Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis and a major cause of disability in people aged 50years and older. It is the clinical and pathologic outcome of a range of disorders that results in structural and functional failure of synovial joints. At first, articular cartilage may be the primary injury site but eventually all structures, synovium, muscle, capsule, ligaments and meniscal cartilage are involved. This prospective study was conducted in 60 patients of age 35-70years with grade1-2 osteoarthritis attending orthopedics OPD in a tertiary care centre. Having diagnosed by American College Of Rheumatology Criteria and staged as per Ahlback's radiological grading along with detailed history of secondary causes and pathological factors inducing osteoarthritis were ruled out.The age of the patients in our study ranged from 35-70 years with the mean age of 53.75 years. Female predominance was noted with females 40 (66.7%) and males constituting 33.3% (20 cases) in our study. In our study majority cases (n=46) presented with grade 2 while rest of the patients presented with grade 1 disease. VAS score depicted decrease in mean of 6.45 at baseline to 3.76 after six months. The improvement was statistically significant with p value (0.002). Total WOMAC score was noted at the end of six months and depicted by p value of (0.000). No complications related to PRP injection were reported. Platelet rich plasma has a role in the treatment of osteoarthritis which in our study is supported by the improvement seen in VAS and WOMAC scores. This improvement is possibly due to the anti inflammatory properties or due to release of various growth factors. PRP may also influence the overall joint homeostasis by reducing hyperplasia of the synovial membrane and modulating cytokines level.


Google Zurich.Brandschenkestrasse 110, 8002, Zurich, Switzerlandjason.li | boi.faltings @epfl.ch, firstname.lastname@example.com. OpenSense air pollution sensors that could be used in community sensing. Top left: on top of a bus; bottomleft: on top of a tram; top right: attached to a solar-powered weather station on a building; and bottom right: attachedto a smartphone.


OBJECTIVE:To establish the method for encapsulation efficiency determination of Isoliquiritigenin solid lipid nanoparticles(ISO-SLN) .METHODS:Dialysis method was used to isolate free fraction and drug-loading solid lipid nanoparticles from samples.Medium and time of dialysis were confirmed.The encapsulation efficiency was determined by UV spectrophotometry at detection wavelength of 396 nm.RESULTS:2% poloxamer188 hydrate medium was used as dialysis medium and dialysis time was 8 h.Free ISO could be effectively separated from ISO-SLN by dialysis method.The recovery rate was more than 95%.The linear range of ISO was 1.12~7.84 μg·mL-1(r=0.999 5) with average recoveries of 99.54%,99.11% and 100.2% at low,medium and high concentrations(RSD5%) .The encapsulation efficiency of 3 batches of ISO-SLN was 80.2% averagely.CONCLUSION:The method is accurate and simple for encapsulation efficiency determination of ISO-SLN.


Rather than enjoying a fine PDF afterward a cup of coffee in the afternoon, on the other hand they juggled similar to some harmful virus inside their computer. sri lanka responding to new social challenges is straightforward in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our digital library saves in multipart countries, allowing you to acquire the most less latency times to download any of our books afterward this one. Merely said, the sri lanka responding to new social challenges is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Objective To study the clinical effects of modified axillary interscalene and brachial plexus block guided by nerve stimulator.Methods 240(ASA Ⅰ~Ⅱ) cases undergoing upper limb surgery were randomly divided into three groups guided by nerve-stimulator.Group Ⅰ(n=80) and Group Ⅱ(n=80) were treated with interscalene brachial plexus block and axillary brachial plexus block respectively,while Group Ⅲ(n=80) was treated with axillary interscalene(AXIS) and brachial plexus block.Results There were significant differences in clinical effects between Group Ⅲ and the other two groups(P0.05).Conclusion These results indicate that it is effective and safe to adopt modified axillary interscalene and brachial plexus block guided by nerve stimulator.


Writing letters is to Holderlin uttering ideas in a vivid general interesting manner. This is for him both a livening and spiritualizing artistic activity, which utters words to that effect in an equilibrium of mind and life. An endless beautiful reflection underlies this activity and finds utterance in a poetical prose, in which the endless form coalesces with the endless material. Holderlin's letters, in particular the letters in lyrical prose in Hyperion, give evidence for the expressly and sensuous art of this coalescing.


This report describes imaging in a patient with a unique unnamed carotid-basilar anastomosis, where the entry into the skull was via the jugular foramen. There were associated findings of absent right and hypoplastic left vertebral arteries and an aberrant right subclavian artery. We speculate that the persistent anastomosis is developmentally related to the jugular branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery. Clinical implications of the course via the jugular foramen are also discussed.


Peculiarities of students' interpersonal behavior depending on social situations and individual's moral orientation are described. It is noted that under the circumstances of free moral-ethical choice it is the value orientations of an individual that define the constructiveness of students' social interaction.


In composite laminate design there are many practical constraints that are customarily imposed on the selection of a suitable stacking sequence. These practical constraints empirically restrict the design space. Some practical constraints impose knock down factors on strength or strain allowables, while others impose a priori restrictions on laminate stacking sequence selection regardless of actual response calculations. One commonly applied practical constraint is the ten percent rule. In the context of laminates made of 0 ◦ , 90 ◦ and ±45 ◦ plies, the rule states that the fibres of a minimum of ten percent of laminate plies need to be along these predetermined directions. The philosophy behind the rule is that by having a minimum required amount of fibres in all four directions, the stack will be robust enough against secondary loading that cannot be easily modelled during the design process. In this paper, we attempt to formulate a robustness rule to replace the ten percent rule that would be easily applicable where the ply angles are not restricted to the traditional set (0 ◦ , 90 ◦ and ±45 ◦ ). The proposed formulation is based on constraining the ratio of minimum to maximum stiffness of the laminate. Several formulations are given depending on how minimum and maximum stiffness of a laminate are defined. By basing the definition on stiffness properties rather than ply count, it is possible to formulate the rule mathematically in the lamination parameters design space. The feasible regions based on these formulations in lamination parameters space are compared and the merits of each are discussed and compared.


The profile of a relational structure R is the function 'R which counts for every integer n the number, possibly infinite, 'R(n) of substructures of R induced on the n-element subsets, isomorphic substructures being identi- fied. Several graded algebras can be associated with R in such a way that the profile of R is simply the Hilbert function. An example of such graded algebra is the age algebra K.A(R), introduced by P. J. Cameron. In this paper, we give a closer look at this association, particularly when the relational structure R decomposes into finitely many monomorphic components. In this case, several well-studied graded commutative algebras (e.g. the invariant ring of a finite permutation group, the ring of quasi-symmetric polynomials) are isomorphic to some K.A(R). Also, 'R is a quasi-polynomial, this supporting the conjec- ture that, with mild assumptions on R, 'R is a quasi-polynomial when it is


Functional mitral regurgitation has traditionally been defined as a disorder of regional or global left ventricular remodeling in which anatomically normal leaflets fail to coapt adequately.1 The abnormal closure pattern, most easily appreciated with echocardiography, is one of apical tethering of one or both leaflets. Based on a series of in vitro,2 animal,3 and human studies,4 we have embraced the concept that pathological tethering and concomitant regurgitation occur when an imbalance is present between closing and tethering forces. Tethering forces are increased when increased traction on the leaflets exists through a combination of annular dilation and geometric remodeling of the left ventricle. Closure forces are reduced as a consequence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The leaflets have largely been viewed as passive participants in this disease process. Consequently, therapies to reduce or eliminate mitral regurgitation have focused on annular and ventricular remodeling.

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In the present issue of Circulation , Chaput et al5 present in vivo evidence of structural changes in the mitral leaflets of patients with functional mitral regurgitation. They employ a new 3-dimensional echocardiographic method of measuring diastolic mitral leaflet area to compare leaflet size in normal subjects with that in patients with left ventricular dysfunction on the basis of either dilated cardiomyopathy or inferior wall infarction. In the left ventricular dysfunction group, patients with mitral regurgitation are contrasted to those without. The authors report larger-than-normal leaflets in patients with both global and regional left ventricular dysfunction. Moreover, in the group of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the leaflets are larger in those without versus those with mitral regurgitation.

By also measuring the leaflet area required to close the valve, the authors are able to demonstrate that regurgitation is associated with a reduced valve area/closing area ratio. They conclude that in functional …


Studies have been performed to identify the proteins present in canine seminal plasma (SP) and relate them to sperm quality as well as to discover molecular markers of reproductive tract diseases. There is evidence that heparin-binding proteins, zinc-binding proteins, and lactoferrin as well as the matrix metalloproteinase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase enzymes are associated with canine sperm quality. Other studies indicate that prolactin and enzymes like arginine esterase, acid phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase could be successfully used as biomarkers of reproductive disorders. Thus, the present literature review aims to address aspects related to proteins of the canine SP, their influence on fertility, and their importance as biomarkers of reproductive disorders.


A brief account on rural habitat and landscape protection in slovakia after world war ii, and data on the nine protected sites (architectural features, building typologies and materials): brhlovce and velke levare in west slovakia; cismany (reconstructed after fire in 1921), podbiel, sebechleby, spania dolina and vlkolinec in central slovakia; zdiar and osturna in east slovakia. With 8 photographs and 7 bibliographic references.


