Introduction Background. Epidemiological studies have identified aortic stiffness as an independent predictor of cardioEpidemiological and clinical studies have shown that vascular mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) damage of large arteries is a major contributory factor patients. In these patients, aortic pulse wave velocity to the high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of (PWV ) was associated with mediacalcosis, but the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients [1,2]. The influence of arterial calcifications on the viscoelastic adverse effects of macrovascular disease are attributproperties of large arteries was not well characterized. able to two principal mechanisms: (i) the presence of The purpose of the present study was to analyse the occlusive lesions, principally atherosclerotic plaques, influence of arterial calcifications on arterial stiffness responsible for ischaemic lesions and/or infarction in stable haemodialysed patients. downstream from the lesion and (ii) stiffening of Methods. We studied 120 stable ESRD patients on arterial walls associated with arterial dilatation and haemodialysis. All patients underwent B-mode ultrahypertrophy [3]. The increased stiffness causes an sonography of common carotid artery (CCA), aorta, increase of systolic blood pressure (BP) and pulse and femoral arteries to determine CCA distensibility, pressure and a decrease of diastolic BP, thereby causing the elastic incremental modulus (Einc), and the presincreased left ventricular (LV ) afterload and altered ence of vascular calcifications. All patients underwent coronary perfusion [4]. The principal outcomes of measurement of aortic PWV and echocardiogram. The these changes are LV hypertrophy, aggravation of presence of calcifications was analysed semiquantitcoronary ischaemia, and increased fatigue of arterial atively as a score (0 to 4) according to the number of wall tissues [3–5]. ESRD patients have stiffer arteries arterial sites with calcifications. than ageand BP-matched non-uraemic subjects [3,6 ]. Results. Our observations indicate that arterial and Furthermore, in these patients, arterial hypertrophy is aortic stiffness is significantly influenced by the presaccompanied by increased incremental elastic modulus ence and extent of arterial calcifications. The extent of (Einc) and increased pulse-wave velocity (PWV ) arterial calcifications is in part responsible for increased [3,6,7]. Recent epidemiological studies on ESRD left ventricular afterload, and is inversely correlated patients have identified aortic PWV and common with stroke volume. The influence of calcifications is carotid artery (CCA) Einc as strong independent preindependent of the role of ageing and blood pressure. dictors of their cardiovascular morbidity and mortality Arterial calcifications density increases with age, dura[8,9]. While the observation that the Einc is elevated tion of haemodialysis, the fibrinogen level, and the in ESRD patients strongly favours altered intrinsic prescribed dose of calcium-based phosphate binders. elastic properties or major architectural abnormalities, Conclusions. The results of this study showed that the the pathogenic factors contributing to arterial stiffening presence of vascular calcifications in ESRD patients in ESRD are less obvious. Calcification of elastic was associated with increased stiffness of large capacity, lamellae and increased calcium contents are observed elastic-type arteries, like the aorta and CCA. The in the arteries of uraemic patients [10,11]. In haemodiaextent of arterial calcifications increased with the use lysed patients, aortic PWV was found to be associated of calcium-based phosphate-binders. with mediacalcosis of the aorta and an elevated calcium×phosphate product (Ca×P) [6,12]. Never


Middle- and upper-class Jewish women enjoyed less equality within their faith communities than Christian counterparts. They were represented in every strand of the suffrage movement, and in 1912 formed the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage (JLWS), modelled on similar Christian leagues. A study of the origins of the JLWS, and its relations with parallel organisations, shows religious difference to have been no barrier, and even conducive to, cross-denominational collaboration. The JLWS confounded (largely male) communal expectations that it would not influence London's East End, and would exacerbate prejudice against Jews. Post-1918, Jewish women were denied the level of equality within their faith congregations achieved by their Christian peers.


Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon associated with physiological and metabolic changes that contribute to the increased prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The phase angle (PA) is a variable calculated by bioelectrical impedance analysis, interpreted as a direct measure of cell stability. The objective of the present study was to investigate the correlation of PA with the anthropometric measures, metabolic profile and the cardiovascular risk estimated by the Global Cardiovascular Risk Score in the elderly population.


The 6‐minute walk test (6MWT) is a well‐established clinical assessment of functional endurance, validated as a measure of walking ability in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The current availability of disease‐modifying therapies for SMA indicates a growing need for normative reference data to compare SMA patients with healthy controls.


Integrating the literatures on strategic human resource management and organizational support theory, we examined how high performance work practices (HPWPs) improve individuals' perceptions that t...


This study was intended to reduce cholesterol content of cuttlefish (Sepiasp.) processed by boiling and steaming. Three kilograms of fresh cuttlefish weretaken from a fish market in Pekanbaru. The cuttlefish was washed and groupedinto 3 groups of one kilogram each. First group was boiled at 100oC, second groupwas steamed at 101oC and third group was fresh cuttlefish (control). Cuttlefishbefore and after boiling or steaming was weighed and analysed for cholesterolcomposition, moisture, fat and protein. The result indicated that the cholesterolcomposition of boiled cuttlefish, steamed cuttlefish, and control was 2,76 mg/g,2,07 mg/g, and 5,74 mg/g respectively. Moisture, fat and protein of cuttlefishboiled cuttlefish was 74,98%, 0,22%, 16,17% respectively; steamed cuttlefishwas 67,66%, 0,15%, and 19,75% respectively; and control was 84,24%, 0,35%,24,90% respectively. The result showed that percentage of meat, head, visceraeand internal shell of boiled cuttlefish was 39,04%, 10,70%, 4,69%, 5,55%respectively; steamed cuttlefish was 37,77%, 12,51%, 3,57% respectively; andcontrol was 60,54%, 22,51%, 11,33% respectively. Keywords : Cuttlefish (Sepia sp), reduction , cholesterol


The simple fact that human fingers are large and mobile devices are small has led to the perennial issue of limited surface area for touch-based interactive tasks. In response, we have developed Toffee, a sensing approach that extends touch interaction beyond the small confines of a mobile device and onto ad hoc adjacent surfaces, most notably tabletops. This is achieved using a novel application of acoustic time differences of arrival (TDOA) correlation. Previous time-of-arrival based systems have required semi-permanent instrumentation of the surface and were too large for use in mobile devices. Our approach requires only a hard tabletop and gravity -- the latter acoustically couples mobile devices to surfaces. We conducted an evaluation, which shows that Toffee can accurately resolve the bearings of touch events (mean error of 4.3° with a laptop prototype). This enables radial interactions in an area many times larger than a mobile device; for example, virtual buttons that lie above, below and to the left and right.


An affine transform invariant blind watermarking technique is proposed based on secret sharing and high order spectra in this paper.Watermark is divided into n shadows to enhance security,according to secret sharing scheme,only t or more than t shadows can reconstruct the secret watermark.The watermark is embedded in the rotation,scaling,and translation invariant vector of bispectrum.Bispectrum detection is utilized to detect whether the test image contains the watermark or not.Even with small signal noise ratio,the detector can get a high detection probability.The independent component analysis is adopted,and thus the shadow could be detected as well as extracted.Before watermark reconstruction,one way hash function is employed to withstand cheating attacks.The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is robust against a variety of attacks by watermark test software-Stirmark.


A retrieval algorithm has been developed which simultaneously estimates the over ocean near-surface wind speed and rain rate profile using data from a 10.7 GHz microwave radiometer and a dual-frequency Doppler radar. The algorithm uses the radar backscatter measurements to estimate two parameters of the gamma drop size distribution (GDSD) at each range gate. The parameterized GDSD can be integrated to determine the rain rate profile. The wind speed is estimated from the 10.7 GHz brightness temperatures (TBs) by removing the contribution from the atmosphere and isolating the contribution from the surface wind speed. The atmospheric optical depth at 10.7 GHz is estimated by integrating the extinction coefficient determined at each radar range gate using the parameterized GDSD and Mie theory. Results of wind speed and rain rate retrievals are presented from a field campaign in June of 2003 in which several precipitation overflights were made with a NASA DC-8 equipped with the PR-2 radar and the LRR-X microwave radiometer


With the generation and development of economic law,the status of economic norms has been enhanced increasingly.Accordingly,modern economic law bears intensive dependence on procedures.Norms on economic law procedures can be classified into a series of dual structures such as mediation and countermeasures procedures,litigation and non-litigation procedures,formal and informal procedures.The imbalance within such dual structures is so obvious that their corresponding status and functions in economic law differ greatly.It is held that the structure analysis of economic law procedures will be of great value to well define and integrate such various procedures so as to enhance its integrated function.


