Effectiveness of long-term non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in COPD is controversial.

In a retrospective and monocentric study we compared the rate of hospitalizations for exacerbation, and survival in 165 patients subdivided in 2 groups. Group 1 included 90 patients treated with home NIV between 1990 and 2012 after an exacerbation and group 2 included 75 patients treated with home NIV after a progressive worsening of the disease.

At baseline, except a higher prevalence of OSA in group 2 compared with group 1 (37% vs 20%, p <0.02), clinical features, comorbidities and lung function tests of the 2 groups of patients were similar (age: 67 ± 10 years, men: 78%, body mass index: 31 ± 8 kg / m2, FEV1: 34% ± 15 predicted value). The median survival was 36 months, the survival of the group 2 was significantly better in the first period (before 2001) and hospitalizations for exacerbation were reduced by 42% (p = 0.002) after 12 months of NIV compared with the 12 months before NIV (-62% and -17% in group 1 and 2, respectively). After 3 months of NIV, there was a non significant improvement in PaCO2 without change in forced vital capacity nor FEV1. In multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with survival were age, cardiovascular comorbidities and dyslipidemia.

In conclusion, the rate of hospitalizations for COPD exacerbation could be significantly reduced under long-term NIV. A better screening and care for cardiovascular comorbidities could further reduce mortality.


Main purpose of single objective optimization is to provide best solution by minimizing or maximizing the objective function. Single objective optimisation cannot provide alternative solution that deals with different objectives to be optimised. Multi objective optimisation (MOO) techniques deal with task of simultaneously optimising two or more objectives w.r.t. various available constraints. There exist various MOO techniques such as Grey relational analysis (GRA), Principle component analysis (PCA), Simple additive weighting (SAW) method, Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and Techniques for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method, Preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations (PROMETHEE) method and many more (Hwang and Yoon, 1981; Saaty, 1980; Vijayan and Rao, 2014). Conventional statistical methods which are frequently used to determine relationship between various dependent and independent factors are factor analysis and regression analysis. However, for performing this analysis there must be mutual relation between variables and also, it requires larger quantities of data. Due to this limitations of regression and factor analysis, multi-attribute method GRA is used for solving multivariable problems.


Nanocrystalline GeFe samples with Fe concentration varying from a few percent to about 86% were synthesized using an inert gas condensation method. The samples were compressed into thin disks in vacuum before exposure to air. Magnetization measurements found that the magnetization of the samples cannot be described by a simple Langevin function. Atomic force microscopy has been used to characterize the average size of the nanocrystals in the samples. For samples with a low concentration of Fe, atomic force microscopy images show distinct individual clusters with an average size of about 500 A in diameter. For samples with a higher concentration of Fe, individual clusters cannot be distinguished, and atomic force microscope images show a mountain‐like, rugged morphology on the sample surfaces.


It is a meaningful topic to study the ways of managing the enterprise well for the system of modern enterprises.However,for state-owned enterprises,because of the special generalization of the subject of rights,the control is faced with some special challenges,mainly lie in the following aspects:the undistinguished right limit between the government shareholder and the board as well as the inappropriate intervention aroused by it;diverse aims for state-owned enterprises;lack of independence of the board; special demands for the information publicity in state-owned enterprises.Therefore,it is necessary to explore special law response to it.Some countries' experience has proved effective,that is,distinguish the relation between government shareholder and the board of state-owned enterprises in the form of management contract,grant the board enough rights and make it independent,publicize enough information and realize broad participation from the public.


Reconstructive procedures in surgery Edited by P Gilroy Bevan. (Pp. 454; illustrated: £30). Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1982. The Editor of this unusual book has brought together a group of acknowledged experts, who have clearly been invited to express their own personal opinions of details of reconstructive surgical procedures, rather than to paraphrase the world literature and thereby produce a rather turgid collection of information already available in standard textbooks. Although only one quarter of the book is devoted to matters of gastrointestinal interest, those chosen topics are all relevant to the forefront of development of gastrointestinal surgery. The collective experience and wisdom of the contributors makes this a superb, forthright account of many of the controversial points in current surgical gastroenterology. This section alone justifies publication of this book. In this day of the specialist surgeon, with urology and cardiovascular surgery rapidly receding from the general surgical scene, it is refreshing to read, again with clear cut text and simple line diagrams, the latest opinion of experts in renal and ureteric reconstruction, cystoplasty, and complicated repairs of urethral strictures. Surgery of cardiac valve replacement and myocardial revascularisation also makes fascinating reading for the mature surgical gastroenterologist, even though he is more likely to have these procedures carried out on himself than to practise them. To the keen pre-Fellowship candidate, this book is strongly recommended, as he will obtain a wealth of up-to-date technical knowledge and also, perhaps more importantly, a rich dowry of surgical wisdom.


Formation of 8-oxoguanine (8OG) from guanine in biological systems is known to cause lethal mutation and cancer. It has been suggested earlier, on the basis of experimental studies, that the oxygen molecule in its lowest singlet excited state (1O2) plays an important role in the formation of 8OG. In order to understand the possible mechanisms in this context, B3LYP/6-31+G* and MP2/6-31+G* calculations were carried out on the structures and stabilities of different molecules and complexes involved in the formation of 8OG. All the molecules, complexes, and transition states studied in the present report were solvated in aqueous media. Guanine has been found to make a strong complex with 1O2 with the latter species located above the imidazole ring plane, and the complex of guanine with 3O2 is much weaker than that with 1O2. Transition state calculations were carried out to study formation of 7,8-dihydro,8-hydroxyguanine (8OHG) and 2-oxo-imidazole. It has been shown that 8OG can be formed in two different ways: (i) due to interaction of the radical cation of guanine with O where 8OHG complexed with 1O2 would occur as an intermediate, and (ii) due to interaction of guanine with 1O2 leading to the formation of guanine hydroperoxide that would react with a water molecule in the presence of two 1O2 molecules serving as a source of energy to overcome the barrier. It is shown that because the interaction strengths of 3O2 and 1O2 with other molecules, e.g., guanine, are very different, a crossing of their potential energy surfaces takes place in both gas phase and aqueous media, as a result of which the lifetime of 1O2 is strongly decreased. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005


Introduction: With the increasing focus by NASA and other space agencies on a crewed mission to Mars in the 2039 time-frame, many Mars-specific environmental factors are now starting to be considered by NASA and other engineering teams. Learning from NASA's Apollo Missions to the Moon, where lunar dust turned out to be a significant challenge to mission and crew safety, attention is now turning to the dust in Mars' atmosphere and regolith. To start the process of identifying possible dust-caused challenges to the human presence on Mars, and thus aid early engineering and mission design efforts, the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Robotic Spacecraft Technical Discipline Team organized and conducted a Workshop on the "Dust in Mars' Atmosphere and Its Impact on the Human Exploration of Mars", held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), Houston, TX, June 13-15, 2017. The workshop addressed the following general areas:


Many articles have been written on how to implement total quality management (TQM) and have stated that customer satisfaction is the key to long‐term profits. However, there has been little explicitly stated concerning how a company can meet customer requirements and ensure achievement of business objectives. Traditional TQM approaches have had only an implied relationship to a company's business system and, therefore, have not in practice been integrated within the business system of the company. This paper presents a framework for an approach that integrates the TQM philosophy within the business system context. This framework is illustrated with examples from the Missouri Plant of the Square D Company and the results of implementing the framework over the past four years are discussed.


Nephelometers and photoelectric counters are the most widely used instruments for measuring the characteristics of aerosol particles. Due to peculiarities of the design of the used nephelometer, as well as limited to visible range spectral interval, sensitivity of the method is restricted to submicrometer aerosol fraction. On the contrary, counters provide for the data on the particles with diameters of 1 μm and more. Thus, combination of these two instruments makes it possible to extend the range of obtaining the reliable data on the aerosol microstructure. In this paper, the results are discussed of simultaneous measurements of the size spectrum by means of nephelometer and photoelectric counter at artificial humidification of aerosol in the range of relative humidity from 20 to 90%.


All authors agree that isolated vaginal tears during labor are extremely rare. Excluding transverse tears of the vagina from the cervix (Colpoparrhexis), they are usually longitudinal and, in normal childbirth, are very small and limited by the mucous membrane, and are more often observed during surgical procedures, cicatricial formations and, in general, with narrowing of the vagina, when they can reach large sizes and even penetrate the perivaginal tissue. In the adjacent cavity, these tears, especially during normal childbirth, do not penetrate, as is the case with the so-called, for example, necrosis from pressure or damage by bone fragments, when the breaks have a more rounded outline. In the cavity of the rectum, in view of its mobility and the absence of a hard and sharply limited lining, these breaks do not penetrate at all.


In this paper, we consider the problem of tuning a PI-controller for optimal performance with an integrator plus delay plant with uncertain parameters. Here, the goal of performance tuning is to minimise the integrated absolute error (IAE) after system stimulation for either regulator or servo tuning. Therefore, tuning is formulated as an optimisation problem with controller parameters as variables and the IAE as objective function. We show that this optimisation problem is convex and thus an IAE minimum found by tuning is guaranteed to be the global minimum. To this end, we prove convexity of the IAE function by deriving a convex representation of the IAE's domain for parameter tuning. This is shown to introduce convexity of the set of stabilising controller parameters as a necessary condition, which is proven to hold for the plant considered here independent of the plant parameter values. Readily available iterative algorithms can be utilised to solve the convex tuning problem and find global optimal controller parameters. This is demonstrated in a simulation example, using the Nelder-Mead Simplex algorithm for regulator tuning of a PI-controller for an integrator plus delay plant.


