Coagulopathy in surgical patients can cause perioperative complications, as both bleeding and thromboembolic events increase surgical morbimortality. The recognition of preexisting disorders and the understanding of the dynamic changes in hemostasis during surgery are prerequisites of safe patient management. The perioperative management of patients with chronic kidney failure is a huge challenge due to both the hypercoagulable state and increased risk of bleeding. Classic laboratory exams performed for the evaluation of blood clotting seem insufficient regarding the determination of the risk of bleeding and thrombosis in surgical patients. As patients with chronic kidney failure develop secondary hyperparathyroidism, the aim of the present study was to describe a case series and correlate the perioperative thromboelastographic profile of patients with chronic kidney failure submitted to parathyroidectomy with their secondary hyperparathyroidism.


Computing the basic accretion parameters for the supermassive black holes expected to be present in quasars is still a major challenge. In this paper we stress how a systematization of observational properties through the so‐called "eigenvector 1" of quasars helps to develop a clearer view of the structure and dynamics of the Broad Line Region. "Eigenvector 1"‐based results also provide guidelines for more reliable estimates of the black hole mass and Eddington ratio over a wide redshift range, 0 ≲ z ≲ 2.5. We summarize the results of computations for a sample of ≈ 300 low and intermediate redshift quasars, and we suggest that black hole masses may not generally exceed ≈ 5 ⋅ 109 M⊙. We also found no convincing evidence of sources radiating above the Eddington limit.


MY REMARK that "in at most 11 per cent of the elections there was some choice of candidates" Messrs. Horvat and Raskovic consider to be "very unfortunate." I agree. Though a few sentences before (pp. 375-76) I had mentioned that voting came to be by candidate rather than by list, the phrase just quoted implies that the voting was by list. Unfortunately, the Federal Statistical Bureau has not collected data on the number of candidates appearing on candidate lists, but several officials involved in the election of workers' councils have informed me that the number of candidates has exceeded the number of positions in recent elections, generally by 20-50 per cent. The question of the relation of the decisions made by an elected body to the desires of the electors is a rather delicate one. Perhaps it would be wiser to reserve judgment on this question, at least until some extensive studies of worker attitudes toward elections and candidates, which are reported to have been undertaken by the Institute for Social Administration in Zagreb, have been made available. My own rather negative conclusions on this point depend upon two conditions: (1) that the trade unions, assisted of course by the League of Communists, serve as a political filter in the electoral process, eliminating workers who are thought to be likely to make decisions contrary to the interests of the firm, as those interests are conceived from above, and (2) that most workers feel apathetic toward nominations and elections and even toward many of the kinds of decisions that the workers' councils are legally empowered to make. If either of these conditions is proved erroneous, my general conclusion


Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of trichomoniasis, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in humans, recently associated with severe complications such as a significantly increased relative risk of developing cervical and prostate cancer. The mechanism by which T. vaginalis exerts the pathogenesis is only partly characterized. It was demonstrated that several secreted molecules play a central role, but proteins implicated are never directly observed. It was observed that lysis is dependent on pH, with a peak of activity at pH 5.8, lost when pH is raised over 6.5.
 In our work, we optimised a protocol to obtain secreted proteins suitable for different proteomic approaches such as 1D and 2D electrophoresis. Our method allowed to identify in supernatants 114 and 202 proteins with heterogeneous functions obtained at pH 5.8 and 7.0, respectively.
Through bioinformatic analysis and electron microscopy, we shown that T. vaginalis secretes proteins via exosomes, a vesicular mediated mechanism that was not even reported in T. vaginalis .
 We observed several differences between secretomes at pH 5.8 and 7.0, in particular for classes of proteases.
We identified an ortholog for human cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor that can be involved in the correlation with prostate cancer.
 The database constructed by this work can be a start point for studies in pathogenesis, drug discovery and development of vaccination strategies for the control of trichomoniasis.


Effects of equipment layout on wafer fab performance are discussed. The traditional wafer fab layout is known to industrial engineers as a job shop. The strength of the job shop system is excellent process flexibility. Job shop layouts also cause long cycle times, lesser quality, and poor communication between workers. A workcell based wafer fab addresses some of those weaknesses. This paper presents initial results of the implant masking workcell in a development fab.


Abstract Dysphagia represents one of the most frequent symptoms in the post–acute stroke population. Swallowing impairment and cognitive deficits can often co-occur. This study aims to investigate the relationship between cognitive impairment and the recovery of dysphagia in patients attending specific rehabilitation. Patients admitted to intensive rehabilitation units were administered the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) and Montreal Cognitive Screening Test (MoCA); when screening positive for dysphagia, they entered a rehabilitation program. Their FOIS score at discharge was the primary outcome measure. In the multivariate analysis, younger age (B = − 0.077, p  = 0.017), higher MoCA (B = 0.191, p  = 0.002), and higher FOIS (B = 1.251, p  = 0.032) at admission were associated with higher FOIS at discharge. When executive function (EF) replaced the MoCA total score in the model, younger age (B = − 0.134, p  = 0.001), higher admission EF (B = 1.451, p  < 0.001), and FOIS (B = 1.348, p  = 0.035) were associated with higher FOIS at discharge. Our results confirm the hypothesis that a better cognitive profile upon admission is associated with a higher probability of dysphagia recovery at discharge. EF seems to have a crucial role in dysphagia recovery. These results highlight the importance of considering the cognitive profile when assessing and treating dysphagia after stroke and of using screening tests that include executive functions.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the contribution of e‐learning in the improvement of quality and productivity in hotels.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on an inquiry answered by 34 hotels that are using e‐learning. For this purpose, a survey on five, four and three star hotels, located throughout Portugal, was conducted between January and March 2009.Findings – The research reveals that hotels consider that e‐learning increases productivity and production volume. On the other hand, e‐learning contributes significantly to employees' motivation. The paper also concludes that managers' opinions about e‐learning strategies are dependent on the hotel category and head‐office nationality.Originality/value – e‐Learning is based on information and communication technology and supports the educational process. Owing to the important results achieved, e‐learning is continuously gaining relevance in hotels, and in educational institutions. As such, analysing the contribution ...


In this study, Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8@polyvinyl alcohol (ZIF-8@PVA) nanofibers were creatively fabricated by electrospinning technique, and the nanofibers membranes were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, TG, DSC, DTA, BET. Its thermal stability, mechanical property, water stability and adsorption nature were also performed. The optimized fabrication parameter of the ZIF-8@PVA was 10 wt% and the uniform diameters of the nanofibers has been obtained. In addition, the ZIF-8@PVA nanofibers displayed unique properties such as a water stable and flexible structure. The adsorption test for Congo red treatment revealed that the nanofibers had a great adsorption performance. The results indicated that the nonwoven fiber mats had a great potential as a new type of membrane adsorbents in wastewater purification. The possible mechanism of CR adsorption onto ZIF-8@PVA was researched.


Through broadband access technology(e.g xDSL,Cable,etc),Home NodeB can connect users at home or Sohu Area with operator network.This technology is not only helpful to realize Indoor coverage for operator,but provide more speed mobile service to terminal users for achieving the efficient combination of wireless and wire network.The article is analyzing user mobility management in Home NodeB environment.


The role of microRNAs (miRNA) in estrogen receptor (ER) signaling in the uterus and in endometrial cancer is not well understood. We therefore analyzed miRNA expression in uterine samples from a standard 3‐day uterotrophic assay using young female adult rats to identify E2‐regulated miRNAs. Microarray analysis identified 47 E2 down‐regulated miRNAs including miR‐30a, and 25 E2up‐regulated miRNAs including miR‐672, miR‐203, and miR‐146b. The strongly E2‐upregulated miR‐203 was selected for further analysis. miR‐203 was deleted in the rat endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line, RUCA‐I, using CRISPR/CAS9. Five clones devoid of miR‐203 expression were generated. Proliferation was reduced and G2‐arrest was observed in all miR‐203 deficient RUCA‐I clones. Transfection with a miR‐203‐3p mimic partially rescues this effect. Comparison of mRNA expression in three miR‐203 knockout clones to wild type RUCA‐I cells reveals 566 miR‐203‐upregulated and 592 miR‐203‐downregulated genes. 43 of the genes that are upregulated by miR‐203 knockout in vitro are downregulated in the uterus by E2. Of these Acer2, Zbtb20, Ptn, Rcbtb2, Mum1l1, Hmgn3, and Nfat5 possess one or more seed sequence matches in their 3′‐UTR that are predicted to be targets of miR‐203. These data demonstrate the importance of E2 regulated miRNAs in general, and miR‐203 in particular, for E2 regulated gene expression and physiological processes including proliferation and cell migration, in the uterus as well as in the etiology of endometrial carcinomas.


The different woods used for the back plates of acoustic guitars are often compared by guitarists for their sound qualities, but these comparisons are rarely done under blinded conditions. For this experiment, six steel-string acoustic guitars were built to be as similar as possible except for the woods used for the backs and sides. Bridge admittance measurements and spectral analyses of acoustic recordings revealed small differences between the guitars in their low-frequency modes. Fifty-two experienced guitar players rated the guitars for sound quality, playability, and other perceptual attributes while wearing welder's goggles to prevent visual identification. The guitars received on average similar ratings for sound quality and playability. A factor analysis showed that the other perceptual attributes clustered around the dimensions of "clarity," "warmth," and "loudness," which were all positively related to perceived sound quality, and did not differ significantly between the guitars. An ABX discrimi...


