Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was applied to the problem of temporal integration in the A1 auditory receptor of the noctuid moth Noctua pronuba. The index of detectability (d′) was calculated either from ROC curves or from a procedure equivalent to a two-alternatives forced-choice paradigm of psychophysics. Stimuli of six different durations (1–40 ms) were used. The detectability increased exponentially with intensity for all signals and with the rate of increase independent of duration. This allowed for an evaluation of the influence of stimulus duration on detectability (duration/intensity trade-off). A model of statistical threshold improvement (the "multiple looks" model) could be applied and the influence of statistics on thresholds could be separated from the influence of intensity integration. For stimulus durations significantly shorter than the time constant of the receptor (3.4 ms for N. pronuba), intensity integration was the main factor determining thresholds and thus an en...


A 67-year-old female patient was referred to our clinic for coronary artery bypass graft and severe mitral regurgitation (MR) treatment. The patient had a history of coronary disease and MR treated in 2007 with a CARILLON device. Left mammary and saphenous vein were used to graft the diseased coronaries. MR was corrected with a saddle ring; however, we had some difficulties anchoring ring sutures to the mitral annulus caused by the protruding CARILLON. The ring was finally stitched, and the patient was weaned from bypass. A transoesophageal echo showed a competent valve. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit on moderate catecholamines.


The Ring Gate synchronisation system developed by Alstom is new and patented. It uses hydraulic cylinders connected in pairs by a serial connection. The new hydraulic synchronisation system, when compared to the previous mechanical synchronisation system, has several advantages. It is a compact design; it reduces the number of mechanical components as well as maintenance costs. The new system maintains the Ring Gates robustness. The new approach is an evolution from mechanical to hydraulic synchronization assisted by electronic control. The new synchronization system eliminates several mechanical components that used to add wear and friction and which are usually difficult to adjust during maintenance. Tension chains and sprockets and associated controls are eliminated. Through the position sensors, the redundancy of the ring gate synchronization system makes it predictable and reliable. The electronic control compensates for any variation in operation, for example a leak in the hydraulic system. An emergency closing is possible without the electronic control system due to the stiffness of hydraulic serial connection in the hydraulic cylinder pairs. The Ring Gate can work safely against uneven loads and frictions. The development will be reviewed and its application discussed through commissioning results.


This study describes normal fault zones formed in foreland arkosic turbidites (the Grès d'Annot Formation, SW French Alps) under deep diagenesis conditions (~200 °C) and highlights the occurrence of two markedly different fault‐rock types: (1) the foliated fault rocks of the Moutière‐Restefond area; and (2) the dilatant fault rocks of the Estrop area. The deformation of (1) is dominated by intra‐ and transgranular fracturing, pressure solution of quartz and feldspar grains and syn‐kinematic phyllosilicate precipitation resulting from feldspar alteration. The combination of these mechanisms results in a strongly anisotropic strain with intense shortening normal to the foliation (pressure solution) and extension parallel to the foliation (quartz‐ and calcite‐sealed extension veins). This deformation implies local mass transfer that may be achieved without (or with limited) volume change. The deformation of (2) is expressed as dilatant quartz‐sealed veins and breccia textures in which the main mechanisms are transgranular fracturing and quartz precipitation. Type (2) implies fault volume increase, isotropy of deformation and mass transfer at distances larger than in type (1). This study discusses the origins of (1) and (2) and shows that the permeability of (1) is anisotropic, with higher values than the host rocks parallel to the Y main deformation axis (i.e. perpendicular to the slip vector), whereas the permeability of (2) is isotropic and equivalent to that of the host rocks.


The Gram-positive cell wall is a massive macromolecule composed primarily of two polymers: peptidoglycan (PG) and cell wall glycopolymers. Wall teichoic acid (WTA) is the most abundant cell wall glycopolymer across Gram-positive bacterial species and typically essential for survival. WTA plays important roles in bacterial pathogenesis and is required for beta-lactam resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Detailed characterizations of every step of WTA biosynthesis have been reported, except the final one: the transfer of WTA to


In this paper, we propose a use of the group sparsity in adaptive learning of second-order Volterra filters for the nonlinear acoustic echo cancellation problem. The group sparsity indicates sparsity across the groups, i.e., a vector is separated into some groups, and most of groups only contain approximately zero-valued entries. First, we provide a theoretical evidence that the second-order Volterra systems tend to have the group sparsity under natural assumptions. Next, we propose an algorithm by applying the adaptive proximal forward-backward splitting method to a carefully designed cost function to exploit the group sparsity effectively. The designed cost function is the sum of the weighted group 1 norm which promotes the group sparsity and a weighted sum of squared distances to data-fidelity sets used in adaptive filtering algorithms. Finally, Numerical examples show that the proposed method outperforms a sparsity-aware algorithm in both the system-mismatch and the echo return loss enhancement. key words: group sparsity, nonlinear acoustic echo cancellation (NLAEC), adaptive Volterra filter, weighted group 1 norm, adaptive proximal forward-backward splitting (APFBS)


Abstract : This thesis considers the combining of a ship overhaul project network with a shipyard project network to minimize possible scheduling conflicts during the ship overhaul process. The combined project is called the ship overhaul project network. A heuristic multi-pass scheduling algorithm is developed to combine the ship's and shipyard's project networks. The algorithm is tested with two sets of data. The work spaces on shipboard are considered as a common resource to both project networks, and the ship's complement is an uncommon but limited resource. Since the real-world problem is larger than the context of this thesis, some simplifying assumptions were made. The most important of these are the reliable communication link between ship and shipyard prior to and/or during the overhaul process, and sufficient knowledge about the shipyard project network as early as possible after overhaul initiation. (Author)


This letter considers a network-assisted intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) technology. We aim to adopt an energy-efficient strategy via an antenna selection (AS) framework that determines which base station (BS) antennas transmit the data to the user equipment. In particular, we select the best set of antennas to increase energy efficiency (EE) while reducing power consumption. Also, the network takes advantage of the IRS system to increase the coverage and overall throughput of the network. We first propose an efficient algorithm for the considered scenario based on the successive convex approximation (SCA). Then we employ the Dinkelbach method that jointly selects the best set of antennas and optimizes their beamforming. Second, by introducing the slack variable and SCA method, we propose a tight approximation to solve the passive beamforming at the IRS. Simulation results unveil the performance of the proposed method and its influence on the power consumption at each antenna's RF chain.


Objective To investigate the influence of baicalin in human colon cancer SW480 cells,and to clarify its mechanism.Methods The SW480 cells were cultured and divided into blank control and 25,50 and 100μmol·L-1baicalin groups.The proliferation activity was detected with CCK-8assay.The morphological changes of SW480 cells were detected by AnnexinⅤ-FITC and DAPI coloration.The protein expression levels of Bcl-2,caspase 3and caspase 9 were detected by Western blotting method.Results The CCK-8 assay results showed that the proliferation activities of SW480 cells in 25,50 and 100μmol·L-1 baicalin groups were decreased significantly compared with blank control group at the time points of 24 h,48hand 72h(P0.01),the proliferation activities of SW480 cells in 25μmol·L-1 baicalin groups were decreased significantly compared with blank control group at the time points of 48 and 72h(P0.01).Cell shrinkage and nucleus fragmentation were observed in the SW480 cells after treated with 50μmol·L-1 baicalin for 48 h.The Western blotting assay results showed that compared with blank control group,the protein expression levels of caspase 3and caspase 9in 25,50 and 100μmol·L-1baicalin groups were increased significantly(P0.05 or P0.01),and the protein expression levels of Bcl 2in 25,50 and 100μmol·L-1 baicalin groups were decreased significantly(P0.05 or P0.01).Conclusion Baicalin can induce the apoptosis in SW480 cells,and the effect might be involved with the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.


Anaemia is one of the most common nutritional deciency disorders affecting the pregnant women in the
developing countries. Anaemia during pregnancy is commonly associated with poor pregnancy outcome
and can result in complications that threaten the life of both mother and foetus. Objective: The objective of the study was to
estimate the prevalence of anaemia among the women who are pregnant and to determine its association with maternal and
foetal outcomes. Materials and methods: Two hundred pregnant women of gestational age >37 weeks with previous and
recent Haemoglobin report were included in the study and were followed up till 7 days post delivery. Appropriate statistical tests
were applied. Results: Among the study group, 63% of pregnant women had anaemia from which about 24% of the women had
maternal and foetal morbidity. Out of the 63% of anemic pregnant women,2.38 % had postpartum hemorrhage,2.74% had
preeclampsia, 3.17% went into LSCS,1.58% had obstructed labour. The fetal complications include low birth weight (27.7%)
followed by preterm delivery (3.17%) and birth asphyxia(2.38%). Conclusions: A high prevalence of anaemia in pregnant
women increases the maternal and foetal risks. To improve the maternal and foetal outcome, all the pregnant women must be
prevented of anaemia by prophylactic iron administration, must be diagnosed of anaemia at an early stage, and be treated to
avoid further antenatal and postnatal complications


The main part of the Triassic reservoirs of Wellblock Xia 9 in Junggar Basin is located on a nose anticline with the plunging direction to the southwest,which has typical characteristics of oil/water inversion,it belongs to the reservoirs with inverted water.Based on data core,logging and analyzing test,the comprehensive research shows that the Triassic reservoirs of Wellblock Xia 9 are simple structure.With no distribution of the fault in the region,there is no structural block on the updip direction.The characteristics of oil/water inversion are mainly caused by the sand diagenesis block on the high parts of the structure,which is associated with structural slope,differences in sedimentary facies,high-quality seal and other factors,and therefore the effective area on a higher adjacent part of Triassic reservoirs will be an important goal of the following oil and gas exploration.


