We address the problem of interactions between the phase of cardiac and respiration oscillatory components. The coupling between these two quantities is experimentally investigated by the theory of stochastic Markovian processes. The so-called Markov analysis allows us to derive nonlinear stochastic equations for the reconstruction of the cardiorespiratory signals. The properties of these equations provide interesting new insights into the strength and direction of coupling which enable us to divide the couplings to two parts: deterministic and stochastic. It is shown that the synchronization behaviors of the reconstructed signals are statistically identical with original one.


The purpose of this article is formation of a portfolio strategicheskih projects of tourism development in the region and a system model of project management in the context of the implementation of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation from 07.05.2018 No 204 and the Strategy of tourism development in the Russian Federation for the period till 2035.


In this paper, we revisit a method to produce binary sequences using the most significant bit map from Z4 to the binary field. This method is useful for the construction of binary sequences with low correlation and large family size. There may be more cases where starting with Z4 could help researchers design new low correlation sequences for code-division multiple access application.


ABSTRACT Purpose To describe a case of inflammatory chorioretinopathy and Adie's syndrome possibly associated with COVID-19. Methods Observational case report. Results A 51-year-old woman developed fever, cough, and headache followed by retro-ocular pain and reading impairment. She tested positive for SARS-COV-2 infection by qualitative real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction. The slit-lamp and funduscopic exam revealed abnormal pupillary response and yellowish creamy deep chorioretinal lesions, which were not present in previous examinations. Instillation of pilocarpine demonstrated denervation supersensitivity, and it was suggestive of bilateral Adie tonic pupil. A comprehensive work-up ruled out other systemic, autoimmune, or infectious diseases. Conclusions This case illustrates the possible association between multifocal chorioretinitis and Adie's syndrome, and the SARS-COV-2 infection in humans. Further investigation of virus infectivity specifically within ocular tissues has to be conducted.


Design for energy saving air-conditioning control system means we can
control the air-conditioning system by using software to reduce electricity cost. The
air-conditioning system use a lot of electricity compares to other appliances and this
was proved by research. We all know user sometimes did not turn off the airconditioning
either they forgot or not before leaving the room. My developed airconditioning
control software makes things easier. User can turn on or turn off the
air-conditioning system by clicking one button and they also can set the time for the
air-conditioning to automatically off. User can reduce their electricity bill by reduce
the air-conditioning usage. This software can control up to six air-conditioning. User
can control the air-conditioning by using their laptop or personal computer (PC).
This software is very user friendly. The software been connected to the airconditioning
system by a circuit consist PIC 16F84 and RS232 communication
module. The circuit connected to the PC using serial communication port (comm1).


Copper fungicides are widely used in viticulture. Due to its large spectrum of action, copper provides an efficient control over a great number of vine pathogens. Previous studies showed that, high levels of cupric residues can impact grape-berry microbiota, in terms of the size and population structure, reducing the diversity and the abundance. Due to the importance of grape-berry bacterial in crop health, and the potential impact of copper fungicides over the microbiota, we determined Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of different copper formulations for bacterial species isolated from grape berries. We study the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of different copper formulations (copper sulphate (CuSO4) pure, Bordeaux mixture (CuSO4 + Ca(OH)2), copper oxide (Cu2O), copper hydroxide (Cu(OH)2)) over 92 bacterial strains isolated from grape berries in different stages of the ripening process. The results of MIC measurements revealed that the different copper formulations have a variable inhibitory effect and among the different isolates, some species are the most resistant to all copper formulations than others. This study confirm that usage of cupric phytosanitary products should be reasonable independently of the farming system; they also provide evidence of the importance of the choice of which copper formulations are to be used regarding their impact on the grape berry bacterial microbiota.


Calcium-sensing by the parathyroids is abnormal in familial benign hypocalciuric hypercalcemia and in primary hyperparathyroidism (primary HPT), but the role of a calcium-sensing defect in uremic secondary hyperparathyroidism (secondary HPT) remains controversial. To study the regulation of PTH release by calcium, set point estimates were obtained using the four parameter model during in vivo dynamic tests of parathyroid gland function in 31 patients with secondary HPT, 8 patients with advanced secondary HPT studied shortly before undergoing parathyroidectomy (Pre-PTX), 3 patients with primary HPT, and 20 subjects with normal renal function (NL); the response to 2-h i.v. calcium infusions was also evaluated. Neither blood ionized calcium (iCa+2) levels nor the set point for calcium-regulated PTH release differed between secondary HPT and NL; iCa+2 levels and set point values were moderately elevated in Pre-PTX and markedly elevated in primary HPT. Compared with values obtained in NL, the lowest serum PTH levels achieved during calcium infusions, expressed as a percentage of pre-infusion values, were incrementally greater in secondary HPT, Pre-PTX, and primary HPT, whereas the slope of the relationship between iCa+2 and PTH, expressed as the natural logarithm (ln) of percent preinfusion values, decreased incrementally in secondary HPT, Pre-PTX, and primary HPT. The inhibitory effect of calcium on PTH release is blunted both in secondary HPT and primary HPT because of increases in parathyroid gland mass, but a calcium-sensing defect is a late, rather than early, consequence of renal secondary HPT.


Historian John W. O'Malley has recently outlined significant changes in the historiography of the Jesuits. These major shifts in Jesuit historiography in the early modern period have provided for more ample avenues of study vis-a-vis Jesuits and music. The last of O'Malley's three ages of Jesuit historiography has had the most immediate effect: not only has it in itself encouraged the study of Jesuits and music, but also has broadened the cultural field enabling a number of different foci, previously beyond consideration. Recent studies, especially from the point of view of the expressions of popular piety, are producing insights into the identity of Jesuits from the perspectives or what they did. The significant corpus of music literature that musicologists are exploring and reflecting upon, promises both a fuller portrait of the Jesuits and their "way of proceeding," and a richer understanding of the function of this music.


Two species of the alvinocaridid shrimp genus Alvinocaris, A. methanophila n. sp. and A. muricola Williams, are reported from a cold seep site on the Blake Ridge Diapir, northwestern Atlantic, at a depth of 2155 m. Alvinocaris methanophila is described and illustrated on the basis of 33 adult specimens. It is most similar to the sympatrically found A. muricola Williams, but differs in the comparatively stout second segment of the antennular peduncle and smaller size at maturity in females. Available data suggest that A. muricola is rare at this site. Brief notes on habitat and distribution of the two species are provided.


Papers gathered in these two volumes investigate the complex relations between philosophy of language and linguistics, viewed as independent, but mutually influencing one another, disciplines. They concentrate on the 'formal' and 'philosophical' turns in the philosophy of language, initiated by Gottlob Frege, with further developments associated with the work of Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, W O V Quine, Richard Montague, Pavel Tichy, Richard Rorty. The volumes bring together contributions by philosophers, logicians and linguists, representing different theoretical orientations but united in outlining the common ground, necessary for further research in philosophy of language and linguistics. The papers were submitted and, in most cases, presented at the first International Conference on Philosophy of Language and Linguistics, PhiLang2009, organised by the Chair of English and General Linguistics at the University of Lodz.


The purpose of this development research is to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of using Powtoon animation learning media for flat-sided geometry. The development model used is the ADDIE model. The subjects of this study were students of class VIII-2 MTsS Syamsuddhuha (junior high religious school). The percentage results of product assessment by media experts are 96% in the very feasible category, the percentage result of product assessment by material experts is 92% in the very feasible category, and the percentage result of product assessment by 10 small group students is 94% in the very feasible category. Based on the results of the product assessment by all validators who stated that it was very feasible, the Powtoon animation learning media developed had meet the criteria for use for students. The effectiveness of using the product can be seen from the results of the comparison of the students' average pretest and posttest scores. The resulting product is effective in increasing the understanding of mathematical concepts, as evidenced by the average pretest score of 43,44, an increase in the posttest of 84,27, and the N-Gain value of 0,72 in the high category. It can be concluded that Powtoon animation learning media is feasible and effective to be used in improving the understanding of mathematical concepts.


Students are expected to have high prosocial behavior. However, the fact shows that most of theirs are still low indicated by being less sensitive to friend's conditions, being unsympathetic, having a low sense of charity, dishonesty, disrespecting others' rights and welfare. Thus, this study attempted to examine the effectiveness of classical guidance with reinforcement technique, cooperative play technique, and the combination of reinforcement and cooperative play techniques to promote students' prosocial behavior. Non-Equivalent Control Group Design was employed by involving 47 Junior High School students in grades VII, VIII, and IX. Once the analysis has been conducted, the Wilcoxon test showed that the classical guidance with both techniques were effective to promote prosocial behavior, namely reinforcement technique gained (Z = -3,25, p <0, 05), and cooperative play technique gained (Z = -2,27, p <0, 05). In the same way, the combination of those techniques was effective to promote students' prosocial behavior by having the results of (Z = -3.40, p <0.05). To discover any differences in the effectiveness, the researchers used Kruskal Wallis test. This test revealed that the difference between the three techniques was v (x² = 7.67, p <0.05). These findings are expected to provide input for counselors by providing classical guidance services with reinforcement and cooperative play techniques to promote prosocial behavior.


Relationship between chemiluminescent response of whole citrate capillary blood of normal subjects, patients with osteoarthrosis deformans (n = 21) and with systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 37) and the temperature and duration of storage of blood samples was under study. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was induced by barium sulfate microcrystals and recorded as a curve. Chemiluminescence intensity was found to increase if the samples were stored longer than 1 h, this increase being reliably higher in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus than in normal subjects or patients with osteoarthrosis. Capacity of citrate blood phagocytes to chemiluminescent response is partially preserved after 24 h storage on the cold, but is commonly manifest only after an hour's adaptation to room temperature. The following phases are characteristic of the chemiluminescent response curve in the majority of cases: latent (up to 1.5 = 4 h), an abrupt rise, and slow decrease.


