We report a generalized aqueous route for the synthesis of a variety of nearly monodisperse nanostructured metal oxides with controllable sizes and shapes using aqueous metal ammonium carbonate solution as a precursor and decanoic acid under reflux as well as hydrothermal conditions. The procedure is based on direct formation of metal oxide through hydrolysis followed by dehydration of a metal ammonium carbonate complex in basic medium, in situ dissolution and surface modification of an oxide nanoparticle by decanoic acid through the formation of ammonium salt of decanoic acid. All the synthesized metal oxide nanostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. The characterization result shows that all the particles are monodispersed in size and shape, and highly crystalline in nature. A probable formation mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of the size and shape selective CeO2.


The TP-LIF OH sensor is based on the principle that a molecule having multiple energy states, all of which are bonding, can be pumped into the highest state with the resulting fluorescence being blue-shifted relative to all pumping wavelengths. In this way, one can successfully discriminate against virtually all noise sources in the system using long wavelength blocking filters in conjunction with solar-blind photomultiplier tubes. Thus, these systems tend to be signal limited rather than signal-to-noise limited as is true of the SP-LIF technique as well as other conventional analytical methods. The trick to achieving the above sampling scheme, with high efficiency, is in the use of high photon fluxes of short time duration. Obviously, the latter type of light source is fulfilled nicely by available pulsed lasers. From an operational point of view, however, this laser source needs to be tunable. The latter characteristic permits extremely high selectivity for the detection of a diatomic or simple polyatomic molecule by taking advantage of the high-resolution spectroscopic features of these type species.


Encouraged by theoretical predictions that nematic phases formed from V-shaped compounds could be biaxial, shape-persistent phenylene ethynylene arms linked by 1,3-phenylene, 4,4′-diphenylenemethane and 3,6-fluorenone units have been synthesised. Crystallisation and micro-segregation is prevented by 2,5-alkoxy substitution on the middle benzene ring of the arms. The specific molecular engineering, i.e. variation of peripheral substituents (H, CN) and different lengths of lateral alkoxy chains, lead to enantiotropic nematic liquid crystals over a wide temperature range for fluorenone containing materials II3d and mixtures of II3d with non-mesogenic II3b. These mesophases solidify at ambient temperature and form nematic glasses.


A series of 1-[(4-substituted phenyl)(hydrazinyl)methyl]-1H-imidazole (1-6) were synthesized by Mannich reaction. Synthesized compounds 1-6 were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, Mass and elemental analysis. Synthesized compounds 1-6 were screened for antimicrobial activity.


This study aimed at recognizing the effectiveness of a group counseling program, based on cognitive behavioral approach in improving the level of school adjustment for a sample of gifted teenage students at King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence in Jordan. The study was implemented on a population of (132) students including the study sample (30) students. The students were equally divided into (15) students as an experimental group and (15) students as a control group. The researcher developed the study instruments: school adjustment scale, the semi–structured interview and the counseling program consisting of (14) sessions. After verifying their Psychometric characteristics, the counseling program was applied to the study sample. Based on the statistical analysis of the arithmetic means and standard deviations, as well as (One Way ANCOVA) analysis the study results indicated the existence of statistically significant differences in the level of school adjustment among the members of the experimental and control groups, in favor of the experimental one. According to these results the current study would be a qualitative addition in its field as it used the operational approach unlike most of previous studies which used the descriptive one. In light of the study results, the study recommended that other studies benefit from the current study in empowering the gifted students in all their developmental stages. The current study would be an added value in the field of increasing gifted students' adjustments to school which would eventually lead to their success and desired achievements in the academic and social aspects.


This work proposes and demonstrates, for the first time, a new method for CAP modulation in VLC based on full-Nyquist Xia pulses. By receiver modification, we demonstrate a signification reduction in computational complexity by > 90%.


Abstract Background In July 2017, The University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital Emergency Department (ED) transitioned from a 5-day to a 28-day HIV nPEP (non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis) dispensation model in an effort to increase adherence. Anecdotal reports of patients lost to follow-up after ED discharge called into question the utility and cost-effectiveness of this practice. We analyzed HIV nPEP follow-up rates in our clinic, explored reasons for nonadherence, and performed basic cost-savings analyses to inform potential changes to our dispensation model. Methods A retrospective review of both electronic health and pharmacy records was conducted for patients prescribed 28-days of HIV nPEP in the ED and scheduled for outpatient follow-up in Pediatric ID clinic from July 2017-June 2019. Clinic provider documentation of nPEP adherence and reasons for nonadherence were examined. Patients were given an initial dose of nPEP regimen in the ED and provided all subsequent doses to complete at home. Using average wholesale price (AWP), we calculated the total cost of each regimen and potential savings if a shorter duration of HIV nPEP supply was dispensed. Results 50 patients received a 28-day supply of HIV nPEP. Please refer to Table 1 regarding baseline patient characteristics. Of these, only 19 (38%) patients had documented outpatient follow-up after nPEP initiation. Median time to follow-up was 6 days (IQR: 3.0-9.0 days). Of the 19 patients with follow-up, 3 admitted to medication non-adherence. Although side effects were elicited in a total of 9 patients (18%), only 1 cited medication intolerance as the reason for discontinuing their nPEP. Given the relatively short time to follow-up, a potential savings of $1720-2211/patient could be achieved if a 10-14 day supply was dispensed. Conclusion Outpatient follow-up after 28-day HIV nPEP dispensation in our ED was < 40%, calling into question the cost-effectiveness of this dispensation model. While our current practice alleviates nPEP interruption due to potential insurance issues and pick-up delays, follow-up and adherence are not assured. The significant cost-savings with a shorter supply at the outset may encourage more robust follow-up and adherence. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


Problems that occur by monitoring the implementation of the Office of Surveillance and Customs and Excise ( KPPBC ) Type Madya B Dumai namely the lack of customs employees, this not optimal control KPPBC TMP B Dumai in export services both in the office and in the field such as the discovery of smuggling illegal goods and reduced foreign exchange in recent months. This type of research used in this research is descriptive qualitative approach . This research was conducted in Dumai where this area there are several official ports and harbors are still vulnerable people smuggling illegal goods. While the data collection by using the technique of interviewing informants were competent in their field as well as by direct observation in the field and documentation writers. This research found the smuggling of illegal goods from Malaysia and services provided by KPPBC TMP B Dumai to service users is still not optimal. Supervision Office of Surveillance and Customs and Excise Dumai in Export Services Framework is not maximized due to the implementation of effective oversight yet that is the size and standard of supervision is still weak, not maximum deviation assessment and correction work that is not running. Factors that hinder the implementation of supervision by KPPBC TMP B Dumai occur due to weak supervision in the field, a lack of human resources experts in the field of customs as well as wide area surveillance in Dumai. We recommend that the Office of Surveillance and Customs and Excise TMP B Dumai further increase the number of employees or officers of customs and excise in order to support the monitoring in KPPBC Dumai. Keywords : Surveillance , Office of Surveillance and Customs and Excise.


This paper discusses power-system instability and the importance of fast fault-clearing performance to aid in reliable production of power. An explanation regarding small-signal stability, high-impedance transmission lines, line loading, and high-gain fast-acting excitation systems is provided. Transient stability is discussed, including synchronizing and damping torques. The power-angle curve is used to illustrate how fault-clearing time and high initial response excitation systems can affect transient stability. The term ldquopower-system stabilityrdquo has become increasingly popular in generation and transmission. The sudden requirement for power-system stabilizers (PSSs) has created confusion about their applicability, purpose, and benefit to the system. This paper discusses the fundamentals of the PSS and its effectiveness. In today's paper industry, PSSs are being applied on larger machines in the northwest United States and Canada.


As computers are becoming more and more ubiquitous, moving from the desktop into the infrastructure of our everyday life, they begin to influence the way we interact with this environment – the (physical) entities that we operate upon in order to achieve our daily goals. The most important aspect of future human-computer interaction therefore is the way, computers support us in efficiently managing our personal environment. Conventionally, human-computer interaction looks at a process, where only two partners are involved: the human and the computer. However, looking at the computer as a mediator between the user and his environment, we have to acknowledge a more complex communication process. This paper proposes a reference model that identifies the fundamental components which are involved in human-computer-environment interaction. 1 Motivation A human being's daily activities – professional or private – are based on a broad range of interactions with numerous external objects: discussing project plans with colleagues, setting up a multimedia presentation in the conference room, editing documents, delegating travel planning to a secretary, driving a car, buying a ticket from a vending machine, visiting an exhibition, controlling the TV at home, etc. As computers are becoming more and more ubiquitous, moving from the desktop into the infrastructure of our everyday life, they begin to influence the way we interact with this environment – the (physical) entities that we operate upon in order to achieve our daily goals. The most important aspect of future human-computer interaction therefore is the way, computers support us in efficiently managing our personal environment. This might be called the ecological level1 of user-interface design. At the ecological level, we look at future developments from the perspective of helping a user in achieving his individual goals and purposes by providing computer-based assistance for interacting with his personal environment. The goal is to have the computer acting as a mediator between the user and the environment – e.g., giving the user hints for operating an obstinate ticket vending machine, reminding him of things he wanted to tell a colleague just approaching across the corridor, etc. Because the machine has no direct control over the human/environment interaction, it needs to achieve the desired effects indirectly through the other interfaces: i.e., by sensing the environment, by cleverly guessing the user's goals and future interactions with the environment, and by proactively providing the user with information needed for those activities (or by actively controlling the environment itself). Conventionally, human-computer interaction looks at a process, where only two partners are involved: the human and the computer. However, looking at the computer as a mediator between the user and his environment, we have to acknowledge a more complex communication process. Central challenges for providing such personal ubiquitous assistance are: • Understanding the user's goals and the specific strategies employed by the user for achieving these goals. 1"Ecology is the scientific study of interactions of organisms with one another and with the physical and chemical environment." So this notion quite well captures the essence of the above discussion.


