Attitudes about the goals and content of civic education in America have varied over time based on historical circumstances, educational philosophies, and political sentiments. The views of elites in government, academia, and the non-profit sector have been widely articulated, while the public's opinion about civic education is given less prominence. This study employs the Civic Education and Political Engagement Study (CEPES), an original national probability survey, to examine public opinion about civic education in the current era. The research finds strong public support for citizenship education. At the same time, people believe that nation's schools are doing a poor job of educating students for citizenship. Long-established goals of civics instruction, such as preparing people to be responsible citizens and to vote, are considered priorities. Other topics, such as promoting diversity and cultural understanding, improving social conditions, and exploring the relationship of the U.S. to other nations receive less public support. People's views about civic education priorities differ based on their own civic education experience.Key Findings:*The American public strongly believes that civic education in secondary schools is important. 93% of respondents to the CEPES feel that all students should be required to take a civic education, social studies, or government course in junior high and high school. *The public feels that preparing people to be responsible citizens (76%) and to exercise their right to vote (65%) are very important goals of the nation's schools. There is substantially less support for preparing young people to use 21st century technology and media to engage with politics (40%).*Imparting civic knowledge to junior high and high school students is considered to be a valuable educational objective. Over 60% of the public feels that educating students about government and how it works as well as core democratic principles as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are high priorities. 51% feel teach about how early American history influenced the development of the U.S. government is a very important goal. *There is less support for using the civics curriculum to promote cultural understanding than for the citizenship preparation and civic knowledge objectives. Still, a majority of people feel that educating students about the relationship of the United States to other nations and world affairs, promoting understanding of cultural diversity, and improving social conditions are very or somewhat important goals. *The public gave an average grade of B-/C to their own civics instruction and an F to their perception of the job the nation's schools are doing in educating next generation of citizens.


Classification is a key function of many business intelligence toolkits and a fundamental building block in data mining. Immense data may be needed to train a classifier for good accuracy. The state-of-art classifiers need an in-memory data structure of size O(N), where N is the size of the training data, to achieve efficiency. For large data sets, such a data structure will not fit in the internal memory. The best previously known classifier does a quadratic number of I/Os for large N. We propose a novel classification algorithm (classifier) called MIND (MINing in Databases). MIND can be phrased in such a way that its implementation is very easy using the extended relational calculus SQL, and this in turn allows the classifier to be built into a relational database system directly. MIND is truly scalable with respect to I/O efficiency, which is important since scalability is a key requirement for any data mining algorithm. We built a prototype of MIND in the relational database manager DB2 and benchmarked its performance. We describe the working prototype and report the measured performance with respect to the previous method of choice. MIND scales not only with the size of the datasets but also with the number of processors on an IBM SP2 computer system. Even on uniprocessors, MIND scales well beyond the dataset sizes previously published for classifiers. We also give some insights that may have an impact on the evolution of the extended relational calculus SQL.


The α6 subunit-containing GABA A receptors (α6GABA A Rs) are mainly expressed in the cerebellum but also in trigeminal ganglia (TG), the hub of the trigeminal vascular system (TGVS). TGVS activation is a hallmark of the pathogenesis of migraine, which remains an unmet medical need with a high prevalence. Here, using pharmacological approaches in a migraine-mimicking animal model, we revealed an important role of the TG α6GABA A Rs in TGVS activation and this GABA A R subtype may be a druggable target for migraine therapy. TGVS activation was induced by intra-cisternal (i.c.) instillation of capsaicin in rats. Centrally, i.c.capsaicin activated the trigeminal cervical complex (TCC), which can be measured by the increased number of c-Fos-immunoreactive (c-Fos-ir) TCC neurons. Peripherally, it elevated calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity (CGRP-ir) in TG and depleted CGRP-ir in the dura mater. Pharmacological approaches included using a recently identified α6GABA A R-selective positive allosteric modulator (PAM), the pyrazoloquinolinone Compound 6, two α6GABA A R-active PAMs (Ro15-4513 and loreclezole), an α6GABA A R inactive benzodiazepine (diazepam), an α6GABA A R-selective antagonist (furosemide), and a clinically effective antimigraine agent (topiramate). We examined effects of these agents and their interactions with furosemide on both central and peripheral TGVS responses induced by i.c.capsaicin. Compound 6 (3-10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated the TCC neuronal activation and TG CGRP-ir elevation, and dural CGRP depletion induced by capsaicin. All these effects of Compound 6 were mimicked by Ro15-4513, loreclezole and topiramate, but not diazepam. The brain-impermeable furosemide antagonized the peripheral, but not central, effects of Compound 6. These results suggest that the α6GABA A R in TG is a novel target for inhibiting TGVS activation and hence α6GABA A R-selective PAMs may be a potential anti-migraine pharmacotherapy.


In this study, we investigated the effects of resistance training (RT), caloric restriction (CR), and the association of both interventions in aortic vascular reactivity and morphological alterations, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity, insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in ovariectomized rats. Fifty female Holtzman rats were subjected to ovariectomy and Sham surgery and distributed into the following groups: Sham-sedentary, ovariectomized-sedentary, ovariectomized-resistance training, ovariectomized-caloric restriction, and ovariectomized-resistance training and caloric restriction groups. RT and 30% CR protocols were performed for 13 weeks. Analyses were conducted to evaluate the following: acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation of aortic rings, MMP-2 activity, insulin tolerance test, highlighting of the aorta wall cross-sectional area by hematoxylin-eosin stain, aorta vessel remodeling and SBP. We observed that ovariectomy decreased the potency of dependent and independent endothelium relaxation and MMP-2 activity, prevented insulin resistance, promoted aorta vessel remodeling in the cross-sectional area, and promoted the media-to-lumen ratio, the collagen content, and the alteration of the structure and elastic fibers of the vessel. The effects of the ovariectomy could contribute to SBP increases. However, the association of exercise and diet improved the relaxation potency in dependent and independent endothelium relaxation, elevated MMP-2 activity, ameliorate insulin sensitivity, increased the aorta cross-sectional area and media-to-lumen ratio, decreased collagen content and promoted histological parameters of the aorta vessel wall, preventing the increase of SBP. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the RT and CR separately, and even associatively, improved vascular function, activated MMP-2, and produced a beneficial hypertrophic remodeling, preventing the elevation of SBP in ovariectomized rats.


# Children are influenced by tobacco adverts {#article-title-2}

Tobacco advertising has far more effect on children aged 11 to 14 than on adults, according to new data released by the BMA. The data, which compare the top 10 brands advertised with those smoked by children and adults, show that three out of four of the most heavily advertised brands also appear in the top four brands smoked by children. These top four brands account for 77% of the total advertising budget for tobacco. Adults are less sensitive to advertising with only two of the four most heavily advertised brands appearing in their top four favourite brands. They tend to be more influenced by price.

The head of health policy at the BMA, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, says, "This is conclusive evidence that tobacco advertising persuades children to smoke and scuppers any argument from the tobacco industry that advertising is about brand loyalty. With teenage smoking above 10% for the first time in 12 years and smoking on the increase particularly among young girls, the need for a tobacco advertising ban has never been greater."

# BMA is concerned about management cost savings {#article-title-3}

The BMA has told the health secretary of the association's concern that the insistence on reducing health authorities' management costs by pounds sterling140m (set out in the executive letter EL(95)85) could lead to a reduction in public health establishments. In his letter to Mr Stephen Dorrell the chairman of the BMA council, Dr Sandy Macara, says that in one case a public health department is to …


During the field works in the summer of 2018, in the Lena River delta on the Sardakh-Sisse Island, prints of leaf flora belonging to species of broad and small-leaved deciduous trees were found. The prints found by us are confined to the layer of ferruginous sandstones at the base of the section. The following taxa established: Platanus sp., Alnus sp., Fagus sp., Salix sp. In addition, a fossilized fruit belonging to Magnolia sp. The findings allow to conclude that there are mixed forests in the early-middle Miocene in this region, consisting of coniferous, small- and broad-leaved deciduous species of trees and shrubs.


Background: Many cigarette smokers develop COPD. However, pulmonary function is preserved in some elderly individuals despite smoking, and their characteristics have not been investigated. We aimed to identify a biomarker in individuals in whom lung health is maintained despite smoking. Methods: Blood sampling and spirometry were performed on 3,257 subjects who participated in a community-based annual health check in Takahata, Japan, from 2004 to 2006. We selected 119 elderly smokers (age ≥ 70, Brinkman index ≥ 600, smoking years ≥ 30). The 'smoking resistant' group met the following criteria: FEV 1 /FVC ≥ 0.7, and FEV 1 %predicted ≥ 80. Spirometry was re-evaluated in 147 male, current smokers in 2009. Results: Increased serum iron (sFe) levels were demonstrated in the smoke resistant group compared with the non-resistant group. In those with low sFe levels, FEV 1 /FVC was reduced in males, and FEV 1 %predicted was reduced in females. These spirometric measures were positively associated with sFe levels in men, but not in women. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that sFe levels were predictive for spirometric values, independent of other clinical factors. In addition, sFe levels were predictive for a decline in FEV 1 . Conclusion: Serum iron levels may be a biomarker for the spirometric susceptibility of individuals to cigarette smoke.