Ecosystem damage as a result of mining activity is very harmful to the environment. One of the strategy repairing the condition of post-mining land is to use legume cover crops, one type of legume cover crops is Desmodium spp., that has ability to form a symbiosis with AMF and rhizobium. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of AMF from the four types of rhizosphere Desmodium spp. from PT. Cibaliung Sumber Daya, Banten with different types of host plants. The sampling technique of soil and roots were done by non propotional method. Soil samples were trapped with some types of host plants. Spores were isolated by wet-seaving and decanting technique, then the density of spores was measured and identified. The results showed an increasing number of spore and diversity of AMF. The number of spore before trapped was 10-89 spores per 20 g soil then increased to 16-114 spores per 20 g soil. While the AMF diversity before trapped found only 9 type of spores, consists of 8 type Glomus and 1 type Acaulospora. After trapped increased to 26 spores type AMF consists of 23 type of Glomus and 3 type of Acaulospoara. The root colonization was in range of 22.2 - 95.5%.Key word: Desmodium spp. , Cibaliung, Cover crops.


We present a novel approach for training neural abstract architectures which in- corporates (partial) supervision over the machine's interpretable components. To cleanly capture the set of neural architectures to which our method applies, we introduce the concept of a differential neural computational machine (∂NCM) and show that several existing architectures (e.g., NTMs, NRAMs) can be instantiated as a ∂NCM and can thus benefit from any amount of additional supervision over their interpretable components. Based on our method, we performed a detailed experimental evaluation with both, the NTM and NRAM architectures, and showed that the approach leads to significantly better convergence and generalization capabilities of the learning phase than when training using only input-output examples.


Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus is considered as one of the most widespread tick species of the world on several host including cattle. The current study has been conducted to evaluated infestation ability of larval R. annulatus on chicken growth and development, Indicated very few larvae quested or fed on indigenous adult chickens when comparison with the number of larvae which used in this study, and that the larval and nymph feeding period of these ticks was very long. The number of larvae feeding shows in hollows wings, while the number of feeding nymph investigate on head, wings and above of thigh, both larvae and nymph described on the same individual adult chicken, the engorged adult female not observed while the adult male notice on chickens. Designated the weight of feeding larvae and nymphs stage is 0.32±0.04 mg and nymph's 2.73±1.22 mg. The weight of larvae and nymph stage under mattress and feeder's chicken 0.27±0.21 and 2.52±1.75 mg respectively, shows not significantly when compared between the weight of feeding on chickens and the weight under mattress and feeder's chicken by larvae and nymphs stage at (P < 0.05) values according chi-square. Experimental study shows not transmissions pathogens from incubating larvae, which got from engorged female infested with Babesia spp., to adult chickens when examined their blood by Giemsa stain.


In the continuing controversy over the nature and status of "the poetic", the sound patterning of poetic form rhyme, lineation, alliteration has emerged as key to the debate. Cognitive science suggests a new approach to this central concern, an approach that stands to draw from resources not only in contemporary cognitive science but also in literary computing. This paper presents (1) a cognitive model of poetic sound pattern reception and (2) the results from a pilot experiment conducted using this model and TACT , a text analysis software suite. In its comparison of the differences between the visual vs. aural reception of poetic language, the results of this experiment suggest that there are differences between the experience of a poem heard vs. read silently. Though the trial nature of this experiment requires that its findings be interpreted with caution, the methodology itself directly indicates the considerable potential that the tools of literary computing have to illuminate not just the reception of poetic sound, but all acts of reading. Rather than being limited to the (stylistic) study of authors and texts, literary computing can play a valuable part in the empirical study of literary response.


This paper proposes a non-uniform cache architecture for reducing the power consumption of memory systems. The non-uniform cache allows having different associativity values (i.e., the number of cache-ways) for different cache-sets. An algorithm determines the optimum number of cache-ways for each cache-set and generates object code suitable for the non-uniform cache memory. The paper also proposes a compiler technique for reducing redundant cache-way accesses and cache-tag accesses. Experiments demonstrate that the technique can reduce the power consumption of memory systems by up to 76% compared to the best result achieved by the conventional method.


Abstract We analyse gender differences in children's aspirations and academic beliefs that affect their academic potential. We use administrative data on the test scores of a primary school in rural China and a novel survey instrument in the evaluation of a randomised controlled trial of a role-model intervention. Our intervention increases Chinese test scores by 0.116 standard deviations, which is driven by boys' 0.33–0.35 standard-deviation performance boost that persists into 1 year after the treatment. Girls only experience a short-term increase in performance within a week after the treatment. The impact of the treatment is especially pronounced for children starting with low aspiration, self-efficacy, or cognitive ability. While there is no average impact on Mathematics test scores, we find that boys holding traditional gender attitudes and having a high self-efficacy, and girls of high self-efficacy and aspirations, perform better in response to the treatment. Aspirations, confidence, and gender attitudes account for parts of our findings.


The lack of understanding and definitional inconsistencies regarding agritourism and the importance of cooperation in sustaining this kind of tourism are underlined in the literature. This study analyzes the perceptions of agritourism and cooperation from actors in the sector using a plurality of methods, including unsupervised (a) text mining and (b) sentiment analysis with the use of a lexical database, as well as (c) supervised qualitative data analysis. Based on the assumption that destinations with different geographic characteristics have different features and products, two different destinations as for its accessibility and tourism recognition were selected for comparison: (a) an island—Lesvos in the North Aegean Sea, and (b) a continental mountain region—Plastiras Lake, in Greece. The data were collected from personal in-depth interviews and with the use of semi-structured questionnaires. From a methodological perspective, all three methods provided unique insights on the study's themes, and the overall image of agritourism and cooperation was positive. A common understanding seems important for cooperation and networking; however, training is needed not only for effective promotion of agritourism, but also for cooperation techniques, benefits, trust-building mechanisms and best practices.


Public discourses around 'migrant sex workers' are often more confident about what migrant sex workers signify morally (i.e. vulnerability, criminality) but are less clear about who the 'migrant' is. This thesis interrogates the implications of the 'migrant sex worker' category based on semi-structured interviews with 65 immigrant, migrant and racialised women in sex work and two support staff in Melbourne, Australia and Vancouver, Canada during 2013–2014. Specifically, I employ an intersectional theoretical lens to investigate how this group of sex workers negotiate their security, agency and mobility across contrasting regulatory frameworks in these two cities. Contrary to research, policy and public assumptions (regarding race, ethnicity and language), many interviewees are not 'migrant sex workers', but are naturalised citizens or permanent residents whose involvement in the sex industry intersects with diverse ideas and experiences of citizenship and residency in Australia and Canada. Contrasting regulatory frameworks across the two research sites produce both 'legal' and 'illegal' professional identities in the sex industry that are mobilised in different ways. Lastly, in contrast to public and research discourses, which continue to associate social difference with risk and vulnerability, sex workers' positioned social difference as business concerns or factors that influenced their success (or lack of) in the sex industry. Theoretically, these findings contribute a more contextual, dynamic understanding of agency beyond the static definitions of agency that endure in current feminist debates around sex work. Empirically, these findings challenge how the 'migrant' is defined in sex work discourses and calls for a more nuanced and precise understanding of the 'migrant' sex worker in law reform efforts, policy frameworks, and social change strategies.


The area of computational cryptography is dedicated to the development of effective methods in algorithmic number theory that improve implementation of cryptosystems or further their cryptanalysis. This book is a tribute to Arjen K. Lenstra, one of the key contributors to the field, on the occasion of his 65th birthday, covering his best-known scientific achievements in the field. Students and security engineers will appreciate this no-nonsense introduction to the hard mathematical problems used in cryptography and on which cybersecurity is built, as well as the overview of recent advances on how to solve these problems from both theoretical and practical applied perspectives. Beginning with polynomials, the book moves on to the celebrated Lenstra–Lenstra–Lovász lattice reduction algorithm, and then progresses to integer factorization and the impact of these methods to the selection of strong cryptographic keys for usage in widely used standards.


In this study, an online Artificial Neural Networks based Pole Placement algorithm is proposed to stabilize the 2-bus system with nonlinear SVC and variable power. It uses pole placement method. Proposed algorithm are examined in point of improving the bus voltages which change under different demanding powers and the temporary state performance are compared with PID control based results. Simulation results demonstrate a good performance and robustness. Streszczenie. W artykule zaprezentowano online algorytm Pole Placement z wykorzystaniem sieci neuronowych do stabilizacji dwu-szynowego systemu z nieliniowym, SVC (Static Var Compensator) i zmienną mocą. (Sterowanie SVC przy wykorzystaniu algorytmu Poler Placement i sieci neuronowych)


The attitude of the staff of the University Hospital Virgen de la Macarena in Sevilla was evaluated to assess their degree of information about hepatitis B vaccine, their attitude towards vaccination and the possible causes of the latter. To this end, a survey was carried out among 200 individuals from the hospital staff, distributed in four professional level categories (doctors, nurses, clinical assistants and attendants). The level of knowledge of the disease, the participation in the vaccination and the future attitude were evaluated. Group differences were also analysed. The results showed a low information level about the vaccine (81.5% were not adequately informed), a low vaccination index (13.5%) and a low intention to be vaccinated in the future (34.6%), mostly due to poor information.


