This paper is concerned with the question whether workers gain or lose on their taxes for social security (OASI). Tax-benefit ratio (T/B) and rate of return (RR) are the two measures by which to determine how they fare under the system. T/B and RR are affected by earnings level of the worker, time period of paying taxes and drawing benefits, whether the employer's tax is shifted to the worker, types of benefits received, rates of interest and of price inflation. A computer simulation program is utilized to produce T/B and RR for 1974 retirees and 1974 entrants (age 22 and age 18). T/B for 1974 retirees range from .05 to .46; their RR vary between 6.1 percent and 16.9 percent. T/B for 22 year-old 1974 entrants are from .22 to 1.57; their RR, from 1.4 percent to 8.5 percent. T/B for 18 year-old 1974 entrants are from .25 to 1.86; their RR, from 1.1 percent to 7.7 percent. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer an important question: Do workers gain or lose, in the long run, on their taxes paid for social security (OASI)?1 Some view the program as a "raw deal' because they feel that participants in it will never get back the full worth of their contributions,2 while others regard it as a system capable of yielding bonanzas.3 This question has gained added importance because of recent changes in Yung-Ping Chen, Ph. D., teaches economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Research reported in this article was conducted when he was concurrently a research economist with the Institute of Industrial Relations, UCLA. Kwang-wen Chu, Ph. D., is Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, California State University, Fullerton. This is a revised and updated version of a paper presented at the 1973 Annual Meeting of ARIA. The authors wish to thank two anonymous referees and Professor Leverett Davis, Jr. for their interest and helpful comments. They also wish to acknowledge the computer time made available by the computing facilities at their respective campuses. 1 Social security refers to Old-Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance (OASDHI) program. This paper excludes disability and health components because they involve special issues and questions which require separate treatment. Although OASDHI represents a whole program, separate payroll tax rates are assigned to OASI, DI, and HI. Computations in this study are concerned with taxes and benefits under OASI. 2 See, for example, Milton Friedman, "On Social Security," Newsweek (April 3, 1967), p. 81. 3See, for example, Paul A. Samuelson, "On Social Security," Newsweek (February 13, 1967), p. 88. ( 189 ) This content downloaded from 18.104.22.168 on Thu, 26 May 2016 05:29:45 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 190 The Journal of Risk and Insurance the law,4 increasing benefit levels and incorporating new features on taxing payroll and calculating benefits. In Section I, several major conditions that influence the calculation of who gains and who loses under OASI are analyzed. The tax-benefit ratio and the rate of return are the measures by which gains or losses are estimated. In Section II, illustrative estimates of tax-benefit ratios and rates of return are presented for workers who retired in 1974 (called "the 1974 retirees"), both under the "annuity certain" and "life annuity" approaches. In Section III, tax-benefit ratios and rates of return are illustrated for young workers of two different ages who began working in 1974 (referred to as "the 1974 entrants") -age 22 and age 18. Computations made for the new workers are based on the life annuity approach. In addition, separate estimates are provided under a method, different from that in the current law, for calculating benefits. Section IV contains concluding remarks. I. Lifetime Tax-Benefit Ratios and Rates of Return Two measures are used in this study to determine how a worker fares under social security: the lifetime tax-benefit ratio and the lifetime rate of return. A participant is a gainer (loser) if his lifetime contribution to social security is less (greater) than the stream of his and/or his family's expected benefits. For brevity, such a taxes-to-benefits relationship over a lifetime is identified as the "tax-benefit ratio" (T/B ratio). This ratio is obtained by dividing the sum of the compounded value of taxes paid during his working years by the sum of the present value of expected benefits received after his retirement. Specifically, a worker is a gainer if he has a T/B ratio of less than unity; the smaller the ratio, the larger the gain. A worker is a loser if his T/B ratio is greater than unity; the larger the ratio, the larger the loss.5 A social security participant may show a T/B ratio of less than one and is thus a gainer, but he may gain only slightly. Hypothetically, he might be able to gain much more had he put his money in other types of investment. Therefore, the rate of return on social security contributions over a lifetime is an additional measure for assessing how a person fares under the program. This rate of return is defined as that interest rate (i.e., the rate used to compound taxes and to discount benefits) which 4These changes refer to Public Law 92-336 (signed on July 1, 1972), P.L. 92-603 (October 30, 1972), P.L. 93-66 (July 1, 1973), and P.L. 93-233 (December 31, 1973). Among the most important and significant changes is the provision of automatic adjustment on benefits and on miximum taxable and creditable earnings base, to become effective in June 1975. 5For a review of studies of T/B ratios as well as estimates of his own, see YungPing Chen, "Inflation and Productivity in Tax-Benefit Analysis for Social Security," in Old Age Income Assurance, A Compendium of Papers on Problems and Policy Issues in the Public and Private Pension System, Part III: Public Programs, submitted to the Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy of the Joint Economic Committee, 90th Congress, 1st Session (December, 1967), pp. 85-108. This content downloaded from 220.127.116.11 on Thu, 26 May 2016 05:29:45 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Tax-Benefit Ratios and Rates of Return Under OASI 191 equalizes the compounded value of total taxes paid over a lifetime and the present value of expected stream of benefits. This interest rate produces a T/B ratio of unity." In deriving the estimated tax-benefit ratios and rates of return, the following basic assumptions are used: (a) Calculations are performed for illustrative workers who have worked and contributed continuously to social security for a number of years, retire at age 65, and receive benefits up to time of death. (b) Taxes are assumed to be paid annually at the end of each calendar year, with benefit payments, beginning at age 65, to be received at the end of the year. Calculating accumulated taxes and benefits on an annual rather than on a monthly basis is a simplification and does not significantly affect the ratio of these two sums. (c) Taxes refer to both employee and employer contributions to OASI, with different assumptions as to shiftability.7 For simplicity, benefits are confined to those for retirement for the worker, his wife, and maximum family benefits. Disability, and hospital insurance portions of social security are not considered. (d) Taxes are compounded by some constant rate of interest to the beginning of the retirement year and benefits are discounted by the same rate. The Annuity Certain Approach Under the above assumptions, total taxes in current dollar values can be computed by: 64 64-j Mt T =E E iti (a+r) where Ej Taxable earnings at age j, tj = Employee or employer tax rate in j-th year, r = Assumed constant rate of interest, m = Age when worker joins social security. Total benefits in current dollar value will be:


Gifted children and their families may be considered a population with unique needs. In this column, the characteristics of gifted children and the impact of giftedness on the family are presented. Family therapists are encouraged to examine their own attitudes toward giftedness and to enhance their sensitivity in working with gifted families.


: The study was focused on the construction of the foundations of teaching ethics in the transmission of mathematical knowledge, so that they redefine their thinking to teach mathematics. The study was located in the qualitative paradigm, using the bibliographic method, with the design of documentary research, supported by the management of hermeneutics, using underlining, marking, interpretation and analysis as a technique. The information treatment process was validated with categorization, structuring, contrasting, theorizing. The results indicated that teachers work in a linear, reductionist, disciplinary, and fragmented manner. The following reflection was obtained, it is necessary for university teachers trained in other areas of knowledge to reconstruct their thinking to transform their knowledge in terms of how to deliver knowledge, getting rid of old beliefs and traditional unproductive practices, with a transdisciplinary, systemic vision, complex and mainly humanistic.


Community structures are found to exist ubiquitously in real-world complex networks. We address here the problem of community detection in directed networks. Most of the previous literature ignores edge directions and applies methods designed for community detection in undirected networks, which discards valuable information and often fails when different communities are defined on the basis of incoming and outgoing edges. We suggest extracting information about edge directions using a PageRank random walk and translating such information into edge weights. After extraction we obtain a new weighted directed network in which edge directions can then be safely ignored. We thus transform community detection in directed networks into community detection in reweighted undirected networks. Such an approach can benefit directly from the large volume of algorithms for the detection of communities in undirected networks already developed, since it is not obvious how to extend these algorithms to account for directed networks and the procedure is often difficult. Validations on synthetic and real-world networks demonstrate that the proposed framework can effectively detect communities in directed networks.


This paper sought to determine the level of compliance and the extent of problems encountered in terms of developing the disaster preparedness plan among coastal and upland secondary schools in Negros Oriental, Philippines. Findings reveal that the secondary schools' level of compliance in developing disaster preparedness plan is only satisfactory since the compliance measures are not strictly complied. While the extent of problems encountered in developing school disaster preparedness plan is moderate. Further, the results reveal that lack of involvement of teachers, community, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders; and lack of needs assessment in terms of personnel, material resources, and infrastructures in developing disaster preparedness plan are the top moderate problems encountered in developing school disaster preparedness plan respectively. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between the level of compliance and the extent of problems encountered in terms of developing disaster preparedness plan among secondary schools. Hence, there is a need to enhance the disaster preparedness planning in school through active participation and involvement of all school stakeholders; and strict compliance of the protocol in developing school disaster preparedness plan.


In this third of a multi-paper series the discovery of a space dual for the laws of motion is reported and named the laws of retention. This space-time duality in physics is found to inherently surface from a latency-information theory (LIT) that is treated in the first two papers of this multi-paper series. A motion-coder and a retention-coder are fundamental elements of a LIT's recognition-communication system. While a LIT's motion-coder addresses motion-time issues of knowledge motion, a LIT's retention-coder addresses retention-space issues of knowledge retention. For the design of a motion-coder, such as a modulation-antenna system, the laws of motion in physics are used while for the design of a retention-coder, such as a write/read memory, the newly advanced laws of retention can be used. Furthermore, while the laws of motion reflect a configuration of space certainty, the laws of retention reflect a passing of time uncertainty. Since the retention duals of motion concepts are too many to cover in a single publication, the discussion will be centered on the retention duals for Newton's Principia and the gravitational law, Coulomb's electrical law, Maxwell's equations, Einstein's relativity theory, quantum mechanics, and the uncertainty principle. Furthermore the retention duals will be illustrated with an uncharged and non-rotating black hole (UNBH). A UNBH is the retention dual of a vacuum since the UNBH and vacuum offer, from a theoretical perspective, the least resistance to knowledge retention and motion, respectively. Using this space-time duality insight it will be shown that the speed of light in a vacuum of cM=2.9979 x 108 meters/sec has a retention dual, herein called the pace of dark in a UNBH of cR=6.1123 x 1063 secs/m3 where 'pace' refers to the expected retention-time per retention-space for the 'dark' knowledge residing in a black hole.


