Effect of high current pulsed electron beam(HCPEB) on microstructure and properties of hypereutectic Al-17.5Si alloy was investigated.Modification mechanism was analyzed by SEM and XRD.SEM results show that Si element diffuses into Al matrix and forms single phase of α solid solution on top surface of HCPEB-treated Al-17.5Si alloy.XRD analysis results show that no new phase forms after HCPEB treatment,and lattice parameters of Al significantly decrease after 15-pulse treatment.Hardness test results show that microhardness of primary Si phase presents gradient distribution from the center to edge of Al-Si-diffused-zone,and the microhardness of center of primary Si decreases gradually with increase of pulse number.Wear resistance increases first and then decreases with increase of pulses,and the wear weight loss declines by 84.6% after 15 pulses.The HCPEB technique is thus demonstrated to have a good application future in improving surface wear resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys.


Background: Cardiac resident macrophages are self-maintaining and originate from embryonic hematopoiesis. After myocardial infarction, cardiac resident macrophages are responsible for the efficient clearance and degradation of apoptotic cardiomyocytes (efferocytosis). This process is required for inflammation resolution and tissue repair; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Therefore, we aimed to identify the mechanisms of the continued clearance and degradation of phagolysosomal cargo by cardiac resident macrophages during myocardial infarction. Methods: Multiple transgenic mice such as Lgmn−/−, LgmnF/F; LysMCre, LgmnF/F; Cx3cr1CreER, LgmnF/F; LyveCre, and cardiac macrophage Lgmn overexpression by adenovirus gene transfer were used to determine the functional significance of Lgmn in myocardial infarction. Immune cell filtration and inflammation were examined by flow cytometry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, legumain (Lgmn) expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in the cardiac tissues of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and healthy control subjects. Results: We identified Lgmn as a gene specifically expressed by cardiac resident macrophages. Lgmn deficiency resulted in a considerable exacerbation in cardiac function, accompanied by the accumulation of apoptotic cardiomyocytes and a reduced index of in vivo efferocytosis in the border area. It also led to decreased cytosolic calcium attributable to defective intracellular calcium mobilization. Furthermore, the formation of LC3-II–dependent phagosome around secondary-encountered apoptotic cardiomyocytes was disabled. In addition, Lgmn deficiency increased infiltration of MHC-IIhigh CCR2+ macrophages and the enhanced recruitment of MHC-IIlow CCR2+ monocytes with downregulation of the anti-inflammatory mediators, interleukin-10, and transforming growth factor-β and upregulationof the proinflammatory mediators interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interferon-γ. Conclusions: Our results directly link efferocytosis to wound healing in the heart and identify Lgmn as a significant link between acute inflammation resolution and organ function.


Given the global nature of the climate crisis and the insistence of many developed countries on the active involvement of developing countries – particularly the rapidly emerging economies – it is essential that an acceptable mechanism be found for developing country participation in the post-2012 framework. Many developing countries, including China and India, have made it quite clear that they will not accept a hard cap on their emissions, and therefore another approach is necessary.


OBJECTIVE
Central reading of endoscopy is advocated by regulatory agencies for clinical trials in ulcerative colitis [UC]. It is uncertain whether the local/site reader should be included in the reading paradigm. We explore whether utilizing locally- and centrally-determined endoscopic Mayo scores (eMS) provide a reliable final assessment and whether the paradigm used has an impact on effect size.

DESIGN
eMS data from the TURANDOT (NCT01620255) study were used to retrospectively examine seven different reading paradigms (utilizing the scores of local readers [LR], first central readers [CR1], second central readers [CR2], and various consensus reads [ConCR]) by assessing inter-rater reliabilities and their impact on the key study endpoint, endoscopic improvement.

RESULTS
More than 40% of eMS scores between two trained central readers were discordant. Central readers had wide variability in scorings at Baseline (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.475 [0.339, 0.610] for CR1 vs. CR2. Centrally-read scores had variable concordance with LR (LR vs. CR1 ICC 0.682 [0.575, 0.788], and LR vs. CR2 ICC 0.526 [0.399, 0.653]). Reading paradigms with LR and CR that included a consensus, enhanced ICC estimates to > 0.8. At Week 12, without the consensus reads, the CR1 vs. CR2 ICC estimates were 0.775 [0.710, 0.841], and with consensus reads the ICC estimates were > 0.9. Consensus-based approaches were most favourable to detect a treatment difference.

CONCLUSION
The ICC between the eMS of two trained and experienced central readers is unexpectedly low which reinforces that currently used central reading processes are still associated with several weaknesses.


Nano-structured ZnO thin-film is grown by dc-magnetron sputtering on Si substrates using a sintered ZnO target. As grown film is characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). About 165 nm thick ZnO film is revealed with highly oriented, nano-structured columnar grains. Nickel (Ni) Schottky diodes are fabricated and characterized by current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and temperature dependent current-voltage (I-V-T) measurements. Charge transport mechanism is studied from the I-V measurements performed in the temperature range from 300–400K. Both reverse and forward currents increased with temperature. Increase in barrier height along with a decrease in ideality factor with increasing temperature indicates thermionic field emission is the dominant charge transport mechanism in our devices.


felt by patients in the end of life. Patients with terminal illness, such as cancer,
often feel abandoned by doctors in transition to end of life care. Doctor-patient
relationship is the basic of care, good doctor-patient relationship would be a great
foundation in palliative care.
Aims: The aim of the research is to find out the cancer patients' perception of
doctors and palliative care in Palliative and Pain Relief Polyclinic Dr. Soetomo
General Hospital.
Method: A Qualitative study based on 7 interview with cancer patients. Data
collecting was done by using semi structured in-depth interview to cancer patients
in Palliative and Pain Relief Polyclinic Dr. Soetomo General Hospital according
to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study.
Result: There are 7 subjects in the research, age from 37-84, four females and
three males, with varying cancer diagnosed and majority of subjects are in stage 3
and stage 4, education backgrounds are mostly grade and high school, ethnic
groups are predominantly Javanese and Madurese, and housewife is the dominant
occupation. Cancer patients' perceptions of doctors in palliative care are 'doctors
have good communication' and 'doctors are close to patients', and the perceptions
of palliative care are: palliative care is able to alleviate patients' symptoms, is
proactive and always ready to help patients, makes patients feel appreciated, has
friendly doctors and nurses, and makes patients feel comfortable to keep on
coming to palliative for treatments.
Conclusion: Cancer patients' perceptions of doctors in Palliative and Pain Relief
Polyclinic Dr. Soetomo General Hospital are: the doctors have good
communication with patients and make the patients feel close to doctors. Cancer
patients' perceptions of palliative care are good in general, from its ability to
alleviate patients' symptoms, to make patients feel appreciated and comfortable,
the friendly doctors and nurse in palliative care, and its enthusiasm to help
patients.


A terminal model is a common method to create equivalent models of boost converters in order to predict conducted emissions. In this paper, a characterization board was designed to measure the voltages across and currents flowing into the input side of a DC-DC boost converter automatically by changing the load conditions using the relays as switches. After the equivalent source was determined, the induced noise voltage at the test load was compared to that predicted by the model. The results indicate that the agreement with the direct measurement is quite good up to 100 MHz when the load is within the characterization range. The model is able to correctly predict the conducted emission of the converter in situations quite different from the characterization conditions, for example when an EMI filter is added.


Assessing student learning is a complex process requiring teachers to have deep knowledge of the curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. Changing political climates mean that teachers are expected to respond to new approaches or systems and adjust their classroom practice accordingly. Teachers often engage in professional learning (PL) to assist their knowledge and classroom practice, but what impact does PL have on their assessment practice as well as student learning and achievement? This paper examines optimal PL principles, the New Zealand assessment policy context, and application of assessment for learning principles in a nation-wide PL programme. Empirical data presented in relation to the five levels of Guskey's (2002) model evaluating PL indicate successful outcomes at the classroom level. However, application of Carless' (2005) theoretical framework on embedding PL changes in schools reveals an area of neglect: attending to system (macro) level needs. Collaborative partnerships between schools and the wider community are posited as essential determinants of assessment literacies and transformational PL in times of political change.


Application of an electrostatic restoring force to the mass of a gravity meter is equivalent to introducing a springlike force working in opposition to the mainspring. This destabilizing effect increases with feedback force and for astatic instruments becomes an important factor in design for operating ranges as small as 5 mGal. With short-period instruments the operating range can be extended by 2 or 3 orders of magnitude before the destabilizing effect becomes important. Theoretical results are verified by experiments conducted on a LaCoste and Romberg model G gravity meter.


Scanning microdeformation microscopy (SMM) is a near field microscopy in the mesoscopic domain. Such a microscope has become an alternative to the high resolution acoustic microscope that operates at very high frequencies. SMM is based on a vibrating contact tip and piezoelectric detection. The lateral resolution is essentially related to the tip diameter. Classically, the SMM sensor is obtained by a complex mounting process. The tip is glued on a Si cantilever driven by a piezoelectric ceramic. Piezoelectric crystal is an alternative to get a monolithic vibrating cantilever. Quartz crystal, which is the most often used piezoelectric material, can be advantageously replaced by Langasite crystal because of its higher piezoelectric coefficients and its better temperature behaviour.


