Let Ω ⊂ Cn be a bounded convex or strictly pseudoconvex open subset. Given a separable Hilbert space K and a weak∗ closed subspace T ⊂ B(K), we show that the space H∞(Ω,T ) of all bounded holomorphic T -valued functions on Ω possesses the tensor product representation H∞(Ω, T ) = H∞(Ω)⊗T with respect to the normal spatial tensor product. As a consequence we deduce that H∞(Ω) has property Sσ. This implies that, if S ∈ B(H)n is a subnormal tuple of class A on a strictly pseudoconvex or bounded symmetric domain and T ∈ B(K)m is a commuting tuple satisfying AlgLat(T ) = AT (where AT denotes the unital dual operator algebra generated by T ), then the tensor product tuple (S ⊗ 1, 1 ⊗ T ) is reflexive. 1. Property Sσ and the reflexivity of tensor products Given a complex Hilbert space H and an arbitrary family S ⊂ B(H) of bounded linear operators, we define WS to be the smallest WOT-closed subalgebra of B(H) containing S and the identity 1H . As usual, we write Lat(S) for the set of all closed subspaces of H that are invariant under each member of S and we define AlgLat(S) to be the set of all operators C ∈ B(H) with Lat(C) ⊃ Lat(S). Obviously AlgLat(S) is a WOT-closed unital subalgebra of B(H) containing S (and hence WS). The family S is called reflexive if the identity AlgLat(S) = WS holds. For many concrete examples of reflexive systems S, the algebra WS coincides with the unital dual operator algebra AS = Alg(S ∪ {1H}) w∗ ⊂ B(H) generated by S, e.g. if S = {S} consists of a single von Neumann operator S ∈ B(H), and hence in particular if S is subnormal (Conway and Dudziak [1], Corollary 3.2), or if S is the set of all distinct components of a von Neumann ntuple (S1, . . . , Sn) ∈ B(H) of class A ∩ A1,א0 on a strictly pseudoconvex domain Received by the editors February 16, 2007, and, in revised form, August 26, 2007. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 47A15, 47B20, 47L45; Secondary 46B28, 46K50.


Recent rapid development in deep learning (DL) applications generates harsh requirements for DL inference services provided by GPU servers. On one hand, a high volume of different DL workloads always demands better processing throughput. On the other hand, GPU servers need to meet both the constraints of latency and power: each inference request must be responded in real-time with strict latency requirements; GPU servers need to be operated within a fixed power cap to prevent system failures from power overloading or overheating. Therefore, how to efficiently manage GPU resources to achieve better throughput under both latency and power constraints has become a key challenge.To address this issue, we first perform comprehensive measurements of inference tasks and have studied the impact of several critical knobs, including batch size, frequency, and GPU spatial sharing, on system performance in throughput, latency, and power. Then, we propose Morak, a multi-knob resource management framework for DL inference under the constraints of latency and power. A key mechanism of Morak is GPU resource partitioning with efficient space multiplexing for DL models. To further improve throughput, Morak efficiently explores the search space of GPU frequency and batch size under the constraints. Experiment results on a hardware testbed show that Morak can achieve as much as 67.7% throughput improvement compared with several state-of-the-art baselines under tight constraints of latency and power.


Today, Isla Cedros is remote from major population centers of northwestern Mexico and the American Southwest, but before European contact and throughout the Colonial Period, it was a well-known location to both indigenous peoples and Europeans. Today, a local fishing cooperative shares the island with a massive Mitsubishi Corporation/Mexican government–owned salttransshipment facility. Far from representing a cautionary tale of excessive development and environmental degradation, Isla Cedros is one of the few places on the globe where human harvesting of marine resources has not yet resulted in an ecological collapse. It is a place where paradoxes abound and allows an alternative view of human interaction with marine and insular ecosystems. Both shortand long-term environmental variation characterizes this ecologically transitional region, and the adaptability of both its human and nonhuman inhabitants presents insights into the possibility of a ''commons'' without tragedy. Issues of exclusive use rights, short-periodicity variation, localized effects on resources due to sea-level rise, and sustainable socioeconomic systems can be addressed in an examination of Isla Cedros, Huamalgua, the Island of Fogs. This island setting presents us with challenges to many underexamined assumptions. In essence, it refuses easy categorization, instead offering at least some alternative perspectives for future historical ecological research of broad relevance to coastal and island settings worldwide. At first glance, Isla Cedros (Figure 1) appears to embody the age-old concept of a desert island: dry, rocky, and geographically remote from modern population centers. Even the modern occupants, fishermen and salt-dock workers, refer to their home as ''El Piedron'' (''The Rock''). However, through a unique combination of a rich and robust marine ecology, surprisingly abundant sources of potable water, and an adequate base of terrestrial resources, Isla Cedros has been one of the most densely occupied areas of central Baja California for at least the last 2,000 years, if not longer. Occupation of the island extends back at least 12,000 calendar years (Des Lauriers 2006, 2008), and human populations on the island certainly experienced the full scope of Holocene climatic shifts, while never abandoning ''the Rock.'' For reasons linked to geography, demography, and ecology, the responses of those populations to such changes may have varied from those of communities occupying other portions of the Pacific coast of North America. Drawing upon archaeology, historical documents, ethnography of contemporary local fishermen, and basic ecological data, a fascinating image emerges of this unique island and a complex ecological history, which both shaped and was shaped by the actions of its long sequence of occupants. Far from confirming standard notions about Baja CaliPacific Science (2009), vol. 63, no. 4:649–672 : 2009 by University of Hawai'i Press All rights reserved 1 The research partially described here was conducted with the authorization and support of the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia de Mexico (INAH) and funded by grants from the National Science Foundation; University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States; and the Graduate Division of the University of California, Riverside. Manuscript accepted 22 December 2008. 2 Department of Anthropology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California 91330 (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). Figure 1. Isla Cedros in both regional and continental context. fornia, islands, or human impacts on littoral resources, Isla Cedros presents us with challenges to many underexamined assumptions. Among these are assumed negative consequences of human exploitation of natural resources and the presumption that the cumulative result of individually centered decision making is the best way to model patterns of human behavior in all societies for all time periods. The history and archaeology of Isla Cedros refuse easy categorization, instead offering at least one alternative perspective for future historical ecological research of broad relevance to coastal and island settings worldwide ( Jackson et al. 2001, Steneck et al. 2002, Van der Leeuw and Redman 2002, Balée 2006, Rick 2007). island oasis: geographic and historical factors After the precontact period of indigenous history, Spanish explorers (Mathes 1968, Montané-Martı́ 1995), missionaries (Des Lauriers and Garcı́a–Des Lauriers 2006), American and Russo-Aleut sea-mammal hunters (Ogden 1941), pirates, California miners (Veatch 1869), Chinese and GermanJapanese fishing operations (McVicar 1964) all visited and exploited the island's resources over the last 500 years. It is from the maps of Sebastian Vizcaı́no, who was sent at the dawn of the seventeenth century to chart the coast of the Californias by the viceroy of New Spain, that the title of this article is drawn. The handwritten comment ''Good Water and Firewood'' is noted for at least seven locations around the coast of Isla Cedros, and accompanying documents remark on the abundance and ease of access to both resources for mariners (Mathes 1968). Correspondence by the Jesuit Sigismundo Taraval (Des Lauriers and Garcı́a–Des Lauriers 2006) dating to 1732 indicates a strong community orientation of native society on Isla Cedros, with some leadership roles and ritual specialists but relatively few hierarchical tiers of status visible to European observers. The rapid, violent, and collective opposition to attempted landings by Spanish explorers (Wagner 1929, Montané-Martı́ 1995) is one of the most consistent items mentioned in the accounts, and such descriptions clearly indicate a level of organized response by the indigenous communities. During the sixteenth though the nineteenth centuries, the use of Isla Cedros as a base for sea-mammal hunters (Ogden 1941), Chinese and Japanese fishermen (McVicar 1964), and other apocryphal stories of pirates and galleon crews is well documented and a fascinating story of the roots and processes of globalization in the eastern Pacific. But why was such a rugged and seemingly inhospitable island such a nexus of indigenous and colonial activity? The answer is simple—water. Quite the opposite of Coleridge's dilemma, Isla Cedros represents an anomalous hydrological situation, and it was this factor in the historical ecology of the island that enabled so many of the other systems to emerge and processes to unfold. In the arid terrain of central Baja California, water is perhaps the most critical resource, and the one in shortest supply. Isla Cedros is a geographic paradox. The adjacent mainland coast has the fewest potable water sources along the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula, but Isla Cedros itself is well provided with numerous springs, seeps, and tanks (Figure 2). The modern port town for the local fishing cooperative (Pescadores Nacionales de Abulon), which houses around 1,200 residents, receives all of its water from one major spring located high on the slopes of Monte Cedros, the 1,330 m high peak in the center of the island. This abundance in the midst of scarcity was a critical factor throughout the indigenous history of Isla Cedros, continued right through the historic period, with Manila galleons, otter hunters, miners, and travelers taking advantage of the island's abundant water. For the earliest indigenous colonizing groups, the presence of reliable water may have made Cedros an ideal location to stage further exploration and would undoubtedly have resulted in the island being a ''known location'' from a very early date (Mathes 1968, Montané-Martı́ 1995). Spanish (and other European) mariners may Isla Cedros, Baja California . Des Lauriers 651


' - International Journal of Research and Method in Education 'This book is especially beneficial in terms of its breadth of discussion on the legal, ethical ...


