A sensitive cathode ray oscillograph is described which operates at the low potential of from 300 to 400 volts. The electron stream comes from a thermionic cathode and is focused by the action of ionized gas in the tube. This gas, at a pressure of a few thousandths of a millimeter, serves to reduce to 1 mm. diameter a spot which would be 1 cm. across in a high vacuum tube. The sensitivity of the tube is such that the deflection of the spot is about 1 mm. per volt applied between deflector plates. When using magnetic deflection, a pair of coils 4 cm. in diameter, placed on the sides of the tube produces a deflection of approximately 1 mm. per ampere-turn of the coils. — Editor.


This paper proposes a heat source analysis method to calculate the heat loss generated by SCARA robots during operation. The heat dissipation power of the robot is determined by empirical formula and robot energy consumption. The thermal model of SCARA robots was established by using the finite element method in COMSOL, and the steady-state temperature and heat dissipation path of SCARA robots were obtained by solving the finite element model. It was concluded that the temperature at axis Jl of a SCARA robot was the highest, and the temperature diffused in the center of axis Jl. The effect of surface convection velocity on the steady-state temperature of SCARA robots is studied. The results show that the increase of surface convection velocity can effectively reduce the temperature of the robot at high temperature.


Sometimes failure analysis had to deal with the situation of the failure passing at room temperature but failing at high temperature, so that it was necessary to develop analyzing skills at high temperature. This paper introduced a special case fail at high temperature. By applying self heating method to obtain high temperature condition, the FA process of this case was described in detail. Finally the failure mechanism was demonstrated as well.


Marxist standpoint on language is a practical language view,which combines both Speech and Practice.It is against taking language as abstract kingdoms of symbols but for considering language as real-life communicative activities based on the whole human social practices.Different from Linguistic determinism and Thought determinism,Marxist standpoint on language is that PRACTICE determines language and thought which restrict and depend upon each other;Language is a social communicative activity carried through the means of symbols with meaning.


We study the dynamics of individual beliefs and information aggregation when agents communicate via a social network. We provide a general framework of social learning that captures the interactive effects of three main factors on the structure of individual beliefs resulting from such a dynamic process; that is historical factors prior beliefs, learning mechanismsrational and bounded rational learning, and the topology of communication structure governing information exchange. More specifically, we provide conditions under which heterogeneity and consensus prevail. We then establish conditions on the structures of the communication network, prior beliefs and private information for public beliefs to correctly aggregate decentralized information. The speed of learning is also established, but most importantly, its implications on efficient information aggregation.


The invention concerns the correction of transmissions on several subcarriers, in the case of a frequency variable carrier and, preferably, linearly variable. One of the subcarriers, generally the first (N1), is transmitted unmodulated and can therefore be used as reference to supply an estimation signal Cx(t) representing of its defects due to echo. The other subcarriers are corrected by means of the estimation signal taking into account the time difference in the passages (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5) by a common frequency value (Fi) of the subcarrier to be corrected and of the reference subcarrier; said correction is carried out in baseband, i.e. after eliminating the carrier. The invention is, in particular, useful for transmitting data with header (E) at fixed frequency followed by a frequency ramp serving as carrier for serveral subcarriers.


ABSTRACT This  study  was intended to explore and develop  a capability development process for Metropolitan Health Volunteer (MHV) and the public network which best prepared them for a government-community health  coordinator's role ; to determine the participants' satisfaction level; applicable knowledge derived from the training course and to study the relationships between the training process and  its outcome. The training program was  conducted for a total of 5,000  participants from 50 districts of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (a hundred participants a district)    However, only 4,433 participants  actually completed  the course requirement among which  were mostly MHVs (89%), public network delegates (7%) and premiers (4%). Data were analyzed descriptive Statistics and the ratio percentage ,Mean and SD: Standard deviation, Minimum and Maximum and Analytical Statistics; and Factor analysis .Path analysis. The result  showed that the participants were  satisfied with both concept-based learning session (95%) and activity-based learning session (90%). Moreover,  the training method and arrangement were also appreciated by most participants (70%)  Approximately two thirds of the participants exhibited  positive feedback towards the course.  They were also satisfied  with the overall set-up and results of the program. Four steps were taken during the training couse:  (a) defining strategic direction and environmental scanning;  (b) conceptualizing the training framework and the curriculum content;(c) executing the training course and delivering public communication ,and (d) monitoring and evaluation  .  The  underlying assumptions  that drove the program's success  were individual self's perceived potentials and  beliefs in human's  and community's value, commitment and determination. To  assess the relationships  among the training process, output, intervening mechanism, and outcome, path analysis were conducted to statistically test the models. It  was found that there  were  relationships among factors identified in the conceptual framework.   The result  suggested that  , both academic- and recreation-based activity could draw  participants' attention to focus on grasping and extracting the knowledge  as well as applying useful application from the  sessions. With this training process, the majority of participants reported positive feedback and  satisfaction toward the program., Further investigation showed that  some participants later applied knowledge gained from the session in guiding their own and familial life. The adoption of concept marked the beginning of behavioral change in terms of  health prevention and promotion. However, the limitations of the study were four major factors ; namely, the number of participants; the limitation of attending the activity-based learning; travel, food and accommodation; and communication.  For recommendations, , the participants suggested that  the same training process and curriculum should have been maintained with an introduction of participants from  more diverse backgrounds and also a revision of training logistics such as; travel, food, and accommodation that could potentially conduct render the course more attractive as well as effective. course. Key word : Metropolitan Health Volunteer(MHV) mean health volunteer and the public network in metropolitan area.


Three-dimensional (3D) object reconstruction is to represent objects in the virtual space. It allows viewers to observe the objects at arbitrary viewpoints and feel a realistic sense. Currently, RGBD camera from Microsoft was released at a reasonable price and it has been exploited for the purpose in various fields such as education, culture, and art. In this paper, we propose a 3D object reconstruction method using multiple Kinect cameras. First, we acquire raw color and depth images from triple Kinect cameras; the cameras are placed in front of the object as a convergent form. Since raw depth images include hole regions where don't have any depth value, we employ a depth-weighted joint bilateral filter using depth differences between center and neighbor pixels in the filter kernel to fill such hole regions. In addition to that, a color mismatch problem occurs in color images from multi-view data. We exploit a color correction method by means of 3D multi-view geometry to adjust color tones in each image. After matching the correspondences between source and target images by using 3D image warping, we obtain the color correction matrix for the target image via a polynomial regression. In order to evaluate the proposed depth refinement method, we estimate the bad pixel rate (BPR) of depth images. Our results show that the BPR of the refined depth image is lower than that of the raw depth image. Through the test results, we found that the reconstructed 3D object by the proposed method is more natural than the 3D object using raw images in terms of color and shape. Introduction The real world consists of a three-Dimensional (3D) space which has X, Y and Z axes. We can reproduce the real world into the virtual environment by 3D reconstruction technique. Recently, the 3D reconstruction has the important role in various fields, e.g., games, films, advertisement, construction, and art. For example, 3D facial reconstruction is used for medical counseling and 3D human body reconstruction is applied to real-time cloth fitting services [1]. Another important example is a cultural asset reconstruction. When a fire had broken out at Sungnyemun Gate in 2008 which is South Korea's top cultural landmark, a pre-scanned 3D information of Sungnyemun Gate assisted the rebuilding of the cultural asset. After the accident, the Cultural Properties Administration of South Korea acknowledged the importance of 3D virtual reconstruction and proceeded 3D scanning of most cultural assets of South Korea. In addition to that, 3D reconstruction was used for investigation of fire accidents. Unlike the existing ways to record pictures or clips, it record 3D information of the scene which aids the investigation. In this paper, we propose 3D object reconstruction by lowcost Kinect cameras so that users can fast-access accurate 3D reconstruction at a reasonable price. The contributions of this paper include the implementation of a 3D object reconstruction method using multiple Kinect cameras and the acquisition of the color corrected multi-view color images and the corresponding multiview depth images. To achieve this goal, we propose a multiple Kinect camera system. It captures multi-view color and depth videos at 30 frame per second. The resolution of the color and depth image is 640×480. Second, we propose a depth image refinement method for captured multi-view depth images. The proposed algorithms is based on joint bilateral filter [2]. We analyze the existing joint bilateral filter and add a depth weighting factor which is affected by the difference of the depth value between center and neighboring pixel in the filter kernel. Third, we propose a color correction method using 3D multiview geometry. In order to perform color correction on the target image, we find the correspondences between source and target images via 3D image warping. Next, we eliminate outliers from occlusion areas among correspondences using the difference between two points. Then we apply polynomial regression to the correspondence set. Finally, we obtain the color correction matrix on the target image. The overall contribution of this paper is to generate highquality 3D objects in the virtual space. Specifically, depth map refinement from Kinect and color tone matching among multi-view images are performed. Microsoft Kinect Kinect is one of motion sensing input devices developed by Microsoft for Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles and Windows PCs. It allows users to control and interact with their game console or computer just using their own body through a natural user interface using hand & body gestures and spoken orders. The appearance of Kinect is shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1. Appearance of Kinect Kinect as a first-generation was introduced in November 2010 in an attempt to enlarge Xbox 360's user base. Kinect for windows was released on February 1, 2012. Microsoft released Kinect ©2016 Society for Imaging Science and Technology DOI: 10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2016.21.3DIPM-408 IS&T International Symposium on Electronic Imaging 2016 3D Image Processing, Measurement (3DIPM), and Applications 2016 3DIPM-408.1 software development kit for Windows 7 On June 16, 2011 and it meant to allow developers to develop Kinect applications to broaden their own platform. Kinect sensor has a horizontal bar connecting with a small base including a motorized pivot. The device consist of an RGB camera, depth sensor, and multi-array microphone running proprietary software. Figure 2 shows the structure of Kinect camera [3]. Figure 2. Structure of Kinect camera Thanks to those devices, Kinect can provide full-body 3D motion capture, facial recognition and voice recognition capabilities. Table 1 shows the device specification of Kinect. Table 1. Device specification of Kinect Viewing angle Vertical: 43°, Horizontal: 57° Vertical tilt range ±27° Color image size 640×480 Depth image size 640×480 Frame rate (color and depth stream) 30 frames per second Audio format 16-kHz, 24-bit mono pulse code modulation (PCM) Interface USB 2.0 Power AC adapter The sensor has a field of view of 43° vertically and 57° horizontally and the motorized pivot can tilt the sensor up to 27° either up or down. Kinect has various sensors output video at a frame rate of from 9 Hz to 30 Hz depending on resolution. Even though RGB video stream usually uses VGA resolution (640×480), the hardware can capture the video stream up to 1280×1024, and use a colour format as RGB and YUV. The resolution of the depth video stream is in VGA resolution with 11 bit depth (2048 depth levels). Kinect includes Infrared camera in it and can stream the IR view as VGA resolution or 1280x1024 at a lower frame rate. It has a practical ranging limit from 1.2 3.5 m when using it as connecting to Xbox console. The microphone array has four microphone capsules and works with each channel processing 24 bit mono pulse code modulation (PCM) at a sampling rate of 16 kHz. Because Kinect's tilting system requires more power than the Xbox 360's USB ports can supply, the device uses USB communication with additional power: power is supplied from the main AC adapter. Proposed 3D object reconstruction method In this paper, we propose the 3D object reconstruction method using multiple Kinect cameras. Figure 3 shows the system structure of the proposed method. We placed three Kinect cameras in front of the object as a convergence form and set the position of the 3D object within the field of view of all Kinect cameras. Figure 4 shows the flowchart of the proposed method Figure 3. System structure of the proposed method Figure 4. Flowchart of the proposed 3D object reconstruction method First of all, we perform a camera calibration on Kinect cameras as a preprocessing step. The camera calibration is performed by using a planar chessboard pattern. We capture the images displaying the planar chessboard pattern as various poses and perform the camera calibration step on it by [4]. Then we can obtain intrinsic and extrinsic parameters for each camera. Next, we refine color and depth images from Kinect cameras as a main process. First, we need to refine the depth image because the raw depth image has a lot of hole regions [5]. In this paper, we refine the depth image by using depth weighted joint bilateral filter. Second, we need to adjust the color image since the raw color image from the multi-view system has a color mismatch problem. When we construct the 3D model in the virtual space, the color Camera parameter Camera Calibration


