To clarify the association between changes in the number of foundational medications for heart failure (FMHF) during hospitalization for worsening heart failure and post-discharge prognosis.

 We retrospectively analyzed a combined dataset of three large-scale registries of hospitalized patients with heart failure in Japan (NARA-HF, WET-HF, and REALITY-AHF) and included patients already diagnosed with heart failure with reduced or mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFr/mrEF) before admission. Patients were stratified by changes in the number of prescribed FMHF classes, namely angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor blockers, from admission to discharge. The primary endpoint was defined as the combined endpoint of heart failure rehospitalization and all-cause death within 1-year of discharge. The cohort consisted of 1,113 patients, and 482 combined endpoints were observed. In total, 413 (37.1%) patients were on increased FMHF (increased group), 607 (54.5%) remained unchanged (unchanged group), and 93 (8.4%) had a decreased number of FMHF (decreased group) at discharge compared to the time of admission. In multivariable analysis, the increased group was associated with a significantly lower incidence of the primary endpoint compared with the unchanged group (hazard ratio 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.45–0.60; P<0.001) and decreased group (hazard ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.40–0.84; P=0.004).

 Increasing the number of FMHF cases during heart failure hospitalization is associated with a better prognosis in patients with HFr/mrEF.

 Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): REALITY registry was funded by the Cardiovascular Research Fund of Japan.WET-HF registry was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (Y.S. JSPS KAKENHI, 18K15860).


At this time, podcasts have become a trend in Indonesia. Many content creators to influencers create content based on radio broadcasts or commonly known as podcasts. The audience feels interested in this content because there is an interesting discussion process that is presented in a relaxed manner. Podcast is one of the content media that has received a lot of public attention. Because it seems more flexible and intense when compared to radio broadcasts in general. For example CBC Radio One, Pod.me, BBC and so on. At this time, it's not only the big broadcasting media that can host podcasts, but you can be one of the people who can host podcasts. Based on the above problems, the solution is to design a UI/UX application and a podcast platform website called SOUNDS using Human Centered HCD Design. HCD is an approach that focuses on all potential users of information systems or not being the object of trials in the data collection process and evaluation process on website information systems that are being designed to create the SOUNDS podcast platform to improve display quality and user attractiveness.
Keywords : Podcast, Strategi:Human Centered Design  (HCD), UI/UX  Design


Prometryne was synthesized from cyanuric chloride,isopropylamine,and sodium methyl mercaptide using isopropanol/water (50:50,by vol) as the solvent.The effect of factors such as proportion of starting reagents,reaction time,and reaction temperature was investigated,and optimum reaction conditions were determined as follows: a molar ratio of cyanuric chloride,isopropylamine,sodium hydroxide,and sodium methyl mercaptide of 1:2.1:2.0:1.7;tem- perature and time of the first,second,third sustitution reactions were,respectively,0℃,30℃,and 82℃ and 30,60,and 180 min.Yield and purity of prometryne was 82.6 and 97.4%,respectively,under optimum reaction conditions.


The endoscopic ablation system (EAS) is an established ablation device for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The novel X3 EAS is now equipped with a contiguous circumferential ablation mode (RAPID mode).


Analysing the condition of audiovisual essence is an important step in audiovisual production and preservation. Standardised impairment description of audiovisual media is a pre-requisite for system interoperability between content digitisation, documentation, management, restoration, production and delivery systems.We analyse existing capabilities for describing impairment in audiovisual metadata standards. Because of its unique detailed spatiotemporally structured description capabilities we have selected MPEG-7 as the basis for visual impairment description. Following the approach for audio quality description, we define a general description scheme for visual impairments, which allows representing defect events and statistical quality measures. For certain defects, more specialised descriptors are proposed. In addition, we define a comprehensive classification scheme for visual impairments.


Some attributes relative to streets selection are defined;learning samples can be generated randomly based on rules for streets selection,and a methodfor streets progressive selection based on neural networkis proposed,and an application example is given.


We have previously demonstrated that increased urethral resistance was more prominent in diabetic rats than in controls. This may result from a compressive obstruction such as damage of the urethral nerve containing nitric oxide. Another possible cause for urethral obstruction could be a constrictive obstruction such as a periurethral fibrosis. In the present study, we investigated the changes in the expression of nitric oxide synthase(NOS) isoforms(compressive obstruction) and collagen subtypes (constrictive obstruction) in the urethral tissues of non-insulin dependent diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats(18 diabetic rats and 18 control rats), bred from birth, were included in this study. Diabetes mellitus was induced by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin(90mg/kg) on the second day after birth. Urethral tissues were harvested at 12, 24 and 36 weeks after induction of diabetes and were stained for neuronal NOS(nNOS) and Masson trichrome. We also performed reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction or Western blot analysis to evaluate mRNA or protein expression of NOS isoforms and collagen subtypes in the urethral tissues. Results: Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis of nNOS revealed that the immunoreactivity and nNOS expression in the urethra was lower in the diabetic rats than in the controls. The Masson trichrome staining showed that there was urethral fibrosis in the diabetic rats. The mRNA or protein expression of collagen subtypes, especially type I collagen, were higher in the diabetic rat urethra than in the controls. Conclusions: These data suggest that the increased urethral resistance in diabetic rats may be attributable to a decrease in the urethral nNOS expression and an increase in collagen content. Urethral dysfunction as well as a cystopathy may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes- induced voiding dysfunction.


As to the creation of classical-style poetry in the 20th centrury,much attentions should be placed on the four groups,in the other words,,represented by writers,revolutionistis,artists and scholars respectively.By integrating scholarship and metrics,scholar poetry in the 20th centrury has its unique character and nature reflected in the following four aspects,1,reflections of the academic lives and activities of the scholars,2,artistics devices produced by using allusions.3,self-annotation style.4,combination of the academic vision and metrics disposition.Because of the transformation about the focus of the field of poetic vision from classic to modernity,scholar poetry,in a sence of artistic conception and expression,has accomplished a task of the modernization for the creation of poetry.


The size dependence on the switching properties of microstructured Permalloy (Ni/sub 80/Fe/sub 20/) ellipses were investigated by magnetoresistance measurements and magnetic force microscopy. Elements with fixed short axes of 1 /spl mu/m, long axes varying from 2 to 10 /spl mu/m, and film thickness varying from 8 to 55 nm were fabricated by electron beam lithography through a lift-off technique. A single-domain configuration was observed in the elements with the range of aspect ratios (long/short axis) from 5 to 10. More complex domain structures appear in the lower aspect ratio and thicker samples. The switching properties show a strong dependence on the film thickness as well as the aspect ratio. The switching fields of uniform magnetization reversal increase with increasing thickness up to a critical value (24<t/sub c/<40 nm), whereas they decrease with increasing thickness above t/sub c/. Nevertheless, the switching fields only show weak dependency on aspect ratio.


A differential transmission line sensor at 100 GHz is designed and analyzed. Artificial transmission lines are used in a coplanar waveguide configuration. Its high sensitivity to dielectric changes in thin layers enables detection of DNA hybridization or antibody-antigene binding processes for biomedical applications. It is simple, cheap and easy to combine with semiconductor mm-Wave sources and detectors.


When analyzing the list of bank products, employees of the marketing service they should consider the preparation of a development strategy as the main goal. This the first task in the direction of the structure of services offered by the bank optimization. The second task is new within the framework of the development strategy is the preparation of products. A tool for the implementation of bank goals and objectives as the strategy of banking activity is chosen. There are different types of banking strategies credit transactions are understood.


The author discusses racism and the disastrous consequences for the racists themselves. He cites the situation in South Africa which created generations of uneducated, unemployed African youngsters through racist thinking, action and legislation, which has destroyed their morality and led them to a life of crime.


The timing of ocean closure and thermal evolution of the crust in the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone (BNSZ) in central Tibet, which separates the Qiangtang terrane to the north and the Lhasa terrane to the south, are controversial. In this circumstance, we combine petrology, zircon U–Pb geochronology and phase equilibrium modeling to determine the P–T–t paths of high-pressure granulites from the Amdo complex in the central part of BNSZ. Type-I orthopyroxene-bearing granulites, which occur in the north as lenses in orthogneisses with a prominent migmatitic texture, record nearly isothermal decompression P–T paths from a HP granulite facies P–T field at 15–17 kbar and 750–780 °C to a P–T field at ~4 kbar and 800–820 °C at c. 182–181 Ma. By contrast, in the south orthogneisses without any migmatitic structure host lenses of type-II orthopyroxene-absent granulites. Type-II granulites record "hairpin" clockwise P–T path characterized by compression and heating from ~5 kbar at ~450 °C to peak granulite facies P–T conditions of 11–13.5 kbar at 620–760 °C, followed by an isothermal decompression to the P of ~8–10 kbar at c. 182 Ma and near isobaric cooling. The spatial relations (type-I granulites


Sustainable Stockholm provides a historical overview of Stockholm's environmental development, and also discusses a number of cross-disciplinary themes presenting the urban sustainability work behi ...


