131I treatment can partly or completely eliminate lung metastases of DTC.131I has been an effective measure of treating lung metastases of DTC.Many factors,such as age,sex,histology,other distant metastases except lung,chest X-rays,the size and functional features of lung metastases and so on the influence on the effect of 131I treatment in lung metastases of DTC.The main factors are other distant metastases except lung,the size and functional features of lung metastases.131I treatment in lung metastases of DTC has a few side effects.131I treatment rarely influences hemogram,lung function and salivary function,barely a few large single dose or large accumulated dose of 131I treatment cause grave side effects,such as myelosuppression,pulmonary fibrosis or radiation pneumonitis,salivary functional damage and so on.The summary of effect,side effects and influencing factors of 131I treatment in lung metastases of DTC plays an important role in evaluating effect and determinating the treatment plan before 131I treatment.


In this study, a UVC sensor was implemented using CH₃NH₃PbI₃, a perovskite material. The UV sensor made with a p-i-n structure uses PEDOT:PSS as the p-type material and ZnO as the n-type material. The fabricated device shows a responsivity of 1.60 mA/W and a detectivity of 2.25×1010 Jones under 254 nm illumination with a power density of 1.02 mW/cm² at 2 V. In addition, the manufactured UV sensor is a self-powered perovskite-based UV sensor that can operate without external bias. Therefore, this UVC sensor can have applications in various fields.


Because the fusion rules which are based on coefficient of a single point and coefficient of region has one-sidedness and are easy to make blending images lack fidelity, a new fusion rule is put forward. When this fusion rule fuses the low frequency sub-band resolved by wavelet method, it adequately consider the local areas regional energy and the regional energys similarity of the image which is need to fuse, and it use threshold to choose appropriate fusion rule. Experimental result indicated that this way can preferably keep detail features of the image, and it has some engineering application value.


FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: method of augmentation of duration of action of physiologically active polypeptide in vivo is described. Physiologically active polypeptide is conjugated with Fc fragment of immunoglobulin by means of PEG. Invention use, in comparison with native physiologically active polypeptide, provides the raised physiological activity in vivo designs and-or augmentation of time of a semilife in Serum of physiologically active polypeptide with the minimum risk of induction of undesirable immune responses. EFFECT: possibility of application of bond at manufacturing of various polypeptides medicinal preparations of the prolonged action. 11 cl, 18 dwg, 8 ex


To elucidate the phytohormone profiles associated with various stages of growing and ripening of small watermelon fruits, small watermelon fruits were collected 7 to 35 days after flowering (DAF) and divided into rind, pulp, and seeds. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), trans-zeatin (tZ), isopentenyl adenine (iP), jasmonic acid (JA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), gibberellin 1 (GA 1 ), and gibberellin 4 (GA 4 ) from each tissue were simultaneously quantified by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). From 7 to 28 DAF, pulp weight increased rapidly due to cellular expansion. The IAA concentration increased up to 21 DAF in seeds, but then decreased up to 35 DAF. Similar changes occurred in the pulp approximately 7 days after the pattern of rising and falling IAA levels in the seeds. The GA concentration was higher in the seeds, and peaked prior to the seed growth peak. The ABA level in the pulp peaked at the time of fruit enlargement (21 DAF). The concentrations of iP, GA 1 , and GA 4 tended to decrease with growth in all tissues. The results revealed the changes in endogenous plant hormones involved in the growth of small watermelon fruit.


The most significant mental health initiative in the UK in decades has achieved many successful recoveries. David Richards argues that this, along with cross-party political support and other count...


The first single chip speech synthesizer was introduced by Texas Instruments in June of 1978, was introduced by Texas Instruments in June of 1978, and forms the basis for the very popular "Speak & Spell"* learning aid. The development of this unique Spell"* learning aid. The development of this unique integrated circuit was due in a large measure to a well-defined product's need for a specific new semiconductor capability. A cost effective solution called for a novel circuit design to cope with the complex digital signal processing required for speech synthesis. The resulting technology breakthrough has resulted in the introduction of a number of voice IC's and the rapid development of voice synthesis markets.


I AM concerned about widespread off-label use of medicines by members of the veterinary profession; as an example, I would like to cite the current trend to use oral tramadol under the prescribing cascade for the management of osteoarthritis in elderly dogs. Although there are no directly equivalent drugs to tramadol licensed for veterinary use, there are plenty of licensed analgesics.

In a systematic review of the human literature performed under the Cochrane Collaboration (Cepeda and others 2009), tramadol was shown to be of only small benefit in treating arthritis in people, as patients reported a maximum 12 per …


Industrial hubs are at the centre of economic development. However, the literature on industrial hubs is fragmented and characterized by diverse conceptual and methodological approaches. This chapter provides a synopsis of the literature on the theory and practice of industrial hubs and economic development drawn from various intellectual traditions. The chapter also reviews key themes drawn from structuralist development economics, with a special focus on industrial policy, structural transformation, and catch-up. The first section of this chapter provides an outline of the key approaches and issues. The second section discusses historical perspectives on industrial hubs and economic agglomeration starting from the early days of the first industrial revolution. The third section examines issues rooted in structural transformation and economic catch-up, and the connection between cluster dynamics and industrial policy framework. The fourth section maps empirical perspectives behind uneven global practices and outcomes, and on how industrial hubs can synergize industrialization and technological catch-up. The fifth section presents empirical synthesis and concluding notes.


The aim of my thesis is to analyse current situation of transport activity in AREA ZLIN Ltd. In the theoretical part, there is described history of road transport, influence of transport on the environment and also the way how to reduce emission of road transport. The thesis describes transport state policy of the Czech Republic for years 2007-2013. There is also defined important costs and earnings of transport company. The thesis includes possibilities to finance transport activity. The practical part is aimed to giving proposals of optimal solution for the management of transport activity in the company.


As awareness of the "window of opportunity" in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is raised amongst general practitioners and members of the public, Rheumatologist are increasing seeing patients at earlier stages in the natural history of RA; in particular at the phase of clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) where patients have inflammatory sounding musculoskeletal symptoms but without clinically apparent joint swelling. Managing such patients is challenging, with particular issues related to outcome prediction and treatment. This talk will review the differential diagnosis of CSA with a focus on strategies that can be applied in a secondary care setting to predict future RA development including the role autoantibody testing and imaging. Potential treatment options will be discussed and ongoing research studies aimed at preventing progression to RA will be highlighted. The patient perspective in relation to the impact of their symptoms and their views about predictive testing will also be addressed. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Given the importance of individual psychological well-being for effective organizational performance, leaders would be wise to create healthy places to work — places that contribute to, and reinforce adaptive functioning. The best places to work can be described as "authentizotic" — derived from the Greek words authenteekos and zoteekos. An organization that is authentic inspires employees through the integrity of its vision, mission, values, culture and structure. Zoteekos, meaning "vital to life", when applied to an organizational context implies that people are invigorated by their workplace and find in it a sense of balance and completeness.
This article describes 12 patterns that differentiate authentizotic organizations from more run-of-the-mill places of work. While sceptics may find the idea utopian, it argues that leaders would do well to imbue their organizations with authentizotic qualities and concludes with a checklist to help the reader identify authentizotic characteristics in their own workplace.


Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for various kinds of infections. Diabetes mellitus patients are prone to develop infections during pregnancy and puerperium. In our study, we found that pregnant women with impaired glucose tolerance have a higher carrier rate of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) than those with normal glucose tolerance. We retrospectively studied 5855 pregnancies of women who delivered at Tsukuba University Hospital from January 2001 to May 2010. The samples for GBS carrier screening were obtained from the perineum and rectum at 35–37 weeks of pregnancy. Prophylaxis for neonatal GBS infection was implemented according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) protocol. Impaired glucose tolerance included gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM). GDM was diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria (1995) of the Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The c test was used for statistical analysis. During this period, 5379 women delivered after 35 weeks of pregnancy. From the total study population, 249 women had impaired glucose tolerance. Compared to women with normal glucose tolerance, the women with impaired glucose tolerance had a higher colonization rate (12.1% versus 16.8%; risk ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.84). Neonatal GBS infections were not observed. Five patients with puerperal endometritis required hospitalization; in one patient, the pregnancy was complicated with DM. Some studies have evaluated the incidence of GBS colonization in pregnant diabetic women in the USA. Ramos et al. found a higher prevalence of GBS colonization in diabetic women than in non-diabetic women (43.8% versus 22.7%). In contrast, Piper et al. reported that gestational diabetes does not alter the colonization rate of GBS (12% versus 12%). In Japan, although very few studies have been performed on the prevalence of vaginal and/or anorectal GBS colonization and neonatal GBS infection, the mortality of neonatal GBS infection is higher than that in theUSA. This is the first report from the Asia and Oceania region on the correlation between GDM and GBS colonization. The procedures for preventing neonatal GBS diseases should be established on the basis of the epidemiology and healthcare system of each country. Investigating the prevalence and risk factors for GBS colonization is very important for efficient prevention of neonatal GBS diseases in Japan.


Benefits of the skeletonized internal thoracic artery (ITA) include increased graft flow, increased graft length, and reduced incidence of sternal complications. We conducted a randomized, double‐blinded comparison of skeletonized versus pedicled ITA to assess the differences in pain intensity and extent of disability between the two types of harvesting procedures at one and three months follow‐up.


In order to reduce the dynamic responses of offshore platforms more effecuively,a fuzzy magnetorheological fluid damper(MRFD) is adopted to control the vibration of offshore platforms in this paper.Taking the error of offshore platform displacement response and error variety as input,and the optimal control force as output,the optimal fuzzy controller is designed.Considering the limits for output force which is generated by MRFD,semi-active control strategy is used to revise the output control force,which approximates the optimal active control force calculated by the fuzzy control strategy.Finally a numerical example of a fixed offshore platform is utilized to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed method and its fuzziness.The simulation results show that vibration of offshore platforms by using fuzzy control method is reduced effectively.In addition,the proposed method has good fuzziness on uncertainty of structural damping and uncertainties of external load parameters.


