Soils are a vital resource in Australian agricultural production systems. The sustained health of this resource is dependent on how land-use and management practices impact on the underlying soil microbial community that delivers vital ecosystem goods and services. Collaborative research between Department of Primary Industries Victoria (Melbourne, Australia) and the J.Craig Venter Institute in Rockville (Maryland, USA) research has applied a stepwise DNA-based approached to resolve the influence of contrasting soils (calcarosol and ferrosol) and land-use (managed and remnant vegetation) on the soil bacterial communities. This approach generated small insert clone libraries based on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences for three samples; calcarosol; managed (cropped) and remnant samples and a ferrosol, managed (grazed dairy pasture) sample. A deeper, whole genome shotgun sequencing approach based on Titanium 454 pyrosequencing technology yielded detailed information on the structural and functional elements of the microbial community in two samples (calcarosol; managed and remnant). All samples yielded unique microbial communities with <1% shared sequences overall. Samples collected from the same regional soils (e.g. highly alkaline calcarosol soil) but with contrasting land-use patterns (e.g. cropped and remnant) were more similar with 13% shared sequences. Samples collected from different regional soils but with similar management shared 4% sequences. The greatest differences in communities were those with contrasting soil, and land-use characteristics with <3% shared sequences. Of the known taxa, Acidobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Planctomycetes were relatively prevalent in the acid soil and Actinobacteria, alpha and delta Proteobacteria prevail in the alkaline, remnant soils. In the alkaline managed soil, Bacteroidetes/chlorobi taxa prevail. We chose the calcarosol samples for additional Sanger and 454 FLX sequencing to evaluate functional genes, with specific emphasis on nutrient cycling and disease suppression pathways. The results provide insight for ecosystem function and management decisions in the context of climate change and resource sustainability.


With improvements in pulse sequence design and gradient amplifiers complete breath-hold MR imaging of the liver is possible enabling rapid evaluation, which is relatively free of motion artifacts. The combination of Single Shot Fast Spin-Echo (SSFSE) and Fast Multiplanar Spoiled Gradient-Echo(FMSPGR) sequences provide both breath-hold T2and TI-weighted non-contrast images, as well as multiphase dynamic TI-weighted post-contrast information. There is, however, little data characterizing the appearance of focal liver lesi'ons using the SSFSE sequence. The purpose of this study is to characterize the appearance of focal liver lesions on T2-weighted SSFSE sequences using dynamic post-contrast sequence information and biopsy results. Introduction: SSFSE is a half-Fourier fast spin-echo pulse sequence, which utilizes a single excitation pulse to collect all imaging data with a long echo train of multiple refocusing pulses. In abdominal imaging SSFSE permits breath-hold heavily T2-weighted acquisitions, which minimize motion and susceptibility artifacts while maintaining sensitivity for identifying focal liver lesions compared to other T2-weighted sequences (1 ). The qualitative contrast relationship of focal liver lesions to surrounding tissues on SSFSE imaging, however, have not be extensively evaluated or corroborated. The purpose of this study is to characterize the signal relationships of focal liver lesions obtained with SSFSE T2-weighted sequences. Methods: 75 patients were imaged on a 1.5 Tesla magnet (General Electric, Milwaukee, WI) utilizing 23-40 mTim gradient amplifiers and the body transmit and receiver coil. Coronal and axial 7mm skip 2.5mm T2-weighted SSFSE sequences were obtained through the liver during suspendcd respiration (TR=23,990-41,254, TE=93.6-97.3, Receiver Bandwidth= 62.5 khz, Matrix=512x192, NEX=0.5). A dynamic contrast exam was obtained in each patient using a series of six axial 8mm skip 1.5mm TI-weighted breath-held FMSPGR (TR=ISOmS, TE=1.9mS, Matrix=256x160, NEX=I, Receiver Bandwidth= 62.5 khz) utilizing spectral fat pre-saturation. Following a baseline non-contrast FMSPGR sequence, Gadodiamide (Omniscan) (Nycomed-Amersham, Bucks, UK) was injected intravenously with a Medrad power injector (Medrad, Indianola, PA) at 2 cc's per second for a total dose of 0.lmmol per Kg of body weight. Five post-contrast FMSPGR sequences were obtained up to 5 minutes post injection with the first three sequences obtained in rapid succession. T2-weighted sequences were compared to the postcontrast dynamic TI-weighted sequence for identification of benign enhancement pattern. Hepatic cysts were defined as uniform T2 signal intensity and no contrast enhancement at five minutes. Cavernous hemangiomas were defined by discontinuous nodular peripheral enhancement. The remaining lesions not having a benign enhancement pattern were correlated with biopsy results. All lesions measuring greater than lcm were characterized on the T2-weighted SSFSE sequences relative to cerebral spinal fluid in the thoracic spinal canal, subcutaneous fat, and liver signal intensity using body coil images which provided relatively uniform signal sensitivity across the imaging field. Results: The 75 patients aging from 32 to 78 years of age yielded 172 focal liver lesions. 36 patients had a total of 54 focal liver lesions characterized by the cavernous hemangioma enhancement pattern. In all but one of these patients the lesions were homogenous in signal intensity and isointense with fat. One patient with a 6 cm hemangioma demonstrated central hyperintensity which was increased relative to fat. There were five patients with pathology confirmed as focal nodular hyperplasia. Three of these patients had a solitaly lesion with signal intensity slightly more intense than liver on the T2-weighted SSFSE sequence with a central scar, which was slightly hypointense relative to fat. Two of these patients had signal intensity slightly less than that of the liver, hut with the central scar, which. was slightly less signal intensity compared to fat. One patient with cirrhosis had a regenerating nodule confirmed pathologically which demonstrated signal intensity between liver and fat. Eight patients having a total of 35 homogenous lesions isointense with CSF and 5 lesions, which were slightly hypointense to CSF demonstrated no contrast enhancement at five minutes and thus were defined as hepatic cysts. There were 19 patients with 19 lesions pathologically confirmed at hepatocellular carcinoma. These lesions had inhomogeneous T2 signal varying from slightly hyperintense relative to liver to slightly hyperintense relative to fat. There were seven patients with 47 lesions confirmed to be metastatic disease, These lesions demonstrated signal intensity between liver and fat on the T2 SSFSE images although 8 lesions from demonstrated central hyper intensity isotintense to slightly hyper intense relative to fat but, less intense than CSF. The remaining two patients had pathologically confirmed lymphoma and cholangiocarcinoma respectively. Both these lesions had T2 SSFSE signal intensity between liver and fat with scattered foci with signal intensity similar or slightly less than fat. Discussion: Our results indicate that in contradistinction to a prior study reporting the signal characteristic of focal liver lesions using a similar T2-weight half-Fourier single shot pulse sequence or HASTE imaging (2) hemangiomas were consistently less hyperintense compared to CSF as apposed to hepatic cysts which were similar in signal intensity to CSF or slightly hypointense presumably due to increase protein content. Hemangiomas were similar in signal intensity to surrounding subcutaneous fat, which was consistently higher signal intensity compared to the bulk of other solid liver lesions benign or malignant. Our results demonstrate that other than hemangiomas and hepatic cysts there were no homogenous mass lesions isointense or hyperintense relative to subcutaneous fat in our study group. There were however, carcinomas and metastatic disease, which demonstrated inhomogeneous signal intensity with focal areas containing signal intensity which could be slightly greater intensity compared to fat but, less than that of CSF. Conclusion: The SSFSE pulse sequence is a robust sequence for evaluation of focal liver lesions. SSFSE significantly reduces the time to acquire T2-weighted information regarding the liver. An entire series of images of the liver can be obtained in a single breath-hold with reduced motion artifacts relative to other fast spin-echo sequences. The results of our study indicate that cavernous hemangiomas are characterized by predominant homogenous hyperintesity isointense with fat. This is in contradistinction to the signal intensity of cavernous hemangiomas on spin-echo, fast spinecho and HASTE sequences which characterized cavernous hemangiomas as having hyperintensity similar to that of CSF. Only hepatic cysts were found to have homogenous hyperintensity similar or slightly less than that of CSF in our series. Malignant and other benign solid lesions were characterized by signal intensity, which was predominantly less than fat with occasional focal areas, which were could be slightly hyperintense compared to fat. References I . Tang Y, Yamashita Y, Namimoto T, et. al.. Liver T2-weighted MR imaging: comparison of fast and conventional half-Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo, breath-hold turbo spin-echo, and respiratory-triggered turbo spin-echo sequences. Radiology 1997 Jun;204(3):766-72. 2. Tang Y, Yamashita Y, Namimoto T, et. al.. Characterization of focal liver lesions with half-fourier acquisition single-shot turbo-spinecho(HASTE) and inversion recovery(lR)-HASTE sequences. J Magn Reson Imaging 1998, Mar-Apr;8(2)438-45. 0 Proc. Intl. SOC. Mag. Reson. Med. 10 (2002)


DL-α-Methyl-α-hydrazino-3,4-dihydrophenylpropionlc acid (HMD) and [N1-(DL-seryl)-N2-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzyl) hydrazine] (Ro 4-4602), two known inhibitors of aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (dopa decarboxylase), were investigated for their effect upon some centrally mediated actions of l-dopa. HMD enhanced the ability of l-dopa to increase motor activity and irritability in mice and to increase motor activity in rats. In addition, HMD enhanced the reversal by L-dopa of reserpine-induced hypothermia, suppression of locomotion and ptosis. Enhancement of the pharmacologic actions of L-dopa by HMD was associated with enhanced brain dopamine levels. In contrast, the vomiting response to L-dopa in dogs and pigeons was attenuated by treatment with HMD. Low doses of Ro 4-4602 (1-125 mg/kg) potentiated l-dopa reversal of the locomotor suppressant and ptotic actions of reserpine; whereas, high doses (125-625 mg/kg) inhibited these actions of L-dopa. It is concluded that decarboxylase inhibitors can either inhibit or potentiate the central actions of i.-dopa depending upon whether they reach the brain sites where L-dopa acts.


