The SMEs competing with large-scale companies had to develop their core competencies to meet the needs of customers and innovate their products, processes, marketing techniques and organizational structures. Purpose of the this article is to find out how much the big scale companies give importance to their strategies for identifying core competencies in an environment of competition and what kind of innovations they have embodied while developing those competencies As a result, there is a need for preparing environments where new ideas can be put into practice, through either governmental or business activities, in order to support innovative activities of the firms. A lots of firms generate new ideas; nevertheless they do not have the necessary place and monetary facilities to implement them. To support those ideas, simulation studies that would reveal the outcomes of new ideas if implemented are needed in order to provide a foresight for the ideas of firms. Also, firms could establish common laboratories for their innovation activities and make their innovative trials there. It is thought that this article will increase the efforts of the firms towards innovation


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a porous synthetic membrane suitable for separating a macromolecular fluid (for example, for filtering protein). SOLUTION: An ultraporous membrane is equipped with a charge porous layer comprising a crosslinked polymer and the crosslinked polymer is formed from a cellulosic polymer and a crosslinking reagent. The cellulosic polymer has the substantial content of a crosslinkable hydroxyl part. The crosslinking reagent is a difunctional or multifunctional epoxide capable of reacting with the hydroxyl part of the polymer to bond the same and represented by formula : X(CH 2 ) n Y (wherein n is an integer of 1-5, X is H 2 COCH or H 2 COCHCH 2 O and Y is halogen, H 2 COCH or H 2 COCHCH 2 O). The porous synthetic membrane has good durability and good protein bonding characteristics. A charge part is bonded to the surface of the porous layer comprising the crosslinked polymer to impart surface charge to the porous layer. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI


Background: The urban transport systems of coastal cities are conditioned by the limitations placed by their coastal position on the expansion of radial networks. However, while the water around them compresses terrestrial routes, it simultaneously creates space for alternative transport systems to support urban and metropolitan mobility. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of establishing new navigation lines to support certain coastal locations in the gulfs of Naples and Salerno in Campania (Italy) which, due to their nature, are particularly suitable for the movement of the huge tourist flows that affect the area under analysis. Methods: This study expands upon specific previous and ongoing experiences, clarifying their strengths and weaknesses, identifying the basic characteristics of hypothesized fast maritime lines, and drawing conclusions about their technical and economic feasibility. Results: Based on the level of detail available to the present study, the hypothesized service does not seem to offer complete economic-financial sustainability. The primary shortcoming lies in the resources needed to adapt technical structures and to support businesses during the initial phase of the project. Conclusions: The feasibility of new transport services depends on the extent to which existing traffic can be subtracted the modes of transport already in operation. In the absence of public subsidies, the speed, frequency, regularity and safety of such transport are crucial.


In this work, we introduce the notion of the error exponent region for a multi-user channel. This region specifies the set of error-exponent vectors that are simultaneously achievable by all users in the multi-user channel. This is done by associating different probabilities of error for different users, contrary to the traditional approach where a singleprobability of system erroris considered. We derive an inner bound (achievable region) and an outer bound for the error exponent region of a Gaussian broadcast channel.


Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera, Italy; Department of Clinical Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy; Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy Correspondence to: Prof. Francesco Corradi. Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, Via Paradisa 2, 56124, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Comment on: Zampieri FG, Damiani LP, Bakker J, et al. Effects of a Resuscitation Strategy Targeting Peripheral Perfusion Status vs Serum Lactate Levels Among Patients with Septic Shock: A Bayesian Reanalysis of the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020;201:423-9.


Ongulates are born agammaglobulinaemic; their survival depends on the passive transfer of maternal immunoglobulins (IgG1) by colostrum ingestion. Currently, there is still 10 to 12 % of neonatal mortality, half is a the consequence of the failure in IgG1 absorption through the immature gut. During the 24 first hours the gut is able to transfer a wide proportion of native IgG1 by micropinocytosis. This transport should be enhanced by molecules present in the aqueous phase of the colostrum (serocolostrum). Hence, four serocolostrums, were produced by membrane fractionation with modification in soluble molecules composition except for IgG1 concentration. They were expected to contain factors enhancer of the IgG1 intestinal absorption in order to be used as a colostrum replacer for foals and calves. Two serocolostrums were freeze-dried to be used in addition to whole and skimmed milk (foals and calves) or to IgG1 deficient equine colostrum (DEC, foals). Animals were fed in the 7 first hours after birth with 4.1 g of IgG1/kg body weight. Control groups received equine (foals) or bovine (calves) colostrum by tube feeding. Serum samples were taken versus time and serum concentration in equine and bovine IgG1 was measured by single radial immunodiffusion. The half life and the absorption coefficient (AC) of the IgG1 were calculated. The maximal IgG1 concentration in animals' serum was systematically at 18 hours after feeding. Regardless the composition of the serocolostrums, when given as a substitute, it was observed exactly the same failure in IgG1 absorption with an IgG1 serum concentration 2.4 times (~ 8 gkg-1, AC = 16±5 %) and 3.5 times (~ 5 gkg-1, AC = 25±7 %) lower in calves and foals respectively, when compared to the control groups. When serocolostrum was mixed with whole or skimmed bovine milk, IgG1 serum concentration was only increased by ~1.5-1.8 for both species. When It was mixed to the DEC, the bovine IgG1 concentration in foal serum was increased by 3 ([IgG1] ~15 gkg-1 (AC = 45±5 %). Hence, it seems that molecular fractions (caseins and/or fat) present in colostrum but lacking in serocolostrum are involved in IgG absorption either by transfer activation or by avoiding a transfer limitation. Additional experiments are ongoing to test this assumption. The identification of these factors should permit to better understand the cellular mechanism of absorption in immature enterocytes. Our results also showed that bovine serocolostrum was efficient enough to compensate the failure in passive immunization in calves and foals even if the half time of bovine IgG1 is reduced in foals.


California's mild climate has led to handling and storage practices with sweet potatoes
 that do not necessarily provide optimum conditions for wound healing. Experiments
 were conducted during a four-year period with three varieties on San Joaquin Valley
 farms to determine whether a curing period in a warm house, such as is customary in
 other areas, would favor wound healing and reduce storage losses and quality changes.
 A two-week curing period in a warm house, with a temperature of around 85° F and high
 relative humidity, was compared with a similar period in a field pile, the method
 commonly used in California, and with direct placement in an unheated storage house.
 The experiments indicated that where storage of sweet potatoes for several months
 is economically sound, a warm-house curing period will usually reduce rot (except
 black rot), improve the appearance of roots, and decrease handling and sorting at
 the end of storage. The improvement was more consistent in the Porto Rico and Hawaiian
 varieties than in Yellow Jersey, which was more heavily infected with black rot. The
 treatments had little effect on sugar percentage, or, except toward the end of the
 storage period, on loss of dry weight.
 Anatomical studies and photomicrographs were made of changes in the natural uninjured
 periderm and in wound tissue on broken ends and cut sides of roots under the three
 methods of treatment. The natural periderm increased during the curing period in the
 Hawaiian and Porto Rico varieties but not in the Yellow Jersey. In all varieties the
 cork layer of wound tissue in roots cured in the warm house was thicker, more regular,
 and lighter in color than under the other treatments. Healing was similar in the two
 types of wounds. In the wound area on the broken ends of roots, sieve tubes and laticifers
 were compressed and pinched off, and vessel elements became filled with tyloses, which
 sometimes divided to produce across the vessel lumen a cork layer continuous with
 that in surrounding tissue.


The kinetics of the reaction between permanganate ion and triethylamine in aqueous phosphate buffers (pH 6–8) has been studied. The reaction is autocatalytic, a soluble form of colloidal manganese dioxide temporarily stabilized in solution by adsorption of phosphate ions on its surface having been identified as the autocatalyst. The reaction is also catalyzed by gum arabic. Mechanisms in agreement with the kinetic data are proposed for the reaction pathways taking place in the bulk solution (for both triethylamine and triethylammonium ion as reductants) and on both the gum arabic and manganese dioxide colloidal particles.


A study of free infestations of Aphis fabae Scop. on the leaves of its host plants, spindle and sugar beet, showed that the clustered distribution of the aphids within the boundaries of each leaf was not a matter of chance but involved active aggregation. Experiments in small leaf cages showed that aggregation could take place independently of any differences between portions of a leaf, being brought about by truly gregarious reactions between the aphids. Experiments in which walking aphids were made to encounter other live or dummy aphids fixed to leaves, showed that the gregarious reactions were of at least two kinds. The aphids both probed more often, and remained inserted for longer, near other aphids than apart from them.

It appears that the unequal distribution of aphids among the leaves of a plant is due primarily to intrinsic differences between leaves, but is aided by gregariousness, while the aggregations observed on leaves are due primarily to gregariousness, and only secondarily to differences between portions of a leaf. It is suggested that the primary function of gregariousness is to concentrate the aphids on to the best feeding sites, both among the parts of a plant, and among whole plants; that is, it acts as an aid in host selection, even with aphids which do not aggregate so compactly as A. fabae. The functions of compact aggregation and other specialized forms of gregarious behaviour remain to be discovered.


