Introduction:
 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) predisposes to adverse cerebrovascular events (ACEs) including ischaemic stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA), thromboembolic event (TEE) and peripheral embolism (PE). Concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF), which is more prevalent in the HCM population, confers even higher risk. Our aims are to report the prevalence of ACEs in HCM patients and to determine the additional clinical risks of AF on the prognosis of this population.

 Methods:
 A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Embase/ Ovid and Cochrane library from inception to 20
 th
 March 2021. No limitations on language or date of publication were applied. The primary outcome of this review was to examine and compare the prevalence of ischaemic stroke in the HCM population with or without AF. Secondary outcomes were to identify their risk of non-stroke clinical outcomes such as TIA, non-specified TEE and PE. Non-specified TEE in our paper only referred to thromboembolic events whereby their types were not specified in the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed using StataSE 16 software, and heterogeneity was assessed using

 I
 2

 test.

 Results:
 A total of 713 studies were identified, and 35 articles with 42,570 patients were included. The pooled prevalence of stroke/ TIA was 7.45% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.80 - 9.52,
 p
 = 0.000) across 24 studies in the overall HCM population of 37,643 patients. AF contributed to a significantly higher risk of non-specified TEE (Risk ratio [RR] 4.49, 95% CI 1.88 - 10.73,
 p
 = 0.0007,

 I
 2

 = 87.0) and total stroke/ TIA (RR 3.26, 95% CI 1.75 - 6.08,
 p
 = 0.0002,

 I
 2

 = 76.0) in our study population. Within the apical HCM (ApHCM) population, the prevalence of stroke/ TIA was 9.30% (95% CI 6.64 - 12.87,
 p
 = 0.316).

 Conclusion:
 Our study concludes that concomitant AF diagnosis increases the risk of developing thromboembolic events and the stroke-related mortality rate. Although the prevalence of stroke/ TIA in the ApHCM subtype was slightly higher than the overall HCM population, further studies investigating the clinical outcomes of HCM subtypes are warranted.


c . The ICDD/PDF Coverage of the High T c Superconductor and Related Compounds in the A-R-Cu-O Systems (A = Ba, Sr and Ca, and R = Lanthanides and Y) On Indexing X-Ray Diffraction Powder Patterns of Cubic Lazurites with an Incommensurate-Modulated Structure Interlaboratory Tests of X-Ray Quantitative Phase Analysis A Review of the XRD Data of the Phases Present in the CaO-SrO-CuO System A Geometric Factor for Asymmetric Diffraction Simultaneous Use of Observed and Calculated Standard Profiles in Quantitative XRD Analysis of Minerals by the Multiphase Rietveld Method: The Determination of Pseudorutile in Mineral Sands Products A Crystallographic Re-Examination of the (Fe,W)6C Phase Field in the Fe-W-C-System


This study on anxiety was undertaken among 203 students who were largely from a rural Tamil speaking setting in South India. Most of them were first generation college goers. The purpose was to investigate the anxiety experienced among the students learning all subjects in English for the first time in their lives. Horwitz's FLCA (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety) Scale was adapted to access the level of four types of anxiety, namely, communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, anxiety of the classroom and test anxiety. The findings revealed that the participants had high level of all the four types of anxiety, with a combined mean of 3.31. The research has significant implications for the teaching and learning of ESL in the part of the world.


Arthrogryposis is a common congenital defect that affects the joints of forelimbs and hind limbs, leading to fixation and immobilisation (Sprake, 2015; Andersson et al., 2008). This abnormality was described more in calves, lambs, piglets and foals and seldom in goats, cats, dogs and human beings (Devi Prasad et al., 2010; Shahrokhi and Gharib, 2011). Various breeds of cattle such as Hereford, Holstein-Friesian, Guernsey, Jersey, Ayshire and Brown Swiss have genetic predisposition to this condition (Hartley et al., 1974; Greene et al., 1973). Arthrogryposis occurs mainly due to an alkaloid toxin that acts on the musculoskeletal system leading to permanent joint contracture in forelimbs and/or hind limbs (Shupe et al., 1967a). The affected limbs cannot be straightening out (Hartley et al., 1974; Sprake, 2015) and may include incorrect articular arrangement or rotational irregularity. The defect is mostly seen as bilateral in the fore limbs and less often in the hind limbs. With the advancing age of calf the condition of arthrogryposis deteriorates due to secondary effects caused by increased stress of weight gain and increased movement of animal (Keeler et al., 1969; Shupe et al., 1967b).


Traits link observable patterns in plants to ecosystem functions and processes and help to derive general rules and predictions about responses to environmental gradients, global change and perturbations. Ecological field studies often use manual low-throughput methods to assess plant phenotypes and integrate species-specific traits to community-wide indices. In contrast, greenhouse or lab-based studies, mostly in agriculture, employ high-throughput phenotyping for plant individuals to track their growth or fertilizer and water demand. We customized an automated plant phenotyping system (PlantEye F500, Phenospex, Heerlen, The Netherlands) for its mobile application in the field for digital whole-community phenotyping (DWCP). By scanning whole plant communities, we gather, within seconds and non-invasively, multispectral and physiological information while simultaneously capturing the 3-dimensional structure of the vegetation. We demonstrated the potential of DWCP by tracking plant community responses to experimental land-use treatments over two years. DWCP captured short- and long-term changes in morphological and physiological plant community properties in response to mowing and fertilizer treatments and thus reliably informed about changes in land-use. In contrast, manually measured community-weighted mean traits and species composition remained largely unaffected and were not informative about these treatments. Thus, DWCP proved to be an efficient method to measure morphological and physiological characteristics of plant communities, complements other methods in trait-based ecology, provides indicators of ecosystem states, and may help to forecast tipping points in plant communities often associated with irreversible changes in ecosystems.


The supply of bank credit has become more restrictive as a result of economic deterioration and the impact of financial turbulence, affecting the amount of funds available and increasing the collateral requirements. Since bank financing is the largest source of funding for use by SMEs, the tightening of financing conditions in the private sector implies the investment activity to be stopped and more difficulties to continue the projects already started. In Spain, some of the measures implemented by the government, of different scope, include some related "to prevent the disruption of credit flows." In this context, and in addition to financial measures to be taken at macro level with respect to the banking system, government should use and promote certain financial tools to provide companies with the necessary financing to continue their short term operating and allowing them to face new viable investments. We perform in this article a critical review of the possible alternatives to achieve this goal, we will declare ourselves for some of them and we will discourage the use of any others. Different tools, such as the Alternative Stock Market, MAB, venture capital, the shareholder loans, funding from the Instituto de Crédito Oficial, ICO, subsidies or brokering of mutual guarantee societies, will be confronted primarily on qualitative aspects like the companies they reach with their performance and the way they do. Secondly, we will discuss the main associated costs to each alternative and so we will be able to see if any of them is particularly efficient. Channelling resources through mutual guarantee societies would be the most interesting alternative among of all those we have analyzed, not only by the efficiently way they play their role but also because it is the only option to get the banking system funds flow to the real economy.


The fatty oil in flesh of Ziziphus jujuba was extracted with supercritical fluid extraction method,and its chemical components was analyzed with GCMS method.The results showed that extract contained 21 kinds of compounds and its main components were oleic acid(24.52%),palmitic acid(22.38%),tetradecenic acid(12.09%) and octadecadienoic acid(4.11%).


Harrogates inability to convert pressure into goals condemned them to their third successive defeat. Dave Merris was recalled into Towns defence and ...


The equilibrium geometries and vibrational spectra of anthranilic acid (AA) and salicylic acid (SA) in the S1(ππ*) excited state have been determined with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). A single minimum of the excited-state potential-energy surface, rather than separate amino/imino (enol/keto) minima, is found for AA and SA. A significant strengthening of the intramolecular hydrogen bond upon electronic excitation is predicted for both systems. The excited-state minimum corresponds to a shortening of the intramolecular hydrogen bond by 0.226 A (0.322 A) in AA (SA). The calculated 0−0 excitation energies are within 0.1 eV of the experimental values. An exceptionally large red shift of 1400 cm-1 and a strong mixing with H-chelate ring bending and stretching motions is predicted for the phenolic OH stretching vibration in the S1 state of salicylic acid. In anthranilic acid, a red shift of 500 cm-1 is obtained for the H-bonded amino NH stretching vibration, in excellent agreement with a rec...


According to their stratigraphic characters and tectonic positions, the Alpujarride units existing in this area are reduced to three units "type" that, cited from bottom to top, are: Penas Blancas, Cabo Tinoso and Portman units. This last type of units show a clear intermediate character between the Alpujarride and Malaguide complexes. There are two Malaguide units in this area, that of Los Simones, in the eastern part, and that of Cabo Cope, in the western part


In this paper, a new capture system for UAV precision landing in a disturbed environment is proposed. Compared with the traditional visual guided landing methods, perching mechanism based methods, and tethered landing methods, the proposed system takes into account the stability during landing process and retains the high accessibility of the UAV. The proposed system consists of a winch subsystem and a magnetic catcher device. They establish an automatic tethered-UAV system for landing before the UAV touchdown. We analyzed the design principle as well as the feasibility of the magnetic catcher. An optimization problem is formulated to obtain a better layout of magnets on the catcher. The problem is relaxed based on interpolation simulation of attraction force. Experiments are conducted both in indoor and outdoor environments based on different UAV platforms respectively. The results validate that the catcher design and the capture system can achieve a successful landing in both cases.


