The present study aimed to identify the average direct cost of conventional hemodialysis performed by nursing technicians on patients with acute kidney injury in Adult Intensive Care Unit. Quantitative analysis in case study research conducted in a public teaching and research hospital, between January and April 2014. The average direct cost of the stages of hemodialysis was calculated by multiplying the time needed to perform the procedure by the unit cost of direct labor and adding this value to the cost of materials, solutions and drugs. The total direct cost obtained was R$ 434,83 (SD= 65.10), which was impacted by the average direct costs of the "monitoring" steps" (R$ 205,58), "preparation of the machine and extracorporeal circuit" (R$ 120,96) and "internal disinfection and machine cleaning" (R$ 42,10). It is concluded that the proposed methodology can be reproduced in other Intensive Care Units to assist in the decision making regarding allocative efficiency of the resources involved in the procedure of conventional. DESCRIPTORS: Acute kidney injury; Intensive care units; Hemodialysis hospital units; Nephrology nursing; Costs and cost analysis. DIRECT COST OF HEMODIALYSIS IN AN ADULT INTENSIVE CARE UNIT Jony Hsiao1, Antônio Fernandes Costa Lima2 1Graduate student in Accounting. MS in Sciences. Graduate student in Nursing. Nursing School of Universidade de São Paulo. São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 2Nurse. PhD in Nursing. Professor of the Department of Professional Guidance of the Nursing School of Universidade de São Paulo. São Paulo, SP, Brazil. CUSTO DIRETO DA HEMODIÁLISE EM UNIDADE DE TERAPIA INTENSIVA ADULTO RESUMO: Objetivou-se identificar o custo direto médio total da hemodiálise convencional realizada por técnicos de enfermagem a pacientes com lesão renal aguda em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Adulto. Pesquisa quantitativa em estudo de caso, realizada em hospital público de ensino e pesquisa, entre janeiro e abril de 2014. Calculou-se o custo direto médio das etapas constituintes da hemodiálise multiplicando-se o tempo despendido na sua execução pelo custo unitário da mão-de-obra direta, somando-se ao custo dos materiais, soluções e medicamentos. Obteve-se o custo direto médio total de R$ 434,83 (DP= 65,10) que foi impactado pelos custos diretos médios das etapas "monitorização" (R$ 205,58), "preparo da máquina e do circuito extracorpóreo" (R$ 120,96) e "desinfecção interna e limpeza da máquina" (R$ 42,10). Conclui-se que a metodologia proposta poderá ser reproduzida em outras Unidades de Terapia Intensiva subsidiando a tomada de decisões com vistas à eficiência alocativa dos recursos envolvidos na consecução da hemodiálise convencional. DESCRITORES: Lesão renal aguda; Unidades de terapia intensiva; Unidades hospitalares de hemodiálise; Enfermagem em nefrologia; Custos e análise de custo. COSTO DIRECTO DE HEMODIÁLISIS EN UNIDAD DE TERAPIA INTENSIVA ADULTO RESUMEN: Estudio cuya finalidad fue identificar el costo directo medio total de la hemodiálisis convencional realizada por técnicos de enfermería a pacientes con lesión renal aguda en Unidad de Terapia Intensiva Adulto. Investigación cuantitativa en estudio de caso, realizada en hospital público de enseñanza e investigación, entre enero y abril de 2014. Se calculó el costo directo medio de las etapas de la hemodiálisis multiplicándose el tiempo empleado en su ejecución por el costo unitario de la mano de obra directa, sumándose al costo de los materiales, soluciones y medicamentos. Se obtuvo el costo directo medio total de R$ 434,83 (DP= 65,10) que fue impactado por los costos directos medios de las etapas "monitorización" (R$ 205,58), "preparo de la máquina y del circuito extracorpóreo" (R$ 120,96) y "desinfección interna y limpieza de la máquina" (R$ 42,10). Se concluye que la metodología propuesta podrá ser reproducida en otras Unidades de Terapia Intensiva subsidiando las decisiones para llegar a la eficiencia alocativa de los recursos presentes en la consecución de la hemodiálisis convencional. DESCRIPTORES: Lesión renal aguda; Unidades de terapia intensiva; Unidades hospitalares de hemodiálisis; Enfermería en nefrología; Costos y análisis de costo. Corresponding author: Received: 15/06/2015 Antônio Fernandes Costa Lima Finalized: 03/10/2015 Universidade de São Paulo Av. Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 419 05403-000 São Paulo, SP, Brasil E-mail: email@example.com Cogitare Enferm. 2015 Oct/dec; 20(4): 675-683 675 Cogitare Enferm. 2015 Oct/dec; 20(4): 675-683 INTRODUCTION In Brazil, the number of patients that require renal replacement therapy (RRT) increases every year causing growing concerns for the public authorities that manage the Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) regarding its cost effectiveness, since it comprises highly complex and, thus, expensive procedures(1). This is also perceived in other countries that have faced the challenge of managing the high costs involved in the maintenance of patient in different dialysis modalities (2-4). The critical patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) who develop acute kidney injury (AKI) require a modality of periodical RRT: intermittent (conventional hemodialysis CIHD or peritoneal dialysis) or continuous (hemodialysis, hemofiltration or hemodiafiltration)(5), whose indication will depend on the patient's clinical status, medical knowledge and availability of resources(6). Historically, conventional hemodialysis (CHD) has been the preferred option of treatment for patients requiring RRT(7). This dialysis modality requires the maintenance of a pathway of access to bloodstream; the use of specific solutions, materials and equipment; and the availability of experts and structural resources that contemplate the resolutions and ordinances established by the Ministry of Health(8). According to the current Brazilian legislation, the members of the healthcare team (nephrologist, nurse, nutritionist, psychologist, social worker, occupational therapist, nursing technicians) must remain in the Dialysis Center (DC), throughout the session, taking responsibility for care during the hemodialysis procedure (9) and although it is not a prerogative of nursing professionals, they are present during pre, trans and post dialysis. In hospital institutions, CHD for critical patients with AKI is usually performed by nurses or renal dialysis nursing technicians who transport the dialysis equipment to the ICU. The participation of nurses or nursing technicians is conditioned and determined by the dialysis facility capacity and physical space, relationship between the number of nursing professionals, by category, and clinical status of the patients assisted. In most cases, CHD in ICU is performed by properly trained and highly qualified nursing technicians, under offsite supervision of the nephrologist and of the nurse at the DC. The decision-making process related to human, material, structural and economic resources necessary to ensure the CHD procedure can be continuously improved based on knowledge on the costs involved in the stages of the dialysis procedure. Thus, the calculation of the costs of inputs used in the dialysis procedure is of key importance to ensure an effective allocation of these resources and facilitate comparison with the amounts currently transferred by the SUS, of R$ 261,41 per session of CHD performed on acute renal patients and patients with acute manifestations of chronic renal disease, who have not started dialysis treatment(10). It should be stressed that comparison of the values incurred and financed would make it possible for health organizations, especially public hospitals, to plead for adjustments, as these institutions have been contracting with the public authorities (Federal Government, States, Federal District and Municipalities) since 2004, and results-based targets and indicators to be met, as well as the transfer of financial resources(11). Studies related to the management of costs of the different modalities of RRT are still scarce, especially in Brazil. Therefore, investments in the application of methodologies for the calculation of the costs of dialysis procedures are needed to support the assessment of economic sustainability, without damage to healthcare quality. Such studies in public teaching and research hospitals are crucial, since knowledge of the costs of services, of assistance actions related teaching and research activities condition and determine cost increase(12). Under this perspective, nurses should be involved in the change of work processes for the following purposes: achieving better results, rational use of resources and cost optimization, collaborating to the financial sustainability of health institutions. In view of the aforementioned, this study aimed to identify the average total direct cost (ATDC) of CHD performed by nursing technicians on patients with AKI admitted to an Adult Intensive Care Unit (A-ICU).


Axial dispersion in the horizontal rotating tubular bioreactor (HRTB) was estimated by newly developed procedure, which unify temperature step response techniques with multisensor measuring system and structured "tank in series" model of mixing designated as "spiral flow" model. Mixing investigations were done in a wide range of process conditions [residence time (t_Z = 3600 - 36000 s, corresponding with Reynolds axial flow numbers 146 - 1466) and bioreactor rotation speed (n = 0.083 - 0.917 s^-1, corresponding with Reynolds rotation numbers 1157 - 117172)]. Dispersion model with Bodenstein (or Peclet) number as the model parameter was used for mixing characterisation in HRTB. Obtained Bodenstein numbers were in the range 10 - 17. In this paper, the applicability of the standard dispersion model on the HRTB and similar systems was also discussed.


At present , the main method which prevents equipment from corrosion and scaling is that regents of scaling and corrosion inhibitors are add to the industrial circulating cooling water system. And the main reasons which effect the heat exchange efficiency and the length of heat exchange equipment lifetime are corrosion and scaling. This paper introduced a kind of automatic monitoring system for industrial circulating cooling water. It can inspect efficiently the corrosion speed and the scaling real-time state for industrial circulating cooling water system. The monitor results have good effect on keeping informed on the runing state of the equipment on time and on judging correctly effect on adding regents of scaling and corrosion inhibitors.


This paper builds upon the existing empirical literature on the factors behind financial stability, focusing on the role of monetary policy design. In particular, it analyzes a sample of 79 countries in the period 1970 to 1999 to evaluate the effect of the choice of the central bank objectives and the monetary policy strategy on financial stability. We find that focusing the central bank objectives on price stability reduces the likelihood of a banking crisis. This result is robust, in general, to several model specifications and groups of countries. The results are less clear-cut for the monetary policy strategy although for some model specifications, in particular for the group of countries in transition, the choice of an exchange rate-based strategy appears to reduce the likelihood of a banking crisis. Finally, locating regulatory and supervisory responsibilities at the central bank seems to reduce the likelihood of a banking crisis when controlling for this variable.


