A comparison of spermatozoa from intact boars and from boars without seminal vesicles, frozen in various diluents, was made to determine any differences in sperm quality after thawing and the conception rates of gilts. Sperm samples were frozen at -196 degrees C. 50 semen pellets were thawed after 1-3 weeks storage and assessed for postthaw motility at 37 degrees C. The percentage of eosinophilic spermatozoa was estimated. Random samples were assayed for L-aspartate 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activity. Enzyme release was measured. Gilts were inseminated 24 and 32 hours after 1st standing to a boar and gave slightly higher conception rates than those from intact animals although the differences were insignificant statistically. Overall conception rate was 35% for spermatozoa from boars without seminal vesicles and 29% for those who were intact. The diluents with 20% egg yolk and 2% casin with cholesterol and phosphatidyl serine provided significantly greater (p less than .05) cryoprotection than did that with 2% casein. In general, levels of enzyme release from the spermatozoa after thawing were 3 times those before freezing, indicating substantial membrane damage. It is suggested that the presence of seminal vesicular fluid at ejaculation has only a small effect on the fertilizing ability of spermatozoa frozen and thawed in suitable diluents.


Modern stroke management requires specialized stroke care and advanced stroke expertise. In order to achieve these requirements in non urban areas two specialized stroke centers and 12 general hospitals founded a telemedicine network (TEMPiS) in Eastern Bavaria. The telemedic system consists of a digital network including a 2-way video conference and CT/MRI-image transfer using a highspeed-data transmission up to 2 Mb/s. Each network hospital established specialized stroke wards where qualified teams treat acute stroke patients. The medical staff of the community-based hospitals completed a training program in state-of-the-art stroke treatment. Physicians in the local hospitals are able to contact the stroke centers 24 hours per day. Indications for telemedic support were predefined. More than 4,000 stroke patients per year are treated in the network hospitals (4,179 patients in 2003). Between Feb. 1st 2003 and Sept. 23rd 2004, 3,888 teleconsultations were performed, including 1,935 videoconferences. One hundred and fifty-four patients received systemic thrombolysis. In 544 cases (14%) teleconsultations yielded non-vascular diagnoses. Four hundred and twenty patients were transferred to stroke centers to receive extended diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, e.g. for malignant brain infarcts or basilar artery thrombosis. Critical issues remain audio quality and transport times. User and patient's satisfaction are very good concerning quality of consultation. Telemedicine combined with specialized stroke wards offers advanced stroke care in community hospitals. The telemedic approach provides rapid diagnostic and therapeutic support and is well accepted by all participants. Since 1995, the World Health Organisation (WHO) proclaims that all patients with acute stroke should have access to care in specialized stroke units or from stroke teams. However, this specialized treatment is expensive and therefore not available everywhere. In Bavaria, expertise in acute stroke treatment is - more or less - concentrated in academic stroke centers of big cities - whereas a majority of stroke patients is treated in local general hospitals. Only about half of the population of Bavaria has the chance to be transferred to one of the 18 existing stroke units within the critical time window of 30 to 40 minutes. Therefore, there is a general underuse of therapeutic options in acute stroke treatment like systemic thrombolysis. In order to improve the unbalanced situation with different levels of stroke care in rural and urban areas a stroke network was established (figure).


AbstractThe way that people react to the natural environment or photographic depictions of it, could be influenced by many things, some of which include artistic style, individual preferences, and cultural factors. Understanding what people react to could be important in determining how people will respond to such things as appeals to preserve the environment. Is it possible to determine what is postive and negative about anyone's reactions to the visual environment or depictions of it? If so, what cultural influences could that have?


In this paper a methodology to design VLSI architectures for parametric transform families is proposed. A parametric transform family consists of discrete orthogonal transforms such that they all may be computed with a fast algorithm of similar structure where parameters defining the transform within the family are used. In our previous work, an algorithm to synthesize transforms with predefined basis functions was introduced and efficiently applied to image compression. The methodology proposed in this paper allows of designing VLSI architectures that may not only switch from one transform of a family to another by setting parameters, but also to actually set these parameters so that the matrix of the resulting transform has predefined basis functions


Abstract Due to the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), researchers have demonstrated various IoT solutions, which are used to interconnect a wide range of IoT devices through the Internet. However, IoT stumbled into vertical silos; the available solutions provide specific IoT infrastructure, devices, protocols, data formats and models. This diversity and heterogeneity lead to interoperability issues. Heterogeneity happens at all IoT layers, especially at the application layer; devices often adopt mutually incompatible application-layer communication protocols to connect devices to IoT services. Furthermore, in order to integrate semantics to raw data, each system uses its one domain-specific ontology to make data more understandable and interpretable by adding semantic annotations. Working in isolation reduces the interoperability among IoT devices and systems, things across domains need to internetwork and collaborate to provide high level IoT services. Therefore, to alleviate the problem of both communication protocol interoperability and semantic interoperability across vertical silos of systems at the application layer, this paper proposes a semantic gateway (SGIoT) that acts as a bridge between heterogeneous sink nodes at the physical level and IoT services. SGIoT enables interconnectivity between communication protocols such as CoAP and MQTT regardless of their communication model, meanwhile it enables semantics integration throu gh cross-domain ontology (CDOnto) for semantic annotation, in order to provide interpretation of messages among IoT applications across domains. Our approach focuses on modularity and extensibility.


Introduction: Cervical cancer is one of the most popular genital cancers in females, and it is the third cancer in women in prevalence. It is one the rare cancers which can be found before happening and we can reduce its prevalence and incidence by screening. In this study we want to investigate the age incidence of cervical cancer. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted on the medical records of patients with cervical cancer referring to the radiotherapy and oncology department of Ahvaz Golestan Hospital during 1995 to 2010. The data were analyzed with the statistical package SPSS (version 16) using descriptive and quantitative assessments. Results: Total of 430 patients with the mean age 52 years old were investigated. During this 15 year period, the number of patients with cervix cancer was not significant (P-value= 0.6). The number of patients between different decades of life of the patients showed significant difference (P-value= 0.001). In this study the most frequent patients belong to the decade of 50-60 years old (34.2%), and then 40-50 years old (28.8%). Absolute frequency of patients in the year 1995 with 10 patients and relative frequency with 1.3% was the least and the most was the year 2010 with absolute frequency of 47 patients and relative frequency of 3.6% in the years of study. Conclusion: Mean age of cervical cancer is similar to other big cities of Iran and other countries and there is neither increase nor decrease of its age incidence in these years.


This study was performed to investigate the effects of different levels of Cu(0,6,60 ppm ) and kinds of lipid(corn oil, sesame oil or butter) in the diet upon lipids metabolism and Cu & Fe contents in weanling rats. The results obtained were summarized as following : 1) Food consumptions, total body weight gains and F.E.R.s showed no significant differences among groups with different dietary Cu levels and the kinds of lipid. 2) Weights of liver, hind limb muscle, kidney, spleen and epididymal fat pad showed no significant differences among groups. 3) The contents of total lipids and total cholesterols in serum, hind limb muscle were significantly higher in low Cu groups than in control and high Cu groups. But the contents of total lipid in liver were significantly lower in low Cu groups than in other groups. 4) The contents of total lipid and total cholesterol in serum, liver and total lipid in muscle were significantly higher in butter groups, but the contents of total cholesterol in muscle were significantly lower in butter groups. 5) The Cu concentrations in serum, liver, muscle and feces were significantly higher in high Cu groups than in control and low Cu groups. The Fe concentrations in serum tended to be lower and those in muscle were significantly higher in low Cu groups.


Mg-Al hydrotalcite nanocrystalline was synthesized by the liquid coprecipitation method and characterized by XRD,TEM and TG.The effects on the crystal from different reaction conditions,such as reaction temperature,drying time and carbonate ion concentration,were investigated systematically.The samples were modified by silane coupling agent KH550,and then filled into polyether polyol to synthesize hydrotalcite/polyurethane nano-composites.The flame retardancy of hydrotalcite,in comparison to Al(OH)3,was studied.Results indicated that the higher reaction temperature,the bigger crystal size;the thermal decomposition performance of hydrotalcite is better after drying 5h;the crystal regularity improved with the increasing carbonate ion concentration.Moreover,it is found that the optimum dosage of silane coupling agent KH550 is 5%.Finally,the results of flame-retardant test showed that the flame retardancy of Mg-Al hydrotalcite is better than that of Al(OH)3.


This book contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on the Effect of Hydrogen on the Behavior of Metals. Included are the following papers: The influence of microstructure on hydrogen transport in nickel-base alloys, Hydrogen uptake during cadmium electroplating, Hydrogen, embrittlement in lean uranium alloys.


Acute pancreatitis is one of most common major complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP),ERCP may result in prolonged hospitalisation,the need for further intervention.The recent advances in definition,classification,especially drug prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis were reviewed in this paper.


We quantify the tax savibgs from hedging by modeling major provisions of the tax code. Using data from COMPUSTAT, we simulate likely tax savings from reducing the volatility of taxable income.


Abstract— There has been little formal discussion concerning character analysis in cladistics, even though characters and their character state trees are central to phylogenetic analyses. We refer to this field as Evolutionary Character Analysis. This paper defines the components of evolutionary character analysis: character state trees, transmodal characters, cladogram characters, attribute and character phylogenies; and the use of these components in phylogenetic inference and evolutionary studies.


