Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SPRY4-IT1 has been reported to be aberrantly expressed in various cancers and correlated with progression. We conducted a meta-analysis to further investigate its prognostic potential in malignant tumors. Relevant literature was searched in several electronic databases using combinations of keywords relating to SPRY4-IT1 and cancer. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to evaluate its prognostic value. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. 12 studies with a total of 1261 participants were included in the current meta-analysis. The results revealed a significant association between elevated SPRY4-IT1 expression with poor overall survival (OS) in 10 types of cancers (HR=2.26, 95% CI=1.44-3.54, P=0.0004). Additionally, elevated SPRY4IT1 expression was also correlated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR=2.57, 95% CI=1.18-5.64, P=0.02) and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (OR=2.61, 95% CI=1.15-5.89, P=0.02). In the subgroup analysis, we found that increased SPRY4-IT1 expression was an unfavorable prognostic factor for patient OS indigestive system cancers (OR=1.92, 95% CI=1.12-3.30, P=0.02). This meta-analysis indicated that elevated SPRY4-IT1 expression may serve as a potential novel biomarker for LNM, TNM stage and OS in different types of cancer.


There is a tremendous demand for antennas with very broad bandwidth and gain so that one antenna can cover the entire frequency range of the satellite communication applications, which are rapidly expanding with the current technology for diverse platforms. Helical antennas are ideal for these applications due to their distinctive qualities such as circular polarization, wide bandwidth, excellent gain, and low-profile conformability. For transmitting and receiving applications, which comprise frequency ranges of 240MHz to 270MHz and 290MHz to 320MHz, respectively. A new design of circularly polarized double-wire helical antenna employing the butterfly approach has been created in this study. An antenna was designed, simulated, analyzed, and fabricated before being experimentally measured for important parameters such as axial ratio, gain, 3dB beamwidth, and voltage standing wave ratio.


Battery active material powder mixture or a mixed carbon material for electric double layer capacitor in powder is attached to the periphery of the active material or carbonaceous material, composed of a battery active material or carbonaceous material in combination with the conductive powder having a mean particle size of 10nm to 10㎛. Battery active material powder mixture may be used to create a secondary cell electrode. Carbon material powder mixture may be used to make polarizable electrodes for electrical double-layer capacitors minutes. The secondary battery produced using the active material powder mixture is reduced and the impedance of the electrode, and can operate at high capacity and a high current, it is suitable for use with high-rate characteristics, and thus a lithium secondary battery and a lithium ion secondary battery. Electric double-layer capacitors made using the carbonaceous material powder mixture have a high output voltage and a high capacity because of a low impedance. Battery, a capacitor, a secondary battery, an electric double layer, the polarized electrode, a lithium battery


Reading suggestions and requirements for Summer 2020 Suggested books for parents. All books are available in English, Korean, and Chinese.


This study makes three contributions to the debate over the effect of local land use regulations on housing prices and affordability. First, it is more geographically extensive than previous studies, encompassing 336 of the nation's 384 metropolitan areas. Second, it looks at multiple measures of regulatory stringency, not just one. Most prior studies have focused either on a single regulatory measure or index across multiple metropolitan areas, or multiple regulatory measures in a single region. Third, this paper considers the connection between regulatory stringency and housing values as a function of employment growth and per-worker payroll levels. We find that restrictive land use regulations do indeed have a pervasive effect on local home values and rents, and that these effects are magnified in faster-growing and more prosperous economies. We also find more restrictive land use regulations are not associated with faster rates of recent home value or rent growth, and that their effects on housing construction levels—that is, the degree to which they constrain supply—is uneven among different housing markets.


Introduction, Stephen Hellman and Gianfranco Pasquino the general elections of 5-6 April 1992, Jean Besson and Genevieve Bibes the Lega Nord - the rise of a new Italian catch-all party, Robert Leonardi and Monique Kovacs christian democracy - extreme therapy for a critical illness?, Marco Follini the "long wave" subsides - the PSI and the demise of craxismo, Martin Rhodes the Cossiga legacy and Scalfaro's election - in the shadow of presidentialism?, Vincent della Sala the new leadership of confindustria - from Alliance with the DC to a multiparty orientation, Liborio Mattina the mafia and the murders of Judges Falcone and Boresellino, Raimondo Catanzaro Milan - capital of corruption, Donatella della Porta Ustica - the unending investigation, Gianluca Salvatori Italian foreign policy in a changing Europe, John W. Holmes Italy in Europe in the post-Maastricht era, Philip Daniels.


We studied interactions between various domains of transcriptional factor IIIA (TFIIIA) from Xenopus laevis containing variable number of zinc finger with 5S ribosomal RNA (5S rRNA) from plants. The results clearly show that the complexes of peptide-RNA are formed in addition they strongly support that the tertiary structure of 5S rRNA is well conserved among eukaryotes. We optimalized conditions of complex formation reaction in order to study topography of these complexes.


Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) community management is an important issue. Contributor churn (joining or leaving a project) causes failure of the majority of software projects. In this paper, we present a framework to characterize stability of the community in software maintenance projects by mining Issue Tracking System (ITS). We identify key stability indicators and propose metrics to measure them. We conduct time series analysis on metrics data to examine the stability of the community. We model community participation patterns and forecast future behavior to help plan and support informed decision making. We present a case study of four years data of Google Chromium Project and investigate the inferential ability of the framework.


AbstractIn this study, an up-to-date analysis was performed on pollution conditions in the Wadi Saida drainage basin (North West Algeria). We focused on the water in the streams that drain the basin. The results include a number of quality parameters and give the spatio-temporal variations in surface water pollution indicators over a period of several years. The principal parameters related to the monitoring and evaluation of the pollution of surface water are measured and analyzed. These parameters include the suspended solids, organic matter, nitrate, nitrite in addition to biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand. Analysis and comparison with other basins in Algeria are also performed. In the light of the results, a plan is proposed for the land use and protection of groundwater in Saida.


A. J. Hill, J. Bronte, C. Patterson, I. S. Young, V. A. Holmes and D. R. McCance Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast BT12 6BJ, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens University Belfast BT9 7BN and Regional Centre for Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, BT12 6BA, UK


[Objective]To investigate the outbreak infection of Klebsiella pneumoniae in ICU and find out the reason and risk factors,to provide the basis and the countermeasure for controlling the hospital infection.[Methods]4 inpatients who developed Klebsiella pneumoniae nosocomial infection in ICU from March 22 to Arial 16,2009 were studied retrospectively to find out the reasons of the epidemic and treatments based on the sputum culture results.[Results]The outbreak infection source was patients with tracheotomy in ICU. When the patient was carried on open phlegm suctioning,because the cough reflex was intense,the sputum spread outward from the tracheal cannula to pollute the environment,and the medical staffs did not hold the hand hygiene and obey the aseptic operation strictly,that caused the outbreak infection in ICU finally. The risk factors were the tracheotomy or tracheal intubation,the weak body situation,the bed arrangement in ICU,the hand hygiene and the procedure of aseptic operation. The bacterial strains from the sputum specimens were all Klebsiella pneumoniae,which were extrapolated as the homologous strains for the high similarity of antibiotics sensitivity spectrum.[Conclusion]Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of important pathogenic bacteria which causes the hospital infection in ICU. We should maintain the clean environment around the patients,obey the aseptic operation,enhance the consciousness of hand hygiene and so on.


Classic thermal management solutions for microelectronics are becoming inadequate and there is an increasing need for fundamentally new approaches. Electrohydrodynamic ionic wind pumps, also known as electrostatic fluid accelerators (EFA), have the potential for becoming a critical element in electronics thermal management solutions. As the EFA field continues to evolve, developing new EFA-based technologies will require accurate models that can help predict pump performance metrics, such as air velocity profile, back pressure, and cooling effectiveness. Many previous modeling efforts only account for electrostatic interactions. For truly accurate modeling, however, it is important to include effects of fluid dynamics and space charge diffusion in charge transport. The modeling problem becomes especially challenging for the design and optimization of EFA devices with greater complexity and smaller dimensions. This paper presents a coupled physics finite element model (FEM) using a complete EFA charge transport model including charge diffusion and fluid dynamic effects. A cantilever EFA structure is modeled and analyzed for forced convection cooling. Numerical modeling predicts maximum air velocities of approximately 4 m/s and a maximum convection heat transfer coefficient of 280 W/(m2K) for the cantilever EFA structure investigated. Preliminary experimental results for a microfabricated cantilever EFA device for forced convection cooling are also discussed.


The system CaO-CaO·AhOa-2CaO·Fe20 a is of importance to portland cement chemistry because it provides in formation on the composition of t he iron-bearing phase in cement clinker. Iron-bearing solid solutions in the system were found to exist as a continuous narrow band extending from 2CaO·Fe,Oa to 6.45CaO·2.31AI,Oa·F,0 3' Additional t ie lines were estab lished to show t he composition of the iron-bearing solid solution phase (Fss) a nd liquid phases d uring the course of crystallization of mixtures within the system. Isotherms have been located for t he regions of prin'cipal interest. Compatibility relations differ somewhat from t hose reported by previoLls investigators. The composition of the iron-bearing phase in equilibrium \\'ith CaO and 3CaO·AI 2 0 a at t he ternary invariant point proyed to be lower in Fe,Oa than that reported by Swa.vze. Other results are in general agreement with the work of Swayze and of Yamauchi.