Obstetric brachial plexus palsy affects one in 2000 newborns; 10 percent of them need early or secondary surgical reconstruction. In direct plexus repair, the sensory and motor reanimation of the hand is the main goal, followed by elbow flexion and shoulder stability and motion. The shoulder is under the control of many muscles and, mainly, three nerves: the axillary nerve (for the deltoid muscle, participating in abduction), the suprascapular nerve (innervating the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles, the latter responsible for lateral rotation of the humerus) and the dorsal scapular nerve (for the rhomboid muscles participating in scapular stabilization). The rotational balance in the shoulder is very important, as general motion patterns are completely different in a medially rotated arm. The "trumpet sign" well known in these children indicates that elbow flexion is executed with an abducted arm and a pronated forearm (Fig. 1). As many children suffering obstetric brachial plexus palsy with or without direct plexus repair present a medial rotation position or contracture of the shoulder,1 the reanimation of lateral rotation of the shoulder to prevent these deformities is an important goal. This particular field of reconstructive surgery of the shoulder function includes various procedures such as contracture releases (the anterior release with coracoid shortening osteotomy and subscapular tendon lenghtening1) and tendon transfers (proximal latissimus dorsi tendon rerouting, combined transfer of teres major and latissimus dorsi).4 The suprascapular nerve is the first motor branch exiting the upper trunk and is topographically located in the center of any obstetric brachial plexus lesion. In children younger than 18 months, when the other motor functions have well recovered, an extraplexic neurotization of a non-reinnervated suprascapular nerve may be proposed, allowing recovery of the infraspinatus muscle, thus recreating the functional balance between lateral and medial rotators to the glenohumeral joint. This may be part of a standard brachial plexus exploration and reconstruction by an anterior supraclavicular approach2,3,5 or be realized by an individual dorsal approach. We describe here the dorsal approach to the suprascapular nerve and its extraplexic neurotization by the distal branch of the accessory nerve. We discuss the technical details, advantages, and indications of this technique in our personal experience.


Civilian Airborne Networks capable of providing network connectivity to users onboard aircraft and users on the ground may soon be viable. We propose a novel airborne network architecture consisting of commercial aircraft and ground station gateways inter-connected with Free-Space Optical Communications (FSOC) links to form a high-bandwidth mesh network. The use of directional FSOC links necessitates explicit topology control, where a protocol must manage which links will point at one another to form connections. The algorithm used by the topology control protocol to form topologies must have low computation time, and must compute topologies that are robust, inclusive, and contain short paths between nodes. We use FAA flight path data for the aircraft en route within the continental United States during a 24-hour period to analyze the properties of airborne mesh networks, and compare candidate topology algorithms. In our simulation an airborne network with ground stations was able to continuously connect over 98% of the air-craft into a mesh network using FSOC links. We propose two new topology algorithms (DCTRT and DCKruskal+Long) which are extensions to existing algorithms. DCKruskal+Long appears to perform best for the metrics measured.


Electron microprobe analyses of nine ilmenites f r o m a sulphide ore deposit at Säviä, Pielavesi are given. For comparison, two i lmenite analyses, one f rom an ore errat ic and one f r o m Säviä schists, are included. The MnO content of the i lmenites f r o m the sulphide ore is as much as 16.6 wt. per cent. The manganoan i lmenite forms a myrmeki t ic in tergrowth wi th sulphide minerals . Associated minerals a re magnet i te (0.3 wt. per cent TiO»), cassiterite, f e r roan gahni te (54.3 mole per cent ZnAlgOi) and garnet (30.6 mole per cent spessartine). The enr ichment of Mn in i lmenite is assumed to be caused by hydro thermal activity during the format ion of the Säviä ore.


Cascaded multilevel inverters could realize high-voltage output based on a series connection of power cells which use standard low-voltage component configurations. This characteristic could achieve high-quality output voltage waveforms and input current waveforms. These merits are made for motor control, especially in the field of speed-sensorless vector control of induction motor based on the theory of MRAS. This paper constructs a simulation system with the help of MATLB/SIMULINK and a system combined cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter with induction motor with the help of DSP and FPGA. The simulation and experiment results verified the superiority of cascaded multilevel inverter applied on the MRAS speed-sensorless vector control of induction motor.


A generalisation of the ECM algorithm (Meng & Rubin, 1993), which is itselfan extension of the EM algorithm (Dempster, Laird & Rubin, 1977), can be obtained by replacing some CM-steps of ECM, which maximise the constrained expected complete-data loglikelihood function, with steps that maximise the correspondingly constrained actual likelihood function. This algorithm, which we call ECME algorithm, for Expectation /Conditional Maximisation Either, shares with both EM and ECM their stable monotone convergence and basic simplicity of implementation relative to competing faster converging methods. Moreover, ECME can have a substantially faster convergence rate than either EM or ECM, measured using either the number of iterations or actual computer time


The common problems in the current professional teaching team construction in agriculture high-vocational college were analyzed.The teaching team improvement path was put forward,so as to provide references for the construction of agriculture high-vocational college teaching team,promote the sustainable and healthy development of agriculture high-vocational college teaching team.


This paper presents a compact length-dependent saturation current (Idsat) model for deep-submicron MOSFET's based on accurate modeling of the threshold voltage (Vth). The proposed unified model has considered all the important two-dimensional (2-D) short-channel effects, such as Vth roll-up and roll-off, drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL), transverse-field mobility degradation and series resistance. The unique feature of the compact model is its ability to correlate to process variations such as implantation dose and energy. The model is verified with measured Idsat data for various bias conditions and process split-run.


The foundation of Dalong Water Control Project is constructed with the method of filling sand between upstream and downstream berms;of which the filled sand mainly consists of the medium-coarse sand with high content and large size gravel.The structure of the stratum with the thickness of about 5 m above the original riverbed is quite loose and then has to be treated by the vibroflotation compaction,so as to meet the compactness required by the design.Therefore,the experiment on the vibroflotation and the construction techniques,testing standards and effects concerned for the project are described herein.


Introduction: liver transplantation (LT) is considered as salvage therapy for those with irreversible liver failure. Malnutrition is prevalent in transplanted patient's pre and post transplantation. Objective: to analyze the nutritional status of patients post living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) by using different nutritional assessment tools with nutritional modification in order to improve the outcomes post liver transplantation. Materials and methods: Our prospective cohort study was conducted on 30 who underwent liver transplantation before the study, they were nutritionally assessed through different nutritional scores and anthropometric parameters with application of nutritional modification. Results: ALT and AST decreased significantly and normalized at 6 months with p-value .025, .036; respectively. HbA1c, fasting blood sugar and post prandial blood sugar levels decreased after 6 months. There was statistically significant improvement in lipid profile after 3 and 6 months with nutritional modification. There was significant improvement (p= 0.017) in metabolic syndrome. There is correlation between numbers of years from transplantation and appearance of metabolic syndrome Regarding dyslipidemia, there was significant improvement after 6 months (p< 0.001).CAP study showed improvement (p= 0.014).


Here, we present the draft genome sequence for Corynebacterium coyleae UMB8490, isolated from the catheterized urine of a female with overactive bladder symptoms. The size of the genome is 2,483,223 bp assembled in 62 contigs with an observed GC content of 61.42%. ABSTRACT Here, we present the draft genome sequence for Corynebacterium coyleae UMB8490, isolated from the catheterized urine of a female with overactive bladder symptoms. The size of the genome is 2,483,223 bp assembled in 62 contigs with an observed GC content of 61.42%.


Behavioral responses to light indirectly affect cardiovascular output, but in anesthetized rodents a direct effect of light on heart rate has also been described. Both the basis for this response and the contribution of rods, cones and melanopsin‐based photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs) remains unknown. To understand how light acutely regulates heart rate we studied responses to light in mice lacking all rod and cone photoreceptors (rd/rd cl ) along with wild‐type controls. Our initial experiments delivered light to anesthetized mice at Zeitgeber time (ZT)16 (4 h after lights off, mid‐activity phase) and produced an increase in heart rate in wild‐type mice, but not in rd/rd cl animals. By contrast, parallel experiments in freely‐moving mice demonstrated that light exposure at this time suppressed heart rate and activity in both genotypes. Because of the effects of anesthesia, all subsequent studies were conducted in freely‐moving animals. The effects of light were also assessed at ZT6 (mid‐rest phase). At this timepoint, wild‐type mice showed an irradiance‐dependent increase in heart rate and activity. By contrast, rd/rd cl mice failed to show any modulation of heart rate or activity, even at very high irradiances. Increases in heart rate preceded increases in locomotor activity and remained elevated when locomotor activity ceased, suggesting that these two responses are at least partially uncoupled. Collectively, our results show an acute and phase‐dependent effect of light on cardiovascular output in mice. Surprisingly, this irradiance detection response is dependent upon rod and cone photoreceptors, with no apparent contribution from melanopsin pRGCs.


Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of free radical scavenger(FRS) combined with hyperbaric oxygen(HBO) therapy on vascular cognitive impairment(VCI).Methods:A total of 164 patients with VCI were randomly divided into three treatment groups,i.e.,HBO group,FRS group,and HBO/FRS combination group,and a control group.The clinical effects were evaluated based on the scores of mini-mental state examination(MMSE) and activity of daily living(ADL) scale before and after treatment.Results:The HBO group,FRS group,and HBO/FRS combination group all showed significantly increased MMSE and ADL scores after treatment,better than the control group on the two measures.In addition,the above scores in the HBO/FRS combination group were higher than those in each of HBO group and FRS group.Conclusions:FRS combined HBO therapy can improve MMSE and ADL scores significantly in patients with VCI,showing better clinical effects,and holds promise for clinical application.