This paper discusses the regulation of foreign investment in China's stock market. It starts with the development of financial markets in China, followed by a detailed introduction to the evolution of China's stock market and the regulatory regime. It then introduces the forms of foreign participation in China's stock market. It critically analyses the legal traps faced by foreign investors in the Chinese stock market, including the burdensome and ambiguous regulatory culture, markt frauds associated with the SOE reform, poor corporate governance, and the absence of effective judicial protection. It finally puts forward some reform recommendations.


Exocytosis of neurotransmitter containing vesicles supports neuronal communication. The importance of molecular interactions involving specific lipids has become progressively more evident and the lipid composition of both the synaptic vesicle and the pre‐synaptic plasma membrane at the active zone has significant functional consequences for neurotransmitter release. Several classes of lipids have been implicated in exocytosis including polyunsaturated fatty acids and phosphoinositides. This minireview will focus on recent developments regarding the role of phosphoinositides in neurosecretion.


Treatment of small-(stage III) or medium-sized (stage IV) Xenopus laevis oocytes with progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin, or para-hydroxymercuriphenylsulfonate does not induce maturation. Only the full-grown oocytes (stage VI) undergo maturation when treated with either one of these three substances. In contrast, injection of maturation promoting factor into oocytes of stages III-VI invariably leads to chromosome condensation and germinal vesicle breakdown. No maturation spindle is found in oocytes smaller than 0.9 nm in diameter, and the nuclear sap does not mix with the cytoplasm in the smallest (0.45-0.55 mm in diameter) oocytes. In oocytes of 0.9 mm, maturation is identical to that of full-grown oocytes, except that the maturation spindle does not reach the cortex of the oocyte. Progesterone increases protein synthesis in medium-sized (0.8 mm in diameter) oocytes without inducing meiosis. It has little or no effect on protein synthesis in smaller oocytes.


Evidence-based practice (EBP), a preferred psychological treatment approach, requires training of community providers. The systems-contextual (SC) perspective, a model for dissemination and implementation efforts, underscores the importance of the therapist, client, and organizational variables that influence training and consequent therapist uptake and adoption of EBP. This review critiques the extant research on training in EBP from an SC perspective. Findings suggest that therapist knowledge improves and attitudinal change occurs following training. However, change in therapist behaviors (e.g., adherence, competence, and skill) and client outcomes only occurs when training interventions address each level of the SC model and include active learning. Limitations as well as areas for future research are discussed.


The practical work described here is designed for third‐year bachelor students in Life Sciences attending a kidney physiology course. It illustrates how urinary biochemistry can be used for a medical diagnosis. Students have to measure glucose, proteins, and creatinine concentrations in three simulated urine samples. First, they independently elaborate detailed protocols from the biochemical kit's technical sheets. Second, after correction of the protocols by the teacher, they perform the biochemical assays. Finally, students write a report in which they interpret the biochemical data and use them in the context of histological images assigned to each urine sample. With their results, their theoretical background and scientific articles supplied by the teacher, they establish the diagnosis indicating which patients are diseased and from which disease they are suffering (diabetes without nephropathy, diabetic nephropathy or hypertensive nephropathy). The originality of this practical work is to give student autonomy from the start of the project by requiring them to write the protocols, and determine the diagnosis by themselves. Simple and inexpensive, this practical forces students to mobilize their knowledge in renal physiology and pathophysiology as well as those acquired in other disciplines such as biochemistry or cellular biology. A survey conducted on two classes of students confirmed that this type of training helps students to better understand renal physiology, to realize the importance of interdisciplinarity (biochemistry, histology, and physiology) and to develop confidence in their ability to work independently.


Abstract The purpose of this study is to show the importance of theatre and theatrical theory in Kant's philosophical thought by reconstructing his relationship to the dramatic arts and how they shaped his thinking - that is, how he developed a theory of acting which is central to understanding not only his conception of society but also the role played by pragmatic anthropology in his critical system. Indeed, one can say that his theory of the art of acting leaves nothing to be desired in comparison with Diderot's philosophical program as expressed in the "Paradox of the Actor", which is considered one of the most important texts on acting in the history of aesthetics.


This paper describes the SINAI team participation in the INFILE routing and filtering track of the CLEF campaign. This is the first participation of the SINAI research group in the INFILE task. We have participated in the batch filtering subtask and submitted two experiments: one using the topics' text as learning data to train a classifier, and another one where training data has been constructed from Google News pages. Our results show that our use of Google News did not improved the classification obtained using only topics description.


Infection of rodent facilities by microorganisms of the genus Mycoplasma can interfere with scientific research results. Mycoplasma pulmonis and Mycoplasma arthritidis are its main agents, and their prevalence can reach 100% in conventional colonies in developing countries. Detection through commercially available methods is normally limited. One of the most employed assays is the ELISA, with high sensitivity, specificity and low cost. The aim of this study was to develop an ELISA test with mixed M. pulmonis and M. arthritidis antigens and evaluate its performance as an alternative diagnostic method for mycoplasmosis. Sera from 81 rats were tested, using M. pulmonis antigen only (ELISA-Mp), M. arthritidis antigen only (ELISA-Ma) and 1:1 antigen mix (ELISA-mix). 50.61% (41/81) of the tested sera were positive for ELISA-Mp, 44.44% (36/81) were positive for ELISA-Ma e 46.91% (38/81) were positive for ELISA-mix. The mixed antigen test showed 72.00% sensitivity, 64.28% specificity and 47.36% positive predictive value. Statistical analysis of data displays concordance between ELISA-Mp and ELISA-mix. The newly developed assay presents satisfactory sensitivity and specificity patterns, and can make an expressive contribution for improving sanitary standards of laboratory animals and thereafter contribute with the development of experimental research.


Appropriate fluid management in mechanically ventilated critically ill children remains an important challenge and topic of active discussion in pediatric intensive care medicine. An increasing number of studies show an association between a positive fluid balance or fluid overload and adverse outcomes. However, to date, no international consensus regarding fluid management or removal strategies exists. The aim of this study was to obtain more insight into the current clinical practice of fluid therapy in mechanically ventilated critically ill children. On behalf of the section of cardiovascular dynamics of the European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) we conducted an anonymous survey among pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) specialists in Europe regarding fluid overload and management. A total of 107 study participants responded to the survey. The vast majority of respondents considers fluid overload to be a common phenomenon in mechanically ventilated children and believes this complication is associated with adverse outcomes, such as mortality and duration of respiratory support. Yet, only 75% of the respondents administers a lower volume of fluids (reduction of 20% of normal intake) to mechanically ventilated critically ill children on admission. During PICU stay, a cumulative fluid balance of more than 5% is considered to be an indication to reduce fluid intake and start diuretic treatment in most respondents. Next to fluid balance calculation, the occurrence of peripheral and/or pulmonary edema (as assessed including by chest radiograph and lung ultrasound) was considered an important clinical sign of fluid overload entailing further therapeutic action. In conclusion, fluid overload in mechanically ventilated critically ill children is considered an important problem among PICU specialists, but there is great heterogeneity in the current clinical practice to avoid this complication. We identify a great need for further prospective and randomized investigation of the effects of (restrictive) fluid strategies in the PICU.


Higher habitual coffee consumption was associated with higher insulin sensitivity (1) and a lower risk for type 2 diabetes (2–6) in diverse populations. In contrast, short-term metabolic studies showed that caffeine intake can acutely lower insulin sensitivity (7–9) and increase glucose concentrations (10–15). Randomized intervention studies are needed to examine whether tolerance to these acute effects develops after longer-term consumption (16). We therefore examined the effects of coffee and caffeine on fasting blood concentrations of glucose and insulin over 2–4 weeks in two crossover studies in healthy volunteers.

The studies were approved by the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Medical Ethics Committee, and all participants gave informed consent. The trials were originally designed to study the effects of coffee and caffeine on plasma concentrations of homocysteine, and the study designs have been reported in detail previously (17,18). Participants were regular coffee consumers (more than five cups/day) and did not have known diabetes.

The first study was a 4-week crossover study that compared the effects of regular paper-filtered coffee consumption with that of coffee abstinence. A total of 40 volunteers used 1 l of coffee (70 g coffee grounds) for 4 weeks and abstained from coffee for 4 weeks in random order. Fourteen participants did not complete the trial because of nausea and restlessness ( n = …


Water is one of the most critical nutrients for humans in ensuring good health and well-being. Interestingly, majority of the vulnerable subpopulations of women in Ghana do not meet the daily recommended water intake set by the Ghana's Ministry of Health yet the socio-economic/ demographic factors and dietary patterns influencing water intake are lacking. This study investigated the socio-economic/ demographic factors and dietary patterns influencing water intake. A total of 1,548 women with water and food intake data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS), which is a representative nationwide cross-sectional study, was used. 83% of the women did not meet the recommended daily water intake. Of four dietary patterns ('Beverage & sugary based', 'Meat based', 'Indigenous- tuber based' and 'Indigenous- grain based') emerging, meat based dietary pattern, seasonality, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol consumption emerged as key determinants of water intake. In summary, seasonality, dietary patterns and some key socio-economic/ demographic factors were identified as determinants of water intake. The identified determinants can serve as a basis for nutrition intervention and policies for women in Ghana.