,could hear conversation well. She gradually regained perfect health. The condensed notes were then read of all *the cases then in the Coventry Hospital in which this operation had recently been performed (16 otectomies). Some -of these patients were shown. These cases showed general improvement in hearing, an4d. the temperature charts witmnessed to an absence of any serious disturbance after operation. Allusion was next made to the radical operation, ,which owed its rise in specialist favour to the failure of the ,faulty methpds so often adopted for the cure of otorrhoea. Every variety of a radical operation might be said to involve danger to life and to hearing, and too often failed to cure. It was a severe ordeal for the patient. Broca's work was ,quoted in support of these contentions; for instance: The lateral sinus is often wounded by the surgeon; and when the lacial nerve is cut in its descending portion it is rare to see any amelioration. Even in cases of undoubted extension of disease to the bone, partial operations were to be preferred combined with otectomy and irrigation. Four cases were then shown: (i) A case of recovery after otectomy, in which the hearing was above the normal; (2) a case of complete recovery after a partial operation on the bone; (3) a case of recurring otorrhoea with severe pain, six months after Stacke's operation -had been performed at St. Bartholomew's Hospital; (4) a case of double otorrhoea with intracranial suppuration that re-covered after a partial operation and otectomy. A special 4orm of attic cannula with probe was exhibited. By means of 4this cannula Mr. White directly irrigated the attic cavity. The probe was introduced into the attic cavity through the tcannula. The lecturer concluded by saying that he had received little support at the Otological Congress of I899 in his protest against unnecessary resort to the radical operation eo-called, but in I904 he claimedto have shown and proved by results that chronic suppurative otitis was curable by intrameatal treatment-by antiseptic irrigation with or without .otectomy-and that such drastic interference as a radicqal operation should rarely be required.-A discussion followed, an which Messrs. ILIFtE, CALLAGHAN, W. E. BENNETT, G. HIEATON, and Drs. HAWLEY, ORTON, PHILLIPS, and SNELL joined; and Mr. FAULDEB; WHITE replied.


The energy dependence of the vibrational branching ratio for exciting one quantum of bending is determined for CO2 4σg−1 photoionization. This nominally forbidden transition becomes allowed for a photoionization transition as a result of instantaneous symmetry breaking due to zero point motion, and is strongly enhanced by a continuum shape resonance.


Statistical analysis of the historical meteorological data at Guilin airport from 1986 to 1995 is performed and the distributive features and variations of fog are revealed The airport fogs may mainly be devided into two categories,i e rain fog accompanying with "double lows" weather and radiation fog,and the predication of the synoptic situations of fog formation and dissipation is studied,providing some usefull referential bases and thinking for further analysis and prediction of the low visibility weather at Guilin airport


I read the article entitled ''The F Word: How 'Fit' Threatens the Validity of Resident Recruitment'' with great interest. Notably, the authors present ''fit'' as a nebulous term that is used to convey a gestalt impression, conceivably serving as a proxy for unconscious bias and a threat to diversity. To mitigate these risks, they propose that terms, such as ''fit,'' must have a clear and shared meaning. Fortunately, to meet the challenge of this recommendation, we can diversify our own perspectives by incorporating well-established concepts from industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology. I/O psychology is a recognized division of the American Psychological Association and is characterized by the scientific study of human behavior in organizations. Personnel psychology is a dedicated subfield that primarily deals with the recruitment, selection, and retention of personnel, in addition to the study of workplace culture and interpersonal relationships. Beginning in the 1990s, applications of person– environment fit (P–E fit) theory, which refers to the alignment between characteristics of individuals and those of their job and workplace, became more explicit. One of the key articles in this movement is ''Person–Environment Fit in the Selection Process'' by Werbel and Gilliland. In their work, the authors proposed an expanded model of fit in personnel selection, which incorporates person–job, person– organization, and person–workgroup fit (FIGURE). The descriptions that Werbel and Gilliland provided resonate with the recommendations by Shappell and Schnapp to reduce the potential negative effects that may arise from terms like ''fit.'' For example, person–organization fit is defined as the congruence of values, needs, and goals between an individual and organization. In their box, Shappell and Schnapp suggested that residency programs establish a clear brand identity, which includes clarifying values and goals. Then, if fostering self-starters is considered meaningful to the program, they can decide to preferentially rank applicants who have demonstrated an ability to create and develop new initiatives. Furthermore, Shappell and Schnapp proposed that when ''fit creeps into the discussion'' that the conversation be directed away from this word. However, instead of being fearful of this terminology, we should consider embracing it based on a broader understanding of its meaning. A different approach could be taken, in which a member of the selection committee states, ''Based on the work we have done to identify our residency program's core values and goals, I believe that this applicant aligns better from the perspective of person–organization fit compared to this applicant.'' Therefore, the framework of P–E fit offers the exact ''deliberate language'' that Shappell and Schnapp were seeking. Over the past decade, there has been a growing intradisciplinary collaboration between I/O psychology and the medical community. While the majority of these efforts have existed overseas, we are starting to see the positive impact of similar relationships in graduate medical education in the United States. By merging the contextual experience of our residency programs with the selection science expertise of I/O psychologists, we have the opportunity to engage in theory-driven studies that can ultimately promote diversity through a broader understanding of what it means to ''fit.''


In order to provide intelligent services, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) facilitates millions of smart devices to be enabled with network connectivity to sense, collect, process, and exchange information. Based on the communication infrastructure, the IoT can allow cyber-physical devices, such as an electric vehicle, to sense, monitor, and control from the remote control center in real time. Unfortunately, the traditional communication infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber attacks, so it is a challenging task for the IoT to explore these applications. In order to overcome the problem, this article proposes an algorithm for monitoring and controlling the electric vehicle using the IoT communication network considering false data-injection attacks. First, the driverless electric vehicle with onboard vision system is represented by a state-space framework. As the electric vehicle and monitoring control center are far away, the IoT-embedded smart sensors and actuators are used to measure and control the system states. The vehicle sensing information is transmitted to the control center over an unreliable communication channel where attacks happen. Based on the mean square error principle, the optimal state estimation algorithm is derived to know and visualize the vehicle states. In order to regulate the vehicle states, the optimal control algorithm is designed based on the semidefinite programming approach. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithms are able to properly estimate and regulate the vehicle states within a short period of time.


This paper aims to develop a predictive model and optimize the performance of the abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) during machining of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) epoxy laminates composite through a unique approach of artificial neural network (ANN) linked with the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). Initially, 80 AWJM experimental runs were carried out to generate the data set to train and test the ANN model. During the experimentation, the stand-off distance (SOD), water pressure, traverse speed and abrasive mass flow rate (AMFR) were selected as input AWJM variables and the average surface roughness and kerf width were considered as response variables. The established ANN model predicted the response variable with mean square error of 0.0027. Finally, the ANN coupled NSGA-II algorithm was applied to determine the optimum AWJM input parameters combinations based on multiple objectives.


Longzha Yao Autonomous Township is the only minority autonomy of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration.Its Yao culture tourism resources are prominent,and have certain monopolistic in Lohsiao mountain range,as well as in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration,with great development value.This article uses the method of SWOT to analyze the strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats about the tourism development of Longzha Yao Autonomous Township and presents some feasible development strategy,with a view to provide a useful guide on its tourism development.


Opioid Overdoses Claim More Lives Than Car Crashes As of January 2019, the amount of fatal opioid overdoses has officially surpassed the number ...


On all highway construction projects conveying water originating on and adjacent to the roadway site is an important component of a well designed project. In most cases, inlets and pipes are installed using conventional trenching techniques. This paper discusses the procedure of pipe jacking and boring that is a technique to consider when site constraints will not allow trenching. The process of jacking and boring is discussed in general terms to familiarize the reader with the advantages and disadvantages of this technique.


We consider the flow intensity of economic and financial news taken from a nine-month period of 2015. This data is found to be well approximated by a persistent self-affine walk. It is characterized by a Hurst exponent of H>0.6 over three orders of magnitude in time ranging from minutes to several days. In this paper, we use the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) of order 1, Rescaled Range Analysis (R/S) and Fourier Transform Method (FTM) to examine long-range auto-correlation and self-similarity of time series of news flow intensity. DFA method allowed us to reveal a strong scaling behavior as well as to detect a distinct crossover effect. On the other hand, it turns out that for the classic R/S analysis and Fourier transform techniques, the scaling regimes and/or positions of cross-overs are hard to define.


【Objective】 The aim of this investigation was to better understand the genetic base of yield and fiber quality traits in upland cotton. Major quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with yield and fiber quality and epistasis interaction in controlling these traits were mapped using a genetic linkage map which comprised 471 loci, spanned 3 070.2 cM and covered 65.88% of the whole cotton genome. 【Method】 An F2:3 population from DH962 × Jimian5 was used to evaluate yield and fiber quality. Major QTLs were identified by composite interval mapping method on WinQTLCartV2.5. Two-way digenic interactions analysis was conducted using EPISTACY. 【Result】 Nine major QTLs were detected for six yield traits and five for fiber quality traits. No QTLs were detected for fiber uniformity ratio and fiber strength under the significant threshold LOD scores. A total of 75 significant digenic interactions were detected, most of them were non-QTL × non-QTL interaction; most of the interaction types were additive × dominance interaction and dominance × additive interaction. Many digenic interactions were detected for lint percentage and fiber length, and only few for boll number and lint index. One common major QTL for SCW, LW and SI was detected on LG1. Common digenic interactions were also found for some correlated traits: one for SCW, LW and MV; four for LP and FL. 【Conclusion】 Except for major QTLs, epistasis played an important role in the genetic basis of yield and fiber traits in upland cotton. The low effect of major QTLs and the digenic interactions will make it more difficult and more complex for maker-assisted selection in cotton breeding. Correlated traits were controlled by same QTLs/digenic interactions, which will be helpful to select these traits simultaneously.


