Basaltic glasses from the geophysically well‐studied section of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) between 11°45′N to 15°00′N range from normal mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB) to transitional MORB and their major element variations correlate with isotopic and trace element indices of enrichment. To first order, basalts enriched in Na8.0, incompatible elements, 87Sr/86Sr, and 206Pb/204Pb but low in Fe8.0 and 143Nd/144Nd are more prevalent along the shallow portions of the ridge axis. In detail, the samples can be divided into two chemical and geographical Groups: the southern bathymetric dome, extending from the 11°45′N overlapping spreading center to ∼14°10′N, and the northern Group, extending from ∼14°10′N to the Orozco transform. The boundary between these two Groups is apparent in a change in isotopic composition. Results indicate that there are three mantle source components that produce the compositional variability observed among samples from the 11°45′N to 15°00′N segment of the EPR: a depleted mantle component, a seamount‐type enriched mantle component, and an Indian MORB‐like mantle component. South of ∼14°10′N, the geochemical variability is dominated by binary mixing between a depleted mantle component and an enriched component similar to near‐ridge seamounts. North of ∼14°10′N, the low 206Pb/204Pb, high 207Pb/204Pb Indian MORB‐like component exerts a major influence on the geochemical variability of the axial lavas. Regional averages of major element composition (e.g., Na8.0 and Fe8.0) show relatively limited variability consistent with the restricted range in depth for this region and plot within the Pacific field of the previously defined global trends. Major element variations among individual samples, however, parallel the global array, and their correlation with indices of mantle enrichment supports the idea that the "Pacific‐type local trend" results from small‐scale heterogeneities in the mantle beneath the EPR. Our results also indicate that tectonic segmentation and magmatic boundaries are probably not causally related in this study area and that the sizes of the present magma chambers are not a dominant factor in determining the compositional variability of erupted lavas.


................................................................................................ 9 Introduction ......................................................................................... 10 Methods ............................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Study Design ............................................................................ 12 2.3.2 Study Procedures ...................................................................... 14 2.3.3 Aggregate Cardiovascular Risk Scores ..................................... 15 2.3.4 Cognitive Domain Scores ......................................................... 18 2.3.5 Statistical Analyses ................................................................... 20 Results ................................................................................................. 20 TABLE OF CONTENTS


Basing on the secondary data collected from the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam, this article describes the actual situation in Vietnamese agricultural sector through the contribution of agriculture to the economic growth and GDP of Vietnam, the export value of agricultural sector in the total export value of Vietnam, labor productivity of the agricultural sector and investments in the agricultural sector. Beside many achievements, the agricultural sector is currently facing a lot of challenging issues: (a) labor productivity is still low; (b) the use of funds is inefficient although capital investment in agriculture increased rapidly over the years; (c) the growth rate of agricultural sector is still low due to small-scale production; (e) disease issues, sanitary and phytosanitary safety; (f) food safety, (g) environmental pollution from cultivation and livestock farming have not been strictly controlled. Stemming from all these facts, this article proposes some recommendations which can contribute to overcoming the problems and developing the agricultural sector in the future.


Towards the beginning of her engaging study of peer-reviewed academic competitions, Michèle Lamont issues this pessimistic concern: 'it is impossible to reach a definite, evidence-based conclusion concerning the system as a whole' (p. 7). Happily, and by contrast, she does think we can gauge the character of particular types of decisions, and this book offers a helpful catalogue of many of the most common species thereof. To pull together this catalogue, she conducted several years of fieldwork – including, notably, sitting in on peer review committees for well-established and highly regarded interdisciplinary competitions in the humanities and social sciences. The result is a compelling look at the practices and attitudes of a significant corner of the scholarly ecology, heretofore known only to insider participants – the managers of, and reviewers for, such competitions. All those participants, as well as the competing scholars – and anyone with an abiding interest in the structure and mores of peer review – will benefit from Lamont's labors. However compelling this study, the question behind Lamont's pessimism lingers: What evidence might there be for judging how well a peer review system works, or what could be done better? More broadly, what kinds of data can be collected on the process and outcomes of peer review? Her answer – focused on the development of reviewers' shared criteria of high scholarly quality – is rooted in the qualitative and the narrative. That approach may seem inevitable given the weight placed in such competitions on 'textual' grading and reviewers' discussions. But are there relevant quantitative or experimental approaches that would help make that judgment? One may wonder, for example, whether timeframe plays a role here – whether results would look the same with longer periods allotted to deliberation; whether patterns of performance by peer reviewers emerge in longitudinal grading data relative to standards (or what might underlie – or undermine – such patterns); whether competition results are Book Review


Closed access. This article was published in the Irish University Review [© Edinburgh University Press] and the definitive version is available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25517217


Abstract : Contents: Lubricating oil antiwear additive obtained on the basis of aromatic extract of oils and phosphorus pentasulfide; Investigation of the solubilizing capacity of motor oil additives; Investigation of the mechanism of the effect of detergent motor oil additives; Reactions of organochlorophosphorus compounds with a metallic friction surface.


bspline and frencurv, each of which generates a basis of splines in an X-variable, for use in the varlist of a regression command (such as regress or glm) for fitting a spline in the X-variable. bspline generates a basis of Schoenberg B-splines, whereas frencurv ("French curve") generates a basis of reference splines, whose fitted parameters in the regression model will simply be values of the spline at reference points on the X-axis.


In psychological research, we often have occasion to compare the change shown by an experimental group with that shown by a control group, or equivalently, to test for significance the difference between changes shown by two experimental groups. The two groups in question may either have been drawn at random or else may have been formed by pairing Ss. Parametric tests for both of these cases are given in a number of texts, but no mention of analogous nonparametric techniques has been found in a search of the literature. The parametric tests for the case of randomly drawn groups and for that of groups formed by pairing Ss correspond exactly to the familiar tests of significance of the difference between independent means and between correlated means, respectively. However, the procedure is carried out with the original measures replaced by the changes, so that the pertinent formulas involve the mean changes shown by the two groups, the standard errors of these mean changes, and in the case of paired Ss, the correlation between the changes shown by the members of the pairs. There seems to be no reason why conventional nonparametric tests cannot similarly be employed for comparing changes, when the investigator finds that the assumptions of the t test or critical ratio are unrealistic for his data, or when he prefers to avoid making these assumptions. For the case of groups drawn at random, the median test is one of a number that might be used, while in the case of groups formed by pairing Ss, the sign test would be appropriate. Whatever test is employed, the procedure would be precisely the same as if the original measures, rather than the changes, were being compared. The null hypothesis for the median test would be that the two groups have been drawn from populations showing the same median change. For the sign test, the null hypothesis would be that the median difference between the changes shown by the two groups is zero. For those who regard level of measurement as a criterion for selecting statistical procedures, a word about the measurement requirement of nonparametric tests for comparing changes-to require that the measurement of the changes be of ordinal strength is the equivalent of requiring measurement in the strength of an ordered metric scale for the original measures. In other words, to justify the use of "order tests" for comparing changes, the scale of measurement would have to give an ordering, not only of the original measures, but also of the differences between them, i.e., the changes.


We report on some unusual magnetic-resonance phenomena of optically pumped Rb vapor in high-pressure gas cells. When Rb-Rb spin exchange is the fastest spin-relaxation rate, we observe a considerable narrowing of the magnetic-resonance linewidths with increasing pump-laser power. The experimentally measured Rb magnetic-resonance linewidths are in excellent agreement with a theoretical model, which includes the processes of Rb-He and Rb-Xe spin destruction, Rb-Rb spin exchange, and Rb optical pumping.


Respiratory illnesses during pregnancy are well recognized and are anecdotally considered to be common by pregnant women and healthcare providers alike. However, data describing the incidence and impact of common respiratory viruses other than influenza virus in pregnant women are extremely limited. The article by Hause et al in this issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases provides a prospective description of respiratory viral disease in women seen at an outpatient obstetrical clinic during their second or third trimesters of pregnancy, based on symptoms noted by the women themselves [1]. The authors evaluated women from a large urban outpatient clinic for viral causes of acute respiratory symptoms and the clinical extent of disease when participants presented for medical care. Although the study did not evaluate the incidence of respiratory disease in this population by prospective enrollment of a pregnant cohort, this information provides a relevant end point for future epidemiology studies, as well as vaccine trials. The most significant finding of their study was that over one third of women with symptoms of acute respiratory illness had disease consistent with lower respiratory tract disease, which the authors defined as difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, wheezing, or cyanosis. Morbidity associated with these symptoms and signs was considerable and associated with a variety of respiratory viruses. Of note, this study evaluated asymptomatic pregnant women as well, allowing for comparisons of respiratory viruses detected in women with and without symptoms. The study population reflected the contemporary make-up of pregnant women in the United States, with a median age of 31 years and a broad representation of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Common viruses detected included rhinovirus (27%), coronavirus (17%), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; 10%)—all well-known respiratory viruses with high attack rates in both adults and children but not well-described in pregnant women. Prior studies of respiratory viral illness during pregnancy have focused primarily—and usually exclusively—on influenza. Starting with the 1918 pandemic, pregnant women have been identified to be at higher risk for severe morbidity and mortality due to influenza, compared with nonpregnant adults [2]. In the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, pregnant women with influenza, particularly during the third trimester, were demonstrated to have increased disease severity, as well as higher rates of secondary bacterial pneumonia and increased risks of inpatient and intensive care unit admissions, compared with nonpregnant adults [3]. These risks extended to the fetus, with higher rates of stillbirth, miscarriage, and preterm birth observed with influenza virus infection during pregnancy [4]. Overall, inactivated influenza vaccination has been found to be safe, immunogenic, and effective in prevention of influenza in pregnant women [5]. Despite concerns about a relatively immunocompromised state during pregnancy, pregnant women were shown to achieve serologic protection rates generally comparable to those for nonpregnant adults [5]. The recorded epidemiologic data from the early part of the 2009 pandemic resulted in pregnant women receiving priority for vaccination in the United States and other countries, and international prioritization of influenza vaccination during pregnancy by the World Health Organization [5–7]. This recommendation was based mainly on the benefits for the pregnant women themselves. Recently, 3 large prospective controlled clinical trials again demonstrated the effectiveness of maternal influenza immunization to prevent disease in pregnant women [8–10]. These studies also demonstrated reduction of influenza incidence among infants born to vaccinated women, another important benefit of maternal immunization. Potential benefit of influenza vaccine to the fetus was only documented in Nepal, 1 of 3 clinical trials sites, where influenza was present nearly year-round and the prevalence of low birth weight and E D I T O R I A L C O M M E N T A R Y