The major factors influencing the liquefaction-induced lateral deformation are identified using statistical analysis based on post-earthquake reconnaissance data collected from historical earthquakes.A simple probability model is proposed within the framework of the Probit model for predicting the likelihood of liquefaction-induced deformation exceeding a given threshold value.The model prediction is compared with the historical data collected from two selected destructive earthquakes.The proposed model relates the probability to the earthquake moment,epicenter distance,slope of the ground surface and accumulated thickness of liquefiable soils.The comparison between the prediction and the field data indicates that the proposed model performs well particularly in cases of large displacements,while it provides a conservative estimate in cases of small displacements.


Ultrafast relaxation of photo-excited electrons in p-doped and intrinsic GaAs has been investigated using the Monte Carlo method. Dynamic screening of the carrier-carrier (c-c) interaction has been implemented using a momentum and frequency dependent dielectric function. Compared to the static c-c scattering model, the current approach results in faster cooling of the electron-hole plasma, due to enhanced carrier-carrier scattering rates. In p- GaAs, the energy relaxation shows that the electron-hole plasma (EHP) cools faster with increasing hole concentration. The transient luminescence intensity and the effective carrier temperature computed from luminescence spectra compare favorably with experimental data.


The lines of public transport in the metropolitan area of Queretaro (ZMQ) have no prior study justifying his career, as a result you have an imbalance between demand made by users of public transport and supply which consists of units Bus and lines offered by the concessionaires, so this research topic made a proposal of public transport lines which consist of 106 lines, and these were made by the model and algorithm Krishna Rao et al (2000). First a database which contains the number of trips that produces and attracts every 658 AGEB's, then these trips were expanded processed, swayed and finally calibrated and applied the gravity model, resulting in a matrix public transport to travel all day, matrix was used to balance allocations stochastic user. Later the system of public transport lines which operated the Transportation Institute Queretano for ZMQ before restructuring was drawn, the system consisted of 87 public transport lines of different lengths and cycles, then stops their path inserted into according to the inventory provided by the same institution, this in order to analyze the behavior that the system of public transport lines and calibrate stochastic equilibrium assignment user. Once the allocation of stochastic user equilibrium was calibrated, the same was done to the proposed system of lines and finally a comparison between the routing system implemented Queretano Institute of Transport and the lines proposed system was conducted, obtaining an improvement in passengers per kilometer rate value of 2.17 and using 854 buses for the proper functioning of the proposed system.


The changes of electron density due to the presence of a localized impurity in a crystal lattice are examined in dependence on the lattice dimensionality. The Koster–Slater impurity model developed for the case of a three-dimensional simple cubic lattice has been taken as the basis of examinations. Ordinary bound states, virtual bound states, and delocalized electron states are considered in each lattice case. For the delocalized states extended in a one-dimensional lattice the amplitude of the oscillatory changes of the electron density due to the impurity perturbation does not decrease with the distance from the impurity position, whereas for a two-dimensional lattice this amplitude decreases roughly proportionally to the reciprocal value of the square root of the distance from the impurity. Let us note that a well-known amplitude characterizing the decrease of the oscillatory change of the electron density in a three-dimensional system is proportional to the reciprocal value of the third power of the distance from the impurity position. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 80: 61–78, 2000


The database language SQL is extended to allow the specification of constraints, computed attributes, triggers, and optimizations for mathematical linear programming problems. QSL can be used directly to interface with various linear optimization routines. In this regard, an integration of these models and databases, from a user point of view, is achieved. A macro architecture for the implementation of the system is proposed.<<ETX>>


Financial Text Documents is one of the research domain build variety of applications. Mostly text processing techniques solve financial text problems. Dimensionality reduction process one the major challenging in text processing. Text features retained it helps to performing defines text clustering. Text clustering of similarity measure treats as the similarity between two text documents. The Main objective this paper defines and design suitable similarity measure motived from [18]–[21] and proposed similarity measure improves the previous measure [34]. This processes representation of financial system features initialized process based defined as Clusters.


High-spin states up to {ital I}{approximately}20{h_bar} have been studied in the {sup 121,122}Te nuclei using the {sup 116}Cd({sup 9}Be,{ital x}n) reaction at 37.8 MeV. In this spin regime, several favored noncollective oblate states ({gamma}=+60{degree}), where the single-particle angular momenta generate the total nuclear spin, are predicted to coexist with weakly deformed collective structures. Theoretical expectations for such oblate states, based on TRS cranking calculations, are compared to the experimental results. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}


Some organizations merely use the World Wide Web to announce themselves in cyberspace. However, many business firms and public institutions take advantage of this inexpensive, accessible medium to foster interactive relationships with stakeholders and transact business directly with audiences, without concern for traditional gatekeepers. One of the challenges of measuring organizational visibility on the Web is that Internet usage cannot be gauged in the same way as, for instance, television viewership, radio audiences or circulation of newspapers and magazines. Furthermore, how do we track Web visibility when the object of our concern is neither a Fortune 500 company nor a major institution, but rather a community – a complex system of multiple stakeholders existing and working together within a locality? The present investigation attempts to determine whether community Web visibility can be used as an accurate indicator of conventional local economic development. This research – which focuses on a handful of communities in New York State's North Country -uses the Internet's own tools to provide communities with a quantitative analysis of their visibility on the Web and to explore possible connections between global presence in cyberspace and conventional local economic development. The investigators propose the formulation of a community visibility index, i.e., a periodic snapshot of a community's positioning in cyberspace.


Wide study and application exposes some problems of evolutionary algorithms such as premature convergence and poor performance in convergence. In order to overcome these issues, this paper proposes an adaptive co-evolutionary algorithm based on genotypic diversity measure, where adaptive selection, mutation and substitution operators are designed to realize cooperative search among operators and dynamic pairing among sub-populations. The proposed algorithm successfully avoids negative effect brought by a single operator, and takes full advantage of mutual information in sub-populations. Finally, experiments on two benchmark functions are carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Modern enterprises have established many information management systems based on management of enterprise information. But any of the systems can only manage information of a department, and even on different task directions in the same department there are many information management systems. Between these systems, it is hard to realize mutual contact or data sharing, not even coordinated work. How to establish an information integration mechanism to make these systems share data for coordinated work and values as 1+1>2 becomes the problem to be solved by modern enterprises in an earnest status. As an effective method to reach mutual communication between data of the isomeric systems, the data integration system can shield off the isomerism of systems it covers and unify the data modes of these systems. Then, mode shifting is made between different systems to make these systems have the same mode on the data integration layer, to provide convenience for mutual communication between these systems, to reduce the coupling of the whole system and to provide operation function of the enterprise.


Many specificities single out HLA‐F: its structure, expression regulation at cell membrane and function. HLA‐F mRNA is detected in the most cell types and the protein is localized in the ER and Golgi apparatus. When expressed at cell surface, HLA‐F may be associated to β2‐microglobulin and peptide or expressed as an open‐conformer molecule. HLA‐F reaches the membrane upon activation of different primary cell types and cell‐lines. HLA‐F has its highest affinity for the KIR3DS1‐activating NK receptor, but also binds inhibitory immune receptors. Some studies reported that HLA‐F expression is associated with its genotype. Higher HLA‐F mRNA expression associated with F*01:01:02, and 3 noncoding SNPs, rs1362126, rs2523405, and rs2523393, located in HLA‐F‐AS1 or upstream the HLA‐F sequence were associated with HLA‐F mRNA expression. Given the implication of HLA‐F in many clinical setting, and the undisclosed process of its expression regulation, we aim to confirm the effect of the aforementioned SNPs with HLA‐F transcriptional and protein expression. We analyzed the distribution, frequency and linkage disequilibrium of these SNPs at worldwide scale in the 1000 Genomes Project samples. Influence on the genotype of each SNP on HLA‐F expression was explored using RNAseq data from the 1000 Genomes Project, and using Q‐PCR and intracellular cytometry in PBMC from healthy individuals. Our results show that the SNPs under studied displayed remarkably different allelic proportion according to geography and confirm that rs1362126, rs2523405, and rs2523393 displayed the most concordant results, with the highest effect size and a double‐dose effect.


The paper presents the results of the study of the evaporation and boiling regimes in thin horizontal layers of liquid on a modified surface in a wide range of changes in the pressure and height of the liquid layer. Depending on the heat flux, pressure, and height of the liquid layer, the formation of various structures was observed. In this paper, maps of the evaporation and boiling regimes are obtained, which show the heat fluxes from the natural convection regime up to the boiling crisis, depending on the height of the liquid layer. The results are compared with the calculation dependencies.


The interest rate policy on the regulation of economic behavior of residents in China has not been significant over the years.Domestic interest rate had continued to decline and per capita consumption level had not achieved remarkably,in turn,per capita savings rate had been high from 1996 to 2005.Low-income,unsound credit system,uncertainty,liquidity trap and other factors contributed to low interest rate elasticity.Domestic interest rate had risen,and the per capita savings rate had not increased significantly,while the per capita consumption level had improved since 2005.The excessive release of consumption ability and non-rational economic behaviors in real estate and financial assets investment made the residents not sensitive to rate price announced by central bank.


Sneak timing is an important factor for the system safety.But,there are seldom effective techniques can discover sneak timing.To the problem,sneak timing analysis technique based on lime Petri nets is presented.Five basic Petri net patterns are proposed,and the transi- tion condition and transition rules of each basic pattern are given.Two typical examples are used to simulate and the results show the effective- hess and correctness.