Fault diagnosis is a pre-requisite for ensuring safe, efficient and optimal operation of chemical process plants. The success of any diagnosis strategy depends critically on the sensors measuring the process variables. With potentially many sensor locations, sensor placement can be optimized based on criteria like cost, reliability etc. We present formulations to perform sensor reallocation and upgrade of an existing sensor network to ensure comprehensive fault diagnosis. These formulations are based on minimizing cost required to achieve the desired reliability, and maximizing reliability for a given cost. A combined formulation which maximizes reliability and, among the various solutions, selects the one with minimum cost is also presented. The cause-effect information for these formulations is obtained from a semi-quantitative representation of the process which might be useful for performing sensor location for industrial processes. The utility of the proposed approach is demonstrated through a retrofit analysis of the Tennessee Eastman case study.


Liberia has initiated a paradigm shift to develop its agriculture sector through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). An investment from Sime Darby Plantations has created social impact towards the local, culture and land use. Center for International Conflict Resolution or CICR has seen these problems as a threat to social development in Liberia. Eleven recommendations have been delivered to Sime Darby as a solution to cater all problems that should conserve the local, culture and the land use. In order to assist Sime Darby, this study aims to highlight a strategy for Sime Darby to counter all recommendations from CICR. This study was conducted over a period of three months with several documents and files being investigated. Documents from CICR and Sime Darby have been analyzed thoroughly in order to propose a promising resolution. Three factors have been seen as solutions to Sime Darby to overcome the problems whilst it will assist them on their investment in Liberia. Sime Darby has to execute all strategies that will promise a long run investment in Liberia whilst building their own image as a people-friendly company.


Abstract 2756

 Nilotinib is a potent and selective BCR-ABL inhibitor. The phase 3 ENESTnd trial demonstrated superior efficacy nilotinib vs. imatinib, with higher and faster molecular responses. After 24 months, the rates of progression to accelerated-blastic phase (ABP) were 0.7% and 1.1% with nilotinib 300mg and 400mg BID, respectively, significantly lower compared to imatinib (4.2%). Nilotinib has been approved for the frontline treatment of Ph+ CML. With imatinib 400mg (IRIS trial), the rate of any event and of progression to ABP were higher during the first 3–4 years. Consequently, a confirmation of the durability of responses to nilotinib beyond 3 years is extremely relevant.

 To evaluate the long term outcome of patients treated with nilotinib 400mg BID as frontline therapy.

 A multicentre phase 2 trial was conducted by the GIMEMA CML WP (ClinicalTrials.gov.NCT00481052). Median 48-month follow-up data for all patients will be presented. Definitions: MR3.0 (Major Molecular Response) as a BCR-ABL/ABL ratio <0,1%IS; MR4.0, undetectable transcript levels with ≥10,000 ABL transcripts; failures: according to the revised ELN recommendations; events: failures and treatment discontinuation for any reason. All the analysis has been made according to the intention-to-treat principle.

 73 patients enrolled: median age 51 years; 45% low, 41% intermediate and 14% high Sokal risk. The cumulative incidence of CCgR at 12 months was 100%. CCgR at each milestone: 78%, 96%, 96%, 95%, 92% at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, respectively. The overall estimated probability of MR3.0 was 99%, while the rates of MR3.0 at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months were 52%, 66%, 85%, 81% and 82%, respectively. Two out of 73 patients never achieved a MR3.0, 1 who progressed to AP/BP (see below) and 1 in stable and confirmed CCgR at 36 months. Three pts had a confirmed loss of MR3.0 due to low adherence (all 3 still on nilotinib). The overall estimated probability of MR4.0 was 79%, while the rates of MR4.0 at 12, 24 and 36 months were 12%, 27% and 25%, respectively. One third (21/73 pts) showed a stable MR4.0 (defined based on 3 consecutive MR4.0 samples 4 months apart). Only one patient progressed at 6 months to ABP and subsequently died (high Sokal risk, T315I mutation). Adverse events were mostly grade 1 or 2 and manageable with appropriate dose adaptations. During the first 12 months, the mean daily dose was 600–800mg in 74% of patients. The nilotinib last daily dose was as follows: 800mg in 46 (63%) patients, 600mg in 3 (4%) patients and 400mg in 18 (25%), 6 permanent discontinuations. Detail of discontinuation: 1 patient progressed to ABP; 3 patients had recurrent episodes of amylase and/or lipase increase (no pancreatitis); 1 patient had atrial fibrillation (unrelated to study drug) and 1 patient died after 32 months of mental deterioration and starvation (unrelated to study drug). Two patients are currently on imatinib second-line and 2 on dasatinib third-line. With a median follow-up of 39 months, the estimated probability of overall survival, progression-free survival and failure-free survival was 97%, the estimated probability of event-free survival was 91%.

 The rate of failures was very low during the first 3 years. Responses remain stable. The high rates of responses achieved during the first 12–18 months are being translated into optimal outcome for most of patients.

 European LeukemiaNet, COFIN, Bologna University, BolognAIL

 Gugliotta: Novartis: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Honoraria. Castagnetti:Novartis: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Cuneo:Roche: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Soverini:Novartis: Consultancy; ARIAD: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Saglio:Novartis Pharmaceutical: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy. Rosti:Novartis: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria.


Recently, in order to improve the service quality of cloud-based services, research on a reinforcement learning model that predicts an appropriate amount of cloud resources by identifying patterns of user demands is being conducted. Reinforcement learning Q-learning algorithms rely on building a table (Q-table) for Q values, so if the state space and action space are vastly larger, they do not obtain optimal policies. In addition, learning errors in false experiences from the correlation of successive data in reinforcement learning may exist. In this paper, we study reinforcement learning modeling techniques that achieve higher accuracy than existing models by reducing the state definition space of hardware resources arising from services. It is possible to maximize service quality by allocating cloud resources or returning unnecessary resources with accurate resource demand prediction. For performance analysis, the service request prediction results according to the number of learnings were confirmed, and the service request prediction accuracy of three different models according to the neural network was compared. In the experiment, the model applying the proposed Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) neural network modeling technique is found to predict the amount of cloud resources in close proximity to the actual service request as the number of learning increases. We also compare the average of service request prediction accuracy of different models applying three neural networks, Deep Neural Network(DNN), Long Short-Term Memory(LTSM), and CNN, and find that the proposed technique has 3.36% higher prediction accuracy than LSTM-based models, and 40.2% higher than DNN-based models. In the future, additional research is needed, such as building various learning datasets or applying other reinforcement learning algorithms. Further research is also needed on cloud resource rental costs and provisioning latency.


The settlement of Jamestown by the English in the early 17th century and the role of interpreters whose stories give us a sense of the difficult position of…


A new formulation of the mixing plane boundary condition to analyze the steady state interaction between adjacent rows of a turbomachine, used in conjunction with steady two-dimensional non-reflecting boundary conditions, is presented. Existing mixing plane formulations rely on the differences between some variables at the rows that conform the mixing plane to determine the boundary condition. These differences are driven to zero as the case is converged to the steady state. By contrast, the proposed approach determines the differences that result in the conservation of mass, momentum and energy after the boundary condition is enforced, ensuring conservation at any instant during the iterative process. The reverse flow within the mixing plane boundary is naturally treated, but both inlet and outlet boundary conditions fail when the mixing plane normal velocity tends to zero, giving rise to sharp variations of the fluid variables that must be properly limited to prevent convergence problems. Some examples will be given to demonstrate the ability of the new method to resolve those cases while preserving the boundary condition robustness.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Private foundations are among the least understood organizations in modern society. Formed from large private wealth accumulations under accommodating tax law treatment, private foundations represent an important segment of the tax-exempt sector. Although the origins of institutionalized philanthropy go back as far as the ancient Chinese, Indian, and Egyptian civi l izations, l i t t l e historical data has been available on its size and impact F7].


PurposeThe purpose of this article is to critically review the contributions made by the global trends issue participants and to present the lines of action in the form of a proposal for measuring tourism success that is based on a clear move towards sustainability.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis of the papers selected was performed so as to identify the most significant outcomes of this global trends issue in terms of the contributions to knowledge and/or professional practice.FindingsThe wide range of perspectives put forward by authors provide a thorough review of the concept and practice of sustainability and its application to the tourism sector, explore a variety of angles that are central to the balanced development of tourism and shed light on new approaches to the measurement of tourism success.Originality/valueThe articles contained in this global trends issue demonstrate that tourism cannot solely be an economic equation, but rather an engine for sustainability across its three commonly accepted pillars: Economic, Socio-cultural and Environmental.


Aim To observe the inhibitory effect of chondroitin sulfate(SC-CHS)isolated from Isostichopus badionotus on lung metastasis of mouse melanoma cell line B16-F10.Methods After treated with different concentrations of SC-CHS at differenttime points,and the proliferation of B16-F10 cells was assessed by MTT assay.Also,effects of SC-CHS on the adhesion ability with the matrigel,hyaluronic acid,ECV304 of B16-F10 cells were estimated by MTT assays.Forty mice were randomly selected and assigned into four groups(ten animals per group): the normal control group,the model control group,low and high dosage groups(5 and 20 mg·kg-1 bw).After treated daily by intraperitoneally injection of SC-CHS or normal saline for 5 days,each mouse except for the normal control group was used to establish experimental lung metastasis models by injecting B16-F10 malignant melanoma cells into the lateral tail vein.The mice were sacrificed after 20 days of tumor induction,blood was collected for separating the serum and the lungs were dissected out to detect metastatic colonies.The levels of serum saliva acid content,γ-GT energy and hydroxyproline,hexosamines and uronic acid levels in lung tissues were also measured,respectively.Results The results suggested that SC-CHS had no effect on B16-F10 cells growth,but significantly reduced the adhesion ability of B16-F10 with matrigel,hyaluronic acid and ECV304(P0.05).SC-CHS clearly suppressed lung metastasis by 65.26% in mice and could reduce the levels of serum saliva acid content and γ-GT energy clearly(P0.01).Biochemical parameters such as hydroxyproline,hexosamines and uronic acid levels in the lung were also reduced clearly(P0.01) in the SC-CHS treated animals.Therefore,the results indicated that SC-CHS isolated from the Isostichopus badionotus could inhibit the experimental metastasis of B16-F10 malignant melanoma cells.Conclusions SC-CHS can inhibit the metastasis of B16-F10 metastatic mouse melanoma cells and its mechanism may be that it can inhibit the B16-F10 cells adhering to the ECM and reduce the migration of B16-F10 cells.


