In the Buda Mts. (Hungary) several Pleistocene travertine outcrops are known. The subject of this paper is a stable isotope study on the Pleistocene travertine from Budakalasz that was deposited on the slope of Monalovac Hill of the Buda Mts. The principal goal of this work is to define the depositional environment and related implications by studying the petrographical and microfacies features and C and O stable isotope compositions. The Budakalasz travertine can be divided into two stratigraphic units. The lower part of the studied sections (approx. 15 m thick) consists of massive limestone, which represents a "smooth-slope" facies and has mean d13C and d18O values of 2.21‰ and -11.1‰ relative to V-PDB, respectively. Microbial shrub structures were also recognized in the lower part of the section, showing slightly higher d13C values (2.6-2.7‰) relative to the other samples.  The upper unit of the sections is composed of what was originally calcareous mud. The studied samples have low d13C values (~1.8‰)...


This research project explores competency-based curriculum and police training, examining the question: what does competency-based curriculum mean to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and its members'? Three texts are generated: a literature text, the researcher's educational autobiographical text, and a philosophical text. The literature text examines the granularity of the RCMP Bridging the Gap training program, two divergent competence ideals, and the middle ground established between the two ideals. The autobiographical text explores personal learning relationships and learning relationships in the RCMP. The final text examines the researcher's philosophical framework including his vision, mission, values and goals, and the use of this framework as a guide to personal and professional endeavors. The three texts are examined with hermeneutic purpose, a process that reveals a personal journey of discovery, learning and awareness. The research revealed the RCMP competency-based curriculum is one component of a larger competency-based human resource management system that is about to be implemented across the RCMP. The researcher learned that competencybased curriculum is theorized as a hybrid framework of educational ideals and the RCMP model is unique for establishing a middle ground between the behaviorist and rationalist perspective on the issue of competence. The research brought awareness to the dramatic organizational change that is forthcoming within the RCMP as competency-based curriculum and human resource management systems are implemented. Potential benefits to the RCMP and its members are explored, and potential difficulties in implementing competency-based curriculum and human resource management are also considered.


Water-soluble metal processing oil of the present invention, is made by mixing the dicarboxylic acid, and (B) a monocarboxylic acid containing (A) a sulfide structure, characterized in that does not contain a polyalkylene glycol. Metalworking kulreon teuneun of the present invention will made by diluting the above-mentioned water-soluble metal processing oil with water.


We contribute to the literature on private financing of intergenerational public goods, focusing on climate change mitigation. We consider, in a general equilibrium overlapping generations (OLG) model with environmental externalities, a contract between successive generations, whereby agents of the current working-age generation invest a share of their labor income in pollution mitigation in exchange for a transfer to their old-age capital income paid by the next generation. We show that the existence of a contract which is Pareto-improving compared to an equilibrium without contract requires a minimum level of income and we characterize the set of Pareto-improving mitigation-transfer combinations. Nash bargaining yields unique solutions for the mitigation share and transfer rate respectively which increase in income. We prove that Nash bargaining leads to a steady state with lower pollution stock and higher income compared to the steady state without a contract and we study transitional dynamics. Notably, simulation shows that delaying the implementation of a social contract for too long may have considerable welfare costs: Income inevitably falls below the threshold in finite time so that Pareto improving mitigation is no longer possible and the economy converges to a steady state with high pollution stock and low income. In the second part of the paper, we study a game theoretic setup with overlapping generations, taking into account that credibly committing to a contract might not be possible. We show that if transfers are granted as a subsidy to capital income, there exist mitigation transfer schemes which are both Pareto improving and give no generation an incentive to deviate from the contract even in the absence of population growth. Further, the complete crowding out of investment incurred with lump sum transfers is avoided in our setup.


In this article we explore interpreter ethics in China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937–1945). Interpreter ethics in conflict zones may be divided into professional and situation ethics, and situation ethics is the focus of this study. Apart from professional identity and ideology, interpreters have other identities and ideologies such as national identity and political ideology, especially when they belong to either of the conflicting parties. The concepts of ethics, identity and ideology remain unchanged when they are related to interpreting as a profession. However, they have different connotations when they are associated with a nation, a group or a community. As mediators across languages and cultures, interpreters are more likely to face moral crises in wartime than in peacetime. Therefore, in many cases, they have to violate professional ethics in order to follow situation ethics, and situation ethics varies with their identities and ideologies. The research findings show that during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, interpreters' national identity remained the same but their moral attitude changed.


A dangerous game is defined as one in wliich threat expression may be unilateral but punishment is always bilateral. In other words, when one person threatens his opponent, he exposes both the latter and himself to risk of substantial loss. Dangerous situations or games are prevalcnt in our socicty today. The game of "Chickcn" as playcd by tcenagcrs in their automobiles is a good example, as is tlic case of two nations threatening one another with thermonuclear destruction. There are, of course, numcrous other examples since, as Schclling (1966) suggests, the Chicken type of confrontation is a common form of adversary engagement. If only tlic structure of the situation is considered, the gamc of Chicken is thc most dangerous of games. Using only one of its


Symptoms via DPP-IV, for example, obesity, type 2 diabetes, drugs for the prevention and / or treatment of autoimmune diseases, food supplement, one or more protein hydrolysates for the production of beverages or food It discloses the use of.


One of the main technical challenges of wind-to-hydrogen production plants is to couple intermittent and variable renewable power sources, such as wind turbines, with an electrolyser. Most hydrogen production concepts rely on electrical storage to smoothen the power input to the electrolyser. In this study, the use of a hydro-pneumatic energy storage system is proposed as an interface between the green, fluctuating electricity supply and the electrolyser. The performance of the proposed solution is analysed and compared to that of a conventional offshore wind-to-hydrogen production plant in order to identify potential advantages and drawbacks. The results of the simulations show that the FLASC energy storage system provides a stabilized, yet green power supply. Short-term fluctuations of the power input to the electrolyser can be avoided. A 70% reduction of the On/Off cycles can be obtained. Moreover, if compared to an offshore wind-to-hydrogen production plant with no storage there is no substantial difference in terms of hydrogen production observed over the analysed period of one year in spite of a 70% round-trip efficiency of the energy storage device.


A 54-year-old healthy man was admitted to our hospital with acute dysarthria and mild impairment in swallowing and tongue movements, which he had noticed 2 days before. He was not taking any drugs, and his medical history was unremarkable except for mild hypertension (145/95 mm Hg). He denied prior trauma, fever, facial pain, headache or any other symptoms.

Physical examination showed mild dysarthria and left-sided tongue deviation when the patient poked his tongue out, which was consistent with left hypoglossal nerve palsy (figure 1A). Other cranial nerves were preserved. Carotid murmurs were not heard, and the general and neurological exams were otherwise normal.

Figure 1
(A) Patient's tongue. (B) T2-weighted cranial MRI image and MRI angiography (C) narrowing of the lumen …


Abstract : The coupled integral equations for the transverse and axial currents in an electrically thick tubular antenna are derived for the case in which it is driven along an infinitesimally narrow circumferential gap by an emf which is allowed to vary along the circumference. The emf is assumed to be maintained either on the outside surface only, or on the inside surface only, or on both the surfaces of the tube, as in the conventional treatments of antenna theory. For the special case of a driving emf which is uniform around the circumference, the transverse currents are not excited and the integral equation for the total axial current is shown to reduce to the known results both for the case in which the emf is maintained on both the outside and the inside surfaces of the tube and for which it is on the outside surface only. (Author)


In this paper, the integral identities and the interpolation post processing method are used to obtain the approximation of hig her accuracy of the nonconforming Wilson elements for the Sobolev type equations . Moreover, by virtue of the extrapolation and defect correction methods, we imp rove the approximate accuracy of the related approximate solution and derive a p osteriori error estimate of higher accuracy.


A method based on the measured data to design reliability vibration test profile of ship-borne equipment was proposed.The parameter hypothesis test of mathematical statistics theory was applied to analyze vibration environment measured data of ship-borne equipment and obtain characteristic samples of different statuses in different regions. The upper tolerance limits method was applied, which was corrected to induce random vibration normalized spectrums of characteristic samples.Test time was determined according to the ship-borne equipment's mission profile.The results show that this method has a perfect theory and lays a foundation for reliability assessment of vibration environment for ship-borne equipment.


In recent years, data communications has undergone substantial development in China, posing great challenges and threat to the fixed voice communications.POTS will remain high speed development in the next decade at least before it reaches its saturation point, according to some optimists.The paper also presents analysis of the market opportunities for voice communications for the present and the possibility of data traffic surpassing voice traffic.


System for detecting the loading mass of a load (3) which is suspended on a hoisting rope (4) of a crane, comprising: a measuring arrangement for measuring the rope force in the hoisting rope (4) and a calculation unit (26) to determine the mass loading on the basis of the rope force, characterized in that the calculation unit (26) has a compensation unit and an observer mass load is based on a -mass model cable spring (4) and the load (3), wherein the calculation unit (26) describes the influence of the indirect determination of the mass load by the lifting cable in a dynamic model based it calculates the mass to charge and compensates at least partially.


Migration research has dealt mainly with the forces which affect migration and how strongly they have affected it, but little has been done to determine the influence of migration as an equilibrating mechanism in a changing economy. The movements of migrants clearly are in the appropriate direction, but we do not know whether the numbers are sufficient to be efficient in correcting income disparities as they emerge. There is a strong presumption that they are not.


