1 uberculosis is one of the oldest and most widespread of the life-threatening infectious diseases still affecting human and animal populations throughout the world (1, 2). Despite the ready availability of an effective vaccine and the existence of assorted chemotherapeutic agents, pulmonary tuberculosis continues to pose a major health problem, especially for many third world countries (3). Even in the United States, almost 30,000 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were reported in 1980, with 3,000 deaths directly ascribable to this disease (4). The continued persistence of a disease that only 20 years ago seemed to be nearly eradicated is highly disturbing, especially because many of the newly diagnosed cases are found in populations especially subject to infection by drug-resistant strains of tubercle bacilli (5). Only when the present incidence of this disease is compared with that observed 100 years ago, when Koch (6) first published his classic paper on the diagnosis and etiology of tuberculosis, can the enormous advances of recent decades be seen in perspective. Koch's landmark paper was, in the view of one of his contemporaries, "certainly one of the most important medical papers ever written and a model of logic in the application of the new experimental method to the study of diseases" (7). Koch's paper went far beyond the mere description of yet another human pathogen, however. For one thing, it established a set of criteria (the so-called Koch postulates) that must be satisified before a causal relationship can be established between a suspected microbial pathogen and a given disease (8). From a more parochial viewpoint, this paper also served as an important catalyst for Dr. E. L. Trudeau, leading him into tuberculosis research. Trudeau, who had tuberculosis for most of his life, had just established the Adirondack Cottage Sanatarium in Saranac Lake. At the time Koch's paper first appeared in Germany, very little was known in this country about the origin or the bacteriologic diagnosis of tuberculosis. Trudeau obtained an English translation of the paper and quickly succeeded in repeating Koch's experiments, using his own clinical materials for the purpose (7). These studies marked the beginning of a long series of experimental and clinical investigations into this disease by Trudeau and his colleagues (9-11). One of their most important early findings was the demonstration that environmental factors play an important role in determining the spread of this infectious pathogen within an isolated rabbit colony (12). Trudeau was not able to confirm all of Koch's claims, however. Koch had reported that repeated injections of an extract of the tubercle bacillus ("Old Tuberculin") possessed significant therapeutic value for humans (13). Repeated attempts to confirm this in tuberculous patients at the Trudeau Sanatarium were almost entirely unsuccessful (14, 15). Despite this early controversy, there is no question that Koch's papers had a lasting influence on tuberculosis research that extended far beyond anything to be expected from a description of yet another human pathogen. It still stands as a classic example of the use of an experimental approach to the study of human infectious diseases. In a review of this nature, it is impossible to do justice to all of the areas of immunology that have been influenced by tuberculosis research. No attempt will be made to cover the voluminous literature dealing with various cell components of the mycobacteria, including the structure and biological activity of tuberculin or the unique mycobacterial lipids. These have been discussed elsewhere (16-20). For the same reason, the biological activity of various antituberculosis vaccines (both live and inactivated) will be considered mostly from the point of view of the cellular response to the tuberculous challenge and the interrelationship between the resulting delayed-type hypersensitivity and cell-mediated immunity. The tubercle bacillus can serve as a potent immunologic adjuvanting or immunosuppressive agent, depending on the experimental conditions. As a result, the tuberculous host offers an ideal opportunity to study the cellular interactions responsible for the modulation of the host defenses against a variety of human pathogens. The results of these studies extend far beyond the initial goal of achieving a better understanding of the mediators of the antituberculous immune response in both man and experimental animals.


INTRODUCTION: anti-endomysial (EMA) and anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTg) are the main circulating autoantibodies in patients with celiac disease. Inasmuch as tissue transglutaminase (tTg) is the target antigen of EMA, specific assays have been developed to establish the serological diagnosis of celiac disease. However, published data are contradictory regarding their superiority over EMA. tTg is a cytoplasm enzyme, but indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IIF) indicates that EMA reacts with components of extracellular matrix, particularly with fibronectin. To date, serological tests have been standardized only with tTg. It is unknown if the addition of fibronectin to tTg substrate will improve the diagnostic accuracy. AIMS: 1) to standardize the indirect ELISA for detection of antitTg; 2) to standardize the indirect ELISA for detection of antibodies against the complex tTg/fibronectin; 3) to compare the results of anti-tTg, antifibronectin and anti-tTg/fibronectin antibody ELISAS of patients with not treated and treated celiac disease; 4) to compare the results of the in house indirect ELISA with available commercial kits (with tTg and htTg). MATERIALS AND METHODS: the casuistic was formed by the sera of 173 patients, including 49 with celiac disease without treatment and 124 controls (chronic diarrhea = 30; inflammatory bowel disease, n = 23; autoimmune hepatitis type 1 n = 30; treated celiac disease, n = 23; e healthy individuals, n = 18). EMA was detected by IIF, using sections of human umbilical cord as substrate. Indirect ELISA was carried out for detection of reactivity against tTg (from guinea pig liver), fibronectin (recombinant from human fibroblast) and the complex tTg-fibronectin. The performance of those essays was compared with that of anti-tTg and anti-htTg kits, purchased from Inova Diagnostics, Inc, USA. Statistical analysis was performed using Student t test, Fisher exact test, McNemar test and kappa correlation test when appropriate. RESULTS: Seropositivity to anti-tTg, antifibronectin and anti-tTg/fibronectin was observed in, respectively: 46.9%, 51% e 42.9% in the celiac disease without treatment group; 0%, 13% and 0% in the treated celiac disease group; 39.1%, 65.2% and 56.5% in the inflammatory bowel disease group; 20%, 50% and 20% in the autoimmune hepatitis group; 6.7%, 60% and 26.7% in the chronic diarrhea group. No patient among healthy controls had seropositivity to those aforementioned antibodies. Comparing the anti-tTg and tTg/fibronectin complex seropositivity in the celiac disease without treatment group, it was found that the addition of fibronectin to the tTg substrate did no improved the accuracy of the essay (p = 0.68; relative risk 1.15; 95% confidence interval = 0.7334-1.803). Comparing EMA titers with ELISA positivity, it was found that higher seropositivity to anti-tTg, antifibronectin and anti-tTg/fibronectin complex occurred in sera with EMA titers equal or higher than 1/1280. There was no relation between age and the seropositivity of celiac antibodies. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease had higher rates of seropositivity to anti-tTg (p = 0.029, RR = 6.1 and IC95% = 0.9-41.5) and antifibronectin (p = 0.0097, RR = 6.9 and IC95% 1.0-46.0) when compared with patients with Crohn disease. The concordance coefficients between the in house ELISA and the anti-htTg (commercial kit) was: 46.9% (kappa coefficient kappa 0) in the celiac disease without treatment group; 45.5% (kappa 0) in the treated celiac disease group; 90% (kappa 0.047, p = 0.786; McNemar, p = 1.0) in the chronic diarrhea group; 56.5% (kappa 0.085, p = 0.412; McNemar, p = 0.021) in the inflammatory bowel disease group; 83.3% (kappa 0.359, p = 0.033; McNemar, p = 0.375) in the autoimmune hepatitis group and 100% in the healthy individuals group. The concordance coefficients between the in house ELISA and the anti-tTg (guinea pig, commercial kit) was: 46.9% (kappa coefficient 0) in the celiac disease without treatment group; 54.5% (kappa 0) in the treated celiac disease group; 90% (kappa 0.047, p = 0.786; McNemar, p = 1.0) in the chronic diarrhea group; 52.2% (kappa 0.166, p = 0.235; McNemar, p = 0.033) in the inflammatory bowel disease group; 86.7% (kappa 0.524, p = 0.033; McNemar, p = 0.635) in the autoimmune hepatitis group and 94% (kappa 0) in the healthy individuals group. The concordance coefficients between the two commercial kits varied from 72.7% to 100% in the different groups. CONCLUSIONS: 1) The in house ELISA was not a good technique for detecting anti-tTg reactivity due to its low rate of positivity in patients with celiac disease without treatment and high rate of positivity in EMA negative control groups; 2) The addition of fibronectin to the substrate tTg did not improve the diagnostic accuracy of the essay in patients with celiac disease without treatment; 3) There was no difference in anti-tTg seropositivity rates between children and adults with celiac disease without treatment; 4) There was a correlation between the EMA titers and seropositivity to anti-tTg, detected by the in house ELISA; 5) The seropositivity of all autoantibodies by ELISA was higher in patients with ulcerative colitis when compared with Crohn disease; 6) Commercial kits were adequate for the identification of positive cases (with celiac disease without treatment) and negative cases among controls; 7) The seronegativity to anti-tTg antibodies by commercial kit was not systematically followed by the negativation of EMA in patients with celiac disease. Those findings suggest that anti-tTg ELISA are suitable for therapeutic monitoring of celiac disease; 8) The standardization of any ELISA for detection of celiac antibodies should include the comparison with both available commercial kits and AAE; 9) According to the results of the current study, the detection of anti-tTg antibodies, using an in house ELISA with guinea pig liver tTg as substrate, could not be incorporated in the routine work-up for the serodiagnosis of celiac disease in our hospital.


To improve the cloudy stability of cloudy jujube juices,the effects of some hydrocolloids and homogenization on the cloudy stability rate were studied by turbidity retention rate,sensory evaluation and Zeta-potential.The effects of different hydrocolloids on the stability of cloudy jujube juices were studied by the accelerated storage tests,and found the co-operatation of 0.04%(m/V) xanthan and 0.04%(m/V) aciduric CMC had a desired effect on juice stability,which were chosen for storing tests.The optimum process parameters of homogenization were obtained according to turbidity retention rate,which are 50 ℃,25 MPa,and time once.The cloudy stability of cloudy jujube juices could be improved by Cooperatation of xanthan and aciduric CMC and suitable homogenization.


