The size of data collected by qualitative research methods is extremely large as compare to traditional quantitative data collections, and making sense interviews and field notes can be overwhelming. Often organizing and analyzing the data can appear to be problematic. A method still employed by some qualitative researchers for this scary task is by hand. However qualitative theorists have encouraged the use of qualitative data analysis software tools. For qualitative researches there are many software packages available for the researchers. One of the most advanced data analysis packages, computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) NUD*IST Vivo or NVivo helps tremendously from conceptualization and coding of data to an entire research project. NVivo assists for manipulating data records, browsing, coding, and interpreting them. It also provides quick and accurate access to data records. Normally, qualitative researchers extract ideas and link them with data in order to express their understanding of certain research question. NVivo assist the researcher for linking–DataBites, DocLinks, and NodeLinks. DataBites are links made at selected text within a document. The researcher selects the text and easily links that text to a photograph, document, etc. DocLinks and NodeLinks can be placed in a document, anywhere within the text, or at a node. A DocLink can take the researcher to an existing project document or documents or to a new document. A NodeLink can take the researcher to text coded at an existing node or nodes or to textual passages. In short NVivo assists in the management and synthesis of ideas. It offers a variety of analyzing tools for developing new understandings and theories about the data and testing of answers to research questions.


Innovation of teaching management is an urgent demand of higher education in the new situation.This paper makes a preliminary analysis of how to implement t innovation of he teaching management.


Aim: Postoperative infection after the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) can destroy the knee cartilage, necessitate graft removal, and cause arthrofibrosis, instability, limitation of motion, chronic pain, and disability. While being an uncommon complication, the actual number of infected patients might be rather high due to a large number of operations performed. As the operation is usually indicated in young, healthy, and active individuals, failure to achieve the expected improvement, due to complications, is perceived as much graver. The purpose of this study was to analyze the infecting organisms in patients that underwent ACLR at our institution, a tertiary care center, for precise microbiological diagnosis and bacterial susceptibility and resistance to antibiotics.
Methods: The rate of infection, the infecting organisms, the antibiotic susceptibility, and the resistance were analyzed in 1,395 patients that underwent ACLR using descriptive statistics.
Results: Three patients (0.93%) were diagnosed with a postoperative infection; all underwent arthroscopic debridement and lavage. All infections were caused by Staphylococci [3 Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, all oxacillin sensitive), 6 coagulase-negative Staphylococci (3 oxacillin resistant)]. No gram-negative, gastrointestinal tract bacteria, fungal or polymicrobial infections were detected. Thirty eight and a half percent of patients had returned to previous or near previous levels of activity.
Conclusions: Preventing infection by controlling risk factors, prophylactic antibiotics, proper surgical preparation, and surgical technique is mandatory. When infection does occur, rapid recognition and prompt treatment are necessary to avoid irreversible damage to the knee joint and the need for graft removal. Despite appropriate treatment, the functional outcomes were inferior to expected after an uncomplicated ACLR.


To evaluate the appropriateness of China medical expenditure increase,this paper used data from 1991 -2008 China Statistical Yearbooks,etc.By quantitative analysis,it showed that the increase rate of China medical expenditure during 18 years was 0.02%~5.82%higher than that of residents' demands,and in particular residents' burden was 50.1%in China total health expenditure,which brought the health needs of residents decreased 8.1%.The above facts meant 45.3%inappropriate part of China medical expenditure increase couldn' t be explained neasonably.To sum up,the increase of China medical expenditure was inappropriate.


This paper discusses the consensus of the second-order multi-agent pilot follower system. The absolute value term is used to improve the convergence speed of the sliding mode controller and suppress chattering when approaching the sliding mode surface. The improved first-order sliding mode controller and the improved boundary layer-based sliding mode controller are designed respectively and the stability analysis is carried out respectively. Its effectiveness is verified by MATLAB simulation.


A four-season investigation was conducted on the soil animals in the litter layers and soil layers depth of 0~15 cm of Castanopsis fargesii forest at Tiantong,Zhejiang province during September,2003 and July,2004.The litter layer includes fresh litter layer(L),fermentation layer(F) and humus layer(H).Soil animals amount to a total of 32,657 in number,including macrofauna,mesofauna and wet types,falling into 10 classes and 27 groups respectively.For soil macrofauna,the dominant groups are Coleoptera,Hymenoptera and Blattoptera,while for mesofauna,they are Acarina and Collembola and for wet type ones,Nematoda.The results of the investigation indicate that:(1) the group numbers and density are all greater in the litter than in the soil depth of 0~15 cm;(2) the vertical distribution of soil animals in the litter differs from that in the soil,the group numbers in the former tend to increase gradually from top to bottom,with those in bottom humus layer the largest;altogether 18 groups are found in it;large numbers of individuals are seen in the middle fermentation layer and in the bottom humus layer,with those in the former greater,both accounting for 77.04 % of the total;(3) the DG index(density-group index) reveals a seasonal change of soil animal community diversity as autumn springwintersummer;(4) the vertical distribution of dominant groups varies with seasons in a regular manner,thus influencing the seasonal change of the vertical distribution of the entire community.


Background--It is unknown how socio-demographic variables impact on adequacy of gratuity among the older persons in Nigeria. This has become essential in order to improve the preparation for old age among Nigerians. Reliable information is also required to formulate comprehensive social security system for the elderly. Methods - Quantitative data was collected through individual-based questionnaire. Multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select local government areas, enumeration areas and individuals for the study. In all, 810 respondents were interviewed. Findings - In the female model, the result indicates that aged 60-64 years are 62 percent less likely to, those aged 65-69 are 72 percent less likely to have reported adequate gratuity than those aged 70 years and above. As regards education, those with primary education are 95 percent less likely to report adequacy of gratuity than those with secondary education. With respect to religion, while Christians are 1.3 times more likely to, Muslims are 1.4 times more likely to report adequate gratuity than those who are adherents of African traditional religion. Finally, while those with 1-3 children are 3.4 times more likely to, those with 4-6 children are 1.9 times more likely to report adequate gratuity than those with seven or more children. Conclusion - The idea that old-age security and well being in Nigeria should remain the primary responsibility of the family is untenable. Government must assume the primary responsibility in a partnership in which the family also continues to play a significant role.


Triple layered small diameter vascular scaffolds, which consisted of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and silk, were fabricated in this study for the first time by combining electrospinning, braiding, and thermally induced phase separation methods. These novel vascular scaffolds, which possess three layers of different structures (nanofibrous inner layer, woven silk filament middle layer, and porous outer layer) have a desired toe region in the tensile test and sufficient suture retention and burst pressure for vascular graft applications. The endothelia cell culture tests showed that a cell layer could form on the inner surface of a scaffold with high cell viability. Furthermore, the cells showed favorable morphology on the scaffold.


: With the gradual deepening of education, primary education shoulders the responsibility of inheriting the non-cultural heritage. The non-heritage culture of West Guangdong has provided the local primary school fine arts curriculum with extremely rich resources and incomparable regionalism, it is helpful to promote the development of art education for primary school by integrating the culture of West African heritage into the teaching practice of primary school art curriculum. Based on this, through the analysis of the significance of the West African cultural heritage in the teaching of the West African cultural heritage into the primary school art curriculum teaching practice, it will lay a theoretical foundation for integrating the culture of West Guangdong into the Primary School Art Curriculum, promote the inheritance and development of ntangible cultural heritage in primary schools


This paper discusses the connectivity of the essential spectra of Toeplitz operators with symbols in H∞ +C on Hardy spaces and weighted Bergman spaces for several complex variables.


The British Library manuscript Harl. 281 provides a carefully structured anthology of texts, copied by a single hand, about the theory of music as interpreted in Paris in the early fourteenth century. The first of its two sections (ff. 5r–38v) opens with what is presented as three distinct books by Guido of Arezzo (d. after 1033): the Micrologus, the Trocaicus (a synthesis of various Guidonian texts, primarily the Regule rythmice), and a third book on music in the form of a dialogue, in reality the anonymous Dialogus de musica once attributed to Odo and often linked to Odo's oeuvre. These three books are expanded by additional material and followed by a fourth text, the so-called Tonale Beati Bernardi, an anonymous tonary that provides a Cistercian interpretation of plainchant performance concerns. The second section of Harl. MS. 281 (ff. 39r–96v) contains three more recent texts, possibly intended to create a group of seven. The first of these is the Ars musice of Johannes de Grocheio (Jean of Grouchy), presented here (ff. 39r–52r) without identification of its


This paper presents a model of the three-phase PWM inverter and a control strategy using dqO transformation to be employed in a grid connected photovoltaic generation system. The proposed system operates as an active filter capable of compensate harmonic components and reactive power, generated by the other loads connected to the system. To control the power between the grid and photovoltaic system it is proposed the input voltage clamping of the inverter technique, where it is intended to achieve the maximum power point operation. Following, simulation results and analyses are presented to validate the proposed methodology for grid connected photovoltaic generation system.


The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) recommend dietary patterns that limit added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat and emphasize nutrient-dense foods. It is unknown whether individuals who self-report adhering to a diet that alters nutrient intake are, in fact, meeting DGA recommendations.
 Objective: To compare dietary intakes and adherence to the DGAs in individuals who self-report following a special diet versus those who report following no diet.

 NHANES 2003–2014 (≥19 y, n = 30,086) data were analyzed to determine % of the population answering yes or no to "Are you on any type of special diet?". Individuals who answered yes, were further asked, "What kind of diet are you on?" and chose from a list of special diets (e.g., low salt or sodium; sugar free or low sugar). Mean nutrient intakes for each diet population were compared to the population following no diet. Individual usual intakes were estimated to determine the % of the population above or below nutrient-specific DGA recommendations. P < 0.01 was considered significant.

