Over the next 20 years the population aged over 75 will increase by 493,000; those aged 85 and over will increase by 288,000 (or 52 per cent) during this period.(!) This change in demographic structure will, without stricter controls, lead to a considerable expansion in the use of drugs. Over the last 20 years the number of prescriptions dispensed annually has increased from 233 million to 370 million the growth in the number of elderly people being a significant factor behind this increase Already, three-quarters of those over 75 receive a drug of some kind, one third taking between four and six drugs simultaneously.(3) At least 10-15 per cent of hospital admissions to geriatric units may be due to drug-induced diseases. (4) In America, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has documented the disproportionate number of elderly people receiving psychoactive drugs. Thus, whilst forming 11 per cent of the population they consume one fifth of all orders for Valium and near one quarter of prescriptions for Libri-


The PEG radical originating from the thermal/oxidative degradation of PEG in dense CO2 was successfully applied to the oxygenation of benzylic hydrocarbons under organic solvent-free conditions. In addition, in our study, dense CO2 could improve the oxygenation reaction.


Eleutherodactylus obmutescens , E. racemus, and E. simoterus are new species of the unistrigatus Group named from the Paramo de Purace, Paramo de las Hermosas and Paramo de Letras, respectively, in the Cordillera Central of Colombia. The new species are allied to E. orcesi Lynch and E. thymelensis Lynch known from paramos primarily on the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador. Eleutherodactylus leptolophus and E. peraticus are new species of the unistrigatus Group named from the Paramo de Purace and Paramo de las Hermosas, respectively. These are diminutive frogs most closely related to E. myersi (Goin and Cochran) from the Nudo de Pasto and to E. trepidotus Lynch from the subparamos of the eastern versant of the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The five new species with E. buckleyi (Boulenger) comprise the six species of Eleutherodactylus now known to inhabit paramos in the Cordillera Central of Colombia.


The peanut shell, an agricultural waste by-product, has been modified with AlCl3 and used for fluorine removal. Factors affecting the adsorption behavior of fluorine, such as the adsorbent dosage, solution pH, initial fluorine concentration and adsorption time, were then investigated. The fluorine removal percentage was 98.9% by 20 g/L modified peanut shell in the 10 mg/L fluorine solution at pH7 and 25±2□. Results suggested it is an ideal candidate for the treatment of fluorine contaminated drinking water.


isotopic shift DELTA T(He/sup 4/-He/sup 3/) in the lines lambda lambda = 7065, 4713, 4471, and 3888 A were studied using a double Fabry-Perot etalon spectrophotometer and a hollow cathode usually cooled by liquid helium below the lambda point (~1.8 deg K). The results are tabulated.. (tr-auth)


The utility model discloses a controlled release drug laser drilling device, which comprises a vibration conveying device communicated with a control system, a shaping device, a conveying device, a laser drilling apparatus, a visual sensor and a medicine picking device, the shaping device is a rotating circular disk, and is positioned below an outlet of the vibration conveying device, and a discharge opening thereof is communicated with a material joining opening of the conveying device, the laser drilling apparatus is positioned at the upper part of the conveying device, the visual sensor and the medicine picking device positioned at the rear part of the laser drilling apparatus are sequentially disposed at the side part of the conveying device, the conveying device comprises a group of conveyer belts consisting of two parallel belts, a certain distance d is disposed between the belts, and the distance d is adjusted through a microspur screw. The utility model is reasonable in structural design, convenient in maintenance and stable in performance, suitable for drilling of a plurality of drugs, and convenient in adjustment, and the aperture and hole depth can be adjusted, the operation is simple and flexible, the running speed is fast, the drilling speed can reach 30 sheets per second, the qualification rate of drugs is high, and the utility model is suitable for mass controlled release drug production.


SrTiO3 films were grown by reactive molecular beam epitaxy to have varying degrees of both global and local cationic nonstoichiometries (with stoichiometry defined as a 1:1 ratio of Sr:Ti). Slight global excesses of Sr and Ti resulted in two-fold reconstructions in the reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns along the [110] and [100] azimuths, respectively. Larger global nonstoichiometries (2:1 and 1:2 ratios) were also accommodated into the film's crystalline structure and affected the long-range crystalline order as observed in the x-ray diffraction patterns, both of which were related to the parent perovskite pattern. Local nonstoichiometries were introduced by depositing multiple monolayers (MLs) (from 2 to 33) of SrO and TiO2 in an alternating fashion, while maintaining the global SrTiO3 stoichiometry. These layered structures of SrO and TiO2 blocks inter-reacted during growth to form highly crystalline epitaxial SrTiO3. Films grown in this manner with blocks thicker than 8 MLs were full...


Most benzocyclobutene (BCB) resins require a thermal pre-polymerization process to achieve the desired viscosity for application. However, the process is difficult to control because it is time-consuming and requires high...


Research problem and theoretical basis. The EEGBiofeedback is a method od selfregulation based on the principle of biological feedback. The method may be used to monitor and improve brain activity, which makes it possible to increase the general cognitive function of an individual. The principles and applications of this method are the basis of the research hypothesis H1: Training with the EEGBiofeedback method leads to an improvement in concentration capacity in school-age youth.


This paper studies the relation between intermarket sweep order, ISO, order imbalances and daily returns of individual stocks. I show that ISO order imbalances positively affect contemporaneous returns. Second, I find that price pressures emanating from ISO imbalances are persistent and result in predicting positive cumulative abnormal returns up to two months. The predictive power of ISO order imbalances on contemporaneous and future abnormal returns is stronger in small-sized firms. Finally, I analyze the herding among ISO order imbalances and find strong commonality exists in ISO order imbalances, particularly in large-sized firms. In contrast to previous studies, my results indicate that ISOs contribute to both short- and long-term price and return formation.


in-vivo stability and is able to maintain a high biomechanical strength over time. In this study, the effects of collagen type I in polylactic acid-drug electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering applications are examined. The samples produced were subsequently characterised using a range of techniques. Scanning electron microscopy analysis shows that the fi bre morphologies varied across PLA-drug and PLA-collagen-drug samples (cid:1) the addition of collagen caused a decrease in average fi bre diameter by nearly half, and produced nano fi bres. Atomic force microscopy imaging revealed collagen-banding patterns which show the successful integration of collagen with PLA. Solid-state characterisation suggested a chemical interaction between PLA and drug compounds, irgasan and levo fl oxacin, and the collagen increased the amorphous regions within the samples. Surface energy analysis of drug powders showed a higher dispersive surface energy of levo fl oxacin compared with irgasan, and contact angle goniometry showed an increase in hydrophobicity in PLA-collagen-drug samples. The antibacterial studies showed a high ef fi cacy of resistance against the growth of both E. coli and S. Aureus , except with PLA-collagen-LEVO which showed a regrowth of bacteria after 48 h. This can be attributed to the low drug release percentage incorporated into the nano fi bre during the in vitro release study. However, the studies did show that collagen helped shift both drugs into sustained release behaviour. These ideal modi fi cations to electrospun scaffolds may prove useful in further research regarding the acceptance of human tissue by inhibiting the potential for bacterial infection.


This paper is an experimental analytical investigation on the dynamic behavior of steel-concrete composite beams subject to small vibrations. A one-dimensional model of a composite beam is presented, where the elements connecting the steel beam and the reinforced concrete slab are described by means of a strain energy density function defined throughout the beam axis. The problem of small vibrations of the system is formulated and solved through an analytical procedure where a coupling between longitudinal and transver sal motions, due to the presence of the connection, takes place. The analytical model is used with a view to interpreting a series of dynamic tests performed on composite beams whose connections have different linear densities. Experimental results proved consistent with theoretical estimates and allowed the identification of some important physical parameters of the system and the characterization of the connection.


PurposeA community demonstrates the unique qualities and relationships between its members that distinguish it from other communities within a network. Network analysis relies heavily on community detection. Despite the traditional spectral clustering and statistical inference methods, deep learning techniques for community detection have grown in popularity due to their ease of processing high-dimensional network data. Graph convolutional neural networks (GCNNs) have received much attention recently and have developed into a potential and ubiquitous method for directly detecting communities on graphs. Inspired by the promising results of graph convolutional networks (GCNs) in analyzing graph structure data, a novel community graph convolutional network (CommunityGCN) as a semi-supervised node classification model has been proposed and compared with recent baseline methods graph attention network (GAT), GCN-based technique for unsupervised community detection and Markov random fields combined with graph convolutional network (MRFasGCN).Design/methodology/approachThis work presents the method for identifying communities that combines the notion of node classification via message passing with the architecture of a semi-supervised graph neural network. Six benchmark datasets, namely, Cora, CiteSeer, ACM, Karate, IMDB and Facebook, have been used in the experimentation.FindingsIn the first set of experiments, the scaled normalized average matrix of all neighbor's features including the node itself was obtained, followed by obtaining the weighted average matrix of low-dimensional nodes. In the second set of experiments, the average weighted matrix was forwarded to the GCN with two layers and the activation function for predicting the node class was applied. The results demonstrate that node classification with GCN can improve the performance of identifying communities on graph datasets.Originality/valueThe experiment reveals that the CommunityGCN approach has given better results with accuracy, normalized mutual information, F1 and modularity scores of 91.26, 79.9, 92.58 and 70.5 per cent, respectively, for detecting communities in the graph network, which is much greater than the range of 55.7–87.07 per cent reported in previous literature. Thus, it has been concluded that the GCN with node classification models has improved the accuracy.