The present invention relates to a bed capable of handling feces, in a typical bed consisting of a bed top plate and a bed frame, the bed top plate is a backrest and the backrest for supporting the upper body on the knee relative to the point where the user's knee is located. It is divided into a body part structure when the back part descends from the bed top plate when excreted; A back lift, which is configured under the back seat, moves up and down the shank back; It is composed of a lower portion between the knee end and the back portion of the back portion, the back portion is open when the lower portion communicates with the buttocks, feces storage unit for storing excrement; Composed in the lower portion of the body portion supporting the user's calf in the body portion, the backrest is open when descending and communicates with the buttocks, moving forward to wash the excrement that the user excreted; When the user is excreted, the lower back part is lowered from the bed top plate so that the user's lower part is caught in the body part, and the thigh is raised so that the buttocks, the excrement storage part and the washing part pass through, so that the user can be excreted in a lying position, reducing the burden on the waist. It is easy to handle and wash the feces after excretion.


We prove that principal gradient schemes have regular reduced subschemes. We also obtain a regularity criterion for reduced quotient rings.


This study was undertaken to assess sun-dried aqueous leaf extracts of three medicinal plants (Podophyllum hexandrum, Withania somnifera and Xanthium strumarium) against late blight of potato caused by Phytophthora infestans. Foliar sprays of 25 % (w/v) leaf extracts of the three medicinal plants at a 3 day interval significantly reduced disease severity and resulted in higher tuber yield and biological yield compared to control. Among the tested plants, leaf extracts of Podophyllum hexandrum were more effective in minimizing the disease incidence and producing better biological yield/plant (24.92 g) and tuber yield (14.93 t/ha) than other treatments. Results of this study recommends that foliar application of the tested plants extracts (at 3 d) in the order of efficiency (P. hexandrum> X. straumerium> W. somnifera) against late blight could be used for minimum disease incidence and better yields.


THE exercise of jurisdiction under R.S.C. Order 11 poses particular problems for the English courts. If a foreign defendant has no assets within the jurisdiction, cannot be served here and refuses to submit to the jurisdiction of the English court, the chances of enforcing any English judgment in the defendant's home country are slim. Jurisdiction asserted under R.S.C. Order 11 does not bring an English judgment within the registration provisions in force between England and foreign countries. For these reasons the English courts have been reluctant to exercise their discretion under R.S.C. Order 11 to grant leave to a plaintiff to sue a foreign defendant unless certain criteria for the protection of the defendant are satisfied. • These problems are highlighted by the recent case of Coast Lines Ltd. v. Hudig & Veder. The plaintiff, an English company, chartered its boat, the m.v. Granfteld, on a voyage charter between Rotterdam and the Republic of Ireland to the defendants, a Dutch company. The " Gencon " charter was signed in Rotterdam, was in the English language and contained references to pounds sterling. The " Gencon " charter was used extensively in the European shipping trade but contained no express choice of law clause. It did, however, purport to exclude the shipowners from damage to goods caused by the unseaworthiness of their ship, unless it could be proved that the owners or their managers had personally failed to exercise due diligence. Subsequently a bill of lading was issued in Rotterdam for the carriage of 4,000 tons of bleaching earth from Rotterdam to Drogheda on the Granfield. The biH of lading issued in Rotterdam was also in English and purported to impose on the shipowners a greater liability in the event of the ship being unseaworthy than arose under the charterparty. In due course the cargo was damaged owing to the unseaworthiness of the boat, but there was no evidence of personal negligence by the plaintiffs or their managers. If the charterparty was governed by English law the English court had a discretion to allow service on the foreign defendant under R.S.C. Order 11 rule 1 (f). If English law was not the proper law of the charterparty, there was no other basis for asserting jurisdiction. Moreover if English law was the proper


This paper introduces the hydraulic control system design for the change-wheel garage of Chongqing light rails through analysis of three-stage cylinder synchronization circuit for lifting bodies, and optimizing the design of the slewing mechanism with respect to the hydraulic servo control system of digital cylinder. The results improved the smoothness in the process of changing wheel lifting and the rotary accuracy of the rotary mechanism. Design on the PLC control system of the system is also included as part of this paper.


This study compared the quality of beef (M. biceps femoris) from Japanese shorthorn steers (n = 8) cured with different amounts of NaCl. Muscle samples (100 g) were cured with 2 (2 g group), 4 (4 g group), or 6 g (6 g group) NaCl for 3 days. The surface and internal (10 mm deep from surface) textures of the meat were then analyzed. Metmyoglobin percentages and a* values were analyzed at the surface, at 5 mm depth (superficial section) and at 25 mm depth (deep section). Cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and load of gumminess of the 2 g group were significantly lower than those of the 6 g group in all sections. The metmyoglobin percentage of the 2 g group was significantly lower than that of the 6 g group in the superficial and deep sections. The a* value of the 2 g group was significantly higher than that of the 6 g group in all sections. The lowest drip loss was found in the 2 g group and was highest in the 6 g group.


[eng] In Czechoslovakia, a central body of a new kind, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, is in charge of organizing the vertical integration between agriculture and food industries and also the food supply of the population. [fre] En Tchecoslovaquie, un organisme central d'un type nouveau, le ministere de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation, est charge d'organiser l'integration verticale agriculture-industrie alimentaire. Il doit assurer un meilleur approvisionnement de la population.


Porcine amniotic fluid-derived stem(AFS) cells were isolated from amniotic fluid of 30-day porcine fetuses.Plasmid containing enhanced green fluorescence protein gene(EGFP) was transfected into AFS cells by lipofection.EGFP gene transfected AFS cells were induced to differentiate into cell types of osteogenic and myogenic lineages.Expanded AFS cells and differentiated cells were harvested for analysis of markers using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).The results showed that the positive AFS cells were obtained.AFS cells expressed octamer transcription factor 4(Oct4), CD-90 and Sox2.The EGFP gene transfected AFS cells were differentiated into osteoblast(osteonectin+ and osteocalcin+) and myocyte(myf-6+ and myoD+).The results demonstrated that AFS cells were easily isolated and cultured from amniotic fluid of porcine fetuses, the EGFP gene transfected AFS cells were capable of self-renewal, and broadly multipotent.EGFP can be used as a marker in monitoring AFS cells.


Abstract Background Obesity, Diabetes mellitus type 2, race and other characteristics has been associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19 disease. The prevalence of obesity in the United States in 2017-2018 was 42.4%. Webb County, Texas with a 95.6% Hispanic population shows an obesity prevalence of 35.8% in 2014. It is unclear whether obesity increases the risks of complications and mortality in Hispanic population from COVID-19 disease. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 between March 2020 and August 2020. 950 patients were tested and admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were categorized into classes of body habitus by BMI: underweight (< 18.5), normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), obesity class 1 (30.0-34.9), obesity class 2 (35.0-39.9), and obesity class 3 ( >40.0). Results 950 Hispanic patients were included (Male-52.8%, Female- 47.2%) in the study. In total, 19.05% of our patients died during the hospitalization with an increased risk of mortality in patients having obesity class 2 (RR 4.14, 95% CI = 2.2–7.7 p=< 0.0001), and obesity class 3 (RR 6.0, 95% CI = 1.3–4.6 p=< 0.0001) compared with those with normal BMI. Mortality was higher in obese patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation at 93.75% compared to obese patients who were non-ventilated at 4.29%. Patients with obesity class 2 and 3 had higher risks of in-hospital complications including AKI requiring renal replacement therapy, ARDS, and arrythmias most commonly atrial fibrillation/flutter at 26.7%, 18.42% and 13.5%. Characteristics of In-hospital complication complications due to COVID-19 disease Conclusion Patients admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 disease with obesity classes 2 and 3 have a significantly increased risk of mortality as compared to normal and overweight patients. Severe obesity was also associated with increased hospital complications of AKI, ARDS, and Atrial Fibrillation. This further affirms that obesity is a pertinent risk factor to be considered in COVID-19 patients. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


There are 51 species of grasshoppers in 33 genera and 5 families in Hanzhong area, Shaanxi Province. Of them, two species and one genus belong in Pyrgomorphidae, 19 species and 9 genera in Catantopidae, 12 species and 5 genera in Arcyperidae, 13 species and 12 genera in Oedipodidae, and 5 species and 2 genera in Acrididae. In this region, the Oriental species (23) occupies 45.1% in total; the endemic species (10) 19.6%, and the Palaearctic and common species (9) 17.6%.


The brevetoxins are neurotoxins that are produced by the "Florida red tide" dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. They bind to and activate the voltage‐gated sodium channels in higher organisms, specifically the Nav1.4 and Nav1.5 channel subtypes. However, the native physiological function that the brevetoxins perform for K. brevis is unknown. By using fluorescent and photoactivatable derivatives, brevetoxin was shown to localize to the chloroplast of K. brevis where it binds to the light‐harvesting complex II (LHCII) and thioredoxin. The LHCII is essential to non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ), whereas thioredoxins are critical to the maintenance of redox homeostasis within the chloroplast and contribute to the scavenging of reactive oxygen. A culture of K. brevis producing low levels of toxin was shown to be deficient in NPQ and produced reactive oxygen species at twice the rate of the toxic culture, implicating a role in NPQ for the brevetoxins.


ABSTRACT Agile and User-centered design processes have been reported to frequently putting contradictory demands on people working within these methodological frameworks. The current research addresses this point by focussing on the crucial relationship between software developer and designer. An online survey, a contextual inquiry, and a diary study were employed with 107 developers and designers in a large media organization to determine the factors for success in agile development cycles. The results from the survey show that while developers and designers have similar levels of satisfaction with agile processes, there are differences in the factors predicting those ratings. Developers are happier with the wider teamwork but want more access to and close collaboration with designers, while the latters' concern was the quality of the wider teamwork. Additional contextual inquiries and a diary study with pairs of designers and developers reflected the survey findings that close cooperation (and proximity) was essential for improving communication, reducing inefficiencies, and avoiding suboptimal products being released. However, organizational processes, the setup of the work environment, and managerial traditions meant that this close collaboration and localized decision-making was found difficult to maintain. Results from the survey, the contextual inquiry, and the diary study found six factors for success from collaborations emerged.