In 2003 the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) approved the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in children under 8 years of age. Two independent studies, conducted with commercial AEDs on proprietary pediatric ECG databases, provided the necessary scientific evidence. We have developed a database of pediatric rhythms for the evaluation of the rhythm analysis algorithms of AEDs. We collected archived ECG studies from patients under 14 years of age in two Spanish hospitals. The extracted rhythm samples contain a single rhythm, no artefact and have a minimum duration of 5 seconds. Three independent cardiologists classified the rhythm samples according to the American Heart's Association (AHA) guidelines; a consensus decision was reached when divergences arose. We compiled a total of 674 rhythm samples from 363 patients. The cardiologists classified 112 rhythm samples from 32 patients as shockable and 552 rhythm samples from 337 patients as nonshockable; 10 rhythm samples were classified as intermediate. The database contains enough nonshockable rhythm samples to meet the AHA requirements for the assessment of the specificity of AED rhythm analysis algorithms. We are currently working to complete the database with enough shockable rhythm samples to assess the sensitivity of AED rhythm analysis algorithms.


Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) studies of GaAs/GaN interfaces, obtained by direct wafer bonding, are presented. TEM observations show that most of the interface area was well bonded. A thin oxide layer, confirmed by EDX, was present at the interface in the well-bonded regions. Plan-view TEM studies showed the presence of two dislocation networks in such regions. They formed to accommodate: (1) tilt between bonded crystals and (2) strain, which appeared during sample cooling due to mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients. Asymmetrical, often elongated, cavities, formed on the GaAs side, were present at the interface between the well-bonded regions. It was shown by EDX that the walls of these cavities are covered with native oxide.


Aims. The aim of this work is to understand to what extent gravitational interactions between the stars in high-density young stellar clusters, like the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC), change the angular momentum in their protoplanetary discs. Methods. Two types of simulations were combined – N -body simulations of the dynamics of the stars in the ONC, and angular momentum loss results from simulations of star-disc encounters. Results. It is shown that in a star-disc encounter, the angular momentum loss is usually larger than the mass loss, so that the disc remnant has a lower specific angular momentum. Assuming an age of 1–2 Myr for the ONC, the disc angular momentum in the higher density region of the Trapezium is reduced by 15–20% on average. Encounters therefore play an important part in the angular momentum transport in these central regions, but are not the dominant process. More importantly, even in the outer cluster regions the angular momentum loss is on average 3–5%. Here it is shown that a 3–5% loss in angular momentum might be enough to trigger gravitational instabilities even in low-mass discs - a possible prerequisite for the formation of planetary systems.


A field experiment involving sixteen 600-m2 nursery ponds was conducted. to test (1) the efficacy of malathion for selectively killing the copepod predators of larvae of common carp (Cyprinus carpio); (2) prophylactic drug treatment of the carp to avoid bacterial and other infections; and (3) a combination of both treatments. Significant differences were found between the treatment groups (P < 0.01) while differences among the replicates were not significant (P > 0.05). The mean survival of fry was 2.8, 1. 7, and 3.4 times higher using malathion, prophylactic drugs and both combined, respectively, than in the control.


Cabin (2) of elevator, comprising a cover (14; 40) extending over at least a portion of the top surface of the cabinet (24), said cover on an elastic support (; 42 28) mounted; further comprising means cabin (32; 44) for detecting a displacement of the corresponding cover for application to the deck of a weight exceeding a predetermined threshold value, the booth being arranged to prevent normal operation if it has been detected that displacement; wherein said cover (14; 40) is provided on or near a balustrade (12; 38) retractable.


The banking industry has developed a culture based on performance, rewards and compensations. Employees are feeling the pressure of the ever-rising targets from the employers. Employers have become more aggressive about restructuring work in ways that push for higher productivity supported by an array of technologies and management practices. The study sought to determine the effect of financial reward on employee performance. Operant Conditioning Theory on financial rewards was used to inform the study. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Descriptive statistics was chosen since it utilized data collection and analysis techniques that yield reports concerning the measures of central tendency, variation, and correlation. The combination of its characteristic summary and correlation statistics, along with its focus on specific types of research questions, methods, and outcomes necessitated the choice of this design. The study adopted a positivism philosophy. The target population was 22,856 employees working in the six selected Commercial Banks in Nairobi City County composed of both clericals and Management staff. Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table was used to derive a sample of 377 respondents. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires that had both close ended and open-ended questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. The study conducted various tests including normality test, multicollinearity, stationarity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation tests. Factor analysis was carried out among corresponding questions to allow formation of factors with the highest Eigen values. Test of hypothesis was done at 95% confidence interval. The study established a positive and significant relationship between financial reward and employee performance (r=0.427, p=0.000), the alternate hypothesis was not rejected. Based on the findings, the study concluded that financial reward has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. The study recommended for management to consider the many factors involved in a complex and dynamic situation before making decisions on financial rewards that will influence the effectiveness, efficiency and ultimately the sustainability of their organizations.
Keywords; Financial Rewards, Employee Performance, Commercial Banks & Nairobi City County, Kenya.


Too much of wildlife management is today still more of an art than a science. Turning the art into a much- needed predictive science requires including research in the management process. The key to the process is developing an appropriate model of how the wildlife system responds to management actions, applying the actions, monitoring the outcomes, and using this to improve the management model. Extrapolating management outcomes to different wildlife areas requires the development of theory, as illustrated by a range of examples.


Eye symptoms in Guillain-Barré syndrome Guillain-Barré syndrome is a peripheral neuropathy having symptoms of muscle weakness and pain that may include the intraocular muscles causing 'eye strain' diplopia and strabismus. Treatment is by plasmapheresis (removal and substitution of blood plasma) and supportive measures. A study involving 139 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome found that they also suffered visual hallucinations (60 per cent), sometimes before the onset of the more serious symptoms. Cochen V, Arnulf I, Demeret S, Neulat ML, Gourlet V, Drouot X, Moutereau S, Derenne JP, Similowski T, Willer JC, Pierrot-Deseiligny C, Bolgert F. Vivid dreams, hallucinations, psychosis and REM sleep in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Brain 2005; 128: 2535–2545.


Based on the certain specialty of wind turbine base and the characteristic of 3600 rotating under wind load,four types of bases have been calculated and analyzed,which include circular,hexagon,octagon and square.The differences from qualitative to quantitative of the four types have been compared.The results show that circular base is the best,octagon is the second,hexagon the third and square base is the worst.


Observations were made 011 material from the upper digestive tracts of pigeons, domestic turkeys, golden eagles, and several species of hau7ks. Various fixing agents were used. Tlie most satisfactory results were obtained with Schaudion's fluid plus 5% of glacial acetic acid, and with weak E'lcmming's solution. The I-Ieidenhain's iron alum-1iaernatox;vlin technique gave the best staining, althougli some material was treated with Gieinsa.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate inter-organizational coordination (IOC) patterns between the buying firm, design agency, and component supplier in new product development (NPD) projects and to identify the determinants of these approaches. Design/methodology/approach – Seven NPD projects are examined using the multiple-case study method. Data are collected from five design agencies, two buying firms, and two suppliers in Italy and the Netherlands. Findings – Building on organizational information-processing and resource dependence theories, and based on the case study findings, four patterns of IOC approaches are proposed: buyer as mediator, buyer-designer partnership, designer as integrator, and team design activities. Two determinants of these approaches are suggested: the degree of novelty of the product/project (radical vs incremental) and the design approach (user oriented vs design driven). Research limitations/implications – Although the NPD projects are chosen from a wide var...


Effects of manure (M), hazelnut husks (HH), tea waste (TEW), and tobacco wastes (TOW) on some soil quality indexes were monitored for more than 2 years in a clay field and a loamy sand field. While soil organic carbon (OC) contents were around 2% after 30 months in clay, they were generally less than 2% after 7 months in loamy sand. Organic wastes generally increased aggregate stability (AS) and field capacity and decreased bulk density (BD) of the soils. Soil pH decreased with TEW and increased with M treatment. Tobacco wastes exerted the greatest effect on AS, EC, and nitrate (NO3) nitrogen (N). Hazelnut husks and TEW had the greatest effect on soil respiration in clay and loamy sand soils, respectively. While BD and pH increased, the other indicators generally decreased between the first and the last sampling. Soil quality can be improved in coarse-textured soils using TEW and HH and in fine-textured soils using TEW and M.


Use Atomic Force Microscope to analyze surface morphology of the laboratory prepared Mg-doped zinc oxide films and standard gratings. Main measuring method is the use of semi-contact mode of the Atomic Force Microscope (tapping mode). When parameters such as frequencies and gains do not change, we focus on the differences of the results under different feedback speed (FB) working on the specimens, and sum up the relations between the feedback speed (FB) and the definition of the surface morphology of the specimens.


Aim To assess a new nurse-led capsulotomy service Method Evaluation and audit of the first 500 patients treated Results More patients received individualised care in a calmer environment Conclusion Advancing nurse practice to increase service capacity benefits staff, patients and the health economy, but other areas lose nursing expertise as a result


This article is based on a qualitative phenomenological case study that sought to establish a framewo rk and analytic tool derived fro m a close theoretical reading of Rosenblatt's (1978) text. The study took place on a middle school campus in southern Californ ia with five participants who were all sixth graders in a bound system. The analytic tool was used to analyze the literature-based responses of 11-and-12 year o ld resistant readers in order to determine the extent of their ability to engage in aesthetic reading transactions as per Rosenblatt's (1978) hallmark work. We found that inexperienced, resistant readers are able to read aesthetically at modest levels as revealed through this research. Given the comp lexity of processing entailed in aesthetic reading, this important discovery holds significance for scores of struggling students who can be nourished as readers through a literature-based approach rather than the strict skill-based ones dominating schools at this time.