CENTRIFUGE ACCIDENTS that involve infectious disease organisms represent a hazard not only to personnel within a laboratory, but also to persons in other parts of the facility. This hazard is primarily due to the spread of contamination by contact with contaminated surfaces, for example, walls, bench tops, personal and protective clothing, skin surfaces, and more importantly, infectious aerosols generated during the explosion and carried throughout the facility (1-3). The incident we describe occurred when an investigator was attempting to concentrate vesicular stomatitis virus from a large volume of cell culture medium. The type 19 rotor used was the largest fixedangle rotor made by the Beckman Company. The maximum rating for this rotor is 19 krpm (Beckman


As the vertical fracture occurs at the various locations following the long axis of a root, treatment method of crown-root fractured anterior teeth is decided according to the depth. If the fracture line is close to the crown, gingivectomy, orthodontic - forced eruption or surgical extrusion of apical fragment could be done. If the line is over 1/3 length of the root, the prognosis is poor and extraction is usually undertaken. However, extraction of maxillary incisor at growing children causes many complications such as esthetic, phonetic problem and alveolar bone resorption. Therefore, preservation of tooth is the highest priority. Recently, intentional replantation with composite resin could be considered as alternative treatment of crown-root fractured anterior tooth. This report presents a patient in mixed dentition with deep vertical crown-root fracture of the maxillary permanent central incisors by trauma. Intentional replantation of the fractured teeth was performed using composite resin. After 2 years, specific clinical symptom has not been found and the patient was satisfied of esthetic result. This method suggests the new technique to preserve a tooth as an alternative to extraction, although it is technically sensitive and the reports of long-term prognosis is insufficient.


Background: USP37 regulates S-phase progression and is degraded in late M/G1. Results: USP37 undergoes biphasic degradation during G2 and late M/G1. Conclusion: SCFβTrCP and APCCdh1 coordinately regulate USP37 during the cell cycle. Significance: Precise regulation of USP37 activity is required for cell cycle progression. Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis is a key regulatory process in cell cycle progression. The Skp1-Cul1-F-box (SCF) and anaphase-promoting complex (APC) ubiquitin ligases target numerous components of the cell cycle machinery for destruction. Throughout the cell cycle, these ligases cooperate to maintain precise levels of key regulatory proteins, and indirectly, each other. Recently, we have identified the deubiquitinase USP37 as a regulator of the cell cycle. USP37 expression is cell cycle-regulated, being expressed in late G1 and ubiquitinated by APCCdh1 in early G1. Here we report that in addition to destruction at G1, a major fraction of USP37 is degraded at the G2/M transition, prior to APC substrates and similar to SCFβTrCP substrates. Consistent with this hypothesis, USP37 interacts with components of the SCF in a βTrCP-dependent manner. Interaction with βTrCP and subsequent degradation is phosphorylation-dependent and is mediated by the Polo-like kinase (Plk1). USP37 is stabilized in G2 by depletion of βTrCP as well as chemical or genetic manipulation of Plk1. Similarly, mutation of the phospho-sites abolishes βTrCP binding and renders USP37 resistant to Plk1 activity. Expression of this mutant hinders the G2/M transition. Our data demonstrate that tight regulation of USP37 levels is required for proper cell cycle progression.


Upon completion of this chapter, the reader should be able to

 • Broadly understand the landscape of the US healthcare systems and payers as they relate to the provision of HIV care, treatment, prevention and medical coding.

 HIV-related healthcare services have historically been covered or provided by a patchwork of federal, state, and local programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Ryan White Program, and state and local health programs. HIV/AIDS service organizations (H/ASOs) and private and charitable health organizations also provided services for HIV patients without coverage. These programs represent the long-standing pathways to insurance coverage, access to care, and access to treatment for people living with HIV (PLWH). Some of these programs also supply coverage for, or access to, medications that treat co-occurring conditions for PLWH....


Bringing together a diverse group of scholars representing the fields of cultural and literary studies, cultural politics and history, creative writing, and photography, this collection examines the different ways in which human beings respond to, debate, and interact with landscape. How do we feel, sense, know, cherish, memorise, imagine, dream, desire, or even fear landscape? What are the specific qualities of experience that we can locate in the spaces in and through which we live? While the essays most often begin with the broadly literary - the memoir, the travelogue, the novel, poetry - the contributors approach the topic in diverse and innovative ways. The collection is divided into five sections: 'Peripheral Cultures', dealing with dislocation and imagined landscapes'; 'Memory & Mobility', concerning the road as the scene of trauma and movement; 'Suburbs & Estates', contrasting American and English spaces; 'Literature & Place', foregrounding the fluidity of the fictional and the real and the human and nonhuman; and finally, 'Sensescapes', tracing the sensory response to landscape. Taken together, the essays interrogate important issues about how we live now and might live in the future.


Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) integrates various types of intelligent terminals, mobile devices, and communication technologies to enable the upgrade of traditional industries to intelligent industries. IIoT relies on the powerful data processing capabilities of cloud computing to reduce the cost of various on-demand services as per the requirements of users. However, the privacy and confidentiality of the outsourced data should be protected in this environment because the data are typically "handled" by a third-party service provider. An encryption technique can guarantee the confidentiality of the data but it limits data retrieval due to its innate "all-or-nothing" decryption feature. To apply encryption to privacy-preserving data retrieval, many public key encryption techniques with keyword search systems have been proposed in the literature. However, most of the existing schemes are vulnerable to inside keyword guessing attack (IKGA), which is caused by a small keyword space. To address this problem, we propose a certificateless public key authenticated encryption with keyword search scheme, which is provably secure against IKGA. A performance analysis of the proposed scheme demonstrates that it is more secure and effective compared with other certificateless public key encryption with keyword search schemes.


Objective To construct the retrogen expression vector and to obtain ideal tumor vaccine.Methods The cDNA of melanoma antigen-encoding gene-3(MAGE-3)was synthesized by RT-PCR.MAGE-3 based retrogen expression vector was constructed by linking RANTES secretion domain and Fc fragment.pMAGE-3 or pS-MAGE-3-Fc was transfected into DCs by electroporation.The transfected DCs were cocultured with PBMC and gastric cancer cell lines,and the immune responses against gastric cancer were observed.ResultsThe lymphocyte proliferation assay and the cytotoxicity assay showed that immune responses induced by pS-MAGE-3-Fc-transfected DCs were more efficient than those induced by p-MAGE-3-transfected DCs and control group(P0.05).Conclusion The retrogen approach against the intracellular antigen may provide a generic and powerful means for developing ideal tumor vaccine.It can significantly elevate the efficiency of tumor immunity.


This paper describes the rate of adoption, frequency and uses of Social Media by young people in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. We report a crosssectional survey of 502 youngsters (16 to 28 years) enrolled to the National Learning Service or Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA). Findings show that the average adoption rate of Social Media was 68 %, being the most frequently used Facebook (69.4 %), Google+ (57.6 %), Instagram (45.6 %) and Twitter (42.6 %). Data revealed that the main uses of Social Media by young Colombians were to read news stories, followed by connecting with friends and relatives, and finding music and videos. This is the first study in Colombia with youngsters belonging to low-income families but with frequent access to Internet, which contributes to understand the importance of Social Media in this vulnerable group. Our findings might also help to identify useful possibilities of new media for young people. Finally, we discuss practical implications of the results. keywords : ICTs, social media, innovation, adoption, youngs. fecha de recepción: Jul io 22 de 2016 fecha de aceptac ión: Noviembre 8 de 2016


Teaching Ancient Greek Language and Literature at the Greek secondary school in the 21st century constitutes a challenge for teachers, which they, as thinking professionals, have to cope with effectively by exploiting their cognitive and pedagogical equipment as well as the interests of their teenage students. A teaching approach, which is included in such a general outlook, meeting the goals of the school subject of Ancient Greek, as these have been specified by the Curriculum ( knowledge of antiquity/mankind ), can realize principles, like the differentiative approach, based on the literary gender of texts, the critical reading, the intercultural approach, the use of ICT( Information & Communication Technologies ) e.t.c. At the present proposal an example is given of how the aforementioned teaching principles can be applied, in the subject of Ancient Greek of the 2nd Grade of Junior High School. This one touches on issues of the students' modern life such as family relationships, ( conflicts, punishments, strictnessand human rights ) in order to promote tolerance and understanding within a constantly changing world.


A few long term longitudinal studies have been conducted on attachment development. In the present case study, Sunshine, a healthy female infant, was observed for one year to investigate micro-mechanisms of early attachment. Behavior patterns such as eating, drinking, sleep, bathing, social interaction and action, were registered objectively every day. The results indicated different stages of attachment development and a close relationship of attachment development and prenatal environment was found. Sunshine developed from the first stage of "uterus attachment", from birth to about 1.5 months old, to the second stage of "uterus-like attachment", about 1.5-6 months old, including generalized "uterus-like attachment", from 1.5 to 2.5 months old, and differentiated "uterus-like attachment", from 2.5  to 6 months old, and then to the third stage of "social uterus attachment", 6 months after birth. The developmental process of early attachment is essentially characterized by the gradual promotion of socialization extent. The research provided a new understanding of early attachment of children, and redefined the start point of attachment. The following hypotheses can be proposed: "uterus attachment" is the start point of children's attachment, and afterbirth attachment can be seen as the extension and continuation of "uterus attachment" in social environment, and a deep relationship exist between both; and, emotional warmth and security provided by adults may be the determinant factors of children's attachment quality.