In the light of comfortable problems of wheat combine in highway transportation,and by DH5922 Dynamic State Signal Testing and Analyzing System,the dynamic responses of the measuring point on driver seat of Xinjiang-2A combine were measured on the spot under different working conditions.The timing-process curves of vertical vibration acceleration and the spectrum of Fourier Fast Transform about the point were obtained by the test.Research shows that the vibration strength and the frequency structure about a point of wheat combine are changed with going speed different.The root-mean-square value of vibration acceleration of the measuring point under Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲworking conditions is respectively 7.33cm/s2,6.65cm/s2 and 6.73cm/s2,and the vibration dominant frequency being 40.5 Hz,37.6Hz and 36.6 Hz respectively.


In this paper we consider Lévy processes without negative jumps, reflected at the origin. Feedback information about the level of the Lévy process ('workload level') may lead to adaptation of the Lévy exponent. Examples of such models are queueing models in which the service speed or customer arrival rate changes depending on the workload level, and dam models in which the release rate depends on the buffer content. We first consider a class of models where information about the workload level is continuously available. In particular, we consider dam processes with a two-step release rule and M/G/1 queues in which the arrival rate, service speed, and/or jump size distribution may be adapted depending on whether the workload is above or below some level K. Secondly, we consider a class of models in which the workload can only be observed at Poisson instants. At these Poisson instants, the Lévy exponent may be adapted based on the amount of work present. For both classes of models, we determine the steady-state workload distribution.


As globalization facilitates trade across geographical borders, more and more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) take the opportunity to internationalize, sometimes even immediately after their start-up. To enhance our understanding of how SMEs internationalize, this dissertation investigates different means of interaction that SMEs employ in foreign business relationships to develop the experiential knowledge needed for further internationalization. The investigated interaction means are high-commitment internationalization modes, low-commitment internationalization modes, business network relationships, personal network relationships, and personal interaction. Based on qualitative, longitudinal data from eight born global SMEs in the biotech field and a questionnaire survey of 188 SMEs from various industries, results show how different groups of firms apply different interaction means to develop experiential knowledge and internationalize. In particular, the results show that differences in the backgrounds of founders and managers strongly influence the means that different groups of SMEs use when interacting with foreign business counterparts. Moreover, interaction of high quality and quantity, in the form of personal interaction, reduces uncertainties and supports the development of trust and experiential knowledge in internationalizing SMEs. Personal interaction is also shown to be an especially important interaction means for firms that develop new products or new technologies in collaboration with foreign customers. Building on these results, the dissertation contribute to the development of theory about the influence of interaction on the experiential knowledge development and internationalization of SMEs in general and rapidly internationalizing SMEs in particular.


The upper and lower bound evaluations of LIP fault-tolerant model in Hypercube are given and a very significant conjecture on the bound of LIP is obtained.Besides,the evaluations and the conjecture are tested with the help of the program. The results indicate that the evaluations work well when n is little and the conjection is strictly right when n equals 2,3,4,5,6,7.The conjection,which needs to be proved,has very good theory value and practical significance.


Objective To discuss and summarize the nursing care in perioperative period of patients of lumbar spondylolisthesis with nerve injury.Methods We strengthened psychological care and health guidance for patients in preoperative period,and took good care of patients′ body position and wound in postoperative period,and helped patients in functional exercise.Also,we gave advice to patients when leaving hospital.Results Twenty-two cases in the group were followed up(range: 6-24 months,mean 11 months).The symptom of lumbago and leg pain disappeared after operation.The postoperative x-ray showed that satisfactory reduction of the involved vertebral bodies.Intervertebral bone fusion was found in all the cases through regular radiographic examination.Complications(looseness and breakage of internal fixation,etc.) were not found.All patients had satisfactory recovery of neurological functions.Conclusion Perioperative nursing contributed greatly to better result of operation and also played an important role in preventing the complications and improving the results.


Core/shell nanocatalysts have been regarded as potential catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurring at the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Notably, core/shell segregate...


In this paper, the nonlinear differential equation for the convection of the temperature distribution of a straight fin  with the thermal conductivity depends on the temperature is solved using Adomian Decomposition Method and Pade approximation(PADM) for boundary problems. Actual results are then compared with results obtained previously  using digital solution by Runge–Kuttamethod and a differential transformation method (DTM) in order toverify the  accuracy of the proposed method.


116 Abstract— Hand geometry contains relatively invariant features of an individual. Palm print recognition is an efficient biometric solution for authentication system. The existence of several hand-based authentication commercial systems indicates the effectiveness of this type of biometric. Moments are the most commonly used technique in character feature extraction. The idea of implementing orthogonal moments as palmprint feature extractors is prompted by the fact that principal features of both character and palmprint are based on line structure. These orthogonal moments are able to define statistical and geometrical features containing line structure information about palmprint. Experimental results show that the performance of the system is dependent on the moment order. The orthogonal property of these moments is able to characterize independent features of the palmprint image and thus have minimum information redundancy in a moment set. Zernike moments of order of 7 have the best performance among all the moments. Its identification rate is 85.00%, which also represents the overall performance of this palmprint identification system.


A high brick-structure chimney was demolished adopting directional controlled blasting technology under complicated surroundings in this article.The whole blasting project got a good effect due to the reasonable selection of the blasting notch,blasting parameters and safety protection measures.It can be a reference to other similar projects.


In this paper a novel frequency dependent stochastic model for the mobile radio propagation channel is addressed. The wireless channel's statistics at different frequencies are studied and issues such as amplitude and arrival time distributions are investigated. Correlations of channel parameters at different frequencies are proposed. Using the models the rms delay spread as well as the statistics of path loss at different frequencies is obtained. Further, based on the correlation properties of rms delay spread with frequency, a frequency dependent simulator for the rms delay spread is devised.


Pyrola picta, P. dentata, and P. aphylla are shown to represent variant morphotypes of a single, highly variable species, P. picta. Different degrees of leaf reduction and aphylly occur in the species, with aphyllous scapes commonly being produced on rhizomes bearing leafy scapes. Leaf shapes in picta and dentata morphotypes form a continuous series with no clear discontinuity evident. No qualitative differences exist in floral morphology that can be used to differentiate leafy from aphyllous shoots, although such leafless forms do tend to have larger flowers. Differences between picta and dentata morphotypes in leaf flavonols are restricted to a single glycoside of quercetin. Picta morphotypes appear to have the broadest distribution over the species' range in western North America, and the dentata form occupies the drier, more exposed sites. The Pyrola picta complex consists of three en- tities, P. picta, P. dentata, and P. aphylla, all de- scribed by Smith (1814) from collections made by Menzies on West Redonda Island, off the coast of British Columbia (Haber 1985a). These three mycorrhizal species, as commonly delim- ited, have flowers that are identical in form and color. Vegetatively, P. picta has ovate to elliptic leaf blades in which the major veins are gen- erally bordered by white achlorophyllous areas; P. dentata has oblanceolate to spatulate blades commonly without white mottling, and P. aphylla ranges from completely leafless scapes and to those with few to numerous narrow


4084 Background: In a phase 1b trial (NCT03006926), L + P had promising antitumor activity as first-line (1L) therapy in uHCC. We present exploratory biomarker analyses of circulating angiogenic factors and cytokines/chemokines related to the mechanism of action of L + P (ie, pharmacodynamic [PD] biomarkers), as well as biomarker correlations with clinical outcomes in patients (pts) with uHCC, from this trial. Methods: Pts received lenvatinib 12 mg/d (bodyweight [BW] >60 kg) or 8 mg/d (BW < 60 kg) PO + pembrolizumab 200 mg IV Q3W. Tumors were assessed using mRECIST or RECIST v1.1 per independent imaging review. Peripheral blood samples were collected before administration of study drug at baseline, cycle (C) 2, day (D) 1, C3D1, C4D1, and off-treatment. 43 Biomarkers were assayed in serum from 100 1L uHCC pts (excluding 4 pts from the dose-limiting toxicity part of the trial with prior sorafenib). Of these 43, 31 biomarkers (for which ≤20% of samples had measurements above/below the quantification limit of the assay) were included in the analyses. Changes in biomarker levels from baseline were evaluated via 1-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Associations were explored between changes in biomarker levels and maximum tumor shrinkage (MTS) via the Spearman's rank correlation test, objective response (OR; complete response + partial response) via the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and PFS via Cox regression analysis and log rank test. Data cutoff date for clinical endpoints was 7 August 2020. Results: Levels of PD biomarkers related to angiogenic signaling (VEGF increase/ANG2 decrease), FGF signaling (increase in FGF23/FGF19), and IFNγ signaling (increase in IFNγ, CXCL9/10/11) were changed significantly (adjusted P< 0.05) with L + P (C2D1–C4D1; except for FGF19 at C3D1). Significant decreases of TIMP1 and increases of MCP1 were observed at C4D1 during treatment; these were associated with greater MTS. Greater decreases in TIMP1 and greater increases in MCP1 were observed in pts with OR vs others. Changes in levels of the PD biomarkers ANG2, IL10, and VEGFR2 were found to be associated with PFS by dichotomized analysis. With tertile 2 cutoff, median PFS for pts in the group with greater decreases of ANG2 was 13.9 months vs 9.6 months for pts in the group with lesser decreases of ANG2 (unadjusted P= 0.002; HR 2.65, 95% CI 1.39–5.08). Conclusions: These are the first exploratory biomarker analyses for the single-arm study of L + P in pts with uHCC. Changes in serum biomarkers associated with angiogenic-, FGF-, and IFNγ-signaling pathways indicated target engagement of L + P. Decreases in TIMP1 and increases in MCP1 were associated with MTS and OR. Associations were found between longer PFS and a greater decrease in levels of ANG2. Angiogenesis inhibition and modulation of cancer immune response were observed with L + P. Further validation from independent studies is warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT03006926.