India is rich in indigenous herbal resources permitting the growth of more than 20,000 plant species of which, about 2,500 are of medicinal value (Choudhari and Maheswari, 2009). The medicinal value of these plants lies in some active chemical substances called phytochemicals that produce a definite physiological action of human body. According to World Health Organization (WHO) medicinal plants would be the best source to obtain a variety of drugs. The use of plant extracts and phytochemicals with known antimicrobial properties can be of great significances in therapeutic treatment (Arunkumar and Muthuselvam, 2009). Alkaloids, flava phenolic compounds and tannins are the major phytochemicals present in this plants (Edeoga et al., 2005). Coleus amboinicus Karpooravalli in Tamil is a country borage plant. It is also referred as Plectranthus amboinicus. It belongs to the family lamiaceae (Labiatae) and is also called as country borage in English (Kirtikar and Basu, 1999). It is a large succulent aromatic perennial herb found throughout India, Moluccas and Ceylon (Warrier and Nambier, 1996, Nadkarni, 2002). medicinal plant, widely used in the Indian system of medicine. Many pharmacological properties have been reported including urolithriasis, antiepileptic, antitumorogenic, antimutagenic,


The paper introduced the present mine conventional backfill mining method,equipment,technique and other features and the application conditions in China coal mines,stated the present status of the mine backfill mining technology in China and analyzed and forecasted the wide prospects of the application in China.The backfill mining is a revolutionary innovation of the mining technology.The backfill mining technology could make the mine roadway development,resources mining and goaf treatment to be possible and could be the important composition part of the green mining system.The backfill mining technology of the coal mine with the bright advantages of the green environment protection and the material comprehensive utilization had a daily wider application and development in the coal mine.


Australian life expectancy is high by world standards, largely because of advanced health care. It is therefore important to determine safety and oncological benefits of major surgical procedures in the elderly. This retrospective review examines outcomes of liver resection in octogenarians.


This paper presents the experimental results of the heat and mass transfer phenomena which takes place on the surface of slit fin under the dry and wet condition. The heat transfer coefficient was obtained varying the number of row and FPI(fin per inch) in both cases of wet and dry condition. The mass transfer coefficient due to the condensation of moisture into the fin surface also was analyzed varying the number of row. As the result, the heat transfer coefficient under the wet condition shows a little lower value than that under the dry condition. The mass transfer coefficient of 2nd row of heat exchanger with two rows does not agree with the j-factor analogy.


This papers considers the postulated link between crime and unemployment. It outlines the main theoretical premises for such a relationship and critically summarises the empirical work to date before introducing the specific approach used in the analysis reported here. This is essentially a cross section econometric analysis of crime rates which concludes that unemployment per se has no direct influence on the level of crime. There is evidence that previous studies which reported such a connection were erroneous and that these errors resulted from a confusion between unemployment and the more general concept of economic welfare. Further analysis reveals that there is no evidence that crime is higher among ethnic minorities or in non-rural communities, nor unfortunately that increased policing actually reduces crime.


Complex Moving Least Squares and its key attributes as basis functions and support region radius were discussed and studied in this paper. Owing to the weak performance of traditional Moving Least Squares when applied to asymmetrical sampling points set, an improved Moving Least Squares named dynamic radius Moving Least Squares was designed, whose support regions radius at fitting point dynamically adjust as the density of local point subset. At last, it is applied to multi-parametric nonlinear compensation of computer numeric control bender through comparative fitting experiments and simulations on couples of data compared to traditional Moving Least Squares. The results of experiments and simulations indicate that the new algorithm makes a great progress on computational complexity, fitting smoothness and fitting accuracy, especially the accuracy in dense points region compared to traditional Moving Least Squares.


Technologies such as Industry 4.0 or assisted/autonomous driving are relying on highly customized cyber-physical realtime systems. Those systems are designed to match functional safety regulations and requirements such as EN ISO 13849, EN IEC 62061 or ISO 26262. However, as systems – especially vehicles – are becoming more connected and autonomous, they become more likely to suffer from new attack vectors. New features may meet the corresponding safety requirements but they do not consider adversaries intruding through security holes with the purpose of bringing vehicles into unsafe states. As research goal, we want to bridge the gap between security and safety in cyber-physical real-time systems by investigating real-time-aware intrusion-tolerant architectures for automotive use-cases.


Nondelegation as a concept is nearly as old as the Constitution itself. Its proponents have argued since the early Nineteenth Century that Articles I and II assign certain powers separately to the executive and legislative branches and that those powers, which are distinctly executive or legislative by nature, cannot be transferred from one branch to another. The doctrine is a product of the structure of the constitution, in other words. Despite its long existence, however, it has never thrived. In 2001, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas breathed yet new life into scholarly debate over the nondelegation doctrine in his


Sándor Ferenczi did not work with groups, yet his thinking and practice can be conceived as a major influence on the origins and development of group analysis and as a seminal source of ideas for its further development today. In his approach to psychoanalysis, social facts have a bearing on psychological facts, and vice versa. This implies a constant interchange and mutual influence between individual and collective processes, inner and outer, psychological and social. This is one of the basic tenets of group analysis, which requires that social facts be given as much attention as the psychological. Ferenczi's major contributions to the emergence of group analysis are his conceptual and technical revolutionary innovations, centred on the essential unity and mutual interchange between transference and countertransference. His emphasis on the fundamental importance of actual relations with other significant persons, such as the primary caregivers, the family, the analyst and society, and his description of the dynamic interplay of transference and countertransference anticipated the theoretical developments of group analysis. He introduced the holistic concept of the unity of transference and countertransference and of the family and the child. This implied an underlying but yet unformulated field theory, which is basic for group analysis. The essential unity and mutual interchange of 'inner' and 'outer' may be accounted for by Ferenczi's concept of an originary undifferentiated state of mind, called 'Thalassal', from which all other mental states, experiences, perceptions and thoughts evolve, and which remains present but unseen, underlying the more differentiated states. This is the psychological basis for Foulkes' conception of the matrix and Pichon-Rivière's theory of the link (bond). Ferenczi's memory was long repressed by the psychoanalytic world, but now that it has been recovered, his contributions may provide many of the missing pieces of group-analytic theory and practice and build the much-needed bridges between psychoanalysis and group analysis.


The amidinato complex [Ph—C(NSiMe3)2]2FeCl has been prepared by the reaction of FeOCl with the amidine Ph—C(NSiMe3)[N(SiMe3)2] in acetonitrile/THF in the form of dark red moisture sensitive single crystals. The complex was characterized by IR spectroscopy, by its 57Fe-Mössbauer spectra, as well as by an X-ray structure determination. Space group PI, Z = 2, 3180 observed unique reflections, R = 0.068. Lattice dimensions at —80°C: a = 1210.4(2), b = 1272.7(3), c = 1316.0(3) pm; α = 67.81(3)°, β = 76.14(3)°, γ = 67.19(3)°. The complex has a molecular structure in which the iron atom is surrounded in a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal fashion with the chlorine ligand and two nitrogen atoms of different amidinato chelates in equatorial positions. The remaining nitrogen atoms occupy the apical positions.


In the V2O5 production process, purification of vanadium-bearing solution plays an important role in determining the quality of the final product. The choice of purification method depends on the vanadium species, aqueous media, and associated impurities. In this review, the recent research results for the separation and recovery of vanadium from leaching solution with solvent extraction, ion exchange, and chemical precipitation separation are presented. The effects of the main operational parameters on the efficiency of purification with these three methods are compared and discussed respectively, and several problems existing in these processes are proposed.


The UK has formally given notice of its intention to leave the European Union by triggering Article 50. Janice Morphet assesses what the process will mean for the United Kingdom, writing that with a second independence referendum looming in Scotland, and a difficult picture emerging in Northern Ireland, the British Prime Minister could be soon be fighting on two fronts to preserve the Union.


A LIMPING child complains of pain in a lower extremity, is febrile, and has localized soft tissue swelling and tenderness to deep palpation over the bone. Laboratory studies disclose a normal or slightly elevated white blood cell (WBC) count and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Results of a roentgenographic examination demonstrate no pathologic findings. This is a relatively common presentation in a pediatric emergency room. Does the child have osteomyelitis? Cellulitis? Bone infarct? Although blood cultures will be done, it is not desirable to delay therapy of bone infection while waiting for the results. Roentgenographic studies are not helpful since they may not show positive findings for a week or more. The following cases illustrate the usefulness of radionuclide bone imaging in situations of this type. Report of Cases Case 1.— A 10-year-old boy had a limp and a swollen, hot, tender, painful left ankle of four days' duration


Under the information dissymmetry condition,the reasons of patients choose hospitals for attendance are various.The author gets through investigate and analyze data,and then to find relationship between patients'basic state(gender,age,level of education,occupation,and salary and the reason of choosing hospital,information chan- nels,prospective treatment,satisfaction.


The research objectives are: (1) to analyze the effect of tax sanctions, income levels and taxpayer awareness on taxpayer compliance. (2) to analyze the effect of tax sanctions and income levels on taxpayer awareness. (3) to analyze the effect of taxpayer awareness in mediating the effect of tax sanctions and income levels on taxpayer compliance. This research uses explanatory research type. The sample used is 75 individual taxpayer respondents at KPP Pratama Probolinggo. The statistical analysis used was the WarpPLS method. The result of the study indicates that: (1) There is no significant effect from tax sanctions upon the taxpayer compliance. (2) There are significant effect from income levels and taxpayer awareness upon the taxpayer compliance. (3) There are significant effect from tax sanctions and income levels upon the taxpayers awareness. (4)Taxpayer awareness cannot mediate the effect of tax sanctions and income levels on taxpayer compliance.


