With technological adoption and trade liberalization, per capita incomes have grown rapidly in industrialized countries. Income growth has resulted in increased per capita meat consumption. Projecting future meat consumption requires quantifying the relationship between per capita income and meat consumption. This study estimates the relationship between income growth and meat consumption using data from 32 countries. Beef, pork, poultry, and lamb income elasticities declined at different rates as income levels increased. High income countries have experienced relatively constant per capita meat consumption. Low income counmes with low income growth have had stagnant meat consumption. Low income countries with growing incomes have experienced increasing meat consumption. Countries such as China characterized by relatively large income growth and moderate population growth have experienced large increases in total meat consumption.


A standard definition of sustainability as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" requires the ability to identify and quantify needs as well as quantify a compromised ability of future generations to meet their needs. In a new Engineering course in the "Appropriate and Sustainable Engineering" program, Seattle Pacific University is addressing how to analyze systems during the design activity to address such sustainability issues. These include the use of exergy and resource depletion as measurable effects of systems, the consideration of life‐cycle phases of development, manufacturing, testing, operations, and disposal, decision‐making considering sustainability trade‐off criteria, and managing life‐cycle and design resources. Specific system design and analysis techniques are also included, such as considerations for human‐systems integration, safety and reliability in all life‐cycle phases. Being able to quantify the sustainability measures yields an ability to quantitatively differentiate among competing alternative system designs based on specific life‐cycle considerations and quantified sustainability impacts.


Memory characteristics in the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure based on Ge1-xSix/Si hetero-nanocrystals (HNCs) have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The Ge1-xSix/Si HNCs on ultrathin SiO2 were fabricated through combining self-assembled growth and selective chemical etching technique. The observations demonstrate that the holes reach a longer retention time even with an ultrathin tunnel oxide, owing to the high band offset at the valence band between Ge and Si.


Summary An array of 25 three-component magnetometers was operated in SouthWest Africa, Botswana and north-western Rhodesia from December 1971 to February 1972. Results from three periods of geomagnetic disturbance are presented. Magnetograms and maps of Fourier transform amplitudes and phases show a large anomaly in the vertical and northward horizontal variation fields over the period range 21-171 min. A well-defined reversal in the vertical field is observed between Outjo (OUT) and Sukses (SUK) on the western edge of the array. Transfer functions between mean horizontal field components and station vertical components show that a conductor that trends east-west in the western part of the array and curves north-eastward in the east underlies the array. A study of the half-widths of normalized anomalous profiles and the induction vectors indicates that the conductor is a crustal structure. It is most probably connected to the African rift system. A separation of the in-phase and quadrature-phase induction vectors indicates a structure with a high inductive reactance off the western edge of the array.


From the viewpoint of ethnosociological theories,ethnosociology can bring along many new ideas and methods for researches of traditional national PE.The features of traditional national PE culture are determined by different requirements for ethnic groups' constitution due to different production forms of different nationalities.As for function,the inheritance and development of traditional national PE culture are not only related to national psychology,politics,economy,cultural entertainment and social development,but also combined with their living environment,convention and customs,religious fete,and traditional festivals.Therefore,it has many important functions such as enhancing national cohesion,improving national unity,education,exercise,entertainment,sports and performance,and advancing tourism of ethnic areas,etc.


This study has been conducted to determine effect of ankle joint inversion trauma on common peroneal nerve motor conduction velocity (MCV). Twenty patients (8 males and 12 females) who were 30 to 45 years of age (X=33.75+1.15) participated in this study. They received the same medical care and manual tests for the inversion trauma. The involved lower limbs were considered the experimental group, while the normal contralateral lower limbs were considered the control group for all the twenty patients. Measurements of the MCV were carried out 10 days post trauma as a first record and one month post trauma as a second record for the both groups. Data collected for the first record showed that averages of MCV (m/sec), were 29.50+2.14 and 42.45+3.08 for the experimental and control groups respectively. While data collected for the second record showed that averages of MCV (m/sec), were 31.02+2.25 and 42.80+3.11 for the experimental and control groups respectively. Results showed a highly significant reduction in MCV for the first record in the experimental group, and in the second record for the experimental group, MCV was still significantly reduced. Results of this study support the hypothesis that inversion ankle trauma is frequently accompanied by peroneal nerve lesions. Also suggest that MCV measurements can be a valuable tool in evaluating more objectively the functional instability of the ankle joint.


The negative surface charges on the immature, mature and neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae (VCN)-treated mature placental villi were investigated by electron microscopy using cationized ferritin as an ultrastructural marker. The degree and distribution of negative charge was also studied in comparison with surface ultrastructure and surface glycoprotein identified by ruthenium red staining. The negative charge on the cell surface was distributed in two different configurations: a strongly negative part and a weakly negative one, which corresponded to the distribution of surface glycoprotein as revealed by ruthenium red staining. The number of ferritin particles per 1 micron long basal line was 8, 412±2, 211 in the immature placenta, 1, 318±610 in a mature one and 375±173 in a VCN-treated mature one. The total surface length per 1 micron long basal line was 21.5±4.5 micron in immature villi and 6.3±1.8 micron in mature ones. From these findings it is simply calculated that an immature placenta in contrast to the mature one bears about twice as strong a negative charge per unit length of surface, about 6 to 7 times as strong a negative charge per unit length of basal line and about 36 to 50 times as strong a negative charge per unit, thus suggesting a possible role of the strong electrochemical repulsion in the immature placenta leading to its escaping attacks from maternal lymphocyte.


threat to mankind, and this justified the widespread use of the insecticide DDT, and then he connects this to the rise of political environmentalism and the Cold War. Kaufman's book also devotes substantial space to what is commonly accepted as the first international environmental conference of the contemporary era, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, in Stockholm. He notes that it was driven by a desire to protect the environment for nonhuman needs, but that this collapsed because of human-centred interests. Stockholm began with 'new environmentalists,' such as Paul Ehrlich and members of the Club of Rome, who were focused on sustainable development for the environment's sake after the environmental disasters of the Vietnam War. But anthropocentric concerns returned to prominence in the aftermath of Stockholm. Kaufman believes this is connected to the collapse of communism and a growing desire by Lesser Developed Countries for economic freedom, which overshadowed the optimism of Stockholm and led to its eventual demise. Kaufman's book is at times nuanced but at other times seems oversimplified. He acknowledges that some international agreements, such as the Paris Climate Accords, have reflected state interests while also revealing less anthropocentric attitudes than in the past. He also includes discussion of lesser known environmental topics, such as the pollution of the Techa River with caesium-137 from the Mayak Chemical Combine in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As an example of oversimplification, he suggests that protecting the environment played a large role in d etente and that inclusion of environmental protections, such as the signing of the 1925 Geneva Protocol, would 'enhance the president's [Nixon] reputation as an environmentalist' and would then 'offer an means of encouraging detente' (p. 78). Historians might disagree that d etente was, at its core, an environmental strategy for Nixon. Kaufman wants readers to consider the cost of human caused environmental damage, such as climate change, as environmental protections have become increasingly more politicized. And he makes clear that humans have played a significant role in framing and shaping environmental policy for their own interests. Whether or not future policies should be anthropocentrically focused is not so clear, but rather something future environmentalists must decide.


Introduction: I surveyed whether the coffee shop is designed differ according to location. Method: The method is composed of two parts: Gathering findings and Analysis of findings. Gathering findings: Findings are gathered by direct observation, at four coffee shops at Osaka. Analysis of findings: data analysis for customers and shops using the mathematical quantification theory class III, sentence completion test(SCT) and formal concept analysis (FCA). Results: Results were obtained by dividing into three, customer characteristics, shop characteristics, customer and shop relations. Customers characteristics at four shops mapped to two axes (purpose (work-conversation) and staying time (short-long). Shop characteristics also summarized the concept of the shop which gathered 4 shops. To visualize the relationship between the customer and the shop by formal concept analysis (FCA). Conclusion: As the result of analysis, shops were designed too carefully for each area. Then, the coffee shop observed has been carefully attentive to local consideration at each level in three layers of "common consideration", "customer consideration" and "local consideration".


Power generating plant for generating electrical energy from renewable energy, with a generator (4), the energy from a renewable energy source into electrical energy and DC voltage at its output (6) a variable DC voltage power as a function of operating and / or ambient conditions provides; an inverter (8), whose input (9) to the output (6) of the generator (4) is connected, for converting an input-side DC power in an output-side AC power; and with an energy storage system (7) wherein the energy storage system (7) for storing energy and-demand retrieval of the stored energy to power the inverter (8): a first memory means (17) which is connected to the output (6) of the generator (4); a second memory means (18) which is connected to the output (6) of the generator (4); each said memory means (17, 18) in a branch (19, 21) is arranged, which is connected parallel to the generator (4) and one of the respective memory means (17, 18) associated with the DC-DC converter arrangement (22, 26); and a switching device (31) which is adapted and arranged to connect the first and second memory means (17, 18) selectively electrically either in parallel or in series and parallel with the generator (4); wherein the DC-DC converter assembly (22, 26) a combined step-up converter (41, 44; 47, 53) and buck converter (37, 44; 46, 53) with switch units (37, 41, 46, 47), which (to the switching means 31 ) belong; and with a control device (16) for driving the switching means (31) depending on the by the generator (4) supplied DC power.