During the COVID‐19 pandemic, public health departments and healthcare systems are working to navigate the crisis and protect the community. Those communities in rural areas, where health and communication infrastructure are often limited, face additional challenges in keeping individuals informed, safe, and healthy. Moreover, the amount of misleading information circulating is making it even more difficult to convey critical and rapidly evolving public health recommendations. Michigan Technological University is located in Michigan's rural Upper Peninsula which accounts for 30% of the State's land mass but only 3% of the total population. Our goal was to increase campus and community awareness about COVID‐19 and its impact on health and society.


Provided is a discharge container that is easy to produce and maintains a constant discharge rate per unit time from the beginning to the end. This discharge container 10 is provided with: a bottle 11; a valve assembly 12 that has a valve mechanism and that is for closing an opening of the bottle 11; and a pressure regulating mechanism 13 that is housed within the bottle 11 and that regulates the inner pressure of the bottle 11. The pressure regulating mechanism 13 is attached to the lower end of the valve assembly 12.


1) Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Research Unit Potsdam, Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems Group, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany 2) GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Organic Geochemistry, Potsdam, Germany, 3) Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, and Utrecht University, Texel, The Netherlands, 4) GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomorphology, Organic Surface Geochemistry Lab, Potsdam, Germany, 5) GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Climate Dynamics and Landscape Evolution, Potsdam, Germany, 6) University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany, 7) University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam, Germany


Subcellular localization of proteins is a key feature of eukaryotes. Traditionally, co‐staining with known marker proteins (antibody based or fluorescence fusion protein) or organelle‐specific dyes (e.g., MitoTrackerTM) have been used to study subcellular localization of proteins of interest, followed by, a final inspection of the fluorescence microscope images by an experimentalist. However, human visual examination is inclined to bias and membrane proteins are trafficked in vesicles between subcellular locations such that assignment to a specific organelle can be misleading. As an alternative way to assign localization we generated a reference library of confocal micrographs of EGFP fusion proteins localized at key subcellular organelles in murine and human cell lines. Rather than assign the localization of an unknown protein to a specific organelle we consider which reference protein has the most similar subcellular distribution from image sets that are optically validated and comprise 789,011 and 523,319 individual human and murine cell images, respectively. Both morphology and statistical features were computed to enable automated assignment of the subcellular distribution for query proteins by machine learning algorithms with high accuracy. By means of this tool we investigate subcellular transport and distribution for model tail‐anchored proteins with randomly mutated C‐terminal targeting sequences for the endoplasmic reticulum and through out the secretory pathway.


Tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) is an air pollutant that is harmful to plants and ecosystems, with plants primarily exposed through stomatal uptake. O 3 stomatal uptake has been shown to reduce carbon assimilation through direct impacts on photosynthesis and by disrupting stomatal control; however, relationships between these two effects are not well understood. Here, we describe a series of laboratory experiments in which we manipulate stomatal diffusive resistance by conducting experiments in both air (80% N 2 , 20% O 2 ) and its analog HelOx (80% He, 20% O 2 ) under both low and high O 3 conditions. The approach allows us to alter stomatal conductance without affecting other aspects of leaf metabolism and the within-chamber O 3 lifetime. Experiments use ozone-exposed sweetgum trees, Liquidambar styraciflua, continuously monitoring O 3 and CO 2 uptake, transpiration, leaf temperature, and chlorophyll fluorescence, a proxy for photosynthetic electron transport. Our methodology allows us to observe the dynamics of O 3 uptake, which we find to be stomatally limited, with no evidence for an additional internal rate-limiting resistance. We show that isolated elevated O 3 exposures do not affect transpiration, carbon assimilation, or their coupling.


The invention relates to a process for the preparation of A-ring flavored acetyl-minocyclines. The object of the invention to provide a low cost method for the production of A-ring flavored acetyl-minocyclines of formula wherein R


The author analyzes the different life expectancies of men and women born in the Netherlands in 1870. Data on four major causes of death namely heart attacks cancer lung disease and automobile accidents are used to compare the physical social and environmental factors that affect mortality differentials by sex (ANNOTATION)


Purpose
The paper aims to develop an efficient and compact hybrid S-curve-PSO (particle swarm optimization) controller for the optimal trajectory planning of industrial robots in the presence of obstacles, especially those used in pick-and-place operations.

Design/methodology/approach
The proposed methodology comprises a monotonic trajectory through bounded entropy of speed, velocity, acceleration and jerk. Thus, the robot's trajectory planning corresponds with S-curve-PSO duality. This is achieved by dual navigation with minimal computational complexity. The matrix algebra-based computational complexity transforms the trajectory from random to compact. The linear programming problem represents the proposed robot in Euclidean space, and its optimal solution sets the corresponding optimal trajectory.

Findings
The proposed work ensures the efficient trajectory planning of the industrial robot in the presence of obstacles with optimized path length and time. The real-time and simulation analysis of the robot is presented for performance measurement, and their outcomes demonstrate a good correlation. Compared with the existing controller, it gives a noteworthy improvement in performance.

Originality/value
The novel S-curve-PSO hybrid approach is presented here, along with the LIDAR sensors, which generate the environment map and detect obstacles for autonomous trajectory planning. Based on the sensory information, the proposed approach generates the optimal trajectory by avoiding obstacles and minimizing the travel time, jerk, velocity and acceleration. The hybrid S-curve-PSO approach for optimal trajectory planning of the industrial robot in the presence of obstacles has not been presented by any researchers. This method considers the robot's kinematics as well as its dynamics. The implementation of the PSO makes it computationally superior and faster. The selection of best-fit parameters by PSO assures the optimized trajectory in the presence of obstacles and uncertainty.


(57) Abstract: The present invention, having farnesyl transferase inhibitory activity, the formula (I) (wherein the dotted line represents an optional bond; X is oxygen or sulfur; R C Eniru a and and Her


This study is an investigation of manual dexterity capabilities during whole-body cold exposure as a function of time to vasodilatation during local cooling. Thirty male subjects were divided into three equal groups on the basis of the time for a 3°F (1·7°C) rise in index finger temperature during immersion of the hand in 4·4°C water: 900v sec group. Subsequently, each subject was exposed to ambient temperatures of 15·6° and -6·7°C for three hours while performing a battery of six manual tasks bare-handed. Manual performance on all tasks was affected adversely at the – 6·7°C ambient and worsened with continued cold exposure. The drop in performance on three tasks involving skilled movements of the wrist and fingers was greatest for the <450 sec group. Within the limits of the present study, the early onset of vasodilatation in local cooling per se appears to be associated with initially superior performance and subsequently inferior performance on specific manual t...


Unbalanced tensile force,mainly caused by asymmetric icing,is one of the important factors impacting the safe running of transmission line.Along with the raise of transmission line design level,the analysis and calculation of unbalanced tensile force effecting on the tower becomes a necessary work.A mathematical model is built up.The mathematical relationships between span variation and line stress and between the offset of pendant insulator strained and line stresses of both sides are analyzed.The object-oriented development tool VB is adopted to calculate unbalanced tensile force.An instance is analyzed and calculated,and the simulated result accords with the fact.


The study was conducted to determine the food security status of the Iraya Mangyans' and their coping mechanisms employed. The quantitative research design was employed in the study. The modified Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument and Coping Strategy Index (CSI) were used to determine the food security status and their coping mechanism. Result shows the Irayas were middle aged, have medium household size, with low level of basic education, and with an average monthly income slightly "above" the poverty threshold in the province. The Irayas experienced "food insecure without hunger" in which household food supply is adequate but there is an adjustment to household food management, including reduced quality of food and increased unusual coping patterns. The high cost of food items and low agricultural production were the "highly serious problem" on food security. Dietary change, which includes relying on less preferred and less expensive foods and consuming less variety of foods, is the most employed coping mechanism. Household monthly income and years spent in formal school are significantly related to the coping mechanisms employed during food insecurity. However, household size and age have no significant relationship.


Dr. John Herman writes that state licensing boards can and should assume a more proactive role in assuring the public that a medical license represents a valid certificate of a physician's competence.


The synthesis is recorded of a number of indeno[1,7-bc]-, benz[a]indeno[7,1-hi]-, and benz[c]indeno[7,1-hi]-acridines by the Ullmann–Fetvadjian and Bernthsen reactions. In the course of this work, the iodine-catalysed condensation of 1-naphthol with 5-aminoacenaphthene was unexpectedly complex, leading to di-(5-acenaphthyl)-amine and 4,5,9,10-tetrahydroindeno[1,7-bc]indeno[7,1-hi]acridine, besides the normal product.


management research has been produced by"northern" countries and is not adapted to african context.But a purely cultural view is also a dead end.New territories of research are open to a research adapted but also having in mind international principles.


Let us bow down; kneel before; hands together prayerfully, reverentially to the 'My' in "My body!"; "MyNo!", "My Yes!"; "My Rights!", "My responsibilities!" and "My Freedoms!" claimed and proclaimed mindfully responsibly. But; Let us focused kick out forcefully, ferociously, fervently, collectively the 'My' in "My wife!"; " My girlfriend!"; "My woman!"; "My husband!"; "My boyfriend!"; "Myman!" and "My land!" My sun, my moon, my air, my sky, my sea, my river? The possessive 'My' that chains, claims, controls, begetting even murder and mayhem to retain and reproduce 'My_____'... more and more of 'My_____' must surely be no more! Surely: My is not equal to Yours/Ours driven by the motive for My/Mine must be greater than if not equal Yours must be murdered...must be no more! Needlessly wanting and wanting and wanting weaned into needing and needing and needing... more and more and more! Less is more andmore is less with spices in Indian cooking: a lesson to be learned!