A healthy 15-month-old male presents to a community hospital with a 4-day history of lethargy, vomiting, and decreased appetite. There is no report of fever, infectious symptoms, or trauma. He appears tired and dehydrated. Blood pressure is 107/67, heart rate is 94 bpm, and temperature is 36.8°C. Examination reveals normal cardiac, respiratory, and abdominal examinations, no focal neurologic deficits and no skin rashes or bruises. He is given oral rehydration and paediatrics is consulted for admission. When the paediatrician arrives, the patient wakes and cannot open his right eye. His right pupil is fixed and dilated and his blood pressure and heart rate are now 121/60 and 80 bpm, respectively. Increased intracranial pressure is suspected so a 5 mL/ kg bolus of 3% saline is given and a CT head is done, which shows a large right subdural hemorrhage (SDH) with mass effect and parenchymal effacement (Figure 1). The patient is transferred to a tertiary centre for surgical intervention and consultation with the hospital child maltreatment team. Preliminary bloodwork is drawn and results are shown in Table 1. Further information confirms the diagnosis. applyparastyle "fig//caption/p[1]" parastyle "FigCapt" applyparastyle "fig" parastyle "Figure"


Three chronic temperature conditions were applied to ten isogenic lines of Rainbow trout (aged ~6 months): 12°C (L), 20 °C (H) and a fluctuating one (F): 12°-20°C-12°C every day. Survival and growth were individually monitored during 7 weeks to assess acclimatization to chronic stress. Acute temperature stress were also applied at the end of the period. Survival was high in all groups while growth was significantly lower in F and H groups. Significant genetic variability was evidenced for growth ie acclimatization to chronic stress as well as significant genetic-temperature interactions. Significant genetic variability was found for resistance to acute stress with significant genetic-rearing temperature interactions. However some lines were found resistant or sensible whatever the rearing temperature. Finally, no significant correlation was found between responses to chronic stress and acute stress which will complicate introduction of such traits in breeding programs.


Rehabilitating of concrete columns with Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) under axial load has been extensively covered in the past and has proven to be an effective method of enhancing the strength and the ductility of reinforced concrete columns. The main objective of this investigation is to assess the effectiveness of utilizing CFRP in short reinforced concrete columns subjected to eccentric loadings. An experimental study using twelve 150 mm x 150 mm x 900 mm short reinforced concrete columns, consisting of six control specimens and six CFRP-rehabilitated specimens, was carried out using eccentricities of 15 mm, 30 mm and 45 mm on the subject columns. The columns were designed using the ACI 318-14 building code. Rehabilitation and wrapping were carried out using the provisions of ACI 546, ACI 503 and ACI 440, where the columns were strengthened using a single-layer wrap of carbon fiber composites. Testing was carried out under a uniaxial eccentric compressive loading servo machine up to failure, where the P-Delta relationship was recorded via a data acquisition system. The results showed an improved load-carrying capacity and a significant improvement in ductility when compared to the control specimens. Based on the test results, load-carrying capacity was observed to increase by 22.5% to 37.2% when the eccentricity increased from 15 mm to 45 mm, respectively. On the other hand, maximum deflection (i.e., Delta) increased by 24% to 15% for eccentricities respectively ranging between 15 mm and 45 mm. Generally speaking, the load–deflection curves of the rehabilitated columns showed a stiffening trend and ductility reduction when the eccentricity was increased.


This investigation describes the morphogenesis of the type I pneumocyte from the neonatal stage to the age of 3 months. Cells lining subpleural air spaces were photographed from electron microscopic serial sections and a three‐dimensional representation of each cell was obtained by transferring the contours of the cell membranes from micrographs to transparent plastic sheets which were then spaced to scale and stacked. The portion of the reconstructed cell surface taking part in the formation of the blood‐airbarrier increased extensively in postnatal stages when compared with reconstructed cells of prenatal stages. Reconstructed cell‐surface irregularities decrease during distension. A cytoplasmic plate seen in the last stage studied may represent a forming alveolar pore.


Collaboration and communication is vital for concurrent engineering and concurrent enterprises. Studies show that members of product development teams spend more and more time for communication, information and document management and have less time for the creative part. Online and off-line collaboration tools address the needs of CE but searching for information and sharing knowledge still follows the old metaphor of knowledge management, i.e. knowledge can only be shared (and accessed) when a common terminology is used. To overcome this limitation, we aim to investigate emerging Semantic Web technologies that offer new possibilities through modelling and using the domain knowledge to better support users of different disciplines to exchange information and knowledge without using the other parties terminology. This paper presents one of the first approaches to tackle information and knowledge sharing by using the latest - still emerging - Semantic Web technologies. We present the system's motivation, architecture and use examples. Furthermore we report on results from user test (done by users from Schenck Pegasus GmbH and Italdesign Giugiaro). We describe the experience that we gathered with the different Semantic Web technologies and give an outlook to future research and development needs.


Olive cultivation over the past few years has spread across Mediterranean countries with Spain being the world's largest olive producer among them. Because olives are a major part of the economy for such countries keeping records of their tree count and crop yield is of high significance. Manual counting of trees over such large areas is humanly infeasible. To address this problem, we propose an automatic method for the detection and enumeration of olive trees. The algorithm is a multi-step classification system comprising pre-processing, image segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. RGB satellite images were acquired from the Spanish territory and pre-processed to suppress the additive noise. The region of interest was then segmented from the pre-processed images using K-Means segmentation, through which statistical features were extracted and classified. Promising results were achieved for all classifiers, namely Naive Bayesian, Support Vector Machines (SVMs), Random Forest and Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs), at various division ratios of data samples. In a comparison of all the classification algorithms, Random Forest outperformed the rest by an overall accuracy of 97.5% at the division ratio of 70 to 30 for training to testing.


Most of Southeast Asia's coral reefs continue to remain under threat, mainly from anthropogenic impacts. Weak management capacity contributes to the further degradation of reefs, particularly from destructive and over-fishing. The lack of monitoring capacity in some areas adds to the difficulty of reaching more accurate assessments. Amid the general widespread trend of declining health are isolated instances of effective management and successes in reef protection. The reefs of Indonesia that were monitored under COREMAP showed improvements in live coral cover. Active management resulted in improved reef health from monitoring reports in Thailand and Vietnam. Also evident is the recent and renewed expansion of reef monitoring and management activities supported by international agencies. The transfer of lessons learned from successfully managed reefs and the overall enhancement of management capacity are strong requirements to overcome the general decline of reef health in the region. 123 LOKE MING CHOU, VO SI TUAN, PHILREEFS, THAMASAK YEEMIN, ANNADEL CABANBAN, SUHARSONO AND ITH KESSNA Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002 INTRODUCTION Southeast Asia's 100,000km2 of coral reefs is 34% of the world's total, and also contains the highest coral biodiversity. The recent Reefs at Risk analysis estimated that 88% of the region's reefs were at risk, with half at 'high' or 'very high' risk. Over-fishing threatens 64% of the reefs while destructive fishing threatens 56%. Coastal development affects 25% of the reefs, and a further 20% face the impact of agriculture and deforestation. Over 90% of the reefs of Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore are threatened, as are the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. For Malaysia and Indonesia, over 85% of the reefs remain under threat. It was further noted that the region's 646 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covered only 8% of its reefs. This inadequacy in management is further emphasised by the fact that only 14% of the 332 MPAs where management effectiveness could be assessed were considered to be well managed. Increased attention from international agencies was more evident in the past two years. A UNEP/GEF regional project 'Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand' was implemented in 2001 with coral reefs as one of its 124 TURNING A BOMB FISHER INTO A RESOURCE MANAGER IN INDONESIA In North Suluwesi, Indonesia, awareness raising within the Blongko community transformed the life of Salindeho (Pak Deho) Adilang, who once gained his livelihood from bomb fishing on coral reefs. Now he is a member of the community sanctuary management board and firmly on the side of reef conservation. A theme in Proyek Pesisir (a USAID funded project) was to teach community members how to assess and monitor reefs to prepare maps of the resources as a prelude to management. They trained Pak Deho how to assess reefs over a large scale using the manta tow technique (a method recommended by the GCRMN) and took him to an area where blast fishing was rampant. When he saw the damage that the bombs were causing to the corals, he reformed his illegal behaviour to become a supporter of the reefs. He subsequently joined the sanctuary management committee, and when a Canadian film crew asked him about the change, he replied that he started bomb fishing when he was young and did not know what he was doing. Proyek Pesisir recommend seeking out the bomb fishers and involving them in monitoring training, thereby complementing their expertise on the water. Some can take up a leadership role in further training and eventually resource management. This approach is a start, but cannot tackle the problems of bomb fishers from outside the community. The value of involving community members in monitoring and mapping activities has been in transforming many stakeholders into stewards – 'when you start mapping, things happen'. After training in assessing coral reef quality, the community generated their own coral reef map. The head of the nearby Talise marine sanctuary management committee stated that the map produced by the exercise was the catalyst for the community to establish a sanctuary; 'the project did a survey of the resources here, and the villagers thought it was important to keep it'. From Proyek Pesisir. Johnnes Tulugen (firstname.lastname@example.com) or Brian Crawford (email@example.com) Status of Southeast Asia Coral Reefs focus ecosystems. In an ICRAN (International Coral Reef Action Network) project, also implemented this year, capacity transfer in reef management was targeted. Reefs under different but successful management regimes were identified to serve as demonstration sites to benefit identified target sites through transfer of learning experiences and expertise. Three management regimes were selected: integrated coastal management; ecotourism; and community-based management. UNEP's Regional Coordinating Unit for East Asian Seas (RCU-EAS) is currently managing a small grants initiative to enhance coral reef monitoring in the region. At an international workshop on World Heritage sites held in Hanoi early this year, over 20 reef sites throughout Southeast Asia were identified as having outstanding universal value and feasible for nomination for World Heritage status. The Sulu-Sulawesi seas are identified as one of the world's marine ecoregions by WWF, based on its marine biodiversity. A Biodiversity Conservation Vision for the SuluSulawesi Marine Ecoregion has been formulated and joint activities between the three countries sharing those seas (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia) are being developed. In October 2001, the Universiti Malaysia Sabah, conducted the 'Regional Workshop to Establish a Network of Marine Protected Areas in the East Asian Seas Region' with funding from the UNEP/ RCU-EAS and ICRAN, and in May this year, The World Commission on Protected Areas, Nature Conservancy, and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration collaborated in a joint project to develop a Regional Action Plan (RAP) aimed at strengthening and improving the effectiveness of a network of 'marine reserves' in Southeast Asia. A WCPA-SEA Marine Working Group was established to further develop the RAP. A more coordinated approach was adopted in the preparation of this regional report. National coordinators were identified and participated in a meeting in Ishigaki, Japan in March 2002, hosted by Japan's Ministry of the Environment. It was agreed that national coordinators contribute directly to the present report as co-authors. National workshops of Malaysia and the Philippines were supported by Japan's Ministry of the Environment, while those of Thailand and Vietnam were supported by the Regional Coordinating Unit (East Asian Seas) of UNEP. Summarised data of reef status derived from the national reports appear in this paper. In addition, reports were received from a number of people in response to the call for additional information. Relevant pieces of information from these reports are incorporated. STATUS OF CORAL REEF BENTHOS AND REEF FISHES This section provides updates to the 2000 report. National reports containing more detailed information are being prepared by participating country coordinators. While monitoring of reef benthos remained at an active level, a paucity in information on reef fish was evident.