The ancient-Japanese read the ancient-Chinese works with a special method.But the modern Japanese instead translate them into modern-Japanese.Based on examples from the Analects,Tao Do Ching,and Zhuang Zi,this paper compares and analyzes the Modern-Japanese translations in a comparative linguistic angle.Thereof,this paper points out,the Modern-Japanese translations can express the meaning of 'yu',which is a special word with different meaning,on the whole,but at the same time,there are some distances.


Related Articles: Comment on: Eysenbach G, Kummervold PE. "Is Cybermedicine Killing You?" The Story of a Cochrane Disaster. J Med Internet Res. 2005;7(2) p. e21 http://www.jmir.org/2005/2/e21/ Comment on: Rada R. A Case Study of a Retracted Systematic Review on Interactive Health Communication Applications: Impact on Media, Scientists, and Patients. J Med Internet Res. 2005;7(2) p. e18 http://www.jmir.org/2005/2/e18/


This chapter contains sections titled: The European Context, The Role of the Commission of the European Communities, The Added Value of Electronic Networks, ELNET Case Study, Summary of ELNET Outcomes, Conclusions


HEPA filters utilized in United States nuclear industry are those that meet and are qualified in accordance with the requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) AG-1 Code on Nuclear Air and Gas Treatment section FC. Although filters that meet these requirements are largely considered equivalent, there are substantial difference in construction allowed within this code section. The most notable differences are the configuration of the filter pack, the frame material and the gasket material utilized in the construction of a qualified filter. Additionally, a new ASME AG-1 code section is under development that defines HEPA filters that exceed the strength capabilities of current HEPA filters.


Signal theory suggests that,in the IPO market,the auditor choice can be used as a signal mechanism to reduce information asymmetries between issuing companies and investors.Under the background of China's split share structure reform and securities issuing system transition to market-oriented,we examine the relationship between the IPO firm characteristics and auditor reputation.The results show that reform has triggered a strong demand for high quality audit.Companies with lower risk have a significant positive relationship with the choice of big-four audit firms.Furthermore,clients that hire big-four exhibit lower initial returns than clients that choose to hire other audit firms,which means big-four's high reputation has been recognized by the market.These results indicate that the signal transmission function of an auditor proves valid in China.


The rehabilitation of disabled persons is widely recognized as a way to develop our nation's human resources. In turn, other human resources are the major element in this effort: the personnel who administer programs, provide direct services, maintain the necessary support systems and, not least, raise funds. In the private sector, much more than the governmental, volunteers work alongside paid staff in all these capacities. But there is sparse documentation of volunteer activity mobilized nationally by private agencies serving blind and visually impaired persons. Indeed, we know little even about the more easily-counted paid personnel in this field. These information gaps are of growing concern to a field facing reductions in government support of social and rehabilitation services. Furthermore, planners must prepare to deal with demographic and labor force trends realigning the human resources available to carry on services. This article reports the number and uses ofvolunteers in relation to paid staff (referred to below simply as "staff') in 1980 and 1982, from a survey of private rehabilitation agencies for blind and visually impaired persons (see Part I, Statistical Brief #24,jVIB, 77,400-403).


Some physical characteristics of cassava starch extruded using a single-screw extruder, varying acid concentration, feed moisture content and barrel temperature were evaluated using surface response methodology. The combined effects of different concentrations of sulphuric acid and extruder parameters provided unique physical functionality to the extruded cassava starch. Product hardness and torque value was highly significant for three variables. The addition of sulphuric acid (0.06N) during extrusion cooking gave the highest values for expansion and softness of the extruded samples. The highest torque values (60-70 Nm) were for the samples extruded at the lowest moisture content, while the lowest torque values (23.0-26.0 Nm) were for the samples extruded at the highest values of feed moisture and barrel temperature.


This paper presents a new first order all pass filter configurations. The proposed all pass filter configuration employs two configurations namely VDVTA and OTAs based first order all pass filter configuration. The first proposed configuration employs a single VDVTA and one grounded capacitor whereas the second proposed configuration employs two OTAs and one grounded capacitor. Both types of proposed configurations are fully electronically tunable and their quality factors do not depend on tunable pole frequency range. The reported configurations yield low active and passive sensitivities and also have low power consumption with very low supply voltage ± 0.85 V with Bias Voltage ± 0.50 V. The PSPICE simulation of the proposed VDVTA and two OTAs based first order all pass filter configurations are verified using 0.18 μm CMOS Technology Process Parameters.


Antifungal activity against Penicillium italicum of volatile substances from Streptomyces globisporus JK1 grown on autoclaved wheat seed was studied in vitro and in planta. Fungal spore germination and mycelial growth of P. italicum cultures as well as sporulation and disease incidence on fungal-inoculated fruit were suppressed in the presence of the volatiles. For naturally infected fruit, disease incidence was reduced from 25% to 7.5%. Suppression of the infection process of P. italicum on Shatang Mandarin fruit (Citrus microcarpa) was observed via scanning electronic microscopy, showing inhibited spore germination on the Shatang Mandarin, and abnormal morphology for conidiophores and hyphae exposed to the volatiles. Based on gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometric analyses, 41 volatile organic compounds were identified from the volatiles of S. globisporus JK-1, and the most abundant compound was trans-1,10-dimethyl-trans-9-decalol (geosmin), an earthy smelling substance. Among these, technical grade formulations of eight were chosen for further study: phenylethyl alcohol, caryophyllene, dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, acetophenone, d-limonene, isoledene, and aromadendrene. d-Limonene, isoledene and aromadendrene showed no observable antifungal activity in vitro and in planta at tested concentrations. Both phenylethyl alcohol and caryophyllene showed weak inhibitory activity in vitro but no significant efficacy against P. italicum on Shatang Mandarin. Dimethyl disulfide or dimethyl trisulfide showed antifungal activity in vitro and efficacious control on Shatang Mandarin at a concentration of 100 L L−1 of airspace in treatment containers. Acetophenone showed antifungal activity in vitro at a concentration of 100 L L−1and efficacious control on Shatang Mandarin at the highest concentration of −1 m S. 1000 L L . Volatiles fro through fumigant action.


In this paper,we review the research on CBI(content—based instruction),a foreign language teaching approach,which was introduced into China 20 years ago.By analyzing the changing focus of researches on CBI and evaluating this approach to foreign language teaching,we hope shadow some light on better CBIfocused researches and we believe that it is possible and feasible to better apply CBI to foreign language teaching in China.


Environmental context Perfluoroalkyl compounds are organic contaminants that exhibit strong resistance to chemical- and microbial-degradation. As partitioning between solid and aqueous phases is expected to control the transport of perfluoroalkyl compounds, we studied the molecular mechanisms of their adsorption–desorption at a representative Fe oxide surface using in situ molecular spectroscopy. The results provide valuable information on the types of bonds formed, and enable a better understanding of the transport and fate of these organic contaminants in natural environments. Abstract The kinetics and mechanisms of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) adsorption to nanoparticulate hematite (α-Fe2O3) from aqueous solutions were examined using in situ, flow-through attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Results indicate that both PFOA and PFOS molecules are retained at the hydrophilic hematite surface and the adsorption shows strong pH dependence. However, ATR-FTIR data reveal that PFOA and PFOS are bound to the iron oxide by different mechanisms. Specifically, in addition to electrostatic interactions, PFOA forms inner-sphere Fe–carboxylate complexes by ligand exchange, whereas the PFOS sulfonate group forms outer-sphere complexes and possibly hydrogen-bonds at the mineral surface. Both solution pH and surface loading affect adsorption kinetics. Faster adsorption was observed at low pH and high initial PFC concentrations. Sorption kinetics for both compounds can be described by a pseudo-second-order rate law at low pH (pH 3.0 and 4.5) and a pseudo-first-order rate law at high pH (pH 6.0). Sorption isotherm data for PFOA derived from spectroscopic results exhibit features characteristic of ionic surfactant adsorption to hydrophilic charged solid surfaces.


Objective To evaluate the quality of various disinfectants sold in market at present and to know the stability of quality of marketing disinfectant products.Methods Suspension quantitative germicidal test was used to evaluate the active principle content and germicidal efficacy of disinfectant products belonging to 25 brands of 4 categories sampled randomly.Results Because the differences of available iodine content between 9 iodine-containing disinfectants attained five to several dozen times,their efficacy in killing Staphylococcus aureus was different and the germicidal efficacy of sample 2 was low.Among the 10 chlorine-containing disinfectants,the germicidal efficacy of sample 9 was the best,while that of sample 4 was relatively low,it even could not completely kill S.aureus with an available chlorine content of 500 mg/L and contact time of 15 min.Among 2 quaternary ammonium salt products,sample 2 contained bromogeramine only 32 mg/L,so its germicidal efficacy was relatively low and it belonged to ineligible disinfectant.The active principle contents of 4 phenolic disinfectants were 8.0-4.0 g/L,but 3 phenolic of them could not completely kill S.aureus in suspension within 75 min.Conclusions The quality of chemical disinfectants sold in the market of Shanxi Province is passable as a whole,but the quality of some products is poor,indicating that it is necessary to strengthen the supervision and monitoring of the disinfectant market and to increase the frequency of selective examination.