Improved oversized waveguide components of transmission lines developed for high-power (200 kW) millimetre wave applications at 28, 70 and 140 GHz, as e.g. electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) of plasmas for thermonuclear fusion research with gyrotrons, are described. Axisymmetric narrow pencil beams with well-defined polarization (HE11 mode) are used at openended corrugated waveguide antennas. The HE11 mode can be generated from TE0n output modes of gyrotrons by the multi-step mode conversion processes: (1) TE0n¿TE01¿HE11¿HE11 or (2) TE0n¿TE01¿TM11¿HE11. This paper reprts computations and measurements on mode transducer systems of the first type at 28, 70 and 140 GHz and of the second type at 70 and 140 GHz. In all cases the overall efficiency of the complete mode converter sequence in the desired mode is approximately (91-94)%. The mode purity in the transmission lines is conserved by using optimimized corrugated waveguide bends and diameter tapers with non-linear contours. Highly efficient corrugated mode filters decouple the different waveguide sections.


This action research was aimed at finding out of which instructional model can improve the effectiveness of the teaching of early reading. The action research was conducted through several steps preliminary action, the formulation of instructional model, discussions to share research concepts, the implementation of actions, monitoring, reflection, and revision. Research findings showed that the effectiveness and efficiency of the teaching improved because of (a) the teaching method which used sound and media games, (b) stimulating students to think analytically and syntecally, (c) classical teaching, (d) individual learning, (e) learning guided by care instructional material, and (f) grouping the material, (g) spelling, sentence variation.


A cloud computer provides a simple interface that allows end users to allocate large amounts of computing power and storage space at the touch of a button. However, many potential users of cloud computers have needs much more complex than simply the ability to allocate resources. In scientific domains, it is easy to find examples of workloads that consist of hundreds or thousands of interacting processes. A user that wishes to run such a workload on a cloud computer faces the daunting task of deciding how many resources to allocate, where to dispatch each process, when and where to move data, and how to deal with the inevitable failures. For this reason, many users with large workloads are reluctant to move away from the predicable environment of a single workstation or multicore server. Abstractions are an effective way of harnessing large cloud computers while insulating the user from technical complexities. An abstraction is a structure that allows one to specify a workload


Abstract This study was conducted to identify races of wheat seed gall nematode Anguina tritici by using molecular identification for this nematode species parasitized on durum and bread wheat cultivars. Wheat seed galls of both cultivars were collected from two cities, Erbil and Duhok, from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq respectively. DNA was extracted from both nematode isolates (populations), and then PCR reactions were performed with Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region using primers TW81/AB28 with 2 µl of template DNA of A. tritici for both nematode isolates on both wheat cultivars. The bands of both amplification products of PCR reactions were visualized in position about 800 bp on agarose gel, which indicates that both isolates of A. tritici belong to the same race. On the other hand, no nucleotide differences were observed between the two nematode isolations, as revealed by the sequence alignment of DNA of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and phylogenetic tree, which emphasizes at the same time that both nematode isolates are of the same genetic structure or have the same identity and confirms their belonging to the same nematode race.


Background: The introduction of several novel agents has led to an improvement in response rates and survival outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Despite significant therapeutic advances a subset of patients with multiple myeloma do not achieve a deep response to first-line treatment and biomarkers are needed to identify those at risk.
 Methods: We studied 472 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who were treated in clinical practice (n = 280, training cohort) or on prospective clinical trials (n = 192, validation cohort) at Mayo Clinic between 12/2003 and 12/2015. All patients had measurable disease (M-spike ≥ 1.0 g/dL) and received treatment with novel agents. Serum M-spike and free light chains (FLC) were measured before and after the first treatment cycle. The outcome of interest was the best response to first-line treatment (evaluated using the International Myeloma Working Group Uniform Response Criteria). Failure to achieve a deep response was defined as not achieving a very good partial response or better. The serum parameters of interest were the relative decrease in M-spike and absolute free light chain difference (ΔFLC). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the serum parameters before and after the first treatment cycle. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between the change in serum parameters after the first treatment cycle and best response to first-line treatment. P-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
 Results: The median age at diagnosis in the training and the validation cohort were 67 (32 - 94) and 66 years (41 - 86), respectively. One hundred eighty one (65%) and 103 patients (54%) were male, respectively. The three most common regimens in the training cohort were lenalidomide + dexamethasone, lenalidomide + cyclophosphamide + dexamethasone, and bortezomib + lenalidomide + dexamethasone. In the validation cohort, the three most common regimens were carfilzomib + thalidomide + cyclophosphamide, lenalidomide + cyclophosphamide + dexamethasone, and ixazomib + cyclophosphamide + dexamethasone. In the two cohorts, the median baseline M-spike decreased from 3.1 g/dL (1.0 - 10.0) to 1.7 g/dL (0.0 - 6.6) and 3.2 g/dL (1.0 - 8.5) to 1.4 g/dL (0.0 - 4.5) after the first treatment cycle, respectively (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). The median baseline ΔFLC decreased from 31.1 mg/dL (0.0 - 2269.7) to 5.4 mg/dL (0.0 - 785.8) and from 23.3 mg/dL (0.1 - 3579.6) to 4.3 mg/dL (0.0 - 1139.3) after the first treatment cycle, respectively (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). M-spike reduction < 50% during the first treatment cycle was associated with failure to achieve a deep response: OR 4.54 (95% CI 2.72 - 7.58, p < 0.001) in the training cohort and OR 6.68 (95% CI 3.42 - 13.03, p < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Patients with reduction in M-spike < 10% during the first treatment cycle experienced failure to achieve a deep response in 86% (25/29) and 100% (10/10), respectively. ΔFLC reduction < 50% during the first treatment cycle was associated with treatment failure to achieve a deep response: OR 4.83 (95% CI 2.83 - 8.25, p < 0.001) in the training cohort and OR 5.09 (95% CI 2.37 - 10.92, p < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Patients with reduction in ΔFLC < 10% during the first treatment cycle experienced failure to achieve a deep response in 83% (34/41) and 91% (19/21), respectively.
 Conclusions: Early changes in M-spike and ΔFLC are strong predictors of response to treatment. We established and prospectively validated two readily available biomarkers that can identify patients at risk for treatment failure and may inform treatment decisions in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

 Lacy: Celgene: Research Funding. Gertz:Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; Teva: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Research to Practice: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy; Medscape: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; Ionis: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Russell:Vyriad: Equity Ownership. Kapoor:Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Kumar:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.


We describe the radiation damage in chromium nitride and chromium oxynitride films which occurs by electron beam radiation within the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The beam damage has been monitored by electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in TEM image mode using a 200 kV Philips CM20 (S)TEM with a LaB6-cathode, equipped with a Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF). The CrN samples (CrN and Cr0.47N0.53) were prepared on silicon wafers by reactive magnetron sputtering of a metallic chromium target in a nitrogen plasma. For the oxidised CrN sample (Cr0.5O0.2N0.3), a controlled amount of oxygen was added to the plasma gas [1]. Cross-sectional TEM specimens were prepared by standard metallographical methods and final Ar ion milling under a low angle. The N K energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) of stoichiometric CrN shows a typical fine structure (peaks at 399.0 eV and 401.1 eV) [2] and remains nearly unaffected by electron irradiation. By changing the composition, however, a sharp feature emerges at 401.4 eV (cf. fig1). The increase of the emerging peak depends primarily upon the energy and local current density of the incident beam but also on the chemical composition. The relative intensity of this feature further increases from Cr0.47N0.53 to Cr0.5O0.2N0.3. The feature in question presumably arises from a 1s-π*-transition of molecular nitrogen located in interstitial position [3].


Abstract The Thoti is a primitive tribal population fou nd in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh practicing a high degree of consangu ineous marriages. In the present paper an attempt has been made to give a dem ographic profile of the Thoti pertaining to age at menarche, age at marriage, age at first live birth, menopa use and outcome of pregnancy. For this, data were collected from a total of 246 ever married Thoti women. Furthermore, average fertility and average offspring mortality per women and the percentage of different types of offspring mortality alongwith different rates for fertility and offspring mortality as well as coefficient of inbreedingwere calculated.


Objective
The aim of this research was to investigate the expression of KLF2 and nuclear factor- kappa B P65(NF-κB P65) in hypothermic machine perfusion and its role in liver inflammatory response after rat liver transplantation from non-heart-beating donor.

Methods
Twelve rats were randomly divided into two groups: HMP group(n=6) and cold storage (CS) group(n=6). With 30min of hepatic pedicle occlusion, the rats were sacrificed and liver were obtained. HMP group experienced HMP and CS group experienced CS for 3h, respectively. Using the Isolated perfused rat liver model (IPRL) to mimick the reperfusion after transplantation. During normothermic reperfusion, intrahepatic resistance (IR) was calculated, the activities of hepatic enzyme in perfusate and oxygen consumption were monitored and production of bile was evaluated. After normothermic reperfusion, livers were obtained for histological study, the expression of Kruppel-like Factor 2(KLF2) and NF-κBP65 were detected by Western Blot and the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β in liver were detected by ELISA.

Results
1. After 0min, 60min, 120min of reperfusion, levels of ALT、AST、LDH in HMP group were significant lower than these in CS group (P 0.05). 2. In HMP group, hepatic sinusoids were somewhat dilated and only a very few hepatic cell edema, while CS group showed a serious liver injury including large hepatic cell edema, cytoplasmic loose, congestion and inflammation cells in the hepatic sinusoidal. 3. The expression of KLF2 in HMP group were significantly higher than CS group(P<0.05), while the expression of NF-κBP65、TNF-αand IL-1βin HMP group were significantly lower than CS group (P<0.05).

