S OF COMMUNICATIONS The Four Hundred and Thirty-sixth Meeting of the Nutrition Society was held in Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham on Tuesday and Wednesday, 7/8 April 1987, when the following papers were read: I 32A ABSTRACTS OF COMMUNICATIONS I987 Moderate alcohol consumption affects lipid metabolism and blood haemostasis. By TH. OCKHUIZEN, H. VAN DE POL, J. VEENSTRA, W. VAN DOKKUM and M. WEDEL (introduced by R. F. GRIMBLE), TNO-CIVO Toxicology and Nutrition Institute, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands The present study was designed to test the hypotheses that the decreased relative risk for cardiovascular disease in moderate alcohol consumers (as compared with abstainers) relates to alterations in lipid metabolism as well as to decreased blood clotting or thrombosis tendency, or both. In Expt I, short-term effects of moderate alcohol consumption on blood constituents were studied in twelve male volunteers who drank standardized amounts of wine. Four regimens, namely 0, z or 4 glassedd or 14 glasses as 'binge drinking' during the weekend, were followed for 5 weeks each in a randomized order. The results showed a clear dose-related response to drinking for several blood constituents. Most marked was a decrease in the tissue-type plasminogen activator activity and, to a lesser degree, an increase in plasminogen levels. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation was reduced, affecting all indices measured. Levels of high-density-lipoprotein3 (HDLJ-cholesterol, y-glutamyltransferase and urate showed a small but significant increase. In Expt 2, long-term effects of moderate alcohol drinking on indices of lipid metabolism and blood haemostasis were studied. Twelve healthy men consumed 4 glasses wine/d for 20 weeks and the effects were compared with those in six men who refrained from drinking (controls). Remarkable were the seasonal differences in the concentrations of HDL,-cholesterol and y-glutamyltransferase in the experimental and control groups. At the beginning of the experiment there were no significant differences in the concentrations of these substances; however, after 5 weeks the concentrations of both were significantly higher in the drinking group than in the controls, confirming the results in Expt I. For the remaining 15 weeks the levels of both substances remained significantly higher in the experimental group and the differences remained in the same order of magnitude. It is concluded that drinking 4 glasses wine/d affected the liver enzyme y-glutamyltransferase only in the first few weeks. Serum concentrations became somewhat higher compared with the control period but they stayed well within the normal range, suggesting no harmful effect. Furthermore, the results are only partially in accordance with the above mentioned hypotheses and show that there was a stronger response by coagulation and fibrinolyses factors than blood lipids to the consumption of alcohol. Vol. 46 Meeting of 7/8 April 1987 '33A The relation of alcohol intake and diet to the changing pattern of acute pancreatitis. By M. LARVIN and M. J. MCMAHON, Uniwersity Department of Surgery, GeneralInfmary, Leeds LSI 3EX Acute pancreatitis is becoming more common in the UK (Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, 1974-86) but the relation of the increasing prevalence to diet and alcohol consumption remains unclear. The present study is based upon an analysis of 621 attacks studied prospectively in West Yorkshire between 1975 and 1986. At its conclusion, or after further investigation, each attack was attributed to gallstones (detected radiologically, at laparotomy or autopsy), alcohol (mean daily consumption >50 g for at least 3 months, no gallstones), or other (alternative or unexplained causes). Alcohol consumption was quantified by interrogation of patients, corroborating the details with relatives whenever possible. Significant changes (two-sample rank test) were observed in the age and sex distribution of patients during the periods of study (1975-77, median age 67 years, male:female ratio 0.6; 1984-86, median age 59 years (P<0.05), male:female ratio I (P<0.05)). There was a progressive rise in the incidence of alcohol as the cause of acute pancreatitis from 7% in 1975-77 to 26% in 1984-86, but gallstones have continued to cause about 50% of attacks (47-53%). Alternative or unexplained causes have fallen from 41% in 1975-77 to 27% in 1984-86. The median age in the alcohol group was 38 years, with a male:female ratio of 7.9, whilst the median age of patients in the gallstone group was 66 years, male:female ratio 0.5. Alcohol-related acute pancreatitis showed an annual peak incidence in the summer months, 27% of these attacks occurring during July and August. An autumn peak for attacks due to gallstones was noted, with 25% of attacks presenting in September or October. The study shows that alcohol-related acute pancreatitis is becoming more common, and the peak annual incidence is related to high alcohol consumption during holiday periods. The reason for the peak incidence of gallstone-related acute pancreatitis in the autumn is unclear, but seasonal dietary changes constitute a possible explanation. Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1974-86). OPCS Reports. London: H.M. Stationery Office. I34A ABSTRACTS OF COMMUNICATIONS I987 Recent alcohol intake and blood pressure. By RAVI MAHESWARAN, JASWINDER S. GILL and D. GARETH BEEVERS, Univenity Department of Medicine, Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham B 18 7QH The relation between alcohol consumption and blood pressure (BP) has been demonstrated in several epidemiological studies. Clinical studies suggest that regular alcohol consumption over a few days may raise BP, which settles soon after stopping alcohol intake. It is, therefore, possible that alcohol exerts a fairly rapid and reversible effect on BP. We have examined 258 men in an occupational screening survey to investigate whether BP related better with 'recent' alcohol intake (i.e. intake on days I to 3 before examination) or with 'previous' alcohol intake (i.e. intake on days 5 to 7 before examination). Alcohol intake was assessed by a 7 d retrospective diary. Subjects were examined on every day of the week (except for weekends). A positive relation between alcohol intake for the whole week and diastolic BP was observed (F = 2-79, X0.05) using analysis of covariance. Recent intake significantly influenced both systolic (F = 5.80, P<o.oI) and diastolic (F = 6.79, P<o.oI) BP. Previous alcohol intake did not have any effect on BP. Subjects who drank 40 g alcohovd previously, but none recently, had BP readings similar to those of nondrinkers (see Table). (Mean values, no. of subjects in parentheees) Systolic and diastolic BP We conclude that the effect of alcohol on BP in epidemiological studies is predominantly related to alcohol consumption in the few days immediately preceding BP measurement. Vol. 46 Meeting of 718 April 1987 I35A Which foods contain dietary fibre? The beliefs of 7351 respondents in the Health and Lifestyle Survey 1984-85. By MARGARET J. WHICHELOW, Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CBz zQQ In recent years emphasis has been put on encouraging the nation to increase its dietary fibre intake. For this to be implemented the public needs to know which foods contain fibre. The Health and Lifestyle Survey 1984-85, which was a nationwide study of a randomly selected representative sample of 9003 adults in Great Britain, provided the opportunity to find out whether the public could discriminate between fibre-rich and fibre-free foods. 735 I of the respondents were asked if they thought each of ten common foods (five fibre-rich and five fibre-free) contained dietary fibre. The proportions of respondents correctly identifying the fibre contents of the foods were: WeetabixB 93.470, digestive biscuits 8o.o%, eggs 78.7%' cheese 74.5%' orange juice 6 6 . ~ 7 0 , grilled fish ~ 7 . 2 % ~ roast meat 50.7% apples 49.8%, potatoes 46.470 and white bread 41.7%. The respondents were best informed about Weetabix and digestive biscuits which are commercially advertised as being high-fibre foods. That more than 4070 of respondents thought that grilled fish and roast meat contained fibre may be due to their 'fibrous' appearance, in the case of white bread the fact that nearly 60% believed that it was fibre-free is probably associated with the emphasis put on the high-fibre content of wholemeal bread. The distribution of the correct answers given by the respondents was: none 1.470, one 0.670, two 1.470, three 4 . ~ 7 ~ ' four 8,370, five 1 2 . 8 % ~ six 18.170, seven 23.470, eight 17.670, nine 9.670 and ten 2.6%. There was a clear relation with education (see Table). Relation between the mean number of correct answers about the dietary fibre content of ten foods and educational qualifications None Work '0' 'A' Degree/ Educational qualification . . . related level level diploma d"o. of correct answers: Mean 5.85 6.38 6.46 6.77 7. '9 SEM 0.06 0.15 0.07 0.10 0.08 9 No. of correct answers: Mean 5.96 6.69 6 .74 7. I 0 7.51 SEM 0.04 0 . 1 8 0 . 0 5 0.11 0.07 There was also an association of knowledge about dietary fibre with age. The smallest proportion of respondents giving eight or more correct answers ( 1570) were among those over 70 years old, whereas the largest percentage (3570) were amongst the 30and 40-year-olds. The results indicate considerable misunderstanding about dietary fibre, particularly among the elderly and the less well educated. This survey was supported by The Health Promotion Research Trust. I 36A ABSTRACTS OF COMMUNICATIONS I987 Glycine: limiting amino acid for rapid growth. By C. PERSAUD', T. FOR RESTER^ and A. A. JACKSON', 'Department of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton SO9 3 TU and 'Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica The evidence is accumulating to support t


The methods of decoration with gold and platinum on glass surface are reviewed and problems of these decoration methods are summarized and their development trends are also pointed out.


ABSTRACT Consumers in developing countries are experiencing improved standards of living and lifestyle and exhibiting a desire to consume global brands. This study examined the effect of life satisfaction of Indian consumers on brand consciousness and brand-specific variables (i.e., perceived quality, emotional value, brand loyalty) for a global apparel brand (i.e., Levi's). A total of 411 college students in Mumbai, India, participated in the survey. This study found that Indian consumers' life satisfaction positively influenced their brand consciousness, in turn, influencing perceived quality and emotional value for the global brand; however, the effect of brand consciousness on brand loyalty was not significant. Managerial implications for global retailers who plan to enter the Indian market as well as future research opportunities are discussed.