Poole's Casebook on Contract Law provides a comprehensive selection of case law that addresses all aspects of the subject encountered on undergraduate courses. Without the fault of either party, a contract may be automatically discharged due to frustration that renders further performance of the contract impossible, illegal, or radically different from what was originally conceived. In this case, the parties will be excused further performance of their contractual obligations. However, the frustration doctrine applies only where there is no express provision in the contract (a force majeure clause) allocating the risk. This chapter, which examines the frustration doctrine and discharge for subsequent impossibility, first considers the contractual risk allocation before turning to the theoretical basis for the doctrine of frustration. It then discusses limitations on the operation of the frustration doctrine before examining the effects of frustration and the effects on the parties' positions of the Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943.


The article established the index system of radiation impact of regional central city,and made comprehensive evaluation for the radiation force of the city through AHP.By using the Breakpoint Model,the paper made objective assessment for the radiation scope of Guilin being regional central city.


The syntheses of jasminaldehyde, α hexyl cinnamic aldehyde and chalcone were performed by aldol condensation of benzaldehyde with heptanal,octanal and acetophenone respectively under solvent free condition coupled with microwave irradiation and phase transfer catalysis.The optimum reaction conditions were:potassium hydroxide 0 17 g,aluminum oxide 4 00 g,triethybenzylammonium chloride (TEBAC) 1 25 mmol,heptanal 5 00 mmol,benzaldehyde 12 50 mmol,microwave power 560 W and microwave irradiation time 60 s.The yield of jasminaldehyde was up to 90 4%.Under the same conditions, α hexylcinnamic aldehyde and chalcone were synthesized in 82 8% and 78 8% yields respectively.


Hall coefficient, electrical conductivity, and electron mobility are investigated for n‐ZnSe:Yb single crystals with high concentration of electrically active background impurities (( ND−NA)>1.4×1017 cm −3 ) in the temperature range from 4.2 to 300 K. It is found that increasing concentration of Yb impurity in Zn + Yb melt from 0.03 to 4.00 at.% decreases the concentration of shallow ND and deep NDeep donors, as well as the concentration of compensating acceptors NA by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. A quantitative manifestation of purification of the ZnSe:Yb samples from non‐controlled background electrically active impurities and influence of this effect on changes in impurity band parameters and the temperature of electron gas degeneracy are shown. The most probable mechanism of the sample purification due to the formation of electrically neutral complexes based on ytterbium ions and background impurities of donor and acceptor types is discussed.


Projections of antenna pattern characteristics from a satellite in circular orbit onto the Earth's surface, referred to as footprints, are derived using vector analyses. These vector analyses are described along with a winding number approach used to determine whether a given point on the Earth's surface lies within the footprint contour. The utility of this program is illustrated using a Sun-synchronous satellite and a radiometric antenna that is mechanically scanned at a constant offset angle about the satellite nadir axis. The time sequence of the antenna pattern as the antenna scans and translates past a specified point on the Earth's surface can be generated. This program has the generality to illustrate the effects of satellite attitude variations on the footprint contour. In addition, footprints for a nonspherical Earth are contrasted with those for a spherical Earth. >


A novel pseudophysical compartment model describing the solids transport within a case-study cocurrent industrial rotary dryer is presented. The model is novel and distinctive because it combines both multiscale partial differential equation and ordinary differential equation modeling techniques to represent the five separate sections occurring within the dryer, including both flighted and unflighted sections. The solid phase in the unflighted sections was modeled as an axial dispersed plug flow system. The solid transport in the flighted sections was partitioned into the usual series–parallel formulation of well-mixed tanks representing airborne and flight-borne solids. Parameter values and compartment numbers were estimated using mechanistic geometric modeling, dryer design loading constraints, and solids flow properties. Geometric modeling enabled the effects of internal scaling arising from solid materials sticking to the internal walls of the dryer to be accounted for in a realistic manner. Industrial residence time distribution data were collected for a range of operational scenarios and were used to estimate the remaining model parameters (axial dispersion coefficient and kilning velocity). The model results were well-matched to the collected set of industrial residence time distributions (RTDs), and estimated parameter values were within expected limits. The axial dispersion coefficient and kilning velocity were modeled as functions of operating variables in order to fully embed physical realism into the compartment model, and new correlations are presented. The effect of operating conditions on RTDs and solids distribution within the dryer was investigated. The results matched past observations and provide insights into dryer efficiency.


Teachers Colleges were part of the initial University project in Michoacan. Teachers Colleges were created in 1915 and were integrated into the Michoacan University in 1917, where they remained until 1930. The institution faced problems of violence and the political instability of the time. In addition to the economic crisis in the state, the University and Teachers Colleges conducted their activities in a society facing serious educational backwardness inherited from the nineteenth century.However, despite the difficulties, these institutions and their members took responsibility for training the teachers of basic education who would try to change the social reality by providing literacy.This paper presents a historical account of the role played by the teachers colleges within the initial project of Michoacan University. We make reference to the establishment of this institution and its importance in a context of social crisis resulting from the political turmoil of the time. There is also allusion to the educational issues and the role assigned to Teachers Colleges. In addition to institutional references and infomation about the social context the paper also presents some insights into the characteristics of the organization and academic functioning of the teachers colleges.


We simulate propagation of phonon-polaritons (admixtures of polar lattice vibrations and electromagnetic waves) in ferroelectric LiNbO3 with a model that consists of a spatially periodic array of harmonic oscillators coupled to THz electromagnetic waves through an electric dipole moment. We show that when this model is combined with the auxiliary differential equation method of finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations, the salient features of phonon-polaritons may be illustrated. Further, we introduce second order nonlinear coupling to an optical field to demonstrate phonon-polariton generation by impulsive stimulated Raman scattering (ISRS). The phonon-polariton dispersion relation in bulk ferroelectric LiNbO3 is determined from simulation.


*The idea of an R(x) plot in Tarter and Kowalski (1970), which is defined by the ratio of densities with a non-normal distribution and a normal, is developed to examine several problems in normalizing transformation theory. A particular structure of the function R(x) enables us to introduce a new diagnostic method for the existence problem of a transformation independent of the population parameter (see Efron (1982)). Performance and sensitivity of three diagnostic methods, including the Efron's method, are examined by several examples. It is shown that our new method has the most stable performance among three methods.


Mucositis is a serious complication of PBSCT. ATL-104 is a recombinant protein, the L-form of phytohaemagglutinin, a potent mitogenic for epithelial cells of the GI tract, resistant to acid and protease degradation. A prospective, pilot study was conducted to assess the effect of ATL-104 on mucositis in patients receiving high dose melphalan (66%) or BEAM (34%) before an autologous PBSCT. Each dose consisted of 15mL of solution containing 50, 100, or 150mg ATL-104 or placebo. For 3 days prior to chemotherapy and for 3 days following transplantation patients swilled the solution in the mouth for 15–30 seconds and then swallowed. Assessments were made for 28 days following dosing or until discharge, for pain, ulceration and the other factors which contribute to the WHO (World Health Organisation) or WCCNR (Western Consortium Cancer Research Nurses) mucositis scales. The first part of the study used a dose ascending design, commencing with 50 mg ATL-104, with patients randomised 3:1, active:placebo. A safety review was performed after 8 patients at each dose. After completion of the 150 mg cohort, a randomised parallel arm design with all doses and placebo was used (1:1:1:1). In total, 63 patients (46 M, 17 F) were treated; 15/16 patients in each group; 54 received all six doses and were fully assessed. ATL-104 at all doses produced a consistent reduction in duration of all grades of oral mucositis, compared to placebo (no statistical significance testing planned). For WHO grades 3–4, the reduction was 4.4, 4.2 and 3.4 days for ATL-104 50mg, 100mg and 150mg respectively, a fall of between 51%–64%, compared with placebo. There were also reductions in the duration of mucositis on the WCCNR scale. There was a reduction in the duration of ulceration scored 1–4, of 2.7, 0.8 and 2.4 days for ATL-104 50mg, 100mg and 150mg respectively, a fall of between 15–43% compared to placebo. No clear effect of ATL-104 on the incidence of mucositis or patients perception of pain was apparent. ATL-104 was well tolerated at all doses. Conclusion: ATL-104 warrants further investigation in larger, randomised, clinical trials.


ABSTRACT A growing body of literature reveals that social media use could positively or negatively impact adolescent wellness across many dimensions of health. Specifically, the leading wellness model in counseling, the Indivisible Self Model of Wellness (IS-Wel), includes media as an institutional context, but does not explicitly account for social media use. Additionally, while the counseling literature has begun to explore the effects of technology use on individual wellness, social media use in particular has not been examined. Therefore, the authors reviewed the current, empirically-based literature on the effects of social networking site use among adolescents within the framework of the IS-Wel. Implications for adolescents, as well as for counseling practice are discussed.


We develop a new methodology for the fitting of nonstationary time series that exhibit nonlinearity, asymmetry, local persistence and changes in location scale and shape of the underlying distribution. In order to achieve this goal, we perform model selection in the class of piecewise stationary quantile autoregressive processes. The best model is defined in terms of minimizing a minimum description length criterion derived from an asymmetric Laplace likelihood. Its practical minimization is done with the use of genetic algorithms. If the data generating process follows indeed a piecewise quantile autoregression structure, we show that our method is consistent for estimating the break points and the autoregressive parameters. Empirical work suggests that the proposed method performs well in finite samples.


The emerging electronic health record infrastructure is guiding records to be stored in repositories that collectively supply a patient's comprehensive health history. However, legal and technological constraints may keep such a system from delivering health histories in a timely manner (i.e., when medical attention is needed). To get around this, we propose a design for a portable personal health record system that complies with HIPAA standards of security and interaction. The authenticity of stored records on this PHR is automatically verifiable, increasing its usefulness to health care providers. Our initial work suggests that it is possible to develop a useful, yet secure PHR.


