Project Objective: The overarching objective of the Montana Palladium Research Initiative is to perform scientific research on the properties and uses of palladium in the context of the U.S. Department of Energy'AƒÂƒA'ƒAƒÂ'A''AƒÂƒA''AƒÂ'A'™s Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program. The purpose of the research will be to explore possible palladium as an alternative to platinum in hydrogen-economy applications. To achieve this objective, the Initiatives activities will focus on several cutting-edge research approaches across a range of disciplines, including metallurgy, biomimetics, instrumentation development, and systems analysis. Background: Platinum-group elements (PGEs) play significant roles in processing hydrogen, an element that shows high potential to address this need in the U.S. and the world for inexpensive, reliable, clean energy. Platinum, however, is a very expensive component of current and planned systems, so less-expensive alternatives that have similar physical properties are being sought. To this end, several tasks have been defined under the rubric of the Montana Palladium Research Iniative. This broad swath of activities will allow progress on several fronts. The membrane-related activities of Task 1 employs state-of-the-art and leading-edge technologies to develop new, ceramic-substrate metallic membranes for the production of high-purity hydrogen, and develop techniques for the production of thin, defect-free platinummore » group element catalytic membranes for energy production and pollution control. The biomimetic work in Task 2 explores the use of substrate-attached hydrogen-producing enzymes and the encapsulation of palladium in virion-based protein coats to determine their utility for distributed hydrogen production. Task 3 work involves developing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a real-time, in situ diagnostic technique to characterize PGEs nanoparticles for process monitoring and control. The systems engineering work in task 4 will determine how fuel cells AƒÂƒA'ƒAƒÂ'A''AƒÂƒA''AƒÂ'A'"taken as systems behave over periods of time that should show how their reformers and other subsystems deteriorate with time.« less


The changes in the structure and properties of MgF2 and ZnS films prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition were investigated as a function of the power of argon ion beam irradiation. The refractive indices of MgF2 films in vacuum increased with the increase of the ion beam power, and the film density also increased slightly. It was also shown that, by the dynamic observation using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM), ion beam assistance increases the imperviousness to water of ZnS films. It was also observed that the wetting property for water of the film surface decreased due to ion beam assistance for both MgF2 and ZnS films.


Education in Indonesia today has made significant progress, but the progress of education in Indonesia can not be separated from some deficiencies that need to be improved that is the result of learning mathematics. There are several factors that influence the learning outcomes of mathematics. Some of them are sourced from students that is discipline learning, sourced from the tool that is learning facility, and sourced from outside that is learning environment. (2) test the contribution of learning facilities to mathematics learning outcomes, (3) test the contribution of student learning environment to mathematics learning outcomes, (4) test the contribution of discipline, facilities, and the learning environment together towards the results of mathematics learning. This type of research is based on quantitative approach. The research population is 251 students of class VII of SMP Negeri 5 Surakarta. The sample of 154 students studied is determined by Slovin formula. The sampling technique using proportional random sampling. Data collection techniques used questionnaires and documentation. Data analysis techniques use multiple linear regression. Result of the research, (1) Student learning discipline contribute positively and significantly to mathematics learning result with (α = 5%) equal to 18,64%. (2) Student learning facilities also contribute positively and significantly to mathematics learning result with (α = 5%) equal to 15,74%. (3) student learning environment contribute positively and significantly to mathematics learning result with (α = 5%) equal to 9,53%. (4) Discipline, facilities, and learning environment together contribute positively and significantly to mathematics learning outcomes with (α = 5%) of 43,91%.


2-14C-Methimazole was prepared in a condensation reaction between methylaminoacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal and potassium 14C-thiocyanate in acidic medium. The yield of final product was 86.3% of theoretical with a radio purity of greater than 99.5%.


What is already known Bicarbonate therapy is often not effective for alkalinizing the blood pH in critically ill patients because it requires patients to augment their already maxed respiratory drive. What is new in the current study Tris-hydroxymethyl aminomethane is a little known amine buffer that works in a closed system independent of pulmonary function and may be an effective alternative to sodium bicarbonate. Treatment of critically ill patients is a multi-faceted problem. Often the physician is faced with multiple complex tasks that range from correctly diagnosing the underlying disease process to appropriately managing the hemodynamics and homeostasis. Critically ill patients commonly have acid-base abnormalities, especially acidosis. Critical care dogma teaches that treatment of the primary condition will lead to a correction of the acidosis. That acidosis, however, can be so severe that it needs to be addressed before the underlying medical condition can be reversed. This review will discuss tris-hydroxymethyl aminomethane (THAM). THAM is a rarely used buffer approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of metabolic acidosis associated with cardiac bypass surgery and metabolic acidosis associated with cardiac arrest. 1 Many studies have examined the role of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) in alkalinizing blood pH. NaHCO3 has been shown to have limited effects or to be ineffective. 2 One of the chief reasons for the limited efficacy of NaHCO3 is the way it is processed in the body: HCO3-+H + ↔H 2CO3 ↔CO 2+H20 To alkanize the blood, patients much be able to eliminate CO2 by increasing their minute ventilation. This is often not realistic in patients with acute circulatory shock and/or respiratory failure. The resultant build up of CO2 drives the equation to the left and creates more acid. In addition , the intracellular pH effects of bicarbonate are not well established. CO2 readily diffuses across cell membranes and generation of more CO2 may in fact create intracellular acidosis. 3 An alternative option to sodium bicarbonate for treating acidosis in the severely ill is THAM. This little known medication has been around for decades. THAM was first introduced into laboratory practice in the 1940's and then in vivo studies in the late 1950's. 4 It is a weak amino alcohol base, which exerts its buffering capabilities by binding both to carbon dioxide and metabolic


In the focusing problem for the radially symmetric porous medium equation, one starts with initial data supported outside a ball centered at the origin, and studies the flow unitl the focusing thim, i.e., until the moment when the support of the solution reaches the origin. For any fixed focusing time, say t = 0, there exists a one-parameter family {gc(r,t)} of self-similar solutions to the focusing problem. We prove that if V(r,t) is a radially symmetric porous medium pressure such that supp V(·,t0) = [a,b]⊂R+ for some t0<0 and V focuses at t = 0, then there exist a c*⊂R+ such that (in the appropriate technical sense) V is approximated by gc* for (r,t) near (0,0).


significantly higher in comparison with the control group of patients (by 2.1, 1.4 and 4.9 times, respectively). Similar results were observed when comparing levels of neopterin, TNFα and CRP in patients with IHD with hypothyroidism with a group of patients with IHD without structural and functional changes in thyroid gland: their concentration was by 2.2; 1.3 and 3.1 times higher than the corresponding indicators, respectively (p <0.05). This indicates a clear immune activation in patients with IHD in the context of concomitant hypothyroidism. The question of the relationship between markers of immune activation, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in patients with IHD with thyroid pathology is also an interesting one. Significant positive correlation relationships were established between the level of neopterin and TSH (r=+0.36; p <0.05), ET-1 and TSH (r=+0.46; p <0.05) and inverse correlation interactions between the neopterin level concentration and free T4 (r=-0.29; p <0.05). The obtained data testify that hypothyroidism increases the risk of complications of atherosclerosis, provokes the progression of IHD both due to the development of endothelial dysfunction, stimulation of systemic inflammation and increased secretion of proinflammatory cytokines [4]. Thus, patients with IHD, which occurs on the background of hyperthyroidism, had an increase in markers of immune activation and endothelial dysfunction compared with patients with IHD without thyroid disease. The presence of correlations between the levels of neopterin and ET-1 with the hormones of the pituitary-thyroid system suggests the involvement of hypothyroidism in stimulating systemic inflammation and the development of endothelial dysfunction in patients with IHD. Prospects for further research: Further scientific research will deal with the development of optimally substantiated schemes of differentiated combined treatment of patients with IHD on the background of hypothyroidism, taking into account changes in immune-inflammatory and endothelium dysfunction markers.


Introduction: In 2018, the Australian Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE), a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence was funded to develop a suite of state-wide medicinal cannabis prescribing guidance documents. At this time, regulatory changes in Australia were enabling broader access to medicinal cannabis in a medical model. The initiative funded through the New South Wales (NSW) Government's Clinical Cannabis Medicines Program enabled the development of practical resources to support NSW medical practitioners in prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients for conditions where cannabinoids are perceived to have some benefit. Aim: To provide interim guidance to support medical practitioners in the prescription of medicinal cannabis where they are perceived to have potential benefit. Methods: A team of clinical pharmacologists, pharmacists and clinicians collaborated in the development of the first tranche of prescribing guidance documents. The suite of six medicinal cannabis prescribing guidance documents covered the most common indications for which prescriptions for medicinal cannabis were being sought by NSW patients: dementia; anorexia and cachexia; nausea; chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; spasticity; and chronic non-cancer pain. In 2019, the draft guidance documents underwent a comprehensive review and consultation process involving fifty key stakeholders before publication. Results: The ACRE medicinal cannabis prescribing guidance documents have been widely adopted, both in NSW and around the world. The prescribing guidance documents are now recommended as a health professional educational resource by the Australian national medicines regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration and state health departments. The prescribing guidance on epilepsy from the second tranche of guidance documents has recently been published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. National medicinal cannabis prescribing pattern data and enquiries to the first-of-kind, state-government funded medicinal cannabis advisory service for medical practitioners informed the themes of the second tranche of six medicinal cannabis prescribing guidance documents being developed in 2022. Conclusions: ACRE medicinal cannabis prescribing guidance documents delivered interim guidance to Australian medical practitioners on the evidence-based and best-practice prescription of medicinal cannabis. Prescribing guidance document themes align with Australian medicinal cannabis prescribing patterns and areas where medical practitioners are seeking further information and advice. It is anticipated that the prescribing guidance documents will be updated periodically as further evidence becomes available. Acknowledgements: NSW Government through the NSW Clinical Cannabis Medicines Program supported development of the NSW Cannabis Medicines Prescribing Guidance. ACRE was established and is funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council Centres of Research Excellence scheme.