A field trial was carried out to assess the effect of insecticide treated net in protecting cattle from tsetse and other flies. A total of 35 pens were constructed, out of which 30 of them were fenced with insecticide treated net which served as treatment group and the remaining 5 pens were untreated controls. The fly populations around the pens were monthly monitored for five months using NGU traps deployed 5 m away from the cattle pens. The defensive movements of different body parts manifested by an animal for fly protections were observed for 5 minutes in each of the experimental and control groups. Additionally, other parameters such as packed cell volume, milk yield and body condition scores and buffy coat examination were investigated for both groups. Milk yield, body condition scores, packed cell volume (PCV) and data of defensive movements of animals were analyzed using linear model for longitudinal data or repeated measures by specifying time (monitoring cycles) and cattle as repeated variables. The result of this study showed that the overall proportion of fly catches was significantly lower in treated (38.3%) than control group (61.7%). Similarly, a significantly lower proportion of tsetse flies (28.4% versus 71.6%), biting flies (40.7% versus 59.3) and non-biting nuisance flies (39.7% versus 60.3%) compared to treatment. As a result, animals in treatment group had significantly lower average defensive movements of different body parts (7.84) compared to those in controls (16.37). All animals in both groups were negative for trypanosome infection and and there was no significant difference in their mean PCV values. Significant variation was not observed in daily milk yield between cows in treatment (0.83 liter) and in controls (0.53 liter). Fly  densities had showed positive and negative relationships with defensive movements and PCV values over the monitoring time period, respectively. Body condition score of animals in the treatment group was also significantly higher ( p< 0.05) than those in controls. In conclusion, deltamethrin treated netting was found to reduce the challenges of tsetse and other biting flies, and thus can contribute to improved performances of animals in treatment groups. Keywords: Cattle; Fly protection; Insecticide treated net; Southern Ethiopia; Zero-grazing


Preconcentration by cofiotation is employed to improve the detection limits for the determination of parts per billion levels of heavy metal ions such as copper(II), lead(lI), cadmium(II), zinc(II), nickel(II) and coba1t(II) in natural and sea water by differential pulse polarography (DPP). Trace amounts of these ions in water are coprecipitated on colloidal aluminium hydroxide and the precipitate is floated with the aid of sodium oleate and a stream of nitrogen bubbles. Experimental conditions are optimized to obtain maximum recovery of these ions by cofiotation. The effect of surfactant on the DPP peak currents of these ions in 'the supporting electrolyte used in this work is studied.


ated with a progression of fetal acidosis and altered catecholamine responses. The authors assessed fetal heart rate tracings only during the final 30 minutes of labor. Although variable decelerations during the last 30 minutes may increase the level of acidosis, a critical factor is the level of acidosis of the fetus entering this period of labor. We emphasize that fetal heart rate tracing should be assessed on a continuum, with an assessment of the cumulative changes in base deficit in response to the stages of labor and the type, severity, and frequency of decelerations.


ABSTRACT Since reports of the first incidence of the HIV virus in Zimbabwe in 1985, the epidemic has negatively impacted on every facet of human security. Rural areas, by virtue of being the periphery and constrained in terms of resources and health care provision, bear the brunt of the epidemic. In light of the above background, this paper examined how the establishment of Ruvheneko Programme by the people of Chirumhanzu helped in mitigating on the impact of HIV and AIDS in the rural sphere. The paper analyses how the community of Chirumhanzu successfully engaged each other to the extent of coming up with such a vibrant programme. This is raised against the backdrop of failure usually associated with HIV and AIDS engagement projects. The study made use of field interviews and focus group discussions as data collection instruments. Participants were purposively selected on the basis of their knowledge and participation in the establishment and activities of Ruvheneko Programme. Selected were 5 St Theresa's Hospital Staff, 10 Roman Catholic Church members of which, 5 were from the St Anna's woman prayer group and 5 men from St Joseph's men prayer group, 1 village head and 2 elders from the same nearby village constituted key informants. Complementing the use of interviews and focus group discussions was the analysis of secondary data sources on HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe as well as the Ruvheneko Programme. To understand the collective role of various sectors of the community in establishing Ruvheneko Programme, the paper derives insights from the perspective of social capital theory and its notion of commonality to strengthen communities. Findings from the study show that, unlike other HIV and AIDS programmes that are exported from the urban to the rural areas, Ruvheneko Programme demonstrates a grassroots-level response to HIV and AIDS. Again, social cohesion fostered by aspects such as religiosity, cultural ethos of Ubuntu, and a consultative approach played a key role in unifying people towards fighting HIV and AIDS in Rural Chirumhanzu.


Abstract The aim of this article is to present theoretical aspects to the R&D internationalization process and its reasons together with the R&D internationalization case study of a Polish enterprise Comarch. The article consists of a theoretical part discussing the essence, forms and reasons of R&D internationalization; a methodical part presenting research methods and measures for determining the degree of R&D internationalization; and a practical one in which the R&D internationalization process in a Polish IT enterprise Comarch has been presented. This process is still going on - the company is setting up R&D branches abroad (in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France), has started research cooperation with foreign science centres, taken over foreign companies or participates in research syndicates in order to implement projects from the EU's Framework Programmes. The analysis of the Comarch case was a part of the research conducted by the author of the present paper in 2011 on the R&D internationalization process implemented in Polish enterprises.


The research was conducted on Ibu dan Anak Hospital in Pekanbaru that aims to determine the influences of Sress and Work Satisfaction either simultaneously or partially on Performance of Nurses in Ibu dan Anak Hospital in Pekanbaru. The methodology in this study is: Stress and job satisfaction significant influence on Nurses performance in Ibu dan Anak Hospital in Pekanbaru and the dominant factor affecting the performance of Nurses is Job Statisfaction. While the population in this study is the Nurses on Ibu dan Anak Hospital which amounted to 69 people, with a total sample of 96 respondents. Multiple Linear Regression Analysis method by using SPSS version 17. Simultaneous regression (F test) showed that the independent variables studied (Sress and Job Satisfaction) together (simultaneously) have a significant influence on the dependent variable (Nurse performance). The magnitude of the effect that (R2) by the two independent variables together against the dependent variable, while the remaining is influenced by other variables not examined in this study. The results of the testing that has been done, the partial regression test (t test) showed that each of the independent variables studied (Stress and Job Satisfaction) has a significant effect on Ibu dan Anak Hospital the dependent variable (Nurse performance). Dominant variables affecting nurse performance in ibu dan anak Hospital in Pekanbaru is Sress where the value of t-counted highest compared with other independent variables. Keywords: Stress, Job Satisfaction and Nurse Performance


Pavement layer serves to receive and spread the burden of traffic without causing significant damage, where the pavement must have quality and thickness that can reduce damage due to vehicle loads. At present, the pavement conditions of Jalan Jendral Sudirman, precisely in Api-Api Village, Bandar Laksamana Subdistrict have been damaged, so it is necessary to evaluate the existing pavement conditions and to re-design the rigid pavement thickness to replace the existing flexible pavement thickness so that it can serve heavy traffic loads. This research aims to analyze the causes of pavement damage, identify the type and extent of existing pavement damage and redesign the thickness of the rigid pavement. The method to redesign the pavement thickness is using the Manual Desain Perkerasan Revisi September 2017, while to identify the type and level of pavement damage using the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) method. The results of this research indicate that the pavement damage that occurs on the sections of the fires is caused by the overload of vehicles (MST> 8 tons) which on the road is a collector road that can only be traversed by a maximum axle load (MST) of 8 tons. The level of damage that occurs is dominated by hole damage, longitudinal/transverse cracks and crocodile cracks. After analyzing the calculations using the PCI method, the PCI value obtained for bad conditions at STA 500-600 is 33.33 and for good conditions at STA 600-700 is 79. Based on the CBR value the field obtained by aggregate foundation A class thickness is 125 mm and 200 mm thick rigid pavement with K-300 kg / cm² concrete quality.


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The G-TwYST project mainly focused on the statistical analysis of results from animal studies where a limited number of variables based on OECD guidance was measured. In the statistical analysis of these measurements, emphasis was placed on the possibilities to test the equivalence of the GM groups relative to historical non-GM groups from the GRACE study. A new univariate statistical approach was proposed for this purpose. In G-TwYST, only limited attention was paid to food safety assessment using the plant material that was used as feed in the animal studies, even though such material can be easily obtained. Especially high-throughput untargeted omics measurements (e.g. metabolomics or transcriptomics) of this material could be an excellent approach for checks on unintended effects due to the larger number of compounds (e.g. metabolites, transcripts) that are simultaneously measured. In G-TwYST a limited number of samples from the maize harvests has been analysed by transcriptomics and metabolomics. Subsequently, an already available multivariate one-class model was used to compare the G-TwYST samples to a reference set of measurements, as had already been done before in the GRACE project. The pilot studies in GRACE and G-TwYST highlight the potential of omics-based for food safety assessment. However, there is a need to study the statistical properties of the applied multivariate one-class model and among a range of alternative models it is unclear whether it is the most appropriate method for omics-based food safety assessment. Additionally, the applied approach is distinctly different from the univariate methodology that was developed in G-TwYST for animal studies. There is no reason why statistical methodology should be different for similar data from plant or animal studies. From a regulator's point of view the statistical criteria for evaluating food safety data should as much as possible be the same. However, statistical methods will need to be different for highly multivariate omics data and for the more traditional univariate measurements. The main purpose of this short report is therefore to identify the differences between statistical approaches for food safety assessment as were applied in the context of the G-TwYST project, and to suggest directions for future research to improve the harmonisation of statistical methodology for analysing omics data.


This paper explores architecture and urban design process and thinking through a Cognitive Task Analysis method employing a procedural pedagogical strategy. The aim is to capture a description of the knowledge patterns that students tend to develop at the stage of the coding process and reflect their own understanding of the systematic relations among different space syntax categories and concepts. During a semester course, the effort to establish an analysis of the cognitive inferences in the decision-making processes that emerge during a syntactical inquiry of the spatial properties reveal the initiatory knowledge used by the students as they develop compositional strategies for their proposals related to the restoration of an open public space in historic context. At the beginning, the research discusses the significance of interrogating narrative statements and reflections in order to frame the cognitive task analysis project. Later, it attempts to generate detailed information on the nature of those schematizing and non-representational processes that mark the shifting between the codification and the understanding of site-related knowledge. It is proposed that the integration of the method with the issue of underlying knowledge elicitation during a design studio course can be described as the extension of traditional teaching strategies to yield information about the representations of situated positions and the cognitive functions behind the understanding and production of shapes, forms and spatial arrangements.


The ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope is located in the Mediterranean Sea about 40 km from Toulon at a depth of 2475 m. In its 12 line configuration it has almost 900 photomultipliers in 275 "floors". The performance of the detector is discussed and several results are presented, including the measurements of downgoing muons, search for a diffuse flux of high energy muon neutrinos, search for cosmic point sources of neutrinos, search for fast magnetic monopoles, etc. A short discussion is also made on Earth and Sea Science studies with a neutrino telescope.


THE HUMAN SIDE Sibson Consulting and the Industrial Research Institute (publisher of Research Technology Management) have conducted a study of 114 R&D organizations contained within major U.S. industrial companies. The survey focused on people issues and solutions that are unique to R&D. The survey included responses from 159 R&D and 40 HR leaders. Sixty percent of the participants came from corporate R&D organizations, while a majority of the remaining 40 percent were from division R&D environments. Top R&D Issues Nearly one out of three participants in the study, which was completed in January 2002, cited getting more innovation from employees as their top human capital concern. Employee turnover was the primary concern of R&D leaders two years ago. While turnover is still a concern, cited by 11 percent of respondents, most R&D leaders are focusing their attention primarily on retaining individuals with key skills rather than on retaining mass numbers of R&D professionals (see chart, next page). These results show a dramatic shift in the R&D world over the last few years. During the economic boom of the late 1990s many companies were expanding their operations to keep up with demand and growth. The number one human capital concern for R&D organizations then was how to attract and retain top talent in order to support this growth. Now, R&D organizations have seen the full effects of the economic downturn and are experiencing a slowing of growth or reduction in their workforce. In fact, nearly 50 percent of reporting organizations cited that their organizations reduced R&D professional headcount in the last fiscal year. Survey findings provide further evidence that U.S. -based organizations are experiencing a widening gap in cultivating innovative employees. While nearly 70 percent of survey participants think they have a work culture that encourages innovation and 80 percent of respondents believe they retain almost all of their top performers, only 25 percent actually express that their organizations have enough technical/scientific R&D employees with leading-edge skills. Companies may think that they have established a work environment that supports innovative employees, but they still do not have enough ways to attract top talent and keep employee skills up to date. The skill gap is occurring across industries. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents reported that they would need more scientific/technical professional talent in the next 2-3 years and 66 percent believed that they would need professional R&D talent with significantly different skill sets over the same time period. As R&D organizations look at upgrading their R&D talent, they will need to ensure that their recruitment and retention strategies reinforce the rewards that are most valued by R&D professionals. What R&D Professionals Value Several key survey findings indicate how much the R&D world and workforce differ from other types of organizations. Productivity and cost reduction reign as the people priorities in other functions such as sales and operations. However, in R&D labs, issues such as innovation, leading-edge skills, discovery and collegiality are the drivers of success through people. For example, a performance measurement system that drives the right behaviors for sales people may be just the wrong system for scientific staff that must focus on managing complex, long-term projects and continually upgrading skills and knowledge. R&D organizations, therefore, require different approaches for structuring jobs, rewards and the work environment for technical/ scientific employees. Respondents indicated that R&D professionals value the "work itself" more than other rewards. This was the most prevalent response for attracting (36 percent of respondents) and retaining (43 percent of respondents) R&D professionals. …


The main objective of this chapter is to facilitate the study of structural, hemodynamic and biochemical brain changes during consciousness recovery after severe traumatic brain injury using the results of clinical examinations and neuroimaging. The main descriptions of different unconsciousness variants and their anatomical, neurotransmitter and pathophysiologic bases are discussed. A novel magnetic resonance imaging classification of localization of the brainstem and hemispheric structural damage has been proposed. This classification significantly correlates with the Glasgow Coma Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale, thus proving its prognostic value. New data on pathogenesis and dynamics of diffuse brain injury with quantitative and qualitative changes in the white matter fiber tracts have been obtained. It was demonstrated that diffuse axonal injury, being a trigger mechanism of fiber tract degeneration with their subsequent atrophy, may be regarded as a clinical model of the multidimensional "split brain". Quantitative blood flow parameters in the brainstem using computed tomography perfusion have been studied in comatose patients with regard to the dynamics of the traumatic brain disease and its outcome. The comparison of clinical signs of trauma severity and outcome and qualitative and quantitative parameters of structural brain damage, cerebral blood flow and molecular biomarker changes helped to identify significant criteria for the consciousness recovery prognosis.


AbstractIn this study, numerical simulation was conducted to model the behavior of rockbolts with free-end slip in tension. A nonlinear bond–slip relationship was input to the numerical model to represent the interaction mechanism of the interface between rockbolt and grout. The results of the model were validated against laboratory tests. The numerical model matched the experimental results in terms of load–displacement relationship, rockbolt strain distribution, and interfacial shear-stress distribution. This paper indicates that (1) the rockbolt element in the numerical model is capable of describing the strain-softening behavior of the rockbolt–grout interface; and (2) the pullout tests of rockbolts with free-end slip can be used to derive the bond–slip relationship, and thus provide insights into the mechanical behavior of rockbolts with free-end slip.


Background: Wheelchair basketball (WB) represents a great physical activity, rehabilitation, and integration opportunity for people with disability. Straps are wheelchair accessories used to ensure safeness and stability. Nevertheless, some athletes report feeling limited in movements because of these restraint devices. The aim of this study was thus to deepen whether straps could affect performance and cardiorespiratory effort in WB players' athletic gesture and furthermore whether sport performance could be influenced by experience, anthropometric features, or classification score. Methods: Ten WB elite athletes were enrolled in this observational cross-sectional study. Speediness, wheelchair maneuverability, and sport-specific skills were evaluated with 3 tests: 20-m straight line test (test 1), figure 8 test (test 2), and figure 8 with ball test (test 3); all tests were performed with and without straps. Cardiorespiratory parameters (blood pressure [BP], heart rate, and oxygen saturation) were registered before and after tests. Anthropometric data, classification score, and practice's years were collected and compared with test results. Results: Performance significantly improved in all tests wearing straps (test 1 P = 0.007, test 2 P = 0.009, and test 3 P = 0.025). No significant variation in cardiorespiratory basic signs emerged before and after the tests, with or without straps (systolic BP P = 0.140, diastolic BP P = 0.564, heart rate P = 0.066, and oxygen saturation P = 0.564). A statistically significant relation between test 1 with straps and classification score (coefficient = −0.25; P = 0.008) and test 3 without straps and classification score (coefficient = 1.00; P = 0.032) was found. No further relations emerged between test results and anthropometric data, classification score, and practice's years (P > 0.05). Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that straps, as well as ensuring safety and preventing injuries, also improve the WB performance, stabilizing the trunk and implementing upper limb skills, without exposing players to excessive cardiorespiratory and biomechanical stresses.


The circumstances surrounding the deaths of 23 patients on a behavior stabilization unit during a 1-year period were examined. The death rate was more than double that of previous years, and raised concern for the staff. The majority of deaths (n = 17) occurred within 2 months of admission to the unit, and 16 of the patients who died had a diagnosis of vascular or mixed dementia. The presenting behaviors for these patients may be similar to those of pre-death restlessness, a condition that may affect individuals in their last hours or days of life. No literature can be found linking pre-death restlessness with end-stage vascular dementia. The memory of how a person dies can linger for family and loved ones (Enck, 1992). Distress caused by behaviors with end-stage dementia may be alleviated if the symptoms of pre-death restlessness are recognized. It may be a relief for family and staff to know the patient is indeed dying, rather than exhibiting new and seemingly uncontrollable behaviors. In that situation, appropriate palliative care could be initiated for the patient's and family's comfort. Accurate nursing assessment, evaluation, communication, and documentation of both the behaviors and interventions is vital in supporting both patients and families.


Simulating the additive manufacturing process of Ti-6Al-4V is very complex due to the microstructural changes and allotropic transformation occurring during its thermomechanical processing. The α-phase with a hexagonal close pack structure is present in three different forms—Widmanstatten, grain boundary and Martensite. A metallurgical model that computes the formation and dissolution of each of these phases was used here. Furthermore, a physically based flow-stress model coupled with the metallurgical model was applied in the simulation of an additive manufacturing case using the directed energy-deposition method. The result from the metallurgical model explicitly affects the mechanical properties in the flow-stress model. Validation of the thermal and mechanical model was performed by comparing the simulation results with measurements available in the literature, which showed good agreement.


In this paper, we report the synthesis of ultrasmall Co-promoted MoO3 nanoclusters (∼2 nm) supported over γ-Al2O3 possessing an increased number of Mo edge atoms, using colloidal synthesis for hydrodesulfurization reaction. A three-step synthesis methodology was followed: in the first step, Co-promoted MoO3 nanoclusters (∼2 nm) were synthesized using oleic acid and oleylamine as capping agents. In the second step, oxide nanoclusters were supported over γ-Al2O3 and then calcined. In the third step, supported metal oxide nanoclusters were sulfided using dimethyl disulfide as a sulfiding agent. These catalysts show enhanced catalytic activity towards hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene compared to those prepared by using the conventional metal impregnation method due to the presence of a higher number of Mo edge atoms (36%), easier reducibility and sulfidability. The catalysts were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and temperature programmed reduction (TPR) analysis.