Carbon nanostructures of different composition and structure including nanocrystalline diamond films, flake-like sp/sup 2/-bonded CVD carbon films, bulk diamond/sp/sup 2/-bonded carbon nanocomposites, DLC films, nanotubes, etc., often show excellent field electron emission properties with very low threshold fields of 0.5-2 V//spl mu/m and uniformity of emission properties over a large surface area. Based on the special study of microscopic properties of the field emission centers, including work function, electrical conductivity, topography and emission intensity, a mechanism of the emission for such objects is proposed, taking into account quantum properties of nanostructured carbon forms, including reduction of the tunneling barrier due to quantum well effects for thin carbon nanolayers and insulator/graphite interfaces (Karabutov et al, J. Vac. Sci. Tech. B vol. 19, p. 965, 2001). Here, this model is developed, involving detailed calculation of the field emission current from quantum wells and carbon nanostructures.


A fastener driving tool arranged to drive fasteners into a workpiece includes a support, at least one wheel movably mounted on the support, a driver arranged to contact and guided by the wheel when the wheel is in an operative position in use, a nose part retractable relative to the support, and a connection mechanism to operatively interconnect the nose part with the wheel. The tool is arranged such that, in use, the retraction of the nose part causes the connection mechanism to move the wheel from an inoperative position to the operative position. Subsequent forward movement of the driver guided by the wheel toward the nose part causes the operative interconnection between the nose part and the wheel to be broken. Forward movement of the nose part relative to the support, subsequent to the operative interconnection between the nose part and the wheel being broken, causes the operative interconnection between the nose part and the wheel to be re-formed.


Summary: A case of mild haemolytic disease of the newborn due to anti‐S is presented. Anti‐S is not a common antibody and there have been very few reported cases in which it has caused haemolytic disease of the newborn.


Moringa is one of potential raw material of  herbal tea. Moringa tea had disadvantage is a off-flavour aroma. The addition of lemongrass hopefully can reduce the off-flavour aroma and improve the quality of tea. This research aimed to determine the effect of mixing lemongrass powder and moringa powder on the quality of teabags. The method that used in this study was complete randomized design (CRD) that was treatment P1 = 100% moringa leaf powder: 0% lemongrass powder; P2 = 80% moringa leaf powder: 20% lemongrass powder; P3 = 60% moringa leaf powder: 40% lemongrass powder; P4 = 40% moringa leaf powder : 60% lemongrass powder and P5 = 20% moringa leaf powder : 80% lemongrass powder. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance at a level of 5% and if there were real differences, tests continued using the LSD (least significant difference) at the same level. Based on the results of the analysis, it is known that the treatment has a significant effect on chemical quality (antioxidant activity, moisture content, and pH) and organoleptics (color and aroma), while it has no significant effect on the organoleptic taste in teabags. The best treatment for the chemical quality of teabags is produced by P2 treatment (80% moringa powder: 20% lemongrass powder) with antioxidant activity of 88.64%; moisture content of 6.44% and pH of 6.0. The best treatment for the organoleptic quality of hedonic tea bag color is produced by P2 treatment (80% Moringa powder: 20% lemongrass powder) with a value of 3.55 (like criteria) and for hedonic teabag aroma produced by P5 treatment (20% moringa leaf powder: 80 % lemongrass powder) with a value of 3.45 (rather like criteria).


Abstract Autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT) plays an important role in the treatment of B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), both in the upfront and relapsed/refractory settings. In addition to patient and disease-related factors (age, Charlson comorbidity index, disease status pre-AHCT, IPI score at AHCT and high-dose regimen), composition of the infused cell product (higher dendritic cell content, lymphocyte to monocyte ratio 500 cells/μL by day +15 post AHCT) has previously been reported to correlate with superior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in B-NHL. We conducted a prospective single institution study to further understand the effect of various immune cell subsets and recovery patterns on AHCT outcomes. A comprehensive immunophenotyping panel including 35 cell subsets was performed in a cohort of 120 consecutive B-NHL patients [Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) 54%, Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) 38%] who received AHCT between 1/2008 and 11/2014, at a median of 28 days before AHCT (N=120), and at day +100 (N=95) post-AHCT. Specifically, the immunophenotyping panel included total numbers of T cells, B cells, NK cells and dendritic cells; T cell subsets included the relative proportions of double positive (CD4+CD8+), double negative (CD4-CD8-), CD4+ and CD8+ naive, CD4+ and CD8+ central memory, CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory, recent thymic emigrants, and T-regulatory cells; B cell subsets included proportions of naive and memory cells. B-NHL response to AHCT, recovery of ALC by day +15 post-AHCT, PFS and OS were examined and correlated with various immune subsets. Characteristics in 120 patients pre-AHCT were: median age 59 (range 24-77) years; 71% males; 84% KPS ≥80; disease status pre-AHCT- CR1 43%, ≥CR2 32%, never in CR 13% and relapse ≥1 13%; mobilization regimens: plerixafor+G-CSF 40% and G-CSF alone 60%; high dose regimens: CBV 48% and BuCy 62%. 118 (98%) patients survived beyond day +100 post-AHCT. Day +100 responses: achieved or maintained CR: 83%, less than CR: 3%, disease progression: 15%. Median follow-up was 22.5 (3-42) months. The frequency of different immune subsets either pre-AHCT or at day +100 post-AHCT, PFS or OS were independent of disease histology (DLBCL/MCL) and use of plerixafor as part of mobilization. Unlike an earlier study (Porrata et al, BBMT, 2008), early ALC recovery (by peripheral blood differential count) was not associated with significantly improved PFS or OS in either the whole cohort or individual DLBCL/MCL cohorts. There was no correlation between pre-AHCT immune cell subsets and post-AHCT outcomes. Higher proportions of CD8 central memory (CM) or effector memory (EM) T-cells at day+ 100 post-AHCT were associated with worse PFS and OS (see figures 1 and 2). The frequencies of other immune cell subsets (including NK cells) at day +100 post-AHCT were not associated with attaining CR status post-AHCT, PFS or OS. Further analyses are ongoing to evaluate the association between immune cell subsets in the stem cell product and AHCT outcomes. This is the first study to examine detailed lymphocyte subsets following AHCT for B-NHL and report a correlation between higher levels of CD8 EM/CM T-cells and decreased PFS and OS after AHCT. Whether relative elevations in CD8 memory T cells directly contribute to disease progression after AHCT for B-NHL or are reflective of an underlying process related to disease progression is uncertain. However, our data suggest that frequency of CD8 memory cells could serve as a biomarker for high risk disease after AHCT for B-NHL. Download : Download high-res image (79KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (80KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures Paiva: Sanofi: Consultancy; Millennium: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Onyx: Consultancy; Binding Site: Consultancy; BD Bioscience: Consultancy; EngMAb AG: Consultancy. McCarthy: Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Onyx: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; The Binding Site: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Hahn: Novartis: Equity Ownership; NIH/NHLBI: Research Funding.


Summary. — A non-reactive air pollution model evaluating ground level concentration is presented. It relies on a new Gaussian formulation (LUPINI R. and TIRABASSI T., J. Appl. Meteor., 20 (1981) 565-570; TIRABASSI T. and RIZZA U., Atmos. Environ., 28 (1994) 611-615) for transport and vertical diffusion in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL). In this formulation, the source height is replaced by a virtual height expressed by simple functions of meteorological variables. The model accepts a general profile of wind u(z) and eddy diffusivity coefficient Kz . The lateral dispersion coefficient is based on Taylor's theory (TAYLOR G. I., Proc. London Math. Soc., 20 (1921) 196-204). The turbulence in the ABL is subdivided into various regimes, each characterized by different parameters for length and velocity scales. The model performances under unstable conditions have been tested utilizing two different data sets. PACS 92.60.Sz ‐ Air quality and air pollution.


CPEC, a mega project that aims to connect Gwadar from Kashghar, is not only a game changer for China and Pakistan but it is for the whole region. This research paper will disclose the impact of the announcement of CPEC on different sectors including cement, automobile, banking, insurance and steel. Excess returns of stock were determined and taken as dependent variable, whereas; excess returns of KSE 100 were taken as independent variable. Simple regression technique was used to interpret beta and sig values. Because of the increased local demand and high import rate, 4 out of 5 betas showed downfall, however; sig values remained highly significant. More local industries to be setup to meet the rise in demand and to maintain the level of betas. It will be a win-win situation for foreign investors as the rate of local manufacturing is comparatively lower than the current demand of goods because of the increased rate of CPEC related developments.


A housing structure comprising a housing and at least one mounting member. The housing is integrally formed by aluminum extrusion, the housing including a bottom wall, a first end wall, a second end wall and a top wall, a first end wall and a second end wall extending from the end edges of the bottom wall is formed by bending. Top and bottom walls disposed parallel to the bottom wall and positioned. Ends are remote from the top wall to the first end wall and a second end wall connected to an end of the bottom wall. A bottom wall, a first end wall, a second end wall and the top wall together form a receiving space. Accommodating space formed on both sides at least one opening each communicating with the receiving space. A first end wall and a second end wall toward the inner surface of the receiving space are provided with a first projection and a second mounting rail mounting rail. At least one mounting member is mounted on the at least one opening, and an end portion of the first mounting rail and a second rail mounted adjacent the opening is securely mounted together. The present invention provides a housing structure, a housing which is integrally formed by aluminum extrusion type process, a simple structure and reducing manufacturing costs.


