Semi-natural linear landscape elements, such as hedgerows, are vital structures within agricultural landscapes that have an impact on ecosystem processes and support biodiversity. However, they are typically omitted from green infrastructure planning, which could lead to significant undervaluing of landscapes and their multifunctionality in terms of ecosystem service supply. Using the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) model suite, we tested the effects of additionally including semi-natural linear landscape elements on the model outcomes for crop pollination, nutrient regulation, erosion regulation and water flow regulation ecosystem services supply. The results showed that linear semi-natural landscape elements contribute positively to the landscape's multifunctionality. Small changes have been identified for water flow regulation, whereas, considering both spatial extent and magnitude of the changes, the greatest changes have been found with respect to the supply of pollination and nutrient regulation. Direct proximity of the linear elements had the greatest effect on ecosystem service supply, in particular with regard to pollination. Based on our results, a more pronounced consideration of semi-natural linear landscape elements as an important element of green infrastructure is advisable.


Objective: The stability of 2 fixation techniques for the tuberosities in patients with 3- or 4-part proximal humerus fractures treated with hemiarthroplasties was compared. Design: Retrospective review of a nonrandomized sequential series of patients. Setting: Level I university orthopaedic surgery department. Patients: A consecutive series of 58 patients (average age, 64 years) from 1990 to 1999 with 3- and 4-part fractures of the proximal humerus. Intervention: In group 1, 31 patients were treated with either a Neer or Aequalis shoulder prosthesis using nonabsorbable sutures and no bone graft for the reattachment of the tuberosities. In group 2, 27 patients were treated with either an Aequalis or Epoca shoulder prosthesis and a combination of cable fixation and bone grafting. Main Outcome Measurements: At follow-up (average, 32 months), radiographs were taken to confirm tuberosity fixation or degree of displacement or resorption. Functional outcome was assessed by the Constant-Murley Score. Results: Significantly more dislocated tuberosities were found radiographically in group 1 (10 of 13 in total, P = 0.011), and significantly more tuberosities were resorbed in group 1 (9 of 12 in total, P = 0.012). Significant differences in functional results among healed versus failed tuberosity fixation were observed for activity of daily living (P = 0.05), range of motion (P = 0.002), strength (P = 0.01), the total score (P = 0.008), and the passive rotation amplitude (P = 0.04). Conclusion: In hemiarthroplasties for proximal humeral fractures, the reattachment of the tuberosities with cable wire and bone grafting gives consistently better radiographic and functional results than with suture fixation alone.


Nature has always "longed for salvation", nowadays more than ever, as man has abused Nature, separated it from God and used it for his own selfish purposes. It is a tragic fact that this autonomy has not contributed in any way to the freedom of man, but to slavery, to his submission to nature and the laws of necessity. Consequently, general belief defines our time as dominated by a deep spiritual crisis which distorts the relationship between man and the environment. We consider that reestablishing patristic thought  ‐ based on a Christocentric vision of Creation – could be essential for the understanding and resolution of the present state of crisis. This vision doubles the faith of several contemporary humanists in restoring the sense of "logos" or of "history in Christ" for our history, meant to give transcendent freedom to human freedom where all Creation could rest. Therefore, in the present article I would like to outline a few hermeneutical insights for a possible dialogue between contemporary ecology and Christian theology.


Batang Regency is one of the areas in Central Java Province. This research focuses on the use of rice farming technology in Batang Regency. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the use of modern rice technology in land management by farmers as well as to see the development of the level of technological progress in Batang Regency. The method used is a qualitative research method with a literature study approach. The method of data collection was carried out by several techniques, including interviews, observation and documentation. The results showed that the use of rice farming technology in the Batang Regency has developed. Farmers prefer to harvest their rice using a modern rice thresher (combine) rather than manually. However, not a few farmers still choose the manual method in managing their fields. The effectiveness of the use of modern agricultural technology can make it easier for farmers to manage their land so that harvesting activities will be completed quickly


In this paper,levee line layout of the urban flood protection levee and choice of sectional form were analyzed.Layout of the urban flood protection levee not only should be combined with urban construction and beatification,but also be demonstrated synthetically in technology,economy and environment,levee line layout of the urban flood protection levee and choice of sectional form be confirmed rationally and scientifically.


The University of Florida offers a variety of programs and services to help municipal and county governments in the restoration and management of urban forests and associated natural resources that support human health and well-being. Programs include technical/professional training on tree care and horticulture for urban forestry and park staff, as well as urban lawn, garden and tree care classes for private citizens through the Master Gardener Program and the Florida Friendly Program. Services vary by county but may also include one on one consultation with private citizens and public agencies, and expert assistance with the development of comprehensive urban forest and natural resource management plans.


Twenty years of European reforms have not (yet) produced the railway market that was initially dreamt of. Competition remains limited. This paper looks at one element of regulation, charges for the use of railway infrastructure and other upstream services. In order to allow competition in rail transport services, access to infrastructure is subject to specific European Union (hereafter, "EU") capacity allocation and pricing rules as of 1995, transposed in the respective national laws. But in 2010, the Commission observed that "[t]he development of the railway sector and its capacity to compete viably with other modes of transport are still hampered by serious problems related [among others] to (a) inadequate financing and pricing of the infrastructure". This paper seeks to identify potential causes of why charging schemes have not (yet) been able to improve the railways' share. After having delineated the scope of the analysis, namely the tariffs of upstream railway services (1), this paper describes the EU rules that are applicable to those tariffs (2). That description is then subject to an evaluation of the achievement of the objectives pursued by charging schemes, through some examples (3), before this paper proposes the way forward (4). A short conclusion is provided summarising the main findings and recommendations (5).


The selection of alternative tourism development is one form that can be done in realizing tourism development by exploring the natural potential of the countryside into a tourist village. The quality of life of the community can be seen from the lifestyle which is the main ingredient. Building a tourist village which must be able to explore the unique potential of the village so that it has a characteristic that can motivate tourists in the future. The involvement of local communities in the development of tourist villages is a very appropriate form of formulation for the sustainability of the development of the tourist village. The spiritual tourism village of Alas Metapa Paninjoan has a lot of potential that can be developed but has not been explored optimally. The natural potential of natural and spiritual tourism objects. The crafts of the people of Paninjoan Tourism Village are in the form of farming and gardening in addition to traders who produce very adequate oyster mushrooms. The attractions that become the attraction of the Paninjoan tourist village are visiting people's homes to see firsthand the making of oyster mushrooms and the packaging process in addition to visiting Pancoran 11 with soft holy water and the Alas Metapa Temple, Bukit Hill and Pondok Mahapraja.


HRB400 steel bar with alloy of vanadium azote produced by Jiyuan Iron and Steel Company is of the advantages of high intensity and good welding property and meets the requirement of Grade I Shakeproof,the cost of which is much less compared with the former HRB400 steel bar with vanadium iron.


In this work, removal of fluorescein and eosin dyes using common agrowaste, i.e., peels of water melon (Citrullus lanatus) (WMP), has been studied in the batch mode. The sorbent material (WMP) was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis. The sorbent was chemically modified by subjecting it to 0.1 N HNO3 and 0.1 N NaOH solutions. Different parameters such as sorbent dose, pH, temperature, and agitation speed were optimized to investigate the sorbent efficiency for fluorescein and eosin dyes. Among three forms (raw, base-treated, and acid-treated), the base-treated form exhibited higher removal efficiency, followed by acid-treated and then the raw form. Generally, range for the removal of fluorescein and eosin was found to be 48.06–88.08% and 48.47–79.31%, respectively. Mathematical modeling of sorption data by Langmuir and Freundlich sorption isotherms and thermodynamic investigations were carried out to check the suitability of these agrowaste materials on bulk scale. The promising results concluded that peel of water melon (common agrowaste) can be potentially utilized for the removal of toxins.


The first milestone of NASA's Cube Quest Challenge has been reached, as teams competed in the first of four ground tournaments in August. The five highest-scoring competitors will each be awarded $20,000.


We apply a hard-scattering model based on quantum-chromodynamic perturbation theory to the production of hadrons at large transverse momentum by transversely polarized beam and target protons. We find that, at large x/sub T/ = 2p/sub T//..sqrt..s-bar, the spin-spin asymmetry A/sub N/N for the case of transversely polarized protons is significantly smaller than the corresponding asymmetry A/sub L/L for longitudinally polarized protons. This situation is due to the relatively smaller size of both the quark-quark scattering asymmetry and the spin-dependent distribution functions for quarks in the transversely polarized proton.


Molybdenum caps were prepared using molybdenum powder and wax-polymer binder mixture as feedstock.Feedstock was used by multiple recycling for 8 times to investigate the fluctuation of the maximum injection pressure,injection volume and green mass.The sinterability of the molded green bodies was also studied.The results show that the molybdenum feedstock has higher critical solid loading of 57% by volume fraction and good rheological property for injection.The developed binder has good stability and no evident decomposition is found during multiple recycling and injection.The fluctuation of green body mass can be controlled in the range of ±1.5%.The molybdenum caps with grain size less than 10 μm and density of 10.05 g/cm3 are obtained after sintering,which is higher than the molybdenum cap fabricated by using commercial MIM molybdenum powder from America and Germany.The purity of molybdenum cap is higher than 99.95% and the content of C and O is 8×10-6 and 10×10-6,respectively.The density and purity both meet the industry operating requirement,and the stability of the process is good.The application to produce molybdenum caps has been industrialized.


