In this study E. coli recombinant clones that express the EC20 synthetic phytochelatin intracellularly were constructed. The increasement of Cd biosorption capacity, and, also, the increasement of resistance to this toxic metal were analyzed. A gene that encodes the synthetic phytochelatin EC20 was synthesized in vitro. The EC20 synthetic gene was amplified by PCR, inserted into the DNA cloning vectors pBluescriptKS and pGEM-TEasy, and also into the expression vectors pTE [pET-28(a) derivative] and pGEX-T4-2. The obtained recombinant plasmids were employed for genetic transformation of E. coli: pBsKSEC20 and pGEM-EC20, they were introduced into DH10B and DH5α strains, similarly to pTE-EC20 and pGEX-EC20 that were introduced into BL21 strain. The EC20 expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis. The recombinant clones' resistances to Cd were determined by MIC analyses. The MIC for Cd of DH10B/pBKS-EC20 and DH10B/pGEM-EC20 were 2.5 mM (EC20 induced), and 0.312 mM (EC20 repressed); respectively, 16 and 2 times higher than the control DH10B/pBsKS (0.156 mM). The MIC for Cd of BL21/pTE-EC20 was 10.0 mM (EC20 induced) and 2.5 mM (EC20 repressed), compared with the control BL21/pTE which was only 1.25 mM. Analysis of ICP-AES showed that BL21/pGEX-EC20, after growth on the condition of EC20 expression, absorbed 37.5% of Cd, and even when cultured into the non-induction condition of EC20 expression, it absorbed 11.5%. These results allow the conclusion that recombinant E. coli clones expressing the synthetic phytochelatin EC20 show increased capacity for Cd biosorption and enhanced resistance to this toxic ion.


Trajectory tracking and speed control for intelligent vehicles are put forward higher requirements on accuracy by the high traffic density scenario. A standard Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm focuses on the trajectory tracking but ignores the speed control. This paper proposes a simultaneous trajectory tracking and speed control algorithm based on MPC approach to address fine control in both space and time dimensions for intelligent vehicles. A threefold cost function including lateral and longitudinal speed as well as comfort has been proposed to improve the control algorithm. The simulations and comparisons demonstrate that the proposed method has a better tracking and speed control performance than the existing method.


Although tumor genomic profiling has aided the advancement of targeted genetic therapy, its clinical integration remains a challenge in pediatric cancers due to lower mutation frequency and less available targeted drugs. There have been multiple novel studies examining molecular sequencing in pediatrics; however, many of these studies primarily utilized large‐scale, genome‐wide screening applications that limit applicable use due to the availability of testing. This study examined the institutional use of a targeted, clinically available approach to tumor genomic sequencing.


Environmental pollution is a serious problem worldwide. It reduces the quality of life in many regions in the world where some cities are suffocated by severe pollution rates with micro- and macro-organic and inorganic wastes, such as gas, metal, glass, cigarette and plastic wastes.


The invention discloses a method and device for realizing instant messaging of a handset client. The method includes the following steps: a handset gateway obtains a verification result and a temporary password from an instant messaging system through sending a login verification request to the instant messaging system when receiving a login request initiated by the handset client; the handset gateway distributes tag information for the handset client after obtaining the verification result and the temporary password and returns the verification result and the tag information to the handset client; the handset gateway uses the temporary password to substitute the client in completing a follow-up login and keep-alive process and returns a result to the handset client so as to enable the handset client to carry out instant messaging with the instant messaging system; and when a network between the handset gateway and the handset client is abnormal, the handset gateway caches a message which is sent to the handset client by the instant messaging system so that after the network is restored, the handset client uses the tag information to obtain the message cached by the handset gateway.


With the increased resolution of today's lithography processes, reticle pinhole defects are much more printable. Measuring the size of small pinholes using the current SEM method often produces erroneous results when compared to pinhole energy transmission. This is mainly due to the fact that SEMs do not accurately account for edge wall angle and partial filling which can dramatically reduce the pinhole transmission and subsequent printability. Since reticle inspection tools, like wafer steppers and scanners, use transmitted illumination, pinhole detection performance based upon top surface SEM defect sizing is often erroneous for small pinhole diameters. This study first uses simulation to predict printability. Then, a pinhole test reticle is developed with a variety of sub-200nm pinholes. The reticle pinholes are measured with an improved method incorporating transmission and imaged to wafer in order to assess printability.


"In our paper, we will claim that, once lexicalized, some compounds undergo a further process by which they end up as derivations. This claim implies that there is not only a continuum between syntax and compounding, but also between compounding and derivation. In other words, it would mean that, just like Germanic languages, French makes use of "affixoids", i.e. an intermediate class of elements in between stems and affixes (cf. ten Hacken 2000, Meesters 2002, Booij 2005a & 2005b). The process by which the stem of a compound develops into an affix is not an instance of lexicalization, but will be motivated to illustrate a particular case of grammaticalization (cf. Booij 2005a). From a theoretical point of view, this means that lexicalization and grammaticalization will not be considered converse, but complementary (cf. Lehmann 2002, Brinton & Traugott 2005)."


Visual Design and Dress is one of the first courses that design and merchandising students take. In addition to serving as an introduction to design, the course is designed to create excitement about the major and to give students a taste of things to come. It also attracts non-majors, allowing it to serve as a recruiting tool. To prompt students to actually utilize the course concepts—the elements and principles of design—the final project always involves the creation of an article of dress (anything that is worn on the body or carried).


This article deals with the problem of recreating the speech portrait of the main character in a cinematic context. The main components of the phonetic feature and lexical, as well as grammatical characteristics of the speech of the studied character are determined. Conclusions are deduced about the relationship between linguistic and extralinguistic factors that mediate the speech behavior of a particular language personality.


Alkali ion conducting glasses are attractive solid electrolyte materials since their tuneable property by varying chemical composition to large extent and hence adapted to specific needs [1, 2]. High ionic conductivities are needed for optimizing the glassy electrolytes in various applications and it is important to find methods for enhancing them in a more systematic manner. In this context, an adequate understanding of the temperature and composition dependence of ion transport necessitates microscopic information involving both network structure and dynamics. In the liquid state, as a result of progressive structural change leads to the creation of defects, this may be retained by appropriate quenching to the glassy state. These types of intrinsic structural defects are important in that they may help to explain the diffusion of mobile species in the matrix through which they move in.


Soil surface temperatures not only exhibit daily and annual cycles but also are very variable in space and time. Without knowledge of the spatial and temporal variability of soil surface temperatures, it will be difficult to determine what times of day are most suitable for mine detection using Thermal Infra Red (TIR) technology. In this study we monitor the spatial and temporal variability of soil surface temperatures under a range of soil texture and soil moisture conditions on undisturbed plots and plots with a buried anti-tank mine in arid New Mexico. We also analyzed soil surface temperature measurements taken at the test facility for land mine detection systems at the TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory under the temperate climatic conditions of The Netherlands. The measurements in both areas show a cyclic behavior of the thermal signatures of the mines during the day and night that can be predicted by physics of the mine-soil-sensor system. However, unexpected behavior of the thermal signatures in a silt loam demonstrated that prediction of thermal signatures of buried mines is not straightforward.


The invention relates to a radar sensor (101, 201, 401), comprising: a radar transmitting means (103) for transmitting radar radiation, a radar lens (105) for breaking the transmitted radar radiation, the radar transmit means (103) a plurality of arranged mutually offset radar transmitter (107, 109, 111, 113), wherein the radar transmitter (107, 109, 111, 113) each have a same directivity pattern (115) relative (to an optical axis 117) of the radar lens (105) comprise a controller (119) for controlling the radar transmit means (103), wherein the controller (119) is formed, the radar transmitter (107, 109, 111, 113) to activate independently of one another on or off, to the radar lens (105) from different positions relative to a focus of the radar lens (105 to be able to feed by means of radar radiation). The invention further relates to a method for operating the radar sensor (101, 201, 401). The invention further relates to a corresponding computer program.


In this paper, variable exponent function spaces , , and are introduced in the framework of sublinear expectation, and some basic and important properties of these spaces are given. A version of Kolmogorov's criterion on variable exponent function spaces is proved for continuous modification of stochastic processes.


Pruritus can be defined as the sensation that elicits the desire to scratch, chew, or initiate other self-trauma. Pruritus is assumed to occur in animals that have selftrauma or erythema, excoriations, alopecia, lichenification, or hyperpigmentation that results from inflammation and self-mutilation. Licking, chewing, rubbing, hair removal, irritability, and even personality change (lack of tolerance, aggressive behavior) can result from pruritus; it is the most common clinical manifestation of disease that causes owners to bring their pets in for treatment. Because skin changes from selftrauma of any cause are similar clinically, pruritic skin diseases often are diagnostically challenging and frustrating.


How to provide human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disclosure and awareness for children and young people has not been studied in Papua New Guinea or Pacific Island countries. We aimed to determine the current practices of HIV disclosure and evaluate whether an incremental disclosure education model, as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), would increase children's knowledge about their condition and improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART).


The damaged regions of DNA are recruited to the peripheral regions of the nucleus by a complex of nuclear-pore and ubiquitin-modifying proteins, where it is repaired. The nucleus of a cell can be divided into functional compartments based on transcriptional activity and DNA replication. Nagai et al. reveal a physical connection between the nuclear periphery and processes of DNA damage and repair in budding yeast. Damaged DNA, specifically collapsed replication forks and persistent double-stranded breaks, is transferred to the nuclear pores, where nuclear pore components and other proteins facilitate recombinational repair. S. Nagai, K. Dubrana, M. Tsai-Pflugfelder, M. B. Davidson, T. M. Roberts, G. W. Brown, E. Varela, F. Hediger, S. M. Gasser, N. J. Krogan, Functional targeting of DNA damage to a nuclear pore–associated SUMO-dependent ubiquitin ligase. Science 322, 597-602 (2008). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The effect of amount and fineness of fly ash on properties of fly ash-cement particle board was studied.Research indicated that mechanical property of fly ash cement particle board degrade obviously with the increase of fly ash amount,while increase obviously with the fineness of fly ash.