The varietal improvement programme of Ajwain was successfully undertaken at Department of Vegetable Science, Kalyanpur, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology Kanpur. The available pure genetic stocks of ajwain were thoroughly screened for various yield contributing character and other desirable traits including major diseases. Based on the earliness, yield potential and disease reaction the accession 9401 was found most promising by giving 15 days earlier yield of 11.74 q/ha, 56.74 percent higher over the check. It was also found resistant to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infection under artificial epiphytotic conditions. However, the accession 9401 released as a variety with the name of Azad Ajwain-1 in year 2001 by the U.P. State Variety Release Committee. See end of the article for authors' affiliations Correspondence to: S.M. TRIPATHI Department of Horticulture, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, KANPUR (U.P.) INDIA •HIND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE•


Associated as it is to the concepts of entropy and of poverty culture, acculturation all too often connotes degeneration. A truly anthropological model of acculturation should not imply direct subordination of a society to a dominant one. Rather, it should be considered a shorthand device defining a process of culture change with no hardening effect on the notion of community boundary: after all, societies human or other maintain fluid interaction with their environments. Within such a nondeterministic model, acculturation is simply an internal shift of emphasis, a transition without necessary loss in the same way as biological evolution is modification without necessary improvement in terms of non-Darwinian theo-


We introduce a new interaction formulated in terms of two shifted delta functions with non-local boundary conditions. For this purpose we use a method of self-adjoint extensions for a particular simmetric operator. We obtain bound states of the associated quantum mechanical problem and study its symmetry properties. We compare the results with the ground state of the quantum mechanical problem with a local interaction in terms of two delta functions.


The current state of methodology for the development of large-scale, multi-operator command and control systems, is largely an art. The designers formulate goals and system objectives. They examine the available technology and produce a conceptual design that specifies the roles of hardware, proceed to build either a manned simulation softwar,e, and human resources. They then of the basic design or a prototype system that can serve as a test bed for evaluating the approach and for exploring alternative implementations of the basic approach. The analysis and design of these systems could be greatly facilitated by engineering models of the human that allow the operator to be described in terms commensurate with those used for other system elements. These models can serve two basic functions. First, analyze the results of a particular they can be used as diagnostic tools to


Rewards are frequently used in classrooms and recommended as a key component of well-researched methods of cooperative learning (e.g., Slavin, 1995). While many studies of cooperative learning find beneficial effects of rewards, many studies of individuals find negative effects (e.g., Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999; Lepper, 1988). This may be because the effects of reward-removal are not typically assessed in studies of cooperative learning whereas they typically are in studies of individuals. Alternatively, rewards and their removal might function differently for groups than individuals. The present study tested the hypothesis that groups would show less detrimental effects of reward-removal than individuals. Results showed a significant interaction where dyads increased their performance after reward-removal, while individuals showed a decrease on difficult transfer questions.


Nearly all X-ray astronomy missions of the past 25 years have utilized grazing incidence telescopes which use the principle of nested shells to maximize the collecting area. Most of these missions have had multiple X-ray telescopes, e.g. ASCA, Beppo-SAX, Suzaku, XMM-Newton, NuStar, and also upcoming missions Astro-H and SpectrumRöentgen-Gamma. Multiple telescopes, which favor replication, may continue to be the appropriate architecture of some future missions. XMM-Newton and the upcoming Spectrum-Röentgen-Gamma mission use an electroformed nickel replication (ENR) process to fabricate their X-ray telescope mirror shells, a process which has achieved the best angular resolution to date for replicated telescopes. We are developing a process to fabricate metal-ceramic replicated optics which will be lighter weight than current nickel replicated technology. They will be stiffer than the XMM mirrors, which we expect will result in better angular resolution. Recent results on fabrication and testing of these optics is presented.


To get the frequency and magnitude of forest fires in Victoria, the Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) is used to characterize some parameters of fires. First, an FFDI calculation model is established based on meteorological data. For the necessary parameter drought factor DF, we used the TOPSIS method to estimate and finally calculated the FFDI value of weather stations in Victoria. Based on the FFDI, we established a single-stream hierarchical facility location model based on genetic algorithm distance constraints. Finally, we got the distribution of fire-prone points and the distribution of monitor-repeater-EOC.


Using methods of system analysis and patent analysis, some gratifying progress about the industrial chain, industrial scale, R&D ability, low cost had been made in the solar energy industry in China. But there are some questions such as internal and external challenges, the enterprise innovation ability needing to be improved further, output quality not being high, the emerging and domestic market being yet to be developed etc. Therefore, the effective countermeasures just like strengthening multilateral communication, building the independent innovation system, formulating the strategy of intellectual property rights and developing the domestic and foreign markets are proposed to promote the sustainable development of the solar energy industry.


This study examines 122 ex-offenders who participated in Project Re-Connect, a 6-month, voluntary, prisoner-reentry program for inmates who served their maximum prison sentence. The needs most frequently self-identified by program participants prior to their return into the community included transportation, clothing, food, housing, and employment or vocational training. To help address these needs, program participants had access to US$3,000. These funds were largely directed toward the self-identified needs, with the greatest portion of expenditures applied to housing. Social outcomes, including employment, housing, and substance abuse, are examined for program participants. The study found that many ex-offenders will seek assistance through reentry programs, even when participation is voluntary, and that they are capable of self-identifying their service needs.


The purpose of this paper is to look at the influences of social interaction and learning environment on children's creativity in dance. Data from two separate studies are examined in which a total of thirty-seven fifth grade students created nine dances. This examination aims to (1) identify crucial elements of the classroom environment, which aided the students' productivity and cognitive activity; and (2) look at how working as a peer group affected the participants' creative process.


The term ''learning environments'' signifies every learning environment inside and outside the statutory classroom, in which the training of new abilities and forms is sought, just as we have already mentioned. New educational environments, in which we have the use of computers, constitute educational software which undertakes the teaching of the cognitive subject in the curriculum. An increasing number of new applications are being developed in order to enforce the teacher's role. The computers, as well as their accompanied software, can be used in the teaching process in multiple ways as creative tools (text editor), as references (encyclopaedia, CD-ROM), as communicative tools (video conference) or as tools for the teacher (Hubbard, 1996).


I propose to question Dr. Ramraj's recent argument in this Journal that September 11th has "exposed the increase in ethnic tensions in Singapore and Malaysia", and that there have been "divisive social consequences" for these two countries. I question his prescription that "for Singapore . . . policies and legislation based on race should be abolished" and that the "same may be said of Malaysia". Finally, I question his argument that legal and policy assistance in respect of any group can only be made in a politically neutral way, and that traditional group traits should be held hostage to individual moral choice. Dr. Ramraj prizes individual moral self-authorship in a way which dismisses the need to achieve substantive justice for the various communities in Singapore and Malaysia, and which ignores the terms and histories of the constitutions of these two nations. His arguments, even if not colour-blind, proceed from a version of constitutional colour-blindness, and ignore the needs of identity and multi-culturalism in these two nations.


The stability of β-carotene was studied using a buffer or sucrose solution at pH 9. A P-carotene test solution containing an antioxidant (flavonoids, Trolox®, and vitamin C) was photo-irradiated at λ = 310 nm for various time periods at 25 °C. β-Carotene was extremely unstable and complete oxidative degradation occurred readily in 12 h. Presence of oxygen in the test solution played an important role in P-carotene degradation. If the test solution was degassed almost completely, significant P-carotene degradation did not occur and significant inhibitory effects of antioxidants were observed. Flavonoids isolated from young green barley leaves, lutonarin and saponarin inhibited β-carotene degradation by 50 - 80% in test solutions prepared with different degas methods. Saponarin inhibited P-carotene degradation for a longer time than other antioxidants in the sample degassed by both a nitrogen steam and a vacuum method, inhibiting β-carotene degradation over 50% for 60 h.


Objective: To study the effect of aqueous extract of leaves of Enhydra fluctuans on neutrophil phagocytic function. Methods: The different concentrations of (25,50,100μg/ml) of extract of leaves of Enhydra fluctuans was subjected to study its effect on different in-vitro methods of phagocytosis such as neutrophil locomotion, chemotaxis, immunostimulant activity of phagocytosis of killed Candida albicans and qualitative Nitro Blue Tetrazolium test using human neutrophils. Result: This preliminary study revealed that Enhydra fluctuans extract has stimulated chemotactic, phagocytic and intracellular killing potency of human neutrophils at the different concentration. Conclusion: From the results obtained it can be observed that the aqueous extract of Enhydra fluctuans leaves stimulates cell-mediated immune system by increasing neutrophil function phagocytic activity.


Higher vocational education is the dissemination and succeed of culture,so that students master scientific knowledge and technology,but also has a higher career emotion,profession of faith,a good professional code of conduct;with the concept of cost-effective,adapting the method of enterprise management.Vocational education should be scientific and technological culture as the core,integration the occupational culture and corporate culture into campus culture,to achieve cultural education.


