The accepted view that varicose veins are primarily due to valvular incompetence is challenged and the alternative theory of weakness of the vein wall is supported by the correlation of clinical, operative and histological findings. It is shown that there appears to be a basic abnormality of the muscle cell associated with abnormal collagen infiltration. The morphological changes in the vein wall are demonstrated by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It is thought that the cause of these changes are to be sought in an investigation of the enzyme systems involved in maintaining tissue equilibrium in the vein wall.


Burning incenses and candles have been identified as source of Volatile and Semi Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC/SVOC) and particles in indoor environments. In this study, the repeatability and reproducibility of test methods using emission chambers to investigate emissions of volatile and particulate compounds from scented candles and incense products as well as the impact of experimental volume of the emission test chamber has been studied. Finally, the best-adapted emission test chamber and test protocol for the evaluation of incense and candles emissions will be proposed.


The formation of an epithelial tube is a fundamental process for organogenesis. Coordination between actomyosin and microtubule (MT) networks is critical for tube formation, but its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. During Drosophila embryonic salivary gland (SG) invagination, Folded gastrulation (Fog)-dependent Rho-associated kinase (Rok) promotes contractile apical myosin formation to drive apical constriction. MTs are also crucial for the effective change in apical area and are required for forming and maintaining apicomedial myosin. Here, we show that MT-dependent intracellular trafficking has a role in regulating apical constriction during SG invagination. Key components involved in protein trafficking, including dynein heavy chain, Rab11 and Nuclear fallout (Nuf), are apically enriched near the invagination pit in a MT-dependent manner during SG invagination. This enrichment is crucial for apical constriction as disruption of the MT networks or intracellular trafficking impairs formation of apicomedial myosin. We show that apical transport of several proteins along MTs, either in a Rab11-dependent or independent manner, mediates clustered apical constriction during SG invagination. Key proteins that are transported include the Fog ligand, the apical determinant protein Crumbs (Crb), the key adherens junction protein E-Cadherin (E-Cad) and the scaffolding protein Bazooka/Par3, and knockdown of these genes in the SG results in apical constriction defects. These results define a role of MT-dependent intracellular trafficking in regulating actomyosin networks and cell junctions to coordinate cell behaviors during tubular organ formation.


The history of damping measurement, analysis, and enhancement is examined mainly from an engineering viewpoint but with some reference to the contributions of materials science. The contributions from 1784 to 1920 were mostly by physicists and mathematicians. From 1920 to 1940 most of the pertinent work was done by application-oriented engineers. While materials scientists have used damping measurements as a microstructural research tool for almost 200 years, only recently have the basic principles of materials science been used to optimize the damping of engineering structures.


【Hwabyung is an culture-bound anger syndrome in Korea. It consists of as one or more of a wide range of physical symptoms, in response to emotional stress. In this case, a 51-years woman complained neck pain and foreign body sensation in throat. We diagnosed her Hwabyung because her chief complaint occurred from stress in process of traffic accident. We classified her Soeumin in Sasang Constitutional Medicine, and used Hwanggigyeji-tang. And we encouraged her think positive and don't worry about little matters because Soeumin tend to think negative and wony about little matters. After treatment, her condition got improved. This report suggest that treatment method of Sasang Constitutional Medicine such as herb medicine and way of thinking is effective in treatment of Hwabyung patient.】


Telecom carriers have positioned IPTV as one of the key components of triple-play (broadband, television, and voice) or quad-play (with the addition of mobility). Adoption of Web services within a SOA framework as building blocks for developing complex media workflows is an important step toward reuse of media processing tools in an IPTV environment. A Web services approach also provides the capability to abstract network-based services for creation of composite services that can be executed in an IPTV environment. At the same time, adoption of a service bus provides a single point of integration for multiple services, and common features such as service registry and discovery, reliable message delivery, and transformation in a heterogeneous production environment. In this article we present an approach of media enabling the service bus to support offline digital media processes and composite service execution in an IPTV production environment.


Hospitality industry executives and managers have been scrambling to work through the ever-shifting maze of social media, with a goal of staying in greater touch with customers, strengthening brands, and improving sales. Presentations and panel discussions at the 2010 Cornell Hospitality Research Summit, held at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, made clear both the remarkable potential of a well-drawn social media strategy and the hazards of ill-considered tactics. Without doubt, a customer relationship management strategy calls for hospitality firms to be active in social media, but the question remains regarding exactly what activity is appropriate, and what will offend consumers. In particular, hospitality operators must integrate their marketing efforts with social media—a process which will require new approaches to marketing.


1. In Italy in recent years the use of pesticides in agriculture has increased considerably, especially with respect to organophosphate compounds. On the other hand, organochlorine insecticides now are less employed, because since 1970 laws have been introduced by which the use of these chemicals has been limited. Among the organochlorinated insecticides now employed, we find above all lindane, endosulfan and, in floriculture, DDT. The problem with the environmental diffusion and accumulation of organochlorine pesticides therefore is always related to the human long-term pathology, not yet definitively understood. Since the sixties we have given attention to the problems in the use of pesticides, with regard to organochlorine, we have been investigating either environmental pollution (surface and subsoil water, food, etc.) or human exposure to pesticide residues, whether direct or indirect. In 1968 we investigated, in an area of Tuscany given over to floriculture, the chlorinated insecticides blood levels in 46 exposed subjects (floriculturists) and in a control-group (50 subjects) who had only indirect exposure. We found high values in those of all kinds of the tested insecticides (lindane, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, DDT) without observing any significant difference among the concentrations of the compounds analyzed in both groups. This showed that at that time the diffusion of organochlorine in the environment was such as to affect all people, independently of occupation, who thus were seen to have the some risk of exposure. 2. Twenty years later we carried out similar research in order to verify whether or not the laws previously referred to produced changes; we also wished to ascertain the possible amounts of the concentration of the pesticides in the blood. Therefore, following the some procedure employed in the previous research, we determined, by gascromatographic technique, pesticide levels (lindane, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, DDT) in human blood from two different population groups coming from the some area of Tuscany. We analyzed blood drawn from 54 floriculturists (of both sexes aged from 18 to 71 years mean = 43.2 years- and with about 14 years of service on average) and 54 not-professionally exposed subjects, of both sexes, aged from 27 to 73 years (mean = 56 years). Our data have now been compared with those obtained from the study carried out in 1968. All the results have been statistically analyzed in accord with the Student's T-test.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Nowadays, there are many research methods and research aspects such as Language processing, information intelligent discovery, automatic data extraction, data mining, statistics and so on to design and realize network information discovery model . There has developed a bad Internet public opinion information recognition monitoring integrated platform In Chinese and English. Tibetan network bad public opinion information monitoring platform recognition is still in the traditional manual mode. Based on Tibetan network, this paper puts up Tibetan web adverse public opinion information recognition monitoring integrated platform based on content by acquisition and retrieval technology, text mining technology, knowledge management method etc. This paper also can provide the analysis basis for public opinion monitoring department.


We considered the effects of Ricean fading and suboptimum multicode detector on capacity of MIMO LS-CDMA system. Suboptimal multicode detector's behavior is very different in different Ricean channels and the loss of capacity incurred by it is also different. When Ricean channel is friendly, performance of suboptimal multicode detector can approach that of optimal multicode detector rapidly as K-factor increases. On the other side, the loss of capacity incurred by suboptimal detector is huge when K-factor increases. This result gives guideline in the development of practical wideband MIMO-CDMA system based on LS code


In the last few decades, a lot of company effort has been spent in the optimization of internal efficiency, aiming at cost reduction and competitiveness. Especially over the last decade, there has been a consensus that not only the company, but the whole supply chain in which it fits, is responsible for the success or failure of any business. Therefore, supply chain analysis tools and methodologies have become more and more important. From all tools, spreadsheets are by far the most widely used technique for scenario analysis. Other techniques such as optimization, simulation or both (simulation-optimization) are alternatives for in-depth analysis. While spreadsheet-based analysis is mainly a static-deterministic approach, simulation is a dynamic-stochastic tool. The purpose of this paper is to compare spreadsheet-based and simulation-based tools showing the impacts of using these two different approaches on the analysis of a real (yet simplified) supply chain case study.


This library guide includes examples of postmodern works in different mediums (music, dance, film, theater, visual arts, architecture, and literature), as well as research tips for the Inquiry Project and Time Tunnel assignments.


We recently synthesized prospective new materials composed of alternating quasi-atomic sheets of brucite-type hydroxide (Mg,Fe)(OH) 2 and CuFe 1-x S 2 sulfide (valleriites). Herein, their thermal behavior important for many potential applications has been studied in inert (Ar) and oxidative (20% O 2 ) atmosphere using TG and DSC analysis and characterization with XRD, XPS, SEM and EDX. In Ar media, the processes are determined by dehydroxylation of the hydroxide layers forming MgO, with the temperature of the major endothermic maximum of the mass loss at 413 °C. Sulfide sheets start to degrade below 500 °C and melt nearby 800 °C, with bornite, chalcopyrite and troilite specified as the final products. In oxidative atmosphere, the exothermic reactions with the mass increase peaked at 345 and 495 °C correspond to a partial and major oxidation of Cu-Fe sulfide layers, respectively. Sulfur oxides captured in magnesium hydroxide layers to form MgSO 4 compromised the layer integrity and promoted oxidation of the sulfide entities. The final products contained also minor MgO, Cu 2 MgO 3 , Fe 3 O 4 and MgFe 2 O 4 phases. Samples doped with Al, which decreases the content of Fe in hydroxide layers, show notably impeded decay of valleriite in argon but facilitated oxidation of Cu-Fe sulfides, while the impact of Li (it slightly increases the number of the Fe-OH sites) was less expressed. The mutual stabilization of the 2D hydroxide and sulfide layers upon heating in inert atmosphere but not in oxygen as compared with bulk brucite and chalcopyrite was suggested to explain by high thermal resistance across the stacked incommensurate sheets, which slows down the endothermic reactions and accelerates the exothermic oxidation; the high number of Fe atoms in the hydroxide sheets are expected to promote the phonon exchange and heat transfer between the layers.