Maruyama in his paper " Metamorphosis: Authenticity in Institutions and Organizations", comes up with certain propositions which hold promises to foster change-orientation and build change-psyche in our work organisations. However, interpretation of Maruyama's thesis could differ according to the reader's own ideas, including the frame of reference in use. Additionally, Maruyama's observations can also be viewed from many different perspectives, that of behaviour of an individual, a group, an organization, a society, a country etc; and perhaps more importantly, in terms of system properties of institutions and organizations. Virtually all management authors and scholars seem to suggest that business of today has little option but to learn, so as to be able to live and grow in an environment marked by non-linear changes. It may be noted that the keyword here is business growth, not authenticity. Therefore, whether authenticity accelerates the speed of one's journey to growth or changes directions purposefully are questions whose answers business researchers would be looking for. Going by Maruyama's thesis, encouraging and enabling Morphogenetic Interactive Heterogeneity (MIH) within the organization as well as between the insiders and outsiders should help, if not directly contribute, in achieving growth. However, to many traditional organizations, even while this may appear a distinct possibility that there may yet be skepticism about its real value, thus opening up the proverbial chicken-egg


We present several results on the leader-following (LF) paradigm in the formation flying of multiple spacecraft in free apace. In this direction, ideas from elementary graph theory and linear matrix inequalities are combined with logic-based switching to shed light on the various control designs which are feasible using the leader-following mechanism for various formation scenarios. Ke yworda: Formation flying; Linear matrix inequality; Logic-baaed switching; Graph theory


The Alaska judiciary is constitutionally designed to be relatively independent of partisan interests: judges are selected through a merit-based process in which they are evaluated based upon their competence and qualifications. In the months before Alaska's 2002 and 2008 judicial retention elections, the anti-abortion organization Alaska Right to Life sent judges questionnaires seeking to pin down their views on controversial legal and political issues. This Note explores the use of partisan judicial questionnaires in the context of Alaska's merit-based system of judicial selection. In doing so, it explores past partisan campaigns against Alaska judges and devotes much attention to Alaska Right to Life Political Action Committee v. Feldman. At issue in Feldman was whether provisions of the Alaska Code of Judicial Conduct prohibited judges from answering Alaska Right to Life's 2002 questionnaire and, if so, whether the provisions thereby violated judges' First Amendment rights. Copyright © 2008 by Kelly Taylor. * The author is a member of the Class of 2009 at Duke University School of Law and received an A.B. from Duke University in 2002. She is grateful to Jan DeYoung, Jeff Feldman, Marla Greenstein, Karen Lewis, and Anita Woudenberg for answering questions about Alaska Right to Life Political Action Committee v. Feldman and to Teresa Carns and Larry Cohn for answering questions regarding judicial selection in Alaska and making available information about past campaigns against Alaska judges. She would also like to thank Joshua Haber, James McDonald, and Susan Orlansky for their comments on early drafts of this Note. The views expressed herein are the author's own. Though she worked at Feldman Orlansky & Sanders as a summer associate and will clerk for Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe following graduation from law school, she selected the topic for and wrote the first draft of this Note prior to beginning work at the firm or accepting the clerkship. 5 TAYLOR__FINAL2.DOC 12/5/2008 3:53:51 PM 304 ALASKA LAW REVIEW VOL. 25:2


In nature, different animals of the same species frequently exhibit local variations in scale. New developments in shape matching research thus increasingly provide us with the tools to answer such fascinating questions as the following: How should we measure the discrepancy between a small dog with large ears and a large one with small ears? Are there geometric structures common to both an elephant and a giraffe? What is the morphometric similarity between a blue whale and a dolphin? Currently, there are only two methods that allow us to quantify similarities between surfaces which are insensitive to deformations in size: scale invariant local descriptors and global normalization methods. Here, we propose a new tool for shape exploration. We introduce a scale invariant metric for surfaces that allows us to analyze nonrigid shapes, generate locally invariant features, produce scale invariant geodesics, embed one surface into another despite changes in local and global size, and assist in the computational...


National minorities have created a variety of family and social security system during their long-term life and practice.To summarize the supporting types and features has reference meaning for perfecting the new rural construction.


The article explores how young children between one and three years old communicate and prioritise values in order to create and be a part of a community during play sessions in an Icelandic preschool. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the value conflicts that might occur and how the children resolve such conflicts. The study adopts the phenomenological approach of Merleau-Ponty emphasising human bodily existence. Data consist mainly of video recordings. The findings show three main categories that illustrate the values that the children prioritised and found meaningful to their interaction in their play: the value of ownership of toys, the value of others' well-being and the value of belonging to the community. The values could also be in opposition to values that were either prioritised within the group of children or emphasised by the educators. The study implies that play situations are a valuable arena for children's learning of values. The value conflicts appeared to be especially important, including children's confrontations with each other's perspectives and requiring the children to clarify their views. Thus, children's positions and possibilities within the group became visible and influenced the resolution of the conflicts.


Changes taking place in the contemporary world have stimulated a faster development of knowledge and have led to the need for businesses to adjust to them, including in their expectations towards their employees. Employees and young people have entered a higher level on a larger scale, which has consequently resulted in an influx of a large number of people with higher education into the labour market. The aim of this study is to present the regional conditioning of professional careers and the perspectives for their development based on the case of young people with higher education in the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship. The term professional career has been presented, as well as its stages, the situation of young people, including those with higher education, and factors limiting its development in the region. A professional career is a crucial element in the lives of contemporary humans. It determines their status and, thanks to it, they can develop and fulfil their ambitions. However, the development of a career is hindered in smaller and less developed communities, where there is a shortage of workplaces for people with higher education. It forces young people to migrate to large cities of a metropolitan character, where there are better possibilities of development and higher earnings. This results in a deficit of valuable human capital and in the deepening of the hard demographic and economic situation in the problem region. The article is of a cognitive character, with its research methods being literature studies and statistical data analysis. In order to achieve full comparability, the following study is based on the data available until the end of 2017 because there is some shortage of data for the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship in the following years.


Marketing communication in the health sector is the communication of the products or services produced by health organizations to the potential users and convincing them about the benefits to be provided. Although the use of the concept of health services and promotion is controversial, promotional activities in health services are different from promotion activities in other sectors. Public relations (PRs) rather than advertising are in the forefront of promotion activities in the health sector. Health institutions, especially hospitals, are highly complex systems both in terms of services provided and organizational structure. The aim of this study is to reveal the importance of promotion activities in health care and their different aspects from other sectors. In this context, the international literature on health marketing was searched, and this content was created. As a result, the aim of promotion in health services is not to direct the patient unnecessarily to consumption but to inform patients, to convince them about benefits of the services, and to facilitate their service delivery by increasing their participation in the service process. If promotion tools are used correctly in health care, they can help in early diagnosis of many diseases.


Reaction conditions for compound lipase catalyzed hydrolysis of soybean oil in a solvent-free system were investigated.Five different source lipases of C.lipolytica(CLL),Sigma L-3126,PPL,Novo435 and Amano-G were screened by investigating the complex effect.Combining CLL and Amano-G could give a better hydrolysis rate.The hydrolysis reaction could be accelerated by ultrasound,especially at the initial reaction stage.The optimum reaction conditions were obtained as follows: the dosage of CLL and Amano-G was 1% and 0.1%,respectively;Amano-G was added after CLL acted for 1 h;reaction temperature was 45℃;water-phase was de-ionized water,and water/oil ratio was 1∶1.Under above conditions,the hydrolysis rate increased from 45.7% in conventional shaking bath to 94.2% after reaction for 24 h.


The invention discloses a method and a system for implementing hand input on a webpage, and relates to the technical field of input methods. The cost of the hand input on the webpage is reduced, and the convenience of the hand input is improved. The method comprises the following steps of: loading a website page which corresponds to a website address input by a user; acquiring an input box on the website page selected by the user; acquiring an input track in a hand input interface when the user performs the hand input, and displaying an identification result which corresponds to the input track; and sending characters selected from the identification result by the user to the input box. The method does not need installation of any software or hardware related to character input, and the hand input can be implemented on any webpage which is expected to be accessed by the user by using a standardly configured mouse of a computer.


The present investigation was undertaken with sample size of 120 for assess the cost and returns and problems in adoption of Bt cotton production in Raichur District of Karnataka for the year 2011. Cotton industries provide means of livelihood for about 250 million people through its cultivation, trade and industries in India. The study on socio-economic characteristics revealed that, that 47.50 per cent of there spondents belonged to high annual income level followed bymedium (25.83%), semi medium (20.84%)) and 5.83 per cent of them belonged to low annual income category. The possible reason for high annual income of the respondents it could becontributed to their land holding, cropping pattern and subsidiary occupation. The study also focus on the psychological characteristics of Bt cotton producers, the results reveals that, 55.00 per cent of the Bt cotton growers had medium scientific orientation whereas, 23.33 and 21.67 per cent of them had high and low level of scientific orientation respectively. Scientific orientation is the orientation of farmer to adopt new technologies in a scientific way. However, in case of risk orientation results revealed that, 52.50 per cent of the respondents had medium risk orientation, where as 28.33 and 19.17 per cent of respondents belonged to high and low risk orientation category respectively. The attributing reasonis that, that the individuals will be very critical and cautious in understanding different aspects of technology. There istendency in farmers to take risk based on their income level, land holding and other resources. Risk taking varies with personal and socio economic status of the individuals. The study suggests that, One of the best ways to overcome this isto vigorously utilize the scientific expertise of Krishi Vigyan Kendras for conducting regular off campus training for the farmers. Conducting Farmer's Field Schools would certainly helps to bridge these gaps.


