Customer-individual production in manufacturing is a current trend related to the Industrie 4.0 paradigm. Creation of design files by the customers is becoming more frequent. These design files are typically generated outside the company boundaries and then transferred to the organization where they are eventually processed and scheduled for production. From a security perspective, this introduces new attack vectors targeting producing companies. Design files with malicious configuration parameters can threaten the availability of the manufacturing plant resulting in financial risks and can even cause harm to humans. Human verification of design files is error-prone why an automated solution is required. A graph-theoretic modeling framework for machine tools capable of verifying the security of product designs is proposed. This framework is used to model an exemplary production process implemented in a wood processing plant based on the experiences of a real-world case study. Simulation of the modeled scenario shows the feasibility of the framework. Apart from security verification, the approach can be adopted to decide if a product design can be manufactured with a given set of machine tools.


As the technology of network, wireless transmission and big data computing develops rapidly, the society has entered the Information Era. Internet of Vehicles, the important part of the Internet of Things, is the inevitable trend of urban traffic in the future. Fog computing emerges as a new technology of distributed computing, which is suitable for applications in the Internet of Vehicles. Internet of Vehicles based on fog computing can solve the problems of traffic congestion, transportation efficiency and security. In this paper, we review the recent work in this topic and analyze the architecture and scenario of fog computing in the Internet of Vehicles. Three aspects of applications are proposed in this paper: VANET, big data processing and security. At the same time, we discuss the technical details and challenges in these applications. Fog computing has excellent processing power in real-time big data and a high mobility environment, which reduces the latency of data processing, makes the deployment between vehicles and roadside units more reasonable and enhances the security of information interchanged in the Internet of Vehicles. Fog computing devices will become an indispensable part of the future construction of Internet of Vehicles.


ABSTRACT Academic attention on corporate water disclosure and the role of board gender diversity (BGD) in corporate environmental responsibility has increased dramatically. However, the study of the relationship between BGD and corporate water disclosure is lagging, particularly in the influence of national culture on the relation. Therefore, this study investigates the water disclosure of 150 MNCs from China, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. using content analysis, theoretically discusses and empirically tests the relationship between BGD and MNCs' water disclosure, and the moderating effects of national culture. The results indicate that (1) BGD positively impacts MNCs' water disclosure, and (2) the cultural constructs of masculinity and uncertainty avoidance negatively moderate this relationship. These results reveal that female board members' moral characteristics caused by gender differences are the key to promoting the board's abilities of stakeholders' water issue detection. This advantage of female board members could be enhanced or weakened in different national cultures. Our study closes a research gap, strengthens our understanding of the role of BGD in promoting the board's water-related strategic decision-making, and extends the application of the national cultural dimension in interdisciplinary research in management and social science fields.


Abstract On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy crashed into the New York Bight as a post-tropical cyclone. This storm produced extensive damage to the New Jersey and New York coastal zone. Much of the damage was caused by the storm surge that accompanied Sandy and the shifting of sand and destruction of coastal dunes. Our study was concerned with the effects that this event had on the vascular flora of the salt marshes in the impact zone. We visited six New Jersey-New York marshes in the late summer and early fall of 2013 and compared, using parsimony analysis, the current state of the vascular flora of those marshes against a pre-Sandy database. Although we observed relatively minor variations in the vascular flora at these sites, that is, the loss of some species and gains in others, overall, most plant species post-Sandy was the same as those pre-Sandy. Thus, we conclude that the species composition of the vascular flora of these salt marshes showed a remarkable degree of stability in the face of this catastrophic disturbance.


The face is the most informative sign in a people's recognition. The face contains such features as identity, gender, race, mood, attention and emotions. Face recognition is critical for some services, while recent research shows that people recognition can be very different from person to person.In the past few years, a new type of algorithm Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) has appeared that allows you to generate artificial faces that are identical to real faces. This algorithm is currently widely used in the generation of new faces for marketing campaigns, video processing, increasing the resolution of images, as well as in entertainment applications.This study focuses on the effectiveness of recognizing, distinguishing and memorizing real and fake faces. In the introduction, a literature review is presented. It covers issues of decision-making by people, face recognition, and factors affecting the memorization of faces. The second part contains a description of research methodology - data collection, research design, concerns the work (collection, analysis) with data and procedures. Further hypotheses are put forward and the analysis and conclusion are given.


