A quantitative structure activity relationship study was performed on a series of pyridine substituted compounds as angiotensin II receptors for establishing quantitative relationship between biological activity and their physicochemical structural properties. Partial least square (PLS) methodology coupled with stepwise forward backward method were applied to derive QSAR models, which were further validated for statistical significance and predictive ability by internal and external validation. A 2D QSAR model was generated with correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.8874, significant cross-validated correlation coefficient (q2) of 0.7498, r2 for external test set (pred_r2) 0.7869. A Zscore_r2 value of 3.9853, Zscore_q2 value of 2.8642 and Zscore_ pred_r2 value of 1.0583 statistically validates the significance of the obtained QSAR model. Molecular field analysis (MFA) was used to construct the best 3D-QSAR model showing good correlative and predictive capabilities in terms of q2= 0.7264 and pred_r2= 0.6988. The quantitative structure activity relationship study provides important structural insights in the designing of potent antihypertensive molecules.


1. The water which falls as rain is originally evaporated either from land surfaces, forests, etc., or from the oceans, in particular from the latter. It is therefore of importance to ascertain how the evaporated water distributes itself in an atmospheric current during its progress across a water surface, and, further, to investigate the relation between the length of the path over the water surface and the amount of water thereby rendered available. In this paper, these problems are treated for the case of a current of air of uniform speed moving over a water surface of uniform temperature. An empirical formula is employed to represent the rate of evaporation from each element of the water surface, and account is taken of the stirring upwards of the evaporated water by the agency of turbulence, assuming the latter to be uniformly distributed throughout the current of air. The results obtained would find application, for example, in discussing problems connected with evaporation in the trade wind zones, or from inland seas and lakes, or, in particular, from the North Sea, winds from which frequently bring much cloud and quite appreciable rainfall to the eastern coasts of Great Britain and the northern coasts of France. All the constants occurring in the formulae obtained are known, either accurately or approximately, and, accordingly, the order of magnitude of the evaporation from a given stretch of water, under assigned conditions, can be estimated. What is also of importance, is the comparison of the amount of water evaporated from a given area or of the distribution of water vapour in the air above it, under one set of conditions, with those under a different set. Of particular interest is the effect of varying the speed of the air. 2. The suggestion which led to the present investigation is contained in a paper on " The Meteorological Conditions of an Ice Sheet and their bearing on the Desiccation of the Globe." The author of that paper, in considering the evaporation in tropical and sub-tropical regions during the Quaternary Ice Age as compared with that at the present time, has occasion to compare the rate of evaporation from large expanses of water under different conditions as to wind and surface temperature, and Lt. -Col. E. Gold, in the discussion, emphasises the fact that this is in reality a very complex problem for the formula used (quoted below, p. 474) for the rate of evaporation from an element of the surface, involves the vapour pressure at the dew point of the air " near " the surface. Now this vapour pressure varies from point to point along the current of air which is traversing the water, so that an integration is necessary in order to obtain the rate of evaporation from a large stretch of water, and, further, the vapour pressure at any point depends on the speed with which the air has reached that point, which complicates the problem of comparing the evaporation under different wind conditions.


Introduction Obesity is a complex, multifaceted disease that is widespread and growing in the developing world. People who are obese experience health-related quality-of-life impairments. Methods We administered the SF-36 Health Survey questionnaire to 1752 obese adults and 400 normal-weight adults in Izmir City, Turkey. We then compared the mean scores of the two groups by sex in eight quality-of-life domains. Results Differences in scores between obese women and normal-weight women were statistically significant in seven of eight SF-36 domains; differences in scores between obese men and normal-weight men were statistically significant in six of eight domains. Obese women were significantly more impaired than obese men in four of eight domains. Among obese women, 45.0% experienced a reduced quality of life, compared with only 13.2% of normal-weight women. Similarly, 41.3% of obese men experienced a reduced quality of life, compared with only 9.3% of normal-weight men. Conclusion Obesity is associated with poor levels of health, particularly poor levels of physical and social well-being.


How can science instructors prepare students for the statistics needed in authentic inquiry labs? We designed and assessed four instructional modules with the goals of increasing student confidence, appreciation, and performance in both experimental design and data analysis. Using extensions from a just-in-time teaching approach, we introduced concepts throughout a two-semester biology sequence when students could apply their knowledge to the inquiry labs. The modules included readings and active lessons that used modified "jigsaw" and immediate feedback techniques. Assessment based on preand postmodule surveys paired by individual student indicated improved student confidence and a rise in the number of students planning to take a statistics class. Student self-reported skill and performance were not always linked; student performance was best for the learning outcomes emphasized during class. Poor performance on lowlevel tasks, such as formatting statistical results, demonstrated the need for classroom time in support of reading assignments. The four short statistics modules appeared to be a minimum level of instruction for preparing science students to apply data analysis tools appropriately in their own research. Using an iterative process over several months, student-driven research and student-centered activities were important strategies in preparing students to apply statistics.


This study was conducted to examine the factors affecting the life satisfaction of married female immigrants and Korean husbands. Data for this study were obtained from the National Survey of Multicultural Families conducted in 2012. The study sample consisted of 5,232 couples within the first five years of marriage. Data were evaluated using a paired t-test, K-mean cluster analysis, ANOVA, and ordered logistic regression analysis. The results were as follows: 1) life satisfaction was higher for married female immigrants than for Korean husbands. 2) The general characteristics, acceptance attitude, language acceptance, and social network differed significantly depending on life satisfaction levels. 3) The multicultural acceptance attitude of husbands, ability of married female immigrants to speak Korean, and ability of Korean husbands to speak wives' native languages improved life satisfaction levels. The results of this study can be used to improve the life satisfaction of married female immigrants and Korean husbands.


ABSTRACT Lu, B.; Park, N., and Huo, Y., 2015. Operational efficiency evaluation of the world's leading container seaports. It is of great importance for port managers to know whether they have fully used their existing infrastructures and that output has been maximized given the amount of input. From this perspective, data envelopment analysis (DEA) provides a more appropriate benchmark for the container port. By applying three kinds of DEA models, this study acquires a variety of analytical results about operational efficiency of the worlds' leading container ports. According to efficiency value analysis, this study firstly finds out the reason of inefficiency. Then, it is followed by identification of the potential areas of improvement for inefficient ports by applying slack variable method. Furthermore, return to scale approach is used to assess whether each port is in a state of increasing, decreasing, or constant return to scale. Finally, by utilization of the sensitivity analysis, this study can identify which input or output variables are more critical to the model, and which one will have more impact on. The results of this study can provide port managers with insights into resource allocation and optimization of the operating performance.


BACKGROUND: The mainstay of mild to moderate acne treatment is topical antibiotics. A new combination of 2% erythromycin and 1% bifonazole was tested in a double-blind trial against erythromycin alone. METHODS: A total of 207 acne patients were recruited into the study and 157 (76%) completed the full trial protocol of 12 weeks of treatment. In all, 74 patients applied the combination solution (erythromycin + bifonazole) once a day and 83 patients applied erythromycin solution twice a day. Outcome parameters measured were lesion-count (open and closed comedones, papules and pustules) and acne grading using the Cook's acne scale, carried out at the initial visit, and at the 4, 8 and 12-week follow-up visits. RESULTS: Both treatment groups improved significantly over baseline and showed continuous improvement throughout the trial, with the erythromycin + bifonazole group showing better improvement than the erythromycin group. At the end of 12 weeks, open comedones, closed comedones, papules and pustules were reduced by 57%, 61%, 73% and 83% respectively in the erythromycin + bifonazole group, compared to 47%, 60%, 61% and 72% in the erythromycin group ( P -values of 0.04, 0.007, 0.0017 and 0.056, respectively). Acne grading improved by 44.8% in the erythromycin + bifonazole group compared to a 34.7% improvement in the erythromycin group ( P -values of 0.047). Transient local adverse effects occurred in both groups leading to five patients dropping out, four of them from the combination group. CONCLUSION: Topical treatment of acne with a combination of erythromycin 2% and bifonazole 1% once daily is a safe and effective treatment that has a modest but significant advantage over treatment with erythromycin 2% alone twice daily. (J Dermatol Treat (2000) 11: 247-251)


Using knowledge instead of information, using knowledge to transform enterprise, it has become a trend in now economy. The arrival of knowledge economy era, makes the enterprise promote innovation through the knowledge and improves the ability to use and manage knowledge, so that it can obtain sustainable competitive advantage. This paper, through analyzing the knowledge value chain including knowledge input, knowledge activities, knowledge output and knowledge innovation of service enterprise, studies the influence mechanism of knowledge value chain on service innovation of service enterprises. The thinking of service innovation based on knowledge value chain is advantageous for enterprise to make full use of internal and external knowledge resources, so as to promote competitive ability of the enterprise, is also helpful for the exploration of enterprise service innovation in knowledge management field.


OBJECTIVE
Post hoc analysis results of the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial and the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study suggest that carotid endarterectomy (CEA) may not be as efficacious in women as it is in men. This study was undertaken for the evaluation of whether there is a difference between men and women in early postoperative outcome after CEA and whether such a difference is consistent across other predictors.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of all CEAs entered into our departmental registry between January 1, 1989, and November 30, 2000. A total of 3422 CEAs was performed in 3077 consecutive patients. The ratio of men to women was 2:1, and the ratio of patients who were asymptomatic to patients who were symptomatic was 2.3:1. The following in-hospital outcome data were analyzed: transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke, mortality, combined TIA or stroke, and combined stroke or mortality. Univariate and multivariate analysis results of selected risk factors for an adverse perioperative event were assessed with generalized estimating equation analysis with backwards selection. The following risk factors were considered: gender, preoperative neurologic status, urgency of operation, type of arteriotomy repair, reoperative CEA for recurrent stenosis, history of cardiopulmonary disease, previous coronary artery intervention, simultaneous CEA and coronary bypass grafting surgery, renal failure, and diabetes.