Chlorpyrifos and Imidacloprid are belongs to two main groups of insecticides that are widely used in insect control. Many researches had been discussed the effect of both groups on non-target organisms and the environment. So, it necessary to reduce the used doses of this groups to save the environment. The effect of pre-treatment with lufenuron (chitin synthesis inhibitor) at sub lethal dose (LD25) on the efficacy of Chlorpyrifos and Imidacloprid on Spodoptera littoralis was studied using topical application method. The toxicity of both Chlorpyrifos and Imidacloprid increased after 24hrs of pre-treatment with LD25 of Lufenuron by 55 and 250 times for Chlorpyrifos and Imidacloprid, respectively compared with the toxicity of each compound alone. Histological studies showed that the treatment of 2 instar larvae with LD25 of Lufenuron caused obvious separation of the hypodermis layer from the endocuticle, abnormalities in the epicuticle morphology , rupture in muscles, irregular and great disintegration of cuticle and hypodermis. In-vivo interaction of LD25 values of Chlorpyrifos, Imidacloprid and Lufenuron with Alkaline and Acid phosphatase caused significant increase in the activity of Alkaline phosphatase while Acid phosphatase activity was significantly decreased in all treatment.


Sequences with 2-fold axes of symmetry have been detected and mapped on the simian virus 40 (SV40) genome by their ability to form hairpin turns in single-stranded SV40 DNA. Supercoiled SV40 DNA (SV40 I) was digested with restriction enzymes EcoRI and HpaII. The resulting linear DNA molecules with lengths of the complete SV40 genome were then denatured and photochemically reacted with 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (trioxsalen) at 16.0 +/- 0.5 degrees and different ionic strengths. Secondary structures on the single-stranded SV40 DNA were crosslinked and their positions analyzed by electron microscopy. There were no observable hairpin turns on the denatured SV40 DNA when it was photoreacted in 1 mM Tris-HCl/0.1 mM EDTA at pH 7.0. In 20 mM NaCl, one specific hairpin turn was detected at 0.17 +/- 0.02 map units on the map of EcoRI-digested SV40 DNA, where the 3' ends of early 19S mRNA, late 19S mRNA, and 16S mRNA of SV40 have been mapped. In 30 mM NaCl there are five more major hairpin turns besides the most stable one. The centers of four of these specific hairpin turns were mapped at 0.26 +/- 0.02, 0.68 +/- 0.03, 0.84 +/- 0.02, and 0.94 +/- 0.01 units on the map of EcoRI-digested SV40. The fifth one is at or near the unique EcoRI cleavage site on SV40 DNA. The possible functions of these sequences are discussed in terms of the nature of the promoter sites, the replication origin, the processing of RNA precursors, and regulation at the translational level.


ABSTRACT Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains from cattle and diarrheic children in a pastoralist community in Uganda were investigated. The STEC strains belonged to a variety of different serogroups, and 70% of the strains were positive for the intimin gene, eae. STEC strains from two of the children were closely related to bovine strains.


The main problem in extending continuous-time filtering to higher frequencies is the sensitivity of high-frequency filters to analog integrator nonidealities such as finite dc gain and parasitic poles. The use of a cascode stage introduces internal nodes, and hence a nondominant pole, in the signal path. This has been overcome using a novel phase compensation scheme which does not require tuning of the compensating element, and is itself unaffected by tuning of the integrator's unity-gain frequency or quality factor. The scheme is based upon a MOS version of the "multi-tanh principle" where the linear range of a transconductor is divided between at least two unbalanced differential pairs operating in parallel. The common-source node of an unbalanced differential pair is not ac ground and the associated pole-zero pair may be harnessed to cancel the parasitic pole introduced by the cascode stage. The feasibility of the proposed design was evaluated with the fabrication of a test-chip on a 0.25 /spl mu/m 2.5 V standard digital CMOS process. Measurements confirm that the group delay response is flat ( /spl plusmn/2%) over a five octave frequency range (3.5-112 MHz or 0.058-1.87f/sub c/).


In this paper, the problem of the Super-twisting sliding mode control (ST-SMC) is concerned for the pitch control system of a remotely operated vehicle(ROV). A novel kinetic model of ROV's pitch motion is established by using stress analysis. The purpose of the addressed pitch control problem is to design a Super-twisting sliding mode controller to drive the state of the pitch angle control system for a remotely operated vehicle to the desired value. A sliding surface is firstly constructed and an ST-SMC law is synthesized to ensure the reaching condition. Moreover, the total control condition is also given out to make the effect of the controller better. Then, by using the Lyapunov stability theory, the stability of the addressed pitch control problem is guaranteed. A simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design scheme.


Abstract:Newman was a prolific writer, but one who usually wrote on "call"; sometimes these calls were unexpected, but at other times they were a pastoral responsibility. Such was the case with his sermons, which exhibit four characteristics: biblically based, theologically grounded, circumstantially relevant, and spiritually insightful. As such, his sermons still appeal to readers today.


The slowed down world population growth rate masks the magnitude of the net population increase. This warning comes in the new set of population projections prepared by the United Nations Population Division in 1980. These estimates submitted to the 21st session of the Population Commission in January indicate that the annual rate of growth of the world population had declined from 2% about 15 years ago to 1.7% and may decline to 1.5% by the end of the century. The world population has increased by 1.9 billion in the last 3 decades; 2.6 billion people are expected to be added in the coming 3 decades bring the world population to 7 billion by 2010. About nine-tenths of the annual increase is having to be absorbed in the developing countries despite a substantial decline in the birth rate of 41/1000 in 1960-65 to 32/1000 at present. Most of the decline has occurred in China and in several Asian and Latin American countries. Little or no decline is yet apparent in South Asia and Africa. By 1978 only 7 out of 24 Western developed countries had fertility rates above the replacement level. The UN Population Divisions analyses of government policies in 165 countries show that 84 governments consider fertility levels in their countries to be satisfactory 22 too low and 59 too high. 17 governments have policies to increase fertility and 39 to reduce it.


Due to the high bandwidth demands and the variability of wireless link quality, AV transmission has presented challenges to wireless networks. Traditional technologies have achieved little success. IEEE 802.11e standard (IEEE P802.11e/D13.0, 2005) has introduced dedicated bandwidth in combination with prioritization techniques at MAC layer to enhance QoS capability of wireless networks. However, the QoS mechanisms provided in IEEE 802.11e standard face challenges if the required bandwidth is greater than the available bandwidth (P.C. Li, 2003). Therefore, new QoS technologies beyond MAC layer need to be deployed for a complete QoS solution. This paper presents a dynamic QoS algorithm at LLC layer for wireless AV networks


We provide a closed-form BER expression of non-coherent FSK for passive RFID channel with multiple tag antennas, where the channel can be modeled a summation of L double Rayleigh channels. We show a recursive relation of BER and report an asymptotic analysis. The results theoretically reveal that even without space-time coding, equipping multiple antennas at the tag side can significantly improve the BER performance. This property of double Rayleigh fading is essentially different from that of traditional Rayleigh fading channel.


Over a12-monthperiod, nine patients were seen in a contact dermatitis clinic with an inflammatory dermatosis localized predominantly to the external auditory canal. Of these patients, four were found to have an allergic contact dermatitis which was exacerbating their dermatitis. All were allergic to one or more corticosteroids and topical antibiotics used in the treatment of their dermatitis. We would suggest that hypersensitivity to topical corticosteroids and other medicaments be considered in patients with otitis externa which fails to respond to treatment.


The title compound, C21H25N2+·ClO4−, arose as an unexpected oxidation product of the carbene 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidine in methanol. It crystallizes with two unique cations and anions in the P-type monoclinic unit cell. The five-membered cationic imidazolium rings are essentially planar and in each imidazolium cation the phenyl rings of the 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl groups are staggered with respect to the imidazolium ring [dihedral angles ranging from 60.9 (3) to 86.3 (3)°]. In the crystal, a hydrogen-bonding network is created via C—H⋯O interactions between the imidazolium ring H atoms and the perchlorate-anion oxygen atoms. The crystal studied was refined as an inversion twin.


Background The Global Program in Occupational Health Practice (GPOHP) is a 400 hour, online, interactive program with 2 tracks in Health and Hygiene. GPOHP has trained 135 individuals from 85 different countries over 8 years. Methods An online survey of course participants was administered to determine the value of this training and to guide future content and training methods. Results 30% of the prior course participants from 19 countries responded. 68% received company sponsorship for tuition, 19% received scholarships and 13% were self-funded. Respondents reported a significant increase in knowledge base, greater confidence in doing their jobs, clarity about where to seek the best resources, awareness of global standards, and how to execute specific activities including, incident (accident) investigation, noise monitoring, ergonomic assessment, return to work after injury/illness, and development of a worker screening program. A few described moving up in their careers because of this training. Several participants continue to share ideas and plans with their classmates across national boundaries. Discussion Online training in OH is an important and apparently successful tool for training those without locally available courses. Asynchronous communication lowers expenses by reducing time off work and out-of-country. Hands on activities applied in their own work settings with feedback from experts were likely to be key in developing relevant and immediately applicable skills. Establishing a network of OH providers could improve conditions for workers and companies, globally.


The concentrations of the four major brain gangliosides--GM1, GD1a, GD1b, and GT1b--were determined in cerebrospinal fluid from 43 patients with "probable Alzheimer's disease" and 19 healthy controls. Alzheimer's disease was divided into type I (with the memory disturbances and predominant cortical parietal symptoms that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease) and type II (with general cognitive and mild confusional symptoms, with or without only mild parietal symptoms). The GM, concentration was significantly higher in patients with Alzheimer's disease type I than in those with Alzheimer's disease type II and age-matched controls, but did not differ significantly between patients with Alzheimer's type II and age-matched controls. As gangliosides are enriched in nerve cell membranes, preferentially in synapses, the findings suggest more severe degeneration of cortical nerve cells in patients with Alzheimer's disease type I than in those with Alzheimer's disease type II.