Much of the prosperity of the traditional Inuvialuit or Mackenzie Inuit of the western Canadian Arctic depended on an unusually rich and productive fishery. The A. explores that fishery using both written and archaeological sources. Living beyond the limits of Pacific salmon, the Inuvialuit depended primarily upon anadromous coregonids (whitefish, ciscos, inconnu), burbot, lake trout, and herring. Fish were taken at all seasons of the year, particularly during the autumn and winter. Both jigging and netting were important capture techniques. Archaeological attention focuses on the Gutchiak site, an important late prehistoric Inuvialuit fishing site located on the Eskimo Lakes, just east of the Mackenzie Delta. It is an outdoor (house-less) site dominated by large hearths, numerous items of fishing gear, and probably the largest quantities of fishbone yet reported from a Canadian Arctic site. Species representation and diversity is compared with that of other regional sites, and investigated in terms of seasonal and locational variables. A large sample of fine-screened (1/8-inch mesh) fishbone from the immediate vicinity of hearths shows very high frequencies of ribs and vertebrae, which suggests that the processing and smoke drying of fillets and backbones was a major activity undertaken at the site.


Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has a lot of potential to improve visibility across the supply chain and automate the business processes. This paper describes an EPCglobal compliant embedded architecture, called eEPC, aiming at providing RFID-based solutions for networked embedded systems. The design issues related to the EPCglobal architecture porting on the embedded systems field have been analyzed. These problems concern the role of the operating system adopted by the embedded system, the SW architecture implementation (Single-Thread or Multi-Thread) to satisfy the EPCglobal Architecture constraints and the HS/SW partitioning alternatives. The proposed design alternatives exploration allows to evaluate which eEPC implementation, running on different HW/SW platforms, better satisfies the multiple tag readings and processing architectural constraints. Its effectiveness has been evaluated on a real application where products information is automatically put in relation to user's medical data to retrieve information able to improve the quality of life.


The invention relates to a method for separating glucose and xylose in straw fiber enzymatic hydrolysate. The method for separating glucose and xylose in straw fiber enzymatic hydrolysate comprises the following steps: a) blending feeding syrup, namely, adjusting the concentration of desalted, decolored and concentrated straw fiber enzymatic hydrolysate to be 40-60%; b) filtering, namely, filtering the syrup solution obtained in the step a) by using a micron-order filter so as to prepare a clear liquid in which impurities visible to the naked eyes do not exist; c) performing sequential simulated moving bed chromatographic separation, namely, performing sequential simulated moving bed chromatographic separation on the obtained syrup, wherein deionized water is adopted as an eluent, high-acidity cation exchange resin is adopted as an adsorbent, the separation temperature is 60-70 DEG C, and the sequential simulated moving bed chromatographic separation equipment comprises 9 chromatographic columns arranged in sequence, and is provided with two inlets and two outlets which are alternated sequentially; d) concentrating, namely, concentrating an obtained solution of a component A to be 70-75%, mixing an obtained component B, and further concentrating to be 70-75%. The method is low in operation cost, a product obtained from separation is high in purity, concentration and yield, and continuous and industrial production is achieved.


The calibration and stability of four surface temperature measuring industrial platinum resistance thermometers for use in the temperature range -120 C to 160 C was investigated. It was found that the calibration formulation of the International Practical Temperature Scale of 1968 provided the most accurate calibration. It was also found that all the resistance thermometers suffered from varying degrees of instability and hysteresis.


Objective: To compare the yield of interictal epileptiform discharges on prolonged (1-2 hours) electroencephalogram (EEG) as compared to standard routine (30 minutes) electroencephalogram (EEG).
Study Design: Comparative observational study.
Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from Oct 2019 to Sep 2020.
Methodology: A total of 364 outdoor patients with suspected epilepsy were recruited for the study. Out of these 55 electroencephalograms were excluded after applying exclusion criteria and 309 were included for final analysis. Electro-encephalograms were recorded using a 10-20 international system of electrode placement. The duration of each standard electroencephalogram was 30 minutes. It was followed by recording for an extended period of 60 minutes at least. The time to the appearance of the first abnormal interictal epileptiform discharge was noted. For analytical purposes, epileptiform discharges were classified as "early" if they appeared within the first 30 minutes and as "late" if appeared afterward. All electro-encephalograms were evaluated independently by two neurologists.
Results: A total of 309 electroencephalograms were included for final analysis. Interictal epileptiform discharges were seen in 48 (15.6%) recordings. The mean time to appearance of first interictal epileptiform discharge was 14.6 ± 19.09 minutes. In 36 (11.7%) cases, discharges appeared early (within the first 30 minutes) whereas in the remaining 12 (3.9%) cases, discharges appeared late. This translates into a 33% increase in the diagnostic yield of electroencephalogram with an extended period of recording.
Conclusion: Extending the electroencephalogram recording time results in a significantly better diagnostic yield of outdoor electroencephalogram.


of societies' encounters with AIDS will be decided by how communities and households are affected and are able to respond. And that depends on their room for manoeuvre, the options they have, and the choices they can and do make. These vary by place and shift through time. They're not all – and too often are not at all – of people's own making. Rather they're also the imprints of remote balances of forces, political judgements, strategic trade-offs, fiscal balancing acts, and sometimes plain ideological whimsy.


There is no question that caffeine fuels the lives of countless people all around the world. More unbeknown, caffeine is used to fuel sport and exercise as well. Documentation of this goes back a long time but has become increasingly popular only in recent times. Most often, caffeine is used to help fuel endurance sports like cycling and running but have also been used to stimulate performance in team-sports. Cycling usually involves riders competing in races of varying lengths from shorter sprint-style races to other, longer races, consisting of riding over 100 miles at a time. Running events are usually performed in a similar fashion but over lesser distances. Popular distances are 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, half marathons (13.1 miles) and full marathons (26.2 miles). Team sports usually consist of varying levels of activity conducted in a random stop-and-go manner. The most popular team-sports in the United States are Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, and Soccer. However, as the controversy of performance-enhancing drugs in sports continues to rise, caffeine has been targeted as a drug that should possibly be removed from sports. Although the International Olympic Committee has recently lifted its ban on the drug, the NCAA currently bans the drug in their athletes if it is found to be at levels greater than 15 µg/ml in urine testing. Research using caffeine as the primary stimulant during exercise dates back to over 100 years ago; the general consensus is that caffeine does act as an ergogenic aid. On the contrary, some studies have shown that when caffeine is used in such ways, it actually provides no ergogenic effects (Bortolotti et. Al. 2014) and (Burke 2008). The problem is that there are many factors that contribute to caffeine's ability to act as an ergogenic aid. Most studies have focused and tested on factors such as the method of ingestion, personal tolerance, and type of physical activity (Bell & McLellan 2002) and (Sökmen et. Al. 2008). There are varying opinions on the efficiency and integrity of using caffeine stimulation in different sports and exercise but it is important to recognize that considerable research in this topic is ongoing. Once the physiological roles and underlying factors of caffeine in the body are fully understood, then further conclusions and recommendations can be drawn.


Fuzzy intelligent systems are present in a variety of equipment, ranging from household appliances to small devices like digital cameras and cell phones, being used primarily for dealing with the uncertainties in the modeling of real systems, which are typically nonlinear. However, commercial implementations of fuzzy systems are not general purpose and do not have portability to different hardware platforms. Thinking about it, this paper proposes the implementation of a system capable of generating a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy controller written in Java To Platform Micro Edition (J2ME), whose modular design makes it portable to any mobile device that supports J2ME. Thus, the proposed development platform is capable of generating all classes of a controller and the code responsible for fuzzy logic is completely independent of hardware and interface. All parameters of the fuzzy controller are configurable from the membership functions and rule base, even the universe of discourse of the linguistic terms of output variables. The process of testing and validating the system will use the Sun SPOT ® mobile device with J2ME code embedded controllers, which were previously generated and tuned on the proposed system. As a case study, the fuzzy controller embedded in the Sun SPOT ® will be used to control a Quanser® level system, and the graphics resultant of the tests will be presented.


MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) aerosol products are the most widely used satellite retrieved aerosol optic depth (AOD) products, which compensate for the spatial lack of ground-based sun photometer observations. The newly released Collection 6 (C6) aerosol products have some improvements compared to the Collection 5.1 (C5.1) products with optimized algorithms and newly revised upstream products. Additionally, a three-kilometer resolution AOD product was added in the C6 product. In this study, the accuracies and regional applicability of long-term (2001–2015) different MODIS C5.1 and C6 aerosol products in China were evaluated against the 16 AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) observations with observations over more than three years. The overall analysis indicates that the C6 DT (Dark Target) 10 km products slightly improved the retrieval accuracies, with about 3% more data falling within the Expected Error (EE) envelope. However, for Deep Blue (DB) products, the C6 algorithm significantly improved the accuracy over all of China, and increased the successful retrieval number by extending retrieval coverages. Regional analysis demonstrated that the C6 DT 10 km product did not perform well in East China, with only 33.5% of retrievals falling within the EE envelope. For the DB product, the C6 algorithm significantly increased the number successfully retrieved, and was more accurate in all four regions in China. The validation of the DT 3 km product suggests large differences existed between the Terra and Aqua results. The accuracy of the Aqua DT 3 km product is obviously higher than that of the Terra DT 3 km product. The results of the study suggest that proper AOD products need to be considered when evaluating aerosol loading situations in different regions in China.