 In U.S. adults, 15.6 ± 0.3% answered yes when asked if they adhere to a special diet. Individuals who reported following a low sugar diet (n = 208) consumed 8.8 ± 0.7% total daily energy from added sugars, which was less than those following no diet (13.8 ± 0.1%; P < 0.01). Of individuals following a low sugar diet, 67 ± 4% met the recommendation to consume <10% energy from added sugar, which was a greater percentage than those following no diet (32 ± 1%; P < 0.01). Individuals who reported following a low salt/sodium diet (n = 580) consumed 3317 ± 110 mg/d sodium, which was less than those following no diet (3657 ± 17 mg/d; P < 0.01). Only 17 ± 2% of individuals following a low salt/sodium diet met recommendations to consume <2300 mg/d sodium, which was a greater percentage than those following no diet (10 ± 0%; P < 0.01).

 American adults who self-report adhering to a low sugar or low salt/sodium diet consume less added sugar and sodium, respectively, than individuals who report following no diet. However, a substantial proportion of individuals following low sugar or low salt/sodium diets are still not meeting DGA recommendations.

 DMRP/USAMRDC. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect official policy of the Army, DoD, or US Government.


Symptomatic stone fruit trees suspected to be infected with Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) were sampled in the west and northwest parts of Iran and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Then, total RNA from 123 samples from the infected orchards were tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with the ilarvirus universal primer set, Ilar1/ Ilar2. An expected 206 bp DNA fragment was amplified from 30 samples and when these positive samples were subjected to RT-PCR with a pair of specific primers, VP81/ VP103, the coat protein (CP) gene was amplified from 21 out of the 30 samples. Sixteen of the amplified CP fragments were purified, sequenced and the sequence data were compared among the newly sequenced isolates, and with the CP of previously reported isolates. The new isolates were 97-100% and 96-100% homologous at the nucleotide (nt) and deduced amino acid (aa) levels, respectively. However, there were 83-99% (nt) and 74-99% (aa) homologies between these and previously reported isolates. Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic trees were generated on the basis of the nt or aa data of the CP showing that the newly-sequenced isolates were placed within the previously defined PNRSV group known as PV-96-II, which comprises isolates from diverse geographical regions such as Poland, Uruguay, China, Chile, Montenegro, and the USA. This is the first report of detection and 2 genetic analysis of PNRSV isolates from stone fruits in Iran. Also, PNRSV in nectarine is being reported for the first time from the country.


Quality of life is important. My mission is to simply help people pick up the pieces after cancer. People need to know that they can thrive after a cancer diagnosis. Advocacy is very rewarding because there is change on the horizon. Through research and providing information about life post cancer diagnosis, survivors can obtain a better quality of life. Citation Format: Yasmeem Watson. [Advocate Abstract:] Thriving. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A41.


A heat-sensitive recording material comprising a support having thereon a heat-sensitive recording layer mainly comprising a heat-sensitive recording component forming by heating a color and comprises two or more kinds of compounds, wherein at least one is of the compounds in the state of a particle, a color formation-controlling on the surface thereof layer is formed, and wherein the color formation-controlling layer is obtainable by adding a compound having an unsaturated carbon-carbon bond, which has at least one carbon-carbon double or triple bond and can be polymerized by using a water-soluble polymerization initiator to a dispersion of compound which is a heat-sensitive recording component in a dispersion medium containing 50 wt .-% or more of water, and polymerization of the compound with a unsaturated carbon-carbon bond using a water-soluble polymerization initiator.


As a non-renewable resource development,coal mine must seek effective ways to increase the recovery rate.Combined with a level of mine production technology and mining technology.By optimizing coal face arrangements,select the correct method of coal mining.Exploration new techniques to reduce roadway to improve the recovery rate of coal resources in chaohua coal mine.


In ZOBORY and NHUNG [10], some explicit conditions ensuring the existence of a stable
stationary forced vertical vibration of the railway vehicle dynamic system model (see
ZOBORY [7]) were derived. In this paper, we consider an elementary drive-system model.
Not only the vertical displacement in the translatory subsystem of the model will be
investigated, but also the angular displacements taking place in the torsional sub-system
of the model.
The elementary dynamics of drive-systems of railway traction vehicles under stochastic
track excitation may be described by an 8 X 8-system of random non-linear differential
equations whose linearized system has constant coefficients. To ensure the existence
and the stability of weakly stationary vertical and relative angular displacements in the
model, we apply the Routh-Hurwitz criterion (see e. g. ARNOLD [1]) and some theorems
elaborated by BUNKE [3] and NHUNG [4-6] to impose explicit conditions on the system
parameters in terms of algebraic inequalities. These conditions guarantee that the four
eigenvalues corresponding to the vertical displacements have negative real parts, and the
eigenvalue zero corresponding to the relative angular displacements is simple and the other
three eigenvalues have negative real parts.
The algebraic inequalities characterizing the existence and the stability of stationary
motions can be easily checked on computers.


Abstract Suppose that an internal auditor inspects financial records of a company or government agency, such as social security payments. Human errors are inevitable in any inspection process, and such an auditing procedure is error-prone as well. This implies that the internal auditor may classify correct payments as incorrect (type I error) or may fail to detect some incorrect payments (type II error). In this article, we consider various methods of estimating (i) the internal auditor's two types of errors and (ii) the total number of incorrect records. If we treat each internal auditor as an information structure with imperfect information, we can calculate the value of information via an information economics approach. We use the same approach to measure and compare the performances of multiple internal auditors with different type I and II errors. In a simulation study, we first show that our proposed estimation method performs very well and then demonstrate how to evaluate the performance of several internal auditors from 0 to 100% on the same scale. Our estimation and evaluation method can be applied to any practical situations in which testing devices, inspection methods, or screening procedures are error-prone.


Many studies have tried to evaluate wireless networks and especially the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Hence, several papers have aimed to describe the functionalities of the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers. They have highlighted some characteristics with experimental results and/or have attempted to reproduce them using theoretical models. In this paper, we use the first way to better understand IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Indeed, we provide a comprehensive model, able more faithfully to mimic the functionalities of this standard at the PHY and MAC layers. We propose a combination of two relevant models for the two layers. The PHY layer behavior is reproduced by a mathematical framework, which is based on radio and channel models, in order to quantify link reliability. On the other hand, the MAC layer is mimed by an enhanced Markov chain. The results show the pertinence of our approach compared to the model based on a Markov chain for IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer. This contribution allows us fully and more precisely to estimate the network performance with different network sizes, as well as different metrics such as node reliability and delay. Our contribution enables us to catch possible failures at both layers.


This paper studies how geography factors affect China's export from the aspect of firm heterogeneity and product variety,based on the firm-level data of China in 2006.We find that geographic distance has significantly positive effect on the country-firm-product prices.Namely,firms tend to export products with higher unit value to distant markets,and high-productivity firms are more likely to enter distant markets.The extent of this effect is different between processing trade and general trade,as well as FDI trade and non-FDI trade.We also try to probe into the theoretical foundation and mechanism of the distance effect.


Recently multiplicity of support system are applied for national highway tunnels under the orders of Japan Highway Public Corp. Therefore it becomes more important to estimate rock mass behavior quantitatively at excavation , especially it related to rock mass cracks and heterogency. Then we examined the applicability of various rock mass classification for design of the tunnel support structure based on the face observation at HIWA tunnel. The face observation was changed to numerical data by RMR, RSR, Q-system and JH estimating quantative rock mass classfication. Consequently in order to design tunnel support structure using the numerical face observation point, we must set up different importance for rock classification element by the kind of rock or by the geological condition.


Using a special scalarization, we give necessary optimality conditions for fractional multiobjective optimization problems. Under a generalized invexity, sufficient optimality conditions are also given. All over the article, the data are assumed to be continuous but not necessarily Lipschitz.


Measurement of atmospheric modulation transfer function (MTF) derived from the point spread function is an alternative to the use of scintillometry in characterizing the effects of turbulence as well as optical scattering. This experiment involved measurement of the system point spread function at 630 nm wavelength, over a 1.8 km path between the shoreline and Roman Rock lighthouse, which is offshore in False Bay near Simonstown, South Africa. Four telescopes at heights between 4 m and 14 m above the sea surface were mounted at the shoreline looking at two point sources mounted at heights of 6 m and 13 m above the sea surface on the lighthouse. The telescopes were equipped with digital charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras and the system MTF of the combination was measured. While the point spread function is also sensitive to atmospheric scattering, scintillation is driven largely by turbulence. Measurements were made under a wide variety of environmental conditions and the differences between image quality metrics and scintillation metrics were examined. Local weather parameters, visibility and sea temperature were also monitored during the campaign and the impact of these parameters on image quality was assessed. Divergent trends in scintillation and image quality were encountered.


It has become increasingly clear that bacterial infection of the urinary tract contributes significantly to morbidity and even to mortality of both children and adults. In addition, these infections do not always result in overt clinical illness associated with pyuria and albuminuria. Presently asymptomatic bacteriuria can be diagnosed only by appropriate laboratory examinations. A simple and reliable screening test for the diagnosis of significant bacteriuria would be of considerable value to the physician. Several tests have been explored, including the tetrazolium test. This test is based on the observation that 2, 3, 5 triphenyl-tetrazolium is reduced to brightly red-colored triphenyl formazan in the presence of large numbers of bacteria in urine under standardized conditions. 1 The present investigation was carried out to compare the results of three types of tetrazolium tests with those of a standard quantitative bacteriologic procedure. Urine specimens were obtained aseptically from both children and adults. These specimens


We report a series of new halogenated bis(acenaphthylene)dione (BAN) derivatives and study the effect of their solid-state organization on optoelectronic properties and electron transport measured in n-type organic field-effect transistors...


