Vertical Federated Learning (VFL) is widely utilized in real-world applications to enable collaborative learning while protecting data privacy and safety. However, previous works show that parties without labels (passive parties) in VFL can infer the sensitive label information owned by the party with labels (active party) or execute backdoor attacks to VFL. Meanwhile, active party can also infer sensitive feature information from passive party. All these pose new privacy and security challenges to VFL systems. We propose a new general defense method which limits the mutual information between private raw data, including both features and labels, and intermediate outputs to achieve a better trade-off between model utility and privacy. We term this defense Mutual Information Regularization Defense (MID). We theoretically and experimentally testify the effectiveness of our MID method in defending existing attacks in VFL, including label inference attacks, backdoor attacks and feature reconstruction attacks.


The invention discloses an abdomen tightening and loin correction device for tightening the abdomen and correcting the loin. The abdomen tightening and loin correction device mainly comprises a rigid loin straightening board, an abdomen tightening board, a tightening belt or an elastic tightening belt, small bulge blocks or salient points and the like, wherein the loin straightening board and the abdomen tightening board are provided with holes or bulges for fixing the tightening belt or the elastic tightening belt, two sides of the loin straightening board and the abdomen tightening board can be respectively connected by the tightening belt or the elastic tightening belt to form a front splint board and a rear splint board after being sleeved at the loin and the abdomen of the human body, and the abdomen tightening board is provided with the small bulge blocks or the salient points. Due to adoption of the abdomen tightening and loin correction device which has a simple structure and convenience in manufacturing and is used for tightening the abdomen and correcting the loin, faulty postures when a person stands and walks are corrected, good auxiliary curative effects are provided for alleviating chronic diseases on the loin and the abdomen and reducing abdominal fat, the Zang-Fu function of the human body is harmonized, and the purpose of body building is reached.


Abstract The effect of reduction conditions, mainly reduction temperature and duration time on the activity of Ni/γAl2O3 catalyst were studied for a methanation reaction in a gradientless Berty reactor. The methanation reaction was investigated using a feed containing CO (6.7 mole%), H2 (26 mole%) and the balance being nitrogen at a pressure of 30 psig and a fixed temperature of 350°C. The reduction temperature was varying from 250 to 500°C, in order to investigate its effect on the methanation reaction. The methanation activity of the catalyst increased to a maximum by increasing the reduction temperature up to a maximum at 300–350°C and showed a slight negative decline afterward. The second parameter investigated was reduction duration time which was varied from 2 to 16 hours. It was observed that the methanation reaction activity increased by increasing the reduction duration time up to 6 hours. After six hours, there was no increase in activity. Based on the finding of this investigation, a recommende...


Field effect transistors (FETs) are important components in electronic devices due to their ability to act as electrical switches. They are comprised of a source, drain and gate, and there must be enough energy potential difference in order for the carriers, electrons or holes, to flow from the source to the drain. One of the ways the effectiveness of these devices can be improved is by applying an insulator or oxide layer on top of the channel layer in order to reduce the number of carriers that escape through the gate contact. In the case of this research, aluminum oxide was analyzed for its application as an oxide layer in these devices. Figure 1: A graphic depicting the cross-sectional structure of the fabricated MOS devices.


In this study, Angstrim - Prescott model was utilized for estimation of g lobal solar radiation for Bauchi, Nigeria from sunshine hours. The estimated results obtained for twelve months, starting from 1 st November, 2008 to 31 st October, 2009 were compared to measured values obt ained with a constructed reliable model pyranometer. The measu rements were obtained within the same period.The values of the global solar radiation est imated and measured were tested using Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), an d the t-statistics. Average RMSE and MBE for comparison between measured and estimated gsolar radiation were 43.60 2 - Wm and 12.59 2 - Wm , respectively. The t-statistics was used as the be st indicator; this indicator depends on both, and is more effective in determini ng the model's performance. The agreements between the estimated and measured data were remark able.


The article is devoted to the specifics of the cultural frontier of Russian culture. The relevance of the article is due to the strengthening in the post-Soviet period of cultural conflicts on the border of Russian civilization. These conflicts on cultural grounds even lead to military action against the bearers of Russian culture, as has been the case in the Ukrainian war against Donbass since 2014. The article examines the borderland as a zone of intercultural interaction, carries out a cultural analysis of the border between cultures and identities, highlights the structural characteristic of the cultural border ‒ the image of the Other. Based on the conducted cultural analysis, the structure of the cultural space of Ukraine and the Donbass, including the wartime situation since 2014 is investigated. The study of the media content of Ukrainian information projects and similar projects in the LPR is carried out on the basis of an information-analytical methodology. Two permanent Ukrainian media projects of the Internews-Ukraine: Revision of History and Propagandarium, which work intensively in the Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine creating and broadcasting the image of the Russian as the Other by methods of aggressive anti-Russian propaganda are considered. We also analyze the activity of the Lugansk cultural site "Dandelion", which has been operating in Lugansk since 2015 and reflects the cultural life of the city and the republic during this period. An analysis of the site's materials shows that in the republic in wartime conditions, Russian and world culture is preserved and mastered, intensive work is underway to integrate the republics of Donbass into the cultural space of modern Russia, relying on the historical memory of these territories. The article substantiates that Ukrainian culture is currently a borderland culture, since the image of the Other as the Russian dominates its structure and is imposed on the Russians of Ukraine by propaganda methods. At the same time, the culture of modern Donbass is developing as Russian culture in which the image of the Other as a modern Ukrainian, a carrier of anti-Russian identity is formed. Keywords: Russia, Ukraine, Donbass, borderland culture, the image of the Other, anti-Russian propaganda


This paper is concerned with current and future trends in the lossy compression of real sources such as imagery, video, speech and music. We put all lossy compression schemes into common framework where each can be characterized in terms of three well-defined advantages: cell shape, region shape and memory advantages. We concentrate on image compression and discuss how new entropy constrained trellis-based compressors achieve cell- shape, region-shape and memory gain resulting in high fidelity and high compression.


Designing the approximate reasoning matching schemes and the corresponding algorithms with similarity relation Q instead of equivalence relation R can reflect the nature of approximate reasoning and meet more application expectations. In this paper, we introduce the type V matching scheme and the corresponding type V Q-algorithm of multiple multidimensional approximate reasoning with given multidimensional input and multidimensional knowledge bases on strong Q-logic CQ.


Abstract : Effective shipbuilders accomplish in-house, only work which by nature and volume can be performed in accordance with the concept of Group Technology (GT). Parts, subassemblies and assemblies, i.e., interim products, needed for an end product, are classified by the problems inherent in their manufacture. Thus, regardless of differences in designs and quantities required, interim products are manufactured on dedicated production lines, i.e., process flows. A main flow, such as for producing a hull block, is supported by coordinated subordinate flows such as one for producing sub-blocks. With such dependencies, a control system is required to monitor accuracy in order to avoid delays and rework, particularly when blocks are joined together in a building dock during hull erection. However, accuracy control (A/C) having a statistical basis does considerably more. A/C involves the regulation of accuracy as a management technique for constandy improving productivity of an entire manufacturing system. A/C is the scientific means which the world s leading shipbuilders employ for constantly identifying and prioritizing the problems which must be addressed to obtain the greatest rates of productivity improvement. The statistical basis makes clear the relationship between cause and effect. As Dr. W. Edwards Deming teaches, the obligation to improve the system never ceases. Statistics is the branch of mathematics dealing with collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of masses of numerical data. The methods of statistics are methods of applied mathematics. Shipbuilding engineers who manage A/C programs must at least understand college-level elementary statistics.


Energy absorbers play an important role in reducing the amount of impact subjected to structure to ensure the safety of the human in that structure. Rings are good energy absorbers since it is low in cost and addition of internal rings make it a better energy absorber when subjected to lateral loading. Two types of experiment were conducted which were the tensile test and compression test. Tensile test was conducted to determine the mechanical properties of the mild steel and compression test consisting of quasi-static loading and dynamic loading was conducted onto the ring to determine the energy absorbing capacity. Comparisons were made experimentally between multi ring and single ring under quasi-static loading and dynamic loading and motion recording were done using a camera for the respective experiments. A mild steel multi-ring consisting of four internal rings were fabricated in this project. The energy absorbing capacity was obtained from the area under the graph until the plateau zone. It was proven that multi-ring has a better energy absorbing capacity than single ring when it was quasi-statically loaded and dynamically loaded since there is an addition of constraints.


The highveld is a gently rolling peneplain occupying much of north-eastern Rhodesia (Fig. 1). Elevation varies between 1700 m and 1400 m with a gradual trend downwards from north-east to south-west. The soils, derived mainly from granitic rocks of the continental Basement Complex batholith are medium-grained, deeply weathered acidic sands. Drainage is generally good except in marshy depressions, locally called 'vleis'. The uppermost 100 cm may dry to below wilting point in the latter half of the dry season (Strang 1969).


In this paper, optimisation design of a planar hybrid five-bar mechanism for manufacturing error of bar-length is presented. By establishing the mathematical model of the influence of the manufacturing error of bar-length on the position output precision of the hybrid mechanism, the sensitivity coefficient of the bar-length error is determined, and the effect of the manufacturing error of the bar-length on the output precision of the system is analysed. The optimisation design for hybrid mechanism is proposed on the basis of the sensitivity coefficient of the hybrid mechanism and PSO algorithm. A real example of design shows that reasonable designed manufacturing tolerance of bar-lengths of the hybrid five-bar mechanism could make the mechanism not only satisfy the requirement of accuracy but also achieve lower manufacturing cost.


