Environmental protection considerations as well as the predicted running out of global crude oil resources force the manufacturers of vehicles with internal combustion (IC) engines to search for alternative propulsion sources. In difficult road conditions, vehicle occupants are exposed to various hazards, especially to health and life. This forced the Automotive Industry Institute (PIMOT) to attack the important problem named "Electric Vehicles' Operational Safety (EVOS)". In the paper published previously at Conference KONMOT 2016, the authors presented an EVOS examination and assessment concept. The paper presents results of comparative tests and EVOS assessment carried out for four electric vehicles of various sizes: OPEL Ampera, RENAULT ZOE, MITSUBISHI MiEV and SAM EV. The presented results of testing the sample EVs show how much the vehicles differ from each other and how much work still has to be done for improvement of the safety of their operation. Based on the work results, detailed EVOS assessment criteria may be prepared. The criteria prepared and test results obtained may be utilized in research works on electric vehicles, in the production of such vehicles and their components, and in the selection of vehicles, especially by transport companies.


In this paper, we propose an arbitrage-free international macro-finance model that links the exchange rate dynamics to macroeconomic fundamentals. Jointly using data on exchange rates, yields of zero-coupon bonds, and macroeconomic variables of the US and the Euro area, we find a close link between macroeconomic fundamentals and the exchange rate dynamics. The model-implied monthly exchange rate changes can explain about 57% variation of the observed data. The macroeconomic innovations can help capture large variation of exchange rate changes. Robustness checks show that the results also hold for other major exchange rates.


In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of bright-like solitons, flat-topped soliton and gray solitons in nonlocal nonlinear fused coupler. Firstly, the fundamental bright-like solitons with different parameters are obtained by the Newton iteration. It is found that the peak value and beam width of the ground state bright-like soliton increase with the enhancement of the nonlocality degree and nonlinear parameter, and decreases with the propagation constant increasing. The power of the ground state bright-like soliton increases with the increase of the nonlocality degree and the width of coupling function, and decreases with the propagation constant increasing. These numerical results can also be verified in the case of multipolar bright-like solitons. Secondly, by changing the coupled mode, the solutions of multipolar bright-like solitons, flat-topped soliton and grey solitons are obtained, the transmission stability of multipolar bright-like solitons, flat-topped soliton and grey solitons are studied. The stability of solitons is verified by means of linear stability analysis and fractional Fourier evolution. In the process of long-distance propagation, the propagation of bright-like solitons, gray solitons and flat-topped soliton with one to three-pole symmetric peaks is stable, and the tripolar bright-like solitons with different soliton peaks and tripolar gray solitons unable to transmit stably. At the same time, it is found that the gray solitons with three poles or more are not easy to maintain its transmission stability; It is also found that the greater the grey scale of the gray soliton, the easier to transmit stably. Finally, it is found that the coupling function width not only affects the power of the soliton, but also can switch different soliton structures by adjusting the coupling function width.


Some industrial designers get used to following the prevailing fashion to ponder over the question,and imitating the form blindly while carrying on the product design.It makes their works lose vitality.Taking development of the automobile as an example,this article analyzed various reasons that the shape prevail in every stage and influential factors in many aspects,to expound the importance of innovated design.The designer should use the scientific thinking method to create products on the aspect of science,technology,function,material and aesthetic form,value.


An implementation of the topological cluster-state quantum computer is suggested, in which the basic elements are linear optics, measurements, and a two-dimensional array of quantum dots. This overcomes the need for nonlinear devices to create a lattice of entangled photons. Whereas the thresholds found for computational errors are quite satisfactory (above 10{sup -3}), the estimates of the minimum efficiencies needed for the detectors and quantum dots are beyond current technology's reach. This is because we rely heavily on probabilistic entangling gates, which introduces loss into the scheme irrespective of detector and quantum-dot efficiencies.


Autonomous quadrupedal movement of Gundam and Zaku (or raising a foot and taking a step) as they engage in sumo wrestling Yuya Kaneko February 27, 2015 1. Preliminary Remarks While this design proposal includes content from published works of other authors, I believe this use to be permissible under Article 30.3 of Japan's Copyright Law ("Exploitation in the course of an Examination") [1]. I would also like to note in advance that although my proposal calls for the creation of a Zaku robot in addition to Gundam, I don't consider this to be in violation of the requirements. While the requirements for the Real Entertainment Section of the Gundam GLOBAL CHALLENGE explicitly call for movement of an 18 m-high Gundam, they do not state that a Zaku cannot be created.


Correlation analyses of pulses obtained at 430 MHz with 12 ..mu..s resolution show that the pulsar signal is accurately described as amplitude-modulated Gaussian noise. In the average autocorrelation function of many pulses, microstructure decorrelates at a 0.29 ms lag and is quasiperiodic with a 0.9 ms period. The microstructure in individual subpulses is usually quasi-periodic with a period that is usually in the range 0.6 to 1.1 ms. Microstructure that occasionally has periods between 0.3 and 0.5 ms tends to be weaker and is of shorter duration than the longer period microstructure. The hypothesis of D.C. Backer that there is a pulse to pulse correlation of the microstructure along a band of drifting subpulses was tested by computing cross-correlation functions of successive subpulses. Although average cross-correlations show no evidence of any such correlation, it does appear that the period of the quasi-periodic microstructure exhibits some pulse to pulse correlation in a few bands of subpulses. In general, the period changes markedly from pulse to pulse and between the subpulses in the same pulse. It is therefore implausible that stellar vibration, which has a 1 ms period and a 1 s damping time for a neutron star, is the cause ofmore » microstructure periodicities.« less


Automatically extracted the relations between the clinical findings and treatments in EMRs. It is a process of detecting and classifying the semantic relation between entities in medical texts. We built a supervised SVM classifier with implementing the task-orientated feature pruning.


A wide band low current transducer is investigated on the basis of Rogowski coil.By selecting magnetic cores and optimizing chief parameters,the current transducer is developed with characteristics of a frequency bandwidth of 396~120MHz and a sensitivity of 3.27V/A.The test results show the transducer is characterized by a fast step response,good linearity and small changes on delay.


This report investigates the use of a speaker-dependent HMM word-spotter to retrieve spoken messages. The baseline word-spotter consists of a parallel network of keyword and background ller models. A further pass, using the ller models only, can be used to re-score the putative keyword hits. Word-spotting performance using (i) whole-word and (ii) sub-word keyword models is investigated. For each keyword model type, eeects on performance of re-scoring, Gaussian component number, and parameter set are evaluated on a set of spoken messages, taken from the Video Mail Retrieval database. Overall, sub-word models are shown to yield a higher hit rate, particularly before the rst false alarm occurs.


Pregnant Sprague‐Dawley and Fisher 344 rats were treated on day 15 of gestation with Aroclor 1254 in a single dose ranging from 0 to 500 mg kg−1 body weight and killed on day 18 of gestation. In the small groups of animals used for this study, no effect was observed on mean maternal liver or placental weight, or the number of fetal resorptions at any of the doses tested. Measurement of aryl hydrocabon hydroxylase (AHH) and 7‐ethoxycoumarin 0‐deethylase (7ECD) activity in tissue homogenates, however, showed that administration of Aroclor 1254 (15 mg kg−1 body weight or greater) induced mono‐oxygenase activity in fetal liver. Both the AHH and 7ECD assay detected effects of PCBs with similar sensitivity, and the findings were comparable when homogenates were assayed instead of microsomes. These data were used to suggest technical approaches to the detection of mono‐oxygenase induction in placental tissue human populations exposed to PCBs.


The credibility of the applicant in a licensing proceeding is severely impacted by the quality of the license application, particularly the Safety Analysis Report. To ensure the highest possible credibility, the building block approach was devised to support the development of a quality Safety Analysis Report. The approach incorporates a comprehensive planning scheme that logically ties together all levels of the investigation and provides the direction necessary to prepare a superior Safety Analysis Report.


In this study, we introduce the concept of normal bipolar soft subgroup and investigate some properties of normal bipolar soft subgroups. We also define notions of bipolar soft left and right cosets of a bipolar soft group and the concept of conjugate bipolar soft subgroup, and obtain some of their properties.


We analyze the quantum antiferromagnet on the maple leaf lattice in the presence of a magnetic field. Starting from its exact dimer ground state and for a magnetic field strength of the order of the local dimer spin exchange coupling, we perform a strong coupling expansion and extract an effective hardcore boson model. The interplay of effective many-body interactions, suppressed single-particle dynamics, and correlated hopping gives way to an intriguing series of superfluid to insulator transitions which correspond to magnetization plateaux in terms of the maple leaf spin degrees of freedom. While we find plateaux at intermediate magnetization to be dominated by bosonic density wave order, we conjecture plateau formation from multi-boson bound states due to correlated hopping for lower magnetization.