A point prevalence survey for Cryptosporidium was conducted in 212 subjects two months to 70 years of age in a suburban area with a low socioeconomic status in Maracaibo City, Venezuela. Single stool specimens were collected and modified Ziehl-Neelsen carbol-fuchsin staining of 10% formalin-preserved stool was used to identify Cryptosporidium oocysts. Direct wet mounts, iron-hematoxylin-stained smears and formalin-ether concentrates were examined to determine the presence of other intestinal parasites. Cryptosporidium infections were identified in 21 subjects (9.9%), with a high percentage of asymptomatic carriers (15 of 21, 71.4%). Six children (28.5%) had gastrointestinal symptoms and four of them were infants. Cryptosporidium was the single detectable potential pathogenic parasite in only five (23.8%) of 21 patients. The infection rate with one or more parasites was high (82%) and multiple infections, including pathogenic helminths and protozoa, were observed in the majority of patients who passed oocysts. Our findings suggest that although Cryptosporidium is an important pathogen, the proportion of asymptomatic carriers may be high in areas of low socioeconomic status in developing countries.


For over 40 yr, the black coral fishery in Hawai'i has been managed successfully. However, three new developments now threaten sustainability of the resource. First, harvesting pressure on increasingly smaller colonies of both species of commercial black coral (Antipathes dichotoma Pallas and Antipathes grandis Verrill) has increased. Since 1976, the biomass of black coral in the overall bed off Maui, Hawai'i, has decreased by about 25%. Second, at depths between 80 and 110 m off Maui an alien species, Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti), has overgrown large areas of the substratum as well as many adult colonies of both species of commercial black coral. This invasion may be contributing to a decrease in the recruitment of both species of black coral at shallower depths. Third, increasing sales of black coral jewelry in recent years is also placing more demand on the resource. Taken together, these trends suggest a need for more stringent regulations, including a larger size (height) limit, a reduction in the maximum sustained yield, and possible reassessment of the economics of the fishery. Adoption of these or other measures would help to extend and ensure continued sustainability of the black coral fishery in Hawai'i and long-term conservation of the resource.


A study was made of the mechanism of the formation of colour centres by the exposure of lead silicate glasses to high-power laser radiation. The long-wavelength mobility edge (>5.8 eV) of charge carriers in these glasses was located well above the fundamental absorption edge (3.5 eV), so that coloration was observed only when the glass matrix experienced multiphoton ionisation. The newly formed colour centres make the main contribution to the change in the transmission directly during the action of nanosecond laser pulses. An estimate was obtained of the three-photon absorption coefficient of TF10 glass at the wavelength of 527 nm.


Automation is a very broad term which is basically used to handle different mechanisms and processes to reduce human efforts, time consumption and human energy. It reduces manual efforts, costs and is faster as well as more accurate than human beings. Sorting of objects is a very important aspect of agricultural machineries, food processing industries and various other industrial applications. Many kinds of intelligent robots are emerging these days. These systems collaborate with humans to accomplish tasks like sorting in an unstructured environment. Sorting plays a very significant role in the manufacturing and production industries. Also, sorting is one of the widely researched topics in today's time. This paper describes about a robotic mechanism for sorting objects. The Sorting system uses a TCS3200 Colour Sensor, an SR-04 Ultrasonic sensor, Metal detector, Bluetooth module and a Robotic push mechanism. Three different parameters like colour, height and type of object (metal or non-metal) is detected by setting the threshold and by giving the input one at a time by using human voice command via a Bluetooth module integrated with the Arduino. The three colours detected include red, blue and green. Also the range of distances or heights measured by the ultrasonic sensor reaches up to 200cmThe overall sorting is then carried out by the robotic mechanism


The viability of long-term peace and prospects for the consolidation of democracy
in Sierra Leone is dependent on a number of internal and external factors. After
two successful elections since the end of conflict in 2002, it is fair to suggest that
the country is on the path of consolidating 'democratic gains'. A third successful
multiparty election, in 2007, would go a long way to affirming the notion that
Sierra Leoneans are becoming comfortable with the idea of electing their
representatives through competitive elections.


Emergence of algebraic quasi-long-range order is a key feature of superfluid phase transitions at two dimensions. For this reduced dimensionality interactions prevent Bose-Einstein condensation with true long range order, at any finite temperature. Here, we report the occurence of algebraic order in a strongly interacting quantum liquid formed by dipolar excitons confined in a bilayer semiconductor heterostructure. We observe a transition from exponential to algebraic decay of the excitons temporal coherence, accompanied by a universal scaling behaviour of the equation of state. Our results provide strong evidence for a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition in a multi-component boson-like system governed by strong dipolar interactions.


Shutter Speed Model (SSM) based Ktrans, ve, kep, and τi in the pancreatic tumors before initiating chemotherapyt were 0.081±0.036 mm-1, 0.258±0.070, 0.320±0.152 mm-1, and 0.247±0.197 μs, respectively, without statistical difference between the responding and non-responding groups. The Ktrans in the tumors favorably responding to chemotherapy increased 72±14%, significantly larger than in the non-responding tumors (2±9%, p=0.0001). The ve in the responding tumors also significantly increased compared to the non-responding group (64±25% vs 3±9%, p=0.0036). However, no statistical difference was found between the responding and non-responding groups in either kep (6±11% vs 11±16%, p=0.6204) or τi (3±47% vs 147±280%, p=0.3408).


Nodes in the Lightning Network synchronise routing information through a gossip protocol that makes use of a staggered broadcast mechanism. In this work, we show that the convergence delay in the network is larger than what would be expected from the protocol's specification and that payment attempt failures caused by the delay are more frequent, the larger the delay is. To this end, we measure the convergence delay incurred in the network and analyse what its primary causes are. Moreover, we further investigate and confirm our findings through a time-discrete simulation of the Lightning Network gossip protocol. We explore the use of alternative gossip protocols as well as parameter variations of the current protocol and evaluate them by the resulting bandwidth usage and convergence delay. Our research shows that there are multiple ways of lowering the convergence delay, ranging from simple parameter changes to overhauling the entire protocol.


ABSTRACT This is one of the first reported studies to have reviewed the role of work-family conflict in university employees, both academic and nonacademic. The goal of this research was to examine the role of work-family conflict as a mediator of relationships between features of the work environment and worker well-being and organizational outcomes. A sample of 3,326 Australian university workers responded to an online survey. Work-family conflict added substantially to the explained variance in physical symptoms and psychological strain after taking account of job demands and control, and to a lesser extent to the variance in job performance. However, it had no extra impact on organizational commitment, which was most strongly predicted by job autonomy. Despite differing in workloads and work-family conflict, academic ("faculty") and nonacademic staff demonstrated similar predictors of worker and organizational outcomes. Results suggest two pathways through which management policies may be effective in improving worker well-being and productivity: improving job autonomy has mainly direct effects, while reducing job demands is mediated by consequent reductions in work-family conflict.


A multiprocessor virtual machine benefits its guest operating system in supporting scalable job throughput and request latency-useful properties in server consolidation where servers require several of the system processors for steady state or to handle load bursts.

Typical operating systems, optimized for multiprocessor systems in their use of spin-locks for critical sections, can defeat flexible virtual machine scheduling due to lock-holder preemption and misbalanced load. The virtual machine must assist the guest operating system to avoid lock-holder preemption and to schedule jobs with knowledge of asymmetric processor allocation. We want to support a virtual machine environment with flexible scheduling policies, while maximizing guest performance.

This paper presents solutions to avoid lock-holder preemption for both fully virtualized and paravirtualized environments. Experiments show that we can nearly eliminate the effects of lock-holder preemption. Furthermore, the paper presents a scheduler feedback mechanism that despite the presence of asymmetric processor allocation achieves optimal and fair load balancing in the guest operating system.


In this paper we review and enhance the Hidden Binary Search Tree (HBST) presented in [Queiroz 2017]. The HBST idea builds on the assumption an n-node self-balanced tree (e.g. AVL) requires to assure O(log2 n) worst-case search, namely, comparison between keys takes constant time. Therefore the size of each key in bits is fixed to B = O(log2 n) once n is determined, otherwise the O(1)-time comparison assumption does not hold. HBST generalizes the searchtree property such that the position of a node in the tree results from comparing its key against 'ideal' reference values associated to its ancestors. The first ideal values comes from the mid-point of the interval 0..2B. The strategy follows recursively such that the HBST height is bounded by O(B) regardless the input sequence of keys nor self-balancing procedures. In this paper we enhance the HBST to enable keys with arbitrary number of bits.


Joining the European Union club implies, among many other policy changes, full integration of Romania's economy into EU's customs union. This is expected to have significant implications for domestic farmers and food processors. The paper constructs a single-country Applied General Equilibrium (AGE) model to investigate the impact of tariff border adjustments on changes in relative prices, production and trade patterns associated with fifteen local agro-food activities. Moreover, the modelling work identifies those agro-food sectors that have the potential to benefit the most from EU enlargement in terms of output effects given that Romanian producers are capable of fully responding to the incentives provided with integration. These mainly include (bovine) live animals and meat products, sugar, and cereal grains. Agro-food trade with EU intensifies in particular for those commodities for which trade restrictions are still substantial prior to accession. However, the magnitude of changes is relatively small due to the weak integration of domestic agro-food sectors into international trade structures. The AGE model also predicts static welfare gains of 0.65 percent of GDP equivalent variation. These seem to be more associated with better access to EU markets and increased export prices, and less with the preferential unilateral elimination of tariffs or their adjustment to EU's external levels. The model assumptions are highly theoretical and the model structure does not reflect with fidelity the workings of an economy in transition. Nonetheless, it does represent a solid base upon which further improvements could be added and structural transitional issues could be attached to more accurately predict potential outcomes.


In this work we present a simple printed moisture sensor fabricated using electronic inks on a multilayer paper structure. The sensor is based on a Carbon-Zinc type energy cell and provides power to a readout electronic circuit when activated by moisture. The sensors are based on a number of our filed patents according to which the sensor is used for both event detection and as a power source for the processing electronics. Typical applications are moisture and leakage detection in buildings, water pipe lines, smart packages and health care systems such as smart incontinence sensors. As the detector is triggered, it powers up an electronic circuit (polymer based or silicon based) that starts communication with the alarm server. In the simplest systems a sound or a light alarm is started to alert the user. In this work we present a characterization of some critical parameters of the sensor such as power driving capability, linearity, internal memory effects and saturation. In addition, we examine a specific application, when sensor is used as defrosting alarm for surveillance of frozen articles during transport.