This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of coat characteristics on physiological traits and heat tolerance of dwarf sheep in southern Nigeria. A total number of twenty West African dwarf male sheep with an average weight of 9.00 ± 0.52 kg and aged 10 months old were used for the experiment. The dwarf sheep were assigned to four treatment groups in a completely randomized design with five sheep per treatment group. The compared treatment groups were TA (black coat colour sheep with low coat depth and short hair length), TB (black coat colour sheep with high coat depth and long hair length), TC (light brown coat colour sheep with low coat depth and short hair length) and TD (light brown coat colour sheep with high coat depth and long hair length). The results obtained in the study showed that midday was significantly (P 0.05) affected by morning, midday and evening. Rectal temperature (40.09˚C), respiratory rate (21.01 breaths/min), pulse rate (87.49 beats/min), heat tolerance coefficient (97.10%), haemoglobin (9.04 g/l), blood cell (10.84 × 106/μl), white blood cell (12.06 × 106/μl) and glucose (50.10 mg/dl) were significantly (P 0.05) did not occur in total protein, albumin and globulin among treatment groups. It is concluded that coat characteristics have significant effects on physiological indices and heat tolerance in Nigeria.


Purpose: To study apoptotic cell death, the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and the capillary density in the cochleae of apolipoprotein E gene knockout (ApoE KO) mice. Methods: Cochleae of ApoE KO mice were stained by HE, anti-caspase-3 and anti-eNOS antibodies and TUNEL (in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin end labeling). Capillary density was measured in the stria vascularis and in the modiolus. Results: Apoptotic cell death was found in the stria vascularis of ApoE KO mice, but not in the organ of Corti. The expression of eNOS and the capillary density were decreased in the stria vascularis and in the modiolus of ApoE KO mice. Conclusion: These results suggest that cells in the inner ear of ApoE KO mice take different pathways to undergo cell death, and apoptotic cell death is only involved in the stria vascularis. These pathological changes may play a role in the hearing loss that has been found in ApoE KO mice.


Abstract: Groundwater nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) transport from ditch-drained, cultivated fields has not been adequately investigated in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We monitored hydrology and groundwater N and P concentrations in 26 shallow (~ 3 m [10 ft]) wells for 27 months on a heavily ditched, poultry-grain farm on Maryland9s Lower Eastern Shore. Water tables fluctuated above and below shallow ditches, but were always higher than deep ditches. Thus, groundwater flow to shallow ditches was intermittent, but flow to deep ditches was continuous. Water tables rose rapidly with rain, but drained back from 15 to 60 cm (6 to 24 in) the first day after rain. The rate of water table fall decreased rapidly thereafter. Water tables frequently perched on top of subsoil clay horizons. Although perching persisted only 24 to 48 hours, nutrient transport could be accelerated if rapid, lateral movement of water to ditches occurs. Frequent and widespread concentrations of groundwater NO3-N greater than 10 mg L−1 show subsurface N loss from the farm is probable. High concentrations of dissolved P existed in groundwater, but P movement in groundwater was restricted. Rain infiltrating through topsoils mobilized soil P into groundwater and moved considerably high concentrations of P as deep as 1.5 m (4 ft), where elevated P concentrations persisted for days or weeks. Groundwater P concentrations were greatest where high water table hydrology combined with the greatest soil P concentrations. Delivery of groundwater P to shallow ditches was apparently controlled by near-ditch soil P conditions, while P delivery to deep ditches was controlled by how deep groundwater flowed. Therefore, limiting soil P accumulation in near-ditch zones may help reduce P delivery to shallow ditches, and increasing the length of groundwater flow paths through low-P subsoils may help reduce P delivery to deep ditches.


The information provided by different characterisation methods when measuring particle size varies depending on the chosen technique and analytical approach (e.g. light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, spectroscopy, x-ray scattering). This in turn has an impact on the accuracy of the results as well as comparability between methods and overall confidence on the analyses. The present study used a common sol-gel reaction to synthesise amorphous silica nanoparticles (aSiNPs) and characterised the product purity and homogeneity. The reaction involved hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of lysine, which acted as catalyst for the silica production and also as a capping agent for particle size control in a suspension kept at pH 8-10. According to DLS data, the stock suspension was stable for at least 6 months in Milli Q water without surfactant when kept at 4°C. This study focused on multi-method size and shape characterisation of the aSiNPs, involving the following techniques: DLS, TEM, FTIR, STEM and SAXS. These techniques provided information on hydrodynamic diameter, core particle dimensions, sphere equivalent size, and radius of gyration. Our results show two particle populations, one around 2 nm and the other around 7 nm in diameter. Notably, these two populations are not resolved (i.e. "visible") by all methods used.


. In teaching English as a Foreign language in schools, the EFL teachers are expected to be able to select and apply teaching strategies that are suitable to their student's needs. The case of teaching English to the students in inclusive classrooms becoming one of the big problems faced by the EFL teacher. They have to design the lesson plan well as their students have consisted of both regular and disabled students. This condition becomes more challenging in this pandemic covid-19 era because the EFL teachers have to design all the activities and instructions through virtual meetings using any kind of online learning application. Thus, the aim of this descriptive qualitative method research was to uncover the EFL teachers' strategies used in teaching English to the students in inclusive classrooms. The EFL teachers are interviewed about their experiences in teaching the inclusive classroom during the pandemic covid-19, particularly, teaching English virtually. The result of this study helps the researchers to have a clear picture of strategies used by the EFL teachers in inclusive classrooms.


Worldwide, 110–190 million people over the age of 15 years are estimated to live with severe disability—a physical state of being defined by the WHO as "the equivalent of disability inferred for conditions such as quadriplegia, severe depression, or blindness." Modes and qualities of disability care undoubtedly vary globally, dependent on income, health infrastructure and culture. Quadriplegia has a unique set of emotional and physical challenges that demand a great deal from care regimens and health systems. This case study examines a specific—and successful—configuration of quadriplegic care in a Druze village in the Golan and looks to the economic, geographic and sociocultural aspects of care.


This study was undertaken to test the proposition that the relative levels of death taxes in the different states contribute to the interstate migration flows of the U.S. elderly population. A statistical model incorporating state-to-state elderly migration flows and the state death tax levels for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia was tested. The results of the analysis point to a separation of the decision made to leave a state of origin from the decision regarding where to move. The data do not support the idea that the level of death taxes within a given state contributes to the out-migration of elderly residents; however, once the decision to migrate has been made, there is evidence that the destination area will have lower death tax rates, but the effect is considerably less important than the impact of climate and other factors measured by the model.


Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) immunotherapy using T lymphocytes with antitumor activity is a living therapy that can be highly effective in patients with a variety of metastatic cancers. Naturally occurring tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) expanded in vitro and administered following a lymphodepleting preparative regimen mediated objective regression of metastatic melanoma in 56% of 194 patients including complete regressions in 20% of patients who remain ongoing disease-free 3 to 10 years later. Recent studies have shown that TIL recognized random somatic mutations that served as the targets resulting in complete cancer regressions. To extend ACT immunotherapy to additional patients we developed an approach based on deep exomic sequencing and immunologic testing to generate T cells that recognized immunogenic mutations in a variety of human cancer types including esophageal, colorectal, bile duct, gastric, pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer. Targeting these unique mutations opens the possibility of using ACT to treat patients with common epithelial cancers. We used this approach to treat a patient with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma using autologous mutation-reactive T cells and mediated regression of lung and liver metastases ongoing at two years. In addition to the use of naturally occurring mutation-reactive cells, we have genetically engineered autologous lymphocytes to express antitumor T-cell receptors (TCR) or chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) for use in ACT immunotherapy. These cells can mediate durable cancer regressions in heavily pretreated patients with refractory lymphomas, sarcomas, and melanoma. Thus autologous T cells can be used to provide a highly personalized therapy for cancer patients refractory to conventional cancer treatments. Citation Format: Steven Rosenberg. T cells as a drug for the personalized immunotherapy of cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr IA01.


A repeater has been developed for 125Mbaud twisted pair data communication with binary signal levels. The repeater includes an adaptive equalizer and a driver. This architecture operates from a 2V supply while consuming less than 6mA of current in the equalizer section and 12mA in the driver section. The active die area is less than 0.04mm2in a 0.21 µ digital CMOS process. For 100m UTP5 cable the jitter at the output of the repeater is less than 0.3UI peak to peak (including driver jitter).


Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been licensed in mainland China since 2016; however, the acceptability of HPV vaccination is unclear. This study aimed to evaluates women's knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer, HPV infection and its vaccination in Taizhou area, southeast of China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women who visited the gynaecological clinic of Taizhou Hospital using a questionnaire-based interview. The process was divided into two periods, period I was May to August 2017, and period II was January to March 2019. Results: A total of 819 women were conducted, and 736 were included in the final analysis. Most women (92.4%) had ever heard of cervical cancer. Almost half of women had ever heard of HPV (57.5%) and HPV vaccines (53.1%). Knowledge level of cervical cancer, HPV infection and its vaccines was inadequate; only 12.2% achieved 21-30 scores (at a 30-point scale). Logistic regression analysis showed that marital status, education, occupation, and family annual income were statistically significantly related to the knowledge level ( P <0.05). Additionally, 64.8% of women knew that HPV vaccines are now available in mainland China; however, only 4.3% have been vaccinated. 37.8% of women knew about the preventable effect of HPV vaccines on cervical cancer (period I vs. period II, 31.0% vs. 48.9%, P <0.05). Although women with the low awareness of HPV, the willingness to receive HPV vaccination was high (94.1%) in the present study. Conclusion: Our survey indicated that there is an urgent need for the persistent public health education to ensure successful implementation of HPV vaccination program in Taizhou area, China. Emphasis should be directed to educate the knowledge on HPV infection and its association with cervical cancer, thereby helping to increase HPV vaccination and reduce incidence of cervical cancer.


Five principal magma types characterize the 3.8-km vertical thickness of flood basalt of the Noril9sk region. From base to top these are (1) a high TiO 2 type with alkalic affiliations (Ivakinsky and Syverminsky suites), (2) a TiO 2 -rich picrite-bearing magma (Gudchichinsky suite), (3) a picrite-bearing TiO 2 -poor magma (Tuklonsky suite), (4) a crustally contaminated TiO 2 -poor magma (Lower Nadezhdinsky suite), and (5) a picrite-free magma (Mokulaevsky, Kharayelakhsky, Kumginsky, and Samoyedsky suites) similar but not identical in its chemistry to the Tuklonsky and separated from the Lower Nadezhdinsky by transitional suites (Upper Nadezhdinsky and Morongovsky).The Ni-Cu ores are associated with olivine-rich intrusions that are geochemically similar to the Mokulaevsky magma. They are associated with about 1/15 to 1/10 of their mass in PGE-rich sulfides; this requires that these sulfides equilibrated with 15 to 200 times more magma than is represented by the intrusions themselves.Following the model of Naldrett et al. (1992), it is proposed that crustal contamination of the original Tuklonsky-type magma occurred at the top of a vertically extensive, fault-controlled magma chamber and caused segregation of immiscible sulfides with a low R factor. These depleted this magma in chalcophile elements and settled deeper in the chamber. As they settled, they reacted with less contaminated magma, scavenging additional chalcophile elements. They finally came to rest near the base of the chamber to form a zone of sulfide- (and thus chalcophile element-) enriched magma. Eruption, and in some instances intrusion, of progressively stratigraphically lower, less contaminated and thus less depleted layers in the chamber gave rise to the observed sequence of basalts and intrusions. The answer to the strong enrichment in Ni, Cu, and PGE associated with the ore-bearing intrusions is that these metals came from the magma that is now represented by the basalt magma with which the sulfides have come into contact and which shows chalcophile element depletion.Key metallogenic characteristics of the Noril9sk region are (1) a hot region in the mantle giving rise to vast amounts of basalt, (2) continental-scale rifting, (3) major faults serving as controls for extrusive and intrusive magmatism, (4) crustal contamination of magma, (5) chalcophile element depletion of contaminated magma, (6) intrusion of magma that has inherited sulfide removed from the depleted magma, and (7) the presence of evaporites in the sedimentary sequence underlying the basalts.The simplest way to recognize chalcophile element depletion is to plot Ni/MgO vs. Mg number [= at. % Mg/(Mg + 0.9Fe total )]. A strong indication that basalts have undergone crustal contamination is the correlation of high La/Sm ratios with high SiO 2 contents.The Lake Superior region shows many of the key metallogenetic characteristics of the Noril9sk region, including continental rifting, a triple junction, huge thicknesses of basalt, and Cu-Ni sulfide-bearing intrusions (Duluth Complex, Crystal Lake gabbro). Some of the Keweenawan basalts of the region show Ni depletion correlated with chalcophile element depletion. The region is an example of the potential application of the Noril9sk model to exploration.


Although insects lack the basic entities of the vertebrate immune system, such as lymphocytes and immunoglobulins, they have developed alternative defence mechanisms against infections. Different types of peptide factors, exhibiting bactericidal activity, have been detected in some insect species. These humoral factors are induced upon infection. The present report describes the discovery of the apidaecins, isolated from lymph fluid of the honeybee (Apis mellifera). The apidaecins represent a new family of inducible peptide antibiotics with the following basic structure: GNNRP(V/I)YIPQPRPPHPR(L/I). These heat‐stable, non‐helical peptides are active against a wide range of plant‐associated bacteria and some human pathogens, through a bacteriostatic rather than a lytic process. Chemically synthesized apidaecins display the same bactericidal activity as their natural counterparts. While only active antibacterial peptides are detectable in adult honeybee lymph, bee larvae contain considerable amounts of inactive precursor molecules.


This article presents the synthesis and the blend of bismuth complexes in polystyrene based plastic scintillators. A specific design has enabled the fabrication of a scintillator loaded with up to 17 wt% of bismuth. Tri-carboxylate and triaryl bismuth compounds were used to explore and understand the influence of bismuth loading on the two main criteria of plastic scintillation: light yield and detection efficiency of γ-rays. For gamma radiation with an energy <200 keV, bismuth loaded scintillators demonstrate the ability to produce a photoelectric peak (total absorption peak) in pulse height spectra. The increase of interactions due to bismuth doping was quantified and fitted with standard models. Finally the performance of our bismuth loaded scintillators was evaluated to be better than that of a commercial lead loaded counterpart.


The determination of band alignments and defect levels is demonstrated for the technologically relevant Si–SiO2–HfO2 gate stack. The proposed scheme, which combines first-principles molecular dynamics for model generation and hybrid density functionals for electronic-structure calculations, yields band offsets in close agreement with experiment. Charge transition and pinning levels associated with oxygen vacancies are aligned with respect to the silicon band edges. The vacancies are shown to preferentially reside in the amorphous transition layer, consistent with experimental observations of Fermi-level pinning.


Abstract. The Dinaric Fault System in western Slovenia, consisting of NW-SE trending, right-lateral strike-slip faults, accommodates the northward motion of Adria with respect to Eurasia. These active faults show a clear imprint in the morphology and some of them hosted moderate instrumental earthquakes. However, it is largely unknown if the faults also had strong earthquakes in the Late Quaternary. This hampers our understanding of the regional tectonics and the seismic hazard. Geological evidence of co-seismic surface ruptures only exists for one historical event, the 1511 Idrija Earthquake with a magnitude of ~M6.8, but the causative fault is still disputed. Here we use geomorphological data, near-surface geophysical surveys, and paleoseismological trenching to show that two of these faults, the Predjama Fault and the Idrija Fault ruptured in strong earthquakes in the Holocene. In a paleoseismological trench across the Predjama Fault we found at least one earthquake with a minimum magnitude of MW6.1 that occurred between 13–0.7 ka, very likely not earlier than 8.4 ka. At the Idrija Fault, a surface-rupturing earthquake with a magnitude of at least MW6.1 happened in the last ~2.1 ka. This event could correspond to the 1511 Idrija earthquake. Our results show that the faults rupture in rare, but strong earthquakes, which dominate the seismic moment release. We show that instrumental and historical seismicity data do not capture the strongest events in this area. The fact that many of the NW-SE trending, parallel faults are active implies that the deformation in western Slovenia is distributed, rather than focussed on one major structure.


It is widely recognized that judicial independence is an indispensable value of a modern democracy. When a country wishes to adopt this value, questions may arise, such as what it is and how to develop it properly? This thesis explores the issue of judicial independence in two aspects: theoretical and practical. For the theoretical aspect, it first examines the rule of law and protection of human rights as the requirements for judicial independence in a country. Other theoretical questions of judicial independence are also discussed, such as its definition, limitations, and main guaranteeing measures. To support theoretical arguments in the thesis, an examination of international and regional measures regarding judicial independence is presented. In addition, full texts of important international documents on judicial independence are reproduced in one of the Appendixes. For the practical aspect, the thesis investigates the situation of judicial independence in four countries: Germany, the United States of America, France and Vietnam. The main question of this investigation is: How does judicial independence work in those countries? Detailed introduction to those countries? court systems is provided. Theoretical arguments and analyses on the practical conditions of judicial independence in Vietnam are the bases for the solutions recommended at the end of the thesis to improve the independence of Vietnamese courts and judges. Practices of judicial independence in the other three countries are also consulted for suitable experiences. (Less)


In recent years there has been a demand that local residents take part in the planning of environmental designs from the initial stages. On the issue of understanding the local environment, it is desirable to accumulate and share information and to enable it to be reused. To this end, attention has been focused on the cellular phone which can provide position information and picture information in addition to serving as a tool of general communication. For several years now it has been increasingly common for cellular phones to be equipped with an E-mail function, a web browsing function, a camera function, a GPS function, etc. Using such cellular phones, it will become possible to quickly accumulate local information with detailed picture information and position information. On the other hand, it is desirable to look at and understand an environment interactively from various points of view from the initial stage of a project. For that purpose, examination using 3D space which makes real-time simulation possible is required. In this research, using a cellular phone with a GPS camera, scene image data is collected with the aim of constructing a local scene evaluation system which can perform a picture display using a 3D space model.