Two liquid chromatographic methods based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) and diode array detection (DAD) are evaluated for the rapid determination of melamine (MEL) and structurally related compounds, including ammeline (AMN), ammelide (AMD), and cyanuric acid (CA) in foods. Both procedures used ion-exchange LC and isocratic elution. Samples were extracted by homogenization with acetonitrile/water/diethylamine. Specificity was demonstrated for LC-MS by the retention characteristics and MS spectra, by comparing with commercial standards. Specificity was only demonstrated in the case of LC-DAD for MEL and AMN, considering the retention characteristics and UV spectra. The recoveries obtained for spiked samples were satisfactory for all the analytes with LC-MS. The proposed procedure, LC-APCI-MS, was successfully applied to the analysis of different baby foods, including infant formula and breakfast cereal, and samples of rice flour, potato starch, soya drink, and coconut drink.


As a novel power steering technology, Differential Drive Assisted Steering (DDAS) technology for the independent-wheel-drive electric vehicle has gradually appealed to researcher's attention. However, the previous experimental results show that its assistance quality cannot be fully accepted due to its caused sensitive steering wheel torque fluctuation in actual work environment. According to the working principle of the DDAS system, it is founded that the road roughness, the front wheel alignment parameters and sensor noise are the main factors that influence the quality of assisted steering and driver's road feel. Hence the three factors are added as interference into the ideal vehicle model. The simulation results and its comparison with the previous real vehicle tests confirm this causality between these factors considered and the steering wheel torque fluctuation of the DDAS system. Then a robust $H_{\infty }$ loop-shaping controller is designed to solve the issue caused by these inner interferences and outer noises. Simulations results validate the proposed controller and show better steering wheel torque performance than the traditional anti-windup PID controller published in the literature earlier. The proposed robust controller is further verified via real vehicle tests and the results are similar to the simulation results which can effectively suppress the steering wheel torque ripple, improve the anti-interference ability of DDAS system and greatly improve the driver's road feel.


The UN Financing for Development conference (FfD) was held in Monterrey, Mexico, in March 2002 to gain international financial and political support for the Millennium Development Goals. Various multilevel consultations were held with "equal stakeholders" ranging from the IMF and WTO to civil society organizations in order to forge a consensus-based framework for substantially reducing world poverty. However, despite the FfD's seemingly novel attempts at inclusionary and multilateral forms of negotiation, this article suggests that the Monterrey consensus is, in the first instance, concerned with reproducing and thus legitimating the growing power of transnational capital. The consensus is not so much about reducing poverty as it is about managing the ever-increasing polarization of capitalist social relations in the South.


Abstract:

T

he aim of the current research is to prepare a unit in science based on technology learning centers and to investigate its effectiveness in developing certain visual thinking skills among 8 hearing-impaired students who will be heading in the intermediate school. The researcher used the one-group quasi-experimental design in which both groups were pretested and posttested. The proposed unit " Alam al-Hayawan (Animal World)" was taught using technology learning centers. There was a statistically significant difference at the 0.01 level between the mean scores of hearing-impaired students in the first year intermediate in favor of the post-administration.


In literature most of the studies on assembly line considered constant task time and minimised cycle time. However, due to several uncertain events in the real environment, task time and flow time (completion time) of tasks varies and it can exceed the cycle time. Moreover, these variations in task time and flow time of tasks are also transferred to the next station and can affect the flow time on next stations. To solve this issue, a multi-objective assembly line balancing problem, aimed to minimise cycle time and maximise the sum of average probability of stations and the probability of the whole assembly line to ensure that the flow time of tasks on different stations will not exceed the cycle time in the presence of the transferred, added or absorbed variations of task times between the stations, is presented. A hybrid Pareto artificial bee colony (HPABC) algorithm is proposed to solve the presented multi-objective assembly line problem. The proposed algorithm considered Pareto concepts, used different neighbours of food sources for each employee bee and used crossover and mutation operation in its structure. Computational experiments are performed to solve standard assembly line benchmark problems taken from operations research (OR) library with the presented algorithm. The performance of proposed HPABC algorithm is compared with a famous multi-objective algorithm (SPEA 2) in literature. Computational results indicate that the presented HPABC algorithm outperforms SPEA 2 algorithm in most of the instances of the tested benchmark problems.


There are three the result of analysis data. First, related to the test result,percentage score in pretest is 27.58%, after implementing the holistic method in post-test one of cycle I is 48%,the result needed more improved because it could not achieve yet 75%, so the researcher continue in the post-test 2 of cycle II and get percentage score 86.2%. Second, related to observation result showed that the students were braver and more confident in speaking, it can be seen from their participation in the class, participation in conversation and their performance.Third, related to the questionnaire result, it is improved that the response of the students and their interest in learning speaking using holistic method is 78.75% that means it falls into very strong category. It can be concluded that the most students love holistic method. Moreover, they admitted that their speaking skill is improved.


In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm for sharpness improvement of license plates based on image fusion, and the use of multiple images of the same vehicle in different positions of the road using information redundancy. This algorithm was used on the radar project led by MAScIR that enables to estimate the speed of vehicles, extract the license plates and improve their contrast through fusion. Unlike the flash radars, this system uses a video stream processing and can process more data. Different image processing techniques were used in this project, the canny edge detector and forms detection to localize and extract the plates, the morphological operations and filtering to help the process and all the geometrical transformations for an efficient fusion.


The modular nature of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-mimicking inosine monophsophate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) inhibitors has prompted us to investigate novel mycophenolic adenine dinucleotides (MAD) in which 1,2,3-triazole linkers were incorporated as isosteric replacements of the pyrophosphate linker. Synthesis and evaluation of these inhibitors led to identification of low nanomolar inhibitors of human IMPDH and more importantly the first potent inhibitor of IMPDH from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtIMPDH). Computational studies of these IMPDH enzymes helped rationalize the observed structure-activity relationships. Additionally, the first cloning, expression, purification and characterization of mtIMPDH is reported.


The strike slip history of the Altyn Tagh fault was highly related to the uplift and deformation of the Tibetan plateau. This paper mainly presents fission track dating results of apatite from granites near the fault. The fission track dating yields ages concentrated on the 7~9 Ma, with about 2 Ma difference. Regional data also show that 8 Ma obtained by fission track dating of apatite is widely spread along the fault, suggesting a period of rapid strike slip of the fault during this time. Studies of the uplifting and deformation history of the plateau show that many important events, such as the uplift of the plateau, the formation of the NS trending extensional structures in south Tibet, and the climate changes in Asia, occurred at about 8 Ma. Therefore, the authors suggest that 8 Ma was one of the most important periods for the deformation and evolution of the Tibetan plateau.


There is a rising need to understand how the brain processes depression. This paper provides a comparative analysis of fMRI from ND and MDD participants on subjecting them to audio stimuli. The analysis infers that with negligible activation in the ACC and striatum, MDD participants are less capable of accurately classifying and processing emotions.


In the Republic of Mari El in the performance of the public veterinary services and production for 2006-2011. experienced higher economic efficiency of veterinary services industry herding.


Deep learning is currently an extremely active research area in pattern recognition society. It has gained huge successes in a broad area of applications such as speech recognition, computer vision, and natural language processing. With the sheer size of data available today, big data brings big opportunities and transformative potential for various sectors; on the other hand, it also presents unprecedented challenges to harnessing data and information. As the data keeps getting bigger, Deep learning is coming to play a key role in providing big data predictive analytics solutions.Big data assist ML algorithms to uncover more fine-grained patterns and helps in accurate predictions .The major challenges to ML are model scalability and distributed computing.The realization of this grand potential relies on the ability to extract value from such massive data through data analytics; Deep learning is at its core because of its ability to learn from data and provide data driven insights, decisions, and predictions. In this paper first, we review the Deep learning techniques and highlight some promising learning methods in recent studies, such as representation learning, deep learning, distributed and parallel learning, transfer learning, active learning, and kernel-based learning and analyse the challenges and possible solutions of Deep learning for big data. Finally, we outline several open issues and research trends.


....................................................................................................................... iv ÖZET ................................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.


The article is devoted to the issues of geoecology and geopolitics in the Arctic. The authors reveal the need to consider geopolitical challenges in the analysis of geoecological risks (GER) of oil and gas development of the Arctic region. This is due to the intersection here of the strategic interests of several States and their focus to prove the inability of Russia to ensure environmental safety in the development of Arctic fi elds. Th e subject of GER is used as a geopolitical tool against Russia due to the probability of it becoming a key player in the region. The authors propose a model for the analysis of GER, which is based on critical loads (CL) of acidity of pollutants and includes 2 stages: 1) the stage of quantitative assessment of GER, which allows to calculate not only the magnitude of the projected changes in the state of the Arctic ecosystems, but also the probability of their occurrence; 2) the stage of management of GER taking into account geopolitical factors, assuming a qualitative expert assessment, which is a procedure for making a management decision to achieve acceptable levels of the total GER.