The pectin of African star apple (Chrysophyllum delevoyi) and purple star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito) were extracted using the alkaline hydrolysis method to produce pineapple jam. The jam so produced was used to compare with that of synthetic pectin which was used as a standard. From the analysis of both sensory evaluation and chemical analysis, the result showed that viscosity increased with addition of pectin to jam from 2.25- 3.01 Cp from peels of purple star apple and synthetic pectin respectively. The pH of the jam samples was generally acidic ranging from 3.58 to 3.81. The total dissolved sugar ranged from 55 to 78o Brix. The total titrable acidity varied from 27% to 34% and the ash content ranged from 3.8% to 4.2%; the ascorbic acid content varied from 8.2% to 9.2%mg/1 00g. Finally the total solid varied from 66% to 73%. Experimental result statistically, showed that there was significant difference (p≤0.05) on appearance, spread ability, mouth feel, taste and overall acceptability. However, no differences existed for texture and aroma at p≥0.05.Thus, these fruits could be successfully utilized in the production of fruit preserves.


We present new B and I CCD and H I observations of the system in the Virgo Cluster composed of the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 7636 and the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4472. These observations strongly suggest that both ram-pressure and tidal stripping have occurred in this system. The H I gas between the two galaxies has been stripped from UGC 7636. Its M(H I)/L B ratio is 0.26 M ○ ./L B○ ., in the range observed for dwarf irregulars. Ram-pressure stripping of the H I gas from the dwarf is suggested by the large velocity width (Δv 50 ∼110 km s −1 ) of the spatially extended H I envelope


[reaction: see text] N-Confused porphyrin (NCP) bearing pentafluorophenyl groups at meso-positions, which were obtained from N-confused dipyrromethane in ca. 20% yield, can form Cu(II) complex as well as Ag(III), Ni(II), and Pd(II) complexes. The square-planar structures of all these metal complexes were elucidated by X-ray single-crystal analyses.


Abstract
 This chapter contains questions about the structure of biological communities, their development over time, and the interactions between the species living within them, especially competition, niche separation and predation.


This thesis aims to address two problems; one in ultrasound elastography and one in image registration. The first problem entails estimation of tissue displacement in Ultrasound Elastography (UE). UE is an emerging technique used to estimate mechanical properties of tissue. It involves calculating the displacement field between two ultrasound Radio Frequency (RF) frames taken before and after a tissue deformation. A common way to calculate the displacement is to use correlation based approaches. However, these approaches fail in the presence of signal decorrelation. To address this issue, Dynamic Programming was used to find the optimum displacement using all the information on the RF-line. Although taking this approach improved the results, some failures persisted. In this thesis, we have formulated the DP method on a tree. Doing so allows for more information to be used for estimating the displacement and therefore reducing the error. We evaluated our method on simulation, phantom and real patient data. Our results shows that the proposed method outperforms the previous method in terms of accuracy with small added computational cost.

In this work, we also address a problem in image registration. Although there is a vast literature in image registration, quality evaluation of registration is a field that has not received as much attention. This evaluation becomes even more crucial in medical imaging due to the sensitive nature of the field. We have addressed the said problem in the context of ultrasound guided radiotherapy. Image guidance has become an important part of radiotherapy wherein image registration is a critical step. Therefore, an evaluation of this registration can play an important role in the outcome of the therapy. In this work, we propose using both bootstrapping and supervised learning methods to evaluate the registration. We test our methods on 2D and 3D data acquired from phantom and patients. According to our results, both methods perform well while having advantages and disadvantages over one another. Supervised learning methods offer more accuracy and less computation time. On the other hand, for bootstrapping, no training data is required and also offers more sensitivity.


Polyphenols from cocoa have been demonstrated to reduce blood pressure and improve endothelial function in hypertensive individuals. However, polyphenols content in commercial cocoa products may be lost during fermentation, alkalinization, and/or roasting process, impairing its bioactivity. Therefore, the current study sought to investigate whether total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity are preserved among commercial cocoa powders. Four best-selling 100% cocoa powder products in Brazil (Garoto®, Nestle®, Mae Terra®, and Hershey®) and one alkalinized 100% cocoa powder product (Hershey®) were examined. The total polyphenols content was determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu's phenol reagent and antioxidant capacity by using 22,2'-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) method. No significant difference in total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity among the brand of natural powder products (Garoto®, Nestle®, Mae Terra®, and Hershey®) was observed. However, Alkalinized cocoa powder (Hershey®) exhibited significantly lower total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity compared to other brands of natural cocoa powder products. The current study showed that total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity are consistent between natural cocoa powder products. However, total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of cocoa are reduced during the alkalinization process.


This article aims to investigate the issue of quality of life in the context of an attention-grabbing phenomenon – social withdrawal of youth in Japan. The s concept of quality of life is scrutinized at three levels: 1) the level of individual, 2) the level of family and 3) the level of community. In conclusion, the concept of "quality of life" is not only the indicator of personal or communal well-being (or its decline), but might also be used as "litmus paper" showing emerging transformation of values in the given culture.


This study aims to develop learning devices, especially in the evaluation section of science learning in junior high school, which in turn after being implemented in the classroom is expected to develop 21st century skills of students. In particular, this study aims to, 1) identify science learning evaluation tools made by teachers so that they obtain a clear picture of the profile of the evaluation tool, 2) develop a junior high school science learning evaluation tool that supports 21st century skills. This research includes development research in four stages, namely: decide, design, develop, and evaluate. The results of this study indicate that the tools developed by the teacher are in complete category, the learning objectives are clear, although the stages in part still need to be improved. Learning evaluation instruments developed by the teacher have met the principles of assessment, the presentation is in accordance with the curriculum, the sentence in the question is quite communicative, uses good and correct language and does not cause multiple interpretations. However, the majority of questions made by teachers still measure low-level thinking skills. This is because teachers have not been trained in developing questions that measure high-level thinking skills. An evaluation tool that was then developed together with the teacher was intended to perfect the shortcomings of the previous evaluation toolKeywords: 21st Century Skills, Learning Evaluation Tools, Middle School Science


This paper describes the development of recommended revisions to the intersection sight distance policy of the 1994 AASHTO Green Book, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets. The conclusions are based on field observations of driver behavior at a variety of selected at-grade intersections, including those with no control, with minor-road Yield control, and with minor-road Stop control. Current AASHTO intersection sight distance procedures are intended to provide adequate sight distance at intersections to promote safe and efficient traffic operations. The recommended revisions to the AASHTO Green Book developed during this research were presented to the AASHTO Task Force on Geometric Design at the Summer 1996 meeting as the first step towards possible AASHTO adoption. Those recommendations were reordered from the Case I through Case V format of the 1994 Green Book because the recommended sight distance for Yield-controlled intersections, currently Case II, depends in part on the recommended model for Stop-controlled intersections, currently Case III. Recommended sight distance policies are presented for the following situations: Case A. Intersections with no control; Case B. Intersections with Stop control on the minor road; Case B1. Left turns from the minor road; Case B2. Right turns from the minor road; Case B3. Crossing maneuver from the minor road; Case C. Intersections with Yield control on the minor road; Case C1. Crossing maneuver from the minor road; Case C2. Left or right turns from the minor road; Case D. Intersections with traffic signal control; Case E. Intersections with all-way Stop control; Case F. Left turns from a major road.


INTRODUCTION Bulgaria has a variety of mineral waters with temperatures up to 100C. Thermal waters with high alkalinity and low level of TDS are predominant. The country is situated at the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula and is an heir of ancient civilizations. There are extremely good bio-climatic resources which combined with the existing ancient Mediterranean traditions in thermal water use, provide a base for the balneological development in the country. A number of large spa resorts have developed in places of old Thracian or Roman residential areas, like: Sandanski, Kjusten-dil, Hisarja, Velingrad, Sapareva Banja, etc. Even the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia, was established close to thermal springs with temperature interval of 20C-50C, by Thracian tribes in third century BC. The most active development of our spa system is in the time period of 1970-1980. Until 1990, about 40 resorts of local and national significance were actively operating in Bulgaria. In these spas, a wide range of diseases are treated using scientific methods and programs, confirmed by a longterm professional experience. The economical and social changes in our country during the transition period towards the free market economy led to a drastic decrease in the governmental subsidies for balneology, and to a deterioration of some of the resorts and even to a closure of some. The Bulgarian spas are under the Ministry of Health governance, and their sponsoring, management and exploitation will be done according to the new laws and regulations in the country. In most Bulgarian spas, the thermal waters are not used to their fullest potential. This is especially true in the case of high temperature reservoirs (T>70C); where, the water is left in open tanks to cool down to the desired temperature or is mixed with expensive cold tap water. In this way, the water's mineral composition has been changed and its healing agents have been diminished. At the same time, the buildings are heated with conventional fossil fuel boilers, usually coal or oil. This gives a situation of reduced efficiency of the mineral application, wasted energy and locally polluted environment. Up until the 1980, thermal water was only partially used for health and recreational bathing, washing, swimming pools, greenhouses, bottling of potable water and soft drinks production, derivatives, etc. After the 1980s, modern systems for space heating, air conditioning and ventilation, indoor and outdoor swimming pools have been constructed. Most of the geothermal


: Objectives: To determine the frequency of deaths in hepatitis C virus infected hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and its relationship with raised serum alpha-fetoprotein levels. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Services hospital, Lahore from June, 2018 to May, 2019 and comprised all patients diagnosed with hepatitis C virus and hepatocellular carcinoma over 30 years of age. Blood sample was drawn for the measurement of serum Alfa fetoprotein levels. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: The mean age of the 165 patients was55.49±11.67 years. The mean tumor size was 5.63 ± 2.14cm. Of the total, 31(18.8%) patients had tumor size <3cm, 65(39.4%) 3-5cm and 69(41.8%) >5cm. The mean serum Alfa fetoprotein level was 7641.0±3665.32 IU/ml. Overall mortality rate was 70(41.9%). Tumor size >5cm was significantly associated with mortality (p=0.016). Conclusion: Serum Alfa fetoprotein levels were a useful tool for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma in hepatitis C virus patients.