We explore using index structures for effective approximate and on-line nearest neighbor queries. While many index structures have showed to suffer from the dimensionality curse, we believe that indexes can still be useful in providing quick approximate solutions to the nearest neighbor queries. Moreover, the information provided by the indexes can provide certain bounds that can be invaluable for on-line nearest neighbor queries. This paper explores the idea of applying current R-tree based indexes to approximate and on-line nearest neighbors with bounds. We experiment with various heuristics and compare the trade-off between accuracy and efficiency. Our results are compared to locality sensitive hashing (LSH) and they show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. We also provide guidelines on how this can be useful in a practical sense.


Magnetospheric substorms and storms are indicators of geomagnetic activity. Whereas the geomagnetic index AE (auroral electrojet) is used to study substorms, it is common to characterize the magnetic storms by the Dst (disturbance storm time) index of geomagnetic activity. This talk discusses briefly the storm-substorms relationship, and highlights some of the characteristics of intense magnetic storms, including the events of 29-31 October and 20-21 November 2003. The adverse effects of these intense geomagnetic storms on telecommunication, navigation, and on spacecraft functioning will be discussed.


The problem of the stability of a jet flow with a piecewise linear velocity profile in a stratified rotating atmosphere is considered. The linearized system of equations for perturbations is reduced to a single equation with respect to the amplitude of the longitudinal velocity component containing the turning points. In terms of Airy functions, an asymptotic solution of the equation is constructed that is valid for small values of the Rossby number. It is shown that the flow becomes unstable due to radiation of inertial-gravitational waves. An analytical expression is obtained for the growth rate of perturbations.


In nu clear phys ics ex per i ments, it is very im por tant to iso late the mea sured quan ti ties from elec tro mag netic noise. With out this pos si bil ity, it is im pos si ble to ob tain us able ex per i men tal re sults since nat u ral elec tro mag netic noise can be sev eral or ders of mag ni tude larger than the mea sured mag ni tude. In or der to en able such mea sure ments, it is nec es sary to elim i nate elec tro mag netic noise from the ex per i men tal pro ce dure. This is achieved by shield ing against elec tro mag netic ra di a tion. In this pa per, ex per i ments were per formed to pro tect a room from elec tro mag netic noise. By ap ply ing all known meth ods of shield ing against elec tro mag netic ra di a tion, it was con cluded that the room can be pro tected from the elec tri cal com po nent, but it is im pos si ble to pro tect it from the mag netic com po nent of elec tro mag netic ra di a tion.


Report discusses performances of number of techniques for combining radio signals received at several antennas to increase signal-to-noise ratio of specified weak signal bearing digital data via phase modulation. Techniques studied: symbol-stream combining, baseband combining, carrier arraying, and full-spectrum combining. Basic idea to synthesize effect of larger antenna or, equivalently, array of antennas. Called "arraying", techniques used in Space Network to extend range of reception of signals from spacecraft traveling beyond distant planets.


Wet storage of bagasse used in the paper pulp industry produces considerable amounts of liquid wastes that can pollute the environment, particularly in the absence of the suitable treatment. Wastewater samples were analyzed for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-days biological oxygen demand (BOD5), pH, total suspended solids (TSS), ash, nitrogen, phosphorus and microbial counts. Low records of microflora of ca. 10 3 cfu ml -1 and pH of 4.5 were estimated while concentration of organic substances was high (COD equals 3472 mg l -1 ). The BOD5 reached 2700 mgl -1 which corresponded to 77.8 % of the COD value. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were almost 20 and 2 mg l -1 , respectively representing a poor COD: N: P ratio of 1736: 10: 1. Therefore, the optimal environmental conditions required for biological wastewater treatment were studied. The activity of microflora in the wastewater was enhanced which in turn stimulated the biodegradation of organic substances. The percentage of COD reduction appeared to be depended on the COD: N: P ratio and the pH. Results showed that this ratio should be modified to be suitable for nutrition and enrichment of microorganisms in the wastewater and the necessity of addition of 5% activated sludge from wastewater treatment plant as a source of acclimatized microorganisms. The best results were obtained when the COD: N: P ratio was adjusted to 1017: 16: 4, where the organic matter removal efficiency was 97%. The suspended solids in the effluent could be reduced to 40.7 mg l -1 , which corresponded to 8.9% of that of the influent. Maintaining the pH constant within a range of 7 during the treatment resulted in acceleration of the COD reduction i.e 68.2% reduction after 2 days compared to 33% without pH control. BOD5 was reduced to 54.9 mg l -1 . The addition of a composite bacterial inoculant was efficient for COD reduction, since 80% of the COD was degraded within one day. However, considering the final COD content, activated sludge appeared to be more effective. The aerobic treatment of this wastewater would render it suitable to be discharged without environmental problems. These results show that there is potential for the plant to use such a treatment for treating its wastewater for discharge or reuse. The final water quality would be acceptable for dilution and pulp washing applications.


The Flies of Western North AmericaBy Frank R. Cole, written in collaboration with Evert I. Schlinger. Pp. xi + 693. (University of California: Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London. July 1970.) 238s.


Abstract Generic diagnosis, habits and distribution of the species of Mimocolliuris Liebke are provided. A key to all known species is presented, with description of M. sinuatiphallus sp. nov. from Guangdong Province, southern China. Mimocolliuris insulana Habu 1979 is recorded in mainland China for the first time.


Abstract Paik Nak‐chung's theoretical works on modernity and postmodernity emerged above the horizon in the early 1990s, some years after two great, national and global, political upheavals: in 1987, the Korean people finally succeeded in taking back democracy, at least in the formal and procedural dimension, after more than a quarter of a century of a military regime; and a year after, the so‐called existing socialist states collapsed. The successful democratization, combined with the collapse of the socialist states helped make the values the Korean people have grappled with suddenly look obsolete, so that many Korean scholars moved to the right. In fact, a considerable number of those who 'turned coats' were in the progressive camp, thinking that the triumph of capitalism was absolute and it left them with no other option than a postmodern version of Weltanshauung to understand the world as it was unfolding in front of their eyes. Paik Nak‐chung also changed his theories at the face of new‐fangled political situations, arguing that the Korean society had reached a new phase. Instead of following the then prevalent climate of the Korean academia or forsaking the 'old' values as obsolete, however, he developed two new theories, the Discourses of Division System, and the Discourses of Overcoming Modernity, one by one, responding to the nature of the new challenges the Korean society faced. As will be argued here, what is fascinating about his theorization is that, although those newly coined discourses show his changed understanding of the world, they are not wholly new, so they should rather be aligned on the framework of his earlier arguments: the content changed, however, with its framework left almost intact. This article, then, aims to chart the way his theorization has been changed by the fresh challenges of the Korean society and the way it has nevertheless kept its essentials, refusing an easy dichotomy between modernity and postmodernity.


Between 1997 and 2005, the German government provided owner-occupied subsidies to fund new private housing construction and stock purchases to increase owner-occupied housing. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of these subsidies on total housing construction for the 1997-2007 period using regionalised data. This paper tests for differences between counties and cities and examines whether local participation in housing programs is related to regional migration and fertility. Based on the dynamic results, short- and long-run elasticities with respect to the subsidy program are calculated.


Experiments involving laser produced tin plasma have been carried out using a CO2 laser with an energy of 800 mJ/pulse and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 80 ns in vacuum. Time-integrated extreme ultraviolet spectral measurement showed that the peak of the extreme ultraviolet lithography spectrum was located at 13.5 nm and the spectrum profile's FWHM of the unresolved transition arrays was 1.1 nm. Plasma parameters of the electron temperature and density measurements in both axial and radial directions at later times had been obtained from a two-dimensional time and space resolved image spectra analysis. The axial spatial distribution of the electron density showed a 1/d2.6 decrease profile, and the radial spatial distribution of the electron density showed a 1/r1.1 profile, in which d is the axial distance from the target surface and r is the radial distance. The electron density was found to maintain symmetry across the radial distance at all delay times. Near the plasma plume center, the electro...


An experimental study has been made of the diffraction efficiency of amplitude holograms, and diffraction efficiency and scattering as a function of exposure, of the bleached phase holograms using Kodak 649F and Agfa-Gevaert 8 E75 HD plates. Recording has been made with pulsed laser at 532 nm wavelength while reconstruction has been made with CW lasers at 633 nm and 514 nm wavelengths. In case of amplitude holograms, maximum diffraction efficiency of about 1.8% has been achieved using Kodak 649F plates and of about 1.6% for Agfa-Gevaert 8 E75 HD plates. In case of bleached phase holograms, maximum diffraction efficiency of about 50% has been achieved using 649F plates and about 45% for 8 E75 HD plates. Results are given in graphical form


Asphalt mixtures are most commonly used composite for construction of top layers of
different drive ways. By definition asphalt mixtures are composed of crushed rock, fill,
bitumen and additives. Percentage of individual components wary according to the purpose
asphalt mixture is to be used for. Asphalt mixtures must be capable of enduring different
types of load. According to the type of load asphalt mixtures are divided into asphalt mixtures
used for supporting layers and asphalt mixtures used for layers to be worn out.
Here is presented a procedure for preparation of preliminary (laboratory recipe) composition
of asphalt mixture to be used for one of the city roads enduring very low load, compared to
actually produced mix. The test mixture was used for one of the roads in the city of Ljubljana.


