NO synthesis in sciatic nerve trunk of bullfrog was obstructed for being short of the lag by L-NMMA which is an inhibitor of NOS. The regular effect of the different treatments on the extent and time of the nerve excitation were observed. The effect of selecting frequency using the different L-NMMA contents to soak sciatic nerve trunk of bullfrog in 30 minutes on the extent of moving electric potential amplitude, rising slope,and drop slope was carried out. The result showed the extent of moving electric potential amplitude of sciatic nerve trunk of bullfrog was decreased and rising slope and drop slope was delayed. The direct correlation between the extent of moving electric potential amplitude of sciatic nerve trunk of bullfrog and the content of L-NMMA was carried out by changing the extent of selecting frequency.


Introduction: We sought to evaluate overall rates of disability and mortality in patients treated with coil embolization for unruptured and ruptured intracranial aneurysms who were enrolled in the MAPS trial, a multicenter randomized trial that showed that Matrix 2 biocompatible absorbable polymer-coated coils were noninferior to GDC bare-platinum coils. Methods: We conducted a randomized trial with blinded outcome assessment performed at 43 centers worldwide. Eligible patients were 18-80 years old with a single documented untreated intracranial saccular aneurysm, 4-20 mm, unruptured or non-disabled ruptured (Hunt and Hess score I-III, modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score 0-3) for which both Matrix 2 and GDC coils were treatment options, and for which primary coiling treatment was planned to be completed during a single procedure. mRS was assessed at baseline and 1 year follow-up, and predictors of disability or mortality (mRS>3) and a worsening in the mRS were evaluated in univariate and multivariable models using logistic regression. The trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00396981. Results: Among 626 subjects enrolled, 568 had an mRS assessment available at 1 year, of whom 208 initially presented with a ruptured aneurysm and 360 with an unruptured aneurysm. During 1 year follow-up, 24 had died (3.8%), of which 7 (1.2%) were judged device or procedure related by the clinical events committee; another 11 were disabled (1.8%). Rates of death or disability were greater for ruptured aneurysms (9.6%) than for unruptured aneurysms (4.2%, p=0.011); however, rates of worsening in mRS were similar (ruptured 11.7% vs. 10.3%, p=0.599). Rates of death and disability were similar for those randomized to GDC compared to Matrix (p=0.616), as were rates of worsening of mRS (p=0.471). Independent predictors of death or disability were older age (per decade, OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-2.9, p Conclusions: Coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms is rarely associated with death or disability, with overall rates generally lower than previously reported. Although older age and initial rupture are known to be associated with worse outcomes, use of illicit drugs or alcohol was also a predictor but requires independent validation.


IN a previous paper (1) I have described a new form of coagulometer consisting essentially of a broken loop of platinum wire, the coagulation time being that in which a small drop of blood placed on the loop ceases to move when the loop is rotated. A general account of the conditions which cause variation in the observed coagulation time of human blood was also given. In this paper I consider more fully the conditions affecting the coagulation time of the blood of man and of animals both by my own and other methods.


Linked Data is currently a hot topic, both in industry and in academic research, because it provides a mechanism to facilitate the re-usability, cross-linking, integration and sharing of data on the web. Ontologies (i.e., data models for Linked Data) are encouraged to be reused to increase the value and usefulness of Linked Data. However, due to the absence of suitable ontology repositories (i.e., web-based systems that provide access to extensible collections of ontolo-gies), publishing and finding ontologies remains difficult, which hampers the re-usability of ontologies. To cope with this problem, which was initially raised by the company Semmtech BV , in this thesis we present the design and implementation of a fully standards compliant ontology repository. Using the HTTP APIs provided by this ontology repository, ontologies can be easily published, retrieved and reused. Moreover, are not static, but evolve over time. Domain changes, adaptations to different tasks, or changes in the conceptualization require modifications of the ontology. The evolution of ontologies causes operability problems not only on the data that conforms to the changed ontologies, but also on other ontologies that depend on the changed ontologies, which will hamper their effective reuse. It is important to provide mechanisms for storage of different versions of an ontology and for highlighting differences between versions. Detecting syntactic difference between versions of an ontology is not hard, but finding and understanding the logical impact (i.e., whether two versions of an ontology give the same answers to queries) of the difference remains very difficult, mainly due to the high complexity of reasoning over ontologies. In this thesis, we also present a novel approach for visualizing the logical impact of ontology difference. Explicitly, we demonstrate an algorithm for detection of existence of the logical impact and for finding succinct representations of the logical impact if it exists.


The spread of earthworm habitat much larger on the banks of the rivers in Central Kalimantan.The aim of this study was to characterize the habitat of earthworm located on banks of the rivers of Kahayan and Barito. Preparation of soil profile with dimension 1x1 m and a depth of 20 cm was conducted using transect procedure and positioned from dried riverbed up to river embankment. The results showed that earthworms with a larger size identified as Lumbriscus terrestris was mainly found in Kahayan river, while for relatively smaller species, it was found at Barito river identified as Lumbriscus rubellus. The number of L .rubellus populations is more 12 and 522 earthworms per layer than L. terrestris. The shallow of water level for ground water and rough texture was not suitable condition for earthworm habitat at both location. The level of protein and ash content are 30.30 % and 42.78 % respectively and higher compared to L. rubellus i.e 13.28 % and 6.27% respectively.


The response of elastoplastic systems of the shear-beam type with up to five degrees-of-freedom is investigated for both pulse-type excitations of the base and for earthquake ground motions. For each input motion and system considered, the maximum deformations of the individual stories of the system are evaluated for a range of natural frequencies and yield levels, and the results are compared with the corresponding deformations produced under elastic conditions of response and also with the results computed for similarly excited single-degree-of-freedom systems. On the basis of these data, the structural properties and the characteristics of the input motion which have a significant effect on the maximum response of the systems are identified, and general concepts and simple approximate procedures are developed for estimating the absolute maximum deformation of an inelastic system from the results of a linear analysis.


e13106 Background: Vadimezan (ASA404; 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid), is a novel tumor vascular disrupting agent. It induces apoptosis of tumor vascular endothelial cells and production of c...


Global matrices of bilateral migrant stocks spanning 1960–2000 are presented, disaggregated by gender and based primarily on the foreign-born definition of migrants. More than one thousand census and population register records are combined to construct decennial matrices corresponding to the five census rounds between 1960 and 2000. For the first time, a comprehensive picture of bilateral global migration over the second half of the 20th century emerges. The data reveal that the global migrant stock increased from 92 million in 1960 to 165 million in 2000. Quantitatively, migration between developing countries dominates, constituting half of all international migration in 2000. When the partition of India and the dissolution of the Soviet Union are accounted for, migration between developing countries is remarkably stable over the period. Migration from developing to developed countries is the fastest growing component of international migration in both absolute and relative terms. The United States has ...


Biodegradability of dyes by Pseudomonas pseudomallei 13NA was examined by spectrophotometric and thin layer chromatographic methods. The results are summarized as follows:

(i) Pseudomonas pseudomallei 13NA intact cells were responsible for the decolorization of p–aminoazobenzene, C. I. Acid Orange 7, C. I. Acid Orange 12, C. I. Acid Orange 20, C. I. Acid Red 88, C. I. Direct Red 28, C. I. Direct Yellow 4, C. I. Basic Violet 1, C. I. Basic Violet 3 and C. I. Basic Orange 21.
(ii) The half–decolorization time of the azo dyes used in this experiment showed good correlation with their molecular weights.
(iiii) The detection of the reaction products of p–aminoazobenzene and C. I. Basic Violet 3 was examined by spectrophotometric and thin layer chromatographic methods. The results indicate the possibility of biodegradation of these dyes by Pseudomonas pseudomallei 13NA.


Accurate numerical simulation of the transport and fate of constituents in coastal waters is made difficult by the general inability to adequately specify open-water boundary conditions for the hydrodynamic model. Instead, an observational model may provide sufficient detail to permit sound engineering judgement.


For unknown and stability of time delay system for power enterprise culture structure perception,network control of electric power enterprise culture perception structure based on an improved corporate culture perception model is proposed in this paper. The perception system of traditional power enterprise culture structure was optimized. The optimal control of the electric power enterprise culture perception structure network was effectively improved. The simulation results show that the model has good practical effect on the time delay system for the electric power enterprise culture structure perception.


The self-similarity of the network traffic has severe impact on flow control and queuing analysis in date networks,therefore it has received significant attention. This paper reveals features and underlying cause of self-similarity traffic,investigates the effect of self-similarity traffic on network technology. Research developments of self-similarity traffic are reviewed. Some open problems and future research directions are also pointed out.


Melanoma is the most aggressive of all skin cancers and is exceptionally resistant to therapies. During melanoma progression, cancer cells reprogram their proliferation and survival pathways and achieve resistance to treatment‐induced apoptosis. Galectin‐3 (gal‐3) is a member of the lectin family and is involved in such biological processes as cell adhesion, growth and differentiation, the cell cycle, and apoptosis. Gal‐3 also plays an important role in tumor development and metastasis. The relationship between gal‐3 expression and these processes is specific to the tumor type and the stage of cancer progression. The biological functions of gal‐3 depend on its localization in the cell. In the present study, human metastatic melanoma A‐375 cells, characterized by weak endogenous expression of gal‐3, were transfected with gal‐3 cDNA and cisplatin‐induced apoptosis was measured. Data from AnnexinV and mitochondrial membrane potential analysis revealed that gal‐3 did not protect the A‐375 melanoma cells against cisplatin. This result probably is associated with its nuclear localization in the cells.


