Medical image processing system 200 includes a storage device 230 for storing medical images, the database server 240 for storing medical image information on the medical image, by using the medical image information and the medical image and the identification target object object a computer-assisted analysis section 250 identifies the peripheral object of the utilizing the identified identification target object and the peripheral object, based on the peripheral object detecting the relative positions of the identification target object was detected and a position detection unit 260 for storing position information. Therefore, the medical image processing system may be provided to detect the position of the object, it is possible to diagnose the accurate and quick medical images in hospitals. .Field


In this master thesis a wideband, inductorless LNA for GSM and
WCDMA with noise canceling is examined and designed in 90-nm RF
CMOS process. The goal was to design a wideband LNA that could
work as a drop in solution in ST-Ericsson's receiver and have an input
match below -12 dB for a bandwidth of 800 MHz to 2.5 GHz. The
proposed LNA combines two techniques, resistive feedback and noise
cancellation to provide both a wideband input match and good noise
and linearity performance.
The result is a wideband, differential LNA without any need for external
matching components. Furthermore, the solution is inductorless
which saves valuable area on chip. The LNA covers frequency bands
within 800 MHz – 2.5 GHz with S11 below -12.8 dBm and provides
a voltage gain of 27 dB. The NF is below 2.1 dB and IIP3 is greater
than -4 dBm with a power consumption of only 28 mW. In the receiver
test bench the mixer is used as load which results in a conversion gain
higher than 24 dB, S11 below -12.8 dBm, NF below 4 dB and IIP3
higher than -6.2 dB.
This solution has many features such as high bandwidth with a
good input match, inductorless design saving area and costs and is
fully differential.


Abstract— The 15 km diameter Ames structure in northwestern Oklahoma is located 2.75 km below surface in Cambro‐Ordovician Arbuckle dolomite, which is overlain by Middle Ordovician Oil Creek Formation shale. The feature is marked by two concentric ring structures, with the inner ring of about 5 km diameter probably representing the collapsed remnant of a structural uplift composed of brecciated Precambrian granite and Arbuckle dolomite. Wells from both the crater rim and the central uplift are oil‐ and gas‐producing, making Ames one of the economically important impact structures.


GEOCHEMICAL STUDY OF MAGMATIC AND METAMORPHIC EPIDOTES FROM NORTH GREECE: DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS Frantzana A., Soldatos T., Christofides G., and Koroneos A. Department of Mineralogy-Petrology-Economic Geology, School of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 546 21, Thessaloniki, firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, email@example.com Magmatic epidotes from the plutonites of Elatia (ELA, Rhodope) and Sithonia (STH, Chalkidiki) are studied, as well as metamorphic ones from the contact aureole of the Xanthi plutonite (KIM, Kimmeria) and from a schist (KIL, Kilkis). Major and trace element analyses were carried out by electron microprobe, Laser Ablation (ICP-MS-LA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). According to the IMA recommended nomenclature the studied minerals are classified as epidotes. Both magmatic epidotes ELA and STH show similar geochemical behaviour for most trace elements. REE patterns are straight with LREE enrichment relative to MREE and HREE, and positive Eu anomaly. In contrast, the metamorphic epidotes KIM and KIL display different REE patterns, concave upwards with MREE enrichment, and flat one respectively, as well as different trace element contents. Distribution coefficients D between magmatic epidotes and host rocks show distinct compatibility of REE, LILE (Na, K, Rb, Cs, Sr, Pb), actinides (U, Th), transition elements (Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu) and HFSE (Zr, Hf, Sn).


Over 40% of the estimated BO>< Hl' cattle population in Brazil 1:::: found in the "Cerrados" (savannas). a region which covers more than :ZOO million hcc· tares. Livestock production level:-; per animal and per area arc low and hmc remained stagnant for several decades. Forages are lmv in prolcin. digestible energy and minerals. particular!} phosphllrus. especially during rlle long dr:, season. It is estimated that by 1990 over 40 million hectares had 1Jeeu planted to pasture and over l'Z million hectares had been planted lo ar;nual crop:,. l\!o:·c than 1 SD million tons of crop residues and by-products. mainly from cnrn, soybean and sugarcane arc potentially available to help ;-:<J!n, thE:' de:, sca~;on feed shurtages in integrated crop-liYestock production ,systems. ~\'urnerou,; forage grasses and legumes adapted to the cerrado ecosystem ha\·e been released. Recent research on legume-based pastures ha,, demonstraled their large potentia L Effecti\·cness of cheaper alternative phosphorus sources has been dern,mstrated. The integration of lin°stock and annual crop production systems is new but shows promise of potential synergism with important ;,dvantages for both livestock and crops. One of the major goals in developing efficient and susiaiuable production systems for the cerrcidos to meet the grov,ing demand for food is to reduce pressure on the rainforests of the Amazon basin,


The costs associated with residency training can be tracked to several sources, including the additional costs of patient care in teaching settings. While some costs of residency training are fixed and are inherent to the training program itself, other costs, such as those associated with patient care in settings that include teaching, may be more amenable to change. This issue is significant when funding for graduate medical education is threatened and academic medical centers find themselves competing with centers that avoid teaching "at all costs."

Medical care that involves residents probably costs more than other medical care, and necessarily so. But might some of that cost yield to educational programs that focus specifically on cost containment? That depends on whether residents practice costly medicine because of nature or nurture, specifically whether the increased patient-care costs associated with residency training are attributable to the residents themselves or to the environment in which the residents are trained. We believe that residents assume standards of practice from the environments in which they learn. They do not bring with them a fixed notion of best practice; rather, they develop that notion from what they see and what they are taught. Residents create what they observe. If triangles had a god, Montesquieu said, he would have three sides.

Many of us can remember a different time. Call it the era of cost-plus medicine or simply "before managed care." It was an era when every patient with a new diagnosis of cirrhosis was tested for antismooth muscle antibodies to find autoimmune hepatitis, and every patient with COPD had to have an alpha-one antitrypsin level before the attending arrived. Tests took on a whole new meaning: they demonstrated our sophistication with differential diagnosis, and they indicated the extent of our knowledge. Things certainly have changed.

It is important to know whether these changes have affected patient outcomes and the cost of patient care. In this issue of JGIM, Griffith and colleagues review studies that measure the impact of residency programs on patient outcomes and resource utilization.1 Morbidity and mortality appear not to be affected by the presence of residency programs, nor by the residents' level of experience, at least not in systems that couple inexperienced residents with more experienced residents and teaching faculty. It seems, however, that residency programs do, or did, have a decided effect on costs. Residents in many studies were not cost conscious, as reflected by the number of tests and ancillary studies they ordered.

Whether that's still the case cannot be determined from this review. As the authors point out, most of the studies on patient costs associated with residency training were done in the 1970s and 80s. Some recent data2 and our personal experience suggest that residency training today may not be as strongly associated with increased patient costs and utilization. In fact, Griffith cites one study3 that found a decreased length of stay when the teaching service of one hospital was compared with the nonteaching service. The question of whether this is a general or an isolated phenomenon awaits further study. The issue is important and should be studied further by those interested in research on medical education. But absent such data, we believe several suggestions can be made.

We believe that residents trained in cost-conscious settings will be cost conscious. The salient question of Griffith's paper is not, "Do residents inherently drive costs up?" but rather, "What must the training environment provide to keep those costs down?" Obviously, residents need to understand prospective payment and managed care. They need to develop the clinical judgment that allows skilled physicians to consider cost without lowering the quality of care. They need to learn to practice within critical pathways and disease-management protocols, in part by helping develop these protocols

Griffith reviewed studies suggesting that during the 1980s residents were not sensitive to the cost of medications. Who was? Today, residents need to learn how pharmacy costs affect institutional costs and how drug costs affect patients directly. Pharmacists rounding with residents can stimulate discussions regarding medication costs, and restrictions on unnecessary prescribing habits should be part of every residency program. It's just a fact of life.

Also, Griffith found that increased length of stay was associated with residency training in some studies, although in one study the trend went the other way.3 Today, residents can learn to care for patients more efficiently if the training environment encourages this. One component of such an environment is coordinated communication around discharge planning. Another is an integrated team approach, including social workers, therapists, and nurses—another fact of life.

Graduate medical education is not cost-free. There are fixed costs associated with residency training that cannot be eliminated. The training process requires that residents participate meaningfully in realistic settings. It requires that residents be allowed to assess patients independently, develop differential diagnoses, and initiate evaluations. Training implies that the clinical acumen of residents will not be as sharp as that of their faculty supervisors. Residents may take longer and require more tests and procedures to arrive at the same conclusion as a senior faculty member. For faculty, the very presence of residents means time away from patient care and funded research. But no one is talking about abandoning medicine's teaching mission, just changing the environment in which that teaching takes place. The new environment must weave systems for cost containment into the systems for education. Unnecessary patient costs associated with resident education need to be eliminated, along with the incentives that encouraged ruling out obscure diagnoses and ordering excessive tests.

Medical centers committed to teaching must work the system at both ends. Both mission and margin must be pursued. In these hard times—and there is no reason to believe they are getting any easier—the costs associated with residency training must be controlled. A commitment to medical education is a commitment to integrating the concepts of cost-effectiveness into residency training programs. We believe residents can learn to practice cost-effective medicine, and the fact that they may not have done so in the past is more of a challenge than a fact of life.

REFLECTIONS

Degrees of Death (observations on surgery)

they say he's dying by degrees and cut his legs off at the knees to wipe away the dark disease his feet fell from his trunk. a rumpled naked man from whom came blood, a pooling liquidbloom to grow inside the sterile room plucked up by netted gauze.

what wisdom can we reap from pain? what process do we try to name? the man was healed to make him lame and lay upon the table. we all are dying by degrees and pay for time in paper fees we still have feet beneath our knees and only need reminding.

there may be pain beneath the skin the buried stone diseased within but before you push the needle in consider first the patient.