This paper presents a stochastic simulation model for the growth of multiple matrix cracks in composite laminates subjected to both static and fatigue loads. Working within the premise of ply-elasticity, a new concept of effective flaws is introduced which replaces the conventional constant ply strength criterion. Thus, the model con sists of an application of fracture mechanics and a rational representation of material flaw distributions. Simulation examples are presented on [02/902]s and [0 2/903]s graphite-epoxy laminates which undergo characteristic transverse cracking under uniaxial tension.


OBJECTIVE To examine the treating effects of Huanxiangtong eye drops on experimental rabbit with herpes simplex keratitis. METHODS Two point five percent,5% and 10% Huanxiangtong eye drops were prepared for study of treating experimental rabbit with herpes simplex keratitis. Acyclovir was used as positive control and solution as negative control. The cornea epithelial lesion,cornea stromal lesion,conjunctival lesion,mortality rate and virus isolation were examined. The rank sum test and the chisquare test were used. The treating results were analyzed synthetically. RESULTS In cornea epithelial lesion,the effects were the best for acyclovir and the second for 10% Huanxiangtong eye drops. In cornea stromal lesion,the effects were the best for 10% Huanxiangtong eye drops and acyclovir. In conjunctival lesion,the effects were the best for acyclovir and the second for 10% Huanxiangtong eye drops. In the mortality rate,it was the lowest for acyclovir and the second for 10% and 2.5% Huanxiangtong eye drops on the third week. In the virus isolation,virus activities from low to high were acyclovir,10%,2.5%,5% Huanxiangtong eye drops and control solution on the 4th day. The virus activities from low to high were acyclovir,2.5%,10%,5% Huanxiangtong eye drops and control solution on the 7th day. From comprehensive evaluation of five indicators,the effects from mightiness to weakness were acyclovir,10%,2.5%,5% Huanxiangtong eye drops and control solution. CONCLUSIONS Huanxiangtong eye drops had some treating effects on experimental rabbit with herpes simplex keratitis. The effects were the best for 10% Huanxiang-tong eye drops.


TheTransfusion Advisor isaknowledge-based system designed tofacilitate thereview oftransfusion requests inthehospital bloodbank.We have developed andperformed anevaluation ofaresearch prototype ofthesystem whichdrawsconclusions about twelvehemostatic disorders and critiques the appropriateness oftheuse offrozenplasma, cryoprecipitate (cryo), andplatelets, whichareproducts mostcommonly usedforthetreatment ofhemostatic disorders. Ourevaluation ofthesystem revealed that there wascloser agreement oftheexpert system with thedomainexpert thanwiththeclinicians ordering thetransfusions, andthattheuseofthetransfusion advisor toscreen transfusion requests mayresult ina substantial decrease intheuseofthese bloodproducts.


This article examines the affect of Michigan's 1971 legislation which lowered the legal drinking age to 18 years. In 1972, alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes involving drivers 18-20 years old increased much more than alcohol-involved crashes of drivers in other age groups. Adolescents under age 18 also had an increase in alcohol-related problems, perhaps because young legal drinker companions provided them with alcohol. Language: en


A process for casting a metal cast to form a strip ingot casting metal, comprising: continuously supplying molten metal to a casting cavity formed between a pair of moving surfaces continuous casting eliminates molten metal heat to cause solidification metal, and continuously withdrawing the casting cavity ingot resulting cast billet, forming said molten, at the entrance of the casting cavity, a meniscus at a position metal in the molten metal provides a first contact with said casting surfaces; and providing a gas containing water vapor substantially free of liquid water at said inlet of the casting cavity in a region of the meniscus to control said heat withdrawal by said casting surfaces.


Nursing is a health discipline consisting of theory, philosophy, concepts, theories and models. The nursing interventions should be based on theories and models and scientific knowledge. The expertise of the nurses give health care to the people. Therefore, know al/ about the human response and to evaluate the need to provide holistic care for it. Many changes in the postpartum period make it difficult to adapt parenting and human relationships. Roy's adaptation model includes of human, health, environment and nursing. Roy's adaptation model includes concepts of human, health, environment and nursing. This article it attempts to explain that the adapta in of the woman in postpartum period with Roy's adaptation model. Despite the fact that woman is in need of care has been taken care from every area according to Roy's model. These are detailed in the model according to Roy's adaptation model. in this article, one of the present problems ofa woman in the postpartum period was tried to be explained by considering Roy adaptation model adaptation areas physiological adaptation field, Self concept of adaptation, Role function adaptation, Mutual commitment adaptation .


Fe-10W-4Cr-3Ni-2Mo-4B-4Si-1C(mass ratio)alloy powders were sprayed onto 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel substrate using atmospheric plasma spraying(APS)system.Microstructure and phase composition of the powders and as-sprayed Fe-based amorphous coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The porosity of the Fe-based amorphous coating was measured using an Olycia m3image microscope.Moreover,the DSC curves of spraying powder and as-sprayed Fe-based amorphous coating were determined from room temperature to 1173K by means of differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),and their microhardness and bonding strength were measured.The results show that good adhesion is obtained between the Fe-based amorphous coating and the substrate,coating prepared by APS is dense,but with grey oxidation existing in the coating.Besides,the as sprayed Fe-based amorphous coating has typical lamellar structure.At the same time,the coating has not only low surface roughness and porosity,but also high microhardness and adhesion strength.The relative content of the amorphous phase of the coating is determined to be about 89.2%(mass fraction),and the formed metallurgical structure in the as-sprayed coating is nanocrystalline.


How can strategic decision-making be reinforced through reliable forecasts of technological change? Observations of strategic forecasts have shown that they mainly rely upon expert opinions. To turn these opinions into consistent knowledge about the future, we need to manage cognitive biases using provable models. Observed forecasting methods provide useful tools for exploiting expert knowledge and data, but management of cognitive bias remains underdeveloped. To improve the situation with cognitive biases in technology forecasting, the Researching Future method (RFm) offers a mixed methods approach. This article introduces RFm, a method that combines a problem-based approach and a logistic function, unified by an applied resources paradigm. A practical case study is described to illustrate and validate RFm, and the results, limitations, and perspectives of RFm are then examined. The article contributes to the technology forecasting methodology and is of interest to copper mining technology R&D specialists, among others.


Part of the KOMOBAR project aims to support agricultural production processes in rural areas. These processes are subject to frequent disturbances that need to be accounted for. KOMOBAR proposes to reduce the (human to human) communication overhead by deploying a distributed system that allows for soft real-time monitoring of the respective processes in execution. Further, KOMOBAR considers a major requirement that is found in the targeted market: A majority of the subcontractors that conduct the harvest are small to medium sized businesses that are unlikely to accept larger investments in IT infrastructure. KOMOBAR addresses this by employing Commercial Of-The-Shelf hardware and a cross platform software approach.


Three fluorescent dinucleoside phosphates containing 1,N6‐ethenoadenosine (εA), εApεA, εApεC, and εApU were studied using fluorescence‐detected circular dichroism (FDCD), circular dichroism (CD), and absorption measurements. The FDCD data indicate that εApεC and εApU can be described as two‐state systems consisting of a fluorescent species and a stacked, nonfluorescent species. Thermodynamic stacking parameters are calculated for these molecules using the van't Hoff equation. εApεA is found to be a more complicated system with a fluorescent CD which is different in shape, but comparable in magnitude, to the conventional CD of the dimer. This molecule, unlike the other two dinucleoside phosphates, cannot be characterized as a two‐state system; it is described as consisting of at least three states at temperatures above 35°C. The CD data were subjected to a linear analysis in order to determine the minimum number of states present. In agreement with the FDCD data, εApεC and εApU are found to consist of a minimum of two states, while εApεA is indicated to have at least three. The more complicated behavior of the latter dimer is also indicated by the values of the unstacked CD obtained in the van't Hoff analysis.


This paper reports the development of a new statistical model for predicting whether a given double star will be resolved by a particular telescope. The model predicts the effect of the magnitudes of the pair, their separation, the telescope aperture and a quantitative estimate of seeing on the probability of resolving the pair. It is based on a database of observations made by members of the Astronomical Association of Queensland, Australia. The paper reviews the phenomenon of resolution, and summarises the literature on the development of criteria for predicting whether a given pair will be resolved, from the 19th century Dawes' criterion to modern attempts to include factors other than just telescope aperture. The development of the new model is then described, including the collection of the data, a statement of the model equations, an assessment of model quality, and demonstrations of its use to show the effects of magnitude difference and seeing on the resolution limit of a range of telescope apertures. Some future work is suggested. The model has been implemented in an Excel spreadsheet which is available from the author at firstname.lastname@example.com.


The paper discusses analytical applications of the business model canvas (BMC) formulated by Osterwalder & Pigneur [1]. From this model, a methodological tool was devised and used as part of an academic research project, in which the categories (blocks) of the BMC were taken as conceptual categories and further processed through a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). The specifics of reversing the business model canvas are examined, since the model was conceived for entrepreneurs and not strictly for the analysis of pre-existing companies. The application of the tool was done within the multidisciplinary mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative)  project 'Business dynamics of the audiovisual industry in Bogota',  which was carried out from October 2017 to May 2019 at Manuela Beltran University in Bogota, Colombia. The methodological tool was applied to 32 key companies and four institutions of the local audiovisual industry through semi-structured interviews with people in managerial positions. The nine blocks of the BMC were conceptually developed to analyse the empirical data, holding them as internal variables. The assessment of the variables revealed opportunities for the growth and development of the companies and the whole industry, as well as patterns for the existing business models of the companies.