RESULTS
Univariate analysis results of gender differences revealed that women were at higher risk for a postoperative TIA or stroke (3.3% for women versus 2.1% for men; odds ratio [OR], 1.6; confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 2.5; P =.03) and for postoperative stroke or mortality (3.1% for women versus 2.1% for men; OR, 1.6; CI, 1.04 to 2.5; P =.03). Multivariate analysis results showed that female gender was an independent predictor for a postoperative TIA or stroke (OR, 1.7; CI, 1.1 to 2.6; P =.03). Further analysis disclosed that women who were asymptomatic were at greater risk than were men for postoperative stroke or mortality (OR, 2.3; CI, 1.3 to 3.9; P =.003). Conversely, there was no gender association for postoperative stroke or mortality in the consideration of only patients who were symptomatic (OR, 1.0; CI, 0.45 to 2.1; P =.95). The interaction between women and preoperative symptoms approached significance (P =.07) with respect to postoperative stroke and mortality rate, which suggests that the gender effect could be influenced by the clinical presentation.

CONCLUSION
The combined TIA or stroke and stroke or mortality rates are higher in women as compared with men in the postoperative period, but these risks remain acceptable when CEA is performed for appropriate indications. The interaction between symptoms and gender suggests that, in patients who are asymptomatic, women are more likely than are men to have early complications. However, there is no gender difference in patients who are symptomatic. Therefore, despite a low postoperative complication rate, CEA is appropriate in both women who are asymptomatic and women who are symptomatic only if the postoperative TIA, stroke, and mortality rates are appreciably lower than in the natural history of medical management of these patients.


Rationale: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder induced by dietary gluten in genetically predisposed subjects. Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA) can occur in patients with CD; however, this condition has never been described in overweight/obese CD children. Patient concerns: A 12-year-old girl with CD was admitted with mild acanthosis nigricans of the armpits, groin and neck. Recently, extra fat appeared around the neck, and moon face was observed. The abdomen was globular and meteoric, treatable and not aching. She weighed 64 kilos (75°–97° percentile) and was 146 centimeters tall (3°–25° percentile) with a body mass index of 30 kg/mq2. Laboratory tests revealed hypertriglyceridemia and positive anti-transglutaminase IgA. Cortisoluria was determined. Serum ACTH was normal. Diagnoses: This paper reports a case of a girl with CD in which both obesity and activation of HPA activity were noted. Interventions: During follow-up, anti-transglutaminase IgA increased to 201.5 UI/mL. The patient was positive for anti-endomysium antibodies, and the HLA DQ2 haplotype was identified, confirming a diagnosis of CD. Outcomes: Despite a gluten-free diet, obesity and hyperadrenalism persisted, and anti-transglutaminase antibodies remained elevated. In addition, high cortisoluria persisted. A high-dose suppression dexamethasone test (8 mg) produced negative results with a morning cortisol value of 1 ng/mL, suggesting the diagnosis of pseudo-Cushing's syndrome. Lessons: This case highlights that the first manifestation of CD could be being overweight, and this finding seems to support the need to prescribe laboratory tests for CD not only to children with failure to thrive, as commonly recommended, but also to those with increased body weight.


Vehicle-to-vehicle communications can be unreliable because of interference and information congestion, which leads to the dynamic information flow topology (IFT) in a platoon of connected and autonomous vehicles. Some existing studies adaptively switch the controller of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) to optimize string stability when IFT varies. However, the difference of transient response between controllers can induce uncomfortable jerks at switching instances, significantly affecting riding comfort and jeopardizing vehicle powertrain. To improve riding comfort while maintaining string stability, the authors introduce a smooth-switching control-based CACC scheme with IFT optimization (CACC-SOIFT) by implementing a bi-layer optimization model and a Kalman predictor. The first optimization layer balances the probability of communication failure and control performance optimally, generating a robust IFT to reduce controller switching. The second optimization layer adjusts the controller parameters to minimize tracking error and the undesired jerk. Further, a Kalman predictor is applied to predict vehicle acceleration if communication failures occur. It is also used to estimate the states of preceding vehicles to suppress the measurement noise and the acceleration disturbance. The effectiveness of the proposed CACC-SOIFT is validated through numerical experiments based on NGSIM field data. Results indicate that the CACC-SOIFT framework can guarantee string stability and riding comfort in the environment of dynamic IFT.


Objective To determine the likely rate of patient randomisation and to facilitate sample size calculation for a full-scale phase III trial of varicella zoster immunoglobulin (VZIG) and aciclovir as postexposure prophylaxis against chickenpox in children with cancer. Design Multicentre pilot randomised controlled trial of VZIG and oral aciclovir. Setting England, UK. Patients Children under 16 years of age with a diagnosis of cancer: currently or within 6 months of receiving cancer treatment and with negative varicella zoster virus (VZV) serostatus at diagnosis or within the last 3 months. Interventions Study participants who have a significant VZV exposure were randomised to receive PEP in the form of VZIG or aciclovir after the exposure. Main outcome measures Number of patients registered and randomised within 12 months of the trial opening to recruitment and incidence of breakthrough varicella. Results The study opened in six sites over a 13-month period. 482 patients were screened for eligibility, 32 patients were registered and 3 patients were randomised following VZV exposure. All three were randomised to receive aciclovir and there were no cases of breakthrough varicella. Conclusions Given the limited recruitment to the PEPtalk2 pilot, it is unlikely that the necessary sample size would be achievable using this strategy in a full-scale trial. The study identified factors that could be used to modify the design of a definitive trial but other options for defining the best means to protect such children against VZV should be explored. Trial registration number ISRCTN48257441, EudraCT number: 2013-001332-22, sponsor: University of Birmingham.


We carried out the de Haas–van Alphen (dHvA) experiment for an antiferromagnet UCd11 and its non‐5f reference compound ThCd11 to clarify the Fermi surface properties and the true electronic specific‐heat coefficient γ of UCd11. We observed dHvA signals of both compounds and compared the experimental results with the result of theoretical band calculations. The Fermi surfaces of both compounds are found to be small and closed. The cyclotron masses obtained from the dHvA data of UCd11 are compared with those of reference compounds ThCd11, NpCd11, and LaCd11, and the γ value of UCd11 is estimated to be about 100 mJ K−2 mol−1, which is much smaller than the 840 mJ K−2 mol−1 in the previous reports. It is concluded that this large value is mainly not due to heavy quasiparticles but due to the magnetic contribution to the specific heat.


The occurrence of uterine bleeding following administration of Metyrapone in cases of secondary amenorrhoea and oligomenorrhoea led the authors to measure pituitary, gonadal and adrenal hormone levels, before and after the oral administration of this drug in sixteen patients, in an attempt to provide an interpretation of this phenomenon. There were expected changes in plasma ACTH and urinary 17‐hydroxycorticosteroids, but no variations were noted in serum FSH and LH, plasma oestradiol and urinary oestrogens; the most important alterations occurred in plasma progesterone and urinary pregnanetriol levels. It is suggested that bleeding occurs because of the changes which are induced in plasma progesterone levels.


A significant diuresis was associated with early sepsis in dogs allowed food and water at will, even though water intake was below or near control levels. This occurred at a time of fever (39.9 C) and of increased fluid losses in the region of inflammation. Acute plasma volume expansion with dextran 75 (Dextran 6%) in normal saline before and after sepsis resulted in a higher peak urine flow 193μl/min/kg) in the septic state than under control conditions (147μl/min/kg). Administration of vasopressin injection during acute plasma volume expansion resulted in a reduction in the diuresis during sepsis (84μl/min/kg), but not under control conditions. Acute pretreatment of animals with desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) was ineffective in dampening the diuresis of sepsis (218μl/min/kg), whereas, chronic treatment (eight days) with DOCA augmented the peak diuresis seen in sepsis (258μl/min/kg) during acute plasma volume expansion. Thus, in this laboratory model, sepsis resulted in an early diuresis, a phenomenon that may be related to a disturbance in the antidiuretic hormone system.


Thermal and microstructure analysis of cocofoam made from vulcanized coconut fiber and latex compound were conducted. The cocofoam was produced by blending coconut fiber and latex compound with weight ratio of 10/25 (CF5-1) and 20/55 (CF5-2) at room temperature. The cocofoam characters were then analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DTA) instruments. The result showed that the increase of coconut fiber and latex compound ratio produced a higher density of cocofoam. The highest value density was 0.6920 g/cm 3 with flexibility of 90% produced by the CF5-2 sample. The SEM analysis showed that both specimens surface of the CF5-1 and CF5-2 samples have different pores size and the latex compound is not distributed thoroughly in the cocofoam. The thermal analysis showed that the production of cocofoam was largely determined by latex compound that served as fiber binder matrix. Cocofoam started to degrade at the temperature of 90 o C and was damaged when it was heated at the temperature of 115 o C for 2.5 hours.