Shapelet is a fragment of a time series that can be used to represent class characteristics of the time series. Its application in time series classification is extensively discussed and many improvements have been made. One of them is to separate the construction of classifier from shapelet selection process which is called shapelet transformation. It is more flexible and provides us with more freedom and possibilities to make it better. First of all, the consumption of time is still a key problem that needs to be improved. Secondly, how to find the perfect shapelets that are most representative with appropriate amount is another important question we need to answer. In this paper, we first reduce the calculation by merging the existing speed-up techniques with bounding of sliding window. Then, we apply Max-Correlation and Min-Redundancy feature selection strategy in shapelet selection process to choose proper shapelets. We introduce ReliefF to find shapelet candidates with strong class correlation, and eliminate the redundant candidates with less ReliefF weights than their similar candidates. By applying our solution in actual datasets, we have proved the feasible of our strategy in actual application.


"Slope Instability Along Transport Arteries of Darjeeling Himalaya: A Case of Kalimpong Sub-Division, West Bengal." The Darjeeling Himalaya is a fragile terrestrial system, which is too often disturbed by various environmental catastrophes. Slope instability in form of landslides and subsidence along transport and arterial sectors of Kalimpong Sub-division is perhaps the most hazardous among the environmental catastrophe threatening the Darjeeling Himalaya. One of the fundamental challenges to the development in the Kalimpong area is the physical environment with evergrowing population. Human interference have increased to such a level that it has adversely altered the integrity and balance of the natural system. Landslides occur in a wide variety of settings. The causes of landslides are related to the factors that made the slope vulnerable to failure, that predispose the slope to become unstable. The researcher has identified slope failures and the mechanism of these failures along the main transport arteries of the study area. It is also quite evident that the causative factors of landslide are important to identify the nature of landslide. Assessment of susceptibility of an area to sliding and the factors which trigger the movement of the rock-mass, are of extreme importance because it helps a precise and correct diagnosis that can serve as a basis for effective remedial measures. During the field study, seven major landslides along NH-31A and the alternative route i.e. Kalimpong – Algara – Labha – Garubathan and subsidences along Labha – Paparkhati sector were selected. A detailed study of the slope instability their nature, present dimensions, and extent of damages were done. Then Landslide hazard zonation map of the study area has been prepared. For this purpose the Landslide Hazard Evaluation Factor rating scheme (Bureau of Indian Standard, 1998), governed by the major causative factors like lithology, structure, slope morphometry, relative relief, land use/ land cover and hydrological condition of the study area have been used. Results from the studies highlight the medium, high and very high landslide hazard zones will be useful for undertaking proper management techniques for future development activities.


Elastic solid finite element method is used for calculation of open-web sandwich plate under vertical loads to obtain the regularity of deformation and internal force for this plate,and to investigate design method of load-carrying capacity for this structure.Further,the calculate error for design value of load-carrying capacity is compared for practical method and FEM.the conclusion can service as reference to project design.


Given that single-state model can just describe single channel environment, and multiple-state model brings more parameters and more complicated simulation work, then a three-state Markov statistical modeling of dual-polarized MIMO-LMS channels with single satellite is proposed. And these three states are separately LOS (line-of-sight) state, intermediate shadow state and deep shadow state. Based on the proposed model, and through detailed computer simulations, the time series and channel capacity for $4\times 2$ and $2\times 2$ MIMO-LMS channel in open rural environment, suburban environment and urban environment are obtained.


The utility model provides a sewing machine with a direct-drive type device, belongs to the technical field of machinery, and resolves the technical problems that existing sewing machines have low electric-energy use efficiency, the needle position is hard to accurately control, and the like. The sewing machine comprises a machine base and a machine casing. A spindle, a bearing base, a front section bearing, a middle section bearing, a rear section bearing and a motor are arranged in the machine casing, the bearing base is fixed in the machine casing, the rear section bearing is arranged in the bearing base, the front section bearing and the middle section bearing are arranged in the machine casing, and the shaft axises of the front section bearing, the middle section bearing and the rear section bearing are in the same straight line. The spindle penetrates through the front section bearing, the middle section bearing and the rear section bearing, the motor comprises a rotor, a stator and a motor cover, the stator is arranged in the machine casing, the rotor and the spindle are in an integral structure, and the motor cover and the machine casing are connected integrally. The sewing machine with the direct-drive type device has the advantages of being more compact and reasonable in structure, higher in use efficiency, accurate in machine needle positioning, and the like.


In this report, we establish that the use of an automated theorem- proving program to study deep questions from mathematics and logic is indeed an excellent move. Among such problems, we focus mainly on that concerning the construction of fixed point combinators--a problem considered by logicians to be significant and difficult to solve, and often computationally intensive and arduous. To be a fixed point combinator, THETA must satisfy the equation THETAx = x(THETAx) for all combinators x. The specific questions on which we focus most heavily ask, for each chosen set of combinators, whether a fixed point combinator can be constructed from the members of that set. For answering questions of this type, we present a new, sound, and efficient method, called the kernel method, which can be applied quite easily by hand and very easily by an automated theorem-proving program. For the application of the kernel method by a theorem-proving program, we illustrate the vital role that is played by both paramodulation and demodulation--two of the powerful features frequently offered by an automated theorem-proving program for treating equality as if it is ''understood.'' We also state a conjecture that, if proved, establishes the completeness of the kernel method. From what we can ascertain, this method--which relies on the introduced concepts of kernel and superkernel--offers the first systematic approach for searching for fixed point combinators. We successfully apply the new kernel method to various sets of combinators and, for the set consisting of the combinators B and W, construct an infinite set of fixed point combinators such that no two of the combinators are equal even in the presence of extensionality--a law that asserts that two combinators are equal if they behave the same. 18 refs.


The continued growth of ferrous powder metallurgy in automobile and others engineering application is largely de-pendent on the development of higher density materials and improved mechanical properties. Since density is a predominant factor in the performance of powder metallurgy components, it has been primarily considered for the present investigation. An experimental investigation have been undertaken in order to understand the variation of density with respect to the variation of process parameters viz., compaction load, sinter temperature and sintering time. The relation among the various process parameters with density has been observed. A mathematical model has been developed using second order response surface model (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) considering the above mentioned process parameters. The developed mathematical model would help in predicting the variation in density with the change in the level of different parameters influencing the density variation. This model also can be useful for setting of optimum value of the parameters for achieving the target density.


The study was conducted on the present status of HACCP based quality management system of golda, Macrobrachium rosenbergii farms in Fulpur region of Mymensingh. Information was collected on general condition of farms, culture systems and post-harvest quality management. In almost all farms, there is no or inadequate infrastructure facilities such as, road access, electric supply, telecommunications, ice, feed storage facility, vehicle for golda transportation, washing and toilet facilities. The problems associated with sanitation and hygiene was: widespread use of cow dung, poultry manure and construction of open toilet within the vicinity of prawn culture pond. Different grades of commercially available and locally prepared feeds were used for golda culture in the pond. Golda post-larvae (PL) of 40-50 days old were stocked with carp species. The price of golda PL ranged from Tk. 1.00 to Tk. 1.25/piece. The pond size varied from 50 decimal (0.2 ha) to 2.5 acre (1.0 ha) with an average depth of 2-2.5 m. The culture period of golda varied from April-May to November-December and survival rate ranged between 75 and 80%. Production of golda varied from 250-500 kg/acre (625-1,250 kg/ha). Harvested golda were transported to city market within 4 h. Two size grading were generally followed during pricing, e.g. Tk. 500 to 550/kg for >100 g size and Tk. 300/kg for <100 g size. The cost-benefit ratio was found to remain around 1:1.25 depending on availability of PL. Water quality parameters such as, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity and chlorophyll a in five golda farms in Fulpur region were monitored. Water temperature ranged from 29°C to 33°C, dissolved oxygen from 2.28 to 4.13 mg/l, pH between 6.65 and 7.94, alkalinity from 44 to 70 mg/l and chlorophyll a concentration from 61.88 to 102.34 µg/l in the five investigated ponds. The Aerobic Plate Count (APC) of the water sample was within the range of 2.0x10^6 - 2.96x10^7 CFU/ml and of soil samples within the range of 6.9x10^6 - 7.73x10^6 CFU/g. Streptococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Salmonella sp. were isolated from pond water and sediment. Different feed samples used for golda was analyzed for proximate composition. Moisture content ranged around 14.14-21.22%, crude protein 20.55-44.1%, lipid 4.67-12.54% and ash 9.7-27.69%. The TVB-N values and peroxide values of feeds used as starter, grower and fish meal were found within the acceptable ranges and samples were free from pathogenic organisms. A training was organized for the golda farmers on HACCP, water quality and post-harvest quality management of prawn.


The dynamic process of work\|hardening of medium manganese steel has been investigated by means of TEM in\|situ tension.The results show that dislocations will form,increase and interact with each other as the strain increases.The carbides formed at as\|cast stage and carbide formed during deformation would hindered the movement of dislocation strongly.Strain\|induced martensite nuclei emerged and grew up at a high density dislocation field.


Patients are the most vulnerable social groups exposed to the risk. The patients' rights are part of human rights and are considered as a sensitive field for the medical groups and the patients. But unfortunately, in some cases we see that the staffs of the educational-treatment centers do not observe them. The extent of the observance of the patients' rights has been explored in this study. This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional one. The study settings are Besat, Shahid Beheshti and Sina educational-treatment centers of Hamadan city and the research sample includes 200 inpatients of these centers. The means for collecting data was a questionnaire which consisted of 2 parts: demographic characteristics of the research units and questions to obtain the patients' opinions on the observation of their rights. In the patients' opinions, their rights are most observed in respect of their admission (62%) and least observed in respect of the informed study and signature of the letter of consent (42.5%). Considering that generally 46% of the patients have this attitude that their rights are not completely observed, the effectiveness and quality of the healthcare should be maximized by training the medical staff and taking into consideration the fundamental rights of the patients and raising their awareness of their rights.