Stress is a prevalent mental health issue that can lead to severe consequences if not addressed properly. In recent years, electroencephalography (EEG) signals have gained attention for stress detection. However, most existing approaches rely on pre-processed features, which can be time-consuming and may not capture all the relevant information in the EEG signals.In this paper, we proposed a novel deep-learning approach for real-time stress detection using raw EEG signals. Our approach utilizes a long short-term memory (LSTM) network to automatically capture features and classify the stress level. Our method allows for capturing all the relevant information in the EEG signals, without the need for manual feature engineering.We evaluated our approach on the DEAP dataset, which includes EEG signals from 32 subjects under various emotional states. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance in stress detection, with an accuracy of approximately 94%. Our proposed approach has the potential for real-world applications, such as stress management in the workplace and mental health monitoring in clinical settings.


We use Monte Carlo simulation to determine the stable structures in the second-neighbour Ising model on the face-centred cubic lattice. Those structures are for strongly antiferromagnetic second-neighbour interactions and for ferromagnetic and weakly antiferromagnetic second neighbours. We find a third stable "intermediate" antiferromagnetic phase with symmetry, and calculate the paramagnetic transition temperature for each. The transition temperature depends strongly on second-neighbour interactions which are not frustrated. We determine a sublattice structure suitable for solving this problem with mean-field theory.


Summary—A method is described by which cells of Convolvulus cantabrica can be dissociated and plated in Petri dishes. These cells proliferate into colonies forming clusters or linear filaments. The medium is completely synthetic and does not need to be « conditionned », provided a sufficient density of cells are inoculated.


We use a unified elementary approach to prove the second part of classical, mixed, super, and mixed super Schur Weyl dualities for general linear groups and supergroups over an algebraically closed ground field of any characteristic. These dualities describe the endomorphism algebras of the tensor space and mixed tensor space, respectively, over the group algebra of the symmetric group and the Brauer wall algebra, respectively.


Logos on cover: Threatened Species Network ; WWF ; Natural Heritage Trust ; Top End Native Plant Society.
Includes bibliographical references and index.


Abstract Older adults are theorized to maintain emotional well-being by drawing on their available resources, such as social partners who support their emotional goals. In the present study, adults (N = 290) age 25-85 completed an experience sampling procedure (6x/day for 10 days) in which they reported their current emotions and use of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies. Unexpectedly, older age was associated with lower overall use of IER strategies. Results from multilevel models indicate that within-person associations between IER strategy use and positive affect were strongest among older adults, with older adults experiencing highest positive affect on occasions where they report engaging in IER. Between-person associations between IER strategy use and negative affect were only present among younger and middle-aged adults, indicating that younger individuals who use IER more on average tend to have higher negative affect. Findings highlight the role of social partners in older adults' emotional wellbeing.


Background Shared decision-making (SDM) is often considered the ideal for decision-making in oncology. Views of specific groups such as ethnic minorities have seldom been considered in its development. Aim In this study we seek to assess in oncology if there is a need for adaptation of the current SDM model to ethnic minorities and to formulate possible adjustments. Design This study is embedded in empirical bioethics, an interdisciplinary approach integrating empirical data with ethical reasoning to formulate normative conclusions regarding a practice. For the empirical social scientific part, a cross-sectional qualitative study will be conducted; for the ethical reflection the Reflective Equilibrium will be used to develop a coherent view on the application of SDM among ethnic minorities in oncology. Method Semi-structured interviews combined with visual methods (timelines and relational maps) will be held with healthcare professionals (HCPs), ethnic minority patients, and their relatives to identify values steering the behavior of these actors in SDM. In addition, focus groups (FGs) will be held with ethnic minority community members to identify value structures at the group level. Respondents will be recruited through organizations with access to ethnic minorities and collaborating hospitals. Data will be analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis through the lens of Schwartz's value theory. The results of the empirical phase will be included in the RE to formulate possible adjustments of the SDM model, if needed. Discussion The integration of empirical data with ethical reflection is an innovative method in decision-making. This method enables a systematic and profound assessment of the need for adaptation of SDM and the formulation of theoretically and empirically based suggestions for adaptations of the model. Findings of this study may enrich the SDM model.


The notion of 'participation' has growing currency at many levels of social policy in the UK where the Labour government uses it to
denote the engagement of 'local people' in decision-making about the services and structures which affect their daily lives. In particular, local participation is given as the distinctive feature of the UK government's flagship initiative for neighbourhood renewal, the New Deal for
Communities, but there is little known about what this means in practice for the 'local' people it affects.


The velocity of the warm (1 MK) plasma in the footpoint of the hot coronal loops (commonly called moss) could help discriminate between different heating frequencies in the active region core. Strong velocities would indicated low-frequency heating, while velocities close to zero would indicate high-frequency heating. Previous results have found disparaging observations, with both strong velocities and velocities close to zero reported. Previous results are based on observations from Hinode/EIS. The wavelength arrays for EIS spectra are typically calculated by assuming quiet Sun velocities are zero. In this poster, we determine the velocity in the moss using observations with SoHO/SUMER. We rely on neutral or singly ionized spectral lines to determine accurately the wavelength array associated with the spectra. SUMER scanned the active region twice, so we also report the stability of the velocity.


We investigate factors that may influence auditors' overconfidence in other auditors' technical knowledge. We conducted an experiment using natural teams comprising audit seniors and managers. We find that audit managers' (seniors') overconfidence in audit seniors' (managers') technical knowledge is larger (smaller) for a high complexity task than for a low complexity task, for both individual and group predictions. These results indicate that overconfidence is influenced by task complexity, and that the effect differs between audit managers (who make downstream predictions of seniors' knowledge) and audit seniors (who make upstream predictions about managers' knowledge).


A classic method for assessing the reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo) is the pan evaporation (Epan) method that uses Epan measurements and pan coefficient (kp) models, which can be functions of relative humidity (RH), wind speed (u2), and temperature (T). The aim of this study is to present a methodology for evaluating the robustness of regression coefficients associated to climate parameters (RH, u2, and T) in pan method models during recalibration at local conditions. Two years of daily data from April to October (warm season) of meteorological parameters, Epan measurements from class A pan evaporimeter and ETo estimated by ASCE-standardized method for the climatic conditions of Thessaloniki (Greece, semi-arid environment), were used. The regression coefficients of six general nonlinear (NLR) regression Epan models were analyzed through recalibration using a technique called "random cross-validation nonlinear regression RCV-NLR" that produced 1000 random splits of the initial dataset into calibration and validation sets using a constant proportion (70% and 30%, respectively). The variance of the regression coefficients was analyzed based on the 95% interval of the highest posterior density distribution. NLR models that included coefficients with a 95% HPD interval that fluctuates in both positive and negative values were considered nonrobust. The machine-learning technique of random forests (RF) was also used to build a RF model that includes Epan, u2, RH, and T parameters. This model was used as a benchmark for evaluating the predictive accuracy of NLR models but, also, for assessing the relative importance of the predictor climate variables if they were all included in one NLR model. The findings of this study indicated that locally calibrated NLR functions that use only the Epan parameter presented better results, while the inclusion of additional climate parameters was redundant and led to underfitting.


Purpose: This study was performed to investigate educational demands of teachers in the daycare centers for infant healthcare. Methods: Sixty-nine teachers who in charge of children under 1 year old at infant daycare centers participated from January 2 to March 31, 2012. The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, average, and standard deviation using SPSS 21.0. Results: Education demands among teachers of infant daycare centers were high in health and safety domain. Teachers prefer 6 month as the term of education, at the beginning of the semester. Also, three hours or less of session under the auspices of health and safety organizations were preferred. Mostly demanded education contents were first-aid skills depending on diverse types of accidents. In addition, teachersrequired repeat of practically available first-aid education programs with improved educational conditions. Conclusion: This study offered crucial examination of current status and key problems of infant healthcare at infant daycare centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas, and identified educational demands for infant healthcare among infant teachers.


Capital supply and demand has significant influence on the overall situation of social economic functioning and its result. As far as the relationship between capital supply and demand and currency supply and demand is concerned, balanced capital supply and demand is the foundation of balanced currency supply and demand. Capital functioning not only has the effect of currency functioning but also contributes greatly to value proliferation through production process. The balance between capital supply and demand is the core of the balance between currency supply and demand. Capital supply and demand is closely related to commodity supply and demand, the loss of balance on one side will make it very hard for the other side to keep balance, but the balance between capital supply and demand is the precondition of the balance between commodity supply and demand. Realizing the balance between capital supply and demand is an important guarantee to realize the balance between the overall supply and overall demand of the society.


A partially cyclized mu/nu-carrageenan from Gigartina skottsbergii was submitted to autohydrolysis and the resulting mixture of oligosaccharides was fractionated using sequential dialysis through tubings of molecular weight cutoff 12000, 3500 and 1000. In this way four fractions were separated and characterized. Structural analysis of the major fraction, obtained from the solution inside the dialysis tubing of molecular weight cutoff 12000 (D120), was carried out. A significant difference was found by 13 C NMR spectroscopy and UV-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry: in the 13 C NMR spectrum the reducing end-chain unit was the hydrated aldehyde of 3,6-anhydrogalactose while the UV-MALDI-TOF mass spectrum showed an unimodal distribution of even and odd peaks, suggesting fragmentation of glycosidic linkages.


In order to improve the uniform convergence property of the Lagrange interpolation operator and to increase the best convergence order, we construct a linear interpolation operator based on the zero node of a kind of Jacobi polynomials as the interpolation nodes, by combining the function values at the interpolation nodes linearly, and then present the theorem of the best convergence order of the operator. Further, we study the problem of derivative-approximation of this class of linear interpolation operators. By using the method of estimation of each term of the operator, we not only prove that the derivative of the operator converges to that of the continuous function uniformly, but also carry out the best convergence order of the derivative of the operator.