The present invention consists of an installation and a process for etching by projection of a laser light beam of decorative motifs and / or indicative of a piece for vehicle in which are arranged detection means of the light beam laser in support means recording of the piece. The detection means of the light beam are formed by at least two detection means laser light beam thus ensuring the quality of recorded as playback thereof in each of the parts recorded by controlling , across © s of control means, the position of the workpiece, the beam intensity laser light or complete reproduction of the recording reason.


Acute gastroenteritis, a common cause of childhood morbidity and hospital admission, particularly in the Ž rst 2 y of life, has a substantial effect on health costs (1). It has been calculated that the total cost of acute gastroenteritis in Italy is in excess of 350 million Euro per year, excluding hospital fees (2). Data on hospital admissions, based on the disease codes for diarrhoea, included a total of 8974 infants under 1 y of age and 31604 children between 1 and 4 y admitted to hospital with diarrhoea, with a total of approximately 40 000 young children hospitalized each year (2). The estimated total cost to the Public Health System of hospitalizations for diarrhoea is as high as 70 million Euro. In 1986 the Gastroenterology Group of the Italian Society of Paediatrics published a protocol for outpatient children with acute diarrhoea, which contained recommendations for hospitalization, indications for microbiological investigations and treatment (3). In line with the recommendations of authoritative medical and scientiŽ c organizations, oral rehydration and temporary withdrawal of milk were suggested. Other therapeutic strategies were discussed, including the use of antiperistaltic drugs, oral bacterial therapy and antibiotics or intestinal disinfectants, with the general indication for not using speciŽ c therapies. Fifteen years later, in the light of the continuing importance of the problem and of the substantial progress in the Ž eld, the guidelines for the approach to the child with mild to moderate diarrhoea were revised and updated by the Working Group on Intestinal Infections of the Italian Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Hepathology (SIGEP). The guidelines address the following questions: When is hospitalization necessary? How should the patient be rehydrated? Should the diet be modiŽ ed? Should drugs be administered and, if so, what drugs? The guidelines cover three levels of authority according to the evidence they are based on (4). These range from class 1, where the evidence comes from randomized and controlled studies, to class 3, which re ects the opinion of experts or is based upon uncontrolled studies. The recommendations included in this paper are almost entirely based on randomized, controlled studies, with the exception of the indications leading to hospitalization and to microbiological investigations, for which controlled data are not available. The guidelines are intended to provide general practitioners and primary care paediatricians with updated information on the approach to children with acute onset diarrhoea in the developed countries. The guidelines have been presented and discussed at meetings of the Working Group on "Intestinal Infections" and were reviewed by qualiŽ ed experts within the SIGEP Council. Further modiŽ cations were based on comments from international reviewers.


Objective To compare the efficacy and side-effects following different doses of ketamine(Ket) for caudal analgesia in children. Methods 120 children undergoing hernia repair or orchidopexy procedures under basic and caudal anesthesia,were randomly allocated to 6 groups to receive a caudal injection(n=20 in each). Group A:1% lidocaine,Group B:1% lidocaine+0.15% bupivacaine,Group C:1% lidocaine and 0.25 mg/kg Ket,Group D:1% lidocaine+0.5 mg/kg Ket,Group E:1% lidocaine+0.75 mg/kg Ket,Group F:1% lidocaine+1.0 mg/kg Ket. The injection volume was 1 ml/kg with adrenaline (1/400 000). Postoperative pain/sedation score and incidence of side effects were assessed in 48 h. Results Potent analgesic effect was achieved in groups C,D,E and F (P0.05).The analgesic effect in Groups C and D was similar to that in Group B,but was lower than in Groups E and F (P0.05).The sedation scores were higher in Group E and F, but the incidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting and the spirit side-effect of Ket were also higher than in other groups (P 0.05). Conclusions Ket (≤0.5 mg/kg) preemptive caudal injection may be safely given along with lidocaine basic anesthesia to achieve satisfactory postoperative analgesia in children.


In the receiver of the communication system,the output of demodulator is usually serial "soft-bit" information.For channel decoder based on analog circuits,parallel data are needed to realize a-posterior probability calculation.To realize serial-to-parallel conversion and decrease the complexity and power dissipation of the analog decoder,a novel two-stage pipelined input interface circuit for analog decoder was designed based on 0.6 μm CMOS technology.The circuit could not only realize serial-to-parallel conversion of the "soft-bit" information,but also has the probability splitting calculation function.Simulation results showed that the input circuit reduced power consumption and chip area,compared with circuit designed using conventional method.Operating at 50 MHz,the circuit had a total power dissipation of 304.8 μW.


Learning to solve problem-solving tasks is a hallmark of intelligence. Intelligent agents learn not only from their own experiences but also from the experiences of others. One would also like a computerized agent to do this: to exploit both its own experiences and those of other agents when learning to solve problem-solving tasks. To this end, we introduce a model of learner/trainer interaction that describes how a learning agent and training agent work together to help the learning agent learn. This proposed model presents the learner as an agent that must make decisions about how it is going to learn. For example, when should the learning agent ask the trainer for help? The training agent must also make decisions about how it interacts with the learning agent. For example, when the learning agent requests help, should the trainer provide it or ignore the request? These decisions drive the interactions, which are the mechanisms by which the training agent provides knowledge to the learning agent. We propose to examine the issues that arise in implementing particular aspects of the learner/trainer model. We will present a restricted learner/trainer model, Interactive Training, and discuss the requirements on the training agent and the learning agent. In our proposed research we will explore the trainer's ability to interact with the learner as well as the learner's ability to beneet from that interaction. Our goal is to develop a systematic method by which a training agent|human or automated|can train a learning agent eeectively, allowing automated agents to be built more quickly. Furthermore, such a training method will allow agents to be built for problems that are currently deemed too diicult for automated learning agents to tackle.


Context: The production of thrombolytic agents started in 1930s and thrombolytic therapy for stroke began in 1958, on a case by case basis, and, in 1963, a small trial performed. Evidence Acquisition: Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) was recognized and approved as the thrombolytic agent for acute ischemic stroke that can improve patients' outcome and resolve their neurological deficits. The main reason for the difficulty of stroke treatment is the narrow time window, which leads to a small proportion of eligible patients to be treated with t-PA. The cost-effectiveness and feasibility of intravenous t-PA for treatment of acute stroke in 3 - 4.5 hour time window, after symptom onset, have been confirmed in previous studies. Results: Data about thrombolytic therapy, at the national level, are scarce in Asia and developing countries, compared to developed world. Thrombolytic therapy using t-PA is used in few low-income countries, including Iran. According to estimations of Iranian stroke patients, eligible for thrombolysis therapy, only 30% of Iranian stroke patients received t-PA. Conclusions: The high cost of t-PA and lack of appropriate infrastructure are the main barriers for thrombolytic therapy, in developing countries like Iran. On the other hand, most stroke units and centers, which have the infrastructure to deliver thrombolysis, are predominantly available only in large urban areas.


The industry has expressed its thoughts on the National Broadband Network Company's proposed plans for optical network termination devices. Paul Skelton investigates.


Abstract Temperate eelgrass beds are temporally and spatially complex habitats that often provide a transition habitat for many species of juvenile fishes. The feeding habits of young-of-the-year Black Rockfish (Sebastes melanops) and Copper Rockfish (S. caurinus) inhabiting eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in Humboldt Bay, California, were assessed in 2003 and 2004. A total of 16 prey types were noted for both species. Gammarid amphipods and copepods were the dominant prey types. Shifts in prey type were observed for Copper Rockfish as prey preference shifted from smaller planktonic prey to larger epiphytic prey types over time. No shifts in prey type were noted for Black Rockfish. Prey types for both species were consistent with previous studies conducted in temperate eelgrass habitats, which noted the importance of small crustaceans as prey.


FIELD: organic chemistry, pharmacy. SUBSTANCE: invention proposes 1H-indole- -3-glyoxylamides of the formula (I) where X - both oxygen atoms; R 1 is (CH 2 ) 1-2 -Ph-(R 10 ) t or -CH 2 -Ph--(CH 2 ) 0-2 -Ph; R 10 means independently halogen, C 1 -C 10 -alkyl, C 1 -C 10 -halogenalkyl; t = 0-5; R 2 is halogen, cyclopropyl, methyl, ethyl, propyl; R 4 and R 5 - each independently means: H, -(La)-(acid group) where La is an acid bridge group that for R 4 is taken from a group including of -OCH 2 -, -NH--CH 2 --, ; R 6 and R 7 mean independently hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 -alkyl, or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts or their prodrug form as an aliphatic ester. Synthesized compounds are used for a pharmaceutical composition that inhibits nonpancreatic secretory phospholipase A 2 and taken at effective dose. EFFECT: improved method of synthesis, enhanced effectiveness of compounds. 9 cl, 2 tbl, 17 ex


Whether described as 'Small Wars', 'Low Intensity Conflicts' or 'Limited War', insurgencies have been widely used as a means of attempting to achieve a political goal or furthering a cause. 2 Past experience and current analysis indicate that we can expect increasing involvement in insurgency campaigns. 3 In spite of the prevalence of insurgencies, most armed forces, including those of the United Kingdom (UK), remain primarily trained, equipped and organised to fight conventional warfare. This is particularly relevant to airpower. In spite of a long history of air involvement in insurgency campaigns, there has been little official explanation of this contribution in the form of UK doctrine. The British Army CounterInsurgency (COIN) manual devotes approximately four pages out of around 290 to the use of airpower. Surprisingly, there is no reflection on airpower's role in COIN campaigns in AP (Airpower) 3000 or the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Operations Manual. Similarly, many thinkers on insurgency have accorded little thought to the role of airpower, or have been dismissive about that role. 4


Management scholars, based on the ideal of social engineering, continuously design and promote all kinds of management tools, knacks and skills in order to create highly efficient organizations. Evidence, however, proves that these management principles and tools are inadequate in responding to the unpredictability of organizational behavior. In view of the nature of organizational structure, this paper believes that the meaning system is the key to maintaining organizational behavior and the core element for the organization's formation, development and change. The paper discusses the concept and approach of meaning management and its significance to and application in the management and development of an organization.


