The clinical applications of MSC therapy have been intensely investigated in acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, clinical studies have fallen short of expectations despite encouraging preclinical results. One of the key problems is that transplanted stem cells can hardly survive in the harsh inflammatory environment. Prolonging the survival of transplanted MSCs might be a promising strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of MSC therapy. Here, we identified Nestin, a class VI intermediate filament, as a positive regulator of MSC survival in the inflammatory microenvironment. We showed that Nestin knockout led to a significant increase of MSC apoptosis, which hampered the therapeutic effects in an LPS-induced lung injury model. Mechanistically, Nestin knockout induced a significant elevation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress level. Further investigations showed that Nestin could bind to IRE1α and inhibit ER stress-induced apoptosis under stress. Furthermore, pretreatment with IRE1α inhibitor 4μ8C improved MSC survival and improved therapeutic effect. Our data suggests that Nestin enhances stem cell survival after transplantation by inhibiting ER stress-induced apoptosis, improving protection and repair of the lung inflammatory injury.


The (2+ 1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation and (3+ 1)-dimensional KP equation are studied by using the extended Jacobi elliptic-function method. The exact periodic-wave solutions for the two equations are obtained.


Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is common after orthotopic heart transplant (OHT). No clear guidelines for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation in OHT patients at high risk for SCD currently exist.


We investigate the impact of relativistic effects on upper hybrid (UH) waves in plasmas with thermal electrons, particularly focusing on modifications of the conditions under which UH wave trapping and related low-threshold parametric decay instabilities (PDIs) may occur. A moderately relativistic (MR) dispersion relation for UH waves, valid for electron temperatures up to 25 keV and wave frequencies up to twice the electron cyclotron frequency, is obtained from previous results and shown to reduce to the warm non-relativistic result commonly used for PDI studies at low electron temperatures. The conditions under which MR UH waves propagate are then determined and compared with warm and cold plasma theory, showing a general increase in the electron density and background magnetic field strength at which the UH resonance occurs for finite electron temperatures. We next investigate the impact of the MR corrections on the possibility of UH wave trapping for X-mode electron cyclotron resonance heated (ECRH) plasmas at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and scaled versions of the ASDEX Upgrade parameters with core electron temperatures resembling those expected in ITER X-mode ECRH plasmas. The MR UH wave trapping conditions are virtually unchanged for ASDEX Upgrade relative to warm theory, due to the low electron temperatures, while potentially important differences between warm and MR theory exist for ITER-like core electron temperatures; cold theory is found to be insufficient in both cases. Finally, the MR dispersion relation is shown to qualitatively reproduce the PDI thresholds from warm theory for previously studied ASDEX Upgrade cases.


We develop a representation of nonlinear integrated vector processes based on the martingale representation theorem of Hall and Heyde (1980). In the representation, linear combinations of the components of the vector process may be stationary, so the system may be linearly cointegrated, yet exhibit nonlinear stationary, or short-run, dynamics. We test for linear cointegration relations with nonlinear dynamics in weekly U.S. interest rates. We find that the individual rates are I(1) and that the system is linearly cointegrated. Furthermore, both cointegration relations exhibit nonlinear dynamics so the the system's short-run dynamics are nonlinear.


Communication and Information Display: Haptic Icons The idea of using haptics to display abstract information has roots in communication aids for the blind, with the Optacon (a pioneering pin-array device that allowed scanning of printed text and conversion to a tactile display), which is notable for its widespread and long-lived use (Linvill & Bliss, 1966). A recent review of this application space can be found in Tan and Pentland (2001), backed up by many reviews of relevant tactile psychophysics (Gallace, Tan, & Spence, 2007; Jones & Sarter, 2008; Pasquero, 2006). In the tactile domain, abstract information transmission has centered on haptic icons or their equivalent: brief informative haptic signals (usually vibratory) to which information has been attached. A comprehensive recent overview of the state of the art in transparent tactile communication can be found in MacLean (2008). Representational or abstract? The jury is out on whether the best approach to haptic signaling is to use metaphorically derived symbols or more arbitrarily assigned associations, in a comparison similar to the contrast between auditory icons (Gaver, 1993) and earcons (Blattner, Sumikawa, & Greenberg, 1989) in the auditory modality. The likely pros and cons are fairly obvious: Metaphorically derived, symbolic notations seem likely to be easier to learn and remember. From a philosophical and social science perspective, Gumtau (2006) observed that "the linguistic model might not be as helpful as a semiotic model in what is mainly a communication of non-verbal cues. It seems that although people voice their desire to establish logical codes, they naturally draw on aesthetic and social codes that help them design meaning successfully" (p. 254). But there are also serious design challenges to making large and usable sets of symbolic icons, particularly when the rendering palette is as limited as current tactile display hardware. (Imagine how well symbolic graphics would work using a few grayscale pixels to cover all possibilities.) These challenges include controlling signal salience (a semiotic association might not respect appropriate relative intensity) and perceptual spacing. Both problems are handled relatively easily when the need for semiotic connection is dropped, such as using a process of perceptual optimization on a proposed signal set (e.g., MacLean & Enriquez, 2003, and see the following text). One approach to increasing the controllability of the representational approach is to ascertain a set of basic primitives using careful testing, with the goal of using them across multiple contexts—for example, to represent ordinal data in a variety of situations (Tang, McLachlan, Lowe, Chalapati, & MacLean, 2005). Another approach is for designers to Haptic Interaction Design for Everyday Interfaces 169


PURPOSE: A connection structure between a pre-stressed concrete girder and a precast bottom panel is provided to improve structural stability by uniformly dispersing stress to a connection part of a pre-stressed concrete girder and a precast bottom panel. CONSTITUTION: A connection structure between a pre-stressed concrete girder and a precast bottom panel comprises shear connectors(3), connection grooves(120), placing holes(130), and reinforcing bars(102). The shear connectors are formed on the top of PSC girders(2). The connection grooves are formed on the bottom surfaces of precast bottom panels(110) and accept the shear connectors. The placing holes are formed in the precast bottom panels. The reinforcing bars are exposed through the connection grooves.


All the purely semiempirical quantum chemical theories of molecular electronic structure, such as the Pariser‐Parr‐Pople theory and its all valence electron generalizations like MINDO, assume the existence of an abstract true effective Hamiltonian which acts only within the space spanned by a minimum basis set of valence shell orbitals. Instead of following the customary procedure of attempting to determine the properties of this true effective Hamiltonian by fitting its matrix elements to experiment, this effective Hamiltonian is derived from the full N‐electron molecular Schrodinger equation under the condition that a complete configuration interaction calculation within the valence shell using this true effective Hamiltonian reproduces the exact ground and valence state energies. It is shown that this true effective Hamiltonian also exactly reproduces the projection of the exact ground and valence state wavefunctions on the space spanned by the minimum valence shell basis in the fixed core approximatio...


Our planet's life support systems are being degraded in many ways, including the release of greenhouse gases, the destruction of forests, and the disposal of toxic waste. Tools from systems engineering can help to ensure that the basic needs of humanity, such as food, energy, water, and sanitation, are provided for—in both current and future generations—while ecological limits are respected. Systems for sustainable development must cope with the complex, indeterminate forces of global change and envision outcomes across multiple physical, biological, and social dimensions. Indicators of human well-being and ecosystem health are proposed to promote the sustainability of our communities and ecosystems. Current technologies from systems engineering can make our production and consumption patterns more sustainable. The challenge will be to marshal enough political courage, scientific expertise, and societal commitment to embrace a broader, more holistic, and integrated approach to sustainable development. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Syst Eng 1: 31-43, 1998


We measured thermal shock strength degradation of BK-7 glass versus surface finish, in water and silicone oil. There is little strength degradation prior to fracture. Retained strength depends on surface finish and cooling medium.


Plant tissue culture technology has been successfully used for the commercial production of pathogen-free plants and for germplasm conservation of rare and endangered species. Clean cultures of aseptically micropropagated shoot cultures of the genus Dioscorea (yam) grown on yam multiplication media are often contaminated with covert bacteria. The bacteria may survive endophytically within these plantlets thereby making the plantlets unusable for in vitro maintenance of germplasm. This study aimed at screening some antibiotics with a view of identifying the best one that can eradicate these endophytic bacteria from yam germplasm maintained in vitro. Eleven antibiotics, at different concentration range, were evaluated on the identified isolates to determine their potential to inhibit these contaminants, using the disk diffusion technique. Single or combined antibiotic treatments effective against the contaminants were also screened for their stability and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The results shows that tetracycline combined with rifampicin (TR), streptomycin plus gentamycin (SG), rifampicin (Rn), vancomycin plus streptomycin (VS) at ≥ 125 μg/ml and TVSGR (tetracycline + vancomycin + streptomycin + gentamycin + rifampicin) at ≥ 100 μg/ml were highly bactericidal. These potential bactericidal doses can be further tested in vivo to determine their efficacy in the eradication of bacterial contaminants from the in vitro yam tissue cultured.


Because the con cerns of administra tors vary substantially from the concerns of teachers, this author suggests, the demo cratic approach to educational leader ship may no longer be effective.