The risk assessment of nanomaterials is essential for regulatory purposes and for sustainable nanotechnological development. Although the application of graphene oxide has been widely exploited, its environmental risk is not well understood because several environmental conditions can affect its behavior and toxicity. In the present study, the graphene oxide effect from aquatic ecosystems was assessed considering the interaction with humic acid on 9 organisms: Raphidocelis subcapitata (green algae), Lemna minor (aquatic plant), Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Daphnia magna (planktonic microcrustacean), Artemia salina (brine shrimp), Chironomus sancticaroli (Chironomidae), Hydra attenuata (freshwater polyp), and Caenorhabditis elegans and Panagrolaimus sp. (nematodes). The no‐observed‐effect concentration (NOEC) was calculated for each organism. The different criteria used to calculate NOEC values were transformed and plotted as a log‐logistic function. The hypothetical 5 to 50% hazardous concentration values were, respectively, 0.023 (0.005–0.056) and 0.10 (0.031–0.31) mg L−1 for graphene oxide with and without humic acid, respectively. The safest scenario associated with the predicted no‐effect concentration values for graphene oxide in the aquatic compartment were estimated as 20 to 100 μg L−1 (in the absence of humic acid) and 5 to 23 μg L−1 (in the presence of humic acid). Finally, the present approach contributed to the risk assessment of graphene oxide–based nanomaterials and the establishment of nano‐regulations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1998–2012. © 2018 SETAC


The catalytic activity for the formaldehyde oxidation was investigated on the polycatechol/platinum composites modified electrode.The results indicated that the electrochemical oxidation of formaldehyde on the composites modified electrode was a diffusion-controlled process,which was influenced predominantly by the electrolyte.The main reaction occurred in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution was the oxidation of formaldehyde to methyl acid,and the first oxidation peak current was linearly related to the formaldehyde concentration,which could be used for the determination of formaldehyde.


NoteExpress(NE)is a China-made literature management software.This paper expounds the main functions of NE,introduces emphatically five ways for importing the bibliographic records,such as the online retrieval and import,filter import,manual import,full text import and bibliographic record renewal,and probes into how to manage the bibliographic records.


In contrast to the well-known CO and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ molecules, isoelectronic SiO and PN form thermodynamically stable conventional (valence) and dipole-bound anion states upon attachment of an extra electron. According to the results of our high-quality ab initio calculations, binding energies of the electron in these states are 38 and 1.6 meV $({\mathrm{SiO}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}})$ and 76 and 1.0 meV $({\mathrm{PN}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}),$ respectively. Dissociation trends of the ${\mathrm{SiO}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ and ${\mathrm{PN}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ anions are discussed.


The invention discloses a dithiophene silole-quinoxalines conjugated polymer, and its preparation method and application. The molecular structure of the conjugated polymer is represented by general formula (I). x, y and n in the formula satisfy the following relations: x+y=1, 0<x<=0.5, and 1<n<=200, wherein n is a positive integer. R1 in the formula is a C1-C18 alkyl group; R2, R3, R4 and R5 are at least one selected from the group consisting of -H, C1-C20 alkyl groups, C1-C20alkyloxy groups, alkyl-containing or/and alkyloxy thienyl groups, alkyl-containing fluoryl groups, alkyl-containing carbazole groups and alkyl-containing benzene groups. The dithiophene silole-quinoxalines conjugated polymer provided in the invention has a low energy gap, enhanced crystallization performance, improved charge transmission property and good capability of receiving chemical and structural modification. The preparation method for the conjugated polymer has the advantages of a simple process, high yield and easiness in operation and control, and is applicable to such fields as solar cells.


While binocular viewing of 2D pictures generates an impression of 3D objects and space, viewing a picture monocularly through an aperture produces a more compelling impression of depth and the feeling that the objects are "out there", almost touchable. Here, we asked observers to actually reach into pictorial space under both binocular- and monocular-aperture viewing. Images of natural scenes were presented at different physical distances via a mirror-system and their retinal size was kept constant. Targets that observers had to reach for in physical space were marked on the image plane, but at different pictorial depths. We measured the 3D position of the index finger at the end of each reach-to-point movement. Observers found the task intuitive. Reaching responses varied as a function of both pictorial depth and physical distance. Under binocular viewing, responses were mainly modulated by the different physical distances. Instead, under monocular viewing, responses were modulated by the different pictorial depths. Importantly, individual variations over time were minor, that is, observers conformed to a consistent pictorial space. Monocular viewing of 2D pictures thus produces a compelling experience of an immersive space and tangible solid objects that can be easily explored through motor actions.


Concordant doctor-patient relationship is the key to achieve a well treatment,concordant doctor-patient relationship is helpful for the national health care industry development.There are several disharmony phenomenons in current doctor-patient relationship.This article discussed several reasons of the phenomenon and brought up several solutions.


i Preface In the process to finish my thesis work, I got many frustrations and I was upset at one time. But I was so luckily to be supervised by Mohammed.Hamid who was so patient to help me solve the difficult problems and guide me to finish my thesis work. I sincerely thanks to him for all he did for me. Also thanks to Niclas Björsell who give me the suggestion for my thesis topic and to be my examiner. Thanks to all the teachers for teaching me the knowledge in the past three years, I can " t finish my thesis work without you. Besides, thanks to my friends who encouraged and supported me when I was upset and confused. At the end, thanks to my parents to provide me the chance to study in Sweden. Abstract Cognitive radio is a low-cost communication system, which can choose the available frequencies and waveforms automatically on the premise of avoiding interfering the licensed users. The spectrum sensing is the key enabling technology in cognitive radio networks. It is able to fill voids in the wireless spectrum and can dramatically increase spectral efficiency. In this thesis, the author use matlab to simulate the received signals from the cognitive radio networks and an energy detector to detect whether the spectrum is being used. The report also compares the theoretical value and the simulated result and then describes the relationship between the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the detections. At last, the method, energy detection and simulation and result are discussed which is considered as the guidelines for the future work.


Following the amendment of the 51st article of the Turkish Code of the Administrative Judicial Procedure No. 2577 by the Code No. 6545, the question of whether it is possible to file an appeal for the sake of law against the decisions of the Council of State as a court of first instance arose, and two opposing viewpoints were advanced. This study attempted to answer this question using the interpretation methods in legal rules. The textual and teleological interpretation of the rule regulating the subject demonstrates that an appeal for the sake of law can be made in opposition to such judicial decisions. The systematic interpretation method cannot be used to reach a conclusion on this subject. On the other hand, using the historical interpretation method, some findings can be reached that support the view that no appeal for the sake of law can be made against decisions provided by the Council of State as a court of first instance and which are finalized without the appeal examination. It is not possible to use the historical interpretation method as a basis by ignoring other interpretation methods in this regard. Because in circumstances where the textual interpretation method can be used to interpret a norm, the other interpretation methods cannot be applied and the historical interpretation method is the last interpretation method. Accordingly, it should be accepted that an appeal for the sake of law can be filed against the decisions issued by the Council of State as a court of first instance and that are finalized without going through the appeal examination.


In the 1970-1971 school year, 85 percent of public elementary school teachers were women, down less than 2 percent from 1959-1960. While many educators might yawn at such a statistic, this author has counted approximately twenty articles in professional journals over the last four years which have considered this phenomenon, often with a growing sense of alarm. This small but vocal body of commentary maintains that elementary schools are "feminized," that female teachers are primarily responsible for the feminization of schools, that this sex imbalance has detrimental effects on young school children, particularly boys, and that corrective measures must be taken before further harm is done. Different authors have prescribed different solutions, for example, changing teachers' sex-linked expectations of children's behavior, segregation of children by sex, and delaying the entry of boys into school. But the solution most frequently offered is that male teachers should be introduced into the early elementary grades in increasing numbers in order to restore sex-role balance to the schools. These observers have not, for the most part, developed elaborate conceptualizations of their concern, but what they have offered is a simple formula: the


Semantic Web brings the idea of structuring information available across the web in a meaningful way improving search mechanisms and thus resulting in user satisfaction. This paper initially explores the literature that has been done to improve the performance of Semantic Web (SW) through Ants where ants are hypothetical sophisticated agents that carry information and moreover have the tendency of learning through experiences. Semantic Web along with Ants creates an environment that can achieve the vision of making node able to understand, relate and use information available in a given situation. The work presents a simple blueprint of ant based control of semantic web and throws the ideas of open challenges for future research.


This paper makes the theoretical analysis and empirical test to expatriates' willingness to return to the parent company from China's enterprises of operating across border to provide decision support for repatriate management in China.Research results suggest that the determining factors of expatriates' willingness to repatriate are correlation with organization aid and support,career management,expatriate task types,organization scale and culture and expatriates' willingness to repatriate has not positive significant effect on organization aid and support,career management,but has positive significant effect on expatriate task types,organization scale and culture.