: This review paper examined prior literature on the issues of validity and reliability for assessing foreign and second language proficiency. This article discusses the issues of validity and reliability in the context of foreign and second language assessment. Despite to a lack of legitimate studies on foreign and second language proficiency connected to validity and reliability issues, several relevant studies were collected, reviewed, and synthesized in this paper.


Simple Summary The only potentially curative treatment of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) is complete (R0) resection. This is difficult to achieve and great effort should be made to optimise surgical margins assessment and to thoroughly define their prognostic value. When considering resections for PHC, not only bile duct margins (ductal margins, DM), but also the liver transection plane and the dissection plane in the hepatoduodenal ligament (radial margins, RM) should be examined. Studies concerning PHC resections with comprehensive analyses of the recurrence and survival related to margins status most frequently consider only ductal margins. The importance of also assessing radial margins' prognostic value was recently introduced and deserves to be further studied. To our knowledge, there is currently no evidence of prognostic value of isolated positive RM. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and to investigate the effects on the recurrence and survival of positive isolated RM in resected PHC. Abstract In resected perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC), positive ductal margin (DM) is associated with poor survival. There is currently little knowledge about the impact of positive radial margin (RM) when DM is negative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and the role of positive RM. Patients who underwent surgery between 2005 and 2017 where retrospectively reviewed and stratified according to margin positivity: an isolated RM-positive group and DM ± RM group. Of the 75 patients identified; 34 (45.3%) had R1 resection and 17 had positive RM alone. Survival was poorer in patients with R1 resection compared to R0 (p = 0.019). After stratification according to margin positivity; R0 patients showed better survival than DM ± RM-positive patients (p = 0.004; MST 43.9 vs. 23.6 months), but comparable to RM-positive patients (p = 0.361; MST 43.9 vs. 39.5 months). Recurrence was higher in DM ± RM group compared to R0 (p = 0.0017; median disease-free survival (DFS) 15 vs. 30 months); but comparable between RM and R0 group (p = 0.39; DFS 20 vs. 30 months). In univariate and multivariate analysis, DM positivity resulted as a negative prognostic factor both for survival and recurrence. In conclusion, positive RM resections appear to have different recurrence patterns and survival rates than positive DM resections.


This study compares the performance of three analytical methods: X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), electron-microprobe analysis (EMPA), and hyperspectral imaging in the short-wave infrared range (SWIR) for the identification of minerals commonly formed during natural and technological geothermal processes. The samples from three geothermal sites in Indonesia contain a spectrum of minerals, which are characteristic for natural geothermal activities (alunite, jarosite, cristobalite, tridymite) and/or are involved in scaling-forming processes in geothermal plants (barite, celestine, common opal, calcite). We show and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the individual techniques with respect to properly identify these minerals and to approximate their relative proportions. The SWIR camera permits an unambiguous identification of only a small selection of the geothermally relevant minerals, which restricts its employment as routine tool in the context of applied geothermics. XRD and EPMA are more powerful techniques and deliver complementary information. In case that (a) SWIR inactive species occur, (b) the entire spectrum of minerals present in a sample has to be unequivocally identified, (c) amorphous substances are present, (d) accurate mineral compositions are required, and (e) detailed information on minerals occurring in low abundance and grain size is warranted, the combined use of XRD and EMPA is mandatory.


This paper presents the ground based measurement and satellite estimation of the solar UV Index (UVI) as well as the influence of aerosol in ground based UV data of Kathmandu. Kathmandu (27.72°N, 85.32°E) is located at an elevation of 1350m from the sea level. The measurements were based on one year data from January to December 2009. The Ground Based (GB) measurement and satellite estimation were performed by NILU-UV irradiance meter and EOS Aura OMI spacecraft. The NILU-UV irradiance meter measures UV radiation in different spectral range whereas the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is a spectrometer which monitors the solar radiation in spectral range of 270–500 nm. Besides, the Microtops II Sunphotometer was also used in this study for the measurement of aerosol optical depth (AOD). The relative percentage difference between OMI and GB UVI during pre-monsoon (March, April and May) was 165.5% and that in monsoon (June, July, August and September) was 105.5%. Likewise the monthly mean UVI in April and July was found to be 5.7±1.6 and 7.5±2.5 while the monthly mean AOD for the same months were 1.12 and 0.44 respectively. Meanwhile the correlation between GB UVI and AOD at 500nm before monsoon was -0.69 whereas during monsoon its value was -0.43. The above mentioned correlation in April was -0.86. During this study the higher values of AODs and OMI estimation were observed during the months of March to May. And this high aerosol content in Kathmandu valley was found capable of modifying the surface UV irradiance.


