In the field of bioinformatics, selection of genes in multiclass sample classification can be done by filtering methods using microarray data. Such approaches usually contribute to bias towards a few classes that are easily recognizable from other classes due to imbalances of strong features and sample sizes of distinct classes in a microarray data. Many methods have been used for the filter methods, as they are very commonly used in gene ranking from microarray data in multiclass problems. In this research, we discuss various methods to decompose multiclass ranking statistics into class specific statistics and then need of Pareto-front analysis for selection of genes. This mitigates the bias induced by class intrinsic characteristics of dominating classes. The need of Pareto-front analysis is to indicate on two filter criteria commonly used for gene selection: F-score and KW-score. A significant development in classification performance and reduction in redundancy among top ranked genes were achieved in experiments with both synthetic and real-benchmark data sets. The following work is analysis over the traditional and improved filter methods used for gene selection of various classes through various mechanisms available in the literature.


BACKGROUND
Studies have indicated that cigarette smokers have more occupational accidents and injuries and use more sick time and health benefits than nonsmokers, thereby producing sizeable costs for employers. However, they usually have not controlled for other possible sources of these costs. We analyzed occupational costs associated with smoking while adjusting for a number of potential confounders.

METHODS
We conducted a prospective, controlled study of the association between smoking and employment outcomes in 2537 postal employees, adjusting for age, gender, race, drug use, job category, and exercise habits.

RESULTS
For smokers, the relative risk for turnover was 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-1.21); for accidents 1.29 (CI, 1.07-1.55); for injuries 1.40 (CI, 1.11-1.77); for discipline 1.55 (CI, 1.19-2.02). Their mean absence rate was 5.43% compared with 4.06% for nonsmokers.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows that cigarette smoking is associated with adverse employment outcomes after controlling for a number of possible confounders. This finding has implications for companies formulating smoking policies and considering the establishment of smoking cessation programs.


A future fix of commuter travel by air could lie in autonomy, and that will be discussed at NASA's Langley Research Center and again at the Virginia Air and Space Center.


Background: Phase I clinical trial for oncology drugs have the highest clinical failure rate. Drug candidates may be discarded if they don´t show activity. Yet these drugs may have valuable activity in patient subgroups. Biomarkers attempt to identify these sensitive subpopulations, but are normally evaluated and validated in Phase II when good drugs may have been discarded.
 OPB-111077 is a novel, oral, low-molecular-weight compound that inhibits STAT3 and mitochondrial electron transport. A prior Phase I trial on 145 patients from all tumor types gave only 1 partial response (PR). A strong anti-proliferative activity was identified in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) samples ex vivo. This new biomarker was used for patient selection in this trial.
 We present a novel design of a Phase Ib trial directly selecting patients with a potential biomarker, that can benefit the patient without increasing toxicity risks, in Relapsed/Refractory (RR) AML patients.
 Method: This is an open-label, phase Ib dose-escalation clinical trial to evaluate the safety profile, maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and preliminary efficacy of oral OPB-111077 in AML relapsed or refractory to chemotherapy patients. Patients > 18 years old with high risk AML, ECOG ≤2 and adequate organ functions were selected for biomarker screening. Biomarker consisted on a dose response curve for antiproliferative activity of agent in a bone marrow sample of patients incubated 72-96-120h (Figure), quantified as the Area Under the Curve (AUC). Patient samples whose ex vivo biomarker showed low sensitivity (70% worst) we excluded, since they were potentially predicted as resistant to the agent. The remaining 30% with higher sensitivity were included. OPB-111077 was administered orally on a once daily dose schedule in 28-day cycles until intolerable toxicity or disease progression. Two dose schemas were evaluated: 200 (DL1) and 250 mg/day (DL2). Dose limiting toxicities were any Grade ≥ 3 non-hematologic toxicity and any unexpected non-tolerable grade II that requires delay beyond 1 week until recovery and evaluated during the first 28 days of treatment. Adverse events were graded according to NCI-CTCAE vs 4.03 and response criteria was based on those given by Cheson et al. IC50 and area under the curve (AUC) determined by the Vivia ex vivo biomarker were correlated with clinical response.
 Results: We screened 47 RR AML patients, twelve patients were included and selected by personalized medicine test (5 in DL1 and 7 in DL2), median age 76 years, 92% men, 42% ECOG 0 were included in the study. AML patients were refractory in 41.7% and patients were in median of relapses 2 (range 1-6). No DLT was reported. Adverse events related to study treatment were reported in three patients, all G 1-2: in DL1 one patient had vomiting; in DL2 one patient had extrasystoles and other had anorexia, diarrhoea, epigastric discomfort, nausea and vomiting. Two patients died during study treatment due to disease progression and respiratory infection. Half of the patients discontinued study treatment due to disease progression and 25% due to adverse events (respiratory failure G5, respiratory infection G5 and extrasystoles G2). Over the 6 patients evaluable for efficacy, 3 of them achieved PR and 3 treatment failure as best response. Progression free survival and overall survival were 57 days (95% CI: 37 - 77) and 95 days (95% CI: 27 - 163) respectively. The biomarker AUC and IC50 values stratified patients consistent with their clinical response, although without enough sampling potency for statistical significance. Figure shows the relative position of patients included in the study in the context of the overall population of samples considered to build up the mixed effect population pharmacodynamic model used to analyze samples results and define inclusion criteria. In green those that correspond to patients who showed a positive response; in orange those who failed.
 Conclusions: OPB-111077 is generally well tolerated and has a manageable toxicity profile. The MTD was not reached. The 50% PR rate achieved by OPB-111077, albeit in a few patients, is substantially higher that the 0.7% (1/145) PR rate achieved in a prior phase I trial on all tumor types1. This innovative Phase Ib design selecting patients using a biomarker may enable to rescue drug failures in the future.
 References:
 1. Tolcher A, Flaherty K, Shapiro GI et al. Oncologist. 2018, 23(6):658-e72
 Figure

 Martinez-Lopez: Hosea: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; BMS: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Vivia Biotech: Honoraria; Altum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; Novartis: Research Funding; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Gorrochategui:VIVIA BIOTECH: Current Employment. Rojas:VIVIA BIOTECH, S.L.: Current Employment. Primo:Vivia Biotech: Current Employment. Perez De Oteyza:MACROGENICS: Research Funding. Ballesteros:Vivia Biotech: Current Employment.


The history of the two-year college shows how it developed in response to society's desire to maintain the class structure.


Using a large single crystal, we have performed further neutron scattering measurements on paramagnetic Pr. The exciton dispersion relations corresponding to the transition from the ground state J=‖0≳ to the J=‖la, ls≳ excited crystal field levels on the hexagonal sites have been measured at 6 K along the major symmetry directions. The results generally agree with those reported earlier but are considerably more detailed and precise. Except along ΓA and the point K the two‐fold degeneracy of the modes is removed by anisotropic exchange whose magnitude is comparable to that of the isotropic component. A careful study of the energies and the intensities of the neutron groups allow an explicit determination of the form of the anisotropic exchange. The minimum in the dispersion relation occurs along ΓM, at a point in k space which corresponds to the periodicity of the magnetic ordering in Pr‐5% Nd2. The energy of this mode decreases from 1.75 meV to 1 meV as the temperature is lowered from 20 K to 4 K, but re...


Librarians have become a key component in the capstone mechanical engineering design course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The design process was taught using a team based appraoch. A librarian was a member of each E-team (the "E" stands for Excellence and Entrepeneuriship as defined by the Lemelson Foundation, one of the sponsors of the course), attended lectures and acted as an information agent. One particularly startling discovery was that the students were apparently overwhelmed by the data gathered and were not familiar with analytic techniques for making effective use of it. This paper gives a contextual outline of the course, illustrates the librarian's role, discusses what was learned as a result of their invovlement and presents plans for the future.


Issues concerning the transference of data from existing databases to other applications are discussed. The process of transferring data is called data migration, and it is divided into two processes: extracting data from existing systems in the form of an extracted file, and loading data from the extracted file into the new application. The new application usually requires data in different formats, and so transformation of data is generally needed. Moreover, the new application frequently requires data from more than one source database system, so integration of data is necessary in the migration process.<<ETX>>


Carbonic anhydrase III (CA3) is a member of a multigene family that encode carbonic anhydrase isozymes. In this study, a complete coding sequence of the pig CA3 gene which encodes a 260 amino-acid protein was determined. The amino acid comparison showed high sequence similarities with previously identified human (86.5%) CA3 gene and mouse (91.5%) Car3 gene. The partial genomic DNA sequences were also investigated. The length of intron 1 was 727 bp. Comparative sequencing of three pig breeds revealed that there was a T→C substitution at position 363 within intron 1. The substitution was situated within a NcoI recognition site and was developed as a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marker for further use in population variation investigations and association analysis. Two alleles (A and B) were identified, and 617 bp fragments were observed for the AA genotype and 236 bp and 381 bp fragments for the BB genotype. The polymorphism of CA3 was detected in 8 pig breeds. Allele B was predominant in the Western pig breeds. In addition, association studies of the CA3 polymorphism with carcass traits in 140 Yorkshire×Meishan F2 offspring showed that the NcoI PCR- RFLP genotype may be associated with variation in several carcass traits of interest for pig breeding. Allele B was associated with increases in lean meat percentage, loin eye height and loin eye area. Statistically significant association with backfat thickness was also found; pigs with the AB genotype had much less backfat thickness than AA or BB genotypes. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2006. Vol 19, No. 3 : 324-328)


Ultraviolet absorbers (UVA's) undergo photodegradation with quantum yields on the order of 10−6 even in glassy, unreactive matrices such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The kinetics of UVA loss in a film or coating can be described by the equation: A = log10[(1-To)10 + 1] where A is the absorbance at time t, To is the initial transmission, Ao is the initial absorbance, and k is an "infinite absorption" zero order rate constant. The derivation and implications of this equation and a general review of UVA degradation chemistry are discussed.