Thermal conductivity data for molten metals, published since the review of Touloukian et al. in 1970, are collated and evaluated. Where possible recommended values are given. Where availability of data permits, the Wiedemann-Franz-Lorenz equation relating electrical and thermal conductivities has been assessed. It has been found to be valid for most pure metals at their melting point.


We demonstrate an atom trap geometry for 87Rb which is capable of producing ultra high atom densities. Reradiation forces, which usually limit high densities, can be avoided in dark spontaneous-force optical traps (dark SPOTs) by sheltering atoms from intense trapping light. Here we demonstrate a dynamic implementation of a dark SPOT, resulting in an increase in atom density by almost two orders of magnitude up to 1.3x10^12cm-3. Holographic control of the trapping beams and dynamic switching between MOT and dark SPOT configuration allows us to optimise the trapping geometry. We have identified the ideal size of the dark core to be six times larger than the MOT. Our method also avoids unwanted heating so that we reach a record phase-space density for a MOT.


This research focuses on the problems experienced by the Syrian students studying in the religious-based (imam hatip) high schools in the religious education courses in accordance with the opinions of the religious education teachers. Within the scope of the research, some solutions offered by religious education teachers regarding the problems encountered in classes are presented. In this study, which is designed with a phenomenological model, one of the qualitative research methods, criterion and snowball sampling methods are employed simultaneously and mixed sampling approach is used. The study group consists of 43 religious teachers working in 17 imam hatip high schools in Altindag, Mamak, Sincan, Cankaya, Yenimahalle, and Etimesgut districts of Ankara. According to the results of the research, there are problems identified under these themes: language and communication problems inside and outside the school, social exclusion, and prejudice. According to teachers, the most important causes of the problems are that Syrian students do not speak Turkish and cannot communicate with others. In order to solve these problems, teachers have offered various suggestions, including providing language education, empathy training and adaptation education, and opening private schools for Syrians. The fact that this study focuses on the related problem in the literature of religious education and constitutes an important data source for future studies increases the importance of the research.


Aim To determine aluminium in fried twisted flour dough.Methods Pretest samples using mixed acid,and Mg(NO3)2 were adopted as matrix modifier to determine aluminium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.Results The detection limit was 4.8μg/L,relative standard deviation(RSD)was 0.952%~6.329%,Recovery rate was 88.8% ~105.5%.Conclusion This method is suitable for determination of aluminium in flour food.


The present study examined the impact of diglossia, a characteristic of the Arabic language, on the developmentof phonological abilities in the spoken and the literary language forms. Participants were 571 children from 10grade levels (1-7, 9, 11 and 12), which were recruited from 10 schools by taking into account two importantfactors: the accent factor (Bedouins, Druze and Arabs) and the geographical factor (south, Haifa, center andnorth). All participant were administered phonemic segmentation and phonemic deletion tasks, each comprisedof two types of stimulus: spoken and literary words. The results indicated an opposite effects of the stimuluswhere in the phonemic segmentation tasks, an advantage was found for the spoken stimulus over the literary andin the phonemic deletion task, the advantage was recorded in the literary stimulus. In addition, a significant maineffect of grade was found for both tasks. An interaction between grade and the type of stimulus was observedonly in the phonemic deletion task. These differences between the two tasks may suggest that they are processeddifferently via the auditory and the visual modality. In addition, our findings provide evidence concerns thedevelopmental capacity of phonemic awareness. The results, as a whole, support the notion that the effect oflexical distance on phonological awareness depends on modes of stimulus presentation.


We consider a nonlinear integer problem given by a verification oracle, i.e., by an oracle which is able to verify whether a solution is optimal. The algorithm that we propose in this paper can be viewed as a variant of the simplex method applied to an associated linear problem over the convex hull P of the image of the feasible set under some nonlinear mapping associated with the objective function. The algorithm runs in a number of iterations which is polynomial in the number of different values which can be taken by the components of the vertices of P. At each iteration, the number of arithmetic operations and calls to the verification oracle is bounded by a polynomial in the size of the problem and in max{‖v − w‖∞ : v, w ∈ P}. The algorithm can be viewed as a modification of the shadow vertex algorithm based on an analysis of the normal fan of P.


Background Takayasu arteritis (TA) is an inflammatory large-vessel panarteritis resulting in vessel stenosis, occlusion or aneurysm formation1. Medical therapy with steroids and immunosuppressive agents is the cornerstone of TA although a significant proportion of patients (pts) are refractory to these regimes1. Observations on small groups of TA pts suggest the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ), a humanized anti-IL6 receptor antibody2-4, although vascular progression on TCZ despite good clinical and laboratory response has been described4. Objectives Evaluation of safety and efficacy of TCZ in the treatment of refractory TA. Methods We retrospectively studied 7 pts with active refractory TA treated with TCZ between 2010 and 2012 at a single academic Italian center. Treatment efficacy was evaluated as: 1) reduction of signs and symptoms of active disease, 2) steroid-sparing activity, 3) vascular lesions evolutions assessed with angio-MRI ad ultrasonography, 4) lowering of inflammatory markers (CRP and ESR). Results Our 7 pts were all female. Median FU on TCZ was 14 months (IQR 10-20). At baseline, median disease duration was 66 months (IQR 17-82) and the median number of unsuccessful immunosuppressive agents was 4 (IQR 2-6); 4 patients had been previously treated with TNF-inhibitors. Four of the 7 pts responded on TCZ: 3 had a complete response (CR: absence of imaging progression and features of active TA for at least 6 months5 while on prednisone ≤ 7,5 mg/day) and one had partial response (clinical improvement allowing PD reduction >50%). Imaging analysis confirmed these results: four pts (three of whom had CR) did not develop new lesions and in three subjects all lesions remained stable or improved. Threepts developed at least one new lesion and two had also worsening lesions. PD dose was not significantly reduced on TCZ. ESR and CRP levels were consistently reduced in all pts, thus failing to detect the ones with vascular progression. Threepts suspended TCZ for lack of efficacy and two for adverse events (one for recurrent pneumonia and one for severe maculopapular rash). Conclusions 4 of our 7 pts responded to TCZ. TCZ could thus be a valuable option for refractory TA. However, vascular progression occurred despite good laboratory response and before clinical signs and symptoms of disease activity were evident. We thus suggest that disease monitoring on TCZ should include rigorous imaging evaluation. Further study are necessary for better defining TCZ role in TA therapy. References Mason JC. Takayasu arteritis-advances in diagnosis and management. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2010;6(7):406-15. Seitz M, Reichenbach S, Bonel HM, Adler S, Wermelinger F, Villiger PM. Rapid induction of remission in large vessel vasculitis by IL-6 blockade. A case series. Swiss Med Wkly 2011;141:w13156. Salvarani C, Magnani L, Catanoso MG, et al. Rescue treatment with tocilizumab for Takayasu arteritis resistant to TNF-alpha blockers. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2012;30(1 Suppl 70):S90-3. Bredemeier M, Rocha CM, Barbosa MV, Pitrez EH. One-year clinical and radiological evolution of a patient with refractory Takayasu's arteritis under treatment with tocilizumab. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2012;30(1 Suppl 70):S98-100. Molloy ES, Langford CA, Clark TM, Gota CE, Hoffman GS. Anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in patients with refractory Takayasu arteritis: long-term follow-up. Ann Rheum Dis 2008;67(11):1567-9. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared


The article attempts to present the complexity of relationships between women, capitalism, democracy, and competitive dog training in post-communist Poland. The article documents the correlation between increased involvement of women in competitive canine sports in Poland after 1989, changes in the methods of dog training, and the transformation in politics from totalitarianism to democracy. The correlation suggests that in the early years of democracy in Poland women were more open to shaping their bonds with companion animals and to taking into account the ethical dimension of these relationships. Secondly, the article attempts to argue that the primary motivation for women who participate in dog sports is the desire to create a relationship in which the non-human other shares their desires, primarily the desire for interaction.


Background. Elimination of intoxication syndrome is one of the main components of sepsis treatment. The Rheo-STAT study is an interventional open multicenter randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of Reosorbilact ("Yuria-Pharm") in the treatment of intoxication syndrome. The study was conducted in 7 countries, patients of the sepsis subgroup were recruited in 5 of them (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan).
Objective. To determine the efficacy and safety of Reosorbilact in patients with sepsis.
Materials and methods. The study involved 628 adult patients with sepsis, peritonitis, pneumonia and burns. The subgroup of sepsis consisted of 180 people (72 % males, mean age – 41.3 years), the most common comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases (24 %), diabetes mellitus (15 %), and infectious diseases (8 %). The inclusion criteria were the following: age 18-60 years, diagnosis of sepsis, established by the ACCP/SCCM criteria ≤24 hours before the initial visit, obtaining of the informed consent, baseline SOFA scale value ≥2. The primary endpoint was the total score on the SOFA scale on the 3rd day of treatment compared to the baseline value. The secondary endpoints included the change in the overall score according to the APACHE II, SAPS II, MODS, PSI/PORT, CURB-65 scales; changes in biochemical, immunological and integral markers of endogenous intoxication.
Results and discussion. Low-volume infusion therapy with Reosorbilact (200-400 ml per day) resulted in an increase in circulating blood volume and a decrease in the total volume of infusions required without the risk of volume overload, which is especially important for critically ill patients. Exogenous lactate in Reosorbilact did not increase the content of endogenous lactate (1st day – 2.27 mmol/L, 3rd day – 1.63 mmol/L), which indicates the high safety of the solution. In the complex of intensive care administration of Reosorbilact helped to reduce hyperthermia (1st day – 38.2 °C, 3rd day – 36.8 °C, p<0.001), heart rate (1st day – 95.43 beats/min, 3rd day – 81.13 beats/min, p<0.001) and the number of leukocytes (1st day – 14.5×109/L, 3rd day – 8.8×109/L) as a marker of endogenous intoxication. During 3 days of therapy Reosorbilact also normalized the acid-base composition of the blood.
Conclusions. 1. Elimination of intoxication syndrome is one of the main components of sepsis treatment. 2. Reosorbilact infusion therapy increases the volume of circulating blood without the risk of volume overload. 3. The inclusion of Reosorbilact in the complex treatment of sepsis after 3 days provides a decrease in body temperature, heart rate, white blood cell count and normalization of the acid-base composition of the blood.