It is a central claim of this book that one of the most important challenges for an anthropology of ethics is to develop the conceptual resources to enable us to think both about and with freedom; to make freedom both object and instrument of anthropological thought. This chapter begins by seeking to explain and develop the resources for doing this that we find in the later writings of Michel Foucault. This work will continue in Chapter 4. But Foucault also provides a starting point for thinking about some other general questions about the ethical dimension of human conduct, such as, 'What constitutes an ethical subject?', 'Through what kind of social relations might a free subject be formed?', 'Can we usefully distinguish different aspects of moral life?', 'What place has reflective thinking in ethical life?', and 'What are the limits of the ethical?'. The Foucault whose thought will be introduced in this chapter differs markedly from the figure still cited regularly under that name, in anthropology and in the other human and social sciences. The latter figure is routinely credited both by admirers and detractors with a set of views almost all of which Foucault himself explicitly repudiated. (MacIntyre's portrayal of Foucault, mentioned in Chapter 2, falls into this large category.) It must be that this much-cited 'Foucault', for whom power is 'a system of domination that controls everything and leaves no room for freedom' (1997: 293), and who subscribed to a neo-Marxist sociology and a neo-Freudian psychology, is somehow necessary to maintain certain ingrained habits of thought in the human sciences, or he would not have been so vividly imagined or profusely influential. But whatever those needs might be – we shall not be concerned here further with their diagnosis – they are not those of an anthropology of ethics. What Foucault does provide is a rethinking of the concepts of power and freedom, such that they are not each defined negatively as what the other excludes, and such that freedom emerges as a central term in the analysis of how subjects are constituted. So, far from it being the case, as Charles Taylor (1984) influentially decreed, that Foucault's thought 'leaves no place for freedom or truth', he in fact gives us what we might call an ethnographically usable understanding of freedom and its place in ethical life.


Friction dampers are commonly used to reduce high amplitude vibration in a variety of contexts, for example within gas turbines. This paper applies a recently developed method for predicting response bounds and estimating the response distribution when the characteristics of the friction dampers are unknown. The approach taken is to consider the internal frictional forces as independent external forces, and formulate an optimisation problem to seek upper and lower bounds on a chosen response metric, such as displacement amplitude. The optimisation problem is subject to constraints that describe properties of the frictional nonlinearity, without needing to specify a particular constitutive law. The principle of Maximum Entropy is then applied in order to estimate a distribution of the response within these bounds. Initial results from experimental tests and numerical simulations will be shown and compared with the predicted bounds and the estimated Maximum Entropy distribution.


Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Symmetry 3. The quantum world 4. Towards QCD 5. The one number of QCD 6. The gregarious gluon 7. Quarks and hadrons 8. Quarks under the microscope 9. Much ado about nothing 10. Checkerboard QCD Appendix 1. A QCD chronology Appendix 2. Greek alphabet and SI prefixes Appendix 3. Glossary Appendix 4. Further reading Index.


I n the years 1998-2001, the IF of two of the main astronomical journals, «Astronomy and Astrophysics» and «The Astrophysical Journal», was underestimated by ISI. The American Institute claimed that the wrong IF was due to the astronomers' bibliographic negligence. The acronyms used in references (AA Barschall's studies about the cost/effectiveness of physics journals showed that some publishers do not fit in a correct relationship between the high price of their products and the real quality of the journals. The astronomers already have free databases of preprints and scanned articles: the e-print archive of Paul Ginsparg (Los Alamos) and the ADS database, sponsored by NASA. The latter provides the citations to each article. Since the method to calculate the IF shows frequent faults - such as those happened to «Nature», «Science» and the astronomical journals - the astronomers' autonomistic tendence will probably lead to the production of their own Citation index and Impact factor, free of charge and with no confusion among acronyms. A final remark: the problems connected with IF and the use of acronyms/abbreviations have been generally studied by astronomers, not by librarians. If the librarians' skills had been involved, they could have provided an useful interface between the authors and ISI.


Background: This study assessed the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the United States, among parents and child mental health. Methods: Our sample included 9076 children aged 6 to 17 years. Data were pooled from the 2016–2018 waves of the National Health Interview Survey. We fitted a logistic regression to obtain the odds ratios in favor of child mental health problems for parental CVD. We also fitted a multinomial logistic regression to obtain the odds in favor of the severity of mental health problems (i.e., minor, definite, and severe). Results: The adjusted odds of facing difficulties for a child of a parent with CVD were 1.64 (95% CI: 1.28–2.11) times that of their peers whose parents did not have CVD. The adjusted relative risk of facing minor and definite difficulties for a child of a parent with CVD were 1.48 (95% CI: 1.13–1.94) and 2.25 (95% CI: 1.47–3.46) times that of their peers of parents without CVD. Conclusions: The results suggest a strong association between child mental health and parental cardiovascular morbidity, demonstrating the need for the development or adaptation of existing public health interventions to facilitate mental health support for children of parents with CVD.


5030 Background: Most patients would defer using androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with radiation therapy (RT) when the number-needed-to-treat (NNT) exceeds 25 persons to prevent 1 from developing metastasis, corresponding to an absolute benefit of 4%.1 However, no tools for estimating personalized NNT or absolute benefit from ADT exist. We aimed to quantify personalized absolute benefit and NNT for persons receiving ADT added to single modality RT. Methods: The clinical cell-cycle risk (CCR) score combines the University of California, San Francisco's Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment and the cell cycle progression molecular score to accurately assess prostate cancer aggressiveness. The effect of ADT added to RT was modeled using a 10-year risk of metastasis as a function of continuous CCR score for patients treated with RT alone. The relative benefit of ADT added to RT to reduce distant metastasis was modeled using published data from The Meta-Analysis of Randomized trials in Cancer of the Prostate (MARCAP) which utilized several prospectively randomized RT±ADT trials.2 The average absolute benefit was calculated for patients with CCR scores above and below a prespecified multimodality treatment threshold (MTT) using the distribution of scores in a cohort of patients commercially tested by Myriad Genetics. Results: The commercially tested cohort consisted of 56,485 patients spanning all National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk categories (33.7% very low/low risk, 29.8% favorable intermediate risk, 25.6% unfavorable intermediate risk, 11.0% high/very high risk), with 87.2% having CCR scores at or below the MTT and 12.7% with CCR scores above the threshold. The average absolute benefit of ADT treatment was 0.86% (NNT=116) for patients with CCR scores below the MTT and 8.2% (NNT=12) for patients with CCR scores above the MTT. Patients with CCR scores at precisely the MTT had a predicted absolute benefit of 3.7% (NNT=27). Conclusions: The Prolaris test can accurately predict an individual's benefit of adding ADT to RT, and the risk threshold is consistent with patient attitudes about when to use or omit ADT. 1. Spratt DE, Tward JD: IJROBP 108:899-902, 2020. 2. Kishan AU, Sun Y, Hartman H, et al. Lancet Oncol 23:304-316, 2022.


We investigate the minimal theory of massive gravity (MTMG) recently introduced. After reviewing the original construction based on its Hamiltonian in the vielbein formalism, we reformulate it in terms of its Lagrangian in both the vielbein and the metric formalisms. It then becomes obvious that, unlike previous attempts in the literature of Lorentz-violating massive gravity, not only the potential but also the kinetic structure of the action is modified from the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) massive gravity theory. We confirm that the number of physical degrees of freedom in MTMG is two at fully nonlinear level. This proves the absence of various possible pathologies such as superluminality, acausality and strong coupling. Afterwards, we discuss the phenomenology of MTMG in the presence of a dust fluid. We find that on a flat homogeneous and isotropic background we have two branches. One of them (self-accelerating branch) naturally leads to acceleration without the genuine cosmological constant or dark energy. For this branch both the scalar and the vector modes behave exactly as in general relativity (GR). The phenomenology of this branch differs from GR in the tensor modes sector, as the tensor modes acquire a non-zero mass. Hence, MTMG serves as a stable nonlinear completion of the self-accelerating cosmological solution found originally in dRGT theory. The other branch (normal branch) has a dynamics which depends on the time-dependent fiducial metric. For the normal branch, the scalar mode sector, even though as in GR only one scalar mode is present (due to the dust fluid), differs from the one in GR, and, in general, structure formation will follow a different phenomenology. The tensor modes will be massive, whereas the vector modes, for both branches, will have the same phenomenology as in GR.


This document describes the use cases and requirements for simulcast
and layered video coding support in WebRTC. These techniques simplify
the implementation of video stream adaptation to different
participants in centralized conferencing solutions. This document also
includes a proposal to expose these capabilities in the existing
PeerConnection API by defining new media constraint properties.


In recent years, with the rapid development of the media, an increasing number of corporations and even government agencies are using the new format known as the micro film as a means of advertising and marketing. In this study, we took the micro films produced by the Taipei City Government as objects of analysis to investigate the image of the city as constructed in and produced by these films. Furthermore, in this study, the symbol of image in three such micro films was studied: Love@Taipei, My Micro Tour of Taipei, and Happily Ever After. It was found that in these films, the characteristics of the city of Taipei have been presented accurately and successfully by means of the [appropriate selection of] celebrity performers, the romance narratives used, and the lively presentation of these films. Therefore, these films have foregrounded an image of Taipei that is free, friendly, diverse, and progressive; furthermore, they have successfully conveyed the idea that "Taipei is a city that is positive and capable of outstanding achievements" . These films, designed to attract audiences, have been made with great skill and portray little elements of the government-run campaigns they are actually part of, thus making them even more entertaining for viewers.