HOW TO WATCH TELEVISION. Edited by Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell. New York: New York University Press. 2013.Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell's How to Watch Television is a collection of forty essays that use an exemplary episode (or a few such) of a single television program to "make an argument about the [program's] cultural significance" and, more importantly, to "make a broader argument about television and its relation to other cultural forces" (4); frequently, the results are tantalizing. The editors hope that How to Watch Television will provide readers with models of "different ways of watching, methods of looking at or making sense of television" (1) that will motivate them not only to "think critically about the television that [they] watch" (9) but also, potentially, to "write [their] own works of television criticism" (4). Their primary audience, then, is not scholars of television, who, presumably, already think and write critically about the medium; rather, it is students (most likely, undergraduates in media studies courses, but also newly-minted graduate students or even advanced high-schoolers) and, at one remove, their teachers.To reach this audience, the editors requested contributors to write "accessibly for students and a general readership" (4). The essays produced under this editorial constraint appear deceptively simple. By design, they are shorter than texts "typically found in an academic journal or book" (4), despite including supplements of one or more illustrations and a list of further readings, and they usually relegate the names of other scholar-critics to endnotes sparingly used. Consequently, the essays resemble texts that advanced undergraduates or novice graduate students could reasonably be expected to produce as a course project. I very much like this idea in principle, and I can easily imagine assigning students a course project that asks them to imagine contributing a fresh chapter to a second edition of How to Watch Television. In practice, however, I found that even the best essays at times felt abridged, especially when broad claims hinged upon examples too few or too quickly discussed; this is not a quality I would want students to emulate in their writing.Fortunately, How to Watch Television's contributors were able, in spite and not because of the editors' requirements, to convey a rich, scholarly knowledge of the selected programs and their aesthetic, cultural, political, industrial, and/or pragmatic contexts. Three contributions deserve special mention: Sean O'Sullivan's "The Sopranos: Episodic Storytelling," which explores ways that the series violated conventions of serialism; Mittell's "Phineas & Ferb: Children's Television," which speculates about the pleasures that viewers, particularly children, can derive from strongly formulaic programs; and Miranda Banks's "I Love Lucy: The Writer-Producer," which identifies one of the program's legacies as the emergence of the "showrunner," the purported "visionary" who "gives a series-and just as importantly, those who work for the series-a sense of structure and direction" (245). …


Purpose Neurosarcoidosis and primary central nervous system lymphomas, although distinct disease entities, can both have overlapping neuroimaging findings. The purpose of our preliminary study was to assess if magnetic resonance texture analysis can differentiate parenchymal mass-like neurosarcoidosis granulomas from primary central nervous system lymphomas. Methods A total of nine patients was evaluated, four with parenchymal neurosarcoidosis granulomas and five with primary central nervous system lymphomas. Magnetic resonance texture analysis was performed with commercial software using a filtration histogram technique. Texture features of different sizes and variations in signal intensity were extracted at six different spatial scale filters, followed by feature quantification using statistical and histogram parameters and 36 features were analysed for each sequence (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, diffusion-weighted, apparent diffusion coefficient, T1-post contrast). The non-parametric Mann–Whitney test was used to evaluate the differences between different texture parameters. Results The differences in distribution of entropy on T2-weighted imaging, apparent diffusion coefficient and T1-weighted post-contrast images were statistically significant on all spatial scale filters. Magnetic resonance texture analysis using medium and coarse spatial scale filters was especially useful in discriminating neurosarcoidosis from primary central nervous system lymphomas for mean, mean positive pixels, kurtosis, and skewness on diffusion-weighted imaging (P < 0.004–0.030). At spatial scale filter 5, entropy on T2-weighted imaging (P = 0.001) was the most useful discriminator with a cut-off value of 6.12 (P = 0.001, area under the curve (AUC)-1, sensitivity (Sn)-100%, specificity (Sp)-100%), followed by kurtosis and skewness on diffusion-weighted imaging with a cut-off value of −0.565 (P = 0.011, AUC-0.97, Sn-100%, Sp-83%) and–0.365 (P = 0.008, AUC-0.98, Sn-100%, Sp-100%) respectively. Conclusion Filtration histogram-based magnetic resonance texture analysis appears to be a promising modality to distinguish parenchymal neurosarcoidosis granulomas from primary central nervous system lymphomas.


Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a potentially lifethreatening breathing disorder, characterized by repeated collapse of the upper airway during sleep, with cessation of breathing. The prevalence of OSA is though to be the order of 4 per cent of middle-aged men and 2 per cent of middleaged females, and is reported to increase with age (Young et al., 1993). The aetiology is somewhat complex and incompletely understood, but is thought to arise from a combination of anatomical and pathophysiological factors, which predispose to narrowing of the upper airway. Clinically, OSA subjects exhibit both nocturnal (snoring, choking during sleep, abnormal motor activity, and nocturia) and diurnal symptoms (excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, sexual problems, and headaches). In addition, these patients are at risk of developing a range of severe medical complications secondary to recurrent nocturnal hypoxia and hypercapnia, most notably cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of OSA is made following a comprehensive history (supported by the use of questionnaires such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale), and ear, nose and throat examination, Body Mass Index calculation (determined from the subject's height and weight) and overnight polysomnography. The latter investigation is regarded as the definitive investigation for the diagnosis of OSA, permitting the physician to distinguish between simple snoring and true obstructive sleep apnoea. Lateral cephalometry is an established tool in the investigation of the airway in OSA subjects for both diagnostic purposes and to monitor the changes in the airway in response to mandibular protrusion (Lowe et al., 1986; Lyberg et al., 1989; Schmidt-Nowara et al., 1991, Eveloff et al., 1994). Posture has been demonstrated to have a significant effect on upper airway dimensions (Yildirim et al., 1991; Mohammed et al., 1994) and, as a consequence, the use of supine rather than traditional upright radiographs has reported to be more meaningful (Eveloff et al., 1994; Lowe, 1994). Recognizing the multifactorial nature of OSA, current management strategies focus around a multi-disciplinary approach involving a thoracic physician, ENT surgeon, orthodontist, and oral surgeon. Nasally-applied continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is highly effective and has become the major non-surgical, long-term form of treatment, the so-called 'gold standard' (Sullivan et al., 1981). However, long-term compliance with CPAP has been estimated at between 60 and 70 per cent (Engleman et al., 1994). As a consequence, the use of intra-oral advancement mandibular devices has been investigated by a number of workers (Bonham et al., 1988; Schmidt-Nowara et al., 1991; Eveloff et al., 1994; L'Estrange et al., 1996). The rationale for appliance use is that they may increase the size of the airway by drawing the tongue and soft palate forwards, and thus maintain its patency during sleep. The orthodontist can play a key role in the cephalometric evaluation, design, and provision of these appliances. Limited follow-up data are available comparing the risk to benefit ratio associated with the use of mandibular advancement therapy. Furthermore, the use of supine films demonstrating the airway changes with mandibular advancement splints in place does not appear to have been An Investigation into the Changes in Airway Dimension and the Efficacy of Mandibular Advancement Appliances in Subjects with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea


: A new polyester containing diimine ring, poly(imino isophthaloyl imino (glyoxal bis(2-methyl-4-hydroxy phenyl)imin)) poly[IPIGI] was synthesized by an interfacial polycondensation reaction. The structure of poly[IPIGI] was confirmed by FT-IR and solid state 13 C NMR techniques. The thermal stability was tested by TG-DTA and solubility was also studied. The kinetics of the thermal degradation of poly[IPIGI] was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis at different heating rates. TG curves showed that the thermal decomposition of poly[IPIGI] occurred in two stages. The apparent activation energies of thermal decomposition for poly[IPIGI], as determined by the Tang method (TM), the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method (FWD), the Kissenger-Akahira-Sunose method (KAS) and the Coats-Redfern method (CR) are 74.8, 75.2, 76.5 and 83.9 kJ mol -1 for the first stage decomposition and 143.1, 143.7, 147.0 and 156.2 kJ mol -1 for the second stage decomposition, respectively. The mechanisms of each stage decomposition were also investigated by master plots.


This paper describes a technique for providing phase compensation to signals received at widely-spaced antennas and processed at a central location. Self-compensation is provided for pathlength variations in reference-signal distribution systems. The technique may be adapted to include the measurement and compensation of signal-channel phase variations. Practical systems which require this type of compensation include interferometric systems used for position and position-rate measurements of missiles and spacecraft, interferometers and arrays of antennas used for radio and radar astronomy, and arrays of large-aperture antennas used for deep-space communications.


High resolution observations of the star-forming region around the Herbig - Haro objects 24-26 have been made in J=4-3 HCO+, J=5-4 CS and J=2-1 CO (resolutions 14'', 20'' and 22'' respectively). The former show that the gas appears to be clumped into small (0.05 pc), dense condensations probably of several solar masses, some of which may be associated with known infrared sources. These clumps are embedded in a previously mapped molecular ridge. The HCO+ and CS lines show significant wings in places highlighting the interaction between outflows and the surrounding dense gas. Also resolved are two separate, roughly parallel bipolar outflows, with projected maximum velocities of 8 and 18 km s-1 for the north and south outflows respectively. The mass of material in each outflow is calculated (in the optically thin limit) to be rather similar at about 0.5M., somewhat smaller than previous estimates. Optical depth effects may explain this. A third CO flow may also be present, roughly centred on HH 25 and probably associated with the largest HCO+ clump. None of the remaining clumps are situated near the centres of the main outflows and it seems unlikely that these are powered by any previously known infrared object.