Conclusion
HMP could decrease liver inflammation response after liver reperfusion of non-heart-beating donor through upregulating KLF2 and inhibiting NF-κB p65 expression.

Key words:
Rats; Liver; Machine perfusion; Cold preservation; Kruppel like factor 2


Introduction We present an unusual case of rhabdomyolysis secondary to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a healthy 27-year-old female. M. pneumoniae is associated with numerous extrapulmonary manifestations, including acute hepatitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and rhabdomyolysis. Most documented cases affect the pediatric population, with only five cases in adults reported in the literature. Case Report The patient presented with complaints of myalgia and intractable cough. In this case the initial presentation demonstrated hypoxia requiring supplemental oxygen, and a creatine kinase of 7,646 units per liter (U/L) (reference range 26–192 U/L) with a peak of 29,427. During her hospitalization, she also remained persistently hypoxic for several days but ultimately was successfully weaned off all supplemental oxygen. She was discharged home after a seven-day hospitalization. Conclusion This patient's presentation of an insidious, upper respiratory infection along with the subsequent development of rhabdomyolysis with reactive antibodies to M. pneumoniae demonstrates a link between these two clinically important conditions.


The research area «intellectual control systems» can be distinguished among the numerous approaches in the construction of control systems. It includes numerous approaches from already ordinary realization of traditional control laws by means of neural networks to the advanced systems with opportunities of control purpose creation, and self-adapting systems using the methods of training, adaptation, genetic algorithms, etc. However a system can be defined as «intellectual system» if it is capable of deciding «new» tasks, i.e. such tasks where the order of the decision in the system is unknown. These tasks can also be defined as «none procedural» or «declarative». The given article is devoted to the development of the system of modelling and simulation of intelligent self-organizing systems for automatic control (ISSAC) called «Modelling Intelligent Self-organizing Systems of Automatic Control Systems» (MISACS). The ISSAC structure is presented. The order of operation components is stated. The difficulties with the ISSAC components simulation are formulated. The authors propose an approach to the definition of the hierarchically ISSAC connected system in the control process by a set of plants. The issues relating the simulation of the ISSAC subsystem which plans the program to solve the declaratively defined tasks relating the synthesis of the control law are considered. The results of control simulation by non-stationary plants using a set of hierarchically disconnected ISSACs are provided.


-: Traffic monitoring is essentially one of the most sought problem of civil administration in recent times. More-so ever the problem of traffic resolving is becoming grave every passing day this can be detect by using a tracking beacon methodology mechanism which can keep a track of which is in real time. The proposed system aims to build this mechanism put into test with the most of extreme physical conditions on the road which could be emulated the effect and also resolve traffic on a timely basis. The system will be build using randomization techniques for traffic. The optimization of road traffic is researched mostly on remote sensing but in a case to case scenario, remote sensing applications without any fixed pivot technologies like Global Positioning System (GPS) can provide very dated data which is of little help in real time traffic resolution. Remote Sensing comes handy when traffic is to be mapped on a freeway or a expressway as the motion of objects being sensed is high. On the other hand, simulation with GPS at the core is essentially a highly precise method for vehicle routing problems. The actual routing can be done using various multimodal approaches like Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Maze Track Mapping, Heuristic Search, etc.


The abundance and time-budget of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) was assessed in Bahia San Antonio, Patagonia (Argentina) in the years 2009 and 2010. A total of 366.4 boat-based survey hours resulted in 64 contact hours with a total of 88 dolphin groups. Mark-recapture abundance estimations, based on 63 identified dolphins, resulted in a corrected maximum estimate of 97 and 83 individuals during winter, and a minimum of 34 and 38 individuals during autumn of 2009 and 2010 respectively. Between 25% and 68% of the population consisted of unidentifiable individuals depending on the season, indicating the high presence of juveniles and calves. Behavioural data indicated that the dolphin's time-budget consisted mainly out of resting and feeding, variable over the seasons. Dolphins increased their time feeding and socializing during winter and spring, whereas feeding dropped to a minimum in autumn. During summer, the dolphins spent up to 46% of their time diving, a behaviour presumably associated with a tail out/peduncle-dive foraging strategy. Based on these data, we assume more prey availability during winter and spring (main food source being pelagic fish) and a notable decrease in prey availability during summer with benthic prey species being the main food source. In autumn, even less prey items might be available. Furthermore, the increase in social behaviour during winter and spring combined with a peak in the presence of calves during these seasons, suggests the existence of a mating and calving season.


Abstract Structural data for fifteen complexes of Fe(III) of a general formula [FeL5X], with pentadentate Schiff-base ligands L5 and unidentate coligands X−, were subjected to a statistical analysis. The multivariate methods such as Pearson correlation, cluster analysis and principal component analysis split the data into two clusters depending upon the low-spin and/or high-spin state of the complex at the temperature of the X-ray experiment. Some of these complexes exhibit a thermally induced spin crossover. The numerical analysis of the magnetic susceptibility and magnetization data for an enlarged set of Fe(III) spin crossover systems yields the enthalpy ΔH and entropy ΔS of the transition along with the transition temperature T1/2 and the solid state cooperativeness. The thermodynamic data show a mutual relationship manifesting itself by linear ΔS vs ΔH and T1/2 vs ΔH correlations.


In order to promote rural medicine "two network" orderly development.method of rural medicine "two network" status was set forth,the rural "two network" problems were analyzed,suggesting strengthening inter-sectoral coordination and cooperation,re-division of regulatory functions,improving the drug control laws and regulations,the introduction of market mechanism to promote the healthy operation of drug supply network and other aspects of health,standardized operation.


This study investigates how property taxes a¤ect development timing. A theoretical framework motivates an empirical model that explores how land use change decisions are made over time. A survival model using plot level data is estimated to show how di¤erent factors in‡uence the timing of development of individual parcels. The results suggest that higher taxes slow development, as expected. Within our study region, we predict 25% more agricultural land would have converted to development if taxes had not risen. However, these e¤ects vary across di¤erent land qualities. In particular, higher taxes make higher quality agricultural land more susceptible to development.


Nowadays, CNN have shown high identification accuracy in handwritten numeral recognition, but normal CNN learns image features from the pixel values of the image, so they could not learn the numerical information of the image. In this study, we propose a method to reduce the numerical error in handwritten numeric images in addition to improving the identification accuracy. Our proposed method improves performance by using an ensemble method that combines a CNN that learns to reduce numerical errors with a normal CNN. The results show that the proposed method produces higher identification rates and smaller numerical errors than the baseline method on the MNIST and KANNADA-MNIST datasets.


There are many more types of ecological disasters in Hebei Province,including drought,flood,land degradation,sandstorm,geological disaster,pest and environmental pollution.Some ecological disasters occur frequently and some of the ecological disasters cause enormous loss.In Hebei Province there were two main causes of ecological disasters: the first one was the natural causes because of the uneven precipitation,diversity of landscape,complex geological condition and vulnerable natural ecological environment and the second was the artificial cause,which was weak ecological concepts,extensive mode of operation and unsound of legal system;these human factors exacerbated ecological disasters intensity and frequency.The key task of disaster prevention was to strict implement the activity of planning and monitoring,to strengthen early warning and to restore natural vegetation.And there should be an appropriate response to some key measures for disaster prevention.


The oxygen reduction reaction at LSM cathodes was investigated by impedance and I-V measurements on thin, dense LSM microelectrodes (1000 — 8000 À thick, 20— 200 pm diameter). The geometry dependence of the electrode resistance yields information on the location and thus on the nature of the cathodic electrochemical reaction. We found that under cathodic bias the electrode resistance scales with the inverse of the microelectrode area. Macroscopic measurements on thin-film LSM electrodes (250— 10000 Â, 3 x 3 mm) demonstrate the electrode resistance to be thickness-independent. This result suggests that the rate-determining step of the oxygen reduction occurs either at the surface of the thin-film LSM electrodes or at the LSM/YSZ interface. However, with increasing anodic bias the geometry dependence changes towards a linear relation between resistance and inverse microelectrode diameter indicating that the location of the rate-determining step is probably shifted to the three-phase boundary. manner. This can be achieved by using LSM microelectrodes that are patterned via photo-lithography into a thin film of LSM (20). In this contribution we report on the geometry dependence of the electrochemical properties of such microelectrodes and on the variation of this dependence with applied voltage. results to porous cathodes is planned for the near future.