In 1944, Dorothy Sayers published an article under the title "Towards a Christian Aesthetic" in which she observed that there was yet no "Christian aesthetic," "no Christian philosophy of the arts" (4). Since then there have been various attempts to work out a theory that explains the aesthetic experience that lies at the heart of Christian art.2 Some of the most promising of these have evolved from within Catholic (Hans Urs von Balthasar, Jacques Maritain) or Protestant (Paul Tillich, Nicholas Wolterstorff, G. van der Leeuw) worldviews. The Eastern Orthodox perspective is distinctly less familiar. This is surprising given the rich, age-old, and almost uninterrupted tradition within the Eastern Church which draws on Late Antique pagan and Christian Neoplatonism, running through the Byzantine theology of the image in the Medieval period, and that continues into modem early twentieth-century Russian religious philosophy. In this essay I intend to highlight the contribution of this tradition by focusing on some ideas on the religious image developed by the Russian thinker Pavel Florensky (1883-1937) in the 1920s.Florensky, a priest and an exceptionally gifted polymath, was executed in the purges of 1937. Thereafter, for decades to come, his writings remained little known both in the Soviet Union and abroad. Even though there has been a great renaissance in Florensky studies in the last several decades, his work is still not well integrated within the intellectual history of his time. This is most certainly the case with Florensky's aesthetical thought. I will argue in this article that Florensky's aesthetical position should be understood as a direct, critical response to contemporary formalism centering on the notion of "disinterested aesthetic attitude. " In his anti-formalist aesthetics, the Russian author explicitly draws on medieval Byzantine theology. This is well known. What is less appreciated is that he aligns himself with ideas from German Romantic aesthetics and also foreshadows later postmodern aesthetic theories. If this interpretation is accepted, Florensky's writings on the art of the icon can be recovered as a forgotten chapter in the vast debate on what I will call "an aesthetics of presence," i.e., the tradition of thought on the nature of presence in the image that goes back at least to the Romantics is taken up anew by postmodernism and is still alive in discussions unfolding against the background of the "pictorial tum" in the contemporary period. If Florensky has any concrete contribution to offer, it seems to me that it would lie in his bringing a typically Orthodox line of thought to the debate, which is missing at this stage.In Part I of this article, I will consider the "disinterested aesthetic attitude," one of the basic but also much misunderstood notions of Western aesthetics. Part II will look at an alternative tradition, which takes seriously the dimension of presence at play in the work of art, especially religious art. The "aesthetics of presence," underlying much of German Romantic aesthetics as well as trends within postmodernism, implies that a disinterested attitude, as it has been understood by a line of later interpreters of Kant, is an impossibility. In Part III, I will consider the notion of aesthetic intuition (which, admittedly, does not amount to a "system") developed by Florensky at the beginning of the twentieth century that draws on a long tradition of Eastern Orthodox theological thought. For Florensky, all genuine art is symbolic, while the symbol is a "container" of presence. The Russian author's theory builds on a dialectical and antinomic understanding of the nature of presence by using the terminology of essence and energies established for Orthodoxy by St. Gregory Palamas in the fourteenth century. Ultimately, the symbol is the uncovering of the noumenon in the phenomenon, the presence of the transcendent in the immanent.I. The Power of Images and the Failure of AestheticsIn this article, I will examine the little-known Eastern Orthodox critique of traditional, Western aesthetics which was advanced by Florensky in the 1920s. …


A spin-polarized current flowing through a ferromagnet exerts torque on the magnetization. This quantummechanical torque, called spin-transfer torque (STT), offers novel methodologies to manipulate the static direction and/or the dynamical motion by an electric current. A spin torque oscillator (STO) [1] is a nano-sized oscillator which utilizes the magnetization dynamics excited by the STT as a source of the microwave emission. According to the device structure and/or the underlying phenomena of the conversion process from the magnetization dynamics to microwave, STOs can be categorized into several types, e.g. current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) giant magnetoresistance (GMR) STOs, magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) STOs, and spin-Hall STOs. Since the output power of an STO scales with the magnetoresistance of the device, MgO-based MTJ-STOs have a great advantage in the achievement of large output power owing to the huge tunnel magnetoresistance. Nevertheless, the absence of the tunneling current in GMR-STOs would contribute to a reduction of the shot noise, and thus would be potentially advantageous to realize extremely high oscillation quality factor.


Recently, our institution transitioned from a chemistry analyzer that was based on dry slide technology (OCD Vitros) to a system employing wet chemistry-based assays (Siemens Vista 1500). For all measured analytes, reference ranges were verified for assays on the new instruments with at least 40 healthy individuals before going live as recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines (C28-A3). However, following the implementation of the Vista instruments, clinicians began reporting an increase in low anion gaps without clinical …


Computational approaches to metaphor processing and identification are gaining popularity. In this paper, I will discuss the nature of a domain from a Cognitive Linguistic perspective, the kinds of domains used in sample computational approaches, and how they arrive at them.


Introduction: The benefit of partial nephrectomy (PN) compared to radical nephrectomy (RN) for T1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains uncertain, with observational studies conflicting with level 1 evidence. Therefore, the purpose of this population-based study was to compare long-term outcomes in patients undergoing PN or RN for T1a RCC. Methods: We studied 5670 patients in Ontario, Canada undergoing PN or RN for T1a RCC. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes were cancer-specific survival (CSS), chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and myocardial infarction (MI). We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the association between PN or RN and these outcomes. A sensitivity analysis was performed in patients with a preoperative serum creatinine available. Results: Median followup was 77 months. Compared to RN, PN was associated with significantly improved OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63–0.84), reduced risk of CKD (HR 0.18; 95% CI 0.12–0.27) and improved CSS (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.30– 0.65). The risk of myocardial infarction was not significantly different between groups (HR 0.91; 95% CI 0.62–1.34). Few patients (n=15) required renal replacement therapy. In the sensitivity analysis, the association between type of surgery and OS and CKD persisted, while the association with CSS did not. CUAJ – Original Research Nayan et al Long-term outcomes of PN vs. RN for T1a RCC 2 © 2020 Canadian Urological Association Conclusions: Our study found that in patients undergoing surgery for T1a RCC, PN was associated with improved OS and reduced risk of CKD compared to RN. However, few patients in either group developed ESRD requiring renal replacement therapy. Introduction The incidence of kidney cancer is increasing in several countries1. This increase is thought to be due to the rising prevalence of obesity and hypertension, both of which are established risk factors for kidney cancer2, and the increased use of diagnostic imaging3. The increased use of diagnostic imaging may explain the stage migration that has been observed over time, with the vast majority of tumours detected in the modern era being stage T1a tumours (tumours less than 4cm)4. Several guidelines recommend that patients with clinical stage T1a tumours be managed preferentially with partial nephrectomy (PN) over radical nephrectomy (RN)5-7. This recommendation is based on several observational studies demonstrating that PN is associated with a reduced risk of renal dysfunction and improved overall survival compared to RN8. However, many of these observational studies have been limited by sample size, follow-up, and inclusion of patients with heterogenous kidney cancer characteristics. Furthermore, few have been population-based, limiting their generalizability. The only randomized trial comparing these surgical approaches validated the increased risk of renal dysfunction with RN9; however, overall survival in this trial was improved in the RN arm10. Given that the therapeutic benefit of PN remains uncertain8 in patients presenting with clinical stage T1a kidney cancer, the most common stage of presentation in the present era, we performed a population-based study evaluating long-term survival and renal disease following PN compared to RN in these patients.


s From the 2018 CSFS Conference (Gatineau, QC, April 30–May 4, 2018) WORKSHOPS Forensic science, the bar and the bench Organizer: Tobin Tanaka This educational one-day symposium is intended to provide an opportunity for members of the bar, and bench, and forensic scientists to discuss a variety of topics relating to the interaction of forensic science and the legal system. It is intended that this symposium will permit the possibility for a free exchange of how the forensic sciences can assist all parties in the legal system, in particular the courts. As the courts are the ultimate client and consumer of the proffered forensic evidence, insights from the bench on how forensic reports and testimony may provide truly expert evidence would be most welcome. The first part (morning session) of the symposium provides an overview of those forensic disciplines represented by the CSFS, each providing a 15-minute overview of their respective specialization. The forensic disciplines include: Anthropology/Medical Odontology, Biology, Chemistry, Documents, Engineering, Firearms and Toxicology. In each overview the scope and foundation, education, training and research for each forensic discipline will be provided. Specifically, how these factors may be considered in the admissibility of expert evidence under the four part criteria of R. v. Mohan, the reporting of findings, and the weight of admitted forensic expertise will discussed. The second part (afternoon session) will be a discussion between the legal community and forensic scientists. The topics of best practices, the interaction that counsel has with forensic scientists, and court room testimony are anticipated areas of discussion. All forensic scientists, lawyers, judges, students and other stakeholders in the justice system are welcome to participate in this workshop. Theory of the logical approach for forensic handwriting casework Presenter: Brent Ostrum Objectives: At the end of the workshop participants will have a working knowledge of the logical approach to evidence evaluation. They will understand how the approach works and the requirements for its application, and also be able to explain pros, cons and limitations. Synopsis: This workshop presents the logical approach to evidence evaluation and discusses this approach contrasting it with the 'traditional' approach used in most labs today. Distinctions between the logical approach, the likelihood-ratio approach and a Bayesian approach will be explored. Pros, cons and requirements for the proper use of each approach, including the 'traditional' approach, will be discussed. The current scientific and legal status of the logical approach, both worldwide and in Canada, will be addressed with discussion of various initiatives in other countries that can be expected to have an impact on the Canadian scene. There is a strong lecture component to the workshop; however, it is also interactive in that participants will discuss various issues in smaller working groups, as appropriate. Participants will be tested to determine whether or not the basic information has been learned. This session is aimed primarily at forensic practitioners (in any discipline) but will be of value to anyone interested in the topic (e.g., lawyers, judges). Examples are drawn primarily from forensic document examination, but not exclusively, and the general concepts apply equally to all domains and disciplines.


Abstract Family violence research and practice is generally fragmented according to the type of violence and the identity of the victim and perpetrator but the few small studies that have been undertaken suggest that a number of forms of violence may occur simultaneously in the same family. An exploratory study of twenty child abusive families found that each family was involved in at least one other violent activity, as well as (with only one exception) more than one type of child abuse. The violence was directed by adults and children towards self, adults, children, and/or the community. It is suggested that failure to take all violence into account may have hindered theory development. It is also proposed that there may be serious implications for intervention in child abuse in that the child protection worker may underestimate the danger to, and other effects on, the child.


According to the characteristics of the new rules of Greco-Roman wrestling,the article analyzed with the relevent documents and materials,combined with the pre-final results of China's Tenth National Games statistical and technical concluded that : The preliminary of the Tenth National Games Greco-Roman wrestling got the score mainly with the action "Salto" and "Shifting";the final major action is the ground wrestling,"holding and lifting" and "rolling bridge." Competition has a significant change in ranking.