A facile and efficient method for the synthesis of 2,5,7,9-tetranitro-2,5,7,9-tetraazabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane-8-one has been developed in this article. In the procedure, the precursor compound 2,5,7,9-tetrahydro-2,5,7,9-tetraazabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane-8-one dihydrochloride was prepared in high yields catalyzed by task-specific ionic liquids, and subsequent nitration of the precursor compound gave the desired product. The catalysts can be reused without obvious loss of the catalytic activity.


This paper comprehensively described the origin,connotation and basic features of the knowledge-based economy(KBC),revealed the essential and internal relations between it and library,and the serious challenges and opportunities that it brought about to libraries.


OBJECTIVE: To establish an HPLC method for simultaneous determination of the content of sulfadiazine and dexamethasone acetate in compound nasal ointment.METHODS: The determination was performed on Inertsil C8-3 column with column temperature set at 40 ℃;the mobile phase consisted of methanol-acetonitrile-water(72∶3∶25) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1.The detective wavelength was set at 240 nm and the sample size was 20 μL.RESULTS: The linear ranges for sulfadiazine and dexamethasone acetate were 74.65~746.5(r=0.999 9) and 1.495~14.95 μg·mL-1(r=0.999 7),respectively.The average recoveries were 100.72%(RSD=1.7%) and 100.41%(RSD=1.6%),respectively.CONCLUSION: This method is rapid,simple,accurate and reliable and suitable for the determination of the content of sulfadiazine and dexamethasone acetate in compound nasal ointment.


With recent advances in consumer electronics, it is noted that personalization and interactivity have become two challenging issues to further improve user experiences in watching TV. As there are thousands of TV programs broadcasted everyday, people may spend much time in finding their desirable programs. In view of this, we focus on developing a proper recommendation scheme in the Web-TV environment so that users can be recommended with appropriate programs. Specifically, we propose to estimate user preferences and ratings with both explicit and implicit information provided by users. Moreover, a prototype system which utilizes the adaptive recommendation approach is developed to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme in this paper.


Fournier's gangrene is the surgical emergency condition. Early diagnosis and its management is the need of hour for high surgical outcomes. Aim and Objective: Early diagnosis, surgical management and outcomes of fournier's gangrene. Materials and Methods: We prospectively analysed 78 cases of Fournier's gangrene during the study period of July 2015 to July 2017 at DVVPF's Medical College and Hospital, Ahmednagar. Mean age of presentation was 68 years (range 31 -89 years).Majority of patients were in the age group of 60 69 years i.e 28 (35.90%) patients. Advancing age is the one of the risk factor of fournier's gangrene. Results: Triggering factors for FG in our cases series were traumatic laceration of perineum in majority of patients i.e 26 (33.33%) patients. Next factor was repeated needle insertion in 22 (28.20%) patients for removal of hydrocele fluid. Rest of factors were hemorrhoidectomy for prolapsed piles in 5(6.41%) patients, perianal abscess drainage in 2(2.58%) patients, urinary catheterisation in 1(1.28%) patient. Unknown factors was reported in 22(28.20 %) patients. Predisposing risk factors for fournier's gangrene was diabetes mellitus in 30(38.46%) cases. Next one was advancing age (>50 years) in 21(26.92%) cases. Other factors were steroid use in 15 (19.24%) cases and chronic alcoholic use in 12(15.38%) cases. Most common infecting organism was E.coli in 48 (61.54%) cases. Next organism were Klebsiella in 18(23.08%) patients and Streptococcus in 12(15.38%) cases. Aggressive debidement was performed in all 78(100%) cases. Reconstructive procedures were done in all 78 cases either by secondary suturing in 70(89.75%) cases, skin grafting in 6(7.69%) cases and thigh pouch reconstruction in 2(2.56%) cases. No any mortality was reported. Conclusion: Fournier's gangrene is the surgical emergency condition. Fournier's gangrene is a form of necrotising fasciitis, which causes rapid clinical deterioration with high morbidity and mortality. Aggressive surgical debridement and appropriate antibiotic coverage is the need of hour for high surgical outcomes.


A new procedure for lower and upper eyelid reconstruction in congenital and surgical defects is demonstrated. After excision of a tumour, the lateral portion of the remaining eyelid is split deeply to the lateral canthus. After partial cantholysis the tarsus is moved and adapted to the medial segment. The remaining skin defect is repaired with a free skin graft from the opposite upper eyelid. This is a very simple one-stage procedure without risk of any additional disfigurement.


Under the circumstances of user's varied requirement, lots of web services are available and the number is increasing rapidly. In order to change service consumers into service providers with their own data and give them autonomous right, we designed a smart service computing platform which provides basic environment and infrastructure. As a platform, we cannot only make full use of our data resources through providing customized web service to target people, but also let users construct their own web services with their own data. Furthermore, combining the services and improving our efficiency of software development is our another main purpose. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a smart service computing platform to help users to publish their own web services and then combine the services into new ones with new functions.


Brain abscesses represent organized foci of suppuration within the parenchyma. In this paper, we describe the case of a 3-month old girl with a large, complicated cerebral abscess. In addition, the course of treatment is presented. The patient's recovery was excellent. The follow-up MRI showed only subtle porencephalic changes as the only parenchymal sequels, which may have been due to central nervous system (CNS) plasticity in infants.


Virtual enterprises mostly renounce formal contractual guarantees as a coordination mechanism in order to ensure overall flexibility. However, when formal coordination mechanisms vanish, informal coordination immediately gains increasing importance. As a consequence, trust becomes a decisive issue for all kinds of loosely coupled organizations and especially virtual enterprises. This paper presents some of the results of the three year interdisciplinary research project TiBiD that explored the issues of trust and reputation in the initiation phase of virtual enterprises. The project brought together researchers from three different disciplines - psychology, management research and informatics – to design, explore and evaluate a field experiment on the key question of how trust is built and how trust-building can be supported in the early phase of cooperation processes between distributed and loosely coupled organizational units.


Product design is a multiple project action and a subject which merges technique and art together. At the same time it will be impacted and restrained by the environment and society form., culture and economic. That is product design unifies function and pattern or technique and art. The starting point of product design is the man and the design's basic aim is the man not the product. Industry design must adhere to the rule of nature and objectivity.


The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model for ascertaining the antiplatelet effect of aspirin was developed, considering the effect of aspirin on the metabolic turnover of cyclooxygenase in platelets and vessel wall endothelium. All date used for analysis were obtained from the literature. The pharmacodynamic parameters, K, K', ke and ke' as reaction rate constants of aspirin and cyclooxygenase in platelets and that in endothelium, and the turnover rate constants of cyclooxygenase in platelets and that in endothelium, respectively, were calculated based on the plasma aspirin concentration profile, the plasma thromboxane B2 concentration as the index of inhibition of cyclooxygenase in platelets and the reduction of prostacyclin production of venous tissue as the index of inhibition of cyclooxygenase in vessel wall endothelium.The values of K and K' were 3.21 and 0.97 ml·μg-1 · hr-1, respectively, demonstrating selectivity of aspirin to cyclooxygenase in platelets. The value of ke was 0.00630 hr-1, which was consistent with the platelet life span. The developed model could explain the long duration of antiplatelet activity of aspirin and may be useful for formulating a rational dosage regimen for effective antiplatelet therapy utilizing aspirin.


Launched in 2008 as a site to collect the anonymous perspectives of current and former employees as well as their self-reported salaries, Glassdoor.com has grown to be a top destination for American job seekers wanting to learn more about the work environment of particular companies. Using reviewed posted by current and former Riot Games employees (the developer behind League of Legends) as a case study, I argue that Glassdoor is an easily accessible yet underutilized public yet anonymous resource for scholars interested in a peek 'behind the curtain' of industries reliant on non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements, such as the games industry. In this paper I report on my ongoing analysis of 740 current and former employee reviews of Riot posted to Glassdoor between October 2009 and March 2021. Riot is a particularly fruitful case study as it is a company that has been criticized for creating a toxic work environment, with sexual harassment and a lack of promotions for women being frequently discussed in the games media. As a result of this analysis, I argue it provides ample evidence to indicate that Glassdoor can be a fruitful venue for media industry scholars interested in better understanding employee perspectives about 'notorious' companies while mitigating potential harm to informants who might otherwise be reluctant to speak 'on the record' about an industry that remains resistant to change.


Self-drifting flame balls whose existence has recently been suggested by an ad hoc one-dimensional sandwich model are studied within the framework of a more rational multi-dimensional formulation as bifurcations of the associated stationary spherical flame balls.