Abstract Background Delusional infestation (DI) is one of the most challenging situations dermatologists and other dermatology providers may face in their practice. Dermatologists must know how to properly communicate with these patients. The process of acquiring delusional states can be a gradual development and not all delusional patients in dermatology are the same. Objective The objective of this manuscript is to introduce the 'Koo-Brownstone Staging System' for Delusional Infestation (Morgellons disease) with the goal of improving communication and management for these patients. Methods This staging system has been derived based on more than three decades of experience of the senior author supported by additional years of experience of the first author. Results The following stages are presented and explained: formication only (stage 1), overvalued ideation of parasitosis (stage 2), pre-delusional (stage 3), delusional (stage 4) and terminally delusional (stage 5). Limitations This staging system has been derived based on expert clinical experience rather than a direct reporting from this patient population themselves. Conclusions This staging system will enhance awareness on the part of the health providers to enable them to categorize a given patient, which becomes critical in optimizing communications and management.


Abstract The infectious diseases caused by various bacteria pose serious threat to human health. To solve this problem, antibacterial agents have been widely used in people's daily life to deactivate or kill these bacteria. Among the antibacterial agents, ZnO is one of the most promising metal oxide antibacterial agents due to its non-toxic nature and safe properties. To expand its application, many composites of ZnO have been widely studied. Cellulose, as one of the most abundant biopolymers, has many merits like biodegradability, biocompatibility and low cost. Thus, many studies focus on synthesized cellulose/ZnO. The synthetic strategy includes both chemical and physical methods. Many of them have been shown that cellulose/ZnO composites have excellent antibacterial activity and are environment-friendly and have many applications for example food packing, antibacterial fibers and so on. This review mainly discusses the preparation methods of cellulose/ZnO and their effect on the morphology and properties.


This book grew out of a series of articles that first appeared in the business magazine World Trade. The articles, or "stories," as Pomeranz and Topik describe them on page xiv, are an attempt to provide the lay reader with a lively account of the "history and creation of the world economy." The articles owe acknowledged debts to the works of several authors, notably John Hobsons classic essay, Imperialism, and Sidney Mintz's work on the history of sugar, Sweetness and Power. There is a clear, if unacknowledged, debt to the Annales school of social history. Lenin's ghost hovers over the text, as it does over the entire Annales School, and Pomeranz and Topik use Hobson as a cover for this fact. I have no problem with such an approach, and I appreciate the attempt to make the Annales school accessible to a wider audience. However, the lack of footnotes is frustrating. Quotations are given without references. Authors mentioned in the text are as likely to be missing from the "abbreviated bibliography" as they are to be included. Some authors who are cited in the abbreviated bibliography have had no discernible influence on the text. In short, the book fails to meet professional standards, a fact that can almost certainly be traced to its origins as a series of articles in a business magazine.


Computer-aided multimedia teaching is being extensively applied in all aspects in the field of medical education.This article deals with the application of multimedia technology in the teaching process of pharmacology and also its advantages as well as shortcomings.The results of the study show that this new approach of teaching is quite effective and is worth encouraging and promoting.


Patient: Female, 68-year-old Final Diagnosis: Presacral retroperitoneal benign schwannoma Symptoms: Recurrent abdominal pain Medication:— Clinical Procedure: Excision of the mass • laparotomy Specialty: Surgery Objective: Rare disease Background: Schwannomas are benign tumors and their appearance in the pelvic region is rare and poses a major diagnostic problem. They can be sporadic or associated with genetical syndromes. They have a slow growth rate and may be asymptomatic for many years. Symptoms are usually nonspecific and due to compression of adjacent structures. Abdominal imaging modalities may not be able to differentiate a benign schwannoma from a malignant retroperitoneal tumor. This report is of a case of a 68-year-old woman presenting with recurrent abdominal pain and a diagnosis of a presacral retroperitoneal benign schwannoma that mimicked an ovarian tumor on pelvic magnetic resonance imaging. Case Report: The patient had a history of a femoral hernia repair and recurrent lower abdominal pain. Pelvic imaging raised the suspicion of a primary ovarian tumor. The mass appeared to have clear cleavage planes with the surrounding structures, so the patient was proposed for an exploratory laparotomy. Prior to the surgery, an additional pelvic computed tomography (CT) was performed (10 months after the first one), which did not show progression of the disease. The histological examination result was compatible with a benign retroperitoneal schwannoma and not an ovarian tumor. Conclusions: This report highlights that the diagnosis of retroperitoneal and pelvic masses can be challenging. In women, a primary ovarian tumor should be excluded on imaging and the diagnosis of a benign tumor, such as schwannoma, must be confirmed by histopathology, either preoperatively or following tumor resection.


The interaction measure, or relative gain array, is an analytical tool for approximate, structural examination of multivariable process control designs developed over the last ten years. It is defined in terms of a square process transfer function matrix or gain matrix ¿(s) ¿ [¿ij(s)] and its inverse ¿-1(s) ¿ [¿ij -1(s)] as M = [Mij(s)] where µij(s) = ¿ij(s)¿ji -1 (s). Most of its useful properties can be seen in the steady state case. This paper presents the author's current teaching practice as well as recent results concerning dynamic effects, relating decoupllng and optimal control.


The female of the species Pseudopoda yunnanensis(Yang Hu,2001)from Yunnan Province,China is described for the first time.Figures and color photos of bodies and genitalia of both sexes are provided.


Some of the most popular ways to treat quantum critical materials, that is, materials close to a magnetic instability, are based on the Landau functional. The central quantity of such approaches is the average magnitude of spin fluctuations, which is very difficult to measure experimentally or compute directly from the first principles. We calculate the parameters of the Landau functional for Pd and use these to connect the critical fluctuations beyond the local-density approximation and the band structure.


The present study was undertaken to determine what structural changes hypophysectomy would cause in the rat kidney. Proximal convoluted tubule cells from hypophysectomized rats were smaller and their length was decreased when compared to kidneys from control animals of approximately the same weight as the hypophysectomized animals. Electron microscopic observation of the kidneys from the hypophysectomized rats revealed that the cells of the proximal convoluted tubules had (1) an increase in size and number of dense bodies (type II cytosome); (2) a decrease in smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER); (3) a decrease in basilar infoldings; (4) an increase in the frequency of mitochondria cristae aligned in their longitudinal axis and (5) a change in the character of the profiles of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) related to microbodies (type I cytosome) from a vesicular to tubular arrangement. The changes noted in the cells of the proximal convoluted tubules of hypophysectomized rats were similar to previously described changes observed in tubular atrophy.


Objective:To observe the effect of psychological nursing intervention targeted stigma on rehabilitation of patients with depression.Methods:40 cases of stigma of depression were divided into intervention and control groups that each were 20.Patients in the control group attended regular rehabilitation therapy,such as entertainment therapy,physical therapy,manual therapy.The intervention group in which were given psychological nursing intervention targeted stigma for 8 weeks to promote patient recovery.To evaluate the effect of rehabilitation of the two groups through SAS,SDS,SAD,SCL-90.Results:To compare the score of SDS,SAS,SAD,SCL-90 between the two groups,the difference was statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion:Stigma can seriously influence the rehabilitation of patients with depression.Psychological nursing intervention targeted stigma for the rehabilitation of patients with depression have a certain effect.


Trichoderma is one of the most studied genera of ascomycetous fungi due to the beneficial effects it has on plants. Trichoderma spp. are involved in the production of cell wall-degrading enzymes and metabolites with antimicrobial activity. It also produces volatile compounds that act together as direct biocontrol agents to protect plants against phytopathogenic fungi, oomycetes, nematodes and bacteria. Trichoderma spp. can also compete in the rhizosphere for space and nutrients while it can also protect plants by activating systemic immune responses that result in a faster and stronger induction of plant basal resistance mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses. The possibility that Trichoderma can also promote plant growth opens new opportunities to register strains as biostimulants. Adequate registration procedures are urgently needed as there is no appropriate legal framework for registering Trichoderma as both plant protection products and as biofertilizers.


The PSP model has been extensively evaluated for its ability accurately match IV and CV characteristics MOSFETs measured on a single die. This enables accurate prediction of circuit behavior for circuits made of transistors which are very similar to the typical devices which were measured. However during manufacturing variations occur in the process which leads to difference in MOSFET characteristics. We examine various random sources of variation which affect all devices on a chip and attempt to model them by varying the PSP model parameters. We focus on determining a minimum set of parameter distributions for Monte Carlo modeling believing that fixed corner and user defined corners should be derived from accurate Monte Carlo models.


The article deals with the problem o f choice o f psychical-physical, psychological - pedagogical and situation caused criteria of pupils' individual peculiarities for forming individual - typological groups.


The Quantum Fourier transform (QFT) is a key ingredient in most quantum algorithms. We have compared various spin-based quantum computing schemes to implement the QFT from the point of view of their actual time-costs and the accuracy of the implementation. We focus here on an interesting decomposition of the QFT as a product of the non-selective Hadamard transformation followed by multiqubit gates corresponding to square- and higher-roots of controlled-NOT gates. This decomposition requires only O(n) operations and is thus linear in the number of qubits $n$. The schemes were implemented on a two-qubit NMR quantum information processor and the resultant density matrices reconstructed using standard quantum state tomography techniques. Their experimental fidelities have been measured and compared.


Background: The driving force for pattern related thermal nonuniformities in RTP is the color temperature difference between the heating source(s) and the patterned substrate material. Other major factors include the emissivity variation of the patterned wafer surface, the density, wavelength range and incident angle of the heating light, geometry and arrangement of the heating elements and reflectors and effective chamber reflectivity. Depending on ramp rate, the transient nonuniformities may be several times larger, than the steady state nonuniformities because of the high power density of the light flux during heating up. As long as the length scales of the optical differences in the wafer were smaller than the thermal diffusion length of Si at the process temperature, pattern effects were a "hidden world" of process evaluation in device production. The nearly simultaneous advent of large and complex chips including reduced feature sizes in the sensitive sub-0.18 μm range, and the need for fast ramp processing may make pattern effects a major concern.