Creative economy sector is the economic sector that is supported by the creative industry, namely industry driven by the creators and the innovators. The development of creative industries in Indonesia is expected to motivate people to participate in the creative industries. Meanwhile, Arabic calligraphy or identical with the art of writing beautifully has an important role in the civilization of Muslims because of its function as a major tool in preserving the Qur'an. Arabic alphabet character dynamics are flexible and easy to artictic estesis exploited, so that the development of Arabic calligraphy that was originally only to copy the verses of the Qur'an br growing at the rapid start of the media, technique, its application to a broader functions. Arabic calligraphy artistic and ptencially in the development of the creative economiy sector, as there are creative and innovative elements that permeate the calligrapher in his creation. Over time, there was a contemporary calligraphic style known as calligraphy painting trying to get out of default rules of calligraphy, thus providing its own color more economic value. Arabic calligraphy is affiliater to the art, potencially as a commodity that has always seen the trend enthusiasts (marketable). So that the dimensions of the creative economy is driven by the creative industries, calligraphy have open space in the market sector of artworks and craft sector. Key word: Creative economy, Arabic calligraphy, Creative and innovative.


With the rapid development of Internet and mobile Internet technology, and the popularization of intelligent terminal and high speed Internet service, online learning as a new educational mode gradually gains its popularity. The purpose of this paper is to study the influencing factors of users' continuance usage intention in online education platform. Based on the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) of information system and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the theoretical model of the influencing factors of user's intention to use continuously is constructed. The SEM analysis method is used to verify the validity of the model. According to the results, users' continuance intention model built demonstrates acceptable model fit, which indicates the assumed path relationship accords with the data collected. User satisfaction , perceived usefulness , perceived ease of use and social influence are factors directly influencing the users' continuance usage intention . Keywords: Online education, User behavioral, Continuance usage intention, SEM


Academic urologists have dual roles. We are required to educate residents while simultaneously providing excellent surgical care. This is of course done in a publicly funded healthcare system, where efficiency and fiscal responsibility is also necessary. All things considered, it seems very relevant to ask the question, "What is the effect of resident involvement on surgical times, costs, and outcomes?" The manuscript by Welk et al assesses the effect of an academic environment on operative times in a cohort of 114 225 patients undergoing five urological procedures in Ontario.1 In a multivariate model, even when accounting for referral bias and patient comorbidity, all five procedures took significantly longer in academic hospitals when compared to non-teaching centres. Operative time increased by 10‒21% and likely resulted in an estimated additional cost of $4.25 million dollars over the 11-year study period. This manuscript provides a valuable bird's-eye view of operative times in a Canadian academic environment. This study is not without limitation, however. There may be an underlying assumption that a resident is present in every operating room in every hospital with an academic affiliation. This may not always be true. Also, the degree to which residents participated in cases is also unknown. Resident involvement can vary from observing and retracting to performing the entirety of the procedure. Without knowing how much involvement residents had, it may be erroneous to generalize the effect of resident involvement on operative time. Thirdly, resident involvement in surgery may not always prolong operative time. A recent study of resident involvement in urethroplasties found increased operative times for chief resident cases, but no effect of junior residents, suggesting lesser involvement of junior residents in these more specialized operations.2 Despite the limitations, this study is quite valuable and bears striking resemblance to the existing literature examining urology resident involvement and operative times. The majority of the existing literature is based on data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) in the U.S. These studies consistently show that the involvement of a resident prolongs operative time. In general, urological procedures increase from a mean of 98 minutes to 159 minutes when residents are involved.3 This is apparent for virtually all urological surgeries, including radical prostatectomy, minimally invasive oncology, nephrectomy (partial and radical), transurethral surgery (TURP and TURBT), and urethroplasty.2,4-7 Without a doubt, resident participation consistently prolongs operative time and it is likely that these increased costs are an unavoidable consequence of resident training. Clearly resident involvement increases operative time, but what effect does this have on surgical outcomes? In the (non-urological) surgical literature, some studies have demonstrated an increased risk of postoperative complications, including surgical site infection, sepsis, urinary tract infection, pulmonary complications, and thromboembolism.8 In the urological literature, there is no consistent association between resident participation and postoperative complications, with no identifiable difference in outcomes for "general urology" procedures, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, and urethroplasty.2-4 However, there may be an increased risk of postoperative complications for both open and minimally invasive nephrectomy (partial and radical), as well as an increase in 30-day readmission rates for transurethral procedures.6,7,9 Surgical site infections appear to be the most consistent complication arising during resident involvement, which makes sense given the well-documented association of infectious complications and increasing operative time.10 On balance, it appears that staff surgeons operate faster without residents, but the impact on postoperative complications is variable, and in most instances is likely not clinically significant. Prolonged operative time and associated costs are likely a necessary consequence of resident teaching. This should not result in restrictions in resident surgical involvement, but rather act as impetus to develop novel methods of surgical training, adopt surgical simulation, and perhaps increase funding to select teaching sites with a high-density of learners. The correct balance of autonomy and superviKeith Rourke, MD, FRCSC


For the substructure,as the drilling rig's main components,the structural design project,mostly,of its influence and decide general arrangement of the drill rig.Through analyzing characteristic and typical structure of the table beam,this paper initially put forward a new view on the table beam design project for 4000 m well's ultra-deep drill rigs.


Advanced echocardiographic and CMR features of patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot in the long-term follow-up.
 Anna Gozzi1, Jolanda Sabatino1, Elena Cuppini1, Irene Cattapan1, Alessia Basso1, Jennifer Fumanelli1, Angela Di Candia1, Martina Avesani1, Domenico Sirico1, Biagio Castaldi1, Elena Reffo1, Alessia Cerutti1, Roberta Biffanti1, Giovanni Di Salvo1
 1Department for Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padova, Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology Unit, Via Nicolo` Giustiniani, 2, 35128 Padova, Italy

 Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease and the population of ToF repair survivors is growing rapidly. Children and, more frequently young adults, with repaired ToF develop late complications. Sudden cardiac death and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia remain a concern in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot.
 The aim of this study was to describe and analyse advanced echocardiographic and CMR features of patients with repaired ToF in the long-term follow-up and to find non-invasive predictors of adverse prognosis.

 This is a retrospective cohort study. Consecutive 200 patients with repaired ToF who did not undergo pulmonary valve replacement were included. Mean age of all patients was 19 ± 8. The electrocardiographic (ECG), cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) data were reviewed retrospectively. Right myocardial work index (RWI) was calculated as the area of the right ventricular pressure strain loops. From RWI, Right Constructive Work (RCW), Wasted Work (RWW) and Work Efficiency (RWE) were estimated.
 Patients were screened according the age at surgery (<12 months and >12 months) and the time since the repair (< 25 years and ≥ 25 years).
 A composite end-point of major adverse cardiovascular events (sudden cardiac death, sustained and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, resuscitated sudden cardiac death, or syncope) was used.

 CPET values were not significantly different in patients with more than 25 years since the corrective surgery. Left ventricular ejection fraction measured either by CMR or echocardiography were slightly but significantly reduced in patients with more than 25 years since the corrective surgery.
 Patients with older age at surgery (>12 months) have significantly reduced V02max at CPET, larger RA and LA areas and larger RV basal diameter.
 During a median follow-up of 2.9 years, 1 patient died suddenly, 5 had documented ventricular tachycardia, and other 4 had syncope. On univariate analysis, echocardiographic left atrial area/BSA (P=0.044) and right ventricular longitudinal strain (P=0.010) were significantly related to the combined end point. Patients with reported VT at Holter ECG presented significantly reduced right ventricular function in terms of CMR-EF, echocardiographic FAC and RWI.
 Finally, TOF patients with borderline/impaired predicted VO2 max at CPET presented with significantly reduced RV freewall longitudinal strain and right ventricular myocardial work index.

 Long-term survival and clinical condition after surgical correction of ToF in infancy is generally good and the late functional status in ToF - operated patients could be excellent up to 25 years after the repair. However, patients with older age at surgery have relative reduced functional status compared with those undergoing early repair. The echocardiographic and CMR evaluation of RV function are usually related to worse prognosis, recurrency of VT and reduced functional status in patients with repaired TOF.
 Right ventricular myocardial work index is feasible in patients with repaired TOF; disadvantageous right ventricular work may be a more sensitive indicator of right ventricular impairment compared with standard echocardiographic parameters, and is able to predict exercise capacity.


The mission of our department is to seek equity and equality in health and health care, and social justice within and across the nations with caring, sharing and compassionate spirit, by the people, with the people and for the people, by means of comprehensive and integrated scientific research and education on health and health care, and social development in collaboration with other related institutes of various disciplines including universities , governmental and non-governmental organizations and private sectors. Our aim is to bring together the clinical, public health and social science research to address the broad issues of health and health care. The goals are: 1) to investigate how to change the status quo by improving health status of the most vulnerable, the most underprivileged and the poorest of the poor; 2) to undertake research on the influences of 'globalization' and 'free market' system on health and social development; 3) to investigate the mechanisms to reduce inequalities between and within nations on health and development and 4) to develop the mechanisms to link the above three goals with individual research activities described below. Focusing on the followings: 1. Target diseases or topics: 1) HIV/AIDS (prevention and health care services), 2) Tuberculosis control, 3) Leprosy control, 4) Appropriate treatment and prevention of common diseases and injuries including traffic accidents in Japan and developing countries , 5) Public health aspects of Stroke, 6) Health care services for international migrant workers in Japan, 7) Maternal and Child Health Care (issues on contraceptives excluded). 2. Site/Field: 1) Aral Sea area, 2) Cambodia, 3) Bangladesh, 4) Nepal, 5) Nicaragua and 5) Japan. 3. Research topics are related to Epidemiology, prevention and health care service delivery. Current Research 1) Injury prevention in Japan and developing countries 2) HIV/AIDS prevention and care among migrant workers living in Japan 3) Leprosy and tuberculosis control in Asian countries 4) Environmental degradation and people's health: Aral Sea region and elsewhere 5) Epidemiology of Stroke and its prevention 6) Maternal and child health In each six research field a concerted effort has been made with the Faculty members and Graduate students to contribute for improving people's health status in developing countries but in developed countries including Japan as well. We continue focusing our research efforts on the 6 major research fields described above. We utilize def-erent tools such as Epidemiological, medical. Quantitative and Qualitative research methods. We also need human resource development …


Abstract:Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic includes a number of intertextual references to Marcel Proust and his multi-volume novel Remembrance of Things Past. In this essay, I investigate the usefulness of these references in the narrative of Alison's problematic relationship with her father, and I propose that they enable the structuring of queer gender and sexuality performances, which allow Alison to reclaim and reunite with her distant and ultimately lost father. As such, I point to the potential value of intertextual readings in identifying positive accounts of queer lives in the field of autographics.


