The art of creating software has changed dramatically over the last twenty years, particularly as organizations move from a Waterfall to an Agile development methodology. This study explores the benefits to customers of moving away from traditional Waterfall usability approaches to an integrated development model incorporating elements of Agile, user-centered development, and extended stakeholder feedback from customer councils. Thirty-four customers, seven business partners, and four internal customers participated in a multi-year project where participants were given the option to share product requirements during the early phases of the project, actively engage in monthly project design feedback sessions, or both. Results show that active participation by the customer yields more of their requirements into the final project, especially the high priority requirements. The results suggest that an iterative approach, that is both self-directing and self-correcting, can help teams develop products that are beneficial for both the product and customer.


Flexible endoscopy was used to assess the intragastric residue after either ipecacuanha-induced emesis or gastric lavage in 30 self-poisoned patients. Of the 13 patients treated by induced-emesis, five (38.5%) had residual solid in the stomach; 17 patients were treated by gastric washout, and 15 (88.2%) of these had residual intragastric solid. The study provides direct evidence that the gastric decontaminating procedures employed, and especially gastric lavage, do not remove stomach contents completely.


The present invention discloses a side chain type and synthetic methods difluoro monomer, the monomer is of the formula wherein X represents CH3 or OCH3, n is an integer of 1 to 3. The monomer 3,5-benzene bromide as starting material, after the Grignard reaction, nucleophilic addition reaction, bromination, prepared by the coupling reaction. The side chain of the invention comprises a polymerizable monomer difluoromethyl difluoromethyl group and functionalized methyl or methoxy group, after which the polycondensation reaction and conversion of functional groups can be quaternized or sulfonated polymers, the function polymers can be used as a fuel cell polymer electrolyte membrane material.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the usefulness of a snake venom detection kit (SVDK) in the management of envenomed cats.

DESIGN
A clinical study.

ANIMALS
Twenty-two cats were investigated.

PROCEDURE
Cats injected subcutaneously with approximately 0.25 or 1.0 lethal dose (LD) of tiger snake venom or 1 or 4 LD of brown snake venom were observed for clinical symptoms of envenomation at intervals over the ensuring 24 to 48 hours(h). Blood and urine samples were taken at regular intervals and assayed in a quantitative laboratory assay for snake venoms. Selected samples were assayed in parallel in a rapid, semi-quantitative SVDK.

RESULTS
The studies showed that it was important to estimate the elapsed time from envenomation to presentation. If this time was less than 8 h, blood was the most appropriate sample and a negative result should exclude serious envenomation. If the elapsed time exceeded 8 h, it was essential that urine be sampled. Venom levels in urine were high at 8 h and approached the level of test sensitivity over 24 to 48 h; however by this time clinical signs were obvious in endangered cats.

CONCLUSIONS
Careful use of the SVDK is a valuable aid in the management of a potentially envenomed cat.


Based on the combination among land consolidation,the harmonious society and the essentiality of peasants involved in land consolidation during constructing harmonious society,this paper analyzes the present status of peasants involved in land consolidation in China,discusses the existing problems,and studies the basic frames for peasants to be involved in land consolidation in China.


A simple, flexible and rapid method of indexing X-ray films for future reference is described: it allows for the individual needs of each department and the addition of extra subjects as required.


Objective To evaluate the determination of rapid virological response (RVR) and early virological response ( EVR) by detecting the serum samles of paitents with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with generic real-time quantitative PCR kits (domestic reagents) and Roche COBASAmpliPrep/COBASTaqMan48(Roche COBAS TaqMan) and investigate the application value of do-mestic reagents in the treatment of CHC. Methods Serum samples were collected from 223 CHC patients before treatment and at week 4 and 12 of treatment. Roche COBAS TaqMan and domestic reagents were used to detect HCV RNA. The determination of RVR and EVR with the two reagents were compared and analyzed. Results HCV RNA was (6.24±0.97) log10 (Roche COBAS Taq-Man) before treatment in 223 CHC patients. False negative rate for the determination of RVR with domestic reagents was 37.3% (95% confidence interval 26.4%~48.6%), and that for the determination of EVR was 20.8% (95% confidence interval 4.6%~37.0%). At week 4 of treatment, HCV RNA was not detected in 28 patients with domestic reagents. The serum samples of the 28 paitents were detected with Roche COBAS TaqMan at week 12 and it was found that HCV RNA was not detected in 27 patients and was 2.78 log10 in one patient. Conclusions It is suggested that the reagents with high sensitivity should be used to detect HCV RNA at week 4 and 12 of treatment. If HCV RNA was not detected with domestic reagents at week 4, it can be concluded that the patients can achieve EVR and the treatment duration can be decided according to EVR.


A new fully automatic device for measurements of total ozone content is described. This device utilizes bandpass optical filters from standard color glass which have the following advantages: absence of stray light, small dimensions, simple construction. The ozonometer includes a light director, a rotating disc for installation 8 optical filters, UV photodetector, digitizer and control part based on IBM PC-compatible hardware and software. The measurement error of total ozone (TO) is 2 to 4%, this permits the device to be used for automatic global ozone network regular observation.<<ETX>>


This study investigated (1) the challenges encountered by a heterogeneous group of first year undergraduates during a synchronous on-line collaborative writing activity conducted through Google Classroom using Google Docs and (2) their perceptions of the pedagogical approach. Five sub-groups of undergraduates participated in the study, and their written transcripts were analysed for patterns of interaction in terms of equality and mutuality based on the Taxonomy of Writing Change Functions and Scaffolding Strategies (Li and Zhu, 2017). Data on learner perceptions were analysed for underlying themes. The findings, which were interpreted from the perspective of the Complex Dynamic Systems Theory, revealed that synchronous on-line collaboration is complex and challenging due to the dynamic patterns of interaction. This study concludes that Google Docs is a useful pedagogical tool and could be used for second language writing development despite the challenges. However, in transferring the findings to other second language learners or learning contexts, caution needs to be applied.


Bi2WO6 microspheres constructed from nanosheets have been synthesized by a controllable solvothermal route in a large scale. The structure characterizations of the microspheres were investigated in detail by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). On the basis of XRD analysis and SEM observation of the products at different reaction time periods, a growth mechanism of Bi2WO6 microspheres was proposed. UV-Visible diffuse reflectance (DR) spectrum of the prepared Bi2WO6 microspheres demonstrates that they have absorption in the visible light region. The photocatalytic activity of Bi2WO6 microspheres toward Rhodamine-B (RhB) degradation was investigated and the as-prepared products exhibited good photocatalytic activity in degradation of RhB under 300 W Xe lamp light irradiation.


In this paper, the glacial debris flow blockage event, on 17 October 2018, in the Sedongpu basin of the Yarlung Zangbo River is taken as an example to analyse the occurrence and development of glacier hazards in this region. Multi-sources including remote sensing products, DEM, earthquake records and meteorological data were used to analyse the characteristics and mechanism of glacier hazards. The Elmer/Ice dynamic model was chosen to simulate the glacial surface velocity. It was found that topography and climate background determine that the hazard happens periodically. Based on the meteorological records of the Linzhi station, the warming rate was greater than 0.40 °C/10a during the period 1960–2017. The short-term heavy rainfall with daily values of 9.3 mm before the blockage event was also regarded as a factor. Both heavy rain and earthquake were triggering factors of the ice avalanche that led to the glacial debris flow. The glacier surface velocity of the Dongpu glacier simulated by Elmer/Ice model can reach 19 cm/d. This study has extensive applicability significance in glacier hazard mitigation under a changing climate.


Zechstein (Upper Permian) reefs have long been known to occur along the margins of the Polish Zechstein Basin where they host important gas reserves. During the last decade, reefal build‐ups have also been found in the centre of the basin on pre‐Zechstein highs such as the Wolsztyn Ridge in Western Poland. Here, early 2D seismic and subsequent more detailed 3D seismic studies and integrated geophysical and geological interpretations have led to a number of major gas discoveries. The reef complexes in the Koscian– Wielichowo region are thought to have recoverable gas reserves of more than 32B cu m.


Action selection is a central issue in the design of behavior-based control architectures for autonomous mobile robots. This paper presents an action selection framework based on an assemblage of self-organizing neural networks called Cooperative Extended Kohonen Maps. This framework encapsulates two features that significantly enhance a robot's action selection capability: self-organization in the continuous state and action spaces to provide smooth, efficient and fine motion control; action selection via the cooperation and competition of Extended Kohonen Maps so that more complex motion tasks can be achieved. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons for both single- and multi-robot motion tasks show that our framework can provide better action selection than do action superposition methods.


The utility model provides a multi-row synthesis strand cooling system which comprises a strand spraying device, a cooling box and an air supply device which is used for supplying cold air to the cooling box. An air tube assembly which allows a plurality of rows of strands to penetrate through is arranged on the cooling box, a porous plate is arranged between the cooling box and the air supply device, and a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in the porous plate. Cold air from the air supply device enters the outside of silk screens in the air tube assembly through the ventilation holes and enters the inside of the silk screens through the circumferences of the silk screens to refrigerate polymer melt trickles which enters the inside of the silk screen and are sprayed out through the strand spraying device to thin strands. Circulating space is formed in the circumferences of the silk screens, and the circulating space is communicated with the adjacent silk screens in the same rows, the adjacent silk screens in different rows and the different inner walls of the cooling box. The amount of the cold air which enters the circulating space and is in different positions is controlled to enable the differences of the air pressure of the cold air in different positions in the circulating space and the air pressure inside the silk screens to be basically identical.


