Diabetes mellitus is a disease or disorder of chronic metabolism with multiethiology characterized by high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Diabetes Mellitus can not be cured but can be controlled by regulating blood sugar levels. One important factor in controlling blood sugar levels is the role of the family To know the correlation between family's informal role and the control of blood glucose levels in people with diabetes mellitus at RSUD Ungaran Semarang Regency.The design of this study was descriptive correlational with cross sectional approach with the number of population of 176 people and samples of 64 respondents by using accidental sampling method. Data collection tools used questionnaires. Data analysis used SPSS version 23.0. Bivariate analysis was processed by using chi square test. The informal role of the family in people with diabetes mellitus is mostly in good category (75.0%). Control of blood glucose level in people with diabetes mellitus is mostly in good category (62,5%). There is significant correlation between family informal role and blood glucose control in patients with diabetes mellitus at RSUD Ungaran Semarang Regency, with p value 0,043 <0,05 (α). There is correlation between family's informal role and the control of blood glucose levels in people with diabetes mellitus at RSUD Ungaran Semarang Regency.We recommend that patients with DM further improve the control of blood glucose levels by increasing the role of the family so as to prevent the occurrence of complications


The major obstacle that restricts TCM's fast spread to the world is language. Massive TCM documents need to be translated,but few people can do the work. In order to accelerate the TCM's translation,the present research utilizes bilingual database that features Chinese-English sentential correspondence. Through special translation template and conventional computer program,combined by machine translation and artificial intelligence,TCM documents can be translated more quickly. The operation processes include picking key words in the document,building a table of Chinese-English words,machine translation,and artificial modification. This software has the characteristics of fast operation,high reliability,and easy popularization.


Erysiphe pisi , which causes pea powdery mildew, is an obligate biotrophic pathogen that can easily adapt to its host plant. Understanding the natural incidence and genetic variations of the pathogen is essential for disease control and for breeding resistant variety to pea powdery mildew. The incidence was studied in different locations of the Nilgiris district, and the disease recorded from 32.61 to 45.55 and 14.08 to 20.84 per cent in leaves and pods, respectively. A total of 10 isolates of E. pisi were obtained from the diseased samples to study the genetic variability if any, among them using internal transcribed spacer region amplification and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs). PCR amplification of total genomic DNA with ISSR primers generated unique banding patterns depending upon primers and isolates. Twelve oligonucleotide primers were selected for the ISSR assays, which resulted in 742 bands for ten isolates of E. pisi . The number of bands obtained was entered into a PRIMER 7 to understand genetic relationship and Bray-Curtis coefficient for hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed that the variability among the pathogen isolates was moderate. The above ten isolates were grouped into two major clusters and one single cluster had an average Polymorphic Information Content value (PIC) of 0.883 and Effective Multiplication Ratio (EMR) of 90. Hence, it is inferred that the E. pisi infecting peas in the Nilgiris consists of a single clonal lineage with a moderate level of genetic diversification.


As for the on-the-job training of Dual-mode teachers in higher vocational colleges, there are a number of problems needed to cause social concerns, for example, the continuing education system of Dual-mode teachers is not perfect, foreign exchange activities in the period of on-the-job training are neglected and the standards of title assessment of Dual-mode teachers are vague, etc. So a qualified Dual-mode teacher group should be established in order to improve the continuing education system of Dual-mode teachers, strengthen foreign exchange activities in the period of the on-the-job training, regulate the standards of title assessment of Dual-mode teachers and implement the work of the on-the-job training of Dual-mode teachers. It becomes the critical tasks to enhance the quality of Dual-mode teachers in China's higher vocational education.


Hindman's Theorem (HT) states that for every coloring of $\mathbb N$ with finitely many colors, there is an infinite set $H \subseteq \mathbb N$ such that all nonempty sums of distinct elements of $H$ have the same color. The investigation of restricted versions of HT from the computability-theoretic and reverse-mathematical perspectives has been a productive line of research recently. In particular, HT$^{\leqslant n}_k$ is the restriction of HT to sums of at most $n$ many elements, with at most $k$ colors allowed, and HT$^{=n}_k$ is the restriction of HT to sums of \emph{exactly} $n$ many elements and $k$ colors. Even HT$^{\leqslant 2}_2$ appears to be a strong principle, and may even imply HT itself over RCA$_0$. In contrast, HT$^{=2}_2$ is known to be strictly weaker than HT over RCA$_0$, since HT$^{=2}_2$ follows immediately from Ramsey's Theorem for $2$-colorings of pairs. In fact, it was open for several years whether HT$^{=2}_2$ is computably true.
We show that HT$^{=2}_2$ and similar results with addition replaced by subtraction and other operations are not provable in RCA$_0$, or even WKL$_0$. In fact, we show that there is a computable instance of HT$^{=2}_2$ such that all solutions can compute a function that is diagonally noncomputable relative to $\emptyset'$. It follows that there is a computable instance of HT$^{=2}_2$ with no $\Sigma^0_2$ solution, which is the best possible result with respect to the arithmetical hierarchy. Furthermore, a careful analysis of the proof of the result above about solutions DNC relative to $\emptyset'$ shows that HT$^{=2}_2$ implies RRT$^{=2}_2$, the Rainbow Ramsey Theorem for $2$-colorings of pairs, over RCA$_0$. The most interesting aspect of our construction of computable colorings as above is the use of an effective version of the Lovasz Local Lemma due to Rumyantsev and Shen.


Embodiments of the present invention discloses a gate driving circuit, display circuit and a display apparatus and a driving method, it can be provided with gate drive signals in the pixels outside the threshold value compensation process. The gate driving circuit, comprising: at least three GOA units, each of said GOA unit comprises: a signal input terminal, an output terminal, a reset terminal and an output terminal is idle. Embodiment of the present invention for producing a display.


We have reanalyzed the 190- to 250-nm nightglow spectrum of Venus recorded by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter. This spectrum is known to consist primarily of v′ = 0 features of the NO δ- and γ-bands. However, the summed spectra, taken over many orbits, have weak and previously unidentified bands in the same spectral region, which we interpret as originating from higher vibrational levels of NO(A2Σ+), resulting from collisional relaxation of NO(C2Π)v = 0. The intensity of the airglow is quite variable, with the average number of photon counts in a spectral scan being 3, while the maximum counts observed is 65. We divided the scans into a high-count group and a low-count group. The resulting partial-sum spectra and the wide intensity variations suggest that at least two sources of excitation are operating. The low-count spectrum looks similar to an N + O afterglow spectrum taken at relatively high pressure, containing a variety of relaxed NO states, and thus appears to have been generated at low altitude. The high-count spectrum is unrelaxed, and resembles a photoexcitation spectrum of the C2Π (v = 0) state, and thus would reflect N + O recombination at higher altitudes. Of particular interest is a set of three consecutive intense spectra taken on the same orbit, which suggests the presence of a long (1000 km), straight, and narrow (∼5 km) track of secondary NO excitation, possibly caused by a meteor.


The American federal system allows for a great deal of variability in policy implementation by municipal and county governments Devolution of that responsibility from the federal government to state and local governments will likely reinforce the variability. This article assesses the relative utility of Elazar's and Lieske's political culture theories with respect to the adoption of progressive collective bargaining practices. Findings from a survey of 703 local governments support the conclusions that certain political cultures are more likely to adopt progressive collective bargaining provisions, and Lieske's theory is at least as effective as Elazar's in predicting such adoption.


Circulation58 :ll 23 , 1978. 8. HIRSHFELD JW, EPSTEIN SE, ROBERTS AJ , ET AL: Indices predicting long-term survival after valve replacement in patients with aortic regurgitation and patients with aortic stenosis. Circulation 50: 11 90-11 99, 1 9 7 4. 9. SPAGNUOLO M, KLOTH, TARANTA A, ET AL: Natural history of rheumatic aortic regurgitation. Circulation 44:368-380, 1971. 1 0. BORER JS, BACHARACH SL, GREEN MV, ET AL Exercise induced left ventricular dysfunction in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with aortic regurgitation. Assessment with radionuclide cineangiography. Am J Cardiol 42:35 1-35 7, 1978. QUINN: AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT SURGERY / 57


Body temperatures selected by skinks were measured using a laboratory thermal gradient; observations were made seven times during the diel cycle. Neoseps reynoldsi individuals exhibited significant diel variation in selected body temperature with highs of 31-32 C and lows of 28-29 C during both spring and winter. The length of time lizards selected relatively high temperatures was longer in spring than winter. In spring, lizards exhibited two periods of activity, in the morning and the evening. Lizards selected the highest temperatures when they were active in the evening and the lowest temperatures when they were active in the morning. In winter, lizards were active during the day. Because lizards did not alter their selected body temperature seasonally, activity during both spring and winter corresponded largely to daylight hours when subsurface temperatures were similar to selected body temperatures. Diel patterns of activity and selected body temperature of N. reynoldsi individuals were similar to those of an unrelated African sand-swimming skink, Sphenops sepsoides. These observations suggest that sand-swimming skinks may be convergent in activity patterns and thermal biology as well as in morphology.


A shower of ice-cold water (0@#X2013;2.5 C) over the chest caused large increases in systolic and diastolic arterial pressures, pulse pressure, and pulse rate in normal subjects. Cardiac output ros...