Background : Alcohol consumption has serious economic, social and medical consequences. Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to serious medical consequences especially neurologic disorder. So far there is scanty of literature about neurological manifestations of alcohol consumption in India and overseas. Aims&Objectives: To study the various neurological manifestations, clinical profile and prognostic factors of patients admitted with history of alcohol consumption. Material&Method: This was a retrospective, observational study, which included 312 alcoholic patients admitted in the medicine department, during one year period (January 2012 to December 2012). Data was analysed by SPSS statistical package trial version 11. Results: A total 312 (3.28%) were admitted with significant history of alcohol consumption. All patients were males with age >15 yrs. Out of 312 patients 146 (46.8%) had neurological manifestations at the time of presentation. Out of 146 patients 13 (8.92%) had ischemic stroke, 2 (1.36%) had intracranial hemorrhage and 3 (2.08%) had cortical venous sinus thrombosis. and 10 (6.84 %) with seizures. A total 7 (4.81 %) presented with hypoglycemia, 5 (3.42 %) presented with meningitis, and 2 (1.36%) presented with neuropathy. A total 36 (24.65 %) had alcohol withdrawal syndrome and 38 (26.02 %) patients were admitted with alcohol intoxication and 30 (20.54 %) presented with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Total 25 (8.01 %) patients succumbed with alcohol consumption. Out of 25 deaths 12 (48 %) deaths were associated with neurological manifestations and 13 (52 %) with non neurological complications. Total deaths were 25 (8.01%) with mean age of 50.96 ± 8.7 yrs. Mortality was associated with increasing age hypoglycemia and seizures in neurological complications ('p'<0.0231). Conclusions : Half of patients with alcohol consumption had neurological manifestations and associated morbidity and mortality. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome, W-K syndrome and alcohol intoxication were common neurological manifestation. Mortality was more associated with neurological manifestations compared to the non-neurological complication.


It is an important means to use components programming in the development of Visual Basic's utility program. By this means, we can use the strong functions that sorts of existing ActiveX components have provided or users. So in this article, an example that the graph of generated automatically with ActiveX components in Visual Basic is introduced. The effect is fine.


Although various laser angioplasty devices are currently being examined, thermal damage and perforation of the vessel wall remains the major acute complication of vascular laser recanalization. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate the thermal effects and histologic changes from laser irradiation (Nd:YAG, 1064 nm) on normal and diseased aortic tissue using a novel angioplasty device. During laser emission the coaxially guided optical fiber tip was positioned in reference to the end hole of the metallic capped probe as follows: (1) at the end hole (metal-cap position), (2) protruding 10 mm from that end hole (bare-fiber position), (3) withdrawn 5 mm into the metal cap's lumen (hot-tip position). In total, 96 laser impacts (25 joule: 5 W, 5 s, each) were produced on normal and atherosclerotic aorta in air through a 0.2-mm-core-diameter silica quartz fiber, with direct contact on the intimal surface of the target tissue by both the fiber and the metal cap and by either the fiber or the metal cap (n = 32 each). Tissue temperature was measured by means of special sensors positioned opposite the irradiated intimal spot in direct contact with the adventitial surface. Morphohistologic evaluation of lesions was performed and injury indexes were determined. Thermal injury (on normal aorta) for the metal-cap position was 0.063 ± 0.02 versus 0.42 ± 14 and 0.13 ± 0.03 for bare-fiber and hot-tip position, respectively (p< 0.001). In the metal-cap position of the optical fiber tip the metal cap appears to act as a "heat sink" to decrease the lateral spread of thermal injury and thereby reduce the risk of perforation and enhance the safety of tissue ablation for potential vascular laser recanalization.


Abstract Although online and app-based relationship interventions have been developed to promote relationship well-being, they require a computer, tablet, or smartphone and a high-speed data connection. Instead, text messaging may be a more cost-effective form of delivery. In the current study, 461 participants from three universities, who were mostly female (73%) and white (68%), were randomly assigned to a control group or to a text message treatment condition where they received one text a day for 28 days. Results indicated that text messaging was rated by participants as a favorable method of treatment delivery. However, romantically-involved college students in the treatment condition did not report significantly greater gains in individual or relationship functioning than couples in the control group. Further, although students in the text intervention did not become violent during the study, they reported fewer decreases in violence than the control group.


The terpolymerization of ethylene, styrene, and carbon monoxide was accomplished by two different palladium-based catalysts: a phosphine-based ligand system and a nitrogen-based ligand system. The range of possible compositions and the composition dependence of the properties of the resulting polymers were determined. These polymers were essentially carbon monoxide versions of the ethylene styrene interpolymers recently presented by Dow. A comparison between the two families of polymers is attempted. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 752–757, 2000


Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging pathogen in South Africa as detailed in the recent publication by Groome et al. S. aureus infections in the developing and developed world represent a diverse set of disease processes with a wide range of antimicrobial susceptibility. Local epidemiology and susceptibility profiles should guide treatment. In their study of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in children, Groome et al. found rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) of 39% as well as high rates of resistance to other antimicrobials, in particular trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (TMP–SMX). The study was conducted in a population with an estimated prevalence of HIV in children ranging from 1.5 to 3.3%, depending on age. Their group estimated the incidence of MRSA bacteraemia to be 10 cases/100,000/year. The authors suggest that antimicrobial coverage for MRSA should be provided in cases of confirmed or suspected bacteraemia in their patient population. This work sheds light on the emerging threat of community-acquired MRSA in children in South Africa and the investigators should be applauded for their dedication and attention to detail in this difficult-to-study population. This commentary makes a few points on this intriguing research as it may relate to the applicability of these data in other areas of both developing and industrialised countries. While MRSA is a common cause of communityacquired bacteraemia in South Africa and many other areas of the world, there is tremendous variability in its prevalence. A recent study of febrile adults in Tanzania found S. aureus to account for 4.6% of invasive bacterial infections. While a prevalence of 4.6% in febrile adults with invasive bacterial infections is not trivial, it is important to keep in perspective that this is relatively low compared with the prevalences of other bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella spp and Streptococcus pneumoniae in many areas of subSaharan Africa. Furthermore, the prevalence of S. aureus as a cause of bacteraemia in children varies considerably in studies across the African continent, ranging from zero to 14% of cases in rural Kenya and Tanzania to 21–33% of cases in urban Nigeria. This degree of variation in prevalence makes guidelines for empirical therapy challenging, especially in resource-limited settings. The South African study demonstrates high rates of methicillin resistance among their staphylococcal isolates with no difference in rates of MRSA between HIV-infected and negative patients. It is noteworthy that the rates of MRSA described are higher than the rate previously reported from KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa of 26.9%. In addition, the absence of HIV status as a risk factor for MRSA infection is intriguing in that other work from South Africa has shown a correlation between progression of HIV disease and MRSA colonisation. Furthermore, numerous studies in adults in the United States have shown clear correlations between HIVseropositivity and colonisation and infection with S. aureus. Research performed among adults in Chicago in the United States found that MRSA skin and soft-tissue infections occurred at a six-fold higher rate in HIV-positive than negative patients. MRSA infections are becoming increasingly common among HIV-positive children as well, increasing to 54% per year in one 8-year study. While Groome et al. showed no difference in rates of MRSA between HIV-infected versus uninfected children, further surveillance of this trend based on data from other centres is warranted. Also, it is notable that, in addition to HIV-infection, malnutrition has been identified as an independent risk factor for bacteraemia in African children, and this was not fully explored in the study. The isolates studied by Groome et al. did not undergo molecular analysis to determine whether a particular staphylococcal clone was the predominant cause of community-onset bacteraemia. While there are limited data on the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in sub-Saharan Africa, previous studies examining isolates from throughout South Africa Correspondence to: J Chase McNeil, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Disease, Baylor College of JMedicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1150, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


Objective
To detect the expression of miRNA-95 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines with different radiosensitivity and study the effect of its regulation on radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells.

Methods
Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of miRNA-95 in cervical cancer tissues of 20 patients with radiosensitivity, 20 patients with radiation tolerance, radioresistant cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa, SiHa), and radiosensitive cervical cancer cell lines (Me180). MiRNA-95 mimics (miRNA-95 mimics group)and miRNA-95 inhibition (miRNA-95 inhibition group)were transfected into radioresistant HeLa and SiHa cells by liposome 2000, miRNA-NC was set as control group. CCk-8 assay was used to detect the proliferation of cervical cancer cells irradiated with 60Co γ-rays at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 Gy. After 4 Gy irradiation, cell clonal formation ability was detected by plate monoclonal assay, and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Dual luciferase activity assay was used to detect the target gene of miRNA-95 in cervical cancer cells. Nude mice were used to detect the changes of tumor formation ability.

Results
The expression of miRNA-95 in cervical cancer tissues of patients with radiotherapy tolerance was significantly higher than that of patients with radiotherapy sensitivity (t=12.279, P<0.05). The expressions of miRNA-95 in HeLa and SiHa cells were significantly higher those that of Me180 cells (t=5.162, 7.114, P<0.05). When the cells were treated with miRNA-95 inhibition, the expression of miRNA-95 in HeLa and SiHa cell lines was significantly lower than that of microRNA-NC group (t=5.162, 7.114, P< 0.05), the cell proliferation rate decreased significantly (t=8.273, 11.354, 13.489, 15.396 and 6.197, 9.185, 10.994, 12.442, P<0.05), the cell monoclonal formation rate decreased significantly (t=8.378, 7.931, P<0.05), and the apoptosis rate increased significantly (t=10.265, 8.386, P<0.05). The tumorigenic weight of nude mice in the miRNA95 inhibition group was significantly decreased (t=8.881, 10.037, P<0.05).

