Objective:To evaluate the treatment efficacy of paradoxical embolism (PDE) originated from pulmonary embolism (PE),and to explorer the diagnosis and differential diagnosis characteristics of PDE.Method:Retrospectively review the data of 6 PDE originated from PE treated in Anzhen Hospital between February 1999 and January 2007, all of which were treated through different thrombolysis and anticoagulant regimen according the target organ of PDE, and the PFO or ASD were closed surgically or interventional in 5.Result:All of the PDE recovered from the acute phase. Three PFO and one ASD were closed interventional through Amplatzer devices, and one PFO was closed during pulmonary thromboendarterectomy procedure, and one PFO was left unattended. There were no recurrence in the 5 cases of PDE whose interatrial shunts were closed, but there was a recurrence in the one whose interatrial shunt wasn't closed.Conclusion:1.If brain is the target organ of the PDE, it is imperative to discriminate if there is bleeding foci after the brain embolism, and to or not to initiate thrombolysis and anticoagulant regimen to treat the PDE. For non-brain target organ of PDE, it was also imperative to initiate thrombolysis and anticoagulant regimen immediately and accordingly. 2. The surgical or interventional closure of the interatrium shunt was the necessary measure to prevent PDE recurrence.


【Objective】To investigate the effect of Panaxadiol Saponin(PDS)on severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).【Methods】One hundred and twenty SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,SAP model group,PDS treated group and dexamethasone treated group.There were 30 rats in each group.Rats in each group were killed 6,12 and 24h(10 rats for each time point) after operation to determine serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-8.The pancreas tissues of the rats 6h after operation were obtained to examine histopathological changes and the expression of COX-2 by HE dyeing and immunohistochemical assay respectively.【Results】The pancreas tissues in sham operation group had no obvious changes.There were pancreas tissue necrosis,blood vessel breach and bleeding and inflammation cell infiltration in SAP model group.The changes in PDS and dexamethasone treated group were less than those in SAP model group.Serum IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-8 levels in SAP model group were higher than those in sham operation group,PDS and dexamethasone treated group(P0.01,P0.05).The expression of COX2 in SAP model group,PDS and dexamethasone treated group was 90%,60% and 50% respectively.The expression of COX-2 in SAP model group was higher than that of PDS and dexamethasone treated group(P0.05).【Conclusion】IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-8 mediate the development of SAP and increase the expression of COX-2 in SAP.PDS can reduce the inflammatory response of SAP by inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors.


Calprotectin is a heterodimer of calcium-binding proteins released from polymorphic nucleated cells and monocytes upon cellular activation (or death) at sites of active inflammation. It is present in plasma and faeces and said to be highly stable in faeces after collection. The symptoms of functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and organic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be very similar, but these are two very different clinical conditions. Recent guidelines from NICE state that faecal calprotectin testing is recommended as an option to support clinicians with the differential diagnosis of IBD or IBS in adults with recent onset lower gastrointestinal symptoms for whom specialist assessment is being considered, if cancer is not suspected, having considered the risk factors (for example, age), and appropriate quality assurance processes and locally agreed care pathways are in place for the testing. This guidance has led to an explosion in requests for calprotectin. Calprotectin is also becoming widely used in monitoring treatment of IBD. A number of methods for measurement of calprotectin are available, including point-of-care tests. However, there are still many problems associated with the assays, particularly the pre-analytical aspects. Moreover, the setting of appropriate cut-off concentrations is still much debated.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the central nervous system processing of orofacial pain patients who might have atypical pain (group 1) after occlusal treatment with those patients who had synovitis pain of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) (group 2).

METHODS
Seven patients in each group were included in this study. Ten painless normal subjects (group 3) were employed as a control group. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to observe the activation of the brain evoked by clenching. The fMRI data were treated statistically as the result of each group.

RESULTS
The main active regions of three groups were different. The main active regions of the group 1 were bilateral thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex. The group 2 activated a quite different pain network, including postcentral gyrus, cingulate gyrus and prefrontal cortices.

CONCLUSIONS
The pain network is different between the two groups of pain patients and the pain network is more sensitive in atypical pain patients than in synovitis pain patients.


This paper proposed and discussed the new structure of halfring AMC for RFID application. The use of AMC is designed to overcome the problem of cancellation of the image current by redirecting back the electromagnetic wave reflected by the metal plate. Low profile dipole antenna is used to represent the RFID transponder. Three size of optimized AMC is presented to study the characteristics of the halfring AMC. The best result obtained by implementing the optimized halfring in lamda, λ and half-lamda, 1/2λ size. The gain is higher than 7dB with return loss of -16dB proved that this structure can be used onto the RFID technology system for metal or non-metal object.


The paper presents a novel implementation of the genetic algorithm in combination with beam search for gate matrix layout. This is a permutation problem, for which the traditional genetic crossover operator results in repetition of gates, and therefore the GA is not applicable without modification. However, the GA is a very efficient stochastic optimisation technique, and is easily parallelisable. To adapt it to the gate matrix layout problem, the principles of beam search have been used. The gates are ranked according to their connectivity with each other, and the ranks of the gates to be placed next to each other are picked by the GA. A beam value is used to restrict the ranks of the gates placed next to each other to a low value. This reduces the search space to be explored, and thus results in a more efficient search. The algorithm produces better results compared to a graph-theoretic approach on published netlists.


The conditions of the manufacture technology and the product quality of LCBR in the world were summarized.The reasons of these quality problems,such as the yellowing of externality,high gel percent and high volatility,were found out by experiment study and theory analysis.


In this research, we focus on how to track a target region that lies next to similar regions (e.g. a forearm and an upper arm) in zoomin images. Many previous tracking methods express the target region (i.e. a part in a human body) with a single model such as an ellipse, a rectangle, and a deformable closed region. With the single model, however, it is difficult to track the target region in zoom-in images without confusing it and its neighboring similar regions (e.g. "a forearm and an upper arm" and "a small region in a torso and its neighboring regions") because they might have the same texture patterns and do not have the detectable border between them. In our method, a group of feature points in a target region is extracted and tracked as the model of the target. Small differences between the neighboring regions can be verified by focusing only on the feature points. In addition, (1) the stability of tracking is improved using particle filtering and (2) tracking robust to occlusions is realized by removing unreliable points using random sampling. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method even when occlusions occur. key words: real-time tracking, zoom-in camera, point-set tracking


The role of underfills is expanding from preserving solder joint reliability to also protecting fragile low-k chip dielectric layers. Traditionally, solder joints required stiff and rigid underfills. Today, low-k layers require more compliant underfill properties. Further complexity comes from the migration to Pb-free solders and changes in chip carrier materials. The myriad of candidates prohibits long term reliability testing of module hardware for every available underfill. A sequential three phase selection strategy is used to characterize and systematically eliminate undesirable candidates and to identify the few favorable underfills that have a high probability of successfully meeting module reliability requirements. The process includes use of industry practices as well as internally developed characterization methods. From an initial list of 20, the selection process identified five underfills for package qualification testing


Bycatch has become one of the most pressing fishery management issues of our time. Bycatch, which is defined as the part of the capture that is discarded dead (Hall 1996), occurs because most fishing technologies cannot be perfectly selective in targeting the desired species. Bycatch affects nontarget fish species, juvenile target fish species, and other nonfish species (Alverson and Hughes 1996). Discarding occurs for a number of reasons: economic (low price, no market, lack of storage space, quality, high-grading), quotas are reached, or regulations prohibit the particular species, age, size, gear, or season. I Besides the issue of waste inherent in bycatch, particular concerns arise when the bycatch is a long-lived species with low reproductive rates, particularly if the species is threatened or endan gered. Bycatch ofmarine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles is currently one ofthe significant drivers of fisheries management in several cases et al. 2000). Bycatch of particular species may have impacts on the ecosystem and biodiversity, such as removal of top-level predators or of prey. Bycatch has negative impacts on fishers as well. It can be a source of conflict, creates a bad image with consumers, leads to restrictive regulations, and can decrease profit because of the time that must be spent separating the bycatch from the fish to be retained. In addition, ifbycatch is mainly ju veniles ofthe target species, it can lead to a decline in the resource of interest. Objectives of bycatch management, therefore, can be diverse: avoiding severe depletion of a species, retaining the basic structure and functioning ofecosystems, reducing waste in fisheries, reducing interactions between fisheries, keeping fisheries open, and rebuilding depleted popUlations.


Bacteriocins are proteins or protein complexes with antibacterial activity against a number of other species related or not concerning to the bacteriocine producing bacterium. Their effect can be at the DNA level, synthesis of protein. They produced by some lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were contribute to control several pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms [1]. These protein complexes have benefit use due to their potential usefulness as natural food preservatives, in addition to promoting good health. Many LAB, including members of these genera Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus and Pediococcus are known to secrete bacteriocins [2]. Three types of bacteriocins operons are found in the LAB, one are located on the bacterial chromosome, another on are located on the bacteria plasmid and the other one was carried on transposon. Bacteriocins operons Class I and Class II are described as a small heat stable peptides. The mutacin II and mutacin III genes that produced by Streptococcus mutans are considered one of the bacterial chromosome antibiotic genes examples [3]. Many cases of Chromosomal location are found in the class II bacteriocins operons, such as enterocins A and B that produced by Enterococcus faecium [4, 5]. In previous study, Abdelhadi et al. [6] identified two bacteriocins bacterial strains; Pediococcus pentosaceus AH1 and Enterococcus faecium AH2. This work aimed to Food bio preservation is of major interest in the food industry. Many types of antimicrobial compounds can be produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), including bacteriocins. Bacteriocins increase the shelf-life of food by decreasing some food-borne diseases. In this study, a multi-coding sequence of bacteriocin genes was used for primer design to produce bacteriocin genes in Enterococcus faecium AH2 strain and Pediococcus pentosaceus AH1. Multi-coding sequences were aligned to detect conserved sequences in the bacteriocin gene. Eight genes encoding proteins involved in bacteriocin production were isolated and sequenced, including six from E. faecium AH2 (entA, entI, entF, entR, orfA2, orfA3) and two from P. pentoceseus AH1 (papA, pedB), and all gene sequences were deposited in the Gen Bank database under accession numbers LC064146–LC064151, LC101300, and LC101789, respectively. P. pentosaceus AH1 and E. faecium AH2 strains displayed bacteriocin activities of 2610 AU mLand 690 AU mLand inhibition zones of 26 mm and 19 mm, respectively. Overexpression of entA in E. faecium AH2 increased the bacteriocin and antimicrobial activities.


