D-Arabinitol hasbeenfoundintheserum ofpatients withcandidiasis inanincidence varying from38to 82%.Whilescreening serum bygaschromatography forthepresenceofthissugar,we observed elevated concentrations inseveral patients withsarcoidosis. Inan attempt todetermine thesignificance ofthis chanceobservation, we tested serum fromadditional patients withsarcoidosis alongwithserum from patients withotherclinical conditions knowntobeassociated withelevated D-arabinitol levels. Of 53 patients withsarcoidosis, 27(51%)hadelevated concentrations ofthiscompound. Onlyone ofthese patients haddecreased renal function (creatinine, 2.5mg/dl). We were unabletocorrelate elevated values withextentofthedisease. Although thesignificance ofthis finding isnotclear, itmay represent acluetothe pathogenesis ofsarcoidosis. Arabinitol, aC5POIYOI, isaproduct ofmetabolic pathways incertain fungi, including a variety ofCandida species. Elevated serumlevels ofthis compound havebeendocumentedinpatients withinvasive candidiasis (2-4), insome patients withrenalinsufficiency (3,4,16),andina rare normal individual (15). During astudy designed toevaluate serumconcentrations ofarabinitol inpatients withinvasive disease caused byC. albicans, weincidentally noted thepresence ofthis sugar in serumfromthree patients withsarcoidosis. Tofurther study this observation, we prospectively evaluated 50additional patients withsarcoidosis todetermine whether their serum haddetectable levels ofarabinitol. We alsoperformed studies onpatients withother disorders whichmight cause elevations intheserumconcentration ofthis compound. MATERIALSAND METHODS Patients. Wereviewed thecharts ofpatients with adiagnosisofsarcoidosis whowerebeing followed intheUniversity ofAlabamaHospitals andClinics andsomepatients atthe Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital andtheCooperGreenHospital inBirmingham. We alsosolicited patients withsarcoidosis whowerebeing treated byprivate physicians inBirmingham, Ala.Of53patients withthe clinical diagnosis ofsarcoidosis, 49hadthediagnosis confirmed bythefinding ofnoncaseating granuloma inbiopsy specimens fromclinically involved sites. Biopsy findings of theother fourpatients could notbelocated buttheyeach hadother clinical andlaboratory criteria forthedisorder, whichincluded hilar adenopathy inallfourpatients. Inall sarcoid patients, renal function wasestimated onthebasis of serumcreatinine levels. Information concerning sites of involvement andcorticosteroid therapy wasalsoabstracted fromthecharts. We looked especially forevidence ofCandida colonizationordisease inthepatients studied. On thebasis of history, physical examination, andavailable laboratory tests, there wasnothing tosuggest thepresence ofCandida disease inany.We didnotobtain bloodorurine cultures in eachbecause itseemedveryunlikely anypatient with invasive Candida disease wouldhavebeenmissed. A 3-to5mlvolumeofserumwasobtained without regard totime after foodingestion fromeachpatient forthepurpose of determining anarabinitol level. * Corresponding author.


Objective To investigate the significance of the viral replication in the body of chronic hepatitis B virus carriers without HBeAg.Methods The detection of Hepatitis B marks in serum was conducted by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);then chose 780cases of HbsAg-positive populations without HbeAg and were divided to two groups:the first group of A(HbsAg+ HbeAb +HbcAb+) and the other group of B(HbsAg +HbcAb+). Pre-S1Ag antigen(pre-S1Ag) was condected by ELISA and the content of HBV-DNA by means of Tagman technology of fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.(it's positive if the HBV-DNA copy number1000/mI) in the two groups.Results (1)In group A,pre-S1 Ag positive rate was 39.57%while the HBV-DNA positive rate was 43.40%,and the result is not of statistical significance(P0.05).(2)In group B,pre-S1 Ag positive rate was 27.42%while the HBV-DNA positive rate was 31.29%,and the resul is not of statistical yet.(3) The pre-S1 Ag positive rate of group A is significantly different from group B(P0.05) but the HBV-DNA positive rate isn't(P0.05).Conclusion (1)While without HbeAg,pre-S1 Ag positive rate is of statistical but the HBV-DNA positive rate isn't bwteen the two groups;in the two groups,there is a high correlation between pre-S1 Ag and HBV-DNA,pre-S1 Ag could be regarded as another reliably serological indicator in reflecting the HBV replication and infections.(2)While without HbeAg in the body,it still has viral replication. The combined detection of pre-S1 Ag and HBeAg is of an important significance in determining the HBV replication clinically.


In this paper, we use monthly data from Tunisia for the period 1972-1998 and explore the short-run causality and long-run relationship between official and black-market exchange rates (U.S. dollar/Tunisian dinar). The econometric results indicate that the two exchange rates are cointegrated, implying a stable long-run relationship between them. Furthermore, we find that the black-market exchange rate undertakes the adjustment to the long-run equilibrium. Granger causality tests show that in the short run the black-market exchange rate causes the official rate. However, once we distinguish between the behavior of the two exchange rates in pre and post current-account convertibility we find that the black market Granger causes the official market only during the period preceding the current account convertibility. The paper concludes with comments on the implications of these findings.


I n 2013 the government has launched a new curriculum for applied and implemented at all levels of education, starting from elementary school (SD), Junior High School (SMP), High School (SMA), and Level College or University. However, there still exists some problem in the implementation the curriculum 2013, the national education minister decided to postpone its implementation for schools - a new  school  run  first  semester.  While,  for  schools  that  have  conducted  one  or  more  years  may  continue  to  use  it.  Due  to  these circumstances, the researchers decided to select a few schools that exist in the city of Padang and West Sumatra that were already implementing the curriculum in 2013. To determine the development of a new curriculum, there should be an evaluation, namely the evaluation of teaching materials used by teachers in implementing the curriculum, 2013. From the research that has been conducted, the researchers found that of all school levels, namely junior and senior high schools in and outside the city of Padang ( West Sumatra), there are three things that have been found. First, all the material presented teachers and learning process (PBM) already is in accordance with the curriculum of 2013. Second, the material provided in accordance with the teaching indicator. Third, based on the indicators according to experts; Nunan, and Maley, 90% indicator is found in the teaching materials used by teachers - teachers in junior and senior high schools in and outside the c ity of Padang (West Sumatra). Finally, the researcher construct a model which represents the cycles of teaching material evaluation.


We are developing an optical three-axis tactile sensor capable of acquiring normal and shearing force, with the aim of mounting it on a robotic finger. The tactile sensor is based on the principle of an optical waveguide-type tactile sensor, which is composed of an acrylic hemispherical dome, a light source, an array of rubber sensing elements, and a CCD camera. The sensing element of silicone rubber comprises one columnar feeler and eight conical feelers. The contact areas of the conical feelers, which maintain contact with the acrylic dome, detect the three-axis force applied to the tip of the sensing element. Normal and shearing forces are then calculated from integration and centroid displacement of the gray-scale value derived from the conical feeler's contacts. To evaluate the present tactile sensor, we have conducted a series of experiments using a y-z stage, a rotational stage, and a force gauge, and have found that although the relationship between the integrated gray-scale value and normal force depends on the sensor's latitude on the hemispherical surface, it is easy to modify the sensitivity according to the latitude, and that the centroid displacement of the gray-scale value is proportional to the shearing force. When we examined repeatability of the present tactile sensor with 1,000 load-unload cycles, the respective error of the normal and shearing forces was 2 and 5%


This study was designed to assess Tanzanian women's perceptions of their concerns during the early postpartum period and explore the relationship of these concerns to parity, experience with child care, age, marital status, religion and tribe. The Lazarus and Folkman (1984) stress, appraisal, and coping framework guided the study. A convenience sample of 100 mothers with uncomplicated vaginal deliveries were selected from Dar-Es- Salaam. By means of a card-sort, mothers sorted items as "worries", "interests", "confidences", or "not applicable". Hotelling's multivariate test, followed by univariate F-tests and Bonferroni correction determined that primiparas had significantly more worries and interests than multiparas, and that multiparas had significantly mor e confidences than primiparas. Two-sample ~-tests showed that the two groups of mothers did not differ in their level of worry and interest, but multiparas' level of confidence was significantly higher than that of primiparas. Spearman rank order correlations showed that age categories were negatively correlated with the number of worries and positively correlated with the number of confidences. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that parity was negatively correlated with the number of worries and positively correlated with the number of confidences. However, parity and the age of the mother were not independent of each other because 64% of the primiparas were below 20 years and only one multipara was below 20 years of age. Child-care experience score was negatively correlated with the number of worries and marginally correlated with the number of interests and positively correlated with the number of confidences. Regression of age, parity, and experience with child care score on the number of worries, interests, and confidences showed that experience with child care explained most of the variations in worries and confidences. The findings indicate the need for postpartum follow-up care to assist mothers in reducing the number of worries and in increasing their confidence in dealing with postpartum concerns. Recommendations suggest the development of postpartum intervention programmes such as in-hospital teaching and community-based assessment, guidance, and support.


Abstract Based on slave labour, sugar plantations in the British West Indies were a source of considerable wealth for many of their owners. Many chose to return to Britain to enjoy their prosperity while still retaining their interests in the Caribbean. Using a wide range of published historical documents and literature, in addition to archival material held in Britain and the West Indies, this paper reviews the means by which the absentee proprietors attempted to maintain control of their distant possessions. Particular attention is paid to the Payne family of St. Kitts.