Proteases are important commercial enzymes, and among their numerous sources are the Basidiomycetes. The use of proteases in many industrial areas promotes the search for enzymes with new properties. The aim of this study is to produce and characterize peptidases of a biocomposite from mycelial biomass grown in Amazonic tubers. Lentinus citrinus DPUA 1535 and Pleurotus ostreatoroseus DPUA 1720 were cultivated on Dioscorea trifida, Manihot esculenta and Dioscorea alata supplemented with rice bran or manioc flour residue in different proportions. The highest proteolytic activity was determined in the crude extract from P. ostreatoroseus grown in D. alata (DA) without supplementation (142.22 U/mL). The enzymes showed optimum activities at 40°C and pH 7.0; and stability at 50°C and pH 8.0. The proteases were classified as cysteine proteases based on the effect of inhibitors used.

 Key words: Pleurotus, Lentinus, Dioscorea, protease.


The main financial illegal activities include: use and defraud financial fund by violating rules;go against provisions on State property management;break provisions on administration of state investment project in capital construction;illicit deposit financial fund and other public money.The paper analyses why these activities arise and gives some specific methods for keeping down: those include: know profoundly the harmfulness of financial illegal activities,well define responsibility of main director for financial management,increase propaganda and education relating to financial and economic laws and regulations,full strengthen the role of internal auditing supervision,and take charge of together and make a comprehensive treatment.


Censoring improves the lifetime of conventional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) by reducing the number of sensor node transmissions. However, this comes at the expense of performance since measurements from fewer nodes are available. We show that in energy harvesting (EH) WSNs, in which the sensor nodes harvest energy from the environment, this trade-off is fundamentally different. For a general model in which the nodes experience independent and non-identical fading and the EH process at a node is stationary and ergodic, we derive a lower bound on the mean squared error (MSE). It leads to an insightful and explicit characterization of the optimum censoring threshold for each node. We show that it is the point at which the probability that an EH node has sufficient energy to transmit becomes 1. We also analyze the MSE outage probability, which is an alternate and widely used performance measure, which characterizes the impact of channel fading.


OF THE DISCLOSURE Thermoplastic composition comprising a linear crystal lizable polyester having a melting point above about 150 C., e.g. poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(1,4-cyclo hexanedimethylene terephthalate), or poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate), and a small percentage of an ester of an organic acid having from to 10 to 27 carbon atoms and an alcohol having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, e.g. methyl stearate or pentaerythritol tetrastearate. Articles molded from the: thermoplastic composition release quite readily from the mold or shaping surface during consecutive molding cycles. Such articles have good surface charac teristics which are especially smooth when the composi tion contains a small percentage of a nucleating agent. Uniform surfaces gloss of molded articles is achieved by the conjoint presence of a synergistic agent such as an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth metal salt of an organic acid having 10 to 25 carbon atoms, e.g. sodium stearate; talc and asbestos are also synergistic agents. The thermo plastic compositions and molded articles can advanta geously contain up to 50% by weight of glass fibers based on the total weight of the admixture. This invention relates to thermoplastic linear crystal lizable polyester compositions containing a release agent so as to facilitate forming a shaped article in contact with a shaping and cooling surface such as a mold. Glass fibers can be advantageously included in such composi tions. The invention also relates to improved surface char acteristics of the shaped articles especially when the thermoplastic polyester composition also contains a nu cleating agent, or most preferably a synergistic agent, whereby a smooth surface having uniform gloss can be obtained. The state of the art relating to molding compositions of thermoplastic polyesters which are high-melting linear crystallizable polyesters is at a relatively early stage. This is in distinct contrast to the rather advanced state of the art relating to thermosettable non-linear non-crys tallizable polyesters which have found many uses, espe cially when reinforced with glass fabric, and many shaped objects can be formed including boat hulls, automobile bodies, construction panels, housings for machinery, etc. The thermoplastic linear polyesters do not cross link upon heating, and those of particular utility for use in molding compositions generally have a melting point above about 150° C. and are crystallizable at tempera tures above their second order transition temperature. It is this tendency to crystallize which has created a con siderable problem in forming shaped objects or molded articles made by compression, transfer or injection mold ing, including extrusion molding whereby the articles So molded have thicknesses which are normally Substan tially greater than 10 mils, e.g. as construction panels, refrigerator doors, pipes, rods, automobile panels, sheet ing, etc. Such molded objects do not include those which have a very small dimension such as fibers and thin film. 5


This paper presents the results of demographic studies in populations of six forest fern species Athyrium dislenlifolium Tausch ex Opiz, A. filix-femina (L.) Roth. Dryopleris earlliusiana (Vill.) H.P. Fuchs. D. expansa (Presl) Fras.-Jenk. and Jermy. D. filix-mas (L.) Schott, and Mutleiiccia slruihiopteris (L.) Tod. in ecosystems of South Siberia. In natural conditions fern populations include gametophyte and sporophyte settlements isolated from each other due to the occupation of different ecological microniches in coenoses. Gametophyte settlements demonstrate complex sex composition and develop in 'safe sites' in coenoses. Separate gametophytes or gametophyte settlements of Dryopleris earlliusiana. D. expansa, and D. filix-mas develop on rotten litter (trunks and branches) whereas gametophytes of Athyrium distentifolium. A. filix-femina develop on naked soil. Sporophyte settlements are formed by individuals of different ages. Age composition of sporophyte settlements depends on ability of sporophytes to reproduce vegetatively and the possibility of renovation through sexual means.


This study was carried out to determine the practical effective dose of partially purified salmon gonadotropin required for inducing ovulation in intact ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis. Salmon gonadotropin administered as a single injection of 10μg/g was very effective in inducing ovulation of ayu. Based on the previous tests in ayu using human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), 10μg salmon gonadotropin (SG-G100) was equivalent to 1, 250 IU of HCG. An increase in body weight was shown in the gonadotropin-treated fish. This increment was dose-dependent and may have been due to an increase in ovarian weight resulting from water uptake by the oocytes.


Protozoa play a significant role in activated sludge systems, grazing on dispersed bacteria while supporting a healthy food web in biological wastewater treatment ecosystems. Operational parameters and influent properties are the most important factors affecting the composition of activated sludge microfauna. The objective of this study was to assess treatment efficiency and protozoan populations in activated sludge systems with and without the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-gel beads treating synthetic wastewater containing phenol. Six reactors three supplemented with PVA-gel beads – were used for the treatment of phenol at concentrations up to 10 mg/L. During the course of this study, dominance of species with known attachment characteristics was observed mainly in the reactors with PVA-gel beads. In addition, enhanced removal efficiencies of nutrients and organic loading were evident in the reactors with PVA-gel beads. Introduction of phenol at a concentration of 5 mg/L did not significantly affect the operation of the reactors and the composition and abundance of the microfauna, while a high phenol removal rate was maintained. However, an increase of influent phenol to 10 mg/L resulted in the formation of foam along with the appearance of Zooglea sp in the activated sludge reactor, while an increase in the abundance of crawling species was observed in the reactors with PVA-gel beads


The invention is a interference resisting method of self-organizing network of wireless local-area network. As mobile terminal (MT) judges the same-channel or adjacent- channel interference has happened according noise average, select and switch working channel according to preset working channel selection algorithm and notify other MTs to switch working channels. If the noise average of new-selected working channel recovers, end channel switching course and otherwise continue selecting and switching working channel according to the above algorithm. Its main steps include channel switching judging, working channel selecting, notifying and switching. It effectively resists the interference coming from the same channel or adjacent channels, and realizes optimizing working channel self-adapting of self-organizing network of the WLAN.


The most known active optical material is lithium niobate (LiNbO3). Due to the ferroelectric crystal structure lithium niobate changes its refractive index if an electric field is applied. Another ferroelectric material is potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP or KTiOPO4). KTP's properties also make it superior as an electro-optic modulator, in optical parametric generation, and in optical waveguiding. This paper will give an overview of production steps of integrated optics with proton exchange in lithium niobate and with ion exchange in potassium titanyl phosphate. Basic optic structures and components made for phase and intensity modulation are presented. The application of the integrated optic chips in sensors, telecommunication and color image generation will be addressed.


As has been noted in the literature, torture serves a multitude of purposes. However, usually they are referred to individually and in a disjointed manner. In this text, we try to go through this plurality of purposes, trying to organize them in order to clarify in what sense each one of them appears and how they are articulated. The purposes of torture, this is the hypothesis that we seek to support, are not a disjointed conglomerate of objectives that at times coincide or are in opposition, but function as a coordinated system of intentions that justify their existence.


The data from Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radar and Cluster was used to investigate whether the processes observed by SuperDARN radar in the highlatitude ionosphere leads to the processes that take place in the magnetosphere. SuperDARN is a global network of high-frequency coherent-scatter radars operating in the northern and southern hemispheres and these radars are capable of observing backscatter from ionospheric irregularities. The Tsyganenko T96 field model was used to map the footprint of the Cluster spacecraft into the ionosphere. The SuperDARN radar data analysis software was used to generate time series, field of view and convection plots. The data from Syowa South, Syowa East SuperDARN radars, Advance Composition Explorer (ACE) and Cluster spacecrafts was used in this study. Two events were found and discussed, an event on 09 August 2002 and another event on 30 September 2002. The SuperDARN radar and Cluster data for these events were compared. When a change in electric field was observed by Cluster, SuperDARN radar observed a change in the convection flow. There was a time delay between the change in the electric field and the change in convection flow.