Texture classification is one of the machine learning methods that attempts to classify textures by evaluating samples. Extracting related features from the samples is necessary to successfully classify textures. It is a very difficult task to extract successful models in the texture classification problem. The Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm is one of the most popular evolutionary algorithms inspired by the search behavior of honey bees. Artificial Bee Colony Programming (ABCP) is a recently introduced high-level automatic programming method for a Symbolic Regression (SR) problem based on the ABC algorithm. ABCP has applied in several fields to solve different problems up to date. In this paper, the Artificial Bee Colony Programming Descriptor (ABCP-Descriptor) is proposed to classify multi-class textures. The models of the descriptor are obtained with windows sliding on the textures. Each sample in the texture dataset is defined instance. For the classification of each texture, only two random selected instances are used in the training phase. The performance of the descriptor is compared standard Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and Genetic Programming-Descriptor (GP-descriptor) in two commonly used texture datasets. When the results are evaluated, the proposed method is found to be a useful method in image processing and has good performance compared to LBP and GP-descriptor.


Substantial parts of the European populations of the Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata and Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica are found in the Nordic countries. For the Black-throated Diver, the current estimate is 5,500-7,000 pairs in Sweden (Eriksson & Lindberg 1998), and with populations of the same magnitude in Finland and Norway (Asbirk et al. 1997), comprising a total of 17,000-20,000 pairs, the Nordic countries hold 99 % of the population outside Russia. For the Red-throated Diver, the European population is estimated to 6,000-11,700 pairs (excl. Russia and Greenland), as deduced from Tucker & Heath (1994) and with the main parts in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Scotland. The Swedish population is estimated to 1,200-1,400 pairs (Eriksson & Lindberg 1998).


The curriculum that"Garden Survey" is a more important specialized fundamental course for gardening field in higher profession. It has strong practicality and utility. There are certain problem existing for present "Garden Survey" curriculum in the aspects of course content,teaching method and practice content. Thus it cannot satisfy the demand of production department of choosing a person for a job. With the development of high-new survey technology,it causes the teaching reform imperative for "Garden Survey" curriculum. This article carries on the elaboration and the preliminary discussion on the present situation and the existence question and the educational reform tentative plan with regard to "Garden Survey" in higher profession.


Muscular dystrophies are genetic diseases characterized by progressive muscular wasting. So far, no therapy is available to cure or ameliorate the course of these pathologies; however, different experimental strategies are currently in development to tackle them. One promising approach involves the transfer of healthy cells to the patient, in order to regenerate muscle tissue. In recent years, different populations of tissue-specific stem cells have been used in cell therapy to fight muscular dystrophies. Recently, the use of embryonic stem cells and induced stem cells has provided promising results in dystrophic murine models. In this review, we recapitulated a series of studies and experimental strategies designed toward the development of an efficient cell therapy against muscular dystrophies. Abreviaturas: DMD = distrofia muscular de Duchenne. DM1 = distrofia miotonica 1. DMB = distrofia muscular de Becker. EDMD = distrofia muscular de Emery-Dreifuss. FHSD = distrofia muscular facioescapulohumeral. LGMD = distrofia muscular de la cintura y extremidades. OPMD = distrofia oculofaringea. MDSC = celulas madre derivadas de musculo. ESC = celulas madre embrionarias. EB = cuerpos embrionarios. iPSC = celulas madre pluripotenciales inducidas. TALEN = nucleasas efectoras parecidas a activadores de la transcripcion. CRISPR-Cas = repetidos palindromicos cortos regularmente espaciados y agrupados. www.medigraphic.org.mx


Studies of mesenchymal stem cells from various human tissues have brought new promises in regenerative medicine. However, most isolation methods result heterogeneous cell population. From recent studies on stem cells, expressions of ABCG2 (ATP-binding cassette, group 2) had been the key feature associated with a more primitive characteristic in most stem cells, while expression of CD90 was considered as common stem marker associated with stem cell residency in vivo. Therefore, by using human placenta as our tissue source, we isolated ABCG2+/CD90+ cells and characterized these cells by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and differentiation potentials.
 In our study, flow cytometric analysis of fresh-isolated placental cells showed moderate shift for most MSC markers, except ABCG2, CD73, CD90 and CD105. Expression of ABCG2 was less than 2% while expression of CD90 was between 3-35% with strong individual variation. Interestingly, cells positive with ABCG2 also co-expressed CD90 in most cases. In addition, expression of hematopoietic cell and embryonic stem cell markers demonstrated the heterogeneous nature of placental cells.
When cells were cultured with a low seeding density of 1x104 cells/cm2, colony formation appeared approximately 10-14 days and exhibited a typical fibroblast-like morphology. Colony efficiency was around 4-40 per 10000 cells depending on placenta samples. These colonies uniformly expressed typical MSC markers, such as CD29, CD44, CD90, CD105 and HLA-ABC, and were devoid of hematopoietic cell marker. In addition, CD13, C49a, and CD63, were also weakly expressed in these cells. Furthermore, expressions of MSC markers and differentiation potentials were found to increase through culture.
When analyzing these colony-forming cells, two subpopulations (ABCG2+/CD90+ and ABCG2-/CD90+) were found. No significant difference of MSC marker expressions was found in both subpopulations. Similar results were obtained when expression of ESC markers was analyzed. Both subpopulations expressed Oct-4, Sox-2, E-cadherin, TRA-1-61 and TRA-1-80, but not SSEA-3 and SSEA-4. However, when differentiation potentials were analyzed between these subpopulations, individual variations were found in each colony with no correlation to ABCG2 expression.
In our study, we demonstrated that side population phenotype could also be found in placental chorionic villi similar to hematopoietic stem cells. However, further studies are still required in order to reveal the particular role of ABCG2 in mesenchymal stem cells.


The term virtual memory refers to the programmer's view of memory as a series of contiguous locations, while the actual physical memory space he uses is scattered in various locations.


Damage to the motorcycle generally does not occur suddenly, usually be seen or felt any symptoms or signs of abnormality. To overcome this, the authors made a working tool in the form of software (software) in the form of a computer program or instructions that will run a command to help detect or help solve problems and how to fix minor damage to the motorcycle matic. To get the research data, the method used in this research is descriptive method and the method of data collection using charging questionnaire (questionnaire), method of filling the questionnaire and methods of documentation. The population in this study were students majoring in Mechanical Engineering Unnes as many as 32 students. Results of the data indicates that the application is able to assist in troubleshooting the problem detecting minor damage to the motorcycle matic conventional type and fit for use by the general public who use motorcycles matic conventional type. To the users of conventional type motorcycle matic suggested using troubleshooting applications, as evidenced by the media application tips can help detect problems minor damage and ways to improve them..


Face Gender recognition has been a swiftly enhancing and interesting area which is of high challenge and significance in real-time applications of image processing. There are lot of open opportunities in person identification such as posture, clothing, hair, voice and gait; but none are as compelling as face recognition. Face gender recognition is significantly an efficient cognitive process and there is definitely a need of robust methods for efficient categorization of male and female subjects. In the paper here, OTSU segmentation has been applied for the feature extraction on subset of 780 images from Faces 94 dataset and Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) network is further employed to investigate the local minima and global maxima of Face Gender Recognition accuracy with multiple considered hidden layers. The experimentation has resulted in getting higher face gender recognition accuracy as 99.658% with fifteen hidden layers of MLP.


During data collection and analysis, it is often necessary to identify and possibly remove outliers that exist. An objective method for identifying outliers to be removed is critical. Many automated outlier detection methods are available. However, many are limited by assumptions of a distribution or require upper and lower predefined boundaries in which the data should exist. If there is a known distribution for the data, then using that distribution can aid in finding outliers. Often, a distribution is not known, or the experimenter does not want to make an assumption about a certain distribution. Also, enough information may not exist about a set of data to be able to determine reliable upper and lower boundaries. For these cases, an outlier detection method, using the empirical data and based upon Chebyshev's inequality, was formed. This method allows for detection of multiple outliers, not just one at a time. This method also assumes that the data are independent measurements and that a relatively small percentage of outliers are contained in the data. Chebyshev's inequality gives a bound of what percentage of the data falls outside of k standard deviations from the mean. This calculation holds no assumptions about the distribution of the data. If the data are known to be unimodal without a known distribution, then the method can be improved by using the unimodal Chebyshev inequality. The Chebyshev outlier detection method uses the Chebyshev inequality to calculate upper and lower outlier detection limits. Data values that are not within the range of the upper and lower limits would be considered data outliers. Outliers could be due to erroneous data or could indicate that the data are correct but highly unusual. This algorithm does not ascertain the reason for the outlier; it identifies potential outlier data, allowing for domain experts to investigate the cause


Developing environmental protection industry,to Longyan's economic structure, is the best choice of transforming the way of economic growth and making strategic adjustments in its economic structure.This paper puts forward some suggestions as to the development of Longyan's environmental protection industry, such as bringing its equipment manufacturing industry into line with the frame of building industry groups of economic zone along Fujian coast;giving full play to radiating and leading function of large main industries;making timely development programmes and consolidating the ability of environmental protection industry,etc..


Since COVID-19 has been on the rise since 2020, many facets of our lives have changed and been touched, including the radically upended economic situations. To combat COVID-19, governments and health officials everywhere have enacted laws requiring the use of protective gear like gloves, masks, and hand sanitizers. Compared to earlier pandemics like the Spanish Flu in 1918 and Ebola in 2014, the effects on the entire world are more severe now. The automotive manufacturing industry, including its derivative business such as tire manufacturing, as one of the business activities, is also dealing with difficulties, as is seen from the drop in production and sales volume. During lockdowns, they were forced to scale back or stop their retail sales and production, which cost them money. By implementing supply chain and digital transformation for business continuity, this research intends to assess the problems and make recommendations for solutions that will allow these firms to thrive in the face of uncertainty. The transition is anticipated to alter how companies deal with customers and bring everyone involve d's health procedures into line.