This paper compares the historical context of segregation in the United States and South Africa. We examine the antecedents of segregation in the US from slavery (mid 1800s) through the Civil Rights era, and in South Africa from segregation (in the early 19 th century) through apartheid. Next, we compare the degree of racial residential segregation of blacks from whites in the US since the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, to that of Africans (Blacks) from whites in South Africa since the election of the African National Congress in 1994. To measure the current patterns of racial residential segregation, we calculate the Racial Index of Dissimilarity (RID) and the Index of Dissimilarity (ID) using post apartheid and post civil rights data in South Africa and the US. Finally, we explore the various explanations for racial residential faced by blacks in South Africa and in the US. Racial Residential Segregation in South Africa and the United States McClinton and Zuberi 3 Introduction The vast majority of research on residential segregation focuses on the United States. However, in one of the most influential books on racial residential segregation in recent years, American Apartheid, Massey and Denton (1993) assert that the impact of racial residential segregation in the US is similar to the impact of racial residential segregation in South Africa (1993, p.15). The authors contend that the consequences of segregation in the United States are that blacks have been forced to reside in poverty stricken neighborhoods, where crime and violence are widespread, which has led to "fragmented families" and a lack of access to educational, economical, and health institutions for blacks in the United States and South Africa (Massey and Denton 1993). This comparison provides the basis of our examination to understand whether the patterns of residential segregation of blacks from whites in the United States are the same for Africans in South Africa. There is a dearth of empirical evidence on racial residential segregation in South Africa, both prior and post apartheid (Evans 1997, Christopher 1992, and Khalfani et. al 2005). The current research project is motivated by the lack of research on South Africa, which impedes our ability to make accurate comparisons between the two countries. In this paper, we present a critical analysis of Massey and Denton's (1993) hypothesis. We begin by reviewing the existing literature on racial residential segregation in the United States and South Africa. First, we compare the historical context of segregation in the United States and South Africa. We examine the antecedents of segregation in the US from slavery (mid 1800s) through the Civil Rights era, and in South Africa from segregation (in the early 19 th century) through apartheid. Next, we compare the degree of racial residential segregation of blacks from whites in the US since the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, to that of Africans (Blacks) from whites in South Africa since the election of the African National Congress in 1994. The comparative analysis is necessary to address the enduring patterns of racial residential segregation which will directly address the statement by Massey and Denton (1993) that apartheid in South Africa is a mirror image of the past experiences in racial residential segregation in the United States. Additionally, a comparative analysis is worth studying because no such empirical study exists which specifically addresses the racial process of segregation in South Africa and the United States. Specifically, our analysis addresses the following research questions: 1. Are there lessons that South Africa can learn from US and/or vice versa by comparing post-apartheid South Africa to the post-Civil Rights US data? What explanation for segregation is most applicable in the post apartheid period in South Africa? 2. What are the levels of residential segregation in post-Apartheid South Africa, by estimating the racial index of diversity (RID) and index of dissimilarity (ID) by examining "post apartheid" data? 3. Finally, is it accurate and/or useful to liken blacks' residential segregation from whites in the US to that of apartheid-era South Africa? To answer these research questions, we provide a brief historical overview of the emergence of blackwhite segregation in both the US and South Africa, as well as a review of existing literature related to residential segregation in both countries. Next we describe the data and methods we will employ to address the gaps in the existing literature on South African racial residential segregation. For comparative purposes, we will also review the historical trends in residential segregation in the United States and Racial Residential Segregation in South Africa and the United States McClinton and Zuberi 4 South Africa. 1 Finally, after analyzing the current trends in South African residential segregation and a discussion of the similarities and differences between the experiences of blacks in South Africa and the US, we conclude with a consideration of the limitations to our methodology and suggestions for future research. Historical Background of Racial Residential Segregation in the United States and South Africa There are several key historical moments that provide the historical context for racial residential segregation of blacks from whites in the US: 1) the enslavement of Africans; 2) the Reconstruction era and establishment and enforcement of Jim Crow laws for the newly-freed blacks, and 3) the Civil Rights Movement, culminating in the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The earliest forms of segregation in the United States began with the enslavement of Africans, beginning in 1502. In an evaluation of the construction and continuation of racial stratification in the US, Lyons (2002) demonstrates that the "peculiar institution" of slavery afforded the essentials for contemporary residential segregation. Although slavery ended in 1865, blacks still remained second-class citizens during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era (Lyons 2002). During Reconstruction, blacks sought to insure rights—both economic and political—denied to them under slavery. The Jim Crow era emerged following the Reconstruction period, in which laws restricted blacks from owning land, traveling, holding political office and voting—the same rights they were denied as slaves. Jim Crow segregation survived well into the second half of twentieth century, but was ultimately eradicated as a result of the Civil Rights era, though blacks' continued struggle for equality in institutions, such as churches, government, school systems, and the employment sector. One legislative enactment, which culminated the Movement, was the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to assure unbiased housing practices and lessen the levels of residential segregation. Together, these three historical periods—slavery, Reconstruction and the advent of Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement—provide a basis for understanding current patterns of racial residential segregation in the US. Thus, the prejudice and discrimination of the past are responsible for the emergence of racially segregated neighborhoods and set the stage for present-day residential segregation (Massey and Denton 1993; Meyer 2000). Massey and Denton (1993) contend that South Africa's apartheid is a mirror image of discrimination in the United States. However, South Africa can be characterized as having experienced only two key periods: 1) segregation as a product of the exploitation of diamonds and gold in the early 19 th century; 2) Apartheid as a result of the election of the Nationalist party in 1948. In Beinart and Dubow's (1995) historiography of segregation and apartheid, the authors maintain that segregation began during the Dutch rule, dating back to 1652. However, modern segregation is a result of industrialization of South Africa which was a result of the exploitation of gold and diamonds during the 19 th century. Segregation transformed into apartheid in 1948 and continued until 1990. After the election of the Nationalist Party in 1948, laws were passed, in which individuals were characterized at birth as White, Asian, Coloured or African. Apartheid forbade interracial sexual relationships and marriages and social institutions, such as schools, restaurants, and libraries were firmly divided by racial 1 This section will be discussed thoroughly in the paper due to page restrictions of the extended abstract. Racial Residential Segregation in South Africa and the United States McClinton and Zuberi 5 boundaries. Following the election of 1948, Africans were allowed to work in white designated areas but citizenship into larger South Africa was a dream. Africans were forced to live far from the center of the city and migrated into the city for work only and thus the city was "white by night" by returning to their homelands (Seidman 1999). Data and Methods A current analysis of racial residential segregation in South Africa requires data collected in the post-apartheid period (see Zuberi et al. 2004). Therefore, this study employs a 30 percent sample of the 1996 South African Population Census. The 1996 census provides information on age, sex, race, religious affiliation, fertility measures, and economic and educational attainment on all individuals in a household. This census is especially useful and interesting because it also includes information on Africans, who had previously been excluded from censuses. There are approximately 10,516,225 valid cases include in this analysis of the Republic of South Africa. The 1996 Census of South Africa includes the category for "African/Black" instead of just "Black". Khalfani et. al notes that the "1996 census may have been the most complete enumeration ever taken in South Africa."(pg, 19), thereby providing justification of our use of these data. To compare the United Sta


This paper proposes a methodology to identify the feasibility of applying Data Mining techniques (DM) in an organization (institutions or enterprises). This methodology can be applied when there are different sources of data and knowledge, and their interactions are not well identified or defined. The methodology consists of five phases defined to know and characterize the enterprise processes, its its relationships, its actors, and sources of knowledge and data. As a final result, the methodology defines the problems of the institution/company that can be improved with DM tasks MD. The methodology selects the processes of interest based on prioritization, and identifies DM tasks to perform, from the present and expected future scenarios. The utilization of this proposition is illustrated in two different types of organization, health and petroleum.


Adoptive transfer of CD19 or CD20 chimeric artificial receptors (CARs) to T-lymphocytes has been proposed to treat B-cell malignancies. If successful, however, the approach would likely severely impair humoral immunity. Since chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma, express surface monoclonal immunoglobulins (Igs) carrying kappa (κ) or lambda (λ) light chain, we explored whether chimeric T-cells targeting these immunoglobulin chains could be used instead. This approach would selectively eliminate κ+ or λ+ clonal tumor cells while sparing λ+ and κ+ normal B cells, respectively. We generated an anti-κ scFv from the κ-specific monoclonal antibody (hybridoma HP6053), using RT-PCR and phage display. The specific scFv was cloned in SFG-retrovirus vector in frame with the IgG1-CH2CH3 domain, CD28 endodomain and ζ chain of the TCR complex (CAR46/CD28/ζ). T-cells obtained from 6 normal donors were activated with OKT3/CD28 antibodies and then transduced. Seventy-one percent (range 68%-76%) of T-cells were CAR46/28/ζ+. The cytotoxicity of transgenic T-cells was tested using the 51Cr release assay against several B-cell malignancies (Daudi, BJAB, JEKO-1 and CLL-120 as κ+/λ− targets; SP53: λ+/κ−target; RAJI, κ−/λ− target; K562). CAR46/28/ζ+ T-cells efficiently killed all κ+ tumors (44%, range 48%–80% at 20:1 ratio) with 2,000 pg/mLx106cells) and significantly expanded (11 fold, range 7–16) in response to autologous tumor cells (κ+B-CLL). No significant expansion was observed in control T-cells or T-cells transduced with CAR46/ζ receptor lacking the CD28 domain. To discover whether free Ig-kappa in serum competed for the chimeric receptor we co-cultured CAR46/28/ζ+ T-cells with Daudi cells (ratio 10:1). Although the presence of plasma (1:1) reduced killing (residual activity 25%±6%) in short term cytotoxicity assays, the chimeric T cells retained the ability to eliminate all viable tumor cells by day 5–7 of co-culture, while tumor overgrowth was observed in the presence of control T-cells. To explore the function of transduced cells in vivo we used a xenograft mouse model and in vivo bioluminescence. We injected i.p. Daudi cells (5x106) expressing renilla Luciferase (RL) and 5 days later T-cells (10x106) expressing both CAR46/28/ζ and firefly Luciferase (FL) or T-cells expressing only the FL. No exogenous cytokines were given. By day 16, FL signal was significantly enhanced in mice receiving CAR46/28/ζ+ cells (ROI=3.2x106counts) compared to mice receiving control cells (ROI=0.3x106) suggesting an in vivo expansion of CAR46/28/ζ+ T-cells. In parallel, RL signal was reduced in mice receiving CAR46/28/ζ+ T-cells (ROI=0.6x106) compared to mice receiving control T-cells (ROI=1.2x106) suggesting control of tumor growth. Adoptive transfer of T-cells targeting the appropriate Ig light chain could be a useful immunotherapy approach to treat clonal B cell malignancies.


