Considering the scenario that multiple users require localization services in the same area, this thesis proposes a centralized location algorithm based on the information exchange between users. Users measure the signal strength from base station and other users, and then send the measurement result to a localization server, the server estimates the distance between users based on these measurements, and use MDS algorithm to calculate the relative position between users, the fingerprint localization result can be revised by this relative position information iteratively. With the distance estimation between users, the algorithm can combat the influence on wireless signal strength measurements introduced by a plurality of users, the localization precision can be effectively improved.


Aluminum matrix composites reinforced by ceramic particles are well know for their good thermo-physical and mechanical properties. As a result, during the last years, there has been a considerable interest in using aluminum metal matrix composites (MMCs) in the automobile industry. These potential applications have greatly stimulated the tribological studies of MMCs under different operating conditions. In this paper, TiB – particles - reinforced aluminum - tungsten matrix composites were fabricated by the cost – effective squeeze – casting technology and their microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties were investigated. The microstructure observation showed that the produced composites were dense, with no micro-holes and obvious defects. Their wear resistance was evaluated using a pin on disc type equipment under dry wear conditions and found significantly increased compared to pure Al metal.


This report describes an efficient strategy for determining the functions of sequenced genes in microorganisms. A large population of cells is subjected to insertional mutagenesis. The mutagenized population is then divided into representative samples, each of which is subjected to a different selection. DNA is prepared from each sample population after the selection. The polymerase chain reaction is then used to determine retrospectively whether insertions into a particular sequence affected the outcome of any selection. The method is efficient because the insertional mutagenesis and each selection need only to be performed once to enable the functions of thousands of genes to be investigated, rather than once for each gene. We tested this "genetic footprinting" strategy using the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae.


Sixteen (16) west African Dwarf Goats (8 bucks and 8 does) were balanced for age, sex and weight (average of 5.79±0.60kg), to test for performance characteristics, cell wall digestibility and Nitrogen Retention, were fed Tephrosia bracteolata based diets were allotted randomly to the following dietary treatments (T. bracteolate, P. maximum, Concentrate) viz: I (20%, 60%, 20%) as control, II (40%, 40%, 20%), III (60%, 20%, 20%) and IV (80%, 0%, 20%) for one hundred and twelve days; 14 day pre-growth adaptation, 84 day-growth and 14 day digestibility (7 day adaptation and 7 day monitoring). Highest (P<0.05) DM was observed in IV  (338.88±31.72g/d) and lowest (P<0.05) in I (255.68±35.48g/d).  Treatment IV (54.29±3.66g/d) also had highest (P<0.05) and daily weight gain and lowest (P<0.05) occurred in I (40.59±4.93g/d). Concerning NDF, ADF and NDL digestibility (%), highest (P<0.05) occurred in IV (81.53±25.37, 75.49±9.23 and 15.84±2.36) and lowest (P<0.05) recorded in I (62.15±25.48, 55.88±8.20 and 8.67±1.50). Similarly trend of highest (P<0.05) in IV (2.67±0.62g/d) and lowest (P<0.05) in I (0.97±0.60g/day) repeated itself with respect to nitrogen balance. This study confirms that with Concentrate waste Tephrosia bracteolata can be sole fed to goats with A.I.B. (Agro industrial byproducts) for optimal performance with or without grass supplement despite its inherent anti nutrient factors. Keywords : Cell wall digestibility, Performance Characteristics, Nitrogen Retention, Tephrosia bracteolata, West African dwarf goats


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It mostly presents with fevers and respiratory symptoms that can progress from simple pneumonia to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It also has significant implications for the cardiovascular care of patients. Troponin, which is a sign of cardiac injury, usually goes up in patients who are hospitalized, and it requires careful consideration. Microvascular activation by cytokines might cause myocardial damage, and it can harm other organs usually involved in COVID-19, such as lungs and kidneys. COVID-19 infection is also associated with venous thromboembolism, arrhythmias, and myocarditis. On the other hand, the cardiovascular care provision might position workers in the healthcare system in vulnerability once they become hosts or vectors for the transmission of coronavirus. In this study, we have investigated the articles on cardiovascular considerations concerning COVID-19 and then introduced the gaps which require more investigation pertinent to patients and healthcare systems.


In this article we propose a very simple scheme for detecting the state and the degree of entanglement of two modes of radiation using a beam splitter. We find that using this device we can tell whether the state coming out of a certain apparatus is maximally entangled, by measuring the intensity of the radiation of one of the modes. This result is independent of the transmittivity of the beam splitter. In some cases it is also possible to determine the state exactly, by measuring the dispersion of one of the modes.


This paper reports some effects arising from interrupted lifetest of 1.3-/spl mu/m GaInAsP-InP inverted-rib laser diodes. This unconventional lifetest method involves constant power biasing at 4 mW/facet and 8 mW/facet, respectively, at 50/spl deg/C, followed by a period during which the devices were left unbiased at room temperature (off-test period). At the end of the off-test period, the devices were put back on constant power biasing at 50/spl deg/C. A pronounced reduction in the threshold current, current for 4 mW/facet and 8 mW/facet were observed during the initial part of the off-test period. Similar improvements were also seen in the external quantum efficiency with corresponding variations also occurring in the device series resistance, characteristic temperature, threshold junction voltage, and the emission spectra linewidth. Such recovery effects have so far been observed to occur only in the GaInAsP-InP inverted-rib devices. >


We prove the existence of solutions for a class of quasilinear problems involving variable exponents and with nonlinearity having critical growth. The main tool used is the variational method, more precisely, Ekeland's Variational Principle and the Mountain Pass Theorem.


Introduction: preconception care is provision of biomedical, behavioral, and social health interventions to reproductive age women and their partners before pregnancy to improve maternal and child health. Its package was developed in 2012. Preconception care not well studied in Ethiopia particularly in the study area. Objective: The aimed to assess the level of knowledge and attitude towards preconception care and associated factors among healthcare providers in North Wollo Zone, 2020. Methods: institution based cross sectional study on 536 health care providers was conducted. Multi stage sampling technique was used. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select the health institutions and study participants. Data were collected; structured, pre tested and self-administered questionnaire. Binary logistic regression used to compute descriptive statistics. P-value < 0.05%, OR with 95% CI used for presence and strength of significant association. Result: This study revealed that 49.1% and 44.2% of health care providers had good knowledge and favorable attitude towards preconception care, respectively. Variables; higher monthly salary [AOR 1.9: 95% CI: 1.1-3.2)], midwifery as profession [AOR: 2.1(95% CI: 1.1-3.7)], library in the institution [AOR: 2.6 (95% CI: 1.2-5.8)], ever heard about preconception care [AOR: 5.6 (95% CI: 3.0 - 10.4)] on knowledge and degree & above educational status [(AOR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.4-3.1)], good knowledge [AOR: 2.3 (95% CI: 1.3-3.3)] and ever read guideline [AOR: 2.0 (95% CI: 1.2-3.3)] on favorable attitude of preconception care were significantly associated factors respectivelyConclusion and recommendation: nearly half of the participants had poor knowledge and unfavorable attitude on preconception care due to mentioned factors and can be averted by making the institutions to have library, health care providers should to read about preconception care.


One of the most important challenges for the occupation of Iraq has been making decisions about the status of people who were either responsible for or who passively benefited from the regime's past injustices. But how should such people—in this case, members of the Baath Party—be dealt with? And how have they been dealt with under the U.S. occupation? Although lustration is just one of many institutions of jus post bellum, it is arguably one of the most important. The pursuit of administrative justice affects the reconstitution of the public sphere—literally and figuratively—in more fundamental ways than most other institutions of transitional justice. Yet our understanding of the ethics of occupation in the twenty-first century continues to be incomplete, and ethical principles are needed for guiding and clarifying how occupations may justly be carried out and for establishing a legitimate role for international morals in the conduct of peace. This article develops three such principles for guiding the practice of lustration, and argues that they have been widely flouted during the occupation of Iraq. This is problematic from the perspective of jus post bellum, for to paraphrase Michael Walzer's argument in Just and Unjust Wars, the restraint of peace is the beginning of peace.


A 434/868 MHz FSK/OOK transmitter with integrated PLL is reported. Direct digital modulation of a fully integrated Σ-Δ fractional-N PLL frequency synthesizer is used to ensure fine frequency resolution and low phase noise. A wideband VCO together with an Adaptive Frequency Calibration (AFC) is used to cover the desired bands. A differential-to-single output programmable power amplifier is integrated to make the chip low cost and low power. The measurement results show that the phase noise are −76dBc/Hz and −131dBc/Hz at 10-kHz offset and 3-MHz offset with carrier centered at 868 MHz, respectively. The peak output power of the transmitter is is 3.5dBm on 50-Ω load and the measured adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) for 100 kHz channel is less than -50-dBc. The chip is fabricated with 0.35-µm RF CMOS process. The 2-mm2 transmitter IC including PLL and power amplifier (PA) consumes 87.6mW at 3V voltage supply.


Eating more than is required to maintain bodyweight is weakly resisted physiologically, as appetite does not closely track body energy balance. What does limit energy intake is the capacity of the gut to accommodate and process what is eaten. As the gut empties, we are ready to eat again. We typically refer to this absence of fullness as 'hunger', but in this state, even when it is prolonged (e.g. by missing one or two meals), our mental and physical performance is not compromised because body energy stores are mobilised to sustain energy supply to our brain and muscles. We illustrate this by discussing research on the effects of missing breakfast. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it appears that missing breakfast leads to a reduction in total daily energy intake and does not impair cognitive function (in adequately nourished individuals). The problem with missing a meal or eating smaller meals, however, is that we miss out on (some of) the pleasure of eating (food reward). In current studies, we are investigating how to offset the reduced reward value of smaller food portions, by, for example, altering flavour intensity, food variety and unit size, in order to maintain overall meal satisfaction and thereby reduce or eliminate subsequent compensatory eating.