This article is devoted reasons purge 1949-1950. That swept much of the Ural region and in the first place, Molotov (Perm) region. The author analyzes data on the issue, drawn from private correspondence nomenklatura who have lost their jobs during cleaning.


Dear Editor,

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world[1] that is frequently diagnosed by obtaining core needle biopsies. However, distinguishing a well-differentiated HCC from benign hepatic lesions, such as fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis, and adenomas, particularly in these small specimens, can be quite challenging.[2][3] In this study, we used the microvessel density (MVD) index to help this differentiation.

Samples were consisted of twenty HCCs and seventeen benign hepatic lesions, diagnosed between 1999 and 2009 in the Pathology Department of Ghaem and Imam-Reza hospitals, Mashhad, Iran. To evaluate the MVD, a polymer-based immunohistochemical technique was performed for the detection of CD34, a highly sensitive angiogenesis marker.[4][5] Then, MVD was counted based on the Gasparini's criteria (The Chalkley point).[6] All statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS software. In order to compare means between groups, we used t test or its nonparametric counterpart (Mann-Whitney U test). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done to assess the diagnostic accuracy of MVD.

The male-to-female ratio was 7:3 for both malignant and benign lesions and the groups were statistically matched for sex. The mean age was higher in patients with malignancy (60.7±15.8 vs. 44.3± 23.2 years old, p=0.024). The only available case of adenomatosis was associated with glycogen storage disease. The mean MVD was higher in HCC than benign lesions (129.1±44.1 vs. 74.0±39.6, p<0.0001). However, there was no statistically significant difference for mean MVD between benign and normal cases (47.8±8.1 vs. 74.0±37.4, p=0.200). Moreover, the mean MVD was not different between two sexes (141.2± 46.1 vs. 124.0±43.9, p=0.440).

Different CD34 staining patterns were also examined. Complete immunostaining pattern was solely found in HCC and in the specimen with hepatic adenoma, while incomplete and negative staining patterns were seen in normal cases, cirrhosis, hepatitis and fatty liver. Immunostaining with sinusoidal pattern around nests and trabecules was found in six HCC cases.

Table 1 shows the diagnostic indices of MVD using a cut-off point of 101 microvessels. In other words, MVD counts of more than 101 vessels are in favor of malignancy; whereas lower counts are seen in benign hepatic lesions.

Table 1

Diagnostic indices of microvessel density using CD34 immunostaining

Several studies have evaluated the association between CD34 expression and HCC prognosis,[2][7] but only a limited number of investigations have been done to determine the diagnostic value of CD34 immunostaining method.[3] What is more, it has been questioned whether CD34 alone, regardless of its staining pattern, can be used to distinguish benign liver nodules from HCC. Based on a research done by Tanigava. et al., anti-CD34 staining was confined to vessels of the portal triad with weak staining in few sinusoids at the periportal area in benign lesions such as cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis cases (mean MVD± SD, 23±5 /0.74 mm2). However, intensive and specific staining of sinusoid-like vessels was observed in all of the tumoral lesions using anti-CD34 antibody (mean MVD± SD, 297±88 /0.74 mm2).[8]

Although MVD can be evaluated by several markers such as VEGF, CD105, vWF and CD34, some researchers have claimed that CD34 is the most sensitive marker.[2][8] We also achieved good results with high sensitivity using this marker.

Overall, it seems that the MVD in HCC is higher compared to benign hepatic lesions except in cases of adenoma and FNH. Furthermore, the complete CD34 staining pattern was virtually always found in HCC, and rarely in its benign mimickers. Conclusively, the results of this study show that the evaluation of MVD-CD34 in association with its immunostaining pattern, contributes to a reliable distinction between HCC and non-neoplastic liver diseases.


Health promotion behavior is one of the main principles for determining health that is known as the basic factor in determiningseveral diseases. Observing such behaviors by the elderly prevents complaintof various diseases and has possible effect in promoting health and increasing the elderly quality of life. Aim: was to describe health promotion behaviors and its relation to quality of life of community-dwelling rural elderly. Method: A cross sectional descriptive study with analytical component. Setting: The study was carried out in the houses of elderly persons who were living in two rural community settings (Al Baramon and Weesh El Hagar villages) affiliated to Mansoura District, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. Tools: Data was collected by using three tools, structured interview schedule sheet, Health promotion questionnaire, and WHO Quality of life-brief (WHOQOL-BREF). Results: The majority of the studied elderly follow more than one of health promotion behaviors. The majority of the studied elderly were physically inactive followed by poor sleep quality and periodic medical checkup. Quality of life varies between elderly who practice health promoting behaviors and who don't practice. Conclusion & recommendation: there is a need for a health promotion program to enhance positive thinking towards health behaviors and quality of life in easily accessible forms for the older person.


Review(s) of: Antimicrobial Resistance: Beyond the Breakpoint, Issues in Infectious Diseases, Vol. 6, edited by JT Weber, Karger 2010, Hard cover, x+174 pages, ISBN: 9783805593236, EUR 135.00.


This paper is on the application of compressible filtered mass density function (FMDF) model to high speed turbulent combustion. The FMDF is a subgrid-scale probability density function model for large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent flows and is obtained by the solution of a set of stochastic differential equations with a Lagrangian Monte Carlo method. The validity and the consistency of LES/FMDF are established by simulating a premixed hydrogen-air reaction in a supersonic cavity flow configuration with detailed chemical kinetics models.


data and derived products from a scientific perspective. The key driver of SDQA planning and practices is enabling LSST to answer the question "can the data obtained support the science requirements of the LSST?" The Science Data Quality Assessment System for LSST D. Levine (IPAC*/Caltech), V. Mannings (IPAC/Caltech), R. Cutri (IPAC/Caltech), T. Axelrod (LSST), C. Claver (NOAO), S.Dodd (IPAC/Caltech), G. Helou (IPAC/Caltech), K. Gilmore (SLAC), Z. Ivezic (U. Washington), D. Monet (USNO), T. Schalk (SCIPP), J. Kantor (LSSTC), T. Tyson (UC Davis) and the LSST Team


Flower and fruit drop of walnut normally starts from May 20 through June 7 in Qin-Ba mountainous area.The reasons for this drop may be the genetic variations,care and management differences,malnutrition and deficiency of water or disease and pest.Protective measures adopted were use of instant phosphate fertilizer,application of NAA and IAA during fruit setting stage,and application inhibin during the blossoming period for enhancing the fruit setting.


There are few who doubt that natural selection is one of the primary factors in evolution. Any study therefore that reveals to some degree the complex workings of selection must broaden our understanding of organic evolution itself. This paper attempts to contribute to the knowledge of selective forces in nature by reporting some observations on a small West Indian lizard of the genus Aristelliger. In some ways the Squamata, the order of reptiles containing the lizards and snakes, present the ideal material for evolutionary study, for members of this order possess an epidermis divided into complex, genetically determined scale patterns. The discrete, meristic nature of the scale characters makes easy an objectivity in study which is difficult in dealing with such standard characteristics as body proportions or the variations of color tones in plumage and pelage. It is with a character in the scutellation of the lizard Aristelliger that this paper is concerned. Phenomena indicating natural selection have often been demonstrated in the study of reptiles. Most of these demonstrations involve scale characters of snakes. Some examples are: Dunn (1915) on Natrix sipedon, Stuart (1941) on Dryadophis boddaerti, Inger (1942) on Opheodrys vernalis, Inger (1943) on Thamnophis sirtalis, Underwood (1944) on Natrix piscaior, Klauber (1945) on Crotalus viridis, and Mertens (1947) on N atri» natrix, Dunn (1942) reviewed the subject of selection in the scutellation of snakes and pointed out the serious neglect of studies of natural selection by students of taxonomy. All of the above studies involve comparisons of the variations of the


Experimental studies on water level effect for dynamic compaction performance were presented by using the single-point impact system developed by the authors.Meanwhile,an automatic cone penetrometer was also developed to acquire the cone resistance in soil samples.It was indicated that after impaction,the measured increments of excess pore water pressure increased when the water level increased,and the cone resistance(QR) in soils with higher water level was found less than that in soils with lower water level and far less than that measured in dry soils.The terms of improvement ratio(IR) and penetration work(Wq) done were introduced to evaluate the overall performance of improvement.


One of the most important complications of the post-COVID-19 syndrome may be a small fiber neuropathy, which cannot be evaluated by a routine electroneuromyography. Confocal microscopy of the cornea (CCM) may be a promising method for early neuropathy verification. To study the possibility of the small fiber neuropathy evaluation using the CCM in a patient with the post-COVID-19 condition. The patient is a female of 61 years old, which suffered from a COVID-19 infection in October 2020. After a month, she noted the presence of myalgia and polyneuropathy. A year after the onset of the disease, in addition to myalgia, headaches, neuropathy pain, the patient also experienced bowel disorders and stomach aches, which cannot be explained with an alternative diagnosis. The patient underwent CCM to assess the structure of nerve fibers to prove the presence of the small fiber neuropathy as a complication of the COVID-19 infection. The presence of the small fiber neuropathy was evaluated in the patient as well as enlarged Langerhans cells in the cornea. Considering the pivotal role of these cells in the immunological processes, the "activated" dendritic cells in post-COVID-19 patients may serve as another evidence of the autoimmune nature of this complication and possibly, a method for the monitoring treatment effectiveness of this disease. In this clinical case of a 61-year-old patient with the post-COVID-19 syndrome, the possibility of application of the confocal microscopy of the cornea for the diagnosis of neuropathy of small fibers and monitoring of the patient›s condition is shown.