This paper represents part of a continuing study of the distribution and biology of marinus and mentella redfish in the Northwest Atlantic. Reported here are the results of age determinations from the otoliths of mentella redfish from 5 areas around Newfoundland - Hermitage Bay, Southwest Grand Bank, Flemish Cap, Gulf of St. Lawrence and Hamilton Inlet Bank; and marinus redfish from Flemish Cap and Hamilton Inlet Bank. -- The data from Hermitage Bay, in addition to providing information on the growth-rate of the redfish, have provided a means of appraising the basic method of age determination and it is concluded that the otolith method, as used here, is valid to ages of at least 10 years. -- Growth of both marinus and mentella redfish was found to be adequately represented by the inverse exponential equation, and the parameters of the von Bertalanffy form of this equation were obtained by a least squares fit to the mean length at age values for males and females from each area. -- The difference in growth-rate between the sexes was examined and it was found, as was expected, that the females showed a faster growth-rate than the males. -- An examination of the growth curves and growth-rates of mentella from different depth levels on Hamilton Inlet Bank indicated that a considerable difference in growth pattern exists between fish from the shallower and deeper depths, and that the fish of the latter habitat tend to remain separate from those of the former, at least during the period of active growth. -- Comparisons of the growth curves presented here with other published redfish growth curves reveal, in most cases, a basic agreement between workers using otoliths, and a disagreement between these workers and others who use scales for determining the age of redfish.


Abstract Schizonepetae Spica (SS), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used over thousands of years. In modern medicine, it has been adopted in the traditional prescription for cancer in clinic. In order to further develop the medicinal value of SS, we conducted cell viability assay and cell apoptosis research and proved that the extraction of Schizonepetae Spica (SSE) possesses prominent pharmacological activity against lung tumor. It can promote the late apoptosis of A549 cells. And the growth inhibition of SSE on A549 cells was manifested in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, an UPLC-QTOF-MS method was applied to identify the chemical components of SSE for the first time. A total of 30 compounds were tentatively identified, of which flavonoids and organic acids are the main ingredients. The results presented here would be helpful for the further study of plasma migration components and quality control of SS, which lay a foundation for the discovery of the pharmacodynamic basis of SSE and the development of new anti-tumor drugs. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


The holograms fixing process in very well known sillenite type photorefractive crystals Bi12(Ge, Si, Ti)O20 has important implications for various applications. An effect of prolonged memory of holographic recording with no applied electric field in photorefractive Bi12TiO20 (BTO) crystals at room temperature has been reported.1,2 The effect is established for high frequency holographic grating with K = 2π/Λ ~ 3×105 cm-1, where Λ is the grating period.


A scheme for radar information compression and signal classification is presented in this paper. The exemplar function describing a target is decomposed onto wavelet packets from which the best basis is extracted. Then the reduced dimension subspace is obtained to represent approximately the original function. The target is characterized by a wavelet packet subspace called target subspace. An unknown signal is classified by the energy of the projection onto each target subspace. Simulation results show that the method is robust.


3155 All Rights Reserved © 2016 IJSETR Abstract Aerospace industry has been thriving for the past few decades and with passage of each decade we have been trying to achieve faster and lighter spacecraft. One of the major fields of research is the material being used. Super alloys possessing high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance and higher thermal adherence have been under scrutiny. Titanium alloy 5553 (Ti-5Al-5V-5Mo-3Cr) is a near beta alloy with sublime hardenability and strength characteristics and is a promising substitute for present options. As the traditional methods are incompetent to machine the super alloys, a modern machining process such as laser beam machining has been suggested. At present work, a symmetrical work piece in suitable dimensions is modelled using 3D modelling. This model is used for developing a finite element model of laser beam machining for selected material and steady state followed by the transient thermal analysis is carried on the same model in order to predict the temperature distribution and heat affected zone around the machined area using finite element analysis software. Index Terms — finite element model, titanium alloy, transient thermal analysis, heat affected zone.


Longidorid nematodes are characterized by having a long and attenuated spear (odontostyle) and a long spear-extension (odontophore) which may have plain or flanged base. This type of feeding apparatus makes them a distinct group in the suborder Dorylaimina (de Man, 1876) Pears, 1936, but also makes it difficult readily to accomodate them in the superfamily Dorylaimoidea (de Man, 1876) Thorne, 1934. We, therefore, consider them to represent a distinct superfamily group and hence, the family Longidoridae (Thorne, 1935) Meyl, 1960, is upgraded to superfamilial rank, and its two subfamilies become families. Diagnosis of Longidoroidea and its two families are appended below.


Multiple View Perspectives (MVP) enables deaf and hard of hearing students to view and record multiple video views of a classroom presentation using a stand-alone solution. We show that deaf and hard of hearing students prefer multiple, focused videos over a single, high-quality video and that a compacted layout of only the most important views is preferred. We also show that this approach empowers deaf and hard of hearing students by virtue of its low cost, flexibility, and ease of use in the classroom.


This article summarizes some of the key findings from a survey of Arizona lawyers regarding Arizona's court-connected arbitration system. Most lawyers who had represented clients in arbitration thought the process and award were fair. Their ratings of the arbitrators' level of preparation and knowledge of the law and arbitration procedures, however, were less favorable. A majority of lawyers thought either that arbitration should remain mandatory for cases below the current jurisdictional limit or that a different ADR process should be made mandatory. A majority of lawyers favored retaining most of the basic components of the current arbitration system. But a majority favored changes in arbitrator service, assignment, and compensation. The lawyers appeared to be skeptical about court-connected arbitration's ability to provide a more efficient and effective dispute resolution process for smaller cases.


Microgrid could operate in both grid-connected and stand-alone modes when the main island runs independently.Based on steady-state characteristics of distributed energy resources,Monte Carlo simulation algorithm is used to simulate random outputs of the photovoltaic power generation system and wind power generation system.Wind power and photovoltaic power generation will be treated as random variables,rather than the traditional determined variables,which can assess the results of the statistical characteristics of economic dispatch.Based on stand-alone modes,the multi-objective optimization functions with minimal costs of operation and depreciation,and maximal the environmental or integrated-effective are discussed.A simple example proves that the model and the algorithm is reasonable.


e15611 Background: NMAs of cancer treatments are usually based on the proportional hazard assumption (PHA) which implies a constant hazard ratio as well as treatment effect on only scale parameter and therefore not reflecting clinical dynamics of survival outcomes over time. Multivariate NMA which does not rely on the PHA is often constrained by lack of individual patient-level data (IPD). We applied a novel method of reconstructing pseudo-IPD from published survival curves that enabled application of a dynamic method of NMA of survival curves without PHA constraint to compare the efficacy of 6 later-line therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), compared to placebo. Methods: We identified 8 phase II/III trials reporting the efficacy of 6 later-line therapies for mCRC from PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane Library. Trial survival curves were reconstructed based on pseudo-IPD generated using the Guyot method, and the estimated survival proportions and hazard ratios (HRs) over 12 months (12m) of follow up were calculated using a random effects lognormal distribution model with placebo as the common comparator. Results: Compared to placebo, 12m PFS HRs varied from 0.29 (95%CrI = 0.19-0.44) for TAS+bevacizumab to 0.72 (95%CrI = 0.62-0.85) for atezolizumab. Similarly, OS HRs ranged from 0.55 (95%CrI = 0.26-0.92) for TAS+bevacizumab to 1.01 (95%CrI = 0.79-1.20) for atezolizumab (Table). Conclusions: In this NMA of survival curves, all therapies except atezolizumab were superior to placebo in PFS and OS over 12m follow up period. TAS+bevacizumab provided the highest survival advantage over placebo, with fruquintinib, regorafenib, and TAS-102 also showing survival benefits. TAS+bevacizumab may be the preferred choice for later-line mCRC treatment. [Table: see text]


Hypersurface, a software defined metasurface (SDM) paradigm constitutes a revolutionary technology aiming at offering programmatic control over all aspects of a propagating wave, altering its direction, power, polarization and phase. In the absence of line of sight (LOS) between a transmitter and a receiver, HSF can provide seamless connectivity via programmatic reflection. However, such an application requires fine tuning of the metasurface reconfiguration parameters, which may not be effective when done in an open loop fashion due to model uncertainties. In this work, we consider a feedback-based formulation of the problem, which involves maximization of the received power and propose the use of Extremum Seeking Control (ESC) for the controller implementation due to fact that it is model-free and adheres to the maximization problem. Extensive simulations indicate that the proposed scheme is successful in guiding the impinging wave to the receiver within reasonable time even in the presence of time varying delays incurred by message propagation. In addition, a discrete time implementation is considered, investigating its limitations as we increase the sampling time while also characterizing the traffic within the controller network.


Introduction Abstract: Modern structures require more complex and accurate designs than ever before. In order to achieve an economic and safe design it is necessary to account for the uncertainties in design variables. This paper presents a technique in which the science of design of experiments (DOE) is employed to assess in modern structure design. A case study of a simple structure that is idealized as a simply supported beam is investigated. The design variables are categorized according to their sources as: load, geometry and material types. Each variable value is assumed to vary within a given numerical distribution. The deflection at the mid span of the structure is considered as the performance response of interest. DOE is applied to evaluate the effect of uncertainty within the design variables on the performance response. It is also used to calculate the interaction effect between design variables. This technique yields a better understanding of how the design variables are interacting and how this will affect the overall performance of the structure. It is believed that the intelligent use of DOE techniques will help in the design of safer and more economic structures.


Surgeons used a patient's left fibula and leg tissue to reconstruct the man's midface after a fireworks accident destroyed most of his facial bones.