Caste or communal based political movements become the order of the day in Indian politics. Political parties have today become submissive to the communal factions owing to their vote bank politics and the communal factions become pressure groups in politics.Majority of the caste and communal based consolidation movements emerged as a result of the ruling parties' partisan approaches. Kerala is not an exception. Hindu Mahamandalam the first Hindu consolidation movement in Kerala which was formed even before the state formation had its genesis due to the appeasement of minority communities by the ruling Congress Party. But the mission of Hindu consolidation never became a reality due to the presence of deep-rooted caste feelings among the Hindus. Emergence of the BJP in the electoral scenario of state politics helped to boost the mission to certain extent


Neustaedter (1), using 120 mg. of synthetic αestradiol and 900 to 1200 mg. of pregneninolone, both given by mouth, was able to produce proliferation and subsequent secretory changes in the endometrium of 6 women, ranging in age from 22 to 40 years, who had been surgically castrated. The present study was made to determine whether similar changes could be produced in women in the menopause after bleeding had ceased spontaneously for a considerable length of time, in these instances, from 1 to 7.5 years, and in whom marked atrophy of the uterus, cervix and vagina was present. Six patients were studied. AU had atrophic or resting endometrium prior to treatment. In 3 cases there was such a marked atrophy of the endometrium that it was impossible to obtain endometrial tissue for premedication biopsies, even after vigorous curettage. The patients were given an ointment containing 1 mg. of synthetic a-estradiol per gm. of ointment, and were instructed to use it by inunction, from 1 to 2 gm. daily for 1 month.


Review(s) of: In the face of death: Professionals who care for the dying and the bereaved, by Danai Papadatou (2009), 360pp. ISBN: 78-082610256-0 New York: Springer Publishing Company AUD $73.95 (incl. GST).


AuNRs Synthesis GOAL: Synthesis of AuNRs with the aim to obtain strongly hydrophilic anisotropic nanomaterials, suitable for drug delivery and photothermal therapy. AuNRs were synthetized by seed mediated methods in two steps and after carefully purification they were investigated by means of UV-Vis-NIR Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Synchrotron Radiation induced X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (SR-XPS). Moreover, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) observations confirmed the nanosize, useful for biomedical applications.


Behaviour is considered to be compulsive when it is performed automatically regardless of whether it results in deleterious consequences. Although most prominently associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, compulsivity is also present in a host of other psychiatric disorders and likely represents a trans-diagnostic trait with shared dysfunctional circuitry (Gillan et al., 2016a). Despite this, no single treatment shows anticompulsive efficacy across disorders, and disorder-specific treatments are not particularly efficacious either (Grant et al., 2016). This may be because different circuitry parameters are disrupted in different disorders, but result in similar behavioural outcomes, therefore a treatment targeting one parameter will not alleviate dysfunction caused by alterations in a different parameter. This thesis investigates the circuitry of compulsivity by administering drugs that differentially target these parameters to rats undergoing associative learning tasks shown to be dependent on this neural circuitry.

We found that the acute administration of phencyclidine – a drug which models the psychotic state (by blocking NMDA receptors; Rafter et al., 2016) – promoted compulsive approach towards a formerly rewarded stimulus but not compulsive avoidance to a formerly unrewarded stimulus. We also found that administration of this drug to neonatal pups in combination with adolescent social isolation led to the opposite effect, that is, reduced compulsive approach towards a formerly rewarded stimulus once it became unrewarded. Administration of a serotonin 5-HT2C receptor antagonist (a putative anti-compulsive agent) had no effect on choices but accelerated the speed of responding. Meanwhile intra-orbitofrontal cortex infusion of the dopamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine or the serotonin neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine failed to reliably induce neurotransmitter depletion, and subsequently had no effect on any behavioural measure.

These findings suggest that targeting glutamate systems upstream of dopamine and serotonin systems may result in better treatment outcomes for compulsivity driven by formerly reinforced associations, e.g. in delusions, behavioural addictions, and drug addiction.


J. Parra-Robles, W. Dominguez Viqueira, A. Ouriadov, W. Lam, N. Abdeen, G. E. Santyr Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada, Department of Physics, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Introduction In Hyperpolarized Noble Gas (HNG) MR imaging, the available magnetization is independent of magnetic field strength. Furthermore, above a cut-off Larmor frequency when the sample (i.e. body) noise dominates the RF coil noise [1], the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is expected to decrease with field for band-matched imaging due to a reduction in the transverse relaxation time, T2* [2]. The optimum field strength depends on the sample/coil size and geometry and for human lungs, is predicted to correspond to intermediate field strengths (0.1-0.5 T). However, this SNR maximum does not occur until much higher fields (> 3T) for small coils typically used for small animal imaging. The validity of this SNR model has been previously demonstrated in vitro (using desiccated rat lungs), using xenon for field strengths up to 1.89 T (22.17 MHz) [2]. The SNR in vivo is expected to be different at higher fields due to the strong shortening of the transverse relaxation time with increasing susceptibility originating from tissue water. In this work the magnetic field strength dependence of the SNR for imaging of small animal lungs in vivo is experimentally verified for rat lung images and spectra obtained at 17 mT and 1.89 T using xenon gas and at 3T using helium. In order to estimate the field strength giving optimal SNR, the ratio of noise contributions between the coil and the sample is theoretically predicted and experimentally measured for a range of resonant frequencies and coil and sample sizes. Methods The loading factors of six birdcage coils (Morris Instruments, Ottawa, Canada) used for rat and mice imaging were theoretically calculated and experimentally measured. Four rat-sized coils (with radius a= 6 cm, height h= 12 cm and made from copper strips of width w= 12 mm) designed for Larmor frequencies of 22, 35, 80 and 97 MHz and two mouse-sized coils (a=1.75 cm, h= 5.5 cm and w= 6 mm) operating at 97 and 126 MHz were used. Phantoms that simulated the loading of the coils with rats and mice of varying sizes were built from cylindrical plastic tubes. To simulate different animal sizes, two phantoms containing 350 and 500 ml saline solution were used to load the rat coils. With the mouse coil, the phantoms contained 20, 25 and 30 ml saline. The loading factors (lf) were experimentally determined from the quality factors of the empty coil (QU) and the coil loaded with a sample (QL) as lf= 1-QL/QU. The Q values were measured using an Agilent 4395A (Agilent, Palo Alto, CA) spectrum/network/impedance analyzer [1]. The theoretical loading factors were calculated from theoretical estimates of the coil resistant (RC) and the equivalent sample resistance (RS) as lf= RS/(RC+RS). The RC and RS values were calculated as [3, 6]: [ ] 2 / 1 0 0 / 2 ) 4 8 ( ω μ ρ π ρ


An active balun using current steering for phase correction is presented. The proposed active balun is constructed with two different unit balun structures based on current steering to reduce phase and amplitude errors. This type of topology can be compared with the conventional phase and amplitude correction techniques which do not incorporate the current steering. Designed and fabricated active balun in 0.18 μm CMOS process operates over 0.95 - 1.45 GHz band, showing input reflection coefficient under -15 dB, phase error of 11˚ and gain error of 0.5 dB. Gain is measured to be 0.3 dB maximum and power consumption of 7.2 mW is measured.


The role of operational tasks in defining operational alignment elements forming NG Ukraine and their battle staff. An option grouping of operational and territorial associations NG Ukraine to perform tasks of defense.


The present invention is continuous deformation magnesium alloy extruding method, and belongs to the field of non-ferrous metal plastic forming technology. The technological scheme includes extruding deformation magnesium alloy wire blank in a continuous rotary extruder and regulating the contact surface length and running interval between the extruding wheel and the block so as to produce extrusion force between the deformation magnesium alloy blank and the rotary extruding wheel and friction heat for extruding the blank in the mold into product in continuous great shearing deformation mode. The product of the present invention may be used widely in aerospace, aviation, communication, computer, traffic and other fields.


Abstract. Satellite observations of dry-column methane mixing
ratios (XCH4) from shortwave infrared (SWIR) solar backscatter
radiation provide a powerful resource to quantify methane emissions in
service of climate action. The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), launched in October 2017,
provides global daily coverage at a 5.5 × 7 km2 (nadir) pixel
resolution, but its methane retrievals can suffer from biases associated with
SWIR surface albedo, scattering from aerosols and cirrus clouds, and
across-track variability (striping). The Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) instrument, launched in 2009,
has better spectral characteristics and its methane retrieval is much less
subject to biases, but its data density is 250 times sparser than TROPOMI.
Here, we present a blended TROPOMI+GOSAT methane product obtained by
training a machine learning (ML) model to predict the difference between
TROPOMI and GOSAT co-located measurements, using only predictor variables
included in the TROPOMI retrieval, and then applying the correction to the
complete TROPOMI record from April 2018 to present. We find that the largest corrections are associated with coarse aerosol particles, high SWIR surface
albedo, and across-track pixel index. Our blended product corrects a
systematic difference between TROPOMI and GOSAT over water, and it features
corrections exceeding 10 ppb over arid land, persistently cloudy regions,
and high northern latitudes. It reduces the TROPOMI spatially variable bias
over land (referenced to GOSAT data) from 14.3 to 10.4 ppb at a
0.25∘ × 0.3125∘ resolution. Validation
with Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) ground-based column measurements shows reductions in variable
bias compared with the original TROPOMI data from 4.7 to 4.4 ppb and in
single-retrieval precision from 14.5 to 11.9 ppb. TCCON data are all in
locations with a SWIR surface albedo below 0.4 (where TROPOMI biases tend to be
relatively low), but they confirm the dependence of TROPOMI biases on SWIR
surface albedo and coarse aerosol particles, as well as the reduction of
these biases in the blended product. Fine-scale inspection of the Arabian
Peninsula shows that a number of hotspots in the original TROPOMI data are
removed as artifacts in the blended product. The blended product also
corrects striping and aerosol/cloud biases in single-orbit TROPOMI data,
enabling better detection and quantification of ultra-emitters. Residual
coastal biases can be removed by applying additional filters. The ML method
presented here can be applied more generally to validate and correct data
from any new satellite instrument by reference to a more established
instrument.