Utilities in Sweden have a number of old transformer stations, placed in normal buildings in the centre of the town. A utility started an investigation to find low voltage switchgear of low magnetic emitting type, to replace the old installations. The ABB Kabeldon busbar system has a c-c distance of 85 mm between the busbars. The system is used in both cable distribution cabinets manufactured by ABB Kabeldon and in switchgear, manufactured by different companies. Current in busbars with this small separation generates a relatively low magnetic field. An "improved" design of a standard switchgear, equipped with ABB Kabeldon busbar system, resulted in a magnetic field, 3 m above the ground of approx. 0.2 /spl mu/T for a 1200 A balanced current and 0.45 /spl mu/T for a 400 A unbalanced current. This 3 m level is approximately the floor level above the switchgear. The small modifications made on a "standard" switchgear, resulted in a low magnetic emitting switchgear at a low extra cost.


In this paper we established a family of nonparametric recurrence relations satisfied by the confidence coefficient of the confidence region for the bivariate co-ordinate-wise quantiles for bivariate data.


Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous group of inherited retinal diseases which affects approximately 1 in 3500 people worldwide. RP is initially characterized by night blindness followed by progressive degeneration of the retina, often culminating in legal or complete blindness in the later decades of life (Heckenliveiy et aI., 1997). To date 11 autosomal dominant (adRP), 13 autosomal recessive (arRP), 5 X-linked (xIRP), and one digenic form of retinitis pigmentosa have been identified (RetNet). While several disease-associated genes have been identified, the majority of genes remain unknown. Recently we identified the gene and mutations responsible for the RP1 form of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa located on chromosome 8q (Sullivan et aI., 1999; Pierce et aI., 1999, Guillonneau et aI., 1999). The RPI locus was first identified using a large nine-generation American family and was subsequently refined to a 4cM interval between D8S601 and D8S285 using a second family (Fields et aI., 1982, Heckenlively et aI., 1982; Blanton et aI., 1991; Xu et aI., 1996). The RP1 gene was discovered using positional candidate cloning and differential display analysis. It is arranged in four exons with the initiation codon being present in exon 2. The RP1 mRNA appears to be retinal specific, is approximately 7000bp long, and encodes a protein 2156 amino acids in length with a calculated


Webotsk [1, 14] is a commercial program for the simulation and prototyping of mobile robots. It is developed and supported by Cyberbotics Ltd. [1], a leading company in simulation software founded in 1998 as a spinoff from the Micro-Computing and Interface Lab (LAMI) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). The Webots software allows the user to create 3D virtual worlds for the simulation of robots and their environments, including physical properties like mass distribution, friction coefficients, and inertia. Simulated robots can have different locomotion schemes, including wheeled, legged, swimming, or flying robots and can be equipped with various sensor and actuator devices: IR distance sensors, motor wheels, cameras, servos, touch sensors, grippers, emitters and receivers, and many more. Webots is provided with a number of models and transfer libraries for some commercial robots, including the Sony Aibo, LEGO Mindstorms, Khepera, Hemisson, and e-puck robots. Webots can be used for different types of research, such as mobile robot prototyping for the automotive industry, multi-agent research in collaborative mobile robot groups, or adaptive behavior research with genetic evolution, neural networks, and artificial intelligence techniques. It also generates impressive-looking result presentations by using a built-in module that obtains screenshots and movies from the simulations. Developed beginning in 1996 and available for the Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems, Webots has become a reference program used by over 300 universities and research centers worldwide. The first version (v0.4.alpha) was released in 1997 [13] and was updated yearly: Webots v1.0 (1998), v2.0 (1999), v3.0 (2000). Version 4.0.beta1 was released in February 2003 and included a working cross-compilation for the LEGO MINDSTORMS RCX. Released on January 2005, version 5.0.0 has been updated integrating a multi-platform binary server for Aibo ERS7/ERS210 and the Aibo ERS7 cross-compilation system [12]. The current version (as of June 29, 2006) is Webots 5.1.7. Since Webots was originally developed as a research tool, full upward compatibility is not always ensured between versions; however, continuous user support for technical questions concerning the simulator is offered by Cyberbotics, and an active webots-users mailing list [10] for discussion among Webots users proves to be a useful tool. Cyberbotics promotes a Webots based Roboka [7] robot programming contest, which is a competition held on the Internet where a free version of the mobile robot simulation software is used. This allows the contestants to program the robots in Java for a Judo competition between two humanoid robots, which are models [15] of the Sony QRIO robot.


Objective To compare mid- to long-term outcomes of selective coronary venous bypass grafting(SCVBG) using internal mammary artery(IMA) grafts and great saphenous vein(GSV) grafts for surgical treatment of diffuse right coronary artery atherosclerosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 75 patients undergoing SCVBG in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2003 to December 2012. GSV was used as grafts for SCVBG in 54 patients(GSV group), and IMA was used as grafts for SCVBG in 21 patients(IMA group). All the patients were followed up in November 2013. Their survival condition, recent relapse rate of angina, recent echocardiographic results and coronary CT angiography(CTA) were analyzed. Results Overall survival rate of IMA group was slightly higher than that of GSV group(100.0% vs. 83.3%), but survival curves showed no statistical difference in survival rate between the 2 groups(P=0.055). Coronary CTA showed significant blockage in GSV grafts and middle cardiac vein in patients in GSV group(n=39), while IMA grafts and middle cardiac vein in patients in IMA group(n=18) were mostly visible and patent(P0.001). Left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) of the 2 groups were significantly higher than preoperative values, but there was no statistical difference between the 2 groups. Conclusion Compared with SCVBG using GSV, SCVBG using IMA can significantly improve mid- to long-term patency of the grafts and middle cardiac vein, and is an efficacious procedure for diffuse right coronary artery atherosclerosis.


Foreword Dick HebdigeIntroductionMarcia LangtonA Note to the ReaderMichael LeighAcknowledgmentsPaul FossI A Primer of Restrictions on Picture-Taking in Traditional Areas of Aboriginal AustraliaII Aboriginal Content: Who's Got It - Who Needs It?III Western Desert Sandpainting and PostmodernismIV Hundreds Shot at Aboriginal Community: ABC Makes TV Documentary at YuendumuV Hollywood Iconography: A Warlpiri ReadingVI For a Cultural Future: Francis Jupurrurla Makes TV at YuendumuVII If "All Anthropologists Are Liars..."VIII Bad Aboriginal ArtIX Para-EthnographyPostcript: My Essay on PostmodernismNotesWorks CitedA Bibliography of Eric MichaelsIndex


This paper presents a sensor array position calibration algorithm for determining the positions of individual microphones in a linear array automatically from time-difference of arrival measurements obtained from a mobile sounding source. The algorithm uses a nonlinear least squares method to determine the interspacing of microphones that are located along a fixed axis of a linear array. This method provides a means of establishing the positions of microphones for the purposes of acoustic localization and other beamforming applications, without the need to measure these distances by manual means. Simulations and some live experiments illustrate the method.


Sustainable transportation is one of the major concerns in cities. This concern involves all type of movements motivated by different goals (mobility of citizens, transportation of goods and parcels, etc.). The main goal of this work is to provide an intelligent approach for Sustainable Last Mile Delivery, by reducing (or even deleting) the need of dedicated logistic moves (by cars, and/or trucks). The method attempts to reduce the number of movements originated by the parcels delivery by taking advantage of the citizens' movements. In this way our proposal follows a crowdsourcing approach, in which the citizens that moves in the city, because of their own needs, become temporal deliverers. The technology behind our approach relays on Multi-agent System techniques and complex network-based algorithms for optimizing sustainable delivery routes. These artificial intelligent approaches help to reduce the complexity of the scenario providing an efficient way to integrate the citizens' routes that can be executed using the different transportation means and networks available in the city (public system, private transportation, eco-vehicles sharing systems, etc.). A complex network-based algorithm is used for computing and proposing an optimized Sustainable Last Mile Delivery route to the crowd. Moreover, the executed tests show the feasibility of the proposed solution, together with a high reduction of the CO 2 emission coming from the delivery trucks that, in the case studies, are no longer needed for delivery.


An educational intervention is done with the aim of raising the level of awareness of the damages caused by snuff in patients less than 15 years, belonging to CMF Felicidad Arriba at the teaching Policlinic "Dr. Aurelio Martinez Mejias" from January to February 2015. The universe is made up of 301 patients younger than 15 years old a random sample of 87 patients' prior informed consent. The variables studied were: sex, age, education, marital status, smoking concept, symptoms, risk factors, complications. There was predominance of female sex, age group 12-15 years, and the level of pre-university education. The level of information before the intervention was poor, and that the surveys showed insufficient knowledge about the subject, but were not after it. The results obtained with the information and findings of other authors in literatures are compared, too.