OBJECTIVE
On the basis of several controlled clinical investigations the cost-effectiveness of acamprosate as adjuvant therapy of alcohol-dependent patients has yet been evaluated. These optimal conditions cannot be found in the daily ambulant practice and results in asking which of the alternatives, "standard plus acamprosate" or "standard without acamprosate", is more cost-effective in maintaining abstinence in alcohol dependent patients under realistic conditions.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
In an open multi-centre study, medical care, costs and therapeutic outcome was prospectively documented. Prior to enrolling, all patients were obliged to undergo a detoxification procedure. At a mean age of 45 years the patients suffered an average of ten years from alcohol dependence. 521 patients were documented in the acamprosate cohort and 265 patients in the cohort "other therapy" over one year. Two thirds of the participating patients were male.

RESULTS
At 33.6 % the rate of abstinence was remarkably higher in the acamprosate cohort in comparison to the cohort "other" at 21.1 % abstinent patients. The mean total costs per patient and year amounted to DM 3191 in the acamprosate-cohort and were significantly lower than in the cohort "other" with DM 4046. Effectiveness-adjusted costs of DM 9500 per successfully treated patient in the acamprosate-cohort were superior to the cohort "other", amounting to DM 19 148 per successfully treated patient.

CONCLUSION
The described economic benefits may be utilised under conditions of an adequate disease management.


© 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited.Epistasis - the non-additive interactions between different genetic loci - constrains evolutionary pathways, blocking some and permitting others. For biological networks such as transcription circuits, the nature of thes


If the study of kinematics has been based on graphical methods, as is now common, it will not be difficult to lead up to the idea of work being measured by an area on the force-displacement graph. In our case the graph is a straight line, so that it is easy to show that if F=fix work done from position of instantaneous rest (x=a) to the position where the displacement is x is, by the shaded area, ^ (a — x). The principle of energy now gives fynv=^(a — x); :. v=<\J• sja — x. Now plot the curve y = \la — x, i.e. a circle of radius a (see Fig. 2).


The damage phenomenon, macroscopically characterized by the decrease in the elastic material stiffness or so-called softening, is common in all engineering materials and can significantly decrease structural load-carrying capacity, and eventually lead to a complete loss of mechanical integrity. A lot of engineering materials can be treated as heterogeneous, particularly if they are observed at microscale. The geometrical and material properties of the constituents forming the microstructure have a significant impact on the material behavior. Therefore, in order to assess structural integrity and to predict structural lifetime, an analysis evolving microstructure is necessary.


P arks are emerging as important public health solutions in urban communities. Nearly 40 years of research evidence confirms that nearby nature, including parks, gardens, the urban forest and green spaces, support human health and wellness (www.greenhealth.washington.edu). The research about active living and opportunities to avoid chronic diseases (such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory problems) is particularly relevant to large parks where people can enjoy walking and bike paths, and playing fields. But, equally as important is the role of small parks and nature spaces for health.


As the effects of the nitric oxide and nitric oxide synthase have been investigated a lot,the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors were widely explored and become one of the highlights in the cerebral ischemia research.This paper reviewed the effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors especially the nNOS inhibitors and iNOS inhibitors on the cerebral ischemia damage.


This study aimed to determine the effect of financial ratios to bankruptcy prediction (Altman Z-Score) food and beverage industry are listed in Bursa Efek Indonesia 2009-2011. The population in this study is a food and beverage companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange consists of 23 companies. Sampling of the 16 food and beverage companies conducted by purposive sampling. Analysis of the data using the model Altman Z-Score to predict bankruptcy and multiple linear regressions to determine the effect simultaneously and partially. The results showed that there were four companies that could potentially bankrupt, 3 companies with predicate gray area and 2 companies with healthy predicate and the remaining seven companies each predicate is not potentially bankrupt 1 and 2 times during the three years of research from 2009 to 2011. In this study variables Working Capital to Total Assets (WCTA), Retained Earnings (RETA), EBIT to total assets (EBTTA), Market Value of Equity to Total Liabilities (MVETL), Sales to Total Assets (STA) simultaneously significant effect on prediction bankruptcy and partially only variable Market Value of Equity to Total Liabilities (MVETL) that no significant effect on bankruptcy prediction. Keywords: financial ratios, bankruptcy prediction


The article highlights the problems of exploitation of cultural heritage objects, which characterizes the subject area of the study. The classification of objects of cultural heritage and features of their definition in different countries are presented. The analysis of statistical data on cultural heritage sites in the Russian Federation, including those included in UNESCO, was carried out. The features of management, as well as the problems of monitoring the state of cultural heritage objects are considered. A separate and fundamental issue of management of cultural heritage sites is security activities, which are based on unique models formed by different countries based on their experience. A mechanism for managing cultural heritage objects in a digital environment and a universal conceptual model for introducing digital technologies into the system of real estate operation are proposed.


The vascularization of the scalp and calvarium was studied in cadavers to better define the design of vascularized split- or full-thickness calvarial bone flaps. Selective dye injections of the superficial temporal and internal maxillary arteries established a horizontal and vertical network of vess


Proposis spp. (mesquite) is a productive option for the generation of economic resources for the rural inhabitants of the arid lands and a very important element for the stability of ecosystems.


In this thesis, growth of ZrB2 thin films by direct current magnetron sputtering is investigatedusing a high vacuum industrial scale deposition system and an ultra-high vacuum laboratory scalesyste ...


PurposeAs China attracts more and more foreign enterprises today, it is getting more important to consider how to enhance the organizational commitment (OC) of host country employees. This paper aims to examine the differences in the relationship between OC and rewards among Chinese managers and Japanese expatriates who work for Japanese manufacturing companies in China.Design/methodology/approachHierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze survey data gathered from 539 Chinese managers and 354 Japanese expatriates working for a total of 19 Japanese manufacturing companies in China.FindingsThe findings reveal that, for Chinese managers, role clarity had a stronger influence and autonomy had a weaker influence on OC than for Japanese expatriates. A possible reason is the ethnocentric culture of Japanese companies that leads to Japanese expatriates not sufficiently empowering local human resources. Moreover, there was no difference between senior- and junior-level Chinese managers in the association of any kind of reward with OC.Research limitations/implicationsThe most significant limitation concerns its generalizability. The authors recommend that future research use other nations' expatriates as reference groups to objectively clarify the characteristics of Chinese workers, thus testing the validity of this research.Practical implicationsThe results of this research may be used to reshape future human-resource-management practices in several types of the company located in China to facilitate attracting and employing the employees most able to make long-term contributions to the company.Originality/valueAlthough previous research has elucidated OC–rewards relation in particular countries, it has not met the potential requirements of the expatriates who face the difference in OC–rewards relation with host country national managers. In this sense, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this research was the first attempt to tackle this theme by contributing to the literature.


To establish a method of enriching Brucella by immunomagnetic beads from beef and milk samples,coating the magnetic beads with the specific antibody of Brucella,several factors of coupling were optimized and the immunomagnetic beads were prepared.To determine the sensitivity of the immunomagnetic beads,it was used to enrich Brucella in a series of dilution solutions,which were associated with culture in Brucella selectively medium or real-time PCR.To determine the specificity of the immunomagnetic beads,it was used to enrich Brucella from the Brucella mixture with other non-Brucella bacteria respectively.Then the bacteria enriched by immunommagnetic beads were cultured in Brucella selectively medium.The target colonies were counted and the suspicious target colonies were identified by real-time PCR.Moreover,the method for enrichment of Brucella based on immunomagnetic beads was applied to capture Brucella from artificially spiked beef and milk samples to confirm the enrichment effect of immunomagnetic beads.The results showed that 2 mg immunomagnetic beads with Brucella selective medium could enrich the target bacteria in Brucella solution of which the minimum dilution was 2×10~3/mL.The sensitivity of the immunomagnetic beads with Brucella selective medium was higher than the immunomagnetic beads with real-time PCR.Brucella could also be enriched specifically by the immunomagnetic beads under the conditions of high concentration other non-Brucella bacteria.In addition,the application of capture Brucella from artificially spiked beef and milk samples by the immunomagnetic beads was successful.These results indicated that the established method for enrichment of Brucella based on immunomagnetic beads can be used for enriching Brucella in beef and milk samples in practical detection.This method has good prospects.


Laboratory classes are an important part of the educational process allowing students to acquire skills of experimental work, ability to operate different devices and make independently conclusions from the obtained experimental results. Thus, they learn better and deeper the theoretical material of the given course. Just in the process of laboratory work the students get acquainted with the methods of preparation, chemical behaviour and properties of real organic and biochemical substances and learn how to explain their observations on the basis of theoretical fundamentals of organic chemistry and biochemistry.
Laboratory works are arranged into groups mostly in accordance with classes of organic compounds. The main attention is paid to qualitative reactions (identification tests) of major functional groups and chemical elements comprising organic substances.


The French merger guidlines and recent decisions taken by the French Competition Authority show the evolution in the approach taken by the Authority when defining geographic relevant markets. The…


The view that the responsibilities due to contracting faults are linked up with whether the contract is effectively set up unfavourably for protecting the interests of contracting parties in the course of entering into the contract.