With a simple structure, to provide a sealed rectangular battery excellent in volumetric efficiency and pressure resistance. The positive electrode (12) and a negative electrode comprising a (13) and (15), said electrode body (15) rectangular frame-shaped member (17) forming a cell casing (22) housing the and electrolyte solution, a first lid in member (19) and a second lid member (21) and sealed rectangular battery comprising a (C), said first cover member (19) covers the one opening (17a) of the frame form member (17) the body portion (19a), and the main body portion from (19a), at least one pair of sides projecting along substantially (17b) by sides facing each other of the rectangular frame-shaped member (17) (19b) the has, the second cover member (21), a body part which covers the other opening (17c) of the frame form member (17), and from the main body portion, the rectangular frame-shaped member (17) and a side portion (21b) which project so as to substantially along at least one pair of sides (17b) that face each other.


This study aimed to analyze the impact of the pattern of Procedural Justice in functionality and in accordance with the views of managers working in the ministries of Jordan. Using descriptive analytical method. And collected information theory of library resources. and data through a questionnaire distributed to a sample study. which amounted to (172) Single as a community study. It then has to answer questions and test hypotheses.
The study reached the most important results of the following:
1- The perceptions of respondents towards Procedural Justice. The SMA also showed that the arithmetic mean (2.579).
2- The perceptions of respondents towards Job Performance. The SMA also showed that the arithmetic mean (3.475).
3- There was significant statistical relationship between positive Procedural Justice independent variable. and job performance as the dependent variable. as interpreted by the independent variable (59.3%) of the variance in the dependent variable.
The study recommended in the light of the above results. The need for attention the Behavior and ethical studies and promoting the positive aspects and venerated with managers to improve the level of Procedural Justice. and enhancing the functionality of ministries in Jordan.
Keywords: Procedural Justice, Ministries of Jordan, Job Performance.


. Experimental infection of artificially-induced skin ulcers in rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri Richardson with an achromogenic strain of Aeromonas salmonicida induced a syndrome similar to that observed in cyprinid fishes. Sequential histological observations showed that the presence of the bacteria completely inhibited any migration of peripheral epidermal cells and subsequent under-running of the ulcer resulted in its expansion, as peripheral epidermis sloughed.


Recent research on bilayer two-dimensional electron gasses (2DEG) indicates the possibility of excitonic superfluidity, though experiments have measured small dissipation due to motion of unpaired
vortices. In regular superconductors, carriers flow without dissipation beacuse vortices are "pinned"
by impurities. This research investigates the effects of C and Si dopants within the quantum well
of a single quantum well 2DEG. These dopants are candidates for improving vortex pinning in bilayer
2DEG systems. Four C-doped samples, with dopant density ranging from 3.5 x 10^(14) cm^(-3) to
2.5 x 10^(16) cm^(-3) , and one Si-doped sample, with 2.3 x 10^(15) em- :\ Si ions are studied by electron transport measurements as functions of magnetic field strength. We find that minima in longitudinal resistance as a function of filling factor 11 are wider and offset toward'S lower v in samples with higher doping. This widening and shift is shown by mimina up to a v that decreases with increasing C dopant density, but is not observed at all for minima in the Si-doped sample.


In modern conditions of modernization of the Russian economy, transformations are also taking place in the employment system. The formation of regional labor markets is one of the main directions of this


A space vector PWM (SVPWM) method for a five phase five level inverter is proposed. Two three level inverters are fed from opposite ends of an open end winding induction motor to create five level inversion. The proposed scheme is based on adding an offset voltage to the sampled reference voltage to achieve multilevel operation. The use of carrier region to identify the reference location will simplify the implementation of the algorithm. The eligible vectors, regions and switching sequence of the five vectors that define the accessible region can be directly determined from the modulation index value. This makes it easier to implement the optimal five vectors, and it is extendable to any multiphase multilevel inverter (odd number of levels) by simply changing the carrier region. The proposed algorithm was simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK, and the results are presented.


The purpose of this paper is mainly two-fold: to exaniine some methodological issues involved in estimating the rate of overvaluation and to make a point-estimate of the rate based on observed data; and to construct time-series estimates of rates of overvaluation of Pakistani currency at the official exchange rate for the period from 1948/49 to 1964/65.


Automated vehicle location (AVL) technology is a well-known technology that first gained use in the trucking industry. It has moved into Indiana Department of Transportation (IDOT) operations and is primarily used in tracking winter operations. However, other maintenance uses are being tried. Wireless data communication is needed with this technology. Commercially available systems primarily use cellular or short-range (10 to 20 mi) wireless data communications. The cellular option is costly due to the monthly service charges and is unreliable in some remote areas. The other option does not provide enough coverage range for some district operations. So a research project was performed through the Joint Transportation Research Program at Purdue University to determine the viability and practicality of an AVL system that utilizes a statewide data communications system primarily used by the state police. The advantages of this approach are (1) there are no monthly data communications costs, (2) the system is owned by IDOT, and (3) the system utilizes existing equipment. This paper looks at a cost comparison with the other AVL options, explains the required hardware, describes the software and reports developed, and describes field tests that were performed.


In simulation based training of ship power systems, personnel operations need to be evaluated. Aiming at the problem that traditional evaluation methods cannot meet the demand of the staff examination, some factors on the operation ability are studied. By the method of quantifying the evaluation factors, mathematical models of operational capability evaluation factors are established. Practical applications shows that these models can improve the assessment and evaluation rationality and fairness for the power system operators, and the training efficiency and quality can be enhanced. Keywords-simulation training; evaluation; modeling


Since the publication of the third paper of this series in the Canadian Entomologist for August and September, 1894, my time has been so fully occupied with other duties that but little opportunity has been presented for the collection and study of Indiana Orthoptera. Notes have been made and specimens taken only of such species as came readily to hand during field work in geology. A better knowledge of the distribution over the State of many of the Acrididae has, however, been gained, and seven species and one variety have been added to the number formerly listed, and to my private collection. Of these, one species and variety have been described as new by Prof. A. P. Morse, a second is described for the first time in the present paper, and a third has before been taken only in Montana and Nebraska.


In his recent paper in The Energy Journal, Ronald Sutherland argues that several so-called market barriers'' to energy efficiency frequently cited in the literature are not market failures in the conventional sense and are thus irrelevant for energy policy. We argue that Sutherland has inadequately analyzed the idea of market barrier and misrepresented the policy implications of microeconomics. We find that economic theory, correctly interpreted, does not provide for the categorical dismissal of market barriers. We explore important methodological issues underlying the debate over market barriers, and discuss the importance of reconciling the findings of non-economic social sciences with the economic analysis of energy demand and consumer decision-making. We also scrutinize Sutherland's attempt to apply finance theory to rationalize high implicit discount rates observed in energy-related choices, and find this use of finance theory to be inappropriate.


"Inmates are dying in Florida's prisons, victims of torture and brutality."1 As eloquently stated by the Miami Herald, "inmates are being killed by people Floridians pay to keep the peace in a charged, stressful


The growing competition between tourism destinations has been putting a lot of pressure on destination managers in order to project a destination image that allows its diferentiation, having a decisive influence on tourists' destination decision. The image of tourism destinations and the way it is projected thus play an important role, since it influences consumer behavior and allows the differentiation of the destination in a highly competitive tourism market. This research aims to study the projected image of Portugal as a tourism destination through its ocial promotion portal ( visitportugal.com). The projected image of Portugal was analyzed using the information of the website visitportugal.com, and a content analysis was carried out using QSR NVivo10 software. Results show that the association of words mostly used to promote Portugal as a tourism destination are 'beach', 'sea' and 'nature', as well as aspects related to history, architecture and religion.


The law and normative methodic base of document supply of management in internal affairs bodies is characterized, the structure of service of records management, main groups documents in use is described. The measures of perfection of document supply are offered.


The purpose of this research was investigation of burst rate and some causes hamestring muscle injury in female speed runners. For this reason 50 Iranian female runners with at least 1-3 years experience in (400, 200, 100) free and (400, 100, 60) and obstacle running activities that had participated in internal league and selective Asian champions, were involved in this research. After detecting runner with hamstring muscle injury, necessary explanations about main purpose, questionnaire fill up, core injury were given to subjects by researchers, asked athletes with hamstring muscle injury in champion and exercise time, to filling up questionnaire, too. Questionnaire was conducted by researcher was include 21 questions, two levels scale and accuracy α=0/84 Questionnaires were distributed between them. For data analyzing were conducted in tables and picture by descriptive statistic (central and distributing index) frequency comparing was conducted by rate testing of statistic model. One sample T test by SPSS software, meaningful surface p<0/05 was used for investigation the effective effects in hamstring muscle injuries and burst hamstring muscle strain. Results show that, respectively not using from warm up and cool down process, Shortage physical fitness, Overtraining, Inaccuracy techniques, Non-standard tools and equipment and pre-injuries are the most important causes in hamstring muscle injuries in Iranian female speed runners.