Endothelial differentiation gene‐1 product (Edg‐1) is a G‐protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) for the platelet derived bioactive lipid mediator sphingosine 1‐phosphate (Sph‐1‐P). Recent studies have shown that in response to Sph‐1‐P, Edg‐1 mediates various signaling pathways through downstream signaling molecules, such as MAP kinase and calcium, via heterotrimeric G‐proteins. We found for the first time that Edg‐1 is glycosylated in its amino‐terminal extracellular portion, and further identified the specific glycosylation site as asparagine 30 by creating a nonglycosylated mutant of Edg‐1 (N30D‐Edg‐1) and transfecting it into cell lines. The nonglycosylated mutant receptors, resembling their wild‐type controls, were predominantly expressed in the plasma membrane. Although there was no difference in ligand binding ability and ligand‐induced MAP kinase activation in the wild‐type and mutant receptors, nonglycosylated Edg‐1 was much less responsive for ligand‐induced internalization. Unlike the wild‐type receptor, which was associated with the caveolae, nonglycosylated N30D‐Edg‐1 was dispersed broadly in the membrane fractions separated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, suggesting that internalization and microdomain localization of Nglycosylated Edg‐1 might be related. Although the precise molecular mechanism of the internalization of the N‐glycosylated Edg‐1 localized in the microdomain remains to be examined, the present study suggested that the presence of N‐linked glycan in the receptor may play a regulatory role in the receptor dynamics in ligand‐stimulated mammalian cells.—Kohno, T., Wada, A., Igarashi, Y. N‐Glycans of sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor Edg‐1 regulate ligand‐induced receptor internalization. FASEB J. 16, 983–992 (2002)


The pumping and disposal of saline groundwater from the margins of the River Murray in South Australia is an integral part of the State Government's salinity management strategy. It is specifically aimed at reducing ground water levels and salt accession to the River Murray. Along the margins of the Murray, large volumes of saline water are typically disposed of at the land surface, in what are referred to as "saline-disposal basins". their long-term efficacy and the potential for developing others whilst minimising the groundwater recharge requires an understanding of the extent and thickness of near surface aquitards present in the region. these clay-rich units are known to have a significant influence on the rates of groundwater recharge in the study area, and their accurate definition is a necessary input into groundwater recharge models, which in turn determine salt flux to the Murray River system from planned and extant disposal basins in the area. We have used RESOLVE frequency domain helicopter electromagnetic data acquired over the Stockyard Plains saline-water disposal basins and environs located southwest of Waikerie, South Australia to demonstrate their value in regional groundwater management. We have also set out to demonstrate that constrained Inversion with locally accurate 1D forward responses is critical to recovering accurate models from the AEM data. We have employed a constrained layered earth Inversion to generate Information on the depth, thickness and presence or absence of aquitards, specifically the Blanchetown Clay, and map variations in groundwater conductivity in the region. in this study we compare results before and after we take account of system attitude and altitude in the Inversion to highlight the importance of accurate modelling.


Prior numerical solutions of electrohydrodynamic flows in a positive-corona, wire-plate electrostatic precipitator are extended to reveal steady-periodic electrohydrodynamic flows. Previously, only steady solutions were reported. The present study includes results for flows with Reynolds numbers from 0 to 4,800 and with dimensionless electric number ranging from 0.06 to {infinity}. Results indicate that two regimes of low frequency oscillatory flow occur. The first regime is characterized by a single recirculating vortex that oscillates in strength between one and five Hertz. The second regime is characterized by two counter-rotating vortices that oscillate in strength at a frequency near one Hertz.


A portable terminal and an image displaying method using the same utilizing the screen space of a display unit of the portable terminal when a TV-out function is used are provided to display additional information related to an image generated to a display unit of the portable terminal. A display unit(17) indicates an image display window and an image control window on a screen. The image display window indicates the production time image of a video file(19). The image control window controls the reproduced image. A TV-outlet(18) is connected to one end of the TV-out cable(30). A controller(11) of a portable terminal(10) and a display device(20) connected to the other end of the TV-out cable is connected to the TV-outlet. If the TV-outlet and display device are connected to the TV-out cable, the controller transmits the video information of the reproduced video file through the TV-out cable in the display device. The display on the image display window of the reproduced video information is blocked.


The invention discloses a method for filling and mining after ore caving, which includes the following steps: exploiting; mining quasi work; cutting work: including excavation of mine collection trench and patio cutting, cutting a patio at one end portion of a rock drilling chamber, cutting the patio by using a vertical deep hole ore falling stage chamber method, and enabling patio cutting to provide sufficient compensation space for actual mining; chamber extraction work: constructing a downward blasthole in the rock drilling chamber, filling and blasting, one-time blasting charging at the entire middle section height of the blasthole, and enabling blasting to adopt one-time lateral blasting and ore removal; filling and maintaining: closing all outlets communicated with a lower mine of the empty area, burying strainer pipes, leading in filling pipelines from the upper portion of the chamber, and filling and maintaining the chamber; and pillar recovery: recovering pillars after filling and maintaining the chamber, and the pillar recovery is the same as the chamber extraction work. The method for filling and mining after ore caving is high in recovery rate of mineral resources, small in blasting impact effect, low in cost and high in production efficiency.


We estimate the impact of free, universal pre-school education for three year olds on maternal labour supply in England, exploiting discontinuities arising from date of birth eligibility cut-offs and geographical variation in the speed at which the entitlement effectively covered all children. The impacts using geographical variation in the rollout imply that the expansion of the free entitlement, which increased the proportion of children in England who could access free part-time early education by around 50 percentage points between 2000 and 2008, led to a rise in the employment rate of mothers whose youngest child is 3 years old of around 3 percentage points, equivalent to about 12,000 more mothers in work. Given the estimated rise in the fraction of three year olds using some form of early education over the period, the implied IV estimate is that those mothers who used early education only because it was free were 25 percentage points more likely to work thanks to the free entitlement: although this is very imprecisely estimated, this is in the mid to upper range of estimates from studies from other countries, many of which look at the impact of access to longer hours of pre-school care.


Kant has found the pattern of his critical philosophy in the jurisdictional process. In the Rightslehre (1796), he uses his critical method and, to answer to the question Quid juris?, he examines the categories and concepts of law ( in occidental thought, but without interrogation upon the British Common Law ). He explains that, before the critical Court of reason, the "transcendental deduction" discovers the rational and pure Idea which is the a priori principle of law. But as all the "Ideas of reason", this sublime Idea of law does not belong to our world. Then, it is necessary today to revise the notion of "transcendental" and to transform the structures of our reason.


We report density functional theory (DFT) studies of the degradation mechanism of tetraalkylammonium cations which are of interest for anion exchange membrane fuel cells. Three mechanisms of attack by hydroxide anions are explored: an SN2 pathway leading to alcohol formation, an ylide pathway that gives rise to unstable intermediates, and Hofmann elimination. Tetramethylammonium, ethyltrimethylammonium, and benzyltrimethylammonium are the model cations studied here. SN2 attack on tetramethylammonium was found to have a free energy barrier of 17.0 kcal/mol at 298 K. In the case of ethyltrimethylammonium, the overall barrier for the SN2 pathway was found to be 23.0 kcal/mol while Hofmann elimination was 12.8 kcal/mol. The ylide and SN2 attacks on benzyltrimethylammonium show similar energy changes as in the case of tetramethylammonium. In the case of benzyltrimethylammonium, additional side reactions starting from the ylide intermediate are also shown to be feasible. We also discuss the influence of the imm...


Inter-purchase time is a critical factor for predicting customer churn. Improving the prediction accuracy can exploit consumer's preference and allow businesses to learn about product or pricing plan weak points, operation issues, as well as customer expectations to proactively reduce reasons for churn. Although remarkable progress has been made, classic statistical models are difficult to capture behavioral characteristics in transaction data because transaction data are dependent and short-, medium-, and long-term data are likely to interfere with each other sequentially. Different from literature, this study proposed a hybrid inter-purchase time prediction model for customers of on-line retailers. Moreover, the analysis of differences in the purchase behavior of customers has been particularly highlighted. The integrated self-organizing map and Recurrent Neural Network technique is proposed to not only address the problem of purchase behavior but also improve the prediction accuracy of inter-purchase time. The permutation importance method was used to identify crucial variables in the prediction model and to interpret customer purchase behavior. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing the prediction with the results of three competing approaches on the transaction data provided by a leading e-retailer in Taiwan. This study provides a valuable reference for marketing professionals to better understand and develop strategies to attract customers to shorten their inter-purchase times.


To determine whether lesion to activation distance (LAD) on presurgical blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and degree of white matter involvement by primary or metastatic brain lesions predict perioperative motor and language deficits.


- The increase in COVID – 19 pandemic altered the retail industries towards electronic commerce (e-commerce). In e-commerce consumer retention is effective factor for decision making of business. The e-commerce industry is involved in collect, store and analyze of the vast range of data stated as e-commerce analytic s. With the drastic advancement in customer transaction data, retail stores leverage data analytic s for customer superior for offering mutual and unattainable benefits. Nonetheless, fulfillment of such a strategic aim requires retailers to adopt and embrace emerging e-commerce retail consumer purchase. Analytic s is technological-oriented with between strategic implications one-commerce analytics of research. Previous research also underlined the significant impact of e-commerce analytics on customer process, relationship management, customer acquisition, and retention, etc. This article concentrated on the evaluation of customer analytics and retention for consumers of e-commerce industries. The examination is based on e-commerce analytics for the evaluation of customer perspectives. Through analysis of customer perspectives with e-commerce analytics consumer retention strategies are examined. The analysis based on six goals such as increasing insight of customer, operational efficiency, business agility, transparency of operation, business performance and business trends. The data analysis is based on quantitative based primary data collection from 5 different sectors. The statistical analysis of results expressed that web or social media is key factor in highest priority area in retail organizations. The statistical analysis also expressed that the customer acquisition and retention strategies are highly influenced by thee-commerce retail consumer purchase. The findings also stated that e-commerce retail analytics provides relationship with business process and acquisition. The present findings contribute to the better understanding ofe-commerce analytics in retailing in India, an area that has received scant attention within the academic literature. From the findings, it is evident that retailers in India are not usinge-commerce analytics, due to the lack of an obvious use case to justify the implementation costs. Furthermore, the study has shown a debate around the definition ofe-commerce analytics, as well as a multitude of conflicting perceptions on the concept. The findings showed that retail organisations are not very serious toward usinge-commerce analytics because there is a focus on exploiting existing structured data completely before tapping into unstructured and semi structured data. Some retailers are, however, leveraging the enhanced processing speeds ofe-commerce analytic products to improve on traditional analytics. Thus, this research encourages retailers to change their beliefs aboute-commerce retail consumer purchase, and it also encourages academics to further explore the antecedents and impact ofe-commerce analytics in the retailing industry. The overall results of this study show that there is no difference among four retail organizations in relation to important parameters, important elements ofe-commerce analytics. However, 'veracity of thee-commerce' and 'technology ofe-commerce analytics' are emerged as the most important parameter and element ofe-commerce retail consumer purchase respectively. The results underline the extreme importance ofe-commerce retail consumer purchase across four retail organizations albeit they are not very serious of usinge-commerce analytics as lee than adequate access to relevant, accurate and timelye-commerce as well as availability ofe-commerce analytics capabilities in retail organizations. The statistical results also highlighted customer centric outcomes and operational optimizations are the most sought after objectives ofe-commerce retail consumer purchase across four retail organizations. It is understood that desired 217 outcomes ofe-commerce retail consumer purchase are customer engagement/experience management and optimizing retail operations. The statistically significant findings emphasized that understanding customers by establishing a single view across multiple sources of customer information (pointof-sale,