This chapter traces the history of the derived-demand concept, its application to the transportation context, and an important challenge to the derived view of transportation demand. The derived-demand concept, which underpins the logic of accessibility in transportation and land-use planning, originated in realms entirely removed from transportation. The derived-demand term was coined in 1895 by the economist Alfred Marshall, who used it to describe the demand curves for goods that were intermediate to the consumption or production of other goods. However, the first application of Marshall's derived-demand concept to transportation may have come four decades later in Michael Bonavia's 1936 book The Economics of Transport. The derived-demand concept in transportation was developed further by Robert Mitchell and Chester Rapkin, who were interested in forecasting demand for transportation on the basis of land-use patterns across a metropolitan area. Ultimately, the consensus view that transportation demand is mostly derived is not an absolute truth but, rather, is based on the view that transportation is most usefully viewed—in most circumstances and for most trips—as one means to an end, rather than an end in itself.


The principal objective of this study was to determine why employees conduct NWRC (non-work-related computing) activities, and further to suggest some methods for curbing NWRC. The proposed research model developed herein was tested via a survey of 167 employees in China and Singapore. The results of this study reveal, first, that NWRC intention is significantly predictive of NWRC behavior, NWRC attitudes and subjective norms are significant predictors of behavioral intentions, and that the perceived benefits of NWRC are related positively to NWRC attitudes. Secondly, in comparison with each research model with or without habitual behavior under different levels of control, the results of this study demonstrated that habits occupy a critical position between NWRC intentions and behavior. Finally, employees are more likely to engage in NWRC even when subjected to strict control measures, owing to their habitual behavior. Some measures to reduce NWRC behavior are also proposed based on the findings of this study.


The present invention discloses a method of performance information on a layered three-dimensional model in the three-dimensional model with a transparent sheet-like material constructed of a plurality of stacked, sheet-like material based on the end face of the transparent plate-shaped material in light scattering properties a light source, between the lamellar laying opaque material layer; inside a transparent light conducting plate material, formed in the end face exposed region of light scattering, the stereoscopic model represents a layered structure between the ground and the contours of the different morphology, topography comprising surface regions between the different contours submerged area comprising water, with a range of different fluctuating between reservoir elevation, the formation outcrop layered information.


Abstract Ferroelectric thin films of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) were fabricated on platinum coated silicon using the process of direct-current glow discharge assisted laser ablation. This process improved the crystallinity and ferroelectric behavior of the films. The c-axis oriented PZT films were obtained when deposited at 730°C with +800v discharge voltage. A possible mechanism for the improvement of the deposition process has been proposed


The tribosorption of hydrogen into granular silicon carbide was studied under shaking in the pressure range of 0.04–1 Torr at room temperature. The sorption was observed when the frequencies of the vibration were 10.0 and 13.3 Hz, but was not observed when they were 0 and 6.7 Hz. The rate of tribosorption evaluated from the change in the pressure of gas had its maximum value when the sample was shaken for 20–40 h. It was found that this tribosorption could be attributed to an absorption to the solid and could be treated as a diffusion process. The time dependence of the diffusion coefficient showed a behavior similar to that of the lattice defect. It is suggested that the chemical properties of hydrogen and the activation of the solid play important roles in the tribosorption process.


Technological characteristics and existing problems in making biomass briquette at home and abroad were discussed.Design and development of the production line for making biomass briquette was proposed from the aspects of solidification principle and key technologies,and solidification process,etc. Development of the key units for the solidification of biomass was proposed,such as auto-feeding system, material moisture monitoring and making up system,and associative control system.


Urban teachers alone cannot solve the complex social and economic problems that plague urban communities and schools; however, their efforts to effectively educate inner-city youth can begin to break the cycle of disadvantage. Therefore, urban teachers' perspectives are essential in understanding the process of effectively instructing urban youth. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and practices of five urban educators through a postpositive theoretical lens. Participants for this study were five urban educators kindergarten through fourth grade, all of whom were teaching at one urban school. The participating teachers were chosen by criterion sampling with the help of the principal. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and observations during the course of one school year. A case study of each of the five urban educators provided a better understanding of: (a) factors that influenced each urban educator's career choice; (b) how these urban educators describe their educational practices and beliefs about teaching; (c) the similarities and differences that can be found between urban educators' beliefs and practices; (d) how these urban educators think cultural/ethnic background influences their instructional practices. Recommendations were made to improve current urban educators teaching practices, enhance future urban education, and encourage researchers to continue doing research in the field of urban education.


Calcium‐ion batteries (CIBs) are promising energy storage devices due to the merits of natural abundance, similar standard reduction potential to lithium, and bivalent‐ion characteristic of calcium. However, the development of CIBs is hindered by the low rate capability and poor cycling performance at room temperature. Here, a highly reversible room‐temperature calcium‐ion based hybrid battery is realized by a tri‐ion strategy, which significantly improves the diffusion kinetics of calcium ions. The optimized CIB shows high rate capability of 15 C as well as excellent cycling stability over 1500 cycles with 86% capacity retention at 5 C, at room temperature, which is the best result of reported calcium‐ion based full batteries.


With the development of internet technologies the application of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has become inescapable in our physical environment. Such technology depend on the WSN to capture environmental data and transmit it through the network to the specified location or storage.  The transfer and capture of data by the WSN process, there is a challenge with research to continuous maintain the working of WSN device. To save energy in WSNs data aggregation (DA) technique is used. This could cause some security problems since false may be injected during data aggregation by data aggregator. In this paper, we present a survey that focus on data aggregation in WSN, problems in security and energy constrained in sensor networks.


Child marriage constitutes one of the currently biggest obstacles to gender equality and human development. As the practice has gained more attention in the international arena within the past two ...


The mechanical response of a metallic stent is considered in this series of two papers. In Part I, the development of a test method for the characterization of the mechanical response of a metallic aortic stent subjected to internal or external pressure, and a model that captures the relationship between the pressure and diameter of the stent based on slender rod theory are described. The axial and radial deformation of a bare-metal stent were measured as the stent was subjected to loading ranging from an external pressure of about 80 mm of Hg to an internal pressure of about 160 mm of Hg. The pressure was applied using a polyethylene bag; the method of applying the pressure and measuring the strains was found to provide an accurate determination of the mechanical behavior of the stent. The stent was shown to exhibit two stiff limiting states corresponding to the fully collapsed and fully expanded diameters and an intermediate range between the two where the stiffness was an order of magnitude smaller than the typical stiffness of an aorta. A complete mathematical characterization of the pressure-diameter response of the wire stent was also developed; this model is a straightforward application of the theory of slender rods to the problem of the stent. Excellent agreement with the experimental measurements is indicated, opening the possibility for modeling of the coupled response of the stent and the vessel into which it is inserted. In Part II, we consider the effect of variations of pressure over the length of the stent that introduce changes in the diameter along the length of the stent which leads naturally to the formulation of the coupled problem of the scent within the blood vessel.


This paper provides an account of everyday discursive and material practises deployed by marginalised forest-dependent groups in the course of resisting the implementation of Reduced Emission from Deforestation and forest degradation (REDD + ) and conservation regulations. Available literature have documented extensively that REDD + market-based models across the Global South, and Tanzania in particular, have led to increasing inequality, injustices, and exclusions. Nevertheless, there is little attention to exploring how different social actors that are unequally positioned resist exclusions. The paper explores selected case studies of marginalised forest-dependent groups in Lindi, Southern Tanzania, who creatively work to negotiate unequal power relations through a range of encounters around REDD+. Our analysis shows unequal social, spatial, and environmental ramifications of market-based conservation policies and strategies that have led to different kinds of material and discursive resistance to challenge exclusions. In doing so, it provides critical context-specific realities from the Global South and, specifically, Tanzanian scholarship to focus on both the dynamics of power and resistance in socially differentiated forest-dependent groups affected by envisioned market-based and development model-led conservation regimes.


In their paper, "Small Farms and Sustainable Development: Is Small More Sustainable?" D'Souza and Ikerd examine the potential linkages between two streams of analysis—"sustainable development" and "small farms." This is a worthwhile objective, as there has been little effort to link the two together. This is—as the authors note—a surprising gap in the thinking about forces that might lead to long-term sustainability in agricultural production. The authors are right to bring the issue to our attention.


Two types of thrusters(Descent Control Thruster (DCT) for reducing landing speed and Attitude Control Thruster (ACT) for attitude control) are mounted on the propulsion system of Ground test model lunar lander. In this paper, plume impingement effect and ground effect between DCT Modules are analyzed using numerical method when the impact occurred close to the ground.


This paper investigates the solution of a parabolic inverse problem based upon the convection-diffusion-reaction equation, which can be used to estimate both water and air pollution. We will consider both known and unknown source location: while in the first case the problem is solved using a projected damped Gauss-Newton, in the second one it is ill-posed and an adaptive parametrization with time localization will be adopted to regularize it. To solve the optimization loop a model reduction technique (Proper Orthogonal Decomposition) is used.


Using the data of SOEs and Non-SOEs in industrial sector of China from 1998 to 2007, we investigate the impact of privatization on TFP. We construct a difference in difference model and use propensity score method to avoid the selection bias. We use the type of enterprises registration to identify the SOEs and define the privatization. The regress results show, privatization of SOEs can improve the efficiency of enterprises significantly. Some characteristics of firms will affect the effect of privatization. Our results are robust even if we use another classification criterion of types of firms.


Su Dongpo's poetry is featured by "elegance" characters,which include multi connotations such as "classical elegance" and "noble elegance","leisure elegance","healthy elegance".