This study examines the relationship among financing decisions, investment decisions, cash dividends and earning for the aggregate stock market in Taiwan and China. According to Granger causality method, the multivariate vector autoregression and the Likelihood Ratio test, the dynamic relationship among them are investigated using the data of manufacturing firms. The empirical findings on the manufacturing firm of Taiwan indicate that (i) financing decision has relation with investment decision and earnings; (ii) dividend decision is the function of financing decision (iii) earning is the function of dividend decision and investment decision. There is no casual relationship from investment to financing, dividend to earning and financing to dividend. However, in case of manufacturing firm of China, (i) dividend decision is the function of investment decision (ii) investment decision is the function of earnings and financing decision (iii) earnings are the function of dividend decision, investment decision and financing decision. There is no interrelationship between dividend decision and earnings. However, there is an interrelationship between investment decision and earnings. There is also casual relationship between investment and financing decision and earning and financing decision. The major finding is that there is relationship among earnings, investment decision and cash dividend in both Taiwan and China, implying that firms have adopt suitable investment decision, dividend policies and adjust cash dividends for the expectations of earnings. So the policy decision to be particularly effective, decision makers must recognize these relevant cooperate decisions and thus makes the right choice to achieve desired objectives.


China's inflation rate jumped to a new decade high of 8.7 percent in February 2008,its highest rate in a decade,the Chinese economy suffered the fluctuations for various reasons last year.We should research this problem in order to preserving and increasing the value of capital in this paper.


Information-Centric Networking (ICN) enables caching of addressable content chunks in every cache-equipped router. So it is crucial to make the cached content to be visible locally, in order to satisfy the subsequent request. We achieve this goal in this paper with a novel caching scheme, which combines the content placement with dynamic request routing by selectively creating trails along the content delivery path. In addition, in-network caching requires search or replacement of cached chunks at line-speed, which resorts to the low complexity collaborative caching scheme and limits the cache size at each network level. Coordinate with the feasible cache size allocation, the proposed scheme automatically distributes the content to the proper cache location according to its popularity. Therefore, the proposed self assembly caching scheme could reduce caching redundancy and in turn, make more efficient utilization of available cache resources. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms existing algorithms.


The contact between two layers of double-chained C18 surfactants adsorbed on silica has been investigated. Using a custom-made surface forces apparatus with high stiffness, we have studied the process of (1) compression and collapse of the layers and (2) surface separation after layer collapse. A continuum mechanics model accounts for the compression and collapse of the surfactant layers. The layer compressibility and molecular energy of rupture can be inferred directly. When the surfaces are rinsed in deionized water, an intriguing structural force is observed: the resulting attractive interaction induces the diffusion of surfactant to the contact area, with the gradual buildup of a capillary bridge of the pure smectic phase of the surfactant. Models are proposed to analyze the force profile.


Understanding the basic structure-function relationships that guide the biology of various pathogenic viruses is the cornerstone in the development of antiviral therapies. One group of highly pathogenic viruses, which desperately needs novel antiviral therapies, are Negative Strand RNA viruses. This group of viruses contains some of the most highly pathogenic and pandemic viruses known: like Ebola, Influenza, Marburg, and Rabies viruses. Between 2013 and 2016, during the latest endemic outbreak of Ebola, the World Health Organization estimated that it caused over 11,000 deaths. However, without in-depth understanding of the basic science that guides the replication of these viruses, design of targeted therapies is hard. Utilizing the model virus for Negative Strand RNA viruses, Vesicular Stomatitis virus, this work studies the structure-function relationships of the nucleocapsid protein. Since the nucleocapsid encapsulates the virus' genomic material this protein is increasingly important study. Furthermore, the virus cannot undergo replication if the polymerase does not recognize the nucleocapsid for viral RNA synthesis. This work takes a three-pronged approach when investigating the nucleocapsid: development of a novel antiviral to target the nucleocapsid, the use of structural information to study the possible interactions between the nucleocapsid and the polymerase, and a study of the genomic constraints placed on polymerase activity by the nucleocapsid. Utilizing an already characterized class of compounds, polyamides, we showed that it is possible to target the genomic RNA in the nucleocapsid of a Negative Strand RNA virus and inhibit viral replication. This is the first known instance of this occurring in Negative Strand RNA viruses. To examine the structural interactions between the nucleocapsid and the polymerase a flexible loop was hypothesized to be integral toward the formation of an active polymerase complex. Alanine scanning deletions yielded an abolishment in polymerase activity, which could be restored after compensatory mutations were allowed to occur. Finally, the nucleotide content sequestered within the nucleocapsid has a direct effect on the processivity of the polymerase complex, and ushers in a paradigm changing model for how one examines Negative Strand RNA virus activity and the evolutionary constraints placed on the genomic RNA. Merging the findings of these studies together, understanding the structure-function relationships of the nucleocapsid can yield a lot of knowledge about the viral life-cycle of the entire Negative Stranded RNA virus family. INDEX WORDS: Negative Strand RNA virus, Nucleocapsid, Antiviral therapies, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS OF THE NUCLEOCAPSID IN VESICULAR


An important problem in psychology is the relationship between the overt indicator of an experience and the experience. The problem is considered in the context of a time estimation experiment. If S makes a numerical estimate of an elapsed time interval and then makes a retrospective judgment of the accuracy of that estimate, does the accuracy judgment increase information about the temporal experience? 244 undergraduates estimated in minutes the time spent listening to a 20-min. recording of random digits coming one per second. Ss listened for the digit six and recorded the digit following it whenever the six appeared. Estimates were made at the condusion of the recording. Immediarely after the estimate S judged the accuracy of the estimate by selecting an alternative from the following set: ( a ) a litrle high, ( b ) a little low, (c) pretty high, ( d ) pretty low, ( e ) about right. Ss were divided into five groups on the basis of the alternative selected. Table 1 shows the mean estimate for each group. There is good correspondence between the


i H E IMPORTANT RELATION between rheumatoid arthritis and the emotional life of the patient has been widely reported. Little has been written, however, regarding the emotional reactions of arthritics undergoing ACTH therapy. This paper reports a study of the personality pattern of these patients before treatment with ACTH and the changes in these patterns during treatment and after withdrawal of the drug. The patients, twentyone men and women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and one woman with "pseudo rheumatism," were studied through interviews with psychiatrists and social workers and a batter of psychological tests.


Harris notes that the New Ethnography has been characterized by a lack of quantitative methods. In a study of racial vocabulary in a Brazilian village, quantitative procedures are employed to show that, despite considerable ambiquity, a small portion of the corpus of 116 terms forms the cognitive map of most informants and organizes the bulk of the domain. Data on how children acquire the vocabulary is used to demonstrate that skin color and hair form are the primary variables.


Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention for a lesion in the ostial left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) is challenging and the optimal stenting strategy remains unclear. We compared crossover stenting from the left main trunk (LMT) to the LCX with ostial stenting in the LCX.

Methods: From October 2004 to May 2012, 61 lesions were successfully treated with drug-eluting stent: 39 lesions with LMT-LCX crossover stenting and 22 lesions with ostial LCX stenting. The follow-up angiography was performed at 8 months after procedure. Exclusion criteria included the following: bare metal stenting, hybrid stenting, in-stent restenosis at the ostial site of the LCX, trifurcation lesions, and previous LMT to left anterior descending coronary artery crossover stenting. The primary endpoints of our study were main and side branch restenoses and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 8-month follow-up.

Results: In LMT-LCX crossover stenting and ostial LCX stenting, the restenosis rates were 20.5% (8/39) and 40.1% (9/22) (p=0.008), the TLR rates were 12.8% (5/39) and 36.4% (8/22) (p=0.0031), and the clinically driven TLR rates were 7.7% (3/39) and 13.7% (3/22) (p=03458).

![Figure][1]

Angiographical data

Conclusion: The TLR rate was higher in ostial LCX stenting than in LMT-LCX crossover stenting. LMT-LCX crossover stenting may be more favorable if possible.

 [1]: pending:yes


Abstract This paper describes a new Slovak speech recognition dedicated corpus built from TEDx talks and Jump Slovakia lectures. The proposed speech database consists of 220 talks and lectures in total duration of about 58 hours. Annotated speech database was generated automatically in an unsupervised manner by using acoustic speech segmentation based on principal component analysis and automatic speech transcription using two complementary speech recognition systems. The evaluation data consisting of 50 manually annotated talks and lectures in total duration of about 12 hours, has been created for evaluation of the quality of Slovak speech recognition. By unsupervised automatic annotation of TEDx talks and Jump Slovakia lectures we have obtained 21.26% of new speech segments with approximately 9.44% word error rate, suitable for retraining or adaptation of acoustic models trained beforehand.


This document contains the Business Plan El Limonar Real Estate Project, the same that is located in the Metropolitan District of Quito, in Tumbaco, in La Morita neighborhood, on Manuel Aguirre Street. The project has its main socioeconomic level target the typical middle class, offering customers the chance to live in a modern housing complex of 39 housing units, immersed in an atmosphere of tranquility, comfort, security and close to all the attractions and amenities Quito as a city can offer.
 This document presents all the technical and economic analysis to ensure its viability; and achieve a product with a high standard of quality that is desirable for the end client and the potential investor.
This paper presents a comprehensive financial analysis of the most representative mathematical variables that have a direct influence on the financial performance of the investment to be made.