─ Scattering of plane electromagnetic waves by a dielectric circular cylinder in the vicinity of a conducting strip is presented. Two methods of solution are introduced. The first is an exact solution in which the scattered field from conducting strip is expressed in terms of Fourier series of radial and angular Mathieu function of unknown coefficient. Meanwhile the scattered field from the circular cylinder is expressed in terms of Fourier series of Bessel functions of unknown coefficient. The unknown coefficient can be obtained by enforcing the boundary conditions. The application of the boundary condition requires the use of the addition theorem of Mathieu to Bessel functions and vice versa. The second method is based in an asymptotic technique introduced by Karp and Russek for solving scattering by wide slit. The technique assumes the total scattered field from the strip and the dielectric cylinder as the sum of the scattered fields from the individual element due to a plane incident wave plus scattered fields from factious line sources of unknown intensity located at the center of every element. The line sources account for the multiple scattering effect. By enforcing the boundary conditions, the intensity of the line sources can be calculated. Numerical examples are calculated using both methods showing excellent agreement in all cases. Index Terms ─ Dielectric cylinder and conducting strip, multiple-scattering, scattering cross section.


The current study investigated the role of workplace spirituality
as predictor of workplace attitudes among doctors. Workplace
Spirituality Scale (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000), Organization
Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday Steers, & Porter, 1979),
Intrinsic Work Satisfaction Scale (Nathan, Mohrman & Milliman,
1991) and Organizational Based Self Esteem Scale (Pierce, Gardner,
Cummings & Dunham, 1989) were used in the process of data
collection. A purposive sample of 200 public and private sector
doctors were included in the present study. Liner Regression
analysis was applied to test the hypotheses. The results indicate
that workplace spirituality positively predicts workplace attitudes.
The workplace spirituality strongly predict the organizational
commitment, organization based self esteem and intrinsic work
satisfaction. This study is significant to approach workplace
spirituality in Pakistani context.


Spontaneous injury of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon (AL-SDFT) may be an important and underdiagnosed condition in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Although effusion within the carpal canal is an easily recognized feature in some cases, it is not present in all cases: Subcutaneous (SC) thickening over the proximal aspect of the palmar metacarpal region and of the palmar-medial carpal region may be the only clinical findings at the time of examination. Recognition of the condition and appropriate rehabilitation provide a very good prognosis for return to racing. Ultrasound records of all horses, in which a diagnosis of acute AL-SDFT injury was made by the author, were reviewed. The signalment, history, clinical findings, and sonographic findings were recorded. Ultrasound images were obtained with a 7.5- MHz transducer; a stand-off was generally not necessary. Short- and long-axis images of the AL-SDFT were obtained from the level of the distal chestnut to the level of the radiocarpal joint at the medial aspect of the distal forelimb as described by Denoix and Busoni (2). A diagnosis of AL-SDFT injury was made based on a diffuse decrease in echogenicity and hypoechoic appearance to the ligament or a discreet area of fiber tearing. Long-axis views showed marked loss of fiber alignment as well. The opposite AL-SDFT was always imaged to better illustrate the anatomy and abnormalities. The superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT), proximal inferior check ligament, proximal portion of the suspensory ligament, and carpal canal fluid and synovium were always examined as part of the study. Ultrasound images were recorded on thermal print paper. Race records of affected Thoroughbreds were obtained from the Jockey Club's Information System, and the time from known date of injury or diagnosis to subsequent race was calculated. The median of the average earnings per start were compared before and after treatment for those horses that returned to racing. Average earnings per start were calculated for each horse using no more than the five preinjury races and no more than five post-injury races. Followup information for horses that did not return to racing was obtained by contact with the owner.


Role of hydrogen suifide in modulating the life and death of cells M.Sc., January 1999 Mohammad Ali Eghbal Faculty of Phannacy University of Toronto Hydrogen sulfide was found to be more toxic to hippocampal slice cultures than isolated hepatocytes. Chloride ion channel blockers decreased H2S cytotoxicity suggesting that H2S enters the cells via these channels. Intracellular H2S was formed from cysteine metabolism as the cystathionine y-lyse inhibitor propargylglycine prevented cystinedimethylester (CDME) toxicity towards GSH-depleted hepatocytes but not neurons. However the cystathionine P-synthase inhibitor aminooxyacetate decreased CDME toxicity in neurons but not hepatocytes. H2S toxicity was decreased by ZnC12 by complexing H2S or accelerating HiS oxidation. H2S also prevented ~n":8-h~drox~~uinoline toxicity in hepatocytes. ROS scavengers DMSO and catalase, metal chelaiors neocuproine, TPEN and desferoxamine and endocytosis inhibitors chloroquine and methylamine also decreased zn2' hepatoxicity suggesting that zinc displaces FeKu from storage proteins that have been endocytosed in lysosomes. Hydrogen sulfide was also protective against NO and hypoxia induced toxicity in hepatocytes.


We present the optical design of the Background Emission Anisotropy Scanning Telescope (BEAST), an off-axis Gregorian telescope designed to measure the angular distribution of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) at 30 and 41.5 GHz on angular scales ranging from 20′ to 10°. The aperture of the telescope is 1.9 m, and our design meets the strict requirements imposed by the scientific goals of the mission: the beam size is 20′ at 41.5 GHz and 26′ at 30 GHz, while the illumination at the edge of the mirrors is lower than -30 dB for the central horn. The primary mirror is an off-axis section of a paraboloid, and the secondary an off-axis section of an ellipsoid. A spinning flat mirror located between the sky and the primary provides a two-dimensional chop by rotating the beams around an ellipse on the sky. BEAST uses a receiver array of cryogenic low noise InP High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) amplifiers. The baseline array has seven horns matched to one amplifier each and one horn matched to two amplifiers (two polarizations) for a total of nine amplifiers. Two horns operate around 30 GHz, and six operate around 41.5 GHz. Subsequent campaigns will include 90 GHz and higher frequency channels.


This paper will attempt to demonstrate the inadequacy of this simplistic approach to trade. It will do so using ethnographic data from the Pomo Indians of California.


A model of a porous medium in the form of systematic packing of intersecting spheres is introduced. Two types of packaging a primitive cubic and hexagonal primitive one are considered. The intersection degree of the spheres is a model parametric variable characterizing microinhomogeneity of porous medium. The parameter makes it easy to construct geometry of the pore space in the numerical solution of e Navier-Stokes equations in the direct hydrodynamic simulation. The analytical dependences of porosity and luminal on the degree of intersecting spheres in each package were obtained. Parametric analysis of the mathematical model is done. It has been shown that the packing makes it possible to simulate porous medium in a wide range of porosities: (3,5+47,6)%, for cubic packing and (16,5+39)%, for hexagonal one. The minimum value of porosity conforms to the closed pores. There are two types of sections determining permeability and porosity of the porous medium. An analytical lower bound for the permeability of the porous medium is done with the method of equivalent capillary; it allows to find the match between the perfect soil and fictitious soil.


The insulinogenic index to the insulin secretory response of the endocrine pancreas to extracellular glucose, i.e. the ratio between body weight and the square height was measured in 20 non-obese control subjects, 20 obese control subjects, and 60 male and 40 female patients affected by the metabolic syndrome. In the latter patients, comparisons were also made between non-diabetic and diabetic, as well as overweight and obese subjects. In the light of this information, it is proposed that a decrease in the pancreatic insulin stores otherwise available to ensure a suitable release of insulin may play a role in the perturbation of the insulinogenic index. The latter perturbation may also involve a phenomenon of so-called glucotoxicity, as could be assessed in patients affected by the metabolic syndrome by occurrence or either a paradoxical early decrease in insulinemia and/or an altered anomeric specificity of the pancreatic insulin release after intravenous administration of glucose. the plasma insulin/glucose ratio in the 100 MetS patients averaged 4.31 ± 0.07 µU/mol and, as such was significantly lower in these patients than in the obese control subjects. The insulinogenic index failed, however, to differ significantly (p=0.70) in overweight and truly obese MetS patients. The BMI averaged 31.57 ± 0.40 kg/m 2 and 33.30 ± 0.22 kg/m 2 , respectively in 25 non-diabetic and 75 diabetic MetS patients. Despite such a minor difference in BMI, the mean insulinogenic index was obviously significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the non-diabetic than in the diabetic patients.


Acknowledgments Notes on Terminology and Sources Introduction: Becoming Catholic in America 1. Vatican II and the Reinvention of Adult Initiation Prelude - Diane Gall: Finding a Home in Catholicism 2. The Circumstantial Convert as Moral Actor Prelude - St. Mary's and St. Mark's: A Tale of Two Parishes 3. Visions of Catholicism in RCIA Catechesis Prelude - The Rite of Election: Through the Cathedral to Purification and Enlightenment 4. Liturgy, Experience, and Formation Prelude - St. Innocent: "A People Destined For Heaven Is Born Here From Holy Seed" 5. Objective and Subjective Incorporation through the Sacraments of Initiation Prelude - Mystagogy: The End and The Beginning 6. The Difference It Makes Conclusion: Catholic Initiation as ... Notes Index


I propose an explanation of the current discrepancy between the measured world average value and the theoretical value of the τ lepton lifetime. I argue that there exist common systematic errors in many of the experiments that use 3‐prong τ decays for the lifetime measurement. These systematic effects always shift the measurement towards longer lifetimes, and are caused by the small opening angle of 3‐prong τ decays and limited tracking chamber ability to resolve nearby hits. The theoretical τ lifetime agrees well with the measured world average value from the 1‐prong τ decays.


As more supervisory and management staff reach retirement age, local governments are realizing the challenges they face in finding qualified individuals to fill vacant positions. To best plan for succession, local governments need a pool of talented, educated staff from which to draw. This article discusses the approach taken by one university to address the educational needs of local government staff through a creative approach to the delivery of graduate classes in public administration.


Public libraries,as a public cultural space,shoulder the responsibility to pass on culture and knowledge to the mass.With the development of market economy,the rapid speed of social transition and the innovation of the technology,the direction of the development of public libraries has become a common concern.