This qualitative study delves into student perceptions and experiences with Nearpod, a web-based educational platform, with a specific focus on understanding its impact on modern education. Thematic analysis of data collected from twenty students provides valuable insights into the platform's effectiveness. The findings reveal that Nearpod plays a crucial role in enhancing student engagement and attentiveness. The interactive nature of Nearpod, including features such as interactive presentations, quizzes, and real-time collaboration tools, significantly contributes to increased student participation. This thematic analysis underscores the platform's potential to create a more engaging and participatory learning environment.Additionally, the study highlights the positive impact of Nearpod's visual aids, simulations, and virtual reality components on student comprehension, making complex concepts more accessible. However, the research also identifies technical glitches and platform stability issues that need attention to ensure a seamless and uninterrupted learning experience.Furthermore, the thematic analysis suggests that greater customization options and a wider array of diverse interactive activities could cater to individual learning preferences, thereby further enhancing student engagement. Despite the study's limitations, such as a small sample size and a focus solely on student perspectives, the thematic analysis underscores Nearpod's potential as a valuable educational tool. It emphasizes the need for ongoing refinement to maximize its effectiveness in the ever-evolving educational landscape. In conclusion, this research highlights the significance of Nearpod in the digitized era of learning and its potential to transform modern education.


Melanoma continues to be a therapeutic challenge for the medical community owing to the scarcity of effective agents available to treat the disease. Honokiol, a traditional Chinese herb, has been proven to have anti‐cancer effects in various cell types, therefore we hypothesized it may have similar cytotoxic capabilities against melanoma cells in vitro.


Topological indices are the real number of a molecular structure obtained via molecular graph G. Topological indices are used for QSPR, QSAR and structural design in chemistry, nanotechnology, and pharmacology. Moreover, physicochemical properties such as the boiling point, the enthalpy of vaporization, and stability can be estimated by QSAR/QSPR models. In this study, the QSPR (Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship) models were designed using the Gutman index, the product connectivity Banhatti index, the Variance of degree index, and the Sigma index to predict the thermodynamic properties of monocarboxylic acids. The relationship analyses between the thermodynamic properties and the topological indices were done by using the curvilinear regression method. It is used with the linear, quadratic and cubic equations of the curvilinear regression model. These regression models were then compared.


I am happy and proud to share with you the latest performance results of Cytometry Part A according to Clarivates' Web of Science. Our 2021 2-Year Impact Factor is now at 4.714, even surpasses the historically highest 2-Year IF value from 2020 [1]. In the "Biochemical Research Methods" category, we ranked 21 out of 79 journals and improved our ranking in the subject category "Cell Biology" to 97/194 (the year before was 103/195). I cannot thank the whole team of scientific editors from our editorial board and the peer reviewers enough for their tireless dedication supporting cytometry with their outstanding expertise to achieve the highest possible quality. My thanks go to the excellent team at John Wiley and Sons who exquisitely handled the process of manuscript and journal issue management. The times remained difficult but the team helped to smoothly and swiftly adapt to the new situation and implement the necessary changes. Concurrently, a journal would not be anything without the community's contributions, discussions, and proposals. Thank you for all your support! One indicator of the Clarivate statistic is of particular interest, the self-citation rate. This number indicates which percentage of the cites is due to self-citation. The lower this number the higher is the journal cited by other journals. This year we have the historical lowest self-citation index: 9.35 (in the previous 20+ years it was 23 in the mean). This means that Cytometry Part A receives increasing attention from the outside scientific community, a good signal. 2 | CPHEN, THE NEW ACRONYM FOR PHENOTYPE REPORTS MANUSCRIPT CATEGORY


Abstract This draft document represents revisions of the 1999 "United States Public Health Service/Infectious Disease Society of American Guidelines for the Prevention of Opportunistic Infections in Persons with Human Immnunodeficiency Virus" which was originally published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1999;48:No. RR 10. Changes made since 1999 are indicated in bold.