This study looks into the demographic, environmental and socioeconomic factors associated with dengue prevention and control in two barangays of Cebu City as of 2011:Barangay Guadalupe with its high incidence of dengue fever and Barangay Sta. Cruz with a low incidence of dengue fever. The study utilized the descriptive correlational design employing multi-level sampling in selecting respondents. Three (3) standardized research instruments were adopted, as follows: the Cebu Normal University Community Health Assessment, the Department of Health's Green Star Project and the instrument used in the study of Nahida (2008) on the knowledge, attitudes and practices involved in Dengue fever prevention. The Minitab version 13 statistical software was used in data processing. Mode, frequency distribution and percentages were used for demographics, environmental and socioeconomic factors and the chi square to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes and practices. Significant factors that contributed to the increased incidence of dengue fever were the drainage system, low socioeconomic status, educational attainment, presence of breeding places and the knowledge, attitudes and practices involved in dengue prevention and control.


The aim of the research was to analyse the strategic potential in successions based on a ten-year case study of a University/Museum. It explores a sequence three Chair of Board and two CEO successi...


Combining with the technology performance test of the sewage treatment plant in Taiyuan economic technology development area,the paper mainly examines the impacts of environment temperature,C/N ratio and nitration fluid backflow of integral A/O complex reaction tank.Results show that the removal ratio of NH3-N is 70% ~80% with the temperature of 20 ℃~35 ℃,the removal ratio of NH3-N is about 79% when the value of C/N is 3,and the TN of average water amount is 12.1 mg/L,then the back flow ratio is 200%,the removal ratio of NH3-N is 98.6%,and the removal ratio of TN is 75.5%.


Male sexual fantasy motivates sexual activity, yet its determinants have not yet been completely described. In this article a patient is discussed who experienced the onset of a new erotic fantasy during middle age. This motivated risky sexual behavior during a 7-month period. Although the patient's self-destructive sexual activity ceased as a result of supportive psychotherapy and pharmacological treatment of his psychiatric disorders, his sexual fantasy persists. In order to understand Mr. X's history and course it is necessary to have a psychodynamic perspective. The reasons that his treatment included both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy are discussed.


We report on symmetry properties of tensorial effective transport coefficients characteristic of many transport phenomena in porous systems at the macroscopic scale. The effective coefficients in the macroscopic models (derived by upscaling (volume averaging) the governing equations at the underlying scale) are obtained from the solution of closure problems that allow passing the information from the lower to the upper scale. The symmetry properties of the macroscopic coefficients are identified from a formal analysis of the closure problems and this is illustrated for several different physical mechanisms, namely, one-phase flow in homogeneous porous media involving inertial effects, slip flow in the creeping regime, momentum transport in a fracture relying on the Reynolds model including slip effects, single-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media embedding a porous matrix and a clear fluid region, two-phase momentum transport in homogeneous porous media, as well as dispersive heat and mass transport. ...


ABSTRACT The hospitality industry is characterized by the close personal interaction between employees and customers. Consequently, the study of certain constructs that influence this relationship, such as organizational commitment and job satisfaction, is a key factor in ensuring business success. Furthermore, there are a number of variables that can, in theory, help to explain the levels reached by these constructs, one of the most important being educational level. Using this as our starting point, this article aims to determine the effect of educational level on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of hotel employees in the province of Cordoba, Spain. As such, the study found that educational level does not influence job satisfaction. However, it does have an inverse effect on organizational commitment where the lower the educational level of employees, the higher their commitment. This result is consistent with the temporal component of both constructs, since job satisfaction is related to more ephemeral influences while organizational commitment is related to job security. In this respect, the study determined that employees with a lower educational level are more affected by the lack of job opportunities and more likely to express higher levels of gratitude for the job they have been able to secure and maintain. Knowledge of this relationship can be useful in designing more successful human resource strategies, such as employee recruitment, job profiles, and training schemes.


Exposure of Chinese hamster ovary and African green monkey kidney cells to T‐2 mycotoxin resulted in several morphological changes which were related to inhibition of protein synthesis, the basic in vitro mechanism of action of the toxin. These changes, which occurred in both cell types, included disassociation of polysomes and mitochondrial cristae alterations. In addition, CHO cells displayed membrane bleb formations similar to those found in CHO cells after exposure to established inhibitors of protein synthesis, puromycin and anisomycin. Blebs could be either a result of protein synthesis inhibition or a non‐specific early pathological response. Bleb formations were not observed in VERO cells under any experimental condition.


Serial MR angiography (MRA) of a woman aged 31 years with moyamoya demonstrated progressive stenosis of the right middle cerebral artery with collateralization of a hypoplastic right posterior communicating artery (PCoA; figure, arrows). Willisian collaterals are considered primary sources of collateral blood flow recruited at the onset of ischemia, yet PCoA hypoplasia (diameter, 0.8 mm on MRA) may preclude collateral compensation.1 Willisian collateralization of a hypoplastic PCoA suggests that PCoA hypoplasia is not a static feature. Dynamic anatomic and physiologic changes of such primary Willisian collaterals suggest secondary collateral potential. Moyamoya PCoA dilatation may indicate disease progression and portend hemorrhagic sequelae.2


The principle of the retroflection spherical lens is analyzed in the paper.Based on the single spherical lens,the light transmission process and light flux distribution are discussed in detail.The relations between its light reflection performance and various factors are obtained.The conclusion has been spread to spherical lens retroreflection array.The basic idea of the spherical lens retroreflector and its key points of application have been proposed.


The invention provides a sheet type detection device and an image forming apparatus. The sheet type detection device includes an image reading circuit, a surface property determination circuit, a thickness determination circuit, and a sheet type identifying circuit. The image reading circuit reads a document image to generate image data. The surface property determination circuit determines a sheet surface condition of a sheet type detection target based on the image data generated by the image reading circuit. The thickness determination circuit determines a sheet thickness of the sheet based on the image data generated by the image reading circuit. The sheet type identifying circuit identifies a sheet type based on the determination result of the surface property determination circuit and the determination result of the thickness determination circuit. This ensures a correct determination of a sheet type at a comparatively low cost, a reduced troublesome setting for a sheet type by the user, and a reduced unanticipated trouble for an unexecuted sheet type setting.


A recent publication by Savin et al. proposes the novel species Yersinia wautersii sp. nov. originating from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis sensu stricto (Savin et al., 2014a, b). This new taxon comprises strains known as the 'Korean group', previously revealed by multi locus sequence typing of the Y. pseudotuberculosis complex (LaukkanenNinios et al., 2011). In making their proposal, Savin et al. (2014a) followed the rules of the Bacteriological Code that are required for a novel species to have standing in nomenclature: (1) they stated that they were proposing a novel species and used the term 'sp. nov.', (2) they designated strain 12-219N1 as the type strain, (3) they provided a description of the novel species, (4) they provided the logic and scientific evidence for their proposal, and (5) after publishing the paper describing the novel species in a journal outside the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM) then validated the name by having it published in Validation List 158 in IJSEM (Savin et al., 2014b). The fifth step completed the validation process for the name of the proposed novel species and gave it standing in nomenclature under the rules of the Bacteriological Code. The above facts mean that Y. wautersii is a 'species with a validly published name' under the rules of the Bacteriological Code. However, we disagree with the logic of Savin et al. that the type strain and its related strains should be classified as representatives of a separate species on the following basis: all results presented show that the 'Korean group' is a well-defined subpopulation of Y. pseudotuberculosis. The authors explained that their findings on genotype and phenotype features of these strains corroborate the work of Laukkanen-Ninios et al. (2011) who proposed that the 'Korean group' is in the process of speciation. The authors moreover stated correctly that the 'Korean group' does not represent a species distinct from Y. pseudotuberculosis. Nevertheless, Savin et al. then proceeded to explain why the 'Korean group' strains do represent a new species by using Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei as a comparative example. This comparison is not appropriate since the classical standard definitions for species were not applied to these two species. B. mallei evolved from B. pseudomallei by gene loss and is considered to be a clone of the latter (Godoy et al., 2003; Holden et al., 2004). B. mallei is the causative agent of glanders, a re-emerging zoonotic disease of horses, observed for centuries in the Western hemisphere with a high impact in the horse industry. It is highly adapted to its primary host, the horse, which is also its single reservoir. By contrast, B. pseudomallei causes a disease in humans known as melioidosis, which was first recognized in Burma in 1912 (Whitmore & Krishnaswami, 1912). This bacterium is a soil saprophyte of tropical and subtropical wetlands which occasionally causes disease in man or animal. Melioidosis accounts for 20 % of community acquired septicaemias in northeastern Thailand but, contrary to glanders, it is not considered a disease of economic importance in animals.


ABSTRACT

In recent years, wind power generation has been widely promoting by government policy. If the structural health of wind turbines can be screened effectively and quickly, the cost for operation and maintenance will be reduced. Such techniques are desirable since a vast number of wind turbines are scheduled to be operational in the next decade in Taiwan. This certainly sets the stage for research on developing the vibration analysis and monitoring techniques for the supporting structure of wind turbine (WT) systems. The authors demonstrated in a previous study that the defect location can be discovered using the frequency displacement mode output of the numerical model. In the current study, a PVC pipe with a mass attached at the top has been applied to validate the results of the numerical simulation. The displacement in three axes of each target of equal spacing on the PVC pipe is determined by using a technique based on digital image correlation. The resulted first modal vibration pattern in the frequency domain can be linked to the dynamic behaviour of this sized-reduced model of the wind turbine tower. The experimental data show that the proposed method has a good potential for damage assessment.


The use of tartrazine as an ingredient in foodstuffs is a general practice; tartrazine is added for reasons such as enhancing the color of food and making it attractive and appetizing.