A mass trial was carried out for a 780 MPa engineering machinery steel and the microstructures and properties of steel were investigated.The controlled rolling,ultra-fast cooling and laminar cooling process were used based on the optimized compositions of steel,and good microstructures and mechanical properties were obtained.The results showed that ultra fast cooling plus laminar cooling process is used after the finish rolling,and the outlet temperature of ultra fast cooling and coiling temperature are controlled at 650 ℃ and 570 ℃,respectively.The yield and tensile strengths of steels are higher than 685 MPa and 785 MPa,respectively,and good impact resistance,formability and weldability are obtained.The microstructures of steels are composed with ferrite and a litlle of pearlite.A large number of(Nb,Ti)(C,N) precipitates are observed with size less than 10 nm dispersed in the ferrite matrix,and these fine precipitates increase the strength of steel effectively.


The vector of the phytoplasma responsible for the coconut lethal yellowing disease in West Africa is unknown to date. However, it is known that phytoplasmas are transmitted by leafhoppers and planthoppers, which are supposed to be the only ones able to inject the phytoplasma in the phloem. Whereas the presence of phytoplasma in the insect does not prove its capacity to transmit the disease. We have tested a large number of insects for the presence of phytoplamas by PCR (direct PCR and Nested PCR) using both primer pairs specific for all phytoplasmas and those specific for the coconut lethal yellowing disease phytoplasma. In effect the evidence of one or several species carrying the phytoplasma would direct us on the insects to focus on in our transmission cages trials.


Thermospray spectra on a magnetic sector mass spectrometer, by definition measured at high accelerating voltages, are seen to be highly fragmented. This is rationalised in terms of the necessity to accelerate ions through a region of high pressure in the vicinity of the ion-collecting orifice at the spray volume, where ions may be energized by ion molecule collisions. In this region, a high percentage of the parent ion current is lost through the dispersion of the ion beam and by the collisional activation of molecular ions resulting in extensive fragmentation. The investigation of means by which these effects may be minimized has led to the construction of an improved sector thermospray source. Comparative results for gramicidin S demonstrate that its fragmentation is reduced and that the intensity of the protonated molecular ion is greatly enhanced.


Background: Metabolic outcomes of obesity and its associated disorders may not be equivalent across ethnicity and diabetes status. Aim: In this paper, we examined the association of abdominal obesity, by ethnicity and diabetes status, for indicators of glucose metabolism in Blacks. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Haitian Americans (n= 186) and African Americans (n= 148) with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Student's t-test and Chi-squared test were used to assess differences in mean and proportion values between ethnicities with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. Relationship between insulin resistance, ethnicity, diabetes status, abdominal obesity, and adiponectin levels were analyzed by analysis of covariance while controlling for confounding variables. Results: Haitian American participants were older (P = .032), had higher fasting plasma glucose (P = .036), and A1C (P = .016), but had lower levels of Hs-CRP (P < .001), insulin and HOMA2-IR and lower abdominal obesity (P = .030), than African Americans. Haitian Americans had significantly lower HOMA2-IR (P = .008) than African Americans when comparing both ethnicities with T2DM, high abdominal obesity, and adiponectin levels lower than the median (<14.75 ng/mL). Conclusion: The clinical significance of observed differences in insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, and adiponectin levels between Haitian Americans and African Americans could assist in forming public health policies that are ethnic specific.


OBJECTIVES
To present our experience with diagnosis and surgical management of penile fracture

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We present six cases of penile fracture managed at our unit between 2003 and 2008. The diagnosis was based on clinical presentation and physical examination. The treatment was surgical in all cases with Subcoronal circumferential degloving incision, evacuation of hematoma and reconstruction of the rupture with absorbable suture.

RESULTS
The clinical diagnosis of penile fracture was accurate in all six cases. All patients had a successful outcome, with preservation of erectile function

CONCLUSION
Penile fracture is a clinical diagnosis and immediate surgical repair offers complete recovery of sexual function.


Relies of instrumental techniques and timbre along with poetic songs and plays. Each instruments has fixed tuning. Limited numbers of tunings.melodies are mainly modal and homophonic.


Saturated iron-core superconducting fault current limiters (SISFCL) are becoming increasingly well known for their effective and reliable current limiting capabilities. The device is capable of producing very low impedance during normal operation and substantially high impedance during fault. Its ability of changing impedance can be attributed to the change of magnetic state of the ferromagnetic core of the device from saturation to unsaturation. The SISFCL employs a dc source to maintain the saturated state of the core for normal operation with the help of a superconducting coil. The high ac ampere turns during fault not only bring the core to unsaturation, but also cause alarmingly high voltage to develop across the dc source. Hence, the protection of the dc source is of great concern as the high voltage is capable of destroying the source and additionally, force the superconducting material to quench. In this paper, the SISFCL is analyzed using the finite element method and the field suppression method of dc source protection is discussed and shortcomings are pointed. The novelty of the paper lies in the use of shorted winding for the improved performance of the field suppression system. For the finite element method (FEM) analysis, the ANSYS Maxwell 2D software is utilized.


The demand for low cost but reliable technology in drilling, logging and production is always and will continue to be one of the most important issues facing the oil industry. In addition, increasing production through field management and evaluating bypassed reserves in existing fields using lower cost but reliable technology is a primary objective of any oil company. From this motivation, a through casing log interpretation technology for assessing formation evaluation and identifying existing field opportunities would offer a low cost and risk option for many operations. In this paper, a through casing log interpretation technology termed Lithology Independent Porosity and water Saturation or, LIPS, is presented. LIPS is a technology that is suitable for infill drilling programs, fluid monitoring for field management and in analyzing old fields that do not have enough or modern data. LIPS requires three measurements to provide porosity, water saturation and the locations of the heavy minerals that may be the source for net pay determination. These three measurements can be obtained using the three common cased hole logs ; a thermal Compensated Neutron porosity Log or CNL, an epithermal neutron porosity and a Pulsed Neutron Capture log PNC type tool, e.g., TDT, for formation absorption cross section. For porosity, LIPS considers any formation as a composite of two major components, the pore space and the matrix. LIPS deals with the matrix as a black box where it calculates its overall controlling parameters. The formation porosity is chosen when the calculated parameters using two different techniques converge. For water saturation, LIPS uses data that has been discarded by the industry, the thermal neutron detectors counting rates of the thermal neutron tool. These counting rates are functions of the formation water salinity and the matrix absorption cross section. LIPS uses the two thermal neutron counting rates, near and far, of the thermal neutron tool CNL along with the formation absorption log to produce three equations in three unknowns. The three unknowns are water saturation, water salinity and matrix absorption. Therefore, LIPS does not require prior information about matrix absorption or the formation water salinity which gives LIPS superiority to many of the existing water saturation models. LIPS has been tested in a variety of reservoirs from all over the world. Comparisons between LIPS porosity and water saturation and core porosity and low invasion water saturation core are presented. Also, the environmental effects on LIPS interpretations, e.g., invasion, are discussed.


A seismic early warning system (SEWS) is a set of actions that can be taken from the moment when a seismic event is triggered, with a significant reliability, to the moment the quake strikes in a given location. The leading (pre-information) time can be estimated in the range of few seconds to dozens of seconds. Current research activities on SEWS include the anticipate estimate of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and/or of the response spectrum of the incoming earthquake. Possible interactions between SEWS and structural control are related to the exploitation of the anticipate estimation of the PGA in the framework of semi-active control strategies, in particular using magnetorheological (MR) dampers. The latter are time-varying properties devices able to achieve a wide range of physical behaviors using low-power electrical currents. Changing the current in the damper causes a very fast modification of the mechanical properties of the MR fluids, due to the particular magnetic field applied. The main idea of this work is to change the MR damper behaviour according to the forecasted intensity of an upcoming earthquake provided by the SEWS, in order to obtain the optimal seismic response of the hosting structure. A reinforced concrete bridge is considered herein as a case-study. Three different control strategies are designed and compared, each one being based on the use of the following devices respectively: rubber isolator, viscous damper, semi-active magnetorheological (MR) damper, the latter working with a SEWS in the way described above. The effectiveness of each considered control technique is discussed with reference to several different seismic input.


Neurocritical care is gaining momentum. Its field is expanding at a vertiginous pace fueled by remarkable advances in the basic research and clinical arenas. Although it represents a relatively new specialty, neurocritical care is attracting increasing numbers of researchers, academicians and practitioners from different backgrounds, including neurology, neurosurgery, critical care medicine, emergency medicine and anesthesia, just to name a few. This rapid growth is being anchored and consolidated by the creation of the Neurocritical Care Society (http://www.neurocriticalcare.org) with its own journal (Neurocritical Care), and the upcoming credentialing of neurocritical care training programs and board certification examination. Critically ill neurological and neurosurgical patients present unique challenges and opportunities. We are just beginning to apply the knowledge acquired in the laboratory to the design of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Expanding data from translational research in critical neurological disorders are providing rational bases for the design of clinical studies and multicenter trials. New diagnostic and monitoring techniques are being tested with promising results. But unfortunately, research funding is limited. Currently most large clinical studies are supported by the industry. It is essential that professionals interested in neurocritical care from all nationalities help make a stronger case for the promotion of research in this field. Coordinated efforts from the international community will be crucial to ensure the continuous development of our fascinating specialty. This special issue exemplifies the richness of subjects that pertain to neurocritical care. It includes articles on basic and translational research as well as clinical studies. The contributing authors, true international experts in their respective fields, present original data and insightful discussions on molecular mechanisms of acute neurological disease, neuromonitoring in the intensive care unit, novel therapeutic interventions, and clinical and laboratory markers for prognostication. Most major critical neurological illnesses are covered in this special issue of Neurological Research, such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, acute ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, status epilepticus and toxic-metabolic encephalopathy. I truly believe that this special issue contains information that will greatly contribute to the body of literature on neurocritical care. It was a pleasure for me to edit it and I hope that it will be equally pleasurable for you to read it.