Python has become overwhelmingly popular for ad-hoc data analysis, and Pandas dataframes have quickly become the de facto standard API for data science. However, performance and scaling to large datasets remain significant challenges. This is in stark contrast with the world of databases, where decades of investments have led to both sub-millisecond latencies for small queries and many orders of magnitude better scalability for large analytical queries. Furthermore, databases offer enterprise-grade features (e.g., transactions, fine-grained access control, tamper-proof logging, encryption) as well as a mature ecosystem of tools in modern clouds. In this paper, we bring together the ease of use and versatility of Python environments with the enterprise-grade, high-performance query processing of cloud database systems. We describe a system we are building, coined Magpie, which exposes the popular Pandas API while lazily pushing large chunks of computation into scalable, efficient, and secured database engines. Magpie assists the data scientist by automatically selecting the most efficient engine (e.g., SQL DW, SCOPE, Spark) in cloud environments that offer multiple engines atop a data lake. Magpie's common data layer virtually eliminates data transfer costs across potentially many such engines. We describe experiments pushing Python dataframe programs into the SQL DW, Spark, and SCOPE query engines. An initial analysis of our production workloads suggest that over a quarter of the computations in our internal analytics clusters could be optimized through Magpie by picking the optimal backend. ∗Work done while at Microsoft. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits distribution and reproduction in any medium as well as allowing derivative works, provided that you attribute the original work to the authors and CIDR 2021. 11th Annual Conference on Innovative Data Systems Research (CIDR '21). January 10-13, 2021, Chaminade, USA.


Three topics are discussed: 1) Photometric observations of the rapidly oscillating Ap stars have shown that the pulsation amplitude drops dramatically as a function of wavelength from the blue to the red. A theo- retical derivation, plus modelling, indicate s that this is because the vertical wavelength of the pulsation mode is short compared to the scale height of the atmosphere; in fact, it indicates that we are seeing a pulsation node in the observable atmosphere. Radial velocity observations, and theoretical calcula- tions now support this. The implication for other research on CP stars is that this can provide observational constraints on the atmospheric structure inde- pendent of traditional spectral analysis. 2) Luminosities of roAp stars can be determine d from asteroseismology. A recent comparison of such asteroseismic luminosities with HIPPARCOS luminosities is shown. This suggests that roAp stars have lower temperatures and/or smaller radii than previous models have used, or that the magnetic fields in these stars alter the frequency separations. 3) The latest results of our long-term monitoring of the pulsation frequencies in certain roAp stars are discussed. There is a clear cyclic variability to the pulsation cavity, hence the sound speed and/or sound travel time (radius) of these stars. This might be indicative of magnetic cycles at a level that mag- netic measurements cannot currently detect, although there is no theoretical support for such an idea.


The NRP70 project 'The Future of Swiss Hydropower: An Integrated Economic Assessment of Chances, Threats and Solutions' (HP Future) addresses the challenges Swiss Hydropower faces in the changing electricity market environment. In particular it aims to answer three main research questions: 1. What are short-term operational options for Swiss HP to cope with the volatile market situation? 2. What are long-term investment options for Swiss HP and how can uncertainty be accounted? 3. What are the regional impacts from a comprehensive sustainability perspective? The project started in fall 2015 and is projected to be finished early 2018. This interim project report aims to provide a short summary on the main findings so far.


Research purposes: At present,the design and stability calculation for the railway dyke in declining gully for water retaining and diversion is on the base of those for the hydraulic rolled-earth dam,but the borne load and stability condition of railway dyke are different from hydraulic dam.As a little research has been done on this field,so a set of mature design and calculation method has not been formed for the railway dyke yet.In this paper,the analyses are made for the stability of one railway dyke built in declining gully.Research conclusions:(1) The stability of dyke in declining gully is influenced by the lowering base gradient,the cohesion of base contact surface and friction coefficient.(2) It is inappropriate to build a dyke on the ground directly when ditch gradient is more than 5%,and the dyke base should be made flat if possible.(3) It is appropriate to regard the cohesion of base contact surface as zero because the base contact surface is immersed in water for long term to drop the cohesive performance.


1. A new century 2. The fall of the Tsar 3. The Bolsheviks take power 4. Staling takes control 5. Changes to agriculture 6. Changes to industry 7. The Reign of Terror 8. The road to war 9. The Great Patriotic War 10. Cold War 11. Khrushchev: a new style 12. Brezhnev to Chernenko: the old guard 13. A new Russia


The invention discloses an exhaust manifold gasket. The exhaust manifold gasket is connected between a gas inlet joint of an exhaust manifold and a cylinder of an engine, and comprises a base sheet located between the gas inlet joint and the cylinder and a wrapping sheet arranged on the edge of the base sheet. The wrapping sheet is arranged between the exhaust manifold and a water collecting pipe of the engine. The invention further discloses the exhaust manifold with the exhaust manifold gasket and the engine. The exhaust manifold gasket comprises the base sheet and the wrapping sheet, the purpose of relieving the force between the gas inlet joint and the cylinder and guaranteeing waste gas to be sealed can be achieved by the aid of the base sheet, the wrapping sheet is used for forming a partitioning mechanism to allow the heat transmitted to the cooling water in the water collecting pipe from the exhaust manifold to be reduced, and accordingly unexpected effect on engine cooling effect by the exhaust manifold is relieved.


AbstractIn the present study, Bacillus subtilis, a Gram-positive bacteria, was used in dried biomass form as biosorbent for removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption tests were performed at different contact times, temperatures, pH, adsorbent doses, and initial dye concentration. The adsorption isotherms are described by means of the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. It was found that the Langmuir equation fit better than the Freundlich equation. Maximum biosorption capacity was found to be 169.49, 178.57, and 181.82 mg g−1 at 298, 308, and 318 K, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of MB could be described by the pseudo-second-order reaction model. The activation energy of the biosorption (Ea) was determined as 11.30 kJ mol−1 at initial concentration of 50 mg L−1. Free energy of adsorption (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°), and entropy (ΔS°) changes were calculated to predict the nature of adsorption. The estimated values for ΔG° were −21.22, −22.02, and −23.01 kJ mol−1 at 298, 308, ...


The provisions of Art. 50 point 2 and Art. 52 para. 1 of the Act of 2 July 2004 on
the freedom of economic activity refer to the "guarantee of proper performance of
activity under concession" without determining, however, what such guarantee
should really contain.
This paper is an attempt to establish the meaning of the above term and this
will be made based on other acts regulating activities under concession. It will also
determine whether the provision of a guarantee of proper performance of an activity
under concession is identical with the satisfaction of the requirements needed to be
fulfi lled in order to obtain a concession.
Consequently, an analysis of the provisions of different acts regulating specifi c
matters determining the conditions necessary to be met in order to conduct an
economic activity has been made, including the provisions of other acts in which
a concept of a "guarantee of proper performance of economic activity" has been used.
The above analysis allows to draw a conclusion that the granting of a guarantee
of proper performance of activity under concession cannot be treated as satisfying
the requirements of conducting economic activity, otherwise each entrepreneur satisfying
the requirements of needed to conduct economic activity would be regarded
as also giving a guarantee of proper performance. What is more, giving a guarantee
of proper performance does not apply to activities under concession only. However,
guarantees of proper performance in other types of economic activity are rare. Giving
a guarantee of proper performance of activity under concession means guaranteeing
that the activity will also be properly performed in the future. A characteristic feature
of an activity conducted under concession is that the future is predicted based
on the actual state of affairs ascertaining satisfaction of the requirements of proper
performance of an economic activity.
Deliberations on a guarantee of proper performance of economic activity may
be carried out in the context of a guarantee of proper performance of a given profession.
This is done in the second part of the paper. However, it must be noted that
not all elements identifi ed in judicial decisions as those constituting a guarantee of
proper performance of a profession, may be directly referred to when it comes to
the performance of an economic activity. Professional ethic or the moral qualities of
an entrepreneur may not constitute a premise indicating the absence of a guarantee
of proper performance of a concession activity.


The dark web is often discussed in taboo by many who are unfamiliar with the subject. However, this paper takes a dive into the skeleton of what constructs the dark web by compiling the research of published essays. The Onion Router (TOR) and other discussed browsers are specialized web browsers that provide anonymity by going through multiple servers and encrypted networks between the host and client, hiding the IP address of both ends. This provides difficulty in terms of controlling or monitoring the dark web, leading to its popularity in criminal underworlds. In this work, we provide an overview of data mining and penetration testing tools that are being widely used to crawl and collect data. We compare the tools to provide strengths and weaknesses of the tools while providing challenges of harnessing massive data from dark web using crawlers and penetration testing tools including machine learning (ML) techniques. Despite the effort to crawl dark web has progressed, there are still rooms to advance existing approaches to combat the ever-changing landscape of the dark web.


In recent years, the use of smart devices has increased exponentially, resulting in massive amounts of data. To handle this data, effective data storage and management has required. Cloud computing (CC) is a promising solution to deal with this huge amount of data. Electronic devices are collecting real‐time data from sensors and applications through a wireless communication channel in the digital era. In some cases, CC cannot protect against various malicious attacks in the wireless communication channel. To address this issue, we have used machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques for attack detection in a wireless channel on an early basis. It trains a model to predict malicious activities of attackers, which aids in the security of CC's sensitive data. We employed adversarial learning techniques (AL) to add fake data into the model to ensure that the trained model was correct. The trained model can distinguish between the fake and real data from the training samples and improve the training samples' performance. AL provides different defense mechanisms to preserve the privacy of ML‐ and DL‐based model but does not ensure the system's robustness. To improve the system's robustness, we have used federated learning with blockchain technology to make a system more robust, reliable, accurate, and transparent. This integration aids in providing high‐graded security against adversarial attacks. This paper presents a comprehensive review to highlight the recent improvements in AL techniques. Moreover, we explored the various AL applications in security and privacy preservation. Finally, open research issues and future directions are discussed to show future research avenues.