Small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO-1) modification of IκBα has been described to actively participate in NFκB regulation. Following proteosomal degradation of IκBα, an auto-regulatory loop consisting of transcriptional activation of IκBα gene and SUMO-1 modification of newly synthesized IκBα proceeds. The SUMOylated IκBα form is resistant to signal-induced degradation, consequently halting NFκB activation. We describe a mechanistic model by which adenosine (Ado) signaling results in significant accumulation of SUMO-1 modified IκBα with subsequent attenuation of NFκB activation. Using models of hypoxia followed by reoxygenation (H/R), we have documented an H/R cycle-dependent increase in extracellular Ado correlating with increases in the cytoplasmic pool of IκBα/SUMO-1. We demonstrate a dose-dependent increase in IκBα/SUMO in cells treated with the general Ado receptor agonist NECA and abolished by Ado receptor antagonists. Experiments in cells exposed to cycles of H/R followed by hypoxia demonstrated differential patterns of SUMOylation and phosphorylation of IκBα, greatly impacting its proteosomal degradation by the 26 S proteasome. Assays targeting knockdown and overexpression of SUMO-1 demonstrated significant regulation of NFκB activation and NFκB-mediated gene transcription (interleukin-6). These results were confirmed in vivo using wild type and cd73 null mouse lung tissue. In summary, we present an endogenous mechanism by which cells and tissues acquire anti-inflammatory properties by recruiting a nondegradable form of IκBα, a major control point for NFκB activation via Ado signaling.


The key actor within the scope of refugee education has been shifting from external agencies to the refugees themselves over time. In recent years, refugees have taken the initiative to fulfill their demands for education. Ninety percent of Syrian refugees residing in Turkey live outside of the refugee camp and some part of them run independent schools in urban areas. However, the actual dynamics of their education are not outwardly reflected in statistics such as school enrollment ratio and remain largely unknown. The objective of this study is to examine the school operation mechanisms managed by Syrian urban refugees. The fieldwork took place in two southern Turkish provinces adjacent to the Syrian border for nine weeks in total during 2013 and 2015. Interviews and participant observations were conducted with Syrian school stakeholders. This study reveals four factors below as characteristics of elements allowing school education by Syrian refugees in Turkey to function: (1) Partial cooperative relationship between the stakeholders of the education for Syrian refugees; (2) Involvement of Turkish governmental organizations and responses by each school; (3) Connections between international/domestic supporters and Syrian schools; and (4) Ensuring diploma certificates and the impact the certificates have on student lives. Currently, it is difficult for unstably managed Syrian schools alone to respond to all the educational demands from Syrian refugees hoping for bridges to higher education. However, it is true that the expansion of education is being facilitated by activities by Syrian refugees themselves.


Predicting the stock market is difficult due to its complicated nature in this competitive world. There are many factors like physical behavior, industrial performance, economic factors, etc., which are going to affect the stock price. Due to these factors and a wide range of markets, Predicating Future stock values with high accuracy become tough. As we know that, learning from the past and predicting the future is one of the best things provided by machine learning algorithms for us. Our paper describes how to use machine learning algorithms such as recurrent neural networks (RNN) and, in particular, the Long-Short Term Memory model (LSTM) to forecast stock prices in the future. The central theme of our paper is how we will forecast stock prices and how we will use these algorithms to achieve high precision in forecasting stock prices.


This article introduced the relationship between osteoporosis and depression. Recent studies have shown that there is a possibility of reciprocal causation between the two chronic diseases,and the pathogenesis of which may come from endocrine hormone,medicine,behavior and so on. Regardless of the correct causal order,the strong positive relationship between osteoporosis and depression merits further clinical and research attention in the future.


The Upper Mississippi River is a dynamic floodplain river that has been largely transformed by navigational levees and dams since the 1930s. The pools upstream of each dam are lake‐like and only about the upper third of each reach retains a riverine character. In contrast, the Wisconsin River is not managed for commercial navigation and today its lower 149 km represent one of the least‐degraded large river reaches in central North America. Riverine reaches in both the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers have similar macro‐habitats including numerous islands, large side channels, and connected backwaters and floodplain lakes. In this study, shoreline electrofishing samples were collected during summer 2002 and 2003 to characterize resident fish assemblages. We compared fish species abundance, biomass, and biotic integrity along main and side channel borders between the Upper Mississippi River and the Lower Wisconsin River. We expected that, in the absence of environmental degradation, fish composition and structure would be similar between the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, and between channel types within each river. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and redundancy analysis revealed that fish species in the Mississippi River, unlike in the Wisconsin River, were characteristic of non‐riverine habitats. We consider non‐riverine fish assemblages indicative of environmental impairment. The main and side channel sites in the Mississippi River had more variable fish assemblages than the Wisconsin River. Analyses of fish index of biotic integrity scores showed that environmental condition was excellent for both channel types in the Wisconsin River, whereas in the Mississippi River the side channel was rated good and the main channel only fair. We conclude that differences between the two rivers and between channel types of the Mississippi River are consistent with direct and indirect effects of navigation. This study demonstrates the utility of a fish index of biotic integrity, an inexpensive and rapid bioassessment tool, for detecting change in ecological health on one of the world's largest rivers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The invention relates to a storage bin (1), in particular a bin for storing foodstuffs, more particularly a bin for storing bread, comprising a box (3) having an opening as well as a lid (5) which is suspended from the box (3) and can be moved between an open and a closed position for opening and closing the opening, respectively, characterized by pressing means (11) for forcing the lid into the open position, and a closure (4) which can be brought into an operative position for keeping the lid in the closed position and which can be brought into an inoperative position for moving the lid into the open position under the effect of the pressing means (11).


How to cite this article Mansilla E, Drago H, Marín GH, Jorrat R and Sturla F. Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Regenerative Quantum Medicine: The Novel A, B and C of Burns Treatment. Ann Burns and Trauma. 2018; 2(1): 1008. OPEN ACCESS Large burns are extensive soft tissue injuries with severe deep skin damage associated with high mortality [1-2]. This type of lesions can also lead to mental distress and chronic ilness but specially to scars, contractures, limitation of motion and bad quality of life [3-5]. Treatment of large burns as well as chronic nonhealing wounds have always been difficult medical problems and many different methods have been used to treat such injuries [6-7]. Current wound treatments are ineffective in many cases, so alternative novel types of therapy are needed and should urgently be understood and correctly explored. Abnormal damaged body environments can promote wound healing and tissue regeneration by local biochemical "alarm signals", but usually these innate mechanisms are not enough to reach complete restoration of normal skin, specially in an acceptable time [8-12].When these impairments in wound healing arise, it is also often followed by an increased susceptibility to infection, further complications, failure of other organs and death [13-14]. In these circumstances, time management should be a crucial fundamental issue to be considered. In the near future we will not only ask for better novel therapeutic approaches but also for those that could lead to complete skin healing, restoration of function and acceptable aesthetics in the shortest period of time [ 1516]. The development of tissue engineering and living skin substitutes started more than 40 years ago with the in vitro culture of keratinocytes as established by Howard Green in 1975 [17-18]. His outstanding discoveries led to the possibility of replacing the epidermis of extensively burned patients by using cultured keratinocytes autografts [19].


Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is an advanced medical imaging technology over Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). A newly introduced methodology should have certain advantages over the existing one. DTI differs from MRI on region of scanning, dimension of scanning and in the mode of acquisition. MRI scans Grey Matter (GM) while DTI scans the White Matter (WM) portion of the human brain. DTI gives out an multi-dimensional image of the human organs while MRI gives out an two-dimensional view of the human organs. Recent researches have proved the role of DTI in determining various neurological disorders and psychiatric disorders. Fiber disappearance and deorganisation can be detected using Fiber Tractography. Brain tumor, Parkinson, and Schizophrenia like neurological disorders and diseases exhibit a huge variation in the fiber pattern alignment in the human brain. Schizophrenia is an mental illness caused due to excessive deposition of chemical contents like dopamine and serotonin in different portions of human brain like Subtantia Nigra, Hippo campus. The schizophrenic brain is visualized using whole brain tractography as the serotonin and dopamine exhibits a huge pathway. Whole brain Tractography helped in comparison of schizophrenic and normal cohort concluding the dominance of Fiber Tractography over Tensor Glyph.


On the basis of the assignments of the methylene wagging bands described in the preceding paper (Part 1), FT-IR studies have been applied to the β'1-form of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-myristoyl-sn-glycrerol...


The goal of this research project was to improve our understanding of the conditions under which stream restoration practices "fail," with the long term goal of improving the overall application, design, and review of stream restoration projects. To achieve the project goal, a selection of 65 completed Maryland stream restoration projects were assessed at the watershed and project level. Watershed, site, and design characteristics were quantified using ArcGIS, restoration design and/or as-built plans, and monitoring reports. Using current literature, stream restoration assessment methodologies were developed to assess geomorphic function and design success both in the field and by reviewing monitoring reports. Multiple linear regression analysis and related methods were then used to identify correlations and relationships between watershedand project-level characteristics and three measures of stream restoration success.


Abstract:This article examines the influence of the British author Elinor Glyn (1864–1941) on the emergence of norms associated with the "modern girl" that were sold around the world by the 1920s. In 1907 Glyn published Three Weeks, a "sex novel" about an unhappily married woman's sexual education of a younger man. Branded obscene, Three Weeks became the best-selling Anglophone text focused on female heterosexual desire written before 1920. Ostracized by the aristocratic set into which she had married, Glyn travelled to the United States where she used glamour to translate her succès de scandale into a celebrity that furthered her cultural influence in the decades ahead. The persona she concocted circulated views that tied respectable white women's sexual satisfaction to their individual and marital happiness, thereby popularizing a more erotic definition of romantic love decades before scholars typically credit the diffusion of such attitudes to the middle class.


The aim of the study was to evaluate the oxygen consumption kinetics of some inactivated dry yeasts in comparison with those of sulfur dioxide, ascorbic acid and glutathione.The oxygen consumption rates of three inactivated dry yeasts, sulfur dioxide, ascorbic acid and glutathione at the usual doses in a model wine solution were determined by carrying out noninvasive fluorescence measurements. The results indicate that two of the studied inactivated dry yeasts consume oxygen more effectively than sulfur dioxide.                     These data suggest that some inactivated dry yeasts may be useful for protecting wine against oxidation.This study shows for the first time that inactivated dry yeasts can actually consume oxygen, therefore opening up an interesting area for future research.