This paper's objective is to bring forth some elements which confirm the following hypothesis : Canada is consigned to continentalism, namely to economic and cultural integration with the United States though this fact is shrouded in a Canadian nationalism of sorts. The continentalist mentality is rooted in the history of British North America, inhabited mostly by refugees from America who have remained inherently "Yankees" in spite of their anti-americanism. The Confederation itself is based on a sort of complicity with the United States. More recently there were talks of a "North American nationality", and continentalism both cultural and economic has come to be seen as a 'force of nature" which the governments, at the most, put into a chanelling process. Still, it is possible for Canadian nationalism to exist provided it does not go beyond the threshold whence it would run headlong into the continental mentality. Canada has defined itself through an international or non-national perspective far too long for today's nationalism not to remain weak and poorly established. But the Americans whose "manifest destiny" has succeeded in spreading over Canada without even their having tried to hoist their flag there find it to their advantage to maintain some form of Canadian sovereignty. Canada as a "friendly nation" can be of use to Washington. That is why there are almost as many advocates for Canada's independence in the United States as there are north of the border. Canadian nationalism can thus further the interests of some Canadian elites without seriously prejudicing continental integration which can very well afford not to be set up into formalized structures.


In this paper, we investigate the difference of Shepard's generalized operators S σ from the approximated set of data for various weight functions σ. Bounds are given for the sizes of the 'bumps' shown on the graph of S σ for σ(d)=1/d in dimension N=1, and the best weight function σ for practical use is proposed.


Objective
To investigate the effect of micropower vacuum dressingson the healing of rabbit second degree burn wound.

Methods
Eight adult healthy rabbits were performed a second degree burn, which was obtained on the dorsal skin using electrons homeothermia burn instrument 90℃ for 12 s. Four wounds were performed symmetrically on the back of each rabbit in a self-control situation. One site was set as the treatment group treated with the micropower vacuum dressings and the other site was the control group, treated with vaseline gauze. Immediately after burn and 1, 3, 5, 7 d postburn, the wounds were harvested and water content was examined by dry to wet weight method. Wound microcirculation blood flow was determined using the laser doppler flowmetry and wound healing process was also detected.

Results
On the 1, 3, 5, 7 d postburn, wound tissue water content in the treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (t=5.067, 5.133, 4.464, 3.875, P=0.001, 0.001, 0.003, 0.006). On the 3 d, 5 d and 7 d postburn, wound microcirculation blood flow in the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.155, -4.835, -7.168, P=0.016, 0.020, 0.000). On the 14 d and 20 d postburn, the wound healing rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group the difference was statistically significant (t=-39.052, -11.223, P=0.000, 0.000). In the treatment group, the wound healing time was (20.9±2.2) d, which was shorter than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (t=9.379, P=0.000).

Conclusion
Micropower vacuum dressings can reduce tissue edema, increase microcirculatory blood flow of rabbit second degree burn wound, and shorten the time of wound healing.

Key words:
Burns; Edema; Wound healing; Blood flow; Micropower vacuum dressings


ABSTRACT This is the first of two articles outlining research into the understanding of the concepts of rational planning in secondary schools. The OFSTED Framework suggests that rational planning fosters school effectiveness and in earlier research the team found that this was broadly true. However, there are examples of schools which are criticised for their lack of rational planning but which are nevertheless successful in their outcomes. Four case study schools were selected for further investigation, two of these having been the subject of some critical comment from OFSTED. The investigation probed the relationship between leadership and effective planning and resource management in each of the schools. In the first article the importance of managing the relationship of the school with its environment in each of the four schools is considered. Understanding, moulding and living with the culture of the school appears to be of considerable importance to effective leadership. In these aspects of managem...


The book addresses the interaction between international maritime law and maritime strategy in a historical context, arguing that both international law and maritime strategy are based on long-term state interests. Great Britain as the predominant sea power in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries shaped the relationship between international law and maritime strategy like no other power. The book explores how Great Britain used international maritime law as an instrument of foreign policy to protect its strategic and economic interests, and how maritime strategic thought evolved in parallel to the development of international legal norms. The book offers an analysis of British state practice as well as an examination of the efforts of the international community to codify international maritime law in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As the predominant sea power and also the world's largest carrier of goods, Great Britain had to balance its interests as both a belligerent and a neutral power. With the growing importance of international law in international politics, the book examines the role of international lawyers, strategists, and government officials who shaped state practice. Great Britain's neutrality for most of the period between 1856 and 1914 influenced its state practice and its perceptions of a future maritime conflict. Yet, the codification of international maritime law at The Hague and London conferences at the beginning of the twentieth century demanded a reassessment of Great Britain's legal position.


Red mud is a waste product obtained from the Bayer process, which refines Bauxite into a form of Aluminium oxide called Alumina. The mud primarily contains non-Aluminium compounds present in the Bauxite ore and left as residues after its refining Aluminium oxide. Iron oxide, the compound from which the red colour component, but it also contains other compounds. Red mud containing about 96% fines and silt sized particles, Red mud can be used in an effective way by making of Red mud bricks, as a sub-base material for road construction, Red mud is mixed with various additives to attain impervious state which can be used as a liner, they can be also used as back fill material in case of embankments In the present study for the use of Red mud with Fly Ash in geotechnical application various percentages of cement was added. Tests like compaction, grain size distribution analysis, unconfined compressive strength, permeability were conducted to study the interaction of Red mud, Fly Ash and cement particles. Various combinations of Red Mud and Fly Ash was mixed with various percentages of cement (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) and cured for 3day, 7day, and 28day by maintaining 100% humidity. The specimens were tested for unconfined compressive strength. CBR tests for unsoaked and soaked conditions are also conducted by curing them for 7 days. From the test results it is identified that as the percentage of cement increases compression strength increases. Maximum values attained at 28 days curing periods. CBR values also increased with increase in the cement percentage both in unsoaked and soaked conditions which are cured for 7 days. In CBR values compared to soaked, unsoaked values are greater. Hence Red mud-Fly Ash-cement stabilized material can be effectively used in geotechnical applications.


An overview is given of some typical radar, ESM and communication systems, based on phased array technology, developed in Italy. A family of S-band, surveillance, 3-dimensional radar systems for air defence applications is presented. The antenna arrays are fed by multiple elevation beam forming and scanning networks. A new active, L-band phased array radar under development will complete the line of the 3D systems. An ECM active phased array antenna is described, as part of a system capable of countering a very large number of simultaneous threats. New developments include a UHF phased array, for zenith coverage of an air defence system, and a quasi-planar array for an air traffic control radar, with adaptive combination of multiple beams in reception for best clutter cancellation. A C-band, full phased-array antenna, with all extremely wide scanning angular sector, adaptive nulling and two-plane, low side lobe, monopulse capability, has been developed for a multifunctional radar for naval application, but with possible utilization, also in fixed and mobile ground systems. Study and design activities are mentioned on an active, X-band phased array for spaceborne SAR applications, where use is made of a single package, multichip hybrid module, as the basic building block.


A new tool to study reducibility of a weak symplectic form to a constant one is introduced and used to prove a version of the Darboux theorem more general than previous ones. More precisely, at each point of the considered manifold a Banach space is associated to the symplectic form (dual of the phase space with respect to the symplectic form), and it is shown that the Darboux theorem holds if such a space is locally constant. The following application is given. Consider a weak symplectic manifold M on which the Darboux theorem is assumed to hold (e.g. a symplectic vector space). It is proved that the Darboux theorem holds also for any finite codimension symplectic submanifolds of M, and for symplectic manifolds obtained from M by the Marsden-Weinstein reduction procedure.


Radiocarbon (14C) dating is one of the most important tools for archaeologists. Although radiocarbon dates provide a temporal foundation for analyzing the remains of past cultures, it is critical that these dates be periodically reviewed for consistency and accuracy to ensure chronological control. A review of publications pertaining to Caribbean archaeology since the 1960s demonstrates that researchers there have often failed to adequately report and critique radiocarbon dates, making it difficult to fully assess their value in chronology building. A chronometric hygiene analysis of over 600 dates reveals that when isolated, culturally ambiguous, poorly provenienced, and contaminated dates are rejected, only about 80 percent remain useful. In addition, the paucity of early Saladoid (ca. 500 B.C.–A.D. 1) and Archaic age (ca. 2500–500 B.C.) dates in the southern Lesser Antilles suggests that there was not a "stepping-stone" migration of prehistoric peoples northward from South America into the Lesser Antilles.


Abstrcat During the three years since China's entry to WTO, China has fully carried out her promise on the agricultural products trade. Both her import and export of agricultural products have been growing rapidly. This article analyses China's international trade situation in agricultural products since her entry to WTO, the existing difficulties and the developing trend in the years to come, putting forward some policy suggestions for promoting China's more deep participation in the world economy.


Flexible strain sensors have promising applications in deformation detection and have attracted tremendous attention. However, it is still a challenge to detect multidirectional strains and further enhance the sensing performance including high sensitivity and durability. Herein, successfully prepared aligned graphene oxide/polyacrylonitrile composite fiber membrane by optimized microfluidic spinning process is presented, and highly aligned carbon fiber membrane (CFM) by stabilization and carbonization is obtained. The flexible strain sensors are fabricated based on the CFM with different fiber arrangement directions, exhibiting good sensing performance and remarkable anisotropic electromechanical behaviors. When the fiber arrangement is parallel to the direction of stress application, the gauge factors (GFs) of the sensor are 399 in the strain range of 0‐12%, and 10 688 of 12‐15% strain. When the fiber arrangement is perpendicular to the stress direction, the GFs of the sensor are 49.8 and 830.7 under the strain of 0‐45% and 45‐50%, respectively. Meanwhile, the flexible and anisotropic strain sensors are endowed with excellent linearity, dynamic stability under different stretching rates and strain levels, rapid response time (< 300 ms), and good durability (over 1000 cycles). Remarkably, it has been demonstrated the anisotropic strain sensors could be applied in detecting human activity and assisting badminton training.