Storage and transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) has a huge medical and economic impact. Routine storage practices can be ameliorated through the implementation of novel additive solutions (ASs) that tackle the accumulation of biochemical and morphologic lesion during routine cold liquid storage in the blood bank, such as the recently introduced alkaline solution AS‐7. Here we hypothesize that AS‐7 might exert its beneficial effects through metabolic modulation during routine storage.


A new signal processing algorithm based on a Wavelet Transform is proposed for time delay estimation in acoustic elastography. The proposed estimator using correlation coefficient as a measure of the similarity of the two signal waveforms are reasonable. And we select the wavelet function most similar to the simulated ultrasonic signal as the mother wavelet. The practical simulation shows that the algorithm offers higher noise suppression capability and is able to implement ultrasonic signal time delay estimation.


The present invention relates to a method for diagnosis and / or screening targeted at sleep apnea, kits, apparatus, and system. More particularly, the present invention comprises performing an analysis that target markers indicative of sleep apnea.


A generalstudyof theeffectof line loadingon the responseof mho elementsothreverse faultshas necessitated thedevelopment of an altern- ate methodof representingthe responseof various typesof mho elements.Thispaperreviewstheusual methodsand establishesthe basisfor an alternate method.Withthisnewmethod,theresponseof any type of mho elementis represented by impedancesthatare viewedwithrespectto a characteristic circlepassing throughthe originand the reachpointon the R-X plane. Thischaracteristic is thesameforeachele- mentandis invariantwithpowersystemparametersand thefaulttype.Sincethecalculation of an impedance onlyis required,thismethodlendsitselfto general computeranalysesof mho elementresponseas wellas to manipulation of expressionsobtainedfrom power systemnetworkanalysis.


Three experiments were conducted to study the property of xylanase and the effects of xylanase in wheat-based diets on growth performance of broilers, respectively. Experiment 1 was performed in vitro to evaluate the effect of different pH and temperature on xylanase activity, and to evaluate the enzymic stability under different conditions. The results indicated that the optimum temperature and pH for xylanase activity were 50°C and 4.5, respectively. The activity of enzyme solution was reduced rapidly after the treatment of water bath above 60°C for 10 min. The enzyme was relatively stable at pH 3.5 to 8.0 and deteriorated when incubated at pH below 3.5. In Experiment 2, a total of 378 d-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly distributed to 7 different treatments with 6 replicates (9 birds) in each treatment. The treatments were as follows: (1) corn based diet (CS), (2) wheat based diet (WS), (3) WS+ 0.05% xylanase, (4) WS+0.15% xylanase, (5) WS+0.25% xylanase, (6) WS+0.35% xylanase, (7) WS+0.45% xylanase. The results showed that the body weight and feed/gain ratio of the broilers fed wheat-based diets have been significantly improved (p 0.05) was found among all these different treatments. The supplementation of xylanase and the type of diets did not affect the feed intake but increased the concentration of triglyceride in serum. In Experiment 3, a total of 360 d-old male Arbor Acres broilers were assigned to 30 groups with 12 birds in each group randomly. These groups were then randomly distributed to 5 different treatments with 6 replicates within each treatment. The broilers of each treatment were fed one of the diets as follows: (1) Corn based diet, (2) White wheat based diet (WW) (3) White wheat based diet+0.25% xylanase, (4) Red wheat based diet, (5) Red wheat based diet+0.25% xylanase. The results showed that the body weight and feed/gain ratio had been significantly improved (p<0.05) by xylanase supplementation in the first 2 or 3 wk. The effect of xylanase in red wheat diet is a little higher than that used in white wheat diet. From the results of the present experiments, it can be concluded that the supplementation of Aspergillar xylanase can improve the performance of the broilers fed the wheat-based diet. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 1 : 66-74)


Oxidation of N-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones (7)–(11) with lead tetra-acetate in dichloromethane results in the intramolecular addition of the N-nitrene to the triple bond in each case and azirines (20), (22), (17), (23), and (30), respectively, are isolated with (31) identified as a by-product in the oxidation of compound (11). An X-ray crystal structure determination on compound (17) reveals a remarkable deformation of bond angles at the spiro centre and this feature appears to be common to all azirines. The five membered ring in the azirines (17), (20), (22), and (23) has the envelope conformation (26) and the six-membered ring in azirine (30) has the twist-boat conformation (32): a possible explanation for this conformational anchoring is offered.


According to the specific requirements for soil moisture content monitoring,a new type of portable soil moisture detector is developed.The instrument measure soil moisture based on principle of frequency domain reflectometry(FDR)and calibrates the result by standard method of drying-weighing,obtain geographic location and test time at the same time.Measurement information is transferred to remote data center and mobile phone via GPRS/GSM in time.Field tests show that the measurement error is less than 3 %,data transmission without error.The new portable soil moisture detector has advantages such as high cost-effective,simple operation,which is suitable for agricultural technician to use,has important practical significance for soil moisture real time monitoring and intelligent decision-making.


LSE's Mukulika Banerjee moderates a discussion on the rise of cricket in India and its relationship to the country's politics and culture.


In this paper, we investigate uploading monitoring videos for vessels via a maritime wideband communication network. The Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology is utilized to establish a shore-side network infrastructure, and a packet store-carry-and-forward routing mechanism is implemented to address the intermittent network connectivity in maritime communications. A resource allocation problem is formulated to maximize the weights of uploaded video packets, subject to the intermittent network connections and the release time and deadline of each video packet. Time-capacity mapping is applied to transform the original resource allocation problem to a two-machine non-preemptive scheduling problem. As ship routes are relatively stable, the global information in terms of release time, deadline and other time indices of video packets, as well as the schedules of vessels is known a priori. We propose two offline scheduling algorithms, namely Time-capacity mapping based two phase (TMTP) algorithm, and Interval graph theory based job relay selection (IGTJRS) algorithm. Both algorithms achieve a time complexity of O(n2). The performance of proposed algorithms is evaluated through simulation based on actual ship route traces obtained from dedicated Navigation software BLM-Ship.


We consider Monte Carlo methods for simulating solutions to the analogue of the Dirichlet problem in which the Laplacian is replaced by the fractional Laplacian. Specifically we consider the analogue of the so-called `walk-on-spheres' algorithm. In the diffusive setting, this entails sampling the path of Brownian motion as it uniformly exits a sequence of spheres maximally inscribed in the domain on which the Dirichlet problem is defined. As this algorithm would otherwise never end, it is truncated when the `walk-on-spheres' comes within ϵ>0 of the boundary. In the setting of the fractional Laplacian, the role of Brownian motion is replaced by an isotropic α-stable process with α∈(0,2). A significant difference to the Brownian setting is that the stable processes will exit spheres by a jump rather than hitting their boundary. This difference ensures that disconnected domains may be considered and that unlike the diffusive setting, the algorithm ends after an almost surely finite number of steps which does not depend on the point of issue of the stable process.


In this study, we investigate the dynamics of major type of traders in Taiwan futures market. The empirical shows that foreign investors and dealers are positive feedback traders, whereas individuals are contrarians. We also find a strong contemporaneous relation between the trading flows of traders and futures returns which can be explained by the feedback trading and herding behavior of traders. Further, we find that individuals are the most influential traders in the Taiwan futures market and foreign investors are deeply influenced by these individuals. This finding indicates a significant difference from the Taiwan stock market. The speed of information transmission in futures market is also slower than in the stock market. This phenomenon can be explained by the relative newness of the Taiwan futures market when compared to the stock market. We also provide evidence that trades by foreign investors and security dealers speed up the futures price equilibrium process, whereas the price impact of futures dealers is inconclusive. Lastly, evidence shows that individuals are the biggest losers in the Taiwan futures market.

Key words: Feedback trading, herding behavior, decomposition of forecast error, impulse response function (IRF), market timing ability


Motivation Identification of splice sites is critical to gene annotation and to determine which sequences control circRNA biogenesis. Full‐length RNA transcripts could in principle complete annotations of introns and exons in genomes without external ontologies, i.e., ab initio. However, whether it is possible to reconstruct genomic positions where splicing occurs from full‐length transcripts, even if sampled in the absence of noise, depends on the genome sequence composition. If it is not, there exist provable limits on the use of RNA‐Seq to define splice locations (linear or circular) in the genome. Results We provide a formal definition of splice site ambiguity due to the genomic sequence by introducing equivalent junction, which is the set of local genomic positions resulting in the same RNA sequence when joined through RNA splicing. We show that equivalent junctions are prevalent in diverse eukaryotic genomes and occur in 88.64% and 78.64% of annotated human splice sites in linear and circRNA junctions, respectively. The observed fractions of equivalent junctions and the frequency of many individual motifs are statistically significant when compared against the null distribution computed via simulation or closed‐form. The frequency of equivalent junctions establishes a fundamental limit on the possibility of ab initio reconstruction of RNA transcripts without appealing to the ontology of "GT‐AG" boundaries defining introns. Said differently, completely ab initio is impossible in the vast majority of splice sites in annotated circRNAs and linear transcripts. Availability and implementation Two python scripts generating an equivalent junction sequence per junction are available at: https://github.com/salzmanlab/Equivalent‐Junctions. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