The water meniscus that forms between an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and the substrate has been shown to have variable height and width due to relative humidity (RH) hysteresis. The current study investigates the effect of this variability in meniscus shape due to RH on the feature size of patterns written with mercaptohexadecanoic acid on a gold substrate, using dip-pen nanolithography (DPN). The patterns were written under conditions of increasing and decreasing RH cycles with different tip dwell times. The variation in resulting dot sizes during the RH ramping (up and down) cycles was then measured. DPN patterning was also performed with increasing and decreasing order of dwell times at constant RH, in order to quantify whether the order of patterning has an effect on feature size. Significant differences were observed in dot areas patterned over many RH ramping cycles; whereas the order of patterning was observed to have an effect only for dwell times ≤5 s.


The composition and activation status of the cellular milieu contained within the tumour microenvironment (TME) is becoming increasingly recognized as a driving factor for immunotherapy response. Here, we employed multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC), and digital spatial profiling (DSP) to capture the targeted immune proteome and transcriptome of tumour and TME compartments from an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)‐treated (n = 41) non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient cohort. We demonstrate by mIHC that the interaction of CD68+ macrophages with PD1+, FoxP3+ cells is enriched in ICI refractory tumours (p = 0.012). Patients responsive to ICI therapy expressed higher levels of IL2 receptor alpha (CD25, p = 0.028) within their tumour compartments, which corresponded with increased IL2 mRNA (p = 0.001) within their stroma. In addition, stromal IL2 mRNA levels positively correlated with the expression of pro‐apoptotic markers cleaved caspase 9 (p = 2e−5) and BAD (p = 5.5e−4) and negatively with levels of memory marker, CD45RO (p = 7e−4). Immuno‐inhibitory markers CTLA‐4 (p = 0.021) and IDO‐1 (p = 0.023) were suppressed in ICI‐responsive patients. Tumour expression of CD44 was depleted in the responsive patients (p = 0.02), while higher stromal expression of one of its ligands, SPP1 (p = 0.008), was observed. Cox survival analysis also indicated tumour CD44 expression was associated with poorer prognosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61, p = 0.01), consistent with its depletion in ICI‐responsive patients. Through multi‐modal approaches, we have dissected the characteristics of NSCLC immunotherapy treatment groups and provide evidence for the role of several markers including IL2, CD25, CD44 and SPP1 in the efficacy of current generations of ICI therapy.


A gate-normal-tunneling field-effect transistor (gate-normal TFET) with abrupt switching and increased tunneling current is a promising candidate for low-voltage operation in advanced technology nodes. However, it is still challenging to experimentally achieve steep subthreshold swings (SSs) of theoretical predictions. The parasitic nonnormal tunneling initiated prior to the desired normal tunneling due to poor electrostatic control is considered to be one of the explanations for the experimentally inferior SS. This paper investigates the electrostatic control of gate-normal TFETs via numerical simulations in which a semiclassical approximation is used for the tunneling barrier imposed by quantum confinement. The electrostatic potential throughout the device is found to be strongly influenced by quantum effects. As a result, we predicted a higher parasitic tunneling current using our semiclassical simulations (quantum corrected 3-D) compared with classical (nonquantum corrected 3-D) results for gate-normal TFETs with a homojunction. This finding was supported by a qualitative fully quantum mechanical (2-D sub-band) study. A heterojunction gate-normal TFET design utilizing an underlying modulation-doping layer is proposed to minimize parasitic tunneling with small variation of quantum confinement and low doping level in the channel.


This paper presents a novel approach for a position verification system in medical applications. By replacing the already existing cross line laser projectors with galvoor MEMS-based projectors and utilizing the surveillance cameras, a self-calibration of the system is performed and surface acquisition for positioning verification is demonstrated. The functionality is shown by analyzing the radii of calibration spheres and determining the quality of the captured surface with respect to a reference model. The paper focuses on the demonstration with one pair of camera and projector but can also be extended to a multi-camera-projector system, as present in treatment rooms. Compared to other systems, this approach does not need external hardware and is thus space and cost efficient. Introduction Nowadays, a wide range of medical applications demand accurate patient positioning for a successful treatment. While the positioning for X-ray imaging allows tolerances of several millimeters since typically rather big areas are imaged, the required accuracy for CT-imaging and especially classical radiation therapy, Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT), Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D CRT) for cancer treatment is much higher. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage the cancer cells as much as possible, while keeping the amount of radiation within the surrounding tissue to an absolute minimum. The de facto standard procedure for patient positioning in radiation therapy is as follows: An initial CT scan is performed to gather anatomical data for the treatment. Here, markers are placed on the patients skin, which are later used to align the patient with the orthogonal line lasers in the treatment room. In a previous step, those line lasers are calibrated to directly intersect in the linear accelerators (linacs) "isocenter", the point where the beams of the rotating linac intercept and therefore the radiation intensity is at its peak. The calibration of the isocenter is done performing the Winston-Lutz test. Once the isocenter is calibrated and the patient aligned, the treatment is started. Typically, the initial CT scans outcome is used for several radiation therapy sessions, so are the markers. Fig. 1 shows a typical treatment room with patient couch, gantry, red room lasers for positioning and a test phantom. The importance of precise patient positioning and the potential of optical surface imaging technologies for both positioning and respiratory gating is becoming more and more clear and was recently confirmed and discussed by publications such as [1], [2] and [3]. This paper provides a new method of verifying the patients Figure 1. Radiation-therapy room with gantry and positioning lasers (red) position with respect to the linacs isocenter. A typical treatment room already consists of multiple cameras for surveillance and line lasers for calibration, isocenter visualization and patient positioning. By replacing those static line lasers with galvoor MEMS-based laser projectors and combining the laser projectors with the cameras to active stereo systems, multiple applications are imaginable, while the main functionality of positioning the patient manually with respect to the laser crosses and thus, the isocenter, is still provided: 1. The extrinsic calibration of the system is performed automatically, making the handling easy and self-verifying. 2. The patient's position is acquired by scanning the surface using a shape reconstruction method based on light sectioning. 3. The position can then be matched to the data from the CTscan, giving a translation vector for shifting the position of the patient by adjusting the treatment bench. 4. Additionally, respiratory gating can be performed to increase the efficiency of the therapy and thus, protecting the surrounding tissue during treatment. Since no CT-scan data or with the Winston-Lutz test aligned set of projectors was present and respiratory gating is still considered to be future work, this paper focuses on the first two applications and demonstrates the functionality by means of a test setup consisting of one camera-projector-pair. Although the proposed self-calibrating projector-camera setup is applicable for shape acquisition in general when used as a laser-line based structured light system, this paper only focuses IS&T International Symposium on Electronic Imaging 2019 Photography, Mobile, and Immersive Imaging 2019 353-1 https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2019.4.PMII-353 © 2019, Society for Imaging Science and Technology


Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are infrastructure-less dynamic networks allowing mobile nodes to communicate beyond transmission range by supporting multihop communication through IP routing. Typically routing protocols provide local connectivity within the reach of the ad hoc cloud. This paper describes a way to provide global internet access for MANETs. The main issues discussed are routing and addressing related to global address resolution, gateway discovery and communication through it.