Submitted for the MAR10 Meeting of The American Physical Society Successive phase transitions and phase diagrams of S = 5/2 quasi-two dimensional triangular antiferromagnet Rb4Mn(MoO4)3 RIEKO ISHII, KEISUKE ONUMA, SHU TANAKA, MASASHI TOKUNAGA, TOSHIRO SAKAKIBARA, DIXIE GAUTREAUX, JULIA CHAN, SATORU NAKATSUJI — Our comprehensive experimental studies on S = 5/2 Rb4Mn(MoO4)3 have clarified that this is a model system of a quasi-two dimensional Ising-like triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnet. This material exhibits the successive phase transitions and 1/3 magnetic plateau phase under fields. Furthermore, we have clarified a complete phase diagrams for which quantitative agreement between experiment and Monte Carlo simulation is obtained. We will report experimental results of magnetic susceptibilities, specific heat, and neutron measurements and discuss spin structures under zero/nonzero fields.


We evaluated the function of the descending spinal cord motor tracts in patients, with and without spinal cord lesion, using motor evoked potentials. We studied 50 normal volunteers and 15 patients with thoracic lesions. The onset latency of the negative waves of motor evoked potentials for the thoracic spines was obtained, and the descending spinal cord conduction time was measured for the thoracic segments. In normal subjects, motor evoked potentials of paravertebral muscles recorded from T1–T2 to T5–T6 initially appeared as negative waveform with transcutaneous electrical stimulation over occipitocervical junction, although those from T6–T7 to T8–T9 were initially positive and those from more caudal sites were flatter. The motor evoked potential waveforms of tibialis anterior muscles evoked by electrical stimulation over the occipitocervical junction were markedly similar to those over the L1–L2. In patients with upper thoracic lesions, descending spinal cord conduction time from T2–T3 to T5–T6 was prolonged (p < 0.01). The descending spinal cord conduction time from T5–T6 to T11–T12 was also prolonged (p < 0.01) in patients with lower thoracic lesion. The descending spinal cord conduction time from T2–T3 to T11–T12 in patients with smaller motor function scores (<2) was significantly prolonged (p < 0.01) compared with normal subjects and patients with larger function scores. The methods of recording motor evoked potentials from paravertebral muscles with transcutaneous electrical stimulation over occipitocervical junction were useful for evaluating the level and motor function of thoracic cord lesions.


Dispersing liquid metal droplets in a soft elastomer matrix yields a composite, called liquid metal embedded elastomer (LMEE), with less modified stiffness but noticeably increased relative permittivity. Stretching and applying voltage through the thickness of the elastomer composite directly, it is vulnerable to the loss of being an insulator due to the conductive pathway formed during prestretching. Here, we describe a very simple sandwich structure that enables electromechanical actuation of LMEE. It consists of two very high bonding tapes as skins and a layer of LMEE as the core, making the sandwich all polymeric and thus stretchable. The electromechanical performance of a LMEE made of Ecoflex and Galinstan at various mass ratios was systematically measured. For a typical circular actuation made of the sandwich structure, a 90% areal actuation strain was achieved. Our efforts pave the way for various applications of LMEE.


There is not a single occurrence of the word 'Intersubjektivitat' in Husserl's Logical Investigations but this concept had come classical in neo-kantian schools at the end of the 19th century. Actually, Husserl developed an equivalent to this neo-kantian theory of intersubjectivity in his own Logical Investigations but he called it a theory of 'supersubjectivity'. Moreover, it has often been noticed that he proposed a theory of linguistic communication int he Logical Investigations and it is generally considered that the seeds of his theory of intersubjectivity are to be found there. The paper tries to show that an important hapax occurred in Husserl's line of thought at the beginning of the 20th century. He gave up the scheme of the Logical Investigations, according to which supersubjectivity grounds intersubjectivity, and favoured the opposite solution instead.


deserves another book (despite the work of Carl Hinrichs), albeit not as broad as this one. Elliger has laid the groundwork for it. It would have been advantageous for scholarly readers if the book's index of persons and places had included the names of scholars mentioned in the extensive footnotes. There is a helpful bibliography; but in a book conceived to be an authoritative biography on a controversial figure, the critical scholarly dialogue should have been more easily accessible. Unfortunately, English and American research on Miintzer and its critical assessment is missing in the footnotes, even though the author claims that he did not overlook anything of significance (p. vi.) Some German authors still seem to follow the old teutonic maxim, "Americana non leguntur."


Background: Venetoclax (VEN) is a selective, small molecule inhibitor of anti-apoptosis protein BCL-2 that has antitumoral activity against multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines and primary samples, notably those with translocation t(11;14). Recent data suggest that dexamethasone (DEX) enhances the expression of BCL-2 and pro-apoptotic protein Bim, shifting its binding towards BCL-2 and sensitizing MM cells to VEN. Therefore, the combination of VEN with DEX may provide a novel therapeutic approach to improve clinical outcomes in patients with MM, including those with t(11;14) and also those who express higher levels of resistance factors (eg, MCL-1). Methods: This cohort is part of an ongoing, dose-escalation, open-label, phase 1 study (NCT01794520) and it is being conducted to evaluate safety profile, pharmacokinetics (PK) and preliminary efficacy of VEN in combination with DEX in patients with t(11;14)-positive MM. Eligible patients were adults (≥18 years of age) who had previous treatment with a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory drug, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score ≤1, measurable disease, and adequate bone marrow function. Presence of t(11;14) was confirmed for all eligible patients by means of FISH performed at a central laboratory. Patients were given oral VEN 800 mg/day plus oral DEX 40 mg (20 mg for patients ≥75 years of age) on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 21-day cycle. Preliminary efficacy was assessed as the overall response rate (ORR), time to progression (TTP), and duration of response (DOR) of VEN combined with DEX based on the 2011 International Uniform Response Criteria for Multiple Myeloma. Results: Twenty patients with t(11;14) R/R MM were enrolled (17 [85%] male; median age, 63 years [range, 46-77 years]). International Staging System status was I in 9 patients (45%), II in 7 (35%), III in 3 (15%), and missing in 1 (5%).The median number of prior therapies was 3 (range, 1-7). Sixteen (80%) patients had received bortezomib (11 [55%] refractory), 18 (90%) had received lenalidomide (17 [85%] refractory), and 17 (85%) had prior autologous stem cell transplantation. In addition, 8 patients (40%) were refractory to pomalidomide, and 4 (20%) were refractory to carfilzomib. Common adverse events (AEs) in ≥20% of patients were nausea, diarrhea, or insomnia (35% each); hyperglycemia or hypophosphatemia (30% each); and thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, pyrexia, upper respiratory tract infection, cough, nasal congestion, increased lactate dehydrogenase, increased creatinine, or hypokalemia (20% each). Grade 3/4 AEs in ≥10% of patients were lymphopenia or hypophosphatemia (15% each), as well as hyperuricemia or laboratory tumor lysis syndrome (10% each). Serious AEs in ≥2 patients were 2 cases of laboratory tumor lysis syndrome (10%). No deaths have occurred. ORR (partial response or better) was observed in 65% of patients (13/20) and included 7 very good PRs and 6 PRs. Six discontinuations of study drug occurred, and all were due to disease progression. ORRs were 82% (9/11) and 71% (12/17) in patients refractory to bortezomib and to lenalidomide, respectively. The ORR was also comparable between patients who had 1-3 prior lines of therapy (64% [7/11]) and those who had ≥3 lines (78% [7/9]). The median time to first response was 1.4 months (95% CI, 1.3-2.0 months). As of May 15, 2017, the median time on study was 6 months (range, Conclusions: VEN plus DEX demonstrated a tolerable safety profile in patients with t(11;14) R/R MM. Similar to previously reported results with VEN monotherapy, this combination appears to be clinically active regimen in patients whose disease is positive for t(11;14), with 65% of patients achieving a response of PR or better. These early findings support the further investigation of VEN combined with DEX in this patient population. Disclosures Kaufman: Amgen, Novartis: Research Funding; Amgen, Roche, BMS, Seattle Genetics, Sutro Biopharma, Pharmacyclics: Consultancy. Gasparetto: Janssen, BMS, Celgene: Other: Travel, accommodations, or other expenses paid or reimbursed; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen, BMS, Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen, BMS, Celgene, Takeda: Honoraria. Mikhael: Onyx, Celgene, Sanofi, AbbVie: Research Funding. Moreau: Millennium: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene, Janssen, Takeda, Novartis, Amgen, Roche: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Onyx Pharmaceutical: Consultancy, Honoraria. Touzeau: AbbVie: Research Funding. Vij: Takeda, Onyx: Research Funding; Celgene, Onyx, Takeda, Novartis, BMS, Sanofi, Janssen, Merck: Consultancy. Facon: Amgen, Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Pegourie: Takeda, Novartis, Janssen, BMS: Consultancy. Benboubker: Takeda, Celgene, Janssen, Amgen: Consultancy. Boise: Abbvie: Consultancy; Eli Lilly and Company: Research Funding. Alzate: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Dunbar: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Jia: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Freise: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Verdugo: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ross: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Maciag: AbbVie: Employment, Equity Ownership. Kumar: Celgene, Millennium/Takeda, Onyx, AbbVie, Janssen, Sanofi, Novartis, Amgen, Genentech, Merck, Oncopeptides, Roche, Skyline Diagnostics: Research Funding; Skyline: Honoraria; Celgene, Millennium, BMS, Onyx, Janssen, Noxxon, AbbVie, Amgen, Merck, Oncopeptides, Skyline Diagnostics, Takeda: Consultancy.


The traditional trading procedure as adopted in centralized financial exchanges sets, at a point in time, the most competitive price as the single transaction price of all units of an asset consummated in trading. The counterfactual trading procedure introduced in this essay, in opposite, sets a plurality of shared value appraisals between buyers and sellers to form a spectrum of concurrent transaction prices. In the received view of a probabilistic asset price, the contrast shows that the traditional trading procedure works like a filter suppressing investors' all other value appraisals, whereas the counterfactual trading procedure works like a prism to reflect a spectrum of shared idiosyncratic appraisals. Transparency in price risk enabled by the prism-like trading procedure is shown to facilitate undistorted coordination and adjustment of investors' idiosyncratic value appraisals. The institutional source of recurring excess volatility in financial markets is thus traced to the unrecognized filter-like institutional frame the traditional trading procedure imposes on investment behaviors. This essay also elucidates the role of price discovery in coordinating idiosyncratic risk perceptions and its related issues.