Abstract Work breaks are known to have positive effects on employees' health, performance and safety. Using a sample of twelve employees working in a stressful and cognitively demanding working environment, this experimental field study examined how different types of work breaks (boxing, deep relaxation and usual breaks) affect participants' mood, cognitive performance and neurophysiological state compared to a control condition without any break. In a repeated measures experimental design, cognitive performance was assessed using an auditory oddball test and a Movement Detection Test. Brain cortical activity was recorded using electroencephalography. Individual's mood was analysed using a profile of mood state. Although neurophysiological data showed improved relaxation of cortical state after boxing (vs. 'no break' and 'deep relaxation'), neither performance nor mood assessment showed similar results. It remains questionable whether there is a universal work break type that has beneficial effects for all individuals. Practitioner Summary: Research on work breaks and their positive effects on employees' health and performance often disregards break activities. This experimental field study in a stressful working environment investigated the effect of different work break activities. A universal work break type that is beneficial for this workplace could not be identified.


Directionlet transform DT has become popular over the last few years as an efficient image representation tool due to its fine frequency tiling and directional vanishing moments along any two directions. A novel denoising algorithm based on DT is proposed here for images corrupted with Gaussian noise. The image is first spatially segmented based on the content directionality. Then an undecimated version of DT is applied to effectively capture the directional features and edge information of these segments. The DT coefficients so obtained are then modelled using a bivariate heavy tailed Gaussian distribution and the noise free coefficients are computed using MAP estimator. By employing bivariate probability distribution, the heavy-tail behaviour of natural images is accurately modelled and the interscale properties of DT coefficients are properly exploited. In addition, the local variance parameter of the model is estimated based on classification of DT coefficients within a particular scale using context modelling. Due to this the intrascale dependency of the directionlet coefficients is also well exploited in the enhancement process. The proposed algorithm is competitive with the existing algorithms with better results in terms of output peak signal-to-noise ratio while having comparable computational complexity. It exhibits good capability to preserve edges, contours and textures especially in images with abundant high frequency contents.


The central aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the relationships between the architecture and evolution of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), by comparative sequence analysis. The chosen model group is the one of the hemiascomycete yeasts, the group of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The RNA annotation of these complete sequenced yeast genomes, led to the identification of an unconventional size of a RNase P RNA, which is an universal ribozyme that processes pre-tRNAs in all organisms of the three domains of life. This huge RNase P RNA, more than 1kb, was discovered in the human–pathogen yeast, Candida glabrata, which is very unusual, since in other eukaryotic and prokaryotic species the length is averaging 300 nucleotides (nt). Despite its length, the computational identified RNA is really the functional RNA in the cell. Another huge RNA was surprisingly discovered in the same yeast, namely the one of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, which protects chromosome by adding repeated sequences at their ends. It is the largest described to date, as it was also the case for the RNase P RNA. However, the telomerase RNA is much larger, with a size that reaches more than 2,5 kb and corresponds to more than 15 times the smallest telomerase RNA ever found in a eukaryote. Most of the time, the largest RNAs is found in C. Glabrata (the other example is U1 snRNA), but other hemiascomycete species express also ncRNAs with great sizes. [. . . ]


This paper first identifies that there is an underachievement in math nationwide as well as an underutilization of research principles from cognitive science in math curriculum and instruction. Then the paper provides a compelling rationale addressing the theoretical foundation and relevant prior empirical evidence supporting the proposed project. Finally, the paper provides the significance of the proposed project. 1. Identify the Education Problem That Will Be Addressed by the Project (1) Underachievement in math Current levels of math achievement at the elementary and secondary levels within the U. S. suggest that we are neither preparing the general population with levels of math knowledge necessary for the twenty-first century workplace, nor producing well prepared students to meet national needs for domestic scientists and mathematicians (Research & Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development, 2003; U.S. Department of Education, 2003a, 2003b, 2003c). Despite the fact that levels of math achievement have improved over the past decade, achievement gaps continue to exist. Further, low levels of achievement are more likely to be present among minority groups and students from low-income backgrounds (U.S. Department of Education, 2003a). This underachievement in math may be related to math anxiety that is formulated in the later elementary grades (grades 3-6) with increasing exposure to events or significant others such as teachers and friends who solidify the anxiety (Hackworth, 1985). Additionally, there has been much debate regarding what constitutes math proficiency and which teaching methods support student achievement of this proficiency. Limited empirical research has been conducted to compare these instructional approaches to determine what leads to improved math achievement across ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the U.S. (2) Underutilization of research principles from cognitive science in math According to Carver and Klahr (2001), cognitive scientists have identified numerous basic principles of learning that are supported by empirical research in traditional, well-controlled laboratory settings. In math, over the past 20 years, cognitive and developmental researchers have described the growth of young children's scientific knowledge and numeracy (e. g., Kalchman, Moss, & Case, 2001; Lehrer, Schauble, Strom, & Pligge, 2001; Palincsar & Magnusson, 2001). However, for the most part, curriculum in math has not widely or systematically incorporated findings from this accumulation of research either through the creation of materials that support teaching and learning or at the level of instruction. Furthermore, little work has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of math curricula and instructional practices for improving student learning and achievement (Glaser, 2001). The three components of cognition (attention, memory, and reason) are the basis for achievement in math and other academic areas. Many scholars have called for research to bridge the gap between detailed, rigorous models of attention and successful academic performance (Baddeley, 1990; Carver & Klahr, 2001; Glaser, 2001; Hitch & Logie, 1996). Recent discoveries about multiple memory systems and their underlying neurological processes hold particular promise for developing instructional methods that tap into implicit learning (Baddeley, 1990, 1999; Carver & Klahr, 2001; Hitch & Logie, 1996). Thus research is needed regarding how to improve the encoding of information and retrieval of implicit memories for learned material, how memory representations can better reflect what has been taught, and how the flexible use of memory systems can facilitate accurate reasoning and problem solving. 2. Provide a Compelling Rationale Addressing the Theoretical Foundation and Relevant Prior Empirical Evidence Supporting the Proposed Project (1) Provide a compelling rationale addressing the theoretical foundation According to Bork (1992), a multimedia learning environment is a new paradigm for learning in current education. This is especially true for math learning. According to Tooke (2001), "The computer affected mathematics education. It changed the mathematics curriculum, the teaching of mathematics, and even the way mathematics was learned,"(p. 1). But investigating the effects of computer-based multimedia on learning and performance requires a solid foundation in cognitive psychology and learning theory (Astleitner & Wiesner, 2004; Dijkstra, Jonassen, & Sembill, 2001; Mayer, 2001; Rouet, Levonen, & Biardeau, 2001; Sweller, 1999). Multimedia scholars have recently built their research on cognitive learning theory (e. g., Bishop & Cates, 2001; Schnotz, 2001; Wright, 2001). In addition, Mayer's recent work of multimedia investigations are heavily grounded in cognitive


Introduction. The relevance of addressing the problem is due to the fact that the determination of scientific and technological progress in modern Russian society requires consideration the potential of a professional personality as the main part of production. At the same time, it is necessary to focus on the conscious reproduction of a person himself, the actualization and self-realization of his potential, changing attitudes towards him as a resource and exploring him as something deep, essential and valuable.Purpose setting. In this regard, the study aims to identify the essence of the subject, its relationship with the potential in the process of professional self-realization in the conditions of modern Russian society.Methodology of the study. The research is based on the application of psychosocial, cultural, subject-activity and reflexive-acmeological approaches.Results. Personality is a key subject of professional activity living in the space of Russian society, in the mental layer of which spiritual and moral principles are hidden, which determine the possibility of achieving a spiritual stage of development and the peaks of professional skill. Due to the spiritual framework of Russian culture, a professional creatively develops as a subject driven by internal essential creative forces that actualize the active, creative principle.Conclusions. The author's approach allows us to move away from the interpretation of personality as a set of social relations and consider the personality of a professional through the potential, essential, manifested and unfolding in the subject as the potency of essential vital forces.


This paper uses videotaping and discourse analysis to study participants' dialogue and conduct during preparation of the Coachella Valley habitat conservation plan in southern California. The research uses social worlds analysis to reveal that the plan's technical advisors did not find facts through the collective discovery of scientific truths with unitary meanings, but instead constructed facts by aligning professional visions of space, time, and agency. The validity of the resulting plan relied on its ability to be a "boundary object", meaning different things to different groups, while simultaneously laying claim to universality and objectivity. However, its subsequent failure to satisfy an unexpected scientific peer review demonstrates the importance of anticipating downstream reception and use when developing such documents. This case study shows that planners can be epistemic mediators, creating and stabilizing technical knowledge claims that project authority by showing a responsive face to many audiences.


A simple theoretical approach is proposed that makes it possible to describe smectic ordering in melts of block copolymers containing flexible and rigid blocks. It is shown that for such systems the Ginzburg parameter is very small, which ensures that the mean-field approximation is applicable. It is found that 1 ) the nematic-smecticd transition can be either a second-order transition (if the volume fraction of the flexible component is small), or a first-order transition (in the opposite case); 2) in the smectic phase, with decrease of the temperature (increase of the parameter X ) one or two structural transitions can occur (the latter case is always associated with a doubling of the period of the smectic phase). The phase diagram for the system under consideration is constructed. The parameters of the smectic structures are related to molecular characteristics of the polymer. The situation in which the appearance of a smectic-Cphase should be expected is indicated.


My main remark is that the authors only took into account the 2021 event although a longer time series of jellyfish observations is available (Fig. 3). The 2021 event appears to be the most remarkable one because of its persistence, but other intense events occurred. For instance, in January 2020 a '3-degree' event took place suddenly after weeks of weak or no jellyfish presence. Was that event connected with the atmospheric forcing in the same way as the 2021 one?