Deposition of SiO2 nanofilm on TiO2 particles using atomic layer deposition method is reported. The SiO2 film was prepared at the room temperature using the chemicals Si(OC2H5)4, C2H5N and H2O as precursor, catalyst and reactant gas, respectively. The thickness, composition and uniformity of the SiO2 coating on TiO2 surface were characterized by FESEM, HRTEM, EDS and XPS measurements. In HRTEM analysis, the growth rate was about 0.33 angstroms/cycle. EDS and XPS analysis showed the surface composition of TiO2 nanoparticles was silicon oxide. Zeta potential, particle size distribution and sedimentation test results indicated that dispersibility of coated nanoparticles was higher than that of uncoated nanoparticles because of the electrostatic repulsion between the SiO2-coated layers on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles. These results suggested that the SiO2 coating could modify the surface characteristics of the TiO2 nanoparticles and improve the dispersibility of the TiO2 primary nanoparticles.


Particleboard properties are affected by the vertical density profile among other factors. To predict or model board properties, one needs to determine the density profile. A simulation model was developed in this study to model the vertical density profile by simulating the hot pressing process of a particleboard. Temperature and moisture content profiles during hot pressing in the thickness direction of a pressed mat and the influential factors affecting wood compressibility were modeled such that they can be determined at any moment of pressing. The models developed allow calculations of the profiles to be carried out by either the finite difference method or an alternative approximation method presented herein. The density profile was modeled based on the compressibility and the resulting strain of each layer of the board thickness due to pressing.


Only recently have archaeologists come to realize how widely dispersed and relatively abundant metal objects were in the ancient Arctic. Four independent research teams have recently recovered and identified troves of metal artifacts and other clues to its use at five sites in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. The discoveries are giving new insight into the complexity of ancient Arctic society.


A simple apparatus was designed to collect ammonia gas coming out from waste stabilization ponds (WSP). The apparatus has a capture chamber and an absorption system, which were optimized under laboratory conditions prior to being used to assess ammonia volatilization rates in a pilot-scale maturation pond during summer 2005. Under laboratory conditions (water temperature = 17.1 degrees C and pH = 10.1), the average ammonia volatilization rate was 2,517 g NH3-N/ha d and the apparatus absorbed 79% of volatilized ammonia. On site, the mean ammonia volatilization rate was 15 g N/ha d, which corresponds to 3% of the total nitrogen removed (531 g N/ha d) in the maturation pond studied. A net nitrogen mass balance showed that ammonia volatilization was not the most important mechanism involved in either total nitrogen or ammonia removal. Nitrogen fractions (suspended organic nitrogen, soluble organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) from the M1 influent and effluent showed that ammonia is removed by biological (mainly algal) uptake and total nitrogen removal by sedimentation of dead algal biomass.


The structure and the rheological properties of the anti–wear films from a zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDTP) solution generated in a rolling/sliding contact simulating engine valve train conditions have been studied with analytical and surface–force tools. The anti–wear film has a complex structure that has been determined by extensive use of surface analytical techniques that include SEM/EPMA, XPS, ToFSIMS and Auger spectroscopy. The film consists of at least three non–homogeneous layers: on the steel surface there is a sulphide–oxide layer, which is almost completely covered by a protective phosphate layer, with the addition of an overlayer of ZDTP degradation precipitates. This latter layer is removed when the film is washed with an alkane solvent. Therefore, the properties of the ZDTP film layers have been studied both before and after solvent washing with n–heptane. A surface–force apparatus gives, first, the rheological properties of the film, obtained from sphere–plane squeeze experiments, and, second, some mechanical properties obtained from nanoindentation experiments coupled with topographic imaging procedures performed after replacing the sphere by a diamond tip. From the indentation experiments, the properties of the solvent–washed film were determined from the normal stiffness measurements and through the application of a rheological film model. The solvent–washed specimen, comprising sulphide and phosphate layers, exhibits an elastoplastic behaviour. In particular, the mechanical properties of the phosphate layer increase during the loading stage of the indentation to accommodate the increasing applied pressure. From these observations and previous film analyses, a schematic picture of the 'full' anti–wear ZDTP film structure and its mechanical properties was obtained. A highly viscous layer of alkyl phosphate covers islands of solid polyphosphates. These islands are partly adherent to the steel surface through a sulphide layer and accommodate the real contact pressure in the tribotest. These results show that the exceptional wear resisting properties of ZDTP films arise from their ability to respond to a wide range of imposed conditions. As the severity of loading increases, so too do the resistive forces within the film. ZDTP anti–wear films can truly be described as SMART materials.


Transition metal phosphorous trichalcogenides, MPX_{3} (M and X being transition metal and chalcogen elements, respectively), have been the focus of substantial interest recently because they are unusual candidates undergoing Mott transition in the two-dimensional limit. Here we investigate material properties of the compounds with M=Mn and Ni employing ab initio density functional and dynamical mean-field calculations, especially their electronic behavior under external pressure in the paramagnetic phase. Mott metal-insulator transitions (MIT) are found to be a common feature for both compounds, but their lattice structures show drastically different behaviors depending on the relevant orbital degrees of freedom, i.e., t_{2g} or e_{g}. Under pressure, MnPS_{3} can undergo an isosymmetric structural transition within monoclinic space group by forming Mn-Mn dimers due to the strong direct overlap between the neighboring t_{2g} orbitals, accompanied by a significant volume collapse and a spin-state transition. In contrast, NiPS_{3} and NiPSe_{3}, with their active e_{g} orbital degrees of freedom, do not show a structural change at the MIT pressure or deep in the metallic phase within the monoclinic symmetry. Hence NiPS_{3} and NiPSe_{3} become rare examples of materials hosting electronic bandwidth-controlled Mott MITs, thus showing promise for ultrafast resistivity switching behavior.


A gold-catalyzed alkylation of alcohols and aromatic compounds is described. The reaction of ortho-alkynylbenzoic acid alkyl esters with alcohols or aromatic compounds occurs in the presence of catalytic amounts of Ph3PAuCl and AgOTf under mild conditions to produce corresponding ethers or Friedel−Crafts alkylation products in good to high yields. The reaction likely proceeds through the gold-induced in situ construction of leaving groups and subsequent nucleophilic attack of alcohols or aromatic compounds.


This study used a latent growth curve model to investigate the effects of a new health promotion instructional model which incorporated problem-based and project-based learning. The research design was quasi-experimental in nature. Subjects were 190 nursing students from the Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Nonthaburi Province, all of whom volunteered to participate in this research. Data were collected at three different times. Results revealed that, when compared to regular model, the new instructional model was effective in increasing both knowledge and the slope of the latent growth curve.


ABSTRACT
Aircraft maintenance activities are one of the most important criteria for the safe and effective execution of aviation operations. In aircraft accidents and incidents, maintenance factor is vital for the development of safety for organizations, authorities and countries in the aviation field. Effective maintenance activities will also contribute to the costs of organizations by ensuring the safe operations of aircraft with people. Maintenance activities are carried out by maintenance technicians in areas such as hangars or aprons. Aircraft maintenance technicians' performance in performing maintenance activities directly impacts flight safety and technician safety, which in turn has a positive or negative impact on organizations. Improving technician competency assessment processes can reduce maintenance errors, improve technician performance, create positive impacts on safe and efficient flight operations, reduce maintenance costs and benefit of entire aviation industry. Technician competency should be considered in performance evaluations and assignments by assessing in all levels with the compatibility of videly used human resources management methods. In this study, technician competence assessment processes are mentioned, the effects of these processes on aviation safety are explained and solutions are proposed to develop and apply the assessment processes.

Keywords: Aircraft maintenance, aircraft maintenance technician competency, competency assessment, human factors in aviation.


We propose a dynamic high-gain scaling technique and solutions to coupled Lyapunov equations leading to results on state-feedback, output-feedback, and input-to-state stable (ISS) appended dynamics with nonzero gains from all states and input. The observer and controller designs have a dual architecture and utilize a single dynamic scaling. A novel procedure for designing the dynamics of the high-gain parameter is introduced based on choosing a Lyapunov function whose derivative is negative if either the high-gain parameter or its derivative is large enough (compared to functions of the states). The system is allowed to contain uncertain terms dependent on all states and uncertain appended ISS dynamics with nonlinear gains from all system states and input. In contrast, previous results require uncertainties to be bounded by a function of the output and require the appended dynamics to be ISS with respect to the output, i.e., require the gains from other states and the input to be zero. The generated control laws have an algebraically simple structure and the associated Lyapunov functions have a simple quadratic form with a scaling. The design is based on the solution of two pairs of coupled Lyapunov equations for which a constructive procedure is provided. The proposed observer/controller structure provides a globally asymptotically stabilizing output-feedback solution for the benchmark open problem proposed in our earlier work with the provision that a magnitude bound on the unknown parameter be given.