(AZT) in the treatment of patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. N Engl J Med 1987;317:192-197. 10. Volberding PA, Lagakos SW, Koch MA, et al. Zidovudine in asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection. A controlled trial in persons with fewer than 500 CD4-positive cells per cubic millimeter. N Engl J Med 1990:322:941-949. 11, Post MJD, Sheldon J J, Hensley GT, et al. Central nervous system disease in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: prospective correlation using CT, MR imaging and pathologic studies. Radiology 1986:158:141-148. 12. Cahill WT, Brey RL. Marshall DW. Neurophysiologic and r'adiolo~c evaluation of human immunodeficiency virus (HiV)-infected patients. Neuroh~gy 1988;38(suppl t):337. 13. Norcross-Nechay K. Boruchi MJ, Boruchi SJ, Pollard RJ. Definite EEG background changes occur early in HIV-positive patients. Neurology 1989;39(suppl 1):361. 14. Rottenberg DA, Moelter JR, Strother SC, et at. The metabolic pathology of the AIDS dementia complex. Ann Neurol 1987:22:700-706. 15. Pizzo PA, Eddy J, Fallon J, et al. Effect of continuous intravenous infusion of zodovudine (AZT) in children with symptomatic HIV infection. N Engl J Med 1988:319:889-896. 16. Brunetti A, Berg G, Di Chiro G. et al. Reversal of brain metabolic abnormalities following treatment of AIDS dementia complex with 3'azido-2',3'-dideox~ahymidine (AZT, zidovudine): a PET-FDG study. J Nuct Med I989:30:581-590. 17. O'Connell RA, Van Heertum RL, Billick SB, etal, Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) v, lth [1231lIMP in the differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. J Neuropsl~'htatr)' t 989:t : 145-153. 18. Maltis S. Dementia rating scale, in: Bellack R, Karasu B, eds. Geriatric psychiatry. Ne~' York: Grune and Stralton: 1976:108-121. t9. Zar JH. Btostatistical analysi.s. Englewood Cliffs, N J: Prentice-Hall; 1984. 20. Godfrey K. Statistics in practice: comparing the means of several groups, N Engt J Med 1985:313:1450-1456. 21. Neter J, Wasserman W. ,4pphed hnear statistical methods. Homewood, IL: R.D. Irwin. 1974:472-482. 22. Pohl P, Vogl G, Fill H, Rossler H, Zangerle R, Gerstenbrand F. Singlephoton emission computed tomography in AIDS dementia complex. J Nucl Med 1988;29:1382-1386_ 23. LaFrance ND, Pearlson G, Schaerf F, et al. SPECT imaging with 1-123isopropyl amphetamine in asymptomatic HIV seropositive persons [Abstract]. J Nucl Med 1988;29:42. 24. Michaels J, Sharer LR, Epstein LG. Human immunodefic~ency virus type ! (HIV-I) infection of the nervous system: a review, lmmum~de.lic,'m3' Roy 1988;1:71-104.


Preface. In the fall of 1988, John Boyle, President of the CTSA, appointed an ad hoc Task Force to respond to the Pastoral letter "Partners in the Mystery of Redemption." The five members of the task force (Ronald C. Chochol, Patricia Beattie Jung, Michael McGinniss, Susan A. Ross [Chair], and Mary Ellen Sheehan) each wrote an individual response, and the chair of the task force combined the responses into one report. What follows is a summary of the responses of the task force and of the membership of the CTSA who had responded to a June invitation of the President for the reactions of members at large to the draft. The text was reviewed by the Board of Directors of the CTSA, and some emendations in the text were made.


Summary form only given. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel technique for non-invasive, sub-surface, high-resolution imaging of biological ultrastructure based on low-coherence interferometry. OCT has previously been applied clinically for high-resolution, non-contact imaging of structures in the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Recently, basic and applied studies of OCT imaging performance in highly scattering tissues has led to the investigation of this technology for diagnostic imaging in the skin, teeth, and oral cavity, as well as the mucosa of the gastrointestinal, respiratory and urogenital tracts. The potential for clinical application of OCT in gastrointestinal endoscopy is particularly exciting since many common gastrointestinal lesions occur within the depth range of OCT imaging (1-2 mm). Initial reports of OCT imaging through endoscopes in humans at low speed (one frame/second) and at higher speed in animals (4 frames/second) have recently appeared.


The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the instillation method on absorption of a drug from the liver and small intestinal serosal surface in rats. We performed continuous microinstillation via an infusion pump and bolus instillation via a syringe. Phenol red as a model was absorbed after continuous microinstillation of 2.35 mg in 235 μL for 5 min on the liver and small intestinal serosal surface in rats with a significantly higher AUC of the plasma concentration profile until 60 min, compared with that after bolus instillation. A similar trend was observed after continuous microinstillation of 2.35 mg in 117.5 μL for 2.5 min. The calculated absorption rate constants Ka after continuous microinstillation of phenol red based on a two-compartment model with first-order absorption were higher than those after bolus instillation on the liver and small intestinal serosal surface at either instillation concentration. Moreover, Ka was increased after continuous microinstillation of 2.35 mg in 117.5 μL on either instillation site. In the comparison between instillation sites, instillation of phenol red on the liver surface resulted in 1.2 to 2.3-fold higher Ka, compared to small intestinal serosal surface. This tendency was marked after continuous microinstillation of 2.35 mg in 117.5 μL. In conclusion, absorption could be enhanced by instilling a small amount of drug solution on the liver surface gradually and continuously, suggesting a promising approach for instillation site-selective drug delivery in the peritoneal cavity.


Whether personality characteristics of American leaders crucially determine major American foreign policy decisions has been a matter of considerable disagreement. A test of two hypotheses drawn from interpersonal generalization theory shows such influences have probably been crucial in a number of cases in American foreign policy between 1898 and 1968. In 49 cases of intraelite disagreement on force-related issues and 13 cases of intraelite disagreement on inclusionary issues the direction of disagreement could be predicted in over 75 percent of the cases by knowledge of individual differences in interpersonal relations. A four-fold speculative typology suggests fundamental personality-based differences in orientation towards America's preferred operating style and role in the international system (e.g., introverts are drawn toward impersonal principles and mechanisms like balance of power–or in an earlier period to international law). The evidence implies that one source of war and hard-line foreign policy is the structure of self-selection and recruitment to high office in the American political system. As well, the systematic tendency to self-expressive personalization in major foreign policy decisions probably increases the rate of error of American elites.


Abstract A study was made of the effect of sulfur, during radiation curing, on the physical properties of poly(vinyl ethyl ether) and an ethylene/propylene copolymer containing HAF carbon black. The presence of sulfur enabled the attainment of higher maximum tensile strength and generally higher crosslink density than when sulfur was omitted. Furthermore, the maximum tensile strength of the sulfur-containing samples was obtained at a lower radiation dose than in the corresponding control experiments. For a given swelling ratio, a higher tensile strength was generally obtained for samples irradiated in the presence of sulfur. For a given dose of radiation, the per cent elongation-at-break values of poly(vinyl ethyl ether) samples decreased as the amount of sulfur in the recipe was increased. In contrast, in the ethylene/propylene rubber the presence of sulfur resulted in an increase in the elongation values. The per cent sol values were also quite high for the ethylene/propylene vulcanizates as compared to...


Objective To evaluate the concentration of thyroid hormone in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) patients and the association with the disease activity.Methods The serum concentration of thyroid hormone(FT3,FT4,TSH) in 86 SLE patients(47 in active phase,39 in stable phase) and 68 healthy controls were measured.Results SLE patients had a significantly higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunction(44.2%) than the control group(8.8%)(P0.05).Significantly lower FT3,FT4 levels were detected in SLE patients in active phase than control group and SLE patients in stable phase(P0.05).While no significant difference was found in the serum concentrations of FT3,FT4 between stable SLE patients and the healthy controls.(P0.05).The level of systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index(SLEDAI)and Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index(SLICC/ACRDI) in thyroid hormone abnormal group was significant higher than the normal group(P0.05).Conclusion The abnormal of thyroid hormone could be seen in the SLE patients.The decreasing of thyroid hormone has a close relationship with the disease activity and organ damage in SLE patients,and it is valuable in evaluating and treating the SLE patients.


The contact angle of water was measured with the Wilhelmy plate method on apolar polymers: soft ethylene-propylene copolymer (EP), rigid polypropylene (PP), and their blends PP/EP (80 wt % PP) and EP/PP (20 wt % PP). Upon liquid displacement, the contact angles of the soft materials, EP and EP/PP, depended on viscoelastic energy dissipation due to solid deformation. This was observed in different situations: wetting and dewetting, liquid displacement due to the relative motion of the plain liquid with respect to the solid, and meniscus relaxation when that motion was stopped. The wetting hysteresis of polymer blends may be understood by considering viscoelastic energy dissipation and the static contact angles. The former depends on the elastic modulus while the latter is determined by the more hydrophobic phase and the less hydrophobic phase, for advancing and receding contact angles, respectively.


The dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus pair spawns in summer in the NW Mediter- ranean. Only a few spawning sites have been identified, mostly in marine reserves. Because the dusky grouper is vulnerable to fishing, there is a need to identify and predict the occurrence of spawning for conservation purposes. To gain insight into the temporal patterns of dusky grouper spawning, we monitored a reproductive population in the Medes Islands Marine Reserve, Catalonia, from 1996 to 1999. We observed 44 successful spawning events. At a monthly scale, the highest reproductive activity occurred in August, when surface temperatures were at a maximum (monthly average of 24 to 25°C), and during days with 14 daylight hours, 2 mo after the summer solstice (21 to 22 June). At a daily scale, the greatest number of spawns occurred when the surface temperature was highest (25 to 26°C) and the temperature at 20 m was 17 to 19°C, during anticyclonic conditions, and when tidal amplitude and wave height were largest. Spawning occurred during all moon phases, although it was more frequent during the new moon and the first quarter. Reproductive males did not show sustained spawning activity during consecutive days and had an average spawning rate of 1.5 spawns d -1 . All spawning occurred at dusk, between 1 h before and 30 min after sunset. There was no population-wide synchronicity of spawning, since we never observed all monitored males spawn- ing within the same day. These results should allow researchers to predict the temporal occurrence of dusky grouper spawning elsewhere in the Mediterranean.