From this study, it is clear that when consumers have a positive attitude towards the quality of private labels, they are satisfied with store brands' performance. The results of this study also make it apparent that most shoppers do not look forward to receiving unsolicited flyers and that there is plenty of wastage as a consequence. Restricted use of flyers and limited inclusion of non-renewable resources in their private labels' composition, as a manifestation of the retailer's support of environmental sustenance, would give the store a tangible theme to position itself against competition.


The Hg-C bond of MeHgCl, a ubiquitous environmental toxicant, is notoriously inert and exceedingly difficult to cleave. The cleavage of Hg-C bond of MeHgCl at low temperature, therefore, is of significant importance for human health. Among various bis(imidazole)-2-selones LnSe (n = 1-4, or 6), the three-spacer L3Se shows extraordinarily high reactivity on the degradation of various mercury alkyls including MeHgCl due to its unique ability to coordinate via k2-fashion, in which both the Se atoms simultaneously attack to the Hg center of mercury alkyls for facile Hg-C bond cleavage. It has the highest softness (σ) parameter and the lowest HOMO(LnSe)-LUMO(MeHgX) energy gap and, thus, L3Se is the most reactive among LnSe towards MeHgX (X = Cl or I). L3Se is highly efficient, than L1Se, in restoring the activity of antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase (GR) which is completely inhibited by MeHgCl--80% GR activity is recovered by L3Se compared to 50% by L1Se. It shows excellent cytoprotective effect in liver cells against MeHgCl-induced oxidative stress by protecting the inhibition of vital antioxidant enzymes caused by MeHgCl and, thus, does not allow to increase the intracellular ROS levels and protects the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) perturbed by MeHgCl. Major Hg-responsive genes analyses demonstrate that L3Se plays a significant role in MeHg+ detoxification in liver cells.


Abstract Formation of some enigmatic haloes (such as giant, super-giant, intermediate types, dwarf, polonium haloes etc.) has been explained, in an unified approach, on the basis of α-recoil and α-particle damage density distribution from the decay series of radon and thoron diffusing out of the highly radiation damaged inclusion and the surrounding host matrix. It is shown that the origin of these haloes can be explained without invoking the presence of any hitherto undiscovered radioelement or superheavy element in the halo inclusion. An order of magnitude estimate of the diffusion coefficient has been made. The data available in literature on different haloes have been shown to fit in well with the diffusion mechanism.


In order to ensure uninterrupted power supply for communication equipment,AC and DC power systems in communications building are configured with a number of lead-acid batteries.This article proposed the optimization program can effectively reduce battery charging power consumption,improve the utilization of electricity,diesel generator,increasing the communications building host equipment installing equipment rate.


Introduction The search for sequence variations in genomic DNA is important in the study of genes that play a role in the development of cancer and a variety of other single and multiple gene disorders. A wide variety of different methods to detect DNA sequence variations have been developed (Dianzani 1993). One of these methods, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), has been shown to be a sensitive, reproducible, reliable technology for use in many research environments (Myers 1985a, 1985b, 1987).


Along the whole auditory pathway, an acoustic signal is expressed by a spatiotemporal pattern of the binary neural activity. The author points out several general features of neural auditory preprocessing. On the first level of the auditory system, the amplitude changes of narrowband stimuli are encoded by an instantaneous firing rate in a frequency channel consisting of 30-40 fibres. On the next level, owing to the summation of the inputs received from neighboring frequency channels and to the effect of delayed lateral inhibition, the dynamic range of single units increases considerably. In phasic neurons, enhancement of the amplitude changes due to short-term adaptation effects is observed. The role of delayed inhibition is also considered. Finally, in many tonic neurons of the auditory pathway, long-term adaptation leads to the adjustment of the threshold level to the mean level of the received synaptic input. This effect may play the leading role in the process of small amplitude change enhancement for long-duration stimuli.<<ETX>>


Thermal analysis is a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use series of analytical techniques for the characterization of thermosetting materials. It provides essential information for materials development and selection, process optimization, engineering design and prediction of end-use performance. Thermal analysis techniques include DSC for the measurement of thermophysical properties, TGA for weight loss and decomposition studies, TMA for the assessment of dimensional properties, DMA for the measurement of mechanical characteristics and thermal conductivity for the measurement of heat transfer properties.


A new fungus found on fallen leaves of Rhododendron erubescens from the Shennongjia forestry region of Hubei Province, China, is described as Coccomyces hubeiensis. This species differs from C. dentatus by its asci with subtruncate-conical apices, paraphyses branched near the top, infrequent zone lines, and the absence of conidiomata. The type specimen is deposited in the Reference Collection of Forest Fungi of Anhui Agricultural University, China (AAUF).


Soft errors, energetic-particle induced single event data upsets, have emerged as a key reliability concern in sub-100 nanometre technologies. Low operating voltage, small node capacitance and high packing density are primarily responsible for the soft error susceptibility. State-of-the-art processors need to fulfill reliability standards and, therefore, processor designers need powerful tools to estimate the vulnerability of their architecture. Historically, studies in soft error analysis have been focused on SRAM because it occupies the majority of the die area in system-on-chips and microprocessors. As a result, there have been great improvements in the efficient protection of memory cells but techniques for protecting combinational logic still remain at power-hungry levels. One of the reasons is the complexity of analyzing soft error in logic, which results in inefficient solutions for the problem of estimating reliability. This complexity in comparison to memories is consequence of less regularity of designs and less susceptibility of soft errors due to masking effects. We develop a model that computes the probability that a strike at the output of a gate has an impact in any output by traversing the circuits backwards from the outputs and gaining information about the logical masking using signal probabilities. The model can easily be extended to take into account other masking effects such as electrical masking and latchwindow masking. To properly estimate signal probabilities, we combine a widely-adopted algorithm from the literature called Possibilistic algorithm with fast, exhaustive simulation of small reconvergent fanout cones. The model is validated with fault injection simulation on a set of small circuits used in similar works from the literature and the ISCAS85 benchmarks. Results show enormous speedup with respect to fault injection and errors of 4% on small circuits and circuits with few dependencies. Larger errors appear on some circuits and motivate further research.


Medical Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement is a English book written by Loretta Sinclair. This book falls under MEDICAL genre.Buy Medical Billing, Coding


This is one of the core statements in Hans-W. Micklitz's book on co-operation between the English and European courts. His objective is to "demonstrate the potential of judicial co-operation [to contribute to democratic legitimacy] if it is done correctly" (p. 4). It is based on the hypothesis that "the preliminary reference procedure constitutes the principal democratic foundation of the European legal order" (p. 425) if three conditions are met: national and European courts must truly co-operate, public interest groups must become professional players, and EU rights and remedies must be understood as political rights. The book forcefully demonstrates the impact that judicial co-operation has on the development of the European and English legal orders, while pointing at the same time to weaknesses, where the legitimacy and effectiveness of the judicial discourse in Europe could be improved. Its focus is not limited to the role of the courts, but deals extensively with the role of the other actors involved, in particular applicants and public interest organisations. The study of underlying interests and policy-driven actions of the involved parties in their respective areas allows for an insight beyond the actual case law. It provides us with a contextual understanding of legal proceedings. The book is divided into five chapters: besides the introductory and concluding chapters, it contains one on each of the three case studies. This reader-friendly division allows direct access to the reader's area of interest. First, the author analyses litigation for the right to trade on Sundays, both in UK courts and before the ECJ. Secondly, he explores the broad scope of equal treatment litigation, including women's and gay rights, at both a national and European level. And, thirdly, Micklitz analyses consumer rights with particular emphasis on the principle of good faith. In the introductory chapter, Micklitz sets out his core conclusions (pp. 41–2), to which he returns in his final chapter, where he links them back to the findings of the three case studies. His principal thesis is that communication between national and European courts is faulty. National courts, as well as national litigants, pursue national interests with their actions in the European sphere. References are phrased on the 418 T H E K I N G ' S C O L L E G E L A W J O U R N A L


4550 Background: The purpose was to investigate the efficacy, toxicity and feasibility of preoperative docetaxel-cisplatin together with RT in a multicenter setting. Methods: Eligibility criteria: resectable, locally advanced (uT3 or uN1, T4 if deemed resectable) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or adenocarcinoma (AC) of the thoracic esophagus or gastroesophageal junction (Siewert type l); staged by EUS, CT and PET scan; age 18–70y; PS <2; normal organ functions. Treatment: 2 cycles of docetaxel 75mg/m2 and cisplatin 75mg/m2 q3w, followed by weekly ×5 docetaxel 20mg/m2 and cisplatin 25mg/m2 with concomitant 45 Gy RT in 25 fractions; surgery 3–8 weeks after RT. Simons two stage design was used. Primary endpoint was histopathological response rate according to Mandard (Cancer 1994). Results: 66 pts, 56 males, were included from 11 institutions; median age 61y (35–70y); AC 53%; SCC 46%; 9 pts (14%) had no resection (4 progressive disease, 4 medical reasons, 1 patient's refusal). Of 57 (86%) operated pts, 53 pts...


The basic methods for developing embedded database application based on Windows CE 3.0 are introduced in this paper.The development environment eVB and date storing structure in the Windows CE are also described.Not only the similarity and dissimilarity between eVB and VB are discussed,but also the similarity and dissimilarity between ADO and ADOCE are analyzed.Then the development procedure of a Pocket-Access database application is provided.In the end,the prospects of the embedded database application are given.


The invention discloses a drought-resistance seed sieving method. An agar bed is adopted for sieving. When the method is adopted, the seed sprouting media are very uniform, in addition, the repeated differences are very small and can be ignored, drought-resistance materials can be sieved out from a great number of varieties reaching thousands of parts, the efficiency is high, the repeatability is good, the accuracy is high, the operation is simple, the water dispersion is uniform, and the water supplementation operation is not needed in the sieving process.