Objectives Despite distinct aetiologies, the end-stages of primary osteoarthritis (OA) and secondary OA are described by common radiological features. However, the morphology of the bone–cartilage unit may differ depending on the pathogenesis. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate the histological differences in the bone–cartilage unit of the femoral head between patients with primary OA and secondary OA due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method Femoral heads were obtained from 12 patients with primary OA, six patients with secondary OA due to RA, and 12 control subjects. The femoral heads were investigated using stereological methods to ensure unbiased quantification. Results The volume (mean difference [95% confidence interval]) (2.1 [0.5;3.8] cm3, p = 0.016) and thickness (413 [78.9;747] µm, p = 0.029) of the articular cartilage and the thickness of the calcified cartilage (56.4 [0.4;113] µm, p = 0.017) were larger in patients with primary OA than in patients with secondary OA due to RA. Femoral head volume (1.2 [−3.6;6.1] cm3, p = 0.598), bone volume fraction (−1.1 [−2.8;5.1] cm3, p = 0.553), subchondral bone thickness (−2.5 [−212;207] µm, p = 0.980), and osteophyte area (25.3 [−53.6;104] cm2, p = 0.506) did not differ between patients. Conclusion The thicker calcified cartilage in primary OA preceding the loss of articular cartilage can be attributed to endochondral ossification. Patients with secondary OA due to RA had severely thinner calcified cartilage as the pathogenesis is driven by inflammation and is characterized by a generalized and more severe loss of articular cartilage.


New meander line antennas with improved gain are proposed as low-profile self-resonant tags for application in passive radio frequency identification. Antenna shape and size is optimized by genetic algorithm, taking conductor losses into account. Examples are presented for application at 869 MHz with antennas of different materials and sizes.


e Abstract—Background: Despite demonstration of equivalent efficacy of beta agonist delivery using a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with spacer vs. nebulizer in asthma patients, use of a nebulizer remains standard practice. Objectives: We hypothesize that beta agonist delivery with a MDI/disposable spacer combination is an effective and lowcost alternative to nebulizer delivery for acute asthma in an inner-city population. Methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial with 60 acute asthma adult patients in two inner-city emergency departments. Subjects (n 60) received albuterol with either a MDI/spacer combination or nebulizer. The spacer group (n 29) received albuterol by MDI/spacer followed by placebo nebulization. The nebulizer group (n 29) received placebo by MDI/spacer followed by albuterol nebulization. Peak flows, symptom scores, and need for rescue bronchodilatator were monitored. Median values were compared with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Results: Patients in the two randomized groups had similar baseline characteristics. The severity of asthma exacerbation, median peak flows, and symptom scores were not significantly different between the two groups. The median (interquartile range) improvement in peak flow was 120 (75–180) L/min vs. 120 (80–155) L/min in the spacer and nebulizer groups, respectively (p 0.56). The median improvement in the symptom score was 7 (5–9) vs. 7 (4–9) in the spacer and nebulizer groups, respectively (p 0.78). The median cost of treatment per patient was $10.11 ($10.03–$10.28) vs. $18.26 ($9.88–$22.45) in the spacer and nebulizer groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There is no evidence of superiority of nebulizer to MDI/ spacer beta agonist delivery for emergency management of acute asthma in the inner-city adult population. MDI/ spacer may be a more economical alternative to nebulizer delivery. © 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.


Objectives
The purpose of this study was to examine the daily consumption of tart cherry juice in comparison to a placebo juice on symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis in both men and woman, age 45-79 years old, for a treatment period of 120 days.

Methods
In a randomized, double-blind control trial, a total of 66 adults with self-reported symptomatic knee OA, were randomized to either consume a 16 oz of tart cherry juice (TCJ) or a placebo juice daily for 4 months. Pain, mobility, plasma biomarkers of cartilage metabolism were evaluated at baseline, 2 months and 4 months. Pain, stiffness, and impact on quality of life were assessed using Self-administered Modified Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, while flexibility of the afflicted joint(s) was assessed via range of motion assessment (ROM). Plasma biomarkers related to cartilage metabolism such as glycoprotein 39 (YKL-40), hyaluronic acid, insulin-like growth factor(IGF)-1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3) were determined.

Results
A total of 57 participants completed the study with an attrition rate of 9%. Pain and impact on quality of life decreased significantly at mid-point in the TCJ group, but these improvements were not maintained at the final time point. At midpoint, right knee ROM increased significantly in the TCJ at mid-point, but did not maintain significant at the end of the treatment period. Knee extension and knee flexion also improved significantly in the TCJ group from baseline to midpoint, while there was no significant change in the placebo group. The TCJ group had an overall significant decrease in plasma YKL-40, a marker of cartilage destruction, while no changes were observed in the placebo group. A significant decrease in the plasma IGF-1 and a non-significant up trend in IGFBP-3 were observed in the placebo group, while in the TCJ group no changes in IGF-1 and a non-significant decrease in IGFBP-3 was observed. There were no changes in the hyaluronic acid in the TCJ group during the study duration, but a non-significant up trending was noticed in the placebo group.

Conclusions
The findings of the study suggest that daily consumption of tart cherry juice results in improvement in mobility, relief of pain-related symptoms and quality of life, and selective markers of cartilage health.

Funding Sources
Cherry Marketing Institute.


Over the last few years, technological advances have led to tremendous improvement in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Artificial pancreas systems have been shown to improve glucose control compared with conventional insulin pump therapy. However, clinically significant hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes still occur with the artificial pancreas. Postprandial glucose excursions and exercise-induced hypoglycemia represent major hurdles in improving glucose control and glucose variability in many patients with T1D. In this regard, dual-hormone artificial pancreas systems delivering other hormones in addition to insulin (glucagon or amylin) may better reproduce the physiology of the endocrine pancreas and have been suggested as an alternative tool to overcome these limitations in clinical practice. In addition, novel ultra-rapid-acting insulin analogs with a more physiological time-action profile are currently under investigation for use in artificial pancreas devices, aiming to address the unmet need for further improvements in postprandial glucose control. This review article aims to discuss the current progress and future outlook in the development of novel ultra-rapid insulin analogs and dual-hormone closed-loop systems, which offer the next steps to fully closing the loop in the artificial pancreas.


A continuous flow pinch formed in a coaxial plasma device with pulsed gas admission has been investigated. Maximum temperatures of 50 000 K and densities of 3 × 1017 cm−3 have been measured spectroscopically during the 40 μs stable lifetime of the pinch. The properties of the low-β plasma which was formed in the interelectrode space of the device have been determined and used to calculate the degree of compression which occurred beyond the end of the centre electrode. The number density compression ratio was found to be 25 and the temperature was increased by a factor of 3·5. An approximate energy balance for the flow process has been established using measured values of the speed of flow of the plasma before and after compression.


Energy efficiency is of great importance in wireless sensor networks, where each node is typically powered by battery with limited energy supply. In this case, cooperative broadcasting plays a significant role in saving transmission power consumption by introducing the accumulation of signal energy and cooperative transmission. In this paper, we consider a clustered wireless sensor network (WSN) where a virtual MISO based energy-efficient broadcasting scheme is investigated with centralized and distributed algorithms. Specifically, sensors within each cluster relay message to nearby clusters via cooperative transmissions in conjunction with proper Space Time Block Codes (STBCs) till the entire network is connected. Further, to minimize the total transmission power, a centralized algorithm is presented with only one cluster head reached at each iteration. Also, to facilitate implementation, two distributed algorithms are introduced based on inter-cluster cooperative transmission with knowledge of intra-cluster channel state information (CSI). There performance analyses show that our scheme is more energy-efficient than other counterparts.


Abstract Attraction of Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Culex tarsalis Coquillett, Culex nigripalpus Theobald, and Aedes aegypti (L.) to avian and other host odors was investigated in a dual-port olfactometer. Although attraction to a human arm was high for Ae. aegypti (>80%) and low for all Culex spp. (<25%), all species responded similarly to a chicken (55.3–73.6%). Responses of Ae. aegypti, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Cx. nigripalpus to feathers were low (<20%) but greater than to controls. There was no difference in attraction of Cx. tarsalis to feathers or controls. Responses to CO2 (5 ml/min) were low for all species (<15%) except Cx. tarsalis, which were moderate (24.5%). When feathers were combined with CO2, the resulting attraction was additive or lower than responses to feather and CO2 alone for all species except for Cx. tarsalis, which had responses that were three-fold greater than expected if responses were additive. The CO2–feather treatments were less attractive than a chicken for all species. When olfactometer assays were extended from 3 to 20 min, responses by Ae. aegypti significantly increased to a chicken and CO2 and attraction of Cx. quinquefasciatus significantly greater to chickens, CO2, and feathers. None of the volatile compounds previously identified from feathers or uropygial glands tested were attractive. Both feather-rubbed cotton balls and hexane extracts of feathers were attractive and as attractive as feathers; however, ether extracts were not attractive. Feathers clearly contribute to the attraction of host-seeking Culex spp., and future studies will focus on identification of the attractant compounds.