ABSTRACT This paper focuses on 'hidden' innovation development in rural tourism propelled by combinations of social capitals. Based on questionnaire data of 147 tourism community enterprises across Thailand, findings disclose three hidden innovations – marketing, supporting process and organizational innovations – which assist the enterprises in commercializing new products and sustaining their competitiveness in new markets. The paper employs factor and hierarchical regression analyses to investigate the effects of types of social capital on the hidden innovations. The newly categorized 'inherent social capital', encompassing levels of collaboration among members and of utilization of business and information networks, breeds marketing and supporting process innovations. The 'national support social capital', embracing degrees of research network utilization and of acquaintance/participation with national development agencies/associations, spawns the three innovations. Policy implications are that social capitals are crucial for broadening the non-technological innovation landscape and that matched categories of social capital are required for augmenting specific types of innovation.


In this paper, a Gm-C low-pass and low power filter with tunable in-band attenuation for WiMAX/LTE receiver is presented. The fourth-order filter consists of two cascaded biquad stages. The source-follower (SF) stage is used as a key building block in these biquads. In this paper, we have presented a circuit technique to reduce the nonlinearity of the SF stage resulting from unmatched signal swings at the gate and source terminals of the input transistor. The proposed SF stage, is used for design of a linear biquad which is then utilized in a fourth-order Butterworth low-pass filter. The simulation results of the filter for bandwidth of 10 MHz show that the IIP3 of the filter is equal to 8.22dBm, in-band noise density is 100nV/√Hz and power consumption is 5.9mW. The supply voltage of the filter is equal to 1V.


In the article have made comparison of development different civilizations of the Ancient world at the one time period (Egypt, Persia, Macedonia, Roman empire, China) and have shown the law of origin the system of physical culture exactly in Greece. The display of political, religious, cultural features of society development allowed to define characteristic feature the civilization of Ancient Greece. The detailed study a way of life the Ancient Greeks gives ability to show backgrounds for becoming of how the Olympic Games came to be.


...................................................................................................................................................
  ii Preface
  ....................................................................................................................................................
  iii Table
  of
  contents
  .................................................................................................................................
  iv List
  of
  tables
  .........................................................................................................................................
  vii List
  of
  figures
  ......................................................................................................................................
  viii List
  of
  acronyms
  ..................................................................................................................................
  ix Acknowledgements
  ..............................................................................................................................
  x Chapter
  1~Introducing
  the
  food
  movement,
  health
  institutional
  complex,
  and
  study site
  .............................................................................................................................................................
  1 1.1
  Introduction
  ...............................................................................................................................................
  1 1.2
  The
  dominant
  food
  system
  ....................................................................................................................
  4 1.3
  Food
  movement
  responses
  to
  the
  dominant
  food
  system
  ..........................................................
  7 1.4
  Study
  context
  and
  site
  ..........................................................................................................................
  11 1.5
  Public
  health
  in
  Canada:
  trends
  and
  tensions
  .............................................................................
  15 1.6
  The
  study
  ..................................................................................................................................................
  18 1.6.1
  Research
  focus
  and
  questions
  ......................................................................................................................
  18 1.6.2
  Outline
  of
  chapters
  ...........................................................................................................................................
  20 Chapter
  2~Research
  approach
  and
  methods
  ...........................................................................
  21 2.1
  Theoretical
  perspective
  ......................................................................................................................
  21 2.2
  Methodology
  ...........................................................................................................................................
  23 2.3
  Situating
  the
  researcher
  .....................................................................................................................
  25 2.4
  Methods
  ....................................................................................................................................................
  26 2.4.1
  Textual
  analysis
  ..................................................................................................................................................
  26 2.4.2
  Participant
  observation
  ..................................................................................................................................
  28 2.4.3
  Interviews
  .............................................................................................................................................................
  29 2.5
  Data
  management
  and
  analysis
  ........................................................................................................
  34 2.5
  Ensuring
  research
  quality
  ..................................................................................................................
  35 Chapter
  3~Introducing
  the
  FSCP
  and
  CFAI
  ................................................................................
  38 3.1
  Introduction
  ............................................................................................................................................
  38 3.2
  Context,
  history
  and
  goals
  of
  the
  FSCP
  and
  CFAI
  .........................................................................
  38 3.2.1
  Organizational
  context
  ....................................................................................................................................
  38 3.2.2
  History
  of
  formation
  .........................................................................................................................................
  39 3.2.3
  CFAI
  official
  program
  goals
  and
  structure
  ..............................................................................................
  41 3.2.4
  FSCP
  official
  program
  goals
  and
  structure
  .............................................................................................
  42 3.3
  Regional
  Health
  Authorities'
  approach
  to
  FSCP
  and
  CFAI
  .......................................................
  43 3.3.1
  Fraser
  Health
  .......................................................................................................................................................
  45 3.3.2
  Northern
  Health
  .................................................................................................................................................
  47 3.3.3
  Interior
  Health
  ....................................................................................................................................................
  48 3.3.4
  Vancouver
  Island
  Health
  Authority
  ...........................................................................................................
  49 3.3.5
  Vancouver
  Coastal
  Health
  ..............................................................................................................................
  50 3.4
  CFAI
  and
  FSCP
  implementers:
  Health
  staff
  and
  CFAI
  leaders
  .................................................
  51 3.5
  Discussion
  and
  conclusion
  .................................................................................................................
  53


Acetyl‐TAG are unusually structured triacylglycerols (TAG) that possess an acetate group at their sn‐3 position. Acetyl‐TAG have different physical properties compared to regular TAG, including lower viscosity and improved cold temperature properties, making acetyl‐TAG useful for different applications, including as a diesel replacement. These unusual TAG molecules can be synthesized in the seeds of transgenic plants through the expression of diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (DAcT) enzymes isolated from different Euonymus species. In this study, the kinematic viscosity as well as the crystallization and melting behavior of blends of acetyl‐TAG and regular TAG were examined to define goals for acetyl‐TAG synthesis in transgenic plants. Even small amounts of regular TAG when blended with acetyl‐TAG had a disproportionate effect on the viscosity of mixture. This effect of regular TAG in increasing kinematic viscosity was more pronounced at lower temperatures. Under slow cooling conditions, the two different TAGs and their blends possessed two main crystallization events with different degree of separation of the thermal transition, and the lower crystallization temperature decreased with increasing amounts of acetyl‐TAG in the blend. At higher cooling rates, one broad and tailed crystallization peak was observed. Heating thermograms indicate similar polymorphic behavior of the blends and a general peak shift to lower transition range with increasing acetyl‐TAG compared to the two pure lipids. This information about the viscosity and thermal properties of blends of TAG and acetyl‐TAG will provide useful targets for engineering higher levels of acetyl‐TAG in transgenic seeds.


Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is cytotoxic to rat pancreatic β-cells by inhibiting glucose oxidation, causing DNA damage and inducing apoptosis. Nitric oxide (NO) is a necessary but not sufficient mediator of these effects. IL-1β induced kinase activity toward Elk-1, activation transcription factor 2, c-Jun, and heat shock protein 25 in rat islets. By Western blotting with phosphospecific antibodies and by immunocomplex kinase assay, IL-1β was shown to activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) in islets and rat insulinoma cells. Specific ERK1/2 and p38 inhibitors individually reduced but in combination blocked IL-1β-mediated islet NO synthesis, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of inducible NO synthase mRNA showed that ERK1/2 and p38 controlled IL-1β-induced islet inducible NO synthase expression at the transcriptional level. Hyperosmolarity caused phosphorylation of Elk-1, activation transcription factor 2, and heat shock protein 25 and activation of ERK1/2 and p38 in islets comparable to that induced by IL-1β but did not lead to NO synthesis. Inhibition of p38 but not of ERK1/2 attenuated IL-1β-mediated inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release. We conclude that ERK1/2 and p38 activation is necessary but not sufficient for IL-1β-mediated β-cell NO synthesis and that p38 is involved in signaling of NO-independent effects of IL-1β in β-cells.


Purpose – The purpose of this study is to confirm the existence of PE and the role it plays from the perspective of management consultants. One of the greatest challenges facing management consultants today is how to win business through satisfying client needs. There are a number of authors who have identified that meeting clients' unwritten and unspoken expectations i.e. psychological expectations (PE), can yield competitive advantage for consultants. However, there is a dearth of research in this area.Design/methodology/approach – Semi structured interviews were carried out with twenty management consultants in Australia. Questions canvassed their views on the existence of PE, the forms it took and its strategic value in client‐consultant relationships.Findings – Types of PE identified in literature were found to exist widely in practice. Consultants were very aware of PE and the importance of addressing them. Benefits of meeting PE reported were additional business with existing clients or referrals b...


IndianCitationIndexdatabaseisapowerfultooltosearch,track,and measureandcollaborateinthe sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. This article discusses the published researcharticles, citations and self-citations in the Material Science journals which are available inIndian Citation Index. Thereare3,699 articles publishedfromSix Material Science journals. Among the 6 Bulletin Material Science journal occupies first position with 1,619(43.77%) articles and Indian Journal of Engineering & Materials Sciences occupies second rank with750(20.28%) articles. Journal of Mines Metals & Fuels is in third 425(11.49%).