AIM
The aim of this paper is to present the results of a citation analysis concerned with the impact on the international literature of Italian researchers in psychiatry and psychology and of sub-fields, within these two disciplines, in 1995-1999 compared to 1985-1989.

METHOD
We used a database prepared by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) that included all papers, with at least one Italian author, working in Italy, which appeared in two periods (1995-1999 and 1985-1989) in psychiatric or psychological journals listed in Current Contents. A citation analysis concerning the following years, up to 1999, was performed.

RESULTS
In 1995-1999 the most cited researchers were those involved in clinical psychology, psychiatry and psychopharmacology research. Neuropsychology, which dominated the period 1985-1989, underwent a clear-cut decline.

CONCLUSIONS
Citation analysis, concerning relatively short periods of time (five years), appears to be a very helpful tool for monitoring the development of scientific research in specific disciplines and the trend of the scientific production of researchers.


Criticality metrics is a type of predictive models used in VLSI design. This work demonstrates that timing in physical design could be substantially improved if circuits were subjected to timing criticality analysis prior to layout and new criticality metrics were used to drive layout system. These new metrics are computed as ratios of net physical characteristics to the net delay bounds determined by an optimal bounds computation algorithm. Attempts to develop criticality metrics prior to layout were made before, but these metrics were not based on the bound ideology. The paper provides probabilistic interpretation of new criticality metrics and derivation of some important properties of these metrics. Evaluation of net criticality by new metrics can be easily merged with any layout system that allows weights to be assigned to nets on placement and/or routing steps. The methodology has been tested with a commercial layout system from a leading CAD provider. When the new criticality information was supplied to a basic commercial standard cell placer and router, timing was improved by 29.5% for the set of testcases. The achieved result is 12% better than timing generated by a targeted timing-driven layout system from the same provider. All additional computations related to the new criticality metrics require only negligible increase in run time of the basic layout system.


This study aims to simultaneous select the optimal location and tuning parameters of Static Var Compensator (SVC), Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) stabilizer with low pass filter and Thyristor Controlled Series Compensator (TCSC) controllers using multi objective Interactive Artificial Bee Colony (IABC) to damp small signal oscillations in a multi machine power system. Though classical controller associated with generators are obligatory necessities for damping of oscillations in the multi machine power system, its efficiency still gets affected by changes in network models, load deviations, etc. For this reason, installations of Flexible AC Transmission (FACT) devices have been introduced in this study to achieve noticeable damping of small signal oscillations. Nevertheless, the performance of FACT devices highly depends upon its parameters and suitable position in the power network. In this study the multi objective IABC is used to consider this problem in order to improve the low frequency oscillation. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed scheme, simulations are carried out in 16-machine 68-bus as a large scale power system. The results of simulation have been represented employing eigenvalue as well as time domain response. It has been seen that the coordinated design is more effective than the uncoordinated of TCSC or SVC POD controller or PID stabilizers even during higher loading in mitigating the small signal stability problem. Keywords—Multi objective, IABC, FACTs devices, PID, Small signal stability.


Using a rapid data acquisition methodology, the authors examine the time dependent recovery of the "permanent" component of charge build-up due to the negative bias temperature instability in Si based p-channel field effect transistors in inversion and n-channel devices in accumulation. The authors find clear evidence for recovery of the charge associated with interface states for elevated temperatures (≥150 °C) and for extended times (trecover ∼ 20 000 s). Recovery appears to begin at shorter times for p-channel devices than for n-channel. An explanation is advanced both for the mechanism of interface state annealing and for the difference observed between p and n channel devices.


The research were be purposed: (1) to analyze if there were the differences of the students ability in thinking critically to the physic lesson taught by using advance organizer and direct instruction models, (2) to analyze if there were the differences of the students ability in thinking critically in the physic lesson by understanding the high and low beginning concept, (3) to analyze if there were interaction in advance organizer models to the students beginning concept, so can improve their ability in thinking critically. The sample in this research done by cluster random sampling at two classes, for the first class can be mentioned as the experiment class used advance organizer models, and the second class can be mentioned as a control class used direct instruction models. The instrument used in this research were the understanding of the beginning concept in description forms about 5 questions, and the instrument of thinking ability critically in description forms about 8 questions state valid and had a high reliability. For the experiments results obtained that the average of the ability critical thinking for experiment class was higher than control class, and the conclusion were at the first hypothesis of the students ability in critical thinking to physic lesson by using advance organizer (AO) was better than direct instruction (DI). At the second hypothesis could be concluded that the ability of critical thinking to physic lesson between student who had the understanding of high begining concept was more better than the understanding of low beginning concept. And for the third hypothesis shown that there were not interactions between advance organizer (AO) and direct instruction (DI) with the understanding of the students beginning concept in improving their critical thinking ability.


Study to influence of non-linear wave effects on fatigue loads in a spar-type floating wind turbine (Hywind). Two studies are executed. One, a statistical analysis on suitable simulation duration and number of seeds required for accurate results. Two, a analysis of differences in fatigue loads due to linear versus non-linear waves.


The article presents results of studies etiology of urinary trakt infections beside 258 children in Omsk, using a bacteriological sowing and method РСR of urine. Establish prevalence Staphylococcus and CМVI-persistent in the urine under the chronic pyaelonephritis.


We have waited a long time for an Arab journal in French , but instead of coming from North Africaf it's being done by the Palestinians. La Revue d'Etudes Palestiniennes has two characteristics obviously centered on Palestinian problems which also concern the entire Arab world . On the one hand it presents very profound socio-political analyses in a masterful y et calm tone. On the other hand , it mobilizes a spedfically Arab literary , historical and sociological " corpus " which is very rich and little known. Gilles Deleuze


Background: Conventional adrenalectomy usually necessitates a large incision. In some cases, laparoscopic adrenalectomy offers a less aggressive solution to the patient's problem. Patients and Methods: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for clearly defined lesions was performed in five girls and nine boys with a mean age of 9 years. The indication was incidental discovery in four patients, hypertension in six (two of whom had von Hippel Lindau syndrome), Cushing's disease in two, and gynecomastia or premature puberty in one patient each. The lesion was on the right side in five patients and the left side in six and was bilateral in three. The mean diameter was 35 mm. The urinary concentrations of vanillylmandelic acid and homomandelic acid were normal in five patients with neurogenic tumors and elevated in five patients with pheochromocytoma. An anterior transabdominal approach was used in nine patients and a lateral retroperitoneal approach in seven. Results: The operating time ranged from 35 to 320 minutes. The...


The topic of my thesis is Analysis of competitiveness of CAMP VELKOPAŘEZITÝ Ltd. Company. My work consists of two main parts ? theoretical and practical. The theoretical part is focused on elaborating of professional literature that is related to the topic of competition and competitiveness of companies. In the practical part, I applied the information gained by studying literature and conducted analysis related to the competitiveness research of that selected company. With these analy-ses, I met my main objective that was the recommendation to improve the competitive strategy of this company.


The previously published results of investigating laws governing the formation of series in the series circuit are augmented and refined. The limited forms of the laws of distribution of the length of the maximum series, formed by position relative to median and order relation between the adjacent individual values, are obtained. It is established that the limited form of the distribution of the length of a maximum series of the order relations behaves paradoxically, cyclically evolving from the singular distribution with the isolated mode to the binary with the mode, symmetrically split to two contract of those standing of value.


Architectural Decoration has a very important function in building house, which are rich in culture. Through the analysis of traditional houses of Xinjiang Uygur Art Decoration,the paper aim at digging out the implication of the traditional national culture and at stating in the architectural design of architectural decoration.


The design of AC filters must meet the criteria of harmonic distortion mitigation and reactive power support in various operating modes. The stringent reactive power-sharing requirements currently lead to sophisticated filter schemes with high component ratings. In this regard, triple-tuned filters (TTFs) have good potential in harmonic mitigation of a broad range of harmonics. In the literature, the TTF design has been presented using a parametric method, assuming that the TTF is equivalent to a three-arm single-tuned filter (TASTF). However, no direct methods of designing it or finding its optimal parameters have been provided. This paper presents novel mathematical designs of TTFs. Three different design methods are considered—the direct triple-tuned filter (DTTF) design method, as a TASTF, and a method based on the equivalence between the two design methods called the equivalence hypothesis method to design the triple-tuned filter (EHF). The parameters of the three proposed design methods are optimized based on the minimization of a proposed multi-objective function using a recent metaheuristic algorithm called artificial rabbits optimization (ARO) to mitigate harmonics, improve power quality, and minimize power losses in an exemplary system presented in IEEE STD-519. Further, the system's performance has been compared to the system optimized by the ant lion optimizer (ALO) and whale optimization algorithm (WOA) to validate the effectiveness of the proposed design. Simulation results emphasized harmonics mitigation in the system, the system losses reduction, and power quality improvement with lower reactive power filter ratings than conventional single and double-tuned filters.