Of applications running on the wireless transmit receive unit (wireless transmit / receive unit, WTRU) - A method and apparatus for negotiating the frequency "keep-alive" message is disclosed. Node, the keep-request by the application server for multiple applications running on the WTRU-collection information including the frequency of the alive message, and keep-on behalf of the WTRU to send the alive message frequency negotiation request message to the application servers, each application the negotiation and synchronization functions, adapted to negotiate for the right on the frequency may include (negotiation and synchronization function, NSF). Nodes each application cyclical Kip - including no buffering and caching (buffering and caching function, BCF) configured for caching and buffering, application-specific attributes, including an indication of whether you need to send to the application server associated with the Alive message can do. Node may be a packet data network gateway, negotiating and caching gateway or serving gateway.


In this paper, we design a distributed stream media monitor system architecture based on the cluster video server platform. We also discuss the method for collecting the statistical information of the media server bandwidth based on multiple tasks in one thread, and the algorithm for packing information packages to guarantee the sequence of the receiving packages. Experimental results show that our monitor system can reflect the performance information of the cluster stream server and the media server bandwidth rapidly and steadily.


What might a UK exit from the European Union mean for Europe's future? A recent hearing of the 'LSE Commission on Britain's Future in Europe' that addressed this question posed a number of fears over the implications. In response to Kevin Featherstone's post Waking up to a nightmare? A UK exit from the EU would be a 'lose-lose' for both sides LSE's Visiting Professor in Practice Joaquin Almunia offers his opinion.


As an emerging human-solving paradigm, crowdsourcing has attracted much attention where requesters want to employ reliable workers to complete the specific task. Task assignment is a vital branch in crowdsourcing. Most existing works in crowdsourcing haven't taken self-interested individuals' strategy into account. To guarantee truthfulness, auction has been regarded as a promising form to charge requesters and reward workers. In this paper, we consider an online task assignment scenario, where each worker has a set of experienced skills, whereas specific task is budget-constrained and requires certain skill. Under this scenario, we model the crowdsourcing task assignment as a reverse auction in which requesters are buyers and workers are sellers. Specially, our paper studies simple task case where the requester ask for single skill. We propose TMC-VCG and TMC-ST and prove the related properties for the mechanisms theoretically. Meanwhile, through extensive simulations, we verify the truthfulness and also evaluate other performance.


Many animals make nests using materials they collect. In some cases, such as hamsters, nesting material is collected in the process of ordinary foraging for food; but storage in the sleeping chamber would turn it into nest material. However in other cases, such as birds, nesting materials cannot be eaten (and never were during evolution) but are collected using specific criteria, which presumably differ from the criteria used in foraging for food objects. Moreover, the collected sticks or objects are not just piled on top of each other but interwoven with specifically adapted behavioural patterns. Indeed, the collections can be specific to a particular phase in the building process. Further, in addition to collecting the appropriate object, the animal might shape it to provide an even better fit; for instance, the caddis fly cuts a leaf to suit the changing shape of its tube. Here the action patterns of the combined collection and integration behaviour have been augmented by shaping-cutting behaviour patterns. Many animals add further value to the collected items by gluing them together using a bodily excretion (such as spit, mucus, silk or faeces). Here specific wiping, tapping and pulling behaviour patterns have evolved to combine the collected items with the excretion, which is massaged into or spread over the collection with specific behaviour patterns. Finally, a few animals no longer collect objects for their nests but construct them entirely from excretions. Here the collection behaviour has been dropped but the 'gluing together' behaviour has been refined. Spiders are the most prominent examples of this evolutionary pinnacle of nest building (
 Figure 1
 ).

 Figure 1
 A selection of orb weavers on a tree (emphatically not a phylogenetic tree) to demonstrate the various web types. On the ground we see distant ancestors and relatives (scorpion, mygalomorph, trapdoor spider and amaurobiid). Further ancestral relatives (eresid and agelenid) have built their webs on the base of the tree, a dictynid web spans the fork of the tree. The right-hand branch contains (in order from its base) the webs of the cribellates Stegodyphus followed by the orb-weaving hackled orb weaver Uloborus and the triangle spider Hypotiotes as well as the gladiator spider Deinopis and the line lasso spider Miagrammopes. The centre branch holds an ecribellate orb web which might be by the garden cross spider Araneus. The left-hand branch holds another ecribellate orb web, which might be by Meta or Tetragnatha; this branch also supports (on the extreme left) three-dimensional Theridiion (above) and Linyphia (below) type webs as well as (upper left to right) ecribellate orb webs by Theridiosoma and Scoloderus, and finally the bolas spider Mastophora with its glue-drop line web (from Vollrath, 1988a). (For more details on web types, see Stowe (1986) and Eberhard (1990), and for recent hypothesis on cladistic relationships of orb spiders, see
 Hormiga et al. (1995).)
 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003210801/1f0f4f4f-6638-4791-98b3-b15dec14cce7/content/fig18_1.tif"/>


Strongly regular graphs are regular graphs with the additional property that the number of common neighbours for two vertices depends only on whether the vertices are adjacent or non-adjacent.
From an algebraic point of view, a graph is strongly regular if its adjacency matrix has exactly three eigenvalues. Strongly regular graphs have very interesting algebraic properties due to their strong regularity conditions.
Many strongly regular graphs are known to have large and interesting automorphism groups [23]. In [23] it is also conjectured that almost all strongly regular graphs are asymmetric. Peter Cameron in [7] mentions that "Strongly regular graphs lie on the cusp between highly structured and unstructured."
Although strongly regular graphs have been studied extensively since they were introduced, there is very little known about the automorphism group of an arbitrary strongly regular graph based on its parameters.
In this thesis, we have developed theory for studying the automorphisms of strongly regular graphs. Our study is both mathematical and computational. On the computational side, we introduce the notion of orbit matrices. Using these matrices, we were able to show that some strongly regular graphs do not admit an automorphism of a certain order.
Given the size of the automorphism, we can generate all of the orbit matrices, using a computer program. Another computer program is implemented that generates all the strongly regular graphs from that orbit matrix.
From a mathematical point of view, we have found an upper bound on the number of fixed points of the automorphisms of a strongly regular graph. This upper bound is a new upper bound and is obtained by algebraic techniques.


Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. The IL-23/IL-17 pathway plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of CD. More and more approved IL-23 inhibitors are being used for the treatment of CD. However, no studies have systematically compared and evaluated the efficacy of these IL-23 inhibitors.This study aims to compare the efficacy of various IL-23 inhibitors(Brazikumab, Guselkumab, Mirikizumab, Risankizumab, and Ustekinumab) for treating Crohn's disease by conducting a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA).We searched the database, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Web of Science, Clinical Trials. gov, (from inception until February 5, 2023). Efficacy (Clinic response, Clinic remission, Endep remission, and C-reactive protein) were compared using a Bayesian NMA. Results were presented as the pooled estimates of odds ratios (ORs) or weighted mean difference (WMD) (95% CI). The random-effects model was selected to synthesize the data. The ranking probability for each IL-23 inhibitor was evaluated using the surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA). The larger the SUCRA value, the better the rank of the intervention. The global inconsistency was evaluated by comparing the fit of consistency and inconsistency models, where P ≤ 0.05 indicated inconsistency. All analyses were conducted using the gemtc package of R (version 4.2.2).In terms of Clinic response, a total of 40 studies were included. The NMA showed that Brazikumab combined with Guselkumab [OR=-0.98, 95% (CI, -2.9, 0.91)], PBO(PBO) combined with Risankizumab [OR=-0.54, 95% (CI, -1.16, 0.18)], PBO combined with Ustekinumab [OR=-1.38, 95% (CI, -2.77, -0.01)], Risankizumab combined with Ustekinumab [OR=-0.84, 95% (CI, -2.43, 0.63)]. According to SUCRA, Ustekinumab (78.9%), Risankizumab (52.2%), PBO(23.6%), Mirikizumab(34%), Guselkumab (87.6%), and Brazikumab (23.6%). For clinic remission, the result of NMA showed that Brazikumab combined with Guselkumab [OR=-1.59, 95% (CI, -3.78, 0.59)], Brazikumab combined with Ustekinumab [OR=-1.37, 95% (CI, -3.57, 0.83)], PBO combined with Risankizumab [OR=-0.47, 95% (CI, -1.19, 0.34)], PBO combined with Ustekinumab [OR=-1.26, 95% (CI, -2.86, 0.33)], Risankizumab combined with Ustekinumab [OR=-0.8, 95% (CI, -2.6, 0.93)]. According to SUCRA, Ustekinumab (79.3%), Risankizumab (53.7%), PBO(22.1%), Mirikizumab(33.4%), Guselkumab (90.3%)and Brazikumab (21.7%) (Figure 1).In terms of efficacy alone, Guselkumab ranked first among all IL-23 inhibitors, followed by Ustekinumab, and all had significantly different clinical remission rates than patients in the PBO group, while the remaining drugs were less effective than PBO.NIL.NIL.None Declared.


Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is created to occupy the insufficient current Internet addresses. Consequently this significant contribution offers huge number of Internet addresses. Besides, their security also has been improved to challenge today threats in competent on IPv6 network. As alternative, an automatic tunneling was introduced along with other transition mechanisms to ensure smooth implementation on existing network. However, it's believed that the implementation of automatic tunneling has altered the form of the IPv4 threats. Then the gained information from this mechanism is exploited to attempt the target network. As a concern, this paper thoroughly describes on potential of reconnaissance attack reach through automatic tunneling named 6to4 Tunneling. The preference development tools and networking defense mechanism suite, is setup to conduct proposed attack method under 6to4 tunnel testbed environment. As a result, the attacking method is feasible to attempt and 6to4 tunnel showed their influence on the achievement of DoS attack in current internet.