George VeechCharlottesville, Va.

Finalist 1997 Creative Medical Writing Contest


In a previous report, we analyzed the characteristics of a space charge field formed in a low density polyethylene (LDPE) film under non-uniform electric fields, and also studied the electrical properties of the film by using thermally stimulated electrical measurement under a needle-plane electrode system. It was found that the electric field formed in an LDPE film near the needle electrode was relaxed by the space charge injected from the needle electrode into film. In a present paper, we firstly measured both the inception voltage of treeing and the length of the path generated in an LDPE film by the electrical treeing under a needle-plane electrode system. We then measured both thermally stimulated current (TSC) and thermally stimulated surface potential (TSSP) generated in an LDPE film. After that, we investigated the relationship between the electrical treeing and space charge formed in an LDPE film and the tip of needle electrode used in the present investigation was approximately as same as the length of the path generated by the electrical treeing. Finally, the mechanism of the electrical treeing was also investigated on the basis of our experiments.


in 1951 (p. 29), none were left after they were driven out by riots, looting, and murder during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war (a comprehensive and updated history of the Jews of Libya was published in 2009, Sussex Academic Press). Libya: Continuity and Change provides an authoritative answer thus far to the question on everyone's mind about what Qadhafi's revolution has accomplished in the past 42 years. A more definitive answer will have to wait until a later time, when the country will finally be open to free enquiry. Qadhafi himself would agree with St John's conclusion that his revolution accomplished too little, as he had admitted in a speech: "The administration has failed and the economy has failed ..." As St John aptly puts it: "In one sense, Qaddafi after 40 years of tinkering has simply returned the political system to where it was when he ousted the monarchy in 1969" (p. 148). Astonishingly, as soon as the uprising broke through the barrier of silence and the lid of oppression, it revealed how little Libya has changed: the protests that began on February 17, 2011 carry the flag of pre-Qadhafi Libya. As to post-Qadhafi Libya, the author warns that "it will likely take many years to overcome the negative effects of more than four decades of the One September Revolution" (p. 151).


Abstract Higher oil prices and increased interest in energy security have stimulated research on bio fuels. In order to achieve sustainability, renewable energy sources must be developed and explored. Bio-diesel derived from micro algae is considered as one such sustainable source. An important step to determine the feasibility of algae bio-fuel is quantifying the potential of commercial scale algal bio-fuel production. A deterministic mathematical model was developed to predict the technical potential of micro-algae bio-fuels in India. The model aims to identify suitable growth locations based on sunlight and local climatic conditions for algal biomass cultivation. The model incorporates realistic limits for light distribution, land use, transmission, photon utilization, photosynthetic efficiencies, and oil content based on literature data. For each scenario of oil fraction and sunlight, the model calculates potential oil yield, biomass produced, and growth rates. This preliminary resource assessment estimates annual algal biomass yield between 159 and 345 metric tons per hectare and 57,000 to 1, 62,000 liters of lipids per hectare based on the solar radiation intensity available in India.


This research aimed to carry out the response of seed germination and seedling growth of Calina papaya to the seed soaked in coconut water. It was conducted from April to June 2017. The study comprised two designs of experiment i.e. the Completely Randomized Design for the seed germination and the Randomized Complete Block Design for the seedling growth of papaya. There were 25 treatment combinations obtained and each treatment was replicated three times. The treatment factors comprised the concentration and the duration of seed soaked in coconut water. The results showed that the seed immersion in the 80% concentration of coconut water for 8 hours had the highest growth rate and vigour index. Meanwhile, the seed immersion in the 60% concentration of coconut water for 8 hours showed the highest percentage of germination. The seed immersion for eight hours resulted in the seedling growth of papaya.


Linear transceivers prove efficiency and sometimes optimality under certain constraints. It is known that receive beamforming (matched filter) is diversity optimal in the case of SIMO channel whereas the MMSE MIMO receiver is diversity optimal for only a small set of spectral efficiency $R$ b/s/Hz for an $M\times N$ MIMO channel. In this paper we analyze the matched filter MIMO receiver over a frequency selective channel under cyclic-prefix transmission. It is shown that for a frequency selective channel with $\nu+1$ taps (where $\nu$ is the channel memory) the matched filter has a rate-dependent diversity that switches between $(\nu+2)$ modes (with minimum of zero and a maximum of $MN(\nu+1)$) depending on the value of the operating $R$.


In this work,the process of dyeing and finishing of polyester-cotton-polyurethane knitting fabric were introduced;the factors which influenced on elasticity,grams of per square meter,shrinkage and dimensional stability etc.were also detailed analyzed.


We demonstrate the first thin disk epitaxial Tm-laser based on the monoclinic KLu(WO4)2 with 15 at. % doping. The doped epitaxial layer serving as an active medium is only 80 μm thick. The large absorption enables efficient pumping with only a single double pass of the pump radiation from the diode-laser. For output coupling between 0.4% and 2.8 %, the slope efficiency in the continuous-wave regime is in the 7-11% range and the laser threshold is 1.5...2.5 W of absorbed pump power. The laser emission spectra are centered at ~1850, 1915 and 1940 nm for output couples of 2.8%, 1.6% and 0.4% transmission, respectively. In all cases the emission spectra are "structured", consisting of a number (typically 5...10) of narrow emission lines spread irregularly over 15...30 nm.


mediaX connects businesses with Stanford University's world-renowned faculty to study new ways for people and technology to intersect. We are the industry-affiliate program to Stanford's H-STAR Institute. We help our members explore how the thoughtful use of technology can impact a range of fields, from entertainment to learning to commerce. Together, we're researching innovative ways for people to collaborate, communicate and interact with the information, products, and industries of tomorrow. Abstract What if we could show how pervasive, interactive products influence the mental habits that frame an individual's life experience? This paper studies how pervasive, interactive products influence the mental habits that frame an individual's life experiences. Based on 12 user interviews and a literature review of attention and meta-cognitive regulation, it identifies interaction design patterns for how such systems influence mental patterns and concludes with a descriptive and predictive model illustrating how mental states shift around product use. This model can be used to evaluate and redesign systems to improve mental patterns through influencing cognitive and affective states.


We discuss the supersymmetric O(alpha_s) QCD corrections to e+ e- -> squark_i + antisquark_j (i,j = 1,2) and to squark_i -> q' + chargino_j, q + neutralino_k (i,j = 1,2; k = 1...4) within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. In particular we consider the squarks of the third generation stop_i and sbottom_i including the left-right mixing. In the on-shell scheme also the mixing angle has to be renormalized. We use dimensional reduction (which preserves supersymmetry) and compare it with the conventional dimensional regularization. A detailed numerical analysis is also presented.


The hydrolysis kinetics of 5-fluorocytosine was studied at pH 1-12, at 80°, 100°, and 121°C. The hydrolysis takes place by water attack on the protonated, neutral, and anionic forms of the drug, furthermore it is subject to catalytic hydrolysis by buffers in solution. The hydrolysis rates follow first-order kinetics. The pH profile indicates that 5-fluorocytosine has maximum stability near pH 6. In acid solution the drug deaminates to 5-fluorouracil, the final product. In neutral and basic solutions deamination takes place and nonchromophoric products are formed. The Arrhenius activation energy was found to be 25.4 Kcal/mol at pH 6.4 and the time required for 10% loss (t0.9) was estimated from the Arrhenius parameter (33 years at 25 °C).


Abstract : Naval ship acquisition is widely thought to be too expensive, too long, too uncertain and too risky. Throughout the ship development process, decision makers at all levels are afflicted by unreliable estimates and projections of cost, performance, schedule, and risk of competing alternatives. In this context, "decision makers" includes senior Navy leadership, program officers, and ship design managers, all of whom make decisions affecting the eventual product. How can estimates and projections of cost, performance, schedule, and risk be improved? To some extent, decision making in the face of uncertainty is an inescapable part of the development of naval warships due to their unrivaled complexity. This is especially true in the early stages of ship development. However, analysis indicates that the quality of cost, performance, schedule, and risk estimates could be substantially improved by actions addressing the root causes of poor estimates. This paper examines four root causes of poor cost, performance, schedule, and risk estimates and projections in the context of ship information development and flow. Eight solution vectors are identified that can provide higher quality estimates and projections earlier in the design process, reducing the uncertainties faced by decision makers, saving expensive engineering labor, and increasing assurance that the delivered ship will satisfy requirements. The relationship of particular solution vectors to the particular root causes is provided in tabular and discussion form.


Established firms are increasingly under pressure to develop new business models (BM) in a continuous manner to cope with competitive constraints and changing market requirements. Business model innovation (BMI) is widely accepted as a viable means to stay ahead of competition. Yet, firms struggle with successful BMI. The barriers to BMI is a widely discussed topic in academia and practice but with little reference to the barriers a firm is confronted with when operating multiple BMs in a corporate portfolio.,This paper investigates the implications for a firm operating a multitude of BMs concurrently. By combining the results of a literature analysis and 15 expert interviews from the fields of corporate strategy, business modelling and consulting, this paper presents and discusses the opportunities and challenges related to BM diversification.,The findings show that a strategic BM portfolio can be installed for enhanced value creation. However, managing multiple BMs and finding the right balance between existing and new business pose a major challenge for many established firms. With these results, the paper contributes to the existing literature in the fields of BMI and BM portfolio management. The findings clearly show the emerging importance of a strategic corporate BM portfolio for both research and practice and may provide an impetus for management discussions involving strategic BM portfolio decisions.,By building on and adding to existing literature and discussing existing works, this paper aims to giving a structured and comprehensive overview of enhancing and impeding factors on value creation when operating multiple BMs in a corporate portfolio.