Human metapneumovirus(hMPV) is a recently described paramyxovirus associated with respiratory tract infection.Most infections with hMPV are detected during winter and spring,and can occur over a wide age range,mainly young children,elderly subjects and immunosuppressed hosts.The prevalences of hMPV infections vary from country to country,and the consequences range from mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe bronchiolitis or pneumonia.The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction is a routine diagnostic assay for the detection of hMPV.hMPV also plays a direct etiologic role in acute asthma exacerbation and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.


A sound evaluation system can effectively improve the effect of teacher's training program in higher vocational college, which is a major topic of researches concerning the development of teaching faculty in Higher Vocational college. The paper puts forward an evaluation system of vocational college teacher's training program based on the Kirkpatrick model which consists of 7 indicators of 3 stages and 24 main observation points. The evaluation system can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis on the effect of higher vocational college teacher's training program which is expected to be more adequate.


In this work, we consider the method of spatial decomposition of covariance functions in the Generalized Kalman method for data assimilation (GKFDA) proposed earlier. The standard expansion technique of covariance functions into eigenvectors and eigenvalues (Karhunen-Loeve decomposition) is used. With the help of this technique, the data assimilation problem into a hydrodynamic model is solved and errors of results are estimated. For the numerical experiments, the known Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) model and the Altimetry Validation and Interpolation Satellite Ocean data (AVISO) are used. All numerical experiments have been performed on HPC K-60 in Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of Russian Academy of Sciences. This scheme of expansion is numerically implemented and the results of numerical experiments are analyzed. It is shown how many and which vectors in the covariance matrix decomposition make the most significant contribution to the components of the total result in data assimilation. Also, their values in the North Atlantic are calculated, the energy and the contribution of the eigenvalues of these vectors are estimated. Further directions of developments of this algorithm are indicated.


Abstract Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an important vegetable cash crop grown throughout the world. India has largest area under onion cultivation and second largest producer after China in the world. But the productivity per unit area is quite low as compared to other developed countries may be due to improper irrigation scheduling and inadequate supply of nutrients. This study investigated the influence of different levels of drip irrigation and nitrogen fertigation on nutritional quality of onion (Allium cepa L.) at Research Farm of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar in Rabi season of 2016-17 and 2017-18. The experiment comprised of sixteen treatment combinations involving four irrigation levels (drip irrigation at 60, 80, 100 and 120% CPE) and four nitrogen levels (75, 100, 125 and 150 kg/ha of nitrogen through fertigation) were laid out in split plot design with three replications. The nutrients content of onion were significantly influenced by different levels of drip irrigation and nitrogen fertigation. Nutritional quality of onion was significantly increased with the increasing levels of drip irrigation up to 100% CPE and nitrogen fertigation up to 125 kg/ha and then decreased with the further increasing levels of both irrigation and nitrogen fertigation in both years. The maximum nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur content in onion bulb (2.42 and 2.51% N, 0.59 and 0.75% P, 2.63 and 2.70% K and 2.14 and 2.15% S, respectively) and leaf (1.37 and 1.37% N, 0.34 and 0.46% P, 2.02 and 1.73% K and 1.99 and 1.97% S, respectively) were recorded with the irrigation at 100% CPE in combination with 125 kg/ha nitrogen application through drip as compared to all other treatment combinations, while the minimum content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur in onion bulb and leaf were recorded in treatment where the irrigation applied at 60% CPE in combination with 75 kg/ha nitrogen fertigation during both years of study.


Abstract From the earliest to modern times, cinnamon and its close relative cassia have offered a palette of social and physiological properties marking group identity or exclusivity while providing health benefits. Rather than looking at cinnamon as an isolated ingredient, we suggest a study strategy that encompasses the historical, literary, social, symbolic, culinary and nutritive applications of the spice that can be integrated into a variety of nutrition, food management and cultural courses. This is a plan in progress. Lectures, readings and assignments on cinnamon will be injected into courses over time to ease transition and to make ongoing modifications. The overall objective is to help food and nutrition students develop a well-rounded understanding of what food means to people by exploring a spice that has been integrated into a variety of cuisines and is presently under investigation for its health-giving properties.


Video gaming is a widely participated and normalized activity in most global jurisdictions with its engagement continuing to increase. Currently, global gaming operators remain largely self-regulated with minimal government regulation.


Introduction: HIV is made by viral RNA that attacks to lymphocyte cells. The interval between entering virus to body and symptoms of disease varied between different people. The affected patients are died because of catching opportunistic infections and cancers. The aim of this research was studying the prevalence of HIV in volunteers' couples who were coming to Health Care center in Bandar Abbas in 2015. Methodology: 600 couples in Bandar Abbas Health Care center was analyzed by cross – sectional approach in 2015. First, all the couples are notices about HIV, the way of catching and transferring of it, the consequences of this disease, then all of them is evaluated by a questionnaire intentionally. The blood samples for HIV test were taken. The results were analyzed by SPSS software and p < 0.05 was significant. Results: among 600 participants, 15 participants (2.5%) was used drug including 10 men (66.66%) and five women (33.33%). The average age of population was 25.4 6.45 and average age of addicted people was 35.78 16.13 (the average age of men was 39.36 16.26 and average age of women was 22.66 6.42). 2 of them (13.33%) were used drugs orally and injecting (2 men and 0 women) and 13 of them (86.66%) were not injecting drug users(IDUs) (40% orally and inhaling, 20% orally and 26.66% inhaling), 1 person (6.66%) just used drug for some days, 3 persons (20%) for some months and 11 persons (73.33%) for several years. 6 participants (1%) with average age 30.5 4.65 had sentenced to prison and all of them were men. 2 of them (33.33%) sentenced less than 6 months and four of them (66.66%) spent more than 1 year in prison. 4 of them used drug (66.66%) and 1 of them (25%) used drug orally and injecting that he had used common syringe in jail. The others were not IDUs. 57 person (9.5%) with average 31.01 11.09 experienced sexual contact before marriage including 36 men (63.15%) with average of 32.5 11.83 and 21 women (36.84%) with average of 82.64 9.38. 32 persons had protective sexual contact such as using condom (19 men (59.37%) and 13 women (40.62%).248 persons had possible risk factors such as tattoo, traveling to abroad, injection of blood, surgery and diseases like thalassemia or hemophilia or sickle cell, or history of needle stick in hospital. There were significant relation between drug abuse and sex, age and education level and previous marriage condition, while there were no significant relation between drug abuse and job and monthly income. There was a significant relation between drug abuse and sentencing to prison but there was not a significant relation between IDU and time of sentencing to prison. There were significant relation between sexual contact before marriage with age, sex(male), previous marriage condition and drug abuse while there were not significant relation with education, job and monthly income. There is a significant relation between protective sexual contact before marriage with age and level of education, however, no significant relation was seen between monthly income and jobs. ELISA test was used to evaluate the HIV Ab and all the results were negative. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings showed that HIV is prevalent in highrisk and core groups and the rate of prevalence in normal population was less than 1%. Regarding to Tech J Engin & App Sci., 6 (1): 45-50, 2016 46 high prevalence of risk factors among people, it is suggested in order to prevent the prevalence of HIV by sexual contact, all couples examine by HIV Test before marriage.


Purpose: To identify which organisms cause bacterial keratitis in a local community and to determine how patients with suspected bacterial keratitis should be initially treated.


Both the Family Law Rules and the Federal Magistrates Court Rules make it clear than an expert witness's primary duty is to the court, not to the party that engaged them. In the case of a jointly appointed expert in the Family Court that seems obvious, but in the case of an expert engaged by one party alone that duty becomes very important.


Ivan Shmelevs interest to Vladimir Solovievs philosophy is considered. Ideas of the philosopher such as Eternal feminity, worlds justification in the phenomenon, and predetermination were most highly revealed in the story «Inexhaustible Bowl» («Neupivaemaja Chasha») as well as in the novel «Heaven Ways» («Puti Nebesnye»). Non-church mysticism and aesthetics of symbolism are present both in semantic and in verbal sphere of his creation.


Employee engagement is rapidly becoming the answer for many organizations, though many remain confused about the benefits of employee engagement, in our research paper we enforced to find out more vital reports on how to tackle employee during recession without any form of layoff or job cutoff or any other irrelevant issues. This research study gives more emphasis on exploring the roles and values of formal as well as informal research approach on employee engagement. The exploratory design was selected due to the varying nature of the issues, respondents and type of questions for generating data .In this research paper Qualitative methods are also used which involves direct participant observation, single and multiple case analysis, grounded theory approaches. In this research paper we have included employee engagement policy, strategy and other modes of retention plans followed by the companies like OCL India Limited.


NEDAMSS is a newly discovered neurodevelopmental disorder with regression, abnormal movements, loss of speech and seizures. The disease is caused by heterozygous mutations in the Interferon Regulatory Factor 2 Binding Protein-Like (IRF2BPL) gene. IRF2BPL is a ubiquitously expressed intron-less transcriptional regulator. The function of the protein is currently unknown, but the observed disease phenotype indicates a role in development and maintenance of the nervous system. To study this disease, we used patient skin-derived fibroblasts and reprogrammed them into induced neuronal progenitor cells (iNPCs). The iNPCs were then differentiated into astrocytes. Moreover, we also used a direct conversion method to generate neurons directly from the skin fibroblasts. Using these methods and performing molecular and functional analyses of the different cell types, we identified a novel disease mechanism not previously described. While IRF2BPL is localized in the nucleus in healthy individuals, we found that several patient cell lines displayed mis-localization in the form of aggregates in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the patient astrocytes also showed abnormal mitochondrial ATP-linked respiration levels and caused neuronal death in co-culture assays. Based on these observations, we tested treatment with CuATSM, a small molecule drug currently in clinical trials for ALS. We found that CuATSM successfully rescued neuronal survival and reduced ATP-linked respiration to normal levels in NEDAMSS astrocytes. We also established multiple AAV based gene therapy tools to modulate the expression of the protein and restore its normal function in vitro and potentially in vivo. In summary, we identified a novel disease mechanism involved in NEDAMSS disease and found promising therapeutic strategies that might be able to slow or halt the progression of the disease.