Social stratification, formation of various classes and appearance of various layers in the society is a fact resulting from social conditions of public life and a wide variety of material, economic and subsistence factors as well as political situation, religious beliefs and public customs and thoughts; also ethnic divisions play an essential and undeniable role in this field. Greed and covetousness of the worldly-minded people increasingly widens the distance between the rich and the poor and causes deep gaps between social classes and exacerbates the differences between poor and rich classes. Saadi Shirazi drew the picture of inequality between upper classes of the society and middle and lower ones, increasing gap between various layers of the society and inequality between human groups as a tangible and visible fact through stories of Bustan and Gulistan and criticized the social conditions as a skilful critique and expressed his dissatisfaction with increased injustice and inequality. In his works, Sheikh of Shiraz, Saadi, explained and illustrated intrinsic characteristics and social behaviour of humankind and various classes of the society in a way that if he has addressed people of all ages and because of the same reason, he is considered as the most insightful poet and the most social Persian literature scholar and his words always feel fresh and effective and the impact of his exalted thoughts and high goals and deep influence of his words on national cultures and people's hearts all over the world are known to all.


Philosophers have used thought experiments to examine contentious examples of genetic modification. We hypothesised that these examples would prove useful in provoking responses from lay participants concerning technological interventions used to address welfare concerns. We asked 747 US and Canadian citizens to respond to two scenarios based on these thought experiments: genetically modifying chickens to produce blind progeny that are less likely to engage in feather-pecking (BC); and genetically modifying animals to create progeny that do not experience any subjective state (i.e. incapable of experiencing pain or fear; IA). For contrast, we assessed a third scenario that also resulted in the production of animal protein with no risk of suffering but did not involve genetically modifying animals: the development of cultured meat (CM). Participants indicated on a seven-point scale how acceptable they considered the technology (1 = very wrong to do; 7 = very right to do), and provided a text-based, open-ended explanation of their response. The creation of cultured meat was judged more acceptable than the creation of blind chickens and insentient animals. Qualitative responses indicated that some participants accepted the constraints imposed by the thought experiment, for example, by accepting perceived harms of the technology to achieve perceived benefits in reducing animal suffering. Others expressed discomfort with such trade-offs, advocating for other approaches to reducing harm. We conclude that people vary in their acceptance of interventions within existing systems, with some calling for transformational change.


This paper examined activation plan of FTA(Free Trade Agreement) & FDI(Foreign Direct Investment) with KOR US(Republic of Korea - U. S. A). The Republic of Korea concluded an historic agreement with the United States on April 2, 2007. This comprehensive trade agreement will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services, promote economic growth, and strengthen economic ties between the Republic of Korea and United States. Korea is a $1 trillion economy and is the United States' 7th largest goods trading partner. In 2006, U. S. goods exports to Korea were about $32.5 billion, an increase of 16.9% from the previous year. U. S. foreign direct investment of 2006 in Korea totaled roughly $1,701 million and was concentrated largely in the manufacturing, banking, and wholesale trade sectors. The analysis suggests that the FTA and FDI with KORUS promote economic growth and expanded global market.


Migration scholars argue that return migrants have the potential to become a developing force in their countries of origin, but that the realization of this 'diaspora solution to innovation capacity development' depends on different context factors. This paper contributes to capturing theoretically such context factors by making use of concepts of the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Based on an explorative empirical approach, a model of processes of return migration in a specific country (Serbia) is created. According to the findings of this paper, returnees offer potential for Serbian transnational innovation systems, which subsequently could strongly contribute to the social and economic development of Serbia. However, at present, the developmental potential of highly skilled returnees in Serbia has not bee realized yet. Returnees arrive with hopes to earn a living in Serbia and possibly to contribute to the development of the society. Still, there are many barriers for returnees, such as nepotism, as well as the existing power structures at potential workplaces and markets. At the same time, state institutions or independent organizations do not provide sufficient support to make a difference for the majority of returnees. Although there are some examples of returnees who are successful in developing innovative start-ups or becoming innovators in the existing organizations, their number remains limited. Nevertheless, it seems possible that returnees can become a developing force in Serbia and similar countries in transition. In order to realize this, the establishment of a sustainable support system for highly skilled returnees to Serbia and scientific diaspora members is needed.


Local application of the Dorogov's antiseptic-stimulant onto the skin of 2-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats in a low dose (0.5 g/kg/day) for 1 week increased motor and ultrasonic activity of experimental animals and the content of activated c-Fos + neurons on the cingular, motor, insular, and pyriform cortex and in the striatum.


Body awareness (BA) has long been associated with different psychopathologies like depressive disorders and anxiety disorders in varying amount. Improving BA has been suggested as an approach for treating patients with conditions such as chronic pain, obesity and post-traumatic stress disorder. Mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs) have been found to increase BA resulting in enhanced wellbeing. Mindfulness has a role in enhancing positive outcomes in several important life domains including mental health, physical health, behavioural regulation and interpersonal relationships and in curtailing negative functioning The current observational study attempts to assess and compare the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ) scores and Mindfulness level among police personnel before and 6 weeks after attending the MLM workshop. The present study showed an increase of BAQ score increased and significant relation to Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) Score. Correlation between the change in Operational Stress and BAQ was statistically significant at p <.01 The present study has suggested that MLM can be useful intervention to enhance BA. The significance shown through correlation of change in operational stress and BAQ score shows that enhancing BA can help to reduce stress in individuals through MLM intervention. The present study provides preliminary evidence for MBI in enhancing BA from our part of the country. Inspite of the limitations described elsewhere and the limited sample size, the study can be considered as an add on evidence on the effectiveness of MLM in enhancing BA.


A measuring-analysing system with high performance/cost ratio for the DMC-102 diesel engine is presented. The main characteristics, operation principles, hardware and software of this system are described and compared with that of a similar product made outside China.


Experimental analyses have been carried out on tuff masonry specimens in order to investigate the structural behaviour of historical buildings in the Naples area (Southern Italy). Spandrels of post‐medieval buildings (late XVI to early XX century) have been analysed, with emphasis on morphological characteristics according to chronological indicators. Results of the experimentation on scaled models (1:10) are discussed and the better behaviour of historical masonry typologies on respect to the modern one is highlighted. Comparison with theoretical formulations of ultimate shear resistance are provided too.


Data Synthesis: Seventy-six trials published from 1984 to March 2011 included 6207 subjects allocated to 101 intervention groups that tested supplement doses ranging from 5 to 250 g/d (median, 20 g/d). For similar doses, trials could obtain increases in 25-hydroxyvitamin D three to four times lower than other trials. A meta-regression showed that in the absence of concomitant use of calcium supplements, the average increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations was 0.78 ng/ml (1.95 nmol/liter) per microgram of vitamin D3 supplement per day. Compared to the vitamin D3, the vitamin D2 was associated with significantly lower increases (P 0.03). Concomitant use of calcium supplementation and high 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration at baseline was nonsignificantly associated with lower increases in 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations.


Let q be probability of failure of a system in a regeneration period. Let tao_0 be time from the moment when all units of a system are in running order to failure of a system. These characteristics of reliability have been investigated. Asymptotic estimates for q and tao_0 are given.


Article is devoted to the organizer of the peat industry, the first head of the Main peat committee, the Central management on production of peat, the director of research institute of the peat industry (Instorf), the first editor of the Peat Business magazine Ivan Ivanovich Radchenko.


This work describes the unidimensional study of steam reforming of methanol at short pseudo-contact time. Steam reforming process (SRP) is important to hydrogen production as energetic vector. A compressible mathematical model 1-D is developed. Peppley kinetic mechanism (1999) is adopted. The numerical predictions show up the same trend as the experimental ones. A sensitivity analysis of the significant variables of the process is carried out (pressure, CH3OH/H2O ratio and temperature).


There is increasing evidence that ischemia is one of the main etiology in overactive bladder (OAB), and that nicorandil prevents OAB. We investigated the effect of nicorandil on hypertension‐related bladder dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).


The constant decline of permanent pastures in Sweden has a negative impact on biodiversity.
A multidisciplinary project is investigating if the endangered native Gotland pony could be
used to keep and restore the biodiversity of permanent pastures and forests, on a minimal
labour input, without compromising the ponies' welfare. This thesis is a part of that project,
focusing on the ponies' resource utilisation. In May 2014 twelve one year old Gotland pony
stallions were released into three enclosures of approximately 10 ha each, consisting of about
3 ha of lay and 7 ha of forest respectively. These enclosures were provided with man-made
shelters and water troughs, but there were no supplementary feed given inside the enclosures
during the year of the trial. To evaluate the ponies' preferences for different vegetation types
the ponies were equipped with a GPS-collars. The shelters were equipped with movement
sensitive cameras to monitor how and when the ponies utilized them. The results showed that
the ponies favoured lay at almost all weather conditions, except when snow was covering the
ground. Forest usage increased during the winter as feed got less available on the lay, and
through out the year it was used more during the night than during the day. The shelters were
used about 48 minutes a day throughout the year. They were used mostly during daytime in
the non-vegetative season, but during the vegetative season there were no differences in
shelter use between night and day. Most previous studies of shelter seeking behaviour were
preformed in small paddocks with ad libitum feed for the horses, and resulted in a
significantly higher shelter usage than seen in the present study. Presumably, the ponies spent
a lot of time foraging, fulfilling their nutritional needs. Ad libitum fed horses have no need,
and sometimes no possibility, to preform the same behaviours. This could be one of the
reasons for the difference in shelter seeking behaviour in this study compared to the literature.


Objectives: The objective of the present study is to investigate preence of rhythmic variation in KCa single‐channel activity, intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i ) level and PKC‐δ protein expression in rat cerebral arterial muscle cells.