Structure type usage feature were introduced for baffle bar heat exchanger,taking one identical condenser as an example,the usage effect was compared between heat exchangers with baffles and baffle bars,the result indicates that under the same pressure drop the heat exchanger with baffle bars has bigger heat transfer coefficient,smaller heat transfer surface and smaller shell diameter.


This Special Issue is concerned with treatment wetlands, which are artificial (or constructed) wetlands usually treating municipal or industrial wastewater, greywater and storm water runoff [...]


The paper consists of three parts. In Part A the cyclic conjugation in porphin and some related compounds is examined. It is shown that the Hiickel (4m+2)-rule isviolated so that conjugation along both 16-, 17-, 18-, 19and 20membered cycles causes stabilization of the rc-electron system of porphin. In Part B some comments on the topological resonance energy method and its application to porphin are given In Part e the four existing methods for the calculation of the effect of cyclic conjugation on the stability of ot-electron systems are compared and their mutual relationship revealed.


Abstract Recent information concerning the kinetics and equilibria of sorption of various classes of molecule in four representative types of molecular sieve (4A/5A, 13X, natural erionite and H-chabazite) is reviewed. The general relationships between the crystal structure of the sieve, the molecular properties of the adsorbate (particularly the critical diameter and polar nature of the molecule) and the sorption/diffusion behaviour are emphasized.


ABSTRACT The article examines Kazakhstan's relations with Southeast Asia, an area of study which has been given little attention so far. It firstly analyzes Kazakhstan's multivector foreign policy, arguing that Kazakhstan has been trying to pursue an omnidirectional hedging strategy by diversifying its partners to enhance its strategic space. Secondly, it looks at how Southeast Asia is seen as part of this strategy, particularly as alternative economic partners for Kazakhstan. It argues that there are greater opportunities for enhanced economic interaction due to Kazakhstan's central role in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), membership of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) that is shifting toward Asia, and reinvigorated economic diplomacy. Thirdly, it examines Kazakhstan's relations with five key Southeast Asian states – Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand – which are Kazakhstan's largest trading partners in the region and arguably viewed as the Southeast Asian countries with the most potential to play a role in Kazakhstan's omnidirectional hedging strategy.


In this paper we consider conformal symmetry in the context of manifolds with general affine connection. We extend the conformal transformation law of the metric to a general metric compatible affine connection, and find that it is a symmetry of both the geodesic equation and the Riemann tensor. We derive the generalised Jacobi equation and Raychaudhuri equation and show that they are both conformally invariant. Using the geodesic deviation (Jacobi) equation we analyse the behaviour of geodesics in different conformal frames. Since we find that our version of conformal symmetry is exact in classical pure Einstein's gravity, we ask whether one can extend it to the standard model. We find that it is possible to write conformal invariant Lagrangians in any dimensions for vector, fermion and scalar fields, but that such Lagrangians are only gauge invariant in four dimensions. Provided one introduces a dilaton field, gravity can be conformally coupled to matter.


This Special Issue of X-Ray Optics and Instrumentation comprises ten review papers and six research articles, which collectively offer a broad overview of X-ray focusing techniques and applications in laboratory measurements, in synchrotron beamlines, and in X-ray astronomy. Focusing enables not only more intense illumination for reduced exposure time and higher signal-to-noise ratio, but higher spatial resolution through true imaging. Although X-ray focusing is accomplished through the application of some basic physical principles, such as reflection (mirrors), refraction (lenses), and diffraction (crystals or zone plates), stringent performance requirements coupled with physical, mechanical, environmental, and manufacturability imperatives or limitations make the task technically challenging. The diverse X-ray focusing techniques and applications covered in this Volume provide a glimpse into the scope, challenges, and future of this expanding field.


The estimation of effort and cost is still one of the hardest tasks in software project management. At the moment, there are many techniques to accomplish this task, such as function points, use case points and COCOMO, but there is not much information available about how to use those techniques in non-waterfall software lifecycles such as iterative or spiral lifecycles projects. This paper shows the results obtained when applying a technique to estimate the effort of each construction iteration in software development projects that use iterative-incremental lifecycles. The results were obtained from software projects of a fourth-year course in Informatics. The technique proposes the use of Function Points and COCOMO II.


Authors Dr Neetin P Mahajan, Dr E. D. Pawar, Dr Farookh Wadia, Dr Ujjwal Ramteke Dr Ved Ashish Ravesh, Dr Prasannakumar G S, Dr Ishan Gajbe Department of Orthopaedics, Grant Govt Medical College, Sir J J Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai Corresponding Author Dr Neetin Pralhad Mahajan Associate Professor, (Orthopaedics) Flat No. 12, Panchsheel Building, Sir J J Hospital Compound, Byculla, Mumbai 400008 Email; firstname.lastname@example.com ABSTRACT BackgroundSurgeries around the hip joints are commonly found to have been associated with potential risk of immediate or late limb length inequality. Many times most of satisfaction level are associated with this problem. This study was performed in adults to determine the effects of shoe raise in significant limb equalities on patient satisfaction level on long basis. Materials and Methods: We studied 112 patients attending Orthopaedics department of sir J J Group of Hospitals .with significant limb length inequalities following hip surgery around hip either due to trauma or replacement. Radiological analysis was done to calculate limb lenth difference. The gait analysis was done in 3 month interval till one year follow up. The patient satisfaction level analysis was done using harris hip score Results: The gait pattern especially short limb gait was significantly improved following treatment with shoe raises. There was no significant improvement in muscular gaits like trendelen bergs gait or waddling gait. The patient satisfaction level was improved by 10 percent following shoe raises. Conclusions: The treatment of limb length discrepancy using shoe raise has significant impact on patient satisfaction level especially symptomatic one. The shortening following trauma surgeries should be treated by shoe raises especially in cases of length or varus malunion. Key WordsLimb Length discrepancy, Hip surgery, trauma and replacement, shoe raise.


Harnessing the power of multicore platforms is challenging due to the additional levels of parallelism present. In this paper, we examine the effect of the choice of programming model upon performance and overall memory usage on the Cray XT5. We use detailed time breakdowns to measure the contributions to the total runtime from computation, communication, and OpenMP regions of the applications, gaining insights into the reasons behind any performance differences observed. We also examine the performance differences between two different Cray XT5 machines, which have quad-core and hex-core processors.


Journalism education plays an important role in the formation of a professional identity. With the results from a survey of 527 journalism students in five countries (Poland, Russia, Sweden, Estonia and Finland) similarities and differences are analysed concerning students' motives to become journalists, competences and character traits, ideals and values, and relations to other professional areas such as PR and politics. The main question is whether there is a process of homogenization among future journalists as a result of globalization, or whether there are still clear differences connected to history, politics and different media systems. The results shows that it is not possible to talk about a single and similar professional identity, but rather hybrid forms of professional identities that combine some universal journalistic values with cultural heritage and social/political conditions of the different countries.


In radical innovation (RI), internal knowledge is leveraged by the use of inter-firm alliances (IFAs). The process of finding partners and the use of multiple alliances in RI reflects the fluidity and complexity of knowledge search and demonstrates its pertinent knowledge distribution. RI IFAs entail knowledge acquisition, verification, demonstration, distribution, contingency and creation. LFA knowledge management practices in RI must deal with the uncertainties of knowledge search, varied and multiple knowledge objectives and the contingencies of the interplay between internal and external knowledge dynamics.


Dynamic Environment Communications Alalysis Testbed (DECAT) computer program is modular simulation program. Computes effects of motion, antenna radiation patterns, noise, interference, and other phenomena. Flexibility enables users to analyze many communications scenarios quickly and easily, eliminating need for users to create specific computer programs. Users create simulations involving any number of vehicles, receivers, transmitters, and antennas via graphical user interface (GUI). DECAT GUI implemented by use of software tool called "Transportable Applications Environment Plus" (TAE Plus). Written in C language. Graphical user interface requires TAE Plus, Version 5.1 package available from COSMIC (GSC-13463).


A theoretical analysis was carried out to predict the influences of wall inclination angles of large reservoirs on the onset of gas entrainment during single and dual discharges from a stratified two-phase region. The findings reveal that when the wall inclination angle differs from zero, along with low values of Froude number, two distinct flow regimes occur: the gas-entrainment and no gas-entrainment regimes. A new criterion has been developed to predict the critical Froude number at the transition from the gas-entrainment to the no-gas-entrainment regime. The critical Froude number is defined as a function of the wall inclination angle for a single discharge. For dual discharge, the critical Froude number is found to be dependent on the wall inclination angle, the separating distance between the centerlines of the two branches, as well as the Froude number of the second branch. Furthermore, four different flow regions are mapped, representing the flow regime, as well as the two-phase flow for each branch. These maps serve to predict the flow regions, mass flow rates, and quality during single and dual two-phase discharges. For the gas-entrainment regime, the predicted values of the critical height at the onset of gas entrainment are compared with the experimental data reported in literatures. Comparisons showed good concurrence between the measured and predicted results. Furthermore, the influence of the wall inclination angle on the flow regions, the predicted critical height, and the location of the gas entrainment are presented and discussed at different values of independent variables.