In this article, I argue that Goethe's way of science, understood as a phenomenology of nature, might be one valuable means for fostering a deeper sense of responsibility and care for the natural world. By providing a conceptual and lived means to allow the natural world to present itself in a way by which it might speak if it were able, Goethe's method offers one conceptual and applied means to bypass the reductive accounts of nature typically produced by standard scientific and humanist perspectives. I illustrate this possibility largely through examples from Goethe's Theory of Color (1810).


Cold and Heat pattern identification(CHPI) in traditional East Asian medicine(TEAM) is one of the major indicator to distinguish characteristics of disease and to determine treatment method. Basic parameters to determine CHPI include the pulse rate, respiration rate, and pulse power. Studies to associate physiological responses of human body by cold stress(CS) with CHPI in TEAM were rarely done so far. This study aims to explore the effects of cold stress on pulse signal via a feasibility study for three subjects and investigate some indices which can reflect autonomic nerve reaction(ANR). We measured radial pulse signals and respiration signal of the investigated subjects before the CS, during the CS which continues for 5 minutes, and immediately after the CS, respectively. Finally, we analyzed the pulse rate (P), respiration rate (R), pulse power, pulse depth, and pulse rate per respiration (P/R ratio). As a result, the P/R ratio showed a consistently decreasing tendency through the CS stimulation process, while other parameters behaved more complex and in subject-specific ways. It implies that, among candidate parameters, the P/R ratio is a simple but the most probable parameter that can be used as the ANR indicator. This result is also consistent with the theory in TEAM scripts, in which the P/R ratio is predicted to be a direct indicator for the CHPI. This pilot study shows that P/R ratio can be more appropriately associated with the ANR than heart rate or respiration rate alone. Extensive studies will be necessary to verify or confirm the P/R ratio as an appropriate and well defined parameter for ANR.


The Curonian Lagoon is a fresh water basin. Pikeperch is a common fish species in this water body. Part of pikeperch population after wintering and spawning migrates from the Curonian Lagoon to the brackish Baltic Sea, however the cause of those migrations has been unknown. The results of the study demonstrate beneficial effect of the brackish surroundings to the growth of pikeperch, despite lower water temperature and higher water transparency. According to other studies, higher water temperature, water turbidity and good feeding conditions are the predominant factors influencing pikeperch growth, while water salinity has actually been neglected in pikeperch ecology studies during the last decades. Beneficial effect of summer in brackish surroundings is a pattern of pikeperch seasonal migration phenomenon.


Climate is the average condition of the weather of the 30 years. There rainfall, temperature, coldness wind, melting of Glacier, flood flow, precipitate and soil structure all are countable. Now a day it has burning issue of the world. Seeing to its importance the present study was carried out since March, 14, 2020.The major objective was to examine the climate impacts on soil structure and its impacts on agriculture production in the world. Total 20 articles were downloaded from the net and studied and review 10 to 20 times and analyzed the situation to how soil structure, agriculture production and living organism are impacted by climate changes in the world. The result indicates that Population pressure day by day increasing which increase the demand of the food and through this way more land is cultivated by human being which disturb the health of the soil and also damage the ecosystem of the world while increase the temperature of the universe and depleting the ozone which in the long run affect the production of agriculture. In tropical zone this increasing temperature is very dangerous for the yield of crops while in tropical zone it may be good and beneficial for farming society. Similarly industrial development on one side improve the socioeconomic condition of the world while on other side is polluted the environment and increase the green houses gases such as CO2 , CH3 and CH4 in the environment and increase the global warming of the world which affect climate and increase the temperature from one degree centigrade to two degree centigrade and make the environment unfavorable which disturb the life of living organism of the world. So now a day the world scientists are thinking about this problematic issues how to protect the environment of the world and how new varieties are identified which have resistant to the present environment in the world for agriculture production. So the study concluded that how to control the population of the world and how to protect the soil of the world for agriculture production and survival of life .There three things namely Population, Soil and Agriculture production are linking with one another. It all depends on one another and the loss of one cause the loss of the other. The climate, soil and production story is very interesting while the whole story clarified that to focus on population growth how to control it, similarly to care the health of the earth while to see to production how it link with one another. The human on the earth is greedy and selfish and they only care of their selves and not the other because of this they damage the earth and damage the environments which in the long run, create problems for Human in the world. So on the basis of problems, the study recommend that to care the family growth, health of the earth and to care the production of agriculture which positively correlate with human survival in the world. Similarly keep balance in production of food and population growth through new inventions. It is also necessary for world countries to keep the ecosystem of the world favorable and clean; Adjust the varieties level according to climate condition to solve the problems of the food crisis of the world; Climate always affect the crops, forest, vegetables, fruits, and living organism of the world, So it is necessary for scientists of the world to work hard and find solution in the emergency and to invent new technology for world prosperity while use the idea of sustainable development which is the need of the day. So it is requested to all world scientists to do the research and find the solution at that level to escape the earth health and ecosystem of the world for safety of living organism which live on the earth.


This article examines the relative importance of sticky wages and sticky prices in explaining the length and the depth of the Great Depression. Econometric evidence shows that the supply failure was an outcome of widespread price stickiness and that wage stickiness only played a minor role as a propagating factor during the first years of the Depression. Microeconomic evidence suggests that there was widespread and increasing industrial concentration during the interwar period.


The objectives of this research were to i) evaluate the performance of pavement subdrainage systems, ii) study the behavior of moisture conditions below pavements, and iii) provide recommendations for improved drainage criteria based on analysis of field data. Existing and retrofitted subdrainage collector systems were inspected through external visual inspection in combination with a probe for internal inspection. Distresses and deficiencies in construction observed were listed and compiled on video. A methodology for inspection is presented that can be used by highway agencies in monitoring the condition, need for maintenance, and performance of collector systems. Pavements with various types of subdrainage systems were instrumented to monitor the effects of different parameters influencing flow. The instrumentation package included pressure transducers, moisture blocks, thermistor probe, rain gauge, tipping bucket flow meter, and a data recording and storage system. Laboratory investigations were conducted on subgrade and subbase samples collected from instrumented sites to assess their material and hydraulic properties. Parameters obtained by fitting Brooks & Corey's model and Van Genuchten's model to experimental data have shown good correlations with measured values. Data collected from instrumented sites show varying response rate and time of outflow with respect to precipitation for different types of pavements and collector systems. Statistical analysis has shown significant influence of base permeability in addition to pavement and drain types on pavement outflow. High correlations exist between precipitation and pore pressure underneath pavements. Data from instrumentation and laboratory tests will help in calibrating and validating an analytical seepage program developed separately as part of this research project.


Abstract Four species of Minettia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 from Southwest China are described as new to science: Minettia (Minettiella) dashahensissp. nov., M. (Minettiella) longispinasp. nov., M. (Minettiella) membranaceasp. nov. and M. (Minettiella) zhaotongensissp. nov. A key to the species of the subgenus Minettiella of the world is presented.


The main emphasis of the paper is on the work done by the writer between the years 1957 and 1992 on the phenomenon of pressure waves in form of pulses which reflect from blades of adjacent blade rows of turbo-machines. The recently revived interest in "acoustic resonances", whose details are still not well defined or understood, points to a realization that a new look at some previously unrecognized findings is needed to explain problems encountered in operation of compressors and turbines. The purpose of this paper is to call attention of the turbo-machinery community to an important physical phenomenon discovered more than forty years ago about whose existence and consequences there is little awareness today. The turbine test results which led the writer in 1957 to hypothesize the existence of the phenomenon of reflecting pressure pulses are described. Subsequently, his 1966 ASME paper is discussed. In it the writer reported on the photographed observations of pressure pulses reflecting between stationary nozzles and moving blades of a water-table turbine at Lehigh University, on the description of the various types of such waves, and on an explanation of some of the resonant blade excitation frequencies observed by NACA in a turbine of turbojet engine. This is followed by a description of his 1984 ASME paper in which more general formulae were derived for the blade excitation frequencies caused by reflections of pressure pulses between the rotor blades and both upstream and downstream stator vanes. These equations were subsequently used to explain blade excitation frequencies measured in an axial compressor stage. Finally, his 1992 AIAA paper is discussed in which additional formulae relating to the reflecting pressure pulses were derived and the process of formation of a pressure pulse explained. To put this work in perspective, the writer provided, in mostly chronological order, excerpts from reports on operational problems encountered with turbo-machines in service and brief descriptions, from selected publications, of pertinent research work.© 2009 ASME


This paper provides a comparison of research benefits for linear and nonlinear constant elasticity (NLCE) specifications of supply and demand with a pivotal supply shift framework. The comparison allows for a sensitivity test of results to different values for demand and supply elasticity. The main finding is that the values of the gross annual research benefits calculated for the NLCE specification are larger than those calculated for the linear specification with price-elastic supply but are smaller with price-inelastic supply. The analysis suggests that the use of an NLCE specification and a pivotal shift due to research is usually preferable to use of a linear supply curve with pivotal shift.


From the standpoint of Chinese teachers in primary schools,the new National Curriculum reform has its own strengths and weaknesses.It changes teaching views and urges the teachers to employ teaching materials creatively.It develops the students' individuality,widens their view and encourages them to all-around developement.Futhermore its appraisal mode benefits the students a lot.But the training of new National Curriculum can not follow the steps of the reform,so the teachers can not achieve their goal;they look forward to getting more opportunities to be trained so as to advance the art of teaching and effect Chinese teaching.