We studied the conversion of methotrexate to poly-gamma-glutamyl derivatives by cultured human breast cancer cells. After incubation with 2 micro M [3',5',9-3H]methotrexate, MCF-7 cells were washed free of extracellular drug and were boiled to lyse cells and to release drug bound to dihydrofolate reductase (tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase; 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate:NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 18.104.22.168). The supernatant fraction was chromatographed on Sephadex G-15 to separate parent drug from polyglutamate forms. These cells rapidly and quantitatively converted methotrexate to polyglutamates, such that after 24 hr of incubation, 70 +/- (SEM) 3% of intracellular methotrexate existed as polyglutamates. Examination of that portion of intracellular methotrexate specifically bound to dihydrofolate reductase indicated that, with prolonged incubation, methotrexate polyglutamates become the predominant drug form bound to the enzyme. These studies demonstrate that methotrexate polyglutamates are readily formed in human tumor cells and bind to dihydrofolate reductase. Because these forms of the drug may be selectively retained within the cell, they may be important determinants of the duration of action and, ultimately, the cytotoxicity of methotrexate in human solid tumors.


Aminoglycosides are
a family of antibiotics with important applications in veterinary medicine.
Their ionic character, the similarity structures and the high polarity due to
the presence of two or more amino and hydroxyl groups cause a difficulty in
separation and make these compounds poorly retained on the reversed phase
column. An analytical method for the separation and detection of 12
aminoglycosides has been optimized using two kinds of chromatographic
conditions (HILIC, Ion
pairing). In Hydrophilic Interaction, ZIC_HILIC column was
used, by which the following parameters for the mobile phase were evaluated:
concentration of ammonium acetate buffer, percentage of formic acid and effect
of acid type. The maximum and adequate concentration of ammonium acetate for
the majority of analytes was set to 30 mM. The percentage 0.1% of formic acid
increases the response for the majority of analytes. On the other side, the use
of 0.1% of trifluoroacetic acid improves the response when compared with the response
obtained with 0.1% of formic acid except for Spectinomycin Dihydrostreptomycin
and Streptomycin. For ion pairing chromatography, the concentration of pentafluoropropionic
acid was tested and the greatest value appeared to be 9.2 mM. Therefore, the
comparison between the two separation methods shows that the response area of
the majority of analytes tested increases when using the ion pair mode. Also,
the high value of S/N and the lower detection limit (5 - 15 μg m·L﹣1 for most aminoglycosides studied make the ion pairing method more preferable than HILIC interaction.


Background: Recent evidence suggests that the use of orthopedic manual therapy (OMT) may lessen the subsequent risk of low back pain (LBP), but this association has not been examined among pregnant women who are at higher risk of LBP. This study aims to determine whether the addition of OMT to conventional LBP treatment before pregnancy could decrease the subsequent risk of LBP during pregnancy. Methods: From Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 68,960 women, 20–55 years of age, with first pregnancy between 2001 and 2012. We then performed a nested case-control study in which 3,846 women with newly diagnosed LBP were matched to 3,846 controls according to age and cohort entry year. Multivariate conditional logistic regression was employed to estimate the association between OMT use before pregnancy and LBP during pregnancy. Results: OMT users had a lower risk of LBP than did non-users, with an adjusted OR of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.78–0.93). Subgroup analysis showed that women with high intensity use of OMT treatment prior to pregnancy reported the lowest level of LBP during pregnancy by nearly 30%. Conclusion: The pre-pregnancy use of OMT treatment significantly decreased LBP risk during pregnancy, especially with high-intensity use. Thus, clinicians may consider recommending OMT for pregnant women to avoid possible obstetric complications during the pregnancy.


Statistics from Crossrail suggest progressive O
ccupational Safety and Health (OSH) improvement over the course of the project. Accident levels are currently at or below those achieved on the Olympic Park, which was recognised as an exemplar of good practice. Interviews with employees of Crossrail and its contractors suggest this can be attributed to a range of factors including Crossrail's high expectations of the contracting companies, high levels of engagement and collaboration and the embedding of OSH throughout the project rather than it being seen as an
'add-on'.
OSH management at Crossrail has developed over time to take account of changing demands. Interventions in the last 4-5 years have included Gateway assessments to encourage contractors to develop and share good practice; Stepping Up Week to support worker learning on OSH; and the introduction of leading indicators. Crossrail has worked hard to improve Occupational Health (OH) management by specifying standards for contractor OH services and by driving good practices in the management of health risks such as dust, vibration and shift working.
Many interviewees commented specifically on how
successful the project had been in this respect, although there was some variability between projects in the standards achieved. Implementation of Design for Health and the increased use of occupational hygiene practices have been features of Crossrail, but have been inconsistent across
the project. The use of an Occupational Health Maturity Matrix (OHMM) has proved particularly effective as a mechanism to help contractors develop their processes and practices.
1 There are many things which the industry can
learn from Crossrail, particularly in relation to the operation of complex projects. These include the importance of sharing learning between contractors, the need to evolve management processes and OSH metrics, the need to
balance the benefits of these against the demands they place on the contractors, and the importance of setting and enforcing clear standards in terms of clinical OH services and
occupational hygiene services. Again the OHMM can be a particularly useful tool in this respect. Many learning points from Crossrail have already been taken to other projects, such as Tideway, influencing for example Tideway's
decision to specify a single provider of OH and
occupational hygiene services; their focus on design for health from an early stage; and the introduction of leading indicators for OSH management.


The present study focuses on the effect of poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN)-g-poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) amphiphilic copolymer as an additive on fabrication of PAN-based UF hollow fiber membrane. The PAN-based hollow fiber membranes with different copolymer composition in dope solution were prepared via dry-wet phase inversion process. Compared to PAN-based membrane, membranes incorporated with PAN-g-PVA copolymer displayed good morphology and better hydrophilicity. It is found that pure water flux of the membrane incorporated with amphiphilic copolymer was 5 times higher than that of control membrane, recording 244.97 L/m.hr when tested at 1 bar. Results also showed that the UF membranes incorporated with amphiphilic copolymer were able to retain efficiently bovine serum albumin (BSA) (66 kDa) and possessed better anti-fouling performance.


Aspergillus comprises a genus of multicellular eukaryotic microorganisms containing close to 200 different species. Among them, the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger exhibits great diversity in its phenotype and it is found, both in marine and terrestrial habitats. A. niger produces many metabolites that are valuable commodities, e.g., organic acids, but is also able to secrete a wide range of hydrolytic enzymes, while some strains exhibit pathogenicity. Although A. niger is a widely used industrial species used for metabolite production, relatively little is known about the regulation of its metabolism. We therefore undertook a functional genomics approach to produce transcriptome data of high quality trying to uncover novel regulatory processes and the transcription factors associated to them. Throughout this thesis we worked with several wild type and gene deletion A. niger strains, i.e., the ancestor of an industrial glucoamylase producer strain, A. niger BO1; the acidogenic wild type strain ATCC 1015 and the industrial enzyme-producing strain CBS 513.88, both strains already sequenced. High variation within these two later strains was confirmed with the genomics and transcriptomics approaches used in combination with exo-metabolite profiling. Genotypic differences were observed to accumulate in metabolic pathways, e.g., essential to production of organic acids for A. niger ATCC 1015 and of protein synthesis for CBS 513.88.
Overall, the studies reported in this thesis illustrate the complexity of the regulatory circuits regulating cellular processes. For example, through comparative genomics approaches, we exposed the reasons why glycerol metabolism and maltose metabolism are different in closely related species. We demonstrated that the two industrially relevant Aspergillus species, A. niger and A. oryzae do not possess the same maltose uptake, metabolism and regulatory mechanisms. While, the two later studies reported in this thesis were not as focused as the previous ones, but more exploratory in terms of looking for novel regulatory roles played by the transcription factors studied: AdrA, FacB, CreA and AreB; we think that our results could help to improve understanding of the metabolic regulation in A. niger by several transcriptional regulators that will lead to better tuning and improvement of production processes and wider exploitation of A. niger as a cell factory.


Research has shown children's information processing speed increases with age [19] [37]. This speed has a direct impact on motor skill, as the human motor system depends on processed feedback from the perceptual system [4]. Children use their motor skills when performing Fitts' law tasks, including the operation of input devices [4]. Several experiments by psychologists and human factors researchers have confirmed that young children perform at levels below older children and adults when executing Fitts' law tasks. In spite of this evidence, human-computer interaction researchers have seldom reported using this information to influence the design of children's user interfaces. This paper surveys the relevant literature from human development, psychology and human-computer interaction, and examines its implications on the design of children's graphical user interfaces, in particular young children's need of larger visual targets.


Today, there is an increasing interest in antioxidants, especially to prevent the known harmful effects of free radicals in human metabolism and their deterioration during processing and storage of fatty foods. In both cases, natural-source antioxidants are preferred over synthetic antioxidants. So, there has been a parallel increase in the use of assays to estimate antioxidant efficacy in human metabolism and food systems. Today, there are many bioanalytical methods that measure the antioxidant effect. Of these, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) removing assay is the most putative, popular, and commonly used method to determine antioxidant ability. In this review, a general approach to the DPPH radical scavenging assay has been taken. In this context, many studies, including attempts to adapt the DPPH radical scavenging method to different analytes, search for the highest antioxidant activity values, and optimize the method of measurement, have previously been performed. Therefore, it is highly important to introduce measures aimed at standardizing the conditions of the DPPH radical scavenging activity, including the various reaction media suitable for this assay. For this aim, the chemical and basic principles of DPPH free radical scavenging are defined and discussed in an outline. In addition, this study describes and defines the basic sections of DPPH free radical scavenging in food and biological systems. Additionally, some chemical, critical, and technical details of the DPPH free radical removal method are given. This is a simple assay in which the prospective compounds or herbal extracts are mixed with the DPPH solution and their absorbance is measured after a certain period. However, despite rapid advances in instrumental techniques and analysis, this method has not undergone extreme modification. This study presents detailed information about the DPPH method and an in-depth review of different developments.