Two different systems have been proposed to the FCC advisory committee for testing ATTC in 1990: NTSC-Compatible MUSE-6, and Narrow MUSE. The Narrow MUSE system is designed for simulcasting. The 7.5-Hz offset frequency multiplexing method for expanding the horizontal bandwidth of luminance signals used in the NTSC-Compatible MUSE-6 is described. The modulation schemes for solving interference issues associated with the introduction of the narrow MUSE system in the existing terrestrial environment are discussed.<<ETX>>


The eye鄄safe kilohertz repetition rate solid鄄state laser was developed by using the OPO of unstable resonator. Using pulse LD side鄄pumping Nd:YAG laser crystal and electro鄄optical Q-switched techniques, the laser achieved high beam quality of 1.064 滋m fundamental frequency light. The II type noncritical phase鄄matching KTP crystal was adopted in optical parametric oscillation. In order to get high beam quality, the OPO cavity made use of plane鄄convex unstable resonator structure. The laser system could operate stably at the wavelength of kilohertz repetition rate 1.57 滋m. When the pumping current of LD was 125 A and the electro鄄optical Q-switched repetition rate was 1 kHz, the maximum average output power of 1.57 滋m laser was 4.67 W and the pulse width of the output laser was 4.3 ns, the power instability of 1.57 滋m was 3%. The laser pumping threshold was about 45 A.


The process of evaluating the performance efficiency of wireless sensor networks is discussed in the article. The main groups of functions of performance efficiency indicators such as monitoring (coverage), telecommunications and energy saving and performance stages are identified. Analytical models for evaluating the performance parameters of wireless sensor networks for each functional subsystem of the network management system and the network as a whole are proposed. Energy efficiency indicators were analyzed and the lifetime of the network and nodes was determined. The calculation of the average power consumption for the node is given. Indicators of network life based on the size and type of coverage area of the network, indicators based on the time of performance of tasks at different stages of the network, indicators of the telecommunications subsystem and integrated indicators are given.


To obtain reactor physics parameters for high-moderation mixed-oxide (MOX) cores, Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NPEC), the French Atomic Commission (CEA), and their industrial partners have conducted a MOX core physics experimental program called MISTRAL with the EOLE critical facility of the Cadarache research center. This program consists of four high-moderation cores and was successfully completed in July 2000. This paper describes the analysis results of MISTRAL-3 that is a homogeneous full MOX cylindrical core (H/HM = 6.2) with an 80-cm height and a 59-cm diameter consisting of 1388 standard pressurized water reactor-type MOX fuel rods of 7.0 wt% plutonium-enrichment in a square pitch of 1.39 cm. NPEC has been analyzing the experimental results by using the SRAC and MVP code systems. SRAC and MVP calculate the nuclear core characteristics correctly for the high-moderation MOX core MISTRAL-3. No apparent trend with the moderation ratio is observed in these calculation results.


This paper presents a method of multisensor data fusion based on neuron network and reasoning (Dempster-Shafer evidence reasoning).The method can use deal with the inaccuracy and fuzzy information by D-S Evidence. And also it can give a full play to self-study of neural net, self-adapting and fault tolerant ability. In this way it has doughty robustness to uncertain information and improves the system identification rate. Then the D-S evidence is used to fuse the results derived from the neural network at different time. The result of computer simulation shows the method is effective and correct.


Gentlemen :—It would not be consistent, either with a proper respect for you or a fair consideration of the subject involved, to give you this paper without an apology, felt more by me than it can possibly be by you, for now, in the presence of my peers, I am weak indeed. Words fail to express the gratitude for the honor conferred by your attendance here—yet, in the presence of one of the most eminent surgeons in the world, judge of my embarrassment in attempting anything; but, as I have always been used to obey, I will try to do the very best I can, and hope that I shall be able to do that which will make you feel repaid for the trouble you have taken to be with us to-day. If I succeed I will thank you, and the account will be fully settled. How little do we know


The paper reviews a series of examinations of three key principles of differential association: the contingency principle, the socioemotional principle, and the principle that criminal acts occur as a function of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of the law. The studies sampled a variety of correctional clients in a variety of correctional settings and in each there were explicit attempts to exert direct experimental control over the factors of theoretical interest as well as competing factors. In total, the findings support both the causal and the practical significance of differential association while documenting (a) structural effects on the contingencies within the service system, and (b) the effects of those contingencies on the criminal attitudes and behavior of individuals. The discussion critically contrasts such systematic testing of assumptions with related programs which have been operating for years with limited theoretical and practical returns. The paper suggests, in total, that systematic program evaluation provides the tools-and the opportunity-for a bridging of the gaps between general sociology and general psychology and between social science theory and social service.


There is a wide range of works that have proposed mathematical models to describe the spread of infectious diseases within human populations. Based on such models, researchers can evaluate the effect of applying different strategies for the treatment of diseases. In this article, we generalize previous models by studying an SIR epidemic model with a nonlinear incidence rate, saturated Holling type II treatment rate, and logistic growth. We compute the basic reproduction number and determine conditions for the local stability of equilibria and the existence of backward bifurcation and Hopf bifurcation. We also show that, when the disease transmission rate and treatment parameter are varied, our model undergoes a Bogdanov-Takens bifurcation of codimension 2 or 3. Simulations of the solutions and numerical continuation of equilibria are carried out to generate 2D and 3D bifurcation diagrams, as well as several related phase portraits that illustrate our results. Our work shows that incorporating these factors into epidemic models can lead to very complex dynamics.


Immature retina born prematurely are particularly susceptible to damage, which interrupt the neuro-vascular development, leading to retinopathy of prematurity. Suppression of growth factors due to hyperoxia and the loss of maternal-fetal interactions lead to delay retinal vascularization (phase 1). Subsequently, even more metabolically active, but still poorly vascularized retina becomes hypoxic, stimulating caused vazoprliferatsiyu (phase 2), a growth factor that can poprivesti retinal detachment. In very premature infants, an adjustable supply of oxygen, reduces but does not eliminate the retinopathy of prematurity. Identification and control of the factors contributing to the development of retinopathy of prematurity are fundamental in order to prevent progression to severe, sight-threatening disease and limiting comorbidities, which divides the modified disease risk factors. Strategies for preventing retinopathy of prematurity will depend on the optimization of the oxygen saturation power, and normalization of the concentration of the basic factors, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as limiting the effects of infection and inflammation to induce normal growth and restrict the suppression neurovascular development.


The present invention is a configuration of electrodes in a transversely excited gas laser which includes an elongated cylindrical chamber with a laser gas confined therein, a pair of reflectors which reflect light energy from a discharge of the laser gas within the chamber so that the light energy travels longitudinally the length thereof, an rf generator which applies a voltage of alternating polarity between the electrodes at a frequency ranging from 10 Mhz to about 3 GHz to establish the laser gas discharge, a coupling circuit which matches the steady state reactive impedance of the chamber to the impedance of the rf generator and couples the rf generator to the electrodes. The configuration of the electrodes, each of which is formed from an electrically conductive material and is in the shape of a continuous helix, includes a first electrode and a second electrode each of which is disposed opposite to the other on the outer surface of the chamber in a first plane. The configuration of electrodes also includes a third electrode and a fourth electrode each of which is disposed opposite to the other on the outer surface of the chamber in a second plane which is orthogonal to the first plane. The phase correlation of the configuration of electrodes is such that the first electrode is in phase with the second electrode, the third electrode is in phase with the fourth electrode and the first electrode is 180 DEG out of phase with the third electrode.