The roles of political leaders are to build the society by harnessing resources available for the development of a nation. Regrettably, Nigerian political leaders have failed in their main duty which is to assemble resources humanly and materially for development. Because of this, Nigeria at the moment battles with high rate of poverty, high level of unemployment, high rate of political instability, corruption, insecurity of lives and property and lack of infrastructural facilities in all sectors of the economy; thus, this paper examined political leaders and development crises in Nigeria. It asserts that the bulk that make up political leaders in the country are self-serving rulers rather than men and women with credible characters, hence the large disparity between the haves and have-nots in the country as well as the underdevelopment or no development syndrome becoming cyclical. In order to break this cycle, the paper recommended amongst others, the need for accountability and transparency to serve as yardsticks for bringing to power, selfless leaders who will govern with the people"s interest at heart. Also, in order to promote development and good governance, existing, sound anticorruption policies must be implemented.


To the Editors: A nticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome (AHS) is a rare but potentially fatal adverse event. Anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome occurs most commonly with aromatic anticonvulsants but can also occur with nonaromatic anticonvulsants such as lamotrigine and valproic acid (VPA). The major life-threatening complication of antipsychotic treatment is agranulocytosis. Clozapine has a major risk of inducing agranulocytosis. Despite the structural similarity between olanzapine and clozapine, there have been few reports of olanzapine-induced hematological adverse effects. We reported a case of VPArelated AHS and subsequent olanzapinerelated neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.


The effect of light water reactor (LWR) environments on fatigue crack propagation in pressure vessel steels has been studied extensively in recent years. In this project, data from about 800 well-documented A508 Class 2 and Class 3 and A533B pressure vessel steel fatigue tests in LWR environments, at temperatures up to 290{degree}C (550{degree}F), were collected and analyzed. The data were from a variety of laboratories worldwide, in most cases contributed to the EPRI Database on Environmentally Accelerated Cracking (EDEAC). The data were analyzed using an advanced computer code, FATDAC, which reduces the original (a,N) data to (da/dN,{Delta}K) form by an optimization technique that minimizes the scatter arising from numerical differentiation.The influence of high-temperature water on crack growth was found to be relatively small in low-sulfur materials, nominal reactor water chemistry, and high flow rate conditions. Other conditions can produce bimodal crack growth rates (slightly enhanced or highly enhanced relative to air data). This report presents criteria based on material sulfur content, water chemistry, R-ratio, load rise time, and flow rate for identifying combinations of variables with a high probability of observing the highly enhanced mode of crack growth rates. A model of the expected crack propagation rate, given that themore » enhanced mode is observed, is also presented.« less


Abstract The observation that "(d)rugs don't work in patients who don't take them" seems obvious; however, for older people living with HIV and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the potential for taking large numbers of medications on a regular basis may present as an overwhelming task, particularly as HIV and CVD progress and worsen over time. The extent to which older people living with HIV and CVD follow medication schedules for the treatment of these chronic health conditions is not understood well, and myriad questions exist with regard to medication adherence and older people living with HIV and CVD. For instance, do older people living with HIV and CVD take all medications as prescribed? Does this group prioritize which medications to take, perhaps demonstrating a preference for taking antiretroviral medications for the treatment of HIV as opposed to statins for the treatment of CVD? In the process of answering these and other questions, recognizing the individual and his or her attitudes and behaviors within the context of the dyadic relationship shared between patient and physician is paramount. Developing a more thorough understanding of this dyadic relationship allows for a better grasp of the context within which medication adherence occurs for older people living with HIV and CVD. That said, because of the ability to lend itself to an understanding of human behavior, human development, and psychology, the Andersen and Newman Behavioral Model of Health Service Use provides a worthwhile conceptual basis for beginning to answer these questions.


Kudzu starch acetate was prepared with the esterification method,using acetic anhydride as the reagent.The influences of starch slurry concentration,acetic anhydride addition,temperature,pH and reaction time on the acetyl content of the product were studied and the preparation conditions were optimized.The results showed that with an acetic anhydride amount of 12%(compared to starch amount),acetyl content increased almost proportionally to the added acetyl.In an orthogonal experiment,the addition of acetic anhydride was fixed at 6%,the optimum technological conditions were determined: starch slurry concentration 35%,reaction temperature 30 ℃,pH 8.0-8.5 and reaction duration 2 h.Under such conditions,the acetyl content of the resulting product was 1.52%.


Obesity is one of the major public health problems worldwide, being considered a global epidemic. A growing body of evidence highlights the relevance of inflammasomes as a consequence of metabolic disorders and obesity. NLRP3 is the most studied component of the inflammasomes. Gut microbes contribute to the subclinical systemic inflammation that ultimately leads to the development of pathologies such as obesity, insulin resistance. Therefore, the use of intestinal microbiota modulators (e.g probitoics, prebiotics, or both as synbiotics) may improve several metabolic and immune functions. Recently, the link between these modulators and NLRP3 in obesity is less investigated.

 to study the potential involvement of inflammasomes as an indicator for the efficacy of synbiotics in alleviating diet-induced obesity.

 Thirty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (7 rats /group): normal control group (receiving normal diet), HFD (high fat diet) group, normal group receiving synbiotics, and HFD rats receiving synbiotics. After eight weeks, all rats were sacrificed then WAT (visceral, subcutaneous), brown adipose tissue, and liver were obtained. The body weight of each rat was measured weekly. The expression of NLRP3 was performed by real-time PCR.

 HFD induced a significant weight gain compared to normal diet (p < 0.05). However, synbiotics administration could not affect such weight gain in rats receiving HFD with synbiotics (p > 0.05). The expression of NLRP3, pre-inflammatory marker, is elevated in adipose and liver tissues in HFD group compared to normal diet group (p < 0.05). However, synbiotics successfully reduced the expression of NLRP3 in all previous tissues (p < 0.05).

 the intake of synbiotics could disrupt the inflammatory consequences of obesity through targeting the expression of NLRP3. Thereby, synbiotics might be a promising potential therapeutic agent in treatment of obesity.


Interferometric fiber optic gyroscopes (IFOGs) have been in production for many years and for a given size, weight and power it has demonstrated higher performance than other sensors technologies. This is due to the use of relatively long fiber optic coils with small diameter, providing high performance and small size. Several IFOG developers, including Honeywell, are using new error-reduction techniques and improved component technologies to advance the technology. A review of the reported performance advancements will be presented, as well as a discussion of IFOG long life reliability. With new component technologies that are stable performance over life, compensation techniques can be used to further improve gyro performance capability.


Abstract : The report comprises translations of two Soviet patents relating to the subjects of jet fuel contamination and iodine-based lubricants.


During our researeh on the mycoflora of Catalonia, two species of hypogeous fungi were found as first records in the area surveyed: Leuco gaster lozzianus (Cav. & Saec.) Matt. and Octavianina aSlerosperma (Vitt.) O. Kunlze. We have done a macro- and microscopical study of so me analomical features, giving special attention to lhe peridium and reproductive structures of the species mentioned aboye. Moreover, a similar study has been done on some other hypogeous fungi which are very infrequenl or rare in Catalonia: Hymenogaster hessei Soehner, Hys terangium rickenii Soehner, Hysterangium stoloniferum Tul. var. rubes cens (Que\.) Zeller & Dodge and Wakefieldia maerospora (Hawker) Hawker.


Li, G., Zhang, Z.-S., Gao, H.-Y., Liu, P., Dong, S.-T., Zhang, J.-W. and Zhao, B. 2012. Effects of nitrogen on photosynthetic characteristics of leaves from two different stay-green corn ( Zea mays L.) varieties at the grain-filling stage. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 671-680. The effects of nitrogen on the photosynthetic characteristics of two different stay-green corn (Zea mays L.) at the grain-filling stage were studied. Using a stay-green inbred line (Q319) and a non-stay-green inbred line (HZ4) as materials, using fast chlorophyll fluorescence-induction kinetics and 820 nm light-absorption curves, we analyzed the influences of nitrogen supplementation on photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem II (PS II). The results show that nitrogen fertilization has significant effects on promoting the net photosynthetic rate (P n ) in leaves at the grain-filling stage and on single-plant grain yield at the harvest stage (P<0.05) in Q319, whereas there is no significant effect in HZ4. Analyses performed using JIP-Test showed that nitrogen fertilization significantly increased electron donor and acceptor performance in the reaction center of PS II (P<0.05). The increased performance of the electron transport chain at a point after the electron acceptor in the PS II reaction center was greater in Q319 than in HZ4, reducing excessive excitation energy production in PS II and significantly improving the coordination between PS II and PS I. Although the performance of the electron transport chain after the electron acceptor in the PS II reaction center was increased in HZ4, the increase was not substantial enough to improve the coordination between PS II and PS I; therefore, P n and grain yield were still significantly lower than those of Q319.


Now that we publish the 10th issue of Eurolimes, the editors of the journal intend to sum up the contribution of Eurolimes to the examination of the notion of boundary corresponding to the border-limit in correlation with the notion of border as state boundary. Our journal also aims at showing the way in which the meaning of internal frontiers changes evolving from the national perspective to the community one.On the other hand, we seek to define the future editorial initiatives of the journal towards more punctual topics through the question "Eurolimes, where to?": EU position in an international context with strong mutations after 2010; the impact of policy on the construction of a formal or informal border; the impact of different types of borders on identities; the process of evolution of social borders within the EU Member States, etc.


Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) replaced our Academic Information Infrastructure System in October 2021. This system includes an educational computer system, a printing system, a library system, and an authentication infrastructure system, and it is replaced every five years. In this system renewal, we migrated a part of the authentication and ID management functions performed by the authentication infrastructure on the private cloud to IDaaS, which performs authentication and ID management in the cloud. In addition, the migration to IDaaS has led to the gradual implementation of Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), which had not been in operation at our university, and this has resulted in a significant change in the authentication environment for our university's users. The system has been in operation since October 2021, and it has already performed many authentications. In this article, we research the usage of this system as a result of the initial stage of operation. In this research, we use the authentication logs of IDaaS to tabulate the number of successful and failed authentication attempts and the number of logins to services that use this system as an Identify Provider(IdP). Furthermore, we will discuss the usage trends of this system and its impact on users, taking into account the timing of events such as the implementation of MFA and the entrance of new students, which occurred after the introduction of the system. In this article, we introduce IDaaS and its operation in the initial stage and summarize the impact on users caused by the replacement of the authentication infrastructure, which cannot be known only by user inquiries.


A 31 year old male with a previous history of testicular seminoma with complete reponse after orchiectomy and three cycles of BEP scheme, was referred for 18F-FDG PET/CT with a standard pro-cedure for progressive decline consistent in spinal pain, gait difficulty and Charcot's neurologic triad (scanning speech, intention tremor and nystagmus) initiated eight month after third course of chemo-therapy. Dorsal spine MRI revealed a space-occu-pying lesion at left T6 lamina. Histology examina-tion confirmed a seminoma metastatic to spine.


Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) are affordable photodetectors, capable to collect extremely fast low-energy events, due to their single-photon sensibility. This makes them very suitable for time-of-flight-based range imaging systems, allowing to reduce costs and power requirements, without sacrifizing much temporal resolution. In this work we describe a computational model to simulate the behaviour of SPAD sensors, aiming to provide a realistic camera model for time-resolved light transport simulation, with applications on prototyping new reconstructions techniques based on SPAD time-of-flight data. Our model accounts for the major effects of the sensor on the incoming signal. We compare our model against real-world measurements, and apply it to a variety of scenarios, including complex multiply-scattered light transport.


The morphology, reproduction and seasonal variation of a large foliose species of Cryptonemia collected in the drift in 1971–73 at Cork Harbour, Republic of Ireland, is described and compared with the known species of the genus. Although obviously closely related to a group of foliose Pacific species: C. borealis Kylin, C. obovata J. Ag. and C. angustata (Setch. et Gardn.) Dawson, the Irish Cryptonemia is not completely identifiable with any one of these and is therefore described as C. hibernica sp. nov., pending a revision of the genus.


The objective of this article is to investigate the computer animation and virtual reality technologies for developing a virtual marine museum. The museum consists of three exhibition areas. The first area displays fishes in freshwater, including creeks, rivers, and dams in Taiwan. The second area exhibits marine ecology and creatures of different species in the ocean. The third area is an undersea transparent tunnel where one can see sharks, tuna, and lovely butterfly fish swimming around beautiful coral reefs. Since the museum is developed by computer animation and virtual reality technology, it provides 3D visual effects and interactive user interface. People can breed their favorite fish in the virtual aquarium, and make observations through networks for educational and recreational purposes. A qualitative study was conducted and the results showed that the virtual marine museum could raise students' interest and learning motivation. Therefore, it can be used as an assistant tool in science education for learning marine ecology and promoting ecological protection of oceanic environments as well.


This paper examines the intrastate distribution of revenue-sharing funds using a cross-section sample of New York communities. The concept of needs is discussed, and a measure of local public expenditure needs is derived from aggregate consumption function theory. This measure of local public expenditure needs is used along with a measure of local fiscal capacity in examining the distribution of revenue-sharing funds. Revenue-sharing funds are found to be positively correlated with estimated expenditure needs but negatively correlated with the "gaps" between expenditure needs and local fiscal resources. It is suggested that the reason for these results is that the revenue-sharing allocation formula does not include an adequate measure of local fiscal capacity.


Public agencies spend significant funds on stream restoration projects to improve the quality of impaired stream reaches. Many sources of uncertainty can potentially influence project outcomes, such as knowledge gaps in our understanding of fluvial systems as well as the natural stochasticity of parameters involved with the channel design process. A two-phase uncertainty analysis was performed on a two-stage channel stream restoration design for Stroubles Creek in Blacksburg, Virginia. Monte Carlo simulation was used to calculate the distribution of possible design outcomes for cross-sectional dimensions. Outcomes included width and depth of the main channel (stage 1) and width and depth of an inset floodplain (stage 2). The analysis incorporated stochastic uncertain parameters (bankfull discharge and grain-size distribution) and knowledge uncertain parameters (Manning's n and critical Shield's number). The results indicate that the design width can vary on average by 300% with respect to the deterministic solution. Design discharge was the most sensitive parameter for defining the stage 1 channel, while Manning's n was the most sensitive for stage 2. The range in statistically probable design outcomes emphasizes the large uncertainty in channel design and suggests the potential for the channel planform and cross section of restored streams to evolve over time as established riparian vegetation matures. Additional uncertainties in need of future evaluation include (1) longitudinal variability of stream morphology, (2) design of instream structures, (3) temporal variability, and (4) knowledge errors in design models and measurements.


Current anonymity techniques for mobile opportunistic networks typically use obfuscation algorithms to hide node's identity behind other nodes. These algorithms are not well suited to sparse and disconnection prone networks with large number of malicious nodes and new opportunistic, adaptive. So, new, opportunistic, adaptive fully localized mechanisms are needed for improving user anonymity. This paper proposes reputation aware localized adaptive obfuscation for mobile opportunistic networks that comprises of two complementary techniques: opportunistic collaborative testing of nodes' obfuscation behaviour (OCOT) and multidimensional adaptive anonymisation (AA). OCOT-AA is driven by both explicit and implicit reputation building, complex graph connectivity analytics and obfuscation history analyses. We show that OCOT-AA is very efficient in terms of achieving high levels of node identity obfuscation and managing low delays for answering queries between sources and destinations while enabling fast detection and avoidance of malicious nodes typically within the fraction of time within the experiment duration. We perform extensive experiments to compare OCOT-AA with several other competitive and benchmark protocols and show that it outperforms them across a range of metrics over a one month real-life GPS trace. To demonstrate our proposal more clearly, we propose new metrics that include best effort biggest length and diversity of the obfuscation paths, the actual percentage of truly anonymised sources' IDs at the destinations and communication quality of service between source and destination.


The Internet is a multi-purpose communication network supporting users and applications with different service demands. To meet these demands, mechanisms for service differentiation in the network ...


The invention discloses a system for automatically controlling the pressure of a fine water mist gas delivery pipeline. The system comprises the gas delivery pipeline, wherein a plurality of anti-explosion water seals, a blowoff valve, two air supplying valves and a vacuum drainage pump are arranged on the gas delivery pipeline, the blowoff valve is connected with a first blowoff pipe, the portion, between the two anti-explosion water seals, of the gas delivery pipeline is connected with two power generation devices, an anti-explosion valve which is integrally connected with a second blowoff pipe is arranged at the right end of the gas delivery pipeline, a pressure sensor is also arranged on the gas delivery pipeline, a signal is input to a pipeline pressure regulator through the pressure sensor, and the pipeline pressure regulator outputs a control signal to the integrated anti-explosion valve. According to the system for automatically controlling the pressure of the fine water mist gas delivery pipeline, pressure signals are acquired through the pressure sensor and are processed through the pipeline pressure regulator, and then control signals are output to the integrated anti-explosion valve, so that the opening degree of the integrated anti-explosion valve is controlled; the signals are acquired automatically in real time, the influence of the state of an operator is avoided, and the safety performance is higher.


Purpose – The experiential paradigm has been confirmed as a valuable means to explore and understand people's consumption of cultural services, thus drawing an increasing interest in the marketing and consumer behavior literature. In this context, consumers' behavioral decisions are considered not as merely functional but also strongly influenced by emotional dimensions and intrinsic aspects. As consumption of arts is strongly associated with feelings, the experiential approach is a valuable lens for exploring and understanding individuals who consume cultural services. This paper therefore adopts the experiential approach to assess dance as a consumption experience, which is meant to be inter-subjective, i.e. different by demographic profiles. In particular, it analyzes the habits (frequency of attendance, sources of information, motives, and barriers) and attitudes (perceived value and intention) of people towards dance shows, considering different demographic profiles of respondents. Design/Methodology/Approach – An exploratory and descriptive marketing research was undertaken after developing a literature review. The research was conducted through personal survey using a structured questionnaire. Quota sampling (age and gender) was the method used to select the sample, which comprised 672 individuals. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to statistically process the information gathered. Findings and implications – Research results show that major differences regarding the consumption of dance may be explained by gender. Women scored higher on different motives (personal, emotional, learning) for attending such type of plays, while men scored higher on barriers (dislike, other options, misunderstanding). In addition, differences in every item of perceived value of dance were statistically significant, being higher for female survey participants. These results could be of interest to marketing decision makers in adjusting strategies to their target audiences. Limitations – This study only offers a snapshot of the research field examined and is descriptive in nature. Originality – Although the experiential marketing framework can be applied to many different fields thanks to its applicability, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no attempts have been made to research the habits and attitudes associated with the attendance of dance shows. The present paper addresses this issue.