Based on primary archival materials, the article examines the history of training personnel in the internal affairs bodies of Uzbekistan, measures to replenish staff with advanced personnel and the development of the educational process in police schools,as well as the formation of educational institutions for the training of specialists with higher education in 1946-1980


Among adults with or without children who stated they were likely to vote on Nov. 4, 55% said a candidate's stance on child health issues would affect their vote, results from a C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health show.


This paper takes a hard look at Idaho annexation law through the lens of a 2011 annexation dispute in Nampa, Idaho. With this context, the paper explores the interests of Idaho municipalities and landowners, asserting that municipalities and landowners have strong interests in annexation while landowners' interest in avoiding annexation is less consequential. The paper then summarizes current Idaho annexation law, points out deficiencies in Idaho annexation law, and proposes changes to Idaho annexation law concerning consent, contiguity, urbanization, and city obligations.


This paper describes how to make use of human visual capability to improve information security. Here in this paper, two pilot studies are shown; a content protection scheme with image tainting, and a user authentication scheme with unclear images.


The required autonomy and the growth of the complexity of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) systems give the reconfiguration a big importance. Thus, the integration of reconfiguration scenarios (node level or network level reconfiguration) in the development cycle of WSNs system is required to offer an efficient reaction to environment variability. In this direction, existing model based design approaches of reconfigurable WSNs are limited to the design of behavioral reconfiguration techniques which bring adjustment of the system's parameters or update some functionalities. However, network reconfiguration which presents an important ability of networked systems for dealing with the network disconnectivity and power consumption, is still under-explored. In this context, we propose a high level model based design of WSNs applications using the UML/MARTE standard to specify network reconfiguration semantics. We define a new package named «NW_ Reconfiguration». A case study on water distribution network is proposed to evaluate our proposed design approach.


Things should be noticed in planned procurement of medical equipment are discussed.Management and use of equipment are analyzed.Relations should be correctly dealt with in equipment allocation.The analysis is significant to properly utilize hospital resources,scientifically plan medical equipment allocation,exert equipment efficacy and serve the development of medical technology.


The accuracy of 26 aged and three new lens measures was investigated. Instruments were applied to surfaces of known curvature employing the conventional, hand‐held method as well as while rigged on an optical bench. In addition, using the latter method, a controlled amount of surface tilt was introduced. A large inter‐instrument variation in accuracy was encountered. In general, hand‐held lens measures were found to provide equally accurate measurements on convex and concave surfaces, with the exception of the −20 D surface, and inclinations from 0° to 5° did not result in erroneous measurements. Results for inclinations of 15° became unreliable. The different usages of the instrument are discussed.


Fingerprint data collections of 684 Thai subjects using a transparent-adhesive tape technique compared with developed software namely an automated inkless fingerprint image which is able to scan fingertips and face images then arrange them in a portable document format prior to printing. Each fingerprint pattern was characterized as arch, radial loop, ulnar loop, and whorl (including double loop whorl, accidental whorl). An index of pattern complexity was constructed by subtracting the number of arches from the number of whorls. Analyses show that (1) finger pattern scores summed over ten fingers of the arch, radial loop, ulnar loop, and whorl are 0.32, 0.17, 4.89, and 4.62 respectively; (2) the index of pattern complexity is 4.30 (S.D.=3.61); (3) fingerprint patterns are statistically different among males and females on the left and right thumbs. The latter technique contributes electronic fingertips and face images which are rapid, large, and clear without dirt from ink/carbon.


Abstract Water scarcity in Jordan is a significant constraint to development, with limited available water and financial resources. As population and economic activity increase, it will be necessary to implement national strategies that seek to balance the present needs and those of future generations. Multiple variables associated with agricultural crops, industries, and the impact of climate change, were incorporated into a Decision Support System (DSS). The DSS utilized Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which resulted in the prioritization of sustainable water policies for management in the Azraq Basin. The inputs to the DSS were generated through application of Modflow (groundwater), stochastic, and Penman Montieth models and through calculations of water productivity for agricultural and industrial sectors. The results of the DSS make recommendations as to how to enhance long-term sustainability of water resources in Azraq, while allowing for water utilization and economic growth. It is recommended for future planning that further research of the impacts to water resources must be conducted at local and national levels and linked to regional and global climate change prediction. It can be concluded that the DSS tool and AHP are potentially positive contributions to the process of decision- making for selection and ranking of alternatives and policies and for help in solving problems that include conflicting criteria.


The authors address new architectural concepts for organizing heterogeneous network components into a system framework. Reference scenarios foreseeable in the following decade are given, with the interaction of market trends and technical achievements taken into account. After a requirements analysis, a multiservice business network architecture suitable for early deployment and with the possibility of evolving into a future broadband integrated services digital network is proposed. This architecture, besides exploiting the capabilities of distributed switching, typical of metropolitan area network technology, avoids capacity limitations caused by the use of single-level shared-medium topologies.<<ETX>>


As part of my Senior Design project, my group is designing an in-space demonstration test of the Micro-electrical-mechanical System (MEMS) Digital Thrusters (MDT) using a 3U CubeSat. MDTs are small solid-motor thrusters that are ignited by specific currents, so precisely controlling the resistance of the igniter circuits is very important. However, temperatures vary quite a lot throughout the orbit, and resistance changes as temperatures do. I oversee Thermal Systems in the group and based on my calculations; the CubeSat will be at its coldest when the sun is eclipsed by the Earth, where it will have a temperature of roughly --19.89 [°C] . The CubeSat will be at its hottest when it is exactly between the Earth and the sun and during the part of the year when albedo is at its highest, where it will have a temperature of roughly 66.41 [°C] . These numbers are after considering cooling methods added to the CubeSat such as a coating with a high emissivity and low absorptivity, reducing the radiation absorbed and increasing the radiation emitted by the CubeSat. We have decided the temperature cannot be controlled any further, but due to these variations, I decided I would do some research into how exactly resistance varies with temperature.


The course teaching with various form sand multimedia is the key to course teaching reform.The course teaching can be divided into four modules,namely,class teaching,fictitious class teaching,practical teaching and group learning.Through designing these four modules scientifically and making them unified,the course teaching of open education can show its real function and the reform of course teaching can be realized.


It is widely believed that independent central banks produce costless low inflation. Yet a few recent studies indicate that more independent central banks are associated with higher output costs during disinflations. This carries the implication that there are indeed costs associated with autonomy. The author develops and extends those analyses in two important ways. First, he shows that central bank independence (CBI) affects both the output and the unemployment costs of disinflation. Because central banks control only monetary policy, they should not exert a differential effect on the two ratios, and there should be a positive relationship between independence and both the unemployment and the output costs of disinflations. Second, by including a range of potentially significant political and institutional controls, the author demonstrates both the importance of political and institutional determinants of the costs of disinflation and that CBI is a robust predictor of those costs.


Hepatic sinusoidal cells are known actors in the fibrogenic response to injury. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and Kupffer cells are responsible for sinusoidal capillarization and perisinusoidal matrix deposition, impairing vascular exchange and heightening the risk of advanced fibrosis. While the overall pathogenesis is well understood, functional relations between cellular transitions during fibrogenesis are only beginning to be resolved. At single‐cell resolution, we here explored the heterogeneity of individual cell types and dissected their transitions and crosstalk during fibrogenesis.


In this letter the author examines the consequences of a very small surface step on the mechanics of contact in indentation using linear continuum elasticity. Surface steps are shown to lead to a loss of contact in the vicinity of the surface steps as well as a singular contact pressure distribution. This singularity exists for any finite surface step height and leads to shear stress concentration in the bulk material that declines in proportion to the inverse of distance from the surface step. This concentration facilitates the nucleation of dislocations and lowers the threshold for onset of plasticity in nanoindentation.