The invention discloses an ultrasonically assisted leaching device for restoring soil polluted by heavy metal. An acid storage trough, an alkaline storage trough and a leacheate storage trough are respectively communicated with a leaching restoring tank through a first peristaltic pump, a second peristaltic pump and a third peristaltic pump. An ultrasonic transmitting device is arranged in the leaching restoring tank and controlled by an ultrasonic transmitting controller arranged at the outer part of the leaching restoring tank. A pH sensor is arranged in the leaching restoring tank, and the pH sensor is communicated with a pH display arranged at the outer part of the leaching restoring tank. A stirring paddle is arranged in the leaching restoring tank, the rotating speed of the stirring paddle is controlled by a stirrer, and the work of the ultrasonic transmitting device and the pH sensor is not affected by the rotating of the stirring paddle. A thermostable water bath box is arranged at the bottom and the outer wall of the leaching restoring tank, a temperature sensor is arranged in the thermostable water bath box, and the temperature sensor is controlled by a temperature controller at the outer part of the thermostable water bath box. The bottom of the leaching restoring tank is communicated with a solid-liquid separating device through a mud pump. The invention further discloses a method of utilizing the device to restore soil polluted by heavy metal.


BACKGROUND: Thyroid disorder is very common disorders in pregnancy. It is well established that overt and
subclinical thyroid dysfunction has adverse effects on mother and the foetus like miscarriages, preterm delivery, preeclampsia, eclampsia, polyhydramnios, placental abruption, postpartum haemorrhage, low birth weight, fetal distress, NICU admission. With
this background, we are conducting a study to know the effect of thyroid disorder on pregnancy and its maternal and foetal outcome.
METHODS: The present study was carried out in Index Medical College, Indore, MP, India in Department of physiology in collaboration with
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. It is a prospective random cross-sectional study done over 180 pregnant women (90 pregnant women
with thyroid disorder and 90 with normal thyroid) which includes known cases of thyroid disorder. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH),
fT3, and fT4 tests were apart from the routine blood sample investigations as per FOGSI-ICOG good clinical practice recommendation. Patients
are followed up till delivery, and their obstetrics and perinatal outcomes are noted.
RESULTS: In our study prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 10.4%. Out of these 90 patients with thyroid dysfunction, complications
associated were pre-eclampsia (14.4%), abortions (13.3%), maternal anaemia (11.1%), preterm labour (7.8%), still birth (5.6%), abruption
placenta (4.4%). Out of 90 patients with thyroid dysfunction, foetal complications seen were low birth weight (22.2%), NICU admission
(15.6%), hyperbilirubinemia (14.4%) and foetal distress (5.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: Our result demonstrated that the thyroid disorders during pregnancy have adverse effects on maternal and foetal outcome
emphasizing the importance of routine antenatal thyroid screening.


According to the teaching plan,the time for clinic ultrasonic teaching is too limited to teach so many teaching lessons.In the limited period of teaching process,it must be emphasized that the students must grasp the basic concept,theory and characteristic of ultrasound in the lesson.So the outline of observation on ultrasonic image,obtaining indication for ultrasonic diagnosis must be introduced as the key points and the indication of clinic ultrasonic examination should be grasped by the students.We should also pay more attention to the learning of latest essential knowledge and theories.It is our aspiration to achieve good results of ultrasonic teaching in short period.


The present work relates to the chemical depolymerization of PET waste using poly ethylene glycol (PEG) of different molecular weight. The depolymerised oligoesters obtained were transesterified with castor oil to obtain various hydroxyl functional saturated polyester resins. The coating properties of these resins were evaluated which includes scratch hardness and percent adhesion. A statistical model, which shows the effect of weight percentage of PET and molecular weight of PEG on the hyroxyl value, scratch resistance, adhesion and viscosity of the saturated polyester, is developed.


Abstract The balancing method of De Abreu‐Garcia and Fairman [2] uses the Jordan realization. It involves complex arithmetic and is thus inconvenient for computation. This paper presents an improved algorithm that avoids complex arithmetic for De Abreu‐Garcia and Fairman's balancing method. The proposed algorithm is based on the use of the modified Jordan canonical realization of a single‐input single‐output (SISO) system.


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The Naples Yellow pigment was apparently used for the first time by the Egyptians, as a glass-colouring agent. Also known in the Mesopotamian and Roman cultures, the recipe was lost in Western Europe between the fourth and the 16th centuries ad. The recipe for the production of lead antimonate recently discovered in the 'Codice Calabranci' (second half of the 15th century) at Montelupo, a small town near Florence (Italy) known for its large-scale ceramic production, possibly represents the very first evidence of the reintroduction of Naples Yellow in Western Europe after a long period of absence. The major-element composition of the lead antimonate pigment in the Montelupo ceramics of the 15th and 16th centuries is in accordance with the 'Codice Calabranci' recipes. Lead isotope analyses indicate that the lead used to produce the yellow pigments and the underlying glaze of the Montelupo majolica did not come from the Tuscan mining districts, but was possibly imported via Venice from more distant lead sources in Turkey.


OBJECTIVE:
To review the demographics, clinical course, diagnostic work-up, treatment and visual outcome in patients with chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy.
 BACKGROUND:
CRION is a poorly understood disease leading to recurrent inflammation of the optic nerve. Very little is known about etio-pathogenesis, course and outcome of this rare entity.
D ESIGN/METHODS: Clinic charts of patients with CRION who met the following criteria were reviewed
• One episode of optic neuritis (ON) and at least 1 relapse
•Absence of known causes of ON including neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
•Absence of demyelinating disease (white matter lesions on MRI brain and additional neurological deficits).
•Demonstrable response to immunosuppressive treatment with relapse on withdrawal or dose reduction.
 RESULTS: Thirteen patients (9 females, 4 males; age range: 15 to 69 years) with CRION seen between July 2010 and June 2013 were included. Twelve patients had bilateral ON (11 sequential; 1 simultaneous) and 1 unilateral. Disease activity ranged from 8 months to 34 years. Relapse rates ranged from 1 to 30. Final visual acuity (VA) was better than 20/40 in 64% eyes; 20% had severe visual loss (20/200 or worse) including 3 with no light perception. 43% eyes had severe visual field loss (>-15dB) while 60% eyes demonstrated retinal nerve fiber thickness (RNFLT) < 75µm, which was independent of relapse rate. CSF abnormalities included mononuclear pleocytosis (1patient) and elevated protein (1patient). Non-specific serological marker elevation included anti-thyroid antibodies (1patient) and ANA (2 patients). There was no predictable response to any of the treatment modalities- steroids (12 patients), methotrexate (2 patients), intravenous immunoglobulin (2 patients), combination (1 patient) and no therapy (4 patients).
 CONCLUSIONS: CRION appears to be a heterogeneous autoimmune disease that results in significant retinal nerve fiber loss and poor visual outcomes in more than a third of affected eyes.
 Study Supported by: Disclosure: Dr. Sudhakar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kedar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Berger has received personal compensation for activities with Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genzyme, Genentech, Millenium, Takeda, PML Consortium, Novartis, and Pfizer as a consultant and/or speaker. Dr. Berger has received research support from the PML Consortium.


1. Introduction to Distributed Systems. What is an Operating System? What is a Distributed System? What is a Real-Time System? What is a Parallel System? Sample Distributed Application. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 2. The Kernel. Kernel Types. Processes and Threads. Process Management. Process Scheduling. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 3. Interprocess Communication. Selection Factors. Message Passing. Pipes. Sockets. Remote Procedure Calls. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 4. Memory Management. Review of Centralized Memory Management. Simple Memory Model. Shared Memory Model. Distributed Shared Memory. Memory Migration. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 5. Concurrency Control. Mutual Exclusion and Critical Regions. Semaphores. Monitors. Locks. Software Lock Control. Token-Passing Mutual Exclusion. Deadlocks. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 6. Object-Based Operating Systems. Introduction to Objects. The Clouds Object Approach. Chorus V3 and COOL v2. Amoeba. Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM). CORBA Overview. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 7. Distributed Process Management. Distributed Scheduling Algorithm Choices. Scheduling Algorithm Approaches. Coordinator Elections. Orphan Processes. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 8. Distributed File Systems. Distributed Name Service. Distributed File Service. Distributed Directory Service. NFS. X.500. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 9. Transaction Management & Consistency Models. Transaction Management Motivation. ACID Properties of a Transaction. Consistency Models. Two-Phase Commit Protocol. Nested Transactions. Implementation Issues for Transactions. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 10. Distributed Synchronization. Introduction to Global Time. Physical Clocks. Network Time Protocol (NTP). Logical Clocks. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 11. Distributed Security. Crytography and Digital Signatures. Authentication. Access Control (Firewalls). Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. 12. CASE STUDY: Windows 2000. Overview: Windows 2000 Design. Kernel Mode Overview. Plug and Play. NT Files System in Windows 2000 (NTFS). Active Directory. Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Cluster Service. Windows 2000 Security. HYDRA-A Thin Client. Summary. References for Further Study. Exercises. Appendix A. Surgical Scheduling Program. Documentation Overview. Design Documentation. Functional Descriptions. Data Dictionary. User Documentation. Client Source Code. Server Source Code. Common Source Code. File Initialization Source Code: write_ca.c. List of Acronyms. Glossary of Terms. Bibliography. Index.


The invention discloses a dry-method preparation process for triple-modified starch. The process comprises the following steps of: separately dissolving citric acid and methylsulfonic acid in a 5wt% acetic acid aqueous solution at normal temperature; adding native corn starch to a dry-method reaction kettle, starting stirring, spraying a mixed solution of citric acid, methylsulfonic acid and acetic acid to uniformly mix with the native corn starch, and spraying acetic anhydride to uniformly mix; and heating to 60-80 DEG C, carrying out reaction at a constant temperature under stirring for 60-90 minutes, carrying out heat preservation, vacuumizing for 30 minutes, continuing heating to 140-160 DEG C, carrying out reaction while maintaining a constant temperature, stirring and vacuumizing for 30-150 minutes, stirring for cooling to material temperature below 80 DEG C, spreading NaOH powder for uniformly mixing and discharging to obtain the triple-modified starch. The obtained triple-modified starch has moderate viscosity and high viscosity stability, and is suitable for warp starching; and the preparation process has simple process and short reaction time, is simple to operate and is easy to realize industrial production.


Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) can affect human health primarily via inhalation. This study evaluated the protective effects of theaflavins (TFs) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) against ZnO-NP-induced cytotoxicity in rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells. After exposure to ZnO-NPs (100 µg/L), treatment with TFs and EGCG (10, 100 and 1000 µg/L) significantly inhibited the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). Treatment also alleviated apoptosis induced by oxidative stress, which was achieved by inhibiting cytochrome C (CytoC) and Caspase 3/8/9 mRNA expression. Upon treatment with the highest concentrations of TFs and EGCG (1000 µg/L), CytoC gene expression was downregulated by 59.10% and 77.27%, Caspase 3 gene expression by 50.03% and 60.01%, Caspase 8 gene expression by 45.11% and 55.57%, and Caspase 9 gene expression by 51.33% and 66.67%. In addition, about the interleukin family as interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and the other inflammatory chemokines like C-C motif chemokine 2 (CCL2), C-X-C motif chemokine 8 (CXCL8) were upregulated in RTE cells in the presence of ZnO-NPs. All factors were gradually rescued after the addition of TFs and EGCG. These results showed that TFs and EGCG could effectively protect RTE cells from oxidative damage induced by ZnO-NPs through antiapoptotic and antioxidant effects.


In the context of infrared thermographic NDT, the whole acquisition chain is first reviewed including the required pre-processing stages needed to r store images from degradations such as vignetting, camera noise and dead pixels. Polynomial conversion to temperature values is next. Secondly, the processing steps ar discussed following two main directions: qualitative imaging which requires im age enhancement and quantitative imaging aimed at defect detection, defect quantif ication and thermal properties assessments. Supporting examples taken from inf rared thermographic NDT are presented to support the varios discussed techniques.


This work is intended to evaluate the microstructure of nickel-based overlay welds after ageing heat treatments. GMA welds using an AWS ERNiCrMo-3 electrode were deposited with a robot on ASTM A516 Gr.60 steel. Two weld heat inputs were used, 1.0 and 1.4 kJ/mm, with a current of 290 A, arc voltage of 33 V, and welding speeds of 9.7 and 6.8 mm/s, respectively. The ageing processes were conducted at 600°C using times of 100 and 300 h. Micro-hardness profiles and scanning electron microscopy together with energy dispersive spectrometry analysis were carried out to characterize the overlay. The hardness profile indicated that, in the 'as welded' condition, the overlay and heat-affected zone (HAZ) hardness were about 240 and 190 VH, respectively. The ageing process decreased the HAZ hardness to 120 VH and increased the overlay hardness to 290 VH after 100 h and to 310 VH after 300 h. These changes occurred due to HAZ decarburization and transformation of micro phases. After ageing, hard zones with values of around 800 VH were observed in the partially diluted zone, caused by the higher concentration of carbides and microstructural changes.


This paper offers a new perspective on the link between the literature on firms' investment decisions during period of uncertainty and the literature on access to finance for innovative Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In particular, it provides nuanced evidence on innovative SMEs' expectations of access to debt finance and growth after Brexit. By using a unique survey, we find that innovative SMEs expect to be more financially constrained. Furthermore, the results show that innovative SMEs have not only changed their strategies by cutting their employment, but also expect lower growth. Finally, the findings suggests that there is a spatial bias in the financial system: innovative firms outside London in fact expect to be more financially constrained and to grow less in response to Brexit.


This paper proposes a Pipeline Monitoring system using the technology of Wireless Sensor Networks. This research involves the development of a Remote Condition Based Monitoring application for Oil and Gas pipelines using over 100 Wireless Sensor Network Motes. This paper describes the research methodology and a step-wise system development procedure. It starts with the description of an application specific Test Bed for the Pipeline Monitoring System. The subsequent section describes the development of experimental protocols required for designing a Cross-Layered Protocol Stack for the monitoring application. Further, a performance metric based comparative analysis of the experimental protocols is presented giving rise to a high performance and energy efficient Cross-Layered Protocol Stack. This study also includes a short literature survey which conveys the advantages of WSN based Pipeline Monitoring system over contemporary condition based pipeline monitoring systems. The proposed protocol stack consists of Time Synchronization, Routing, Topology Control and Media Access Control protocols. The protocol stack exhibits inherent characteristics of low energy consumption and low memory usage which are vital in the development of a Wireless Sensor Network framework. In addition to this, a user friendly Graphical User Interface for data logging and real time data analysis has also been developed and presented as a part of this study.


The invention provides a conveying belt driving device of an ultrasonic cleaning machine. The conveying belt driving device of the ultrasonic cleaning machine is simple in structure, effectively prevents leakage of cleaning liquid and guarantees the ultrasonic cleaning effect. The conveying belt driving device of the ultrasonic cleaning machine comprises a water tank; a vibration box is arranged in the water tank; a conveying belt is arranged in the position, corresponding to the upper end of the vibration box, of the water tank and connected with a transmission shaft. The conveying belt driving device of the ultrasonic cleaning machine is characterized in that a supporting frame is arranged in the position, corresponding to the transmission shaft, of the water tank and provided with a driving motor, and the driving motor is connected with the transmission shaft through a belt.


The subject of the article is the concept of introducing creative work spaces in the libraries, also called maker space. The aim is to identify the potential of such spaces with regards to the promotion of library services as well as building a positive image of various library types. As a result of conducted analysis, the conclusions with regards to the opportunities and threats associated with creating a maker space in libraries are formulated.


Intracranial dermoids comprise less than 1% of all intracranial lesions. These are slow growing benign congenital ectodermal inclusion cysts containing varying amounts of ectodermal derivatives. They usually found in midline in contrast to epidermoids. Teratomas, although similar in some respects, are a separate entity. Intracranial dermoid cysts show variable presentation usually cause symptoms because of mass effect and due to rupture with spillage of its contents into subarachnoid space and/or ventricles is a potentially serious complication that can lead to aseptic meningitis, seizures, cerebral ischaemia, hydrocephalus and rarely olfactory ischaemia. Occasionally they are incidentally detected.(1,3,4). Summary: Rupture of intracranial dermoid is very uncommon occurrence with significant mortality. We present a case of ruptured sellar-suprasellar dermoid with subarachnoid and intraventricular dissemination of its contents causing hydrocephalus.


Bethlehem Steel quit making steel in 1995 in its Pennsylvania hometown. By 1998, it had shut down its coke furnaces and sold its last two steel-related businesses at the 1,800-acre Lehigh Valley complex. Seven hundred executives were left to dismantle and dispose of the silent mills and cold furnaces, while former employees and city businesses coped with the reality of unemployment and bankruptcy. Curtis H. (Hank) Barnette, chairman and CEO, knows that it would be easy to just walk away from the company he'd shepherded, but also that walking away wouldn't be in keeping with Bethlehem Steel's four-point mission: to increase shareholder value, serve customers, establish partnerships among employees, and be a good citizen. Barnette has assets to work with: the land, historical artifacts, town, buildings, goodwill he'd spent a large part of his life creating, and the people. This case chronicles the story of Barnette and his team as they work to lay Bethlehem Steel to rest and to leave the land it had occupied better off.

Excerpt

UVA-BC-0226

Rev. Oct. 2, 2019

Disruption, Transformation, Rebirth: Steel Production Ends in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is the one state that built the other forty-nine.

—Governor Tom Ridge, 1997

. . .


Since we all process visual information more readily, the key to making the integrated information meaningful is visualization. Our ability to understand the subsea environment will improve significantly as a result.


Congenital infantilefibrosarcoma isa rare soft tissue neoplasm inthe infant ofwhich onlya fewcases arereported as congenital. This tumor has a rapid growth and extensive local invasion, but metastasis rarely occurs. Distal extremities involvement is more common and metastasis are rare. We report a case of a congenital infantile fibrosarcoma of the forearm, which was initially confused with a hemangioma, treated successfully by surgical resection. # 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.


MnZn ferrites were sintered in the presence of a Bi2O3-SiO2 - rich liquid phase. The microstructure of MnZn-ferrite samples that contained various amounts of liquid phase during sintering was investigated. The results revealed that microstructure development and final magnetic permeability depend essentially on the amount of liquid phase present during sintering. The solution-reprecipitation (S-R) process in MnZn ferrites starts when a continuous liquid-phase film is formed during grain growth. The status of the microstructure developed during solid-state sintering prior to the formation of the critical liquid-phase film is essential for the final microstructure developed during liquid-phase-assisted sintering.


Objective:To observe the protective function of rutaecarpine(Rut)on learning and memory impairment induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in mice and its possible mechanisms.Method:The bilateral common carotid artery occlusion for 5 min were conducted in mice,the mice in Rut-treated groups were administered with Rut(84,252,504 μg·kg-1,respectively)ip before 30 min of the operation.The other groups were administered with DMSO(0.02 mL·10 g-1).The abilities of learning and memory were examined by step-down test.The content of nitric oxide(NO) and the activities of nitric oxide syhthase(NOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) were measured by UV spectrophotometry scenery.Result:Focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury could induce the disorder of learning and memoryin step-down test,the latency of Rut-treated groups was significantly extended(P0.01),rutaecarpine could decrease the content of NO significantly and the activities of NOS and iNOS in mice brain.Conclusion:Rut could significantly improve the impairment of learning and memory and might decrease cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury by decreasing the activities of NOS and iNOS of mice brain.