The multilayer energy balance model of Peng et al. (1982) has been further developed to include a simple two-dimensional advective-diffusive deep ocean and to allow seasonal variation in order to study long-term transient climate response to a CO2 increase as well as its seasonal pattern. Comparisons between the model-simulated present climate and conventional and satellite data show that the model can simulate well the annual cycle of the surface temperature and the radiation budget of the atmosphere. In response to a hypothetical step function doubling of atmospheric CO2, the model reaches within 1/e of the equilibrium response of global mean surface temperature (2.6°C) in 9–35 years for the probable range of vertical heat diffusivity in the ocean. This large range of response time underlies the importance of properly using the heat diffusion coefficient in ocean models. In response to a projected CO2 trend based on estimates by the Carbon Dioxide Assessment Committee (National Research Council 1983), the model's transient response in annually and globally averaged surface temperature is 60–75% of the corresponding equilibrium response. The disequilibrium increases with increasing oceanic heat diffusivity. When the atmospheric CO2 level reaches twice the current level, in about a century, the global mean surface temperature increases by 1.5°–2.0°C, depending on the heat diffusivity of the ocean. Local warming at certain times of the year, however, may be 2–3 times greater than the annual and global average. In the northern high latitudes the response undergoes significant seasonal and latitudinal variations. A maximum occurs in the early winter, and a secondary maximum occurs in the spring. In the southern hemisphere, large responses are confined to a narrow latitude zone bordering Antarctica and occur only in the cold months. The pattern of the seasonal and latitudinal distribution of the transient response remarkably resembles that of the equilibrium response to a doubling of CO2. This agrees with Bryan et al. (1982) and Spelman and Manabe (1984), implying that sensitivity studies of equilibrium climate can be used as a guide for predicting the latitudinal pattern of a warming trend. The abovementioned transient response is obtained by integrating the model from the equilibrium state corresponding to the year 1975. A comparison between this and another numerical integration of the model starting from the equilibrium state corresponding to the CO2 level in 1925 shows that the atmospheric CO2 increase before 1975 has only a very small effect on the model response after the year 2000.


Introduction: Glucose Hydrogen Breath Testing (GBT) is commonly used for diagnosing Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). However, patients present with clinical symptoms (sx) and their predictive value for a positive (pos) GBT remains unclear. AIM: To assess the prevalence of self-reported GI sx profiles in adults with unexplained upper GI symptoms and correlate this with GBT. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all adult patients presenting to a single medical center from 6/20 –12/21 for GBT. A pos GBT for SIBO was defined by the North American Consensus ($20 ppm H2 increase over basal within 90 minutes (mins) and/or $10 ppm CH4 at any time). Pts completed a GI questionnaire assessing 17 key sxs: regurgitation (RG), chest pain (CP), heartburn (HB), belch (BH), abdominal pain (AP), bloating (BT), gas (GS), nausea (NA), vomit (VT), abdominal cramps (AC), indigestion (ID), distension (DN), fullness (FL), early satiety (ES), diarrhea (DR), constipation (CN), and fatigue (FT). Sxs measured by frequency (None, , 1/week (wk), 1/wk, $ 1/wk), intensity (None, Mild, Moderate, Severe), and duration (None, , 10 mins, 10 – 30 mins, $ 30 mins). Sub-groups, GERD, Dyspeptic, and IBS were constructed assessing the mean summation scores for Frequency, Intensity, and Duration between negative (neg) and pos GBTs. Univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis was performed. A P-value of , 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We evaluated 184 pts, mean age of 51.7 (18 – 85), 78.3% female, 82.8% Caucasian, and mean BMI of 27.2. No significant differences were seen between GI sx frequency and intensity categories for pts with GBT neg and pos groups. A trend for a higher percentage of pos GBT pts reporting FL (P50.09) and DR (P50.07) in sx duration categories of 10 -30 mins (FL: 30.8% vs 27.5%; DR: 31.8% vs 23.4%) and$ 30 mins (FL: 51.3% vs 41.3%; DR: 37.2% vs 22.1%) was noted. Regression analysis showed a trend toward a pos GBT for VT frequency of Less than 1/wk: (P 5 0.07; OR 5 2.99; 95% CI: 0.91, 9.83) and NA intensity of Severe: (P 5 0.09; OR 5 2.24; 95% CI: 0.86, 5.84). No differences were seen between the GERD, Dyspeptic, and IBS sub-groups (Figure). Conclusion: The pre-test predictability of GI symptoms as it relates to a pos or neg GBT is poor. The yield for a pos GBT varies between 31%-55% and depends on age. In routine practice, when the index of clinical suspicion is high for SIBO, clinicians should consider objective testing with GBT rather than empiric antibiotic treatment.


Fourteen percent of the Swedish population report subjective hearing loss. The number of persons suffering from hearing loss is expected to increase in accordance with the increased length of the a ...


Having collected data related to youth drug abuse in an area from 2004 to 2013,the paper analyzes and predicts the data by exponential smoothing,aiming at providing scientific suggestion for drug control efforts.


This study aims to determine whether -308 G/A polymorphism in tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene (TNF-α), is associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi population of TNF-a. This case-controlled study was performed including 42 RA patients (15 males, 27 females; mean age 55,67years; range 30 to 72 years) and 30 healthy controls (10 males, 20 females; mean age 52,8 years; range 30 to 70 years). We determined the frequency of -308 G/A TNF-a gene polymorphism by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (ARMS-PCR). Also, we determined the association of TNF-α -308 G/A polymorphism with rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi patients. There wassignificant difference between genotype frequency of -308 G/A polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis. In RA patients, the genotype frequency of -308 G/Apolymorphism was GG (11.90%), GA (45.24%), and AA (42.86%). In the control group, the genotype frequency of -308 G/A polymorphism was GG (3.33%),GA (83.33%), and AA (13.33%). Statistical analysis showed significant association in the genotype frequency of this AA polymorphism in RA patients (p<0.009*), and GG genotype bot no significant (p=0.390). There was significant difference in genotype frequency of this GA polymorphism in control (p<0.001*). Our findings demonstrate that the TNF-α-308 G/A gene polymorphism may represent a significant risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi population and there is association between the TNF-α-308 G/A polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis patients.


In article it is surveyed questions of improvement vegetable oils consumer properties and qualities in view of human body needs specificity. In it problems of parity in an organism various micronutrients acting with nutrition, and ways of their decision to what the author suggests to apply blending method of 3 various kinds of oils (sunflower, rapeoil and olive) reveal. The purpose of experiment is reception of a product with optimum parameters of micronutrients maintenance which most full meet needs of an organ-ism.


The genes coding subunits A (vma1) and B (vma2) of the vacuolar H+‐ATPase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe were cloned by hybridization to cDNAs of the homologous genes in Neurospora crasa. Both genes are interrupted by introns, two in vma1 and four in vma2. Positions of introns do not appear to be conserved when compared to those of N. crassa. The subunit A gene encodes a single product of 619 amino acids and is not interrupted by the coding sequence for a second product as found for Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Kane, P.K., Yamashiro, C.T., Wolczyk, D.F., Neff, N., Goebl, M., and Stevens, T.H. (1990). Science 250, 651–657).


Mesh migration to the bladder after inguinal hernioplasty is a rare but important complication. We report a rare case of mesh migration to the bladder three weeks after inguinal hernioplasty. We also present a literature review involving cases of mesh migration following hernioplasty.


Promoting democracy in the Middle East has been cited by the U.S. as a key foreign policy objective post-Cold War. As a result the U.S. has intervened in numerous countries and conflicts, particularly since 9/11 and the subsequent declaration of the War on Terror. However, this has not been without controversy and its actions often aid imperialism rather than the country it claims its intervention is benefitting. This paper challenges the claim that the U.S. is indeed promoting democracy, arguing that it is instead pursuing national objectives to increase hegemony. By analyzing U.S. involvement in the Middle East from the Soviet-Afghan War, through the Invasion of Iraq and Arab Spring, up to present day, this paper contends that the U.S. has continuously created instability in the region, in terms of both state and human security. By constructing various actors as threats to themselves, the West or the world, the U.S. has been able to justify its aggressive pursuit of foreign policy objectives in the Middle East. Utilizing the theories of realism, liberalism, and constructivism, this research discusses how the U.S. has attempted to achieve hegemony in the region, and indeed globally, before contrasting this with humanitarian efforts it has been a part of. The paper also analyses the impact external actors have had on U.S. action, discussing the crucial but often constrained role of the United Nations, as well as the contentious proliferation of private military and security companies in the post-Cold War era.


This thesis demonstrates that I have made a sustained, original, coherent, and significant contribution to scholarly research on post-Reformation English Catholicism by presenting and discussing a series of publications that cover the period from the Elizabethan Reformation to the eve of the Second Vatican Council.
The Introduction argues that although English Catholics became a separate recusant community that increased, it was never more than a small minority. The Introduction also outlines my contributions to the field. It goes on to discuss the historiography of the subject: Bossy's contribution, the emphasis on Church Popery by Walsham and Questier, and the Ultramontane and Liberal approaches to the later modern period.
The Critical Essay demonstrates my contribution to the study of the emergence and development of recusancy in much of the North of England. My work was used by other historians of Catholicism. I pioneered and developed the study of popular Catholicism, and made an important contribution to the understanding of the development of its spirituality, using familiar sources to answer new questions. I also argued that the failure of the policies of King James II demonstrated the weakness of English Catholicism after a century of persecution.
The Critical Essay then goes on to discuss emancipated Catholicism's continued growth in the later modern period, subject to the Industrial Revolution and its social effects. It shows that I led the way in the study of the priest and historian, John Lingard, and made a significant contribution to the study of the Catholic congregationalism. Finally, I broke new ground in both Catholic and Ruskin studies by showing how the Catholic community adopted the artistic and social teaching of Ruskin.
The Conclusion discusses my work's limitations in the light of recent research, and goes on to suggest ways in which it might be further developed.