Proteins-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been considered as attractive materials in many fields especially in biosensing. In this Letter, the authors have studied the relationship between ratios of specific amino acids and protein–AuNPs interactions. A new indicator Rw/s, calculated from the ratios of certain hydrophilic amino acids, is proposed to reveal the affinity coefficient between proteins and AuNPs. Experimental results show that the proposed Rw/s can indicate the binding status of proteins and AuNPs effectively. The authors have also introduced alkaline phosphatase, a protein with relatively low Rw/s, for detection by the colorimetric shift based on strong protein–AuNPs interactions.


The relationship between certain food and health benefits has been investigated for many years. In recent years, there has been a lot of active research in the field of probiotics, due to the growing commercial interest in the probiotic food. Strains of Lactobacillus were introduced into dairy products because of the potential advantage of consuming active LAB adapted to the intestine and to produce mildly acidified yoghurts. In the study isolated bacteria were observed by light microscope. It is clear that the bacteria were gram positive, rod shaped bacilli and spherical shaped coccus occurring singly or in chains. The gram staining results indicated that the isolated bacteria could be identified as lactobacilli. In performing catalase test, the isolated bacterium is catalase negative. It is well known that Lactobacillus is catalase negative. Isolated LAB strains were tested for different amino acid decarboxylase activities. BA production was not detected in the Decarboxylase tests carried out by the isolated LAB. In performing catalase test, no bubble was observed indicating that the isolated bacterium is catalase negative and could not mediate the decomposition of H2O2 to produce O2. It is well known that Lactobacillus is catalase negative. Decarboxylation systems consist of a decarboxylase and a precursor. Their combined action results in amino acid intake, decarboxylation, and release of the corresponding BA. BA production was not detected in the Decarboxylase tests carried out by the isolated LAB.


A guide to help students in Rachel Siegel's ART 141 class locate images and research photographers and the history of photography.


To investigate the conceptual base and the factors influencing the process and current practice of psychiatric diagnosis, the authors designed six studies. Clinicians were asked to view a film of a patient interview, rate the patient on a standard set of symptom rating scales, assign a diagnosis, and answer some questions about their backgrounds and specific approach to the diagnostic decision about the case. The results suggest that disagreements among clinicians may be due to actual differences in their perceptions of certain kinds of pathology rather than to semantic preference. Suggestions are offered for methodological and technical improvements in future research in this area.


Recent studies have concentrated on different formulations of polymeric nanoparticles. The oral bioavailability of water-insoluble medications has also increased because to advancements made possible by nanotechnology. Evaporation of the solvent and interfacial polymerization are two more methods that can be used in addition to these. Because of its nature as a macrolide pharmaceutical substance, it is especially prone to deterioration when exposed to organic solvents and heat; hence, these processes might not be optimal. On the other hand, coacervation is a sort of encapsulation that is less severe and more straightforward. There are two distinct types of nanoparticulate compositions. Although these formulations are more costly, researchers claim that they cause less damage to the kidneys. Many different resources have created delivery strategies that are both less dangerous to the kidneys and less costly. The current work utilized polyelectrolyte complexation technology in order to generate nanoparticle dosage forms with the intention of maximizing the oral bioavailability of amphotericin B (AmB). Oral bioavailability can be increased thanks to these polymers, which are also biocompatible and biodegradable.


Introduction: Today, chronic polypous rhinosinusitis (CPR) occupies a special place among otolaryngological diseases, the incidence rate of which increases every year. To date, the main causes of chronic polypous rhinosinusitis are Staphylococcus aureus and anatomical abnormalities. Diagnostics: Knowledge of a universal algorithm for the diagnosis of this disease, consisting of the collection of anamnesis, endoscopic examination of the nasal cavity, computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses, anterior active rhinomanometry and bacteriological determination of the microbial spectrum, allows diagnosing chronic polyposis rhinosinusitis in time, and, as a consequence, to prescribe a treatment. Treatment: This review describes conservative therapies, including antibiotics and glucocorticosteroids. Today, the main task of doctors is to find the most effective method of administration of glucocorticosteroids to achieve the maximum effect. One of these methods is the introduction of the drug with the help of nebulizer, as in this case, the drug will remain in the perirhinal cavity for a long time and have the maximum effect due to the directed action only in the area of the pathological process. Features of chronic polypous rhinosinusitis in childhood: It should be noted that children under 12 years of age due to the formation of the paranasal sinuses at different stages of ontogenesis will be characterized by different forms of chronic polyposis rhinosinusitis. That is why they should be known and taken into account when making a diagnosis and prescribing a treatment. Conclusion: Today, the frequency of chronic rhinosinusitis increases exponentially, which makes the question of the modern approach to its treatment the most relevant. It is possible that additional research in this area will solve the issue of searching for both the optimal path of therapy and treatment of CPR in children.


Crosstalk between perivascular adipose tissue and endothelial cells (EC) is thought to modulate vascular homeostasis, though the paracrine regulatory effects of dysfunctional endothelium on adipose tissue remain unclear. We explored the hypothesis that endothelial function affects adipocyte function. Our previous studies have shown that angiotensin II (AngII) causes endothelial dysfunction. Our preliminary results in mouse pre-adipocytes show that AngII increases lipogenesis. Consequently, human microvessel endothelial cells (HMEC-1, hereafter referred to as EC) were treated with AngII in the presence and absence of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inducer, Cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), with or without the HO activity inhibitor tin mesoporphyrin (SnMP). Ten percent conditioned media (CM) from EC was added to mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived adipocytes. Adipocytes incubated with CM from AngII-treated EC showed a marked increase in adipogenesis, whereas adipocytes incubated with CM from AngII-treated EC concomitantly treated with CoPP attenuated adipogenesis. In contrast, CM from EC treated with AngII together with SnMP increased MSCadipogenesis. We targeted vascular endothelial cells with a lentiviral (lenti) construct expressing human HO-1 under the control of an endotheliumspecific promoter (VECAD-HO-1). MSCs exposed to CM from VECAD-HO-1-transduced EC exhibited a reduction in adipogenesis and lipid droplet size (10.2 ± 1 at 490 nm) as compared to MSCs exposed to CM from VECAD-GFP-treated EC (17.0 ± 2, p < 0.05). Furthermore, VECAD-HO-1-transduced EC expressed lower levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) when compared to control, suggesting that increased levels of EC HO-1 improved EC function. This effect was reversed by SnMP. Adipocytes treated with CM from VECAD-HO-1-transduced EC exposed to SnMP displayed increased adipogenesis and adipocyte hypertrophy (24.5 ± 1, p < 0.01). Finally, when CM from VECAD-HO-1-transduced cells was tested for paracrine growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Angiopoietin-1 (Angpt1), the latter proved most effective in ameliorating adipocyte dysfunction. Thus, increased HO-1 expression in EC attenuated adipogenesis and prevented adipocyte dysfunction.


IPTV is one of the most perspective network applications. As well as in any system of data transmission, in computer networks there are noise conducting to losses and distortions. Antinoise encoding is applied for interference suppression in data transmission systems. The purpose of dissertation is to develop algorithms of lost digital multimedia packets in computer networks. The following problems need to be settled for establish the achievements: development corrective noise combating code; development decoding noise combating code algorithm; design of application technology of noise combating code in IPTV systems.


Sufficient conditions for invariance of limit point case (limit circle case) for the Sturm-Liouville differential operator τ = − d2 dx2 + q at a singular point under perturbation have been determined. In particular it is proved that under bounded below perturbation limit point case (limit circle case) for the Sturm-Liouville differential operator at a singular point remains invariant.


The reconstruction of B 0 s hadrons into final state containing a D s → φπ and a π is presented. A total dataset of 2 . 4fb − 1 was used. This covers data referred as RunIIa, which were collected till March 2006 (integrated luminosity: 1 . 3 fb − 1 ) as well as data from Tevatron RunIIb, which had an integrated luminosity of about 1 . 1 fb − 1 in May 2007.


Production processes are monitored by control charts since their inception by Shewhart (1924). This surveillance is useful in improving the production process due to increased stabilization of the process, and consequently standardization of the output. Control charts keep track of a few key quality characteristics of the outcome of the production process. This is done by means of univariate or multivariate charts. Small improvements in control chart methodology can have significant economic impact in the production process. In this investigation, we propose the monitoring of a single variable by means of a variable parameter non-central chi-square control chart. The design of the chart is accomplished by means of optimizing a cost function. We use here a simulated annealing optimization tool, due to the difficulty of classical gradient based optimization techniques to handle the optimization of the cost function. The results show some of the drawbacks of using this model.


This paper presents hybrid model for an assembly/disassembly mechatronics line serviced by two mobile robotics systems, working in parallel. The aim is to reverse an assembly line using these mobile platforms. For this purpose, an assembly/disassembly line balancing (A/DLB) and synchronized hybrid Petri nets (SHPN) will be used to model and control an assembly/disassembly mechatronics line (A/DML), with a fixed number of workstations, served by two wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) one of them equipped with a robotic manipulators (RM). The WMR with RM is used for part manipulation and the other for transporting. Moreover, the model operates in synchronized mode with signals from sensors. The SHPN model is hybrid type, where A/DML is the discrete part, and WMRs are the continuous parts. Disassembly starts after the assembly process and after the assembled piece fails the quality test, for recovering the parts. The WMRs are used only during disassembly, to manipulate and transport the parts from the disassembling locations to the storage warehouse locations.