A device for withdrawal of fluid samples comprising: h) a fluid sample container that contains the fluid sample, i) a first pump which is in fluid communication with the sample vessel, j) a first valve disposed between the fluid sample container and the first pump, k) a pump connected to the primary fluid conduit tube, along its length includes one or more branches to secondary fluid conduit tubes, which are in fluid communication with the primary fluid conduit tube, l) a waste receptacle, which is connected to one end of the primary fluid conduit tube, m) a second valve which is disposed between the primary fluid conduit tube and said waste container, and n) a second pump which is connected to the waste container and can create a negative pressure in the waste container and in said primary fluid conduit tube.


Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication of type 1 diabetes and some cases of type 2 diabetes. Intravenous fluids and fixed rate insulin infusion (FRII) remain the mainstay of treatment for this condition.[1][1] However, given the complex nature of the treatment regime of this


The SAFES methodology (Systematic Approach to Food Engineering Systems) has proved to be an excellent tool for Food Product and Process Simulation. SAFES recognizes the food complexity and organizes, through the concept of structured phases, information about composition, structure, thermodynamic properties, reaction kinetics and quality attributes. Fort implementing this methodology is necessary, among other activities, to apply logic sequences of decisions, to manage information on food properties and to make mathematical calculations (mass and energy balances, use of predictive models of food properties, etc.) The aim of this work is to develop an advanced software structure for the analysis and simulation of food products and processes based on this methodology. Initially user requirements, technical specifications and interfaces were identified through meetings with the users. Interfaces were implemented using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. Then logical sequences were developed, codified and validated. Validation of logical sequences, parallel to the encoding process, was carefully carried out especially for the identification of components and structured phases, since these steps are very important for an adequate application of the methodology. After codification an executable


Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is considered part of the spondyloarthritis group, which is present in up to 42% of individuals with psoriasis and up to 15% of patients with psoriasis may have undiagnosed PsA. Psoriatic arthritis Mutilans is a rare but very aggressive type of advanced joint disease in patients with psoriasis. This report describes the case of a 67 years old patient with family history of psoriasis and undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis with nail lesions for more than 16 years, arthritis for 15 years and severe disease during the last 3 years with disability and bedridden. She had serious joint complications of the disease, as well as severe malnutrition. A missdiagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was given during 15 years, HLAB27 was positive and radiography of hands and feet showed classic findings of psoriatic arthritis mutilans. We present this case to show the severity of the disease with rapid progression and multiple additional joint complications.


A large number of dependable embedded systems have stringent real-time requirements imposed on them. Analysis of their real-time behaviour is usually conducted at the implementation level. However, it is desirable to obtain an evaluation of real-time properties early at the development cycle, i.e., at the modelling stage. In this paper we present an approach to augmenting Event-B modelling with verification of real-time properties in Uppaal. We show how to extract a process-based view from an Event-B model that together with introducing time constraints allows us to obtain a timed automata model - an input model of Uppaal. We illustrate the approach by development and verification of the data processing software of the BepiColombo Mission.


The Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia (IIFFMCG) appeared in September 2009, in three volumes.1 With a certain degree of hubris, the Report asserts that the 'successful political action' of the French President, acting on behalf of the European Union (EU) 'stood in contrast to the failure of the international community, including the [United Nations] Security Council …'2


In connection wrth the Ioss of Slide performance e\Penenced by some sailplanes upon eniering ihe turbulent air in thermals, we rcview experimental and theoretical investigations into the rcsponse of a laminar boundary layer to extemal (e.tatmosphenc) tu$ulence. Contrary to intuition, the excitation of Tollmien-Schlichting waves is such a feeble process that it is unlikely to Play any sig_ nificant role at all. The excitation of low fr€quency, high amplitude streaks, on the other hand, is a very efficient process that mustbe considered as a likely source ofearly laminar-turbulent tmnsition within the boundary_layer


Fitt's empirical result is stated and its information theoretic interpretation briefly discussed. An alternate derivation from a model assuming continuous velocity control of hand position is shown to fit the motion time data equally well. Detailed studies of hand motion trajectories in Fitts' reciprocal tapping task have confirmed the exponential target approach predicted by this model but also revealed systematic fluctuations that it cannot explain. A further alternate model is therefore presented, based on intermittent feedback with target approach by a sequence of discrete positional corrective motion "impulses". The second model also predicts motion times in accord with Fitts' Law. Detailed studies of target aimed translational hand and rotary wrist motions have shown that the intermittent corrective impulses are of approximately Gaussian integral form, with minimum s.d. on the order of 30 msec. for wrist rotation, and recurrence rate about 10/s. Mechanical and physiological interactions capable of explaining this corrective impulse trajectory are discussed, and a model based on balance of forces between agonist and antagonist muscles is briefly developed. The interaction between external (visual) and internal (proprioceptive or kinaesthetic) feedback channels determining impulse amplitude is discussed in the light of results obtained using force disturbance and with amplified, attenuated or delayed visual feedback. It seems that an internal "secondary positional reference" must be postulated to explain results obtained when S is deprived of visual feedback.


In recent years, with the advancement of aerospace integration and the development of space missions, micro-nano satellites have become a hot research direction in aerospace field. Limited by the performance limitations of single micro-nano satellites, the networking of micro-nano satellite constellation is becoming the main trend. Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol is widely adopted as the micro-nano satellite networks routing protocol. For the micro- nano satellite constellation networks, frequent changes of the network topology caused by the rapid movement of satellite nodes pose a high challenge to the invulnerability of routing protocols. However, traditional OLSR routing protocol lacks awareness of the satellite node running trajectory and running status, resulting in untimely updates of network topology changes, the invulnerability cannot be guaranteed. To this end, in view of the predictability of the micro-nano satellite constellation orbit, we propose an improved OLSR protocol based on link survival time optimization. By adding the interaction of position and other information in OLSR protocol, link survival time is predicted based on satellite orbit. Extensive simulation experiments show that improved OLSR protocol based on link lifetime optimization has significantly improvement in transmission success rate and invulnerability.


This chapter presents our results on the cost implications of using different materials to produce airframes. It is based on industry data that we collected of two primary types. The first was an industry survey on the relative costs of producing airframe structures from various materials. This survey followed the same format as that in Resetar, Rogers, and Hess (1991). It collected estimates on the relative costs of seven materials by six labor categories, as described below. The second type of data we collected consisted of actual recurring manufacturing labor hours for a large sample of parts. These data allowed us to estimate the cost implications of part geometric complexity and manufacturing technique as well as material type. The data consisted primarily of actual manufacturing cost data from production runs. For some newer manufacturing techniques that are not yet in widespread use, however, the data were from experiments or demonstrations specifically designed to measure the costs of using different techniques. The implications of these two kinds of data are discussed below. Finally, we collected data on raw material costs and BTF ratios, discussed at the end of the chapter. We begin the chapter with the results of the industry survey. We first review the results of Resetar, Rogers, and Hess, who performed a similar survey in the late 1980s. This survey first asked industry to estimate, for each of several material and labor categories, the hours per pound needed to produce airframe structure from the given ma


Due to the limited capabilities and resources, edge servers cannot meet the increasingly complex and diverse service requirements in mobile edge computing environments. In this circumstance, how to dispatch the component tasks of service requests to edge and cloud servers to reduce the time delay has become a crucial problem. Therefore, we focus on this problem and propose a heuristic algorithm called GAMEC (combined Genetic algorithm and simulated Annealing algorithm for service selection in Mobile Edge Computing systems). The simulated experiments have demonstrated the high effectiveness of the method.


One meteorite class where very little progress has been made in identifying possible parent bodies is the angrites. We have obtained spectra of two new angrites (D'Orbigny and Sahara 99555). Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.


Intubation of the larynx has been so frequently and unfavorably compared with tracheotomy that I feel it my duty to report the cases coming under my observation, and to point out some of the reasons for unfavorable results. It has been my experience, largely through the courtesy of my confreres, to have now operated on something over four hundred cases, with results that might well make any one an enthusiastic supporter of the operation. It should be remarked that these operations were performed in private practice in a large city and its suburbs,without selection, upon all cases dying from laryngeal obstruction, without reference to age, malignancy of disease or unfavorable surroundings. It must be remarked also that a great many of these cases were experimental cases, and many could have been saved with the more modern instruments and with the judgment and skill coming with larger experience. It should


The light-emitting diode (LED) is the world's most efficient light source being mass produced today. However, the packaging cost is relatively high, which has been the main factor restricting widespread application of LED lighting. As the LED industry becomes prosperous, short time consumption for single die measurement is particularly concerned by semiconductor manufacturers. Parallel scheduling methods used for speed improvement are put forward. Focusing on the cooperation between tester and prober, techniques on command flow communication between up station and motion control board, simultaneous control of X/Y driven shafts and up driven dovetails, parallel scheduling between testing process and positioning process are discussed in detail. Using these methods, average speed of measurement is improved from 2.5 LED dies per second to 5.2 LED dies per second. With experimental results, it is proved effective and efficient for proposed system. Such method is available for all similar equipments.


The results of administering alternative forms of applied tests indicate that the reliability of candidates' performance deserves increased attention in relation to both the interpretation of examination results and test constructors' reliance on internal reliability measures. In an investigation of candidate reliability, subjects drawn from youth training schemes (in further education and industry) each completed two exercises drawn from a range of alternative forms and involving location of information, various arithmetic calculations and invoice completion. There was found to be very little relationship between candidates' two scores, even though the tests were characterised by high internal reliability. These findings have serious implications for a system in which most examination results reflect performance on a single occasion. Moreover, while the guidelines for the National Curriculum and for National Vocational Qualifications formally endorse assessment over a period of time, their long lists of ...