The present invention relates to slow controlled release in utero medicine-feeder, it is characterized in that, it comprises support, medicated layer and controlled release layer.The present invention also relates to the preparation method of described slow controlled release in utero medicine-feeder.Slow controlled release of the present invention in utero medicine-feeder accurately can control the release dosage of trace.


The specific heat and magnetic susceptibility of a spin-1/2 Ising-like anisotropic Heisenberg model (IAHM) on a kagome lattice are investigated by an exact diagonalization method for small clusters up to 18 spins with periodic boundary conditions. The enhancement of magnetic susceptibility from the Curie–Weiss law and the peak structure of specific heat at intermediate temperatures are attributed to a longitudinal (classical) spin fluctuation, and the steep decrease and the second peak at lower temperatures in those respective quantities to a transverse (quantum) spin fluctuation. It is verified that such anomalies may be produced by interruption by a semiclassical liquidlike state consisting of doubletlike triangular trimmers between a higher-temperature classical spin gaslike state and a lower-temperature quantum spin singlet state. The IAHM may give a general viewpoint for interpreting the experimentally observed thermodynamic properties of spin systems with various triangle-based lattices.


This paper presented a novel vertical parasitic cavity resonator antenna in low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Resonator cavities filled with ceramic are formed as radiating element. First, a longitudinal slot is etched on the top surface of laminated waveguide (LWG) to feed a dielectric resonator cavity. Then four parasitic cavities are constructed on the aperture of the bottom resonator cavity to enhance the antenna performance. Simulated results show a 10.89% impedance bandwidth from 75.7 GHz to 84.3 GHz and a peak gain of 7.9 dBi, demonstrating that the proposed antenna is a good candidate for 79-GHz radar applications.


The Ronchi test is performed by placing a periodic grating at or near the focus of an optical system. Like most geometric tests, the Ronchi test measures wavefront slope instead of the contour of the wavefront like conventional interferometry. A two-channel Ronchi test with a horizontal and a vertical grating can be used to reconstruct a non-symmetric test surface. This paper investigates the errors introduced by different rotational and translation misalignments of the gratings in the two-channel Ronchi test relative to one another. The Ronchigrams are analyzed with a modal technique based on Zernike polynomials. The severity of each misalignment is dependent upon the frequency of the gratings used and on the f/# of the system.


Interest in nanomaterials has increased in recent years. This is due to the potential improvement that size reduction to nanometric scale could provide in properties like hardness, toughness, wear, and corrosion resistance. The current study is focused on WC-Co cermets, materials that are extensively used in applications requiring wear resistance. Two coatings were sprayed by high-velocity oxyfuel using both conventional and nanostructured cermets. Both materials were characterized by means of x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to study their phases and morphology. Cross-sectional images and microhardness values are given for both coatings. Friction wear resistance of the coatings was studied by ball-on-disk (ASTM G99-90), and abrasive wear resistance was quantified by rubber-wheel (ASTM G65-91). Finally, the corrosion resistance was studied by electrochemical techniques. Comparative results showed that the nanostructured coating has better properties than the conventional coating except in the dry abrasion wear test, where the wear rates are very similar.


Because of the lack of services necessary for the prediction of estuarine and other coastal or near shore processes, statistics are not available for the determination of the value, or cost/benefit comparisons, of such services. Therefore, a rationale and procedure was developed whereby expert opinion can be used in lieu of statistical treatment. Based on a definition of the services to be provided, the environmental processes which would be quantitatively predicted, and the dependency of major estuarine-dependent income sources on such environmental prediction, a matrix of income dependency coefficients is derived for the case of physical processes in Gulf Coast estuaries. The specific procedure can be implemented by various independent experts and a Delphi procedure used to develop a matrix of coefficients which constitute an expert consensus. The matrix, which is immediately adaptable to computer techniques, can then be used to determine comparative economic values of alternative uses of estuarine areas. The basic rationale and procedure appear to be adaptable to a broader range of coastal zone management problems.


This paper mainly applied four-dimensional observation nudging assimilation in WRF model to a rainstorm case in the Meiyu season of 2008 and studied the impact of different assimilation strategies on the simulation results.The assimilation data include 12 h rawinsonde observations and 3 h surface observations.The results show that the assimilation of rawinsonde observations can correct the displacement and development of meso-α system,therefore,effectively improve the location of the heavy rain band.Oppositely,the assimilation of moisture observations underestimates the intensity of the heavy rain band,because reducing water vapor mixing ratio in the near moist saturation regions results in decreasing latent heat and weakening the intensity of convection and precipitation in these regions.The assimilation of the surface observations can improve planetary boundary layer in the model.Usually this kind of effect is evident in the model surface layer and tends to decreases with increasing height upward.The simulation quality of the PBL is very important to model precipitation,so that the inclusion of surface observations makes model precipitation more real.Regional grid-nested simulation tests indicate that the data assimilation on coarse grid can effectively restrain the error growth of meso-α system and the one on fine grid can further reduce the error growth of meso-β system.


This article evaluates the efficacy of smart growth instruments in bringing forth compact urban development and neotraditional neighborhood design. The article first sets forth a set of quantitative measures that operationalize five dimensions of compact urban development and neotraditional neighborhood design: street network connectivity, density, land use mix, accessibility, and pedestrian walkability. Using these measures, three study areas are evaluated to determine how well their urban development patterns meet smart growth principles. These study areas are Portland, Oregon; Orange County, Florida; and Montgomery County, Maryland. Findings indicate that all three areas have quite similar development patterns. Findings also suggest that smart growth instruments have altered subdivision design, which is a traditional aspect of physical urban planning. However, smart growth plans have not branched out into non-traditional aspects of planning to encourage mixed land uses and to improve regional accessibility.


ABSTRACT Soldiers with operational experience in Afghanistan or Iraq have offered numerous critiques of the US Army Civil Affairs doctrine on assessment of the human domain, making recommendations for its improvement. The current process uses two frameworks, commonly known by the acronyms ASCOPE and PMESII-PT, to evaluate the operational environment. Neither the current process nor the proposed improvements address social power relations. It is unlikely that civil-military operations intended to establish peace and maintain stability will be successful if they are planned and executed without an in-depth understanding of social power. We advocate incorporating social power analysis into Civil Affairs assessment.


laws and customs [Castilla será la suma de sus regiones, no la anulación de las mismas, despreciando sus fueros ni costumbres]" It is a promise that speaks to the concerns of the series' 2012 Catalan viewers. Still, the eponymous Isabel is first and foremost about the queen of Castile and her Castilian subjects. When advised to wait for Fernandos return to Castile before proclaiming herself queen, she states categorically, "He may rule in Aragón, but in Castile, it is I who rule [Él mandará en Aragón, pero quien manda en Castilla soy yo]" However, in light of the Catalonian indepen' dence movement that heated up just as the filming of the series commenced, the weight given to each of that sentences two independent clauses could well depend on ones views of the autonomy's political status and the future unity of the Spanish nation» Surely the series' Catalan producers and direc tor, as well as TVE, were aware of that ambiguity; Whether they intended it as a conciliatory move is more difficult to determine*


This paper describes a newly proposed approach towards investigating how social humanoid robots can learn creative conceptualizations through interaction with children in metaphor-guided pretense play using a componential creativity framework. We describe this metaphor-guided pretense play approach and then illustrate it by describing a social robot interaction pretense play scenario between a child and a humanoid robot.


The hydrophilic HEMA ((2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) is widely used in dental adhesive systems and, in its polymeric forms, in numerous biomedical applications. Cross-linked poly(HEMA) was the first synthetic hydrogel intended for use as a biomaterial (1). Some of the traditional uses of HEMA polymers and copolymers include soft contact lenses, vascular grafts, soft tissue substitutes, and hydrogels for controlled-release delivery systems. The hydrophilic nature of HEMA suggested its use in the formulation of potentially bioactive dental composites based on amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP). The rationale was that the incorporation of HEMA would result in polymer matrices conductive to a steady, sustained release of calcium and phosphate ions that would provide an antidemineralization/remineralization milieu for mineralized tissues (enamel, dentin, bone (2-3)).

We became interested in substituting ethyl-α-hydroxymethylacrylate (EHMA), an isomer of HEMA (Fig.1) that is significantly less hydrophilic, for HEMA in several dental resins and in a typical ACP composite. This study was designed to assess the effects of substituting EHMA for HEMA as a co-monomer for 2,2-bis[p-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane (Bis-GMA) and Bis-GMA/ tri(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) blend and ACP composites based on the latter resin.

Fig. 1

Chemical structure of the EHMA and HEMA monomers.

Experimental
ACP synthesis and characterization
ACP precipitated instantaneously in a closed system at 23 °C upon rapidly mixing equal volumes of a 800 mmol/L Ca(NO3)2 solution and a 536 mmol/L Na2HPO4 solution that contained a molar fraction of 2 % Na4P2O7 as a stabilizing component for ACP (to prevent premature conversion to HAP) . The suspension was filtered, the solid phase washed subsequently with ice-cold ammoniated water and acetone, and then lyophilized. To avoid exposure to humidity, ACP was kept under vacuum (2.7 kPa) until used in composite formulations.