Purpose – The paper aims to define and measure value for money (VFM) within the concept of private finance initiative (PFI), and investigate the principal factors in which opinions are formed.Design/methodology/approach – Literature review of texts, published papers, and reports are used to identify relevant parameters to the research. The sources support the arguments of opinion within the paper.Findings – PFI is still perceived by the government as the most cost effect means of procuring public infrastructure. The positive aspects of PFI are the competition generated by the concept, and improved risk management. Negative aspects include the lack of agreed formulae by all stakeholders by which to benchmark VFM, and an increasing sceptical electorate to the PFI concept of providing short and long term VFM.Research limitations/implications – By virtue of PFI being a dynamic, changing, and complex means of procurement, this research will be valid in its own right. However more up to date government policies...


Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality | In 1997, a group of concerned Arab and Jewish residents of the Negev (Israel's southern desert region) established the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality (NCF) to provide a framework for JewishArab collaborative efforts in the struggle for civil equality and the advancement of mutual tolerance and coexistence. NCF, also known as "Dukium" ("co-existence" in Hebrew), is unique in being the only Arab-Jewish organization that remains focused (...)


Character education and moral education are values education that both emphasize the importance of a process. Therefore, both prioritize and prioritize lengthy practice and habituation. In a long and continuous training process, a child is given freedom and opportunity to be able to understand, feel and predict good actions. As with the policy carried out by the MTs Negeri 1 Palembang school in creating student morals through habituation, which is shown from several school activities. One of the character education leaders in Indonesia, Ratna Megawangi, also offers a method for character formation, namely the concept of 4 M (knowing, loving, desiring, acting) the good continuously. So, how exactly is the reliance between the concepts introduced by Ratna Megwangi and the process of creating the morals of students at MTs Negeri 1 Palembang.The type of research used is the type of case study research. The research approach is using a qualitative approach. Furthermore, the method of data collection is done by observing methods, interviews, documentation, library research. Data analysis techniques by data reduction, data presentation and data verification.The results obtained are the concept of 4 M (Knowing, Loving, Desiring, Acting) character education Ratna Megawangi has a relevance in creating student morals at MTs Negeri 1 Palembang. As a statement from one of the informants said that the concept or method introduced by Ratna Megawangi is quite relevant in the process of creating student morals, because character or character cannot be shaped if it is through a theoretical learning process, but must involve other aspects such as emotions, cognitive, affective, psychomotor. Student character education is a process for carving morals through the process of knowing goodness, loving kindness, wanting goodness and doing good. It shows an educational process that involves cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspects, so that noble character can be engraved into a habit of mind, heart and hands.


We report an extended molecular dynamics study of the heme-containing peptide "microperoxidase" (MP), a model system of several heme-proteins. The most commonly studied forms of MP, the octa- and the undecapeptide, are studied both in pure water conditions and in mixed solvent (80% methanol and 20% water) conditions that stabilize the monomeric form. The equilibrium structures and their stability are visualized by graphical tools and analyzed in terms of the molecular shape, the vibrational amplitudes, and torsional angles along the backbone. The obtained structures are used to confirm the experimental data on aggregation of Urry and Pettegrew7,8 by using simple geometric arguments based on the possible assemblies of several monomeric units in space. We have investigated in detail the H-bond network and the influence on the heme conformational properties. We have found that heme interacts with the peptide through H-bonds formed by the propionates, the axial histidine, and different partners of the peptidi...


This polyermizable composition for optical material contains: (A) a polyisocyanate compound; (B) a polyol compound represented by general formula (1) and having a number average molecular weight of at least 100; (C) an activated hydrogen compound having two or more functional groups (excluding compound (B)); and (D) a photochromic compound.


Airlie House in Warrenton, Virginia, February 25-27, 1982, were representatives of the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and dozens of other organizations interested in educational research. Also present were practicing teachers, principals, superintendents, deans of colleges of education, and school board members, as well as legislative aides and concerned citizens. The meeting was titled "Research on Teaching: Implications for Practice." It allowed for small-group, in-depth analysis of each paper and also provided time for large-group presentations of the salient points and controversies associated with each paper. The meeting was splendid! It accomplished three things: it made clear the vigor of the field of research on teaching, it made clear that research on teaching had utility for practitioners, and it demonstrated that long-range planning and responsiveness to the field in terms of funding priorities can produce results.


In this paper,the use of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES) Determination of feed at the same time Cu,Fe,Mn,Zn,Ca,Mg,P,Pb,Cr,Cd content of 10 kinds of trace elements.Analysis by selecting the appropriate conditions and sample handling methods,the linear range of up to three orders of magnitude,linear correlation coefficient greater than 0.999.Method of recovery is 85.0% ~ 96.5%,of each element relative standard deviation RSD were below 7 percent.Determination of national standards for the material results of corn meal more consistent with the standard values are within the margin of error.The method of determination of the actual sample results to national standards for comparison with measured results.The method is simple,rapid,high accuracy,precision,and apply to different trace elements in the determination of feed.


Indoor localization serves an important role in various scenarios such as navigation in shopping malls or hospitals. However, the existing technology is usually based on additional deployment and the signals suffer from strong environmental interference in the complex indoor environment. In this paper, we propose video-based indoor localization with text information (i.e. "VideoLoc") without the deployment of additional equipment. Videos taken by the phone carriers cover more critical information (e.g. logos in malls), while a single photo may fail to capture it. To reduce redundant information in the video, we propose key-frame selection based on deep learning model and clustering algorithm. Video frames are characterized with deep visual descriptors and the clustering algorithm efficiently clusters these descriptors into a set of non-overlapping snippets. We select keyframes from these non-overlapping snippets in terms of the cluster centroid that represents each snippet. Then, we propose text detection and recognition with the perspective transformation to make full use of stable and discriminative text information (e.g. logos or room numbers) in keyframes for localization. Finally, we obtain the location of the phone carrier via the triangulation algorithm. The experimental results show that VideoLoc achieves high precision of localization and is robust to dynamic environments.


Thegoalsof thisstudywereto elicit responses from hospicevolunteers in order to obtain information which would increase understandingof volunteer reactionsto their experiencesin dealingwith patients and families. It was felt that greater insight into volunteer satisfaction could yield observationsof value in both recruitmentand retentionof hospice volunteers.To the extentthatcoordinatorsof hospice volunteerscanlearnmoreaboutthosefactorswhich bring feelings of reward and satisfactionto their volunteers,theywill be betterequippedto makeinformedassessments aboutprospectivevolunteersand moreeffectiveevaluationsof currentlyactivehospice volunteers. Eachvolunteeris an investment.Theestimatedcost to trainonevolunteerfor oneof theprogramsstudied was determinedto beapproximately$75. Thereis the additionalvalue — difficult to expressin an explicit dollar amount— of the continuedexperienceof the hospicevolunteerwho hasa rewarding relationship with hospiceclienteleand,thus, representsadualinvestmentin termsof the favorablepublic relations role that heor sheplaysandthe addedexpertiseand sensitivity which results after multiple hospice assignments. Recent federal legislation has deemedthat continuedutilizationofvolunteersby hospiceprogramsis not only desirablebut, indeed, is requiredby those programs that seek federal reimbursement.The FederalRegisterspells out suchrequirementsquite specifically: " . . . we are requiring that a hospice mustdocumentandmaintainavolunteerstaffsufficientto provideadministrativeordirectpatientcarein an amountthat,ataminimum,equalsfive percentof the total patient care hours by all paid hospice employeesandcontract staff." This is a clearand pointedendorsement of theimportanceandmerit of thevolunteercomponent in hospiceprograms. Virtually all recent literature concerninghospice developmentand relatedissues identifiesthe role of the lay volunteerashaving significancein the provision of high qualitycareandservicesto patientsand their families. It has beenstated that a "core of carefullyselectedandthoroughlytrainedvolunteersis basicto effectivehospicecareof theterminallyill and their families.''2 Volunteersareanessential ingredient of thehospiceconceptandareconsistentlyincludedin lists of thosemaking up the hospiceinterdisciplinary team.3'4 The specialrole of the volunteerin the hospicesetting and the uniqueaddition that the individual can maketo the patient'sworld duringhis or her time of dying is alsoemphasizedby two of theleadinghospice programsin this country, the ConnecticutHospice, Inc., andHilihaven Hospiceof Tucson,Arizona.5'6 This studywas undertakenasoneway of learning moreaboutthevolunteercomponentsof two selected hospiceprogramsto the endthatgreatersatisfaction andsuccessfor boththeprogramsandthevolunteers might be achieved. It seemedplausible that there couldbe distinguishingcharacteristicsevidentin some of the volunteers' expectationsandexperienceswith hospiceinvolvement.It also seemedlikely that differenceswould be moreapparent if it was possibleto contrastresponsesfrom two groups of volunteers from separatebut similarprograms.