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how online trust affects group shopping intention in the Ihergo web site.Design/methodology/approach – Samples from the Ihergo web site were collected by mailing a questionnaire survey to those who agreed to participate.Findings – Group‐buying operators need to understand their consumers and the scheduling shopping rules between internet shoppers and firms. Moreover, word‐of‐mouth (WOM) can be created online by offering web visitors the ability to access the opinions of satisfied customers.Practical implications – An online business may adopt different methods to enhance its customer satisfaction level. When people enter a significant amount of personal data at a web site, they are typically reluctant to change vendors and enter the data again.Social implications – Customers view a group‐buying operator as a shopping expert, and expect that the group‐buying operator can handle shopping problems before a dispute occurs.Originality/value – The findings o...


Process independent design methodologies are no longer going to be productive with the scaling of the device technology nodes into nanometer regime. Design and process are more tightly integrated for the better manufacturability. Critical link between the process and design is the compact model of the devices being used in a particular technology design, which will in-turn serves as a virtual fabrication house for the designer. This is possible, only if the compact model has process dependency information. In this paper, we will describe the methodology to create the process-aware compact models and validate the model using the 130 nm technology Silicon data at a) device level and b) circuit level. We have achieved good results in matching the silicon-measured data of a 3481 stage Ring-oscillator circuit with that of the extracted process-aware compact model for various process conditions.


Fat embolism (FES) after major bone fracture may lead to acute respiratory distress but little clinical evidence of lung injury remains. However, a study of patients with severe fractures showed reduced pulmonary function many years post‐injury. In rats modeling FES by i.v. triolein, we saw that despite an apparent full recovery, modest fibrotic damage persisted up to 6 weeks. We tested whether at that time an additional insult could exacerbate the lung effects. The model was established with 0.2 mL triolein i.v. to 18 rats and saline to 18 controls. Six weeks later, each group received (i.p.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) n=9 or saline n=9. At necropsy 48 hr later BALs, lungs and organs were harvested for study. Lung parenchymal, vascular and bronchial damage was scored by 3 pathologists. Saline controls receiving LPS showed pulmonary arterial medial diameters wider than those of animals given triolein before LPS (p<0.04). Adventitia of lung vessels from triolein treated rats showed a significant difference between saline vs. LPS administration (p<0.02). LPS produced a threefold increase in PMN in BAL. At 6 weeks triolein droplets remained in rat lungs localizing to the subpleural septa, smaller and more widespread when LPS was given. Thus, LPS, a "second hit", administered after triolein FES model produces a more severe lung damage to pulmonary arteries than does LPS following saline.


This paper presents the characterization of A356 composite reinforced with fly ash and basalt ash produced by stir casting method. Aluminium metal matrix composites (AMC) are used in wide variety of applications such as structural, aerospace, marine, automotive etc. Stir casting is cost effective manufacturing process and it is useful to enhance the attractive properties of AMCs. Three sets of hybrid AMC are prepared by varying the weight fraction of the reinforcements (3% basalt + 7% fly ash, 5% basalt + 5% fly, 7% basalt + 3% fly ash). The effect of reinforcements on the mechanical properties of the hybrid composites such as hardness, tensile, compressive and impact strength were studied. The obtained results reveal that tensile, compressive and impact strength was increased when weight fraction of fly ash increased, whereas the hardness increases when weight fraction of the basalt ash increased. Microscopic study reveals the dispersion of the reinforcements in the matrix.


Purpose – The paper's purpose is to share the difficulties in migration from a legacy system to a new system at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Library in Saudi Arabia.Design/methodology/approach – The paper highlights the local requirements that play an important role in the selection of a new system.Findings – With full Arabic support and better local vendor support, Horizon could be the dominant system in the regional marketplace.Practical implications – This case study will encourage those libraries that are still using legacy systems to start planning for migration.Originality/value – This is the first case study of system migration in the Arabian Gulf region, and provides details ranging from the selection of the system to its successful migration. This paper should benefit libraries – not only in the Gulf region but around the world – that are intending to migrate from a legacy system to a new system.


A short and efficient route to both isomers of limonene aziridine is described. The process is amenable to scale-up and allows easy access to multigram quantities of these highly useful chiral building blocks.


The invention discloses a method for manufacturing a large-size ultra-thin laser crystal, and belongs to the technical field of crystal manufacturing. The method comprises the following steps: uniformly coating a little water on a non-viscous side of a vacuum adsorption pad; putting a crystal to be manufactured on the non-viscous side; extruding the vacuum adsorption pad to completely discharge water to form a vacuum belt and ensure that the crystal and the vacuum adsorption pad are adsorbed firmly; adhering the viscous side of the vacuum adsorption pad on an aluminum tray; mounting the aluminum tray on a biaxial machine; manufacturing the surface of the crystal to be manufactured according to the requirement; detecting the surface shape of the crystal when the manufacturing is completed and the crystal is cooled to room temperature; and taking the crystal off the tray. The ultra-thin laser crystal manufactured by adopting the method ensures that the surface shape after taking off the tray cannot deform; and the surface shape of the ultra-thin laser crystal manufactured by the method can achieve lambda/10 to lambda/4, and the smooth finish can reach 20/10.


Differential distributions for on-shell top-quark pair production at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD for the Large Hadron Collider at √ s = 8 TeV are presented and discussed. The theoretical framework of the calculation is summarized. By comparing the prediction to measurements, it turns out that next-to-next-to-leading order corrections are necessary in order to resolve a discrepancy between data and next-to-leading order predictions in the transverse momentum distribution of the top-quark.


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Myo6 (green) has a selective endocytic role at synapses (red).Stimulated neurons that lack myosin VI (Myo6) fail to endocytose a subtype of glutamate receptors called AMPARs, report Osterweil et al. on

[page 329][2]. However, the neurons do not have a general


Abstract Background Longitudinal analyses are needed to better understand long-term Ebola virus disease (EVD) sequelae. We aimed to estimate the prevalence, incidence, and duration of sequelae and to identify risk factors associated with symptom occurrence among EVD survivors in Guinea. Methods We followed 802 EVD survivors over 48 months and recorded clinical symptoms with their start/end dates. Prevalence, incidence, and duration of sequelae were calculated. Risk factors associated with symptom occurrence were assessed using an extended Cox model for recurrent events. Results Overall, the prevalence and incidence of all symptoms decreased significantly over time, but sequelae remained present 48 months after Ebola treatment center discharge with a prevalence of 30.68% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.40–39.96) for abdominal, 30.55% (95% CI 20.68–40.41) for neurologic, 5.80% (95% CI 1.96–9.65) for musculoskeletal, and 4.24% (95% CI 2.26–6.23) for ocular sequelae. Half of all patients (50.70%; 95% CI 47.26–54.14) complained of general symptoms 2 years' postdischarge and 25.35% (95% CI 23.63–27.07) 4 years' post-discharge. Hemorrhage (hazard ratio [HR], 2.70; P = .007), neurologic (HR 2.63; P = .021), and general symptoms (HR 0.34; P = .003) in the EVD acute phase were significantly associated with the further occurrence of ocular sequelae, whereas hemorrhage (HR 1.91; P = .046) and abdominal (HR 2.21; P = .033) symptoms were significantly associated with musculoskeletal sequelae. Conclusions Our findings provide new insight into the long-term clinical complications of EVD and their significant association with symptoms in the acute phase, thus reinforcing the importance of regular, long-term follow-up for EVD survivors.


The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the effects of an association between Outward Bound schools and twelve high schools. Outward Bound, a wilderness survival school emphasizing self-understanding and awareness of others through a program of living and working together, has recently become involved in public and private schools. The effects of these cooperative programs have in some cases resulted in changes of curriculum, the climate of schools, and the way material is taught. Chapter I provides the reader with a background of information about Outward Bound--its history, practices, and philosophy. The history of Outward Bound is traced from its founder, Kurt Hahn, through its adaptation and growth in America. A description and analysis of the program elements of a standard Outward Bound course is given. The techniques used in this evaluation is the topic in Chapter II. Journals, tapes, interviews, on-site interviews and firsthand observations form the basis for this thesis. Previous research studies on the effects of Outward Bound on student participants were studied. One further report on the effects of Outward Bound on teacher-participants was also read. The motives and reasons for the initiation of an association between Outward Bound and high schools are the subject of discussion in Chapter III. The motives for this initiation often color the results of this association. Programs have been initiated out of a variety of concerns -student apathy, racial tensions, a more experience-oriented curriculum, and as a means of introducing some degree of change into a school. Outward Bound, then, is a process which is highly adaptable to a variety of interests and situations. Chapter IV is a discussion of the problems of implementation, funding and over-all support for the Outward Bound program in schools. The various means of raising money are described with recommendations for future funding. The over-all support of the program is a crucial question if the program is to become integrated into the total school environment. Failures as well as successes in terms of how different schools handled this question are analyzed with some recommendations for future programs. Chapter V details a case study of the association between the Colorado Outward Bound School and the East High School in Denver, Colorado. A 2400student high school beset with racial tension and violence, student apathy and impersonality made considerable headway toward the solution of these problems as its students, faculty and administration began to incorporate some of the practices and programs of Outward Bound. A description of these programs and their effects on the school are the subject of this chapter. Following the case study of East High School, the impact of Outward Bound on the other eleven schools is analyzed. The impact on the schools is divided into sections dealing with the effects on students, teachers, and curriculum. Attention is paid to the significance of the Outward Bound influence on relationships between teachers and students, legitimacy of off-campus experience and teaching strategies. Recommendations for future associations between Outward Bound and high schools are covered in Chapter VII. Questions about how and when the program is implemented, its growth and content, the different roles of faculty, administration and Outward Bound staff are considered. The concluding chapter discusses the over-all implications of Outward Bound's involvement with public and private schools. It is important to note that the implementation of an Outward Bound program in a high school frequently leads the school to an examination of its curriculum, teaching strategies, and relationships within the school. Out of this examination have come some new methods and programs which have provided changes for both students and teachers.