The elbow is a challenging region to reconstruct functionally. Several closure methods for elbow wounds have been reported, including flap surgery. Here, we present the results obtained using a propeller flap pedicled by a posterior ulnar recurrence artery perforator (PURAP) or a radial collateral artery perforator (RCAP) for functional reconstruction of soft tissue defects in elbows.


In this paper, the one-dimensional grey polynomial interpolation (GPI) presented in [10] is applied to impulse noise removal. The proposed approach is motivated by the following observations. First, a median based noise removal approach can be considered as a variation of neighborhood interpolation which is based on the zero-order polynomial. Second, it is well known that the performance of first-order polynomial interpolation is generally better than that with the zero-order. Therefore, a better quality of restored image can be generally expected when a first-order polynomial interpolation is applied in the noise removal. With the noise detection approach described in [15], the proposed GPI based noise removal approach is justified by four examples where comparisons are made with the median based approach reported in [11]. The results indicate that the proposed approach generally outperforms the compared approach.


The polarography of lead in the iodide medium has shown that an irreversible wave is obtained at moderate concentrations of lead, whereas at high concentrations two waves are obtained and at low concentrations a single reversible wave is obtained. This explains the irreversible waves obtained by the earlier workers who have mainly worked in the region of 0.4mM of lead. From a study of the effect of the head of mercury, temperature, etc. it is shown that the second wave is an adsorption wave resulting from the adsorption of lead iodide complexes at the dropping mercury electrode.


To maximise reproductive success in the short Arctic growing season, plants pre-form flower buds the year prior to flowering. Flower bud production depends on warm ambient temperatures. Thus, although currently Arctic plants have low rates of sexual reproductive success, the warming climate may increase reproductive success. Following the long, warm growing season in 2012, plants at Lake Hazen, Ellesmere Island, produced many flowers in the short, cold growing season of 2013. Conversely, few flowers were produced in 2014, a long, warm growing season, but many flowers were produced in 2015, another long, warm growing season. Potentially higher rates of reproductive success in a warming climate could be compromised if consecutive years do not have long, warm growing seasons.


Implementation of "Design for defined price" concept is one of the most important directions in providing of aircraft competitiveness. Investment required for the modernization of enterprises and increasing efficiency of manufacturing systems make a significant part of aircraft prime cost. That's why creation of management system of industrial enterprise and aircraft industry innovative investment is a high priority [1]. Industry needs a specific tool aimed on prediction, planning and control of serial aircraft price, allowing calculation of labor cost, material cost and financial expenses. Especially topical at early steps of design is a project feasibility study, when choosing the scheme of cooperation, balancing of production facilities, required for execution of release program, elaborating program of plant technical modernization. Mistakes being made on this stage can be very expensive to fix later in process. Assembly is one of the most complicated processes which determine the quality of the final product and feasibility of product manufacturing. In development of assembly technology process it's critical to take in account a large number of conflict factors that affect design, technological and the organization solutions. Tasks of development of construction, technology, equipment and manufacturing system design perform by different groups of specialists that use specific software to create local models. It needs to develop a method of parallel engineering of construction, technology and organization of assembly processes to perform their comprehensive optimization using modern simulation technologies. Analysis and formalization of relations between construction, technology and manufacturing organization is a complicated problem. Choose of construction-technology and organization solutions needs to be considered as a part of wider task of optimization of all production processes, which determines economic efficiency of whole project. Necessity in development of modern automated system based on CALStechnologies and aimed on techno-economic analysis and a feasibility study of decisions, taken in design of technology and aircraft manufacturing organization, is declared by leading aircraft industry specialists. Separate components of this system implemented in DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLING BASED ON COMPREHENSIVE SIMULATION OF MANUFACTURING PROCESSES


In order to analyze the spatial distribution of landslides and its characteristics about the surface condition of landslides, a typical large landslide called the Xieliupo located in Zhouqu County was choosed as an example, comparing the data obtained from the field investigation with the initiatory interpretation result using remote sensing images. The results show that the proposed typical interpretation signs for landslide recognition have been improved right and could produce obvious identification results which were consistent with visual interpretation. Since the above method has been confirmed practical in the landslide recognition, we finally apply the method and experience in interpretation of landslide based on RS to the recognition of other large landslides, which can provide the theoretical basis for the subsequent research of landslides.


After a merger, a large shipping firm, which had previously put its ships into dry-dock every 30 months, decided to increase the dry-docking interval to 60 months to reduce dry-docking costs in general, off-hire costs in particular, and because the vessels now are on time charter to the company. Each of the vessels will be phased in to a 60-month dry-docking interval at her next upcoming special survey, which will have serious implications for the choice of antifouling paint. The company has applied only tin-free antifoulings to its fleet since 1996, and this article presents some of the findngs accumulated since then, derived from experiences as a ship owner operating vessels on time charters to a liner company. The experiences presented in this article are based on the company's Swedish-flagged vessels.


Gastrin was the second hormone to be postulated to exist (1) shortly after Bayliss & Starling (2) developed the concept of blood-borne chemical signal substances based upon their studies on the regulation of secretion of bicarbonate and water from the pancreas. Gastrin was postulated to be released from the antral mucosa by food and to reach the oxyntic mucosa to stimulate acid secretion (1). Many decades later, gastrin was purified, sequenced and synthesized (3) and shortly afterwards shown to be released by food (4) and to be a potent stimulator of acid secretion (5). The way gastrin stimulates the parietal cells to secrete acid has long been debated. It is now clear that gastrin stimulates acid secretion by inducing histamine release, which in turn stimulates acid secretion. This was shown as early as in the 1960s by Kahlson et al. (6), and later by us, using isolated vascularly perfused rat stomach (7) or isolated oxyntic mucosal cells (8). The cellular source of the histamine taking part in the regulation of acid secretion is nowadays undisputed as the ECL cell (9, 10). By comparing the concentration response curves for gastrin and histamine, we could show that the acid stimulatory effect of gastrin could be solely explained by the stimulation of histamine release (11), which we also had shown previously in vascularly perfused isolated rat stomach (12) or isolated oxyntic mucosal cells (8). Finally, by using a fluorescein labeled gastrin analogue, we could show that gastrin in physiological concentration only binds to the ECL cell and not to the parietal cell (13). In addition to stimulation of acid secretion, gastrin also has an undisputed positive trophic effect on the oxyntic mucosa (14). There is, however, a disproportionate trophic effect on the ECL cell (15). Whether there is a gastrin receptor on the exocrine mucosal stem cell in the oxyntic mucosa (16) or not (17), has not yet been settled. The general trophic effect of gastrin on the oxyntic mucosa may be indirectly mediated by ECL-cell-derived Reg protein (18). A gastrin receptor has also been localized to the C cells in the thyroid (19) and to tumors originating from this cell (19, 20), as well as to tumors originating from neuroendocrine cells in the lungs (21). The biological importance of these receptors has not been clarified, although pentagastrin-stimulated calcitonin release has previously been used in the diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (22). In the normal colon where gastrin does not influence mucosal growth (23), no gastrin receptor has been described. There have, however, been reports describing gastrin receptor in colonic carcinoma (24), but a relationship between gastrin and colonic carcinomas has not yet been confirmed, despite being the subject of debate for more than a decade. Furthermore, a physiological or pathophysiological role of progastrins including glycine-extended gastrin (25) has not been confirmed. The present review on hypergastrinemia will accordingly only focus on amidated gastrin and the principal target organ for gastrin, the oxyntic mucosa.


Differential thermal analysis (DTA) method was applied to study the pressure–temperature phase diagrams for four members of the 4′-alkyl-4-isothiocyanato-biphenyl (nBT) homologous series (n = 9–12). These compounds exhibit a smectic E polymorphism enriched by a smectic A phase for two longest members. Measurements were performed in the temperature range 25–110°C and the pressure range up to 165 MPa. For all substances studied the pressure-induced phases were established with one or two triple points in the examined pressure range. In addition, for the 11BT and the 12BT the phases existing under atmospheric pressure disappeared under relatively low pressures. The results are compared with recently studied smectogenic n-alkyl-cyanobiphenyl (nCB) compounds.


Natural characteristic of helicopter rotor blade is the basis of helicopter dynamics.In this paper, the natural characteristic of composite material blade was analyzed using finite element method.Natural frequencies and mode shapes were calculated in the software of ANSYS,and the natural frequencies were tested by experiment.The result indicated that calculation of natural characteristic of composite blade was accurate.


A fracture spacing less than a decimeter is probably required for the successful sequestration of CO2 in shale. Tracer experiments using inert nanoparticles could determine if a fracturing this intense has been achieved. Here we describe the synthesis of supercritical CO2-philic nanoparticles suitable for this application. The nanoparticles are ~50 nm in diameter and consist of iron oxide (Fe3O4) and silica (SiO2) cores functionalized with a fluorescent polymeric corona. The nanoparticles stably disperse in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and are detectable to concentrations of 10 ppm.


Recognition of handwritten characters has become a difficult problem because of the high variability and ambiguity in the character shapes written by individuals. One of the major problems encountered by researchers in developing character recognition system is selection of efficient features (optimal features), low recognition accuracy and high recognition time. In this paper, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is proposed for optimal feature selection. However, various classification approaches have been used by many researchers to develop character recognition system such as template matching approach, statistical approach, structural approach and neural networks approach but there is need to further improve the performances of these systems. Also, it has been demonstrated in a number of applications that using more than a single classifier in a recognition task can lead to a significant improvement of the system's overall performance. Hence, in this paper, PSO is integrated with hybrid of Counterpropagation and modified Optical Backpropagation Neural Network (COMOB) model to enhancement the performance of the classifier in terms of recognition accuracy and recognition time. Experiments were conducted on COMOB and PSO- Based COMOB classifiers using 6,200 handwritten character samples (uppercase (A-Z), lowercase (a-z) English alphabet and 10 digits (0-9)) collected from 100 subjects using G-Pen 450 digitizer and the system was tested with 100 character samples written by people who did not participate in the initial data acquisition process. Experimental results show promising results for the PSO-based COMOB classifier in terms of the performance measures.