Face recognition has become an important issue in many applications such as security systems, credit card verification and criminal identification. Face recognition is more secure in security system because facial image had been used as the ID. It also helps to avoid any duplicated identification. Face recognition helps to recognize the facial image especially to indentifying certain criminals.
Identifying and comparing faces in images is a very complex task, this is probably why it has attracted so many researchers in the latest years. Common method used in face recognition like eigenface method will be discussed. The objectives of this project are to design and develop a face recognition using MATLAB software beside to comprehend eigenfaces method of recognizing faces images. The face
space is defined by the "eigenface", which are the eigenvectors of the set of faces,they do not necessarily correspond to isolated features such as eyes, ears and
noses. Eigenfaces approach seems to be an adequate method to be used in face recognition due to its simplicity, speed and learning capability. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the viability of the proposed face recognition
method.


This paper establishes the model of multiple paralleled grid-connected inverters with LCL filter and analysis its resonant characteristics and influencing factors. The analysis results show that multiple paralleled grid-connected inverters have more than one resonant frequency, and the resonant frequency are closely related to the number, type and composition ratio of parallel inverters. Meanwhile the lower resonance frequency decreases with the increasing number of parallel inverters, and mainly affected by the control parameters and the grid strength when the amount of inverters is fixed. Simulation waveform and experiment results verify the availability of the model and the accuracy of analytical results.


Our work focused on an application of lag sequence analysis(LSA) method to explore the sequence of two main learning activities: watching videos and completing assignments. The data were collected from an online course in 2015 on the 365 University platform. In this study, we coded four key time nodes in every chapter and generated a learning path map by LSA.Then we usedGephi torepresent the results visually. Our results suggested that, while learning such online courses, learners are less enthusiastic about watching videos, and there are few reviews between one chapter and another. Based on what we found, this paper discusses the causes of learners' positive and negative learning behaviors and contributes to the design and development of learning resources and activities based on the learners' need for external resources and knowledge building. We also give detailed suggestions about the design of the curriculum and platform as well as the application of adaptive learning paths.


In 1990 the Royal College of Surgeons of England established the Comparative Audit Service to enable surgeons to compare their results with those of other colleagues. In addition, the large volume of collected data provides insight into national patterns of surgical practice. In 1992 data were collected for a range of operations including appendicectomy, resulting in by far the largest single analysis in the international literature of this common surgical problem.


This paper reflects on how relevance has been invoked as a curricular principle, both by students and teachers, in curriculum documents and in curriculum theory, to explore its variously conceived parameters and conditions. By posing the questions 'relevant to whom?', 'relevant to what?', 'relevant how?' and 'relevant when?' this paper exposes relevance as both a curricular virtue and a curricular constraint. It draws on an empirical project undertaken in the prevocational curriculum offered in Australia's recently extended compulsory schooling for students in non-academic pathways. Data vignettes offer windows into two settings to exemplify the different ways relevance can be interpreted, stretched or contested. Using Bernstein's distinction between vertical and horizontal discourses and knowledge structures, the analysis identifies what is gained and what is lost when relevance, variously defined, serves as a principle for curricular selection.


Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disparately impacted by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and condomless anal intercourse (CAI) is a major driver of HIV transmission. The objective of the current study was to identify factors associated with CAI among MSM in Bamako, Mali, among whom HIV prevalence was 13.7%. Methods A bio-behavioral survey was conducted between October 2014 and February 2015 using respondent-driven sampling to recruit 552 adult MSM. Weighted statistical analyses were conducted to determine the prevalence of CAI with one's most recent male partner and survey logistic procedures were used to identify associated factors. Results The prevalence of CAI with one's most recent male partner was 40.7%. Associated factors included: inability to get a condom when needed (aOR = 5.8, 95%CI: 2.7–12.3) and believing CAI is acceptable under some circumstances (aOR = 8.4, 95%CI: 4.4–16.2). Conclusions Programs addressing HIV among MSM in Mali should aim to increase access to condoms and education about HIV prevention through consistent condom use during anal intercourse.


The main focus of the thesis is the financial analysis of FAGE and MEVGAL between 2011-2016. The analysis is done by using the indexes, after we have seen some basic elements of the financial analysis. The purpose is to compare the two companies and to draw conclusions about their course over the years.


is my privilege to discuss certain aspects of bronchial g asthma essentially produced by immunologic or allergic mechanisms. Although the origin of asthma is intimately connected with antigen-antibody reactions or allergen~asasesasWs~, antibody reactions, it will also be necessary to briefly explore the role of psychodynamics in implementing more effective therapy.1' 2 Let us first consider the nature of the immunologic process by analyzing 'the molecules responsible for pollen asthma. There is no doubt that in hypersensitive individuals, contact of sufficient pollen with the respiratory tract results in bronchial spasm as well as vasodilatation and swelling of the allergic mucous membrane. What is the nature of the molecules in the ragweed pollen granules or in timothy pollen granules which dissolve in the liquid film of the mucosa of the respiratory tract to diffuse into the tissues to cause pollen asthma?3 One of the most characteristic properties of any molecule is its size in terms of molecular weight. Do the allergenic molecules in ragweed and in timothy grass pollens have the high molecular weights characteristic of proteins? It had been proposed that these allergenic molecules are protein in nature. If they were proteins, we would expect comparatively high molecular weights. Recall for a moment the molecular weights of some common substances. The molecular weight of sodium chloride is approximately 58; that of histamine about iii; of sucrose close to 342. If we examine the molecular weights of proteins, it is evident that


The Superintendency of Solidarity Economy is redirecting its compliance supervision scheme to a risk supervision system, so changes have been made with the objective of supervision. Under this new scheme, the regulations regarding loans are very clear when they obligate to identify, measure, control and monitor the credit risk to which the entities under their supervision are exposed. There are several methodologies that allow monitoring the credit system, thus in this article are Transition Matrices' mentions of the characteristics of the processes, Logit and Probit, for the credit risk and the calculation of the expected loss. In the content, there is a detailed description of the process that has to be carried out to calculate the expected loss through Transition Matrices, also possible analyses that can be drawn from the results obtained and a step by step process with the information provided by an entity of the solidary sector of the region that provided the information.


The analysis of the resistivity of a wire based on the Wheatstone bridge method and the Ohm law method in physics experiment module has been done. The analysis of the resistivity of a wire was done in a physics laboratory at UPNVJ engineering faculty. This topic was studied because there has been no experiment in the themed of electricity in the physics experiment module at the faculty of engineering UPNVJ. The most popular method applied to obtain wire resistivity value is the Ohm law method. In order to enlarge the understanding of the electricity concept, this research needed other method that can be used to find out the wire resistivity namely the Wheatstone Bridge method. This research aimed to obtain the resistivity value of Nichrome wire from two different methods. The methods were the Ohm law method and the Wheatstone bridge method. In Ohm law method, the wire length was subsequent varied. Then, the electric voltage value and an electric current were recorded. While in the Wheatstone bridge method, it was used circuit bridge. The value of the variable resistor was varied and the segment length metal plate was measured. The data were processed in order to obtain the Nichrome wire resistivity values by linear regression method. From Ohm law method and the Wheatstone bridge method were respectively obtained the value of Nichrome wire was ρ±Δρ=(2,875±0,005)x10-6 Ωm and ρ±Δρ=(5,00±0,25)x10-6 Ωm. The results of the two methods are match with the value of the standard of the Nichrome wire is ρ=1,0x10-6 Ωm. By using the two methods, it was expected that the students' understanding of the electricity concept was increasingly widespread.


100-MHz N.m.r. studies are reported for the complexes formed between protons, zinc ions, and L-aspartyl-L-phenylalaninemethyl ester, aspartate, and L-phenylalanine methyl ester. The sites of metal-ion binding are identified and the relative rates of ester hydrolysis are discussed from a mechanistic viewpoint.


A more efficient model predictive control algorithm is algebraic model predictive control. The efficiency is improved by forming the prediction horizon with a non-uniform distribution of points. The most efficient case reduces the problem down to a single prediction point, defining the horizon length as well as removing any redundant control calculations. This paper shows that for this single prediction point case, the constrained control can be easily evaluated explicitly, thus making the control calculation deterministic and more efficient. We also show that because an explicit control can be determined for the system, the closed-loop constrained stability bounds can be evaluated a priori. Using the key constraint of the peak location of the response also allows the system to meet the constraints while still being explicit and deterministic. The proposed explicit algorithm is applied to two numerical simulation examples with the performance, computational efficiency and stability analysed.


I WISH, in the first place, to direct your attention to a case of haematemesis recently admitted into the hospital. I will give you a history of the case, condensed from the more detailed report which has been drawn up by my clinical clerk, Mr. Mayo. Sarah Duncan, aged 28, a maid-servant, was admitted into Twining Ward on February 3rd. She said that, for three months before her admission, she had suffered from pain in the right side, loss of appetite, and lowness of spirits. The catamenia had been quite regular, and she had never been ill before. On January 3oth, she twice fainted, without apparent cause; and on each occasion, just as she was recovering consciousness, she vomited a large quantity of black blood-she says, as much as a pint each time. She went to bed for the remainder of the day. The next day, she got up; and, having taken some gruel and beef-tea in the course of the morning, she again fainted, and a third time she vomited a large quantity of blood, "about half a basinful". On February ist, she again fainted twice; and each time the faintness was succeeded by vomiting of blood.