A B S T R A C T A study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus from commercially important food fishes collected from domestic fish market of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, South India. A total of one hundred and ninety two fishes belonging to eight species were collected from the fish market over a period of one year. Of which 24.47% of fishes were found to be contaminated with S. aureus. The highest incidence of S. aureus was seen in Cirrhinus mrigala (50%) followed by Cyprinus carpio (45.83%), Catla catla (41.66%), Labeo rohita (37.5%), Anabas testudineus 29.16%), Channa striatus (16.66%), Wallago attu (12.5%) and Clarias batrachus (4.16%). A well-marked seasonal variation in the incidence pattern was observed with a higher incidence during post-monsoon followed by monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons. It was also observed that the poor sanitary conditions prevailed in the local market are crucial for the microbial contamination of fishes. The reasons for seasonal variati ons in the incidence of S. aureus in fishes of Guntur fish market have been discussed. K e y w o r d s


PREFACE The position and importance of thermal analysis among methods of material research and structure elucidation is well shown by the review which appeared in Research and Development Journal.1 According to the review, about 42% of the laboratories surveyed are using, or expect to be using in the near future, thermogravimetric (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), or differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) devices. It is also characteristic that about 1 to 2% of the papers appearing yearly on analytical chemistry deal with the problems of thermal analysis.2,3 It is clearly shown by these data that thermal methods of analysis cannot compete with electroanalytical, spectroscopic, and chromatographic methods with respect to practical applications. Nevertheless, they play an important part in material research. If used and interpreted properly, methods of thermal analysis provide unique information in both theoretical and practical respects about the thermal behavior of samples.


According to the results of the spring 2005 investment survey, investment in manufacturing as expressed in current prices increased by 8.2 percent in 2004. For 2005, investment is expected to stay at the same level as in 2004. A growth of investment for 2004 was reported by all industries except motor vehicles. For 2005, investments are mostly limited to intermediates, investment goods, and consumer nondurable goods. The construction industry plans a slight increase in investment expenditure. Electricity, gas and water utilities have announced plans to substantially boost their investment spending in 2005.


In PRF-shift MR thermometry, temperature rises induced by thermal therapy can be estimated from the phase differences between tissue in a heated state and in a pretreatment state. To overcome errors caused by motion, referenceless methods [1, 2] have been proposed that estimate temperature from a single image. Compared to baseline subtraction [3], these methods are not susceptible to inter-frame motion, and produce accurate temperature estimates in moving tissues. However, referenceless methods could be improved if they did not require knowledge of the hot spot's location, or if they took into account underlying noise statistics. Here we introduce a regularized approach to referenceless PRF-shift thermometry that is statistically motivated, generalizes readily to multiple receive coils, and does not require knowledge of the hot spot's location.


Hospitality and tourism are certainly two of the most widely used words in the fields of ho tels, restaurants, travel, and related areas. They are used independently or in combination with other words, such as hospitality industry or tourism industry. As prevalent as these words are in conversations and in literature, they are used broadly, loosely, interchange ably, and erroneously. This article performs a rhetorical analysis of these words and offers a conceptual framework to more closely study each word's intent and purpose. Industries and disciplines define themselves by a shared language, which makes it imperative that key vocabulary is used properly and judiciously to enhance the communicative abilities of the field.


A method is presented for convergence acceleration of the generalized hypergeometric series 3 F 2 with the argument ± 1, using analytic properties of their terms. Iterated transformation of the series is performed analytically, which results in obtaining new fast converging expansions for some special functions and mathematical constants


Emerging infectious disease outbreaks amidst accelerating globalization have pressed policy-makers to reinvent the health systems and communication structures developed to protect people and nations during public health events. For over 150 years, nations have negotiated measures to prevent cross-border disease spread. Approaches that endured through the 20th century focused on notification procedures and information-sharing


Sensor network is the real time critical network with specification of normal and specialized sensor nodes. These specialized sensor nodes require the continuous energy backup and regular monitoring. In this paper, a parameter adaptive dynamic programming model is provided to improve the target tracking. At the earlier stage of this model, the node features are explored in terms of energy and fault evaluation. Later on, the dynamic programming method was defined to achieve effective target tracking. The work model is implemented in matlab environment. The results show that the method has improved the network life.


Mound is currently decontaminating for restricted reuse and/or decommissioning for conditional release four major plutonium-238 contaminated facilities that contained 1700 linear feet of gloveboxes and associated equipment and services. Several thousand linear feet of external underground piping, associated tanks, and contaminated soil are being removed. Two of the facilities contain ongoing operations and will be reused for both radioactive and nonradioactive programs. Two others will be completely demolished and the land area will become available for future DOE building sites. An overview of the successful techniques and equipment used in the decontamination and decommissioning of individual pieces of equipment, gloveboxes, services, laboratories, sections of buildings, entire buildings, and external underground piping, tanks, and soil in a highly populated residential area is described and pictorially presented.


Objective To study the effects of pulverization on the content and solubility of active ingredients in Panax ginseng.Method Ginsenoside Rg1 in coarse powder,mediate powder,fine powder,super fine powder and micro-powde(r20 μm,15 μm,10 μm)were respectively analyzed by high performance liquid chromatograph(HPLC).Results The content and solubility of mediate powder were highest.Conclusion Pulverization may influence the content and solubility of ginsenoside Rg1 in Panax ginseng,but there is non-linear correlation.Appropriate pulverization is necessary,but the finest powder does not bring about highest content and solubility.


Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) vary a lot in the architecture employed, the realization of domain knowledge,
the student modelling techniques, the pedagogical techniques and in numerous other aspects. This literature
review attempts to highlight the key theories and implementation technologies adopted in the design and
development of ITSs during the period under review.


THE INTRODUCTION of penicillin revolutionized the treatment of Grampositive coccal infections. Mortali ty from pneumococcal and beta hemolytic streptococcal infections became a rarity. Staphylococcal infections also responded to penicillin therapy with almost uniform regularity initially, bu t the incidence of penicillin resistant infections began to rise even before 1950. As many as 90 per cent of staphylococcal infections seen in hospital settings were associated with penicillin resistant strains by the mid-1950's (1). Treatment was based on combinations of bacteriostatic drugs or on the use of toxic agents which were difficult to administer


Type of funding sources: None.

 Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is currently the recommended treatment for aortic stenosis (AS) in high or intermediate-risk or inoperable patients. Balloon-expandable valve (BEV) and self-expanding valve (SEV) are the two major types of transcatheter heart valves (TTHV). Despite major diferences, both designs are recomended, however, there are only limited data available for the comparison of newer generation BEV and SEV.

 Compare echocardiographic and clinical parameters, during 1 year of follow-up of a balloon-expandable (BS) versus self-expanding (SE) transcatheter aortic valve implantantation, with emphasis on the composite endpoits proposed by uptade Valve Academic Researc Consortium (VARC-2).

 Retrospective, comparative study in patients with symptomatic severe AS with a high operative risk, who implanted BEV or SEV between January 2016 and December 2019. All patients underwent echocardiographic study before an after the procedure (on the day , 6 months and 1 year of follow up), clinical data were collected. The following ecocardiographic parameters were evaluated: transvalvular and prosthetic aortic gradientes and paravalvular leak (PVL).

 We studied 106 patients (81 ± 8 years, 60% female) with severe AS (mean gradient of 49 ± 12 mmHg), who were threated with BE or SE transcatheter aortic valve. Comparative analysis between BEV vs SEV, showed: there were no statistically significant in mean transprosthetic gradients (9.5 ± 4.8 vs 10 ±6.2; p = 0.49). There were no statistically significant differences between BE and SE valves in the cumulative incidence of death from any cause (21% vs. 28%; p = 0.49), death from cardiovascular causes (3.3% vs. 0%; p= 0.26), all strokes (1.6% vs. 1.6%; p = 0.85), pacemaker implatation (18% vs. 15% p = 0.79); major bleeding (3.3% vs 6.5%; p = 0.18) and renal injury (1.6% vs. 2.1%: p = 0.67). There were statistically significant differences between BE and SE valves in the cumulative incidence of moderate or severe PVL (5% vs. 23.9%; p = 0.009) and repeat hospitalization (11.6% vs. 28%;p = 0.04). Device sucess was achieved in 97 % for BEV vs 91% for SEV (p = 0,39). The early safety at 30 days was observed in 5% for BVE vs. 4.3% for SVE (p = 0.87). The clinical efficacy after 30 days was achieved in 1,6% for BVE vs. 4.3% for SVE (p = 0.03), with higher incidence of moderate or severe PVL. The composite endpoint valve safety occured in 3,3 % for BVE vs 26% for SVE (p < 0,001), with moderate or severe PVL in 23%.
 Conclusion(s): In patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who implanted BEV or SEV transcatheter aortic valve there was a significant improvement in the hemodynamic status. The present study suggests that use of SEV was associated with a higher risk of PVL and repeat hospitalization, with a endpoint clinical efficacy after 30 days (4,3%) and time-related valve safety (26%).


Not long ago, we learned that lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are frequently abnormal in persons without back pain (see Journal Watch accession number 940726001 and N Engl J Med 1994; 331:69). It appears …


Introduction: There is a wide range of research on time perception and processing which is related to all organisms' behaviors. Also, there is a vast literature in social psychology to assess how behavior is shaped by time including topics such as time management, time orientation, or the relative value to past and future. The main aim of the present study was the assessment of relationship among social procrastination, waiting anxiety and time perception. Method: In this study, 300 female students were selected by convenience sampling. They were assessed using social procrastination inventory with two subscales, waiting anxiety standard questionnaires and time Perception measured with four methods of production, reproduction, verbal estimation and comparison by standard software. Conclusion: Multivariable regression results showed that Incuriosity positively and self concentration negatively (social procrastination subscales) predicted time perception with verbal estimation method. Waiting anxiety, age and self concentration predicted time perception by production method. Also, Logistic regression results showed that age is able to predict time perception by compared method.