Cost control is an important part in project management and demonstrates management level and competitiveness of construction enterprises.After analyzing annual production,annual profit and annual profit margin of construction enterprises and the entire industry in the years from 1998 to 2008,the authors find out that profit margin of construction industry is much lower than national average.Therefore,the authors suggest that project control and management system be established and total cost management be implemented.Such efforts,together with effective utilization of design alteration and claim,will contribute to increase in profit margin of construction projects.


The invention relates to fried white tea-melon seeds and a processing method thereof. In the processing method the following raw material components in part by weight are used: 98 to 105 parts of white melon seeds, 2.0 to 2.5 parts of tea leaves, 0.5 to 1.0 part of edible salt, 0.3 to 0.5 part of sodium cyclamate, 0.3 to 0.4 part of fennel, 0.4 to 0.5 part of liquorice, 0.10 to 0.15 part of monosodium glutamate, and 0.10 to 0.12 part of essence. The preparation method comprises the following steps: preparing the raw materials firstly; then demoulding, stewing, braising, baking, stir-frying, cooling, spraying the essence on the melon seeds, selecting, and packaging to put into storage. The white tea-melon seeds produced by the method have smooth and soft flavor, crisp taste, slight tea smell and plump kernels, are nutritious, and are pure-nature health-care food.


The background of this research is based on the efforts of the KPU of Karawang Regency in achieving the target of voter participation in the election of the Regional Head of Karawang Regency in 2015, where the KPU targets community participation around 72%. But from the results of the KPU recapitulation in Karawang Regency voter participation reached 67%. This indicates that the target of voter participation from the KPU of Karawang Regency was not achieved in the election of the regional head. This study uses descriptive analysis method to focus on a specific problem in detail. The focus of the research is: KPU's efforts in achieving the target of community participation in the Karawang District Election especially in Cibuaya District, Karawang Regency. The results of this study indicate that in planning achievement of voter participation target in the Karawang regency elections in 2015 Karawang Regency KPU did various things to direct voter participation, especially in terms of planning. Thus the role of the KPU in achieving the target of voter participation in the election of the Regional Head of Karawang Regency in 2015 in the District of Cibuaya has been done well.


The performance evaluation of PPT is the use of scientific,standardized performance evaluation methods and selection of performance evaluation indexes to evaluate the economic performance,social performance and ecological performance of PPT based on the scientific,objective,fair measure of comparison and comprehensiveness.The paper analyzes the connotation,classification,flow of the performance evaluation of PPT and holds that the performance evaluation of PPT is of great importance.


Systems and methods for robotic transport are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, robotic systems for transporting biological samples include: a plurality of capillary vessels, in which each capillary vessel can contain a biological sample from a population; a receptacle that can contain the plurality of capillary vessels; a centrifuge; a first robotic device that can transport the receptacle between an input module and the centrifuge; a second robotic device that can transport the receptacle between the centrifuge and a sample harvest location; a cutting device that can cut each of the plurality of capillary vessels; a multi-well plate having a plurality of wells arranged in an array; and a third robotic device that can transfer at least one portion of each of the plurality of biological samples from each of the plurality of capillary vessels to a corresponding well in the array.


This study was conducted during the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons in a private orchard located at Sohag governorate. To investigate the impact of soil potassium fertilization at 40, 60 and 80 % from recommended rates and foliar spray with Nano-Chitosan-K at 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm, potassium chelate at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 % and potassium Sulphate at (0.5, 1 and 1.5 %) on growth, yield and fruit quality of William banana. Results showed that treatments with soil potassium fertilization plus foliar spray with NanoChitosan-K or potassium chelate significantly increased vegetative growth, nutritional status, yield and fruit quality in William banana than other treatments. Application of soil potassium fertilization combined with foliar application of potassium was preferable to using soil potassium to improve yield. Application of soil potassium fertilization combined with foliar application with Nano-Chitosan-K was more effective than potassium chelate and potassium sulfate. The best results for fruit chemical qualities were measured using 60% mineral k plus 1000 ppm Nano-Chitosan-K.


Design and implement for mobile video monitor system transmitted over 3G wireless network are introduced.Firstly,the virtue of the video monitor system is analyzed,and a design to the diagram of video monitor system is given.Then detail in-troduce about the front-end of collection terminal,the transmission portion and back-end management platform is given.At last,effect of testing and the next emphasis of work are introduced.The experimental results on 3G network show that the video moni-tor works stably,and it is well used in the area of video monitor.


Genetic programming (GP) has proven to be successful at generating programs which solve a wide variety of problems. Object-oriented GP (OOGP) extends traditional GP by allowing the simultaneous evolution of multiple program trees, and thus multiple functions. OOGP has been shown to be capable of evolving more complex structures than traditional GP. However, OOGP does not facilitate the incorporation of expert knowledge within the resulting evolved type. This paper proposes an alternative OOGP methodology which does incorporate expert knowledge by the use of a user-supplied partially-implemented type definition, i.e. an abstract class.


The existing theory and techniques of wireless communication anti-jamming have reached their performance limit recently. With this focus, by leveraging the inherent characteristics of wireless communication and referring to the principle of cyberspace endogenous security, this paper investigates the core issues of endogenous security in the electromagnetic space, namely, endogenous anti-jamming (EAJ), which can defend against the unknown electromagnetic attacks effectively. Specifically, the subspace method is first adopted to establish the unified framework for the conventional spread-spectrum, intelligent, and endogenous anti-jamming, in which both the intrinsic development law of each technique and the internal logic between them are revealed. Then, the fundamental concept, key techniques, and development suggestions of wireless communication "N+1 dimensionality" endogenous anti-jamming are proposed to seek a disruptive breakthrough.


Seasonal variations in enzymatic activities in two surface layers (0–7.5 cm and 7.5–15 cm) were studied in a cultivated, pond and virgin soils. Invertase activity was highest in cultivated soils than in pond and virgin ones. Soil layer at 0–7.5 cm exhibited greater activity than the other one and rainy season was more favourable than summer and winter seasons. Amylase activity was greater in virgin and pond soils and a decrease in it was observed in second layer (7.5–15 cm). Phosphatase activity was maximum in virgin soil followed by pond, upland and transitional cultivated soils. This activity was significantly higher in 7.5–15 cm layer in rainy season.


. The impact of the pandemic of Covid 19 forces students to stay on top of online learning. Technology with reasonable sophistication can be used better by English education students than Indonesian Language Education students because, in addition to language acquisition, information and applications in digital are generally English-speaking and are more numerous and easily obtained. This study aims to describe digital literacy in language learning among Indonesian Language Education students and English Language Education students in the new normal era. This research is a quantitative descriptive study with qualitative data verified in the form of a percentage. The data was obtained using Google forms for each of 100 students (200 samples) in Java and Sumatra randomly and by purposive sampling. The instrument uses closed questions with a Likert scale (five options) and open questions. Research results show that digital literacy in language learning among Indonesian Language Education students and English Language students in the new normal era is not significantly different, at the same level. Digital literacy in language learning is at level 4, that is, students have been able to improve significantly (quantitatively stated) the performance of daily life activities through the use of information and technology with an average bind of 3.59 (71.8%) and bind 3.46 (69.2%). It shows that learning in networks has increased students' mastery and digital literacy abilities.


In this study, Anthemis chia L. was collected from different localities of Mugla in Turkey. Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Anthemis chia L. have not been reported to the present day. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activity of various extracts of Anthemis chia L. flowers. These extracts were screened for antibacterial activity against mastitis pathogens. These bacteria include 2 Staphylococcus aureus and 5 coagulase negative Staphylococci. Antibacterial activities of extracts were determined by the disc diffusion method. Methanolic flower extract showed a maximum zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus-17 and coagulase negative Staphylococci-37 (CNS) by disc diffusion method. Anthemis chia L. flower extract did not show antibacterial activity against coagulase negative Staphylococci-22 and 33. Furthermore aqueous extracts of flowers have not antibacterial activity. MIC values of flower extracts against the bacterial strains were studied by serial dilution method. The antioxidant activities of flower different extracts were also determined by DPPH method using Trolox as standard. The value found in DPPH method wass highly effective (88%). As a result, the in vitro studies clearly indicate that the aqueous extracts of Anthemis chia flowers have significant antioxidant activity. The extract might be helpful in preventing the process of different oxidative stress. In addition, Anthemis chia could be used in treating mastitis caused by the test bacteria. The flower methanol and ethanol extracts have antioxidant and antibacterial potential.


—This paper introduces a novel 32-bit microprocessor, based on the RISC-V instruction set architecture, is designed,utilising a dynamic clock source to achieve high efficiency, overcoming the limitations of hardware delays. In addition, the microprocessor is also aimed to operate with both base (32-bit) instructions and 16-bit compressed instructions. The testing of the design is carried out using ModelSim with an ideal result.


A cantilever wall fails by rotation about an axis close to the toe of the wall with an active zone in the soil above the axis of rotation and a passive zone below. This combined active and passive mode of failure is briefly studied theoretically, and detailed experimental data are reported from model tests. The model retaining wall is stiff, relatively smooth and retains a bed of dry sand. The conditions simulate those of plane strain. Observations are made of the magnitude and distribution of the shear and normal stresses on the wall and of the displacements and strains in the sand adjacent to the wall. Different mechanisms of failure are observed for different positions of the axis of rotation, though the distribution of stress on the wall is similar for each. Un mur de soutenement cantilever se rompt par rotation autour d'un axe pres du pied du mur avec une zone active dans le sol au-dessus de l'axe de rotation et une zone passive en-dessous. Cette combinaison du mode de rupture actif et passif est etu...