A method for quickly removing pollutants adhered to a predetermined optical member in an optical system. To remove the pollutants adhered to a lens (32A) disposed at the upper end of a projection optical system (PL), a cylindrical protecting member (53) is disposed through the openings in a reticle stage (22) and a reticle base (23). The bottom surface of a support section (56) at the tip section of a rod section (58) is brought into contact with the surface of the lens (32A) through the inner surface of the protecting member (53). A wiping cloth soaked with a washing solution containing hydrofluoric acid is attached to the bottom surface of the support section (56). The support section (56) is reciprocated via the rod section (58) to remove the pollutants on the lens (32A) with the wiping cloth.


Let Q ∈ C(R) : R → R+ = [0, ∞) be an even function. We consider the weight wρ(x) = |x|ρe−Q(x), ρ ≥ 0, x ∈ R. In this paper, we obtain the Lp-convergence theorems with respect to the higher order Hermite-Fejér interpolation polynomials based at the zeros of the orthonormal polynomials for w ρ(x). AMS subject classification: 41A05, 41A10.


Regulation of environmental quality and natural resource development activities on Indian lands will significantly affect the quality of the reservation environment and the vigor of the reservation-based business community. While Indian tribes occupy a pivotal position in the environmental regulation of business activities on Indian lands, state and federal governments also play an important role. This article outlines the federal law that allocates environ-


Objective To assess the therapeutic efficacy of Jingmaiyan powders (JP) on lower limbs with deep venous thrombosis Methods Clinical study:224 cases with lower limbs with deep venous thrombosis were divided into three groups randomly In group Ⅰ(n=100) JP 2030g was taken orally three times a day, in group Ⅱ(n=64) the actipyretic dampnessdispelling and bloodactivating stasisremoving agents was administered orally once a day, combined with oral entericcoated aspirin 0 3g,and in group Ⅲ(n=60) Fufang Danshen injection 20ml, anisodamine 10mg and hylysantinfarctase 0 5 u were infused intravenously once a day with the 15day therapeutic course and 35 days interval before the next therapeutic course,combined with oral entericcoated aspirin 0.3g . Animal experimental study: the experiments of antiinflammation, anticoagulation and the effect on hemorheology in the bloodstasis models were carried out respectively. Results After 90day therapy,the cure rate in group Ⅰ(62%) was significantly higher than that in group Ⅱ and Ⅲ (48.4% and 46.7%,P0.05) ; Animal experimental results showed that JP had significant functions in antiinflammation, anticoagulation and thrombolysis. Conclusions JP is an effective preparation in treating lower limbs with deep venous thrombosis.


Housing Strategy and Development This looks at housing in Merton and the housing, homelessness, ethnic minority and supporting people strategies


1. Because of the physiological cost of ejaculate production and courtship behaviour, male mating activities may be limited by their energy stores. Energy-depleted males may prefer foraging to rebuild these stores rather than expending meagre reserves on possibly unsuccessful mating attempts. 2. Few studies have manipulated male energy level to determine its effect on ejaculate production, mating behaviour and foraging. Water mites of the genus Neumania are ideal candidates for such a study because males deposit groups of spermatophores on the substrate, thus allowing easy determination of ejaculate size, and because males cannot hunt and search for mates simultaneously


In 2002, it was estimated that the pornography business, so vital to California economics and turgid male fantasy around the world, generated more than $57 billion dollars in revenue, $12 billion in the United States alone [1]. North American statistics indicate that porn makes more money than Hollywood at the box office, more than the sum of NBC, CBS and ABC's revenues, more than the music industry generates from record sales, and more than all major professional sports in the United States combined [2]. In other words, porn is no longer flirting with the mainstream; it is the mainstream. It is my belief that the crucial ingredient in the success of the porn business is its adoption of an industrial model based on the Studio System that dominated Hollywood from the 1920s until the late 1960s [3]. Through comparative history of both Hollywood and the pornography industry, I will demonstrate the tremendous similarities between the two, as well as how their respective paths diverged. The definition of pornography is a contentious issue, debated by academics, lawmakers, and activists. Never was this debate more prominent than in the 1960s and 1970s, when obscenity laws in the United States were being challenged on a regular basis. Supreme Court Judge Potter Stewart threw up his hands in 1964 and offered the public an overly simplified demarcation of the line between eroticism and obscenity: 'I know it when I see it' [4]. While this may sound vague and flippant, Stewart's assertion nonetheless is shared by countless others who have struggled to define pornography over the last century, and those who have been reluctant to do so. The denotation of pornography is further complicated by its inherently dynamic nature. Cultural expectations, contexts and limitations of sexual arousal are constantly changing, and it may be easier to pin down a suppliant porn star than a consistent standard for obscenity. Regardless of the lack of a concrete definition, porn is a big business, encompassing magazines, short and feature-length motion pictures, books, images, graphic novels and art. Current estimates place American porn revenue in the billions of dollars. Some major adult entertainment companies today make more money than their mainstream Hollywood studio counterparts. While the main goal is to make money, the intent of 'adult entertainment' is primarily to titillate and arouse, usually to the point of masturbation and, ultimately, sexual gratification.


This paper presents the results of numerous ultrasonic reflection measurements on plates of laminated composites in which the angle of incidence of a finite‐aperture acoustic wave and its frequency have been varied. These experiments have been carried out on biaxially laminated graphite–epoxy specimens utilizing water as a fluid‐coupling medium. The stacking sequence of the individual laminae is restricted such that in each layer a principal material axis lies in the incident plane of the acoustic wave. The data are compared to the results of a recent theoretical analysis based on an analytical treatment of wave propagation in orthotropic media in conjunction with a transfer matrix approach. Reflection and transmission coefficients are derived from which the characteristic behavior of the system is identified. Results are presented both as reflection spectra and dispersion curves. In general, very good agreement is found between prediction and experiment. Moreover, significant changes in the reflection sp...


In 1988, when the work reported in this paper was carried out, many studies had been conducted concerning the feasibility and design of free-space optical communications links between satellites but very little hardware work had been carried out, particularly concerning the tracking aspects.


Objective:To examine the effects of interferon-α (IFN-α) on T cell survival and activation in HIV infection. Design:The effects of IFN-α on spontaneous apoptosis and CD38 expression among T cell subsets were determined in vitro and studied in relation to CD4 cell counts, plasma HIV RNA levels and the age of the subjects. Methods:Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 48 HIV-infected persons and 17 healthy donors were incubated in vitro overnight with or without the addition of IFN-α. Percentages of apoptotic cells (positive for annexin V) and CD38 cells were determined among T cell subsets. Results:IFN-α inhibited spontaneous apoptosis of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes. This protective activity was impaired in CD4 T cells from HIV-infected persons. The reduced protection of IFN-α among CD4 cells from HIV-infected persons was not related to the percentages of activated (CD38 or CD45RO+CD38+) cells. Surprisingly, IFN-α induced CD38 expression among CD8 T cells from HIV-infected persons, and the magnitude of this effect was directly related to circulating CD4 T cell count. The CD8 T cell subset that expressed CD38 in response to IFN-α was defined as CD28 negative, CD62 ligand (CD62L) intermediate/negative. Conclusions:Heightened expression of IFN-α in HIV infection may contribute to the phenotypic activation state that characterizes chronic infection while a diminished responsiveness of CD4 T cells to the protective effect of this cytokine may contribute to differential survival of CD4 and CD8 T cells in HIV disease.


This paper addresses the problem of unsupervised multi-source domain adaptation and in particular the question of how to combine the source data in an optimal way. We prove a generalisation bound that characterises how the amount of transfer from different source tasks influences the final performance of a trained predictor. In contrast to most previous works, which provide guarantees for fixed transfer weights but do not allow choosing them in a data-dependent way, our bound yields a principled algorithm for weighting the source tasks effectively.


used to maintain the circulation of commodities, most obviously in advertising, but also in a variety of other cultural practices including literary and cinematic texts and the popular fascination with vampirism and cannibalism. Like Foucault, Stratton traces the eroticisation of everyday life from the nineteenth century and the development of commodity capitalism and he goes on to demonstrate this in attitudes to the female body (what men want) and its commodification (how they can get it), as well as in the constitution of 'the homosexual' and the forbidden masculine images of desire (what men can't admit they want). And he ends with a disturbing (penultimate) chapter on why (gentlejmen prefer gynoids. As Stratton acknowledges, chisbook raises many interesting questions which aren't (couldn't be) resolved in a study of this length, such as cross-cultural (class, race, ethnic) desires and what they signify. Yet, by providlng such a grounded and historiclsed, as well as rheorised account, of the working of cultural fetishism, Stratton gives the reader the means to perform her or his own analysis to continue the study. This book is required reading for anyone working in the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies, and in any of its constituent disciplines. Anne Cranny-Francis


A series of novel polyamine resins were synthesized by the preparation of ketimine terminated resins from ketimine blocked diethylene triamine (I) and bisester derivative (II) of epoxy resin and subsequent hydrolysis. I was synthesized by the condensation reaction of diethylene triamine with methyl isobutyl ketone. II was synthesized by the reaction of epoxy resin (DGEBA) with amino ethyl benzoate (AEB). The hydrolysis of ketimine containing resin was evaluated by the change in pH value of the reaction mixture, and by infrared spectroscopy and Gel Permeation Chromatography of the resulting product. The thermal stability and coating properties of the synthesized polyamines were studied in some detail. The hydrolytic rate of ketimine increased with increase temperature or the amount of added acid.