The plant processed herbal formulation have significant role in drug discovery, same time phytoconstituents have high pharmacological potential to treat the various ailments such as diabetes or chronic hyperglycemia. The present research aims to explore and investigate the antidiabetic potential of roots of hyperglycemia Linn. During the study pharmacognosy and formulation of herbal tablet has been done. Fresh roots of plant were collected, two enzymes named as alpha-Amylase and alpha-Glucosidase were obtained from Sigma Aldric. Extraction and fractionation along with phytochemical screening was performed Herbal tablets were made using the direct compression method. The n-butanol fraction of plant extract was mixed with the excipients and compressed into tablets. Different batches of formulations were prepared by dry granulation technique. The maximum in vitro dissolution was found to be with formulation F2 that exhibit the extreme proportion of accumulative release of drug (93.96%) due to the optimized concentration of PVP and Chitosan and the formulations F2 has potent Antidiabetic Activity and also have antioxidant potential that was performed in this study. Plant extract has been used to formulate herbal tablets. From all five batches of tablets one batch (F2) was found to be best formulation and this was used to investigate the Antidiabetic activity as well as antioxidant activity also. The plants have potential to treat hormonal disorders also hence it can be used to treat the endocrine metabolic disorders.


The works . . . which have never been recovered . . . have been lost as a result of the difficulties we faced, in Italy and elsewhere, in re-establishing the sense of morality and justice which regulates the relationships among civilized peoples.-Rodolfo Siviero1INTRODUCTIONIn September of 2010, German authorities stopped Cornelius Gurlitt on the train.2 Suspecting tax evasion, investigators eventually searched his home, where an incredible surprise was waiting for them.3 Within Gurlitt's small and somewhat dingy apartment was a cache of artwork worth an estimated $1.4 billion.4 Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, among others, which had previously been thought lost, were among the incredible treasure found.5Hildebrand Gurlitt, Cornelius's father, had been one of the art dealers selected by the Nazi regime to assist them in the systematic looting and forced sales of Jewish-owned artworks.6 The stripping of these artworks from Jewish owners is one of the ongoing legacies of World War II, and much of this art has yet to be returned to its original owners or their heirs.7Since the end of World War II, international bodies and members of the international community have worked to return art looted by the Nazis to the rightful owners.8 Despite a general consensus that the pieces should be returned, there have been many impediments to following through with this belief.9 Difficulties arise when current owners feel that they have proper title to pieces, even though the works may have been forcibly sold or seized during World War II.10 Other obstacles include the striking lack of transparency within the art world, as well as technical impediments, such as statute of limitations defenses.11Part I of this Note provides an introduction to the historical context under which art was wrongfully removed from original ownership. Part II explains the international agreements and national laws that have attempted to aid the return of this art to its rightful owners. Part III argues that a lack of transparency on the part of government and museum officials has inhibited heirs and former owners from making claims to their artwork. Part III also suggests that the international community place a mandate on officials with special access to this information to report it to an international organization charged with sharing this information with the public.I. BACKGROUNDA. The Fate of Jewish-Owned Art During Nazi OccupationAmong the artwork found in Gurlitt's apartment were pieces formerly owned by Paul Rosenberg, a Jewish Frenchman and art dealer by profession.12 The fate of Paul Rosenberg's art collection was the same of that of many Jews living in occupied countries during World War II. 13 His story, and the ongoing attempt to recover art that was unlawfully taken from him during World War II, demonstrates how art owned by European Jews was specifically targeted by the Nazi regime, and how difficult it has been for owners and their heirs to locate lost art.14While history undoubtedly remembers the Nazi regime's plan for the "Final Solution," less study is given to the regime's early efforts to disenfranchise Jews by stripping them of their assets and their right to practice various occupations.15 Many of the Third Reich's laws, including the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service (Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums), which excluded Jews from the civil service, and the Ordinance on the Registration of Jewish Assets (Verordnung uber die Anmeldung des Vermogens von Juden) institutionalized the Nazi discrimination against Jews.16 This systematic approach aimed at the "exclusion of Jews from the social fabric of Nazi Germany . . . first at the destruction of their economic and cultural livelihoods, and ultimately at their physical annihilation."17 Very importantly, "[t]he incremental plundering of Jewish art collections was part of this policy."18The motivations behind the plundering of the art were multifold. …


Asherman syndrome is an acquired condition characterized by the formation of adhesions in the uterine cavity. This condition is often caused by trauma to the endometrium, which mostly happens after currettage or post-partum, and can produce several complications such as menstrual disturbances, infertility, or recurrent abortion. The management of Asherman syndrome requires complete actions which can be summarized with the acronym PRACTICE, consisting of prevention, anticipation, comprehensive therapy, timely surveillance of subsequent pregnancies, investigation and continuing education. The prevention and anticipation aspects can be performed through reduction of invasive methods of therapy such as currettage, prophylactic therapy for adhesions such as antibiotics and post-estrogen therapy for high risk patients, and the use of instruments that do less damage to the uterine walls. The comprehensive therapy that become the method of choice is operative lysis using hysteroscopy, which provides direct visualization of the adhesion. To prevent reccurrence, especially to patients planning to have subsequent pregnancies, timely surveillance of the next pregnancies for high risk patients should be performed at hospital, with complete work-ups. Lastly, evaluation of operative results and continuing education to explain prognoses to the patient should be also performed. (Med J Indones. 2013;22:121-6) Keywords:  Asherman syndrome, hysteroscopy, intrauterine adhesion


Introduction . Effective data transmission speed in the radio data channels network is determined by the parameters of the exchange report on the data link layer and physical levels and the wave emission channel characteristics. For guaranteed delivery of packets the technology with the supervision of packages receiving validity by consumer is used. Errors availabilities in packets demand retransmission, which leads to a decrease the effective data transmission speed. Fragmentation of packets reduces the probability of an error in the packet, the delay of the fragment retransmission, which improves the effective transmission speed. Problem statement . The maximum packet length for data link layer and physical levels is determined according to the conditions of the effective network functioning in general, consequently the packet length with low values of bit error in the channel can be significantly less than optimal, and with large values of bit error the possibility to select the division fragments of the maximum length into equal parts exists, under the terms of improving effective transmission speed. The aim of this work is to build analytical model for points determination on the scale of probability of bit errors, where the length of packet fragments is necessary to be changed in order to better efficiency of data transmission speed. Theoretical results . Based on the analysis of data transmission report with a stoppage and expectations the analytical model of effective data transmission speed in the radio data channel with bit errors and random distribution is received. There is equation to calculate the bit errors probability at the points of the fragments length changing. The obtained analytical solutions of the equations allow calculating the value of the bit errors probability for any parameters of data transmission cycle. Also, analytical expressions for calculating the optimal fragments length with a given probability of bit errors and probability of bit errors for a given fragment length are obtained. Conclusion . Proposed analytical model and analytical calculations can be used on data link layer and physical levels of the channels with packet data transmission according to the ARQ SAW algorithm to select parameters of fragmentation depending on the bit errors in the channel.


Abstract This article discusses Alfred Jarry as a precursor of French modernism. With a particular focus on Messaline, Roman de l'ancienne Rome (1901) and Le Surmâle, Roman moderne (1902), I analyse the subtle ways in which the past and the future are intertwined and Jarry's philosophy of sexual excess. In both novels, the main characters seek a paroxysmal erotic pleasure from which they die after reaching world records in sex-making. Read together, the novels work to create a lemniscate, the symbol of infinity symbolically represented, in modernism, by the speeding bicycle. In both novels, sexual excess leads to a superhuman transformation of women and men into a rigid phallus, underlying which is the fantasy of bisexualism.


Turbocharged gas engines for combined heat and power units are optimized to increase efficiency while observing and maintaining legitimate exhaust gas emissions. In order to do so, the charge motion is raised. This study investigates the influence of passive prechamber spark plugs in high turbulent combustion chambers. The subjects of investigation are two different gas engine types, one of them running on sewage gas the other one on biogas. The occurring charge motions initiated by the cylinder heads are measured by integrative determination of swirl motion on a flow bench. In addition, three different passive prechamber spark plugs are characterized by a combustion analysis. Each of the three spark plugs comes with a different electrode or prechamber geometry. The resulting combustion and operating conditions are compared while the equal brake mean effective pressure and constant NOx-emissions are sustained. The results of the combustion analysis show a rising influence of the spark plug with increasing air-to-fuel-ratio induced by charge motion. Furthermore, clear differences between the spark plugs are determined: electrode arrangement and prechamber geometry help to influence lean misfire limits, engine smoothness, start behavior and ignition delay. The results indicate the capability of spark plugs to increase lifetime and engine efficiency.


Teacher education in Papua New Guinea is undergoing significant restructuring which involves transition to a three year preservice course and extensive inservice for teachers' college lecturers. This paper reports a two week inservice workshop for mathematics and science lecturers from the Community Teachers' Colleges in Papua New Guinea. Emphasis was placed on the adoption of a conceptual framework and the application of concept mapping for program development and integration. This paper reports on the conceptual model, the Mathematics and Science strands and the evaluation of the workshop.