Purpose
Transformational leadership has caught the significant attention of many academic scholars in the leadership domain. In recent studies, emphasis has been given on green transformational leaders who empower their subordinates, which, in turn, leads to employees' discretionary behavior toward environmental management of the organization, which has been denoted as organizational environmental citizenship behavior. Organizational citizenship behavior has been strongly advocated as a means to improve the environmental performance of organizations. A green transformational leader encourages his subordinates to undertake activities that are beneficial to the organization's environmental management, such as thinking about the sustainable development of the organization, solving environmental problems and contributing to the firm's environmental performance. This study aims to investigate the domain of environmental leadership by examining the mechanism and conditions under which green transformational leaders induce organizational environmental citizenship behavior.

Design/methodology/approach
Information technology (IT) firms across four major cities in India were considered for the survey to examine the proposed hypotheses. Online questionnaires were shared with 1,286 employees working across seven branches of IT companies. A total of 378 respondents completed the survey, but only 293 questionnaires were suitable for further analysis using structural equation modeling.

Findings
The findings of the study show that green transformational leadership promotes green empowerment and organizational citizenship behaviors toward the environment (OCBE) among the employees. It also reveals that environmental passion plays a key role in promoting eco-initiative and eco-helping behavior among the employees when they are empowered for green practices. Also, the influence of resource commitment fosters eco-civic engagement among the employees.

Practical implications
Results hold strong implications for human resource managers on how green transformational leadership approaches can help trigger organizational citizenship behavior among employees. Also, understanding the impact of green empowerment on employees' involvement in extra-role behavior will help organizations to develop strategies to strengthen their sense of empowerment toward green practices.

Originality/value
This study attempts to investigate the impact of green transformational leadership on employees' OCBE and the mechanisms through and conditions under which green transformational leadership may impact the indicators of OCBE. The study proposes a mechanism and social and psychological conditions that can potentially explain the linkages between green transformational leadership and OCBE: green empowerment, resource commitment and environmental passion.


Flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) has been used widely since mid-late 1990s as a high-density package technology. The use of underfill can improve the stability and reliability of the package. However, due to the mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), cracking and subsequent propagation are more likely to occur at the interface related to underfill such as underfill/die, underfill/passivation and underfill/solder-mask interfaces, which has become a serious concern for package reliability. In this paper, the propagation behavior of crack at bimaterial interfaces of underfill/die, underfill/passivation and underfill/solder-mask are analyzed by two-dimensional (2D) Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT). The propagation tendency of different interfacial cracks and possible failure forms of the package are predicted according to calculation of fracture mechanics parameters (e.g., energy release rate, G and phase angle, ψ). The effects of temperature on energy release rate are also investigated. Simulation results show that cracks located at different interfaces show distinct propagation tendencies and may lead to different failure forms. The energy release rate increases with temperature when below glass transition temperature (Tg) of underfill. But when temperature reaches Tg, the change of energy release rate depends on the degree of softening effect of underfill and the worsened mismatch of thermal expansion. The risk level of crack located at three different interfaces under thermal load seems to have the order from high to low as follows: underfill/passivation interface, underfill/die interface and underfill/solder-mask interface.


A permanent-magnet eddy current brake system was designed for the EMALS.The theoretical calculation expression of braking force was derived and validated by the finite element method.Besides,the permanent-magnet array was optimized in the basis of theoretical calculation expression and the finite element results,which can provide reference for the designing of permanent-magnet eddy current braking system.


Teachers reflect on their practice on a daily basis in a quite informal and instinctive way. With encouragement, time and the opportunity to make their reflection more systematic, teachers can become teacher researchers and be well placed to give insightful and valid accounts of pedagogical processes and practices in their classrooms. Such research is valuable professional development for teachers. Furthermore, research empowers teachers in having a voice in classroomfocused research and making a contribution to knowledge from an insider position. I have taken four 'telling cases', two teachers in Spain researching aspects of their practice in their classrooms where they teach English as a foreign language amongst other subjects, and two teachers in England teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Each teacher carried out a small research project within the context of a Masters' programme. I analyse their narratives in terms of the teachers' 'felt need' to research, their research questions, their methodologies, their research findings and impact of their practice. I frame this analysis with reference to the extent of the transformation of the teachers' mind sets and their practices when they had completed their research. I conclude that teacher research, which could be part of school professional development, offers rich personal learning, creates professional identity and enables teachers to develop self- agency to question and change practices to improve student learning.


Context  Recent studies suggest that current glucocorticoid replacement therapies fail to completely restore well‐being in patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI).


The current consumption situation of triethylene glycol of Changqing Jingbian Gasfield was discussed,as well as the resource of pollution and component.The main pollutant that effected dehydration of triethylene glycol was determined by simulated experiment.A recovery process of TEG was designed by experimental results.The results showed that the main pollutants came from water,inorganic salt,triethylene glycol catabolite and high polymer produced in dehydration in processes.The most effective pollutant was water,and then inorganic salt.The organic impurities effected foaming of triethylene glycol.The recovery process satisfied the production requirements,had good economic benefits,and protected the environment.The recovery provided a new path for waste recycle,saved the cost of production.


Questioning in the field of economics as a consequence of the current economic crisis is gradually opening the way to a new paradigm in development theory. This paper details the origins and characteristics of the export model that was at the heart of the growth strategies of developing countries. It also analyzes how the crisis in the emerging and developing economies impacted the theoretical paradigm for development, and it encourages the economic community to revisit the foundations of new growth models that rely on both new international macroeconomics and the return to domestic markets as complementary outlets of production and sources of growth.


Graphene oxide (GO) has been described having a bandgap. It is proportional to the concentration of the oxygen atoms. Upon reduction of GO[1] to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) this bandgap is getting smaller, which implies higher excitation efficiency of carriers from ground states to excited states. Of this process, the non-radiative emission contributes to the generation of surface plasmon along the rGO/Au interface. Most of the recent research focus on GO-based Au surface plasmon resonance (SPR) [2][3] and it was proved that GO on top of a Au layer can increase the SPR sensitivity compared to a conventional Au layer. The underlying principle of this stronger lightmatter interaction is still under debate. In our study, in contrast to GO thin films, we demonstrate that rGO thin films exhibits even superior enhancement of surface plasmon effects for biosensing applications. A GO thin film was prepared as starting layer in wafer scale by a spin-coating technique on the surface of aminothiophenol (ATP)functionalized Au. Afterwards it was treated by thermal reduction at mild temperatures to transform GO into rGO having a smaller band-gap. Both thin films were then compared in SPR assays. They served as functional layers to immobilize prostate cancer specific antigen (PSA) as receptor molecules for detecting its binding capability to concanavalin A (ConA lectin). Our results concretely confirmed that the average intensity of the resulting surface plasmon and the signal-to-noise ratio on a rGO-SPR platform (as shown in Figure 1) were 1.65 times and 3.03 times higher than that of the GO based SPR platform. The working mechanism and the potential application of rGO thin film to enhance the standard SPR approach in biosensing will be intensively discussed in this contribution.


This book is laid along a spine of traditional just war theory. Each chapter in Part I examines one of the traditional principles of jus ad bellum (principles guiding the decision of whether to initiate war) and jus in bello (the moral principles which govern the conduct of war). In Part II each chapter employs the full set of just war principles to analyze recent military conflicts. The book has two features which prevent it from simply replowing familiar terrain in just war theory. First, the chapters were written by contributors from Belgium, the People's Republic of China, Russia, and the United States. As the editors note, discussions of military ethics tend to be parochial, written for and read by members of a single culture. By virtue of their varied backgrounds, this book's contributors bring useful perspectives to these discussions. Second, the chapters regularly apply these abstract theories to particular cases. The early chapters, which examine individual principles of just war theory, employ concrete cases to illustrate how the principles can guide deliberation and to illuminate difficulties in applying these principles. Hence, an array of concrete instances vividly illustrates the difficulty of determining whether the just war principle of right intention is satisfied in particular instances in which nations have gone to war. Also, the analyses reveal the importance, and difficulty, of weighting the various principles to resolve cases where they conflict. Thus, a nation's leaders may have an obviously just cause for war but wonder whether the resulting human suffering outweighs the merit of their cause. The chapters are nicely done. Though the authors come from different nations and intellectual traditions, each applies the principles of just warfare in evenhanded and nuanced fashion. As a result, analyses often conclude that a given conflict met the standard of several of the principles of just war, failed others, and may or may not satisfy yet others. The authors commonly disagree, but that is part of the value of a work of this sort. The chapters of Part II are most timely and serve to illustrate the ways in which contemporary circumstances challenge just war theory. The earliest case examined is the War in the Persian Gulf of 1990 /1991 and the most recent is the continuing post-September 11 struggle against terrorism. Of these, the Gulf War most closely resembles traditional warfare. It was fought by a coalition of national armies in opposition to another national army. The other cases include civil wars, humanitarian intervention undertaken by the authority of international organizations, and, finally, the unprecedented post-September 11 war against terrorism, which has facets of conventional warfare, espionage, and ordinary law enforcement. Journal of Military Ethics (2003) 2(2): 168 /170


Flonicamid, a novel class insecticide possessing a unique chemical structure, was discovered in 1992, developed by Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, Ltd., and registered in Japan in 2006 under the trade name of Ulala DF. This compound is very active against a wide range of aphid species and also is effective against some other species of sucking insects. It rapidly inhibits the feeding behavior of aphids and provides long-lasting control. Flonicamid shows no cross-resistance to conventional insecticides and exhibits excellent systemic and translaminar activity. It has no negative impact on beneficial insects and mites. Furthermore, it has a favorable toxicological, environmental and ecotoxicological profile. These characteristics make flonicamid well suited for resistant management strategies and integrated pest-management programs. © Pesticide Science Society of Japan