Increasing speed of digital equipment moves the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) studies into a new point due to their broadband radiated emission characteristics. Beside preventing interception from electromagnetic radiation, it is desirable to identify the information source from the radiated emissions. In this paper, we analyzed the sources of the differences among LCD emanations by checking main circuits of computer LCD. A cyclic spectrum identification (CSI) algorithm has been developed to realize the individual recognition of computer LCDs through compromising emanations. We extracted the features of computer LCD emanations in the cycle frequency domain. This work focuses on recognizing the computer LCDs automatically and accurately without reconstruction of the display images. The performance of the CSI algorithm is evaluated by applying it to experimental data collected in a practical attack scenario.


The Lack of motivation and interest of students in Thematic learning, due to the limited learning media used during the learning process. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a learning media that can improve students' motivation and interest in learning. This research aims to develop the media "Flipbook" in the form of educational comics on thematic learning at first grade of Elementary School to improve students' motivation and interest on thematic learning, and to know the students' responses to the development of "Flipbook" media in the form of educational comic on thematic learning at first grade of elementary school.
This type of research is research and development. The method used is quantitative descriptive method. The development model used is the ADDIE model. The ADDIE model has the following steps: (1) Analyze. (2) Design, (3) Development. (4) Implementation, (5) Evaluation. While data analysis used is qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis.
The results showed that the development of "Flipbook" Media in the Form of Educational Comics obtained a decent feasibility percentage to be used based on the validation of experts. Validation by expert of learning media get percentage equal to 78,46% and validation by material expert get the percentage equal to 93,3%. The attractiveness and effectiveness of learning media can be seen from the implementation of instructional media at first grade based on students' responses and teacher's responses / thematic learning experts. The percentage of teacher's responses / thematic learning experts is 90%, while the percentage of students' responses in SDN 01 Donowarih Karangploso are 98.8%. Students' responses are seen from the enthusiasm of students who are very high in both female and male students. Students with confidence go forward with their group to play the role under the guidance of the researcher.


Despite a wealth of literature exploring the issues surrounding it, the legitimacy and authority of international criminal law remain in question. Adopting a perspective informed by legal and political philosophy, Clare Frances Moran considers the authority of international criminal law, why it can be conceived of as more than simply an exercise of power and how that power may be exercised legitimately. Advancing existing scholarship on the subject, Moran explores the roots of the authority of law at the domestic level and tests these ideas in an international context. She examines sovereignty, complementarity and postcolonial issues, and how each impact international criminal law. By developing a theory on the authority of international law, Moran considers how it might be possible to adjudicate more effectively at the international level.


Advances in proteomics provide a new method for early detection of cancer, it can provide a wealth of information and rapidly generate large quantities of data from the analysis of biological specimens. In particular, proteomic pattern of body fluid has attracted attention as an approach to early detection of cancer. Mass spectrometry can provide rapid and precise measurements of the proteins in the body fluid. But the data processing is still a challenge due to noise artifact and high dimensionality of the proteomic data. In this paper, we proposed a scheme that combined wavelet package transform, statistic analysis and AdaBoost to process a public prostate cancer proteomic dataset, the obtained discriminative proteomic pattern can differentiate the cancer form control with high sensitivity and specificity.


Agricultural development banks were established to extend credit and other financial services to customers considered noncreditworthy by the commercial banking sector. Although frequently unprofitable, they play an important role in the fight against rural poverty. This article asks if these banks should be closed or if they are worth revamping.


The present invention discloses a method for producing a recyclable eco-friendly skis, plastics material or thermoplastic resin and glass fiber cloth (sheet) by the temperature generated by the heating element is integrally incorporated melted in a first mold to form a thermal heating plastic bonding material; the plastic side ring and the lower plastic plate and then turn the steel edge rings and middle motherboard, surrounds the middle motherboard periphery, according to the correct position directly into the second heating cavity of the mold, and then on the middle board and lower positions, are incorporated into a thermoplastic material, heating the second mold, the lower mold pressing combined clip, the temperature in the second heating element to heat the mold wherein the thermoplastic generated by thermal bonding material molten state, so that the upper and lower plastic plate, a plastic edge ring, middle ring and the steel edge integrally sticky motherboard, cooling the finished ski is formed. The present invention is produced snowboard recyclability, can be recovered by a waste incinerator apparatus snowboard, environmental characteristics to achieve the purpose.


The 1995 report of the RTCA Board of Directors' Select Committee on Free Flight states that 'insufficient capacity, limited access, and excessive operating restrictions have escalated operating costs, increase delays, and decreased efficiency for all users' of the national airspace system. The Air Transport Association estimates the annual loss to be 3.5 billion dollars. The goal of the user preferred routing research is to develop integrated airborne and ground technologies that enable the highest possible level of unconstrained, user-preferred routing in enroute airspace.