The amorphous state of the solid was verified by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) (Rigaku DMAX 2000 X-ray diffractometer, Rigaku/USA Inc., Danvers, MA, USA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR; Nicolet Magna-IR FTIR System 550 spectrophotometer, Nicolet Instrument Corporation, Madison, WI, USA).


In this paper, we use the Weil-Petersson gradient flow for renormalized volume to study the space $CC(N;S,X)$ of convex cocompact hyperbolic structures on the relatively acylindrical 3-manifold $(N;S)$. Among the cases of interest are the deformation space of an acylindrical manifold and the Bers slice of quasi-Fuchsian space associated to a fixed surface. To treat the possibility of degeneration along flow-lines to peripherally cusped structures, we introduce a surgery procedure to yield a surgered gradient flow that limits to the unique structure $M_{\rm geod} \in CC(N;S,X)$ with totally geodesic convex core boundary facing $S$. Analyzing the geometry of structures along a flow line, we show that if $V_R(M)$ is the renormalized volume of $M$, then $V_R(M)-V_R(M_{\rm geod})$ is bounded below by a linear function of the Weil-Petersson distance $d_{\rm WP}(\partial_c M, \partial_c M_{\rm geod})$, with constants depending only on the topology of $S$. The surgered flow gives a unified approach to a number of problems in the study of hyperbolic 3-manifolds, providing new proofs and generalizations of well-known theorems such as Storm's result that $M_{\rm geod}$ has minimal volume for $N$ acylindrical and the second author's result comparing convex core volume and Weil-Petersson distance for quasifuchsian manifolds.


Recently, the internet becomes a worldwide source for transmission of information from one end to the other, whether it is video, audio, image, text, etc. Transferring images over the network is very risky, as any unauthorized person can do modifications to these images and may lead to big trouble. For secure transmission of these images over the internet with high security and confidentiality, it is necessary to convert the image into an unreadable format. To do this, there are various encryption techniques used for securing images. Amongst all the image encryption technique which is extensively used by researchers for secure and safe transmission of the image on the reliable network, RC4 and Arnold's chaotic map are the techniques used for encryption of image. Our proposed paper aim is to represent a new encryption technique that combines RC4 algorithm and Arnold Chaotic map which is a chaotic map to propose a new algorithm and encrypt an image. The aim of using Rivest Cipher 4 algorithm is to enhance the confidentiality to encryption by generating key and Arnold Chaotic Map is used for confusion to change the image's pixels. The efficiency of our proposed algorithm is evaluated using a Histogram analysis, Coefficient Analysis, and key Space Analysis. The achieved result of histogram analysis shows the same distribution trend of pixels before and after the encryption of an image. Further the proposed scheme is evaluated against various parameters (like NPCR, and entropy values) to check its resistance over differential attacks and the result shows values near to the ideal values.


Abstract Tomato (Lvcopersicon esculentum Mill.) was grown in soil culture in a greenhouse. Potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, and urea as N sources were compared using biocides (nitrapymn, captan, treflan, and DDT) and an untreated control. The largest shoot growth and fruit yields were obtained with plants fertilized with potassium nitrate. Potassium deficiency, manifested by leaf and stem necrosis and low levels of K in these tissues, appeared to be a limiting factor for the plants receiving urea or calcium nitrate. The depression of leaf and stem K by NH4 + or Ca++ was associated with the antagonism of these ions on K+ absorption. The biocides limited plant growth especially with urea and potassium nitrate. Depression of K, Ca, or Mg concentrations in the plants were effects associated with the biocides and their interactions with N sources.


Combustion control in utility boiler is one of the most important control loops in a power plant. The control of air and fuel to the furnace is an important aspect in the combustion process. Control objective is to maintain constant pressure at the inlet of the turbine irrespective of change in load. This is achieved only by regulating the fuel and air flow to the combustion chamber in the boiler. For every load there is a unique set point for fuel and air. Once the set point is reached, it is concluded that the desired turbine inlet pressure has reached.


This paper summarizes the goals and scope of a new large scale research project, funded by the EEC. The ultimate goal of this research project is to develop the first comprehensive model of dynamic activity-travel patterns in the world, expanding and integrating concepts and partial approaches that have been suggested over the last few years. Dynamics pertain to different time horizons. Long-term decisions such as demographic change, changing job or house may also prompt or force people to adapt their activity-travel patterns. Exogenously triggered change involves change in the urban and/or transportation environment and/or the larger socio-economic institutional contexts. It may be unplanned or planned (policies). The integrated multi-agent model will simulate the primary, secondary and higher order effects of such emerging urban futures on dynamic repertoires of activity-travel patterns. A multi-agent model will be build to capture these dynamics. In addition to the multi-agent model, the PhD/postdoc projects will result in improved understanding of the effects of various policies, based on a variety of statistical analyses, and in guidelines about the most effective (set of) policies in contributing to integrated urban sustainability, and in elaborated theory about spatial dynamic choice behaviour.


The paper presents a method to compute the effective dynamic stiffnesses (K¯) and dashpots (C) of arbitrarily shaped, rigid surface machine foundations placed on reasonably homogeneous and deep soil deposits. The method is based on a comprehensive compilation of a number of analytical results, augmented by additional numerical studies and interpreted by means of simple physical models. All results are offered in the form of easily understood dimensionless graphs and formulae, covering the six modes of vibration and a wide range of frequencies, for both saturated and unsaturated soils. Comparisons are made with the widely used equivalent circle approximation. The proposed method is applicable to a variety of area foundation shapes, ranging from circular to strip and including rectangles of any aspect ratio as well as odd shapes differing substantially from rectangle or circle. The results confirm that both frequency and foundation shape may significantly affect K¯ and C. Insight is gained into the mechanics of radiation damping and a general conclusion is drawn regarding its magnitude at high frequencies for different foundation shapes and vibrational modes. The practical application of the method is illustrated with a specific example, while a companion paper presents supporting experimental evidence from model tests.


The key to accurately locate pipeline leakage is to effectively reduce the noise in the leakage signal. However, the leakage signal has the characteristics of nonlinear and dynamic change, and the denoising effect of the traditional method is limited. In order to reduce the positioning error caused by noise, a novel denoising method based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) is proposed. First, the correlation coefficient is used to screen effective intrinsic mode function components. Then, an optimization method of VMD decomposition layers $k$ by using minimum information entropy is utilized. Thus, the optimal number of layers and noise reduction signal can be obtained. Finally, the leakage point can be obtained by the principle of negative pressure wave (NPW). Simulation results show that the SNR can effectively improve by using the method in this paper. In laboratory experiments, this method can be used to effectively denoise the pressure signal while preserving the original signal characteristics as much as possible. Furthermore, From the perspective of positioning accuracy, compared other methods, the proposed method can achieve better positioning effect, and the average relative positioning error is 2.03%.


Camera motion classification is an important issue in content-based video analysis.In this paper,a robust and hierarchical camera motion classification approach based on statistical learning is proposed.As Support Vector Machines(SVM) has a very good learning capacity with limited sample set without incorporating problem domain knowledge,in the first step,SVM is employed to classify camera motion operations into two classes:translation and non-translation operations.Then,rotation and zoom operations are distinguished using motion vectors' location and direction.The direction of translation operation is also identified.In the pre-processing step,cinematic rule is utilized to filter atypical noise and foreground motion noise.


Objective To explore the incidence and carring gene rate of phenylketonuria(PKU)in newborns in Tai′an area.Methods Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency(BH_4D) was discriminated using Guthrie bacteria inhibitionassay method,BH_4 bear test,analysis of neopterin and biopterin in urine and dihydropteridine reductase(DHPR) active test in order to check phenylalanine(phe),phe level20 mg/L again.Children without treatment regulared exam for phe concentration level in blood and test for physical and mental capability development.Results Forty-eight children with PKU were diagnosed in 355 615 newborns who were collected from June 1999 to April 2005.The incidence rate of PKU was 1/7408,carriers with PKU gene was 1/48.There was no significant difference in physical and mental condition compared with that of normal children.Conclusions The treatment results for children with PKU is significant.It has good social and economic value.It is one of the important measures for reducing infant defect and improving population quality.


In this research paper we are focusing on development of computer-assisted scheme for Follicular Lymphoma (FL) for improvising grading scheme. Since Centro-blast enumeration needs to be performed in malignant follicles, the development of an automated system to accurately identifyfollicles on digital images of lymphoid tissue is an important step. In this paper we describe a novel approach to identify follicles from H&E stained tissue sections with formulating a local energy, and later globalize it with neighborhood method for segmenting entire tissue section and classified them accordingly with artificial intelligence.We have outperformed the previous iterative watershed segmentation and classification approaches.


The present work aimed to enhance the heat transfer rate of two-panel surface temperatures through passive air-cooling. A comparison of three modes alternatively cooled from the front side (PV/T-I), from the backside (PV/T-II), and from both sides (PV/T-III), to improve the heat transfer by laminar natural convection of a hybrid system PV/T air collector. A numerical simulation was developed to solve the continuity, momentum, and energy equations by using the finite volume method. The modified Rayleigh numbers affect the heat transfer rate, whose values ranged between $10\lt \mathrm{R}\mathrm{a}^{\star}\lt 1000$ was analysed. The obtained numerical results have been validated with previous experimental work, and the best agreement has been obtained. The current numerical results show that the mode (PV/T-III) of double-pass has a better heat transfer rate than other modes by about 111% compared to the first mode (PV/T-I). Correlations equations of the average Nusselt numbers were presented.