AbstractThe Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) ocean surface flux (NFLUX) system provides near-real-time satellite-based gridded surface heat flux fields over the global ocean within hours of the observed satellite measurements. NFLUX can serve as an alternative to current numerical weather prediction models—in particular, the U. S. Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM)—that provide surface forcing fields to operational ocean models. This study discusses the satellite-based shortwave and longwave global gridded analysis fields, which complete the full suite of NFLUX-provided ocean surface heat fluxes. A companion paper discusses the production of satellite swath-level surface shortwave radiation and longwave radiation estimates. The swath-level shortwave radiation estimates are converted into clearness-index values. Clearness index reduces the dependency on solar zenith angle, which allows for the assimilation of observations over a given time window. An automated quality-control process is applied to the...


Domain shift is a phenomenon observed when two related domains – a source (training set) and a target domain (test set) – have a mismatch between their marginal probability distributions. This phenomenon is prevalent in machine learning, particularly in real-world applications. In computer vision, for instance, domain shift occurs essentially because visual data are often captured by different devices and under varied imaging conditions, such as scene, pose, and illumination. Under domain shift, however, conventional classifiers often fail to achieve desirable performances at test time. This is because they assume a stationary environment, that is, source and target domain are supposedly drawn from the same probability distribution. How to overcome the limitation imposed by this assumption is the question that guides this study. Here, I present algorithmic mechanisms to approach the domain-shift problem, thereby leading to an improvement on classification performances. The algorithms were proposed under the domain adaptation semi-supervised paradigm, in which a fully labeled source data and a partially labeled target data are available to guide the domain adaptation. The domain-shift problem is addressed by these algorithms in two different fashion: i) by learning a new invariant feature representation across domains; and ii) by combining a new feature representation with a based-domain-adaptation model. In this context, I found that semi-supervised subspace feature learning constrained by semantic links across domains – namely inter-domain pairwise constraints – is an effective mechanism to reduce the domain shift. Additionally, I found that combining the learning of invariant features in a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space with a max-margin domain-adaptation model yields a semi-supervised method that reduces the domain shift more than these solutions separately.


Apparatus and method an analyte contained in a complex mixture identified quickly and accurately, and quantified is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an ultra-high sensitivity cavity amplification spectrometer connected to the data collection / analysis device. In this method, using a database containing the absorption rate cross-sectional area of the various analytes to identify the composition of the sample numerically.


The novel method for enhancement of mass transfer in O_3/H_2O contactor with electric field was put forward, and some experiments and its mechanism of the method were introduced. Results show that mass transfer can be enhanced with AC electric field in ozone and water contactor and affected by intensity of electric field. When the voltage is 8 kV, the total mass transfer will be 41% higher than that of the state without electric field.


The mechanism of prototropic charge migration (p.c.m.) in water is investigated theoretically, employing topological concepts as well as continuum theory. A system for classification of p.c.m. models is presented. Two models are explored in detail: a one-step model and a concerted model, both of which include non-Markovian features. The two main sources of experimental data on p.c.m. are (1) nuclear spin relaxation, which monitors proton dynamics, and (2) electric conductivity measurements, which probe charge transport. The complementary nature of the information from the two methods makes it possible to test the consistency of postulated p.c.m. models. However, a number of interpretational problems must first be solved. Thus we consider the questions of n.m.r.-inactive proton exchanges and water molecule–prototropic charge re-encounters, both of which are crucial for a correct interpretation of n.m.r. data. The interpretation of conductivity data hinges on the separation of the prototropic and the diffusive contributions. We argue that these contributions are not independent: there is also a significant contribution from cross correlations. The origin of these cross correlations is the non-equilibrium polarization of the aqueous solvent. Several other consequences for the p.c.m. process of non-equilibrium polarization are discussed. A concerted p.c.m. mechanism requires hydrogen-bonded chains of the appropriate polarity. A topological model is presented and the length distribution of such chains is calculated in terms of this model.


Li-air battery is considered one of the most desired technologies for electric vehicles because of its high theoretical specific energy (more than 3500 Wh kg, including oxygen), which could enable a driving distance of > 500 km [1]. However, there are many technical challenges that hinder the practical use of lithium-air batteries. To address these technical challenges, significant research has been dedicated in the last 5 years on investigations of electrolytes, electrode materials and structures, catalysts, binders and anodes [1]. Despite progress in understanding the mechanisms associated with the electrode reactions, the current lithium-air technology is far from the requirements for use in electric vehicles, especially with respect to the cycle life and the power capability [1].


Silica particles containing surface-bound free radical initiators were used as supports for the grafting of thin films of molecularly imprinted polymers(MIPs).Silica gel as initiating agent,chloroform as solvent separation material synthesis of surface molecules with selective binding ability of gatifloxacin molecularly imprinted polymer on the surface of silica gel,and the identification characteristics were studied.The experimental results showed that the molecular imprinting material had good affinity and selectivity of gatifloxacin molecule,and adsorbent had high adsorption capacity and larger dissociation constant.


The present invention relates to a method of preparing aqueous nanoparticle sol, in particular a method for preparing a rare earth nano hydrosol, having the following process: The formulation chloride solution to a concentration of 0.2 ~ 1.5mol / L, pH of the solution is 1 to 5 a, in 25 ~ 65 ℃ water bath was added hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide and the ratio of solution a to 75 1:30 volume ratio, stirring to obtain a mixed solution B, and concentrated aqueous ammonia and water to give a volume ratio of precipitant C, in 30 after ~ 45 ℃ little heat was poured into a mixed solution B, the temperature was adjusted to 55 ~ 85 ℃, water bath for 2 to 5 hours, raised to 95 deg.] C, stirred for 10 to 45 minutes, suction filtered, washed, was added a solution of nitric acid in the filter cake after stirring for 70 ~ 95 ℃ 25 ~ 60 minutes to obtain a rare earth nano hydrosol. The present invention solves the technical problem existing in the conventional investment casting binder nano-rare earth oxide dispersion easily agglomerated.


A brief appraisal on scientific achievement of Morgan's school which was a famous school in genetics is made.And the reason why Morgan's school can succeed is analysed thoroughly.At last, some beneficial reference and enlightenment for promoting the scientific research in our country is offered.


Modulo scheduling is an efficient technique for exploiting instruction level parallelism in a variety of loops, resulting in high performance code but increased register requirements. We present a set of low computational complexity stage-scheduling heuristics that reduce the register requirements of a given modulo schedule by shifting operations by multiples of II cycles. Measurements on a benchmark suite of 1289 loops from the Perfect Club, SPEC-89, and the Livermore Fortran Kernels shows that our best heuristic achieves on overage 99% of the decrease in register requirements obtained by an optimal stage scheduler.


Coronary ostial stenosis developing after aortic valve replacement is a clinically well-recognized entity. This non-atheromatous intimal proliferation may be limited to the proximal part of the coronary artery, probably as a complication of intra-operative coronary perfusion. It may also occur in association with widespread intimal thickening in the aortic root, presumedly as a reaction to turbulence around aortic ball valve prostheses. We have encountered this process in 2/508 patients (0.4%), who underwent aortic valve replacement with the Bjork-Shiley tilting disc valve prosthesis. The coronary perfusion technique was identical in all the operations. Both the above-mentioned patients experienced disabling angina pectoris within 5 months of valve replacement and had developed a short stenosis proximally in the main left coronary artery. Both were relieved by coronary artery bypass grafting. Our first 160 consecutive aortic valve replacements with the Bjork-Shiley prosthesis were analysed with reference ...


Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness (Ra) of a feldspathic dental porcelain (IPS Classic Ivoclar) subjected to two polishing systems after simulation of occlusal adjustment.
Methods: Twenty disk-shaped feldspathic ceramic (IPS Classic Ivoclar) specimens were fabricated according to the manufacturer instructions and divided into two groups (A and B). The baseline surface roughness (Ra 0) of the glazed specimens was measured using a surface profilometer (Surtronic 3+). The surface was ground with diamond burs (PM82F and 0261PM), and the surface roughness was measured (Ra 1). Group A was treated with the Edenta diamond bur finishing system (EXA-Cerapol #352, #362 and Cerapol Super #372), and Group B was treated with the Tri Hawk silicon tip polishing system (Universal Fase 1 and Fase 2) before the final surface roughness measurement (Ra 2). Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test at the 5% significance level.
Results: Surface roughness mean and standard deviation values (in micrometer) were: Group A – Ra 0=0.21±0.07, Ra 1=0.66±0.07, Ra 2=0.23±0.07; and Group B – Ra 0=0.20±0.04, Ra 1=0.72±0.06, Ra 2=0.21±0.05). No significant differences were found between the polished groups and the glazed surface.
Conclusion: According to the methods used, both polishing systems provided surface roughness similar to that of the original glazed surface.
Key words: Polishing; porcelain; roughness


This work demonstrates the modeling process of calculating coupling coefficients of first-order distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers, operating on transverse electric modes in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum range. Optical waveguides are common structures in semiconductor lasers. The structure has dielectric layers and a metal grating layer. The interface between the metal layer and its neighboring dielectric layer has a sinusoidal corrugated geometry. Coupling coefficients are important parameters when analyzing laser performance. To calculate the coupling coefficient of a shiny-metal-grating waveguide, an electromagnetic model is constructed by truncated Floquet-Bloch formalism (TFBF). Ray optics technique is also used to calculate the coupling coefficients. These two methods have close results.