Different approaches have been adopted for assessing the potential risks of conventional chemicals and products for human health. In general, the traditional paradigm is a toxicological-driven chemical-by-chemical approach, focusing on single toxic endpoints. Scope and responsibilities for the development and implementation of a risk assessment concept vary across sectors and areas and depends on the specific regulatory environment and the specific protection goals. Thus, risk assessment implication is a complex task based not only on science based knowledge but also on the regulatory context involving different parties and stakeholders. Questions have been raised whether standard paradigms for conventional chemicals would be applicable and adequate for new materials, products and applications of nanotechnology. Most scientists and stakeholders assume that current standard methods are in principle applicable to nanomaterials, but specific aspects require further development. The paper presents additional technical improvements like the complementary use of the life cycle methodology and the support of risk-based classification systems. But also aspects improving the utility of risk assessment with regard to societal impacts on risk governance are discussed.


Dear Editors and Reviewers: Thank you for your comments on our manuscript. Your comments are valuable for improving our manuscript. We have tried our best to revise the manuscript according to your comments and suggestions, and we have responded to your comments and suggestions point by point. The following are our answers to your comments. Editor's and reviewers' comments are in black, and the authors' replies are in blue. Thank you very much! Yours Sincerely,


The paper presented the detailed calculation of the radioactive shielIn the cylindrical canister designed to convey SPRR-300 spent fuel assemblies on the basis of their actual measurements, with the dose rates are given at different intervals for shielded and unshielded spent fuel assemblies. The appropriateness of the thickness of the canister is shown by the calculation, along with the experimental operation is followed.


The dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way are quiet backwaters in astrophysical terms, holding only a handful of stars. Yet the orbits of those stars reveal the presence of copious amounts of dark matter, the mystery substance that comprises over 80% of the matter in the Universe. Researchers thus see dwarf galaxies as promising dark matter hunting grounds, in which visible matter provides little disturbance. Now, two independent studies assess the hypothesis that faint gamma rays from a recently discovered dwarf galaxy could potentially be signatures of collisions between dark matter particles. At first glance, the analyses appear to deliver conflicting results. The first, by Alex Geringer-Sameth at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, and co-workers [1], suggests that these gamma rays are a possible indication of dark matter, while the second, by Alex Drlica-Wagner at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Illinios, and colleagues [2], indicates they could just be a fluctuation of the galactic gamma-ray background. Dark matter can be detected through its gravitational effects, but its underlying nature remains one of the great mysteries of modern physics. Proposed dark matter models often predict that colliding dark matter particles could annihilate each other, producing a spray of detectable photons at a range of wavelengths, including gamma rays. Such signals could yield our first clues, other than those coming from gravitational effects, to the nature of dark matter. These annihilations would be most common where dark matter is very dense. Dark matter, like ordinary matter, collects at the centers of galaxies and galaxy clusters. However, there are also smaller dense clumps of dark matter orbiting the center of the Milky Way, which are thought to be residues of our Galaxy's formation. Gas attracted to these clumps can form stars, creating clusters known as dwarf satellite galaxies. Such galaxies have far more mass than one might expect from the light they emit [3], implying an abundant presence of dark matter. Each galaxy contains only a small number of stars and little other visible matter that could generate light masking dark matter annihilation signals. Recently, astrophysicists identified nine new possible dwarf galaxies [4, 5]. One of these, named "Reticulum II," is closer to Earth than all but two of the known dwarf galaxies and is thus a promising place to search for the byproducts of dark matter annihilation. Using data from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope (hereafter, Fermi), Geringer-Sameth and colleagues [1] have searched for gamma rays originating from Reticulum II. At the same time, Alex Drlica-Wagner's group within the Fermi collaboration has independently performed a similar analysis [2]. Both teams find a surplus of photons at similar gamma-ray energies, i.e., a potential gamma-ray "signal," but disagree on whether these photons could merely be a statistical fluctuation of the background. Few gamma rays are expected from ordinary matter within Reticulum II. But the hazy veil of stars and interstellar gas between the Earth and Reticulum II could release gamma rays appearing to originate from the dwarf galaxy. To separate the two contributions, GeringerSameth et al. weighted every detected photon with the probability that it originated from Reticulum II versus this background. After this separation, they claim to have found evidence for a significant flux of gamma rays from Reticulum II (see Fig. 1). Interestingly, the energy range of these photons, 2–10 giga-electron-volts (GeV), is consistent with a signal from the Galactic Center observed in 2009, which was also interpreted as a possible signature of dark matter annihilation [6]. That signal remains controversial because of the large gamma-ray backgrounds from conventional matter in the Galactic Center, but the detection of a matching signal in dwarf galaxies, if confirmed, would greatly strengthen the case for dark matter. Drlica-Wagner et al. [2] have also found an indication


We propose a new finite element method for solving second order elliptic interface problems whose solution has a Robin type jump along the interface. We cast the problem into a new variational form and introduce a finite element method to solve it using a uniform grid. We modify the P1-Crouzeix-Raviart element so that the shape functions satisfy the jump conditions along the interface. We note that there are cases that the Lagrange type basis can not be used because of the jump in the value. Numerical experiments are provided.


Bleeding is one of the most common complaints when coming to the hospital which can be mild to life-threatening. The balance of the impaired hemostasis system allows for abnormal bleeding such as hemorrhagic diathesis. Balance between blood clotting and bleeding is always maintained in the body under normal physiology. The coagulation system stops existing bleeding with vasoconstricts of blood vessels and the formation of early platelet plugs, this blockage is strengthened by the presence of a cascade of coagulations to form stable and sturdy blockages. Once bleeding has stopped, the fibrinolytic pathway is initiated to dissolve the blood clot to restore normal blood flow. balance the coagulants, fibrinolytic and inhibitor systems, creating a perfect physiological balance. Hemostatic imbalance is a global problem that can lead to thrombosis or hemorrhage.


The current study contributes to the literature by examining incidents related to cultural sensitivity in multicultural classroom settings through demographic information surveys and interview sessions. Forty international students participated in the study's survey phase, and 11 volunteer instructors and 15 volunteer students took part in the interview sessions. Quantitative data were collected through a demographic information survey from international students from Middle Eastern countries, and qualitative data were collected through interview sessions from both volunteer instructors and volunteer students. The audio-recorded interview sessions were analyzed using content analysis. The results indicated an absence of cultural sensitivity in the study's context, with incidents found to be related to religious concerns and different ethnicities.


Carbohydrate degrading enzymes produced by fungus such as Aspergillus are interesting due to its application into process of ethanol production using cheap m...


Unsteady flow models are being used more frequently to develop regulatory floodplains and floodways. However, there are additional technical issues to consider, particularly in relatively flat or tidal rivers, beyond those associated with the application of steady flow models. These issues include (1) the development of an appropriate upstream boundary condition, including the peak, volume, and hysteresis ("loop-rating") effects of the hydrographs, (2) the choice of time-varying or steady downstream boundary conditions, (3) the influence of timevarying processes in the river, such as tide-geometry interactions, (4) the availability and use of appropriate model calibration data, and (5) the development of floodways using unsteady flow models in complex river systems. An application of UNET to the Snohomish River in Washington State is used to illustrate some of the problems that can be encountered.


In order to select a suitable ERP software supplier,a new method based on SVM is presented in this paper.The ERP software supplier evaluation index system and the quantitative method are given.The ERP software supplier evaluation system based on classif ing method of support vector machine is built.A example is given to prove the feasibility and practicability of the presented model.


The authors posit the idea that over the past 50 years, the psychiatric and psychotherapeutic discourses of the western first world have infiltrated practically every aspect of our culture and society. It is the authors' belief that the introduction of the new DSM-5 will only serve to further that expansion. What are the implications of this development for our society as well as our range of options for understanding the self?


Image processing techniques were developed to characterize the cellular structure of puffed corn meal extrudates from their scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Cross-section SEM images were taken and digitized for product samples of different degrees of expansion. Two major approaches were developed to extract structure-related image features. The air cells were also manually measured as the true characteristics of the cellular structure. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the image features as measures of the structural characteristics. A number ofimage features were found to be good indicators of cell size and cell uniformity (R 2 -values up to 0.95). The image processing techniques developed were useful in cellular structure characterization and they provide a rapid and consistent way for food cellular structure quantification and analysis.


The Smart Grid is a unique manner, needs close collaboration between production, transmission and distribution systems. Earlier greenhouse gases result more sustainable energy systems, which involves solar and wind energy integration into distributed power systems. These renewables make this system further effective, where the new "Smart Grid" idea appears, which offers a two-way communication between the source and load with good power quality throughout the generation. Being reliability a challenge, storage options available but consumes electricity and create significant costs, so electric vehicles with a two-way power transferability (G2V and V2G), as temporary power storage device an alternative. This paper focuses on problems: unloading of grid, vehicles short average life, less vehicles participation rate and to make more durable the entire system. Previously different techniques are implemented but this proposal includes Energy Management System to integrate EV's with grid to increase power utility according to load demand at different conditions.


The Burlesque Poetry(戱作詩) makes both the author and readers laugh so that it can change their thought and attitude with emotions relaxed and keep each...


It presents a system comprising a switchable sealing drape. Gai Buti enhanced sealing for the use of a high strength adhesive. In one example, the switchable drape having a plurality of perforations therethrough switching solutions can be delivered to a high-strength adhesive. Switching the high-strength binder solution viscosity becomes lower, so that the removal can be more easily switchable drape. It presents other systems, methods, and drapes.


