The design of magnetoresistive compass of micro air vehicle(MAV)based on DSP is presented,which consists of S/R circuit,3D magnetic sensors,signal processing circuit and DSP.In order to achieve the highest resolution,set/reset pulse circuits is designed.It can be used to eliminate the effects of past magnetic effects and temperature drift.The error sources of this magnetoresistive compass are analysed.A non-linear,two-step error model and compensation algorithm is presented.The algorithm can be applied to any two or three-axis sensor set with an error model consisting of scale,offset,and non-orthogonality errors.The experiments show that this compass's error is less than 1.2°.And it has many merits such as small volume,light weight,low power consumption,and high reliability etc.


This scientific commentary refers to 'Diabetes medications and risk of Parkinson's disease: a cohort study of patients with diabetes', by Brauer etal. (doi:10.1093/brain/awaa262).


Offer the electrical characteristics are excellent thin film transistor, and it has a display device, and methods for their preparation. In a display device having the fine (微) crystal germanium film, a microcrystalline germanium film on one side and the gate insulating film in contact with the surface, the thin film transistor of the gate electrode are overlapped, and a thin film transistor, a buffer layer on the other surface microcrystalline germanium film It is formed. By using microcrystalline germanium film on the channel forming region, a field-effect mobility and on (ON) the current can be produced with high thin-film transistor. Further, by providing a buffer layer between the microcrystalline germanium film, a source region or a drain region, which functions as a channel forming region, an off current can be made lower thin film transistor. In other words, the electrical properties can be produced an excellent thin film transistor. A thin film transistor, a display device, US (微) crystal germanium film, the buffer layer


●'Radiant' (11.7%), 'Royalty' (8.5%), 'Hopa' (7.0%), 'Indian Magic' (6.6%), and 'Snowdrift' (5.7%) were the most commonly mentioned discontinued selections over all regions (Table 4). 'Radiant' and 'Royalty' ranked fi rst or second in the central, east-central and east regions, whereas 'Hopa' was the most frequently discontinued cultivar in the west-central region. Interestingly, japanese fl owering crab (M. fl ribunda) was the cultivar most often discontinued in the western region. Apple scab was identifi ed as the most prevalent crabapple disease across all regions (67.8%) except in the westcentral region, where fi re blight was considered most problematic (80.9%). The higher frequency of fi re blight is due to later blooming periods at higher elevations (Smith, 1998). Disease resistance has been stressed more than any other topic with regard to crabapples at the university level (Iles and Stookey, 1997). However, respondents in our study believe their retail and commercial clients are more concerned with fl owers and growth habit. A promotional campaign should be modeled after the Perennial Plant Association's (PPA, Hilliard, Ohio) perennial of the year to highlight the best crabapple selections. Suggested selections may change as climactic conditions change across the United States, thus encouraging the use of the best cultivars and species available.


The effect of four organic solvents on β-fructofuranosidase mediated synthesis of oligosaccharides from sucrose were investigated. Amongst the solvents examined, butyl acetate proved to be the best for oligosaccharide synthesis. Starting with the equivalent of 44.6 g/L of sucrose, 247 U of enzyme and 91.6% (by vol.) of butyl acetate results in the production of 8.8 g/L of oligosaccharides within 30 min, with trisaccharides constituting more than 60% of the oligosaccharides. The efficiency for conversion of sucrose to oligosaccharides is greater than 19%, and this exceeds the 11.6% (in 24 h) previously achieved with 1271 U of the same enzyme in aqueous medium. Use of butyl acetate as the bulk phase therefore modifies the reaction environment in favour of enhanced and accelerated rate of oligosaccharide synthesis by this β-fructofuranosidase.


Schools' contribution to students' health and well-being have been increasingly recognized. Nevertheless, the development of suitable evaluation methods for health promotion (HP) in schools remains a central question. Our presentation will describe the methodological approach and discuss the interest of mixed methods (MM) designs in the evaluation of the impact of HP in the school setting.We will take the example of the French HP program "Apprendre a mieux vivre ensemble". The aim of the program is to give teachers the means to integrate HP approaches in their everyday practices at the class level as well as at the school and community level. It is implemented in 160 schools in 10 French regions. In each of these regions, a 'resource team' including faculty, pedagogical advisers and members of HP services and of local HP NGOs, was trained to the program. This team delivers the different modules of the program and also offers support for the elaboration of HP projects in schools.The evaluation is based on a MM approach, which is the combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007). Its objective is to determine the impact of teacher training on teachers' practices in HP and on children's well-being at school. It uses an embedded design based primarily on quantitative data where the qualitative data set provides a supportive role. A quantitative approach is used to measure the influence of training and support on teachers' (as individuals) and schools' practices (collective work and partnerships) and on the impact of the program on children and parents. Teachers' and schools' practices are further explored through an open ended process.


In this paper, we present the FlappyBird Competition System (FCS) implementation, a competitionbased automated assessment system used in an entry-level artificial intelligence (AI) course at a university. The proposed system provides an evaluation method suitable for AI courses while taking advantage of automated assessment methods. Students are to design a neural network structure, train the weights, and tune hyperparameters using the given reinforcement learning code to improve the overall performance of game AI. Students participate using the resulting trained model during the competition, and the system automatically calculates the final score based on the ranking. The user evaluation conducted after the semester ends shows that our competition-based automated assessment system promotes active participation and inspires students to be interested and motivated to learn AI. Using FCS, the instructor significantly reduces the amount of time required for assessment.


We experimentally investigated transmission of 31 Gb/s/channel OFDM signals over 6,000 km fiber optic link. We obtained 1.8dB and 0.7dB Q-factor gains using the nonlinear equalization part of DBP for single-channel and WDM systems, respectively.


edited by Heather Worth, Anna Paris and Louisa Allen, Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago Press, 2002, 204 pp. In the field of men's health, recognition of the intersection of masculinity with race, ethnicity, and other forms of social differentiation is critical. This recognition facilitates a more thorough understanding of the opportunities for and constraints to men's health and a more effective engagement with men on the part of service providers. Recent scholarship on men and gender takes as given that constructions of masculinity and sexuality have complex and multiple relationships with constructions of race and ethnicity. This recognition is extended by The Life of Brian, a collection originating from New Zealand, a small south Pacific nation of close to four million people. While The Life of Brian does not include detailed prescriptions for how to foster men's health in culturally appropriate ways, it does model the kind of investigation of men and gender that men's health researchers and practitioners should adopt. In the opening chapter, R.W. Connell begins by giving a useful and thorough summary of what we now know from the new generation of social research on men and masculinity. He then articulates a theme with which his writing has been increasingly concerned: the need to explore the global dynamics and structure of gender and to address masculinities on a world scale. Particular forms of masculinity have been associated with processes of colonization, empire-building, postcolonialism, and transnational capitalism, and there are complex interactions between the gender orders of local societies, international institutions, and gendered processes of trade, migration, and conflict. The following chapters do not follow Connell's focus on the global shaping of masculinities. But their two overlapping contributions are valuable: the documentation of patterns of gender and sexuality among particular categories and communities of men (and women) and theoretical reflection on the formation and operation of gender and sexuality and their intersection with other categories of identity and difference. Two chapters have men's health as their principal focus. Anthony O'Connor documents conceptions of health and illness among young Pakeha (Europeandescended) men. His findings are similar to those elsewhere: men's conceptions of health are limited and informed by masculine sports such as rugby, and men's health practices are sporadic and dependent in part on the caregiving of female partners and mothers. Stephen McKernon notes that while heterosexual men's sexual and social practices have a profound impact on sexual health, these men have been omitted from specific attention in sexual health policy and service delivery. Some men in his study saw condom use as a barrier to pleasure, trust, and intimacy, echoing understandings found among young heterosexual men in Australia (Flood, 2003). McKernon's account of heterosexual men's experiences of sexual health services is useful in pointing to the shame and fear that shape men's unwillingness to access services. His discussion would benefit, though, from a more detailed examination of the contradictory discourses regarding masculinity and condoms he reports. Four chapters in The Life of Brian center on the multiple and shifting interplays between gender, ethnicity, and sexuality among men. Clive Aspin explores the understandings of cultural and sexual identity among gay men who are Maori (the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand). A growing number of Maori gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are reclaiming the term takatapui, a traditional term for an intimate friend of the same sex. This began in the early 1990s, and for the men Aspin interviewed it has facilitated the reconciliation of potentially competing allegiances and identities and a greater integration into Maori kin and cultural networks. Terry O'Neill argues that in a society where the heterosexual and able-bodied man is idealized, gay disabled men are "the personification of negative difference" (p. …


This paper is an empirical study of relationship between Indian stock markets and Foreign exchange rate. There is a huge literature about such kind of empirical studies but mostly on US/UK stock markets and macroeconomic indicators. markets. The period that will be used for the study will be from April 2002 to March 2013. We have chosen this period as it represents big variations in Indian economy. So, an analysis of this period can provide us with insights to how some regulatory and structural changes impact the economy and asset prices in that country. In this study we will use Unit root tests, cointegration, and Granger's Causality test analyse the relation of exchange rate andNationalStock index (NSE).


An analysis has been carried out for three-dimensional flow of magneto hydrodynamic Sisko ferro and nanofluids over a bidirectional stretching surface in porous medium with non-uniform heat source/sink. The set of nonlinear governing partial differential equations are transformed in to ordinary differential equations by using self-suitable transformations, and solved numerically using Runge-Kutta and Newton's methods. The acquired results presents the effects of various non-dimensional governing parameters on velocity and temperature profiles. Also, determined and analyzed the friction factor coefficients and local Nusselt number. We have presented dual solutions for Sisko ferro and nanofluid cases. An excellent agreement of the present results has been found with existed literature under some special limited cases. Results depict that the material parameter have tendency to boost the friction factor coefficients along with the heat transfer rate. It is also observed that the heat transfer performance of Sisko nanofluid is high while compared with the heat transfer performance of the Sisko ferro fluid.