A large bubble rising in a narrow fixed bed is visualized by the index matching method, which makes particles and cylinder invisible by matching the refractive index between the material and the liquid. The bubble velocity is nearly independent of size in the narrow bed while it decreases with size in the pipe. The velocity in the bed sensitively increases with a superficial liquid velocity while a notable dependency is not observed in the pipe. The bubble behavior is modeled by a VOF (volume of fluid) method associated with a high-fidelity CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model, which can treat hundreds of particles that are randomly packed in the bed without geometrical simplification. The CFD model is validated based on the comparison between experimental and numerical results.


Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive brain tumor with a median survival of ~15 months. Targeted approaches have not been successful in this tumor type due to the large extent of intratumor heterogeneity. Mosaic amplification of oncogenes suggests that multiple genetically distinct clones are present in each tumor. To uncover the relationships between genetically diverse subpopulations of GBM cells and their native tumor microenvironment, we employed highly multiplexed spatial protein profiling, coupled with single-cell spatial mapping of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for EGFR, CDK4, and PDGFRA. Single-cell FISH analysis of a total of 35,843 single nuclei (~2,100 per tumor) revealed that tumors in which amplifications of EGFR and CDK4 more frequently co-occur in the same cell exhibit higher infiltration of CD163+ immunosuppressive macrophages. Our results suggest that high throughput assessment of genomic alterations at the single cell level could provide a measure for predicting the immune state of GBM.


This commentary focuses on two case comparison studies, one by Burckell and McMain (2011) on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for borderline personality disorder, and one by Watson et al. (2011) and Goldman et al. (2011) on Emotion-Focused Therapy for depression. The associated case comparison method, which evaluates and contrasts one successful case against one unsuccessful case that are both conducted in similar conditions, provides a unique opportunity for deepening our understanding of therapeutic change. Both therapies are integrative approaches that are clinically state-of-the art and empirically supported, and that have been drawing considerable attention from practitioners and researchers. In this commentary, I first discuss the case comparison method by reviewing previous such approaches, I then examine each pair of case studies with a focus on (a) findings on factors influencing success and limited success, and (b) methodological issues associated with the application of this unique method. Finally, I end my commentary with a suggestion for conducting case comparison studies.


The paper reviews recent models that have applied the techniques of behavioural economics to the analysis of the tax compliance choice of an individual taxpayer. The construction of these models is motivated by the perceived failure of the standard AllinghamSandmo model to predict correctly the proportion of taxpayers who will evade and the effect of an increase in the tax rate upon the chosen level of evasion. Recent approaches have applied non-expected utility theory to the compliance decision and have addressed social interaction. The models we describe are able to match the observed extent of evasion and correctly predict the tax effect but do not have the parsimony nor precision of the AllinghamSandmo model. Acknowledgements: Gareth Myles was a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Australian School of Taxation (ATAX) during the preparation of this paper. He wishes to thank ATAX for their hospitality and support. The paper has benefitted from the comments of participants at seminars in Bath, Kent, and the joint HMRC/HMT International Conference on Institutional Taxation Analysis. Correspondence: Gareth Myles, Department of Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PU, UK. e-mail: email@example.com


The objective of this study is to identify and analyse the barriers to green supply chain management (GSCM) implementation. A questionnaire and interview-based research method was adopted for this purpose to identify the perceptions to most significant GSCM barriers (GSCMBs) to GSCM implementation. The nationwide survey of Indian automobile organisations has been conducted to rank these identified GSCMBs. It is found that the data collected through questionnaire are sometimes very ambiguous or vague and insufficient to interpret the significant results. In this study, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is used to overcome this kind of deficiency for modelling the rankings of the GSCMBs to GSCM implementation. This study has attempted to identify the important and legitimate GSCMBs to GSCM implementation. The result shows that lack of top management commitment is at highest level which suggests stringent assurance at the top is needed for successful GSCM implementation. These GSCMBs rankings will help the organisations to decide their strategies to overcome the GSCMBs on a priority basis.


A novel design method of an unknown disturbance observer for non-minimum phase plants is proposed in the present paper. In order to improve the estimation performance, we introduce the approach as a virtual augmented plant by adding a parallel model to the non-minimum phase real plant. The parallel model is designed so that the virtual augmented model becomes the minimum phase. Thus, it is possible to design the unknown disturbance estimator for the minimum phase plant but for the non-minimum phase plant. As the result, it is possible to improve the estimation performances. In this case, it is important to clarify the relationship between the unknown disturbance estimation signal for the real plant and the virtual augmented plant. In the present paper, the unknown disturbance estimation signal of the real plant is re-constructed by using the disturbance estimation of the virtual plant. And the parallel model design method is also proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulations for several mechanical vibration systems. The results show that the proposed method can improve estimation performances in comparison with conventional methods.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Studies by Rowan (1930 and preceding papers) and Bissonnette (1931, a, b , 1932, a, b , and preceding papers) and Bissonnette and Wadlund (1931) have shown that in juncos, canaries, crows and starlings, at least, among birds, the sexual cycle is conditioned to a great degree by daily light ration. Sexual activity in both males and females can be modified at will by altering the daily light ration with controlled electric lighting from ordinary incandescent bulbs. Gonad changes, controllable in this way, are closely correlated with migrations in juncos and crows, as demonstrated by Rowan (1930, and preceding papers), who, however, maintains that it is the added periods of muscular exercise, rather than the light, as such, that condition these changes, in spite of the fact that it is always the added light he uses, rather than exercise, to get his effects. Bissonnette disagrees, and holds it is the light that is the major factor in conditioning the changes in sexual cycles. It has been found, also, that intensity and colour, or wave-length, as well as daily period of light are factors in conditioning sexual activity in starlings, and the method of increase of light also plays a part (Bissonnette, 1931, b , 1932 ; Bissonnette and Wadlund, 1931).


Table 1. The eflect of norvaline on citrulline synthesis Rat liver mitochondria (3.0 mg of protein/ml) were incubated in a medium containing lOOmM-KcI, 50mM-Tris/HCI, 1 mMEGTA, 1 mM-ATP, 20m~-succinate, 2pg of rotenone/ml, 5 mM-potassium phosphate, 16.6 mM-KHCO,, 10 mM-NH,CI and 3 m~-[~'Clornithine (0.5 pCi/ml). After 4 min, mitochondria were separated from the suspending medium by silicone-oil centrifugation. Carbamoyl phosphate (CP) and ATP were determined in the neutralized HCIO, extracts. Parallel incubations with I "Clsucrose and 'H,O were carried out in order to determine the intramitochondrial ornithine concentration after separation of ornithine and citrulline by column chromatography.


We argue that any viable mechanism of gauge field localization should automatically imply charge universality on the brane. We study whether this condition is satisfied in the two known proposals aimed to localize vector field in flat bulk space. We construct a simple calculable model with confinement in the bulk and deconfinement on the brane, as in the Shifman–Dvali set-up. We find that in our model the four-dimensional Coulomb law is indeed reproduced on the brane due to the massless localized photon mode. The charge universality is enforced by the presence of "confining strings." On the other hand, charge universality condition is not satisfied in another, brane-induced localization mechanism when the number of extra dimensions d is larger than two. We demonstrate that in the non-Abelian case the gauge fields inside the brane are never four-dimensional and their self-interaction is strong at all distances of interest. Hence this mechanism does not work for d > 2. At d = 2 the charge universality is still a problem, but it holds automatically at d = 1. At d = 1, however, the bulk gauge fields are strongly coupled in the non-Abelian case.


Homecare products are in demand all over the world. As such the formulations need to be able to withstand extreme weather, such as cold climates.
As the temperature of a surfactant system (e.g. dish liquid) is lowered some precipitated crystals may be visualized, especially if the temperature is below the Krafft point of the surfactant system.


STKE
At about age 50, the depletion of ovarian follicles through apoptosis leads to the loss of cyclic ovarian function in women. Although aging female mice do not undergo menopause, they do suffer a depletion of ovarian follicles and health complications similar to those of postmenopausal women.


Arab countries are primarily situated in arid environments and face serious water scarcity challenges due to growing populations, urbanization, and climate change impacts. Reusing greywater, if adequately treated at the point of generation, poses less human health risk as compared to blackwater reuse. Consumers have several reasons for being unwilling to reuse greywater, including potential health risk, religious and cultural concerns, and feeling uncomfortable. There are several possible reuse applications of treated greywater, such as watering plants, floor cleaning, landscaping, toilet flushing, etc. Therefore, it is important to assess consumer perceptions about greywater reuse before its implementation in any region. In this research, a framework based on greywater reuse indicators (GWRI) was developed to assess consumer perceptions before and after introducing low-cost treatment (LCT). Later the framework was implemented for Muscat, Oman. A questionnaire survey was carried out with 110 households located in diverse socioeconomic settings to collect data about general demographics, existing water uses, water sources, greywater applications (after LCT), and in-house plumbing systems. Seven key GWRI were estimated and aggregated to develop an overall consumer perception index (CPI). The study results revealed that CPI improved significantly from 'very low' to 'high' after introducing LCT. However, governments should provide financial assistance to consumers for improving in-house plumbing systems, based on detailed investigations. The studyrevealed that the CPI can be applied across the globe and can save time and effort for municipal managers, engineers, and policy makers by providing information that will enable effective decision-making.


This thesis suggests a set of system characteristics to be used when evaluating or analyzing the IT security of a distributed information system. Each characteristic is meant to be considered in th ...


An important mechanism of ED is vascular endothelial function injury or disorder and low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LI-ESWT) can stimulate and promote vascular regeneration, especially in failed PDE5i. The present selection criteria used for EDSWT are subjective in the form of IIEF, EHS or SEP with no objective definition of the extent of vascular involvement. There is a need to comprehensively evaluate ED including the extent of local and systemic involvement.

 To develop objective parameters of validated assessment of endothelium in men with organic erectile dysfunction and to evaluate if they could be used to plan accurate PDE5i, non-invasive modalities of treatment.