The only other Roman bronze statues which are known to have low lead contents are those which were subsequently mercury gilded, and these also have low tin contents, the composition being critical for the success of the gilding operation. The difference in composition between the separate pourings of metal can be explained by reference to the metallographic examination, in the light of what is known about the casting of large equestrian statues during the Renaissance period and later. The evidence, which has been conveniently collected together by Leoni, indicates that horses were cast with the mould standing the right way up. Hence, if the practice was the same in Roman times then the original alloy was the tin bronze containing only 07% of lead, which forms the upper part of the leg, a composition not well suited for filling a large and complicated mould under primitive casting conditions. It can, therefore, be postulated that the metal solidified in the mould before one of the back legs of the horse was completely filled with metal. The mould would be thick, and well insulated, so that the metal would cool slowly, allowing sufficient time for recrystallisation and grain growth to occur, giving rise to the structure illustrated in (PL. XXVIB). When the mould was broken open and the lower part of one of the back legs was found to be missing, the statue would be repaired by a casting-on operation in which a new wax leg would have been modelled in position and then invested in a clay mould which was firmly attached to the stump of the original metal. The wax would then have been melted out and the mould thoroughly heated before the molten bronze was run in, but this time the founder made sure of a perfect cast by adding nearly 6% of lead to his bronze to increase its fluidity and lower its melting point. This casting-on operation would involve heating of the stump of original leg, no doubt resulting in increased grain growth (PL. XXXVIB). The fact that the grains in the lower part of the leg contain twins (PL. XXVIA) probably indicates that strain was generated in the added metal by shrinkage in the mould during the casting-on operation. This must have been relieved by recrystallisation during the slow cooling, although the smaller grain size of PL. XXVIA indicates that the cast-on leg probably cooled more quickly than the original casting. This hypothesis of the casting sequence also explains the probable formation of a tin rich layer on the added part of the leg as the presence of lead in the bronze extends its freezing range and tends to promote inverse segregation. Another factor which promotes the formation of tin sweat is rapid cooling, and the added leg would be expected to have cooled much more quickly than the rest of the horse, as the insulation provided by a small mould would be much less than when the whole horse was encapsulated.


Introduction: Stenting in the ureter following RIRS (Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery) and stone removal is recommended to prevent edema and colic pain. This study aims to find the optimal time for ureteral stent removal after RIRS with fewer complications.Methods: This study was run under Tehran University of Medical Sciences Ethical Committee (IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1398.750). In this retrospective study, demographic and clinical information of patients from 2013 to 2019 were investigated.  The patients were classified based on the duration of ureteral catheter placement: group A less than 24h, group B 24-72h and group C Removed after 72h.Results:  From our 80 patients who met inclusion criteria in A and B groups, urologists had to insert a DJ stent for 16 of 19 (84%) (Due to pain and hydronephrosis) and 9 of 27 patients (33%), respectively. In group C, however; only 5 (15%) in 33 patients required DJ stent following the removal of the simple ureteral catheter. Hence, 84% of the patients with a simple ureteral catheter for over 72h in their ureter did not need re-stenting (P-value < 0.001).Conclusions: We concluded that the optimal time of stenting for a simple ureteral catheter is 72 hours. Catheter removal after this time would lead to the least complications.


Three spring wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.), Manitou, Pitic 62, and QK1-13, were grown in field plots containing a thermally controlled watercirculation system. The system provided two controlled root-zone temperatures (10 and 28 C) and one uncontrolled seasonal temperature (18 C), which represented mean summer soil temperatures of the Cryoboreal (8–15 C), the Mesic/Thermic (15–22/> 22 C), and the Boreal (15–18 C) climatic classes of the Canadian Soil Climatic Classification System. Three soil moisture conditions were characterized in terms of a soil moisture sufficiency index (SMI) levels were selected to correspond to the subclasses, Arid/Semiarid, Humid/Subhumid, and Perhumid. When temperature treatments were applied between emergence and the third-leaf stage of development, average yields from all treatments usually ranked with temperatures associated with the Cryoboreal > Boreal > Mesic/Thermic Classes. High soil temperature depressed the yields of the Mexican cultivars Pitic 62 and QK1-13 mo...


Residual oils from combustion engines, from the industrial sector of Mamonal in Cartagena de Indias, were characterized by densimetry, karl fischer, viscosimetry, atomic absorption and pump density, percentage of humidity, viscosity, metals in suspension and calorific value Designed, constructed and tuned according to ASTM D 240-02. The calorimetric pump was designed in stainless steel 304 schedule 40, with circular section and internal volume of 355,71 mL. It works in an atmosphere of oxygen with pressures between 25 and 30 atm. The temperature sensor used was the SEE TMP-BTA with stainless steel probe and the data-software acquisition system used was VERNIER International's GOLink SEE with a sensitivity to the hundredth degree. It was determined that the higher calorific value (PCS) of the samples of used oils from the industrial sector of Mamonal have an average value of 19934.3 Btu / Lb. Keyword Calorimetric pump, Heat power, Oil reused, Physicochemical variables, Recycling.


Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an auto immune, common, chronic T‐cell‐mediated inflammatory disorder of the skin and mucous membranes that occurs in various clinical forms that often poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to its refractory course and relapsing nature.[1,2] The term Lichen is derived from a Greek word Leichen that refers to moss tree. In some literature, lichens are primitive plants composed of symbiotic algae and fungi. The word Planus is a Latin word which means flat. The term suggests a meaning of flat fungal condition.[3,4] Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra (1816 – 1880), Dermatologist, described skin disease "Oral Ruber Planus" and termed as Lichen Ruber in 1860. Erasmus Wilson (British Dermatologist) first used the term as Lichen Planus in 1869. Thibierge described oral lichens symmetrically in 1893. In 1895 Wickham described the striae. Later, Andreasen described the six clinical forms and Dubreulith described the microscopic picture of OLP. In 1910, Francois Henri Hallopeau reported the first OLP‐related carcinoma.[4,5]


One of hot topics in the last years is a systematic discrepancy in the determination of Hubble parameter by various methods. Namely, the values derived "directly" from the distance scale based on Cepheids and supernovae--and referring to the relatively "local" part of the Universe--are about 10% greater than the ones following from the analysis of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, which refers to the "global" scales. The most popular interpretation of this discord, widely discussed nowadays, is variation of the dark-energy equation-of-state parameter w. However, there might be a much simpler explanation, following from the recent observations of the rotation curves in the high-redshift galaxies. Namely, it was found that they have much smaller dark-matter halos than galaxies in the vicinity of us [Genzel, et al. Nature 543 (2017), 397]. Since both the dark and luminous matter possess the same dust-like equation of state and, therefore, their average cosmological densities evolve by the same way, our local neighborhood is not quite typical but rather overfilled with the dark matter. Then, the local value of the Hubble constant should be greater than the global one. Roughly speaking, a twofold excess of the dark matter in our local Universe would give just the above-mentioned 10% increase in the value of Hubble parameter.


This paper presents amethod ofapplying the information present incasestudies onhowtoextract best International Organization forStandardization (ISO) practices. Inorder tofill this voidwepropose theuseof Network Management ModeltotheBoardman-Sauser NetworkManagement concepts inbothoperating and Distinguishing Characteristics ofSystem ofSystems (SoS).supporting theSoS. By linking SoStoNetwork TheISOmodeldefines five conceptual areas formanagingManagement practices wecanextract proven practices from networks: Performance, Configuration, Accounting, Fault,thenetwork worldandapply themtoSoS.We will begin andSecurity. Thismodelisbothastandard andprimarybyfirst using adefinition ofSoStodefine thescope ofour meansforunderstanding themajorfunctions ofnetworkwork.Next, wewill showhowaSoScanberepresented as management. anet-centric system. Then, wewill introduce theconcept The Boardman-Sauser characteristics of ofNetwork Management andtranslate ittotheSoSdomain. Autonomy,Belonging, Connectivity, Diversity, and Finally, we will maptheSoSdefining characteristics and Emergence areusedtorecognize a SoS. These thenetwork management principals toproduce a SoS characteristics represent thefundamental "building management matrix. We will endourdiscussion withthe blocks" ofSoSmanagement.


Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a disease that occurs as a result of an immunological attack against various proteins in the postsynaptic membrane, especially the postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the new virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, became a worldwide pandemic. Although there is no definitive treatment for the disease as of yet, agents such as chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir, favipiravir, and remdesivir are used in many countries based on in vitro or observational studies. Considering that certain drugs can cause myasthenic exacerbation in patients with MG, the consequences of using drugs such as favipiravir in these patients are unknown. We aim to share our experience using favipiravir in 2 patients previously diagnosed with MG who tested positive for COVID-19.


OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of zoledronic sodium on fracture healing in patients with thoraco-lumbar spine fracture(TLSF). METHODS:82 patients with TLSF were randomly divided into observation group and control group with 41 cases in each group. All applied pedicle screw fixation. After operation,control group received conventional therapy as calcium supplement,and observation group was additionally given intravenous injection of zoledronic sodium 5 mg on the basis of control group. The change of Imaging parameters 6 months after operation were compared between 2 groups,and the changes of serum PINP,β-CTX and lumbar spine bone mineral density,and fracture healing time were compared 3,6,12 months after operation.RESULTS:The vertebral height,sagittal index,Cobb's angle of 2 groups were improved 6 months after operation,compared with before operation,with statistical significance(P0.01),but there was no statistical significance between 2 groups(P0.05);the levels of β-CTX and PINP in observation group were lower than that in control group 3,6,12 months after operation,there was statistical significance 3 month after operation(P0.01);BMD of observation group was higher that of control group 3,6,12 months after operation,with statistical significance(P0.05);the fracture healing time of observation group was(13.25±1.23)weeks,which was shorter than that of control group(14.54±1.49)weeks,with statistical significance(P0.01). CONCLUSIONS:For patients with TLSF,postoperative treatment of zoledronic sodium can increase lumbar spine bone mineral density and promote healing.