The invention discloses a method for reducing Schottky contact electric leakage formed in contact holes, which comprises the step of: sequentially depositing a titanium layer, a titanium nitride layer, an aluminum-silicon-copper layer, the titanium layer and the titanium nitride layer to form a barrier layer on the inner walls of the contact holes after inter-layer films and a P-type conductive area are etched to form the contact holes. The method provided by the invention reduces a conventional Schottky contact reverse leakage current by an order of magnitude under the condition of a low forward voltage equivalent to that of the conventional process.


this paper presents the design and fabrication of a Planar Bi-Quad Antenna operating at 2. 45GHz. The modeling and simulation of the antenna is done using the CST Studio Suite (Student Edition) and the testing of the fabricated antenna is done using the Antenna Measurement System Kit (AMS Kit) developed by Akademica. This antenna shows improved bandwidth and characteristics over conventional wired Bi-quad antennas. Various antenna parameters such as Radiation Pattern, Directivity, VSWR, S11, etc. are calculated. A close agreement is found between the simulation and the experimental results.


This study was carried out to understand the perceptions and expectations of the other health care professionals about pharmacists' role in primary health care centers and hospitals in Santiago de Cuba (Cuba). A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted, applying a self-administered questionnaire to health care professionals. The sample included 763 professionals (40.9% physicians and 59.1 % nurses) from hospitals and primary health care clinics, chosen by random stratified sampling,. The most common activity performed by pharmacists was the distribution of medications or the drug supply management (51.5%) and adverse drug reactions reporting (29.4%), activities performed daily by pharmacists. Pharmaceutical care practice was considered as poor by the professionals, and only 15.6% of them have collaborated in these programs in the past. For nurses and physicians, interprofessional communication occurs sometimes (56.9%) and never (25.8%). Pharmacists' integration into the health team was considered as fair (50.7%). A total of 70.1% perceived the pharmacist as a drug expert and 60.1% as a professional who provides medication counseling. The main expectations these health care professionals expressed were that pharmacists provide more education about medication (97.4%) and improve their interprofessional communication techniques in order to communicate more effectively with the other members of the health care team (96.6%).


Studien er tidligere publisert og er gjengitt forkortet og med tillatelse fra American Journal of Epidemiology : Oyen N, Skjaerven R, Little RE, Wilcox AJ. Fetal growth retardation in sudden infant death (SIDS) babies and their siblings. Am J Epidemiol 1995; 142 : 84-90. SAMMENDRAG Bakgrunn: Materiale og Metode: Resultater: Konklusjon: Fetal growth retardation in sudden infant death (SIDS) babies and their siblings . Nor J Epidemiol 1997; 7 (1): 49-54. E NGLISH SUMMARY Background: Material and Methods: Results: Conclusion: All births in sibships with a SIDS baby were intrauterine growth retarded. This may reflect factors that contribute to SIDS risk (such as maternal smoking). The factors that contribute to shorter gestational age and further slowing of growth in the SIDS babies, may specifically influence the SIDS baby and not its siblings. Mothers of SIDS babies gave birth to smaller babies in general. SIDS babies were on average 85 g less at birth than their siblings, and 164 g less compared to babies in non-affected sibships. When birth weights were standardized for gestational age, most of the weight difference between SIDS babies and siblings was due to a shorter gestational age of SIDS babies, while the difference between surviving siblings of SIDS babies and births from non-affected sibships remained. Data from the population-based Medical Birth Registry of Norway, with 1.3 million births during 1967-1988 were used. From the birth cohorts, 1,984 SIDS cases were identified. All births were linked into sibships. Mean birth weight and gestational age were calculated across sibships of different sizes for first to fourth birth order. In a further analysis, birth weights were standardized to adjust for gestational age. To evaluate the intrauterine growth potential of infants that die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the authors compared SIDS infants to their surviving siblings. The SIDS sibships themselves were also compared to sibships where all infants survived. Krybbedode, samt deres overlevende sosken er intrauterint veksthemmet. Dette kan skyldes faktorer som bidrar til krybbedod (royking). Derimot, for tidlig fodsel av barn som senere dode, kan tyde pa at svangerskapsrelaterte faktorer virker saerskilt pa disse barna og ikke pa deres sosken. Oyen N, Skjaerven R, Little RE, Wilcox AJ. Modre med barn som senere dode, fodte lettere barn, i gjennomsnitt 85 g lettere enn sosken og 164 g lettere enn spedbarn i soskenflokker uten dodsfall. Etter at fodselsvekten ble justert for svangerskapslengde, forsvant omtrent hele differansen mellom krybbedode og sosken, fordi krybbedode hadde kortere svangerskapslengde. Imidlertid besto differansen mellom krybbedodes sosken og barn i soskenflokker uten dodsfall. Medisinsk fodselsregister registrerte 1,3 millioner fodte og 1984 krybbedode i 1967-88. Alle fodte ble koblet sammen til soskenflokker. Gjennomsnittlig fodselsvekt og svangerskapslengde ble regnet for krybbedode, deres sosken og barn i soskenflokker uten dodsfall. Fodselsvekten ble ogsa standardisert for a justere for svangerskapslengde. Vi undersokte det intrauterine vekstpotensialet hos barn som senere dode i krybbedod, ved a sammenligne krybbedode med sosken som overlevde forste levear. Krybbedode og resten av soskenflokken ble ogsa sammenlignet med soskenflokker uten spedbarnsdodsfall.


Agricultural aviation in Hungary has a 25-year history and is supervised by the Aviation Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The structure of agricultural production, the size of farms and fields etc. give excellent conditions and background to agricultural aviation. During recent decades, there has been a constant increase in the number of machines and in the area of cultivated land. At present 120 groups using planes or helicopters are involved in this activity, and 5 million hectares are treated yearly. Helicopters have been used since 1970 and 40 % of the groups work with the Ka-26 helicopter. Initially, most of the work aimed at fertilizer application, but recently spray application has become more important. At present 75 % of the total work done covers spraying. The average application rate for spraying is 40–501/ha. The types of aircraft used are AN-2, M-18, Ka-26; of the fixed-wing planes, the M-l 8 is the best for Hungarian conditions. Replacement of helicopter types is very difficult. Hungarian agriculture needs further development of agricultural aviation; this does not now mean quantitative development, but rather an improvement of work quality and accuracy. For this purpose the development of agricultural equipment plays a very important role in the activity of the Aviation Service.


Objective To identify the difference between bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) and retinal pigment epithelium(RPE) by the means of proteomics.Methods 2D-DIGE was conducted to detect different protein expression between BMSCs and RPE.The protein spots which indicate the difference between BMSCs and RPE were identified via MALDI-TOF-MS analysis.The protein functions were retrieved through Uniprot database.Western blot experiments were carried out on the two kinds of differences in protein.Results Fifty differential protein spots were identified between BMSCs and RPE.23 protein spots were over-expressed in BMSCs comparing with RPE(including SPARC,PCNA,HSP27),while 8 spots were down-expressed(including TBP).Therefore,the different protein profiles between BMSCs and RPE were developed.Western blot analysis further confirms the expression of some of the identified proteins.Conclusion Significantly different protein expression of SPARC,PCNA,HSP27,TBP were identified between BMSCs and RPE,which provide preliminary data for induction of BMSCs into RPE.


Terry McLaughlin's death earlier this year came as a devastating shock to all his many friends. He will be remembered by all as a gifted scholar whose lifelong commitment to education was etched in his every thought, word and deed. The list of his achievements in the educational world is a long, honourable and deeply distinguished one, including a notable period of editorial duty on CJE from 1992 to 2003. Terry will be remembered with profound affection and respect by all those who were fortunate enough to know him. For each one of us, his memory will forever be a joy, and his example an enduring inspiration. The following lines are extracted from the address given at his memorial service at St Edmund's College, Cambridge on 11 April 2006.


The parasite of marine mammals has not yet received all the necessary attention. The aim of this review is to show the main metazoan parasites groups of marine mammals and their possible different origins. We focused in the biology of parasites, the host/parasite relationships and the parasitic diseases on Cetaceans, Sirenians and Pinnipeds. Also economic and public health importance of some helminths is indicated. The use of parasites in behavioral and populations studies of marine mammals using certain parasites as biological tags are showed. Finally, recent advances in the knowledge of parasite communities are presented.


In this work, the time dependent metal induced crystallization process in stacked layers of selenium that are sandwiched with aluminum nanosheets of thicknesses of 50 nm are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and optical spectrophotometry techniques. The Al nanosheets motivated the growth of orthorhombic phases of selenium and lowered the energy bang gap of the amorphous films from 2.26 to 1.82 eV when the orthorhombic phase is achieved. The time dependent monitoring of the structural and optical properties over eighteen months have shown that both of the orthorhombic and amorphous phases exhibit a second transformation to hexagonal and stabilize at that phase within ten days of the growth time. The presence of the aluminum nanosheets enhanced the light absorbability by 15 and 5 times in the orthorhombic and hexagonal phases, respectively. In addition, the dielectric spectra of the studied films display similar characteristics in the hexagonal phase with slight differences that results from Al nanosheets. The dielectric spectra for both of the amorphous and orthorhombic phases displayed resonance peaks in the visible and infrared ranges of light. The structural and optical analysis that are carried out through this study represent a guide for using the selenium films in optoelectronic technology.


Background: Gynaecological patients are evaluated using a few scales that are not population-targeted, so a targeted tool was required, particularly for the Indian population where these problems are prevalent.
Methods: A short interview was done after a top-down survey. Then, from the results of the pilot study, some items were retained after the deletion of others.
Results: Using Cronbach's alpha, a reliability coefficient of 0.907 was obtained. With a value of 0.867, the split-half coefficient demonstrated a good degree of internal consistency. Convergent validity was 0.62.
Conclusions: The OGDMS is a useful tool for detecting possible psychological distress in pregnant women. OGDMS is a standardised instrument which can be used by psychologists, physicians, and patients to pinpoint probable mental health-related problem areas.