Pharmaceutical industry has different strategies for promoting medicines. There is
enough evidence that proves the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and
doctors affectig medical professionalism. This research aims to: identify and compare
the medical sector that is more related to pharmaceutical companies in Quito, between
August 2010 to August of 2011, stratified by public and private sector.


An examination of the social role of protest based on a critique of an essay 'The Counterpoint in Society' by W. F. Wertheim, included in the book Weerklank op het werk van Jan Romein (Influence of the Work of Jan Romein, 1953). Whereas personal protest has been well investigated by psychologists, the social aspects of protest have remained largely untouched. Wertheim quotes as an example of social protest the Sunday activities of people as opposed to their weekday activities. Mass participation in sports events may be interpreted as a protest against bureaucratic rule in the office, a kind of counterpoint to the basic melody of people's lives. Protest is classified into functional and instit'ized. Conscious protest activities can become a menace to the established order, eg the 'antisocial' activities of German students in the 19th century or the riot which ended Dutch rule in Belgium in 1830. The distinction between the basic melody and the counterpoint is not always easy to make-this difficulty is illustrated by the Belgian rising of 1830 against the Dutch and the Dutch rising against Spain (1566-48), where elements of social order and social protest existed on both sides. I. Langnas.


Abstract This study examines the movement patterns and comminution of magnetic Ni particles in pure water in a flask. This flask is on top of an actuator which contains a rotating bar magnet, and is surrounded by circulating water at a constant temperature. A digital camera, a particle size analyzer and a field emission electron microscope were adopted to record the moving patterns, particle size distributions and micrographs of magnetic Ni particles. A thermocouple was employed to measure the temperature of pure water in the flask during Ni particle attrition. The effect of the temperature of the water that circulated around the periphery of the flask and the effect of the shape of the flask were analyzed. This study also investigated the effects of the water‐to‐particulate mass ratio and the placement of a bar magnet with an interface between the positive and negative poles in a bar magnet at an inclination angle on the shrinking and the moving pattern of the Ni particles.


We give sufficient conditions for the existence of trace of homogeneous solutions defined on wedges of general locally integrable structures, extending previous results that considered locally integrable structures of a particular nature.


This paper introduces a transport and control protocol for real-time application-RTP, which is particularly appropriated to multimedia communications. The video transport and control in which RTP is applied is discussed as well as.


Dengue infection is one of the most important arboviral infections afflicting South-East Asia. This is transmitted by female Aedes aegyptii mosquito and caused by four antigenically distinct serotypes of dengue virus. This may present as asymptomatic infection, dengue fever to life threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Fever, headache, arthralgia, retro-bulbar pain, macular rash, petechial spots and hemorrhagic manifestations are common features. Encephalopathy associated with dengue infection is considered to be a rare condition, and is usually secondary to multisystem derangement like shock, hepatitis, coagulopathies etc (Chotmongkol, 2004). Here, we present an adult patient with DHF who developed fatal encephalopathy after the fever had subsided.


OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to elucidate patterns of SARS-CoV-2 clearance in the natural course of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: Consecutive patients with nonsevere COVID-19 were retrospectively included. Asymptomatic patients with normal body temperature and no evidence of pneumonia throughout the disease course were classified in the asymptomatic group. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was repeated every two to five days after the first follow-up RT-PCR assay. Negative conversion was defined as two consecutive negative results of RT-PCR assays within a 24-h interval. Rebound of threshold cycle (Ct) value was defined as negative from the single RT-PCR assay and positive from the following assay. RESULTS: Among a total of 396 patients [age, 42.5 (25.0-55.0) years; males, 35.6%], 68 (17.2%) and 328 (82.8%) patients were in the asymptomatic and symptomatic groups, respectively. The time until negative conversion was significantly shorter in the asymptomatic group than in the symptomatic group [14.5 (11.0-21.0) days and 18.0 (15.0-22.0) days, respectively; p = 0.001]. Rebound of Ct values was observed in 78 patients (19.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Time until negative conversion is shorter in asymptomatic COVID-19 than in symptomatic COVID-19. Rebound of Ct values is not uncommon.


The invention discloses a transparent display device and a manufacturing method thereof. The transparent display device comprises a substrate and organic electroluminescence devices, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of pixel regions and photic regions positioned among the pixel regions; the organic electroluminescence devices are arranged on the substrate, and are positioned on the pixel regions of the substrate; the organic electroluminescence devices comprise thin film transistors, pixel electrodes, luminescent layers, first opposite electrodes and second opposite electrodes; the thin film transistors are arranged on the pixel regions of the substrate; the pixel electrodes are arranged on the pixel regions of the substrate, and are electrically connected with the thin film transistors; the luminescent layers are arranged on the pixel electrodes; the first opposite electrodes are arranged on the pixel regions of the substrate, and are positioned above the thin film transistors and the luminescent layers; the second opposite electrodes are arranged above the pixel regions and the photic regions, the second opposite electrodes in the pixel regions are positioned above the first opposite electrodes, and the second opposite electrodes are used for electrically connecting the first opposite electrodes. According to the transparent display device disclosed by the invention, the light transmission and transparency of the transparent display device can be greatly improved.


''Where are the Men?'' (ix). This question puzzled David G. Hackett, professor of American Religious History at the University of Florida. Hackett asked the question after examining membership lists for churches in Albany, New York. What he discovered was that by 1830, 74 percent of the town's male workforce did not belong to a church. City directory lists pointed to males occupying an adjacent social sphere within society—a Masonic sphere. Hackett was searching for ''a male world that might broadly complement the Protestant women's sphere'' (ix). He noticed that Freemasonry performed its own pivotal part in forging American culture, challenging the conventional religious historical consensus that sets forth Protestantism as the sole protagonist. Hackett contends that ''Freemasonry played a vital role in the American religious past'' (ix). Ultimately, he believes, changing beliefs and initiation practices within an all-male fraternity closely mirrored broader social and religious trends in American society. Freemasonry provides an interpretive lens to reshape Americans' understanding of their religious past. Historians of American religion have often designated Freemasonry as a separate sphere from the American religious experience in the early republic. Hackett, however, argues that this is a misrepresentation of Freemasonry. He shows that Freemasonry acted as a catalyst within the American Protestant experience. Hackett divides his monograph into two sections and eight chapters. The first section, ''European American Freemasonry,'' explores the


University of Leicester Page | I ABSTRACT Sintering is the thermal process that uses powders to form a new dense product by increasing temperature but holding it under the melting point of the material in use. Modelling the sintering process is important for fundamental understanding the behaviour of the particles during the sintering process instead of through empirical experimental work. In the first part of this thesis, a simplified method is developed to model the solid state sintering process which depends on the coupling between grain boundary and surface diffusion. A curve fitting method was developed to create a new relationship that relates the chemical potential at the junction of the grain-boundary and free surface to the neck size and the ratio of grain-boundary diffusivity over surface diffusivity. This relationship enables the de-coupling between the two diffusional processes when modelling the sintering process. The sintering process can, therefore, be separately modelled from the surface diffusion process, which greatly simplified the model for problems involving many particles such as those in a discrete element model. The results of the curve fitting method were first compared with the analytical Coblenz equations to allow for the validation and proofing of the new method in terms of modelling the sintering process; thereafter, comparisons were made with the full finite difference model using two parameters, namely diffusion coefficient ratio and applied stress. The curve fitting model matched well with the full finite difference model for the two parameters. In the second part of this thesis, two stages were undertaken: firstly, the new method was used in a variational model to simulate the two copper particles, and was compared with a new curve fitting-finite difference method for two sintering ratios. The variational model results were in good agreement with the new curve fitting-finite difference method. Secondly, multiple particles of copper were used in a variational model to simulate selective laser sintering for 27 copper particles. Laser scan speed, laser power, and particle temperature were collected from the COMSOL model, after which the particle temperature was used in the variational model to calculate the neck growth and shrinkage ratios between particles for different particle sizes.


Sensory organs are not stationary in the world, and thus sensation can reflect motion of the organism equally as well as stimuli from the environment. Nervous systems must integrate signals of external and internal origin to disentangle a sense of self out of the total sensory input. To examine the representation of self-motion in the nervous system, we use rhythmic whisking behavior in the rat vibrissa system as a model for active sensing. First, we characterize the motor plant underlying this behavior through recordings of behavior and muscle activity. These data inform a biomechanical model that establishes the motor plant for whisking and its physical constraints. Having thus defined the control problem of whisking behavior, we investigate its representation in the vibrissa region of primary motor cortex. We found that single units recorded in the behaving animal accurately represent the rhythmic component of the whisk cycle and that small populations of units accurately encode the amplitude and offset position of individual sweeps of the vibrissae. Finally, we compared this data to recordings in the vibrissa region of primary somatosensory cortex. We find that sensory cortex more reliably encodes the rhythmic component of whisking while motor cortex more reliably encodes slower kinetic parameters. These data are consistent with a model that sensory cortex encodes vibrissa position in a normalized coordinate system with the transformation into absolute coordinates requiring a motor copy signal. More generally, our results bear on what may likely be a more general segregation of representation within the nervous system


Summary CSIRO Division of Entomology has twomajor projects on the biological controlof carduine thistles, one against noddingthistle ( Carduus nutans ) and another forscotch and Illyrian thistles ( Onopordumacanthium and O. illyricum ). The strate-gies for biological control of these targetthistles are similar, although the agentsused are different. Since thistlepopulations depend solely on seedlingestablishment for recruitment, the prior-ity area in both projects is to limit seed-ing, with the ultimate aim to reduce thesoil seed banks found in Australia to themuch lower levels found in Europe. Bothprojects include insects that attack the ca-pitula and thus have a direct impact onseeding; both also have insects that attackvegetative parts of the plant and thus in-directly limit seed production. The roleof biological control in an overall man-agement strategy for these two groups ofthistles is briefly discussed. Introduction CSIRO Division of Entomology is cur-rently conducting two biological controlprojects on carduine thistles. The targetsare nodding thistle,