FCC iron alloys reveal anomalies in the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity occurring in the paramagnetic as well as in the magnetically ordered state. The anomalies based on thermally excited electron transitions can be described in the paramagnetic temperature range by a two-level model already used in preceding papers (1977, 1978). A splitting of the degenerate energy levels caused by the magnetic coupling modifies the two-level model so that it is also capable of describing the anomalies occurring in the magnetically ordered state.


The study of the complexity is a critical attitude to the traditional reductionism,so it is intended to build up the transcendence,which refers to both exclusion and inclusion.Namely,the complexity is rational,giving reductionism both favorable and critical accounts for its adaptability of research,hence the mysterious universality of reductionism cannot remain intact.


A multi-image closed-circuit video self-confrontation with deliberate distortion of some of the images is presented to patients for immediate impact during psychotherapy. Seeing the distorted images alongside the clear image serves to elicit free associations about past or present self-concepts and introjections, which may then lead to significant clarification and insight into the self in the here and now. The technique is not proposed as a form of therapy by itself or as a substitute for analytic psychotherapy, but rather as an adjunct to be used in appropriate contexts.


Laser parallel light curtain can be extensively used to measure the diameter of the object,the velocity and coordinate of the projectile,the density of projectile in target etc.The uneven distribution of light energy made timing error,directly influencing the accuracy of measurement.The measurement of the uniformity of light energy distribution mainly provides data preparation and theoretical basis for the study of larger screen and dense target,and improves the precision of the curtain tests.The energy distribution of laser spot is introduced theoretically,the design principle of the laser parallel light curtain is explained,the experiment of measuring parallel light uniformity was completed,and the measurement data use of the origin software was analyzed.The experimental results are conformable to the theoretical analysis,the feasibility of the measurement method is proved.


Blocking temperature (TB ) of a fine particle system is found to vary with external field H, dipole interaction and magnetic configuration of the system. The TB distribution curve evaluated at H ' 0 agrees well with the weighted volume distribution of the system and only the field-cooled magnetization (MF C) alone is relevant. The behavior of MF C and MZF C curves depends sensitively on H compared to dipole interaction. Both TB and the volume distribution of the system can be deduced directly if MF C variation with temperature is measured.


Objective: Badan or Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch) � is a source of pharmacopoeial CHD � rhizomes of badan (Rhizomata Bergeniae). B. crassifolia rhizomes are used in medicine as an astringent, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, haemostatic agent. Aqueous and alcohol extracts produced from B. crassifolia leaves possess antihypoxic, nootropic, adaptogenic and antioxidant activity. This research aims to carry out comparative study of the composition and content of phenolic compounds (total phenolic glycosides, total flavonoids and total tannins) in the B. crassifolia leaves cultivated in the Moscow region (MR) and Tver region (TR) in Russia.
Materials and Methods: 70% ethanol extracts were obtained from air-dry B. crassifolia leaves collected in the Tver region (TR) and Moscow region (MR) (Russia).Thin-layer chromatography, spectrophotometry were used to determine total flavonoids content in terms of rutoside, total phenolic glycosides content in terms of arbutin, and permanganatometric titration � total tannins content in terms of tannin. Evaluation of antiradical activity was carried out by a method based on the inhibition of the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). To study the membrane-stabilizing and antioxidant activity, a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide was used, and the antitoxic activity was 2.5% sodium hydroxide solution. 4.5 ml of the culture of ciliates Paramecium caudatum in the stationary phase of growth was used.
Results: Rutoside, tannin, gallic acid and arbutin were identified in B. crassifolia leaves by TLC.
Total tannins content in TR B. crassifolia leaves is 28.21 � 1.17% and MR B. crassifolia leaves � 31.46 � 1.36%, the total flavonoids content � 2.89 � 0.11% and 2.39 � 0.09%, total phenolic glycosides content in terms of arbutin � 19.20 � 0.37 and 26.04 � 1.02 % respectively. Antiradical activity of the aqueous-alcoholic badan solution of was confirmed. IC50 value of 6.231�0,211 mg/ml was established. The AOA of the initial sample was 23.7%, and for a dilution of 1:10 and 1: 100, it was 91.5% and 83.3%, respectively. This indicates a sufficiently high antiradical activity even with large dilutions of the badan extracts. Badan decoction with the addition of a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide dilution exhibits antioxidant activity when diluted from 10-3 to 10-8. Moreover, the maximum effect is observed at 10-4. Under the toxic effect of 2.5% NaOH solution, the badan decoction increased cell viability at a concentration of 10-3, and the highest value at concentrations of 10-5 - 10-7.
Conclusions: The obtained data will be used for development of a pharmacopoeial monograph project �Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch, leaves� for inclusion in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation.


Abstract Partial heat denaturation of preparations of DNA of different origin produced regions that became susceptible to mung bean nuclease I. These regions were distributed throughout the whole molecule of DNA. The susceptible regions were richer in A and T than the over-all composition of the parent DNA, regardless of whether the parent was A + T-rich or C + G-rich DNA. In the digested material C = G, A = T, therefore both strands were attacked simultaneously.


The use of mobility has been proved to be beneficial for improving communication performance of the wireless sensor network.This paper proposes a new controlled mobility mechanism-routing mechanism based on sub-area mobile service.This mechanism divides the network area into different sub-areas according to the number of mobile nodes,adopts Nearest Neighbor algorithm as the path planning algorithm,and utilizes mobile nodes to relay the data transfer of static nodes in their own sub-areas.The simulation result shows that the routing mechanism based on sub-area mobile service could increase network throughput,reduce transfer delay and delay jitter.


The characteristics of neutral hydrogen and deuterium atoms formed in the interaction of a single laser pulse with solid targets of zirconium hydride and deuteride are studied. The total number of neutral hydrogen and deuterium atoms is estimated.


Preliminary results of an acoustic emission (AE) study of fatigue cracks in A-36 steel specimens are presented. The fatigue propagation of cracks in three steel beams were monitored with the use of a six channel acoustic emissions system. Each specimen was subjected to three-point bending with cyclic loading. Based on these experimental results, plots were established of crack growth rate and acoustic counts versus change in stress intensity factor. Preliminary field monitorings of fatigue cracks in an actual bridge girder have been conducted. The field monitorings results have shown that the location method being used is effective.


Circuitry for electronic device includes a selection unit, a data holding unit, an electronic component, a transistor, and a switch. Control terminal of the switch is coupled to a first select line, the first terminal of the switch is connected to a first electrode of the electronic component, a second terminal of the switch is connected to a reference voltage line . Using an electronic component including such a circuit, comprising the steps of writing data to the pixel, and driving the electronic component. Select unit and the switch is configured to turn on at substantially the same time, selection unit and the switch is configured to be substantially simultaneously turned off, respectively during writing and driving.


A chain reaction laser system which operates with two species lasing simultaneously is disclosed. The laser is combustion-driven and provides an output of continu ous wave radiation. A fluorine interhalogen and atomic fluorine are mixed together with hydrogen to induce chemical reactions which provide two species of hydrogen halides which are vibrationally excited as well as atomic hydrogen and atomic fluorine. The lat ter, atomic fluorine, is then available to react with ad ditional hydrogen in a chain reaction sequence. The various preferred reactants and two preferred struc tures are discussed. In a first embodiment the fluorine interhalogen and atomic fluorine which are both cs sential to the operation of the invention are both formed as they are needed in a reaction region at rela tively high temperature and pressure. In a second em bodiment one reactant is formed under conditions of relatively high temperature and pressure and the other at low temperature and pressure conditions.


Saturation of the short laser pulse transmission of hot CO/sub 2/ has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Pure CO/sub 2/ at 200 torr and 400 +- 3/sup 0/C was contained in a special temperature-controlled 118 cm absorption cell. The cell's energy transmission was measured as a function of the incident pulse's fluence. The incident pulses' wavelengths were either at the P18 or P20 lines of the 10.6 ..mu..m band, and their temporal shape (FWHM of 1.6 ns) was kept fixed as the fluence was changed. The data showed that the absorption of hot CO/sub 2/ saturated differently at the two wavelengths, with the P20 transition being the harder to saturate.


An all‐Si tandem solar cell has the potential to achieve high conversion efficiency at low cost. However, the selection and synthesis of candidate material remain challenging. In this work, we show that the conventional 'Si quantum dots (Si QDs) in SiO2 matrix' approach can lead to the formation of over‐sized Si nanocrystals especially when doped with phosphorous, making the size‐dependent quantum confinement less effective. Also, our investigation has shown that the high resistivity of this material has become the performance bottleneck of the solar cell. To resolve these matters, we propose a new design based on Si QDs embedded in a SiO2/Si3N4 hybrid matrix. By replacing the SiO2 tunnel barriers by the Si3N4 layers, the new material manages to constrain the growth of doped Si QDs effectively and enhances the apparent band gap, as shown in X‐ray diffraction, Raman, photoluminescence and optical spectroscopic measurements. Besides, electrical characterisation on Si QD/c‐Si heterointerface test structures indicates the new material possesses improved vertical carrier transport properties. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The wealth of evidence for Channel Islands megaliths is surveyed, with some attention to the contribution of the archaeological family Lukis. Detailed studies of distribution and relative survival ...


In vitro assays revealed that COX‐2 inhibitors with CA II inhibitory potency suppressed both differentiation and activity of osteoclasts, whereas that without the potency reduced only osteoclast differentiation. However, all COX‐2 inhibitors similarly suppressed bone destruction in adjuvant‐induced arthritic rats, indicating that suppression of osteoclast differentiation is more effective than that of osteoclast activity for the treatment.