SHORT DESCRIPTION The invention relates to a hair dye composition containing, in an aqueous carrier-ly acceptable cosmetic, 2,4-diamino-1,3-dimethoxybenzene, or one of its addition salts with an acid, as coupler , in. combination with at least one precursor of para type oxidation dye. 2,4-diamino-1,3-dimethoxybenzene, or one of its salts, in combination with p-phenylenediamines in an oxidizing alkaline medium gives hair powerful blue coloring more or less rich in green or purple. When the coupler is associated with p-aminophenols, by oxidizing an alkaline medium, it confers to the hair red colorations of good stability.


The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the variety of Twi spoken by the Ghanaian immigrant living in the province of Bergamo (Italy) is in fact a variety in transition towards a mixed code - a term coined by Peter Auer in his latest works (cf. in particular Auer 1998b and 1999). We have good reasons to believe that the above mentioned process of transition cannot be imputed to the migratory context in which we collected our data. On the contrary, we view it as a consequence of the prolonged contact between English and Twi, a contact began in the second half of the XVI century, soon after the first British trading companies settled along the Ghanaian coast. Accordingly, we will briefly take into consideration the observations formulated by Gilbert Ansre (1971), together with Myers-Scotton's recent work (1993), where the author quotes a few examples of code-switching (involving English and Swahili as well as English and Shona), which could throw a new light on our data


Sir,

I read with interest the article in the September 2005 issue by Coupe et al[1][1] entitled 'Fatal haemorrhage following a low-energy fracture of the pubic ramus'. It highlights a potentially important problem, of which I had a similar experience as a trainee. The patient was also an


The land-ocean interface along the central coast of California is one of the most diverse biogeographic regions of the state. This area is composed of a species-rich mosaic of coastal grassland, shrubland, and forest vegetation types. An acceleration of conifer encroachment into shrublands and shrub encroachment into grasslands along the coast has been recently documented. These vegetation changes are believed to be driven primarily by fire suppression and changing grazing patterns. Climatic variables such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, fog, cloud cover, and temperature also play an important role in vegetation succession. Our study area includes the central California coast, which is characterized by a precipitation gradient from the relatively wetter and cooler north to the drier and warmer south. The primary objective of this study was to determine where vegetation has undergone succession and to identify what kind of succession has taken place. Furthermore, we sought to identify climatic variables that contribute to succession, specifically the transition among grassland, shrubland, and forested vegetation types. To identify vegetation types and locations where succession has taken place, we classified two Landsat-5 TM scenes from 1985 to 2010 with a resulting overall accuracy of 83.3%. Our results show that forested vegetation was more abundant in the north while shrublands were most abundant in the south. Forests were associated with high mean annual precipitation and mean July plus August evapotranspiration. Grasslands were associated with low mean July and August evapotranspiration and places with the greatest extremes in mean annual maximum and minimum temperatures (e.g. inland areas). Shrublands were not strongly associated with any climatic variables. Throughout the entire study area, approximately 19% of the vegetation has converted from one vegetation type to another between 1985 and 2010, with greater type-conversion north of the San Francisco Bay than in the south. Forests and shrublands have expanded in places with relatively high annual precipitation and July plus August evapotranspiration. Forests have expanded more than any other broadly classified vegetation type and mostly at the expense of shrublands. This study suggests that climatic variables exert a strong level of influence on vegetation and that future climate change could profoundly alter vegetation patterns and processes.


For a long time,"tui"being merely a dialectal adverb,has not drawn too much attention of researchers.This paper on the basis of sufficient linguistic material encompassing quotations from A Dream of Red Mansions,modern dialects of southern re- gions in Shandong province and dialects in Xuzhou city,highlights the analyses of"tui"from the interrelations between meanings and contexts.The semantic connotation of"tui"being a Chinese dialectal adverb mainly falls into two categories:one signifies"over",characterized by derogatory and negative sense,the other signifies"appropriate",implying appreciativeness and affirma- tiveness.Different semantic connotations of"tui"delimit its diversified semantic collocations.In view of the different character- ized by complimentary and positive sense.Different semantic connotations of"tui"delimit its semantic collocations.The seman- tic connotation of"tui",contexts function as vital factor in correctly understanding the emotive tendency it expresses.


Summary The sorption and desorption isotherms and the corresponding distribution coefficients (Kd, mL/g) of Np(V) for untreated loess and three kinds of treated loesses were determined by using the batch technique at moderate concentrations (∼10-5mol/L) under ambient aerobic conditions in the presence of 0.01mol/L CaCl2. For the treated loesses, selective extraction methods were used to remove CaCO3 and organic matter (OM) from the loess. The isotherms were analyzed with the Freundlich equation. The relative contributions of OM and CaCO3 to the Np(V) sorption on the loess were investigated from the parameters of the Freundlich equation. The effects of adding fulvic acid (FA) from the loess and the carbonate in solution on the sorption of neptunium(V) on the loess were studied. The breakthrough curves (BTCs) and displacement curves (DPCs) of Np(V) on the untreated loess column and on the treated loess columns were determined under ambient aerobic conditions at moderate concentration (1.1×10-4mol/L) in the presence of 0.01mol/L CaCl2. The results of column experiments are in accord with the results of batch experiments. It was found that (1) Np(V) in the loess under the present experimental conditions was relatively mobile and the distribution coefficients were relatively low at moderate concentrations, (2) the sorption/desorption hysteresis of Np(V) on the loess occurs, (3) the sorption of Np(V) on the loess was mainly determined by the clay minerals, (4) the addition of FA or carbonate in the aqueous solutions had an obvious positive effect on the Np(V) sorption on the loess, (5) the retardation of Np(V) migration in the loess at moderate concentrations was inconsiderable.


In young children, benign vascular tumors (VT) are most often manifested as congenital hemangioma and infantile hemangioma. There are considered clinical variants, pathogenesis, evaluation of severity and approaches to assessing the effectiveness of laser surgical treatment for VT in infants. For the first time, there are presented numerical criteria for selecting the optimal laser system to provide the relevant photo-obstruction of the pathological vascular bed, reducing the risk for the development of side effects in the early and remote period after the laser radiation exposure. Comparison of the values of the coefficients of complete absorption of oxyhemoglobin and hemoglobin at different stages of vascular tumor development shows the optimal laser treatment of vascular tumors can be realized by the laser radiation with a wavelength of 578 nm, since it is absorbed to the maximum extent by the main vascular photothermophores - oxyhemoglobin and hemoglobin. Taking into account the features of the angioarchitecture of the pathological vascular bed of the papillary dermis, to prevent the occurrence of petechial hemorrhages (purpura) immediately after the procedure, laser irradiation should be carried out in a pulsed mode with a pulse duration of 15-20 ns. To prevent thermal damage to the reticular layer of the dermis, it is advisable to use a laser pen with a diameter of 0.6-1 mm. The choice of optimal conditions for radiation exposure ensures high efficiency of the laser treatment of vascular tumors, which have been becoming one of the most promising directions in modern hospital-replacing technologies in pediatric laser surgery.


The object of the book is to give a concise but comprehensive account of the lifehistory of the tuberculous lesion in the lung from its first appearance to its ultimate end, and to show by means of an extensive diagram, the numerous possible phases, progressive or retrogressive, which such a lesion may exhibit. References to the diagram are clearly indicated in the text, which is adequately illustrated by reproductions of suitable radiograms. To anyone regularly engaged in tuberculosis work and possessing a sufficient knowledge of modem pathological teaching on the reaction of tissues to tuberculous infection, the scheme of this book should be clear and simple enough, albeit somewhat complicated as regards its nomenclature and demanding no little concentration and patience at the first reading until the essence of the author's message is grasped. To many practitioners whose time and opportunities are necessarily limited this duty will, doubtless, prove a serious difficulty; to some it may even be insuperable. The author himself has anticipated this criticism in the first (introductory) chapter, and the courage and skill with which he has faced an admittedly hard and uphill task is one of the salient points in his book which has stirred our enthusiasm and aroused in us a desire to urge the careful study of this work upon all who have to deal in practice with the problem of phthisis, whatever sacrifice of energy and hard earned leisure such perusal may demand.


e12017 Background: Studies in the West have shown that the uptake rates of surveillance and prophylaxis may be different in BRCA mutation carriers and non carriers and this may vary between different ethnicities. To date there is no data available for the behavioural pattern of Asian cohorts. The present study is the first to investigate the behavioural impact and medical compliance in Hong Kong Chinese high risk families who had undergone BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing up to 1 year after genetic testing. Methods: 61 individuals who had BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing previously performed by the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry were surveyed by a face-to-face or telephone interview. Sociodemographic information, genetic test results, pre-and post-testing surveillance, medical regimes, and attitudes towards clinical management were obtained by interviews and retrieval of medical records using a prospective database. Results: 35 carriers and 26 noncarriers of a BRCA 1/2 mutations were int...


As all of know that start of the revelation of Holy Qur'ān started with imperative form of the verb as it is ended with like that. This shows that the imperative mood is one of the most magnificent topics of an Arabic language، particularly in the Qur'ān context. According to the opinion of the major scholars، both the commencement and conclusion of the Holy Qur'ān were in the imperative mood. Thereupon، the scholars of Arabic language took a keen interest in study of meanings of the imperative mood whether literal or figurative.
From the abovementioned point of view the following article attempts to study the meanings of imperative mood، whether they are literal or figurative، and also it endeavors along with its connotations in the light of what is stated in the Holy Qur'ān and Sunn'āh as well as in the sources of Arabic language، to lead those who recite the Holy Qur'ān to the right way، guide them to the truth and to help them in understanding of the secret meanings of Qur'ān.