Korean soy-sauces were prepared by the ordinary and impreved method and its anal-vies on the organic acid. The results obtained is as following: 1. In analysing general components of prepared soy-sauce, total acid, volatile acid and non-volatile acid were found more in improved soy-sauce than in ordinary soy-sauce. 2. Volatile organic acid were analysed by gas-chromatography method. As a result. the followings was attained: a) In the ordinary soy-sauce, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid were detected. Butyric acid was in the highest amount and then propicnic acid, acetic acid and formic acid are followed in the order. b) In the improved soy-sauce, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid were detected. Acetic acid was in the highest amount and then propionic acid. butyric acid and formic acid are followed in the order. 3. Non-volatile organic acid were analysed by paper partition chromatography method. As a result the followings were attained: a) Lactic, glutaric, fumaric, malonic, malic, glycoiic, oxaiic, tartaric, and succinic acid and two unknown spots were detected in ordinary soysauce. Lactic acid was in the highest amount and then succinic, glycolic, oxalic, tartaric, glutaric, maiic, fumaric and malonic acid are followed in the order. b) Lactic, glutaric, malonic, malic, glycolic, tartaric, succinic and tgalacturonic acid and two unknown spots were detected in the improved soy-sauce. Lactic acid was in the highest amount and then succinic, glycolic, malic, glutaric, tartaric, galacturonic and malonic acid are followed in the order. 4. α-keto acid were analysed by paper partition chromatography. As a result the followings were attained: Pyruvic acid and a-keto glutaric acid and an unknown spot were detected in the ordinary and improved soy-sauce. Pyruvic acid was in the highest amount and then α-keto glutaric acid are followed in the order. 5. Stale flavor in the ordinary soy-sauces seems to be partly affected by butyric acid and propionic acid. 6. Substances influencing taste. such as lactic acid and succinic acid, were found more in improved soy-sauce than ordinary soy-sauce.


Abstract Understanding HIV-related behaviours and the factors that influence these behaviours among people living with HIV (PLHIV) is critical to the design of effective HIV-prevention strategies; however, this subject has yet to receive the attention it deserves in Vietnam. Given that greater proportions of new HIV infections in the country stem from heterosexual transmission, it is essential to examine the sexual behaviours of Vietnamese PLHIV. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the sexual behaviour of individuals following HIV diagnosis and to gain insight into how and why HIV diagnosis affects sexual practices and relationships. Seventy PLHIV in Thaibinh province participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Qualitative data were supported by a quantitative questionnaire on demographics and sexual and drug use history. Nearly all of the participants reported adopting safer sexual practices following HIV diagnosis by using condoms consistently and reducing the number of sex partners. This was true for injecting drug users, female sex workers, unmarried individuals and participants in both HIV serodiscordant and seroconcordant marriages. Motivations for adopting these preventive measures included avoiding HIV transmission, reinfection or cross-resistance as well as preservation of one's own health. Due to stigma, depression, fear of transmission, health status and/or drug addiction, HIV diagnosis dramatically impacted the sexual health of most participants by reducing sexual desire, pleasure and frequency. Implications for HIV prevention and care programmes and policies in Vietnam are discussed.


In this paper, by using a semi-analytical method, the effect of dynamic vibration absorber on amplitude reduction of the fluid conveying pipe is investigated. Considering the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the governing equations of motion are derived. By using the first four vibration modes of the fluid conveying pipe, the Galerkin method is applied to discretize the equations, and then the discretized equations are solved numerically. Moreover, simple approximate analytical expressions are proposed for prediction of the natural frequencies of the simply supported fluid conveying pipe and the dynamic vibration absorber parameters. After validating the results of the proposed method, some proper curves are plotted to characterize the effects of system parameters on the reduction of pipe vibration amplitude. The results indicate that around the first critical fluid velocity, by using an appropriate vibration absorber, the vibration amplitude can be reduced by 80%. Therefore, this type of absorber due to its simplicity of installation and high energy absorption capacity, can be considered as a benefit method to reduce/eliminate unwanted vibrations of the fluid conveying pipes. Review History: Received: Revised: Accepted: Available Online:


We conduct the first long‐term experimental evaluation of a need‐based financial aid program, the privately funded Wisconsin Scholars Grant. Over multiple cohorts, the program failed to increase degree completion and graduate school enrollment up to 10 years after matriculation. The program did reduce time‐to‐degree for some students and modestly increased the number of STEM degrees earned. The lack of robust effects raises important questions about the conditions necessary for financial aid to benefit students.


Following the trends in lung cancer (LC) morbidity and mortality rates can show past trends of cigarette smoking and can give clues on some geographical factors. The demographics of LC patients and the histopathologic distribution of their disease in the Thrace region of Turkey have yet to be defined. A retrospective chart review of primary LC patients admitted to the pulmonology department of Trakya University Hospital between 1992 and 2001 was performed. Charts were available for review in 521 of 567 patients. The mean age was 61 +/- 10 years (30-86 years) and 497 (95.4%) patients were male (male/female ratio= 20.7). When compared with national and international data, male/female ratio for the LC patients from Thrace region was higher than the ratio found from Turkey in general and also from other countries. Adenocarcinoma (ADC) was present in seven of the 24 (29.2%) of the females and prevalence of ADC was more than 2.5 times in females than males (p< 0.05). Squamous cell types were more common in males. Histopathological type did not vary with age in females, but small cell carcinoma was more prevalent in males under the age of 45 (44.7% if . 45 years old vs. 29.1% if > 45 years old, p< 0.05). These data may support that the LC associated with smoking is in the earlier phase of the epidemic in Thrace region. Monitoring the LC trend in our region can give clues on evolving cigarette design and smoking attitudes and geographic factors.


Biotinylated probes for in situ hybridization (ISH) are now widely used to detect RNAs and viral genomes at the light and electron microscopic levels. Many protocols for ISH with biotinylated probes are now available. The most critical parameters that influence sensitivity and specificity of the procedure are the nature of the probe, the mode of fixation or incorporation of biotin, and the mode of detection of biotin. Biotin can be detected with antibodies or with avidin (or streptavidin) to which is coupled a marker that can be identified under the microscope. Here we review the protocols, pitfalls, advantages, and disadvantages of biotinylated probes for ISH.


The functional monoclonal antibody, selected based on the inhibition of cell motility, was found to be directed to specific carbohydrate structure Fuc alpha 1----2 Gal beta 1----R. This monoclonal antibody, MIA15-5 was established after immunization of mice with adenocarcinoma line of the lung PC7, and selected based on inhibition of U937, HEL, and MAC10 cell migration due to the transwell assay. MIA15-5 reacted with 30-40% of high metastatic variant BL6 of mouse melanoma B16 line and metastatic deposition to lung after injection of BL6 cells was strongly inhibited if MIA15-5 was injected within 3 hours, but was not inhibited by injection of other anti-H antibodies under the same conditions. Injection of MIA15-5 had much less inhibitory effect if administered 1 day after BL-6 injection, and no effect at 3 days. In immunohistochemical staining of 149 formalin fixed specimens of patients with lung cancer, especially adenocarcinoma has the highly frequency of MIA15-5 (65.4%, 49 of 75 cases) and the five year survival rate of the patients with negative staining of MIA15-5 was 58.6% and much better than one with positive staining, 20.9%.


Abstrack : The study begins with the problems that the researcher found at the first grade in SDN 05 Batu taba, Kab. Agam,  in Indonesian language subject. Especially in learning to read, learning to read in child has a problem in arranging the letters into syllables and syllables into words. This research method was experiment research with single subject research (SSR) that used A-B design. The result of the research conducted 16 times of observations with two conditions. The first baseline condition that made as much as 8 times of the observations shows the result was 10%-20%. With the analysis of condition,  the tendency toward increase (+) the tendency of the  stability of 0%, and 10% change  level conditions of interventions through Multimedia as much as 8 times of observation  which shows the results 40%-80%. With the analysis of the baseline conditions, the trend towards increased baseline condition (+) 0% trend of stabilities and  change to level 10 %. The trend toward increase state intervention (+) 25% trend of stabilities and change level to 40%. And analysis of the conditions was change tendency of stable variation to varias, change level 20% and 0% overlap. Thus, it is evident that multimedia can improved the beginning reading ability at of the difficulty of learning to read X class at the first grade in SDN 05 Batu taba, kab. Agam Kata kunci: Multimedia ; Kemampuan Membaca Permulaan.


Levels of unemployment and environmental challenges make social entrepreneurship and social enterprise very important for the sustainability of society. Higher education has played a fundamental role in driving entrepreneurship and innovation in local, national, regional, and global contexts. The authors of this article explore the state of the legislative framework in Ghana, as well as social enterprise education, stakeholder engagement, models and challenges. The methodology applied for this paper is concept mapping, enabling the critical exploration of the relevance of social enterprise in the context of higher education, and demonstrating how it could practically serve as a panacea to rising youth unemployment. This research concludes by making a case for including social enterprise in the higher education curriculum.


This paper presents an automated method to speed-up the process of history-matching simulation models. A new tool "History Match Process Optimizer– HMPO" was developed to allow local modification of simulation model property arrays around any given well type. Deployment of this tool significantly improved the history-match process of a reservoir simulation model containing a high number of wellbores and a saving of 140 man-hours was achieved.
 The tool was developed in LINUX environment and adapted to an in-house developed state-of-the-art reservoir simulator, GigaPOWERS (Dogru et al. 2008, 2009, 2011). The tool has an automated workflow that uses the model perforation file as an input to generate the property modifier file; the perforation file contains all completed wellbores along with their perforated cells. Additional input includes specifying what model property array would be modified around the wellbore (transmissibility, permeability, porosity, fluid contacts, etc.), and number of cells to be modified in 3D directions.
 Application of this tool was done on a simulation model as part of the history-match process, 65% of the wells are horizontal or multilaterals. Prior to using this tool, difficulties were experienced when attempting to manually perform local history-match modification around each wellbore to mimic hydraulic fracture completion with fractures extending to several cells away from the wellbore, especially in a fine Giga-scale model with a high number of wellbores. The implementation of HMPO allows a quick generation of the modifier files with ability to repeat the process several times until an appropriate local modifier is achieved for all wellbores at the same time. This made the process of generating the modifier file 200 times faster. Hence this tool became a necessity with large complex models built with high resolution, and advanced computational resources.
 The novelty of this work is to assess simulation modeling by providing an automated property-array modification around any given wellbore completion in a way that significantly reduces the duration of history- match process. "HMPO" is an internal effort to speed-up and optimize this part of history match process. Therefore, its application to other big reservoir simulation models in the company would add value, improve efficiency of the process, and enhance the quality of results obtained from history-match calibration.