Bi2Te3 nanopowders were synthesized by the hydrothermal method at 150℃ and 180℃ for 24h using Bi(NO3)3 and Te powder as the precursors,N2H4 as reductant.X-ray diffraction(XRD),transmission electron microscope(TEM),scanning electron microscope(SEM) were applied to analyze the phase distributions,microstructures and grain sizes of the nanostructured Bi2Te3.The results show that the pure orthorhombic nanowires are formed by the hydrothermal synthesis method,and the particle size increases with the reaction temperature increases.Bi2Te3 powders were sintered by high pressure and high temperature(HPHT) finally.The effects of pressure and temperature on thermoelectric properties were investigated in room temperature.The result shows that the room temperature of power factor reaches 16μW/(cm·K2) for Bi2Te3 synthesized at 0.94GPa and 753K.


The use of $k$-word matches was developed as a fast alignment-free comparison method for DNA sequences in cases where long range contiguity has been compromised, for example, by shuffling, duplication, deletion or inversion of extended blocks of sequence. Here we extend the algorithm to amino acid sequences. We define a new statistic, the weighted word match, which reflects the varying degrees of similarity between pairs of amino acids. We computed the mean and variance, and simulated the distribution function for various forms of this statistic for sequences of identically and independently distributed letters. We present these results and a method for choosing an optimal word size. The efficiency of the method is tested by using simulated evolutionary sequences, and the results compared with BLAST.

 References R. A. Lippert, H. Huang, and M. S. Waterman. Distributional regimes for the number of $k$-word matches between two random sequences. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 99(22):13980--9, 2002. doi:10.1073/pnas.202468099 J. Jing, C. J. Burden, S. Foret, and S. R. Wilson. Statistical considerations underpinning an alignment-free sequence comparison method. J. Korean Stat. Soc. , 39:325--335, 2010. doi:10.1016/j.jkss.2010.02.009 S. F. Altschul, T. L. Madden, A. A. Schaffer, J. Zhang, Z. Zhang, W. Miller, and D. J. Lipman. Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs. Nucleic Acids Res. , 25(17):3389--402, 1997. doi:10.1093/nar/25.17.3389 W. J. Ewens and G. R. Grant. Statistical Methods in Bioinformatics: an Introduction . Springer, 2nd edition, 2005. S. Foret, M. R. Kantorovitz, and C. J. Burden. Asymptotic behaviour and optimal word size for exact and approximate word matches between random sequences. BMC Bioinformatics , 7 Suppl 5:S21, 2006. doi:10.1186/1471-2105-7-S5-S21 S. Henikoff and J. G. Henikoff. Amino acid substitution matrices from protein blocks. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 89:10915--10919, 1992. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.22.10915 http://bioinfo.lifl.fr/reblosum/ [31 May 2011] G. Reinert, D. Chew, F. Sun, and M. S. Waterman. Alignment-free sequence comparison (i): statistics and power. J. Comput. Biol. , 16(12):1615--1634, 2009. doi:10.1089/cmb.2009.0198 S. Foret, S. R. Wilson, and C. J. Burden. Empirical distribution of $k$-word matches in biological sequences. Pattern Recogn. , 42:539--548, 2009. doi:10.1016/j.patcog.2008.06.026 S. Foret, S. R. Wilson, and C. J. Burden. Characterizing the $D2$ statistic: Word matches in biological sequences. Stat. Appl. Genet. Mo. B. , 8(1):Article 43, 2009. doi:10.2202/1544-6115.1447 M. R. Kantorovitz, H. S. Booth, C. J. Burden, and S. R. Wilson. Asymptotic behavior of $k$-word matches between two uniformly distributed sequences. J. Appl. Probab. , 44:788--805, 2006. doi:10.1239/jap/1189717545 T. J. Wu, Y. H. Huang, and L. A. Li. Optimal word sizes for dissimilarity measures and estimation of the degree of dissimilarity between DNA sequences. Bioinformatics , 21(22):4125--32, 2005. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/bti658 S. Q. Le and O. Gascuel. An improved general amino acid replacement marix. Mol. Biol. Evol. , 25:1307--1320, 2008. doi:10.1093/molbev/msn067 E. Gazave, P. Lapebi, G. S. Richards, F. Brunet, A. V. Ereskovsky, B. M. Degnan, C. Borchiellini, M. Vervoort, and E. Renard. Origin and evolution of the Notch signalling pathway: an overview from eukaryotic genomes. BMC Evol. Biol. , 9:249, 2009. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-249 S. Q. Schneider, J. R. Finnerty, and M. Q. Martindale. Protein evolution: structure-function relationships of the oncogene Beta-catenin in the evolution of multicellular animals. J. Exptl. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) , 295B:25--44, 2003. doi:10.1002/jez.b.00006


A seat assembly for a vehicle having (a seat back (2), a seat cushion (3) and a hinge mechanism (4) for supporting the seat cushion (3) and a drive unit (61, 68) for driving the joint mechanism (4) and moving the seat cushion 3) between a seating position and a stowed position. When the seat cushion (3) is moved between the seating position and the stowed position, the seat cushion (3) and the seat back (2) retained by an operation of the hinge mechanism (4) and the drive unit (61, 68) has a constant attitude in.


This study was designed to review the ascending aortic diameter of patients undergoing surgery for AAD in China and its influence on prognosis.


The experiences and outcome of treatment among three patients, following a group programme in psychiatric outpatient occupational therapy are described in this article using qualitative and quantitative measures. They were members of a group of 20 individuals whose course of outcome are also briefly outlined. Two of them were women with fairly similar initial pre-treatment status. One of the women improved during treatment, reported positive experiences, and patients attributed her development to the occupational therapy programme. The other woman improved to a minor degree and held a negative opinion of the programme. At a 1-year follow-up she seemed to have reached the same level of progress as the other woman with a large improvement during treatment, partly due to another form of therapy. The third patient, a male, made a notable improvement. At discharge, and at follow-up, he was functioning at a normal level. He ascribed his progress partly to the occupational therapy programme. The patients' different courses of change seemed related to how they perceived the ward atmosphere – the most improved patient was most content and the least improved least satisfied with the ward atmosphere. Copyright © 1996 Whurr Publishers Ltd.


To the complexity of circuit principle in the missile test-fixing control system,a new method of fault diagnosis based on rough-set theory with neural network is introduced.Considering the relation or redundancy of the accessible nodes and components,on the basis of a known fault pattern base,the simplest sample collection is acquired by redundant attributes' reduction to pattern base with rough-set theory firstly.Then fault diagnosis and location are accomplished by training the collection in neural network.Compared with traditional fault diagno- sis based on neural network,the new method which has the advantages like faster diagnosis and accurate localization is illustrated.


The information age requires students to develop and hone a different set of literacies in order to cope with information overload; to efficiently use technology to access, adapt and create knowledge; and to benefit from the networked society (Warschauer, 2003). Moreover, there is a growing trend today toward using new types of web applications (e.g., wikis and blogs) in language classrooms to provide students with meaningful language learning experiences. However, a 25 year history of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) research has provided little information regarding students' computer access and usage patterns, and the state of their computer literacy (Barrette, 2001; Winke & Goertler, 2008). This study investigated 389 university students who were learning English as a foreign language in relation to their computer ownership, usage patterns, and levels of perceived Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. The study also explored how students perceived the usefulness of ICT in language learning and their interest in integrating ICT into the language classrooms. Findings from the questionnaire suggested that substantial training should be made available to students and that these aspects should be considered when designing and implementing CALL courses.


CONCLUSION We have mathematically identified a number of important physiochemical properties that seem to drive the change in IC 50 FC to amprenavir. The set of relevant properties are for some positions more complex than others (e.g. position 10 vs. 82). Applying this approach to other antiviral inhibitors will provide cost effective in silico knowledge about the physiochemical changes to the affected enzymes and could serve as input for computer assisted drug designs and improvement of existing drug compounds. In silico identification of physiochemical properties at mutating positions relevant to reduced susceptibility to amprenavir. L Høj1, J Kjær1, O Winther2, A Cozzi-Lepri3 and JD Lundgren1,4 1Copenhagen HIV Programme (CHIP), Denmark; 2University of Copenhagen, Bioinformatics Centre Denmark; 3Department of Infection & Population Health, Royal Free Campus, University College London, UK; and 4Centre for Viral Diseases/KMA, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark


This paper focuses on sensitivity analysis of neural network (NN) parameters in order to improve the performance of NN based short-term electricity price forecasting. Sensitivity analysis of NN parameters include back-propagation learning set (BP−set), learning rate (η), momentum (α) and NN learning days (dNN). Presented work is an extended version of previous work done by authors to integrate NN and similar days (SD) method for predicting day-ahead electricity prices. Similar days refer to similar price days, i.e., price data obtained from historical days. Euclidean norm with weighted factors is used for the selection of similar price days. Similar days method adopts the information of the days being similar to that of the forecast day. The similar days parameters, i.e., time framework of similar days (d = 45 days) and number of selected similar price days (N = 5) are kept constant for all the simulated cases. Forecasting performance is carried out by choosing a day from each season of the year 2006 randomly, and for which, the NN parameters for the base case are considered as BP−set = 500, η = 0.8, α = 0.1 and dNN = 45 days. Sensitivity analysis has been carried out by changing the value of BP−set (500, 1000, 1500); η (0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2), α (0.1, 0.2, 0.3) and dNN (15, 30, 45 and 60 days). During the sensitivity analysis, the most favorable value of BP−set is first identified followed by that of η and α, and based on which the best value of dNN is determined. Sensitivity analysis results demonstrate that the best value of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) is obtained when BP−set = 500, η = 0.8, α = 0.1 and dNN = 60 days for winter season, whereas for spring, summer and autumn, these values are 500, 0.6, 0.1 and 45 days, respectively. Results and discussions from real-world case study based on the PJM electricity market are presented.