. We study the observational viability of coupled quintessence models with their expansion and growth histories matched to modified gravity cosmologies. We find that for a Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati model which has been fitted to observations, the matched interacting dark energy models are observationally disfavoured. We also study the distinguishability of interacting dark energy models matched to scalar-tensor theory cosmologies and show that it is not always possible to find a physical interacting dark energy model which shares their expansion and growth histories.


The product yields from the gamma radiolysis of liquid nitrous oxide at 183 deg K were G(N/sub 2/) = 13.1 plus or minus 0.2, G(O/sup 2/) 2.7 plus or minus 0.1, and G(NO/sub 2/) = 5.8 plus or minus 0.2. Addition of nitrogen dioxide (dinitrogen tetroxide) to the liquid decreased the oxygen yield to zero and the nitrogen yield to an extrapolated limit of 5 plus or minus 1 units. Nitrogen dioxide scavenges electrons and probably positive charge and oxygen atoms in liquid nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide has no effect on the product yields from nitrous oxide. Sulfur hexafluoride decreases the oxygen yield to zero and the nitrogen yield to 10 plus or minus 1 unite. Sulfur hexafiuoride scavenges electrons and possibly oxygen atoms in liquid nitrous oxide. (auth)


At the end of the 19th century, steam boilers were periodically tested in Modruš-Rijeka County, both in terms of their use in general and in terms of the implementation of safety regulations. They were tested by county agents, and their owners paid fees to regional tax offices for the tests and audits performed. Steam boilers in Modruš-Rijeka County at the end of the 19th century were used in steam sawmills, factories and other commercial properties, mainly in the districts of Ogulin, Vrbovsko, Delnice and Čabar.


Undoubtedly, photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a promising technique unveiling physiological information in the biomedical imaging field. However, targeting optically/acoustically non-uniform biological tissues and receiving signals with finite aperture/band-limited ultrasonic transducers have been practical limitations that hinder the clinical application of PAT. This study closely analyzes the effects of four main limiting factors named limited view (LV), limited bandwidth (LB), lossy medium (LM), and heterogeneous medium (HM) and compared the adverse effects given from the four factors. First, radiofrequency (RF) data was generated assuming a realistic situation using k-Wave, a MATLAB-based wave propagation-simulating tool. A single 4 mm-sized circular target was used, and physical parameters of the detector array were designed referring to a commercial linear probe (GE9LD, General Electric). Supposing double-aperture, full-band signal reception from the lossless, homogeneous medium as a baseline, RF data were acquired under a successive accumulation of the limiting factors in order of LV, LB, LM, and HM. Second, the obtained RF datasets were reconstructed with 7 representative beamforming algorithms; delay and sum (DAS), delay multiply and sum, pth root DAS, minimum variance, filtered back-projection, frequency-domain reconstruction, and time reversal. Among obtained images, common graphical features for each limiting factor were specified. Lastly, we quantitatively assessed the similarity between the image and the actual target with peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity as performance indices. As a result, the characteristic features from each limiting factor were commonly identified on the reconstructed image, and the performance indices sequentially degraded following the sequence of practical conditions.


The engine electric control system planning based on MC9S12DG256 microcomputer was proposed,the hardware composition of the electric control system,the main program,rotational speed calculation,A/D conversion and outgoing compared breaking program of the software were detail introduced,so as to optimize mechanic properties by electric control.


Defects positioning of underground gas pipelines using MFL(magnetic flux leakage) inspection which is one of non-destructive evaluation techniques is proposed in this paper. MFL signals acquired from MFL PIG(pipeline inspection gauge) have nonlinearity and distortion caused by various external disturbances. SQI(self quotient image), a compensation technique for nonlinearity and distortion of MFL signal, is used to correct positioning of pipeline defects. Through the experiments using artificial defects carved in the KOGAS pipeline simulation facility, it is found that the performance of proposed defect detection is greatly improved compared to that of the conventional DCT(discrete cosine transform) coefficients based detection.


Walking and running are widely used modes of exercise to improve fitness and promote weight loss. The energy expended during walking or running can be measured in a lab or estimated based on speed, grade, and body weight. However, these assessments are not easily completed by the general population, so a crude estimate of energy expenditure (EE) of 100 kcals•mile -1 is commonly used. Although the equations for estimating EE at a given walking or running speed have been validated, the accuracy of the 100 kcals•mile -1 value has not been evaluated. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of the 100 kcals•mile -1 estimate across a wide range of walking and running speeds. METHODS: A sample of 21 subjects (age 23.6±8.8 y) walked or ran one mile at a self-selected speed on a motorized treadmill while VO2 was measured. The EE was calculated from VO2 measured after subjects achieved steady-state. The significance of differences in measured EE and the 100 kcals•mile -1 estimate were determined using t-tests. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the measured EE and the 100 kcals•mile -1 estimate (108.6±31.5 vs. 100±0 kcals•mile -1 , p=0.22) across both running and walking speeds (range: 72.4-187.6 m•·min -1 ). There were also no significant differences between the actual and estimated EE at walking speeds (95.6±12.6 m•·min -1 ; 100.1±23.1 vs. 100±0 kcals•mile -1 , p=0.98) or running speeds (158.8±19.4 m•·min -1 ; 115.0±36.2 vs. 100±0 kcals•mile -1 , p=0.18). However, the measured EE during running was significantly higher (p=0.03) than during walking. CONCLUSION: The widely used EE estimate of 100 kcals•mile -1 appears to be accurate across a wide range of walking and running speeds. While the measured EE during running was significantly higher than during walking, neither was significantly different from the 100 kcals•mile -1 estimate. This suggests that this value may be useful for estimating EE for fitness or weight loss purposes in a general population.


The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) constitutes the confirmation of the existence of the last building block of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. However, there are still important questions unanswered by this theoretical framework, such as for example the origin of neutrino masses, the nature of dark matter, the origin of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe or the strong CP problem. Many proposals have appeared in the last decades to address some of these questions, with the general feature that the extensions Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) should somehow manifest at energy scales no too far from the Electroweak Scale (EW). This constitutes an invitation to explore experimentally the physics at the TeV scale. Nevertheless, the range of possibilities to extend the standard model is huge, each of them motivated by different theoretical paradigms or experimental hints.
The experimental road-map at energies above the EW scale for the next decades consists of the exploitation of the full capabilities of the LHC, including the High Luminosity (HL) phase, and the addition of new detectors focused on specific signals hard to measure by the actual experiments, such as very long-lived particles. Also there are plans to build the International Linear Collider (ILC) in Japan, an electron-positron collider with energies of 500 GeV. Therefore, in the present and in the nearest future, the possibilities to test any BSM theory in terms of its influence on particle phenomenology are constrained to collider experiments around few TeV scale. Nevertheless, this is enough to reach a plethora of models capable of solving problems of the SM and leave a signal in collider experiments, both direct and indirect. Thus each model deserves a detailed analysis of the expected phenomenology, in order to be able to design efficient searches covering the most of the models and to differentiate between them in the case that a signal is finally detected.
TeV scale supersymmetry (SUSY) has been perhaps the most popular choice in the past decades to extend the SM at the EW scale. Supersymmetric extensions of the SM have proven themselves very useful solving the hierarchy problem and providing also a Dark Matter (DM) candidate. SUSY theories are in addition quite appealing since they make the gauge couplings become unified at some high energy scale after the inclusion of the effects of SUSY on the renormalization group equations.
SUSY predicts the existence of a new particle for each one in the Standard Model, with the same quantum numbers excepting the spin. Thus it predicts a scalar partner for each fermion, and a fermionic partner for each boson, and the masses of these particles are highly motivated to be around the TeV scale. Consequently, it predicts a large number of new particles that could be within the experimental reach of the LHC or the next generation of colliders.
In this thesis we discuss the phenomenological aspects of a SUSY model, the so-called called μνSSM, at the LHC. Besides the good common properties of the SUSY models, the μν can provide a solution of the μ-problem of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and simultaneously explain the origin of the measured properties of neutrinos. In addition, the Gravitino in the μνSSM is a good DM candidate also.
In the SUSY extensions of the SM the baryon number is no longer an accidental symmetry and should be achieved imposing a discrete symmetry to prevent fast decay of the proton. This role is usually played by \emph{R-parity} conservation (RPC), which forces each superpartner to be pair produced. The direct consequence of this is that the \emph{lightest supersymmetric particle} (LSP) would be stable. There exist cosmological constraints which bound this particle to be neutral, and play the role of the dark matter. At colliders, this family of models would produce events with neutral stable particles which manifest themselves as events with large missing transverse momentum (MET).
Instead, the μνSSM includes terms in the Lagrangian which do not allow for a proper assignment of R-parity charges and thus this symmetry is explicitly violated (RPV). Since the superpartners can decay to SM particles, the expected phenomenology is richer and should be carefully studied. Altough there exist other RPV models, the structure of the μνSSM is complex and leads to unique signals.
The objective of this thesis is to make an exhaustive exploration of interesting signals within the μνSSM framework. In particular, we focus on the electroweak sector of the model, which in principle can be explored with a certain ease in a hadron collider, and identify the signatures that can appear in the production of electroweak superpartners at the LHC. The text is organized as follows. The first chapter consist on an introduction and summary of the contents of the thesis. Chapter 2 is a brief introduction to SUSY, discussing the most important characteristics of the theoretical framework and presenting the most popular models, with its limitations.
In chapter 3, we introduce the μνSSM, describing its most important features and summarizing the previous phenomenological studies. Chapter 4 is devoted to an analysis of the most important phenomenological aspects of the left-handed neutrino superpartner, the left sneutrino, when it is the LSP. There we show the possible signals that can be generated at colliders when producing this particle. In chapter 5, we choose a selection of benchmark points representative of the left sneutrino phenomenology, that can produce detectable prompt signals at the LHC. In chapter 6, we use some of the current ATLAS searches for long lived particles to constrain the parameter space of the model, when the left sneutrino is the LSP and decays at significant distance of the interaction point, producing displaced vertices. In chapter 7, we utilize the ATLAS searches for electroweak production of SUSY particles in compressed scenarios, to obtain limits on the sneutrino mass, when the LSP is a bino-like neutralino and the sneutrino is the NLSP. In addition, we explain that the process described is compatible with the local excess of three leptons recently reported by the ATLAS collaboration.
Chapter 8 concludes the thesis summarizing the main results and outlining the future prospects of research.