Conclusions
The miRNA-95 had low levels in both radiosensitive cervical cancer tissues and cells. Inhibiting the expression of microRNA-95 can significantly improve the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells by targeting SGPP1 gene.

Key words:
miRNA-95; Cervical cancer; Radiotherapy sensitivity; Cell proliferation; Apoptosis


Due to the effect of external elements such sea waves and sea wind, the ship will unavoidably produce 6 degrees of freedom of movement, with roll motion being the most likely to occur and having the greatest impact. This paper establishes a general dynamic model of the propulsion shafting based on Timoshenko beam theory, the concentrated mass method, and Lagrange's equation under roll motion and translation motion to study the dynamic behaviour of the propulsion shafting under roll motion and translation motion. FFT, axis trajectory, Poincaré map, and 3D spectrogram were utilized to examine the impact of motion amplitude, frequency, and rotation speed on the propulsion shafting's dynamic response. The results demonstrated that base motion significantly affects the dynamics of the propulsion shafting, resulting in many components appearing in the system's response spectrum, and the system changes from quasi-periodic to chaotic motion when base motion amplitude or frequency rises.


Recently, treatment strategy of rectal cancer has changed dramatically. The application of total mesorectal excision (TME) and preoperative chemoradiation therapy (PCRT) has become standard procedure for locoregional and locally advanced rectal cancer, respectively. For the planning of patient-specific therapy, both functional and morphological radiologic evaluation as well as multidisciplinary approach is essential. In other words, the needs for more accurate T- and N-staging and assessment of circumferential resection margin, both before and after PCRT, are increasing rapidly. Although so far there is no consensus on the role of diagnostic imaging (endorectal ultrasound, CT, MRI) in the evaluation of rectal cancer patient, MRI with diffusion-weighted image is emerging as an essential imaging modality, especially in the assessment of tumor response and depiction of complete remission after PCRT. In this review, we intended to demonstrate the present diagnostic role of various imaging modalities in tumor assessment of locally advanced rectal cancer before and after PCRT, with the introduction of new emerging imaging tool.


A weak fall dormancy variety of alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.cv.Eureka)(FD 8),California burclover(Medicago denticutata Willd)and Italian ryegrass(Lolium multiflorum Lam.) were used in a field trial in order to testify the feasibility of cultivation and utiliaztion of alfalfa for short term and to compare their performance of forage productivity.The results showed as follows: autumn seeded alfalfa grew well in April and May nest year,it could be harvested 2 or 3 times before maize or rice were planted in summer.The fresh and hay yield were 59902.71kg/hm2 and 12372.18kg/hm2,respectively.The fresh yield of alfalfa was less than that of Italian ryegrass,but the crude protein yield was almost the same as Italian ryegrass.The alfalfa got higher fresh forage,dry matter,crude protein and digestible dry matter yield than burclover significantly.Alfalfa had cultivation and utilization value for short term in farming region in east China.


We apply completely elementary tools to achieve recursion formulas for four polynomials with binomial coefficients. In particular, we obtain simple new proofs for Ruehr's combinatorial identities. Moreover, we use our formulas to find identities and inequalities for trigonometric polynomials. Mathematics Subject Classifications: 05A19, 11C08, 26D05


We continue exploration for the possibility of increase of the repetition rate for the Next Linear Collider with SC structures operating at ~3GHz, simultaneously while decreasing the bunch train length. Here we propose a new input for RF power into the accelerating structure. Two-klystron scheme for RF feeding is also introduced.


In this demonstration, we present AB9 SoC system, a single-chip solution for AI application. It provides the reconfigurable and programmable architecture to support the general computations for a variety of neural networks. The AB9 SoC is implemented using TSMC 28-nm process technology with a chip size of 17×23 mm2 and 1GHz operating frequency.


 Abstract— This work is devoted to see how the doping of Light Dependent Resistance (LDR) with phosphors (P) and iron (Fe), beside the magnetic field, affect the absorption coefficient and the concentration of free electrons. This effect is studied at different visible light wave lengths and different x-ray wave lengths. The variation of the absorption coefficient with the wave number and temperature is also studied in this work. The electronic structure has been calculated by solving the Schrodinger and Poisson equations self-consistently. From the results, it's clear that the sub band energies and inter sub band optical absorption are quite sensitive to the applied electromagnetic field. Also the results indicate that the optical absorption depends not only on the electromagnetic field but also on the donor's concentration .The result of this work should provide useful guidance for the design of optically pumped quantum well lasers and quantum well infrared photo detectors .


The purpose of this study is to examine the sustainability conception of recreational activities applied in private sector. The participants of this study which is composed of 23 managers from 4 different telecommunication companies in Izmir. Time schedule and the venue of the interviews were planned according to the participants and the interviever. The sustainable facility management perception of the managers were handled with qualitative research method and examined within the planned behavioral theory. The study is derived from the phenomenon that after a long term desk work in private sector, sustainable facility management is necessary in terms physical, psychological and sociological needs for recreational activities of employers. Obtained data were changed into prose in computer environment. Then, data were analysed through "Nvivo 11 Pro for Windows" software. As a result analysis of the data, managers thoughts on " application of recreational activities at work" , "the out come attained by participation in recrational activities" and "conception for sustainable facility management" were presented as main themes.Up to the views of the managers for applying recreational activities at work; among the activities "educational activities, trips" "picnic", "sportive activities", "art and cultural activities", "meals", "recreative games", "entertainments" and "organizations in nature" have been reached as codes. Benefits of participation to recreational activities at work four (4) sub-themes have been reached. These themes are; "physiological benefits", "psychological benefits", "sociological benefits" and" institutional benefits" . As for the importance of the sustainable facility management; "institutional culture", " belonging to the institution" and "sustainable facility management" themes are presented. And thus; " productivity", " team work", "institutional values", "defining mission and vision", increase in success", and "sense of belonging " codes reached. At the end of the research based on the managers' views, the result is that in private sector recreational activities contribute positively on the sense of belonging, productivity and in addition; physiological, psychological and sociological situations of the employers. Besides managers have expectations for sustainability of the recreational activities at work.


Aim To investigate the effects and mechanisms of DMA on cardiac function in cardiomegaly rat isolated hearts.Methods With Langendorff perfusion,the changes in the indicators reflecting cardiac function were observed in cardiomegaly rat isolated hearts.Its probable mechanism was explored with calcium channel blocker and sodium calcium exchange(NCX) blockers.Results DMA(0.5~2 μmol·L~(-1))enchanced cardiac function and exerted positive effects on LVSP-LVDP,+dp/dt_(max)and-dp/dt_(max) in Langendorff-perfused cardiomegaly rat isolated hearts.The effects of DMA on cardiac function in cardiomegaly rat isolated hearts weren′t blocked by nicardipine-one of calcium channel blockers and were blocked by NiCl_2——one of sodium calcium exchange(NCX) blockers.Conclusion DMA can enhance systolic and diastolic function in cardiomegaly rat isolated hearts.By agitating NCX,DMA enhances cardiac function in cardiomegaly rat isolated hearts,independent of L-calcium channel.


End-stage kidney disease and premature death are common in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) -associated vasculitis (AAV) with renal involvement. Poor patient outcome is attributed to multiple factors comprising a delay in diagnosis and treatment, inadequate efficacy of treatments, and complications due to toxic effects of given immunosuppressive therapy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical and prognostic features of a Swedish cohort of patients with renal AAV and to investigate the pattern of immunosuppressive treatment and predictors of renal and patient survival.

 Ninety-one patients diagnosed with AAV with renal involvement between 01 March 2002 and 30 October 2018 in a single-centre were included in the present retrospective study.

 Among these ninety-one patients, 52 (57%) were diagnosed with PR3-ANCA, and 39 (43%) with MPO-ANCA. Patients with PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA were received comparable induction therapy. However, the frequency of PLEX was significantly higher in patients with PR3-ANCA versus MPO-ANCA (44% vs. 21% respectively; P = 0.025). Overall renal survival at 1- and 5-year was 91% and 69% respectively with no significant differences between patients with PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA. Overall, 1-year and 5-year patient survival was 92% and 77% respectively. The overall survival time mean was11.5 years and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 9.9 to 13.0 years. Mean survival time in patients with PR3-ANCA was 10.8; 95% CI 8.8 to 12.7 years versus 11.7; 95% CI 9.6 to 13.8 years in those with PR3-ANCA. Cox regression analysis showed that advancing age significantly predicted higher mortality risk, whereas MPO-ANCA subtype significantly predicted lower mortality risk (Figure 1). Infection (25%), malignancy (22%), and cardiovascular events (16%) were the major causes of death in the present cohort. In a subgroup of thirty-two patients with eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or undergoing dialysis at time of diagnosis. Twenty-three patients (72%) were treated with PLEX, whereas 9 patients (28%) did not receive PLEX as a part of remission induction therapy. Treatment with PLEX had no effects on overall 1-year patient and renal survival

 In this cohort of patients with AAV with renal involvement the overall 1-year renal and patient survival were high. Advancing age significantly predicted higher mortality risk, while MPO-ANCA subtype significantly predicted lower mortality risk. Treatment with PLEX had no effects on 1-year patient and renal survival in a subgroup of patients with severe renal involvement with AAV.


Despite the popular view of medieval Europe as a Dark Age of intellectual stagnation, scientific and technological achievement thrived during this time. As any vacationer to Europe knows, churches and castles remain lasting testaments to the ingenuity of that period in history. Through carefully chosen examples which are presented in easily accessible thematic chapters, Science and Technology in Medieval European Life demonstrates how these two aspects of human achievement, far from being ivory-tower enterprises, impacted the daily life of people in medieval Europe. These topics will also resonate with modern readers in their own daily lives.
 This reference work begins with an historical introduction that situates medieval science and technology into its social, intellectual and religious context. Among the varied topics found in the chapters are: armor making, waterwheels and waterpower, chimneys, stained glass, communication technology, ship building, medicine both academic and village, mechanical clocks, calendar creation, and astrology. For those interested in pursuing further research into this area of history, the book concludes with a chronology of events, a suggested list of further reading and a glossary.