It is well documented that many ethnic minorities do not meet national physical activity (PA) recommendations, but it is unclear what factors are related to this inactivity. This cross‐sectional study used baseline data from Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls, a 3‐year trial to reduce the risk for diabetes in a low‐to‐moderate income, urban African‐American (AA) population centered on churches. We evaluated whether a cohort of non‐diabetic, AA adults (N = 136) from a larger randomized group trial are meeting recommended levels of PA as defined by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Participants self‐reported PA using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, long form. Data analysis revealed that the majority (63.2%) of participants did not expend the recommended > 7.5 MET (metabolic equivalents) hours/week (median = 3.48 METs) and there were no differences by gender or age. The data indicated a significant relationship (p = 0.015) between income (>$30,000/year) and PA (OR=3.1, 95%CI=1.2–7.8) demonstrating that while individual risk factors play a role in predicting health‐seeking behaviors, there are larger social patterns associated with engagement in PA.


There are two aspects included in the TV teaching material's rhythm. One is the plot rhythm of content, the style of which can be determined by the teaching content, teaching aim, teaching object, the form of teaching organization and the style of TV teaching material. The other is the rhytgm of appearance, which mainly includes the visual rhythm of picture, the moving rhythm of pickup camera lens, the rhythm of changeable pictures, the rhythm of camera lens length, the rhythm of lens combination, the rhythm produced by the usage of electronic technology, the rhythm of sound, and so on.


There has been a recent revival of interest in theories involving two-dimensional(one-space-one time) treatments of QCD [1–4]. This stems from the need to include the effects of non-vanishing quark masses and also to enlarge the number of space-time variables of light-front holographic QCD to four. In the original treatments (see the review [5]) the chiral limit is used and the longitudinal light-front momentum fraction, x, is frozen [6], so that effectively the only degrees of freedom are light-front time and transverse position. The first effort aimed at including the effects of mass was contained in Ref. [7]. The present epistle aims to unify the earlier treatments and to exhibit the confining aspects of the approaches in threespatial dimensions using the spatial coordinate, z̃, that is canonically conjugate to the variable x [8].


ABSTRACT Tourism destinations that are perceived to have engaged in egregious policies/behaviours may face boycott calls. It is increasingly observed that people use social media to call for boycotts of products and tourism destinations. However, limited attention has been given to understanding destination boycotts. Additionally, while research on online protests has increased over the last two decades, studies related to online protests about tourism destinations are relatively limited. Notably, not much is known about the online strategies that are employed to mobilise support for destination boycotts. To help fill this gap, this paper explores the strategies utilised to mobilise support for destination boycotts on Twitter. For this study, tweets posted calling for tourism boycotts of China, Kerala (India), Spain, and South Africa due to concerns about animal abuse were analysed. Thematic analysis of the tweets revealed that information-based, appeal-based, and association-based strategies were employed to mobilise support for the boycotts. The paper examines the implications of these strategies for destinations and boycott organisers/supporters.


The fracture of core buildup material is common in dental practice. This article describes a core buildup repair technique utilizing a custom matrix. This technique enables the dentist to reestablish the original contour and alignment of the broken core buildup and assures excellent crown fit in a short amount of time with a predictably successful outcome.


Tropical rain forests are suffering the highest deforestation and reforestation ever recorded. Interactions between direct (proximate or direct causes) and indirect (underling or indirect causes) drivers could cluster these forest cover changes forming hotspots (areas that exhibit significant spatial correlation of deforestation or reforestation transitions). Using land use–land cover maps and global (I) and local (Iᵢ) Moran's tests, we identified these hotspots in the Choco‐Darien Global Ecoregion (CGE) of South America, a natural region that was declared one of the top 25 hotspots for conservation priorities in the world. Subsequently, we tested and studied the effects and interactions between deforestation and reforestation hotspots and their direct and indirect drivers using Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling (Bayesian SEM). We found that deforestation and reforestation were spatially auto‐correlated forming hotspots (I = 0.49, P = 0.001 for deforestation transitions and I = 0.48, P = 0.001 for reforestation transitions). Also, hotspots of deforestation and reforestation were auto‐correlated within municipality borders (I = 0.5, P = 0.001 for deforestation transitions; I = 0.49, P = 0.001 for reforestation transitions). Eighteen municipalities located on the border between Colombia and Ecuador showed significant aggregations of deforestation hotspots, while thirty‐four municipalities in three areas of Colombia and the area between the Colombian and Ecuadorian border showed significant clustering of reforestation hotspots. Eleven of these municipalities presented significant clustering of both reforestation and deforestation hotspots. The Bayesian SEM for deforestation showed that population growth and road density were indirect drivers of deforestation hotspots (0.191 and 0.127 standard deviation units). The Bayesian SEM for reforestation found that armed conflicts, Gross Domestic Product, and average annual rain were indirect drivers related to reforestation hotspots (0.228, 0.076, and 0.081 standard deviation units, respectively). Our assessment shows a novel methodology to study interactions among direct and indirect drivers of forest change and their potential dissimilar effects on forest transitions.


Proton resonance at 40.5 Mc for the AlCl 3 solutions was studied at various pH and the temperature down to -29.5°C. The separate signals one for coordinated and the other for bulk water were observ...


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of depression and daytime sleepiness among associate degree students and to determine the factors affecting them. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with 130 participants at a vocational school of health. Data were obtained by using sociodemographic data form, Beck Depression Inventory and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 package program. Descriptive, parametric and nonparametric tests and correlation analyzes were used for data analysis. Results: The mean age of the students was 20±1.57 and 79.2% of them were female. Depression was present in 35.4% of the students and increased daytime sleepiness was found in 30% of the students. Both depression and increased daytime sleepiness were significantly higher in females than males (p<0.05). The level of daytime sleepiness was significantly higher in the first and emergency aid students (p<0.05). A negative correlation was found between body weight and daytime sleepiness level (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was seen, depression and increased daytime sleepiness were common in associate degree students and they were associated with eachother. Depression and increased daytime sleepiness which are seen at an early age should be decreased with the measures to be taken.


The problems of the Internet of Things, in particular the need to protect confidential data, lead to the use of encryption and decryption methods, which, in turn, rely on the use of random numbers. The use of HVDC can help ensure the security of this process, but it is important to use high-quality HVDC and thoroughly test them to avoid security vulnerabilities. Statistical analysis is used to assess the randomness of the generated sequences by testing them using statistical tests of randomness. These tests evaluate various statistical properties, such as the frequency distribution of the generated numbers, the distribution of consecutive numbers, and the presence of patterns. By performing a statistical analysis, you can identify any flaws or biases in the operation of the random number generator and improve its quality. The article checks the sequence for randomness using two- and three-dimensional statistics. A mathematical model is built, a theorem is given. A scheme of statistical analysis of sequences was built, based on which software engineering methods were used. Examples of using binary statistics for bit sequence analysis are given. The use of statistical analysis of the randomness of sequences generated by random (or pseudo-random) number generators is a popular trend, as it is critical to the reliability and security of various computing systems and applications, including the Internet of Things (IoT), cryptography, simulations, and scientific calculation. With the growing importance of cybersecurity and data privacy, the demand for reliable and secure random number generators is increasing, and the use of statistical analysis to assess the randomness of sequences generated by random (or pseudo-random) number generators is becoming increasingly critical.


PT. BANK UMU Servitia a company which is engaged in banking, each branch office / Capem Admionistrasi Bookkeeping obliged to make statements for purposes of the Head Office or branch itself. But problems often arise in making these reports at the branch.


The present invention discloses a method of producing a laminated sheet-type nonwoven fabric reinforced plies for use as a decorative profiles of the substrate, and the board using the nonwoven fabric as a raw material, after treatment group blank to a desired thickness by hot pressing machine made thermocompression laminated veneer lumber, decorative profiles as a substrate. LVL substrate prepared according to the present invention have excellent physical and mechanical properties, reduce production costs, improve the technological content and added value, the effective use of the existing resources and the small-diameter timber fast-growing wood veneer, while increasing production efficiency, and excellent physical and mechanical properties, environmental products reach E1 grade requirements, exported to Europe and Southeast Asian countries, with significant economic and social benefits.


The inhomogeneous Wien filter can serve as an achromator for correcting the axial chromatic aberration of round electron lenses at low voltages. For this prupose the Wien filter must operate in the nondispersive mode such that the dispersion wanishes outside of the filter. A stigmatic path of the Gaussian rays is obtained by appropriate excitation of the magnetic quadrupole field. Chromatic correction is achieved by adjusting the electric quadrupole strength such that it fulfills the correction condition. To guarantee that the achromator does not introduce deleterious second-rank aberrations an intermediate image of the object plane must be placed at the center of the Wien filter. The achromator should consist of an electric magnetic octopole or dodecapole element to enable arbitrary excitation of the electric and magnetic multipole fields up to the octupole component inclusively. The constant of the third-order spherical aberration of the achromator can have negative sign allowing for the additional correction of the spherical aberration for a distinct object voltage. By incorporating the achromator into a sextupole corrector simultaneous correction of both the chromatic and spherical aberration can be achieved for arbitrary object voltages. Criteria for the design of the achromator are discussed in detail


The knowledge management process is crucial in fostering and sustaining competitive innovation processes that create economic and social value through the generation, development and implementation of ideas. These new ideas are behind the production of new or significantly
improved products and processes. The organisations which have readily adopted and implemented KM are found to be the larger, well financed and better resourced organisations. There are many success stories of KM in large organisations, but these have not been replicated
in Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study explores how KM could be used in SMEs to support innovation. The research question was further divided into three research objectives: What are the KM goals of SMEs? What are the Innovation goals of SMEs? What association is their between KM and Innovation in SMEs which could be further explored? The research design for the project is based on a deductive research approach composed by an extensive literature review, to express an informed conceptual model, and a sector wide questionnaire survey, to identify issues emerging from
practice. The questionnaire uses a purposively theoretical/conceptual model (KMOLI Cycle) deduced from the literature review. The model was improved by mapping it against KM- Innovation activities. The questionnaire tests aims to identify issues or
discrepancies between the theoretical/conceptualisation and actual KM- Innovation activities. This deductive approach questioned a universe of 400 UK SMEs from
the UK Energy Sector. This report presents the findings
of the questionnaire as well as the findings of research project as a whole. It was found that SMEs are surprisingly innovation and KM active but lack a strategic perspective for both KM and innovation. The
questionnaire highlighted a number of discrepancies for further exploration.