A 35-year-old man presented to us with nonunion of both bones of the right forearm. He was planned for open reduction and internal fixation. Intraoperatively while trying to open the medullary canal of the ulna with a 2.5-mm noncannulated drill bit, the distal end of the drill bit broke and was stuck within the medullary cavity. Under image intensifier, the broken piece was retrieved with the help of a long depth gauge from the 4.5-mm system. This technique is simple, cost-effective, and less time-consuming.


Callus cultures of Moringa oleifera Lam. were successfully established from cotyledon explants obtained from green mature seeds. Benzyladenine (BA) alone (2.5 mg L-1) significantly increased callus formation but was not significantly different when combined with increasing levels of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (1.0–5.0 mg L-1) and further supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ). Loose crystalline calli were observed in media containing 2,4-D and BA singly or in combination, while compact, nodular and loose calli were obtained when the culture media were further enriched with TDZ. BA and 2,4-D singly or in combination did not significantly enhance degree of callus formation but BA in combination with 1.0 and 5.0 mg L-1 2,4-D and TDZ significantly increased degree of callusing. A significant increase in callus weight was observed in BA at different levels combined with 2,4-D (1.0 and 2.5 mg L-1). Addition of TDZ to BA and 2,4-D containing media further increased callus weight. Slight greening of calli was observed 4 wk after the first transfer onto the shoot induction media; however, statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant difference among treatments. Microscopic observation of hand-sectioned protrusions on green calli revealed heterogenous and asynchronous cell growth showing actively dividing cells. Xylem differentiation was also evident, indicating initiation of bud initials.


Diseases in cultivated tomatoes caused by cut roots are quite serious in the southern region of China.The use of disease-resistant rootstock for grafting cultivation is the fundamental way to combat diseased rhizomes.The study showed that anti-cyanogen No.1 tomato,anti-cyanogen tomato rootstock,and Solanum tomato rootstock and tomatoes have quite a good affinity,and combined application with several tomato grafting cultivation methods for Southern region has very high promoting value.


We perform an investigation to bridge the gap in understanding between the studies of quantum dots containing few and many electrons. The experimental techniqu e, Single Electron Capacitance Spectroscopy, permits examination of dots' addition spectra whi le tuning the electron occupancy N from one to hundreds in one sample. To probe the nature of the states occupied by electr ons, we follow the evolution of the addition spectrum with perpendicular ma gnetic field B. The first few electrons fill well-known Darwin-Fock (DF) sing le-particle states as is typical for a small dot with parabolic confinement [1-3]. These levels exhibit multiple crossing as B grows. We find that near every crossing, the electron interaction becomes the dominant energy scale, even in a small dot for a small number of electrons. Thus, four successively added electrons redistribute between two different crossing spatial states. We describe the obser ved resulting patterns using simple Hartree-Fock model with a small exchange interacti on between electrons in different states [4]. By gradually filling the dot with electrons, we decreas the single particle level separation, hence increasing the relative importance of the Coulomb repulsion. As the result, the regions of the spectrum strongly affected by the interactions expand until, at high enough N, no signature of DF states remains observable [5]. Our study presents a unifying pic ture for the two limits: the small N regime with dominant confinement and the large N regime with prevailing interactions. The picture that we develop also applies to crossings near zero magnetic field. Contrary to the Hund's rule model observed in experiments with dots containing 3, 4, 5, and 6 electrons[3], we observe, neither large (greater than two-fold) symmetry-r lated degeneracy of orbitals at zero magnetic field nor corresponding filling of the dot with three or m e parallel spin electrons. Instead, the simple picture of interactions between electrons in pair s of discrete, single particle-like, orbitals applies throughout the spectrum. In Figure 1, we show that we can collapse the addition spec trum for small N by simply subtracting constant electron addition energies from each trace. This coll apse produces a spectrum in which traces from successive electron additions nearly perfectl y align and touch at level crossings points throughout the image but nowhere do they cross. Hence, if the two highest energy electrons are treated independently of the others, the strength of the Coulom b interaction between them appears nearly constant in B. This occurs because neighboring crossings ref lect transitions of electrons between respectively similar orbitals. A key feature of th e data is that the spectrum shown contains two replicas of each Darwin-Fock state, as even traces do not collapse on top on the odd ones. Contrary to the single-particle model even and odd addition tra ces differ in shape, particularly in the vicinity of the orbital crossing points. In essence, the single particle picture of filling quantum dots appears to fit our data well except for a specific type of failure that occurs at each level crossing . The Coulomb interaction always mixes each level crossing, and simple Hartree-Fock model considering only two levels describes well deviations from a single-particle DF picture. In our talk, w e discuss how the same model accounts for erosion of even-odd asymmetry for the large N regime [5]. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 5 10 15 20 magnetic field B(T) g at e vo lt ag e V g ( m V ) electrons # 7 23; odd in blue, even in magenta


Many aspects of cognitive performance and memory decline throughout adulthood. Working memory describes a system that temporarily stores and processes information to support reasoning, learning and comprehension. It is a useful tool to describe and study cognitive function. Polyphenols are thought to modulate the activity of a large number of enzymes and cell receptors, giving them a role in the prevention of diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as CVD. Animal studies have shown improvement in cognitive function. Little is known about their bioavailability. Sea Buckthorn (SB) a deciduous shrub is native over much of the world including Great Britain. Its berries are among the most enriched plant sources of vitamin C with an average 695 mg/100 g and they are high in total phenolics, varying from 144 to 244 mg/100 g (depending on subspecies and cultivation methods). To date, there have been relatively few comprehensive studies on the effects of SB polyphenols, and there is no published literature on their impact on cognitive function. Two pilot studies were undertaken to determine if the short-term consumption of SB juice affected working memory. The first, a placebo-controlled study (n 12) assessed the effect of supplementary polyphenols in 150 ml fruit juice (40% SB) over a 7-d period. The intake of vitamins A, C and E and b-carotene were determined by a food frequency questionnaire. The second, a participant-blind placebo-controlled crossover study (n 10) assessed the bioavailability of polyphenols in juice (20% SB) and its effects on working memory in individuals on a polyphenol-restricted diet over a 12-d period. Cognitive function was evaluated in both studies by Corsi block Word span and Digit span tests. The mean total urinary phenolics (mg/l gallic acid equivalent) were 208.9, 213.5 and 300.3 for baseline, control and SB treatment, respectively (P for trend = 0.004). There was also an increase in urinary antioxidant capacity, which, although non-significant, correlated strongly (r = 0.721) with urinary total phenolics. Routine consumption of foods rich in vitamins C and E was positively correlated to cognitive function with a strong positive relationship observed for Digit span test score and vitamins C (r = 0.828), E (r = 0.684) and b-carotene (r = 0.565). The polyphenols in Sea Buckthorn juice are bioavailable (as determined by urinary phenolic output). In these studies, ingestion of SB either as a supplement or as a dedicated source of polyphenols, in the doses studied, did not confer significant effects on cognitive function. However, its effect on ameliorating the impact of oxidative stress in health and disease remains to be elucidated.


The primary processes in the OH· radical-induced oxidation mechanism of sulphoxides have been investigated by pulse radiolysis and, in particular, by an improved conductivity detection method with a time resolution of ca. 50 ns in aqueous solution. Electrophilic addition of the OH· radical to the sulphoxide group leads to a transient adduct, R2SO(OH)· which decays unimolecularly with t1/2 up to 100 ns into a sulphinic acid, RSO2H, and a radical R·. The various RSO2H have been identified by their pKa, and R·(including t-butyl and phenyl radicals) by direct optical measurement or chemical scavenging experiments. The probability of radical split-off from R2SO(OH)· for mixed sulphoxides depends on the stability of the radical leaving. Depending on the nature of the sulphoxide substituents two other OH· radical reactions compete with, and may even predominate over, the addition at the sulphoxide group. Thus hydrogen-atom abstraction readily occurs from longer chain and branched aliphatic groups and in the presence of aromatic substituents OH· radicals add to the π-system to form a hydroxycyclohexadienyl radical. The respective yields, kinetics and some physico-chemical properties of the primary species are presented and discussed.


Chlorosis in spiked sandal leaves, as in the chlorotic eaves of other plants, is caused by a deficiency of iron. However, the deficiency appears to be not on account of reduced availability of this element in the soil, but a direct effect of the spike disease, since the soil iron content is normal and the pH of the soil is on the acid side (Table III). Like other chlorotic leaves, the spiked sandal leaves show an increase of amino nitrogen, oxalic and malic acids, and a decrease in calcium content. Thus chlorosis in sandal leaves, caused by spike-induced iron deficiency, bears resemblance to the chlorosis in other leaves which is caused by the reduced iron availability in soils. In spike-diseased plants there is a comparatively higher accumulation of iron in the roots than in the leaves, which suggests that probably the mechanism of translocation of iron in the plant is affected. The preponderance of iron over calcium in the spiked sandal roots, as evidenced by the much lower Ca/Fe ratio in them, seems to be responsible at least in part for the death of root ends and cessation of haustorial connections in the spiked sandal.


A low cost chemical bath deposition method has been used for the preparation of Cu4SnS4 thin films onto indium tin oxide glass substrate. The deposition parameters such as bath temperature (50 °C), deposition time (120 min), electrolyte concentration (0.05 M) and bath pH (1.5) were optimized to obtain good quality thin films. The structural, surface morphological and optical properties of thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction, an atomic force microscopy and an UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, respectively. The X-ray diffraction study revealed that the Cu4SnS4 films were polycrystalline in nature with the preferential orientation along the (221) plane. The atomic force microscopy results indicated that the films were smooth, uniform and the substrate surface was covered completely at these experimental conditions. These films exhibited p -type semiconductor behavior with the band gap energy about 1.57 eV.