Severe corrosion of post-tensioned (PT) tendons with pre-packaged thixotropic grout was documented in Florida bridges after less than 8 years of service. In those bridges, corrosion of steel tendon...


We present radial velocities of the M8V-type, very low-mass star vB 10 obtained at four different epochs between 2001 and 2008. We use high-resolution (R ∼ 20 000) near-infrared (J-band) spectra taken with the nirspec instrument on the Keck II telescope. Our data suggest that vB 10 shows radial velocity variability with an amplitude of ∼ 1k m s −1 , a result that is consistent with the recent finding of a massive planet companion around the star. More velocity measurements and a better sampling of the orbital phase are required to precisely constrain the orbital parameters and the individual masses of the pair.


Spatial distribution of the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k0) is essential in the study of soil erosion and surface runoff. The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial continuity of the soil hydrologic characteristic k0 in the watershed Alto Rio Grande, state of Minas Gerais, and to map k0 based on geostatistical procedures, using data without and with logarithmic transformation. Exponential and spherical semi-variogram models were fitted to the experimental semi-variograms in two approaches: ordinary minimum square (MQO) and weighted minimum square (MQP). Cross validation and predictive validation were both applied to choose the best model. The results showed that the use of log (k0) improved the geostatistical applicability due to a reduction in the number of outliers and anisotropy; however, the spatial dependency degree was highest for k0 data without log-transformation. The spherical model fitted by MQO preformed best in the spatial continuity modeling of k0. The spatial distribution in the basin, indicated by the maps developed from data without and with log transformation was not the same; the map developed on the basis of log-transformed data showed a more detailed spatial distribution.


It is well known in human and some animals that the pineal gland often contains brain sand (acevulus cerebri or corpora arenacea)1). The occurrence of the brain sand increases progressively with age. The morphology and component of the brain sand have been studied by histological, histochemical and chemical methods. An electron probe X-ray microanalyzer is useful for local, chemical and elemental analyses of inorganic substance at the micron level of biological specimen. In human 2.3) and gerbil4), the electron probe X-ray microanalysis of the brain sand has been made but in cattle very little information is available. The present study was undertaken to determine the mineral components of the brain sand in the bovine pineal gland by X-ray microanalysis.


The goal of this work is to examine the sources of establishment of the image of Buddhism in the Russian cultural environment, as well as determine the degree of representativeness of this image. The author outlines the three primary sources: 1) academic research works of the Western Schools of Buddhism (based on Pali and Sanskrit material); 2) research carried out within the framework of the Russian School of Buddhology (mainly based on Tibetan and Mongolian material); 3) research of the Russian Orthodox missionaries. It is determined that the key theoretical provision developed in the Anglo-Germanic School of Buddhology is  the thesis on the authenticity of Theravāda Buddhism, which is considered as the "original," and its other forms such as Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna) are its later modifications that emerged under the influence of external factors. The main features of Buddhism in Western Buddhology include: 1) Buddha Shakyamuni was not a transcendental being; 2) his nirvana is understood nihilistically, as the complete cessation of the process of existence; 3)  Buddhism denies the existence of soul; 4) the existence of God alongside the idea of the transcendental are also denied. Despite the fact that the research based on Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna material demonstrate the failure of such assessments, the aforementioned theses continued to be reproduced. This is explained by the interest of certain significant social groups in such image of Buddhism. Firstly, this view was supported by many Orthodox figures. The interpretation of Buddhism as a philosophical-ethical rather than religious system propelled Buddhism beyond the boundaries of the religious search for people who find foothold in faith. Secondly, similar interpretation entailed the antagonistic attitudes of scholars and scientifically oriented society. Rational aspects of Buddhism that align it with science were uncritically overemphasized. Buddhism was viewed as an ally of the scientific way of thinking, completely alien to faith.


Single-cell RNA sequencing and T-cell receptor sequencing (scRNA-seq and TCR-seq, respectively) technologies have emerged as powerful tools for investigating T-cell heterogeneity. However, the integrated analysis of gene expression profiles and TCR sequences remains a computational challenge. Herein, we present UniTCR, a unified framework designed for the cross-modality integration and analysis of TCRs and T-cell transcriptomes for a series of challenging tasks in computational immunology. By utilizing a dual-modality contrastive learning module and a single-modality preservation module to effectively embed each modality into a common latent space, UniTCR demonstrates versatility across various tasks, including single-modality analysis, modality gap analysis, epitope-TCR binding prediction and TCR profile cross-modality generation. Extensive evaluations conducted on multiple scRNA-seq/TCR-seq paired datasets showed the superior performance of UniTCR. Collectively, UniTCR is presented as a unified and extendable framework to tackle diverse T-cell-related downstream applications for exploring T-cell heterogeneity and enhancing the understanding of the diversity and complexity of the immune system.


This paper presents a tilt-rotor flight simulation platform implementing a real-time simulation of the Bell XV-15 aircraft for teaching and research purposes. The mathematical model of the tilt-rotor aircraft is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink © including simplified models of aircraft dynamics, actuators, sensors, and Flight Control Computer. The implemented tilt-rotor mathematical model is interfaced with flight control hardware, i.e. a flight stick and a rudder pedal, used by the pilot to set input commands. Instead, the graphics environment is provided by FlightGear, an open-source and cross-platform software widely used in research activities. Another contribution of the paper is the design and implementation of a Stability Control and Augmentation System to enhance aircraft stability and improve handling qualities. The developed simulator is tested with several simulations validating the developed mathematical model and the effectiveness of the Stability Control and Augmentation System. The result is a tilt-rotor flight simulation platform executable on a commercial laptop with real-time performance for research and teaching activities.


Mixed anhydrides of N-tert.-butoxycarbonyl-, N-benzyloxycarbonyl- and N-9fluorenylmethoxycarbonylamino acids were prepared using isopropyl chloroformate, and purified by edulcoration. They were more stable than the corresponding anhydrides obtained using ethyl and isobutyl chloroformates. Aminolysis of the anhydrides by an amino acid ester proceeded efficiently, the amount of urethane generated by reaction at the carbonate moiety being the same as that generated from the other anhydrides. Racemization attending the coupling of N-benzyloxycarbonylglycylamino acids by the mixed anhydride method using isopropyl chloroformate was one third to one quarter of that observed for the same couplings using ethyl and isobutyl chloroformate. The mixed-anhydride method of peptidebond formation involves generation of a mixed carboxylic-carbonic acid anhydride by reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alkyl chloroformate in the presence of a tertiary amine, followed by aminolysis of the anhydride to give the peptide (1). The anhydride traditionally has not been isolated. We have recently shown that anhydrides of Nalkoxycarbonylamino acids are stable enough to be isolated and purified by edulcoration (cleansing from soluble salts by washing with water) (2,3), and that the initial reaction in their decomposition in an anhydrous medium is cyclization to the 2-alkoxyAbbreviations: Boc, tert.-butoxycarbonyl; Fmoc, 9fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl; Z, benzyloxycarbonyl. The symbols for the chiral amino acid residues represent the L-isomer.


This paper addresses scalability in mega-DCs combining for the first time graph factorization with compressive sensing theories. Our modelling results indicate drastically reduced amounts of traffic transferred from the data to control plane and number of optimization process variables.