Les formes a liberation programmee comprennent les formes a liberation repetee, les formes a liberation differee (ou formes retard), les formes a liberation prolongee: formes dialysantes, systemes matriciels ou systemes osmotiques


The increased demand for renewable energy sources and developing countries like India's need to secure its energy supply has spurred interest in development of bio fuel production whereas the exhaust emission of the biodiesel is deteriorating the environment also. The aim of the research is analyze the emission characteristics of used vegetable oil methyl ester (UVOME) and its blends. Used vegetable oil methyl ester is derived through transesterification process in the presence of two different catalyst such as Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or Potassium hydroxide (KOH). A single cylinder, water cooled, four stroke diesel engine was used for this work. The following fuels were tested such as diesel, B20N, B20K, (where K and N are denoted as the catalyst KOH and NaOH respectively) and observed the exhaust emission characteristics in terms of concentration of NOx, CO, HC, particulate matter and smoke density. The obtained results of diesel, used vegetable oil methyl esters and their blends with diesel by volume were compared. Compared to diesel, the emission of Carbon monoxide (CO) and Hydro Carbon (HC) emission are reduced with increase in % of BK and BN blend. Compared to B20N, the emission of HC is slightly increased in B20K. The value of Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) is increased in B20N and B20K. Compared to B20N the emission of NOx is slightly higher in B20K. However the Particulate matter and smoke density of B20 blends are lower than the diesel; among B20N and B20K, the B20N has the lower values.


The article analyzes the agenda of policies and speeches on rural sanitation in Brazil (1920-1970). This traditional theme of health workers will be discussed based on experiences developed, especially in interactions with Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). It analyzes the literature and documentary sources. It concludes that there have been changes in the content of the discourse and practice of the so-called internalization of health services in post-war context, especially in what pertains to the centrality of the discussions regarding the planning and training of workers.


Every Woman Every Child is a multi-stakeholder movement launched in September 2010 by the United Nations Secretary-General with the goal of mobilizing action by governments, multilateral the private sector, and civil society to accelerate progress on women's and children's health. Key factors that have contributed to the success of Every Woman Every Child include: a firm policy basis, the application of a cross-cutting approach rooted in country ownership, robust and independent accountability mechanisms for resources and results, and the evolution of a genuine multi-stakeholder partnership. Through examining the workings and progress of Every Woman Every Child, we hope to offer a potential model for the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda and beyond.


Since the advent of deep convolutional neural networks (DNNs), computer vision has seen an extremely rapid progress that has led to huge advances in medical imaging. This article does not aim to cover all aspects of the field but focuses on a particular topic, image-to-image translation. Although the topic may not sound familiar, it turns out that many seemingly irrelevant applications can be understood as instances of image-to-image translation. Such applications include (1) noise reduction, (2) super-resolution, (3) image synthesis, and (4) reconstruction. The same underlying principles and algorithms work for various tasks. Our aim is to introduce some of the key ideas on this topic from a uniform point of view. We introduce core ideas and jargon that are specific to image processing by use of DNNs. Having an intuitive grasp of the core ideas of and a knowledge of technical terms would be of great help to the reader for understanding the existing and future applications. Most of the recent applications which build on image-to-image translation are based on one of two fundamental architectures, called pix2pix and CycleGAN, depending on whether the available training data are paired or unpaired. We provide computer codes which implement these two architectures with various enhancements. Our codes are available online with use of the very permissive MIT license. We provide a hands-on tutorial for training a model for denoising based on our codes. We hope that this article, together with the codes, will provide both an overview and the details of the key algorithms, and that it will serve as a basis for the development of new applications.


A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different levels of solid, liquid organic fertilizer and spray with humic acid and their interaction on growth, yield of cauliflower and nutrient uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the field of agricultural engineering sciences university of Baghdad for autumn season 2015 in Silty Loam texture soil classified to sub under great group Typic-Torriflovent. A randomized complete block design RCBD was used with three replicates including three levels of organic fertilizers (0, 15 and 30) Mg.ha, and two levels of liquid humic acid (0, 10) ml.L add after 30 days of the transplantation, and three levels of foliar application of humic acid 0, 5 and 10 ml.L on plant after 40, 50 and 60 days after transplantation. Results showed significant effect of adding of solid and liquid organic fertilizer and spray with humic acid on plants and their interactions in the dry weight of the plant, weight yield, chlorophyll content and nutrient uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium absorbed in leaves. However, the highest plant yield was at 30 Mg.ha of organic fertilizers and liquid humic acid 10 ml.L and sprayed 10 ml.L of humic acid reached 2490 g.Plants with an increase of 192.94% compared to control treatment. And the interactions treatment gave higher of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake reached 259 kg N.ha, 69kg P.ha and 243 kg K.ha with an increase of 125.21%, 146.42 % and 73.57 % respectively. Keyword: Solid organic; Liquid organic; Humic acid; nutrient uptake; Cauliflower.


Megastigma-5,8-dien-4-one, an aroma constituent of the yellow passion fruit and Virginia tobacco

Preparative gas chromatography allowed isolation of megastigma-5, 8 (E)-dien-4-one (3) from small subfractions of both yellow passion fruit and Virginia tobacco condensates. Along with 3, the Z-isomer 4 occurs in the aroma of the yellow passion fruit. Both these novel flavor compounds were synthesized by a two-step, non-biomimetic route starting from 2, 6, 6-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one. The E-isomer 3 was also formed by acid-catalyzed dehydration/rearrangements of ionol- and damascol monoepoxides 5, 6, 7, 8 and hydroxy-ionols and -damascol 9, 10 and 11. Such a biomimetic conversion indirectly supports the assumption that 3 and 4 might originate from the oxidative degradation of carotenoid precursors possibly related to canthaxanthine.


Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and prosperity of modified intraperitoneal onlay mesh(IPOM) laparoscopic herniorrhaphy combined with sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of multiple groin hernias in the aged.Methods:Modified IPOM laparoscopic herniorrhaphy combined with sodium hyaluronate was perfomed in 50 aged patients with multiple groin hernias from Jan.2002 to Jan.2006,including 33 cases of bilateral hernia,9 cases of ipsilateral indirect hernia and direct hernia,6 cases of indirect hernia coexisted direct hernia at oppoise sides,2 cases of bilateral hernias coexisted direct hernia;8 cases of incarcerated hernia and 10 cases of recurrent inguinal hernia.Results:All the operations were compeleted successfully with little bleeding.Complications were not found.The operative time was 25-60min(average 40min).The hospitalization was 3-7days.The postoperative recovery was uneventful without infection, hematoma of the scrotum.No relapse and intestional adhesion was found during a twelve months to four years follow-up.Conclusions:Modified intraperitoneal onlay mesh laparoscopic herniorrhaphy combined with sodium hyaluronate may be a feasible,safe and effective procedure in the treatment of multiple groin hernias in the aged,with advantages of mini-invasion,simplicity of performance,quick recovery,low recurrent rate and no intestinal adhesion.


The existence of topological invariants analogous to Chern/Pontryagin classes for a standard SO(D) or SU(N) connection, but constructed out of the torsion tensor, is discussed. These invariants exhibit many of the features of the Chern/Pontryagin invariants: they can be expressed as integrals over the manifold of local densities and take integer values on compact spaces without boundary; their spectrum is determined by the homotopy groups πD−1(SO(D)) and πD−1(SO(D+1)). These invariants are not solely determined by the connection bundle but depend also on the bundle of local orthonormal frames on the tangent space of the manifold. It is shown that in spacetimes with nonvanishing torsion there can occur topologically stable configurations associated with the frame bundle which are independent of the curvature. Explicit examples of topologically stable configurations carrying nonvanishing instanton number in four and eight dimensions are given, and they can be conjectured to exist in dimension 4k. It is also...


A new trend in Business Intelligence is the process of combining information from two or more different and heterogeneous Data Warehouses. Existing solutions rely mostly on the Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) approach, a costly and laborious process. The process of Data Warehouse integration can be greatly simplified by developing methods to semi-automatically discover semantic mappings among attributes of two or more different, heterogeneous Data Warehouse schemas, like the one proposed in this paper.


This paper studies whether characteristics of polic y networks can help us understand policy change. The relation between policy networks and policy outputs is complex. I argue that taking into account the institutio nal context in which decision-making takes place allows underst anding which policy network structures favor major policy change and which ones breed outputs close to the st atus quo. The study analyzes how conflict, collabor ation, and power relations among coalitions of actors matter f or the understanding of policy change in an institu tional context of a consensus democracy. Empirically, I re ly on Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to conduct a cross-sector comparison between the 11 most important political decision-making processes in Switzerla nd between 2001 and 2006. Coalition structures with lo w conflict and strong collaboration among coalition s as well as structures with dominant coalitions and weak col laboration both facilitate major policy change. Com peting coalitions that are separated by strong conflict bu t still collaborate strongly produce policy outputs that are close to the status quo.


This paper discusses the main issues relating to the configuration and equipment which are to be provided in earth-stations for implementing satellite links with digital circuit multiplication (DCM). Such an implementation is possible using either FDMA/TDM/PSK (continuous) or TDMA/PSK (burst mode) carriers. The main accent will be put in the paper on earth-stations operating with FMDA/TDM/PSK carriers (called IDR carriers by INTELSAT).

As regards the RF/IF subsystem, it is shown that IDR and TDMA are very effective in terms of earth-station equipment as compared with conventional FDM/FM operation.

As regards the communication subsystem—independently of the DCM equipment proper—a compact terminal, integrating all the signal processing and baseband functions is described.


During present study, from 2004 to 2006 in Jammu District and 2006 to 2009 in Trikuta Hills, the impact of urbanization on carnivores was studied. Order carnivora is represented by 5 species. Their local and national/global status was also determined. It was also found that urbanization is taking place by leaps and bounds, which has affected wildlife of the area mostly by habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and noise. It has been found that the most affected order in the mammals is carnivora, because of the requirement of the larger habitat for fulfilling their needs.