Objective: To observe the curative effect of external use of Chinese herbal drugs for leukopenia. Methods: 212 cases were allocated to 2 groups, the treatment group(162 cases) was treated by external use of Chinese herbal drugs and the control group(50 cases) by oral use of leukogenic agents, 10 days constituted a course of treatment. The curative effect of both groups were observed in the 3rd, 7th and 10th day after medication. Results: The total effective rate in both groups showed very significant difference(P 0.01) . Conclusion: External use of Chinese herbal druge is applicable for leukopenia.


SAP piling method applied the underground extension. Also, Monitoring performed to check the column displacement, pile load and pile buckling.


The invention discloses a freshly squeezed oil production control method, which comprises a freshly squeezed oil production control system, wherein the freshly squeezed oil production control system comprises a plurality of data acquisition units, a plurality of readers, a plurality of displays and a printer; the readers, the data acquisition units, the displays and the printer are connected with a computer in an oil press; the computer communicates with an OLE for process control (OPC) server; the data acquisition units communicate with a manufacturing execution system (MES) website server; and the data acquisition units are in one-to-one connection with a current adjusting device, a timer, a motor, a steam boiler, a steam valve and a hydraulic pump of the oil press. By the freshly squeezed oil production control method, the information of the vegetable oil production process can be automatically recorded, important production raw materials in the vegetable oil production process are inquired, and the vegetable oil product quality is greatly improved.


A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (TQMS) is used as an on-line analyzer for pyrolysis products from oil shale, tar sands, and coal. Besides determining many hydrocarbon as well as 10 sulfur-containing species, it is important to determine the major oxygen-containing products: H/sub 2/O, CO/sub 2/, CO, and COS. CO is a particular challenge. It is impractical to remove the ubiquitous contribution of hydrocarbons to the ion at m/z 28 when using the normal MS mode and the product fragment at m/z in 16 MS/MS mode is unsatisfactory. With the replacement of Ar with Kr as the collision gas in the TQMS, a charge transfer reaction takes place with the CO/sup +/ ion but not hydrocarbon fragment ions of mass 28. By use of MS/MS mode with m/z 28 precursors, the major isotope of Kr at m/z 84 was monitored; this charge exchange product was linearly proportional to CO/sup +/.


Healthcare professionals routinely deploy various quality management tools and techniques in order to improve performance of healthcare delivery. However, they are characterised by fragmented approach i.e., they are not linked with the strategic intent of the organisation. This study introduces a holistic quality improvement method, which integrates all quality improvement projects with the strategic intent of the healthcare organisations. It first identifies a healthcare system and its environment. The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of the system are then derived with the involvement of the concerned stakeholders. This leads to developing the strategies in order to satisfy customers in line with the organisation's competitive position. These strategies help identify a few projects, the implementation of which ensures achievement of desired quality. The projects are then prioritised with the involvement of the concerned stakeholders and implemented in order to improve the system performance. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated using a case study of an intensive care unit at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex Hospital in Trinidad. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.


Although maladaptive explanatory style correlates with depression, research has also linked maladaptive attributions with anxiety, suggesting that attributional style cognitions are not unique to depression. Minimal work has explored whether the pattern of relationships among attributional style, depression, and anxiety holds across cultures. Thus, the current study examined these relationships in a sample of New Zealand children and evaluated the specificity of maladaptive attributional cognitions to depression. Sixty-nine New Zealand school children ages 8 to 14 responded to three self-report measures: Children's Depression Inventory, Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-Revised, Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire. Scores on the measures were comparable in some respects with those previously reported in the literature. Both depression and anxiety scores were significantly correlated with attributional style. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that depression but not anxiety significantly predicted overall attributional style. Thus, anxiety was no longer significantly correlated with maladaptive explanatory style upon controlling for depression. Given the high comorbidity of anxiety and depression, the present results have implications for prior research finding maladaptive attributions in other forms of psychopathology without controlling for depression. Nearly two decades ago, cognitive theorists proposed the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness model of depression (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978; Abramson, Metaisky, & Alloy, 1989). Since then a substantial body of research has amassed supporting the theorized link between attributional style and depression. Attributional or explanatory style refers to how individuals account for positive and negative events. The internal-external dimension of attributional style refers to whether an individual attributes causes of events to themselves or to some outside force. The global-specific dimension involves whether the attributed cause of an event can occur across situations or only on specific occasions. Stability-instability refers to whether the cause is perceived by an individual as transient or permanent. The attributional theory of depression proposes that depressed individuals tend to attribute negative outcomes to internal, stable, global causes and positive events to external, unstable, specific causes (Abramson et al., 1978). The presence of this maladaptive attributional style in individuals who display depressive symptomatology has been demonstrated in clinical and non-clinical samples for both adults (e.g., Sweeney, Anderson & Bailey, 1986) and children (e.g., Gladstone & Kaslow, 1995; Kaslow, Rehm & Siegel, 1984; Nolen-Hoeksema, Girgus, & Seligman, 1986). Gladstone and Kaslow's (1995) meta-analytic review of 28 studies on depression and attributional style in children and adolescents found depressive symptomatology was significantly associated with internal-stable-global attributions for negative outcomes and external-unstable-specific attributions for positive outcomes. Although such research efforts generally do not clarify the direction of causality, one five-year longitudinal study of children found maladaptive explanatory style predicted the subsequent development of depressive symptomatology (Nolen-Hoeksema, Girgus, & Seligman, 1992), suggesting maladaptive attributional style precipitates depressive symptoms. However, some researchers have suggested that maladaptive attributional style may characterize psychopathology in general rather than depression specifically (e.g., Benfield, Palmer, Pfefferbaum, & Stowe, 1988). Compared to depression, the study of anxiety as related to attributional style has been relatively neglected despite the high comorbidity of depression and anxiety. Supporting the need for research on anxiety, Houston (1995) found that attributional style was actually more predictive of anxiety than depression. …


Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Category: Gen Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Character: Cloud Strife, Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos, Kunsel (Compilation of FFVII), Zack Fair, Angeal Hewley, Aerith Gainsborough, Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Yuffie Kisaragi, Hojo (Compilation of FFVII) Additional Tags: Time Travel Stats: Published: 2012-03-14 Completed: 2012-03-29 Chapters: 38/38 Words: 161697


A hydrogen production by methanol system includes a methanol supplying device, a water supplying device and a hydrogen production by methanol device. The methanol supplying device and the water supplying device communicate with an inlet of the hydrogen production by methanol device including a hydrogen production activator, a selective oxidation reactor of carbon monoxide and an oxidative gas supplying device. An outlet of the hydrogen production by methanol device and the oxidative gas supplying device both communicate with the inlet of the selective oxidation reactor of carbon monoxide including a selective oxidation activator of carbon monoxide which comprises the alloy of a platinum or the platinum and a palladium andor a rhodium. The hydrogen production by methanol system provided bythe present invention can produce the mixed gas of hydrogen, in which the concentration of the carbon monoxide is less than 50 parts per million and does not cause an oxidation or a blast of the hydrogen.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: polymer film consists of a poly(meth)acrylate matrix, also containing a viscosity modifier based on cross-linked poly(meth)acrylates. The viscosity modifier has a two- or three-layer, "core-cladding" type structure and mean particle diameter of 10-150 nm, weight ratio of poly(meth)acrylate to viscosity modifier of 30-70:70-30, wherein the mean molecular weight of the matrix ranges from 80000 to 180000 g/mol. The polymer film also contains UV radiation absorbers and additional UV stabilisers selected from sterically hindered amines. Described also is use of a polymer moulded article for applying coating on other polymer moulded articles or for making high-quality and durable surfaces of substrate materials. The stabiliser for protection from UV radiation and weather impact of the poly(meth)acrylate based film, having a viscosity modifier, contains UV radiation absorbers selected from a group comprising benzotriazole type compounds in amount of 0.1-10% and triazine type compounds in amount of 0.0-5%, and UV stabilisers selected from sterically hindered amines in amount of 0.1-5% in terms of the weight of the film. EFFECT: obtaining a film having high viscosity and a dull surface for ensuring high elasticity and low light reflection of articles. 15 cl, 1 tbl, 15 ex