New Zealand is currently contemplating registration of paramedics under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCAA). Costa-Scorse authored an informative consultation document that addresses the relevant factors, in conjunction with the Para-medicine and Emergency Management Staff of AUT University. 1 This "Submission on the Inquiry into the Provision of Ambulance Services" was addressed to New Zealand's Health Committee. It explains how registration will be significant, the current challenges to registration, and solutions. The submission can be read in tandem with the Inquiry 2 and both recommend registration for paramedics under the HPCAA.


THE present article on the [¥d~, var. [¥d, 'b,wt-cna is intended as the prelude to a longer study on the ["J.sr["J pocna to appear in JEA 24, part 2. The ["J.sr["J or 'House of Life' is well known as a place connected with the activities of the most learned scribes of Egypt, and the question arises whether the [¥d~, which our materials present as on the whole a much older designation, is identical with the ["J.sr["J or to be distinguished from it. In order to differentiate between the two I render [jd~ as 'Mansion of Life'. It must be acknowledged at the outset that one piece of evidence speaks in favour of identity. This is the Famine stela of Sehel (No. 31 of my article on pocna) where King Djoser appeals to the learned Imhotep for information about the sources of the Nile, and the famous sage asks permission to be allowed to consult the ancient books in the 'Mansion of Life' (J~1c=>g~.sr-~). However, the other evidence on [¥d~ which I have collected is so inimical to the notion of identity that some means must necessarily be found of explaining away this isolated instance. Was it a simple error on the part of the Ptolemaic authors of the Famine text, designed to give it a specious archaic colouring? If, on the contrary, the identification rests upon a true tradition, then I see no alternative to supposing that the term [¥d~ in the earliest Dynastic times referred to two heterogeneous buildings.


Since December 2019, the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has spread around the world. In the face of this epidemic, it is important to speed up the diagnosis of the disease in order to reduce the loss of life and to prevent the epidemic from spreading. One of the methods used to diagnose disease is to analyze computed tomography images. In this study, a deep learning algorithm has been developed for disease diagnosis by analysis of computed tomography images. A data set consisting of computerized images of patients with COVID-19, Normal and Pneumonia was used. The results of algorithms with three different network structures are compared.


The construction of universal knowledge utopia can be observed in policies of accumulation in ancient Alexandria, as well as literary metaphor of infinite library imagined by Borges. Paradoxically, these examples reveal the dilemmas concerning the fragmentation and informational chaos, which in the context of the Internet means an obstacle to collective intelligence. Based on these reflections the article intends to observe relationship between design and the production process, accumulation and management of knowledge, with a view to interconnection of individuals through networks in real-time to a dynamic management flow and storage of informations.


In this letter, monolithic red, green, and blue (RGB) micro light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated using gallium nitride based blue micro LEDs and quantum dots (QDs). Red and green QDs were sprayed onto individual region surrounded by patterned black matrix photoresist on the blue micro LEDs to form color conversion layers. Owing to its light-blocking capability, the patterned black matrix photoresist improved the contrast ratio of the micro LEDs from 11 to 22. To enhance the color conversion efficiency and the light output intensity, a hybrid Bragg reflector (HBR) was deposited on the bottom side of the monolithic RGB micro LEDs, thus reflecting the RGB light emitted to the substrate. To further improve the color purity of the red and green light, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) with high reflection for the blue light was deposited on the top side of the QDs/micro LEDs. The red and green light output intensities of the micro LEDs with HBR and DBR were enhanced by about 27%.


Background: Nowadays horse transportation represents an increasingly practice as a greater number of horses are subjected to transport for several purpose including sport competitions, breeding and selling. In the past, horses were usually transported by train and ship however, at the present time, they move mainly by road with trailers or vans. Transport represents a potential stressor that might compromise horse performance therefore, the chance to monitor horse welfare during transportation is of great interest. The autonomic nervous system and its regulation of cardiovascular function have been considered suitable indicators of stress and welfare in humans and animals. Measuring the vagal tone provide a best knowledge about stress vulnerability and the magnitude of a stress response. Considering that heart rate (HR) represents the effect of the vagus, the aim of this study was to evaluate if this parameter is an affordable indicator of stress in horses subjected to different experimental conditions concerning the duration and the time of the day of road transportation. Materials, Methods & Results: Twelve clinically healthy athletic Italian Saddle horses, divided into three equal groups, were transported over two different distances (110 Km and 225 Km) at the same time of the day (5.00 pm) (group A and B), and over the same distance (110 Km) during the evening (5.00 pm) and during the morning (8.00 am) (group A and C). Each journey was divided into 3 parts (T1, T2, T3) on the basis of road characteristics: T1 and T3 periods represented the time spent travelling on secondary roads characterized by several changes of direction and average speed of 35-40 Km/h; T2 was travel duration on nearly completely rectilinear motorways with average speed of 70 Km/h. Mean HR recorded at rest for each horse was 38 ± 3 beats/min. On HR values recorded during transportation one-way ANOVA showed significant statistical differences of HR values in T2 vs T1 and T3 periods within the group A (P < 0.0001) and C (P = 0.003); no significant statistical difference was found in T1, T2 and T3 periods within group B. T tests showed that mean HR values were lower in group B than in group A, and higher in group C than group A only in T2. Discussion: Even if transport includes a series of potential stressors such as handling, loading, unloading, unfamiliar environments, oscillation and vibration of the mean of transport, noise, social regrouping, poor ventilation, deprivation of both food and water; in the present study our recordings showed that HR changed irrespective of the experimental characteristics of the journey including the different duration of each transportation. We found that neither the average speed of the mean of transport or the characteristics of the road determined significant changes in horse HR. We also found no influence of the time of the day on HR trend during transportation in horses. This might be due to the fact that HR varied when posture and other external stimuli changed during transport masking the biological rhythms that usually affect the cardiovascular activity and the HR diurnal variability that suits the needs of different levels of activity at different time of the day. On the basis of these results, HR seemed to be an extremely variable parameter profoundly affected by the temporary responses of the horses to sudden environmental incidents.


This article contains the conclusions held in our Doctoral Thesis Slavery and captivity in the Kingdom of Granada at the end of the Middle Ages. Malaga (1487-1538). It analyses the characteristics of the loss of freedom in the shores of the Alboran Sea, distinguishing between captivity and slavery, two phenomena whose limits are not always clear, although both of them are without a doubt different. Theoretical and methodological problems are diverse in each case, and thus we have put under critical reflection the knowledge we have from the documentation compiled together, with the aim to go deeply into the comprehensiveness of both of them.


The general objective of this research was to see the prevalence, contributing factors and consequences of social loafing in MWU. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to achieve the research objectives. The participants were: 277 2 nd and 3 rd -year students. The participants were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. To collect data regarding variables under the study, a self-report (rating) questionnaire adapted from Jassawalla, Malshe, and Shashittal (2008) and interviews were used. The results of percentage and frequency revealed that social loafing is prevalent in group works. Stepwise multiple regressions indicated that some variables such as evaluation methods, lack of skills, group size, and laziness have a significant contribution to social loafing. The frequency and percentage result indicated that there are negative consequences of social loafing. Independent T-test for group means difference revealed that there was a significant difference in female and male students in the consequences of social loafing and there was a significant difference between 2 nd and 3 rd -year students in their perception of the prevalence of social loafing. Based on the findings, conclusions and recommendations were made; directions for future research were indicated. This study investigated the effect of evaluation methods, lack of skills, group size, laziness, methods of team formation, and task difficulty on social loafing in group work. The results indicate that the four variables (evaluation methods, lack of skills, group size, and laziness) were important in predicting social loafing independently and jointly. However, the other two variables (methods of team formation and task difficulty) were not important in predicting social loafing in group works. Evaluation methods, lack of skills, group size, and laziness positively correlated with social loafing. These findings indicated that the more individual contributions are assessed in group works, students lack skills to contribute to group work, the group size, and individuals tend to free-ride on the efforts of others (laziness) when working in a group, the more they involve in social loafing. This is in line with previous studies that provide support for positive relationship between not evaluating individual contribution in group work and social loafing (Brooks Ammons, 2003; lack of skills and social loafing larger group size and social loafing and laziness or lack of motivation and social loafing


of thesis presented to the Senate of University of Kelaniya in partial fullilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Resource management. IMPACT OF THE CAREER PLATEAU OF COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ON THEIR .JOB SATISFACTION IN THE SRI LANKA ARMY By Samantha A. Hettige


In this study we investigated the integration of a Raman spectroscopy‐based biosensor with an image‐guided surgery system. Such a system would provide a surgeon with both a diagnosis of the tissue being analysed (e.g. cancer) and localization information displayed within an imaging modality of choice. This type of mutual and registered information could lead to faster diagnoses and enable more accurate tissue resections.