Peer coaching is one of the teaching and research activities in our school.It consists of interdisciplinary and cross-grade senior teachers who serve as the coaching teachers and guide beginning teachers as peer coaching groups.It can promote professional development of beginning teachers,narrow their training stage and turn out to be an effective approach to their professional development.


Computer tomography is widely used in density measurement, and this method is also introduced into analysis of airflow as optical tomography. The airflow characteristic of thermal blooming in high energy laser(HEL) beam and the disadvantage of traditional method are discussed. The optical tomography of thermal blooming is presented in this paper, and it can measure HEL inner beam thermal blooming non-intrusively. By the numerical simulation of tomographic optical HEL beam thermal blooming, the feasibility and dependability of this approach are tested.


The article is devoted to the analysis of existing domestic and foreign methods for assessing the probability of bankruptcy of organizations in the region. When assessing the financial stability of the entity's enterprises, various methods are used to assess the financial stability of an organization, the most common approach of which is the coefficient method. However, methods that use factor analysis, which builds a linear dependence of indicators of the financial and economic condition of a regional subject, are gaining popularity. These models are also called bankruptcy prediction models. One of the most popular models is Altman's five-factor forecasting model and the four-factor model for non-manufacturing organizations. Altman's approach is simple and versatile. However, this Altman model does not take into account the individuality of the company. British scientists G. Tishaw and R. Taffler modernized Altman's model. One of the first Russian models for predicting the bankruptcy of economic entities was developed by A.Yu. Davydova and A.Yu. Belikov. This model took into account the relationship between such factors as working and equity capital, assets, net profit, cost and revenue. The following model, showing the financial stability of an enterprise, was formulated by Savitskaya. From the analysis of existing methods and models for assessing the financial and economic condition of regional economic entities, it follows that it is advisable to build a model taking into account: firstly, the individual characteristics of a particular organization; secondly, the choice of indicators and their weighting coefficients in the model must be scientifically justified. Therefore, the paper proposes to determine the financial stability of an organization in the region to form a model that includes the most commonly used in practice, namely the above five models for assessing the probability of bankruptcy of enterprises. At the same time, the industry specifics of organizations were taken into account. The purpose of the study is to form a methodology for assessing the integral level of financial stability of organizations in the region and determining the possible boundaries of its variation. In the course of the study, such methods as comparative, component and factor analysis, experiment were used. The paper presents a methodology for the formation of a generalized factor model for assessing the level of financial condition of regional organizations. The critical values of the integral indicator characterizing the level of financial condition of organizations are also determined.


SAW devices have become increasingly important in implementing sensors, chemical and biological warfare agent detectors, resonators and wireless applications as a filter. These types of device can be implemented with microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) to be compatible with CMOS technology. In this work we design RF SAW filter at different frequencies for wireless communication system applications. We focus on optimum design of Input/output IDTs number of electrodes, so the total frequency response of the SAW filter with required bandwidth can be achieved. The designed parameters of the piezoelectric substrate have been obtained from the experimental work for a fabricated multilayer substrate of ZnO/SiO2/Si using MEMS technology. Implementation of the optimized SAW filter in a wireless system is described. Simulation results are presented for different design of SAW filter for verification.


To facilitate the validation of the numerical Method of Auxiliary Sources an analytical Method of Auxiliary Sources solution is derived in this paper. The analytical solution is valid for transverse magnetic, and electric, plane wave scattering by circular impedance cylinders, and it is derived by transformation of the exact eigenfunction series solution. The transformation employs the Hankel function wave transformation to express the eigenfunction series of higher-order Hankel functions, with their singularities at the coordinate system origin, as a superposition of zero-order Hankel functions with their singularities at different positions away from the origin. The transformation necessitates a truncation of the wave transformation but the inaccuracy introduced hereby is shown to be negligible. The analytical Method of Auxiliary Sources solution is employed as a reference to investigate the accuracy of the numerical Method of Auxiliary Sources for a range of scattering configurations.


Reverse logistics essence and the important role of inventory control in reverse logistics are systemic studied, based on traditional inventory models, reverse logistics is introduced. According to particularity of products in declining period, using the technique of product life cycle; systems engineering; stochastic process and mathematical modeling, a mathematical model is constructed that demand and return both obey the Poisson distribution and they are independent of each other; part of returns are discarded. Then the mathematical model above is solved.


The septum posticum, a midline meningeal structure which may be improperly diagnosed as an abnormality due to its appearance as a filling defect on supine myelograms, is discussed. An anatomical dissection analysis of 43 spinal cords was carried out to determine the findings that may be expected from the septum posticum on supine myelograms. Other anatomical and myelographic features of the posterior spinal subarachnoid space are also discussed with particular emphasis on the avoidance of false positive readings.


In this paper, a digital implementation of the Tent map is analyzed as a source of pseudo-random bits. In particular, several solutions are investigated, taking into account the numerical errors due to the approximation strategy used (truncation/rounding off). To evaluate the performance of the obtained pseudo-random sources, a number of statistical parameters and tests that properly measure the characteristics of the output bit sequences are considered. Results show that, under specific design conditions, the discretized Tent map can be proposed as a suitable solution for the implementation of an integrated pseudo random bit generator.


The method of magnetron sputtering in an argon, nitrogen, and ethylene atmosphere was used to obtain Ta-Zr-Si-B-C-N coatings. The coating structure was studied using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive and X-ray phase analysis. Mechanical properties of the coatings were determined using the nanoindentation method. Tribological tests were conducted using a Tribometer automated friction machine at a load of 1 N. Wear tracks were examined on an optical profilometer. The coating oxidation resistance was studied at a temperature of 1000 °C. It was found that coatings deposited in an argon atmosphere feature the highest hardness (30 GPa) and elastic recovery (79%). In addition, they can resist to oxidation up to 1000 °C inclusive due to a protective film consisting of silicon and tantalum oxides formed on their surfaces. Reactive coatings deposited in N 2 were inferior to non-reactive coatings in terms of oxidation resistance as they completely oxidized already at 1000 °C. However, they had a low coefficient of friction that was below 0.15.


In this paper we  prove  the functional  inequality $f(x)^{f(x)}\leq g(x)^{g(x)}$ for positive real functions $f$ and $g$ satisfying natural conditions and apply it to derive inequalities  between some of the elementary functions and to prove monotonocity of certain sequences of real numbers.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate manual and fiducial‐based plan‐to‐film registration techniques, identify advantages and disadvantages of manual and fiducial‐based plan‐to‐film registration techniques, develop a new automatic plan‐to‐film registration technique using a genetic algorithm, and compare the performance of the automatic registration to the manual and fiducial‐based techniques. Method and Materials: Ten patient plans (4 Head & Neck and 6 Prostate) were selected for the IMRT plan‐to‐film registration study. For each patient, the IMRTdose measurements were obtained in both axial and coronal planes using radiographic film, resulting in 20 test films. Dosecalibration films were irradiated at the same time as the test cases, and the test cases were processed at the same time. The calculated and measured dose distributions were registered with one another using RIT113 dosimetry software. Manual registration was performed by visual selection of four points in common on the dose and film images. Fiducial‐based registration was performed using the "Template" tool in RIT113 and marks placed on the films prior to irradiation. An automatic plan‐to‐film registration genetic algorithm was created that performs image registration by optimizing the best longitudinal and rotational shifts. Results: Of the techniques, the manual registration technique was inferior because it was highly susceptible to inter‐ and intra‐user variations. The fiducial‐based technique often resulted in incorrect registrations due to incorrect fiducial placement. Of the three techniques evaluated in this study, the genetic algorithm‐based registration provided the best agreement between calculated and measured dose distributions. Conclusion: Fiducials should be used for an initial registration, and the automatic technique should be used to calcuate the spatial offset between the plan and the film. Using these techniques in combination should improve the time required to perform IMRT QA and decrease the incidence of false positives. Conflict of Interest: Research consultant for RIT.


Introduction Over half of patients with irritable bowel syndrome have either diarrhoea (IBS-D) or a mixed stool pattern (IBS-M). The relative efficacy of licensed pharmacological therapies in IBS-D and IBS-M is unclear in the absence of head-to-head trials. We conducted a network meta-analysis to resolve this uncertainty. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMBASE Classic, the Cochrane central register of controlled trials, and clinicaltrials.gov through November 2018 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of licensed pharmacological therapies in adults with IBS-D or IBS-M. Trials included in the analysis reported a dichotomous assessment of overall response to therapy, and data were pooled using a random effects model. Efficacy and safety of all pharmacological therapies were reported as a pooled relative risk of remaining symptomatic with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to summarise the effect of each comparison tested. Treatments were ranked according to their P-score. Results We identified 18 eligible RCTs (7 alosetron, 5 ramosetron, 2 rifaximin, 4 eluxadoline), containing 9844 patients. All were superior to placebo for the treatment of IBS-D or IBS-M at 12 weeks, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-recommended endpoint for trials in IBS (Figure 1). Alosetron 1mg twice-daily ranked first for efficacy, based on the FDA-recommended composite endpoint of improvement in both abdominal pain and stool consistency (RR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.80, P-score = 0.97), effect on global symptoms of IBS, and effect on stool consistency. Ramosetron 2.5mcg once-daily was ranked first for effect on abdominal pain (RR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.65 to 0.85, P-score = 0.94). Total numbers of adverse events were significantly greater with alosetron 1mg twice-daily and ramosetron 2.5mcg, once-daily, compared with placebo. Rifaximin 550mg three times daily ranked first for safety. Constipation was significantly more common with all drugs, except rifaximin 550mg three times daily. Conclusions In a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of pharmacological therapies for IBS-D and IBS-M, we found all drugs to be superior to placebo, but alosetron and ramosetron appeared to be the most effective. Abstract PWE-076 Figure 1. Forest Plot of the Indirect Evidence for Failure to Achieve the FDA-recommended Endpoint to Define Treatment Response.