New Orleans - After an early explosion of interest, the annual number of ablative facial rejuvenation procedures has reached a plateau. And focus has shifted toward the development of nonablative techniques.


Purpose:- Normal microfloras of conjunctival sac can flourish and be the potential cause for postoperative intraocular infections. Precautions and measures have to be taken to prevent acute postoperative endophthalmitis, which is a challenge to treat, and has poor visual outcome. Hence this study was done to assess the sensitivity of commonly used topical antibiotics like chloramphenicol and moxifloxacin. Material & Methods:- During the period of 10 months, 727 patients were included in the study that were either planned for intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF or were undergoing cataract surgery in a tertiary eye hospital. Conjunctival swabs were obtained, subjected to standard aerobic culture, along with identification techniques and antibiotic sensitivity evaluation was done. All collected data was entered in Microsoft Excel and statistical analysis was performed. Results:- Out of 727 conjunctival swabs, 13 (1.7 %) conjunctival swabs showed microbial growth. The most common organism was found to be staphylococcus epidermidis. Microbial culture and antibiotic sensitivity revealed that only 5 conjunctival swabs (38%) showed sensitivity to moxifloxacin, whereas chloramphenicol showed sensitivity in 11 conjunctival swabs (85%). The antibiotic sensitivity reports of inhibition zone for moxifloxacin and chloramphenicol were compared using paired t test and showed that bacteria were more sensitive to chloramphenicol than moxifloxacin with p value of 0.00. Conclusion:- The results of this study suggest that topical chloramphenicol was found to be more sensitive as compared to topical moxifloxacin. Hence, it is wise to choose the cheaper and more effective topical chloramphenicol over moxifloxacin. Abstract is the most common cause of post-intravitreal anti-VEGF injection endophthalmitis. 3 Recently, increasing number of cases are occurring after intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medication due to a dramatic increase in the number of injections annually. 4 Indian studies have found that the major pathogens causing acute postoperative endophthalmitis include coagulase-negative staphylococci (70%), Staphylococcus aureus (10%), and Streptococci (9%), which matches with the western data as well. Precautions and measures have to be taken to prevent acute postoperative endophthalmitis, which is a challenge to treat, and has a poor visual outcome. Pre-operative precaution for eye surgeries includes 24 hours preoperative instillation of topical antibiotics, for which we should be aware which antibiotic is sensitive for the most common organisms found in the microflora of the conjunctival sac. 5 study normal ocular


Dinoflagellates is one of the important harmful algae bloom forming species. Because of the similarity in size and shape,micro- dinoflagellates were difficult to be identified exactly using morphological approaches. Single- cell PCR is probably the most rapid and convenient method that can identify marine dinoflagellates accurately. In this study,Alexandrium tarmarense were fixed with glutaraldehyde,Lugol's solution and formalin respectively. Before undertaken single- cell PCR,the whole genome of single cell was amplified. The results showed that the cells preserved in glutaraldehyde and Lugol's solution could be analyzed using sing- cell PCR in 30 days. While there were negative results in the A. tarmarense cells preserved in formalin. The dinoflagellate Peridinium conicum collected in Lingshui Bay in Dalian were fixed with glutaraldehyde at final concentration of 2%,and successfully identified by combining light microscopy and single cell PCR Amplification methods.


Similarity search is important in many applications including data cleaning, near duplicate detection, plagiarism detection and collaborative filtering. Existing methods make use of a filter-and-verification framework. They first generate candidate strings and then verify the candidates. It is very important to generate candidates as small as possible. The prefix-filtering technique is widely used to reduce the number of candidates. In this paper, we show that we can generate candidates using partial elements in the prefix of a query. Based on the observation, we propose a technique that reduces the number of candidates significantly. Experimental results show that our technique achieves high efficiency.


The only New Testament reference to Illyricum (Rom 15:19) raises many questions. How is Paul using this term—that is, what territory is he referring to? And is he saying that he has travelled into it or merelythat he has travelled up to it? If he has been there, when did this occur? And how much of Illyricum is he likely to have seen? What reason(s) would he have had for going there? While certainty about these matters is unattainable, we stand to learn something of value by investigating them as carefully as we can.


52 strains of bacteria were obtained on EMB plates from samples of microbial fertilizer (MF) products, and they were tested and verified in order to correctly distinguish the coli group in the MF. 7 strains of 4 genus in Enterobacter were used as control. 18 typical strains were also selected according to their color and shape of colonies to identify by Biolog automatic identification system. The results of Biolog identification accorded with the type of the strains. Meanwhile, 13 G strains (or variable) and 8 G - strains, which were occurred frequently in the MF, were carried out the detection of coli group. The results of 13 G strains (or variable) in lactose bile salt tubes and EMB plates were negative. 3 strains of 8 G - strains can use lactose, but all of them cannot produce gas. This case can be differentiated by verification test.


The notorious love affair between George IV and Maria Fitzherbert is one of the most bizarre episodes in the history of the Royal family. It is the story of a young Catholic widow who became the secret wife of the heir to the throne because she had refused to become his mistress. This account reveals a genuine love story between the spoilt, egocentric prince and the older woman who brought peace and order to his life of restlessness and excess, resulting in a marriage that defied English law and broke all the rules of the monarchy.


To estimate nullvalues in relational database systems is an important research topic. In Chen and Yeh (1997) a method for estimating null values in relational database systems was presented. In Chen and Chen (1997) a method for fuzzy query translation for information in the distributed relational databases environment was presented. In this article, the works of Chen and Chen (1997) and Chen and Yeh (1997) are extended to propose a method for estimating null values in the distributed relational databases environment. The proposed method provides a useful way to estimate incomplete data when the relations stored in a failed server cannot be accessed in the distributed relational databases environment.


Nowadays the Mozzarella cheese is the most produced in Brazil. However, due to the problem of the seasonal production of milk, in a certain period of the year, there is a shortage of the milk offer and than the cheese price rises. For this reason, the usage of reconstituted dry milk blended with fresh milk could be an alternative for the stabilization of the offer of the product in the market. In this experiment, Mozzarella cheeses were produced with fresh milk and with fresh milk added of 10% and 20% of reconstituted dry milk (obtained from medium-heat dry milk). The physico-chemical and slicing properties of the cheeses made with fresh milk and with fresh milk added of reconstituted milk (10% and 20%) were compared. The statistical analysis of data permited withdraw the following conclusions: the Mozzarella cheese may be produced by adding 10% of reconstituted milk to the fresh milk without affecting its physico-chemical characteristics nor the property of slicing; on the other hand, that one produced by addition of 20% of reconstituted milk to the fresh milk showed a poor property of slicing.


Groundcovers of Hong Kong soil slopes were assessed. Plant coverage of groundcover species was unsatisfactory and mainly occupied by native graminoids and ferns. Plant species composition varied significantly among areas under different intensities of development. Soil slopes have been established on a large scale in Hong Kong owing to its hilly topography and high degree of development. The sophisticated slope upgrading techniques currently available make revegetation of these urban landscapes possible, thus enhancing ecological restoration. Among the plants selected for revegetation, native plants are recently preferred owing to their adaptability to local climates and beneficial ecological roles. Native trees and shrubs are widely studied for their significance to the urban environment whereas groundcovers are usually ignored. The abilities of groundcovers to provide sustainable plant covers and positively influence ecology are occasionally recognized and need to be assessed. Areas with differing degrees of development that have dramatically different environmental conditions may result in alteration of this plant community. Analysis of groundcover vegetation on thirty-five soil slopes was carried out in suburban and urban areas of Hong Kong to assess plant abundance and analyze the substrates for their nutrient status. We also evaluated slope performance to determine any correlation with the groundcover community. Results showed that the plant coverage of groundcovers was generally low, with the initially planted groundcovers replaced by native ferns and graminoids. Significant differences in plant species composition were shown among areas under different intensities of development. Active management of native vegetation on soil slopes is recommended to facilitate the ecological rehabilitation of urban landscapes.


For more than four decades, since Baker v. Carr, the Supreme Court has been shaping our democracy in important ways. Among other things, it has approved numerous state laws directed against third parties and independent candidacies, accepted incumbent protection as a redistricting principle, ended the movement for term limits for congressional representatives, eliminated most political patronage, prohibited laws aimed at limiting campaign expenditures, and decided a presidential election. These and other democracy defining cases are often decided on the basis of First Amendment and Equal Protection arguments that do not adequately address the democratic tensions in these cases, resulting in opinions that, because they miss the critical choices the cases present, have failed to create a coherent body of law. This article proposes that the Court should treat democracy defining cases as a discrete category applying heightened scrutiny to state and federal regulations that undermine a framework of specified procedural objectives based on the concept of the freely given consent of the governed. Part I shows why traditional methods of analysis have proved inadequate for these cases. It also describes the proposed framework itself. Part II then critically analyzes important Supreme Court cases, mostly decided over the last fifteen years, addressing issues of ballot access, voter participation in primaries, redistricting, campaign finance, term limits, and debate inclusiveness, to show why the proposed framework would have produced decisions both more pragmatic (because more concerned with practical consequences) and more principled (because based on a recognized set of procedural objectives.)