TRANSPORTATION of animals is a complex process involving assembling, loading, confinement, motion, unloading and penning. Maintaining body balance in a moving truck is important with regard to the associated risk of injury. Improper handling and transportation can be responsible for stress-induced meat quality problems, such as shrinkage of the carcases, dark-cutting beef and so on. Various indicators, such as mortality and physiological changes, are used to monitor the stress of animals during transportation. Behavioural


Abstract The complex dielectric susceptibility ϵ = ϵ′ + ϵ′′ of the incommensurate ferroelectrics (PbySn1-y)2P2Se6 (at y ≥0.4) has been studied at various frequencies (0.5 Hz – 100 kHz) in the temperature range from 10 mK to 200 K. Three different types of dielectric behaviour are distinguished at low temperature. Below 500mK typical glassy behaviour is observed according to the two-level system (TLS) model with a constant density of states. In the range from 0.5 K to 7 K the dielectric results are described in the TLS model with an energy dependent density of states and above 7 K the dielectric dispersion and associated maximum of ϵ′ has a thermoactivated relaxation nature. The latter is attributed to the freezing of the relaxation dynamics of the incommensurate modulation.


Objective:To analyze the MRI characteristics of extrapontine myelinolysis(EPM).Methods:10 cases with clinical and imaging diagnosed EPM before treatment were enrolled in this study.All patients had cerebral MRI,with 2 patients had plain and 8 patients had both pre-and post-contrast MRI scanning.The MRI findings were analyzed retrospectively,the characteristics for diagnosis and differential diagnosis were discussed.Results:Symmetric abnormal signal intensities on bilateral caudate and lenticular neclei were observed in all 10 cases.The lesions showed hypo-intensity on T1WI,slight hyper-intensity on T2WI and markedly abnormal hyper-intensity on T2-FLAIR,no obvious enhancement was showed after contrast administration.Lesions could also be revealed on bilateral dorsal aspect of thalamus(n=2),bilateral insula(n=1) and subcortical white matter in parietal lobe(n=3).3 patients had associated abnormal signal intensities in the center of pontine.Conclusion:Extrapontine myelinolysis has characteristic MRI findings.Accurate diagnosis can be made based on MRI findings in combination with clinical manifestations.


Samples of Mytilus edulis, together with samples of sediment and Fucus vesiculosus, were taken monthly from each of five shores on the south coast of the Shannon Estuary from March 1992 to December 1993 inclusive. Samples were digested individually and the levels of iron, zinc, manganese, cobalt, chromium and copper were determined using atomic absorption spectropho tometry. Levels of metals were lower than previously published values from Irish east coast estuaries, including Dublin, except for a few high levels in M. edulis, which did not persist in the tissues and were probably lost through excretion, spawning or detoxification. Of the metals analysed iron showed the highest levels. This was attributed in part to the background levels of iron in sediment. On some occasions high metal levels in sediment did not lead to higher levels either in F. vesiculosus or in M. edulis, suggesting that metals in M. edulis may come from other sources, including anthropogenic inputs, in the estuary. On an international scale the levels in M. edulis of the six metals studied were relatively low in the Shannon Estuary. The longer-term monthly sampling regime followed in this study is important since it shows that occasional high levels, which may be detected by once-off studies, are not always maintained. Caitriona O'Leary (corresponding author) and John Breen, Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. Received 5 January 1998. Read 1 October 1998. Published 30 December 1998. INTRODUCTION The Shannon Estuary (Fig. 1), the largest in Ireland, extends over 100km from the seaward boundary to the upper limit of the tides. The River Shannon drains into the estuary from the east. The mean annual rainfall in the area is c. 100


Professionals and Professional Service Firms What's Unique About Professional Service Firms? Managerial Challenges Strategic Management Three Generic Types of Professional Firms Firm Development and Growth Globalization Summary and Implications


Objective To investigate the key issue and its influencing factor of health promotion lifestyle of parents whose children suffered cerebral palsy.Methods From October 2009 to October 2011,in the second people's hospital of Shenzhen,100 parents whose children suffered cerebral palsy and treated in the hyperbaric oxygenation department were chosen as the cerebral palsy group(CP group),and 100 parents of children without cerebral palsy or other nervous system diseases at the same period for medical examination were selected as the control group(control group).Matching conditions for the control group are the same gender matched case,the parents of children whose ages were different in less than 6 months,children with 1:2 matching design.If more than two children met the conditions,two children would be randomly selected for the case-control study Results ① Comparing with the control group parents,parents in Cerebral palsy group showed significant differences in age,education,employment,children with birth,whether premature delivery(P 0.05).② The score of health promoting lifestyle of CP group was 57.62 points,standardized score index was 48.00%.The score of control group was 63.81 points,standardized score index was 53.20%.There were significant statistical differences between two groups in health promoting lifestyle scores,nutrition,behavior,stress management behaviors,social support behavior and self-realization behavior(P 0.05).③Generalized linear model analysis showed that:seven variables could effectively predict the health promotion activities of those parents of children with cerebral palsy,among which alcohol drinking was the strongest predictor.Conclusion The health promoting lifestyle scores of parents in cerebral palsy group were lower than those of the control group.It suggested that their healthy living promoting styles were worse than those of the control group parents.Therefore,to focus on the treatment for children with cerebral palsy,the physical and mental health care for parents of children with cerebral palsy should revoke the sufficient attention in medical science and educational circles.


Recent advances in real-time 3-D computer graphics and hierarchically structured graphical user interfaces (GUI) enable development of very efficient graphics-based operator interfaces for telerobotic operations. This paper addresses potential benefits of such advanced graphics interfaces to telerobotic servicing and inspection, emphasizing operator efficiency and system safety. Specifically, the authors report on calibrated 3-D graphics displays and GUIs developed and applied to an advanced teleoperation system and a remote surface inspection system at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


Sensor response and pattern recognition of polymer-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were investigated. Printed circuit board (PCB) with Cu/Au interdigitated electrode was used as sensor platform. SWNTs network was firstly formed on PCB by drop-casting. For polymer-coated SWNTs preparation, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and thiophene were employed as polymers to coat on SWNTs by spin coating; PMMA/SWNTs and thiophene/SWNTs. Raman spectra showed no obvious structure changes of SWNTs after polymer coating. Next, gas sensing test was conducted. Pristine SWNTs, PMMA/SWNTs and thiophene/SWNTs were exposed to vapors of ethanol and dichloromethane at room temperature. From normalized sensor response results, it was found that pristine SWNTs and PMMA/SWNTs showed the highest response to ethanol and dichloromethane vapors, respectively. In order to discriminate vapors between ethanol and dichloromethane, pattern recognition technique was utilized. Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that pattern recognition of ethanol and dichloromethane vapors can be discriminated by using pristine SWNTs and polymer-coated SWNTs sensors.


In this paper we investigate local and global existence as well as asymptotic behavior of the solution for a class of abstract (hyperbolic) quasilinear equations perturbed by bounded delay operators. We assume that the leading operator is of bounded variation in time. In the last section, the abstract results are applied on a heat conduction model.


WHAT IF ROOSEVELT HAD BEEN ASSASSINATED in 1933? What if Spain had defeated the British navy in 1588? What if Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo? Such counterfactual premises are the basis for works of literature, often called 'alternate histories', that have gained in both popularity and scholarly attention in the past few decades. Among the best-known examples are Philip Dick's classic The Man in the High Castle, in which Nazi Germany and Japan are victorious in the Second World War, Philip Roth's bestseller The Plot Against America, in which Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, and Michael Chabon's novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union, in which a temporary settlement for Jewish refugees is set up in Alaska after the collapse of the State of Israel in 1948. Such works have become veritable pop-cultural phenomena. Nowadays, enthusiasts can even search on websites like www.uchronia.net for an alternate history of their choice, or discuss their favourite alternate histories online at www.alternatehistory.com. That alternate history has achieved a degree of respect among readers outside a specialised fan base


This article describes the project to build a new bridge to span the Cooper River in South Carolina. A design-build approach was adopted and the state contracted with a joint venture for both the design and the construction. The bridge spans a shipping lane with a history of ship collisions with previous bridges, and is located is an area prone to hurricanes and with the potential for seismic activity. This meant that the finished bridge needed to be able to withstand ship collisions, strong storms and earthquakes. The joint venture chose to design and build the bridge as a single 2.5 mile long, eight-lane span. The 570-ft-high bridge also carries a pedestrian and bicycle path. The new bridge is the longest cable stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Due to the magnitude of the project, an integrated construction management solution was used to keep the program on schedule and effectively manage the disparate project elements. Some of the best practices that the joint venture implemented included: (1) the creation of a rigorous, documented, system-driven change-management process; (2) implementation of a robust technology platform for standardized communication and collaboration; (3) development of project health indicators; and (4) multiple forecasting scenarios. These best practices are credited with enabling the joint venture to complete the project 14 months early.


Abstract The Muslim community in Sri Lanka has a pre-Islamic origin. Ethnically they are a mixed group, but changing political fortunes throughout the course of Sri Lankan history have made them realize that their identity lies in holding fast to the religion of Islam and not to any ethnic category. The current Sinhala-Tamil ethnic war has once again reinforced the need to hold on to the religious identity even more tightly. However, recent economic and political changes in the country and changes taking place in the Muslim world have injected new concerns for the community to worry about. The community is well and truly trapped in a political quagmire. This article highlights some aspects of this predicament.


Abstract Background: Thyroid dysfunction is common during the postpartum and the predisposing factors for its development are considered specific for the population studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for the occurrence of postpartum thyroid dysfunction (PPTD) in euthyroid women prior to pregnancy. Materials and methods: Forty-five women with PPTD and 55 age-matched euthyroid postpartum women from Plovdiv, Bulgaria were included in the study. TSH, FT4, FT3, TPOAb, TgAb, TRAb were measured and ultrasound evaluation of the thyroid was performed in the first trimester of pregnancy and during the postpartum. Results: The study found higher risk of developing PPTD in women with family history of thyroid disease (OR 4.42; 95% CI 1.87,10.43), smokers (OR 4.01; 95% CI 1.72,9.35), personal history of autoimmune thyroid disease (OR 5.37; 95% CI 1.15,28.53), positive TPOAb (OR 18.12; 95% CI 4.93,66.65) and thyroid US hypoechogenicity during early pregnancy (OR 6.39; 95% CI 2.53,16.12) and those who needed levothyroxine during pregnancy (OR 3.69; 95% CI 1.28,10.61). BMI before pregnancy was significantly lower in women with PPTD than in euthyroid postpartum women (22.80±0.55 vs 26.25±0.97, p=0.013). The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified as most important independent risk factors for PPTD occurrence the TPOAb positivity during early pregnancy, family history of thyroid disease, smoking and lower BMI before pregnancy. Conclusion: Our data suggest that in the population studied several factors are associated with an increased risk of PPTD and screening for thyroid disorders among those women can be beneficial.