The problem of steady, laminar, conjugate-natural convection in a square cavity with an adiabatic baffle mounted on a vertical wall at different positions is formulated. In this study, natural convection heat transfer in a square cavity with an adiabatic fin mounted on a vertical wall was investigated numerically. Navier-Stokes equations have been performed and they are solved using finite difference method (FDM). Results are obtained for various parameters as the baffle location (0.25 h 0.75), thickness (t=0.033), length of baffle (0.25w 0.75), Rayleigh numbers (10Ra 10). Prandtl number values are Pr=0.7, 1 and 7, is investigated. Results were presented with streamlines, isotherms, local and mean Nusselt numbers. It was found that Prandtl number and presence of the baffle on the wall have significant effect on natural convection.


A boundary element method (BEM) has been commonly used in a hydrofoil or propeller performance analysis. The effect of viscosity is often considered by applying a constant empirical friction coefficient over the blade, which does not fully consider the development of the boundary layer. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) low-order BEM is coupled with an originally two-dimensional boundary layer solver, X-foil, to evaluate the effect of viscosity on the blade surface and predict the open water characteristics of the 3D hydrofoil and propeller. During the process, the boundary layer equations are solved at each section, where the 2D influence coefficients in X-foil have been replaced by the 3D influence coefficients, corresponding to the panels at each strip, with the effect of the boundary layer sources from the other sections and the other blades being considered, in an iterative sense. Then, the viscous/inviscid interactive method is employed to calculate the skin friction coefficient, which significantly improves the prediction of friction and pressure distribution on the blade, and the efficiency of the propeller. Subsequently, full-blown Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are conducted to validate the predicted results under various conditions. The results demonstrate that the skin friction coefficient correlates well with RANS results. This model was shown to be robust and efficient for predicting viscous effects while requiring less computational effort than an arduous 3D meshwork in RANS.


A seismic risk assessment methodology based on socioeconomic clustering of urban habitat is presented in this paper. In this methodology, the city is divided into different housing clusters based on socioeconomic level of occupants, representing reasonably uniform seismic risk. It makes an efficient utilization of high resolution satellite data and stratified random sample survey to develop the building stock database. Ten different classes of socioeconomic clusters found in Indian cities are defined and 34 model building types (MBTs) prevalent on the Indian subcontinent have been identified and compared with the Medvedev-Sponheuer-Karnik (MSK) scale, European macroseismic scale (EMS), parameterless scale of seismic intensity (PSI), and HAZUS classifications. Lower and upper bound damage probability matrices (DPMs) are estimated, based on the MSK and EMS intensity scales and experience from past earthquakes in India. A case study of Dehradun, a city in the foothills of Himalayas, is presented. The risk estimates using the estimated DPMs have been compared with those obtained using the PSI scale. It has been observed that poorer people are subjected to higher seismic risk, both in terms of casualties and in terms of percent economic losses.


In this study we will describe an intervention decision-support method related to residential buildings, which is modelling the condition of buildings based on linguistic expert opinions so that it is capable of taking into consideration the uncertainties included in the expert opinions. Fuzzy signature-based model is used, wherein the uncertainties are integrated into the system by applying interval valued fuzzy sets, as well as linguistic hedges. The result will be a fuzzy set for each building, describing the condition of the whole building, specify the bourdary values between which the condition of the building may fall.


Abstract : This report describes research efforts to determine the ability to predict Table VIII performance from Conduct-of-Fire Trainer (COFT) proficiency and tank crew demographics and to develop cut scores for predicting Table VIII qualification. Tank commanders (TCs) and gunners in 24 Army National Guard Ml tank crews completed the COFT Test of Gunnery Proficiency (CTGP) before firing Table VIII during annual training. Hit Rate, based on 22 engagements from the CTGP, correlated positively with Table VIII scores. Gunner's age, TC vision, and crew years of military service also correlated with Table VIII. TC vision was positively related to Table VIII scores, whereas gunner's age was negatively related to both Table VIII scores and CTGP Hit Rate. The relationship between crew years of military service and Table VIII was curvilinear (crews with intermediate years of service outperformed those with either few or many years of service). When the three best predictor variables were combined in a multiple regression algorithm, they accounted for more than 60% of the variance in Table VIII scores. The results show that Table VIII performance can be predicted from a combination of COFT Hit Rate and other measures and support the viability of device-based training strategies for Army National Guard armor units. If the results are replicable, COFT cut scores can be constructed to serve as training guidelines. Crews trained to specified levels of COFT proficiency can be expressed (with known levels of probability) to qualify on Table VIII.


The Behrami and Saramati decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has invited severe censure for discarding the well-established dichotomy between UN peacekeeping and UN-authorized operations, and applying the ultimate authority and control test instead of the effective control test for the purpose of attribution in the context of the UN-authorized operation in Kosovo. Harsh criticism notwithstanding, in Serdar Mohammed and Kontic, the domestic courts in the UK have recently followed the Behrami and Saramati approach. In Kontic, nearly 10 years after the Behrami and Saramati decision, the court found that the approach taken by the ECtHR was 'persuasive authority of the very weightiest kind'. Therefore, it is high time for Behrami and Saramati to be revisited. This study argues that the ECtHR did apply the effective control test along with the ultimate authority and control test in Behrami and Saramati, and that the UK courts aligned themselves with this approach. The Behrami and Saramati decision was not fundamentally wrong as a matter of interpretation and the conclusion reached by the ECtHR that the misconduct was not attributable to the respondent states was not manifestly absurd. Nevertheless, the decision was not without deficiency because it failed to take full account of the delicate equilibrium that the effective control test seeks. The present study aims to precisely identify what was wrong with the decision.


Thermal and chemical durability studies of the phosphate glasses belonging to the binary MoO 3 -P 2 O 5 and the ternary Na 2 O-MoO 3 -P 2 O 5 systems are reported. The chemical resistant attack tests carried out on the free alkaline MoO 3 -P 2 O 5 glasses show that the glass associated with the P/Mo ratio 2 has the high chemical durability. It shows also a high glass transition temperature value. The above findings are interpreted in terms of the cross-link density of the glasses and the strength of the M-0 bonds (M = P, Mo). The influence of Na 2 O addition on the properties of this binary high- water resistant glass is studied. It is found that the chemical durability along with the other physical properties are reduced by the incorporation of Na 2 O in the glass matrix. The results were explained by assuming the formation of non-bridging oxygens and weak bonds. The mechanism of the dissolution of these glasses is proposed.


By using the classical umbral calculus, we propose a symbolic expression of multivariate Levy processes. Compared with the classical one, the advantage of this approach relies in relaxing many of usual hypothesis necessary to deal with stochastic processes. As example, we recover the symbolic representation of multivariate Brownian motion and multivariate compound Poisson process. Open problems are also addressed.


It has been proved that Rhodiola Capsules can obviously decrease the oxygen consumption of myocardium and oxygen consumption index in anesthetic dogs, decrease the coronary artery resistance, but have no marked effect on the coronary artery blood flow. The Capsules also have the function of decreasing blood presure and slowing heart rate.


This paper explores possible carbon offset solutions for the University of Richmond's (UR's) study-abroad travel emissions in pursuit of the University's goal to be carbon neutral by the year 2050. First, our group divided the world into five regions to which UR students travel: Oceania, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. For the most popular countries in each region, we suggest several carbon offset programs to address this portion of the University's carbon emissions. Then, we created a methodology for evaluating and comparing carbon offset programs around the world including six scoring categories: experience, education, incentive, price, impact, and effectiveness. We evaluated each offset option using a report card grading system on a scale from letter grade A to F. This paper concludes with recommendations for how UR's Office of International Education and Office of Sustainability should proceed with this project, and how our research should be included into the existing study abroad framework at UR.


ability which can be measured by means of tests and manipulated to some extent in experimental settings. On the whole, such researchers have shown little interest in studying the function and ecological significance of intelligence; using the present terminology, they have not dealt conceptually or empirically with the 'other half' of intelligence. Studying the other half requires observing the animal in its


As a part of an evaluation system for R&D programs, the Korean Government has applied the preliminary feasibility study to new government R&D program plans. Basically, the fundamental purpose of the preliminary feasibility study is to decide that the government will either do or do not invest in a new R&D Program. Additionally, the preliminary feasibility study can contribute to the improvement of R&D program plans. For example, 2 cases of new R&D program plans applied to the study are explained in this paper and there are expectations that these R&D programs would yield better performance than without the study. It is thought that the important point of the preliminary feasibility study is not only the effective decision making process of R&D program but also the opportunity to improve R&D program plan actually. Keywords—Preliminary feasibility study, Government R&D program.


The cost of safeguarding the environment during construction dredging may have risen after the passage, beginning in the 1950s, of legislation to protect the environment. This might occur if increasingly stringent legislation were passed over the years or if the interpretation of existing legislation became stricter. One way to examine the impact is to study components of and trends in the cost of environmental protection. To keep this examination manageable the study was limited to construction dredging contracts in the continental United States planned, designed and contracted by Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Line item pricing data collected from solicitation bid summaries were analyzed. The cost of environmental protection is a life-cycle cost, not simply a construction cost. To protect the environment, time and money are being invested in construction, and also in mitigation, planning, design, and post-construction monitoring.