The present invention relates to a rotor comprising a plurality of alternating magnetic poles (1), a plurality of alternating magnetic poles (3) is formed by the permanent magnets, distributed in the circumferential direction of the magnetic body (2) of the permanent magnet rotor (3) to regularly portion (5 between a) and the central portion (6), and defining a circumferential magnetic pole portion (7). Pole segment having a predetermined pole pitch (Θp), and includes a radial section (8) forming lobes. According to the present invention, a radial section of part lobes covering magnets, for example, to maximize the available radial flow through the magnetic flux of each pole section (phi] U) and minimize the leakage flux flowing through the circumferential portion (86l) . Pole magnetic pole section may have a predetermined overlap angle (Θr), for example, to maximize the flux (phi] U) and minimize leakage flux (86l), the overlap angle ([theta] r) of the lobes (8) from the shaft of the rotor point of view of the viewing angle.


Objective To examine the cross-sectional association between vitamins A, E, C and D from diet and supplements and the prevalence of respiratory complaints in a nationally representative sample of UK adults. Methods Data from adult participants of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme years 2008–2016 were used for the analysis. Logistic regression adapted for complex survey design was used to investigate the relationship between each vitamin intake in turn (exposure) and self-reported respiratory complaints (outcome), adjusting for relevant confounders. Results Overall, respiratory complaints were found in 33 of the 6115 adult patients aged 19 years and above. After adjustment for potential confounders, a negative association was observed between the intake of vitamin A and E intake from diet and supplements and respiratory complaints. For vitamin D, intake from supplements, but not diet, was inversely significantly associated with respiratory complaints. No association between vitamin C and respiratory complaints was observed. Conclusion In conclusion, intake of vitamin A and E from diet and supplements, and vitamin D from supplements, show strong evidence of association with lower self-reported prevalence of respiratory complaints in a nationally representative sample of UK adults.


Calyconotiscus frontofasciatus gen. nov. sp.nov. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae: Eunotinae) is described from Peninsular India and the new tribe Calyconoticini is erected for it. Reasons for its placement in the Eunotinae are discussed, as well as Eriaporini is included as a tribe of Eunotinae. A key to tribes of Eunotinae is provided. Calyconotiscus frontofasciatus was reared from Contarina sp. (Diptera :Cecidiomyiidae) induced galls on the leaves of Calycopteris floribunda Lam. collected from Kerala, India.


Managing power consumption in a System-On-Chip (SoC) design is becoming increasingly important. SoCs generally consist of various co-processors. Accurate power estimation of these co-processors at the highest possible abstraction level helps in performing early power-aware design tradeoffs. This paper presents a methodology to create abstract statistical power models for hardware co-processors and its utilization at system-level for power estimation. In our systemlevel design environment co-processors are realized as Finite State Machine with Datapath (FSMD) and co-simulated with simulation model of ARM processor. Our power modeling methodology comprises of a learning and utilization phase. In the learning phase, we obtain state specific combinational signal toggling statistics from the FSMD simulation and derive a regression based power model. Consequently, we utilize this power model of FSMD in the full-chip simulation for faster computation of power estimates based on the activities of the FSMD model. Through a number of experimental designs, we show that with a relatively short learning phase no more than 6% worst-case and 4% rms error is observed with respect to the RTL power estimation techniques.


Objective:To observe the clinical curative effect of octreotide combined with omeprazole for treatment of esophageal gastric-fundus variceal bleeding.Method:100 patients of liver cirrhosis with esophageal gastric-fundus variceal bleeding in our hospital from October 2011 to June 2013 were divided into observation group(n=50) and control group(n=50).Observation group was given octreotide combined with omeprazole on the basis of general routine treatment and control group was given octreotide on the basis of general routine treatment.Result:The efficacy,mean hemostatic time,mean transfusion volume,and rebleeding rate in observation group were significantly better than those in control group(P0.05).Moreover,there was no significant difference in untoward effect between two groups(P0.05).Conclusion:The efficacy of octreotide combined with omeprazole for treatment of esophageal gastric-fundus variceal bleeding is exact.It is worthy to be popularized.


An approach of High Frequency Network Averaging (HFNA) is presented for analysis of Quasi Resonant Converters (QRC's). The elements whose currents (or terminal voltages) vary very fast are replaced by dependent sources controlled by low-frequency variables and nonlinear structure-invariant equivalent circuits of QRC's can be obtained. This new approach and its resulting models are circuit-oriented and helpful to the analysis and design of QRC's.<<ETX>>


Conservative Republicans are right when they tell us, in response to the tragedy in Littleton—which has become a symbol for the recent slew of such attacks—that "gun control will not solve the problem of youth violence." Liberal Democrats are right when they claim that it is ludicrous to assert that parents and educators could solve the problem by bringing kids up right. Free speech advocates make a good case when they maintain that putting filters on the Internet will not stop youngsters from making pipe bombs. All these advocates unwittingly fall into one and the same logical trap, or deliberately use half-truths, to stop us from embracing those measures that they oppose. It is true that no measure will solve the problem; there are, though, several that would significantly curb youth violence.


At a suburban elementary school in Michigan, we introduced fifth graders to economic concepts in a project-based learning (PBL) unit. We began by reading aloud and discussing the picture book, One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference.1 The story takes place in a rural village in Ghana where a boy named Kojo uses a small amount of money loaned to him by a neighborhood "trust group" that includes his mother. He buys a hen with the money, then sells the eggs to pay back the trust group. The sale of more eggs allows Kojo to buy more hens. The business grows, and eventually he builds a large chicken farm and is able to loan money to other villagers who want to start businesses. The narrative is based on a true story. The book touches on the fact that, in the beginning, a large bank would not lend money to Kojo to build his chicken farm because he was poor; it also shows how Kojo eventually helped his entire impoverished village, and even his country, through the system of micro-lending. The book One Hen introduces students to concepts relating to microfinance (like loans, lending, interest, and investment) and to the day-to-day operations of a business (marketing, sales, revenue, cost, and profit.).


This study aims to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and sleep duration and to investigate how race and ethnicity influence the association among adult men. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 for Children and Young Adults (NLSY79 CY) was used for this study. A total of 2609 adult men were chosen for the final sample. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and a moderation model were employed to answer the research questions. Men's job satisfaction was positively related to sleep duration. Both Black and Hispanic men had significantly lower sleep duration than White men. We found an interaction effect indicating that a Black racial identity moderated the association of adult men's job satisfaction and sleep duration. Reducing unhealthy working conditions and stressors in the workplace may improve job satisfaction and result in better health through increased sleep duration. Further, fringe benefits should be expanded to improve men's sleep duration. Eliminating racial and ethnic discrimination in the labor market should be more prioritized and Black men should receive more fringe benefits, which may help to boost their job satisfaction and result in increased sleep.


Dual field optical systems have been more and more widely used in infrared imaging seekers.However,the contravention between their optical performance and volume is especially evident.Through analyzing the difference between the infrared zoom and some common IR systems,the characteristics of the dual field optics systems in the seekers are described.On the premise of the same performances,several effective ways to reduce the volume of the infrared zoom systems are presented by use of the suitable matching between their exit pupil and cold shield,the optimization of the zoom configuration and some new infrared techniques.And their demonstration,formular derivation and some examples are given.In the meanwhile,the idea that the optimal collective performance should be obtained through the trade-off of various indices but not pursuing single best is illustrated.


The Designer 2000 project is briefly presented. Its objective is to support the usage of already existing tools for the design of adaptive systems. Bayesian approach to the design of LQG multidimensional controllers is used. In the project, there are identified requirements. OO CASE, UML, knowledge base and other CAD approaches are used to satisfy them. High attention is paid to communication with an ordinary user and some elements of this communication are mentioned. 1. INTRODUCTION In this paper, the Designer 2000 is briefly presented. It is a project under development. The overall project objective is to improve the accessibility and usage of algorithmic and software tools for the design of adaptive systems 1. The Designer 2000 (shortly Designer) supports a systematic probabilistic design of LQG (Linear models, Quadratic criterion, Gaussian disturbance) adaptive multidimensional controllers based on auto-regression models with external inputs (ARX). The project is based on the availability of necessary theory, algorithms, software and expertise. It is the continuation of a long-term development in the authors' Department, see Peterka [11], Kárný et al [6]. The theoretical basis of the project is Bayesian approach to the estimation and control [6, 11]. That gives a common point of view to these traditionally separated problems and is capable to respect their mutual influence. The probabilistic insight accompanies most of steps of the design and offers a more realistic interpretation of results. The mentioned algorithmic and software tools and expertise are available in the Department, but their usage is restricted mainly to the Department. There has been a goal to spread tools' usage outside, for a long time, see Kárný and Halousková [4, 5]. A significant work has been done in this direction. A complete design cycle of adaptive controller has been covered. There have been prepared the previous versions of Designer, providing corresponding software tools. The last one is available as ABET (Adaptive Bayesian Estimation Toolbox), see Nedoma et al [8, 9], Nedoma [10]. The last versions were written in MATLAB [7]. It provides an experimental environment, but from the point of view of the ordinary user, i.e. ordinary control engineer, it is still very hard to start with it. The user can hardly overcome this barrier. To solve this problem we intend to use " all available means to succeed ". This paper is divided into several sections. In the project we use object-oriented (OO) approach to the analysis and …