The title materials are prepared from stoichiometric amounts of the elements (623 K for 24 h, 873 K for 48 h, 728 K for 7 d).


AbstractForm stable phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared from high density polyethylene (HDPE), poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA), organophilic montmorillonite (OMT) and paraffin. The influences of gamma irradiation on the structure, thermal stability and thermal energy storage properties of form stable PCMs were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The XRD results indicated that the morphological structure of intercalation for form stable PCMs would not be appreciably varied by gamma irradiation. The SEM images showed that the intermolecular cross-linking induced by gamma irradiation made the three-dimensional network structure more compact and the interface more illegible. The results of TGA analyses indicated that the thermal stability of form stable PCMs after gamma irradiation was higher than that of the corresponding PCMs before gamma irradiation, and the enhancement slightly ...


This work shows the important role of PBL to improve a learning process in engineering education to make real the aims raised in the new European Higher Education Area. This way, is an important goal the possibility of offering degrees, criteria and comparable methodologies and of developing a credit system as way of promoting the mobility of students and teaching staff. In this context, PBL methodology allows to satisfy the new needs of the current European curriculum directed to the exchange of students and towards the team work. One of the premises of the new European Higher Education Area is the training along the life so the integration of new methods of education PBL (together with TIC's, e-Learning, team work, and so on) become indispensable to coach competent professional inside the labour world.This paper summarises the experience obtained and the implications to introduce similar programmes into their curriculum. The developed system is based on real engineering problems which values teamwork and the integration of information from materials engineering to different disciplines and it places the student at the centre of the learning process. The faculty has learned many things and it needs to learn many other things on how to write a real world engineering scenario, to facilitate the construction of learning environment that the students must do by themselves, to assess students' performances in a compatible way to the implemented education system. Moreover, it is strongly recommended to evaluate educational programs for continuous improvement and to integrate educational activities with research done in the departments for mutual benefits of students and faculty staff.The subject Material Technology was deemed a difficult subject by students because of the amount of technical information students have to be familiar with. The subject team decided to convert part of their curriculum into PBL-based tutorials. The final draft of the problem encourages students to explore concepts in material technology in an attempt to find plausible solutions to the problem. At the end of the programme, student feedback regarding the effectiveness of the programme was gathered by means of an evaluation form. Additionally, such particular methods as design method that have been well established in engineering education, in special for teaching material engineering, are evaluated with respect to a PBL approach. For all this, we consider of great importance to focus efforts to the integration of these two elements that emerge in the current society.


In scholarly usage, the term "religious radicalism" has two somewhat conflicting definitions. In the context of the conflict between tradition and modernity, "religious radicalism" tends to refer to a hard-line traditionalist position opposed to innovation; that is, a forceful affirmation of the authority of traditional religious law ðor dogmaÞ and the struggle against those who would abrogate it. Some leaders of Orthodox Judaism in Hungary and Galicia—certain Hasidic masters among them—have been considered religious radicals in this sense of the term. When referring to heterodox movements, however, the term "religious radicalism" often refers to a bold, nonconformist, revolutionary religious position that tests the boundaries


The question may be asked with great propriety whether another classification of iritis and iridocyclitis is needed or even worthy of consideration. While it may be said that it is not demanded, yet some feel that it is desirable. This concerns, particularly, teachers, who are endeavoring to develop and drive home fundamental truths, but also clinicians, whose most difficult task is frequently diagnosis. Whatever contributes to orderly ways of thinking adds, not only to a better analysis of disease, but to more efficient treatment. Consequently, the subject should interest both teachers and practitioners. That there is more or less confusion, in the arrangement of uveal disease is evident from even a casual review of the various textbooks. That confusion should exist is quite natural because such correlations are the gradual outgrowth of the clinical manifestations of uveal disease as it has been observed since the beginning of medical time, rather


This paper proposes a novel guidance law based on the block backstepping sliding mode control and extended state observer (ESO), which also takes into account the autopilot dynamic characteristics of the near space interceptor (NSI), and the impact angle constraint of attacking the maneuvering target . Based on the backstepping control approach, the target maneuvers and the parameter uncertainties of the autopilot are regarded as disturbances of the outer loop and inner loop, respectively. Then, the ESO is constructed to estimate the target acceleration and the inner loop disturbance, and the block backstepping sliding model guidance law is employed, based on the estimated disturbance value. Furthermore, in order to avoid the "explosion of complexity" problem, first-order low-pass filters are also introduced, to obtain differentiations of the virtual control variables. The stability of the closed-loop guidance system is also proven, based on the Lyapunov theory. Finally, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed guidance law can not only overcome the influence of the autopilot dynamic delay and target maneuvers, but also obtain a small miss distance.


Entropic contribution to the interaction parameter χeff in the model incompressible polymer/oligomer system is calculated by the lattice cluster theory (LCT). It is found that in the oligomer solvent, there exists a wide concentration range that the non-combinatorial "entropic interaction" term χeffϕ1ϕ2 perceptibly counteracts the mean field combinary entropy ぉSMF. With the increase of the solvent size, both χeffand the ratio χeffϕ1ϕ2/ぉSMF first reach their maximum and finally become trivially to zero. It is worth noting that no any demixing was found in the current calculation. This makes the controversial idea "entropically driven demixing" even elusive. However, we propose that further work on compressible polymer solution with structured monomer will witness the demixing owning to an increased configurational correlation.


A man's moral growth is realized in the process of solving moral conflicts unceasingly.The real moral conflicts propose explicit moral behavior requests to the people,and propose explicit challenge to their vital interests,thus contains the direct moral value.But the hypothesized moral situation does not have such function.Our moral education has low effectiveness for long,the main cause lays in the hypothesized moral education's dominant position.The thesis advocates setting moral conflicts appropriately in the real moral situation to enhance student's moral judging and behavioral selective ability.


In Reply.— The fact that most insurance contracts explicitly exclude the patient-care costs of clinical trials of investigational agents is an important disincentive for physicians and patients to participate in trials. The extent to which insurance companies enforce the research exclusion is variable, but there are disquieting signs that this tendency is increasing. The National Cancer Institute, together with concerned investigators and members of public interest groups, has begun a dialogue with segments of the insurance industry that will, we hope, lead to a continuation of the productive working relationship that has existed for years and enabled the entry of suitable patients into clinical trials. Despite this obstacle, however, many important trials in oncology are conducted with conventional agents (for example, most breast adjuvant studies). Most clinical investigators have experienced little or no problem with insurance reimbursement to patients in trials where no investigational drug is involved. Currently, the cooperative


Introduction: Increased adiposity leads to impaired physiologic growth hormone secretion and low and high body mass index (BMI) values increase health risks. However, BMI only measures results in variations in fat-free mass (FFM), fat-free mass index (FFMI), normalized fat-free mass index (NFMI), and body fat mass (BFM). This study evaluated the insulin-like growth factor system responses to the given exercise and their interaction with the changes in BMI, FFM, FFMI, and NFFMI in healthy male participants. Material and methods: A randomized controlled trial with a parallel groups study design was used. Thirty healthy male participants (age: 21.33 ±1.24 years) were divided into three categories: high-intensity incremental (n = 12) and low-intensity constant (n = 12) cycling training groups and control group (n = 6). Training groups performed three times per week throughout eight weeks. VO2max, serum biomarkers, and neuromuscular performance were measured both during baseline and follow-up. Results: The changes in bioavailable IGF were not correlated with BMI (r = –.267), whereas they significantly positively correlated with BFM (r = .321), and inversely significantly correlated with FFM (r = –.472), FFMI (r = –.425), and NFFMI (r = –.379) after 8 weeks of exercise. For relative bioavailable IGF changes, FFM (r2 = 0.17), FFMI (r2 = 0.18), and NFFMI (r2 = 0.14) percent change explained nearly three times the variance as BMI percent change (r2 = 0.07). Conclusions: Increased bioavailable IGF-I suggests an increased anticatabolic effect and inverse interaction with body composition phenotypes following exercise. The partitioning of BMI into FFM, FFMI, and NFFMI rather than relying on sole measures of BMI seem to offer more precise results in the assessment of the interactions between the body composition, neuromuscular performance adjusted with body composition phenotypes, and training-induced changes in insulin-like growth factor system.


Research on intrinsic and extrinsic religion has been troubled by conceptual diffuseness and questionable scale validity. Hunt and King have proposed greater specificity in conceptualization and measurement in future work. This paper attempts to specify and measure a single crucial dimension identified by Hunt and King, namely ultimate versus instrumental religious motivation. Two validation studies were done utilizing persons nominated by ministers as having either ultimate (intrinsic) or instrumental (extrinsic) religious motivation. A new 10-item Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale is proposed, and measurement problems are discussed.