The ICAO Air Traffic Management Requirements and Performance Panel (ATMRPP) developed the Manual on Flight and Flow – Information for a Collaborative Environment (FF-ICE) and released it as ICAO Document 9965. Subsequently the ATMRPP developed the Provisions, Implementation Guidance, and amendments to the aforementioned documents for the first step of FF-ICE called FF-ICE/R1 (Planning). The ATMRPP is currently investigating the next steps in achieving full FF-ICE and has determined the subsequent step to be FF-ICE/R2 (Execution). During the Execution phase of a flight, trajectory negotiations between the eAU and the eASP can either require only automation or require the involvement of a controller. The FF-ICE/R2 concept applies only to strategic operations, where tactical operations are out of scope. In order to help scope and define the FF-ICE/R2 concept and to prepare the National Airspace System (NAS) and the global aviation community for adoption of FF-ICE/R2 operations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated the FF-ICE/X project. This project explores FF-ICE/R2, including the point of delineation between strategic and tactical operations, and the point of transition from FF-ICE/R1 to FF-ICE/R2. This paper details the technical components of the upcoming FF-ICE/X demonstration within a single eASP, while the complementary paper, Operational Evaluation of FF-ICE/R2, explores the operational aspects of that same demonstration. Both papers recognize that the FF-ICE/R2 concept is still evolving.The FF-ICE/X project is part of the FAA's effort to examine and evaluate the potential impacts of future capabilities supporting FF-ICE on the FAA's modernization effort. As such, the project assumes that the technical operating capabilities will be selected from the 2030 timeframe. This requires the technical team to analyze the scheduled future capabilities of the NAS based on the NextGen Segment Implementation Plan (NSIP) and assess different potential architectures and system enhancements for those capabilities within the NextGen Florida Testbed (FTB). To achieve this goal the technical team will identify what capabilities are directly relevant to FF-ICE/R2, what gaps exist at the FTB and what capabilities are feasible to implement in the lab environment. The technical effort will culminate in two demonstrations at the FTB and include mixed mode environments. Specifically, the first demonstration will be in the regional environment and include only one Enhanced ATM Service Provider (eASP). The second demonstration will be in the international environment and include multiple eASPs.The Execution phase includes the post-departure negotiation and ground trajectory synchronization. In the 2030 timeframe it is anticipated that pre-departure processes will primarily be automated and that the post-departure phase will still require human intervention. Although human intervention is expected while in post-departure, the Execution phase offers the eAU opportunities to employ their automation beyond the negotiation horizon. Because of this, two critical areas of technical investigation are the transition from Planning phase to Execution phase, and the point of delineation between FF-ICE/R2 and tactical operations. The technical team will explore message exchanges in the transition phase in an effort to determine the criteria for when a flight is expected to be in the Execution Phase. The team will also explore the post-departure negotiations with supporting TBO capabilities during the Execution Phase. For each message exchanged, the team will develop decision trees to track their unique flows. Exploring message exchanges will also help the team provide feedback to the FIXM Working Group for developing the data model and developing any new message types or elements in support of FF-ICE/R2.Finally, the technical team will consider the interface between the technical FF-ICE/R2 capabilities and the airspace users. It is understood that the majority of airspace users operate a network of complex and interdependent schedules with advertised timetables, crew schedules, maintenance schedules, ground handling, and more. It is of high value to the airspace user to have timely and accurate information that is standardized and globally available. The team will highlight the technical benefits that FF-ICE/R2 may provide to airspace users in making better and more informed decisions through a clearer vision of the operating environment and expanded time horizons.


B oys and men of color (BMOC) are at significant risks for poor outcomes across multiple domains including education, health, and financial well-being with little promise of improvement in the near future. Out of concern for this situation, President Obama instituted the My Brother's Keeper Initiative (MBKI) to enlist the combined resources of federal, state, and local governments as well as human services, philanthropy, and business sectors. This Social Policy Report describes MBKI and summarizes ideas gleaned from developmental science that may be useful in efforts to reach the MBKI goals of school readiness, competent reading by third grade, high school and college completion, successful entry into the work force, and reduction of violence. Policy recommendations are offered along with suggestions for research that might involve developmental scientists in this effort. Author's Note We would like to thank members of the Boys of Color Research Collaborative for their insightful comments and helpful suggestions for improving this report especially Iheoma Iruka, Emilie Smith, Natasha Cabrera, Aline Hitti, and Sheila Davis.


Objective To investigate whether platelet-rich plasma(PRP) could be the effective seeding media of MSCs in 3D scaffold,whether PRP could enhance the effect or progress of osteogenesis,maturation and vascularization of new bone tissue,it is expected to further provide reference for strategy of bone engineering construction,animal experiments and clinical application.Methods To culture bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) of New Zealand rabbit in vitro,to adopt the third generation as seeding cell,to construct tissue engineering bones respectively with PRP biphasic seeding and PPP biphasic seeding,so that the combination of cell/scaffold could be formed,and the control group was established.By means of testing DNA contents and ALP contents in the cell/scaffold combinations,the proliferation and differentiation comparison between PRP group and PPP group could be evaluated.Results The osteogenesis effect in PRP group was more remarkable compared to PPP group and control group(P0.05).Conclusion The tissue engineering bone constructed by the PRP biphasic seeding strategy can promote the proliferation and osteogenesis of BMSCs in vivo.The PRP biphasic seeding is a practical way to construct tissue engineering bone,which has great potential and broad application prospects.


Sreenivasan offers illuminating observations on the various and divergent images of women and constructions of gender in many different versions. To take just one instance, she demonstrates the way in which royal women's culinary proficiency becomes important in Jain texts, which, Sreenivasan suggests, may seek to suppress sexuality in constructing "norms of femininity" (p. 93). The sheer volume of multiple versions that Sreenivasan has documented and analyzed is awesome, and by the same token sometimes dizzying or numbing. I cannot claim that I was able to digest every nuance examined here, as the author teases out the subtle ways different tellers altered or recreated the story of Padmini for different reasons. As an anthropologist concerned with contemporary culture in Rajasthan, I also cannot claim to approach or assess Sreenivasan's arguments as might a regional historian. I can and do appreciate her strategy: to pick a compelling figure such as Padmini and track the ways her story is told and retold through which so much else in history is revealed. Sreenivasan has amply exemplified her concluding claim that "Between the sixteenth and early twentieth centuries, Sufis, Jains, Charans, Bhats, Rajputs, Mughal courtiers, Bengali bhadralok and Urdu poets, all used the same narrative frame to represent, and relate to, the past in different ways" (p. 205). For those who like their stories unencumbered by analysis, an invaluable twenty-page appendix offers summaries of selected versions.


Arguments are presented for the expected behavior of the reaction {ital p{bar p}}{r arrow}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}} at high energy and large scattering angle. This reaction can have a sizable analyzing power, and both it and the scaled cross section {ital s}{sup 8}{ital d}{sigma}/{ital dt} will oscillate with energy since the QCD phase difference between the independent scattering (Landshoff) and short-distance processes is energy dependent at high but not superasymptotic energies. The argument follows studies of {ital pp} elastic scattering, where we update the fits to its scaled cross section and show that the behavior of the double polarization quantity {ital A}{sub {ital n}{ital n}} can be explained simultaneously. As we will see, {ital p{bar p}}{r arrow}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}} is theoretically simpler than {ital pp} elastic scattering because it has only two helicity amplitudes. Furthermore, it would be possible to measure this reaction (and also {ital p{bar p}}{r arrow}{pi}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0} and {ital K}{sup +}{ital K{minus}}) at a future SuperLEAR or KAON facility.


As the first petrological study of metamorphism in the Belgica Mountains , East Antarctica, mineral assemblages of the metamorphics of various compositions are examined and the metamorphic conditions are preliminarily esti mated. The amphibolite-facies metamorphism is indicated by the mineral assem blages. Besides the occurrence of clinohumite and chondrodite in dolomitic marble, the following features are characteristic of the assemblages: the absence of garnet in metabasites and the presence of the calcite-quartz and Ca-garnet-quartz associations and no wollastonite in calcareous rocks. The garnet-biotite thermo metry gives the metamorphic temperatures of 680-700 C. The five-phase assem blage forsterite-tremolite-dolomite-calcite-spinel in dolomitic marble is noted for a fluid pressure estimate in this rock. Total fluid pressures around 5kb at 680-700C are obtained from the experimental equilibrium relations concerning the five-phase assemblage (P. METZ: Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 58, 137, 1976; J.M. RICE: Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 59,237, 1977; H.-R. KASE and P. METZ: Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 73, 151, 1980). If Pso lid = Pnuid is assumed, the metamorphism would be of relatively low pressure just like that in the Yamato Mountains which are situated about 200km northeast of the Belgica Mountains.


The paper discusses the organization, implementation and monitoring such type of independent work as the coursework (term paper) in studying the discipline "pharmaceutical chemistry".


The Index Thomisticus Treebank is the largest available treebank for Latin; it contains Medieval Latin texts by Thomas Aquinas. After experimenting on its data with a number of dependency parsers based on different supervised machine learning techniques, we found that DeSR with a multilayer perceptron algorithm, a right-to-left transition, and a tailor-made feature model is the parser providing the highest accuracy rates. We improved the results further by using a technique that combines the output parses of DeSR with those provided by other parsers, outperforming the previous state of the art in parsing the Index Thomisticus Treebank. The key idea behind such improvement is to ensure a sufficient diversity and accuracy of the outputs to be combined; for this reason, we performed an in-depth evaluation of the results provided by the different parsers that we combined. Finally, we assessed that, although the general architecture of the parser is portable to Classical Latin, yet the model trained on Medieval Latin is inadequate for such purpose.


A method is described to experimentally determine the calibration constants for gamma-ray attenuation at multiple measurement points along a soil column as needed to simultaneously determine volumetric water content and dry bulk density at each of these points during subsequent experiments. Calibration constants for the soil solids, for both Cs-137 and Am-241, are defined as the product of the respective mass attenuation coefficients and the thickness of the soil through which the gamma radiation beam traverses. Calibration constants for water are similarly defined but include the additional term of water density. The calibration technique corrects for low energy Cs-137 pulses present in the Am-241 window and for resolving time. Although calibration constants are determined for each measurement point, the technique requires knowledge only of the initial average dry bulk density in the soil column and not at every point. The calibration constants and initial dry bulk density value for each measurement point are determined by an iteration procedure. Errors stemming from changes in the sources-soil column-detector configuration and/or pathlength when measuring at different points are therefore negated.