The objective of this paper is to describe an accurate and efficient reduced order modeling method for aeroelastic (AE) analysis and for determining the flutter boundary. Without losing accuracy, we develop a reduced order model based on the Volterra series to achieve significant savings in computational cost. The aerodynamic force is provided by a high-fidelity solution from the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations; the structural mode shapes are determined from the finite element analysis. The fluid-structure coupling is then modeled by the state-space formulation with the structural displacement as input and the aerodynamic force as output, which in turn acts as an external force to the aeroelastic displacement equation for providing the structural deformation. NASA's rotor 67 blade is used to study its aeroelastic characteristics under the designated operating condition. First, the CFD results are validated against measured data available for the steady state condition. Then, the accuracy of the developed reduced order model is compared with the full-order solutions. Finally the aeroelastic solutions of the blade are computed and a flutter boundary is identified, suggesting that the rotor, with the material property chosen for the study, is structurally stable at the operating condition, free of encountering flutter. ∗Currently School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen's University, Belfast, UK. c ©This material is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. NOMENCLATURE a Speed of sound. A Area vector. c Blade chord length. Cp Specific heat at constant pressure. d structural deformation vector. E Specific total energy. Fm Modal force vector. F Inviscid flux vector. Fv viscous flux vector. hm(n) mth-order Volterra series kernel. K Stiffness matrix. L Length measured in the x-direction. M Mass matrix. M∞ Freestream Mach number. p Pressure. Pκ(ω) Turbulence production in the κ(ω) equation. Pr Prandtl number. qi Heat flux vector. q∞ Dynamic pressure(=ρ∞a∞) U Conservative variables.


In this paper,thermosets of three epoxy resin cured by methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride and modified anhydride made themself respectively were prepared and theirs electrical properties such as,volume resistance,surface resistance and tangent of dielectric loss angle had been determined under the different hot/wet environments.The results showed that the electrical properties of bisphenol A based epoxy resin cured by modified anhydride wene better than any others.


Sir, I read with interest the recent article by Peng and colleagues on risk of liver cirrhosis after tuberculosis (TB) [1]. In this matched cohort study, they found an increased incidence of cirrhosis in patients with TB (adjusted hazard ratio 1 79, 95% confidence interval 1 50–2 14). However, the increased hazard may be explained by residual confounding and by failure to account for surveillance bias and competing risk of death. Moreover, the risk estimate would not be valid if proportionality assumption is violated. Important residual confounding is present because some measurable risk factors of cirrhosis are not included, such as alcoholism or alcohol abuse (International Classification of Disease [ICD] code 303 and 305 0), alcoholic liver disease (ICD codes 571 0, 571 1 and 571 3) and other chronic liver diseases (ICD codes 571 4, 571 8 and 571 9). Moreover, surveillance bias is present because patients with TB are more likely to receive examinations for liver disease during anti-TB treatment [2]. Finally, competing risk of death is present because patients with TB have a higher mortality [3], which, if not accounted for, will also overestimate the incidence and relative risk of cirrhosis in relation to TB [4]. In Peng and colleagues' Table 4, the hazard of cirrhosis is the greatest in the first two years of follow-up, which may be better explained by the surveillance bias than by the association with tuberculosis. Although the authors may have used the time-partitioning method to account for the nonproportional hazard [5], they do not report results of the proportionality test. The choice of the time periods in the partitioning may not be appropriate, and the overall hazard ratio would be invalid if the proportionality assumption is not hold. Conflict of interest None declared.


This paper explores the impact of fuel prices on vehicle sales by model from 2005 to 2009 at quarterly intervals across four major auto manufacturers: Ford, Toyota, Honda and General Motors. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol18/iss1/16


Purpose – The purpose of this article is to identify and evaluate the influences acting upon document supply today.Design/methodology/approach – The article provides an analytical approach.Findings – It is clear that paid for document supply will continue to decline for some time.Research limitations/implications – The article is based on desk research and hence cannot provide specific answers to some of the issues raised.Practical implications – The article demonstrates the need for document supply practitioners to consider their changing role and for document suppliers to consider the implications of a shrinking market.Originality/value – A broader view is given of the document supply market than is normally given and based upon the extensive practical and theoretical knowledge of the author.


This study aimed at recognizing the status of the role of secondary school in preventing students from the intellectual threats from the point of view of Islamic education women teachers in general and detecting the statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) between the averages in the role of secondary school in preventing students from the intellectual threats from the point of view of Islamic education women teachers that can be attributed to the variables of: the academic qualification, the years of experience, and the secondary education system. The study used the descriptive analytical method to achieve the aims of the study. The questionnaire was the tool of the study which distributed among (205) of Islamic education women teachers in Mecca. The most important results that the study reached: The reality of the secondary school's role in the city of Mecca in protecting students from the intellectual threats to the average (2.35 out of 3) is generally high. On the level of fields, the secondary school's goals have reached the highest level of 2.53, followed by non-grade activities (2.37), all with high grade, and finally the role of the secondary school teacher with an average of (2.05) and a rating (average). There were no statistically significant differences between the averages in Islamic education women teachers toward the role of secondary school in preventing students from the intellectual threats that can be attributed to the variable of the academic qualification. There were statistically significant differences between the averages in Islamic education women teachers toward the role of secondary school in preventing students from the intellectual threats that can be attributed to the variable of the years of experience. The differences were in favor of the category that have experience exceed 20 years. There were statistically significant differences between the averages in Islamic education women teachers toward the role of secondary school in preventing students from the intellectual threats that can be attributed to the variable of the secondary education system. The differences were in favor of the class system.


Abstract : This report discusses the cost control problems of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Station program. Our testimony today will summarize the results of our recent work on this issue and, where available, provide updated information. Specifically, we will focus on cost growth under the prime contract, the impact on NASA of the Russians' performance problems, and the need to review the program and to consider funding limitations.


In the automatic transmission systems, the availability of pressure information of a hydraulic actuator makes it possible to improve the fuel economy, reduce emission and enhance driving performance. It is still hard to get an accurate model that reflects the non-linear character of the hydraulic actuators through the routine methods. Although neural networks are quite useful in modelling of the routine non-linear systems, the returning parameters of the networks, i.e., the weights and bias, have no actual sense but some numeric values. This paper presents a radial basis function (RBF) neural network-based algorithm to estimate the parameters of the hydraulic actuator in a vehicle power transmission control system. The trained results of the networks are the parameters of the transfer function of the actuator. By means of experiments, it is shown that the proposed model can describe the main phenomena characterising of the hydraulic actuator dynamics well.


Loss of function of PAX5 plays an important role in PAX5 mutation tumor, and PAX5 haploinsufficiency promoting tumorigenesis is related to immune escape. But the mechanisms of PAX5 mutations inducing tumor immune escape have not been clarified. We estimated the proportions of 22 immune cell types and the expressions of immune inhibitory-related molecules based on gene expression profiles (GEPs) from B- acute lymphoblastic leukemia(B-ALL) with PAX5 mutations by CIBERSORT, an established algorithm. We constructed the PAX5 haplodeletion A20 cell lines, built allografted A20 tumor models and evaluated the effect of PAX5 haplodeletion on immune inhibitory-related molecules in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Our results indicated the percentages of T cells in bone marrow of B-ALL with PAX5 mutations were not statistically different from that in bone marrow of B-ALL without PAX5 mutations, except for T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. But a variety of up-regulated immune inhibitory-related molecules in bone marrow of B- ALL with PAX5 mutations were identified. By different approaches, we found that several immune inhibitory-related molecules of CD8+ T cells in TME of PAX5 haplodeletion clones such as TIM3, NR4A1 and BATF, were increased significantly compared with that of PAX5 wild type control. The IFN-ɤ of CD8+ T cells in TME of PAX5 haplodeletion tumors was decreased significantly compared with that of PAX5 wild type control. Our study showed that PAX5 haploinsufficiency induced high expressions of TIM3, NR4A1 and BATF in the TME and was involved in CD8+ T cells dysfunction or exhaustion.


In this paper, we propose some sufficient conditions for checking the asymptotic stability of switched nonlinear differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) under arbitrary switching signal. We assume that each model of a given switched DAE is externally equivalent to a nonlinear Weierstrass form. With the help of this form, we can define nonlinear consistency projectors and jump-flow solutions for switched nonlinear DAEs. Then we use a different approach from the paper [12] to study the stability of switched DAEs via a novel notion called the jump-flow explicitation, which attaches a nonlinear control system to a given nonlinear DAE and can be used to simplify the common Lyapunov function conditions for both the flow and the jump dynamics of switched nonlinear DAEs. At last, a numerical example is given to illustrate how to check the stability of a switched nonlinear DAE by constructing a common Lyapunov function.


The performance of 40-Gb/s carrier-suppressed return-to-zero on-off keying (CSRZ-OOK) combined with either a pairwise or a pulse-to-pulse alternate polarization (APol) is investigated numerically. It is shown that these modulation formats offer a superior suppression of intrachannel four-wave mixing compared to conventional APol-formats. They are also tolerant to narrowband optical filtering and thus suitable for ultradense wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems with a spectral efficiency of 0.8 bit/s/Hz.