Very high resolution satellite imageries provide an excellent foundation for precise mapping of plant communities and even single plants. We aim to perform individual tree recognition on the basis of very high resolution RGB (red, green, blue) satellite images using deep learning approaches for northern temperate mixed forests in the Primorsky Region of the Russian Far East. We used a pansharpened satellite RGB image by GeoEye-1 with a spatial resolution of 0.46 m/pixel, obtained in late April 2019. We parametrized the standard U-Net convolutional neural network (CNN) and trained it in manually delineated satellite images to solve the satellite image segmentation problem. For comparison purposes, we also applied standard pixel-based classification algorithms, such as random forest, k-nearest neighbor classifier, naive Bayes classifier, and quadratic discrimination. Pattern-specific features based on grey level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM) were computed to improve the recognition ability of standard machine learning methods. The U-Net-like CNN allowed us to obtain precise recognition of Mongolian poplar (Populus suaveolens Fisch. ex Loudon s.l.) and evergreen coniferous trees (Abies holophylla Maxim., Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc.). We were able to distinguish species belonging to either poplar or coniferous groups but were unable to separate species within the same group (i.e. A. holophylla and P. koraiensis were not distinguishable). The accuracy of recognition was estimated by several metrics and exceeded values obtained for standard machine learning approaches. In contrast to pixel-based recognition algorithms, the U-Net-like CNN does not lead to an increase in false-positive decisions when facing green-colored objects that are similar to trees. By means of U-Net-like CNN, we obtained a mean accuracy score of up to 0.96 in our computational experiments. The U-Net-like CNN recognizes tree crowns not as a set of pixels with known RGB intensities but as spatial objects with a specific geometry and pattern. This CNN's specific feature excludes misclassifications related to objects of similar colors as objects of interest. We highlight that utilization of satellite images obtained within the suitable phenological season is of high importance for successful tree recognition. The suitability of the phenological season is conceptualized as a group of conditions providing highlighting objects of interest over other components of vegetation cover. In our case, the use of satellite images captured in mid-spring allowed us to recognize evergreen fir and pine trees as the first class of objects ("conifers") and poplars as the second class, which were in a leafless state among other deciduous tree species.


used by private holders. Both of these papers describe a unique new institutional arrangement which very well may be worthwhile, but they neglect current problems, especially those dealing with macro policy. There are about 30 different presentations contained in this book. This includes the major articles, comments on them, and editor von Furstenberg's, "Summary of Findings," listed as #9 of the 13 major works. The last four of these were distributed in advance to conference participants. These papers are the most coherent single group in that they discuss the evolution of the SDR both inside and outside the IMF and trace the historical relation between the establishment of the SDR in 1967 and the subsequent development of the world monetary system. R. Cumby's article: "The Evolving Role of the SDR," is the most complete study in the volume on this topic. It is well-researched and would be a good starting point for potential students of the world monetary system in general and the IMF in particular. Of the other articles, this reviewer would recommend W. M. Corden's article (#5) and D. Lomax's article (#6) to graduate students and advanced undergraduates. They both use what may be called an iqstitutional-historical approach to describe how the IMF has attempted to create a world money and what is the current status of the problem. Prof. Lomax makes clear that his article provides a "secondary source" on the subject of a common unit-of-account money in Europe. He also provides a number of useful references which may be profitably used by students who want to learn more on the subject. This reviewer would recommend to potential researchers the first half of J. Frenkel's article (#2), an econometric analysis of the demand for international reserves; W. Buiter and J. Eaton's piece (#3), an overlapping generation growth model of world economic welfare; and P. Kenen's piece (#7) which gives a well-researched background and describes a scheme to allow private commercial bank holdings of SDR's. This collection of articles would be most profitably used as a reference source on the topic: "The Background and Current Status of the Search for an International Reserve Currency." The most useful portions of the collection are the historical materials on this topic and the new schemes which some of the authors have dreamed up to improve on the current status of the SDR. The book should not be used as a course text, even in a supplementary fashion. If one wishes to use the book for reference, care should be taken to choose the relevant articles because they do not necessarily follow in a logical sequence. Each of them would have quite different uses.


Despite the belief that outsourcing strategy has been at the core of managerial practice and literature for a long time, authors do not agree on a clear understanding of the nature of its effect on firm's performance. This study therefore explored the long-term effect of outsourcing strategy on organization profitability of Chevron Nigeria PLC over a period of 15 years. Exploratory research design was employed. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and the findings from the test of hypothesis revealed that outsourcing strategy has a positive effect on organisational profitability. This implies that the use of outsourcing strategy in an organization enhances the profitability of the organization. The study recommended that organization should embrace the outsourcing strategy in order to cut cost, increase profitability and productivity.


Project Title: Marital Status and Highest-Grade Achieved: Contribution to Alcohol Screening Scores in Male Veterans Background: Alcohol is frequently used among active military groups and veterans. There is no research regarding the effects of marital status and highest grade achieved on AUDIT-C screening scores for older male veterans. Objective: This study aims to determine whether marital status or highest grade achieved significantly impacts AUDIT-C screening scores for older male veterans. Method: This study used existing medical record data from the VAHS-St. Cloud. IRB approval through the VAHS provided protection of human subjects. Data were analyzed with Chi-square tests. Results: Marital status did not produce statistically significant impacts on the AUDIT-C screening scores for older male veterans. Small sample size and missing data may have contributed to the lack of statistical significance between highest-grade achieved and AUDIT-C screening scores. Recommendations include regular AUDIT-C screening and the addition of demographic factors relevant to health (e.g. education level) in the health record. Running head: ALCOHOL USE, MARITAL STATUS, AND HIGHEST-GRADE ACHIEVED IN VETERANS 4! Marital Status and Highest-Grade Achieved: Contribution to Alcohol Screening Scores in Male Veterans Introduction Alcohol consumption occurs in society as a means to celebrate, relax, or self-medicate. A problem occurs when alcohol is consumed too frequently or in large quantities. Heavy drinking, a form of excessive alcohol consumption includes greater than 15 drinks per week, on average, for a male and greater than eight drinks per week, on average, for a female. Binge drinking, another form of excessive alcohol consumption, is defined as five or more drinks on one occasion for a male and four or more drinks on one occasion for a female. Each year in the United States, 88,000 deaths occur from excessive alcohol use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014). There are various risk factors associated with excessive alcohol consumption including "reduced inhibitions, slurred speech, motor impairment, confusion, memory/concentration problems, coma, and death" (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, 2013, para 7). These risk factors associated with excessive alcohol consumption contribute to its status as the third leading cause of lifestyle-related death in the United States (CDC, 2014). Two population groups in U.S. society with high rates of excessive alcohol consumption are active military personnel and veterans. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), alcohol consumption by active military and veterans is a principal health problem in the United States (2013). In regards to active military personnel, "one in eight troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan from 2006 to 2008 were referred for counseling for alcohol problems" (NCADD, 2013, para. 5). Furthermore, in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, seven percent of male veterans reported heavy drinking and 23 percent reported Running head: ALCOHOL USE, MARITAL STATUS, AND HIGHEST-GRADE ACHIEVED IN VETERANS 5! binge drinking. As a comparison, two percent of females veterans reported heavy drinking and 14 percent reported binge drinking (NCADD, 2013). While there is significant data collected on young and middle aged veterans, little information exists on veterans 65 and older. This study examines the relationship between marital status and alcohol use among veterans older than 65 years of age and the relationship between highest-grade achieved and alcohol use among veterans older than 65 years of age. Literature Review There is limited research about the use of alcohol in older adult veterans and non-existent research regarding the direct relationship between marital status, highest-grade achieved, and alcohol use in veterans. Current research focuses on active duty military personnel because of the war in the Middle East. It is vital researchers focus not only on those who are currently fighting but also older veterans. Older veterans can provide researchers with information about the longterm consequences of war including the detrimental effects that may occur (and/or continue) much later in a veteran's life concerning alcohol abuse. It is important to concentrate on older veterans because of the significant effects excessive alcohol consumption has on an elderly body. According to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 40.3 percent of adults' ages 65 and older drink alcohol (2012). This can cause a variety of complications because of the changes in body composition in older adults and can be complicated by an increase in medication use. Weathermon and Crabb (1999) found that alcohol interferes with the metabolism of medications because the liver detoxifies most medications and alcohol. In addition, alcohol may alter the effects of medications because of potential interactions in the nervous system. This can lead to harmful effects for older adults, such as an increase in sedation, if they are mixing medications with alcohol (Weathermon and Running head: ALCOHOL USE, MARITAL STATUS, AND HIGHEST-GRADE ACHIEVED IN VETERANS 6! Crabb, 1999). Therefore, the NIAAA (2013) gives specific guidelines for those 65 years and older that do not take any medications. They should limit themselves to three drinks on any one day and less than seven drinks in one week. Those who do take medication must follow the guidelines presented to them from their physician. It is crucial to study alcohol consumption in the older population because of the many harmful effects it may cause to their bodies. Multiple research studies indicate that active military personnel and veterans ingest excessive amounts of alcohol. Jacobson et. al. (2008) report that those in the Army Reserve, National Guard, and younger military personal are at an increased risk of alcohol-related problems. This links to the stressful events they encounter while they are in combat that stays with them for the rest of their lives. Stahre, Brewer, Fonseca, and Naimi (2009) reported that 43.2% of active-duty military personnel surveyed had engaged in at least one episode of binge drinking in the last 30 days. Of those who reported binge drinking in the last month, 25.2% were older than 35. Age does not discriminate between military personnel who binge drink. Bohnert et. al., (2012) found that veterans older than 61 were more likely to consume alcohol in the past 30 days than were non-veterans of the same age. They were also more likely to drink heavily. Veterans between the ages of 61 and 70 were significantly more likely to recount binge drinking than were non-veterans the same age. This research suggests that past military involvement may lead to future or continued alcohol use. There is an increasing amount of data on alcohol use among veterans but information related to older adult veterans, marital status, and highest-grade achieved in school was not located. It is important to investigate this topic to inform current military personnel and health care providers about their chances of using alcohol in a negative, uncontrolled, or selfmedicating way. This research is also important so physicians and other medical team members Running head: ALCOHOL USE, MARITAL STATUS, AND HIGHEST-GRADE ACHIEVED IN VETERANS 7! can potentially use marital status and highest-grade achieved as risk factors for alcohol dependence or possibly as an avenue to enhance treatment success. For instance, couples counseling can be suggested if the marital relationship is strong or educational methodologies may be more effective for veterans who have some college education. Identifying potential risk factors can be the first step in preventing or minimizing alcohol use/misuse. There are various benefits for those who are married into their elder years. Barbara & Weinick (1998) state that marriage helps couples engage in more positive behaviors than those who are widowed. Such behaviors include eating breakfast, participating in daily activity, wearing seatbelts, and not smoking. Men experience the greatest benefits of marriage in their elderly years because their wives often press them to concentrate on their health more than they would if they were widowed or living alone. This research shows that those who are elderly and married are often more likely to participate in positive behaviors. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) 2013 states that couples where one member over consumes alcohol are discontent and miserable. They are more discontent than couples that receive marital counseling for other problems. AAMFT suggests that as a person turns to alcohol more and more, it leaves spouses isolated from each other. The partners begin to create emotional distance from each other and when they do interact, it is aggressive and can be violent. Overall, AAMFT teaches its clients that alcohol abuse can have an extremely negative effect on a family (including married couples) and damage the relationship. Research suggests a strong correlation between alcohol abuse and highest-grade achieved in school among the general population. According to Crum, Helzer and Anthony (1993) persons who did not complete high school were greater than six times more likely to abuse alcohol than their counterparts with a college degree were. This research suggests that alcohol abuse may also Running head: ALCOHOL USE, MARITAL STATUS, AND HIGHEST-GRADE ACHIEVED IN VETERANS 8! relate to the age of the individuals, mental illnesses, lack of knowledge about the effects of harmful substances, or other unstated causes. Furthermore, this study suggests the need for more research to decipher why these individuals turn to alcohol. This research indicates that those with a lower education level may have a higher chance of abusing alcohol. Research Questions: 1. What is the r