OBJECTIVES: Numerous antidepressant agents are available to treat geropsychiatric patients with depression. While most current agents are reasonably effective in ameliorating depressive symptomatology, less is known about the impact of these agents on concurrent maladaptive behaviors. This study examines change in sixteen such behaviors from admission to discharge to three-month post-discharge follow-up in geropsychiatric patients (age 55 and older) with major depression (ICD-9-CM codes 296.20-296.36) treated with fluoxetine (n = 292), mirtazapine (n = 288), sertraline (n = 744), or venlaxafine (n = 289). METHODS: Data were obtained from the CQI+SM Outcomes Measurement System, which tracked patients admitted to geropsychiatric inpatient programs in 111 general hospitals across 33 states between 1997–1999. Maladaptive behaviors were measured by the Psychogeriatric Dependency Rating Scale (PGDRS) (Wilkinson & Graham-White, 1980) and a Medication Usage Questionnaire was used to track medications prescribed at admission, discharge, and follow-up. One-way Analyses of Variance and if significant, Tukey's pairwise comparisons were used to compare medication groups. RESULTS: At admission, patients exhibited mild to moderate evidence of maladaptive behaviors (Mean PGDRS overall score of 20 out of 48). Medication groups were indistinguishable on change scores in overall maladaptive behaviors from time of admission to discharge (average length of stay around 16 days), discharge to follow-up, or admission to follow-up. On average, patients showed a very modest improvement (1–2 points) on the PGDRS from admission to discharge, modest decline from discharge to follow-up (0–2 points), and no change to modest improvement from admission to follow-up (0–1 points). CONCLUSIONS: Antidepressant agents in this analysis were associated with modest improvement in maladaptive behavior as assessed by the PDGRS. New treatment modalities that improve maladaptive behavior along with depressive symptomatology in older patients would be beneficial. Further controlled studies are needed to better understand these findings.


This paper computationally investigates the RhSin(n = 1–6) clusters by using a density functional approach. Geometry optimizations of the RhSin(n = 1–6) clusters are carried out at the B3LYP level employing LanL2DZ basis sets. It presents and discusses the equilibrium geometries of the RhSin(n = 1–6) clusters as well as the corresponding averaged binding energies, fragmentation energies, natural populations, magnetic properties, and the energy gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. Theoretical results show that the most stable RhSin(n = 1–6) isomers keep an analogous framework of the corresponding Sin+1 clusters, the RhSi3 is the most stable cluster in RhSin(n = 1–6) isomers. Furthermore, the charges of the lowest-energy RhSin(n = 1–6) clusters transfer mainly from Si atom to Rh atom. Meanwhile, the magnetic moments of the RhSin(n = 1–6) arises from the 4d orbits of Rh atom. Finally, compared with the Sin+1 cluster, the chemical stability RhSin clusters are universally improved.


The presenilin complex, consisting of presenilin, nicastrin, anterior pharynx defective‐1 and presenilin enhancer‐2, constitutes γ‐secretase, which is required for the generation of amyloid β‐protein. In this article, we show that Synoviolin (also called Hrd1), which is an E3 ubiquitin ligase implicated in endoplasmic reticulum‐associated degradation, is involved in the degradation of endogenous immature nicastrin, and affects amyloid β‐protein generation. It was found that the level of immature nicastrin was dramatically increased in synoviolin‐null cells as a result of the inhibition of degradation, but the accumulation of endogenous presenilin, anterior pharynx defective‐1 and presenilin enhancer‐2 was not changed. This was abolished by the transfection of exogenous Synoviolin. Moreover, nicastrin was co‐immunoprecipitated with Synoviolin, strongly suggesting that nicastrin is the substrate of Synoviolin. Interestingly, amyloid β‐protein generation was increased by the overexpression of Synoviolin, although the nicastrin level was decreased. Thus, Synoviolin‐mediated ubiquitination is involved in the degradation of immature nicastrin, and probably regulates amyloid β‐protein generation.


Conversation is a co-constructed social activity, and interlocutors, including second language (L2) speakers, frequently align in their linguistic and nonlinguistic behaviors to create shared understanding. Given that L2 speakers make assumptions about their interlocutors, this exploratory study examines whether their perceptions about linguistic, socio-affective, and behavioral dimensions of interaction align. It also explores whether such alignment is related to their agreement about the success of the conversation. Eighty-four pairs of L2 English university students completed a 10-minute academic discussion task, subsequently rating each other's comprehensibility, fluency, anxiety, motivation, and collaboration. At the end of a 30-minute session, they also assessed the communicative success of their conversational experience. Speakers were generally aligned in their evaluations of each other and in their perception of communicative success, with alignment operationalized as the difference between the partners' scores. Although alignment in all dimensions of interaction was associated with perceived communicative success, collaboration had the strongest relationship (.40 or 16% shared variance). The findings provide preliminary evidence that L2 speakers' alignment in perceived dimensions of interaction, particularly collaboration, is associated with their perceived communicative success.


We argue that intensional object identity in object-oriented programming languages and databases is best defined operationally by side-effect semantics. A corollary is that "functional" objects have extensional semantics. This model of object identity, which is analogous to the normal forms of relational algebra, provides cleaner semantics for the value-transmission operations and built-in primitive equality predicate of a programming language, and eliminates the confusion surrounding "call-by-value" and "call-by-reference" as well as the confusion of multiple equality predicates.Implementation issues are discussed, and this model is shown to have significant performance advantages in persistent, parallel, distributed and multilingual processing environments. This model also provides insight into the "type equivalence" problem of Algol-68, Pascal and Ada.


In order to improve of culturing in Agrocybe cylindracea,its nutritive characteristics were studied.The result showed that brown sugar was the best carbon sources, and peptone was the best nitrogen source, and the best suitable temperature of it was 25 ℃.The pH value for it was wide,but the best suitable pH value was 55~75.


This paper presents a cell culture well-plate for three dimensional perfusion cell cultures. A concentration gradient generator, a microchannel system, is embedded in the plate bottom for not only the perfusion culture but transfer of reagents with linear concentration gradient to 4 wells of the plate. The concentration uniformity of gradient generated is guaranteed by adding microchannel mixers at the end of generator. Sudden expansion reservoirs, air bubble traps, make perfusion cell cultures plate long-term culture without interruption of perfusion flow caused by injection of air bubbles in the microchannels. The performance of the developed 3D microfluidic perfusion cell culture system is examined experimentally and compared with analytical results. Then, it is applied to test the cytotoxicity of cells infected with Ewing's sarcoma. Cell death is observed for different concentrations of H2O2. Finally, the 3D perfusion cell culture well-plate is presented with not only similar structure to conventional 3×4 well-plate but expansion of concentration range from a 4 fold of dilution in 4 wells to a 100 fold of dilution in 7 wells.


The concentrations and distribution of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bischlorophenyl-ethane (DDT) and its metabolites were determined in surface water and sediments from the İzmit Bay, Turkey. The results showed that the levels of the total PCBs and total DDTs ranged from <0.003 to 440 ng/L, and <0.003 to 1255 ng/L in water, and from <1 to 674 ng/g dry weight, and <1 to 7286 ng/g dry weight in sediments respectively. Concentrations of PCBs and DDTs in sediment were significantly higher than those in surface water, due to the high affinity of these hydrophobic compounds for sediment phase. Congeners IUPAC Nos. 28, 52, 101 and p,p'-DDT were found frequently in water and sediment samples.


This article advances the train of thoughts and some concrete methods to carry out the information services in academic libraries from the angle of constructing academic electronic reading rooms,technical planning,scientific localization,management and the promotion of the transformation into learning academy,the effective display of the functions of the electronic reading rooms.The author believes that the ideas presented in this article have some values for the readers'reference.


We measured the room temperature far-infrared reflectivity and Raman scattering spectra of NaV 2 O 5 single crystals. The frequencies of infrared active modes are obtained by Kramers-Kronig analysis of reflectivity data. The assignation of the observed modes is given according to the lattice dynamical calculation based on the valence shell model. According to the factor group analysis of the P2 1 mn space group, which assumes the existence of the V 4+ and V 5+ chains, the 15 A 1 and 7 B 1 modes can be expected in both ir and Raman scattering spectra from the (001) plane. Only eight Raman and six infrared modes of A 1 symmetry are clearly seen. In the case of B 1 symmetry, three B 1 modes are observed both in the Raman and in the ir reflectivity spectra. The frequencies of these ir and Raman modes differ significantly. Because of this, we concluded that the space group of the NaV 2 O 5 crystal structure cannot be P2 1 mn (non-centrosymmetric), but the space group which includes the mutual exclusion between Raman and infrared activity (centrosymmetric space group). We have shown that the appropriate space group is Pmmn, for which we found our experimental spectra in complete agreement with factor-group analysis. This means that V atoms are indistinguishable in the unit cell and in a mixed-valence state.


Structural investigation was performed on a range of NMC materials, Li 1+x (Ni 1/3 Mn 1/3 C 1-3 ) 1-x O 2 (0≤ x ≤ 0.13), using in situ X-ray synchrotron diffraction while electrochemically cycling them between 2.5 and 5.0 V vs. Li/Li+ . From the analysis of the obtained data, an irreversible phase transformation of part of the starting 03 phase (R 3 m) to the O1 phase (P 3 ml) was observed for all the NMC samples, where the 01 phase was detected at more negative potentials with increasing overlithiation content. Moreover a second irreversible reaction was detected at positive potentials using ex situ X-ray synchrotron diffraction for overlithiated NMC (x = 0.1) that involved loss of Li 2 MnO 3 ordering in the structure.