The first incidence of Covid-19 was detected in Wuhan, China during December 2019. The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes Covid-19. Until recently, SARS-COV-2 was a dangerous virus that was spreading very fast.It has already threatened millions of lives and it continues. People with a covid ailment will also have mild - to - moderate symptoms and will be treated without the need for therapeutic intervention. However, some individuals will become extremely unwell and need medical help. RT-PCR approach has been shown to be effective in detecting coronavirus infection. The test results of RT-PCR may not be exactly true always. The alternative to the RT-PCR is detecting the virus through CT-Scan.It's based on radiography images and can help radiologists diagnose patients faster.Because this is a diagnosis based on images, the results will be more accurate and precise.The algorithm we have used in this paper is CNN. CNN transfer learning necessitates a limited amount of images to investigate. Also with this approach we can get higher accuracies around 90% to 98%. So our ultimate aim is to use these methods to detect if a person is infected with covid. This work have done the evaluation based on databases available and the results are compared.


Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a commonly severe multiorgan complication in patients undergoing allogeneic transplantation of hematopoietic progenitors. Its chronic form reflects a complex immune response with different degrees of inflammation, immune dysregulation and fibrosis. In some chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) patients, positive antibodies have been detected, which represent the presence of immune activity and suggest the possible involvement of B lymphocytes in the disease etiopathogenesis, but their clinical utility is controversial.To describe the clinical characteristics of a group of cGVHD patients with positive autoimmunity treated in a multidisciplinary consultation of Rheumatology-Dermatology- Hematology of GVHD.Observational and retrospective study to describe the clinical characteristics of the patients with positive autoimmunity collected in the database of the multidisciplinary consultation of GVHD. The variables reviewed for this study, in addition to the demographic ones, were type of antibody, disease causing the transplant, presentation, severity and type of involvement. The statistical analysis was done with Epi-info 22.214.171.124.Only 16 (16%) of the 100 patients included in the database had positive autoimmunity. Twelve (75%) tested positive to ANA, although 5 (31.25%) in a lower titer (1/80). The most common immunofluorescence pattern was the nucleolar in 88.89% (66.67% nucleolar and 22.22% nucleolar + cytoplasmic). Other antibodies detected were: 6 anti-Ro52, 2 anti-dsDNA, 1 anti-RP155, 1 anti-Fibrillarin, 1 anti-SAE1, 1 p-ANCA and 1 anti-NOR-90. The mean of age was 51.31±14.03 years. As for sex 4 (25%) were female and 12 (75%) were men. The most frequent disease that caused the transplant was acute myeloid leukemia (58.3%). Ten (62.5%) patients presented de novo cGVHD, 1 (6.25%) progressive and 5 (31.25%) quiescent. The time since receiving the transplant until the first visit was 14 to 79 months. Ten (62.5%) patients had nonspecific symptoms (arthralgia and myalgia), 2 (12.5%) edema, 8 (50%) contractures, 8 (50%) fasciitis and 6 (37.5%) eosinophilia. Eight (50%) patients had ocular involvement and 6 (37.5%) of the oral mucosa in the form of dry syndrome (Sjögren-like syndrome). Ten (62.5%) patients had limitation of joint mobility detected by the range of motion scale (ROM), of which 6 were mild and 4 moderate. Only 5 (31.25%) patients had general condition impairment. As for the skin involvement 10 (62.5%) patients had sclerodermiform involvement (8 of them being eosinophilic fasciitis- like), 2 (12.5%) lichenoid, and 3 (18.5%) mixed (sclerodermiform + lichenoid). Only 1 patient didn´t meet diagnostic criteria for GVHD. The sclerodermiform was the most common type of involvement in the positive ANA patients. Regarding the severity according to the of the American National Institute of Health (NIH) classification: 8 (50%) had serious affectation, 5 (31.25%) moderate and 2 (12.5%) mild, with 4 (25%) exitus.In our cohort of patients with cGVHD, serum detection of autoantibodies is uncommon, being the ANA with nucleolar pattern the most frequent. Although the small sample size does not allow correlations with the clinical variables it´s worth highlighting a greater positivity of autoantibodies in the sclerodermiform skin forms.[1]Kuzmina Z et al. Clinical significance of autoantibodies in a large cohort of patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease defined by NIH criteria. Am J Hematol. 2015 February; 90(2): 114–119.[2]Rhoades R, Gaballa S. The Role of B Cell Targeting in Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Biomedicines 2017, 5, 61: 2-10Maria Elisa Acosta: None declared, Luis Gómez-Lechón: None declared, Olga Compán: None declared, Sonia Pastor: None declared, Carlos A. Montilla-Morales: None declared, Olga Martínez González: None declared, Ana Isabel Turrión: None declared, Javier del Pino Grant/research support from: Roche, Bristol, Consultant of: Gedeon, Cristina Hidalgo: None declared


Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the radius of curvature of the tibia and talus, and to deduce ankle joint kinematics in the sagittal plane using passive imaging d...


CO2 conversion through catalytic processes in a selective and efficient manner is an essential technology for a sustainable carbon economy at present and in the future. Here, we fabricated five nanostructured Ag electrocatalysts and studied their CO2 electro-reduction properties compared to commercial Ag. Ag L-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy was employed to characterize the electronic structure variation among the catalysts. It is found that an increased unoccupied density of states (DOS) of d-character of Ag endows the electrocatalyst with a higher selectivity and efficiency for CO2 reduction. The introduction of Ni into the Ag matrix reduces the unoccupied DOS of d-character as there is charge redistribution between Ag and Ni, worsening the active efficiency of CO production. Density functional theory calculations show that an increased unoccupied DOS optimizes the affinity of the catalyst surface to the intermediate COOH and CO, closer to the activity volcano, which facilitates CO formation. The nanoporous Ag electrocatalyst, made through anodization–reduction, possesses the highest unoccupied DOS of d-character among the samples, showing the best catalytic performance in the reduction of CO2 to CO. Meanwhile, its onset overpotential is 0.19 V and the highest faradaic efficiency reaches 90%. The electrocatalyst stays at this level for 10 h without any noticeable activity change, possessing great potential for applications in industry. This research provides a useful insight on the structure–property relationships of CO2 reduction catalysts, and a guideline for designing high-performance electrocatalysts.


The growth characteristics of zinc oxide (ZnO) films were investigated, based on catalytic reaction-assisted chemical vapor deposition. This process, in conjunction with a pulsed gas supply, was employed to grow ZnO layers on a-Al2O3 for potential applications in optical emission devices. Gaseous dimethylzinc was supplied to the reaction zone in pulses with durations of 1 or 2 ms and was reacted with a catalytically generated high-energy H2O beam effused from a de Laval nozzle. In the case of a 1 ms pulse duration, the deposition rate was 0.18–0.19 nm per pulse.The growth characteristics of zinc oxide (ZnO) films were investigated, based on catalytic reaction-assisted chemical vapor deposition. This process, in conjunction with a pulsed gas supply, was employed to grow ZnO layers on a-Al2O3 for potential applications in optical emission devices. Gaseous dimethylzinc was supplied to the reaction zone in pulses with durations of 1 or 2 ms and was reacted with a catalytically generated high-energy H2O beam effused from a de Laval nozzle. In the case of a 1 ms pulse duration, the deposition rate was 0.18–0.19 nm per pulse.


This paper briefly expounds the meanings of the accounting internationalization,discusses on the problem why our country will go on the road of the accounting internationalization,and in the light of the present situation of our country's accounting internationalization,puts forward some suggestions on speeding up our country's accounting internationalization.


Three patients between the ages of 2 and 3 years are described, in whom severe neuropsychiatric deficits, cortical blindness in particular, which followed cardiac arrest were largely dissipated over long follow-up periods. The degree of recovery from postarrest cortical blindness cannot be immediately gauged, but absolute pessimism is unwarranted. Total body cooling following cardiac arrest is stressed, as are other routine measures in the management of these patients.


SUMMARY This paper presents a way of using a linear regression model to produce a single-valued criterion that indicates the perceived importance of each block in a stream of speech blocks. This method is superior to the conventional approach, voice activity detection (VAD), in that it provides a dynamically changing priority value for speech segments with finer granularity. The approach can be used in conjunction with scalable speech coding techniques in the context of IP QoS services to achieve a flexible form of quality control for speech transmission. A simple linear regression model is used to estimate a mean opinion score (MOS) of the various cases of missing speech segments. The estimated MOS is a continuous value that can be mapped to priority levels with arbitrary granularity. Through subjective evaluation, we show the validity of the calculated priority values.


BACKGROUND/AIM
The viability of periodontal ligament cells on the root surface is a major factor that influences the healing of replanted teeth. A suitable storage medium is necessary to preserve avulsed teeth before replantation. Conditioned medium from placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PMSC-CM) contains a variety of growth factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PMSC-CM as storage media to maintain the cell viability of avulsed teeth.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Extracted premolars from healthy humans were randomly stored in Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS) and PMSC-CM for 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively, at room temperature, and then the ratio of apoptosis of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells was identified by flow cytometry. Human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) were incubated with HBSS and PMSC-CM, respectively, for 6, 12, 24, and 48 h in 5% CO2 at 37 °C. Then, the cell viability of PDLSCs was determined using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and a cell cycle assay was performed.

RESULTS
The apoptosis rate of PDL cells in PMSC-CM was significantly lower than that in HBSS at 24 h (P < 0.001), while the two groups showed similar cell apoptosis rates at 6 and 12 h (P > 0.05). The cell proliferation of PDLSCs treated with PMSC-CM significantly increased compared with the HBSS group (P < 0.05). The cell cycle assay revealed that the PDLSCs treated with HBSS were arrested at the G1 phase, while there was no difference between the PMSC-CM group and the control group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Compared with HBSS, PMSC-CM showed better inhibition of apoptosis of PDL cells and promoted the proliferation of PDLSCs. Thus, PMSC-CM could be a promising storage medium for avulsed teeth.