The purpose of this thesis was to compare the presence of suicide risk in college student art majors (n = 144) and non-art majors (n = 330), and to determine if flow consciousness cultivated hope, purpose in life, or resilience, when manifested through creative expression. Using a convenience sample, participants (N = 474) completed a battery of assessments measuring depression, suicide risk, creative achievement, flow, hope, purpose, and resilience through an online survey. Hypotheses stated that art majors would be at a greater risk for suicide than nonart majors. Additionally, engagement in flow was predicted to decrease suicide risk as mediated by increased hope, purpose in life, or resilience. Results from the online survey indicated that art majors were not at a greater risk for suicide than their general peers. Furthermore, the relationship between flow and suicide risk was significantly mediated by purpose in life. Purpose in life explained 55% of the variance in suicide risk in both art majors and non-art majors. Findings suggest that creativity can be a protective factor to suicide risk when engaging in an activity that allows creators to experience flow. When creators are in flow, they are also experiencing an increased sense of purpose in life, which can lower their risk of suicide. These findings may help to inform mental health and career counselor interventions when working with college students. Additionally, results from this thesis can advocate for the psychological benefits of creativity via engagement in flow consciousness within the context of policy, education, and family.


Given that great similarities exist between the drama Gert Garries, 'n baaisiekel blues (2002) by Pieter Fourie and the novel Magersfontein, o Magersfontein! (1976) by Etienne Leroux the two texts are scutinized to establish whether the rhetorical construction of especially the characters of traffic officer La Grange and Gert Garries is undertaken in the same manner by Leroux and Fourie. A study of the construction of other Garries-characters in novels by Leroux demonstrates a development in the author's representation of the 'other'. Aspects like identity and stereotyping are connected with power relationships and diverse perspectives on the 'other', within a historical context. In conclusion it is ascertained that Fourie's portrayal of the relationship between the two main characters shows more similarities to that between Hymie and Johannes Garries in Onse Hymie (1982) than with that between Le Grange and Garries in Magersfontein. The reason for this probably lies in the passage of time between the appearance of inter alia the novel and drama, as well as in the changed social-political context.


Introduction Selection of materials and a decision on the associated properties constitute an essential first step in any structural design. In this chapter, the relevant information and data required for the design of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures are covered in some detail. Concrete Characteristic strengths The characteristic compressive strength at 28 days is defined as the strength value of a given concrete that is exceeded by 95% of concrete cylinders tested (made from the same concrete). The test method for determining is described in AS 1012.9–2014. The value of is used in all Standard-based design calculations. Thus, in mix design, the strength to aim for (or the 28-day mean in situ compressive strength) is where s is the standard deviation of the test data and k varies from 1.25 to 2.5 depending on the grade of concrete and the manufacturing process (see AS 1379–2007 for all aspects of the testing and assessment of concrete or AS 1012.9–2014 for determining the compressive strength of concrete specimens). As per Clause 126.96.36.199 of AS 3600–2009 (the Standard), f cm at a given age may be taken as 90% of the mean cylinder strength of the same age or f cmi . Refer to Clause 18.104.22.168 for more recommendations. Various design procedures, such as those described by Ryan and Samarin (1992) and by Murdock and Brook (1982), may be used to determine the proportions of the constituent materials (water, cement, fine and course aggregates and admixtures as appropriate). As a function of, the characteristic flexural tensile strength as per Clause 126.96.36.199 of the Standard, may be taken as or it may be determined for a given concrete by the laboratory test described in AS 1012.11–2000 (R2014). This value is used mainly in cracking moment and deflection calculations (see Clauses 184.108.40.206 and 188.8.131.52, respectively, in the Standard), and in determining the minimum slab and pad-footing reinforcement (Clause 9.1.1). A second tensile strength, the characteristic principal (or splitting) tensile strength, is required mainly in the design for longitudinal shear (Clause 8.4.3 in the Standard).


Abstract Objectives The gastrointestinal (GI) physical exam provides critical information about underlying disease states. However, since assessment of physical examination skills is rarely conducted as part of internal medicine residency training, little is known about resident performance on the GI physical exam. Methods During a clinical skills assessment that took place between November 2019 and February 2020, internal medicine interns examined the same patient with chronic liver disease while being observed by faculty preceptors. We compared the exam maneuvers performed with those expected by the faculty evaluators. We noted which maneuvers were performed incorrectly, whether physical exam technique correlated with identification of physical exam findings, and if performance on the physical exam was associated with building an appropriate differential diagnosis. This four-hour assessment was required for internal medicine interns within two different residency programs in the Baltimore area. Results More than half of the 29 participating interns (n=17, 58.6 %) received a "needs improvement" score on their physical exam technique. Technique was highly correlated with identifying the correct physical signs (r=0.88, p<0.0001). The most commonly excluded maneuvers were assessing for splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. The most commonly missed findings were splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. Most interns included chronic liver disease as part of their differential diagnosis even if they received "needs improvement" scores on physical exam technique or identifying physical signs. Conclusions Internal medicine interns would benefit from learning an organized approach to the gastrointestinal exam. This would likely lead to increased identification of important gastrointestinal findings.


This study aims to study households' expectations for their children's academic performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Education has a significant role in increasing the productivity and income level of an individual in a society. Household education, income, distance from school, gender discrimination within household and cost of education can affect parents' expectations of their children. The present study aims to understand why households in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan do not send their children to school, when free and compulsory public schools are available.  A two stage Propensity Score Matching approach was applied in the study. Data were estimated through two stages Propensity Score Method. The first stage consists of probability model, used to estimate the propensity score of the characteristics of household. In the second stage, each household group was matched to predict households with similar propensity score values. Literacy rate had a negative effect on the completion of school for household members under 20 years. This means that most school graduates are unable to even read and understand. This is due to dynamic causes, like untrained teachers, lack of facilities, old syllabus, and poor quality education and socio-economic background of the household. But the main delinquency is the failure of educational policies attributed to inadequate economic structure and political instability since the existence of Pakistan.  Pakistan government and policy makers need to take initiatives to improve the socio-economic condition of the individuals in the province, and also to give awareness about the importance of education in the region. Further investigation is needed to know the effect of other heterogeneous treatment.

 Key words: School completion, propensity score matching, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.


Master thesis aims to develop the marketing strategy for entering foreign company onto the Czech market. The theoretical part of the thesis summarizes the available literary sources on marketing strategies for market entry. The practical part is divided into analytical and project area. Analytical section provides information about the company, interested in en-tering the market in the Czech Republic, further analysis of the feed industry in the Czech Republic, focusing on the market with the use of by-products of food production, additional, competitor analysis in the study area. The analysis contains the primary research among potential customers of the foreign company. Based on the findings of analyzes the project of marketing strategies to enter foreign companies on the Czech market is developed; the created project is subsequently subjected to cost, time and risk analysis.


For a quantum field living on a nonstatic space–time no instantaneous Hamiltonian is definable, for this generically necessitates a choice of inequivalent representation of the canonical commutation relations at each instant of time. This fact suggests a description in terms of time-dependent Hilbert spaces, a concept that fits naturally in a (consistent) histories framework. Our primary tool for the construction of the quantum theory in a continuous-time histories format is the recently developed formalism based on the notion of the history group. This we employ to study a model system involving a 1+1 scalar field in a cavity with moving boundaries. The instantaneous (smeared) Hamiltonian and a decoherence functional are then rigorously defined so that finite values for the time-averaged particle creation rate are obtainable through the study of energy histories. We also construct the Schwinger–Keldysh closed-time-path generating functional as a "Fourier transform" of the decoherence functional and evalu...


I n inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders, healing of the damaged intestinal epithelial barrier involves a complex process of epithelial cell migration known as restitution. Babbin et al. (p. 8112) observed that formylpeptide receptor-1 (FPR) was expressed along the lateral membrane of crypt epithelial cells in normal human colon and therefore investigated whether this G protein-coupled receptor could be involved in intestinal epithelial cell restitution. Using an in vitro model of this process, the authors found that treatment with the FPR ligand fMLF significantly accelerated wound closure, and this healing could be blocked by an FPR antagonist. FPR was found to be expressed along actin filaments in lamellipodial and filopodial extrusions in migrating cells, further supporting its direct involvement in epithelial cell migration. Investigation of the signaling mechanisms responsible for FPR action indicated that PI3K and the downstream Rho GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42 were required for FPR-mediated epithelial migration. All three signaling molecules were up-regulated upon fMLF treatment, and selective inhibitors of any of them eliminated the enhanced wound closure mediated by FPR. These data could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of inflammatory colonic damage.


When misattributed paternity is discovered as an incidental finding, clinicians must decide whether to disclose. One of the most common dilemmas faced by physicians and genetic counselors is the discovery of misattributed paternity. In this article, we present a case in which misattributed paternity was discovered as an incidental finding. Experts analyze the competing moral obligations that might dictate disclosure or nondisclosure.


The reaction of trifluoromethanesulphonyl chloride with alkenes in the presence of dichlorotris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(II) gives 1:1 adducts with extrusion of sulphur dioxide.


Pest Speies of Ricaniidae family were systematically investigated in Hubei province which belong to 3 genera 11 species. The formal characters, host plants and distribution information of every specie were described.