The results of the study of physicochemical properties of chelate-type compounds with mixed ligands are presented. The formula for these compounds is M·gl·L·nH2O (where: M = Mn, Zn, Fe, Co, Cu; gl is the glutamic acid molecule, L citrate ion). Study of qualitative dissolubility of the above referred compounds in various solvents proved that these compounds are not soluble in water at ambient temperature, while at heating their dissolution capacity increases. In organic solvents (alcohol, acetone, dimethylformamide) they reveal low solubility indices. Thermographic study of the synthesized compounds show that these compounds are rather stable thermally and decomposition of water-containing compounds commences at a relatively low temperature (75-190C), while waterless compounds decompose at higher temperature (205-240C). Decomposition of these compounds proceeds gradually in three stages: I. detachment of water molecules; II. gradual oxidation of glutaminic acid; and III. citrate ion oxidation. The final product of thermolysis is metal oxide or a mix of metal oxide and coal. Study of IR absorption spectra of the compounds showed that neutral molecules of glutaminic acid coordinate with complexforming metals through carbonyl group oxygen atoms and amino group nitrogen atoms that lead to the formation of five-member metal-cycles. In case of the citric acid molecule, two of three carboxyl groups suffer deprotonation, and by means of oxygen atoms of this deprotonated carboxyl group they form bond with metal atoms. Premixes prepared on the base of a chelate-type compound with mixed ligands were tested in rabbit feeding and the relevant formulas were developed. © 2017 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.


Within a year of the introduction of Intel's first 8-bit CPU chip, the 8008, in April 1972, the author was working on the design specification for a faster and more capable CPU chip, the 8080. Here, the author describes the development of the 8080 chip that helped launch the personal computer industry. The author also addresses two common complaints about the 8080's architecture - its lack of register symmetry and the absence of an index register.


This paper discusses the challenge of assessing infrastructure condition using detailed spatial distress data. A new understanding of the spatial behavior of infrastructure is presented and a condition assessment method commensurate with the identified behavior is developed. Two deterioration mechanisms are identified. The environmental mechanism defines deterioration as a consequence of causal factors and exhibits both macroscopic and microscopic scales. The interactive mechanism defines deterioration as a result of distress at a location influencing the deterioration of neighboring locations and exhibits a microscopic scale. The authors propose a nonstationary stochastic spatial model that captures both mechanisms. A methodology based on this model and founded on nonparametric cluster analysis and dynamic programming is developed to identify uniformly behaving fields within which condition can be predicted accurately. The methodology is applied to a 15-km long highway facility, the results of which demonstrate the validity of the spatial model and the need for correctly identifying the uniform fields.


The ubiquitous wireless Wi-Fi local-area-networks (LANs) that we enjoy today can
 accommodate new users and changing conditions in a robust, automated manner. How can we
 create similarly self-managed optical networks?


Materials scientists at Caltech have discovered a new way that heat tweaks the physical properties of a material. [13] That is, until now, thanks to the new solution devised at TU Wien: for the first time ever, permanent magnets can be produced using a 3D printer. This allows magnets to be produced in complex forms and precisely customised magnetic fields, required, for example, in magnetic sensors. [12] For physicists, loss of magnetisation in permanent magnets can be a real concern. In response, the Japanese company Sumitomo created the strongest available magnet—one offering ten times more magnetic energy than previous versions—in 1983. [11] New method of superstrong magnetic fields' generation proposed by Russian scientists in collaboration with foreign colleagues. [10] By showing that a phenomenon dubbed the "inverse spin Hall effect" works in several organic semiconductors-including carbon-60 buckyballs-University of Utah physicists changed magnetic "spin current" into electric current. The efficiency of this new power conversion method isn't yet known, but it might find use in future electronic devices including batteries, solar cells and computers. [9] Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University of Cambridge in the UK have demonstrated that it is possible to directly generate an electric current in a magnetic material by rotating its magnetization. [8] This paper explains the magnetic effect of the electric current from the observed effects of the accelerating electrons, causing naturally the experienced changes of the electric field potential along the electric wire. The accelerating electrons explain not only the Maxwell Equations and the Special Relativity, but the Heisenberg Uncertainty Relation, the wave particle duality and the electron's spin also, building the bridge between the Classical and Quantum Theories. The changing acceleration of the electrons explains the created negative electric field of the magnetic induction, the changing relativistic mass and the Gravitational Force, giving a Unified Theory of the physical forces. Taking into account the Planck Distribution Law of the electromagnetic oscillators also, we can explain the electron/proton mass rate and the Weak and Strong Interactions.


Ca sensitivity and sensitivity to diltiazem were studied in two strains of genetically hypertensive rat [spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and genetically hypertensive (GH) rats] and their normotensive control strains [Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and normal Wistar (N) rats] at two ages before and after establishment of significant hypertension. Ca sensitivity was equal in both hypertensive/normotensive strain pairs from young rats but significant relative increases in Ca sensitivity were present in older rats. Sensitivity to the vasodilating action of diltiazem in vessels precontracted using K+ was also present in adult rats. These results suggest that the abnormality in Ca sensitivity seen in genetic hypertension in rats is an acquired characteristic not involved in the etiology of hypertension.


While dealing with the constant-strength magnetic Laplacian on the annulus, we complete Peetre's work. In particular, the eigenspaces associated with its discrete spectrum true turns out to be polyanalytic spaces with respect to the invariant Cauchy–Riemann operator, and we write down explicit formulas for their reproducing kernels. When the magnetic field strength is an integer, we compute the limits of the obtained kernels when the outer radius of the annulus tends to infinity and express them by means of the fourth Jacobi theta function and of its logarithmic derivatives. Under the same quantization condition, we also derive their transformation rule under the action of the automorphism group of the annulus.


The self-proclaimed purpose of Swept Up Lives? Re-envisioning the Homeless City is to show the reader a new and different landscape of urban homelessness. The book connects to the discourse on the revanchist city, a concept introduced by human geographers in North America. The notion of the revanchist city and the framing of homelessness within a "punitive turn" (quotation mark by the authors) envisions the marginalisation of poor people socially and geographically through regimes that force homeless and other poor people to the margins of the city and of society. According to the authors, homelessness is used as the exemplar of how urban policy has wilfully marginalised the visible poor. However, the authors' position is that this is at best an incomplete and inaccurate portrayal of urban homelessness, and they further question whether the concept of revanchism is universally applicable. It might well hold true for urban homelessness in North America, but the stance taken in this book is that it is not easily translated to the homeless scene in Britain.


Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a group of metalloenzymes responsible for speeding up the conversion of carbon dioxide and water to a bicarbonate ion and a proton. CAs is divided into seven well-defined classes, namely, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, zeta, eta and theta. The alpha class of CAs is found in animal systems and is involved in various physiological and pathological processes. In some cases CA inhibition is required to treat certain disorders. Over the years metal complexing anions and sulfonamide compounds have been used extensively for this purpose. This paper investigated the potential inhibitory properties of aminophenol (AP) compounds and their acetylated derivatives against human cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isozymes I and II.


Background: The relationship between schizophrenia and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has already been established. This study aims to investigate the difference in length of in-hospital stay (LoS) between a population with schizophrenia and a psychiatric healthy control (PHC) population following admission for a first ACS. Methods: Data for this retrospective study was collected from three nationwide databases in Denmark; The Danish Civil Registration System, the National Patient register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. Patients diagnosed with a first ACS (unstable angina ICD-10 I20.0, NSTEMI ICD-10 I21.4 and STEMI ICD-10 I21.0-I21.3) between 2000–2014 were identified and screened for an additional diagnosis of narrow spectrum schizophrenia ICD-10 F20. The patients were matched 1:2 to a PHC population on gender, age and year of first ACS diagnosis. The LoS, as well as the effect of schizophrenia on major adverse cardiac events (MACE: stroke, reinfarction and all-cause mortality) was investigated using cox regression analyses. Results: A total of 1,572 patients were analysed (schizophrenia: n=524), 65.27% of the population were males and the mean age was 61.13 years. There was no difference in LoS (p>0.05) between the populations. Patients with schizophrenia had a higher prevalence of cardiac risk factors such as anemia and diabetes mellitus. Having schizophrenia had a significant effect on stroke (HR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.29–1.68)) and all-cause mortality rates (HR 2.69, 95% CI: 2.25–3.20). The results for the individual ACS diagnoses can be found in Table 1. (Less)


Various complexes of the type M(CO)4L and [M(CO)4]2L, M = Cr, Mo, W, have been prepared and characterized. A series of aromatic ortho bis(methylthio)ethers were used as the ligand L. The crystal structures of the free ligand C6(SCH3)6 and of the complex Cr(CO)4C6(SCH3)6 are reported.