The presence of nonmetallic inclusions (NI), which are distributed in the surface layers, increase the tendencies of these steels toward cracking. The extent to which inclusions negatively effect this property is not well-defined and depends on their chemical composition, morphology, shape, size, and distribution. Despite the large number of studies which have been carried out [1-5], a clear dependence between these parameters of the NI and the way in which microcracks initiate and grow in modified, microalloyed, chromium, hard-faced metals during cyclic heating and cooling under tensile loads has not been established.


What are the underlying molecular mechanism and significant pathways mediated the endometrioma-associated infertility?

 Significantly altered genes that participated in folliculogenesis, fibrosis, oxidative stress and inflammation are pivotal in the pathogenesis of infertility in endometrioma.

 Endometrioma (OMA) is the most common subtype of endometriosis, of which the endometriotic lesions implant in the ovary. Women with OMA are usually coupled with disrupted folliculogenesis, hampered ovulation, impaired oocyte quality, and undesired fertility outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms of the disrupted folliculogenesis, hampered ovulation and impaired oocyte quality in OMA-associated infertility are still unclear. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been widely applied in whole-genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and epigenomics. It is a promising technology that may provide full picture of the pathogenesis of infertility associated with OMA.

 An experimental mouse model of OMA was established in 4 weeks to study the effects of OMA on fertility outcomes and the underlying mechanism. Eight mice were included in experimental and sham control groups each. Half of the mice were then mated with male compeer and fertility outcomes were assessed after delivery. The other half were euthanized without mating to collect whole ovarian tissues for whole genome bulk RNA sequencing and then immunohistochemistry (IHC) validation.

 Minced uterine tissues from donor mice were inserted into ovarian bursa in recipient mice. After overnight mating, the pregnant mice were confirmed by positive vaginal plug. Live fetuses, abortion rate, and stillbirth were counted after delivery. Ovaries were either dissected to extract total RNA for sequencing, or paraffin-fixed and embedded for IHC, or superovulated to collect oocytes for counting and staining.

 Successful establishment of endometriotic lesions in ovarian tissues was confirmed morphologically and histologically in recipient mice. The pregnancy rate was defined as the ratio of the number of pregnant mice to the total number of mated females. Compared to control group, a significantly decreased pregnancy rate was found in the OMA group. The average number and size of pups in the OMA group was significantly reduced. Meanwhile, abortion and stillbirth rates were significant higher in OMA group. Oocytes isolated from OMA ovaries had lower number than controls. Large proportion of the oocytes had significantly higher abnormal spindle rates, indicating mitotic disruption. A large proportion of the oocytes also had impaired cortical granule migration, indicating affected organelle organization. Furthermore, expression of follicle development markers (i.e. Forkhead box O3, anti-müllerian hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone receptor) were significantly decreased in OMA group. RNA sequencing identified several differentially expressed genes. The Gene Oncology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis demonstrated the dysregulation of signaling pathways associated with folliculogenesis, fibrosis, oxidative stress and inflammation, whichmight trigger OMA and lead to abnormal oocyte quality and functions in endometrioma-associated infertility.

 Although ethical issue in human, studies based on this animal model may not reflect the exact situation in human. Moreover, future research is needed to understand the biological functions of differentially expressed pathways in the pathogenesis of OMA-related infertility. Furthermore, the manifestations in individual cells of ovaries are still unclear.

 The results demonstrated that endometrioma remarkably deteriorated fecundity through several potential pathways. The underlying deteriorating effects and mechanisms might help to understand the biological and molecular mechanism and to develop novel therapeutic targets to improve fertility outcomes in women with endometrioma.

 not applicable


The rocket used for the Apollo 1 1 mission was the Saturn V which is 36 stories tall (364 feet). It consists of three stages, the spacecraft and an instrument unit. The first or bottom stage is called the S 1-C. It has 5 F-l engines totalling 7,500,000 pounds of thrust, using 1,359,000 pounds of kerosene for fuel and 3,133,000 pounds of liquid oxygen for oxidizer. The engines run for 2.5 minutes while the rocket climbs from the ground level to 200,000 feet altitude and attains a velocity of 6,000 mph at the thrust termination. The stage fully loaded weighs 4,792,000 pounds. The second stage, S II, takes over at 200,000 feet and boosts the vehicle to 606,000 feet in 6 minutes then shuts down. The velocity it achieves is 15,300 mph. It has 5 J-2 engines that give more than 1 i000,000 pounds of thrust and the stage weighs 1,037,000 pounds when loaded. Next the third stage, the S IV-B, with one J-2 engine operates for 2.75 minutes to place the 250,000 pound vehicle in an earth orbit of 115 miles at a speed of 17,500 mph, after which it shuts down and later fires again for 5.2 minutes to achieve translunar injection and boosts the vehicle velocity to 24,500 mph. The Apollo space craft weighs 95,000 pounds and the instrument unit has a weight of 4,500 pounds. The total weight of the Saturn V vehicle with the space craft is 6,100,000 pounds at lift off from the earth.


The present invention in particular, boosting the sediment inside the sewage pipe from the suction pipe via a negative pressure of the vacuum pump and vacuum silo on the portable sewer dredged batch processing apparatus; Primary screening networks that volume is removed by selecting a relatively large contaminants from the sediment and; Cesar nozzle for washing the soil selected by the primary screening network and; Water tank in which the washing water sprayed from the nozzle filaments and seminal; And a secondary selector that sludge and separated into an aggregate soil cleaning the nozzle by the filaments; And a high-speed centrifuge for dewatering the separated sludge from the second sorter screen cake; It is securely fixed to the upper surface of the rear portion of the vehicle body frame in a state built in the above-mentioned components and the container; The container and various components mounted in the fixed to the upper portion of the rear vehicle frame and move or stop state to be able to perform the sewage treatment dredged vehicle; It characterized in that configured in; is provided between the rear vehicle body frame of the vehicle and the container Rest giving to buffer the vibration or shock generated between them. Accordingly, since, from the suction of sewage deposits, a series of operation of the sludge to the cake be continuously performed by the job site by one of the mobile system is a rapid and sanitary sewer dredging can be economically carried out, during running of the vehicle or a series of necessary equipment sewage sewer dredging dredging by vibration or shock, which may occur during operation or in the vehicle itself will be prevented from being damaged and burned. Sewage, sediment, sludge, silos, primary screening mesh, a secondary separator, water tank


Benefit from the springing up of women supplements of Beijing newspaper in 1920s, such as yishibao·nvzizhoukan,jingbao·funvzhoukan and shijieribao·qiangwei, those young educated-women got the golden opportunity to both show their literature talent and state their women enlightening views in public press circle. In the progress of women towards culture-subjectivity and words-subjectivity, these women supplements have occupied a very important position.


High-e microwave dielectric ceramics have widely been applied as microwave devices in modern communications, such as microwave resonators, filters, dielectric substrates, phase shifters. The Research progresses have been reviewed on the high-e mi-crcwave dielectric ceramics with new tungsten bronze structure in this paper. And their development trend is also discussed.


Lucas Swaine attempts to persuade theocrats of the value of liberty of conscience. But his promotion of principles of conscience for theocratic communities reveals a divided spirit in contemporary liberalism, which is torn between wanting to respect religion as it is and wanting to reform or liberalize it.


The article reviews basics mass ideology which relate to Jean Baudrillard's "silent majority" concept. The given conception spans mass man state-of-mind position in consumer society, where social inaction pretends to be normal for existence. Mass man inability of self-supporting decision-making together with mass implosion form ideological substructure which is doomed to continue primary ideological line of society's ruling class.


Botulinum toxin treatment is most commonly used for blepharospasm, spastic torticollis, upper limb dystonia, and local dystonia in Japan. Botulinum toxin treatment is the first choice in these conditions. However, it has the disadvantages that the therapeutic effect is transient, that there are cases in whom the treatment is ineffective, and a high cost. In ineffective cases, botulinum toxin treatment involves medication and rehabilitation. Various medications have been used for the treatment of focal dystonia mainly in open trials. As these treatments have low evidence levels, each case should be dealt with individually. Operative treatment should be considered for severe cases.


Correspondence Address: Acetylene is treated to remove some residual storage solvent Weaver Austin Villeneuve & Sampson LLP-NOVL that may be present with the acetylene in a source of acetylene Attn.: Novellus Systems, Inc. Such as a container. Such treatment may be performed prior to P.O. Box 7O2SO Supplying the acetylene to a deposition chamber or other Oakland, CA 94.612-0250 (US) reactor where acetylene is a reactant. After treatment, the acetylene gas stream has a relatively constant concentration of storage solvent, regardless of how much acetylene has been released from the acetylene source. The treatment may (21) Appl. No.: 12/133,223 involve condensing the storage solvent from the gas stream at a certain temperature and separating the storage solvent from (22) Filed: Jun. 4, 2008 the gas stream. (73) Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.


The invention discloses a peak current feedback circuit used for an inverter welding machine. The circuit comprises a current sampling circuit, a current peak signal processing circuit and a current peak signal holding circuit, wherein the current sampling circuit is used for obtaining a current signal of a power source of the inverter welding machine; the current peak signal processing circuit is used for separating the current signal into a positive half-wave current signal and a negative half-wave current signal; the current peak value signal holding circuit is used for holding the positive half-wave current signal and the negative half-wave current signal. The peak current feedback circuit used for the inverter welding machine is simple in structure, high in current signal accuracy and good in real-time performance.