Coding of of legal rules is the process of converting a legal norm into one of the programming languages. A legal rule that exists in both text and computer code/program form is labeled as the "Law as Code" (LAC). The optimal goal of the LAC methodology is to enable the meaning of the norm in written form to be preserved in its version in programming code. The scope and importance of the LAC have been recognized in the EU Law: there are also general documents adopted by individual states as a guide for its application. The success of the above-mentioned process is monitored in three ways: through the introduction of "controllers", the implementation of testing and the application of the regulatory sandbox methodology. The implementation of the LAC methodology requires a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach (public and private sector involvement: such an approach is necessary considering the dynamics and constant changes in the development of technology that accompanies the described process. The role of legal expertise in this case is parallel to that of technological experts: these roles are not exclusive, but should have a synergistic effect.


New Zealand has high rates of participation in recreational boating. Most trailerable boats, which account for 52% of the households who own recreational craft, can be launched from a beach given the right conditions. However, in Auckland developed foreshores, 3 m tidal ranges and wide, frequently muddy inter-tidal flats mean launching from a boat ramp is often easier and more practical. Public boat ramps and associated facilities such as parking, toilets and lighting are managed by Territorial Local Authorities. Manukau City Council administers coastline on both Manukau Harbour and Hauraki Gulf, both popular areas for recreational boating. Consultation with recreational boaters in Manukau City has been carried out using a targeted survey involving both face to face and telephone questionnaires. The questionnaire identified patterns of use at particular boat ramps, the factors important to boaties when they decide where to launch their boat and their willingness to pay for parking at boat ramps as a revenue raiser for asset maintenance and improvement. The information gathered has been used to assist in developing a management strategy for Manukau City boat ramps including identifying sites where upgrade works may be feasible.


In this paper we obtain new inequalities for relative operator entropy S(A|B) in the case of operators satisfying the condition mA ≤ B ≤ MA, with 0 < m < M .


Abstract PEROSIS is a type of leg weakness and deformity which occurs among rapidly growing chicks, particularly when they are confined in battery brooders and on rations high in minerals. The other common name for perosis is "slipped tendon." High inorganic phosphate additions to the ration are admitted to be a contributing cause of the trouble, although it is also stated in the literature that a high level of calcium carbonate may contribute to the development of perosis. Descriptions of the character of the deformity and attempts to correct it have been reviewed by Milby (1934) and Wilgus, Norris, and Heuser (1935). A variety of rations has been used by different investigators for the production of this deficiency, but in general some form of a practical ration has been used. Since we frequently observed slipped tendon in chicks grown on some of our synthetic diets, we were interested to learn if . . .


Geosynthethic reinforcement application in roadworks is finding increased application. In many tropical countries. gravel borrow material of adequate quality which meets the technical specifications for pavement layer construction is problematic. In this study, the effect of geotextile strengthon California bearing ratio values when placed at predetermined location in anexperimental pavement layer was studied. Natural gravel soil was selected and tested without reinforcement. Then by placing a layer of a certain geogrid above the third layer within the sample height, the effect of geogrid reinforcement on California bearing ratio values were investigated. This was undertaken for two strengths of geogridin both soaked and unsoaked conditions. The results show that California bearing ratio values increases with increasing goegrid strength for soaked and unsoaked conditions. The California bearing ratio increased by 12% and 31% in the soaked condition for Tx160 and Tx170 geogrids respectively. The CBR also increased for unsoaked conditions. The use of geogrid reinforcement in road pavements layers can result in increased strength and environmental benefits.


The aim of this study is to determine the primary school teachers' opinions on the function and implementation of portfolio. This is a descriptive study and was carried out 197 teachers working in primary schools in center of Elazig city. A data collection tool developed by researchers was used in the study. The opinions of the teachers were evaluated and the data were analyzed in terms of gender and occupational seniority of the teachers. Independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA, Mann Whitney U, Kruskall Wallis H tests were used to analyze the data. Also frequency and percentage were used to analyze the personal data. As a result of the study, no significant differences were found between the opinions of the teachers about the function and implementation of portfolio.


Increasing energy demand has spurred extensive research on the development of efficient and pollution-free alternative energy conversion and storage technologies. Water oxidation is a critically limiting anodic reaction of electrochemical...


The article proposes a base-line design of the system in the form of lattice girders to support peripheral rock masses of workings. The design scheme and its parameters of support and loading conditions are given, the simulation results are shown. Designing a 'reinforcing' support system suitable to be installed into the channel slots formed in the surrounding rock mass and developing a process to construct this support are the prime considerations in tunnels driven using the new mining technology. Helix and longitudinal channel slots excavated by the geokhod in the border zone during tunnel excavation should be used to provide a potential for increasing bearing capacities.


The electronic distribution of multimedia (EDM) through the Internet offers many advantages to content sellers as well as consumers. Due to the digital representation, sellers face reduced cost of manufacturing, transportation, storage, and display. They can reach a larger number of users when compared to distributing by compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD). Consumers, apart from the reduced cost, enjoy numerous benefits. They can have access to large collection AbstRAct


Background Prostate cancer is an aging-related disease. As the result of the radiation are of STAMPEDE trial came out, major shifts in the use of local therapy (LT) are expected for men newly diagnosed with locally advanced and metastatic disease. This study aims to determine the role of patient age on LT. Methods We identified 6882 and 37382 locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer diagnosed in 2004-2014 using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). We used logistic multivariable regression to determine the role of age in the receipt of prostate and/or pelvic radiation or radical prostatectomy after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Results Among patients with locally advanced disease, 3,559 (52%) patients received definitive local therapy as their first course of therapy, including 2508 (36%) radiation and 1,323 (19%) radical prostatectomy (RP). Among patients newly diagnosed with M1 disease, 2371 (6.3%) patients received definitive local therapy. 1873 (5.0%) and 537 (1.4%) patients received radiation therapy and RP respectively. In the multivariable analysis (MVA), adjusted for clinical characteristics and demographics, compared with men age <50 years, the odds ratios for receiving local treatment were 0.36 (95% CI: 0.26-0.48) and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.37-0.60) for men ≥70 in locally advanced and metastatic disease respectively. Conclusion We found that local therapy was undertaken in the majority of men with regional disease, and less common in the metastatic setting. Age was a major determinant of the receipt of any local therapy, as well as the selection of prostatectomy or radiation therapy. Table of contents • Introduction • Methods o Data source o Patient Cohort o Variables o Statistical Analysis • Results • Discussion • Limitations • Tables and figures • Reference List of tables and figures Table 1. Demographics and Clinical Characteristics at Diagnosis of Men with Prostate Cancer Table 2. Univariate and Multivariable Logistic Regression Analyses Predicting Diagnosed with Metastatic Prostate Cancer Table 3. Demographics and Clinical Characteristics at Diagnosis of 6882 Men with NodePositive Prostate Cancer Table 4. Demographics and Clinical Characteristics at Diagnosis of 37382 Men with Distant Metastatic Prostate Cancer Table 5. Univariate and Multivariable Logistic Regression Analyses Predicting Local Therapy in 6882 Men with Node-Positive Prostate Cancer between 2004 and 2014 Table 6. Univariate and Multivariable Logistic Regression Analyses Predicting Local Therapy in 37382 Men with Distant-Metastatic Prostate Cancer between 2004 and 2014 Figure 1. The utilization of local therapy in node-positive and distant metastatic prostate cancer patients by age groups Introduction By incidence and mortality prostate cancer is an aging-related disease1. Indeed, the median age at diagnosis and death from disease in the United States is 66 and 80 years, respectively.2 The widespread integration of screening of men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has resulted in the detection of early-stage cancers in many individuals, and led to a reduction in prostate cancer mortality.3,4 Nonetheless, prostate cancer remains the secondleading cause of cancer related death among men. Patients diagnosed at a localized stage experience nearly 100% 5-year survival, while the majority those diagnosed at advanced or metastatic stage will eventually succumb to the disease.5,6 On this basis, efforts have been directed at both averting progression through local therapy, while developing increasingly efficacious treatments for advanced or metastatic disease. Within the past decade, systemic therapies including new generations of androgen receptor inhibitors7, docetaxel-based chemotherapy 8, and bone targeting agents9 have been shown to improve overall survival. At the same time, there has been sustained interest for local therapy to the prostate in those with advanced or metastatic disease. Recently, the radiation arm of the STAMPEDE trial reported a survival benefit with prostate radiotherapy in the subset of patients with lowvolume metastatic disease and has now been incorporated into major clinical practice guidelines including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's (NCCN).10 However, prior to this publication, level-one evidence has been lacking, and support for this practice has been offered by observational studies.11-17 On this basis, radiation with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been recommended as a preferred initial strategy for patients with N1 disease with greater than 5 years of life expectancy or symptomatic disease. Yet, it is not known how commonly local therapy is given to patients with advanced disease, or which factors contribute to its selection. As major shifts in practice are expected for men newly diagnosed with metastatic disease, there are reasons to study the role of patient age and local therapy. Age is consistently a major driver for treatment decisions in the localized setting, including the use of radical prostatectomy versus radiation therapy.18-20 Young patients may be offered therapy seen as maximally aggressive due to fewer competing causes of death, and improved tolerability. Second, although a high level of evidence is now available to support local therapy with radiation for men with low-volume M1 disease, prostatectomy likely still remains in use, and it is not known how age or other factors affect. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the role of age on the diagnosis and treatment of men with locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. Materials and Methods Data Source We performed a retrospective study using registry data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The NCDB is a joint program of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) and the American Cancer Society, and is the largest oncology database in the United States, containing approximately 70% of cancer patients nationwide. NCDB contains patient-level demographic information such as race, age, and insurance status. Regional-level education and household income information is available and is reported by U.S. postal zip code. The NCDB also contains details regarding disease characteristics (year of diagnosis, clinical stage, PSA at diagnosis, and biopsy Gleason score), the first course of treatment (e.g., radiotherapy and prostatectomy).21 Patient cohort Men diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the prostate (International Classification of diseases-O-3 code: C61.9) between 2004 and 2014 were included. Patients from before 2004 were not included because PSA and Gleason score were not routinely collected. We included patients with valid age, clinical T category, clinical M category and clinical N category (Nx was considered as unknown, but not missing) at diagnosis. Men with prior cancers were excluded as prior cancers can influence a patient's demographics and treatments. A patient exclusion schema is shown in the Supplemental Table. The final analytic cohort consisted of 1,066,298 patients.