In starting a business, the marketing mix strategy is one of the crucial aspects. The business landscape is highly competitive, requiring effective marketing strategies to achieve planned outcomes and gain a competitive edge in the market. Therefore, research on marketing mix strategies from an Islamic economic perspective is essential. In light of this background, business operators must consider marketing mix strategies that align with the principles of Islamic economics to compete effectively while adhering to Islamic principles.The research problem in this study is to examine the marketing mix strategy of Mama Mia Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) stall in facing business competition and assess whether the marketing mix strategy aligns with Shariah (Islamic law) principles. The objective is to identify the marketing strategies employed by Mama Mia Nasi Goreng stall and evaluate their conformity to Shariah business principles. Data for this research were obtained through interviews, observations, and documentation. The findings of this study reveal that Mama Mia Nasi Goreng stall employs a marketing mix strategy, commonly known as the 4Ps (product, promotion, price, place). The stall emphasizes product quality, promotional activities, pricing, and location. The marketing strategy adopted by Mama Mia Nasi Goreng stall adheres to the principles of Islamic business, namely siddiq (honesty), amanah (trustworthiness), tabligh (communication), and fathonah (wisdom). However, the weaknesses observed in Mama Mia Nasi Goreng stall's implementation of its marketing strategy are a lack of consistency in promotional activities and limited parking space.


There is currently widespread discussion in the professional journals the lay press and in Parliament about the nuisance created by the uncontrolled reproduction of dogs. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals policy of making facilities available for the spaying or castrating of dogs is seen as 1 possible solution to the problem but the cost may well prove prohibitive. There is the feeling that such clinics might attract the best motivated owners leaving the problem of roaming packs of dogs virtually untouched. We believe that we have a possible alternative solution. In our laboratory we have developed a method of castrating male and female animals by immunizing them against the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) (Fraser and Gunn 1973; Fraser et al. 1974; Fraser et al. 1975). Its inhibition abolishes the reproductive cycle prevents the female coming into season and sterilizes the male. LH-RH is a polypeptide hormone of 10 amino acids produced in the hypothalamus which controls synthesis and release of the gonadotropins from the pitutiary. LH-RH appears not to be species specific and is now availabl e in pure synthetic form (Hoechst Pharmaceuticals). We believe that there is a great need to develop this type of approach and there is reas on to believe that the principle could be applied to all mammalian speci es. Effectively an injection would replace a surgical operation. Field studies are currently underway to assess results in dogs and horses but the technique might also have application for animals such as pigs lamb s calves etc. used in food production.(FULL TEXT)


Malaria is one of the main pathologies transmitted by vectors in the Amazonian region due to its warm-humid climate. This research analyzes the results that are obtained in a laboratory at Hospital General "Puyo" from August 2017 - August 2018. The main characteristics of Paludism were record such as frequency, infection, classification, including its description. For doing a correct analysis and process, biological samples were applied through Coarse Drop and Giemsa stain technique for its diagnosis. The research consisted of 1753 samples in total. They came from adults and children who requested medical assistance at the mentioned center. As a result, 55 samples were diagnosed positive. The investigation was descriptive since it analyzed the collection data from the laboratory files. Later on, data were interpreted by using an Excel statistical program. It can be concluded that Plasmodium vivax reaches the highest incidence in the region; additionally, it affects more males than females. Low socioeconomic and demographic aspects, like living in rural areas in the province, have a high influence to get infected.


We have mimicked the visual system of the mantis shrimp by monolithically integrating pixelated spectral-polarization filters with an array of vertically stacked photodetectors. These sensors are used for underwater geolocalization with 30km sensitivity by recording the in-water polarization field.


• Pay-for-performance (P4P) is a major priority for the current Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) who believes Medicare should seek opportunities to encourage improvements in the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. • The ESRD program has a long history of concern for quality of care. Medicare, the National Institutes of Health, the National Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Nephrology, the Renal Physicians Association and others have actively participated in efforts to develop data systems that support the measurement and improvement of quality. These efforts have identified opportunities for quality improvement and have achieved notable improvements in patient care and outcomes. These organizations also candidly acknowledge that opportunities for improvement remain. • The history of quality improvement efforts, the availability of data systems and quality standards, and consensus on opportunities for quality improvement combine to make ESRD a good candidate for possible P4P initiatives. ESRD is, in fact, the focus of a CMS Breakthrough Initiative in the area of quality. The FistulaFirst initiative is the first of several 'break-through' initiatives that CMS is undertaking to improve quality and implement the strategies outlined in the recent 'quality chasm' reports from the Institute of Medicine.


Suitability of the Ağla-Köyceğiz dunites for manufacturing olivine bricks was assessed by addition of the Kümaş fine sintered magnesia in 10, 20, 30 and 40% proportions. The average value of MgO for Ağla dunites is around of 46wt.%. Magnesium sulphate was used as a chemical binder and gets good resistance to the mixes before firing. High Fe2O3 content of the Ağla dunites help to sintering process. Addition of the sintered magnesia and magnesium sulphate to the mixes increases MgO/SiO2 ratio. Phase composition, bulk density and cold crushing results at 1625oC show that these mixes are not mature ceramic. Introduction Shaped and unshaped basic refractories, based on main oxide component are produced worldwide for lining furnaces. Refractory products to be installed in industrial furnaces are selected according to their properties. The properties of refractory products depend on the principal minerals and their distribution. High purity raw materials are preferred in order to decrease the amount of low melting minor constituents and to avoid the formation of lowviscosity eutectics in the brick [1]. Refractory olivine bricks show a high resistance against alkalies and iron containing slags. To produce refractory olivine bricks, finely ground magnesia is added to the olivine grains to convert the SiO2 and the FeO of the decomposed fayalite into forsterite and MF-spinel [1]. The aim of the present work is to assess the suitability of the Köyceğiz-Ağla (Turkey) dunites for manufacturing shaped olivine bricks with addition of powdered sintered magnesia from Kümaş-Kütahya (Turkey) by magnesium sulphate binder. Addition of the sintered magnesia and Mg-sulphate binder must achieve a high refractoriness of the Köyceğiz-Ağla dunites. The new products were characterized by densification study, phase analysis and cold strength at 1600oC. Materials and Methods Raw materials. Köyceğiz-Ağla dunites is located in the Lycian Nappes tectonically stacked pile, which is flanked the southern margin of the Menderes Massif (Figure 1). The Ağla dunite occurrence is situated 13 km north of Köyceğiz-Muğla. The age and paleotectonic setting of the Lycian Nappes have been still disputed. Three different domains constitute the Lycian Nappes identified by Graciensky [2] as follows; nappes of peridodite, metamorphic and nappes of diabases consist of volcano sedimentary rocks and the flysch. The harzburgites is identical with its olive green colour in the field. The dunite body is about 600 metres long and 100 to 200 metres wide and shows a gradual transition to the surrounding harzburgites. It is possible to see small-scale dunite bodies at this region. Dunites show either granular or porphyroblastic texture in different samples. Dunite is composed of olivine (>90%) and substantial amount of orthopyroxene, opaque minerals (chromium rich spinel) and clinopyroxene. Serpentinisation of dunites was controlled by network of a fracture sets along which alteration minerals initiated to form. The Ağla dunites are less serpentinized. Chemical analysis result of the fresh Ağla dunite Key Engineering Materials Online: 2004-05-15 ISSN: 1662-9795, Vols. 264-268, pp 1799-1802 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.264-268.1799 © 2004 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (Semanticscholar.org-13/03/20,18:14:10) is given in Table 1. The MgO content of dunites vary between 45 and 51 wt.%. The average value of MgO for Ağla dunites is around of 46wt.%. Lost of ignition of the Ağla dunites are change between 1 and 2 wt.%. The mole ratio MgO: SiO2 is 1.3:1. Bulk density of the Ağla dunites fresh dunites is around of 3.13 g/cm. Microprobe analysis results of the Ağla olivines have 92% forsterite and 8% fayalite minerals. Minor amount of chromites have 50% Fe Cr2O4, 30% MgCr2O4, 10% FeAl2O4 and 1% Mg Al2O4.


The present invention discloses a nano xerogel mesoporous hemostatic material and a preparation method and application. The nanoporous material having a uniform adjustable (1 ~ 50nm), high specific surface area (100 ~ 1400m2 / g), macroscopic morphologies (powder, a film, a sheet, cylindrical, etc.) and composition (silicon oxide, calcium oxide , phosphorus oxide, etc.) is adjustable and good biodegradability. Mesoporous xerogel of the present invention can be prepared for different medical applications of hemostasis, including fast and slow bleeding, massive bleeding, in particular bone defect bleeding site to stop bleeding and the like difficult. Materials are not only capable of rapid hemostasis, bleeding effect, and the silicon gel network having a certain elasticity and mechanical properties can be formed after the water-absorbing behavior and form the regulation of cells of the tissue, accelerating the healing of wound tissue. Its characteristics may be utilized while the mesostructure drug loading, thrombin, and biological activity to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.


This chapter presents a study that investigated characteristics of the learning environment predicting for student engagement in public high school classrooms. Students in seven high school classrooms in five different subject areas were observed and videoed in order to predict their engagement as measured by the experience sampling method (ESM).


One way to reduce the annual U.S. $230 billion societal cost of motor vehicle crashes is to incorporate safety directly into the regional long-range transportation planning process. A survey of Virginia regional planning agencies revealed both a healthy interest in such integration and obstacles to the integration of safety and planning. Thus, merely exhorting regional agencies to emphasize safety is unlikely to affect planning practice. This paper reports on the creation of a resource guide that addresses the obstacles by providing numerous, specific examples implementable at the level of a regional planner with limited staff. For instance, in one rural plan where several projects entail widening substandard high-speed travel lanes, the guide shows how to estimate expected crash reductions so that projects with the greatest safety impact are identified. A contrasting example shows how to reduce urban crashes through removing a vehicle travel lane, adding a bicycle path, and managing access. Thus, the guide reflects the diverse opportunities for linking safety and planning. Other topics in the guide are crash data analysis, alignment of plan goals with specific programs, use of performance measures to prioritize alternatives, and innovative funding sources for safety-related improvements—all based on real data or plans such as monitoring the impact of a speed limit change on crashes while accounting for random variation. Recognizing that there is no shortage of planning-related literature, the guide acknowledges, but does not duplicate, the long-range regional planning process.