ABSTRACT We have previously shown that alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) and IFN-γ inhibit hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication noncytopathically in the livers of HBV transgenic mice and in hepatocyte cell lines derived from these mice. The present study was designed to identify transcriptionally controlled hepatocellular genes that are tightly associated with the inhibition of HBV replication and that might, therefore, mediate the antiviral effect of these cytokines. Twenty-nine genes were identified, many of which have known or potential antiviral activity. Notably, multiple components of the immunoproteasome and ubiquitin-like proteins were strongly induced by both IFN-α/β and IFN-γ, as were a number of GTP-binding proteins, including GTPases with known antiviral activity, chemokines, signaling molecules, and miscellaneous genes associated with antigen processing, DNA-binding, or cochaperone activity and several expressed sequence tags. The results suggest that one or more members of this relatively small subset of genes may mediate the antiviral effect of IFN-α/β and IFN-γ against HBV. We have already exploited this information by demonstrating that the antiviral activity of IFN-α/β and IFN-γ is proteasome dependent.


By employing PADCA in painting appreciation teaching, the traditional teacher-centered, non-interactive teaching method can be changed. It will show the appeal and inspiration of paintings in a more direct way and imbue the class with liveliness, so as to make students interested in the painting class. Producing the PowerPoint slides show needs to take teaching realities and subject features into consideration. By employing PDCA in a flexible way, it will achieve remarkable results. The actual practice has proved that PDCA will improve teaching qualities.


Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists are particularly useful when a rapid inhibitory effect on the gonadal axis is required. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy and clinical safety of a low and high dose of the third generation GnRH antagonist, acyline, on pregnancy termination in female dogs. The effect of the antagonist on the progesterone (P(4)) serum concentration was also described. Twenty-one mid-pregnant bitches were randomly assigned to a single subcutaneous (SC) dose of a placebo (PLACE; n = 7), a low (ACY-L; 110 microg/kg; n = 6) or high (ACY-H; 330 microg/kg; n = 8) dose of acyline. The animals were followed up for 15 days. All ACY treated but no placebo-treated animals terminated their pregnancy by abortion (p < 0.01). The ACY-L and ACY-H groups interrupted their pregnancy 7 +/- 1.9 and 6.4 +/- 1.3 days after treatment, respectively (p = 0.7). A significant interaction between treatment and day was found (p < 0.01) for P(4) serum concentrations when PLACE was compared with both ACY groups. No difference was found for this hormone between both ACY groups (p > 0.05) where P(4) diminished throughout the study. The decreasing rate varied among animals and was closely related to the time of abortion when P(4) reached basal concentrations. In PLACE animals, gestation progressed normally and P(4) did not change throughout the study (p > 0.05). None of the bitches presented side effects. It was concluded that acyline safely terminated mid-pregnancy by permanently decreasing P(4) serum concentrations.


Senate Joint Resolution No. 247, 1993 Session, requested that the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, the Center for Innovative Technology, the Motor Carrier Division of the State Corporation Commission, and the Department of State Police conduct a study of the types of deceleration lights that currently exist, the desirability of allowing deceleration lights on trucks in the Commonwealth, and the appropriate standards that should dictate their use. In answer to the question of what types of deceleration lights currently exist, it was discovered that a great variety of systems have been developed and tested. These include accelerator position signals (APSs), the type of light that led to this effort; enhanced brake signals; true deceleration signals; signals that operate when alternative braking is used; pre-brake signals; advance brake lights; and fast-rise brake lamps. The second question, whether it would be desirable to allow the use of deceleration lights on trucks, is more tenuous than the first. To be desirable, signaling systems need to deliver a familiar, consistent message, and they need to do so without generating ambiguous or false signals. Systems must also comply with legal barriers intended to protect the effectiveness of required lighting and signaling systems. Systems should not be prone to problems in installation and adjustment that would alter the nature of the signals they deliver. And finally, systems should be uniform in the message they deliver, which emphasizes the need for recognized standards and suggests the need to avoid having a great variety of systems in use. In the end, APSs are not a desirable type of deceleration warning light to allow for use on trucks in the Commonwealth. In answering the third question, what are the appropriate standards that should govern the use of deceleration warning lights, two proposals have been developed. The first suggests that Virginia should work together with other states to reestablish and fund the Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission (VESC) as a standard-setting organization for items of motor vehicle safety equipment that fall outside of the federal motor vehicle safety standards. The second proposal suggests that Virginia add a provision to the Code of Virginia that would allow for experimental testing of motor vehicle safety equipment on the highways of the Commonwealth through a permit system administered by the State Police.


The examination of archival samples by molecular techniques has been found to be a valuable tool in providing retrospective and epidemiological data. In contrast to DNA, there are fewer comprehensive studies quantitatively addressing the feasibility of assessing RNA from archival samples. In tropical countries like India, such studies are even more rare. One problem is that the warm climate and the fluctuations in the ambient temperature during transport and storage of tissues lead to early decomposition of the tissues. The present study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in unfixed archival samples to assess whether a retrospective diagnosis of human rabies could be made from archival brain samples from patients suspected to have died of rabies. A nested RT-PCR was performed on 6 rabies confirmed and 8 rabies negative brain tissue samples. Rabies viral RNA could be detected in all 6 positive brain tissue samples and was absent in all mouse inoculation test negative samples. None of the control samples revealed cross-reaction with rabies primers, indicating its specificity. Our results demonstrate the importance of RT-PCR in the detection of rabies virus RNA in 5- to 6-year-old preserved samples without substantial loss. The study proves the role of retrospective diagnosis by RT-PCR in archival autopsy material and decomposed tissues and paves the path for further molecular epidemiologic and phylogenetic studies.


This document addresses medical workforce needs for the speciality of Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) for the next 10 years. Data on current consultant numbers, working patterns and retirement are based on information from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Workforce Unit annual census undertaken on 30 September 2000. Information on specialist registrars is from the JCHMT. Senior house officers (SHO) data are from the RCP's General Professional Training department. Data on Non-Consultant Career Grade Doctors is from the Association of Genitourinary Medicine Survey. Data on incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are from KC60 returns on STIs collected from GUM clinics by CDSC. There is considerable movement of doctors in GUM between countries in the UK both during progression from SpR to consultant and at consultant level. Data are therefore presented as amalgamated UK data and also by country. It is essential that workforce planning takes this lateral movement into consideration when undertaking calculations for future workforce requirements.


Background: Asthma heterogeneity challenges identification of scientifically and clinically meaningful childhood asthma phenotypes. We asked if lung function trajectories from birth to 16 years reflected time-based (TBP) or atopic-disease (ADP) phenotypes. Methods: Lung function (z-scores) was measured in the "Environment and Childhood Asthma" birth cohort study in Oslo by tidal flow-volume ratios (time to peak expiratory flow by total expiratory time (tPTEF/tE)) in awake neonates (mean age 2 days) and by forced expiratory flow-volume loops at 10 and 16 years. Data from the 0-2, 10 and 16-years investigations were used to classify all 550 children (52% boys) by recurrent (≥2) bronchial obstruction (rBO) 0-2 years, or asthma (≥2 of doctor diagnosis, asthma symptoms or –medication use) from 2-10 and 10-16 years for the TBP and rBO/asthma with atopic dermatitis and/or allergic rhinitis from 10-16 years as ADP. Results: Compared to children without asthma 10-16 years, the lung function trajectory for the phenotype asthma, AD and AR from 10-16 years, but not for TCP (figure 1) was significantly reduced from birth (p Conclusions: Persistently reduced lung function through childhood was reflected in atopic disease- but not time of symptom presentation based phenotypes.


Its known that 95 % of occupational accidents are caused by unsafe human behavior. Therefore, in order to prevent occupational accidents, various human resource education is implemented in each company, but due to the rut that accompanies continuation, many of them are only aimed at preventing serious accidents in steady state. Furthermore, since it takes time and manpower to conduct education, there is also a problem that these educational methods are not effectively utilized in the field. For example, in recent years, a method of supporting risk prediction using VR in high-place work has been considered, but it costs a lot of money to introduce it, and people who have little experience in the first place have the problem that it feels like a game. Merely continuing such a stereotyped education will not improve learning through experience, and it will be difficult to develop outstanding human resources with awareness. Furthermore, for those who have little experience in the field, even if they acquire knowledge through classroom lectures and group work, it is difficult to use it in the field and predict danger. Developing experienced and excellent human resources who can notice on-site is an urgent issue for the future of the company. Therefore, in this research, by investigating various conventional educational methods and sorting out their strengths and weaknesses, we will clarify the reasons why these educational methods are not being used in the field, improve the weaknesses, and improve the actual field. We propose a failure event virtual experience-based l learning method that replaces the field experience.In this study, we decided to measure the effect of the proposed learning method from the degree of awareness in the accident prevention activities carried out in Japanese companies. The reason for this is that in order to further improve the effectiveness of current safety education, it is most practical to measure awareness during activities that are actually carried out in the field, and it is not possible to measure with paper tests or questionnaires. Therefore, based on the characteristics of on-site workers, we decided to examine methods to improve their awareness and willingness to participate in safety activities. Furthermore, we decided to conduct an analysis based on an evaluation experiment to see if the subject's awareness improved by receiving the proposed educational method prior to the safety activities.


Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a heterogeneous group of immune cells from the myeloid lineage. MDSCs expand in pathological situations, such as chronic infection, cancer, autoimmunity, and allograft rejection. As chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) limits long-term survival after lung transplantation (LTx), MDSCs may play a role in its pathophysiology. We assessed phenotype and frequency of MDSCs in peripheral blood from lung transplant recipients and its relationship to post-transplant complications and immunosuppression. Granulocytic (G)-MDSC were identified and quantified by flow cytometry of blood from 4 control subjects and 20 lung transplant patients (stable n = 6, infection n = 5; CLAD n = 9). G-MDSC functionality was assessed in vitro by their capability to block CD4 and CD8 T cell proliferation. More G-MDSC could be assessed using EDTA tubes compared to heparin tubes (p = 0.004). G-MDSC were increased in stable lung transplant recipients vs. non-transplant controls (52.1% vs. 9.4%; p = 0.0095). The infection or CLAD groups had lower G-MDSCs vs. stable recipients (28.2%p = 0.041 and 33.0%; p = 0.088, respectively), but were not different among CLAD phenotypes. G-MDSC tended to correlate with cyclosporine A and tacrolimus levels (r2 = 0.18; r2 = 0.17). CD4 and CD8 cells proliferation decreased by 50 and 80% if co-cultured with MDSCs (1:6 and 1:2 MDSC:T-cell ratio, respectively). In conclusion, circulating MDSCs are measurable, functional and have a G-MDSC phenotype in lung transplant patients. Their frequency is increased in stable patients, decreased during post-transplant complications, and related to level of immunosuppression. This study may pave the way for further investigations of MDSC in the context of lung transplantation.


From 1966 through 1985, a total of 640 patients received 739 renal transplants at a single center transplantation program. Of 245 total deaths, a slide and chart review of all 116 autopsied cases (47%) identified the major causes of death as pneumonia (n = 43), sepsis (n = 32), hemorrhage (n = 15), peritonitis (n = 11), meningitis (n = 7), and pulmonary embolism (n = 5). Eighty-five (73.3%) of these patients died of complications directly associated with immunosuppression, almost all (n = 82) as a result of infection. Organisms most frequently identified at death were gram-negative bacilli (n = 72), Candida species (n = 23), cytomegalovirus (n = 17), enterococcus (n = 14), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 11), Aspergillus species (n = 10), Pneumocystis carinii (n = 5), and mycobacteria (n = 5). Significant associations were found between bolus steroid antirejection therapy and infection with Aspergillus cytomegalovirus. Diabetics had a higher incidence of fungal infections and bowel perforation than nondiabetics. During this 20-year period, overall one-year actual patient survival rates for the four respective five-year intervals increased dramatically (69.9%, 68.2%, 83.3%, and 91.8%), but the normalized death rate showed a smaller decrease for infectious vs noninfectious causes.


Background: Obesity is associated with conditions like hypertension, coronary arteriosclerosis, elevated cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancers. Psychologically it is associated with several problems such as lower self-concept, negative self-evaluation, decreased self-image, anxiety and depression.

Aims & Objective: To find the association between anxiety and obesity in medical students.

Materials and methods: A cross sectional study of one hundred twenty seven 1st year medical students was conducted. They were
screened for body mass index. The students were divided into three groups according to WHO technical series 854 recommended cut off values. The students were assessed with Zungself rating anxiety scale. The anxiety scores were quantified into normal (20-44), mild to moderate (45-59), moderate to severe (60-74), extreme severe (75-80). The overweight and anxiety scores were compared by Casper X2 test, gender differences and anxiety scores were compared with X2 With Yates Correction.

Results: Among students with BMI cut off value 85th percentile, 31 (93.9%) and 2 (6.1%) had normal and abnormal anxiety scores respectively. Majority of male students [94.3% (n= 50)] and female [91.6% (n=76)] showed normal anxiety scores.

Conclusion: In this study, there was no association between overweight and anxiety scores. The gender did not appear to be related to anxiety scores.


All programs in the QuickSilver distributed system behave atomically with respect to their updates to permanent data. Operating system support for transactions provides the framework required to support this, as well as a mechanism that unifies reclamation of resources after failures or normal process termination. This paper evaluates the use of transactions for these purposes in a general purpose operating system and presents some of the lessons learned from our experience with a complete running system based on transactions. Examples of how transactions are used in QuickSilver and measurements of their use demonstrate that the transaction mechanism provides an efficient and powerful means for solving many of the problems introduced by operating system extensibility and distribution.


Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the largest pattern recognition receptors responsible for activating the innate and adaptive immune response against viruses through the release of inflammatory cytokines and antiviral mediators. Viruses are recognized by several TLRs, including TLR8, which is known to bind ssRNA structures. However, the similarities between TLR8 and TLR7 have obscured the distinctive characteristics of TLR8 activation and its importance in the immune system. Here we discuss the activation and regulation of TLR8 by viruses and its importance in therapeutical options such as vaccine adjuvants and antiviral stimulators.


University students who live and work in regional, rural and remote areas face challenges in studying at a distance from their institution's metropolitan or satellite campus. For mature-aged students in particular, relocating to a city campus is unrealistic, due to their family and
 employment commitments, and travel time and costs. A pragmatic alternative embraced by high proportions of mature-aged students is to study online. However, learning online has welldocumented difficulties. This article explores the online learning experiences of mature-aged university students
 in regional and remote Australia via students' individual stories in the form of three vignettes . Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model is employed to analyse the vignettes for systemic and structural factors that condition the students' experiences. This theoretical frame affords new
 insights into the challenges of learning online. We found that influences beyond the actions of individual students and staff, such as students' internet access and the casualisation of the university workforce, help explain why staff working 'on the ground' may not always be able to provide
 'quality' curriculum and support for online students. Placing experiences of individual students within larger contexts uncovers how institutional elements and broader higher education policy can influence the learning for students studying online.


Vision based localization techniques in an intelligent environments have been well studied. But it still faces several difficulties, such as limited surveillance area, low response speed, relative high computation cost and so on. In this work, we create a large planar camera array which extremely extends the scope of surveillance area, and more precisely localizes robots with high response speed for AGV system. In this camera array system, color based tracking algorithm efficiently performs the task of localizing and identifying robots. A hybrid tracking algorithm intelligently controls the camera array and significantly reduces the redundancy of image data to be processed. Therefore, the whole camera array can be controlled by one normal PC rather than the expensive and powerful computer cluster or embedding the micro-processor into cameras. The system also can automatically re-calibrate cameras if the pose of camera changes during an accident. Experiments show the camera array consisting of 15 cameras can localize 5 robots with 20 Hz~60 Hz.


Aqueous suspensions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs + deionised water) have been synthesised. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were derived by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements show the formation of MWCNTs. Three samples of CNT-based aqueous nanofluids having MWCNT concentrations of 0.01 vol%, 0.03 vol% and 0.05 vol% were prepared with the help of ultrasonic irradiation. A very small amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used as a surfactant to minimise the agglomeration of the MWCNTs. An effective enhancement in thermal conductivity was observed at different temperatures. The obtained results are explained with percolation theory.


Electric field-controlled ferromagnetism of (Zn,Co)O is demonstrated via anomalous Hall effect measurements. The electron carrier concentration in this material is 1.65x10(20) cm(-3) as measured via ordinary Hall effect at 4 K, and an anomalous Hall effect is observed up to 6 K, but with no hysteresis at any temperature. With positive electric gate field, the carrier concentration is increased by approximately 2%, resulting in a clear magnetic hysteresis at 4 K. The ability to reversibly induceeliminate ferromagnetism by applied gate field alone, measured via the effect on the carriers, is a clear sign of carrier-induced ferromagnetism in this system.


As part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initially identified eight preventable adverse events on August 1, 2007, with nine more conditions proposed on April 14, 2008.1,2 They have introduced a plan to help contain costs by rejecting payment of the higher diagnostic category when such events occur as a secondary diagnosis in acute care facilities. This policy, which began a phased rollout in the acute-care setting in October 2007 (culminating in October 2008), has created some logistical and implementation concerns in the clinical community. The financial implications for pressure ulcers will be determined by the Present on Admission Indicator (POA). The POA Indicator identifies if a patient has a pressure ulcer at the time the order for admission occurs. Now there is a renewed urgency and heightened focus on prevention because beginning in October of 2008, the hospital will not receive additional reimbursement to care for a patient who has acquired the pressure ulcer while under the hospital's care. Like any groundbreaking policy, this provides impetus for change. We view this payment provision as challenging, but one that provides all clinicians and particularly wound care specialists with an opportunity to assume leadership in important preventive healthcare strategies. Pressure ulcers represent the possibility to implement best practices to improve outcomes. In FY 2007, CMS reported 257,412 cases of preventable pressure ulcers as secondary diagnoses.2,3 The average cost per case in which pressure ulcers were listed as a secondary diagnosis is estimated to be $43,180 per hospital stay.2,3 The incidence of new pressure ulcers in acute-care patients is around 7 percent, with wide variability among institutions.4 The Medicare program's hospital inpatient prospective payment system (PPS), as currently set forth, will no longer assign a higher DRG for facility-acquired pressure ulcers effective October 1, 2008.5 Physician/provider* determination and documentation during the hospitalization that J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2008;35(5):485-492. Published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins


Job challenges the theological milieu of retributive justice prevalent in NearEastern society by daring to ask the veritable question: can people deserve? This article examines the theories of desert, agency, and righteousness embedded within the Job manuscript. Bracketing the question of theodicy, this study utilizes contemporary philosophical, theological and exegetical considerations to examine what Job declares concerning the concept of Desert. This article uncovers a basic underlying Theory of Desert, which seems to correspond with the current compatibilist perspective in lieu of libertarianism or hard determinism. Though a basic moral desert finds a level of affirmation within the pages of Job, the book bears witness to the restricted nature of desert theories. Insofar as desert exists, God's awesome power diminishes its significance. Human desert has boundaries and demands humility in light of the power and omnipotence of God. Humans are at once deserving, free, responsible agents and bounded, desert-less individuals without liberty before God.