The main purpose of this study is, surveying the relationship between organizational justice and job performance of payamenoor university employees in Ardabil province. The method of this research is applied correlation. The statistic societies are all employees of Payamenoor university of Ardabil (237 persons). The method of sampling is classified random sampling. The size of selected samples was 147 persons that they were determined by Cochran formula. The means of collecting data were two standard questionnaires: organizational justice with 17 items and job performance with 28 items. The face and context validity of questionnaires were reviewed by experts and for measuring the reliability of them was used Cronbach-alpha coefficient. To analyzing data were used one sample t test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariable regression. Findings show there is a positive relationship between organizational justice and its dimensions (distributive justice, procedural justice, informational justice) and job performance and its dimensions (context and obligation) and also there is a weak relationship between the above cases and procedural justice, so to promote employees' job performance in the area of organizational justice and its dimensions.


Improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings is ensured by improving the thermal protection characteristics and the wider introduction of control tools. In order to take into account the influence of individualisation of operating conditions, the study of the regulation of heating distribution of a single-pipe system with bypassed heating devices of a 5-storey typical for Ukraine mass building of the 80s after thermos-modernisation for conditions in Kyiv and Warsaw (Poland) was carried out. On the basis of the simulation model created in the Mathcad software environment for design/rated and average climatic conditions, the influence of internal heat flows into adjacent rooms on the distribution of energy consumption, changes in internal air temperature under the influence of local changes in the heating device flow coefficients were studied. The developed approaches, and the results obtained on the influence of local regulation of devices of vertical single-pipe heating systems can be used to clarify the distribution of energy consumption for heating between individual zones of apartment buildings.


The DLR project Virtual Satellite will provide proc esses for maintaining a repository of SMP2 componen ts. These components' behaviour shall be modelled using a gra phic l editor rather than directly coding source, a s we regard it to be more applicable for system modelling. The model shall then be transformed into an SMP2 model, in or der to benefit from platform and simulator independence. This paper discusses the transformation from differ ent model representations into a corresponding SMP2 model regarding three specific modelling approaches. As t he first approach, the tool chain of Simulink with Real-Time Workshop and MOSAIC provides a working transformati on from Simulink to SMP2 models. Regarding the transformation, some effort from the modeller is ne ed d. Next, the open object-oriented language Model ica promises advantages like better reusability and versatility. Tools like Dymola provide a graphical editor. But much development is necessary since no transformation into SMP2 mode ls has been developed yet. Last, the SMP2 C++ langu age mapping and directly coding the component's behaviour provi des the technically simplest way. The effort for us ing each of these approaches will be compared using an exemplary mode l.


In order to gather more information about the current trends in pediatric practice in one locality, a study was done in 1958 to ascertain what the pediatricians in the State of Washington were doing; whether they were satisfied with their practice; and if their training had adequately prepared them for practice. Information about the nature and extent of pediatric care done by the general practitioner, which was available from a 1957 study in the State of Washington made it possible to compare certain aspects of pediatric care as practiced by the general practitioner with those same aspects of pediatric care as practiced by the pediatrician. Some attempt was made to try to compare the findings of this study with relevant information given in other studies. In general, it was found that in the State of Washington well-child care and the treatment of upper respiratory infections occupies much of the pediatrician9s time. Time spent in well-child care was approximately equal to that spent in sick-child care—a contrast to the experience of the present-day general practitioner and to pediatric practice in former times. Treatment of certain kinds of diseases has ostensibly increased somewhat in the past two decades, and treatment of accidents is now part of pediatric care. Some conclusions about the adequacy of medical school training are also presented.


Throughout the lifespan of an individual, enormous numbers of mature blood cells are generated by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow (BM). The HSC is a cell that can self-renew to maintain the HSC pool and differentiate into all types of mature blood cells. HSCs can also be mobilized out of the BM into blood and can be isolated from different sources including mobilized blood, umbilical cord blood, BM and fetal liver for clinical and experimental purposes. HSCs are widely used as an effective therapy for treatment of hematopoietic and some non-hematopoietic diseases. HSCs reside and develop in the BM in specialized microenvironments, termed niches. However, specific niche components and the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of HSC self-renewal, differentiation and migration by the niche remain poorly defined. In the present thesis, we have analysed the interactions of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) with niche components and their role in the regulation of HSC migration, self-renewal and differentiation. Specifically, the functional role of integrin receptors in HSPC migration and the role of the blood cell growth factor thrombopoietin (THPO) in HSC maintenance during hematopoietic cell development and after transplantation have been studied. By using both function-blocking antibodies and integrin alpha6 gene-deleted embryos in a mouse transplantation model, we have found that integrin alpha6 receptor, highly expressed on HSPCs, is important for homing of adult HSCs and HPCs to BM in vivo. Furthermore, we have shown that integrin alpha6 receptor is not involved in fetal liver HSC homing and engraftment, whereas it plays a role in fetal liver HPC homing. Importantly, alpha4 was found to be essential for both adult BM and fetal liver HSC and HPC homing. By using functional assays and phenotypic HSC analysis of Thpo-/- mice, we demonstrated that THPO is critically involved in postnatal and post-transplantation HSC maintenance. The distinct role of THPO in postnatal HSC maintenance was accompanied by accelerated HSC cell cycle kinetics in Thpo-/- mice and reduced expression of cyclin-dependent kinases p57Kip2 and p19INK4D. Taken together, we have for the first time provided the evidence that integrin alpha6 functions as a homing receptor for BM HSPCs and fetal liver HPCs, and that THPO regulates the maintenance of postnatal quiescent HSCs, of critical importance to avoid postnatal HSC exhaustion. Notably, our studies on functions of integrin alpha6 and THPO in HSCs emphasize ontogeny related differences in HSC regulation. (Less)


The principle of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) for testing concrete structure was presented. To overcome the difficulty in determining the diameter and location of a REBAR embedded in concrete, a special concrete slab with single REBAR and double-layered REBAR meshes was made and tested by reflection method with 12GHz antennas. Results showed that double-layered REBARs could be located by GPR. The assessment method for REBAR diameter and the minimum REBAR spacing tested were given.


This paper present new approaches for in-system, trace-based debug of High-Level Synthesis-generated hardware. These approaches include the use of Event Observability Ports (EOP) that provide observability of source-level events in the final hardware. We also propose the use of small, independent trace buffers called Event Observability Buffers (EOB) for tracing events through EOPs. EOBs include a data storage enable signal that allows cycle-by-cycle storage decisions to be made on an EOB-by-EOB basis. This approach causes the timing relationships of events captured in different trace buffers to be lost. Two methods are presented for recovering these relationships. Finally, we present a case study that demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of an EOB trace strategy.


Abstract 1412 Factor XIII is a transglutaminase that cross-links proteins in plasma, vascular matrix, endothelial cells, platelets and monocytes, and plays a role in atherosclerosis, wound healing, and inflammation. Plasma FXIII molecule is a hetero-tetramer consisting of two catalytic A-subunits and two B-subunits that act as carrier molecules. The gene encoding FXIII A subunit comprises of 15 exons spanning 160 kb and the mature protein contains 731 amino acids. FXIII deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disorder affecting ∼1 in 1–3 million people. It is characterized by bleeding, impaired wound repair and spontaneous abortions. We report studies from a family where two children son (13 yrs) and daughter (11 yrs) have had a lifelong bleeding tendency and spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages. Both parents were asymptomatic and there was no consanguinity. The results of routine laboratory tests, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were normal in all subjects. The plasma FXIII activity by a commercially available chromogenic assay was 5% in the son and . The mother also had a known A/C polymorphism at 1119 nt position for a synonymous Pro332Pro change. We also found 3 other variations in FXIII A chain in this family. The daughter has Glu216Gly and Asp267Asn change in the protein corresponding to alterations at nucleotide 773 (A/G) and 925 (A/G), respectively. The son and mother had a substitution at 1442 nt (T/C) leading to a Leu439Pro change. These variations, Glu216Gly, Asp267Asn and Leu439Pro found in the two children (Leu439Pro also in mother) are present in the catalytic core domain of the Factor XIII A chain. All of the polymorphisms or mutations reported in this study were heterozygous in the studied subjects. FXIII gene mutations and polymorphisms result in a high level of heterogeneity of disease presentation. Other point mutations in the FXIII A catalytic core as well as mutations in s-barrel 1 region have been described in association with a hemorrhagic state in FXIII deficiency. Our study documents a new 3-bp 1834–1836 nt AAG-deletion (Lys570Del) in association with FXIII deficiency. We suggest that compound heterozygosity for Lys570Del and Tyr204Phe is the cause of FXIII deficiency in our patients. Further structure-function studies will aid in understanding the impact of these amino acid substitutions or deletions on FXIII function and on the associated bleeding diathesis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


A pleural localisation of Salmonella cholerae suis infection is described in a patient with breast carcinoma. The evolution of neoplastic disease seems to be more slow after salmonellosis. On the basis of this case the most important mechanisms between immunity and tumors are discussed.