Mice with a humanized immune system, so called "humanized" mouse models, have been established to study the complex interaction of the human immune system during human disorders. In case of cancer research, the in vivo model ideally should recapitulate the biological characteristics of the human tumor and of the related tumor microenvironment in patient such as immune system. Human immune system is reconstituted in immunodeficient mice using either human PBMCs or hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Humanized mice bearing human target tumor cells constitute relevant models for evaluation of cancer therapeutics such as bispecific antibodies, immune cell targeting antibodies. In vivo proof of concept studies were performed with humanized mice xenografted with either human disseminated lymphoma or with human solid tumors (tumor cell line and Patient Derived Xenograft model, Her2 positive breast, colon, ovarian and lung cancers) and treated with therapeutic antibodies. Biomarkers of response to immune cell targeting therapies were evaluated by flow cytometry as well as immunohistochemistry analyses. In case of disseminated B-cell lymphoma grafted into mice reconstituted with human PBMC, efficacy of antibody was evidenced by an increased survival and a high decrease of human B cells in mouse bone marrow. Lung and ovarian PDX developed in HSC reconstituted BRGS mice induced an increase in Tregs and a change in T/B ratio in blood and spleen samples. Furthermore, we evidenced the presence of Tregs within human PDX tumor by immunohistochemistry. Citation Format: Olivier Duchamp, Francis Bichat, Caroline Mignard, Francois Ghiringhelli, Jean-Francois Mirjolet, IMODI Consortium. Humanized mouse models for evaluation of cancer therapies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 624.


This paper proposes a new representation of the worldwide distribution of human population and economic activity over two millennia. Combining the Maddison and the G-Econ databases, it tracks the evolution of the world's demographic and economic centers of gravity during the 1-2010 period. The distributional and temporal patterns that emerge are clear and contrasted, with a stable East-Asian predominance during the first eighteen centuries, followed by a boomerang-like westward shift during the last two centuries. New turning points are identified, suggesting that the reversal of the Western shift occurred as early as the 1920s in demographic terms and in the 1950s in economic ones. JEL classification: N10, O10 and R10


Scenedesmus is a microalgae as a fish and shrimp larva feed because the high nutrition value, easy to culture and harvest. The aim of these research are to know massal culture of the high density of Scenedesmus and to use for Rotifera feed (natural and concetrate type)The experiment used one m3 of massal culture of Scenedesmus sp. In 0,8,16 and 24 ppt. The result showed that 16 ppt treatment gave the best daily growth of Scenedesmus sp.(6.78 x 106 cell/ml).Analysis of proximate and fatty acids of Scenedesmus sp. In 16 ppt also showed the best contents of protein, fat, EPA and DHA.


Abstract An experimental study of turbulence generated by a low-blockage space-filling fractal square grid was performed using cinematographic stereoscopic particle image velocimetry in a water tunnel. All fluctuating velocity gradients were measured and their statistics were computed at three different stations along the streamwise direction downstream of the grid: in the production region, at the location of peak turbulence intensity and in the non-equilibrium decay region. The usual signatures of these statistics are only found in the decay region, where a well-defined $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}2/3$ power-law dependence of the second-order structure function on two-point distance is also present. However, this $2/3$ exponent is well defined over a wide range of scales even at the peak location, where the statistics of the fluctuating velocity-gradient tensor are very unusual. There, as at the production region station, the $Q\text {--}R$ teardrop shape is not yet fully developed, vortex stretching only slightly dominates over compression and they both fluctuate very widely, reaching very high low-probability values. In these two stations, there is also only marginal preference between sheet-like and tube-like velocity-gradient structures as seen by the sign of the second eigenvalue of the strain-rate tensor. Yet, there are subregions of the flow in the production region where the $2/3$ exponent is present and where the $Q\text {--}R$ teardrop shape is as undeveloped as for the entire data set at this station.


The variable-criteria sequential stopping rule (SSR) allows an investigator to use a few subjects at a time to determine whether a planned experiment is worth pursuing without increasing the rate of false discoveries (type I errors). The SSR is appropriate whenever testing a null hypothesis if the experiment can be conducted in stages. The investigator adds a predetermined number of subjects at each stage and tests repeatedly for significance until the experiment is stopped because: (1) a significant effect is detected; (2) the effect is clearly not going to be significant; or (3) the predetermined maximal number of subjects has been reached. Two crucial features of the SSR are that it holds the probability of a type I error constant and maintains excellent power. The method is more efficient than is performing a typical significance test after a power analysis because SSR can require 30% fewer subjects to achieve the same power. The variable-criteria SSR provides a formal method for assuring the use of a minimal number of animals. This article provides practical examples of how to use the SSR in combination with a t test, one-way ANOVA, one-way ANOVA with a planned contrast as the focus of the stopping rule, or, in limited circumstances, multifactorial ANOVA.


Based on a socio-spatial analysis, this paper aims at drawing the authorities' attention on a few Bucharest ghettos that occurred after the 1990s. After the Revolution, Bucharest has undergone many socio-spatial changes. The modifications that occurred in the urban perimeter manifested in the technical and urban dynamics, in the urban infrastructure, and in the socio-economic field. The dynamics and the urban evolution of Bucharest have affected the community life, especially the community homogeneity intensely desired during the communist regime by the occurrence of socially marginalized spaces or ghettos as their own inhabitants call them. Ghettos represent an urban stain of color, a special morphologic framework. The Bucharest "ghettos" appeared by a spatial concentration of Roma population and of poverty in zones with a precarious infrastructure. The inhabitants of these areas (Zăbrăuţi, Aleea Livezilor, Iacob Andrei, Amurgului and Valea Cascadelor) are somehow constrained to live in such spaces, mainly because of lack of income, education and because of their low professional qualification. These weak points or handicaps exclude the ghetto population from social participation and from getting access to urban zones with good habitations.


Rank association is a fundamental tool to express dependence for ordinal data. Measures of rank correlation have been developed in several contexts for more than a century and we were able to cite more than thirty of these coefficients, from simple ones to relatively complicated definitions involving one or more systems of weights. However, only a few of these can actually be considered reasonable measures of concordance/discordance. The main drawback with the vast majority of coefficients is their resistance-to-change which appears to be of limited value for the purposes of rank comparisons that are intrinsically robust. In this article, a new non-parametric correlation coefficient is defined that is based on ratios of two ranks. In comparing it with existing coefficients, it was found to be extremely sensitive to permutation patterns.We have illustrated the potential improvement that our index may provide in economic contexts by comparing published results with those obtained through the use of this new index. The success that we have had suggests that our index may have important applications wherever the discriminatory power of the rank correlation coefficient ought to be particularly strong.


The interdigital transducer (IDT) of the traditional Mach-Zehnder (MZ) acousto-optic modulator on a silicon-oninsulator (SOI) platform is located outside its two arms. The crest and trough of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) are used to modulate the two arms of the MZ interferometer so as to achieve a high modulation efficiency. Therefore, the distance between the two arms must be odd multiples of half acoustic wavelength. However, since the substrate is usually not uniform, the wavelength of the SAW changes as it transmits through the surface of the device. As a result, the exact distance between the two arms is difficult to choose. On the other hand, the SAW losses a portion of energy after passing through the first arm of the MZ interferometer, so the modulation of the second arm becomes much weaker. To solve these problems, we propose a new structure where its IDT is situated in the middle of the two arms of the MZ interferometer. With this scheme, the two arms of the MZ interferometer are located exactly at the crest and the trough of the SAW, while they are modulated with equal strength. In this paper, we first use the finite element method to simulate the acoustic frequency and the surface displacement of the excited SAW. Then we deduce the refractive index variations of all layers according to their acousto-optic effects. After that, we analyze the influences of different factors on the acousto-optic modulation efficiency, including the type and size of waveguide, the thickness of zinc oxide (ZnO) layer, and the area it covers, the number of electrodes, etc. These parameters are accordingly optimized to enhance the modulation efficiency. Modeling result based on COMSOL Multiphysics indicates that when the width of the strip waveguide is 6 μm, the ZnO layer covers only the area under the IDT and has a thickness of 2.2 μm, and the number of the electrodes is 50, the effective refractive index variation of the waveguide reaches 4.08 × 10−4 provided that the amplitude of the driving voltage is 1 V. This value is 12% higher than that of the traditional structure.


We propose to apply a technique called time-reversal to UWB communications. In time-reversal a signal is precoded such that it focuses both in time and in space at a particular receiver. Spatial focusing reduces interference to other co-existing systems. Due to temporal focusing, the received power is concentrated within a few taps and the task of equalizer design becomes much simpler than without focusing. Furthermore, temporal focusing allows a large increase in transmission rate compared to schemes that let the impulse response ring out before the next symbol is sent. Our paper introduces time-reversal, investigates the benefit of temporal focusing, and examines the performance of an MMSE-TR equalizer in an UWB channel.


Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurological disorder that impairs normal motor function and has no cure at present. Diagnosis of PD is clinical only; biopsies confirming the presence of the disease can only be done post-mortem. Furthermore, similarities in the manifestation of PD symptoms to other diseases such as Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), make early diagnosis difficult and ambiguous. As a result, there is a high demand for research investigating biomarkers for timely diagnosis of PD. Alpha-synuclein (α-SYN) is a protein found misfolded in the brain and other body tissues of PD patients. Its relevance and association to PD make it a prime biomarker candidate. However, reports in the literature suggest that the structural form and location of α-SYN are key to yield a reliable diagnosis. The aim of this Minireview is to highlight efforts made in studying α-SYN as a biomarker over the past decade. Key Findings: Based on the literature surveyed, α-SYN was indeed the most widely studied candidate biomarker for PD. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and skin were promising sites for assessing α-SYN effectiveness in differentiating PD from MSA. Furthermore, gastro-intestinal α-SYN was suitable for early diagnosis of PD. A combination of total α-SYN and other forms including but not limited to phosphorylated α-SYN were the best predictors of the disease. Conclusion: Misdiagnosis of patients enrolled in clinical trials is a confounding factor for PD drug development. A robust biomarker for PD will help eradicate this problem. Identifying an accurate biomarker for PD will also ensure timely therapeutic intervention to manage symptoms better and improve the quality of life of patients. The promise α-SYN and its phosphorylated form show in different tissues is a step forward in this direction.