Spacecraft exploration of Mars has shown that the essential resources necessary for life support are present on the martian surface. The key life-support compounds O2, N2, and H2O are available on Mars. The soil could be used as radiation shielding and could provide many useful industrial and construction materials. Compounds with high chemical energy, such as rocket fuels, can be manufactured in-situ on Mars. Solar power, and possibly wind power, are available and practical on Mars. Preliminary engineering studies indicate that fairly autonomous processes can be designed to extract and stockpile Martian consumables. The ability to utilize these materials in support of a human exploration effort allows missions that are more robust and economical than would otherwise be possible.


ABSTRACT Growing evidence supports the need to teach future healthcare practitioners the fundamentals of quality improvement (QI), but curricula rarely include opportunities to apply QI principles or develop relevant teamwork skills. We initiated a program in 2017 called QUEST to engage our learners in interprofessional health care improvement through a 7-month learning collaborative. QUEST pairs learners with mentors in clinical QI teams and provides structured content, tasks, and feedback. The model is intentionally experiential, intended to use existing expertise and opportunities in the clinical learning environment to support QI training. Three cohorts of health professions learners have completed QUEST (n = 45), resulting in 27 unique quality improvement projects and poster presentations. QI knowledge, as measured by the QIKAT-R, increased from 5.48 to 6.34 on a 9-point scale (p = .01). Teamwork readiness also improved: ISVS-9B scores increased from 5.25 to 6.23 on a 7-point scale (p < .01). Feedback has been positive with participants noting the unique learning opportunity, benefit to learner professional development, and enjoyment found in working across professions. QUEST continues to grow each year. Ongoing modifications are addressing mentor development and curricular standardization.


A large database from direct numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence, including recent simulations for box sizes up to 40963 and the Taylor–Reynolds number Rλ ≈ 1000, is used to investigate the bottleneck effect in the three-dimensional energy spectrum and second-order structure functions, and to determine the Kolmogorov constant, CK. The difficulties in estimating CK at any finite Reynolds number, introduced by intermittency and the bottleneck, are assessed. The data conclusively show that the bottleneck effect decreases with the Reynolds number. On this basis, an alternative to the usual procedure for determining CK is suggested; this proposal does not depend on the particular choices of fitting ranges or power-law behaviour in the inertial range. Within the resolution of the numerical data, CK thus determined is a Reynolds-number-independent constant of ≈1.58 in the three-dimensional spectrum. A simple model including non-local transfer is proposed to reproduce the observed scaling features of the bottleneck.


Aspergillus flavus is an important aflatoxigenic fungal specie infecting crops from production to storage. Contamination of foods and their products by these mycotoxins has become a problem worldwide; in Tanzania, related deaths were reported in 2017. This study focused on assessing the effectiveness of atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma asperellum and a co-inoculated atoxigenic A.flavus and T.asperellum on the population dynamic of toxigenic A.flavus in the soil. A pot experiment was set in the screen house where a known concentration of fungal inoculum was added to the sterile soil. Aspergillus spp. were isolated from soil samples by dilution plate techniques on Modified Dichloran Rose Bengal (MDRB) agar and sub-cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Identification was made using morphological and microscopic characteristics of culture in PDA media. Total colony forming units (CFU g-1 of soil) and incidence percent were derived from colony count data recorded. R-statistical software version 4.0.4 was used to analyse the collected data. There was a significant difference between treatments on reducing the population (CFU/g) of toxigenic A.flavus in soil (p< 2.2×10-16). Co-inoculated T.asperellum and atoxigenic A.flavus significantly reduced the population (CFU g-1 of soil) of toxigenic A.flavus to 1.4×105 CFU g-1 of soil as compared to control treatment 4.5×105 CFU g-1 of soil. There was a strong positive correlation (p<0.001) between the incidence percent and population of toxigenic A.flavus in the soil under different biocontrol treatments. Co-inoculated T. asperellum and atoxigenic A. flavus had the lowest incidence of 36.3% to other treatments. The findings of this study demonstrate that co-inoculated atoxigenic A.flavus and T.asperellum was effective biocontrol treatment for reducing the population of Aspergillus flavus in the soil ecosystem.


The present research aims to observe whether the participation of companies in the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) listed in BM & FBovespa defines behavior regarding tax aggressiveness. The companies listed or not in ISE were evaluated in the period from 2010 to 2014 through two measures of tax aggressiveness: the effective tax rate ETR (Effective tax Rate) and the difference between Book Tax Differences - BTD). By hypothesis, it was speculated that the companies listed in the index would be less tax aggressive to signal a behavior consistent with a social concern. However, a rational theory was not found to justify this anticipated relationship, and in fact, corporate sustainability, to a certain extent, could even be related to more efficient tax planning. Fiscal aggressiveness involves the use of techniques that privilege tax planning to reduce its explicit taxation, and in certain circumstances legal techniques (elision) and other illegal techniques are used, either because of their abusiveness in form or even because they have character to reduce the tax burden. The results documented in the research indicated that the companies that make up the ISE tend to be less tax aggressive those that do not participate in the ISE. This finding serves to anticipate the tax behavior of a company in function of the values that it prestige.


limit ordinal <*, a fundamental sequence and sets P[/, a], ND[/ , a] and an ordinal D[/ , a] can be defined such that {a | 1 g « S /} is a Bachmann notational collection and a is represented by members of P[/, a] u {/} only. Analogous steps lead from a Bachmann. notational collection 23*(w, p) of type £j G(/> + 1) with sets P[p, a] < G(p + 1) and ND[/?, a] to a Bachmann notational collection B*{n, p) of type :£ G(p) which is a segment of the class of all ordinals: Starting with Fl = (A£G(/>)) f G(p + 1) one defines functions Fa for all a c33*(7r,/j). By the so-called recursion relations one can express by the sets P[p, a], P[p, /3] and ND[p, a], ND[/>, p] which of each two values of Fa and Ffi is greater than the other. The functions F"a serve to associate Cantor normal forms relative to p, -n with each ordinal a < G(p + 1). These normal forms and the sets P[p, a] are used to define the Bachmann notational segment B*{ir, p) of type g G(p) and bounded by the least fixed point of F i r . This is a kind of step " from p + 1 to p." In order to pass limit ordinals on the way "downwards" asubset P[<p, a] of G(p) + 1 is defined for certain a c93*(ir,p) such that a is built up by the elements of P[<p, a].


New method has been widely used for teaching Management Science since the mid of 1990s. The new teaching method is distinguished from traditional method in several aspects. The mowt distintion of the new method is that Excel based approach is used in order to model and analyze quantitative problems. Due to the introduction of Excel based teaching method model formulation and interpretation is more emphasized than algorithms. By using this new method students are expected to be more interested in Management Science class and easily use several Management Science techniques in real world problems. Though Excel based teaching method has become more prevalent, there exist no empirical research to analyze the effectiveness of Excel based teaching method. This paper will empirically analyze how effective Excel based teaching method is. For this purpose survey data are collected fro professors teaching Management Science and analyzed by using t-test.


ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecalis isolates are resistant to clindamycin (CLI) and quinupristin-dalfopristin (Q-D), and this is thought to be a species characteristic. Disruption of a gene (abc-23, now designated lsa, for "lincosamide and streptogramin A resistance") of E. faecalis was associated with a ≥40-fold decrease in MICs of Q-D (to 0.75 μg/ml), CLI (to 0.12 to 0.5 μg/ml), and dalfopristin (DAL) (to 4 to 8 μg/ml) for the wild-type E. faecalis parental strain (Q-D MIC, 32 μg/ml; CLI MIC, 32 to 48 μg/ml; DAL MIC, 512 μg/ml). Complementation of the disruption mutant with lsa on a shuttle plasmid resulted in restoration of the MICs of CLI, Q-D, and DAL to wild-type levels. Under high-stringency conditions, lsa was found in 180 of 180 isolates of E. faecalis but in none of 189 other enterococci. Among 19 erm(B)-lacking Enterococcus faecium strains, 9 (47%) were highly susceptible to CLI (MIC, 0.06 to 0.25 μg/ml) and had DAL MICs of 4 to 16 μg/ml; for the remaining erm(B)-lacking E. faecium strains, the CLI and DAL MICs were 4 to >256 and 2 to >128 μg/ml, respectively. In contrast, none of 32 erm(B)-lacking E. faecalis strains were susceptible (CLI MIC range, 16 to 32 μg/ml; DAL MIC range, ≥32 μg/ml). When lsa was introduced into an E. faecium strain initially susceptible to CLI, the MICs of CLI and DAL increased ≥60-fold and that of Q-D increased 6-fold (to 3 to 6 μg/ml). Introduction of lsa into two DAL-resistant (MICs, >128 μg/ml), Q-D-susceptible (MICs, 0.5 and 1.5 μg/ml) E. faecium strains (CLI MICs, 12 and >256 μg/ml) resulted in an increase in the Q-D MICs from 3- to 10-fold (to 8 and >32 μg/ml), respectively. Although efflux was not studied, the similarity (41 to 64%) of the predicted Lsa protein to ABC proteins such as Vga(A), Vga(B), and Msr(A) of Staphylococcus aureus and YjcA of Lactococcus lactis and the presence of Walker A and B ATP-binding motifs suggest that this resistance may be related to efflux of these antibiotics. In conclusion, lsa appears to be an intrinsic gene of E. faecalis that explains the characteristic resistance of this species to CLI and Q-D.


Sharks of the order Lamniformes are restricted to 15 extant species grouped into 10 genera and 8 families. These species are characterized by two spine-less dorsal fins and a ring-shaped intestinal valve. Their phylogenetic relationships are not congruent among different methods and approaches, such as the use of morphological or molecular data. The present study evaluates the phylogenetic relationships of species of the order Lamniformes by means of phylogenetic reconstructions through Bayesian inference based on morphological and molecular data and using both datasets combined. The consensus tree of the morphological Bayesian reconstruction shows that Lamnidae and Alopiidae are monophyletic, while Odontaspididae is polyphyletic. Eight synapomorphies are detected in Alopiidae, six in Lamnidae, and one for Odontaspididae. In the Bayesian molecular reconstruction consensus tree, Lamnidae and Odontaspididae are monophyletic, and Alopiidae is polyphyletic. In the consensus tree of the Bayesian reconstruction of combined data, Lamnidae, Alopiidae and, Odontaspididae are monophyletic. The results obtained suggest that posterior probabilities increase when using combined characters in a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, which is greatly advantageous for systematics of the order Lamniformes. Due to the presence of non-monophyletic groups, monotypic families, and the strong support for the division of lamniforms into two clades, a crucial review for the classification of species is needed.