Three series of rabbits received 500 r to the total body, to the body with the appendix shielded, and to the body with the spleen shielded. One day later, these animals were injected intravenously with a single dose of sheep erythrocytes. A fourth series of rabbits was not irradiated and received only antigen. At specified intervals after treatment, groups of 3 to 4 rabbits were sacrificed, and the amount of splenic white and red pulp in these animals was determined by planimetric measurement of microprojected spleen sections. Results are reported and discussed. (C.H.)


Summary and Conclusions 1. Embryonic mice at 8.5 days gestation from pure C57 and CF1 strains, and their hybrids, were x-irradiated to 200 r to determine whether prenatal heterosis was manifest. Criteria were the number of normal, resorbed, dead, or anomalous mice seen at 18.5 days in the hybrids as compared with the pure lines. 2. The hybrids at 8.5 days exhibited some degree of heterosis based upon the higher percentage of normal fetuses, and the lower percentage of resorptions when comparisons are made with the pure strain parental stocks. 3. For heterosis to be manifest, the hybrids had to overcome the severely deleterious effect of the presence of C57 genes as indicated by the 90% resorptions among this parental stock and only 30% in the hybrids, while the CF1 showed 39%. Thus, there is evidence of more than mere dominance of the more resistant strain genes, hence heterosis at least by the time of organogenesis. 4. The heterosis for the embryo results in better survival, hence better survival also of the x-irradiation-produced congenital anomalies.


REAP is the Rural Economic Analysis Program in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech Local, state, and national policy makers need to fully understand the impact of price and reflect that insight and understanding in their tobacco-use education programs, in their decisions on the tobacco program, and in their decisions on efforts to assist producers and producing communities who will bear the brunt of coming adjustments.


The study presents the results of the use of medical ozone in urinary tract infections during pregnancy. The effectiveness of ozone therapy for asymptomatic bacteriuria, chronic pyelonephritis is shown, that evidenced by clinical and laboratory data: improving the pregnancy, birth and the newborn state, the normalization of oxidation-antioxidant and immune homeostasis, cytokine status. Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effect of ozone has a stabilizing effect on the humoral and cellular immune system, thereby reducing the frequency of recurrence of urinary infections in pregnant women.


Ultrastructural and cytochemical studies on the ascus of Lasiobolus monascus are presented. Apothecia in various stages of development were obtained in culture and prepared for both light and electron microscopic observations. Ultrathin sections for electron microscopic inspection were often treated with silver methenamine to enhance wall characteristics. Ascus development was followed from fertilization to maturity.In this species, the ascogonium enlarges after fertilization to become the ascus mother cell. Two pores are present in the young ascus, one connecting it to the antheridium and another between the ascus and stalk cell. The ultrastructural features of these pores in the young and maturing ascus are described. During ascus enlargement, as many as four wall layers are found when poststained with silver methenamine. Only two layers are clearly distinguishable when poststained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate. The apical zone of dehiscence is characterized by a distinct annular swelling which a...


Wireless network virtualization is a promising technology in next generation wireless networks. In this paper, motivated by the experience of user equipment (UE) admission control in traditional wireless networks, we propose a novel concept of mobile virtual network (MVN) admission control for wireless virtualization. By limiting the number of MVNs embedded in the physical network, MVN admission control can effectively guarantee quality of service (QoS) experienced by users of MVNs and maximize the utilization of the physical networks at the same time. Specifically, we propose a two-stage MVN embedding mechanism that can decouple short-term physical resource allocation from long-term admission control and resource leasing. With recent advances in robust optimization, we formulate the MVN admission control problem as a robust optimization problem. Both the long-term admission control and short- term resource allocation problems are transformed to convex problems, which can be solved efficiently. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.


Gene therapy is the most promising strategy for treating a number of diseases at their most fundamental, genetic level, and it has a wide range of promising clinical and emerging preclinical uses in both the clinic and the laboratory. Gene therapy systems are composed of three fundamental components, with the delivery platform being responsible for the protection and successful delivery of the incorporated therapeutic nucleic acid sequences. A successful delivery platform is critical in the achievement of a therapeutic outcome, and an effective delivery platform is essential in achieving this. A variety of different gene delivery platforms - vectors - are evaluated in this dissertation in terms of their nature, mechanism of action, potential applications, and safety. Of particular importance is the evaluation of their post-delivery pharmacokinetic and adverse drug-metabolite profiles. The different types of vectors, including viral, non-viral, and alternative vectors, are discussed separately in each chapter, while important issues related to the incorporation of these vectors into clinical practice are discussed as well, including the topics of vector development and manufacturing, as well as the current regulatory landscape and efforts to improve it, and finally their prospects for the immediate future.


The superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) run along the palmar/plantar aspect of the distal third of the cannon bone, fetlock joint and entire pastern region within a synovial cavity, called the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). This simplified version of the anatomy was taught to me at vet school. Since this time, I have discovered a much more complex anatomic structure, with details very relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of DFTS pathology.


Zavada (1984) proposed that pollen exine morphology in flowering plants is correlated with the type of self-incompatibility (SI) mechanism present, such that species with homomorphic, gametophytic incompatibility (GSI) are characterized by imperforate or microperforate (mean 0.1 ,um, range 0-0.7 /um) exines, whilst species with homomorphic, sporophytic incompatibility (SSI) and also heteromorphic incompatibility (HetSI) have reticulate-perforate (mean 1.4 ,um, range 0.2-6 jum) pollen exine. Zavada (1984) discussed these correlations in functional terms (e.g. pollen wall proteins which act as SI "recognition substances" stored in the reticulate exines of SSI and HetSI taxa to facilitate stigmatic recognition etc.) and he also drew attention to the fact that a number of Lower Cretaceous fossil angiosperm pollens have distinctly reticulate exines. He concluded that contrary to some current views which hold that "sporophytic" SI is an advanced feature, the origin of sporophytic incompatibility was likely to have been contemporaneous with the appearance of the earliest angiosperm pollens in the Barremian-Aptian strata. Zavada & Taylor (1986) have further elaborated on the possible evolutionary consequences of the presence of sporophytic self-incompatibility in the earliest angiosperms. In a subsequent paper (Gibbs & Ferguson, 1987) we questioned the validity of the Zavada hypothesis and drew attention to some obvious errors in the pollen data base (some taxa erroneously stated to have heteromorphic flowers), and we criticized Zavada's interpretation of the functional significance of pollen wall perforations and wall-held proteins in relation to SI mechanisms. We particularly objected to the simplistic lumping of taxa with SSI and HetSI in this context, since as we pointed out, stigmatic recognition was by no means a universal feature of HetSI. We also listed the pollen characteristics for a different set of GSI, SSI and HetSI species, and showed that for each type of mechanism there were species with imperforate, microperforate and reticulate pollen exines. We concluded that it would be unwise to attempt to deduce the type of SI mechanism (if any) operating in Cretaceous angiosperms on the basis of the pollen exine features. Zavada (1990) has recently published a "rebuttal" of our criticisms which consists of some minor elements, and one major objection to our data. Amongst the minor


Cattle are the main reservoir of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), food‐borne pathogens that express verocytotoxins (vtx) encoded by temperate bacteriophage. Bovine faeces and unturned manure heaps can support the survival of VTEC and may propagate and transmit VTEC. This study investigated the survival of a vtx2 bacteriophage, φ24B::Kan, in bovine faeces and slurry. The survival of an anti‐Escherichia coli O157:H7 lytic bacteriophage, e11/2, was examined in the same matrices, as a possible bio‐control option for VTEC.


Purpose: To evaluate the fluoride concentration in bottled mineral water and soft drinks marketed in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil.
Methods: Fifteen commercial brands of mineral water and seven types of "guarana"-based soft drinks sold in the Amazon region were analyzed. The beverages of three different batches were acquired from the local market. The samples were analyzed in duplicate, using an ORION 720-A ion analyzer with the ORION 96-09 ion-specific electrode, previously calibrated using standard solutions containing from 0.125 to 1.0g μF/mL. The readings in mV were converted into ppm of fluoride by linear regression.
Results: The samples of mineral water and soft drinks displayed fluoride concentration ranges of 0.04-1.02 and 0.04-0.14 μF/mL, respectively. Only one brand of mineral water had a concentration of fluoride higher than the official Brazilian recommendation for human consumption.
Conclusion: In general, the fluoride concentration in the bottled mineral water and soft drink beverages sold in the Amazon is negligible to provide any preventive effect in terms of caries control, even though the bottles of mineral water advertise the content as "Fluoridated Mineral Water".


All object-related actions are complex. Even the "simplest" of reach to grasp movements requires finely honed coordination of the muscles of the arm, hand, and fingers; is dependent upon exquisitely tuned feedforward and feedback mechanisms for motor control; is honed by learning; and is influenced by such cognitive factors as task goals. In this sense, then, the title of this Symposium, Complex Object-Related Actions, contains a redundancy. It is also true, however, that (as compared with, say, memory, language, executive function, attention, and spatial skills) the study of skilled action has been neglected within the fields of neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. One reason for this finding may be that many psychologists and neuroscientists do not view action as "cognitive" (Rosenbaum, 2005). As the work presented here illustrates, there is ample recent evidence suggesting that this view is inaccurate. We retain the word "Complex" in the title of the Symposium to emphasize the cognitive, psychological, and memory-related aspects of action that deserve broader interest. We suspect that the organizational principles and mechanisms that underlie cognition in many other domains will be found to play a role in the action system as well.