The article examines the growing turbulence at the borderlands of Heartland and Rimland. According to Spaykmen, Rimland – a curve with countries situated between Heartland and EU external fortnight (as he called them Mackinder), this arc, he scored a Western European, Middle East, Southwest Asia, China and the Far East with British and the Japanese islands. Countries of this arc, in comparison with Heartland, possessed big human and industrial resources, both land, and sea capacity.


The invention discloses a garbage-percolate evaporating and concentrating processing method capable of recycling ammonia, which comprises the following steps that: (1) garbage percolate is sent into a heating chamber of an evaporator to be evaporated and concentrated to form secondary steam and dischargeable concentrated liquid; (2) ammonia recycling treatment is undertaken for the secondary steam produced in the step (1); and (3) the secondary steam after the ammonia recycling treatment is sent into a heating tube in the evaporator in the step (1) through a pipeline to be used as a heat source for evaporating the garbage percolate. The invention also discloses a garbage-percolate evaporating and concentrating processing device for realizing the above method. Due to the method, the garbage percolate or high-ammonia high-organism high-salt waste water is evaporated, so the ammonia and volatile organisms in the waste water can be evaporated to form secondary steam with the vapor, the ammonia is recycled and the organisms are removed during the flowing process of the secondary steam, and further the method also has the characteristics of thorough absorption and easiness in implementation under the situation that the processed distilled water conforms to relevant emission standards.


Tailings pond is used to store the tailings discharged from the mine after separation and mining. As a potential hazard source with high potential energy, the tailings mortar with high potential energy after dam break is transformed into high-speed dynamic energy sand flow to impact the downstream area through energy conversion. In this paper, through the establishment of a three-dimensional model of a tailings pond, the FLOW-3D software is used for numerical simulation, and the influence of correlation coefficient on the discharge speed of tailings mortar after dam break is analyzed, and the relevant migration law is obtained. The test in this paper can provide a reference for the corresponding disaster and protection engineering research.


The likelihood of transfusion of transmissible infection via blood components and fractionated blood products has declined dramatically in the last two decades. In the early 1970s, the risk of hepatitis transmission to recipients of blood or blood components was between 10% and 25% (Horowitz & Ben-Hur, 1995). Today, there is still a residual risk associated with labile blood components [fresh frozen plasma (FFP), platelets and red cells]. Recently, in the UK, this has been estimated for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and -2 as 0 ́19/million donations, for hepatitis C virus (HCV) as 0 ́6/million donations and for hepatitis B virus (HBV) as 5±20/million donations (L. M. Williamson, personal communication). This risk reduction has been achieved largely by improved donor selection procedures and the screening of donated blood for agents that may cause transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI). Pooling of plasma donations to make fractionated blood products such as coagulation factor concentrates and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) increases the chance of viral transmission. In the USA, between 1979 and 1985, 70% of severe haemophiliacs became infected with HIV-1 that contaminated factor VIII concentrates (Goedert et al, 1989). Since then, a number of viral inactivation strategies including dry heat, heating solution and solvent±detergent (SD) treatment have been developed for fractionated plasma products. These have resulted in an enormous reduction in risk such that the likelihood of viral transmission from such fractionated blood components can now only be estimated by calculations of probability. These are based on factors such as the risk per donor, quantity of virus that may be present in a unit that gives a negative test, the number of units pooled and estimations of virus killing and removal during the process. In 1990, this was determined for a factor VIII concentrate purified by a monoclonal antibody affinity method and SD treated. It was calculated that the risk for an HIV-1, HBV or HCV transmission was , 1 in 10, in 10 and in 10 vials administered respectively (Horowitz & Ben-Hur, 1995). This represented, at the time, a risk reduction of between 1000 and 10 billion compared with untreated single unit blood components. After licensing for the treatment of coagulation factor concentrates in 1985, it was shown at the New York Blood Center that SD treatment could be used for the viral inactivation of FFP (Horowitz et al, 1992). In 1991, it was estimated that . 3 million doses of SD-treated FFP prepared from pooled plasma had been administered in Europe (Horowitz et al, 1998). This process was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. During this time, it was also shown that the use of methylene blue (MB) in conjunction with visible light had significant antiviral activity (Lambrecht et al, 1991; Bachmann et al, 1995). In 1992, MB-FFP was introduced into clinical use by several Red Cross Transfusion Services in Germany and Switzerland (Mohr et al, 1997). In the 1990s, there were a number of reports describing the photodynamic treatment with psoralens and ultraviolet A (UVA) light to inactivate viruses in platelet concentrates (Dodd et al, 1991; Margolis-Nunno et al, 1997; Grass et al, 1998). Recently, viruses and other pathogens have been inactivated in FFP using a combination of the psoralen S-59 and UVA light (Grass et al, 1998). It is important to balance the potential benefits of reduced viral transmission against the cost and logistics of implementing viral inactivation strategies, although in theory it is desirable that the risk of TTI is minimized wherever possible. Therefore, there is a reluctance to ignore new strategies that may help to achieve this and a need to assess their potential contribution to blood safety. In this article, the use of SD treatment and the use of MB plus white light and the psoralen S-59 plus UVA light are discussed and progress made towards their clinical implementation is described.


Organic chemistry on water has been shown to occur with large changes in reaction rates, products, and mechanisms as compared with the associated bulk aqueous chemistry (1–8). Chemistry "on" water refers to chemistry occurring between water and any nonpolar media such as oil or air. While detailed mechanisms of chemistry on water are still controversial (1, 9–15), investigations of the structure, charges, and hydrogen bonding at the water surface attempt to elucidate the unique nature of water–air interfaces, which have been proposed to be auspicious environments for organic reactions (1, 16–19). Holden et al. (2) make a significant contribution in this field, with the synthesis of peptides at the surface of microdroplets. While reaction acceleration at water surfaces has been studied using experimental models in the laboratory, the implications are especially impactful for environmental chemistry, biology, and synthetic chemistry. Water–air interfaces are prevalent in natural environments (Fig. 1), including the surfaces of lakes, oceans, sea sprays, atmospheric aerosol particles, cloud drops, etc. (18, 19). In contemporary Earth's environment, a major source of complex organic molecules, both in the atmosphere and in living systems, stems from biology. However, abiotic processes, such as those that would have been present on prebiotic Earth, would have had to find a way to overcome thermodynamic and kinetic obstacles to biomolecular synthesis in the absence of enzymes. It is commonly agreed that the simple monomers required for life (nucleosides, amino acids, etc.) would have been present in liquid water on prebiotic Earth, but the synthetic chemistry required to make larger biopolymers (nucleotides, peptides, lipids, etc.) would have been difficult to achieve because of the thermodynamic and kinetic constraints in bulk aqueous environments. To this end, environmental water–air interfaces have been proposed to overcome the constraints faced by biomolecular synthesis in bulk water (18–20). Specifically, condensation reactions which occur with concurrent water elimination, such as peptide bond formation (2, 3, 5) or the phosphorylation of sugars (6, 21), have low equilibrium constants and positive free energy changes (+ΔG) in bulk water as shown in Fig. 1A. However, recent studies using microdroplets have indicated that condensation reactions can occur with much higher rates at water surfaces (2, 5, 6, 19, 21). Holden et al. (2) add to this field with an elegant study of the abiotic synthesis of peptides, an essential reaction for prebiotic chemistry, at the water–air interface of micrometer-sized water droplets. Peptide synthesis from free amino acids involves the simultaneous release of a water molecule and thus does not occur in bulk aqueous solution where ΔG > 0. In this study (2), however, the microdroplet surface overcomes low bulk concentrations of precursors and low equilibrium constants. The size of the microdroplets used in this laboratory study are analogous to the expected average size of atmospheric aerosol particles that would have been ubiquitous on a rotating planet with a liquid ocean, such as ancient Earth (18–20). Consequently, results of this study have important implications for prebiotic chemistry. In the modern Earth atmosphere, the total surface area of aqueous aerosols is estimated to be two orders of magnitude larger than all other available water surfaces. Given that this scale was likely similar on prebiotic Earth, microdroplet studies from Holden et al. and others point to the abundant water–air interfaces of atmospheric aerosols as auspicious reaction environments on prebiotic Earth (2, 18, 20). Using nanoelectrospray ionization (nESI) with products monitored by mass spectrometry (MS), Holden et al. (2) observed formation of peptide isomers from neat amino acids (glycine [Gly] and alanine [Ala]) and investigated the effect of external charge, spray distance, and temperature on the product yields. In contrast with previous studies in the literature, the experiments reported here did not use activated reagents or external energy sources in the synthesis of peptides from neat amino acids. As a control experiment, Holden et al. (2) used bulk aged solutions of the neat amino acids and analyzed the results via ESI-MS. The ESI-MS did not identify dipeptide formation, showing that peptides are not formed in bulk solution and that the larger droplets generated in ESI-MS are not capable of promoting peptide formation. Holden et al. (2) therefore surmise that the higher surface-to-volume ratio in the nESI droplets is an important factor in peptide synthesis, thereby indicating the water–air interface as the key reaction environment. In the natural environment, atmospheric aerosols can collide (Fig. 1C), forming larger coagulates. On modern Earth, atmospheric aerosols coagulate until they reach a diameter of a few microns, whereupon the gravitational pull of the planet causes them to settle back onto the surface, likely returning to the ocean. The development of droplet fusion mass spectrometric techniques (22) allows high-sensitivity, high-resolution experiments capable of capturing kinetic information for reactions that may occur due to such droplet collisions. The droplet fusion study performed by Holden et al. (2) investigates colliding


A canonical transformation is performed on the phase space of a number of homogeneous cosmologies to simplify the form of the scalar (or Hamiltonian) constraint. Using the new canonical coordinates, it is then easy to obtain explicit expressions of Dirac observables, i.e. phase-space functions which commute weakly with the constraint. This, in turn, enables us to carry out a general quantization program to completion. We are also able to address the issue of time through "deparametrization" and discuss physical questions such as the fate of initial singularities in the quantum theory. We find that they persist in the quantum theory in spite of the fact that the evolution is implemented by a one-parameter family of unitary transformations. Finally, certain of these models admit conditional symmetries which are explicit already prior to the canonical transformation. These can be used to pass to the quantum theory following an independent avenue. The two quantum theories — based, respectively, on Dirac observables in the new canonical variables and conditional symmetries in the original ADM variables — are compared and shown to be equivalent.