For linepack-deliverability and line-break flow analyses, SoCal uses transient flow modeling to predict the changes in gas flows and pressures resulting throughout the system from time-varying loads and the operation of valves, compressors, and storage-field equipment. This kind of analysis has been invaluable as a tool for planning peak-day operating procedures and for predicting the effectiveness of the line-break control system.


The aim of this study is to examine developmental gender differences of the special movement training programme applied to male and female students with Down syndrome. 12 male and 10 female students with Down syndrome were chosen for the study. The students were chosen from 6-9 age groups. Permission was granted for the study by the families of the children, and the movement training programme was applied. The movement training programme for the study was designed by the academics at the Department of Special Education and Department of Physical Education and Sports. The special movement training programme consist of basic motor skills (walking, running, jumping, hopping, standing long jump, juggling the soccer ball, throwing the ball, catching the thrown ball, hitting the thrown ball with a racket and kicking the ball). The trainings were performed for 40-50 minutes four times a week for 4 months and 8 weeks. Before starting the training, pre-test was applied to the children. At the end of the research period, post-test was applied and then both tests were compared. Furthermore, an observation form was prepared. It consisted of 8 questions. The first data related to the observation form were collected at the beginning of the study. The observation data were recollected at the end of the study. These two observation results were interpreted, analysed and reported. The obtained data were analysed using SSPS.16 programme. The male and female students were compared and interpreted according to Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon W and Z values. As a result of the present study, while a development at the level of p<0,001 was observed in the basic skills of the male students, there was a development at the level of p<0,05 in the basic skills of the female students. Basing on this data, it was concluded that the development of the male students was more than of the female students in the special movement training programme.  Article visualizations:


The numerical simulation model is proposed according to the characteristics of the biomass briquette fuels, which involves two main areas of interest: the solid combustion model in the bed and the out-of-bed gas combustion model. The contents and characteristics of 3 kinds of biomass and coals were experimentally tested. The biomass fuels compared with the coal fuel have the following characteristics: 1) Higher volatile content, lower fixed carbon content and calorific value; 2) Lower carbon content, higher oxygen content; 3) Lower ignition temperature, faster burning velocity. The discredited equations were established by the finite element analysis method, which analyzed the fuel endothermic process on the grate, while the out-of-bed gas combustion process was simulated by CFD. These two processes are strongly coupled. The results of the numerical simulation contain the steady state temperature distribution, oxygen distribution, carbon dioxide distribution and so on, which are used to judge burning effect and provide the correct furnace transformation method.


The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that Influences Small and Medium Enterprise towards obtaining credit financing from the Banks in Nigeria. The use of the questionnaire instrument to collect data from a sample of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Owners looking at their perception in relationship to obtaining bank credit was employed. The country Nigeria is a developing nation, the second biggest economy in Africa and it is well contributed to by the SMEs sector and Banking sector as well. Due to the situation of inadequate finance for the growth and development of SMEs, this thesis tries to look into some inherent characters that appear as factors which are significant to the relationship with the banks and SMEs in terms of credit finance. With the use of the software SPSS 17.0 analysis was done by one way ANOVA and independent t-test with variables on the SMEs perception toward obtaining loan from banks. The analyzed results showed a relationship that is significant to the wide ranging literature review.


This guide provides resources on the types of fake science news circulating the internet and some best practices to identify good science news


A phenomenological analysis of domestic, family violence, espacially husbands' violence toward wives and children, is offered. Drawing on the relatively large qualitative literature on wife battering, the paper examines the inner side of the violent experience in the home. Emotionality and the self are posited as being at the core of domestic violence. The analysis takes up in order the following topics: (1) emotionality and violent conduct; (2) schismogenesis and negative symbolic interaction; (3) the structure of violent emotion; (4) violent emotional action; (5) inflicted emotion; (6) spurious playful, paradoxical, and real violence; and (7) the interiority of family violence and bad faith. New critical theory in this area is needed.


Italian words can be stressed either on penultimate or antepenultimate syl lables. In both cases, stress assignment is not predictable by rules, but re quires a lexical check. Italian words with stress on the penultimate syllable are defined as regular because the proportion of these words is much lar ger than words with stress on the antepenultimate syllable, defined as ir regular. We propose to investigate the influence (in terms of correct stress positioning) of different syllabic and stress structures during "decoding" by both slow readers and fluent readers. Forty-eight children, twenty-four slow and twenty-four fluent readers, decoded "target words" selected on the basis of frequency (high/low frequency) and different syllabic and stress structures: This included both irregular stress (on the third-last syllable) and structures of the open second-last syllables (ending with a vowel); Also regular stress (on the second-last syllable) and an open second-last syllable structure, including regular stress falling on a second-last syllable closed structure (ending with "A" consonant). Subjects' performances re sulted worse in the case of open second-last syllables with irregular and regular stress. Instead, closed, second-last syllable stress created impro bable errors. In particular, slow readers are influenced by stress and syl labic structure also in the case of high frequency use lists of words, contrary to the results from fluent readers.


This paper first studies the presentation of cultural differences between English and Chinese in ads which can be found in such aspects as social system,local customs,religious beliefs and price value,etc.The ultimate goal of equivalent translation as well as the expressiveness and appeal of the original ads can be achieved through the right choice of semantic equivalence,pragmatic equivalence or parody in the translation of ads either from English into Chinese or vice versa.


Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting the colonic mucosa. There is no cure for UC and its chronic relapsing/remitting nature strongly affects patient quality of life. Current treatment options frequently have significant side effects and remission rates are limited raising a demand for new treatment strategies. Novel therapeutic approaches that could maximize the drug concentration at the site of inflammation with minimal systemic exposure, like topical applications, would address this unmet clinical need. To date, few drug delivery systems (DDSs) have been designed to topically convey small molecules to the rectum and left-sided colon. Here, we developed and tested a drug delivery platform for topical treatment of UC based on a temperature-triggered in situ forming adhesive lipid gel (TIF-Gel). Due to its soft, gel-like consistency, its high encapsulation efficacy, and its drug-controlled release, TIF-Gel suggests a more patient-friendly and effective application with respect to the rectal formulations currently available. Capitalizing on the biocompatible and biodegradable self-assembled structure of lipid mesophases (LMPs), we loaded TIF-Gel with tofacitinib (TOFA; a hydrophilic inhibitor of the enzymes Janus kinase 1 and 3) or TAC (a hydrophobic immunosuppressive drug), both of which are indicated in the treatment of UC. We designed and fully characterized our biocompatible lipid formulation in vitro and tested it in vivo using two different murine models of inflammatory bowel disease: chemically-induced and T cell transfer-mediated. Both approaches (TIF-Gel-TOFA and TIF-Gel-TAC) led to reductions in colitis disease severity and intestinal inflammation compared to vehicles, therefore showing therapeutic efficacy. Overall, our findings show that TIF-Gel can deliver drugs locally to the colonic mucosa to mitigate intestinal inflammatory disease in a pre-clinical model. They also suggest that, in a clinical setting, TIF-Gel might provide a patient-friendly approach to improve colitis while allowing for a reduction of the adverse effects associated with a systemic therapy.


According to the latter references, a review of the biological and healthy functions of selenium is presented with selectively adjusting GPX activity; reducing alcohol induced hyperlipidemia; slowing prostate cancer tumor progression; differences in the anticarcinogenic in men and women; effects of selenium on central nervous system and effects of Dietary Selenium on mood, and advances in the application of several typical selenium composites on hygienical and sanitarian aspects was narrated.


This paper proposed a new framework for automatic matting of natural images.First,estimated the blurring level of each part of the input image according to the different focusing status in the foreground and in the background.Second,it calculated the saliency for the image and detected the salient regions.Then,with the combined information of blur and saliency,the foreground region and background region could be roughly identified and separated,and the Trimap which denoted the division of the foreground,background and unknown region could be generated automatically.Last,accurate object matting could be accomplished by a sample-based matting algorithm on the basis of the Trimap.This algorithm did not require any user assistance or other additional information.Experiments both on standard data sets and actual captured images well demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of this algorithm,which can be widely used in image/video editing and composition.


Purpose: The immune responses of natural killer (NK) cells against cancer cells vary by patient. Killer Ig-like receptors (KIRs), which are some of the major receptors involved in regulating NK cell activity for killing cancer cells, have significant genetic variation. Numerous studies have suggested a potential association between the genetic variation of KIR genes and the risk of development or prognosis of various cancer types. However, an association between genetic variations of KIR genes and glioblastoma (GB) remains uncertain. We sought to evaluate the association of genetic variations of KIRs and their ligand genes with the risk of GB development in Koreans. Methods: A case–control study was performed to identify the odds ratios (ORs) of KIR genes and Classes A, B, and, C of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) for GB. The GB group was comprised of 77 patients with newly diagnosed IDH-wildtype GB at our institution, and the control group consisted of 200 healthy Korean volunteers. Results: There was no significant difference in the frequency of KIR genes and KIR haplotypes between the GB and control groups. Genetic variations of KIR-2DL1, 3DL1, and 3DS1 with their ligand genes (HLA-C2, HLA-Bw4/6, and Bw4, respectively) had effects on the risk of GB in Korean patients. The frequency of KIR-2DL1 with HLA-C2 (OR 2.05, CI 1.19–3.52, p = 0.009), the frequency of KIR-3DL1 without HLA-Bw4 (80I) (OR 8.36, CI 4.06–17.18, p < 0.001), and the frequency of KIR-3DL1 with Bw6 (OR 4.54, CI 2.55–8.09, p < 0.001) in the GB group were higher than in the control group. In addition, the frequency of KIR-2DL1 without HLA-C2 (OR 0.44, CI 0.26–0.75, p = 0.003), the frequency of KIR-3DL1 with HLA-Bw4 (80T) (OR 0.13, CI 0.06–0.27, p < 0.001), the frequency of KIR-3DL1 without Bw6 (OR 0.27, CI 0.15–0.49, p < 0.001), and the frequency of KIR-3DS1 with Bw4 (80I) (OR 0.03, CI 0.00–0.50, p < 0.001) in the GB group were lower than in the control group. Conclusions: This study suggests that genetic variations of KIRs and their ligand genes may affect GB development in the Korean population. Further investigations are needed to demonstrate the different immune responses for GB cells according to genetic variations of KIR genes and their ligand genes.