The thermoelectric power (S) for a series of RBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} (R=Y,Gd,Dy) single crystals were measured in the ab plane and along the c direction. The doping level of these crystals changes from highly underdoped (T{sub c}=44 K), through optimally doped (T{sub c}=90 K) to slightly overdoped (T{sub c}=88 K). Both S{sub ab} and S{sub c} change linearly with the doping level, but S{sub ab} reverses its sign near the optimal doping stoichiometry, as it was observed for polycrystalline materials, whereas S{sub c} remains positive for the whole series. In contrast to the results of electrical resistivity, the anisotropy of S was found to decrease with both increasing oxygen deficiency and decreasing temperature. A brief overview of thermopower results for single crystals of various high-temperature superconducting families is also presented. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}


This article has been written by invitation of the chairman of the jury of the Terrorism Research Initiative. It summarizes key aspects of Thomas Renard's doctoral dissertation (Ghent University), for which he was the co-recipient of the TRI Award for the best Ph.D. thesis in the field of terrorism studies written in 2019 or 2020. For more information on the Award, see the Announcement at the end of this issue of Perspectives on Terrorism. Abstract In spite of the growing amount of literature published on terrorism over the past 20 years, counter-terrorism is rarely considered as a subject of research by itself. Empirical or data-driven research on counter-terrorism policy is relatively rare, and theoretical approaches are even scarcer. This article first reflects on the seeming absence of 'counter-terrorism studies' (contrasting with the thriving 'terrorism studies'). Then, it suggests studying counter-terrorism policymaking through the lens of public policy theory. This approach offers innovative insights to our understanding of counter-terrorism and opens new horizons for the development of a theory of counter-terrorism policymaking.


The Solithern Pyrenees or the Prepyrenees as the Spanish geologists use to refer them are one of the main tectonic units of the Pyrennes and extend for more than 600 km from east t o west. They separate the cristalline Paleozoic axis to the north of the wide flat expanse of de Ebro basin to the south (fig. 1). Seguret (1972) and Garrido and Rios (1972) proved that the Pyrenees are formed by superimposed nappes and slices of Mesozoic and Paleogene rocks that glided southward some tens of kilometres. Althoung the ailochthonous origin of some of these unit had already been suggested by the earliest geologist working in the Pyrenees (Dalloni, 1913, 1931; Jacob et al., 1927) their point of view was not widely accepted until the middle of the seventies. Nappe emplacement spans from the Early Eocene to the Oligocene and its mechanism and style of deformation changes throughout the orogenic process (Sole-Sugranes, 1978 a; 1979). The time of the emplacement and the paleogeographic conditions mark the difference among the nappes and smaller ailochthons that forms the Prepy renees. Former geologists suggested that the nappes were formed by gravity gliding alone (Van Lith, 1968, Van de Velde, 1967) or by gravity instabilities produced by crustal shortening (Seguret, 1972). Sole-Sugranes (1979) poited out that some of the earliest small nappes may be formed by gravity gliding of carbonate rocks into a turbidic basin, but the Latte Eocene nappes and decollements involving persasive folding and thrusting of Paleozoic rocks must have been strongly pushed form the back due t o crustal shortening. Structures due t o nappe movement and their mechanics are discussed. Development of cleavage near parailel to the sole thrusts beneath and above them suggest a ductile behaviour more likely than a pure brittle , behaviour with drastic decrease of sliding friction ailowed by high geostatic ratio (i. e. ratio of fluid beD e t a c h e d m a s s e s


The discharge of two manual pumps popularly used in Odisha i.e. Krishak Bandhu (K.B.) pump and Low Lift Hand (LLH) pumps were evaluated at four different suction heads i.e. 2.0, 3.5, 5.0, and 6.5 m. The command area coverage for vegetables with the measured discharge of each pump was estimated at different seasons with various irrigation intervals. To reduce early fatigue and tiredness, as noticed in other available manual pumps, these two pumps were ergonomically evaluated by the female workers in the age group of 21–50 years. When the water table is up to 2.0 m below the ground surface, the area coverage was estimated to be more for growing vegetables by the farmers during the months of rabi season than summer. Ergonomically it is also advisable to operate both the pumps up to 2.0 m head with a command area of 0.704 ha and 1.19 ha for KB pump and LLH pump, respectively during rabi season. At this suction head, the female operators could operate the pump for a period of 20 minutes continuously with lower cardiac cost with little discomfort, better efficiency and output. After that the suction head increases as the summer season approaches. When the water table is nearer to 6.5 m, a farmer can grow 0.168 ha of vegetables at 6 days irrigation interval to a maximum of 0.308 ha at 11 days interval by a KB pump and 0.336 ha of vegetables at 6 days irrigation interval to a maximum of 0.616 ha at 11 days interval by a LLH Pump. Hence from these test results a farmer can decide at what suction head and irrigation interval how much area can be covered. Accordingly he can plan his cultivation scheduling and can grow various vegetables considering the availability of water with lower physiological cost.


According to related studies, it was revealed that the procedural deviation plays a significant role in initiating accidents or incidents. This means that, to maximize safety, it is indispensable to be able to answer the question of "why the operators deviate from procedures\ulcorner" In this study, the SC (step complexity) measure is introduced to investigate its applicability for studying the procedural deviation, since it was shown that the change of the operators' performance is strongly correlated with the change of SC scores. This means that the SC measure could play an important role for researches related to the procedural deviation, since it is strongly believed that complicated procedures would affect both the operator' performance and the possibility of the procedural deviation. Thus, to ensure this expectation, the meaning of the SC measure is investigated through brief explanations including the necessity, theoretical basis and verification activities of the SC measure. As a result, it is confirmed that the SC measure can be used to explain the change of the operators' performance due to the task complexity implied by procedures. In addition, it seems that the SC measure nay be useful for various purposes, particularly for scrutinizing the relationship between the procedural deviation and complicated procedures.


Temporal decorrelation is probably the most critical factor towards a successful implementation of Pol-InSAR parameter inversion techniques in terms of repeat-pass InSAR scenarios. In this paper the effect and impact of temporal decorrelation at L- and P-band is quantified. For this, data acquired by DLR's E-SAR system in the frame of the BioSAR campaign (initiated and sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA)) over boreal forest with variable temporal baseline in 2007 in Sweden are analyzed. For validation lidar data and ground measurements data are used. 1 Introduction Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (Pol-InSAR) is a radar remote sensing technique, based on the coherent combination of SAR interferometry and radar polarimetry [1]. The combination of polarimetric and interferometric information provides sensitivity to the vertical distribution of different scattering processes and makes the investigation of the 3D structure of volume scatterers by means of PolInSAR a challenge. However, temporal decorrelation reduces the performance of Pol-InSAR configuration by biasing the volume decorrelation contribution that is used for parameter inversion. This leads to a larger standard deviation of the InSAR phase – for the same number of looks – and increases the error bars of the parameter estimates. The BioSAR data set provides some insight into the nature of different temporal decorrelation mechanisms over boreal forest areas at L- and P-band. Two kinds of temporal baselines are available in the BioSAR data sets: short temporal baselines of about 15-60 min (short term repeat pass decorrelation) and large temporal baselines of 30/32 up to 58 days (long term repeat pass decorrelation). In this paper, the level of coherence loss due to temporal decorrelation at L- and P-band is investigated.


The Duvernay Formation, located in central Alberta, Canada, is mainly an organic-rich shale that is a source rock for conventional oil and gas reservoirs, and more recently, also very attractive for exploitation as an unconventional shale play. The development of these types of plays requires the implementation of unconventional techniques, such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, to increase the permeability of the reservoir. To assess the performance of a hydraulic fracturing stimulation, microseismic monitoring can be implemented to track fracture propagation and estimate the effective stimulated reservoir volume. The results of near-surface microseismic mapping, in a case study of a shale reservoir in the Kaybob-Duvernay formation, together with the available 3D seismic and well log data, are assessed to extract key characteristics of the reservoir and to forecast the hydrocarbon productivity after the hydraulic fracturing stimulation.


In the new economic and social conditions,the existing operation method of grain cropland has placed many negative impacts on China's grain security,farmers' income and agricultural modernization.The operation method of grain cropland should carry out innovation.The innovation is carried out in two ways:firstly,the appropriate scale operation of grain cropland is implemented in the interior agriculture,secondly,the grain industrialization is implemented in the exterior agriculture.


Absorption and emission optical spectra are reported for Cm3+ in LaCl3 between 3000 and 8000 A. These data are explained in terms of the Racah, spin—orbit, and configuration‐interaction parameters: E0=4939.29 E1=4621.47, E2=17.70, E3=399.42, ζ=2841.66, α=57.08, β=−4761.60 cm−1, respectively. Crystal‐field splitting of the ground state 8S72 is observed.


Provided are apparatuses and methods for providing a program or service transmission with associated ESG fragment(s) to a receiver within a designated location. Parameter, elements or sub-elements may be included in a service guide or other data fragment indicating the location within which the program, service and corresponding ESG fragment(s) may be broadcast. For example, a Cell ID may be indicated as an element or sub-element in an ESG fragment to indicate the location in which a program or service may be broadcast. Also, Cell IDs may be grouped to indicate a larger region in which to broadcast a program or service and corresponding ESG fragment(s) in a service guide.


The existing formulae for coils of this type - viz., those of Rosa and Cohen - are shown to be inaccurate, the error amounting to one-fifth of 1 per cent. for the best formula when the winding depth is one-tenth the diameter of the coil. For greater winding depths the error is larger. The inaccuracy in Rosa's formula is due to the neglect of curvature in correcting for thickness, while in Cohen's formula the error is due to the approximate method of development. New formulae are developed by methods which are free from such approximations, and which apply to any coil for which the length is greater than twice the diameter, and the winding depth is less than one-tenth the diameter. These formulae are capable of giving eight-figure accuracy. Simplified formulae are also given which are suitable when only four-figure accuracy is required.