For the past 15 years, a list of eight critical elements has provided a strong foundation for articulating the positive youth development focus of 4-H programs and efforts. Now it is time to revisit this list and update the critical elements for positive youth development. Interdependence is proposed as a ninth critical element that should be included. Research is cited for the importance of this element that was not included in the original list in 1998, and a call is made for a national think tank to update the critical elements.


AIM To compare bone mass and body composition variables between adolescents engaged in high-impact sports and adults who were sedentary during early life. METHOD A cross-sectional study with 155 participants (64 adolescents and 91 adults) aged between 11 and 50 years old. Among the adults, history of sports was evaluated during face-to-face interviews, and information regarding the adolescents' training routines was provided by their coaches. Body composition was evaluated using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry which provided data about bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), fat mass (FM), and free fat mass (FFM). RESULTS Adults who engaged in sports practice during early life had higher values of BMC (ES-r = 0.063), FFM (ES-r = 0.391), and lower values of FM (ES-r = 0.396) than sedentary adults. Higher values of BMC (ES-r = 0.063) and BMD in lower limbs (ES-r = 0.091) were observed in active adolescents. Adolescents engaged in sports and adults who were sedentary in early life presented similar values in all bone variables, FM, and FFM. CONCLUSIONS Sports involvement in early life is related to higher bone mass in adulthood. Adolescents engaged in sports presented similar bone mass to adults who had been sedentary in early life.


Today, the tourism sector is the fastest growing industry in the world and also includes one of the foremost for instance in the number of work and added tax. The sector entails a lot of positive f ...


This article aims to enhance the clinic communication skills of those nurses in gerontic wards and brings up the significance of clinic nurse-patient communication by a summery on the clinic experience in both general and remedial communication with gerontic patients,so as to be adapted to the increasing requirement of gerontic patients and the nursing qualities in gerontic wards.


This thesis presents and summarizes current knowledge on fundamental adaptations of organisms to life in extreme ecological conditions. In an anthropocentric view, environments hostile to man were designated as extreme. Some of them have originally been considered too extreme to support microbial life. However, organisms have evolved and live in such environments and they are called extremophiles. Depending on their optimal growth conditions, they are named thermophiles, psychrophiles, acidophiles, halophiles, etc. Adaptations in mentioned organisms are diverse and some of them are synthesis of enzymes with specific structural features, DNA repair mechanisms, unique cell membranes and regulation of body size. In this paper examples of experiments conducted on useful models to explore morphological and physiological adaptations are shown. Tardigrades are microscopic animals uniquely adapted to a range of environmental extremes. It is shown that they can survive extremes entering cryptobiosis but even in their active states they can be extremely tolerant. The Mediterranean shrub colonizes extreme geothermal fields. The analyses of its leaves showed stress-induced adaptations involved in their surviving. Multidisciplinary research on extremophiles allows understanding how life appeared and evolved on the only planet where it is so far known and it is crucial if we are to look for life in space.


Forecasting the future sales is the important means by which the enterprise formulates production and sales plans correctly,The sales data over the years is made as an original data,and 2015,2020 is taken as the level year.Using the grey forecast method combined with qualitative analysis to forecast the loader sales in China in the near future.


A fatigue crack, initiated at an under-frame of electric multiple unit(EMU), will be propagated if proper maintenance action has not been performed. In this research, we predict the critical crack size and the fatigue crack growth rate of cracked under-frame of EMU by applying linear elastic fracture mechanics. For this purpose, we build a FE model of car-body which has a virtual crack in the center sil to calculate the stress intensity factor. The virtual cracks with various size are modeled at the cross section between center sil and cross beam. The critical crack size and crack growth rate under the normal operating condition are calculated. The critical crack size at the critical point of center sill with given loading condition is calculated as 90.00 ㎜. Fatigue crack growth rate is predicted by measuring the dynamic stress amplitude at the critical point during normal operation in commercial line and performed fatigue crack growth analyses until an initial crack reaches the critical crack. We can calculate that an initial crack size as 30 ㎜ takes 7.6 years(with HAZ material), 4.6 years(with post tempered HAZ material) to reach the critical crack size, respectively.


The present invention relates to a stacking-assembly type tool stand having a rotating table, forming a tool stand in a stacking-assembly type so as to maximally arrange and store tools in a narrow place, and allowing a plurality of circular tables to rotate about a vertical shaft so as to allow a worker to easily find out and exchange a required tool. To this end, the tool stand comprises: the circular tables including a plurality of tool insertion grooves (30a); the vertical shaft (40) vertically installed to support a center of the circular tables; a support part (10) installed in a lower part of the vertical shaft (40); and a wheel (12) installed in the support part (10). The circular tables include a plurality of rotary tables (30) capable of rotating about the vertical shaft (40) by 360 degrees, and the rotary tables (30) are assembled through the vertical shaft (40) from a lower side in a stacking type.


Quinine is the most common cause of Drug induced thrombotic microangiopathy (DITMA), being the offending drug in 33% of cases. We present a case of DITMA after only a single dose of quinine with no previous history of quinine exposure treated successfully with plasma exchange (PEX), oral corticosteroid followed by mycophenolatemofetil (MMF). The diagnosis was made by the close temporal relationship of exposure of quinine to the onset of TMA and exclusion of other causes of TMA including aHUS, TTP, SLE. DITMA from quinine can be triggered either by a single ingestion occurring many months or up to 10 years in some case reports. Our case presented with a prolonged PT has previously been reported and makes the distinction from DIC more challenging. The patient was managed with regular hemodialysis and PEX. Although the role of PEX is uncertain in Quinine induced DITMA-in this case PEX was associated with improving hematological parameters, rising platelet counts, resolution of hemolysis on the blood film and a gradual improvement in renal function. This case highlights the need for a careful drug history in patients who present with TMA and provides evidence for the potential value of PEX in this condition. Although quinine antibody levels are not widely available, the use of immunosuppression with MMF to control the disease, through suppression and removal of quinine-dependent antibody production is supported. The evolution of Specialist Centers for TMA may help to concentrate experience in managing such acute case presentations and allow future research.


This study aims to explore the EFL students' performance in oral presentation by categorize their level of mastery, and to reveal if there are any common problems during the performance. This descriptive quantitative study purposively invited 24 students as the samples from the third semester of English Study Program at Timor University. The data were based on students' performance on 10 selected texts which recorded to measure their oral presentation after an internal workshop. The analysis and the scoring were based on Harris' (1969) five components in scoring speaking and with Brown's (2004) six oral proficiency scoring categories. However, this study focusing only on the pronunciation and fluency categories to be in line with the scoring rubric of competence in the 2021 Academic Regulation of Timor University. The results showed that the students have mastered the oral presentation because their average score is 82 based their right answer is 144/150. This average scores then analysed using the Academic Regulation of Timor University (2021) showing the majority of the students is categorized excellent (19 out of 26 students). Nevertheless, two major problems in common this study manage to reveals were mispronounced/wrong pronunciation (13%) and lack of fluency (5%). The result implies that these two common problems should be put in attention during the process of learning oral performance i.e., English presentation in public. Further studies are suggested to investigate the impact of practice in improving students' oral presentations through specific workshop.


The present invention relates to a method for echo compensation of at least one microphone signal (y(n)) comprising an echo signal contribution due to a loudspeaker signal (x(n)) in a loudspeaker-room-microphone system, comprising the steps of converting at least a part of the at least one microphone signal to microphone sub-band signals (y ¼ (n)) down-sampled by a first down-sampling rate (r=r 1 €¢r 2 ); converting the loudspeaker signal to loudspeaker sub-band signals down-sampled by a second down-sampling rate (r 1 ) less than the first down-sampling rate (r) to obtain first loudspeaker sub-band signals; storing the first loudspeaker sub-band signals down-sampled by the second down-sampling rate; folding the first loudspeaker sub-band signals with an estimate for the impulse response of the loudspeaker-room-microphone system in the predetermined number of sub-bands; down-sampling the folded first loudspeaker sub-band signals by a third down-sampling rate (r 2 ) to obtain for each of the predetermined number of sub-bands an echo signal contribution (d ¼ (n)) that is in effect down-sampled by the first down-sampling rate; and subtracting for each sub-band the estimated echo signal contribution from the respective microphone sub-band signal to obtain error sub-band signals (e ¼ (n)).


The quality of a given bioclimate is much affected by the atmospheric environment (taken to include solar radiation, air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and levels of atmospheric pollution), as well as by geographical factors relating to topography and cover, the drainage system and land use (Owczarek 2009, Czarnecka, Nidzgorska-Lencewicz 2010, Koźmiński, Michalska 2011, Owczarek 2012). Tourists staying in a coastal area must contend with considerable variability of weather from one day to another, or even hour by hour, in the cold half-year in particular. Changes of weather have a profound effect on the human organism, inter alia giving rise to migraines, sleep disturbances and hypersensitivity. The work described here sought to assess temporal (inter alia seasonal) and spatial variability to heat loading of the human organism characterising the Polish Baltic coastal zone, as well as the temperature of water by beaches. It was to achieve this kind of assessments of bioclimate and its impact on the human organism that the index known as the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) was devised, taking in air temperature, wind speed, air humidity and absorbed solar radiation (expressed as mean radiant temperature) (Błażejczyk & Kunert, 2011). This index represents objective changes in physiological parameters of the human organism occurring thanks to differing environmental conditions as determined in relation to a 10-point scale for heat loading of the human organism (°C) that translate into descriptive terms ranging from extreme heat stress to extreme cold stress. UTCI values referred to here were calculated using BioKlima 2.6 software - http://www.igipz.pan.pl/Bioklima-zgik.html. Six zones for the heat loading of the human organism found to be present along the Polish coast during the four seasons of the year were designated by summing the frequency of occurrence of days with a particularly stimulating effect, be this severe or very severe heat stress or severe, very severe or extreme cold stress. The UTCI-based analysis sustained conclusions as follows: - The Polish Baltic coast is found to be characterised by marked day-to-day variability in the heat loading of the human organism, particularly in the November-late May period, with the result being a significant "nuisance" represented for tourists. - Along the western part of the coast and in the area of the Bay of Puck, conditions thermoneutral for the human organism were found to dominate (accounting for more than 60% of the days in a month) over the whole period from May through to mid-October. In the case of the northern part of the coast from Darłowo to Łeba the same was found to be true of the period extending from June through to the middle ten-day period of September, creating conditions favourable for outdoor recreation. - The duration of the bathing season with mean monthly water temperatures ≥18°C is of approximately 45 days along the coast from Darłowo to Łeba, 46-50 days in the central part of the coast, 46-60 days in the area of the Bay of Gdańsk and 61-70 in the area of the Bay of Pomerania. In most years under analysis, there was no identification of a bathing season with mean monthly water temperature ≥18°C in the Kołobrzeg and Władysławowo areas. - The bioclimatic conditions most favourable for recreation and tourism were identified for the area of the Bay of Pomerania, followed by the Bay of Gdańsk. Less-favourable conditions characterise the central part of the coast, while the least favourable circumstances extend through the northern area from Darłowo to Łeba, in which the bioclimate's stimulatory effect is strongest.- The high spatial variability characterising heat loading of the human organism that it proved possible to identify for the Polish coast offers the possibility of particular regions and seasons being selected for recreation, in relation to tourists' health status and specific requirements.