Abstract : Increasingly, our modern, mobile population works and lives with information. Most individuals interact with information through a single portal: a personal desktop or laptop computer. To provide mobile workers with more convenient access, companies are beginning to produce various portable and embedded information devices. These developments hint at a future where people will interact with information through a continuously varying array of devices that combine to form ad hoc portals suitable to particular situations. In such a future, people and information will be emancipated. No longer will information be captive of single devices, nor will one person necessarily own each device. This leap of imagination requires that human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers solve some significant challenges. This paper identifies and discusses these challenges, and also points to some current, early research on the trail to the next frontier of human-computer interaction.


The thermochemical properties of the Hf-Ta system are not known from direct measurements and there is a lack of information on the Gibbs energy G m of its various stable phases, which is necessary in establishing systematically the thermal properties of transition metal alloys, and in the modelling of ternary and higher-order phase diagrams based on Hf-Ta. This kind of information has been obtained using a theoretical method which relies on the coupling between thermochemistry and phase diagrams. The approach involves the analysis and synthesis of selected pieces of phase equilibrium data using models for G m of bcc, hcp and liquid, and the evaluation of a set of optimum model parameters through a computer optimization technique. The G m functions arrived at in this way are used in constructing, by calculation, a phase diagram for the Hf-Ta system, and in analysing the composition and structure dependence of the enthalpy of formation. Detailed comparisons with estimates from the Miedema method and other predictive approaches are also reported.


Summary Resident proteins of the ER lumen carry a specific tetrapeptide signal (KDEL or HDEL) that prevents their secretion. We have previously described the isolation of yeast mutants that fail to retain such resident proteins within the cell. Here we describe ERDP, a gene required for retention. It encodes a 26 kd integral membrane protein whose abundance determines the efficiency and capacity of the retention system. Reduced expression of ERDP leads to secretion of proteins bearing the HDEL signal, whereas overexpression of ERDP improves retention both in wild-type cells and in other mutants. These results are consistent with other evidence that ERDP encodes the HDEL receptor (see accompanying paper). The gene is also required, perhaps indirectly, for normal protein transport through the Golgi, and hence for growth. We discuss possible roles for ERDP in the secretory pathway.


Most heavy metals are well-known toxic and carcinogenic agents and when discharged into
wastewater represent a serious threat to the human population and the fauna and flora of the
receiving water bodies. The present study aims to develop a procedure for Pb (II) removal.
This procedure is based on using powdered activated carbon, which was prepared from
walnut shells that were generated as plant wastes and modified with potassium carbonate
and phosphoric acid as chemical agents. The main parameters, such as effect of pH, effect of
sorbent dosage, Pb (II) concentrations, and various contact times influence the sorption process.
The experimental results were analyzed by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, and
Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption models. The kinetic study of Pb (II) on activated carbon
from walnut shells was performed based on pseudo- first order and pseudo- second order
equations. The data indicate that the adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo- second order
rate. The procedure was successfully applied for Pb (II) removal from aqueous solutions.


Generator imbalance load is judged by negative sequence current,thus negative sequence current is an important parameter related to safe and stable running of generator. Negative sequence current monitoring, alarm and fault handlingare veryimportant work. The paper analyzes shortcomings ofmain algorithmused bythe current monitoring instrument, introduces high precision frequency domain algorithm. In the algorithm, signal denoising is realized with correlation and digital filtering. Negative sequence current can be calculated by transforming signal to frequency domain. The principle of algorithm is described in detail and practical realization is given. Using the algorithm, negative sequence current monitoringinstruments work reliablyin power plants. Precision ofmonitoringand real-time response is high.


The combination of hyperpigmentation, low cortisol, and high adrenocorticotropic hormone levels with normal mineralocorticoid production is character-ized by isolated glucocorticoid deficiency. Here, we present a newborn with isolated glucocorticoid deficiency presenting with generalized hyperpigmentation.


Abstract The heat budget of the atmosphere-ocean-land system in the Indian Ocean region (30°N–30°S, 30–120°E) is studied on the basis of ocean surface heat flux calculations from long-term ship observations and satellite-derived estimates of net radiation at the top of the atmosphere. The hydrosphere to the north of the equator exports heat at rates of 5 × 1014 W for the year as a whole, and more than 8 × 1014 W during the northern summer (May–October) half-year, respectively. In contrast, the heat budget of the Southern Hemisphere water is dominated by the seasonal storage/depletion of heat transferred through the ocean surface. Oceanic heat export/import is small for this region during both the November–April and May–October half-years, and near zero for the year as a whole. The mean annual net meridional oceanic heat transport is directed southward throughout the study area, reaching a maximum of 8 × 1014 W at 10–15°S. From heat balance considerations, the annual average upwelling north of the equator ...


Breast cancer is often a devastating disease that affects millions of women, regardless of race, ethnic group or socioeconomic status annually. The goal of this research is to demonstrate the high‐risk breast patterns as detected via Infrared Thermography and how the thermographic patterns can be improved with lifestyle and other changes, thereby decreasing the individual's risk for developing late stage breast cancer. Results of data obtained from fifteen women who underwent breast thermography, via a digital infrared imaging camera called the FLIR T420 were compared via t‐test. The goal of the study was to stratify patients on the scale of fibrocystic or precancerous breasts into none, mild, moderate and severe categories, and to identify high risk, moderate risk, and low risk groups based on a risk assessment questionnaire, blood tests for vitamin D 25‐OH, and testing for genetic mutation of the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase [MTHFR] gene. From this risk stratification we then determined the need for incorporating a prevention protocol which included: 1] education on diet, 2] exercise and prevention of exposure, 3] detoxification of environmental toxins; 4] education on stress relief; 5] education on breast self‐examination; 6] iodine and vitamin D supplementation; and 7] local application of Frankincense oil to the breast to help attenuate inflammatory processes. Patients were re‐evaluated after the initial exam at intervals of three months, six months and one year. This follow up monitored the benefits of the protocol and documented the progression of decrease in high risk factors for each patient. All 15 participants complied with all treatment regimens throughout the study. Participants exhibited marked improvements in breast health at the conclusion of the study. The results of this study indicate that beast examination via therrmography is effective in the aid of breast cancer prevention. These results indicate that thermography is an effective tool that should be utilized more by physicians and other health care providers to assist with early detection and prevention of breast cancer. Also, the results of this study support the encouragement of routine exercise, maintaining a BMI less than 30 and strategies that assist in stress management. Early MTHFR genetic testing will also help determine if the patient is at an increased risk for developing breast cancer prior to the onset of symptoms.


The global pharmaceutical business environment has been rapidly changing and has more competitive. Competition in pharmaceutical industry extended far beyond the traditional battle field, research and development. Bayer AG, a leading pharmaceutical company, decided to evaluate lean management as a tool to improve their competitiveness in the market. This thesis attempts to understand the system impact of the lean management implementation to the Bayer supply chain using modeling and simulation tools. The results of the model will be used to determine the system characteristics of current practice and lean practice. The objective of this thesis is to use the system characteristics generated from the simulation models and provide implementation recommendation to Bayer AG. Thesis Advisor: David Simchi-Levi Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems


At first, discussed the necessity to reduce noise of the electric signals that be measured in the test system of transient power quality, then several kinds of methods of noise reduction be compared in this paper, and finally the wavelet threshold denoising method be selected based on the compared results and the non stationary characteristic of power quality. Then the wavelet base function be constructed, and as key point, the method to select the threshold be analysed at the same time of the rational wavelet decomposition level be determined. At last, to simulate the effect of wavelet threshold denoising method by matlab; as the result, the denoising problem be solved effective through the method above, and it would never generated the distortion that caused by the signal singularity be effected.


We have measured the angular distributions of the neutron polarization for the/ sup 13/C( alpha , n) reaction at E/sub alpha / = 2.075, 2.225, an d 2.43 MeV to determine J/sup pi / assignments for states in/ sup 17/O at 7.97, 8.07, a nd 8.197 MeV. Our analysis of sigma ( THETA ) and P( THETA ) data shows that the parity assignments reported by Scholermann for these states are ambiguous due to the spin and parity structure of the /sup 13/C( alpha , n) /sup 16/O reaction. Th e usefulness of this reaction as a source of polarized neutrons is also discussed briefly. (auth)


Prostate cyst, as an extrarenal manifestation in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, although infrequent, nevertheless goes beyond tenuous concomitance and may rarely contribute to recurrent urinary tract infection or outflow obstruction and mostly remains asymptomatic. In this context, we report a case of incidentally detected, an asymptomatic prostatic cyst in a patient of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.


The entire world is spreading of coronavirus-COVID-19 has increased exponentially across the globe, and still, no vaccine is available for the treatment of patients. The crowd has grown tremendously in the hospitals where the facilities are minimal. The queue theory is applied for the Single-server system and its self-similarity existence in a queue used to identify the queue time, waiting time, and Hurst parameter by different patient arrivals methods Health care center in our local area located in Hosapete, Ballari district, Karnataka. Due to more arrivals to the health care center for the identification and confirmation of disease covid-19. This study paper presents a sequential queuing model for estimating infections' detection and identification in severe loading conditions. The goal is to offer a simplified probabilistic model to determine the general behavior to predict how long the treatment cycle will diagnose and classify people already tested and get negative or positive results. For this type of Method, there are some graphical representations of the various measurement criteria. The modelling results showed that the patient's waiting period in the course of inquiries, detections, detecting, or treating COVID-19 in the event of imbalances in the system as a whole rise following the logarithm rule.