Proper regulation of cell cycle progression is necessary to ensure that cells do not undergo uncontrolled cellular division, which results in reduced cell volume, or cancer formation. The cell cycle is regulated by three checkpoints, the most important of which is the G1/S checkpoint. In the budding yeast S. cerevisiae, the G1/S checkpoint is sensitive to the levels of Cln3p, a homolog of mammalian cyclin D. To ensure that the cell passes through the G1/S checkpoint at the appropriate time, Cln3p levels throughout G1 phase are, in part, controlled by local translational repression of the CLN3 mRNA by Whi3p, an ER associated RNA binding protein, by an unknown mechanism.


SummaryAfter an analysis of the consequences of hypercorticism, the three causes of Cushing syndrome ate considered : adrenal tumour, paramoplasic syndrome and Cushing disease (hypereorticism of central origin).The Characteristics of hypereorticism in Cushing disease are described, as well as the changes in ACTH secretion, the anomalies of the feed-back ACTH-Cortisol system, the frequency, type and initial symptomatology of pituitary tumours. A physiopathologic concept is proposed : Cushing disease could be due to hypothalamic disturbance and primary central hypertonia of undetermined origin, responsible of pituitary stimulation, leading to adrenal hyperplasia.The created pituitary disturbance could be the site of single overactivity of micro-adenomas or of a single tumour which could make its appearance after adrenalectomy; the adrenals would show single diffuse or micro-adenomatous hyperplasia. The different histologic pictures of the pituitary or of the adrenals would constitute successive steps of a s...


The appearance of Fusarium species and the micronutrient content of pea varieties were investigated in different plant development periods. Field experiments were carried out for three years on six dry pea varieties grown without irrigation on a soil infected with Fusarium species. Green and dry plants divided into shoots (including stems and leaves), pods and seeds were used to determine the presence of Fusarium species and the concentration of micro- and macroelements. In the green shoots and seeds of varieties registered as susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum, other species such as F. solani and F. culmorum were also detected. F. oxysporum and F. solani were found in the dry seeds not only in varieties susceptible to F. oxysporum but in resistant ones as well. In the case of susceptible varieties the phosphorus and nickel contents in the flowering plants decreased significantly compared to those in varieties registered as resistant to F. oxysporum. In later stages of plant development the K and Mo conten...


KEY POINTS
Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature death in Canada and costs $17 billion in health care and indirect economic costs each year.[1][1] Health Canada has highlighted the need for a novel, multiprong approach to reach its target of less than 5% of the population using tobacco


A metal mesh filter is appropriate to a band-pass filter for astronomy in the long mid-infrared between 25 and 40 μm, where most of optical materials are opaque. The mesh filter does not require transparent dielectric materials unlike interference filters because the transmission characteristics bare determined by surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) resonances excited on a metal surface with a periodic structure. In this study, we have developed the mesh filters optimized to atmospheric windows at 31.8 and 37.5 μm accessible from the Chajnantor site of 5,640 m altitude. First, mesh filters made of a gold film of 2 μm thickness have been fabricated. Four identical film-type filters are stacked incoherently to suppress leakages at stop-bands. The transmissions of the stacked filters have been measured to be 0.8 at the peaks and below 1 x 10-3 at the stop-bands at 4 K. The ground-based mid-infrared camera MAX38 has been equipped with the stacked filters and successfully obtained diffraction-limited stellar images at the Chajnantor site. The film-type mesh filter does not have sufficient mechanical strength for a larger aperture and for use in space. We have developed mesh filters with higher strength by applying the membrane technology for x-ray optics. The membrane-type mesh filter is made of SiC and coated with a thin gold layer. The optical performance of the mesh filter is independent of internal materials in principle because the SPP resonances are excited only on the metal surface. The fabricated membrane-type mesh filter has been confirmed to provide comparable optical performance to the film-type mesh filter.


The dendroimage image of Siberia is considered in the context of geopoetics and ethnodendrology. For the first time the proposed analysis systematizes the motives associated with the image of larch, one of the main trees in the region. The research materials are scientific works on ethnography and folklore studies, Russian and Russian-language fiction about Siberia written in the XIX-XX centuries. The name of the tree reflects its dual status: coniferous and deciduous simultaneously. The "gender" of the larch is also indeterminate: male / female. The larch has an «intermediate» position in the system of the most important dendroimages of the Siberian text: between cedar and birch. It can be associated with universal tree mythologemes (World Tree, Tree of Life and Death, family tree, etc.), but it most clearly embodies the basic concept of Siberia as a space of violence, hard labor, exile, concentration camps.


Traditional analytic hierarchy process(AHP) has the flaw of its fixed weights system(FWS) and the composite ranking approaches based on FWS,incapable of reflecting basic characteristics of complex evaluation issues,such as nonlinearity,emergence,etc.To overcome the above flaw,with the idea of weight varying(WV) adopted,a new alternative ranking approach based on variable weights is given by the way of constructing a new analysis structure of AHP evaluating problems and its corresponding value system for evaluating alternatives.The mechanism of WV in the new approach and its advantages over the traditional AHP are also analyzed.Applied to a real example,the approach is validated to be feasible and applicable.


Abstract : This program involved tracking surface drifters, equipped with GPS and VH electronics, in the waters near Beaufort Inlet, NC. The primary objectives were to effect improvements in drifter tracking technology and to study circulation and dynamics near Beaufort Inlet.


Dear Sir, We thank Ms McCarthy for her interest and comments on our paper. Our data show that the removal of eroded mesh can be managed in an organpreserving multistage process, exploiting the natural extrusion which is associated with eroded and/or infected mesh. Ms McCarthy raises the important issue of removing noneroded, uninfected mesh, for which the indications and outcomes are poorly defined and insufficient to counsel patients with any degree of certainty. Those who wish to consider the removal of mesh for fear of future complications or more immediate symptoms such as pelvic pain and meshrelated systemic symptoms must also be aware of the potential adverse outcomes which may be associated with this surgery which may include radical multiorgan excision and may be associated with major morbidity and longterm impact on quality of life. At present, in the UK, meshrelated complications should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. However, reliable outcome data to discuss these risks with any degree of authority are lacking and we agree with Ms McCarthy's proposal that a centralized registry of mesh removal would allow a greater understanding of the indications, complexities of surgery and the functional and quality of life outcomes for this group of patients.


In the present study, a vertically modularized and sectioned micromold system (v-MSMS) is proposed and developed by synchrotron X-ray micromachining process. The developed v-MSMS is a novel concept of constructing a micromold system by stacking several micromold modules. As one representative application of the present v-MSMS, micromold system with several kinds of spur gear patterns was fabricated using deep X-ray lithography and a subsequent nickel electroforming process. Then, the usefulness of v-MSMS was demonstrated by casting the microgear with multiple layers. The proposed technique can be a useful tool for the mass replication of multilayered mechanical components, various micro parts, complicated microstructures, and so on.


This paper outlines research currently being carried out at the Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with a recently privatised utility. The aim of the research is to synthesise a learning process model from relevant learning theory, and from this, to derive a practical model, which can be used by organisations to facilitate individual, team and organisational learning, resulting in continuous improvement and innovation in business processes. The learning process model has been developed, and was the subject of an article in The Learning Organisation (Buckler, 1996). Workshops, based on the model, have been held, with groups of managers, and feedback from these has been used to assess the usefulness of the models in an organisational context. This process has resulted in the design of a series of six workshops which aims to help organisational management teams develop a deep understanding of the learning process. This will lay the foundations for a systemic approach to learning within the organisation, and a move towards the elusive learning organisation. Research is continuing, with further field trials of the workshops, which will provide insight into the links between individual, team and organisational learning, the relationships between learning and performance, systemic barriers to learning, and necessary leadership skills.


Symmetric <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-stable (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{S}\alpha \text{S}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) noise is a typical form of impulsive noise often generated in signal measurement and transmission systems. The problem of reconstructing an image from a small number of under-sampled data corrupted by impulsive noise is called robust compressive sensing (CS). In this paper, to effectively suppress the outliers and accurately reconstruct the image from compressive measured data in the presence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{S}\alpha \text{S}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> noise, a novel composite robust alternating direction method of multiplier network-based CS algorithm is proposed. Specifically, we first employ the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L_{1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm as the estimator to depress the influence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{S}\alpha \text{S}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> noise, and then the ADMM framework is employed to address the resulting optimization problem. Moreover, a smoothing strategy is adopted to address the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L_{1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm based non-smooth optimization problem. To exploit more prior knowledge and image features, a robust composite regularization model is proposed for training by the deep neural network (DNN). In the training phase, the DNN can be utilized to train the samples for the optimal parameters, the optimal shrinkage function and the optimal transform domain, which can be reserved as the network. In the reconstruction process, the obtained network can be employed for improving the reconstruction performance. Experiments show that our proposed algorithm can obtain higher reconstruction Peak signal-to-noise ratio than the existing state-of-the-art robust CS methods.


An experimental methodology was applied to determine the frequency dependence of the soil resistivity and permittivity under field conditions. A large number of soils of low-frequency resistivity ranging from 50 to 9100 .m were tested and showed strong variation of both parameters in the Hz frequency interval. Simplified expressions were proposed to predict this frequency dependence. The response of grounding electrodes subjected to lightning currents was simulated using an electromagnetic model under the assumption of variation of soil parameters given by such expressions and obtained from measurements. The results were very similar, though quite different from those obtained under the assumption of constant values for soil resistivity and permittivity.