Objective: Female gonadal steroids can exert an insulinotropic effect in vivo. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects in vitro of 17-β-estradiol (17β-E2) on changes in cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]i) and on insulin secretion from the MIN6 mouse insulinoma cell line and human primary islets of Langerhans. Methods: Stimulus-induced changes in [Ca2+]i were measured in Fura-2-loaded cells by single cell microfluorimetry. The effects of 17β-E2 on insulin secretion were measured in static incubation experiments, and the rate and pattern of secretory responses were studied in multi-channel perifusion experiments. Results: 17β-E2 (1-100 nmol/L) enhanced basal (2 mmol/L glucose) insulin secretion but had no effect on secretory responses to 20 mmol/L glucose or to depolarizing stimuli (100 μmol/L tolbutamide, 20 mmol/L KCl). Approximately 60% of MIN6 cells responded to 17β-E2 (1-100 nmol/L) with a small but sustained increase in [Ca2+]i, whereas 98% of MIN6 cells responded to tolbutamide (100 μmol/L). Similar effects were observed in experiments using human primary β cells. In contrast, 17β-E2 had no detectable effect on the increases in [Ca2+]i evoked by tolbutamide (100 μmol/L) or glucose (20 mmol/L). Conclusions: Our observations are consistent with a rapid effect of 17β-E2 to depolarize β cells leading to an influx of extracellular Ca2+ and the initiation of insulin secretion by the consequent elevations in [Ca2+]i. We suggest that this may offer a mechanism through which circulating estradiol can influence β-cell responsiveness to other signals.


Working from home has been mandated in many parts of the world as a temporary public health measure. Transition to such alternative working forms and environments have required new working arrangements and alternative working plans for job functions and tasks that were not fully anticipated by company policies, national laws and regulations. Risks arising in the new remote workspaces need to be identified to safeguard workers' health and mental well-being, especially among the most vulnerable workers. Workers' ability to carry out the tasks, their living arrangements, family responsibilities, and health conditions or disabilities need to be considered. Confidentiality, security, and an anti-harassment policy are also critical in remote working. Workplace policies and clear guidelines have been deemed necessary to address these challenges. Many countries around the world have begun legislating aspects of remote working to grant legal certainties and specify rights and responsibilities for both employers and workers. The workshop will attempt to map the work patterns that emerged during the covid-19 pandemic and to highlight the opportunities, challenges and risks arising from the new working environments. Health, economic and social impacts of new employment arrangements will be discussed with emphasis on systemic and structural factors increasing inequalities. Social protection gaps will be highlighted in line with human rights and international labour standards. The workshop will further discuss how to take advantage of the extensive potential of innovative tools and forms of work with regard to employee health and safety. Public policies, legislative initiatives and innovative ways of responding to the challenges will be presented. The workshop will conclude with policy recommendations taking into account the future of work that will be shaped due to COVID-19. Overall, the workshop will promote a discussion on emerging working environments, occupational risks and access of workers to social protection and social rights. It will further discuss the factors that increase workers' vulnerability, practice standards and organisational principles and policies as well as innovative ways to mitigate risks at individual, company and system level.

 Map new trends, risks and opportunities in the transition from traditional working environments to working from home and identify systemic and structural barriers to safe employment. Review public policies, legislative initiatives and innovative ways of responding to the challenges of new ways of working.


The application represents the result of an evaluation using risk-based inspection concepts on an active steam line from a coal thermal power station. The RBI (Risk Based Inspection) Expert system, called iRiS-Thermo and purchased by ISIM this year, is used for th e evaluation. A few data about the possibilities of using this system are presented. The phases prescribed by the thermal power stations ev aluation procedure are presented, too. It starts with the first phase for setting-up the application. The system contains two systems of active steam lines, each of them with 72 components. Then comes the data acquisiti on and validation. The risk analysis procedure is made in 3 phases (intermediary, advanced or detailed cla ssification). For each analysis phase the risk matrix is set, relieving on one hand the compliance an d on the other hand the rejection consequences. For the analysis by classification only projecting, fab rication and activation data are considered. For intermediary analysis the treatment with metallograph ic damaging parameter A is considered. For detailed analysis are considered the experimental results obtained by the authors at creep, in order to determine the creep-fatigue cumulating. Conclusively, it is relieved that the application of t his new approaching method, modern with the help of a dedicated expert system, allows safely pipe usage, bringin g the residual lifetime extension over the projected one and obtaining very important economical consequences by the reduction of inspection and maintenance costs.


Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive disorder of hemoglobin synthesis characterized by absence or reduced synthesis of one or the other of globin chains of hemoglobin. This study was designed to address the issue of thalassemia so as to molecularly characterize all the patients for properly managing the course of disease. Blood samples were collected in accordance with criteria for thalassemia intermedia. Hb electrophoresis was done for quantitative measurement of globin chains and polymerase chain reaction to identify both deletions and point mutations in α and β globin genes respectively. A total of 38 thalassemia patients with their ages in the range of 4 to 35 years were characterized. Parents of 32 patients were closely related and only of the 6 were unrelated. Ten β thalassemia mutations; HbS Cd 6 (A>T), Cd41/42 (−TCTT), Cd 8/9 (G), Cd 30 (G>C), IVS I−5(G>C), −88 (C>T), Cap1, HbE, Cd 5 (−CT) and Cd 16 (−C) were identified. HbS Cd 6 (A>T) was found the most prevalent and in all the three ethnic groups of the region but Cd41/42 (−TCTT), Cd 8/9 (G), and −88 (C>T) were found only in Pashtoon ethnic group while IVS I−5(G>C) and Cap1 were found only in Punjabi and Balochi ethnic groups respectively. The α gene rearrangements were found only with patients of thalassemia intermedia. Interestingly −α3.7/−α3.7 genotype was found only with HbS homozygous condition. Moreover, HbS homozygous patients were found for the first time in Balochi ethnic group along−with Pashtoon, while HbE variants were found for the first time in Punjabi patients. Twenty-four patients were identified as having Hb variants. Seven patients were homozygous for HbS and 1 homozygous for HbE while 16 patients were compound heterozygous; 14 for HbS-β- thalassemia and 2 for HbE-β-thalassemia. All thalassemia patients must be molecularly characterized before first transfusion.


Interaction between TL1A and death receptor 3 (DR3) is associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), although their role in the development of this disease remains not fully explained. Some studies showed elevated expression of TL1A and DR3 in inflamed intestinal tissue but currently there are no reports concerning expression of DR3 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of IBD patients which was the subject of our study.


A glassy solid electrolyte of the (1-x) PbI 2 -xPbO system was prepared using two kinds of quenching methods. In the case of the iron pressing method, 0.68PbI 2 -0.32PbO (x=0.32) glass was obtained when PbI 2 melt reacts with oxygen in air. In the case of the quenching method using ice water, the glassy sample was not obtained when x< 0.35. Conductivity was enhanced and crystallization temperature was decreased with decreasing PbO content x. A maximum conductivity of 6.2 x 10 -7 S.cm -1 at 373 K was obtained for x=0.32 glass plate prepared by the iron pressing method. This value is almost equal to the maximum conductivity of anion conducting glasses reported. 1- ions would be the sole carrier ions, based on an estimation of the electromotive force of the I 2 concentration cell.


Devices for testing, identifying, and compensating for ocular pathologies affecting the vision of a patient are provided in the form of digital therapeutic corrective spectacles that provided personalized, customized visual field corrected/enhancement. The devices include wearable spectacles with one or more digital monitors that are used to recreate an entire visual field as a digitized corrected image or that include custom-reality glasses that can be used to overlay a visual scene with generated image to correct or enhance the visual field of the subject.


We consider a portfolio consisting of a risk-free bond and an equity index which follows a jump diffusion process. Parameters for the inflation-adjusted return of the stock index and the risk-free bond are determined by examining 89 years of data. The optimal dynamic asset allocation strategy for a long-term pre-commitment mean variance (MV) investor is determined by numerically solving a Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman partial integro-differential equation. The MV strategy is mathematically equivalent to minimizing the quadratic shortfall of the target terminal wealth. We incorporate realistic constraints on the strategy: discrete rebalancing (yearly), maximum leverage, and no trading if insolvent. Extensive synthetic market tests and resampled backtests of historical data indicate that the multi-period MV strategy achieves approximately the same expected terminal wealth as a constant weight strategy, but with much smaller variance and probability of shortfall.