This paper describes the flow dynamics inside a supersonic ejector using CFD modelling. Suitable ejector geometry is proposed for the high compression ratios encountered in real world applications. Post-processing and physical analysis of the CFD results are presented to better understand the entrainment mechanism and the mixing between the primary and the secondary fluids. The effect of the primary pressure on the flow dynamics and the entrainment ratio is discussed for the two compression ratios of 1.67 and 3.4.


Carbon-carbon sp3-sp2 rotational barriers of 3,3-dimethyl-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-4-piperidones and their ethylene ketals have been evaluated using nmr techniques. The conformation of 1 hydrochloride has been studied by NOE determinations. Values found for the hydrochlorides of the title compounds are discussed in terms of equilibria with free bases and nitrogen inversion.


Occurrence Globally there are nearly 9 million new TB cases and nearly 2 million TB-related deaths each year. TB occurs throughout the world, but the incidence varies greatly (see Map 5-8). In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia the annual incidence is several hundred per 100,000. Drug-resistant TB is of increasing concern. Multidrug-resistant or MDR TB is TB resistant to at least two of the most effective drugs, isoniazid and rifampin (also called first-line drugs). Extensively resistant or XDR TB is resistant to at least these two drugs and any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin). Although MDR TB occurs globally, it is less common than drug-susceptible TB. There are nearly 500,000 new cases of MDR TB each year, with some countries having proportions of MDR TB as high as 20% (see Map 5-9). MDR and XDR TB are of particular concern among HIV-infected or other immunocompromised persons.


New matrix, determinant and trace versions of the Kantorovich inequality (KI) involving two positive definite matrices are presented. Some of these are used to study the efficiencies of minimum‐distance (MD) estimators, generalized method‐of‐moments (GMM) estimators and several estimators specific to longitudinal or panel‐data analysis. They are also used to give upper bounds for the determinant and trace of the asymptotic variance matrix of a weighted least‐squares (WLS) estimator in the generalized linear model.


This paper describes a threshold track-and-hold device for determining the event time of the absolute maximum in a realiaztion of a stochastic process of finite duration. The range of input signal levels is + or - 3 V, and the upper frequency limit is greater than or equal to500 kHz. The absolute measurement error does not exceed 500 nsec. for an input signal-to-noise ratio > 1.5 msec and a duration of the investigated realization < 50 msec.


Thirty preschool children (18 boys, mean age = 54 months, SD = 6.82, range = 39 to 67 months) were recruited from a local University preschool center. Experimenters visited the preschool on one occasion and administered planning and inhibitory control tasks. Teachers' reported on children's temperament and data regarding early literacy skills. Consistent with expectations, teacher-rated attention focusing and inhibitory control were associated with better observed inhibitory control. Results unexpectedly showed that higher observed inhibitory control and lower teacher-rated anger/frustration, sadness, high intensity pleasure, and impulsivity, and higher teacher-rated inhibitory control and soothability were associated with a greater number of trials needed for successful completion of the two planning tasks. Perhaps children with better inhibitory control and lower overall difficulties in temperament were more likely to persist to completion in the face of task complexity. Introduction This study examined planning ability in early childhood relation to children's observed and teacher reported self-regulatory abilities and early literacy skills. Planning is a metacognitive or higher order complex cognitive skill that involves the anticipation, delineation, and organization of future-oriented actions toward achieving a goal (DeLoache, Miller, & Pierrotsakos, 1998; Friedman, Scholnick, & Cocking, 1987; Gauvain, 2001; Siegler, 1998). Planning relies on the ability to suspend action and delay gratification, which leads to increased opportunity to reflect on the activity and formulate strategies for future actions (Ellis & Siegler, 1997). The skills associated with planning ability emerge early and have a protracted developmental course associated with development of the prefrontal cortex, which continues to develop through adolescence and early adulthood (Hughes & Graham, 2002; Johnson, 2005; Wilding, Munir, & Cornish, 2001). Children advance from rudimentary planning in the first years of life, to devising simple plans in advance of action and an increased understanding of what planning is and when it is required in the preschool years, to increased competence in planning several steps in advance, the ability to suspend action, and engage in reflection during middle childhood (see Friedman & Scholnick, 1997). Furthermore, with increasing age, children have greater experience and opportunities to engage in planning during everyday activities (Gauvain, 2001). The development of planning skills is critical for mature social and cognitive functioning and becomes increasingly important throughout childhood for managing school related demands and the ability to balance various activities, such as completing homework assignments, family and chore responsibilities, and recreational activities that require children to behave in planful ways (Blair, 2002). In short, these are cognitive skills that, at least in part, form the basis for selfregulated learning, a characteristic particularly important in the classroom setting (Blair, 2002; Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999). Thus, children's planning ability, even in the preschool years, may have important implications for children's transition to formal schooling. Preschool children are still undergoing rapid developmental change in the areas of the brain, such as the frontal lobes, that may facilitate the ability to engage in self-regulated learning, such as memory, attention, self-regulation, and higher order cognitive skills like planning (Blair, 2002). When preschool children transition to formal schooling, they will also be faced with increasing cognitive and behavioral demands and academic success relies in part on children's ability to regulate their behavior to be consistent with the behavioral expectations of the classroom (Perry & Weinstein, 1998). The ease with which children are able to negotiate and adapt to these expectations during this transitional period has long-term implications for academic success (Ladd, 1996). In assessing school readiness, teachers tend to value behaviors that reflect higher order or metacognitive skills that enable self regulated learning such as attentiveness, motivation, and the ability to follow directions and not be disruptive. In fact, teachers value these capabilities more than specific academic skills, such as knowing the alphabet or being able to use a pencil (Blair, 2002). Thus, teachers appear to have expectations that competent students will be able to regulate their attention and behavior in the classroom. In the preschool context children's learning experiences are setting the stage for their eventual transition to formal schooling. Children who have difficulty with metacognitive skills, like planning, may thus be at a disadvantage in this process of preparation. The current study will examine individual differences or characteristics of children, such as self-regulatory ability, that may influence both children's ability to plan and the acquisition of skills that prepare them for formal schooling. Planning ability is considered to be an important aspect of what has been referred to as executive function (Brophy, Taylor, & Hughes, 2002; Hughes & Graham, 2002; Zelazo, Carter, Reznick, Frye, 1997). Executive function or control processes include effortful, higher order psychological processes involved in the conscious control of thought and action, goal-directed responses, and self-regulatory ability, such as attention flexibility and inhibitory control (e.g., ability to redirect a strong habitual response). Research on deficits in executive control processes has largely been conducted in the area of developmental psychopathology. Not well understood are the connections between executive control processes and normative child development. The proposed study is specifically interested in examining children's planning ability and the selfregulatory aspects of executive function. This study will focus on relations between observed and teacher reported inhibitory control, observed planning ability, and teacher reports of children's literacy skill development. Inhibitory control is considered to be a dimension of temperament and individual differences in this control process can be identified as early as the first year (Rothbart & Posner, 2001). Inhibitory control involves the ability to withhold a response, interrupt a process that has already begun, avoid interference with ongoing activity, or delay a response (Tamm, Menon, & Reiss, 2002). Inhibitory control is evident within the second half of the first year of life and, in part, forms the basis for the ability of young children to comply with adult directives, delay gratification, and manage their own impulses (Fox & Calkins, 2003). Thus, deficits in inhibitory control may be associated with poorer performance on planning tasks in early childhood (Brophy et al., 2002), which in turn may be associated with a lower degree of school readiness as assessed by teachers. We were also interested in examining child emotionality as an aspect of temperament that may be associated with children's ability to successfully engage in complex cognitive activity. Emotionality has the potential to interfere with children's ability to engage effectively in complex cognitive tasks by interfering with the focusing of attention and maintenance of motivation (Frijda & Mesquita, 1998), which are critical to such cognitive activities. This may be particularly true for young children who are still undergoing brain development in areas that are associated with self-regulatory capacity (Johnson, 2005). We were specifically interested in negative and positive emotionality. Research has demonstrated that individuals with a tendency toward experiencing and expressing negative emotions such as anger and frustration tend to be less effective at emotion regulation (Fox & Calkins, 2003) and in processing information (Cummings & Davies, 1995). Evidence from neuroscience suggests that negative emotion results in a deactivation of the frontal areas of the brain associated with higher order cognitive functioning, such as planning, as well as the ability to regulate attention and behavior (Davis, Bruce, & Gunnar, 2002). Consistent with these findings, children prone to negative emotionality may display greater difficulty with planning and inhibitory control. Children prone to negative emotionality may also display greater difficulty in their interactions with others and in the classroom setting. On the other hand, positive emotionality may foster interactions with others. Less is known about the role of positive emotionality in relation to cognitive activity, thus relations in this regard will be explored in the current study. Hypotheses This study of planning ability, temperament and literacy development in preschool children examined relations between areas of executive functioning and school readiness. It was expected that children who showed higher levels of planning skill development would also show a higher level of inhibitory control. Furthermore, children who were perceived by teachers to be higher in self-regulation were also expected to have a higher level of performance on the planning and inhibitory control tasks. Children rated by teachers as having more difficulty with negative emotions were expected to perform poorly on observed planning and inhibitory control tasks. Observed planning and inhibitory control and high levels of teacher rated self-regulation and low levels of teacher-rated negative emotionality were predicted to coincide with higher letter recognition scores. Levels of positive temperament in participating children and how it related to task completions and teacher ratings were also explored. Method Participants Thirty preschool aged children (18 boys) were recruited from the University of North Florida Child Development and Research Center (CDRC). Teachers at the CDRC reported on childre