Pre-war academic staff in Poland, seriously curtailed during World War II, could not meet satisfactorily post-war demands of quickly expanding academic schools. Help has been provided by the pre-war school teachers. The article describes the situation in the field of mathematics, offering fates of over 40 school teachers of mathematics who joined universities and polytechnics, and giving some general remarks.


This paper demonstrates a structure of leaky rectangular waveguide working at 1.7Ghz by using BJ18. The parameters of this structure are designed by simulation software CST. And radiation characteristics are analyzed by a hybrid method combining a full-wave method for near-field computation and an integral method for far-field computation. This kind of leaky rectangular waveguide can be applied in rail transportation systems and accordingly it will enhance the receiving signal, suppress the interference and improve the reliability of the system.


Hookworm is highly prevalent in the Kintampo North Municipality of Ghana, and a previous study identified a significant relationship between BMI and infection status in adults.


Reduction of nuclear arms in a verifiable manner that is trusted by two or more parties is a hard but important problem. Nations and organisations that wish to engage in such arms control verification activities need to be able to design procedures and control mechanisms that let them compute pertinent degrees of belief. Crucially, they also will need methods for reliably assessing their confidence in such beliefs, in situations with little or no contextual data to apply data-driven learning techniques on. This motivates the investigation of alternative methods of modelling beliefs. This thesis will cover three key models: a probabilistic Bayesian Network (BN) model for an arms control inspection scenario; a dynamical system that models an arms race with dynamics reflecting verification activities; and mathematical games, which are used for understanding the design space of treaties that constrain inspection schedules. We extend our models beyond their conventional computational abilities, and encode uncertainty over variables and probabilities within the models. This thesis explores the techniques required to enable such computations and to use these to answer questions of interest to decision making. In doing so, we also show that these abstractions can mitigate against the risk that lack of prior data represents for modelling and analysis. A main contribution of the thesis is to not only develop such methods for dealing with uncertainty, but to also extend these models with external constraints that reflect beliefs, knowledge or assumptions. We extend BNs to constrained Bayesian Networks, and relax the requirement of declaring Real valued probabilities of events. This then enables us to analyse marginal probabilities of interest symbolically, or develop metrics that check for agreement in outputs between multiple different models, and even optimise such metrics over the uncertainty. Whereas Stochastical Optimisation and other utility based techniques would enable an analysis of likelihoods, this work employs Robust Optimisation. This means that we are assessing 'best case', 'worst case' or 'is this ever possible' events, which are important to our arms control verification domain. For dynamical systems, we are able to leave initial parameters of the model as unknown, and then compute an optimum inspection routine (based on any arbitrarily set metric) that


Durability is a severe problem in the commercial application of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The platinum (Pt) catalyst which greatly affects performance and durability is one of the most important components in PEMFC. However, few PEMFC degradation models focused on the Pt catalyst degradation process in molecule scale. In this paper, a novel PEMFC catalyst degradation model is developed based on the catalyst transformation theory. In this model, the Pt catalyst degrades by changing form and size according to the transformation theory, which includes Pt dissolution and Ostwald ripening mechanisms. The advantage of this new model is that the transformation of every Pt particle is calculated directly, and the characteristics of every particle are considered, thus it can give more accurate catalyst degradation process. Six groups of experimental data have been used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed degradation model of PEMFC. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed degradation model is superior to a traditional model, and the application of such a degradation model to the performance prediction of the PEMFC has been discussed.


In this work, we report the degradation of NO x using two catalysts prepared by coating activated carbon from orange peels with TiO2. This study compared the performance of TiO2coated catalysts prepared by CVD (AC1/TiO 2 ) and the sol-gel method (AC2/TiO 2 ). The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET surface area and TEM. The photocatalytic activity was measured by studying the degradation of NOx in the vapor phase. The results show that the catalyst synthesized by the CVD method was more efficient in the decomposition of NO x . TEM and XRD revealed the presence of a mixture of the anatase and rutile phases, which favors the NOx decomposition process. Nitrogen isotherms showed that coating the nanoparticles with titanium oxide did not significantly change the surface area of the original activated carbon.