This study aims to determine the utilization of papaya leaf flour (Carica papaya L) on performance, live weight, internal organs (liver and kidney) and abdominal fat in KUB chickens. This study used 100 chickens and this research method used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatments and 4 replications consisting of A (feed with 0% papaya leaf flour), B (feed with 2.5% papaya leaf flour), C (feed with 5% papaya leaf flour), D (feed with 7.5% papaya leaf flour), E (feed with 10% papaya leaf flour). The results showed that the utilization of papaya leaf flour (Carica papaya L) on live weight, internal organs and abdominal fat in chickens had non-significant (P> 0.05) on chickens. The conclusion of this study was that utilization papaya leaf flour up to level 10% could use to feed of KUB chickens.


The present invention provides a MEMS device and method of forming. Wherein the MEMS device comprises: a first dielectric layer on the semiconductor substrate, a second dielectric layer covering the first dielectric layer, the first dielectric layer defines an opening, said first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer enclose a cavity opening; equipped with vibrating membrane in the cavity, one end of the diaphragm is suspended; within the cavity above the diaphragm the free end of the column is provided with limiting end stop fixed to the first column a second dielectric layer, and the other end facing the diaphragm, and is fixed to the end surface limiting the size of the column on the second dielectric layer is greater than the size of the end face toward the end of the diaphragm. Column limiting the above structure, the diaphragm during vibration can be improved by limiting the force capabilities of the column, reducing the high-frequency vibration of the diaphragm based on the vibration caused by the striking degree limiting post injury, thereby improving the subsequently formed MEMS device performance.


The objectives of this study are to suggest and empirically prove the relationship model for investigating influence factors on the use of EDP audit techniques, and to identify moderating effects of the task types of EDP audit on the relationships between the influence factors and the use of EDP audit techniques. The results of the empirical test suggested that there are significant (positive or negative) correlations between the use of some EDP audit techniques and the influence factors, such as audit education, auditor's familiarity and age, and effectiveness of the technique, etc. The significant differences in the use of EDP audit techniques were empirically proved in the ratio of audit fees and the audit structure. It was also proved that the relationships between the use of techniques and the influence factors are different according to the task types of EDP audit. This study proposed the technique and the auditor related implications of these findings for the successful fulfilment of EDP audit.


This work presents the results of applying techniques in spectroscopy, biochemistry and molecular biology to the bacterial photosynthetic reaction centre. It contains information pertaining to the crystallographic and electronic structure as well as to the dynamics of primary events and the role of protein. The answer to one long-standing problem, the mechanism of primary charge separation, converges towards a sequential scheme, supported by femtosecond spectroscopy on reaction centres with selectively modified energetics.


Abstract : The three main types of approximations used for the scattering of acoustic waves from rough surfaces are discussed: Rayleigh's Ansatz, the Kirchhoff geometrical-interference approach and the perturbation technique as used by Meecham. In order to compare them they are given in a uniform wave-number representation. They are justified with aid of the Helmholtz integral, which is completely Fourier-transformed. In each approximation the scattering formulae consist of the product of two parts: one that is represented by a spectrum of the phase modulations induced by the surface irregularities and another that is a geometrical factor. The corresponding first steps in each approximation are shown to be quite close to each other. The limits of validity are estimated. An interpolation formula unifying the different types of approximations is proposed. (Author)


OBJECTIVE
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is effective at reducing binge episodes and inducing weight stabilization in obese adults with binge eating disorder.

METHOD
We piloted the administration of IPT to girls at-risk for excess weight gain (BMI 75th-97th percentile; IPT-WG) with and without loss of control (LOC) eating. Thirty-eight girls (12-17 years) were randomized to IPT-WG or a standard-of-care health education group.

RESULTS
All 38 girls completed the programs and all follow-up visits through 6 months. Thirty-five of 38 returned for a complete assessment visit at 1 year. Among girls with baseline LOC (n = 20), those in IPT-WG experienced greater reductions in such episodes than girls in health education (p = .036). Regardless of LOC status, over 1 year girls in IPT-WG were less likely to increase their BMI as expected for their age and BMI percentile (p = .028).

DISCUSSION
IPT-WG is feasible and acceptable to adolescent girls at-risk for adult obesity and may prevent excess weight gain over 1 year.


The present invention provides a method as defined in claim 1. The method may include the features of any one or more of dependent claims 2 to 4. The present invention provides a device as defined in claim 5. The device may include the features of any one or more of dependent claims 6 to 9. A method is provided for semi-automatic operation of a portable control device for a remote-controlled unmanned vehicle. The method includes the steps of monitoring parameters of an operational environment of the portable control device, switching from a manual operation mode to a semi-automatic operation mode in response to measured and weighted combination of detected inputs and the monitored parameters within the operational environment, and, while in the semi-automatic operation mode, presenting a semi-automatic operation graphical user interface to a user of the portable control device. The semi-automatic operation graphical user interface includes a reduced set of user input requirements and a reduced set of information displayed for the semi-automatic operation mode presented by the portable control device. In addition, a portable control device is provided for remotely controlling a unmanned vehicle. The portable control device includes a graphic user interface (GUI) and a controller. The GUI presents information thereon to a user of the portable control device and receives user inputs thereby. The controller is coupled to the GUI and controls the operational mode of the portable control device. The controller switches from a manual operation mode to a semi-automatic operation mode in response to a measured and weighted combination of detected inputs and the monitored parameters within the operational environment of the portable control device (including user control of modes) and provides GUI operational signals to the GUI device for presenting a semi-automatic operation graphical user interface to the user while in the semiautomatic operation mode, the semi-automatic operation graphical user interface including a reduced set of user input requirements and a reduced set of information displayed for the semi-automatic operation mode presented by the portable control device. Further, an unmanned vehicle system is provided which includes a remote-controlled unmanned vehicle and a portable control device. The portable control device is coupled to the unmanned vehicle, providing operational control signals thereto and receiving operational parameter signals and video signals therefrom. The unmanned vehicle includes communication circuitry, a movement control module, an unmanned vehicle controller, and a visual recording module. The communication circuitry of the unmanned vehicle receives operational control signals from the portable control device and transmits operational parameter signals and visual signals to the portable control device. The movement control module controls the movement of the unmanned vehicle in response to movement control signals and generates a first portion of the operational parameter signals in response to operation of the movement control module. The surveillance vehicle controller is coupled to the communication circuitry. In addition, the surveillance vehicle controller is coupled to the movement control module and generates the movement control signals in response to a first portion of the operational control signals. The visual recording module records visual signals representative of one or more views from the unmanned vehicle in response to visual control signals and generates a second portion of the operational parameter signals in response to operation of the visual recording module. The unmanned vehicle controller is also coupled to the visual recording module and generates the visual control This patent is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/imse_patents/21 signals in response to a second portion of the operational control signals. The portable control device includes communication circuitry, a graphic user interface (GUI), and a portable control device controller. The communication circuitry of the portable control device receives the operational parameter signals and the visual signals from the unmanned vehicle and transmits the operational control signals. The GUI presents visual information to a user of the portable control device and receives user inputs thereby. The portable control device controller is coupled to the GUI and controls the operational mode of the portable control device. The portable control device controller monitors an operational environment of the portable control device and switches from a manual operation mode to a semi-automatic operation mode in response to a measured and weighted combination of detected inputs and monitored parameters within the operational environment of the portable control device, the controller providing GUI operational signals to the GUI for presenting a semi-automatic operation graphical user interface to the user while in the semi-automatic operation mode, the semi-automatic operation graphical user interface including a reduced set of user interfaces for the semi-automatic operation mode presented by the portable control device. Disciplines Ergonomics | Operational Research | Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering This patent is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/imse_patents/21


In this paper presents a performance study of multiple references and multiple carrier pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques for HMLI for application in photovoltaic (PV) power extraction. So as to decrease the input current ripples and conjointly to convert high current, low voltage input into a low current output and high voltage output, a two phase interleaved boost converter (IBC) is used between the PV and also the HMLI. The proposed system is created and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink toolbox. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed modulation strategies, the following performance parameter is taken for analysis such as power loss, total harmonic distortion, weighted total harmonic distortion, distortion factor and harmonic spread factor and also proposed method is compared with triple reference with inverted sine carrier PWM, triple reference with single triangle carrier PWM and triple triangle carrier with single sine reference PWM. Hardware implementation results are presented for the proposed triple inverted sine carrier with single sine reference PWM controlled inverter configuration.


Abstract : Three different proposed propulsion systems which incorporate superconducting electric machines are described. Two of these systems utilize a propulsion system integrated ship service electrical system. A ship synthesis computer model is used to determine the gross characteristics, detailed weight and volumes, maximum sustained speed, and endurance fuel requirements for each proposed design. Each of the designs is compared to a baseline ship, the FFG-7, to determine the impact of a superconducting propulsion system on gross characteristics, maximum sustained speed, endurance fuel, general arrangements, payload, vulnerability/survivability, risk, maintenance, and cost. Final comparison of the proposed designs shows a 31% reduction in propulsion machinery weight for all candidates. The two superconducting/integrated designs show a 61% reduction in electrical machinery weight, a 6% reduction in total required volume, a 10% reduction in full load displacement, a 7% increase in maximum sustained speed, and an 8% reduction in fuel.


A robust nanostructure constructed via N and O bridging bonds between carbon and ultrasmall Ge nanocrystals shows superior Li+ storage performance.


Evidence‐based practice in health care requires that treatment decisions be supported by high‐quality clinical evidence, preferably involving well‐designed large‐scale clinical trials of the various treatment options. How does this relate to everyday primary‐care optometry? This article provides a background to the emergence of the 'evidence‐based' movement and investigates areas where the efficacy of clinical optometry might be improved by an evidence‐based approach. It is argued that evidence‐based practice is appropriate for all aspects of optometry but it may be most useful in the selection of treatments with topical therapeutic agents and in optometry's growing public health role in the detection and management of sight‐threatening disease.


Abstract The purpose of this article by Peter Savage of Cobbetts is to give a brief introduction to the methods used by companies to raise money by both debt and equity financing methods, primarily on the public markets in the City of London, and to set the background to the involvement of lawyers in the process.