Camellia nut shell (CNS) is known as an important bio-resource that has great potential as a biomaterial. The elemental composition, chemical structure, crystallinity, and pyrolysis characteristics were analyzed in this paper for six species of CNS. The concentration of organic carbon, N, K, and Na in CNS ranges from 44.40 to 48.60%, 2.91 to 4.42 mg.g-1, 7.67 to 13.80 mg.g-1, and 0.02 to 0.26 mg.g-1, respectively. The content of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and ash varies between 30.07 and 36.23%, 13.87 and 20.95%, 35.15 and 49.34%, as well as 2.00 and 4.75%, respectively. Camellia nut shell cellulose crystalline structure belongs to typical cellulose type I, and the cellulose crystallinity index for the six species ranges from 37.4 to 62.3%. The CNS pyrolysis process can be divided into three phases, and the substantial degradation occurs within the temperature range of 200 to 430 °C, with nearly 60% loss of weight. The temperature could be reduced greatly during pyrolysis under acidic conditions with PEG 400/glycerol as a solvent. The degradation rate was impacted by K concentration. Increasing cellulose crystallinity negatively affected the degradation rate.


During a three-year period, Christiana Care has observed significant and sustained improvements in technology-enabled project outcomes. Just in the patient throughput area, Christiana Care has seen an 11 percent reduction in length of stay in the emergency department (ED), a 23 percent reduction in patients leaving ED without treatment and a 28 percent reduction in bed-clean turnaround time, all while accommodating patient volume increases of 7 percent. This performance is directly related to a broader view of implementation embraced by the organization. By looking at more than just traditional project management, Christiana Care has shifted their implementation paradigm, focusing on benefits planning, user adoption, value realization and goal delivery within the portfolio. This has been a result of a journey that has included a subtle but deliberate introduction of the new implementation thinking, primarily marked by an experience-driven approach of demonstrating the benefits of good implementation practices. Christiana Care has created the environment and process to get the greatest value for its IT-related investments and to show "what right looks like."


TD of collagen have been constructed as linear function of fractions of each from 18 amino acids using experimental data for 29 proteins. For coefficient estimation the least squire method have been used. As a result the TD of any collagen may be calculated by using of the function obtained. 14 amino acids strongly influence on TD. The suggestion arises that poly(Gly-Ile-Lys) may produce collagen like structure.


A framework for planning algorithms that is both optimal and complete will be presented. The algorithm allows for the planning of optimal paths through a multi-level hierarchy of annotated graph spaces. A rich world model that contains multi-resolution attributes, costs, and predicates controls the integrated incremental construction and evaluation of the planning graph in dynamic environments. The properties of this framework are proven and a number of example problem domains are presented that show how this framework can incorporate both hard and soft constraints during both graph construction and arc evaluation.


Abstract The Chociwel region is part of the Szczecin Trough and constitutes the northeastern segment of the extended Szczecin-Gorzów Synclinorium. Lower Jurassic reservoirs of high permeability of up to 1145 mD can discharge geothermal waters with a rate exceeding 250 m3/h and temperatures reach over 90°C in the lowermost part of the reservoirs. These conditions provide an opportunity to generate electricity from heat accumulated in geothermal waters using binary ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) systems. A numerical model of the natural state and exploitation conditions was created for the Chociwel area with the use of TOUGH2 geothermal simulator (i.e., integral finite-difference method). An analysis of geological and hydrogeothermal data indicates that the best conditions are found to the southeast of the town of Chociwel, where the bottom part of the reservoir reaches 3 km below ground. This would require drilling two new wells, namely one production and one injection. Simulated production with a flow rate of 275 m3/h, a temperature of 89°C at the wellhead, 30°C injection temperature and wells being 1.2 km separated from each other leads to a small temperature drop and moderate requirements for pumping power over a 50 years' time span. The ORC binary system can produce at maximum 592.5 kW gross power with the R227ea found as the most suitable working fluid. Geothermal brine leaving the ORC system with a temperature c. 53°C can be used for other purposes, namely mushroom growing, balneology, swimming pools, soil warming, de-icing, fish farming and for heat pumps.


The pine wood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner & Buhrer, 1934) Nickle, 1970 is the agent responsible for pine wilt disease (PWD). This nematode has been killing native pine trees (Pinus densiflora, P. thunbergii, P. luchuensis) in Japan since the early twentieth century. It is the number one forest pest in Japan and has been spread to China, Korea, Portugal, and Spain. The nematode is native to North America (Canada, USA, Mexico) and is thought to have been carried to Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century on timber exports. Up to now, the genus Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, 1937 comprises nearly 120 species (14 groups). Around 14 species very similar to B. xylophilus are put together and named the xylophilus group. This chapter presents the grouping history, subspecies or genetic types in species of the xylophilus group, and an identification key for 14 species of the xylophilus group, ITS-RFLP identification, and other molecular identification methods are also discussed.


Purpose: To assess the correlation of excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) immunohistochemical expression with objective tumor response and cancer-specific survival in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy. Experimental Design: The initial cohort was composed of 107 patients who were treated from 1992 to 1996 by an induction chemotherapy regimen for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. p53 mutations had previously been studied. Pretherapeutic biopsy samples from 96 patients with a known tumor response were available. Two independent observers blinded to clinical annotations evaluated ERCC1 immunohistochemical expression. Results: Of 96 patients, 68 (71%; 95% confidence interval, 61-79%) had tumors that expressed ERCC1 intensively and diffusely. Using the logistic regression method, the 28 (29%) patients with tumors expressing ERCC1 at lower levels had a 4-fold greater odds of benefiting from an objective response to chemotherapy (odds ratio, 4.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-13.4; P = 0.01) compared with the group of 68 patients with high ERCC1 expression. ERCC1 and p53 status, but not their interaction, were independent predictors of tumor response. In a Cox proportional hazard model adjusted on age, TNM stage, tumor differentiation, and tumor localization, ERCC1 low expression was associated with a lower risk of cancer death (risk ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.90; P = 0.04) whereas p53 status had no prognostic value. Conclusion: Our results suggest that those patients characterized by low ERCC1 expression are more likely to benefit from cisplatin induction chemotherapy compared with patients with high ERCC1 expression.


The paper presents the test results of a mobile system for the protection of large-area objects, which consists of a radar and thermal and visual cameras. Radar is used for early detection and localization of an intruder and the cameras with narrow field of view are used for identification and tracking of a moving object. The range evaluation of an integrated system are presented as well as the probability of human detection as a function of the distance from radar-camera unit.


The experience of cognitive decline can be a potent source of anxiety and concern for many people. While an IQ consistent with estimated optimal levels or previously recorded scores may indicate no significant change in cognitive function, the patient may be accurately reporting a normal age-related deterioration in actual ability. The aim of this article is to chart the age-related changes in intellectual abilities evident on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). The norms from the WAIS-IV manual were examined to plot the age-related changes in Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) and composite scores across the adult life span, while holding actual ability level constant across the age groups. Here we present a graphical representation of the normal cognitive developments and declines in FSIQ, Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed across the adult life span. This graphical representation provides a rational basis for the identification of atypical profiles/complaints of cognitive deterioration that may require further specialist neuropsychological evaluation. These graphs can be used to provide reassurance for healthy adults with concerns of cognitive decline and as an educative tool for their referring agencies.


We generalize the treatment given in Part I to show how to correct primary astigmatism or primary coma at two wavelengths in two orders. We then introduce a further state of correction that permits the simultaneous correction of primary astigmatism and primary coma for a given value of 1 ⩽ m λ/λ0 ⩽ 2. Some practical implications are discussed.


Objective Observational studies have shown that vitamin D levels are inversely related to rheumatoid arthritis activity, yet evidence from population interventions remains inconsistent. Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases were searched for studies published before June 2020. Information was collected about the pain visual analog scale (VAS), Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), serum vitamin D level, tender joint count (TJC), swollen joint count (SJC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) research data. Results: Six studies (n = 438) were included in the meta-analysis. Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a significant improvement in the DAS28 (weighted mean difference (WMD) = −0.41, 95% CI (−0.59, −0.23), P < 0.001), ESR (WMD = −3.40, 95% CI (−6.62, −0.18), P = 0.04) and TJC (WMD = −1.44, 95% CI (−2.74, −0.14), P = 0.03) but not in other outcomes. According to the subgroup analyses, VAS and serum vitamin D were improved in the European ethnic subgroups. TJC and serum vitamin D were improved in the Asian ethnic subgroups. TJC and serum vitamin D were improved in the duration ≤ 12 w subgroups, and the VAS and DAS28 in the duration > 12 w subgroup were different from those of the control group. With a vitamin D dose ≤50,000 IU, only serum vitamin D and TJC improved, and with a vitamin D dose> 50,000 IU, the VAS and DAS28 improved. Conclusions: Compared with placebo control interventions, vitamin D supplementation seemed to be an effective intervention for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Different doses of vitamin D and durations of intervention produce different effects.