Surface-fluorinated TiO2 was prepared with the help of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) via vapor-phase fluorination at 473 K for 2 h and characterized by XRD, SEM, UV−visible diffuse reflectance, Raman, XPS, and ATR−FTIR, respectively. XRD and UV−visible diffuse reflectance show that fluorination does not change the bulk crystal structure and optical absorption of TiO2 under the above-mentioned preparation condition. However, the photoinduced hydrophilicity, photocatalytic H2 evolution, and organic contaminant decomposition are greatly improved by the insertion of fluorine. XPS, ATR−FTIR, and Raman measurements of TiO2 and surface-fluorinated TiO2 reveal that fluorination remarkably increases the adsorption of polar molecules, including water and some organics, which is mainly attributed to the enhancement of surface acidity, and the formation of the surface hydroxyl radicals, which is beneficial for both photocatalytic oxidation reaction and hydrophilicity. Therefore, as expected, H2 evolution from wat...


In this paper we study the effects of geometry and topology scaling on electrical properties variations among NoC links designed to be identical. The modeled process systematic and random variations of current in CM interconnect, as well as delay variations in VM interconnect are calculated as interconnect, device and mesh size scale at 45 nm. Results show that device geometry scaling mainly affects the current variations. On the other hand, interconnect geometry scaling affects both current and delay variations. Scaling the mesh size will not affect random variations. On the other hand as the NoC mesh size scales from 4×4 to 16×16, the CM interconnect systematic current variations increases by 100%, while the VM systematic delay variations increases by 50% .


Climate change is altering the functioning of ecosystems and species distribution worldwide, with negative impacts on human activities, including fisheries. The Adriatic Sea is an extremely productive area for fisheries, due to the strong outflow of nutrients from rivers and the periodic mixing of nutrients from the Mediterranean. However, the Adriatic Sea is also a semi-closed basin, where species do not have the ability to move to higher latitudes to avoid warming of the waters. Climate change acts on biodiversity in a variety of ways, such as causing changes in the trophic network—favoring the intake of thermophilic alien species, often in competition with local species—and altering the biological cycles of acclimatized marine species to temperate–cold climates. These problems become critical factors for the survival of species and for fisheries relying on these resources. Within this context, to have estimates of possible modifications of the nektonic community in the near future could be quite useful for preparing adaptation plans. In this paper, using Maximum Entropy models under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, we estimated the future habitat suitability for a set of marine nektonic species of different thermal affinity (e.g., cold, temperate and warm species) within GSA17 (Northern and Central Adriatic Sea), among the most productive—and most exploited—areas of the Mediterranean Sea. This study shows how, at the current pace, climate change could modify marine ecosystems to the extent that future habitat suitability will decrease for nearly half of the species considered, with a decrease in landings from 13.5 to 86.9%, depending on the scenario. Only for the blue crab Callinectes sapidus has an increase in habitat suitability been observed. For most of the species considered, temperature was the most important variable to explain the probability of relative presence within the GSA17. On the other hand, GSA17 climatic conditions in the near future under the tested scenarios could become a suitable environment for tropical species, which could find here a suitable habitat, at least in terms of thermal features. Results of the present study can help the management of fishery resources and local markets in the near future, providing information to predict changes in the composition of the aquatic community and draw up management plans that take into account the effects of climate change.


The invention relates to a health food suitable for diabetic patients and used for auxiliary reducing of blood glucose. The health food comprises the following components in parts by weight: 30-35 parts of pumpkin, 10-15 parts of swine blood, 20-25 parts of glutinous rice powder, 10-15 parts of bean curd residue, 2-5 parts of a turmeric yellow extractive, 2-5 parts of a mixture of arginine and phenylalanine, 3-5 parts of pumpkin seed kernels and a proper amount of a soaking solution, wherein the soaking solution is prepared by brewing 80-85% of Sibraea angustat, 5-10% of baical skullcap roots and 10-15% of sowthistle tea with plain boiled water. The health food provided by the invention has an excellent blood glucose reducing effect, meanwhile, can well adjust the endocrine balance and metabolism, effectively inhibits bacteria reproduction, and improves the immunity of the patients.


Amplitude-frequency characteristics of the piezoceramic elements in the forms of a thin plate and a rod are studied through ANSYS program. Resonance and antiresonance frequencies of the first two disk radial modes, the thickness mode of the thin plate, and the axial mode of the rectangular cross-section long rod are measured. The numerical results are compared to the known determination techniques of the elastic S ij, piezoelectric d ij, and dielectric e ij constants of the piezoelectric materials. The improved procedure for determining elasticity constant S E 13 on one specimen of only radial disk oscillations is suggested and substantiated. The method is based upon the relationships between the elastic constants of piezoceramics and the dispersion of longitudinal waves. The new method usage domain is studied. As compared to the known techniques, the proposed method facilitates the measure procedure and allows determining the elastic constant with the extended precision. A fundamentally new technique of measuring resonant and antiresonant frequencies of piezoelements with losses is developed for defining a full range of material constants of ideal elements without losses according to the Russian branch standards and the Institute of Radio Engineers (USA) standards for piezoelectric crystals.


The novel anti-microbial properties of silver nanomaterials have made them desirable for use in health and medicine. However, prior to in vivo usage of any material, a thorough understanding of bio-distribution and potential toxicity is required. The majority of the toxicological data for silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) is still primarily from single-cell culture models, which can often be misleading and lack in vivo correlation. To develop a greater understanding of the fate and interactions of Ag-NPs within a living organism, we administered Ag-NPs to adult zebrafish via the intramuscular route, a common medical administration site, and tracked the fate and toxicity. Although at the doses used in the study there was no death, silver was detected in many of the major organs of the zebrafish, indicating that dispersion occurred from the site of inoculation. The heart, gall bladder, spleen, and kidney all demonstrated varying degrees of damage due to the nanoparticles, and further evaluation identified inflammation caused by the presence of silver as the cause, suggesting that toxicity may be a factor if Ag-NPs are used in a clinical setting.


Some methods of fabricating white organic electroluminescence diodes were introduced,which are utilizing dyes doped,utilizing organic quantum-well structure,utilizing light-emitting from exciplex,utilizing micro-cavity structure,utilizing stacked emitting layer,and utilizing white emitting materials,etc.In doped devices,energy transfer mechanism and carrier trapping mechanism are related in detail.


As a result of its complex histological structure, regeneration patterns of grey and white matter are quite different in the spinal cord. Therefore, tissue engineering scaffolds for repairing spinal cord injury must be able to adapt to varying neural regeneration patterns. The aim of the present study was to improve a previously reported spinal cord‐mimicking partition‐type scaffold by adding microchannels on a single tubular wall along its longitudinal axis, thus integrating the two architectures of a single H‐shaped central tube and many microchannels. Next, the integrated scaffold was loaded with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and transplanted to bridge the 5‐mm defect of a complete transverse lesion in the thoracic spinal cord of rats. Subsequently, effects on nerve regeneration, locomotion function recovery, and early neuroprotection were observed. After 1 year of repair, the integrated scaffold could guide the regeneration of axons appearing in the debris of degraded microchannels, especially serotonin receptor 1A receptor‐positive axonal tracts, which were relatively orderly arranged. Moreover, a network of nerve fibres was present, and a few BMSCs expressed neuronal markers in tubular lumens. Functionally, electrophysiological and locomotor functions of rats were partially recovered. In addition, we found that BMSCs could protect neurons and oligodendrocytes from apoptosis during the early stage of implantation. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential of this novel integrated scaffold loaded with BMSCs to promote spinal cord regeneration through mechanical guidance and neuroprotective mechanisms.


We are carrying out hadron photoproduction experiments by using polarized photon beams with energies of 1.5-2.9 GeV at SPring-8 in Japan. In 2005, we started developing a polarized HD target for future LEPS experiments using both the polarized photon beams and the polarized target. To introduce a polarized target plays an important role in upgrading the LEPS experiments to the next higher step. The measurement of double polarization asymmetries is expected to give important informations to investigate the nucleon hidden structure, hadron photoproduction dynamics, and exotic hadron property. We report on the present status of the development of the polarized HD target at RCNP. We will carry out a test experiment to confirm that the polarized HD target can be transported from Osaka university to SPring-8 without any problems in 2010. If we succeed in the test experiment, we will carry out a long experiment to take physics data in 2011-2012.


This article focuses on the comparative analysis of variants of the epic "Manas" V. Radlov with modern versions of storytellers. The article praised the ethnographic work of the scientist V. Radlov, who has made an invaluable contribution to the scientific study of the Kyrgyz epic.