 In a prospective study, patients who were earlier evaluated and had vasculogenic ED and failed PDE5i treatment were clinically re-evaluated with questionnaires and CDDU. Additionally endothelial function and large arterial stiffness was assessed with the Vendys (reactive hyperaemia) & Sphygmocor (central arterial pressure waveform analysis). Categories identified were, endothelial dysfunction by Vendys, Aortic augmentation index abnormality by Sphygmocor (age corrected), combined abnormality with poor scores with or without metabolic comorbidity. All three groups underwent LI-ESWT with low dose PDE5 inhibitors with a revised protocol.

 Validation of diagnostic tools was done in thirty five patients aged 48.24 ± 4.6 years (mean ± SD) with a mean IIEF score of 8.4 were evaluated by the three techniques. Positive predictive value (PPV) of the three techniques was similar, in the range 89-91% and a negative predictive value (NPV) around 41-45%. CDDU had highest sensitivity at 85%, but low specificity of 55%, followed by Sphygmocor® at 77% and Vendys at 75% and the latter techniques had better specificity of 70%. Parameter Penile Doppler SphygmoCor® Vendys® Value 95% CI Value 95% CI Value 95% CI Sensitivity 85 % 70.1-94.3 77.5 % 61.5-89.1 75 % 58.8-87.3 Specificity 55.6 % 21.2-86.3 70.0 % 34.7-93.3 70 % 34.7-93.3 Positive likelihood Ratio 1.91 0.91-4.02 2.58 0.99-6.76 2.50 0.95-6.55 Negative likelihood Ratio 0.27 0.11-0.69 0.32 0.16-0.65 0.36 0.18-0.70 PSV (N) IIEF Class (N) % < 25 (22) Severe (18) 81.82 44.00 Mod (3) 13.64 Mild (1) 4.55 25-30 (17) Severe (0) 0.00 34.00 Mod (14) 82.35 Mild (3) 17.65 CDDU Vs IIEF score The patients were grouped into three arms Vendys abnormality, Sphygmocor and combined; for Li-ESWT treatment (15 each). Pre and Post questionnaire based assessment was done and maximum improvement of IIEF was in the Alx abnormality arm with poor results in combined abnormality.

 The aortic strain index and distensibility index were impaired in patients with ED. Vendys® SphygmoCor® are new tools in diagnosis of ED and superior to penile Doppler or questionnaire assessment. Li-ESWT is most beneficial in patients with Aortic elastic abnormality probably due shock wave effect on sheer stress of vessels by altering vessel wall pulsatality and resistivity index.

 No


A 3D global circulation model is adapted to the atmosphere of Venus to explore the nature of the planet's atmospheric superrotation. The model employs the full meteorological primitive equations and simplified forms for diabatic and other nonconservative forcings. It is therefore economical for performing very long simulations. To assess circulation equilibration and the occurrence of atmospheric superrotation, the climate model is run for 10,000–20,000 day integrations at 4° × 5° latitude‐longitude horizontal resolution, and 56 vertical levels (denoted L56). The sensitivity of these simulations to imposed Venus‐like diabatic heating rates, momentum dissipation rates, and various other key parameters (e.g., near‐surface momentum drag), in addition to model configuration (e.g., low versus high vertical domain and number of atmospheric levels), is examined. We find equatorial superrotation in several of our numerical experiments, but the magnitude of superrotation is often less than observed. Further, the meridional structure of the mean zonal overturning (i.e., Hadley circulation) can consist of numerous cells which are symmetric about the equator and whose depth scale appears sensitive to the number of vertical layers imposed in the model atmosphere. We find that when realistic diabatic heating is imposed in the lowest several scales heights, only extremely weak atmospheric superrotation results.


Significance Protein−surface interactions play important roles across biology, medicine, and biotechnologies. Specifically, while proteins are often found associated with biological surfaces in the cell (e.g., biomembranes), where they retain their structure and augment surface function, proteins tend to unfold on and irreversibly adhere to artificial surfaces, limiting our ability to leverage their functionality in technologies such as biosensors, tissue engineering scaffolds, and drug delivery vehicles. In response, we describe here an experimental approach by which we can measure the thermodynamic consequences of protein−surface interactions, suitable for answering long-standing questions regarding the physicochemical origins of these interactions. The resulting understanding should facilitate rational optimization of the biocompatibility of artificial surfaces used in a wide range of biomolecule-based technologies. Whereas proteins generally remain stable upon interaction with biological surfaces, they frequently unfold on and adhere to artificial surfaces. Understanding the physicochemical origins of this discrepancy would facilitate development of protein-based sensors and other technologies that require surfaces that do not compromise protein structure and function. To date, however, only a small number of such artificial surfaces have been reported, and the physics of why these surfaces support functional biomolecules while others do not has not been established. Thus motivated, we have developed an electrochemical approach to determining the folding free energy of proteins site-specifically attached to chemically well-defined, macroscopic surfaces. Comparison with the folding free energies seen in bulk solution then provides a quantitative measure of the extent to which surface interactions alter protein stability. As proof-of-principle, we have characterized the FynSH3 domain site-specifically attached to a hydroxyl-coated surface. Upon guanidinium chloride denaturation, the protein unfolds in a reversible, two-state manner with a free energy within 2 kJ/mol of the value seen in bulk solution. Assuming that excluded volume effects stabilize surface-attached proteins, this observation suggests there are countervening destabilizing interactions with the surface that, under these conditions, are similar in magnitude. Our technique constitutes an unprecedented experimental tool with which to answer long-standing questions regarding the molecular-scale origins of protein−surface interactions and to facilitate rational optimization of surface biocompatibility.


The article deals with the identification of semantic constants in the corpus of the texts of Protopope Avvakum, which manifested themselves as a characteristic feature of his worldview with the help of certain resources of the language system. In this regard, the main attention is paid to the substantives "the sun", "the moon" and "stars" as the external outlines of associative links that arise in a number of works. At the same time, the article considers only those cases where the indicated lexical units are part of a syntactically built sequence. Thus, the methodology of the present article includes contextual analysis, reconstruction, comparison techniques and elements of philological hermeneutics. For the first time on extensive material (Life, written by himself, Books of interpretations and moral teachings, Books of conversations, theological writings and epistolary heritage) it is proved that the mentioning of these celestial bodies actualizes two key meanings, which we conditionally designated as "eschatological" and "axiological". The first of them is due to the awareness of Nikon's reforms as the beginning of the last days and the proximity of the Last Judgment, characteristic of the period of the early Old Believers, and the second – to the need for Protopope Avvakum to respond to the actions of his supporters and followers. It was revealed that the contexts of the analyzed lexical units expressing the names of celestial bodies organize the body of works into two blocks. The eschatological meaning is found in a number of texts, including the main editions of Life ..., Book of Interpretations ... and On the Creation of the World ..., and the axiological meaning - in the Book of Conversations and the epistolary heritage. The article ends with a general conclusion about the importance of searching for similar constants for the rest of the Pustozersk Prisoners.


Abstract The study is an attempt to report the growth and status of agricultural education in India and to project a future scenario. The forecast made for trained agricultural manpower is based on socio-economic considerations which are then converted into an educational plan. Issues relating to educational policy to achieve supply-demand adjustments are subsequently discussed. Three main recommendations have emerged from this study. First, the number of diploma holders at the lower end of the professional ladder needs to be increased to cater for the social demand for more trained and readily available manpower to help clientele (farmers) to enhance the level of their awareness concerning technological developments in agriculture. Second, the number of specializations at postgraduate level needs to be decreased and agricultural education needs to be more broad based in commensuration with occupational demands. This would allow skilled and qualified manpower to be directed into areas of employment where ...


Mycobacterium tuberculosis's (Mtb) autarkic lifestyle within the host involves rewiring its transcriptional networks to combat host-induced stresses. With the help of RNA-seq performed under various stress conditions, we identified that genes belonging to Mtb sulfur metabolism pathways are significantly upregulated during oxidative stress. Using an integrated approach of microbial genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, animal experiments, chemical inhibition, and rescue studies, we investigated the biological role of non-canonical L-cysteine synthases, CysM and CysK2. While transcriptome signatures of RvΔcysM and RvΔcysK2 appear similar under regular growth conditions, we observed unique transcriptional signatures when subjected to oxidative stress. We followed pool size and labelling (34S) of key downstream metabolites, viz. mycothiol and ergothioneine, to monitor L-cysteine biosynthesis and utilization. This revealed the significant role of distinct L-cysteine biosynthetic routes on redox stress and homeostasis. CysM and CysK2 independently facilitate Mtb survival by alleviating host-induced redox stress, suggesting they are not fully redundant during infection. With the help of genetic mutants and chemical inhibitors, we show that CysM and CysK2 serve as unique, attractive targets for adjunct therapy to combat mycobacterial infection.


This purpose of this paper is to provide references in the rapidly growing area of intelligent environments for modeling and analysis, particularly for the development and use of decision support systems couched in mathematical programming. This is the focus of the project to develop an Intelligent Mathematical Programming System (IMPS). One way to divide the project''s scope is: formulation, analysis and discourse. There are, however, interdependent components that pertain to model management, software engineering, learning models, and other elements taken from a variety of disciplines.


Among a range of possible definitions of IS/IT project failure, Chung et al. (2015) take a very broad view of what constitutes failure: 'a system implemented for an organisation is considered a failure whenever it does not meet the expectations of its stakeholders'. Given the very different expectations of different stakeholders, this implies that perceptions of project failure or success will also differ. Project failure is likely to include projects that fundamentally fail to meet the objectives set – for example, where new supply chain management (SCM) software is implemented with the objective to reduce process times and costs, and over time proves to lengthen process times and/or increase costs. It may also refer to catastrophic failure – where a new system fails to the extent that it must be abandoned and the old system re-instated. However, another aspect of project failure may relate not to the change introduced but to project management of that change. Continuing the previous example, where new SCM software meets its objectives in terms of reducing process times and running costs, but the project to develop, test, install the software and implement system changes takes much longer and is much more costly than anticipated at the outset of the process, may be considered by some as project failure.


