logit model. The major findings of this study are summarized as follows. First, the results indicate that 70.7 percent of farmers have adapted to climate change and 29.3 percent of farmers have not adapted to climate change. Second, the results show that farmers prefer changing the varieties and the seed/harvest time in order to adapt to climate change. Third, the findings also indicate that experience, cultivated area, successor to farming, use of computer and Internet, number of farmer organizations, farm household income, extensional education, and use of smartphone have a significant impact on adaptation to climate change.


Objective To study the effect of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) γ ligands on cell growth in human liver cancer cells.Methods The effects of 15-deoxy-12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15 d-PGJ2) and troglitazone (TGZ) on cell proliferation and cell cycle were examined by cytometry,[ 3H]-thymidine incorporation and flow cytometry in BEL-7402 liver cancer cells.Results Both 15 d-PGJ2 and TGZ suppressed cell growth in a dose-dependent manner.At concentrations of 10 and 30 μmol/L,15 d-PGJ2 or TGZ increased the proportion of G0/G1 cells and decreased that of S cells,but there was no significant change in the proportion of G2/M cells.Conclusion Both 15d-PGJ2 and TGZ inhibit cell proliferation of BEL-7402 liver cancer cells,which may be due to PPAR-γ-mediated G1 cell cycle arrest in part.


Coverage is a fundamental problem in wireless sensor network (WSN), which is defined as the measurement of the quality of surveillance of sensing function. The concerns of coverage optimization are the maximize coverage rate and the minimize energy consumption. In this paper, we proposed the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition with particle swarm optimization (MOEA/D-PSO). Through preserving the high-quality individuals in present generation, improving the local optimization solution set in evolutionary search direction and the search progress, eventually propose to make up for the shortcomings of multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D). Compared with MOEA/D and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), the results show that the MOEA/D-PSO is closer to Pareto optimal surface, the performs better in uniformity and diversity of solution set distribution. WSN has a broader coverage and consumes less energy.


A method for the determination of imazethapyr residues in soil was estimated based on solid phase extraction and ultra-perfor-mance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS).The samples were extracted with 0.1 mol.L-1 NH4Cl/NH3.H2O(pH=10) buffer by ultrasonic wave,and cleaned up by C18 SPE cartridge.The imazethapyr residues were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS under multiple-reaction monitoring mode.The qualitative results were obtained based on retention time,the precursor ion and two daughter ions(m/z 290 176 ion and m/z 290245 ion),and the quantitative results were on the intention of the characteristic m/z 290176 ion.Average recoveries of imazethapyr in soil samples were found in the range of 83.47%~101.70% at three spiking levels from 0.01 mg.kg-1 to 0.5 mg.kg-1 with rela-tive standard deviations of 4.15%~5.28%.Limit of quantification of imazethapyr was 0.075 μg.kg-1.The method is simple and suitable for the routine and confirmation analysis.


The strokes or cerebrovascular accidents CVA represent a public health issue, being one of the major mortality causes worldwide, due to collateral complications generating long term disabilities and to high social and economic costs they involve. Hemiplegia, characterized by the presence of the motor and sensitive deficit in the hemibody opposed to the place of the lesion, is the most characteristic and frequent symptom of a CVA. Hydrokinetotherapy, the method comprising kinetic exercises in water at 36-37oC, is, in the case of patients diagnosed with hemiplegia, one of the most important ways of rehabilitation. In order to point out the therapeutic advantage of hydrokinetotherapy, we have conducted a comparative study on 2 groups of patients diagnosed with post CVA hemiplegia, at the Recovery Hospital Bǎile Felix. The assessment of the therapeutic efficiency of hydrokinetotherapy was carried out by using standardized scales before and after the recovery treatment. The therapeutic efficiency of the recovery program was superior in the study group who also undertook hydrokinetotherapy during the rehabilitation, as compared to the witness group, who did not undertake hydrokinetotherapy along with the other recovery methods. Overall, in the case of hemiplegic patients, hydrokinetotherapy works as positive factor in what regards the patients' neuromotor impairment, thus being recommended in cases compatible with the hydrokinetotherapeutic treatment.


Abstract
The Tri-Service Medical Information Systems (TRIMIS) Program encompasses the requirements definition, development, acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, and replication of automatic data processing (ADP) systems to improve the effectiveness and economy of health care delivered by the military departments. The goals and key points pertaining to resources, methods, and overall approach are described, and examples of progress to date are provided.


Density strategies are generally perceived as a powerful leverage for sustainable urban environments. Reality unveils however a more nuanced appreciation, especially in housing projects. While the 'Planet' and 'Prosperity' pillar of sustainable development is mostly covered, dense projects tend to lack addressing 'People' aspects. As long as the social dimension is not taken into account, a dragging legacy is created which could mortgage the recognition of the embedded sustainability value and benefits that dense projects can offer. To counter this legacy this paper explores the content and scope of, and architectural design measures towards, social sustainability for Dense Housing Projects. The methodology adopts a 'real-life' perspective by conducting a multiple case study research. A low-complexity framework is compiled which is organized around eight components that are crucial for obtaining social sustainability from an architectural point of view. Each component is uploaded with Framing Principles (guiding principles) with associated illustrative Core Ideations (practical design measures).