This article examines patterns of decline in the public ownership of the corporate sector in Indian industry over a 25–year period, 1973–74 to 1997–98, to assess whether a transformation in ownership has taken place and whether the boundaries of the state as a participant in industry have significantly declined. The data cover the entire industrial population of India, albeit at an aggregate level, with the findings having immediate salience and applicability to current concerns. Privatization has not taken place in India in a significant way; nevertheless, the boundaries of the state as an industrial participant have shrunk significantly as a result of the growth of private entrepreneurship in India. The numbers of private companies being established in India have grown and the volume of equity capital being invested has risen substantially, both in absolute volume terms as well as in investment per company. This trend has been pronounced in the post–1991 period after reforms were introduced in India. Associated with this relative shrinking of government ownership is a significant increase in industrial performance. When the data for 1973–74 to 1997–98 are augmented with data for the 1998–99 to 2001–02 periods, the shrinkage of the boundaries of the state is seen to be further enhanced. Autonomous private sector growth has had a substantial impact in enhancing performance. Thus, the role of privatization as a mechanism to enhance performance becomes moot in the Indian context, especially since the costs of adjustment can be high if the decline in relative government shareholding comes about as a result of other means such as the growth of entrepreneurship in India. Simultaneously, the resources of the state can be better spent on actively encouraging investment activities rather than in undertaking divestment activities.


To what extent are firm size differences influenced by entrepreneurs' pre-founding experience, and do these differences persist over time? We analyze these questions using a novel data set assembled for Australian and New Zealand wine producers on their heritage and sizes at various ages. Our findings indicate that on average firms founded by individuals with prior wine industry experience are larger initially and remain larger for at least the next 20 years. Using additional data on professional backgrounds, export scope, and the size of the firms at which experienced founders previously worked, we explore alternative mechanisms that could have generated these persistent size differences. Copyright 2011 The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.


Existing SCMA systems presented for multiuser detection has high computational complexity. The complexity is a prime concern considering its implementation in a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication involving limited capacity devices. Since these devices have low processing power, so practical implementation of SCMA needs to be optimised for better performance. This paper proposes an SCMA decoder with a soft demapping technique to reduce the computational complexity, providing better performance. To improve the stability of SCMA system for M2M communication, this paper proposes the use of noise variance threshold ψ, to handle the system's stability. Results confirmed that the proposed soft demapper-based SCMA reduced the execution time to 33% and the iteration number to 63% compared to the conventional SCMA scheme deploying message passing algorithm (MPA)-based decoding. The proposed SCMA provides an improvement of 2.5 dB at a BER of 10−3 under the block Rayleigh fading channels and an improvement of approximately 1.1 dB at a BER of 10−5 dB under the fast Rayleigh fading channels. The improvements come from the fast convergence of iterative decoding using a soft demapper supported by a variance threshold ψ that avoids the duality decision at the border of the decision area.


Increase of the sugar content in grape must, and consequently, alcohol levels in wine are some of the principal problems affecting the winemaking industry. High alcohol content can compromise wine quality, creating sensory imbalances, as well as decreasing the perception of some flavors. The technological approaches proposed at this aim, although allowing achievement of the purpose, can determine negative influence on quality of wine. A promising strategy is based on the use of specific microorganisms, such as selected yeast strains, mainly non-Saccharomyces, able to convert grape must sugars towards secondary metabolites rather than ethanol. This study aims at screening of wild non-Saccharomyces strains in order to identify those suitable for the use in mixed starter for the production of wine with reduced alcohol content and, at the same time, with improved aromatic characteristics.


The stepping vibration tapping system is made of a stepping driver and a tapping machine refitted from drill press controlled by PC. According to the system conditions,the range of vibration tapping parameters is determined. Torque data are measured by the torque sensor.Finally,the graph between vibration tapping parameters and tapping torque is draughted by studying the collecting data.A preliminary conclusion of tapping parameters and tapping effect is drawn under the experimental conditions in existence.This article is of some academic and practical significance for analyzing the relationship between technical parameters and effect of vibration tapping,and that between technical parameters and materials.


This long awaited work surveys and summarizes the results of more than seventy years of investigation, by factor analysis, of a variety of cognitive abilities, with particular attention to language, thinking, memory, visual and auditory perception, creativity and the production of ideas, and the speed and accuracy of mental processing. The author describes his detailed finThis long awaited work surveys and summarizes the results of more than seventy years of investigation, by factor analysis, of a variety of cognitive abilities, with particular attention to language, thinking, memory, visual and auditory perception, creativity and the production of ideas, and the speed and accuracy of mental processing. The author describes his detailed findings resulting from reanalysis of more than 460 data sets from the factor-analytic literature, followed by a presentation of a hierarchical, three-stratum theory of cognitive ability and its implications for further research. A set of three computer disks (IBM 3-1/2 1.4 megabytes, ASCII format) containing the numerical data sets and Dr. Carroll's statistical results is also available. Representing over 4 megabytes of data or roughly 2000 printed pages the disks are major resources for the interested researcher.


Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a key technique for studying protein‐DNA interactions and mapping epigenetic histone modifications on DNA. Current ChIP protocols require extensive sample handling and large cell numbers. We developed a quick and quantitative (Q2)ChIP assay suitable for histone and transcription factor immunoprecipitation from chromatin amounts equivalent to as few as 100 cells. DNA‐protein cross‐linking in suspension in presence of butyrate, elimination of background chromatin through a tube shift after washes, and a combination of cross‐link reversal, protein digestion, increased antibody‐bead to chromatin ratio, and DNA elution into a single step considerably improve ChIP efficiency and shorten the procedure. We used Q2ChIP to monitor changes in histone H3 modifications on the 5′ regulatory regions of the developmentally regulated genes OCT4, NANOG, LMNA, and PAX6 in the context of retinoic‐acid‐mediated human embryonal carcinoma cell differentiation. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of precipitated DNA unravels biphasic heterochromatin assembly on OCT4 and NANOG, involving H3 lysine (K)9 and K27 methylation followed by H3K9 deacetylation and additional H3K27 trimethylation. Di‐ and trimethylation of H3K4 remain relatively unaltered. In contrast, PAX6 displays histone modifications characteristic of repressed genes with potential for activation in undifferentiated cells. PAX6 undergoes H3K9 acetylation and enhanced H3K4 trimethylation upon transcriptional activation. Q2ChIP of the transcription factor Oct4 demonstrates its dissociation from the NANOG promoter upon differentiation. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to reveal histone modification changes on human OCT4 and NANOG regulatory sequences. The results demonstrate ordered chromatin rearrangement on developmentally regulated promoters upon differentiation.


Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by the Norwegian Research Council [203489/030]

 Department of Cardiology, Research group for genetic cardiac diseases and sudden cardiac death, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norwa

 Lamin A/C disease is an inheritable cardiomyopathy characterized by conduction abnormalities, ventricular arrhythmias and end stage heart failure with complete age-related penetrance.

 To assess left ventricular structural and functional progression in patients with lamin A/C cardiomyopathy.

 We included and followed consecutive lamin A/C genotype positive patients with clinical examination and echocardiography at every visit. We evaluated progression of left- ventricular size and function by mixed model statistics.

 We included 101 consecutive lamin A/C genotype positive patients (age 44 [29-54] years, 39% probands, 51%female) with 576 echocardiographic exams during 4.9 (IQR 2.5-8.1) years of follow-up. LV ejection fraction (LVEF) declined from 50 ± 12% to 47 ± 13%, p < 0.001 (rate -0.5%/year). LV end diastolic volumes (LVEDV) remained stationary with no significant dilatation in the total population (136 ± 45ml to 138 ± 43ml, p = 0.60), (Figure). In the subgroup of patients >58 years, we observed a decline in LV volumes 148, SE 9 ml to 140, SE 9 ml p < 0.001 (rate -2.7 ml/year) towards end stage heart failure.

 LVEF deteriorated, while LV size remained unchanged during 4.9 years of follow-up in patients with lamin A/C cardiomyopathy. In patients <58 years, we observed a reduction in LV volumes. These findings represent loss of LV function without the necessary compensatory dilation to preserve stroke volume indicating high risk of decompensated end stage heart failure in lamin A/C.
 Abstract Figure.


Spinel nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) is a promising material for next generation high‐frequency sensors, antennae and microwave devices. A key issue to be addressed is the magnetic loss, which is proportional to frequency and becomes substantial at frequencies above 1 GHz. Previously, we reported on coercivity reduction in NiFe2O4 through surface patterning (Rasic and Schwartz, MRS Commun. 3, 207 (2013) and IEEE Magn. Lett. 5, 1 (2014) ). Here, we report on the effects of varying the feature size on magnetic behavior, including loss, and explain the reduced coercivity theoretically. Nickel ferrite thin films were deposited on c‐plane sapphire substrates using chemical solution deposition and patterned via nanoimprint lithography with patterning masters having feature sizes varying from 500 to 1500 nm in 200 nm increments. Atomic force microscopy showed good feature transfer for all samples. X‐ray diffraction images showed all samples to be single‐phase inverse spinel nickel ferrite with similar texture. All patterned samples showed coercivity reductions relative to the unpatterned samples. The effects of feature size on coercivity reduction showed opposite trends for in‐plane and out‐of‐plane magnetization hysteresis measurements, whereas saturation magnetization was not affected by feature size changes. Magnetic force microscopy images confirmed the origin of coercivity reduction to be shape‐anisotropy‐forced alternating domain formation. The coercivity reduction phenomena observed in patterned NiFe2O4 thin films are explained theoretically. The effect of changing the film thickness and domain size on the equilibrium energy density was calculated. While the relative energy density showed a stable equilibrium, the energy increase for domain sizes equaling that of patterned films in this study was small. Finally, the new domain structure in patterned NiFe2O4 films was explained within micromagnetism theory.