Organizations pursuing development of their competences must balance the pursuit of mastery in the present against the potential of innovations that may enable success in the future. In the present, key competences can be identified as work practices essential to the satisfaction of customers and other stakeholders. These competences may be improved incrementally, and/or more widely disseminated across the enterprise. In the future, however, the "right" competences to be developed are less clear. The potential customers, emerging technologies and/or key factors of competitiveness in the future are uncertain. The competences that are distinctive in the present may not be the competences that provide distinction in the future. An approach that is currently popular is to view organizational activities from a perspective of knowledge. Inquiring systems provide a compatible foundation for this view. A related, but different view is based in social practices. Defining organizational competences in terms of social practices provides a more grounded understanding of action, but requires additional study on how change can be influenced and enabled. An approach based on disclosing new worlds can extend the social practices framework to be applied prescriptively. The disclosing of ignorance is proposed to uncover competences that should be developed in anticipation of an uncertain future. A framework created in the Curriculum on Medical Ignorance at the University of Arizona College of Medicine is extended for application into the domain of business. In this domain, forms of ignorance are grouped into four categories, as: (a) known unknowns; (b) passive ignorances, as "ignoring" – including errors and unknown knowns; (c) unknown unknowns; and (d) active ignorances, as "the ignored" – including taboos and denials. The first two categories are normally handled through focused research, and intercommunication programs where expertise and practices are shared. The latter two categories, however, are rarely addressed explicitly. They require more provocative forms of disclosing, so that "new worlds" can be presented as viable and desirable ways forward. The subject of ignorance may itself be a taboo in an organization. Issues with the dissemination of disclosing are discussed.


The synthesis of monolithic materials via the Schrock catalyst triggered ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is described. Mo(N-2,6-(2-Pr)2-C6H3)(CHCMe2Ph)(OCMe3)2 (1) was used as an init...


InThailand,the"Chinesefever"continuestoheatup,vocabularyteachingasanimportantpartoflanguageteachingshould besubjecttotheattentionoftheChineselanguageteachersinThailand,moreconducivetothesmoothdevelopmentofChineseteaching in Thailand.Investigation and analysis of aspects of gender,cultural background and the time of learning Chinese vocabulary learning strategies of Chinese learners in Thailand expect to do a useful attempt in vocabulary teaching in Thailand.


Design program was developed to determine the external shape of the supersonic axisymmetric inlet by combining conical flow solver and approximation technique of conical shock with gradient-based optimization algorithm. Inlet designs were carried out under various operation conditions through optimization with respectively two object functions which consist of pressure recovery and cowl drag and with constraints about shock position, cowl shape, and minimum throat area. New object function consisting of pressure recovery and drag of the external cowl was proposed and the optimized shapes from new object function were compared to the ones from the old object function which maximize only the pressure recovery. Through computations of inviscid and turbulent flow, was tested performance of the design program and performance estimated in design program agreed well with computation results for inlets designed under various flight conditions.


Most common diseases and the leading cause of death to most women across the globe is Breast Cancer (BC). Although many individuals who suffer breast cancer have no family history but women who have blood relatives suffering from the same disease are at higher risk. Besides, a high risk of developing breast cancer includes aging, genes, thick breast tissues, obesity, and radiation exposure. Malignant and benign are two different types of tumors and to distinguish between these two, physicians need a reliable diagnostic procedure. The mammography method is used to detect breast cancer but radiologists exhibit significant variation in interpretation. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is commonly adopted in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Moreover, early diagnosis is vital to treatment with a better chance of success. Classification and data mining attributes are an efficient and effective way of categorizing results. Using machine learning models that will play a vital role in early prediction. In this paper, we present a prediction of breast cancer with different machine learning algorithms compare their prediction accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and performance parameters. For Simulation purposes, we are using the Wisconsin Dataset of Breast Cancer (WDBC). After analysis, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model has achieved 96.25% accuracy with AUC of 99.4. Further, these algorithms can be modified with their mathematical models to increase the prediction of breast cancer.


Phage lysate (0.2 um filtered into 1 L sterile Vivaflow 50 cassette, (100,000 MWCO, PES),which includes size 16 tubing for inlet and outlet sample flow, and interconnector tub Pressure Indicator, must order separately for Vivaflow 50 Masterflex console drive pumps (Cole-Parmer): 1 per phage sample Masterflex Easy Load II Model 7702-50 pump head (tubing size LS 184.108.40.206): 1 per pump – ours have capacity to load two separa Masterflex tubing of size 25, 2 ft length (cat# 96410-25): (cleaned, acid washed, autoclaved - wrapped in foil), 1 per Vivaflow 2 Filtrate collection bottles or flasks (acid wash container if keeping phage filtrate samples): 1 per phage sample 250 ml polycarbonate bottles: 3 per 2 Vivaflow 50 cassettes (for each phage) – for sample recovery and rinsing steps harvested lysate up to 20X The Vivaflow device uses a peristaltic pump setup to recirculate the a MWCO PES membrane, which allows the media filtrate to be diverted and the phage to remain in the starting sample.


Regular exercise and risk factor control has been shown to treat patients with intermittent claudication effectively; however, patients are often non‐compliant and never achieve the full benefits of a conservative approach. In this vascular unit, a nurse‐led lifestyle intervention clinic has been established with the aim of optimizing the conservative management of such patients. The aim of this study was to assess the short‐term impact of this strategy on radiological and operative vascular workload since its introduction in 1997, and to identify factors predictive of a successful conservative outcome.


Of all the systems in the body, the immune system is probably the best understood, both in mechanistic terms and in the ways in which it changes during ageing. Studies of the ageing immune system (immuno gerontology) can be traced back to the early part of this century (and even earlier), and the literature has burgeoned in the last three decades. Perhaps the first publication was of the investigation undertaken by Peter Ludwig Panum (a Danish physician and discoverer of endotoxin) on the outbreak of measles in the Faroes in 1846. The Faroes had been free of measles since the previous epidemic of 1781. The 1846 outbreak affected 75-95% of the population although "of the many aged people still living on the Faroes who had had measles in 1781, not one was attacked a second time" [1]. This experiment of nature seems out of step with traditional thought about ageing and immunity, which views ageing as an immunodeficiency state that predisposes the host to infectious diseases (and possibly neoplasms).


Let's read! We will often find out this sentence everywhere. When still being a kid, mom used to order us to always read, so did the teacher. Some books are fully read in a week and we need the obligation to support reading. What about now? Do you still love reading? Is reading only for you who have obligation? Absolutely not! We here offer you a new book enPDFd atlas of cancer mortality in the united states 195


Studies in classical pharmacogenetics (i.e. the 'phenotype-to-genotype' experimental approach) have typically started with the observation of extreme outlier phenotypes of drug response or toxicity in human populations, and the utilization of these extreme responders as probands for detailed biochemical and molecular genetic investigations of their mechanistic underpinnings. Using this approach, some of the best known examples of pharmacogenetic variants have turned out to involve monogenic variants whereby single nucleotide polymorphisms in protein-coding regions directly influence protein structure and lead to altered function, either due to changes in substrate or ligand-binding properties, or altered protein stability.


A survey of 22 commercial U.S. coal gasification projects tabulate them by company, giving site, process, capacity (gas output), coal feed (type and rate), latest estimated cost, and current status. Delays occasioned by need for Federal Power Commission approval, for Environmental Impact Statement final approval, and for approvals from other agencies enable inflation to bring dramatic cost increases. Western Gasification Co. has the coal and water supply for four 250 million cu ft/day plants to supply gas needed in California and the adjoining area; when the first plant application was filed 2/17/73, a $447 million plant would produce SNG for $1.32/thousand cu ft, but today, if construction began immediately, it would be late 1979 to early 1980 before the plant could go into operation, and the cost would be over $1 billion for a gas cost of about $3.00/thousand cu ft.


Using a panel of 4223 Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, and Romanian firms, over the period 1998-2005, we show that financially constrained firms likely to face irreversibility constraints exhibit low and insignificant sensitivities of investment to cash flow. These firms typically use their cash flow to accumulate cash instead of investing. Our findings provide a new explanation for why some financially constrained firms may exhibit low investment-cash flow sensitivities. Specifically, controlling for investment irreversibility may matter for the interpretation of these sensitivities.


COVID-19 or the Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a great pandemic. At the time of writing this (29th March 2021), more than 127 M people had affected and 2.78 M had died across the world. Due to the lack of specific treatment against COVID-19, antiviral agents and effective medicines are critically needed to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic. Revised drugs such as remdesivir have revealed a favourable clinical efficacy against COVID-19. This review provides an overview of the origin of coronavirus, the role of nanomedicine in coronavirus, nanomedicine vaccines, diagnosis, and therapy against coronavirus. This information may cause any effect in the disease outbreak. Taking all this under consideration, an effort has been made to teach readers the easiest method of the role of nanomedicine, which may play a pivotal role in the management of diseases.


In this paper, we establish a new q-integral identity, the result is then used to derive two q-integral inequalities of Simpson-type involving strongly preinvex functions. Some special cases of the obtained results are also considered, it is shown that several new and previously known results can be derived via generalized strongly preinvex functions and quantum integrals.