The automatic categorization is all the time a great challenge of content-based indexing of sports videos. The great part of different video archives, portals, Web databases contains a huge amount of sports videos data. One of the most significant processes of sports news videos analysis is automatic recognition of a sports discipline reported in a video. Different strategies are applied: pattern frame comparison, line detection in playing fields, player detection, sports equipment detection, or detection of superimposed text, and others. Usually audience shots are processed like other non-player shots, considered as not useful for video content analysis. This paper presents an approach of automatic detection of audience shots which are however useful for automatic categorization of sports videos. The audience shots in sports videos can be considered as very informative parts helping to detect and recognize not only sports disciplines, but also nationality or club membership, as well as emotions of supporters. The method is based on the integration of the analysis of segment color histograms of video frames, detection of shots, and face detection. Color histograms are applied to detect audience frames and shots. Because the dominant color as a unique criterion is not efficient in audience detection this procedure has been improved by analyzing not only single frames but sequences of frames belonging to one shot. Then a face detection method has been introduced to find the most suitable audience shots for content analysis of sports videos. The tests have been performed on soccer sports videos.


The treatment of chronic asthma with a sustained‐release rheophylline preparation was evaluated in a placebo controlled, 2 × 4 week, randomised, double‐blind study. The dose which would give serum theophylline levels in the range of 10–20 meg/ml had been previously determined for each patient. This individualization of dosage resulted in 80% of the patients having scrum content rations within the 10–20 meg/ml therapeutic range. The average daily close taken by males was 998.55 mg (range 700–1175 mg) and by females 778.1 (range 500–1000 mg).


BACKGROUND
Pancreatic surgery is complex with the potential for costly hospitalization.

METHODS
A retrospective review of patients undergoing a pancreatic resection was performed.

RESULTS
The median age of the study population was 64 years. Half of the cohort was female (51%), and the majority were white (62%). Most patients underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) (69%). The pre-operative age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index was zero for 36% (n = 50), 1 for 31% (n = 43) and ≥2 for 33% (n = 45). The Clavien-Dindo grading system for post-operative complication was grade I in 17% (n = 24), whereas 45% (n = 62) were higher grades. The medians direct fixed, direct variable, fixed indirect and total costs were $2476, $15,397, $13,207 and $31,631, respectively. There was a positive contribution margin of $7108, whereas the net margin was a loss of $6790. On univariate analyses, age, type of operation and complication grade were associated with total cost (P ≤ 0.05), whereas operation type and complication grade were associated with a net margin (P = 0.01). These findings remained significant on multivariate analysis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Increased cost, reimbursement and revenue were associated with type of operation and post-operative complications.


Water microdroplet impact at velocities up to 100 m s?1 for droplet diameters ranging from 12 to 100 ?m is studied. This parameter range covers the transition from capillary-limited to viscosity-limited spreading of the impacting droplet. Splashing is absent for all measurements; the droplets always gently spread over the surface. The maximum spreading radius is compared to several existing models. The model by Pasandideh-Fard et al. agrees well with the measured data, indicating the importance of a thin boundary layer just above the surface, in which most of the viscous dissipation in the spreading droplet takes place. As explained by the initial air layer under the impacting droplet, a contact angle of 180 degrees is used as the model input.


The impact of differential group delay (DGD), induced by polarization-mode dispersion, on the performance of differential phase-shift keyed and on-off keyed modulation formats employing bit-to-bit alternate polarization (APol) is investigated by means of numerical simulation. Thereby, it is observed that the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) penalty due to DGD is almost independent of the power splitting ratio between the principal states of polarization (PSP) of a DGD emulator, when APol modulation formats are employed. Although this leads to a higher mean OSNR penalty for a given DGD value compared to conventional modulation formats, it is shown that the allowed mean DGD for required low system outage probabilities does not change significantly.


Based on a comparative assessment of the development of new and improved tram projects in the five SINTROPHER partner regions, this study explores the added value of transnational cooperation for the diffusion of cost-effective transport solutions in Europe. The analysis contributes to wider academic and professional debates on evolving patterns of urban mobility through a series of three contrasting hypothesis. It is organised around three main objectives: 1) Assess the scope for collective learning among SINTROPHER Partners, by focusing on decision-making processes; 2) Identify (legal, administrative, technical) challenges to technology transfer in each partner regions; 3) Explore the actual scope for transnational cooperation in the development of new or improved tram projects in and outside North-Western Europe.


We began this paper in mid 2019 in preparation for the International Philosophy of Nursing Society/Philosophy in the Nurses World conference in Victoria, Canada. The theme of the conference was "Thinking about ideas in nursing" and we had some thoughts about the way that critical theory could be combined with critical history to address the racist thinking that was embedded in psychiatric practice, for example. As we began to write our paper for publication, we were constantly outrun by events around us: fi rst the COVID 19 situation and the re-opening of the global economy and then the street fi ghts as resistance to racist police killings in the US and elsewhere. We adapted our paper to attempt to address some of these issues but we could not deal with all of them in depth. In the process, we also realized that our framework for understanding these events and for explicating the role of nurses needed new tools. At the same time, we read The Invisible Committee's new work, Now, and realized that it had several important implications for thinking about how nursing power can be understood in the context of current social upheavals. In the paper that follows, we engage with certain key principles from the Invisible Collective's work and consider how this kind of theorizing can open new ways of thinking about the role of nursing in social justice.


Objectives. Study 1 was to explore the relationship between types of disability and their associated stereotyped expectations of communicative competence. Study 2 was to determine whether changes in stereotypical communicative competence towards persons with disabilities would affect the perception of level of patronizing speech they received by a third party. Methods. In Study 1, a survey recruited sixty-two people at the campus of City University of Hong Kong to rate the communicative competence of nine types of disability varied with cognitive orientation, visibility and context-specificity. In Study 2, forty students of City University were assigned into the two experimental conditions (Public Relations vs. Computer Science) to evaluate the level of patronizing speech received by an interactant with disability. The patronizing speech was implemented in a conversational audiotape. Results. Study 1 revealed that Schizophrenia was rated as less communicatively competent than Dyslexia, and Dyslexia less competent than Muscular Dystrophy, in terms of the cognitive orientation. In the dimensions of the visibility, Monoplegia and Amputation were rated as more competent than Quadriplegia. Epilepsy was rated as less competence than Cancer and Exercise-induced Asthma in terms of the visibility. Study 2 showed that the interactant with disability and with a context conveying his communicative competence as positive would be COMMUNICATING WITH DISABILITY 3 perceived as receiving less patronizing speech than with a context conveying his competence as negative. Discussion. Study 1 suggested that people without disability held heterogeneous and hierarchical stereotype towards the communicative competence of persons with different disabilities. Study 2 indicated that people without disability could perceive accommodations of external interability communications towards their own stereotypical expectations of communicative competence of those interactants and it might possible to change stereotypes towards people with disabilities with additional contexts.


Mutations in gene SCN5A, encoding cardiac potential-dependent sodium channel Nav1.5, are associated with various arrhythmogenic disorders among which the Brugada syndrome (BrS) and the Long QT syndrome (LQT) are the best characterized. BrS1 is associated with sodium channel dysfunction, which can be reflected by decreased current, impaired activation and enhanced inactivation. We found two novel mutations in our patients with BrS and explored their effect on fast and slow inactivation of cardiac sodium channel.

 The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of BrS (Y739D, L1582P) mutations on different inactivation processes in in vitro model.

 Y739D and L1582P substitutions were introduced in SCN5A cDNA using site-directed mutagenesis. Sodium currents were recorded at room temperature in transfected HEK293-T cells using patch-clamp technique with holding potential −100 mV. In order to access the fast steady-state inactivation curve we used double-pulse protocol with 10 ms prepulses. To analyze voltage-dependence of slow inactivation we used two-pulse protocol with 10s prepulse, 20ms test pulse and 25ms interpulse at −100mV to allow recovery from fast inactivation. Electrophysiological measurements are presented as mean ±SEM.

 Y739D mutation affects highly conserved tyrosine 739 among voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels in the segment IIS2. Mutation L1582P located in the loop IVS4-S5, and leucine in this position is not conserved among voltage-gated channels superfamily. We have shown that Y739D leads to significant changes in both fast and slow inactivation, whereas L1582P enhanced slow inactivation only. Steady-state fast inactivation for Y739D was shifted on 8.9 mV towards more negative potentials compare with that for WT, while L1582P did not enhanced fast inactivation (V1/2 WT: −62.8±1.7 mV; Y739D: −71.7±2.3 mV; L1582P: −58.7±1.4 mV). Slow inactivation was increased for both substitutions (INa (+20mV)/INa (−100mV) WT: 0.45±0.03; Y739D: 0,34±0.09: L1582P: 0.38±0.04).
 Steady-state fast inactivation

 Both mutations, observed in patients with Brugada syndrome, influence on the slow inactivation process. Enhanced fast inactivation was shown only for Y739D mutant. The more dramatic alterations in sodium channel biophysical characteristics are likely linked with mutated residue conservativity.

 RSF #17-15-01292


Taguchi parameter design approach was used for optimization of process parameters for cadmium removal from chloride simulated wastewater using a flow-by fixed bed electrochemical reactor composed of a vertical stack of stainless steel screens. The studied process parameters were metal ion concentration, current, flow rate, and mesh number of screen. Removal and current efficiencies combined with energy consumption were considered as responses for optimizing of metal removal. An orthogonal array L9, the signal-to-noise ratio and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the effect of the selected parameters and their levels. ANOVA results indicate that only the current has the major effect on the removal efficiency (RE) while concentration has the major effect on both current efficiency (CE) and energy consumption (EC) followed by current. Flow rate and screen mesh number have a lower contribution on the performance of cadmium removal. The optimum values of the control factors were: [Cd] = 200 ppm, 1.72 A, 5 L/min, and 30 in–1 in which a higher RE of 99.0% was obtained at CE of 28%, EC of 9.0 kWh/kg, and electrolysis time of 50 min. The new electrochemical reactor was found to be more efficient in the removal of cadmium when compared with the traditional fixed bed electrochemical reactors because of the high rate of mass transfer that was observed.