This paper is an introduction to the project that constructs an electronic cultural map of the Silk Road with the support of the Korea Research Foundation(KRF). This research project aims at extracting the cultural elements of the Silk Road and Data Basing them into digital materials and creating electronic maps based on them. By introducing a historical geography approach by using information system as map interface, it is going to prepare basic data to explore new possibilities of studying Silk Road culture. This is an introduction to the recent issue of fusion methodology, which aims at reaffirming UNESCO''s efforts to promote inter-cultural interaction and his dialogue through the theme of Silk Road Culture. In order to develop academic research in Central Asia, this project is planning to secure basic data by introducing new digital anthropological methodologies.
This was designed to provide various visual effects of maps made from dots and lines through the establishment of XML(eXtensible Markup Language) DB, HGL(Historical Geographic Layers Set) DB, and Map Space DB of text material, as well as various visual effects such as art, music languages, religions etc. Through this process, we want to provide integrated information that will not only provide visual information, but also provide historical and cultural information on a single map. By building various databases with this purpose, the academic community wanted to provide accurate and systematic information necessary for Silk Road research, and opened the door to its potential for expanded development. Based on an attempt to build a database through the implementation of the methodology presented in this study, we would like to give that meaning to the extent that we have shown the potential for a new convergence of research in this field in the future.


A novel poly (aryl ether ketone) containing the of cyclohexene and phthalazinone moieties polymer was prepared by the nucelophilic displacement reaction of 1-methyl-4, 5-bis (4-chlorobenzoyl) cyclohexene and 2. 2-bis (4'-hydroxyphenyl)-propane. The polymer was studied by FT-IR, H-NMR, DSC, X-ray diffraction. It has been proved that it was a amorphous plastics with high glass temperature (Tg=216. I'C) . It was soluble in some solvents at room temperature. It was also intermediate product of cross-linked copoly-mer and grafted copolymer.


There is a limited study that specifically examines the extent to which gender and cultural beliefs have influence on women entrepreneurs. This study therefore attempts to link gender bias and sub culture like regional, ethnicity and religious practices within the context of national culture that affect women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Previous studies and other secondary sources were thoroughly reviewed and analyzed. Findings indicate gender, ethnicity and religion play important role in entrepreneurship development and how women entrepreneurs are perceived and valued. This paper therefore, suggests that government should make policies and create enabling environment that would boost female entrepreneurs in the generation of employment and wealth creation.


Starch sodium octenylsuccinates (SSOS) is a oleophylic modified starch with excellent emulsifying property. Especially, SSOS of low viscosity has been used as an important wall material of microencapsulation due to its good emulsifying and filming property, high microencapsulating efficiency, low surface oil, easily drying and heavy concentration of low viscosity. However, the oxidative stability is very bad when the core oxidated easily is microencapsulated with SSOS as wall material. So it is very important for microencapsulation to stabilize core, compound wall materials, emulsify rightly and optimize spray drying.


One of the towering figures in Hepatology, Roger Williams, has died at age 88 after suffering a heart attack while playing tennis, a fitting passing for a giant in our field. Professor William's many achievements were possible because he combined incredible energy and determination to succeed, with a warm embrace of all who sought to work under his tutelage. The breadth of his vision and tireless efforts formed the largest liver unit in the world.


In this modern era, almost all of the aspects of education need technology in order to support the effectiveness and efficiency of education. The use of technology in language teaching and learning process cannot be separated from the internet. Teaching material especially electronic reading materials which have some different aspects should be prepared by the teacher before teaching in order to fit with the good criteria of reading materials such as content and display. The aim of this study is the electronic reading materials on British Council based on the criteria of good reading materials. Qualitative descriptive is used in this study by analyzing 13 reading materials. The checklist is used as the instrument of this study in the form of yes / no questions. The checklist consists of 9 criteria. Based on the finding and discussion, the electronic reading materials on British Council meet the criteria of familiar topics and effective presentation of vocabulary in aspect of content. While, reading materials do not meet with the criteria of interesting topics, necessary topics and appropriate vocabulary. In other hand, electronic reading materials on British Council meet the criteria of glossary and advanced organizer of page in aspect. But, reading materials do not meet with the criteria of supporting by multimedia elements and developing comprehension strategy.


Theoretical and experimental studies of radiative properties of substances heated by pulsed current devises or lasers and used as X-ray sources have been carried out depending on plasma conditions, and specific spectra of X-ray absorption and radiation for different materials have been calculated. Important features of the theoretical model, known as the ion model of plasma, are discussed. This model can be applied for calculations of the radiative properties of complex materials over a wide range of plasma parameters. For purposes of indirect-driven inertial fusion based on the hohlraum concept, an optimization method is used for the selection of an effective complex hohlraum wall material, which provides high radiation efficiency at laser interaction with the wall. The radiation efficiency of the resulting material is compared with the efficiency of other composite materials that have previously been evaluated theoretically. A similar theoretical study is performed for the optically thin X-pinch plasma produced by exploding wires. Theoretical estimations of radiative efficiency are compared with experimental data that have been obtained from measurements of X-pinch radiation energy yield using two exploding wire materials, NiCr and Alloy 188. It is shown that the theoretical results agree well with the experimental data. A symmetric multilayer X-pinch, where W and Mo wires are used, is as well considered. The theoretical explanation of experimental phenomena is discussed based on the W and Mo radiative spectra. The ion model was as well applied for interpretation of experimental results on opacities of CHO-plasma obtained via indirect heating of low density polymer layers by means of soft X-rays. The new diagnostics method based on the deformation of the of the Carbon absorption K-edge when foam layer is heated to plasma is discussed. The spectral coefficients for X-ray absorption in CHO-plasma are calculated in the photon energy region around the Carbon K-edge for different plasma temperatures and mean foam density. In this case, the Carbon K-edge position on the energy scale can be used for plasma temperature diagnostic.


This study was investigated to determine the effect of combined application of metam sodium 100 l/da and dazomet 40 kg/da with solarization against root-knot nematode in tomato. The trials were carried out in three different greenhouses in Adanalioglu – Yenitaskent of Mersin province in Turkey in 2014-2015. Dazomet was mixed into the soil and then beds were prepared, and was covered with plastic. The plots were saturated with drip irrigation before metam sodium was applied. Then, the fumigant of metam sodium was applied 2 days later with 10 tons/da water. In 2014 July, the solarization treatment combined with dazomet and metam sodium was effective against root-knot nematodes. The combined treatment of solarization and two fumigants was detected without any symptoms while control treatment showed 6.84 galling index in March 2015. The 40 kg/da dazomet and 100 l/da metam sodium in combination with solarization had less than 2 galling index at the end of the production season. While the control treatment showed mean galling index of 7.4, 7.9, and 7.6 at the same study respectively. Results showed that soil solarization to the beds combined with dazomet and metam sodium, resistant varieties are effective against root-knot nematodes in tomato in integrated approach.


In the work the role of a commercial bank in a financial industrial group, integrated industrial complex (IIC) has been considered. The level of financial stability of a bank determines the level of its "competence" as an IIC member. Global experience of IIC functioning has been analyzed.


Abstract The term proliferative enteritis (PE) is a collective one used to describe a group of related diseases characterised by adenomatous intestinal epithelium frequently seen to contain intra-cellular campylobacter-like organisms. It embraces four related disease syndromes, porcine intestinal adenomatosis (PIA), necrotic enteritis (NE). regional ileitis and proliferative haemorrhagic enteropathy (PHE), all affecting mainly the terminal ileum.


INTRODUCTION
Molecular heterogeneity in glioblastoma (GBM) is a novel area of research recently. Because tumor infiltrating front in GBM is often left behind following tumor decompression, knowledge of its genetic makeup can improve the rationale of potential molecular targets.

METHODS
MRI localized biopsies of the tumor core and peritumoral brain zone (PBZ) were obtained from 25 GBM patients. The PBZ samples containing 15% to 30% tumor cells and core samples with predominantly tumor cells along with 8 nonneoplastic brain tissues were selected for a whole Genome Gene Expression Microarray. The list of differentially expressed genes between the tumor core and PBZ compared with nonneoplastic brain tissue was identified using R Bioconductor. Selected genes were validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS
Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of the genes revealed that the tumor core and PBZ samples showed a varied gene expression profile and clustered into 2 distinct groups. Approximately 7123, 5188, and 991 genes were differentially expressed in Core vs Normal, PBZ vs Normal and PBZ vs Core. Novel genes like PBK (role in cell cycle), MELK (stem cell marker), and TOP2A (proliferation marker) were upregulated in PBZ and tumor core compared with normal brain and robustly validated on IHC. Pathways involved in cell cycle, immune response, cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix interaction, etc, were commonly enriched in periphery and tumor core compared with normal brain. Some of the novel markers were validated by real-time PCR and IHC.

CONCLUSION
We demonstrate that the key genes involved in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, migration, response to immune system, and stemness markers are highly enriched in the PBZ. These genes, probably contribute to the resistance of PBZ cells to standard adjuvant therapy, resulting in tumor recurrence.


Let f be a G-function (in the sense of Siegel), and x be an algebraic number; assume that the value f(x) is a real number. As a special case of a more general result, we show that f(x) can be written as g(1), where g is a G-function with rational coefficients and arbitrarily large radius of convergence. As an application, we prove that quotients of such values are exactly the numbers which can be written as limits of sequences a(n)/b(n), where the generating series of both sequences are G-functions with rational coefficients. This result provides a general setting for irrationality proofs in the style of Apery for zeta(3), and gives answers to questions asked by T. Rivoal in [Approximations rationnelles des valeurs de la fonction Gamma aux rationnels : le cas des puissances, Acta Arith. 142 (2010), no. 4, 347-365].