The utility model relates to a distributed photovoltaic intelligent grid connection box. A circuit breaker, an operating mechanism of the circuit breaker, and a central processing unit used for controlling the motion of the operating mechanism are installed in a box body. The operating mechanism is a rapid permanent magnetic operating mechanism which comprises an output shaft. An upper end of the output shaft is connected with a metal repulsive force plate of a repulsive force mechanism. An opening position baffle plate and a closing position baffle plate are disposed below a repulsive force coil of the repulsive force mechanism respectively. A movable iron core is positioned between the opening position baffle plate and the closing position baffle plate. A demagnetizing coil, a permanent magnet and a closing coil which match the movable iron core are disposed on an outer side of the movable iron core respectively. An opening spring is further disposed on an upper part of the output shaft. The distributed photovoltaic intelligent grid connection box is rapid in opening motion in a short time period, at the same time, has the advantages of low cost, small size, little energy consumption and high reliability, is suitable for frequent operation, and can be applied to grid connection of photovoltaic powers or various micro-grids.


Zanr (Italian, U. of Glasgow) explores how certain people in 16th-century Florence, during the reign of Duke Cosimo I de'Medici) were able to produce alternative literary responses within a dominant, officially-sanctioned cultural milieu that attempted to contain and in some cases exclude them. He also investigates how they were able to articulate


Hypertension is a cardiovascular disease that is often encountered in Indonesian. In an advance stage can occur complication such that the patient requires to have a many and different kind of medicine. This condition might cause Drug Related Problems (DRPs) one of them is drug interaction. This researchwas conducted using non-experimental research design with retrospective study in August-December 2016 period. The data obtained was in form of outpatient prescription drugs that fulfill the criteria of inclusion and exclusion which than reviewed descriptively based on the literature. The result of the research showed that 304 kind of antihypertension drugs have drug interaction outof 360 kinds of sample prescription, with the potential pharmacokinetics interaction were found in 28,95% of the drugs, interaction of pharmacodynamics were found in 66,12% of the drugs, and unknown interaction were found in 4.93% of the drugs. It was also are obtained the degree of severity of the major interaction that is the most dangerous found in 0,99% of the drugs, moderate degree of severity of interaction is that can caused the decline of the patient clinical status but still allowed is on the 69,41% of the drugs, and the minor severity degree of interaction is the lightest severity degreethat can be found on 29,60% of the drugs.


[Introduction] Regarding the miniaturization and high performance of the devices, the microfabrication technology is increasingly important. Generally, oxide is difficult to be etched. It is not easy to establish industrially suitable processing technology. Meanwhile we have developed the water lift off (WLO) process using deliquescence of amorphous calcium oxide (a-CaO) to selectively grow the oxide film at high temperatures. We have reported the micro patterning technology of oxide films using WLO process [1]. In this study, we would like to demonstrate selective growth and micro-patterning of hetero-epitaxial oxide films to create film capacitor structure by WLO process. To do so, we have been preparing the capacitor structures of SrRuO3(SRO)/Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST)/SRO film capacitor on (100) SrTiO3 (STO) substrate through WLO process.


Purpose: This paper describes the study of the connection with loose fixing composite rings of pipe flanges. The elastic properties of the joint components - gasket, pressure flanges, rings and fixing bolts were determined experimentally.

Design/methodology/approach: The criterion of joint tightness was formulated. The constructed model was used to determine the analytical dependence of the joint leakage pressure on the assembly torque of bolts tightening. The correctness of the model was confirmed by the agreement of the analytical results with the experimental results.

Findings: Quantitative characteristics were determined for the selected type of joint.

Practical implications: The formulated conclusions indicate the possibility of using the model to support the design process and to select the structural parameters of the joint meeting the operational requirements and safety criteria.

Originality/value: Produced with recycled materials using.


Industrial symbiosis, which allows the sharing of resources between different industries, could help to improve the overall feasibility of bio-based chemicals production. In that regard, this study focused on integrating the torrefaction of pulp industry sludge with anaerobic digestion. More specifically, anaerobic digestion (AD) of pulp sludge-derived torrefaction condensate (TC) was studied to evaluate the biomethane and volatile fatty acid (VFA) potential. The torrefaction condensate produced at 275 and 300 °C was used in AD. The volatile solid content (VS) was 6.69 and 9.01% for the condensate produced at 275 and 300 °C, respectively. The organic fraction of TC mainly contained acetic acid, 2-furanmethanol, and syringol. The methane yield was in the range of 481–772 mL/g VS for the mesophilic and 401–746 mL/g VS for the thermophilic process, respectively. The VFA yield was in the range of 1.1 to 3.4 g/g VS for mesophilic and from 1.5 to 4.7 g/g VS in thermophilic conditions, when methanogenesis was inhibited. Finally, pulp sludge TC is a feasible feedstock to produce platform chemicals like VFA. However, at higher substrate loading, signs of process inhibition were observed because of the relatively increasing concentration of microbial inhibitors


Air foil bearings have been attempted for application to industrial turbo machines, since they have several advantages over oil bearings in terms of endurance, simplicity, environment-friendliness, efficiency, sound and vibration, and small turbo machines with air foil bearings are in the market as the result. Recently, researches on widening the application spectrum of air foil bearings are in progress worldwide. In this paper, a 300 HP class turbo blower using air foil bearings is introduced. The turbo blower has a high speed PMSM(Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) driving a compressor, and air flow rate is designed to be 180 ㎥/min at pressure ratio of 1.6. The maximum rotational speed is set to 17,000 RPM to maximize the total efficiency with the result that the weight of rotor assembly is 26kg, which is expected to be the largest turbo machine with air foil bearings ever developed in the world.


The generalized Schur complements for the Hadamard product and Kronecker product of positive semidefinite matrices are studied by using the properties of positive semidefinite matrices and their Moore-Penrose generalized inverse. An equality and several inequalities for the generalized Schur complements for the Hadamard product and Kronecker product of positive semidefinite matrices are derived. For positive semidefinite matrices,the results of the Schur complements for the Hadamard product and Kronecker product can be extended to the generalized Schur complements and the constraint condition can be weakened.


bleeding than TTR [6]. The patients monitored by POC in the present study have a higher frequency of INR testing and more dose adjustments than the conventionally monitored patients [1] and we wonder if these results reflect higher INR variability. We fully agree with the authors0 conclusion that POC monitoring of INR, as carried out in a specialized clinical setting, is a safe alternative to laboratory monitoring. Nevertheless, we suggest that the already high clinical quality could possibly be further improved by introduction of measures of INR variability, and hope this will be a focus in future research efforts.


The family of Malacoherpesviridae is currently represented by only two viruses infecting molluscs, Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) and Haliotid herpesvirus 1 (HaHV-1), both causing detrimental infections in aquaculture species. Malacoherpesvirus-like sequences were also detected through genome sequencing projects in amphioxus (Branchiostoma species) and annelid worm (Capitella teleta), suggesting the existence of a hidden diversity of malacoherpesviruses in aquatic animals. Here, to extend the knowledge on malacoherpesvirus diversity, we searched for the presence of malacoherpesvirus relatives in genomic, transcriptomic and metagenomic datasets, including from the Tara Oceans expedition, and report 4 novel malacoherpesvirus-like genomes (MalacoHV1-4). Genomic analysis suggested gastropods and bivalves as the most probable hosts for these new malacoherpesviruses. Phylogenetic analysis based on the family B DNA polymerase placed the novel MalacoHV1 and MalacoHV3 as sister lineages of OsHV-1 and HaHV-1, respectively, whereas MalacoHV2 and MalacoHV4 showed higher divergence. The viral genome found associated with amphioxus together with MalacoHV4 formed a sister clade to the mollusc and annelid malacoherpesviruses, suggesting an early divergence of the two virus assemblages. In conclusion, although relatively rare in the available sequence databases, the previously undescribed malacoherpesviruses, MalacoHV1-4, circulate in aquatic ecosystems and should be considered as possible emerging viruses under changing environmental conditions.


The establishment of a sound and perfect rural credit information system has a bearing on the overall situation of national social credit system building,while a perfect household credit information sharing mechanism is the basis for the establishment of the rural credit system.The central part of information-sharing process is how to share the incentives,and a raised welfare level for information sharing subjects can be seen as one of the premises for realization of information sharing.The theories related to the Multi-objective Planning Model and the Utility Function prove that the welfare of all subjects has been indeed raised after information sharing and that an optimal allocation of credit information resources has been achieved.Given Hubei provincial situations,it's necessary to establish and improve the related laws and regulations as soon as possible,to build up the information sharing and coordinating mechanisms between government departments,to adhere to integrating the public operation with the market-orientation,to accelerate the formulation of technical standards for credit information,to improve the farmers' welfare and achieve rural household credit information sharing.


Conventional wisdom dictates that people save towards their retirement during their working lives, and then when they reach a stipulated retirement age, they stop working and draw a pension from their savings.


Anti-war movement for peace, which has a long history, is a kind of formation of the social movement taking opposing wars and defending peace as its pursued value . After the Second World War, this movement went through three upsurges. The anti-war movement, after the Cold War, manifested new characteristics such as being highly multinational, attaching great importance to the persuasive power of scientific research, the acceding press medias spreading news irreplaceably. Due to the existing state of international anarchism and the attribute in the process of democratic politics, the restrictions are imposed to the practical effects, which decides that the revolution of the anti-war movement for peace hardly gives great impetus to the realization of world peace for it is only a revolution with limited effects.


The paper offers a (partial) review of the philosophy of postmodernism as it applies to social science in general and management and organization theory in particular. Initially, some of the main analytical perspectives of postmodernism and post-structuralism are explored, notably those relating to epistemology and ethno-industrial change. Subsequently, we review concepts which lie at the heart of the 'postmodern mood' in social philosophy and sociology; for example, representation, reflexivity, deconstruction and decentring. In so doing, we take reference to the works of Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Francois Lyotard amongst others Finally, this philosophical assessment review forms the basis for an analysis of postmodernism as an emerging paradigm of management and organization theory. The works of key postmodernist writers in management and organization studies are reviewed and case examples of postmodern research presented.