SummaryAn experiment was conducted on the immunization of guinea-pigs with homogenized rat tissues (spleen, intestine and testes) mixed with Freund's adjuvant. Tissues were obtained one day after lethal whole-body x-ray exposure. Anaphylactic sensitivity, as demonstrated by the Schultz-Dale reaction after desensitization in vitro with the blood sera of normal rats, has shown that the spleen of irradiated animals has some antigenic compounds which are not present in the blood sera of normal rats, but which exist in the sera of irradiated rats. Muscle organs from intestinal tissue sensitized animals were much less specifically activated, and testicular tissue did not manifest any antigenic specificity. It is proposed that there is no correlation between the tissue radiosensitivity and the radiation-induced change of its antigenicity.


Abstract Photoluminescence and optically detected magnetic resonance measurements have been used to characterize the recombination processes in a-SiNx: H alloys. A quenching signal near g=2 is explained in terms of non-radiative recombination involving dangling bonds and two tail states, including a component at g=2.01, similar to that in a-Si, with a width which increases with nitrogen content. A broad enhancing signal at g=2 also resembles that seen in a-Si: H, with a width dependent on nitrogen content. Its origin is not yet clear. A signal at g=4 has been assigned to a triplet excitonic recombination process analogous to that proposed for a-SixC1−x: H. The importance of silicon dangling bonds in recombination confirms the predictions of the Robertson–Powell defect model.


As might be expected, websites on traditional stock and bond markets far outnumber those on alternative investments. we review some of the more prominent websites which cover the traditional stock and bond mutual fund environment.


Discrete hardware design involves at a certain stage the logic design of three types of components: functional components (combinational logic networks), operational components (registers), and control components (automata) [1]. Control automata design has been developed in considerable detail, while formal (and thus computer-aided) register design still involves difficulties, despite its apparent simplicity. In practice, register design uses various flipflops as storage elements, and each type of flipflops can be implemented by dozens of different logic circuits with different reliability characteristics and optimization options. Moreover, writing data to a register may involve more than ten different register operations. The designer thus has to choose the hardware solution from a large number of options, allowing for the time characteristics of the input signals, as well as requirements for speed, cost-efficiency, reliability, etc.


Similarity relations are reflexive, symmetric, and transitive fuzzy relations. They help to make approximate inferences, replacing the notion of equality. Similarity-based unification has been quite intensively investigated, as a core computational method for approximate reasoning and declarative programming. In this paper we consider solving constraints over several similarity relations, instead of a single one. Multiple similarities pose challenges to constraint solving, since we can not rely on the transitivity property anymore. Existing methods for unification with fuzzy proximity relations (reflexive, symmetric, non-transitive relations) do not provide a solution that would adequately reflect particularities of dealing with multiple similarities. To address this problem, we develop a constraint solving algorithm for multiple similarity relations, prove its termination, soundness, and completeness properties, and discuss applications.


The received data allow to judge a deformations-intense condition of ceramic products in various stages of roasting and to establish their influence on thermomechanical properties of a material. Researches have shown, that introduction in structures of ceramic weights piryps candle ends reduces the module of elasticity in an initial stage (up to 4000С) on 25-30 %, and in an interval of temperatures 500-10000С on 5-10 %.


The article presents the role of ecological education and its impact on sustainable development on the example of the Group Urban Wastewater Sewage Treatment Plant. The results of research on the impact of ecological education on residents were presented.


With a remarkable plasticity, skeletal muscle adapts to an altered functional demand. Muscle angio‐adaptation can either involve the growth or the regression of capillaries as respectively observed in response to endurance training or muscle unloading. Whereas the molecular mechanisms that regulate exercise‐induced muscle angiogenesis have been extensively studied, understanding how muscle unloading can in contrast lead to capillary regression has received very little attention. Here we have investigated the consequences of a 9 day time course hindlimb unloading on both capillarization and expression of angio‐adaptive molecules in two different rat skeletal muscles. Both soleus and plantaris muscles were atrophied similarly. In contrast, our results have shown different angio‐adaptive patterns between these two muscles. Capillary regression occurred only in the soleus, a slow‐twitch and oxidative postural muscle. Conversely, the level of capillarization was preserved in the plantaris, a fast‐twitch and glycolytic muscle. We have also measured the time course protein expression of key pro‐ and anti‐angiogenic signals (VEGF‐A, VEGF‐B, VEGF‐R2, TSP‐1). Our results have revealed that the angio‐adaptive response to unloading was muscle‐type specific, and that an integrated balance between pro‐ and anti‐angiogenic signals plays a determinant role in regulating this process. In conclusion, we have brought new evidence that measuring the ratio between pro‐ and anti‐angiogenic signals in order to evaluate muscle angio‐adaptation was a more accurate approach than analysing the expression of molecular factors taken individually.


Objective The effects of risperidone made in china on serum prolactin in male patients with schizophrenia.Methods 60 in male patients meeting with CCMD-3 criteria for schizophrenia were divided into two groups:risperidone group(30cases) and haloperidol group(30cases),and 25 male were involved as controls.Serumprolactin was examined before and after treatment with ELISA.Results ① Two groups of treatment over the weekend 8 Scale PANSS score were significantly lower than before treatment(P0.01);②Before treatment with risperidone(Solomon) group and haloperidol group PRL levels was no significant difference;after treatment with risperidone(Solomon) group and haloperidol group than those in the treatment of PRL levels the former increased,but between the two groups no significant difference(P0.05).Conclusion The serum prolaction levels increase in geriatric male patients with schizophrenia both the treatment of risperidone group and haloperidol group.


Objective:To investigate the expression of Intermediate-conductance-Ca2+-activated K+ channels(IKCa1) in cervical cancer and its role in regulating proliferation of cervical carcinoma HeLa cells.Methods:RT-PCR was used to examine the expression of IKCa1 channels in 18 normal cervix specimens,15 cervical cancer specimens and cervical carcinoma HeLa cells.Inhibitor of IKCa1 channel was used to explore the role of IKCa1 channels in regulation of proliferation of cervical carcinoma HeLa cells.MTT was used to measure the proliferation of HeLa cell when treated with inhibitor of IKCa1 channel.Results:The expression rate and level of IKCa1 mRNA in cervical cancer(73.33%,1.14±0.45) were higher than in normal cervix(11.11%,0.86±0.23,P0.05).Clotrimazole,an inhibitor of IKCa1 channel known to suppress the function of the channels,caused a dose-and time-dependence inhibition response of cell growth and the expression level of IKCa1 mRNA in HeLa cells.Conclusion:The expression of IKCa1 channels may be closely related to the proliferation of cervical cancer,and down regulation of its expression may suppress its development.


The paper is devoted to the contradictory implications of economic globalization and to the role of customs unions (CU) in smoothing negative implications of "shock liberalization". The case of CU RBK (Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan) is discussed and compared with similar asymmetric South-South CU with commodity-exporting members in South America, Arabian Peninsula and South Africa. JEL: F15, F43, Q33, R00


NFS is one of the primary data access protocols for NAS, and naturally
NFS users have been demanding a global namespace for NFS. This
document intends to explain the rational for a global namespace, why
it is an important feature for a network file system protocol, and the
problems that a global namespace for files would solve.


Antimicrobial peptides are an abundant and diverse group of molecules that are produced by many tissues and cell types in a variety of invertebrate,plant and animal species.Accordingly,difference of structure and composition led to different mechanism.This brought some difficult to study and discuss their mechanism.In the paper the study methods of antimicrobial mechanism for detecting mechanism and synthesis of novel antimicrobial peptides were introduced.


A report on the conference of the Society of Inflammation Research- SIRCON 2018 held at API Bhavan, Bengaluru, on 19th August 2018.


Objectives : 1. Clinical trial for the efficacy evaluation of Korean acupuncture techniques in treating frozen shoulder. 2. Development of the standard clinical guidelines of the acupuncture treatment for the frozen shoulder. 3. Development of the new clinical protocol for the acupuncture treatments...


The structure of large and complex project parameters of the finite element modeling and different parts of the border between the treatment of the issue are particular discussed with finite element analysis tool,high-speed CNC milling machine static and dynamic conditions of the structure and mechanical properties are investigated.Research on the frequency of vibration of the impact of precision machining,on the cutting force,launched to stop a short period of time and inertia from the impact of the transient vibration machine tools were studied.


Strategies can be mined by analyzing advices and
recommendations from university students. Useful
knowledge from text analysis surface potential new
strategy, which can be used by university operators.Strategy in this context is defined as a plan of action or policy that gives direction. In the contact of students' feedback, outcomes of text mining can be presented as concept map where key concepts and sub concepts are linked and hence provide directions.However, these linked concepts are not final strategy but rather preliminary draft 'strategy' or 'direction' where fine-tuning is required.The analysis also presents clusters of concepts where themes that are closely interrelated are put into the same cluster so that different strategy can be formed on different issues.The feedback in this research consists of advice and recommendations of the university students in a yearly university survey.The
text mining methodology used in this research
entails text parsing, filtering, and topics and
clustering of themes once these unstructured texts
are pre-processed.This paper concludes by drawing
several issues to the attention of the institute.