Genetic variability, heritability and correlation coefficient were studied in 20 genotypes of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.). Wide range of variability was observed in a number of fruits/plant (26–73), fruit weight (6.5119.1g), fruit length (20.42–29.82 mm), fruit diameter (23.06–34.22 mm), per cent juice content (56.2–63.17), fruit yield (199.67–1145.03 g/plant/if), total soluble solids (6.92–9.71° B), acidity content (0.28–0.67%), and ascorbic acid content (19.54–24.36 mg/100 g edible part). Heritability was recorded in the range of 71.1% (TSS content) to 99.7% (fruit weight). Genetic advance range was recorded between 0.56 (fruit yield per plant) and 454.2 (fruit weight). Genotypic coefficient of variation ranged from 2.99 (TSS content) to 38.27 (weight of fruit) while phenotypic coefficient of variation ranged from 3.54 (TSS content) to 38.28 (weight of fruit). Significant and positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation co-efficient were observed in a number of fruits/plant and fruit yield/plant. Fruit weight showed high genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation with fruit length, diameter and yield/plant. However non-significant negative correlation coefficient were observed in a number of fruits/plant with fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, and juice percentage. For selecting promising and high-yielding genotypes of cape gooseberry emphasis should be given on fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit weight.


Basics on tensor norms The role of $C(K)$-spaces and $L^1$-spaces $\otimes$-norms related to Hilbert space The fundamental theorem and its consequences Glossary of terms The problems of the Resume The Blaschke selection principle and compact convex sets in finite dimensional Banach spaces A short introduction to Banach lattices Stonean spaces and injectivity Epilogue Bibliography Author index Index of notation Index.


Crosslinking MS is currently transitioning from a routine tool in structural biology to enabling structural systems biology. MS-cleavable crosslinkers could substantially reduce the associated search space expansion by allowing an MS3-based approach for identifying crosslinked peptides. However, MS2-based approaches currently outperform approaches utilising MS3. We show here that MS3-trigger sensitivity and specificity were hampered algorithmically. Our four-step MS3-trigger algorithm greatly outperformed currently employed methods and comes close to reaching the theoretical limit.


A realizing enabling smooth switching between the service modes provided by the coexistence system. A network or device is a method of switching a smooth service to be compatible (Coexistence) is provided. TV band device according to one embodiment disclosed herein; switching method between (TeleVision Band Device TVBD) network or device service receives the request for switching between services of the TVBD network or device from the coexisting Manager has a step, and transmitting a response to the request to the coexistence manager, the said service, information service said TVBD network or device to acquire the neighbor information (neighbor information) from the coexistence manager, and the TVBD and a management service network or device provides the measurement results to the coexistence manager, the response has an indicator indicating whether the request was processed successfully. .The 12


A numerical model has been developed of two-dimensional chaotic mixing of immiscieble Newtonian fluids. A computationally efficient numerical methodology is employed which is well-suited to complex, evolving interfaces. Mixing was confined to a rectangular cavity with periodically driven upper and lower surfaces. Interfacial forces and the transient flow fields in each phase were considered to assess specifically the influences on interfacial morphology of interfacial tension and phase viscosity ratio under creeping flow conditions. Predicted morphologies are compared to those of solidified specimens synthesized by chaotic mixing in companion studies.


Introduction. Semantic memory impairment is now a well‐documented phenomenon in patients with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, the characteristics of this deficit and any early markers remain contentious. Correspondence should be addressed to Dr Mohammed Al‐Uzri, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, University Department of Psychiatry, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK; e‐mail: firstname.lastname@example.com A version of this paper was originally presented at the 10th Biennial Winter Workshop on Schizophrenia, Davos, Switzerland, February 2000. We would like to thank Professor John Hodges for his help and advice with the semantic memory battery data. Thanks also to Professor Peter Halligan and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Methods. In this preliminary study, 12 schizophrenic patients underwent longitudinal assessment using a battery of semantic memory tests. Patient performance was compared to 12 matched controls. Using set criteria (derived from Warrington & Shallice, 1979), we examined whether the patients had a disorder affecting access to intact representations, or a degradation/loss of the representations themselves. The criteria were: consistency across time and modality, level of attribute information, and responsiveness to cueing. Finally, we compared patient naming for the same items across two naming tests (naming‐to‐description and picture naming) to determine cross‐modality consistency. Results. As expected, normal controls outperformed the patients on all tests. Naming‐to‐description was the most significant differentiator between patients and controls. Patients were inconsistent across both time and modality, showed minimal attributional knowledge impairment, and improved significantly with cueing on two naming tests. Conclusion. The profile of results indicates an access‐type semantic deficit in this cohort of patients with schizophrenic. Finally, on a naming‐to‐description task, the patients failed to name up to 20% of items that they could name to picture. This suggests that naming‐to‐definition may act as an early marker of semantic memory impairment.


A conceptual design has been carried out for an Engineering Test Station (ETS) which will provide structural support and utilities/instrumentation services for blanket modules positioned adjacent to the vacuum vessel of the TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor). The ETS is supported independently from the Test Cell floor. The ETS module support platform is constructed of fiberglass to eliminate electromagnetic interaction with the pulsed tokamak fields. The ETS can hold blanket modules with dimensions up to 78 cm in width, 85 cm in height, and 105 cm in depth, and with a weight up to 4000 kg. Interfaces for all utility and instrumentation requirements are made via a shield plug in the TFTR igloo shielding. The modules are readily installed or removed by means of TFTR remote handling equipment.


Valetine Lomelli Les relations dangereuses: French Socialists, Communists, and the Human Rights Issue in the Soviet Bloc Brussels: Peter Lang, 2012. 210 pp., $35 (pbk) ISBN: 978-9052018430Starting with the Prague Spring of 1968, dissent in Eastern Europe affected not only Soviet bilateral relations with the United States but also, and perhaps more importantly, relations between the US and its Western allies, with deep repercussions for their internal politics as well. This fine work by Valentine Lomellini thoroughly examines the distinctive French case, highlighting how the human rights policies of the French Communists (PCF) and French Socialists (SFIO, then PSF) characterized their relationship as freres-ennemis, from their union pact to their competition for supremacy within the Left until the presidential election of Francois Mitterrand. Lomellini also skilfully examines how that same rivalry affected the two parties' respective relationships with French foreign policymakers, in a constant triangular interaction. France's prominent international role thus "conditioned the attitude of the French Left toward the USSR" (165). Indeed, the main merit of Lomellini's book consists of weaving together domestic and international factors (an "intermestic" approach, as authors Campbell Craig and Fredrik Logevall have recently nicknamed it in their America's Cold War: The Politics of Insecurity) to provide a complex and often illuminating analysis of the internal as well as international dynamics of French foreign policy. Lomellini has explored archival sources from five different countries, while focusing mainly on the two parties' repositories, a vast diplomatic record that, however, does not eclipse her subtle understanding of French culture and politics.The author is at her best when she unravels the subtly contradictory nature of both socialist and communist policies toward detente, giving the Mitterrand group credit for most closely approximating a grand strategy at both the internal and international levels. No doubt the two pillars of the new PSF-alliance with the communists and support of Eastern bloc opposition-were irreconcilable. But the PSF's dialogue with the communists successfully used Eastern European dissent to create the condition for re-equilibrium within the Left. At the same time, aspiring to be a government force and counting on the traditional ties France had with the East, the PSF maintained a dialogue with Moscow without renouncing criticism of its human rights record; Mitterrand's hope, like de Gaulle's before him, was that detente-therefore the need to maintain and improve state-to-state relations-would lead indirectly to democratization in the East.Another original conclusion, perhaps too often reiterated, but consistent with the author's intermestic approach, is that the real turning point for the PCF and its reversal to full orthodoxy was not during its support of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (since the PCF, for example, criticized the Kremlin's decision to exile dissident Andrei Sakharov on the basis of his condemnation of that same war), but during the Polish crisis of the following two years. And the real cause of this realignment was domestic, as the PCF aimed at drawing a sharp distinction between its choices and those of Mitterrand, who took a conservative turn on those international matters in anticipation of the 1981 presidential election.The PCF continued to pursue its mistaken assumption that it could best reemerge from its internal isolation by recovering international ties with its brother party, the CPSU. It consistently acted as "guardian of the international image of the USSR" (62). In fact, it was the PCF's very orthodoxy (a label that Lomellini wisely tends to avoid) that became the main cause of its domestic troubles. It is true, however, that the politics of identity have always carried a greater weight in France than in other European countries, and so it is not too unfathomable that the PCF could believe that by strengthening, rather than adapting, its identity, as its Italian counterpart had done, it could regain the traditional communist electorate that had gradually moved to the PSF through the 1970s. …


An experiment was carried out with 36 New Zealand x California growing rabbits, 975 ± 225 g weight live, to determinate the nutrient apparent digestibility in mulberry foliage (Morus alba), the substitution of the test ingredient in a basal diet and direct methods were used. The animals were distributed agreement with an experimental design completely randomized in 12 repetitions. The treatments were: T1 = basal diet, T2 = inclusion of 30% of mulberry foliage in the diet, and T3 = mulberry foliage. The experimental period lasted 11 days (4 of collection). The dry matter digestibility (64.85 ± 10.79, 62.55 ± 13.51 and 61.65 ± 10.83%), organic matter digestibility (65.75 ± 10.69, 64.19 ± 13.14 and 63.94 ± 10.41%), energy digestibility (64.61 ± 11.05, 62.26 ± 14.67 and 55.68 ± 12.82%), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (54.80 ± 14.09, 49.92 ± 17.15 and 58.96 ±11.05%) and acid detergent fiber digestibility (47.40 ± 8.71, 42.74 ± 8.70 and 48.68 ± 12.71%) for T1, T2 and T3, respectively, didn't present differences (P > 0.05) among diets. The raw fiber digestibility was bigger (P < 0.05) in mulberry diet (43.32 ± 2.02, 41.99 ± 15.78 and 67.90 ± 8.14% for T1. T2 and T3) and the apparent crude protein digestibility was bigger (P < 0.05) in the basal diet (81.53 ± 5.82, 70.20 ±11.13 and 65.07b ± 9.47% for T1, T2 and T3). The estimate digestible energy (DE) content for mulberry foliage was 2328.60 ± 501.93 kcal/kg and the digestible protein (DP) was 136.7 ± 21.4 g/kg dry matter. The values determined for DE and DP were similar between methods. The mulberry foliage presented high nutritional value and can to constitute an excellent dietary ingredient for rabbits.