Organisations increasingly have to deal with complex problems. Multidisciplinary teams are needed to cope with such problems. In such teams, different people have different perspectives, knowledge and approaches. For decision-making on complex problems, this knowledge has to be shared, and new knowledge has to be constructed, in order to develop solutions for the problem. Theory suggests that ICT-tools can support the quality of decisionmaking on complex problems. ICT-tools may facilitate knowledge elicitation, knowledge sharing, reaching common ground, and, ultimately, knowledge construction. Furthermore, this facilitation may positively affect the quality of the proposed solutions. We propose research on external representations used in multidisciplinary teams to test these expectations. Decision-support and Complexity in Decision Making 3 Business organisations are increasingly confronted with complexity in decision-making situations (e.g., Courtney, 2001; Rotmans, 1998; Sterman, 1994). Changes come at everincreasing pace, and developments in communication and transportation allow for worldwide competition. In such a competitive environment, novel approaches are needed to attain and maintain business advantage. However, traditional approaches to decision making (i.e. adaptive, incremental approaches) fail to generate those innovative solutions necessary for keeping such advantage (Lomi, Larsen, & Ginsberg, 1997). ICT-tools are used to enhance the quality of the decision-making process. These generally aim at facilitating formal and informal communication, harvesting knowledge, and building knowledge repositories (Courtney, 2001). Such ICT-tools can be regarded as responses to complexity. However, it is not clear by which mechanisms ICT-tools are able to support decision-making for complex problems. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for the analysis of ICT-tools. Such a framework can guide in distinguishing between a variety of ICT-tools, and act as a basis for development of new ICT-tools for support of decision-making. We explore how ICT-tools can be used to facilitate decision-making on complex problems in multidisciplinary teams. The leading thread in this paper is the question how ICT-tools can effectively support the quality of decision making for complex policy problems. First we describe various aspects of complexity and decision-making, from which we gather requirements for decision making on complex problems. We then discuss group processes in decision-making teams, to identify key processes for decision support. After that, tools for supporting these key processes are dealt with. From an integration of these topics we gather research hypotheses, for which we propose some first designs for empirical study. Complexity and decision-making The higher the number of factors and relations within a system, the more complex this system is (cf. Evans & Marciniak, 1987). Small changes in parts of a complex system may result in considerable changes in the system as a whole. This is caused by the intricacy of the various Decision-support and Complexity in Decision Making 4 relationships. Feedback mechanisms and delays can cause non-linear behaviour (Rotmans & Van Asselt, 1999). Complex problems in decision-making often exist across disciplinary boundaries, and thus require a multidisciplinary approach (Rotmans, 1998). To enable such an approach, decision-making for complex problems is often done in multidisciplinary teams. In such teams, every team member has his or her own perspective, which can be seen as a coherent and consistent description of the perceptual screen through which (teams of) people represent the world (cf. Van Asselt, 2000). The way people represent problems is subject to their individual perspective, hence multiple representations of a decision-making problem exist in multidisciplinary teams. Decision-makers in multidisciplinary teams confronted with complex problems have to take the existence of multiple problem representations into account. Multiple representations lead decision-makers to regard problem solutions they normally (i.e. when considering only one problem representation or perspective, or only a limited synthesis of multiple perspectives) would not regard. Or, as Vennix puts it, "the more different perspectives are taken into account, the smaller the chances of premature problem definition and 'solving the wrong problem'" (Vennix, 1996, p. 1). The risk of only considering business-as-usual strategies (i.e., adaptive, incremental) is averted, and innovative designs can be developed if multiple representations are taken into account. The nature of complex problems requires identifying and articulating multiple problem representations, and taking both innovative and adaptive solutions into consideration. We hypothesise that effective decision-support will help articulation of multiple problem representations, and developing both innovative and adaptive solutions. Group processes Decision-making teams engage in several social and knowledge processes, which result in shared and newly constructed knowledge, and in the development of problem solutions. During the process, social relationships between team members evolve, influencing the decisionDecision-support and Complexity in Decision Making 5 making process. We see the developed solutions as the result of knowledge processes, which in turn are affected by the evolving social processes. Both need to be regulated for effective decisions to ensue (cf. Mulder & Swaak, 2001). One way of decision-support aims at the regulation of group reasoning processes. For example, Suthers uses a tool called Belvedere to enhance scientific argumentation in groups (Suthers, 2001). Belvedere asks evidence for every statement made by the group. It also asks for evidence opposing a statement. Thirdly, Belvedere prompts checking whether stated evidence supports statements other than the one it was given for. Such measures may support decisionmaking by helping teams distinguish between strong and weak statements. With respect to knowledge processes, regulation refers to structuring the processes of knowledge elicitation, knowledge sharing, and knowledge construction, and balancing their respective importance. The same sort of government is needed with respect to the social processes, because of the relationship between social and knowledge processes. A positive social environment in a decision-making group is a prerequisite for effective knowledge processes. In other words, regulative processes can be seen as the guidance of group attention to specific knowledge and social processes, and decision-support as an example of such guidance. Regulation also refers to monitoring the decision-making process. Dealing with complex problems means performing a number of decision-making steps, like problem definition, articulation of perspectives, development of solutions and alternatives, testing those solutions, and implementing them (cf. Van Asselt, 2001, and Courtney, 2001). Regulation then refers to monitoring the performance of these steps by the decision-making group. Knowledge processes To be able to develop solutions for complex problems, decision-making teams have to construct a shared representation of the problem. Individual team members, with individual problem representations and mental models, embark on discussions about the problem. A number of knowledge processes are important to these discussions. These involve knowledge elicitation, knowledge sharing, and, through reflection and elaboration on, and synthesis of Decision-support and Complexity in Decision Making 6 shared knowledge, knowledge construction. All these processes are aimed at dealing with the present problem. Knowledge elicitation, knowledge sharing, and knowledge construction each play a role in a specific knowledge transformation. Knowledge elicitation refers to the transformation of implicit knowledge into explicit knowledge. Knowledge sharing means that internal knowledge becomes external, or sharable knowledge. If various group members add to a pool of external knowledge, they can all internalise each other's knowledge, enabling reflection upon the pooled knowledge. Finally, knowledge construction can occur (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Knowledge elicitation, sharing, internalisation and construction change knowledge from implicit state to shared state, and, through group reflection, enable knowledge construction. Knowledge construction is portrayed here using the circular arrow. Common ground and knowledge construction Decision-making for complex problems requires decision-makers to share their individual knowledge with the rest of the group they are working in. Sharing knowledge is not simply a transmission of information from one person to another. Knowledge from one member Knowledge processes and transformations


A field experiment was carried out at research farm of BHU, Varanasi (U.P.), during two consecutive years to study the N-release pattern of four different organic nutrient sources, namely; farm yard manure (FYM), green leaf manure (GLM), Celrich and bio-gas slurry) combined with varying levels of NPK fertilizers and their effect on yield and NPK uptake in hybrid rice-wheat system. The study revealed that increasing fertilizer levels from 25 to 100 per cent of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) along with organic sources markedly increased the release of N up to 75 days after incorporation, whereas 25 per cent of RDF proved least effective. Among organic sources, FYM and GLM though remained equally effective but proved significantly superior to Celrich and biogas slurry both in quantity and duration of N release. Application of 75 and 100 per cent RDF remained on par in increasing grain and straw yield of rice as well as succeeding wheat crop but increase in yield of rice and wheat was significant over others rate of fertilizer. Effect of FYM and GLM also brought about significant increase in grain and straw yield of both the cropsbut remained on par with Celrich. Biogas slurry proved least effective among organic sources. Study of NPK uptake by both crops also showed significant improvement due to successive increase in RDF up to 100 per cent RDF whereas among the organic sources GLM and Celrich brought about maximum uptake of nutrient by both crops. Almost similar trend was recorded in case of NPK balance in soil after harvest of both crops.


There is plenty of evidence in the literature that vitamin D is essential for calcium homeostasis for optimal skeletal health. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a syndrome with major long-term negative consequences. Efforts have been made to find innovative approaches for diabetes prevention and treatment, and a recent focus has been on vitamin D supplementation. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D on insulin resistance.


There are quite a few problems in the management of the commuters in Chinese universities.This paper reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the Chinese management of university commuters and compares with that of American university commuters.


From the Publisher:
Following the life cycle of a typical software development project, Global Software Development looks at the growing need for global software development and the foundations of development strategy. Beginning with a description of the necessary first steps in setting up the development environment and project team, the book progresses through development, emphasizing the differences between traditional and virtual management. The final chapter presents three case studies that illustrate the principles and activities described in the preceding chapters. Dale Karolak makes if easier for managers to understand what to consider when managing a virtual project and offers a broad spectrum of information that enhances the reader's understanding of global software development.


Australia's competition and consumer regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), recently decided to take action against Google LLC (Google) in relation to allegations…


There are many kinds of literary work such as novel, poem, film, etc. Sometimes in the work there is a usage of many languages because of the idea and the creativity of the creators to make their project different from others'. For example, Bumi Manusia film which the characters have different ethnic or racial background so there is many different languages used. This makes code switching and code mixing happened. This study aims to find the use of code switching and code mixing in the film Bumi Manusia, then determine each type based on the selected reference, then determine the reasons for using code switching and code mixing in the film.This research was conducted by watching movies repeatedly, recording dialogues or conversations which are code switching and code mixing, determining the data for each type (whether including code switching or code mixing), after that determining the types and finally analyzing the causes of its use. The results show that the use of code-switching in the film Bumi Manusia is more than the use of code-mixing. And the reason for using code switching and code mixing the most widely used is because of solidarity and to soften or strengthen requests or command.


The efficient production of milk drives the profitability of the dairy enterprise. Within a dairy herd, total milk production is determined by the proportion of cows producing milk at any given time and the level of milk production of the individual cows within the herd (Vandehaar, 1998). Both of these factors are dramatically affected by reproductive efficiency. Improving reproductive efficiency improves profitability by maintaining the greatest proportion of cows in a herd producing milk at optimal levels.