The steel stair is widely used in engineering practice and is usually designed and installed by professional construction company after the main structure of building was completed. As a typical space system, the steel stair's analysis is quite complicated. As no special codes for design, it is usually designed as a beam structure under static load. In this paper, the static design method and dynamic design method are suggested. Firstly, the design load is discussed. The strength, the deformation and the stability should be analyzed by the space model. Secondly, the dynamic characte- ristic, such as the vibration frequency and the vertical peak acceleration should be restricted according to the passing condition of the stair.


PURPOSE: To obtain the pressure governing valve, which can be fitted easily without an extra space and which can prevent the flow-in of the foreign material to a valve sleeve sliding part securely. CONSTITUTION: A groove 27 is provided outside of a support port 2c of a valve sleeve 2, and a strainer 4 provided with a mesh part 41 and leg parts 42 is fitted to the valve sleeve 2 by the elastic force of the leg parts 42 so that the mesh part 41 covers the support port 2c inside of the valve sleeve 2. Since the strainer 4 is housed inside of the valve sleeve 2, an extra space is not required, and furthermore, the strainer 4 can be fitted by one touch. Since the mesh part 41 of the strainer 4 is positioned at the inlet of the support port 2c, the mesh part 41 can block the foreign material inside of an oil passage just before the flow-in. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio


Based on the Skopos Theory,the phenomenon of"unfaithfulness"in the C—E translation of advertising is ana- lyzed.The findings are that due to the specific purpose of advertising(to promote sales),the focus of advertising transla- tion is no longer on a faithful imitation of the source text as traditional translation criterion calls for,hut more on a suc- cessful transfer of the communicative functions of the source text.Advertising translation is distinguished from other types of translation in that the translator can change the form and content of the source text on purpose.The changes cannot be made at will.The general principle is that the translation should be able to achieve the same or even better effect as/than the original text does.


In this article we address the physical basis of the deviation of hadron shapes from spherical symmetry (non- spherical amplitudes) with focus on the nucleon and D. An overview of both the experimental methods and results and the current theoretical understanding of the issue is presented. At the present time the most quantitative method is the g p! D reaction for which significant non-spherical electric (E2) and Coulomb quadrupole (C2) amplitudes have been observed with good precision as a function of Q 2 from the photon point through 6 GeV 2 . Quark model calculations for these quadrupole amplitudes are at least an order of magnitude too small and even have the wrong sign. Lattice QCD, chiral effective field theory, and dynamic model calculations which include the effects of the pion-cloud are in approximate agreement with experiment. This is expected due to the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry in QCD and the resulting, long range (low Q 2 ) effects of the pion-cloud. Other observables such as nucleon form factors and virtual Compton scattering experiments indicate that the pion-cloud is playing a significant role in nucleon structure. Semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering experiments with transverse polarized beam and target also show the effect of non-zero quark angular momentum.


New cooling circuit for a machine HVAC mechanical compression air-water-water that can produce simultaneously or alternately cold water for cooling and hot water for heating, which, by virtue of the position opening and closing take the solenoid valves and restrictions imposed by the non-return valves that comprise it, you can take different operating configurations, called water-water, air-water cooling, air-water heating, efficient defrost, and defrost.


Prototype modules of CuInSe/sub 2/ (CIS) have been fabricated with efficiencies that exceed 10%. The challenge is to improve the processing yield of these modules to that suitable to advance to pilot manufacturing. A number of analytical tools have been developed to provide insight into the loss mechanisms in these large-area monolithic structures. Techniques for characterizing the adhesion of the semiconductors, the device quality, the interconnect quality, and the film uniformity are discussed. Improvements in adhesion have eliminated the primary cause of mechanical failure, leading to tighter module efficiency distributions.<<ETX>>


Environmental changes and the reduction in arable land have led to food security concerns around the world, particularly in urban settings. Hydroponic soilless growing methods deliver plant nutrients using water, conserving resources and can be constructed nearly anywhere. Hydroponic systems have several complex attributes that need to be managed, and this can be daunting for the layperson. Micro Indoor Smart Hydroponics (MISH) leverage Internet of Things (IoT) technology to manage the complexities of hydroponic techniques, for growing food at home for everyday citizens. Two prohibitive costs in the advancement of MISH systems are power consumption and equipment expense. Reducing cost through harvesting ambient light can potentially reduce power consumption but must be done accurately to sustain sufficient plant yields. Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) meters are commercially used to measure only the light spectrum that plants use, but are expensive. This study presents Adaptalight, a MISH system that harvests ambient light using an inexpensive AS7265x IoT sensor to measure PAR. The system is built on commonly found IoT technology and a well-established architecture for MISH systems. Adpatalight was deployed in a real-world application in the living space of an apartment and experiments were carried out accordingly. A two-phase experiment was conducted over three months, each phase lasting 21 days. Phase one measured the IoT sensor's capability to accurately measure PAR. Phase two measured the ability of the system to harvest ambient PAR light and produce sufficient yields, using the calibrated IoT sensor from phase one. The results showed that the Adaptalight system was successful in saving a significant amount of power, harvesting ambient PAR light and producing yields with no significant differences from the control. The amount of power savings would be potentially greater in a location with more ambient light. Additionally, the findings show that, when calibrated, the AS7265x sensor is well suited to accurately measure PAR light in MISH systems.


This article endeavors to identify the strongest versions of the two primary arguments against epistemic scientific realism: the historical argument—generally dubbed "the pessimistic meta-induction"—and the argument from underdetermination. It is shown that, contrary to the literature, both can be understood as historically informed but logically validmodus tollensarguments. After specifying the question relevant to underdetermination and showing why empirical equivalence is unnecessary, two types of competitors to contemporary scientific theories are identified, both of which are informed by science itself. With the content and structure of the two nonrealist arguments clarified, novel relations between them are uncovered, revealing the severity of their collective threat against epistemic realism and its "no-miracles" argument. The final section proposes, however, that the realist's axiological tenet "science seeks truth" is not blocked. An attempt is made to indicate the promise for a nonepistemic, purely axiological scientific realism—here dubbed "Socratic scientific realism."


The possibility of the improvement of the gathering the reliable information about the directional survey measurements is considered.The gyros errors due to the free orientation of the gyro inclinometer and the axis angular difference with geographic meridian are estimated.


Currently, the limited intratumoral H2O2 level restricts the development of chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Herein, MoSe2/CoSe2@PEG nanosheets are prepared to reveal NIR‐photocatalytic H2O2 generation to insure the intracellular H2O2 supplement. The formation mechanism is investigated, showing the dissolved O2 and photo‐excited electrons to determine H2O2 production via sequential single‐electron transfer process. The experimental data and density functional theory calculation further display their typical‐II heterostructure, which possesses the effective charge separation and nearly four times H2O2 generation than MoSe2@PEG. In addition, the nanocomposites also reveal the peroxidase/catalase activity, making the in‐situ H2O2 activation and ·OH generation. And, the O2 production derived from catalase‐mimic activity not only relieves hypoxia but also offers the source for H2O2 production. Because of the decreased resistance for charge transfer, MoSe2/CoSe2@PEGs also reveal more than three times enzyme‐activity for MoSe2@PEG. With the narrow band gap and high NIR‐harvest, MoSe2/CoSe2@PEG exhibits the great photothermal converting ability (62.5%). MoSe2/CoSe2@PEG reveals the novel biodegradation, and most of them can be eliminated via urine and feces within 2 weeks. Here, the computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging/photothermal imaging and the synergistic photothermal therapy/CDT treatments further make sure potential application on anticancer.


Palmyra is a naturally occurring palm in Gujarat's southern region, spread randomly on all soil and land types. The major produce utilized from palmyra palm for livelihood by the tribal communities, contributing considerably to their income, is through sales of the immature soft jelly seed nuts of the fruit called "galeli". The present investigation was carried out to study the marketing cost, margin, and price spread in galeli marketing. Primary data for the period collected from 2015-16 to 2017-18, were pooled from 50 palmyra palm growers selected randomly, representing five tribal villages of Mahua taluka of Surat district in the South Gujarat region. Two marketing channels viz., Channel-I: producer-consumer and Channel-II: producer retailer consumer were observed, and the marketing cost, incurred on galeli marketing in these channels were worked out, which was `51.64 and ` 33.94 per hundred galeli, respectively. The highest producer's share in consumer's rupee was worked out in Channel-I. The study showed that the major constraint faced by 78 per cent of the palmyra palm growers in the marketing of galeli was the poor functioning of the climber equipment and non-remunerative prices for galeli in the local market.


Urban regeneration policy in the 1980s, reflecting the market philosophy of the decade, was development and property led. More recently shifts in policy have placed increasing emphasis upon partnership arrangements, inter-agency structures and community involvement in a bid to address problems of market failure. Within Belfast the question of regenerating an industrialised nineteenthcentury city is overlain by additional issues relating to politico-religious divisions in the city. In an attempt to address the criticism that regeneration has been citycentre orientated, policy has increasingly addressed the disadvantaged wards particularly in the west and north of the city. This paper evaluates these approaches and specifically considers the Springvale Initiative, a regeneration project that spans an interface area.