Objective To explore etiology and diagnosis of post-menopausal vaginal bleeding.Methods The data of 376 women with post-menopausal vaginal bleeding diagnosed and treated in our hospital from January 2002 to June 2005 were retrospectively analyzed.Results The vaginal bleeding of 176(46.81%) patients was due to inflammation.85(22.61%) patients suffered from dysfunctional uterine bleeding.79(21.01%) patients suffered from tumor,of them,23 of 79 patients(29.11%) suffered from benign tumors and rest 56 patients suffered from malignant tumors.17(4.52%) women had intrauterine contraceptive device(IUD);and rest 19(5.05%)women suffered from other diseases.21 patients suffered from malignant tumors within ten years after menopause,35 patients suffered from malignant tumors over ten years after menopause.There was a significant difference in incidence rate of malignant tumor between the two age groups(P0.005).Conclusion The most common cause of post-menopausal vaginal bleeding is inflammation,the second cause is dysfunctional uterine bleeding,and the third one is tumor.The longer the time of post-menopause,the higher the incidence rate of malignant tumor.


hree quarters of the way into Helen, we come to a critical moment in the plot. We have just watched the scene where Helen and Menelaus persuade the Egyptian king Theoclymenus to give them a ship: the escape plan has been put into action, but its success is far from guaranteed. The Chorus' response to this moment of suspense is strange: they sing an ode telling the story of Demeter's search for Persephone, which is, furthermore, couched in the language of the orgiastic cult of the Great Mother (1301–68). At first glance, the Demeter ode seems deliberately irrelevant. The ode makes no overt reference to events onstage; the only link to Helen's story comes in the final stanza. The text is corrupt, but someone (presumably Helen) is said to have incurred Demeter's wrath by not honoring her rites (1355– 57).1 This statement itself is doubly perplexing, as we are given no indication of how or why, and it does not tie in with anything we know of the Helen myth. The choice of myth is also surprising: there seems no reason to use Demeter's story as a paradigm for Helen's and no reason to link Demeter's search to Helen's escape. Scholars have traditionally explained away the ode as a piece of lyric poetry in its own right.2 It was seen as typical of Euripides and of the increasing


This article draws upon the outcomes from an on-going study of governance and management issues in small primary schools in three LEAs.


Natural rubber latex grafted with poly(diacetone acrylamide), NR-g-PDAAM, was prepared with different weight ratios of NR/DAAM (i.e., 90/10, 95/5, and 97.5/2.5) by seeded emulsion polymerization at 50°C. The redox-initiation system, cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) and tetraethylene pentamine (TEPA), was used to initiate the polymerization. The results indicate that increasing of monomer concentrations led to a slight increase in the percentage conversion whereas the grafting efficiency of NR-g-PDAAM was not affected significantly. The chemical structure of the synthesized graft copolymers was confirmed by FTIR technique and the NR-g-PDAAM prepared using a NR/DAAM weight ratio of 95/5 was selected for the further preparation of adhesives. The feasibility of using adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) as crosslinker for NR-g-PDAAM adhesives at room temperature was then investigated. An increase in the shear strength of the adhesive was observed with the addition of ADH. Additionally, an increase in the level of ADH crosslinker also resulted in a marked increase in the adhesion strength of adhesive. Based on these observations, it can be concluded that ADH is an effective crosslinker for NR-g-PDAAM based adhesive.


A novel dual-channel damping control based on voltage source converter (VSC) excitation system is put forward in this paper to suppress subsynchronous oscillation for turbine generators. The proposed control is a combination of both supplementary excitation damping control (SEDC) and supplementary subsynchronous damping control (SSDC) but only implemented in one device. A small perturbation linearized model considering the dual-channel damping is built and the complex torque coefficients method is adopted to analyze the damping characteristic of the proposed control. Based on the analytical analysis, a decoupling tuning method for the dual-channel damping control is proposed. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed subsynchronous damping control are verified through PSCAD simulation.


Abstract For advanced database security, various researches and challenges are being done to keep pace with new information technologies. We suggests new extended access control that make it possible to conform security policies even with uncertain context and purpose. There may be a discrepancy between the syntactic phrase in security policies and that in queries, called semantic gap problem. New access control derive semantic implications from context and purpose hierarchy tree and control the exceed privileges using semantic gap factor calculating the degree of the discrepancy. And then, We illustrate prototype system architecture and show performance comparison with existing access control methods. Key Words : 접근제어, 개인정보보호, 온톨로지. 트리계층구조 * 정회원, 그리스도대학교 경영학부접수일자 2011.10.11, 수정완료 2011.11.15게재확정일자 2011.12.16 Ⅰ. 서 론 유비쿼터스 기술 [1] , 상황인지 기술 [2] , 시멘틱웹 [3] 과 같은 새로운 정보기술들이 지속적으로 제안, 개발되고 있고 이러한 기술 발전에 따라 사용자의 정보 접근과 획득 방식이 이전보다 다양하고 용이해지고 있다. 하지만 그 이면에는 불법적인 접근주체로 하여금 이전보다 더 나은 성능의 도구를 사용하여 더 다양한 방식으로 침입할 수 있도록 하는 부작용을 낳고 있으며, 이에 따라 시스템의 안전과 개인의 사적 자유영역에 심각한 위협을 가하고 있다. 개인정보


We consider a highly unconventional approach to generating muon and antimuon bunches for a neutrino factory or muon collider: electron-positron annihilation just above muon-antimuon threshold. This approach can produce low-emittance bunches at high energy, easing the muon-cooling and acceleration challenges in such facilities. However, the small (< 1 µb) useable production cross section means that extraordinary beam-power and targeting challenges would have to be met. We speculate on what this might entail.


Abstract Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of nasal intermittent mandatory ventilation (NIMV) in reducing the duration of respiratory distress compared with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN). Patient and methods: İn this randomized-prospective study, 40 infants with a gestational age ≥37 weeks and birth weight ≥2000 g with TTN were randomized to either nonsynchronized NIMV (n = 20) or NCPAP (n = 20). The primary end point was the reduction of the duration of respiratory distress. Secondary end points were the duration and level of oxygen supplementation, the incidence of complications such as pneumothorax, pneumonia and respiratory failure requiring entubation. Results: There were no significant difference in the duration of respiratory support (28.0 ± 19.2 h versus 32.2 ± 23.3 h, p = 0.231), O2 therapy (31.2 ± 15.6 h versus 29.0 ± 19.3 h, p = 0.187), duration of TTN (67.6 ± 36.5 h versus 63.3 ± 39.1 h, p = 0.480) and hospitalization (6.2 ± 2.6 d versus 5.4 ± 2.0 d, p = 0.330) between the groups. The rate of complications were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: Our study indicates that NIMV is well tolerated and as effective as NCPAP in the treatment of TTN.


Abstract Background and Aims: Medical nutrition therapy plays a major role in the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, control of postprandial blood glucose values is often a challenge in Asian Indian GDM women due to high carbohydrate content in Indian diet. Materials and Methods: Women presenting with GDM diagnosis were randomised to high fiber complex carbohydrate diet and soya based protein rich diet (25% of cereal part in the high fiber, complex carbohydrate diet replaced by soya food) groups. Results: At the end of one week after initiation of dietary intervention, patients who received high fiber complex carbohydrate diet (n=30) had significantly higher postprandial blood glucose levels than those who received soya based protein rich diet (n=32). The need for insulin therapy at the end of one week after initiation of dietary intervention (15.62% vs. 40.0%) and at delivery (18.75% vs. 50%) were significantly lower in soya based protein rich diet group. Maternal thyroid function at diagnosis of GDM and delivery and neonatal TSH were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: Consumption of soya based protein rich diet reduced the need for insulin therapy in subjects with GDM. Short term consumption of soya food did not alter maternal and neonatal thyroid functions.


This report provides a portrait of educational attainment in the United States based on data collected in the 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2005–2009 ACS 5-year estimates. It also uses data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS) collected in 2009 and earlier, as well as monthly data from the CPS. Prior to 2007, U.S. Census Bureau reports on educational attainment were based on data primarily from the CPS.1 The ACS is now used as the main source of educational attainment data because it has a larger sample and provides more reliable statistics for small levels of geography.


sionals do their work in the future? With reduced budgets and staffing and changing demographics, Extension educators are looking at new ways to fulfill the landgrant mission through new audiences. This new look connects community-based programs through the Internet, where professionals work hand-in-hand with other professionals from other states as if they were in the same county. Technology is bringing the knowledge of the university to every home in the nation. Since 1991, the Cooperative Extension System (CES) Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) initiative has supported 163 community-based projects in 49 states and 3 territories. These projects serve approximately 99,000 youth and 17,000 parents. More than 20,000 youth and adult volunteers in these communities contribute time and resources to these programs. Many of the projects developed out of collaborations between Extension and other community organizations and citizens to create and sustain programs that meet critical needs of children and families in their community. These CYFAR projects incorporate research-based strategies for effective programs—collaboration, citizen involvement, inclusiveness, effective instruction, experiential education, positive youth development, and family ecological principles. The CYFAR initiative is unique in that it not only funds the vital community-based programs that are its core, but also provides seed money to initiate CES organizational changes necessary to program for this broader audience and to effectively and cost-efficiently continue our work with children, youth, and families into the 21st century. Some of the dollars for community-based programs provide funding and support to "grow" the strategies implemented in these communities and programs into other communities and programs. This paper focuses on three CYFAR components that are changing our system: the five National Networks of subject matter experts, the community-based Internet Connectivity, and CYFERNet.


In recent years, many clustering algorithms have been proposed to solve the problem of routing. However, many of these algorithms have the problem of uneven load of cluster heads. In this paper, we present an algorithm - the maximum balance cluster head energy consumes of routing (MCR) - to solve the above problem. In our proposed MCR algorithm, when ordinary nodes receive broadcast information from different cluster heads, the one that been selected is judged by the distance, as well as the giving comprehensive consideration of the distance and energy consumption of cluster head. Proper measures are also needed to increase the working time of cluster head as much as possible. Moreover, when the selected cluster head rotated, the remaining energy of the nodes is the major consideration. Simulation results show that our MCR algorithm can reduce the energy consumption and extend the network lifetime as well.