In outdoor measurements, frequently one solar cell (or a set of component cells) is used to evaluate the effect of spectral changes on a PV module. For concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) power plants with multi-junction solar cells, a common method is to use component cells to study the influence of the spectral conditions on the output current of the module performance. However, quite often the spectral response of the component cells is different from the one in the subcell of the multi-junction solar cell. In such situations, the current generation in the component cell is not directly related to that of the III-V multi-junction solar cell. In this paper, we use a large set of simulated spectra based on climate data from eight different locations to evaluate the error which is induced by the difference in the spectral response between two solar cells. We also introduce an empirical mismatch function (EMF), which allows to significantly reduce the transformation errors.


Victims are an important element in the continuation of legal evidence as a victim witness or reporter. As is the case with the problem of human trafficking crime. Victimology with its various kinds of views extends the criminal etiological theories needed to understand the existence of crime as a better structural and non-structural victimization. besides the views in viktimology encourage people to pay attention and serve each party who can be victims of mental, physical, and social. From the explanation of the victim's typology and the factors that led to the crime of trafficking in persons, it was concluded that there were three types of victims of trafficking in persons, namely Latend or Prodisposed Victims who were economic contributors. Participating Victims were victims who because the cause is a low education factor, and False Victims which is being a victim because the cause is a consumptive behavior factor.


As consumers express a desire for vehicles that are useful for multiple purposes, automobile manufacturers are responding with vehicles that blur the distinctions between vehicle classes. By understanding the traditional classes, new cross-over vehicles can be developed. Parametric shape grammars offer the flexibility to create innovative new designs both within and across classes, while staying within appropriate form and functional constraints attributed to automobiles. Through the use of universal rules and the understanding of allowable parametric ranges, many novel cross-over vehicle concepts can easily be created.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


The principles and procedures of TBA method are described in detail.A dynamic muti-step finite element model is established to simulate excavation process of caverns in a hydropower station,and a calculation of getting mechanical parameter-field of surrounding rock has been done with the TBA method. The result is presented with numerical validation with GA.The elastic ratio rock is fixed effectively.The results show that the incremental displacements are consistent well with those measured ones.The distribution of parameters of rock mechanics is consistent with the real one.


An otherwise healthy 29-year-old Indonesian man presented with a 6-month history of low back pain and right buttock swelling, with radiating pain into the right leg. The pertinent laboratory results were as follows: WBC 12,000/ μL, C-reactive protein 9.08 mg/dL, a normal urinalysis, and a negative human immunodeficiency virus test. Computed tomography (CT) revealed an expansile low density mass involving the sacrum and right ilium, extending into the bilateral buttock (Picture 1). The mass was lobulated and cystic on magnetic resonance imaging (Picture 2). A biopsy revealed caseating granulomas, and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, as well as a biopsy culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was positive. Chest CT (Picture 3) showed a typical pattern compatible with tuberculosis, and a


The article carries out a research of correlations in the food service sphere by studying the case of the innovative-educational cluster. With this objective in view the authors determine the principle spheres participating in the cluster formation, analyze existing correlations between them, and consider arising challenges by building static and dynamic (in the form of pentaspiral) cluster models.


In networking systems, IP lookup plays crucial role in forwarding incoming IP packets. IP lookup is performed by checking longest prefix match of destination address against prefixes stored in router's routing table. To reduce the time required to correctly forward an incoming packet, one needs to improve performance of IP lookup mechanism. Although Bloom filter[1] and cuckoo filter[2] are used in contemporary networking systems to reduce time required for IP lookup, they do not leverage information about IP prefix distribution in routing table. We introduce an enhanced cuckoo filter called length aware cuckoo filter which uses double insertion for unpopular items to reduce false positive rate. Keywords— IP lookup, Bloom filters, Cuckoo filter


Difference in sensitivity of Eleocharis kuroguwai tubers to bensulfuron- methyl{methyl 2-[[[[[(4, 6-dimethoxy-2-pyrimidinyl) amino] carbonyl] amino] sulfonyl] methyl] benzoate} at different burial depths were determined with respect to tuber emergence, sprouting of lateral buds, carbohydrate consumption of the tuber, and growth and new tuber production of the regrown plants. Days required to regrowth from the growth cessation due to bensulfuron-methyl were shorter in shallow-buried tubers than in deep-buried tubers. With application of bensulfuron-methyl shallow-buried tubers consumed less carbohydrate in the tuber than deep-buried tubers as compared with in deep-buried tubers during the period of growth cessation and greater regrowth also occurred in the former. Fast and great regrowth in shallow-buried tubers resulted in great production of dry matter and new tubers. However, the differences obtained were not due to bensulfuron-methyl, but due mainly to ecological emergence and growth characteristics of tubers buried at different depths.


【Objective】 The study was to clarify the mechanism of soil respiration responding to changing of influence factors in forest ecosystem of Qinling Mountains.【Method】 Soil respiration rate was measured by LI-6400 portable photosynthesis measuring system during the growing season at Huoditang forest region in the Qinling Mountains.Leaf area index was measured by LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer from June 2010 to November 2010.At the same time,the soil temperature and soil moisture content at 5 cm depth were measured.【Result】 Pinus tabulaeformis forest had significantly different patterns in seasonal soil respiration processes,the tendencies of soil respiration appeared single peak variation.The maximum rate of soil respiration was 3.69 μmol/(m2·s),appearing in the last ten days of August,the minimum rate of soil respiration was 0.52 μmol/(m2·s) in the last ten days of November,and the average value of soil respiration rate during the growing season was 1.82 μmol/(m2·s).Soil respiration varied similar to soil temperature at 5 cm depth.Soil respiration showed a cubic functional relationship with soil temperature at 5 cm depth,the relevance between them was extremely notable;soil respiration had a S type functional relationship with leaf area index,the relevance between them was notable;soil respiration had a S type functional relationship with soil moisture content,the relevance between them was not notable.The index of temperature sensibility Q10 values was 3.63 in the growing seasons.【Conclusion】 Main factor affecting the soil respiration was soil temperature at 5 cm depth,secondly was leaf area index.The relevance between soil respiration and soil moisture content was not notable.


Deeply incised valleys are common landforms along the cliffed coastline of Dorset and Hampshire, a coastline which bears the brunt of the erosive effects of waves, wind and running water as is evident from this study of the Isle of Wight chines. A model was developed in order to examine stream profile and knickpoint recession based on the theories of Culling (1957) and Leopold et al. (1964). Measurements of stream power, rate of cliff retreat and area of drainage basin were interpreted to determine the sequential development of chines as distinct from their inland valleys. It was concluded that chines are in a continual state of flux in contrast to their upper valleys and the relative role of cliff and catchment characteristics have important consequences for their durability. CLIFF RETREAT has featured very little in geographical literature, and the writing has usually been in a descriptive form, as shown by the studies of May (1964) and Steers (1953). The great length of eroding cliff coastline delimiting the British Isles offers the opportunity to study the effects of cliff retreat as a boundary condition to geomorphology's fundamental unit, the drainage basin. The concept of an equilibrium, or balance, existing between the effect of a downcutting river, and processes of erosion on the slopes, with respect to the basin characteristics and the inputs to the basin, is long established. As most rivers terminate at the coast, another variable, that ofthe retreating coast, should be incorporated into the concept. This study attempts to examine the balance between basin morphology and channel adjustment on the one hand, and cliff retreat on the other, with a view to understanding the presence of the 'chines' on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. 'Chine is a local word for a deep fissure or gully cut in soft rock by a stream descending steeply to the sea' (Stamp, 1966). In fact, this definition is too narrow and was extended to include some features not occupied by streams. Suggestions as to the cause of chines have varied from landsliding (Lyell, 1867), to enlargement after rainfall (Gardner, 1879), wind erosion (Englefield, 1816) and spring sapping (Bristow, 1889). Bury (1920) commented that where the chines were lengthening, headward retreat was greater than cliff recession. He found the 'double structure' of a chine within a more open valley to be common (Fig. la) and claimed that the chines were formed recently, being the result of present climatic conditions, and their size was a function of the power of their streams. The open valleys above were formed by much larger volumes of water. He suggested that the different levels of chines were caused by sea-level changes, an argument later supported by Steers (1953). The most recent reference to cliff retreat and river erosion was made by Cotton (1947) when he referred to valleuses in Normandy. He stated, 'cliff recession is the sole cause of the rejuvenation that is commonly developed in the lower valleys of small streams entering the sea'. Description of problem and area The south-west coast of the Isle of Wight between St Catherine's Point and Freshwater Bay is a cliff line formed in Cretaceous strata. Structurally these exhibit an eroded anticline, the main axis extending from the Purbeck and Weymouth anticlines in the west through to Brook Point on the Island. Here the oldest deposits, Wealden Marls, are revealed in the cliff and beach. Either side, the rocks become increasingly younger, sloping in the western limb at more that 20? and on the east at 2?-5?. At intervals along the cliff top, superficial deposits include blown sand, alluvium, valley brickearth, gravel terraces and plateau gravel. Inland the chalk downs delimit an area -? Miss Flint is Land Survey Assistant for the Dorset Heritage Coast Team, Dorset County Council, Dorchester. This paper won the 1980 RGS Essay Prize, and was re-drafted for publication in 1981.