A Chamberlin market is a trading institution with multiple traders, decentralized bilateral bargaining and publicly declared transaction prices (Chamberlin (1948)). This paper investigates the determinants of price dynamics in Chamberlin markets as well as double oral auctions. We test and compare the excess supply model (Walras (1874, 1877, 1889, 1896) and the excess rent model (Smith (1962, 1965)) and find support for the excess rent model. Unlike existing studies, which rely on natural variation in the main treatment variable (the prevailing price), we implement randomized control in the main treatment variable. We find that Smith's (1965) support for the excess rent model did not suffer from endogeneity bias. JEL codes: D41, D43, D44, C78


Cloud service providers may maintain all patient records and provide users with access to data. Cloud service providers can view all documents uploaded and downloaded to the cloud. The CSP checks for authentication before the data user receives a document request and authorizes it. Next, the CSP executes the query and returns an encrypted document based on the search token. It also returns additional certifications along with your documents to confirm your search results. After creating the block, the healthcare provider uploads the record to the cloud. If you want to search for records in the cloud, first assume that your healthcare provider searches for records. Results are displayed based on the search. After obtaining approval and key from the cloud service provider, healthcare providers can download the data. KeywordsAES, Encryption, Descryption, Cloud Computing, Block Chain.


The effect of an AlN additive on the thermoelectric properties of SiC ceramics was studied. Porous SiC ceramics with 48-54% relative density were fabricated by sintering the pressed a-SiC powder compacts with AlN at 2100-2200˚C for 3 h in an Ar atmosphere. In the undoped specimens, the Seebeck coefficients were positive (p-type semiconducting) possibly due to a dominant effect of the acceptor impurities (Al, Fe) contained in the starting powder. With AlN addition, the reverse phase transformation of 6H-SiC to 4H-SiC was observed during the sintering process. The electrical conductivity of the AlN doped specimen was larger than that of the undoped specimen under the same conditions, which might be due to a reverse phase trans-formation. The Seebeck coefficient of the AlN doped specimen was also larger than that of the undoped specimen. The density of specimen and the amount of addition had significant effects on the thermoelectric properties.


Method for operating a direct-injection diesel internal combustion engine with at least one in a cylinder (24), reciprocating piston (27), wherein the internal combustion engine is operated so that the combustion of the fuel at a local temperature below the NOx formation temperature and with a carried local air ratio above the soot formation, wherein the fuel injection is in a range between 50 ° and 5 ° of crank angle that a largely pre-mixed fuel-air mixture and exhaust gas is recirculated is started before the top dead center of the compression phase in such a manner, and wherein the exhaust gas recirculation rate is about 50% to 70%, characterized in that at least one piston (27) with at least one quench zone (34) and a donut-shaped piston cavity (28) and a constriction (29) in the transition region between the quench zone (34) and the piston cavity (28) provided is that, for upward movement of the piston (27) of a directed Ussen inwardly into the piston cavity (28) squish flow (43) is generated, that the fuel is at least predominantly in the toroidal piston cavity (28) is injected and the squish flow (43) (along the piston recess sidewall (31) and / or the piston crown 32) with at least partial evaporation is transported, and that the fuel in the direction of the constriction (29) of the piston (27) is injected, in which (to the start of injection, the intersection point 38) of the beam axis (35) of at least one injection jet for a large part of the fuel quantity in a region (36) between the trough side wall (31) and the quench zone (34) having an overhanging wall portion (30), the constriction (29) and an inlet region (37) includes between squish area and the constriction (29), wherein the intersection point (38) is set at a low load to an area of the overhang wall portion (30) within the piston cavity (28) and to the increasing load of the intersection point (38) in the direction of the constriction (29) is moved.


Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are currently attracting academic and commercial interest as regenerative low-cost alternatives to conventional solar cell devices. Researchers are focusing to facilitate for producing a low cost, eco-friendly and more efficient dye sensitized solar cells. Natural dye sensitized solar cells are a promising class of photovoltaic cells with the capacity of generating green energy at low production cost since no expensive equipment is required in their fabrication. In the present work we discuss the effect of Photoanodes sensitized with natural dyes Lawsone and Alizarin. We compared the efficiency of the devices fabricated with TiO2 nanofibers and nanopowder as photoanodes using these natural dyes. It is found that when we used nano fibers instead of nano powder as photo anode the dye adsorption on the TiO2 surface increases. This helps to harvest more photons and increases photocurrent density. As a result there is a significant increase in short circuit current density and conversion efficiency.


Context. Based on their spectral energy distribution, Herbig stars have been categorized into two observational groups, reflecting their overall disk structure: group I members have disks with a high degree of flaring as opposed to their group II counterparts. Literature results show that the structure of the disk is a strong function of the disk mass in μ m-sized dust grains. Aims. We investigate the 5–35 μ m Spitzer IRS spectra of a sample of 13 group I sources and 20 group II sources. We focus on the continuum emission to study the underlying disk geometry. Methods. We have determined the [30 / 13.5] and [13.5 / 7] continuum flux ratios. The 7-μ m flux excess with respect to the stellar photosphere is measured, as a marker for the strength of the near-IR emission produced by the hot inner disk. We have compared our data to the spectra produced by self-consistent passive-disk models, for which the same quantities were derived. Results. We confirm the results by Meijer et al. (2008, A&A, 492, 451) that the di ff erences in continuum emission between group I and II sources can largely be explained by a di ff erence in amount of small dust grains. However, we report a strong correlation between the [30 / 13.5] and [13.5 / 7] flux ratios for Meeus group II sources. Moreover, the [30 / 13.5] flux ratio decreases with increasing 7-μ m excess for all targets in the sample. To explain these correlations with the models, we need to introduce an artificial scaling factor for the inner disk height. In roughly 50% of the Herbig Ae / Be stars in our sample, the inner disk must be inflated by a factor 2 to 3 beyond what hydrostatic calculations predict. Conclusions. The total disk mass in small dust grains determines the degree of flaring. We conclude, however, that for any given disk mass in small dust grains, the shadowing of the outer (tens of AU) disk is determined by the scale height of the inner disk ( ∼ 1 AU). The inner disk partially obscures the outer disk, reducing the disk surface temperature. Here, for the first time, we prove these e ff ects observationally.


BACKGROUND
More than 90% of injury-related deaths and disabilities occur in low- and middle-income countries. The development of the Nigerian Trauma Registry (NTR) and the first descriptive data analysis of the patient characteristics, mechanisms of injury, injury severity, and treatments are reported.

METHODS
Existing data collection tools were modified to capture a minimum data set of variables reflective of the trauma experience in Nigeria. Data are collected using the secure, Web-based application, REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture).

RESULTS
Two hospitals entered 564 patients into the registry. Motor vehicle accidents were the most frequently reported trauma (69.2%). Of the 51 fall injuries, 82% were from buildings. There were 229 mass casualties, including bus accidents (41.5%), bombings or blasts (28.8%), multiple vehicle accidents (23.6%), fires (3.1%), and civil conflicts or riots (3.1%). External soft tissue was the most commonly reported injury region followed by extremities, head and neck, face, abdomen, and thorax/spine. Only 18.1% of patients arrived by ambulance. There were 19 recorded in-hospital deaths and 79.0% of these were due to motor vehicle accidents.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the largest report of injury surveillance in this country. These data are essential to inform policy makers about the increasing trauma burden and provide a strong advocacy tool, prevention opportunities, provisions for unmet capacity needs, and better allocation of limited health care resources. The NTR has demonstrated that development and implementation of an electronic trauma registry is feasible in low- and middle-income countries. The NTR evolved through international collaborations that included a partnership with an American epidemiologist and 2 Nigerian hospitals that contributed their individual and institutional capabilities. Local champions are required to drive the initiation and implementation of registries.


From discreet luncheons in a gentleman's club and an inaugural meeting attended by 65 people, the Society of Indexers has developed into an organisation with an international membership, a regular programme of conferences and meetings, and its own journal. In the age of the computer the Society believes that the good indexing practice, promoted by a registration system and a training programme, will ensure that its members will have a prime role in controlling the information output of the next millennium.


The prediction of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity has been a lasting challenge. Numerical models often underestimate the intensity of strong TCs. Accurately describing the air–sea heat flux is essential for improving the simulation of TCs. It is widely accepted that sea spray has a nonnegligible effect on the heat transfer between the atmosphere and the ocean. However, the commonly used sea spray-induced heat flux algorithms have poor applicability under high wind speeds, and it is difficult to apply these algorithms to models to forecast TCs. In this study, we proposed an improved sea spray-induced heat flux algorithm based on the FASTEX dataset. This improved algorithm performs much better under high wind speed conditions than the commonly used algorithms and can be used in a coupled numerical model. The addition of sea spray-induced heat fluxes noticeably enhances the total air–sea heat fluxes and allows more energy to be transferred from the ocean to the lower atmosphere. In the simulation of TCs, the addition of sea spray-induced heat fluxes significantly improves the simulation of TC intensity and makes the low-pressure structure and wind field structure more fully developed in the horizontal direction.


Atheromatous plaques of the ascending aorta are one of the most important risk factors for postoperative mortality and morbidity in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We have retrospectively analyzed the results of proximal anastomoses constructed on the innominate artery in patients with calcific atheromatous plaques (CAP) in their ascending aorta detected intraoperatively.


Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) nowadays is one of the most versatile tools for chemists to study molecular structure and dynamics in solution. The unique feature of this spectroscopic method is that different NMR experiments, by means of different NMR pulse sequences, can be used to collect various information about atomic connectivity, molecular geometry and molecular dynamics, mostly using a single sample and a single spectrometer.