This paper proposes a novel design method for the adaptive robust Ho, control problem of a class of nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainties and external disturbances, which combines adaptive control and robust H∞, control techniques. By the use of the parameter projection method in adaptive control, the adaptive control laws are derived. Based on Hamilton-Jacobi inequalities, the adaptive robust H∞, controllers are designed. A numerical simulation demonstrates the correctness of the proposed design method.


Most of the engineering products are made with multiple components. The products with multiple subassemblies offer greater flexibility for parallel assembly operation and also disassembly operation during its end of life. Assembly cost and time can be minimized by reducing the number of assembly levels. In this paper, Elephant search algorithm is used to perform Optimal Assembly Sequence Planning (OASP) in order to minimize the number of assembly levels. Subassembly identification technique is used as an integral part of algorithm to identify the parallel assembly possibilities. The proposed method is implemented on industrial products and a detailed comparative assessment has been made with suitable product illustrations to corroborate the efficiency.


Significance We describe several noncontact methods of orienting objects in three-dimensional (3D) space using Magnetic Levitation (MagLev), and report the discovery of a sharp geometry-dependent transition of the orientation of levitating objects. An analytical theory of the orientation of arbitrary objects in MagLev explains this transition. MagLev is capable of manipulating and orienting hard and soft objects, and objects of irregular shape. Because controlling the orientation of objects in space is a prerequisite for assembling complex structures from simpler components, this paper extends MagLev into 3D self-assembly, robotic assembly, and noncontact (stiction-free) orientation of hard and soft objects for applications in biomimetics, soft robotics, and stimulus-responsive materials, among others. This paper describes several noncontact methods of orienting objects in 3D space using Magnetic Levitation (MagLev). The methods use two permanent magnets arranged coaxially with like poles facing and a container containing a paramagnetic liquid in which the objects are suspended. Absent external forcing, objects levitating in the device adopt predictable static orientations; the orientation depends on the shape and distribution of mass within the objects. The orientation of objects of uniform density in the MagLev device shows a sharp geometry-dependent transition: an analytical theory rationalizes this transition and predicts the orientation of objects in the MagLev device. Manipulation of the orientation of the levitating objects in space is achieved in two ways: (i) by rotating and/or translating the MagLev device while the objects are suspended in the paramagnetic solution between the magnets; (ii) by moving a small external magnet close to the levitating objects while keeping the device stationary. Unlike mechanical agitation or robotic selection, orienting using MagLev is possible for objects having a range of different physical characteristics (e.g., different shapes, sizes, and mechanical properties from hard polymers to gels and fluids). MagLev thus has the potential to be useful for sorting and positioning components in 3D space, orienting objects for assembly, constructing noncontact devices, and assembling objects composed of soft materials such as hydrogels, elastomers, and jammed granular media.


We study necessary conditions which have to be satisfied in order to have LDPC codes with linear minimum distance. We give two conditions of this kind in this paper. These conditions are not met for several interesting code families: this shows that they are not asymptotically good. The second one concerns LDPC codes that have a Tanner graph in which there are cycles linking variable nodes of degree 2 together and provides some insight about the combinatorial structure of some low-weight codewords in such a case. When the LDPC code family is obtained from the lifts of a given protograph and if there are such cycles in the protograph, the second condition seems to capture really well the linear minimum distance character of the code. This is illustrated by a code family which is asymptotically good for which there is a cycle linking all the variable nodes of degree 2 together. Surprisingly, this family is only a slight modification of a family which does not satisfy the second condition.


In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to design a user interface for commercial Smart Home Systems (SHS), following the needs of visually or hearing impaired users. The interface is able to transform visual information and alarms into audio signals and vice versa by using a mobile application. The aim of the interface is to make a commercial SHS usable for visually or hearing-impaired people, while maintaining a high level of acceptability, due to the use of an inclusive device, i.e., the smartphone.


Quantum dots of InSb, GaSb, and AlSb were grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and characterized by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. There is a clear correlation between the observation of quantum dots by atomic force microscopy and a phonon mode at an energy a few wavenumbers below the longitudinal optic phonon energy for thick (In,Ga,Al)Sb layers. In the case of nominally AlSb quantum dots, a two‐mode behavior is observed and attributed to the segregation of Ga into the AlSb during growth.


Objective To analysis the relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of G196A, C270T, G11757C, G712A and haplotypes frequencies of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and Chinese Han population with sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD). Methods The genotype and allele frequencies of BDNF G196A, C270T, G11757C and G712A were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technology in 106 sAD patients and 110 healthy controls. The software SHEsis was used to analyze the linkage disequilibrium and the haplotypes between the two groups. Results There were statistically differences in T allele frequeny of C270T (sAD vs control: 0.9% vs 4.5%) and A allele freguency of G712A (sAD vs control: 0.5% vs 4.5%) and in GG genotype frequeny of G712A (sAD vs control: 95.4% vs 91.8%) (all P0.05). These was significant difference of the frequency of GTGA haplotype in the 2 groups (sAD vs control: 0.5% vs 3.2%) (P0.05). Conclusion The polymorphisms of BDNF gene may be related to onset of sAD in the Chinese Han population.


Abstract. Due to their approximately hyperelastic properties, elastomers are suitable as a material for forming tools with extended forming capabilities. In this work, the use of two elastomer punches for manufacturing undercuts in sheet metal forming is performed experimentally for a demonstrator component. Since the manufacturing process does not require the use of cam slide units, it is aimed at rapid prototyping and small batch applications with the goal of reducing tooling cost and complexity. Additionally, the prediction accuracy of the elastomer tool deformation during forming was investigated in a finite element model of the manufacturing process. For comparison with the experimental implementation, punch force measurements and in-process optical strain measurements with a stereo camera system were carried out.


AZZ articles submitted for publication in this journal should be typed with double or treble spaclng. Oarbon copies should not be sent. Authors are requested to avoia the 'U8e 01 abbreviations ana not to underline either woras or phrases. References to articles ana books should. be carefully checked. In a reference the following information shoula be given without abbreviation: Initwls of author, surname of author, full title of article, name of journal, volume, fuZZ date (month, day ana year), number of the first page 6f the article. If a reference is maae to an abstract Of a paper, the name Of the original jO'Urnal, together 'ID'itJr. that Of the journal in which the abstract has appeared, shoula be given with full aate in each instance. Authors who are not accustomed to preparing drawings or photographic prints for reproduction, are invited to seek the advioe of the Editor.


A large number of β-substituted 1,1-diphenylethyl derivatives Ph2ĊCH2MRn have been generated by addition of ·MRn radicals to 1,1-diphenylethylene. The magnitude of the β-proton hyperfine splitting constants together with the observation of linewidth alternation effects on the CH2 triplet, indicate that the preferred conformation of these radicals is close even though not coincident with that placing the MRn group in an eclipsed position with respect to the 2pz orbital on Cα. The slight departure of these adducts from an eclipsed geometry has been interpreted as due to the presence on Cα of the two phenyl rings which are somewhat twisted with respect to each other thus producing an asymmetric potential around the radical centre. Although all the 1,1-diphenylethyl derivatives which have been investigated adopt the same conformation, the β-proton splitting cover the range from 6 to 11 G. The two common interpretations invoked to explain the effect of β-substituents on this splitting are discussed.


The current role of topiramate (TPM) in the treatment of epilepsy is described in this article. Data from randomized, double blind, controlled clinical trials are presented together with those from open label, non-interventional studies and interpreted in the context of the guidelines of the German Neurological Society (DGN). TPM is approved in Germany as a monotherapy for epilepsy in adults and children aged 2 and above since 2001. The guidelines of the DGN for the treatment of the first seizure list TPM as a therapy of choice for partial and idiopathic generalized epilepsy. The effectiveness and tolerability were to be considered high based on results of several randomised controlled studies for the treatment of partial epilepsy, generalised tonic-clonic seizures as well as various seizure types in the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The broad efficacy was regarded as especially advantageous due to the fact, that early in the treatment seizure type or epilepsy syndrome may be ambiguous. An initial target dose of 100 mg TPM is effective and well tolerated. Several studies including recent onset epilepsy in the elderly as well as elderly patients with epilepsy suggest that even lower doses, e. g. 50 - 75 mg/day can be sufficient to achieve seizure control with good tolerability. Tolerability had been an issue in early trials using high doses of TPM, however, with the use of lower doses, especially in monotherapy, the side effect profile has become favorable which was shown in controlled trials and is reflected in daily clinical routine as well.


We show that delaminations in bilayer graphene (BLG) with electrostatically induced interlayer symmetry can provide one with ballistic channels for electrons with energies inside the electrostatically induced BLG gap. These channels are formed by a combination of valley-polarized evanescent states propagating along the delamination edges (which persist in the presence of a strong magnetic field) and standing waves bouncing between them inside the delaminated region (in a strong magnetic field, these transform into Landau levels in the monolayers). For inverted stackings in BLGs on the left and right of the delamination (AB-2ML-BA or BA-2ML-AB, where 2ML indicates two decoupled monolayers of graphene), the lowest-energy ballistic channels are gapless, have linear dispersion, and appear to be weakly topologically protected. When BLG stackings on both sides of the delamination are the same (AB-2ML-AB or BA-2ML-BA), the lowest-energy ballistic channels are gapped, with a gap ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{g}$ scaling as ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{g}\ensuremath{\propto}{W}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ with delamination width and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{g}\ensuremath{\propto}{\ensuremath{\delta}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ with the on-layer energy difference in the delaminated part of the structure. Depending on the width, delaminations may also support several ``higher-energy'' waveguide modes. Our results are based on both the analytical study of the wave matching of Dirac states and tight-binding model calculations, and we analyze in detail the dependence of the delamination spectrum on the electrostatic conditions in the structure, such as the vertical displacement field.