Quantum protocols for bit commitment have been proposed and it is largely accepted that unconditionally secure quantum bit commitment is not possible; however, it can be more secure than classical bit commitment. In despite of its usefulness, quantum bit commitment protocols have not been experimentally implemented. The main reason is the fact that all proposed quantum bit commitment protocols require quantum memory. In this work, we show a quantum bit commitment protocol that does not require quantum memory and can be implemented with present technology.


Organizers of the 36th National Organic Chemistry Symposium, held last month at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, meant to please the diverse palates of organic chemistry aficionados. The banquet prepared by the Division of Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society and symposium executive director and Wisconsin chemistry professor Steven D. Burke did just that Close to 900 attendees were feted with the wide-ranging problems of interest to organic chemists through four days of lectures and poster sessions featuring more than 300 contributions. They also got the first copies of the new ACS journal Organic Utters. Sessions were held at Wisconsin's historic Memorial Union building, by scenic Lake Mendota. By tradition, ACS's Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry—which includes a medal, $25,000, and a bound volume of the recipient's Chemical Abstracts citations—is presented at this symposium. Dieter Seebach, a professor of organic chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (AOC), Zuri...


A novel symmetrical 1 × 2 Ti:LiNbO3 electro-optical modulator for E-field measurements is demonstrated. The 3 dB operating point requires no bias voltage. A sensitivity of 1.3 mV/m at 100 kHz, 1 Hz bandwidth and 40 µW incident power on both photodetectors has been achived.


Abstract We propose and analyze a family of successive projection methods whose step direction is the same as the Landweber method for solving nonlinear ill-posed problems that satisfy the Tangential Cone Condition (TCC). This family encompasses the Landweber method, the minimal error method, and the steepest descent method; thus, providing an unified framework for the analysis of these methods. Moreover, we define new methods in this family, which are convergent for the constant of the TCC in a range twice as large as the one required for the Landweber and other gradient type methods. The TCC is widely used in the analysis of iterative methods for solving nonlinear ill-posed problems. The key idea in this work is to use the TCC in order to construct special convex sets possessing a separation property, and to successively project onto these sets. Numerical experiments are presented for a nonlinear two-dimensional elliptic parameter identification problem, validating the efficiency of our method.


The visibility of the underwater images is highly affected by two major sources of distortion i.e., light scattering and colour change. The multiple reflection and deflection by particles present in the water cause a decrement in visibility and contrast of the image captured by the camera. Distinct attenuation in different component of colour (R, G, B) consequences the colour change in the image. In this paper, a novel systematic approach based on a fractional filter has been used to enhance the low contrast underwater image. The order of the fractional derivative has been chosen adaptively, which largely depends on the presence of the weak and strong edges. Depending upon the amount of attenuation to each light wavelength, the colour change is compensated in order to restore the colour information. The results obtained demonstrate that there is a significant improvement in visibility and colour fidelity. The result has been compared with some state-of-the-art technique and it is observed that the results obtained are at most comparable to the existing technique.


Economists cannot completely explain the existence of nonprofit organisations without assuming that some individuals are altruistic and have a Kantian ethic. Once that is done, the economic model becomes more realistic, and some interesting implications for economics and management can be derived.


8 ASUBTITLE: THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP WAS A TWO-MILLION-UNIT PRODUCER WHEN CARL HAHN REJOINED IT A DECADE AGO: AT A TIME WHEN MANY COMPETITORS ARE RETRENCHING, THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES MAN OF THE YEAR HAS PUT IN PLACE AN AMBITIOUS GLOBAL STRATEGY TO DOUBLE


This thesis comprises three essays. The first two essays examine what inferences can be drawn about the structure of wages from the experiences of displaced workers using the Ontario Ministry of Labour Plant Closure Survey. The third essay examines the effect of unemployment benefits on household consumption during spells of unemployment, with a particular emphasis on durables purchases. It employs data from a second and new data source, the Canadian Out of Employment Panel. The first essay revisits the issue of what can be learned about wage tenure profiles from displaced worker data. The positive relationship between wages and tenure in cross section data is consistent with the accumulation of firm specific capital. Alternatively, it may be explained by unobserved heterogeniety across workers, or by endogenous mobility. Displaced worker data is quite helpful in correcting for the first possible bias, and less so for the second. The relationship between various estimation strategies in the literature is illustrated. Estimates that control for individual heterogeniety and endogenous mobility driven by systematic differences in the pay policies of firms are presented. In this data, 10 years of tenure appears to raise wages by about 7%. The second essay examines intra-industry wage differentials. Even after conditioning on a rich set of worker and job characteristics, firm of employment is a significant determinant of wages. Estimates that employ the longitudinal nature of data demonstrate that sorting of workers across firms by unobserved ability can explain about half of the observed differentials. Firm wage differentials are observed within narrow industries, consistent across broad occupational groups, and robust to conditioning on differences in the mix of skills or job characteristics. Further "high wage" firms exhibit high average tenures suggesting that positive wage premia are associated with reduced mobility. These observations imply that compensating wage differentials are also a poor candidate explanation for the observed differentials. The results are more consistent with models based on rents or some firm monopsony power. The results also raise questions about the interpretation of wage regressions which ignore firm heterogeneity, and about the sources of wages losses among displaced workers.


The Matching Familiar Figures Test (Adult Form) and questionnaire designed to elicit information dealing with birth order were administered to 6 male and 35 female undergraduates without a control for family size. Analysis showed firstborn individuals significantly more reflective than laterborn individuals.


Natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites (NFRPs) have gained increasing attention in recent years as an alternative to conventional materials such as steel and aluminum alloys due to their ecofriendly, renewable, and low-cost nature. This paper focuses on the thermal application of NFRPs, which have shown great potential due to their good thermal insulation properties. In this study, the fabrication of jute and hemp fibre-reinforced composites, experimental testing, comparison, validation by using computational method, and proposed hemp NFRPs insulated exhaust pipe in place of conventional steel pipe. However, challenges such as moisture absorption and limited thermal properties on high thermal load still need to be addressed to enable the full-scale commercialization of NFRPs in thermal applications. For these comprehensive investigations, coupled and verified engineering approaches have been imposed. Fluid-thermal coupling has been executed in ANSYS workbench associated with conventional test outcomes. Through this approach, the low weight and low cost-based thermal load resisting material has been proposed for various engineering applications.


In this study, computer simulations were performed in PSIM environment in order to compare the success of Stochastic Beam Search, Perturb & Observe, Fractional Open Circuit and Random Perturb & Observe algorithms in partial shading and monitoring maximum power point under changing atmospheric conditions. The computer simulation model consists of 4 series connected solar panels, Buck type DC/ DC converter and C block which serves as micro controller. The simulation model provides a realistic and controlled environment for testing algorithms. The results of the study showed that the Stochastic Beam Search algorithm successfully performed the MPPT function under different shading conditions and changing atmospheric conditions.


We propose a scheme for teleporting a two-atom entangled state in cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). In the scheme, we choose a single Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) pair as the quantum channel which is shared by the sender and the receiver. By using the atom–cavity-field interaction and introducing an additional atom, we can teleport the two-atom entangled state successfully with a probability of 1.0. Moreover, we show that the scheme is insensitive to cavity decay and thermal field.


A heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is known as a high-speed transistor. However, a speed of a two terminal heterojunction phototransistor (2T-HPT) is generally very low due to so small self-bias-current generated by an weak incident optical signal. In this paper, we describe the fabrication and characterization of a lateral InGaAs photodiode and (utilizing it) 2T-InP/InGaAs HPT. The responsivity of the photodiode is 0.2 A/W at a wavelength of 1.55 /spl mu/m. The current gain of the amplifier section is 25. The cut-off frequency, under a low incident power of 10 /spl mu/W, was improved 9 times by narrowing the emitter area from 5 /spl mu/m/spl times/100 /spl mu/m to 3 /spl mu/m/spl times/ 15 /spl mu/m.


Binders play an important role in battery systems. The lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have poor cycling performance owing to large volume alteration of sulfur and shuttle effect. Herein, a novel water‐soluble functional binder (named GN‐BA) is prepared by the cross‐linking effect between gelatin and boric acid. The excellent binder can effectively maintain the integrated electrode stable, buffer the volume changes, prevent active materials exfoliation from current collectors, and anchor polysulfides by chemical bonding. Sulfur electrodes in this binder also exhibit a loosely stacked porous structure, which is advantageous to the electrolyte permeation and fast ion diffusion. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations further verified that the binder can anchor polysulfides by forming BOLi, COLi, and CNLi chemical bonds. At 0.5 C, a high initial capacity of 980 mA h g−1 can be obtained, which is higher than those sulfur cathodes with traditional poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. When the sulfur loading is up to 5.0 mg cm−2, a high areal specific capacity of 5.7 mA h cm−2 and excellent cycling stability are achieved. This study proposes an economical and environmentally friendly strategy for the construction of advanced binders and promotes the practical application of high‐energy Li–S batteries.


The embryonal sarcoma of the liver is an extremely malignant, aggressive and infrequent condition of the liver, predominantly affecting children in the age groups of four to ten. The disease manifests with fever, abdominal pain or mass, nausea and laboratory findings suggestive of liver cell injury. The diagnosis can be made using tumor markers, imaging, immunohistochemistry and histopathology. The multimodal management protocol focuses the use of surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiation to significantly improved survival rates and quality of life in these patients.