This communication intends to show that geometric algebra in three dimensions, Clscr3, is also a very useful tool to analyze anisotropic media by providing geometric and physical insight through the natural use of linear algebra. As a specific example the problem of electromagnetic wave propagation in biaxial (nonmagnetic) crystals is analyzed.


The invention provides a grape planting method which comprises the steps of forming a seed bed, selecting a seedling cultivation measure and completing a planting process, wherein the step of selecting the seedling cultivation measure comprises four methods of cutting seedlings, layering the seedlings, grafting the seedlings and sowing and raising the seedlings; the step of completing the planting process comprises the method of completing fertilization, shoot fixing, flower and fruit thinning, tendril removing and cluster thinning in different stages of planting, and the method of completing frostbite prevention and treatment, bird trouble prevention and treatment and disease control during the whole process of planting. The grape planting method further comprises a planting method of short period maturing varieties and a potted plant grape planting method. By the grapple planting method disclosed by the invention, the accuracy control on the whole planting process in a grape growth cycle is effectively realized; nutrients are precisely supplied to shoots, leaves, flowers and fruits of grape at each planting stage; the nutrient supplying direction is effectively guided; the precise control method is provided for improving the yield and quality of the grape; detailed and operable technological means are provided for effectively overcoming insect pests and natural disasters.


Background/Aims: We compare conventional office blood pressure measurements with automated SPRINT-study type readings in kidney transplant recipients in order to determine the impact of the white coat effect in a prospective observational study. Methods: Adult patients with a functional renal transplant not dependent on dialysis were eligible. Readings were taken in the office in presence of the physician with an oscillometric method. Afterwards, readings were repeated with the patients resting alone in a quiet examination room with an automated blood pressure monitor. After 5 minutes of rest, 3 readings were taken at 1 minute intervals, with an average of these 3 readings calculated by the monitor. Results: 120 patients with an average age of 58.5±12.2 years were included. Mean time since transplantation was 7.95±6.48 years. Mean eGFR (CKD-EPI) was 48.5±18.3 ml/min. SPRINT-study type readings were significantly lower than office readings (139.01±18.45 vs. 149.00±21.02 mmHg systolic, p<0.001; 80.88±11.63 mmHg vs. 84.35±12.41 mmHg diastolic, p <0.001). Correlation analysis for many potentially influencing factors (diabetes mellitus, transplant vintage, proteinuria, age, immunosuppression, donor type) was not significant but obese women were significantly more prone to white coat hypertension. Conclusion: Automated office blood pressure measurements should be considered the method of choice in kidney transplant recipients.


Formulations of theories of classical physics are usually based on the geometry of cotangent bundles. Lagrangian submanifolds of cotangent bundles generated by generating functions or families of functions play an important part in such formulations. Most important objects of classical physics can be identified as generating functions of Lagrangian submanifolds. Three mechanisms of generation of Lagrangian submanifolds are known. Lagrangian sections of a cotangent bundle are images of closed 1-forms called generating forms. A generating form is usually the differential of a generating function. Dynamical systems in analytical mechanics are Lagrangian submanifolds of symplectic manifolds isomorphic to cotangent bundles. Lagrangians and Hamiltonians of dynamical systems without constraints are generating functions [10], [12]. The Hamilton principal function and a complete solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation are also examples of generating functions [3], [11]. A more general class of Lagrangian submanifolds is generated by closed 1-forms (usually differentials of functions) defined on submanifolds of the base manifold of the cotangent bundle. Lagrangian submanifolds of this class


This paper proposes an integrated single-stage ac-to-dc light-emitting-diode (LED) driver circuit. A buck-boost power factor (PF) corrector is integrated with a flyback converter. A recycling path is built to recover the inductive leakage energy. The proposed circuit provides high PF and low total harmonic distortion. It also provides high conversion efficiency and low switching voltage spikes. An added feature of the integrated buck-boost converter is that, it provides multiple outputs by providing multiple windings in the secondary.


: 7 Since January 2020, some studies have been reporting a reduction in air pollution in several countries due to social 8 isolation measures, which have been adopted in order to contain the coronavirus outbreak progress (Covid-19). This 9 study aims to evaluate the change in the atmospheric pollution levels by NO and NO 2 in São Paulo city in the social 10 isolation period. The NO and NO 2 hourly concentrations were obtained through air quality monitoring stations from 11 CETESB, from January 14 to April 12, 2020. Mann-Kendall and the Pettitt tests were performed in the air pollutants 12 time series. We observed an overall negative trend in all stations, indicating a decreasing temporal pattern in 13 concentrations. Regarding NO, the highest decrease rates were observed in Congonhas (-6.39 µg.m -3 month -1 ) and 14 Marginal Tietê (-6.19 µg.m -3 month -1 ) stations; Regarding NO 2 , the highest rates were observed in Marginal Tietê (- 15 4.45 µg.m -3 month -1 ) and Cerqueira César (-4.34 µg.m -3 month -1 ) stations. In addition, we identified a turning point in 16 the NO and NO 2 series trends that occurred close to the start date of the social isolation period (March 20, 2020). 17 Moreover, from statistical analysis, it was found that NO 2 is a suitable surrogate for monitoring economic activities 18 during social isolation period. Thus, we concluded that social isolation measures implemented in March 20, 2020 19 caused significant changes in the air pollutants concentrations in São Paulo city (as high as -200% in NO 2 levels).


This article presents an overview of investigations conducted by the authors to gain a better understanding of difficulties encountered by students in modelling situations to solve problems. By pointing out the differences between students' a priori conceptions and physicists' conceptions, the authors outline a developmental approach to cognitive change in mechanics. The article examines: representations students need to build, as a function of curriculum; precursory representations which help access more canonical representations, and the tasks that elicit these representations; students' cognitive resources which enable them to elaborate new concepts; types of guidance for optimizing the elaboration of these representations. Discussion centres on the usefulness of an epistemological and psychological approach to concept formation in designing learning environments.


competent choice and in sustaining a relationship with a supporter who may sometimes need to step in (as envisioned by the British Columbia statute cited by Peterson, Karlawish, and Largent, 2021) to decide on the person's behalf. Whatever the challenges in implementation—for which follow-up studies will be essential—the theory of informed consent easily accommodates supported decisions without doctrinal modification.


This study aims to examine the effect of understanding tax laws, tax system effectiveness, awareness of paying taxes on personal taxpayer compliance. Sampling by purposive sampling. Data analysis techniques used descriptive statistics, validity and reliability tests, classical assumption test, and multiple regression analysis. The object of this study is an individual taxpayer registered in the Office of Tax Service Pratama Malang Selatan. The number of research samples is 100 respondents. The data used in this study is primary data with data collection through a questionnaire. The results of this study partially on each variable indicating that the understanding of tax laws, awareness of paying taxes and the quality of tax services affect the compliance of personal taxpayers while the variable effectiveness of the tax system does not affect the compliance of personal taxpayers.


Simple Summary The resistance of Sitobion miscanthi to malathion possessed low realized heritability. No cross-resistance was found to imidacloprid in the resistant strain. The increase in esterase was involved in S. miscanthi resistance to malathion by the assay of inhibitor synergism and esterase activity. Abstract A resistant strain (MRS) of Sitobion miscanthi was cultured by continuous selection with malathion for over 40 generations. The MRS exhibited 32.7-fold resistance to malathion compared to the susceptible strain (MSS) and 13.5-fold, 2.9-fold and 4.8-fold cross-resistance for omethoate, methomyl and beta-cypermethrin, respectively. However, no cross-resistance was found to imidacloprid in this resistant strain. The realized heritability for malathion resistance was 0.02. Inhibitors of esterase activity, both triphenyl phosphate (TPP) and S,S,S,-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF) as synergists, exhibited significant synergism to malathion in the MRS strain, with 11.77-fold and 5.12-fold synergistic ratios, respectively, while piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and diethyl maleate (DEM) showed no significant synergism in the MRS strain. The biochemical assay indicated that carboxylesterase activity was higher in MRS than in MSS. These results suggest that the increase in esterase activity might play an important role in S. miscanthi resistance to malathion. Imidacloprid could be used as an alternative for malathion in the management of wheat aphid resistance.


1. Useful and Instructive Poetry. By Lewis Carroll, with an Introduction by Derek Hudson. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1954; pp. 45. $2.50. 2. Light Armour: Playful Poems on Practically Everything. By Richard Armour. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Company, 1954; pp. ix+118. $2.75. 3. Gentlemen's Relish. By Christopher Morley. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1955; pp. 100. $3.00. 4. A Bowl of Bishop: Museum Thoughts and Other Verses. By Morris Bishop. New York: Dial Press, 1954; pp. 106. $3.00. 5. What Cheer. An Anthology of American and British Humorous and Witty Verse. Gathered, sifted and salted, with an Introduction by David McCord. New York: The Modern Library, 1955: pp. xliv+515. $1.45. 6. The Best Humor From Punch. Edited by William Cole, and Illustrated by Sprod. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1953; pp. 350. $3.50. 7. American Literature in Parody. Edited by Robert P. Falk. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1955; pp. 279. $3.75. 8. Guided Tour of Campus Humor. Edited by Max Shulman. New York: ...