Objective The incidence of hilar cholangiocarcinoma tends upwards. Long term results of the treatment remain very poor. A retrospective summary for clinical record of diagnosis and treatment in 34 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma was undertaken. The purpose of the paper is to search select the rational therapeutic methods.Methods According to therapeutic methods, 34 were was classified into 5 groups (radical resection,local resection, cholangiojejuno Roux Y anastomosis inner drainage , metal stent inner and external drainage).The relationships among different therapeutic procedures and types, survival time, complications were analyzed.Results The average survival time was 3.3 years in radical resection group;20 months in local resection group;13 months in cholngiojejuno anastomosis group;12 months in metal stent inner drainage group;6.3 months in external drainage group.Total rate of complications was 23.5 percent.Operative mortality was 0 per cent.Conclusious The first choice of treatments for hilar cholangiocarcinoma is radical resection. Selected heptic segment resection is more suitable. Result of local resection is better than all kind of inner or external drain ways. The results of cholangiojejuno anastomosis and metal stent inner drainage are similar.


In April 2020, a 1-year-old castrated Nigerian dwarf goat presented with a 4-month history of skin lesions unresponsive to topical iodine and extra-label topical miconazole. The wether was bright, alert, and with normal appetite. The goat was the only affected animal in a mixed herd of 7 sheep and 4 goats aged from 6 months to 7 years. The animals were kept on a dry lot and fed strictly timothy and alfalfa hay with access to goat minerals (Purina®). The goat had multifocal alopecia with fissures, erosions, crusting, and scaling that predominated on the ventrum (Fig. 1). The cutaneous lesions were nonpruritic, firm, raised, moderately demarcated, and nonpigmented.


Relational database is the most widely adopted and mature technology for information storage. As many services on the Web (e.g., blog and wiki sites) and advanced applications (e.g., customer relationship management systems and content management systems) are built on RDBMSs, increasing amount of text data is now stored in relational databases, accompanied by increasing demands of retrieving relevant information by free-style keyword search.


An attempt to monitor the lyric hero in the Sh. Babich's poetry has been made in the article. The hero is an artistic character who symbolizes integrity and civic tendency of the author's consciousness where the aspect of relations between a man and the world is the principal.


The purpose of this study is to explore the aromatherapy effect and performance by using questionnaire and neuroscience technology. There are different concentration of aromatherapy (this study adapted in lavender) in this study and all participants will perform their attention and anxious after smelling these different concentration of aromatherapy. This study adopted vapor extraction to extract the nature aroma and odor. There are 30 volunteers participated in the study, all of the participants need to write down the questionnaires about attention and anxious, and would smell with carrying the brain wave cap to detect their neuroscience data. The results show that higher concentration of aromatherapy could induce the participants' attention, but lower concentration of aromatherapy could let the participants' feel more relax. Furthermore, no matter the higher or lower concentration of aromatherapy could induce the participants' higher attention and decrease their anxious than control task.


A density functional theory-based algorithm for periodic and non-periodic ab initio calculations is presented. This scheme uses pseudopotentials in order to integrate out the core electrons from the problem. The valence pseudo-wavefunctions are expanded in Gaussian-type orbitals and the density is represented in a plane wave auxiliary basis. The Gaussian basis functions make it possible to use the efficient analytical integration schemes and screening algorithms of quantum chemistry. Novel recursion relations are developed for the calculation of the matrix elements of the density-dependent Kohn-Sham self-consistent potential. At the same time the use of a plane wave basis for the electron density permits efficient calculation of the Hartree energy using fast Fourier transforms, thus circumventing one of the major bottlenecks of standard Gaussian based calculations. Furthermore, this algorithm avoids the fitting procedures that go along with intermediate basis sets for the charge density. The performance a...


Although students of all levels of education face serious difficulties with proof, there is limited research knowledge about how instruction can help students overcome these difficulties. In this article, we discuss the theoretical foundation and implementation of an instructional sequence that aimed to help students begin to realize the limitations of empirical arguments as methods for validating mathematical generalizations and see an intellectual need to learn about secure methods for validation (i.e., proofs). The development of the instructional sequence was part of a 4-year design experiment that we conducted in an undergraduate mathematics course, prerequisite for admission to an elementary (Grades K-6) teaching certification program. We focus on the implementation of the instructional sequence in the last of 5 research cycles of our design experiment to exemplify our theoretical framework (in which cognitive conflict played a major role) and to discuss the promise of the sequence to support the intended learning goals.


This PhD thesis deals with the import and assembly of microbody enzymes, what determines their final ultracellular distribution and active oligomeric state inside the organelle. ... Zie: Summary


The invention discloses a production process for high-temperature resistant flame-retardant foamed plastic. The production process comprises the following steps: weighing polyethylene, urea formaldehyde, phenolic aldehyde, dioctyl phthalate, dioctyl sebate, a stabilizer, a lubricant, magnesium hydroxide, aluminium hydroxide, a titanate coupling agent, zinc borate and a foaming agent; modifying the aluminum hydroxide and the magnesium hydroxide respectively with the titanate coupling agent and the lubricant; adding the raw materials into a high speed kneading machine, and kneading at a high speed to obtain a co-mixture; putting the co-mixture into a two-roll plastic mixing mill and carrying out two-roll plastic mixing, and after the co-mixture is plasticized and molten to wrap rolls, making a triangular ladle, and thin-passing; performing mould pressing. According to the production process disclosed by the invention, the polyethylene, the urea formaldehyde and the phenolic aldehyde are taken as main resins, the aluminum hydroxide and the magnesium hydroxide are added to the formula as filler and a flame retardant, the titanate coupling agent and the lubricant are used for modifying the aluminum hydroxide and the magnesium hydroxide respectively, and therefore, the high-temperature resistant flame-retardant performance of the foamed plastic is effectively improved.


A variety of functions, their extensions, and variants have been extensively investigated, mainly due to their potential applications in diverse research areas. In this paper, we aim to introduce a new extension of Whittaker function in terms of multi-index confluent hypergeometric function of first kind. We discuss multifarious properties of newly defined multi-index Whittaker function such as integral representation, integral transform (i.e., Mellin transform and Hankel transform), and derivative formula. The results presented here, being very general, are pointed out to reduce to yield some known or new formulas and identities for relatively functions.


First of all, we construct a conic bundle with a prescribed zeta function. This is a key step to classify Del Pezzo surfaces of degree 4 over a finite field. In particular, we see that the zeta function determines the combinatorics of a Del Pezzo surface. 2000 Math. Subj. Class. 11R58, 14G15, 11M38, 14G05.


OBJECTIVES
After portosystemic anastomoses for biliopathy, some patients continue to suffer biliary obstruction. The effects of splenectomy and devascularization of the abdominal oesophagus and upper stomach are unclear. The aim of the current study was to determine the features of portal biliopathy (PB) in patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, and to investigate outcomes in these patients after surgical procedures.

METHODS
A retrospective study of 56 patients who underwent surgery for PB during 1996-2010 was conducted. Data on presenting features, treatment received and outcomes were analysed.

RESULTS
In total, 41 of these patients had extrahepatic portal venous obstruction and 15 had non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis. Forty patients underwent shunt surgery and 16 underwent splenectomy and devascularization. Median bilirubin levels fell from 1.8 mg/dl (range: 0.4-5.9 mg/dl) to 1.0 mg/dl (range: 0.3-5.4 mg/dl) after shunt surgery and from 1.9 mg/dl (range: 0.6-4.0 mg/dl) to 1.2 mg/dl (range: 0.6-5.2 mg/dl) after splenectomy-devascularization. On follow-up, five of 33 patients had persistent jaundice after successful shunt surgery. These patients had a history of multiple endoscopic stentings and three patients had demonstrated a dominant common bile duct stricture preoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS
Portal biliopathy was reversed in 38 of 43 patients by either portosystemic shunting or splenectomy-devascularization. In five patients, direct biliary decompressive procedures were required because of shunt blockage or a non-reversible biliary stricture.