The aim of the thesis is to clarify the landlord's rights and obligations towards the tenantwhen a case of emergency occurs in the tenant's apartment. What can a landlord do to getaccess to the ten ...


The aim of this paper was to identify and evaluate the potential of using e-business models to shorten short supply chains in food trade made by farmers. The research was based on a diagnostic survey. The interviews were conducted with a previously elaborated questionnaire. 104 food producers from the Province of Warmia and Mazury (województwo warmińsko-mazurskie) took part in the study. E-business models make it possible to shorten food supply chains. Farmers who sell their produce through e-commerce can eliminate intermediaries from the supply chain or at least limit their number, using such e-commerce platforms as polskiebazarek.pl, olx.pl, allegro.pl. The research results indicate that the most popular e-business model among food producers was the market creator model.


Wurtzite (w) and zincblende (zb) InN films have been grown on (011) SrTiO3 (STO) substrates by metal- organic chemical vapor deposition, the epitaxial relation- ships and optical properties are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), absorption and photoluminescence (PL). Based on XRD θ –2θ  and  Φ  scanning results,  the  epi- taxial relationships between (w- and zb-) InN films and STO substrates are determined, that is, (0001)[1120]w-InN (011)[100]STO and (100)[011]zb-InN //(011)[100]STO. Compared with the w-InN films, the zb-InN films exhibit a red shift in absorption edge and PL spectra, and a much nar- rower and stronger PL spectrum, implying a better optical quality of zb-InN films. The structure transition is supposed to be due to the difference in atom and bond areal density between the crystal plane of w-InN(0001) and zb-InN(100).


Some specialists have paid attention to the frame of displacement incident as the one of human basic image schemas and have studied it at the different aspect with the development of cognitive linguistics.The starting-point has always been neglected because it isn't necessary to the expression of the frame of displacement incident.In this thesis,we make a study of the syntactic expression of the unmarked starting-point sentence of the location category.


Normal rats were were given a 60-cc water load over a period of 12 hours. Antidiuresis due to administration of Pitressin tannate could be overcome by substituting the 60-cc water load with a 60-cc...


This paper explores the utility of the incorporation in Psychological and Mental Health research of the conceptual paradigm put forward by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Firstly, some conceptual issues that led to the creation of the ICF and its main components are presented. Also, it is shown how the CIF model of health related functioning contributes to overcome limitations of the


Shallow-rooted plants were studied on unirrigated modular green roof trays. Four species had 100% survival, six had varied survival rates and five had no survivors. These outcomes suggest that water conservation practices can be an effective approach for green roofs.


The United Nations, the WB as well as the IMF speak much of "good governance", but what is the meaning and reference of this elusive expression? In this paper, I will link it with the concept(s) of rule of law. Rule of law notions are spreading around the globe, being relevant for the transformation of monarchies and one-party states. Thus, world media are now reporting that for instance China's leadership is seriously debating making state reforms that would be conducive to more of the rule of law in the country. This is not be interpreted as a push towards western democracy. To clarify the relation between rule of law and competitive party democracy, this paper presents an enquiry into rule of law I and rule of law II. This distinction has a long history in political thought and constitutional developments. Data from the encompassing World Bank Governance project is used to validate these concepts referentially.


Phytoplankton blooms often follow nutrient enrichment. Differences among lakes in light‐absorbing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may shift bloom thresholds to higher nutrient loads and thereby increase resilience of lakes to enrichment. To explore this idea, we measured resilience to experimental enrichment of two lakes with contrasting DOC concentrations. We compared bloom thresholds in both lakes using a model of phytoplankton response to DOC and nutrients, a dynamic time series indicator of resilience, and two empirical measures of stochastic resilience, mean exit time and median survival time. For the dynamic indicator and ecosystem model the lake with higher DOC was more resilient to enrichment. However, the distributions overlapped for stochastic indicators of resilience of the two lakes. These analyses show that DOC interacts with mixing depth and zooplankton biomass to affect resilience. Strong contrasts in DOC and many observations are needed to discern effects of DOC on resilience to enrichment.


Over the past decades the complexity of financial decisions has increased rapidly, thus highlighting the importance of developing and implementing sophisticated and efficient quantitative analysis techniques for supporting and aiding financial decision making. Multicriteria decision aid (MCDA), an advanced branch of operations research, provides financial decision makers and analysts with a wide range of methodologies wellsuited for the complexity of modern financial decision making. The aim of this chapter is to provide an in-depth presentation of the contributions of MCDA in finance focusing on the methods used, applications, computation, and directions for future research.


Emotion classification plays an important role in the domain of human-computer interaction (HCI). In this paper, a novel framework for learning emotion-specific brain functional connectivity from EEG signals, with blockwise time-varying graph signal processing (GSP), is proposed. Graph corresponding to the last temporal block, which captures the spatio-temporal smoothness from all of the previous blocks is considered for extracting the Laplacian-based graph spectral features. The deviation range of the eigenvalues and their ratio corresponding to low-frequency and high-frequency components are proposed in the form of a convex sum feature. This feature is further utilized to classify cross-subject based positive and negative emotions using the KNN classifier. Simulation results on the benchmark DREAMER database validate the performance of the proposed method with metrics of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and are comparable with the existing state-of-the-art techniques.


【Objective】To establish a HPLC method for determining the entrapment efficiency of asiaticoside niosomes.【Methods】In the RP-HPLC method, the chromatogram column was BDS HYPERSIL C18(150 mm × 4.6 mm,5 μm); the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile- water(30:70,v/v); the flow rate was 0.8 ml/min; the detection wavelength of asiaticoside was 220 nm; the column temperature was at 35℃.【Results】Asiaticoside standard curve equation was: A=2287.7C-3934.5(r=1, n=5), which indicated that the linear relationship was good within the concentration range from 26.65 μg/ml to 426.4 μg/ml. The within- day precision RSD of asiaticoside in low, medium and high concentrations were respectively 1.39%, 4.08% and 2.05%(n=5); the day-to-day precision RSD were 3.55%, 1.83% and 0.47%. The average recovery rate was 105.60%. RSD of 24 h peak area was 0.04%. The lowest detectable concentration of asiaticoside was 0.5 μg/ml. After 6 h of equilibrium dialysis, the separation of niosomes and dissociation of drugs were effective. The mean entrapment efficiency asiaticoside niosomes was 89.56%±0.013%. The drug loading rate was 25.46% ± 0.004%(n=3).【Conclusion】The method established in this study is found to be sensitive, accurate and reproducible for determinating entrapment efficiency of asiaticoside niosomes.


A method for remote control of the position in space of the movable part of the elastic connecting unit is proposed. The control is carried out by continuous measurement of six lengths between the tops of two triangles, rigidly connected, respectively, with the fixed and the movable parts of the connecting unit. For measuring the lengths, it is proposed to use Вт 718 cable sensors.
Keywords: elastic connecting joint, remote control of coordinates, displacement vector, rotation vector.
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The effect of cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate, cyclic guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate, and prostaglandins E1 and F2α on the proliferation of normal and abnormal human myeloid progenitor cells was examined. In systems relatively free from endogenous colony-stimulating cells, cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate was found to be a dose-dependent inhibitor of normal granulocyte-macrophage progenitor (CFU-C) proliferation. Cyclic guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate increased the number of colonies observed in most experiments, although no clear-cut dose-response relationship was observed. Other compounds tested [prostaglandin F2α, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), carbamylcholine, isoproterenol] affected normal CFU-C's in a manner consistent with their ability to increase either intracellular cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate or cyclic guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate. PGE1 had effects on both CFU-C proliferation and colony-stimulating factor elaboration. The conditions of exposure to PGE1 dramatically affected whether a stimulatory or inhibitory effect was noted. Abnormal peripheral blood granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia responded to cyclic nucleotides in a manner similar to that of normal CFU-C's but showed defective inhibition by PGE1 in the presence of colony-stimulating factor. Peripheral blood blast colony-forming units from patients with acute leukemia also responded to cyclic nucleotides and PGE1 in a manner similar to that of normal CFU-C's, with one exception. Peripheral blood monoblast colony-forming units showed increased rather than decreased proliferation in the presence of PGE1 at concentrations of 10-7 to 10-8 m. These data support the contention that cyclic nucleotides can alter in vitro proliferation of human committed myeloid progenitors. They also indicate a possible pivotal role for PGE1 in regulation of normal myelopoiesis and abnormalities of response to PGE1 in myeloid progenitors in certain types of hematological cancer.


The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most promising technological revolutions. However, the IoT is inherently vulnerable to attacks. In this paper, we propose to enhance the physical layer security of the IoT by using a technique called information passing and interference addition. In the physical layer security analysis, the achieved secrecy rate has an inverse relationship with the intruder's distance to the legitimate transmitter. The aim of our work is, first to increase the achievable secrecy rate by letting the legitimate transmitter find an alternative route to the fusion center to achieve a higher secrecy rate than the direct route. Hence, the legitimate transmitter must not disclose the actual information to the fusion center if there is an eavesdropper located between them, instead, it must pass the information to another node via a directional antenna to concentrate the power towards the intended receiving node. Passing the information to the nearest node must be done under the condition that there is no intruder in between. Second, we used simultaneous multi-stream beamforming transmission to strengthen the legitimate receiver's signal-to-noise ratios and at the same time, it poisons the eavesdropper channel with interference. Third, the proposed node may disclose a false information to the intruder in some cases. The system has been designed and the secrecy analysis of the system has been investigated. The result showed that using directional antennas would increase the probability of having at least one secure connection coming out of the node to the other legitimate nodes by 30% than the omni antenna. Moreover, the results showed that using the simultaneous multi-stream beamforming would improve the legitimate channel's achievable secrecy rate and that it has superiority over the directional antenna effect.