This paper is one of three concept papers commissioned by IUCN-ROSA, with support from the Ford Foundation, to help clarify understanding of trans-boundary natural resource management (TBNRM) in southern Africa. This paper focuses specifically on: a) a description of specific initiative in the region; b) an evaluation of the success of the initiative in improving management and conservation of resources; and c) an evaluation of the success of the initiative in benefiting local communities and other stakeholders. The policy and legal frameworks for TBNRM are not discussed as they are dealt with in a separate concept paper.


The invention relates to the technical field of microbes. The eucommia ulmoides endogenous bacteria are separated from eucommia ulmoides living plants by adopting an endogenous bacteria microbe separation technology. Through identification by microbial taxonomy, strain is named Bacillus pumilus DZBT01 and is collected in China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center, the collection number is January 30, 2015, and the collection register number is CGMCC NO.10470. The strain disclosed by the invention has the characteristics that the strain can achieve an obvious effect of inhibiting plant pathogenic fungi. The invention discloses an application of the Bacillus pumilus DZBT01 in control of wheat sharp eyespot and an application of Bacillus pumilus in promotion of wheat growth. The Bacillus pumilus DZBT01 disclosed by the invention refers to eucommia ulmoides plant endogenous bacteria, is simple in culture conditions and easy to preserve and refers to an agriculturally important microbial resource.


Natalia Shmatko - Head, Division for Human Capital Studies, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics and Knowledge, National Research University - Higher School of Economics. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com: National Research University - Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000.This paper assesses knowledge and skill levels required for engineers in an ideal labor market. Understanding the demand and supply of engineers' skills is important for modernization policies, and it is also important to know how to measure skill absorption by employees.Based on empirical research, the author evaluates the skill levels and absorption capacities of Russian engineers to measure what knowledge they can mobilize to resolve professional tasks. It constructs profiles of the different categories of engineering personnel. It compares demand and supply of engineering skills in Russia and EU countries in five categories: use of professional knowledge, individual performance, team work, managerial and communication skills.The analysis shows significant distinctions among compared countries. To summarize, the level of general and special competencies for Russian engineers is well below what is required by their workplace. The contrary can be said about their European counterparts, who have the required skills. Serious discrepancies between Russian and European engineers (favouring Europeans) are observed for organization and coordination skills, team work, effective use of time, ability to evaluate critically their own and others' ideas, use the computer and the Internet for professional purposes.The availability of specialized engineering skills alone is insufficient in today's job market: employers expect a more proactive approach by the engineers, including the promotion of the products. In view of various "distortions" in the training of engineers, not only in Russia but also in other countries, where the patterns of portfolios in the labour market do not match the demand for them, the possession of social skills is of particular value.


The aim of this study was to identify Rhizoctonia and Fusarium species isolated from tomato, pepper and melon plants grown in Erciş, Gevaş and Edremit districts of Van and to determine their pathogenicity. Survey studies were carried out in 2018 and 10 Rhizoctonia (from peppers whole Rhizoctonia solani; 2 AG-3, 1 AG-5, and 1 AG-2; from tomatoes 2 binucleic AG-K, 2 Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 and 2 Rhizoctonia solani AG-2) and 47 Fusarium isolates (10 from melons; 6 F. oxyporum, 2 F. solani, 2 F. equiseti and 6 Fusarium from peppers; 3 F. solani, 3 F. oxysporum and 31 from tomatoes; 2 binucleic AG-K, 2 Rhizoctonia solani AG-4, 2 Rhizoctonia solani AG-2) were obtained from the roots. Anastomosis groups (AG) of Rhizoctonia isolates and species identification of Fusarium isolates were made by classical methods. A total of 57 fungal isolates were obtained from the samples collected within the scope of the study. In the pathogenicity experiment, 14 Fusarium isolates were selected to represent the regions and all Rhizoctonia isolates isolated due to their low numbers were used. As a result of the experiment, it was determined that F. solani in pepper and F. oxysporum in tomatoes and melons were more pathogenic in Fusarium isolates. In Rhizoctonia species, R. solani AG-3 in peppers, R. solani AG-4 and binücleic Rhizoctonia AG-K in tomatoes were found to be more pathogenic. In this study, R. solani AG-5 and R. solani AG-3 from pepper, R. solani AG-2 from tomato and pepper, binucleic Rhizoctonia AG-K from tomato were isolated and anastomosis groups were determined for the first time in Van.


We propose a Virtual Reality (VR) tennis serve training system based on the machine learning-based 3D skeleton estimation method. Our approach utilizes a single-view 3D skeleton estimation machine learning model to predict the serve motion of a coach from professional tennis players' videos. User movements are acquired from motion capture sensors and compared to the motions of the professional tennis players in real time, and feedback is provided based on the user's body motion. Compared to existing works, our approach can capture and generate a serve motion based on one video, which paves the way for utilizing existing videos of expert tennis players for tennis training in VR. We believe our system can provide a new method to motivate users to practice tennis by directly imitating their favorite expert tennis players. Moreover, we expect our approach to have performance advantages when compared to existing approaches, as it focuses on training that involves motion and posture of the user's entire body.


Many modern designers have original and creative designs as strategic elements of space marketing. Among the expressive characteristics of Surrealism, the mask scale imprints the public with visual entertainment and shock, and enhances the bond between man and space by maximizing what the designer wants to convey. This study aims to build your own brand using a overscale object among the currently active designers, and to compare the spatial productions of Marcel Wanders and Phillippe Starck, which give the public an illusion and a repetitive deviation from their daily routines. As a method of study, first, examine the concept definition of surrealism and the type of surrealism that emerges in space and explore design philosophy based on the interviews of Phillippe Starck and Marcel Wanders. Second, based on the scale of the art of surrealism appearing in spatial performance, the mask scale of the object is divided into design elements and psychological elements to derive keywords, thus analyzing the case of Marcel Wanders's and Phillippe Starck's latest works. An analysis of space directing by Phillippe Starck and Marcel Wanders showed that they differentiate themselves from the method of Overscale expression applied to objects while symbolizing space by Overscaling objects that stand out in place and narrative. Marcel Wanders scaled out a colorful, place-like pattern, while Phillippe Starck highlighted the illusion by reflecting placability and Overscaling an object symbolizing epicity. The scale of space marketing, which imprints one's brand on the public as an original and creative design, maximizes design and psychological factors, and thus puts the meaning of this study in presenting useful directions as a way of spatial analysis of non-daily spaces in the future.


Figure 3: Laminae plane tractography results in diastole (left) and systole (right). Cardiac Laminae Structure Dynamics from In-vivo Diffusion Tensor Imaging Nicolas Toussaint, Christian Torben Stoeck, Tobias Schaeffter, Maxime Sermesant, and Sebastian Kozerke Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH, Zurich, Switzerland, Asclepios Research Group, INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis, France


In this chapter homogenization methods in the framework of linear elasticity are discussed. Classical homogenization methods are recalled and compared on the basis of the contrast in the elastic properties of the constituents for s pherical inclusions. It is shown that this contrast has a significant influence on the accuracy of the hom ogenization methods. Furthermore two recently developed approaches, the ESCS and IDD met hod, are compared to standard homogenization schemes as well as corresponding finite elem ent results. In the following three strategies for the homogenization of materials with irregu larly shaped inclusions are investigated. Homogenization approaches are used in combination w ith an analytical expression for the Eshelby tensor based on its irreducible decomposition. The second strategy to be investigated is the Mori-Tanaka method with replacement tensor a pproach which is based on the result of a calculation of a dilute inclusion embedded in an i nfin te matrix. Subsequently the third approach, namely the direct discretization of a real m icrostructure via finite-elements, is discussed. Numerous comparisons are carried out in order to compare the different strategies mentioned above appropriately.


Background: chronic hepatitis is a common infection in all age groups. The optimization of therapeutic approaches is an important medical social and national economic issue. Aim: to describe the clinical and laboratory features of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in children depending on the efficacy of antiviral therapy. Patients and Methods: 31 children aged 3–17 years with НBeAg-negative CHB who were treated in the Children's Infectious Department of N.A. Semashko Samara City Clinical Hospital No. 2 and then monitored in a children's hepatological center were enrolled. These children received no prior antiviral treatment. T he efficacy of antivirals and CHB outcomes over a 6-year perio d were evaluated. Results: the changes in clinical and biochemical parameters in children with CHB depending on treatment response were analyzed. All children were prescribed with antiviral therapy according to Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Hepatitis B and C (2010). In 14 (45.2%) children who received antiviral therapy, sustained virologic response was achieved after 48 weeks. In these children, no cases of liver fibrosis were reported over a 6-year period. Meanwhile, in the group without sustained virologic response after antiviral therapy (n=17), 1 patient was diagnosed with liver fibrosis stage 1 and 2 patients were diagnosed with Child class A cirrhosis. Conclusion: despite countrywide HBV vaccination, the incidence of CHB is still high thus requiring the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. KEYWORDS: chronic hepatitis B, children, differential therapy, viral host response, prognosis. FOR CITATION: Churbakovа O.V., Akimkin V.G., Pechkurov D.V. Clinical features of chronic B hepatitis in children depending on treatment response. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2020;4(11):682–686. DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2020-4-11-682-686.