An ultrasonic measurement method has been developed for use in characterizing the thin surface layer of property changes that develops for polymeric materials exposed to long term high temperature environments. The method involves creating a Rayleigh surface wave with a wavelength similar in size to the depth of the degraded layer (∼200 microns). Since typical wedge transducers are incapable of generating Rayleigh waves in most polymers, a mediator wedge transducer method has been designed to effectively serve as a line source for the ultrasonic wave. High resolution noncontact signal detection is accomplished through the use of a laser vibrometer in order to adequately provide data for automated calculations of velocity and attenuation. The successive events of wave generation, detection, and analog signal processing have been simulated for measurements on an epoxy specimen with an explicit finite element method and representative mathematical post processing algorithms in order to better understand the ...


The present study was conducted on 15 local Iraqi buffaloes in AL-Thahab AL-Abiad village, Baghdad provenance during the period between May 2018 – June 2019, their age ranged from 4-7years. The animals diagnosed clinically by rectal palpation the eliminated that the animals were non-pregnant and not suffered from any reproductive problems and reproductive problems and they were taken blood samples (10 ml) from jugular vein in tube containing anticoagulant (EDTA) before inseminated animals and become pregnant, blood samples for blood picture and differential count of WBCs in non-pregnant Iraqi buffaloes (No = 15) and third trimesters after insemination and pregnancy, which include RBCs count, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH and MCHC as well as differential count of WBCs by using spectrophotometric methods, Micoheamatocite in addition to Giemsa stain to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on blood parameters, the result showed significantly decrease (P<0.05) in blood picture and significantly increase in most differential count of WBCs that they indicated the effect of pregnancy on this parameters include (blood picture and differential count of WBCs). In conclusions, there which study was to improvement the important evaluation of different WBCs blood picture and counts for effecting on pregnancy in Iraqi buffaloes.


Background: The doctor-patient relationship constitutes the matrix of the entire medical practice. One way in which doctors develop a positive rapport with their patients is through appropriate communication. However, evidence suggests that doctors do not communicate with their patients as they should. Despite growing interest in doctor-patient communication in health care delivery, research in Psychiatry has been neglected. Important gaps are observed in doctors' communication with patients with schizophrenia. Aim: This study sought to examine Psychiatrists' communication skills as assessed by their patients with schizophrenia and through external observation, considering patients' socio-demographic and clinical variables and analyze the importance that aspects of communication have for patients. Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved a sample of 30 patients and 11 doctors. An adapted and culturally validated version of the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) was used for data collection. Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics®, version 24. Mean, frequency distribution and percentage of the variables were calculated. Correlations and multivariate regression were performed to explore significant associations between variables. For all statistical analyses a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Male patients constituted 86.7% of the sample and mean age was 46.7 ± 13.3, ranging between 21 and 72 years. The overall mean percentage of items rated as excellent by patients was 57.4%. Items assessing "doctors' attention" assigned the maximum mean values, while items assessing "patients' involvement in decision making" received the minimum mean values. On the other hand, external observer percentage of excellent scores was much lower when compared with patients scores. For the external observer several items did not scored excellent and the items assessing "care and concern" received the maximum mean values. Single, divorced or widower/widow patients, patients with higher educational level and patients with shorter number of years in medical treatment gave significantly higher scores to Psychiatrists' communication. Patients' sex, age, occupation residence and family type did not yield statistically significant effects on patients' ratings. Conclusions: Communication is at the heart of Psychiatrists' daily practice. Many communication styles might be needed, depending on the nature of clinical encounters and patient expectations. Specific training at undergraduate and postgraduate level is required to optimise Psychiatrists' communication skills on everyday practise.


This paper describes NDIR CO/sub 2/ gas sensor with novel optical cavities and two elliptical mirrors that are optimized for the optical path and light intensity. The new structures have two distinct features: one is focusing of infrared (IR) light onto the detector with the minimum cavity volume, and the other is an increased optical path length in order to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy. The developed sensor module shows about 360 mV voltage differences from 0 to 2000 ppm CO/sub 2/ concentration with 18,000 amplification gain. The response time of sensor module is around 30 sec.


An experiment was conducted during 1994-95 at Cuttack on the effect of delayed transplanting on the rate of development and duration of growth in rice (Oryza sativa L.) over 2 sets of seedlings differing in their age at the time of transplanting on alluvial soil (haplaquept). Number of days and of growing degree-days to reach active tillering, panicle initiation, flowering, milky white grain and 80% panicle ripe were computed. Yield, panicle weight and test weight were measured, and straw yield and vegetative growth index were calculated. Correlations were calculated for these values with number of days and with number of growing degree-days at each stage of development. In delayed transplanting, significant correlations occurred between yield factors and growing degree-days, rate of development and duration of growdL Number of days to reach each stage of development was significantly reduced by delayed transplanting, whereas there was no reduction in number of growing degree-days. On entry mean basis, neither number of accumu-. lated growing degree-days nor number of days was correlated with grain yield, straw yield or test weight. Both the parameters could be useful for predicting rate of development and duration of growth; however, since number of growing degree-days is less variable throughout the season, its use is beneficial.


Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of phenolic antioxidants from the pomace of Red Delicious and Jonathan apple varieties was optimized using response surface methodology. Optimization parameters included solvent type, microwave power, solvent volume to sample ratio and extraction time. Optimum conditions were based on the total polyphenol content (TPC) of extracts. Antioxidant activities of optimized extracts were also measured by inhibition percentage (IP) of the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to identify and quantify some of the major phenolics extracted. Red Delicious pomace had the highest TPC (15.8 mg GAE/g) obtained under the optimum extraction conditions of 735 W power and 149 s extraction time with 10.3 mL of ethanol per gram dry sample. The DPPH IP of this extract was 77.1%. Phloridzin, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and quercetrin were some of the major polyphenols identified in the extracts. MAE was found to be an effective method of extracting antioxidant compounds from apple pomace.

Practical Applications

Extraction of phenolics from apple pomace using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) has significant potential compared with traditional extraction methods, as it significantly reduces extraction time and solvent consumption while generating higher extraction yields. The optimized extraction conditions obtained in this study resulted in extracts with high concentrations of polyphenols and high DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging activity. Optimized extraction conditions were found to be independent of apple variety and therefore can be extended to extraction of phenolics from the pomace of other apple cultivars. This work opens the door for further research on the feasibility of an industrial-scale continuous MAE process for the recovery of these valuable compounds from apple pomace. In addition, there is promise for these value-added extracts to be used in a number of applications, including the extension of product shelf life (as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants), functional food ingredients and dietary supplements.


Software Product Lines are a recent approach of software engineering with the main goal of increasing productivity while decreasing costs. One of the main problems to support software product lines is the lack of notation and semantics to manage variability of software families. This paper presents a new domain-specific language for handling variants in MOF based metamodels through aspect oriented specification of model transformations.


The phylum acanthocephala is characterized by the presence of a proboscis armed with hooks, which retracts into receptacle, and lack of alimentary tract. This group is divided in four classes Archiacanthocephala, Palaeacanthocephala, Eoacanthocephala and Polyacanthocephala based on morphological, biological and ecological characteristics. Among the helminths studied in Brazilian mammals, the phylum Acanthocephala have a lack of taxonomic, phylogenetic and ecological information. The aim of the present work was to perform the integrative taxonomy of acanthocephalans recovered in mammals of the family Procyonidae, Myrmecophagidae and Cricetidae from different geographic regions, store and made available by the Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Reservoirs Mammal (LABPMR) using morphological, molecular and ecological characteristics. The recovered acanthocephalans were identified by light microscopy (ML) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, molecular phylogenetic analyses of the acanthocephalans was performed with the molecular markers of ribosomal large subunit (28s rRNA) gene and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (MT-CO1). Furthermore, the prevalence and abundance of acanthocephala's eggs were determined by coproparasitological analyses of brown-nosed coatis Nasua nasua and crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous, evaluating the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on infection. The acanthocephalan specimens from the LABPRM collection were analyzed, and two new species were described and identified: Pachysentis n. np. (Archiacanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae) parasitizing Nasua nasua (brown-nosed coati) from Mato Grosso do Sul in the Pantanal wetland, and Moniliformis n. sp. (Archiacanthocephala: Moniliformidae) parasitizing Necromys lasiurus (hairy-tailed bolo mouse) from Uberlândia in the state of Minas Gerais in the cerrado biome; and one species were redescribed Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus (Archiacanthocephala: Gigantorhynchidae) in Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater) from Santa Barbara Ecological Station, state of Sao Paulo in the cerrado biome. Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggested that G. echinosdichus is related to Mediorhynchus sp. forming a monophyletic group, as well as Moniliformis n. sp. is related to the species of the genus Moniliformis also forming a monophyletic group. The ecological analysis was performed with 118 fecal samples of 55 specimens of crab-eating fox, and 72 fecal samples of 61 specimens of coatis, and suggested the influence of seasonality on the abundance for both hosts; as well as the attributes related to the host as sex and age were important factors associated with prevalence and parasitic load. The present work added morphological, molecular and ecological informations, emphasizing the importance of adopting integrative taxonomic approaches in studies on acanthocephala.


Results are presented from an analysis of the ARCO Oil Gas B.F. Phillips Well No. 1 which is completed in the upper Travis Peak formation in Chapel Hill Field, Smith County, Texas. The Phillips No. 1 was the first cooperative well in the GRI program which was monitored with the Mobile Testing and Control (T C) Facility during pre-fracture and post-fracture testing, and fracture treatment. In addition to coring and logging, activities included performing an in-situ stress test in a sandstone interval, performing a mini-frac, running post fracture gamma ray and temperature surveys, and monitoring hydraulic fracture treatment. Fracture treatment summaries and the pressure buildup test analysis are included in appendixes.