Summary. Efforts have recently intensified on studies related to the isolation, characterization, and application of natural antioxidants to foods. Endogenous plant antioxidants are be lieved to inhibit food lipids against peroxidation and also to offer protection against oxidative damage to membrane func tions and formation of precursors of carcinogens. Accordingly, we prepared a number of extracts from oilseeds, namely, canola, mustard, and flax. The phenolic isolates so obtained were fractionated and partially characterized. Antioxidant ac tivity of isolates as such or after fractionation was evaluated in a s-carotene/linoleate model system. The results indicated that the antioxidant potency of the isolates depends on the source, content, and structural features of the phenolic compounds present. The component with the strongest antioxidant activity in canola meal was identified as 1-0-s-D-glucopyranosyl sinapate. Ferulate derivatives were tentatively identified in mustard meal, and the presence of lignans was envisaged in flax extracts. Application of defatted meals and/or their ex tracts to oil and meat systems indicated strong inhibitory ef fects against lipid peroxidation and their potential for inclusion in lipid-containing foods as replacements for syn thetic antioxidants.


The challenges of enhancing protection performance by improving the spectral efficiency of elastic optical networks are studied. Novel optical filter configuration, signal equalization, and spectral bandwidth assignment technologies are shown to reduce the guard band.


The increasing building collapses cause serious losses on people's lives and properties,but today there isn't a perfect system to monitor the collapsed status of the buildings.So this paper puts forward the health remote monitoring information system of building based on simulation platform and Short Messaging Service(SMS) platform.The simulation platform displays the real-time health status of buildings,when the result of analysis is more than a certain threshold,the SMS platform timely and initiatively distributes the early warning information to the related person,so that the real-time status of buildings can be monitored,and it can achieve the initiatively early warning,timely evacuate and reduce losses.This paper designs the architecture of the system and describes its function modules.


A rod (9) pivoted in a spherical bearing (11) allows the mouse (12), with a second spherical bearing (15), to be moved in any horizontal direction. The fulcrum (11) is positioned so that only limited hand (7) movement is needed to displace the mouse. A curved rest (5) on an adjustable frame (8) supports the forearm (6). The mouse keys are on a separate controller (13) operated by the other hand.


How do housing and housing assistance influence well being for older people? It is an important question, particularly given current policy focus on encouraging older people to remain in the community as long as possible.This study, by Debbie Faulkner, Kate Bennet, Gary Andrews, Mary Luszcz, Sam Davis and Michael Clark of the AHURI Southern Research Centre, examines the effect of housing and housing assistance on older people. It explores the relationships between housing assistance, residential location and relocation and the use of community and social care services by the older population and looks at the implications for housing policy development.


The agriculture sector is the backbone of Indian economy. Seventy percent of population in India is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. With the available resources and infrastructure villagers are able to produce the crop not to the fullest potential yield. In order to augment the efforts of farmers to get higher yields a predictive model was developed. This will help farmers by predicting the yield of the upcoming season by using machine learning and deep learning algorithms such as Deep Neural Network Regressor, Gaussian Process Regressor, Linear Regression and Lasso Regression. This can be done by understanding the relationship between factors that affect crop production (like area, seasonal monthly average temperature, seasonal monthly average humidity, seasonal monthly average rainfall, seasonal monthly average wind speed, seasonal monthly average UV index, seasonal monthly average sun hours, and seasonal monthly average pressure) and crop yield. Prediction will be performed on rice as it is one of the major crops produced in India. If the predicted values are substantially lower than the mean yield then by simulating the weather parameters maximum yield and profit can be obtained.


Azodyes are important chemical pollutants of industrial origin. The decolourisation and degradation efficiency of Aspergillus niger and Phanerochaete chrysosporium RP-78 with the reactive azodyesProcion Brilliant Red H-E7B (Reactive Red 141), Procion Yellow H-E4 (Reactive yellow 84), Procion Navy Blue H-ER (Reactive blue 171) was studied. Among the three azodyes, Procion navy blue is the rapidly degrading one followed by Procion brilliant red and Procion yellow. The present studies also indicate that P. chrysosporium RP-78 is the best bio-remediative organism than A. niger. Though A. niger shows less ability than P. chrysosporium RP-78, it has showed appreciable ability of degradation. It was observed that the inducer (Veratryl alcohol) and inhibitor (Thiourea) of lignin degradation significantly affected the dye degradation.


This paper compares the two different methods for numerically detecting the depth of the particles distributed in 3D space from observed hologram patterns in digital holography. One is the detection method based on the computed light intensity and another is based on the averaged gradient around the edge of each particle image. The two methods are examined on the accuracy of particle depth measurement in numerical simulation and in experiment. It is found from the test results that there occurs larger error for the larger particle in diameter using the former method and the latter method gives us the better results of particle depth than the former.


The digital control of inverter in UPS not only predigests the control circuit, but also improves the reactive function. At the same time, the flexibility of control function is improved. A digital control inverter in UPS is presented., which is based on dual-loop controller. The design processes are described in detail. Experimental result verified the validity and reliability of the design.


Objective To assess whether exclusive and prolonged breast feeding reduces the risk of childhood asthma and allergy by age 6.5 years. Design Cluster randomised trial. Setting 31 Belarussian maternity hospitals and their affiliated polyclinics. Participants A total of 17 046 mother-infant pairs were enrolled, of whom 13 889 (81.5%) were followed up at age 6.5 years. Intervention Breastfeeding promotion intervention modelled on the WHO/UNICEF baby friendly hospital initiative. Main outcome measures International study of asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire and skin prick tests of five inhalant antigens. Results The experimental intervention led to a large increase in exclusive breast feeding at 3 months (44.3% v 6.4%; P<0.001) and a significantly higher prevalence of any breast feeding at all ages up to and including 12 months. The experimental group had no reduction in risks of allergic symptoms and diagnoses or positive skin prick tests. In fact, after exclusion of six sites (three experimental and three control) with suspiciously high rates of positive skin prick tests, risks were significantly increased in the experimental group for four of the five antigens. Conclusions These results do not support a protective effect of prolonged and exclusive breast feeding on asthma or allergy. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN37687716.


Abstract Investigation of the free and bound phenolic acid profile in malted hulled rice and the correlation to antioxidant activity were elucidated in this study. Three of free and bound hydroxycinnamic acid (FHCAs and BHCA); p-coumaric acid (CA), ferulic acid (FA), sinapic acid (SA), and one of hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA); vanillic acid (VA) in three rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (with white, red-brown, and dark-purple kernel) were germinated under warm conditions of temperature (30 °C, 35 °C and 40 °C) for 5 days and analyzed for their potential antioxidant activity. The relationship of rice cultivar, malting condition, and antioxidant activity was established by PCA bi-plot analysis. The dark-purple rice malt expressed the highest phenolic acid content and antioxidant activity. The amount of FHCA and FHBA increased with germination time, which was related to the feruloyl esterase activity assayed. Among BHCAs, BCA was the most abundant compound and correlated positively to the antioxidant activity of the bound phenolic extract of the three rice cultivars. The FVA in the dark-purple rice malt was 3 to 4 times higher than that found in white and red-brown grain and led to a strong antioxidant activity of the free form extract. This research suggests that a germination temperature of 30 °C to 35 °C improved the BCA and FVA content in the malted hulled rice cultivars and conveyed a functional property for the finished product.


In developing tissue, mechanical forces are integral to a range of processes including cell differentiation, tissue morphogenesis, electrophysiology and contractility, but exact roles remain unknown. When mechanical forces are perturbed by experimental intervention or developmental abnormalities, their disruption can lead to congenital defects and disease. To date, tissue-level mechanical strains have been estimated by computational modeling, or by utilizing oil microdroplets as coarse-grained force sensors (1-2). Both methods lack ideal capabilities, which are (i) direct measurement of strain, (ii) at high spatial resolution over time, and (iii) with minimal perturbation of the system. We hypothesized that an extracellular matrix protein-based mechanical biosensor could measure the magnitude, direction and developmental timing of cell-generated strains within developing tissues and organs.Here we fabricated, calibrated and tested a fluorescently labeled fibronectin (FN)-based nano-mechanical biosensor (NMBS), which when applied to a tissue can deform in 3-D to provide a fluorescence-based strain readout during morphogenesis


Laser damage in metallic thin films is investigated in materials such as Gold and Nickel with different pulse durations from 1s to 10ns. In these materials, damage phenomena can be clearly investigated through thermal effects. Then, the heat equation is solved for monolayers which offers the prediction of transient temperature in each case. These results of calculations are compared to LIDT measurements at 1.O6μm and associated to morphology studies made by Atomic Force Microscope. Different mechanisms are highlighted, depending on the layer thickness. The experimental and theoretical results are found to agree well in the range of milliseconds to nanoseconds. This study offers a significant understanding for the design of metal-dielectric multilayers, such as broadband light absorbers, filters or mirrors.


Co-doped ZnO nanostructures were fabricated using electrodeposition method on screen printed carbon electrodes. Physical properties of synthesized Co-doped ZnO nanomaterials were studied using EPMA and elemental analysis. The electrochemical analysis was studied using cyclic voltammetry for electrode evaluation and xanthine measurement. The results showed that Co-Zn nanostructures were uniformly deposited on SPCE. Modified electrodes demonstrated good repeatability and electrical performance, and applied for xanthine measurement. Xanthine can be quantified with our electrodes and presented a negative log-linear relationship. We believe that the developed electrode has great potential towards xanthine-sensitive biosensor for early meat spoilage detection.


Aim:To assess left ventricular function using Tei Index by Tissue Doppler Imaging in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA). Methods:Sixty patients with RA and 56 healthy persons were included in this study. Tissue movement curves of Mitral annulus were collected by TDI. peak systolic velocity(Sa),peak early diastolic velocity(Ea),peak end diastolic velocity(Aa)were measured,and Ea / Aa ratio were calculated. Tei index was also calculated from the results of TDI. Results: mitral annular Sa,Ea / Aa decreased(P 0. 05) while Tei index elevated(P 0. 05)in RA group compared with normal control group. There were no significant differences in Ea,Aa or eiection fraction(EF)between two groups(P 0. 05). Conclusion:Left ventricular dysfunction in patients with RA was caused by both diastolic function and systolic function reduced. The Tei index come from TDI is an ideal indicator to assess left ventricular function in patients with RA.