Note: Proc. 15th Europ. Conference on Contr. Fusion and Plasma Heating, Dubrovnik (Cavtat), Yugoslavia, May 1988, Vol. 12B, Part III, 924 - 927 (1988) Reference CRPP-CONF-1988-015 Record created on 2008-05-13, modified on 2017-05-12


Beginning in the 1990s, knowledge management practitioners and writers alike systematically forgot or ignored four decades of consistent, solid research (and the development of accompanying management techniques and practices), around the understanding of knowledge as an economic resource, around knowledge creation and diffusion in and between organisations, and around the application and exploitation of knowledge in enterprises. A sampling of knowledge management journal literature from the late 1990s to the late 2000s found that the median citation memory (how far back their references went) was between 1 and 5 years; the closer the literature was to knowledge management's exuberant "beginning" in the mid-1990s, the shorter the citation memory was (Lambe 2011: 177).


Cross-provincial lanes in Majalengka are often passed by truck drivers, and they often encounter accidents in which their help is required. The aim of this study was to determine the direct and indirect effects of truck drivers' knowledge, motivation, and attitudes when performing first aid and the most dominant influencing factors. The research followed a cross-sectional design, and 55 respondents were chosen using total sampling. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used for data analysis. In relation to the practice of first aid, the direct effect of knowledge was found to be significant (p=0.001), motivation was insignificant (p=0.341), and attitude was significant (p=0.017). The indirect effects resulting from the intervention of knowledge motivation was found to be insignificant in the practice of first aid (tstatistic 0.530 < ttable 1.96), and attitude was also not significant (tstatistic 0.758 < ttable 1.96). Attitude was found to be the most dominant factor.


The aim of this paper is to estimate the authors' rights collection frontier within the collection zones into which the Valencia Region (Spain) has been divided. To be more exact, a nonparametric frontier technique (Modified Data Envelopment Analysis, MDEA) and the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) are jointly employed to map out an initial approach to the potential authors' rights collection within this region (as divided into collection zones). The analysis has been carried out both jointly and by majority sectors (performing, musical, and audio-visual arts).


It's observed that throughout history and in almost all societies, there have been a belief and knowledge regarding the dog as a special relation to human being. This can partly be explained in the fact that the dog has always been the closest animal to mankind, this already stated in several written sources and archaeological scripts since the oldest period. The history of dogs and their special relation to human beings began when the dog became domesticated and started to live close with human beings. One of the special roles the dog had was to play a protective part. This is indicated in the many corpses that have been buried together with a dog and the numerous of dog skeletons have been found in human graves. They believed dogs did not only protect the living ones but continued their mission to protect the human also in his after death


Cord prolapse is defined as the presence of cord below the presenting part with ruptured membranes. It is a clinical diagnosis, the main aim is immediate delivery to improve perinatal outcome. It was a retrospective study carried over a period of one year in department of gynae and obstetrics skims soura. Prevalence of cord prolapse was 0.6% in our study. It was more in multi paras, in age group of 30-40 year, and in those with Mal presentations. Mode of delivery was more by lscs. Fetal outcome was 63.33%live births and 36.67% fetal deaths. Neonatal asphyxia was 56.6% among those born alive. Conclusion: Cord prolapse is associated with severe fetal consequences that can be reduced by quick diagnosis and prompt management.


The authors describe the design and installation of a computerized administration system in a law school clinic. The automated system gathers, maintains, and reports data about the cases and the activities of clinical teachers and students. It is found that automated case and time data systems can improve the quality of client service and education and simultaneously support empirical research. The authors propose that a national coding protocol for computer management systems be established to facilitate uniform data gathering about clinical education.


Between 1988 and 1992 closely spaced arrays of boreholes were drilled at Small River Glacier, British Columbia. The borehole arrays have been used to investigate the interannual and spatial consistency of patterns of basal hydraulics beneath the glacier. A simple robust classification was devised identifying unconnected, high standing, low standing and dry base water levels in boreholes. Spatial and interannual comparisons were made using a simple nearest neighbour statistic, corrected for differences in frequency of different borehole types and evaluated using Monte Carlo confidence intervals to compensate for array form. Arrays in the lower ablation zone showed spatial and interannual coherence, with three distinct areas characterized by low water pressure, till-associated non-connection and high pressure. There was no indication of a dominant conduit. Slightly higher up-glacier borehole patterns were less coherent, and varied from year to year, probably a result of subglacial karst capturing basal waters at a number of low pressure points at the bed. Therefore both the upper and lower arrays at Small River Glacier appear to encompass unusual drainage conditions. The nearest neighbour analysis provides valuable constraints on more specific interpretation.


The past decade has witnessed an explosion in the variety, use, and complexity of medical devices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices in the United States and regulates more than 1700 types of devices, 500000 medical device models, and 23000 manufacturers (1-5). The term medical device is defined by the U.S. Congress as (6) an instrument which is intended for use in the diagnosis, the cure, treatment, or prevention of disease and which does not achieve any of its intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body . This definition creates a distinction between medical devices and drugs (1). Products that are a combination of drug and device are generally regulated within the FDA on the basis of the mechanism of principal action, as determined by the FDA (1). For example, both drug-eluting coronary stents and bone cement that contains antibiotics are regulated as medical devices. Medical devices vary greatly in complexity, ranging from implantable life-sustaining devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, to less sophisticated devices, such as bedpans and gloves (2). Some human tissues, including heart valve allografts, are regulated as devices, as are many device accessories, such as plastic tubing and computer software (2, 7). Overall, more than 4% of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population has at least one implanted medical device, and some form of medical device is used for almost every patient (8). The total global medical device industry is a $130 billion business, and almost half of the global production and consumption occurs in the United States alone (1). Patient care increasingly relies on medical devices (9). In addition, many patientconsumers use the Internet to learn about new medical devices and emerging technologies, some of which may not yet be approved for use in the United States (10). Physicians play a role in not only the clinical use of a device but also at times device design, production, use, and safety by expressing their need for certain products, by providing practical input and feedback into product design, by participating in device-related research, and by reporting device-related adverse events (11). Physicians should understand the rules that govern the approved and unapproved use of medical devices, device premarket evaluation and approval processes, and device postmarket surveillance. Premarket Evaluation and Approval Process By the late 1960s, more than 1000 manufacturers of medical devices shipped products with a total value exceeding $1 billion (7). In the early 1970s, a government report documented more than 10000 injuries resulting from medical devices (1, 12), and a short time later, the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device (A.H. Robins Co., Richmond, Virginia) was withdrawn from the market after more than 200 second-trimester septic abortions and 11 maternal deaths (4, 13). In response to these and other events, Congress enacted the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 to better allow the FDA to establish the safety and effectiveness of medical devices (7, 14). The legislation was based on the idea that the degree of device regulation should correlate with the degree of risk posed by the device. Therefore, FDA premarket evaluation and approval, conducted by the Center for Devices and Radiologic Health (CDRH) (4, 7), depend on the complexity of the device and the perceived risk to the patient. Three regulatory classes (I, II, and III) were defined by the legislation (7, 15, 16). All devices are subject to general controls including proper labeling and adherence to predefined Good Manufacturing Practices, such as a demonstration of adequate packaging and storage (7, 15). Class I devices are low-risk devices. They have minimal potential for harm and include such items as stethoscopes and tongue blades (15, 16). Their safety and effectiveness are reasonably assured by the general controls (7, 15, 16). Class II devices are moderate-risk devices. General controls alone are deemed insufficient to ensure their safety and effectiveness (7, 16). These devices, which include a broad range of products, such as computed tomography scanners and gastroenterology endoscopes, must meet or exceed certain predefined product performance standards (7). Products categorized as class III are perceived to be higher-risk devices, such as pacemakers and silicone breast implants. Their safety and effectiveness can be ensured only by a thorough premarket evaluation and approval process (7, 16). Before receiving FDA approval to market a new medical device in the United States, manufacturers must demonstrate that the device is safe (its benefits outweigh the risks) and effective (it reliably does what it is intended to do) (3, 4). Data to support safety and effectiveness may include device design verification and validation studies, observational studies, randomized clinical trials, epidemiology studies, animal studies, bench research, engineering or manufacturing tests, and statistical risk analyses. The specific data required by the FDA to determine safety and effectiveness depend on the type of device, its intended use, and the perceived risk to the patient's well-being. A device designed to treat a life-threatening condition for which no alternative therapy exists may have a higher acceptable risk than a device designed to treat a benign condition. The FDA is required by Congress to use the least burdensome approach, meaning that manufacturers are required to provide only data that are necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness (17). Most devices enter the market in 1 of 2 ways (3): by demonstration of substantial equivalence to a previously approved, legally marketed device or by demonstration of safety and effectiveness through a Premarket Approval Application. The remaining lower-risk devices, such as elastic bandages and otoscopes, are exempt from this intense scrutiny and may need to undergo only registration and listing with the FDA or may require only evidence of compliance with manufacturing guidelines (for example, products requiring sterility) (1, 18) (Figure). Guidance documents, which are written by the FDA, aid manufacturers by summarizing FDA expectations about the amount and type of data that will be expected before approval of a specific type of device (19). Figure. Overview of the medical device approval process. FDA Substantial equivalence requires demonstration that the new medical device is similar to a legally marketed, predicate device with regard to intended use and technical characteristics (7, 15). Applications of substantial equivalence are called 510(k) applications on the basis of the title and section of the 1976 Medical Device Amendments that established them (15). However, devices with different or new technological characteristics may still claim substantial equivalence if the predicate device has been documented to be safe and effective and the new device raises no new important questions of safety or effectiveness. For example, when a company marketing endoscopes (laparoscopes, laryngoscopes, and cystoscopes) made a small change to the optical system of the scopes, the FDA agreed that the design, materials, and function of the scopes were similar to those of the previous generation of scopes and granted approval without additional clinical data (20). The second route to market for a medical device is through the Premarket Approval Application process. This process involves analysis of information about product safety and effectiveness, often in the form of clinical data (15). Design and manufacturing information as well as nonclinical laboratory testing (for example, studies related to shelf life or biocompatibility) are also part of the application (3). The specific data required depend on the device. For example, before approving biventricular pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators capable of delivering cardiac resynchronization therapy to treat heart failure, the FDA required a randomized, multicenter clinical trial involving hundreds of patients (21). Approval of a glucose watch (noninvasive monitoring of blood glucose level), on the other hand, did not require data from a formal randomized clinical trial (22). However, data were presented on the accuracy of the device during in vitro glucose measurements and in the presence of potential interfering medications in various environments (that is, different temperatures, humidities, and altitudes); these data were then compared with simultaneous actual blood glucose measurements in humans (22). When a device that requires a Premarket Approval Application is ready for clinical testing, the FDA issues an Investigational Device Exemption to the manufacturer. This exemption grants permission to use the device in humans in an experimental situation to assess its safety and effectiveness (3, 15, 23). An Investigational Device Exemption can be used only at a specific institution after approval by the institution's institutional review board (15). Violations of federal regulations during use of an investigational device under an Investigational Device Exemption could result in disqualification of investigators, institutional review boards, and institutions from current or future research (24). The FDA annually receives approximately 4000510(k) applications claiming substantial equivalence compared with fewer than 100 Premarket Approval Applications (3, 25). To a manufacturer, the advantage of a 510(k) application is that it is generally faster and less expensive than its Premarket Approval Application counterpart (4). To the FDA, a 510(k) application requires fewer resources than does a Premarket Approval Application and allows the FDA to handle its large workload by requiring less of the manufacturers. The FDA tries to balance the drawbacks of this approach, that is, fewer data about the safety and eff