This paper investigates what a democratic school governance model can do to break the negative pattern of top-down decision-making that leaves children and their communities without a say in the key determinants of their school experience. If a school is hypocritical, talking hope but walking in defeatism, or espousing democracy while operating through autocratic systems, children will not want to find a voice to waste on the dysfunctional situation.


'If a society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.' So how would India go about saving the 70 per cent of its population that resides in rural areas with no adequate electricity, water supply, or even a sustainable means of income generation – forget exposure to technology? The first step here, perhaps, should be to arm this marginalised majority with information and education, not through the traditional means of teacher-school building mode but via e-Learning. And this is not an impossible dream we are scaling. It is very much an achievable target and India is showing all symptoms of success. It is heartening to see that the Indian e-Learning industry is estimated to grow very rapidly in the coming years.


IUE observations of the bipolar nebula M1-92 indicate that this object is an evolved object and possibly a preplanetary nebula. Data acquired in the SWP camera clearly show a flat UV continuum indicative of a relatively unobscured O subdwarf. Data acquired in the long wavelength region of the SWP and in the LWP camera reveal an object which mimics the characteristics of an F2 supergiant. These results, combined with other data at visual and infrared wavelengths, strongly favor that the central object of M1-92 is an evolved binary system. The He I 5876 and 6678 A absorption seen in optical spectra is extremely problematic. This, plus the presence of Fe II, Mg II, and Mg I absorption arising from resonance transitions and transitions from low-lying metastable levels, leads to the suggestion that the object resembling an F2 star is actually an early-type subdwarf cloaked in a thick circumstellar nebula. This interpretation and the similarities of the IR flux distribution to Vy 2-2, a preplanetary prototype, is consistent with M1-92 being in the process of forming a planetary nebula. The bipolar flow, the optical Fe II and ultraviolet Mg II emission of M1-92 are also characteristics of T Tauri stars. Althoughmore » constraints definitely rule out that M1-92 is a pre-main-sequence object, these similarities imply that in many cases it may be difficult to distinguish between T Tauri stars and protoplanetary nebulae. 30 refs.« less


1. The effects of strychnine upon the nerve fibres of toads were investigated.2. Strychnine had little effect on the myelinated portion, while it had markedeffects on the node of Ranvier.3. The rheobasic voltage of the node was decreased by the application ofstrychnine solutions of lower concentration (from about10-17M to10-5M), butwas increased by higher strychnine concentrations (more than10-4M).4. The rheobase of the node in Ringer solution rose by strychnization of theneighbouring node.5. Thesholds for repetitive response to constant current was decreased bystrychnization of the fibre. The decreased threshold for repetitive response pro-duced by strychnization of the fibre was hardly possible to be restored to theinitial value by washing the fibre with fresh Ringer solution.6. The relative refractory phase of nerve fibres became shorter than in thenormal, and the supernormality of the fibre was increased and prolonged by weakstrychnization, but the recovery process was depressed by strong strychnization.7. The strychnine concentration, which was necessary to decrease therheobase of the fibre, became high by raising the room temperature over20°C.8. Repetitive responses due to single shock stimulation were observed instrychnine-treated nerve fibres (from about10-7M to10-4M) at temperatureshigher than about20°C.


We define choreography-based design as a design approach in which a business process for a business collaboration (or choreography) is established by the stakeholders in the collaboration. Subsequently, the stakeholders adapt their internal business processes to the established choreography, to allow successful collaboration. To assist in such a design approach, this paper presents techniques to: (i) construct the choreography in a gradual manner, based on step-wise refinement, allowing a designer to focus on the most important problems of the choreography first and then gradually introduce more detail; and (ii) check if at one level of detail the aspects from the previous level of detail are observed. We define these techniques at a sufficient level of detail, such that they can be implemented and supported by tools.


Rural schools comprise the majority of the nation's school systems and are extremely diverse. Although tremendous improvements in service delivery have occurred since the implementation of Public Law 94–142, considerable problems remain. This article provides an overview of improvements, remaining challenges, and current functioning. Problems with current research trends and the need for quality research regarding rural special education are addressed. Differences between rural and urban service delivery systems and the roles of rural special education collaboratives are discussed. Policy recommendations are offered for national and state policy makers.


The author studied the question of whether there is a temporary disappearance or decrease in the complement content when using sera containing immune antibodies for therapeutic purposes.


Burning of logging slash resulted in apparent sterilisation of the soil surface to a depth of about 2cm and also increased soil surface pH, which in localised areas reached sufficiently high values to be toxic to seedlings. In vitro studies showed that high pH conditions caused seedling mortality in E. regnans although the lethal effect of a transient elevated pH was reduced at temperatures sufficiently low to delay germination. The pH above which detrimental effects were expected was in the range 8.4 to 9.0.
Suppression of seedling growth was observed in field soil with glasshouse studies showing that this suppression was partly overcome by prior slash-burning or by addition of N and P fertilisers.
Availability of soil moisture appeared to be the main factor limiting seedling establishment in the field. Slash-burning was associated with increased seedling emergence but also with increased mortality rates compared to an unbumt control.
Although fungi were found to be associated with the majority of dying seedlings from the field, their involvement in seedling pathology was unclear. Most common among these isolates was a species of Phoma, representative isolates of which caused cliscolouration and stunting of E. regnans seedlings in vitro, but were not otherwise markedly pathogenic. Species of Alternaria and Cladosporium were also commonly found on seedlings and probably present as saprophytes. Pythiaceous fungi were isolated from seedlings but pathogenicity of these was not examined. Rhizoctonia solani (pectic zymogram groups
ZG5, ZG7 and ZG10) were isolated from seedlings that had died in field soil under glasshouse conditions. Representatives of R. solani groups ZG5 and ZG7 were pathogenic to E. regnans in vitro• however Rhizoctonia was not commonly isolated from the field.
Three bacterial rhizosphere isolates (two Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus circulans) and a fungus (Epicoccum purpurascens) from
E. regnans were evaluated as fungal antagonists. Three of these were shown to reduce mortality (due to R. solani ZG7) of seedlings in vitro following inoculation in the vicinity of seeds, with E. purpurascens providing 100% protection after 30 days (compared with 22% survival of controls). Surprisingly, B. circulans and E. purpurascens also increased seed germination rates. Of the antagonists, only
E. purpurascens improved seedling establishment in a glasshouse trial, both in the presence and absence of R. solani ZG7. However neither treatment with E. purpurascens nor the fungicide Raxil (applied to seed in combination with Mancozeb) resulted in improvement in seedling establishment in a small field trial.


There is a growing awareness of the need to include economics as a subject in the elementary school curriculum. This research project directed by the Industrial Relations Center of The University of Chicago demonstrates that variable economic understanding in students occurs at each socioeconomic status (SES) level. Included in the study is an investigation of the effect of teacher acquaintance with the materials on student learning of the economics program. The chosen program of study, Economic Man, focuses on the economic concept of exchange. Testing instruments are described and results of the tests of economic understanding are included. Conclusions are drawn as to the effectiveness of the program and the correlation of learning with teacher acquaintance with the materials. A related document is ED 064 186. (SHM) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY cr, nJ NC) ca) TEACHING ECONOMICS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: Comparing Program Vs. Non-Program Students and the Effect of Teacher Acquaintance with Instructional Materials


1. Diel rhythms of foraging activity by animal flower visitors can reflect niche partitioning and are considered an important component of selection on floral traits. However, it has been notoriously difficult to obtain objective information on the patterns of flower visitation by crepuscular and nocturnal insects.


In relation to the national government it may "present for the consideration of the Congress or officers of the federal government, as occasion requires, the just rights of the state in relation to its territorial waters, and institute and prosecute, through the attorney-general, appropriate actions and proceedings to secure such rights, and defend, through the attorney-general, any action or proceeding calculated to impair such rights." Furthermore the commission may "cooperate with any officers, boards or bodies of the federal government in an endeavor to harmonize any conflicting claims of the state and the federal government to control over the leasing or licensing of the use of waters for power purposes to the end that the development of the water power resources of the state may be accelerated," and they may "act for the state in the matter of all applications made to the federal government or any of its officers, boards or Commissions for permits or licenses for the development or use of water power in the state, and may do and perform such acts in connection therewith as it deems proper to protect the interests of the state." They may also confer with the federal officials, in relation to the development of power on the St. Lawrence and Niagara rivers.