The radio frequency spectrum has become very congested and scarce. A response to this dilemma is the implementation of visible light communications (VLC) technology, which is enabled by the dramatic development of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes (LDs). VLC has become the most popular emerging telecommunication technology. This is due to the interesting advantages that it provides, which include an unlicensed and large bandwidth, a high throughput capability and a low implementation cost. VLC needs a pivot network in medium and long distance transmissions. The amplify-and-forward scenario between the backbone network and VLC is cost-effective owing to its simplicity when compared to the decode-and-forward scenario. MPSK-CSK is a typical example of cascaded systems in AF scenario with VLC where the backbone channel utilises PSK to convey the message. In this paper, we investigate a forward error correction scheme for cascaded MPSK-CSK systems. A convolutional encoder is added to the MPSK-CSK scheme to construct the hybrid trellis coded modulation scheme. Selected 8HTCM systems using set partitioning are investigated and results for a Gaussian channel are presented. Numerical results reveal that 8HTCM achieves up to 2.129 dB of asymptotic coding gain when compared to the corresponding un-coded MPSK-CSK system.


The paper analyzed the characteristic of religious tourist resource in west-south areas,put forward the development countermeasure in connection with the problems existing in the development of religious tourist resource in west-south areas at present.


This study examined the factor affecting a decision to use cloud computing service for Thai SMEs. A questionnaire was employed for data collection from a sample of SMEs that use cloud computing technology in the Bangkok area during January 2015–June 2015. A statistic model was utilized in order to analyses the determined factor on using cloud computing service of Thai SMEs. Moreover, the willingness-to-pay (WTP) to additional cloud computing service was calculated. The findings can be used to gauge SMEs demand for improved cloud computing services and infrastructure.


In January 1991 the Federal Minister of Employment and Immigration announced the establishment of the Canadian Labour Force Development Board (CLFDB) as Canada's national training board. Training boards at the provincial and local levels are still in the developmertal stage. The lack of a national coordinating mechanism for all aspects of training in Canada until only recently is a reflection of Canada's unique historical context. Both the CLFDB and Canada's first provincial board in Ontario have taken elements from the national training boards of Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere and adapted them to the Canadian context. The following topics pertaining to the CLFDB are discussed in this report: enabling legislation, training board composition, training board structure and functions, finance, delivery of training, institutional planning and operations, testing and certification, and perceptions of training and training boards. Even though the reform of the Canadian training infrastructure and establishment of the CLFDB are too recent to permit any definitive assessment of their success, there is reason to hope that changing employer, government, labor union, and education/training institution attitudes will foster the development of a "training culture" such as exists in Germany, Japan, and elsewhere and will thus make it possible for the CLFDB to succeed. (Contains 26 references.) (MN) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best nat can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** The effectiveness of Ira ning


Objective: Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) has been demonstrated to be a safe technique with similar outcomes to on-pump coronary artery bypass (ONCAB) in low-risk patients, while its role and benefits in high-risk patients are the subject of ongoing clinical trials. This review compares our high-risk patients aided by intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) with low-risk patients undergoing OPCAB to identify any differences in outcomes. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty-four patients who underwent OPCAB surgery between January 2004 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. 61.3% were males, 57.3% were African Americans, mean age was 62.7 ± 13.3, and range was 30-90 years. Patients were divided into Group 1, 26 (21.0%) patients with IABP and Group 2, 98 (79.0%) patients without IABP. Group 1 patients had higher risk profile with mean ejection fraction (EF) 26.0 ± 10.8 and EF ≤20 present in 46.1% compared to 45.2 ± 11.9 and 5.1%, respectively, in Group 2 (P < 0.001). Results: 92.35% of Group 1 and 82.7% of Group 2 patients had multivessel disease with a mean number of bypass grafts 2.9 ± 0.97 versus 2.75 ± 0.8, respectively (P < 0.364). Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending (LAD) was performed in all Group 1 and 97.9% of Group 2 patients, with saphenous vein graft (SVG) to the left circumflex and right coronary arteries in 73.1% versus 62.2% and 57.7% versus 52.0% of Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Complete revascularization occurred in 88.5% and 90.8% of Groups 1 and 2, respectively (P < 0.990). 4.0% were converted to ONCAB for either hemodynamic instability or intramyocardial coronary artery. Major morbidities were re-exploration for bleeding 3.8% versus 1.0%, stroke 3.8% versus 2.0%, acute kidney injury 11.5% versus 0%, and prolonged intubation 15.4% versus 2.0% in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Euroscore II predicted (P) versus observed (O) mortality was 4.56% versus 4.03%, for Group 1, 7.82% versus 7.69% and Group 2, 3.64% versus 3.06%, and O/P ratios 0.88, 0.98 and 0.84 respectively. Two (2.0%) females in Group 2 with single LIMA to LAD underwent repeat revascularization with SVG to the LAD within 90 days. Conclusion: IABP helps stabilize hemodynamics during OPCAB in high-risk patients with moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction. Mean number of bypass grafts and predicted versus observed mortality were similar between the low- and high-risk groups.


In this context, a model is an algorithm or a procedure that applies to data resulting in a functional relation [Formula: see text] between "input space" [Formula: see text] and "output space" [Formula: see text]. In this short paper, we will delineate objective criteria which help to disambiguate and rate models' credibility. We will define pertinent concepts and will voice an opinion on the matter of good versus bad versus so–so models.


Materials and Methods An online questionnaire was developed and emailed to all dental schools in Saudi Arabia. This questionnaire was answered by the endodontic undergraduate program director. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results The response rate was 96.15%, which means twenty-five out of twenty-six dental schools participated in the study. The majority of the academic supervisors was endodontists (92%). The use of magnification and ultrasonic tips was not required by 84% and 76% of the dental schools, respectively. The main endodontic treatment techniques were the step-back technique and gates glidden for cleaning and shaping (76%) and cold lateral compaction for obturation (92%). Conclusions The dental students were supervised by endodontic specialists and trained to use traditional endodontic methods. Encouraging dental educators to train students to use modern technology and equipment would probably improve their graduate clinical skills and performance.


In 2015, the joint National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia/James Lind Alliance Research Priority Setting Partnership published a top 10 list of research priorities for anesthesia and perioperative care in the UK. These priorities were developed through a systematic process that engaged physicians, patients, and the public with the intent of identifying research questions broadly relevant to pertinent stakeholders. A subsequent editorial in this journal highlighted 4 priorities applicable to the care of children. One of the questions relevant to both adults and children was "What outcomes should we use to measure the 'success' of anesthesia and perioperative care?" However, this research priority generates many more questions: What outcomes matter most to our patients and their families? What outcomes are most important to clinicians? What are the fundamental outcomes for clinical researchers? Are these outcomes aligned? Do we and can we routinely measure these outcomes, either in clinical practice or in clinical trials? Core outcome sets have been developed to address these questions across a wide range of medical disciplines. Consensus-based standardized outcomes are defined with the aim of reducing variability in the use and reporting of outcomes in clinical trials. In 2010, The Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative was launched with the goal of fostering core outcome set development throughout medicine, and now provides a resource for core outcome set developers (http://www.comet-initiative.org). The COMET initiative promotes the use of evidence-based review together with clinician, researcher, and patient participation in the development process. Through conscientious engagement of these parties, the COMET methodology ensures that clinically meaningful patient-centered outcomes are identified. Core outcome sets are intended to be a minimum set of outcomes for inclusion in all trials in a given population. As such, the intent is not to narrow the scope of trials to a few preselected outcomes, but rather to ensure that certain fundamental outcomes with standard definitions are included in all trials conducted in that population. It is therefore expected that researchers will include other outcomes relevant to their specific studies. Importantly, core outcome sets are intended not only for use in clinical research but also for incorporation into data systems used in clinical practice to support clinical audits and quality improvement activities. So why do we need core outcome sets? Our ability to compare and synthesize results of clinical trials and investigations is often limited by variability in the outcomes utilized and reported. Even when the same "outcome" is used, variability in how that outcome is defined can make comparison of different trial results difficult. The use of standardized outcomes would greatly enhance the value of individual study results by enabling them to be seamlessly integrated into metaanalyses. The ability to combine results of multiple trials also helps address an ethical obligation of clinical research by enhancing the benefits and generalizability of data derived from human subject participation in research and minimizing unnecessary duplication. Using COMET methodology, a core outcome set for adult perioperative medicine is being developed by a group of perioperative medicine clinicians and researchers. This initiative is described in greater detail elsewhere, but in essence there are 2 parallel projects. COMPAC (Core Outcome Measures for Perioperative and Anesthetic Care) is a collaborative effort that seeks input from patients, care givers, nurses, and physicians to determine what outcome domains should be included in a perioperative core outcome set. The parallel StEP (Standardizing Endpoints in Perioperative medicine) project is an expertbased Delphi consensus-driven effort to define how the specific outcomes within these domains should be measured. Both COMPAC and StEP focus on perioperative care of adults having major surgery, and as such many of the outcomes are more specifically relevant to adult and elderly patients (eg, major adverse cardiac events, stroke, postoperative cognitive decline). While there are some commonalities and overlap of outcomes relevant in both adults and children, it is apparent to anyone who takes care of children that many of the concerns of adult patients are less relevant or do not apply to pediatric populations. For example, for patient comfort outcomes, there are similar clinically relevant endpoints (postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain measurement, quality of recovery) but the measurement scales of adults cannot be applied in children. Age-specific scales and measures are needed for these items. In contrast, cardiovascular adverse events (eg, myocardial injury, arrhythmias, venous thromboembolism), postoperative respiratory complications, and acute kidney injury are much less common in children, whereas others such as acute airway incidents are more specific for children. Recognizing this, an international group of investigators has formed the Pediatric Perioperative Outcomes Group, and taken up the task of pursuing the question "How do we measure/define a successful anesthetic in infants, children, and young people?" Through a process similar to that of our adult counterparts, work has begun to develop a core outcome set applicable to pediatric perioperative care. Currently, investigators from Australia, China, Europe, India, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States are involved, but additional opportunities for clinicians and Pediatric Perioperative Outcomes Group members are in Appendix 1. DOI: 10.1111/pan.13354