The content of nitrite in the different vegetables in storage in Lijiang City was determined by UV-9200 visible spectrophotometry method,and hydrochloric acid naphthylamine was used as the chromogenic reagent.The top conditions,such as acidity,temperature,consumption of chromogenic reagent were investigated.The results showed that the stability was good and the absorbance fluctuates was little at pH value 3~4,the temperature was at 15~25 ℃,the chromogenic reagent was 1.0 mL,then cooled 15 minutes and added water to 50 mL,finally determined at 538 nm.Further researches of the changeable nitrite contents in the different vegetables in storage were made.


This article presents a study of regional problems of development of state and public management and public assessment of school activities. The article identifies the risks and possibilities of state-public administration, reveals the forms of civil society participation in school management, and the possibilities of civil assessment of school activities.


Titles III and V of the Clean Air Act require companies to collect and report vast amounts of data relating to air-quality conditions at their facilities. Federal requirements affect chemical processing companies, oil and gas refineries, and other operations that handle substances listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in their processes. The Environmental Protection Agency requires companies to use an organic vapor analyzer for measuring fugitive emissions. According to leak detection and repair (LDAR) requirements as mandated by EPA Method 21 guidelines, facilities must sample sources individually, record the readings (usually in parts per million) nd eventually input the information into a database program that processes the data according to federal and state reporting requirements. Facilities also can use the data to track component repairs as part of their plant maintenance programs. Although the data generated are useful, the collection effort can be staggering. Unreliable sampling data, caused by human recording and data-entry errors, may skew information on regulatory reports, resulting in higher operation and maintenance costs, increased permitting fees and, in some cases, regulatory fines for non-compliance. Automating an LDAR program can increase data-collection productivity by as much as 50%, reduce labor costs, and ensure data integrity as transcriptionmore » errors are reduced or eliminated. The key is to plan properly before spending money on automated components. Elements that should be considered are included.« less


Energy density plays a key role in improving supercapacitro's performance,and volumetric specific capacities have a significant effect on supercapacitors' energy density.In this paper,a method of prepareing porous carbon(PC) with high volumetric specific capacitance is introduced.


-INTRODUCTION: We investigated the influence of forest management on landscape appreciation and the psychological restorative effect in an on-site setting by exposing respondents to an unmanaged coniferous forest (U.F.), and a managed coniferous forest (M.F.) for a particular period. The both forests, which consisted of Japanese larch and Japanese red pine (a second-growth forest), were fairly similar in the land cover type and vegetation one another. -METHODS: We considered the experiment in late July. We set the two experimental plots (0.25 ha) in the both forests of Fuji Iyashinomoroi Woodland Study Center as U.F. setting and M.F. setting. Here, the mean temperature, relative humidity and sound pressure were almost the same during the experiment except illuminance. The respondents were eighteen individuals (eighteen males; aged twenties to fifties) for the experiment. As for eliminating an order effect, the respondents were divided into the two groups (Group A and Group B) in every nine-person. The respondents of Group A were exposed to U.F. setting at first and then were done to M.F. setting. However, the respondents of Group B were exposed to each setting by the opposite order. They were individually exposed to the both settings while sitting for 15 min. In the both settings, the respondents were required to answer the three questionnaires to investigate the psychological restorative effect at before and after the experiment (mood; POMS, affect; PANAS, subjective restorativeness; ROS). For comparison of landscape appreciation, the respondents were required to answer other two questionnaires at after the experiment (scene appreciation (SD), a restorative property of environment (PRS)). -RESULTS: As a comparison result by the statistical test, regarding a restorative property of environment (PRS), M.F.


In todaypsilas consumer electronics the devices are crossing the boundaries by integrating the variety of functionalities to increase their market shares. As a result, the primary focus of designing consumer electronics lies upon implementation of cost-effective, multi-task and multi-mode operations. We suggest a methodology for a cost-effective implementation of the reconfigurable system based on run-time reconfigurable FPGAs. The methodology focuses on extraction of the architecture that remains static throughout the lifetime of the application. The static architecture is constructed by analyzing the tasks associated with event(s) and distinguishing the level of task that needs to be in hardware. With the given architecture the system maintains inter-communication and only replaces the tasks that are necessary via reconfiguration. The idea of the proposed system is employed on the image processing of an autonomous satellite docking system because of tight physical limitations and high speed requirements. Obtained results prove that the run-time reconfigurable system architecture can provide a very efficient way to mosaic the micro-architecture that reuses limited hardware resources in time.


According to the status quo of earthquake emergency management in China, some questions about emergency management before and after damage earthquake and emergency relief after the quake and their relation are put forward The role of international relief action after large earthquakes in big cities is described


The purpose of this study is to compare different ways to teach mathematics in the school's lower age groups, and to examine whether certain practices increase students' desire and motivation to le ...


An extended-gate-type organic field-effect transistor functionalized with molecularly imprinted polydopamine for oxytocin was designed and fabricated. The sensitive and selective detection can be achieved, together with the realization of oxytocin detection in real human saliva.


High quality ultrathin body (UTB)-Ge-on-insulator (GeOI) substrates have been fabricated with advanced layer transfer technology called HEtero-Layer-Lift-Off. With precise control of interfacial qualities, Ge crystallinity and thickness fluctuation in GeOI substrates, electron mobility of UTB-GeOI nMOSFETs with body thickness (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{\text {body}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) from 20 to 3 nm has been systematically investigated. A significant electron mobility enhancement as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{\text {body}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> scaling below 13 nm has been observed. This newly found mobility enhancement induced by channel thickness scaling could be attributed to the modulation of energy band structure in (001) confined UTB GeOI, where electron effective mass reduction is predicted by first-principle calculation.


Thank you very much for reading the status of palestinian refugees in international law. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their chosen novels like this the status of palestinian refugees in international law, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful bugs inside their desktop computer.


The depth of the changing process in health, its dimension and dynamics do not depend only on the political will and the punctual subjective aspirations, but especially on the existence and sufficiency of the necessary objective conditions, on the first place being the managerial ones. The special role of the manager in the context of the problems in the nowadays health system is imposed by the necessity of creating a general capacity of innovation, flexibility, stability, assuring the success even in special situations. In this context, the theoretical but especially the methodological approach of the management of the hospital informational system has special practical valences. This is what distinguished Prof. Florian Popa, MD, Vice-president of the Health Commission of the Senate of Romania and President of the National Council of Attesting the Titles, Diplomas and University Certificates in Medicine, affirms in the preface of a book distinguished with "Victor Babes Prize" by the Romanian Academy, inviting the readers not only to reflections and dialogue but also to a rapid effort of implementing or completing the information implementation processes, the new reality in health imposing this, rigorously and impetuously.

This undoubtedly imposes thorough knowledge in the domains of the distributed leading processes, medical units and management of the resources of these units (applying concepts and methods specific to Artificial Intelligence) and an unmediated connection to the informational society.

However, the knowledge society represents more than the informational society, the first being possible only grafted on the informational society, and cannot be separated from it because of the major role which belongs to the information, meaning knowledge in society.