PURPOSE: A system for sharing wide area medical information is provided to share medical information bidirectionally through the network , to share the use of high tech medical devices through the initiation from the district's central hospital, and to enable more citizens to receive greater medical services. CONSTITUTION: A medical information share system server operator enables the sharing of diverse medical related information with the Health-Welfare Ministry, the national organizations such as the Department of Health Insurance, pharmacies, manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, and various special professional medical organizations.


A Ti sapphire laser has been pumped with a dense-plasma light source, a hypocycloidal-pinch (HCP) arrays. A high energy laser pulse of 0.5 J has been obtained with pulse width 2 μsec when a 6.4 mm diameter Ti sapphire rod with length of 76.2 mm was employed as the laser rod. The operating characteristics of the HCP pumped Ti sapphire laser is discussed in this report.


Greenery forming of the Boyen Fortress. The study presented here deals with issues related to types, forms and functionality of the fortress greenery in the defensive establishments from the turn of the XIX and XX centuries in Poland. It also indicates the signifi cance of the greenery as a strategic military element, which purpose is to mask the real position of the object, hamper the reconnaissance and bewilder the enemy. The main aim of this work is to identify in the Fort Boyen in Giżycko the primary fortress and to elaborate general recommendations for the shaping of the structure of historical greenery.


While the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has increased worldwide, the coinciding decline in stage and thickness at diagnosis has resulted in stable mortality rates. However, compared with cutaneous melanoma, melanomas of the hand and foot (HFM) have not demonstrated this historical shift towards early diagnosis and are consistently diagnosed at a disproportionately advanced stage with a resultant poor prognosis. HFM make up a much higher proportion of melanoma in darker skinned individuals (i.e. black, Asian and Hispanic), yet few studies have been conducted on the incidence and mortality rates of this subtype; those that have been conducted have been limited by small sample sizes or heterogeneity, leading to incomplete or conflicting results. In this issue of the BJD, Durbec et al. conducted a formal, systematic review of 37 publications addressing the epidemiology, risk factors, prognosis and genetic characteristics of HFM. The authors' thoughtful summary of the existing literature highlights the need for additional investigation into this relatively rare tumour subtype, specifically around a question of great clinical importance: what is the functional trigger for HFM? The authors provide support that HFM is distinct from the more common cutaneous melanoma when compared on population-based, patient-centred and molecular scales. Population-based studies support the consistent incidence of HFM across blacks and whites (suggesting that the higher proportion of HFM in some black populations may be attributable to the low incidence of melanoma at other anatomical sites rather than an increased incidence of HFM among black patients) and trends towards comparable survival upon control for Breslow thickness. While foot melanomas (FM) were from three to more than 10 times more frequent than hand melanomas (HM), subungual melanoma was equally prevalent on the hand and foot. HM and FM differed in their analogous anatomical distribution: HM predominated on subungual areas and rarely involved the palm, whereas FM predominated on the soles and were proportionally quite rare on subungual areas. When patient risk factors were explored through case–control studies, two risk factors emerged: the presence of acral benign naevi and a history of trauma. While the authors point out that the possible role of trauma as a risk factor should be interpreted with caution given the risk of recall bias associated with retrospective studies, the increasing risk with greater numbers of injuries suggests a dose-dependent effect; in one study, the association persisted only when injuries occurring more 5 years before melanoma diagnosis were included, making less probable a major role for recall bias. On a molecular basis, HFM and acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) demonstrate a lower frequency of BRAF mutation and a higher frequency of c-kit mutation in comparison to melanomas of other anatomical sites of origin. Thus when considering targeted therapeutics for patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma of hand or foot origin, reflexive testing for both BRAF and c-kit mutations may be prudent. When considered together, this summary highlights several opportunities for further investigation: How can dermatologists optimize patient awareness of HFM to prompt earlier diagnosis? By what mechanisms could repetitive trauma give rise to invasive melanoma? Given the consistent incidence of subungual melanoma across anatomical locations, are subungual melanomas molecularly distinct from melanomas occurring on the palms or soles? Given the rarity of these tumours, refinement of anatomical location designators within tumour registries and collaboration among institutions to share tumour specimens will be critical to meaningful pursuit of these questions.


1. The authors appear apologetic for using Mie calculations for large, spherical core-shell particles. It is certainly possible (and has been shown) that in some or many cases, the aggregated spherules collapse and approach an approximately spherical shape (as a limiting case) upon atmospheric processing and aging, and measurements that suggest that a significant amount of mass of black carbon in the atmosphere is above 70nm (and is not just a modeling assumption). The manuscript would be strengthened by referencing this literature. Also, the results of Liu, Mishchenko, Arnott (2008) should be discussed to communicate potential differences in radiative properties among collapsed and uncollapsed black carbon particles, albeit in the uncoated case, to provide context for the calculations in this manuscript.


BCS' London offices recently held a retrospective exhibition of digital artist Paul Brown, winner of the ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art 2023 for his pioneering efforts in the fields of computational art, generative systems, and cellular automata. Georgia Smith took the opportunity to chat with him about his career, the CAS, and his thoughts on the future of AI and the digital arts.


This thesis main objective is to measure the use and ownership have done the Technologies of Information and Communication (ICT), especially the Internet, the Older Adults belonging to the Club of the Third Age of the municipality of Dosquebradas Risaralda, justifying that it recognizes the value of appropriating this highlights the social exclusion due to lack of knowledge level as a virtual reality and recognizes ICT as mediating agents that reactivate the Elderly, known as "digital Immigrants", today and has been made in the period between the second half of 2011 until the first half of 2013. For its development has benefited from the participation of Older Adults, considering between 60 and 65 years old. Being purpose of this research to analyze the values, beliefs, feelings and meanings that predominate in Older Adults experiences that make socioeconomic strata 1 and 4 Senior Citizens Club in the town of Dosquebradas -Risaralda , regarding Technologies Communication and Information. It seeks to investigate the variables involved in this process to conclude in a comparative analysis. The reference input is summarized research on issues related to Digital Literacy, Digital Divide and the Social Imaginary , to address the particularity of personal and collective appropriation of technological experience and how this influences the formation of Social imaginary of older adults in relation to Information Technology and Communication. The Digital Divide and Digital Literacy components of the doctrinal content of this study coincide with Cesar Coll, who warns that "The fundamental digital divide will come through the ability to use ICT , rather than access to them" (Conference "ICT and Education: An opportunity to promote learning and improve teaching" Holy Sunday, August 18, 2010). This expression is a reference to indicate that although the poor access to the Information Technology and Communication remains a limiting factor in the development of emerging countries, it is the ignorance of its potentialities. At the end of this process will identify the Social Imaginary generated in the relationship Elderly and ICT, so that the information collected is a step to contribute to the debate on the appropriation that such people develop their expertise in technical communicative.


The invention discloses a cefradine-borneol composition belonging to the technical field of the preparation of medicines. The cefradine-borneol composition comprises cefradine and borneol according to the mass ratio of 1:0.1 to 1:10, wherein the optimal mass proportion is 1:1. The composition can be prepared into various medicament forms, such as tablets, capsules, granules, slow release preparations and injections, by using a conventional medicine preparation method and auxiliary materials which are universal pharmaceutically. The composition has a very good inhibiting action to various medicine-resistant bacteria, and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value is lowered at an order of magnitude. Therefore, the phenomenon of medicine resistance of common antibiotics is greatly improved, and the application prospect is extensive.


From 1983 to 1991, 158 primary total knee arthroplasties were performed and secondary surgery had been done in fourteen knees in thirteen patients. Nine patients had rheumatoid arthritis and four had osteoarthritis. The reasons were infection in four joints, dislocation of the patella in three joints, loosening in four joints and abnormal sound, femoral fracture, metarosis in each one joint.


Background Understanding the characteristics and natural history of novel pathogens is crucial to inform successful control measures. Japan was one of the first affected countries in the COVID-19 pandemic reporting their first case on 14 January 2020. Interventions including airport screening, contact tracing, and cluster investigations were quickly implemented. Here we present insights from the first 3 months of the epidemic in Japan based on detailed case data. Methods We conducted descriptive analyses based on information systematically extracted from individual case reports from 13 January to 31 March 2020 including patient demographics, date of report and symptom onset, symptom progression, travel history, and contact type. We analysed symptom progression and estimated the time-varying reproduction number, Rt, correcting for epidemic growth using an established Bayesian framework. Key delays and the age-specific probability of transmission were estimated using data on exposures and transmission pairs. Results The corrected fitted mean onset-to-reporting delay after the peak was 4 days (standard deviation: {+/-}2 days). Early transmission was driven primarily by returning travellers with Rt peaking at 2.4 (95%CrI:1.6, 3.3) nationally. In the final week of the trusted period, Rt accounting for importations diverged from overall Rt at 1.1 (95% CrI: 1.0, 1.2) compared to 1.5 (95% CrI: 1.3, 1.6) respectively. Household (39.0%) and workplace (11.6%) exposures were the most frequently reported potential source of infection. The estimated probability of transmission was assortative by age. Across all age groups, cases most frequently onset with cough, fever, and fatigue. There were no reported cases of patients <20 years old developing pneumonia or severe respiratory symptoms. Conclusions Information collected in the early phases of an outbreak are important in characterising any novel pathogen. Timely recognition of key symptoms and high-risk settings for transmission can help to inform response strategies. The data analysed here were the result of robust and timely investigations and demonstrate the improvements to epidemic control as a result of such surveillance.