The aim of this article is to present a model concerning bank management during the period of decline. Our focus is on bank mergers as a way out in from a crises situation. Generally, the explicit factor behind bank decline usually relates an economic downturn. However, the implicit, triggering factor behind bank decline relates to bank management. The available options for crisis bank management beside mergers are to cut costs, to increase income, to get more own capital, to manipulate bookkeeping data, to sell the bank, to buy banks or to declare failure. Based on 309 bank mergers during 1990 to 2013, we found that bank managers in many cases gradually lost their confidence concerning their capability of successfully running their banks, therefore choosing to merge.


Leibniz's theory of petites perception has not been paid enough attention by scholars before,let alone the systematic explanation of it. This paper wants to study Leibniz's theory of petites perception systematically from ontology,epistemology and ethic, expounds it's central position in Leibniz'sphilosophy,and explains it's deep influence on the Western philosophy.


Tonsillectomy is associated with severe postoperative pain for which, several drugs are employed for management. Objective In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous paracetamol and dipyrone when used for post-tonsillectomy analgesia in children. Method 120 children aged 3-6 yr, undergoing tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy and/ or ventilation tube insertion were randomized to receive intraoperative infusions of paracetamol (15 mg/kg), dipyrone (15 mg/kg) or placebo (0.9% NaCl). Evaluation was carried out at 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2, 4, 6h postoperatively. Pethidine 0.25 mg/kg was utilized as rescue analgesic. Cumulative pethidine requirement was the primary outcome. Pain intensity measurement, pain relief, sedation level, nausea and vomiting, postoperative bleeding and any other adverse effects were noted. Results No significant difference was found in pethidine requirement between paracetamol and dipyrone groups. Cumulative pethidine requirement was significantly less in paracetamol and dipyrone groups vs. placebo. No significant difference was observed between groups in postoperative pain intensity scores throughout the study. Conclusion Intravenous paracetamol is found to have a similar analgesic efficacy as intravenous dipyrone and they both help to reduce the opioid requirement for postoperative analgesia in pediatric day-case tonsillectomy.


Kingdom Fungi material is material to learn about mushrooms. In the Kingdom Fungi consist of six phylum that zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Deuteromycota, Lumut crust, and Mycorrhiza. The material has many types of fungi kingdom, scientific name, and classification of fungi that constrain students to memorize and understand that students need learning model that can provide a good learning experience. This study aimed to determine the effect of learning model combined Student Problem Based Learning Facilitator And Explaining the ability of critical thinking on the matter Kingdom Fungi in grade X SMAN 6 Kediri. This study was conducted in August and September of odd semester 2016/2017 academic year. This research was conducted by quasi-experimental research subjects in class X-9 and X-10. Parameters measured were critical thinking skills that are measured using posttest essay. The results were analyzed using critical thinking skills t test showed the t-test calculation results obtained Sig. (2-tailed) 0.000 <0.05. This means there is significant influence learning model combined Student Problem Based Learning Facilitator And Explaining to students' critical thinking skills matter Kingdom Fungi


The spawning migration of Labeobarbus species of Lake Tana to Arno-Garno River was studied from July to December 2010. Five sampling sites, based on the nature, flow-rate of the river, human interference and suitability for fish spawning were selected by preliminary survey. Fish were sampled monthly in the non-peak spawning season (July, November and December) and bimonthly in the peak spawning season (August to October) using 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 cm stretched mesh size gillnets. A total of 1077 Labeobarbus specimens were collected. Labeobarbus intermedius, L. brevicephalus, L. nedgia and L. tsanensis were the dominant species, contributing 93.03% of the total catch. The monthly gonado-somatic index indicated that the peak spawning season for Labeobarbus species was from August to October. Labeobarbus intermedius and L. tsanensis were the first species to aggregate at the river mouth starting from July and L. brevicephalus and L. nedgia aggregate starting from September. Labeobarbus intermedius was the first to migrate to the upstream sites starting from the end of July followed by L. tsanensis. The last migrant species was L. brevicephalus starting from the fourth week of August. Pairwise comparison of the Labeobarbus spp. showed temporal segregation in all sampling months, except L. intermedius and L. brevicephalus that did not show temporal segregation with L. nedgia. The best management option to protect these species is closed season that should be strictly implemented during the spawning season (from July to October).


This chapter discusses that the goal of assessment, as a part of teaching, in higher education should be to prepare the learner for performing in real life as a professional. The learner should become a self-regulator and a self-evaluator. The instructor (faculty, supervisor, or mentor) at the university must understand that assessment is a process of coaching and assisting, not just approving students' achievement. Technology acquired by the universities in the form of learning management systems (LMS) can be used to provide feedback and assistance to a large number of students. The role of feedback is discussed as an essential component of assessment that would help students to reflect and learn. Rubrics must be used as a tool to provide feedback to students instead of just grading assignments. Assessment of Learning in Higher Education


This article numerically studies the seismic vulnerability of the frame structure made of ultra-high ductile cementitious composites without longitudinal and transverse reinforcement. A non-linear finite element model is established with the help of Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation and calibrated by shaking table test results on an ultra-high ductile cementitious composite-RC frame whose seismic vulnerable parts were replaced by ultra-high ductile cementitious composites without steel reinforcement. Subsequently, an analysis on the structural seismic vulnerability is performed on pure ultra-high ductile cementitious composite frame structure based on the incremental dynamic analysis method. Finally, a seismic vulnerability matrix of the ultra-high ductile cementitious composite frame under various structural limit states is obtained from seismic fragility curves. Under the major earthquake of magnitude 7.5, the probability of ultra-high ductile cementitious composite frame structure under basically intact, slight damage, moderate damage, serious damage, and collapse is 14.2%, 48.1%, 31.7%, 5.3%, and 0.7%, respectively. The achieved results also demonstrate that the ultra-high ductile cementitious composite frame can satisfy the objectivity of "No collapsed under major earthquake" at least for major earthquakes of magnitude 8. It is demonstrated that the ultra-high ductile cementitious composite frame satisfies three-level performance objectivity stipulated in GB 50011-2010 and, thus, preliminarily verifying the feasibility for constructing structures just using high-performance concrete.


This article argues that the law governing transfer of allowances within the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) should place greater weight upon transactional (and environmental) integrity, even over market liquidity. More broadly, it reflects on the role played by registries in sharing or concealing information about the material world. Although property rules enable market activity through the creation of an abstract carbon commodity, they must also link past to future entitlements in a just way. In emissions trading markets, justice in private transactions is intimately connected to public questions of environmental justice. The relevant EU Regulation prioritises facility of transfer over protection of existing holders, insulating registered entitlements from prior proprietary claims. This approach ignores the important connections between history, integrity and responsibility in both public and private spheres. A preferable response would be to distinguish between transactional and register error, protecting against register mistakes, but not transactional defects.


This paper focuses on using uniform lines to realize impedance matching, addressing the drawbacks of wireless technology including low efficiency and limited transmission distance. SS topology resonance network is studied, in which two capacitors in wireless network are also included. To realize long-distance transmission, lossy lines are designed, as well as lossless lines for impedance transformer network. The simulation results suggest that the wireless power transmission matching network based on uniform lines can stabilize the source power, and when the coupling coefficient is over 0.31, the transmission efficiency ranges from 70% to 75%, which is relatively high.


This article make an analysis of the status quo of the teachers' psychological health, and puts forward strategies for maintaining the psychological health of the teachers, such as understanding and tolerance, cheerful acceptance, depreciation and low tone, conversion of perspective, rational exaggeration and, humour and witticism.


ARTICLES Nicholas J. Miller : The Nonconformists: Dobrica Cosic and Mica Popovic Envision Serbia Daina Stukuls : Body of the Nation: Mothering, Prostitution, and Women's Place in Postcommunist Latvia Susan Layton : Aleksandr Polezhaev and Remembrance of War in the Caucasus: Constructions of the Soldier as Victim Carol A. Flath : The Passion ofDmitrii Karamazov Stephen H. Blackwell: Boundaries of Art in Nabokov's The Gift: Reading as Transcendence


The current-source nonlinear load is normally composed of the thyristor or diode rectifier, but the process of the short commutation will cause the line rush current for the SHAPF. In order to solve this problem, a rush current inductor and rectifier, and a series-in SHAPF are proposed to suppress the line rush current in the paper. The simulation and experiment results verify their validity.


We report the sol-gel spin coated method applied for preparation of ZnO-P2O5-rGO films with 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% rGO content in precursors 'suspensions. All films presented rice-like grains of ZnO with average dimensions 30-40 nm regardless the concentration of rGO. AFM and SEM morphologic studies were done. The UV/VIS/NIR transmission spectra indicate high film transparency up to 80% for film deposited on ITO and up to 90% for films deposited on clear substrate. Spectroscopic ellipsometry method allowed with success the determination of thickness and optical constants of the film deposited on ITO covered glass substrate. The use of Tauc-Lorentz dispersion oscillator for modelling the optical …


Operating systems and modern software systems get more complex and more difficult to understand every day. Instrumentation of a software system is a technique for inserting extra code into an application to observer its behavior[6]. It provides insights to a running system, and helps to understand even complex systems. The information provided by an instrumentation tool can be used do debug a running system, to improve the performance of a system by identifying bottlenecks, or simply help to understand the control flow of an application or system. In [6], the authors explain how they used their instrumentation tool to identify a stock ticker applet that was responsible for poor performance on a multi user system with more the 170 users. Just by killing the applet the system idle was increased by 15 percent. Instrumentation can be divided in two major categories: static instrumentation and dynamic instrumentation. Static instrumentation refers to instrumentation techniques that provide information by inserting instrumentation code before the program runs. The additional code could be inserted by the developer in the source code of the program, by the compiler, or by linker. The instrumentation code is always present in the running program, and cannot be changed without stopping or even recompiling the program. The instrumentation statements, however, are usually guarded by a flag to dynamically enable or disable the instrumentation.