Abstract : This workshop was proposed to provide a forum for the discussion of problems to be overcome and research to be undertaken in the future in the area of dynamic fracture. Fundamental aspects of the problems were to dominate over the applied or engineering design facets. Practical problems were to be related to the mechanisms of explosives and impact damage. (Author)


Taking the intake tower of Shapai Hydropower Station as the study case,the dynamic response and the seismic damage mechanism of the body and its upper bent frame of the tower are studied herein. The acceleration,displacement and stress response of the intake tower under the seismic effect of Wenchuan Earthquake are calculated with the method of the dynamic timehistory analysis,while the causation of the seismic damage of the columns for the bent frame on the tower are analyzed through the calculation made on the ultimate bearing capacity of them. The calculation result shows that the dynamic distribution coefficient of the tower is larger than the value recommended in the relevant code,the seismic response is greater in the principal axis direction with smaller stiffness and obvious stress concentration occurs on both the ends of the column. Therefore,the seismic damage of the bent frame for the gate hoist is just caused by the combined effects of compression( tension),shearing and bendingtherein,and the damage at the root of the column coincides with that from the actual data as well.


The limitations on the operating frequency of hard-switched and resonant-link inverters are studied. The maximum operating frequency of a hard-switched inverter is found to be well defined by the allowed power dissipation and the switching losses. For resonant link inverters the upper limit is not so well defined and depends on a trade-off between a number of different factors. For a system using high-power bipolar transistors is it seen that a hard switched inverter is limited to switching frequencies of below 2 kHz, while a comparable resonant link inverter is restricted to frequencies below 20 kHz. The frequency spectrum of the resonant link configuration has been compared with pulse width modulation (PWM). It was shown that the improvement in harmonic distortion associated with a delta-modulated resonant link is not as great as could be expected from the increase in operating frequency that may be obtained. This is a result of constraints placed on switching instants and the need to use integral pulse modulation. The simulations presented show that high-frequency resonant link systems generate more low-frequency components than those using low-frequency PWM.<<ETX>>


Any system small, medium or large can function effectively if all aspects relating to the system are considered in detail and proper planning is done to organize the various activities involved. It is always difficult to define in quantitative terms the attention needed to various aspects of the program planning for optimum utilization of input resources. Program Planning based on detailed analysis of the system is, therefore, a necessity. The utility of program planning can be increased further by application of fuzzy set theory to incorporate the qualitative aspects associated with the system.

The paper deals with the application of Fuzzy Program Planning to 'Energy Conservation in Indian Cement Industry', identifying and analysing various elements and sub-elements of the program, the key elements and the key sub-elements based on Possibility of Interactions (POI) between them. Ranking of each sub-element based on the POI has also been worked out and compared with rankings worked out using binary (0–1) analysis.

Identification of key sub-elements, their interaction with other sub-elements and the ranking based on the fuzzy interaction is an extension of the work already done in the field of program planning. The superiority of Fuzzy Program Planning over the Program Planning based on binary (0–1) analysis has also been demonstrated successfully.


The modification of a microwave signal propagating transversely through a turbulent jet using a movable antenna receiver within the plasma is observed. The plasma is very underdense. The turbulence produces an additional 15‐20% attenuation of the coherent signal with a corresponding buildup of the incoherent energy, in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the turbulent density profile and the scale length as measured by electrostatic probes. The two quadrature components of the field are individually detected as well as their mean square values, their correlation functions, and spectrum functions. There are some details which disagree with theory, in particular, the observation of negative cross correlation between the two quadrature field components. The incoherent signal is observed, as a function of penetration distance, to go through the transition from elliptical, with mainly phase fluctuation, to "crescent" shaped with a stronger preference toward one end, and finally to a quasicircular t...


Cholera is a disease of small intestine caused by a bacterium named Vibrio Cholerae. It has been a threat to our society and challenge to medical science. In the present work we have formulated a dynamical model for the spread of cholera in a region under the consideration that this disease is transmitted there by contaminated water only. The present model is expected to capture long time-scale dynamics of the spread of cholera in an efficient manner as in addition to the issue of deaths occurring due to cholera and medical recovery from this disease in the group of infected individuals and falling of the recovered individuals again in the susceptible group it also assumes a variable population understanding birth and death (not by cholera) in the susceptible. We have calculated the corresponding equilibrium points, discussed about their local asymptotic stability and we have analyzed the possibility of Hopf bifurcation. We have also presented a numerical example to show the time dependent profiles of the susceptible, infected and concentration of Vibrio Cholerae using our model.


In educational data mining, student classification is an important and popular task by predicting final study status of each student. In the existing works, this task has been considered in many various contexts at both course and program levels with different learning approaches. However, its real-world characteristics such as temporal aspects, data imbalance, data overlapping, and data shortage with sparseness have not yet been fully investigated. Making the most of deep learning, our work is the first one addressing those challenges for the program-level student classification task. In a simple but effective manner, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are proposed to exploit their well-known advantages on images for temporal educational data. As a result, the task is resolved by our enhanced CNN models with more effectiveness and practicability on real datasets. Our CNN models outperform other traditional models and their various variants on a consistent basis for program-level student classification.


The guarantee of multiple-use water systems is one of the main objectives of Brazilian water resource management. However, the role of hydropower plants is still unclear in the achievement of these objectives. This paper introduces a method to support hydropower plants taking into account the compatibility with multiple-use water systems It also introduces a computational tool based on the proposed method, which assesses energy generation and possible losses associated with meeting upstream water demands. A case study of the Tocantins and Araguaia basins of the Amazon region is presented. The results obtained corroborate the applicability of the proposed method. KeywordsAmazon Region;SisUca; Energy Generation; Water Conflict


Previous researchers have argued that objects associated with a protagonist may be foregrounded, or held active, in memory. This study expanded on previous work by using an inconsistency paradigm to investigate the effects of protagonist association on object accessibility. Readers experienced more processing difficulty when a target sentence contradicted previously presented information about protagonist-associated objects than when the contradiction pertained to protagonist-dissociated objects. However, the results of a naming time study demonstrated that this effect was due to increases in accessibility of protagonist-associated objects, not continued increases in availability. A final experiment demonstrated that degree of association between the object and the protagonist does not influence object accessibility. The results provide additional evidence for, and a more refined explanation of, foregrounding effects during reading.


ABSTRACT Introduction: This paper presents the case of a patient diagnosed with organic delusional disorder. Medical history revealed that the psychiatric symptoms increased gradually after the patient received a renal transplant from a deceased donor. Case report: A 42-year-old patient was admitted to a psychiatric ward for observation and, if necessary, modification of prior clinical diagnosis. Commentary: Psychotic symptoms in the form of delusions of reference, persecution, and auditory hallucinations occurred a few weeks after the renal transplantation from a deceased donor. The intensity of these symptoms had the tendency to increase. At that time the patient was treated with increased doses of immunosuppressive medications, in line with post-transplant treatment standards. Dose reductions had no observable effect on the psychiatric symptoms. The patient is also suffering from Hashimoto thyroiditis, hypertension, hepatitis type B, thrombosis of internal carotid artery, and diabetes mellitus type 2 with nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy. Conclusions: This case report is an example of the multifactorial aetiology of psychopathological symptoms. It also shows the need to consider many aspects of the patient's somatic state while determining psychiatric diagnosis and planning treatment.


This invention is directed to a broad spectrum antimicrobial composition which comprises a mixture of an iodopropynyl compound in combination with 2-(methoxycarbonylamino)benzimidazole and, where desirable, an algicide said mixture provided in an amount sufficient to protect a substrate from attack by one or more organisms. The composition can be used broadly in industrial systems and more particularly with substrates such as paints, coatings, stucco, concrete, stone, cementaceous surfaces, wood, caulking, sealants, textiles, leather, wood, preservatives, metal working fluids, drilling muds, clay slurries, glazes, optical brightness, carpet backing, pigments and as a preservative for other aqueous and wet state products, and the like.


Objective
To explore the application effect of home-care nursing program to the patients treated by the TESSYS(transforaminal endoscopic spine system)operation for prolapse of lumber intervertebral disc.

Methods
A total of 62 cases of patients treated by the TESSYS operation for prolapse of lumber intervertebral disc were selected as the research objects and were randomly divided into observation group and control group.The scores of SF-36 and VAS of the two groups at hospital admission were recorded, and the SF-36 score was recorded again 6 months after discharge from hospital.The inter-group results and the intra-group results were compared.

Results
The scores of each dimension of SF-36 of the two groups 6 months after discharge was all improved than that before the hospital admission.There was statistical significance in terms of the inter-group comparison of other dimension except the dimension of emotional role of the control group(P 0.05). The scores of all other dimensions of SF-36 of the observation group 6 months after discharge were all higher than that of the control group except the score of the dimension of body pain, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).

Conclusions
The home-care nursing plays a positive role in the quality of life of the patients treated by the TESSYS operation for prolapse of lumber intervertebral disc, which is worth of popularization and application.