Disadvantages such as indeterminate inflorescence and high seed shattering during ripening are significant restrictions to introduce evening primrose as a commercial medicinal plant. Following to the last works, a pot experiment was conducted to clarify the influence of defoliation before harvest on the seed yield, oil and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) percentage of evening primrose growing under nitrogen deficit. Desiccation showed no significant influence on seed yield and yield components. However, the percentage of GLA of the desiccated plants was significantly higher than that of non desiccated plants. Nitrogen did not have significant influence on GLA content, but the content of this fatty acid tending to increase with increase in the nitrogen concentration. Based on the results, it can be concluded that desiccation as a harvest method increases the oil quality with increasing the GLA percentage. Evening primrose showed a positive response to N fertilizer. Further investigation in this area seems to be necessary.


Background: Globally, there has been the recognition of the importance of male involvement in family planning and providers sees their support as an effective way of reducing barrier to accessing Family Planning services. Aim: Assess the pattern of spousal support and communication for family planning. Methodology: This was a mixed study design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from Family Planning client, attending Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital's Reproductive Health clinic and Ahmadu Bello University Medical Centre. An in-dept. interview (with FP providers) and FGDs (with clients) were also conducted. Result: A total of 280 clients that were served with questionnaire across the two facilities within three months. Of the 280 respondents only 65% had tertiary level of education. Prior discussion of family planning with spouse was found in 82.5% of respondents and in 80.3% of the respondents said their spouses were aware of the chosen method. However, it was only in 39.5% of clients that, the chosen method was influenced by their spouses. Financial support by spouse was found in 69% of respondents. In 90% of respondents, there was the influence of the spouse on the intended duration of the chosen method. However, it was only in 33.5% of the respondents that the spouse influenced the discontinuation of previous method. Conclusion: Couple communication and spousal support were present in over two-third of family planning clients in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Targeting men in behavioral change communication will improve the uptake of family planning services and improve the continuation of use of long-term contraceptives.


According to characteristics of force and displacement of welded turnout on bridge, the turnout-bridge-platform integration computation model was established; the model was solved by finite element method. Taking the Meichi No.1bridge on Zhejiang-Jiangxi railway line as the example, the force and the displacement characteristics of the welded turnout on bridge were analyzed. The temperature force and the displacement of welded turnout on bridge was measured, the site test proves that the calculated results are consistent with the measurements. The analysis and the test prove that the turnout -bridge-platform integration computation model to solve the longitudinal force and displacement of welded turnout on bridge was feasible; the forces and displacements of welded turnout on bridge and CWR on bridge were different, Some parameters Influencing the longitudinal force and displacement of the welded turnout on bridge should be calculated, such as the temperature of rail, the disposal of turnout, the location of turnout and bridge, and so on; in dense turnout area, such as throat zone, the interaction between turnouts was considerable, for the sake of calculating the force and displacement of turnout on the bridge well, the integration computation model including all the turnouts and bridges should be established.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a reemerged noninvasive cerebral therapy used to treat patients with epilepsy, including focal cortical dysplasia, with controversial results. We present a case of a 28-year-old female with left frontal cortical dysplasia refractory to antiepileptic drugs, characterized by 10–15 daily right tonic hemi-body seizures. The patient received a total of seven sessions of cathodal tDCS (2 mA, 30 min). The first three sessions were applied over three consecutive days, and the remaining four sessions of tDCS were given each at 2-week intervals. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient reported to have a single seizure per month and only mild adverse events.


Ferrous iron (Fe2+) toxicity is one of the major constraints to rice production in the world. Cultivated African rice (O. glaberrima Steud) is generally less sensitive to stress than cultivated Asian rice (O. sativa L.). The objective of this work was our understanding of the resistance mechanisms and strategies of rice in the presence of an excess of ferrous iron by submitting a wide range of cultivars of both cultivated rice species and their interspecific hybrids under two levels of Fe2+ (0 and 250 mg L-1 supplied as FeSO4) during 28 days in hydroponic conditions in greenhouse. Leaf dry weight, root organic matter, leaf bronzing index, leaf and root Fe concentration, leaf and root mineral concentration and reduction in leaf and root growth were determined. Leaf iron concentration and the level of bronzing correlated positively and highly significantly. Both parameters correlated negatively and highly significantly with leaf dry weight, thus showing that efficient regulation of leaf iron concentration play a primordial role in resistance to ferrous iron toxicity. The weight of iron coating correlated positively with the level of bronzing and iron concentration of leaves but negatively with iron-treated root organic matter. Clearly, in our experimental conditions, the iron coating must be considered as a symptom of sensitivity to ferrous iron toxicity rather than as a mechanism of resistance. Obvious differences were found between cultivars, especially discriminating the glaberrima's from the remaining ones. The glaberrima's produced high biomass, both under control and treated conditions. They showed low levels of bronzing. This suggests that one of their main resistance mechanisms could be related to a dilution effect. They may thus be considered as ferrous-iron resistant mainly because of avoidance mechanism.


This article analyses the complex mechanisms of media censorship, produced through both external and internal pressures, that are at work within Palestinian society. The article argues that there is an ongoing struggle for an open public sphere which is vital to Palestinian national development.


Attributed graphs are a widely used paradigm for representing management science models. In Part I of the study, we presented an overview of the concept of a Graph-Based Modeling System (GBMS), which supports the construction of a variety of models as long as the models can be expressed as attributed graphs. The key concept underlying the research is graph-grammars, a formal technique to specify how to build graphs with desired properties. Graph-grammars, as shown in Part I, among other capabilities, facilitate the creation of direct manipulation, computer graphics interfaces for graph-based models. A brief overview of a prototype implementation to do so, Networks, was also provided. In this concluding part, the implementation and the core technology underlying the research—graph-grammars—will be presented in detail. INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.


A s sentient human beings we go through life consciously and unconsciously diagnosing, whether judging someone newly met as attractive or lacking redeeming features, how our sporting team actually won/lost, and whether our superior is in a good mood or not. In addition, do we not seek a diagnosis—and a detailed one—before we plan how to address a technical problem? "Your toilet has a problem" is minimally informative. We would wish the plumber to provide a diagnosis (e.g., the toilet is blocked) and then something about its cause (e.g., bogged paper, tree roots) as this will shape judging immediate and future management options—and their logic. Engineers diagnose, car mechanics diagnose, chicken sexers diagnose, political commentators diagnose—even (pecking) birds do it. Imagine if you went for a long run while eating a burger—and developed central chest pain. It fails to settle after your partner has poured you several wines. Would it not be wise to see a doctor? And why? Clearly, to get a diagnosis—be it indigestion, an ischemic event, or a pulmonary artery sarcoma. The right diagnosis leads to condition-specific management and optimally to resolution. Psychiatric example. Your widowed father, parsimonious with money, has recently received dexamethasone for a mild COVID infection. He rings you at 2:00 a.m., states he has never felt so well in 30 years, has discharged himself from the hospital, is bursting with bon amie, and invites you to his wedding with his newly met nurse next week. Is it love, is it a previously undisclosed bipolar disorder, or is it a steroid-induced state? Would you not wish to obtain a clarifying diagnosis? Journalist Kathryn Montgomery (2006) wrote in relation to medicine in general: "Just having a diagnosis means that the rest of your life can start" and, further, "Patients want to know what is wrong, if it is serious, how long it will last, and whether it will alter their life plans." I suggest that Montgomery's observations are equally salient to psychiatric patients. And yet, when I entered Psychiatry, there was minimal interest in diagnosis, perhaps a leftover reflection of psychoanalysis' dominance—and where, as everyone received such a therapy irrespective of their underlying condition, diagnosis was irrelevant. These days, the situation seems a little better. When I interview patients assessed by other mental health professionals and ask, "What diagnosis did you receive," so many state that either they never received one or they were simply given a "class" diagnosis (e.g., depression, anxiety). Why? The seemingly most common reason is of the patient being "fitted" to the therapist's discipline-based paradigm or training rather than fitting the therapy to the specific condition (as occurs in the rest of medicine). For example, a patient consulting a physician or psychiatrists for "depression" is highly likely (irrespective of the depressive subtype) to receive a medication, as against receiving cognitive behavioral therapy if consulting a psychologist or counseling if consulting a counselor. This is a Procrustean "one-size-fits-all approach" and invokes the modified aphorism that if you only have a hammer in your therapeutic kitbag (and differing professionals have differing hammers) then everything looks like a nail. Second, some practitioners judge it better to prioritize the patients' life story than provide a diagnosis. However, the two are not mutually exclusive. Both should occur to allow a formulation capturing "why this person developed this (diagnosed) condition at this particular point of time." Third, practitioners may demur from making "diagnoses" if they view high-profile ones as more pseudodiagnoses and uninformative. Take "major depression." It is commonly positioned as an entity, with journal articles on the topic generally stating that major depression is a disease, persistent and recurrent, but it is no more an entity than a diagnosis of "major breathlessness." If your physician gave you that latter diagnosis, you would not be informed—you would want to know whether you had asthma, pneumonia, or a pulmonary embolus as you would then logically receive a bronchodilator, antibiotic, or an anticoagulant, respectively. Major depression simply homogenizes multiple depressive subtypes, some with biological, some with psychological, and some with social causes. Only by diagnosing the subtype and its principal causes does treatment become rational than subject to fashion or differing health disciplines operating along party lines.


Objective: To investigate the significance of assessing the carotid artery atherosclerosis by ultrasound combined with D-dimer determination in the prediction of progressive cerebral ischemic stroke (PIS). Methods: Serum levels of D-Dimer were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at 24 hours, 3, 7 and 14 days in 60 cases with non-PIS and 60 cases with PIS, and the carotid artery Color Doppler ultrasonography was carried out for assessing carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), the degree of atherosclerosis, the degree of stenosis and the plaque situation. Their relationship with the early progression of cerebral ischemic stroke was analyzed. Results: Serum levels of D-Dimer of PIS group in the first 24 hours, 3, 7 days after onset of the disease were significantly increased than that in non-PIS group (P 0.01). The number of patients with mild or severe carotid atherosclerosis and carotid stenosis in PIS group were significantly more than those of non-PIS group (P0.05). The unstable plaques of carotid artery atherosclerosis of PIS group were also significantly more than those of non-PIS group, and accompanied by elevated plasma D-Dimer level (P0.05). Conclusions: Severe carotid atherosclerosis, especially the formation of the unstable plaque is the major risk factors for the occurrence of PIS. Carotid artery ultrasound combined with the serum level of D-Dimer determination is helpful for the early prediction of occurrence of PIS.