This study focuses on identifying relationships between the content of heavy metals in water and the resistance patterns of different bacteria. Samples from watercourses in one of the most important mining areas in Mexico were collected. Seventy-one bacteria were isolated, and their resistance to Cr, Zn, Cu, Ag, Hg, and Co was studied. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration range was determined, and a Multiple Metal Resistant index was calculated. After that, 11 isolated bacteria were chosen to estimate kinetic parameters. The obtained results show differences in the behavior of the studied bacteria concerning the presence of heavy metals in the media: (1) without effect, (2) inhibited growth; and (3) considerable inhibited growth. Finally, a Performance Index was proposed to select adequate bacteria for heavy metals removal; five bacteria were selected. Among them, Pseudomonas koreensis was identified as a good candidate for a future biosorption system since these bacteria can stimulate growth in the presence of all the metals tested.


Given a large amount of data in the base classes and a small number of data in the new classes, meta-learning can learn prior experience from the base classes and transfer knowledge to the new classes by generating network parameters for data generation. In this paper, we propose a novel generative adversarial network called MetaCGAN for generating high quality and diversity images to achieve data augmentation for the new classes with few data. In particular, MetaCGAN consists of two modules, the conditional GAN (CGAN) and MetaNet modules. The CGAN module is our skeleton network that is applied to generate images, while the MetaNet module is our auxiliary network that is applied to provide deconvolutional weights for the generator of CGAN. Experimental results on the MNIST, Fashion MNIST and CelebA data sets demonstrate the superiority of MetaCGAN over baseline models. Both qualitative and quantitative results show that the MetaNet module can learn prior knowledge and transfer it from the base classes to the new classes, which is beneficial for generating high quality and diversity images to the new classes with few images.


Objective To explore the treatment and prevention of continued tubal pregnancy after the peritoneoscope treatment.Method We retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 12 patients with continued tubal pregnancy after the peritoneoscope treatment,and took mifepristone 50 mg bid and methotrexate 50 mg/m2 for the patients.Result 12 patients with continued tubal pregnancy after the peritoneoscope treatment were all cured and discharged in 7-20 days after medicine treatment.Conclusion The non-operation treatment of continued tubal pregnancy after the peritoneoscope treatment is safe and effective.


The Authority was asked for the weight and gestational age at birth of all singleton live births at London clinics in the last five years.


Objective: To figure out the disposal ability of public health emergencies of provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDCs) in 2009.Methods: Data related to the disposal ability of public health emergencies of provincial CDCs was collected and compared to the standard from 3 dimensions including public health emergency organization structure,public health emergency reserves,and the disposal ability of public health emergencies.Results: In 2009,13 items of public health emergency framework construction were,to different extent,strengthened;the mean adequate rate of public health emergency reserves was 68.6%;the mean rate of complete pre-arranged planning was 95.1%;the rate of reason ascertained for public health emergency was 97.7%;and the index of reasonable disposal of public health emergencies was 0.925.Conclusion: The disposal ability of public health emergencies of provincial CDCs has improved a lot with a comprehensive improvement of basic construction.However,the public health emergency reserves still needed to be strengthened.The performance evaluation objectively reflected the current performance of provincial CDCs on the disposal ability of public health emergencies.


ABSTRACT Context : Few studies have evaluated the metabolic outcomes of growth hormone (GH) treatment in idiopathic growth stature (ISS). Moreover, children with ISS appear to need higher GH doses than children with GH deficiency (GHD) to achieve the same amount of growth, and may therefore be at increased risk of adverse events during treatment. The individualized approach using prediction models for estimation of GH responsiveness, on the other hand, has the advantage of narrowing the range of growth response avoiding too low or high GH doses. Design : Short prepubertal children with either isolated GHD (39) or ISS (89) participated in a 2-year randomized trial of either individualized GH treatment with six different GH doses (range, 17–100 µg/kg/day) or a standard dose (43 µg/kg/day). Objective : To evaluate if individualized GH treatment reduced the variance of the metabolic measures as shown for growth response, and to compare changes in metabolic variables in children with ISS and GHD.