An integrated reconfigurable four-channel wavelength-division-multiplexed drop module for use in the long-wavelength was demonstrated using a tunable wavelength-selective photodetector array. The array consists of an InP-based p-i-n absorption structure and a GaAs-based multistep Fabry-Pérot filtering cavity. The high quality GaAs/InP heteroepitaxy was realized by employing a thin low temperature buffer layer. The GaAs-based multistep cavity was fabricated by wet etching and regrowth. The dropped central wavelengths were 1538, 1550, 1559, and 1570nm. The tunable range reached 10nm with a tuning power efficiency of 14.2nm/W. A spectral linewidth less than 0.5nm (FWHM), a 3dB bandwidth of 9.2GHz, and the peak quantum efficiencies from 13% to 20% were simultaneously obtained, in agreement with the theoretical simulation.


Standard group sequential test assumes that the treatment effects are homogeneous over time. In practice, however, this assumption may be violated. Often, this occurs when treatment effects are heterogeneous in patients with different prognostic groups, which are not evenly distributed over the time course of the group sequential trial. In this article, we consider a setting where the inclusion/exclusion criteria for patient entry are relaxed at interim analyses. This triggers heterogeneous treatment effects over the enlarged patient population. In particular, we assume that the population change relates to some baseline covariates. Simulation results show that the type I error can be severely inflated if adjustment is not made to the statistical analysis. We consider a set of linear regression models. With these models, we make inference on the target population based on all data from the changed populations. The proposed method leads to unbiased inference.


The most consistent effects produced by intracellular injections of guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) (but not 5'-guanosine 5'-monophosphate in spinal motoneurons of cats are a rise in membrane conductance, acceleration in time course of spike potentials, and accentuation of the post-spike hyperpolarization. Associated changes in resting potential are smaller, less constant, and more often in the depolarizing than hyperpolarizing direction, cGMP tends to increase electrical excitability but reduces excitatory post-synaptic potential amplitudes. Most of the effects of intracellular cGMP are quite different from, or indeed opposite to, those of either extra- or intracellular applications of acetylcholine and therefore not consistent with the proposal that cGMP is the internal mediator of muscarinic actions.


Prostate cancer clusters in some families, and an estimated 5%-10% of all cases are estimated to result from inheritance of prostate cancer-susceptibility genes. We previously reported evidence of linkage to the 1q24-25 region (HPC1) in 91 North American and Swedish families each with multiple cases of prostate cancer (Smith et al. 1996). In the present report we analyze 40 (12 original and 28 newly identified) Swedish families with hereditary prostate cancer (HPC) that, on the basis of 40 markers spanning a 25-cM interval within 1q24-25, have evidence of linkage. In the complete set of families, a maximum two-point LOD score of 1.10 was observed at D1S413 (at a recombination fraction [theta] of.1), with a maximum NPL (nonparametric linkage) Z score of 1.64 at D1S202 (P=.05). The evidence of linkage to this region originated almost exclusively from the subset of 12 early-onset (age <65 years) families, which yielded a maximum LOD score of 2.38 at D1S413 (straight theta=0) and an NPL Z score of 1.95 at D1S422 (P=.03). Estimates from heterogeneity tests suggest that, within Sweden, as many as 50% of early-onset families had evidence of linkage to the HPC1 region. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of linkage to HPC1 in a subset of families with prostate cancer, particularly those with an early age at diagnosis.


Experiments that decoupled H-mode plasma current, density and temperature have been performed on the DIII-D tokamak by the application of divertor cryopumping. Deuterium ELMing H-mode steady state discharges were operated in the single null configuration with neutral beam heating. A power-law dependence of the ELMing thermal confinement was assumed with the result that the thermal energy confinement depends weakly on density and strongly on plasma current. A local power balance analysis generally found that the ion and electron diffusivity was unchanged with an approximate factor of two change in density at constant temperature. In contrast, both the electron and ion diffusivities increased with increasing temperature at constant density. These plasmas were simulated with the Rebut - Lallia - Watkins critical temperature gradient model. Our results indicate that the temperature dependence of the model does not fit the DIII-D data; the model was too optimistic at the highest power. However, the density dependence of the model agrees well with DIII-D data.


The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and olefins into acrylates has been a long standing target, because society attempts to synthesize commodity chemicals in a more economical and sustainable fashion. In this work, two alkylation reaction pathways were investigated to explore the role of methylene linkage (-CH2-) on the formation of alkyl acrylate from coupling of CO2 and ethylene, catalyzed by a nickel catalyst in the presence of different alkyl iodides. The energy barrier of Ni-O bond cleavage decreases with increasing methylene linkage of alkyl iodides, which may be due to NPA charge transfer of alkyl iodides. Meanwhile, the O1 (ester sp3 O atom) attack route leading to the formation of alkyl acrylate competes with the O2 (carboxylic sp2 O atom) attack route in terms of energy barriers. Further studies on the fluoro-substituted alkyl acrylates show that neither CF3I nor CF3CH2I is effective in releasing trifluoroalkyl acrylates from the nickellacycle, which explains why only negligible amounts of the desired product were detected in the experiment. In addition, we investigated the non-productive pathways leading to byproducts, such as propionic acid, propionates and ion pair complexes, etc. By comparing the results obtained with CH3I, the use of C2H5I as an electrophilic reagent may stabilize the non-productive intermediates. The methylene linkage has little effect on the main productive pathway. However, it has a significant influence on the side reactions, which is detrimental to the formation of alkyl acrylate in competing with the main productive pathway.


Auranofin, an oral chrysotherapeutic agent, administered at 3.0 mg. b.i.d., p.o. to eight rheumatoid arthritic patients produced improvement in objective and subjective clinical signs, as well as biochemical and immunological parameters. Adverse effects reported were minimal and generally limited to gastrointestinal disturbances. During auranofin administration, gold concentrations in the blood gradually increased to a mean level of 0.70 microgram Au/ml by week 12 of treatment. Daily oral administration of auranofin appears to provide constant blood gold levels over longer periods of time compared to existing parenteral gold therapy and may provide an improved method of controlling chrysotherapy in rheumatoid arthritic patients.


Most existing work on event extraction (EE) either follows a pipelined manner or uses a joint structure but is pipelined in essence. As a result, these efforts fail to utilize information interactions among event triggers, event arguments, and argument roles, which causes information redundancy. In view of this, we propose to exploit the role information of the arguments in an event and devise a Hierarchical Policy Network (HPNet) to perform joint EE. The whole EE process is fulfilled through a two-level hierarchical structure consisting of two policy networks for event detection and argument detection. The deep information interactions among the subtasks are realized, and it is more natural to deal with multiple events issue. Extensive experiments on ACE2005 and TAC2015 demonstrate the superiority of HPNet, leading to state-of-the-art performance and is more powerful for sentences with multiple events.


The minimum error entropy (MEE) estimation problem on discrete, finite, or countably infinite ensembles of arbitrary statistical nature is considered. A combinatorial approach is taken to solve the minimization problem. The solution is obtained in algorithmic form. The numerical complexity of the MEE algorithm is analyzed. An entropic prediction filtering (EPF) coding scheme that utilizes the MEE algorithm to minimize the per symbol error entropy is introduced. Simulation has shown that the EPF can effectively be used to reduce the average codeword length required to encode data. Other applications of the MEE algorithm in signal interpolation and extrapolation are also discussed.


Electron crystallography is powerful for determination of complex structures. The newly-developed 3D electron diffraction (ED) methods make structure determination from nano- and micron-sized crystals much easier than using other methods, for example X-ray diffraction. Almost complete 3D ED data can be collected easily and fast from crystals at any arbitrary orientations. Dynamical effects are largely reduced compared to zonal ED patterns. 3D ED is powerful for phase identification and structure solution from individual nano- and micron-sized crystals, while powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) provides information from all phases present in the samples. 3D ED methods and PXRD are complementary and their combinations are promising for studying multiphasic samples and complicated crystal structures.In this thesis, the feasibility and capability of 3D ED methods, specifically rotation electron diffraction (RED), in phase identification and structure determination of different kinds of crystalline materials with nano- or submicrometer-sized crystals are investigated. Experimental conditions for RED data collection and data processing in relation to data quality, as well as the challenges in the applications of RED are discussed.RED was combined with PXRD to identify phases from as-synthesized samples and to characterize atomic structures of eleven crystalline compounds. It was shown to be possible to identify as many as four distinct compounds within one sample containing submicron-sized crystals in a Ni-Se-O-Cl system. RED was also used to determine unit cell and symmetry of isoreticular metal-organic frameworks (SUMOF-7) and solve five zeolite structures with new frameworks, ITQ-51, ITQ-53, ITQ-54, EMM-23 and EMM-25 and that of a metal-organic framework (MOF), SUMOF-7I. The structure of an open-framework germanate SU-77 was solved by combining RED with PXRD. The structures of the zeolites and SU-77 were confirmed by Rietveld refinement against PXRD. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to confirm the structure models of ITQ-51, EMM-25 and SUMOF-7I.


In our time we can easily get information about pregnancy from books and magazines of thesubject. Mothers to be can also publish their own diaries at the Internet, so anyone can readabout their personal experience of being pregnant. All this information gives pregnant womenideas of what they can expect to experience during the pregnancy. This made me think aboutwhat kind of image, women in the past, did get from literature that described pregnancy.The purpose of this study was to examine how pregnancy and pregnant women has beendescribed in literature during the period 1940-1980. I have used various kinds of books aboutpregnancy released in: 1943, 1948, 1955, 1965,1969,1972, 1977, 1981. By examining alonger period it would be possible to see changes over time. The method used is closereading, to find answers to the questions put to the text. The questions I have used, are relatedto women's living conditions, and to the pregnancy, both the physical and the psychologicalaspects of it.The result of my study shows that no sudden changes has taken place during the period. Thereare few changes in how the literature advice women to live during pregnancy. The pregnancy,as a fysiological process, is described in almost the same way. But the way women can feelduring the pregnancy, especially negative feelings, gives more attention over time. Moststriking are the changes regarding the role of mothers and fathers. In the end of the period theliterature gives more attention to the father and his role gets more important. And the womanis not expected to have that natural instinct that's makes her a mother. She becomes onethrough the interaction with her child.