Baranyiova Eva, A. Holub: Effects of Diarrhoea on Water Consumption of Piglets Weaned on the First Day after Birth. Acta vet. Bmo, 62, 1993: 27-32. Twenty-three Large White x Landrace piglets weaned on the first day after birth and kept individually in cages in a thermoneutral environment were offered a liquid diet similar in its macronutrient content to sow's milk at 2 h intervals nine times a day. They were divided into two groups: clinically healthy piglets and diarrhoeic animals. After each feeding the diarrhoeic piglets were offered in addition ' camomile tea. Water consumption at individual feedings was measured 514 times in diarrhoeic piglets and 441 times in the controls from 3 1010 days after birth. The intake of the offered diet changed with age as was repeatedly described in our previous studies. The diarrhoeic piglets supplemented their water consumption by intake of camomile tea only in 83 (16.1 %) cases. Therd'ore their mean water consumption was lower than that of the controls: by 15.8% per animal and by '9.2% and by 9.4% per live body mass unit and per metabolic mass unit, respectively. The difference in actual water ingestion was significant on dtYs 5, 6, 9 and 10. Relative 'water consumption per live body mass of diarrhoeic piglets was significantly lower on day 5 and 6, but higher on day 4 and 8; that per metabolic mass unit was lower on day 5, 6, and 10, but higher on day 4 and 8. Diarrhoeic piglets lose more water than clinically healthy animals during the postnatal period. In our experiments they could make up for their water defidency by increasing the intake of the diet and by additional consumption of camomile tea only relatively (expressed per live body mass and per metabolic mass) lInd for a limited length of time (only on 2 out of 8 days). Diarrhoeic piglets therefore increase their water turnover by oral ingestion, thus contributing relatively to the compensation of water loss in a partial way, but not attaining full compensation for the loss due to diarrhoea. Sucking, liquid diet, camomile tea, postnatal development, functional ontogeny Piglets kept with the sows show a higher water intake during the early postnatal period (Aumaitre 1964, 1965; Mount and Ingram 1971; Bauer et al. 1978; Bauer 1983). Their daily water intake from milk sucking or supplementary feeding or directly from drinking and su·,. Iementary feeding amounts to 23% of their live body mass or almost to 29% of their metabolic mass (Holub 1988, 1990). The water intake of early-weaned piglets is even higher, amounting to 27 % of their live body mass and to more than 40% of their metabolic mass (Holub and PoniZilova 1964; Holub. 1988, 1990, 1991; Holub and Dolezel in press). Under these rearing practices piglets are often affected with secretory and malabsorption diarrhoea (Leece 1986; Larsen I!Dd Schwartz 1987; Schmid and Walser 1991; Baranyiova and Holub in press), in consequence of which they utilize diet less efficiently and lose more water (Kelly et al. 1990). These adverse effects of diarrhoea are augmented by the fact that • diarrhoeic piglets we unable to compensate for them by consuming a larger quantity of diet


Wan Yanchang's attitude towards the Song Dynasty had experienced a course of transformation which was from advocating war to standing for making peace. It was mainly determined by the development and change of the situation of war between the Song and the Jin Dynasty. As far as his proposition of returning Henan and Shanxi to the South Song Dynasty is concerned ,it was not merely the result of the impact of the development and change of the situation of war, and also the outcome ofthe contradiction within the Jin Dynasty, meanwhile, it was the result that Wan Yanchang wanted to associate with the South Song Dynasty intentionally.


Jesus has no place in Old English literature. Such a statement will strike readers as odd, given that the vast majority of the texts that comprise surviving Old English are explicitly Christian in content and all extant texts were copied by members of Christian religious orders. Nevertheless, it is literally true: the word Jesus hardly appears in the corpus of Old English writings. Although this has been casually noted by scholars in the past, the reasons, implications, and cultural significance of this absence have never been fully explored. The absence of Jesus's name can be considered in terms of the early medieval appreciation of Hebrew and sacred onomastics, that is, the tradition of Biblical name etymologies, as inherited from the Hebrew world of the Old Testament and most clearly transmitted to the Latin west by St. Jerome. While Jerome's Biblical commentaries were read widely throughout the Middle Ages, the Venerable Bede's championship of Jerome's Hebrew truth played a more direct role in the spread of the Hebraic tradition of name etymologizing in Anglo-Saxon England. Bede also clearly connects the importance of name etymology and the name of Jesus in particular, articulating its implications for a Christological understanding of scripture at the literal level. Bede provides a methodology that allows Latin readers to find Jesus by name throughout the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, thereby revealing the immediate connections between the Old and New Testaments. Bede's influence is seen in the Old English homilies of Ælfric of Eynsham, who understands the significance of the name Jesus and its universal replacement by the Old English word hælend. Ælfric's frequent discussions of the names Jesus and hælend in his homilies reveal the importance of the idea of Hebrew throughout the Anglo-Saxon period as well as its implications for the role of the vernacular in the promulgation of Scripture. As Fred Robinson has shown, the literal meanings of proper names are of great interest to Old English authors, and indeed to authors throughout the Middle Ages.1 Robinson primarily locates the impetus of Anglo-Saxon interest in name etymologies among the Church Fathers, who in turn were


The paper presents a fundamental theory of noise which the authors believe to be physically perspicuous and from which all the well-established formulae used in practice can be deduced by direct mathematical argument. Since these formulae almost all relate to mean-square noise in linear circuits, the theory will not be applied here to other problems, although its ideas are valuable in attacking more complicated problems.The subject is discussed under the following headings: (1) Introduction; (2) the basic postulate and the fundamental equations; (3) the "mean theorem" and the "mean-square theroem" (4) the calculation of mean-square noise; (5) thermal noise; (6) application to valve and circuit noise; (7) space-charge effects; and (8) transit-time effects.


PURPOSE: An assembling structure of an airbag module for a driver's seat in a vehicle is provided to improve working efficiency, and to install the airbag module easily and simply by pushing the airbag module in front of a steering wheel without additional bolts or tools. CONSTITUTION: An airbag module is composed of a module bracket(20) installed in the middle of a steering wheel(10), an inflator(30) mounted in the module bracket, a cushion(50) mounted in the module bracket by a retainer(40), a cover(60) mounted in the module bracket, and a spring wire(70) mounted between the inflator and the module bracket to fix the airbag module to the steering wheel. A fitting part(71) is formed in the spring wire, and exposed downward through the module bracket in the lower part of the airbag module. A hook(15) is formed in a base plate of the steering wheel corresponding to the fitting part, and the airbag module is mounted to the steering wheel by inserting the fitting part to the hook in pushing the airbag module downward.


Several design aspects of a high-performance analog cell library implemented in 3-/spl mu/m CMOS are described, including an improved central biasing scheme, a circuit for high-swing cascode biasing, an impact ionization shielding technique, and a family of operational transconductance amplifiers including a precision low offset-voltage amplifier utilizing lateral bipolar transistors.


Abstract Purpose The current study seeks to investigate the association between lacrimal disorders and the use of docetaxel and paclitaxel. Methods A disproportionality analysis was conducted using the United States FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). All adverse event reports containing the term docetaxel or paclitaxel were selected. Lacrimal adverse events were identified using the lacrimal disorders Standardized MedDRA Query (SMQ), which includes disorders that affect lacrimal gland and drainage system including blockage of nasolacrimal duct, occlusion/stenosis of punctum, lacrimal gland neoplasms, and inflammations and infections. Results The proportionate reporting ratio (PRR) comparing lacrimal events among docetaxel to paclitaxel users was 2.47 (95% CI, 2.03–3.02). With respect to specific lacrimal events, dacryostenosis (PRR 19.54 [95% CI, 7.19–53.13]), increased lacrimation (PRR 3.2 [95% CI, 2.42–4.23]), lacrimation disorder (p = 0.02), and xeropthalmia reports (p > 0.001) were significantly more common. Conclusions The growing body of epidemiologic, clinical, and pathophysiologic research supports the case that docetaxel leads to adverse lacrimal events in certain patients and should be taken into consideration when oncologists consider docetaxel vs. paclitaxel.


This study investigated demographic variables, doctoral coursework, and administrative prepara tion of music department chairs from NASM-accred ited programs. The participants were 285 music department chairs who held doctoral degrees. Most indicated a moderate degree of administrative preparation, but had few doctoral classes that were beneficial for administrators. Gender and age were not significantly related to administra tive preparation, but the type of doctoral de gree, emphasis, and degree date were related. The most significant factors were taking administra tion courses or planning on being administrators during doctoral studies. One of the recommenda tions was that administrative courses should be included in the doctoral curriculum.


SIMPLE AUTHENTICATION AND SECURITY LAYER INCORPORATING EXTENSIBLE AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOL by Myung-Sun Kim University o f New Hampshire, May, 2007 There are many methods that support user authentication and access control, important roles in the establishment of secure communication. Particularly, we examine Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) and propose EAP-Advanced Encryption Standard-Pre-Shared-Key (EAPAES-PSK). SASL is an authentication framework in connection-oriented protocols. EAP is an authentication framework providing multiple authentication methods. SASL is vulnerable to the dictionary attack, replay attack, and Man-In-The-Middle attack as well as the re-keying issue. We propose to incorporate EAP into SASL to enhance the security of SASL and to provide a pathway for easy incorporation of future EAP enhancements into SASL. Standalone EAP still faces some common attacks. We propose EAP-AESPSK, a new EAP method, to provide strong authentication and we implement this method on the Cyrus SASL implementation: one of the publicly available SASL implementations. This project is evaluated through the verification of functionality o f a SASL application incorporating EAP. Further, we argue how the common security risks associated with SASL are addressed, and we complete a performance evaluation of the new method incorporated into SASL.