The invention relates to a foamed-metal based high-temperature phase change heat storage composite material and a preparation method thereof, which relate to the technical field of heat storage materials. The composite material is characterized by comprising a foamed metal framework material which is attached with a solid-liquid phase change heat storage material when the temperature is more thanor equal to 600 DEG C, and a high temperature phase change heat storage material which accounts for 60 to 95 percent of the total weight. The composite material has the advantages of quick heat storage and release, high heat storage density, good heat conductivity and small volume shrinkage; besides, the composite material has wide applications, and is applicable to various fields of solar energyheat power generating systems for a space station, solar electrical energy generation, high temperature waste heat recovery and the like, particularly to a heat absorber of a space solar energy heat power generating system; and the preparation method is simple and convenient, has high recombination rate, and is easy to guarantee the product quality.


KIM, MIN JUNG. Characterization of agrin function in chicken and zebrafish embryogenesis. (Under the direction of Dr. Gregory J.Cole) Agrin is an extracellular matrix heparan sulfate proteoglycan that plays a key role in the development of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) by inducing the clustering of acetylcholine receptors at synaptic sites of the NMJ. Although recent studies have extended our understanding of agrin's function in the nervous system, its function in the CNS is not clearly understood. The present study was undertaken to assess the role of agrin in neurite outgrowth mediated by the basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), using both PC12 cells, and chick retina neuronal cultures. Agrin increases the efficacy of FGF-2 stimulation of neurite outgrowth, as an inhibitor of the FGF receptor abolished neurite outgrowth in the presence of agrin and FGF-2. Agrin augments and sustains a transient early phosphorylation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase) in the presence of FGF-2. Neural agrin contributes to the establishment of axon pathways by modulating the function of neurite promoting molecules such as


Patients with HIV and AIDS develop long-term relationships with their doctors, and research suggests that when these relationships are strong, they contribute to survival. Guidelines are included for picking doctors and working with them effectively. Most patients will have at least several doctors to choose from, although the choice of doctors may be limited by insurance guidelines or proximity to their facilities. Doctors with experience treating HIV are the best choice. Doctors should attend conferences and keep up with developments in the field by subscribing to treatment newsletters. The ideal doctor will not have any prejudices about the patient's lifestyle, and will take the time to explain treatments and options. Doctors should also be willing to discuss inadequate time allotment's for treating the patient with the managed care provider. To simplify treatment, patients need to use their time effectively, be prepared with a list of questions, and readily provide their medical history and know which drugs they are taking. Several references are included for managing the doctor-patient relationship most effectively.


............................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... v INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE 'Nothing is More Conservative than Conservation': Traditionalist Conservative Support for the Postwar Environmental Movement ............................. 32 CHAPTER TWO 'The Disaster Lobby': Libertarianism and the Ideological Origins of the Environmental Opposition .................................. 97 CHAPTER THREE 'Do We Want Environment?': William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, and the Consolidation of the Conservative Opposition to Environmentalism ................................................................................................................................... 163 CHAPTER FOUR 'The Environmentalist Crusade': Environmentalism and Birth of Neoconservative Ideas ...................................................................... 231 CONCLUSION The Problem of Selective Memory: The Neo-Traditionalist Revival and Modern Conservative Environmentalism ............................... 309 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................... 310


Cerebral palsy (CP) includes disturbances in muscular control caused by perinatal brain injury. Masticatory muscle involvement hampers functions such as chewing and talking. Bruxism and temporomandibular disorders are overrepresented. Neuromuscular blocks with botulinum toxin type A (BTX‐A) may alleviate problems due to muscular hyperactivity. The aim was to evaluate masticatory muscle BTX‐A injections in subjects with CP and bruxism.


Background: Shortly after clinical diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D), clinical partial remission (CPR) in most patients is observed. Increasing body weight and impaired insulin sensitivity may play a role in the pathogenesis of CPR. Several cytokines can also participate in the development of insulin resistance. Objective: To evaluate a relationship between birth weight and body mass index of children at the T1D onset, besides the concentrations of IL-8 and fetuin-A and the presence of clinical partial remission in the course of T1D. Methods: The study group consisted of 134 children with a newly diagnosed T1D in whom the presence of CPR in a further 2-year course of diabetes was evaluated. The control group included 47 children without glucose tolerance disorders. The concentrations of IL-8 and fetuin-A were determined by the ELISA method. Results: CPR occurred in 75.34% of T1D patients. At T1D onset, higher values of BMI SDS in the remitters as compared to the patients without remission were observed. At the T1D onset, the concentrations of fetuin-A (p=0.031) and IL-8 (p=0.042) were significantly higher in patients with compared to those without CPR. Conclusion: Evaluation of fetuin-A and IL-8 concentrations in patients with a newly diagnosed T1D can differentiate between patients with or without CPR. Maintenance of proper body weight in children with a newly diagnosed T1D may be the most important factor determining the incidence of clinical partial remission. Received: 2019-08-01, Revised: 2020-02-22, Accepted: 2020-06-04. Citation: Pyziak-Skupien A, Bobeff K, Wyka K, et al. Fetuin-A and Interleukine-8 in Children with the Clinical Remission of Type 1 Diabetes. Iran J Immunol. 2020; 17(2):144-153. doi: 10.22034/iji.2020.82797.1595


We propose a 2D path planning algorithm in a non-convex workspace defined as a sequence of connected convex polytopes. The reference path is parameterized as a B-spline curve, which is guaranteed to entirely remain within the workspace by exploiting the local convexity property and by formulating linear constraints on the control points of the B-spline. The novelties of the paper lie in the use of the equivalent Bézier representation of the B-spline curve, which significantly reduces the conservatism in the local convexity bound and in the integration of these constraints into a convex quadratic optimization problem, which minimizes the curve length. The algorithm is successfully validated in both simulations and experiments, by providing obstacle-free reference paths on real occupancy grid maps obtained from the laser scan data of a mobile robot platform.


with an out-patient's ticket, in order to obtain somne medicine for her daughter, aged 14, who, she stated, was confined to her bed, and supposed to be in the last stage of plithisis, and at present suffering under severe abdomninal pain and diarrlhea. I prescribed a pill of morpliia and oxide of silver, and called to see her next day, when I found her as represented, enduring the most intense pain in the abdomen, and constant diarrlhea. She lay upon her back with her legs drawn up; the abdomen enlarged , fluctumting, and exquisitely tender, but more particularly between the uimbilictis and pmibis. She-passed as mt1any as eight to twelve stools daily, and had done so for the last fortniglht; the emaciation was extreme; the vertebras were chafed, and there were bed-sores upon the sacrum and buttocks; a very slight coughi, but considerable dyspnrea; pulse 130, counted with difficuilty; the severity of the pain prevented sleep; the appetite was very rariable. She had been taking a little mleat and wvine. She liad been ailitng for twelve months. It was noticedlthat the slightest exertion catused great fattigue; she stooped in walking, and wias obliged to leare the chlmrch choir, singing caused so nmuich distress Yet, altogether, the illness was of so "apparently' trivial a character that it did not attract much notice till tlhree months ago, when in consequence of the progressive einaciati6n, regular advice was obtained. Owing to the presence of somne equivocal pulmnonary symptoms the true nature of the disease escaped detection; an uinfavourable prognosis was given, and merely palliatire treatment directed. Treatment.-I directed her to be laid between two pillows, placed longitudinally, to take off the pressuire from tle vertebrae, vhichm, with the sacrium, were covered with adhesive plaster; eighit leeches to be applied to the abdomen, which was subsequently to be covered with a cataplasm of scalded bran; a drachnm of camphorated mercurial oint.nent to be rubbed on the inside of the thighs twice a day, and thie following enema to he used night and morning. Milk and arrow-root for diet. 12th. As the enema could not be given, the same medicine was given as a draught; leeches to be repeated,-as only fouir adhered. 15th. Pain less; has been able to sleep for sonie lhoursevery night; bowels less relaxed, but still noved every three or four lhours. She prefers mnedicine in the form of pill, and as …


The invention provides a sound-absorbing wall board which comprises an inner layer, a middle layer and an outer layer from inside to outside. The sound-absorbing wall board is reasonable in design, convenient, practical and wide in application range, and has beautifying and decorating effect and good sound-absorbing effect.


The setting up of correlations to represent spectrum averaged cross sections in the core-blanket interface and blanket region of LMFBRs is described. Analytical representations of concentrations as functions of position are used. Sample calculations using a CRBR core composition are presented.