We present innovative electrochemical probes for the monitoring of pH and redox potential in pore water in near-field rocks of a future deep geological radioactive waste repository at 500 m depth within the clayey Callovian-Oxfordian (COx) formation. The conceived experimental setup assembles two multi-parameter probes (MPPs), used together throughout two series of several months duration measurements in situ into the underground research laboratory of Andra at Bure, France. The two MPPs, connected in series, were up-flow fed with actual pore water of COx formation during several with a very low flowrate. Each MPP is composed of different individual probes containing the following: two monocrystalline antimony electrodes for pH sensing; eight AgCl/Ag-based reference or Cl − selective electrodes; four Ag 2 S/Ag-based reference or S 2− selective electrodes; eight platinum electrodes; two gold electrodes; two glassy-carbon electrodes; two ruthenium and two inox 316 electrodes, for redox potential measurements. The Open Circuit Potential (OCP) measurements of the developed sensors under different conditions and in quasi-actual conditions were compared to conventional reference electrode and pH electrodes in terms of performance, reliability and robustness and allowed to create calibration curves. Conductivity measurements, carried out along MPPs, will not be presented here. Overall, the conceived bundle of electrodes as designed works reliably during a timescale that is promising for monitoring the COx formation during its envisaged use for hosting a nuclear waste repository.


forty-five healthy New Zealand white rabbits without any ocular disease were surgically operated to remove the lamellar corneal.Twenty-seven of them were divided equally into three experimental groups,A(the honey group),B(the Beifushu eyedrop group) and C(the negative control group).Then,we evaluate the damage of the cornea,the iris and the conjunctiva.1% sodium fluorescein was used in the other eighteen rabbits to estimate the healing time the wound.The results showed that the honey's effect on corneal wound healing was better than Beifushu eyedrop.


The geometries, stabilities and magnetic properties of transition metal encapsulated M2Si18 (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) clusters have been systematically calculated using density-function theory with generalized gradient approximation. The results show that the hexagonal double prism structure is indeed a stable structure for M2Si18 (M = Sc–Zn) clusters. The sizes of the M2Si18 clusters essentially depend on the length of the Si–Si bond, and the total magnetic moments of the M2Si18 clusters are completely quenched except for Mn2Si18, Fe2Si18 and Co2Si18. The stability of the double hexagonal prism cage M2Si18 clusters cannot be understood by the nearly free electron gas model.


The fast and slow components of the mechanical response to 1 μM norepinephrine (NE) were measured in aortic rings isolated from eight spontaneously diabetic rats, six streptozocin-induced diabetic (STZ-D) rats, six STZ-D rats treated with 2.5 U insulin/day during the 4 days before being killed, and six age- and sex-matched control rats. The total contraction to NE (i.e., the sum of fast and slow components) was similar in the four groups: spontaneously diabetic, 16.53 ± 1.72 mN; STZ-D, 15.68 ± 1.41 mN; insulin-treated, 16.17 ± 2.05 mN; and control, 15.27 ± 0.96 mN (NS). The fast component, measured graphically in a total contraction in 1.35 mM Ca, was greater in spontaneously diabetic (12.61 ± 1.07 mN, P < 0.05) and STZ-D (12.25 ± 0.89 mN, P < 0.05) rats compared with control (9.14 ± 0.74 mN) or insulin-treated (8.58 ± 1.23 mN) rats. The same increase of the fast component was detectable after 3 min of incubation in Ca-free medium + 2 mM EGTA (control 6.54 ± 0.47 mN, spontaneously diabetic 9.07 ± 0.76 mN, P < 0.05; STZ-D 8.82 ± 0.72 mN, P < 0.05), and it was also abolished by insulin treatment (insulin-treated 6.29 ± 0.36 mN). We conclude that the diabetic state increases the fast component of NE-induced contraction either in the absence or presence of Ca in the medium. This suggests that such an increase depends on a larger release of Ca from intracellular stores.


A laser consisting solely of a pumped ruby rod and rear reflector has been operated so as to produce single giant pulses.


The design of a laser drilling machine for micro-sprinkling hose is introduced in this paper.And its advantages,which include higher production efficiency and higher intensity and uniformity of the hose produced through laser drilling,are analyzed through comparison experiment with traditional punch drilling machine.Laser drilling is the inevitable development trend of the manufacture technology of micro-sprinkling hose and a new approach for the update of micro-sprinkling hose product.


Supardi, 2013 : Increased Interest In Learning Mathematics Using Realistic Approach In Fourth Grade Students Public Elementary School 2 Sungai Kunyit; Skripsi, Leader I Drs. H. Maridjo AH. Msi, Leader II Dr. Hj. Fauziah, M.Pd This study aims to determine the Increase Interest In Learning Mathematics Using Realistic Approach at in Fourth Grade Students Public Elementary School 2 Sungai Kunyit. The method used is descriptive method, of Research is a Survey Form. This type of research used was Classroom Action Research 20 fourth grade students. Classroom Action Research conducted two cycles. Data collection techniques used were direct observation and indirech techniques with a data collection tool in the form of observation sheets questionnaires to students later acquired, reduced, presented and concluded. Based on the calculation of interest, an interest attentive from base line 11,66% to 86.66% cycle II, increase to 75% with high category. Interest interest from base line 16,25% to 83,75% cycle II, increase 67,5% with high category. Interests in the will of base line 15% to 66.66% cycle II, increase 81.66% with high category. This means, learning with Realistic approach influence students interest in improving public elementary school fourth grade students 2 Sungai Kunyit.


Aimed at difficulties of measuring level of the cans storing high viscidity liquids, the paper puts forward a new method to measure liquid level, whose principle is using laser to measure distance. Two signals with different frequencies superpose each other and drive a laser launcher. The laser beam with two frequencies launched at the same time was reflected back at liquid surface (tiny bead reflector needed). The reflected laser beam is received by a laser receiver and then is divided into two signals to input to two mixers. After enlarged in time scale, outputs of mixers are input to phase discriminators. After data processing, high part and low part of the liquid level with different precision can be worked out. The analysis of measuring principle of this method and experiments on the field show: the general measuring error of liquid level is less than ±2mm, the measuring range is 1~25m.


Based on the existing problems in the protections for HV motor and by taking the magnitude of current component on each sequence during motor fault tested by means of synchronous component method as the protection's criteria, the fault characteristic of motor is analyzed in this paper. And its integrated protection is implemented by a single-chip processor.


The article analyses the changes of Christian iconography in 19th century – first half of the 20th century, as well as the reasons that might have encouraged these manifold changes. On the other hand, it is obvious that such changes in iconography were primarily determined by Enlightenment ideology and French revolution, but political, social and spiritual changes were none the less important. Furthermore, new discoveries in technology and especially natural sciences made certain members of society even doubt God's existence. The article analyses how these mani-fold changes affected and transformed traditional, i.e. classical iconography. The article also outlines directions of further researches.


In this paper we present a new approach to computer-aided analysis and design of power electronic systems, which we call simulator based approach. Most common computer aided approach is to utilize a transient simulator which is developed for power electronic systems. We give more advanced role to transient simulators. We discuss a method to develop simulator based analysis and design tools of power electronic systems. The developed tools make it possible to analyze and design target systems with considering duly their detailed models which the simulators adopt.


This study aims to determine the effect of EVA and ROI and which is better able to explain the change in Stock market's value in the companies listed in (ASE) (2006-2015), the researcher addresses a random sample consisting of (46) Company, and uses regression model, which connects the dependent and independent variables.The results of the study shows that the return on investment (ROI) is better than (EVA) to interpret the changes in Stock market's value, where the coefficient of determination (R2) for the ROI is (22.5%), while the R2 for EVA Only 1.3%.This study also recommends the need to look for additional factors that would explain the changes in stock market's value such as: the degree of leverage, systemic risks, and macroeconomic indicators such as: (interest rates and inflation).


Abstract:This article offers an innovative approach to teaching the hybrid form of chanson in an academic course where chanson and singer-songwriters (ACI) are the central focus. Conventional approaches have often been limited to the printed lyric and have omitted the singer's public image and complete performances. In this course, students analyze the lyrics and musical production of singer-songwriters, as well as their media interviews, concert performances, and music videos in an attempt to define culturally-constructed "myths" about French and Francophone identities.


The work presented here intends to bring the writer Dione Brand and the poet and teacher Sandro Ornellas closer to the aspect of reexistence, seeking to answer the question: how is reexistence present in the work of these authors? Dione Brand, a Caribbean-Canadian author, Toronto's third poet laureate, has produced a play about black women in the contemporary city that deserves attention. Both her poetry and her prose deal with the issues of black and post-colonial feminism in a strong, vibrant and contemporary way. Sandro Ornellas, professor of the Portuguese literature sector of the Federal University of Bahia, poet, brings a writing based on the drifts of subjectivity and the fatality of the body. The reexistence in Sandro Ornellas resides, first hand, not based directly on the issues tangent to ethnic-racial debates, gender or sexuality, but nevertheless, in the demands that pass through the field of solitude of the contemporary subject in front of the culture.