This papers analyses the main contents of the Finland Constitution and the Judiciary. Finland Constitution is the basis of all legislation . It exercises of government power,  and it details the fundamental rules, values and principles of Finnish democracy. According to the Constitution, judicial power lies with independent courts of law. The courts are independent: they are bound only by the law in force. Finnish procedural law has been both internationalized and constitutionalized since the 1990s and the result of court proceedings plays a more significant role for the parties


In 2005 Contemporary European History published a special issue on transnationalism, edited by Patricia Clavin and Jens-Wilhelm Wessels. The articles presented six examples of 'transnational' connections between Europeans from different countries, focusing primarily on contacts in the political and economic realms, and documenting a multitude of ties and links between Europeans at all levels from the end of the First World War to the early 1960s.


Experimental evidence suggests that the threshold at which a given stimulus is perceived as painful is relatively constant both for an individual and between individuals. However, higher thresholds at which pain described as severe or at which particular behavioural response occurs are much more variable and appear to depend on cultural factors. Since one concern of a healing profession is to alleviate or minimize pain it would be helpful if some means of assessment of the intensity of pain experienced by other persons were available. Unfortunately no such measure exists. Distinction must be made between relief of pain which should be based on physiological principles and relief of distress in which socio-psychological factors are of much greater importance.


We describe an attentive encoder that combines tree-structured recursive neural networks and sequential recurrent neural networks for modelling sentence pairs. Since existing attentive models exert attention on the sequential structure, we propose a way to incorporate attention into the tree topology. Specially, given a pair of sentences, our attentive encoder uses the representation of one sentence, which generated via an RNN, to guide the structural encoding of the other sentence on the dependency parse tree. We evaluate the proposed attentive encoder on three tasks: semantic similarity, paraphrase identification and true-false question selection. Experimental results show that our encoder outperforms all baselines and achieves state-of-the-art results on two tasks.


The prediction of wind speed plays a significant role in wind energy systems. An accurate prediction of wind speed is more important for wind energy systems, but it is difficult due to its uncertain nature. This paper presents three artificial neural networks namely, Back Propagation Network (BPN), Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Nonlinear AutoRegressive model process with eXogenous inputs(NARX) with Mutual Information (MI) feature selection for wind speed prediction. The MI feature selection identifies the significant features and reduces the complexity of wind speed prediction model without loss of information content. The performance of prediction model is evaluated in terms of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The results show that the performance of all three neural network models are highly satisfied. Moreover, NARX model with mutual information feature selection is more accurate in dealing with wind speed prediction.


The Taunton Fragment is an eleventh-century bilingual (Latin-Old English) collection of expositions of gospel pericopes. In addition to contributing to understanding of pastoral care in Anglo-Saxon England, it provides invaluable information about linguistic innovations that take place during the transition period from Late Old to Early Middle English. The present article focuses on one such development—the form ðrowian . Taken at its face value, that is, as a II class weak verb meaning 'to suffer; torment', it causes discrepancy between the syntactic structure and the lexical meaning in the Old English text, on the one hand, and lack of correspondence between the Latin and Old English rendition, on the other. A close examination of this form in the Old English corpus suggests that it might be the earliest recorded example of the verb throw in the sense 'to hurl'. The present article proposes that this semantic development originates in the glosses and Latin-influenced texts. Among the major causes of this innovation are polysemy and homonymy resulting from phonological and morphological changes as well as linguistic creativity of the Anglo-Saxon translators, glossators, and scribes.


Playback recorder/filter type, settings in kHz: Pemtek/Kay. Cut size: 44.346 seconds. Sample rate: 40960. Number of channels recorded: 41A. See Code descriptions document for descriptions of codes used in Text header document.


Fig plants are gaining popularity among farmers across Malaysia, mainly influenced by the high demands for fresh fig fruits and a fairly higher market price for the fruit. Current practices in farm fields are still based on observation and scheduling approach without any quantitative approaches which provide a precise way of determining the crucial elements such as irrigation and fertilization needs. This paper explains the design and development of smart farming system with sensing technology deployment for precision agriculture and the Internet of Things (IoT) approach to get farmers connected to their farm. Raspberry Pi 3 Model B acts as a brain of the entire system, delivering its functionality in performing monitoring and controlling tasks. Database is implemented by using ThingSpeak IoT cloud platform while for mobile application, this project is using Swift 4 programming language within Xcode IDE in implementing the iOS user interface features. The evaluation and validation result shows the microcontrollers and all embedded sensors associated to them are successfully executing their tasks in performing the surrounding humidity, irrigation and fertilization control duties. The developed system also capable in tracing the surrounding temperature and humidity, soil humidity and pH, and fertilizer EC value changes. Assistance in mobile device application implementation and ThingSpeak cloud database deployment in this project also get the farmers connected to their farm. Although this project has been completed successfully, however there are several areas which can be further improved in order to make the entire system more efficient and useful to the user.


: The activity of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) in the liver and skeletal muscles of rats has been studied after acute alcohol administration in a dose of 1, 2.5, and 5 g/kg body weight. Inhibition of the activity of the main PPP enzymes as well as a decrease in the liver pentose level in rats as a result of alcohol intoxication have been observed. In muscle tissues, alcohol leads to the activation of glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase and the inhibition of the transketolase activity.


Purpose

This paper aims to explore why harmonisation, given its potential, is so difficult to achieve. It analyses the issues and challenges in achieving harmonisation of training and development across an industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach was a meta-analysis of six research projects undertaken in the Australian rail industry. These projects varied in duration from 12-24 months. Between 2009 and 2013, rail employees in varying roles and levels of seniority, including middle managers, front-line supervisors, rail incident investigators, track workers and drivers, were interviewed (n = 176) and surveyed (n = 341).

Findings

The meta-analysis identified a range of characteristics associated with harmonisation. It uncovered three categories of harmonisation, seven types of risk modelled in a layered risk pyramid and analysed key structural, environmental and organisational barriers to harmonisation. The paper concludes that harmonisation struggles to gain strategic significance and is hampered by operational pragmatism.

Research limitations/implications

There are few published papers examining harmonisation across companies or based on meta-analyses, especially qualitatively. Despite limitations of insufficient detail to allow close analysis, potentially variable quality data across projects from which to develop a meta-analysis and the danger of comparing apples with oranges, more attempts using this approach would be helpful in gaining nuanced insights into an industry.

Practical implications

Achieving industry harmonisation requires significant change in the mindset of executives. To enhance the chances of harmonisation, there is need for a strong national entity with overview of the entire industry, high-quality training and development resources and activities and cost-benefit analyses and active campaigns. A major outcome of this research is the risk pyramid, which can be used by managers as a strategic evaluation tool. By using such tools based on sound research, leaders can be equipped to make informed decisions and reduce downstream risks.

Originality/value

This research has value in extending the literature in two main ways: through examining the notion of harmonisation across an industry as distinct from within organisations that has been the focus of most studies and through using qualitative meta-analysis in a field dominated by quantitative approaches. It analyses the grey areas between rhetoric about its potential and difficulties in its achievement.


This paper introduces residual shape risk as a new subclass of energy commodity risk. Residual shape risk is caused by insufficient liquidity of energy forward market when retail energy supplier has to hedge his short sales by a non-exible standard baseload product available on wholesale market. Because of this inflexibility energy supplier is left with residual unhedged position which has to be closed at spot market. The residual shape risk is defined as a difference between spot and forward prices weighted by residual unhedged position which size depends on the shape of customers' portfolio of a given retail energy supplier. For empirical evaluation of residual shape risk we use a real portfolio of a leading natural gas retail supplier in the Czech Republic over the period 2016-2017. The size of residual shape risk in our example corresponds approximately to 1 percent of profit margin of natural gas retail supplier.


Background Internet use among the elderly is influenced by various demographic backgrounds, social life and health factors. Objective This study aims to identify the impact of several demographic features on 60- to 79-year-old individuals' intention to use the Internet. Method Finland population data (N = 2508) from the 2012 IKIPOSA project was used with two cohorts: 60s group (n = 1515) and 70s group (n = 990). Descriptive statistic and two binomial logistic regressions have been used with the unadjusted effect and Forward LR method to measure each predictor's contribution to the model. In addition, a preliminary analysis to measure the multicollinearity was performed. Result Of the 18 independent variables, only nine predictors, namely, age, education, financial situation, having children, entrepreneurship, a leadership position, a higher level white-collar worker and a lower level white-collar worker, were significant factors in predicting the Internet use. Meanwhile, gender, having grandchildren, living alone, marital status, house location and type, stay-at-home mother or father, blue-collar worker, agricultural entrepreneur and social relations satisfaction were not significant predictors. The most significant predictors were education and age, which contributed 19% and 10%, respectively, to the model. Other significant predictors, lower level white-collar worker, higher level white-collar worker and financial situation, had less impact with only around 6%. Conclusion Education and age were influential factors among elderly to use the Internet in their later life. Certain work experiences affect elderly people's engagement with the Internet after retirement.