Starting from traditional manner of providing infrastructure services, the paper presents the principles and forms of transitional changes in infrastructure systems. The constraints in providing infrastructure services, positions of infrastructure services as well as strategic approaches in the field of infrastructure are pointed out and elaborated on the example of countries in transition. There is a doubt expressed concerning the success of transition process in the infrastructure sector in those countries where either transition of production branches or of overall economy fails. Monopoly and state ownership of infrastructure systems in developed market economies has been replaced or is being replaced (for some infrastructure sectors entirely and for some partially) by mixed and/or private ownership, liberalization, decentralization and competition. In transition countries these processes, in accordance with the entire reform dynamics, are realised in different ways: in some successfully and in other less so or even unsuccessfully. There are a lot of limiting factors in transition countries that are in conflict with institutional reforms and restructuring of infrastructure systems. What are the experiences of infrastructure policy and liberalisation in transition countries? Where is Croatia among transition economies? What are her achievements in institutional transition and restructuring of infrastructure systems? This paper elaborates the mentioned transitional problems.


Literature was quick to respond to emerging digital technologies in the late 1990s. Fiction writing and publishing took to the Internet, although traditional methods of print publication largely remained in place. However, it became evident that the literary world had embraced online platforms to produce and consume literature. Keshava Guha's debut novel Accidental Magic (2019) captures this transformation from print to the digital world in the early 2000s. This paper is a study on how digital technology is adopted and utilised by literary readers in Accidental Magic. It also analyses digital technology's impact on the art of storytelling. The paper concludes that online communities have introduced a new means of storytelling, which is now a two-way process, unlike what was the case in the pre-internet era. Also, mainstream literature is frequently and actively challenged – and promoted – on digital media. Guha's novel illustrates how online platforms impact the lives of four people, suggesting that such platforms have the power to change the dynamics of human relationships and alter reader interactions with literature in general.


This lesson chiefly describes the conception and character of composition in patent and writing requirement of an application document of fertilizer composition.


This paper focuses on visual SLAM with RGB-D cameras (abbreviated as RGB-D SLAM), which has been an actively studied issue in the robotics community since RGB-D cameras can obtain depth information of environments simply. Firstly, two types of RGB-D cameras are introduced according to the principle of depth measurement. Secondly, the typical RGB-D SLAM algorithm framework is normally divided into four parts: visual odometry, optimization, loop closing and mapping. Thirdly, a series of landmark achievements on algorithm, open source libraries and tools, and performance evaluation of RGB-D SLAM are summarized. Finally, the advantages and the disadvantages, as well as the development trends of RGB-D SLAM are discussed.


The potential catastrophic results of a public transportation failure require system inspection and diagnostic techniques of the highest order. These techniques must provide the required safety without significantly degrading reliability. A failure modes and effects analysis of the operational circuits of the dual-mode transportation system and of the inspection and diagnostic equipment is presented as a method for systematically analyzing the effects on system reliability and safety. The paper presents and discusses specific inspection and diagnositc schemes that should be considered during the development of a dual-mode transportation system. /Auther/


Cholesterol determination in body is important in diagnosis of diseases like coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and obstructive jaundice. This research aims at developing fluorimetric cholesterol biosensors based on self‐assembled mesoporous alginate‐silica (Algilica) microspheres. For preparing the biosensor, Pt‐(II)‐octaethylporphine (PtOEP; oxygen sensitive metalloporphyrin) dye has been loaded in the Algilica microspheres using the solvent‐mediated precipitation method. Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) was then covalently conjugated to PtOEP/Algilica microspheres using EDC and NHS reagents. PtOEP dye and enzyme encapsulation, activity and stability were then analyzed. Layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly was finally performed using PAH and PSS polyelectrolytes to minimize leaching of the biosensor components. The prepared biosensor exhibited linearity over a range of 0.77–2.5 mM O2 (KSV: 0.097/mM of O2) obtained using from Stern–Volmer plots. The biosensor response to standard cholesterol displayed a linear analytical range from 1.25 to 10 mM of cholesterol with regression coefficient of 0.996 (1.25–3.75 mM), 0.976 (1.25–6 mM), and 0.959 (1.25–10 mM) and response time of 10 min. Thus, the prepared cholesterol biosensor shows great potential in the diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108:2011–2021. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The energy levels of ${R}^{3+}(R=\mathrm{P}\mathrm{r},\mathrm{N}\mathrm{d})$ ions replacing the divalent ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{2+}$ ions in single crystals of ${\mathrm{CsCdCl}}_{3}$ have been investigated by polarized absorption at 10 K. For charge balance, a majority of ${R}^{3+}$ ions in ${\mathrm{CsCdCl}}_{3}$ form pairs with a vacancy associated with it. The analysis reveals that ${R}^{3+}$ pair ions are in two unequal sites which result from two arrangements: (i) with a vacancy in between the two ${R}^{3+}$ ions and (ii) with a vacancy on any one side of the two ${R}^{3+}$ ions. Indeed two types of spectra are observed due to the different ${C}_{3v}$ crystal fields at these two sites. Thirteen levels of ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+},$ arising out of five multiplets, and thirty levels of ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+},$ arising out of twelve multiplets, have been identified along with their irreducible representations. The best free-ion and crystal-field parameters for ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}$ have also been determined.


Abstract Multi-scale, multi-method integration of geological constraints, with new interpretations of potential field data and seismic reflection data, has resulted in a comprehensive structural interpretation of the southern Thomson Orogen, eastern Australia. The interpretation reveals ∼50 major faults and shear zones, many of which can be traced for several hundred kilometres. The interpretation suggests that the southern Thomson Orogen can be subdivided into several structural domains that can be distinguished by differences in: (i) spatial orientation, (ii) geographic distribution, and (iii) partly the timing of major faults, but also to varying degrees by (iv) the evolution and spatial orientation of other structural elements, such as folds, minor faults and fractures, (v) broader lithological trends, (vi) stratigraphy, and (vii) structural style. The two largest domains are the Western Structural Domain that contains numerous faults and shear zones, and the fold-dominated Eastern Structural Domain, which is more strongly affected by late- to post-Devonian thrusting than the Western Structural Domain. Notwithstanding their differences, the domains can be integrated into a coherent structural model for the southern Thomson Orogen, which suggests that the area represents a set of megafolds or oroclines, which may have formed during the Bindian Orogeny.


High‐temperature CO2 electrolysis in solid‐oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) could greatly assist in the reduction of CO2 emissions by electrochemically converting CO2 to valuable fuels through effective electrothermal activation of the stable CO bond. If powered by renewable energy resources, it could also provide an advanced energy‐storage method for their intermittent output. Compared to low‐temperature electrochemical CO2 reduction, CO2 electrolysis in SOECs at high temperature exhibits higher current density and energy efficiency and has thus attracted much recent attention. The history of its development and its fundamental mechanisms, cathode materials, oxygen‐ion‐conducting electrolyte materials, and anode materials are highlighted. Electrode, electrolyte, and electrode–electrolyte interface degradation issues are comprehensively summarized. Fuel‐assisted SOECs with low‐cost fuels applied to the anode to decrease the overpotential and electricity consumption are introduced. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects for future research into high‐temperature CO2 electrolysis in SOECs are included.


The Internet, with its wide array of functions, has become a highly valuable source of information (Yigit, Yildirim, & Ozden, 2000). In addition, it can be used as an effective teaching tool, owing to its ability to disseminate educational information in accordance with the scope and objectives of certain curriculums (Smith & Rogan, 1993). Studies have shown that the Internet is quickly becoming an important tool for the purpose of learning, teaching and obtaining information (Merrill & Goodman, 1972; Reiser & Gagne, 1983). In recent years, the number of web-based education applications has been increasing at a remarkable rate (Jackson, 2000), and many institutions and individuals prefer to provide education/training via the Internet, in accordance with the latest requirements. In this regard, personal/informal as well as institutional/formal web-based learning platforms have become widely used.However, because of the wide variety of web-based learning applications and the lack of specific evaluation tools to effectively evaluate these web-based learning environments, it has been difficult for users (i.e. teachers/students/domain experts) to select the most suitable web-based learning applications among the many samples. Since studies continue to indicate that the educational and technological qualities of the web-based learning platforms can effectively enhance the quality of education and promote success (Dag & Buluc Kirikkaya, 2012; Jackson, 2000), the issue of how a web-based application should be selected/evaluated has become increasingly important.Web-Based Learning Applications and SelectionWeb-based learning applications, which consist of different components, are used to present teaching contents through interactive exercises and multimedia materials. In addition, based on these components, the teaching strategies determine how these contents are presented, whereas certain tools can improve access to such contents (Pahl, 2003). Previous studies have shown that web-based learning is an original approach that utilises technological features and interface components as instructional tools (Allen & Allen, 2002; Horton, 2000; Pahl, 2003).In the development and evaluation of effective web-based learning applications, all of the technological, pedagogical and content-related components should be considered (Clark & Mayer, 2008; Dietinger, 2003). In the literature related to the development and usability of websites, especially in regard to their design criteria (Bevan, 2005; U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2006), some studies have focused on the development scale(s) for the design and evaluation of educational web-based applications (Cakiroglu, Akkan, & Cebi, 2008; Hajerrouit, 2010; Henke, 2001). These studies generally examined the interface components of web-based learning applications and focused on design principles in terms of their usability factor (Hasan, 2014; Silius & Tervakari, 2003; Oztekin, Kong, & Uysal, 2010).In general, previous studies on the design of web-based learning have focused on the technological dimensions of such applications. However, limited studies have evaluated all of the components of web-based learning platforms and the development of standardbased evaluation criteria and measurement tools (Atec, 2013; Hsu, Yeh, & Yen, 2009). Moreover, some research related to the evaluation of web-based learning platforms only focused on a certain field of education (e.g. foreign language) (Liu, Liu, & Hwang, 2011; Yang & Chan, 2008). Thus, for effective and successful web-based learning, studies need to identify the standards for evaluating web-based learning platforms, especially in terms of educational, technological and pedagogical aspects (Dabbagh, 2005).The measures set forth in the aforementioned studies related to the design, selection and evaluation of web-based learning applications appear to be similar (Atec, 2013; Cakiroglu et al. …


On the piezoelectric substrate, the first is constituted by the IDT electrode and a second, 3 IDT electrode and the first and second reflector electrodes, when a surface acoustic wave wavelength λ of each IDT electrode, the pitch of the electrode fingers λ / 2 a state having the excitation region, in the longitudinal coupling type surface acoustic wave filter of a configuration in which side by a predetermined amount according to each state the pass band frequency characteristics desired the phase of the inter-region excitation, the first, second, third electrode finger pitch in the IDT electrode by forming a λ / 2 different from the sub-excitation region, and all of the electrode finger pitch constituting the surface acoustic wave filter in the range of 0.8λ / 2 to 1.2λ / 2, the degradation of the loss caused by the discontinuity between the IDT electrode prevent.