Some widely used techniques for the direct physical investigation of the structure of adsorbed surfactant films are introduced. Neutron reflection has yielded very detailed information about adsorbed surfactant films, although it is not readily accessible to many researchers. There are however commercial instruments available for a number of other techniques which are to be found in numerous laboratories. Scanning probe microscopies (STM and AFM) are capable of producing quite remarkable images of surfactant layers on solids and clearly show how surfactants form aggregates at surfaces. Ellipsometry is capable of yielding adsorbed layer thickness and refractive index from which composition with respect to solvent and surfactant can be deduced. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and its variant, QCM-D, can give adsorbed amounts (including hydration in aqueous systems). Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) is a useful tool for the visualization of phase behaviour in surfactant films.


For the theories of middle class in Western countries,there is a presupposition that middle class,as a stratum or group that takes shape in the development of the Western industrial business and citizen society,has a similar self-assessment,value orientation,life style,psychological characteristic and market capacity,thus playing an important role both in market orientation and in the stabilization and development of society.This essay,instead of repeatedly considering middle class as the "stabilizer","balance" and "buffer",takes a perspective of class consciousness and class responsibility.The author thinks that,since the transformation of modern society,the differentiation,combination and development of middle class has made itself full of contradiction,heterogeneity and complexity.At that time,it is not the "class-for-itself".But,with the development of modernization,and with the diversification stimulated by market economy of stakeholders,political aspiration and value orientation,middle class begins to change,not only becoming a complex variable for group consciousness and behavior orientation in social reality,but also turning into an important variable for the relation between the stabilization and development of social order.Moreover,with different political and cultural backgrounds of countries,it has different connotations and characteristics.Therefore,middle class can not form a unified class consciousness,nor hardly constitute a class of political maturity.If there is not a positive interaction and mutual configuration of state and society,and not a win-win cooperation of other classes,it is difficult for middle class to become an important function system in the sound operation and coordinated development of modern social order.


The effects of forest litter layer on litter decomposition were examined by the measurement of mass remaining and N,P,K release after three years' exposure of Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis Sieb.et Zucc.) needles and twigs placed on and under the litter layer formed by the litter fall in the present year in natural P.koraiensis broadleaved forests.The microenvironment below the litter layer contributes to the decomposition rate and N,P,K release rates of the litter,but needles showed a significant higher decomposition rate and N,P,K release rates than those of twigs.The decomposition rate(k value) decreased continuously with the length of study period extended,and the k values were higher for needles and twigs on the litter layer than those under the layer.The mass remaining percentage of litter in this study was related to C/N,lignin/N,and the concentration of lignin and cellulose,but needles and twigs on the litter layer were regulated by litter chemical components from those under the litter layer.At later decomposition stage,lignin became the dominant factor affecting the litter decomposition for all litter types.Needles and twigs on the litter layer exhibited a higher N and P immobilization rate and lower mineralization rate compared with those under the layer.K was continuously mineralized during the study period and its mineralization rate was higher for needles than twigs as well as for needles and twigs under the layer than those on the layer.Our study proved that decomposition rate and C,N,P,K release rates of P.koraiensis would be underestimated if the microenvironment effects of litter layer were not taken into account.


Suggested watermelon planting densities and N rates vary on a large scale, in- dicating that there is insuffi cient knowledge about their effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of N rate and planting density on growth, yield and quality of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai) grown on black polyethylene mulch. The fi eld experiments with 'Crimson Sweet' watermelon were con- ducted in two climatologically different growing regions. The treatments were factorial combinations of three in-row plant spacings (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m) and three N rates (115, 195, and 275 kg·ha -1 ). Part of the N (35 kg·ha -1 ) was applied preplant and the remainder was fertigated. Vine length increased linearly up to 7 weeks after planting (WAP) as N rate increased from 115 to 275 kg·ha -1 , and up to 9 WAP as plant spacing increased from 0.5 to 1.5 m. Total and marketable yields per ha or per plant did not increase with N rates above 115 kg·ha -1 . Average fruit weight and fruit size distribution were generally unaffected by N rate. Leaf N concentration increased as N rate increased, although leaf N concentrations at the lowest N rate (115 kg·ha -1 ) even at 9 WAP were relatively high (43.3 to 47.3 g·kg -1 ). Total and marketable yields per ha were linearly decreased with an increase in plant spacing from 0.5 to 1.5 m, and the same was noticed with the total and marketable number of fruit per ha. With increased plant spacing average fruit weight increased and fruit size distribution shifted to larger categories.


Data are still insufficient about the effects of different concentrations of caudal dexmedetomidine when used to prolong postoperative analgesia in children. The aim of this study was to assess the analgesic efficacy and side effects of two doses of caudal dexmedetomidine (1 and 2 μg·kg−1) co‐administered with bupivacaine in terms of postoperative pain scores and requirement of postoperative analgesia over 24 h in children undergoing infra‐umbilical surgery.


The invention discloses a high-compressive hydraulic cylinder and belongs to the technical field of sealing application in wind generator brakes. The high-compressive hydraulic cylinder comprises a U-shaped cylinder body. The inner wall of the cylinder body is provided with a bottom guide circular groove, a seal ring groove and a dust ring groove from bottom to top. A guide ring is embedded into the bottom guide circular groove. A seal ring is embedded into the seal ring groove. The seal ring is a Simrit seal ring. A second seal ring groove is arranged between the seal ring groove and the dust ring groove. A second seal ring is embedded into the second seal ring groove. Hydraulic pressure in the cylinder body drives, from the lower portion of the Simrit seal ring, the Simrit seal ring to form hermetic fit with the surface of a piston; when the hydraulic pressure breaks through the Simrit seal ring, the inverted-V-shaped structure of the second seal ring blocks the hydraulic pressure, drives the hydraulic pressure to react on the upper portion of the Simrit seal ring and downwardly drives the Simrit seal ring, and under the action of upper and lower hydraulic pressures, the Simrit seal ring forms a stable seal structure.


Heavy metal pollution produced by human activities has now become a very serious environmental problem. In this paper, the authors briefly describe the origin and seriousness of heavy metal pollution in our environment and summarize the modes of occurrence of heavy metals in soil, water and sediments. The layer silicates and clay minerals are emphatically discussed for the purpose of preventing and controlling heavy metal pollutants, and the mechanism, possibility and current application of their functions against heavy metal pollution are also dealt with. In addition, the authors present here a new idea that layer silicates and their weathered products can serve as a carrier of harmful heavy metal elements in environmental protection.


standing of landscape scale geomorphology in relation to global environmental change is being prepared. A book will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2009 to inform the delegates to the 7th International Conference on Geomorphology in Melbourne, Australia and as a complement to the 4th IPCC Assessment (2007). The concept behind the book is that there is an unfilled niche in the climate change literature, namely the nature of landscape scale change in the face of anticipated climate change. The book will cover both zonal and azonal landscapes. The first meeting of this IAG Working Group was held, through the good offices of Tom Spencer, at Magdalene College, Cambridge from September 19–22, 2006. A protected Web site for the use of Working Group members has been established in the Institut fur Geographie und Regionalforschung at the University of Vienna and a professional cartographer has been engaged in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia. The chapter topics are as follows: Landscape scale change: the unfilled niche; Ice sheets and ice caps; Mountain environments; Lakes and their basins; Freshwater wetlands; Rivers; Sedimentary coasts; Sandy coasts and dunes; Coral reefs; Tropical rainforest; Savannas; Deserts; Mediterranean lands; Mid-latitude forest; Tundra and periglacial taiga; and Bridging the gap between science and policy. The second meeting will be held as a joint meeting with the Austrian Commission on Geomorphology at the University Centre in Obergurgl, Austria, September 1–6, 2007 under the leadership of Christine Embleton-Hamann. Lead authors will be presenting their preliminary findings at that meeting. The present paper reviews the progress of each of the chapters to date and their distinctive emphases.


The present study is motivated by the possibility of utilizing porous silicon for spectral sensors. Pulse measurements on the porous-Si/electrolyte system are employed to determine the surface effective area and the surface-state density at various stages of the anodization process used to produce the porous material. Such measurements were combined with studies of the photoluminescence spectra. These spectra were found to shift progressively to the blue as a function of anodization time. The luminescence intensity increases initially with anodization time, reaches a maximum and then decreases with further anodization. The surface state density, on the other hand, increases with anodization time from an initial value of about 2 x 10(exp 12)/sq cm surface to about 1013 sq cm for the anodized surface. This value is attained already after -2 min anodization and upon further anodization remains fairly constant. In parallel, the effective surface area increases by a factor of 10-30. This behavior is markedly different from the one observed previously for n-type porous Si.


Summer melt is a primary source of mass loss on the Greenland ice sheet. An understanding of melt processes on the ice sheet, their connection with atmospheric processes, and the redistribution of meltwater is important for ascertaining the mass balance of the ice sheet. High-resolution radar measurements made in the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet reveal the evolving radar signature of summer surface melting and subsequent refreezing of meltwater. A traverse over the snow surface has resulted in the first radar map of snow stratigraphy over an extended distance. The dominant sources of back-scatter in the study area are the snow surface and effectively continuous annual ice layers. We suggest applications of our results to help define the extent of the percolation zone and to discriminate between regions where surface melt is lost to the sea and those where melt refreezes nearly in place.