It discloses a method of controlling a radio access network and a radio access network (1), the radio network controller (RNC) (4) physically separated in a radio access network (RAN) of the present invention for controlling control plane signaling controller (CPE) (41a-41b) for controlling the user data, and user plane control (UPE) (42a-42e). User plane controller (42a-42e) which report their state information belongs to the control plane controller (41a-41b) (traffic information / the used channel bandwidth / alarm information) for each user belonging to the control plane thereof , control plane controller (41a-41b) user plane management controller status information.


The aim of the paper is to propose a new simple frictionless model of international trade shares as an alternative to standard gravity models. In the proposed model (total) shares of export from a given country depend only on a gross domestic product and a distance of importing countries. The model is examined by a linear regression with corrected heteroscedasticity for the latest export data from Germany and the Czech Republic. Results show that the model is very successful in explaining export shares with coefficients of determinacy 0.75 and 0.98 respectively.


Nowadays, companies started to realize the impact of a good maintenance strategy on the production process. Quality, performance as well as availability are affected by maintenance; existing mainte ...


In-flight icing is a significant hazard to the aviation industry. In-flight icing occurs when supercooled liquid water (SLW) comes in contact with and freezes to the leading surfaces of an aircraft, which can significantly alter the aircraft's aerodynamic properties. In-flight icing increases the amount of weight and drag on the aircraft, which reduces the lift. Airborne detection hardware have significant technical hurdles related to forward looking radiative transfer that have yet to be addressed. A ground-based detection system that can provide information to all aircraft entering and departing a terminal area (Fig. 1) will be a key element in facilitating icing avoidance in the future. The NASA Icing Remote Sensing System (NIRSS) (Reehorst et al., 2006) is a prototype hazard detection platform that integrates three vertically pointing sensors. Integrated liquid water (ILW) and atmospheric


Peneff's (1988) ethnographic study of interviewers of the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE) provides rich insight into how the institutional history and administrative structure of INSEE impacts on data collection in the field. In particular, it documents how and why interviewers deviate from the rules and interviewing procedures established by INSEE. As an idiographic study of INSEE, Peneffs is an interesting "peek behind the veil" of data collection.


The study examined the factors affecting awareness of maize farmers on health risk of agrochemical usage in Niger State, Nigeria. A three stage sampling procedure was adopted in selecting the respondents. To achieve this research objective, a cross- sectional survey of maize farmers in six (6) Local Government areas (LGAs) was carried out on 181 respondents. Descriptive statistics and probit regression method were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that maize farming in the State was dominated by married men with mean age and farming experiences of 43 years and 13 years, respectively. Furthermore, most farmers do not read nor follow agrochemical instruction which might have led to some health challenges like difficulty in breathing, chest pain, and sneezing, and eye problem. The probit result shows that age, sources of information, labour reduces the odds of agrochemical health risk, while increase in farming experience, farm size, membership of association and cost of seed  increases the odds of agrochemical health risk awareness. The study concluded that maize farming was dominated by married male farmers who are married and had a mean age of 43 years; also, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, eye problem and sneezing topped the health hazards factors as perceived by the farmers. It was therefore recommended that, awareness campaigns and mass trainings on the use, handling and application of agrochemicals should be encouraged in order to achieve effective and safe use of agrochemicals in the study.


Abstract The Inner Mongolian steppe is a vast grassland ecosystem that has long been home to nomadic pastoralists. However, this steppe is experiencing grassland degradation as well as more frequent sand storms. The objective of this study was to detect land-cover changes in the Wulagai grassland of Inner Mongolia using multi-temporal Landsat images from 1986 to 2014, and to determine the factors driving these changes and their impacts. Land-cover maps for 1986, 1995, 2000, 2006 and 2014 were produced using the Support Vector Machine method. Subsequently, 300 m × 300 m grid-cell vector map which covered Wulagai grassland was made to detect land-cover changes and correlations between land-cover classes. The results show degradation trend from 1986 to 2014. Grid-cell-based spatial correlation analysis confirmed a strong negative correlation between grassland and barren, indicating that grassland degradation in this region is due to the regional modernization over the past 28 years.


Objective:To prepare and characterize a new pharmaceutical grade excipient- sodium polystyrene sulfonate-ion exchange resin (SPS-IER). Methods:The sodium polystyrene sulfonate-ion exchange resin was synthesized by the suspension polymerization and the sulfonation reaction. The compound SPS-IER was characterized by FTIR, DSC, X-ray and laser diffraction techniques. Results:The ion exchange resin compound featured polyelectrolyte microspheres with the particle diameter of 60~200μm.Sodium polystyrene sulfonate was bound with the resins in a chemical bond manner. Conclusion:A new pharmaceutical grade excipient-sodium polystyrene sulfonate-ion exchange resin was achievable.


As a critical process in regulating terrestrial feedback to climate change, soil heterotrophic respiration is commonly simulated with the first‐order kinetics in current Earth system models. Compared with the first‐order kinetic models, explicit microbial models are expected to better simulate nonlinear carbon (C)‐cycle phenomena, such as the pulse dynamics of soil heterotrophic respiration driven by dry‐rewetting cycles in grasslands. However, these two types of models (i.e., linear conventional and nonlinear microbial models) have never been compared based on in situ observations of soil heterotrophic respiration in the semi‐arid grassland, which is significantly affected by the dry‐rewetting events. Here, based on the field data of soil heterotrophic respiration in a semi‐arid grassland in northern China, we first showed that the shift from a conventional linear model to a nonlinear microbial model did not substantially improve the simulation of soil heterotrophic respiration. Then, we quantified the contributions of different moisture‐response functions to the uncertainty in simulating the soil C dynamics. The results showed that the selection of moisture‐response functions combined with parameterization in the soil C models dominated the modeled uncertainties in soil heterotrophic respiration. These findings suggest that both the conventional linear model and nonlinear microbial model can simulate well the pulse dynamic of soil heterotrophic respiration in grasslands with an improved parameterization of water regulation on soil carbon decomposition. This study also calls for more observations of nonlinear C phenomena for reducing the simulation uncertainty on soil C cycling in Earth system models.


An environment friendly and cost-effective process has been developed for production of LiOH from spent LFP cathode material. By using a suspension electrolysis system comprising an electrodialysis...


Abstract : The long-term goal of this project is to develop a fully coupled mesoscale atmosphere-ocean prediction system that can be used over any given area of the world. This goal is to be accomplished by coupling a full-physics mesoscale ocean model to a mesoscale atmospheric forecast model; developing, testing, and evaluating software for the necessary supporting infrastructure; and by leveraging related programs to develop an ocean data assimilation capability. This prediction system will be the cornerstone for basic and applied research to study forecast problems for which coupling may be important, and it will also be transitioned to operations to address those situations for which coupling is found to make a significant positive impact on mesoscale forecasts of the atmosphere and/or ocean.


During the Ming and qing dynasties, the various cultural demands gradually increased as the city continued to strengthen and the citizen class was stable.All kinds of decorative patterns are designed under the premise of satisfying practical needs. Through the analysis of these decorative patterns, we can glimpse the subsequent trend of "folk customs". By summarizing and analyzing the patterns on the vessels, the author intends to reveal the cultural meaning behind the "citizen class" in the social background during that time to study the political orientation, religious influence and cultural characteristics of ceramic patterns.


Traffic congestion is rising in cities around the world. Contributing factors include expanding urban population, aging infrastructure, inefficient and uncoordinated traffic signal timings. According to researchers, Signal Timer issues (like out of sync timers) are in the top causing factors of traffic congestion along with a disproportionate number of vehicles and road-work/accidents. The purpose of this article is to illustrate one of the possible solutions to increase the efficiency of existing traffic signals by optimizing signal timings with the help of real time traffic data using a traffic API. The proposed solution is bolstered by a mathematical equation which follows the principle of equity.


The European standard for solar collector testing, EN 12975-2 (CEN 2006) offers two different methods for characterizing the thermal performance of solar thermal collectors: The steady state (SS) method and the quasi dynamic method (QDT). When the QDT method first was introduced in the standard, a "steady state reference case" was defined. This way QDT parameters could be converted into a power curve that corresponded well to one delivered by applying the steady state method. However, as concentrating technologies and vacuum tube collectors are gaining market shares, it has become apparent that the steady state test method is not able to fully characterize the performance of these products. This paper presents an approach to overcome this problem temporarily, by calculating essential "missing" QDT parameters from steady state model parameters. In a longer perspective, the steady state test method should be replaced by the QDT method in order to give accurate results in system simulations and in predictions of annual collector gains, at least when testing collectors of the types mentioned here. With an example of an evacuated tube collector (ETC), it is shown how the method improves the accuracy of predicted energy yield based on steady state testing by 5-15 % depending on which weather conditions that occurred during the steady state test.