This thesis reports on NMR pulse sequence developments leading to homonuclear broadband decoupled NMR spectra, a field of work which recently attracted renewed attention as the field of "pure shift NMR". The experiments developed in this work enable the extraction of NMR structure parameters from spectra with simplified signal appearance. The work is separated in four distinct projects:

In project A it is shown, that the extraction of interatomic distances, via the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE), is possible from pure shift NOESY and pure shift 1D NOE experiments in a quantitative fashion. Requirements for unbiased distance measurements from pure shift spectra and factors possibly limiting the accuracy of the measurement are discussed.

Project B describes the development and testing of pure shift HSQC experiments, based on CLIP/CLAP-HSQC experiments, designed for accurate measurement of one-bond residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). All experiments described in this chapter enable the extraction of the heteronuclear coupling constants 1J(XH) and 1T(XH) in the high-resolution proton dimension, which features partial or full suppression of homonuclear coupling pattern. It is shown, that the CLIP/CLAP-HSQC experiments with F2-BIRD and F2-perfectBIRD homonuclear decoupling presented enable high-accuracy measurement of one-bond RDCs. Further, F2-real-time-BIRD homonuclear decoupled CLIP/CLAP-HSQC experiments are presented, which enable the measurement for one-bond RDCs in experiments with instant homonuclear decoupling.

Project C makes direct use of the perfectBIRD decoupling scheme derived in project B. A fully homo- and heteronuclear decoupled F2-perfectBIRD HSQC experiment is presented, which is tailored for highest field strengths available. This experiment provides direct access to HSQC correlation information with notably good signal separation, which is demonstrated in the case study of an oligomeric urea-derivative, normally leading to heavily overlapped spectra.

Project D presents a practical solution to the long-standing problem of recording COSY-type correlation spectra with in-phase absorptive signal appearance. The CLIP-COSY experiment presented achieves these desirable spectral features even with a single scan per t1-increment and thus provides rapid access to COSY-type spectra with simple signal appearance along both spectral dimensions. The robustness of the experiment, e.g. towards signal loss in the case of line broadening, and the possibility of combining the experiment with pure shift acquisition techniques are presented.


Healthcare for mental disorders is a big challenge for the German healthcare system. In cases of comorbid mental diseases, patients suffer from an especially high burden of disease. So far, innovative care models for collaborative and stepped care have only been investigatedwith respect to their effectiveness for single mental disorders. The project "Collaborative and Stepped Care in Mental Health by Overcoming Treatment Sector Barriers" (COMET), which is being carried out by the Hamburg Network for Health Services Research (HAM-NET) from 2017 until 2020, examines an innovative, guidelinebased healthcare model for the improvement of healthcare for patientswithmental illnesses and their potential comorbidities. In this article this new stepped and collaborative care model for patients in primary care that integrates general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and hospitals is presented. For the implementation and facilitation of the model, guideline-based treatment pathways, a tablet-based computer program for screening, diagnostic and guideline-based treatment recommendations, as well as awebbased transferal platform were developed. The results of this project on the effectiveness and efficacy of the model can help determine if the model can be implemented in routine healthcare. This could represent a major step towards more integrated and cross-sectoral healthcare for patients with mental illnesses.


Abstract : Investigates whether General Headquarters Air Force was formed as a political expedient to stifle the bid for a separate air force or whether it served a useful purpose in meeting national objectives. Examines the seven-year history of the organization from 1935-1942, giving special attention to its antecedents and accomplishments. Devotes major sections to conflicts between the GHQ Air Force and the Air Corps and the development of doctrine. Concludes with lessons on the contribution of the GHQ Air Force and its mistakes in advocating the doctrine of strategic bombardment. (Author)


On account of the leverage that the Academy of Management (AOM) has, via its positioning in the highest tiers of the A-journal lists currently used to adjudicate promotions and tenure evaluations, it is urgent to assess the premises and assumptions upon which the so-called pluralist model of scholarly impact, advocated by academics with executive responsibilities in the AOM, is built. Our findings are that the pluralist model is liable to three crucial problems: ecological bias, specific knowledge and pre-emptive costs. Consistent with extant performance evaluation scholarship, promotions and tenure evaluations must build instead on: (a) a qualitative evaluation of scholarly contributions unencumbered by ordinality assumptions; (b) the narrowing of the span of control of academics, moving supervisory authority away from the line structure and back into the hands of true peers; and (c) muting the incentives that prevent academics from focusing on riskier and long-term horizon outputs, which are pillars in agreement with known accounts of how exploratory behaviour has been successfully managed at IBM, Google, the SAS Institute and Nokia, to name but a few cases. JEL Codes: 123, O31


1.1 DNA methylation in eukaryotes 3 1.1.1 Epigenetic gene regulation 3 1.1.2 Discovery of 5‐methylcytosine in DNA 4 1.1.3 Eukaryotic DNA methyltransferases 6 1.1.4 Distribution of 5‐methylcytosine in the mammalian genome 9 1.1.5 Regulation of gene expression by DNA methylation 14 1.1.6 DNA methylation dynamics 19 1.2 The Dnmt1 enzyme 23 1.2.1 Structure 23 1.2.2 Mechanism of the methyl transfer reaction 25 1.2.3 Substrate specificity 26 1.3 Regulation of Dnmt1 28 1.3.1 Transcriptional and translational Regulation 28 1.3.2 Regulation of Dnmt1 by post‐translational modifications 29 1.3.3 DNA binding and allosteric activation 29 1.3.4 Regulation by interaction with other factors 31 1.4 Aims of this work 33 2 Results


The development continuous growth of the routing protocols promises a flourishing future for the mobile systems. Nevertheless, routing protocols are always subject to evaluations and improvements. Mobility is one of the dominating characteristics of Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANET); the user has all freedom to move without any constraint. On the other hand, mobility influences the connectivity between the nodes and the packets routing. This paper studies the impact of mobility on the Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol. AODV is an on demand protocol, it builds routes between nodes only as desired by source nodes.


In this study we performed a next generation sequencing of 210 genes in 140 patients with cardiac failure requiring a heart transplantation. We identified a total of 48 candidate variants in 47 patients. Forty-three patients (90%) presented a single variant, and fourpatients (10%) were carriers of two variants. After refining the classification, we identified a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in 13 patients (10% of our cohort). In 34 additional cases (25%) the variants were classified as of unknown significance (VUS). In reference to the cause of cardiac failure in the 13 carriers of pathogenic variants, 5 were of dilated non-ischemic cause, 4 hypertrophic and 1 restrictive cardiomyopathy. In the ischemic cases (n = 3) no family history of cardiac disease was recorded, while nineof the non-ischemic had other relatives who were also diagnosed. In conclusion, the NGS of a cardiac transplanted cohort identified a definite or very likely genetic cause in 10% of the cases. Most of them had a family history of cardiac disease, and were thus previously studied as part of a routine screening by a genetic counselor. Pathogenic variants in cases without a family history of cardiac disease were mainly of ischemic origin.


Men and women aged 28 to 75 years withmean ambulatory BP greater than140/90 mm Hg re-ceived 10 hours of individualized stress management bymeansofsemistandardizedtreatmentcomponents.Theywererandomlyassignedtoimmediatetreatment(n=27)or a wait list control group (n=33). Participants on thewait list were subsequently offered treatment. Six-month follow-up data were available from 36 of the 45participantswhocompletedtreatment.Measureswere24-hour ambulatory BP, lipid levels, weight, and psycho-logical measures.


Judith Butler's recent work is exemplary of the trend in contemporary theory to consider ethics. Her deliberation over ethical questions, and the place of ethics in intellectual work, has undeniably intensified since September 11. This article will demonstrate, however, that this is a rendering explicit of what has always been implicit in her work. Rather than perceiving the ethical dimension of Butler's writings in her increasing interest in thinkers such as Emmanuel Levinas and Hannah Arendt, I contend that it is in her sustained interest in Hegel, and specifically in Hegelian recognition, that her work can be read as engaged with ethical concerns. This article highlights the growing critical concern with the prevalence of recognition in ethical theory and questions the possibility of theorising ethics outside of the recognition-paradigm.