Laryngeal adduction is a basic phonatory property related to voice quality and vocal pathology. In this study, simultaneous inverse filtered airflow and electroglottographic recordings were made for two male subjects phonating at deliberately varied pitches, loudness levels, and qualities. The goal of the study was to relate temporal characteristics associated with adduction with flow characteristics of the flow glottogram. A triangular model of laryngeal flow glottograms predicts that Uω/U = k2π(Q0 − Qr), where U is the peak flow, U the negative peak flow derivative, Q0 is the open quotient (the duration the flow is above the baseline, divided by the period), Qr is the rise quotient (the duration the flow rises from baseline to peak, divided by the period), and k = 1. Empirical results suggest k ≐ 0.5. These findings will be discussed, and a variety of adduction measures applied to the data will be compared.


Maria Zambrano aproached to the problem of identity in an intenseway in the context of the spanish civil war, the exile and, even more, thecrisis of occident...


This study examined the correlation between online self-regulation and self-efficacy in English learning using the questionnaire responses of 48 third-year university students. Principal component analysis reduced the online self-regulation to four valid sub-scales named help-seeking, goal setting, environment structuring, and self-evaluation. Meanwhile, the self-efficacy showed only two sub-scales labelled speaking and writing, and listening. Cronbach's alpha analyses confirmed all the scales and subscales to reach acceptable reliabilities. Pearson coefficients demonstrated the existence of statistically significant relationships between some sub-scales of self-regulation and that of self-efficacy. Regression analyses confirmed that the time management sub-scale of English learning self-regulation was a predictor for listening, writing, and reading sub-scales of self-efficacy. The findings of this study may be helpful for the design and implementation of future online English learning courses.


Filtering is most important and critical task to exquisite information from the noisy image
and can be used in different and diverse engineering problems such as signal processing, image
processing(like edge detection, object identification, brightness, contrast etc) , electronic, physics
electronic, etc. Filters are used for de-blurring and smoothing in image processing and analysis,. In
addition with the help of the filters some details which are clear and fair in the original image will be
blurred and the ultimate final image will be enhanced. In this paper we present different types filtering
techniques and have simulated some of them in Matlab.


This study aims to determine the process of planning and implementation of child counseling vulnerable to criminal acts through productive economic efforts in the assisted children PSMP Antasena Magelang and inhibiting factors of activity. The study used a qualitative approach. Research subjects consisted of 3 participants and 3 coaches, while the informant was activity manager and social worker. Data collection with observation, interviews, and documentation. The validity of the data using source and method triangulation. Data analysis techniques with data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results show that planning by determining activities, targets, and budget funds tailored to the needs. Implementation in the form of giving of guidance material containing social guidance and productive economic effort. Coaching activities use 70% practice methods, the rest of lectures and discussions. Media coaching tailored to the needs. Inhibiting factors are lack of interest of children, lack of enthusiasm of the community in activities, unpredictable weather as obstacles in the development of oyster mushrooms, as well as falling after-sale price of catfish cultivation so that the capital is reduced.


Objective To search for the optimal processing procedure and physico-chemical properties of Endothelium corneum amylase. Methods After dried under 50 ℃ ,amylase was extracted from Endothelium corneum with phosphate-buffered saline. The amylase activity was examined at different temperature,pH and different metal ions,and amylase isozyme was discerned on PAGE. Results The optimal pH,optimal temperature,and optimal substrate concentration for amylase activity were 8.67,50 ℃ and 1.8 g/mL,respectively. Under the experimental conditions,the amylase Km was 0.92 (starch was used as substrate of amylase). Four metal ions tested,including Ca2+,Fe2+,Zn2+,Mn2+,could inhibit the amylase activity to some extent. Furthermore,it showed one amylase isozyme band using PAGE,suggesting only one amylase isozyme existing in the Endothelium corneum tentatively. Conclusion The effects of metal ions should be considered in the process of Endothelium corneum amylase.


This 3-year study examined the seasonal and daily dynamics of blooming, as well as the nectar and pollen production in Geranium sanguineum L. Moreover, the type and localization of floral nectaries were observed using LM and SEM, and measurements of pollen grains were performed. The visitation of insects on flowers was monitored, too. Geranium sanguineum bloomed from the beginning of May until the middle of July with the peak occurring between the second and the fifth week of flowering period. Most of the flower buds opened on plants in the afternoon hours. Flowers are protandrous. In a flower, nectar is secreted by five phanarothetic-discoid nectaries and it flows through modified stomata. It was found that one gland is bigger than the others. Ten flowers produced 30.58 mg of highly concentrated nectar, on average. The mean mass of total sugars secreted in nectar per 10 flowers was 7.94 mg. Pollen mass per 10 flowers was 23.14 mg, on average. Tricolpate, spherical pollen grains can be classified as very big size (sporae permagne). Flowers of G. sanguineum were visited mainly by honey bees, bumble bees and flies. Insects collected mainly nectar.


Molybdenum content of 80 samples of mantle-derived xenoliths and th eir host rocks from southern margin of North China craton (Linqu,Changle,Jiaoz hou of Shandong Province and Mingguang of Anhui Province) and South China block (Niutoushan of Fujian Province,Yingfengling of Guangdong Province,Ding'an and Penglai of Hainan Province) in eastern China was analyzed.The molybdenum conte nt of the Cenozoic mantle-derived xenoliths is in the range of 0.1~0.41 μg/g,averaging 0.19 μg/g.The molybdenum content of the host rocks falls in the ran ge of 0.75~7.21 μg/g,averaging 3.17 μg/g,which is far higher than the avera ge molybdenum abundance (1.4 μg/g) of the basites in the world.The molybdenum content of the host rocks from Mingguang of Anhui Province is the highest,avera ging 6.8 μg/g,and that from Linqu,Changle of Shandong Province averages 3.6 μg/g;whereas the molybdenum content of the host rocks from Niutoushan of Fujia n Province,Ding'an and Penglai of Hainan Province is far lower,averaging 1.4 μg/g.The host rocks have higher molybdenum content than the mantle-derived xe noliths,suggesting that molybdenum tends to be concentrated into the melt durin g the partial melting.The molybdenum content of mantle-derived xenoliths and t heir host rocks is found to have higher values on southern margin of North China craton and lower values on South China block in SE China,and especially the molybdenum content of the host basites,correspond ing to the fact that the large-scale molybdenum deposits are concentrated in th e two margins of the North China craton and the ore-forming materials are deriv ed mainly from the lower continental crust.It is considered that the molybdenum content of the alkali basalts may be an indicator to the distribution of molybd enum deposits and concentrated districts.


In the present paper, I first discuss the lack of a truly global anthropology in the world today and consider why such a world anthropology does not exist. I then offer a more personal account, based on my experience as an editor of an international journal attempting, to some extent, to counter the hegemony of the American anthropological core. Finally, I look at the referee system and argue that, for all its benefits, it nonetheless serves to prevent the emergence of a global anthropology. The major questions raised in this paper are how, in an anthropological world riven by a huge gap between the core and periphery, as well as by different national schools of anthropology, can refereeing of journal articles take place in a fair and balanced way; and, if it cannot take place, what does this mean about the nature and future of anthropology as a discipline?


Is organic food better? The dossier explains the different aspects of food quality and compares organic and conventional food stuffs based on an integrated approach. The publication shows clearly that quality and sustainability of food are closely linked and that food quality is more than the sum of its ingredients.


Existential anxiety is fuelled by the uncertainties of life and the certainty of death. As medieval writers well knew, Three Sorrowful Things haunt human consciousness: the inevitability of death; the uncertainty of its time, and the unknowability of the soul's fate after death. Fear of death and judgement loom far larger on the emotional landscape of medieval literature than trust or hope. With examples from Old and Middle English literature, Scripture, the liturgy, Milton, Geoffrey Hill and Samuel Beckett, this essay explores the theme of stasis and the shape of resurrection in meditations on death, suggesting that the sure and certain hope of the resurrection is nowhere near as visible in imaginative literature as might be expected.


Preruminant male crossbred lambs, aged 2-5 days at the start of the experiment, were fed on milk replacers that contained groundnut protein isolate as the sole source of protein, supplemented with graded levels of L-lysine hydrochloride. A series of 6x 6 change-over designs with 4-day dietary periods was used in experiments 1 and 2, and a conventional 14-day nitrogen balance in experiment 3. Estimates were made of the minimum intake of lysine coincident with the maximum animal response (MIMR)-measured as maximum nitrogen balance (NB) or minimum plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) concentration. In experiment 1 three diets with different protein concentrations (0.11, 0.18 and 0.25 of total energy as protein) were compared at a controlled intake of gross energy (0.88 MJ/day per kg0.73). At each protein concentration the response to six graded levels of L-lysine hydrochloride was measured. In experiment 2 a diet of constant protein energy concentration (0.25) was offered at three different intakes of energy (0.63, 0.88 and 1.13 MJ/day per kg0 73). At each level of energy intake the response to six graded levels of L-lysine hydrochloride was measured. In experiment 3 a milk replacer containing 0.25 protein energy was offered at a constant intake of 0.88 MJ gross energy/day per kg0 73 and, as in the previous experiments, the response to SIX graded levels of L-lysine hydrochloride was measured. The MIMR for lysine (expressed as a percentage of dietary protein) decreased curvilinearly with an increase in protein concentration, but was unaffected by an increase in the intake of energy. Estimates based on PUN were similar to those based on NB, but the errors associated with the estimates were greater at the lowest protein concentration in experiment 1 and at the lowest intake of energy in experiment 2. Estimates of MIMR in experiments 1 and 3 were in close agreement.