This paper presents results from the first excavations on the Saintes Bay's wreck, Guadeloupe, French West Indies. The
wreck may be linked to the loss of Anemone, a French schooner built in 1823 in Bayonne and used as a custom ship in
Guadeloupe. The July 2015 archaeological project surveyed the site. Discrete trenches were excavated to identify both shipwreck material culture and ship structure, and compare this to archival records; and facilitate archaeological interpretation
of the site, with regard to accounts of its loss, design plans, construction details, etc.


The recent, well-publicized, conflict in the Diocese of Pretoria raises questions about the Church as an institution within the new constitutional and democratic South Africa. The analysis of the conflict reveals that all parties exhibit institutional responses which, when considered with reference to Scripture and Tradition, render the organization, structure and authority of the Church anachronistic and, in their promotion of internal community strife, reveal the need for reform that reflects the gospel imperative to embrace incarnational relationships.


Introduction. Autogenous cartilage has been used frequently in reconstructive surgery of the nose despite the disadvantage of morbidity to the nose. The aim of this study is to find a new implant material that will be produced in vitro with tissue engineering, by getting stemcells of the perichondrium in contact with a matrix. This matrix serves as a carrier for cartilage regeneration. For this purpose, the matrix should not be cytotoxic, nor induce a host versus graft reaction. Nevertheless, the matrix should be shape-stable, easy to sculpt into the desired shape, porous to support migration of cells and, finally, gradually biodegradable with deposition of the neocartilage.

Material and methods. Mucoperichondrium was obtained from the nasal septum of adult female rabbits (white New Zealand). This perichondrium was wrapped around different type I and type II collagen matrices and subsequently cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagles medium. After 2 and 4 weeks the matrices were analysed histologically.

Conclusion. In the experiments, proliferation of cells from the mucoperichondrium was seen. In matrices with a porous structure migration of the cells into the matrix was seen. Finally, future research should show the occurrence of cartilage regeneration.


Enhancement of blood flow and decline of serotonin content of the rat thyroid occurred within minutes after iv injection of TSH to intact rats sensitized by thyroxine pretreatment. The increased vascularity was maintained through at least 4 hr after hormone administration, accompanied by an increase in thyroid water demonstrable by 2 hr. Participation of liberated vasoactive amines in TSH action is postulated. (Endocrinology 80: 689, 1967)


Abstract. In this paper the solution for the one-dimensional Stefan problem of fractional order was examined, considering a generalization of Fourier's law, in which flux is related to temperature through Caputo's fractional derivative.


ABSTRACT:This essay provides an extensive analysis of the development of the dominant sets of poetic imagery in Calderón's Henry VIII play, La cisma de Inglaterra. Enrique and Ana Bolena knowingly distort the standard symbolism of ascent and descent, and of the sun, with a view to manipulating their interlocutors (and sometimes deluding themselves), presenting a false impression of their characters and their motives. The distorted symbolism is deployed in sophistical arguments set out by individuals who, aware of the truth, nonetheless elect to deny it. The relativisation of the truth content of traditional symbolism is shown to be one of a range of elements in La cisma that justify the assertion that sophistry is an idea prevalent enough in the play to be acknowledged as a fundamental theme, underplayed by previous critics. The essay identifies these elements and provides evidence that recourse to sophistry and imposture was considered by Rivadeneira—Calderón's source for the play—to be a prominent characteristic of the historical King Henry and to have provided the fragile ideological foundations for the English Schism. It is suggested that these findings, together, cast some doubt upon the accuracy of Alexander A. Parker's description (in The Mind and Art of Calderón) of the dramatist's portrayal of Henry VIII as "extraordinarily compassionate." (RN)


An electron is a subatomic particle with a negative charge and is a medium for electricity to travel. An electron, being a stable particle, cannot be broken down; but the results shown in this experiment show otherwise. We can break an isolated electron by bombarding alpha radiation and beta radiation with the help of electricity. We also use photoelectric effect to isolate the electron. But due to no financial aid, we replaced the alpha and beta radiation with electromagnetic radiation.


In this paper, we consider the detection problem in a communication receiver as a sparse representation and reconstruction problem. This approach allows joint channel estimation and detection as opposed to the traditional approach, first estimation of the channel using pilot symbols and then, based on channel estimates, detection of data symbols. The sparse representation approach is employed for detection of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) signals in highly loaded multiuser scenarios with unknown user channels. Simulations show the superior performance of the proposed receiver over traditional receivers in a number of LTE scenarios.


The invention discloses a preparation method of 1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-methyl formate. The preparation method comprises the following steps of: preparing oxalate monomethyl ester monoamido thiourea by adopting oxalyl chloride monomethyl ester and thiosemicarbazide, then carrying out cyclization in an alkali liquor to acquire 5-sulfydryl-triazole-3-formic acid, subsequently desulfurizing under an acetic acid-hydrogen peroxide condition, and finally acquiring a target product 1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-methyl formate through methyl esterification. Compared with the existing production process, the preparation method disclosed by the invention has the advantages of being easy to operate, cheap in raw materials and high in safety, especially can be used for avoiding the explosive diazo-reaction and eliminating the potential danger, and better conforms to the environmental-friendly requirement.


This article is a commentary on Hoffman 8 Zhao's "A Primer for Conducting Experiments in Human-robot Interaction." I argue that a too-narrow view of HRI methodology fails to address the dynamic systems properties of interaction. Furthermore, the focus on addressing the so-called "replicability crisis" makes field studies next to impossible, inhibits interdisciplinarity and methodological pluralism, and draws our attention and resources away from the fact that contexts, people, cultures, expectations, and interaction itself may influence how social signals are interpreted. Therefore, in spite of its great benefits, the "Primer" may not be taken as an instruction on "how to carry out research in HRI" in general.


Since the publication of an article in 2008 describing the use of a single nickel-titanium (NiTi) file for canal preparation,1 the manufacture of an instrument capable of preparing the entire endodontic system on its own has been an objective pursued by the vast majority of companies. The use of just one single-use instrument could offer several advantages: simplification of the protocol, reduction in the length of treatment, reduction in the number of instruments used and therefore potentially the cost for the practitioner, a reduced risk of cross contamination, etc. What are the different strategies proposed by manufacturers to solve the enigma of the single instrument? A little bit of history


Ground water is increasingly used for domestic, agricultural, industrial and other activities. Quality of water is the most important factor for any use; be it domestic or any other purposes. Indiscriminate use of ground water deteriorates the quality and quantity of water. The present work reports the physico-chemical characteristics of the ground waters collected from an industrialized urban agglomeration of Visakhapatnam city, Andhra Pradesh. The physicochemical parameters include pH, Turbidity, Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, Chlorides, Sulphates, Total Hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, Total Alkalinity, Nitrates and Fluorides. Though the data show that majority of the values are compatible with the maximum allowable standards recommended by BIS, still in depth studies are to be carried out to decide its suitability for safe drinking and domestic use. It is possible that the concentration of the dissolved impurities may increase further if the recommended norms for discharging industrial effluents are not adhered.


?BSTRUCTION may be congenital or acquired ; It may be intrinsic or extrinsic. In the neonatal obstruction signs and symptoms may arise in the first few hours or in the first few days, while in the older infant certain signs and symptoms arise, in the early weeks or months, which suggest that all is not well Within the abdomen. It is important that these early signs and symptoms be appreciated as on their early recognition the survival of the infant will depend, for early surgical intervention gives the infant its best and, indeed, its only hope of survival. The intrinsic causes of duodenal obstruction arc the various types of atresia, While the extrinsic causes are volvulus neonatorum-due to malrotation-annular pancreas, abnormal peritoneal displacement and the various types of internal hernia.


We have analyzed the quasiclassical mechanism of magneto-oscillations in the ac conductivity and photoconductivity, related to non-Markovian dynamics of disorder-induced electron scattering. While the magnetooscillations in the photoconductivity are found to be weak, the effect manifests itself much more strongly in the ac conductivity, where it may easily dominate over the oscillations due to the Landau quantization. We argue that the damping of the oscillatory photoconductivity provides a reliable method of measuring the homogeneous broadening of Landau levels (single-particle scattering rate ) in high-mobility structures.


American Society of Engineering Management 2015 International Annual Conference, Indianapolis, USA, 7-10 October 2015. Due to copyright restrictions, the attached PDF file only contains the abstract of the full text item


Culturally determined norms are seen as guides to the subjective components in the decision process. An understanding of normative elements in choicemaking must therefore begin with an analysis of the culture relevant to the decision. Ways in which the Western twentieth-century intellectual and cultural climate have influenced the ability of modern managers to make value-laden decisions are examined. Implications of relativism for management decision making along with the influences of relativistic decision making on organizational health also are discussed.


The aim of this paper is to study the differential geometric properties of the intersection curve of two parametric surfaces in Euclidean n-space. For this aim, we first present the mth order derivative formula of a curve lying on a parametric surface. Then, we obtain curvatures and Frenet vectors of the transversal intersection curve of two parametric surfaces in Euclidean n-space. We also provide computer code produced in MATLAB to simplify determining the coefficients relative to Frenet frame of higher order derivatives of a curve.