A mesoscale grid survey of the epipelagic mesozooplankton of Drake Passage during Antarctic spring, 2008, is evaluated. The station grid comprised six parallel frontal transects between 57° and 60° S in the vicinity of the Polar Front, the distance between transects being 18 km. Several parameters were analysed: total zooplankton biomass, biomass of dominant species and the contribution made by each species to the overall plankton biomass. Mesoscale variability was found in all studied parameters and was comparable in magnitude to the macroscale variability of the same parameters. Because of the high variability in zooplankton distribution in the vicinity of active fronts, hydrobiological studies provide more meaningful results if they are made on the basis of a mesoscale grid survey, not on the basis of a single transect.


Many isopod crustaceans use their abdominal appendages (pleopods) both as paddles for swimming propulsion and as gills. In Idotea wosnesenskii the anterior three of the five pairs of pleopods are used as paddles, but gas exchange occurs only in the posterior two pairs. We measured the mechanical stiffness of the pleopods and compared it within several individuals to relate the pleopods' stiffness to their function, as well as to evaluate constraints that might prevent gas exchange by the anterior pleopods. We bent pleopods with a calibrated micro-manipulator, and measured the force for a given deflection by using an electronic balance; the slope of the bending force/deflection curve represented an index of flexural stiffness. The pleopods decreased in stiffness from anterior to posterior; furthermore the first and second pleopods were typically an order of magnitude stiffer than the fourth and fifth (respiratory) pleopods. Both internal blood flow through, and diffusion into the swimming pleopods may be limited by the thicker cuticle which probably causes the increased stiffness. Swimming requirements may thus preclude gas exchange by swimming pleopods. A NAC-corp high-speed video operating at 200 or 400 frames s" 1 , with associated MOVIAS software, was used to study the fast-startle responses (C-starts) of herring, plaice, flounder and sole larvae soon after hatching. The larvae were induced to swim by administering tactile stimuli with a probe. The following parameters were measured: latency of the response, C-start contraction time, yaw, tail beat frequency and amplitude, acceleration, swimming speed, stride length and number of body waves. The effect of temperature was also studied. The results are related to hydrodynamic considerations such as Reynolds number. streamlining drag reducing advantages for amphipods at intermediate Reynolds number. A simple two-dimensional rod and pivot model is proposed for the mechanical structure of the lamprey, each pivot being controlled by a muscle segment attached via perpendicular extensions to the two rods. The elastic and viscous properties of the body tissues (including muscle) are described as linear functions of the relative displacement and angular velocity of the rods at each pivot. The contractile properties of the muscle are introduced as time-dependent forcing torques at the pivots, which in turn are generated by a travelling wave of activation. The linearized equations of motion for the adapted coordinates of angles between the rods at each pivot correspond to low curvature dynamics. Investigation of these equations with varying viscous and elastic parameters leads to a reconstruction of a lamprey viewed in motion on a smooth flat surface out of water. The most striking feature is of an apparently standing wave motion, which is indeed observed in the real animal but which on careful examination in the model corresponds to a travelling wave of varying amplitude. The solution of anguilliform hydrodynamics is required to understand how the observed patterns of muscle activation in the lamprey give rise to swimming. The approach used in the present work is to solve numerically the momentum equations and the continuity equation governing the hydrodynamics. To facilitate this solution, a coordinate transformation has been used which captures the shape of the lamprey as it moves through the water. This paper first describes the coordinate transformation approach in general terms, together with a summary of the longer-term aims of the research. Some preliminary work is then described involving the computation of the flow produced by the movement of a hypothetical 'square-wave' lamprey. Results are presented showing how pressure distribution, velocity vectors and drag change with time as this hypothetical creature moves along its path. Finally these results are discussed in relation to the swimming behaviour of a realistic anguilliform creature. Models and measurements for swimming animals suggest that there are distinct relationships between the speed of appendage or body motions and the hydrodynamic forces such structures produce. Physiological and biomechanical studies of muscle contraction, however, suggest there are quite different relationships between force generation and appendage speeds. Both relationships must be satisfied for the prescribed movements to be physically and physiologically feasible. I use simple hydrodynamic models of escape swimming in shrimp and rowing motions of aquatic insects to show how both appendage movements and body trajectories may be predicted from morphological and physiological characteristics. Moreover, I argue that the use of hydrodynamic models alone to suggest optimal motions and morphologies may lead to physiological dilemmas. and oxidation rates of plasma glucose, lactate, free fatty acids and triglycerides were measured in three harbour seals at rest or during voluntary submerged swimming in a water flume at 35% (1-3 m s" 1 ) and 50% (2 m s 1 ) of maximum oxygen consumption. At 35% and 50% maximum oxygen consumption, glucose turnover and oxidation rates did not change from resting levels. Glucose oxidation contributed about 1% of the total ATP production during swimming. The plasma free fatty acid oxidation rate at 50% maximum oxygen consumption increased almost 3-5-fold and accounted for 21 % of ATP production. The maximum oxidation rate of triglycerides contributed 31% of ATP production at rest. Dive duration decreased from 78 s while resting in water to 28 s at 50% maximum oxygen consumption. The RQ ranged from 0-78 at rest to 0-74 at 50% maximum oxygen consumption, indicating that fat was the primary source of energy during submerged swimming. Anaerobic metabolism contributed about 1 % of the total ATP production at rest and during swimming. By adjusting breath-hold duration during strenuous underwater swimming, harbour seals are able to maintain an aerobic, fat-based metabolism. This paper surveys the swimming modes and hydrodynamics of swimming invertebrates. Soft bodied animals use a vast collection of mechanisms to swim. The best swimmers use jet propulsion, although this is inherently inefficient. Fin based swimming has appeared in the cephalopods, and may be a mechanism to overcome the inherent inefficiency. Elastic mechanisms in the body wall of several swimmers have increased the efficiency of refilling. I review jet-propelled swimming in a diversity of animals, including squid, scallops, Nautilus, jellyfish and tunicates. Some invertebrates, mostly those that have a rigid exoskeleton, use limbs to propel themselves with a rowing action. The biomechanics and hydrodynamics of this form of locomotion are discussed. Kinematic analyses of swimming in three tuna and two shark species is in progress using a large water tunnel, video equipment and dye streams. Regressions of tail-beat frequency (TBF) and stride length (SL) on velocity indicate that SL increases with size and velocity in tuna. At a swimming velocity of 1-8 L s', Thunnus albacares (50 cm fork length, L) has a greater SL (0-6L) than skipjack of equal size (047L). Observations in tunas of burst-glide behaviour and decreased TBF at high temperatures (26-30°C over a range of 18-30°C) indicate modulation of kinematic parameters with temperature which may result from thermoregulatory mechanisms or changes in dynamic viscosity and muscle properties. Dye streams emitted from the first dorsal (Triakis semifasciata) and second dorsal (Thunnus albacares) fins show a phase difference between the vortex sheet shed by the anterior fin and the caudal fin itself. Fin-fin interactions in sharks a greater contribution of the anterior fin to thrust. In tunas, for no such fin-fin interaction has been proposed, the rotation of the second dorsal and anal fins the phase difference, the turbulence encountered by the caudal fin, increasing thrust. Although angelfish (Pterophyllum eimekei) swim routinely employing pectoral fin (labriform) locomotion at low speed, they are capable of escape responses employing axial movements. The turning kinematics and performance of the response is analyzed and two kinds of C-starts are observed: a single bend start, in which the fish continues the turn initiated by the first body bend (stage 1), and a double bend start, in which a contralateral bend (stage 2) follows the first contraction (stage 1). The two responses have similar stage 1 kinematics, but differ in escape trajectory and performance. Higher distance-time performances associated with smaller angles of turn are found in double bend than in single bend responses. Escape trajectory and stage 2 turning angle can be predicted by stage 1 turning angle, which in turn is related to stage 1 duration with a size effect. Despite specialization for low-speed swimming, angelfish have good fast-start capability when compared to other teleosts. Motile behaviour, kinetics and cellular mechanisms involved in floating and swimming are reviewed in diverse marine pelagic protists. Attention is focussed on some unconventional systems of microtubule and/or nonactin filament-based motility that are directly or indirectly implicated in both of these functions, and a video-film is presented. Examples of buoyancy regulation are taken among Foraminifera, Radiolaria and Acantharia. Reaction propulsion, rowing swimming, flying-like motion, top-like forward swimming and reorientation of the propagation direction are examined in various species of Acantharia, Helio-zoa, Dinoflagellates and Ciliates. shed by others to enhance their own swimming efficiency. Formation movement by swimming mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos) was tested as a mechanism for energy reduction. Newly-hatched ducklings were imprinted to an adult decoy and trained to follow the decoy in a water current channel with a constant velocity of 0-3 m s'. Clutches of one, two and four ducklings at ages of three, seven, and fourteen days were


"Our state's efforts to regulate the sale of marijuana are succeeding. A few years ago, the illegal trafficking of marijuana lined the pockets of criminals everywhere. Now, in our state, illegal trafficking activity is being displaced by a closely regulated marijuana industry that pays hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. This frees up significant law enforcement resources to protect our communities in other, more pressing ways."