Background Deficient social interactions are a hallmark of major neuropsychiatric disorders, and cumulating evidence point to altered social reward and motivation as key underlying mechanisms in these pathologies. In the present study, we aimed at assessing the role of the two striatal projecting neuronal (SPN) populations bearing either D1R or D2R dopamine receptors (D1R- and D2R-SPNs), in modulating social behavior and other behaviors often altered in neuropsychiatric disorders. Methods We selectively ablated D1R- and D2R-SPNs using an inducible diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR)-mediated cell targeting strategy and assessed social behavior as well as repetitive/perseverative behavior, motor function and anxiety levels. We tested the effects of optogenetic stimulation of D2R-SPNs in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) and pharmacological compounds repressing D2R-SPN. Results Targeted deletion of D1R-SPNs in the NAc blunted social behavior in mice, facilitated skill motor learning and increased anxiety levels. These behaviors were normalized by pharmacological inhibition of D2R-SPN, which also repressed transcription in the efferent nucleus, the ventral pallidum (VP). In contrast, ablation of D1R-SPNs in the dorsal striatum had no impact on social behavior, impaired motor skill learning, and decreased anxiety levels. Deletion of D2R-SPNs in the NAc also produced motor stereotypies but facilitated social behavior and impaired skill motor learning. We mimicked excessive D2R-SPN activity by optically stimulating D2R-SPNs in the NAc and evidenced a severe deficit in social interaction that was prevented by D2R-SPN pharmacological inhibition. Conclusions Repressing D2R-SPN activity may represent a promising therapeutic strategy to relieve social deficit in neuropsychiatric disorders.


In the past decades, there has been tremendous growth in security-related issues throughout the world. With such a multifold increase in demand for security, video surveillance has become a critical research area. In the most recent studies, there were many attempts to integrate image processing algorithms. It was also possible to achieve artificial intelligence capabilities using computer vision. Intelligent video surveillance systems can be described as a technique to assist security personnel by providing reliable real-time alerts, thus supporting the investigations with efficient video analysis. This paper discusses a comprehensive and systematic overview of the existing video surveillance techniques and possible enhancements.


In this study, a label-free interdigitated array (IDA) microelectrode-based immunosensor was designed and tested for rapid and sensitive detection of E. coli O157:H7. The surface of gold IDA microelectrodes (25 pairs of fingers with 700 m length and 10 m width and space) was modified with protein A and further immobilized with polyclonal antibodies against E. coli O157:H7. A 20 L sample containing E. coli O157:H7 in 0.01 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4 was dropped on the surface of the modified microelectrodes and incubated for 2 h at room temperature. After the target bacteria were captured by the antibodies immobilized on the microelectrode, a wash with PBS was applied to rinse off all unbound parts of the sample. Finally, the impedance, both magnitude and phase angle, was measured over a broad frequency range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. The results showed that the impedance in a frequency range of 1 Hz to 1 kHz increased with the increasing number of E. coli O157:H7 in a range from 80 to 2 105 cells per 20 L. A linear relationship between the magnitude of measured impedance and the log number of cells was determined at the frequency of 1 kHz. This biosensing method was able to detect as few as 80 cells of E. coli O157:H7 within 2 h. The specificity of the immunosensor was validated using five non-target bacteria, and none of them generated detectable signals. The application of the immunosensor for food safety was demonstrated with food samples including chicken carcasses, ground beef, and fresh cut broccoli inoculated with E. coli O157:H7. At the same time, the capture of E. coli O157:H7 cells on the microelectrode surface was confirmed using atomic force microscopy.


The parallel computing method is an efficient approach to speed up and enhance the solving ability of numerical simulation of thin\|sheet metal forming In this paper,the Domain decomposition for parallel computing,the communication between each processor and the algorithm to deal with contact used explicit method are introduced,also an example is presented to illustrate the result using the parallel computing method


Does the widely accepted espectancy-disconfirmation model apply to situations within a financial services context? Or could it be, due to specific characteristics of services, that a different model applies? This paper addresses these questions and tests the relationships between consumer expectations, performance, disconfirmation, .satisfaction and repeat purchase in a lisrel model. The results would suggest that the relevancy of disconfirmation is fairly apparent and that expectations have only an indirect influence on satisfaction where financial services are concerned. The performance level of financial services however has a strong positive direct effect on satisfaction.


The separation of multiple products from microalgae using a biorefinery approach is essential for the economic sustainability of microalgae‐based products. In the current study, a technique for the simultaneous extraction of such products was investigated for the complete valorization of microalgae biomass. Three principal metabolites – chlorophylls, carbohydrates and proteins – were simultaneously fractionated from the biomass of isolated Chlorella thermophila using a modified version of the triphasic separation (TPS) process. Optimized process parameters were determined as: (i) ammonium sulfate as the salt; (ii) 40% (w/v) as the salt concentration; (iii) 1:1 as the salt/alcohol ratio; (iv) 0.25% (w/w) as biomass loading; (v) 6 min of homogenization time, and (vi) 10 000 rpm as homogenization speed. These optimized process parameters resulted in the simultaneous recovery of 71%, 40%, and 22% yields for proteins, carbohydrates, and chlorophylls, respectively. Ultrastructure analysis revealed that intracellular metabolites could be extracted without complete cell disruption. Finally, a comparative analysis between triphasic separation with and without homogenization demonstrated the economic feasibility of the optimized extraction process.


Abstract Unique global strong solutions of a Cauchy problem arising in electrophoretic separation are constructed with arbitrary initial data in L 1, thus generalizing an earlier global existence result. For small diffusion coefficients, the solutions can be viewed as approximate solutions for the corresponding zero-diffusion Riemann problem.


Abstract In order to raise the efficiency of Bayesian decision analysis, the comparison analysis of added information structure with noise are considered by using the correlation coefficient between two information structures. The entropy measures the indefiniteness of information system in information theory. Using the conditional entropy, we define the decrease of object's uncertainty, and measure the volume of information content in the added information structures. An expression about correlation coefficient between two information structures is derived by considering the standardization of information content. Numerical illustrations are also presented. Such an analysis demonstrates that the correlation coefficient can be used to compare and appraise information structures with noise.


Daniel Urbina Sanchez grew up between Lubbock, Texas and Garden City, Kansas. Starting in 1968, Sanchez's family moved permanently to Lubbock. He graduated from Lubbock High School and Texas Tech University. In the 2000, Sanchez began participating in such organizations as Las Fiestas Del Llano, which is an organization focused on celebrating Mexican national holidays. He is currently an oral historian for Texas Tech University's Southwest Collection. At Texas Tech University, Sanchez became a leader of the Latino faculty and staff. Sanchez also founded Citizens United in Discourse Against Discrimination, CUIDAD, which led rallies within Lubbock and participated in protests in the Texas State Capitol as the legislature considered racists-anti immigration bills.


Xinjiang,for its special situations is more complex in terms of the formation of social weak groups than other inland provinces.The two biggest groups are the poor minority farmers and herdsmen and the needy staff of the XJPCC.As they are special,it is more difficult to help them relieve poverty.What is more,they are growing in numbers,which has become one of the most important factors affecting the social stability and development in Xinjiang.


Not a long time ago it was a little difficult to defend the high level of research needed by the librarian in charge of a music collection. There were not many libraries specialized on this subject. Nowadays we have seen in Spain the revaluation of the collections of music schools, art academies, etc. and we count with several musical documentation centres specialized in a composer or a geographic area. There are also an old international project recently established in Spain, the RISM (Repertoire International des Sources Musicales), and others national plans working now, like Musica Inedita, of the Royal Palace library, or Instrumenta Musicae, directed by the National Library of Spain, that collects the information of musical documents of the 19th century kept in the national libraries of Spain and Latin America. A correct description of musical documents demands the use of reference works and bibliographic tools about composers, writers, title names, publishers or dates of publication. The result, condensed in a bibliographic record, normally brief, must be reliable in all his parts.


Based at the University of Virginia Medical School, Jonathan Moreno, director of their Centre for Biomedical Ethics, explores the ethical, social and legal implications of research into neuroscience. In particular, he questions the work undertaken by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), set up by the US government in 1958 to ensure that the USA did not fall behind the Soviets in the space race. DARPA, with a current budget of around three billion million dollars, diversified from its original projects and currently investigates any form of science that has implications for national security. Early in 2006, it included in its strategic targets: 'biological approaches for maintaining the warfighter's performance, capabilities and medical survival in the face of harsh battlefield conditions; biological approaches for minimizing the after-effects of battlefield injuries … as well as faster recuperation from battlefield injury and wounds … new approaches for understanding and predicting the behaviour of individuals and groups, especially those that elucidate the neurobiological basis of behaviour and decision making' (pp. 12–13).

Because many of the defence technology projects sponsored by DARPA were shrouded in secrecy, it heightens the necessity for an ethical debate but at the same time makes this problematic. Jonathan Moreno is particularly concerned with DARPA's neuroscience projects, studies designed to discover ways to maximize the performance of individuals as well as various non-lethal disabling technologies, such as anaesthetic agents, foul-smelling chemicals and acoustic technologies of use in quelling civil disturbance. As a member of two presidential ethics committees, he is well placed to conduct this analysis.