The Tech Startup model is an approach where students in Software Engineering and Entrepreneurship courses form interdisciplinary teams to create businesses based on software products. The model combines Agile software development with compatible practices from Lean Startup to foster collaboration on real technology startup businesses (tech startups). This paper introduces learning activities for use in the Tech Startup model intended to improve adherence to Agile and Lean Startup methodologies. This study describes a formative evaluation of the learning activities used for: project ideation, project planning, iterative delivery & feedback, and teamwork assessment. The study synthesizes responses to a questionnaire with feedback from three focus groups at the conclusion of an academic term. Based on our findings and observations, we report suggestions for encouraging innovative project ideas from Software Engineering students as well as approaches to holding students accountable for adhering to Agile practices.


In this paper the more obvious features of the primary tin mineralisation pattern of West Malaysia are noted. Then the various major types of primary deposit, which are the dominant units of the pattern, are broadly described, and their distribution, particu larly with respect to the granitic masses, is considered. The distribution of certain varieties of cassiterite and of other tin-bearing species is also commented on. A tentative history of deve lopment of the pattern is presented and mention is made of the tin-barren/tin-product granite question in the light of this hypothesis.


A clique minor in a graph G can be thought of as a set of connected subgraphs in G that are pairwise disjoint and pairwise adjacent. The Hadwiger number η(G) is the maximum cardinality of a clique minor in G. It is one of the principle measures of the structural complexity of a graph. This paper studies clique minors in the Cartesian product GH. Our main result is a rough structural characterisation theorem for Cartesian products with bounded Hadwiger number. It implies that if the product of two sufficiently large graphs has bounded Hadwiger number then it is one of the following graphs: • a planar grid with a vortex of bounded width in the outerface, • a cylindrical grid with a vortex of bounded width in each of the two 'big' faces, or • a toroidal grid. Motivation for studying the Hadwiger number of a graph includes Hadwiger's Conjecture, which asserts that the chromatic number χ(G) ≤ η(G). It is open whether Hadwiger's Conjecture holds for every Carte-sian product. We prove that G H (where χ(G) ≥ χ(H)) satisfies Hadwiger's Conjecture whenever: • H has at least χ(G) + 1 vertices, or • the treewidth of G is sufficiently large compared to χ(G). On the other hand, we prove that Hadwiger's Conjecture holds for all Cartesian products if and only if it holds for all GK2. We then show that η(GK2) is tied to the treewidth of G. We also develop connections with pseudoachromatic colourings and connected dominating sets that imply near-tight bounds on the Had-wiger number of grid graphs (Cartesian products of paths) and Ham-ming graphs (Cartesian products of cliques).


Normal and thymectomized outbred guinea-pigs were immunized with extracts of calf thymus, calf skeletal muscle or calf heart muscle emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant. Immunization with either thymus or skeletal muscle produced a significant incidence of thymitis and a partial neuromuscular block in contrast to control animals either untreated or injected with an extract of calf lymph node or saline in Freund's complete adjuvant. The incidence of thymitis and partial neuromuscular block in animals that were injected with an extract of calf heart muscle in Freund's complete adjuvant was found not to be significant when compared to the control animals.

Neuromuscular transmission was studied using Copeland–Davis clip electrodes or a bipolar silver wire electrode threaded through the flexor digitorum muscle. The development of partial neuromuscular block in the test animals was found to be dependent on the presence of the thymus. All animals with a partial neuromuscular block had evidence of experimental thymitis.

These findings are in keeping with the hypothesis that a factor released by the thymus may be important in the development of the neuromuscular block characteristic of myasthenia gravis.


Initial-value and periodic nonlinear pulsation integrations are carried out for a series of double-mode Cepheid models (P/sub 1//P/sub 0/approx.0.7) in the vicinity of the resonance ..omega../sub 1/+..omega../sub 0/=..omega../sub 3/. None of the models tested shows persistent double-mode behavior. A new, semiquantitative description of modal selection, based upon the iterative theory of Simon, is introduced to analyze the nonlinear results. In the simplest version of this description, modal section categories emerge which are identical to those of Stellingwerf. Our hydrodynamic results also agree at least partially with Stellingwerf's in that we find a region in the red where the models approach (though never reach) simultaneous instability of both limit cycles. Analysis of resonant effects on modal selection in our calculations leads to the conclusion that models lying between the resonances ..omega../sub 1/+..omega../sub 0/=..omega../sub 3/ and P/sub 2//P/sub 0/=0.5 may yet be viable candidates for double-mode pulsation.


The present high levels of sodium chloride (regular salt, RS) intake interfere with the therapeutic effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. In previous studies a novel potassium-, magnesiumand 1lysine-enriched and sodium-reduced salt alternative (SA) has been virtually devoid of the hypertensive, left ventricular hypertrophy producing, and life-span shortening effects, characteristic of RS. We therefore compared the influence of SA on the cardiovascular effects of enalapril with that of RS in male stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). During the 28-day experiment, RS alone produced a marked rise in blood pressure, induced remarkable left ventricular hypertrophy, and caused the death of five out of 18 SHRSP. Oral enalapril treatment did not significantly affect either of the detrimental cardiovascular effects of RS but there were no deaths in the enalapril-treated group. The SA supplemented diet neither caused mortality nor induced any significant rise in blood pressure as com-


The PIEZO injector, as 3-generation injector, can be operated from high pressure above 1800bar, It has a higher driven-efficiency than the existing solenoid-injector. Moreover the atomization of diesel fuel, that is injected by high pressure, can be improved in the engine cylinder. A fast response of needle is carried by the characteristics of piezo-electric actuator in PIEZO injector. In this study, a behavior analysis of the internal flow inside nozzle of PIEZO injector performed by the numerical method. The 3-D geometry for numerical model was considered by the central cross-section regarding of one injection hole. Also this geometry classified into the needle lift of 0.1㎜ and 0.2㎜mm with mini. sac volume boundary section, that has sharp edge and round edge, respectively. The computation test was applied with inlet pressure of injector of 400bar and 1300bar and the outlet pressure, that means back-pressure in combustion chamber, of 1 bar and 30bar. Firstly we obtained the basic data under steady state for PIEZO injector before application of moving-mesh. As a result, we found that the round edge appears a high velocity and pressure-drop. Also the obtained research results regarding of the verification of the basic model and simulation of fuel flow inside nozzle of PIEZO injector can be useful applicable the analysis for the moving mesh model.


The paper by Lustig, Marsten, and Shanno (LMS) gives an excellent presentation of the current state of the art for interior-point methods (as represented by their OB1 code) as it compares to the current state of the art for the simplex method (represented by OSL). The paper is well organized and thoughtful. The results of their experiments clearly indicate that for large problems interior-point methods offer a serious alternative to the simplex method. In these comments, we will try to clarify the relation among some of the algorithms discussed in LMS. In addition, we will compare the implementation strategy described in LMS, which is based on solving the so-called normal equations, to an alternative implementation strategy based on solving the so-called reduced Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) system. We will show that for many problems the two approaches yield virtually identical results but, for certain classes of challenging problems, the reduced KKT approach yields a much more efficient code. Also, we will a...


International experiences show that close relationships exist between real estate price and stock market fluctuations. Serious consequences even economic recession may occur as the result of price bubble outbreak. China has experienced high real estate price and stock market fluctuations in recent years which bring about unfavorable impact on economic development. Thus it is important to study the relationship between real estate and stock prices. This paper empirically examines this relationship with co-integration model and VAR method. The results show that the real estate price is significant in explaining the stock index movements,while the stock index is found to be not significant to real estate price; that the time lag between real estate price change and stock price escalation is about six months with a spiraling pattern. We then propose policy recommendations.


Continuous location sharing (CLS) can foster intimacy, for example, for couples in long-distance relationships. However, turning off CLS can then raise suspicions. To address this, we developed nuanced sharing settings in a focus group (N = 6) and implemented them to moderate CLS in an Android app. Crucially, the app also discloses each person's current sharing settings to the partner. In a 16-day field study, four couples interacted with our app and the disclosed configurations, confirming the disclosure's positive effect on transparency. However, features obfuscating the location were considered superfluous, as participants preferred sharing their location exactly or not at all. While participants overall appreciated having the configuration options, changes in their partners' configurations raised questions about their motivations. Instead, participants would adjust the configuration for different intimacy levels (colleague vs. partner) rather than different activities when using CLS with the same person.


This study investigates whether children's early use of degree adverbs in Mandarin BI comparative structure is rule-based or analogy-based. Following the rule-based account, it is hypothesized that the basic BI comparative structure and a broad-range rule that allows for degree adverbs in BI comparative structure are constructed first. Children will follow the rule and place adverbs in the BI structure "Y [bǐ X] +___+predicate". On the other hand, the analogy-based account hypothesizes that children rely on a formula "Y bǐ [X___]", in which they analogically fill in the blank with a simple sentence "X+ adverb +predicate". Evidence was collected from three aspects, including naturalistic data analyses, experimental elicitation of BI utterances, and grammatical judgment task. Analyses of early spontaneous language data revealed that the children before age 4 did not seem to have mastered the BI comparative structure due to few exemplars, let alone adverb use. It echoes the results of grammatical judgment task where the children did not distinguish between correct and incorrect uses of degree adverbs in the tested BI sentences. The elicitation task elicited BI utterances from the children of age 3 and 5 that received different conditioned input. One group was exposed to the input of a predicate modified by an adverb that was not allowed in BI comparative structure. The other group was exposed to the input of nominalized predicate for contrast. The incorrect BI utterances elicited from the three-year-old children revealed that the young children created a formula for BI comparative structure, "Y bǐ [X___]", where they slotted in the frame with a predicate modified by an incompatible adverb, or an incompatible nominalized predicate. Namely, they underwent the same process of analogy making.