A new consolidation system for the spent burnable poison assembly utilizing a sequence control robot operated under water was proposed. A credible accident in the system was analyzed mainly from the viewpoint of tritium release, based on the diffusion analysis of tritium in borosilicate glass. It was found that the amount of tritium released would be small even after the rupture of burnable poison rods. An experiment on a new consolidation system was performed using spent burnable poison assemblies. The volume of burnable poison assemblies was reduced safely and securely by a factor of 7 to 14 for burnable poison rods and by 22 for hold-down portions. It was proved that the consolidation system is collectively feasible.


The straw itch mite, Pyemotes ventricosus (Newport), parasitized larvae, pupae, and adults of the black carpet beetle, Attagenus megatoma (F.). Attached parasites were most numerous on pupae (mean, 40), fewer on 4- and 9-month larvae (mean, II) and fewer still on 2-month larvae (mean, 6). Rate of attachment was related to body weight and available body surface of the host. Average time of development and emergence of progeny of mother mites attached to pupae was 9.1 days for males and 9.9 days for females. Generally, 2 ♂ and 8 ♀ offspring were produced per mother mite. Responses of hosts to attack and paralysis by the straw itch mite are noted.


JAVMA, Vol 233, No. 1, July 1, 2008 M medicine is fraught with controversial issues, but one issue clearly commanding a consensus is the notion that health-care professionals should practice good medicine. Unfortunately, terms like good medicine—as well as high-quality medicine, best medicine, and such—resist easy definition. The guideline of conformance to the standard of care that would customarily be expected of a health-care provider in the same type of practice in a similar community is one of the most accepted ethical and legal approaches. However, such a standard is not useful in that it is a legal principle for delineating the lowest level of acceptable medical practice, not a description of good medicine. The purpose of this commentary is not to provide a definition for good medicine. Rather, the focus is to examine whether the definition of good medicine has a fixed meaning or relative meaning dependent on how profit is generated in the delivery of health care.


Wind energy is one of the most popular and economic renewable energy generations. According to the statistics, there is about 3GW wind energy power potentially in Taiwan. If the grid-connected wind turbine generator is subjected to the network faults, the induced electromagnetic torque (E/M torque) leads to torsional torque stresses on turbine mechanism, namely high/low speed shafts and blades. This project employs a single induction machine-infinite system of middle voltage level containing a fixed-speed wind turbine, in order to investigate the wind turbine torque behaviors owing to the most onerous line fault, i.e., three-phase- to-ground fault. From the simulation results, it is found that such a disturbance may pose a major threat on the high speed shaft instead of the low speed shaft or blades.


With the continuous development of China's current social development process, in the process of widespread application of organic matter and polymer materials in production and life, researchers and production companies are gradually upgrading their ability to independently innovate in technology. New breakthroughs have been made in the design of molding technology. This paper studies the energy-saving design concept of polymer material molding technology, briefly describes the necessity and principle of organic polymer material molding technology, analyzes dynamic extrusion and injection molding, and finds multi-screw polymer dynamic mixing and extrusion equipment. The introduction of the vibration force factory ensures that the comprehensive performance of the product is effectively improved, and the molding process is effectively shortened to achieve the energy-saving goal of reducing consumption.


Publicly available data from open sources are a vital resource for students and researchers in a variety of disciplines. Unfortunately, processing these datasets to make them useful --- scraping, cleaning, normalizing, joining --- is tedious, error prone and has to repeated by every group.DataCommons attempts to alleviate some of this pain by synthesizing a single Knowledge Graph from many different data sources. It links references to the same entities (such as cities, counties, organizations, etc.) across different datasets to nodes on the graph, so that users can access data about a particular entity aggregated from different sources. Like the Web, the DataCommons graph is open - any user can contribute data or build applications powered by the graph. In the Google DataCommons, we are jump-starting the graph with data from publicly available sources such as CDC, Census, BLS, FBI, etc. and are looking to engage with the academic community to take it further.


Temperature responses of the conchosporophytes and gametophytes of Porphyra tenera and P. yezoensis were investigated in culture. The growth of conchosporophytes and the formation of conchosporangial branches were high at in both species. The conchospore release was high at and in P. tenera and at in P. yezoensis. Conchosporophytes were tolerant at for 4 weeks in both species and tolerant up to in P. tenera and in P. yezoensis for 2 weeks. The relative growth rates (RGRs) of the gametophytes decreased as they grew. The temperature for the highest RGR of gametophytes was changed from at the 1st stage (2-4 week) to and in P. tenera and in P. yezoensis at the 3rd stage (8-10 week). The reproductive structures developed early as temperature increased. Monospores were released not only from the early stage of gametophytes at the condition above or but also from mature plants at the same time of spermatium release at lower temperature. It is apparent that P. tenera and P. yezoensis are well adapted to the temperature variation in nature for the alternation of generations and the growth and reproduction of each generation.


Nowadays high quality of life, rational nature management and reduction of negative impact on nature, become some of the leading directions of urban planning policy development in the world. Mass construction of low-rise eco-houses worldwide has been the most relevant. The use of biopositive materials provides great savings on labour costs. From 65 to 89% of the population in Western European and North American countries live in low-rise buildings. By 2020 low-rise construction in Russia will be around 70%, while there will be a transition to the integrated development of territories with its own infrastructure. The article discusses biopositive materials and low-cost renewable "green" technologies that are used in low-rise multi-functional architecture. It is shown that biopositive materials such as whole wood, reed, straw, soil, peat, and many others have a positive effect on human and the correlation of its biofield. Also, "green" technologies save energy and material resources throughout the entire life cycle of a building. The article looks at some of the low-cost renewable "green" technologies such as Rammed Earth, Rammed Clay, Earth Bags, Straw Bale constructions, Zonal discharge and others that increase the construction speed and the environmental quality of low-rise multifunctional building architecture.


The burglarproof window, or iron-barred window, is one of the features of Taiwanese culture of living, but it's also on e of the main causes of disordered city scenery. As the civilization progresses and the mass communication develop quickly, people keep searching for better life quality. However, because of the fast industrial development and unorganized urban planning, the city scenery in Taiwan is messy almost everywhere. This research intents to transform the negative visual image of burglarproof windows. "The iron-barred windows" are one of the amazing feature of Taiwan, but most of the mass produced burglarproof windows are staid without originality. However, for the basic burglarproof purpose, the consumer has to pick out relatively amusing and prettier product. Therefore, this research uses form generation principle to construct a design system of burglarproof windows full of regional cultural features. This present study aims to offer a design system for the iron-barred windows correspondent to the characteristics of buildings in Tainan City, including two parts: the design rules for the buildings of art deco and the elicitation of the decoration elements. The first part is the shape grammar corpus which is to transform the consideration of intervals and the arrangement of art deco, and the second one is the product retrieve corpus which is to transform the main designs and styles of the iron-barred windows and the topics of art deco. To integrate the two parts into the manufacturing process of the iron-barred windows with the Japanese Colonial Period style in Tainan City, the procedure contains six steps: (A) the necessity of customers, (B) the framework construction of the iron-barred windows, (C) the selection of shape grammar, (D) the decision of main design, (E) the style of decoration, and (F) manufacture.


In this paper, research on the thermal analysis method is reported for the characterization of heat generation while operating an Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (IPMSM) for railway vehicles. Efficient cooling of the heat generated in the IPMSM is important because the excessive heat generated from the winding, core and permanent magnets increases the difficulty of continuously operating an IPMSM over long time periods. Therefore, in this study, in order to analyze the heat generation characteristics of the IPMSM for advanced research in the application of IPMSMs to cooling devices, the heat transfer coefficients for each component of the IPMSM were derived and the thermal equivalent circuit was configured to perform thermal analyses. Finally, the validation of the suggested thermal analysis method was performed through comparison with the heat experimental data of an IPMSM prototype.


Compressed sensing (CS) has great potential for use in reducing data acquisition time in MRI. Generally sparsity is used as a prior knowledge to improve the quality of reconstructed image. In this paper, we propose an effective compressed sensing rapid MR imaging method incorporating Non-Subsampled Shearlet transform (NSST) sparsity prior information for MR image reconstruction from highly undersampled k-space data. In particular, we have implemented the more flexible decomposition with 2n directional subbands at each scale using NSST to obtain the prominent sparser representation for MR images. In addition, the mixed L1-L2 norm of the coefficients from the prior component and residual component is used to enforce joint sparsity. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can significantly increase signal sparsity and improve the ill-conditioning of MR imaging system using NSST sparsity regularization. The evaluations on a T2-weighted brain image and a MR phantom experiment demonstrate superior performance of the proposed method in terms of reconstruction error reduction, detail preservation and aliasing, Gibbs ringing artifacts suppression compared to state-of-the-art technique. Its performance in objective evaluation indices outperforms conventional CS-MRI methods prominently.