Abstract The compounded Bell generalized class of distributions is proposed in this article as an alternative to the compounded Poisson generalized family of distributions. Some properties and actuarial measures are presented. The properties of a special model named Bell Weibull (BellW) are obtained such as the linear representation of density, rth moment, incomplete moment, moment generating function using Wright generalized hypergeometric function and Meijer's G function, the pth moment of order statistics, reliability, stochastic ordering, and residual and reversed residual life. Moreover, some commonly used entropy measures, namely, Rényi, Havrda and Charvat, and Arimoto and Tsallis entropy are obtained for the special model. From the inferential side, parameters are estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. The simulation study is performed to highlight the behavior of estimates. Some actuarial measures including expected shortfall, value at risk, tail value at risk, tail variance, and tail variance premium for the BellW model are presented with the numerical illustration. The usefulness of the proposed family is evaluated using insurance claims and COVID-19 datasets. Convincing results are obtained.


SUMMARY The present study was conducted to investigate the magic/mythic story of Father Christmas which, in different forms, has widespread currency across Europe and beyond, and for almost six weeks each year dominates children's and adults' lives. This is a longitudinal study which aims to find out parental, professional and children's practices and attitudes towards the Father Christmas story. During the first phase of the study, which was conducted during November and December 1998, parents' practices and attitudes were investigated. In particular the study addressed the question whether parents keep up, or not, with the Father Christmas story and why they are doing so. 318 questionnaires were distributed among parents of children under 8 years of age living in Essex and Suffolk, and 10 interviews were conducted. For the analysis of the data, the SPSS programme was used for the questionnaires and content analysis for the interviews. The overwhelming finding of the study was that parents keep up with the Father Christmas story and they perceive the magic of the story and event as paramount over many other countervailing values. The mythic/magic thinking promoted through the Father Christmas story and its relevance and contribution to children's affective, spiritual and cognitive development will be explored and discussed in this paper.


Abstract. A new species in Centaurea L. (Asteraceae) from Turkey is described and illustrated. Centaurea aytugiana Bancheva, Kaya & Binzet grows in Karabük Province, North Anatolia, Turkey, and its morphologically allied species are C. stenolepis A. Kern. and C. salicifolia M. Bieb. ex Willd. The chromosome number of C. aytugiana, 2n = 30 + 1B, counted in root tips, is reported and illustrated. Pollen is described, using both light and scanning electron microscopy, and the pollen grains correspond to Wagenitz's Jacea-type. The new species is currently known from a single locality in Karabük Province and is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR), according to IUCN criteria.


Ni3Al-MoS2-TiC composites (NMTC) were fabricated using spark plasma sintering. The effect of TiC content on tribological properties and antiwear mechanisms of NMTC at high temperatures was investigated. The results showed that NMTC containing 10 wt% MoS2 and 6 wt% TiC exhibited the excellent tribological properties from 25 to 600°C. At 400°C, NMTC had the lowest friction coefficient of 0.28 and the considerable lower wear rate of 3.02 × 10−5 mm3 N−1 m−1. The excellent tribological properties of NMTC were attributed to the synergetic action of the lubricant-phase MoS2 and reinforcing-phase TiC.


In this study, we examine how ERP experts engage in organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) that contribute towards work performance in the context of a manufacturing firm in China. Our interpretive case study reveals instances of OCB that correspond to salient characteristics of the Chinese culture. Key and new forms among these are: harmonious work relations and the willingness to help others plus workarounds, problem solving, job crafting, building role models and leadership. A primary driver of these instances of OCB is a strong sense of responsibility. This is implicitly associated in a morally obligatory fashion with specific job positions and leads employees at all levels to engage voluntarily in overtime work, undertaking whatever tasks are necessary, irrespective of whether these are part of their formal job descriptions. We also observe OCB's potential for improving performance in both functional and social dimensions, as well as its impact on organizational agility.


The present,physiological mechanism and characteristics of drought resistance on crops in Urumqi County were studied.The present drought resistance strategy of crops in Urumqi County was discussed,including using the production techniques reasonably,collecting,protecting and utilizing the variety source of crops,enhancing stock introduction,improvement and breeding techniques on crops of drought situation.


International criminal law (ICL) is premised upon the principle of individual criminal responsibility—the idea that individual persons, rather than states or other entities, bear criminal responsibility for mass atrocities. This principle has been operationalized in practice through the development of various legal theories, technically known as "modes of liability," that delineate individual contributions to collective forms of violence. However, the modes of liability have been interpreted and applied differently across international courts and tribunals. Crucially, the International Criminal Court has construed those modes in a significantly more restrained manner than previous international tribunals, essentially limiting the set of situations in which a person could be found guilty of an international crime. This article contributes to the interdisciplinary literature on international criminal justice by exploring the social construction of different conceptualizations of the modes of liability in ICL and their transformations over time. Specifically, the framework focuses on the promotion and contestation of ideas among various actors participating in the international criminal justice field and the power dynamics that govern the field. This is a key issue for ICL and global justice because it demarcates the legal boundaries of "guilt" and "accountability" for international crimes.


Objective: To summarize clinic application and experience for the treatment of acetabular fracture with open reduction and internal fixation. Methods: From 1997 to now, 15 cases with displaced acetabular fractures were treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Fractures were fixed through the common classic approaches to the acetabulum: in 7 patients, the posterior Kocher Langenbeck approach was taken. The ilioinguinal approach was used in 3, the combined posterior (Kocher Langbenbeck) and anterior (ilioinguinal) approach in 3, and the triradiate approach was used in 2. Results: In 10 patients anatomic reduction was achieved; good reduction was obtained in 3, whereas in 2 patients, the reduction was incomplete. With an average of 19 months following up, 7 patients had an excellent result; 3 patients had a good result; 2 patients had a fair result; 3 patients had a poor result. Conclusions: Open reduction and internal fixation has become the standard of care for the treatment of most displaced acetabular fracture. Moreover, it is also important to actively preclude complications, which is helpful to promote the functional recover of patient.


Abstract We study how noise can assist the processing of an image in a resistance-single electron transistor (R-SET) model. The image is an 8-bit black and white picture. Every grey level is codified linearly into a sub-threshold input potential applied for a prescribed time window to an ensemble of R-SETs that transforms it into a spiking frequency. The addition of a background white noise potential of high amplitude permits the ensemble to process the image by means of the stochastic resonance phenomenon. Aside from the positive aspects, we analyse the negative impact of using noise and how we can minimize it using redundancy and a longer measuring time. The results are compared with the case of the addition of a constant potential to the codified potential to scale it up to the supra-threshold regime. Graphical abstract A background white noise potential of high amplitude permits an ensemble of R-SET units to process an image by means of the stochastic resonance phenomenon. The negative impacts can be minimized using redundancy and a longer measuring time.


Studies of the TGMP-314 boiler with hearth configured burners included the gas mixture in the boiler, the degree of fuel combustion at various heights in the boiler, hydrogen sulfide content in the near-wall zones of the boiler, and temperature distribution fields. Experimental data showed that the hearth burners, in conjunction with steam-mechanical atomizing burners, operate with the least possible excess air over a wide range of load changes. The operation and performance of the hearth burners are discussed.


sible dermatitis from cutting oils with our standard series and a series of 26 oil additives used in Spain, compiled with the help of the manufacturers (Table 1). Four of 20 patients tested were positive to BIT at 0.1 % aq. They were also positive to the oils that they used. In three of the cases we obtained information that the BIT, in the form of Proxel HL ICI, is added to these oils at a concentration of between 0.1 and 0.3 % in the undiluted oil. We have found only one previous report (Brown 1979).


Vitamin D deficiency is linked with pain, function, and radiographic progression of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), but the results of studies addressing the association and effect of vitamin D supplementation for pain, function, quality of life, radiographic disease, and progression are inconsistent. The aim of this review is to determine the therapeutic and preventive potential of vitamin D supplementation in KOA.


This work package presents an information exposure checker which is designed to detect infor-
mation exposures in C/C++ code.
Information flow vulnerabilities in C code are detrimental as they can cause data leakages or
unexpected program behavior. Detecting such vulnerabilities with static code analysis techniques
is challenging because of complex control and data flow. Static analysis tools used for detecting
information exposure bugs can help software engineers detecting bugs without introducing
run-time overhead. Such tools can make the detection of information-flow bugs faster and
cheaper without having to provide user input in order to trigger the bug detection. We present
a bug-detection tool for detecting information exposure bugs in C/C++ programs. Our tool is
context-sensitive and uses static code analysis for bug detection, which was developed in the
SIBASE working package 5.2.1. We developed our bug finding tool as an Eclipse plugin in
order to easily integrate it in software development work flows. Textual annotations introduce
information flow constraints into code as described in the SIBASE working package 5.1.2. The
constraints are checked later by our tool. The bug reports provide user friendly visualizations
that can be easily traced back to the location where the bug was detected. We discuss one static
analysis approach for detecting information exposure bugs and relate briefly the usability of our
bug testing tool to empirical research. We conducted an empirical evaluation based on 90 test
programs which were selected from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Juliet test suite for C/C++ code. We reached a true-positive coverage of 94.6% in ≈121 seconds
for the test programs . Our results show that our approach is effective and can be further applied
to detection of different types of vulnerabilities. This report is based on publications listed in
Chapter 6.


PURPOSE: A hair dyeing composition for coating and dyeing hair is provided to ensure excellent color fastness and to improve dye persistence. CONSTITUTION: A hair dyeing composition for coating and dyeing hair contains 0.1-10 weight% of dye, 10-50 weight% of base agent and remaining amount of purified water. The weight ratio of the green, red, black and color matching dye is 20:10:30:40. The hair dye composition further contains 1-30 weight% of chamomile, rosemary, glycyrrhizae radix, polygoni cuspidati Radix, centella asiatica or green tea.