The article is devoted to a general overview of Canada's attitudes to the democratic development of post-Soviet Ukraine. The article examines the position and opinion of both official and diasporas' Canada on the development of democracy in Ukraine. It is determined that Ukraine's independence was a kind of signal to the beginning of intensive Canadian cooperation and support for the Ukraine's transition from a command-administrative economy to a free market. Another important area of support was the building of democratic institutions and civil society. Official Canadian assistance came through a number of channels, but the main institution was the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Another powerful force and initiator of many projects and support programs was the Ukrainian Diaspora in Canada. We can talk about three main events that contributed to the revival of attention from official Canada to Ukraine: the declaration of Independence in 1991, the Orange Revolution in 2004 and Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity in late 2013. Each of these events was positively assessed by Canada (as official and diasporas'), and was interpreted as an impetus for potential progress towards democracy. Despite the positive attitude to the development of transit to democracy in post-Soviet Ukraine, Canada is critical of the pace of this transit and the quality of transformation processes. At the same time, representatives of the Diaspora are more outspoken in their criticism of the problems in Ukraine. Among the main obstacles on this path we can name corruption, inhibition of reforms, institutional weakness, confrontation between supporters and opponents of reforms and regional clans since 2014. After the annexation of Crimea by Russia the external factor is also considered. Canada is helping Ukraine strongly in the fight against Russian aggression by providing technical, financial and diplomatic assistance.


Following the recent surge in adoption of machine learning (ML), the negative impact that improper use of ML can have on users and society is now also widely recognised. To address this issue, policy makers and other stakeholders, such as the European Commission or NIST, have proposed high-level guidelines aiming to promote trustworthy ML (i.e., lawful, ethical and robust). However, these guidelines do not specify actions to be taken by those involved in building ML systems. In this paper, we argue that guidelines related to the development of trustworthy ML can be translated to operational practices, and should become part of the ML development life cycle. Towards this goal, we ran a multi-vocal literature review, and mined operational practices from white and grey literature. Moreover, we launched a global survey to measure practice adoption and the effects of these practices. In total, we identified 14 new practices, and used them to complement an existing catalogue of ML engineering practices. Initial analysis of the survey results reveals that so far, practice adoption for trustworthy ML is relatively low. In particular, practices related to assuring security of ML components have very low adoption. Other practices enjoy slightly larger adoption, such as providing explanations to users. Our extended practice catalogue can be used by ML development teams to bridge the gap between high-level guidelines and actual development of trustworthy ML systems; it is open for review and contributions.


Preface Introduction Classical Keynesian Thinking Economic Thinking during and after World War II Eisenhower and the Rejection of Military Keynesianism The Return of Military Keynesianism under Kennedy-Johnson Conversion of President Nixon to Non-Military Keynesianism The Non-Military Non-Keynesian Ford Interregnum Jimmy Carter, the Populist and Military Non-Keynesian Military Keynesian and Supply-Side President Ronald Reagan George Bush, Another Non-Military, Non-Keynesian President Can President Clinton Become a Non-Military Keynesian? The Unraveling of Classical Keynesian Economics in the United States over the Past Half-Century Where Do We Go from Here? What Would Keynes Say Today? Appendix A: Development of Keynesianism within the History of Economic Doctrines Appendix B: What Is Military Keynesianism (and What Is the Alternative)? Appendix C: Thinking about the Partial Devaluation of the Dollar Appendix D: Incomes Policies at Home and Abroad Appendix E: How Keynesian Are the Canadians? Notes Glossary Annotated Bibliography


Tawara Machi is one of the most famous contemporary Japanese poets after the success of her collection of poetry titled Salad Anniversary. This collection of poetry utilized vivid imagery of everyday activities and revitalized the traditional Japanese tanka poetic form. While literary critics often view her poetry as anti-feminist writing that relies heavily on the "waiting woman" trope popularized by early tanka poetry, I argue that her work is multi-dimensional and expands on this trope. Although her writing involves more passive feminism than famous Japanese feminist poets such as Hiromi Itō, it should not be dismissed as docile or unprogressive. Critics also claim her poetry is flat and one note, likely due to its accessible language and short format. However, I believe that her poems are more layered than one might think and that critics should re-examine her work, despite its overwhelming mainstream popularity. In this short essay, I analyze a selection of Tawara's poems from her collection Salad Anniversary and prove their duality and nuance.


Standing interpretations of the family relations depicted in Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America project onto his portrait of democracy a strong public-private dichotomy. However, de Tocqueville insists that family life is embedded in the dynamics that shape the broader society and culture. Investigating this claim yields a psychological account of the desires, fears and anxieties that haunt democratic society. These passions foment a paradoxical mix of egalitarianism and hierarchy, liberty and subjugation, within family life and beyond. De Tocqueville's fundamental thesis that democracy boasts healthy and unhealthy potentialities is better understood when the idea of family as a discrete sphere is abandoned.


This chapter aims to explore what subjects have been addressed in green technology innovation (GTI) in China and initiate a journey for the next generation of sustainable-oriented research. Thus, the work examined the literatures enlisted in the database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) on the topics of GTI from 1994 to 2019. Some critical discussion and conclusion are sighted as follows: (1) the research of GTI in China is getting mature compared to the energy-innovation related topics and the researches 10 years ago. It is becoming a dominated research subject. (2) The qualitative publications dominates the researches, the empirical researches are in a shortage. (3) The research subjects are multi-perspective and multi-disciplinary, covering environment science, management, energy and fuels, economics and social behavior. New vibrancy of advanced theoretical and methodological research is particularly needed. (4) The trend of green technology research appears an interdisciplinary research with the themes related to environmental subject, science technology, business economics, engineering and energy & fuels. (5) Different policy implementations have different effects due to the cost structure and maturity of renewable energy. (6) GTI cannot be isolated from the policy or regulation regime, and is becoming a new underpin of current sustainable development in China.


Background: In Scandinavia, spinal fusion is frequently performed without instrumentation, as use of instrumentation in the elderly can be complicated by poor bone quality and the risk of screw pull-out. However, uninstrumented fusion carries the risk of nonunion. We performed a randomized controlled trial in an attempt to determine if use of instrumentation leads to better outcomes and fusion rates when spinal fusion is performed for degenerative spondylolisthesis in the elderly. Methods: This was a randomized, single-center, open-label trial of patients with symptomatic single-level degenerative spondylolisthesis who were assigned 1:1 to decompression and fusion with or without instrumentation after at least 12 weeks of nonoperative treatment had failed. The primary outcome was the change in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and secondary outcomes included fusion rates within 1 year, reoperation rates within 2 years, and changes in the EuroQol-5 Dimension-3 Level (EQ-5D) score. Results: Fifty-four subjects were randomized to each of the 2 groups, which had similar preoperative demographic and surgical characteristics. We found similar improvements in the ODI (p = 0.791), back pain, leg pain, and quality of life between groups at 1 and 2 years of follow-up. Solid fusion on computed tomography (CT) scans was noted in 94% of the patients in the instrumented group and 31% in the uninstrumented group (p < 0.001). One patient (2%) in the instrumented group and 7 (13%) in the uninstrumented group (p = 0.031) had a reoperation within 2 years after the index surgery. Conclusions: We found no difference in patient-reported outcomes when we compared instrumented with uninstrumented fusion in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis. The uninstrumented group had a significantly higher rate of nonunion and reoperations at 2 years. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Helicobacter pylori persistence is associated with its capacity to develop biofilms as a response to changing environmental conditions and stress. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is a component of H. pylori biofilm matrix but the lack of DNase I activity supports the hypothesis that eDNA might be protected by other extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and/or Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs), which bleb from the bacteria surface during growth. The aim of the present study was to both identify the eDNA presence on OMVs segregated from H. pylori ATCC 43629/NCTC 11639 biofilm (bOMVs) and its planktonic phase (pOMVs) and to characterize the physical-chemical properties of the OMVs. The presence of eDNA in bOMVs and pOMVs was initially carried out using DNase I-gold complex labeling and Transmission Electron Microscope analysis (TEM). bOMVs and pOMVs were further isolated and physical-chemical characterization carried out using dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. eDNA associated with OMVs was detected and quantified using a PicoGreen spectrophotometer assay, while its extraction was performed with a DNA Kit. TEM images showed that eDNA was mainly associated with the OMV membrane surfaces; while PicoGreen staining showed a four-fold increase of dsDNA in bOMVs compared with pOMVs. The eDNA extracted from OMVs was visualized using gel electrophoresis. DLS analysis indicated that both planktonic and biofilm H. pylori phenotypes generated vesicles, with a broad distribution of sizes on the nanometer scale. The DLS aggregation assay suggested that eDNA may play a role in the aggregation of OMVs, in the biofilm phenotype. Moreover, the eDNA associated with vesicle membrane may impede DNase I activity on H. pylori biofilms. These results suggest that OMVs derived from the H. pylori biofilm phenotype may play a structural role by preventing eDNA degradation by nucleases, providing a bridging function between eDNA strands on OMV surfaces and promoting aggregation.


Features of epidermal cells such as cell shape or arrangement of stomata are best studied under the scanning electron microscope. However, the preparation and viewing of samples using electron microscopy can be relatively laborious. A quick alternative is to view epidermal imprints in agarose using Nomarski differential-interference contrast microscopy. This protocol describes a method for preparing agarose imprints of plant cell surfaces.


In this paper we introduce concepts of a potential fault latency and a real fault latency for Finite State Machines (FSMs). The potential latency defines a minimal value of the possible latency for an FSM, while the real latency relates to the certain implementation of the FSM A method for investigation of latencies for online checking FSMs is described This technique is based on selection of trajectories of the Markov chain, which describes behavior of the fault free FSM as well as the faulty FSM We also estimate the lowest bound for an average latency. This estimation may be useful at an initial stage of the design when information concerning requirements to the FSM and conditions of its functioning is limited.