The IAEA has proposed a coordinated research program to address tritium retention and release in fusion reactor plasma facing components. This program will address materials which are mainly of interest to the design and construction of ITER, namely beryllium, carbon based materials and medium and high-Z metals, e.g. tungsten, vanadium and molybdenum, but will not be limited to these materials. Experimental data are needed for: recycling models, tritium inventory estimates, tritium permeation calculations and hydrogen embrittlement characterization. The ultimate use of the data would be to influence the formation of models for use by fusion reactor designers. Judicious material choices must be made by the designers and accurate predictive codes are required in order to make these choices. The proposed coordinated research program will provide a forum for discussions between experimentalists, theoreticians, modelers and reactor designers, provide financial support for relevant research projects and collect and evaluate experimental and theoretical data. This paper briefly reviews existing data, addresses the data gaps and points out experiments designed to obtain the needed data. 18 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.


Translation is one of the most important means of the scientific, technological and cultural exchange. The present paper first discusses translatability the translation theoretical base and the premise of translating practice and then argues the translation difficulties and the failures caused by crosscultural differences, in the hope that this will help accelerate the development of translating practice.


Animal studies demonstrated that noise exposure causes a primary and selective loss of auditory-nerve fibres with low spontaneous firing rate. This neuronal impairment, if also present in humans, can be assumed to affect the processing of supra-threshold stimuli, especially in the presence of background noise, while leaving the processing of low-level stimuli unaffected. The purpose of this study was to investigate if signs of such primary neural damage from noise-exposure could also be found in noise-exposed human individuals. It was investigated: (1) if noise-exposed listeners with hearing thresholds within the "normal" range perform poorer, in terms of their speech recognition threshold in noise (SRTN), and (2) if auditory brainstem responses (ABR) reveal lower amplitude of wave I in the noise-exposed listeners. A test group of noise/music-exposed individuals and a control group were recruited. All subjects were between 18-32 years of age and had pure-tone thresholds ≤ 15 dB HL from 250-8000 Hz. Despite normal pure-tone thresholds, the noise-exposed listeners required a significantly better signal-to-noise ratio to obtain SRTN, compared to the control group. The ABR results showed significantly lower amplitude of wave I, in the left-ear, of the test group listeners. Significantly higher wave III and normal wave V were also found in the left ear of the test group listeners suggesting a compensated neural gain in the brainstem. Overall, the results from this study seem to suggest that noise exposure affects supra-threshold processing in humans before pure-tone sensitivity, raising suspicion to the hypothesis of primary neural involvement.


The frequency-limited model reduction technique presented by Gawronski & Juang produces an unstable reduced-order system. To overcome this main drawback, many techniques were proposed as a solution to preserve the stability of the reduced-order system. However, these available approaches produce a large variation to the original system and yield a large approximation error. The proposed approach not only ensures the stability of the reduced-order systems but also provides low approximation error when compared with existing approaches. Moreover, it also yield easily computable a priori error bound formula. Simulation results show proposed scheme yields low approximation error when compared with existing approaches while performing model reduction of variable-speed wind turbine systems which shows efficacy of the proposed work.


Contrary to normal luminescent materials, persistent phosphors are able to continue their light emission for hours after the end of the excitation [1]. This has applications for emergency signage, dials and displays, decoration, and more recently also for in vivo medical imaging [2]. Research into this class of phosphors has seen a dramatic increase during the past decade, but the development of new and brighter afterglow materials is hampered by a lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Although the general principles of excitation and charge trapping are agreed upon, important details such as the nature of the traps, the optimal trap depth and the kinetics of the (de)trapping processes involved remain the subject of ongoing debate. Thermoluminescence (TL) experiments have become increasingly popular over the past fifteen years to study the trap system in persistent luminescent materials. However, in most of these materials multiple trap levels are present, which complicates the glow curve analysis. Furthermore, only a small range of trap depths is suitable for achieving a bright afterglow at room temperature, and the glow peaks often strongly overlap in this region, making it nearly impossible to use standard fitting procedures. A single TL glow curve is therefore unreliable for the determination of trap depths and concentrations. Different sets of TL measurements should be combined with specific analysis techniques. We investigated the influence of various parameters such as the heating rate, the excitation intensity and the excitation temperature on both the afterglow decay and the TL glow curves in persistent luminescent materials and apply it to the case of the violet-emitting CaAl2O4:Eu,Nd persistent phosphor (see Fig. 1). Evidence was found for the presence of a trap depth distribution rather than discrete energy levels, and the possibility of higher order kinetics is discussed.


Peak value is a very important parameter in impulse measurement.The measuring peak value is different from the actual.For reducing the error it is discussed that increasing sampling frequency and curve fitness of the collected source data are applied to the measurement.The applicability of Linear fitness,polynomial fitness and exponential fitness is analyzed through the peak values which are gathered by using high frequency.And the conclusion of fitness is tested through simulating impulse signal.


Background MEASURE 1 (NCT01358175) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled trial that has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of secukinumab, a human anti–interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, in subjects with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).1 Objectives To investigate the effect of secukinumab on objective signs of inflammation in the sacroiliac (SI) joints and spine at Weeks (Wks) 16 and 52 using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the MEASURE 1 study. Methods 371 adults with active AS were randomized to secukinumab or PBO: i.v. secukinumab 10 mg/kg (Wks 0, 2, 4) followed by s.c. secukinumab 75 mg every 4 wks (10 IV → 75 SC); s.c. secukinumab 150 mg every 4 wks (10 IV → 150 SC); or PBO on the same i.v. and s.c. schedules. MRI of the SI joints and spine were performed on a subset of 105 subjects with no prior exposure to therapies targeting tumor necrosis factor (anti–TNF-naïve). Assessments were completed at baseline, Wks 16 and 52. MRI variables were assessed by the Berlin SI joint total edema score, MRI score for spinal activity (ASspi-MRI-a), and the Berlin spine score (derived from the ASspi-MRI-a results). Two experienced readers, blinded to treatment and visit, evaluated all MRIs and their mean scores were used for the final analyses. Results Mean baseline ASspi-MRI-a and Berlin spine scores were lower in the secukinumab 10 IV → 150 SC group than in the 10 IV → 75 SC and PBO groups (Table). At Wk 16, improvements were shown in Berlin SI joint total edema score with secukinumab vs PBO (mean change from baseline: –1.30 and –1.05 vs –0.17 in secukinumab 10 IV → 150 SC and 10 IV → 75 SC vs PBO groups, respectively; P <0.01) (Table). Both secukinumab doses also resulted in greater mean percentage improvements from baseline in ASspi-MRI-a and Berlin spine scores vs PBO (Table). Improvements in all MRI measures with secukinumab were sustained through Wk 52. Conclusions MRI measures demonstrate that secukinumab provides early reductions in spinal inflammation in subjects with active AS, and that these improvements are sustained through 52 wks of therapy. References Baeten D, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014;66(Suppl):S360 Acknowledgements Medical writing support was provided by Jessica Breen at Seren Communications (Tytherington, UK), and was funded by Novartis. Disclosure of Interest X. Baraliakos Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Merck, Pfizer, UCB, Novartis, and Chugai, Consultant for: AbbVie, Merck, Pfizer, UCB, Novartis, and Chugai, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Merck, Pfizer, UCB, Novartis, and Chugai, J. Braun Grant/research support from: Abbvie (Abbott), Amgen, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Celltrion, Centocor, Chugai, EBEWE Pharma, Medac, MSD (Schering-Plough), Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer (Wyeth), Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, Consultant for: Abbvie (Abbott), Amgen, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Celltrion, Centocor, Chugai, EBEWE Pharma, Medac, MSD (Schering-Plough), Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer (Wyeth), Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie (Abbott), Amgen, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Celltrion, Centocor, Chugai, EBEWE Pharma, Medac, MSD (Schering-Plough), Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer (Wyeth), Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, J. Sieper Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Pfizer, and Merck, Consultant for: AbbVie, Pfizer, Merck, UCB, and Novartis, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Pfizer, Merck, and UCB, D. Baeten Grant/research support from: Boehringer-Ingelheim, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, and Pfizer, Consultant for: AbbVie, Boehringer-Ingelheim, BMS, Eli Lilly, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, A. Readie Shareholder of: Novartis, Employee of: Novartis, G. Ligozio Shareholder of: Novartis, Employee of: Novartis, H. Richards Employee of: Novartis