We count the number of pairs in the single-j-shell model of {sup 44}Ti for various interactions. For a state of total angular momentum I, the wave function can be written as {psi}={sigma}{sub J{sub P}}{sub J{sub N}}D(J{sub P}J{sub N})[(j{sup 2}){sub J{sub P}}(j{sup 2}){sub J{sub N}}]{sub I}, where D(J{sub P}J{sub N}) is the probability amplitude that the protons couple to J{sub P} and the neutrons to J{sub N}. For I=0 there are three states with (I=0, T=0) and one with (I=0, T=2). The latter is the double analog of {sup 44}Ca. In that case (T=2), the magnitude of D(JJ) is the same as that of a corresponding two-particle coefficient of fractional parentage. In counting the number of pairs with an even angular momentum J, we find a new relationship is obtained by diagonalizing a unitary nine-j symbol. We are also able to get results for the 'no-interaction' case for T=0 states, for which it is found, e.g., that there are fewer (J=1, T=0) pairs than on the average. Relative to this no-interaction case, we find that for the most realistic interaction used there is an enhancement of pairs with angular momentum J=0,2,1, and 7, and a depletion for the others. Also consideredmore » are interactions in which only the (J=0, T=1) pair state is at lower energy, interactions where only the (J=1, T=0) pair state is lowered, interactions where both are equally lowered, and the Q{center_dot}Q interaction. We are also able to obtain simplified formulas for the number of J=0 pairs for the I=0 states in {sup 46}Ti and {sup 48}Ti by noting that the unique state with isospin vertical bar T{sub z} vertical bar+2 is orthogonal to all the states with isospin vertical bar T{sub z} vertical bar.« less


Airflow obstruction is common in older persons but frequently under-diagnosed. The term refers to a spectrum of chronic respiratory disorders characterized by cough, dyspnoea, mucus hypersecretion, wheeze and impaired pulmonary function tests. Patients may be diagnosed as having late-onset asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema or fixed airflow obstruction of the elderly.


Located geographically in the East, but often identified with the West, Japan's role as a world power over the last century and a half remains curiously inconsistent in mainstream international relations (IR). By examining Japan's often under-appreciated role in the international history of wealth and power, we argue that this tells us more about the distorting impact on IR theory of Eurocentrism and realism than it tells us about Japan's role in world history. Symptomatic of these distortions are Japan's exclusion from or marginalization within, the first round of modernization before 1914, and the accompanying under-recognition of its role as a model and hub for Northeast Asia's capitalist development. Also occluded is Japan's key post-1945 role in both underpinning America's superpower status, and promoting the capitalist world order in Asia. Mainstream IR theory provides poor foundations for both academic and policy analysis of Japan's important world role.


In the Indigenous Territory called Lalima village were identifed 13 sites and 7 archaeological occurrence areas, consisting of Guarani materials, of Pantanal Tradition (similar to the Jacadigo Phase and to the of MS-CP-25site), and materials associated with the historical formation of the current ethnographical context. Considering the detected materials as correlates of the historical trajectory of indigenous occupation in the village, proposethat Lalima can be understood as a palimpsest of the indigenous regional history and suggest some issues relating to the deepening of archaeological research in the area.


The synthetic behaviors of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by Fe/MgO catalysts were investigated in 0~90 wt.% range of MgO mixture ratios by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) process. The CNTs were synthesized with 40 minutes of synthetic time, and 923 K of synthetic temperature using 0.1 L/min of ethylene gas and 1.0 L/min of hydrogen gas as synthetic and carrier gas, respectively. As the increase of synthetic temperatures and times, the diameters of CNTs become thicker. The carbon yield showed in a parabolic curve as MgO content increased and the maximum carbon yield was obtained at 30 wt.% of MgO. There were no obvious changes in the diameters of CNTs respect to the change of MgO content. Fe/MgO CNTs showed good crystalinity by High Resolution Transmission Electron microscope (HR-TEM) analysis. The behaviors of Fe/MgO CNTs have a tendency of depending on synthetic time and temperature rather than MgO content.


Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is the leading cause of visual loss in working-aged Americans, and as such successful treatment is of major public health importance. The gold standard is laser photocoagulation based on the landmark Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS).1 In the ETDRS, laser treatment reduced the 3-year risk of moderate visual loss by 50%; however, the standard teaching is that patients in the ETDRS rarely improved vision. In fact, in the published ETDRS manuscripts to date, only around 10% of patients gained more than three lines of vision. This led to the prevailing thinking that laser prevents vision loss, but rarely results in visual improvement. Thus, newer therapies have been explored in an effort to improve outcomes in this common and devastating condition.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was one of the first cytokines implicated in diabetic retinopathy and DMO with elevated VEGF levels found in patients with active disease.2 Increased retinal capillary permeability due to breakdown of the blood–retina barrier have been shown to be mediated by VEGF.3 Thus, VEGF appears to be a good target to prevent DMO and progression of diabetic retinopathy.

Several anti-VEGF agents have been evaluated in off-label case series and small-scale clinical trials to treat DMO. In a randomised, phase 2 clinical trial of 172 patients, …


Replacement of fossil coal with biomass fuel is a key strategy to decrease CO2 emission in the Nordic industry. Charcoal produced from pyrolysis of forest residue is expected for the application in metallurgical process. Quality of charcoal can reach the requirement, i.e. high carbon content, low volatile, low ash content, and high heating value at high pyrolysis temperature. Nevertheless, to produce charcoal with such high quality, the products distribution may shift toward pyrolysis oil and gas. We have suggested to increase the charcoal yield while keeping its quality by adsorbing large molecule fractions of pyrolysis oil on the pore structure of charcoal produced at relatively high temperature (>600 °C). This study aims at demonstrating the suggested pyrolysis process to produce metallurgical charcoal with high efficiency. The effect of various operation parameters was investigated in batch operations with ca. 130 kg dry wood chips for this purpose.


Objective To explore the genetic association of human leucocyte antigen(HLA)-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 allele polymorphisms with pemphigus. Methods Fifty-eight patients with pemphigus(case group) and 89 normal controls(control group) were selected in Shanghai as study objectives.HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles in two groups were typed by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers(PCR-SSP).Direct count method was adopted to calculate allele frequencies,and comparison was performed between groups.Odds ratios(OR) of allele frequencies were used to evaluate the association of gene with disease. Results A total of 13 HLA-DRB1 alleles and 5 HLA-DQB1 alleles were detected in case group and control group.The frequencies of HLA-DRB1*14 allele and HLA-DQB1*05 allele in case group were significantly higher than those in control group(17.24% vs 1.69%,P=0.000,Pc0.05,OR=12.150;18.97% vs 6.74%,P=0.001,Pc0.05,OR=3.238).The frequency of HLA-DQB1*06 allele in case group was significantly lower than that in control group(15.52% vs 30.90%,P=0.003,Pc0.05,OR=0.411). Conclusion HLA-DRB1*14 and HLA-DQB1*05 may be predisposing genes,while HLA-DQB1*06 may be protective gene of pemphigus in Shanghai.


Objective To monitor the levels of plasma DNA in the chemotherapy process of adult patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia(ALL),and evaluate the relationship between plasma DNA level and chemotherapy efficiency.Methods Venous blood samples were taken from 55 adult patients with ALL before chemotherapy and 45 of them after one course of chemotherapy.The patients were divided into three groups according to the chemotherapy efficiency judged by bone marrow myelogram,hemogram and clinical manifestations.Eighty healthy subjects were selected as controls.The plasma DNA was extracted with magnetic beads,and the levels of plasma DNA were determined by duplex real-time PCR with the plasmid DNA as internal reference.Results The plasma DNA level [M(P25,P75)] in the patients with ALL before chemotherapy was 248.1(97.1,448.7) ng/mL,which was significantly higher than that of the control group [19.1(12.7,25.8) ng/mL,Z=8.916,P0.01].After one course of chemotherapy,the plasma DNA level was 35.5(17.7,83.0) ng/mL,which was markedly lower than that before chemotherapy(Z=6.322,P0.01).There was significant difference of plasma DNA levels among the three groups with different curative effect whether before chemotherapy(χ2=6.960,P0.05) or after chemotherapy(χ2=11.145,P0.01).However,there was significant difference of plasma DNA levels before and after chemotherapy(Z=3.92,P0.01) in the complete remission group,but no significant difference in the partial remission group and non-remission group.The analysis of Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the survival rate of patients with plasma DNA less than 50 ng/mL was higher than that of patients with plasma DNA more than or equal to 50 ng/mL(χ2=3.860,P0.05) after one course of chemotherapy.Conclusions The determination of plasma DNA level may have important significance for evaluating the curative effect and prognosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia.The reduced level of plasma DNA may predict a good prognosis.


The umbrella-shaped style of Sarracenia has a flattened and broadened distal half forming an umbrella canopy and a slender cylindrical proximal half, forming an umbrella stalk. The developme...


Optimum design of most structural systems requires that design variables are regarded as discrete quantities. This paper presents the use of Genetic Algorithms for determining the optimum design for truss with discrete variables. Genetic Algorithms are known as heuristic search algorithms, and are effective global search methods for discrete optimization. In this paper, Elitism and the method of conferring penalty parameters in the design variables, in order to achieve improved fitness in the reproduction process, is used in the Genetic Algorithm. A 10-Bar plane truss and a 25-Bar space truss are used for discrete optimization. These structures are designed for stress and displacement constraints, but buckling is not considered. In particular, we obtain continuous solution using Genetic Algorithms for a 10-bar truss, compared with other results. The effectiveness of Genetic Algorithms for global optimization is demonstrated through two truss examples.


Modern aircraft are required to carry various external stores mounted at different locations on the wing. Sometimes the attachment of stores to an aircraft wing leads to flutter speed reduction, which is a very severe aeroelastic problem. In order to suppress structural vibration and expand the flutter boundary of the aircraft with stores, it is necessary to investigate the main problems and characteristics of them. In addition, active vibration control may be required because passive vibration isolators show limited capabilities for the various wing/store configuration. In this paper, therefore, the flutter stability to the various wing/store configurations was investigated and active vibration control of wing/store model was performed using a piezoelectric actuator.