1. The context of complete state collapse poses unique difficulties. It complicates issues of representation at the bargaining table and adds the daunting task of state revival to the challenges of reconciliation and powersharing. 2. Somalia has been exceptionally prone to disputes over representation, making it difficult to identify representatives at the negotiating table who are both legitimate (ie able to speak on behalf of a constituency) and authoritative (ie able to enforce agreements reached). 3. Somalia's susceptibility to centrifugal political dynamics, exacerbated by the fissurable nature of clanism, has made it especially difficult to maintain coalitions. 4. The ubiquity of small arms has increased the number and capacity of potential spoilers. The combination of small arms proliferation and unstable coalitions has prevented any one side from imposing a 'victor's peace'. 5. While peace itself is viewed by most Somalis as a positivesum game, revival of central government is viewed by many as a zero-sum contest and hence a risky enterprise. This is in part because of a past history of predatory state behaviour in Somalia. Somalis want a revived state, but they fear the consequences of losing control of the process to a rival. 6. Regional rivalries in the Horn of Africa have led to proxy wars, entangling the Somali crisis in a broader complex of regional conflict and creating competing diplomatic processes. 7. Standard international negotiating procedures have been in constant tension with Somalia's rich heritage of traditional conflict management practices, and have generally crowded them out. 8. External mediation has had to proceed on thin and questionable knowledge of Somalia's complex political dynamics, increasing the odds of missteps by diplomats. The physical isolation from Somalia of the Nairobi-based diplomatic corps is largely to blame for this. 9. More recently, growing US preoccupation with the security threat posed by prolonged state collapse in Somalia has fuelled greater external support for reviving a functional central state that can effectively monitor and prevent terrorist activities. This has reinforced in the minds of Somalis the sense that peacebuilding in Somalia has largely been driven by outside rather than Somali interests. Diplomacy in a failed state


ABSTRACT The article addresses the early-modern conception of figuration, and more specifically the form in which it appears in Descartes' early writings. There is textual evidence suggesting that Descartes was aware both of the mathematical and of the poetical characters of figures, contributing to the design of methodical processes. It is argued that figures play a central role in the Cartesian conception of method, in which figuration, leaning on the universal laws of geometry, is being used as carrier of data from reality to the observing mind and back, as well as from one domain of inquiry to another. It is therefore a central binder of the Cartesian 'Unity of Science', being responsible for the interconnectedness of various domains of inquiry.


Food contamination has increased in the recent years and actually represents a serious risk for human health. The occurrence of Staphylococcus spp. in nature and processed foods were identified by Gram test, catalase, coagulase, DNAase, acetoin production (AP) and by assays of carbohydrate metabolism (glucose, maltose and mannitol). Strains of Staphylococcus spp were selected by thermonuclease reaction and analysis of staphylococcal enterotoxins, detected by immunoenzymatic assays (VIDAS - Staph Enterotoxin - bio Merieux). Positive reaction for staphylococci enterotoxin was produced by S. aureus in shrimps; farmhouse cheese and macaroni mass; S intermedius in cooked fish and garlic paste. SCP (Staphylococci Coagulase Positive) were observed in farmhouse cheese. Contamination by Staphylococcus sppoccurred during food production and storage. We can conclude that practices of hygiene need to be observed during food production and storage.


In the present study, we have reported the green synthesis and characterization of barium chromate nanoparticles using Glycyrrhiza glabra extract as a natural surfactant, which -to the best of our knowledgeis the first report. The formed BaCrO4 NPs were characterized by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV–Vis), Fourier-transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses.


The aim of this article is to analyze the European approach to the protection of trafficking victims and evaluate its potential for success. In light of the Italian experience, I will try to demonstrate that the protection offered by European law is too narrow, and therefore bound to be ineffective. I also endeavor to show that offering protection to all trafficked persons, independent of their willingness to cooperate with the justice authorities, is necessary in order to protect the victims human rights, and also to ensure the full implementation of criminal law.


In this paper, a Cauchy problem of Helmholtz equation in a multi-dimensional case is investigated. This problem is severely ill-posed and small perturbations to measurement data can result in large changes in the solution. A kind of operator regularization method is proposed. The stable error estimates are obtained in the norm and norm under the conditions that m is even, md>x, mk>1, and suitable choice of regular parameters. Error estimates show that the regularized solution depends continuously on the perturbation noisy data and wave number. Our method makes up the limitation of small waves. Three numerical experiments show that our proposed method is effective and stable, especially in the case of a large wave number.


A case of progressive nasal obstruction in a 63 year old man is described. FNA cytology yielded dominant myxoid matrix with charateristic epithelioid cells, round nuclei with nucleoli, and eosinophilic, granular or vacuolated cytoplasm to allow a diagnosis tto be made.


Laser remelt-solidification processing on the surface of NdFeB alloy was performed by using CO_2 laser.Microstructure of the laser remelted layer was investigated with scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Corrosion resistant alloy NdFeB after laser surface remelt-solidification was studied by means of polarization curve measurement for comparison to the untreated NdFeB alloy.The reason of enhancement of corrosion resistance were discussed.The results show that the white layer is formed in the surface of NdFeB alloy after laser surface remelting.The cellular crystal structure of the white layer is formed in the process of laser remelting due to directional solidification and the crystal size is about 1~6 μm,so that the corrosion resistance of NdFeB alloy can be improved.


Opioid peptides appear to mediate numerous effects on both in vitro and in vivo parameters of immunity including antibody production' and the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes.2 In addition, high affinity, stereospecific opiate binding sites have been identified on cells of the immune system.' These observations led us to investigate the biochemical nature of opiate-specific receptors on murine splenocytes. By in situ cross-linking '251-P-endorphin to murine brain or splenocyte membranes in the presence or absence of unlabeled naloxone and subsequently subjecting the labeled membrane extracts to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography of the resultant gel, we determined a major binding chain of the splenic opiate receptor to have an apparent molecular weight of 46 kd and a less prominent binding chain to have an apparent molecular weight of 31 kd (FIG. 1, lane D). The labeling is specific, because in the presence of excess unlabeled naloxone, no bands are apparent (FIG. 1, lane C ) . It would appear that the &endorphin binding chains on splenocytes may represent a subset of those observed in brain tissue (compare lanes A and D in FIG. I ) . In addition to demonstrating opiate receptor-like molecules on murine splenocytes, we also investigated second messenger pathways that may be affected by opiate peptides. One such pathway, ion channels, has been associated with cell activation and function. Of the ionic channels studied in immunocytes, K c channels were described as being involved in T-cell activation4 and natural killer cell cytolytic a ~ t i v i t y . ~ These findings led us to propose that this is a major ionic conductance in cells of the immune system and worthy of inquiring whether the opiate receptor-ligand interaction influenced its gating. Therefore, we applied the patch clamp technique6 to study ion channel responses to the opiate peptide, p-endorphin. We identified a similar voltage-gated potassium conductance in murine T cells as has been identified in human T cells (FIG. 2, Part A). To test the hypothesis that p-endorphin modulation of immune function may be at least partly mediated through this type of channel, we added p-endorphin (7 X 10 -' M ) to the solution bathing T cells that were undergoing continuous single channel conductance measurements. After 10 minutes of exposure to extracellular pendorphin, the channel openings ceased (FIG. 2, Part B). After a 5-minute exposure


Rice productivity in Jambi Province is still low, it is necessary for improving productivity. One of the efforts to increase the rice productivity in the Jambi Province is through the application of Integrated Crop Management approach of rice accompanied by technical personnel of Department of Agriculture, Extension and Researcher. One form of assistance is carry out adaptation testing new rice varieties specific location. Tests carried out at the VUB highland rice irrigation agro-ecosystem, rainfed, and tidal swamp. The results showed the diversity of productivity between varieties and locations is different. Average productivity new varities tested higher than the average productivity of rice in the Jambi Province. Average productivity of the VUB are; Inpari 15 (5.7 t ha-1GKP), Inpari 17 (7.4 t ha-1GKP), Inpari 21 (5.77 t ha-1GKP), Inpari 18 (7.01 t ha-1GKP), Inpara 1 (7.2 t ha-1GKP), and Inpara 3 (6.2 t ha-1GKP).


It investigates initially collision risk models of cross track,the flight separation safety assessments are addressed in detail from five main models-conflict region model,probability model,Event model,Reich and modified Reich model,and then the application scope and modeling thinkings of each model are analyzed.Furthermore the tendencies of the research in the future are put forward:the flight separation safety assessment based on CNS(communication,navigation,survellance)performance,the avoidance system how to reduce the collision risk,and hunman factors how to influence the collision risk,as well as has provided the basis for the future research.


As long as the volatile economic terms blend with a constantly changing competitive environment, the financial services will be at a crossroads and the future of a large number of companies will be uncertain. The lack of an adequate financial supervision can lead to a financial disaster, as the one from 2007 till 2008 which started a global, unprecedented, systematic, profound, lasting crisis and nevertheless it has revealed significant gaps inside the control and supervision of the financial services on national and international level.This article wishes to present the financial supervision terms and the systemic risk through a systematic integration analysis of the scientific specialized literature without forgetting the latest information provided by the supervisors


Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed by the presence of social communication and interaction deficits present in their day to day. The deficits present in this disorder appear within the first three years of life and lead to problems with connecting and interacting with other individuals including their own family members. As a result, children and adolescents with Autism spectrum disorder often experience negative self-image and lack the proper skills to interact with others. Autism spectrum disorder is becoming more commonly diagnosed and yet there remains a gap in interventions and treatment due to the individualized appearance of this disorder. Applied behavioral analysis is a very popular-evidence based intervention commonly used with this population because of its repetitive and targeted interventions. Dance/movement therapy is another intervention that has shown to be effective with this population because of its body centered approach. The implementation of mirroring, Kestenberg movement profile, and play are common tools used in dance/movement therapy that aid in the improvement of social skills. The goal of this literature review is to review the existing literature surrounding the use of dance/movement therapy as a tool to improve social skills in children and adolescents with Autism spectrum disorder and identify where further research should focus. DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE SOCIAL SKILLS 3 Dance/Movement Therapy as a Tool to Improve Social Skills in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review.