Abstract The religiously driven business ethics play a significant role in shaping business conduct and priorities. The practice of Islamic rulings in business activities requires a change from the conventional framework to the Islamic framework system. This paper is conceptual and qualitative in nature. It relies on original sources of Islam and treatises written by Muslim scholars and experts.  Previous studies found that there are connections between ethics and achievement of the business. In Islam, business ethics were clarified in Al-Qur'an and Al-Hadis as an impression of Islamic believes (iman). This study portrays the fundamental development of Islamic business morals taken from Surah Al-Jumu'ah verse 9-11. This study concluded that every activity conducted by individuals or organizations is tied to the super-ordinate goals and must be conducted in accordance to the Islamic ethical standards as prescribed in the Qur'an and Hadis. Keywords: Business ethics, Islamic business ethics, Akhl?q, Islamic Rulings, Islamic economic


There exist a large body of work in the field of assembly, sometimes involving the use of a virtual environment to assist the user in assembly analysis. We have developed HIDRA (Haptic Integrated Dis/Re-assembly Analysis), a real-time haptic simulation for the analysis of assembly and disassembly operations. In this paper, we address the state of the art in collision detection and the implications it has on the effectiveness of our simulation. In particular, we focus on the usability of current collision detection libraries and discuss some of their limitations. Also, techniques to improve the robust ness of object interactions, in support of a collision detection algorithm, are presented. Although HIDRA is focused on assembly and disassembly simulations, the techniques described are relevant for the broader development of haptically enabled simulations.© 2002 ASME


The purpose of this study was to verify the influences of persuasion attempt toward patriotic marketing advertisement on consumer emotion and corporate image. The study conducted a research survey through convenient sampling method after selecting 4 universities in Seoul, Gyunggi, and Chungnam in Korea. 370 questionnaires distributed and 346 were selected as fina] valid sample by removing 24 questionnaires that have insufficient answers. Then data were analyzed through exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS Windows ver. 18.0. The results were as followings. First, contribution, familiarity, and veracity dimensions of persuasion attempt toward patriotic marketing have a positive effect on positive emotion. Second, familiarity and identification dimensions of persuasion attempt toward patriotic marketing have an influence on negative emotion. Third, identification, contribution, and familiarity dimensions of persuasion attempt toward patriotic marketing have a positive effect on corporate image.


In recent years, a number of economists have become i n t e r e s t e d i n e x p l o r i n g a type of e n t r y d e t e r r i n g f i r m behavior known as preemptive entry. This type of behavior has been as s o c i a t e d w i t h e s t a b l i s h e d f i r m s expanding t h e i r c a p a c i t y i n the neighborhood of e x i s t i n g c a p a c i t y , e i t h e r i n the form of p r o l i f e r a t i n g brands or s i m i l a r products or opening new p l a n t s , i n order to secure the custom d e r i v a t i v e from e x i s t i n g or a n t i c i p a t e d f u t u r e demands i n that neighborhood. The goal of such behavior i s to deter ent r y , hence securing p r o t e c t i o n f o r monopoly p r o f i t s . The major t h e o r e t i c a l r e s u l t which may be derived from a model of preemption i s that i f growth of the market i s foreseen, an e s t a b l i s h e d f i r m w i l l always have an i n c e n t i v e to preempt the market at a poi n t i n time when i t would not pay a p o t e n t i a l entrant to enter. We d e r i v e t h i s r e s u l t using a one-dimensional,, l i n e a r s p a t i a l model, and we demonstrate that the r e s u l t does not depend upon the assumption of a l a r g e number of p o t e n t i a l e n trants or on whether the market i s one-dimensional or twodimensional . The t h e s i s i s devoted to t e s t i n g the i m p l i c a t i o n s of the theory of preemption e m p i r i c a l l y . The f i r s t i m p l i c a t i o n which we examine i s a p r o f i t s i m p l i c a t i o n . Using cost and revenue data from the supermarket i i i i n d u s t r y , we search f o r i n d i c a t i v e evidence f o r or against the f o l l o w i n g n u l l hypothesis which i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the p r o f i t s i m p l i c a t i o n : The p r o f i t s of a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e new supermarket are l e s s than zero i n i t s f i r s t twelve months of ope r a t i o n , where the supermarket i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n the sense that i t s p r o f i t s are c a l c u l a t e d using average cost and average revenue data, and the average i s over supermarkets. We perform a s e r i e s of annual net p r o f i t c a l c u l a t i o n s f o r the.years 1970-1976 i n c l u s i v e , and f i n d that i n any one of these years,, the annual net p r o f i t s of a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e new supermarket are negative and l e s s than the annual net p r o f i t s of a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e e s t a b l i s h e d supermarket. The second i m p l i c a t i o n of the theory of preemption i s a l o c a t i o n a l one. Using supermarket l o c a t i o n data from the province of B r i t i s h Columbia, we construct, two types of t e s t s i n order to a s c e r t a i n the nature and extent of preemption i n the Greater Vancouver Regional D i s t r i c t (GVRD.) of B r i t i s h Columbia. F i r s t we use cross s e c t i o n data on store, ownership and the neighbor r e l a t i o n s between s t o r e s i n each of the four sub-markets of the GVRD i n order to determine i f our observations are co n s i s t e n t w i t h a random process based on a set of p r o b a b i l i t i e s which i s independent of the neighbor r e l a t i o n s between s t o r e s . We f i n d that t h i s n u l l hypothesis of randomness may be r e j e c t e d f o r the GVRD as a whole and i t s Vancouver sub-market, but not f o r the three other sub-markets which comprise the GVRD. Next, we use time s e r i e s data on the date at which each s t o r e was e s t a b l i s h e d i n the Vancouver submarket, where that st o r e was l o c a t e d , and which f i r m owned, i t i n order to determine i f our observations are c o n s i s t e n t w i t h a s t a t e dependent p r o b a b i l i s t i c process i n which the p r o b a b i l i t y that any given s t o r e i s owned by a given f i r m depends upon the neighbor r e l a t i o n s that that s t o r e i v had w i t h other stores i n the sub-market at the time when i t was e s t a b l i s h e d . We f i n d that we may accept the hypothesis of s t a t e dependence: f o r the Vancouver sub-market. F i n a l l y , we conduct an a n a l y s i s of the p r o b a b i l i t i e s u n d e r l y i n g the s t a t e dependent process and we o b t a i n the r e s u l t that preemptive l o c a t i o n behavior has taken place i n the Vancouver sub-market of the GVRD.


A hallmark of the male-dominated scientific establishment is the disbelief in or marginalization of the outsider or other. Two children undertook to prove their hypothesis that the popular drop-cookie recipe for chocolate chip cookies (known as "Toll House cookies") would not yield preshaped cookies or that preshaped batter would not maintain its morphology through a trial of heat shock (a.k.a. "baking"). Because their results were exclusively qualitative, i.e. based on exclusively descriptive data drawn from repeated experimentation and because the experimenters were mere children, we sought to disprove the results via quantitative computer analysis of batter under heat stress conditions.


Theoretical studies are presented for 4,-N,N-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) by using the semiempirical Austin model 1 (AM1) and ab initio Hartree−Fock (HF) methodology for optimization of the electronic ground and AM1/configuration interaction with both single and double excitations (CISD) and HF/configuration interaction with single excitation (CIS) for the lowest excited states. For a correct description of the ground-state structure, additional polarization functions and at least a split-valence double-ζ basis set have to be used. For both the ground and excited states of DMABN, the relative orientation of the two methyl groups is important:  AM1/CISD predicts both the first (1Lb character) and second excited state (1La character) to be of untwisted and slightly pyramidalized structure with the methyl groups oriented in a staggered conformation. HF/CIS computes the La state at lower energy than the Lb state in contrast to experimental data. This incorrect state ordering represents a serious problem ...


BACKGROUND
The treatment of scoliosis exceeding 100 degrees remains a challenge. Anterior fusion only may lead to low correction and screw plowing, posterior fusion only may cause the cranckshaft phenomenon in skeletally immature patients. Two-stage surgery is advocated, comprising anterior release and posterior fusion.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The aim of the paper is to compare treatment outcomes in patients with a >100% primary curve treated between 1984 - 2004 with one of the following techniques: halo-femoral traction with posterior fusion (Group I; n=124 patients), anterior release with halo-femoral traction and posterior fusion (Group II; n=32), single stage anterior release and posterior fusion (Group III; n=20), and posterior fusion only (Group IV; n=19). Correction and loss of correction were assessed radiologically. Additional surgical procedures and the presence of complications were also recorded. The fusion techniques were compared. Mean post-operative follow-up duration was 3.9 years, ranging from 2 to 15.3 years.

RESULTS
Correction was highest in Group II and Group III (52.7% and 51.7%, respectively); vs. Group I and Group IV (45.8% and 38.7%, respectively). The loss of correction at final follow-up was lowest in Group II and Group III (2% and 3.3%), and highest in Group I and Group IV (6.4% and 15.6%, p<0.05). In all groups, the use of derotational instrumentation increased correction (59.7% C-D vs. 37% Wisconsin vs. 24.5% Harrington-Luque) and decreased loss of correction (4% C-D vs. 5% Harrington-Luque vs. 28% Wisconsin). Rates of neurological complications were similar in all groups; no persistent deficits were noted.

CONCLUSIONS
Anterior release with halo traction and posterior fusion is the optimal treatment of severe scoliosis. If halo traction is contraindicated, single stage anterior release and posterior fusion should be performed. Contemporary instrumentation techniques result in higher correction rates and better curve stability.


Data security is an important issue in big data applications. The sheer data volume provides way more opportunities for a potential attacker to observe and identify patterns in computation and data. In this paper, we reveal that the data/computation patterns derived from the observation of large volume of data can be associated with the key used in the AES-GCM algorithm, one of the foundation algorithms in data security. The paper presents a software-based cache-collision timing attack against the well known authenticated encryption scheme AES-GCM. The attack can be successful if enough data (plaintext-ciphertext pairs) are processed and the hash key H used for generating look-up tables in software implementation. We present an attack model and an implementation of the attack based on OpenSSL, a widely used library that provides security-related functions for many applications. In most cases, our attack methodology is able to converge and extract the hidden key.


and sometimes unwisely, from the variety of investments available in mortgages on broad acres or urban property, term deposits and government securities. The only major crisis in its affairs resulted from the coincidence of a rapid run-down in its funds (leading to the recall, of the safest mortgages), and falling effective yields on mortgages it still held. This was a factor leading to the major administrative reorganizaation in the 1860s as a result of which power shifted from the manager to a more effective Executive Committee of the trustees, still unpaid (as indeed it remained until 1951), but more capable of developing longterm policy. Growth did not become a factor seriously influencing the style of management until after the creation of branches in the 1920s; shifts in the locus of power between manager and Executive Committee are traceable to the personalities involved at different times. Dr. Beever's is an objective but nevertheless sympathetic account, happily blending the historian's craft with the economist's interests. It makes a welcome addition to the literature. « # # THE TRADE MAKERS: ELDER DEMPSTER IN WEST AFRICA, 1852-1972. By P. N. Davies. Hemel Hempstead, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1973. Pp. 526. £8.50. Reviewed by Sheila Marriner Reader in Economic History University of Liverpool


This article introduces the ideas of 'assessment for learning' as a means whereby teachers can make their classroom assessment more directly focused on learners' development and can actively involve learners in this process. Current practice in classroom assessment in England is described and the thinking that has led to a new emphasis on formative practices outlined. This is set in the context of recent research studies that have been influential in changing not only classroom practice but also the 'lead' set by Government in promoting effective practice. Several examples of assessment strategies are offered to illustrate the principles involved. Conclusions are suggested that show how these ideas could make learning more effective and learners more involved.