The outage performance with best relay selection is proposed for cognitive relay networks with multiple primary users in independent nonidentical distributed Nakagami-m fading channels. Specifically, we take the interference temperature and fading severity into consideration. Exact closed-form expression of outage probability is derived. Based on the exact closed-form expression, we can evaluate the impact of interference temperature, fading severity, number of relays, and number of primary users on the secondary network. Finally, the effects of fading severity, number of relays, number
of primary users, and interference temperature on the system performance are examined through some representative numerical plots, and the Monte Carlo results match perfectly with theory results which validates our theory analysis.


This guide is comprised of artist resources for students interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Resources for documenting and archiving artwork.


Old and new problems in the physics of magnetic multipole sources for the production of negative H/sup -//D/sup -/ ions are presented and discussed. We emphasize particularly, in this kind of plasmas, both the vibrational and electron nonequilibrium energy distributions, the role of Rydberg states in enhancing the negative ion production, the production of vibrationally excited states by atomic recombination on surfaces through different mechanisms, and the enhancement of negative ion concentrations in pulsed discharges.


Flacourtia rukam belongs to family Salicaceae and Indonesia is known as rukem. F. rukam is popular among people especially Musi Banyuas in South Sumatera, Indonesia for the treatment of hypertensive. Investigated effect anti-cholesterol and anti-hypertensive activity from extracts the stem bark of F. rukam have been done. The anti-cholesterol activity was measured by the photometric method by reaction cholesterol with Liebermann-Burchard reagent and anti-hypertensive activity using Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitory method. The crude ethanol extract showed the highest anti-cholesterol activity compared to the fractions with IC50 value of 157.88 mg/L. Crude ethanol extract also contained the highest phenolic and flavonoid content compared to fractions. The anti-cholesterol activity of extracts is equivalent to the total phenolic and flavonoid contained. In an anti-hypertensive activity study, the crude ethanol extracts exhibited the percentage of ACE inhibitory activity with IC50 119.82 mg/L. The results indicated that the stem bark of F. rukam might reduce or control the cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Anti-cholesterol and anti-hypertensive activity the stem bark of F. rukam is higher in extract form compared to fractions (synergistic).


* Senior lecturer, Centre for Legal Research, Middlesex University. Helena Wray is writing her PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 1 Council Resolution 97/C 382/01 of 4 December 1997 (Official Journal C 382 of 16.12.1997). 2 H. Wray, "Hidden Purpose: UK Ethnic Minority International Marriages and the Immigration Rules", in P. Shah and W. Menski (eds.), Migration, Diasporas And Legal Systems In Europe (London: Cavendish Publishing 2006), pp. 163–184. An Ideal Husband? Marriages of Convenience, Moral Gate-keeping and Immigration to the UK


The results of the experiments reported in this article indicated that the cereal grains corn, barley, oats or combinations of these grains and wheat and corn combinations all serve as useful high energy feed sources for finishing lambs


The COBRA-SFS and HYDRA thermal analysis computer codes were used to perform ''pretest'' or ''prelook'' calculations on the CASTOR-1C, REA-2023, CASTOR-V/21 and TN-24P spent fuel storage casks. HYDRA results were compared to 24 different test runs, while COBRA-SFS results were compared to 25 runs. These comparisons included tests with three different fill media, vacuum (low-pressure nitrogen), helium, and nitrogen, in both horizontal and vertical casks. The mean difference in peak clad temperature for of all comparisons was +10/sup 0/C for HYDRA and +3/sup 0/C for COBRA-SFS. Their respective standard deviations were +-10/sup 0/C and +-11/sup 0/C. These comparisons have demonstrated that even with the limited amount of experience in modeling the thermal characteristics of casks, both codes do an excellent job of predicting peak clad temperatures for a wide variety of cask configurations.


"Cognitive Computing" has become somewhat of a rallying call in the technology world, with the promise of new smart services offered by industry giants like IBM and Microsoft. The associated technological advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have thrown into the public sphere some old questions about the relationship between machine computation and human intelligence. Much of the industry and media hype suggests that many traditional challenges have been overcome. On the contrary, our simple examples from language processing demonstrate that present day cognitive computing still struggles with fundamental, long-standing problems in AI. An alternative interpretation of cognitive computing is presented, following Licklider's lead in adopting "man-computer symbiosis" as a metaphor for designing software systems that enhance human cognitive performance. A survey of existing proposals on this view suggests a distinction between weak and strong versions of symbiosis. We propose a Strong Cognitive Symbiosis, which dictates an interdependence rather than simply cooperation between human and machine functioning, and introduce new software systems, which were designed for cognitive symbiosis. We conclude that strong symbiosis presents a viable new perspective for the design of cognitive computing systems.


Background: WhatsApp (WA), a free cross-platform smartphone application has revolutionized social communication over the virtual world. It enables information sharing, both personal and professional, individually and across social groups. Despite these positive changes, there have been concerns about excessive WA use, especially among college students, resulting in the neglect of important social and academic commitments. However, there is lack of quality research on WA use in this vulnerable population. Aims: The aim of this study is to understand the patterns and attitudes toward WA use and measure the level of dependence among college students. Materials and Methods: In a sample of 150 undergraduate medical college students who provided informed consent, comprehensive questionnaires were administered to assess the patterns, attitudes, and dependence toward WA use. Results: WA was the most common social media platform used (70%) which eclipsed the time spend on other apps (Facebook, Twitter, etc). While half of the students spent 1–2 h/day, a significant minority (10.67%) spent almost 6–7 h/day on WA. Nearly 12% (n = 18) of students qualified for WA dependence. There were no significant differences in patterns of WA use between students with or without WA dependence. Students with WA dependence had significantly lesser negative attitudes toward its use compared to the rest. Scores on all dimensions of WA addiction, namely, salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse were significantly higher in students with WA dependence. Conclusion: WA dependence is an emerging behavioral addiction among college students. With no specific pattern of use to distinguish dependent users, it is difficult to recognize this problem. Changing the attitudes towards WA use by creating awareness about it's addictive potential, monitoring and restricting the use of mobile phones especially during class hours, encouraging face to face interactions with friends and family can help reduce the progression of this behavioral problem. It is essential for clinicians to equip themselves to deal with technological addictions. Research on the the management of WA dependence using biopsychosocial principles suited to the Indian context are needed.


This study was conducted to develop functional muffin in which grape seed extract(GSE) was added at 0, 0.5, 1 or 2% levels and to evaluate the quality characteristics. The volume of muffin decreased with the increasing GSE content, but no significant differences were observed. The weight and height of muffins increased with the increasing GSE content. The incorporation of GSE in the product lowered lightness (L value) and increased redness(a value). The mechanical texture parameters including hardness, springiness, gumminess and brittleness increased with the increasing GSE levels. Sensory analysis showed that muffin prepared with 0.5% GSE was considered to be as acceptable as control, based on hedonic scale ratings given by untrained taste panel.


After burning the orgarism in oxygen bomb,phosphorus and ammonium molybadte generating phosphorus ammonium molybdate in acid solution,can be reductive into blue compleses by reductant[(NH4)2Fe(SO4)2],compared with the standard series solution can be quantitatively calculated for samples of phosphorus.The method is simple,shortcut and pollution-free,and especially suitable for some difficult digestion and sapetroliferous samples.


An interferometric form of Fermat's principle is derived that converts travel times of free‐surface multiples into those for lower‐order events such as primary reflections. These primary reflection travel times can then be used to tomographically invert for layer velocities more accurately than standard travel time tomography applied to multiples. As an example, Fermat's interferometric principle converts VSP (vertical‐seismic‐profile) travel times of receiver‐side ghosts and direct waves to those for CDP (common‐depth‐point) primary reflections. These CDP travel times can be used to estimate, e.g., statics velocities for a 3D survey, which is impossible by conventional VSP tomography applied to primary travel times. This procedure is exact in the high frequency approximation, and it can be extended to multiples in CDP and earthquake data. Fermat's interferometric principles presents new opportunities for imaging multiples and greatly extends the illumination area of VSP, CDP and earthquake travel time tomography.


I. THE BLOOD-BRAIN AND BLOOD-CEREBROSPINAL FLUID BARRIERS 1. Phenomenological aspects 2. Morphological aspects of the blood-brain barrier 3. Cytochemicial aspects of the blood-brain barrier. II. THE FLUID ENVIRONMENT OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM 1. Brain water 2. The extracellular space 3. Brain tissue electrolytes 4. The cerebrospinal fluid 5. Disturbances of fluid balance. III. INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE 1. Methods for the measurement of intracranial pressure. IV. THE CEREBRAL BLOOD SUPPLY 1. The supply of substrate 2. The Supply of Oxygen 3. Vascular anatomy 4. Technical principles in measurement of cerebral blood flow 5. Cerebral blood volume 6. Characteristics of microcirculation 7. Responses of the cerebrovascular system 8. Mediators of vasomotor responses 9. Cerebral vasospasm in subarachnoid hemorrhage 10. Molecular mechanisms of vascular tone and its control 11. Disturbances of vascular blood supply. V. ENERGY METABOLISM OF THE BRAIN 1. The purpose of substrate oxidation 2. Pathways of energy metabolism 3. Parameters of energy metabolism 4. Perturbations of cerebral energy metabolism. References. Index.


Legal positivism, like breakfast cereal, seems to come in a wide variety of brands, with modest variations in the ingredients. Each brand offers slightly different promises as to the benefits of choosing it over its competitors. The question for the tired morning consumer is whether anything important is at stake in the choice,' or whether he or she should just choose whatever is handy or on sale that month. In this article, I will consider some of the debates within legal positivism, and some of the disputes between legal positivism and its critics, as a means of exploring some more general issues regarding the process of theorizing about law. In discussing the internal debates within legal positivism, I will focus on the debate between inclusive and exclusive forms of positivism, though there are numerous other, if lesser known, intra-group squabbles to be found, which are also of interest and warrant attention.