Broders, proceeding from a far from new indication that the tumor will be the more benign, the more differentiated its cellular elements, divides cancers into 4 groups according to the degree of malignancy


This paper presents results of a comparative study to determine mechanical properties, adherence, and accelerated aging of 4 repair systems for concrete hydraulic structures. Two systems exhibited higher performance: the epoxy and silica fume mortar. Steel fibers, due to good adherence to the substrate and good mechanical performance, are appropriate for use as an intermediate layer for underwater repair. This system exhibited an apparent corrosion at the steel fibers on the surface after aging and underwater abrasion tests, which should be considered prior to being used on exposed spillway slab surfaces.


Objective:To study CT like imaging of tissues of plane-detector digital substraction angiography in detecting small lesions of hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:43 patients with HCC underwent 320-slice CT、DSA and XperCT befor TACE.Perform XperCT scan with injecting contrast media from proper hepatic artery.Images acquired with 320-clice CT,DSA and XperCT were diagnosed by 3 radiologists.There were 3 groups statistically analysed in small lesions of diameter≤3.0 cm of hepatocellular carcinoma:group A(diameter1.0 cm),group B(1.0 cm≤diameter≤2.0 cm),group C(2.0 cmdiameter≤3.0 cm).Results:A total of 125 lesions(diameter≤3.0 cm) were diagnosed.320-slice CT detected 51 lesions and got 40.8% detection rate,DSA detected 98 lesions and got 78.4% detection rate,XperCT detected 123 lesions and got 98.4% detection rate.Statistical differences of detection were found between every two methods(P0.01).The 125 lesions included respectively 26,66,89 lesions in group A,17,23,25 lesions in group B and 8,9,9 lesions in group C.Conclusion:CT like imaging of soft tissues of plane-detector digital substraction angiography can detect small lesions of hepatocellular carcinoma more than 320-slice,and have great clinical value.


The people's process of cognition to the urban forestry in the corresponding period abroad and in China was summarized,the function of urban forestry was explained,the necessities of construction of urban forestry were analyzed,the suggestions for construction of urban forestry in China were put forward to raise people's awareness of basic understanding of forestry and to promote the urban forestry construction.


Because of the development of Chinese stock market in recent years, more and more investors have entered the market. The classic Markowitz model can provide investors with investment methods that have shortcomings in practical application. Therefore, the classic model is modified to add transaction costs and turnover rate limits suitable for the Chinese market. This paper aims to study the influence of the restriction on the model before and after the application of the model comparison results. The restriction can push the predicted result from time point to time period, and can be adjusted according to the actual situation.


Aim.  The study was designed to investigate the delivery outcome in women who required vaginal prostaglandin E2 for cervical priming prior to labor induction.


We should all be familiar with Bertolt Brecht's exhortation concerning Helene Weigel, his wife, colleague, actress and (later) door-bitch of his deceased estate: 'Describe her!' Thereafter follows a masterly and concise report predicated on three explicitly stated questions: What is her character? What is her acting like? What kind of success did she enjoy? Thus from a research methods point of view, Brecht shows himself a potentially useful inclusion in a postgraduate course of study, relating as he does a description of an object to an interrogative grid which allows for its meaningful interpretation. This relationship - between question and answer, problem and account, object and explanation - is as old as the Socratic method itself and underpins the epistemology of the academy as a whole, the brickbats of poststructuralist thinking notwithstanding. I do not want to make any claims yet, of even the most minimal kind. I only want to observe that in modern scholarship, people do not start talking at random, at least in theory, hoping to hit on an insight by aleatoric ambulation. There is always something that defines something like a ground, and it always has an interrogative dimension and so the potential to supply a subject position. Now I have made a claim - that questions are asked of something by someone and the posture of the last may be of strong interest. This is more than admitting partiality, the intention being to render perspectival all scholarly approaches and to equate them in essential value. Because I do not think that this is the case; because I think that the position of a subject in regard to an object is more than relative, even if it is not as clear cut as eighteenth-century rationalists once avowed, I take seriously both the act of questioning and the method of description. It is the latter I focus on here. I want to take Brecht's command as a call to arms for us to do better something we do ubiquitously - describe theatre in all its aspects, in all its forms. Whether talking to practitioners, critics, policy-makers, fellow academics or disinterested parties; whether writing tweets, blogs, op eds, academic articles or books the size and weight of car tyres; whether talking about our own involvement in the art form or someone else's: describing things is what we, as scholars, spend much of our time doing. It is an activity that goes unremarked until the results get us into trouble, when our 'research methods' are suddenly put under the microscope, usually with a view to attacking them. To my mind, it is a pity if such audits are done in extremis. The academy encourages artists to reflect on the hidden drivers of their profession. One might call on the academy to do the same, not by way of highlighting aporias and subcutaneous domain assumptions; while these are valid, I am more interested in the mundane practice of description and how the conventions governing the deployment of a variety of methods can be better applied. I am positively inclined in my views. I think that academic talk about theatre has a vital role to play, not only in accounting for it but in assisting its development and legibility. To this end, a deep and reflexive understanding of methods of description as it applies to theatre - what I call 'descriptive sensitivity' - is vital. It is not only what we need to do for ourselves, as researchers, to justify our own existence. It is what is required from us by others, more than any amount of committed rhetoric or partisan intervention. What artists need from the academy, in short, is the truth, as scholars see it. But here, of course, I have made another claim, and issued another call to arms.


An analysis based on census data for the decade 1991-2001 indicates change in the urban structure of the Delhi Urban Agglomeration, India. The number and rate of growth of cen-sus towns and the urban core are examined. The pattern shows emerging traits of urban spread and provides an investigative framework for future research.


Because of monotonous teaching model,lack of management mechanisms and inefficient activity organization,the practical teaching effect of Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Basic Law(abbreviated as IMCBL) is not ideal.The League activities are very popular with college students,and there are many relevant points in the content and accepters between the League activities and the course of IMCBL.Thus,effective combination of the two aspects can be realized by efficient leading system and creative teaching content and sound assessing system.


We propose a probabilistically-shaped four-dimensional LDPC-coded modulation (PS-4D-LDPC-CM) scheme as a candidate suitable for metro DWDM communications. We experimentally demonstrate that PS modulation can also be used in high-dimensional-modulation scheme for DWDM systems, and that PS-4D-LDPC-CM scheme provides 1.3dB improvement over corresponding uniform distribution-based scheme.


Full-field Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (3F-OCT) is a full-field version of spectral domain/swept source optical coherence tomography. A set of two-dimensional Fourier holograms is recorded at discrete wavenumbers spanning the swept source tuning range. The resultant three-dimensional data cube contains comprehensive information on the three-dimensional spatial properties of the sample, including its morphological layout and optical scatter. The morphological layout can be reconstructed in software via three-dimensional discrete Fourier transformation. The spatial resolution of the 3F-OCT reconstructed image, however, is degraded due to the presence of a phase cross-term, whose origin and effects are addressed in this paper. We present a theoretical and experimental study of the imaging performance of 3F-OCT, with particular emphasis on elimination of the deleterious effects of the phase cross-term.


This study aims to analyze the influence of COVID on Chinese adults' attitudes toward the US and examine factors that can affect their attitudes. A total number of 288 Chinese adults were selected as the investigation objects, and 282 effective questionnaires were collected with a recovery rate of 97.81% (134 effective questionnaires of younger adults) and 98.01% (148 effective questionnaires of older adults). The general demographic of the adults were collected, including 130 men and 158 women, with an age range of 19-50 years (younger adults: 19-30, mean age 24.69, standard deviation 3.34; older adults: 31-50, mean age: 39.09, standard deviation: 5.21). Questions included in the questionnaire were introduced explicitly in the material section. The study found that responsibility, attitudes toward the US after COVID, and negative emotion they have experienced during COVID is closely correlated with each other and other parts of this study, which can indicate that for younger and older adults, COVID had greatly influenced their perspective on the US. Regression analysis revealed that (1) for both younger and older adults, factors like general bias, browsing or searching for keywords related to COVID and its origin, and unintentionally spreading rumors about the US can be the significant factors that affect their attitudes; (2) for older adults, factors like searching or browsing for keywords related to COVID and attitude toward the US after COVID affect negative emotions they have experienced during COVID.


In atomic physical textbook there are two systems to teach atomic physics. One is based on the Bohr theory,the other is based on quantum mechanic. Each has its merit. It is important and necessaryto make students learn and master the basic idea and method in learning atomic physics.


The invention provides an artificial environment model, an Agent model and a modeling method of the Agent model. The artificial environment model comprises a data storage space, an environmental data query service module, an environmental data updating service module and an environmental data space access service module; the data storage space represents dynamic changes of the real environment realistically; the environmental data query service module is used for receiving a sensing message query instruction from an Agent sensor and feeds back queried data to the Agent sensor; the environmental data updating service module is used for receiving an Agent attribute and behavior updating instruction from an Agent effector and then updates Agent attributes and behaviors to the data storage space; the environmental data space access service module is used for maintaining the data storage space and providing basic data services to an artificial environment. The artificial environment model has the advantages of flexibility in configuration, high universality and good expandability, supports multi-terminal concurrent access and can provide support to large-scale computational experiments.


Primary retroperitoneal mucinous tumours (PRMTs) are rare and predominantly affect females. Due to the rarity of these tumours, histogenesis and management strategy are poorly defined. We report the case of a 29 years old female, who presented with abdominal pain and a palpable mass. Despite complete excision she presented within eight weeks with disseminated disease and a biopsy proven skin metastasis. Despite several courses of chemotherapy she succumbed within 5 months of initial diagnosis. The published literature is reviewed with relevance to the clinical diagnosis, histological assessment and management of this uncommon tumour.