The growing demand for public transport in cities has serious effects on urban ecosystems, especially due to the increased atmospheric pollution and changes in land use patterns. An ecologically sustainable urban transport system could be obtained by an appropriate mix of alternative modes of transport resulting in the use of environmentally friendly fuels and land use patterns. Transport, because of its pervasive nature, occupies a central position in the fabric of modern urbanized society. In most of the countries, this has been a story of evolutionary change with new transport development replacing the old transport system in response to perceived socio economic needs of the people. Implementation of such modern transport system of Metro Rail facility to MADURAI city is the ultimate aim of this project. Metro Route Maps are created as per traffic study and evaluated in accurate manner by using GIS, Global Mapper and find out shortest feasible route. Metro provides multiple benefits: reduction in air pollution, time saving to passengers, reduction in accidents, reduction in traffic congestion and fuel savings. There are incremental benefits and costs to a number of economic agents: government, private transporters, passengers, general public and unskilled labour. The cost-benefit analysis of Madurai Metro are done in this paper tries to measure all benefits and costs. Planning of the work done by using software PRIMAVERA and suitable commissioning of the work be planned at 2021.The financial internal rate of return and the economic rate of return on investments in the Metro are estimated. Those estimates are made to be more acceptable and beneficial for financial and economic status regarding the evaluation of metro rail project.


Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) used the RELAP5/MOD1.6 code to simulate a number of transient scenarios for the USNRC PTS study of the H.B. Robinson Unit-2 PWR plant. Eleven of these scenarios were reviewed at BNL on the basis of information received before September 30, 1984. Six of these eleven scenarios were selected for an in-depth quantitative analysis performed on the basis of a simple method developed at BNL. However, the detailed analysis of two of these transients, namely transients 1 and 4 are not presented here as they have since been recalculated by INEL and the new calculations could not be reviewed at BNL due to budgetary constraints. The simple method uses the mass and energy balance equations to predict the temperature and pressure of the reactor system. The results of these calculations were compared to the RELAP5 results and the INEL extrapolations. In general, the RELAP5 and INEL results appear to be reasonable.


Two new nonionic surfactants; 1-sec-butyl-3-dodecanoylthiourea (DTU) and 1-dodecanoyl-3-phenylthiourea (DPTU) were synthe- sized and characterized by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The detailed electrochemical fate of DTU and DPTU was investigated in a wide pH range of 2-12 by employing three electroanalytical techniques. The voltammetric signatures of the analytes showed a single irreversible anodic peak followed by two reversible peaks of the oxidation product. The irreversible behavior of the oxidation process was witnessed by the unequal components of total current in square wave voltammetry and scan rate based deviation of peak potential. The involvement of protons accompanying the electron transfer processes was ascertained from peak potential versus pH plots. Critical micelle concentration and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of the synthesized surfactants were determined for the assessment of their cleaning, wetting and emulsifying properties. Two new non-ionic surfactants 1-sec-butyl-3-dodecanoylthiourea (DTU) and 1-dodecanoyl-3-phenylthiourea (DPTU) success-fully synthesized in 80 and 83% yield by a facile method. Their pH dependent redox mechanistic pathways were proposed on the basis of results obtained from three electrochemical techniques. DPTU was found to oxidize in two irreversible one electron transfer steps follow-ing a cascade mechanism. The two steps oxidation occurred by the loss of one proton and one electron as evidenced from the Nernstian slope of E p vs. pH plot. Similar electrochemical response was ob- served for DTU, and the same number of electrons and protons were found to involve in its two steps oxidation mechanism as witnessed by the half peak width and slope value of E pa vs. pH plot. The oxidation product of the DTU showed reversible redox mechanism as observed by the appearance of two peaks in acidic media. The two peaks merged into one as witnessed by the large boost of half peak width in basic conditions. DPTU showed this merging up to slightly acidic conditions just below neutral pH. The studied thiourea based surfactants followed irreversible diffusion controlled oxidation processes. How-ever, the oxidation products showed reversible adsorption controlled redox processes. The CMC and HLB values demonstrated excellent cleaning, wetting and emulsifying properties of the synthesized sur- factants.


This document sets for the Commissions response to a petition for clarification and a petition for reconsideration of its First Report and Order, Commonly known as "Expensing of Station Connections". The First Report and Order, published in the Federal Register at 456 FR 18481, March 31, 1981, adopted changes to the Commissions Rules in Part 31 on uniform system of accounts for Class A and B telephone companies. Both petitioners raised the question of whether, and to what extent the adoption of th First Report and Order limits the discretion of the State commissions to follow different accounting and depreciation procedures for purposes of computing revenue requirements for intrastate telecommunications services.


To build entrepreneurial base on youth employment is an important method for youth employment after 16th national congress delegation.It is positive attempt for solving the contradictions between employment requirement in initial stage and word experience.Communist youth league organizations should play their own advantage,actively affiliated enterprises according to own characteristics closely,create a good atmosphere,improve employment guidance and service.


An Intrusion detection system is designed to classify the system activities into normal and abnormal. We use a combination of machine learning approaches as to detect the system attacks. The experimental results of the study show that increasing the number of classifiers has a threshold limit and the system accuracy will remain constant if the number of classifiers goes beyond this limit. The determination of the threshold limit is tentative. This article, also, presents a solution for unbalanced data of some attacks. The comparison of the results with other similar articles proves the efficiency of the presented system.


T rates of obesity are rapidly rising worldwide. Obesity is now a leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality. One in five female and one in seven male cancer deaths are attributable to obesity. My research program is focused on the development of precision medicine-driven interventions to prevent obesity-related cancers and improve outcomes. Our team was the first to demonstrate that inflammation of breast white adipose tissue (WAT) occurs in association with obesity and is detected by the presence of crown-like structures (CLS). Consisting of a dead or dying adipocyte surrounded by macrophages, CLS are associated with increased levels of proinflammatory mediators and locally enhanced estrogen signaling, which directly promotes tumorigenesis. Additionally, we have discovered WAT inflammation at other organ sites, including the tongue and prostate, suggesting that adipose inflammation and its systemic effects have a role in the development of several cancers. Alarmingly, we have also identified WAT inflammation and its associated metabolic alterations in one third of lean women. It is particularly important to develop tools that identify this cohort of at-risk individuals, given their healthy appearance. The identification of these biologic processes underlying the obesity-cancer link has allowed us to begin developing novel and exciting interventions to combat the ill effects of obesity. This new mechanism-based understanding of the ways by which obesity promotes cancer is poised to transform the way we prevent and treat cancer.


In this experiment, pure, Y3+ doped ZnO and Cu2+ +
Y3+ co-doped ZnO were synthesized by a solution combustion method.
The Y3+ dopant concentration was fixed in 3%wt. and the
Cu2+ dopant concentrations were 0, 1, 2, 3, 10, and 20%wt. The XRD
spectra showed that the original hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO is
conserved after doping process, an increasing red shift until 10%wt. Cu2+ doping and decrease at higher Cu2+ doping and also, the chemical
creation of the news Y2O3 and Y2Cu2O5 phases. The behavior of the photoluminescence of the samples as a function of
Cu2+ doping reveal that the green emission band of the ZnO is
quenching and the ZnO UV emission intensity decrease notably for all Cu2+ doping. The scanning electron microscope analysis of the Cu2+ + Y3+ co-doped ZnO
samples reveal the existence of grains agglutinated forming like-spheres
particles. However, the nano-sized characteristic of the crystals is confirmed.


Abstract – The new product development (PD) phase of automotive vehicles in particular and of any complex product in general is a process that requires effective use of knowledge and experience generated from the past. It also involves a large amount of uncertainty which is very difficult to incorporate in well established methodologies and techniques such as quality tools without a large number of assumptions. The use of expert systems combined with artificial intelligence methods is the modern approach to incorporate uncertainty into the various estimations necessary for the improvement of the product development process. This paper introduces a new concept for the design of a reliability improvement system for the automotive industry that combines some of the newest approaches in the discipline of knowledge engineering. The methodology presented aims to make the most effective use of, and prevent the loss of, knowledge that organisations generate through their product development processes.


Human monkey pox is an emerging viral zoonotic disease, which is caused by monkey pox virus. People living around the forested areas are more prone to the disease, possibly leading to sub-clinical infection. This study examined the level of awareness and perception of monkey pox disease in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Community awareness about monkey-pox varies from one region to another and also among cultures and this in turn affects the way people relate with victims of the disease. Primary and secondary data sources were used and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square), and results were presented in frequency tables and percentages. The result of the findings revealed that 92% of the respondents representing the majority had some sort of information about monkey-pox, 55% of the 92 respondents that had information about the disease gave credit to radio/television as the major means of getting information. Health centers and family members also served as means of dispersing information about the disease, contributing about 30.8% and 8.3% respectively. Furthermore, the (chi-square) results with calculated value of 23.20 and tabulated value 7.18 indicated that the perception of respondents is dependent on their level of awareness and determines their reactions towards monkey pox disease. The study thus recommends adequate acquaintance of the public through sensitization, and seminar as key in creating awareness of the monkey-pox disease. The study concluded that government should provide sustainable monitoring team to keep check on the population and educate them on the importance of hygiene.