This article reports findings from 39 interviews from two Hong Kong universities and offers a critique of the RAE system. Respondents stated that the main emphasis in counting research productivity was on articles in prestigious international journals. There were many negative comments about this as the main quality indicator. Some respondents mentioned that international journal articles benefited natural and physical scientists more than social scientists and devalued local research and local journals, resulting in a bias towards the West. The more positive comments accepted the RAE, feeling that there was an emphasis on quality not just quantity. In terms of the impact of the RAEs, many participants expressed that the exercises encouraged a great deal more publishing and that academics could fast track their careers by publishing more. However, the negative responses indicated that the RAEs encouraged a glut of publications that were more mediocre with little substance or originality.


ABSTRACT Spatial play in early childhood is associated with a variety of spatial and cognitive skills. However, these associations are often derived from studies in which different tasks are used across different age ranges, leaving open the question of how children's natural behaviors during spatial play develop from infancy into the early preschool years. We used an open-ended spatial play task to establish typically developing children's behaviors from 12 to 48 months (N = 66, 36 girls). Specifically, we observed young children's insertions into a commercially available shape sorter that included six geometric solids with corresponding apertures. Approaches to this task changed with age. Younger children primarily inserted solids into the large top opening, a strategy that did not require spatial alignment for success. Between 24 and 30 months, children shifted to inserting solids into their corresponding side openings, a more spatially and motorically difficult strategy that required aligning solids to their appropriate apertures. This pattern suggests that at 24 months, children begin to adopt more sophisticated strategies for this motor problem-solving task. Older children also completed a higher proportion of successful insertions compared to younger participants, and children successfully inserted rotationally symmetrical shapes (e.g., circle) at younger ages than rotationally asymmetrical shapes (e.g., triangle). This study represents an important first step in providing a detailed baseline of children's natural play behaviors over a wide developmental period that can be used to inform how spatial and cognitive systems contribute to spatial play.


Combined team effort in liver procurement and transplantation has proven to be very advantageous as compared to same team effort in our experience. The incidence of primary nonfunction was almost identical between the two groups. We recommend that a combined team effort be used in liver transplantation to conserve the resources and ensure the safety of the transplant team. The practice of only a single local recovery team for all abdominal organ procurement should be encouraged.


We show that exchange interactions in two-dimensional electron gases out of equilibrium can generate a fictitious vector potential with intriguing signatures in interference and Hall measurements. Detailed predictions are made for graphene, where the effect is enhanced by pseudospin exchange.


Intercontinental biotic connections between Eurasia and North America are common in many gall midge genera (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), but only a few species have been recorded from both continents. In Japan, four gall midge species had been previously considered to be identical to North American species, but three of these cases have already been disproved. We examined the remaining species, Rabdophaga rigidae, which had been originally described from Japan as Rabdophaga salicivora in 1938, later recorded from the Russian Far East in 1967, and synonymized with a North American species, R. rigidae, in 1982. Morphological features and partial sequence data of the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) region suggested that the Japanese species is a distinct species and is identical to the species recorded from the Russian Far East. We therefore apply the original name, R. salicivora, to the Japanese and the Russian species. In addition, on the basis of a molecular phylogenetic analysis, we conclude that R. salicivora possibly came to the Japanese Archipelago through the Korean Peninsula and established itself first in the southern parts of Japan. Then, it expanded its distribution range to northern parts of Honshu, but could not reach Hokkaido, probably because of the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido.


John Henry Newman starts the second half of the Grammar of Assent by laying out a "paradox," and he announces that the purpose of the following chapters of the book is to resolve it. Surprisingly, recent scholarship has tended not to question the nature of this paradox. In this paper, I argue that we should understand Newman's paradox to be a kind of skeptical paradox that arises when we accept "Lockean rationalism." I then show how Newman deals with the paradox. One of the upshots of this reading is that "naturalism" plays a smaller role in Newman's anti-skepticism than previous commentators have suggested. Another is that we should understand Newman to be a kind of infallibilist.


The double slit experiment is a relatively simple physical test that can be useful for demonstrating the corpuscular-wave dualism of light and matter, which is the supreme mystery of the whole quantum physics. A particular riddle here is especially the mechanism responsible for the formation of a interference pattern in a situation when single quantum objects pass through the experimental setup. In the article the main idea of the experiment is discussed and two possible explanations of its results are briefly shortly presented: the view of the Copenhagen school and the de Broglie-Bohm's pilot wave theory.


The number of multiple birth children has dramatically increased, so that in the UK, one child in 35 is now a multiple. This research is from an educational perspective, with the primary purpose of supporting the parents of multiples and the children themselves, particularly when they start school. The research methods include the first national survey of schools in England, interviews with parents and identification of the multiple birth sample in the Performance Indicators In Pripary Schools (PIPS) value added tests devised by Professor Peter Tymms and the CEM team (Unniversity of Durham). The research led to the development of a theoretical model based upon the personal, social and emotional development of multiple birth families. The model and the research findngs have been used by Tamba to produce literature for parents of multiple birth children. The education website www.twinsandmultiples.org also provides information for parents and professionals.


The purpose of this study to describe in general the level of patient satisfaction with services obtained from the hospital where they do the treatment. This research conducted at General Hospital of Mamaju Regency with a population of inpatients at the time of the study was 358 people. This research uses quantitative research type with Cross Sectional study approach. The number of samples used were 153 patients with accidental sampling technique. The result of the research shows that the dominant patient who undergoes the hospital stay in the general hospital is satisfied, but the satisfaction is not significant because it is still below 75%. Patient satisfaction should always consider because it can be a material evaluation, especially for medical record officer who serves patients at the registration so that medical record officers can continue to improve the quality of service to patients. The patient will return to the hospital if the patient feels comfortable when receiving the service and the patient is satisfied with the service provided by the health service provider so that eventually the patient will return and use the hospital services.


Since the turn of the millennium, there has been widespread recognition that a sizeable and growing share of the global workforce is in the informal sector. To explain this, neo-liberals contend that enterprises operate in the informal sector due to high taxes, public sector corruption and too much state interference in the free market and that the consequent remedy is to reduce taxes, public sector corruption and the regulatory burden via minimal state intervention. This paper evaluates critically this neo-liberal policy approach. To do this, International Labor Organization data from 16 Latin American countries on the share of the workforce in informal sector enterprises is compared with cross-national variations in tax rates, corruption and levels of state interference using World Bank development indicators. Revealing that one in three non-agricultural workers in Latin America are employed in
informal sector enterprises and analyzing the economic and social conditions in different countries, no support is found for the neo-liberal tenets that higher tax rates, greater levels of corruption and state interference are correlated with larger informal sectors. Instead, higher levels of regulation and state intervention are associated with smaller (not larger) informal economies resulting in a tentative call for more, rather than less, regulation of the economy and state intervention to protect workers.


Objectives The incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has increased steadily globally, but the current culture-based diagnosis of NTM-PD is difficult and time-consuming, leading to a high possibility of misdiagnosis. Therefore, new methods should be introduced to improve the processes for clinical diagnosis of this disease. Methods Our retrospective observational study enrolled 12 NTM-PD patients who were identified by way of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), as well as the characteristic radiological presentation of slowly progressed, usually concomitant bronchiectasis, small cavitary opacity, and multiple nodules that respond poorly to empirical antibiotic therapy. These patients received the recommended drug regimen based on the identified non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species. Clinical data, including symptoms, laboratory tests, dynamic computed tomography imaging, treatment, and outcome, were recorded and analyzed. Results The results of mNGS were all positive, with the standard specifically mapped read numbers (SDSMRN) of NTM ranging from 1 to 766; this was confirmed in six patients via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. The duration fromsample collection tomNGS results was 1–4 days. Among our 12 patients (except for one lost to follow-up) the CT imaging for 11 patients showed significant absorption of lesions. Conclusions Our results draw attention to NTM infection as a possible cause of community-acquired pneumonia, especially in patients with suggestive radiological presentation and poor responses to empirical antibiotic therapy. Our study also indicated that mNGS represented a potentially effective tool for the rapid identification of NTM in the respiratory sample. Improved clinician awareness combined with the utilization of mNGS could guide earlier diagnosis and targeted treatment, and finally improved the prognoses of patients with NTM-PD.