American Entomologist • Summer 2009 P eriodical cicadas (genus Magicicada) are found only in eastern North America and are notable for their long, primenumbered life cycles, precisely timed mass emergences, and dense, multispecies choruses. Their uniqueness has given them a special appeal and cultural status. Members of the Onondaga Nation maintain the oral tradition of being rescued from famine by periodical cicadas (Cooley et al. 2004). Early European colonists viewed periodical cicadas with a mixture of religious apprehension and loathing (Kritsky 2004); and modern Americans maintain numerous Web sites to assist in planning weddings, graduations, and other outdoor activities around Magicicada emergences (e.g., cicadamania.com). Periodical cicadas have attracted the attention


For some time the author has been convinced that the large House Finches of Guanajuato represent a new form, differing not only from the described forms to the east and south but also from the birds of the Central Plateau to the west, formerly known as rhodocolpus. It seemed better to hold description in abeyance until the accumulation of additional specimens from southwestern Chihuahua might determine whether the Jalisco-Durango plateau birds are closer to frontalis of New Mexico and Texas or to so-called sonoriensis of Sonora. Fourteen fresh specimens from localities in southwestern Chihuahua and ten from northeastern Sinaloa have simplified the problem. I am therefore describing below the form from Guanajuato.


A current applying apparatus, comprising: an electrode pair, which electrode pair configured to contact the workpiece to the power applied to the work; and the bus bar, the bus bar is arranged to extend along the workpiece. The pair of electrodes comprises a movable electrode at least one electrode, the electrode is configured to move relative to the bus bar and the workpiece movement, so that the current flowing through the moving electrode and the workpiece between the bus bars, the bus bar is connected to the movable electrode, thereby with respect to the bus bar moves, and the mobile electrode configured to contact the workpiece, can be moved relative to the workpiece.


Abstract:Conditional clauses are underresearched in sign languages, and the research that has been done has mostly employed elicited data. The current study provides a thorough description of conditional clauses in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT) based on naturalistic corpus data. Similar to conditionals in other sign languages, conditionals in NGT can be introduced with a manual marker, although it is also possible to only use nonmanual markers such as raised eyebrows, head movement, and head tilt. Different, however, is the striking amount of variation that we found with respect to both manual and nonmanual marking. This might be due to differing methodologies, but we discuss several other potential explanations as well. We further provide evidence that nonmanual markers are less frequent in conditionals with manual markers than without. In addition, we offer an—albeit brief—description of peripheral conditionals in NGT, a conditional type that has not yet been investigated thoroughly for any sign language.


Objective: To determine in-hospital mortality rate and trends in Door-to-Balloon Time in Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (Primary-PCI) in patients with acute ST elevation Myocardial Infarction (AMI). Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at AFIC/NIHD Rawalpindi from Oct 2011 to Jan 2015. Material and Methods: Total of 1256 patients with acute ST elevation Myocardial Infarction (AMI) from Oct 2011 to Jan 2015 who underwent primary PCI were included in this study. We determined the in-hospital mortality and yearly trend in door to balloon time (DTBT). Procedural success was defined as restoration of TIMI-III flow in the Infarct Related Artery (IRA) or culprit artery with less than 30% residual stenosis and discharge from hospital. Results : Overall in-hospital mortality was 3.82% (48) including 1.12% (14) procedural mortality. Most of the patients' fall into the category of < 60 minutes. Patients with longer door-to-balloon time > 90 minutes had higher mortality amongst the door-to-balloon time groups (< 60 minutes = 4.8%, 60-89 minutes = 2.85%, 90-120 minutes = 15.27% p < 0.001). Conclusion: Door-to-balloon time is associated with mortality in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST elevation myocardial infarction. Time to treatment should be as short as possible, even in centers currently providing primary percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes. Further studies are needed to take into total


In business activities faced by a company will not be apart of a risk. Risks that affect quality, for example concrete quality, are one of the influential risks for ready mixed concrete companies. This research was conducted by survey method to employees in concrete laboratories to determine the frequency and effect of risk on the quality of concrete produced in ready mixed concrete which was then analyzed by the Normality Test, Non-parametric Analysis, and AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process). Concrete quality analysis was also carried out to determine the level of difference in concrete compressive strength in the plan with the compressive strength produced. The results showed that there were 8 out of 31 dominant risk factors produced in each work that affected the quality of the concrete produced, among others: dominant risk factors in concrete material testing work (ie the presence of clay in the aggregate of 14.3% and poor aggregate gradation of 9.8%), dominant risk factor for fresh concrete testing work (i.e. an increase in cement water factor of 7.5% and the occurrence of concrete mixture segregation of 6.5%), dominant risk factor in hard concrete testing work (i.e. there is a small cavity in concrete of 12.5% and cracked concrete is produced due to an initial shrinkage of 7.9%), as well as dominant risk factors for structural work and equipment (i.e. lack of maintenance / maintenance of concrete / curring of 27.0 % and location of unclean cast of 14.5%).


Terahertz quantized vibrational modes and quasi-one-dimensional terahertz phononic band gap in hydrocarbon tails of phospholipids are revealed through vibration calculation based on the ab initio density functional theory (DFT). We obtain the correlation between vibrational modes and frequencies. The phononic band gap in linear hydrocarbon chains provides a perspective in the interpretation of biochemical phenomena related to biological membranes, such as the photosynthetic energy transfer and the electron transport chain in the inner mitochondrial membrane.


Over the previous decade, there has been a notable shift within sex work marketplaces, with many aspects of the work now facilitated via the internet. Many providers and clients are also no longer engaging in in-person negotiations, opting instead for communications via technological means, such as through mobile phones, email, and the internet. By analysing the qualitative interviews of indoor-based providers, clients, and agency managers, this paper addresses the occupational health and safety concerns that indoor sex workers experience in the digital age, as well as how technology use can both support and hinder their capacity to promote their health and safety. Using thematic analysis, we arrived at three salient and nuanced themes that pertain to the intersection of sex work, technology use, and occupational health and safety: screening; confidentiality, privacy, and disclosure; and malice. As socio-political context can affect the occupational health and safety concerns that providers experience, as well as their capacity to prevent or mitigate these concerns, we highlight our findings in light of prevailing societal stigma and a lack of legal recognition and protections for sex work in Canada.


Abstract : The study was requested by HQ HSC for the purpose of developing a standard CPCMT Performance Evaluation Tool for use by Army child protection teams. A staff group of subject-matter experts employed the Delphi Technique (two iterations), and a panel comprising representation from all CONUS CPCMTs served as respondents. The resulting performance evaluation tool is a three-part, 26-item form which is recommended for use by CPCMTs and for inclusion in future revisions of regulations and directives. (Author)


The author of the article puts the thesis that the act about public-private partnership from 2005 had several faults that made it impossible to carry into effect in the economical practice. The new act is eliminating a part of these barriers. The introduced new legal solutions should be in remedy to budget problems of the local government units, and also be a help for companies struggling with economical crisis, and also for the investors of the logistic centers.


AbstractSalmon monitoring programs often measure juvenile production by operating migrant traps downstream of spawning and rearing areas during smolt migration. However, this approach does not account for individuals that move downstream of trapping locations prior to smolt sampling. We used a mark–recapture study with passive integrated transponder tagging to estimate the proportion of Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch juveniles, tagged in the fall in a Northern California stream, that migrated to rearing habitat downstream of a seasonally operated trap before spring smolt sampling. Emigrants were detected by using the migrant trap, located near the upstream limit of tidal influence, and continuously operated antennas located in tidal wetlands downstream of the trap. For all three cohorts sampled (2010, 2011, 2012), we identified two distinct emigration periods (not including fry emigrants that emigrated in spring at a size too small to tag): a fall–winter period, when early emigrant parr moved into a res...


In this work, thin films of TaN were synthesized on 304 steel substrates using the reactive DC sputtering technique from a tantalum target in a nitrogen/argon atmosphere. All synthesis parameters such as gas ratio, pressure, gas flow, and substrate distance, among others, were fixed except the applied power of the source for different deposited coatings. The effect of the target power on the formation of the resulting phases and the microstructural and morphological characteristics was studied using XRD and AFM techniques, respectively, in order to understand the growth mechanisms. Phase, line profile, texture, and residual stress analysis were carried out from the X-ray diffraction patterns obtained. Atomic force microscopy analysis allowed us to obtain values for surface grain size and roughness which were related to growth mechanisms in accordance with XRD results. Results obtained showed a strong correlation between the growth energy with the crystallinity of the samples and the formation of the possible phases since the increase in the growth power caused the samples to evolve from an amorphous structure to a cubic monocrystalline structure. For all produced samples, the δ-TaN phase was observed despite the low N2 content used in the process (since for low N2 content it was expected to be possible to obtain films with α-Ta or hexagonal ε-TaN crystalline structure). In order to determine the corrosion resistance of the coatings, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization resistance were employed in the Tafel region. The results obtained through this evaluation showed a direct relationship between the power used and the improvement of the properties against corrosion for specific grain size values.