This paper presents a new way for measuring milk constituents. The new technology utilizes the scattered light to transmitted light ratio of laser light to determine the amount of protein and fat in milk. Fundamental theories of this new technology are discussed in detail and the design blueprint of an embedded system built based on this technology is outlined. Furthermore, the protein concentrations measured by the newly developed instrument are fit well with the authentic results from Dairy Quality Supervision and Inspection Center of the Country, indicating the instrument is feasible and has great potential for the application in dairy industry


Experimental, numerical and analytical methods were used to investigate the effects of the blade trailing edge thickness on the profile loss of ultra-high lift low pressure turbine blades.Two cascades, the T106C and the T2, were studied. The loss obtained based on the data at the blade trailing edge plane and the plane 0.3 Chord downstream of the trailing edge agree with each other for T106C blade with and without upstream wakes at different Reynolds numbers. The blade profile losses were broken down as the suction surface boundary loss, the pressure side boundary loss and the mixing loss downstream of the trailing edge for six Reynolds numbers.Trailing edge thicknesses varying from 1.4% to 4.7% Pitch were investigated at a Reynolds number of 210000. It was found that the flow distributions across the passage at the trailing edge planes were highly non-uniform. In particular, and as a result, the trailing edge base pressure was higher than the mixed-out static pressure, so the contribution of the base pressure to the mixing loss downstream of the trailing edge plane was to reduce the loss. When the trailing edge thickness increases, there are three main effects: 1) The area with high base pressure region increase, which tends to reduce the downstream mixing loss; 2) The base pressure reduces, which tends to increase the loss; 3) The flow diffusion downstream of the trailing edge, which tends to increase the loss. The overall result is the combined effect.For the T106C cascade, increasing the trailing edge thickness from 1.9% Pitch to 2.8% Pitch has a small effect on the loss. Further increasing the trailing edge thickness increases the loss. The T2 blade has a higher lift than the T106C blade, so the effects of the base pressure in reducing the mixing loss downstream of the trailing edge is more evident. The experimental results show that the profile loss first decreases and then increases as the trailing edge thickness increases. CFD, using the transition k-ω SST model and the k-ω SST model, provides good predictions of the aerodynamic performance. It was used to study the cases with trailing edge thicknesses of 1.4% Pitch and 2.9% Pitch. The profile loss is almost the same for these two trailing edge thickness. The results show that it is possible to use thicker blade trailing edges in low pressure turbines without aerodynamic penalty. This can lead to benefits in terms of mechanical integrity and manufacturing cost reductions.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Cascaded configuration of source- and load-side subsystems is a prominent connection form in multiconverter-based low-voltage power distribution networks (e.g., dc microgrids). Despite instability arising from interactions between the individually designed feedback-controlled converters, supplying active loads that act in a tightly regulated fashion, such as constant power loads (CPLs), can yield system instability. In this work, a new source-side active stabilizing scheme is presented based on positive proportional–derivative feedback of the equivalent load current with an intrinsic self-tuning control parameter. It introduces an adaptive-parallel-virtual-resistance (APVR) strategy without affecting the dynamic performance of the load converter. Using this precise control approach that benefits simple structure in design with straightforward control parameter adjustment, the system stability is ensured by actively suppressing CPL destabilizing effect. Moreover, the high robustness and desirable dynamic performance of the APVR strategy are authenticated by considering the plug-and-play of CPLs and unforeseen variations in input voltage amplitude without knowledge of their value. The operational principles and control concepts of the suggested active stabilizer for the three basic dc/dc converters feeding CPLs in cascaded structures are discussed analytically. The effectiveness and flexibility of the APVR method for these systems have been validated using the simulation and experimental results.


In recent times, the UK has witnessed a steady growth in the use of agency workers to fill core professional roles in public sector organizations. Similar trends have been noted elsewhere, particularly in Australia and the US. In this paper our objective is to explore some of the consequences of this growth, drawing on case study research on social services. We point to a number of problems associated with the management of agency workers and to the potentially negative consequences for the quality of services. These problems, in turn, may impact on key aspects of a (largely functional) public service employment model founded on strong internal labour markets, employment stability and collegial ethos. We also note that while there are ways in which public organizations can manage this situation, certain constraints may prevent them from doing so.


Melatonin, better known as "the hormone of darkness," is secreted by the pineal gland during the night and helps us fall asleep. Because its internal regulation depends on light, melatonin is part of chronobiology, the study of biological mechanisms and their adaptations to lunar and solar related rhythms (Klein et al. 1991). Therefore, photoperiod changes greatly impact melatonin concentration, influencing changes in neuronal and hormonal mechanisms of the photo neuro-endocrine systems, namely reproduction. Research has shown that a disruption in the circadian rhythm of melatonin due to photoperiod changes detrimentally affects the rhythmic function of the female reproductive cycle. Research from journals, articles, and printed books has shown that both exogenous and endogenous features contribute to the reproductive cycle and that the internal mechanisms are entrained by environmental cues. Photoresponsiveness of the reproductive system is mediated by the internal biological clock, transcriptional factors, period genes, photic input, GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) neurons, and melatonin secretions. Specifically, melatonin secretions directly affect reproductive function either through stimulatory or inhibitory pathways. Seasonally breeding animals interpret photic information according to melatonin secretions. This clearly points to a relationship of melatonin with photic and reproductive qualities. Research is ongoing with various species of animals in hope of uncovering the mystery of the connection between light, melatonin, and reproduction, which may be helpful in understanding the effects of photoneuroendocrinology on the female human. INTRODUCTION In the industrial world of the 21st century, work at night seems to be unavoidable. Erhard Haus claims that 17% of the working world is involved in some kind of rotating shift work, permanent night shift, or trans-meridian travel (Haus and Smolensky 2006). Nurses work rotating shifts, wholesale food producers drive through the night, bakers bake in the wee hours of the morning, medical school students intern around the clock, security guards work night duty, and traveling businessmen fly many miles a month. What they all have in common is that they are on arrhythmic sleep schedules. The diabetic frequent flyer knows to keep insulin medication handy because glucose levels can fluctuate in response to confusing messages of night and day the body receives when traveling across several time zones, for traveling eastward shortens the day while traveling westward lengthens the day (Keystone and Kozarsky 2011). The body runs on an internal rhythmic schedule and may not adapt easily to extreme changes in the timing of surrounding environments. The World Health Organization has blamed shift work for the increasing occurrences of cardiac, gastrointestinal, and reproductive disorders and certain cancers (Longo et al. 2012). Melatonin is known to inhibit estrogen dependent disorders, including breast cancer. If sleep schedules are compromised, melatonin may not be able to guard the body from the invasion of cancer. Epidemiologic studies on women show a correlation between shift work employment and the incidence of breast and colon cancers. Melatonin disturbances have shown to affect proper reproductive function as well. Flight attendants and shift work employees, two groups of people who suffer from disrupted day/night schedules and 61


Objectives This study identifies the current status and problems of adverse event reporting system in Korean hospitals. The data obtained from this study will be used to raise international awareness and enable collaborative researches on patient safety. Methods We distributed the questionnaire developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), USA to the 265 risk managers of hospitals by e-mail. Seventy-two percent of the risk managers responded to the inquiry. Results Eighty-five percent of the hospitals responded that they collect information regarding the event where harm has occurred or might have occurred to a patient. Seventy-five percent of the hospitals did not allow individuals to report occurrences without identifying themselves. Only 54% of the hospitals had an organized patient safety program that manages or coordinates all of the hospital's patient safety activities. The most frequent reason why errors were not reported was the fear of individuals being involved in the investigation and potential disadvantage resulting from it. Eighty-five percent of the hospitals produced reports of their adverse event data, but 68% of the hospitals did not distribute occurrence reports within the hospital. Conclusions Lack of standardized reporting system, available information, procedures for protecting the reporting individuals, and mindlessness/indifference of the hospital employees are identified as the major problems. Therefore, it is crucial to address these problems to develop appropriate solutions, enable proactive involvement from the healthcare community, and change the overall patient safety culture, specifically protecting privacy, to increase the quality of service in the healthcare industry.


To characterize the extent of genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium within and among its definitive host (intra- and interhost parasite diversity), 133 individual isolates from 25 infected schoolchildren were compared using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers. With 4 primers, 53 unambiguous loci were identified, and of these, 22 were polymorphic. Mean heterozygosity in the population was 0.116 ± 0.043. Analysis of molecular variance showed the majority of variance occurred within, rather than between, hosts. Frequencies of certain alleles segregated the parasite population into 13 distinct clusters of associated genotypes, with 4 of these first appearing 10 mo after the initial survey. Considering the level of diversity within this limited geographical area and the possibility of rapid turnover of genotypes, parasite variance may impact acquired immunity and clinical outcome of the infection.


The trainability of youth at specific periods during growth and maturation has become a key issue in paediatric exercise science. The development of physical capacities such as movement speed, strength and power is difficult to predict in youth meaning that the structuring of training can be a significant challenge for coaches. Accordingly, methodologically sound research is required to underpin a more informed approach to the formulation of programmes of physical development. To this end, the purpose of this work was to investigate the trainability of youth athletes at specific stages during maturation (pre-, mid-, and post-peak height velocity) by addressing some of the shortcomings of the existing body of literature.
Short-term controlled interventions were undertaken and they extended from the findings of three meta-analytical reviews, all of which examined the effect of training on the development of speed, strength and power in youths aged 9 to 18. These investigations were focused on the manipulation of modifiable factors, such as the training stimulus, as opposed to non-modifiable factors, such as maturity (which was generally controlled for). With some exceptions, which are potentially explainable, speed, strength and power were, on the whole, more trainable in youths as they advanced in maturation with the mid-peak height velocity phase being a particularly important time for the development of these capacities. This could indicate the presence of a maturational threshold which moderates responses to training but this can also be coincident with a period of impaired performance potentially related to reduced motor control due to rapid growth rates.
Because of the way speed, strength and power can develop in youth athletes, the pre-peak height velocity phase of development may be more conducive to neuromuscular training with a coordinative component which establishes the movement competency required for more advanced techniques. An intensification of resistance (strength) training can be of benefit during mid-peak height velocity though impaired movement or a higher susceptibility to injury could compel coaches to reduce sprint (speed) and/or plyometric (power) training at this time. During the post-peak height velocity phase, athletes can be transitioned to more advanced training techniques, that are traditionally used with adults, if they possess the necessary coordination and experience to do so. Regardless of the results in this work, at every stage of development it is important for coaches to make programming decisions for youth athletes based, primarily, on training age and movement competency with the above maturity-related recommendations being suitable for those who have been exposed to high quality training from an early age.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the perception of older Korean men regarding health behaviors. Methods: A qualitative descriptive method was used. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit the participants. Sixteen Korean men aged 65 years or older participated in the first interview and 12 men from the same informants participated in the second interview. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and field notes. Qualitative content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Results: Six themes regarding health behaviors were identified: doing regular activity, proper control, mastering mind, adapting to change, being with people, and doing cognitive activity. Conclusion: This study is the first qualitative study that explored the perception of health behaviors among older Korean men. The findings provide valuable informations on what older Korean men think about health behaviors and insights for future research, nursing education, and clinical practice.