The article represents a new class of hidden symmetries in long sequences of oligonucleotides of single stranded DNA from their representative set. These symmetries are an addition to symmetries described by the second parity rule of Chargaff. These new symmetries and their rules concern collective probabilities of oligonucleotides from special tetra-groups and their subgroups in long DNA-texts including complete sets of chromosomes of human and some model organisms. These rules of tetra-group probabilities are considered as possible candidacies for the role of universal rules of long DNA-sequences. A quantum-information model of genetic symmetries of these collective probabilities is proposed on the basis of the known quantum-mechanic statement that quantum state of a multicomponent system is defined by the tensor product of quantum states of its subsystems. In this model, nitrogenous bases C, T, G, A of DNA are represented as computational basis states of 2-qubit quantum CTGA-systems. A model explanation of the second rule of Chargaff from the standpoint of quantum informatics is proposed. The biological meaning of these new quantum-information symmetries of long DNA texts is associated with the common ability of all living organisms to grow and develop on the basis of incorporation into their body of new and new molecules of nutrients becoming new quantum-mechanic subsystems of the united quantum-mechanic organism. An important role of resonances, photons and photonic crystals in quantum-information genetics is noted.


This article proposes that new legal writers can improve their work by "thinking like teachers." I assert that legal writing is fundamentally educative. Good writing thus requires good teaching. The article discusses the "curse of knowledge," which makes it difficult for a writer who fully understands her topic to remember how a reader who is less knowledgeable about the topic will approach the material. It then explores three concepts from the science of learning — context, chunking, and connections — and discusses how a writer can use these concepts to effectively teach her readers.


Social insects exhibit extensive phenotypic diversities among the genetically similar individuals, suggesting a role for the epigenetic regulations beyond the genome level. Recent studies propose that the ADAR-mediated adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, an evolutionarily conserved mechanism, facilitates adaptive evolution by expanding proteomic diversities temporally and spatially. Here, we characterize the A-to-I RNA editome honeybees (Apis mellifera). We collected heads, thoraxes, and abdomens of four haploid drone individuals, and deep sequenced the genomes and transcriptomes. We systematically identified 464 A-to-I editing sites and found that editing events in honeybees, especially in heads, are positively selected. There are four recoding and one synonymous editing site highly conserved between honeybee, bumblebee, and Drosophila. We discovered a diverged auto-editing site in Adar mRNA in bees and flies, which might play an auto-regulatory role in the two clades. We also found a recoding site in honeybee gene tipE that was reported to be task-related in bumblebee. Besides, although only a few editing sites are conserved between bees and flies, the species-specific editing sites exhibit convergent adaptation. We also detected thousands of hyper-editing sites in the lowly expressed regions, which possibly represents the non-specific targeting by ADAR.


A study of diameter increment of silver fir was conducted at two sites characteristic of fresh mixed broadleaved and fresh broadleaved woodland in the I³?ecka Forest in central Poland. The aim of the investigation was to follow a tree-ring width series of silver fir, with the objective of identifying the relationship between diameter increment of silver fir and climatic factors. The mean tree-ring width of 15 trees sampled in I³?ecka Forest was 2.66 mm, which is similar to the increment of fir tree rings from the Œwietokrzystkie Mountains. The mean diameter increment of fir growing at the fresh broadleaved site was significantly higher than at the fresh mixed broadleaved site. Silver fir is very sensitive to harsh winters, hence after those long and severe winters in 1929, 1940, 1947, 1952 and 1956 the tree-rings were very narrow. The mean tree-ring width was higher for following periods, 1888-1962 and 1986-2005, compared with 1963-1985 when tree rings were very narrow. The process of recovery was evident from the beginning of 1980, probably due to the decrease in the SO2 emissions. During the twentieth century, warmer temperatures and nitrogen deposition have led to an increase in diameter growth of silver fir. Diameter growth of silver fir growing in the I³?ecka Forest decreased less than it did in other regions in Poland during a general fir decline between 1971 and 1980. The better growth of fir in I³?ecka Forest supports the assertation that it is well adapted to the local environmental conditions there.


The name, magnesium (Mg), was derived from an ancient city in Greece called "Magnesia"where magnesium carbonate was first discovered. It was first isolated in its elemental form by English chemist Sir Humphry Davy in 1808 [1]. In the earth's crust, magnesium is the sixth most abundant element and occurs in over 60 different minerals with at least 20% of Mg within them. Most commercially important of these minerals include dolomite, magnesite, brucite, and carnallite. Principally, magnesium is extracted from its minerals using a thermal reduction process [2]. Magnesium is also the third most abundant metal ion in seawater. Despite magnesium being only 0.13% of seawater, seawater remains an almost inexhaustible source for its extraction. Magnesium is extracted from seawater or brine using the electrolytic process of magnesium chloride [2]. Of the two extraction processes, the thermal reduction process is known to yield a higher purity of 99.99%, while the electrolysis process can achieve purity limited to 99.8%. Until the 1990s, the USA and Canada dominated the production of magnesium; however, the industrial revolution in China in the late 1990s turned the tables for magnesium production due to its lower operational (energy and labor) costs. It is estimated that 85% of the global magnesium production is currently done by China, and most of the remainder is produced by Russia, Turkey, Spain, Austria, etc. [3].


This study was conducted to identify the suitability of majors and jobs through an analysis of the career interest types and academic achievements of automotive students in the engineering department of Y University, and to use them as basic data for learning guidance, career guidance, and curriculum development. The STRONGTM Occupational Interest Test, a standardization tool for occupational interest tests, was conducted in May of the 2022 academic year, the first semester, and in September of the 2022 academic year, the second semester. The analysis tool used SPSS 14.0 to analyze GOT, BIS, PSS, and academic achievement by performing frequency analysis, mean analysis, correlation analysis, and variance analysis. First, the type of career interest of automotive students is 86% R when examined with the 1st code, R is 46.8% when considering the 2nd code, and R is 36.4% when considering both 3rd codes, so the proportion of R type is high. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a study guidance and career guidance plan at the department level that takes into account the characteristics of the field type presented in the previous research. Second, in the correlation analysis of GOT and the Basic Interest Scale (BIS), it was analyzed that among the BIS scales of R and R, the mechanical field had the highest correlation (0.963). This results suggest that students have a very high interest in jobs and activities that work with machines. Third, in the analysis of GET and academic achievement, as mentioned in the previous study, the field type was analyzed as having the lowest academic achievement, and there was no significant difference in learning level for each type. In the future, academic achievement needs to be analyzed by subjects of liberal arts and majors, and detailed analysis is required considering values, learning attitudes, and learning methods in addition to interests. Fourth, in the Analysis of the Personal Characteristics Scale (PSS), they tend to prefer to work alone, preferring practical qualifications, short-term learning, and carrying out what they are directed to do with participatory leadership. In addition, it is analyzed that people prefer to challenge themselves towards adventure, so it is necessary to design lessons so that they can present or challenge themselves in class at school sites, and participate in certificates, competitions, and competitions.


Floorplanning of modules has been a significant role in VLSI design automation and it can be formulated as the "Rectangle Packing Problem." Ising model-based computers (or annealing machines) are the type of a non-von Neumann computer and recently expected to solve combinatorial optimization problems efficiently. In this paper, we propose a mapping of "Rectangle Packing Problem" for solving it by the annealing machines. In our proposed mapping, a sequence-pair is represented on an Ising model. Our proposed approach maps a "Rectangle Packing Problem" with N rectangles onto a 3N3-spin logical Ising model. Experimental results demonstrate that through the proposed approach we can solve the problem with 18 rectangles at the maximum on a fully-connected annealing machine and the problem with three rectangles at the maximum on 20k-spin CMOS annealing machine.


Gender, sex, and sexuality are fluid, socially constructed aspects of social life that are organized differently based on the context in which individuals' lives are situated. Of particular interest in this study is how gender, sex, and sexuality are constructed and organized in single-sex correctional institutions. Using in-depth interviews conducted with fourteen heterosexual male inmates, this research explores how sexuality is organized within the prison environment. Drawing on queer theory, this article problematizes the idea of a heterosexual/homosexual binary. Specifically, the study illustrates that inmates often blur the boundaries between male and female, heterosexual and homosexual, illustrating the flexibility and volatility of traditional binary gendered and sexualized social categories, providing a richer understanding of how social inequalities are created and maintained within the prison context.


Fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) is a potential treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Several randomized trials have tested FMT effects using different routes of administration, doses, and sample sizes. We aim to assess the overall efficacy of FMT for IBS patients and the safety of the intervention.


Past research has shown that intersections are particularly difficult for older drivers to negotiate. To investigate potential contributing factors, standard database elements were paired with visual inspections of video log images to evaluate factors such as visual clutter, approach sight distances, and the condition and visibility of pavement markings. For comparative purposes, the paper also examines the effect of the same factors on crashes in which non-elderly drivers were found to be at fault. The study set includes all intersections on state roads in Florida that had undergone at least one fatal traffic crash in the year 2000, primarily because of information available from a companion study. Thirty-two independent variables were selected to describe the roadway geometrics, traffic characteristics, pavement, signage, and control devices. A variety of regression models were investigated, and best-fit measures, including Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria, favored negative binomial models reduced by forward stepwise selection for both elder and non-elder crashes. Fourteen variables were found to have significant effect on crash likelihood. Major operation and design aspects, such as high traffic counts and absence of signalization and medians, appear to be much more significant measures of crash likelihood for both older and younger drivers than other features or enhancements. Older drivers had more crashes when pavements were not marked with advanced lane assignment marking and when skid resistance was lower. However, younger drivers were more prone to traffic crashes at intersections with lower sign reflectivity and hanging signals, factors which did not impact older drivers. Further, several qualitative safety features, including advanced warning signs recommended by the Florida Elder Road User Program, had greater impacts on non-elderly drivers. Potentially counter-intuitive results, such as decreased crash likelihoods with higher speed limits, decreased turning sight distances, and presence of raised pavement markings, might be caused by selflimiting behavior among drivers when presented with safety concerns; however, additional research is recommended.