Curved bezel concealing the display cover and the display apparatus is disclosed. In one embodiment, the bezel (14) and for coupling to a display device comprising a display panel (12), the bezel concealing display cover (16) is curved peripheral portion having a first surface and a second surface a is, from the bezel of the display device, configured as shifted by a gap G The bezel concealing display cover, at least one surface of the first surface or the second surface of the curved peripheral portion further includes an array of prisms (22). The prism array extends from the edge of the curved peripheral portion to the distance L. A part of the image near the bezel generated in the display panel, in the eyes of the observer (O) to shift to appear on the bezel, and the prism array and the curved peripheral portion is formed.


Research reveals the impact of achievement goals on behavior in doing assignments and academic emotions to achieve learning goals. The study was conducted on 1200 students at SMP 1 Larantuka with the conclusion that the Achievement Goal (X) has a positive and significant effect on the behavior of doing assignments (Y) as evidenced by an error rate of 0.05 (α = 5%), the path coefficient is 0.237, the Sig value is t is 0.000 (0.000 < 0.05) and the adjusted R Square y value is 0.053. Achievement Goal (X) has a positive and significant effect on academic emotion (Z) as evidenced by the error rate of 0.05 (α=5%), the path coefficient of 0.379, the Sig.t value of 0.000 (0.000 <0.05) and the value of Adjusted R Square of 0.141. Academic Emotion (Z) has a positive and significant effect on the behavior of doing tasks (Y) as evidenced by the error rate of 0.05 (α=5%), the path coefficient of 0.395, the Sig.t value of 0.000 (0.000 <0.05) and Adjusted R Square value of 0.153. The achievement goal (X) has no significant effect on the behavior of doing the task (Y) as evidenced by a significance value of 0.076>0.05 (α=5%). Academic Emotion (Z) has a positive and significant effect on the behavior of doing the task (Y) as evidenced by the error rate of 0.05 (α=5%), the path coefficient of 0.356, the Sig.t value of 0.000 (0.000 <0.05), R Square value is 0.165 and R Square value is 0.242


1) For a free and fruitful dialogue among civilizations, the respect of other civilizations is a prerequisite. But how can we conceive the basis for this respect, and how can we carry it out? In the critical tide of the unilinear evolutionist concept of human civilizations, which has prevailed since the second half of the nineteenth century, the theory of cultural relativism was formulated by several American anthropologists, Ruth Benedict among others, in the years between the two World Wars (" Configurations of Culture " in American Anthropologist, 1932; Patterns of Culture, 1935). This idea was defined by Benedict herself as " a new base for tolerance ". And by now, from lack of any other efficient theory, cultural relativism has been referred to as an important theoretical support for the tolerance of diversity of civilizations. Nevertheless, in the actual situation of human civilizations, I must point out two main defects in the cultural relativist idea. First, it is based on a kind of cultural essentialism, in considering a culture as a delimited configuration treatable as unit, carried by a delimited group of people. It is clear that this concept of culture leads us finally to an impossibility to understand other cultures or to interrelate with them. Second, to tolerate every other standpoint, including that which denies cultural relativism, tends to isolationism. The first point, that is, the cultural configuration idea may serve to minority groups, who are victims of oppression and discrimination, as a fabricated banner to fight for their otherwise legitimate request. That kind of banner is possibly colored with cultural essentialism or fundamentalism which mobilizes people not through rational convictions but on emotional bases. It also has the danger to give birth to a fanatic purification movement. The second point has two aspects. The first aspect comes from the overall tolerance for any culture, and consequently, it results in a dangerous non-interventionism. The second aspect is related to the approval of all that actually is, especially concerning the state of


From the Publisher:
This book is for experienced developers familiar with implementing web solutions on the Windows 2000 platform who wish to utilize the rich, flexible, and robust environment afforded by Commerce Server 2000. You will find this book invaluable, whether you are new to the Microsoft Enterprise Servers or a seasoned Site Server 3.0 CE developer looking to upgrade to Commerce Server 2000.
Technical Requirements:
A full discussion of both the hardware and software required to run all of the example code in this book is provided in Chapter 1, but as a rough guide you should have a minimum of:
At least a Pentium II, 450 MHz computer with 128 MB of RAM (256 preferred) and 3 GB of hard disk space Windows 2000 Internet Explorer 5.5 IIS SQL Server 2000 Commerce Server 2000


We describe MiBiblio 2.0, a highly personalizable user interface for a federation of digital libraries under the OAI protocol for metadata harvesting (OAI-PMH). MiBiblio 2.0 allows users to personalize their personal space by choosing the resources and services they need, as well as to organize, classify and manage their workspaces including resources from any of the federated libraries. Results can be kept in personal spaces and organized into categories using a drag-and-drop interface.


The invention discloses a substrate material and a preparation method and application thereof. The substrate material is composed of liquid silicon sol, acicular calcium oxalate and a crystallization promoter in a mass ratio of 1:2-9:0.001-0.01 by solid contents. On the basis of the substrate material, inorganic architectural coating excellent in performance is prepared, and the problems of cracks, internal micropores, low washing and brushing resistance and the like of silicon sol films in the prior art are solved successfully. In addition, the substrate material is also suitable for preparation of engineering materials such as rigid waterproof materials, color decorative mortar and artificial stone materials and is pretty high in market value.


There has been increasing commentary about the humanities in medical education. There have also been frequent calls for more emphasis on the humanities in medical education. The reasons for these calls will be familiar to those who read the medical education literature: broadly they include concerns at the increasingly technical nature of medicine and medical education, and the need for doctors to learn how to explore knowledge from a perspective that is different to that of the traditional scientific approach. However this increased interest and these calls are not new.

In 1947 Medvei wrote a descriptive manuscript in St Bartholomew's Hospital Journal outlining his experience in learning from the humanities.1 His insightful manuscript was written from his perspective as a physician working in St Bartholomew's Hospital.

The manuscript starts with the author describing his high school and medical school education that led to his career as a doctor. However, despite satisfaction from his medical career, he describes there being something missing in his general …


The Comment by G. P. Gupta and B. M. Suri is based on incorrect values of Rabi frequencies, which was caused by a mistake made in the expression of units of Rabi frequencies in the original paper.


The current investigation provides a preliminary investigation of the "imposed networks" (adults with whom youth interact, but were not necessarily chosen) of youth aged 8 to 12. Also evaluated was the relative influence of parents and teachers on youths' feelings of self-efficacy. Youth reported on levels of warmth, psychological control and decisionmaking at home and at school. Self-efficacy was assessed by both youth and parent report. Results indicated that the emotional climate provided by parents was more influential on girls' feelings of self-efficacy than boys, and that higher warmth was negatively associated with boys' feelings of self-efficacy. Teacher psychological control was consistently negatively related to youths' feelings of self-efficacy. No evidence was found for either additive or interactive effects of home and school environments. Instead, the pattern of results suggested that youth benefit from moderate to high levels of parental warmth, when teachers provide levels of warmth that are either equally high or lower than parents. Self-Eficacy Development iii Table of


Objective To enhance long-distance communication and informatization of field mobile medical system.Methods Integration of long-distance consultation module, network communication module and telephone communication module was achieved by designing new function and structure of long-distance consultation subsystem. Results The informatization and performances of the subsystem were enhanced greatly, which behaved better than before in the aspects of mobility, function, utility, image and structure allocation. Conclusion The system realizes informatization same as the2 nd generation of medical system, and can be used for long-distance consultation, and automatic and informatized diagnosis and treatment in the system.


Brainaella marcoulinense gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of new material from the Upper Aptian of the reference succession of Cassis - Roquefort-la-Bedoule (Bouches-du-Rhone, France). The morphological features of this new taxon suggest affinities with the late Early Aptian Toxoceratoides rochi CASEY, a poorly understood species revised in the present contribution. The study of these two taxa sheds new light on the taxonomic status, content and evolution of the long-debated families Helicancylidae HYATT and Acrioceratidae VERMEULEN.


Machine translation is the task of automatically nding the translation of a source sentence in the target language. Statistical machine translation (SMT) use parallel corpora or bilingual paired corpora that are known to be translations of each other to nd a likely translation for a given source sentence based on the observed translations. The task of machine translation can be seen as an instance of estimating the functions that map strings to strings. Regression based machine translation (RegMT) approach provides a learning framework for machine translation, separating learning models for training, training instance selection, feature representation, and decoding. We use the transductive learning framework for making the RegMT approach computationally more scalable and consider the model building step independently for each test sentence. We develop training instance selection algorithms that not only make RegMT computationally more scalable but also improve the performance of standard SMT systems. We develop better training instance selection techniques than previous work from given parallel training sentences for achieving more accurate RegMT models using less training instances. We introduce L1 regularized regression as a better model than L2 regularized regression for statistical machine translation. Our results demonstrate that sparse regression models are better than L2 regularized regression for statistical machine translation in predicting target features, estimating word alignments, creating phrase tables, and generating translation outputs. We develop good evaluation techniques for measuring the performance of the RegMT model and the quality of the translations. We use F1 measure, which performs good when evaluating


The usefulness of tumor surveys in indicating the availability of carcinogenic contaminants in ecosystems hinges largely on decisions made during the planning process. Species used as indicator organisms for monitoring programs are best selected from those known to be susceptible to epizootics of neoplasms. Lesions which can be quickly located and preserved in the field and for which a data base exists to help interpretation include liver neoplasms and external neoplasms. Since tumor frequencies increase with age and may change from season to season, studies should hold these variables constant among locations. During the design of the study investigators should determine the number of fish they need to examine in order to achieve the degree of resolution desired. Finally the field crew must be familiar with fish anatomy and necropsy techniques as well as storage and handling of the chosen preservative.