BACKGROUND
Social enterprises are often seen as a source of new and innovative solutions to persistent societal problems and a means for better inclusion of employees and customers. Because social enterprises combine business logic and social goals, they have vast potential to renew business and social life; therefore, it is vital to understand how their creation can be initiated and supported.

OBJECTIVE
This study provides an overview of the participatory design process for a new social enterprise as it appears in practice.

METHODS
The methods used in this case study guided the participants - mental health and substance abuse rehabilitees - in the co-creation and refinement of a business idea. The methods used enabled participants to acknowledge their own strengths or preferences for their potential future work, which was a unique means of establishing a new social enterprise.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Social empowerment of the participants/future employees of the social enterprise formed the important, intangible capital in this case. By definition, the core of social enterprises is the customer- and employee-driven nature. This study clarifies how a social enterprise functions as a laboratory of social innovation at the local and community levels.


The Λ Cold Dark Matter model (ΛCDM) represents the current standard model in cosmology. Within this, there is a tension between the value of the Hubble constant, H0, inferred from local distance indicators and the angular scale of fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). In terms of Bayseian evidence, we investigate whether the tension is significant enough to warrant new physics in the form of modifying or adding energy components to the standard cosmological model. We find that late time dark energy explanations are not favoured by data whereas a pre-CMB decoupling extra dark energy component has a positive, although not substantial, Bayesian evidence. A constant equation of state of the additional early energy density is constrained to 0.086+0.04−0.03. Although this value deviates significantly from 1/3, valid for dark radiation, the latter is favoured based on the Bayesian evidence. If the tension persists, future estimates of H0 at the 1% level will be able to decisively determine which of the proposed explanations is favoured.


Fifty-nine cases of laryngeal cancer treated by radiotherapy at the National Cancer Center Hospital between 1962 and 1990 were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients were less than 50 years old. The median total dose of the radiation delivered to the primary tumor site was 70 Gy. The overall 5-yr survival rate and 5-yr local control rate were 88% and 72%, respectively. Five (8.5%) of the 59 patients developed late recurrence more than five yr after initial treatment, but subsequent salvage operations were successful for disease control; three patients had T1 glottic cancer, one had T2-3 glottic cancer and one had T3N1 supraglottic cancer. Since the local control rate and the 5-yr survival rate after radiotherapy are satisfactory, radiotherapy, which allows both functional and esthetic conservation, has an important role in the treatment of laryngeal cancer in adults under 50 yr of age.


In this paper we present the on-going grammar engineering project in our group for developing in parallel resource precision grammars for Slavic languages. The project utilizes DELPH-IN software (LKB/[incr tsdb()]) as the grammar development platform, and has strong affinity to the LinGO Grammar Matrix project. It is innovative in that we focus on a closed set of related but extremely diverse languages. The goal is to encode mutually interoperable analyses of a wide variety of linguistic phenomena, taking into account eminent typological commonalities and systematic differences. As one major objective of the project, we aim to develop a core Slavic grammar whose components can be commonly shared among the set of languages, and facilitate new grammar development. As a showcase, we discuss a small HPSG grammar for Russian. The interesting bit of this grammar is that the development is assisted by interfacing with existing corpora and processing tools for the language, which saves significant amount of engineering effort.


Hypertension is one of the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years and mortality, with approximately 15% prevalence worldwide. Most patients with hypertension from low- to high-income countries do not receive treatment. Among those who receive treatment, the majority remain undertreated and do not achieve their blood pressure goals. Therefore, new hypertension guidelines introduce more conscientious treatment strategies to maximize the probability of achieving the new strict blood pressure goals compared with the previous guidelines. Who should receive treatment for hypertension? Which antihypertensive medications have the strongest supporting data? Are generic and more affordable medications as effective as expensive brand medications? What are the different treatment strategies to maximize success in controlling blood pressure? Here, we briefly review pharmacotherapy for hypertension and provide answers to these questions as well as some other common questions regarding treatment of hypertension.


Graphite/Ni composite films have been deposited on SiO2/Si (100) wafers by varying their graphite concentration (nG) and thickness (t) from 2 to 12 wt% and 40 to 400 nm, respectively, in a RF sputtering system, subsequently annealed at 900 °C for 4 min, and then slowly cooled to room temperature to form graphene layers on Ni surfaces. Several structural-analysis techniques reveal the optimum nG (∼8 wt%) and t (∼160 nm) of the composite films for the synthesis of fewest-layer, defect-minimized graphene. At the annealing temperature, carbon atoms diffuse out from the composite film, followed by their precipitation as graphene on the Ni layer as the carbon solubility limit in Ni is reached during the cooling period. Based on this mechanism, the optimum conditions are explained. Our approach provides an advantage in that the number of layers can be simply tuned by varying nG and t of the composite films.


The effect of the Ampére force on inertio-gravity (IG) waves in the partially ionized ionospheric E-layer is considered. Electromagnetic IG waves are then studied. It is shown that the free energy necessary for linear instability of electromagnetic IG waves arises from the field-aligned current. Furthermore, it is found that atmospheric vortex motions can induce substantial variations in the geomagnetic field and field-aligned currents.


This paper extends the comparison of information systems in contract theory to a general context with an unobservable outcome and a risk-averse principal. The model examines information systems on two dimensions: (1) incentive-providing and (2) risksharing. We flrst identify the most e‐cient information systems. Then we develop an extended informativeness criterion for comparison of inclusive information systems, and a MPS-SOSD criterion and a MPS-FOSD criterion for comparison of scalar information systems.


We present a detailed theoretical and conceptual study of a planned experiment to excite Rydberg states of ions trapped in a Paul trap. The ultimate goal is to exploit the strong state-dependent interactions between Rydberg ions to implement quantum information processing protocols and simulate the dynamics of strongly interacting spin systems. We highlight the promise of this approach when combining the high degree of control and readout of quantum states in trapped ion crystals with the novel and fast gate schemes based on interacting giant Rydberg atomic dipole moments. We discuss anticipated theoretical and experimental challenges on the way to its realization.


Hydrogen peroxide inhibition of maximum Ca2+-ATPase and Na+,K+-ATPase activity was measured in a membrane-enriched preparation of rabbit lens cortical fibers and epithelium. At 5 X 10(-6) M hydrogen peroxide maximum Ca2+-ATPase activity was inhibited by 39%, while maximum Na+,K+-ATPase activity was stimulated. Ca2+-ATPase activity was almost completely inhibited at 5 X 10(-4) M hydrogen peroxide, in comparison to Na+,K+-ATPase activity, which was only inhibited by 28% at a concentration of hydrogen peroxide an order of magnitude larger. The addition of catalase to hydrogen peroxide-pretreated samples did not reverse the inhibition of Ca2+-ATPase by hydrogen peroxide.


Conclusions. The concurrent administration of cisplatin and fluorouracil (CCRT) during radiotherapy after induction chemotherapy had better results than induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy alone (CT+RT) for overall survival, laryngeal preservation, and locoregional control in patients with locally advanced hyopharyngeal cancer. Objectives. To report treatment results comparing CCRT with CT+RT in locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. Patients and methods. Sixty-six consecutive patients treated with curative intent were analyzed retrospectively. Thirty-eight patients were treated with induction chemotherapy followed by definitive RT, and 28 patients with induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. All patients had more than three cycles of continuous infusion of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil every 3 weeks. The median dose of irradiation was 70 Gy in the CT+RT group and 68.4 Gy in the CCRT group, respectively. Results. The overall 5-year survival rates were 24% for the CT+RT group and 42% for the CCRT group (p=0.031). The 3-year pharyngolaryngectomy-free survival rates were 32% for the CT+RT group and 63% for the CCRT group (p=0.032). The 3-year locoregional control rate for CCRT was significantly better than that for the CT+RT (52% vs 23%, p=0.004). Acute hematologic toxicity appeared in 39% of the CT+RT patients and 75% of the CCRT patients.


To observe the effect of multiple electroacupuncture (EA) on the pain threshold and the regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of neuropathic pain rats. Rats were prepared with a unilateral chronic constriction injury (CCI) to the sciatic nerve. EA was done in acupoints "Huan Tiao" and "Yang Ling Quan" for 30 min every day and the thermal thresholds were detected after EA at 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 days after operation. On day 14 after nerve injury, the in situ hybridization method was used to investigate the change of NMDA R1 mRNA in L4-L5 DRG. The thermal threshold reduced significantly from day 3 after operation in CCI rats. After multiple EA treatment, the ipsilateral thermal hyperalgesia relieved gradually and the thermal threshold had no difference with control side after day 5 (P > 0.05). From Day 7 after operation, the thermal threshold at each time point were significantly different compared with CCI group respectively (P > 0.05). Moreover the EA had accumulative effect. On Day 14 after operation, the NMDAR1 mRNA positive neurons and the mean optic density in ipsilateral L4-5 DRG were less than that of control side (P < 0.05), mainly in medium and small neurons. After EA treatment, the NMDAR1 mRNA positive neurons in ipsilateral DRG had no considerable difference comparing with those of control side, significantly increased comparing with CCI group (P < 0.05). It's concluded that the NMDA receptors in DRG relate closely with the generation and development of neuropathic pain. The multiple EA treatment can attenuate the thermal hyperlagesia of neuropathic pain rats and regulate the NMDA receptor.