This paper focuses on accuracy and other technology trends for inertial sensors, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and integrated Inertial Navigation System (INS)/GPS systems, including considerations of interference, that will lead to better than 1 meter accuracy navigation systems of the future. For inertial sensors, trend-setting sensor technologies will be described. A vision of the inertial sensor instrument field and strapdown inertial systems for the future is given. Planned accuracy improvements for GPS are described. The trend towards deep integration of INS/GPS is described, and the synergistic benefits are explored. Some examples of the effects of interference are described, and expected technology trends to improve system robustness are presented. One of the early leaders in inertial navigation was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Instrumentation Laboratory (now Draper Laboratory), which was asked by the Air Force to develop inertial systems for the Thor and Titan missiles and by the Navy to develop an inertial system for the Polaris missile. This request was made after the Laboratory had demonstrated in 1953 the feasibility of autonomous allinertial navigation for aircraft in a series of flight tests with a system called SPIRE (Space Inertial Reference Equipment), Figure 1b. This system had gimbals, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 2700 pounds. The notable success of those early programs led to further application in aircraft, ships, missiles, and spacecraft such that inertial systems are now almost standard equipment in military and civilian navigation applications. Inertial navigation systems do not indicate position perfectly because of errors in components (the gyroscopes and accelerometers) and errors in the model of the gravity field that the INS implements. Those errors cause the error in indicated position to grow with time. For vehicles with short flight times, such errors might be acceptable. For longer-duration missions, it is usually necessary to provide periodic updates to the navigation system such that the errors caused by the inertial system are reset as close to zero as possible. Because GPS offers world-wide, highly accurate position information at very low cost, it has rapidly become the primary aid to be used in updating inertial systems, at the penalty of using an aid that is vulnerable to interference. Clearly, the ideal situation would be low-cost but highly accurate INS that can do all, or almost all, of the mission without using GPS. The military has had access to a specified accuracy of 21 m (95-percent probability) from the GPS Precise Positioning Service (PPS). This capability provides impressive worldwide navigation performance, especially when multiple GPS measurements are combined in a Kalman filter to update an INS on a military platform or a weapon. The Kalman filter provides an opportunity to calibrate some of the GPS errors, such as satellite clock and ephemeris errors, as well as several of the inertial system errors, and when properly implemented, Circular Error Probables (CEPs) better than 5m have been observed. In the near term, accuracies in the integrated navigation solution are predicted to improve to the 1 meter level. These accuracies will need to be available in the face of intentional interference of GPS, and the inertial system will provide autonomous navigation information during periods of GPS outage. The following sections describe: • The expected technology trends for inertial sensors and strapdown (no gimbals) systems that can support autonomous operation at low cost. Expectations are for strapdown INS/GPS systems that are smaller than 3 in 3 and weigh less than a pound, and possibly cost under $1000. • Expected accuracy improvements and implementations for GPS. • Issues and benefits of INS/GPS integration, particularly in an environment with interference. The combination of a robust, antijam GPS receiver and an accurate, low-cost inertial system will provide the global precision navigation system of the future. Figure 2 depicts the "roadmap" to meeting this objective. S T A R T H E R E GPS SPACE AND GROUND SEGMENT IMPROVEMENTS RECEIVER IMPROVEMENTS AND ALL IN VIEW TRACKING IN IS H ANTI-JAM ENHANCEMENTS HIGH A/J, HIGHLY INTEGRATED, LOW COST PRECISION NAVIGATION LOW COST, ACCURATE INERTIAL SYSTEMS


Abstract— Enhancement of a digital or satellite image can be done in either of the areas viz, contrast , resolution and sharpness. In this paper we are introducing the hardware implementation of image enhancement using DWT lifting scheme. Noise removal and preservation of useful information are important aspects of image enhancement. The Discrete Wavelet Transform has been widely used in image processing, digital communications and other application fields, because the DWT can decompose the signals into different sub-bands with both time and frequency information and facilitate to achieve a high compression ratio. Keywords—Satellite Image augmentation, DWT, IDWT, Lifting Scheme, FPGA


Host defense peptides (HDP) are small cationic molecules released by the immune systems of the body, having multidimensional properties including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and immune-modulatory activity. These molecules gained importance due to their broad-spectrum pharmacological activities, and hence being actively investigated. Presently, respiratory infections represent a major global health problem, and HDP has an enormous potential to be used as an alternative therapeutics against respiratory infections and related inflammatory ailments. Because of their short half-life, protease sensitivity, poor pharmacokinetics, and first-pass metabolism, it is challenging to deliver HDP as such inside the physiological system in a controlled way by conventional delivery systems. Many HDPs are efficacious only at practically high molar-concentrations, which is not convincing for the development of drug regimen due to their intrinsic detrimental effects. To avail the efficacy of HDP in pulmonary diseases, it is essential to deliver an appropriate payload into the targeted site of lungs. Inhalable HDP can be a potentially suitable alternative for various lung disorders including tuberculosis, Cystic fibrosis, Pneumonia, Lung cancer, and others as they are active against resistant microbes and cells and exhibit improved targeting with reduced adverse effects. In this review, we give an overview of the pharmacological efficacy of HDP and deliberate strategies for designing inhalable formulations for enhanced activity and issues related to their clinical implications.


Gender discrimination has far reaching consequence on society. With contributions by experts from diverse fields, this volume provides fresh perspectives on gender bias, wage inequality, and intra-household discrimination. It also analyses various aspects of discrimination in the spheres of health, nutrition, and work. Using case studies from India and other South Asian countries, it provides alternative methods for measuring gender differentials and discrimination.


Gasification with supercritical water is an efficient process that can be used for the valorization of biomass. Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer in biomass and its conversion is fundamental for future energy and value-added chemicals. In this paper, the supercritical water gasification process of lignin by employing reactive force field molecular dynamics simulations (ReaxFF MD) was investigated. Guaiacyl glycerol-β-guaiacyl ether (GGE) was considered as a lignin model to evaluate the reaction mechanism and identify the components at different temperatures from 1000 K to 5000 K. The obtained results revealed that the reactions and breaking of the lignin model started at 2000 K. At the primary stage of the reaction at 2000 K the β-O-4 bond tends to break into several compounds, forming mainly guaiacol and 1,3-benzodioxole. In particular, 1,3-benzodioxole undergoes dissociation and forms cyclopentene-based ketones. Afterward, dealkylation reaction occurred through hydroxyl radicals of water to form methanol, formaldehyde and methane. Above 2500 K, H2, CO and CO2 are predominantly formed in which water molecules contributed hydrogen and oxygen for their formation. Understanding the detailed reactive mechanism of lignin's gasification is important for efficient energy conversion of biomass.


This article provides an overview of approaches to bioethics-practical and theoretical, philosophical and nonphilosophical. It is argued that those who yearn for pragmatism and real-life relevance would do well to concentrate on politics, legislation, social policy, and lobbying. Those, on the other hand, who seek knowledge about our moral thought might be interested in philosophical bioethics-in the explication of concepts, arguments, views, and normative statements.


Balanced and unbalanced composite right/left-handed transmission lines are used in the design of resonators. The balanced resonator is designed by changing the nonlinear phase response in order to control the spacing between modes and the Q factor. Two balanced ring resonators are measured and one demonstrates increased mode spacing/decreased Q factor and the other demonstrates decreased mode spacing/increased loaded Q factor. The unbalanced resonator is designed by changing the nonlinear phase response and magnitude response. A measured unbalanced ring resonator shows increased mode spacing with a reasonable Q factor. A microstrip line resonator is measured to demonstrate higher frequency capabilities.


Objective: Preterm delivery (PTD) is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and themost common reason for antenatal hospitalization. This study aimed at the assessment of the state of knowledge of women of childbearing age regarding PTD, including its risk factors and symptoms, as well as the procedure performed, and the factors influencing the level of knowledge of women about PTD.Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in the period between July 5-15, 2017 and a group of 93 women of childbearing age residing within the Wielkopolska area, attending obstetric and gynecological clinics. The survey questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study and contained questions on the issues related to PTD, including the risk factors and symptoms of PTD, a procedure performed for PTD, and complications faced by the neonate. Results: The sources of knowledge most frequently indicated by the surveyed women were family/friends (26.9%), magazines (28%), and physician (22.5%), while midwives (14%) and birthing school (8.6%) were indicated least frequently. A higher level of knowledge was found among the women who obtained information on PTD from a midwife, physician, and family/friends (χ = 22.618; p = 0.004). Conclusions: A higher level of knowledge on PTD was exhibited by women who obtained information on this issue from a midwife, physician, or family/friends. Therefore, there is a need to educate pregnant woman regarding the risk factors of PTD.


A new class of mechanized silica nanoparticles, which exploits the stability of the inclusion complexes formed between ferrocenedicarboxylic acid and both cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), are described. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles, capable of storing a payload of small molecules and releasing it following particular activation processes, have been designed and decorated with ferrocenecarboxylic acid stalks. The storage and release of the payload is controlled by the host–guest interaction between the ferrocene moiety (guest) and the ring moiety (CB7 or β-CD). Ferrocene-based Mechanized NanoParticles (FMNPs) were efficiently prepared, loaded with Rhodamine dye, and then tested under different activation procedures. The systems operated successfully under redox control (oxidation of ferrocenedicarboxylic acid) in the presence of β-CD and under pH control (deprotonation of ferrocenedicarboxylic acid pH > 4) in the presence of CB7.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)


We study the spectrum of single-photon emission and scattering in a mixed optomechanical model which consists of both linear and quadratic optomechanical interactions. The spectra are calculated based on the exact long-time solutions of the single-photon emission and scattering processes in this system. We find that there exist some phonon sideband peaks in the spectra and there are some sub peaks around the phonon sideband peaks under proper parameter conditions. The correspondence between the spectral features and the optomechanical interactions is confirmed, and the optomechanical coupling strengths can be inferred by analyzing the resonance peaks and dips in the spectra.


An overview is given of recent advances in constant envelope combined coding and modulation. Modulation codes and trellises are discussed, and major classes of trellis modulation codes are described. Continuous phase modulation is defined, and concatenations of phase codes and convolutional codes are examined. The ultimate capability of phase modulation coding and the size of CPM trellis codes are addressed. Implementation issues are considered.<<ETX>>