Abstract 1951 Background: Although novel treatment combinations for multiple myeloma (MM) have improved outcomes, the disease remains incurable and new drug combinations are urgently needed. Vorinostat is an oral histone deacetylase inhibitor approved in the United States for treatment of patients (pts) with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma who failed prior therapies. Vorinostat alters gene expression and protein activity, promoting MM cell death through multiple pathways, and has been shown in preclinical studies to synergistically enhance the anti-MM activity of bortezomib and immunomodulatory drugs, including lenalidomide, with or without dexamethasone. Aims: The primary objective of this Phase I study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of vorinostat plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone in pts with relapsed or relapsed and refractory MM. Secondary objectives included overall safety, tolerability, response rate, duration of response, and time to progression (TTP). Methods: Pts in this Phase I multicenter open-label study were sequentially enrolled into 1 of 5 escalating doses of the combination regimen using a standard 3 + 3 design for ≤8 cycles. Pts who tolerated treatment and experienced clinical benefit were eligible for enrollment in an extension phase. Toxicity was evaluated using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria (version 3.0). Response was assessed using the modified European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation criteria and International Myeloma Working Group Uniform Criteria. Safety and efficacy data were analyzed using summary statistics, except for TTP, which was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: As of July 15, 2010, 31 pts were treated and evaluable for toxicity; 4 pts remain on study. Most pts had received prior thalidomide (n=22; 71%), bortezomib (n=20; 65%), or lenalidomide (n=14; 45%), with a median of 4 prior therapies (range, 1–10). The patient population contained both high-risk and low-risk pts, based on cytogenetic and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses. Most adverse events (AEs) were mild or moderate in severity. The most common grade ≥3 treatment-related AEs, experienced by 19 (61%) pts, were neutropenia (26%), thrombocytopenia (16%), diarrhea (13%), anemia (10%), and fatigue (10%); 8 pts discontinued due to toxicity. One dose-limiting toxicity (grade 3 diarrhea lasting >48 h) was observed at the maximum assessed dose (level 5), but MTD was not reached (Table) and there were no treatment-related deaths. Among 30 pts evaluable for response, the median TTP was 32 weeks (5 mo), and 4 pts remain on study as of the data cutoff date; 26 of 30 pts (87%) have achieved at least stable disease (SD). Best single responses included 2 complete responses, 3 very good partial responses (VGPR), 11 partial responses (PR), and 5 minimal responses (MR), with 5 pts achieving SD and 4 developing progressive disease, resulting in an overall response rate (ORR; PR or better) of 53%. Of 13 evaluable pts who had previously received lenalidomide, a best single response of SD or better was observed in 9 (69%; 2 VGPR, 3 PR, 1 MR, 3 SD), resulting in a 38% ORR. Notably, SD or better (2 PR, 1 MR, 3 SD) was observed in 60% of 10 evaluable pts who were relapsed, refractory, or intolerant to previous lenalidomide-containing regimens. Conclusions: Preliminary data from this Phase I study suggest that vorinostat plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone is a convenient and generally well-tolerated regimen with promising activity for relapsed or relapsed and refractory MM. The MTD for this combination was not reached. Importantly, responses were observed in pts who had received prior lenalidomide, bortezomib, and thalidomide. Further evaluation of this regimen is planned in future trials. Disclosures: Richardson:Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millenium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Johnson & Johnson: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Off Label Use: Vorinostat, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone for treatment in Multiple Myeloma. Weber:Novartis-unpaid consultant: Consultancy; Merck- unpaid consultant: Consultancy; Celgene- none for at least 2 years: Honoraria; Millenium-none for 2 years: Honoraria; Celgene, Millenium, Merck: Research Funding. Mitsiades:Millennium: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck & Co.: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kosan Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pharmion: Consultancy, Honoraria; Centrocor: Consultancy, Honoraria; PharmaMar: Patents & Royalties; OSI Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Amgen Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; AVEO Pharma: Research Funding; EMD Serono: Research Funding; Sunesis: Research Funding; Gloucester Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding. Dimopoulos:MSD: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Harousseau:Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Houp:Merck Research Laboratories: Employment. Graef:Merck Research Laboratories: Employment. Gause:Merck Research Laboratories: Employment. Byrne:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Anderson:Millennium Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Onyx: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Acetylon: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Siegel:Celgene and Millennium: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Advisory Board.


Carbon supported RuSe (RuSe/C) catalyst in varying atomic ratios of Ru to Se, namely, 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 were prepared and their performances were compared with carbon supported Ru (Ru/C). Based on the performance, Palladium was incorporated into as prepared RuSe(2:1)/C and heat treated HTRuSe(2:1)/C. Ru/C, RuSe/C, and Pd‐RuSe/C were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The XRD analyses of Ru/C, RuSe/C and Pd‐HTRuSe/C show the formation of the hcp structure of Ru particles and the mean particle size was obtained from Ru(101) peak. The electrochemical characterizations of Ru/C, RuSe/C, Pd‐HTRuSe(2:1)/C and Pd‐RuSe(2:1)/C were conducted by cyclic voltammetry. Linear Sweep Voltammetric studies showed that incorporation of Pd in HTRu‐Se(2:1)/C resulted in better catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction with resistance to methanol oxidation. The quantity of hydrogen peroxide produced was obtained from rotating ring disk electrode studies.


This article aims to take a look at general profile of journalists producing science technology and innovation news and identifying trends of journalism in this field by addressing journalists' news production practice. In addition to these goals, another desirable target is to reveal newspapers' views on science, technology and innovation journalism. Through quantitative and qualitative research, science, technology and innovation news sub-headings, (health, energy, information technology, environment, space, genetics, etc..), the language used in these news and the preferences of the journalists and the newspapers for which they work are going to be analyzed. The quality of news sources as a fundamental basis of news creation, the level of their relationship with reporters and the extent of conflicting views taking place on news are explored, as well. Working conditions of news reporters (wages, working time, working conditions, etc..) is one of the side issues of this study. Additionally, relationship of science, technology and innovation journalism with the public relations and advertising industry will be analyzed. Furthermore, we will try to define features required to create an ideal science ,technology and innovation news. This article is based on the analysis of data from questionnaires conducted with 75 journalists working on this issue around Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and in-depth interviews conducted with 22 of them.


Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) typically affects the axial skeleton and sacroiliac joints causing patients to experience pain, reduced movement, and impaired physical function. A range of treatment options are available to help axSpA patients reduce pain and maintain physical function and thereby enhance health-related quality of life. The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) identified activity as integral to the management of inflammatory arthritides, however, the majority of people living with axSpA are not sufficiently active to maintain physical function [1]. According to the Fear-Avoidance Model of Pain, fear of movement and pain catastrophizing contribute to poorer physical function via reduced activity and disuse [2]. Yet to date, no research has tested the theorized mediating role of fear of movement in the relationship between pain catastrophizing and physical function in people living with axSpA.To examine the mediating role of fear of movement in the relationship between pain catastrophizing and physical function in people living with axSpA.Participants (N= 98, 70% female,MAge = 45.62 SD 12.16) completed an online survey (December 2020 – May 2021) distributed in the United Kingdom via the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (n ≈ 3,500; NASS, 2019). The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) was used to measure fear of movement with participants rating 11-items from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). The Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS) contains 13-items, each rated on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (all the time). Both instruments have shown strong internal consistency in people living with axSpA [3,4]. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) was used to assess physical function with higher scores indicating poorer function. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS (Version 28). The PROCESS SPSS macro was used, and interpretation made using the percentile bootstrap 95% confidence intervals from 5000 bootstrap samples. Standardised effects with values.01,.09, and.25 represent small, medium, and large effects [5].Table 1.Descriptive statistics and Bivariate correlations for the variables.MSD231Pain Catastrophizing18.3413.65.647**.419**2Fear of Movement24.997.22.414**3Physical Function3.732.59Bivariate correlations showed pain catastrophizing to have a significant medium and positive relationship with physical function and a large positive relationship with fear of movement. Mediation analysis (F= 12.67,p<.05,R2=.21) revealed that pain catastrophizing had a large positive direct effect on physical function (β=.259) and fear of movement (β=.647). Fear of movement had a large positive direct effect on physical function(β=.246).A significant medium and positive indirect effect of pain catastrophising on physical function via fear of movement was observed(β=.160, CI =.002 -.320).Pain catastrophizing is experienced by people living with axSpA and can lead to the avoidance of movement, and as a result, compromised physical function. Our test of the Fear-Avoidance Model showed that pain catastrophizing significantly predicted the physical function of people living with axSpA and that this relationship was mediated by fear of movement. Fear of movement is a modifiable construct that can be a treatment target for health professionals to improve the physical function of people living with axSpA. Identifying modifiable factors that contribute to disease outcomes is critical to improve the care and quality of life for people living with a disease currently without a cure.[1]O'Dwyer T, O'Shea F, Wilson F. Rheum Int. 2015; 35(3):393-404.[2]Vlaeyen JW, Linton SJ. Pain. 2012; 153(6):1144-1147.[3]Swinnen TW, Vlaeyen JWS, Dankaerts W, Westhovens R, de Vlam K. J of Rheum. 2018; 45(3):357-366.[4]Kieskamp SC, Paap D, Carbo MJ, Wink F, Bos R, Bootsma H, et al. Rheum. 2021; 60(10):4476-4485.[5]Cohen J. Psych Bull; Citeseer; 1992.We thank the Bath Institute for Rheumatic.Diseases (BIRD) for funding to support this research.Peter Rouse: None declared, Thomas Ingram: None declared, Martyn Standage: None declared, Raj Sengupta Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Biogen, Celgene, Lilly, Novartis, Roche, UCB, Consultant of: Advisory boards for Abbvie, Biogen, Lilly, Novartis, UCB, Grant/research support from: Yes - Abbvie, Celgene, Novartis, UCB.


ed it, or, "in the case of a product which has not been manufactured, won or abstracted but essential characteristics of which are attributable to an industrial or other process having been carried out (for example, in relation to agriculture produce), the person who carried out the process." Then the application of liability is imposed not only on the producer but also on any person who holds himself out to be the producer by putting his name on the product or by using a trademark or other distinguishing mark in relation to the product. This is an attempt to impose strict liability on those stores that market "own-brand" products, but it would appear to be easy to evade the application of the Act by not holding oneself out as the producer, say, by adopting words such as "Made expressly for. .. ." Next comes a provision to catch goods manufactured outside the E.E.C. so as to impose liability on someone within the E.E.C.: the importer into the E.E.C. is made liable. Finally, the Act contains a provision which applies where there is difficulty in identifying the producer, as in the sale of bulk products. Any supplier of the product 23 is made liable unless that person can, within a reasonable time of being asked, identify either a person liable as producer or that person's own supplier.