This paper suggests the new approach for reducing energy consumption during the walking cycle of the biped robot. After the stable walking trajectory is manually designed, the trajectory can be modified to reduce the energy consumption and increase walking stability based on the measured angular velocities of the robot during the walk combined with the dexterity information from the manipulability ellipsoid. The modified trajectory was tested on the biped robot and compared to the original trajectory. The gyro sensor and the current sensor were used to measured angular velocity and energy consumption of the robot. The modified walking trajectory can successfully reduce the energy consumption and increase the stability of the robot during its walking cycle.


We demonstrate a one diode–one resistor (1D–1R) type resistive switching memory device consisting of single layered metal‐oxide quantum dots (QDs) and a vertically inserted graphene layer between the SiO2 layers on an n+‐Si substrate. Mono‐layered graphene on the bottom SiO2 layer with a thickness of 50 nm was capped by a 5 nm thick SiO2 top barrier layer deposited by using an ultra‐high vacuum sputter. The In2O3 QDs layer embedded in the 50 nm thick biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride‐phenylenediamine polymer layer was formed by a curing process using polyamic acid at 400 °C for 1 h. The current values of the high and low resistance states for this 1D–1R device were measured to be about 3.32 × 10−9 and 5.54 × 10−9 A at a read bias of 1 V, respectively. The ratio of each resistance after applying sweeping bias from +8 to −8 V and from −8 to +8 V appeared to be about 0.59 at 1 V. This resistance switching could have originated from the migration of the O−2 ions by the redox chemical reaction in the polyimide and carrier charging effect of the QDs. This hybrid memory structure with In2O3 QDs and graphene layer has a strong possibility for application in next generation nonvolatile memory devices.


Choice of foreign entry modes is especially crucial for professional service firms because extensive knowledge-sharing with partners and clients is necessary. This is particularly pertinent for firms involved in multi-partner projects. The objective of this paper is to review the literature from this specific viewpoint and to develop propositions which may provide possible courses of action for future research. The article argues that high control entry modes will be preferred when the amount of tacit knowledge shared is high, when the service is customized and involves co-production, when external uncertainty is high, when projects are of a more temporary nature, and when partners are unfamiliar and/or large in number.


STUDY OBJECTIVE
To determine the time axis for increase in Gram negative bacterial strains in burn wounds during hospitalization.

STUDY TYPE
Retrospective.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Eighty-five patients hospitalized at the Clinic of burns and reconstructive surgery between 2006 and 2008 were enrolled in the study. The major criteria for enrolment were more than 15% of total body surface area (TBSA) burned, hospital stay of 1 month or more and age over 18 years. Specimens for microbiological examination were collected on days 2, 6, 10, 14 and 20 after admission.

RESULTS
A total of 777 bacterial strains were isolated from the study patients, with 64.6% of these strains being Gram positive and 35.4% Gram negative. The most frequently isolated Gram positive pathogens were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (260 strains) and Bacillus sp. (113 strains), while the most common Gram negative pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (81 strains), Escherichia coli (63 strains) and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex (57 strains).

CONCLUSION
The study provided data that supports the assumption of increase in Gram negative bacterial strains in burn wounds during hospitalization. Nevertheless, even on day 20 after admission, such strains did not predominate.


Conducting polymer hydrogels based on alkoxysulfonate-functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) have been synthesized via oxidative coupling polymerization.Formation of hydrogels from zero dimensional(0D) monomer micelles to three dimensional(3D)hydrogels with two dimensional(2D)nanosheets as the building blocks and dimension change of the building blocks of the resulting hydrogels from 0D nanoparticles to 2D nanosheets induced by altering the reaction temperature or initial monomer concentration have been disclosed.A synthetic strategy for the synthesis of the conducting polymer hydrogels based on simultaneous use of one chemical as an oxidant and one multivalent metal ion as an ionic crosslinker has been developed,and metal ions used have significant effect on the morphology of the resulting hydrogels.In addition,the as-prepared conducting polymer hydrogels possess good electrochemical capacity,and exhibit selective adsorption and controllable release towards some dye molecules.


The aim of this study was to investigate the self-perception of oral health in a population of community-dwelling elderly in Montes Claros city, MG. The research aimed further to investigate the existing association between self-perception and sociodemographic characteristics, dental needs, systemic conditions and medication use in those individuals. This is a cross-sectional study with a simple random sample (n=204). The self-perception was assessed using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). According to the results, 53.9% of the elderly were female, 53.9% were not married, 57.8% were aged between 60 and 69 years old, 84.9% were not white, 69.1% were illiterate, 56.4% had an monthly household income > ½ minimum wage, 59.8% went to the dentist for 3 years of more, 52.9% had a last consultation in the public service, 63.7% were edentulous, 67.2% used some type of dental prosthesis, 77% needed dental prosthetic. Of them, 81.4% had no alteration in soft tissue, 31.9% had periodontal disease, the CPO-D medium was 29,39, 91.2% had systemic disease, 78.4% used medication and most (36.3%) self-perceived oral health as a regular. In the multivariate analysis, it was found that the older people that needed some kind of dental prosthesis and had no spouse were more likely to have a low self-perception of oral conditions. Overall, it was observed that most elderly people had a satisfactory socioeconomic status, had dental needs, had any systemic disease, used medication and self-perceived oral health as fair or poor, consistent with the professional assessment.


Information provided by annual financial statements is a useful instrument for enterprise management as responsible driving means to know the realities of economic activity, to know the pros and cons entity you run, or this is not possible without a pertinent analysis accounting information. The least expensive and most common method of financial communication is the financial statements, in fact, is the core accounting summaries. In most cases, users seek information from financial statements to assess the profitability of the company in general and its illiquidity risk.


The purpose of this paper is to provide the designer of industrial buildings with guidelines and design criteria for the design of buildings without cranes, or buildings with light-to-medium cranes. It would seem a simple task to design a good industrial building. The basic elements of the structure do not present a formidable design task. However, combining the elements: roof deck, purlins, girders, columns and girts into the most functional and cost-efficient system, is a complex task. Experience has shown the futility of strict rules where judgement still applies, i.e., intuition can still reasonably solve multi-variable problems. However, general guidelines and criteria can be stated. These guidelines and criteria do not change significantly with time. The guidelines for design can best be understood by recognizing there are interdependencies between all major components. The selection and design of the components of industrial buildings were individually discussed in an AISC publication "Light and Heavy Industrial Buildings." Roofing, walls, metal deck, purlins, main members, columns, girts, bracing, anchor bolts, floor slabs, crane girders and crane columns were discussed in detail. Listed in the bibliography are references which address the design of each of these components.


Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts significantly improve the quality of life in patients with acute hydrocephalus. However, infections associated with a CSF shunt constitute a severe complication with high morbidity and mortality. We describe a case of CFS shunt infection cured with intrathecal colistin.


An attractive and realizable scheme of a compact two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PhC) heterostructure is proposed for flexible light steering formed by integrating two PhC structures having diverse optical properties. The first PhC allows both TE- and TM-polarized light to propagate through it with minimum transmission loss (TL), whereas the second PhC structure is designed in such a way that TE-polarized light faces a photonic bandgap while self-collimated TM-polarized light travels without any diffraction. The study is conducted via a 2D finite element method. By the distinctive arrangement of both PhC structures, it is possible to obtain a TM-polarization maintaining device that offers a high polarization extinction ratio of ∼49 dB as well as a compact 180° bend for TE-polarized light with low TL. The proposed study is useful in designing PhC waveguides with sharp bends, which can be employed for multiple applications in photonic integrated circuits.


The article deals with the peculiarities of the child's adaptation in a foster family. The author analyzes all the stages of the child's adjustment to the life in a new family, determines the possible difficulties which the parents may expect while bringing up the foster children and tries to find out the reasons of the child's inadequate behavior in a foster family. Key words: foster family, foster parents, foster child, adaptation, social support of the family.


We optimized p++-GaInN/n++-GaN tunnel junctions grown on conventional light-emitting diodes, corresponding to n–p–n structures. We investigated two dependences at the tunnel junctions, the InN mole fraction dependence and a doping dependence. The lowest voltage drop at the reverse-biased tunnel junction was 0.68 V at 20 mA with a 3 nm p++-Ga0.8In0.2N (Mg: 1×1020 cm-3)/30 nm n++-GaN (Si: 4×1020 cm-3) structure. We then found that the Mg memory effect was reasonably suppressed by using the p++-GaInN instead of a p++-GaN. At the same time, the amount of Si doping in the following n++-GaN should be substantially high to overcome the Mg memory effect.


The increasingly popular local food movement in the US has experienced wide-scale buy-in on behalf of the general public as well as in academic arenas. However, there have been recent efforts to critique this movement, typically for being inequitable and unfairly geared towards those with above-average financial means. In this article, I examine local food efforts and present a new conceptualisation of food localism. While geographically localised food consumption activities are taking place, some have ideological labels attached to them, whereas others do not. What I have termed contemporary and traditional localisms exist in the same physical but different social space. The contemporary local is represented by current local food initiatives and corresponding aspirations to support local farmers and to promote sustainability through local purchasing behaviour. The traditional local, on the other hand, is similar in that it represents food growing activities that are in close geographical proximity to consumption, but lacks the motivation associated with the contemporary local's programmatic literature; instead, it is guided by a motivation to obtain fresh and affordable food. I substantiate the contemporary/traditional localism framework with qualitative fieldwork findings from Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA, and describe the practical as well as conceptual implications of this framework.