In a chapter entitled 'building better soldiers', Moreno explores research into ways of enhancing their performance on the battlefield by allowing them to function for longer periods without sleep, improving cognitive capacity and even to turn down natural fear responses. These initiatives are …


Until the 1960s, geography was taught as a core subject in Swedish high schools. However in 1966, geography as a school subject was dismantled and combined with science and social studies. After about 30 years of non-existence as a discipline, geography was restored as an independent subject in 1993 with the introduction of a new, comprehensive high school system.Despite the fact that the unification of geography with social studies and science in 1966 spelled the dismantling of geography as an independent discipline, academic geography at that time was already divided into human and natural branches, and many human geographers who had been working to establish their field as a subfield of social studies welcomed the merger into social studies.With the merger of human geography into social studies, descriptive content in geography was removed and replaced with the scientific concepts and theories of the day. However, the status of geography within social studies began to decline. Reasons for this decline include 1) as geography was riding the wave toward applied social science, no consideration from an educational perspective was given of the results of geography as it was incorporated into social science, 2) almost no theoretical or practical research was conducted in geography as a sub-field of social studies, 3) academic geography and geography education became increasingly estranged from one another, and 4) geography became, in effect, irrelevant in the training of social studies teachers, with the result that their understanding and awareness of geography declined, and they themselves did not deal with geography within the subject of social studies. It can be said that in the 1970s and 1980s, geography education in social studies was essentially non-functional.In 1991, when the Swedish high school system was completely reformed, it was decided to restore geography as a school subject. However, this would not have been possible without the existence of geographers who had struggled to restore their discipline to the school curriculum. At the same time, a quantitative reform in education was called for to deal with the diversification of the social demands of a deindustrializing and information-oriented society, the gravity of environmental problems, internationalization, and other issues. Geography which dealt with the relationship between man and nature apparently played an important role environmental education and international studies. One thing is for certain: there was a demand for its revival as a new type of geography education.It cannot be denied that geography is the foundation of geography education, but it should also be stressed that emphasizing only the uniqueness of geography in geography education is behind the times. Therefore, as we look toward the development of a new type of geography education, geography itself, not only in Sweden but elsewhere, is being asked to reevaluate its significance in geography education.


Housing reconstruction of disaster damaged people whose houses are collapsed by earthquake disaster and left with home mortgage payment becomes recognized as a serious problem in Japan. Although there are a few support measures for disaster victims' home mortgage problems are implemented by the government such as subsidizing mortgage interest and leniency policy for disaster victims' home mortgage, both of them are not directly related to support fundamental housing reconstruction by the affected households' self-reliant efforts due to the lack of dissemination and financial reliableness. In this study, a new framework of compulsory earthquake insurance system focusing on households with home mortgage payment to enhance early housing reconstruction is proposed.


ABSTRACT Contrary to elite performance that is approaching an asymptote, recent analyses suggested a trend for improvement in veterans. This might be attributable to a disproportionate increase in older age-group participation. We extracted 26 years (1987–2012) of men's results of a running event in Switzerland, "La Course de l'Escalade" (7.25 km). We investigated trends in performance by five-year age-groups, taking the 10, 20, 30, and 50 fastest in each group, and then the 1st, 5th, and 10th percentiles. Taking the 10, 20, 30 or 50 fastest runners there was a trend for improvement ranging from 0.07 to 0.22 min·year−1 (p < .0001; 95% CI −0.083 to −0.049 and p < .0001; 95% CI −0.250 to −0.196 respectively) in the elder age-groups. Taking the 1st, 5th, and 10th percentiles there were no trends for improvement, and actual deteriorations up to 0.13 (p < .0001; 95% CI +0.119 to +0.138) min·year−1. Mixed-effect models with repeated measures for runners, confirmed a global deteriorating trend with an estimate of +0.11 min·year−1 (p < .0001; 95% CI +0.107 to +0.116). The results suggest that increases in performance in older runners arise from modifications of sampling from a growing population.


Each aspect of crosstalk has a different and definable influence on a specific segment of the multichannel microphone array system the difference in the effect of cross-talk between coincident (or near-coincident) and spaced multichannel array systems – the crosstalk introduced by microphones adjacent to a specific segment – the crosstalk introduced by microphones on the opposing sides of an array – the effect of crosstalk in the transitory and quasi-steady state regions of a natural signal – crosstalk reduction in the quasi steady state. Microphone arrays must therefore be designed to minimize this interference with the final sound image, be it front sound stage coverage or surround sound coverage. This paper also includes a description of the Twisted Quad compatible multichannel/stereo recording array system.


The European Commission proposes to replace the current system of taxing corporate income of separate accounting by a two-step 'consolidate and apportionment' procedure. This paper uses a large set of unconsolidated firm-level data to assess the likely impact on corporate tax revenues in each Member State. Taking pre-tax profit as given, overall tax revenues would be likely to drop by 2.5 % if companies can choose whether to participate. By contrast, if they were forced to participate, total tax revenues would be likely to increase by more than 2 %, leaving some European countries, and most notably Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom better off. We investigate how sensitive these results are to the apportionment factors used.


A system has been developed or the expression in E. coli of 12 of the 14 expressed mouse submandibular gland kallikreins as cassettes subcloned directly from cDNA. Using the epidermal growth factor binding protein (mGK‐9) and the γ‐subunit of nerve growth factor (nGK)‐3, as test cases, mature processed forms, obtained as functionally active proteins, as well as various precursor forms, were isolated. The expression system described allows rapid isolation of kallikrein protein from corresponding cDNA with yields of approximately 1.0 mg of purified protein from 10 g of initial cell paste. This expression system will facilitate structure/function studies of the mouse glandular kallikrein gene family and help elucidate the regions of the mature proteins responsible for the diverse catalytic behavior and growth factors interactions observed in this family of proteins.


Breast cancer recurrences, especially in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative disease occur within the first 5 years after diagnosis (1). Several therapeutic options are available for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, such as surgery, radiotherapy, hormone treatment, chemotherapy as well as targeted therapies (2). However, it would be very important to predict which patients will benefit from each treatment, since several patients experience significant treatment-related adverse events without any clinical benefit.


We analyze the spectrum of charmonium above the threshold for the production of D mesons. Several recent intriguing experimental data have reopen the interest on charmonium spectroscopy and they deserve an special attention. We focus our study on the X(3872) and the possible existence of charged states contributing to the spectrum of charmonium


? Five developing periods of self waterproofing concrete are set forth in this paper and the technical requirements of high performance waterproofing concrete are analysed. Material design and function of expansive waterproofing admixture are studied three respects and the waterproofing mechanism is expounded too. High performance waterproofing concrete compounded by expansive waterproofing admixture is the new development of self waterproofing concrete. 〔


The evidence linking overweight and obesity to the incidence of a range of cancers has strengthened over the last couple of years. A recent review of 221 datasets published in The Lancet found that there were associations between increasing body mass index (BMI) and cancers of oesophagus, kidney, thyroid, and colon, as well as leukaemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 1 In addition, increasing BMI was associated with rectal cancer and malignant melanoma among men, and cancer of the endometrium, postmenopausal breast, and gall bladder among women. These findings are consistent with, and extend, another recent major review. 2


Kingdom (Diagnosis of Brain Death 1976) has been influenced by the fact that not all hospitals with intensive care units have an EEG machine, let alone the technical skill to establish beyond doubt the fact of electrocerebral silence. Thus, complacency within the Health Service has been condoned. Technical problems arise in excluding artefacts from the EEG, but in proposing the ice-water caloric test as a feasible alternative, no reference is made to the fatiguability and repeatability of the test. Few British physicians have received proper instruction in the performance of caloric testing. Allen (1977), commenting on the statement by the Conference of Royal Collegesand Faculties that electroencephalography is not necessary in the diagnosis of brain death but may be used as a confirmatory procedure, maintains that 'such a view is not compatible with prevailing practice in the United States'. Foremost among the reasons for this view is the fact that the EEG represents a safeguard in the early recognition of severe drug intoxication, in which cephalic reflexes may be temporarily abolished. E M R Critchley Consultant Neurologist Royal Infirmary, Preston


Oslo, Norway In 1965 Shell UK engaged a group of social scientists from Tavistock Institute in a major project on organizational change and management philosophv. Paul Hill reported on the project (Towards a new philosophy of maflagemeflf. London: Gower Press, 1971). Blackler and Brown open their book (and it seems as if they started their study with this somewhat peculiar point of view): 'There is no doubt about it we


The article introduces a study whose purpose is to provide a review of research articles (RAs) in psycholinguistics which focus on foreign language teaching (FLT). To that end, the study examines a corpus of RAs in psycholinguistics that address FLT-related research topics, which are published in two international peer-reviewed journals, namely Psycholinguistics and Eastern European Journal of Psycholinguistics. The corpus was examined for the presence of research topics in FLT, as well as the RAs' bibliometric data. The results of the corpus analysis revealed that the majority of the RAs were single-authored by female researchers, who focused on such FLT-related research topics as translation and interpreting, speaking in a foreign language (FL), and FL proficiency. It was established that the FLT-themed RAs investigated primarily English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and, less frequently, German, Chinese, Japanese, Latin, and Ukrainian. The findings are further described and discussed in the article.


An aqueous solution of tapioca starch was successfully used as a chelating agent in the sol-gel synthesis of Co0.7Me0.3Fe2O4, where Me denotes Co, Mn, Cu, Ni, or Zn. The hysteresis loops of all sintered ferrites revealed ferrimagnetic properties. The saturation magnetization was reduced in Co0.7Cu0.3Fe2O4 and Co0.7Ni0.3Fe2O4 because of the ion substitutions with smaller magnetic moments. Interestingly, Co0.7Cu0.3Fe2O4 exhibited the highest saturation magnetization and the lowest coercive field. This result demonstrates the value addition of local agricultural products in controlling nanoparticle formation during sol-gel synthesis.