Excited rare-earth ions relax radiatively and non-radiatively. The non-radiative relaxation rate and hence the lifetime of the excited level exhibit temperature dependence. These materials can be used to sense temperature below the melting point of the crystal. We have developed calibration standards using rare-earth ion doped crystals. The sensitivity of the technique and the applicable temperature range depends on the ionic energy levels and the type of crystal. We will discuss some of the results obtained in rare-earth ion doped fluoride and oxide crystals.


Op-Site skin closure was compared with two standard techniques of wound closure, interrupted silk sutures and subcuticular nylon. The Op-Site skin closure allowed freer drainage of secretions from the wound and the incidence of erythema and tenderness was significantly lower. However, there was a greater tendency for the wound edges to slip out of alignment or invert.


Summary Mentis, M. T. & Bigalke, R. C. 1981. Ecological isolation in Greywing and Redwing Francolins. Ostrich 52:84-97. The Greywing Francolin Francolinus africanus and Redwing Francolin F. levaillantii are closely related, of similar size, and live in superficially similar habitats. Their ranges overlap, and ecological isolation was studied in the Natal Drakensberg where partial sympatry occurs In the study area, Greywing Francolins occurred above 1840 m a.s.l. and Redwing Francolins below 2450 m a.s.l. Within the zone of sympatry there was a partial polarization with Greywing Francolins in sparse, short grass at high elevations, and Redwing Francolins in denser, taller grass at low elevations. The abundance of the birds did not differ in relation to slope, aspect and vegetation type. The principal diet of both species was composed of the corms and tubers of grassland geophytes. The birds ate the same species of geophytes but in different proportions. Greywing Francolins ate small volumes of food of appa...


The linear rating scale model (LRSM; Fischer & Parzer, in press) is an extension of the rating scale model (RSM; Andrich, 1978), whereby the item parameters of the RSM are decomposed into weighted sums of &dquo;basic&dquo; parameters. The program LRSM computes the conditional maximum likelihood estimates of the basic model parameters. Since the RSM, the Rasch model, and the linear logistic test model (Fischer, 1983) are special cases of the LRSM, the program can be used also for parameter estimation in these models. Two versions of the program are available. In one version, the number of items may be different for each person, and the weights of the basic parameters (elements of the structural matrix Q) can be different for each person and each item. In the other, persons who responded to the same subset of items under the same experimental conditions are grouped together, which greatly speeds up computations.


The root extract of Anthocleista djalonensis A.Chev. was prepared by maceration in methanol and the extract evaporated to dryness. The extract was investigated for analgesic properties in albino rats using chemical, mechanical and thermal models of pain. The formalin hind paw licking test which evaluates the response to neurogenic and inflammatory pains was used to study chemically induced pain. The animals were observed for paw licking for thirty minutes following subcutaneous administration of buffered formalin in the hind paw. Mechanical pain was induced by exertion of pressure on inflammed and hyperalgesic rat paw with the Analgesy-meter (UgoBasile Model No. 37215). The supraspinally mediated tail flick test, where the time it takes for the rat to withdraw its tail from an environment of adverse extreme of temperature is observed, was used to assess the effect of the extract on thermally induced pain. In all these models, the extract showed a significant (p<0.05 - 0.001), dose dependent inhibition of nociception. The result from this study therefore suggest that the extract act at central and peripheral sites to inhibit neurogenic and inflammatory pains.


BACKGROUND
The physiologic role of the colon as an endocrine organ is not clear. We therefore studied the enteroinsular axis in patients with ulcerative colitis after colectomy.

METHODS
The subjects included 11 patients with a conventional ileostomy, 10 patients with an ileoanal reservoir, and 10 normal controls. The concentrations of glucose, insulin, gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), and glucagon-like peptide-I (GLP-I) were measured in plasma during an oral glucose test.

RESULTS
The peak level of glucose and peak levels and area under the curve (AUC) of insulin and GIP were higher in patients (P < 0.05). Neither the peak level nor the AUC of GLP-I differed between patients and controls, but time to peak level was four times longer in patients with an ileoanal reservoir (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Colectomy seems to affect the enteroinsular axis, leading to hyperinsulinemia and an impaired glucose tolerance. Moreover, patients with an ileoanal reservoir have a slower GLP-I response after intake of glucose.


Summary form only given, as follows. It is shown that the mode conversion of upper-hybrid waves to resonantly excited electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (Bernstein) waves is responsible for the absence of stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the kilohertz frequency range at a frequency less than the input pump frequency when the latter is very close to or at the harmonics (third and above) of the electron cyclotron frequency. The results are in good agreement with the ionospheric heating experiments conducted recently at Tromso


This paper presents a generalization of the Naive Bayes Classifier. The method is specifically designed for binary classification problems commonly found in credit scoring and marketing applications. The Generalized Naive Bayes Classifier turns out to be a powerful tool for both exploratory and predictive analysis. It can generate accurate predictions through a flexible, non-parametric fitting procedure, while being able to uncover hidden patterns in the data. In this paper, the Generalized Naive Bayes Classifier and the original Bayes Classifier will be demonstrated. Also, important ties to logistic regression, the Generalized Additive Model (GAM), and Weight Of Evidence will be discussed.


Atmospheric corrections of imagery seem not yet to be a common practice except for CZCS and AVHRR data. Hence, a simple approach to the atmospheric correction of Thematic Mapper data is presented, which is based solely on the e valuation of scene information and may, therefore, be considered operational. The method is based on the determination of aerosol optical thickness from histogram minima and/or clear water targets. Atmospheric conditions are assumed constant over the scene, but its variation with the sun-to-satellite scattering angle is accounted for. The environment effect is corrected for each pixel. The accuracy of t he method is analyzed w ith respect to ground measurements and a between-scene comparison of derived target signatures. First results indicate a precision of 10% in terms of r etrieved inherent target ref lectances. Potential a pplications to the monitoring and classification of agricultural crop systems with TM data are outlined.


This paper reflects upon new questions of material compatibility through integrating advanced processes of additive manufacturing in ceramics with cutting-edge research in DNA hydrogel development. The work engages advances in material science, three-dimensional (3D) printing, micro-scale mould making, DNA hydrogels, and material practices derived from crafts, and computational design disciplines. The paper outlines innovative use of micro scale 3D printing technologies for the digital fabrication and production of nonstandard and inscribed ceramic block components. 3D printed ceramic blocks are differentiated via the first architectural component glazed with DNA hydrogel and impregnated with a living signature. Readily available 3D Printing technology is used to produce recognisable signatures containing decodable intelligence prescribed through DNA coding. We have designed a system that allows for 3D printed parts to exist at a microscale in the form of an architectural component and glaze mould, allowing for the opportunistic deposition of DNA intelligence.


For the fabrication of monolithically integrated flexible CIGS modules on stainless steel, individual photovoltaic cells must be insulated from the metal substrates by a barrier layer that can sustain high temperature treatment. In this work combination of sol-gel (organosilane-sol) and sputtered SiAlxOy thin layers (TDBL) were prepared on stainless steel substrates. At first, the deposition of organosilane-sol dielectric layers on the commercial AISI-316–2RB stainless steel (Rz = 500 nm, RMS= 56 nm) induces a planarization of the surfaces (RMS = 16.4nm, Rz =176nm). The leakage current in DC mode through the dielectric layers was measured by preparing metal-insulator-metal (MIM) junction that acts as capacitor. This method proposed here allowed us to quantify the quality the quality of our TDBL insulating layer and its lateral uniformity. Indeed, evaluating a ratio of the number of valid MIM capacitors to the number of tested MIM capacitors, a yield of ∼ 95% and 50% has been reached respectively with non annealed and annealed samples based sol-gel double layer. A yield of 100% has been reached with reinforced PCDP by sputtered SiAlxOy thin layer showing perfect electrical insulation. Since this yield is obtained on several samples, it can be extrapolated to any substrate size. Furthermore, according to Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES) measurements, these barrier layers exhibit excellent barrier properties against the diffusion of undesired atoms which could spoil the electronic and optical properties of CIGS based photovoltaic cells.


Since Saffran, Aslin and Newport (1996) showed that infants were sensitive to transitional probabilities between syllables after being exposed to a few minutes of fluent speech, there has been ample research on statistical learning. Word segmentation studies usually test learning by making use of "offline methods" such as forced-choice tasks. However, cognitive factors besides statistical learning possibly influence performance on those tasks. The goal of the present study was to improve a method for measuring word segmentation online. Click sounds were added to the speech stream, both between words and within words. Stronger expectations for the next syllable within words as opposed to between words were expected to result in slower detection of clicks within words, revealing sensitivity to word boundaries. Unexpectedly, we did not find evidence for learning in multiple groups of adults and child participants. We discuss possible methodological factors that could have influenced our results.


A structured model introduced by considering algal mass to be composed of two components which were an intracellular phosphate and a structural substance, was proposed for algal phosphate uptake and growth dynamics. Further, the kinetics for phosphate uptake and growth of Microcystis aeruginosa were investigated at steady state or transient state, using continuous and batch culture experiments.Continuous culture experiments indicated that specific growth rate, μ was expressed as a hyperbolic function of intracellular phosphorus content, fP. While, specific rate of phosphate uptake, σ was inversely as fP. The fP values ranged from a maximum of about 5.0% to a minimum of about 0.15% phosphate per cell dry weight.At balanced growth, σ was related to μ and fP in the form of σ=fP·μ which was derived from the model presented here. So, parabolic relationship was found between σ and μ, because fP increased with increasing μ.The kinetic equation of transient phosphate uptake was given by dfp/dt=σ-μ·fP. This kinetic model was able to simulate overplus phenomena that when M. aeruginosa grown in a phosphate deficient continuous culture was suddenly brought into contact with a phosphate rich medium, phosphate was accumulated into the cell above the intracellular content required to sustain maximum growth rate.