Aim. Contact networks play a crucial role in infectious disease propagation and position in the network mediate risk of acquiring or sending infections. We studied the spread of hospital-associated infections through computer simulations and validated our 'computer assisted' risk assessment with 'human' risk assessment in a prospective study.Concept. We collected time-varying structure of contacts and covariates reconstructed from Polish Hospitals:1. The organisational structure is mapped by a set of questionnaires, CAD maps integration, functional paths annotation and local vision. It is done mostly by surveys within medical staff through an interactive web application.2. The Cohabitation layer processes data from the registry of patient admissions and discharges from each hospital unit (wards, clinics, etc.) and medical shift register. With simulated infection paths, we were able to compute network centrality measures for patients. We obtained the risk of getting infected, based on the patient's incoming connections, and the risk of spreading infections resulting from outgoing connections. We compare various standard centrality measures – position of patients and staff in contact networks ('computer assisted' risk  assessment) of both contacts and paths networks, with a predictor of 'human' risk perception (based on 190 patients).Results. We showed that the best predictor of HAI risk is Adjusted Rage Rank on paths (r= 0.42, p < 0.01). However, surprisingly good predictive power in risk assessment was found in the betweenness centrality of the underlying network of contacts (r = 0.30, p < 0.01).Conclusion: We conclude that epidemiology of a given pathogen in a given place and time could be explained only with the contact network only to a large extent. However, further possibility of the collection, processing and storage of the data on individual persons, translated to mathematical modelling could lead in future to satisfactory improvement in risk assessment.


As we know that fuzzy association rules are used to convert crisp set elements in to fuzzy set elements like "height=long". On other hand Association rules on crisp set are bounded with in a limit to transfer crisp set elements in to the binary values like "height = [5.5feet or above]" and it losses some information at boundaries because of its restricted nature. Today the variations of fuzzy association rule mining is most popular. As the crisp version of Apriori, fuzzy Apriori algorithms are quit inefficient for large volume of data sets. Hence it is required to bring an efficient and powerful FA rule mining for better performance over large volume of data sets. I f we compare the fuzzy Apriori with the proposed algorithm the proposed algorithm is almost 16% faster than the earlier one if both the algorithm compared together in case of very large data sets. The proposed algorithm also has excellent processing techniques to convert the non-fuzzy dataset into fuzzy dataset


Objective:To observe the effects and safety of two different doses of atorvastatin in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) since 24 h after it happened and to observe the incidence of cardio-cerebral vascular events in one year.Methods:The 60 ACS patients were randomly averagely divided into two groups,atorvastatin 60mg group and atorvastatin 20mg group,60mg or 20mg a day respectively for one year.Results:The levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low dense lipoprotein (LDL-C) significantly decreased after two weeks,three months,six months and one year as compared with base levels in both groups (P0.01 all).The effect of regulating lipid in atorvastatin 60mg group was superior to that of atorvastatin 20 mg group in every time segments (P0.05 all).In atorvastatin 60mg group,the incidences of cardio-cerebral vascular events such as recurrent angina pectoris (10.0% vs.30.0%),heart failure (10.0% vs.26.7%),arrhythmia (13.3% vs.30.0%)were lower than those of 20mg group during hospitalization and 12-month′s follow-up period (P0.05 all).There were no serious adverse events in two groups.Conclusion:Atorvastatin both 20mg or 60mg are effective in regulating lipid and decreasing the incidence of cardio-cerebral vascular events,but the efficacy of 60mg is superior to those of 10mg.There are no serious adverse reactions during the course of treatment in two groups.


As the number of distributed photovoltaics in the power grid continues to increase, the inherent resonance points of distributed photovoltaic cluster grid-connected systems become more complex. This paper firstly analyzes the grid structure of the distributed photovoltaic cluster grid-connected system. Then, the grid structure and resonance coupling relationship of single inverter, and the grid structure and resonance coupling relationship of cluster grid-connected inverters are analyzed. Based on the above analysis, the resonant frequency distribution of the distributed photovoltaic cluster grid-connected system is obtained. Then, the influence mechanism of the grid structure on the resonance is analyzed. Finally, it is verified by simulation that the change of the grid structure will cause the change of the resonant frequency distribution of the distributed photovoltaic cluster grid-connected system.


moment, the old woman nearly breaks through her near-senility and vaguely glimpses the truth behind their lies. The reader wonders, is it a cruelty to the old lady, a mockery of her dignity, to trick her this way? Or are their deceptions compassionate? Déry doesn't lead us to an answer, or if he does, the answer is that there will only be more of the same. As the story ends, the daughter-in-law has received a letter from her imprisoned husband. Filled with joy at the prospect of visiting him, she returns to her mother-inlaw's only to learn that the old woman is dead. At the conclusion, the young woman, nervously fingering a glass of brandy, wonders, "Now what am I going to tell him on next Sunday's visit?" Personal honor is a great virtue for Déry, and it seems to pain him that his characters cannot perform truly noble acts. But nobility is perhaps an impossibility in a time of madness, or, more specifically, under totalitarianism. If the country is sick, then the people are sick. Can the hand be virtuous if the body is corrupt? In "Aunt Anna," the titular character refuses to live in the cellar with the others like another "rat," and joins them only after her apartment has been bombed; she literally crawls out of the rubble. Once in the cellar, she is arrogant, aggressive, pushy, rude—not one's image of a hero. And yet at the end of the story, she is shot for trying to save her son; she does not literally put herself in the way of the bullet, but that's the idea. As she lies on her bed dying, she delivers an insulting speech to her neighbours, condemning them for lacking courage, for having lived meekly, uselessly, and for profit:


The seL4 microkernel was the first operating system proved functionally correct to the source-code level. We provide an overview of its development since, in terms of extending verification, evolving the kernel to support wider classes of real-world systems, discuss some of the frameworks that allow extending verification guarantees to other critical system components, as well as real-world deployments.


Variabilities associated with CMOS evolution affect the yield and performance of current digital designs. FPGAs, which are widely used for fast prototyping and implementation of digital circuits, also suffer from these issues. Proactive approaches start to appear to achieve self-awareness and dynamic adaptation of these devices. To support these techniques we propose the employment of a multi-purpose sensor network. This infrastructure, through adequate use of configuration and automation tools, is able to obtain relevant data along the life cycle of an FPGA. This is realised at a very reduced cost, not only in terms of area or other limited resources, but also regarding the design effort required to define and deploy the measuring infrastructure. Our proposal has been validated by measuring inter-die and intra-die variability in different FPGA families.


G.M. Ferri, MD, Department of'Medicina Clinica', V.le dell'Università 37, I-00185 Rome (Italy) Acquired inhibitors against factor VIIL·C (FVIIL·C) in nonhemophilic patients are associated with various conditions, including autoimmune diseases (mainly rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus), malignancies, the postpartum state, drug reactions, and dermatological disorders [1-4]. One case of circulating inhibitor associated with viral infection has also been described [5]. In this report, we describe the case of a 57-year-old male, diagnosed with lichenoid dermatosis, who developed severe hemorrhagic manifestations due to the appearance of inhibitors against FVIIL·C following vaccination with BCG and a pool of various strains of live attenuated corynebacteria. A 57-year-old male was admitted to our hospital in August 1989 with severe fatigue, bleeding from the gums, macroscopic hematuria, and spontaneous leg and forearm pain. He had no family or past history of a tendency to bleed. In September 1988, a lichenoid dermatosis of the scalp was diagnosed. Because of worsening of the skin lesions, vaccine therapy with BCG and a pool of various strains of live attenuated corynebacteria was advised, and was started in June 1989 in a private clinic, after the patient had given his informed consent. This therapeutic approach was adopted on the basis of preliminary unpublished results showing the efficacy of nonspecific immu-notherapy in lichenoid dermatosis. The vaccine was administered monthly by subcutaneous injection. Following the second booster, the hemorrhagic manifestations occurred. On examination, the patient appeared in poor general condition. Swelling of both calves and of the right forearm were present, due to the presence of hematomas. The liver and spleen were palpable 2 and 1 cm below the costal margin, respectively. Laboratory investigations revealed Hb 12.7 g/dl, WBC 5.2 × 109/1 (72% neutrophils, 26% lymphocytes, 1 % monocytes, and 1 % eosinophils), platelets 229 × 109/1 and ESR 80 mm in 1 h. Macroscopic hematuria was present. Liver enzymes, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen were normal. Tests for VDRL, rheumatoid factors and antinuclear antibodies were negative. The prothrombin time (PT), the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and the quantification of ñbrinogen


This paper analyzes the constitution of the academic field of education policy in Brazil. The theoretical foundation is based on the contributions of Pierre Bourdieu's theory on the notion of field. From the results of the analysis of the sources of the research, we present the historical aspects of the constitution of the academic field of education policy in Brazil divided into three moments, namely: 1) background of the academic field of education policy in Brazil (from 1820 to 1950); 2) institutionalization of the academic field of education policy (from the 1960s; and 3) expansion of the academic field of education policy (from the 1990s). We concluded that it is a comprehensive field and in permanent expansion and construction. Due to its nature, education policy does not constitute a monopoly of a scientific community, journals, research networks, etc., because it is something of public interest, and it can be discussed in different social and political spaces.