Early evidence from clinical trials suggests effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis.1 One small sham-controlled study has demonstrated efficacy of this procedure.2 Additionally, there is interest in the use of genicular RFA for the treatment of persistent chronic knee pain post-total knee arthroplasty, though efficacy has yet to be demonstrated.3.


Background Trimester-specific reference intervals (RIs) for thyroid function tests are lacking for Beckman Dxl 800 analysers. We aimed to establish RIs for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (fT4) and to track intraindividual changes in thyroid function throughout pregnancy. Methods One hundred and thirty healthy women without antithyroid peroxidase antibodies were followed longitudinally. Thyroid function was determined at trimester-1 (T1): 9–13 weeks; trimester-2 (T2): 22–26 weeks; trimester-3 (T3): 35–39 weeks and postpartum (PP): 8–12 weeks. A subgroup (n = 47) was used to track intraindividual changes using PP as non-pregnant state (baseline). Results For trimesters 1–3, TSH (median (2.5th, 5th, 95th and 97.5th percentile)) was 0.77 (0.03, 0.05, 2.33, 3.05), 1.17 (0.42, 0.47, 2.71, 3.36) and 1.35 (0.34, 0.42, 2.65, 2.83) mIU/L, respectively. Free T4 (mean (95%CI)) was 10.7 (5.9–15.5), 8.1 (4.9–11.3), 7.8 (4.5–11.0) pmol/L, respectively. In T2 and T3, 36% and 41% of the fT4 values, respectively, fell below the non-pregnancy lower normal limit. In the subgroup assessed for longitudinal changes, of the women with baseline TSH ⩽ median, 71–75% remained at or below the corresponding median for trimesters 1–3. Of the women with baseline fT4 ⩽ median, 69–81% also remained at or below the corresponding median for trimesters 1–3. High correlation was observed at different trimesters and baseline for TSH (Spearman's r: 0.593–0.846, P < 0.001) and for fT4 (r: 0.480–0.739, P < 0.001). Conclusions Use of trimester-specific RIs would prevent misclassification of thyroid function during pregnancy. In the majority of women, TSH and fT4 tracked on the same side of the median distribution, from a non-pregnant baseline, throughout pregnancy.


This paper considers the possibility to use various fillings – smoked chicken breast fillet, lightly salted salmon with cottage cheese, imitation crab meat and mayonnaise in the manufacture of rice balls named "onigiri", using porphyry algae, and their effect on the quality indicators of the samples obtained. To achieve this goal, the samples of onigiri rice balls prepared with the introduction of various types of fillings were studied. In the Japanese cuisine recipe of the classic rice ball instead of lightly salted salmon, which was a control sample, smoked chicken fillet was introduced - sample 1, imitation crab meat surimi and mayonnaise - sample 2, lightly salted salmon with cottage cheese - sample 3. An organoleptic assessment of the quality indicators of the rice sandwich showed that sample No. 3 with a filling of lightly salted salmon and cottage cheese turned out to be the best. According to the results of the experiment, it can be concluded that the introduction of such a prescription component as imitation of crab meat and mayonnaise into the recipe not only improves organoleptic requirements, but also enriches the result product with the microelement iron.


The goal of a recently concluded project in Switzerland was to pioneer an assessment system for lexical signs of Swiss German Sign Language (Deutschschweizerische Gebärdensprache, DSGS) that relies on automatic sign language recognition. The assessment system gives adult L2 learners of DSGS feedback on the correctness of the manual parameters of signing (handshape, hand position, location, and movement) of isolated signs they produce. In its initial version, the system includes automatic feedback for a subset of a DSGS vocabulary size production test consisting of approximately 100 lexical items at CEFR level A1. The paper at hand reports on the process of selecting the items for the test, compiling training data for the SLR system, and linguistically analyzing errors in the resulting video recordings.


One of the frequently attempted and often unsuccessful efforts to show the distribution of some variable, e.g. morbidity or mortality, is the production of a map in which areas are shaded according to the intensity of attack or some other measure of distribution. Among many difficulties in this presentation is the impossibility of giving suitable weight to individual local authority units and especially of showing the often preponderant populations of cities, towns, and conurbations. If, for instance, a map of Scotland is shaded according to the distribution of


As two-party protocols, most of the existing oblivious polynomial evaluation schemes use oblivious transfer to realize oblivious evaluation for polynomial, They are high in computation complexity, which blocks their practical application. In this paper, we propose an oblivious polynomial evaluation protocol, the protocol does not rely on any cryptographic assumption and is unconditionally-secure. Again, the protocol does not rely on any third party and involves only extremely simple computation. OPE protocols can find many applications, such as protocols for private comparison of data, for mutually authenticated key exchange based on (possibly weak) passwords, and for anonymous coupons, and can be used as the basic building block to achieve asymmetry in public-key traitor tracing schemes.


N.F.S. Grundtvigs trinitariske folkekirketeologi i nordisk kontekst [Trinitarian Folk Church Ecclesiology by N. F. S. Grundtvig in a Nordic Context] By Hans Raun Iversen In the theological writings of N. F. S. Grundtvig we find a unique balance and interaction between what Grundtvig labels the first and the second creation (creation of heaven and earth and creation of salvation) by the one and same Trinitarian God. This makes Grundtvig outstanding in terms of the significance of the theology of creation in his profoundly elaborated Trinitarian theology. On this background Grundtvig is also offering a Trinitarian balanced ecclesiological understanding of the church which is decisive but still only rarely found in the Nordic Folk Churches. In the same breath Grundtvig offers a comprehensive contribution to a Trinitarian theology of participation in the communication of the Trinity where there is a living interaction not only between the primary theology found in God's own living words in creation and in liturgy, but also between this primary theology and the secondary theological reflection of the two forms of primary theology


Pediatric Urology The nonpalpable testis in an infant must be considered intersex unless proved otherwise, irrespective of the degree of virilization, according to Anthony Caldamone, MD. Figure 1 demonstrates the Brown University approach to evaluation. Using such a template will make evaluation of these difficult cases easier. The role of laparoscopy in pediatric urology continues to emerge. Dr Caldamone reported his extensive experience using laparoscopy to evaluate the undescended testis. He and his colleagues examined 104 patients; 55 were between the ages of 0 and 3 years. In 59%, there were blind-ending cord structures; in 41%, the testis was present (including 23 in the intraabdominal position and 20 below the internal ring). The investigators concluded that 51% of patients derived no benefit from the procedure, because either the gonad or the cord was below the internal ring. Three potential benefits of performing orchidopexy emerge: fertility enhancement; improved cosmetic and psychological status; and perhaps reduction in malignancy risk or increased ability to detect malignancy through improved surveillance. Dr Caldamone noted shortened hospitalization and much faster return to normal activities as benefits of his method of laparoscopically performing a 2-stage Fowler-Stephens orchidopexy. In this approach, the first stage antecedes the second by 6 to 13 months. In the first procedure, the spermatic vessels are clipped well away from the vas. In the second stage, using the 2 laparoscopy ports from the first procedure, the peritoneum reflections are mobilized: the gubernaculum is divided; then the vas-testis-peritoneal complex is dissected from the floor of the abdomen and passed through the native or new internal ring into the scrotum. During procedures on 17 patients, only 1 complication occurred, that of a bowel perforation with the Verres needle. (Dr Caldamone now considers the Verres technique contraindicated.) All testes were successfully placed in the scrotum and remained there for an average of 10 months of follow-up. In the younger child in whom the testis sits just inside the internal ring, Dr Caldamone performs single-stage orchidopexy. Dr Caldamone also provided a simple approach to the evaluation of patients with urinary tract infections that may be the result of vesicoureteral reflux (Figure 2). His choices for antimicrobial therapy are shown in Table 1. His group, which is particularly interested in developing better injectable materials with which to endoscopically correct vesicoureteral reflux, has been using autologous ear chondrocyte. In this procedure, the ear chondrocytes are harvested and cultured for approximately 6 weeks before endoscopic injection. The procedure was successful in 23 of 29 patients, including 4 children with grade 4 reflux. Dr Caldamone also shared his organized approach to the evaluation of patients with urinary incontinence or enuresis (Figure 3).


Motivation: The study presents the current conditions for receiving the agricultural pension from the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS) and the rules for calculating it. They are organised in such a way that the longer the insurance period of the insured person, the lower the so-called supplementary part of their pension than in the case of the insured person with the shorter insurance period. In addition, since 2011, persons insured in KRUS and having farms with an area of more than 50 ha of utilised agricultural area have been obliged to pay higher amounts for their pension insurance which do not have any impact on the level of benefits received. Farmers who also run business activities are treated by the insurance legislation in a similar manner. Hence, there is a need to make changes to the legal and economic regulations in KRUS, which would reflect the new conditions of management in Poland after 1989 and the solutions existing in the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).
Aim: The objective of the study is to identify the regulations related to agricultural pension insurance which are inadequate in relation to the existing conditions of management in our country and to the solutions existing in ZUS. In addition, the objective of the paper is to propose changes to the insurance regulations of KRUS concerning the rules for calculating pensions and the definition of special branches of agricultural production. Also, the effects of these changes from the viewpoint of the insured person have been presented.
Results: The result of the study is a proposal for changes to the rules for calculating pensions for farmers insured in KRUS. The paper proposes to split the pension from KRUS into three parts: the contribution part, supplementary part and capital part. The proposals presented differentiate the pension amount depending on the insurance period and additionally paid contributions. The paper proposes to extend the special branches of agricultural production and to adopt income they generate at the level of 50% of the average salary in the national economy or at the level of the minimum wage as a criterion for access to insurance in KRUS.