[Objective] The study was to provide the basis for controlling the harm of biotype B and Q of tobacco whitefly.[Method] With tobacco whiteflies as researched object,the recent researches on their harm and biotype identification etc.of biotype B and Q of tobacco whitefly intruded in China were described,and their prevention countermeasures was proposed.[Result] Biotype B of tobacco whitefly could harm more than 500 kinds of host plants,including many kinds of vegetables,flowers and field crops and these plants were also the important propagation medium of virus.The existence of biotype Q tobacco whitefly in regions of Yunnan,Zhejiang and Beijing etc were reported,and the biotype Q tobacco whitefly had occurred a lot damage in Zhejiang Province.Different biotype of tobacco whiteflies were very difficultly differentiated according to their morphological characteristics,but molecular markers could effectively distinguish them.Adult and nymph of tobacco whitefly often clustered on the back of leaves and they could secretted a lot of honeydew which polluted the leaves and fruits and induced disease occurrence.The tobacco whitefly should be controlled with many measures.[Conclusion] The transmission and damage of biotype B and Q of tobacco whitefly should be pay more attention and the comprehensive control measures on them should be taken.


The educational system has been changed owing to Web, which is most actively used on internet and has the characteristics of providing suitable environments for implementing constructivism study theory. WBI(Web Based Instruction), web-mediated teaching form for students at a long distance, has the advantages of possible interact between instructors and learners, offering a great variety of learning materials, and overcome the spatiotemporal restriction. This paper focuces on the construction of learning surroundings where the learner-centered, active learning can be done by design and Implementation of web based instruct system providing a sham examination with an item pool system. The web based Self-directed Learning system for word processor qualifying exams on this paper, can be mentioned as a real item pool that the question is not setting each time by the instructors but can be reused by reference on item pool bank, designed the number of question. It helps the learner Self-directed Learning study with evaluation during the web based instruct process and immediate feedback. It also provides the chance to research some similar using keyword. To sum up, this system can amplify the efficiency of study.


The DOE program of solar industrial process heat field tests has shown solar energy to be compatible with numerous industrial needs. Both the operational projects and the detailed designs of systems that are not yet operational have resulted in valuable insights into design and hardware practice. Typical of these insights are the experiences discussed for the four projects reviewed. Future solar IPH systems should benefit greatly not only from the availability of present information, but also from the wealth of operating experience from projects due to start up in 1981.


Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a method used to capture CO2 that is produced via the combustion of fossil fuels and then store it away from the atmosphere for a long time. The focus of CCS is on power generation and industrial sectors, mainly because they emit such a large volume of carbon dioxide that the capture and storage there will be the most beneficial. The most researched/developed ways to capture CO2 are pre-combustion capture, post-combustion capture, and oxyfuel combustion capture. Once the carbon dioxide is captured, it can either be stored underground or stored in the ocean. Source of CO2 seriously affecting our planet. The major factor in increased global warming comes from carbon dioxide emission. Coal fire power plants, cement/brick factories, oil refineries, natural gas wells, and transportation all emit CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels. Many countries are planning to set mandatory caps on CO2 emissions, causing companies to develop and test methods to mitigate their carbon footprint. This study focuses on the processes and techniques of CCS technology as well as challenges and policy concerns.


Southwire Company has installed, tested and is operating the first real-world application of a high-temperature superconducting cable system at its headquarters in Carrollton, GA, USA. The cable is powering three Southwire manufacturing plants, marking the first time a company has successfully made the difficult transition front laboratory to practical field application of an HTS cable. The cables are rated at 12.4-kV, 1250-A, 60 Hz and are cooled with pressurized liquid nitrogen at temperatures from 70-80 K. Before placing the cables into service, extensive offline electrical testing was performed including voltage withstand, measurement of DC critical current, extended load current testing, rated voltage testing and partial discharge measurement. The cables were energized on Jan. 5, 2000 for online testing and operation, and by the end of August 2000, had provided 100% of the customer load for 2164 hours.


Basement spaces in many university buildings because of the worse microclimate conditions are most commonly used for warehouses in which workers or students cannot be. In many buildings there are also problems occurring with the underground moisture that penetrates from the surrounding terrain into the external walls, which thus become wet. The aim of this paper is to show the possibility of microclimate improvement in the basement room by forced ventilation, so that it is possible to use this room for the purpose of teaching and research laboratory activities. Due to the need of permanent intensive ventilation to exhaust the chemical pollutants and supply the fresh air, the ventilation system is designed to achieve the energy savings during the winter by means of heat recovery from the exhausted heated air into the cold incoming fresh outdoor air. This paper summarizes the experience in use of this ventilation system with heat recovery, which could enable to solve well similar problems in other underground buildings.


This paper evaluates the adjustment policies adopted by Hungary and Yugoslavia in response to the external shocks they suffered during the 1974-76 and the 1979-81 periods. Neither of the two countries took macroeconomic adjustment measures in response to the external shocks of the years 1974 and 1975. Rather, they maintained earlier rates of consumption growth and increased investment, largely by borrowing abroad. In the same period, both countries lost export market shares in trade with private market economies as the policies applied adversely affected exports; in turn, increased import protection led to import substitution. As the two countries incurred a large indebtedness vis-a-vis foreign banks, they had limited possibilities for futher borrowing at the time of the external shocks of 1979-81. The situation was aggravated by the reluctance of the banks to increase their exposure in Eastern Europe. In response to these circumstances, both countries adopted strong macroeconomic adjustment measures that bore heavily on investment. Owing to the repeated devaluations, Yugoslavia was able to improve its export position in private market economies. The opposite happened in Hungary whose real exchange rate appreciated until the devaluation that occured in mid-1982.


Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (iAAA), a form of chronic periaortitis, is a frequently overlooked disease, occurring in patients with abdominal aneurysms (AAA). iAAA is strongly associated with underlying systemic inflammatory diseases such as IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD),[1]potentially leading to retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF). Ultrasound (US) is a widely available and low-cost imaging tool that may allow the detection of iAAA at an early-stage prior development of severe complications in patients with AAA.This study aims to assess the feasibility of using US to detect iAAA in a small case series (exploratory cohort). And to structurally assess the diagnostic potential and overall incidence of iAAA using US in a larger retrospective cohort of patients in follow-up for AAA (validation cohort).In the exploratory cohort, thirteen patients (median age 64 (61;72) years; 100 % male) with an established diagnosis of iAAA of whom US and CT findings were available were retrospectively included. The diagnosis of iAAA was based on a typical cuff surrounding the aneurysm on CT. Other potential causes such as infections and malignancies were ruled out by microbiological studies and when indicated by histology and/or FDG-PET scanning. Secondly, the validation cohort consisted of 191 patients (median age 74 (67;80) years; 73.3 % male) diagnosed with AAA who were in US follow-up for AAA without prior surgical intervention. In patients in whom a CT was (n=157) the diagnostic potential of US was explored using CT imaging as the golden standard. Perianeurysmal inflammation was assessed on US, as illustrated in Figure 1A, using a Siemens Acuson with 6 Mhz convex transducer in B-mode. In the validation cohort, US images were assessed by two independent observers blinded for the diagnosis.In the exploratory cohort, 62% were smokers, 77% had hypertension, 31% and were diagnosed with IgG4-RD. CRP and BSE levels were 54.5 (±66.2) mg/L and 59.8 (±51,1) mm/h. All patients showed a typical hypoechogenic cuff surrounding the aortic wall eccentric to the calcified medial layer of the aneurysm, see figure 1B). The median anteroposterior diameter of the aneurysm itself was 5.7 cm (4.8; 6.1) and 0.64 cm (0.49; 0.84) of the cuff.In the validation cohort, 180 of 191 (94.2%) patients with AAA showed no evident signs of a hypoechogenic cuff on ultrasound. Of the remaining 11 patients, 8 (4.2%) showed the cuff surrounding the aortic wall and were identified as having iAAA. In 3 (1.6%) an iAAA could not be ruled out based on US. In 149 patients with both a negative US and available CT, all CT scans were negative as well. In the 8 patients with an evident cuff on US, the median age was 66 (65;79) years; and 100% were male, definite IgG4-RD was present in 25% (n=2) of the cases. This amounts to a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 98%.This retrospective study indicates that iAAA can be identified with US as a hypoechogenic cuff surrounding the aortic wall of the aneurysm. US could be used to rule out iAAA safely. However, in inconclusive cases, additional CT imaging is warranted. Besides a possible cost and radiation dose reduction, using US may facilitate earlier recognition and treatment of iAAA and underlying systemic inflammatory diseases such as IgG4-RD. Although this is the first study to structurally investigate US in iAAA, our results need validation in a prospective study.[1]Kasashima F, Kawakami K, Matsumoto Y, Endo M, Kasashima S, Kawashima A. IgG4-Related Arterial Disease.Ann Vasc Dis. Published online 2018. doi:10.3400/AVD.RA.18-00012Figure 1.(a) lumen,(b) intima,(c) media,(d) adventitia,(e) thrombotic lesion,(f) inflammatory cuff,(1) The maximum anteroposterior diameter of the aorta including the hypo-echogenic cuff.(2) The anteroposterior diameter of the aorta excluding the hypo-echogenic cuff.(3) The diameter of the hypo-echogenic cuff.NIL.Berend Slijkhuis: None declared, Sherilyn Konter: None declared, David Liesker: None declared, Annet Possel-Nicolai: None declared, Elisabeth Brouwer Speakers bureau: Dr. E. Brouwer as an employee of the UMCG received speaker fees and consulting fees from Roche in 2017, 2018 which were paid to the UMCG., Riemer Slart Grant/research support from: Prof. dr. Slart received unrestricted research grants from Siemens Healthineers and Pfizer, Arie Van Roon: None declared, Ben Saleem: None declared, Douwe J Mulder Grant/research support from: Dr. DJ Mulder as an employee of the UMCG received research grants from Sanofi which were paid to the UMCG.