The developmental and neurologic status of 155 children were evaluated one year after heart surgery for D-transposition of the great arteries, comparing those randomly assigned to circulatory arrest or low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass, at Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.


Describes several types of efficiency enhancements of "classical" rule-based diagnostic expert systems. The blackboard control structure enables one to explore more knowledge bases of the same syntax in parallel, the taxonomy structures make fast zooming of attention possible and provide an additional inference mechanism based on inheritance principles. In addition to these mechanisms, we describe a method utilizing a machine learning approach in the process of developing and refining a knowledge base. The applicability of the enhancing techniques and the machine learning is documented in four case studies exploring the extended FEL-EXPERT shell in different tasks of medical decision-making. The authors consider these techniques as useful steps on the way from "classical" diagnostic expert systems towards more complex multi-agent decision tools.


A sensitive and stable enzyme biosensor based on efficient immobilization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to MWNTs-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with chitosan (CS) by layer-by-layer (LBL) technique for rapid determination of carbofuran has been devised. According to the inhibitory effect of carbamate pesticide on the enzymatic activity of AChE, we use carbofuran as a model pesticide. The inhibitory effect of carbofuran on the biosensor was proportional to concentration of carbofuran in the range from 10-10 g/L to 10-3 g/L with a detection limit of 10-12 g/L. This biosensor is a promising new method for pesticide analysis.


The application of fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) is an effective method to prolong the use time of feed, but the understanding of the interaction mechanism between fungal microorganisms and silage quality and aerobic stability in FTMR is still limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay to oat (Avena sativa L.) hay ratios on chemical composition, fermentation characteristics, and fungal communities during aerobic exposure of fermented total mixed ration (FTMR). The supplement levels of oat were as follows: 200 g/kg oat hay (LO), 300 g/kg oat hay (MO), and 400 g/kg oat hay (HO). The water content of the three treatments was adjusted to 50% using a sprayer. After 60 days of ensiling, the bags were opened, and the chemical composition, fermentation characteristics, and fungal communities were measured after 3, 6, 9, and 12 days of aerobic exposure. The results suggested that the LO treatment significantly (p < 0.05) increased the aerobic stability than that in other treatments. The crude protein and lactic acid content in the three treatments were significantly decreased with the extension of the aerobic exposure period. Additionally, there was a remarkable (p < 0.05) higher lactic acid content observed in the LO treatment than that in the HO treatment during the aerobic stage. The PCoA showed that the compositions of the fungal community in the HO treatment were distinctly separated from the other two treatments. Compared with HO and LO treatments, the MO treatment observed relatively higher OTU, Shannon, and Chao1 indexes. Compared with LO and MO treatments, the abundances of the genes Saccharomyces and Wallemia were greater increased and decreased in the HO treatment, respectively. Integrated correlation analysis also underscores a possible link between the fermentation characteristics, aerobic stability, and significantly altered fungal community. This study suggested that the use of FTMR in production might prolong aerobic storage time when alfalfa was fermented in a mixture with ≤30% oat.


lead to improved patient survival, but is this the case? I know of no surveys in the UK designed to show this, and surveys from the USA, where paramedic training is generally more organised and more advanced, show conflicting results. The question of whether or not better paramedic training improves patient outcome in trauma is controversial. ' There are two schools ofthought on the management of major trauma: those who advocate field stabilisation (performed by paramedics) and those who advocate quick evacuation (the "load and go" or "scoop and run" philosophy). The value offield stabilisation is in "time dependent" patientsthose with extremely urgent life threatening problems, those with long transport times, and those who are trapped. In situations such as these most doctors agree that the ABC of resuscitation should be performed as soon as possible. However, recent surveys in the USA have advocated the "load and go" philosophy in urban areas, where transit times are short,2 though some surveys have shown increased survival in certain kinds ofurban trauma with paramedic intervention.3 In truth, however, neither school is supported by large quantities of research, and the need for further research is great. In the UK most major trauma will occur in urban areas where transit times will be short; if a policy of "load and go" is instituted then little opportunity will arise for the skills taught to be put into practice. The greater skills of the highly trained paramedic are unlikely to provide better results than the techniques of resuscitation used by ambulance staff today. Finally, the interval between injury and definitive surgical treatment is a critical factor in determining the survival rate of trauma victims.4 A recent report suggests that the delay in definitive surgery may rest with the medical profession and the lack of a dedicated trauma system in some hospitals.5 The future introduction of regional trauma centres will, I hope, relieve this state of affairs. The increased skills of a qualified paramedic are a small'but important part in the overall resuscitation of the trauma victim in certain circumstances, but without other improvements the true benefits of these skills will not be known.


The utility model provides a ceiling type air conditioner indoor unit system. An indoor unit is arranged in a ceiling. The system comprises an air return port and an air outlet, wherein the air return port is arranged at the side of the ceiling; the air outlet is arranged at the bottom of the ceiling; the air return port is provided with an air return port device which can be opened and closed; the air outlet is provided with an air outlet device which can be opened and closed. The air outlet faces the ground, and then the hot air can be delivered to the lowest area of a room, so the heat comfort of the room is good, the size of the unit is smaller, the space is saved, a larger decoration space is reserved, and the versatility requirement is met.


Given the grandeur of a total solar eclipse, it is likely that prehistoric humans marveled at the Sun's corona. Artificially rejecting light from the solar disk to see the million times fainter corona is a significant challenge, so it is not surprising that efforts to reproduce an eclipse were not successful until relatively recently.


We briefly review the history of the connectivity index from 1975 to date. We hope to throw some light on why this unique, by its design, graph theoretical molecular descriptor continues to be of interest in QSAR, having wide use in applications in structure–property and structure–activity studies. We will elaborate on its generalizations and the insights it offered on applications in Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA). Going beyond the connectivity index we will outline several related developments in the development of molecular descriptors used in MRA, including molecular ID numbers (1986), the variable connectivity index (1991), orthogonal regression (1991), irrelevance of co-linearity of descriptors (1997), anti-connectivity (2006), and high discriminatory descriptors characterizing molecular similarity (2015). We will comment on beauty in QSAR and recent progress in searching for similarity of DNA, proteins and the proteome. This review reports on several results which are little known to the structure–property–activity community, the significance of which may surprise those unfamiliar with the application of discrete mathematics to chemistry. It tells the reader many unknown stories about the connectivity index, which may help the reader to better understand the meaning of this index. Readers are not required to be familiar with graph theory.


ION1: For each variable, put all variable values that do not appear in the property in the same equivalence class. Formally, 8i; 1 i n, let D i ( ) = fd i;1 ; :::; d i;k g, 1 k m. Then create a class ^ d i;l 2 PART (D i ), 1 l < m, for which h i (d i;1 ) = h i (d i;2 ) = ... = h i (d i;k ) = ^ d i;l . Using our abbreviation, 8i; 1 i n, A(D i ( )) 2 PART (D i ). Lemma p1: For each variable v i , Abstraction1 creates a partition over D i ( ). (proof is obvious) Theorem1: Abstraction1 is sound.


Erroneous measurements in multisensor navigation systems must be detected and isolated. A recursive estimator can find fast growing errors; a least squares batch estimator can find slow growing errors. This process is called fault detection. A protection radius can be calculated as a function of time for a given location. This protection radius can be used to guarantee the integrity of the navigation data. Fault isolation can be accomplished using either a snapshot method or by examining the history of the fault detection statistics.


Modulated photocurrent (MPC) spectroscopy has been used to investigate the energy distribution of deep defect states in photo-CVD grown a-Si 1 -x Ge x :H alloys. We observe a distinct electron trapping feature at a thermal energy of 0.55eV below E c for higher Ge concentration (x = 0.62) alloys. For those samples with Ge concentration between 30-50 at. %, an anomalously large phase shift was observed within a temperature window between 150K to 240K. The modulated photocurrent exhibits strong quenching at the edges of this window. We suggest that these MPC spectra are controlled by deep defect relaxation processes in this temperature region, which causes electron thermal emission processes to be greatly suppressed. This effect can be reduced by increasing the reverse bias. Under such conditions, the energy position of these defect states can be roughly estimated to lie near E c - 0.33eV. This result supports the recent result obtained from transient photocapacitance and photocurrent measurement.


From policing to policed territories Today, countless news reports and reality TV programs stage the work of the police forces, creating the illusion that they are following them in action. However, these broadcasts provide almost no information on the spaces where the interventions take place, or on the relationship between those spaces and the agents responsible for keeping public order. In other words, the spectators are made to watch "on-the-ground" action without being provided with an ...


To develop a dual‐radiofrequency (RF), dual‐echo, 3D ultrashort echo‐time (UTE) pulse sequence and bone‐selective image reconstruction for rapid high‐resolution craniofacial MRI.


ABSTRACT Stenosis of the cerebral aqueduct (CA) is featured in many studies relating to elevated intracranial cerebral pressures. It also presents a challenging situation to clinicians. Compressive forces play a lead role in pathological situations such as the presence of tumors and hence can cause obstruction to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Because of this barrier, excessive retention of CSF in the ventricles can occur. This, in turn, can contribute to increased pressure gradients inside the cranium. Most of the numerical models in the literature are restricted to modeling the CSF flow by considering the ventricle walls as rigid material, although in reality they are deformable. This paper, therefore, addresses the same from a holistic perspective by taking into consideration the dynamics of the flexible characteristics of the ventricular wall. It adds novelty to this field by reconstructing anatomically realistic ventricular wall behavior. To do this, the authors aim to develop a computational model of stenosis of the CA due to a brain tumor by invoking a fluid–structure interaction (FSI) method. The proposed three-dimensional FSI model is simulated under two cases: first, simulation of the pre-stenosis case with no interaction of tumor forces and, secondly, a stenosis condition with dynamic interaction of tumor forces. Comparison of the forces with and without a tumor reveals a marked obstruction of CSF outflow after the third ventricle and CA. In addition, a drastic rise in CSF velocity from 21.2 mm/s in the pre-stenosis case to 54.1 mm/s in the stenosis case is observed, along with a net increase in deformation of 0.144 mm on the walls of the ventricle. This paper makes a significant contribution to brain simulation studies for pressure calculations, in which the presence of tumors is a major concern.