Key words:
Home-care nursing; TESSYS surgery; Disc herniation, waist; Health-promotion


The authors have identified priority units target neuroprotective therapy aimed at restoring the ratio NO/glutathione restored. For this purpose, animals with acute cerebral blood flow (stroke) were injected modulator selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase medicament "Selenaza" in various doses. In the experiment, the authors used the model of bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries by type of ischemic stroke to Wistar rats. It has been shown that the administration of different dosages "Selenaza" significantly reduces stress marker nitrosating stress nitrotyrosine, improves the reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase enzyme, modifies thiol-disulfide equilibrium in the direction of its reduced forms. According to effect dose dependence, the concentrations of sodium selenite were calculated ED50 drug "Selenaza", it was 50 ug/ml. Conclusions: These results suggest that selenium protects neurons against hypoxic/ischemic damage by reducing oxidative stress, restoring mitochondrial functional activities, as well as increase levels of reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase and reduce markers of nitrosating stressnitrotyrosine.


Background: Recent publications indicate that immunization with plasmid DNA encoding allergens might represent a potential approach in allergen–specific immunotherapy. Objective: In the present study we have compared the immune responses induced by plasmid DNA encoding for two isoforms of Bet v 1, the major allergen of birch pollen. Methods: BALB/c mice were injected intradermally with plasmid DNA encoding for the genes of Bet v 1a (pCMV–Beta) and Bet v 1d (pCMV–Betd). In addition, the effect of immunostimulatory DNA sequences was investigated by appending and/or coinjecting CpG motifs. Antibody responses and IFN–γ and IL–4 levels were measured by ELISA. Allergen–specific proliferation was determined by incorporation of [3H]–thymidine. Results: The two isoforms induced a similar humoral response. The lack of any IgE production and the ratio of IgG1 to IgG2a clearly indicated a Th–1–type response. The antisera against both isoforms were highly cross–reactive, which was supported by the energy plot indicating similar folding of the two protein isoforms. However, determination of IFN–γ and IL–4 in the serum elicited a strikingly different cytokine profile during the course of the immune response. In contrast to pCMV–Beta, pCMV–Betd caused no significant allergen–specific proliferation and induced only marginal levels of the key cytokines. Conclusions: Based on the assumption that the induction of a strong Th–1 type response is a prerequisite for successful treatment of allergy, our results favor the use of isoform Bet v 1a in combination with CpG motifs for a novel type of allergen immunotherapy based on plasmid DNA immunization. Additionally, the data also confirm the assumption that the antigen itself can have a marked influence on the immune response after genetic immunization.


The aim of this work was to study the effects of water and nitrogen application on corn crop components (BR 201) and productivity in the cerrado area of Roraima, Brazil. The statistical analysis consisted of a 4 X 4 randomized block design, using split plots with 16 treatments and 4 replications. The four water depths used were 392.6; 337.6; 282.6 and 227.6mm and the four nitrogen rates were 0; 50; 100 and 150 kg ha-1. The water depth used influenced the height of the corn plant. Irrigation and nitrogen levels influenced the mass of 100 seeds, the number of ears per hectare and the grain productivity. The seed N levels were linearly influenced by the nitrogen fertilization.


This paper addresses the modeling, analysis, and scheduling optimization of a vehicle testing system, a widely used facility in China's transportation management and automotive manufactures. To do so, object Petri net models are built to describe its resources (including testing equipment and field) and operations. Based on these models, a short-term scheduling framework and an algorithm for optimally generating a vehicle's testing sequence are presented. By this framework, a waiting area with adjustable capacity is set for vehicles to be inspected in the system. The complete permutations of vehicles in the waiting area are considered as tokens in an object Petri net. In this way, with the models, the total testing turnaround time of a vehicle sequence can be calculated and the optimal one can be chosen. Experimental results show that the proposed method can reduce the average testing turnaround time by about 31% compared with the traditional first-come-first-served-based one. In addition, the proposed method can obtain a shorter average testing turnaround time when the re-inspection rates are 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Thus, it is applicable and effective.


The invention introduces a method for sharing applications between apparatuses, which contains at least the following steps. A processing unit of a first electronic apparatus discovers local applications to generate an application list, and sends the application list to a second electronic apparatus in a formatted message, wherein the application list contains at least paths storing the applications. After receiving an application path from the second electronic apparatus, the processing unit launches one corresponding application, generates an application window, and sends screen data containing at least the application window to the second electronic apparatus.


With the development of computer technologies and specially the advent of Internet, there has been an unprecedented demand in using computer to create, store, transmit, process, and retrieve digital images. Therefore a wide range of image color features have been proposed by various researchers on image processing and information retrieval in the pursuit of automatically creating indexes for image databases. However, with the proposers of each image color feature choosing their own methods and ground truth to prove their effectiveness, acquiring a reliable knowledge of the real performance of each feature becomes quite difficult. There are several evaluation works attempting to compare the performance of these features, whereas the image collections they used to conduct experiments are not large and diverse enough to make convincing and reliable comparisons. This thesis aims at conducting an objective and comprehensive evaluation of the most commonly-used image color features by reducing the subjectivity and randomness in experimental methodology. We firstly conduct experiments to choose the most suitable color space and similarity measurement in order to achieve maximized performance. The image collections we used consist of both photos from the web and professional image collections such as Corel, so that the images are of a wide range of subjects and can more effectively represent the images that users would deal with in real world. In addition, we propose an innovative interface for CBIR system using fisheye view to display retrieval results for improved usability, as we find most currently available CBIR systems are still using traditional grid view to display the retrieved images, which typically are too many to be properly shown in the same size. Our interface displays images simulating the way a fisheye observes the surroundings by showing retrieved images in focus area in larger size and the less important images in consecutively smaller sizes.


Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disorder characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia (< 100 x109/L) in the absence of known causes. It is characterized by mucocutaneous bleeding and has a chronic and unpredictable course. Diagnosis of ITP is based on exclusion criteria. Its pathogenesis involves both increased destruction of platelets opsonized by antiplatelet autoantibodies and impaired platelet production. The majority of patients with ITP are either asymptomatic or have mild to moderate bleeding, while only the few with severe symptoms undergo treatment of unpredictable duration and effectiveness. Not until 2009 was the international consensus report on terminology, definitions and outcome criteria provided for ITP. Factors to be considered during treatment include bleeding, comorbidities, activity and lifestyle, individual tolerance of side effects, patient preferences and concerns, and finally the platelet count. The overall mortality rate of 1-5% and morbidity may be attributed equally to bleeding and to treatment-related infections. While there is general agreement about treatment of newly presenting adults with ITP, few evidence-based studies direct therapies in relapsed and refractory patients. Thrombopoietin receptor agonist targeting impaired platelet production represents a revolution in the treatment of refractory ITP.


The purpose of this study is to develop recommendations for the coal mining industry efficiency strategic management. The authors developed a mathematical economic models to maximize the net present value of the index of companies in the composition of the coal mining industry and calculated the efficiency of Russian enterprises in the composition of the coal mining industry in Russia in 2013 using MathCad. The authors identified the main problems of coal mines and in the quality of their solutions offer an innovative approach to strategic management of the industry of the country, which includes: establishing a common standard in the monitoring, analysis and evaluation of the situation, management decision-making at all levels of corporate and public governance; elimination of dogmatism in the organization of corporate and public governance, encouraging maximum independence and initiative of corporate management in the framework of national development strategies; Schooling management training to all levels of management autonomy, rapid, and therefore efficient and effective management within the company's strategy; creation of a unified and transparent system of monitoring of management decisions and increase the level of responsibility of managers at all levels and branches of government for the implementation of the national strategy, and within it is a strategy of smaller entities. The result of the joint implementation of the proposed principles in the organization of strategic management at different levels of management should be a combination of freedom in solving economic problems and personal initiative managers.


This editorial will focus on the features of more recently identified forms of viral hepatitis, types C, D and E


We report the design and synthesis of an oxygen vacancy-abundant spinel-structured MnCo2O4 oxide as a highly efficient catalyst for alcohol oxidation.


The research was performed under the scope of the effects of Tahirova Agricultural Facility, which was named as Anadolu Etap Tahirova Farm after it was rented and which is located within the borders of Gonen district which is bound to city of Balikesir in Southern Marmara section of Marmara region. In the research, apart from the field studies which were conducted in and around the facility, survey method (which is one of the quantitative research methods) was also used. With the help of the survey which was applied to 84 farmers from surrounding villages the benefits of the facility for the agricultural life of surrounding villages and the expectations of farmers were determined. Apart from this, the studies of the facility and the agricultural policies that will be followed and investments that will be made were determined within the frame of interview technique applied to Anadolu Etap Tahirova Farm representative after the rental of the facility. Before it was in the course of rental, it took on the tasks of fulfilling the demands of regional farmers by raising certificated seed and breeding animals and conveying the modern agricultural techniques to farmers. The facility decided to concentrate only on fruit growing after rental


This pilot study uses mixed methods following the framework of generic frames, diagnostic and prognostic frames (Godefroidt et al. 2016) to compare the news coverage of the Ukraine crisis in Russia and the UK from 30 November 2013 to 26 February 2014. The Moscow Times and The Guardian were chosen as examples of quality print media with online editions that are comparable in terms of quality, political stance, and more importantly – global targeting. Drawing from a broader work on the media systems (Vartanova 2012; Hallin and Mancini 2004), the study argues that while the Russian media reflected the crisis from various perspectives, the British media was characterised by unfairness and non-proportionality in reporting the crisis. The argument challenges the current perception that Russian news media are more propagandistic than British media, as the two newspapers did not always report the Ukraine crisis in confrontational lights.