These notes are my continuing effort to provide a sort of working mathematician's guide to the derived category and perverse sheaves. They began in 1991 as handwritten notes for David Mond and his students, and then I decided to type them for possible inclusion as an appendix in a paper or book. Now, however, these notes represent more of a journal of my understanding of this machinery; whenever I believe that I have understood a new, significant chunk of the subject, I put it here – so that the next time that I want to understand or use that chunk, I will only have to look in one place. Moreover, the place that I have to look will be written in a manner that I can follow easily (and that I can carry around easily). The version number indicates the month and year when I last added to this effort. The only result of my own that appears here is the Sebastiani-Thom Isomorphism, and even this was known as a folklore result. For the most part, I have merely attempted to pull together some results from a number of sources. There are no proofs given in these notes, though many of the results follow easily from earlier statements. In addition, there are two recent books of Dimca [Di] and Schürmann [Sch] which are very nice; the book of Dimca is mainly expository, while the book of Schürmann is highly technical. While the results described here may seem very formal, in fact, the treatment here is fairly informal. If one wishes to avoid the formality of the derived category altogether and, yet, still understand perverse sheaves, there are the AMS notes of MacPherson [Mac2] which describe intersection homology and perverse sheaves via Eilenberg-Steenrod type axioms, and MacPherson's more recent treatment of perverse sheaves on regular cell complexes. I have made some attempt to note results that conflict with the statements that appear in other places. I note these not to emphasize the mistakes in those papers, but rather to let the reader know that I am aware of the discrepancy and believe that the statement that I give is the correct one. Of course, this is not to say that there may not be mistakes in these notes – in fact, I find typographical mistakes constantly. There may also be mistakes of others that I have copied, or mistakes resulting from …


A pilot scale struvite crystallizer was evaluated for its effectiveness in removing
phosphorus from a potato processing wastewater. Wastewater from the processor was treated
amended with magnesium oxide to raise the pH prior to treatment through an upflow anaerobic
sludge blanket digester with post treatment oxidation. Prior to discharge into a community
wastewater collection system, processed wastewater was treated through a 2-gpm struvite
crystallizer to reduce the discharged phosphorus. The system was tested over a range of operating
pH levels and supplemental magnesium concentrations. A change of 1.0 pH, from inflow to outflow,
with no supplemental magnesium was found to achieve the greatest removal rates.


Crime of offering bribes to foreign officials is a kind of extensively imperiled international crime of corruption. From 1970's on, the United Nations and other international organizations have enacted series of relevant legal instruments, and enhanced international cooperation continuously to prevent and punish the crime. The composition of the crime of offering bribes to foreign officials has transnational facts or facts concerning foreign affairs. The briber is citizen, legal person or its agent of a state, and the bribee is official of another state. In addition, the composition of the crime does not relate to the act of accepting bribe, but only the bribery of briber. The purpose of the crime is foreign official's nonperformance of legal responsibility that the briber or other party would secure benefits in international trade.


Currently, well temperature studies are widely used to solve various problems of control and monitoring of hydraulic fracturing. Temperature data measured in production wells during and after hydraulic fracturing provide important information about non-stationary filtration and thermal processes that are sensitive to fracture parameters — position and orientation, geometry and filtration characteristics. Mathematical models developed for calculating non-stationary pressure and temperature fields with known geometry and filtration-capacitive properties of the fracture and reservoir, in the general case, can be numerical and analytical. In the quantitative interpretation of temperature measurements and solving inverse problems for estimating fracture parameters, the speed of calculating the temperature field is important, in this regard, the development of analytical mathematical models of non-isothermal filtration in a reservior with a hydraulic fracturing is relevant.
The paper presents the results of a study of a non-stationary formation temperature field in a reservoir with a hydraulic fracture based on an analytical model. The developed analytical model takes into account convective heat transfer, heat and mass transfer between the fracture and the formation, thermodynamic (adiabatic and Joule — Thomson) effects. To control the calculation correctness and adequacy of the temperature field, the analytical solution was compared with numerical calculations in the Ansys Fluent software package.
The non-stationary temperature formation features of the fluid flowing into the well in the constant withdrawal mode at various parameters of the fracture (width and permeability) are investigated. It was found that the temperature of the fluid flowing into the well increases in inverse proportion to the width and permeability of the fracture, and in the first hour after putting the well into operation, negative dynamics of the flowing liquid temperature is observed, the duration of which increases with the growth of the fracture width.


How did problems in a relatively small portion of the home mortgage market trigger the most severe financial crisis in the United States since the Great Depression? Several developments played a role, including the proliferation o f complex mortgage-backed securities and derivatives with highly opaque structures, high leverage, and inadequate risk management. These, in turn, created systemic risk—that is, the risk that a triggering event, such as the failure of a large financial firm, will seriously impair financial markets and harm the broader economy. This article examines the role of systemic risk in the recent financial crisis. S ystemic concerns prompted the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of the Treasury to act to prevent the bankruptcy of several large financial firms in 2008. The authors explain why the failures of financial firms are more likely to pose systemic risks than the failures of nonfinancial firms and discuss possible remedies for such risks. They conclude that the economy could benefit from reforms that reduce systemic risks, s uch as the creation of an improved regime for resolving failures of large financial firms. (JEL E44, E58, G01, G21, G28)


4 Introduction 4 Background and Related Work 5 Program Requirements 6 Implementation 8 Results, Evaluation, and Reflection 14 Conclusions and Future Work 17 Bibliography 18 Appendices 19


Introduction: Frailty is being increasingly seen as an independent syndrome. Frail patients now account for an increasing proportion of hospital and critical care admissions [1]. We aimed to compare frailty and mortality in our intensive care unit. Methods: Clinical Frailty Score(CFS) was incorporated within the electronic health record (EHR) 2019. We performed this retrospective analysis on the data collected between Jan'19 and Oct'19. The predictor and outcome for this study were frailty and hospital mortality respectively. All demographic data, acute physiology score, critical care and hospital outcome data were automatically collected in the EHR and recorded. We used a cut off of CFS>3 and above to define non-frail and frail respectively. Chi-squared test, simple and multiple logistic regression were used. Adjustment was done for ICNARC score and age. Results: Total number of patients was 848, of which 140 (16.5%) died in hospital. Within the patients<65 years (n=392), 79 (20%) were recorded as frail or vulnerable. The number of elective and emergency admission were 292(34%) and 556(66%) respectively. In the frail and non-frail, mortality rates were 30% and 9.5% (p<0.001) respectively, with odds ratio of 4.14(95% CI 2.8, 6; p<0.001). For emergency patients, mortality in the frail and non-frail were 36.3% and 16.5% respectively (p<0.001), with odds ratio 2.9 (95% CI 1.9, 4.3; p<0.001) but after adjustment, it was not significant [OR 1.64 (95% CI 0.97, 1.77); p=0.06]. For patients, who were discharged from critical care, mortality in the frail and non-frail were 11.8% and 1.2% respectively (p<0.001) with odds ratio 11.8 (95% CI 4.6, 27.9; p<0.001) and adjusted OR 4.19 (95% CI 4.16, 11.1; p=0.06). Conclusion: Frailty is a risk factor for hospital mortality for critical care survivors, independent of age. It is possible that enhanced targeted resource allocation and appropriate placement for these patients could alter adverse outcome. References: 1) Flatten H et al. Intensive Care Med 43:1820-1828, 2017


Ventral hernias refer to fascial defects of the anterolateral abdominal wall through which intermittent or continuous protrusion of abdominal tissue or organs may occur. They are either congenital or acquired. In adults more than 80% of ventral hernias result from previous surgery hence the term incisional hernias. They have been reported to occur after 0-26% of abdominal procedures. Although these hernias mostly become clinically manifest between 2 to 5 years after surgery, studies have shown that, the process starts within the first postoperative month. They are said to occur as a result of a biomechanical failure of the acute fascial wound coupled with clinically relevant impediments to acute tissue repair and normal support function of the abdominal wall. Historically, incisional hernias have been repaired with either primary suture techniques or placement of a variety of prosthetic materials. Before the 1960's, most ventral hernias were repaired primarily with suture and a few with metallic meshes. Even with some modifications, recurrence rates with the primary suture repair ranged from 24-54%. The introduction of polypropylene mesh repair by Usher in 1958 opened a new era of tension-free herniorrhaphy. Recurrence rates with prosthetic mesh decreased to 10-20%. Subsequentely, it was realized that the placement and fixation of the mesh was more crucial in determining the outcome of the repair. The placement of the mesh in the preperitoneal, retromuscular position with a wide overlap of at least 5 cm over the hernia defect in all directions was introduced in the late 1980's. The refinement of this method decreased the recurrence rates to as low as 3.5% making it to be declared the standard of care of ventral hernias. However implantation of the mesh by open techniques requires wide dissection of soft tissue contributing to an increase in wound infection and woundrelated complications. Initially described in 1992, laparoscopic repair of incisional hernias has evolved from an investigational procedure to one that can safely and successfully be used to repair ventral hernias. The well-established benefits of laparoscopy repair are less postoperative pain, reduced hospital stay and recovery time, low complication and recurrence rates based on numerous reports, meta-analysis and few randomised trials. Conventionally, the laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) entails the intraperitoneal placement and fixation of the prosthetic mesh. An alternative technique has been tried in a few studies and proposed and to be an advancement of the conventional approach. The objective of this review was to compare the efficacy and safety of these two LVHR techniques by analysing the evidence in available literature. It has suggested that, the proposed laparoscopic preperitoneal placement of prostheses seems to negate most of the positive attributes of the intraperitoneal approach to LVHR in most ways. The proposed new technique may be advantageous in small primary hernias, in a highly selected patients population. However, it may not be of benefit to the majority of patients that usually present with this structural disability.


Poly (trimethylene terephthalate) wherein satisfies the following conditions (1) to (4): (1) a sulfonate ester-forming within a range of 0. 5 to 5 mol% is copolymerized relative to a total dicarboxylic acid component. (2) copolymerized bis (3-hydroxypropyl) ether in a range of 0, 1 to 2, 5% by weight; (3) an intrinsic viscosity, as measured by an Ostwald viscosimeter using o-chlorophenol at 35C, is within a range of 0, 65-1, 5 dl / g, and (4) an amount of terminal carboxyl groups is 25 milliequivalents per kg resin or less.