Globalization, the development of the services and especially the exponential raise of the needs and desires of the patients impose the abandonment of the organization model centered on internal problems and the adaptation to other models, centered on the patients' needs by the institutions in the medical system. This new wave of dynamic relationships and innovation, centered on the patient needs the integration at the overall level of the processes, applications and systems at an unprecedented level, with benefic results due to the use of technology at a large scale. As a consequence, what is vital in this context, is the use of Information and Communications Technology as a support for the activities of healthcare specific to the persons, the development of the conceptual-theoretical and methodological frame of Information and Communications Technology and the modeling and development of complex informatics systems specific to medicine, generating new instruments and technologies for specific applications, while mentioning the thematic areas such as telecare, telehealth, eHealth, assistive technology, ambient assisted living in smart houses, preparing competent specialists in the fundamental research with interdisciplinary applications and not least, raising the visibility of the Romanian research in the fields of complex informatics systems at the international level.

Fig. 1

The conference in Timisoara

Fig. 2

The conference in Arad

Important steps were taken and are still being taken in most of the university centers in Romania, with a subjective mention, for the Automatics and Computers Faculty of the Polytechnic University in Bucharest. We are saluting the actions taken in this direction by the Romanian Society of Medical Informatics, which, involves more and more in this devotedly, with professionalism and more efficiently.

Fig. 3

Participants in the Conference

Fig. 4

Group picture of the participants in the Conference

That is why, it is our great pleasure to announce that, this year, RoMedinf Annual Conference of the Romanian Society of Medical Informatics will be held on more working groups - Interoperability and HER – (Health Electronic Registration, Education in Biomedical Informatics, Medical Imagistics, Dental Informatics, Decisional Systems and Medical Databases, etc.) in the great and full of signification halls of "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest.

Fig. 5

The banner representing RoMedinf 2014 event

Obviously, it is the expression of not only the seriousness and the implication of the specialists in the field of medical informatics, in finding a faster and more performing solution from the qualitative point of view of the healthcare needs, but also the responsiveness to the new ideas, to interdisciplinarity and performance of the oldest school of medicine in Romania.

Executive Editor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Victor Purcarea


Malignant mixed tumors account for 5% to 12% of all salivary gland malignancies and most commonly involve the parotid gland(73%). They are not usually found in the nose, paranasal sinuses or nasopharynx. Malignant mixed tumors include three categories and carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma accounts for the vast majority of these tumors. Recently we treated a patient with a carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma that originated in the maxillary sinus. Here we report this unusual case and review the relevant literature.


We assessed future changes in spring frost risk for the Aare river catchment that comprises the Swiss Plateau, the most important agricultural region of Switzerland. An ensemble of 15 bias-corrected regional climate model (RCM) simulations from the EXAR data set forced by the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 concentration pathways were analysed for two future periods. Correlating actual meteorological observations and Swiss phenological spring index, we proposed and tested an RCM-compatible methodology (based on temperature data only) for estimating a start of spring and severity of frost events. In the historical climate, a significant advancement in start of spring was observed and frost events were more frequent in those years in which spring started sooner. In 2021–2050, spring is projected to start eight (twelve) days earlier, considering the RCP 4.5 (8.5) scenario. Substantial changes were simulated for the 2070–2099 period under RCP 8.5, when the total severity of frost events was projected to be increased by a factor of 2.1 compared to the historical climate. The study revealed the possible future increase of vegetation exposure to spring frost in Switzerland and that this phenomenon is noticeable even in the near future under the 'low concentration' RCP 4.5 scenario.


Geopolymer ceramic have been produced by the powder metallurgy (PM) technique. The samples were reacted by the alkaline activator to activate the geopolymerization process and crushed by using Mortar and Pestle to powderized the samples. Powder metallurgy technique was used and samples were heated at different temperature start from 700 °C until 1200°C and the strength were tested. The relative density and flexural strength of sintered sample ranged approximately 84%-95% and 20-100 MPa respectively. Microstructural properties was conducted by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and the surface analysis by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX).


Why "Teaching reading by use of a syllabary" occasions so polemical and intemperate a response is one of many mysteries we cannot solve. After all we didn't invent the alphabet. Dr. Goodman appears to believe that the alphabet was a dreadful historical mistake. He suggests that children can most effectively learn to read by "treating each English word as if it were an ideograph for the meaning" and that literate adults bypass phonology since "deep structure and meaning are directly accessible from the written language." Our position is that the alphabet was a useful invention because the phonological principles it embodies are central to the learner and are employed in significant ways by the fluent reader. It would seem perverse for the speaker-listener to learn an entirely new system of relations (among written words and meanings) when the alphabet will allow him to build upon a system he already knows (the relations among spoken words and meanings). Dr. Goodman questions our work both on logical and empirical grounds. We turn first to his claim that our original discussion employs faulty logic. According to Dr. Goodman, since one moves from grapheme to meaning through oral language ("G O M"), one can do so as well without oral language ("G M"). Similarly, one might argue Egg -* Tadpole -Frog, hence forget about the tadpole and straight to the frog. Or, applying this "logic" to Dr. Goodman's formulation of reading, one might schematize the facts as Written language Visual detection -> Meaning, hence Written language -> Meaning, from which it follows that one should be able to read with one's eyes closed. Dr. Goodman questions the efficacy of phonological principles for reading in the following ways (our answers appear parenthetically ) : 1] Isn't the purpose of reading to extract meaning from print? (Yes.) 2] Isn't learning to read just like learning to talk? (No.)


Whenever I introduce the subject of plagiarism to a writing class, I'm assailed by memories of my days in grades 5 through 12 when I wrote reports by copying information from the relevant World Book or Encyclopedia Americana article. Rather than chastise me, my teachers rewarded my efforts; one biology teacher complimented me by asking to keep the paper into which I had painstakingly copied details about the physiological systems of a representative from each phylum. As a result, I believed that length and relevance were the only criteria of acceptable scholarship. The request of my senior English teacher that I paraphrase and document my paper on Salinger did not disturb my belief; such a request, I thought, was just peculiar to English teachers. I continued to copy with an untroubled conscience unless asked to do otherwise.


English structure is necessary to master because structure is one part of language components which are essential to understand the sentences. However, students often make mistake in structure because they do not comprehend well about the grammatical rule of English.
The writer of this study is interested to know the students' ability in using adverb clause to show time relationship. The research design used in this study was descriptive research design. The instrumentation of this study is test. The writer took two classes of eight classes by using cluster sampling technique as the subjects of this research.
The data of the study were collected by giving a test on June 10th, 2008 for 45 minutes. The test consisted of 20 items that were divided into two parts of test, namely: (1) objective test, and (2) completing unfinished sentences. The students' answer sheets were collected and scored. Students' mistakes then were computed.
The result of this study shows that the ability of 4th semester students of English Department in usind adverb clause to show time relationship is moderate.


Numerical methods are used to investigate one- and two-dimentional spectra of strong scintillation caused by atmospheric irregularities associated with the internal gravity waves. Calculations are based on the model of statistically uniform phase screen. The irregularities possess specific features: their spectra are anisotropic and they are much larger than the size of a Fresnel zone in the observation plane. The conditions are specified under which the theory of small perturbations can be applied to calculate weak-scintillation spectra. It is shown that large-scale part of the scintillation spectra can be appropriately described using the theory of perturbations even for strong scintillation, when the rms value of the relative intensity fluctuations β0 , calculated with the perturbations method, equals 10. At the same time, the perturbations method is not applicable for the description of the small-scale portion of scintillation spectra even at β0 >0.3. It was found that the product of 1-D spectral density and a wave number has a "plateau" interval. The level of this plateau depends only on the parameter β0 , provided that this parameter is smaller than one-third of the squared anisotropy coefficient. Within the interval of large wave numbers, the maximum point of the scintillation spectra is formed, with the value of 0.242. The conditions are formulated for small-scale part of the spectrum to become normal; under these conditions, the scintillation spectrum is equal to that of the squared coherence function on the phase screen.


The pulmonary artery floronon catheter (PAF() has naw been in use for over .30 years; however, its benefit remains unproven. The Connors study ( ) in 1996 suggested an increased mortality from the use of a PAFC. The study generated much discussion from advocates both for and against, however the agreed outcome was that more research was needed. The Canadian Critical Care Trials Group have now published this prospective multicentre randomised trial involving almost 2000 patients from 19 centres over a 9 year period.


Six years of twice daily global analyses were used to create and study a lengthy time series of high temporal resolution angular momentum values. Changes in these atmospheric values were compared to independently determined charges in the rotation rate of the solid Earth. Finally, the atmospheric data was examined in more detail to determine the time and space scales on which variations in momentum occur within the atmosphere and which regions are contributing most to the changes found in the global integral. The data and techniques used to derive the time series of momentum values are described.


We derive a lower bound on the differential entropy for symmetric log-concave random variable X in terms of the p-th absolute moment of X, which shows that entropy and p-th absolute moment of a symmetric log-concave random variable are comparable. We apply our bound to study the rate distortion function under distortion measure |x − x| for sources that follow a log-concave probability distribution. In particular, we establish that the difference between the rate distortion function and the Shannon lower bound is at most log(√2e) ≈ 1.9 bits, independently of r and the target distortion d. For mean-square error distortion, the difference is at most log √πe ≈ 1.55 bits, regardless of d. Our results generalize to the case of vector X. Our proof technique leverages tools from convex geometry.