This reflection-type light control element has: a light control layer (10), the state of which reversibly changes between a hydrogenation-induced transparent state and a dehydrogenation-induced reflective state; a catalyst layer (20) for promoting the hydrogenation and the dehydrogenation in the light control layer (10); and an oxidation suppressing part (30) for suppressing oxidation of the light control layer (10) by oxygen that passes through the catalyst layer (20), the oxidation suppressing part (30) being disposed between the light control layer (10) and the catalyst layer (20).


Amlapitta, also known as hyperacidity, is an illness that has been around for a while and is still very prevalent today. It is a very troublesome illness that, if left untreated, can result in a number of severe issues. Amlapitta symptoms and signs closely resemble gastritis or hyperacidity. The body's Pitta Dosha becoming more active is the primary contributor to hyperacidity. The Ayurvedic humour of Pitta represents heat or flames. There are a variety of factors that can aggravate Pitta, but the major ones are eating foods that are unsuitable for the body type or foods that shouldn't be consumed together (such as milk and fish or milk and salt), as well as drinking overly sour or spicy foods and liquids. In Ayurveda, hyperacidity is referred to as Amlapitta. Thus, a situation known as hyperacidity is one in which the body becomes more hot and sour. Pitta imbalances the digestive fire, resulting in poor food digestion and the creation of Ama. An essential medication used in Amlapitta is Kamadudha Rasa. We are attempting to provide a scientifically sound explanation of the drug's mechanism of action in this review paper.


Li-rich Mn-based oxides are regarded as the most promising new-generation cathode materials, but their practical application is greatly hindered by structure collapse and capacity degradation. Herein, a rock salt phase is epitaxially constructed on the surface of Li-rich Mn-based cathodes through Mo doping to improve their structural stability. The heterogeneous structure composed of a rock salt phase and layered phase is induced by Mo6+ enriched on the particle surface, and the strong Mo–O bonding can enhance the TM–O covalence. Therefore, it can stabilize lattice oxygen and inhibit the side reaction of the interface and structural phase transition. The discharge capacity of 2% Mo-doped samples (Mo 2%) displays 279.67 mA h g–1 at 0.1 C (vs 254.39 mA h g–1 (pristine)), and the discharge capacity retention rate of Mo 2% is 79.4% after 300 cycles at 5 C (vs 47.6% (pristine)).


Methods We identified 26 patients, within our cohort, who were infusing factor VIII concentrates every 48 hours. The dose infused ranged from 14-49 IU/kg. Patients attending their routine clinic review were asked to infuse their usual prophylaxis dose 48 hours prior to their appointment. Ten patients were unable to provide a trough sample, either because treatment had been administered within the preceding 48 hours, or because the patient did not attend clinic. Patients were also reminded to update their treatment calendars, either electronically or using paper log sheets. Blood is routinely collected in clinic for inhibitor surveillance and these samples were also used to measure factor VIII. A one-stage assay was used for all samples plus a two-stage chromogenic ReFacto standard for patients treated with ReFacto AF (Pfizer). We assumed that collecting a trough level in clinic would be more achievable and acceptable to patients rather than a full pharmacokinetic study as recommended by UKHCDO [1]. Of the 16 trough samples processed, eight had a trough level > 3 IU/dL. However, two patients in this group had reported breakthrough bleeds and one had recently undergone complex orthopaedic surgery, therefore, only five patients were suitable for dose reduction. In each of these patients, the factor VIII dose was reduced to the next smallest vial size, if the patient had been using two vials per treatment previously, we attempted to reduce this to a single vial. The doses were reduced by between 4-19 IU/kg in the first instance. Following dose reduction, patients were encouraged to contact the clinical nurse specialist if they had any questions or concerns. Routine clinic follow-up was arranged for six months; however, some patients were seen by the CNS sooner where requested by the patient. Bleed diaries were reviewed and 48-hour trough samples were repeated.


In this article we study the impact of air pollution on children's health in Portugal. In particular, we focus our attention on the city of Barreiro. We use the general linear methods (GLM), taking advantage of all the ease of handling and analyzing data in order to relate air quality and health. We relate levels of air pollution and incidence of entries from children with symptoms of respiratory problems in the pediatric urgency service at the hospital of Barreiro. It was not easy to obtain clear and unambiguous relations in particle dispersion, air quality and health. A set of models are estimated by GLM and validated using adequate tests and residual analysis. At the end of this process, we combine the best models. The work is still going on.


Increasing attention is being given to the development of theory in marketing. Theorists have used functional, managerial, and institutional approaches with relatively little emphasis on the commodity approach during the past decade. In this article, the author explores the role commodities might play in formulating hypotheses which could lead to better theory in marketing.


Recognition of HLA class I ligands by killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) expressed on NK cells plays a key role in immune surveillance against virally infected cells and tumor cells. The highly polymorphic KIR locus can be divided into haplotype A alleles containing at most one activating gene and haplotype B alleles containing multiple activating KIR genes. The HLA locus is the strongest genetic factor associated with cHL susceptibility, but the potential role of KIR genes remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effect of KIR on susceptibility and tumor cell HLA expression in overall cHL and EBV-stratified subgroups.


The purpose of this work is making an inventory of the differences between the INSPIRE data model for the themes "cadastral parcel" and "buildings" and the current data model records of the land and buildings registry. As a part of the work we analyzed the relevant adaptation of these models; one of the objectives was to check how many Polish cadastral data sets, collected in accordance with the data model (2001) meet the requirements set out in the INSPIRE specifications for analyzed themes, (INSPIRE-D2.8.I.6, 2014) and (INSPIRE-D2.8.III.2, 2013).
As a result of the analysis, it was found that the existing data model is compliant with the requirements of INSPIRE for the themes "cadastral parcels" and "buildings". However, a significant part of optional attributes included in INSPIRE data models cannot be supported by data contained in the national repository.


Distributional implications of climate change in India / Jacoby, Hanan ; Rabassa, Mariano ; Skoufias, Emmanuel. World Bank, 2011, 56 p. (Policy Research Working Paper ; WPS5623) http://go.worldbank.org/B5OFZGRLN0 Global warming is expected to heavily impact agriculture, the dominant source of livelihood for the world's poor. Yet, little is known about the distributional implications of climate change at the sub-national level. Using a simple comparative statics framework, this paper analyzes ...


The present work studies the effect the solution heat treatment, during artificial ageing and re-aging, has on the mechanical properties of an A357 aluminium alloy component formed by New Rheocasting. The effect that the evolution of silicon, during the solution treatment at various times, has on the mechanical properties was also examined. The mechanical properties were evaluated performing tensile tests, fractographical analysis and hardness tests. The microstructural characterization was made using optical and electronic microscopy.


(57) Abstract: The present invention provides a COX-2 inhibitor or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof for use in the treatment of a disease ameliorated by gastrointestinal motility.


Exposure to the particulate matter (PM) component of air pollution causes significant effects on cardiovascular health, specifically exposure to PM less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5). Numerous studies have linked increases in PM2.5 levels with cardiovascular events and mortality. In the present study, we exposed adult lean and obese mice to ambient PM2.5 at relevant concentrations or filtered air (FA) and examined cardiovascular function using echocardiography at regular intervals. At 5 and 9 months, we sacrificed the animals to measure cardiomyocyte contractility and calcium transients, in addition to protein analysis. After 5 months, obese mice exposed to PM2.5 had reduced fractional shortening (%FS) compared to FA mice, an effect that was not apparent in the lean mice. At 9 months, lean mice had reduced %FS and decreased pulmonary output. Analysis of cardiomyocytes isolated from these mice recapitulated the in vivo phenotype, as cells from the PM2.5 group had reduced contractile parameters and lengthened calcium reuptake compared to FA exposed mice. PM2.5 cells treated with isoproterenol (ISO) from both lean and obese groups had an exacerbated contractile response compared with ISO treated cells from the FA groups. Molecular analyses of lean mice exposed for 9 months revealed that PM2.5‐exposed mice had increased phospholamban protein and increased troponin I phosphorylation. We conclude that long‐term exposure to PM2.5 leads to the reduction of cardiac function by altering contractile proteins, possibly through compensatory alterations to beta‐adrenergic signaling.


Diversity, Equity and inclusion (DE&I) are at the heart of how Sanofi works and has been embedded in our "Play to Win" strategy, helping us reinvent how we work and driving our cultural transformation. In this new strategic context, the timing was right to evolve to a more global, far-reaching approach to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our strategy is about stepping up to the challenge and putting in the hard work. By 2025, we will achieve better results in three key areas: building representative leadership; creating a working environment where we can bring our whole selves; and engaging with our diverse communities.


The purpose of this literature study is to explain the implementation of the Pentaple Bottom Line concept in PT Pelindo III's corporate social responsibility program. The implementation of the social responsibility program is as follows: (1) people in the community development partnership program; (2) phenotechnology : prioritizing the use of information and communication technology; (3) profit: develop community potential directed at developing a people's economy; (4) planet: nature conservation program; (5) prophet: care and integrity.


An attempt is made here to look at the activities of the World Bank in poor countries. The World Bank is view in the developing countries as a monster, unsympathetic to the flight of the poor. It is observed in this paper that for the past few years the World Bank has been changing the course of it direction from one concern with economic growth to one concern with many things including issues of poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and fight against diseases. The paper is critical of the ways the Bank issues loan and it rigidity in selection of project. The paper conclusion is that the Bank need to continue moving in the direction of good governance and institutions in poor countries, grass-root development and be objective in it project selection.