Abstract. Iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) is a common analytical
tool used in both laboratory and field experiments to measure a large suite
of atmospherically relevant compounds. Here, we describe a systematic ion
molecule reactor (IMR) temperature dependence of iodide CIMS analyte
sensitivity for a wide range of analytes in laboratory experiments. Weakly
bound iodide clusters, such as HCl, HONO, HCOOH, HCN, phenol, 2-nitrophenol,
and acyl peroxynitrate (PAN) detected via the peroxy radical cluster, all
exhibit strong IMR temperature dependence of sensitivity ranging from −3.4 % ∘C−1
to 5.9 % ∘C−1 (from 37 to 47 ∘C). Strongly
bound iodide clusters, such as Br2, N2O5, ClNO2, and PAN
detected via the carboxylate anion, all exhibit little to no IMR temperature
dependence ranging from 0.2 % ∘C−1 to −0.9 % ∘C−1 (from 37 to 47 ∘C). The IMR temperature relationships of weakly bound clusters
provide an estimate of net reaction enthalpy, and comparison with database
values indicates that these clusters are in thermal equilibrium. Ground site
HCOOH data collected in the summer of 2021 in Pasadena (CA) are corrected
and show a reversal in the diel cycle, emphasizing the importance of this
correction (35±6 % during the day, -26±2 % at night).
Finally, we recommend two approaches to minimize this effect in the field,
namely heating or cooling the IMR; the latter technique has the added benefit of
improving absolute sensitivity.


The paper reviews the types of concrete bridge decks in most common use today, with particular emphasis on recent developments. Current trends in substructures and foundations are also covered. Some of the problems which have beset concrete bridges are discussed and finally predictions are made concerning likely future developments.


Four multiple-scale turbulence models and two baseline models are applied to simulate the flows over a series of two-dimensional compression corners.Comparisons are made and assessment of the models are performed with discussions of compressibility and its effect on nonequilibrium energy transfer. It's shown that the treatment of multiple scaling is efficient and potential.


This study examined perceptions by divorced Muslim men and women citizens of Israel of their society's image of divorced persons and the associations between these perceptions and their adjustment to their divorce. The study is based on the reports of a heterogeneous sample of 312 divorced men and women in this community. Findings show that, on the whole, the participants perceive their society as stigmatizing divorced women as bad parents and spouses more than divorced men, that divorced women perceive greatersocietal stigmatization than divorced men, and that adjustment to divorce was directly related to individuals' perceptions of the societal imageof the divorced person of their own sex.


Gene therapy for human colorectal carcinoma using human CEA promoter controled bacterial ADP-ribosylating toxin genes: PEA and DTA gene transfer


Health care is on the threshold of major reform. Central to this reform will be the ability to maximize patient outcomes and resource allocation. The delivery of nursing care is essential to these concepts. Nursing care delivery impacts both patient outcomes and labor costs. Every aspect of care delivery has changed over time: length of stay, acuity, payment methodologies, documentation, technology, and regulatory requirements. Yet the model by which we allocate resources to the bedside is based on an archaic notion and forecasting model around one variable. The development of effective nurse staffing strategies will ensure those delivering care are engaged and able to meet the present day demands. Understanding the complex environment in which care is being delivered and the increasing demands put on those delivering care, Legacy Health, in Portland, Oregon, has embarked on an innovative project to redesign their nurse staffing model; building on current advancements in technology and more importantly engaging those closest to the work.


A method for activating the charge carriers of passivated with hydrogen impurity in at least a semiconductor layer, in particular in at least one layer of a compound semiconductor, which is located in a layer system on a substrate by a radiation-assisted heat treatment comprising the steps of: a) heating said semiconductor layer in a first time interval of less than 120 seconds (to temperatures above a first temperature T b) heating said semiconductor layer in a second, lying within the first time interval time interval with a duration of less than 60 seconds at temperatures above the decomposition temperature (T c) generating additional charge carriers in the semiconductor layer while at least a third time interval by an electromagnetic radiation whose ...


AIM
To verify our hypothesis that "there is periodicity in nurse call occurrence".

BACKGROUND
It is difficult to plan nursing management because nursing tasks can vary widely, seemingly at random. One of the most useful pieces of information for decision making is periodicity. If periodicity is present, it should be possible to predict the occurrence of tasks and make preventive strategies. In this study, we focused on the nurse call, which plays an important role in nursing practice.

METHOD
We used nurse call logs that accumulated automatically when patients pushed the button. Data were obtained from January 1, 2014 to September 30, 2017 (1,369 days) in a university hospital. The total number was 5,982,935. Periodicity was verified by the autocorrelation function.

RESULTS
The value of the autocorrelation function increased regularly, which demonstrates there was periodicity in nurse call occurrence.

CONCLUSION
Our hypothesis was accepted. The presence of periodicity indicates that nurse call occurrence is not a random event but has a pattern.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
If we can identify patterns such as the time that nurse calls frequently occur, managers can implement two strategies: one, assigning more nurses, and two, moving tasks other than nurse calls to another time.


The 11-year solar activity cycle in the vertical ozone distribution over the Antarctic station Faraday/Vernadsky in the Antarctic Peninsula region (65.25° S, 64.27° W) was analyzed using the Solar Backscatter Ultra Violet (SBUV) radiometer data Version 8.6 Merged Ozone Data Sets (MOD) over the 40-year period 1979–2018. The SBUV MOD ozone profiles are presented as partial column ozone in layers with approximately 3-km altitude increments from the surface to the lower mesosphere (1000–0.1 hPa, or 0–64 km). Periodicities in the ozone time series of the layer data were studied using wavelet transforms. A statistically significant signal with a quasi-11-year period consistent with solar activity forcing was found in the lower–middle stratosphere at 22–31 km in ozone over Faraday/Vernadsky, although signals with similar periods were not significant in the total column measurements made by the Dobson spectrophotometer at the site. For comparison with other latitudinal zones, the relative contribution of the wavelet spectral power of the quasi-11-year periods to the 2–33-year period range on the global scale was estimated. While a significant solar activity signal exists in the tropical lower and upper stratosphere and in the lower mesosphere in SBUV MOD, we did not find evidence of similar signals in the ozone forcing data for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). In the extratropical lower–middle stratosphere and lower mesosphere, there is a strong hemispheric asymmetry in solar activity–ozone response, which is dominant in the Southern Hemisphere. In general, the results are consistent with other studies and highlight the sensitivity of ozone in the lower–middle stratosphere over the Antarctic Peninsula region to the 11-year solar cycle.


The operating principle and control method of series-parallel compensation on-line UPS with generalized soft switching are described. This is a novel on-line UPS of soft switching.


Estimations of serum kynurenine were carried out in 20 normal Individuals, 20 patients with clinical evidence of chronic airway obstruction, and in 46 patients with airway obstruction in whom its presence and degree were also assessed by spirometry. The selection of patients was based on avoiding any possible cause of elevated serum kynurenine, at the same time ensuring a satisfactory state of nutrition, as well as normal liver function. The serum kynurenine mean value of the normal individuals was ± SD = 10 ± 2.29 mg percent. In the 20 patients with clinical evidence of chronic airway obstruction (no spirometry), all except one had higher serum kynurenine than the normal subjects. Of the 46 patients with clinical and spirometric evidence of chronic airway obstruction, 32 (69.6 percent) had high serum kynurenine values which were correlated with their indirect maximum breathing capacities.


This paper establishes conditions of optimality for linear systems whoso control functions are quantized either in magnitude or in switching instants, or both. Optimization of such systems hitherto has been limited primarily to dynamic programming techniques and direct enumeration. The results are derived from the total variations of the cost functional. The main theorem provides sufficient conditions of optimality for linear systems with quadratic and positive semi-definite performance index. The results are significant for digital control systems, pulse-code-modulated control systems and some types of pulse-frequency-modulated systems which are subject to quantized variations only. For the special case where the control functions are not quantized, the optimality conditions provided by the extended maximum principle are shown to be necessary and sufficient.


Introduction: Vit. D polymorphims have been implicated in bone mineral density. Patients with M. Gaucher suffer from bone disease/osteoporosis. We aimed to investigate the impact of the FokI polymorphism on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism in patients with M. Gaucher. Patients, methods: 44 patients with M. Gaucher (16 M/28F). FokI polymorphism has been determined by RFLP in 44 patients and 121 healthy controls. BMD was measured in patients by DXA before and under enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), at least after two years. Serum-calcium, phosphorus, parathormone intact and 25-hydroxy-vitaminD were measured in patients. Results: The distribution of alleles was: ff(8/44 – 18.1%), fF(23/44 – 52.2%), FF(13/44 – 29.5%) in patients and ff(16/121 – 13.2%), fF(53/121 – 43.8%), FF(52/121 – 42.9%) in controls. Even not statistically


Abstract By Danish standards there exists an extensive literature on the agrarian reforms of the latter half of the eighteenth century, but this has shown only limited concern for the attitudes and reactions of the peasantry to reforms in agriculture and changes in the rural community. The patriotic and liberal historical writers of the 1840s regarded the agrarian reforms as a recent decisive turning point, which liberated the peasants from centuries of oppression and permitted their free and independent participation in the evolution of society during the nineteenth century. Later scholars stimulated by the centenary (in 1888) of the abolition of the stavnsband (adscription), accepted the same general view. All this and later work focused largely upon the motives underlying the reform legislation, the conflicts between the leading groups, mainly government, officials and landowners, and upon the wide-ranging debate on the reform in pamphlets and newspapers. Fridlev Skrubbeltrang's Husmand og Indersle (Co...