We prepared culture extracts of 174 Corallococcus and 207 Myxococcus strains isolated in Korea, and compared their antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The percentage of strains showing antifungal activity was lower in Corallococcus (7.5% [13 of the 174 strains]) than in Myxococcus (51.7% [107 of the 207 strains]). However, the percentage of strains exhibiting antibacterial activity was higher in Corallococcus (12.1% [21 strains]) than in Myxococcus (1% [2 strains]). The culture extracts of 6 Corallococcus strains inhibited both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus and displayed similar high-performance liquid chromatography chromatograms, although the shapes of their fruiting bodies were dissimilar. The rate of production of antibacterial substances was the highest when the strains were cultured in CYS medium for more than 6 days.


The zinc oxide(Zn O) nanoparticles(NPs) sensors were prepared in-situ on the gas-sensing electrodes by a one-step simple sol-gel method for the detection of hydrogen sulfide(H2S) gas. The sphere-like Zn O NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), x-ray diffraction(XRD), energy dispersive x-ray analysis(EDX), and their H2 S sensing performance were measured at room temperature. Testing results indicate that the Zn O NPs exhibit excellent response to H2S gas at room temperature. The response value of the optimal sample to750 ppb H2S is 73.3%, the detection limit reaches to 30 ppb, and the response value is 7.5%. Furthermore, the effects of the calcining time and thickness of the film on the gas-sensing performance were investigated. Both calcining time and film thickness show a negative correlation with the H2S sensing performance. The corresponding reaction mechanism of H2S detection was also discussed.


Based on the seismic damage statistics in Wenchuan and Yushu earthquake,the reasons of caused so enormous personnel casualties and property losses are analyzed,and some suggestions of seismic fortification in the rural houses are proposed.Sliding base-isolation technique is mature,cheap and easy to do,more suitable for enormous quantity of housing construction villages.Finally,the friction sliding base-isolation technique is discussed and the development in the future is prospected.


Gallium nitride is grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on (111) and (001) silicon substrates using sputter-deposited hafnium nitride buffer layers. Wurtzite GaN epitaxial layers are obtained on both the (111) and (001) HfN/Si surfaces, with crack-free thickness up to 1.2 (mu)m. Initial results for GaN grown on the (111) surface show a photoluminescence peak width of 17 meV at 11 K, and an asymmetric x-ray rocking curve width of 20 arcmin. Wurtzite GaN on HfN/Si(001) shows reduced structural quality and peculiar low-temperature luminescence features. However, growth on the (001) surface results in nearly stress-free films, suggesting that much thicker crack-free layers could be obtained.


Microsurgical unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression (ULBD) provides an effective and largely stability preserving treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) [1,2]. The advantages of the technique are the paramedian less muscle tissue traumatizing approach, either if a tubular retractor or a miniaturized speculum retractor is inserted, and the complete preservation of the dorsal midline interand supraspinous anatomical structures. However, a limitation is the larger facet joint (FJ) resection on the approach side compared with the contraLumbar Spinal Stenosis: Ipsilateral Facet-sparing Unilateral Laminotomy for Bilateral Decompression: Technical Note and Preliminary Results


A hybrid coordinates federated filtering fusion algorithm with information feedback is developed for a passive maneuvering target tracking. The algorithm is designed to deal with angle-only measurements for accurately estimating the kinematic state components of target motion. The hierarchical architecture of the algorithm comprises a group of local processors and a global processor. In each local processor, an extended Kalman filter is utilized with federated filtering in hybrid coordinates for state and state covariance extrapolation and updating. For merging the outputs of local processors, the global processor a recursive least squares (RLS) estimator is utilized to sequentially generate a global estimate for system outputs and information feedback. A typical target maneuver scenario is employed to investigate the performance of the RLS estimator with and without information feedback through computer simulation. In simulation study, each local processor encounters slow convergence problem under the scenario. By using the proposed algorithm with information feedback, the convergence of each local processor is greatly accelerated. The algorithm markedly improves the local tracking accuracy as well.


Purpose—Human papilloma virus (HPV), HPV-16, is one of the most important prognostic factors for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). HPV-positive HNSCCs have a favorable response to radiation therapy (RT) and superior overall survival (OS) compared to HPV-negative HNSCCs. However, an explanation for the mechanisms responsible for the inherent radiosensitivity of HPV-positive HNSCC remains elusive. Methods and Materials—Records of a cohort of 162 HNSCC patients were reviewed and their outcomes were correlated with their HPV status. Using a panel of HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines expressing a reporter for cancer stem cells (CSCs) we characterized HPVpositive and HPV-negative lines via flow cytometry, sphereforming capacity assays in vitro, and limiting dilution assays in vivo. Non-CSCs were treated with different doses of radiation and the dedifferentiation of non-CSCs into CSCs was investigated via flow cytometry and qRT-PCR for re-expression of reprogramming factors. Results—Patients with HPV-positive tumors have superior OS and local-regional control. HPVpositive HNSCC cell lines have lower numbers of CSCs, which inversely correlates with radiosensitivity. HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines lack hierarchy due to enhanced spontaneous dedifferentiation. Non-CSCs from HPV-negative lines show enhanced radiation-induced Correspondence address. Erina Vlashi, Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1714, Phone: +1 310 825 3064, Fax: +1 310 206 1260, email@example.com. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Conflict of interest The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists. Author's contributions EV and FP conceived of the study, designed the experiments, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. AC and CBH collected and analyzed the clinical data. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 April 01. Published in final edited form as: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016 April 1; 94(5): 1198–1206. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.01.005. A uhor M anscript


A new radar cross section (RCS) prediction technique based on beam tracing is presented. The incident plane wave is modeled as a set of trigonal ray tubes, and each ray tube is traced and recursively subdivided as its re∞ection aspect. The calculation time of the proposed method is independent of target size. The proposed method provides accurate solutions and is e-cient for RCS analysis of electrically large targets.


The structure of a visual configuration software (VMCS) is proposed by using object oriented method.The class hierarchy using in VMCS is also presented.


This study aimed to analyze the value of efficiency and the comparison of efficiency ratio in conventional insurance companies and Islamic Sharia Business Unit (ISBU) of Sharia insurance, both life and general insurance, in Indonesia from 2011-2018. The input variables used are total capital and total expenses. While the output variables in this study were total income. The method used to obtain efficiency value for each insurance industry was Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). The result of efficiency value from the conventional insurance companies and ISBU Sharia insurance would be compared by using independent sample t-test statistic tests. The population in this research was all conventional insurance companies, both life and general, and all life and general insurance of ISBU Sharia insurance that registered in the web of Financial Services Authority (FSA). The sample used was 28 conventional insurance companies consisting of 21 life insurance companies and seven general insurance companies, and 12 ISBU Sharia insurance consisting of nine Sharia life insurance and three Sharia general insurance. This research resulted that there was no difference in efficiency value between conventional insurance companies and ISBU Sharia insurance. JEL Classification: C73, G22, L15 How to Cite: Ulansari, D. R., & Septiarini, D. F. (2020). A comparative study of the efficiency of conventional and Sharia insurance in Indonesia. Jurnal Keuangan dan Perbankan, 24 (2), 202-213. DOI :  https://doi.org/10.26905/jkdp.v24i2.3165


The Jinchang gold deposit in Dongning County of Heilongjiang Province is a typical super-large gold deposit in the epithermal-porphyry mineralization system of the Pacific marginal metallogenic mega-province.The mineralized rock bodies can be classified into four types:breccia type,ring-radial fault-controled vein type,layered-like micro-vein and disseminated type,and fractured alteration type.To determine the metallogenic age,we measured the age of the quartz of polymetallic sulfide-quartz in No.Ⅻ fracture altered ore body,and the sphalerite in No.J-9 explosive breccia pipe ore body by the high-precision single-grain Ar-Ar laser probe method.The results show that the 40Ar/39Ar isochron age for the quartz from the No.Ⅻ ore body is (119±5) Ma (MSWD=6.3),and the 40Ar/39Ar isochron age of the sphalerite from the No.J-9 ore body is (129±0.8) Ma (MSWD=3.7).Combining with the latest available detailed chronology of the related geological bodies,we confirm that the metallogenic age of the Jinchang gold deoposit is in the late Yanshanian,and its mineralization has a close relationship with the contemporary diorite-granodiorite porphyries.The diagenetic and metallogenic environment of the Jinchang gold deposit provides a favorable condition to search for gold-rich porphyry type copper deposits,where the intrusive rocks associated with mineralization exhibit the shape of dikes and branches,indicative of a low erosion degree,implying a great possibility to discover deep-seated porphyry type Au(Cu) mineralization.


Transitions nutritional status is a reflection of the general transition, such as demographics, food, education and health. Demographic Transition reciprocally affects the transition in nutrition/health. This analysis was aimed to identify the distribution of the area and the differentiating factor of the double burden malnutrition on the children under five. Analysis was performed using aggregated National Data from Susenas 2007-2010 and Riskesdas 2007-2010. Unit analysis is the province. Spatial analysis was done with overlay method. The Analysis showed that high levels of potentially affected areas with double burden malnutrition were all of province in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Maluku. Additionally was DKI province, Central Java, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Lampung. Those situation is need to be concerned especially with demographic bonus phenomena. Demographic Bonus becomes a problem, if it is not accompanied by an increment in education, skills, health. When assuming other factor remain, it is predicted that in the event of the demographic bonus, there will be also a double burden malnutrition problems. Distribution of areas that experience with double burden malnutrition, clustered in regions outside Java, it shows social disparities still exist among Indonesian, community. Susceptible areas of double burden malnutrition was spread outside Java. Namely, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku. Sumatra, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung.