We present the first natural NP-complete problem whose average-case hardness w.r.t. the uniform distribution over instances is equivalent to the existence of one-way functions (OWFs). The problem, which originated in the 1960s, is the Conditional Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity Problem: let Kt(x | z) be the length of the shortest "program" that, given the "auxiliary input" z, outputs the string x within time t(|x|), and let McKtP[ζ] be the set of strings (x, z, k) where |z| = ζ(|x|), |k| = log |x| and Kt(x | z) < k, where, for our purposes, a "program" is defined as a RAM machine. Our main result shows that for every polynomial t(n) ≥ n2, there exists some polynomial ζ such that McKtP[ζ] is NP-complete. We additionally extend the result of Liu-Pass (FOCS'20) to show that for every polynomial t(n) ≥ 1.1n, and every polynomial ζ(·), mild average-case hardness of McKtP[ζ] is equivalent to the existence of OWFs. Taken together, these results provide the following crisp characterization of what is required to base OWFs on NP ⊈ BPP: There exists concrete polynomials t, ζ such that "Basing OWFs on NP ⊈ BPP" is equivalent to providing a "worst-case to (mild) average-case reduction for McKtP[ζ]". In other words, the "holy-grail" of Cryptography (i.e., basing OWFs on NP ⊈ BPP) is equivalent to a basic question in algorithmic information theory. As an independent contribution, we show that our NP-completeness result can be used to shed new light on the feasibility of the polynomial-time bounded symmetry of information assertion (Kolmogorov'68).


We have seen that in the decades before 480 Dionysos was most frequently depicted among his thiasos of satyrs and maenads, as was already the case with black-figure vases. Another important motif of that time was his encounter with a standing woman or, less frequently, with a satyr. We also see him, surrounded by his retinue, as a symposiast or at the arrival or departure of his quadriga. Depictions of Dionysos participating in mythological events, such as the return of Hephaistos and the Gigantomachy, are much rarer; the admission of Herakles to the Olympus is found only sporadically. In general, there does not seem to have been much interest in Dionysos' relations with the other gods. New elements in the iconography of Dionysos are, however, emerging in the second quarter of the century and becoming ever more visible towards 450 BC. These developments will be the subject of the next three chapters. As far as Dionysiac imagery is concerned, Hermonax stands out among the painters of larger vessels of the generation following that of the Kleophrades and Berlin Painter; Beazley assumes he was a pupil of the latter. Over 160 vases are attributed to him, an extensive oeuvre even though much of it remains only in a fragmentary state. His work includes large, high-quality vases (more than twenty stamnoi, almost thirty pelikai, and one bell krater) as well as many large and small amphorae, several loutrophoros fragments found in Athens, hydriai, oinochoai, lekythoi, and even cups.1 Most of his vases with nonanonymous subjects are Dionysiac in character. A stamnos that still clearly shows a stylistic indebtedness to the Berlin Painter has a thiasos divided over both sides.2 It consists of four couples of a satyr and a maenad in various, more or less peaceful, relationships. On one side we see a satyr in the center, next to a thyrsos set aside. Playing the aulos, he is moving towards the right. A maenad greets him cordially. On the left follows a woman, carrying a torch in each hand. A satyr, partly hidden by the handle of the vessel, tries to seize her. The next maenad is captured by a satyr coming from the left, while a fourth, seen from the back, is fending off a satyr with her


The second branch of the right gastroepiploic artery can safely be used as a landmark for marking the distal extent of resection during vertical sleeve gastrectomy.


Remediation of electronic gas CF4 by using commercially available technologies ended up with another kind of greenhouse gas and corrosive side products. This investigation aimed to develop CF4 removal at room temperature with formation of useful product by attempting an electrogenerated Cu[Ni(CN)4] mediator. In the initial electrolysis of bimetallic complex at anodized Ti cathode demonstrated the Cu[Ni(CN)4] formation, which was confirmed by additional ESR results. The degradation of CF4 followed mediated electrochemical reduction (MER) by electrogenarated Cu[Ni(CN)4]. The removal efficiency of CF4 was achieved 95% by this present electroscrubbing process at room temperature. Through the spectral results of online and offline FTIR analyzer either in gas or in solution phase demonstrated that the formed product during the removal of CF4 by electrogenerated Cu[Ni(CN)4] at electroscrubbing was ethanol (CH3CH2OH) with small amount of trifluoroethane (CF3CH3) intermediate.


Adversaries in cryptography have traditionally been modeled as either semi-honest or malicious. Over the years, however, several works have investigated the design of cryptographic protocols against rational adversaries. The most well-known example are covert adversaries in secure computation (Aumann & Lindell, TCC '07) which are adversaries that wish to deviate from the protocol but without being detected. Protocols secure against such covert adversaries guarantee that deviations are detected with probability at least - which is known as the deterrence factor. In this work, we initiate the study of contracts in cryptographic protocol design. We show how to design, use and analyze contracts between parties for the purpose of incentivizing honest behavior from rational adversaries. We refer to such contracts as adversarial level agreements (ALA). The framework we propose can result in more efficient protocols and can enforce deterrence in covert protocols; meaning that one can guarantee that a given deterrence factor will deter the adversary instead of assuming it. We show how to apply our framework to two-party protocols, including secure two-party computation (2PC) and proofs of storage (PoS). In the 2PC case, we integrate ALAs to publicly-verifiable covert protocols and show, through a game-theoretic analysis, how to set the parameters of the ALA to guarantee honest behavior. We do the same for PoS which are two-party protocols that allow a client to efficiently verify the integrity of a file stored in the cloud.


A recent social problem in Japan is domestic accidents involving elderly persons, who are increasingly living alone. Domestic accidents are unpredictable emergent situations, yet the constant care of elderly person by non-relatives or caregivers is difficult due to associated labor costs, privacy problems, and burdens placed on elderly persons themselves. This paper targets trip and fall, the leading cause of accidental death in elderly persons, and examines a detection method for such accidents. To address privacy issues, we use a Doppler sensor that can detect movement without the use of personally identifying data. We also investigate the movement detection and identification by frequency analysis of sensor output using fast Fourier transform. In addition, we design and implement a prototype terminal to detect trip and fall by using a Doppler sensor and an embedded computer.


This paper presents the results of simulations that investigate the performance of height-balanced (HB[k]) trees. It is shown that the only statistic of HB[1] trees (AVL trees) that is a function of the size of the tree is the time to search for an item in the tree. For sufficiently large trees, the execution times of all procedures for maintaining HB[1] trees are independent of the size of the tree. In particular, an average of .465 restructures are required per insertion, with an average of 2.78 nodes revisited to restore the HB[1] property; an average of .214 restructures are required per deletion, with an average of 1.91 nodes revisited to restore the HB[1] property. Moreover, the execution times of procedures for maintaining HB[k] trees, for k > 1, are also independent of the size of the tree except for the average number of nodes revisited on a delete operation in order to restore the HB[k] property on traceback. The cost of maintaining HB[k] trees drops sharply as the allowable imbalance (k) increases. Both analytical and experimental results that show the cost of maintaining HB[k] trees as a function of k are discussed.