This paper introduces a novel idea of analyzing logs of "working support through first person vision (FPV) communication", a working style in which a worker with a head-mounted camera works under the guidance of an experienced mentor monitoring the FPV at a distance. The logs contain various types of multimodal interactions concerning intentions, instructions, and explanations as well as usual working information. We first propose frequent pattern extraction and investigation of the resultant characteristics, and subsequently show experimentally that some characteristics are tightly linked to the smoothness of the work environment and failures.


Islam has spread into many different civilizations. Although these civilizations have accepted the Islamic faith, they have frequently distorted, if not actually rejected, the rules of filiation and of family relationships, the rulings of the Koran on engagement, marriage, and conjugal relations, and the right of inheritance, all in the name of ijtihad, the right of interpretation. The black African populations that have embraced Islam have thus placed more emphasis on the actual faith than on its legal, political, or social aspects. Islam has contributed to the breakdown of the extended family as it was traditionally conceived by instituting the right to a share of the land inheritance, which had formerly remained undivided and was managed by the oldest male of the line. It has affected the principle of the total separation of property between spouses by introducing the notion of inheritance from one another but has not contradicted the practices which form the basis of marriage: authority over the marriage of the children, dowry, preferential marriage. By stressing patriarchal power it has, in fact, reduced feminine authority. Muslim families today are involved in a capitalist- or collectivist-type industrial revolution as well as in the process of urbanization and the spread of Western culture. They are undergoing profound changes. This, however, is not leading to Western-type marriages, at least not for the time being, because the solidarity of family relationships, even if modified, is very strong.


This letter proposes a new route to achieve selective etching using remote plasma (RP) source processes that offer purely chemical etching by the action of plasma neutral species only. The proposed approach relies on cycling a two-step process comprising a surface treatment step and an etching step. The concept is based on the strong sensitivity of plasma neutrals' absorption to the chemistry of the substrate. By modifying the material surface state with a treatment, the etching can be delayed or even suppressed, converting a nonselective surface into one for which the etching process is area selective. This approach has been applied to the isotropic and selective removal of SiGe relative to Si in order to fabricate horizontal stacked-Si nanowires for gate all around devices. The RP process alternates an oxidation step using remote He/O2 plasma and a short etching step using remote NH3/NF3/O2 plasma. Real-time ellipsometry measurements indicate that in remote NH3/NF3/O2 plasma, there exists an incubation time before the etching starts, which is greater on Si than on SiGe films, allowing highly selective SiGe etching in the transient regime. Moreover, the Si surface modification through oxidation can inhibit reactive sites, and thus delay or even suppress the Si etching, allowing infinite SiGe over Si selectivity. By using this approach, 10 nm-thick horizontal stacked-Si nanowires could be obtained.This letter proposes a new route to achieve selective etching using remote plasma (RP) source processes that offer purely chemical etching by the action of plasma neutral species only. The proposed approach relies on cycling a two-step process comprising a surface treatment step and an etching step. The concept is based on the strong sensitivity of plasma neutrals' absorption to the chemistry of the substrate. By modifying the material surface state with a treatment, the etching can be delayed or even suppressed, converting a nonselective surface into one for which the etching process is area selective. This approach has been applied to the isotropic and selective removal of SiGe relative to Si in order to fabricate horizontal stacked-Si nanowires for gate all around devices. The RP process alternates an oxidation step using remote He/O2 plasma and a short etching step using remote NH3/NF3/O2 plasma. Real-time ellipsometry measurements indicate that in remote NH3/NF3/O2 plasma, there exists an incubation ...


White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the most severe viral pathogen to the crustacean aquaculture industry worldwide. Recently, serious WSSV outbreaks caused catastrophic losses in the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China. However, to date, little is known about its infection mechanism in the new natural host. This study aimed to reveal the temporal and spatial dynamics of WSSV in E. sinensis. The slow viral growth in the early stage of infection was the light infection stage (from 0 to 24 hpi), and the exponential growth stage that followed was the logarithmic phase (from 24 to 72 hpi). The viral growth curve ended with the plateau phase (from 72 to 144 hpi) which demonstrated a consistent high level of viral load and accompanied heavy crab mortality. The viral load increased as time progressed with similar growth curves, however, at different degrees. The viral copy numbers of tissues at different time intervals, analysed using one-way analysis of variance (anova), showed significant differences between tissues at all time points (P < 0.05). Infection was detectable as early as 6 hpi in all the tissues screened. The severity of infection was found to be maximum in gill and pleopods, which could be recommended for diagnostic testing. This study might provide important data to analyse theoretically the interaction between WSSV and the host.


In the framework of finite order variational sequences a new class of Lagrangians arises, namely, special Lagrangians. These Lagrangians are the horizontalization of forms on a jet space of lower order. We describe their properties together with properties �


Mankind's relationships with animals consist mainly of preying on them or selecting and controlling useful traits through domestication. The tradition of manipulating populations to conserve animals is ancient. Old laws in western Europe restricted hunting to the upper classes, and regulations have governed the killing of mammals and birds for food. Inhabitants of Britain's remote St Kilda Island, for example, lived off sea birds for 150 years, taking into account the breeding requirements and reproductive potential of several species. Marine birds provide good examples of how different patterns of animal exploitation and conservation have become established. The utilization of one such bird the Common Eider Somateria mollissima demonstrates a rare mutual dependence between man and animal.


Hoagland and Arnon solution culture system was employed to study the different requirement for boron by vegetable growth of different B-efficient rape cultivars. The results showed that within the range of B 0.001~0.005mg/kg, the fresh weight of both upper parts and root, as well as the root activity of the B-inefficient rape cultivars were much lower than that of B-efficient cultivars. Beyond this range, no growth differences could be detected among the cultivars. Thus boron content of 0.001~0.005mg/kg could be used for the identification of B-efficient rape cultivars. The result also showed that rapeseed root was more sensitive to boron insufficiency, so the length and fresh weight of root could be used as the main indexes for selecting B-efficient cultivars.


Credit scoring is the term used to describe methods utilised for classifying applicants for credit into classes of risk. This paper evaluates two induction approaches, rough sets and decision trees, as techniques for classifying credit (business) applicants. Inductive learning methods, like rough sets and decision trees, have better knowledge representational structure than neural networks or statistical procedures because they can be used to derive production rules. If decision tree have already been used for credit granting, the rough sets approach is rarely utilised in this domain. In this paper, we use production rules obtained on a sample of 1102 business loans in order to compare the classification abilities of the two techniques. It results that decision tree obtains better results with 87.5% of good classifications with a pruned tree against 76.7% for rough sets. However, decision tree make more type II errors than rough sets but less type I errors.


Summary: The hysteresis of the Coanda effect was investigated with the 2D stream coming from the slot in the neighbourhood of the plate at the experimental rig at the UWM, Olsztyn. The measurements were made for different Reynolds numbers based on the slot dimension and stream velocity. The measurement of the free stream, the wall jet velocity profiles and the pressure distribution on the plate were accomplished. The angles of the plate arrangement (hysteresis angle) according to the stream axis were measured where the stream separate and attached the plate when the plate was approaching or walking away the stream axis. The hysteresis angle is equal to the 15 to 20 degrees depending on the Reynolds number. The visualization of hysteresis of the Coanda effect was also made by means of the smoke. 1. Introduction The Coanda effect is observed as a tendency of the stream coming from the slot to stay attached to the plate or convex surface. The Coanda effect is well known in the ventilation as an undesirable phenomenon changing the designed air distribution in the ventilated room. It also sometimes used to change the air direction at the outlet of the vent in a well-thought- up way. It is known that there is the hysteresis of Coanda effect which is rather not well investigated [1]. The aim of this paper is - to some extent – to fill out this gap. In [1] the hysteresis is shown as a function of l/b, where l=length of the plate and the width of the air outlet orifice and for the so called high Reynolds number i.e. Re=50000. In the ventilation problems the Reynolds number is often much smaller and in our investigations it is in the range of Re= 7000 till almost 40000. A little more distant target of our investigation is the application of the hysteresis phenomenon to enhance the mixing ventilation in a room. 2. Experimental rig The investigation was carried out in the experimental rig in the lab of the Chair of Environmental Engineering at the UWM in Olsztyn. The stream air was coming from the twodimensional Witoszynski nozzle of dimensions h*b, where h=0.6 m = const and b = 5, 10 and 20 mm was changing. The length of the plate of length l = 1.0 m was placed at the edge of slot and the plate can be turned of the angle 0 to 90 degrees was, thus investigations were made for three different values of l/b = 50, 100 and 200. The velocity range used during the investigation was 5 m/s to 32 m/s so the Reynolds numbers determined as by Newman was Re= 7000 till almost 40000. Firstly, the histeresis of the Coanda affect at the plate was investigated by measuring the limiting angle when the stream is attached and detached [3]. The visualisation of the hysteresis of the Coamda effect were also made. Than the measurements of the free stream from the twodimensional slot was made, and next the wall jet for the angle α=0 and the critical maximum angle of attachment and separation [2]. Furthermore the measurements of static pressure in 50 points at the plate surface were made. Additionally, the pressure force acting on the plate was calculated by means of the integration of static pressure. For the critical angle of plate deflection also the separation


The main objects under study are quotients of multiplier algebras of certain complete Nevanlinna--Pick spaces, examples of which include the Drury--Arveson space on the ball and the Dirichlet space on the disc. We are particularly interested in the non-commutative Choquet boundaries for these quotients. Arveson's notion of hyperrigidity is shown to be detectable through the essential normality of some natural multiplication operators, thus extending previously known results on the Arveson--Douglas conjecture. We also highlight how the non-commutative Choquet boundaries of these quotients are intertwined with their Gelfand transforms being completely isometric. Finally, we isolate analytic and topological conditions on the so-called supports of the underlying ideals that clarify the nature of the non-commutative Choquet boundaries.