In this document we review and compare some of the classical and modem techniques for solving the problem of invariant pattern recognition. Such techniques include integral transforms, construction of algebraic moments and the use of structured neural networks. In all cases we assume that the nature of the invariance group is known a priori. Many of the methods described apply to specific geometrical transform- ation groups; however some of the techniques are highly general and applicable to large classes ofinvariance groups. We also review some results regarding the existence and structure of invariants under certain kinds of groups. Invariance Pattern classification Group theory Integral transforms Fourier transforms Moment invariants Neural networks Weight sharing Higher order networks


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate significance of clinical parameters in prostate cancer staging.

METHODS
One hundred and twelve patients of prostate cancer were diagnosed by transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate needle biopsies. These cases were staged by pathologic diagnosis, MRI and bone scan. Clinical significance of serum PSA, Gleason score of biopsy, percentage of positive biopsy cores in prostate cancer staging were evaluated.

RESULTS
Of 112 patients, 30.4% (34/112) underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy. The serum PSA, Gleason score of biopsy and percentage of positive biopsy cores, were significant correlation with staging prostate cancer (r = 0.698, r = 0.674, r = 0.671, P < 0.001), and no significant difference between staging B and staging C (chi 2 = 2.675, P = 0.096; chi 2 = 0.704, P = 0.401). PSA in patients with stage D had significant difference with others (chi 2 = 5.135, P = 0.023; chi 2 = 4.593, P = 0.032). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of PSA were 76.7%, 50.0% and 71.4% respectively. Those of Gleason score and percentage of positive biopsy cores were 83.3%, 77.3%, 82.1% and 77.8%, 54.5%, 73.2% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The serum PSA, Gleason score of biopsy and percentage of positive biopsy cores had clinical significance in the staging of prostate cancer. Gleason score of biopsy in staging was more accurate than that of the other two parameters and the serum PSA can better predict prostate cancer metastasis.


The GTPase Sec4p is a critical regulator of polarized membrane traffic. Lepore et al. show that the polo-like kinase Cdc5p phosphorylates Sec4p, which promotes coordinated membrane deposition during cytokinesis.


In the present paper, a bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with time delays is studied. Without strict conditions imposed on self regulation functions, some new sufficient conditions for the existence and global asymptotic stability of a unique equilibrium are established. It is believed that these results are significant and useful for the design and applications of BAM-type biological and artificial neural networks.


Hamiltonians with zero-range interactions supported by some closed set Ω of Lebesgue measure zero are considered.The approach we use to construct such operators is a limiting procedure with ultraviolet cut-off in Fourier-representation.We consider two different cases: without renormalisation and with renormalisation procedure.Conditions sufficient for the existence of nontrivial hamiltonians with zero-range interactions are given.The obtained results are applied to the case where Ω is a brownian path in R m , m=3, 4 and 5.


This paper updates the influence of environmental and source factors of shocks driven by corona) mass ejections (CMEs) that are likely to influence the intensity of solar energetic particle (SEP) events. The intensity variation due to CME interaction reported in Gopalswamy et al. (2004, JGR 109, Al2105) is confirmed by expanding the investigation to all the large SEP events of solar cycle 23. The large SEP events are separated into two groups, one associated with CMEs running into other CMEs, and the other with CMEs running into the ambient solar wind. SEP events with CME interaction generally have a higher intensity. New possibilities such as the influence of corona) holes on the SEP intensity are also discussed. For example, the presence of a large coronal hole between a well-connected eruption and the solar disk center may render the shock poorly connected because of the interaction between the CME and the coronal hole. This point is illustrated using the 2004 December 3 SEP event delayed by about 12 hours from the onset of the associated CME. There is no other event at the Sun that can be associated with the SEP onset. This event is consistent with the possibility that the coronal hole interaction influences the connectivity of the CIVIEs that produce SEPs, and hence the intensity of the SEP event.


ducational vouchers. The term itself prompts strong emotional reactions for nearly all of us. The fundamental, even visceral effect of this concept on parents, policymakers, and educators is reflected in the continuing attention the topic receives. The notion of using public funds to support educational choices that include private schools is the most dramatic of several school choice alternatives It also represents what some believe is the most serious contemporary challenge to our nation's historic approach to public education. As reflected in the first two quotations above, drawn from publications nearly thirty years apart, interest in the topic is not new. And in the months since the U.S. Supreme Court released the opinion presented in the third quote, interest in vouchers has undoubtedly piqued. In spite of the emotional intensity of the debate and the tremendous implications of vouchers for education policy, these programs are widely misunderstood. Our goal in these few pages is to provide neutral, factual information about educational vouchers. We draw from available research and literature on the subject and from our experience in the ongoing evaluation of the voucher program in Cleveland, Ohio. We will discuss four aspects of the topic. First, we attempt to define voucher programs and explain how they relate to other forms of school choice. Second, we briefly describe some of the basic operational characteristics of voucher programs. Third, we present several topics associated with vouchers, contrast the perspectives on each held by advocates and opponents, and interject relevant research findings. We close with a short discussion of the future of vouchers and some factors that will affect that future.


In this paper, we study the problem of conformally deforming a metric on a $3$-dimensional manifold $M^3$ such that its $k$-curvature equals to a prescribed function, where the $k$-curvature is defined by the $k$-th elementary symmetric function of the eigenvalues of the Einstein tensor, $1\le k\le 3$. We prove the solvability of the problem and the compactness of the solution sets on manifolds when $k=2$ and $3$, provided the conformal class admits a negative $k$-admissible metric with respect to the Einstein tensor.


A gas chromatography coupled with negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometric method(GC-NCI/MS)was developed for the determination of fipronil and its metabolites in pond water and shrimp.Target compounds in water were extracted by CH2Cl2,cleaned up with a graphitized carbon black(GCB)solid phase extraction(SPE)column.Shrimp sample was extracted by acetone-dichloromethane(3∶4,V/V),the protein in shrimp was moved from shrimp extraction with the 0.1mol/L pH7.4 phosphate buffer,the fat in shrimp was removed by liquid-liquid separation with hexane-acetonitrile,then the acetonitrile layer were further cleaned up with a florisil/GCB SPE column.The recoveries of all targets are in the range of 78.7%—115.0%,and the RSDs are in the range of 0.3%—9.9%.Limits of detection of fipronil and metabolites are 0.01μg/L for water and 0.4μg/kg for shrimp,respectively,and the linearity of method is good.The sensitivity and selectivity of this method is good enough for the determination trace amount of fipronil and its metabolites in complex matrix samples,and the bioconcentration of factors(BCF)of target components are as high as 1 040.


Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) rely on volatile capital inflows to finance investment, which poses important challenges. After the end of the commodity super cycle in 2014, capital flows to the region have declined and their composition has become riskier, with a larger prominence of portfolio flows. Moreover, the sensitivity of capital inflows to global financial conditions and growth differentials has increased in recent years, increasing the likelihood of a sudden stop in capital flows if growth in the region continues to falter and global financial conditions tighten. The analysis in this chapter shows that countries with floating exchange rate regimes tend to experience shorter and less costly sudden stops in capital flows, while a tightening of monetary policy following a sudden stop episode is also associated with a reduction in the duration of sudden stops and the ensuing deceleration in growth. Tighter capital controls, however, do not have statistically significant effects on the duration of sudden stops.


A series of ring-chlorinated of benzoylsalicylic acids were designed and synthesized. In silico molecular modeling was carried out through docking the compounds into active site of cyclooxygenase-2 (pdb. 1PXX).  The three compounds selected to be synthesized were those which showed lower ligand-enzyme interaction energy than reference ligand, diclofenac, which has higher affinity to cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) than acetylsalicylic acid. The compounds were synthesized by reacting salicylic acids and benzoyl chlorides in the presence of pyridine. The structure of synthesis products were confirmed by FTIR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Percentage of the synthesis product using those reagents and preparation method are 63 to 65%.


The mechanisms for striatal neurodegeneration following hypoxia-ischemia(HI) in newborns are not understood. We used a piglet model of HI to test the hypothesis that the progression of striatal neuron death is associated with ahnormal mitochondrial function and oxidative damage. Piglets (≈1 week old) were subjected to 30 min hypoxia (arterial O2 saturation 30%) and then 7 min of airway occlusion (O2 saturation 5%), producing asphyxic cardiac arrest, followed by CPR, return of spontaneous circulation, and then recovery for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours (h). Neuronal damage in putamen was 16%, 31%, 47%, and 79% at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively. Ultrastructurally, vesiculation of Golgi and fragmentation of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) with dispersion of free ribosomes occurred at 3-6 h, while mitochondria appeared intact until 12 h. Most degenerating neurons (> 95%) had nonapoptotic cytoplasmic organelle damage and nonapoptotic chromatin clumping and nuclear condensation. In agarose gels, striatal DNA was randomly fragmented at 6-12 h. Biochemical assay of cytochrome oxidase (COX) activity in striatum revealed time-dependent changes in mitochondrial function; COX activity was 37%, 163%, 72%, and 81% of control at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively. Histochemical assay for COX in putamen revealed a similar temporal profile for transient mitochondrial activation and subsequent mitochondrial failure. Free radical damage to nuclear DNA in striatal neurons was detected as early as 3-6 h after HI with antibodies to 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. Using nitrotyrosine modification of proteins as a marker for peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative stress, nitrated proteins (≈45 and 68 kDa) in striatum were detected at 3-12 h. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase protein levels were unchanged by immunoblotting. We conclude that the transient burst of mitochondrial function between 3-6 h recovery is linked to free oxygen radical injury and rapid damage to nuclear DNA and membranous compartments such as the Golgi and RER. These data support an integrated mechanism for rapid neuronal necrosis in the striatum of HI newborns involving oxidative injury.