Objective To determine the compatibility of domestic and imported reduced glutathione after mixing it with 5% glucose or 0.9% sodium chloride injection and to provide evidence for clinical rational drug use.Methods HPLC was used to determine the level change after mixing reduced glutathione with 5% glucose and 0.9% sodium chloride injections,and the change of the mixture in appearance,pH and insoluble particles were also observed.Results There was little changes in appearance,insoluble particles and pH value 4 h after mixing,while the content was obviously changed 2 h after mixing.Conclusion Reduced glutathione is stable in 5% glucose and 0.9% sodium chloride injections,which should be injected within 2 h after mixing.


Germline gain‐of‐function variants in SAMD9 have been associated with a high risk of mortality and a newly recognized constellation of symptoms described by the acronym MIRAGE: Myelodysplasia, Infection, Restriction of growth, Adrenal insufficiency, Genital phenotypes, and Enteropathy. Here, we describe two additional patients currently living with the syndrome, including one patient with a novel de novo variant for which we provide functional data supporting its pathogenicity. We discuss features of dysmorphology, contrasting with previously described patients as well as drawing attention to additional clinical features, dysautonomia and hearing loss that have not previously been reported. We detail both patients' courses following diagnosis, with attention to treatment plans and recommended specialist care. Our patients are the oldest known with arginine‐substituting amino acid variants, and we conclude that early diagnosis and multidisciplinary management may positively impact outcomes for this vulnerable group of patients.


Vestibular frena are bands of soft tissue that connect the lip or cheek to the alveolar mucosa or to the gum and that can restrict their movements. These mucosal folds can, in some cases, attach too close to the teeth and are associated to a persistent diastema. Additionally, if this frenum is too tight, it can cause gum recession by pulling the gums away from the teeth. The position of a frenum can become more apical and be corrected during growth with anterior teeth eruption. However, when it causes self-consciousness, pain, or gum recession, a frenectomy is indicated. The frenectomy is a simple procedure which involves total surgical removal of a frenum. The presence of a hypertrophic maxillary vestibular medial frenum associated with a diastema is the most commonly encountered indication in children. Its elimination will contribute to diastema closure that will stay stable over time.


In the last few decades, several writers have drawn attention to indications of the existence of science in nonliterate, Neolithic societies. One proponent of that idea is Alexander Thom, who has carried out extremely exact measurements of Neolithic stone monuments in Britain. Thom maintains that perhaps the main purpose of several megalithic monuments was to serve as astronomical observatories-that the exact sightlines they provide would make it possible to predict eclipses by observing extremely slight perturbations in the moon's movements along the horizon. Though there is little doubt that some megalithic monuments (e.g., Stonehenge) indicate solstices and extreme "lunistices," I argue that it is unlikely that the Neolithic observers went beyond that. My argument is as follows: (1) They did not need extreme accuracy; eclipses could be predicted with a fair chance of success by much simpler means. (2) Only one relevant moonrise in five or ten would be observable with the necessary accuracy. Moreover, since the relevant moonrises recur with a periodicity of 18.6 years, many centuries would pass before enough observations had been gathered. (3) Such a long period of observation would require permanent and exact records. (4) Even if data were collected and preserved, an ability would be needed either to draw diagrams or to handle large numbers. The indications from anthropology are that large numbers were not handled accurately before the advent of writing or equivalent symbolization. I conclude that science, in the sense of numerate science, is not likely to have existed in Neolithic or Early Bronze Age Britain.


The ETL processes are responsible for the extraction of the data from the external sources, transforming the data in order to satisfy the in- tegration needs and for loading the data into the data warehouse. On the other hand, in the data mining world, there is a special concern on using the metrics for ecient classification algorithms. One of these approaches is the one that uses metrics on partitions based on the Shannon entropy (or other forms of entropy), to study the degree of concentration of values. In this paper we show how this idea can be used in verification of the consistency of data loaded into the data warehouse by ETL processes. We calculate the Shannon entropy and Gini index on partitions induced by attribute sets and we show that these values can be used to signal a possible problem in the data extraction process.


The current study examines the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy in reducing math anxiety in adolescents. The study was conducted using an experimental method. The research sample consisted of 24 high math-anxious students based on the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Rating Scale (A-MARS) scores having their ages between 13-17 years. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, 12 subjects in each group. 5 males and 7 females were in the experimental group while 6 males and 6 females were in the control group. Pre-testing was followed by the intervention given to the experimental group, 16 sessions of tailored Cognitive-behavioral Group Therapy, involving 90-minute sessions twice weekly. Both groups were tested again with A-MARS after the intervention terminated. Statistical analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics, paired and independent sample t-tests. The data analysis revealed that the intervention has high statistical significance proving CBGT to be highly effective in reducing math anxiety and three subscales of A-MARS: math test anxiety, math course anxiety, and numerical anxiety. The research experiment is implicative for therapists, school psychologists, educators, and parents of math-anxious children.


Determination of the bearing capacity of the elements damaged as a result of fire effect depends on the accuracy of the thermo-technical calculation. After this calculation, the distribution of the temperature field over the cross section of the element and the strength characteristics depending on it are determined. The temperature distribution over the cross section of the element depends on such parameters as heat capacity and thermal conductivity of parts of the section, the spatial position of the structure, its humidity. As part of this work, heat engineering calculations of the cross section of the reinforced concrete column were performed with various options of the cross section - with and without a protective layer, taking into account the thermal performance of all cross section components (reinforcement, concrete and corrosion) and excluding corrosion and reinforcement. Based on the obtained temperature fields, the bearing capacity and its percentage ratio were calculated. The main conclusion is that the bearing capacity of the centrally compressed corrosion-damaged elements is significantly influenced by the factor of separation of the protective layer of concrete, as well as thermal-technical characteristics of materials.


The integration of neutral atoms with nanophotonic structures offer significant potential as a versatile platform to explore fundamental light-matter interactions as well as realizing novel quantum-optical devices. Here, we investigate the possibility of creating low-threshold micro-scale lasers in hybrid systems based on integrating room-temperature atomic gases with both dielectric and metallic nanophotonic systems. We particularly focus on studying two different devices resulting from incorporating an optically-pumped Rb-ethane mixture in a dielectric ring resonator and a plasmonic lattice. We show in both cases the combination of the optical gain provided by the atomic vapor, along with the unique field-confinement properties of nanophotonic structures, enables generating of coherent radiation, i.e. laser light, at low power levels. In addition, we provide general design guidelines for these hybrid nano-lasers and an efficient density matrix-based formalism for studying these systems. Our results demonstrate a unique route towards small foot-print, highly efficient, and fast lasers, which paves the way towards the development of a whole new class of active nanophotonic and metamaterial systems.


I first offer an account of serious crime that goes beyond victimizing crimes committed by individuals against other individuals. This approach extends the well-known framework offered by von Hirsch and Jareborg to include crimes undermining welfare-producing institutions. I then consider how the seriousness of crime justifies preventive measures, including the criminalization of acts preparatory to the commission of serious crime. I shall defend preventive measures, including highly intrusive ones, for the most serious crimes, such as terrorism in the form of mass killing, but I shall take issue with very expansive conceptions of serious crime that include what are intuitively much less serious offenses than terrorism or murder. In England and Wales, the Serious Crime Act (2007) lists relevant types of serious crime in its Schedule 1. This and other pieces of serious crime legislation in the UK are discussed critically.


CHICAGO—Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer originating on the left side of the colon survive longer than those whose cancer originates on the right side, according to a new study.A retrospective analysis of data from a large clinical trial found that the location of the primary tumor within


Reprints of the works of the English poet Blake which he wrote, illustrated, printed and published. Annotations interpret symbolism in the poetry and the paintings.


Hot aqueous extracts of medicinal plants were tested for their inhibitory effect on phosphodiesterase. Of 33 samples tested, six showed reproducible inhibition. The cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor contained in Coptis teeta was identified as berberine.


This paper introduces an MIMO antenna with a highly compact size of 30 mm width and 30 mm length. Four symmetrical MIMO antenna radiators are utilized with decoupling stubs in the top and bottom planes of the substrate to improve the isolation level. The simulated and measured outcomes are validated to investigate the impact of the suggested MIMO antenna for wideband applications. The suggested MIMO antenna has an impedance matching less than −10 dB from 5.8 GHz up to 11 GHz, and the isolation between the four radiators exceeds 20 dB over this band. Moreover, the antenna provides an envelope correlation coefficient not exceeding 0.004, a diversity gain above 9.97 dB, and a mean effective gain of ≤−3 dB over the achieved frequency range. The suggested MIMO antenna exhibits a nearly omnidirectional radiation pattern in one plane and a bi-directional radiation pattern in the other plane with an acceptable average value of the realized gain (4 dBi) over the achieved frequency band. A comparison with the state-of-the-art is tabulated to show the distinct performance of the suggested MIMO antenna for wideband applications.