【Objective】To investigate the effect of Ulinastain(UTI) on expression of nuclear factor κBp65(NFκBp65),matrix-metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2) in the rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysacharide(LPS).【Methods】Forty-five SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups with 15 rats in each group.The blank control group was injected with saline(2 mL/kg) into tail vein while the acute lung injury(ALI) group was injected with lipopolysaccharide(5mg/kg) into tail vein.The ulinastatin group was injected with ulinastatin(100 ku/kg) and,30 minutes later,injected with lipopolysaccharide(5 mg/kg) into tail vein.4 hours after the injection,all the rates were killed by exsanguination.The arterial blood was collected for blood gas analysis,lung wet to dry weight ratio and lung tissue for HE staining was measured.The expressions of NF-κBp65 and MMP-2 in lung tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry and then analyzed statistically.【Results】Compared with the blank control group,expression of NF-κBp65 and MMP-2 in lung tissue were significantly higher in the ALI group and UTI group(P 0.05),but in UTI group expression of NF-κBp65 and MMP-2 were lower than ALI group(P 0.05).【Conclusion】NF-κB p65 and MMP-2 play a role in acute lung injury while ulinastatin can inhibit the expression of NF-κB p65 and MMP-2.


This paper proposed a four-wheel drive differential steering method for trajectory tracking. It designed an integral backstepping controller and constructed a simple virtual feedback variable, simplified the controller design and improved the response speed and precision of the system. It connected with the Lyapunov stability criterion which proved the design of control law with global stability. The simulation experiment results verified the effectiveness and feasibility of the control law.


Traditional performances of Arikara myths no longer occur. Some individuals remember stories told by their elders and when people gather, these stories might be retold in the various versions that still exist. In the home, elders certainly still tell stories to educate or make clear values or ways of doing things. When Parks elicited these stories the audience was even less traditional, consisting of himself and one or a few family members who happened to be present. Even so, he was able to question the storytellers on matters of performance etiquette and evaluation and include relevant comments here. The stories in this book are divided into narratives of the past, including historical and legendary events, and tales, which include stories of humans, animals and the trickster, Coyote. They are preceded by an opening prayer and conclude with a love song. Each story begins with a short paragraph of introductory material that sets the scene and identifies particular characters or provides cultural background. The narrator of each tale is identified and a few historical photographs appear showing features of the landscape or famous individuals of the past. Since the text of the "Introduction" refers to stories by number as they were numbered in the original volumes, a concordance appears at the end of the book correlating those numbers with the numbering used for the stories in this volume.


The aim of this paper to explain gift-giving by means of social approval. In a simple framework we are able to account for a number of stylized facts. These are that gift-giving is often reciprocal, that gifts tend to be inadequate, and that gift-giving is sometimes reduced after a monetary compensation is o¤ered. The implication for the interaction between gift-giving and the market institution is that implementing price incentives in a non-market environment can have welfare decreasing unintended consequences.


INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is one most common  non-communicable cardiovascular disease. It is the major risk factor for heart failure, coronary artery disease, chronic renal failure and cerebral vascular diseases. Hypertension has been found paramountly amongst long distance truck drivers. This could be due to the hectic nature of their job. AIM: The study was conducted to study the prevalence of hypertension among truck drivers of Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh and to study the associated risk of hypertension amongst them. MATERIALS AND METHOD: District Shivpuri of Madhya Pradesh has around 20 Truck operation unions all registered under which more than 1000 truck drivers are registered. Total 770 drivers were selected by using systematic random sampling. The present study was conducted from November 2022 to March 2023. Information regarding demographic profile and risk factors of hypertension were collected on pre-tested proforma. RESULTS: Out of total 770 truck drivers, prevalence of hypertension was found 45.6% including 15% self-reported and 30.6% detected in the study. Only about 7% of truckers who were pre-diagnosed had undergone treatment for a certain period of time. Highest prevalence of hypertension was reported in 40 to 49 years age group followed by 30 to 39 years. Hypertension was prevalent amongst the truck drivers who had been working for more than 10 years. Significant association found on assessing risk factors like lack of physical exercise, lack of proper sleep, high BMI, history of addiction. CONCLUSION: Hypertension was reported more in the age group and people who were in this profession for over 10 years. Age was found significantly associated with hypertension. Improper sleep, schedule, hectic routines, lack of proper nutrition, centric obesity, high BMI and addiction to tobacco and alcohol found significant risk factors for hypertension.


Latest methods of power facilities diagnostic and the methods of accidents prevention presume the work of the team who personally inspect all the details, which is very time-consuming. A good alternative to this may be unmanned aircraft systems (further on – UAS) to be used for remote monitoring and search for defects of the equipment. This method of UAS is already well-known and some Russian companies ("ZALA", "Geoscan", "Unmanned Systems", etc.) offer this service. Although the civil sector of the UAS market is lagging behind its military section, the former is expanding, rapidly developing, and provides the opportunity to choose the appropriate device for enhancing the assessment of power facilities` technical condition. This issue is relevant as there is a tendency in Russia towards the production digitalization. UAS will make the diagnostic process faster and more highly-technological, as all the information from the measuring devices will be transmitted to the storage. In the long run UAS will also make production cheaper, as the number of operators as well as the number of their working hours will be less than in case with the regular working teams. The paper analyses some models of UAS, their technical features and cost-effectiveness of their mass utilization. The factors regarding the devices as such and severe weather conditions of some regions in Russia are to be taken into account.


Liver biopsy is essential in the follow‐up of HCV‐infected liver transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare percutaneous (PLB) versus transjugular liver biopsy (TLB) in the assessment of liver damage. We also explored the diagnostic value of hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) to identify patients at risk of severe HCV disease recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). One hundred sixteen paired PLB and TLB (with HVPG measurement) were performed 3 or 12 months after LT in 80 patients. Concordance for necroinflammation and fibrosis was fair or good, particularly 1 year after LT (kappa ≥ 0.6). At this point, a significant positive association was seen between the median HVPG and the fibrosis stage (2.5 mm Hg for F0; 5 mm Hg for F1, 6 mm Hg for F2, and 11.5 mm Hg for F3; Kruscal‐Wallis < 0.001). Despite this strong association, portal hypertension (HVPG ≥ 6 mm Hg) was detected in 1 (5%) of 22, 4 (16%) of 25, and 6 (60%) of 10 patients with fibrosis stages 0, 1, and 2, respectively. After a median follow‐up of 38 months, clinical decompensation occurred in 15 (19%) of 80 patients. Although the presence of significant fibrosis (F2‐F3) 1 year after transplantation was good to predict clinical decompensation (AUC: 0.80), an HVPG of 6 mm Hg or greater was extremely accurate at identifying patients at risk of disease progression (AUC: 0.96). In conclusion, HVPG determination is a valuable tool for follow‐up in patients with HCV recurrence after LT. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;43:492–499.)


In this paper,a particle swarm optimization algorithm,which has strong global exploratory capability and efficiency,is employed to improve back propagation neural network.The PSO-BP neural network model with 7 input factors is set up for predicting the slurry concentration.The method in this paper is proved to feasible by the comparison with the result in the reference 2.The mean absolute error of the neural network model with 7 factors is 0.18%.At the same time,the model with 7 input factors is feasible by researched in this paper.


Background: During clinical clerkships students experience complex and challenging clinical situations related to problems beyond the domain of the "Medical Expert". Workplace routine may leave little opportunity to reflect on these situations. The University of Zurich introduced a mandatory course directly after the clinical clerkship year (CCY) to work up these situations. Prior to the course each student submitted a vignette on a case he or she had perceived challenging during the CCY and which was not related to the domain of the "Medical Expert" role. In this paper we want to characterize these cases in respect to most prominent themes and related CanMEDS roles. The goal was to inform clinical supervisors about potential teaching demands during the CCY. Methods: All case vignettes submitted by a years' cohort were analysed by three researchers in two ways: for the clinical characteristics and the main theme of the underlying problem and the most prominent CanMEDS roles involved. Themes of the underlying problem were aggregated to overarching topics and subsequently to main categories by pragmatic thematic analysis. Results: 254 case vignettes covered the whole spectrum of clinical disciplines. A wide range of underlying themes could be assigned to five main categories: "communication within team" (23.2%), "communication with patients and relatives" (24.8%), "patient behavior and attitudes" (18.5%), "clinical decision making" (24.0%), and "social and legal issues" (9.4%). Most frequent CanMEDS roles were "Communicator" (26.9%) and "Professional" (23.5%). Conclusions: Cases students perceived as challenging beyond the "Medical Expert" were reported from all clinical disciplines. These were mainly related to communicational and professional issues, mirrored by the CanMEDS roles "Communicator" and "Professional". Therefore, supervisors in clinical clerkships should put an additional teaching focus on communication and professionalism.


In order to exploit the potential of modern X-ray diffraction studies to its full extent, a new generation of appropriate detectors is required. Here, a small prototype (28 × 28 mm2 active area) of a novel two-dimensional pixel detector is presented which satisfies most of the requirements. It is based on a gaseous single-photon counter with asynchronous readout and interpolating position encoding, combining the advantages of a pure pixel readout (high local and global rate capability) with those of a projecting readout (small number of channels). In order to demonstrate the suitability of this detector for X-ray diffraction applications, measurements at a synchrotron radiation source have been performed recording diffraction patterns from different biological samples (rat tail tendon collagen, phospholipid and protein crystal). These measurements have proven the good spatial resolution, the high intensity precision and the high local rate capability. Moreover, the single-photon readout was utilized in order to perform time-resolved measurements in the case of SAXS studies and to apply fine angular slicing in the case of protein crystallography. The detector has a high reliability and robustness, particularly when compared with conventional gaseous detectors, and the technology used can be easily extended to large active areas.Work supported by the European Community (contract No. FMBICT980104 and No. FMBICT961694).