You might find this additional info useful...This article cites€37 articles, 12 of which you can access for free at: http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/303/6/G696.full#ref-list-1Updated information and services including high resolution figures, can be found at: http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/303/6/G696.fullAdditional material and information about AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology can be found at:http://www.the-aps.org/publications/ajpgiThis information is current as of October 11, 2012.


Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate temporomandibular joint (TMJ) symptoms, the functional and neuromuscular changes after surgical-orthodontic treatment of orofacial deformities with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD). Materials and methods: The study was based on a group of 420 dysgnathic patients. Skeletal and dental malocclusion type, TMJ symptoms, headache, cervical and neck pain and otovestibular symptoms were evaluated. Electromyography and kinesiography were used to assess the muscular activity and the mandibular movements. Results: TMJ symptoms in low and normal angle mandibular retrognatism patients have improved (p<0,01). The post-treatment results showed that almost all craniomandibular symptoms were significantly reduced postoperatively above all muscular spasms (96%) and headache (61%), (P<0,01); mandibular kinesology (81%) was improved (P<0,01). Also cervical pain, otovestibular and postural symptoms seem to benefit from treatment. Even if preoperatively asymptomatic, patients with TMJ problems after surgery (8,8%) have resulted (P<0,1). In preoperatively asymptomatic patients who developed TMJ symptoms after surgery, the highest incidence was found in high angle patients with severe mandibular retrognatism, treated by bimaxillary surgery. Conclusions: The combined surgical-orthodontic treatment may be of a great benefit in the correction of discrepancies in occlusion and maxillo-mandibular relationship in the severe orofacial deformities associated to temporomandibular disorders. Conversely orthognatic surgery can produce TMJ symptoms by changing the position of the mandible and the maxilla with regard to each other and therefore the position of the condyle in the glenoid fossa. Mandibular ramus, osteotomies have a direct influence on this position, whilst in maxillary osteotomies the influence is indirect because of autorotation.


Sekhukhuneland lies roughly 200 km north-east of Pretoria, straddling Limpopo Province in the north and Mpumalanga in the south. It is bordered by the Strydpoort Mountains to the north, Drakensberg and Steenkampsberg to the east, the Highveld Escarpment to the south and the Springbok Flats to the west. Different groups of inhabitants that we now know collectively as the Pedi people have occupied the region since about 1400 AD. Sekhukhuneland has been identified as a Centre of Plant Endemism, as described in the article 'Sekhukhuneland: Floristic wealth versus platinum and chromium riches' in Veld & Flora, December 2001.


The use of heat therapy to treat diseases was very common in Africa. To date, the number of people using this form of therapy is very much on the decrease. Data on the molecular action mechanisms of how it might induce beneficial effects remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to make a contribution towards understanding the putative implication of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) in the pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and the hypothetical benefits of heat therapy through the establishment of a network of protein-protein interactions between Kruppel Like Factor 14 (KLF14), Transcription Factor 7 Like 2 (TCF7L2), Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARG) and HSP70 (HSPA4). Data were generated by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) software version 10.0. This was used to identify the known and predicted protein-protein interactions (including direct or physical and indirect or functional associations) in the KLF14, TCF7L2, PPARG and HSP70 protein networks. With the active prediction methods (Gene Fusion, Neighborhood, Co-occurrence, Co-expression, Experiments, Databases and Text Mining) as interaction sources, Medium Confidence (0.400) and maximum number of interactions were used to show no more than 50 at the first shell and none at the second shell parameters. Fifty (50) proteins were identified to interact with these four proteins, namely KLF14, TCF7L2, PPARG and HSP70, resulting in a network diagram with 54 nodes (gene/proteins) and 485 edges, representing protein-protein associations. The network showed that HSP70 strongly interacts with other heat shock proteins like HSP90. The HSPBP, a cytoplasmic co-chaperone 1, inhibits HSPA1A chaperone activity by changing the conformation of its ATP-binding domain, thus interfering with this function. Based on the data generated by this in silico study, the potential beneficial effects of heat therapy on T2DM could probably be coordinated by the HSP70 protein-protein interactions involved in cell life and in the susceptibility to T2DM.


This paper describes theoretical treatment of problems of thermal stress and thermal bending due to partially distributed heat supply for a multilayered anisotropic laminated plate. As an analytical model, we consider a laminated rectangular plate consisting of a diagonal stack of layers having orthotropic material properties, i. e. an angle-ply laminate. Introducing the Rayleigh-Ritz method based on the variational principle, a three-dimensional temperature solution for a transient state is given. Moreover, for the thermoelastic problems, the components of displacements are analyzed using the Rayleigh-Ritz method, and the characteristic behaviors of thermal stress and thermal deformation for a simply supported plate are determined. As an example, calculations are carried out for a 2-layered angle-ply laminate, and the results are examined precisely.


Using proline content,MDA content and electric conductivity as physiological indexes,the waterlogging tolerance of 10 tree species were compared under waterlogging stress.The results showed that electric conductivity and MDA content of different tree species had the trend of increment,but the change of proline content was varied under waterlogging stress.Pistacia chinensis Bunge and Photinia serrulata Lindl.had weak waterlogging resistance with the tolerating waterlogging duration for 5-10 d;Nyssa sinensis Oliv.,Carya illinoensis(Wangenh.) Koch,Zelkova schneideriana Hand.-Mazz.and Platanus occidentalis L.showed considerable waterlogging resistance with the tolerating waterlogging duration for 25 d;Fraxinus chinensis Roxb.and Sapium sebiferum(L.)Roxb.had stronger tolerance to waterlogging over 45 d;while Taxodium macronatum Ten.and Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki' had the strongest tolerance,no injury sympotom had been appeared in 60 d.


China English is an English variety used by native-Chinese people for communication under specific language environment. This study attempts to outline the objective existence of China English and the implications of its linguistic features for English teaching.


Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by oral burning or painful sensations without pathological changes; its real cause is unknown. We previously reported that autonomic lability was probably associated with the pathogenesis of BMS based on the results of frequency analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is composed of time and frequency domains, although the significance of the time-domain measurements of HRV in BMS has not been discussed. In this study we assessed the significance of the timedomain measurements, particularly in relation to autonomic lability. Twenty-two patients received stellate ganglion near-infrared irradiation (SGR), and the response to SGR was examined by time-domain measurements. No significant difference in the time domain was found between patients in whom SGR was effective and those in whom SGR was ineffective for BMS. We proposed several new parameters that were defined as the differences in previously established parameters between just before and after irradiation. Two of these parameters, the differential mean heart rate (D Mean HRT) and differential root mean square of successive NN interval differences (D RMSSD), reflected the relieving effects of SGR. The time-domain measurements revealed that autonomic lability, particularly parasympathetic modulation, was associated with BMS, because the parameters are considered indicative of parasympathetic responsiveness to SGR. Therefore, time-domain measurements are very useful for follow-up of BMS and for determination of the therapeutic efficacy of SGR.


This study is concerned with the temporal and spatial structure of a radial jet which reattaches on a side wall. Large-scale unsteadiness of the flow was clarified experimentally by means of cross-correlation measurements and conditional sampling technique. The flow oscillates up and down periodically in the arbitrary section and the instantaneous reattachment points vibrate in the reattaching region corresponding to this oscillation. Also, the period increases as the offset distance between the nozzle and the side wall increases.


PURPOSE:To prevent a short-circuit due to a potential difference between power sources and to communicate power between the sources by forming the armature windings of an electric motor of independent first and second armature windings, and supplying the power from the first power source to the first winding and the power from the second power source to the second winding. CONSTITUTION:The armature windings of a permanent magnet type three-phase synchronous motor 30 to be driven by a hybrid power source D are formed of first and second armature windings 31, 32 independent in U-, V- and W- phases, i.e., electrically insulated from each other. Power is supplied from a first power source (lead storage battery) 1 to the winding 31, and power is supplied from a second power source (electric double layer capacitor) 2 to the winding 32. Thus, a short-circuit due to the potential difference of both the power sources 1 and 2 can be prevented. Supply power distribution from both the sources 1 and 2 is arbitrarily regulated to communicate the powers between the sources 1 and 2 with one another.


Social psychology has contributed substantially to the study and understanding of appetitive behaviors. This paper focuses on three major lines of social psychological research that have made particularly important contributions to appetitive behaviors: Hovland's work on attitudes and attitude changes, Bandura's social learning theory, and Schachter's studies of obesity and cigarette smoking. The relevant work of these three social psychologists and the research following from each line of inquiry are reviewed. Additional potential applications of these social psychological approaches to the study of appetitive behaviors are discussed.


vmj.sagepub.com Moderate arterial hypertension was incidentally diagnosed in an asymptomatic 14-year-old girl with an otherwise unremarkable medical history and physical examination. Serum creatinine, acute phase reactants and echocardiography were normal, whilst ocular fundus examination revealed mild retinal vascular tortuosity. High plasma renin and aldosterone levels suggested renovascular hypertension. Three-dimensional volume-rendering computed tomographic (CT) angiography (Panel A) and catheter-based digital subtraction angiography (DSA) (Panel B) showed an absence of flow in both ostial and proximal segments of the left renal artery with a normal appearance of the aortic wall (arrow). A complex collateral arterial network, originating from a hypertrophic left lumbar artery (chevron), bypassed these segments and merged with a normal-sized middle tract of the left renal artery, causing a delayed parenchimography of the ipsilateral kidney in comparison with the contralateral (Panel B). All other aortic branches including right renal artery, as well as aorta and supra-aortic arteries, appeared normal on DSA. Left and right kidney size were comparable on CT. Surgical exploration could not find any vascular structure or remnant connecting the aortic wall to the residual segment of the left renal artery. Histological examination of a sample of aortic wall and periaortic tissue was unremarkable: the former showed a normal arterial wall, the latter revealed the presence of adipose tissue. Normalization of blood pressure was achieved after surgical reconstruction with aortorenal bypass.