When elderly people are cared for In Aged care Facilities (ACFs) it Is known that their family members frequently suffer negative effects. These effects may be alleviated by soda! support and, because they feel better, family members may then offer more support to residents. In this study, the researcher tested a mode!! with a sa<nple of 213 family members of ACF residents. Predictive relationships were hypothesised among Incentives for family members to support residents, stress related factors, the perceived formal and Informal support of family members, their psychological wellbeing, and the support they offered to residents. The researcher also developed the Relatives' of Aged Care Residents Assessment of Staff Support Tool (RACRASST) to measure family members' perceptions of support from the staff. The researche1· developed the RACRASST from data obtained at interviews with family members of ACF residents and ACF staff, and from a review of the literature. The Instrument underwent testing and refinement procedures, Including a factor analysis. Thete51:-retest reliability co-efficient for the scale was found to be 0.99 over 2-3 days. As used i1 the stud(, the RACRASST was a 29-ltem unidimensional scale. Response options ranged from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. A not applicable option was retained to Identify Items needing review. Items referred to staff/family member communication, staff care activities, staff use of the environment, and family members' perceptions of a reliable alliance between themselves and the staff. The instrument was re-examined during the study and two items were deleted because of a high percentage of missing/not applicable responses. Cronbach's alpha co-efficient for the 27-ltem RACRASST was 0.96.


This thesis is inspired by the current debate concerning the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union. European agricultural policy has been subject to a number of reforms and there is an ongoing debate both at the political and academic arena over what measures that are needed. The essays presented here are intended to shed some light on one of the possible future avenues for European agricultural policy that is currently discussed, i.e. some sort of insurance-based scheme.Based on the two following essays:Insurance as agricultural policy - the case of the european union. Anders Backstrand.Stochastic crop yields in an agricultural sector model. Anders Backstrand and Wolfgang Britz.


Currently learning paradigms have been overcome, using information and communication technologies (ICT) to give rise to e-learning domain. Thus, classical classrooms based training has been substituted by online systems working on Internet. The aim of an e-learning system is to fulfill requirements of instructors as well as learners. However, institutions offering courses online have a lack of applying efficient evaluation methods to both teachers and students. Frequent preoccupation concerns with functionalities and interface that a system must satisfy for users needs. In our studied case, learners need to face up to functionality of e-learning infrastructure rather than to acquire knowledge. When users spend more time, resources (software, hardware) unnecessarily, consequently they spend more costs, instead quenching academic thirst. Thus, this research aims to evaluate the usability of e-learning systems, a pondered measure of usability evaluation is proposed as a result of the analysis of the inquiry applied to the system users. We study, evaluate, and compare the usability of two applications, to highlight recommendations for improvement. (Aslam Muhammad, Aksam M. Iftikhar, Saqib Ubaid, Martinez-Enriquez A. M. A Weighted Usability Measure for E-learning Systems. Journal of American Science 2011; 7(2):680-686). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org


The purpose of this study was to clarify the difference between normal sprinting (NS) and running over flat markers (FMR). Eleven male collegiate sprinters participated in this study as subjects. The subjects initially ran 50m normally, then over some markers set up on the runway, and finally they ran 50m normally again. The leg motion of the three runs were compared by two-dimensional motion analysis. FMR showed a significant increase in stride frequency, but leg motion showed no significant differences. However, there were subjects whose leg motion showed smaller hip and knee angle and angular velocity during contact phase. The results suggested that the second sprint was influenced by FMR. FMR may be a good tool for sprinting improvement to obtain a higher stride frequency.


Auxetics are mechanical metamaterials with the unique properties of expanding their transversal section upon longitudinal positive strain, decoupling the deformations in normal and transversal directions. Such property can be exploited to develop soft sensors that can provide feedback to different mechanical stimuli, e.g. pressure and shear force. In this work, we propose for the first time a mathematical model to analytically simulate and design the auxetic behavior in a capacitive strain gauge, and show that, for a polyurethane (PU) auxetic foam, Poisson Ratio's values can satisfy the negative gauge factor (GF) condition. We develop an innovative thermo-compressive process to obtain anisotropic auxetic PU sponges both in normal and normal/radial directions, and their mechanical properties are in agreement with the theoretical calculations validating our model. Then, we develop a capacitive strain gauge by integrating a normal auxetic PU foam with polydimethylsiloxane /carbon nanotubes electrodes. Results show that the capacitive change caused by an external force, is proportional to the induced deformation, but importantly it is also dependent on the direction of the applied force. A negative GF of GF = −2.8 is obtained for a longitudinal strain range up to 10%. This auxetic foam structure guarantees flexibility and paves the way for an improved design freedom for multimodal mechanical soft sensors providing new opportunities towards smart wearables and perceptive soft robots.


Is Appropriate Criteria Appropriate to Assess Clinical Outcomes? Evaluation of SPECT Imaging Appropriateness Criteria using Clinical Outcomes: SPECT Appropriateness Criteria (AC) has been used to guide imaging utilization over the last 5 years. However, the impact of AC on clinical outcomes has not been well studied. We sought to evaluate the use of AC to assess pts' cardiac events. Methods: Consecutive pts in the Dept of Cardiology and Medicine over 6 months were included. New SPECT AC (2009) was used as the standard to assess appropriateness for SPECT use. SPECT imaging, outpatient visits and the cardiac events (Hospitalization, PCI, CABG, MI and Death) were analyzed. Results: Out of 32,961 consecutive pts, 327 (1%) pts had events. Seventy-nine pts (24%) were Uncertain or non-categorized based on the AC. Of the 248 remaining pts, 41% pt (n= 102) with events were Inappropriate but had SPECT scans. Out of the 102 pts, 58% (n= 59) were asymptomatic with low risk CAD (ATP III score 3%) and 11% (n= 11) asymp...


Based on the current condition and demand of coal mine,the dehumidification technology for mine refuge chamber was discussed.According to the objective condition after an accident in coal mine,some special requirements for the dehumidification system were analyzed from power loss,room size,easy operation and so on.Some common ways of dehumidification such as condensation,liquid absorption,solid adsorption and heat pump were compared.The solid dynamic adsorption dehumidification was finally selected to control the humidity in mine refuge chamber.


A three-step synthesis of 5-hydroxyflavone in 80% yield from 2,6-dihydroxyaceto-phenone is described. The key step is a modification of the Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement in which small amounts of water are deliberately introduced. Characterization of the primary rearrangement products, 1-(2,6-dinydroxyphenyl)-3-phenyl-1,3-propane-dione, and 1-(2-benzoyloxy-6-hydroxyphenyl)-3-phenyl-1,3-propanedione, is reported. Application of the synthesis to 3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone gives a mixture of 6,8-dichloro-5-hydroxyflavone and its 3-benzoyl derivative. Infrared spectral data are presented for several intermediates and flavones, and indicate the utility of the previously described infrared spectral method for detecting 3-aroylflavones.


Tamoxifen citrate is a non-steroidal agent that has demonstrated estrogen agonist and antagonist properties and has found successful application for all stages, as adjuvant therapy, in the treatment of primary breast cancer. The drug was originally introduced for the treatment of high risk postmenopausal women or for postmenopausal patients with advanced disease. Since then, it was reported that long term treatment schedules could provide maximal benefit in preventing recurrences. Recent analyses of clinical trials have demonstrated an increase of disease-free survival in breast cancer among patients with positive estrogen receptor tumor. Tamoxifen is now recommended for chemoprevention of breast cancer in healthy high risk women. An agonist estrogenic effect upon the endometrium, the so called ´paradoxical´ effect, is suggested when proliferative changes, such as endometrial hyperplasia, adenocarcinoma, polyps. We report a case of endometrial cancer which developed in premenopausal patients with breast cancer under tamoxifen therapy.


BACKGROUND
Parents of children with chronic conditions often experience a crisis with serious mental health problems for themselves as a consequence. The healthcare focus is on the children; however, the parents often worry about their children's health and future but are seldom offered any counselling or guidance.

AIM
The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of two group-based behavioural interventions on stress and burnout among parents of children with chronic conditions.

DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
After a waiting list control period (n = 28), parents were offered either a cognitive behavioural (CBT, n = 10) or a mindfulness program (MF, n = 9).

RESULTS
Both interventions decreased significantly stress and burnout. The within-group effect sizes were large in both interventions (CBT, g = 1.28-1.64; MF, g = 1.25-2.20).

CONCLUSIONS
Hence, the results of this pilot study show that treating a group using either CBT or mindfulness can be an efficient intervention for reducing stress levels and burnout in parents of children with chronic conditions.


A method for computing shield potentials of underground directly buried (URD) cable is presented. Earth potentials in the vicinity of the buried cable are also computed. The method utilizes a numerical solution of Laplace's equation to account for earth currents, and a modified nodal analysis method to account for conductor and shield currents as well as inductive coupling in the underground cable system. A computer program has been developed capable of analyzing long lengths of URD cable together with existing ground rods, faults, open neutrals, feeding substation and substation grounds. The system analyzed corresponds to practical URD cable distribution systems. Extensive simulation of various URD cable systems in various soil environment has been performed and the results have been tabulated in a two-volume EPRI report.