Research background: The global environment influences the behaviour of companies. This concerns the requirements for increasing number of products, product lines, brands, the need for market segmentation, consumer demand, innovations as well as the behaviour of consumers and suppliers including environmentally appropriate purchasing. The forest-based industries must respond to changes from the perspective of the globalization process by appropriate adaptation and, inter alia, to focus on the introduction of environmentally properly procurement. The integration of green purchasing principles into business systems is increasingly mentioned in the process of globalization of economies in connection with the huge potential for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage.
Purpose of the article: The aim of the paper is to identify and analyze the factors affecting the implementation of environmentally friendly purchasing in the companies of forest-based sector in Slovakia.
Methods: The reasons for implementing responsible practices in supply chains are based either on the stakeholder theory or the assumption that companies have a more proactive approach to implement sustainable purchasing practices as they are aware of the possible benefits. Using a questionnaire survey the companies operating in all sub-sectors of the forest-based industry - wood, pulp and paper and furniture manufacturing, including their suppliers of wood raw material in Slovakia, were questioned with the aim to identify the reasons for implementing sustainable purchasing practices.
Findings & Value added: Data obtained are used to identify the factors that are crucial for the introduction of green purchasing in companies in dependence on the specific company characteristics and conditions of the market environment under which companies operate.


This paper discusses the history of climatology as a science, from the first prehistoric descriptions to modern studies. Climatology, like other sciences, went through certain development stages, arising among the philosophical understanding of the world in antiquity, gradually accumulating facts, improving research methods to study climate, and eventually turned into an independent science. Ключевые слова: климат; история климатологии; климатологические исследования; климатические проблемы.


Abstract In this paper we exploit the principle of external pivoting in an attempt to predict very early which variables in a linear programming problem will be in an optimal basis. The prediction is based on the number of times that a given variable has been used in the generation of the entering external pivot column. The procedure is first described and then tested numerically by performing ten external pivot steps on each of fifty randomly generated problems of different size. The results from the test series are statistically highly significant. Using a very simple selection criterion to pick roughly as many variables as there will be in the optimal bases, we found that more than eighty percent of the variables selected were indeed in the optimal bases.


Paving asphalt surfaces on cement concrete pavement can form a rigid-flexible and composite pavement structure,but the rigid-flexible interface interlayer bonding processing technology becomes a key technique of composite pavement.Based on the new continuous reinforced concrete rigid base thin layer of asphalt pavement,by the different interface treatment scheme of indoor shear tests and drawing tests,a comparative study of different cement concrete slabs is carried out,the different bonding materials and an interface layer between asphalt dosages have effects on the strength of interlayer bonding systems,which leads to the formation of the best cement concrete slab interface,the best interface bonding material layer and the best asphalt content.


Looking beyond obvious development achievements under Kagame's rule, this article attempts to reveal the political motives behind the government's large-scale campaign to rewrite the country's history and to reshape society. In order to do so, the political practices of the current regime are analysed from a critical approach based on the writings of Foucault and Agamben. The article examines how the survival of the current regime is securitised and what role censorship along with propaganda play in strengthening the current government. Moreover, it exposes what political motives are at the bottom of collective mourning ceremonies and how one part of the population is victimised while the other part is criminalised. In Rwanda, 'peace' equals 'security' which is imposed by an all-powerful state through tight control over all aspects of life — including the production of knowledge and the definition of 'truth'. In such an environment, the renewed politicisation of ethnicity or any other cleavage in society might easily erupt in another wave of violence.


In this paper, quantitative analyses of the delay in Japanese-to-English (J-E) and English-to-Japanese (E-J) interpretations are described. The Simultaneous Interpretation Database of Nagoya University (SIDB) was used for the analyses. Beginning time and end time of each word were provided to the corpus using HMM-based phoneme segmentation, and the time lag between the corresponding words was calculated as the word-level delay. Word-level delay was calculated for 3,722 pairs and 4,932 pairs of words for J-E and E-J interpretations, respectively. The analyses revealed that J-E interpretation has much larger delay than E-J interpretation and that the difference of word order between Japanese and English affect the degree of delay.


The Saint Malo massif presents a continuous metamorphic series from gneiss to greenschist facies to anatectic granites; in addition, it shows evidence of all stages of progressive melting. A modal and geochemical study shows that incongruent melting of biotite according to the reactionplays a major role during anatexis. The distribution of trace elements between the liquid and residual solid states is closely bound to the melting of this mineral phase.Analytical results are compared to the results forecast from a theoretical model of sequential melting at equilibrium. With the exception of strontium, there is good agreement between the theory and the analytical data, which confirms the fundamental role played by the biotite.Rb proceeds normally in the liquid during the melting of biotite; Cr, Ni, and V, on the other hand, take refuge in the cordierite, whereas Co, which is not plentiful in the biotite, is not influenced by the destruction of the latter. In contrast, Sr shows a different behavior from that...


In India the construction industry is the second largest employer next to agriculture and about 31 million people are employed in construction sector. Indian construction industry is labour intensive comprising of semi- skilled and unskilled workers. The measurement and evaluation of an organization's performance on health and safety conditions at work mainly aims at the provision of information about the current situation and the progress of the strategies, processes and activities that are adopted by an organization with the view to keep H&S hazards under control. The construction industry needs a new paradigm for measuring safety performance on construction sites that is a proactive approach rather than just depending on the reactive data. The proactive approach is able to provide essential feedback on performance before incidents occur. This paper presents proactive safety measures to eliminate unsafe actions/conditions which contribute towards accidents and injuries by conducting safety sampling survey and overall safety performance was evaluated by inter observer reliability of internal and external safety auditors. The study was conducted in a large construction organization, certified under OHSAS 18001 and involved in construction of high rise buildings in India.


Boko Haram is rooted both in the ancient past of the Muslim kingdom of Sahel, Bornou, and in the more recent postcolonial history where regional power struggles turned to Bornou's disadvantage. Boko Haram then bloomed following the long religious Muslim incubation experienced in the lake's region. But the transformation into a radical salafist mass unrest was caused by the execution of the leader Mohammad Yusuf in 2009 by the Nigerian police, followed by the repression of its followers. Unable to put an end to it, Nigeria has to call its neighbors for help. In 2015, a coalition of the states around Tchad frees the cities but the brutality of the counter insurrection reinforces Boko Haram's hold among the population. After seven years of sedition, the movement could not be shut down. It survives in stronghold refuges, lake Tchad in particular. Governments still struggle to administer the zones gained by Boko Haram and to allow the displaced people to return.


Acknowledgments. Introduction. PART ONE: THE POWER OF APOLOGY. Chapter 1. Apology Is for Everyone. Chapter 2. Why Learning to Give, Receive, and Ask for Apologies Is So Important. Chapter 3. Why Apologizing Is Difficult for Some and Too Easy for Others. PART TWO: LEARN HOW TO GIVE A MEANINGFUL APOLOGY. Chapter 4. The Right and Wrong Way to Apologize. PART THREE: LEARN HOW TO RECEIVE AND ACCEPT APOLOGIES. Chapter 5. Opening the Door with Empathy. Chapter 6. Overcoming the Seven Obstacles to Forgiveness. Chapter 7. There Is a Time to Forgive--and a Time to Forget About Forgiving. PART FOUR: LEARN HOW TO ASK FOR AN APOLOGY. Chapter 8. Silince Isn't Always Golden. PART FIVE: TRANSFORM ALL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH APOLOGY. Chapter 9. Healing Your Relationship with Yourself. Chapter 10. Healing Your Past, Step 1: Make Your Apology List. Chapter 11. Healing Your Past, Step 2: Make Amends. Chapter 12. Healing Your Family When There Has Been an Estrangement. Chapter 13. Healing Your Marriage or Romantic Relationship. Chapter 14. Teach Your Children Well. Chapter 15. Healing Your Business Relationships Through Respect and Compassion. Chapter 16. Conclusion: The Apology Movement. Appendix: Two Ideas to Consider: Apology Circles and Restorative Justice. References. Recommended Reading. Index.


Backward wave oscillator with over-mode Ku-band high power microwave( HPM) generally outputs mixed TM0 nmodes,it has high energy conversion efficiency,but it can' t ensure the purity of output modes. However,it is necessary for high radiation efficiency that the microwave input to the radiation terminal is certain single and pure. So it is hard to put these HPM sources into application. In order to solve this problem,a design method for compact hybrid modes converter of purifying TM0 nmixed modes was proposed. With this method,the TM01,TM02 and TM03mixed modes can be converted into pure circular waveguide TM01 mode efficiently on the condition of high power capacity and wide wave band. This method also reduces the modes purification difficulty in the design of the HPM sources.


In this work, a Johansson-type crystal spectrometer was employed to record the high-resolution L X-ray emission spectra of pure Ag, Pd and Cd target in order to determine minimum detection limits (MDL) for trace amounts of Pd and Cd in silver. The X-ray emission was induced by a 3 MeV proton beam as well as by monochromatic synchrotron radiation with excitation energy tuned just below the Ag L3 edge. As a direct consequence of extremely high spectrometer resolution reaching below the natural line widths of the measured L X-ray lines, detection limits of a few tens of parts per million were reached in case of proton excitation. These limits were additionally lowered by an order of magnitude using energy-selective photoexcitation with synchrotron radiation as the signal from the resonant Raman scattering (RRS) was completely separated from the Pd signal. The method presented in this work can be used in general to substantially improve detection limits in case of trace elements with atomic number in the close vicinity of the atomic number of the target matrix element. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


There are very small number of ground-based observation techniques in the lower thermosphere, especially above around 100 km, although the region is a pronounced transition region in terms of the thermal structure, chemistry and dynamics. Radio meteor echo measurement in a low radio frequency such as MF is a possibility of atmosphere observation above 100 km. We have applied a meteor wind measurement technique, which is widely used in VHF, to MF radar systems, and have successfully obtained meteor winds up to 120 km altitude [Tsutsumi et al, 1999; Tsutsumi and Aso, 2005]. The technique was applied to the MF radar at Syowa station, Antarctica and meteor winds have been continuously obtained since May 1999, simultaneously with conventional correlation based wind measurements in the mesosphere. In this study we try to estimate seasonal behavior of gravity wave activity over Syowa in a wide height range from 65 to 110km using the accumulated 16 years of data. Gravity wave activity is estimated in two ways. One is a commonly used wave variance estimation technique based on time series of wind velocities [e.g., Vincent, 1994]. Hourly mean winds are used for the purpose in the present study. The other is a recently developed technique by Mitchel and Beldon [2009], where residuals after the hourly mean wind estimation are used as a proxy of short period wave activity. The former and the latter correspond to wave periods longer and shorter than about two hours, respectively. Obtained wave activities show a broad winter time maximum and summer time minimum in both wave periods, which is consistent with previous results in the mesosphere over Antarctica [Dowdy et al.,2007]. We further found that wave activities above 100 km are enhanced in late summer to early winter in both wave periods, which has not been known so far. Details of these features are discussed in the presentation.