Background:KOA as a high incidence of old age seriously affects the quality of life of the elderly. The valgus knee bracesareaimportantphysical therapy for KOA, but its specific effect is not clear.This meta-analysisis to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of valgus knee braces on pain and function improvement in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods :A meta-analysis of clinical randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on pain and functional changes in patients with KOA after using valgus knee braces. The search period is from the self-built database to May 2020, and the search range is PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. First, two authors independently screened the literature, formulated inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, and determined the included literature. The researchers then extracted the interventions and outcome indicators of included literature, and assessed the risk of bias through Cochrane Handbook 5.0.1. Finally, Revman5.3 was used for data analysis.Results :A total of 10 articles were included in this study, including 739 patients. 8 articles related to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score, the results showed that RR = -0.29, 95% CI [-0.73, 0.15], P = 0.20; There were 4 articles on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) function score, the results showed that RR = -0.15, 95% CI [-0.41,0.11], P = 0.26; Two articles related to the impact of Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) score, the results showed that RR = 0.58, 95% CI [-4.25, 5.42], P = 0.81; 3articles were related to KOOS activities of daily living (KOOS-ADL) score, the results showed that RR = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.62,0.69], P = 0.91.These results indicated that the valgus knee braces have no statistically significant in pain and functional activity improvement of patients with KOA. The subgroup analysis showed that the follow-up time was the source of the heterogeneity of the VAS pain score. Conclusion :The current evidence suggests that valgus knee braces may not effectively improve pain symptom and functional activity in KOA patients in the long-term, but only benefit KOA patients in the short-term.


"Abstract: GestaIt therapy's theory is necessarily a distortion of the 'original, undistorted approach' which it articulates, but the alternative to apprehending this approach, directly and intuitively, is at least as fraught with difficulties. Free and holistic functioning is not given to us; only the potentiality for it is. Whether it is realised depends on our constitutions, circumstances and our own efforts. The belief that therapy invariably re-establishes its original approach is a paradisaical one, harking back to a world which never existed. Key words: original approach, free functioning, figure fomation, intuition, learning, ableness, potential."


The present article focuses on national restrictive regulations affecting market structure and functioning. It is argued that EU primary law permits, to a certain extent, a control of legality of such national measures in the light of both competition and free movement rules. The article examines the scope and the boundaries of such control, the legal models elaborated by the Court of Justice of the EU and highlights some implications in view of the enforcement at national level, in particular by the Italian Competition Authority ex Article 21-bis of Law No. 287/90.


The proposed Diamond Light Source upgrade will see the storage ring replaced with a multibend achromat lattice, increasing the capacity of the facility whilst reducing the emittance and providing higher brightness for the users. As part of the design work, tracking studies have been performed to determine the single-bunch thresholds including both the resistive-wall and geometric contributions to the impedance. As the machine design also foresees a third order harmonic cavity, the paper also provides an initial assessment of the effects of bunch lengthening on the single-bunch thresholds. THE DIAMOND-II UPGRADE An upgrade is planned of the Diamond Light Source to replace the present storage ring with a multibend achromat lattice, providing both higher brightness as well as space for more beamlines. The latest progress on the storage ring lattice is presented in detail in [1] whereas this paper discusses the impedance effect on the single-bunch thresholds. The storage ring is planned to be operated with two different fill patterns, a standard mode providing lowest equilibrium emittance and longest lifetime for high brightness users and a hybrid mode with an isolated single bunch in a gap for timing users. A third order harmonic cavity will also be installed to increase Touschek lifetime, damp instabilities and reduce intrabeam scattering. The standard mode will require short gaps in the fill pattern for ion-clearing, whereas the gap length for the hybrid mode is set by the user requirements and therefore much longer. For both modes the gaps will lead to transient beam loading, affecting the performance of the harmonic cavity. The minimum gap lengths for the fill patterns and choice of harmonic cavity technology are currently being studied. The exact bunch charge requirements are therefore not yet decided, but will be in the range 0.6 nC (uniform fill) to 3 nC (aim for hybrid bunch). IMPEDANCE MODEL AND SIMULATION TOOLS The impedance for the Diamond-II storage ring is described in more detail in [2]. For the purpose of tracking simulations the impedance contributions have been separated into two parts, resistive-wall and geometric, and how these are included in the simulations are described below. The storage ring design includes NEG coating of almost 75% of the ring for vacuum pumping. The resistive-wall impedance has therefore been calculated using the code ImpedanceWake2D [3], which can handle both single and multilayered vacuum pipe walls with different geometries. Since the exact properties of the NEG coating is still unknown, two different options have been included in the simu∗ firstname.lastname@example.com lations, a 1.0 μm layer with conductivity 1e6 S/m or 1e5 S/m, respectively. The thickness is based on an estimation of achievable coating thicknesses whereas the conductivity range is based on the experimental findings presented in [4]. The geometric impedance is simulated using CST [5] assuming perfect electric conducting material. So far, all the components have been simulated using a bunch length of 3 mm due to computer resources, but the aim is to reduce this to 1 mm. The obtained impedances are then included in tracking simulations using a lumped impedance model, including in the transverse planes a normalisation with local beta function with respect to the beta function at the lumped impedance. Due to a minimum bunch length around 3 mm, a maximum frequency range of 100 GHz has been used. The results presented in this paper have been obtained with Elegant [6, 7], but have been benchmarked against AT [8] with good agreement. Since the fill patterns and harmonic cavity are still under study, an initial estimation of the effect on the single-bunch thresholds due to bunch lengthening from a harmonic cavity has been done using a cavity without beam loading set to achieve the flat potential conditions [9, 10]. Self-consistent simulations taking into account the effect of transient beam loading in both main and harmonic cavity are planned for future studies. So far, only the bare lattice has been simulated and the effects of the insertion devices will require further work. This does not only include increased impedance due to closed in-vacuum undulator gaps, chambers, tapers etc., but the insertion devices also have significant effect on the beam properties, especially a large reduction (factor 2-3) on the radiation damping times compared to the bare lattice. LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS Figure 1 shows the time shift of the bunch centroid, bunch length and energy spread caused by the longitudinal impedance. The effect of the NEG coating is mostly additional bunch lengthening and within the current range of interest no significant differences can be seen between the two cases of NEG conductivity. The geometric impedance also contributes to the bunch lengthening due to being highly inductive and is the main contributor compared to the resistivewall impedance. In all cases, no significant effect on the energy spread can be seen within the current range of interest. Figure 2 shows the bunch lengthening compared to the zero current bunch length as function of current with and without a third order harmonic cavity set to the flat potential conditions. The simulations show that a bunch lengthening above 4 times can be achieved with the harmonic cavity, but this is only possible for a uniform fill pattern. Due to the 12th Int. Particle Acc. Conf. IPAC2021, Campinas, SP, Brazil JACoW Publishing ISBN: 978-3-95450-214-1 ISSN: 2673-5490 doi:10.18429/JACoW-IPAC2021-MOPAB072 MOPAB072 C on te nt fr om th is w or k m ay be us ed un de rt he te rm s of th e C C B Y 3. 0 lic en ce (© 20 21 ). A ny di st ri bu tio n of th is w or k m us tm ai nt ai n at tr ib ut io n to th e au th or (s ), tit le of th e w or k, pu bl is he r, an d D O I 290 MC2: Photon Sources and Electron Accelerators A05 Synchrotron Radiation Facilities 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 Bunch current [mA] −5 −4 −3 −2 −1 0 1 Δt [p s] Nomina bunch


Consumers living in both developed and developing nations rely upon foods that have been produced and processed in many countries and in a wide variety of ways. Therefore, it is not surprising that they express concerns about the safety of their food supplies. A technology proposed to improve consumer trust in food safety is irradiation. Despite extensive education efforts and endorsements given by many health-related organizations worldwide, food irradiation has been slow to gain widespread acceptance. This ineffectiveness of diffusion efforts might indicate a need to broaden our theoretical perspectives of consumer acceptance of controversial technologies. Most theoretical approaches explain acceptance primarily as a function of perceived risks associated with a technology. The recreancy theorem, in contrast, explains acceptance as a function of public trust in societal institutions to effectively manage a technology. This study investigated the extent to which the recreancy theorem explained acceptance of food irradiation by US consumers, while statistically controlling for perceived risk and social-demographic variables. The study used a longitudinal field design to survey one adult each in 116 households located in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area during the first large-scale market test of irradiated food. The results indicate that the recreancy theorem might provide a valid conceptual approach to gaining a broader understanding of consumer acceptance of controversial new technologies.


On the domestic industry engine application cleaning equipment,discussed cylinder engine cleaning machine cleaning operations in the important status and core technology,and a detailed account of a typical washing machine engine cylinder block the process,work spaces and the main component.


Crystals of dichlorobis(4-methylpyridine)zinc(II), Zn(4-CH3Py)2Cl2, are monoclinic, space groupP21/c, with a = 14.294(13), b = 7.885(8), c = 13.473(11) A, β = 100.60(5)° and 4 molecules in the unit cell. The final atomic parameters were obtained from a block-diagonal least squares refinement using anisotropic thermal parameters. The hydrogen atom positions were established but the parameters were not refined. The final agreement residual for 1348 observed reflections is R = 0.043. The zinc atom is tetrahedrally coordinated.