Abstract The San Marcos salamander (Eurycea nana), endemic to the headwaters of the San Marcos River, is federally threatened because of its restricted range and threats to its habitat. Captive propagation efforts for E. nana were initiated in 1996 to maintain a captive population for restocking in the event that E. nana becomes extinct. We surveyed DNA sequence data for a mitochondrial and a nuclear gene region (ND4 and rag1) and 281 AFLP markers to obtain baseline data on the level of genetic diversity across the known range of E. nana and to test for population subdivision within its restricted range. Next, we compared levels of genetic variation between E. nana in the wild and captive-born individuals from the captive population to assess the efficacy of the captive breeding program. We investigated inbreeding in the captive population by testing for deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at the rag1 locus for captive-born individuals. The level of genetic diversity detected in wild E. nana was similar to that of other Eurycea populations in central Texas, and we found no evidence of population structure across the range of E. nana. The surveyed captive-born E. nana contained reduced genetic diversity at some loci, but similar genetic diversity at others relative to the wild, and there was no evidence of inbreeding within the wild-caught individuals that sired these captive-born individuals. The data we have obtained regarding the level of genetic variation in wild E. nana and in the captive population will provide baseline information for this species.


Background Potential hazards of vena cava filters include migration, tilt, perforation, fracture, and in-filter thrombosis. Due to physiological changes during pregnancy, the incidence of these complications might be different in pregnant women. Aim To evaluate the use and safety of inferior vena cava filters in both women who had an inferior vena cava filter inserted during pregnancy, and in women who became pregnant with an inferior vena cava filter in situ. Methods We performed two searches in the literature using the keywords "vena cava filter", "pregnancy" and "obstetrics". Results The literature search on women who had a filter inserted during pregnancy yielded 11 articles compiling data on 199 women. At least one filter complication was reported in 33/177 (19%) women and included in-filter thrombosis (n = 14), tilt (n = 6), migration (n = 5), perforation (n = 2), fracture (n = 3), misplacement (n = 1), air embolism (n = 1) and allergic reaction (n = 1). Two (1%) filter complications led to maternal deaths, of which at least one was directly associated with a filter insertion. Filter retrieval failed in 9/149 (6%) women. The search on women who became pregnant with a filter in situ resulted in data on 21 pregnancies in 14 women, of which one (6%) was complicated by uterine trauma, intraperitoneal hemorrhage and fetal death caused by perforation of the inferior vena cava filter. Conclusion The risks of filter complications in pregnancy are comparable to the nonpregnant population, but could lead to fetal or maternal death. Therefore, only in limited situations such as extensive thrombosis with a contraindication for anticoagulants, inferior vena filters should be considered in pregnant women.


The growing popularity of peer-to-peer (P2P) systems provides an ideal venue for worm propagation. As a kind of topological worms, the propagation of P2P worms is tightly related with the overlay topology of the P2P system. Therefore, understanding the relationship between the P2P worm propagation and the overlay topologies is very important. In this paper, through simulation, incorporated with classical theoretical analysis, a study of the impact of overlay topologies on P2P worm propagation is conducted. A series of interesting conclusions are drawn from the study which help us to understand the P2P worm propagation characteristics and provide valuable guidelines for P2P worm defense strategies design.


A review of literature reveals serious problems in the validity and reliability of the measurement tools used in simulation technology acceptance studies conducted in the context of various technology acceptance models. To address this gap in literature, this study proposes a measurement tool that will allow a valid and reliable measurement of students' acceptance levels. The study was conducted in the 2017–2018 academic year and involved a group of 409 health sciences students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to examine the construct validity of the conclusions based on gathered measurements. At the end of the EFA, a construct with a single factor and 24 items which explained 54.87 percent of the total variance was obtained. Based on the findings of the research, it was concluded that simulation acceptance scale produced from the EFA could be used for valid and reliable measurements regarding the general acceptance of simulation technologies by the health sciences students.


Prompt secondary electron bremsstrahlung X-ray (prompt X-ray) imaging using a low-energy X-ray camera is a promising method for observing a beam shape from outside the subject. However, the images measured within short times suffer from statistical noise. Consequently, we performed prompt X-ray imaging with higher sensitivity using a larger-diameter pinhole collimator and compared the results with those of a conventional collimator. Prompt X-ray imaging was conducted during irradiation with pencil beams of 241.5-MeV/n carbon ions to a water phantom. A newly developed X-ray camera with a 4-mm diameter as well as conventional 1.5-mm-diameter pinhole collimators was used for the imaging in list mode, and we compared the prompt X-ray images, energy spectra, and time count rate curves between 1.5-mm-diameter and 4-mm-diameter pinhole collimators. The prompt X-ray images taken with the 4-mm-diameter pinhole collimators had ∼7 times higher sensitivity with 70 % lower offset fractions originating from the prompt gamma photons. Furthermore, the ranges were more precisely estimated with the 4-mm collimator than with the 1.5-mm collimator. The energy spectra showed less contamination by tungsten-characteristic X-rays for the 4-mm pinhole collimator. Even for images measured with 0.1-s intervals, the beam shapes and time count rate curves could be obtained with less statistical noise using the 4-mm-diameter pinhole collimators. The use of the 4-mm-diameter pinhole collimator attached to the X-ray camera had advantages for prompt X-ray imaging with high sensitivity and low background, enabling us to image the beams even with short-time measurements.


In the paper we describe a theoretical framework to model local search as the computation of a fixed point of functions. There are only few studies of theoretical frameworks for local search, this work allows one to simulate standard strategies used for local search and to easily design new strategies in a uniform framework. The use of this framework is illustrated through the description of Tabu search and random walk methods for solving different instances of Sudoku problem.


Radars operate at their best with long line of sight and clear environmental conditions. Superior security radars excel when the environmental conditions are less than perfect and the terrain is challenging. If careful consideration is given to the design of a physical security system taking into account the threat, environment, and overall system performance requirement, it is evident that ground surveillance radars provide superior performance and value over other perimeter sensors, and FMCW radars are superior to pulse Doppler radars for this application.


A quantitative survey was carried out on the subcutaneous and abdominal adipose tissue of two inbred strains of mouse; STR/ORT is a strain in which the knee joints of the males have a very high incidence of osteoarthrosis, whereas the incidence of the disease in the females is much lower; the CBA/ORT mice represent a normal laboratory strain which rarely suffers from osteoarthrosis. In terms of the weight of readily removable subcutaneous and abdominal adipose tissue, the male STR/ORT mice were slightly leaner than the male CBA/ORT mice, the female STR/ORT mice were obese when compared with their CBA/ORT counterparts. Thus, in these mice, there was no positive correlation between obesity and osteoarthrosis. This evidence confirms previous mouse studies and is contrary to the commonly held view that in humans obesity predisposes to osteoarthrosis.


The archive of Josephine Baker's images is staggering. Hundreds of her photographs—dancing or frozen as in a reverie, with melancholic or comically crossed eyes, naked or glamorously clad— illustrate numerous books and writings, which portray, and attempt to explain, the celebrated African American expatriate in Paris. These photographs, paintings, and memorabilia are stored in museums and private collections; they are read and reread by performance and film scholars and those who are simply fascinated or intrigued by her countless personae. Multiple binaries have been used to explain her, but I argue that Baker invites us to see her as positioned within the boundary line that separates these binaries. I further ask what it means to be in-between, and how we are to make sense of a body that carries its spatiality marked on its body. In this paper, I offer a reading of Baker that concentrates on her infamous banana skirt as an important element of her dialectics, which brilliantly captures the contradictions and ambiguities of Josephine Baker's self-representations. Initially made of rubber, and rather playful in tone, the banana skirt gradually became glittering, then pointy, eventually turning into strategically-placed, menacing spikes that all-too-obviously invoked mental associations with male organs. Thus, she girded herself with "phalluses" catering to European sexual desires and fantasies of


Objectives: The rate of mandibular anesthesia failures is higher than maxilla, where the highest percentage is the inferior alveolar nerve block. One alternative action in case of failure is a mental nerve block, located in the mental foramen. Thus, knowledge of the mental foramen anatomy is required to avoid failure in anesthesia. The study is to determine the vertical and horizontal position of the mental foramen, which refers to the crest of the alveolar bone, using panoramic radiographs.
Materials and Methods: The type of research that is used is descriptive with a purposive sampling method. The object of research is panoramic radiographs of patients who are in Dentistry Radiology Installation of Dental Hospital Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung with a total sample of 352 panoramic radiographs. This research measured the vertical and horizontal distances between the mental foramen to the alveolar bone crest between 1st premolar teeth and 2nd premolar teeth.
Results: The average value of the vertical distance mental foramen to the alveolar bone crest is 13,43 mm. The average value of the horizontal distance from mental foramen to 1st premolar teeth is 6,97 mm and the horizontal distance from mental foramen to 2nd premolar teeth is 2,80 mm.
Conclusion: Mental foramen is closer to the 2nd premolar teeth based on the horizontal position and located below the apex based on the vertical position.