The determination of science and technology Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing will make much difference to the newly-prevailed sports information development.At the same time,it also puts forward a great challenge to the sports information environmental development.How to solve the shortage of sport information talented people and resource,weakness in infrastructure is the top priority of sport information environment construction.


A field experiment was conducted during winter season of 2001–02 to study the effect of herbicidal weed management practices in irrigated cotton. Different weed management treatments reduced weed density and their dry weight as compared to unweeded control. Post emergence directed spray of paraquat dichloride 0.2 kg/ha (at 30 DAS) with one hand weeding at 60 DAS recorded lowest weed population (28.6/m2). maximum weed control efficiency (81.8%) and highest seed cotton yield of 1487 kg-ha with B:C ratio (2.41). Weeds if not controlled within 60 DAS can deplete the major nutrients to the extent of 87.1, 17.9 and 61.7 kg NPK per hectare. The quality parameters of cotton were not influenced by the different weed control practices.


Superficial epidermolytic ichthyosis (SEI) is a rare blistering disorder, manifesting as blisters and hyperkeratosis. It has characteristic histopathological features, hyperkeratosis, vacuolar degeneration of the granular layer, and subcorneal split. Clinically, peeling skin syndrome and epidermolytic ichthyosis can mimic SEI. Therefore, a skin biopsy is essential to diagnose this rare genetic condition. Here, we are reporting a rare case of SEI in neonates presented with peeling of the skin.


Na2S206.2H~O: orthorhombic, Pnma, a = 6.411(5), b= 10.761(7), c=10.675(8) A; Z=4, Do = 2.19, D c = 2.18 g cm-3; R = 0.045 for 2717 independent reflexions. The compound crystallizes as a three-dimensional network with short O..-Na distances and O-H...O hydrogen bonds. The $20 ~- ion has D3a (3m) symmetry, to a good approximation, with S-S = 2.141 (1), S-O = 1.452(1) A, (S-S-O) = 104.6 and (0-S-0) = 114.1 °


The intertidal sediment samples collected in May 2007 from 12 sampling sites in the southern part of Peninsular
Malaysia, were determined for the total concentrations of Cu, Ni and Zn and their four geochemical fractions. The total concentrations (μg/g dry weight) of Cu, Ni and Zn ranged from 9.48 to 115.82, 12.95 to 36.18 and 45.35 to 136.56, respectively.
The ratios of nonresistant to resistant fractions based on geochemical analysis revealed that the Pantai Lido and Senibong had > 1.0, indicating > 50% of the total concentrations of Cu, Ni and Cu were contributed by anthropogenic sources. This is well complemented by the cluster analysis in which Pantai Lido and Senibong are clustered together based on the three metals clustering pattern. By using Fe as a normalizing element, Cu found at Pantai Lido and Senibong showed > 1.5 for
the enrichment factor (EF), which indicated that the Cu was delivered from non-crustal materials or anthropogenic origins while all sampling sites showed Ni and Zn may be entirely from crustal materials. Based on the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) (Muller, 1981), similar pattern was also found for Pantai Lido and Senibong in which again only Cu concentrations ranged from 1-2, indicating 'moderate pollution' (Igeo 1 < 2; Class 2).while other sites can be considered as 'unpolluted'
(Igeo < 0; Class 0) by Cu, Ni and Zn. Ratios of NR/R exhibited better in the assessment of polluted sites while EF and Igeo should be revised according to Malaysian sedimentary characteristics. This study should prompt more biochemical and molecular studies on the intertidal molluscs from the Straits of Johore since the identified two sites are located in the Straits of Johore, especially the commercial mussel Perna viridis.


Neutron total non-elastic cross sections have been obtained from transmission measurements of 40.3 and 50.4 MeV neutrons on C, O, Ca, and Fe. The results agree within error bars with proton data on the same nuclei. The data are well represented by the relation sigma/sub non/=..pi..(r/sub 0/A/sup 1/3/+lambda-dash-bar)/sup 2/, where r/sub 0/1.21=(plus-or-minus0.03) fm. Comparisons of sigma/sub non/ with optical model calculations for C and O show a preference for the parameters of Bassel and Herling, while for Ca both the parameter sets of Patterson and those of Becchetti and Greenlees work reasonably well. None of the parameter sets is entirely satisfactory for Fe. Implications of these data for the isospin dependence of the optical model are discussed.


The increasing demands for accountability and excellence continuously challenge the roles of head teachers in the process of school change. To best lead change in school, effective change leadership is crucial as it is the key to any change initiatives. The study was to identify the level of competency in managing change (CIMC) of the head teachers in National-type Chinese Primary Schools (NCPS) in Perak, Malaysia, that included the change leadership technical competency (CLTC) and the change leadership emotional intelligence (CLEI). The analysis of the survey was performed based on the data of 875 respondents i.e. 50 head teachers, 144 senior assistants and 681 teachers. The findings revealed that, a) the head teachers of NCPS were rated as Quite Good in CIMC, CLTC and CLEI; b) the head teachers of NCPS achieved a higher mean score in CLEI than in CLTC and the difference was significant; c) in terms of sub-dimensions, the head teachers of NCPS were rated as Quite Good across all the four sub-dimensions of CLTC; and Good in Emotional Regulation and Emotional Utilization whereas Quite Good in Emotional Understanding and Emotional Perceiving and Expressing of CLEI. The study provided useful feedback in designing change management training programmes based on the distinct needs of the head teachers of NCPS. Besides, it offered the Ministry of Education and relevant parties another dimension of enhancing and enlarging head teachers' capacity for change, particularly in advancing a more comprehensive analysis in exploring change leadership competency towards continuous school improvement and effectiveness.


Summary Since time immemorial the fruits of aronia melanocarpa (rich of bioflavonoides) have been known for their medicinal properties. Present-day research of the pharmacological effects of aronia melanocarpa juice and fruits intake indicates that their high contents of anthocyanins is closely related to the health enhancing properties of this plant. This is a key fact which can be used in the prevention of most commonly spread, socially significant diseases, reducing for instance the total risk of cardio-vascular diseases. The great molecular variety anthocyanins possess and the role they play in cell metabolism, are still being investigated. This gives grounds to study the effects of Aronia melanocarpa on human cells, tissues, and organs. The aim of this study is to trace the effect of 150-200 ml aronia melanokarpa juice daily oral intake on the adipocyte hormones leptin (Lp), resistine (Rs) and adiponectin (Adn) blood levels in 10 patients with high body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and high waist circumference. We used ELISA methods for hormonal analyses. During the study-period of two months patients did not change anything in their lifestyle. In the study group, the levels of Rs, Lp and Adn changed significantly compared to their baseline levels (averages, ng/mL) - 6.93 ± 0.137, 18.40 ±1.021 and 7.98 ± 0.077 vs. 5.06 ± 0.011, 15.23 ± 0.906 and 10.45 ± 0.103 at the end of the second month, respectively. Compared with the control group of 6 people, matched for BMI, not receiving aronia melanocarpa juice, these values were markedly different. Patients taking aronia melanokarpa juice report improvement in various conditions that have caused them discomfort before the research started: pain in the muscles and joints faded away and were replaced by a new feeling of strength, headache attacks disappeared, improvement in memory and sleep were reported, regular defecation, no signs of gastric discomfort, better vision, a quicker auditory reaction, motivation for having sex, good mood were also reported. Obese patients with insulin resistance have decreased serum adiponectin and increased serum resistin and leptin. The levels of these three hormones changed positively after chronic intake of aronia juice. We recommend a daily intake of aronia juice for the prevention of health.


This past summer, Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox's chief technology officer (CTO) and president of the Xerox Innovation Group, set up a part-time home office miles away from the company's headquarters in Webster, New York. She had recently married an IEEE fellow, Jesus del Alamo, an electrical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and moved to a suburb of Boston. With the advent of new computer technologies, she thought with her old phone number ringing on her laptop and an executive assistant who can send documents straight to her printer--it shouldn't make much of a difference where her office was; she could communicate with most colleagues as easily as if their desks were under the same roof. As a bonus, she could also see firsthand what the future of work life might look like, a key area of Xerox's active research.


Permanent second harmonic generation (SHG) in chalcogenide based glass-ceramics containing highly nonlinear micro-crystals (crystalline particle size≈2-4 μm) has been demonstrated. In order to investigate whether a controlled crystallisation is an efficient way for improving the SH temporal stability and SH signal intensity of chalcogenide glasses, the Ge23Sb12S65 composition was chosen for its stability against crystallisation and atmospheric corrosion. Different amounts of metallic cadmium were introduced to promote CdS crystallite formation. Glass-ceramics with volume crystallisation were obtained by heat treating the glass samples at different temperatures from 370°C to 400°C and for different durations. The second order nonlinear signals were measured by using Maker fringes experiment. The first results indicate a nonlinearity in chalcogenide glass-ceramics approximately one hundred times lower than in α-quartz.


The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of empirical research done with the same group of students during consecutive semesters of literary translation courses. We intend to change traditional translation didactics by using cognitive and pragmatic methods in order to optimize translation production and the student's self-correction awareness.