Chain molecules formed from m tangent hard-sphere segments are of particular interest in studies of liquid crystalline phases because they represent one of the simplest models which can account for molecular flexibility. In this paper we obtain analytical expressions for the excluded volume for a pair of linear homonuclear chains with an arbitrary relative orientation, and the corresponding expressions for the second virial coefficient. A commonly used molecular theory of anisotropic phases such as the nematic is the approach of Onsager; a simple analytical expression for the orientationally dependent excluded volume for a pair of molecules is required for the efficient minimisation of the Onsager Helmholtz free energy functional at the level of the second virial coefficient. Approximate expressions are examined for the excluded volume, together with a simple analytical function which provides a very accurate description of the exact results. A simple exact relation is obtained for the second virial coeff...


Valorisation of glycerol as a by-product of biodiesel production is the main reason researchers to synthesis acetin. It is known as a cold flow improver and emission CO reducer of petrodiesel. Generally, it can be applied as a supplement to diesel and biodiesel. Another route to synthesis it is trans-esterification of glycerol with ethyl acetate. In this work, the product has been synthesized by simple reflux methods. The conversion of glycerol to the product of acetin was 85.82%. Although the result is not significant, this research revealed that acetin are potentially synthesized from renewable feedstock using a simple method.


7 State feminism usually begins to develop or has rapid development under the rule of leftist or progressive governments. Like many other countries, Taiwan's state feminism is a product of the progressive, or at least relatively progressive government. After the Democratic Progressive Party captured power in 2000, many feminists were brought into the government mainly as commissioners of various government commissions and they actively promoted the agenda of gender equality. In 2008, however, the conservative Nationalist Party returned to power and the challenges to state feminism immediately emerged. Some of the newly appointed civic commissioners to the cabinet or ministry-level gender commissions had little background in or knowledge of the feminist movement. This creates a challenge to the commission-driven gender policy machineries in Taiwan. By examining the reconfi guration of the gender policy machineries and the interactions between the feminist movement and the conservative government, I argue that, under the conservative government, the alliance between the government and feminists, though not completely broken, has become much weakened.


Consumer buying behavior is a complex process and there are varieties of factors that affect consumer buying decision. One of the factors is Family life cycle. Needs, attitudes and preferences of a customer change with time. This is a very interesting concept as customers with similar demographics may have different needs and demand as they belong to different stages of life. The researcher in this paper has tried to study the concept and draw a general conclusion by suggesting some important factors that the marketers should keep in mind while identifying the need and demands of their present and potential customers.


A novel metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photosystem based on covalent organic frameworks (COFs) semiconductors was designed smartly to allow for robust and efficient hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. A maximal H 2 evolution rate of 8.42 mmol h -1 •g -1 and an impressive turnover frequency of 789.5 h -1 were achieved in such an organic MIS photosystem prepared by the electrostatic self-assembly of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) insulator-capped Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with the hydrophilic imine-linked TP-COFs with the =C=O-H-N= hydrogen-bonding groups. The hot π-electrons in the photoexcited n-type TP-COF semiconductors can be efficiently extracted and tunneled to Pt NPs across an ultrathin PVP insulating layer to reduce protons to H 2 . Compared to the Schottky-type counterparts, the COF-based MIS photosystems give a 32-fold-enhanced carrier efficiency, attributed to the combined enhancement of photoexcitation rate, charge separation and oxidation rate of holes accumulated in valence band of the TP-COF semiconductor.


The present work examines two aspects of metallic liquid–glass transitions. First, a computer experiment, consisting of a temperature‐quench Monte Carlo calculation for the liquid–glass transition of Ca0.7Mg0.3, is carried out. A comparison with such calculations for monatomic metals indicates that there is a significant difference in the Wendt and Abraham criterion for monatomic metals and metallic alloys. In addition, a comparison with laboratory experiments indicates that the discrepancies between the Wendt–Abraham parameters obtained in these laboratory experiments and in the computer experiments can be ascribed to different cooling rates. Second, an analytic study of the pair distribution function near the transition temperature is presented and reproduces the linear temperature dependence of the Wendt–Abraham parameter. This gives a physical picture for this parameter and indicates that the liquid–glass transition is more likely to be a first‐order transition than a second‐order one.


A two‐dimensional microchannel plate photomultiplier with a position sensitive resistive anode has been integrated with time‐correlated single photon counting circuitry. The result is a very powerful spectroscopic system which combines the very low dark count and parallel collection capabilities of the imaging tube with simultaneous timing information about the individual photon events. The digital x,y and timing information for each photon event is directly stored onto a hard‐disk in real time. When the detector is placed at the output of a spectrometer, the system provides software‐controllable arbitrary time windowing of complete spectra. When used as an image recorder, the system provides software‐controllable time windowing of entire two‐dimensional images, with ∼100‐ps effective frame times.


A Vibrio strain was isolated from frozen shrimp and ultimately identified as a rare Vibrio alginolyticus strain fermenting arabinose through morphological observation and biochemical tests.The process of detection,isolation and identification was described,and the selection methods in Vibrio identification and the prevention and control of Vibrio disease was discussed.


Interconnection elements for electronic components, exhibiting desirable mechanical characteristics (such as resiliency, for making pressure contacts) are formed by shaping an elongate element (core) of a soft material (such as gold) to have a springable shape (including cantilever beam, S-shape, U-shape), and overcoating the shaped elongate element with a hard material (such as nickel and its alloys), to impart a desired spring (resilient) characteristic to the resulting composite interconnection element. A final overcoat of a material having superior electrical qualities (e.g., electrical conductivity and/or solderability) may be applied to the composite interconnection element. The elongate element may be formed from a wire, or from a sheet (e.g., metal foil). The resulting interconnection elements may be mounted to a variety of electronic components, including directly to semiconductor dies and wafers (in which case the overcoat material anchors the composite interconnection element to a terminal (or the like) on the electronic component), may be mounted to support substrates for use as interposers and may be mounted to substrates for use as probe cards or probe card inserts. In one embodiment, a hybrid composite interconnection element is formed by mounting a core to an end of an flat elongate element formed from a sheet, and overcoating at least the core, the flat elongate element providing a "floating" support for the overcoated core, capable of absorbing non-planarities (tolerances) of an electronic component. Methods of fabricating interconnection elements on sacrificial substrates are described. Methods of fabricating tip structures and contact tips at the end of interconnection elements are described.


In this paper,a space dynamic analysis model of train-track-roadbed-soil-building is presented,in which two types of contact conditions,compatibility contact deformation and elastic contact deformation,are considered in the contact between soil and building foundation.By using the "m" method to compute the elastic contact deformation coefficient and the general laws of building vibrations induced by moving trains can be obtained under two conditions.The results show that the maximum vibration level of building floors can decrease by 5~10 dB when the elastic contact interaction between soil and structure is taken into account.The vibration levels of building floors ascend with the increase of floor numbers,and trains with heavier axle loads induce bigger vibrations than those with lighter ones.The maximum vibration level ascends with train speed in low speed range,but this trend changes when train speed exceeds a certain value.


Objective: To investigate the changes in permeability of blood-brain barrier(BBB) in rats with chronic hypoperfusion and the protective effect of butylphthalide on it.Methods: Rat models of chronic hypoperfusion were established by ligating the bilateral carotid arteries.One hundred and forty-four rats were randomly divided into control group,ischemic group and butylphthalide treatment group.At days 7,14,30 and 60 after operation,the permeability of BBB was evaluated by the Evans blue staining.Results: At day 7 the permeability of BBB of rats in ischemic group significantly increased compared with that in control group(P0.01) and butylphthalide treatment group(P0.05).At day 14 the permeability of BBB of rats in ischemic group significantly increased compared with that in both control group and butylphthalide treatment group(P0.05).There is no significant difference at day 30 and 60 among the three groups.Conclusion: The permeability of BBB is increased in rats with chronic hypoperfusion and butylphthalide could lessen the destruction of BBB.


Ceylon and Her Citizens is designed as a text book in civics for Ceylon students in the SSC/GCE grades, roughly equivalent to American Senior High School. Introductory chapters sketching the diversity of the peoples of Ceylon, the rural and urban modes of life, something on the breakdown of feudalism, and a succinct elementary discussion of Ceylon's economy, are useful introductions to the study of Ceylon. The book concludes with a brief but able analysis of the essentials of the British constitution and the evolution of the Commonwealth, and a less sure commentary on the United Nations as the larger community of which Ceylon forms a part. The bulk of the study (nine out of fourteen chapters) expounds the fundamental ideas of representative democratic government, and describes the structure and process of Ceylon's present governmental institutions. The task of writing a book to instruct Ceylon students in the principles and practice of democratic government is a difficult one. The cultural context from which the bulk of her students come is the paternalistic village setting or the highly stratified society of Ceylon's towns. Here the government is often seen personified by the trouser-wearing public servant whose professional language (English) and city ways have traditionally set him at a distance from the people to whom he is, in theory, now responsible. Moreover, the elected local official or representative the voter sends to Parliament has generally been the scion of a family of traditional local influence based on land or wealth rather than one chosen because of particular party loyalties or ideas regarding national politics. To be sure, these fundamental social conditions underlying the political process are changing and at varying rates in different parts of the island, but their continued prevalence is still marked. They pose considerable problems to the Weerawardanas.