Empirical evidence increasingly indicates that to achieve sufficiently rapid decarbonisation, high-income economies may need to adopt degrowth policies, scaling down less-necessary forms of production and demand, in addition to rapid deployment of renewables. Calls have been made for degrowth climate mitigation scenarios. However, so far these have not been modelled within the established Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) for future scenario analysis of the energy-economy-emission nexus, partly because the architecture of these IAMs has growth 'baked in'. In this work, we modify one of the common IAMs – MESSAGEix – to make it compatible with degrowth scenarios. We simulate scenarios featuring low and negative growth in a high-income economy (Australia). We achieve this by detaching MESSAGEix from its monotonically growing utility function, and by formulating an alternative utility function based on non-monotonic preferences. The outcomes from such modified scenarios reflect some characteristics of degrowth futures, including reduced aggregate production and declining energy and emissions. However, further work is needed to explore other key degrowth fea-turessuchassectoraldifferentiation,redistribution,andprovisioningsystemtransformation.


An original interactive procedure is proposed, which aims at overcoming some of the major weaknesses of existing pseudo-criterion based methods for group decision analysis. It refers to absolute judgements of feasible alternatives and is focused on complementary activities of opinion elicitation and robustness analysis. As a foundation, four interdependent principles are introduced – problem localization, interactivity on the basis of progressiveness approach, semiautomatic derivation of criteria weights according to selective effects of veto thresholds, and group consensus seeking. The principles are grounded and realized by appropriate methodological solutions.


In this paper, surfaces of thin films prepared from blends of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and chitosan and modified by neodymium laser radiation were researched. To evaluate the laser beam effect on the surface structure, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) were employed. The results demonstrated that during laser treatment the specimens lost water due to the evaporation process. SEM images revealed some changes in the biopolymer films structure. After laser treatment, the micro-foam formation was observed on the biopolymeric films. The micro-foaming in films based on ternary blends was more extensive than in those made of a single biopolymer. The results of this study indicate that collagen, hyaluronic acid, and chitosan materials can be modified with laser treatment. Such treatment can be used for material modification for potential biomedical purposes.


In the era of language big data, traditional data analysis methods can't analyze semi-structured or unstructured data such as text, but all the contents in the equipment manufacturing corpus belong to text data. The equipment manufacturing corpus is a linguistic information base for legal activities and equipment manufacturing research, which aims to study equipment manufacturing and collect equipment manufacturing cases. At present, the construction of legal database in China is not perfect, and there are still many problems. In this paper, a method based on template transformation is proposed to automatically acquire parallel corpus on the Internet, and a method based on the number of transformation patterns and the retrieval and sorting of transformation patterns is adopted to verify bilingual parallel texts. This system can build a large-scale parallel corpus of equipment manufacturing industry by automatically acquiring a large number of parallel texts from the Internet.


Abstract First-principles calculations were carried out to explore the structural stability, elastic moduli, ductile or brittle behaviour, anisotropy, dynamical stability, and thermodynamic properties of pure Al and CeT2Al20 (T = Ti, V, Cr, Nb, and Ta) intermetallics. The calculated formation enthalpy and phonon frequencies confirm that these intermetallics satisfy the conditions for structural stability. The elastic constants Cij, elastic moduli B, G, and E, and the hardness Hv indicate these intermetallics have higher hardness and the better resistance against deformation than pure Al. The values of Poisson's ratio (v) and B/G indicate that CeT2Al20 intermetallics are all brittle materials. The anisotropic constants and acoustic velocities confirm that CeT2Al20 intermetallics are all anisotropic, but CeV2Al20, CeNb2Al20, and CeTa2Al20 are nearly isotropic. Importantly, the calculated thermodynamic parameters show that CeT2Al20 intermetallics exhibit better thermodynamic properties than pure Al at high temperature.


This research work investigated the plastic and hardened mechanical properties of concrete made using crushed glass as part of fine aggregates and blue gum ash dosed in the concrete. The blue gum ash cement was prepared by dosing Ordinary Portland cement (Power plus 42.5N) with blue gum ash at 0%(control), 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1.25% and 1.5% by weight of cement and crushed glass used to partially replace river sand at 10% by weight of the fine aggregates for vibrated concrete, design mix of class 25. In order to achieve good workability, the best blue gum ash content was maintained at 1.0% and crushed glass content of 10%. For good compressive strength results of blue gum ash glass concrete, up to 10% crushed glass replacement in fine aggregates with 1.0% blue gum ash proportion in concrete attained the highest strength than the control (glass concrete only) achieving strengths of 27.8N/mm and 30.1N/mm at 7 days and 28 days respectively. The mathematical relationship between the compressive strength (Fcu28) at 28 days and the corresponding tensile split tensile strength (Ft28) at 28 days of blue gum ash glass concrete was found to be a binomial relationship of the Equation


We investigate flexible service chain mapping in server-centric optical interconnects, handling virtual network function (VNF) dependency properly. Blocking probability decreases by a factor of 10 when assigning multiple VNFs in the same server is allowed.


Aim:  To study the efficacy and tolerability of atomoxetine in high‐functioning boys with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).


This chapter illustrates the shifting meanings of sacred/religious objects, in particular the recent phenomenon of sacred/religious into fine art commodities. This process, however, may lead to concerns about the new ways in which religious objects are valued. It is often suggested that this process of secularisation and commodification is a failure to respect the people who created it, and in some way presents a harm to the object itself.


A set of 85 Aegilops tauschii accessions were evaluated for morphological traits, disease resistance, high molecular weight glutenin subunits and genetic diversity using D genome specific SSR markers. Screening for leaf rust, stripe rust and Karnal bunt (KB) resistance over four years identified Ae. tauschii ssp strangulata as a potential source for new leaf rust and stripe rust resistance genes and Ae. tauschii ssp tauschii as a source for KB resistance. The Ae. tauschii germplasm also showed a lot of variability for high molecular weight glutenin profile showing 16 combinations of slow (1Dx) and fast (1Dy) mobility subunits. A total of 51 D-genome specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers amplified a total of 241 alleles in 85 accessions of Ae. tauschii and two bread wheat cultivars. The number of alleles per locus varied from 2 to 11 with an average of 4.75. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values for all the 51 primer pairs ranged from 0.02 to 0.88 with an average of 0.62. A phylogenetic tree generated, based on Dice dissimilarity matrix and cluster analysis, led to the clustering of the Ae tauschii accessions into two major groups. The cluster I comprised primarily the strangulata accessions whereas the cluster II comprised of accessions belonging to both the subspecies indicating some gene flow from ssp strangulata to tauschii. Genetically diverse Ae. tauschii accessions with disease resistance and better agronomic and quality traits are being used for the introgression of desirable traits to bread wheat for commercial exploitation.


Despite the many advantages that mobile money offers to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) relative to traditional banking services, the majority of stakeholders of this platform have not yet maximised its use owing to several concerns not limited to trust, awareness, and even cost. To examine the factors justifying the adoption and usage of Mobile Money Services (MMS) among SMEs, the types of Mobile Money Services used by these SMEs, and the interdependences between these variables, this study adopted an exploratory approach. The researchers elected to use a mixed-method approach, which necessitated the usage of a survey questionnaire and structured in-depth interviews. Representatives of 12 SMEs were interviewed during the qualitative phase to corroborate the 285 SMEs surveyed in the quantitative part of the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted to analyse the quantitative data using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences version 26 (SPSS version 26). The researchers described the qualitative data according to themes, and the findings were combined after that. While no single factor was accountable, it emerged that accessibility, safety, and convenience were the main factors that entice SMEs in Douala, Cameroon to embrace mobile money services in the effort to receive money from clienteles, pay suppliers, and purchase airtime for additional transactions (most preferred mobile money services). Furthermore, it was found that there was a statistically significant association between most of the motivating factors cited and the most preferred mobile money services used by SMEs in Douala. These findings validate the role that mobile money plays in promoting the inclusive finance agenda for SMEs, mainly in the context of emerging economies where the majority of people and businesses do not have access to banking services and therefore may be of interest to policymakers and different stakeholders. Furthermore, an identification of the types of mobile money services businesspersons mostly use in Douala, a business hub, may help to develop businesses by directing the stakeholders to agenda items of interest in the context of Cameroon.


Blood samples containing Dirofilaria immitis microfilariae were stored frozen for periods ranging from 24 hr to 4 months, thawed at 38 ? 1 C and fed through an animal-derived Baudruche membrane to laboratory-reared Anopheles quadrimaculatus. The microfilariae were capable of develop- ing to the third or infective larval stage and migrating to the head and labium of the mosquito.


The present invention relates to a carbon dioxide absorbent which comprises a triamine, diamines and dialkylene glycol dialkyl ether or tri-alkylene glycol alkyl ether. Carbon dioxide absorbent according to the present invention is a triamine as the main absorber, promote diamine zero speed, dialkylene glycol dialkyl ether or tri-alkylene glycol by using a dialkyl ether to a fine uneven agents and reproducing promoter, the absorber carbon dioxide absorption capacity , it is possible to improve the rate of absorption and regeneration at the same time.


With the increasing number of medium sized software organizations, production of quality software by such organizations has become a huge challenge for the stakeholders of such organizations. It is a well appreciated fact that a quality focus on the process is likely to yield quality products. While addressing the issue of Software Process Improvement in such organizations, the role played by the human factors seems to be the most ignored of all. The present paper is aimed at uncovering some of the interesting associations between these human factors and the quality of the process in medium sized organizations by harnessing the power of data mining techniques


The paper derives new conditions for government solvency. It is shown that the No Ponzi Game condition is satisfied when government debt is integrated of any finite order but not when government debt is an explosive process.


A flyer and typed advertisement promoting Queer Desires: Speaking Out for Sex in the Movement, an LGBT positive performance presented by On Our Backs and Steam.