The author describes the design and implementation of a quality information system in the computer-integrated manufacturing environment. Various data elements related to quality functions an be integrated through a closed-loop quality information system. It is suggested that an emerging generation of computer workstations, communication protocols, and database management systems will make the computer-integrated quality information system a reality at affordable prices. A systems development methodology for designing and implementing quality information systems is discussed.<<ETX>>


The effect of electrode material on the elementary processes associated with the electroreduction of the SOCl/sub 2/-AlCl/sub 3/ system in a Li-SOCl/sub 2/ cell is examined by three techniques: IR-reflectance spectroscopy, linear scan voltammetry, and galvanostatic pulsing. The discussion is limited to events occurring at Au, C-glassy and Pt electrode surfaces. The results of spectroscopic examination indicate the same reaction path regardless of material. However, the shape of the voltammograms clearly shows the effect of electrode material on the reaction kinetics.<<ETX>>


A method and system for automatically testing a web application running inside a web browser. Pieces of test code are included in the web application code. An HTTP server provides a test service to the web application instrumented with test code. Through an API interface, the test code requests to the HTTP server that user inputs be simulated and sent to the browser. The HTTP server generates simulated system events (mouse clicking, keyboard entry etc..) corresponding to the user input and send them to the browser. The browser processes the system events for the web application as usual. In this way the test code will check the data structure (objects) of the web application and the entire environment of the web application will be included as well. When checking the good processing of an object by the web application, the web application test code can request the HTTP server to store and retrieve an object (JSON formatted for instance) in and from a Repository. The test code will compare the object status before and after web application processing to check correct execution.


Polyurea thin films were prepared by ionization-assisted codeposition of 1,3-di(4-piperidyl)propane, and 4,4′-diphenylmethane-diisocyanate, and their optical nonlinearity was investigated in connection with the bias voltage applied on the substrate in the course of deposition. The formation of polyurea was confirmed by IR absorption spectra. At the optimum evaporation temperature for each monomer, the birefringence of the film was the largest. The film had high optical transparency in the visible range, and the absorption in the UV range was influenced by the substrate bias voltage. The film showed optical nonlinearity even without the poling process after the deposition. The Maker fringe measurement indicated that the deposited films have a peculiar dipole orientation, unlike the normal poled polymer films. The second harmonic generation characteristic was influenced by the substrate bias and also by the material of the substrate holder. These results revealed the importance of the electric field on the ...


2010 403 Diagnosis of early colorectal cancer using lectin-immobilized fl uorescent nanospheres Peanut agglutinin(PNA)-immobilized polystyrene nanospheres with surface poly (N-vinylacetamide) (PNVA)chains encapsulating coumarin 6 were designed as a novel colonoscopic imaging agent. PNA was a targeting moiety that binds to b-D-galactosyl(1-3)-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, which is the terminal sugar of the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen that is specifi cally expressed on the mucosal side of colorectal cancer cells. PNVA was immobilized with the aim of reducing nonspecifi c interactions between imaging agents and normal tissues. Coumarin 6 was encapsulated into nanosphere cores to provide endoscopically detectable fluorescence intensity. It is anticipated that the lectin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres specifically accumulate on the surface of tumor tissues in the large intestine with resulting fl uorescence. Real-time and accurate diagnosis of small-sized early colorectal cancer can be then achieved through observation of a clear fluorescence contrast between the normal and tumor tissues using the fl orescent endoscopy. 大腸粘膜内に留まる転移リスクのない発生初期の大腸がんをリアルタイムに診断し,内視鏡下で切 除することを可能にする世界初の大腸内視鏡検査用造影剤を開発する.造影剤は,がん化に伴い大腸 粘膜上に発現する特異抗原の末端糖鎖を認識するピーナッツレクチンおよび正常部位との非特異的相 互作用を抑制するポリN-ビニルアセトアミドを表面に固定化し,クマリン 6を内包したレクチン固 定化蛍光ナノスフェアである.内視鏡下,大腸粘膜上のがん病変に集積した造影剤の蛍光に由来する がん組織(明部)/正常組織(暗部)のコントラストに基づき,がんを診断する. Shinji Sakuma, Ken-ichiro Hiwatari, Robert M Hoff man, Shinji Yamashita key words : colorectal cancer, diagnosis, colonoscopy, lectin, nanospheres 特集 経口デリバリーへの新しいチャレンジ


In solid mechanics, the resonance frequency of a material is typically linked to its mechanical properties. A frequency shift therefore typically denotes a change in stiffness. It has already been shown that temperature variation causes stiffness changes in tissues. The amplitude of the ultrasound‐stimulated acoustic emission (USAE) signal has also been shown to vary with temperature as well as indicate temperature elevation. Its amplitude, however, is sensitive to both acoustical and mechanical parameters, which at most frequencies have opposite effects resulting from temperature changes. In this paper, the measurement of a frequency shift of the USAE resonant peaks is used for monitoring of the tissue stiffness variation with temperature. In a numerical simulation, the variation of the frequency shift (ranging between −150 and 500 Hz) at different temperatures is shown. Then, in a series of experiments involving a gel phantom and porcine muscle tissue, the frequency shift variation (ranging between −200 and 200 Hz) is shown to follow the known stiffness changes due to temperature. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that the USAE frequency shift method can dissociate the mechanical from the acoustical parameter dependence and detect tissue coagulation. [Work supported by NIH Grant CA82275.]


Music art extracurricular activities at Cengklik Surakarta Public Elementary School are held to realize students' knowledge and skills. This study aims to describe the way teachers in instilling the character of curiosity and creativity as well as describing the obstacles and solutions faced by extracurricular teachers in extracurricular music art activities in the upper classes at SDN Cengklik Surakarta. This type of research is qualitative research with a descriptive qualitative research design. Data collection techniques using observation, interviews, and documentation. Data validity uses the triangulation of sources and methods. Data analysis techniques using interactive models. The results of this study indicate that: (1) The implementation of extracurricular music art in instilling the character of curiosity by discussing the learning of music art and responding to things that are not yet understood by students (2) The implementation of music art extracurricular in instilling creative characters, by way of appreciating the sense of beauty and happy to try new things (3) The constraints in implementing extracurricular music art are too many students and inadequate infrastructure, (4) Solutions in implementing music art extracurricular teachers invite students to collaborate so that activities run well.


A 64-year-old man with a subcapital femoral fracture after falling with a scooter underwent a total hip prosthesis. Two days after surgery he developed sudden dyspnea and tachycardia, improved with the administration of supplemental oxygen at 2 liters per minute. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed a pO2 of 75 mmHg.


Common spatial pattern (CSP) is a classic method commonly used in multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) signal processing, which aims to extract effective features for binary classification by solving spatial filters that maximize the ratio of filtered dispersion between two classes. The aim of this paper is to improve the performance of the conventional CSP method, which will be badly influenced by noises. The recently proposed quantized minimum error entropy (QMEE) criterion is applied to structure a new objective function instead of the ${L} _{2}$ -norm in the conventional CSP. Quantization is utilized to reduce the computational complexity. The new objective function is optimized by a gradient-based iterative algorithm. The desirable performance of the QMEE-based CSP method, namely CSP-QMEE, is demonstrated with a toy example and two real EEG datasets, including Dataset IIb of the brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) Competition IV (three channels) and Dataset IIIa of the BCI Competition III (60 channels). The new method can achieve satisfactory performance compared to existing methods on all datasets. The promising results in this paper suggest that the CSP-QMEE may become a powerful tool for BCIs.


Secretary structure of Chongqing is greatly optimized in recent years,however,based on survey data,secretaries of Chongqing still have the imbalanced phenomena such as feminization,younger,and non-specialization,and have the problems in uneven professional quality,short practical ability,weak sense of competition,inadequate trainings and so on.


In the electronuclear industry, accidental release of alpha-emitting transuranic actinides such as plutonium (Pu) may occur at the work place. As a consequence, internal contamination via inhalation is a potential hazard for nuclear workers handling Pu. After deposition in the lungs, the transportable fraction of Pu translocates from the lungs to the bloodstream. The importance of this fraction and its translocation kinetic depend on numerous variables, including the physicochemical form of the inhaled Pu compound. Although a small fraction of the systemic burden is cleared in urine, most of the transferred activity is retained in extrapulmonary tissues, mainly in liver and bones [1]. The only medical approach available nowadays for reducing the committed radiological dose in target tissues, and consequently the risk of radiation-induced pathologies, is the removal of Pu from the body by chelation therapy with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA used as Ca or Zn trisodium salt) [2]. Unfortunately, DTPA has serious drawbacks because of a very rapid elimination from the body and a poor distribution in Pu retention sites [3]. The success of a DTPA treatment in removing internalized Pu varies greatly, depending not only on its physicochemical form [4], but also on the treatment methods and regimens used (i.e., dose level, single or repeated administrations, frequency, administration route, and delay post-exposure). Once deposited in target tissues Pu becomes very difficult to remove. Thus, repeated administrations of DTPA which are more effective than a single one are needed [5]. For a decorporating treatment based on multiple DTPA injections, several therapeutic variables should be considered such as the number and the frequency of injections, or the dose level per injection. However, even though various data are available in the literature, they remain fragmentary and not sufficient, in our opinion, to draw definitive general conclusions for an optimal protracted chelation therapy. In this context, the aim of the present work was to better understand the influence of important therapeutic variables on the overall efficacy of a repeated DTPA chelation treatment. This new useful information may help to design better treatment schedules that can be both efficient and the least burdensome as possible for the patient. Thus, our experimental work design featured: (1) all DTPA treatment schedules commenced several days or weeks following contamination in order to consider only Pu firmly-fixed in tissues and not the available pool of circulating Pu just after contamination; (2) the various DTPA treatment regimens tested used comparable cumulated total dose to assess only the effects of the distribution and/or the frequency of multiple injections as therapeutic variables; (3)


Deep-level defects in p-type GaAs/Ga(As,N)/GaAs heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy are investigated by deep-level transient Fourier spectroscopy. Depth-resolved distributions of hole traps are measured in as-grown and annealed heterojunctions in order to identify the defects, which lead to the degradation of the Ga(As,N) properties. Four defects are recognized in the heterostructures studied. Two dominant hole traps are found in Ga(As,N) at energies of about 0.35 and 0.45 eV above the valence band edge. These midgap levels originate from copper- and iron-related defects, the formation of which is connected with operation of the nitrogen plasma cell during Ga(As,N) growth. Both traps, which are removed by annealing, are discussed as the possible nonradiative centers that deteriorate the optical properties. Two other hole traps of intrinsic origin are related to the GaAs growth conditions close to the Ga(As,N)-on-GaAs interface, where the GaAs growth is affected by the nitrogen plasma despite ...