Multiple myeloma is a lymphoproliferative disorder, in which hepatic infiltration of malignant plasma cells may also be seen in later stages of the disease. Herein, we report a case of hepatic myeloma infiltration that was diagnosed by an ultrasonography guided liver biopsy in a multiple myeloma patient. The diagnosis of the hepatic infiltration is important, since it has an impact on the staging and the therapy. Imaging appearances and imaging guided biopsies have an important place in the diagnosis, and therefore in the prognosis of the disease.


Though the random sampling method,the article surveys and analyzes the conditions of the social endowment insurance of the rural-urban migrants in Xi'an.We find out that because of the limitation of the thoughts of the right、the levels of income and the shift of the jobs,the rural-urban migrants do not need the social endowment insurance very much;and it is advised that a system insurance should be set up by enhancing the system reformation、the teaching and establishing the labor contract system in firms.


For each connected alternating tangle, we provide an infinite family of non-left-orderable L-spaces. This gives further support for Conjecture [3] of Boyer, Gordon, and Watson that is a rational homology 3-sphere is an L-space if and only if it is non-left-orderable. These 3-manifolds are obtained as Dehn fillings of the double branched covering of any alternating encircled tangle. We give a presentation of these non-left-orderable L-spaces as double branched coverings of S^3, branched over some specified links that turn out to be hyperbolic. We show that the obtained families include many non-Seifert fibered spaces. We also show that these families include many Seifert fibered spaces and give a surgery description for some of them. In the process we give another way to prove that the torus knots T(2, 2m+1) are L-space-knots as has already been shown by Ozsv\'ath and Szab\'o in [24].


Objective To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of combination therapy of oxaliplatin plus fluoriouracil and folinic acid in second-line treatment of advanced colorectal carcinoma.Methods All cases received oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2,d1;folinic acid 100 mg/m2,d1-d5 and fluoriouracil 500 mg/m2,d1-d5.The regimen was repeated every 21 days.Results There were 1 CR,3 PR,17 SD and 4 PD in the group.The overall response rate was 16%;disease control rate was 84%.Myelosuppression was commonly observed and grade III or IV neutropenia occurred in 4 patients(16%).The major non-hematological toxicity were nausea,vomiting,diarrhea and peripheral neurotoxicity.Conclusions Oxaliplatin plus fluoriouracil and folinic acid combination therapy is positively effective and safely tolerated in second-line treatment of advanced colorectal carcinoma.The toxicity is mild and reversible.


The code independent genetic algorithm reactor optimization (CIGARO) system has been developed to optimize nuclear reactor loading patterns. It uses genetic algorithms (GAs) and a code-independent ...


A convex polynomial with a non-integer degree is used to generate a Bregman- divergence universal portfolio together with an application of a first-order binomial expansion of the multiplicative update. The next-day portfolio is a weighted combination of the present- day portfolio and a power of the present-day portfolio, where the weights are depending on functions of the present-day stock price relatives. A parameter delta is introduced in the portfolio with aims to find the parameter that exhibiting the best performance locally. The portfolio is run over five stock data sets selected from the local stock exchange to study and to compare its empirical performance. The empirical results are compared with the results obtained by using the reverse Helmbold universal portfolio. Better performance is demonstrated for the portfolio introduced in this paper with respect to certain values of the parameters used on three data sets. There is promising evidence that this portfolio can increase the investment wealth significantly with the proper choice of the portfolio parameters.


As a new initiative in school year 2015-2016 for the course ICT Exercise, we implemented the completion of voluntary learning tasks in addition to required homework for students. The voluntary learning tasks were intended to enhance the learning motivation of students with a high level of computer literacy and encourage academic achievement. A learning advisor was assigned to provide support during specific periods outside of class and prepare reports on support given to the students' instructors. For submitting voluntary learning tasks, students could earn a maximum of 10 additional points to their overall results. Consequently, the submission rate for the voluntary learning tasks was 16% among a total of 374 undergraduate students. Meanwhile, the number of consultations with the learning advisor increased 2.1 times in 2015 compared with that in 2014, when the voluntary learning task scheme was not yet set. This result indicates that setting higher goals and providing a support system for students promote their learning behavior. The student group that completed the voluntary learning tasks showed a higher learning outcome compared with the student group that did not submit them. Learning outcomes were measured by year-end test and Rasti scores, which help assess capability for the effective use of information technology. We discuss the development of learning environment types to promote students' motivation to learn voluntarily.


According to the developments of various composite materials, it seems to be very important to evaluate the strength and fracture behavior of composite materials. When the composite material is considered as orthotropic material, the characteristic equation of orthotropic mater.
ial have complex roots. If characteristic roots are equal, the fundamental solutions of BEM become singular ones. This paper analyse the fundamental solutions of the singular problem of orthotropic material using the analogous method to isotropic material.


Electromechanical impedance (EMI) Method is a popular Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques for monitoring the integrity of a mechanical structure. The EMI method is highly sensitivity to small damage. However, it also has a well-known issue, an impedance signal can be changed by other ambient variations. It has the difficulty in damage measurement with the index-based measurement methods, such as RMSD (Root Mean Square Deviation). In this article, we studied the application of the Deep Learning technique to address this issue. An experimental setup was designed for applying the EMI method to monitor the integrity of a metallic structure. The damage classification process has been carried out with a Deep learning tool. This preliminary study demonstrated a very positive result with a reliable measurement with the testing configuration.


Primary Perspective: UTL and CUS The Water Research Commission in 2002 published "Guidelines for the Implemenatation of Benchmarking Practices in the Provision of Water Services in South Africa.". It has now initiated a project to test the theoretical proposals from the guidelines and test their validity. The project involves introducing the concept of benchmarking to 12 municipalities ranging from megacities to smaller areas which are under-capacitated and under-endowed. The project commenced in April 2003 and good progress is being made. in gaining the support of the municipal managers and the councillors responsible for the provision of services. A workshop has been held with senior officials and heads of departments to define the performance indicators which they would like to see monitored and which they can benchmark with one another. A service provider has been appointed for the system to manage the data on the Web. The most important stage will be that of process benchmarking. The participants will be able to identify the leaders in any particular activity and engage them to compare the methods by which the more successful municipalities work, and identify the factors that create success in any particular aspect of the business. A process of change management to improve performance will be instituted. The final phase is to report on all successes and failures in a concluding report.


Thel purpose ofl this studyl is tol determine thel disclosure of sustainability reports for Indonesian non-financial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2018 to 2021. This research alsol aims tol examine thel factors thatl influence the decision to issue a sustainabilityl report.
The independent variables used in this study are profitability, type of industry and company size. The dependent variable used is the disclosure of the sustainability report. The population used are companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) with the exception of the financial sector which has been required by the OJK to make a sustainability report. The samples used for each type of industry were around 25 companies with a total sample of 823 companies from 10 different types of industries. This study uses logistic regression analysis with a dummy of 0 for companies that do not publish sustainability reports and 1 for companies that publish sustainability reports.
Thel results ofl this studyl indicate thatl profitability has nol significant effectl on thel disclosure of sustainability reports. The typel of industryl has a significantl and positive effect onl the disclosurel of sustainabilityl reports. Meanwhile, company size hasl a significant and negative effectl on thel disclosure ofl sustainability reports.
LKEYWORDS: Sustainability Report , Profitability , Type of lIndustry, Company Size


Article history: Received 29 October 2020 Received in revised form 1 January 2021 Accepted 9 January 2021 Available online 14 March 2021 The steady free convective boundary layer viscous fluid flow and heat transfer towards the moving flat plate is investigated. It is important to study the fluid flow and heat transfer problems in the presence of suction and injection effects due to an extensive variety of applications in engineering and industry. Thus, the main objective of the present study is to analyse the impacts of the suction and injection parameter on the velocity and temperature of the fluid as well as the skin friction and the Nusselt number coefficients. The problem has coupled partial differential equations which are converted into ordinary differential equations by employing similarity transformation and adopting of the strong wall suction. The ordinary differential equations thus obtain are handled numerically by utilizing Maple software simulation. The main findings concerning the behaviours of velocity and temperature against various values of the emerging physical parameter such as suction/injection are presented clearly in this numerical examination via graphical illustrations whose physical explanation are discussed thoroughly based on a strong theoretical basis. Furthermore, skin friction and Nusselt number results are studied at different values of pressure gradient. The detail geometry reveals that the velocity and temperature of the fluid decreases with increase of suction/injection parameter. Both skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number decreases with an increase of suction/injection parameter.


Abstract This paper is concerned with two notions of dichotomies for linear difference equations in Banach spaces. We introduce the new concept of spectral dichotomy and relate it to the known notion of exponential dichotomy. The equations we consider are in general not supposed to have invertible right-hand sides.


Based on the assumption that the biological effect of asbestos is related to the concentration of respirable fibers, an index was developed which yields the concentration in numbers of asbestos fibers visible under 430 X phase-contrast illumination. Data are presented relating this index to overall dustiness as measured by impinger counts and to absolute fiber concentration and distribution as measured by electron microscopy. The relation between count estimates and gravimetric measures of total dust and chrysotile asbestos deduced from magnesium analyses are given for gross and respirable samples. These relations are developed for use in operations in the manufacture of asbestos textile, friction, cement, and insulation products. The most convenient, practical, and direct index of asbestos fiber exposure proved to be the concentration of fibers longer than 5 microns counted on membrane filters at 430 X phase-contrast illumination.


The ultrasonic method was used for extracting flavonoids of Viola yedoensis Makino.The optimum extracting conditions were obtained by the orthogonal design test and the flavonoids were determined by specyrometric method.The results show that the recovery is 102%~103% and the coefficient of variation is 0.081%.