The article proposes mineralogical and geochemical indicators of ancient jewelry artifacts for determining raw material sources. These include the composition of gold and the presence and composition of inclusions of high-temperature platinum group elements (the minerals Os–Ir–Ru). The proposed indicators enable determining probable sources of the gold for archeological sites, items with inclusions of osmium. The location of jewelry workshops and the conditions and scale of extraction of gold in antiquity are discussed. Further work in establishing the concrete sources of gold artifacts requires determining the natural analogues of abnormal compositions of osmium minerals.


Objective: To determine whether diabetes mellitus 2 is a risk factor associate for multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in adult patients.
Materials and methods: We performed an observational and analytical case-control study. The group of cases was represented by 73 patients diagnosed with Multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis and the control group by 219 patients with a diagnosis of sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis. Both groups were evaluated at Regional teaching Hospital of Trujillo, during the period January 2004 to December 2014. The Information was obtained from the medical record in the data collection file. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to process the data. The Odds ratio calculation determined the association of Diabetes mellitus 2 and multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis, p <0.05.
Results and conclusions: The data obtained were processed in Excel program and analyzed with the statistical package IBM SPSS Statistics 24, whereby the chi-square test was obtained, obtaining a p = 0.235, which can be concluded that There is not an association between Diabetes mellitus 2 and multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. An OR = 0.519, with 95% CI = [0.173-1.560] was obtained; thus determining that diabetes mellitus is not a risk factor for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis


A novel double-layered vertically stacked substrate integrated waveguide leaky-wave antenna (SIW LWA) is presented. An array of vias on the narrow wall produces leakage through excitation of TE10 fast-wave mode of the waveguide. Attenuation and phase constants of the leaky mode are controlled independently to obtain desired pattern in the elevation. In the azimuth, top and bottom layers radiate independently, producing symmetrically located beams on both sides of broadside. A new near-field analysis of single LWA is performed to determine wavenumbers and as a way to anticipate radiation characteristics of the dual layer antenna. In addition to frequency beam steering in the elevation plane, this novel topology also offers flexibility for multispot illumination of the azimuth plane with flat-topped beams at every  ${\varphi }$ -cut through excitation of each layer separately or both antennas simultaneously. It is shown that the proposed antenna solution is a qualified candidate for 5G base station antenna (BSA) applications due to its capability of interference mitigation and latency reduction. Moreover, from the point of view of highly reliable connectivity, users can enjoy seamless mobility through the provided spatial diversity. A 15-GHz prototype has been fabricated and tested. Measured results are in good agreement with those of simulations.


A new type of adsorbent containing amidoxime and carboxyl groups was synthesized by the preirradiation graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) and acrylic acid (AA) onto fibrous-type poly(vinyl alcohol) followed by amidoximation with hydroxylamine. The radiation dose and ratio of AN and AA monomers influenced the degree of grafting, the content of the amidoxime group, and the adsorption capacity. The synthesis course, structure, and properties of the adsorbent were investigated with Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetry. The adsorption property of the adsorbent for palladium(II) ions was also studied systematically. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1986–1992, 2002


Yun xue ji cheng and Zhi yin pian are all written by Zhang Fu ,which were finished in Tian Shun Geng Chen()(1460)year of Ming Dynasty . The second book named Zhi yin pian, is apt to lead misunderstanding that it is Zhi- yin()of Yun xue ji cheng. After contrasting the style, charge words and phonetic notation between two books, this paper summarizes the following characteristis of Zhi yin pian: Firstly, its phonetic notation isnt all the Zhi yin of Yun xue ji chen. Second, it put the characters in the order of radicals. Thirdly, the "fan qie"()of many characters with are different between two books. Even though there are a lot of differences in these two books, we still hold that the sound system of the two books are identical,which emphasizes different aspect and complement each other to be an intact rhyme-book-system.


A novel Pr complex, constructed from a rigid three-connected H3TMTA and praseodymium(III) ion, has been synthesized in a mixed solvent system and characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, a thermogravimetric analysis, an element analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction, which reveals that complex 1 crystallizes in a three-dimensional porous framework. Moreover, the thermal stabilities and the fluorescent and gas adsorption and separation properties of complex 1 were investigated systematically.


Iron oxides are considered a very interesting class of materials due to their morphological characteristics, especially in the adsorption and catalysis fields. As an adsorbent, iron oxide is used both in water and industrial wastewater treatment. In this paper, iron oxide samples were obtained in goethite and magnetite phases by acid method starting from the intermediate green rust II (GRII). For that, the molar [FeSO4]/[NaOH] ratio was determined at R = 1.00. The influence of the oxygen flow rate introduced into the reaction mixture, the reaction temperature, stirring speed during mixing, and reaction time on the quality of the iron oxides produced were evaluated. It was possible to propose and validate a kinetic mechanism for iron oxide production based on the particle size/reaction time dependence. In addition, a limiting step for the reaction rate was also proposed.


Humanity is currently living in one of its worst pandemics due to Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Measures to control this pandemic are affected by the people's misinformation. This study aims to evaluate the global knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the Arab population regarding COVID-19. Establish any connections between demographic information and the KAP of individuals. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of 4 months from September to December 2021. A 24-question survey was randomly distributed in 16 different countries. Most of the participants (45.1%) were unsure whether the COVID-19 virus was man-made and released for political purposes. Only 39.6% of the participants believed the vaccine was safe (38.5% responded unsure, and 21.9% responded no). Reassuringly, most of the participants displayed a positive attitude towards the precautionary measures. Most of the study participants had high academic qualifications. Although most of the participants utilized reliable knowledge sources-certified governmental sources (41%) and the WHO and international scientific institutions (23.1%)-, there seems to be a sense of mistrust and uncertainty regarding the origin of the COVID-19 virus. This study identified major gaps in the knowledge of the Arabs which has negatively affected their attitude and practices when it comes to vaccination. More is to be done by authorities to reach the public to assure a proper source of knowledge.


The purpose of this publication is to present the findings of research concerned with improved understanding and appropriate policy development for the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) in India. The research was undertaken by the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) in collaboration with local partners1; with funding from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) under a collaborative agreement with the World Bank. The two Indian states selected for analysis were Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Research objectives of this study sought to inform policy on two interrelated topics: 1) sources of farm and non-farm income in rural households; barriers to uptake of non-farm employment; and opportunities which can be translated into policy recommendations; 2) the effect of local governance on the development of the RNFE in particular and rural development in general; and the opportunities for making local governments more responsive to local needs.


Objectives To understand under special environment military physical health and discusses the influence factors.Methods Cluster random sampling was used to select the western plateau alpine region soldiers(n=91),and dry desert area military soldiers(n=75) for the test group,96 soldiers from the city as the control group,two groups were measured to reflect the physiological health status indicators.Results The blood sugar and cholesterol of test group were higher than control alpine environment,total protein was lower than those of the control group,and the plateau above drought desert environment,the difference was statistically significant(P0.05~0.01);alpine environment soldiers maximum plateau ventilation was higher than control group,drought desert environment and drought desert environment soldiers vital capacity and forced vital capacity was lower than control group,alpine environment and highland difference was statistically significant(P0.05~0.01);the test group direct bilirubin was lower than those of the control group,alanine transferase was higher than those in the control group,and the plateau alpine environment under drought desert environment,difference was statistically significant(P0.05~0.01);the test group potassium,sodium and chloride,calcium concentration were lower than those of the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P0.01).Conclusion Special environment has some effect on the physical health status of soldiers.


Background The COPD assessment test (CAT) was introduced last year.1 It is a questionnaire that contains eight questions covering domains relating to the impact of COPD symptoms. It is a self completion questionnaire and does not require scoring software. Scores of 0–10, 11–20, 21–30, 31–40 represent mild, moderate, severe or very severe clinical impact. In cross-sectional studies it has similar scaling properties to the SGRQ, so that 1 point in the CAT is equivalent to approximately 2.5 points on the SGRQ. It is not known how the CAT score performs in the context of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Methods We prospectively studied the introduction of the CAT score as an assessment tool in several pulmonary rehabilitation programs across London, where it was used alongside a range of other outcome measures in different programs including the SGRQ, CCQ, HAD score, MRC dyspnoea score and several different walking tests. Primary outcome was a comparison of change in CAT score against an anchor question used to assess overall response, scored 1 "I feel much better" 2 "I feel a little better", 3 "I feel no different", 4 "I feel a little worse", 5 "I feel much worse". Results Data were available for 172 COPD patients, mean(SD) age 69.6(9.3) years, FEV1 51.9(18.9)% predicted, MRC dyspnoea score 3.0(0.9), CAT score 20.0(7.5) who attended five different programs. Mean improvement in CAT score after PR was 2.8(5.8) points. In those scoring "much better" (n=108) CAT fell by 3.7(6.1) points and by 1.2(4.8) in those who felt "a little better" (n=56) (p=0.01). In those scoring 3 or 4 on the anchor question (grouped together as n=8) change in CAT was −0.6(3.5). Conclusion The CAT score improves in response to pulmonary rehabilitation and more so in those who report a greater overall improvement. Further accrual is underway to allow comparison of changes in CAT to other outcome measures.


A new OXC configuration that yields hitless port-count expansion to meet traffic growth at minimum cost is presented. Numerical experiments verify the node configuration offers almost complete routing capability even though it uses small-degree WSSs.