Uterine leiomyomas are common, benign, smooth muscle tumors of the uterus, occurring in 20-30% of women over age 35. A giant uterine leiomyoma is a tumor whose weight exceeds the arbitrary limit of approximately 11.4 kg (25 lb). Commonly multiple, leiomyomas can be described submucosal, intramural, subserosal. Large leiomyomas can cause various types of degeneration. The interest of the case lies in the difficulty of placing a differential diagnosis for the morphological characteristics of the large mass, due to non-characteristic aspect to the US and the MDCT. So MRI allowed to establish the relationship of the tumor with the uterus through the recognition of the vascular peduncle that connects the leiomyoma with fundus of the uterus. The application of MRI in the large pelvic masses goes beyond lesion detection, allowing in this case the typing, which is confirmed by the surgical findings.


Abstract Seeds of four African tree species from the Sahelian zone (Boscia senegalensis) and the Sudanian zone (Butyrospermum parkii, Cordyla pinnata and Saba senegalensis) lose viability after moisture contents drop below 22 and 30%, depending on the species. Seed longevity in wet and airtight storage does not exceed a few months. Temperatures close to zero elicit symptoms of chilling injury leading to rapid seed death. The optimum storage temperature is 15°C. These results allow the four species to be classified as recalcitrant seed species. Boscia senegalensis is therefore an exception in arid zones where most species have orthodox seeds.


Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess medical care and pain management of 237 lumbar disk herniation cases treated from 2011 to 2021 in the Specialties Hospital CREHVITAL, Ambato-Ecuador, and to provide a set of standards for appropriate management.
Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of archives, and registries of patient's data provided by the Specialties Hospital CREHVITAL, Ambato-Ecuador.
Participants: A total of 237 patients with lumbar disk herniation received medical services from 2011 to 2021; outcome measures were: Pain management, patient characteristics, surgical procedures, and medication after surgery.
Results: The 40–50 age range had the highest prevalence of lumbar disk herniation and a higher percentage of the pathology in men (66%) than in women. Of the 237 patients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the highest lumbar disk herniation of the L4–L5 (101 men and 20 women), followed by herniation of the L5–S1 (59 men and 51 women). Two types of surgeries were performed: Classical surgery on 157 patients and microsurgery on 80 patients. The average period before receiving treatment was 1.5 years of maintaining back pain, and the early post-operative management consisted of patients receiving diclofenac, ketorolac, and ceftriaxone. Analgesics were used in 73.43% of patients. All cases required strict control, follow-up, and post-operative check-ups.
Conclusion: This study provides essential and conclusive evidence and information on treated cases of lumbar disk herniation and its incidence in the medical field.


A compact laser diode-pumped solid-state Nd:LuVO4 acousto-optic Q-switched laser is demonstrated at 916 nm of a quasi-three level for the first time. A pulse width of 130 ns is observed when the pulse-repetition frequency is 10 kHz. The laser experiment shows that the Nd:LuVO4 crystal can be used for efficient diode-pumped Q-switched lasers.


Groundwater samples were taken from different locations of Kotputli town. Studies of Physico-chemical characteristics of groundwater quality based on Physic-chemical parameters have been taken up to evaluate its suitability for different purposes. Total 13 samples were collected. The quality analysis has been made through the pH, EC, TDS, Total Hardness, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Sulphate, Nitrate, Fluoride and Alkalinity. Comparative studies of samples in different seasons were conducted. It was found that there is no appreciable change in the different parameters during rainy season. It was also analyzed that Electrical Conductivity and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were decreased in the rainy season, and Alkalinity, Total Hardness were increased after the rainfall. The results were compared with standards prescribed by WHO and ISI. A systematic calculation of the correlation coefficient has also been carried out between different analyzed parameters.


pidginized usage that had become commonplace as the language of command. In advocating an upgraded language, he intended to provide elite Africans with a medium of modern communication that would underscore their education and superiority to users of ordinary Creole Swahili; he hoped that this would forestall demands for education in French, the language of ultimate power. Language and Colonial Power will be valued more and more as similar questions and materials are pursued elsewhere. There is already a good deal of literature about Swahili language policies in East Africa, especially Tanzania. (Attention should be drawn to Ann Brumfit's article, 'The rise and development of a Language Policy in German East Africa', in Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika, 2 (1980), which escaped Fabian.) Much remains to be done. The museums, old colonial institutes and mission headquarters of the metropoles ought to be rummaged in the way Fabian did in Belgium. At the same time, the study of transethnic ' vehicular languages' must be extended backwards to the era of commercial penetration before formal colonialism. The subject of language and power, before and after as well as during colonial rule, is an inexhaustible subject to which we will return time and again. This volume will be an enduring contribution.


INTRODUCTION
Multiple sclerosis is an idiopathic demyelinating disease that may affect the optic nerve leading to acute unilateral visual loss, which could be observed by means of evoked visual potential (VEP). This exam is much valued for studying prechiasmatic visual paths in multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE
To analyze the findings of pattern reversal VEP in patients with prior diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and to compare them to visual acuity.

METHODS
Twenty-four patients with a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were submitted to pattern reversal VEP from October 2001 to March 2007.

RESULTS
In P100 component response, at 15' and 1 degree stimuli, 19 eyes presented latency response up to 115 ms in both stimuli, which coincided in 6 eyes with latency response between 116 and 135 ms; 11 eyes had a latency response higher than 135 ms, and four eyes did not respond to stimuli. Correlating visual acuity with P100 latency for 15', in Pearson r correlation, r=0.85 with p=0.000000123, and for 1 degree, r = 0.87 with p=0.0000000338.

CONCLUSION
Approximately 60.4% of patients presented abnormalities. However, the correlation between the P100 latency (15' and 1 degree) and visual acuity was statistically significant; therefore the better the visual acuity, the better the response to stimuli of the pattern-reversal VEP.


............................................................................................................................................ 6 Literature Review ............................................................................................................................ 7 Background & History of CHNA ....................................................................................... 8 Purpose of CHNA ............................................................................................................... 12 The CHNA Process ............................................................................................................ 14 Strengths and Challenges of CHNA ................................................................................ 17 CHNAs relationship to other health planning tools/methods ..................................... 20 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 25 Next Steps ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Study Methodology .......................................................................................................... 28 Intent of the CHNA ........................................................................................................... 29 Local Examples ................................................................................................................... 30 Emory Healthcare's Method ............................................................................... 31 Piedmont Healthcare's Method ........................................................................ 32 Case Studies ....................................................................................................................... 34 Gwinnett Medical Center .................................................................................... 35 Phoebe Putney Health System .......................................................................... 37 Atlanta MSA .......................................................................................................... 38 Common CHNA Challenges .............................................................................................. 39 Language of the Legislation and Proposed Changes .................................................. 42 Groups in Place to Assist ................................................................................................... 45 Helpful Tools ..................................................................................................................... 47 What a Successful CHNA contains .................................................................................. 53 Relationship to City Planning ........................................................................................... 56 Examples of Good Implementation Strategies ............................................................... 61 Suggestions for CHNA Improvements .............................................................................. 62 Hospital Accountability ..................................................................................................... 63 Creation of a CHNA Checklist .......................................................................................... 64 Conclusion 68 References ....................................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix A: Schedule H – Form 990............................................................................................. 74 Appendix B: Interview Questions.................................................................................................. 76


The proliferation of free trade agreements which share dispute settlement jurisdiction with the WTO has added to claims of disintegration within international trade law. Recent WTO jurisprudence is indicative of the limits of WTO members ability to invoke provisions of an FTA as a jurisdictional defence where the dispute implicates trade measures under both WTO and FTA rules. Such uncertainty in the law has the potential not only to create issues of incoherent jurisprudence, but also to threaten the stability and predictability of the multilateral trading system. These issues are likely to continue to arise as FTAs continue to grow in abundance while the Doha round is stalled. Based on analysis of a selection of state-state disputes before other fora such as the International Court of Justice, this article argues that in the interest of the effective administration of justice, the WTO's judicial organ should use its inherent power of comity to decline to exercise jurisdiction so that the dispute can be resolved by an FTA tribunal where a dispute is inextricably connected with a dispute under an FTA and that exercising jurisdiction would not be reasonable in the circumstances.


In the present study three pumpkin cultivars (Curcubita maxima; sunny, rouge and muscat), cultivated under the same conditions, and were chosen for genuine juice production in a pilot plant scale. Aim of juice production was an optimal transfer of secondary plant metabolites into juice with avoidance of off-flavour formation. Therefore, analysis was focused on one side on carotenoid quantification and on the other side on identification of the partly unknown flavour compounds and secondary flavours that were built during processing. These results were supplemented by sensorial characterisation and extensive analysis (density, extract, glucose, fructose, saccharose, colour, TEAC, total phenols) of the juices. Additionally the distribution of carotenoids in pulp and paring were analysed. Significant differences were shown for the total carotenoid content and carotenoid profile in the genuine juices, respectively in pulp and peel. The highest concentration was observed for the juice of the variety sunny (49.0 mg/l), also large concentration were verified for the trester extract of the variety rouge (42.0 mg/l), due to the fact that for this variety the biggest part of the total carotenoids were located in the peel. In different concentrations and distributions β-carotin, α-carotin, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, all-trans-lutein and the isomers 9-cis-β-carotin and 13-cis-β-carotin were obtained. The results of the flavour analysis showed also conspicuous differences between the varieties. Whereas the juice of rouge was dominated from C9-compounds (nonanal, nonen-1-ol) and norisoprenoide β-damascenon, the main compounds of muscat were identified as β-ionon, α-ionon, dihydropseudoionon and β-cyclocitral. The juice of the variety sunny is dominated by C6-compounds (2-hexenal, hexanal), hexanoic acid ethylester and 1-octen-3-ol.