Advances in device technology are progressing at such a rate that the functionality of integrated circuits (ICs) nearly doubles every year. The evolution of device technology has yielded devices with clock rates in the GHz range and rise and fall times in the order of a few pico seconds. Without a proper design, ICs often generate high radiated and conducted emissions. The customer can no longer assume that the system in which modern ICs are implemented will meet the regulatory limits and performance compatibility with other electronic devices. This paper deals with the characterization of the electromagnetic emission of ICs, especially the so-called 1 /spl Omega//150 /spl Omega/ method (IEC 61967-4) will be used to measure the conducted emission of an EMC test chip. In particular, the problem of this method when applied to measure the emission of a slew rate controlled output driver is discussed. Higher emission results caused by the 150 /spl Omega/ coupling network (which is not present in conventional applications) have been experimentally evaluated by simulations and measurements.


Despite the impulse that the Extremadura Institutions are giving in order to boost the creation of businesses in the region, until now there is a significant gap in knowledge and implementation of a system to identify and avoid the short-term disappearance of the business network created. In this sense, the study presented in these pages tells us how the family bond power better the business culture to maintain the pace of business competitiveness and, hence, the economic and social development. The main conclusion of this paper is that Extremadura family businesses face five key challenges: to ensure generational continuity, increase its size, more professional, investing in technology and innovation, to undertake internationalization processes.


We studied the infrared response of polycrystalline samples of the iron arsenide superconductor $(\mathrm{Rb},\mathrm{Cs}){\mathrm{Ca}}_{2}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}{\mathrm{As}}_{4}{\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ (Rb,Cs-12442), which has a bilayer structure similar to the high-${T}_{c}$ cuprates ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ (YBCO) and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8}$. The $c$-axis reflectivity spectra ${R}_{c}$ have been derived from the reflectivity spectra of the polycrystalline samples ${R}_{\mathrm{poly}}$ and the in-plane spectrum of a corresponding Cs-12442 crystal ${R}_{ab}$ using a geometrical averaging approach with ${R}_{c}=3{R}_{\mathrm{poly}}\ensuremath{-}2{R}_{ab}$. In analogy to the $c$-axis response of the cuprates, we observe a superconductivity-induced transverse plasma mode and a phonon anomaly that are both signatures of local electric field effects that arise from a large difference between the local conductivities in the intra- and interbilayer regions. Using a multilayer model developed for the cuprates, we obtain a good description of the $c$-axis response and derive the local conductivities at $T\ensuremath{\simeq}{T}_{c}$ of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{1}^{\mathrm{bl}}(\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0)\ensuremath{\simeq}1000{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{1}^{\mathrm{int}}(\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0)\ensuremath{\simeq}15{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, respectively, that are similar to the ones previously found in underdoped YBCO. Different from the cuprates, we find no evidence of a normal-state pseudogap in terms of a partial suppression of the low-energy electronic states that sets in already well above ${T}_{c}$. There is also no clear sign of an onset of precursor superconducting pairing correlations well above ${T}_{c}\ensuremath{\simeq}$ 30 K. This highlights that the pseudogap and the precursor superconducting pairing well above ${T}_{c}$ are unique features of the cuprates with their strong electronic correlations and, for example, not just the result of a strongly anisotropic electronic response due to the layered crystal structure.


Navigating the medical product development maze from concept to market can result in a challenging experience. The life science industry is a highly regulated industry and depending on the medical product and classification (device, pharmaceutical, or biologic) the approval process can be complex and lengthy. Unlike high-tech products such as consumer electronics which may have a relatively short time-to-market cycle, medical products can take anywhere from 3 to 7 years before they make it to the market. Modern technology has made many inroads in the advancement of medical technology and engineers and scientists are playing a key role. As students make the transition to becoming professionals and professionals seek to enhance their careers, continued education and skills enhancement is taking center stage. This paper describes the development of a continuing education certificate program in medical product development for both professional development and workforce development. Various disciplines may be involved throughout the development cycle from marketing to engineering to regulatory affairs. Possessing a thorough understanding of medical product design and manufacturing increases the level of expertise needed to enhance the safety and quality of medical products. A common development cycle for medical products is presented with explanations of the various phases within the product development cycle. The Medical Product Development Certificate program has been designed to provide core knowledge of the medical product development process. Through evaluated learning and competency-based courses, students increase their knowledge of clinical and regulatory compliance, good manufacturing practices, and quality assurance.


AIM: to evaluate results of transanal total mesorectal excision (TA TME) for rectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninuty patients were included the prospective non-randomized study. Forty-five (50.0 %) of them underwent TA TME and 45 (50.0%) - conventional total mesorectal excision (TME). RESULTS: operation time was significantly higher in TA TME group: 276.4± 56.9 (190-400) minutes vs 188.0± 56.7 (100-310) minutes in open TME group (р=0.0001). The intraoperative complications rate was significantly higher in TA TME group: 7 (15.5 %) vs 1 (2.2 %) patient (р=0.05). No significant difference in postoperative morbidity was obtained: 18 (40.0%) in TA TME group vs 17 (37.7%) (р=1.0). Postoperative stay was lower in TATME group: 9 (7:14) vs 11 (10:14) days (р=0.04). Grade 2 specimen quality was detected significantly more often after TATME 26 (57.8 %) vs 15 (33.3 %) open TME (р=0.03), while Grade 3 specimens were more common after open procedure - 30 (66.7 %) vs 13 (28.9 %) TA TME group (р=0.0006). CONCLUSION: TA TME is a feasible procedure for rectal cancer patients. It demonstrated all benefits of minimally invasive technique, though learning curve is steep.


Objective To investigate the nasal endoscopic combined with low temperature plasma radio frequency ablation clinical efficacy in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis with nasal septum deviation.Methods 146 cases of allergic rhinitis patients with nasal septum surgery plus radiofrequency ablation for inferior turbinate in endoscopic nasal septum,patients were followed up for 1 years,according to the standard of curative effect evaluation of Lanzhou conference,to evaluate its therapeutic effect by scoring method.Results The effective 53.4%,effective 24.7%,invalid 21.9%,the total effective rate was 78.1%.Effect evaluation shows before treatment for(10.67±2.48),1 years after treatment for(5.43±1.07),a statistically significant difference between the two groups(PO.O5).Conclusion The endoscopic nasal surgery and lowtemperature plasma radiofrequency ablation combined with application of inferior turbinate surgery in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis with nasal septum deviation,the operation safety is high,minimally invasive surgery on the nasal mucosa injury,light,fast recovery,has higher clinical application value,it is worth of wide.


An elderly man, with numerous visible ulcerations, clad in layers of tattered clothing and living in a cardboard box on a hot air vent, gesticulates wildly and mutters incoherently. A young man, whose complexion is barely discernible beneath layers of grime, paws frantically through a garbage container and picks out scraps of food. A frail, elderly woman, dressed in several layers of plastic garbage bags over layers of heavy clothing, stands on 4 'her" corner fanning herself in 90e heat and talking loudly about the numerous 4 'plots" against her. A young, disheveled, barely clad black man, curled in a fetal position on a park bench, remains mute and communicates with a private system of bizarre hand signals.


Introduction:  Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is very common in the printing industry due to contact with chemicals, paper, and wet work. It can be avoided by adequate protective measures, but the effectiveness of intervention depends heavily on the employer's and employee's awareness of this health risk.

Objectives:  The study aimed to collect information on the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of print workers about the risk of OCD and methods of prevention.

Methods:  A series of focus groups were held with print workers, health and safety officers and managers to discuss their awareness of dermal risk factors, risk behaviour at work, attitudes to health and safety and options on possible preventive measures. A number of companies were also visited to observe, overtly and covertly, the normal work practices.

Results:  OCD was not perceived to be either a major problem or a health and safety priority. There was general agreement about the processes and work practices that could cause skin problems. However, work practices varied considerably and did not always reflect this awareness. There was general concern about the type and availability of personal protective equipment, especially gloves and after-work skin cream. The provision of an occupational health service was generally felt to be inadequate, and no company had a policy in place that specifically addressed skin care.

Conclusions:  These findings highlight the urgency to intensify health and safety education on skin care within the printing industry. Recommendations were developed for the evaluation of a series of risk reduction strategies.


The impact of deformation potential increase at metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) interfaces on stress effects is thoroughly studied. In our previous study, we revealed that the deformation potential (Dac) of Si increases at MOS interfaces. The energy split between two- and four-fold valleys is proportional to Dac. Therefore, it is considered that the Dac increase at MOS interfaces has an affect on strain effects. Dac effectively changes by adjusting Si-on-insulator (SOI) thickness and carrier distribution at MOS interfaces. Therefore, the SOI thickness dependence and carrier distribution dependence of electron mobility enhancement ratio (Δµe/µe) under strain are investigated. Experimental results are explained by the model including the Dac increase at MOS interfaces. In addition, experimental data are well reproduced by calculation using the position-dependent-Dac model. By applying uniaxial strain, effective mass, subband occupation, and intervalley scattering rate are also changed. Their effects on Δµe/µe are also discussed in this paper.


Prostate cancer (PCa) is a second of the most commonly diagnosed carcinoma in the male population. Usually sites of secondary lesions are lymph nodes and bones. Most cases of testicular metastases are incidentally diagnosed after orchiectomy. We present a case of 62-year-old man with metastatic castration-resistant PCa and symptomatic testicular metastasis with contralateral epididymal metastasis. Right site radical orchiectomy and left site orchiectomy was performed. The pathology report identified PCa metastases in the right testis and in the left epididymis. Testicular and epididymal metastases are uncommon in PCa. Therefore, a testicular physical examination is necessary for patients with PCa. Physicians have to keep in mind the possibility of testicular metastasis in cases of biochemical recurrence and progression of the disease.