This paper presents a qualitative multiple-case study of Black teenage girls in a predominantly-White suburban neighborhood. After reviewing existing literature on Black girls and the Black middle class, the article discusses how an intersectional framework based on Black feminism is used to illuminate how Black girls in the study navigate their environment. This study illustrates that race and racism has a significant effect on the girl's daily life, through experiences with other students, school structure and policies, and teacher perceptions. Results indicate the need for further study of the Black experience in predominantly-White environments, with specific attention to the lives of Black girls.


A method of synthesizing N,N dimethy laminoethylacrylate(DMAEA) by reaction of butyl acrylate(BA) and dimethylethanolamine(DMAE) in the presence of TBT as a catalyst was reported. The reaction and the distillation were operated at the negative atmosphere. Effects of the proportion of raw material, the quantity of the catalyst, the pressure and temperature and the atmosphere of reaction on the yield were also discussed and the optimum reaction conditions were proposed.


Abstract Research suggests that particulate matter (PM2.5) is a predisposing factor for metabolic syndrome-related systemic inflammation and oxidative stress injury. TNF-α as a major pro-inflammatory cytokine was confirmed to participate in various diseases. Inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2) was recently determined as a necessary regulator for shedding of TNF-α in immune cells. Importantly, kidney-resident macrophages are critical to inflammation-associated chronic renal injury. Podocyte injury can be induced by stimulants and give rise to nephritis, but how iRhom2 contributes to PM2.5-induced renal injury is unclear. Thus, we studied whether PM2.5 causes renal injury and characterized iRhom2 with respect to TNF-α release in mice macrophages and renal tissues in long-term PM2.5-exposed mouse models. After long-term PM2.5 exposures, renal injury was confirmed via inflammatory cytokine, chemokine expression, and reduced antioxidant activity. Patients with kidney-related diseases had increased TNF-α, which may contribute to renal injury. We observed up-regulation of serum creatinine, serum urea nitrogen, kidney injury molecule 1, uric acid, TNF-α, MDA, H2O2, and O2– in PM2.5-treated mice, which was greater than that found in Nrf2−/− mice. Meanwhile, increases in metabolic disorder-associated indicators were involved in PM2.5-induced nephritis. In vitro, kidney-resident macrophages were observed to be critical to renal inflammatory infiltration and function loss via regulation of iRhom2/TACE/TNF-α signaling, and suppression of Nrf2-associated anti-oxidant response. PM2.5 exposure led to renal injury partly by inflammation-mediated podocyte injury. Reduced SOD1, SOD2, Nrf2 activation, and increased XO, NF-κB activity, TACE, iNOS, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, MIP-1α, Emr-1, MCP-1, and Cxcr4, were also noted. Long-term PM2.5 exposure causes chronic renal injury by up-regulation of iRhom2/TACE/TNF-α axis in kidney-resident macrophages. Overexpression of TNF-α derived from macrophages causes podocyte injury and kidney function loss. Thus, PM2.5 toxicities are related to exposure duration and iRhom2 may be a potential therapeutic renal target.


Tyrosine phosphorylation depends on the activity of receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases and promote cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Different stressors are known to stimulate tyrosine kinase activities and this could explain a wide spectrum of effects that these agents produce on different organisms. We studied the effects of heavy metals and pro-oxidants on tyrosine kinase signalling in trout hepatoma cells (RTH 149) by Western immunoblotting. Use of antiphosphotyrosine showed that Hg2+ and Cu2+in the µM range, and H2O2 in the mM range, induced tyrosine phosphorylation. The effect of Cu2+was prevented by pre-incubation with genistein, while those of Hg2+and H2O2 were only decreased, probably due to tyrosine kinase stimulation coupled to phosphatase inhibition. Phosphospecific antibodies against the three types of MAPKs showed that ERK is activated by heavy metals only, while p38 and SAPK/JNK are activated by H2O2, Hg2+, and Cu2+ plus low H2O2. Cell pre-incubation with p38 inhibitors indicated that ERK activation by H2O2 is prevented by concomitant activation of p38. Phosphospecific STAT antibodies revealed activation by H2O2 only. In conclusion, fish cell exposure to heavy metals and pro-oxidants produce specific tyrosine kinase responses, involving cross talk and redox modulatory effects.


We remember that Dr. Walter C. McCrone, Jr. started a laboratory and, fortunately for his colleagues, clients, and students, persevered with his laboratory with an extremely valuable tool— the polarizing light microscope, a remarkably useful approach to fine particle identification, and a powerful personality. His legacy to microscopy and microanalysis is: (1) the particle approach, (2) an emphasis on morphological analysis, and (3) a reliance on ultramicroanalysis and phase identification of fine particles to answer difficult questions and solve important problems.


The formation of thaumasite was investigated with the progressive equilibrium approach (PEA). The approach experimentally simulates the conditions of various levels of sulfate uptake in hardened cement pastes and determines the equilibrium composition of the pore solution and the solid phases to be approached after an interaction time of several months. The investigated cement pastes were analysed by XRD and Si CP/MAS NMR, while the solutions were analysed for Na, K, Ca, hydroxide, sulfate and carbonate. The results show that thaumasite formation is favoured by lower temperatures (8 °C) as well as by high sulfate concentrations (10-20 wt% SO4 2by weight cement paste) and high pH values (13) in the presence of calcite. The analytical results were compared with the results of a thermodynamic modeling. Thaumasite was only found under conditions where it has been predicted to form as a stable phase.


Introduction: The lack of adherence is involved in treatment failure. The aim of the study is to assess adherence and clinical and bacteriological effectiveness of nebulized treatment with sodium colistimethate (Promixin®) inhaled by I-neb® device in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA).

Patients and Methods: A prospective, multicenter, observational, longitudinal study of a cohort of adults treated for at least 6 months with Promixin®. Compliance data were collected with the computer platform Insight. Lung function data, sputum bacteriology and number of exacerbations and hospital admission in the previous year and after treatment were analysed.

Results: 106 patients, 57 males (53.8%), average age 64.0 ± 14.6 years. The post-infectious aetiology was the most frequent and PsA was the only isolated pathogen in 84% of cases. The mean treatment time was 26.8 ± 16.7 months (6.1 to 63.9). Proper nebulizer management was 96.6 ± 7.8% and real adherence 84.3±20.2%. Relevant clinical data are collected in the.
| | Pseudomonas aeruginosa (%) | FEV1# (%) | Number of exacerbation | Hospital admission |
||
| Pre-treatment | 100 | 55,3±19,2 | 3,83±2,6 | 0,57±0,76 |
| + 1 year treatment | 72,6 | 59,7± 22,0 | 1,4±1,29 | 0,27±0,6 |
| p value | | p < 0,05 | p < 0,01 | p < 0,01 |

Conclusions: In our cohort, nebulizer management and real adherence to treatment with Promixin® were excellent with an improvement in lung function, number of exacerbations and need for admission to hospital.


An empirical modelling technique is introduced to estimate impact of physical layer impairments in elastic optical networks, which can be used to evaluate transmission quality. The model has been v ...


Compact Multi-section Microstrip Low Pass Filter at the 3dB cut off frequency of 2.4 GHz is presented in this paper. The analysis of a low pass filter and its response with the variation of length is also included. The return loss is better than 15 dB and insertion loss is of less than 0.7 dB from dc to 3.08 GHz and rejection is better than 20 dB from 3.15GHz to 8.03GHz. The presented filter shows good characteristics in the passband and the stopband. The results indicate that the LPF has many desirable features, such as compact size, low insertion loss, very sharp transition bands, and wide stopband. These are all good characteristics applicable in modern communication systems. General Terms Microwave filter design; Low-pass filter.


Background: Palatal rugoscopy is the use of palatal rugae for identification of unknown persons. The majority of the population in Egypt consists of Egyptian people. However, some Malaysian people live in Alexandria city of Egypt for the purpose of education. So in case of mass disaster, there is a critical need for a reliable and easy method to differentiate between Malaysians and Egyptians. Aim: Study palatal rugae patterns in two diverse populations; Egyptians and Malaysians and its relation to sex and population difference. Subjects: Eighty students of Alexandria Faculty of Dentistry; forty Egyptians (20 females and 20 males) and forty Malaysians (20 males and 20 females). The age ranged 18-30 years. Results: Significant difference was noted between Malaysian males and females according to total number of rugae on both sides. Malaysians had significantly higher total rugae number on both sides than Egyptians. Curved shape was the predominant shape in the total sample. Significant difference was detected between Egyptians and Malaysians according to the predominant palatal rugae direction on both left and right sides. Egyptian females had significantly higher percentage of absent unification than Egyptian males. Linear regression models for sex and ethnicity identification were built up.


Coastal regions are vulnerable to erosion and depletion of land areas for human habitation and economic activities. A description of various types of the hydraulic structures associated in erosion protection applications are provided. Recently, because of the shortage of natural rock, traditional forms of river and coastal structures have become very expensive to build and maintain. Therefore, the materials used in hydraulic and coastal structures are changing from the traditional rubble and concrete systems to the cheaper materials and systems. Erosion problems in coastal zones are become increasingly serious due to the development of artificial activities related to the expansion of city functions, industrial complexes and harbour facilities, as well as the removal of sea sand for use in aggregate resources at the construction sites, which is a major factor in the inflow and outflow of sea sand. In addition, the environmental and economical importance of the coastal beach zones is increased. However, coastal beach zones are constantly eroded by waves accompanied with the rising water level due to storm surges, hurricanes, winter storm impact, and high tide. This erosion motion accelerates the regression of the coastal cliff due to the regression of the dunes or the shoreline. In addition, the regression leads to loss of real estate in the hinterland and ruins the shock-absorbing zone between land and sea. The application benefits for erosion protection are discussed. Several case studies are included.