Objective: We describe an unusual case of Toxic leukoencephalopathy (TLE) with features combining both heroin-induced TLE and delayed post hypoxic leukoencephalopathy (DPHL). Background: Toxic leukoencephalopathy (TLE) represents a group of CNS white matter disorders with varying presentations that depend on the causative agent. Two TLEs that have been identified as having distinct characteristics are "chasing the dragon" heroin inhalation leukoencephalopathy and delayed posthypoxic leukoencephalopathy (DPHL). Design/Methods: 48 year old female with history of polysubstance abuse (alcohol, benzodiazepines and opiates) who presented with worsening mentation and bizarre behavior. Her history was positive for recent Morphine and Oxycodone ingestion. Initial exam was notable for disorientation, apraxia, aphasia, patellar hyper-reflexia, and wide based gait. She was treated initially with intravenous corticosteroids with no improvement. Her symptoms progressed and she developed significant rigidity, fever and hemodynamic instability. She was intubated, treated with Lorazepam, Acetaminophen and cooling blankets. She continued to decline and eventually became comatose. Results: An initial computed tomography of the head showed no acute intracranial abnormalities. Electroencephalogram (EEG) showed intermittent, generalized, reactive polymorphic delta slowing. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed confluent supra-tentorial white matter signal changes with mild diffuse cortical swelling suggestive of diffuse encephalitis. CSF studies were normal. Repeat MRI brain showed similar findings. Cerebral angiogram was unrevealing. A brain biopsy was performed and was consistent with spongiform leukoencephalopathy. Conclusions: Here we report a case of spongiform leukoencephalopathy that has clinical, radiological and pathological features of both DPHL and heroin-induced TLE. As with DPHL, her clinical course was delayed and her MRI findings were more periventricular, sparing the U fibers and cerebellum. However, the brain biopsy findings of spongiform vacuolization without demyelination or axonal involvement were more suggestive of heroin-induced TLE. Her symptoms were unusual and combined both cortical and cerebellar deficits. We believe this may suggest an overlap between both entities. Disclosure: Dr. Alenzi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kesari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fleet has nothing to disclose. Dr. Goodman has nothing to disclose.


The echo patterns of diffuse thyroid lesions in children are not yet well known. We present here the ultrasound findings of 32 children aged 5 to 15 years with a newly diagnosed diffuse thyroid disease. 23 patients had thyromegaly by palpation, 9 had hypothyroidism but no goiter. Of the 23 goitrous patients 9 were hypo-, 3 hyper- and 11 euthyroid. The 9 with hypothyroidism had all autoimmune thyroiditis as judged by antithyroid antibodies, and confirmed cytologically in 5. They had all 9 a hypoechogenic patchy, partly nodular thyroid by ultrasound.2 of the 3 with Graves disease had initially a similar pattern than in thyroiditis, the 3rd showed hypoechogenity later. Of the 11 euthyroid patients 8 had antithyroid antibodies and the ultrasound suggested thyroiditis in 5 of them, 3 were judged normal (2 and 1 became later hypothyroid). Of the 3 patients with euthyroid goiter but without antithyroid antibodies the ultrasound finding was normal in 1, showed multicystic thyroid in 1 and suggested thyroiditis in 1 who later had antithyroid antibodies. Of the 9 hypothyroid patients without thyromegaly one had an unusually small but otherwise normal thyroid by ultrasound. The others had an echopoor thyroid, but the patchy and nodular pattern was often less marked than in goitrous hypothyroidism. We conclude that autoimmune thyroiditis gives a typical ultrasound pattern, and ultrasonography gives useful information especially of euthyroid goiter and nongoitrous hypothyroidism.


THE fate of tumour allografts in mice is affected by pre-treatment of the recipients with antigenic tissues or tissue extracts from mice of the donor strain. Immunization with live cells or tissues is, in general, followed by accelerated rejection of the challenging tumour grafts. Immunization with killed cells or tissue extracts is, in general, followed by increased growth of the challenging tumour grafts, sometimes leading to the death of the host. This enhancement of tumour growth is an immunologically specific effect, due apparently to humoral antibodies directed against alloantigens of the graft, since a similar effect (passive enhancement) can be produced by passive immunization of mice with serum containing such antibodies. The considerable amount of work on both active and passive enhancement has been reviewed by Batchelor (1963) and Kaliss (1965). The mechanism of enhancement is unknown but probably complex. At least 2 factors may be involved: interference with the normal immunological response which brings about rejection, and a direct effect of antibodies of the graft. There is evidence that the passive enhancing activity of antisera is correlated with the titre of haemagglutinating alloantibodies (Kaliss, 1965; Cruse and Michelson, 1966), though exceptions have been reported (Kaliss, Dagg and Stimpfling, 1963; Kaliss and Dagg, 1964). The titres of haemagglutinating and cytotoxic (complement-fixing) antibodies have been reported to parallel one another (Basch and Stetson, 1962), yet passive enhancement has been produced with fractions of serum lacking cytotoxic antibodies (Voisin, Kinsky and Jansen, 1966). The main aim of the experiments reported here was to determine whether the humoral antibody response accompanying active enhancement differed qualitatively or quantitatively from that in normal allograft rejection. Changes in the quality of the antibody produced could be reflected in differences in the relative production of haemagglutinating and complement-fixing antibodies, haemagglutination being brought about by non-complement-fixing antibodies and, presumably, also by antibodies which can fix complement. The recent development by Sell (1966) of a microtitration technique using immune adherence (Nelson, 1965, Sell and Nelson, 1965) has simplified and speeded the titration of complement-fixing antibodies. A subsidiary aim of the experiments was to investigate the value of this technique in transplantation immunology.


Parameter estimation plays an important role in systems biology in helping to understand the complex behavior of signal transduction networks. The problem becomes more intense as the inherent stochasticity of the signaling mechanism involves noise components of non-Gaussian nature. A novel stochastic parameter estimation method has been developed where the aim is to obtain the optimal parameters corresponding to a lower entropy measure on the residual joint probability density function. The residual joint PDF is approximated using kernel density estimation methods and the method is designed to handle general multivariable dynamic ODE systems where the measurement noise is not necessarily Gaussian. The analysis on the proposed minimum entropy parameter estimation involves an application to the RKIP regulated ERK pathway where the demonstrated simulation results clearly indicate its effectiveness.


Electroencephalography (EEG) is a complex signal that requires advanced signal processing and feature extraction methodologies to be interpreted correctly. EEG, is usually utilized to estimate the trace and the electrical brain activity. It is employed in the discovery and forecast of epileptic and non-epileptic seizures and neurodegenerative pathologies. In this article, we give an overview of the various computational techniques used in the past, in the present and the future to preprocess and analyze EEG signals. In particular, this work aims to briefly review the state of research in this field, trying to understand the needs of EEG analysis in the medical field, with special focus on neurodegenerative pathologies, and epileptic and not-epileptic diseases. After presenting the main pre-processing, feature selection and extraction phases, we focus on classification processes and on Data Mining techniques applied to classify EEGs. Then, through the EEG analysis a discussion of the implementation is provided to investigate, predict and diagnose some cognitive diseases and epilepsy.


The author reviews the history of health planning in the United States, describes attitudes likely to affect future planning, and explores relationships between health planning and the political process. Personal observations about operation of the BQY Area Comprehensive Health Planning Council in San Francisco are also included. It should be noted that the views presented here are the author's and do not have any bearing on the views of the Pan American Health Organization.


The effect of exogenous putrescine(8 mmol · L-1)on characteristics of PSⅡ photochemistry and ion distribution were investigated in cucumber(Cucumis sativus L.)'Jingyou 4'seedlings subjected to salt stress(75 mmol · L-1 NaCl).Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters showed that exogenous putrescine increased the maximum quantum efficiency(Fv/Fm),actual efficiency of PSⅡ(ФPSⅡ)and regulated thermal energy dissipation(ΦNPQ)under salt stress,and significantly increased the maximum electron transport rate of PS Ⅱ and the light saturation coefficient(Ek),decreased photo damage(ΦNO) in the salt-stressed plants.Salt stress resulted in a significant accumulation of Na+ and Cl-in plants,but decreased levels of K+ and Mg2+.Exogenous putrescine inhibited the transportion of Na+ and Cl-from roots to leaves,decreased the accumulation of Na+,Cl-and increased K+,Mg2+ concentration in different tissues under salt stress.The above results indicated that exogenous putrescine regulated ion distribution in salt-stressed plants,especially,by preventing the accumulation of Na+ and Cl-in the leaves which was associated with an improvement in the actual PSⅡ efficiency.


Morphological filters based on the composition of openings and closings called alternating sequential filters are examined and their noise suppression action is investigated. Also they are compared with conventional filters then from the results it is found that alternating sequential filters are better than these filters in impulse noise removing.


An experimental study that investigates the behavior of stone slabs strengthened in fixure with near surface mounted (NSM) technique using screw-thread steels and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars is presented. A total of ten full-scale stone slabs were tested under a four-point bending loading to investigate the effect of groove dimension, reinforcement ratios, and reinforcement materials on the flexural performance of stone slabs. The test results included failure characteristics, yield and ultimate capacities, deflection of midspan, and cracking behavior of stone slabs. The test results indicate that with the increase of groove height and groove width, cracking load and middeflection decrease by 6.4%–14.18%; however, failure load and middeflection increase by 4.7%–41.2%. Cracking load, failure load, and failure displacement of stone slabs adopting NSM screw-thread steels increased by 10.9%, 167%, and 617%, respectively, under the maximum reinforcement ratios of 0.629% over the control slab without NSM bars. Meanwhile, with the increase of reinforcement ratios, the failure mode transforms from brittle failure to ductile failure. The calculation results of strength are in agreement with the experimental results. Finally, it can be concluded that NSM CFRP bars are more effective than NSM screw-thread steels to improve flexural capacity with the same reinforcement ratios.


In a study of coronary heart disease in males, their is a correlation between LDL cholesterol/ HDL cholesterol ratio & albumin(r= 0.46,p 5) LDL-C: HDL-C ratio better than LDL-C by itself(Amin A Nanji, Suseela Reddy et al).