Natural convection of a chemically reacting hybrid nanofluid in a closed wavy‐walled cavity embedded in a porous medium is investigated with an inclined magnetic field. The left wall of the cavity is assumed to be wavy and the walls are maintained at the surrounding temperature. Governing equations are transformed into dimensionless equations which are solved using the finite difference method. To validate the solving procedure, a grid sensitivity test and a comparison with published results have been carried out. Streamlines, isotherms, and isolines of concentration are discussed for varying Rayleigh number (Ra), Hartmann number (Ha), Frank‐Kamenetskii number (Fk), Darcy number (Da), combined buoyancy parameter (N), and nanoparticle volume fractions (φ1 and φ2). Streamlines show clockwise and anticlockwise vortices irrespective of the parameters. For Fk = 0.5, the maximum stream function (ψmax) is 0.64 and the maximum temperature (θmax) is 0.20 while for Fk = 2, ψmax and θmax are 4.08 and 1.36, respectively. Besides, for Ha = 0, ψmax and θmax are 1.61 and 0.379, however, for Ha = 100, ψmax is 0.90 and θmax is 0.377. Maximum temperature is increased with an increase in Ra, N, and Fk, whereas it is decreased with the augmentation of Ha and Da. Isolines of concentration show reverse characteristics of temperature. An increase in Ra, Da, and Fk enhances the intensity of streamlines but the opposite is observed for higher Ha, N and volume fractions. Moreover, the eyes of the vortices are distorted in the direction of the magnetic field.


Predictions from Hartree–Fock (HF), Popov (P), Yukalov–Yukalova (YY) and t-matrix approximations regarding the thermodynamics from the normal to the Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) phase in weakly interacting Bose gases are considered. By analysing the dependence of the chemical potential μ on the temperature T and particle density ρ, we show that none of them predicts a second-order phase transition as required by symmetry-breaking general considerations. In this work, we find that the isothermal compressibility κT predicted by these theories does not diverge at criticality as expected in a true second-order phase transition. Moreover, the isotherms μ = μ(ρ, T) typically exhibit non-single-valued behaviour in the vicinity of the BEC transition, a feature forbidden by general thermodynamic principles. This behaviour can be avoided if a first-order phase transition is appealed. The facts described above show that although these mean field approximations give correct results near zero temperature, they are endowed with thermodynamic anomalies in the vicinity of the BEC transition. We address the implications of these results in the interpretation of current experiments with ultracold trapped alkali gases.


Africa including Kenya has continued to suffer negative images due to stereotypes, prejudice, and negative reporting by international media. This has continued to negatively affect the continents' share of the global leisure tourism market despite the rich and unique natural touristic resources. The continents' MICE tourism, however, has been on the growth path before COVID 19 pandemic. This study, therefore, investigated the influence of perceived destination image by international MICE visitors on their post-visit behaviour. The study was carried out in the Kenyan capital city, Nairobi. The study followed a convenience sampling method with a total sample of 335 respondents. A model on destination image and post-visit behaviour was developed and tested. A blindfolding procedure in PLS showed the model had predictive relevance. Findings indicated that the cognitive image dimension had a positive and significant influence on affective image, overall image, and post-visit behaviour. Affective image positively influences overall image but not post-visit behaviour. Overall destination image had the greatest effect on post-visit behaviour. Destination Marketers in Kenya should pay particular attention to the destination's cognitive image. The study provides valuable information for policymakers and destination marketers in developing actionable positioning strategies to enhance the destination's image and competitiveness.


Abstract : Rising concern with drug use in the United States has led to increased emphasis on the interdiction of drugs before they reach the country. The military services are now being asked to assume a substantial share of the burden of this interdiction. This report analyzes the consequences of greater stringency in drug interdiction efforts, focusing particularly on how such increased stringency might influence the consumption of cocaine and marijuana. The analysis strongly suggests that a major increase in interdiction activities, even including the military, is likely to significantly reduce drug consumption in the United States.


Background : Hemorrhagic shock and trauma are two of the most common causes of acute lung injury. The activation of cyclooxygenase is one of the important causes of acute lung injury. This study investigated the effect of aspirin, a well-known cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on severe hemorrhage-induced acute lung injury in rats. Methods : The hemorrhagic shock was induced by withdrawing blood; 20ml/kg of B.W., through the femoral artery in 5 min. The mean arterial pressure was recorded through the femoral artery on a polygraph. Results : In the present investigation, the lung tissue myeloperoxidase activity, protein contents and leukocyte counts, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, increased significantly 2 and 24 h after the hemorrhage induction. Although the decreased mean arterial pressure spontaneously recovered, acute lung injury occurred after severe hemorrhage. These changes were effectively prevented by a single intravenous injection of aspirin (10 mg/kg of B.W.) 30 min before the hemorrhage. Conclusion : These results suggest that severe hemorrhage-induced acute lung injury is mediated, in part, by the activation of cyclooxygenase. Furthermore, pretreatment of aspirin in acute lung injury-prone patients, or prophylactic treatment of aspirin to the patients with precipitating conditions, could be helpful in the prevention of acute lung injury.(Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2003,


Mass-loss and surface-temperature measurements, filter photography, and scanning electron microscope surface characterization were used to study cathode phenomena in a steady-state, self-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster operated at power levels between 15 and 30 kW. The steady-state cathode temperature was found to be above 3000 K over most of its length, and evaporation and simple thermionic emission adequately explained the measured erosion rates and current levels. The steady-state cathode power balance was dominated by electron cooling and radiation. The arc ignition phase was found to last approximately 2 s and was characterized by spot current attachment with associated high erosion rates.


We searched the Gaia DR3 database for ultramassive white dwarfs with kinematics consistent with having escaped the nearby Hyades open cluster, identifying three such candidates. Two of these candidates have masses estimated from Gaia photometry of approximately 1.1 solar masses; their status as products of single-stellar evolution that have escaped the cluster was deemed too questionable for immediate follow-up analysis. The remaining candidate has an expected mass >1.3 solar masses, significantly reducing the probability of it being an interloper. Analysis of follow-up Gemini GMOS spectroscopy for this source reveals a nonmagnetized hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf with a mass and age consistent with having formed from a single star. Assuming a single-stellar-evolution formation channel, we estimate a 97.8% chance that the candidate is a true escapee from the Hyades. With a determined mass of 1.317 solar masses, this is potentially the most massive known single-evolution white dwarf and is by far the most massive with a strong association with an open cluster.


The purpose of this research is to know the level of English competence the students of the seventh semester at STES Islamic Village Tangerang in the academic year of 2018-2019. The instrument of this research is TOEFL paper-based test called TOEFL Prediction. The result of this research showed out of forty students only one student (2.5 %) achieved the minimum score required by the institution. Most of them (97.5 %) could not reach the minimum score. Although this is still the initial step to manage English competence as a competitive advantage for STES Islamic Village Tangerang. The research result will lead to the necessity of follow-up research to do so..


The Klee–Minty cube is a well-known worst-case example for which the simplex method takes an exponential number of iterations as the algorithm visits all the 2 n vertices of the n-dimensional cube. While such behaviour is excluded by polynomial interior point methods, we show that, by adding an exponential number of redundant inequalities, the central path can be bent along the edges of the Klee–Minty cube. More precisely, for an arbitrarily small δ, the central path takes 2 n −2 turns as it passes through the δ-neighbourhood of all the vertices of the Klee–Minty cube in the same order as the simplex method does.


Gas hydrate samples were obtained firstly in China by drilling on the northern margin of South China Sea (SCS). To understand the formation mechanism of this unique accumulation system, this paper discusses the factors controlling the formation of the system by accurate geophysical interpretation and geological analysis, based on the high precision 2-D and 3-D multichannel seismic data in the drilling area. There are three key factors controlling the accumulation of the gas hydrate system in fine grain sediment: (1) large volume of fluid bearing methane gas Joins the formation of gas hydrate. Active fluid flow in the northern South China Sea makes both thermal gas and/or biogenic gas migrate into shallow strata and form hydrate in the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). The fluid flow includes mud diapir and gas chimney structure. They are commonly characterized by positive topographic relief, acoustic turbidity and push-down, and low reflection intensity on seismic profiles. The gas chimneys can reach to GHSZ, which favors the development of BSRs. It means that the active fluid flow has a close relationship with the formation and accumulation of gas hydrate. (2) The episodic process of fracture plays an important role in the generation of gas hydrate. It may provide the passage along which thermogenic or biogenic gas migrated into gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) upward. And it increases the pore space for the growth of hydrate crystal. (3) Submarine landslide induced the anomalous overpressure activity and development of fracture in the GHSZ. The formation model of high concentration gas hydrate in the drilling sea area was proposed on the basis of above analysis.