One of the fundamental goals of neuroscience is to understand how sensory information is processed by the brain to give rise to our conscious experience of the world. One of the most striking features of our perception is that our brain does not process all incoming sensory information. Instead we only process in fine detail information that is currently at the focus of our attention and process at a much coarser scale the information outside of our attentional focus. We generally only become aware of the details of information outside this focus if a change in behavioral goals or a salient event initiates a shift in attention. We remain largely unaware of this two-tiered sensory processing when the brain is functioning normally. Failures of this attentional system, however, can be quite striking in disorders such as visual-spatial neglect and autism. The work contained within this dissertation is part of the large effort to understand sensory processing in the brain. In particular the work focuses on the way in which visual information is represented in extrastriate visual cortex and how the location of attentional focus can modulate this representation of visual information. The chapters of this dissertation represent three independent but related experimental studies addressing these questions through the use of electrophysiological recordings of area V4 in awake behaving animals. The first chapter focuses on characterizing the relationship between multiple measures of neural activity in area V4 to parametric variations of luminance contrast. The second chapter focuses on characterizing how attentional modulation of neuronal response in area V4 to a target item changes in the presence of a nearby distracter item. The final chapter focuses on the question of how the integration of motion and color information in area V4 may give rise to a visual illusion in which a color change embedded within a motion sequence is mislocalized by human observers. In all cases the goal of characterizing these visual responses was to provide insights into the neural mechanisms and circuitry underlying visual processing and sensory processing in general


Parental engagement is an important component in lifestyle behavior change interventions for children as parents are uniquely positioned to establish a healthy environment and model healthy eating and physical activity habits for their children. Despite both mothers and fathers being important agents of behavioral change for their children, fathers are typically underrepresented in programming interventions. Physical activity may be an important strategy for fathers to become involved in lifestyle change with their children as, compared to mothers, fathers traditionally tend to be comfortable engaging in physical activity with their children.


Marketing is commonly assumed to be responsible for the consumer society with its hedonistic lifestyle and for undermining other cultures by its materialistic stance. This, for many critics, is the dark side of consumer marketing, undermining its ethical standing. This paper considers the connection between marketing, the consumer society, globalization and the hedonistic lifestyle, and whether marketing is guilty as charged. After all, anything that affects the image of marketing as a profession is important, as this influences both recruitment and social acceptance.


Powder, including the surface of the silica-coated zinc oxide fine particles coated with silica in the particles is characterized in that not more than 0.1% by mass or more 5㎛ coarse particles. Powder surface containing the silica-coated zinc oxide fine particles are hydrophobized silica-coated zinc oxide fine particles giving more surface-treated with a hydrophobic coating agent into the silica is characterized by a more 5㎛ coarse particles is not more than 0.1 mass%.


This letter presents a tunable bandpass filter (BPF) with wide tuning range of center frequency and high selectivity. The wide frequency tuning range is achieved by two pairs of switchable varactors‐tuned parallel coupled line resonators with direct‐feed structure, which can be switched to lower and higher frequency resonator modes by using p‐i‐n diodes. Since the electromagnetic mixed coupling and frequency‐variant source‐load coupling are incorporated in this configuration, three self‐adaptive transmission zeros (TZs) close to the tunable passband are obtained. Also, three TZs can almost keep the same relative location of passband to achieve continuous high selectivity and good out‐of‐band rejection over the whole frequency tuning range. Meanwhile, by selecting a proper coupling region, a constant fractional bandwidth (CFBW) in the frequency tuning process can be realized. For verification, a tunable 0.86‐3.83 GHz BPF with a 12% CFBW and high selectivity is designed, fabricated and measured. The experimental results show the proposed filter has the advantages of wide tuning range and high selectivity.


Information is presented on the PZ-90 geocentric coordinate system formulated in Russia on the basis of observations of the GEO-IK geodetic satellite and also using data from GLONASS and Etalon satellites [1-3]. Three methods of PZ-90/WGS-84 interconversion are analyzed. Several conversion parameters are considered.


(1) Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge (2) Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh (3) Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester (4) Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London (5) Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester (6) Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth (7) Space Science and Technology Department, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory


Is it possible to cover an issue as a journalist to the extent that you are practically a human rights activist, and still contribute to its continuation by unconsciously upholding the values causi ...


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Coproporphyrin (CP) I and CPIII are byproducts of the heme synthesis currently investigated as biomarkers for drug-drug interactions involving hepatic Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide (OATP) 1B transporters. Another hepatically expressed member of the OATP-family is OATP2B1. Aim of this study was to test the impact of OATP2B1, which specifically transports CPIII, on CP serum levels applying novel rat models.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH
CPIII transport kinetics and the interplay between OATP2B1 and MRPs were determined in vitro using the vTF7 expression system. Novel rSlco2b1-/- and SLCO2B1+/+ rat models were characterized for physiological parameters, and for coproporphyrin serum levels. Hepatic and renal expression of transporters involved in CP disposition were determined by real-time qPCR, Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry.

KEY RESULTS
In vitro experiments revealed differences in transport kinetics comparing human and rat OATP2B1, and showed a consistent, species-specific interplay with hMRP3/rMRP3. Deletion of rOATP2B1 was associated with a trend towards lower CPI serum levels compared to wildtype rats, while CPIII remained unchanged. Comparing SLCO2B1+/+ with knockout rats revealed an effect of sex: only in females, the genetic modification influenced CP serum levels. Analysis of hepatic and renal transporters revealed marginal, but in part, statistically significant differences in rMRP2 abundance, which may contribute to the observed changes in CP serum levels.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
Our findings support that factors other than OATP1B-transporters are of relevance for basal CP levels. Only in female rats, humanization of SLCO2B1 affects basal CPI and CPIII serum levels, despite isomer selectivity of OATP2B1.


Flammability: The "net heat of oxidation" technique described in an earlier publication is extended to predicting the lower flammable limits, lower limit flame temperatures, and limiting oxygen concentrations of chlorinated organic fuels having H:Cl ratios greater than unity. A new Rule is derived for predicting the effect of initial temperature on the lower flammable limits and limiting oxygen concentrations of organic fuels. It is suggested that this Rule be used in preference to the modified "Burgess‐Wheeler" Rule. The effect of initial pressure is discussed.


Transposable element (TE) display is a method exhibiting the insertion site variations of TE, serving for multiple dominant markers. We report an improved TE display method evaluated by testing inheritance pattern of the TE insertion sites in two different piggyBac-like elements in a lepidopteran insect tobacco budworm. The specificity of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method was confirmed by sequencing randomly chosen a total of 15 bands all revealing the junctions between TE-end and the flanking sequence. The improved method removes the steps in the conventional TE display method using radiolabelled primers and running denaturing gel, saving time and costs.


Book reviewed in this article:

Marxist Approaches in Economic Anthropology. Alice Littlefield and Hill Gates, eds.

Understanding Economic Process. Sutti Ortiz and Susan Lees, eds.


X-ray phase tomography is a powerful tool to measure biological soft tissues with much higher image contrast compared to the absorption-based imaging [1]. Phase information obtained from phase tomography can be treated as a density map in the hard X-ray region. So, this technique has a capability to analyze the structural and functional information from small difference and change of the density. We have developed X-ray phase tomography using a grating interferometer for the application to biological samples such as eye lenses, hearts of human infant and aortic wall and so on. More recently, we have demonstrated dynamic X-ray phase tomography so called 4D-phase tomography to discuss the dynamic phenomena of biological samples quantitatively [2]. A biological sample under continuous oscillation was observed with synchronized phase measurement using a phase stepping method. In that case, however, a frame rate of 4D-phase tomography, which was one of important parameters in dynamic measurement, was restricted by the scanning procedure. In this study, the scanning method was improved to achieve higher frame rate in the 4D measurement and more flexible measurement for dynamic applications.


Raymond Queneau makes the boundary between the basic genres (novel and poetry) problematic but uses at the same time many minor genres. According to the idea that these practices imply the writer's strategy towards the system of genres, we study the status and the function of the literary genres in his works. As regards the boundary between the novel and the poetry, we are interested in the poetical novels in the 1930's. The sphere of poetry in these works consists not only of the mixture of genres but also of the autobiographical writing. These two practices show that Queneau's poetical novels come from his criticism against the system of genres established by the symbolists. Concerning the minor genres, the modern poets called for them to challenge to the generic classification. Queneau takes up this poetic tradition again. However, the minor genres contribute to his poetic of the mixture of genres, too. Using these genres, he explores various aspects of the poetic novel.


Among the principal goals of the National Academy of Engineering's Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education (CASEE) is to promote research on the teaching and learning of engineering among university engineering faculty. Critical to this goal is the availability of a consistent funding source to support those who aspire to conduct engineering education research. This paper attempts to examine the current situation in the U.S. Congress with regards to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education reform in general and engineering education research funding in particular. In an examination of current federal funding levels, it is apparent that education research accounts for a small and dwindling portion of the total education expenditure, insufficient for consistent innovation in the teaching of science and engineering. However, this adverse fiscal environment is countered by a growing sense among many members of Congress that the current education system is not producing scientists and engineers in the quantity and quality required to maintain the economic competitiveness and defense capability of the country. Therefore a window may exist to demonstrate that education research may be a means to understand better this country's higher education system and to modify its outputs. Based in large part upon interviews with congressional staff, this paper identifies loci of support among members of Congress, as well as engineering education research funding objectives. The issue of engineering education research has advantages and disadvantages that affect its political viability and which must be considered when undertaking any effort to secure increased funding. The paper provides suggestions on how the academic community can promote funding for engineering education research in the Congress.


Dermoid cyst (mature cystic teratoma) with well differentiated derivatives of all the three-germ cell layer is a benign tumour with ovaries being the commonest site. Dermoid cyst accounts for more than half of ovarian tumours in girls below 20 years of age. 80% of dermoid cyst are seen in reproductive age group between 20-40 years. Size of dermoid cyst usually varies between 5-10 cm and it may be bilateral in 10% of cases. Malignant transformation is very rare occurrence only in 1-3% cases, however torsion may occur in 15% of dermoid cyst. Carbohydrate antigen or cancer antigen 19-9 is usually raised in gastrointestinal tumours, pancreatic malignancy, pseudocyst of pancreas. However, it may be raised in some other malignancies and benign condition like torsion of dermoid cyst. Authors report an unusual case of torsion large dermoid cyst with tissue necrosis along with significantly elevates levels of serum CA 19-9. A 30-year-old P1L1 female presented with chief complaint of heaviness and pain lower abdomen and loss of five kilogram weight for last three months. A provisional diagnosis of dermoid was made. Serum CA 19-9 level were 1126 IU significantly raised. An exploratory laparotomy done under regional anaesthesia. A large demoid cyst 12*10 cm with torsion and areas of gangrene in ovarian tissue was seen replacing left ovary. Large and small intestine, stomach, pancreas were explored to rule out any pathology. Histopathology confirmed diagnosis of mature cystic teratoma. There was significant fall in serum Ca 19-9 levels to 247 U/ml two weeks after surgery and levels returned to normal limit six weeks after surgery.