INTRODUCTION Head and neck cancer (HNC) is common and accounts for thousands of deaths each year. In Saudi Arabia alone hundreds of cases and deaths due to head and neck cancers are reported owing to alarmingly high consumption of tobacco and infections such as Epstein– Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) that lead to metastatic or loco-regional or viral-associated HNC. Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is most common among all HNCs in Saudi Arabia, with male predominance in having a poor survival rate. Comprehensive studies documenting extensive variables related to HNC are lacking in Saudi Arabia; hence, it is particularly important to document the clinical characteristics of this cancer, especially in the Saudi population. Therefore, the present study aimed to understand the clinical characteristics of patients with HNC treated at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC). METHODS A hospital-based retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with HNC from 2009–2018 as per the electronic medical records and treated at KFMC. All patients with histopathologically confirmed cancer at sites including oral cavity, nasopharynx, oropharynx, pharynx, larynx, sinonasal, and salivary glands were included. The endpoints were to assess tumour site of HNC, frequency of HNC based on histology, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging, and etiological factors of HNC. The pattern of treatment failure was also recorded in reference to the site of tumour recurrence as local, general or distant. RESULTS Out of 1349 patients screened, 652 were confirmed with HNC. The most common primary tumor site was the oral cavity (25.9%), followed by nasopharynx (23.8%), and larynx (17.5%). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common HNC (78.1%). Based on TNM staging, the frequency of HNC varied from stage 0 to 4, with 64.6% of patients in stage 4. Infection with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) was found in 8.5% of patients. Treatment failures were recorded in 24.3% of patients, and 62.5% of patients reported metastasis. CONCLUSIONS High tobacco consumption in the region needs to be monitored and controlled by awareness and education campaigns. Effective management of HNC with early diagnosis and treatment is required by healthcare professionals to improve the overall quality of life of HNC patients. INTRODUCTION Head and neck cancer (HNC) is considered as the ninth most common cancer worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 0.55 million annual cases of HNC occur worldwide, with around 0.30 million deaths each year1. In Saudi Arabia also, the incidence of HNC is high. According to the cancer data factsheet of Saudi Arabia, there were 769 cases registered in the HNC category in 2018, which resulted in 378 deaths. Consumption of tobacco/smokeless tobacco/alcohol, infection with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) are considered the main etiological factors leading to HNC. These factors have recently been on the rise especially in the higher age group (40–55 years) in Research Paper | Population Medicine Popul. Med. 2020;2(April):9 https://doi.org/10.18332/popmed/120072 2 the last few years around the world including Saudi Arabia2-4, leading to metastatic or locoregional or viral-associated HNC. Different malignancies that develop in or around the throat, larynx, nasopharynx, nose, sinuses and mouth are categorized under HNC5. Out of various histological types in HNC, such as blastomas, lymphomas, sarcomas and neuroendocrine tumors, the majority is of epithelial origin (squamous cell carcinoma) and accounts for more than 90% of HNCs2. Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is one of the rare forms of HNC. It has been ranked first among all HNCs in Saudi Arabia, with male predominance (male: female=2:1)6,7. Cancer of head and neck is considered difficult to understand beyond a very early stage and shows a poor survival rate of five years8. Moreover, the published incidence of distant metastases (DM) in HNC treated for squamous cell carcinoma varies between 4% and 26%9. Nevertheless, the overall rate has been improved from 52.7% in the period 1982–1986 to 65.9% during 2002–2006, which might be due to the use of advanced treatment modalities in HNC10. The HNCs are quite common in Saudi Arabia due to a very high incidence of smoking and other risk factors11. It is extremely critical to document the pattern of treatment failure, especially on the Saudi population. However, in an extensive literature search, we found that comprehensive studies documenting extensive variables related to HNC to be lacking in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to understand the clinical characteristics in patients with HNC treated at King Fahad medical city (KFMC). METHODS Study population All histopathologically confirmed patients with cancer at sites including the oral cavity, nasopharynx, oropharynx (tongue, floor of the mouth, retromolar trigone, gingiva, tonsil, and lip), pharynx, larynx, sinonasal and salivary glands were included in the study. Patients with cancer at other sites or with incomplete data were excluded from the study. Study design A hospital-based retrospective closed cohort study design was employed to assess the clinical characteristics in patients with advanced HNC treated at KFMC, which is a tertiary care center. The medical records of all the patients who were diagnosed with HNC (in the period 2009–2018) and treated at KFMC were assessed from the tumor boards at the centre and reviewed. Study endpoints The endpoints of the study were to assess the clinical characteristics (tumor site of HNC, frequency of HNC based on histology, TNM staging and etiological factors) of HNC in Saudi Arabia. Tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging was followed to categorize the different stages of the disease. The categorization of stages T0 to T4 is based on the presence of a primary tumor and its size. A tumor is categorized as T0 if there is no evidence of primary tumor. The advanced stages (T1, T2, T3 and T4) are dependent on the size of the tumor and its extension. The TNM staging varies a little in the description as per the subtype of HNC, but the basic categorization is similar for all types of HNCs12. The nodal status of the tumor is based on the involvement of lymph nodes. In N0 (nodal stage 0), no regional lymph node metastasis is involved, while in the next stages, there is metastasis at the lymph node and the size of tumor increases in more advanced stages12. The failure rates were recorded in reference to whether the recurrence was local, general or distant. Statistical analysis Data were analyzed descriptively and presented as frequency (n) and percentage (%). The statistical package for social sciences (IBM SPSS statistics 22.Ink) was used for data analysis. RESULTS Study population A total of 1349 patients were screened for HNC in KFMC in the period 2009–2018, of which 652 patients presented with HNC. Out of 652, 416 (63.8%) were males and 236 (36.2%) were females (Table 1). More than 80% (n=541; 82.9%) of the patients were of Saudi nationality while the rest (n=111; 17.1%) were non-Saudi patients (Table 1). The new cases of HNC registered at KFMC were 376 (57.6%) during the study, while 276 (42.4%) had been reported previously (Table 1). Tumor site The oral cavity was found to be the most common primary tumor site in 169 (25.9%) patients, closely followed by nasopharynx in 155 (23.8%) patients. A total of 114 (17.5%) patients were reported to have the larynx as their tumor site. The sinonasal, salivary glands, pharynx and oropharynx were also reported as tumor sites in 147 (22.6%) patients (Figure 1). Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics of the head and neck cancer patients involved in the study, Saudia Arabia (N=652)


The hearing sensitivity of children with subclinical congenital cytomegalovirus infection was evaluated and compared with that of a group of matched control subjects. Nine of the 18 infected subjec...


The idea of improving multi‐sided piecewise polynomial surfaces, by explicitly prescribing their behavior at a central surface point, allows for decoupling shape finding from enforcing local smoothness constraints. Quadratic‐Attraction Subdivision determines the completion of a quadratic expansion at the central point to attract a differentiable subdivision surface towards bounded curvature, with good shape also in‐the‐large.


Introduction: Despite mounting evidence that increased frequency and duration of hemodialysis (HD) improves outcomes, less than 1% of HD patients worldwide receive nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD). Many perceived barriers exist to providing NHD and increasing its provision.


The paper describes the concept of Fax-on-Demand and explains how it differs from other faxes and manual fax, discusses prices of Fax-on-Demand systems and their applications in document delivery services, and cites examples and experiences in the area of service. It asks the question whether libraries can use this system in their information services.


It would be useful to you today if I could enumerate clear ethical principles to guide an economist taking part in the trial of an antitrust case. But neither cases, economists, nor ethical principles work that way. Ethics refers to a moral obligation or principle of behavior and linguistically has the same root as ethnic, referring to "right conduct" for the group to which an individual belongs. I should, therefore, note at once that I am not necessarily talking about ethical principles for all economists, but about those in which I believe. I may, therefore, be considering principles for a group of one. Perhaps not.


180. Calculous Pleurisy with Serous Exudate. C. GENTZ (.4cta Med. Scand., Deceumber 28th, 1928, p. 399) agrees with the mnajority of authors that it is not unusual to find in old pleuritic adhesions patches of calcification, especially in the parietal pleura. These patches consist usually of dense calcified fibrous tissue, often presenting the appearance of bouy plaques ("pleural bones"), but actual ossification is rare. One writer states that these calciflcations usually follow tuberculous empyetma, but they often occur after non-tuberculous pleurisy. Gentz reports the case of a man, aged 48, who had had left pleurisy (? tuberculous) in 1904. Two aspirations yielded 1,350 c.cm. of clear fluid. Three years later he began to suffer from dyspnoea and vertigo without objective signs. One week before admnission dyspnoea became worse, especially at night, and there was a feeling of epigastric pressure; his general condition was good. The left hemithorax was very retracted, deformed, and almost immobile, with definite thoracic scoliosis. The heart and aorta we-e dilated and hypertrophied; the blood pressure was 210/150 mmn. Skiagratnjs showed extensive adhesions and left pleuritic calcification. Aspira4ion in the eighth interspace in the posterior axillary line miet with almost bony resistance. About 50 c.cm. of slightly flocculent greenish-yellow sterile fluid containing 2.5 per cent. of alt)umin was withdIrawn. Six days later a second aspiration yielded a similar result, an(d the subjective symptoms were relieved. In a second case, a man aged 59, andalcoholic, had acute left pleuro-pueumonia in May, 1909. Since then he had had periodic dry cough and effort-dyspnoea. He was admitted in MIarch, 1928, with a diagnosis of chronic gastritis and calculons pleurisqy. The left hemnithorax was somewhat flattened and smaller than the right, and there was poor air antry. Exploratory punpture in the anterior axillary lin-e was difficult, as the trocar struck a lamella of ivory hardness


Abstract Conducting a functional assessment and/or analysis of the variable(s) maintaining problem behavior has become best practice in applied behavior analysis, yet neither scientists nor practitioners of OBM report engaging in such behavior in a formal manner. Before offering a model from which organizational functional assessment measures could be based and anecdotes from an actual organizational case in which such an approach was utilized, the authors describe three forms of functional assessment used in applied behavior analysis and explain three potential reasons why OBM has not yet adopted the use of such techniques.