ABSTRACT Coming from the perspective of World Literature Studies, this essay views Ms. Marvel series as post-9/11 Muslim-American work whose iconography is deeply transnational. Situated in what Alexander Beecroft termed national literary ecology, Ms. Marvel contains strong features of what the anthropologist Ulf Hannerz called 'transnational connections.' Ms. Marvel is built, at its core, around the problematic of superhero iconography in relation to the gender and ethno-religious identity, in particular reductive stereotypes of Muslim identity in the post-9/11 USA. I argue that Ms. Marvel's transnational character arises from a dynamic oscillation between a location in the American literary ecology and an orientation to globalised form of Islamic culture. The comic hybridises American superhero iconography with the ethos of her Islamic heritage and as such creates a rich transnational image-text that vies for a place in the developing ecology of global literature.


A new AIC report where 824 police detainees across the nation were interviewed about their knowledge of emerging and less commonly used illicit drugs, shows different patterns of knowledge and drug use across Australia. Mephedrone, also known as meow meow, drone and MCAT, was the least known of the four drugs. Key findings In recognition of the need for ongoing monitoring of new or less common drug types, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), as part of the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, interviewed 824 police detainees about their knowledge of and experience with mephedrone, GHB, Ketamine and Rohypnol. Mephedrone was the least known of the four drugs, with only 221 detainees (27%) reporting knowledge of the drug. Only six detainees (


The target of developing engine get to improve the fuel economy and performance. An engine intake manifold is optimized by plenum shape, primary and secondary length, port diameter, mass flow rate in the cylinder chamber, etc. Intake manifold also has safety factor for PCV icing and distribution. If the icing is occurred in vehicle, it may give rise to serious accident caused by trouble of break booster, reduction of speed, etc. It becomes more and more important for base intake manifold distribution. AFIM(Air Fuel Imbalance Monitor) function is expected to be implemented in the year 2014 OBDII. Intake manifold imbalance is due to manifold leak, fuel injector trouble, cam position trouble, etc. This paper describes how to check the PCV icing at vehicle and distribution at engine dynamometer and how to improve PCV icing problem.


HE HAZARD of air embolism in patients T whose surgical incisions are above the level of the heart can be minimized if a means is available to remove embolized air as it enters the right atrium. Michenfelder and associates1 described successful evacuation of air from the atrium using a transvenous catheter which had been placed to sample mixed venous blood and atrial pressures during surgical exploration of the posterior cranial fossa. The tip of the catheter was positioned accurately, using the intravascular electrocardiogram derived from the catheter itself. In the manner described by Robertson and associates,2 P-wave changes on the intravascular lead were obsewed until a biphasic wave was encountered. Experience with this system of diagnosing and treating air embolism has been recounted elsewhere.3 This paper enlarges upon the technique of recording and interpreting the electrocardiogram to assure proper mid-atrial localization of the catheter.


Brain tumors have been created by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division inside the brain. A crucial and lengthy task is the segmentation of brain tumors, which can be gained manually with the help of Computed Tomography (CT). Treatment, diagnosis, signs and symptoms of the brain tumors mainly depend on the volume, shapes and location of the tumors. The accuracy and time of detecting brain tumor are vital contributions in the successful diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Therefore, the detection of brain tumor needs to be fast and accurate. Brain tumor segmentation and volume estimation have been considered a challenge mission in medical image processing. The main aim of this paper is that with the help of hidden Markov random field- Expectation Maximization (HMRF-EM) and threshold method, a novel approach of improving the segmentation of brain tumors from CT scan images is produced. The segmentation and volume estimation images are obtained by the study of 2D images. We calculate the volume of tumor using a new approach based on 2D images estimations and voxel space. In order to validate the proposed approach a comparison is carried out with a manual method using Mango software which, the noise or impurities are less than Mango software in measurement of tumor volume.


RDF plays an important role in representing Web resources in a natural and flexible way. As the amount of RDF datasets increasingly growing, storing and querying theses data have attracted the attention of more and more researchers. In this chapter, we first make a review of approaches for query processing of RDF datasets. We categorize existing methods as two classes, those making use of RDBMS to implement the storage and retrieval, and those devising their own native storage schemas. They are called Relational RDF Stores and Native Stores respectively. Secondly, we survey some important extensions of SPARQL, standard query language for RDF, which extend the expressing power of SPARQL to allow more sophisticated language constructs that meet the needs from various application scenarios.


In order to broaden future application of products based on platinum and palladium a comparative analysis of their high-temperature mechanical properties was performed. Platinum and palladium are of great importance and are widely used in chemical industry, electronics, for making laboratory dishes, to name a few. Mechanical properties of pure metals, such as: tensile strength, creep rate and rupture time were investigated using universal testing machine for tensile testing of materials. Microstructure of samples was investigated by optical microscopy. Based on obtained results it can be concluded that the platinum, compared to palladium, is superior for high-temperature applications.


Indexing precision and dwell precision,which are two important parameters of cam indexing driven,were introduced.A testing system was designed.According to the characters of the single of sensor,the process of data management was designed in detail.The result of an experiment shows that the testing system is practical and reliable.


ABS TRACT Ob jec ti ves: To in ves ti ga te and des cri be the ef fects of Ta i Chi exer ci se prog ram on func ti o nal abi lity and li fe qu a lity as sess ments for sub jects with se ni le os te o po ro sis. Ma te ri al and Met hods: A ran do mi zed con trol led study was car ri ed out to assess the the ra pe u tic ef fi cacy of Ta i Chi exer ci ses. Forty-four se den tary wo men (me an age 70.2) with bo ne mi ne ral den sity T sco res ≤ -2.5 and less we re ran do mi zed in to 2 gro ups (Ta i Chi gro up; n= 22 and con trol gro up; n= 22) and were en rol led in a 6-months tra i ning study. Ac cor ding to the Ta i Chi exer ci se re gi men, the ho urlong prac ti ce ic lu ded a bri ef warm-up and stretc hing, a comp le te long-form Ta i Chi for 40 mi nu tes and co ol down/re la xa ti on. The con trol gro up was ins truc ted not to chan ge the ir li fe style for the du ra ti on. Pa ti ents in both gro ups we re gi ven ho me-ba sed ac ti ve ran ge of mo ti on exer ci ses. The gro ups we re eva lu a ted by Not ting ham He alth Pro fi le (NHP), Short Form He alth Sur vey (SF-36), sen si ti zed Rom berg test (SRT), and ti me sit to stand (TSS). Re sults: Comparisons of the two groups revealed that the improvement in NHP physi cal ac ti vity sco re (p= 0.04), NHP ten der ness sco re (p= 0.004), NHP to tal sco re (p= 0.02), SF-36 physi cal func ti on (p= 0.04), SF-36 physi cal ro le li mi ta ti ons (p= 0.01), SF-36 pa in (p= 0.03), SRT eyes open (p= 0.007), SRT eyes clo sed (p= 0.001) and TSS (p= 0.002) we re significantly higher in the Tai Chi group than in the control group at the end of 6 months. Conc lu si on: Ta i Chi tra i ning is ef fec ti ve in se ni le os te o po ro tic sub jects to pro mo te func ti o nal abi lity and li fe qu a lity.


In this paper a technique that accurately predicts the produced water level in crude oil production causing accelerated corrosion of steel (defined as the corrosion rate break produced water level) and evaluates the requirement for corrosion inhibitor treatment is presented. The primary focus is preventative corrosion engineering in corrosion prediction and chemical treatment initiation to minimize cost of corrosion control while maximizing its effectiveness. The technique is particularly useful for new crude oil discoveries in which no specific corrosion data exist.


Objective:To survey the clinical efficacy and toxicity of advanced gastric carcinoma using OLF (L-OHP/LV/5-FU) regimen or FLP (DDP/LV/5-FU) regimen.Methods:50 cases of gastric cancinoma in stage Ⅲ operated by D3 gastrectomy were randomized into two groups. 25 cases were treated with OLF regimen (L-OHP 130mg/m 2/dl, LV 100mg/m 2/dl~5, 5-FU 500mg/m 2/dl~5) and the other 25 cases were treated with FLP regimen (DDP 20mg/m 2/d1~5, LV 100mg/m 2/dl~5, 5-FU 500mg/m 2/dl~5). All repeated every 3 weeks.Results:The 1-year and 3-year survival rates of the two groups are 84.0% vs 72.0% (P0.05) and 76.2% vs 55.6% (P0.05). The 1-year and 3-year disease-free survival rates of the two groups are 76.0% vs 44.0% (P0.05) and 66.7% vs 27.8% (P0.05).Conclusion:These results showed that OLF regimen may be promising for treating advanced gastric carcinoma and it is worthy of further clinical trial.


Methods: Five milliliters of peripheral blood was collected from the femoral artery of each Sprague-Dawley rat. Mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation and cultured in a special medium, including vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. After 6 days of continuous culture on 24-well fibronectin-coated plates, the cells expanded and differentiated into endothelial-like progenitor cells. The expression of Flk-1, von Willebrand factor (vWF), CD31, and CD34 was assessed. Surface lectin staining was performed using fluorescently labeled UEA-1 lectin at 10 µg/ml. Meanwhile, the ability for live cells to take up fluorescently labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein (DiI-Ac-LDL) was assessed by incubation with DiI-Ac-LDL. Results: The cells harvested by this procedure were CD31, CD34, Flk-1 positive and demonstrated doublepositive fluorescence for LDL, and lectin-UEA-1.


A three-day-old girl was referred to the radiology department by the otorhinolaryngologist for work-up of nasal obstruction as she presented with loud nasal respiration and respiratory distress during feeding. Nasal endoscopy revealed a bilateral intranasal mass. CT of the sinonasal region showed a bilateral soft-tissue mass at the medial canthus, with bilateral widening of the nasolacrimal canal, and revealed the presence of a bilateral endonasal mass below the inferior turbinate (Figures 1–3). This triad of imaging findings is diagnostic for a congenital dacryocystocoele. Endonasal wide marsupialisation using a microdebrider was performed, restoring patency of the nasolacrimal apparatus and resolving the symptoms.