Purpose – To review the voluntary operations of Counseling Services for the Elderly, which has operated since 1972 under the National Insurance Institute of the State of Israel.Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers the elderly population and its characteristics and the gradual development of the volunteering counseling services. The characteristics of the volunteers and their motivation in this work are also discussed. The training that volunteers undergo is constantly being updated and upgraded, and details are provided that cover home visits, consultations and special projects.Findings – Currently, Counseling Services for the Elderly operates 4,278 volunteers in 21 branches across the country, supporting thousands of the elderly on a relatively low budget of less than $3 million for 2003.Originality/value – The paper presents a unique voluntary service that is fully integrated into national welfare for the elderly. The service meets the objectives of assistance to the elderly while helping t...


P042 PROCESS-BASED STOCHASTIC MODELLING IN THE EXAMPLE OF MEANDERING CHANNELIZED RESERVOIRS Summary 1 Process-based stochastic models are developed in the case of meandering channelized reservoirs. Based on physical results and case study reports they allow realistic geological bodies and arrangements. In order to make the model operational only a limited number of parameters is required. Yet it allows to reproduce a variety of architectures. Conditioning either regionally or at well datapoints is also considered. Introduction Characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs has been a topic of crucial importance for the oil industry since the 80's. Several types of stochastic models either pixel-based


Since moisture is the most important cause of food spoilage, moisture reduction is one of the most commonly methods for foods storage and extending their shelf life. Drying process extends the shelf life of products while causing great organoleptic changes in food affecting its texture even aroma, and taste. So, drying conditions must be thoroughly examined and controlled in order to keep the quality of products and provide proper acceptability. Dates are valuable dietary sources being produced worldwide. They rapidly develop microbial spoilage due to their high nutritional value and high water content. Kiln drier is industrial drier applied commonly for fruits drying. As shown in this study, this drier may effectively reduce the moisture content of date samples thereby preventing their spoilages. The aim of this study was to dry dates by using kiln drier at different air speeds (1, 2 and 3 m/s) and temperatures (65, 75, 85 and 95°C) and to investigate the drying process for 5 h and at time intervals of 1 h. The results showed application of high speed and temperature may accelerate drying process being more noticeable for shorter drying times and data showed that the moisture of samples exhibited a falling trend as the temperature, time and speed of the drier increased whereas longer drying time resulted in decreased rate of moisture reduction. Keyword: kiln drier, dates, moisture content, processing. Submitted: 01.09.2014 Reviewed: 11.11.2014 Accepted: 26.11.2014


The present paper transfers eight species from the genus Drosophila to the genus Scaptomyza based on characteristics of the male genitalia. One species, Scaptomyza (Titanochaeta) canuta (Hardy) new combination, fits within the concept of the subgenus Titanochaeta. The remaining seven taxa, S. improcera (Hardy) new combination, S. magnipalpa (Hardy) new combination, S. parva (Grimshawi) new combination, S. prolixa (Hardy) new combination, S. taractica (Hardy) new combination, S. totonigra (Hardy) new combination, and S. vinnula (Hardy) new combination, are included as unplaced species of Scaptomyza An additional species, Scaptomyza (Grimshawomyia) undulata (Grimshaw) new com- bination, is transferred from the subgenus Engiscaptomyza to Grimshawomyia based on morphological and molecular characters. An expanded key to the subgenera of Scaptomyza that includes these unplaced taxa is presented. In addition, Drosophila attigua Hardy & Kaneshiro is reduced to a junior new synonym of D. sharpi Grimshaw.


The article presents aspects of the formation of general professional competencies of bachelors in the field of physical culture and sports in the study of the discipline "Fundamentals of sports morphology", which will allow to form a certain level of practical skills in future professional activities; tasks of educational and scientific orientation are defined. The sequence in the study of biological disciplines is considered, which allows creating a sufficient level of basic knowledge for the formation of further professional competencies. All components of the educational process in the discipline "Fundamentals of sports morphology" are formulated, which ensure the formation of the implementation of the tasks set. The indicators of achieving the level of general professional competence have been determined, providing a scientifically grounded approach to the construction of the educational and training process and sports selection and orientation.


The invention provides a semiconductor device structure and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method comprises the steps of providing an insulator upper silicon structure, wherein the insulator upper silicon structure comprises a silicon substrate, an oxygen burying layer and a top layer silicon; forming the semiconductor device structure; etching a silicon substrate from the second surface of the silicon substrate until exposing an oxygen burying layer so as to form an opening; forming a trap layer in the opening. The semiconductor device structure provided by the invention comprises the silicon substrate, the oxygen burying layer positioned on the first surface of the silicon substrate, a top layer silicon positioned on the oxygen burying layer, a semiconductor device positioned in the top layer silicon or the surface and the trap layer which runs through the second surface of the silicon substrate, exposes the opening of the oxygen burying layer and is positioned on the oxygen burying layer in the opening. The semiconductor device structure and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the invention have the beneficial effects that on one hand, the same effect is basically obtained, the processing steps and difficulties are simplified, and the implementation is easy; on the other hand, the trap layer is formed in the formed opening, and compared with the prior art, and a certain cost is saved.


This paper presents a brief discussion about the use of GIS applied to land management, particularized as a case study: the Stabilization Pond in the town of Pedro Velho (Rio Grande do Norte / Brazil). A summary of the results regarding the condition of the city lagoon, identified by the project "The use of Geoprocessing applied to the management of waste stabilization ponds in Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil)", in 2011, is also part of this work. These results indicate a technical contradiction, as regards the efficiency of the sewage treatment, since the difference samples which attest to the suitability of the water in raw and filtered water, show a variance with the established resolution of the National Council of the Environment (CONAMA) regarding the operation of lagoons. Underlie this discussion the concepts of GIS - Silva (2007), Camargo (1997), Polidoro & Barros (2010), Fitz (2008); Planning and Territorial Management - Clementino (2008), Carlos (2007); and Territory - Santos (1994); and still considering brief remarks about Stabilization Ponds in Andrade (2006) and Araujo (et al, 2011).


Dynamics of particles with spatially varying charges is studied. It is shown that the motion cannot be described in terms of the Hamiltonian formalism. Strong interparticle interactions give rise to unusual features of the dynamics, e.g., they can cause self-sustaining nonlinear oscillations triggered at finite frictional dissipation. The comprehensive analysis of the non-Hamiltonian dynamics is carried out analytically and numerically by employing a one-dimensional chain of charged particles as a model system. Analysis of available experimental data is performed and implications to strongly coupled complex (dusty) plasmas are discussed.


The influence of different modified atmosphere packaging(MAP) on storage quality in 'Friar' and 'Angeleno' plum stored at(0±0.5)℃ was investigated.The results showed that treatments with polyethylene film could inhibit respiratory rate and ethylene production,alleviate the reduction of firmness,soluble solids content(SSC) and titratable acid content(TA),and reduce rot symptom of 'Friar' plum fruit in comparison with CK.Treatments of polyvinylchlorid(thickness 0.03 mm) and polyethylene(thickness 0.03 mm) films could reduce rot symptom of 'Angeleno' plum,while the treatment of polyvinylchlorid(thickness 0.04 mm) aggravated rot symptom.Effect of the three types of MAP on respiratory rate,ethylene production and firmness of 'Angeleno' plum were not significant in comparison with CK.Effects of polyvinylchlorid(thickness 0.04 mm) and polyethylene film(thickness 0.03 mm) treatments on SSC of 'Angeleno' plum were not significant,but the SSC reduction was accelerated by polyvinylchlorid(thickness 0.03 mm),while this treatment could alleviate TA reduction of 'Angeleno' plum.Therefore,we believed polyethylene(thickness 0.03 mm) package,namely combine the O2(16.0±0.31)% and CO2(4.37±0.17)%,was suitable for storage and freshness of 'Friar' plum.However,three types of MAP were not ideal for the storage of 'Angeleno' plum.


A new continuous wave (cw) linac is required to deliver high intensity heavy ion beams for future Super Heavy Element (SHE) experiments at GSI Darmstadt, Germany [1]. The presented upgrade measures are dedicated to improve the performance of the cw demonstrator setup. The key component is a cryomodule comprising a superconducting (sc) 217MHz Crossbar-H-mode (CH) cavity [2, 3] surrounded by two sc 9.3 T solenoids with compensation coils. The solenoid coil is made of a Nb3Sn wire, while and the compensation coils at both ends of the solenoid comprise NbTi wires. The distance between solenoid lense and CH cavity has to be optimized for ideal beam matching as well as for a minimum rest field inside the cavity well below the critical magnetic field. The GSI High Charge State (HLI) injector has to deliver a heavy ion beam with an energy of 1.4MeV/u. Longitudinal matching to the demonstrator is provided by two 108.4MHz cw room temperature λ/4 rebuncher cavities installed behind the HLI [4]. In this paper electromagnetic simulations of the field optimization for the solenoids and the re-buncher cavities will be presented as well as first beam experiments at the beam transport line to the demonstrator cavity.