In this paper,the hydroxyl radical eliminating activities of flavonoid extracted from Liu Panshui of Senecio scandens Bach-Ham.ex D.Don by 70% alcohol was studied.Using the assay system of DPPH,the antioxidant activities of the Senecio scandens Bach.-Ham.ex D.Don flavonoids were studied and compared with those of VE and assorbic acid.Results showed that the extracts of the Senecio scandens Bach.-Ham.ex D.Don of flavonoids (62.36 mg/L) was attained by 54.93% and remarkable exceeded hibitory effect on the antioxidation of superoxidized anionic and lipid peroxidantion.


The aims of this study were determining the priority of risk agents and determining the risk mitigation in the supply chain of organic rice. An empirical study was carried out at "Manajemen Usaha Tani Hasil Organik Seloliman" (MUTHOS) as a business organization of organic rice in Seloliman Sub-district, Trawas District, Mojokerto Regency, East Java, Indonesia. This research used 2 phases of the House of Risk (HOR) method. Risks and risk agent identification were done in HOR 1 then the risk mitigations determined in HOR 2. The results of this study showed that 29 risks caused by 26 risk agents were identified in business activities of MUTHOS; as a result, 2 risk agents to be mitigated were chosen based on the value of Aggregate Risk Potential (ARP). There were 12 risk mitigations to be considered in mitigation of the chosen risk agents. These risk mitigations then were prioritized based on their effectiveness when being applied. The first priority of risk mitigation to be put into practice was training employees in the handling of the rice after it was harvested and in the management system. Keywords—Aggregate risk potential, Organic rice, Risk Agents, Risk mitigations, Supply chain


Adaptive optics retinal imaging systems use spherical mirrors in an off-axis arrangement to relay the image and pupil planes [1-7]. Most of the designs where the optical axes of all elements are on a common plane (planar configuration) have off-axis aberration problems. (...)


The invention discloses a preparation method of a metavanadic silver/silver/silver phosphate composite catalyst. The preparation method comprises the following specific steps: mixing the prepared AgNO3 solution with the concentration of 20 mmol/L and thiourea-containing Na2HPO4 solution with the concentration of 20 mmol/L to prepare thiourea-doped silver phosphate colloid; dripping NH4VO3 solution into the AgNO3 solution while stirring; washing and drying to obtain AgVO3 particles; reducing the AgVO3 particles by utilizing NaBH4 to obtain silver/metavanadic silver particles; finally adding the silver/metavanadic silver particles into the thiourea-doped silver phosphate colloid, stirring and drying to obtain the metavanadic silver/silver/silver phosphate composite catalyst. The metavanadic silver/silver/silver phosphate composite catalyst has a good visible light absorption effect, and can transfer photo-generated electrons effectively, and avoid the combination with electron holes.


Oral submucous fibrosis(OSF) is a chronic oral mucous membrane disease characterized with progressive limitation of the opening of mouth caused by inflammation and mucous membrane disorder.Data from recent epidemiological studies provide overwhelming evidence that areca nut is the main aetiological factor for OSF.A clear dose-dependent relationship was observed for both frequency and duration of chewing areca nut in the development of OSF.Areca chewing may exert a strong mechanical stimulation on the oral mucous membrane as the robust fibre in the nut,the areca-specified alkaloids and tannin which may have a synergistic role,seem to interfere with the molecular processes of deposition and/or degradation of extracellular matrix molecules such as collagen;the copper content of areca nut is high and may play a role as a mediator in fibrosis.Furthermore,it has been postulated that areca nut may also induce the development of the disease by increased levels of cytokines in the lamina propria.Therefore,this article aims at analyzing the recent developments that may lead to our understanding of the aetiology and pathogenesis of OSF with special reference to areca nut as the major aetiological factor and making it known to the public what a role areca nut may have played in human OSF.


The paper investigated certain resisting germs, pest, weeds and plant growth-regulating activities of main alkaloids and total alkaloid from sophora alopecuroides L. The results showed that the pesticide is stronger than others and the pesticide activity is selective yet. Some basic results obtained for the alkaloids as pesticides.


Background: Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), is an extracellular matrix (ECM) noncollagenous glycoprotein that is mainly localized within the cartilage, and also be found in tendon and synovium.Recent studies in west and Asia Pacific region has shown that COMP, is a prognostic marker in Rheumatoid arthritis(RA). Objective: To correlate serum COMP levels with disease severity and cartilage destruction in rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: The study was conducted in Department of Pathology and Rheumatology, Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi from June 2018 to May 2019. Patients were recruited as per American Original Research Article Qabulio et al.; JAMMR, 32(16): 62-69, 2020; Article no.JAMMR.60859 63 College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 classification criteria. The study population consists of 88 healthy subjects and 88 RA patients. Sandwich ELISA technique was used to assess serum COMP level. Other inflammatory markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Creactive protein (CRP) antibodies like rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (antiCCP) were also assessed. Results were analyzed using SPSS-20 and P-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Serum COMP levels were significantly higher in RA patients 51.35 ng/ml than controls 21.454 ng/ml with significant p value=<0.0001. There was strong positive correlation between COMP level and disease severity in RA patients with moderate as well as high disease activity score (DAS) with significant p value. Serum COMP showed 96% sensitivity and 83% specificity at level of 27.01 ng/ml for diagnosis of RA. Conclusions: COMP has significant positive correlation with severity of RA. Serum COMP can be utilized as a biomarker to quantify cartilage destruction in RA patients.


Using EPQ as an instrument,this study made an assessment of 30 students with hearing impairment in Xi`an and exposed the situation about their personality development.We also discussed the factors that influence the personality development of the hearing impaired children and drew the conclusion: 1.There exist significant differences in personality characteristics between the hearing impaired children and the normal;2.There exist any differences in personality characteristics between the city's hearing impaired children and the countryside's;3.With the knowledge and experience adding the hearing impaired children's personality can develop to the normal.


Abstract The focusing of partially coherent light by a lens with spherical aberration (SA) is studied. The numerical calculation results are given, showing that the axial intensity distribution not only depends on the SA, but also on the coherence of partially coherent light and the Fresnel number of the lens. As the coherence decreases, the influence of the SA on the axial intensity distribution decreases, and the positions of maximum axial intensity shift towards the lens.


This practice-led thesis explores the ways that lyric poetry contributes to the understanding of the environmental crisis, through a collection of new poems and a critical exegesis. The poems develop the field of place-based nature poetry, specifically to address facets of the environmental crisis. They reflect on the ethical complexities of living in a time of environmental crisis, and highlight initiatives taken to alleviate the crisis. The poems seek to answer the question of whether poetry can be ideologically-driven while still being alert to the resonances of language within the lyric tradition. The second part of the thesis places the poems within an investigation of the critical context of ecopoetry, drawing on the work of Jonathan Bate, Terry Gifford, Leonard Scigaj, Tom Bristow and Sam Solnick. It points to recent criticism of the lyric, in the work of Timothy Morton, Timothy Clark and Matthew Griffiths, for its perceived inability to go beyond the immediate sensory environment and reflect the complexity of the environmental crisis. The thesis develops the criticism of Tom Bristow to highlight the contemporary lyric as being ideally placed to explore the human dimension of the environmental crisis, in the way it articulates complex layers of thought and feeling, inviting the reader to share in the poet's explorations. The thesis highlights a difference in tradition between Britain and America, which has a longer tradition of more direct ecopoetry, and draws out common threads of 'activist' poetry from the poems and critical prose of Wendell Berry, Gary Snyder, John Kinsella and Ted Hughes. It explores the way that these poets have approached issues around conservation, as a key concern of this thesis, and highlights techniques in their work that I seek to develop further in my lyric poems. It finishes with a detailed discussion of my collection of poems, in which I situate the engagement of the poems into the critical context, broadly conceived, of ecopoetry.


Regarding as the main part of construction design for electronic equipment, enclosure design is becoming an important link to realize its technique targets. This paper explains the rules for enclosure design of electronic equipment,presents its design ideas of modularization ,miniaturization,and modeling design, discusses the considerations during the contruction design of several enclosures used frequently.


In this paper, I develop two types of government ties: cognition-based and affect-based on the foundation of trust theory to show the different properties underlying the government ties Then I use the context of bank discrimination in China to show the different mechanisms of them with the integration of trust theory, singling theory and social network theory. I argue that both of two government ties help non-SOE firms to get loans from banks, but banks are more willing to lend in a response to the cognition-based government ties which have lower possibility of default risks. As a result, the cognition-based government ties tend to help non-SOE firms fill the institutional voids while the affect-based government ties not.