Abstract We solve the differentiability problem for the evolution map in Milnor's infinite-dimensional setting. We first show that the evolution map of each C k {C^{k}} -semiregular Lie group G (for k ∈ ℕ ⊔ { lip , ∞ } {k\in\mathbb{N}\sqcup\{\mathrm{lip},\infty\}} ) admits a particular kind of sequentially continuity – called Mackey k-continuity. We then prove that this continuity property is strong enough to ensure differentiability of the evolution map. In particular, this drops any continuity presumptions made in this context so far. Remarkably, Mackey k-continuity arises directly from the regularity problem itself, which makes it particular among the continuity conditions traditionally considered. As an application of the introduced notions, we discuss the strong Trotter property in the sequentially and the Mackey continuous context. We furthermore conclude that if the Lie algebra of G is a Fréchet space, then G is C k {C^{k}} -semiregular (for k ∈ ℕ ⊔ { ∞ } {k\in\mathbb{N}\sqcup\{\infty\}} ) if and only if G is C k {C^{k}} -regular.


Addictive behavior in the modern world is a disincentive factor for personal-professional development of students. The purpose of this article is to identify the socio-psychological characteristics of college students who are prone to substance abuse. The problem suggested by the authors, is studied on the basis of an integrated approach which is based on an understanding of socialization as a process of social and professional growth, which determines the structure of psychological orientation and actively impacts its holistic subjective inner world, which allows to identify the socio-psychological characteristics of students, influencing the formation of the propensity to addictive behavior. The study made have revealed such personal characteristics of students with varying degrees depending on the propensity for alcoholism and drug addiction , such as anxiety , dependence on public opinion, and a high dependence on the attachment figure, difficult self-control, poor tolerance of difficulty, unpredictability in the actions, unstable emotional state. It was found out that students with a high propensity for substance dependence deformed structure of value orientations, reduced motivation to activity. The results of this paper can be used to develop programs of the educational process at universities, which will allow to adjust the work of teachers, psychologists, aimed at preventing the propensity of students for different addictions in order to increase the effectiveness and success of their socialization during training at the university. (Elena Aleksandrovna Cheverikina, Rezeda Munavirovna Rakhimgarayeva, Victoriya Vladimirovna Sadovaya, Venera Gilmkhanovna Zakirova, Olga Dmitrievna Starodubets, Viktoriya Sergeevna Klemes. Socio-Psycological Characteristics of College Students Who are Prone to Addictions. Life Sci J 2014; 11(7s):375-380). (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 80


Nipawin, Saskatchewan is in the preliminary stages of planning a commercial-scale ethanol plant which will use biomass as feedstock. Through gasification and catalysis, biomass will be used to produce 75 million L year1 of bio-ethanol. This study proposed three means of supplying biomass to the plant: 1) wood residue, 2) hybrid poplar (HP) afforestation plantations, and 3) HP afforestation plantations irrigated with municipal wastewater effluent (municipal wastewater effluent). To analyze the performance of the ethanol, the lifecycle analysis (LCA) model GHGenius was used. Both afforestation scenarios assumed a 10-year growth rotation, after which the biomass was harvested for feedstock. The project baseline considered how the transportation fuels would have been produced and used in light duty vehicles (LDV) with conventional gasoline and was compared to ethanol blended with gasoline in the amounts of 10% (E10) and 85% (E85). Lifecycle GHG emission reductions were 5.5, 5.9 and 7% for E10 produced from wood residue, afforestation plantations and afforestation plantations irrigated with MWWE, respectively, and 67, 72 and 84% for E85 produced from forest residue, afforestation and afforestation irrigated with MWWE, respectively, when compared to conventional gasoline. Thus, bio-ethanol as a gasoline/ethanol blend is an important means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


In developing countries, along with unclean environment & student's habits, inanimate objects plays a critical role in microbial transmission.One of the sources of microbial diseases is toilets. The purpose of this Study wasScreening of various surface areas of Student's restrooms for pathogenic microbial flora in Hospital settings. ThisProspective Analytical study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, attached to a Tertiary Care Hospitalsafter obtaining ethical clearanceover a time period of two months. Eightyfour out of 90 samples were culture positive from various surface areas of students' restrooms. Out of 84 isolates, Gram negative bacilli (n=46) were more common than Gram positive cocci (n=38).Ampicilline is more resistant in Gram positive cocci. Present study highlights the need of sensitization &training sessions regarding hand hygiene practices among the student's and regular cleaning of inanimate objects likeToilets for reduction of infectious microbial diseases.


Adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems are increasingly offered in new vehicles in the market today, and they form a core building block for future full autonomous driving. ACC systems allow vehicles to maintain a desired headway to a leading vehicle automatically. Recent research demonstrates that (1) shorter headways lead to higher throughput, and (2) the effective use of ACC can improve traffic flow by adapting the desired time headway in response to changing traffic conditions. In this paper we show that, although shorter headways result in higher capacity, flow breakdown still occurs if traffic densities at bottlenecks are allowed to exceed the critical density. Therefore, dynamic traffic control near bottlenecks is still necessary to avoid bottleneck activation and capacity loss. We propose an adaptive reinforcement learning (RL) headway controller that uses ACC headways to optimize traffic flow and minimize delay. Based on state measurements, the controller dynamically assigns an optimal headway value for each freeway section within a control cycle. In a freeway simulation example, we first demonstrate that different nondynamic headway assignment strategies failed to avoid congestion and traffic breakdown. We then present a dynamic headway control strategy based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) that adapts the desired headway according to the changing traffic conditions on both the freeway and the ramp to effectively maximize traffic flow and minimize system delay. We quantitatively demonstrate that our DRL dynamic headway control strategy improved traffic and reduced system delay by up to 57% compared with the examined nondynamic headways.


A conflict over the fourth party logistics development is modeled, and a stability analysis is carried out based on the graph model for conflict resolution. In this conflict, corresponding DMs and their options are identified, infeasible states of this conflict are removed, and DMs' preferences over the feasible states are estimated based on option prioritization. Then, the directed graph for the fourth party logistics conflict is generated by using the decision support system entitled GMCRplus. Based on the calculation results, the interpretation on these calculated equilibria are provided, and the evolution of the conflict is analyzed.


A vibrating machine (1) for sample vessels (2), in particular microtiter plates with the sample vessels (2) holding the vibrating plate (3) and an exciter drive (4) for producing the oscillating movement of the vibrating plate (3), said vibrating plate (3) by at least four is spring elements (5, 6) oscillating integral with a machine base (9) and held in a swing plane, and wherein said vibrating plate (3) and its associated spring elements (5, 6) forming a resonance oscillating system, which (from the exciter drive 4 ) is in a resonance vibration displaceable, wherein the spring elements (5, 6) (from each of a plurality of individual springs 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) existing spring assembly, and wherein the individual springs (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) bar springs are.


The primary raw material of Communist power in economically less developed regions of the world is neither the landless peasant with outstretched rice bowl nor the intellectual in search of a cause. Even more basic than these frequently summoned symbols, the realpolitik of social tensions determines political events where economic scarcity aggravates the particularisms dividing man from man. This contention gains strength from a study of Communist fortunes in a representative Asian setting. With little or no industrial economy to ease population density and underemployment, Andhra State on the southeast coast of India bears the familiar marks of Asian poverty. Here has emerged the most successful regional Communist movement in India. Yet the explanation for Andhra Communist strength does not lie in economic factors. The postwar decade in Andhra demonstrates that social factors can relegate even unusually powerful economic factors to a position of secondary importance.


A commentary on Another step closer to measuring the ghosts in the nursery: preliminary validation of the trauma reflective functioning scale by Ensink, K., Berthelot, N., Bernazzani, O., Normandin, L., and Fonagy, P. (2014). Front. Psychol. 5:1471. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01471 In his Clinical Diary, Ferenczi (1932/1988) suggested that an organizing life instinct allows the individual to survive child abuse. He called this instinct Orpha, and described it as a guardian angel who anesthetizes "the consciousness and sensitivity against sensations as they become unbearable" (p. 9). Ferenczi argued that a fragmentation however occurs in personality as a consequence of the abuse: the personality is split into a "capable part" as a "regulated mechanism" dealing with daily life and activities, secret parts that struggle in despair because they experience "the fire of suffering," and another part containing "this suffering itself as a separate mass of affect, without contents and unconscious, the remains of the actual person" (p. 10). Ferenczi's concept of Orpha tends to correspond to our current understanding of dissociation. In fact, child abuse and neglect (CAN it is also consistent with the current theory of structural dissociation (Van der Hart et al., 2006), which postulates a separation between the apparently normal part and the emotional part of personality in complex post-traumatic stress disorders. Further attention deserves another interesting finding in the study by Ensink and colleagues. After running multiple regression analyses to identify the best predictors of engagement in pregnancy and quality of couple functioning among the women in the sample, these researchers found that RF-T was the only significant predictor in the regression models. However, they only entered RF-T scores, RF-G scores, unresolved vs. non-unresolved attachment, and secure vs. insecure attachment as potential predictors in the regression analyses. They did not control for other variables that were already available in their study and could account for the study findings, namely CAN moreover, it has been proposed that AAI indicators of unresolved trauma reflect the severity of dissociative process resulting from CAN on a research level, RF-T scores should prove to predict maternal attitudes toward pregnancy and couple functioning over and above trauma scores, before attributing such a predominant position to (lack of) mentalization in the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Without any doubt, the research by Elsink and colleagues further supported the validity of the "ghosts in the nursery" construct. However, behind the closed doors of mentalizing, the fire of suffering and the dissociated mass of traumatic affects may continue to howl, unseen and unrecognized, around the child.... Full text and references are available (open access) via the DOI. Language: en


This study investigates those practices associated with the design, creation, and revision of animated models that tell a science story. It reveals information about how animation software assists young bilingual children in science learning. The article argues that bilingual children benefit from the ability of animation software to displace and reassemble spatial and temporal relations in science (with the effect of shaping language). Evidence that animation software displaces and reassembles knowledge in science is exposed by 1) having accessibility to different worlds, 2) the capacity to manipulate science concepts, and 3) connecting structure and sequence to function. The study suggests that this type of visual displacement and reassembling is a starting point for the development of science discourse in English among bilingual children.