Cointegration has been recently brought to structural health monitoring (SHM) as a new methodology for dealing with the problem of environmental and/or operational variability in monitored structures. However, it is well known that the choice of lag length in cointegration analysis has a strong influence on damage detection results. The article presents a new approach for optimal lag length selection in cointegration analysis used for structural damage detection. This new method is based on stationarity analysis of data representing undamaged condition. The proposed method is validated using Lamb wave data under the effects of temperature variations and vibroacoustic data obtained from nonlinear vibroacoustic modulation experiments with different low‐frequency vibration (or modal) excitations. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for structural damage detection based on SHM data heavily affected by environmental or operational conditions.


Since the late 1960s, the work of Michael Ondaatje has been noted for the intensity with which it evades categorization and resists static interpretive formulations. In this work, fragmentary and discontinuous generic structures complement thematic ambiguity and paradox in a way that imbues each work with a sense of indeterminacy. So potent is this capacity for ambivalence that critics have commented on Ondaatje's ability to simultaneously support mutually exclusive perspectives or philosophical positions in the same textual gesture. This thesis explores these aspects of Ondaatje's work--and the ways in which they condition reader response--against the theoretical backdrop of the grotesque, a psychological and aesthetic concept that associates the typological and thematic incoherence of certain artifacts with the difficulties that characterize the process of responding to such objects.


Provided is an offline mobile payment process. The payment system transmits an authorization token to a mobile device. The authorization token enables the mobile device to create a barcode. The system receives from a point of sale device, in connection with reading the barcode, the authorization token and information relating to a product or service for purchase. The system validates the authorization token, and compares the information relating to the product or service with information associated with a virtual payment account. In response to the comparison, the system either authorizes the purchase or denies the purchase. The system transmits the authorization or denial to the point of sale device, and applies a purchase amount to the virtual payment account.


The first crystal structures of fluoro-substituted carbocations and of the As2F11- anion are reported. The experimental geometries of the carbenium ions in [(CH3)2CF]+AsF6-, [(m-CF3C6H4)(C6H5)CF]+AsF6-, and [(m-CF3C6H4)(C6H5)CF]+As2F11- and their comparison with that of the [(o-ClC6H4)(C6H5)CCl]+ cation show that, in accord with previous theoretical calculations, chlorine stabilizes carbenium ions more efficiently than fluorine. The 13C and 19F NMR spectra of the [(m-CF3C6H4)(C6H5)CF]+ cation were recorded and analyzed with the help of RHF/6-31G(d,p) calculations using the GIAO method. In each of the three fluoro-substituted carbocation crystal structures studied, the carbenium centers are further stabilized by forming two fluorine bridges with the anions, resulting in distorted trigonal bipyramidal environments around the carbenium centers. The [F5As−F−AsF5]- anion in [(m-CF3C6H4)(C6H5)CF]+As2F11- possesses a symmetric fluorine bridge with an As−F−As angle of 156.5(13)° and staggered AsF4 groups.


Yeast‐derived peptides were previously shown to display a high satiating effect. This work evaluate their effect i) on food intake in rats as well as in humans, and ii) on the activation of brain neuronal pathways involved in food intake including the Nucleus of the Tractus Solitary (NTS) and the Arcuate Nucleus of the Hypothalamus (Arc). Food intake in rats and humans: The ingestion of a daily load of yeast peptides induced a decrease in daily food intake in rats and in humans after a two‐week habituation period. This decrease did not occurred during the meal following the load (lunch in humans) but several hours later in rats (−16% of control group daily intake) and during the diner in humans (−13% of control group daily intake). Activation of neuronal pathways in rats: After habituation period, yeast protein loads induced an increase in melanocortin pathway within the Arc, which regulates long‐term energy intake, whereas activation of the Glucagon Like Peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) pathway within the NTS, which is triggered during aversive‐induced anorexia, was not increased.


The thick residual cover of the Serra dos Carajas, was essentiallly developed on metavolcanics and banded iron formations of the Grao Para Group of Archean age. This alteration mantle is constituted by ferro-aluminous laterite, hematitic brecciated canga and conglomerate compose of pebbles and angular fragments of these two rock types. After being formed in the end of Lower Tertiary, the duricrust underwent a progressive degradation caused, on one hand, by climatic variations and, on the other, by a slow regional uplifting and the consequent lowering of the base level. While weathering proceeded in depth, intense pseudopisolitization took place in the upper part of the crust and complex anastomosed systems of cracks and tubules developed within this horizon. Also, mobilization and redistribution of Fe and Al in the duricrust yielded the generation of cutans and pockets of ferruginous and aluminous neoformed products. At the interface of the duricrust with the saprolite or within the duricrust, highly porous and permeable "low density zones" appeared as a result of the joint action of Fe and Al-rich "per descensum" percolating solutions and of lateral fluxes of underground waters. The farther evolution of these "low density zones" brought the formation of doliniform depressions and numerous caves.


Abstract : To improve the divergence of OKG radiation the holographic method of transforming the coherent of light fields can be adopted based on the equality of interference beams. Correct radiation could be used for the creation of positive inverse coupling in the field and for the improvement of radiation OKG Characteristics. (Author)


Our objective is to develop numerical tools to jointly model and invert surface displacements (InSAR/GNSS) and gravimetric temporal variations in order to improve the characterization of the eruptive sources of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano. GNSS and InSAR data are acquired, processed and made available on a regular basis by the national services of OVPF and OPGC. We have established a new microgravimetric network and acquired repeated measurements between May and September 2019 using the Scintrex CG5 and CG6 relative gravity meters (Gmob-Resif). The poster briefly describes the project and presents the data for the three consecutive flares in June, July and August 2019. This poster was presented at the Resif Scientific and Technical Meetings held in Biarritz in November 2019. Resif is a national research infrastructure dedicated to the observation and understanding of the Earth's internal structure and dynamics. Resif is based on high technology observation networks, composed of seismological, geodetic and gravimetric instruments deployed in a dense manner throughout the French territory. The data collected allow the study of ground deformation, surface and deep structures, local and global seismicity and natural hazards, particularly seismic, on the French territory with a high spatio-temporal resolution. Resif is integrated into the European (EPOS - European Plate Observing System) and worldwide instruments that allow to image the Earth's interior in its entirety and to study many natural phenomena.


history of rectal carcinoma with anemia and had significant peripheral edema. Although his condition was deteriorating rapidly and death seemed imminent, there was great concern that his home care hours would run out, necessitating admission to an acute care service for terminal care. At the time of assessment, Mr. L was extremely weak, but his cognition was intact. He had recently fallen trying to transfer from bed to chair. He had a pressure ulcer on his sacrum. He initially refused admission to the palliative care unit but relented when he understood the nature of care provided and especially when he found out he could take his tape deck to listen to his favorite music. On admission to St. Mary's, he commented to staff, "1 was dying to get in here, and now I'm just dying." His regular medications included acetaminophen with codeine at bedtime for leg pain, furosemide for edema; prochlorperazine for nausea related to ascites, and oxazepam for sleep. He was seen by the multidisciplinary team that included members from occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing, dietary services, social work, and pastoral care. At the time of assessment it was felt by all team members that his deterioration would probably continue. At admission he was incontinent of urine, non-ambulatory, and required moderate assistance for transfers. Although he maintained a good sense of humor, Mr. L's mood was low. Immobility and incontinence had resulted in a stage II pressure ulcer on his sacrum. After two weeks of admission the team rehabilitation approach led to a significant improvement in Mr. L's functional and medical status. Physiotherapists worked with him in his room to improve quadriceps strength and reviewed techniques for transfers in and out of bed. He used a floor-to-ceiling pole to assist with transfers. Nursing and physiotherapy staff reported that his transfers were improving and that his tolerance for sitting increased with general reconditioning. He was able to walk short disMr. L was an 89-year-old English gentleman who was assessed in his own apartment at the urgent request of Home Care. Mr. L lived alone and had been receiving 24-hour care for several days prior to assessment. He had a four-month CASE REPORT The role of palliative care units (PCV) in the care of terminally ill patients is well recognized and accepted. Many large centres have designated palliative care beds and even small community hospitals may have dedicated beds for dying patients. Palliative care units provide supportive care for patients with terminal illness and their families when the person cannot be cared for at home. The majority of patients admitted to palliative care units do not return home and die during the admission. Many of the patients admitted to palliative units are elderly, frequently with mobility and activity of daily living (ADL) impairments that may not be directly related to a diagnosis of malignancy. Given the care needs of terminally ill patients, treatment in palliative care units tends to be multidisciplinary and to focus on symptom control and psychologic/emotional support Parallels may be drawn with geriatric assessment units (1), where the focus is on rehabilitation of the frail elderly using a multidisciplinary approach and stressing functional and social needs. An unrecognized role of palliative care units may be the rehabilitation of frail patients with advanced malignancy, not solely to provide supportive terminal care but also to improve patients' functional abilities and independence. This role has received little attention in the palliative care literature (2,3)but has been noted on the palliative care unit at St. Mary's of the Lake Hospital in Kingston, Ontario. Review of a case study may highlight the potential benefits of focusing on rehabilitation as well as symptom control. No studies reviewing or evaluating the effectiveness of this role were found in the literature. Rehabilitation On Palliative Care Units: Case Discussion