Purpose : Preterm very low birth weight infant have high rate of adverse neurodevelopmental sequale. Recently, there have been lots of reports that human umbilical cord blood transplantation ameliorates functional deficits in animal models as hypoxic ischemic injury. This pilot study was undertaken to determine the clinical efficacy and safety of autologous umbilical cord blood cell transplantation for preventing neurodevelopmental sequale in perterm VLBW. Methods : Subjects were 26 preterm infants whose birth weight are less than 1,500 g and delivered under the intrauterine period 34 weeks. Autologous umbilical mononuclear cells (about 5.87×107/kg) were injected to neonate via the umbilical vein on the postnatal 24-48 hour. The therapeutic efficacy was assessed by numbers of nucleated RBC, urinary uric acid/creatinine ratio, concentration of neuron specific enolase (NSE), interleukin 6 (IL6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid on day 1 and 7. Results : There were no significant differences in the numbers of the nucleated RBC, urinary uric acid/creatinine ratio, concentration of creatine kinase between the transplanted infants and controls. But the nucleated RBC is more likely to be rapidly discharged in the transplanted group. In the transplanted group, the concentrations of IL6, IL-1β, and GDNF were no significant difference between day 1 and 7, although GDNF seemed to be elevated. Serum NSE concentration was significantly elevated after transplantation, but not in CSF. Conclusion : It is suggested that autologous umbilical cord blood transplantation in preterm very low birth weight infant is safe to apply clinical practice. Long term follow up study should be needed to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of umbilical cord blood transplantation for neuroprotection.


In Steel Plant from Masteel No. 1 Steel Making and Rolling Plant, water-spray was once used for secondary cooling for bloom continuous caster. The problems of bloom appeared in cracks under skin quite often. The advantage of the mixed secondary cooling with water and air lies in high density of water flow, good atomization result of water drops, big cooling area, little fluctuant range of bloom surface temperature, little quantity of water consumption, etc. That is why it is necessary to change into the way of mixed cooling. After the analysis and calculation of the secondary cooling, as well as the choice of nozzles, the total water consumption will be reduced by at least 30% after reconstruction, and the formal secondary cooling system can be reused. Thus, it is proven that the change of way of cooling from water cooling to the mixed cooling with water and air is feasible.


Abstract No Abstract Available. From the Oral Histology Laboratory, University of California School of Dentistry and the Departments of Oral Roentgenology and Oral Biology.


The purpose of this article is to provide a simplified construction of the intermediate extension of a Chow motive, provided that a condition on absence of weights in the boundary is satisfied. We give a criterion, which guarantees the validity of the condition, and compare our new construction to the theory of the interior motive established earlier. We finish the article with a review of the known applications to the boundary of Shimura varieties.


The teaching supervision system is generally used to comprehensively supervise and guide all aspects of teaching activities in colleges and universities. The effectiveness of supervision directly affects the operation of the teaching quality monitoring system in colleges and universities. Based on the analysis of the content and function of teaching supervision, the problems and countermeasures found in the supervision are discussed from the aspects of teaching supervision, learning supervision and management supervision. 1. The Content and Function of Teaching Supervision in Colleges and Universities Undergraduate education is the foundation of higher education, and teaching quality is very important for the survival and development of colleges and universities. The teaching supervision has become an important part of the education quality monitoring system in colleges and universities [1-2]. The basic contents of the current teaching supervision in universities include teaching supervision, learning supervision and management supervision. In view of the problems found in the teaching activities, the supervisory experts put forward corresponding constructive suggestions, and urge the relevant teachers and management departments to make improvements, so as to play a role in deepening the teaching reform and improving the teaching quality[3-4]. Teaching supervision is mainly to check the teaching status of teachers, including teaching means, teaching design, teaching effect and the use of teaching equipment. Due to the high proportion of scientific research performance in the evaluation of professional titles and various kinds of evaluation, it is still a common phenomenon that teachers in universities pay more attention to scientific research and less to teaching. With the decrease of teaching input of university teachers and the lack of teaching experience of most young teachers, some teachers are prone to various problems during lecture, so it is very necessary for supervision to provide help and guidance to their teaching works[5-6]. The contents of the learning supervision mainly include inspection and instruction of the students' learning attitude and learning status by supervision. During the lecture, the supervisor should understand the student's attendance rate, the number of latecomers and the status of the students in class. It is necessary to supervise students' interest, learning ability, learning effect, and so on. The problems found in the course of the inspection should be fed back in time, so as to supervise and promote the learning process of students. The management supervision mainly inspects and evaluates the teaching management work. Regular working meetings are held by the school to promote communication between teachers and teaching managers through policy presentations and discussions.According to the problems found in the process of teaching supervision and learning supervision, and according to the advanced teaching management concepts, relevant policies and measures are studied and formulated to continuously improve the level of teaching management decision-making[7-8]. 2020 International Conference on Education Reform and Innovation (ERAI2020) DOI: 10.38007/Proceedings.0001414 ISBN: 978-1-80052-009-7 110 2. The Problems Found in the Supervision Work and Countermeasures 2.1 The aspect of teaching supervision In terms of teaching supervision, the work load of supervision in class is relatively more, and the overall situation of classroom teaching in the college can be fully grasped through listening to the teacher in class. From the feedback information after listening to the class, most teachers are proficient in teaching content and serious in teaching attitude. They can design their teaching according to the teaching content, curriculum characteristics and the teaching objectives. Some teachers use the teaching method of calling by name or asking questions randomly during the teaching process to encourage students to actively participate in the teaching process and take the initiative to think. Most teachers conscientiously perform their duties, and the effect of teaching activities is possitive, but there are also some problems. Some teachers are not updated enough in teaching concept, and they are only satisfied with knowledge impartation but neglect the cultivation of students' ability. Some teachers' multimedia courseware production (or writing designing on the blackboard) is not fine enough, the teaching design is not reasonable enough, and the advantages of multimedia teaching and blackboard teaching are not fully utilized. Especially in the teaching process of young teachers, there are many problems such as boring classroom atmosphere, less interaction between teachers and students, lack of control over multiple influencing factors of teaching effect, and so on. Although the university requires young teachers to listen to excellent teachers, there is a lack of communication between them and the teachers being listened to. There is also a lack of discussion among young teachers, which affects their in-depth understanding of teaching rules. Therefore, in the process of checking the teachers' class situation, the supervisor should communicate with the teachers in time, give affirmation and praise to the good practices, communicate with the existing problems and short comings and put forward specific suggestions for improvement. Thus, the teachers can learn from each other and make continuous progress. However, since supervision needs to listen to many courses, if the supervision is not familiar with the teaching content, the guiding role of the supervisor to the teacher will have certain limitations. In fact, when there are many teachers teaching the same course, the teachers listening to a lecture each other is an effective way to strengthen communication. If young teachers can be organized to discuss the teaching mode of the same issue, the teaching level of young teachers will be improved. Some colleges urge young teachers to pay attention to teaching by holding lecture competitions for young teachers,and strengthen teaching communication by requiring young teachers to watch lecture competitions. Observation is just a passive way of teaching communication. If we can discuss the teaching situation in time after the competition, the effect will be better. Therefore in order to improve the ability of young teachers to control each teaching link, it is necessary to actively promote the research of teaching method. Through holding regular teaching seminars, various elements involved in the teaching process are exchanged and discussed, including explanation method of the teaching content, the design of the heuristic teaching, integration mechanism of ability cultivation and so on. Guiding young teachers with advanced educational ideas, making them strive to improve the level of multimedia courseware production (or the level of blackboard design) in the teaching process, not only pay attention to improving the way of imparting knowledge, but also attach importance to the cultivation of students' comprehensive ability, and the teaching quality has been steadily improved. 2.2 The aspect of learning supervision In terms of the learning supervision, the supervisor needs to strengthen the understanding of the students' homework and learning effects.The supervisor can communicate with the students During the class break, ask the students about their self-study and the correction of


The water-solubility of poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) films is analyzed from the polymer structure, the blend modification method is put forward to increase the water solubility of PVA films. The effects of poly(acrylic acid)(PAA) of different neutralization degrees and blend compositions on the water solubility and mechanical performance of PVA films were studied. At the same time,the blend modification mechanism was analyzed by using differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR),wide range X-ray diffraction(WXRD), and so on.


In this article, the intensity of mold metal reactions between ceramic shell and magnesium alloy AZ91E is studied. The two possible protective gasses used for melt protection are studied SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride) and 3M NOVEC 612. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used for the analyses of the mold-metal reaction products on the interface between the magnesium alloy and the ceramic shell. Penetration of AZ91E into the ceramic shell was observed, thickness of mold-metal reaction products layer ranged from 0 μm to 80 μm. The intensity of mold metal reaction is much higher on the outer surface than on the inner surface of the casting. The thicker layer of the fine zircon particles as the first layer of ceramic shell seems to lower the mold metal reactions intensity to minimum. While using SF6, the penetration of AZ91E into ceramic shell was observed, the corroded layer consists of Al-enriched phase with higher content of oxygen. The use of 3M NOVEC 612 as the protective gas led to formation of continuous MgO layer between the ceramic shell and the magnesium alloy, thickness of this layer was up to 60 μm depending on the ceramic shell composition in the close surrounding area.