– The paradigm under which our society and economy have operated until now has become obsolete in the 21st century. Some Nobel Prize-winner economists made it clear that we have to forget the paradigm currently dominating the global economy: "Let's privatize the benefits and socialize (distribute) its costs as much as possible!" The results of it are extremely and rapidly increasing inequalities, followed by unmanageable socio-economic - environmental tensions. It seems we could get out of this situation only with radical social and economic transformations, both globally and at the lower levels (countries, regions, localities). There isn't another solution just the social and economic paradigm exchange parallel with each other. Interconnected and not separated them. But many big challenges are coming up from the natural and the technological environment too and they are rooted in the human-made systems. So altogether we are facing the quickly changing complexity and an unknown situation in the history of humanity. We don't have appropriate methods and experiences how to deal with these new types of challenges but there isn't any other choice just to manage them. Despite this fact, there are very few studies about the causes and consequences of this rapidly growing problem in the era of growing sustainability risks. Similarly, there is very little practical information that provides actionable advice on how to manage these problems at different (global-, macro-, and micro-) levels of social and economic organizations. We define complexity as the number of components in a system plus the variety of relationships among these components plus the speed of changes of both the components and the relationships. Larger systems (like social - economic - ecological systems) are often very complex – but they may be more complicated if their behavior is unpredictable. Based on the global databases and reports we investigated the trials of countries how prepared they are for managing the growing complexity in the field of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. We have found that in most of the countries (and globally too) experts are choosing the simplest way - they deal with the goals separately from each other and don't take into account the very complicated system of their interconnections and the feedback loops. We have tried to summarize some conclusions for the future about what would be the better approach to deal with the complexity.


We provide an overview of mental disorders of childhood and adolescence and key issues related to this topic. We first discuss the significance of mental health problems in youth and the role of multiple interacting influences in shaping adaptive and maladaptive patterns of behavior. This is followed by a general overview of childhood disorders and related conditions as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition–Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000), recognizing that revisions to this diagnostic system are underway for DSM-V. We next consider examples of three general types of problems in youth: externalizing disorders, internalizing disorders, and pervasive developmental disorders. We illustrate current issues and approaches to these disorders by focusing on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, and autism spectrum disorders as examples. In doing so we consider the main characteristics, epidemiology, developmental course, associated features, proposed causes, and an integrative developmental model for each of these disorders. We conclude with a discussion of current issues and future directions, including definitional issues, the role of context, comorbidity, prevalence, gender differences, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and culture, understanding causal processes, family influences, continuities and discontinuities, risk and resilience, and implications for treatment.

Keywords:

children's mental health;
child behavior disorders;
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD);
childhood anxiety disorders;
autism spectrum disorders


Abstract Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is an orthopaedic emergency that requires urgent fasciotomy and decompression to avoid significant morbidity. It is most commonly caused by a fracture or crush injury. We present a case of a patient who developed ACS of the posterior compartment of the thigh secondary to a low energy fall and avulsion of sclerotic arterioles. There was no fracture and the patient was not anti-coagulated. They had fasciotomy and embolization of responsible vessels. This case demonstrates the need for high clinical suspicion needed for ACS and the morbidity associated with a delayed fasciotomy. A literature research demonstrated no case reports of a patient developing ACS with no fracture, no crush injury and no history of anti-coagulation.


The corrosion behavior of carbon steel C45 has been investigated in the absence and presence of different content of NaCl at four different temperatures 293, 303, 313, and 323 K by using potentiodynamic polarization technique. The results shown that the corrosion of carbon steel in the absence of NaCl is lower than in the presence of NaCl, and increased the concentration of NaCl lead to increase the corrosion rate at all the experimental temperatures and the maximum corrosion rate was observed in 14% NaCl. The corrosion rate was decreased after reaching the maximum value and increase the solution concentration of NaCl at 20% and 26% at all the four temperatures and that could be attributed to the high resistance of the solution when the concentration be higher. All the thermodynamic functions and activation energy are calculated and the results of Gibbs Free energy and enthalpy shown that the corrosion of carbon steel C45 in the absence or presence of NaCl at each same temperature is nonspontaneous and endothermic. The obtained results were in a good agreement with previous work based on the using of the weight loss method by another research work).


This paper investigates the relationship between firm-level productivity and investment climate (IC) for a large number of countries (23) and manufacturing industries (8). We first propose three measures of firms' productive performances: Labor Productivity (LP), Total Factor Productivity (TFP), and Technical Efficiency (TE). We reveal that enterprises in MENA perform in average poorly, compared to other countries of the sample. The exception is Morocco, whose various measures of firm-level productivity rank close to the ones of the most productive countries. We show at the same time that firms' competitiveness in MENA is handicapped by high Unit Labor Cost, compared to main competitors like China and India. The empirical analysis also reveals that the investment climate matters for firms productive performances. This is true (depending on the industry) for the quality of a large set of infrastructures, the experience and level of education of the labor force, the cost and access to financing, as well as to a lower extent, different dimensions of the government-business relation. These findings bear important policy implication by showing which dimension of the investment climate could help manufacturing firms in MENA to be more competitive on the world market.


This paper is describing a careful study of the content and distribution of rare elements in the fluid and solid phases involved in dry and classified aluminum hydroxide production through the Bayer process at Alum SA, Tulcea, Romania. The source of rare elements in the Bayer process is the bauxite from Sierra Leone, a particular type of aluminous goethite-lateritic bauxite, not fully studied yet. Rare earth elements are fairly abundant in nature, but their distribution is very large, encompassing hundreds of types of minerals where the rare element appears as minor crystalline and amorphous compounds, solid solutions, or as ions adsorbed on the surface of common natural rocks. This study data show that Sierra Leone bauxite has only a small content in rare elements. Mainly, only the scandium and cerium concentrations (44.84 mg/kg and 11.49 mg/kg in bauxite residue) may reach the expected values required for eventual valorization. On the Bayer cycle, the rare metals enter with bauxite and concentrate in bauxite residues. Solubility of the rare element compounds in the Bayer process fluid phases is close to zero. In the final product, the aluminum hydroxide dried, milled and classified grades, the rare metals appear only as occlusion contaminants.


Abstract Food security is a significant issue for many people who live in remote mountain areas around the world. Most of these people are also poor because of the lack of opportunity to earn cash. Malnutrition is common because the harsh climate restricts production and access to fresh food. Simple conventional greenhouses can provide some improvement of growing conditions, but the benefits are limited because of the high heat losses from these structures. Solar greenhouses, however, which are designed to store some of the heat generated within the structure can overcome these limitations. This article describes the experiences of a nongovernmental organization that has been introducing community and family-owned solar greenhouses into the remote villages of Humla, a mountainous district of northwest Nepal prone to food insecurity. The overall result has been positive. Family-owned greenhouses, which avoid the issues of community ownership and operation, have been more successful. A validated computer model based on the first solar greenhouse has been used to predict the thermal performance of a new family-sized design. Training and education are vital to the success of solar greenhouse technology in remote mountain areas.


Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the incremental value of cocktail 18F-FDG/18F-NaF PET/CT over 18F-FDG PET/CT alone for detection of skeletal metastases in breast cancer patients. Methods Seventy patients with locally advanced/recurrent breast cancer were prospectively included. All patients underwent whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT and cocktail 18F-FDG/18F-NaF PET/CT within a span of 1 week. Both studies were evaluated to detect presence of skeletal/marrow metastases on PET/CT images by 2 nuclear medicine physicians. Clinical and radiological correlation/follow-up was used as criterion standard. Results Of 70 patients, 50 (71.0%) had locally advanced breast cancer, and 20 had recurrent breast cancer. On patient-wise analysis, both cocktail PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT identified skeletal/marrow lesions in 23 (32.8%) of 70 patients. In 8 patients (11.4%), only cocktail PET/CT identified skeletal/marrow lesions, whereas 18F-FDG PET/CT was negative. In the rest of the 39 patients (55.8%), no skeletal/marrow lesion was identified on both scans. Good correlation was noted between cocktail PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT results (r = 0.785, P < 0.0001). Cocktail PET/CT detected lesions in significantly more number of patients than 18F-FDG PET/CT alone (P = 0.007). On lesion-wise analysis, cocktail PET/CT detected more number of lesions in 20 patients as compared with 18F-FDG-PET/CT alone. Both scans detected same number of lesions in the rest of 11 patients with positive findings. A total of 32 additional lesions were identified on cocktail PET/CT imaging as compared with 18F PET/CT alone (P < 0.0001). Conclusions Cocktail 18F-FDG and 18F-NaF PET/CT is superior to 18F-FDG PET/CT alone for the detection of skeletal/marrow metastases in breast cancer. It can be a better alternative to 18F-FDG PET/CT alone in facilities where both tracers are available.


The authors examined relationships among internalized homonegativity, body image, eating disturbance, and self-esteem of gay men. Internalized homonegativity is believed to be experienced by all gay men and is tied to self-esteem, which is a factor in the etiology of eating disorders and body image disturbance. It was hypothesized that internalized homonegativity would predict body image, self-esteem, and eating disturbance. A total of 213 gay men participated in an online survey that used established measures. Results showed that specific components of internalized homonegativity predict body image, self-esteem, and bulimic behaviors. Findings imply that internalized homonegativity is a viable link for assessing body image and self-esteem among gay men. This study adds new dimension to the literature by linking internalized homonegativity with body image and by demonstrating a specific component of internalized homonegativity as predicting the variables tested. Future research and limitations are discussed.