Christopher P. Cannon, Adrian F. Hernandez, Mark A. Hlatky, Russell V. Luepker, Pamela N. A. Gray Ellrodt, Gregg C. Fonarow, Lee H. Schwamm, Nancy Albert, Deepak L. Bhatt, Disease-Based Registries in Improving Quality and Outcomes Synthesizing Lessons Learned From Get With The Guidelines: The Value of Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online ISSN: 1524-4539 Copyright © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. is published by the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231 Circulation published online October 28, 2013; Circulation. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/10/25/01.cir.0000435779.48007.5c.citation World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/suppl/2013/10/23/01.cir.0000435779.48007.5c.DC1.html Data Supplement (unedited) at:


Dystrophin and its associated proteins were originally identified in skeletal muscle, where the complex provides mechanical stabilization to the sarcolemma during contraction. However, the dystrophin complex is also present at membrane specializations in many non-muscle cells, including synaptic sites in neurons. The function of the dystrophin complex at these sites is still unknown, but emerging results suggest that the dystrophin complex can function as a scaffold for signaling proteins. In this review, we examine the growing body of evidence that suggests the dystrophin complex may have a dual function: membrane stabilization and transmembrane signaling. We focus on the role of two dystrophin-associated proteins, syntrophin and dystrobrevin, in the formation of a signaling scaffold and review evidence suggesting a role in synapse formation and maintenance.


An impairment in neuromuscular transmission is a characteristic feature of patients with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease (Simpson, 1960). Attempts to isolate the 'active' factor from the thymus gland, muscle and serum of myasthenic patients have all proved unsuccessful. Toyka and coworkers (1976) have postulated that immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the direct, acting antibody against the mammalian acetylcholine receptor (ACh-R) following their successful 'passive' transfer of myasthenia gravis from man to mouse.


The method to decision constructive synthesis of array antennas was conducted. The method usefull when antenna elements can be in discreste states (for example: active element, passive element, excluded item, active element with discrete nominal of output power e.t.c). The method is based on neural network approach. The structure of a neural network consist of a classifying neural network and several approximating neural networks is substantiated. Input signals correspond to phase centers of array antenna elements. Number of output signals in classifying part is equal to discrete status of antenna element. Each approximating part of network has one output signal wich correspond to continious meaning. Separate parts of network preliminary learning with error back propagation method. The genetic algorithm of neural network learning with limited number of training coefficients is proposed. Examples of solving problems of constructive synthesis, with different indicators of the quality of neural network training are given.


[Objective] To study the lead-removing effect of tomato fibrin on the lead-exposed mice. [Methods] Mice were injected lead acetate solution in abdominal cavity for 8 days,after set up the lead-exposed model,mice were divided into four groups,three groups were low,middle and high dosages of tomato fibrin and one group was positive control group(EDTA) ,and were sampled at the time of seven days and 14 days. The mice in blank control and model control groups were given deionized water. Lead in heart,liver,brain,kidney and heart were determined by GF-AAS,and the lead-removing effect of tomato fibrin on heart,liver,brain,kidney and heart were observed and analyzed. [Results] The three groups of tomato fibrin orally had significant differences(P﹤0.01) when compared with lead poisoning model after giving different drugs at the time of 7 days and 14 days. [Conclusion] Tomato fibrin had significant lead-removing effect on heart,liver,brain and kidney of mice.


Unreinforced masonry is the construction system of most of historic structures and a considerable percentage of existing residential buildings in Egypt. One of the important disadvantages of unreinforced masonry construction is its low resistance to tensile stresses and lateral loads, so there is frequently need for appropriate strengthening for such structures. Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been successfully applied as externally bonded reinforcement for strengthening of reinforced concrete and masonry structural elements as well. Their excellent strength-to-weight ratio and easy installation make them an attractive alternative for traditional strengthening methods. This paper presents experimental investigation of strengthening masonry walls and vaults using FRP composites, as well as other traditional methods such as steel reinforcement bars, ferrocement layers and polymer mortar layers. The experimental program is explained and the maximum capacity and failure mode associated with each strengthening technique are presented and compared. The experimental results showed that FRP gave higher strengthening level and better failure mode than using traditional steel reinforcement bars or ferro-cement layers. Use of glass fiber composites INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IJCIET) ISSN 0976 – 6308 (Print) ISSN 0976 – 6316(Online) Volume 5, Issue 12, December (2014), pp. 354-365 © IAEME: www.iaeme.com/Ijciet.asp Journal Impact Factor (2014): 7.9290 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com IJCIET


The title compound (d4pype), C22H20N4P2, crystallizes as a discrete molecular species disposed about a crystallographic inversion centre at the mid-point of the central C—C bond.


The capital market is one way of obtaining additional capital for a companyto develop its business. One of the things done in the capital market is sellingcompany ownership through the sale of shares. A company must meet certainrequirements in order to sell its initial public offering / IPO to the Indonesian StockExchange (IDX)PT. BPD Kaltim Kaltara (Bankkaltimtara) is one of the largest banksoperating in East and North Kalimantan. This bank has been operating for a longtime and is widely recognized by the public in these two regions. This bank also hasa vision to reach services throughout East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan.The author conducts a financial performance analysis to determine whetherBankkaltimtara can meet the requirements to list its shares on the IDX. In addition,the authors also look at developments in financial performance and conduct ananalysis of trends in financial performance. This is expected to provide an overviewfor us, including potential investors, to assess the performance of Bankkaltimtara.


Abstract Horizontal water velocities were measured using three current meters moored at the levels of 5, 18, and 30 m depth in the oriental side of Concepcion Bay (36°40′S; 73°02′W), an almost rectangular, shallow bay off central Chile, connected with the open sea through two mouths. The large momentum transfer from the wind to the water causes variations of the internal volume of the bay generating circulation layers having almost anti-parallel directions. Northerly winds carry superficial water into the bay, causing a compensating flow leaving the bay near its bottom. Winds from the SW, on the other hand, cause an outgoing circulation layer in the surface and a circulation layer entering into the bay near the bottom. During wind calm periods, longer than 12 h, the two layers disappear, leaving a current system comprising only one circulation layer. The response time necessary for the generation or dissipation of these layers, which fluctuates between 1 and 7 h, depends on the initial conditions of the bay and on the intensity, direction and persistence of the wind.


This study examined acute, local muscle fatigue and recovery, temporally, during velocitybased resistance exercise. A dynamic single-leg extension resistance exercise model with systematic unloading based on changes in repetition velocity was used to measure changes in quadriceps muscle activation patterns. EMG indices of acute, local muscle fatigue and recovery were closely associated with changes in movement velocity for each unloading condition. Systematic Unloading (SU) is an effective resistance training protocol in order to minimize acute, local muscle fatigue and facilitate muscle fatigue recovery within a set.


This research paper has analyzed the individual and cultural factors related to comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission. Secondary and primary data are used to identify the individual and cultural factors of comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS among women in Nepal. Secondary source of quantitative data is based on NDHS, 2011 and 2016 whereas qualitative data collected from Nam Nagar of Naalparasi (Susta West) district. The total sample size of NDHS 2011 (N=12674) and 2016 (N=12862) are large and nationally representative. The study reveals that only 20 percent of women have comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The individual cultural factor such as native language of women[OR= 3.34 (2.21-5.05) in 2011 and OR= 1.47 (1.01-2.13) in 2016] and ethnicity[OR= 1.90 (0.90-3.96) in 2011 and OR=1.74 (1.10-2.74) in 2016] are the influential factors for comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Beside these, socially constructed knowledge of HIV/AIDS has been determining the misconception of HIV transmission. The lower level of comprehensive knowledge is trigger by the cross-cultural context of women in Nepal.


At present,inflation in our country is becoming more and more serious.The government takes tight policies to solve the problem,but the effect of the policies is very limited.The key issue of dealing with the problem is the deep roots of inflation,and the way of solving the problem is based on these roots.This paper analyses the roots of the current inflation from the political and economic backgrounds,and points out that the roots have been the increasing of money supply,rising of energy and agricultural prices,and the prosperity of domestic market.On the basis of these roots,this paper points out the limitation of tight monetary policy and the optimality and long-term of expanding imports policy.On the basis of these,this paper proposes the main theme,that is,to solve the current inflation by expanding imports and decreasing import tariffs.


The spin-orbit assisted Mott insulator $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ is a prime candidate for material realization of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid. While little attention has been paid to charge degrees of freedom, charge effects, such as electric polarization, may arise in this system, which could possibly allow electrical access to low-energy excitations of quantum spin liquids. Here, we demonstrate ferroelectricity in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$, by means of pyroelectric, second harmonic generation and specific heat measurements. The electric polarization and second harmonic generation signal develop substantially in the Kitaev paramagnetic state when short-range spin correlations come into play. The electric polarization appears mainly within the honeycomb plane and responds weakly to external magnetic fields. Virtual hopping induced charge redistribution, together with moderate in-plane distortions, are likely responsible for the establishment of electric polarization, which gets boosted by short-range spin correlations. Our results emphasize the importance of charge degrees of freedom in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$, which establish a novel platform to investigate charge effects in Kitaev materials, and enrich the intriguing Kitaev physics.


In order to assess and analyze the importance of the elements which have a significant impact on the risk, analytic network process is applied to establish the network structure model of risk evaluation index system for EPC project. And hypermatrix is utilized to compute and determine the weight of all the indexes. An EPC project risk evaluation model is constructed based on ANP (Analytic Network Process) -Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation to evaluate the integrated risk level. Validity of such EPC project risk evaluation model would be proved by a demonstration case analysis with help of Super Decision software. Results are shown at the last part of this paper.