A circuit model for crosstalk between two braided coaxial cables is developed, using electric and magnetic field coupling parameters. The model is used to study crosstalk as affected by braid constructions and passive load impedances used as terminations in the intermediate circuit between cables. The results show that crosstalk is strongly affected by these passive terminations as well as the magnitudes and polarities of both electric and magnetic coupling parameters. >


The gene that encodes the protein tyrosine phosphatase D (PTPRD) may be related to brain circuits associated with sleep, and has been seen as an interesting molecule, a "druggable" drug target. This gene is a potential candidate for increasing therapeutic advances in restless legs syndrome, a sleep‐related movement disorder, that manifests as an uncontrollable desire to move limbs (legs) to relieve uncomfortable sensations. Changes in the PTPRD gene expression may increase the chance of developing this syndrome. Treatment with pramipexole is used in restless legs syndrome. This study aims to verify the effect of treatment with pramipexole on the PTPRD expression, as well as on the sleep pattern in an animal model for restless legs syndrome. For this, an animal model of sleep‐related movement disorders (spontaneously hypertensive rats) was distributed in groups: (a) spontaneously hypertensive rats−control; (b) spontaneously hypertensive rats−pramipexole (0.125 mg kg−1 for 4 weeks). The analyses of PTPRD gene and protein expression were performed in the striatum and spinal cord by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Electrocorticographic and electromyographic analyses were performed. There was no difference in the PTPRD mRNA levels, as well as in the protein levels, although a tendency has been observed for decreased gene expression in the striatum and increased protein expression in the spinal cord in the spontaneously hypertensive rats−pramipexole group. Pramipexole improved the animals' sleep pattern. Thus, the treatment with pramipexole in the evaluated dose and time tended to alter the expression of the PTPRD protein in the spinal cord, in addition to significantly improving the sleep pattern.


Marketing and advertising is a fundamental factor in the deployment of companies' name and increase their profits, Therefore, this study aimed to identify whether there is an impact between Marketing and advertising expenses and profitability in industrial medicines public shareholding companies listed in the Amman Stock Exchange. The sample of the study included the industrial pharmaceutical companies listed in the Amman Stock Exchange, during the period between 2009-2013. To achieve the purposes of the study, and to analyze the data extracted from the annual statements, the researcher used simple linear regression method. The results of the study showed an impact of marketing and advertising expenses on the profitability of the pharmaceutical companies. The paper provides a useful guide for the users of financial statements of Marketing and Advertising, since it provides information on possible effect on the company's performance. In addition, the paper fills an information gap by addressing a range of valuation issues on Marketing and Advertising and offers relevant information guidance to the users of financial statements.


TCSC impedance control is the foundation of the realization of the other control functions for the TCSC. To obtain the bet-ter response of the TCSC impedance control,a novel control strategy—the composite control strategy with CMAC and PID,was ap-plied in the paper. The control strategy can realize the inverse dynamic model,mitigates the disturbance,and ensures the system sta-bility. The Matlab/Simulink software is used to build the two-area four-machine system and the simulation results indicate the feasi-bility of the control strategy.


A wide range of opportunities in the field of automotive and structural applications are being offered by Magnesium matrix composites because of their enhanced mechanical properties. Magnesium alloys based Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are the best candidates for lightweight structural applications due to their improved creep properties. In the present study, three specimens of specially reinforced magnesium composites were manufactured by using the squeeze casting process. Specimen 1 has a composition of 7 % aluminum alloy in addition to 1% zinc and the composition of reinforcement is Titanium Carbide 0.3 % in addition to 1.5% Carbon nanotubes. Specimen 2 has a composition of 12 % aluminum alloy in addition to 1 % zinc and the composition of reinforcement is 2% B_4 C in addition to 2 % Carbon nanotubes. Specimen 3 has a composition of 14 % aluminum alloy in addition to 1 % zinc and the composition of reinforcement is 2 % B_4 C in addition to 2 % Carbon nanotubes. The mechanical properties analysis showed that specimen 2 has a higher hardness value in comparison to other manufactured specimens and it was also observed that specimen 2 possesses a higher tensile strength value in comparison to the other two specimens. Microstructure analysis shows that there was a uniform distribution of the reinforcements in the matrix. So it can be inferred that this uniform distribution causes higher hardness and higher tensile strength in the manufactured specimens.


Electrodes or microelectrode arrays that are used for stimulation of nerve tissue and sensing or recording of neural electrical activity are the basis of emerging devices and treatments for various cardiac,1,2 neurological3-6 retinal7,8 and hearing disorders.9 They are fabricated to have very specific sizes, geometries and profiles, as well as electrical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties to match the biological requirements of their intended applications. The amount and diversity of such electrodes is vast owing to the fact that different applications demand different electrode types with respect to their size, invasiveness, selectivity, materials and performance.10


Abstract The European Union has been highly emphasising the role of public procurement for innovation as a policy instrument that can be used to stimulate sustainable development. This development reflects and responds to improvements in social welfare, growth of entrepreneurship and of national competitive advantage. In the process of selection, the awarding tender public procurement institutions lack an overall approach for choosing the most advantageous and sustainable innovation alternative. To contribute purchasing of innovative solutions, the present paper elaborates a framework of innovation measurement and quality evaluation. Thus, it makes possible to assess proposals from different aspects and to choose the most valuable offer notwithstanding the lowest price criteria. The paper studies the concept of public procurement, its pitfalls and prospects, dimensions of innovation definition and innovation added value assessment. The authors conducted expert interviews, which were analysed using an AHP method in order to set the most appropriate evaluation criteria indicator. The authors also designed the framework for assessing the quantitative and qualitative value of innovation proposals. The proposed approach is based on the analysis of innovation quality, added value, its potential impact and the sustainability of changes it produces.


Over the last ten years sociology, virtually without debate, has taken on the identity of a "Behavioral Science." Like the other social sciences, sociology has been subject to periodic seizures of intellectual fashion movements, and there seems little reason to view the behavioral science nomenclature as having a significantly different origin. However, there are certain characteristics of the behavioral science identity which make it of more serious concern than most of the intellectual costumes sociologists have tried on in the past. No doubt there comes a time in the maturation of a science when it must settle on some identity. But serious examination should be made of the uncritically accepted assumptions implicit in the Behavioral Science identity. The Behavioral Science identity is not merely a name but also an ideology. The Behavioral Science ideology involves the substitution of a methodological rationale for a theoretical one in identifying sociology. From the viewpoint of Behavioral Science, the unity of the various behavioral sciences lies in their common method; the differentiation among them becomes one of a division of labor, not a difference in point of view. A sociologist is defined as a person who has been trained in applying the scientific method to a particular kind of behaving system: social systems. For some years, of course, hardly any one in sociology has questioned the desirability of the field's becoming methodologically more scientific. But certain implications of the logic of the Behavioral Science ideology may prove enervating to the long run development of sociology. Let us examine the logic of this ideology. We are told by the founders of the Unified Science group that the term "behavioral science" was chosen "primarily because its neutral character made it acceptable to both social and biological scientists."' Whatever the motives of its originators, the implications of "behavioral science" are by no means neutral. The clear implication to most people is that Behavioral scientists study behavior. Because of the very great importance of Behavioristic psychology in the American tradition, the study of behavior implies the study of more or less directly observable behavior of organisms. This constitutes a selection of data based upon methodological considerations rather than upon the point of view of the scientist or the characteristics of the subject matter. It would not be accurate to say that the conception of behavior has been limited in Behavioral Science to the imagery of psychological Behaviorism. Rather, the emphasis has been upon the behavior of systems. The entree of sociology into the Behavioral Science fold has come through the identification ofsociology as the science which studies the "behavior" of social systems. Insofar, then, as Behavioral Science is concerned with social behavior, this behavior is seen at two levels: (1) the behavior of organisms with reference to interhuman stimuli, and (2) the behavior of social systems. However, an examination of colloquies of behavioral scientists, such as that reported in Grinker, Toward A Unified Theory of Human Behavior, makes clear that non-sociologists conceive of living organisms as "real" systems but think of social systems as abstract or constructed systems consisting of conceptual relations between "real" systems or the behaviors of "real" systems.2 There is plainly implicit the reduction of social systems to forms of explanation such as the psychological and biological, which are thought to deal with "real" systems. One major devotee of the sociology-as-behavioralscience viewpoint, George Homans, has already publicly announced himself as a psychological reductionist.3 Does it any longer make any difference whether or not we believe that social phenomena can be reduced to psychological or biological phenomena? Should we not all sigh with relief at the passing of the acrimonious Durkheimian debates about sui generis? Perhaps, but the ac-


This research is a classroom action research that aims to improve the learning outcomes of class II SDI Bontociniayo through the use of the Problem Based Introduction (PBI) method. The subject of this study was class II SDI Bontociniayo with 26 students consisting of 15 female students and 11 male students.This research was conducted in two cycles, namely the first cycle was carried out 2 times and the second cycle was also conducted two meetings, which were conducted for 2 months. The result is an increase in student learning outcomes through the Problem Based Introduction (PBI) method is (i) The level of learning outcomes of class II SDI Bontociniayo in the first cycle included in the high category with an average value of 68.2 while in the second cycle progressed with the category very high with an average value of 77.4, (ii) There is an increase in the learning outcomes of class II SDI Bontociniayo through the application of the Problem Based Introduction (PBI) method, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This can be seen in the table and explanation in the attachment, in the first cycle and second cycle of each action starting from action I to action II.In connection with the above results, the learning model is considered to be quite effective in teaching especially in the field of science studies, because it can improve student learning outcomes both in doing their assignments in school and providing opportunities for students to always try (experiment) in each activity learning so that they can be more motivated to achieve maximum achievement.


Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al may be a prototype for exploring different aspects of the Shastry-Sutherland lattice, formed by planes of orthogonally coupled Yb ions. Measurements of the magnetic susceptibility find incoherently fluctuating Yb$^{3+}$ moments coexisting with a weakly correlated metallic state that is confirmed by measurements of the electrical resistivity. Increasing signs of Kondo coherence are found with decreasing temperature, including an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient and Kadowaki-Woods ratio that signal that the metallic state found at the lowest temperatures is a Fermi liquid where correlations have become significantly stronger. A pronounced peak in the electronic and magnetic specific heat indicates that the coupling of the Yb moments to the conduction electrons leads to an effective Kondo temperature that is approximately 30 K. The valence of Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al has been investigated with electron spectroscopy methods. Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al is found to be strongly intermediate valent ($v_F=2.68(2)$ at 80 K). Taken together, these experimental data are consistent with a scenario where a coherent Kondo lattice forms in Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al from an incoherently fluctuating ensemble of Yb moments with incomplete Kondo compensation, and strong intermediate valence character.


The purposes of this study were to determine the extent to which graduate students contributed to thebody of research through publication in Adult Education Quarterly (AEQ) and to shed some light on aspects of knowledge production and dissemination processes in graduate adult education programs. Graduate student contributors to volumes 19 through 38 were identified from two mailed surveys conducted ten years apart. The surveys sought information on the content of graduate research, the graduate programs and faculty who supported it, and the levels of graduate study involved. In addition, the surveys sought information on the characteristics of the student authors, including their sex, level of graduate study, motivation for undertaking non-required research, research dissemination activities and current professional occupations and duties. An overall survey response rate of 88.5% was achieved. The data revealed that 113 students, as authors and co-authors, published 128 articles in the journal over the 20 year period under study. Forty six percent of all journal articles published were written by graduate student authors. Seventy articles were written by lone authors, 50 were written with one other person and eight were co-authored with two other persons. The study findings confair that graduate student contributions to AEQ have been underestimated by prior studies and that adult education departments mediate the influence of the field of education on the development of the discipline and knowledge building to a greater extent than previously recognized. Graduate publication activity in AEQ was associated with program location and gender was associated with research content and dissemination activities. Implications for further research into the processes by which knowledge is produced in adult education are presented.


Attention is directed to the regional and stratigraphical association of strata-bound copper ores with evaporites, and arguments are presented in support of the thesis that intra-stratal brines derived from the diagenesis and lixiviation of salt deposits have circulated to a depth of two or three miles, leached copper from primary sulfide disseminations of magmatic origin in regions with a high geothermal gradient, and on ascending to shallower and cooler environments redeposited the metal where chemical and structural conditions were favorable.


Strong magnetic fields make neutron stars potential sources of detectable electromagnetic and gravitational-wave signals. Hence, inferring these magnetic fields is critical to understand the emissions of neutron stars. However, the interior magnetic field configuration remains ambiguous due to the lack of direct observational evidence. Here, for the first time, we show that the internal magnetic field strength along with the composition of a neutron star can be directly constrained by detecting the gravitational waves from the phase-transition-induced collapse of a magnetized neutron star. In particular, we study the effects of magnetic fields and phase-transition-induced collapses on the dynamics, oscillation modes, and gravitational-wave signatures of compact stars through dynamical simulations. Hence, this work has demonstrated that much information inside neutron stars could be extracted by measuring the oscillation modes from the gravitational waves emitted by the stars.


Methods for forming CMOS integrated circuit structures are provided, the methods comprising performing a first implantation process for performing at least one of a halo implantation and a source and drain extension implantation into a region of a semiconductor substrate and then forming a stressor region in another region of the semiconductor substrate. Furthermore, a semiconductor device structure is provided, the structure comprising a stressor region embedded into a semiconductor substrate adjacent to a gate structure, the embedded stressor region having a surface differing along a normal direction of the surface from an interface by less than about 8 nm, wherein the interface is formed between the gate structure and the substrate.


Introduction: Literature suggests that long-term survivors of childhood Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) may be at risk for neurocognitive impairment. This study compared neurocognitive function in long-term survivors of HL to community controls and examined associations with pulmonary and cardiovascular morbidity. Methods: 158 HL survivors treated with thoracic radiation (RT) (mean[SD] age 37.7 [7.8] years, 23.4 [8.1] years post-diagnosis) and 164 age- and sex-matched community controls completed neurocognitive testing. Neurocognitive scores were converted into age-adjusted Z-scores (μ=0, σ=1.0) using national normative data and groups were compared across all measures, adjusting for false discovery rate. Systematic grading of pulmonary (obstructive, restrictive and/or diffusion deficits based on pulmonary function tests) and cardiovascular (structural, functional defects and/or arrhythmias based on electrocardiogram and echocardiogram) conditions was conducted using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v 4.03. Presence of pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions was analyzed as predictors of neurocognitive function using generalized linear modeling (GLM) and adjusting for age at evaluation. Cumulative doses of pulmonary- or cardio-toxic drugs (anthracycline and bleomycin), thoracic RT (≥30Gy vs Results: Survivors performed poorer than controls on short-term (mean[SD] Z-scores: -0.24 [1.0] vs 0.13 [1.0]; P =0.008) and long-term memory (-0.29 [1.1] vs 0.05 [1.1]; P =0.02), sustained attention (-0.60 [3.1] vs 0.24 [0.8]; P =0.005) and perseveration (-0.71 [3.2] vs 0.03 [0.9]; P =0.02), as well as fine-motor (-0.35 [1.0] vs 0.04 [0.8]; P =0.002), visual (0.24 [1.0] vs 0.69 [0.9]; P =0.002) and visual-motor (0.14 [1.0] vs 0.39 [1.0]; P =0.05) processing speed. Thirty-two percent of survivors had grade 2 or higher (moderate, severe/disabling, life-threatening) pulmonary conditions and 22% had grade 2 or higher cardiac conditions. Survivors treated with ≥30Gy thoracic RT were at greater risk of developing pulmonary conditions (51% vs 27%; P =0.01) and demonstrated worse visual (-0.06 [0.9] vs 0.40 [1.0]; P =0.009) and visual-motor (-0.12 [0.9] vs 0.28 [1.0]; P =0.02) processing speed, as compared to survivors treated with P >0.10) and anthracyline ( P >0.09) doses were not associated with neurocognitive function. Survivors with pulmonary conditions performed poorer than survivors without pulmonary/cardiovascular conditions, on sustained attention (-1.47 [3.5] vs -0.09 [2.2]; P =0.009), and visual (-0.28 [1.0] vs 0.46 [1.0]; P =0.003) and visual-motor (-0.23 [0.8] vs 0.30 [1.0]; P =0.005) processing speed. The presence of cardiovascular conditions was not associated with neurocognitive outcomes (Table 1). Current smokers (n=36) performed worse than non-current smokers (n=121) on measures of short-term (-0.71 [1.1] vs -0.11 [1.0]; P =0.004) and long-term (-1.01 [1.1] vs -0.07 [1.1]; P vs 0.01 [2.0]; P vs 0.37 [0.7]; P =0.001), and visual (-0.06 [0.7] vs 0.33 [1.0]; P =0.03) and visual-motor (-0.23 [0.8] vs 0.26 [1.0]; P =0.02) processing speed. Stratified analysis showed that in survivors without pulmonary conditions, current smokers were more impaired than non-current smokers on measures of short-term (-0.84 [1.1] vs -0.16 [1.0]; P =0.02) and long-term (-1.27 [0.9] vs -0.11 [1.1]; P =0.0005) memory, sustained attention (-2.25 [4.6] vs 0.29 [1.0]; P vs 0.39 [1.0]; P =0.03), whereas in survivors with pulmonary problems, smoking did not significantly contribute to worse neurocognitive outcomes. Conclusions: Roughly two decades after treatment, long-term survivors of HL demonstrate poorer neurocognitive performance compared to age- and sex-matched community controls. Chronic pulmonary conditions and current smoking status were associated with worse neurocognitive performance. Future studies should evaluate the contribution of pulmonary insufficiency to neurocognitive outcomes. Survivors of HL should be educated about the potential neurocognitive effects of smoking. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


An important matter in a design technique about control valve is the development of design technique for the trim that relieve cavitaion, corrosion, abrasion, noise and vibration by high fluid resistance and pressure in the same volume. The study on performance evaluation and design improvement for main steam line drain valves in YoungKwang unit 1&2 NPPs (Nuclear Power Plant) aids the design of high efficiency control valve and the insurance of manufacturing capacity imported wholly from overseas before, the technical independence and the maintenance and the retrofit and upgrade of the existing control valve. Also the optimum design and manufacture of point parts in control valves will be made use of life time of equipments and maintenance by retrofit and upgrade through the replacement of the inside parts of the existing control valve with the industry facilities including NPPs.


Five laboratory-scale studies were set-up to investigate the effects of dromedary dung (DD) co-digestion with kitchen waste (KW) and sewage sludge water (SSW) at five ratios, under mesophilic conditions (31-35°C) by examining operation stability, CH4 and biogas production potentials. The result obtained showed that KWDDSSW produced the highest CH4 content (64.51%), followed by DDSSW (51.37%) and DDKW (34.77%). The daily CH4 production was linearly correlated with pH, high volatile solids and COD degradation in the feedstock, indicating methane production was probably associated with higher supply of organic carbon source that favored the growth of active biomass. KWDDSSW and DDSSW were favored in terms of volume of flammable gas production of biogas and flamed on the 8th day. This study is being the first attempt on CH4 production of combined wastes with DD of Algeria.


The proposition of advancing with the times centered upon the modern age, regularity and creativity is the inevitable embodiment, requirement and outcome of sticking to Marxist truth. Advocating this proposition means sticking to truth.


In the chemical industry, a laboratory work requires adapting to new techniques of analysis, new equipment. Hence, required the design of these workspaces have in consideration all these variables so that the laboratory do not become, over time, in a tight space, with low levels of security, and that a modification of its space is complex due to its location. In addition a successful design and location in the project phase, can help to improve the efficiency and the quality of the work that the plant will develop.