In order to improve the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble anti-inflammatory drugs, an effective technique is the coprecipitation of the drug with a hydrophilic polymer. In this work, the production of coprecipitated polyvinylpyrrolidone/ketoprofen (PVP/KET) microparticles using Supercritical Antisolvent (SAS) was successfully obtained. The effects of the main process parameters, such as polymer/drug ratio, overall concentration, and operating pressure were systematically investigated to identify successful operating conditions for SAS coprecipitation. Microparticles with a mean diameter ranging between 2.4 and 4.1 μm were successfully precipitated. Powders were characterized using different analytical techniques, such as differential scanning calorimetry to determine the changes in the thermal transition of the drugs and the polymer in the coprecipitates, Fourier transform infrared analysis to identify possible interactions between the polymer and the active principle, and UV–vis spectroscopy to calculate the drug entrapment efficiency and dissolution rate. Precipitation yield was found to be about 98 % with respect to the amount of solute dissolved in the starting solution. Drug release analyses revealed that ketoprofen dissolution rate from PVP/KET microparticles in a 0.1 M HCl buffer was 4 times faster than the dissolution rate of the unprocessed drug. The possible precipitation mechanisms involved in the process were discussed. INTRODUCTION Ketoprofen (KET) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with analgesic and antipyretic effect [1], which acts inhibiting the body's production of prostaglandin. A major limitation in its usage is due to its reduced solubility in water (< 0.05 mg/mL), which imply the necessary use of large doses to reach the therapeutic level, with consequent adverse side effects including gastrointestinal irritation when administered orally. In order to improve KET dissolution rate, and correspondingly reduce its dose, a possible solution is represented by particle size reduction at micrometric diameters thanks to the larger surface area in contact with the medium [2]. Traditional micronization processes, such as spray-drying, emulsification/solvent evaporation, liquid antisolvent precipitation, freeze drying and jet-milling, suffer from some drawbacks: lack of control over the particle morphology and particle size distribution, large solvent residues and use of high temperatures [3]. An alternative to conventional techniques is represented by supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) based processes, characterized by fast mass transfer, high solvent power, high density, near zero surface tension, low viscosity and high diffusivity, that can be tuned varying pressure and temperature. They have been successfully applied in different fields: micronization [4-6], liposomes' formation [7], extraction [8], impregnation [9], membranes and scaffolds production [10]. In particular, nanoparticles and microparticles of different kind of materials were successfully obtained by supercritical antisolvent (SAS) precipitation [11-13]. However, when processed using SAS, KET precipitated in form of coalescing sub-microparticles or it is partially extracted by the mixture formed by the organic solvent (dimethylsulfoxide, DMSO) and scCO2, as a result of the partial solubility of this drug in the mixture solvent/antisolvent. In order to overcome this limitation, an effective solution can be the production of drug-polymer composite microspheres, using a water soluble polymer in which the drug is entrapped. The fast solubilization of the polymer should release the drug in nanometric sub-microparticles obtaining an improvement of their bioavailability. Nevertheless, SAS coprecipitation is difficult to obtain, since the two compounds generally tend to precipitate separately. In SAS literature only few papers are devoted to coprecipitates formation and the results showed in these works are characterized by irregular and coalescing particles, with broad particle size distributions, low drug entrapment efficiency and, in some cases, questionable demonstration of the occurred coprecipitation [14-17]. Recently, Reverchon and co-workers obtained successful results in the production of composite microspheres Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/folic acid [18], PVP/ β-carotene [19] and PVP/corticosteroids [20], PVP/nimesulide [21], taking advantage of PVP ability to retard crystal growth [22]. In this work, KET coprecipitation with PVP is proposed. The following effects will be tested: polymer/drug ratio, overall concentration, and operating pressure. Samples will be characterized using different techniques in order to verify the occurred coprecipitation and the improvement of KET dissolution rate. MATERIALS, METHODS AND PROCEDURES Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, average molecular weight 10 kg/mol), Ketoprofen (KET, purity ≥ 98 %) and Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, purity 99.5 %) were supplied by Sigma-Aldrich (Italy). CO2 (purity 99 %) was purchased from Morlando Group s.r.l. (Italy). All materials were used as received. The homemade SAS laboratory plant used for the experiments performed in this work consists of two high pressure pumps used to deliver the supercritical CO2 and the liquid solution, respectively. The precipitator is a cylindrical vessel of 500 cm internal volume (I.V.) (i.d. = 5 cm). The temperature control is assured by a PID controller connected with electrically thin bands and the pressure in the vessel is measured using a test gauge manometer and regulated by a micrometering valve. Carbon dioxide, after a preheating, is co-currently delivered through another port to the chamber. The liquid mixture is delivered to the precipitator through a thin wall 100 μm internal diameter stainless steel nozzle. A stainless steel filter with a pore diameter of 0.1 μm, located at the bottom of the precipitator, is used to collect the produced powder, allowing the CO2-solvent-solution to pass through. The liquid solvent is then recovered in a second collection vessel located downstream the micrometering valve, whose pressure is regulated by a backpressure valve. At the exit of the second vessel, CO2 flow rate and the total quantity of antisolvent delivered, are measured by a rotameter and a dry test meter, respectively. At the beginning of the SAS experiment, CO2 is delivered to the precipitation vessel to reach the desired pressure; then, pure solvent is sent through the nozzle to obtain steady state composition conditions during the solute precipitation. At this point, the solvent flow is stopped and the liquid solution is delivered through the nozzle, producing the precipitation of the solute. At the end of the injection step, supercritical CO2 continues to flow, to eliminate residual content of liquid solubilized in the supercritical antisolvent. If the final purge with pure CO2 is not performed, the organic solvent contained in the fluid phase condenses during the depressurization step and can solubilize or modify the precipitates. At the end of the washing step, CO2 flow is stopped, the precipitator is depressurized down to atmospheric pressure and the precipitated powder is collected for analysis. Samples of the precipitated material were observed by a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM, mod. LEO 1525, Carl Zeiss SMT AG, Oberkochen, Germany). Powder was dispersed on a Carbon tab previously stuck to an Aluminum stub (Agar Scientific, United Kingdom); then, was coated with Gold (layer thickness 250Å) using a sputter coater (mod. 108 A, Agar Scientific, Stansted, United Kingdom). Particle size distribution (PSD) of the powders was measured from FE-SEM photomicrographs using the Sigma Scan Pro image analysis software (release 5.0, Aspire Software International Ashburn, VA). Approximately 1000 particles, taken at high enlargements and in various locations inside the precipitator, were analyzed in the elaboration of each particle size distribution. Histograms representing the particle size distributions were fitted using Microcal Origin Software (release 8.0, Microcal Software, Inc., Northampton, MA). The thermal behavior of samples was measured by a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC, mod. TC11, Mettler-Toledo, Inc., Columbus, USA) using Mettler STARe system. Fusion temperature and enthalpy were previously calibrated with indium standard (melting point 156.6 °C, enthalpy of fusion 28.52 J/g). Powder samples (5 ± 0.5 mg), prepared in duplicates, were accurately weighed, crimped into an aluminium pan and heated from 40 to 300 °C at 10 °C/min under a nitrogen purge (50 mL/min). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra were obtained via M2000 FTIR (MIDAC Co, Costa Mesa, CA), at a resolution of 0.5 cm−1. The scan wavenumber range was 4000–400 cm−1, and 16 scan signals were averaged to reduce the noise. The powder samples were ground and mixed thoroughly with potassium bromide (KBr) as infrared transparent matrix. KBr discs were prepared by compressing the powders in a hydraulic press. Drug dissolution studies were performed using an UV/vis spectrophotometer (model Cary 50, Varian, Palo Alto, CA) at a wavelength of 262 nm. Accurately weighted samples containing KET were suspended in a HCl 0.1 M solution (pH 2.5), to simulate the gastric acidity. Each analysis was carried out in triplicate and the proposed curves are the mean profiles. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION All SAS experiments were performed using a CO2 flow rate of 30 g/min and a solution flow rate of 1 mL/min. DMSO was used as the liquid solvent. The effect of PVP/KET w/w ratio, total concentration, and operating pressure was investigated. Each experiment was carried out in duplicate. Ketoprofen alone was first SAS processed at 90 bar, 40 °C and 20 mg/mL; i.e., near above the mixture critical point (MCP) of the system CO2/DMSO. KET precipitated in form of coalescing submicroparticles and it is partially extracted by the mixture formed by DMSO and scC


A 46-year-old woman was admitted with a history of painless, intermittent, self-resolving, cholestatic jaundice, without preceding prodrome for the past 1 year. She had 3 similar episodes without any significant past medical history. There was no history of significant weight loss, anorexia, hepatic decompensation, or any surgery in the past. Laboratory investigations showed a normal hemogram, conjugated hyperbilirubinemia with total bilirubin of 12 mg/dL and direct bilirubin of 9.6 mg/dL, normal aminotransferases, of 38 IU/L, elevated alkaline phosphatase (1,123 IU/L), and an albumin level of 3.4 g/dL with a gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) of 63 U/L. Hepatitis A, B, and C virus serology results were negative.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of recombinant human erythropoietin in reducing the need for homologous blood transfusion during operations by studying its effect on the recovery of postoperative anaemia.

DESIGN
Randomised controlled trial.

SETTING
University hospital, Japan.

SUBJECTS
10 patients with gastric cancer undergoing distal gastrectomy.

INTERVENTIONS
5 Patients were given erythropoietin 200 IU/kg/day together with ferric pyrophosphate 40 mg/day intravenously for seven days before operation and 14 days afterwards, and 5 were given ferric pyrophosphate 40 mg/day alone (control group).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, and white and red cell counts.

RESULTS
There was no significant change in packed cell volume after the operation in the erythropoietin group, but in the control group it dropped from a mean (SD) of 0.378 (0.074) before operation to 0.329 (0.068) on day 1 (p < 0.05). Haemoglobin concentrations were significantly higher in the erythropoietin group than the control group on day 7 (mean (SD) 137 (14) compared with 110 (19) p < 0.05), and on day 10 (140 (9) compared with 108 (15) p < 0.01) after operation.

CONCLUSION
Erythropoietin prevented postoperative anaemia after gastrectomy as judged by packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, and red cell count. Erythropoietin given before and after operation therefore has the potential to reduce the need for homologous blood transfusion during and after major operations.


In this paper, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy sliding-mode-based genetic algorithm (ANFSGA) control system is proposed to control functionally graded material (FGM) plates. The model of the FGM plate is considered by the finite element method based on the classical laminated plate theory. Moreover, to show the performance of the proposed ANFSGA intelligent control system, a traditional sliding-mode control (SMC) system and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy (ANF) SMC system are designed to suppress the vibrations of the FGM plate as a comparison. The proposed genetic algorithm control system uses the ANF SMC system in the crossover and mutation operation. In this way, the online learning ability can be used by adjusting the control parameters to deal with external disturbance. The control objective is to drive the system state to the original equilibrium point and thus, the asymptotically stability of the proposed control system can be achieved.


The corona epidemic spreads frighteningly and rapidly in all countries of the world, forcing humanity to an abnormal life. Failure to fully control the epidemic and to find adequate and effective vaccines endangers human life. Fighting against the epidemic becomes important, as all these measures could not be taken in the near future. For this reason, it is important to detect whether the person caught the virus expressed in thousands of people is covid or not and to take the necessary measures. For this purpose, an artificial intelligence-based study has been proposed that will speed up the diagnosis of the pandemic by saving labor and expense. In the study, X-Ray images were processed with the most up-to-date deep image processing techniques, and an objective decision support system was created, independent of the doctor's expertise. The proposed system can classify x-ray images as Normal, Covid -19 and Viral Pneumonia using pre-trained deep learning networks (AlexNet, GoogleNet, ResNet8 and ResNet50). The overall accuracies of the networks (AlexNet, GoogleNet, ResNet8 and ResNet50) were 95.7%, 94.5%, 95.4%, 97.4% respectively. It is easy to diagnose in the advanced stages of the disease. As with most diseases, early diagnosis is important in covid-19. With the proposed system based on deep learning, an especially useful tool has been created in combating the pandemic by determining the disease at an early stage. The proposed system can also be used in areas with shortage of health personnel such as rural and remote areas.


updates areaccurate andtimely. Lowe[1] highlights thefast Thispaper proposes aneedtodifferentiate webmaintenance moving field ofwebmaintenance, underlining that thenature fromtraditional software maintenance. Themaintenance ofa ofWeb-based applications isextremely diverse andhence website isdifferent thanthatofsoftware asitisunderweb maintainers unlikesoftware maintainers do not constant maintenance andworksbydefault in"modified necessarily havespecialist knowledge ofthecomputing environments". Building ontheauthors' previous workof domain. automated quality measurement, acasestudy oflarge scale Therehasalsobeena shift towards providing more webmaintenance activity isdescribed whichfocuses ona services viawebsites. Withthis increase infunctionality change toensure that webpages areaccessible tousers withhavecome negative sideeffects. Unlikesoftware, web disabilities. Theresults ofthestudy showthat organisations which haveaclear andcommitted maintenance strategy and devloercatcontr howasweb pageisviewed orused. provide their staff withappropriate tools andtraining have Assuchwhat mayappear tosomeusers withacertain web better quality websites. browser asanavigation menu,mayappear toothers asblank space onthepage. Manywebdevelopers either unawareor Index Termswebmaintenance, engineering, webaccessibility unwilling toaddress this issue andtherefore haveperhaps unwittingly created barriers whichhinder certain groups of I.Introduction


In 2020, the Arctic Circle warming in Siberia was extraordinary. Strong anticyclones have been dominant over a large area in Northern Siberia through spring. It resulted in an all-time hightemperature record in the Arctic Circle more than 6°C above the average (1981–2010). Thus, it accelerated the melting of snow, ice, permafrost and has gotten the wildfire in Siberia off to an unusually early and severe start. The Arctic warming has repercussions not only for Siberia but for the entire Eurasia and the Northern Hemisphere. Specifically, the Arctic conditions affect atmospheric circulation in the Pacific Ocean and the strength and direction of trade winds in the tropical zone.