Radiation from a magnetic line source in a ground plane covered by an anisotropic lossy plasma layer is considered. A magnetostatic field is impressed parallel to the slab and normal to the source. Expressions are obtained by Fourier analysis and the stationary phase procedure for the far-field components of both radiating modes. Numerical results are given for the uniaxial plasma without losses. It is shown that in this case pattern maxima and minima are directly related to ordinary transmission-line reflection conditions expressed in terms of a "transverse-wavelength."


This volume approaches the fascinating figure of Iolo Morganwg - stonemason, poet and literary forger - from three distinct but interrelated angles. They all take as their starting point Iolo Morganwg's 'marginality' within mainstream literary society both in London and in Wales and demonstrate the strategies that he used to overcome the frustrations of his situation. Iolo's notoriety as a literary forger provides the context for the first discussion in the volume, which considers his efforts to pass on his own work as that of famous Welsh writers of the past. This chapter looks at how important the editorial apparatus with which Iolo surrounded his forgeries was to his attempt to ensure their satisfactory reception. Secondly, two collections of printed books owned by Iolo and containing marginal commentary in his hand are explored. The discussion here demonstrates Iolo's keen interest in the forging of a path for the Welsh language within the developing public domain of the regional eisteddfodau and also his complex personal relations with some of the more successful authors of his day. Iolo's vulnerability and marginality within the context of a Welsh public sphere are both brought to the fore in this chapter. Finally, the volume turns to the marginalia left by Iolo on letters within his collection of correspondence, showing his extraordinary creativity and bringing to attention for the first time some of his unpublished work in the fields of Welsh and English poetry and on matters relating to the Welsh language.


Response onset latencies for sentences that start with a conjoined noun phrase are typically longer than for sentences starting with a simple noun phrase. This suggests that advance planning has phrasal scope, which may or may not be lexically driven. All previous studies have involved spoken production, leaving open the possibility that effects are, in part, modality-specific. In 3 image-description experiments (Ns = 32) subjects produced sentences with conjoined (e.g., Peter and the hat) and simple initial noun phrases (e.g., Peter) in both speech and writing. Production onset latencies and participants' eye movements were recorded. Ease of lexical retrieval of sentences' second noun was assessed by manipulating codability (Experiment 1) and by gaze-contingent name priming (Experiments 2 and 3). Findings confirmed a modality-independent phrasal scope for advance planning but did not support obligatory lexical retrieval beyond the sentence-initial noun. This research represents the first direct experimental comparison of sentence planning in speech and writing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


This paper presents the design and the performance analysis of nonlinear controllers for the positioning and path-following of a quadrotor. The design of the fuzzy sliding mode controller (FSMC) has been carried out based on sliding mode control (SMC) integrated into a fuzzy logic approach in order to eliminate the chattering. For the performance analysis, another nonlinear controller based on backstepping technique has been designed. A hierarchical two-loop architecture is proposed in order to solve the regulation and trajectory tracking control problem. The effectiveness of the nonlinear controllers is verified by simulation in a virtual environment, where the quadrotor must attain the desired position and follow the desired trajectory even in the presence of external disturbances. The performance analysis of the nonlinear controllers taken as a case study in this research is done using suitable performance indices such as ISE, IAE, among others. The comparative results show that the FSMC controller overcomes the backstepping controller in terms of performance and robustness.


The development of new nanocrystals with outstanding physicochemical properties requires a full three-dimensional (3D) characterization at the atomic scale. For homogeneous nanocrystals, counting the number of atoms in each atomic column from high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images has been shown to be a successful technique to get access to this 3D information. However, technologically important nanostructures often consist of more than one chemical element. In order to extend atom counting to heterogeneous materials, a new atomic lensing model is presented. This model takes dynamical electron diffraction into account and opens up new possibilities for unraveling the 3D composition at the atomic scale. Here, the method is applied to determine the 3D structure of Au@Ag core-shell nanorods, but it is applicable to a wide range of heterogeneous complex nanostructures.


The promotion of medical and health knowledge among the population is an integral aspect of the work of all physicians in the U.S.S.R. The coordination of different aspects of teaching on health education within the general training of the future physician is particularly important. A comprehensive interdisciplinary study was conducted by the Central Institute for Scientific Research in Health Education in several medical schools during the last 5 years in order to develop the preparedness of medical students for their future activities in health education. An experimental method on the "involvement of subjects in real-life situations" was used to evaluate the subjects degree of preparedness. The experiment included 469 6th year medical students from 5 schools in the country. The results revealed that the students possessed a sufficient volume of knowledge in the field of health education but the majority were unable to apply this knowledge in medical practice since they were not convinced of its necessity. An experimental educational scheme based on the findings of pedagogical and psychological studies aimed at improving teaching methods was worked out. The experimental training program included the development of scientific thinking drawing up of a specially designed system of exercises for use as a teaching tool in developing the required intellectual skills and application of programmed learning. The training scheme was experimentally tested with 211 students from the same 5 medical schools; the control group consisted of 235 students. The experimental training considerably improved the preparedness of students for health education activities. Most of the subjects developed the ability to act in various situations of medical practice and to select and apply proper educational treatment. This had not been the case before training. In the control group no significant difference was observed between the results obtained at the diagnostic stage and those of the control tests.


BACKGROUND: Limited exercise tolerance is a cardinal clinical feature in COPD. Depression and COPD share some clinical features, such as reduced physical activity and impaired nutritional status. The aim of the present study was to evaluate maximum and daily physical activities and the nutritional status of COPD patients affected or not by depression. METHODS: In 70 COPD out-patients, daily and maximum physical activities were assessed by multisensor accelerometer armband, 6-min walk test, and cardiopulmonary exercise test. Mental status, metabolic/muscular status, and systemic inflammation were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, by bioelectrical impedance analysis, and with regard to fibrinogen/C-reactive protein, respectively. RESULTS: Depressed subjects (27% of the sample) showed a similar level of respiratory functional impairment but a higher level of shortness of breath and a worse quality of life compared to non-depressed subjects (P < .05). Specifically, they displayed a physical activity impairment consisting of a reduced number of steps per day, a lower peak of oxygen consumption, an early anaerobic threshold, and a reduced distance in the 6-min walk test (P < .05) but the same nutritional status compared to non-depressed subjects. In the multivariate analysis, a reduced breathing reserve, obesity, and a higher level of shortness of breath, but not depression, were found to be independent factors associated with a reduced daily number of steps. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that depressed COPD patients have a reduced daily and maximum exercise capacity compared to non-depressed patients. This further suggests the potential utility of screening for depression in COPD.


The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox (varicella) as the primary disease and shingles (zoster) as a recurrent manifestation of infection, both being generally benign and self-limiting. While these infections may be severe in adults and even life-threatening in immunosuppressed individuals, they may be amenable to effective antiviral drugs or varicella-zoster immune globulin, provided the treatment is administered early. The prompt diagnosis of VZV infections may be accelerated by rapid, sensitive and specific molecular techniques such as amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) compared with slower and more cumbersome tissue culture and serological procedures. Based on the VZV gene 4 which encodes a transcriptional activator, primers were designed for use in PCR to amplify a target fragment of 381 bp. Distinct diagnostic bands were observed by agarose gel electrophoresis of PCR products of VZV strains isolated from 11 varicella and 7 zoster patients in Singapore, as well as of the Japanese vaccine Oka strain. The detection sensitivity of this PCR assay was determined to be 1 pg of purified VZV DNA equivalent to about 7,000 viral DNA copies. No target bands were amplified from negative control templates from five related human herpes-viruses and from human DNA. The specificity of the PCR products was ensured by direct cycle DNA sequencing, which revealed complete identity of the 18 VZV isolates with the published European Dumas strain. The strong sequence conservation of the target fragment renders this PCR assay highly reliable for detecting the VZV sequence. Only one VZV strain isolated from a patient with varicella during pregnancy exhibited a GGA to GAA point mutation at codon 46 of gene 4, culminating in the non-conservative substitution of Ser with Phe. The predicted secondary structure of the mutant polypeptide portrayed a radical alteration, which may influence its function in transcriptional activation.


Optical-field-induced ionization (OFI) by ultrashort, high-intensity lasers has the potential for realizing high-repetitionrate, table-top x-rays lasers. Recent experiment using a preformed plasma as the initial medium has lead to much progress on this approach.' The results suggested that preionization of the medium prior to the OF1 would play important roles for creating extremely cold electrons? The estimated electron temperature produced by this method was much lower than that obtained by OFI without the preformed plasma. In this presentation, we discuss a two-component plasma model by which we can explain the production of an extremely cold plasma. We also present experimental investigation of self-defocusing of the pump beam, which limits the maximum gain length. The AT1 model3 predicted much higher electron temperature (26 eV) than the temperature which produced by our OF1 scheme using a preformed plasma. In the preformed plasma, cold free electrons and OF1 plasma were existed prior to the field ionization which play an important role to reduce electron temperature. These cold initial electrons survive after the OFI because of ultrashort pulse duration of the high-intensity KrF laser. An averaged electron temperature of the OF1 plasma was decreased by the rapid o 5 10 15 20 25 30


Immunological test alterations in Hodgkin's disease are described. Cutaneous reactivity to various antigens (tuberculin, oidiomycin, trichophytin, parotitis virus, candida, etc.), cutaneous reactivity to sensitizing chemical agents (DNCB, DNFB), lymphocyte blastization in vitro with PHA and various antigens, the reaction of homologous lymphocytes transferred to the skin, and the stimulation by the Hodgkin lymphocytes of homologous lymphocytes in unidirectional mixed culture, are all impaired. Antibody immunity would appear to be normal. The impairment of the T system and normality of the B system would explain these patients' much greater susceptibility to viral than to bacterial diseases. On the basis of the most recent research, it is hypothesized that underlying these phenomena is a deficiency in the H-LA system which makes it unable to recognize certain neoplastic antigens (Reed-Strenberg reticular cells, for example); stimulation of the B system by the formation of anti-T antibodies and subsequent depletion of this system.