Dear Editor Although peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastric cancer are among the major health problems in Uzbekistan, the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the associations between the infection and H. pylori -related diseases have scarcely been examined in this country. We conducted a case–control study to examine the association of H. pylori infection with PUD in Uzbekistan, using serum antiH. pylori IgG antibody and anti cagA IgG antibody. The association with gastric atrophy measured with PG1 and PG2 levels was also examined in this study. The study was approved by Ethics Committee of Nagoya University School of Medicine (approval number 459). The cases consisted of 95 patients with PUD (85 duodenal ulcer patients and 10 gastric ulcer patients), who visited the Republic Research Center of Emergency Medicine in Tashkent from January to March in 2007. All the cases were diagnosed endoscopically at the Center before the enrollment. They were consecutively invited to the study, except the patients under a physically or mentally unstable condition. Among the invited patients, there were several patients who did not agree to participate in the study. Controls were arbitrarily invited 102 volunteers including 60 students/ staffs and 42 patients (14 with acute appendicitis, 17 with acute cholecystitis, three with pancreatitis, one with nephritis, two with echinococcus infection, one with pneumonia, and four with hernia) of the Center. Information on age, sex, nationality, smoking and alcohol habits were obtained from medical records (cases) and questionnaire/interview (controls). From each participant, approximately 7.5 mL of whole blood was drawn. Serum separated from the blood was immediately stored at –20 ° C until analysis. AntiH pylori and anticagA IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA. E-plate Eiken H. pylori antibody (Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) and CagA IgG EIA WELL (Radim SpA, Rome, Italy) were used, respectively. In both ELISA, 10.0 units or higher was regarded as being seropositive. Serum PG1 and PG2 were measured by chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA). Gastric mucosal atrophy was defined by level of PG1 < 70 ng/mL and PG1/PG2 < 3. Table 1 shows the characteristics of cases and controls, as well as ageand sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95%


Software provide services that may come with some vulnerabilities or risks. Attackers perform actions that break security of system through threats and cause a failure. To avoid security vulnerability, there are many security-specific concepts that should be determined as requirements during software development life cycle in order to deliver a strong and secure software. This paper first, survey a number of existing processes, life cycle and methodologies needed for developing secure software based on the related published works. It starts by presenting the most relevant Secure Software Development Lifecycles, a comparison between the main security features for each process is proposed. The results of the comparison will give the software developer with a guideline which will help on selecting the best secure process. Second, the paper list a set of the most widely used specification languages with the advantages and disadvantages for each


Some document clustering tools automatically or semi-automatically produce document hierarchies. Commonly, they are stored as text or graphical files. As a result, applications are not able to use them before some kind of processing. A more recent representation of document hierarchies employs Extensible Markup Language. However, the reusability of this representation is diminished because the semantic of XML elements is not machine accessible. This paper proposes the use of a resource description framework model to overcome these drawbacks


Electrical and electronic technology is a compulsory course for the material forming and control engineering specialty,one of the specialties on the Outstanding Engineers Training Program in our university and the analog electronics technology is part of the course which is hard to comprehend.In view of the problems in the teaching of the analog electronic technology,a teaching reform has been carried out based on what is required in the Outstanding Engineers Training Program and the present paper discusses the issues that entail necessary attention in the application of PBL method in designing analog electronics technology teaching.


Passive acoustical monitoring systems were used to monitor local migrations of Yangtze finless porpoises in China. We stationed 3 acoustic data loggers (W20-ASII) at 3 different places in the confluence area of Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River on 27-29 April 2006. Acoustic data loggers recorded ultrasonic signals from porpoises swimming in a 300m radius approximate range. Visual observations were conducted simultaneously at two stations. Acoustical and visual observation could detect the presence of porpoises at 73.9 ± 20.9 % and 7.0 ± 6.5 % at all observation times, respectively. Visually-counted group sizes were underestimated compared with acoustical observations for groups of up to 5 individuals, whereas the opposite was true when the group size was more than 6. In summary, a passive acoustical method was proved to be effective for the long term monitoring of finless porpoises swimming underwater. The limitation of group size estimations is thought to be caused by a less accurate measurement of sound source direction due to the short baseline of W20-ASII. It can be improved by employing longer baseline stereo hydrophones.


In this paper we describe our work in progress towards approximating the substitution costs for FLOSS. Substitution cost is the monetary value of the effort necessary for implementing a FLOSS application from scratch in a software company. We describe our approach for estimating substitution cost, based on building generic estimation models for the modern software industry. For this purpose we use the latest version of ISBSG, and apply our models on a subset of projects from a Debian distribution. This yields an approximation of the total substitution costs for this collection of FLOSS applications. We report on various problems, limitations and issues related to the data, the model precision, and the currently available FLOSS project data. However, the anticipated arrival of more coherent FLOSS databases is expected to alleviate many of these issues, and more precise calculations will become feasible, using the same methodology as outlined in this paper.


Until the dawn of the twentieth century, Buddhist monks were passive agents in the political history of Sri Lanka. In the middle of the twentieth century, however, monastic involvement in politics took a remarkable turn. With Walpola Rahula's (1907–1997) advocacy of politics for Buddhist monks in The Heritage of the Bhikkhu (Rahula 1974), which was originally published in Sinhala in 1946 as Bhis uvagē Urumaya, a new political Buddhist tradition emerged in Sri Lanka encouraging and justifying political activism by Buddhist monks. Since the publication of The Heritage of the Bhikkhu, the degree of Bhikhu involvement in Sri Lankan politics has gradually increased, marking clear phases of radical developments. When social and political conditions weakened the economy of the country, partly as a result of the severe disruption and destruction of two decades of ethnic turmoil (beginning from the 1983 ethnic riots), the monastic involvement in extremist, nationalist politics gave birth to radical innovations. Some aspects of these political trends in contemporary Theravāda Buddhist monkhood in relation to the Sri Lankan ethnic problem have already been documented in the recent works of Sarath Amunugama (1991), Stanley J. Tambiah (1992), H. L. Seneviratne (1999), Tessa J. Bartholomeusz (2002) and Ananda Abeysekara (2002). While these scholarly works have generated a rethinking of Buddhist political activism, the works of Tambiah (1992) and Seneviratne (1999), in particular, have subsequently created considerable debate and tension both within the Buddhist saṅgha and the lay Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka, resulting in the banning of Tambiah's Buddhism Betrayed? The debate and protest against Buddhism Betrayed? focused mostly on the use of a provocative photograph of the popular Buddhist preacher monk, Venerable Mādol uvāvē Sōbhita, on the front cover of Tambiah's book. As a result of the protest in Sri Lanka, The University of Chicago Press withdrew the front cover and reprinted the paperbacks with a neutral motif. This illustrates the degree of sensitivity related to representing politically active Buddhist monks and their ethno-politics. In the media, today, the Buddhist monk, whether political or non-political in the public realm, is often intrinsically associated with the turbulent ethnopolitics (Degalle 2003; 2005). The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), in particular,


Currently, the Federal Public Administration (APF) goes through a constant modernization in
order to provide public services to the population in general, and this modernization has been
accompaniedbyanincreasingdemandforresourcesofInformationTechnology(TI). TheDecree
no 8.539, of October 8, 2015, aims to promote the use of electronic means to the realization
of administrative processes with security, transparency and economy, and also to facilitate the
access of citizens to administrative instances. However, the deadline to the implantation of the
System of National Electronic Process (PEN) is only two years from the date of the Decree, and
not all organs of APF are prepared to provide the appropriate IT infrastructure to deploy the
systeminatimelymanner. ThisdissertationpresentsamethodbasedontheopinionofITexperts
in order to identify the main difficulties faced by IT managers in relation to IT Infrastructure
Management and the acquisition of new IT solutions to meet the PEN system. As a solution
to this problem it is gonna be presented a proposal containing theCatalogofBestPractices to
be followed for the adoption of Cloud Computing in APF. In the research it was found that the
main difficulties of IT managers are related to the proccess of bureaucratic hiring required by
Normative Instructionno 4, 2014 and the Lawno 8.666/93, of bids and contracts. TheCatalog
of Best Practices contains the step-by-step with the orientations and recommendations to be
followed by IT managers in hiring services of Cloud Computing in APF, covering from the
part ofGovernance,SecurityandTicketing until the form ofmonitoringandmanagement
of Cloud Computing Resources.


The main objective of energy-saving generation dispatching is to reduce the use of energy regardless of fuel loss in transport process.Hence,Pareto efficiency cannot be achieved.Based on the theory of short-term marginal cost pricing and inspired by the cost-based power pool in South Korea,a quasi marketization model of energy-saving generation dispatching is designed by taking China's current electric system into consideration.Adopting the two-part electricity price,the day-ahead exchange scheduling is formed according to the energy price checked by government.Thus,this dispatching sorting mechanism is in accordance with the idea of energy-saving generation dispatching.The classified market based on different types of units not only reflects the value at different times but also promotes the stability of market price.Practical case demonstrates the superiority of the proposed quasi marketization model of energy-saving generation dispatching.


In this paper, we present an enhancement scheme for global positioning system (GPS) signals received on an unmanned aerial-vehicle (UAV) helicopter system. Because of the limitation of the hardware units and the GPS system, parts of the signals are discontinuous and have huge jumps from time to time. Such a problem degrades a great deal the overall performance of the automatic flight control system of our UAV helicopter. We employ in this work an Kalman filter technique together with a complementary filter to regenerate smooth and accurate signals that can be used for the implementation of automatic flight control systems. Our simulation and implementation results show that the proposed scheme is very effective and yields a good improvement on the performance of the overall flight control system of our UAV helicopter.