In the present study, the researcher examined how students build comprehension with different types of text. Poor comprehenders and typically-achieving comprehenders, as determined by a standardized measure for general reading comprehension, were compared in their reading comprehension and reading strategy use across text types. The researcher also examined the influence of cognitive functioning on reading comprehension, and to what extent cognitive functions can explain the difference in reading comprehension between poor and typically-achieving comprehenders. A group of poor comprehenders ( n = 24) and typically-achieving comprehenders ( n = 38) completed measures of cognitive functioning and read narrative, expository, and graphic texts aloud before answering comprehension questions. Participants verbally reported strategy use during reading allowing the researcher to make comparisons between the two groups. Poor comprehenders used fewer cognitive strategies than their typically-achieving peers while reading narrative and expository text, and fewer evaluative strategies with graphic text. Participants


GPUs are the platform of choice for many general purpose workloads such as machine learning. This is driving demand for better GPGPU support in virtualized environments like the cloud. Despite significant research attention, GPGPU virtualization remains largely an open problem due to the challenge of balancing performance against key virtualization properties: compatibility, isolation, and interposition. Consequently, two different approaches to GPGPU virtualization have been adopted by the industry: Cloud service providers, such as AWS, support GPU-capable VMs using PCIe-passthrough techniques that bypass virtualization entirely, sacrificing its benefits; Virtualization vendors, such as BitFusion and Dell XaaS, support GPGPU virtualization using user-space API-remoting, which retains some of the benefits of virtualization, but elides hypervisor interposition, thereby giving up key virtualization properties.We hypothesize that while API-remoting may be the only viable software virtualization technique (as it interposes the only practical interface), API-remoting should not be implemented purely in user-space. We revisit VMware's SVGA in the context of GPGPU computing and find that hypervisor-mediated API-remoting is efficient: Decoupling device virtualization from GPU ISA virtualization is key to preserving the raw speedup from GPGPU acceleration, while also preserving the benefits of hypervisor-mediation: migration, isolation, fairness, etc.


A simple technique which involves the transmission of a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) symbol and two parity bits in separate channels to improve the performance of communication systems is devised. When a symbol is received, a decision is made not solely by its Euclidean distances to the constellation points. Rather, the two parity bits are used to assist in making the decision. Unlike standard error correcting codes (ECC), the proposed method operates on the received symbols at the detector level and before the ECC. The parity bits and the information symbols can be sent in different channels (frequency division) or at different times on the same channel (time division). The available energy for transmission can be distributed unevenly among the information bits and the parity bits to improve the performance. Simulation results show large gains in required signal to noise ratios over uncoded system to achieve the same performance. The scheme is simple and is well suited for systems with low computational power.


Obtaining current traffic matrices is essential to traffic engineering (TE) methods. Because it is difficult to monitor traffic matrices, several methods for estimating them from link loads have been proposed. The models used in these methods, however, are incorrect for some real networks. Thus, methods improving the accuracy of estimation by changing routes also have been proposed. However, existing methods for estimating the traffic matrix by changing routes can only capture long-term variations and cannot obtain current traffic matrices accurately. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating current traffic matrices that uses route changes introduced by a TE method. In this method, we first estimate the long-term variations of traffic by using the link loads monitored at previous times. Then, we adjust the estimated long-term variations so as to fit the current link loads. In addition, when the traffic variation trends change and the estimated long-term variations fail to match the current traffic, our method detects mismatch. Then, so as to capture the current traffic variations, the method re-estimates the long-term variations after removing monitored data corresponding to the end-to-end traffic causing the mismatches. We evaluate our method through simulation. The results show that our method can estimate current traffic matrices accurately even when some end-to-end traffic changes suddenly.


The impedance is a complex function of frequency, which represents, for the plane under consideration (longitudinal, horizontal or vertical), the force integrated over the length of an element, from a "source" to a "test" wave, normalized by their charges. In general, the impedance in a given plane is a nonlinear function of the test and source transverse coordinates, but it is most of the time sufficient to consider only the first few linear terms. Impedances can influence the motion of trailing particles, in the longitudinal and in one or both transverse directions, leading to energy loss, beam instabilities, or producing undesirable secondary effects such as excessive heating of sensitive components at or near the chamber wall, called beam-induced RF heating. The LHC performance limitations linked to impedances encountered during the 2010-2012 run are reviewed and the currently expected situation during the HL-LHC era is discussed.

http://cds.cern.ch/record/2131755/files/Impedance and Component Heating.pdf


SIX PARAMETERS OF THE MIX WERE VARIED IN THREE MIX DESIGNS FOR TUNNEL SUPPORT TO ASCERTAIN THE EFFECTS ON COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND REBOUND. TWENTY-SEVEN PROPORTIONINGS WERE USED. SAND GRADING WAS FOUND TO HAVE THE GREATEST EFFECT ON COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH: THE COARSER THE SAND, THE HIGHER THE STRENGTH INCREASES. ACCELERATOR AND CEMENT CONTENT ALSO EXERT INFLUENCE, BUT SAND--AGGREGATE RATIO HAD LITTLE EFFECT. FOR ALL SPECIMENS, THE AVERAGE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH WAS 187 KG/SQ CM. THE SAME EFFECT OF SAND GRADING WAS OBSERVED WITH RESPECT TO REBOUND. SAND--AGGREGATE RATIO, WATER CONTENT, AND CEMENT ALSO PLAYED A ROLE. THE AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF REBOUND WAS 32.4.


The primary phase of K2O-MgO-SiO2-CaF2 glass-Ceramics is tetrasilicic-mica (K2CaMg5Si8O22F2) 5 the newly formed crystals in this glass-ceramics are KMg2.5Si8 O10F2 , CaO.MgO.2SiO2 andK2CaMg5Si8 O22F2 respectively in sequence. The chemical compositions of the final crystals, whichare composed of diopside and richterite, of this type glass-ceramics are almost the same as thoseof the parent glass.


PURPOSE: A color cathode ray tube having an electron gun of inline type is provided to improve resolution and convergence characteristics at the surrounding area of screen. CONSTITUTION: Disclosed is an electron gun of inline type comprising a second quadruple lens electrodes(152, 160), a third quadruple lens electrodes(170, 162), and a fourth quadruple lens electrodes(172, 180). In the second quadruple lens electrodes(152, 160), a second static electrode(152) is confronted with a second dynamic electrode(160). Static voltage is applied to the second static electrode(152), and dynamic voltage is applied to the second dynamic electrode(160). In the third quadruple lens electrodes(170, 162), a third static electrode(170) is confronted with a third dynamic electrode(162). Static voltage is applied to the third static electrode(170), and dynamic voltage is applied to the third dynamic electrode(162). In the fourth quadruple lens electrodes(172, 180), a fourth static electrode(172) is confronted with a fourth dynamic electrode(180). Static voltage is applied to the fourth static electrode(172), and dynamic voltage is applied to the fourth dynamic electrode(180).


Mining association rules is one of the important tasks in data mining.With the aim to further improve the cognitive feature and the performance of association rules mining algorithm,the paper proposes one new idea of association rules mining and one RBFCM-based association rules mining algorithm,which uses rule based fuzzy cognitive map to represent knowledge and to be accessible fuzzy inference to each association rule mined as so to reduce the frequency of interaction with the database. And the experiment demonstrates that the approach effectively increases the effectiveness of association rules mining and the intelligence compared with the Apriori algorithm.


Error analysis of distant-satellite-to-close-satellite range-rate, satellite-to-sea altimetry, and ground station to satellite range are made by simulations in which observational variances are assumed, observation equations are formed, and normal equations incremented. The final normal equation matrix is inverted to obtain standard deviations and correlation coefficients. The natural parameters solved for are the broad variations of the gravity field, represented by harmonic coefficients; local variations of gravity, represented by point masses; and the departure of the sea level from the geoid, represented by area means. A standard case of a low (263 km) polar close satellite, three equatorial geosynchronous satellites, and eight ground tracking stations is set up.


The authenticity of dynamic finite element's results has a close relationship not only with boundary condition and the inputted datum of seismic wave.This paper calculates seismic response of large slipmass under different boundary conditions and inputted datum with time history method.On the basis of the calculating results to analyze the impacts which arise from radiation damping and inputted elevation on seismic response of slipmass and the law of seismic response.The results demonstrate that the upper part of Shangtian-town large slipmass has large displacement response and small shearing strength;but the response of lower part is opposite to the upper.Viscoelastic boundary can reduce the seismic response of slipmass;and the change of inputted elevation of earthquake wave can produce considerable influence on seismic response.The simulative rationality of radiation damping of foundation and inputted elevation of earthquake wave can influence the objectivity of seismic analysis.


Deep Learning has become the most common technique used in different fields like pattern recognition, weather prediction, medical diagnosis, banking sectors, aerospace and defense, data mining applications, image processing, speech recognition, cancer analysis, etc. The training of the model demands an enormous amount of data that is gathered from various data providers and sent to the cloud because they have limited storage and less computational resources. Cloud trains the model with the help of the gathered data. Also, data providers have genuine and confidential data that emerges the privacy issues, so to preserve privacy, the data is sent in the encrypted form and cannot be exposed to anyone and must be secured also. This paper focuses on the pros and cons of the different algorithms and techniques used for machine and deep learning models used for privacy preservation.