This article looks at a number of radio styles-farm broadcasting, spoken word programming, and news-that traverse various time periods on the ABC, from the perspective of their transnational histories. Discussing examples of these styles, it canvasses what a transnational approach could bring to writing the history of the ABC. This envisaged transnational history is briefly contrasted to the best known and nationally focused ABC history, Inglis's 'This is the ABC'(1983). However, my purpose is neither to critique Inglis's account nor to argue for a 'better history' that gets to a 'true identity'. Rather I suggest we need an approach that helps us understand how concepts such as 'nation', 'public service' and 'modernity' shape the institution's presence both as a broadcaster and a cultural institution.


BACKGROUND
Neuropathic pain (NP) is a major public health problem worldwide. Because of the unclear mechanism of NP, its treatment is one of the most difficult medical problems. As a targeted, noninvasive, safe therapy, pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) provides a new method for the treatment of NP; however, its effect on this treatment still lacks support from evidence-based medicine.

OBJECTIVE
To conduct a meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials and to evaluate the effectiveness and clinical utility of PRF for the treatment of NP.

STUDY DESIGN
Meta-analysis.

SETTING
All selected studies were randomized controlled trials.

METHOD
A systematic and comprehensive database search was performed of the PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE.com, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature, and Wanfang databases for literature published from the establishment of the databases to December 19, 2015. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, the results of randomized controlled trials supporting PRF for NP treatment were collected. The risk of bias tool described in the Cochrane Handbook version 5.1.0 was used to assess the quality of each trial. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.

RESULTS
A total of 12 randomized controlled trials involving 592 patients met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the results of the meta-analysis showed that, compared with the control group, PRF had a better effect on postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in terms of pain score (one week, one month, and 3 months), excellent and good rate (one day, one month), and efficiency rate (one day). But PRF did not have a better effect on radicular pain in pain score (3 months). Side effects were less frequently found with the PRF treatment.

LIMITATIONS
Although we repeatedly tested the key words and used a manual method to prevent the loss of studies, due to the limitation of the included studies, some of the data were insufficient to complete the meta-analysis, and we were unable to obtain the original data from some studies. Some studies did not report the blind design, which decreased the quality of the current study.

CONCLUSION
PRF did not have a better effect on radicular pain, and PRF is an effective and safe therapeutic alternative for the analgesia of PHN. However, for a high recurrence rate over a long period, repeated PRF treatment has limitations.

KEY WORDS
Neuropathic pain, pulsed radiofrequency, analgesia, meta-analysis.


Testing of mobile applications becomes more importantas the usage of smartphones increases. Many studiesuse Monkey, a basic testing tool provided by Android. WithMonkey, however, it is hard to replay the behavior of actualusers. In this work, we present a mobile app testing methodthat automatically records and replays user event logs on thesmartphone. From replay testing experiments, we have shownthat our method generates 2.3 times more valid input events and1.4 times faster than fuzz testing.


Grass-roots democracy in rural areas is an important impetus for the democratic process of Chin's socialist democracy.After years of practice,China's rural grass-roots system of democratic self-government had made certain progress,but there are still many problems.This paper focuses on the current specific conditions of the villagers' self-government in Zhoushan fishing villages, analyzes the difficulties and problems in practice,and explores the direction of further development of villagers' self-government, some issues which need to be addressed and countermeasures.


The diagnosis of chromosomal and metabolic abnormalities by mid-trimester amniocentesis is now an established part of antenatal care. Jacobson published the first use of this technique in 1967, 1 followed in 1968 by Nadler. 2 By 1974, over 3,000 pregnancies had been studied permitting the prenatal diagnosis of a wide variety of chromosomal anomalies and more than 60 different inborn errors of metabolism during the second trimester of pregnancy at a time when termination of the pregnancy can be safely performed if an abnormality is detected . During this period, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development established a Nation al Registry for amniocentesis in an attempt to document the safety and accuracy of this technique. Its report was published in 1975 and dealt with a comparison of 1,040 pregnancies studied by mid-trimester amniocentesis and 992 matched control pregnancies.3 The conclusions from the study were that mid-trimester amniocentesis was a safe procedure when performed by a qualified physician and that the accuracy rate of antenatal genetic diagnosis was 99.4%. Since 1975, the use of this procedure has become almost routine in pregnancies at risk for identifiable genetic abnormalities because of maternal age or family history. It should be emphasized that in the vast majority of cases prenatal genetic diagnosis is a life-saving procedure. Many women who are at high risk would not choose to continue their pregnancy unless they could be assured that there is no detectable fetal abnormality . In


HF communication is one of the primary means of long distance communication. In recent years, because of its small transmission power and strong ability of anti-interference, it is widely used in various communication fields. The space-time coding has also been extensively studied to increase the channel capacity of effective technology. The Golden Code, a full rate and full diversity code for the 2×2 coherent multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) systems. This outperforms all previous know codes. This paper proposes an idea of which Golden Code is applied to HF communication. However a basic assumption in studying Golden Code is that the channels between different transmit antenna and different receive antenna pairs are independent, but it can not always hold in real-life. This paper introduces the system model about Golden Code. An expression for Golden Code is derived under correlation channel based on Watterson model. Finally, the analytical results are verified through our computer simulation for Golden Code. Introduction HF communication is important in wireless communication and applied widely for its low transmit power, establishing and maintenance cheaply, short establish period, device accomplished easily and simple operation.HF data rates are currently too low to support reliable video or other data-intensive communication because of low bandwidth allocations and challenging propagation conditions. The space-time coding as an important technology of MIMO has been successfully improve the performance of HF communication [1,2]. Space-time coding techniques can be divided into two categories, one is able to increase the system capacity of spatial multiplexing ; the other is designed to increase the link gain of Spatial diversity. The Golden Code for a 2×2 multiple-input multiple-output can achieve spatial multiplexing and Spatial diversity. This outperforms all previous know codes. We proposes an idea of which Golden Code is applied to HF communication. However a basic assumption in studying Golden Code is that the channels between different transmit antenna and different receive antenna pairs are independent .We know in the actual propagation environment, because of the local distribution of local scatterers or limited distance between the antenna elements. Fading signals on different antennas behave in space may not be independent [3, 4].Analysis of correlation on performance of Golden code is necessary. This paper research the correlation on performance of Golden Code based on HF Watterson model. System model The Golden Code with two transmit antenna and two receive antenna can be modeled as shown in the figure 1. International Conference on Education Technology, Management and Humanities Science (ETMHS 2015) © 2015. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 1040


Introduction: Synchronized spontaneous neural activity between distant cortical areas has been frequently observed by electrophysiology and is assumed to be the mechanism underlying correlated fluctuations in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal that are used to map functional connectivity at rest [1,2]. However, the neural basis of MRI resting-state functional connectivity has not been fully investigated, due to the technical challenges involved in simultaneous imaging and recording [3]. We have developed combined imaging and recording techniques for the rat model, which allows the simultaneous measurement of the spontaneous fluctuations and inter-hemispherical functional connectivity via fMRI and electrophysiology. Materials and methods: 5 SD male rats, 200-300g, were anesthetized with medetomidine or isoflurane and glass microelectrodes were implanted in bilateral primary somatosensory cortex. The rat was then transferred to a 9.4 T Bruker MRI system. A coronal slice was positioned so that it included the electrode tips and MRI and local field potentials (LFPs) were simultaneously acquired. Images were acquired with a GE-EPI sequence (relaxation time=500ms/echo time=24ms, 0.3 x 0.3 mm in plane actual resolution) that lasted 8.3 minutes. LFPs were amplified x1000 and digitized at 12 kHz. The artifacts induced in the electrophysiological data by the changing magnetic fields required for image acquisition were removed by subtracting noise structure, which was extracted by averaging periodic scans. The saturated sections due to read-out gradients, which occupied 22/500 of each scan cycle, were refilled with the values computed from a linear function which passes each time point before and after gradient noise (see figure 1). The low-frequency power time courses (delta and theta) were obtained with 2-second windows since modulated gradient sections may have minimum effects on low-frequency power spectrum analysis. The high frequency power time courses (alpha, beta and gamma) were obtained with restraining windows between neighboring gradients, which are approximately 0.5-second each. The correlation coefficients were computed between bilateral somatosensory LFPs or LFP-power time courses in various frequency bands as well as simultaneously measured low-frequency (0.01~0.25 Hz) BOLD time courses. Results and Discussions: The preliminary results showed strong interhemispheric synchronization for low-frequency BOLD signals as well as power of LFP fluctuations in low frequency ranges. The cortical areas implanted with electrodes exhibit high correlation between LFP power and low frequency BOLD signal fluctuations, localized to the cortex surrounding the electrode and analogous areas in the contralateral hemisphere (see figure 2). The highest correlation between the measurements of different modalities is in low frequency band (delta, 1~4 Hz or theta, 4~8 Hz). The BOLD signal lags the electrical signal by ~2-4 seconds, on the order of the hemodynamic delay previously observed in the rat [4]. The correlation of measurements from the two different modalities can be modulated by anesthesia type and state. The BOLD time delays and peak duration are longer for rats anesthetized by isoflurane (figure 2A) than by medetomidine (figure 2B). One possible reason may be different vascular impact for the two anesthetics. The isoflurane may cause vascular dilation which might result in less vascular tension and slow down the hemodynamic response. On the contrary, the medetomidine may cause vascular constraint, which might result in higher vascular tension and speed up the hemodynamic response. Future work will focus on assessing the reproducibility of the results by increasing the number of rats and developing more detailed analysis of the relationship between the two measurements on functional connectivity.