Objective:To study the change characteristic of the hemogram and biochemistry items of infectious laryngotracheitis(ILT)of peafowls.Methods:According to clinic symptom and serum biochemistry items,these peafowls were classified normal and ILT group.The blood analysis was done for these peafowls and comparison was done beteen them in statistics.Results:ILT peafowls as compared with the healthy ones;RBC,HGB,MCH,PLT,MID and GRA Lymphocytes were higher in ILT peafowls than the healthy one with significant difference between them;the blood biochemistry determination results showed that ILT group had increased Urea,Cr,UA(P0.01),TP,TBIL,DBIL,ALP,GLB and IBIL(P0.05) as compared with the healthy peafowls,But there is no difference between the two on TCa,Mg,Pi,ALB,ALT,K,Na,Cl,only PA,AST and LDH were lower in ILT group than the healthy peafowls(P0.01).Conclusion:The partital hemogram and biochemistry items of ILT peafowls are different from the normal peafowls.


The current legislation of the Port Authority which empowers the central government to control finance, personnel management, business of the Port Authority should be amended to allow the Port Authority to exercise its authority over port management and operation by gaining authority from the central government. In addition, to enhance Busan port's competitiveness and for a successive activation of the Busan Port Authority, it is necessary for the BPA to develop its new business and for the Busan Metropolitan City to establish both the department of Port Logistics and relevant regulations. The central government should also support and cooperate with the BPA rather than controlling the Authority.


Two strains of Aeromonas,JXGC20121 and JXGC20122,were isolated from gills and hepatopancreas of diseased and moribound grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus,and tested for morphology,and physiological and biochemical properties as well as antimicrobial drugs susceptibility.Preliminary analysis of the morphological,physiological and biochemical characteristics proved the two strains bacteria were Aeromonas.The 16S rDNA from the two strains were sequenced and compared with GenBank database by BLAST,indicating that the 16S rDNA of JXGC20121 was shared 98% similarity with A.hydrophila and that the 16S rDNA of JXGC20122 was shared 97% similarity with A.veronii.The two isolated strains were found to be highly sensitive to kanamycin,sulfamethoxazole and chloromycetin,but resistant to ciprofloxacin,and norfloxacin.


ABSTRACT Objective: Gorham-Stout disease (GSD), otherwise known as vanishing bone disease, is a rare disorder that is associated with bone destruction resulting in massive osteolysis secondary to proliferation of vascular channels. The exact etiology and mechanism of bone resorption is unknown. The disease process can be benign and self-limiting or progressive and life-threatening. The optimal initial evaluation, follow-up, and treatment procedures have not yet been defined. Various treatments and modalities have been suggested and include bisphosphonates, alpha-2β interferon, external beam radiation therapy, and surgery. Methods: Systematic literature searches were performed using the PubMed and EMBASE databases. Results: We present the case of a 20-year-old, asymptomatic man with incidentally noted lucency of the T3, T4, and T5 posterior ribs on chest radiograph. Follow-up imaging identified progressive osteolysis consistent with a diagnosis of GSD. Initial workup revealed a significantly low level of 2...


The medial temporal lobe (MTL) comprises the hippocampal complex and amygdala, along with distinct cortical regions, including the parahippocampal, entorhinal, and perirhinal cortices. It has been suggested that different components of the MTL support dissociable memory functions (see, e.g., Eichenbaum et al., 1994). Of particular relevance to the present report is evidence from lesion studies in nonhuman primates suggesting that the perirhinal region plays a key role in visual recognition memory (Meunier et al., 1993; Bachevalier et al., 2002). Consistent with this suggestion, electrophysiological studies have identified neurons in perirhinal and nearby cortical areas of the monkey in which object-selective responses decrease after previous exposure to the object (Brown and Xiang, 1998). These repetition-related decreases can be found over intervals of 24 h, as might be expected of a neural signal contributing to a form of long-term memory. Together, lesion and single neuron evidence has led to the proposal (Brown and Aggleton, 2001) that perirhinal cortex contributes to recognition memory through the assessment of relative familiarity, and that neuronal response decrements provide one basis for such assessments. In the present study, we report that experimentally familiar items elicit smaller hemodynamic responses in human anterior MTL, consistent with the findings from nonhuman primates. Evidence for a role of perirhinal cortex in recognition memory comes almost exclusively from work with experimental animals. There are few data to suggest that the region has an equivalent role in humans (but see Buffalo et al., 1998). We report findings from four memory studies recently conducted in our laboratory using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In each case, we found evidence of a reduction in the anterior MTL response to experimentally familiar ("Old") items relative to experimentally novel ("New") items—a "New-Old" effect. These studies were conducted independent of one another and are described in detail in separate publications. With the exception of one study (Rugg et al., 2003), however, the data reported in the present study have not been described elsewhere. The four experiments, A–D, shared many methodological features, including scanner hardware, data acquisition parameters, and data analysis methods. They differed along a number of psychological dimensions (see Detailed Methods). In three of the studies, participants explicitly discriminated Old from New items; in the remaining study, the repetition of items was task-irrelevant (experiment D). Two studies used words (experiments A and B), one used pictures (experiment C), and one used faces (experiment D). In two of the studies (experiments B and C), the task required retrieval of contextual information associated with the prior presentation of Old items. The pattern of responses to Old and New items was the same in all cases: Old items elicited a smaller response in anterior MTL than did New items (Fig. 1). The effect Grant sponsor: Wellcome Trust; Grant sponsor: MRC; Grant sponsor: DGAPA, National Autonomous University of Mexico; Grant number: IN303798. *Correspondence to: M.D. Rugg, Insititute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Accepted for publication 22 August 2002 DOI 10.1002/hipo.10117 HIPPOCAMPUS 13:259–262 (2003)


Phase split is a well known procedure to reduce the magnetic field level generated by power lines. In this paper the more efficient split-phase configurations are obtained by means of different magnetic field formulations based on the current dipole and quadripole decomposition of the line. The performance of these configurations is also analysed in relation with other aspects: surge impedance loading, electric field, electromagnetic and electrostatic unbalance and corona effect.


The purpose of this paper is to report on ten cases of this uncommon syndrome admitted to Woodbridge Hospital, Singapore, and studied by the author in a systematic way. No attempt will be made to review the literature, as this has already been done recently by Goldin and MacDonald (1955), Enoch and Irving (1962), Enoch et al. (1967) and Whitlock (1967). The Ganser syndrome appears to be getting rarer in the West, as reports in recent literature have usually covered a few cases only: May et al. (1960) reported three cases and Whitlock (1967), six cases.


The article presents an assessment of the Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument (CEAI), a theoretical tool used to evaluate a given firm's readiness for the implementation of a a corpora...


The family system is an important contributor to one's development of health lifestyles or the patterns of health behaviors one engages in. Research has yet to explore how health lifestyles develop within families or how disability may affect this process. This study uses qualitative data collected from parents and key informants in two U.S. communities to address this gap in the literature. Findings capture a process through which health lifestyles develop in families with a child with a disability. This process revealed that parents first become more conscious of the importance of health as a result of having a child with a disability, which led to changes in parent identity and was ultimately translated into primarily positive changes to family health behaviors. This process appears to be largely driven by community norms and stigmas associated with disability.


Tonnes of feathers generated from slaughterhouses and those that were being used for the removal of heavy metals in wastewaters are often contaminated with high heavy metals and other chemical agents. The toxic nature of these chemicals makes it difficult for feather degrading bacteria to degrade the feathers. An investigation was made on the effect of different concentration of heavy metals on the keratinase activity and feather degrading ability of immobilised cells of Bacillus sp khayat. PH 8, temperature 27oC, gellan gum concentration of 0.8% and 250 beads per 100 ml of heavy metals free media were the optimum conditions to achieve highest keratinase yield and complete feather degradation within 18 h. Immobilised cells were able to secrete higher keratinase enzyme in the presence of 30 ppm Ag, 20 ppm Co and 15 ppm Cu. While feather degradation and keratinase yield were inhibited by above 5 ppm of Hg, Pb and Zn, up to 10 ppm of As and Cd have no effect on the duo. Immobilised cells were successfully used to degrade 5 g/L of feathers in the presence of individual 30 ppm Ag, 20 ppm Co, 15 ppm Cu, and combination of 5 ppm each of Ag, As, Co, Cu and Ni for 10 and 6 consecutive cycles respectively in a semi-continuous mode of cultivation without desorption. The beads used to degrade feather in the presence of a particular heavy metals were successfully used to degrade other feather laden with other metals. Enhanced keratinase activities and 90-100% feather degradations by gellan gum entrapped Bacillus sp. khayat in the presence of various concentrations of chemically known toxic heavy metals showed that the Bacillus has a relatively high tolerance to heavy metals while still maintaining its feather degrading ability. This property makes the Bacillus a potential tool not only in the bioremediation and waste management of heavy metal laden feathers, but also in the production of keratinase protease for industrial usage.


The wireless sensor network market is growing quickly yet is limited by existing short lifetime batteries. Providing a green, virtually infinite alternative power source to traditional energy sources will significantly expand applications for WSNs and other technologies, the use of piezoelectric materials to capitalize on the ambient vibrations surrounding a system is one method that has seen a dramatic rise in use for power harvesting. The simplicity associated with the piezoelectric micro-generators makes it very attractive for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) applications, in which mechanical vibrations are harvested and converted to electric energy, these micro-generators were designed as an alternative to a battery-based solution especially for remote systems. In this paper we proposed a design and simulation of MEMS-based energy harvested by using ANSYS11 and COVENTORWARE2008 approaches. The improvements in experimental results obtained in the vibration based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters show very good scope for MEMS piezoelectric harvesters in the fields of power MEMS and Green Technology in the near future.


Ionosphere affects radio occultations significantly, particularly at stratospheric altitudes. Variations with solar and diurnal cycle are major concerns for observing climate trends. Large scale and small scale ionospheric structure have different impacts. The International Radio Occultation Working Group (CGMS) will benefit from greater participation of the ionospheric community.