The ingot of S31254 super austenitic stainless steel (SASS) was annealed at 1220 °C for 70 h to eliminate the segregation of Mo element, and the grain size grows to the level of millimeter. The stress–strain response and microstructural evolution of coarse-grained S31254 SASS were investigated by hot compression tests in the temperature range of 950–1250 °C and strain rate range of 0.001–10 s−1. The results showed that the energy required for plastic deformation improved with the increase of strain rate and the decrease of deformation temperature. The hot deformation activation energy was calculated to be 542.91 kJ·mol−1 through the regression analysis of hyperbolic-sine function, and the constitutive equation was established. Processing maps were constructed, and two optimal hot working parameters ranges were clarified. Due to the low fraction of grain boundaries, the main deformation mechanism of coarse-grained S31254 SASS was dynamic recovery. However, when the deformation temperature improved to 1250 °C, recrystallized grains began to nucleate and grow along with the band-like structure within the austenitic grains. When the deformation temperature is 950–1150 °C, the microstructural stability of S31254 SASS under tension stress was excellent. However, when the temperature and the strain rate were 1250 °C and 0.5 s−1 respectively, the microstructural stability deteriorated resulting from the formation of δ-ferrite phase and local melting of austenitic grain boundaries.


The goal of the first course in energy is to introduce the students to the wide area of electric power while making it relevant to their daily encounters. As educators, our philosophy for teaching the first course in energy must change dramatically from just an energy conversion class to broader topics that are relevant to all electrical engineering students. In this paper, we present the experience of the University of Washington in teaching a modular course in energy that can be taught in units and sequences determined by the instructor. By the end of the course, the students should understand most, if not all, of the following topics: history of power systems, worldwide energy resources, power plants, generation and transmission of energy, environmental impact of generating electricity, renewable energy systems, main components of a power system, power grids, energy exchange and trade, and blackouts. Other essential topics such as electric safety, power electronics and electric machines are also included. The electrical machines are taught using interesting and familiar applications to the students.


OBJECTIVE
To establish the correlation between lupus nephritis-associated autoantibody levels and the presence/activity of lupus nephritis and global disease activity using cross-sectional data in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODS
Disease activity was assessed using the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) index. Antibody levels against single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), histones, nucleosomes and heparan sulphate (HS) were analysed by ELISA in SLE patients with (n=11) and without (n=22) nephritis and in normal controls (n=21). Antibody subclasses were also analysed.

RESULTS
Higher levels of anti-dsDNA and anti-HS antibodies were found in patients with lupus nephritis, the level of anti-HS antibodies correlating with the BILAG renal score. Predominant subclasses were IgG1 and IgG3 for dsDNA antibodies, IgG2 for anti-nucleosome antibodies, and IgG2 and IgG3 for anti-HS antibodies.

CONCLUSION
Correlation was demonstrated between antibodies to dsDNA, ssDNA, histones, nucleosomes and HS. There is a strong correlation between the level of anti-HS antibodies and disease activity in patients with lupus nephritis as measured by BILAG.


Pattern customization is a necessary requirement to achieve circuit-relevant patterns using block copolymer directed self-assembly (DSA), but the edge-placement error associated with customization steps after DSA is anticipated to be at the scale of the pattern features, particularly as a result of overlay error. Here we present a new self-aligned approach to the customization of line-space patterns fabricated through chemical epitaxy. A partially inorganic chemical pattern contains a prepattern with pinning lines and non-guiding "blockout" features to which the block copolymer domains are aligned. Pattern transfer results in a line-space pattern with self-aligned customizations directly determined by the prepattern. In the transferred pattern, pinning lines determine the placement of single-line gaps while blockout features determine the placement and size of perpendicular trim across lines. By using designed two-dimensional chemical patterns, this self-aligned, bidirectional customization scheme enables the fabrication of high-resolution circuit-relevant patterns with fewer trim/exposure steps.


The era of information technology is currently developing rapidly, so people need a stable internet connection and able to support data and information exchange activities quickly. To support these needs, the network must be supported with backup links to minimize downtime and also so that high availability networks can be maintained. When there are many requests from network users, network devices will be burdened because they have to do a lot of service processes for requests from these users. this causes the connection to be slow and the connection to be lost if the network device cannot serve all the requests. The solution is to divide the traffic load that comes to network devices. The Load Balancing method can be used in dividing the traffic load that enters the network through several available network links so that it is not centered on one ISP (Internet Service Provider). The purpose of this study is to increase the throughput value so that traffic can run optimally. So that it can maintain network stability with the Load Balancing method and reduce the occurrence of downtime due to one ISP (Internet Service Provider) experiencing network problems by applying the Autofailover technology method. The results showed an increase in the throughput value after using the load balancing method, The measurement of the throughput value based on the TIPHON index has an average value of "4 (excellent)". By maximizing the throughput value, it is expected to increase the upload speed and download speed of an ethernet link network. Furthermore, by applying the Autofailover method as a backup link when one connection is problematic or experiencing downtime, the backup link will automatically run to support all network traffic.


The spacings have been widely applied to many situations, such as for example the coverage problem of the circle or the line, under the hypothesis of uniformity. The paper examines the asymptotic behaviour of the maximal spacings under non-uniformity, assuming that the existing density f has a minimum point m with f(m) = 0. The results are applied to the coverage of the circle by randomly placed arcs.


An analog baseband circuit of high linearity and high gain accuracy for a digital audio broadcasting receiver is implemented in a 0.18-μm RFCMOS process.The circuit comprises a 3rd-order active-RC complex filter(CF) and a programmable gain amplifier(PGA).An automatic tuning circuit is also designed to tune the CF's pass band.Instead of the class-A fully differential operational amplifier(FDOPA) adopted in the conventional CF and PGA design,a class-AB FDOPA is specially employed in this circuit to achieve a higher linearity and gain accuracy for its large current swing capability with lower static current consumption.In the PGA circuit,a novel DC offset cancellation technique based on the MOS resistor is introduced to reduce the settling time significantly.A reformative switching network is proposed,which can eliminate the switch resistor's influence on the gain accuracy of the PGA.The measurement result shows the gain range of the circuit is 10-50 dB with a 1-dB step size,and the gain accuracy is less than ±0.3 dB.The OIP3 is 23.3 dBm at the gain of 10 dB.Simulation results show that the settling time is reduced from 100 to 1 ms.The image band rejection is about 40 dB.It only draws 4.5 mA current from a 1.8 V supply voltage.


This paper considers a three-phase four-wire grid-interfacing voltage-source inverter with local unbalanced and distorting loads. A sequence-decoupled resonant control strategy is proposed to support the local voltage on top of conventional active power regulation. The local voltage at the point of common connection, which is traditionally used for grid synchronization for distributed generators, is also used for sensing unbalanced and harmonic voltages. Therefore, measurements of load currents for unbalanced and harmonic compensation can be eliminated with the proposed approach.


Horgan (1993) proposed that "superdupervenience" – supervenience preserving physicalistic acceptability – is a matter of robust explanation. I argued against him (1999) that (as nearly all physicalist and emergentist accounts reflect) superdupervenience is a matter of Condition on Causal Powers (CCP): every causal power bestowed by the supervenient property is identical with a causal power bestowed by its base property. Here I show that CCP is, as it stands, unsatisfactory, for on the usual understandings of causal power bestowal, it is trivially satisfied or falsified. I offer a revision of CCP which incorporates the evident fact that causal powers are grounded in fundamental forces.


Multispectral visible/near-infrared (VNIR) earth observation satellites, e.g., Ikonos, Quickbird, ALOS AVNIR-2, and DMC, usually acquire imagery in a few (3 – 5) spectral bands. Atmospheric correction is a challenging task for these images because the standard methods require at least one shortwave infrared band (around 1.6 or 2.2 μm) or hyperspectral instruments to derive the aerosol optical thickness. New classification metrics for defining cloud, cloud over water, haze, water, and saturation are presented to achieve improvements for an automatic processing system. The background is an ESA contract for the development of a prototype atmospheric processor for the optical payload AVNIR-2 on the ALOS platform.


. High resolution echelle spectra were obtained with the FEROS spectrograph at the 1.5m ESO telescope for 35 nearby bulge-like stars. From Hipparcos data it appears that the turn-off of this population indi-cates an age of 10-11 Gyr (Grenon 2000). Oxygen abundances are calculated using the [0 I] line at 6300.3 A. The derived results show an oxygen overabundance for most of our sample stars when compared to their disk counterparts.


Struts is a framework for application exploration based on MVC model 2.It avoids disadvantages of the common exploration approach based on JSP.The paper expounds MVC model and Struts Framework,introduces the mechanism of Struts structure how to distinguish control、business logic and appearance clearly,designs an integrate management information systems based on Web and the characteristic of the technology service company in some oil field,and a Web application instance that is realized by Struts framework is given in the environment of JBuilder2005,which provides valuable references for the programmers who are developing the Web applications based on the J2EE platform.


The quality objection(QO) of the medium and heavy plant of Jigang in 2005 is analyzed by MINITAB software.The result shows that the main product causing QO is Q345 series low-alloy steel and unqualified property,unqualified thickness,deficient dimension and petted surface are the main QO items.the irrational heating and rolling schedules are the main causes of QO.Therefore,some improvement measures are applied in the processes of heating,rolling and shearing etc in producing Q345 series low-alloy steel.Then main QO lowers 55.6 percent than the same term of last year.