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the analysis of stages of change for exercise behavior, BMI, physical activity level, and outcome expectations in the university students. Methods: Through convenience sampling method, selected 366 survey questionnaires were used for final analysis from university students. With the collected data, Chi-square test, t-test, one-way ANOVA and correlation analysis were performed by SPSS 15.0. Results: The results of the analysis were summarized as follows. First, the gender showed significantly difference on stages of change for exercise behavior, BMI, physical activity level, and outcome expectations, but there is no difference on according to school year. Second, the stages of change for exercise behavior and BMI showed significantly difference on physical activity level and outcome expectations. Third, the positively(+) correlate between the stages of change for exercise behavior and physical activity level and outcome expectations. And the positively(+) correlate between BMI and physical activity level, but no significant correlate between the physical activity level and outcome expectations. Conclusion: These results indicate that the stages of change for exercise behavior, BMI, physical activity level, and outcome expectations showed difference according to gender, but that is no difference on according to school year. Also means that the physical activity level and outcome expectations showed difference and the correlate according to stages of change for exercise behavior and BMI.


SEVERAL INVE$TIGATORS have adopted the concept that iron chlorosis is caused by physiological unavailability of iron in the tissues. The evidence presented here indicates that this concept is not valid, at least as far as citrus is concerned, anid that iron chlorosis involhes a simple deficiency of iron in the leaf. Visible symuptoms of iron chlorosis (lime-induced chlorosis) in citrus leaves are similar to those found in many other crop plants, namely, green veins sharply distinguished from a less g,reeni or yellow mesophyll. These symptoms are attributed to improper iron nutrition on the basis of the following evidence: (1) the leaf pattern can sometinies be cured by applying iron to the soil or other nutrient medium; and (2) affected leaves usually respond witl increased greenness to surface application of iron solutions, but such response does not result from applications of other nutrient elements (see discussion bv Jljin, 1952). Nutrient deficiencies are generallv accompanied by low concentrations of the deficient elements' in certain plant organs, particularly leaves (Goodall and Gregory, 1947)Although some investigators have reported this situation with iron in lime-induced chlorosis (e.g., Gile and Carrero, 1920; Menchikowsky and Puffeles, 1935), many have failed to find consistent differences in iron concentrations in chlorotic and healthy leaves (Ilj in. 1952 McGeorge, 1949; Wallace. 1928) . From this situation came the idea that not all the iron in chlorotic leaves is metabolically active; supportling evidence was supplied by Oserkowsky (1933!who showed that iron extracted from leaves by 0.3 N HCI correlated well with chlorophyll content. The conc.ept of physiological unavailabilitv of iron still appears to be prevalent (Leeper, 1952) in spite of the demonstration by Jacobson (1945) that. after thorouglh removal of surface contamination from the fresh leaves of some deciduous fruit trees, total iron content correlated well with chlorophyll content. The work of Smith et al. (1950), in Florida, indicates that this correjation probably holds also in citrus leaves. Their studies support the conclusion of Jacobson that iron-contaminants such


(Res.d'A.). A Mycenaean III C:1 stirrup jar from Tell Keisan level 13, c. 1200 B.C., was analysed by the neutron activation method. The pottery may be from Cyprus and more precisely from Kouklia.


Evaluation of correlations regression between functional condition roads and structural condition of the pavement needs to be implemented, a result of condition handling the maintenance of roads in the province of South Sulawesi and South Kalimantan are still less accurate because the determination of handling is only determined from one of the condition steadiness of road, Data used to facilitate this research is secondary to data obtained in 2014, in which secondary data obtained from Balai Besar Pelaksanaan Jalan Nasional (BBPJN) and Balai Pelaksanaan Jalan Nasional (BPJN). Flexible pavement conditions on the roads of research in South Kalimantan Province, shows the surface roughness (IRI) has a the level of correlation conditions that reasonably represen the  elastic modulus of surface layer (E1), but the surface roughness (IRI) has a level of correlation that less represents the  elastic modulus of base layer (E2 ), while a different result is also shown by the surface roughness (IRI) can not represent the  elastic modulus of subbase layer (E3) and the  elastic modulus of subgrade layer (E4). While the condition of pavement flexible on the roads of research in South Sulawesi province, shows the surface roughness (IRI) has a level of correlation conditions that already represents the elastic modulus of surface layer (E1), but the surface roughness (IRI) has a level of correlation that reasonably represents the elastic modulus of base layer ( E2), while a different result is also shown by the surface roughness (IRI) is less representative of the elastic modulus of subbase layer (E3) and the elastic modulus of subgrade layer (E4). The difference correlation of regression relationship model's between the functional conditions and the structural conditions for all the roads, indicated the influence of the type of pavement layers and pavement layer thickness all layer of of pavement for all the roads.


We investigated the structure of citrates adsorbed on Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) synthesized by the Frens method by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). We found that physisorbed citrates are stable enough to stay on the surface of AuNPs during purification. The FT-IR spectra of citrates on AuNPs are quite uniquely different from bulk citrates, suggesting the formation of coordination bond between carboxylate group and gold. The shifts of carboxylate vibration modes on AuNPs are larger than that on flat Au substrates, as expected from the stronger dipole field on AuNPs compared with that on flat substrates.


Background: In the present study, our objective was to determine whether nebulized colistin as an adjunctive therapy to conventional intravenous antibiotics of Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) was safe and beneficial in critically ill patients. Methods: A prospective matched case-control study was performed at the ICUs of the University Hospital of Isfahan, Iran, from January to June 2017. Twenty patients with VAP due to MDR gramnegative bacilli received nebulized colistin and were matched on the basis of age and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE) score with 20 control patients who had received systemic antibiotic therapy according to their responsible physicians. Results: The baseline characteristics of the patients and conventional therapy of VAP in both groups were comparable. Most of the cases of VAP were caused by MDR A. baumannii (N=25, 75%) and Klebsiella pneumonia (N=10, 50%). No significant difference between the groups were observed regarding clinical cure (P: 0.6) and mortality (P: 0.25). The rate of pathogen eradication was significantly better in case patients (75% vs. 5%, P: 0.0001). Renal impairment was observed in 10% of cases and in 15% of control patients (P: 0.6). Conclusion: Our finding suggests that inhaled colistin monotherapy even without concurrent administration of intravenous colistin, seems to be an effective and safe treatment option for treatment of VAP due to MDR A. baumannii. This mode for colistin administration may deserve further consideration. INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common healthcare-associated infection develops in approximately one-third of patients who are mechanically ventilated for more than 48 h 1, .


HOME DEPARTMENT (APPELLANT) EX PARTE MULLEN (RESPONDENT)* [October 25, 2004] +Cite as 44 ILM 234 (2005)+ HOUSE OF LORDS SESSION 2003-04 [2004] UKHL 18 on appeal from: [2002] EWCA 1882 OPINIONS OF THE LORDS OF APPEAL FOR JUDGMENT IN THE CAUSE Regina v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (Appellant) ex parte Mullen (Respondent) ON THURSDAY 29 APRIL 2004 The Appellate Committee comprised: Lord Bingham of Cornhill Lord Steyn Lord Scott of Foscote Lord Rodger of Earlsferry Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe


Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com cells 14.05 * 109 / L, neutrophils 87.2%, amylase 573IU / L. ECG showed: 1, sinus rhythm 2, T wave abnormality 3, incomplete right bundle branch block. Abdominal X-ray showed dilation of the small intestine with multiple ladder-like fluid levels (Figure 1), supporting the diagnosis of colon obstruction. Abdominal CT showed: 1, local thickening of the sigmoid colon with mild exudative changes and multiple small surrounding lymph nodes. The patient has been hypertensive for many years with a history of cerebral infarction. After admission, the patient suffered from repeated episodes of vomiting, and increasing abdominal pain. On physical examination active bowel sounds were not present and there was no significant tenderness or rebound tenderness. Colonoscopy was performed. The colon became too narrow to pass the scope at 30 cms from the anus. Erosive haemorrhagic mucosa was seen and colon cancer was diagnosed. To relieve its obstruction, a stent (80x25mm) was implanted into the narrow lumen. Liquids were then passed through the stent, indicating the obstruction was resolved (Figure 2). One week late, the patient's general condition became much better and colectomy was performed (Figure 3). The segment with cancer was removed and the patient gained full recovery without complication (Figure 4) and was discharged within one week after colectomy.