Weakest precondition based method for specification and verification of geographically distributed system is described. For this purpose spatial predicates have been defined. A distributed mutual exclusion algorithm is proposed and is used to illustrate this verification tool.


Introduction: In 2019, the Patient Autonomy Act has gone into effect, allowing Taiwanese citizens to establish an advance decision(AD) with legal effect. In an effort to secure more realistic and accurate perception of patients as the basis for them to explore their values, a VR video was developed to supplement the traditional way of decision making before advance care planning(ACP).
Methods: Participants were asked to complete pre-test questionnaires and were then asked to read a handout with information about life-sustaining treatment and the legal process of making an effective AD. Participants then viewed a six-minute 360-degree VR video on a portable VR headset with a smartphone inside to play it and then completed the post-test questionnaire followed by feedback on the help of the VR.
Results: Of the 120 participants, 71.1% had heard about of AD. The increased percentage of the certainty of their preferences for the five kinds of life-sustaining treatments before and after participants read the handout and viewed the VR video was noted.
Conclusion and Discussion: The decrease in the number of participants who couldn't make decision indicates indicate that VR video may be helpful for users to make decision and clarify users' preference. According to feedback of VR video, highly agreement also lied in its help of equipping users with better understanding of medical scenarios and it is a good decision aid tool for preparing our users before ACP.


We applied virtualization technology to server computers to form a high-availability redundant server system. At the same time, we replaced general-purpose PCs with thin-client terminals. The introduction of these technologies reduced the number of computers substantially and gave us an opportunity to develop highavailability computing systems with inexpensive management. To ensure high availability, the server computer has to be built using reliable components with redundant architecture instead of reducing the number of computers. The application-processing performance of the client OS on the host OS was greater than or equal to that a standalone server. The combination of the recent multicore architecture server and Xen hypervisor showed good performance as a result of appropriately allocating system resources to Xen Hypervisor. The thin-client system is useful for integrating widely scattered terminals into a small number of systems, which will reduce maintenance effort. The integrated virtual machine system and thin-client system use a network-attached storage system that runs under the redundant configuration.


The anaesthetic properties of steroids have been known since Hans Selye in 1942 published his results of screening 75 different steroids. The most promising compound identified at this stage was pregnanedione. Experimentation continued slowly and in 1955 P'An et al. reported their findings with hydroxydione a substance closely related to pregnanedione but with the long sodium succinate group attached to the 21C atom. It had two main drawbacks: the slow onset of anesthesia, and the production of venous thrombosis; and three advantages: water solubility, a wide safety margin due to lack of medullary depression, and postoperative euphoria and lack of sickness.


employed for testing of mucoadhesivity of the plasticized polyester. Mucin from the porcine stomach, Type III, was used as the model substrate. The maximal force for detachment of the tested material from the model substrate was determined using the Material testing machine (Zwick/Roel) with modified equipment for adhesive testing. 500.0 mg of polymeric matrix were applied on the mucin substrate spread on a support with an absorptive surface. The support was placed into a vessel containing 50.0 mL of phosphate citrate buffer pH 7.4. The sealed vessel was then immersed into a shaking water bath maintained at 37 °C, and allowed to shake at a constant frequency for 50 min–1 and with an amplitude of 22 mm. At stated time intervals the dissolution medium was withdrawn and replaced. Drug released was determined by HPLC.


Crash cushions are devices deployed on the road network in order to shield fixed roadside hazards and the non-crashworthy ends of road safety barriers. However crash cushions vary in terms of configuration and operation, meaning that different devices may also vary in terms of ability to mitigate occupant risk. In this study, data derived from crash testing of eleven redirective crash cushions is used as the base input to a numerical procedure for calculation of occupant risk indicators Occupant Impact Velocity (OIV), Occupant Ridedown Acceleration (ORA) and longitudinal Acceleration Severity Index (ASI) for a range of simulated impacting vehicles (mass 800 kg to 2,500 kg) impacting each crash cushion at a range of impact speeds (18 m/s to 32 m/s). The results may be interpreted as demonstrating firstly that enhanced knowledge of the performance of a device over a range of impact conditions, i.e., beyond the crash testing, may assist in determining the crash cushion most suited to a particular application; secondly that a more appropriate conformance test for occupant risk would be a frontal impact by a small (light) vehicle travelling parallel to and aligned with the centreline of the crash cushion; and thirdly that current documented numerical procedures for calculating occupant risk indicators may require review.


Good first-order kinetics of the degradation reaction of 1-[(N-acetyl-N-arylamino)oxy]-1-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoses (1a–d), 1-(N-arylamino)oxy-1-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranose (2a) and sodium 1-[(N-acetyl-N-phenylamino)oxy]-1-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranuronate (3a) in aqueous acidic solutions have been observed. Compounds (1a–d) and (3a) were fairly stable in neutral solution, but in aqueous acidic solutions at 20 °C these compounds decomposed to the corresponding arylamino derivatives (4a–d) and D-gluconic acid (5)[D-glucaric acid in the case of the compound (3a)]. The compound (2a) decomposed ca. 7 400 times faster than compound (1a) to the same products (4a) and (5) in the same conditions. In an alkaline solution, compounds (1a)–(3a) gave the corresponding azoxybenzene. In the acid-catalysed redox degradation reaction, the hydrolysis of the N-acetyl group of compounds (1a–d) and (3a) is considered to be the rate-determining step. The effects of pH and additives on the reaction rate are reported. The mechanism of the acid-catalysed redox fission of the N–O linkage in the above O-glycosides is discussed.


The Tremulous Private Body: Essays on Subjection by Francis Barker, London and New York: Methuen University Paperbacks, 1985, 116 pp., 1 ill, £4.50


Can. J. For. Res. 32: 183 (2002) DOI: 10.1139/X01-209 © 2002 NRC Canada Received at NRC November 21, 2001. Published on the NRC Research Press Web site at http://cjfr.nrc.ca on January 18, 2002. S.M. Holub,1 J.D.H. Spears, and K. Lajtha. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Cordley Hall 2082, Corvallis, OR 97331-2902, U.S.A. 1Corresponding author (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50


Slag splashing has been used successfully in several basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs) to enhance the campaign life. Most slag splashing practices have been established through observations of the wear and buildup on the inside of vessels during plant trials. The purpose of this paper is to predict the effects of changing operating parameters on the quantity and location of slag splashed onto the wall of a BOF. Physical modeling experiments were conducted in a 1/8-scale plexiglass model of a BOF in which splash striking the walls was collected and converted to mass flux values. A design of experiments approach was used to individually determine the effect that the number of nozzles, the nozzle angle, the momentum flow rate, the lance height, the slag depth, and the viscosity of the slag had on the mass flux of slag splashing at each location along the wall.


The dynamics of standing dead in a Stipa grandis community were investigated using phytocoenology methods.Field data including height,density,diversity and biomass of standing dead were collected.The results indicated that: 1) From the end of growing season to summer of next year,the height and density of standing dead in the S.grandis community decreased gradually along the time,and significant decreases were found in the height and density of standing dead in grazed sites.2) Species diversity of standing dead in the community tended to decrease with the time,which resulted in the lower richness of the community in non-growing season.In addition,richness and species diversity of standing dead were found to decrease in the grazed sites.3) The standing dead biomass of the community decreased apparently along the time,and significant decreases were found in standing dead biomass in grazed sites.4) The storage of carbon in the S.grandis community of fenced and grazed sites were 0.46t/hm2 and 0.07t/hm2 respectively in the end of the growing season,and grazing led to the significant decreases of the storage of carbon.


Injury rates are rising as more and more women participate in sports. Better conditioning programs offer a means of prevention.


In this research, we propose an approach to combine the image compression and the image watermarking schemes in an effective way. The image coding scheme under our consideration is EBCOT (Embedded Block Coding with Optimized Truncation) which is the basis of JPEG2000 VM (Verification Model). The watermark is embedded when the compressed bit-stream is formed, and can be detected on the fly during image decompression. With the proposed integrated method, watermark embedding and retrieval processes can be done very efficiently compared with existing watermarking schemes. The embedded watermark is robust against various signal processing attacks including compression and filtering while the resulting watermarked image maintains good perceptual quality. Furthermore, the watermark can be detected progressively and ROI (Region of Interest)-based watermarking can be easily accomplished.


Objective: To determine the frequency of movement disorders among adult ethnic Zambians referred to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Lusaka, Zambia and logged as patients with primary neurological disorders. Background: The Human Genome Project data showed that humans are identical across 99.9% of their genome. There is considerable evidence that despite being genetically identical, race and ethnicity appears to be an important factor in the prevalence and clinical characteristics of many, if not most, disorders. Literature review clearly shows that ethnicity has an essential role in the phenotypic expression of many movement disorders and their prevalence appears to be lowest amongst Africans. Patients and setting: Patients attending the neurology clinic and admitted to the UTH with various neurological disorders for 5 years (January 1999-January 2004) were analysed. We evaluated patients whose symptoms met the appropriate diagnostic criteria for movement disorders and experienced symptoms at least for three days. Results: Records were available for 4654 patients with various neurological disorders attending neurological clinic. Of the total number of patients seen, 163 (3.5%) satisfied the criteria for movement disorders. The 1 2


Growth of algae at different initial and constant pH values was studied with bulk culture.Initial pH value in BG11 culture medium was adjusted to 6.0,7.0,8.0,9.0 and 10.0 with either 0.5mol/L NaOH or 0.5mol/L HCL.Constant pH values were kept by addition of 20mmol/L bicine.Results showed that different initial pH values had slight effects on growth of algae,because pH values changed to about 10.0 after 4 days of cultivation,but different constant pH had marked effect on growth of algae.Optimal pH values for Microcystis aeruginosa,Anabaena flos-aquae and Oscillatoria planctonica were 9.0, 8.0~9.0 and 7.0~8.0 respectively while for Scendesmus obliquus,Chlorococcum sp and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were 9.0~ 10.0,7.0~8.0 and 7.0 respectively.