Green marketing involves developing and promoting products and services that satisfy your customers' wants and needs for quality, performance, affordable pricing and convenience without having a detrimental impact on the environment.Green revolution, going green, environmental protection, sustainable life style, sustainabledevelopment, protecting our earth and many more have become a natural phenomenon in our everyday life. Greenmarketing is a tool used by many companies in various industries to follow this trend. Green marketing subsumes greening products as well as greening firms. In addition to manipulating the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion) of the traditional marketing mix, it requires a careful understanding of public policy processes.Drawing on multiple literatures, it examines issues such as what needs to be greened (products, systems or processes), why consumers purchase/donot purchase green products and how firms should think about information disclosure strategies on environmental claims. This paper will attempt 1) to introduce concepts of green marketing; 2) briefly focuses on product and pricing issues.; 3) examine some of the reason that organizations are adopting agreen marketing philosophy; and 4) mention some of the problems with green marketing.


Background: Ibuprofen (IBU) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve pain and inflammation. Topical formulations of IBU can reduce unwanted side effects and first-pass metabolism in the liver. To enhance its water-poor solubility and permeability for topical administration, this study aimed to develop and characterise hydrogels containing IBU microemulsion. Materials and methods:Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed based on the evaluation of IBU solubility and the ratio of different excipients in the microemulsion formula. IBU microemulsion and IBU microemulsion-loaded hydrogels were characterised in terms of particle size and drug content by the high-performance liquid chromatography method. Ex vivo drug release through pig ear skin was evaluated using Hanson Research equipment. Results: The 1% xanthan gum hydrogel formula containing 5% (w/w) IBU microemulsion included 12.5% capryol 90, 33.33% acrysol K140, 16.67% propylene glycol and water (up to 100%, w/w) had a particle size of 25.69±2.12 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.226±0.095. The permeated drug percentage through the pig ear skin of the 1% xanthan gum hydrogel formula containing 5% (w/w) IBU microemulsion was 45-fold greater than that containing IBU material. Conclusion: These results showed that IBU-loaded microemulsion-based hydrogel would be a promising drug delivery system for topical administration.


Agricultural techniques are inherently connected to social organization. Under colonialism, broadly understood as foreign powers suppressing (parts of) a local population, escape agriculture offers a way to avoid despotism by producing food and other produce in independent and sustainable ways. Crop diversity plays an important role in escape agriculture, demonstrated here by the variation of rice varieties on Maroon farms in Suriname. Histories of Maroon agricultural practices, and similarly marginalized groups in (formerly) colonized regions, are informative for current interventions in agriculture. Agronomic support to marginalized groups will only be successful when addressing historically grown social disengagement.

Rationale: Food is essential for successful marronage and produced by means of escape agriculture. Today, communities in the interior of Suriname continue to farm by following practices of escape agriculture. Our study traces the historical development of these farming practices, in particular the extensive cultivation of rice. Our aim is to show that the diversity of rice varieties used in their fields reveals the sophisticated farming techniques and social significance of escape agriculture.
Methods: We visited about 60 farm plots upstream the main rivers of Suriname where we interviewed the person in charge about the rice varieties grown in their fields. We asked about origin, names, and characteristics of each rice variety. We also screened historical sources, primary and secondary, as well as anthropological accounts of these communities for historical evidence of rice cultivation and varietal diversity.
Results: Plots were farmed primarily by women and contained a broad range of different rice varieties. Naming and origin stories show a clear reference to the escape from plantations and the leading role of women in farming and food security. In some fields, a small patch was reserved for a rice type with very dark grains, used mostly for ritual purposes. Results also show adoption of more recently introduced rice varieties.
Conclusion: Rice plays a key role in escape agriculture as practiced by Maroon communities in Suriname. Rice varieties are used as agricultural markers of difference.


Japanese language includes the categories of idioms of both "Chinese style" and "Japanese style",which are generally summarized in the entries of "conjunction" in dictionaries.And idioms of Chinese style include categories of both Chinese idioms borrowed from Chinese language with some adaptations and idioms with Chinese features originated in Japanese.This essay has tentatively explored the language sources of idioms of Chinese style,their semantic meanings,features of word-formation,Japanese pronunciation and other important issues,and great emphasis has been laid on the importance of its study and practice.


ABSTRACT From Homer's Odyssey to the Arabic folk tale Leila and Majnun, the work of Achmat Dangor repeatedly revises texts from diverse literary traditions. Perhaps the most outstanding but overlooked aspect of Dangor's revisionism is his refiguration of Zora Neale Hurston's Their eyes were watching god into the township novella The Z Town trilogy. At first glance, this appears to place Dangor firmly within the Black Consciousness tradition of invoking Afro-American protest literature as a form of poetic resistance to apartheid. However, in keeping with Henry Louis Gates Jr's theory of signification, Dangor's mimesis is as much an act of criticism as it is one of solidarity. Rather than rewriting a text produced and subsequently canonised by a black male minority that, although oppressed themselves, actively participated in the oppression of their female counterparts, Dangor chooses to rewrite a seminal text of black feminism only recently accepted into the Afro-American literary canon. It is argued here that, in doing so, Dangor not only participates in the critical reappraisal of the black canon initiated by female Afro-American authors such as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, but effectively calls for an analogous re-evaluation of black literature in South Africa.


Over-the-counter cyclooxygenase inhibitors are used to relief fever and various types of acute pain like headache, toothache, earache, sore throat, as well as postoperative and menstrual ones. They are also major ingredients in cold and flu mixtures. Unlike wellknown organ toxicological profile, their prenatal toxicity was not fully established. For a long time, acetaminophen was considered as a relatively safe antipyretic and analgesic drug during pregnancy. However, a new data indicate that it may increase the risk of cryptorchidism and asthma during childhood as well as preeclampsia, preterm birth, maternal phlebothrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Contrary to acetaminophen, non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitors (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – NSAID; i.e., diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen) may induce intrauterine growth retardation, ductus arteriosus constriction with secondary persistent pulmonary hypertension, reduced fetal renal perfusion that led to oligohydramion, prolonged pregnancy as well as increase prevalence of intracranial bleeding in newborns. Furthermore, a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and some congenital malformations (cardiac and diaphragmatic defects, celosomy – gastroschisis and umbilical hernia) was reported for non-selective inhibitors, in particular high doses of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).


The presence of neutralizing SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific antibodies indicates protection against (re)infection, however, the knowledge of their long‐term kinetics is limited. This study analyzed the presence of COVID‐19‐induced antibodies in unvaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs) over the period of 1–8 months post symptom onset (SO) and explored the determinants of persisting immunoglobulin (Ig) seropositivity. Six hundred sixty‐two HCWs were interviewed for anamnestic data and tested for IgG targeting the spike protein (S1 and S2) and IgM targeting the receptor‐binding domain. A Cox regression model was used to explore potential predictors of seropositivity with respect to the time lapse between SO and serology testing. 82.9% and 44.7% of HCWs demonstrated IgG and IgM seropositivity, respectively, with a mean interval of 83 days between SARS‐CoV‐2 detection and serology testing. On average, HCWs reported seven symptoms in the acute phase lasting 20 days. IgG seropositivity rates among HCWs decreased gradually to 80%, 50%, and 35% at 3, 6, and 8 months after SO, while IgM seropositivity fell rapidly to 60%, 15%, and 0% over the same time intervals. The number of symptoms was the only predictor of persisting IgG seropositivity (odds ratio [OR] 1.096, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.003–1.199, p = 0.043) and symptom duration a predictor of IgM seropositivity (OR 1.011, 95% CI 1.004–1.017, p = 0.002). Infection‐induced anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG rates drop to a third in seropositive participants over the course of 8 months. Symptom count and duration in the acute phase of COVID‐19 are both relevant to the subsequent kinetics of antibody responses.


Lactic acid bacteria isolated from Australian red wines were examined for properties of potential enological significance. Some 166 strains were tested. Strains of Leuconostoc oenos were divided into rough and smooth morphotypes on the basis of colony appearance. Rough morphotypes produced cells arranged in long chains and readily grew in wine. Smooth morphotypes produced cells arranged in pairs or short chains, but most of these strains exhibited poor growth in wine. As tested in API 50CH galleries (pH 6.0), strains of L. oenos, Pediococcus parvulus , and several Lactobacillus species exhibited considerable heterogeneity in their abilities to ferment carbohydrates. The fermentation profile of individual strains was altered when the pH was reduced to 4.0. Strains of L. oenos were more tolerant of low pH than those of P. parvulus or Lactobacillus spp. Strains of P. parvulus and Lactobacillus spp. were more tolerant of high concentrations of ethanol and total sulfur dioxide. None of the strains produced extracellular protease. Lipases were produced by several strains of L. oenos and one strain of Lactobacillus . The majority of strains produced esterases.


This report deals with the 20 papers presented during the fourth international symposium arranged by the Skandia Group in Stockholm, Sweden, from Sept 29 to Oct 1,1969. The first 11 are concerned with the structural, histochemical, and metabolic findings associated with liver injury, for the most part ethanolic, in man. The participants are preeminent in their various fields, and for the most part the presentations are readable and comprehensible, even for those somewhat unfamiliar with biochemistry. The discussions which follow are excellent, and as usual in conferences of this kind, are often more informative than the formal paper itself. This group of subjects delineates the limitations of various methods of determining liver injury. It is refreshing to note that the liver is presented as a dynamic organ with complex, interrelated reactions progressing constantly. These preclude accurate determination of many metabolic changes except as they may be assayed from a single