Access to any development is a connection between the buildings and urban roadways. The impact of access on urban roads varies with location of the access. This paper studies the impact of access to large buildings on the surrounding road network by exploring traffic conflicts based on the configuration of the access. The concept of conflict intensity is introduced in this study as a new evaluation indicator to evaluate the traffic conflict triggered by the presence of access. The results show that the greater the speed,the greater the conflict intensity of access. Meanwhile,a similar situation exists when other variables (e.g.,conflict angle or the number of conflicts) change. The larger the conflict intensity,the more dangerous the access. Results from this study can help developers and traffic engineers choose suitable locations of access and organize the traffic in a logical manner.


This list contains the titles of the Raffles and Farquhar MSS., drawn from Van der Tuuk's catalogue as edited by R. Rost in Miscellaneous Papers relating to Indo-China and the Indian Archipelago, vol. ii, 1887, pp. 1–56 (after the original in JRAS., N.S., vol. ii, pp. 85–135, revised from the Dutch translation in BKI, III, 1, pp. 409–474, and with additional notes by Rost). I have added dates of MSS. and references to Van der Tuuk's notes about them found in some Leiden MSS. For the Maxwell collection this list reproduces Blagden's inventory (JRAS., 1899, pp. 121–129) with small corrections and the addition of other Malay manuscripts since presented by other donors. Some references to printed editions for which the R.A.S. MSS. have been used are also added. In a few cases some new notes about the contents of the texts have been given, mostly taken from information supplied by Sir R. O. Winstedt, who has also made the descriptions of the additional MSS. Maxwell 106 et sqq.


Cladonia verticillaris used in this study was collected in the cerrado vegetation of Saloa (PE, Brazil) and transplanted in plastic containers on soil from the collection place to Belo Jardim (PE) that possesses lead smelters and battery industries. The experiments were disposed at eleven different places for evaluating the dispersion of pollutants and their effects on the biomonitor. The exposed lichens were collected over eight months and submitted to thin layer and high performance liquid chromatographies, and scanning electron microscopy. C. verticillaris placed in the vicinity of the emission sources demonstrated alteration in its metabolism, decreasing the production of its major compound, fumarprotocetraric acid, and deterioration of its external and internal surfaces.


This paper attempts to work towards an explanation of the variation between personal pronouns and zero pronouns in an Old High German text, the Evangelienbuch by Otfrid von Weißenburg. Old High German is a stage of the German language, having lasted until around 1050 AD, in which there is still considerable variation between personal and zero pronouns in anaphoric usage (Schrodt 2004: 73–75.). The study is to be understood as a pilot study; so mostly it is a review of possible factors inducing the variation. It is premature to come to a clear conclusion, in the sense, Factor A in combination with Factor B favours (or even: determines) the use of zero pronoun, while Factor C does not, but what we can do is to identify the factors that show an eect in isolation. The interplay between dierent factors has not been addressed here, this is left for future investigation.1 I assume that the choice between personal and zero pronouns directly depends on the salience of the referents, in the sense of thewell-knownprinciple going back to Ariel (1990), that themore salient a referent is, the less substantial the expression is that is used to refer to this referent (cf. also Ellert 2010; Jaeger 2010:


Cellular networks play a dominant role in how we communicate. But, the current cellular architecture and protocols are overly complex. The 'control plane' protocol includes setting up explicit tunnels for every session and exchanging a large number of packets among the different entities (mobile device, base station, the packet gateways and mobility management) to ensure state is exchanged in a consistent manner. This limits scalability. As we evolve to having to support an increasing number of users, cell-sites (e.g., 5G) and the consequent mobility, and the incoming wave of IoT devices, a re-thinking of the architecture and control protocols is required. In this work we propose CleanG, a simplified software-based architecture for the Mobile Core Network (MCN) and a simplified control protocol for cellular networks. Network Function Virtualization enables dynamic management of capacity in the cloud to support the MCN of future cellular networks. We develop a simplified protocol that substantially reduces the number of control messages exchanged to support the various events, while retaining the current functionality expected from the network. CleanG, we believe will scale better and have lower latency.


This paper uses the Simar-Wilson bootstrap technology to estimate cost inefficiency in the Pakistan banking sector for the period 2002-2009. Several models of outputs including bad output are considered alongside a common set of inputs. Cost inefficiency is decomposed into its Technical and Allocative inefficiency components. Panel regression methods are used to model the drivers of inefficiency. In general the findings suggest that inefficiency is declining over time and that there is strong conditional convergence to peer group clusters based on branch levels, ownership and specialism. It is found that in general banks with more branches have higher cost inefficiency, the one foreign bank operates on lower cost inefficiency and Islamic banks have higher allocative inefficiency which is offset by a lower technical inefficiency.


Computational systems have long been designed under the premise that their fundamental circuit elements function correctly and reliably. As technology continues to scale, this premise no longer holds due to physical effects, thermal effects, and increased process variation. In May 2014, the ACM Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI (GLSVLSI) was held in Houston, Texas. In addition to the traditional topic areas of GLSVLSI, the conference had a special theme on reliability, resiliency, and robustness from circuits to systems. To highlight some of the work focused on this theme, the GLSVLSI Program Chairs, in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief, sent out a call for papers for a special issue in TODAES on recent advances in new techniques and methodologies to address reliability, resiliency, and robustness of future computing systems. GLSVLSI 2014 authors with papers related to the special topic were especially encouraged to contribute. The guest editors have selected seven diverse articles, all related to this theme, for inclusion in this special issue of TODAES. The following is a brief introduction to the seven articles. The first two articles focus on mitigating soft errors. The article entitled "SingleEvent Multiple-Transient Characterization and Mitigation via Alternative Standard Cell Placement Methods" by Kiddie et al. presents a technique to analyze the effects of single-event radiation on multiple devices and investigates how standard cell placements can be used to improve reliability. The article by Delshadtehrani et al. entitled "In-Scratchpad Memory Replication: Protecting Scratchpad Memories in Multi-Core Embedded Systems Against Soft Errors" describes an efficient data replication mechanism to correct multi-bit upsets in scratchpad memories found in multicore embedded systems. The next three articles employ various emerging technologies for the design of reliable nonvolatile memory and delay elements. The first of these articles by Papandreou et al. entitled "Enhancing the Reliability of MLC NAND Flash Memory Systems by Read Channel Optimization" investigates the use of adaptive voltage thresholds and interference cancellation to improve device reliability in NAND flash memory. Failure rates in resistive random-access memory due to both soft and hard errors are explored in the article "Impact of Cell Failure on Reliable Cross-Point Resistive Memory Design," by Xu et al. Digitally tunable current flow to better manage processand temperatureinduced performance fluctuations is examined by Zhang and Kaneko in the article "Robust and Low-Power Digitally Programmable Delay Element Designs Employing Neuron-MOS Mechanism." The final two articles focus more on the system level. The article by Kim et al., "Use it or Lose It: Proactive, Deterministic Longevity in Future Chip Multiprocessors", investigates wearout due to negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) from real workloads applied to the on-chip interconnect in chip multiprocessors. Finally, a new methodology to apply targeted optimizations that improve reliability at lower


Agricultural production system is an outcome of a complex interaction of seed, soil, water and agro-chemicals (including fertilizers). Therefore, judicious management of all the inputs is essential for the sustainability of such a complex system. The focus on enhancing the productivity during the Green Revolution coupled with total disregard of proper management of inputs and without considering the ecological impacts, has resulted into environmental degradation. The only alternative left to enhance productivity in a sustainable manner from the limited natural resources at the disposal, without any adverse consequences, is by maximizing the resource input use efficiency. It is also certain that even in developing countries, availability of labour for agricultural activities is going to be in short supply in future. The time has now arrived to exploit all the modern tools available by bringing information technology and agricultural science together for improved economic and environmentally sustainable crop production. Precision agriculture merges the new technologies borne of the information age with a mature agricultural industry. It is an integrated crop management system that attempts to match the kind and amount of inputs with the actual crop needs for small areas within a farm field. This goal is not new, but new technologies now available allow the concept of precision agriculture to be realized in a practical production setting.


Long‐term placement of lumen apposing metal stents (LAMS) with high lumen apposing force may result in adverse events. The aim of the current study was to assess the long‐term efficacy and safety of a self‐approximating LAMS with lower lumen apposing force for endoscopic ultrasound‐guided choledochoduodenostomy (EUS‐CDS) and ‐gallbladder drainage (EUS‐GBD).