Diurnal changes in the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes may contribute to the variability in drug disposition and drug effects. The aim of this study was to quantify the circadian rhythmicity exhibited by hepatic CYP3A. A 10 μg/kg intravenous bolus dose, followed by a 30‐hour 4 μg/kg/h intravenous infusion of midazolam, used as a probe substrate for hepatic CYP3A activity, was administered to 16 healthy volunteers (8 males and 8 females). Blood samples were drawn hourly for 24 hours after achieving steady state, and plasma concentrations of midazolam and its main metabolite 1‐OH midazolam were determined. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using nonlinear mixed effects modeling. One‐compartment pharmacokinetic models best described midazolam and 1‐OH midazolam pharmacokinetic disposition. An unequivocal but minor diurnal pattern was identified in the midazolam plasma concentration profiles, which was described using a cosine function with a 24‐hours period. The fluctuation in the relative CYP3A activity ranged between 10% above average around 15:00, and 10% below average around 03:00. None of the covariates tested had a significant impact on the parameters estimated. Although a diurnal pattern in hepatic CYP3A activity was identified, its magnitude suggests that it is small and without clinical significance for drug therapy.


Background: The role of platelet-rich plasma in enhancing fat graft take is attracting the scientific community. There is, however, a lack of clinical studies on the matter. The aim of this article is to report the authors' experience in breast fat grafting with and without platelet-rich plasma and to investigate the state of the art on adipose tissue platelet-rich plasma enrichment. Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed 42 women who underwent breast fat grafting between September of 2007 and September of 2009. Seventeen of these patients (40 percent) were grafted with fat (according to Coleman) enriched with platelet-rich plasma at 10 percent (group A), and 25 patients (60 percent) received only fat grafts according to Coleman (group B). All patients underwent preoperative breast ultrasound and mammography and were regularly followed up with breast ultrasound 3 months later and then at 6-month intervals. The reconstructive and aesthetic outcomes were evaluated using the following parameters: (1) clinical outcomes according to the surgeons and the patient, (2) the rate of liponecrosis at breast ultrasound, and (3) the need of further fat grafting to achieve the planned result. Results: The clinical outcomes, the rate of liponecrosis at breast ultrasound, and the need for further fat grafting reveal that fat grafting plus platelet-rich plasma at 10 percent is not superior to Coleman fat grafting alone. Conclusions: In the authors' retrospective analysis, no effect of platelet-rich plasma was seen in enhancing fat graft take when compared with the Coleman fat graft. Further research and prospective clinical studies are needed to understand the role of platelet-rich plasma, if any, in fat grafting.


Recently it has been proposed that the zombie vortex instability (ZVI) could precipitate hydrodynamical activity and angular momentum transport in unmagnetised regions of protoplanetary discs, also known as "dead zones". In this letter we scrutinise, with high resolution 3D spectral simulations, the onset and survival of this instability in the presence of viscous and thermal physics. First, we find that the ZVI is strongly dependent on the nature of the viscous operator. Although the ZVI is easily obtained with hyper-diffusion, it is difficult to sustain with physical (second order) diffusion operators up to Reynolds numbers as high as 10^7. This sensitivity is probably due to the ZVI's reliance on critical layers, whose characteristic lengthscale, structure, and dynamics are controlled by viscous diffusion. Second, we observe that the ZVI is sensitive to radiative processes, and indeed only operates when the Peclet number is greater than a critical value ~10^4, or when the cooling time is longer than ~10 Omega^{-1}. As a consequence, the ZVI struggles to appear at R>0.3 AU in standard 0.01 M_sun T Tauri disc models, though younger more massive disks provide a more hospitable environment. Together these results question the prevalence of the ZVI in protoplanetary discs.


Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated during the oxidative burst and are thought to have redundant bactericidal functions. However, zwitterionic polysaccharide antigens (glycoantigens), such as polysaccharide A from the capsule of Bacteroides fragilis, are processed within APCs in a NO-dependent fashion leading to T cell activation and abscess formation. That observation suggests differential functions for ROS and NO in APCs. In order to understand these roles, the oxidative response to glycoantigens in APCs has been measured. We found that murine and human macrophage lines produce NO over a 48-hour period in an antigen dose-dependent manner, and this production can be blocked with the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME. The macrophages also produce ROS, which can be ablated with apocynin, an inhibitor of superoxide production. Interestingly, maximal ROS production occurs earlier (T½ = 15.8 hrs) but requires a higher antigen concentration (24.8 μg) than NO production (T½ = 24.5 hrs; 14.6 μg). In addition, B cells produce small amounts of ROS and no detectable NO, despite their ability to process glycoantigens, revealing a NO-independent processing mechanism. These data suggest that NO and ROS are controlled independently and could serve different processing roles in macrophages and B cells during T cell responses to glycoantigens.
 This work was supported by a grant to B.A. Cobb (AI062707).


Meiosis is a specialized cell cycle limited to the gametes in Metazoa. In Drosophila, oocyte determination and meiosis control are interdependent processes, and BicD appears to play a key role in both. However, the exact mechanism of how BicD-dependent polarized transport could influence meiosis and vice versa remains an open question. In this article, we report that the cell cycle regulatory kinase Polo binds to BicD protein during oogenesis. Polo is expressed in all cells during cyst formation before specifically localizing to the oocyte. This is the earliest known example of asymmetric localization of a cell-cycle regulator in this process. This localization is dependent on BicD and the Dynein complex. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments showed that Polo has two independent functions. On the one hand, it acts as a trigger for meiosis. On the other hand, it is independently required, in a cell-autonomous manner, for the activation of BicD-dependent transport. Moreover, we show that Polo overexpression can rescue a hypomorphic mutation of BicD by restoring its localization and its function, suggesting that the requirement for Polo in polarized transport acts through regulation of BicD. Taken together, our data indicate the existence of a positive feedback loop between BicD and Polo, and we propose that this loop represents a functional link between oocyte specification and the control of meiosis.


Introduction Minimising delay in thrombolysis is a key outcome in acute stroke care. Methods A 3 year retrospective cohort analysis of all acute stroke admissions in Wollongong Hospital, a major regional referral centre in New South Wales, was completed to determine the causes of in-hospital delays for thrombolysis. Data collected included age, baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, onset time, arrival time, CT imaging & reporting time and outcomes of the event. Results From 656 admissions, 70 cases of thrombolysis were recorded 56 cases of endovascular thrombectomy. The mean time from onset to arrival was 85 minutes, from arrival to CT was 31 minutes and from door to needle time (DNT) was 108 minutes. Multiple regression analysis revealed a an inverse linear association between onset to arrival time and DNT. Age, stroke severity and gender were not shown to impact treatment times. The results showed that there was a paradoxical association between arrival time and DNT. The cause for this was not clearly identified but similar to previous studies is likely to be contributed by a lack of urgency when initiating management.1 2 Conclusion For every 30-minute delay in hospital arrival, there was a 13- minute reduction in DNT. In light of this, education trials to promote 'time equals brain' understanding amongst stroke first responders is being implemented to aim to reduce DNT to less than 80 minutes. The results of this are anticipated to be available in mid 2019. References Albers GW, Bates VE, Clark WM. Intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator for treatment of acute stroke: The Standard Treatment with Alteplase to Reverse Stroke (STARS) Study. Journal of the American Medical Association 2000; 283:1145–1150. Romano JG, Muller N, Merino JG, Forteza AM, Koch S, Rabinstein AA. In-hospital delays to stroke thrombolysis: paradoxical effct of early arrival. Neurological Research 2007;29:664–666.


Ricinine is a toxic alkaloid found in the leaves and seeds of Ricinus communis L. It can cause vomiting and various other toxic reactions, including liver and kidney damage, convulsions, and hypotension, and can even lead to death. In this study, rats were orally administrated with an extract of castor bean shell (crude ricinine) once a day for eight consecutive weeks to study its chronic toxicity. Urine, serum and kidney samples were collected and subjected to 1H NMR metabolomics analysis. This approach, complemented by histopathological inspection and a biochemical assay, demonstrated that crude ricinine produced obvious nephrotoxicity and severe metabolic alterations in rats. These changes were related with oxidative stress, energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, renal function and the gut bacteria system. This work provides a molecular basis for the chronic toxicity of crude ricinine and shows the power of a 1H NMR-based metabolomic approach to study the toxicity of drugs dynamically and systematically.