Objective To analyze clinical conditions and drug resistance of hospitalized patients with pseudomonas aeruginosa(PAE). Methods The clinical conditions and drug resistance of 290 strains of positive PAE were analyzed. Results PAE took up 13. 56% in total G-strains,and its sensitivity to multiple antibiotics was more than 60%. The sensitivity and the drug resistance showed a certain degree of decrease and increase in the ICU group and the death group(P 0. 05). Conclusion PAE is still a common cause of nosocomial infection of pathogens. A history of the underlying disease especially in the presence of elderly patients are more vulnerable to surgery,and their prognosis is fair. PAE has a high sensitivity to amikacin,piperacillin sulbactam,meropenem and other antimicrobial drugs.


The unconventional reservoir in Mahu Basin in Xinjiang Oilfield has more than one billion tons of oil and gas resources, and it is the first effectively developed glutenite reservoir in China. In the development of this basin, we faced with the following problems: complex lithology (glutenite reservoir), large reservoir depth (3750-3900m), low permeability (average porosity 9.8%, permeability 5.4mD), thickness variation (3.4-23m), multiple thin layers distribution (3-5 thin layer distribution) and high-pressure coefficient (1.6-1.8). This kind of reservoirs have no economical production without hydraulic fracturing, while the stimulation operation still faced with difficulties such as un-predicate fracture propagation, high cost and multi-layers. In order to solve the above problems, we investigated the economic stimulation of glutenite formation: (1) 30cm×30cm×5cm rock sample experiments revealed fracture initiation and expansion regulation including piercing gravel, bypass gravel and stop expansion; (2) A low concentration fracturing fluid system was developed, guar concentration reduced from 0.40% to 0.25%. Viscosity of this kind fracturing fluid can maintain 100mPa.s under condition of 90°C and 170S-1 after 120min. By using this fracturing fluid, operation cost can be reduced by 5.8$/m3, residue can be reduced by 10%. (3) Optimize the p'n'p technology of staged fracturing for horizontal wells, establish an effective fluids pump process, that is, pre-gel to initial fractures, followed slickwater to extend fractures then followed gel to carry sands. (4) A soluble plug and multi-stage cementing sleeve was formed after the investigation of fracturing completion tools. (5) Replacement of ceramsite by low-cost quartz sand, reduced 31 million US dollars in 72 horizontal wells. (6) A factory-fracturing model has formed in which operating time can be reduced by 20%. The above integrated technology has been applied in more than 135 wells, the daily oil production per well has increased from 5t/day to 26.7t/day and now the basin has a capacity of 2.32 million tons. Application of the integrated technology can be references for efficiency development of low permeability glutenite reservoirs.


This ongoing feature of Foresight features an interview with a husband and wife tea of forecasters, Tonya Boone and Ram Ganeshan. Copyright International Institute of Forecasters, 2009


Mike Church has provided a view of recent changes in geomorphology, especially regarding the growing role of geophysicists and the diminishing role of 'geographical geomorphologists' in the discipline (Church, 2005). Here I offer a different diagnosis and prognosis based both on my interpretation of the changing research priorities in geomorphology


Machine learning techniques such as (Deep) Neural Networks are successfully solving a plethora of tasks, e.g. in image recognition and text analysis, and provide novel predictive models for complex physical, biological and chemical systems. However, due to the nested complex and non-linear structure of many machine learning models, this comes with the disadvantage of them acting as a black box, providing little or no information about the internal reasoning. This black box character hampers acceptance and application of non-linear methods in many application domains, where understanding individual model predictions and thus trust in the model's decisions are critically important. In this thesis, we describe a novel method for explaining non-linear classifier decisions by decomposing the prediction function, called Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (LRP). We apply our method to Neural Networks, kernelized Support Vector Machines (with non-linear kernels) and Bag of Words feature extraction pipelines and evaluate LRP theoretically, qualitatively and quantitatively in comparison to other recent methods for interpreting model predictions. Using our method as a tool for comparative analyses between various pre-trained models we reveal different learned prediction strategies and flaws in datasets, predictors and the training thereof.


Word vector research is one of the basic research in the field of natural language processing. The existing Chinese word embedding model does not make full use of the relationship between subcharacters that make up Chinese characters, nor does it fully consider the different contribution of subcharacters to semantics. In this paper, we propose a Fine-grained Joint Chinese word embedding model(FPWE). Firstly, Chinese characters are decomposed into fine-grained sub-characters with semantic information. Secondly, Bi-LSTM is used to establish the correlation between sub-characters of Chinese characters. At the same time, the attention mechanism is introduced to deal with the different semantic contributions between sub-characters, word information and sub-character information. Finally, we evaluate our model on the word similarity calculations and word reasoning tasks, the results showed that our model performance of this paper is better than that of the baseline model.


The given article examines and analyzes DATA SCIENCE, in particular, the methods and algorithms used in solving the issues of forming information systems describing objects, classification and clustering, as well as information content criteria. As a result, it was discovered that the issues of classification, clustering, and character space reduction were poorly studied in a comprehensive manner and in resource-constrained conditions. A number of criteria evaluating the efficiency, information value and reliability indicators of algorithms and methods which are widely used in solving the issues of classification, clustering and character space reduction have been thoroughly studied in this article.


The temporal relation between alterations in serum aldosterone and in the conversion of labelled corticosterone to aldosterone by incubated adrenal tissue was studied in conscious rats receiving long-term infusions of KCl, ACTH or angiotensin II. When potassium-deficient rats were given KCl, a marked increase in serum aldosterone was observed only after 12 h, i.e. at a time when the conversion of corticosterone to aldosterone had become normal. After 24 h of ACTH infusion into sodiumand potassium-replete rats the serum aldosterone was markedly elevated, whereas the conversion of corticosterone to aldosterone was significantly decreased. After 48 h of continued ACTH infusion the serum aldosterone returned to normal and there was a further decrease in the conversion rate. A 24-h angiotensin II infusion into sodiumand potassium-replete rats induced significant increases in both the serum aldosterone and the conversion. After 48 h of continued angiotensin infusion the serum aldosterone returned to normal while the conversion and the blood pressure remained elevated. These results indicate that the activity of the enzymes involved in the final steps of aldosterone biosynthesis may become ratelimiting for the secretion of aldosterone during potassium deficiency and during prolonged ACTH treatment. On the other hand, the observed transiency of aldosterone stimulation by exogenous angiotensin II was not due to a suppression of the final steps of aldosterone biosynthesis and remains unexplained. Address reprint requests to Prof. J. Müller, Steroidlabor, Universitätsspital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland. Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 10/26/2018 02:54:15AM via free access Alterations in the activity of one or more of the enzymes involved in late steps of aldosterone biosynthesis can be induced in rats or dogs by changes in sodium or potassium balance and may play an important role in the multifactorial control system which adapts the secretion of aldosterone to the needs of the organism (Vecsei et al. 1966 ; Marusic 8c Mulrow 1967; Davis et al. 1968; Müller 8c Huber 1969; Boyd et al. 1971; Baumann 8c Müller I972a,b; Aguilera et al. 1975). In particular, they could be involved in negative feedback regula¬ tion, since a marked decrease in the conversion of deoxycorticosterone and corticosterone to aldosterone can be observed not only after sodium loading or potassium restriction but also after treatment of rats with exogenous mineralocorticoids (Hunziker 8c Müller 1977). Such a feedback suppression of late steps of aldosterone biosynthesis might explain why ACTH in man (Muller et al. 1956) and angiotensin II in sheep (Blair-West et al. 1962) and dogs (McCaa et al. 1975) have only a transient stimulatory effect upon aldosterone secretion, because these stimulators have been found to act primarily on an early biosynthetic step (Müller 1966). The following experiments were undertaken in order to study changes in late steps of aldosterone biosynthesis in the course of prolonged infusions of KC1, ACTH or angiotensin II into intact conscious rats. By simultaneously measuring circulating aldosterone levels and the adrenals' capacity to convert corticosterone to aldosterone in individual rats we hoped to elucidate more clearly the contribution of changes in late biosynthetic steps to the long-term alterations of aldosterone secretion in response to these stimulators. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats and diets Pure-bred male Osborne-Mendel rats (Zbz: CARA) weighing between 200 and 220 g were studied. Prior to the infusion experiments, they were kept for two weeks on one of the following semisynthetic diets: "complete": 230 mmol Na+ and 230 mmol K + per kg, "potassium-deficient": 230 mmol Na+ and 0.7 mmol K+ per kg. With minor modifications, these diets were made up according to Hartroft Sc Eisenstein (1957). During infusion with angiotensin II, the rats were given a sodiumand potassiumdeficient diet (5 mmol Na + and 0.7 mmol K+ per kg) but received NaCl (2.5 mmol/day) and KC1 (2.4 mmol/day) in the infusion fluid. Cannulation and infusion Under ether anaesthesia, a catheter (Silastic, medical grade tubing, outer diameter 0.94 mm, internal diameter 0.51 mm) was entered through a small incision in the right external jugular vein into the superior vena cava to the level of the right atrium. The catheter was run subcutaneously to the dorsal surface of the neck, fixed there by a halved cylinder of a narrow 1 ml polyaethylene injection syringe sewn on to the skin, filled with 5 % glucose solution and kept closed for 24 h before the start of the infusion. During infusion, the rats were kept in open cylindrical plexiglass metabolic cages Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 10/26/2018 02:54:15AM via free access (diameter 21 cm, height 37 cm). Solutions were infused from above into the intra¬ venous catheters by a multi-channel peristaltic pump (Perpex, LKB). A swivel, in¬ stalled into the infusion tube above the cage, allowed the animal free movement and access to food and water. Blood pressure measurement Following a 15 min exposure to a heat lamp, which was sufficient to raise the cage temperature to 38°C, the systolic blood pressure was measured in unanaesthetized rats by a non-invasive tail-cuff method with ultrasonic auscultation (Arteriosonde 1011, Roche) according to Reichle (1971) and Buñag (1973). During the blood pressure measurement, the infusion was continued, and the rats were kept in a heated restrainer (Narco Bio-Systems). Blood collection and tissue incubation At the end of the infusion period, usually between 9 and 11 a.m., 5 ml blood was withdrawn from the catheter within 3 to 6 min, and the rat was then decapitated. The adrenals of each animal were excised and kept separate in a small vessel containing ice cold incubation medium. This was a modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer containing 3.6 mmol K+ and 20 g glucose per litre. Adjoining fatty tissue was removed, and the single adrenals were quartered. The tissue from each animal was put into a rubber stoppered incubation flask (25 ml) containing 6 ml of incubation medium [1,2,6,7-3H] corticosterone (Radiochemical Centre, Amersham, England; 2 //Ci and 300 nmol per flask) was added in 0.06 ml ethanol (96 %). Within 40 min after killing the animal, the adrenal tissue was incubated for Í20 min at 37CC in an athmosphere of 95 % O2 and 5 % CO2 in a metabolic shaker. At the end of the incubation, the medium was separated from the tissue and kept frozen at -20°C. The adrenal sections were gently blotted on filter paper and weighed. Analytical methods Serum aldosterone concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay after Chro¬ matographie purification according to Underwood Se Williams (1972). The aldo¬ sterone antiserum utilized was a gift of the NIAMDD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., USA. Serum corticosterone concentrations were determined by a radioimmunoassay with¬ out chromatography utilizing a sheep antiserum (gift of Dr. Bryan Hudson, Parkville, Australia) raised against cortisol-21-hemisuccinate coupled to porcine thyroglobulin and [1,2,6,7-3H] corticosterone as the radioligand. The assay procedure was essentially the one used by Wang et al. (1974) for measuring plasma testosterone. At 50 °/o dis¬ placement, the relative cross-reactivities of some possible interfering steroids were (corticosterone 100%): cortisol 20 °/o, 11-dehydrocorticosterone 1 %>, 18-hydroxy-lldeoxycorticosterone 0.3%, 18-hydroxycorticosterone 10%, aldosterone 0.6%, deoxycorticosterone 5 %, progesterone 4 %. According to repeated assays of a pooled rat serum with a mean corticosterone concentration of 18.9 μg/l00 ml, the within-assay coefficient of variation was 8.7 % (N = 9) and the between-assay coefficient of varia¬ tion Î3.1 % (N=17). Tritiated aldosterone in the incubation medium was measured by a previously des¬ cribed and evaluated double isotope dilution procedure (Baumann Se Müller 1972 ). Serum and urinary sodium and potassium concentrations were determined by flame spectrophotometry using an internal lithium standard. Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 10/26/2018 02:54:15AM via free access 0 2 4 6 12 48 duration of KCI infusion <hours!