The incorporation of mobile applications in educational environments generates a large amount of information resulting from the interaction of students with these applications. The analysis of this information can be of significant importance. The teacher may find it useful, as it can help them to make decisions or to assess the process of teaching/learning that it is applying within its teaching activities, allowing to improve the results or to detect certain patterns. However, the development of mobile applications that are capable of incorporating these features is not trivial for a user who does not have proper programming knowledge. This paper presents the vectorialZ application to support mathematics learning. This application has been developed using VEDILS mobile application authoring environment, which is based on MIT App Inventor 2. Finally, this application has been used with students to evaluate its usefulness and to obtain results about the students' learning.


The use of morpho-metabolic approaches has a great practical importance in evaluation of the effectiveness of antihyperglycemic therapy in clinical  trials, in particular those related to new classes of inhibitors of sodiumdependent glucose-2 cotransporter inhibitors that have the ability to counteract many diabetic complications and cardiovascular disease. The aim of the study was to study the effect of treatment with SLGT2 inhibitors on morphological and metabolic parameters in men and women with type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods. During the study, 205 patients with type 2 diabetes, aged 30 to 81, with a disease duration of 1 to 20 years were examined. Patients underwent a clinical examination in the Department of Age Endocrinology and Clinical Pharmacology of the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism. V.P. Komissarenko of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. Patients received antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive and dyslipidemic therapy. Results.The study of anthropometric, morphological and biochemical parameters in groups of men and women with type 2 diabetes in the dynamics of longterm (12 month) use of iSLGT2- dapagliflozin allowed to identify certain sexual characteristics of the effects of this drug. In men group have been seen a gradual decrease in visceral fat levels during therapy. A decrease in BMI, BP, body weight and uricemia in men is most likely associated with a decrease in abdominal obesity and decreased insulin secretion. In women group use of dapagliflozin showed a significant decrease in total and visceral fat, accompanied by a decrease in relative water content, muscle and bone mass. Conclusions. Treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes with drugs of the group iSLGT2 for 12 months has reduced the degree of obesity and improved some indicators of body composition, uric acid.


Since in Albania are still present the electromechanical meters, an urgent need to control the electricity consumption with an efficient and reliable system requires the use of the most modern measurement techniques and the realization of energy measurement devices with more efficiency and precision. This paper provides a software implementation of the real power measurement using an ARM Cortex MO, PSoC4 microcontroller which is responsible for executing algorithms required for the calculation and ensures high performances and low cost. A software based Average Active Power Converter is presented to calculate the real power from the voltage and current signals. This paper briefly covers the mathematics of active power and offers a measurement algorithm based in IIR digital filter, which is more versatile when compared to the analogue filters in their characteristics such as programming flexibility, ability to handle both low as well as high frequency signals accurately. To check the performance of the proposed measurement system, the calculated active power from the standard values of voltage and current is compared to the measured active power from our system and is concluded that the meter has been successfully completed.


In second language acquisition,interlanguage variability has been a controversial issue.At present,most of the studies are reflected in social and psychological aspects at home and abroad.This paper mainly introduces the reflect patterns and some factors influencing it.Also it discusses some enlightenment for daily communication and foreign language teaching.


The experiment was taken up to evaluate potato germplasm to identify genotypes being excellent for nutritional and cooking properties. Yellow colour raw tuber flesh was found to be most frequent as compared to white colour flesh and the peeled potato tubers of K.Pukhraj, K. Anand and K. Khyati had restricted colour change in flesh upon exposure to air for 24 hours. Cooked potato tubers were soft in MS-1/1871, MS-1/3708, K. Sadabahar, K.Pukhraj, K. Khyati, G-4, K. Chandramukhi, J-95/ 227, J-99/243, K. Surya and K. Sutlej and these genotypes can be used as culinary purposes. The mealy tubers for processing purpose were observed in K.Chipsona-1, K.Chipsona-2, MS-1/4053 and K.Anand. Textures of the cooked tubers were found superior in MS-1/4053, K. Khyati and J-99/243. The cooked tubers free from blackening were observed in K.Chipsona-2, K.Chipsona-1, K. Khyati, K-22, K. Jawahar, K. Bahar. Starch content was highest in K.Chipsona-2 followed by K.Chipsona1 and dry matter content in K. Sutlej followed by G-4. Lowest concentration of reducing sugar was found in G-4 followed by J-99/243.


House-based remedial measures to prevent soil gas infiltration have been implemented on many buildings affected by intrusion of radon, water vapor, methane, and other volatile organics (VOCs). The success of these measures has been well documented for gases such as radon; however similar detailed documentation was not readily available for methane or other VOCs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of four different remedial measures installed on houses. The four different remedial measures which were evaluated included: a liner with a subslab passive vent system, an active venting system, a passive venting system, and a liner system only. None of the houses monitored were found to have significant methane indoors due to soil gas entry. Short-term tracer tests were carried out on one of the system to evaluate the integrity of the remedial measure. Based on a limited number of houses tested, the results suggested that the amount of gas potentially entering the house could be limited by as much as four orders of magnitude.


Background We aimed to evaluate whether serum uric acid (UA) was associated with the complexity of coronary artery disease evaluated by Clinical SYNTAX Score (CSS) score. Methods The study population consisted of 451 patients (69% men) who underwent coronary angiography for the assessment of CAD. Clinical SYNTAX Score (CSS) calculated by multiplying the SYNTAX Score to a modified ACEF score (age/ejection fraction +1 for each 10 ml the creatinine clearance <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2). Results All subjects were to be divide into three groups according to CSS tertiles: CSSLOW≤9 (n=117), 10≤CSSMID<26, 27.5 (n=171) and CSSHIGH≥27.5 (n=107). Serum UA levels were found to be higher in patients with the CSSHIGH tertile than lower 2 tertiles. Serum uric acid were seemed significant assocation of the score level in CSS after adjustment for other risk factors (CSSMID OR 0.18, p<0.001; CSSHIGH OR 0.99, p=0.002;). Conclusions Our study showed that serum UA level was significantly associated with the severity and complexity of coronary artery disease evaluated by Clinical SYNTAX Score (CSS) score.


i came to live in Northern Ireland in 1962. At that point, though a good deal of political and artistic activity was taking place, it was curiously fragmented. This was a result of sectarianism in schooling, disparate communities, and loyalty of individuals to their various sects. People belonging to different communities, whatever interests they had in common, were unlikely to meet. To start any venture without paying regard to the several communities whose people might be involved seemed a virtual impossibility. I was told by more than one person that Catholics and Protestants would never meet under one roof—for any purpose. The Belfast Group, among its other achievements, proved these ill-wishers wrong. The Group was an ad hoc association of writers loosely connected with Queen's University; it met eight times each term, week by week, on a weeknight. The idea was that each person would contribute a number of poems, a short story, part of a novel, or part of a play. Contributions were duplicated and circulated before the meeting at which the item in question was to feature. The works circulated were by those likely to attend the meeting. Each meeting consisted of an author reading out the item or items he or she had contributed, and each reading was followed by a discussion. Because participants had before them a copy of the work read, the discussion could be specific and closely related to the text. The discussion, of about an hour, was followed by a break during which coffee was served. After the break, participants would, in turn, read out poems or a prose piece that they had brought along: something written by a classic or modern author, or, indeed, something composed by the reader. The Group ran under my aegis from October 1963 to March 1966, after which I left Belfast to assume another lectureship at the University of Glasgow. The Group met for a period covering eight terms, during which twenty-eight contributors read and discussed a total of sixty-four scripts.


Abnormaiities of the immune system iiave been a subject of interest for many years. As the compiexity of clinical categorization of autoimmune disorders has increased, the laboratory has become increasingly important in determining subsets and prognosis of ditterent diseases, Recentiy, there has been increasing interst in an autoantibody response to an RNA protein conjugate termed Ro. in this review, we would like to focus current knowledge concerning the Ro antigen-antibody system and its clinical significance.


RESULTS: Latina women constructed mental models of the birthing process along with their ethnic identity and agency, with constructs often unknown to medical professionals. While the medical staff used formal models derived from a narrow, officially sanctioned range of knowledge sources, the patients' models were developed informally, utilizing a wide variety of unsanctioned knowledge sources including information from a relative's advice to stay indoors during a full moon to birthing via YouTube, Baby-R-Us, internet blogs and Jennifer Lopez movies.


ABSTRACT This study investigated the mitigation of solar-resource variation for utilization in power systems. A 24-h dynamic economic dispatch using particle swarm optimization was employed to analyze the impacts of the solar-load correlations on the solar power absorption and thus the generation cost. The positive and negative solar-load correlation conditions resulted in the best and worst solar absorption capabilities, respectively. The positive solar-load correlation initially exhibited a higher total cost of generation but was the most cost-effective when demand-side management was implemented. This study is useful for the grid integration of solar photovoltaics when power storage is not feasible.


Paper presented at the 5 International Symposium on New Crops and Uses: their role in a rapidly changing world. The University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. 3-4 September 2007 Summary Ricebean (Vigna umbellata) is a neglected legume regarded as a minor food and fodder crop in Nepal and northern India, and grown in a range of cropping systems with maize during summer, as a sole crop in the uplands, on rice bunds or in home gardens. It is mainly grown for human consumption, though it is also used for fodder and green manure. There has been very little research or development support for this crop and farmers mainly grow landraces. There is no published literature on ricebean regarding its area coverage, production, productivity, utilisation and marketing. It is grown by subsistence farmers in a very limited scale and most of the produce is consumed at home, although there is a limited market for a short period each year. The crop contributes to household food security; several food items are prepared from ricebean, it is culturally important and is thought to have important nutritional values. Ricebean foliage and dry straw are valuable livestock feed, and when used as a green manure it improves soil fertility. This paper describes diversity in ricebean germplasm, indigenous knowledge in Nepal on ricebean, farmers' preferences and future prospects for the crop.