Background. In cells long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) control gene expression through various mechanisms, acting on different biological levels: chromatin remodeling, regulation of transcription, posttranscriptional modification. LncRNAs could also be transported via systemic circulation, encapsulated in extracellular vesicles called "exosomes" or in vesicle-free form, bounded to proteins or lipoproteins. Knowing the intracellular function of lncRNAs, it is reasonably speculated that in cancer patients their existence in bloodstream is more than just an extracellular release. It is thought to be a kind of an epigenetic mechanism, rendered by tumor cells, so the last could influence gene expression programs of normal cells in distance, creating tumor-friendly environment in other body compartments - a sine qua non for metastatic spread. Few studies have investigated in vivo circulating lncRNAs in breast cancer and even less have done it in the neoadjuvant setting. Goals and objectives. We decided to conduct a small exploratory study in patients with locally advanced breast cancer, focusing on changes in plasma lncRNAs during neoadjuvant therapy. The two main goals of the study are: 1. Assessing the effect of systemic anticancer treatment on epigenetic regulators such as circulating lncRNAs; 2. Testing the technical feasibility of using lncRNAs as plasma biomarkers. Our objectives include lncRNA profiling in circulation before onset as well as in the course of systemic therapy, followed by correlation analysis between distinct lncRNA signatures and clinicopathological features. Differential lncRNA expression will be assessed between patients and normal controls as well as among patient subgroups according to time of sampling, age, intrinsic breast cancer phenotype and response to therapy. LncRNAs of interest will be further examined in larger cohorts of patients and healthy controls. Design/materials/methods. This is a prospective, interventional, case-control clinical trial in two parts - exploration and validation. Patients eligibility criteria: age ≥ 18 years; females; histologically confirmed locally advanced breast cancer; multidisciplinary tumor board decision for neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus targeted therapy; radiologically excluded distant dissemination; no concomitant malignancy; signed informed consent form (ICF). Healthy controls eligibility criteria: age ≥ 18 years; females; no oncologic history; signed ICF. For part I ten patients and two controls have already been recruited. Blood samples were taken from each patient twice - before onset of neoadjuvant therapy and before 4th cycle (in one patient the second sample was taken before 6th cycle), from control subjects blood was taken once. Plasma was immediately separated and frozen until RNA extraction. Next-generation RNA sequencing was performed with subsequent bioinformatics analysis on lncRNAs. Clinical and pathology information was obtained from each patient's hospital file. In part II plasma will be collected in the same manner as in part I. Preselected lncRNAs from part I will be measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Statistics. This is an exploratory study with no empirical data and no formal planning for sample size. The correlation between lncRNAs and clinicopathological characteristics and the significance of the differences among groups will be assessed by parametric tests (Pearson correlation, Student's t-test) and/or multivariate such (ANCOVA). Present and target accrual. Part I accrual has completed and bioinformatics data are expected. Part II accrual is ongoing with 15 patients already recruited. Target accrual for part II is 50 patients and 20 controls. Citation Format: Boris Krastev, Constanta Timcheva, Spartak Valev, Georgi Zhbantov, Mila Petrova, Teodora Karanikolova, Radostina Gencheva, Anika Ivanova, Ivaylo Stoykov, Georgi Stamenov. Investigating circulating lncRNAs in breast cancer patients on neoadjuvant systemic therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT1-03-03.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how companies develop mitigation capabilities in their supply chains in order to reduce the negative impacts of counterfeiting.

Design/methodology/approach

Five cases with two types of supply chain are analyzed: B2B (clothing, footwear and toys) and B2C (automotive). Data gathering was based on interviews, while secondary data were obtained directly from trade associations.

Findings

Companies presented different levels of proactivity for counterfeiting resilience. Companies with a lower level of appetite for risk are more proactive and have a broad number of mitigation capabilities. These companies develop intelligence that is required for combating counterfeiting and the capabilities needed for addressing its ex ante and ex post phases.

Research limitations/implications

The research examines a complex and controversial subject about which there is limited information. The case studies are limited to Brazilian companies and the local subsidiaries of foreign companies. Therefore, the specific context may influence the study findings and reduce their generalizability.

Practical implications

Mitigation capabilities enable companies to minimize the negative impact of counterfeiting and make companies more resilient to counterfeiting activities. The findings indicate that when managers allocate resources in earlier phases of counterfeiting, losses are lower.

Originality/value

This study shows the development process of mitigation capabilities in the ex ante and post-disruption phases of counterfeiting.


Multimedia conference system based on SIP is a real-time interactive communication service with multimedia applications, e.g., audio, video, whiteboard, and all users in the system should have the SIP clients which can create or receive SIP messages and send or display audio or video data for multimedia conference system. In this paper, the design and implementation of SIP User-Agent as applet for multimedia conference system is introduced which can run in Web browser. All modules of SIP UA are introduced separately, including user interface, call control module, media processing module and JAIN SIP stack. The test results prove that the system can correctly carry out multimedia communication.


Through setting up a new-classical model of the supply and demand of the public goods, Author prove that as a kind of resources, the policy of favorable tax also has a decreasing marginal revenue. Although reducing tax can attract investment temporarily, the loss of tax would lead to the government lose the ability to improve the environment of the investment, and finally lose the attraction to the investor.


Cognition means state and contextual awareness, reasoning and conclusion formulation, and a method by which application can be re-configured. Cognitive Radio (CR) is one such Intelligent Wireless Communication system that is built on Software Defined Radio which collects information from the surrounding environment and uses this learning to adapt itself to the variation in the input stimuli [7]. The major objective of a Cognition based Radio is to deliver highly reliable communication as well as highly efficient utilization of the most precious natural resource of wireless communication, the frequency spectrum. Usually spectrum access is a significant problem than the physical scarcity of the spectrum. This is due to the command and control regulations that limit the access to potential spectrum. Cognitive Radio is a measure proposed to support the efficient utilization of the frequency spectrum by making the most of the spectral gaps or unused spectrum holes. Various cognitive methods are being investigated to reuse the locally unused spectrum to increase the total system capacity. Identifying the free unused spectrum is the first step in cognition that provides opportunistic access of the spectrum by the secondary (unlicensed) users [14]. Channel sensing forms an integral part of Cognition that selects the channel, utilizes it and finally implements it. The initial sensing of the channels and the final implementation and application of end user raises many issues in Cognitive Radio Systems. Liberating the spectrum would materialize better and optimized connectivity and would enable new


THE term wine is more strictly, and especially, applied to express the fermented juice of the grape, although it is generally used to denote that of any sub-acid fruit. The presence of tartar is, perhaps, the circumstance by which the grape is most strongly distinguished from all the other sub-acid fruits that have been applied to the purpose of wine-making: the juice of the grape, moreover, contains within itself all the principles essential to vinification, in such a proportion and


This article uses data gathered by the "small world" technique to estimate the distance between social categories, the diffuseness of connection within a category, and the relative isolation of various categories. The critical questions for the data are the adequacy of the categories and the distribution of the chains of booklets which fail to reach the target. If the population can be divided into n categories, the natural model for the data is an n+2 state Markov process where the two additional states are "lost" and "target." The discussion centers around the use of the transition matrix as a description of social structure and the comparison of observed and predicted average chain lengths as a test for the adequacy of the categories as a descriptive system. If the categories are "good," the "lost" column of the transition matrix can be eliminated and the new matrix can then be used to "correct" the observed average chain lengths to estimates of the average chain lengths, had all chains been completed. Milgram (1967; 1969), Korte and Milgram (1970), Shotland (1970; 1971), and Travers and Milgram ( 1969), have used a technique that extends classical sociometry to the study of very large preexisting groups such as nations and campuses. Milgram (1967) called the method the "small world' technique. A booklet is given to a "starter" person with instructions This content downloaded from 22.214.171.124 on Sat, 15 Oct 2016 04:26:25 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 322 / SOCIAL FORCES / vol. 52, mar. 1974 to move the booklet to a person designated as the target. If the starter does not know the target according to the established criterion (for example, knowing the person on a first name basis) then he is instructed to pass the booklet to a person he does know (according to the criterion) who has a better chance of knowing the target. This process is repeated until it reaches the target. If the booklet reaches the target, the number of intermediaries or passes is an index of the social distance from starter to target. Thus Milgram gives an estimate of about five intermediaries as the average social distance of two randomly chosen people in the United States. If the population can be partitioned into exhaustive categories, the average distance from persons in category A to persons in category B can be taken as an index of the distance from class A to class B. The distance from A to B can be estimated from a sample of chains where the starter is randomly selected from A and the target is randomly and independently selected from B. Finally we note that this procedure can be applied to a single class A. However, the average length of chains from one person in A to another person in A will not be zero and is thus not a "distance" measure. Rather this number assesses the diffuseness of social structure in a category and if categories are of the same size it is a measure of average social isolation. For example, the social distances betWeen the students, faculty, and administrators of Michigan State University were measured by Shotland (1970; 1971). His distances are shown in Table 1. Table 1. The Mean Number of Intermediaries Required for a Booklet to Go from People in One University Category to People in Another (Shotland, 1970). Each cell mean is based on 110 booklets


Sperm are stored in the ovary of Lacuna (Epheria) uariegata (Carpenter, 1864) between oocytes or oriented with follicle cells singly or in clumps. The sperm develop close associations with follicle cells and in some cases become embedded in invaginations of cell apices. Follicle cells are rich in rough endoplasmic reticulum and are generally considered to provide nutrients to developing oocytes. The storage of sperm in the ovary was previously unknown for any gonochoric gastropod. The existence of sperm storage in the ovary of L. variegata has implications for both the site of fertilization and for sperm capacitation in this genus. The subfamily Lacuninae represent a monophyletic clade comprising five genera. This clade was previously characterized partly by a long duct to the seminal receptacle in two genera and by the eventual loss of the seminal receptacle with sperm storage in the oviduct in three others, including Lacuna. Storage of sperm in the ovary is an important new character that will enable further distinction among species of this unusual clade. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


As China develops new power systems such as wind power, photovoltaic, pumped storage, and other clean energy installations, its clean energy ratio is steadily increasing. However, the high percentage of clean energy brought by the new power system does not make everything right. Clean energy sources such as wind, photovoltaics, pumped storage, and other sources are inevitably unstable, and they create large amounts of waste if they are not directly used. Additionally, at the peak of electricity consumption, if the power is not generated in time, it will negatively impact society. Therefore, the significance of building pumped storage power plants will be greatly enhanced. The scope of the text is evaluates the investment efficiency of pumped storage power plants. We selected data from North China region, Northeast China region, East China region, Central China region, Northwest China region, and Southern China region to comprehensively evaluate the return on investment of pumped storage power plants in six different regions. In order to solve this problem, this paper will use various models and algorithms, such as cloud model and AHP method to establish a set of evaluation indicators around three basic points to evaluate the benefits of pumped storage, and then use the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate the level of each indicator. Finally, the benefits of establishing pumped storage power plants are comprehensively evaluated. Following the comprehensive evaluation, we have identified the efficiency scores of investing in pumped storage power plants in different regions of China, thus not only proving that pumped storage power plants have a broad market space in China, but also further proving where we should focus on building pumped storage power plants. Based on these criteria, a series of recommendations are made.