The relationship between businesses and their clients has long been a basic concern in any industry, and therefore preserving that relationship has been the primary emphasis of any business at present. This is an exploratory study aimed at determining how employees' skills affect client satisfaction in the automobile industry in Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. Using a multistage sample technique, 125 clients who visited the automobile sales center were chosen as the sample of this study. After a client purchased a vehicle, the client was given a self-administrated questionnaire, which was developed on the "Much Skills" matrix that covers three categories: Job focus, soft skills, and technical skills. A well-structured questionnaire with 35 items was utilized to collect data using a quantitative research technique. The questionnaire was distributed to 125 clients. A total of 117 questionnaires were filled up, and only and 106 questionnaires were fully completed. The five-point Likert scale was used to rate the participant's view with a series of statements ranging from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating strong dissatisfaction and 5 indicating strong satisfaction. After the data has been collected, it was filtered and presented in the form of tables and graphs. The gathered data were coded and analyzed by SPSS (version 23). Along with the descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, chi-square, multiple regression, and factor analysis were used in the study's analysis. Based on the sample, the findings suggest that the technical, soft, and job-related skills of employees have an impact on clients' satisfaction. Finally, this research has provided an enhanced understanding of how organizations can improve client satisfaction. The findings of this study are essential for an organization to implement policies to achieve a higher competitive outcome, which leads to organizational success. This study contributes to the literature by increasing and improving the company's existing information in order to increase customer satisfaction with after-sales service in the Sri Lankan automotive industry.


Epileptic electroencephalographic (EEG) data often contains a large number of sharp spiky transient patterns which are diagnostically important. Background activity is the EEG activity representing the normal pattern from the brain. Transient activity manifests itself as any non-structured sharp wave with dynamically short appearance as distinguished from the background EEG. Generally speaking, the amplitude change of background activity varies slowly with time and spiky transient activity varies quickly with pointed peaks.In this thesis, a method has been developed to automatically extract transient patterns based on morphological filtering in multiresolution representation. Using a simple structuring element (SE) to match a signal's geometrical shape, mathematical morphology is applied to detect the differences of morphological characteristics of signals. If a signal contains features consistent with the geometrical feature of the structuring element, a morphological filter can recognize and extract the signal of interest. The multiresolution scheme can be based on the wavelet packet transform which decomposes a signal into scaling and wavelet coefficients of different resolutions. The morphological separation filter is applied to these coefficients to produce two subsets of coefficients for each coefficient sequence: one representing the background activity and the other representing the transients. These subsets of coefficients are processed by the inverse wavelet transform to obtain the transient component and the background component. Alternatively, a morphological lifting scheme has been proposed for separation these two components. Experimental results on both synthetic data and real EEG data have shown that the developed methods are highly effective in automatic extraction of spiky transients in the epileptic EEG data.The interictal spike trains thus extracted from multiple electrode recordings are further analyzed. Their cross-correlograms are examined according to the stochastic point process model. Our experiment result has been verified by human experts' estimation.


1038 and 1038H are wrought medium-carbon non-alloy steels that are used in the normalized, cold worked, or quenched and tempered condition. 1038 and 1038H may also be flame or induction hardened. These steels are widely used for moderately and highly stressed parts that require higher strength levels than can be achieved by the lower carbon grades, and where the expense of an alloy steel is not justified. 1038 and 1038H are one of the most widely used steels for threaded fasteners. Their popularity stems from their excellent cold-heading properties, low cost and availability. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: CS-230. Producer or source: Data Survey.


OBJECTIVE
Allergic rhinitis, a disease that impairs quality of life, is characterized by inflammation due to an allergic reaction. Fexofenadine is a second-generation histamine receptor blocker well known for its potent interaction with this inflammatory process. The main aim of this study was to further clarify the anti-inflammatory effects exerted by fexofenadine in patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis.

METHODS
Twenty patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis due to birch and mugwort pollen were enrolled. Fexofenadine was administered once a day at a dose of 120 mg. Clinical improvement was assessed by a symptom score, and nasal airway flows were measured by anterior rhinomanometry at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment with fexofenadine. Nasal smears were tested for eosinophils and nasal lavage fluid were examined for histamine, cysteinyl leukotrienes, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, eosinophil cationic protein, and albumin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All the tests were performed during the pollen season.

RESULTS
Fexofenadine induced a significant improvement in nasal and ocular symptoms (P < .001), nasal edema and secretion (P < .001), and nasal airway flow (P < .001). The clinical improvement was related to a significant reduction in all inflammatory mediators (P < .01 in all cases).

CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates that fexofenadine is able to mediate significant changes in different nasal lavage markers from patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis. The changes observed in the markers analyzed in both nasal secretions and serum are attributable to the anti-inflammatory effects of fexofenadine in vivo.


Plasma levels of fibrinopeptide A (FPA), D-dimer and tissue-plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA-Ag) were measured serially in 38 patients with acute myocardial infarction undergone emergency coronary angiography and/or PTCR (percutaneous transluminal coronary recanalization). A special attention has been focussed in the possible correlation of the variables of coagulation and fibrinolysis with the degree of patency of infarct-related coronary arteries (IRAs). Before PTCR, 26 patients with completely occluded IRAs had significantly higher plasma levels of FPA when compared with those of 12 patients with incompletely occluded IRAs (33.8 +/- 2.4 vs 11.0 +/- 1.3 ng/ml, mean +/- SD, p less than 0.05, respectively). Successful recanalization were resulted in 19 of 26 patients with completely occluded IRAs. Though plasma D-dimer levels significantly increased after PTCR both in patients with or without successful reperfusion, there were neither differences in the two groups before nor after PTCR (154.8 +/- 1.9 to 257.0 +/- 3.0 vs 131.6 +/- 4.8 to 254.9 +/- 4.1 ng/ml, mean +/- SD, respectively). Coronary angiography in 30 patients, performed about a month after the onset of acute myocardial infarction, revealed good patency (the stenosis was less than 90% evaluated according to the American Heart Association Committee Report in 1975) of IRAs in 17 patients and poor patency (the stenosis was 99% or 100%) of IRAs in 13 patients. The former patients had significantly higher plasma levels of t-PA-Ag after 24 hours from the onset than those of the latter patients (26.6 +/- 10.7 vs 17.4 +/- 4.2 ng/ml, mean +/- SD, p less than 0.05, respectively). These findings suggest that the increase in thrombin activity affects unfavorably the patency of IRAs in the evolving of myocardial infarction, and that the responsiveness of endothelial cells to acute phase stimuli such as thrombin and heparin affects favorably the patency of IRAs in the chronic phase; Elevated plasma levels of D-dimer do not necessarily indicate coronary thrombolysis.


Fish and seafood production has grown steadily in the past five decades. Total world fisheries and aquaculture production reached 167.2 million tonnes in 2014 [1]. Intensive fish production triggers growth in the amount of waste processing, which has serious environmental impacts. Utilization and energy recovery from fish waste have become areas of interest for the global economy. Specialized methods and techniques have been developed to acquire biomethane, biodiesel and biofertilizer from fish biomass. Also, using physical, biochemical and thermochemical processes, relevant substances (such as fish protein hydrolysate, natural pigments, chitosan and collagen) can be obtained.


Formal, structurally determined quality requirements (for medical and non-medical staff, space and equipment, respectively) are supplemented by guidelines that are able to inform about the actual course of rehabilitation. Not only externally controlled medical reports on the treatment are suited for this, but also inquiries of patients comparisons between sickness insurances (for example on duration of inability to work, need for hospital measures of rehabilitation) and the comparison with patients who did not take part in ambulant rehabilitation. A report system has to be built up that pictures the clientele of the "reha"-institution, measures changes and documents results a long-term basis. The proposed periodical tests and final test serve not only for the control of patient progress in each single case with information for the practitioner, but also give financial committees hints on the efficiency of the work of the institutions for rehabilitation. Continuous attendance is proposed with a report system and scientific evaluation, whose results are sent concisely but anonymous by to the contract partners on a quarterly basis. A committee for quality assurance discusses new developments and improves ambulant rehabilitation.


The introduction of certain electronic feedback loops into photorefractive wave-coupling schemes makes them noise free and leads to dramatic changes of the whole nonlinear behavior. The familiar steady states can be transformed into periodic states that are characterized by ultimately high and low values of the diffraction efficiency eta of the recorded index grating or into quasisteady states with small values of eta. These transformations possess thresholds with respect to controllable experimental parameters like the coupling strength and the input intensity ratio. We present a general analysis of the threshold behavior for different modes of the feedback operation and different types of the nonlinear photorefractive response. The results obtained (analytical and numerical) allow one to predict the regions of stability for feedback-controlled steady states and the observable characteristics of the system, including the output amplitudes and diffraction efficiency of the spatial grating, beyond these regions. They extend strongly the potentialities of the feedback-controlled wave coupling.