The paper deals with the control of an anthropomorphic robotic hand by vision: our approach is to provide a Human-Computer-Interface based on natural hand gesture imitation of the operator showing his hand. We describe the design and the implementation of the visual control of a robotic system composed of an anthropomorphic hand and a stereo rig. The aim of the proposed system is to understand or reproduce the movements of a human hand in order to learn complex manipulation tasks. Moreover, the robotic system could receive tasks by carrying on a dialogue with human instructors involving gestures. A novelty algorithm for a robust and fast fingertips localization and tracking is presented. Moreover, a simulator is integrated in the system to give useful feedbacks to the users during operations, and provide robust testing framework for real experiments.


Background: Pulmonary hypoplasia is an uncommon congenital aberration which is often interconnected with other abnormalities. Objective: To report a rare condition of left pulmonary hypoplasia associated with some great vessels anomalies. Case Report: A 4-year-old Saudi girl with recurrent chest infections was shown to have left lung hypoplasia along with left sided pulmonary artery agenesis and right sided aortic arch. Her condition improved after medical treatment then she was referred for surgical management. Conclusions: Lung hypoplasia is a rare disease. However, it should be suspected when children present with recurrent chest infections. Our case had a classical presentation since her infancy period. Early diagnosis of such cases is essential for subsequent management and achieving a good outcome.


Brines consistent with that expected for Europa's global subsurface ocean have been shown to form vitreous salt hydrates when frozen. We report experiments examining the crystallization kinetics of vitreous MgSO4 hydrate in order to better understand the stability of such materials on the surface of Europa. Vitreous MgSO4 hydrates formed from a 2 M parent solution were found to crystallize into MgSO4·11H2O (meridianiite) upon annealing at 195–225 K. Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor the crystallization and reaction rates were determined from the growth of the crystalline fraction as a function of time. Arrhenius analysis yielded an activation energy of 60 ± 9 kJ mol−1 for the vitreous to crystalline transition, implying that such transformation does not occur spontaneously at Europa's surface temperatures. If emplacement processes favor the formation of vitreous salt hydrates, they are likely to still be stable and could be an important non-ice component on Europa at present day.


Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) is commonly used in high-throughput protein quantitation experiments. Mass spectral parameters for MRM transitions must be optimized individually to enhance the sensitivity in the MRM studies. MassHunter Optimizer software provides a way to automatically optimize the data acquisition parameters on a triple-quadrupole instrument for MRM analysis. In this study, 40 MRM transitions were selected from 10 Pyrococcus furiosus (Pfu) proteins identified in a Q-TOF experiment and collision energies were optimized using the MassHunter Optimizer software for peptides. Five different collision energies (CE) were tested for each MRM transition. Up to a two-fold increase in sensitivity and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of MRM peaks were achieved using optimized collision energies as compared to collision energies derived from the Q-TOF experiment. Forty MRM transitions from 20 peptides could be optimized in a single LC/MS/MS analysis (45 minutes). Manual optimization of collision energies for 40 MRM transitions individually will require 200 LC/MS/MS analyses. The MassHunter Optimizer software helps reduce the time and amount of sample required for optimization by up to 200-fold.


: Phishing is a website forgery technique with an intention to track and steal the sensitive information of online users. The hacker fools the user with social engineering techniques such as SMS, voice, email, website and malware. Various approaches have been proposed and implemented to detect a variety of phishing attacks such as use of blacklists and whitelists to name a few. In this paper, we propose a desktop application called PhishSaver, which focuses on URL and website content of the phishing webpage. We aim at detecting phishing websites with the help of a desktop application named PhishSaver. PhishSaver uses a combination of blacklist and a number of heuristic features to detect a number of phishing attacks. For blacklist, we have used GOOGLE API SERVICES that is Google safe browsing blacklist as this list is constantly updated and maintained by Google. It is also possible to run PhishSaver as a daemon process that means it is able to detect phishing attacks in real time as a user browses the internet. PhishSaver takes URL as input and outputs the status of URL as phishing or legitimate website. The heuristics used to detect phishing are footer links with null value, zero links in the body of the html, copyright content, title content and website identity. PhishSaver is able to detect zero hour phishing attacks which may have not been blacklisted and is faster than visual based assessment techniques that are used in detecting phishing. We observe that PhishSaver has obtained a higher accuracy rateand covers a wider range of phishing attacks that results in less false negative and false positive rate.


Background: Cephalometric analysis is an important tool in the field of orthodontics. It is used to examine the growth and development of facial bones in treatment planning, and changes between before and after treatment in evaluation stage. Steiner's analysis uses angle dan distance measurements to determine the patient's skeletal position. Steiner's analysis includes the position and inclination of the incisors to the jaw and the position of the jaw to the cranial base. This study was thus carried out to describe the value of cephalometric parameter measurements of Deutro-Malay race patients aged 6-12 years using Steiner's analysis. Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive observational method with a cross-sectional study design. Samples were taken from secondary data of cephalogram orthodontic patients RSGM FKG Usakti in 2017-2018. The analysis was carried out by measuring 11 Steiner's analysis parameters, namely: SNA, SNB, SND, ANB, Go-Gn to SN, U1-NA, L1-NB, U1-L1, Occl-SN. Results: Based on Steiner's analysis, the cephalometric mean value of RSGM FKG Usakti orthodontic patients was SNA of 80.80; SNB of 76.60; SND of 72.990; ANB of 4,240; Go-Gn to SN is 36.80; U1-NA is 26,920 and 3,93 mm; L1-NB of 32.10 and 5.98 mm; U1-L1 of 116,890; Occl-SN is 20,680. Conclusions: Malay Deutro Race has a tendency for class II, skeletal class II malocclusion, retrusive symphysis, less developed horizontal growth patterns, and incisive proclination.


Objective To survey the prevalence and type distribution of human papillomavirus(HPV) infection in women of Datong.Methods A total of 931 cervical specimens from women attending routine Pap smear cytology screening were subjected to HPV detection and genotyping with PCR-LA assay.Results The overall HPV prevalence was 18.6% in normal specimens,60.2% in specimens with light epithelial internal lesion,69.2% in severe epithelial internal lesion,and 84.6% in specimens with squamous cell carcinoma(SCC),respectively.High risk HPV infections were more prevalent than low risk HPV types(P0.05).The peak of high risk HPV infection was found in subjects of 18-25 years old.The prevalence of HPV was 15.8%,4.7%,3.8%,and 1.8% for HPV-16,-58,18,and-52 in all participants,respectively.But In SCC,HPV-16(61.5%),-18(11.5%)-58(7.7%),-52(3.8%) and-33(3.8%) were prevalent types.Conclusion The study demonstrated the geographic variability of oncogenic HPV distribution in Datong,China.


Background Uncertainty exists as to whether metal backing (MB) of the tibial component is better than an all-polyethylene component (AP). This is valid for both horizontally and completely cemented components. We evaluated completely cemented MB vs. AP (Part 2).Patients and methods In a randomized study, 39 patients (40 knees) with knee arthrosis were operated with cemented low-conforming total knee arthroplasty (AGC, Biomet) with a tibial component of uniform thickness (8 mm), cemented both beneath the tibial tray and around the stem. 20 patients had an all-polyethylene (AP) tibial component and 20 patients had an identical but metal-backed (MB) tibial component. We used clini-cal examination and radiostereometric analysis (RSA) to evaluate the hypothesis that MB improves compo-nent fixation. Fixation was evaluated using RSA up to 2 years after surgery. Clinical assessment was performed preoperatively and after 2 years using the Hospital for Special Surgeons (HSS) score. Results We found no differences in micromotion, and no differences in clinical scores could be detected between the groups at any time point.Interpretation Our findings indicate that there was equal initial fixation of the AP and MB stemmed mono-bloc components when they were cemented beneath the tibial plateau and around the stem.


In recent years, alternate energy sources has become essential as the demand for power increases. In the last energy decades energy obtained from external sources such as thermal energy, solar power, wind energy, and RF energy has been in use for various purposes. To provide unlimited energy for the lifespan of electronic devices, energy harvesting uses inexhaustible sources with no adverse environmental effect. This paper focuses on RF energy harvesting. The receiving antenna captures the RF energy from surrounding sources, such as nearby mobile phones, wireless LANs (WLANs), FM/AM radio signals, broadcast television signals and rectified into a usable DC voltage. One possibility to overcome their power limitations is to extract (harvest) energy from the environment to either recharge a battery, or even to directly power the electronic device. To meet various objectives in last few years, several antenna designs of rectenna have been proposed for use in RF energy harvesting,. Among the other antennas, microstrip patch antennas are widely used because of their low profile, light weight, and planar structure. This paper presents several methods to design and energy harvesting device depending on the type of energy available and also presents microstrip path structural rectenna are explains RF signal harvester for powering low consumption electrical devices.


Although the literature contains many recommendations for professional advocacy for school counseling, there is a dearth of research providing clear and contemporary evidence of effective strategies for advocating for elementary school counseling. In response to this gap in the literature, we conducted a phenomenological qualitative study of 13 professionals who successfully advocated for elementary school counseling positions or roles. We outline research-informed elementary school counseling advocacy strategies identified by participants, centering around three themes: (a) looking inward and developing one's advocacy skills, (b) working with stakeholders, and (c) using data to advocate. We include implications for practice and research.