The Plasma Edge Cathode concept can possibly produce high electron current densities while avoiding or delaying plasma closure of the extraction gap of an electron source. A plasma beam is generated by a surface flashover from a spark plug. An obstacle partially intercepts the emitted plasma jet at a distance of about 200 mm from the plasma source and causes a stationary transverse plasma boundary from which electrons are extracted. The plasma should experience negligible external electric forces as long as the extraction is space charge limited. Thus, it is theoretically possible to avoid the plasma closure of the extraction gap and to obtain an extracted electron current density over 100 A/cm2. Experimental results partially support this theoretical prediction. Electron current densities up to 40 A/cm2 were obtained repeatedly with a duration up to 2.5 p. A two-frame intensifier camera records an electron beam pattem with an exposure time down to 5 ns. The images are digitized by a scanner and will be evaluated by a computer code. The images at low extraction voltage of about 20 kV have a smooth pattem. At higher extraction voltages the pattern is irregular and indicates some instability of the plasma surface. *This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under contract No. AFOSR-87-0154.


After 1989, the Hungarian minority in Romania could receive basic rights, the execution of which — without mayor conflict — is followed by the subsequent governments. This was the result of an over two decades long process. In the first period, between 1989 and 1996, Romanian nationalism did not allow for substantial changes in the approach to the Hungarian minority. Only after the Hungarian-Romanian Treaty on Understanding, Cooperation, and Good Neighbourship, the two countries started their cooperation, which gradually reduced the tension on the international level and allowed for the creation of a legal system guaranteeing basic right of the Hungarian minority in Romania. Surely, the actions and skilfully created programme of the largest Hungarian political party in Romania, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (Romanian: Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR, Hungarian: Romaniai Magyar Demokrata Szovets eg, RMDSZ), a regional party, that was able to secure a place on the political scene as a co-ruling party or lend its support to the government in order to achieve its goals through participation in politics on the central level, contributed to the creation of a well-functioning legal system in 1996–2011. The UDMR tries to use its participation in the elections to the European Parliament, in which it has two representatives, to implement its own policy, i.e. the elaboration appropriate programs of regional cooperation in the name of the idea of a "Europe of the regions". Accession to the EU, adopting the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages served as a basis for adopting a range of acts sought by the UDMR.  In 2001, Victor Orban's government established the Hungarian's Card, which led to ethnic tensions. Its amendment normalised the tense situation between Budapest and Bucharest. Currently, the aspiration to obtain political and territorial autonomy for Hungarians in Transylvania, which is contrary to the provision of the constitution of Romania — is increasing and causing conflicts, which antagonises the Romanians, who are afraid that such demands may result in losing a part of Transylvania, towards the Hungarian minority. Nationalist Hungarian parties in Parliament support these demands. The government does not reject them either. UDMR, officially emphasising the development of infrastructure in Transylvania and the education of the Hungarian minority, aims at decentralisation of power a self-governance in order to take over some competences of the central authorities.


of special problem submitted to the Graduate School of Maejo University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Agricultural Extension PARTICIPATION OF KAREN HILL TRIBES IN WOMEN OCCUPATION EXTENSION AND DEVELOPMENT BY SUAN PA SIRIKIT PROJECT. MAEJAM DISTRICT. CHIANGMAI By ANCHANA NITJKUL APRIL 2000 Assistant Professor Dr. Boonsom Waraegsiri Chairman Department of Agricultural Extension, Department/F acuity: .Faculty of Agricultural Business II .~.' This research aimed to study Karen hill tribes personal and socio. economic characteristics. cultures. satisfaction and level of participation in women occupation extension and development in the area of Suan Pa Sirikit Project. The results of this research will be used to improve the implemantation of the project to be more compatible with women's needs. thus enhancing their motivation to participate more in The data were collected by means of interview schedules from 212 Karen the project women living in Gong-Kag Mae-Jam district, Chiangmai province and sub-district. analyzed by the SPSS/PC


For estimating the correlation between transcutanepus p0 2 and the cardiotocographic parameters s there are labour-activity and fetal heart frequency, we registrated all these Signals simultaneously on a tape recorder and analyzed them by a Computer. Now, for a Computer it is very easy to analyze data, but how to do it that's the problem. For example the calculation of the coefficient of correlation between the alterations of p0 2 and fetal heart frequency is without a result, bec use it is very difficult to eliminate the varying shifting baseline of p0 2-signal by an algorithm. But that's only one of the pro-blemsT Following, a possible method for analysing these data by Computer is demonstrated.


Shrinking cities present the prevalent type of present-day urbanisation in post-socialist countries in the eastern half of Europe. The outspread and the socialism-related features of their shrinkage have made them a compelling topic for scholars internationally. Thus, they are well-documented today. However, this straight focus of researchers on post-socialist shrinking cities has somehow formed the opinion that this phenomenon is completely new for this region. If such research is oriented to the past of urbanisation in this part of Europe, it usually examines the causes of post-socialist urban shrinkage originated in the specificities of socialism. Nevertheless, urban shrinkage existed in the eastern half of Europe before the fall of socialism. Concrete data covers the examples of shrinking cities in inter-war (pre-socialist) and post-war (socialist) periods. Although these cities were not very frequent, they represent the predecessors of many shrinking cities in this part of Europe today. They can even be categorised by the various factors that were crucial for their shrinkage: change of borders, fall of industrial production, internal/national spatial planning policies or the loss of dependent area. The aim of this research is to systematise this knowledge relating pre-socialist and socialist urban shrinkage in Eastern Europe. Hence, this paper is organised as a scientific review, with a special intention to present the different categories of affected cities. In that way, this paper contributes to the further understanding of the circumstances that have provoked urban shrinkage to be so widespread in this part of Europe.


Method for programming a BIOS, characterized by the steps of: Connecting a programming module (441) having a read only memory on a circuit board having a memory device (112); Booting a computer system by reading content from the programming module (441); Copying a backup BIOS program (113) from the programming module (441) in the memory device (112); Copying a primary BIOS (113) in the memory device (112); Removal of the programming module (441) of the circuit board; and subsequent booting of the computer system from the storage module (112); Validating the primary BIOS (113), wherein the most significant address bits to the control logic (111) to be routed, for automatically selecting a first boot sequence in the primary BIOS (113) for execution if the primary BIOS (113) is validated, and for automatically selecting a second boot sequence in the backup BIOS (114) for execution if the primary BIOS (113) is not validated, the replacement BIOS (113) is protected from Accidental distortion by is necessary that the programming module the...


To construct the yeast two-hybrid cDNA library of duck's liver infected with duck enteritis virus(DEV),total RNA was isolated from duck's liver infected with DEV by the Trizol method.The first and second strand cDNA were synthesized by reverse transcriptase and DNA polymeraseⅠ,respectively.The amplified cDNA was cloned into the pGADT7 yeast expression vector and over-expressed in Y187 strain.The non-diluted,1∶10 and 1∶100 dilution inoculated on SD/-Leu for 3 days at 30 ℃,respectively.Total size of the library transformed into Y187 strain was 1×106 clones.The insert size by PCR from the colony and plasmids from the library was from 0.5 to 1 kb.This yeast two-hybrid library had good quality and facilitated the screening duck's liver proteins interacting with DEV NP from cDNA library.


The SERSE source has been efficiently working at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud in Catania since 1998, by operating at 14 and 18 GHz, with a maximum power of about 2 kW. The performance of the source has been optimised for the beam injection into the K-800 Superconducting Cyclotron, i.e. the maximisation of the charge states was looked for, provided that the current of the beam was about 0.5 to 5 eμA, which is the typical analyzed current for routinely operations. In 2000 a collaboration was established in order to test the behavior of SERSE at 28 GHz, so that a new operating domain could be studied, featuring a very dense plasma (up to 1013 cm−3) and a very high ion current (1 emA of Pb27+ is the goal of CERN and GSI for future heavy ion projects and 0.5 emA was considered to be a challenge for our experiment). Tests were carried out with a generator based on a gyrotron tube which was refurbished and made available by CEA; Xenon ions were chosen as a reference being the ionization difficulty for Xe20+ ...


Abstract Multiple studies have shown an increasing prevalence of adults with serious mental illness (SMI) in nursing homes. As adults with SMI age, the reality of care needs that span physical, medical, and psychosocial services necessitates further consideration of the role of comprehensive, ancillary mental health services in nursing homes (NH). Yet, little work examines characteristics of those with SMI, their care needs & the role of facility structural factors. Using the 2011-2017 Minimum Dataset (MDS) assessment data for Minnesota, we examined resident-level demographic characteristics of NH residents with and without SMI, and facility-level characteristics including quality of life (QoL), quality of care (QoC), and state recertification survey scores. We defined SMI as a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic conditions other than schizophrenia present on the reference assessment. Individuals admitted with SMI were younger, had better physical health, were more likely to be racial/ethnic minorities, and more likely to be admitted to a facility with a higher proportion of racial/ethnic minority residents. SMI-only admissions were concentrated in larger, for-profit facilities with a high-reliance on Medicaid. Lastly, SMI-only admissions were more likely to occur in facilities with lower QoL, QoC, and inspection scores. There is a growing need for behavioral health services in NHs, yet access to services is inadequate and lacks equity based on geography, race/ethnicity and other system-level disparities.


The surface of bainitic steel was remelted by fiber laser, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the melted layer were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a nanoindentation instrument, and wear equipment. The study of changing the laser scanning speed showed that the depth of the melted layer increases with decreases of the laser scanning speed. The wear-resistance property increased by 55% compared with the matrix and decreased with the reduction of laser scanning speed within a certain range. In the study of changing the laser-scanning space, the thermal effect of laser melting in the back channel on the front channel was further validated. At the same time, it was found that the solidified layer surface of hardness alternating with softness can be obtained by appropriately expanding the scanning space, which is conducive to improving the wear-resistant properties of the steel surface, and properly improving the production efficiency of the laser remelting treatment.