The surface sediments on the continental shelf of the East China Sea were analyzed for the grain size composition,14 C ages and foraminifera assemblages.The results showed that the shelf sediments consisted of sand,silt,silty sand,sandy silt and sandy mud,according to the nomenclature of Folk(1970),with silty sand dominant.The mean grain sizes of the surface sediments overall became coarser from land to sea,which indicated the controls of sediment sources and hydrodynamic sorting on the grain size.Three depositional zones can be identified by synthesizing the depositional environments and formation processes,including sandy sheet depositional area off the Yangtze River,modern muddy deposition area,and central sandy deposition area.The sandy sheet off the Yangtze River was primarily controlled by the Pacific tidal currents and the storm surges during late deglacial to early Holocene period,and the shapes of sand waves are still changing now.Modern muddy depositional areas are composed of prodelta mud off the Yangtze estuary,Zhemin Coatal mud belt on the inner shelf and southwest mud patch around Cheju Island.These muddy systems have different sediment sources and formation mechanisms.The central sandy sediments had been eroded and re-deposited in transgression process since the Last Glacial Maximum,which determines that their sedimentary environments were not in accordance with present oceanic circulations of the East China Sea.Despite this,a little of fine suspended matter can still deposit in the modern weak hydrodynamic environment.


Abstract Reviewing data from five states of India, where suicides by agriculturists reached epidemic levels, this paper provides a sociological commentary to the issue. Unking macro and micro economic factors to social structural and symbolic meanings. the article highlights the ways in which the Green Revolution, as a model of modern agriculture, acts as a trap and induces a range of risks in the lives of agriculturists. Such conditions of distress are compounded by the social structuring of commercial agriculture that has led to 'agricultural individualisation' and the spread of new social demands. These trends combine with the larger context of a neo-liberal political economy where agricultural issues and agriculturists are in a state of 'advanced marginality', and account for the making of a crisis in which large numbers of agriculturists have taken their lives.


The reactions p\bar{p}/pp -> t\bar{t}H+X represent important channels in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson at the Tevatron and the LHC. In the leading perturbative order the cross sections suffer from severe (renormalization and factorization) scale uncertainties. The next-to-leading order QCD corrections stabilize the cross sections considerably. The calculation of these corrections is briefly reviewed, and a few numerical results are discussed.


An acquired IgG inhibitor to factor XIII was identified in a 30‐year‐old Vietnamese woman with systemic lupus erythematosus. The IgG fraction was isolated from plasma by chromatography on an agarose gel column and by protein G adsorption. The anti‐factor XIII activity, identified within the IgG fraction, inhibited factor XIII from both normal plasma (a2b2) and platelets (a2). A normal level of the b subunit was measured by immunoelectrophoresis of the patient's plasma, but the a subunit was not detected. These results suggested the presence of an IgG immunoglobulin which recognized the a subunit and interfered with its activity.


Purpose
Tax risks are common in China but often ignored by enterprises. Determining how to measure tax risks and effectively identify and control influencing factors is the key to the sustainable development of enterprises. This study aims to explore the key factors affecting corporate tax risks and analyze influencing factors from external and internal perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach
After selecting a data set comprising 11,503 firm-year observations of Chinese firms in the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2008–2017, this study applied a panel regression model to identify the factors' impact.

Findings
The results indicate that the more standardized the institutional environment and stronger the tax supervision, the lower the tax risks. Taking into account the internal factors of a firm, private companies with political connections have lower tax risks than those without.

Originality/value
This study enriches the literature on the factors affecting tax risks. The conclusion provides significant insights for enterprises to effectively control tax risks and maintain sustainability. The research findings also provide a new perspective for the government to guard against corporate risks and maintain the stable development of the economy.


ABSTRACT Victimization based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender expression (SOGE) carries significant consequences. In this study, we examined how SOGE-based victimization and contextual factors predicted truancy among 886 Chilean students (Mage = 16.00, SD = 1.30) in four high schools. Victimization predicted truancy indirectly through its associations with students feeling unsafe at school—in general and specifically related to their SOGE. Furthermore, perceptions of a negative SOGE-based school climate predicted greater truancy, almost entirely indirectly through students feeling more unsafe at school in general and specifically related to their SOGE.


The important role that work safety management plays in the development and survival of enterprises is stated and some practical and feasible suggestions and some basic principles as well as measures for improving the management level of safe production are presented.


A data processing technique is proposed for use with conventional absorption spectroscopy at arbitrarily fast frequency chirp rates to map spectral features accurately into time-domain signatures. Numerical simulations and experimental results are presented.


AbstractIn this research, the concept of continuum damage mechanics (CDM) was implemented to evaluate damage initiation and evolution in structural steel rebars at low and intermediate loading rates. The work was divided into experimental and theoretical phases to evaluate the ductile damage behavior. The experimental part involved uniaxial tensile tests for steel bars at the ambient temperature over a range of strain rates between 3.0×10−4 and 0.1 s−1. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with image processing techniques, was utilized to characterize the damage at several loading stages. The theoretical part of this paper introduced a new energy-based isotropic damage model capable of capturing the evolution of damage throughout the deformation process. The proposed damage model was verified via comparisons with the present SEM results and with other data available in the literature. The comparisons showed good agreement, and results from both approaches indicated that cracks and voids intensified...


Major welfare reform legislation passed the U.S. Congress in August 1996 by a broad bipartisan majority and was signed into law by President Clinton. Almost 10 years and many research articles later, the long-term effects of welfare reform are still being debated.


Objective To study the change of nitric oxide (NO), acrosome enzyme (ACE),hyaluronidase (HYD) and acid phosphatase (ACP) in human semen. Methods According to the density and activity of the sperm, specimens were divided into 4 groups. The nitrate, a metabolic product of NO was detected by coppered reduced cadmium fluometric assay. The activity of ACE was measured by improved Kennedy assay, HYD activity was measured by Singer assay, and ACP activity was measured by di-sodium phenyl phosphate. Results In 72 infertile men of different groups, the level of NO was significantly higher, and the activity of ACE,HYD and ACP was markedly lower than normal controls. Along with the decrease of density, mobility and the increase of deformity of sperm atozoon, NO became higher and higher,and the activity of ACE,HYD and ACP became lower and lower. Conclusions The determination of ACE, HYD and ACP in human semen is an important index to evaluate the maturity, mobility and fertilization ability of spermatozoon. NO could inhibit the activity of these semen enzymes and may affect the fertilization ability of spermatozoon.


Rotating shift patterns for nurses could be leading to ill health and putting staff at greater risk of accidents, a leading nurse teacher has warned.


As an important non-petroleum route for light olefin production,Methanol-to-Olefin(MTO) technology has been paid much attention to.However,its reaction mechanism,especially the path for formation of the first C—C bond,has long been discussed by researchers.Recently,the Hydrocarbon Pool parallel reaction mechanism has been gradually accepted.On this basis,many reports concerning MTO reaction kinetics have been published.Researches in coke formation and deactivation kinetics over SAPO-34 catalysts were reviewed in this paper.Detailed reviews were given to reaction mechanism,kinetics,coke formation and deactivation kinetics for MTO reaction over SAPO-34 zeolite catalyst.


Air temperatures internal and external to a talus cave ('ice mine') in central Pennsylvania were measured hourly for three years. Despite its location near the base of a talus slope, the cave demonstrated the thermal characteristics of an apparently static cave, with limited connections to the external environment other than through the cave entrance. Congelation ice that lasted until late spring formed as drip or flowstone and ponded ice from the limited influx of infiltrating water during late winter/early spring. A closed period of thermal stratification and slow warming of cave air was followed by an open period in winter months during which the cave was cooled by the influx of cold dry air. Unlike the occasionally strong and localised cooling induced by the flow of cold air from vents at the base of talus slopes, static cold traps retain their cold air and have little apparent effect on surrounding biota, instead providing potential refugia for organisms that prefer colder temperatures. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.


Why is the average quality of research in open science so high? The answer seems obvious. Science is highly competitive, and publishing high quality research is the way to rise to the top. Thus, researchers face strong incentives to produce high quality work. However, this is only part of the answer. High quality in science, after all, is what researchers in the relevant field consider to be high quality. Why and how do competing researchers coordinate on common quality standards? I argue that, on the methodological level, science is a dynamic beauty contest.


A time‐of‐flight technique has been used to measure the fast neutral Ar0 products from charge transfer reactions of Ar+(2P1/2, 2P3/2) ions with neutral CO2, CH4, C2H4, and C2H6 molecules. Reaction cross sections were found to be independent of the electron energy (from threshold to 100 eV) used to produce reactant ion beams and indicates that essentially all the Ar+ ions in the experimental apparatus are in the ground 2P state prior to reaction. (AIP)


and the tales of travellers can often be no more than subjective descriptions. Despite these difficulties, Lord Macartney's journal makes valuable reading, both for its intrinsic interest and for the style in which the account is written. Many of the subjects to which he has given consideration, e.g. the operation of the government, the extent of the population, the administration of justice, are of permanent interest to historians, and there are occasions when a wealth of detailed information has been preserved (e.g. the contemporary state of the Great Wall) thanks to Macartney's shrewd powers of observation and his habit of recording his findings regularly. At times, he speculates on the major issues of the day, such as the likely fate of China in the coming decades, or the basic reasons for the failure of his own mission; in these passages his judgements may sometimes be considered arbitrary, and his opinions may be more revealing of Europe than of the Far East; but throughout the journal and the observations on select topics there is a refreshing lack of patronage or prejudice, which forms a ready contrast with some more recent appraisals. Mr. Cranmer-Byng is to be congratulated on his presentation of this journal to the twentieth-century reader. He has provided an introduction suitable for non-specialists Western and Asian who come fresh to the subject, and has supplemented Macartney's text with annotations, biographical notes, and the text of ancillary documents (e.g. the famous edict addressed to George III). Western readers could perhaps have been helped with more illustrations and maps; Sinologues would appreciate a longer list of Chinese characters. MICHAEL A. N. LOEWE.