In this paper we propose to predict the students' outcome by analyzing the interactions that happen in class during the course. PresenceClick lets teachers and students register their interactions during learning sessions in an agile way to give feedback in return about the students' learning progress by means of visualizations. Some of the registered interactions are the students who are attending class and a subset of the students' emotions felt during learning sessions. We have found correlations among attendance, emotions and performance in the final exam. This paper presents the study carried out to build a prediction model for the students' mark in the final exam based on these interactions. The purpose is to advice teachers about students in risk to fail.


By a graph we mean a pair (X, R) where X is a non-void set and R ⊂ X × X. A mapping f: X → Y is called a compatible map (or morphism) from (X, R) into (Y, S) if 2 f(R) ⊂ S, where 2 f: X 2 → Y 2 is defined by 2 f((x1, x2)) = (f(x 1),f(x 2)). The set of all compatible maps from (X, R) into itself forms a monoid (semigroup with a unit element) under composition, which is denoted by M(X, R). A graph (X 1, R 1) is said to be a full subgraph of (X, R) if X 1 ⊂ X and R 1 = R ∩ (X 1 × X 1). A graph (X, R) is said to be without loops if (x, x) ∉ R for all x ∈ X.


Melik Mecn al-ddin Kalyoni and his son Sams al-din Mohammad were the dominant governors and they lived in Mogul times and emirated to Herât. Despite every political intrique, the city was in welfare, prodiction revived in many areas especially in agriculture and resonctruction activites increased in the father and his son's period, meanwhile. Although Mecn al-ddin was the master of the diplomacy, his son couldn'nt be successful as him and then his presence ended after while.


The invention provides a novel manufacturing and installing method for a cable holder. Holes are formed in the cable holder according to a certain technological standard, cable grooves, hoops, reinforcing ribs, fireproof division plates and the like can be arranged on supporting arms of the holder as needed, reserved holes are formed in the two walls of a cable trench, and then the cable holder and the walls can be assembled and disassembled fast through expansion bolts. Through material selection, premachining, accessory addition and preliminary combination of the cable holder, the installation procedure can be achieved at one step, so that the labor and the time are saved, the cost is saved, the problem that installation, maintenance, fixation, rust prevention, fire prevention and the like of an existing cable holder are difficult is solved, and the whole cable holder is stable, scientific in design, convenient to manufacture and install, safe and practical. Thus, the novel manufacturing and installing method is worthy of popularization and application.


Summary: Purpose: We studied falling manifestations of atonic epileptic drop attacks (AEDA) in 2 patients with cryptogenic epilepsy with myoclonic‐astatic seizures.


The present invention provides the latter attenuating post-surgical catabolic changes and hormonal responses method of stress. It can be by administering an effective dose of glucose normalization of GLP-1, GLP-1 analog, or GLP-1 derivative.


Igor Pomerantsev, a writer who left the USSR in 1978, discusses the situation of the younger generation of poets, the successors of Yevtushenko and Brodsky


Book review of  The Key to Environmental Compliance: How to Avoid Environmental Liability, Exercise Due Diligence, and Keep Out of Jail  by John Tidball, Bruce McMeekin & Christine O'Donohue, and published by Emond Montgomery (Toronto), 1993. (68 pp.)


We study the behaviour of shocked wind-electrons leaving wind-driving stars after undergoing the outer wind termination shock. As an example, we describe the evolution of the keV-energetic electron distribution function downstream of the heliospheric termination shock. We start from a kinetic transport equation in the bulk frame of the heliosheath plasma flow taking into account shock-induced electron injection, convective changes, cooling processes, and whistler wave-induced energy diffusion. From this equation we proceed to an associated pressure moment of the electron distribution function arriving at a corresponding pressure transport equation which describes the evolution of the electron pressure in the bulk frame of the plasma along the plasma flow lines. We assume that the local distribution function, in view of the prevailing non-LTE conditions, is represented by a local kappa function with local kappa parameters that vary with the streamline coordinate $s$ downstream of the solar wind termination shock. We obtain the solution for the electron pressure as a function of the streamline coordinate $s$ from the pressure transport equation and demonstrate that, connected with this pressure, one obtains an expression for the entropy of the electron fluid which can also be derived as a streamline function. We show that the heliosheath electron fluid can essentially be characterized as an isobaric and isentropic flow. These results allow to generally conclude that astrotail plasma flows are characterized as such flows.


Resiliency can be defined as the ability of the system to bounce back after a shock and return to its normal value delivery levels. In maritime transportation systems (MTS), manmade and natural disruptions reduce the capacity of ports to send and receive goods, which can result in significant negative socio-economic impacts. Implementing resiliency in these systems improves their ability to cope with disruptions hence minimising losses. This paper proposes several schemes that improve resiliency by reducing the system's vulnerability and increasing its adaptive capacity. The impact of the schemes on the system's resiliency metrics are evaluated by applying the methodology of the Networked Infrastructure Resiliency Assessment framework. The framework consists of three stages in which a network model is extracted from the physical network, the resiliency metrics are identified and the system is modelled using network optimisation techniques and a system dynamics model. The disruptions are modelled by reducing the capacity of a port to send and receive goods. Three MTS resiliency metrics are identified, namely tonnage resiliency, time resiliency and cost resiliency. The presented case study assesses resiliency schemes, such as Diversity, Collaboration and Resource Allocation on the three resiliency metrics.


Statisticians call an attribute on which observations differ a variable. The type of unit on which a variable is measured is called a scale. Traditionally, statisticians talk of four types of measurement scales: (1) nominal, (2) ordinal, (3) interval, and (4) ratio. The word nominal is derived from nomen, the Latin word for name. Nominal scales merely name differences and are used most often for qualitative variables in which observations are classified into discrete groups. The key attribute for a nominal scale is that there is no inherent quantitative difference among the categories. Sex, religion, and race are three classic nominal scales used in the behavioral sciences. Taxonomic categories (rodent, primate, canine) are nominal scales in biology. Variables on a nominal scale are often called categorical variables. For the neuroscientist, the best criterion for determining whether a variable is on a nominal scale is the " plotting " criteria. If you plot a bar chart of, say, means for the groups and order the groups in any way possible without making the graph " stupid, " then the variable is nominal or categorical. For example, were the variable strains of mice, then the order of the means is not material. Hence, " strain " is nominal or categorical. On the other hand, if the groups were 0 mgs, 10mgs, and 15 mgs of active drug, then having a bar chart with 15 mgs first, then 0 mgs, and finally 10 mgs is stupid. Here " milligrams of drug " is not a nominal or categorical variable.


Civic education that has not been able to give meaning to students results in the need for innovation in learning. Learning can be realized by applying contextual learning based on multiculturalism. This research is a quasi-research with nonequivalent control group design. The population in this study amounted to 130 students, while the sample in this study amounted to 44 students taken using the Cluster Random Sampling technique. The collection in this study was a multiple-choice objective test instrument of 32 questions. Based on the analysis of the polled variance t-test obtained t-count = 3.83> t-table = 1.68 at a significance level of 5% with dk = 42, which means that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. This proves that there are significant differences in the competence of civic knowledge between groups of students who are taught with the Multicultural Contextual learning model and students who are taught by conventional learning. So, it can be concluded that Multicultural-based Contextual learning has a significant effect on the civic knowledge competence of elementary students. The implication of this research is through the application of Multicultural-based Contextual learning students can easily interpret the learning that is done.


Recently, we surveyed our inner city practice regarding the forms of atopic dermatitis we see here, including facial-extensor, flexural, nummular, lichen planus-like (seen only in darkly pigmented skin), and pityriasis alba. Many factors triggering this disease have been proposed, such as xerosis and sweating, but factors causing pruritus, especially in flexural eczema, have not been elucidated. We believe the patient presented herein shows findings pointing to an explanation for such pruritus. We believe that subclinical miliaria caused by film-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis blocks the eccrine ducts and causes pruritus similar to that seen in overt miliaria rubra. A 19-year-old Caucasian woman with a family history of maternal asthma presented with a very pruritic, pink– red, papulovesicular eruption on the antecubital and popliteal fossas. She habitually bathed twice daily with a body wash and did not use a moisturizer. We diagnosed atopic dermatitis and prescribed twice-daily application of a midpotency corticosteroid cream; skin care advice consisted of using a moisturizer daily and decreasing the frequency of bathing. We recommended that she use a milder soap and restrict its use to certain body parts. At her three-week follow-up visit, the pruritus had abated and the rash had cleared. At the follow-up visit, a skin scraping was taken from the right antecubital fossa in a manner similar to a potassium hydroxide preparation for fungus. The sample was cultured for bacteria and was examined under confocal microscopy. The culture showed normal skin flora (predominantly S. epidermidis) without any Staphylococcus aureus. Cocci with biofilms similar to those of film-producing S. epidermidis were noted on confocal microscopy and appeared as a syncytium as opposed to ordinary single bacterial cells (Fig. 1). This patient demonstrated typical flexural atopic dermatitis that responded well to treatment. The skin scraping showing film-producing S. epidermidis is of interest. We believe subclinical miliaria causes the itching in this form of eczema, which has been termed ''the itch that


In cooperative application systems, flexible, convenient, and adaptable workspace awareness is an important means for raising collaboration efficiency of the group. In this paper, a model of workspace awareness processing in the cooperative system is presented. In this model, all objects are placed in a total set that is viewed as a generalized common place. In terms of the responsibilities of users and the object locations that users operate, the common place is divided into focusing place and affecting place. According to the proximity of different places, the strength of awareness between users is determined, and then the methods of collecting and sending awareness messages and understanding awareness messages are developed. In this model, the awareness messages are sent in terms of requirements and the traffic on the network is well controlled. This model provides an effective method for awareness processing and interface recoupling in the general cooperative application system.