The Hildebrand solubility parameter (delta-value) was applied to explain the effect of organic solvent concentration on lignin removal during organosolv extraction of lignin from enzymatically hydrolyzed cornstalks under atmospheric pressure and low temperature (≤ 75 °C) without additional catalyst. The -value of lignin, calculated using the group-contribution method, was 13.70 (cal/cm3)1/2. The proximity of the delta-value between organic solvent-water and lignin explained the delignification capacity of the organic solvent-water. The concentration of organic solvent in the aqueous mixture that led to the highest delignification (i.e., 34.5%, 41.8%, and 53.7% delignification for ethanol-water, 1,4-dioxane-water, and tetrahydrofuran-water, respectively) was around 65 to 75% vol., which was in keeping with the prediction by the solubility parameter theory.


Six Sigma in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is one of the emerging issue. Evaluation the implication of applying Six Sigma over the small and medium-sized enterprises is the main purpose of this research work taking a particular case of automobile industries. In the present work, DMAIC methodology of Six Sigma is used to a small seat slider lock nut manufacturing unit to reduce the play issue in K2 seat slider lock in automobile units by reducing defects inherent in the process. Process capability analysis and two sample t-test are statistical technique used to establish the process capability before and after the six sigma application.


Optically induced molecular reorientation in nematic liquid crystals has been used to obtain a common path interferometer for measuring aberrations of the incident beam. When a strong laser beam is focussed onto homeotropically aligned liquid crystals, it produces above a threshold value, a molecular distortion, the profile of which depends upon the point spread function of the incident beam. The strong zero spatial frequency component creates a highly distorted centre due to the crystal birefringence producing a diverging spherical reference wavefront. This interferes with the directly transmitted aberrated wavefront producing fringes in the same way as in the point-diffraction interferometer. This interference phenomenon occurs in the extraordinary wave and resulting fringes represent directly the thickness contours of the incident wave.


This bachelor thesis deals with the study of anti-corrosion and mechanical properties of the prepared coatings based on carbon and conductive polymers containing particles of zinc dust. Properties were observed with increasing volume concentration of pigment in the coating filled to KOKP using zinc. Tested coatings were applied to steel and glass panels. Subsequently tested using physico-chemical and accelerated corrosion tests. Values are presented in the form of tables and graphs.


Thank you very much for reading phonetic data analysis an introduction to fieldwork and instrumental techniques. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search hundreds times for their favorite readings like this phonetic data analysis an introduction to fieldwork and instrumental techniques, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some malicious virus inside their laptop.


Book Review of Quantum Field Theory by Lewis H. Ryder. An observation on Ryder's derivation of Dirac equation is made. The review ends as, "A rare combination of a thorough understanding and appreciation of the essential logical structure of quantum field theory and deep pedagogic skills have intermingled to create a masterpiece on the elementary introduction to quantum field theory in less than five hundred pages... . Without reservations, I give my strongest recommendation to every beginning student of physics to acquire and read Quantum Field Theory by L. H. Ryder."


Ciguatera food poisoning (CFP) is widespread in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and it is the most common food poisoning caused by marine biotoxins. The toxins involved, ciguatoxins, are produced by certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus, and undergo biotransfer and biomagnification up the food web to planktivorous and ultimately, top predator fishes. In this paper, we reviewed the factors and processes that regulate the production of ciguatoxins, the ecological distribution and the pathways of their biotransfer, and fish consumption guidelines to prevent ciguatera-related food poisoning. Warm waters are commonly suggested as the most important factor that enhances toxic algal blooms and ciguatoxin production. Ecological distribution of ciguatoxic fish shows great regional specificity. In most endemic areas, carnivores such as groupers and other large fish have higher toxicity than their herbivorous and smaller counterparts, supporting the food chain hypothesis proposed by J.E. Randall (J.E....


During the disturbed period in the first half of the twelfth century, when the break up of the monarchy was followed in quick succession by the establishment of the kingdom first in and afterwards in the plains of Northern India, by the invasion of the Shāh of , and finally by the overwhelming and devastating irruption of the under Chingiz the route into India by the Kuṛam Valley and Banū played a very important part, and its possession was eagerly sought after. Thus, when Mu'izzu'd-dīn Muḥammad bīn Sām had laid the foundations of an Indian Empire, he placed his most faithful Turk servant Tāju'd-dīn Yalduz in charge of the province of Kuṛamān and Shaṅkurān, i.e. the Kuṛam Valley and Shalozān, as we are informed in the Nāṣirī, and halted there every year on his expeditions into India. After his death the successor to the sovereignty, Maḥmūd son of Muḥammad bin Sām (generally known as Maḥmūd bin Muḥammad) confirmed Yalduz in his dignities, and made him of .


It is commonly accepted that different theories of democracy imply different normative frameworks for evaluating media performance. However, it has also been argued that media and communication researchers' engagement with broader political theories remains underdeveloped and dependent on a narrow range of sources. The aim of this article is to map out in a basic quantitative fashion how different models of democracy are employed in media and communication studies. Some broad theoretical trends and omissions in the current academic debate on media and democracy are identified by analyzing central theorists, trends and patterns in the theoretical resources employed in academic journal articles within the field. This is done by analysing the keywords and names that appear in the Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) database from 1990 to 2011.


In an earlier issue of Decision Sciences, Jesse, Mitra, and Cox [1] examined the impact of inflationary conditions on the economic order quantity (EOQ) formula. Specifically, the authors analyzed the effect of inflation on order quantity decisions by means of a model that takes into account both inflationary trends and time discounting (over an infinite time horizon). In their analysis, the authors utilized two models: Current-dollars model and Constant-dollars model. These models were derived, of course, by setting up a total cost equation in the usual manner then finding the optimum order quantity that minimizes the total cost. Jesse, Mitra, and Cox [1] found that EOQ is approximately the same under both conditions; with or without inflation. However, we disagree with the conclusion drawn by [2] and show that EOQ will be different under inflationary conditions, provided that the inflationary conditions are properly accounted for in the formulation of the total cost model.


An early warning tsunami prediction module is a device that predicts the tsunami within a day, the warning system improves the survival rate of the shoreline people and the destruction rate is also reduced. Present system only detect the tsunami and it doesn't forecast any of the warning signals and they are not equipped with the predicting models and they follow the older flow of warning forecasting (i.e.) the data collected from the source is sent to the data centers and they will be deciding the decision which leads to the lesser efficiency in the forecasting. This research study has utilized the DNN architecture to automate every process and boost the performance. It is an AI automated process of detecting the tsunami and broadcasting the distress signal around the area. It records the seismic activity continuously if the threshold is reached according to the position and the winds peed data, the direction of the tsunami is predicted These modules are deployed far away from the shoreline and the maintenance of the module is less. The main goal of this module is to provide warning as earlier as possible so that people can be ready for the impact of tsunami and the survival rate can also increase, the data to be uploaded in the database and additionally the telecast contains the humidity data, temperature data, time series, depth data, global position data, seismic data, turbidity data, this device has been developed with the Atmel microcontroller and equipped with the neural network, which is capable of predicting the Tsunami.


This study examines how survey design characteristics impact on participant satisfaction, future intentions to complete surveys, and intention to recommend the survey to others, based on panel members, extracted from three different panels, who randomly received one out of eight developed surveys, varying length, involvement and interactivity. The experiment was designed for an Australian industry client. The multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA hereafter) results suggest that there are differences based on the panels used, and longer surveys are viewed more positively. Interaction occurs between panels and involvement, but other two way interaction effects are insignificant. Implications for survey design and future research are discussed.


Alpine headwaters collect larger volumes of precipitation per unit area than neighbouring lowlands, recharge regional aquifers, and generate a greater proportion of river discharge than their limited extent would suggest. Despite the importance of alpine headwaters, field observations and assessments of source water contributions to streamflow in alpine tundra settings are sparse throughout the subarctic and absent in the Taiga Cordillera ecozone specifically. As such, it remains uncertain how changes to seasonally specific hydrological processes control discharge of the larger rivers to which these alpine headwaters contribute. This study quantified variability in source water contributions and flow paths during the 2019 open water season within a Mackenzie Mountain alpine tundra basin based on measurements of stable water isotopes, specific conductivity (SPC), and water volumes during runoff generating events. During the freshet, large daily snowmelt volumes resulted in the greatest volume of streamflow, which was composed mainly of pre‐event water (~92%). As the summer progressed, evapotranspiration increased, and groundwater flow paths extended, resulting in reduced event water fractions and hydrograph amplitude, and an extended duration of streamflow response. A headwater subbasin within the larger study basin was both hydrologically and isotopically unresponsive to summer rains, and instead was characterized by a delayed hydrograph response and reduced event water fraction. Results indicate this portion of the catchment was regulated by discharge from groundwater springs capable of sustaining streamflow before snowmelt commenced and during the dry summer months. As climate change continues, greater precipitation volumes and a longer open water season will likely result in reduced runoff and stream discharge from alpine basins as greater evapotranspiration and channel bed infiltration occur. This study provides a valuable data set and observations of seasonally distinct runoff generation processes to inform prediction of changes in northern alpine tundra hydrology in response to a warming climate.