The invention relates to a device (1) for heating a fluid (F), comprising at least one electrically conductive pipeline (100) for accommodating the fluid (F) and at least one voltage source (2) connected to the at least one pipeline (100), wherein the at least one voltage source (2) is designed to generate an electric current in the at least one pipeline (100), which electric current heats the at least one pipeline (100) in order to heat the fluid (F). According to the invention, the at least one voltage source (2) has M phase conductors (L1, ..., LM), wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to two, and wherein the at least one voltage source (2) is designed to provide an alternating voltage at the phase conductors (L1, ..., LM), wherein those alternating voltages are phase-shifted in relation to each other by 2pi/M, and wherein the phase conductors (L1, ..., LM) are connected to the at least one pipeline (100) in an electrically conductive manner in such a way that a star circuit is formed.


Compacts of Fe.O, doped with (0.5-5.0"/.) I .Oo/• MgO and/or I .Oo/• CaO fired at 1 473 K for 20 hr, were isothermaliy reduced with CO gas at 11 73-1 473 K. Thermogravimetric technique was used to follow up the oxygen weight-loss as a function of time. Partially and completely reduced samples were subjected to chemical and carbon analyses wh ile their internal structure was examined by optical microscope. Pore size analyser was used to characterize pore structure and pore size distribution. The different phases developed during reduction were also identified by X-ray diffraction technique. It was observed that the doping of CaO revealed different effects on the reduction of pure Fe.03 depending on CaO content, tem-peratu~e and reduction extents. At lower temperatures (~1 273 K), the doping of ~2.5"/• CaO promoted the reduction of Fe~0, and a maximum effect was observed for compacts doped with I .Oo/o CaO. At ~: 1 373 K, the doping of CaO retarded the reduction of Fe.03 at the latter stages due to the sintering and densification effects which increased with temperature. The influence of MgO on the reduction of Fe.O, was discussed in another publication. The doping of I .O'/o CaO with I ,O'/* MgO in Fe20, compacts greatly promoted the reduction of Fe~03 at 1 273 K and this effect decreased with temperature. Heterogeneous gas-solid reaction formulations were examined and correlated with both of the apparent activation energies and the internal structures of partially reduced compacts to elucidate the corresponding reduction mechanisms.


In the paper a method for curve evolution based on image gravitation and M-S model is presented.A two-stage algorithm is thus proposed: image gravitation is first proposed to find the optima of reference points,reference points rapidly converge near image edge;The method based on narrow band level set is presented to solve the research of accurate contour.The active contour model's sensitivity to its initial position,the poor convergence to boundary concavities which exists in the traditional Snake and sensitivity to noise are solved.In each step of M-S iteration,the paper only deals with the data in a narrow band instead of the whole image,so the computational complexity is decreased.


Adams uses a large, nationally representative household survey to analyze the impact of internal remittances (from Guatemala) and international remittances (from the United States) on poverty in Guatemala. With only one exception, he finds that both internal and international remittances reduce the level, depth, and severity of poverty in Guatemala. However, he finds that remittances have a greater impact on reducing the severity as opposed to the level of poverty in Guatemala. For example, the squared poverty gap - which measures the severity of poverty - falls by 21.1 percent when internal remittances are included in household income, and by 19.8 percent when international remittances are included in such income. This is true because households in the lowest decile group receive a very large share of their total household income (expenditure) from remittances. Households in the bottom decile group receive between 50 and 60 percent of their total income (expenditure) from remittances. When these "poorest of the poor" households receive remittances, their income status changes dramatically and this in turn has a large effect on any poverty measure - like the squared poverty gap - that considers the number, distance, and distribution of poor households beneath the poverty line. This paper - a product of the Trade Team, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the impact of international migration and remittances on poverty and development.


Topological insulators (TIs) are widely used as saturable absorbers in ultrafast pulsed fiber lasers, but the low modulation depth and high threshold power of self‐starting mode‐locking limit their application, especially in the field of communication. Five Bi2Te3‐based materials are prepared by designing different doping ratios. The modulation depth is tunable from 4.41% to 51.31%. It is noteworthy that the minimum pump power of self‐starting mode‐locking is only 27.66 mW. In the circumstance of low gain, Kelly sideband is still weak even if the pump power reaches 165 mW. This is significant for the application in the field of laser communication. Density functional theory calculations show that the doping effect leads to the rearrangement of electrons near the Fermi level, which further leads to an increase in the density of states. The average contribution trend of Te pz of the five materials in each energy band near the Fermi level is consistent with the trend of modulation depth. This study suggests that the nonlinearity of Bi2Te3‐based materials can be improved by doping Sb, and stable self‐starting mode‐locking can be achieved at low gain and low pump power, providing a new idea for improving the nonlinearity of materials.


The increase in petroleum price, the problems associated with long-term availability of fossil fuels for automotive engine and environmental problems are of great concern for the world. These challenges have necessitated the need to investigate alternate source of fossil fuel. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibilities of using Waste Polyethylene Fuel (WPF) as an alternative fuel for diesel engine. WPF is derived from waste polyethylene through pyrolysis. Tests were employed to characterise the fuel properties and to evaluate the performance and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine fuelled by 10% and 20% blends of WPF and Diesel Fuel (DF). The physico-chemical properties of the oil were analysed and found that it has almost similar properties to that of diesel. An experimental investigation was made to evaluate the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of diesel engine using different blends of 10%, 20% and pure diesel. It seems that there is improved performance and emission with the increase concentration of WPF in WPF-DF blends. The observations made in the present research paper are the part of ongoing research work. WPF and some other oil/fuels adaptability, performance and emission are presently under investigation.


Objective To study the effect of amniotic membrane graft combined with mitomycin C in pterygium treatment. Design Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Participants Twenty-one eyes of 20 patients with pterygium and recurrent pterygium without symblepharon. The number of prior surgeries was 1 – 2 times. Intervention Patients were treated by bare sclera technique and mitomycin C eye drops, and preserved amniotic membrane graft. Main Outcome Measures Recurrence rate of pterygium and complications of treatment. Results twenty eyes (95.24%) of 21 eyes showed no recurrence, it means the recurrence rate was 4.76%. The study did not show the scleral and corneal complication during observation period 30 – 50 weeks. Conclusion Preserved amniotic membrane graft, and mitomycin C eye drops were a safe and effective for bare sclera technique of pterygium surgery.


Introduction: Patients with rheumatic carditis and more than minimal cardiomegaly and/or congestive heart failure should receive corticosteroids. The usual dose of prednisolone is two mg/kg/day in four divided doses. We aim by this study to compare the regimen of giving steroids in a single daily dose with that of giving them in four-divided doses. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted on 24 patients having rheumatic carditis. 12 patients were started on prednisolone at a dose of two mg/kg/day in a single daily dose. The other 12 patients were started on prednisolone at a dose of two mg/kg/day in four divided doses. Results: There was no significant statistical difference between the two groups of patients as regard the duration of treatment before remission. No complications related to steroids were observed in any of our patients. Conclusion: Prednisolone, as a single morning dose is as effective as divided doses for treatment of rheumatic carditis with no higher risk of complications. As single-dose steroid therapy is likely to be associated with better drug compliance, we recommend it as the regimen of choice for treatment of rheumatic carditis.


In this article, authors state a series of concrete temperature control measures adopted in construction of large volume concrete of the north anchor of Wuhan Yangluo Changjiang River Great Road Bridge such as match ratio design, layer pouring and so forth. On-site monitoring data indicate that those temperature control measures reached expected effects.


Using an experiment, this study investigates whether including additional audit-procedure and/or accounting-estimate details in the audit report influences how openly managers communicate with their auditors. Extant research has focused primarily on the benefits of various changes to the auditor-reporting model. Our study complements and extends this literature by examining a potential cost. We hypothesize that as auditors are required to disclose new information about a firm in the audit report, managers will be less willing to share information about their accounting choices with their auditors. Results reflect this to be the case; participants in our study shared less private information with their auditors when faced with an auditor-reporting regime that requires the auditor to publicly discuss the participant's key accounting estimates relative to an auditor-reporting regime that does not have this requirement. We further find that a disclosure focused solely on audit procedures does not have the same adverse effect for communication, particularly when participants trust their auditors. Overall, our study highlights the importance of understanding the net benefits that a shift in disclosure control may have on firms' audit and financial reporting quality before implementing any proposed changes to the auditor-reporting model.


In this work, an including the switched evolution process discrete model of a DC–DC converter feeding a switched constant power load is proposed based on the Poincaré mapping rule and matrix exponent method. Numerical simulations of the bifurcation scheme based on the proposed discrete model reveal the period-adding bifurcation structures of the system as multiple devils' staircases. Further, the calculation of the stable regions of the multiple-period orbits of the nested period-adding bifurcation structures are illustrated. The experimental results verify the validity of the discrete model and analytical accuracy of the period-adding bifurcation characteristics of the system. The proposed model solves the difficulties associated with discrete modeling for power electronic nonlinear switched systems. The introduction of the switched evolution process in the proposed discrete model provides a specific mathematical model for studying the influence of the switched evolution process on the dynamics of power electronic nonlinear switched systems. This study is expected to be a foundation for the theory and further research on such power electronic nonlinear switched systems.


The investigation of trace elements levels in human hair is a source of basic information for biological, medical, environmental and forensic sciences. A review of 70 abstracts devoted to voltammetric (VA) analysis of hair for the period of 1995-2000 years has been made. The most part of the investigations was performed in China. The main trends in VA- analysis - variants of VA methods (adsorptive, stripping, catalytic), types of electrodes, determined elements (24 essential and toxic) and drugs were revealed. VA-method attracts analysts by remarkable sensitivity, speciation capabilities and low cost. The authors propobe simple and sensitive VA -procedures for determination of both essential (zinc, copper, iodine) and toxic trace elements (cadmium, lead) in human hair samples.