Gamification in education has been discussed with potential for further implementation at universities; however, practical suggestions concerning which key issues educators need to consider has far not been shared in academia. This study applied a qualitative approach using interview data with 24 students who participated in the business class with games as learning measures. It has found that most of them believed that gamification could be useful in reinforcing key themes and topics after having learnt them through traditional means: They appreciated the games as a supportive measure to 'glue' key knowledge to their learning. A significant drawback that they emphasised was that taking notes is not easy while they are involved in games, which made them unconfident and uncertain about the learning outcome. As a result, a conceptual framework for pedagogy stakeholders was proposed for further discussion of how to design a gamification-based curriculum effectively.


Objective To discuss effect of rosiglitazone on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods Selected 60 cases with type 2 diabetes mellitus were devided into 3 groups,and treated vyith mel bine,melbine combined with rosiglitazone,rosiglitazone separately.20 cases healthy volunteers were selected as con trol group.Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and another index were compared.Results HDL-C of combined group and rosiglitazone group had significant differents(P 0.05).FPG、HbA1c、FINS、HOMR-IR of three groups after therapy had significant difference with before therapy(P 0.05).NO、hs-CRP、TNF-αof combined group and rosiglitazone group after therapy had significant difference with before therapy(P 0.05).FMD and EID of combined group and rosiglitazone group after therapy had significant difference with before therapy(P 0.05).Conclusion Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus show endothelium-dependent vasodilatation destroy.Rosiglitazone can improve NO,and improve endothelium-dependent vasodilatation,then protect vessel.


In this work, we investigate the effects of nanogrooves on heterogeneous ice nucleation (HIN) through molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that nanogrooves on a surface significantly alter the ice nucleation rate by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Depending on the width of the grooves, the nucleation rate can be enhanced or impeded compared with that on flat surfaces. For relatively large grooves, ice nucleation enhancement is observed when the effective groove width is a multiple of the ice lattice constant, for which ice crystal nucleus forms in the groove. For narrow grooves, strong confinements lead to the formation of solid-like layered structures, which may or may not enhance ice nucleation, depending on their structural match with ice crystal. The findings in this work provide critical information for surface designs in controlling HIN.


Individual behavioral variation of 44 adult captive-born cheetahs, Acinonyx jubatus, was assessed using observer and keeper ratings on a variety of behavioral attributes. Inter-rater consensus was high for most questionnaire items, several of which were significantly correlated with direct behavioral measures recorded in a mirror-image experiment. Principal component analysis was applied to identify patterns of individual variation as measured by observer and keeper ratings. Three major components, labeled as tense-fearful, excitable-vocal, and aggressive, accounted for 69% of the observed variation. Females showed significantly higher scores on the component tense-fearful than males. Non-breeders of both sexes scored significantly higher on the component tense-fearful than breeders. Assessment of individual behavioral variation through questionnaire ratings may therefore provide a simple and non-invasive tool for predicting an individual's ability to adjust to the constraints of certain husbandry regimens and to reproduce in captivity. Simple measures of behavioral attributes may offer new insights for solving breeding problems and improving conservation management of endangered species in captivity. Zoo Biol 18:335–349, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


We propose a generalization of the three dimensional Skyrme-Fadde'ev model consisting in Abelian Hopfions defined on R 5 . An explicit ansatz is presented and the reduced action of the model is computed. We also evaluate the topological charge of the configurations.


Mobility-Enabled Wireless Sensor Networks (ME-WSNs) are a specialized class of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that incorporate the capability of node mobility. Node mobility in ME-WSNs introduces several advantages but brings new challenges in efficiently routing data packets and allowing intruders to join the network. To address the routing challenges in ME-WSNs and enhance Quality of Service (QoS), an "Augmented Dolphin Swarm Optimization-Based Secured Gaussian Ad-Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (ADSO-SGAODV)" routing protocol is proposed. ADSO-SGAODV works by efficiently discovering and maintaining routes for data transmission while conserving energy and ensuring secure communication. It employs a hybrid optimization-based approach, combining Gaussian AODV and Dolphin Swarm Optimization (DSO). ADSO-SGAODV utilizes a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to ensure intelligent decision-making in route selection. ADSO-SGAODV selects cluster heads based on fuzzy logic and specific criteria such as energy level and distance to the base station. This feature enhances network scalability and load balancing, ensuring efficient utilization of resources in a dynamic ME-WSN environment. ADSO-SGAODV focuses on providing robust security measures to safeguard data during transmission. Secure Communication protocols are implemented to encrypt data, preventing unauthorized access and maintaining data confidentiality. Trust-Based Access Control with Encryption is employed in ADSO-SGAODV to establish trust among nodes and ensure data communication integrity within the network. Through extensive simulations in various scenarios, ADSO-SGAODV has demonstrated a superior packet delivery ratio, throughput, energy consumption, and adaptability to node mobility. The protocol's intelligent and energy-efficient working mechanism makes it a promising solution for enhancing QoS in ME-WSNs, addressing the unique challenges posed by mobility, and ensuring reliable and secure data transmission in dynamic environments.


The Groebner basis calculation algorithms were successfully applied to construct new sequences analytically. New unimodular perfect sequences with 6 phases were proposed for various sequence lengths. For perfect root-of-unity sequences and for binary sequences with ideal autocorrelation this new approach was used to find sequences analytically. Although this approach was not able to find previously unknown sequences in both cases, it is still better than any other analytical method and almost on par with exhaustive search


Objective To understand the sterilization effects of different types of pressure steam sterilizer in medical and health institutions.Methods The effect of sterilization of pressure steam sterilizer was monitored using the biological indicator(Bacillus stearothermophilus).Results 2240 pressure steam sterilizers were monitored from 2002 to 2005,and the qualification rate was 84.64%((1896/2240).) The qualification rates of vacuum sterilizer,bottom sterilizer and portable sterilizer were 92.16%((235/255),) 84.65%(1114/1316) and 81.76%(547/669),respectively.There was a notable difference((χ~2=)15.34,P0.01).The qualification rates in each year of 2002-2005 were 76.73%,82.01%,(85.58%) and 88.86%,respectively.There was a notable difference(χ~2=32.62,P0.01).(Conclusions The) qualification rate of vacuum sterilizer is better than that of bottom sterilizer,and the qualification rate of portable sterilizer is the worst.The qualification rate of sterilization by using pressure steam sterilizer can be gradually increased year by year unless the training of the stuff is strengthened and all of the operation procedures are standardized.


The aim of this study is to determine the gantry angle and multileaf collimator (MLC) gap error‐detection threshold of a diode helical array with an inserted microionization chamber in order to use this device for the pretreatment quality assurance (QA) of intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatments. Implications on the dose‐volume histograms (DVHs) of the patient treatments will also be considered for the establishment of a QA protocol with a reasonable tolerance level. Three dynamic IMRT HN (head and neck) and prostate treatments were studied. Random and systematic variations of gantry angle and systematic errors in MLC gap width of the clinical treatments were analyzed in order to establish the detection sensitivity of the array. The associated clinical significance was studied introducing the same errors in the treatment plan based on the patients' computed tomography (CT) and calculating the corresponding DVHs. The Gamma (3%/3 mm) presented a 4% variation in failure rate for a rotation error of 1° for both types of treatment. Both systematic and random errors in gantry rotation angle have little effect on the patients' DVHs. MLC gap width errors of 1 mm and 2 mm in the prostate treatments imply a mean variation in isocenter‐measured absorbed dose of 2.1% and 4.1%, respectively. In the case of HN, these errors entail a change in measured isocenter dose of 4.7% and 8.6%, respectively. The variation observed in the DVHs of the patients was, basically, a global displacement of the curves proportional to the isocenter dose variation caused by the gap width error. According to the array sensitivity to the analyzed errors and its implication in patient DVHs, a tolerance of 95% point passing rate for the gamma criterion 3%/2 mm and an agreement of 2% in isocenter absolute dose have been established as tolerance criteria for our pretreatment IMRT QA protocol. PACS number: 87.56.Fc


Advances in perinatal care have resulted in increased survival for extremely preterm babies. Recent data suggest that outcomes for babies actively managed at 22 weeks of gestation in the UK may now be similar to babies born at 23 weeks of gestation.1

The previous British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) guideline, 'Framework for Clinical Practice for the Management of Babies born Extremely Premature at less than 26 weeks of gestation,' was published in 2008.2 It was written in response to the 2006 report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 'Critical care decisions in fetal and neonatal medicine: ethical issues'.3

Both documents were produced using data from the EPICure study in 1995 and some preliminary data from EPICure 2.

They both used gestation alone to determine guidelines for the management of extremely preterm babies at birth.

'Perinatal Management of Extreme Preterm Birth before 27 weeks of gestation – A Framework for Practice' was published in October 2019 by BAPM.4

It is essential reading for all paediatricians, neonatologists, obstetricians and other health professionals involved in the care of mothers and babies around the time of extreme preterm birth.

The updated framework is designed to help with perinatal decision-making around extremely premature birth from 22+0 to 26+6 weeks of gestation.

It describes …


An autopilot logic is designed here for controlling a helicopter with a hanging load. A 16th order model for the system is decoupled into four subsystems: (1) a second order system for yawing motion, (2) a second order system for vertical motion, (3) a sixth order system for longitudinal motion, and (4) a sixth order system for lateral motion. A measuring scheme, which could be used in remote areas, is developed and filters are designed to estimate the state variables from these measurements. The autopilot can be used to move the load over short distances without retracting the cables. This is done by automatically shifting the autopilot modes from position-hold (hover) to acceleration-hold to velocity-hold (cruise) to deceleration-hold to velocity-hold (near hover) to position-hold (hover). Use of such an autopilot might save considerable turnaround time. The Sikorsky S-61 helicopter is chosen as an example vehicle. The performance of the controlled system is studied in the presence of longitudinal and lateral winds.