 Key words: Trikuta Hills, carnivore, urbanization, Shivaliks, habitat fragmentation.


Abstract : The report develops a method to determine the sinuosity of rivers by which the following things are discovered: the amount of sinuosity (Si) as percentages, the quality of sinuosity (small sinuosity or river sinuosity, and great sinuosity or valley sinuosity) and how the sinuosity is distributed over different parts of the river. The rivers or their parts are classified on the basis of sinuosity to: very straight (Si < 20.0%), straight (20.0--29.9%), crooked (30.0--39.9%), sinuous (40.0--49.9%), and very sinuous (50.0% and more). 41 rivers in northern Finland were analyzed in this method. The straightest of these are the rivers discharging into the Arctic Ocean and the most sinuous are the rivers in the drainage area of the Kemijoki river. The sinuosity of rivers generally increases from the mouth to the upper course. The amount of sinuosity has no dependence e.g. on the gradient of the river but mainly on the topography of the crystalline bedrock in the investigated area. (Author)


From the perspective of landscape, it is important to evaluate the landscape sustainability of ecologically fragile areas and explore temporal and spatial evolution laws to promote their sustainable development. Presently, most studies on the analysis of landscape Boltzmann entropy (also called configurational entropy) are based on a single landscape, and most of these studies are theoretical discussions. However, there are few case studies on landscape ecology. The main objectives of this paper are to explore a quantitative relationship between Boltzmann entropy and landscape sustainability, to propose a method for evaluating landscape sustainability based on Boltzmann entropy, and to evaluate the sustainability of diverse landscapes in Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, China. This article uses digital elevation model (DEM) data with a spatial resolution of 30 m in Mizhi County. The remote sensing data on Mizhi County from 2000 were obtained by the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) + sensor, and the high-resolution image of Mizhi County from 2015 was obtained by the Gaofen-1 satellite. In this article, the subbasins are taken as the evaluation unit, and the Boltzmann entropy of Mizhi County is calculated based on the experts' scoring of landscape sustainability in the study area. Through the analysis of landscape sustainability results from 216 subbasins in Mizhi County in 2000 and 2015, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) the evaluation matrix proposed in this paper is effective, and the Boltzmann entropy obtained by this method can directly reflect the level of landscape sustainability; (2) during the research period, the landscape sustainability of Mizhi County showed a good trend overall, especially the three townships of Taozhen, Shadian, and Shigou, which were significantly improved, and these findings were consistent with the field investigation; (3) on the spatial level, the landscape sustainability of mid-eastern Mizhi County is relatively poor compared to that in other regions, but the sustainability is also slowly increasing.


THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO PRESENT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A HARD KILL MATERIAL REMOVAL ALGORITHM IN A STANDARD BEM FORMULATION. A TOPOLOGICAL-SHAPE SENSITIVITY APPROACH IS USED TO SELECT THE POINTS SHOWING THE LOWEST SENSITIVITIES, WHERE MATERIAL IS REMOVED BY OPENING A CAVITY. AS THE ITERATIVE PROCESS EVOLUTES, THE ORIGINAL DOMAIN HAS HOLES PROGRESSIVELY PUNCHED OUT, UNTIL A GIVEN STOP CRITERIA IS ACHIEVED. BENCHMARKS OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELASTICITY ARE PRESENTED AND ANALYZED. BECAUSE THE BEM DOES NOT EMPLOY DOMAIN MESHES IN LINEAR CASES, THE RESULTING TOPOLOGIES ARE COMPLETELY DEVOID OF INTERMEDIARY MATERIAL DENSITIES. THE RESULTS OBTAINED SHOWED THAT THE MATERIAL REMOVAL STRATEGY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE GENERATION OF QUALITY RESULTS. ALTHOUGH THE DRAWBACKS OF HARD-KILL METHODS ARE STILL PRESENT, THE PRESENT APPROACH OPENS AN INTERESTING FIELD OF INVESTIGATION FOR INTEGRAL EQUATION METHODS, SO FAR ACCOMPLISHED ONLY WITHIN THE FINITE ELEMENT METHODS CONTEXT.


Results of studies of peculiarities of disturbances in urination in pregnant women and in puerperal period have been specified in the article. The findings obtained support the fact that pregnancy and giving birth to a large fetus tend to favor appearance of disturbances in urination that can be registered within the course of pregnancy and after giving birth to a child.


For many real-time signal processing applications, fast and numerically stable algorithms for solving least-squares problems are necessary and important. In particular, under non-stationary conditions, these algorithms must be able to adapt themselves to reflect the changes in the system and take appropriate adjustments to achieve optimum performances. Among existing algorithms, the QR-decomposition (QRD)-based recursive least-squares (RLS) methods have been shown to be useful and effective for adaptive signal processing in modern communications, radar, and sonar systems.
In order to increase the speed of processing and achieve high throughput rate, many algorithms are being vectorized and/or pipelined to facilitate high degrees of parallelism. A time-recursive formulation of RLS filtering employing block QRD will be considered first. Several methods including a new non-continuous windowing scheme based on selectively rejecting contaminated data have been investigated for adaptive processing.
Based on systolic triarrays initiated by Gentleman/Kung and McWhirter, many other forms of systolic arrays are shown to be capable of implementing different algorithms. Various updating and downdating systolic algorithms and architectures for RLS filtering are examined and compared in details, which include Householder reflector, Gram-Schmidt procedure, and Givens rotation. A unified approach encompassing existing square-root-free algorithms is also proposed.
For the sinusoidal spectrum estimation problem, a judicious method of separating the noise from the signal is of great interest. Various truncated QR methods are proposed for this purpose and compared to the truncated SVD method. Computer simulations provided for detailed comparisons show the effectiveness of these methods.
This thesis deals with fundamental issues of numerical stability, computational efficiency, adaptivity, and VLSI implementation for the RLS filtering problems. In all, various new and modified algorithms and architectures are proposed and analyzed; the significance of any of the new method depends crucially on specific application.


A parametric study is presented of CVD and RF sputter deposited
 SiO 2 and PSG dielectric caps for incoherent lamp annealing of
 InP. Both deposition and annealing parameters are studied. We observe that
 CVD caps provide reliable mechanical protection during lamp annealing up to
 maximum bulk temperatures of 830°C, while sputtered deposited
 SiO 2 caps perform well ,up to 850°C. We find however that
 sputter deposited caps introduce process related conduction into both
 unimplanted and implanted semi-insulating InP. Electrical activation of
 implanted dopants is also studied as a function of capping technioue. Lamp
 annealing of InP protected by caps with CVD phosphorus doped SiO 2 in contact with the InP surface, results in excellent activation
 efficiencies in Si + implanted material. When properly capped and
 annealed, we observe electrical profiles whose shape more nearly approaches
 theoretical LSS, than those previously reported.


Following the uplift of the Tibet Plateau and the continuous subduction of the Pacific Plate, graben faulting began to appear around the Ordos Block in the Cenozoic. The Hetao Basin is a Cenozoic rift basin between the Ordos Block and the Yinshan Mountains, and Late Quaternary sedimentary strata, which have lacustrine facies, are widely distributed inside this basin. However, the evolution of the Hetao Basin and its related fault systems has been debated for a long time due to the lack of tectonic evidence. In this study, four sections named Haolaigou, Bianqianghao, Huhesala, and Hazigai are selected along the north margin of the Hetao Basin. With the lithology and structural analysis of the Upper Pleistocene series in these sections, two new angular unconformities are found within the 10 m thick sedimentary sequence of the lacustrine sediments. Based on the dating results, we speculate that these two upper and lower angular unconformities are formed between 33 ka BP and 40 ka BP, and 60 ka BP and 80 ka BP, respectively. The angular unconformities also provide tectonic constraints for the latest and ongoing tectonic activity in the Quaternary. This tectonic movement begins at around 80 ka BP and causes two different unconformities of the lower strata with varying degrees of deformation (tilt) but also leads to the final death of the ancient lake.


Although triglyceride (TG) storage in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs) in hepatocytes is well accepted, it remains controversial whether enterocytes store TG in CLDs during normal dietary fat absorption. Herein coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy was applied to directly visualize TG accumulation in enterocytes based on the resonant CARS signal from symmetric CH2 stretch vibration. Small intestinal tissues from C57BL/6J mice fed 0, 50, or 300 μL olive oil were examined. CLDs were observed in CARS images. TG storage as a function of digestion time and location were quantified by image‐J analysis and confirmed with a biochemical assay. Combined CARS and two‐photon‐excited fluorescence imaging of individual isolated enterocytes revealed that CLDs are located adjacent to the Golgi complex towards the apical side. In addition, in two mouse models with perturbation of chylomicron secretion, diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 deficient and PL81‐treated mice, CARS images of enterocytes confirmed increases in CLDs in enterocytes. Taken together, these results demonstrate storage of TGs in CLDs within enterocytes during dietary fat absorption. Further study of the formation, trafficking, and lipolysis of CLDs in enterocytes would deepen the current understanding of dietary fat absorption and facilitate the development of new therapeutic methods for fighting obesity.


According to the double-track high-speed railway tunnel,the formation and development of pressure arch are studied. The conclusions of the research are as follows. 1) The pressure arch evolution law is divided into three stages,namely the outer-boundary-forming phase,the inner-boundary-connecting phase and the inner-and-outer-boundaries-developing phase. 2) For unfavourable rock,appropriate advanced support measures should be taken in the first phase to prevent the connection of the disturbed zone around the tunnel area. 3) To ensure the safety of the construction process,the length of advanced support should be longer than the tunnel span and its support range should be more than 180°. The results can provide references to determine the timing and support range of the advanced supports,and have an important guiding significance to the support design and construction of the tunnel.