ABSTRACT The effect of finger-harrowing (FH) on weed control and yield of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf) grown under conventional tillage (CT) or no-tillage (NT) was studied in 1995–96. Mechanical weeding—eight combinations between four tine adjustments and two treatment intensities (one or two passes)—was compared with post-emergence herbicide spraying and an unweeded control. Tine working depth was higher in CT than in NT due to lower soil dry bulk density, and increased with the theoretical aggressiveness of tine adjustments, but its correlation with short- and long-term effects on crop and weeds overall was poor, suggesting that tine adjustment was not a major factor involved. In 1995, durum wheat grain yield in FH was very low, because of high weed development in both tillage systems. In 1996, lower weed pressure resulted in FH grain yield, on average 3982 kg ha−1 for CT and 2809 kg ha−1 for NT, comparable with that obtained with herbicides. Durum wheat grain yield and weed biomass were much more affected by tillage system than by tine adjustment or harrowing intensity, and seemed mostly dependent on the lower crop competitive ability in NT, caused by reduced emergence, higher weed abundance and presence of aggressive weed species, Ammi majus in 1995 and Lolium multiflorum in 1996. Dependence of FH effect upon soil and weed conditions encountered seasonally in the two tillage systems suggests that, in low-input durum wheat, mechanical methods alone would not always guarantee adequate weed control and grain yield.


to hold annual public hearings and evaluate the factors that contribute to rising health care costs. Specifically, the statute requires the following: The commissioner shall identify variations in the price that health carriers pay for health care services and shall undertake further analysis to determine whether the observed price variations correlate to the sickness or the complexity of the population served, the relative proportion of patients on Medicare or Medicaid that are served by the health care provider, the cost to the health care provider of delivering the service, or the relative proportion of free or reduced care provided to the uninsured. School (UMMS) to analyze the price variations present in the New Hampshire hospital market. This report summarizes the analyses completed and presents the relevant findings. Analysis The UMMS team relied on a number of data sources to complete its analysis, including: • claims data from the New Hampshire Comprehensive Health Care Information System (NHCHIS) for CY2009; • data from the New Hampshire Hospital Discharge Dataset (HDD), calendar year 2009, • uninsured charge data from the Medicaid Enhancement Tax (MET) forms; and • CMS-2552 cost report data from hospital fiscal year 2009. Price: The dollar amount the hospital received from the insurer plus the patient liability. Hospitals and insurers refer to this amount as the " allowed amount. " Charge: The full, undiscounted dollar amount billed by a hospital for a specific service Cost: The dollar amount incurred by the hospital for providing patient care services, including salaries, supplies, capital, and other items Casemix: A measure of acuity for a given population, with higher values reflecting higher acuity and complexity 1 NH RSA § 420-G: 14-a, paragraph V. Price Variations in New Hampshire Hospitals 4 Using the source data described above, the UMMS team calculated the average prices paid to the 26 New Hampshire acute hospitals 2 by commercial carriers for both inpatient and outpatient services. These prices were adjusted to account for differences in patent acuity and resource use. In addition to the factors cited in the statute, the UMMS team identified other factors that might be related to differences in commercial prices. These additional factors included hospital location, designation as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), total margin, hospital size, and occupancy rate. To assess the relationship between commercial prices and the various factors, the UMMS team completed correlation analyses. The correlation analyses indicate which factors were most …


Monitoring of the relative humidity and temperature play an important role recording the variation of ambient as a function of time using Raspberry PI in green buildings when we were not around. The purpose of this project is to monitor and develop the data acquisition system for humidity and temperature measurement. This project presents the digital sensors inter IC (I2C) circuits with programming technique for remote sensing of relative humidity and temperature. The control unit converts the relative humidity and temperature which sense by the sensors. Then, the client sends the digital data to the server and finally the data will be processed by the PC. After that, the interface programmed is developed using Raspberry PI instead of PC which allow the user to set up important parameters and time for the operation. The data acquisition system has been designed that can perform standalone or PC based via digital sensors socket programming communication. This system also is equipped with software calibration Linux in order to obtain more accurate measurement.


Objective To compare the outcomes and complications of microsurgical clipping with that of endovascular embolization in the patients with intracranial aneurysms.Methods Twenty-five patients with 28 aneurysms,of whom,20 belonged in Hunt-Hess GradesⅠ-Ⅱ,3 in Grade Ⅲ and 2 in Grade Ⅳ,were treated with microsurgical clipping.Twenty-one patients with 24 aneurysms,of whom,15 belonged in Grades Ⅰand Ⅱ,4 in Grade Ⅲ and 2 in Grade Ⅳ,were treated with endovascular embolization.The outcomes of treatment in the patients with intracranial aneurysms were evaluated according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS).Results There were insignificant difference in the rates of good outcome and complication occurrence,and mortality between both the groups(P0.05).The rate of good outcome was significantly higher and the rate of complication occurrence was significantly lower in the patients whose conditions belonged in Hunt-Hess Grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ than those in the patients whose conditions belonged in Grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ.Conclusions Both the microsurgical clipping and endovascular embolization are the effective methods to treat intracranial aneury-sms,but each has its strong and weak points.The more severe the condition is,the worse the curative effect is in patients with intra-cranial aneurysms.