Human suffering, characterized by Job, is the center of a clash between two Theologies: the Covenant Theology which is represented by Job, and the anti-theology, represented by Job's friends. The Anti-theology justifies human suffering as the consequent punishment of God in face of the individual's guilt. It displaces God in History, distancing him from the people, and places him in Heaven, from where he rules the human beings' destiny, watching over his fair or unfair behaviors, by which he rewards with wealth and health or punishes with disease and poverty. This retributive doctrine responds to an image of God created in the service of religious (temple) and economically political (Persian rule) contexts: both responsible for the suffering of people. Job is persistent and does not resign before the Anti-theological arguments. Rather, he does not speak of God but to God. He claims that suffering is a consequence of present injustices in society; injustices in the social, political, economical, and religious orders. In this clash of Theologies, it is noticeable that whenever religion and its Theology turn the people away from the eyes of the Covenant God, it legitimizes the social sin as the cause of human suffering. Meanwhile, Theology is at the service of life when it takes the human being to speak to God and experience him as being close, present, and supportive. Persistence and patience are in conflict, each seeking to support an image of God: a solidary and liberating God versus a distant and punishing one.


This paper evokes reflections on "lived poetics" as a contemplative stance of Christian witness during the recent pandemic in the context of multicultural Australia "Down Under." Following an explanation of lived poetics, this paper articulates how deep listening, imagination, and participation are encompassed during periods of lockdown. By amplifying the author's own and other Australian poetic voices, it seeks to demonstrate the power of lived poetics rooted in lived experience is both inspirational and transformative. It argues that this aesthetic epistemological path to make a beautiful and meaningful life is an effective contemplative stance of Christian witness in a broken world. It offers a new spiritual horizon of beauty that may save the world from decay and ashes, a new way of being and becoming fully alive.


ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were employed to obtain information about the molecular composition and hydration of skin in vivo. Both techniques enable the in vivo acquisition of high quality spectra within 10-30s at a spectral resolution of 8cm-1. The penetration depth of ATR-FTIR is about 1.5 (Mu) m. Raman spectra could be obtained with a resolution of about 5 micrometers . ATR-FTIR spectra of hydrated stratum corneum were analyzed using a band fitting algorithm. By means of this algorithm the signal contributions of water relative to protein signal contributions could be determined. The results of Raman microspectroscopic experiments on frozen sections and isolated skin components were used for the interpretation of Raman spectra obtained in vivo. Information was obtained about lipid components present in the stratum corneum. These were shown to vary widely between individuals and between different locations on the body. The combination of these spectroscopic techniques may prove to be valuable for applications in dermatology and skin care.


This paper was presented at the IEEE Committee for Passive Components and their Materials International
Conference on Thin and Thick Film Technology, held at Augsburg, 28–30 September 1977.


To the Editor. — I read with great interest the article by Dr Wagner 1 proposing that "peace through mind/brain science may be an idea whose time has come." An obvious stumbling block is that the perpetrators of violence and belligerent behavior may not be available to be treated medically and/or that the numbers of those treated may not be sufficient to change societal trends. Recent data point to a technology that addresses these issues. The hypothesis is that the practice of transcendental meditation by a small group of individuals can decrease social conflict in a much larger population of persons who are not in any contact with the meditators. One study 2 reported the effects of such a group in Jerusalem in 1983. An inverse correlation was shown between the size of the meditating group and war deaths and war intensity in neighboring Lebanon, as well as crimes and


Objective This study was undertaken to systematically review relevant randomized controlled trials to determine the cardio-protective efficacy of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methods Electronic databases were searched to identify all randomized controlled trials comparing RIPC-treated and non-RIPC-treated Control patients undergoing CABG surgery. Two authors independently extracted primary outcomes data (cardiac troponin, mortality and morbidity) and secondary outcomes data (postoperative inotropic support requirement, mechanical ventilation (MV) time, length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and hospital). Software RevMan 5.0 was utilized to perform the Meta analysis. Results Our search yielded 7 studies including 567 patients, 281 patients were allocated into the RIPC group, and 286 into the Control group. Patients randomized into the RIPC group had lower troponin I (P0.05), postoperatively. However, there was no significant difference between the RIPC and Control patients with respect to the mortality rate (P0.05), peri-operative myocardial infarction rate (P0.05), composite morbidity rate (P0.05), post-operative inotropic support requirement (P0.05), postoperative MV time (P0.05), LOS in the ICU (P0.05) and in the hospital (P0.05). Conclusion This meta-analysis suggested that, RIPC could elicit some myocardial protection in patients undergoing CABG surgery.


This research study investigated how principals in a national, Christian independent school system cope with stress. Using a doublephased, mixed-methods approach combining questionnaires and in-depth interviews, school principals' stressors and their reactions to these stressors were examined. Coping strategies used by principals to reduce or manage their stress were also explored. Fortyseven principals participated in the study and of these, 23 indicated a serious level of stress. The study highlighted a preference for using stress managers (a secondary approach), rather than stress reducers (a primary approach). Specifi c grouping of stressors into ten clusters suggested particular areas to be targeted for professional development and systemic reform.


Objective\ Effects of low dose radiation on signal transduction of neurons in mouse hypothalamus were investigated. Methods\ In the present study competitive protein binding assay,radioimmunoassay, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were used to observe the effects of whole\|body irradiation with 75 mGy X\|rays on the contents of cAMP and cGMP and the expressions of c\|fos mRNA,Fos protein and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA in neurons of mouse hypothalamus. Results\ The results showed that cAMP content in mouse hypothalamus immediately increased significantly and reached the peak value at 15 min after irradiation,and then returned to near the sham\|irradiation level 1 h after irradiation;the changes of cGMP content were basically opposite to those of cAMP content,while the changes of cAMP/cGMP ratio were basically consistent with those of cAMP content.The expression of c\|fos mRNA in the neurons of hypothalamus appeared 15 min after irradiation;The expression of Fos protein reached its peak value 8 h after irradiation.The expression of POMC mRNA decreased significantly 1 h after irradiation. Conclusion\ These findings implicate that low dose radiation may potentiate the activity of the neurons in mouse hypothalamus,expedite their signal transduction,and down\|regulate the functions of hypothalamus\|pituitary\|adrenocortical axis.


In this review, we give a retrospect of the recent progress in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and thermodynamics in small dynamical systems. For systems with only a few number of particles, fluctuations and nonlinearity become significant and contribute to the nonequilibrium behaviors of the systems, hence the statistical properties and thermodynamics should be carefully studied. We review recent developments of this topic by starting from the Gallavotti—Cohen fluctuation theorem, and then to the Evans—Searles transient fluctuation theorem, Jarzynski free-energy equality, and the Crooks fluctuation relation. We also investigate the nonequilibrium free energy theorem for trajectories involving changes of the heat bath temperature and propose a generalized free-energy relation. It should be noticed that the non-Markovian property of the heat bath may lead to the violation of the free-energy relation.


Abstract Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings of two Iberian provenances (PA-SR and SM-Lp) were grown for one growing season in non-treated containers or in containers treated on their interior su...


Excerpt Paget's disease is one of the most frequently encountered bone disorders, and the emphasis in the voluminous literature on the subject has been on the osseous changes. Less well known, and ...


Lovastatin (Merck's Mevacor) is a statin drug designed to lower cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. We use electrospinning to combine the biomedical properties of lovastatin with the advantages of electrospun fibers to prepare a composite biomaterial for lovastatin delivery. Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, was co-spun with lovastatin. Incorporation of lovastatin at 5 wt % or 10 wt % improved fiber alignment and surface smoothness, and increased fiber diameter. Influence of lovastatin on the phase structure (crystal, mobile amorphous, and rigid amorphous fractions) was investigated using scanning calorimetry and synchrotron X-ray scattering. Addition of lovastatin resulted in increased crystallinity and reduced mobile amorphous fraction. PLLA fibers were characterized in terms of their drug release kinetics in comparison to PLLA film. High drug entrapment efficiency (ranging from 72% to 82%) and appropriate release profiles were achieved. In vitro drug release studies demonstrated that release occurred in two stages: an initial rapid release over the first day and a slower second stage of release which approached a plateau after 7 days. PLLA fibers have a higher release rate than comparable film. Electrospun biomaterial fibers of PLLA provide a promising new release strategy for delivery of lovastatin. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45287.


The aim of the study was to know the pedagogical practice developped by novice physical education teachers in the teaching system of schools in Boa Vista county – RR, Brazil. Thirty both-sex teachers, with up to two years of experience were interviewed. The data of the interview was analyzed trough the content analysis, in the method of categorization (BARDIN, 2002). According to the results, the teaching plan executed by the teacher is based on the country curriculum, but, in the pedagogical practice, there is a great difficulty in the materialization. Other problems affect this practice, like the participation of teachers of other disciplines in the construction and execution of this plan. It is concluded que changes are needed in the conducts adopted by these social actors, besides a bigger approximation of the teaching institutions with the necessary practice of the beginners, since the aim of the formal teaching is to form the critical autonomous citizen, facing the challenges of living in society.


This paper deals with the proof of the theory of elongation reserve remaining in wood after compression parallel to the grain. After compression, the wood becomes much more pliable and the force required for bending is reduced. At the end of the 1-minute fixation following 20% compression, the compressive stress in the beech samples was reduced to an average of 72.3%, while the oak samples showed a 65.6% change. The remaining shortening at this time was 3-5%. At the end of the 3-hours fixation, the compressive stress had decreased to 37.1% for beech and 27.9% for oak, resulting in a residual shortening of 12-18%. An average maximum tensile force of 1.76 kN was required for untreated beech samples, which resulted in a 1.55 mm increase in size parallel to the grain. For specimens fixated for a short-time, a tensile force of 1.06 kN caused a 3.66 mm increase in size, while for specimens fixated for a long-time, a force of 0.85 kN caused an 8.79 mm increase in size. The trends were similar for oaks. The higher moisture content provided a significantly larger increase in size during the tensile tests. The existence of the elongation reserve was clearly confirmed.