A technique of electroless tin plating on brass surface was studied.A fine silvery white tin plating on brass and zipper was obtained by experiments.The morphology and composition of the tin plating were investigated by the SEM,EDS and XRD techniques.The results of the performance measurement showed that the coating had fine sweat corrosion resistance and binding force by man-made sweat corrosion test,coating binding force test.


The experience gained in the last decades has indicated that ionization in gases is, in general, the most expedient method of measuring X-radiation doses for radiological purposes. The basis of this method can be reviewed briefly by considering that the X-rays, like all photons, transfer energy mostly to the electrons in matter. In homogeneous media, the energy D absorbed per unit mass can be represented by a general expression such as


Mathematical models, mathematical methods and program codes for the prediction and analysis of experiments in recent years have become a necessary element not only in research projects, but also an integral part of many technological processes. The basis of many mathematical models are both partial differential equations and ordinary differential equations. The aim of this conference is to bring together researchers with interests in: Analytical Theory of Differential Equations, Optimization Problems, Analytical and Solid Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, Mathematical Modelling. This annual conference was established at the National Nuclear Research University – Moscow Engineering Institute in the year 2012. The Conference was organized by three leading departments of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI in the field of mathematical physics. This year, above 120 participants from different countries including Belorussia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Japan, Moldova, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the USA take part in the Conference with oral talks. Valery V. Kozlov Nikolay A. Kudryashov Oleg V. Nagornov


This research focuses on the relevance of rapid flow prediction models to the bridge retrofit criteria used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The objective is to provide dependable estimates of network flows given changes in link configuration, and to attach these changes to the decision-making procedures Caltrans uses to make bridge retrofit decisions.


In this article, a concept of building the future managers' informational competency through an integrative course implemented in the educational process is presented. Here, importance and urgency of implementing such course is reasoned; described its goals and objectives, as well as cultural and professional competencies that will be built as a result of the study. The article describes the structure of the course, the main principles that serve as a basis for the program modeling and the course content, as well as the conditions of its organization, such as logistics support, methodical recommendations on how to organize the learning process, and modern and active training methods.


Lu Yunlong,who was a writer in late Ming dynasty,in his comment on the collection of naval Xingshiyan,shows his deep understanding of female.His concept of female displays both conservative and progressive values due to the double influence of traditional thinking and enlightment ideas in late Ming dynasty.


Based on the method of cointegration analysis and granger causality test,as well as data from 1991 to 2006 of Zhejiang Province,this paper makes an empirical analysis of the relationship between and degree of dependence on rural economic growth and rural finance development.The result shows that rural finance development plays an important role in promoting rural economic growth,which,in turn,depends greatly on the loans form rural financial institutions.Finally,this paper suggests that effective polices should be made to promote rural finance development,in order to accelerate the construction of new countryside.


Developing ideal amine solvents with a high CO2 absorption capacity and a fast absorption rate is an attractive avenue to advance the amine scrubbing technology. In this regard, diamines bearing one primary and one tertiary amino group (1°/3° diamines) are proposed to be promising solvents for CO2 absorption, which can exhibit the fast CO2 absorption rate of primary amines while maintaining the diamines' intrinsic high absorption capacity. Here, we present a detailed kinetic study of four 1°/3° diamines for CO2 absorption and investigate the relationship between the structure of various 1°/3° diamines and their CO2 absorption rate. Results showed that increasing alkyl spacer between two amino groups within 1°/3° diamines promoted the CO2 absorption rate, while a large decrease in their reactivity with CO2 was observed when the tertiary amino group existed in the cyclic structure. Among these studied 1°/3° diamines, 3-(dimethylamino)-1-propylamine (DMAPA) displayed the highest absorption rate under relevan...


Psychologists have done little research on the psychological aspects of life support. Research in other areas of psychology has produced results applicable to the life support situation, however. The results of directly and indirectly applicable research indicate that both patients and their intimates suffer less psychological distress if those who have a close positive relationship with the patient maintain emotional closeness to the patient and participate in making decisions concerning life support. Decisions to end treatment are difficult because ending treatment changes the social structure and identity of the survivors. Death is less stressful if the death comes at the right time of life, and the process of dying is neither too long nor too short. People feel less distress if they have appropriate information concerning the situation and have some control.


Borderline personality disorder is one of the complex mental disorders. It also features impulsivity and self – harming behaviors. The objective of this research was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of DBT with that of ST in reducing the severity of clinical symptoms (i.e., disruptive communication, emotional deregulation and behavioral deregulation) of borderline personality disorder patients.The sample consisted of 45 borderline personality disorder patients selected based on diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-fifth edition(DSM-5), clinical interview and borderline personality disorder severity index(BPDSI).Moreover, they were matched concerning age, educational status, sex, not suffering from acute physical, mental disorder and other criterion considered in this research. Then, they were randomly divided into threegroups (i.e., 2 experimental groups and one control group). The instrumentswere included clinical interview and borderline personality disorder severity index (BPDSI). After pre testing, the first experimental group received12 sessions of DBT and the second experimental group (ST) was administered 12 sessions of (ST), but the control group did not receive any intervention,then, post test was taken from both groups. After 6 months, a follow-up test was administered.The results revealed that (ST) and (DBT) reduced the symptoms of borderline personality disorderincomparison with pre-test and control group(P<0.001). The effectiveness of (DBT) in disrupted communication was significantly higher than (ST)in post-test and follow-up periods.However, there was no significant difference between (DBT) and (ST)in terms of both emotional and behavioral deregulations. In addition, (ST)was more effective than (DBT)in reducing emotional deregulation, but there was no significant difference between them.Moreover,in follow-up period, the (DBT) was significantly more effective in reducing unstable interpersonal relationships and suicidal symptoms than(ST).However, the (ST)was more effective in reducing unstable emotional behaviors.


Snaking 2,540 miles from Montana to the Mississippi River, the Missouri is the longest waterway in the nation. Its basin stretching 530,000 square miles extends broadly into ten states and twenty-five Indian reservations. For millions of years the river and its tributaries meandered untamed. But that irrevocably changed with the passage of the Pick-Sloan Plan, part of the Flood Control Act of 1944. In "River of Promise, River of Peril," John Thorson takes the first comprehensive look at how and why the Missouri River basin-now with six major dams and hundreds of miles of navigation canals-has become one of the most significantly altered drainage systems in the country. He also looks at the consequences. The Pick-Sloan Plan, he argues, has not fared well over time, particularly in its failure to provide an effective blueprint for regional river management. Persistent conflicts over the river, he contends, illuminate important weaknesses of federalism in dealing with regional resources, the most glaring being the exclusion of any proactive role for Indian tribal governments. To support his argument, Thorson examines the physical, demographic, and political features of the river basin; analyzes the comprehensive river development that gave birth to the Pick-Sloan Plan; reveals why the original goals of the legislature were never achieved; explores the deep-seated and continuing tensions between basin governments; and investigates how Indian tribes, the river's ecology, and federalism have been damaged as the river has been developed. He also describes the various associations created and later abandoned from the sixties to the eighties and assesses their virtues and limitations. Thorson sees in the story of the Missouri River Basin the vertical and horizontal strains of federalism-the states chafing against federally mandated and controlled projects exacerbated by the lack of constitutional guidance for handling conflicts among neighboring states and with Indian nations. Not just bent on spotlighting problems, Thorson also evaluates different approaches for improved river system management and recommends a Missouri River management institution based on environmentally sensitive policies, a strong state role, and full participation by the basin's tribal governments."