In financial markets and online environments, reputational cues directly impact prices and earnings. Speculations on companies' future profitability influence share values. Ratings on 'sharing' sites like Airbnb directly impact sellers' and hosts' earnings. In these contexts, reputation – with its myriad indices and interpreters, in the form of 'stars', 'likes' and machine learning algorithms – becomes a confounding, yet carefully managed asset for both individuals and companies. Given the hyper-visibility and direct operationalization of reputational cues, combined with the hyper-proprietary nature of their interpretation by credit scoring companies and online platforms, how might the efficacy of reputation's visual cues be theorized and understood? How might artworks and other cultural artefacts try to make sense of the highly consequential, yet obfuscating, nature of the sensible within this assetized regime of valuation? This paper aims to understand online reputation as part of "surveillance capitalist aesthetics." It follows Shoshana Zuboff's theory of surveillance capitalism (2015) – a new regime of accumulation, according to which surveilling, analysing and intervening in behaviour becomes directly profitable – but extends this theory in order to draw more attention to the conflicted, yet key role that visual reputational cues make within assetized regimes of value. Further, it examines artist Cassie Thornton's project Give Me Cred! (2012 –) as a strategic intervention into the aesthetics of reputation.


Based on the extent of got it today grassroots sport and sport performance both internationally and nationally well as one of the disciplines that deal with children initiating an industry practice sports are physical education curriculum. Physical education lesson should be the basis of mass sport performance.


Because of the restrictions of different sea and waterway conditions and various requirements in operation, the main dimension of the ship varies greatly. In order to make the load as much as possible, block coefficient of the ship is always considered to be as big as possible. Therefore, the performance of ship, such as ship speed and manoeuvrability will be affected. So, effective measures should be introduced to improve the ship performance. This essay is based on the model test results of 35000DWT bulk carrier. In analysis, comparisons of manoeuvrability of relative vessels are adopted as well. After applying a built-up rudder to this kind of ships, the manoeuvrability can be improved obviously. Meanwhile, results of model tests and sea trials are also listed and compared as a reference for ship designers.


It was aimed to investigate the effect of malnutrition with and the risk of malnutrition in elderly individuals with regards to other geriatric syndromes and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) parameters. Patients who applied to the geriatric outpatient clinic between January 2019 and June 2020 were included in the study. 460 patients were examined. The patients were divided into three groups according to malnutrition, malnutrition-risk, and normal nutritional status. These three groups were compared in terms of geriatric syndromes and CGA parameters. The well-nourished group and the risk of malnutrition and malnutrition group were compared in terms of geriatric syndromes and CGA parameters adjusted for age and gender. Of 460 patients, 64.5% of these patients were female, and the mean age was 77.75±8.12, 65 had malnutrition, and 141 had malnutrition-risk. When the well-nourished group was compared with the malnutrition and malnutrition-risk group, age, education year, frequency of cerebrovascular disease were statistically different. The frequency of falls, dementia, sleep disturbance, urinary incontinence, orthostatic hypotension, polypharmacy, sarcopenia, and frailty was higher in groups with malnutrition and malnutrition-risk than in the normal group (p<0.05). Also, activities of daily living (ADLs) and gait and balance scores were lower in the group with malnutrition and malnutrition risk (p<0.05). In the regression analysis adjusted for age and gender, geriatric depression, urinary incontinence, dementia, orthostatic hypotension, sarcopenia, and frailty were increased in the group with malnutrition and malnutrition risk compared to the normal group (p<0.05). Malnutrition and risk of malnutrition is associated with other geriatric syndromes and deterioration in ADLs. Therefore, nutritional evaluation must be included in the assessment of older adults, and necessary interventions should be made to optimize the nutritional status.


Today oil companies are trying to solve the urgent problem associated with the low efficiency of remediation work in oil-contaminated areas. Difficulties are caused by the lack of spatially ordered ideas about where and how pollution is distributed, what is its concentration and volumetric parameters in soils. The indicated problem entails an irrational waste of finance. As a rule, the return on funds spent does not exceed 30%. Obviously, the time has come to apply new approaches. We offer a technique for representing contaminants in the form of 3D models and tabular systematization of their concentrations and volumes. Scaling tabular information determines the color content of volumetric models. The described technique allows the differentiation of areas and their parts into reclamation groups. They focus on targeted use of allocated finances. Tabular systematization and spatially ordered representations of research results produce a synergistic effect. It manifests itself in obtaining a more accurate assessment of the condition of oil-contaminated sites, increasing the efficiency of restoration, the efficient use of finance.


This essay examines the expansion of global governance into developing countries. Its central thesis is that in the present era of globalization, competitiveness has become a major concern for developed countries, in particular, those facing tough competition from the developing states that have improved their terms of trade through state-led development strategies and have become major exporters of manufactured products. Developed countries seek the expansion of global governance in order to regulate the behavior of these developing states, thereby opening their economies to foreign investment and augmenting their wealth. Yet, a successful expansion of global governance requires the creation of internal institutions in the developing countries that may alter their political cultures. Given the unique problems of the developing states, this task cannot be achieved simply by internationalizing the countries in the Global South. This essay relies on the theory of social constructivism and contends that the creation of internal institutions compatible with global governance has been achieved only when developing countries have become convinced that global regulations will benefit them, not just the more developed states.


We present the first systematic study of the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric methoxycarbonylation of styrene in the presence of chiral ferrocenyl phosphine ligands. The reaction conditions were optimized, and a screening of different catalyst precursors was performed. A number of 1,1′-bis(phosphino)ferrocenes of the Mandyphos, Josiphos, Walphos, and Taniaphos types were tested in combination with [PdCl2(NCPh)2], in the presence of TsOH as the acid source. These systems afforded high enantioselectivities, although the regioselectivity of the reaction was found to be in favor of the (undesired) linear ester. The catalytic system made with the Josiphos ligand 1 gave rise to an enantiomeric excess (ee) of 86%.


At the end of the nineteenth century, the Canada–US border operated as an inconsistent patchwork from one end of the continent to the other. Ottawa and Washington bankrolled the agencies that guarded the international line, but never controlled what happened day to day. In a world filled with ambiguity, individual agents (rather than the federal government more broadly) became the key arbiters of how the border felt to surrounding communities. Corruption and misunderstandings proliferated. Federal agents misclassified, undervalued, and overenforced cargoes for personal profits. Merchants found loopholes of their own to exploit the economic environment created by the border.


Objective: The purpose of this study is evaluate the radiological factors related with the mean duration of brain expansion for after chronic subdural hematoma surgery. Methods: From January 2007 to June 2009, 44 patients were taken operation for chronic subdural hematoma using burr hole on our hospital. Among them, seven patients were excluded. One was taken craniotomy after burr hole drainage due to subdural abscess and the remaining six patients whose brains failed to show complete expansion postoperatively in at least three months of follow-up. We retrospectively analyzed the mean duration of brain expansion by following five aspects: the maximal thickness of preoperative hematoma, degree of midline shift, density of preoperative hematoma, presence or absence of contralateral side hematoma, and degree of postoperative pneumocephalus. Results: When preoperative or postoperative computed tomographic images were put into analysis, the radiologic factors such as preoperative hematoma with the maximal thickness more than 20 mm, midline shifting more than 10 mm, hematoma of mixed density, presence of contralateral side hematoma, postoperative large air collection had taken more time for their brains to expand. Four out of six patients with contralateral side hematoma whose maximal thickness were more than 10 mm on the preoperative computed tomographic images have needed additional surgery on the contralateral side after initial burr hole trephination with hematoma drainage. Conclusion: Among the factors been analyzed for brain expansion in this study, the presence of contralateral side hematoma and postoperative large pneumocephalus were proven to be statistically significant radiologic factors for delaying the expansion of the brains. Thus, the efforts to reduce postoperative air collection should be made as surgeons' aspect. In addition, bilateral surgery simultaneously should also be recommended, especially when the maximal thickness of contralateral hematoma is more than 10 mm, even though this specific thickness of hematoma was not tested statistically. (J Kor Neurotraumatol Soc 2010;6:38-42)


Systems theory, and the larger family of "transversal" approaches that include information theory, cybernetics, catastrophe theory, chaos theory, and complexity theory, have always struggled to find a foothold in the United States, despite substantial inroads in a variety of disciplines. Systems theory and systems theoretical approaches played an important role in sociology, through the work of Talcott Parsons, and then later with Niklas Luhmann (1995). In management a systems approach was introduced with the work of Burns and Stalker (1994), Katz and Kahn (1978), and Emery and Trist (1975), and more recently with the popular work of Peter Senge (1994). Interestingly, even though Senge's work identifies itself as systems thinking, it draws almost entirely on cybernetics. This shows some of the ways in which the constituents of the larger family have become somewhat interchangeable, but also perhaps the extent to which the complex roots of these approaches have been lost. And precisely because the origins and roots of systems-theoretical thinking are often lost or confused, the field itself has often appeared confused and in some ways ironically fragmented. Cavaleri and Obloj's (1993) excellent discussion of systems approaches to management, as well as Jackson's (1991) impressive overview, all show a plurality of approaches with often very different ontologies and epistemology. In family therapy, systems approaches, and particularly the more sophisticated epistemological work, Gregory Bateson (1972, 2002) and others had a strong influence for a while, before sadly fading into obscurity. Bateson was for a while out of print in the United States. The recent popularity of complexity theory, and the increasing interest in networks, connections, and emergence, indicates that perhaps the time is right for a the long-awaited breakthrough of more systemic forms of thinking, as well as an appreciation of the important works and key thinkers that paved the way. This collection of essays by leading systems thinkers is an attempt to present systems thinking in its many different forms, and to ground it in the experience of specific individuals. The articles here are from scholars in a wide variety of fields, who have created their own understanding and applications of systemic thinking. They show the rich diversity of perspectives, and an awareness of the plural roots of their approach.