Radioactivemicrospherescouldoffer severaladvantagesovergasesin the In vestigationof pulmonaryventilation.MOnOdISPOrSe microsphoresof humanserum albuminhavebeenproducedusinga spinning-disc generator, andkits werepre paredforsubsequentiab&ingwfthtechnetium-99m.The averagelabelingeftlcln cy was 88% and unlabeledTc-99m was removedbefore aerosoldelivery.A elm pIe system was constructedto nebulize and deliver dry monodispersemicro spheres.Theventilationimagesobtainedwere comparedquantitativelywith the correspondingkrypton-81mImages,subdividingthe lungregionsinto inner, cen tral, and peripheralzones. No significantdifferencewas foundin the proportions of thetotal countsfor anylungregion.Therewasgoodagrement betweenthedis tributionsof microspheresobtainedon separatedays (r 0.97, p <0.001). An "aerosol penetrationindex― wasdefinedas the ratio of the peripheralto the inner counts for the microspheres normalized by the corresponding ratio for krypton 81m. The mean value of this indexfor 16 normalsubjectswas 0.98 ±0.23 (s.d.), indicatingthat the microsphereshad achievedpenetrationof the lungperiphery. For patientswith chronic obstructivelung disease,more localizeddefectswere observed wfth the microspheres than with krypton-81m. The mean penetration index for this group was only 0.69 ±0.21 (s.d.). This was significantly different from the value for normal subjects (p <0.002).


Nitrogen-doped carbon (CN X ) overcoats, ranging from 1 to 6nm in thickness, were deposited on magnetic recording disks by a DC-sputtering process. A critical load, based on the first occurrence of coating damage, was used as a semi-quantitative measure of the mechanical strength of these overcoats. It was found that the critical load decreased in a nearly linear manner with the CN X thickness from 6nm down to ∼2nm regime. However, the 1nm thick CN X coating deviated from this trend with a significant decrease in critical load. High-resolution SEM was employed to find the critical loads as well as to reveal the details of the coating wear morphology and the CN X failure mechanism.


Although recently elevated to the status of neuvième art in France, bande dessinée is still haunted by the popular conception of the medium as juvenile, or worse, adolescent-masturbatory. This is perhaps comparable to the early history of the novel, which, even after it had been elevated to the status of serious art form, nonetheless bore the mark of its original association with women's leisure reading, both in the writing and reception of the genre. This state of affairs presents as many challenges as it does openings to authors of BD interested in expanding the range of subject matter expressed in the medium. I think this is particularly true for bédéistes writing about explicitly gay or lesbian subject matter; they must contend in some way with the medium's history of reception, associated with straight adolescent male fantasy and dominated by super-hero, sci-fi, action, and fantasy genres—all synonymous with caricatured representations of heterosexual desire. What is more, at this moment in the history of this newly elevated art form, an author's choice to depict gay and lesbian subject matter in BD is inevitably construed as a ''statement'' (perhaps celebrated as such, but all the same, it cannot ''just be'' a simple work of BD). There are, of course, a few bédéistes working on explicitly gay subject matter in France today. Some of the more visible authors include Hélène Georges, Nicholas Presl, Cunéo, and Jean-Paul Jennequin, writing for a number of markets, from the independent comics scene to the quasi-porn gay bookstore scene. But here, I would like to look at the most visible and controversial of queer comics authors in France today, Fabrice Neaud, who is particularly relevant to this special issue of Contemporary French & Francophone Studies: Sites devoted to the post-queer, given his expressed hostility towards identitarian discourses and ''le politiquement correct'' in France today.


Background:  Based on the spectrum of histological features, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is grouped into patch, plaque and nodular stages. The histological changes overlap, especially with lesional evolution. To date, intravascular KS is undocumented.


Introduction: With recent public concerns of opioid overuse, misuse and addiction along with the heightened FDA restrictions on opioid prescribing, non-opioid cardiac-safe pain therapeutics for those with cardiovascular disease is needed. The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a mediator of heat, pain and noxious stimuli, mediates nociception. While blocking TRPV1 reduces pain, the finding preconditioning-induced cardioprotection is lost in TRPV1 knockout mice or by TRPV1 inhibition indicates a dual role for TRPV1 both in protection from cardiac injury and in pain signaling. Hypothesis: We tested whether a peptide corresponding to a calcineurin interaction site on TRPV1 could separate the functions of TRPV1 by reducing myocardial injury while providing pain control. Methods: The peptide was synthesized using a Liberty peptide synthesizer and conjugated to TAT for intracellular entry. Male Sprague-Dawley rats 8 weeks of age were used for both isolated heart and in vivo studies consisting of ...


The 'violent reasoner', the character imagined by Diderot in his article droit naturel is a two-fold rhetorical weapon ; while clearly directed against Hobbes's voluntarist contractualism, it is also an oblique way of opposing Rousseau's political philosophy. Rousseau, attacked indirectly through Hobbes, took up at the same time the character of the 'violent reasoner' in the Geneva Manuscript, in order to invalidate Diderot's argument and his conclusions concerning political law. As Rousseau wanted to show that his own form of contractualism was the only possible solution to the problem of politics, he was willing to run the risk, with his 'independent and enlightened man', of providing La Mettrie's pre-Sadian point of view with maximum speculative power. Sade, who inherited this double critical conception of the theory of natural law, can thus be read as an author who uses Rousseau against Diderot before getting rid of his involuntary accomplice. A comparison of these incarnations of Diderot's 'violent reasoner', from Rousseau's 'independent and enlightened man' to Sade's 'wicked libertine', can thus constitute both a comparative approach to the political theories of these three authors and a way to reveal one of Sade's favorite literary techniques, i.e. the philosophical subversion of thinkers he admired.


An experimental low-temperature hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell was constructed and its performance was tested for various electrode structures. Both electrodes for hydrogen and oxygen were made by the same method and various double porous structures of the electrode were obtained by changing the contents of carbonyl nickel and ammonium bicarbonate. Experimental results show that electrochemical reaction velocity depends not only on the specific surface area where electrochemical reaction occurs but also on the ratio of large pores and small pores of the electrode.


The main goal of this thesis is to investigate flow estimation based approach for better QoS support in the Internet. In this context, we present four major topics studied in this thesis. First, we propose a flow estimation scheme, called Hash-based Two-level Caching (HaTCh), to accurately estimate the number of active connections. Second, we investigate the design issues of drop functions in an AQM scheme and propose a new AQM scheme, called HaTCh based RED (HRED), based on the flow estimation technique. Third, we propose a HaTCh-based Dynamic Quarantine (HaDQ) scheme, an extension of the HaTCh scheme, to detect and penalize bandwidth attack without using extra resources. Then, the HaDQ scheme is further extended to dynamically detect and block worm propagation. Finally, we extend our AQM framework to wireless networks. Here, we present a new concept of AQM scheme called Proxy-RED for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN).


Forming processes induce residual deformations on the reinforcement and sometimes lead to mesoscopic defects, which are more recurrent than macroscopic defects during the manufacture of complex structural parts. This study deals with the influence of the fabric shear and buckles defects, which appear during draping processes of composite, on the impact behavior of a glass fiber reinforced polymer. To achieve this aim, we produced several specimens with different amplitude of deformations (shear) and defects on the fabric using a specific bench. The specimens were manufactured using the contact molding and tested with several impact energies. The results and measurements made on tested specimens were compared to those of the healthy material. The results showed that the buckle defects have a negative effect on elastic parameters and revealed a larger damage with significant outof-plane mode relatively to the healthy composite material. This effect is the consequence of a local fiber impoverishment and a disorganization of the fibrous network, with a reorientation of the fibers following the out-of-plane buckling of the yarns, in the area where the defects are located. For the material with calibrated shear of the reinforcement, the increased local fiber rate due to the shear deformations and the contribution to stiffness of the transverse yarns led to an increase in mechanical properties. Keywords—Defects, forming, impact, induced properties, textiles.


The order of the London County Council for the notification of cerebro-spinal fever for a period of six months has raised the question whether posterior basal meningitis should be included under '' cerebrospinal fever " for purposes of notification. The Public Health Committee of the County Council referred the matter to Sir Douglas Powell, President of the Eoyal College of Physicians, and he appointed


In this paper,the author briefly introduces the procession and problems of Chinese Small and Medium Enterprises(SME),and emphatically introduces the innovation in management in the procession of Chinese Small and Medium Enterprises.


In order to provide control system operation in real-time mode, communication system should operate in the mode advancing real-time that can be achieved only by means of providing the communication system with mechanism for network structure forward adaptation to the variations in the user query topics and rates as well as their self-actualization. A technique for developing such nature-like technology that is based on fundamental natural inertia phenomenon and widespread symbiotic cooperation, distinguished by building-up (developing) resources being used, is proposed.


With PDCA Circulation Analytical Method,this article makes a further analysis on the typical problems arising during the process of tin-foil packaging with the chief tobacco packaging machine at home-GDX2,like the under-position of tin-foil.Combined with practicing experiences,in two aspects of wares and non-wares,the writer puts forward some solutions to these problems.