Despite the promising potential of hydrogel-based therapeutic approaches for spinal cord injury (SCI), the need for new biomaterials to design effective strategies for SCI treatment and the outstanding properties of silk-elastin-like polymers (SELP), the potential use of SELPs in SCI is currently unknown. In this context, we assessed the effects elicited by the in vivo acute intraparenchymal injection of an SELP named (EIS)2-RGD6 in a clinically relevant model of SCI. After optimization of the injection system, the distribution, structure, biodegradability, and cell infiltration capacity of (EIS)2-RGD6 were assessed. Finally, the effects exerted by the (EIS)2-RGD6 injection—in terms of motor function, myelin preservation, astroglial and microglia/macrophage reactivity, and fibrosis—were evaluated. We found that (EIS)2-RGD6 can be acutely injected in the lesioned spinal cord without inducing further damage, showing a widespread distribution covering all lesioned areas with a single injection and facilitating the formation of a slow-degrading porous scaffold at the lesion site that allows for the infiltration and/or proliferation of endogenous cells with no signs of collapse and without inducing further microglial and astroglial reactivity, as well as even reducing SCI-associated fibrosis. Altogether, these observations suggest that (EIS)2-RGD6—and, by extension, SELPs—could be promising polymers for the design of therapeutic strategies for SCI treatment.


Questionnaire data is used to identify socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics as well as the risk-awareness of users offended on the Internet. The data comprises a sample of 3,000 individuals, containing information on employment, education, age, residence and the frequency of Internet usage. Within the sub-sample of offended users, this study identifies a female group, where employment and education are high, a male cluster where the security awareness is low, a group of offended users living mainly in large cities and a group of young users. For the cluster of offended young users the security awareness is high.


How to represent geographic space has long been an issue in location modelling. Facilities, demand and/or the region of interest are often abstracted using aggregated points. However, substantial errors can be introduced, and obtained solutions could be dependent on the degree of aggregation. To address this, geographic representation of space is undergoing renewed research interest in spatial analysis and modelling. In this article the maximal coverage problem is studied, with a particular focus on demand coverage representation. Due to the limitations of existing modelling approaches for examining the coverage of space, there exist significant discrepancies between what is modelled and actual geographic coverage. In order to accurately reflect the mechanism of maximal coverage for spatial objects (points, lines or polygons), we introduce a new model explicitly accounting for joint service provided by multiple facilities. The new model can be viewed as an extension of existing approaches, but also a generalisation. An application to warning siren siting is carried out to demonstrate the merits of this new approach. Copyright (c) 2008 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2008 RSAI.


Applied writing curriculum is the key course for higher vocational students to lead to career plan and lay the foundation of success in future.It can clarify post capacity needs with the correct orientation for curriculum objectives.It explores the teaching reform of applied writing based on post capacity needs.It can optimize teaching content,and explores the organization form and teaching method of classroom teaching,which is necessary for strengthening the actual effect of this course,cultivating students' requirement of applied writing,satisfying post capacity needs and realizing talents' training goal.


Background: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts are an established treatment modality for CSF diversion. An alternative to VP shunting is lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting. There is a paucity of evidence on LP shunt use in the literature, but available studies demonstrate that it is a safer and similarly efficacious method for conditions such as normal pressure hydrocephalies (NPH) and idiopathic -intracranial hypertension (IIH). Methods: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts are an established treatment modality for CSF diversion. An alternative to VP shunting is lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting. There is a paucity of evidence on LP shunt use, but available studies demonstrate that it is a safer and similarly efficacious method for conditions such as normal pressure hydrocephalies (NPH) and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Results: 95 patients were treated with lumboperitoneal shunt, 71 of which were for hydrocephalus and 24 for IIH. 39 male and 58 female patients were included with mean age 55 (range from 20 to 96 years old). 26 patients had laparoscopic placement of the peritoneal catheter. Mechanical issues with distal end was less with laparoscopic approach. Conclusions: We will review disease-specific scores for NPH and IIH, and compare laparoscopic with non-laparoscopic placement of peritoneal catheter. We will also compare outcomes and complications with rates for VP shunting.


AT TIMES, IT SEEMS OUR GOAL as teachers of introductory courses in Native American literatures is to promote contradiction: to circumscribe a distinct area of American literature while we praise its great diversity of voices, to categorize it while we resist it being categorized simply as "ethnic literature." Paradox is, of course, inherent in our task. For today's Native American author, the dilemma remains: how to assert tribal identity in modern times and demonstrate its continuity with a rich heritage, when one's non-tribal audience believes a history that dramatizes only loss, dispossession, extinction. This dilemma has been resolved in various ways by various authors, so the classroom challenge is to spark an admiration of the variety while providing a relatively simple framework that can encompass such a polyphony of voices. The admiration of diversity is easily handled; one need only have students read widely. Helping them fit sometimes very dissimilar texts and styles into a comprehensive understanding is more problematic. And if one encounters students with particularly strong misconceptions about Native Americans and their cultures, this comprehension may become a vexing point of contention. In all instances, and particularly the latter, a formalistic, perhaps almost ritualistic approach can help smooth the way, if for no other reason than by implying regularity in what, for the student, may become a disconcerting body of literature, and by providing a system within which he or she may seek significant patterns. Thus, it is necessary to develop a method by which students can quickly recognize elements of cultures presented in works of literature under discussion, and then use the resulting awareness to assess other works about the same or similar cultures. Recently, as a Fulbright professor in a German university, I developed an approach to fulfill this need, but I must emphasize that it is simply a useful tool for initiation; it helps initiate discussion and then direct future reading, and may not necessarily resolve difficult analyses in all areas and genres of American Indian literatures.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to describe and examine the levels and sources of job satisfaction, and the relationship between job satisfaction and clinical supervision variables for certified substance abuse counselors engaged in full-time counseling practice. All participants in this study met or exceeded the educational and supervised experience requirements of the two boards responsible for the certification of the majority of certified substance abuse counselors in the nation (Page and Bailey, 1995). Five hundred and five counselors were surveyed by mail using an Individual Information Form and a modified form of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weiss, Dawis, England and Loftquist, 1967). The participants were least satisfied with the opportunities for advancement and most satisfied with the opportunity to be of help to others. The results of this study also indicated that the participants' job satisfaction could be predicted, to a significant degree, by the presence of a combinatio...


The structures of premixed flames propagating in combustible systems, containing uniformly distributed volatile fuel particles, in an oxidizing gas mixtures is analyzed. The experimental results show that steady flame propagation occurs even if the initial equivalence ratio of the combustible mixture based on the gaseous fuel available in the particles, phi(u) is substantially larger than unity. A model is developed to explain these experimental observations. In the model it is presumed that the fuel particles vaporize first to yield a gaseous fuel of known chemical composition which then reacts with oxygen in a one-step overall process. It is shown that the interplay of vaporization kinetics and oxidation process, can result in steady flame propagation in combustible mixtures where the value of phi(u) is substantially larger than unity. This prediction is in agreement with experimental observations.


Molecular transport across a water–organic liquid interface formed parallel to the side wall of a microchannel on microchips has been studied using methyl red as model compound and cyclohexane and n-octanol as organic solvents. The molecular transport was monitored by thermal lens microscopy and the kinetics of the process was studied for different concentrations and flow velocities. The influence of physico–chemical interactions between the model compound and organicso lvents on liquid–liquid interface was demonstrated in the microspace and corresponding partition coefficients were calculated which confirmed the experimental results.


Treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer evolved from EBRT alone to EBRT plus ICRT to EBRT with concurrent chemotherapy plus ICRT.
Concurrent cisplatin therapy is usually administered on a weekly or three weekly basis. The doses of Cisplatin used in the weekly or three weekly
regimen may not be tolerated well by all patients, resulting to fewer patients being able to receive the total planned effective dose of concurrent
chemotherapy. Experimental data suggest that antitumor activity of cisplatin may be greater if administered by continuous infusion. Preliminary
studies have also shown that low dose, daily Cisplatin with radiotherapy may be better tolerated along with similar response rates, especially in
older age patients. Results: Overall 96.8 % (30 out of 31) of the patients had complete response and 3.2% (1 out of 31) patients had partial response.
Almost all (except one) the patients in the study received a cumulative dose of 200 mg/m2 of concurrent Cisplatin. Acute grade 3 toxicities were
observed mostly in the form of diarrhoea and skin toxicity. Grade 3 diarrhoea occurred in 14 patients (45.2%). Incidence of acute grade 3 skin
reaction was seen in 2 patients (6.5%), whereas the incidence of acute grade 3 haematological toxicity , genitourinary toxicity and grade 3 nausea
and vomiting was nil. Conclusions: Adaily low dose cisplatin prior to radiotherapy might lead to an increased radiosensitization as well as better
tolerance than other regimens.


Abstract : Mathematical problems can be solved numerically by deriving an iteration scheme that generates a sequence, the limit of which is the solution of the problem. However, quite often the generated sequence converges very slowly or even diverges. This study describes and compares methods designed to accelerate a slowly convergent sequence or to obtain the solution of the problem from a divergent sequence. The methods studied are Aitken's Delta-Squared method, Wynn's epsilon and modified epsilon methods, the minimal polynomial extrapolation method, the reduced rank extrapolation method, and Anderson's generalized secant algorithms. The derivation of these methods, as applied to both linear and nonlinear problems, are presented. In addition, the acceleration methods are compared theoretically and numerically. Results are presented from extensive numerical testing of problems in an m-dimensional vector space.


Through analysis early permian coal seam distributed rule,coal formation environment and evolution characteristics in longyong coalfield,thought this coal seam's coal deposition system is barrier island-lagoon deposition combination,tidal-tidal channel deposition combination and shore lake deposition combination,appropriate coal formation models are barrier island-lagoon,tidal-tidal channel,shore lake coal formation models,formed a main coal seam;the main control on coal formation factors are basement subsidence and sedimentary environment,and basement subsidence include the interference of differential compaction,sedimentary environment not omly include the interference of seawater 's advancement and retreatment,but also include the interference of the depth of basin water.