PURPOSE: An apparatus and method for removing an interfering signal in a TD-CDMA mobile communication system are provided to enable a base station of an adjacent cell to accurately detect an interference component among overall reception signals and remove it to thereby accurately estimate data received from a mobile terminal in its own cell. CONSTITUTION: When a measurement control message is transferred from an RNC(Radio Network Controller)(701) to a UE(User Equipment)(704) through a reference base station(Node B1)(702), the UE(704) checks whether a signal transmitted by the UE(704) works as a major interference component of a neighbor base station(Node B2)(703) and transmits a report on the corresponding measurement to the RNC(701). Upon receiving the measurement report, the RNC(701) transmits a reception command to the neighbor base station(Node B2)(703). The neighbor base station(Node B2)(703) measures an interference component according to reception signals received from UEs positioned in other base stations including the reference base station(Node B1)(702) and removes the interference component from every received signal component.


Seventeen species of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera showed chemical differences by the method of paper chromatography in an evaluation of the method for taxonomic purposes. The analyses were complicated by pattern differences evident in larval, pupal, and adult stages of some species. Geographic isolates of Malacosoma disstria Hbn. as well as of Chamaepsila rosae (F.) and physiological entities within Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.) show identical patterns; however, differences are found at specific levels. Paper chromatography is therefore a valuable taxonomic tool, especially as the technique is capable of considerable refinement.


THERM 2.0 is a software program, available for free, that uses the finite-element method to model steady-state, two dimensional heat-transfer effects. It is being used internationally in graduate and undergraduate laboratories and classes as an interactive educational tool to help students gain a better understanding of heat transfer. THERM offers students a powerful simulation engine combined with a simple, interactive interface and graphic results. Although it was developed to model thermal properties of building components such as windows, walls, doors, roofs, and foundations, it can be used to model thermal bridges in many other contexts, such as the design of equipment. These capabilities make it a useful teaching tool in classes on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); energy conservation; building design; and other subjects where heat-transfer theory and applications are important. The program's interface and graphic presentation allow students to see heat-transfer paths and to learn how changes in materials affect heat transfer. It is an excellent tool for helping students understand the practical application of heat-transfer theory.


This article simply introduced the concept of case teaching method,analyzed the advantages of case teaching method if it was used in Secondary logistics course.This paper put forward Concrete steps of case teaching in the course of logistics,and developed the case teaching to the secondary vocational schools logistics course to carry on reconsidering.


Gas extraction practice has proved that the vast majority of the mining area in China is unfavorable use gas drainage technology such as ground drilling hole, and should use the mining-induced fractures for gas extraction. Therefore, research the gas migration rule in mining-induced fractures field above the goaf, can provide a technical support for optimizing system arrangement of pressure-relieved gas extraction, and increasing the rate of gas extraction. At present, scholars by utilizing numerical simulation to study the gas migration rule in working face and goaf without considering the influence of the mining-induced fractures, and there have not a better simulation software which can simulate not only the space-time evolution of the mining-induced fractures field, but also the rule of gas migration. This study takes one mining face of 10th mine in Pingdingshan Coalmine Group in Henan China as the research background. Firstly establishes numerical calculation model, and uses UDEC software to calculate the evolution formation of the mining-induced fracture field. And then gets the spatial diagram by image processing method, imports it into COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS software to simulate the process of gas migration. By combining the UDCE and COMSOL software, the gas migration rule in mining-induced fractures above goaf is numerically simulated, and the results are shown as follows: When the working face advances to a certain distance, goaf overburden gradually form a mining-induced fractures trapezoid table, and with the working face advancing, the height of the mining-induced fractures trapezoid table increased; Compare with the gas migration in the overburden matrix, the gas flow in abscission layer crack and vertical fracture of mining-induced fractures is directional, the gas enrichment area is located in the biggest abscission layer crack area in upper end of mining-induced fractures trapezoid table; When drilling for gas extraction in mining-induced fracture field, the gas concentration declines in the whole region during the process of gas drainage, and the rate of gas concentration decline faster in fractured zone, it is shown that with the gas drainage, the velocity of the gas flow in the mining-induced fracture is faster.


The concept of positive organizational behavior (POB) was introduced several years ago as a way to create competitive advantage. Therefore, organizations pay more attention to Positive Organizational Behavior due to the changing and competitive nature of organizations. And it becomes a major focus area for theory building, research, and application in psychology and now organizational behavior. This paper introduces the emergent concept of POB and its role in organizational work-related performance, and determines its relationship with job satisfaction, OCB, and employee's engagement. Statistical population of this survey includes the employees of a public organization in Iran, that a sample (N=108) of them were tested of the POB different states of hope, optimism, and resiliency and overall psychological capital. The findings generally support that POB has strong relationship with job satisfaction, OCB, and employee's engagement, and these relationships will be stronger when POB is high. This study adds to our understanding of positive organizational behavior's key-role in organization and work-related performances.


Abstract Introduction Respiratory failure is a major cause of death in patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Moreover, respiratory symptoms seem to have a dramatic impact on their quality of life. It has long been thought that lung function disorders in OI are mainly due to changes in the thoracic wall, caused by bone deformities. However, recent studies indicate that alterations in the lung itself can also undermine respiratory health. Objectives Is there any intrapulmonary alteration in Osteogenesis Imperfecta that can explain decreased pulmonary function? The aim of this systematic literature review is to investigate to what extent intrapulmonary or extrapulmonary thoracic changes contribute to respiratory dysfunction in Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Methods A literature search (in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane), which included articles from inception to December 2020, was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Results Pulmonary function disorders have been described in many studies as secondary to scoliosis or to thoracic skeletal deformities. The findings of this systematic review suggest that reduced pulmonary function can also be caused by a primary pulmonary problem due to intrinsic collagen alterations. Conclusions Based on the most recent studies, the review indicates that pulmonary defects may be a consequence of abnormal collagen type I distorting the intrapulmonary structure of the lung. Lung function deteriorates further when intrapulmonary defects are combined with severe thoracic abnormalities. This systematic review reveals novel findings of the underlying pathological mechanism which have clinical and diagnostic implications for the assessment and treatment of pulmonary function disorders in Osteogenesis Imperfecta. KEY MESSAGES Decreased pulmonary function in Osteogenesis Imperfecta can be attributed to primary pulmonary defects due to intrapulmonary collagen alterations and not solely to secondary problems arising from thoracic skeletal dysplasia. Type I collagen defects play a crucial role in the development of the lung parenchyma and defects, therefore, affect pulmonary function. More awareness is needed among physicians about pulmonary complications in Osteogenesis Imperfecta to develop novel concepts on clinical and diagnostic assessment of pulmonary functional disorders.


Objective: To explore the correlationship of the change of blood serum S-100 protein with the prognosis of perinatal brain damage, so as to provides the theory data for the promptly forecasting and early intervention for the brain damage of perinatal stage. Methods: 40 cases of newborns with perinatal brain damage were selected as the study group, and 20 cases of normal newborns in same period were selected as the control group. In the 48-72 hours after birth, blood samples were sampled in both groups. The Serum S-100 protein level of both groups were detected by ELISA. The physical, neurological conditions and intelligence test of the both groups were studied by Gesell Development Scale regularly . Results: The serum S-100 protein level were higher in the study group than the control group[(1.55±0.79) μg/L vs (0.62±0.46) μg/L,t=4.89, P0.01]. The average marks of development quotient were lowered in the study group than the control group after 3 months old of the children, and the difference between the two groups were significant. Conclusion: The serum S-100 protein could be used as a promising index in early forecasting of the prognosis of brain injury in perinatal stage.


Abstract:This study examined how participation in an inquiry-based workshop on assessing course syllabi for equity-mindedness and cultural inclusivity fostered community college math faculty learning about racial/ethnic equity and equity-mindedness. Findings show that the workshop prompted reflection on what equity means and how participants' teaching practices and classroom environments affect students, especially students of color. For some, reflection was followed by insights about their role as instructors and equity-minded changes in practice; for others, reflection affirmed the value of their existing conceptions and current practice. Despite initial signs of learning, there was little evidence that participants developed lasting equity-mindedness.


Utilities and industries have long been seeking a global communication standard to facilitate fully integrated and truly interoperable substation automation systems. Under the umbrella of the International Electrical Committee (IEC), representatives from both utilities and suppliers have jointly elaborated the new standard IEC 61850 "Communication Networks and Systems in Substations". Gaining acceptance worldwide, IEC 61850 is the first and only global standard that considers all the communication needs within substations.


This paper establishes a model of the earth temperature field based on the vertical U-tube ground source heat pump and obtains the number with the finite element method. The computational results based on the model agree well with experimental results.


This work revisits, from a geometric perspective, the notion of discrete connection on a principal bundle, introduced by M. Leok, J. Marsden and A. Weinstein. It provides precise definitions of discrete connection, discrete connection form and discrete horizontal lift and studies some of their basic properties and relationships. An existence result for discrete connections on principal bundles equipped with appropriate Riemannian metrics is proved.


(1) A metastable phase relationship in the Al2O3-Cr2O3 system was made by investigating the existing phases in the samples obtained by heating the coprecipitated powders for 10h in the temperature range from 1000 to 1400°C (Fig. 1). There was a metastable two-phase region of AC+CC phases below about 1330°C.(2) Equilibrium state of 1:1 composition at 1200°C was confirmed to be a single phase of the corundum solid solution.(3) TiO2 addition to the 1:1 composition was found to increase the reaction rate from the AC+CC phases into a single corundum phase at 1200°C.