Journal Presentations = 47 Academic Presentations = 53.20 Mortality and Morbidity Meetings = 19.30 Hand Presentations 79 X-ray & Trauma = 208 TOTAL CEU POINTS = 406.50 converted to 407


Dr. Ter-Ayrapetyan G.S. Demonstrated a patient with lupus erytematdes. Localization and clinical picture of the disease are usual. But the patient undoubtedly has hereditary syphilis. Anamnesis: progressive paralysis in the mother, four spontaneous abortions, guttschinsonism, cardiac defect with sharply pronounced early vascular sclerosis, especially of the abdominal aorta. This circumstance prompted the speaker to hold the idea that hereditary syphilis played a decisive role in the etiology of this disease.


Molecular biology, microelectrodes, and lab-on-a-chip devices can help environmental professionals better manage complex treatment systems. As water and wastewater treatment systems become more complex, environmental professionals need better tools to help monitor and control them. Three new types of tools - molecular biology, microelectrodes, and lab-on-a-chip devices - can, when combined with traditional analytical methods, provide the information necessary to improve the performance and cut the costs of biological nutrient removal (BNR) and other complex environmental systems.


The Duffing oscillator under time-delayed displacement feedback is investigated to study the effect of intentional time-delay on the global dynamics of the oscillator. From the free vibration study performed by employing the describing function method it is observed that for the undamped oscillator, an infinite number of limit cycles is present for all possible values of gain and delay. The number of stable and unstable limit cycles in the gain versus delay plane is studied region wise with the help of limit cycle stability lines. Secondly, in a damped system, the number of limit cycles is finite and depends upon the values of gain, delay and damping coefficient from which the maximum number of limit cycles, their frequencies and amplitudes are obtained. When the system is excited by harmonic forcing, these limit cycles exhibit the phenomena of multiple entrainments and their frequency response curves become very complex and most often results in the very high amplitude oscillations. The study of the forced damped oscillator is therefore carried out by applying the method of slowly varying parameter and the frequency response curves for period-1 responses are analyzed. Further, with the a priori knowledge of possible stable and unstable limit cycles obtained by the application of semi-analytical methods, the various instability phenomena due to subharmonic and quasiperiodic responses have also been investigated by numerical simulation using Simulink in the different parametric ranges.


The potter and painter Myson founded the Mannerist workshop at the end of the sixth century BC. The Mannerists were his pupils and pupils of his pupils, and specialized in columnkraters, hydriai, and pelikai. The workshop was unusually long-lived and was active through the whole of the fifth century and the first decade of the fourth. The style of painting and the choice of some subjects are curiously old-fashioned. A number of pictures show rare themes such as the Death of Prokris, Odysseus and Nausicaa, and Orestes in Delphi. Other paintings give an unusual twist to well-known stories. The Mannerists were influenced by theatrical productions, extant wall paintings, and the works of other vase-painters. The workshop provides important clues for the chronology of Attic vase-painting, for example drawing reflecting Pheidias' Athena Parthenos, and Aeschylos' plays Sphinx, Eumenides, and Seven against Thebes.


Longevous sexual propagules are of great importance for persistence of plant populations. In natural environment, Sphagnum spores have potential to germinate and regenerate. They may play an important role in maintaining population persistence of Sphagnum when great natural or man鄄made disturbance happens. However, quite few studies about spore longevity of peatland bryophytes have been reported so far. In Hani Peatland of the Changbai Mountains, we took peat cores in hollow habitats, determined peat humification degree and ignition loss and extracted the spores of Sphagnum from the peat cores layer by layer. We cultivated the spores, to investigate the effect of burial time on spore germination rate. In the burial environment of hollows for Sphagnum spores, with the increase of depth namely burial time, peat humification degree and ignition loss generally showed a trend of increase and decrease, respectively. The germination rate of Sphagnum spores decreases linearly, but it can still reach 40% after the spores were buried for more than 150 years. Our study further proves that there are long鄄term persistent spore banks in peatlands. If we define the maximum longevity of spores as the time that when germination rate of spores is 1% in the burial environment, the maximum longevity for Sphagnum spores can be older than 400 years. The longevity mechanism of Sphagnum spores may be related with the special burial environment of


Advertising is an important revenue source for many publishers of information and entertainment-oriented good and services on the Internet, television, and print media. The publication design must balance the revenue opportunity from advertising with its impact on consumers' perception of the publisher. We study a publisher's optimal strategy when viewers' attitude towards advertising friendly or hostile - varies along the amount of advertising and on the publisher's programming quality. The publisher's program quality impacts how much flexibility it has in balancing advertising revenues with making the best product for its subscribers. Among competing publishers, the one with higher programming quality, or larger consumer base, has more flexibility in setting its advertising level. Regulation that limits publishers' advertising levels is not necessarily in the subscribers' interest: even a monopoly publisher may offer too little advertising relative to the consumer ideal; this can happen when advertising enhances the consumer experience but is too costly to attract. We explain how the potential to generate non-advertising revenues from subscribers affects the publisher's advertising level, and how it might cause variation in advertising levels among publishers who experience the same consumer attitude towards advertising.


Fatigue is a common, significant problem in patients receiving cancer treatment. About 80%–100% of patients with cancer report some degree of fatigue (Nail, 2002; Ream & Richardson, 1999). Similar to pain, fatigue is a subjective, complex experience. Patients may report feelings of fatigue despite the use of erythropoietin therapy to increase or maintain their hemoglobin levels. In an effort to better understand and treat fatigue, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) convened a panel of experts to review the literature on cancerrelated fatigue and develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. The initial guidelines were published in 2000 and revised in 2003. The guidelines include a definition of cancer-related fatigue, standards of care, screening and primary evaluation, and interventions for fatigue during active treatment, long-term follow-up, and end-of-life care (NCCN, 2003). Cancer-related fatigue is defined as "a persistent, subjective sense of tiredness related to cancer or cancer treatment that interferes with usual functioning" (NCCN, 2003, p. 2). Because of the subjective nature of fatigue, patients' self-reports are a key component of Diane G. Cope, PhD, ARNP-BC, AOCN®, is a nurse practitioner at Florida Cancer Specialists in Fort Myers.


As science and technology gains steam, relationships or contradictions with human species and between humans and other groups are increasingly of vital importance. And with a seemingly chaotic new world created by modern science, Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is an essential piece of work to analyze humans' living condition during a post-humanistic world. Therefore, based on Haraway's cyborg theory, this study intends to have a discussion on the realization of cyborg space in Oryx and Crake from the perspective of ambiguous boundary between males and females, humans and animals, and nature and human civilization, so as to advocate a space or society of high hybridity and ambiguity, free from superiority, prejudice or dualism.


Abstract Purpose/objectives: To report our 7‐year experience with a daily monitoring system to significantly reduce couch position overrides and errors in patient treatment positioning. Materials and methods: Treatment couch position override data were extracted from a radiation oncology–specific electronic medical record system from 2012 to 2018. During this period, we took several actions to reduce couch position overrides, including reducing the number of tolerance tables from 18 to 6, tightening tolerance limits, enforcing time outs, documenting reasons for overrides, and timely reviewing of overrides made from previous treatment day. The tolerance tables included treatment categories for head and neck (HN) (with/without cone beam CT [CBCT]), body (with/without CBCT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), and clinical setup for electron beams. For the same time period, we also reported treatment positioning–related incidents that were recorded in our departmental incident report system. To verify our tolerance limits, we further examined couch shifts after daily kilovoltage CBCT (kV‐CBCT) for the patients treated from 2018 to 2021. Results: From 2012 to 2018, the override rate decreased from 11.2% to 1.6%/year, whereas the number of fractions treated in the department increased by 23%. The annual patient positioning error rate was also reduced from 0.019% in 2012, to 0.004% in 2017 and 0% in 2018. For patients treated under daily kV‐CBCT guidance from 2018 to 2021, the applied couch shifts after imaging registration that exceeded the tolerance limits were low, <1% for HN, <1.2% for body, and <2.6% for SBRT. Conclusions: The daily monitoring system, which enables a timely review of overrides, significantly reduced the number of treatment couch position overrides and ultimately resulted in a decrease in treatment positioning errors. For patients treated with daily kV‐CBCT guidance, couch position shifts after CBCT image guidance demonstrated a low rate of exceeding the set tolerance.


A generalized unbalanced optimal transport distance ${\rm WB}_{\Lambda}$ on matrix-valued measures $\mathcal{M}(\Omega,\mathbb{S}_+^n)$ was defined in [arXiv:2011.05845] \`{a} la Benamou-Brenier, which extends the Kantorovich-Bures and the Wasserstein-Fisher-Rao distances. In this work, we investigate the convergence properties of the discrete transport problems associated with ${\rm WB}_{\Lambda}$. We first present a convergence framework for abstract discretization. Then, we propose a specific discretization scheme that aligns with this framework, under the assumption that the initial and final distributions are absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure. Moreover, thanks to the static formulation, we show that such an assumption can be removed for the Wasserstein-Fisher-Rao distance.


The understanding of the mechanichal, thermodynamic, and thermal properties of 2D materials is far from trivial. At zero strain, harmonic theory predicts a quadratic dispersion for the flexural out-of-plane acoustic mode. In 2D, such a quadratic dispersion leads to diverging atomic fluctuations as a function of the sample size and a constant linewidth of in-plane acoustic phonon modes at small momentum, which implies that graphene cannot propagate sound waves. Many theoretical works questioned the robustness of the quadratic dispersion against phonon-phonon interaction. Here we apply the self-consistent harmonic approximation (SCHA) within an atomistic and a membrane model to show that the rotational invariance protects the quadratic flexural dispersion against phonon-phonon interaction. Nevertheless, the non-perturbative anharmonic SCHA approach predicts that sound propagation coexists with such a quadratic dispersion. Our conclusions have a crucial role in the understanding of the mechanical, vibrational, and thermal properties of graphene, as well as other strictly two-dimensional materials, and question the usual approximations made in membrane models.