The purpose of this paper is to prove some properties (i.e. associative, distributive) of Fuzzy Soft Sets and Intuitionistic Fuzzy Soft Sets with respect to extended union, extended intersection and restricted union, restricted intersection over the common universe. These properties are verified by appropriate examples.


AIM
To estimate the cost effectiveness and cost utility ratios of a restrictive vs liberal transfusion strategy in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with anemia.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Patients (n = 666) with AMI and hemoglobin between 7-8 and 10 g/dL recruited in 35 hospitals in France and Spain were randomly assigned to a restrictive (n = 342) or a liberal (n = 324) transfusion strategy with 1-year prospective collection of resource utilization and quality of life using the EQ5D3L questionnaire. The economic evaluation was based upon 648 patients from the per-protocol population. The outcomes were 30-day and 1-year cost-effectiveness, with major adverse cardiovascular event averted (MACE) as the effectiveness outcome; and 1-year cost utility ratio.The 30-day incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was €33,065€ saved per additional MACE averted with the restrictive versus the liberal strategy, with an 84% probability for the restrictive strategy to be cost-saving and MACE reducing (i.e.dominant). At 1-year, the point estimate of the cost-utility ratio was 191,500 € saved per QALY gained; however cumulated MACE were outside the pre-specified non-inferiority margin, resulting in a decremental cost effectiveness ratio with a point estimate of €72,000 saved per additional MACE with the restrictive strategy.

CONCLUSION
In patients with acute myocardial infarction and anemia, the restrictive transfusion strategy was dominant (cost-saving and outcome-improving) at 30 days. At 1 year, the restrictive strategy remained cost-saving but clinical noninferiority on MACE was no longer maintained. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02648113.


Introduction: The aim of the study is to determine the correlation between carbohydrates, fat and protein intake with the serum C-Reactive-Protein level in lung cancer patients stage IIIB – IV. The progression of lung cancer is influenced by immune system, genetic factors and inflammatory response, therefore CRP can be relied as one of the parameters for predicting cancer cell growth. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Dharmais Cancer Hospital Jakarta. Subjects were recruited by consecutive sampling, 49 subjects with lung cancer stage IIIB–IV who currently not receiving any treatment in Dharmais Hospital participating in this study. Results: The mean age of subject was 55.82 + 12.26 years old and 63.3% were male. The median value of CRP is 23.82 (0.30–207.29) mg/L. The correlation between carbohydrate, protein and fat intake with serum CRP level (r=0.015 and p=0.919; r=-0.165 and p=0.257; r=0.003 and p=0.986,


The paper discusses weight distribution of periodic errors and then the optimal case on bounds of parity check digits for (, ) linear codes over that corrects all periodic errors of order in the first block of length and all periodic errors of order in the second block of length and no others. Further, we extend the study to the case when the errors are in the form of periodic errors of order (and ) or more in the two subblocks.


How may readiness to begin practice in a profession be evaluated? What are the characteristics that a person should possess before being permitted to practice? How and by whom are those characteristics identified? How are they measured? In any selection system some persons who are actually not competent are likely to be approved, and some who are competent are likely to be rejected. The probability of selection accuracy is increased when multiple sources of evidence are utilized. Four types of evidence are discussed in this paper: (a) personality characteristics, (b) knowledge of subject matter, (c) application of subject matter, and (d) performance on the job. The assessment of individuals is the primary focus, i.e., certification or registration. Accreditation is not discussed explicitly, since accreditation standards adopted by professional associations deal with programs rather than with individuals. Even though programs are intended to have quite specific impacts, the


In about 70% of the population of relaxed, cool-core galaxy clusters, the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) is radio loud, showing non-thermal radio jets and lobes ejected by the central active galactic nucleus (AGN). In recent years such relativistic plasma has been unambiguously shown to interact with the surrounding thermal intra-cluster medium (ICM) thanks to spectacular images where the lobe radio emission is observed to fill the cavities in the X-ray-emitting gas. This `radio feedback' phenomenon is widespread and is critical to understand the physics of the inner regions of galaxy clusters and the properties of the central BCG. At the same time, mechanically-powerful AGN are likely to drive turbulence in the central ICM which may also play a role for the origin of non-thermal emission on cluster-scales. Diffuse non-thermal emission has been observed in a number of cool-core clusters in the form of a radio mini-halo surrounding the radio-loud BCG on scales comparable to that of the cooling region. Large mini-halo samples are necessary to establish their origin and connection with the cluster thermal properties and dynamics, especially in light of future X-ray characterization of the cluster cores as it is expected by Athena-XIFU. We show that All-Sky reference survey at Band 2 with SKA1 at confusion limit (rms ~2 {\mu}Jy per beam) has the potential to detect up to ~620 mini-halos at redshift z<0.6, whereas Deep Tier reference surveys at Band 1/2 with SKA1 at sub-arcsec resolution (rms ~0.2 {\mu}Jy per beam) will allow a complete census of the radio-loud BCGs at any redshift down to a 1.4 GHz power of 10^{22} W/Hz. We further anticipate that SKA2 might detect up to ~1900 new mini-halos at redshift z<0.6 and characterize the radio-mode AGN feedback in every cluster and group up to redshift z ~1.7 (the highest-z where virialized clusters are currently detected).


This article describes an autonomous decentralized system, known as ATOS, which functions as both an automatic train control system and as an information system. The system also serves as a safety system covering maintenance work, such as track repairs and the inspection of electrical facilities.


Planar surface is a common feature in man-made structure, thus accurate detection of planar surface can benefit the image/video segmentation and reconstruction and also the navigation system of robots. Since depth map represents the distance from one object to the capturing camera in a grey image, it also can represent the surface characteristics of the objects. So in this paper, we propose a novel Depth-map Driven Planar Surface Detection (DDPSD) method, where detection starts from "the most flat" seed patch on the depth map and uses dynamic threshold value and surface function to control the growing process. Compared with one of the popular planar surface detection algorithms, RANdom SAmples Consensus (RANSAC), the accuracy of the proposed method is obviously superior on typical indoor scenes. Moreover, semi-planar surfaces can be also successfully detected by the proposed method.


According to the Minamata Convention it is necessary to determine the mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in Mexico due to Mexico's responsibility to reduce its mercury emissions into the atmosphere. For this purpose, we used the coal consumption data provided directly by the Federal Electricity Commission of Mexico, which include emissions per day and per generating unit for the year 2013. To determine the mercury emissions from a coal-fired power plant in Mexico, we used the US Environmental Protection Agency methodology and focused on the Presidente Plutarco Elias Calles (CETEPEC) power plant, because in Mexico there are no methodologies to determine mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The results show that mercury emissions from units 1 to 6 of the CETEPEC plant range from 0.5 to 1.2 kg/day; however, emissions from unit 7 are as high as 2 kg/day. The total mercury emissions from the CETEPEC power plant in 2013 were 1942 kg, of which 1698 kg were gaseous elemental mercury (Hg 0 ), 243 kg gaseous oxidized mercury (Hg 2+ ), and 1.2 kg particle-bound mercury (Hg p ). This study is relevant in Mexico and indicates an advance on the control of mercury emissions from the CETEPEC power plant, in accordance to the Minamata Convention.


The article is devoted to Russian dissertation research on the nomination of the smell and the study of related semantic fields. The author traces the main trajectory of thought in order to identify the current state of the problem.


I argue that gapping in Mandarin Chinese as a deletion operation (cf. Wei
 2011; Ai 2014) is administrated by some semantic constraints and the
 discourse in which they occur, in line with Kuno (1976); Tsao (1979) and Wei (2011). Specifically, I argue that the
 semantic combination of the VP (cf. Paul 1996a, b, 1999) and the object NP (cf. Li
 1998) in gapped sentences cannot be [−generic, -definite]. That is, the VP in the gapped clause cannot have a [-generic]
 interpretation and simultaneously for the object to have a [−definite] interpretation. If so combined, gapping in Mandarin Chinese
 will be blocked.


When exercising control, The PSCO should have considered the particular circumstances of the deficiencies to determine whether to carry out a more detailed inspection or to detain a ship until the deficiencies are corrected.


A novel antifungal antibiotic, FR901469, was isolated from an unidentified fungus No. 11243. It is a water-soluble 40-membered macrocyclic lipopeptidolactone, consisting of D-Ala, L-Tyr, L-Val, trans-4OH-L-Pro, trans-3OH-L-Pro, threo-3OH-L-Gln, Gly, L-Orn, L-Thr, three residues of D-alloThr and a (3R)-hydroxypalmitic acid. Its structure, including absolute configurations, was unequivocally determined as 1 based on chemical and spectroscopic evidence.


Melatonin is an endogenous hormone secreted by the pineal gland and plays a role in the regulation of the circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Several studies evaluated the use of oral melatonin in sleep disorders, jet lag and shift work. No side-effects have been reported in these trials [1]. However, it is known that oral melatonin shows poor bioavailability, either due to poor absorption, large first-pass metabolism or both [2]. Other routes of administration, in particular nasal, have been described [3].