We study auctions with severe bounds on the communication allowed: each bidder may only transmit t bits of information to the auctioneer. We consider both welfare-maximizing and revenue-maximizing auctions under this communication restriction. For both measures, we determine the optimal auction and show that the loss incurred relative to unconstrained auctions is mild. We prove unsurprising properties of these kinds of auctions, e.g. that discrete prices are informationally efficient, as well as some surprising properties, e.g. that asymmetric auctions are better than symmetric ones.


This work explores the utilization of wood for high-value production of novel alcoholic brews and liquors with natural flavors. The process capitalizes on our original wet-type bead milling (WBM) technology that enables direct enzymatic saccharification and alcohol fermentation of wood without chemical and heat treatment, resulting in the absence of toxic compounds. When alcohol-based products from various wood species, including Cryptomeria japonica (cedar), Cerasus × yedoensis (cherry), and Betula platyphylla (birch), were analyzed by SPME-GC-MS, different natural flavor components were found in each. Correlation analysis using Heracles NEO and ASTREE V5 showed that the alcohols from wood have different flavor and taste characteristics when compared with those of existing commercial liquors. From pilot-scale experiments, the yield of alcoholic brew per biomass amount was determined. Pilot-scale runs established the importance of optimum wood particle size during WBM for efficient alcohol production. Although the alcohol produced from wood must first be established as safe for human consumption, this is the first description of drinking alcohols produced from wood. This work may open up important avenues for the exploitation of wood resources toward food production to further advance the current state of forestry.


The physics of soft-matter systems controlled by external fields is reviewed and previewed. Particular emphasis is placed on statistical properties of well-characterized colloidal dispersions in different confining situations, in laser-optical, magnetic and electric fields as well as under shear. These are very active research areas where different complementary methods such as experiments, computer simulations and theory have been applied in parallel. Recently discovered novel phase transitions, generated and triggered by an external field, are described and the perspectives in this field for the next decade are discussed.


The effects of common root rot (CRR) caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana on grain yield, number of tillers, number of grains and grain weight of wheat plants were determined in four field experiments. Sites with different soil populations of B. sorokiniana were selected and inoculum of the fungus added to some plots. Disease and yield measurements were made on eight cultivars and lines differing in susceptibility to CRR. Timgalen, Songlen and Hartog were susceptible whereas Kite, 1008 C16, 141-4 and ISWYN 32 were partially resistant to CRR. Grain yield, tiller and grain number, but not grain weight decreased as disease severity increased. Diseased plants had lower tiller numbers than healthy ones and as a consequence a reduced number of grains and grain yield per plant. Five methods were compared for estimating yield loss caused by the disease. Polynomial regression equations for each cultivar between yield and disease rating of sub-crown internodes or multiple regression equations between yield and disease parameters of sub-crown internodes or tiller bases were established. A third method involved the projection of yield losses from one cultivar to other cultivars and in a fourth method yield losses were estimated from actual yields. In addition, an equation Yield loss (%) = 3 46 + 0.23 disease severity) (%) was established in one experiment and used as a fifth method in the other experiments. Yield losses estimated by methods 1 and 2 were similar and higher than those from the other methods. In areas where disease severity is high, methods 1 and 5 appear to be the most suitable for determining yield losses. Losses in a susceptible cultivar, Timgalen, varied between 13.9 and 23.9% whereas those in a partially resistant cultivar, 1008 C16, varied between 6.8 and 13.6%.


Abstract The rapid development of modern society is inseparable from information technology, and most of this information technology is based on big data, which makes the teaching field in the new era keep pace with the times and brings great changes to the academic activities in which teachers and students participate, as well as to the quality of their thinking skills, and thus, likely even their overall lives. Under the background of big data, through the effective application of relevant technologies, students' learning is no longer limited to a relatively single traditional teaching level, and teaching needs strategic innovation. This paper improves the mathematical model of precision teaching strategy, establishes the empirical model of the optimal mode of College English teaching based on big data and puts forward relevant innovative teaching methods. Through the rational use of big data technology, the content and form of College English classroom teaching can be improved, so as to improve the quality of College English teaching.


extremity amputees with improved functionality for activities of daily living. However, many state-of-the-art hands have a large number of degrees of freedom that can be challenging to control in an intuitive manner. Automated grip responses could be built into artificial hands in order to enhance grasp stability and reduce the cognitive burden on the user. To this end, three studies were conducted to understand how human hands respond, passively and actively, to unexpected perturbations of a grasped object along and about different axes relative to the hand. The first study investigated the effect of magnitude, direction, and axis of rotation on precision grip responses to unexpected rotational perturbations of a grasped object. A robust "catch-up response" (a rapid, pulse-like increase in grip force rate previously reported only for translational perturbations) was observed whose strength scaled with the axis of rotation. Using two haptic robots, we then investigated the effects of grip surface friction, axis, and direction of perturbation on precision grip responses for unexpected translational and rotational perturbations for three different hand-centric axes. A robust catch-up response was observed for all axes and directions for both translational and rotational perturbations. Grip surface friction had no effect on the stereotypical catchup response. Finally, we characterized the passive properties of the precision grip-object system via robot-imposed impulse perturbations. The hand-centric axis associated with the greatest translational stiffness was different than that for torsional stiffness. This work expands our understanding of the passive and active features of precision grip, a hallmark of human dexterous manipulation. Biological insights such as these could be used to enhance the functionality of artificial hands and the quality of life for upper extremity amputees. Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Defense Active and Passive Precision Grip Responses to Unexpected Perturbations


EMJ's fourth issue of the twenty-fourth volume is focused on Green Economics and is the second special issue on this topic. EMJ strives to bring useful knowledge to practicing engineering managers, while expanding the engineering management body of knowledge. We invite participation and articles from both academics and practicing engineering managers. If you would like to submit a paper or discuss possible submissions, please contact Toni Doolen (email@example.com or 541-737-5641) or Eileen Van Aken (firstname.lastname@example.com or 540-231-2780).


Sucralose was developed as a low-cost artificial sweetener that is nonmetabolizable and can withstand changes in pH and temperature. It is not degraded by the wastewater treatment process and thus has been found in waste water, estuaries, rivers and the Gulf Stream. Since the molecule can withstand heat, acidification, and microbial degradation, it is accumulating in the environment. The highest concentration of environmental sucralose detected to date is 300 ng/L. Our lab has isolated six bacterial species from areas that have been exposed to sucralose. We then cultured these isolates in the presence of sucralose looking for potential sucralose metabolism or growth acceleration. Instead we found something very interesting, bacteriostatic effects exhibited on all six isolates. This inhibition was directly proportional to the concentration of sucralose exposure. The efficiency of the growth inhibition seemed to be species specific, with various concentrations inhibiting each organism differently.


Background: The objective of zygoma fracture repair is to restore preinjury function and appearance. The optimal surgical technique represents a balance between accurate fracture reduction and soft-tissue morbidity. Methods: Fifty patients were eligible for review after treatment for isolated simple zygoma fractures using a combination of Gillies elevation and percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation between 1992 and 2003. Fourteen patients were available for examination at a mean follow-up of 8.7 years. Quantifiable parameters, including orbitozygomatic complex position, ocular globe projection, and infraorbital nerve function, were measured. All patients underwent qualitative assessment by independent, blinded observers. Negative soft-tissue sequelae were recorded. Results: The mean differences between injured and uninjured sides of the face for malar eminence projection, height, and lateral position were 2.5, 2.7, and 2.3 mm, respectively. The mean difference in ocular globe projection was 1.23 mm. When these results were compared with those previously published for open reduction and internal fixation, no statistically significant difference was noted. The qualitative observers were able to identify the affected side 12 percent of the time. Other than a small punctate scar noted in one patient at the Kirschner wire insertion site, no other negative cutaneous or eyelid sequelae were noted. Conclusions: This study objectively shows that Gillies elevation combined with percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation provides facial contour restoration that is not significantly different from that of open reduction and internal fixation, with less soft-tissue morbidity. The technique is safe, easy to learn, and easy to perform, and should be considered in cases of isolated simple zygoma fractures.


As part of a comparative assessment of seven New Hampshire lakes, performed throughout the month of September 2003, students and faculty from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Freshwater Biology sampled Christine Lake in Stark, NH. The goal of the study was to quantify the lake's physical, chemical, and biological properties and compare it to the six other lakes studied, as well as to results from identical sampling of Christine Lake in June, 2003. Christine Lake is an oligotrophic lake with very little primary production and low densities of zooplankton. Nutrient levels were low, likely due to the forested composition of the lake's watershed and the small number of homes on the lake's shore. The low phosphorus concentration and high N:P ratio (TN:TP = 50) typify a phosphoruslimited system which is likely to be the cause of the minimal algal abundance (1.6 ± 0.1 µg L -1 average epilimnetic chlorophyll compared to 39.4 ± 1.0 µg L -1 in eutrophic York Pond). Predation by young Brook and Brown Trout most likely favored the increased densities of the smaller zooplankter Bosmina (average body length: 0.42 mm ± 0.01), as they are not readily visible to the trout like the larger Daphnia (average body length: 1.39 mm ± 0.03). Evidence for increased predation on Daphnia can be seen in their location in the water column (8 m and 12 m) which indicates migration to deeper waters to avoid fish predation. The depressed density and size of the zooplankton in the lake are most likely due to a lack of suitable grazing material and predation from the planktivorous fish population. Interactions between zooplankton and higher trophic levels, as well as phytoplankton, are discussed in the context of a model food web.