Editor—The most common sensory deficit in humans is hearing loss, affecting 1 in 1000 children, with approximately half of the cases having a genetic cause. The majority of these genetic causes are non-syndromic, of which approximately 75% have an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.1 So far, nearly 30 genes that cause non-syndromic recessive deafness (NSRD) have been located (for review see http://dnalab-www.uia.ac.be/dnalab/hhh). The loci corresponding to NSRD are designated DFNB, with a number corresponding to the chronology of their localisation. The first locus, DFNB1 (MIM 220290), located on chromosome 13q11-12,2 has been shown to be responsible for nearly half of NSRD owing to mutations in the gene encoding the gap junction protein connexin 26 ( GJB2 ) (MIM 121011).3 4 One mutation, 30delG (also referred to as 35delG), accounts for the majority of mutations in this gene in some ethnic groups,3-8 while it is rarer in others.9-15

The geographical position of Lebanon, a small country of 10 500 km2 on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean sea, has made it a historical crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe. As a consequence, the Lebanese population shows a wide genetic diversity, with no less than 17 ethno-religious communities. Today, the population is approximately 4 million people, with a world wide diaspora estimated at 15 million. In Lebanon, consanguineous marriages are still frequent (from 10 to 30%), favouring the incidence of autosomal recessive diseases,16 such as haemoglobinopathies, sickle cell anaemia, familial Mediterranean fever, congenital hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, and deafness.

The purpose of this study is to summarise the different NSRD loci found in a case series of Lebanese families and to determine the carrier frequency of the 30delG mutation in selected Lebanese subjects.

Forty eight multiplex Lebanese families with non-syndromic congenital moderate to profound deafness, from various …


We are delighted to introduce the eighth volume of Perspectives: Dialogues in Philosophy. Perspectives is a peer-reviewed annual publication, featuring articles, book reviews and interviews covering a broad range of issues and topics in philosophy and related disciplines. Perspectives aims to reflect the diverse interests of the graduate philosophy community at University College Dublin, publishing works from various philosophical traditions including analytic and continental. The journal also welcomes submissions in social and political philosophy, history of philosophy, philosophy of cognitive science and ancient philosophy. Our goal is to offer a platform for those in the early stages of research in the academic philosophy, from masters and PhD students to recent graduates, to gain experience of the process of academic publishing at the highest level. Since 2016, Perspectives has been published as an open access journal with De Gruyter Open, a leading open access publisher of 435 journals in various areas and disciplines. Moving the journal to an open online platform has allowed the journal to flourish and to be visible on over 300 online databases, including ProQuest and Google Scholar, and makes it a fully searchable and citable publication. The chance to publish Perspectives with De Gruyter Open was made possible by the generous contributions of University College Dublin Seed Funding and the UCD School of Philosophy. Through international calls for paper, the journal has never ceased to elicit high quality submissions that are subject to rigorous blind refereeing. The contributors are not liable for the costs of publishing with De Gruyter Open; all such charges will be borne by the journal. This year's issue features articles based on some of the proceedings of the 2018 Dublin Annual Graduate Philosophy. This conference is an annual event jointly organised by University College Dublin's and Trinity College Dublin's philosophy departments. The conference that year drew papers that address the theme, broadly construed, of 'Dialogues in Philosophy' whether that be in response to the work of contemporary thinkers, historical figures, or both. By some, the topic was also interpreted as revolving around different contributions to the state of historical or current debates in Philosophy (e.g. philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, continental philosophy etc.). The issue also features an interview with the keynote speaker of the conference Prof. Michaela Massimi. In addition, this issue of the journal includes a submitted paper which fits well with the broad aims of the topic of the 2018 conference. Broadly, authors addressed issues such as – The extent to which philosophy ought to be dialogical (questions concerning different methodologies in philosophy are of direct relevance). – The most influential dialogues in both the history of philosophy and contemporary philosophy.


ABSTRACT:The role of AI in narrative studies is not a question of if but of when and of how we humans prepare for such a future. The if claim is addressed with a detailed rebuttal to Angus Fletcher's 'Why Computers Will Never Read (or Write) Literature." A counter-argument based upon key AI concepts, the historical progress of AI, and landmark failures and breakthroughs brings readers up to date on the current state of AI as it relates to narrative studies. Numerous examples explain why the cycle of AI winters and springs is now broken, and there is a new global AI arms race. Scholars now have a windfall of increasingly sophisticated, multi-million dollar models that can analyze and generate narrative. Still, in light of the inherent complexity of natural language and the current limitations of even these state-of-the-art AI models, a human-in-the-loop is essential for the foreseeable future. We attempt to allay common yet misplaced concerns by reasserting the centrality of the human scholar to guide and interpret while using these tools. Leveraging these new AI models will yield new insights for narrative studies, and this important work will include shaping the language of fairness, equality, and ethics of models that increasingly impact the lives of billions. We invite narrative scholars to participate in this growing interdisciplinary movement that chooses active engagement over passive critique.


The operation of power distribution networks becomes more and more challenging in the presence of DER, as well as new DSM requirements. Utilities need new tools to monitor and control the power distribution network, maintaining the reliability and the QoS facing these new conditions. Today's power distribution grids have to be transformed into "smart distribution grids" that feature on-line monitoring data and enable efficient, fast and secure grid operation. This issue is tackled in the OpenNode project, funded by European Commission in the 7th framework program (www.opennode.eu). OpenNode focuses on the research and development of: (1) An open Secondary Substation Node (SSN), which is an essential control component of the future smart distribution grid; (2) A middleware to couple the SSN operation with the utility systems for grid and utility operation; (3) A modular communication architecture based on standardised communication protocols to grant the flexibility required by the stakeholder diversification and to cope with massively distributed embedded systems in the distribution grid. To address the problem, a consortium of nine organizations from six European countries is cooperating in the OpenNode project. The project started on January 2010 with duration of 33 months. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement Number 248119. (4 pages)


Over the past forty years, the number of fighter aircraft controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents per flight hour has not improved despite the addition of multiple manual warning systems. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has undertaken a program to develop an automatic system that will take over when the pilot can no longer recover the aircraft, perform an automatic recovery and quickly return control to the pilot. It is called the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System or Auto GCAS. This system has been successfully demonstrated on a Block 50 F-16 with a digital flight control system as shown in Figure 1 and is transitioning to operational Block 40/50 F-16s. Until now the technology could not be applied to early model F-16s with analog flight control systems because of the lack of a high authority autopilot needed for the automatic recovery and the absence of a way for the flight control system to ascertain system integrity to insure safe operation. AFRL is now focused on finding a technical solution that will allow the implementation of Auto GCAS on aircraft with analog flight control systems. The effort is called Analog Auto GCAS. The Analog Auto GCAS project has developed an innovative method of adding redundant digital processor modules to the existing analog flight control computers of pre-block 40 F-16's. This will not only allow Auto GCAS to be added to F-16s with analog flight control computer but demonstrates a technical path forward for incorporating Auto GCAS onto other older aircraft with analog flight control computers. This paper provides a description of Auto GCAS, discusses the changes needed to implement Auto GCAS on an analog aircraft, and covers the results to date as well as the future path forward for implementing Auto GCAS on the pre-block 40 F-16 fleet.


Background Aggressive mechanical ventilation can markedly and unpredictably aff ect cardiac function. The fall in cardiac output (CO) is due to a reduction in left ventricular stroke volume (SV). The aim of the present pilot study was to assess the eff ects of diff erent positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels on circulatory function and to compare them with continuous wave (CW)-Doppler ultrasound cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) and a thermodilution-based haemodynamic monitoring system (PiCCO). Methods Twenty mechanically ventilated (PEEP ≤10 mbar) adult patients (female n = 6, male n = 14, mean age 62 years, mean SAPS II-score 48.5), the majority with pneumonia and septic shock) were followed with USCOM and PiCCO at stepwise increased PEEP-levels from 0-10 mbar (1 mbar steps). The changes in CO/SV were recorded. Results With both methods, an increase of PEEP resulted in a decrease of SV and CO. Although the absolute decrease was consistently higher by USCOM, the changes of the parameters were qualitatively comparable. CO fell from 8.83 L/min (± 2.39) by 0.4 L/min to 8.49 L/min (± 2.48) with PiCCO and from 9.3 L/min (± 3.43) by 1.0 L/min to 8.3 L/min (± 3.2) with USCOM. The median CO/SV fell by 4.5%/5.2% with PiCCO and 10.8%/9% with USCOM, respectively. Correlation of CO values with the two methods by Bland-Altman yielded comparable results (mean percentage error at PEEP 0 mbar 13%, PEEP 10 mbar 18%). An adequate fl ow signal with USCOM was achieved in all patients. Conclusions A signifi cant infl uence of mechanical ventilation with PEEP on haemodynamic parameters was evident both with USCOM and PiCCO. While thermodilution methods like PiCCO are well established but time-consuming and invasive, CW-Doppler based USCOM constitutes an important tool for easy, rapid and reliable diagnosis and haemodynamic monitoring of critically ill patients.


It is useful to exactly forecast the tourism passenger source in tourism layout and management.The linear regression model is often used in passenger source in tourism layout.But its precision is worth discussing.Quantitative analysis is made to the four forecast models in a case study of the international tourism passenger source of China.The research suggests that the linear regression model has the lowest precision in the four models,the Grey model of GM(1,1)is suitable for the data of 4~7 years,and the exponent model fits for the data of longer series.


Relevance is a fundamental, though not completely understood, concept for documentation, information science and information retrieval. This paper presents the history of relevance through an exhaustive review of the literature. Being such history very complex (about 130 papers have appeared), it is not simple to describe it in a comprehen-sible way. Thus, rst of all a framework for establishing a common ground is deened, and then the history itself is illustrated via the presentation in chronological order of the papers on relevance. The history is divided into three periods (prehistory, ancient period and modern period) and, inside each period, the papers on relevance are analyzed under seven diierent aspects (methodological foundations, diierent kinds of relevance, beyond-topical criteria adopted by users, modes for expression of the relevance judgment, dynamic nature of relevance, types of document representation, and agreement among diierent judges).