BackgroundThe cardiovascular effects of halogenated anesthetic agents in children with normal hearts have been studied, but data in children with cardiac disease are limited. This study compared the effects of halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and fentanyl–midazolam on systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics and myocardial contractility in patients with congenital heart disease. MethodsFifty-four patients younger than age 14 scheduled to undergo congenital heart surgery were randomized to receive halothane, sevoflurane, isoflurane, or fentanyl–midazolam. Cardiovascular and echocardiographic data were recorded at baseline and at randomly ordered 1 and 1.5 minimum alveolar concentrations, or predicted equivalent fentanyl–midazolam plasma concentrations. The shortening fraction and ejection fraction (using the modified Simpson rule) were calculated. Cardiac index was assessed by the velocity–time integral method. ResultsHalothane caused a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure, ejection fraction, and cardiac index, preserving only heart rate at baseline levels. Fentanyl–midazolam in combination caused a significant decrease in cardiac index secondary to a decrease in heart rate; contractility was maintained. Sevoflurane maintained cardiac index and heart rate and had less profound hypotensive and negative inotropic effects than halothane. Isoflurane preserved both cardiac index and ejection fraction, had less suppression of mean arterial pressure than halothane, and increased heart rate. ConclusionsIsoflurane and sevoflurane preserved cardiac index, and isoflurane and fentanyl–midazolam preserved myocardial contractility at baseline levels in this group of patients with congenital heart disease. Halothane depressed cardiac index and myocardial contractility.


This paper gives an analysis to the toxicity of cadmium,air pollution caused by the battery making and recycling as well as the performance between the batteries with and without cadmium.Moreover,the main technology concerned,self-regulation and related standards in the industry are also discussed.In view of these facts the development trend not to use cadmium in battery grid alloy is inevitable.


In the 21st century global economy and multicultural knowledge economy, business era, the traditional financial performance evaluation is not appropriate for today's enterprise management, and modern enterprise management has entered the era of strategic management. In 1996 years later, the big consulting companies to introduce the balanced scorecard performance evaluation system, through years of practice, most enterprises in our country on the use of the balanced scorecard performance evaluation system, are still in the field of performance evaluation, but the ultimate goal is to build a new performance management system "to achieve strategic direction", in order to ensure successful execution company strategy. Thus, the balanced scorecard is to enhance their strategic execution of the most effective strategic management tool. Based on the review and strategic dimensions of the Balanced Scorecard four-dimensional theory, and emphasized the importance and significance of the strategic dimensions of the Balanced Scorecard. Five dimensions and nineteenth determining factors using AHP weights to the Media group as an example of reasonable and effective verification of the five-dimensional Balanced Scorecard evaluation system constructed which tend to be effective practical tools for enterprises to achieve strategic management.


The utility model relates to a rotary hole digging drill. The rotary hole digging drill comprises a cone-shaped drilling head, a drilling bar, a drilling blade, a soil cutting blade, a connector, a power transmission bar and a hydraulic hole digging control device, wherein a sliding power gear is mounted on the upper part of the power transmission bar; the cone-shaped drilling head is mounted on the front end of the drilling bar; the drilling blade is a spiral drilling blade, the inner side of which is connected with the drilling bar; the soil cutting blade is mounted on the front end of the spiral drilling blade; the drilling bar is connected with the power transmission bar via the connector; the hydraulic hole digging control device comprises a hydraulic cylinder, a linkage bracket and a support rotation bar; the end part of a vertical rod of the linkage bracket is connected with a piston rod; the tail ends of two transverse rods of the linkage bracket are respectively provided with a rotary bearing; the support rotation bar is mounted in the rotary bearings. By the device, not only can hole digging operation be effectively carried out, but also the depth and the width of a hole can be adjusted to adapt to different hole digging operational requirements; the device has the advantages of simplicity in structure, convenience for operation and wide applicability and promotion value.


It is well known that ionizing radiation can cause damages to cells that interact with it directly. However, many studies have shown that damages also occur in cells that have not experienced direct interaction. This is due to the so-called bystander effect, which is observed when the irradiated cell sends signals that can damage neighboring cells. Due to the complexity of this effect, it is not easy to strictly describe it biophysically, and thus it is also difficult to simulate. This article reviews various approaches to modeling and simulating the bystander effect from the point of view of radiation biophysics. In particular, the last model presented within this article is part of a larger project of modeling the response of a group of cells to ionizing radiation using Monte Carlo methods. The new approach presented here is based on the probability tree, the Poisson distribution of signals and the saturated dose-related probability distribution of the bystander effect's appearance, which makes the model very broad and universal.


Due to the high generation of scrap in the process chain of γ-TiAl semi-finished goods and products, a suitable recycling process shows great potential to reduce production costs. Based on this circumstance, a closed loop recycling process for titanium-aluminide scraps was developed. Resulting from this process, as a significant innovation for the titanium industry, it is possible to recycle titanium-aluminide scraps and produce material with minimal oxygen content and almost no observable difference to primary alloys.


The results of clinical trials with the new drag Photoditazine are discussed. 53 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma, melanoma and basal cell carcinoma and other tumours were subject to PDT. The high curative activity of Photoditazine was revealed during clinical trials.


Examples of double subduction systems can be found in both modern (Izu-Bonin-Marianas and Ryukyu arcs, e.g. Hall [1997]) and ancient (Kohistan arc in Western Himalayas, e.g. Burg et al. [2006]) tectonic record. A double subduction system has been proposed to explain the high convergence rate observed for the India-Eurasia convergence [Aitchison et al., 2000, Jagoutz et al., 2015; Holt et al., 2017]. Rates of convergence across coupled double subduction systems can be significantly faster than across single subduction systems because of slab pull by two slabs.


This systematic review summarized the available evidence for the efficacy and safety of statin therapy in adults with end-stage kidney disease treated with dialysis. The review assessed the efficacy and safety of statin drugs (atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin with or without combined ezetimibe therapy) against placebo or another statin. We focus here on the available evidence in placebo-controlled trials for treatment effects on mortality, cardiovascular, adverse event and lipid end-points.


Systems development methodologies are not widely used (less than 50% actually use a methodology to guide systems development). With the importance placed on information systems and the current problems in developing systems, why are methodologies not used? The objective of the study proposed herein is to develop a model to assist organizations in assessing the determinants of actual use of systems development methodologies. The authors are currently in the midst of a multi-phase research project designed to build and test the model.


We have described the scaffolding protein FHL2 as a component of focal adhesion structures, to which it is recruited via binding to both αa‐ or β‐integrin subunits. Using mesenchymal stem cells from wild‐type and FHL2‐knockout mice, we show here that inactivation of FHL2 leads to impaired assembly of extracellular matrix proteins on the cell surface and to impaired bundling of focal adhesions. Both altered properties can be restored by reexpression of recombinant FHL2 protein in FHL2‐null cells. Molecular analysis of integrin‐mediated signaling revealed a higher phosphorylation of FAK at tyrosine 925 in FHL2‐knockout cells compared to their wild‐type counterpart. Consequently, the activation of the mitogenic kinase ERK was more pronounced in knockout cells on cell adhesion. The growth factor‐induced activation of ERK, however, was not altered. The perturbed organization of extracellular matrix on FHL2‐null cells was improved when the increased activation of MAPK was inhibited. Our findings point to a role of FHL2 in bundling of focal adhesion structures, in integrin‐mediated ERK activation, and subsequently in proper allocation of matrix proteins on the cell surface.—Park, J., Will, C., Martin, B., Gullotti, L., Friedrichs, N., Buettner, R., Schneider, H., Ludwig, S., Wixler, V. Deficiency in the LIM‐only protein FHL2 impairs assembly of extracellular matrix proteins. FASEB J. 22, 2508–2520 (2008)


Most of the reported decoupled load flow methods are derived from the Newton method by neglecting the coupling subjacobians. The paper presents a novel decoupled load flow method that does not ignore the coupling subjacobians. The effects of the coupling subjacobians are carefully taken into account by properly modifying the mismatch vectors and coefficient matrices of the proposed decoupled load flow equations. In the absence of PV busbars and for the same R/X ratio of all branches, the performance of the proposed decoupled load flow method may be considered as good as that of the Newton method. The performance of the proposed method was investigated on the IEEE 14-, 30- and 118-busbar systems, in addition to a simple two-busbar system, for various values of the branch resistance R and the R/X ratio. Iterations required by the proposed method to solve the load flow problems were compared with those found in the Newton and conventional fast decoupled load flow methods. >


Chrysotile is a 1:1 sheet silicate mineral belonging to serpentine group. It has been highlighted studies because of uses, shapes and structural characteristics of the fibrous chrysotile. However, it was designated as Class 1 carcino-gen, so high attentions were being placed on detoxification studies of chrysotile. The objectives of this study were to investigate changes of mineralogical characteristics of chrysotile and to suggest detoxification mechanism of chrysotile by thermal decomposition. Samples for this study were obtained from LAB Chrysotile mine in Canada. The samples were heated in air in the range of 600 to 1,300 o C. Changes of mineralogical characteristics such as crystal structure, shape, and chemical composition of the chrysotile fibers were examined by TG-DTA, XRD, FTIR, TEM-EDS and SEM-EDS analyses. As a result of thermal decomposition, the fibrous chrysotile having hollow tube structure was dehydroxylated at 600-650 o C and transformed to disordered chrysotile by removal of OH at the octahedral sheet (MgOH) (Dehydroxylation 1). Upon increasing temperature, it was transformed to forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ) at 820 o C by rearrangement of Mg, Si and O (Dehydroxylation 2). In addition, crystal structure of forsterite had begun to transform at 800 o C, and gradually grown 3-dimensionally to enstatite (MgSiO 3 ) by recrystalli-zation after the heating above 1,100 o C. And then finally transformed to spherical minerals. This study showed chrysotile structure was collapsed about 600-700 o C by dehydroxylation. And then the fibrous chrysotile was transformed to forsterite and enstatite, as non-hazardous minerals. Therefore, this study indicates heat treatment can be used to detoxification of chrysotile.