The specific incorporation of 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid (2) into actamycin (1) by a Streptomycete culture establishes this amino-acid as a key intermediate in ansamycin and maytansinoid biosynthesis.


A lthough approximately two thirds of patients with depression are treated successfully with medication alone,1 many patients do not respond to medication,2 have residual symptoms,3 or frequently relapse.4 Many patients may prefer a nonpharmacologic therapy or one that is consistent with their model of depression.1 Because cognitive therapy addresses many of these issues, family physicians should be familiar with its nature and uses. Cognitive therapy was developed as a departure from traditional therapeutic approaches to mental illness.5 While working with patients, Aaron Beck, a pioneer in cognitive therapy, observed that negative moods and behaviors were usually the result of distorted thoughts and beliefs, not of unconscious forces as proposed in Freudian theory.5


Objective:To evaluate the preventive effect of the reconstruction of prevertebral fascia on the complication of cervical vertebrae anterior approach. Methods:One hundred and seventy-six patients with cervical vertebrae anterior approach were divided into two groups by throwing coins,coins for the positive,patients entered the group A,coins for the negative,patients entered the group B. Eighty-seven cases of group B were treated with cervical vertebrae anterior decompression,bone grafting and internal fixation with plate and screws. In other 89 cases of group A,prevertebral fascia were covered on the surface of the plate and screws as experiment group. The patients were followed up after three weeks,three months and 12 months. The incidence of the dysphagia was as observation indicator and was statistically analyzed. Results:The followed-up period was 3 weeks,3 months and 12 months after operation. The incidence of the dysphagia of group A was respectively 25.8%,9.0%, 5.6%;the incidence of the dysphagia of group B was respectively 25.3%,20.6%,14.9%. The dysphagia in the experiment group was lower than that in contrast group,3 months and 12 months after operation(3 months P=0.030,12 months P=0.0490.05). Conclusion:The reconstruction of prevertebral fascia is an effective method to avoid the dysphagia of cervical vertebrae anterior approach.


Each of the various telecom operators,every year spend a lot on installation,commissioning,maintenance of different brands of network equipment vendors,it costs a lot of human resource,material and financial resources;in order to reduce costs,increase productivity,eliminate differences between different devices,the need to create a unified network device configuration management system for network administrators came into being.The network configuration management system this paper describes uses a unified graphical interface operating environment,and manages the network topology,network device configuration,maintenance,data backup,and information statistics,and so on.


The biogenic amines species,toxicity,the presence of these compounds in dry fermented sausages were introduced and the most important factors influencing their accumulation,induding raw materials and starter cultures as well as processing conditions(temperature,pH,diameter of sausages,auxiliary ingredients,storage conditions) were analysed in the study.Moreover,strategies(such as raw materials control development,good starter cultures,proteolytic activity control,additives use) were proposed) to control or reduce the accumulation of biogenic amines.


Results: Leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with exacerbation than in both stabledisease and control groups. Leptin levels were significantly correlated with the nutritional parameters in stable groups. However, in patients with acute exacerbation, a correlation between leptin and nutritional parameters was not found. There was no significant relationship between TNF-α and nutritional parameters in the three groups. While there was no correlation between serum TNF-α and leptin levels in COPD patients and ÖZET SUMMARY


e17562 Background: Prediction of patient recruitment in OCT is one of the most important variables to guarantee timely closure of the trial. Earlier data analysis and conclusions define further research or discontinuation of the development of a given drug.

METHODS
Retrospective analysis of the recruitment and clinical records of all the patients of the COR that were contacted to participate in an OCT from 2006 to 2008 to identify the causes according to which patients did not participate.

RESULTS
Total of candidates 346, 175 women (50.6%). Average age 60 years (range 36 to 89). 42 patients (12%) rejected to participate in an OCT. 80 patients (23%) were screening failures (SF). 59 patients (17%) for not fulfilling an inclusion criteria (IC). Non appropriate stage or absence of measurable disease at screening (35%), abnormal labs (14%) and state of receptors or biomarkers (9%). Total of clinically unpredictable IC SF was 57.5%. 21 patients (6%) were SF due to an exclusion criteria (EC). Presence of distant metastases (12,5%), abnormal labs (2.5%) and abnormal EKG (2.5%). Total of clinically unpredictable EC SF was 19%.

CONCLUSIONS
35% of candidate patients did not participate. The most frequent cause was SF (23%). 76.5% of these SF were impossible to determine when informed consent was signed. 12% of patients rejected to participate for different reasons. Our results did not identify a predominant modifiable reason to improve recruitment. For future feasibility analyses our estimation of 35% dropout will be considered standard. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.


For quality-assured information engineering software assessment has become critical. Software quality is defined as all the features and proprieties of a software system that can meet certain criteria to test a software product to know how good it is. Software testing is a necessary process for software development, and automating data production helps reduce time and expense. The design of software tests in today's industry is mostly focused on the experience of the experts, while the tools for test automation can be used only for pre-planned tests. The new investigation focuses on the safe, accurate and effective discriminatory regression testing. A selective algorithm for regression testing is considered secure and sound if the disclosing of test cases is not ignored. Precision that tests the sum of the algorithm moving through the test cases without alteration. The successful selection of these cases is one of the key issues in regression testing. Due to the utility of selective regression testing, an efficient algorithm is important due to the speed of test case selection. We use a formal language approach in this article, to explain the problems and to give tentative solutions. For the test case selection problem, we find the genetic algorithm. We demonstrate that this genetic algorithm that satisfies both secure and reliable standards take time and time in general exponentially. In addition, a secure algorithm requires the most severe case of O (n2) time and Ont) (location, in which n is as many statements as possible, and t is as many test cases as possible.


The 23 human ZDHHC S-acyltransferases catalyze long-chain S-acylation at cysteine residues across an extensive network of hundreds of proteins important for normal physiology or dysregulated in disease. Here we present a technology platform to directly map the protein substrates of a specific ZDHHC for the first time at the whole proteome level, in intact cells. Structure-guided engineering of paired ZDHHC 'hole' mutants and 'bumped' chemically tagged fatty acid probes enabled probe transfer to specific protein substrates with excellent selectivity over wild type ZDHHCs. Chemical genetic systems were exemplified for five ZDHHCs (3, 7, 11, 15 and 20), and applied to generate the first de novo ZDHHC substrate profiles, identifying >300 unique and shared substrates across multiple cell lines and S-acylation sites for novel functionally diverse substrates. We expect that this powerful and versatile platform will open a new window on S-acylation biology for a wide range of models and organisms.


Strategic management of healthcare systems depends on useful information as derive from clinical data. The paper asserts that this is flawed because of the nature of clinical reality, and consequently, of clinical data describing that reality. The paper is based on current research into the nature of and relationships between, knowledge, data and information in the context of clinical practice within the UK National Health Service (NHS). It focuses on the relationship between the generation and use of clinical knowledge, and the large-scale statistical data sets which are generated from that knowledge via a number of human, technological, systemic and mathematical processes. The research has been carried out through extensive qualitative field based investigation with clinicians in their operating environments.