Contents: Preface. A.M. Omoto, Understanding Social Change: Introduction to the Volume. J. Wilson, Some Things Social Surveys Don't Tell Us About Volunteering. J.A. Piliavin, Feeling Good by Doing Good: Health Consequences of Social Service. J. Ramirez-Valles, R.M. Diaz, Public Health, Race, and the AIDS Movement: The Profile and Consequences of Latino Gay Men's Community Involvement. M.H. Davis, Becoming (and Remaining) a Community Volunteer: Does Personality Matter? A.M. Omoto, A.M. Malsch, Psychological Sense of Community: Conceptual Issues and Connections to Volunteerism-Related Activism. M.J. Chinman, A. Wandersman, R.M. Goodman, A Benefit-and-Cost Approach to Understanding Social Participation and Volunteerism in Multilevel Organizations. B. Klandermans, M. Roefs, J. Olivier, Social Capital in Democratic Transition: Civil Society in South Africa. C. Flanagan, S. Gil, L. Gallay, Social Participation and Social Trust in Adolescence: The Importance of Heterogenous Encounters. R.G. Bringle, Designing Interventions to Promote Civic Engagement.


Two-dimensional numerical model is developed. The effect of diurnal inequality and river discharge on the mixing of density current in estuary is investigated. Numerical results coincide almost with observed ones for the higher isohaline but for the lower isohaline the difference between numerical and observed results is large. The effect of the diurnal inequality on saline intrusion is classified into two patterns. This classification is explainable by the new parameter, which is defined by the tidal amplitude. When the river discharge exceeds 1000 m3/s, the intrusion of saline water is almost stopped.


BackgroundSheng Jing Decoction (SJD), as a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, is mainly be used to treat male infertility. It has been applied in many hospitals in China, and the clinical effect of patients' reaction is satisfactory. However, pharmacological function and molecular mechanism of SJD are poorly understood. In this study, mainly investigated the function of SJD on spermatogenesis and sperm motility, and explored the potential mechanisms.MethodsThe oligozoospermia model of ICR mice was induced by injecting intraperitoneally (ip) with 60 mg/kg dose of cyclophosphamide. At the same time of modeling, high, medium and low doses of SJD were given orally for treatment respectively. Sperm vitality and motility were detected and analyzed by CASA, and sperm morphology was tested by Papanicolaou staining. Sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was tested by JC-1 staining. Sperm plasma membrane integrity was determined by SYBR-14/PI double staining. Histopathological changes of testis were analyzed by HE staining and Immunohistochemistry. Genes expression related to spermatogenesis and sperm development were detected by real-time RT-PCR.Results High, medium and low doses of SJD are effective to recover from the impairment of the whole body and testicular tissue by cyclophosphamide inducing, and to rescue the damage of testicular tissue cells including sertoli cells and germ cells by cyclophosphamide inducing. SJD can all partly restore the decrease in sperm concentration, sperm vitality, sperm motility and normal sperm morphology rate by cyclophosphamide inducing. Ki67 staining analyses confirm SJD can promoted testicular tissue cells proliferation. Real-time RT-PCR analyses reveal SJD can up-regulates the expression of proliferation-associated gene Lin28a, and differentiation-associated genes Kit, Sohlh2 and Stra8. SJD can also reduce the impairment of MMP and sperm plasma membrane integrity by cyclophosphamide inducing.ConclusionSJD is effective to support sperm quantity and quality by increasing sperm concentration, sperm vitality, sperm motility and normal sperm morphology rate. SJD can promote spermatogenesis by up-regulating the expression of the proliferation-associated gene Lin28a, and the differentiation-associated genes (Kit, Sohlh2 and Stra8). SJD can sustain MMP and sperm plasma membrane integrity to increase sperm motility.


Based on a theoretical framework that combines media studies, fashion studies and philosophy of mind, this contribution adopts an "enactive" perspective to analyse the relationship between audiovisual media and fashion. The application of the enactive approach highlights the centrality of the interaction between body, space and technology in the construction of the media experience intended as an extension of human physical and mental limits. The analysis of two recent fashion films by the American director Spike Jonze – Kenzo World for Kenzo and Welcome Home for Apple – will contribute to clarifying the ways in which the combination of dance, music, fashion, advertising and film narration can give life to enactive media experiences.


Superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic TiO2/epoxy coatings were prepared with as-received TiO2 and fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) functionalised TiO2 nanoparticles and successfully applied to the surface of AISI 316L stainless steel. The wetting properties of the coatings were confirmed with static contact-angle measurements. The corrosion performance of the investigated coatings was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The open-circuit impedance spectra of the AISI 316L stainless steel, the epoxy-coated AISI 316L, the as-received TiO2/epoxy coating on AISI 316L and the FAS-TiO2/epoxy coating on AISI 316L were measured in simulated physiological Hank's solution. Bode plots and Nyquist diagrams were used to evaluate the corrosion properties of the investigated coatings. The results show the enhanced corrosion resistance of surface-modified stainless steel, especially in the case of the superhydrophobic FAS-TiO2/epoxy coating.


FRANKLIN and BAILEY (1977) provided an algorithm for construction of fractional factorial designs for estimating a user specified set of factorial effects. Their algorithm is based on a backtrack procedure. This is computer intensive when the number of factors is not small. We propose a stochastic search method called SEF (sequential elimination of factors) algorithm. The SEF algorithm is a simple modification of the exhaustive approach of the Franklin-Bailey algorithm since defining contrasts for the design of interest are chosen stochastically rather than choosing them in a systematic and exhaustive manner. Our experience shows the probability of success of obtaining a required design to be sufficiently large to make this a practical approach. The success probability may be expected to be rather small if the required design is close to a saturated design. We suggest the use of this stochastic alternative particularly when the number of factors is large. This can offer substantial savings in computing time relative to an exhaustive approach. Moreover, if the SEF algorithm fails to produce a design even after several attempts, one can always revert back to the Franklin-Bailey approach.


Conservation agriculture techniques (e.g. no-tillage with mulching) have been much promoted as an alternative to conventional tillage in many cropping systems. However, adoption of no-tillage with mulching will only be widely adopted if competitive yields are demonstrated with its use. Our objective was to assess the short-term effect of no-tillage with mulch on the yield of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Bush bean yield with manual tillage without mulch (T0), no-tillage with banana residues (T1) and no-tillage with Tripascum laxum mulch (T2) were compared during two consecutives growing seasons. Banana residues and T. laxum mulch were applied at the rate of 12.5 tons dry matter ha-1 an-1. A significant (P<0.01) increase in bean yield was found in the first growing season (


Using the Gaussian beam approximation and from the viewpoint of mode match, the optical coupling theory between semiconductor laser diode (SLD) and single mode fibers (SMF) is described in this paper. Various SLD SMF coupling methods are analyzed. And the feasible methods for engineering practice are presented from the angle both of the coupling efficiency and of the cost.


The lexical acquisition of the processes in Foreign Languages (LE) is affected by the determining influence of Mother Tongue (MT) - a model of the operations concerning the reference construction - mainly in the case of the typological proximity between L1 and L2. This process acquires specific characteristics in what is known as "captives publics" these being similar to the Argentinean learners of French as a foreign language in the institutional environment and which are isolated when dealing with the socio-linguistics environment of reference. These learners have to elaborate the specificity of L2 within the similitude in relation to L 1 in all levels of description at linguistic analysis. The processes of lexical acquisition will be developing, on the hand, on the basis of the metalinguistic elaboration of the typological distance and of the continuous monitoring of the learner's processes and, on the other hand, it will be based on the teacher's talent of French language in creating interactive and productive instances for the lexical acquisition in adequate conditions of the expository environment of the foreign language studied by the students.


In the April issue of PACE an article was published by Garrigue et al.1 describing P wave oversensing as a cause of ventricular asystole in a patient with a DDD pacemaker. The authors referred in their article to a similar case from our institution published in 1995. They concluded that in their case, and in ours, P wave oversensing was caused by an insulation defect but "that the diagnosis was one of exclusion because no precise proof can be obtained." Although we mentioned a number of arguments supporting the hypothesis of an insulation defect, the final proof came 6 years later when our patient presented with an infection of the pacing system. It was decided to perform a laser lead extraction, which failed due to heavy calcifications around the lead in the subclavian and brachiocephalica vein. Subsequently, pulse generator and leads were removed surgically with the patient on extracorporal circulation. The leads were removed from the ventricle via right atriotomy. The lead that showed P wave oversensing 6 years before had an insulation defect over a distance of approximately 2 cm (Fig. 1). The borders of the insulation defect were extremely smooth due to the continuous friction over a long period of time. These findings finally gave the unequivocal proof of our hypothesis.


This book provides a comprehensive guide for those seeking a career in finance. Comprehensive coverage and well-organized chapters offer an overview of the career path, discussion of qualifications, employment settings, earnings, and interviews with people on-the-job. It is packed with hard-hitting information on the variety of careers in communications plus an appendix of sources of additional information.


A structural experiment and analysis were conducted to study the shear and flexural performance of beams strengthened with high performance fiber-reinforced cement composite (HPFRCC). Beams with HPFRCC showed higher shear strength, ultimate flexural moment, and ductility after flexural yielding than reinforced concrete beams. Estimation methods, which considered the tensile characteristics of HPFRCC, reasonably reproduced experimental results.