This research starts from the need of interpreting the communicators training in Mexico through cinema. It is made through three insert variables in cinematographic speech: freedom, justice and tolerance. It is based in speech analysis from an inductive model: symbolic-epistemic-aesthetic mode, the data interpretation through a corpus of movies from USA, Europe and Latin America and it has as a stating point the cinematographic text, conformed by the ellipsis and the off-the-record. Thus seeks to identify the features to train and project communicators in cinema


Seismic-protection measures make it possible to significantly decrease economical losses. Seismic shock absorption systems and seismic insulation of foundations and buildings can generally increase the reliability of structures. Calculations by Ja. M. Ajzenberg showed that relative horizontal seismic shifts of floors in seismically insulated buildings are significantly lower than in non- insulated buildings. Therefore, seismically insulated buildings are better protected from destruction during earthquakes. A method for calculating elastic oscillations of buildings in a seismic insulation system is used. Examples of calculations are presented so as to show the efficiency of the presented method and the necessity to consider these oscillations for high-rise buildings.


Excitation of a model photosynthetic molecular aggregate by incoherent sunlight is systematically examined. For a closed system, the excited state coherence induced by the sunlight oscillates with an average amplitude that is inversely proportional to the excitonic gap, and reaches a stationary amplitude that depends on the temperature and coherence time of the radiation field. For an open system, the light-induced dynamical coherence relaxes to a static coherence determined by the non-canonical thermal distribution resulting from the entanglement with the phonon bath. The decay of the excited state population to the common ground state establishes a non-equilibrium steady-state flux driven by the sunlight, and it defines a time window to observe the transition from dynamical to static coherence. For the parameters relevant to photosynthetic systems, the exciton dynamics initiated by the sunlight exhibits a non-negligible amount of dynamical coherence (quantum beats) on the sub-picosecond timescale; however, this sub-picosecond time-scale is long enough for light-harvesting systems to establish static coherence, which plays a crucial role in efficient energy transfer. Further, a relationship is established between the non-equilibrium steady-state induced by the sunlight and the coherent dynamics initiated from the ground state by a laser $\delta$-pulse, thereby making a direct connection between incoherent sunlight excitation and ultrafast spectroscopy.


This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey about the investment appraisal practices of the top 500 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and the internal and external factors which impact on the managers' decisions. For the companies which responded (41%), the results show that the majority of respondents predominately use Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) techniques. Respondents use more than one technique to make investment appraisal decisions. The use of the non-DCF techniques such as payback period in the preliminary stages is a common practice. More often than not, non-DCF techniques are complemented by DCF techniques as NPV and IRR as the primary techniques.


Practitioners and researchers alike explore ways of increasing motivation. Whereas previous research mainly explores interventions that operate on people's goals (e.g., via goal setting), we explore an intervention that operates on overcoming interfering temptations and nudging self-control success. We report an experiment testing a 1-week smartphone field intervention. Self-control involves anticipating and battling temptation; hence, we encouraged participants in a treatment condition to anticipate temptation (i.e., obstacles) for daily goal pursuit and to envision resolutions. They generated these responses for half the goals they listed daily. Participants in the treatment (anticipation resolution) condition reported more successful pursuit of the daily goals for which they listed obstacles and planned resolutions than for their other goals. We found no such difference between daily goals for participants in a control condition (no anticipation and no resolution) and for participants in an anticipationonly condition. The beneficial effect of listing obstacles and resolutions was further limited to goals that require self-control and are stronger for people with an assessment self-regulatory mode. Finally, participants in the treatment condition reported increased general happiness during the period of the intervention. We conclude that a simple intervention can improve self-control.


Using cherry fresh fruit as raw material,the main processing technology was determined based on comparative and orthogonal experiments. The results showed that the conditions of brewing technology are as follows: 5% ethanol,5% inocula-tion quantity,and 32 ℃. The optimum parameters of mixed cherry vinegar beverage are as follows: 12% cherry vinegar,15% cherry fruit juice,5% honey and 0.07% malic acid. The products of vinegar and its beverage are clear and delightful,fine and smooth,with special cherry fragrance and adequate tart flavors.


The invention refers to a production method of ben phosphor concentrate. It chooses the middle and low grade phosphorus ore with the P2O5 content between 20% and 30% as the raw material, smashes, grinds up, grades and gets the fine powder with the content of -200 granularity between 60% and 70% as the material powder. It heats a share of china wood oil to between 40deg.C and 60deg.C, adds 1.5 to 2.5 shares of the sodium hydroxide solution with the thickness between 5% and 15% to it, whisks it until it is completely saponified and gets the solution with saponification material content between 1% and 25% to be the collecting agent. After the material powder is conditioned, we add 10L to 20L of collecting agent and 20L to 25L of vitriol or phosphoric acid to the 800Kg material powder, make them go through the reverse flotation, concentration and filtration to get the turnoff of the phosphor concentrate. The invention solves the problem to increase the grade of the phosphor concentrate with low cost. The the P2O5 content of phosphor concentrate is over 35% and can reach 37.4%. It is featured by simple process flow, easy production technique of the collecting agent, high grade of the products and low cost and can be used in the production of the phosphor concentrate.


Operating Systems (OSs) are mediators between application specific software (SW) and general purpose hardware (HW). For the operational delivery of OS services, device drivers (DDs) have increasingly been identified as a prominent cause of OS failures [1, 2]. Multiple research efforts, including ours, have targeted the robustness evaluation of commercial OSs's DD interfaces, for which robustness evidence is usually difficult to obtain due to the limited amount of available information about the OS's internal structure or its development process. A widely used approach for robustness evaluation is the application of experimental software implemented fault injection (SWIFI) techniques to expose the DD interface to operational conditions which explicitly violate its specification. A key factor determining the effectiveness of SWIFI is the selection of the most relevant error model. Error models describe how the OS's DD interface specification is violated by defining three fundamental properties. The error type describes how a modeled perturbation manifests itself in the OS's operational environment, i. e. as a fault1 in a DD or an error at the OS/DD interface. The error location specifies where in the OS's operational environment a perturbation manifests itself. The error timing refers to injection triggers and latencies. Goals: The goal of our research is to investigate how the choice of an error model can influence the outcome of robustness evaluations. The results of such an investigation are useful in several ways. If, for instance, one error model can be shown to detect more vulnerabilities with less effort, it is advisable to choose this model over less efficient models for systematic vulnerability detection. If, on the other hand, the evaluations of two distinct models are highly similar, the less costly model (in terms of implementation, setup, and run time effort) can be justifiably substituted for the more expensive one. Furthermore, a comparative evaluation of error models provides guidance on error model selection


Compromised endothelial barrier function is a hallmark of inflammation. Rho family GTPases are critical in regulating endothelial barrier function, yet their precise roles, particularly in sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P)‐induced endothelial barrier enhancement, remain elusive. We tested the roles of Rac1 and RhoA in this study. Confluent cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) or human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC) were used to model the endothelial barrier. Barrier function was assessed by determining the transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) using an electrical cell‐substrate impedance sensor. The results show that pharmacologic inhibition of Rac1 with 50 μM Rac1 Inhibitor II failed to block barrier enhancement elicited by 2 μM S1P. Likewise, expression of a dominant negative form of Rac1, or knockdown of native Rac1 with siRNA, failed to block S1P‐induced elevations in TER. In contrast, blockade of RhoA with the combination of the inhibitors Rhosin and Y16 (6.25 μM respectively) significantly reduced S1P‐induced increases in TER. Assessment of RhoA activation in real time using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor showed that S1P increased RhoA activation primarily at the edges of cells, near junctions. This was complemented by myosin light chain‐2 phosphorylation at cell edges, which could be blocked with Y16 and Rhosin treatment. The results suggest that S1P causes activation of RhoA at the cell periphery, stimulating local phosphorylation of MLC, and resulting in endothelial barrier enhancement. S1P‐induced Rac1 activation, however, does not appear to have a significant role in this process.


Abstract Fe–Pt and Co–Fe–Pt nanocrystalline thin films were electrodeposited on brass substrates from a tartrate–alkaline plating bath. The composition, crystallographic structure, microstructure, surface morphology and magnetic properties of the Fe–Pt and Co–Fe–Pt alloy films were investigated. Ammonium tartrate and ammonia solution were used as complex forming additives to stabilise the Fe2+ and Co2+ ions and to enhance codeposition with platinum complexes. The as synthesised thin films were characterised by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy and alternating gradient magnetometer. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results showed that cobalt was preferentially deposited compared to iron during Co–Fe–Pt film electrodeposition. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that the microstructure of the films consisted of spherical granules and clusters. The XRD showed the formation of a disordered face centred cubic Fe–Pt phase, and all the peaks were shifted to slightly higher diffraction angles with increasing cobalt content. The average crystallite size calculated from XRD peak broadening was <10 nm. Atomic force microscopy characterisation showed that the surface roughness increased with increasing Co content in the film. The magnetic force measured by magnetic force microscopy was found to correlate to the topography of the films. The magnetic properties obtained from alternating gradient magnetometer increased with increasing surface roughness, granule size and clusters of the film. The addition of Co was found to enhance the saturation magnetisation and coercivity.


We report metrology methods to characterize nanowires. In this work, representative devices and test structures, including nanoelectromechanical switches, non‐volatile nanowire memory devices with SONOS structure, and both transfer‐length‐method and Kelvin test structures, have been developed to investigate the electrical and mechanical properties of the silicon nanowires. These methods and test structures can be readily applied to other (non‐Si) semiconductor nanowires/nanotubes.