Eight healthy male volunteers (mean age 25 years) received, in an open randomized cross-over fashion, placebo and intranasal melatonin 200 and 400 µg. Blood was sampled 15 times during 8 h. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee. Melatonin was determined by r.i.a. Plasma melatonin concentrations were adjusted for the mean endogenous concentration after placebo. We calculated the pharmacokinetic parameters of intranasal melatonin by using the MW\Pharm programme [4] according to the ITSB method. The AUC(0, 8 h) was obtained by the trapezoidal rule. The model was validated by Monte Carlo simulation.

Melatonin intranasal kinetics could best be described by a 2-compartment model (Table 1). Melatonin 200 and 400 µg provided high blood plasma concentrations after fast absorption. The elimination half-life of melatonin was 44±7 min and 60±20 min after dosing respectively 200 and 400 µg (P>0.05). Absorption was too rapid to be fitted. Monte Carlo analysis showed that data differed significantly (P<0.05) from the fitted population parameters.

Table 1.  Pharmacokinetic parameters after intranasal administration of 200 and 400 µg melatonin. Parameters 200 µg (n=7) 95% CI
 Median±d.f. Median±s.d.

AUC: area under the curve, F: absolute bioavailability, Vd/F: volume of distribution, kel: elimination rate constant, k12, k21: rate constants between compartments.

AUC(0, 8 h)&!emsp;(µg l−1 h)   2.99±1.16 2.06, 3.92
Vd/F(l kg−1 LBMc) 1.41±0.28   1.11, 1.67
kel (h−1) 1.04±0.14   0.91, 1.16
k12 (h−1) 0.10±0.12   −0.01, 0.22
k21 (h−1) 0.05±0.04   0.01, 0.09
  400 µg (n=8)
Parameters Median±d.f. Median±s.d. 95% CI
AUC(0, 8 h)(µg l−1 h)   5.98±2.23 4.12, 7.84
Vd/F (l kg−1 LBMc) 1.61±0.69   1.04, 2.18
kel (h−1) 0.75±0.22   0.57, 0.93
k12 (h−1) 0.19±0.08   0.13, 0.25
k21 (h−1) 0.02±0.01   0.01, 0.03

The pharmacokinetic parameters could not be validated by a Monte Carlo simulation probably due to large interindividual variability. Because the dose adjusted AUC(0, 8 h) for the 400 µg nasal dose was equal to the AUC(0, 8 h) for the 200 µg nasal dose (P<0.05), there appears to be linear absorption in the 200 to 400 µg dose range.


Going concern audit opinion is auditor's modified opinion about the viability of a business. This study aims to provide empirical evidence on factors that affect the acceptance of going concern audit opinion. The variables used in this study are firm size, managerial ownership, institutional ownership, the activity of the audit committee, audit committee expertise, profitability ratio, and activity ratio . The population of this study is manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2010-2012. Purposive  judgement sampling technique was used to obtain the sample. The total sample of this study were 123 manufacturing companies. Data used in this study were audited financial statements and annual reports that were derived from the official website of the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. The results of this study showed that only firm size and institutional ownership have significant effect on the a cceptance of going concern audit opinion, while managerial ownership, the activity of the audit committee, audit committee expertise, profitability ratio, and activity ratio do not have significant effect on the acceptance of going concern audit opinion.


Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases have increased in prevalence and the rate of death of this chronic inflammatory disease of the airways has also risen despite recent advances in medical treatments. The dental health care professionals must be prepared to treat more medically compromised individuals. Because dental professionals operate at the origin of the upper airway and many dental procedures are deemed stressful, patients with chronic respiratory diseases are at special risk. This article will review the patho-physiology and discuss the recognition and management of dental patients with these diseases and provide an understanding on how to avoid precipitating factors that could initiate an acute episode in the dental care setting. The most important factor in preventing COPD is helping patients stop smoking. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmjk.v44i1-2.10472 Bang Med J (Khulna) 2011: 44(1&2) 21-24


Jacoby has written a book, at odds with itself. His introductory chapter is excessively apologetic in multiplying caveats and trying to avoid a narrowly-geared polemic that is overly strident in attacking everyone who is not C. Wright Mills. He hints at a transformed project not so narrowly geared to academic disciplines, while insisting that the social world needed to sustain public intellectuals of the sort he values no longer exists and may never reappear. What saves the book from the aloofness that characterizes Alan Bloom's bestselling The Closing of the American Mind is Jacoby's critical acuity and populist instincts. The "academitization" of scholarship is an old story. The implications of this process have been hotly debated, Jacoby's book being the latest in a long line of laments.


An investigation was carried out to quantify and characterize the corrosion behaviour of
AZ31B magnesium alloy joints. Extruded Mg alloy plates of 6 mm thick of AZ31B grade were butt welded using a solid state, environmentally cleaner welding process, friction stir welding process. The weld specimens were underwent immersion, salt spray, pitting and galvanic corrosion tests in order to quantify and characterize the corrosion rates of the welds with the influence of different pH values, chloride ion concentration and the corrosion time. The corrosion rates, microstructure, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis concludes the optimum parameter for the usage of the magnesium alloy welds for the best service applications. Keywords: Keywords: EDM, Alumina and Genetic Algorithm


Positron impact differential cross sections for the excitation of atomic hydrogen from its metastable 2s state to 3s state at three incident energies, 10, 40 and 50 eV, are calculated using the momentum-space coupled-channel optical method. The influence of ionization continuum and positronium formation channels in this excitation process is investigated. Integrated cross sections are also reported over an energy region 10–200 eV. The present results are compared with available theoretical results.


Mammalian oogenesis is characterized by alternating periods of active meiotic progression and intermittent, long periods of meiotic arrest. The oocyte undergoes major growth and developmental processes in the period prior to ovulation. At the time of birth, most oocytes are arrested in the dictyate stage of meiosis; they remain quiescent for an indeterminate period until they begin growing in response to as yet undefined local signals [1]. From the beginning of the growth phase until the time of ovulation, oocytes increase in volume by at least two orders of magnitude and during this time exhibit intense metabolic activity. Resumption of meiosis only occurs in a ful ly grown, meiotically competent oocyte after the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge when oocytes undergo germina l ves ic le breakdown (GVBD), complete first meiosis, and mature to metaphase II. In many mammals such as the mouse, pig, cow and man, completion of meiosis is dependent on fertilization that triggers progression to anaphase II, and to the first mitotic interphase with formation of female and male pronuclei. The process of maturation encompasses a complex series of molecular and structural events, culminating in the arrest of the oocyte chromosomes on the metaphase II plate in anticipation of sperm penetration and activation for fertilization. This review will focus on the biology of oocyte maturation and the potential relevance of maturation of human oocytes in vitro to reproductive medicine.


The experiment was conduted to study the effects of Huanglian Jiedu decoction on immune organ and immune function in chicken. 180 twenty-one-day-old Avian broilers were randomly into five groups. All the therapeutic groups of chickens were medicated for 7 successive days drinking water with Huanglian Jiedu decoction (1.5,1.0,0.5 mL/single),respectively,the other group was unmedicated as infected control.The results showed that IBDV mainly injured the bursa,thymus and spleen. The pathological changes after infection for seven days were that strains could cause severe atrophy of the busra and thymuses,and swell up of the spleen. There was a marked decline in pathological changes of the infected chicken's thymuse, bursa, spleen, and the ANAE+ ratio of peripheral blood lymphocytes in Huanglian Jiedu decoction Ⅰgroups (1.5 mL/single)when compared with infective control.The above mentioned results indicated that immune organ and immune function in chicken infected with IBDV were protected by Huanglian Jiedu decoction


Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to evaluate the factors affecting the development of effective water resource management policies.  Researchers employed a purposive sampling method to come up with the most suitable respondents. The sample size of 152 respondents was computed from a population size of 245 water experts within Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) in Uganda.  The questionnaire was self-administered to 152 respondents to dig out their views based on their experiences in water resource management. The authors aimed to find out the relationship between efficiency of water allocation, natural hazards and risks, stakeholders' participation, governance and decentralization, socio economic activities and effective water resource management policies. The findings of this study revealed that governance and decentralization, natural hazards and risks, and socio-economic activities had a significant positive effect on effective water resource management policies. Governance and decentralization had the highest path coefficient (β= 0.453 and p-values = 0.000).  The R2 value was scored at 0.680, which collectively explained 68% of the overall variance in the development of the policies. The study recommends putting special attention on governance and decentralization for effective water resource management policies. These findings can support practitioners and decision makers engaged in the management of water resources within LVB and other water bodies worldwide.

 Key words:  East African Community, National Policies, integrated water resource management (IWRM), Partial Least Square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).


The incidence of stubborn disease of citrus in Iran has been variously reported from rare to nearly universal (Chapot, 1970, 1975; Wallace, 1973). This variance is due to the-extreme difficulty of stubborn diagnosis. Electron microscopic demonstration of the presence of the causal organism Spiroplasma cirri, and cultural techniques could simplify the problem but until adequate equipment is available in Iran diagnosis must be made on visual symptoms in the orchard and transmission to test trees in the greenhouse. Unmistakable cases of stubborn were seen on Marsh grapefruit, Gillette navel and local tangerine in the Geroft valley in south central Iran and on local sweet orange in the Chapoor valley near Kazerun. The orchard trees showed characteristic stubborn symptoms of small misshapen fruit, sparse fruiting, aborted seeds and dieback (Calavan and earpenter, 1965; Calavan, 1969). Some trees were only partially affected suggesting recent infection. Transmission from the Gillette navel to pineapple orange seedlings in the greenhouse confirmed the field diagnosis.


Retail investors are now a class of stock exchange operators whose importance is growing in most international markets. But following the events of the financial crisis the world has known, there was a lack of trust between investors and financial markets, which we pose the problem of retention of investors and the indicators which are based on their behavior discision and stay on the market.