Memory elements, including memristor, memcapacitor, meminductor and second-order memristor, have been widely exploited recently to realize circuit systems for a broad scope of applications. This paper introduces a phasor analysis method for memory elements to help with the understanding of the complex nonlinear phenomena in circuits with memory elements. With the proposed method, all different memory elements could be described in a unified form and the series-connected circuit with memristor, memcapacitor, meminductor and second-order memristor could be simply modeled as one variable [Formula: see text]. Thus, the phasor vectors provided a way to conveniently calculate the [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] relation of different memory elements and to clearly understand the similarities and differences between all memory elements. Then some interesting phenomena were introduced when combining different memory elements. Moreover, a specific [Formula: see text] with certain [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] relations could be easily obtained with the method. And through the inverse calculation, the specific [Formula: see text] could be decomposed to a certain combination of memory elements. Meanwhile, the parameters of [Formula: see text] in the phasor domain were analyzed. Furthermore, the frequency characteristic for a [Formula: see text] circuit could be easily analyzed with the method and a particular series resonance was introduced.


Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) constitutes a global crisis with an impact on human and animal health. The consumption of antibiotics in animal husbandry also encourages the selection and propagation of strains and their determinants of resistance to the environment and in the food production chain. One of the strategic initiatives for the contention of AMR is to ensure the appropriate use of available antibiotics, in which microbiology laboratories play an important role, through diagnosis and microbial susceptibility testing. The purpose of this review is to provide information on patterns, difficulties and challenges in interpreting data derived from laboratory tests to allow the identification of bacteria, their typing and the estimation of the antibiotic susceptibility profile. Methodological approaches for the distinction between pathogenic, commensal and indicator bacteria to be considered in the AMR surveillance and monitoring plans are also described. In the breeding of animals, strains of zoonotic bacteria or multiresistance indicators usually appear, which are a priority in surveillance programs, under the concept of One health, for presenting acquired resistance with an advantage for their dissemination. Alarming examples in recent years are extended spectrum betalactamases producing Escherichia coli ( E. coli ESBL) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It also discusses the transient expressions of microbial resistance, biofilms and persistent cells, which explain the recurrence of infections and are still poorly considered in veterinary medicine. Finally, the need for strategies to harmonize and disseminate data that support guidelines for the treatment of bacterial infections of veterinary interest is emphasized.


This paper addresses the way forward on how to reduce stresses posed to the wetland resources in dryland areas of Mpwapwa District, Central Tanzania. The paper starts by analyzing wetlands themselves and their livelihood contribution to local people in the area and how those wetlands are threatened with regard to their sustainability. In the second part community-based proposed strategies are presented as a starting point towards reducing stress to these wetland resources. Focus group discussions with local communities, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews with individual household, stakeholders' analysis and literature reviews were the methods used. Several strategies have been proposed by local communities as a way forward to arrive to sustainable utilization of the wetland resources. Dialogues with different stakeholders interested on wetland resources in these dryland areas should be facilitated in order to settle the differences and conflicts of interests. Furthermore, some of the proposed strategies which can easily be implemented may be facilitated by the government and any other interested development partner in order to ensure sustainability of the wetland resources and hence ensured improved welfare of local people depending on wetland resources in these areas.


Unsupervised activity recognition introduces the opportunity for more robust interaction experiences with machines because the human is not limited to only acting with respect to a training dataset. Many approaches currently use latent variable models that have been well studied and developed by the natural language research communities. However, these models are simply used as-is or with minor tweaks on datasets that present an analogy between sensor reading sequences and text documents. Although words have well-defined semantics so that the learned clusters can be interpreted and verified, this is not often the case for sensor readings. For example, novel data from new human activities need to be clas-sified, which relies on the learned clusters; so how does one confirm that new activities are being correctly processed by a robot for interaction? We present several ways that motion capture information can be represented for use in these meth-ods, and then illustrate how the representation choice has the potential to produce variations in the learned clusters.


This study demonstrates mathematical description of sewage sludge composting based on identifica- tion and separate characterisation of simple process parts. For a description of the microbial processes an aSM3-based mathematical model developed for autothermal thermophilic aerobic sludge digestion is used. The oxygen mass transfer was characterized in a separate way. The 2.964·10 -3 m 2 ·d -1 value of the oxygen diffusion coefficient in the sludge at 55°C indicates the strong oxygen limitation of the microbial degrada - tion. The model extended with the oxygen mass transfer description has been validated using results from composting experiments performed with different specific sludge-air surface areas and with the renewal of the sludge surface.


Certificateless cryptography eliminates the need of the certificates in the Public Key Infrastructure and solves the inherent key escrow problem.In this paper,the certificateless proxy signature scheme of [9] was analyzed,which showed that it was insecure against the two kinds of attacks in certificateless cryptosystems,i.e.public key replacement attacks and malicious Key Generating Centre attacks.To thwart these attacks,the scheme was improved.The improved scheme is secure against the public key replacement attacks and malicious Key Generating Centre attacks.


An on-line error-detectable high-speed array divider is proposed. The divider is based on a formerly proposed algorithm using a redundant binary representation with a digit set (0, 1, -1). The computation time of the n-bit divider is proportional to n, in contrast to that of an array divider based on a conventional subtract-and-shift algorithm, which is proportional to n/sup 2/. By the residue checks of only the dividend, divisor, quotient, and the remainder, and a few additional checks, any error caused by a single-cell fault can be detected in normal computation. The amount of additional hardware to achieve the online error-detectability is proportional to n, and very small compared with the whole amount of hardware of the divider.<<ETX>>


In this paper, an improved full rank condition (named as λ-FRC) is proposed for the construction of nonbinary LDPC codes. Compared with the conventional FRC, the λ-FRC introduces a metric λ to evaluate the reliability of the messages passing through the circle. Codes with better performance can be obtained by selecting elements of the parity matrix according to the metric. Based on the λ-FRC, a greedy search algorithm is proposed to design the codes efficiently. In order to further improve the performance of the codes constructed, an iterative search algorithm is applied in the construction. Simulation results show that the performance of codes constructed by the λ-FRC methods outperforms those by the FRC methods, and the iterative search algorithm improves the performance of the codes as the iteration number increases1.


This article highlights the ethically uncertain and emotionally charged climate that governs the criminalization of HIV nondisclosure in Canada. Focusing on AIDS Service Organizations (ASO), we suggest that interlocutors perform critical work that helps people living with HIV/AIDS make sense of their rights and responsibilities. Semi-structured interviews with 62 ASO staff across Canada revealed this shifting landscape of HIV advocacy in the age of criminalizing HIV nondisclosure. Drawing on a critical bioethics approach that is informed by considering the role of emotion in decision-making, this article critiques the liberal model of the rational actor that is central to traditional discussions of bioethics and law. Our findings suggest that ASO workers have varying degrees of knowledge about the intricacies of legal duties of disclosure, which affect how they balance their own emotions and thoughts about nondisclosure with their professional duties to provide support and counselling. Ultimately, we argue that critical bioethics in the context of criminalization commands us to appreciate the inherently affective nature of the environment in which bioethical decisions are made.


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Objective: To study the effect of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty(ω-3 PUFA) on the serum lipid of ovariectomized rats.Methods: 60 virgin female Sprague-Dawley rats,3 months of age,were randomized by the stratified weight method into 6 groups: Sham group:deionized water 2 mL/d,OVX group:eionized water 2 mL/d,E2 group: OVX+17α-ethinylestradiol 0.1 mg/(kg·d),A group: OVX+ω-3 PUFA 75 mg/(kg·d),B group: OVX+ω-3 PUFA 150 mg/(kg·d) and C group: OVX+ω-3 PUFA 300 mg/(kg·d).Each group had 10 rats.Experiment period was 90 days.Body weight were measured every week.Serum were collected to measure Cholesterol(TC),Triglyceride(TG),High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C),and Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C).Results: There were significant difference between groups in the serum lipid.In the OVX group,TC and LDL-C increased.In the E2 group,TC increased compared with that in the Sham group,and HDL-C,LDL-C and HDL-C/TC decreased significantly compared with that in the OVX group.In the A,B and C groups HDL-C/TC increased significantly compared with those in the E2 group.Conclusion: The ovariectomized rats have lipid metabolism disorderd.The ω-3 PUFA and estrogen replacement therapy plays a role in the lipid metabolism.The ω-3 PUFA has the best efficiency in reducing the level of serum lipid.


The quality of high-level AI of nonplayer characters (NPCs) in commercial open-world games (OWGs) has been increasing during the past years. However, due to constraints specific to the game industry, this increase has been slow and it has been driven by larger budgets rather than adoption of new complex AI techniques. Most of the contemporary AI is still expressed as hard-coded scripts. The complexity and manageability of the script codebase is one of the key limiting factors for further AI improvements. In this paper, we address this issue. We present  behavior objects (BO)—a general approach to development of NPC behaviors for large OWGs. BOs are inspired by object-oriented programming and extend the concept of smart objects. Our approach promotes encapsulation of data and code for multiple related behaviors in one place, hiding internal details and embedding intelligence in the environment. BOs are a natural abstraction of five different techniques that we have implemented to manage AI complexity in an upcoming AAA OWG. We report the details of the implementations in the context of behavior trees and the lessons learned during development. Our study should serve as an inspiration for AI architecture designers from both the academia and the industry.