Very low-frequency (VLF) communication signals of 15–25 kHz contaminate the transient electromagnetic (TEM) data. The notch filter or Butterworth filter is commonly used to suppress VLF noise in addition to synchronous detection of TEM data such as gating and stacking, while also introducing the TEM signal distortion around the VLF band. We propose a B-spline gating, which suppresses the VLF noise while integrating TEM data in the gate interval without any extra filter. B-spline gating is designed to ensure that the zeros of its amplitude frequency response (AFR) are located around VLF frequencies by optimizing the knot vector of the B-spline. It is available for various VLF frequencies. We apply B-spline gating to synthetic TEM data compared with rectangular gating and full-tapered gating, the AFRs of B-spline and full-tapered gating are 25 dB lower at high frequencies than rectangular gating, and the amplitude of B-spline is more reduced at VLF frequency than full-tapered gating; the standard error of the B-spline gates is reduced by >15% compared to the full-tapered gates. The field example from a TEM survey in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China shows that the amplitude of B-spline gating frequency response in late gates is reduced by about 20 dB at 24.1 kHz VLF than that of full-tapered gating, and the standard error is lower. It is concluded that B-spline gating can suppress VLF noise while following the normal decay of TEM signal without distortion.


Electrochemical dealloying of a single-phase Al2Au alloy in sodium chloride solutions has been investigated considering influence of potential and electrolyte concentration. Both open-circuit potentials and corrosion potentials of Al2Au decrease with increasing electrolyte concentration and temperature. The overpotential and electrolyte concentration have a significant influence on dealloying behaviors of Al2Au, such as steady-state current density and dealloying duration. Nanoporous gold (NPG) can be fabricated by potentiostatic dealloying of Al2Au in the NaCl solutions. Moreover, surface diffusion evaluation demonstrates that there exist good linear relationships between the logarithm of surface diffusivities of Au adatoms (Auad) and overpotential, and between the surface diffusivities of Auad and electrolyte concentration. In addition, the activation energy decreases with increasing overpotential or chloride ion concentration.


Topical corticosteroids are used to suppress inflammation in several inflammatory and allergic eye diseases, and to reduce post-traumatic inflammation after many eye operations. Unfortunately they can also aggravate herpes simplex keratitis and increase intraocular pressure. This article discusses how to avoid these serious effects.


The purpose of this review is, initially, to emphasize the importance of geoenvironmental education for the promotion and preservation of geological heritage and geoethical values, and based on these, to present the current situation in Greece. Geoeducation is a broader component of environmental education which aims to promote the geological heritage of a place and its geoconservation. It is a key integral tool for tackling environmental issues and therefore further assisting in sustainable development. Greece is known for its exceptional and rare natural beauty, as well as for the abundance of natural resources and its remarkable geological features. For this reason, six global geoparks have already been established in this country. However, its nature protection is mainly considered as the protection of biodiversity, while the term "geodiversity" is almost absent in Greek law. The importance of establishing a legal framework for the protection of geotopes is underlined by the fact that their promotion and rational management create opportunities for sustainable development, as well as to become quality tourist destinations (geotourism) through nature protection and education. Geodiversity can gain public attention and have a positive impact on geotopes protection. Such initiatives can not only improve the protection of geological sites, but also play an important role in their sustainable development.


Background: Normal bladder function is necessary for micturition. Many causes such as urinary tract infection, bladder outlet obstruction, and neuropathic bladder can influence bladder wall thickness (BWT).This study was designed to determine normal BWT in Iranian children. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done in Isfahan in 2012 comprising 82 children aged 2-14 years without any urinary complaint. We measured thickness of posterior and lateral walls of the bladder in all children. Mean bladder wall thickness (MBWT) and mean bladder volume (BV) were also calculated. Results: In this study, we included 82 children (40 boys and 42 girls). Patients′ mean age was 6.43 ± 2.89 years, mean weight was 21.32 ± 8.40 kg, mean height was 111.57 ± 20.51 cm, and mean Body Mass Index was 17.12 ± 4.93. Mean lateral bladder wall thickness (LBWT) was 1.75 ± 0.32 mm and mean posterior bladder wall thickness (PBWT) was 1.59 ± 0.34 mm. Mean BV was 111.65 ± 72.11 ml and MBWT was 1.67 ± 0.28 mm. BVW all Index (BVWI) was 1249.05 ± 701.67. Conclusions: LBWT was1.75 ± 0.32 mm and PBWT was 1.59 ± 0.34 mm.


Insect Vectors; Ecosystem; Demography. Insectos Vectores; Ecosistema; Demografía. The aim of this work was to survey Culicoides Latreille fauna and to record their seasonal abundance in a beach area from the village of Alter do Chão (Municipality of Santarém, Pará State, Brazil). Collections were made monthly between May 2006 and April 2007 using CDC light trap and human attraction. A total of 58 specimens were collected belonging to five species: C. crucifer Clastrier, C. insinuatus Ortiz & Leon, and C. fusipalpis Wirth & Blanton species were collected while biting humans; C. insignis Lutz was collected by CDC light trap. C. ruizi Forattini midges were collected utilizing both methods. The most abundant human-biting species collected was C. crucifer, while C. insignis was the predominant species collected using CDC light traps. The greatest incidence of Culicoides occurred in October 2006. During the survey, no correlation between climatic factors and the number of Culicoides collected each month was observed using the Spearman coefficient.


We report here the lateral cavity size scaling and confinement effects on the lasing performance in defect-free photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSEL) on silicon substrates. Hybrid PCSELs with different lateral cavity sizes and different lateral confinement geometries have been fabricated using transfer printing technology and controlled selective etching. The measured lasing properties show a strong dependence on the lateral cavity size below 100 μm. In particular, the finite lateral dimension significantly affects the laser threshold and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the PCSEL devices. On the other hand, by controlling the lateral confinement using vertical etching, a reduction of the laser threshold is observed. The experimental results agree well with theoretical predictions. The work presented here can lead to ultra-compact PCSELs for on-chip integration with excellent energy efficiency.


Sports injuries have been reported with growing rate in a quest to identify patterns by which they can be predicted and prevented. Injury investigation in cricket has been started for almost twenty years. Objective: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal sports injuries of head, neck and upper limb among cricket players. Methods: It was a Cross-sectional study. Data were taken from 180 selected cricket players from different cricket academies, clubs of Lahore Pakistan. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 and with a self-generated questionnaire. Results: This study showed very low prevalence of head and neck injuries which is 5.6 % and very high prevalence of shoulder injuries are seen in this study which is 77.78 %. Elbow injuries are seen 19.4 % while there is a significant association between type of cricketers and shoulder pain. Conclusions: The prevalence of musculoskeletal sports injuries found very high in shoulder joint, then in elbow joint and then in head and neck which has affected their performance. Study also showed a significant correlation between the type of players and shoulder pain


A population survey was performed to estimate the prevalence of vertebral fractures in women aged 45–69 and to determine their relationship to bone density and symptoms. Subjects were 1035 women aged 45–69 (mean 55.4 years, response rate 77%) from the age‐sex register of a large 11,000‐person general practice in Chingford, London. Thoracic and lumbar spine x‐rays were read by a semiautomated quantitative method. Vertebral fractures were diagnosed using a variety of morphometric methods, including a new method we recently developed and the published methods of Melton and Eastell. These methods all detect abnormal ratios between anterior, central, or posterior vertebral height and between observed posterior vertebral height and values predicted from the posterior height of adjacent vertebrae. Bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine L1–4 and neck of femur was measured by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Using our method, 147, 14.2% (95% CI 12.0–16.2%) of the 1035 women, had minor fractures (at least two vertebral ratios 2–2.99 SD below the mean) and 20, 1.9% (95% CI 1.2–3.0%) of the total, had severe fractures (at least two ratios more than 3 SD below the mean). In the 147 women with minor fractures, bone density of the spine was not significantly lower than in the other 868 women, and reported back pain or loss of height was no more common. Women with multiple minor fractures did have lower bone density, by 0.4 SD. In the 20 women with severe fracture, bone density was significantly lower, by 0.6 SD. Loss of height was more common, but back pain was not. Using the method of Melton the prevalence of deformity was 10.2% and, for the Eastell 3 and 4 SD method, 9.7 and 1.3%, respectively, which is similar to published data from the Rochester population. Minor vertebral deformities are common in postmenopausal women, but they are not usually associated with pain, loss of height, or (unless multiple) reduced bone density. This suggests that they may not be of clinical or pathologic importance. Severe deformities associated with low bone density are rare in U.K. women under the age of 70.


The Health Geographical Information System (GIS) has been used in many organizations for the management and visualization of public health data. As epidemiology information has become a part of health data repository in the health data management system, many health researchers have dedicated their research areas to geographical epidemiology information analysis and visualization. The Population Health Epidemiology Unit of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in Tasmania uses the web-based epidemiology system ('WebEpi') to conduct monitoring and surveillance of the health of Tasmanian population. In this paper, the epidemiology data Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analysis methodology and Google Maps services techniques of WebEpi are presented. SOM has been used as a tool to recognize patterns with data sets measuring epidemiology data and related geographical information. Google Maps services offer Web GIS Application Programming Interface (API) and GIS views. The integration of SOM and Google Maps facilitates the epidemiology data pattern recognition and geo-visualization which enables health research to be conducted in a novel and effective way.


Family was regarded as only civil subject in Rome society.After it,natural person and juridical person were recognized two subjects gradually,and family step down from the stage of history in this process.However,function of family in economic activity can not be ignored.Relatively speaking of family member,family has certain organizing performance and property is independent,as well as can bear the property liability independently.Family is independent,so law should endow it civil subject station.