The invention belongs to the technical field of medicines and particularly relates to a metformin hydrochloride and glibenclamide capsule and a preparation method thereof. The metformin hydrochloride and glibenclamide capsule is prepared from the following raw materials in parts by weight: 200-300 parts of metformin hydrochloride, 1.0-1.5 parts of glibenclamide, 44-135 parts of filler, 2.5-7.5 parts of adhesive and 0.5-1.5 parts of lubricant. The process provided by the invention is simple and easy to implement, and the prepared metformin hydrochloride and glibenclamide capsule has the advantages of steady release and high dissolution rate.


This paper studies a simple matching model with a single population where players, who are identical ex ante but not necessarily so ex post, are randomly matched and decide whether or not to form a long-term relationship. When two agents are matched, they observe a relation-specific productivity as well as their respective shares and decide whether or not to agree to form a long-term relationship. The pair forms a long-term relation if and only if both the agents in the pair agree to do so; otherwise, they join the pool of singles, who continuously search for partners. A long-term relationship is subject to a small probability of break-up, which results in both the players going back to the pool of singles. Each agent agrees to form a long-term relationship if and only if his share exceeds his own past average payoff. It is shown that almost all the agents in the society are engaged in a long-term relationship and play the symmetric efficient outcome.


....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: A DESIRE TO VOLUNTEER .................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: PREPARING TO VOLUNTEER ................................................................ 6 Humboldt State University ............................................................................................. 6 Peace Corps Training .................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 3: TEACHING ENGLISH IN COLOMBIA ................................................. 36 Transitions .................................................................................................................... 37 Teaching Elementary School ........................................................................................ 45 Teaching Secondary School .......................................................................................... 50 Teaching English in the Community ............................................................................ 59 CHAPTER 4: FINDING SUCCESS IN SECONDARY PROJECTS .............................. 65 CHAPTER 5: CLOSE OF SERVICE ............................................................................... 73 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................. 77 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................... 89


This paper presents a procedure for voltage stability margin evaluation under line outage condition considering static voltage stability limit. The proposed methodology is carried out in three steps. The first step of the study mode consists of obtaining sensitivity relation which relate loadability margin with real and reactive power injections at buses. In step two line outage is simulated using compensation injections, compensation injections and sensitivity relations have been utilized in the last step to determine change in loadability margin


The Nianzha gold deposit, located in the central section of the Indus‐Yarlung Tsangpo suture (IYS) zone in southern Tibet, is a large gold deposit (Au reserves of 25 tons with average grade of 3.08 g/t) controlled by a E–W striking fault that developed during the main stage of Indo‐Asian collision (∼65–41 Ma). The main orebody is 1760 m long and 5.15 m thick, and occurs in a fracture zone bordered by Cretaceous diorite in the hanging wall to the north and the Renbu tectonic mélange in the footwall to the south. High‐grade mineralization occurs in a fracture zone between diorite and ultramafic rock in the Renbu tectonic mélange. The wall‐rock alteration is characterized by silicification in the fracture zone, serpentinization and the formation of talc and magnesite in the ultramafic unit, and chloritization and the formation of epidote and calcite in diorite.


-Tinospora cordifolia (Willd) Miers ex Hook.F. and Thom belonging to the family Menispermaceae,is a large,deciduous,climbing shrub found throughout India, especially in the tropical parts ascending to an altitude of 300 m. and also in certain parts of China. It is known as heart leave Moonseed plant in English,Guduchi in Sanskrit and Giloy in Hindi. A great number of plants are being used in medicine for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) is a popular medicinal plant spread over the tropics.It effectiveness in therapy is well known globally. Lesser known are it dietary benefits. Guduchi is being used in Diet by many tribal people of India and it also forms a part of traditional Indian cuisine. Ayurveda also states it dietary utility. The various benefits acquired by the use of Guduchi as a dietary component have been reviewed and discussed in this article The plant is popularly known as Guduchi, is an herbaceous creeper belonging to the Menispermaceae and is found normally deciduous and dry forests. The botanical classification of this medicinal herbs is given below; for microwave process. The best match combination obtained after central composite design were applied. Extraction temperature was set at 3 minutes and irradiation power set at 480 W. After the extraction finished, the conical flask was taken out from the oven. Required quantity of solvent was added to make a solution and then filtered. Conc of extract was then carried out on water bath and calculated the percentage yield of extract (%w/w).


A representation of the video sequence having a first data stream including a first data unit, the first data unit includes a first timing information and the second data stream, the second data stream is first representation of a video sequence including a second data portion having a second timing information is derived. Linkage information is associated with the second data of the second data stream, association information indicates a first data portion a predetermined first data stream. Transport stream including first and second data stream is generated as a representation of the video sequence.


Observations obtained upstream of the earth's bowshock with the LASL/MPI plasma instruments and the UCLA magnetometers on ISEE-1 and 2 have revealed a striking relationship between the presence of low-frequency fluctuations in solar wind density and field strength and the different types of distribution functions of upstream ions. Waves are absent when the ions have the beamlike distribution of the ''reflected'' ions. Large-amplitude waves are present only in conjuction with the ''diffuse'' ions, which are characterized by flat energy spectra and broad angular distributions. The waves are largely compressive, showing very good correlation between oscillations in magnetic field strength and plasma density.


Food security and climate change mitigation are crucial missions for the agricultural sector and for global work on sustainable development. Concurrently, agricultural production is directly depend ...


Introduction 1. Political philosophy for Earthlings 2. Two ways to think about justice 3. Social justice in multicultural societies 4. Liberalism, equal opportunities and cultural commitments 5. Equality of opportunity and the family 6. Justice and boundaries 7. Social justice versus global justice? 8. 'Are they my poor?': The problem of altruism in a world of strangers 9. Taking up the slack? Responsibility and justice in situations of partial compliance 10. A tale of two cities, or political philosophy as lamentation.


Abstract Background and objectives: The use of laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance has been reported on in the literature in close to 16,000 patients with various forms of malignant and benign neoplasms. This includes studies with over 7600 patients with malignant head and neck cancer; over 250 with malignant (and refractory to other therapies) head and neck cancer; over 6600 with liver cancer; and over 1100 with benign neoplasms. As well, LITT under MRI guidance has been studied in malignant (and refractory to other therapies) lung and breast cancers with close to 300 cases reported on in the literature. To date, the sum total experience of LITT with or without MRI guidance in treating brain neoplasms has not been reported on. It is the intention of this review to do so. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify all studies where one or more patients were treated with LITT with or without MRI guidance (LITT±MRI) for brain neoplasms. The following sources were searched (from 1990 to present): PubMed, Cochrane Review of RCTs, Technology Assessment websites (NICE, CTAF, CADTH, BCBS TEC), clinical guidelines for treating malignant brain neoplasms (NCCN, AANS), relevant clinical journals where the use of LITT would be reported on; and the websites of companies involved in the manufacture and market of these types of products. Results: Twenty-three articles (22 peer-reviewed and one abstract) were identified. After duplicate studies (n=6) were removed, 17 studies with 169 patients were identified who received LITT±MRI (mean age, 54±13.3 years; ratio male/female, 66%/34%). Most patients were reported on in the literature as case series. One study however, examined use of LITT + brachytherapy in a randomized fashion. These 169 patients were further broken out by type of tumor(s) and outcomes evaluated. Ninety-nine patients were treated for glioblastoma, recurrent malignant gliomas and, recurrent glioblastomas using LITT as a follow-on/salvage therapy (average age, 58.9 years). LITT used as the sole or as adjunctive therapy appeared to prolong survival (when evaluated against historical cohorts of patients with similar baseline characteristics) versus best/palliative care in this group. This was especially true where LITT was used in brain malignancies refractory to other therapies. Twenty-four patients (average age, 40.9 years) were treated for astrocytomas (WHO I–III) and LITT was used mainly with de novo lesions in areas of inoperability/eloquence. In these tumor types, LITT appeared to be well tolerated and significantly reduced lesion size. Twenty-three patients were treated for metastatic disease (average age, 60.1 years). Equivocal benefit was found in this small cohort. All lesions treated, no matter the tumor type, in these 169 patients were ≤5 cm in diameter. Most patients underwent LITT treatment with Karnofsky index (KI) of ≥60 (where reported). Most patients experienced either a stable or increased KI after LITT (where reported). Perioperative complications (e.g., neurological changes) were mainly transient in nature. Conclusions: The largest cohort of patients with recurrent glioblastoma/malignant glioma demonstrated longer survival times with stable to improved KI after LITT. These results compare favorably to second craniotomy procedures for malignant gliomas. Secondly, LITT appears to provide reasonable outcomes in patients where a second craniotomy may not be indicated (deep/inaccessible tumors or tumors in/near areas of eloquence). More published studies are required, most especially in patients with metastatic disease and in less aggressive type cancers based on the small numbers of patients studied in these groups.


This is the text of a series of four one hour lectures given as part of the
"Third Lisbon Summer Lectures in Geometry", which took place in the
summer of 2002 at the Instituto Tecnico Superior in Lisbon. The lectures
were aimed at an audience consisting of students with some background in
topology (but not necessarily in algebraic geometry). The purpose of the
lectures was to give a quick introduction to gerbes, with an emphasis on
non-abelian ˇCech cohomology.


An equivalent circuit, known as a Mason model, is proposed to characterise a novel ultrasonic motor in this study. This motor, which consists of a non-circular cross-section twisted beam and a piezoelectric element, generates coupled longitudinal-torsional vibration upon application of an electric field. The model predictions and experimental data are in good agreement. For example, under the condition of having input voltage of 100 Vp-p, and driving frequency of 352.8 kHz, the model predicts a longitudinal velocity of 0.7 m/s compared to the experimental results of 0.65-0.75 m/s. The assumption is that the torsional velocity and longitudinal velocity are in a linear relationship; a proportionality coefficient K=0.259 0.012 is obtained through the experimental data by empirically fitting.