We reassess the well-known "narrow-but-deep" versus "broad-but-shallow" trade-off in international environmental agreements (IEAs), taking into account the principal-agent relationship induced by the hierarchical structure of international policy. To this end, we expand the modest coalition formation game, in which countries first decide on whether to join an agreement and then decide on emissions by a strategic delegation stage. In the weak delegation game, principals first decide whether to join an IEA, then delegate the domestic emission choices to an agent. Finally, agents in all countries decide on emissions. In countries not joining the IEA, agents choose emissions to maximize their own payoff, while agents of countries joining the IEA set emissions to internalize some exogenously given fraction of the externalities that own emissions cause on all members of the IEA. In the strong delegation game principals first delegate to agents, which then decide on membership and emissions. We find that strategic delegation crowds out all efforts to increase coalition sizes by less ambitious agreements in the weak delegation game, while in the strong delegation game the first-best from the principals' point of view can be achieved.


The use of fin epithelium from the tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, and the grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idelfa, was investigated to provide a rapid, non-sacrificial procedure for determining ploidy. A combination of colchicine, prolonged hypotonic treatment, dissociation of cells followed by Giemsa staining makes it possible to achieve good quality metaphase chromosome spreads using small fish without the use of sterile conditions, centrifuges or sacrificing the specimen. In situations such as the induction of triploidy or tetraploidy, it is necessary to have a quick, reliable method of assessing the results of experimental design. The technique presented in this report provides numerous, well-spread metaphase chromosomes with a tissue handling time of less than 2 h.


In support of transparency, efficiency and accountability of the reforms carried out following the principles of international financial management used. As a follow-up on the implementation of the legislation, the government has set the government regulation number 21 of 2004 which confirms that the performance-based budgeting should be supported by: (1) an integrated budget (Unified Budget); (2) medium-term expenditure framework (medium term expenditure framework) is usually called the MTEF. The study is an empirical  research that examines "How to evaluate the implementation of an integrated approach to the budget and medium-term expenditure framework to support the implementation of performance-based budgeting in Bandung  and Cimahi city government in West Java. Based on this study concludes that Unified budget as a factor supporting the implementation of performance-based budgeting has been applied to both the city government and Cimahi.Medium Term Expenditure Framework as a factor supporting the implementation of performance-based budgeting has been applied to both the Government of the city of Bandung and Cimahi.Performance-Based Budgeting Government of Bandung and Cimahi is good because factors have been applied with good support. Keywords: Unified Budget, medium term expenditure framework, performance based budgeting


Remote control and communication technology,frequency conversion technology and timing technology in water supply system of long railway lines are introduced.This system can not only solve the problem of (remote) communication and provide constant pressure to the customers but also save energy and bring good profits.


Aiming at the problems of FP arithmetic,the OLAP technology was combined with Apriori association rules,and the new arith-metic that aimed the problems of FP arithmetic was given out,which was the FP arithmetic improvement,and on the basis of analyzing thestructure of data rules with data mining,the new arithmetic's theory and its implementation steps were also developed. All of these workwas significative for researching data rules with data mining.


Abstract The continuous development of information communication technology facilitates the conventional grid in transforming into an automated modern system. Internet-of-Things solutions are used along with the evolving services of end-users to the electricity service provider for smart grid applications. In terms of various devices and machine integration, adequate authentication is the key to an accurate source and destination in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Various protocols are deployed to lead the identification between two parties, which require high computation time and communicational bit operations for system development. Therefore, Kerberos-based authentication protocols were designed in this study with the assistance of elliptic curve cryptography to manage the mutual authentication between two parties and reduce the time and bit operations. The protocols were evaluated in a widely adopted tool, AVISPA, which builds an understanding of the proposed protocol and ensures mutual authentication without unauthorized knowledge. In addition, upon comparing security and performance assessments to the current schemes, it was found that the protocol in this study required less time and bits to transmit information. Consequently, it effectively provides multiple security features making it suitable for resource constraint smart meters in AMI.


This study examines the role of indemnification clauses on intellectual property (IP) rights and products liability in the case of licensing deals. We propose that price volatility in licensing deals could be manipulated through the use of indemnification clauses. Building on market for technology literature and contract theory, we suggest that the inclusion of a single provision in technology licensing deals decreases price volatility; yet, the effect is weaken when the bundling of IP and product liability indemnification clauses increases the costs of drafting licensing contracts. Predictions are tested on data from pharmaceutical industry, disentangling the complex interrelationships and controlling for technological characteristics


A 27-year-old man presented with shortness of breath due to multiple pulmonary emboli. At post-mortem the emboli consisted entirely of secondary epithelioid sarcoma, the primary having been resected 5 years previously.


Palmprint is a novel biometric method to identify a person. Generally, there are two types of features in palmprint: structural features and statistical features. Structural features, such as lines, can characterize a palm exactly, but are difficult to be extracted and represented; while statistical features can be extracted and represented easily, but are unable to reflect the structural information of a palmprint. Since the principal features of both Chinese characters and palmprint are lines we attempt to use methods of Chinese character recognition to identify palmprint. In this paper, we use the idea of an efficient Chinese character recognition method, the directional element feature, to define a novel palmprint feature, named the fuzzy directional element energy feature (FDEEF) which is a statistical feature containing some line structural information about palmprints. It can be extracted and represented easily and, at the same time, has a strong ability to distinguish palms. Two other low-dimensional features: global fuzzy directional element energy feature and block edge energy feature are also derived from FDEEF in this paper. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this method.


Hospital accreditation is considered as an intervention performed to support patient safety and ensure high quality healthcare. Purpose: To assess the level of awareness of nursing staff and patients regarding hospital accreditation and determine the differences between the nursing staff awareness and patientsꞌ awareness regarding hospital accreditation. Design: Descriptive comparative design was utilized in this study. Setting: The study was conducted at ICU, surgical and medical departments at Menoufia University Hospitals, Shebin E Kom Teaching Hospital, National liver Institute and El Helal hospital. Sampling: A simple random sample of 448 staff nurses, 52 head nurses and 221 patients were included to participate in the study .Instruments: Nursing staff awareness and patientsꞌ awareness questionnaire. Results: the nursing staff had a moderate level of perception regarding hospital accreditation in El Helal Governmental hospital (81%) and in National Liver Hospital (NLI)(60.4%), On the other hand, nursing staff in Shebin Elkom Teaching Hospital (STH) and Menoufia University Hospitals(MUH) had a low level of perception . The nursing staff in all hospitals had not satisfied knowledge level and low level of awareness about hospital accreditation. Also, Patients in El Helal hospital had higher level of awareness and perception concerning than patients in Menoufia University hospital, Shebin ElKom Teaching hospital and National Liver Institute. El Helal patients had satisfied level of knowledge of hospital accreditation, while patients in National Liver Hospital (NLI), Shebin ElKom Teaching Hospital (STH) and Menoufia University Hospitals (MUH) had not satisfied level of knowledge in hospital accreditation. Conclusion: In the light of the present study results, the studied sample of the nursing staff had moderate level of perception of hospital accreditation in El Helal Governmental hospital and in National Liver Hospital (NLI).On the other hand, nursing staff in Shebin El-kom Teaching Hospital (STH) and Menoufia University Hospitals (MUH) had low level of perception and awareness of hospital accreditation. The patients in El Helal Governmental hospital had a moderate level of awareness, while patients in National Liver Hospital, Shebin ElKom Teaching Hospital and Menoufia University Hospitals had a low level of awareness regarding hospital accreditation. Recommendations: Healthcare organizations should develop awareness regarding hospital accreditation among nurses by integrating this concept into its core values and strategic management.


To reduce swine production costs, a slaughter check system has been developed in countries with an advanced swine industry. Evaluation of lung lesions in carcasses is a critical part of the slaughter check system. This study was performed to collect background information for use in developing a slaughter check system in Korea. Lung tissues and their gross images were collected from slaughterhouses in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Scoring of the gross lung lesions was performed on the lung images. Histopathologic examination was conducted to classify the pulmonary lesions as bronchopneumonia or interstitial pneumonia. Scores of the gross lung lesions were significantly different between bronchopneumonia and interstitial pneumonia groups (p < 0.001). A 90% confidence interval of gross lung lesion scores was established for the bronchopneumonia group, and the lesion scoring had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 77.3%. The gross lung lesion scoring test was subjected to a diagnostic distinction evaluation by examining the receiver operating characteristic curve and was appraised as having good discrimination for bronchopneumonia. Establishment of a gross lung lesion scoring test for the diagnosis of bronchopneumonia could be valuable as a screening test of macroscopic bronchopneumonia in swine slaughter check system.


Direct seeding and minimum tillage practices have been accepted worldwide as efficient tillage methods for soil and water conservation and environmental protection. To further optimize direct seeding, two major no-till opener styles (single disc and hoe type openers) were compared. Recommendations to simplify choosing suitable openers for direct seeding, based on the respective field conditions, have been worked out. The decision for a specific direct seeder is influenced by the agronomical conditions desired, as well as the theoretical field capacity of the direct seeder, whereby the collected results can be the basis for decision making.