The main factors of affecting the content of the higher alcohols in beer and concrete measures of controlling the formation of higher alcohols were introduced in this paper.(Tran.by YUE Yang)


A process for inducing a compressive residual stress in a surface region of a steel component, the process comprising a heat treatment having the following steps: (i) providing a component comprising a steel composition; (ii) induction heating at least a part of the component followed by quenching said at least part, wherein the hardness in a surface region of the component is increased; and (iii) subsequently performing a martensite and/or bainite through hardening step to obtain a microstructure comprising martensite and/or bainite.


The present invention provides a transmission torque estimation means. Transmission torque estimating means based on the torque estimation model for the control signal can be transmitted between the outer rotating member and the inner rotational member, the model comprising: a motion equation of the rotation direction of the external rotary member is obtained by first modeling; of the support cam member and the inner pilot clutch plate is integrally formed after the rotating direction of the second modeling equation of motion obtained; equation of motion of the rotation direction of the outer main clutch plates obtained by a third modeling; an equation of motion of the rotation direction of the rotation of the inner member is obtained by modeling the fourth; viscoelastic model and includes an axial, axially on the equation of motion of the main clutch plate and the inner movable cam member is formed integrally be fifth modeling obtained.


In cocoa agrosforestry systems, ants are the major arthropod component of the canopy. Since dominant ant species are usually active predators of insects. Ant community may contribute to protect cocoa against insect pests, and especially from cocoa mirids. On the other hand, ant activities may be involved in disease epidemics, and then lead to significant crop losses. In Cameroon, little information is available on ant community in cocoa agroforests and on their contribution to cocoa health. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize the ant mosaic in cocoa farms by assessing the diversity of ant species, the nature of ant associations and their ecological statute. For two consecutive years, we collected ants using a chemical knock-down sampling method, in 21 cocoa plantations, situated in three different agro ecological areas of the center region of Cameroon. The ant diversity was assessed using the species richness, Shannon`s index of diversity and the Sorensen`s similarity index. Kendall`s correlation coefficient was used to determine the association nature between ant species. The robustness of associations was appreciated using chi-square test with Yates corrected test. Fifty one ant species were collected the first year of experimentation and sixty five the second year. Ants of the subfamilies Formicinae and Myrmicinae were the most abundant and the most diverse in cocoa plantations. According to the Shannon`s index of diversity, ant community was less diversified in the plantations located in the savannah compared to those of the forest areas. Oecophylla longinoda, Crematogaster clariventris, Crematogaster striatula and Camponotus acvapimensis were the most abundant species for the first year, with 50.9%, 35.2%, 21.1% and 14.1% individual respectively. The second year, O. longinoda, Tetramorium aculeatum, the army ant Dorylus (Anoma) nigricans and C. striatula were the most abundant, with rates of 82.2%, 44.1%, 39.2% and 29.4% respectively. Among the dominant species, O. longinoda and T. aculeatum are known to be profitable for cocoa. On the other hand, Crematogaster spp. are usually positively associated with aphids, mealybugs and scale insects, and may be involved in epidemics of the black pod rot of cocoa. The use of our results for integrated crop management strategies is discussed. (Texte integral)


The first part of this research project aims to enhance the quality and quantity of existing data on poverty and inequality, as conventionally measured in terms of current incomes. It builds on both new data initiatives and past work by members of the group including the global poverty monitoring task and PovcalNet. The study focuses on the main sources of comparability problems and assesses their implications for the measurement of poverty and inequality. The research explores various approaches to operationalizing the concept of using case studies. It also examines the implications for survey data collection and analysis. It includes related work on economic mobility and measurement error problems. The second part of the project examines newer approaches in measurement, which aim at capturing the concepts of inequality of opportunity, empowerment, and agency. Extra information on people's own perceptions of well-being is brought into the picture by setting equivalence scales and cost-of-living indices. That information can also throw new light on the importance of relative deprivation. In addition to exploring the scope for using subjective and qualitative data in more systematic and credible ways, some of the analysis relates to measuring empowerment and "voice," including direct indicators of power or "agency." Another part of the work focus on three specific microinstitutional manifestations: political inequality, judicial inequality, and social inequality Given that all policies affect inequalities in income and other dimensions, even when that is not their primary aim, the research focuses on a narrow set of policies for improving distribution. The specific policies include communitydriven development, disaster relief, institutional reforms for promoting local democracy, land reforms, judicial reforms, institutional reforms for promoting local democracy, programs for the extreme poor, poor-area development programs, and transfer schemes (workfare and conditional cash transfers). Responsibility: Development Research Group, Poverty Team— Martin Ravallion (firstname.lastname@example.com). Project Code: P099861. Completion date: December 2008.


We report the first experiment of the OpenFlow architecture in flexible optical networks. Effective control of transmission performance is demonstrated through integrated correlation of statistics and monitoring information.


In this project the innovative idea of implementing intelligent safety system using pneumatic bumper is presented using prototype model and thereby analyzed its various parameters for regular and daily realistic applications. Intelligent safety system using pneumatic bumper is one of the smart options which can be implemented in various applications for protecting the passenger without any jerky motion or without any harm. In the project our main thing is to protect the passenger from the jerky motion after the obstacles suddenly comes in front of our vehicle. Here infrared sensor plays a vital role in determining intelligent safety system generated by sensing the obstacles and activation of pneumatic bumper within a second. Design of intelligent safety depends upon the effectiveness of infrared sensor and pneumatic bumper. Design parameters are calculated and actual and theoretical values are compared. KeywordsAutomobile, road safety, intelligent system,


This thesis explores the sociocultural meanings of home in congregate housing facilities offering assisted living services for the elderly in the United States. A review of the meanings of home in the single-family house is initially conducted to define categories of meaning with respect to the socio-historical and cultural forces which have shaped them. Previous studies are also analyzed concerning the meaning of home in elderly housing. Twenty structured interviews are then conducted with the elderly occupying apartments in three different housing facilities with varying socioeconomic composition. The purpose is to explore whether or not the same categories of meaning defined with respect to the singlefamily house one generally identifies with are replicated in the congregate housing facilities. Although the study is exploratory in nature without specific intentions of drawing definitive conclusions, emergent themes suggest that in congregate housing for the aged: security becomes less of an issue; function dominates social, expressive aspects; and selfpreservation through objects tends to be more important than self-expression.


Although the bladder is an inaccessible organ, various types of foreign bodies have been removed from it. A 20-year-old married female, who underwent vaginoplasty, accidentally placed the vaginal mould into the bladder per urethra. The vaginal mould was removed from the bladder under anesthesia. The vaginal length was normal. Vaginal mould in bladder has not been reported earlier.


On the basis of Tiebout's theory about optimal provision of public goods and achieve conditions, We have tested Tiebout's hypothesis on the basis of Chongqing district by operating an empirical model, and put some corresponding policies. This paper finds that in Chongqing China, although it has a significantly different conclusion from USA owing to the difference of urban structure, and we have take into account the impact of these differentiae. This paper draws a similar conclusion to Oates' theory with full awareness of the impact of differentia resulting from different urban structure between Chinese and American cities. Thus we prove the validity of Tiebout's theory. Our results indicate that property taxes does affect the value of owner occupied housing and thus imply that appreciable tax capitalization does occur in Chongqing ; and the quality of regional public servings have affected residential property values.


Abstract Social interactions between a mother, her child and her family members are influenced by hormones acting on complex neural circuitry, with different regions of the brain regulating specific aspects of behaviour. Maternal aggression, a component of maternal behaviour, is conserved across many species including humans, and enables a mother to respond to and protect her young from danger or a perceived threat. It is currently unclear how the hormonal changes of pregnancy and lactation contribute to this behavioural change. Previously we have shown that the hormone prolactin acts throughout the neural network that governs maternal behaviour, to promote the onset of maternal nursing behaviour after offspring are born. By conditionally deleting prolactin receptors (Prlr) from glutamatergic neurons (Prlrlox/lox/VGlut-Cre) we have identified a homogenous population of prolactin-sensitive glutamatergic neurons in the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN). As the VMN is central to neural circuitry governing aggressive behaviour in both sexes, we hypothesised that prolactin acts in the VMN to induce the onset of maternal aggression. Surprisingly, in the absence of prolactin signalling in glutamatergic neurons, maternal mice display heightened rather than reduced aggression towards intruders. Wildtype juvenile male mice were placed into the home cage of lactating control (Prlrlox/lox) and glutamatergic neuron-specific Prlr knockout (Prlrlox/lox/VGlut-Cre) mice, and aggressive behaviour recorded. Lactating Prlrlox/lox/VGlut-Cre mice were more aggressive, showing significantly reduced latencies to attack (53.6 ± 25.2 sec vs 415.6 ± 116 sec in control mice), increased episodes of attacking (19.4 ± 3.0 vs 9.2 ±3.7 in control mice) and a greater time spent attacking (228.4 ± 32.0 sec vs 88.4 ± 37.4 sec in control mice). We examined whether this was specifically mediated by glutamatergic neurons, by comparing intruder-induced aggression to lactating mice with Prlr conditionally deleted from GABAergic neurons (Prlrlox/lox/VGat-Cre mice). The aggressive behaviour of lactating Prlrlox/lox/VGat-Cre mice was not different to controls. We also investigated whether this change in behaviour was specific to maternal aggression or whether Prlrlox/lox/VGlut-Cre mice show intruder-induced aggression as virgins. In non-pregnant mice, neither Prlrlox/lox/VGlut-Cre or control Prlrlox/lox mice displayed aggressive behaviour towards juvenile male mice. Finally, we bilaterally administered an AAV-Cre into the VMN of adult Prlrlox/lox mice to specifically delete Prlr form the VMN. These mice showed significantly heightened maternal aggression compared to AAV-control injected mice. These data demonstrate a novel role for prolactin in aggressive behaviour, with prolactin having important involvement in moderating the level of aggression in a lactating mouse.