The Search for Certainty was published in 2009 by Krzysztof Burdzy. It examines the "philosophical duopoly" of vonMises and de Finetti at the foundation of probability and statistics and find this duopoly missing. This review exposes the weakness of the arguments presented in the book, it questions the relevance of introducing a new set of probability axioms from a methodological perspective, and it concludes at the lack of impact of this book on statistical foundations and practice.


In this paper, a differential antenna based on Peano fractal curve is proposed for the 2.45 ㎓ WLAN frequency band. The antenna provides a differential input therefore can be connected directly to the differential amplifier without using a balun. Also, thank to the Peano shape the antenna has very small footprint compare to traditional antennas at some frequency.


Lateral-torsional buckling is a limit state that can reduce the full benefit of beam capacity, especially for long elastic beams according to the big lateral deflection and cross-section twist of un-braced compression flange. Lateral-torsional buckling can be avoided by proper designed braces. These braces require not only adequate stiffness but sufficient strength as well. In this paper three dimensional, 3-D, finite element models, for I-shaped girders, are developed using a finite element programme and utilising it to investigate braces requirements and the geometrical parameters that may affect these requirements. These parameters are outstanding flange width-to-thickness ratio 'cfl/tfl', web height-to-thickness ratio 'hw/tw', flange width-to-web height ratio 'bfl/hw', multiple braces 'n' and un-supported length-to-beam span 'Lu/Lt'. Using the available finite element analysis results of the studied parameters, some design equations are proposed for the design of lateral braces of simply supported I-shaped beams subjected to any type of loading and restrained laterally by any number of braces.


We report the results of theoretical and experimental studies of noise in a delay-line optoelectronic microwave oscillator with optical gain. The effect of various noise sources on the parameters of an optoelectronic microwave oscillator is considered, and, in addition to the noise of its individual components, several linear and nonlinear mechanisms for converting optical carrier noise into microwave signal noise are taken into account. It is shown that, due to the nonlinearity of the energy characteristics of high-power microwave photodiodes in an optoelectronic generator, the low-frequency components of the laser relative intensity noise are converted into microwave signal noise, as a result of which sources of correlated amplitude and phase noise appear in the oscillator loop.


The purpose of this research is to know the simultaneous and partial influence between word of mouth and brand image to purchase intention. As  quantitative research, a survey method using a questionnaire was used. The sampling technique was  purposive sampling and accidental sampling. The population  in this research someone that were buying in Citra Store Makassar. The  sample was 95 respondents. Methods of data analysis using is descriptive analysis and multiple regression techniques. The results showed that word of mouth and brand image influenced positive and significant on purchase intention.


While the diagonalization of a quadratic bosonic form can always be done using a Bogolyubov transformation, the practical implementation for systems with a large number of different bosons is a tedious analytical task. Here we use the coupled cluster method to exactly diagonalise such complicated quadratic forms. This yields to a straightforward algorithm which can easily be implemented using computer algebra even for a large number of different bosons. We apply this method on a Heisenberg system with two interpenetrating square lattice antiferromagnets, which is a model for the quasi-2D antiferromagnet Ba 2 Cu3 O 4 Cl2 . Using a four-magnon spin wave approximation we get a complicated Hamiltonian with four different bosons, which is treated with coupled cluster method. Results are presented for magnetic ground state correlations. PACS numbers: 75.50.Ee, 75.30.Ds, 31.15.Dv, 42.50.Lc


: Residential land price is an extremely important factor affecting the market economy, increasingly developing GIS technology, is a very effective tool in resource management in general and land price management in particular. Currently, in Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province, the land price information search system with the support of GIS technology has not been applied, land price information is stored in excel tables, lack of spatial data, so it has not shown visually and specifically about the location and shape of each parcel, at the same time, it is difficult to look up land prices for each region. The research results in this paper have built a land price area map with the GIS database system on residential land prices in Tuy Hoa city on the attribute information: state land price by street, the price of residential land in detail according to the street location, the land parcel price is the State price; At the same time, uploading GIS data on residential land prices to WebGIS running on localhost with fast, intuitive, and convenient information search, update and management functions. The research results are the basis to help managers exploit, manage and share information on residential land prices according to the State in a convenient, fast and effective way.


In recent years, non-Pt-based ORR catalysts have been developing rapidly and have achieved performance comparable to or even surpassing Pt precious metal catalysts in specific reactions, offering new possibilities for Pt-based catalyst replacement and showing great promise for application. This paper reviews the recent research progress of non-Pt-based fuel cell ORR catalysts. The latest research progress of non-Pt-based ORR SACs (including single metal active site ORR SACs, multi-metal active site ORR SACs, and non-Pt-based noble metal catalyst ORR SACs), non-metallic ORR catalysts, alloy-based ORR catalysts, high-entropy alloy ORR catalysts, and other non-Pt-based fuel cell ORR catalysts are presented in detail. This paper discusses in detail the synthesis methods, characterization means, optimization of performance, and application prospects of these non-Pt-based ORR catalysts. In addition, this review details the excellent performance of these catalysts in terms of compositional and structural controllability, electrical conductivity, and chemical stability, as well as their ability to exhibit ORR activity comparable to that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. This field is full of opportunities and challenges. In summary, non-Pt-based fuel cells show great potential in ORR. With the continuous improvement of preparation and characterization technologies, catalysts have broad application and market prospects. In addition, the development trend of non-precious metal fuel cell catalysts is reviewed.


Professor WANG Xu-ao engaged in TCM for more than fifty years and has plentiful experience in treating tumor,especially the malignant tumor in digestive system.This article introduces his treatment experience and one case of malignant tumor in digestive system.


The aim of this paper is the non-invasive determination of cardiac output by the bioadmittance signal processing. This method involves exploration of the cardiovascular system activity through the evaluation of the electrical admittance variation of the aorta during the cardiac cycle. The ventricle system modeling — aorta helped establish a new formula to calculate in a simple way the cardiac output. This formula involves, including electrical admittance of the body section explored, the age of the patient and the size of the thorax. A linear correlation between the bioadmittance method and the conventional methods, involving 31 patients of heart diseases, showed the existence of a significant correlation with a coefficient of correlation r = 0.943 (p < 0.001). These results show that the new formula can be used accurately for the noninvasive determination of cardiac output. Determining digital and non-invasive of the most important hemodynamic parameter, cardiac output, is capital for the subjects supporting poorly invasive methods such as pregnant women, children and the elderly.


Objective To investigate the effect of the surgical techniques and details around biliary reconstruction process on the biliary complications in liver transplantation. Methods From August 2003 to December 2006 and January 2007 to March 2010 two time periods, group A 74 cases and group B 131 cases each, all 205 cases of liver transplantation fulfilled in Guangzhou General Hospital of PLA were implemented biliary reconstruction with same methods. Some different surgical techniques and details and the rates of the biliary duct complication were compared statistically. Results The death rates of group A and group B had no difference statistically. But the biliary complication incidence of group A and group B had was 11.0% and 5.3% respectively. The warm ischemia time of group B was shorter than that of group A significantly. There were some differences between two groups, such as the perfusion of the biliary duct, the conservation of blood supply of biliary endings for both donor and recipient, careful bile duct exploration in receptor, and minor tension between the anastomosis of the bile duct. Conclusion With short warm ischemia time, adequate perfusion of bile duct of the liver donor, conservation of blood supply of biliary endings for both donor and recipient, careful bile duct exploration in receptor and minor tension between the anastomosis of the bile duct are all important factors for improving the quality of biliary reconstruction and reducing biliary complications.


A review of 42 patients with gastrinoma, who either survived five years or longer or who died during this period of evaluation, was carried out to define the surgical principles which might be combined with the recent trend toward cimetidine therapy. Thirty-four (80%) of the patients had total gastrectomy with an operative mortality rate of 2.3%, and eight patients (20%) had less than total gastrectomy. No tumor was found in six patients with hypcrgastrinemia and an abnormal secretin bolus whose five-year survival rate was 100%. Of the thirty-six patients having tissue proof of gastrinoma, twenty-two (61%) had complete resection of all gross tumor resulting in a 76% five-year survival rate. Fourteen patients had un-resectable tumor or partial resection with a five-year survival rate of 21%. Complete gross tumor resection increased mean survival by six years (p < 0.01), but resulted in persistent eugastrinemia in only two patients. Long-term survival was possible with a combination of vagotomy, lesser gastric procedures, tumor resection, and cimetidine, seven of eight patients living more than five years. Surgical management of gastrinoma should be directed toward aggressive tumor resection and vagotomy, with reliance on cimetidine therapy postoperativcly to control the gastric hypcrsecretion. Total gastrectomy should be reserved for cimetidine failures and those who do not wish to take cimetidine for the rest of their lives.