Many recent improvements in pedagogical practice have been enabled by the rapid development of innovative technologies, particularly for teaching quantitative research methods and statistics. This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a series of specialised computer laboratory sessions. The sessions combined the use of an online virtual world, cloud collaboration technology, and a statistical package in order to simulate the entire data investigative cycle. The sessions covered multiple topics, research designs, and data analysis techniques relevant to psychology. Quantitative and qualitative feedback data regarding students' perceptions of the sessions were analysed. The results demonstrate promising support for the use of Island-based sessions, but improvements and further research will be required.


It was shown that ferrocytochrome P450 forms a nonequilibrium state if ferrocytochrome P450 and its complexes are reduced in freezed water-glycerol solutions by thermolysed electrons, arising during gamma-radiolysis of the matrix at 77 degrees K. Unlike the equilibrium form of ferrocytochrome P450 with the heme iron at the high-spin state the reduced nonequilibrium form of the protein contains the heme iron at a low-spin state. The absorption spectrum of ferrocytochrome P450 in the nonequilibrium state is characterized by alpha and beta-bands at 562 and 534 nm, respectively, whereas the magnetic circular dichroism spectra exhibit type A effect at 562 nm. Upon temperature increasing the nonequilibrium state is relaxed to the equilibrium one. Type 1 substrates had practically no influence on the spectral characteristic of the nonequilibrium form of ferrocytochrome P450. Binding of type 2 substrates results in an essential decrease of the intensity ratio of the alpha- and beta-bands (A alpha/A beta) and is accompanied by a red-shift of the alpha-band and corresponding magnetic circular dichroism effect. It was shown that mercaptoethanol complex of hemoglobin, formed by reduction at 77 degrees K is spectrally similar to the nonequilibrium ferrocytochrome P450 complex with type 2 substrates. From analysis of experimental data one can conclude that (i) the ligand environment of heme iron in oxidased and reduced cytochrome P450 are different; (ii) the sixth axial ligand of the heme iron in the oxidised protein is probably a water molecule (OH-) attached by a hydrogen bond to the neighbouring histidine. It is assumed that a similar nonequilibrium form of cytochrome P450 can be formed in physiological conditions.


Introduction
Aortitis is seen in a wide variety of diseases. It was rarely found in the past but this is changing because of new imaging techniques.

Case description
We present the case of a 45-year-old man who was found on thyroid ultrasound to have infrarenal aortitis and pathological lymphadenopathies in different locations. After an exhaustive diagnostic process, tuberculous aortitis, an infrequent manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, was diagnosed. The condition resolved after a 6-month course of antibiotics and a 6-week course of corticosteroids.

Conclusion
Tuberculous aortitis is an atypical manifestation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The absence of typical symptoms and the difficulty of isolating the microorganism makes its diagnosis difficult. Therefore, clinical suspicion, microbiological tests and imaging are key for reaching the diagnosis and starting treatment for a serious disease that can cause aortic aneurysm and dissection.

LEARNING POINTS
New imaging techniques can identify aortitis for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.The extrapulmonary manifestations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection are diverse and include aortitis.Prompt and accurate differentiation between infectious and non-infectious causes of aortitis determines which of two very different therapeutic paths should be followed and hence the prognosis of the patient.


PurposeThis paper aims to address a location-distribution-routing problem for distributing relief commodities during a disaster under uncertainty by creating a multi-stage model that can consider information updates during the disaster. This model aims to create a relief network that chooses distribution centers with the highest value while maximizing equity and minimizing response time.Design/methodology/approachA hybrid algorithm of adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) and multi-dimensional local search (MDLS) is introduced to solve the problem. Its results are compared to ALNS and an augmented epsilon constraint (AUGMECON) method.FindingsThe results show that the hybrid algorithm can obtain high-quality solutions within reasonable computation time compared to the exact solution. However, while it yields better solutions compared to ALNS, the solution is obtained in a little longer amount of time.Research limitations/implicationsIn this paper, the uncertain nature of some key features of the relief operations problem is not discussed. Moreover, some assumptions assumed to simplify the proposed model should be verified in future studies.Practical implicationsIn order to verify the effectiveness of the designed model, a case study of the Sarpol Zahab earthquake in 2017 is illustrated and based on the results and the sensitivity analyses, some managerial insights are listed to help disaster managers make better decisions during disasters.Originality/valueA novel robust multi-stage linear programming model is designed to address the location-distribution-routing problem during a disaster and to solve this model an efficient hybrid meta-heuristic model is developed.


Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET) emerges as a promising technology and has chances of very likely to be deployed in the coming years. The security of vehicular networks will be an important way to facilitate road safety. In this paper, we are concerned with the problem of effective and efficient distribution of the certificate revocation units (RSUs) in vehicular networks. We propose a novel distributed approach by introducing mobile nodes that have public safety. An optimal route for mobile nodes is designed to cover blind areas under both delay and cost constraints. The performances of the movement-assisted approach are measured and evaluated by extensive experiments in large scale networks for Certificate Revocation List (CRL) distribution in VANET. The results show that the proposed movement-assisted approach obviously improves the performance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The objective of this study was to analyze different animal nutrition strategies from published papers to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in dairy cattle. Ration data used (n = 32 diets) was obtained from 15 published papers selected according to differences between forage:concentrate ratio and crude protein (CP) content. An empirical model was used to estimate enteric methane emissions based on fiber and CP content in the diets. The N2O emission was calculated according to Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations. Differences between CH4 and N2O affected by FC or CP content were analyzed through a variance analysis. Furthermore, a correlation analysis was carried out to compare CP content and nitrogen excretion in feces, urine and milk. Estimations of enteric CH4 were not significantly different between diets with various forage content levels. Diets with high concentrate content had lower GHG intensity. Nitrogen excretion in feces and urine increased linearly as dietary protein level was increased from the lowest to the highest concentrations, but conversion of nitrogen intake to nitrogen excreted in milk was not affected by increasing dietary protein. In conclusion, dietary manipulation could decrease GHG emissions by unit of produced milk.


and antimetabolite medication was started. No signs of active tuberculosis or any other systemic infection could be observed during treatment.


This paper studies comprehension ex-post evaluation of multi-object and multi-layer projects by grey cluster evaluation model, analytical hierarchy process and experts investigation method. In order to study it, the ratio value index, before and after change threshold value index are constructed. At the same time, a comprehensive ex-post evaluation model is constructed and evaluation steps are given also. Finally, a sample is given to illustrate the rationality and validity of this model proposed in the paper. The results indicate that comprehensive ex-post evaluation model constructed in this paper can deal with problems of poor information and grey type coefficient without prominence differences better for projects comprehensive ex-post evaluation.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the short-term effectiveness of Swanson artificial joint replacement in treating post-traumatic metacarpophalangeal joint stiffness.

METHODS
Between August 2007 and May 2010, 11 cases (13 fingers) of metacarpophalangeal joint stiffness with soft tissue defects underwent Swanson artificial joint replacement. There were 7 males (9 fingers) and 4 females (4 fingers), aged 43 to 65 years with an average of 49 years. The involved fingers included 4 thumbs, 4 index fingers, 3 middle fingers, and 2 ring fingers. The types of injury included open and crush injury in 8 fingers, fracture of the metacarpophalangeal joint in 3 fingers, metacarpophalangeal joint severing in 2 fingers. The time from joint stiffness to hospitalization was 12 to 48 weeks (mean, 24 weeks). The joint activity was (136.82 +/- 28.96) degrees. According to total active motion (TAM) assessment, included good in 1 finger, fair in 6 fingers, and poor in 6 fingers before operation. The activities of daily living were assessed by Sollerman score, which was 45.64 +/- 11.04. The X-ray films and CT scan showed traumatic arthritis of the metacarpophalangeal joint.

RESULTS
The incision healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12 to 34 months (mean, 24.1 months). At last follow-up, the joint activity was (194.64 +/- 28.86) degrees, showing significant difference when compared with preoperative value (t = 25.214, P = 0.000). According to TAM assessment, including excellent in 1 finger, good in 4 fingers, fair in 7 fingers, and poor in 1 finger. The Sollerman score was 67.45 +/- 8.20 postoperatively, showing significant difference when compared with the preoperative score (t = -10.470, P = 0.000). X-ray examination showed no prosthesis fracture, periprosthetic fracture, or joint dislocation occurred at last follow-up.

CONCLUSION
Swanson artificial joint replacement can be applied to treat post-traumatic metacarpophalangeal joint stiffness, which can improve the joint activity and has satisfactory short-term effectiveness.


A family of constrained acylated homocholine analogues have been synthesized, based on the azabicyclic ring scaffold derived from a double-Mannich annulation of cyclic ketones. The short synthetic route allows generation of structural diversity including, variation in the carbocyclic ring size, bridgehead substitution, nitrogen substitution and the ester sidechain. Biological assays on selected analogues demonstrate these compounds are nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists. Several analogues also bind to other neuronal transporter and receptor targets.


Sixty-three patients with thoracolumbar spine fractures treated between 1972 and 1978 were placed into six treatment groups: fusion and instrumentation alone, laminectomy with fusion and instrumentation, laminectomy alone, laminectomy with fusion without instrumentation, fusion alone, and no operation. Patients were interviewed and examined and their histories reviewed; new radiographs were obtained, and a detailed questionnaire was answered. No treatment method improved neurologic function. Fusion with instrumentation allowed earliest ambulation with least spinal deformity. Most patients in all treatment groups adjusted effectively to their injuries and remained active in employment and hobbies. A detailed, thorough rehabilitation program gave best functional results and patient attitudes.