. The rapid growth of the Indian economy would be impossible without micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The Indian government enacted a series of supporting policies with counterpart funding in succession and implemented many quality infrastructure development facilitation programs to make full use of the technical superiority of the national quality infrastructure, improve the quality of products and services and promote the healthy development of small and medium-sized enterprises with a view to promoting the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and increasing corporate competitiveness. This paper, through an analysis of the experiences and serial practices of the Indian government in promoting the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, provides a point of reference for China"s quality infrastructure to support SMEs and create a good business environment.


Evaluations of the performance of international joint ventures (IJVs) in China have produced mixed conclusions. This study sought to uncover performance criteria used by various groups of managers and to identify critical factors in IJV performance in China. Using in-depth case studies, matched data were collected from personal interviews with managers from Chinese and U.S. parent companies, joint venture operating managers from both partners, and government officials from both countries. The performance criteria used by joint venture participants appear to be converging, with profitability emerging as the dominant element. This exploratory study uncovered four important strategic factors in the performance of large, established U.S.-China manufacturing joint ventures. These are controlling decision making, establishing a sales network, retaining interpartner learning, and influencing government officials. The results suggest that the importance of decision-making control is moderated by size of the venture and nationality. Whether the IJV is a part of the government's National Plan also appears to be an important contingency. Managerial implications and directions for future research are provided.


Sufficient conditions of existence, boundedness, lower semicontinuity, and continuity of the Bellman function are given for standardization-type problems. As a result, the applicability of the dynamic programming method to standardization-type problems is rigorously proved.


THE AMIERICAN ASSOCIATION for the Advancement of Science will meet in New York City, beginning August 10. It will probably be interestingly warm in the city at that date, but the sea beach is near. DR. DIDRIK FERDINAND DIDRICHSEN, seventy-two years of age, died on March 19. He was professor of botany in the University of Copenhagen from 1875 to 1885, and for thirty years previous held important botanical offices.


Abstract. Sediment can be de ned as a fragmented material from rocks that has been formedby di erent physical and/or chemical process. Due to the action of a river, sediment may betransported in three ways: bedload, saltation and suspension. Here we are mainly interested inbedload and suspension transport process caused by the movement of a uid in contact withthe sediment layer.Some models have already been proposed for the simulation of bedload sediment transport.These models usually consist on a coupled model constituted by a hydrodynamical component,modeled by Shallow Water equations, and a morphodynamical component, modeled by somesolid transport ux. Among the most used solid transport ux, we nd the ones proposed byGrass [3], Meyer-Peter & Muller [5], Van Rijn [8], etc. They usually give good results but theyneglect gravity e ects and may present some other problems.Suspension transport can be modeled by extending the ideas presented in the works of [7],[4] and [1].In [6] a new model was introduced that consider both suspension and bedload transport.This model can be solved using path-conservative schemes described by Pares et al. and thesolid transport ux can be generalized by using the ideas proposed by [2] so that gravity e ectsare also consideredKeywords: Sediment transport, Hyperbolic systems, Finite Volume Methods, Path-conservative schemes, Numerical modelingMathematics Subject Classi cations: 74S10, 35L60, 35L65, 74G15


The influences of different variables on the viscosity and gel formation of the konjac flour produced from Amorphophallus oncophyllus have been studied. At the concentration studied, the 1.5% konjac flour yielded a viscous solution than that of 0.5% konjac flour. The viscosity of konjac flour solution were unaffected by pH (pH 2 to pH 8), salt concentration (0-10% w/v), and high acid (pH 3.5) / high temperature (70°C) condition for 5 hr. With higher sucrose concentration, the viscosity of konjac flour solution tended to decrease. The konjac flour maintained its viscosity under sterilization process (121°C at 15 lb/in2 ) for 30 min, whereas the viscosity decreased in the same condition with the presence of 2.5% NaCl. The considerable increase in viscosity were observed for the mixtures of konjac flour / rice flour, konjac flour / wheat flour, and konjac flour / corn flour. For gel formation studied, the hydrocolloids which synergistically interacted with konjac flour to form gels were xanthan gum, kcarrageenan, and agar. The texture of these gels were varied with konjac flour/synergistic hydrocolloids ratios.


Hypertension occurs in 10% to 15% of adults. Hypertension may hasten atherosclerosis and is considered an important predisposing factor to coronary artery disease. Our prospective investigations suggest that 10% to 15% of hypertension in adults has a cardiovascular or renal cause, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm, renal artery stenosis, renal infarction, neoplasia, glomerulopathy, or infection. Renal artery stenosis is a common correctable cause. The functional importance of angiographically proved stenosis can be determined from renal vein renin activity, differential renal function, or a continuous abdominal bruit. Intravenous urography and isotope renography are valuable adjunctively. In 7 to 14 years of study, mortality was 16% among surgically treated patients and 40% among similar medically treated patients.


Bibliographic records are retrieved throu h the use of access points, headings for persons and corporate bodes who are responsible for the creation of the work(s) represented by the bibliographic record, or who have another relationship with the work(s). Part II of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. 2d ed. (AACR 2) gives instructions for determining which access points should be assigned to a given bibliographic record and the form that those access points should have. This article covers the basic rules in AACR 2 that are needed for determining which access points to assign to an archival or manuscript work (whether a collection or an individual item) and for determining the form of access points for personal names, geographic names, and corporate body names.


Employing an iterative approach, an exact computation of the differential phase shift, provided by the circular waveguide, entirely filled with azimuthally magnetized ferrite, is performed in normalized form for the normal TE01 mode. The results obtained correspond to the upper part (consisting of two separate areas) relevant to small and large values of the off-diagonal ferrite permeability tensor element, of the frequency band in which the structure exhibits phase shifting properties. They complement previous ones for the lower part of the same. The joint consideration of the new and earlier outcomes shows that the phase shift increases almost linearly with the tensor element (is almost proportional to the reciprocal of normalized guide radius) in the whole band, if the radius (the tensor element) is fixed.


Nietzsche, by no means extemporaneously, resorts to an ambitious historic-dialectical narrative, typically young Hegelian, to frame/ evaluate Modernity, elevate his own philosophy to unmatchable heights and find for himself an absolutely superior, unique position which authorizes himself as absolute Critic and Destiny, having ultimately as his main target (typical of his German times) the "philistine", the common human individual, and that which politically corresponds to her/him: civil society and democracy. That does not exclude our interest in his remarkable cultural criticism, his non-reductionist, romantic, naturalism, his contributions to the critique of "Platonism" and "Cartesianism".


A thesis is submitted to SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY for partial fulfillment of degree of specialty in PUBLIC HEALTH


A synergetic improved composite TiO2 photocatalysts was successfully synthesized by using nitrogen (N) as a dopant and activated carbon (AC) as synergetic compound. Two different types of AC prepared from Garcinia mangostana shell and commercial AC obtained from palm shell were chosen as synergetic compound. Thus synthesized composites was further characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analyzer and UV-visible light spectroscope. The doping of N resulted in a better solar light utilization potential. Furthermore, synergizing with AC contributed for the improved BET surface area and pore size distribution. The synergetic adsorption-photocatalytic activity was investigated by removing a commercial batik dye namely Remazol Brilliant Blue (RBB) under direct solar irradiation. The synergetic experiments showed that commercial AC synergized with N-TiO2 resulted with a maximum removal efficiency of ∼80% in 6 h.


The paper investigates the effect of constitutive models on the predicted response of a simplified benchmark problem, an embankment on soft soil. The soft soil is assumed to have the properties of POKO clay from Finland and five different constitutive models are used to model the deposit. Two of the models are isotropic models, i.e. the Modified Cam Clay model and the Soft‐Soil model. The other models are recently proposed constitutive models that account for plastic anisotropy. The S‐CLAY1 and S‐CLAY1S models are embedded in a standard elasto‐plastic framework and account for anisotropy via a rotational hardening law. In addition, the S‐CLAY1S model accounts for bonding and destructuration. In contrast, the Multilaminate Model for Clay (MMC) accounts for plastic anisotropy by utilizing so‐called multilaminate framework. The results of numerical simulations show that accounting for anisotropy results in notable differences in the predicted settlements and horizontal movements compared to the predictions using the isotropic models. There are also significant differences in the K0 predictions by the different constitutive models and this has a significant impact on the results. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this paper, I bring evidence from a large-scale field experiment on whether providing detailed repeated feedback to students evaluated in groups in different types of tournaments helps them predict their performance more accurately. A high majority of the students in the experiment are overconfident. Feedback alleviates but does not eliminate the problem. Increased accuracy in self-assessment is associated with higher performance but lower happiness, a trade-off that offers an alternative view on the existence of persistent overconfidence. No feedback prior to a tournament makes girls significantly more inaccurate in their self-assessments which may translate into their underperformance relative to boys.


Indonesia is one of the wealthiest countries in biological resources that have potential as medicinal plants. Medicinal plants can be an alternative in treating diseases such as urinary tract problems by the people of eastern Indonesia. The study aims to evaluate the use of medicinal plants for various urinary tract problems in east Indonesia, including their efficacy and safety based on the literature review. This research was conducted by interview method and field survey. The data were collected from traditional health practitioners in eastern Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Frequency of Citation (FC) and the Use value (UV). The results showed a total of 222 plants species belonging to 78 families were identified for treating urinary tract problems in east Indonesia. The most prevalent of these was the Euphorbiaceae family. The species which had the highest value were Orthosiphon aristatus (FC 12.52%, UV 0.31), Sericocalyx crispus (FC 7.80%; UV 0.19), Phyllanthus niruri (FC 6.35%; UV 0.16) were the vast majority commonly used plant species in the treatment of urinary tract problems. The most common parts used were leaves (44.87%) and herbs (10.66%). The ethnomedicinal flora in east Indonesia is quite diverse for treating urinary tract problems.