The kNN time series forecasting method is based on a very simple idea: similar states, observed in the past, most likely have produced similar output values. One has to look for nearest neighbors, according to some distance measure. The first idea that comes to mind when we see the nearest neighbor time series forecasting technique is to weigh the contribution of the different neighbors, according to distance to the present observation. The fuzzy version of the nearest neighbor time series forecasting technique (FNN), implicitly weighs the contribution of the different neighbors to the prediction, using the fuzzy membership of the linguistic terms as a kind of distance to the current observation. The training phase compiles all different scenarios of what has been observed in the time series past as a set of fuzzy rules. When we encounter a new situation and need to predict the future outcome, just like in normal fuzzy inference systems, the current observation is fuzzified, the set of rules is traversed to see which ones of them are activated (i.e., their antecedents are satisfied) and the outcome of the forecast is defuzzified by the common center of gravity rule. FNN was tested with a set of nonlinear chaotic time series, and the results compared with ARIMA. Its performance is satisfactory at this point and encouraging to continue evaluating the method, poising and improving it.


July 1990. The Pop Maths Roadshow comes to town. "Chaos" Rules OK. 28 July. Receive invitation to post-Pop Maths party in September. One of the conditions of eligibility to attend is to tackle four problems listed on the invitation. Surely only mathematicians do this sort of thing? I glance at the problems. Two of them I know how to tackle, and a third I haven't a clue how to begin; but it is the first problem that intrigues me most.


The libraries of institutions of higher learning will have new developing models in the new century. The main features are: mixed shapes; structures of "big -- open rooms"; simplified departments; library collection of books with both substances and imaginations; network moving model; open manage means; service forms of different kinds linked together, evaluation system must lay stress on quantity and quality. Facing the new models, we must set up new theories in the libraries. That is to say, we should have new ideas of "being good at reformation"; of "big libraries"; of "paying more attention to use than to collection"; of "readers first"; and the idea of "the quality of the Persons is the key to success in the library work".


A stochastic dynamic programming model was developed to estimate optimal strategies for U.S. wheat reserves policy using the results of an econometric model which reflects the complex dynamics of supply response. Empirical results indicated that U.S. producers are the beneficiaries of a wheat storage program, while domestic and foreign consumers are relatively small and large losers, respectively. Another result is that wheat storage capacity in excess of 2 billion bushels is difficult to justify economically.


The structural form of concrete pylon steel-anchor-box has been applied in the anchorage zone of a large span cable-stayed bridge,because it has advantages of clear mechanical pattern and convenient construction.Two kinds of structural forms that were usually used in engineering were introduced and their spacial models based on Sutong bridge were established respectively.The mechanical results of different models were obtained and useful conclusions were provided after comparing the mechanical results.


A VIRTUAL TRAINING ENVIRONMENT FOR WHEELCHAIR MOUNTED ROBOT by Elizabeth Leichtnam A model of a robotic manipulator designed to respond to different inputs from users with different skills or conditions is presented. This model can be adapted to different input variables and converted into joint angles which relate to movement in space of the manipulator's links. The algorithm allows for real time response and the features of the virtual environments (i.e., 3D design, stereoscopic vision) gives the designers the opportunity to use this model for training and usability evaluation according to the skills and different conditions that users could present. Two types of virtual environments were created aiming to be used as training tools for the user in the operation of the controllers. The first type is intended to develop complex daily tasks; the second one was designed to be used as an evaluation of usability. A relationship between the input given by the human motor system of the potential user and the response obtained from the model is evaluated by using Fitts' Law. Several works have been written using it as a model of prediction of human performance for Human-Computer Interaction. This work uses structured virtual environments where the variables required for Fitts' Law application are known and controlled. The evaluation of the response of the manipulator to the inputs from the operator have given information about the feasibility of controlling the movements of the robot according to the skills of the user. A VIRTUAL TRAINING ENVIRONMENT FOR WHEELCHAIR MOUNTED ROBOT by Elizabeth Leichtnam A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering May 2008


The preoxidation cleaning of silicon carbide surfaces (3C, 4H, 6H polytypes) by exposing them to ultraviolet radiation and oxygen is shown to produce a significant improvement in the electronic properties of SiC/SiO2 interfaces. It is found that this treatment results in a removal of defect species, otherwise present at the SiC surface after thermal oxidation of SiC. Carbon clusters are proposed as the attacked species responsible for a substantial part of the SiC/SiO2 interface states.The preoxidation cleaning of silicon carbide surfaces (3C, 4H, 6H polytypes) by exposing them to ultraviolet radiation and oxygen is shown to produce a significant improvement in the electronic properties of SiC/SiO2 interfaces. It is found that this treatment results in a removal of defect species, otherwise present at the SiC surface after thermal oxidation of SiC. Carbon clusters are proposed as the attacked species responsible for a substantial part of the SiC/SiO2 interface states.


The 2001 Health Strategy contains a recommendation that 'an Action Plan for Sexual Health' should be prepared. In
this context the National AIDS Strategy Committee (NASC) has recommended that the conclusions of the
subcommittee, which is considering the need for chlamydia screening in Ireland, should be considered
as a matter of
priority
.
• Genital
C. trachomatis
is:
• the most common bacterial STI worldwide.
• a transmissible cause of severe reproductive morbidity, including PID, tubal factor infertility and ectopic pregnancy
in women
• easily treatable and curable.
• The economic and human costs of managing the complications of genital
C. trachomatis
infection are considerable.
Most infections are asymptomatic and therefore screening or case finding is an essential component of control
programmes.
• The increase in the numbers of reported diagnoses reflect a true underlying increase in the incidence of genital
chlamydia infection but also reflect increased screening for and recognition of asymptomatic infection and the
increasing use of highly sensitive and specific DNA amplification techniques or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs)
for diagnosis of
C. trachomatis.
These tests can be used on non-invasively collected specimens, such as urine and self-
collected vulvo-vaginal swabs. They are the diagnostic tests of choice for laboratory diagnosis of
C. trachomatis
infection and are now routinely used.
• Young age and recent change in sexual partner are the most commonly reported risk factors for infection in other
countries. There are very limited data available on prevalence of
C. trachomatis
in Irish settings. The data available from
STI clinics, FPCs, student and antenatal settings in Ireland suggest similar trends to those seen in the UK and other
parts of Europe.
• While further evidence from ongoing research in relation to aspects of screening intervals, natural history of NAATS
detected infections and relapse/re-infection rates, which will allow more accurate cost effectiveness analysis, is
awaited, there is evidence that case finding for genital chlamydia infection, based on screening for infection among
sections of the sexually active population, can reduce the prevalence of genital tract infections and PID in women.
• Chlamydia screening programmes are in place in Sweden, the US and Canada. Various models for screening are also
currently being examined in other EU countries.
• A National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) is also being 'rolled out' in England, targeting young men and
women under the age of 25 who are attending healthcare facilities not traditionally associated with providing
specialist sexual health services including contraceptive clinics, general practices, young people's services, antenatal
services, colposcopy and infertility units. Screening is also encouraged through innovative outreach strategies, such as
"pee in a pot" days at military bases, university campuses, prisons and other non-traditional settings.
• Countries with screening programmes such as Sweden and the US and those without screening programmes, have
shown similar recent increases in the prevalence of genital
C. trachomatis
which may be explained by failure to include
men in screening programmes, resulting in a circulating pool of untreated asymptomatic genital chlamydia infection, or
by increased risk-taking behaviour. Recent commentators have concluded that screening programmes must employ
innovative strategies to maximize screening opportunities beyond traditional settings and must also target men in
screening programmes.


The plants with 48% oil content and 23% protein content were selected from F2 generation of 82278A(a parent with over 70% total oil and protein content) × 1702(the need modified parent).The needed modified parent with stable high oil and protein content can be bred through directive selection of the F3 and F4.


The effect of nitrogen concentration on the interfacial and optical properties, as well as band offsets of HfTiO thin films by rf sputtering HfTi alloy target has been systematically investigated. The results indicate that an interfacial layer is unavoidably formed between HfTiON thin films and Si substrate, and the main content of the interfacial layer is silicate. No silicide is formed in the interfacial layer which is partly responsible for the poor electrical properties of high-k gate dielectrics. The optical properties of HfTiON films change, such as the refractive index decreases, while the extinction coefficient increases with the increase of N content, due to the defects increase in the films. The results also indicate that the bandgap and VB offset reduce with the introduction of N into HfTiO thin films. The CB offset of the HfTiON thin films is almost unchanged indicating that the N concentration has little effect on CB offset. However, the bandgap and band offsets are all higher than 1 eV, the ...


Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the ratio of dietary protein to metabolizable energy on growth, efficiency of growth, and nutrient utilization of prepubertal Holstein heifers between 125 and 234 kg of body weight (BW). In the first experiment, sixty Holstein heifers (125 to 234 kg BW) were used to evaluate increasing dietary protein to metabolizable energy ratios (CP:ME) on feed efficiency, structural growth, and body condition score. Treatment rations contained a specific CP:ME ratio, 48.3, 59.1, 67.5, and 76.5 g of crude protein (CP) per Mcal of metabolizable energy (ME) with non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) to rumen degradable protein (RDP) ratios (NSC:RDP; g of NSC per g of RDP) of 4.15 for the 48.3 CP:ME ratio, 3.30 for the 59.1 CP:ME ratio, 2.75 for the 67.5 CP:ME ratio, and 2.32 for the 76.5 CP:ME ratio. Treatment rations were assigned to heifers in a complete randomized block design with treatment periods lasting 20 wk. Body weight was recorded weekly on two consecutive days and used to adjust dry matter intake (DMI), which averaged approximately 2.0% of BW, to achieve a desired 0.80 kg/d rate of gain. By design, average daily gain was not influenced while DMI showed an increasing quadratic effect with increasing CP:ME ratios. Feed efficiency improved linearly with increasing CP:ME ratios. A trend toward linear increases in wither and hip height growth occurred with increasing CP:ME ratios. Observed linear effects in feed efficiency and some structural growth measurements demonstrate positive results when feeding CP:ME ratios above 48.3 to Holstein