The aim of this study is to identify simultaneously the thermal conductivity tensor and the volume heat coefficient of a bimaterial (checkerboard) whose heat conduction obeys Fourier's law. This approach is validated by numerical simulation. The simulated temperature fields are obtained by the direct resolution heat conduction solved numerically by the finite element method formulation. To identify parameters, an inverse method is developed by using the finite element temperature approach (FEU-T) model fitting method based on the Levemberg-Marquardt algorithm. We validated the numerical procedure by using noiseless temperature fields at different time and space steps. The influence of the noise on the temperature fields is also studied and shows the efficiency of the inverse method. The results show that this procedure is not very sensitive to the number of elements (or space steps) and the number of time steps.


We revisit asteroseismology with quadrupolar 𝑤𝐼 modes and present universal relationships for its fundamental and first overtone. In contrast to relationships proposed in the literature, our universal relationships are capable of including slow stable hybrid stars that appear when considering slow sharp hadron-quark phase transitions. We show that, if the frequency and damping time of the fundamental mode of a given pulsating object are measured, its mass, radius, and dimensionless tidal deformability can be inferred. Moreover, we show that the errors of such estimates are smaller than a few percent for the mass and radius. For the dimensionless tidal deformability, the errors are -for compact objects with 𝑀 (cid:38) 1 . 4 𝑀 (cid:12) - in general smaller than ∼ 100 %. Comparison with previous universal relationships shows that the ones proposed in this work produce better estimates of the mass and radius of totally stable compact objects.


We calculate timelike virtual Compton scattering amplitudes in the generalized Bjorken scaling regime and focus on a new polarization asymmetry in the scattering process with a linearly polarized photon beam in the medium energy range, which will be studied intensely at JLab12 experiments. We demonstrate that new observables help us to access the polarized quark and gluon generalized parton distributions $\tilde H(x, \xi, t)$ and $ \tilde E(x, \xi, t)$.


This study aimed to determine the prevalence and transmission characteristics of New Delhi metallo β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Escherichia coli from ducks in Guangdong, China. In this study, a total of 28 NDM-producing E. coli isolates were recovered from 88 unduplicated diseased duck samples (31.8%) from veterinary clinics in Guangzhou, Foshan, Qingyuan, and Huizhou. Two variants, blaNDM−1 and blaNDM−5, were detected and the latter was present in 89.6% of the isolates (25/28). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis indicated that these E. coli isolates possessed six distinct STs, and ST156 was the most prevalent followed by ST648, ST746, ST354, ST10, and ST162. In addition, phylogenomic analysis found that two of the isolates that were recovered from a single sample possessed different genomes, and the blaNDM-carrying IncX3 plasmids may be horizontal transfer between E. coli isolates in the intestinal tracts of ducks. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis further revealed that blaNDM co-existed with other 25 types of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), of which 16 ARGs were highly prevalent with detection rates >50%, and a high incidence of coproducing blaNDM and mcr-1 E. coli isolates (22/88, 25.0%) was detected in ducks. This study underscores the importance of surveillance for blaNDM-harboring microbes in ducks.


The invention concerns a straddle carrier that determines a position of the straddle carrier (1) with a spreader (3) for containers (9) and with a to the straddle carrier (1) arranged locating system (5). In order to enable a more accurate receiving or placing containers at a predetermined position in a container terminal, it is suggested that on the straddle carrier (1) sensors (6a, 6b) are arranged, which as the positioning system (5) (with a control unit 8 are connected), and the control unit (8) from the position of the straddle carrier (1) by using the signals of the sensors (6a, 6b) (the position of the spreader (3), the male container (9) and of the parking place 15) certainly. Also, the invention relates to a method therefor.


359 The international banking crisis: effects and some key lessons Ong Chong Tee A. Trends in capital flows during the crisis The recent increase in capital inflows to some emerging market economies (EMEs) followed a period of strong growth in such flows from 2002 to 2007 and then a sharp contraction during the global financial crisis of the past two years. Between 2002 and 2007, gross capital inflows to EME regions increased more than seven times in absolute terms. This was accompanied by an equally large increase in outflows over the same period (Chart 1). Chart 1 Composition of gross capital flows in EME regions (a) Inflows Asia CEE Latin America


The invention relates to the technical field of electronics, in particular to an embedded real-time color resetting device aiming at a CFA image. The device comprises a digital-to-analog conversion chip, a data storage, a program storage, an FPGA, a DSP, an interface conversion chip, a serial chip and a signal conversion chip. The device is a CFA image format-based digital camera real-time color resetting device which uses the DSP as a core processor and the FPGA as a coprocessor and is matched with an SDRAM, a D/A chip, and the like, can convert Bayer images output by the camera into color analog images for output, and is used for real-time scenery observing and monitoring. The embedded real-time color resetting device has the advantages of high integration, miniaturization, complex algorithm, high real-time property, color-reset vivid images, and serial dimming function.


It is essential to predict the propeller cavitation in an early stage for proper design of the propulsion system. The current study focuses on the open-water characteristics and cavitation performance of the Postdam Propeller Test Case (PPTC) by Reynolds-averaged Navierstokes method (RANS). The results are grid independent when using the grid resolution with 30≤y+≤80 in the near-wall region, and RNG ki turbulence model can predict reasonable results with less effort. It can capture the steady sheet cavitation and root cavitation, but failing in the vortex tip cavitation prediction, indicating methodologies involving high resolution of turbulence behaviors are demanded.


A new and efficient Au-catalyzed alkoxycyclization of conjugated enynols offers a general entry to a wide range of highly substituted furans in good to excellent yields. These furans were subjected to diethyl acetylenedicarcoxylate to afford the interesting cycloadducts in good to excellent yields.


This paper falls under the heading of constructing consistent self-couplings in topological BF models. Our endeavor is of interest in the context of pure gravity, General Relativity, and super-gravity in Ashtekar formalism, which allow for certain economic formulations in terms of self-coupled BF theories in the presence of certain extra-constraints. More precisely, herein we address the construction of a special class of D=6 self-interactions for a collection of topological BF models with a non-standard field spectrum. Our methodology relies on a deformation method based on the relationship between antifield–BRST symmetry and the non-trivial gauge symmetries of a given field theory and implemented via the computation of certain precise spaces of the local BRST cohomology corresponding to the free limit. This cohomological BRST approach is applied to the starting free model under standard "selection rules" from Quantum Field Theory. Our findings are completely new and reveal a self-interacting topological BF model in D=6 with a complex gauge structure that is entirely read from the expression of the fully deformed solution to the classical master equation (the canonical generator of the antifield–BRST symmetry), and includes a generalization of the famous D=2 gravity in BF formulation.


Introduction: Pregnant women for antenatal care are very important because they can reduce the number of pregnancy complications. However, the prevalence of pregnant women to undertake Antenatal Care is very low.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze the Antenatal Care (ANC) approval for consideration complications in the Tiudan Health Center, Gondang District, Tulungagung District.
Design: The design of this study was observational with a cross sectional design. The population in this study were all pregnant women in Tiudan Health Center, Gondang District, Tulungagung Regency, with 45 respondents. Samples were taken by purposive sampling taken 30 respondents. The data collected was processed using the chi square statistical test with significance α = 0.05.
Results: The results showed that of the 30 respondents, the majority of respondents had compliant ANC contributions, namely 19 respondents (63.3%) and the majority of respondents did not experience difficulties during pregnancy, namely 22 respondents (73.3%).The results of this study were the Antenatal Care (ANC) meeting on the incidence of complications assessment in the Tiudan Health Center, Gondang District, Tulungagung District (p-value = 0.002) with the chi square test.
Conclusion: Compliance of pregnant women to perform antenatal care is very important because it can help reduce pregnancy complications that can increase maternal and infant mortality


Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis is a seed-borne bacterium listed as an A 3 pest in China. A pair of primers ClaF1-ClaR2 was deduced and a PCR protocol was developed for Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis-specific amplification of a 250 bp ITS(intergenic spacer region)fragment when Cmm genomic DNA was used as template. No DNA was amplified from phenotypically related bacteria, including species of Curtobacterium, Arthrobacter, Rathayibacter, Rhodococcus and pathovars of Clavibacter and other pathogenic bacteria by the same primers. The PCR assay was proved to be sensitive for detection of Cmm sufficiently in 50 pg template DNA or 1×10~5 cfu strains. It was demonstrated to be a highly sensitive, specific and rapid PCR assay for the detection of Cmm.


Using data from the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), the aim of this work is to examine whether marital status is associated with individuals' psychological well-being in Georgia. Results underline that widowed and separated people show greater emotional distress with respect to married ones. Empirical evidence shows that there is an association between psychological well-being and marital status that is also gender specific with respect to some measures of well-being: women seem to be more depressed than men after having experienced a marital breakdown, while no gender differences emerge when loneliness has been considered as a measure of well-being


Extended Horizontal Branch (EHB) stars are observed in many globular clusters and as field stars in the Galactic halo. They belong to old stellar populations of the halo and the old disk. Their evolutionary status is unclear, and still a current subject of debate. Current interest in these stars arise from their association with the discoveries of helium abundance inhomogeneities in the globular clusters ω Cen and NGC 2808. The origin of the inhomogeneities is not yet understood, but there are many interpretations. In order to better understand EHB stars, we explore the evolution of standard blue Horizontal Branch (HB) models using up-to-date physics. We present several grids of post Zero Age Horizontal Branch (post-ZAHB) evolutionary models to include both canonical and non-canonical evolutionary scenarios, as well as to compare models that contain semi-convection to models without semi-convection. We follow the models to the termination of nuclear helium burning. The detailed properties of the models, including shell flashes and breathing pulses, are described.