Internal conflict has become increasingly widespread in the Asia-Pacific region, creating an "arc of instability" around the southern rim of the region, stretching from Indonesia in the west, through East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the other parts of the Pacific, to Fiji in the east. There are significant economic causes and consequences associated with this instability, including effects on resource utilisation and export earnings, and on wider issues of economic development and regional cooperation.


Objective To determine whether the learning performance of female high school students drop behind after their adolescence. Methods The school test records of 230 girls and 197 boys during their 6-year school period were collected and analyzed, and the differences of test scores as well as score ranks were compared. Results In junior high school, girls had a relatively advanced average rank in school tests compared with boys, while a reversed situation occurred in senior high school when the girls and boys had almost got through their adolescence, and the situation continued to the end of high school study. Conclusions The investigated post-adolescent girls had worse study performance than boy classmates, which suggests the possibility of a hypothesis that the intelligent damages may exist among adolescent females.


Abstract Re-engineered (RED) Discharge Process has been effective in hospitals but little tested in SNFs. This study tested the effect of an 18-month adapted RED implementation in four Midwestern SNFs on 30, 60, 180 day hospital, SNF, and emergency department (ED) readmissions. The sample included 1026 SNF residents discharged to the community during 2013 (n = 526) and 2015 (n = 500). We used Medicare claims Data and Minimum Data Set (3.0) File to identify SNF admissions and readmissions to SNF, acute care, or ED. Data were linked across all four facilities by year and compared using appropriate statistics for descriptive, comparison, and regression tests. Residents discharged in 2013 had statistically significantly higher Charlson Comorbidity Scores 4.65 vs 3.97 in 2015 (p < 0.01), while those discharged in 2015 had significantly worse cognitive status, mood, and ADL self-performance. Overall, rates and number of 30, 60-day, 180 rehospitalization, SNF readmission, ED visits with rehospitalization were lower for all 2015 compared to 2013, but not statistically significantly different, except for the number of 180-day rehospitalizations in 2015. Likewise, the only statistically significantly different result was in the regression model was 180 day rehospitalizations. However, in the two facilities that had the best uptake of the intervention, numbers of readmissions were lower at 60 and 180 days (p=.0106 and .0013, respectively for regression results). SNF RED may be a useful tool for SNFs to use to reduce rehospitalizations after discharge; however, benefit depends on the degree of adoption of the intervention.


Various methods for efficient location based services in broadcast environments have been researched. These methods broadcast object data periodically and the clients receive the data and process a query with the data. Recently, continuous query processing methods considering the mobility of objects have been proposed. However, the client processes the query with past data because the object data broadcasts in a certain period and the data are decided on the beginning of the period while the objects move continuously. Therefore, the existing methods are not suitable to process a continuous query with the mobility of the objects. In this paper, we propose a new indexing method to provide a continuous query in broadcast environments. The proposed method uses the vector information of objects and estimates the location between the periods. It increases the accuracy by the estimation. In addition, we minimize the search area increased by the vectors according to the length of a period. To show the superiority of the proposed method, we evaluate its performance through various experiments.


Levels of nitrates in excess of the US EPA standard of 45 mg /1 were found in well water south of Tucson, Arizona. Most groundwater in this area with high nitrate content is beneath lands presently or formerly irrigated. The highest nitrate contents are present in the upper several hundred feet of the aquifer suggesting a source at the land surface. Nitrate contents in water from most wells in the study area were less than 7 mg /1 in the late 1940's, but by the mid1960's the nitrate level exceeded 25 mg /1 in most wells. In the summer of 1982, more than 12 wells exhibited water with a nitrate content exceeding 45 mg/l. Analytical techniques included assessment of pollution sources at the land surface, chemical indicators such as chlorides, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes, and evaluation of the hydrogeologic conditions in the study area. Sources of nitrate contamination included sewage effluent disposal into the Santa Cruz River, historical irrigation practices, septic tank area, and an abandoned hog farm.


Background: Web-based applications are potential mediums to inform about rehabilitation services. The effectiveness of a web-based intervention to support rehabilitation claims was tested in a randomized controlled trial (German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00005658).
Methods: A total of 16,000 individuals were asked to complete a survey. Respondents were randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG). Participants in the CG received a letter containing general information about medical rehabilitation, while participants in the IG were also advised to use the web-based intervention. The primary outcome was the proportion of applied and used medical rehabilitation services after 1 year as extracted from administrative data records. Secondary outcomes were assessed through another questionnaire.
Results: Participants (mean age: 51.4 years; 53% women) were randomly assigned to an IG (n = 3110) or CG (n = 3111). Data on primary outcomes were available for 1669 participants from the IG and 1655 participants from the CG. The rate of applied and used rehabilitation services did not differ between the IG and CG. No differences were found in any of the secondary outcomes.
Conclusion: Providing information on the availability of medical rehabilitation through a postal letter does not mean that this information is used.


To the rule that the degree of myopia is roughly proportional to the amount of antero-posterior elongation of the globe, buphthalmic eyes are known to form an exception, on account of three compensating factors-flattening of the cornea, flattening of the lens, and backward displacement of the lens-whose relative importance has been mathematically calculated by Parsons.' It will be seen that, in the case to be presently described, these factors have operated to an ideal extent. A. G., a boy, aged 10 years, has been attending as an out-patient at Moorfields for over a year, during which time it has not been possible to detect any change in the condition of his eyes. He has never complained of any symptoms. Both corneae have a diameter of 13,5 mm. The tension in each eye is full normal. The visual fields, tested with a 0.50 moving white object, are normal. A peculiar arrangement of vessels is seen in the right optic disc: the central retinal artery is invisible, but six arterial branches radiate from the edge of the disc. In the left eye, there is a deep physiological cup. There are no ruptures of Descemet's membrane. Each eye, unaided, sees 6/6 and 1.1. When first the boy came to hospital, he was prescribed pilocarpine drops for safety's sake, but, having remained under observation for so long without developing any unfavourable signs, he will probably be allowed to stop all treatment soon. The paternal uncle of A-.G.'s motlher has a son whose four children are all said to have very large, but normally functioning eyes.. Unfortunately they live too far from London to be available for examination. With these exceptions, no other member of the family is known to be affected. That the condition is, like microphthalmia, prone to display a familial incidence was shown' by the investigations of Kayser,2 who traced seventeen males, spread out over four generations, with enlargement of the corneal diameter up to 14-5 mm. They were all healthy individuals, with good sight, normal tension, clear corneae, and non-pathological optic discs. Only one out of the seventeen suffered from glaucoma in later life. Kayser considers that these seventeen patients cannot correctly be called buphthalmic, and that the condition should be described as a simple enlargement of the cornea, i.e., megalocornea. In this contention he is supported -by Seefelder,3 who described a similar case, and laid down a series of 229


We have synthesized and characterized a new G―G mismatch binding ligand containing a TEMPO radical. The two mismatch binding ligands cooperatively bound to the CGG/ CGG triad and an apparent binding constant was in the order of 10 5 M ―1 . The tumbling of the ligand on a DNA duplex was ten times slower than that of the unbound ligand. Asymmetric addressability of two TEMPO radicals on DNA is shown.


Chemicar composition and nutrient digestibility of healthy (T1) versus diseased sorghum straw (T2) were compared using H-112 variety. Feeding of healthy sorghum stover ad lib with 300g groundnut cake in first digestion trial and feeding diseased straw (T2) with 50Og groundnut cake in second trial was conducted on four adult male buffaloes using randomized block design. There was decrease in CP, NFE, and increase in CF, NDF, ADF, hemi-cellulose and cellulose content in diseased as compared to healthy sorghum stover. The nutrient digestibility values were lower (P<0.01) for DM, OM, CP, NFE, NDF, hemi-cellulose in diseased than healthy sorghum stover. The DCP and TDN value reported in diseased stover was also lower (1.03% and 45.33%) as compared to healthy sorghum stover (2.29% and 49.30%). It is concluded that diseased sorghum stover considerably reduced the nutritive value as compared to healthy stover.