Objective: Several clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of hypothermia in neonates with encephalopathy have shown significant reduction in death and disability at 18-month follow-up. We sought to: 1) evaluate how the use of hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is changing in U.S. clinical practice, 2) determine which methods and devices for delivering hypothermia are being used, and 3) evaluate any differences in the course and outcomes of neonates treated with whole body cooling compared with head cooling. Study design: The study comprised a descriptive review of neonates from a network of 330 neonatal intensive care units, reported to the Pediatrix Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW). Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for variables associated with an increased risk for adverse events. Results: Between January 2008 and December 2011, 401,328 patients were reported to the CDW; 810 (0.2%) were treated with hypothermia. The number of neonates treated with hypothermia in neonatal intensive care increased significantly between 2008 and 2011 from 0.08% to 0.4%. The number of centers that provided hypothermia increased from 24 in 2008 to 82 in 2011. The most common method of treatment was whole body cooling (626/801, 77%); 184 babies (23%) were treated with head cooling. Neonates treated with whole body cooling more often experienced thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, and/or cholestasis in the first postnatal days. Reports of liver


Microcounseling and media therapy are video methods of teaching single behavioral skills of counseling and communication to a wide variety of populations ranging from children to school counselors to psychiatric patients. The history and method of these techniques are detailed and recent research on the effectiveness is summarized. Intentionality is presented as a construct in which the behavioral skills approach may be integrated more closely with an existentially oriented view of man.


Abstract Ramadan is considered to be the month of the stomach break. It has been reported that Ramadan has some health benefits. In most Muslims countries, there is a huge modification in the diet during this month. These changes could induce some gastrointestinal (GI) disorders (e.g. diarrhea, cramps, fullness, nausea). The aims of the present overview were to present some challenges that could be observed for athletes during the training sessions or competition and present some practical recommendations to avoid GI disorders during Ramadan. Based on previous studies, we could advance that the prevalence of GI disorders will be more pronounced when athletes travel for international competitions during Ramadan. Besides, GI disorders are more frequent for athletes when there is a huge modification in the training load. Dehydration observed during Ramadan is one of the factors that may induce GI disorders. The latter could be exacerbated by sweat loss during training sessions. Carbohydrate is frequently used by athletes to improve performance and is associated with some GI disorders. Therefore, during Ramadan, coaches and athletes should be advised to maintain the same diet and a good hydration as before the fasting month, and avoid air travel when preparing for competitions.


Internal category is defined in a category. It can be classified as static category and non-static category. Internal class can access the external members, but external class can't access the internal members directly. The anonymous internal class can be extended from the internal one, and it is very convenient to deal with all events.


From the summer months onwards, supply tightened, coinciding with a robust rebound in Chinese demand for chemical grade chromite and, later, foundry grade material. In India, a relatively strong steel sector this year has generated steady demand for foundry materials, allaying fears surrounding weaknesses in the market that had emerged in the preceding two years. OUTLOOK The majority of market sources agree that skyrocketing chromite prices seen in 2016 are not sustainable in the long...


As a new Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) technique, capacitive imaging (CI) has been used to detect defects in oil pipelines, composite sucker rods and storage tanks in recent years. When a CI sensor is used to detect corrosion defect on a conducting surface with or without an insulation layer, the depth information of corrosion defect is difficult to acquire due to the non-linearity of the probing field. This paper proposed a corrosion depth inversion method based on the lift-off effect of the CI technique. The proposed depth inversion method, which includes three steps, namely establishing the lift-off curve, obtaining the scan curve and fitting inversion, are introduced and evaluated. In the FE simulations, the error rates of the inversion depths are less than 1.20%. CI experiments were carried out to acquire the depth information of a step shape specimen using the CI experimental system and the proposed corrosion depth inversion method. The results show that the depth inversion method can meet the need of obtaining the actual depth information with the error rates of the inversion depths being less than 10.00%. A CI experiment on a machined and corroded specimen was carried out to further demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed inversion method for corrosion defects with different depths. Both results from FE models and experiments indicate that the proposed method is promising to achieve the quantitative NDE of the Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI).


We show that dominant aspects of chemical (particle) transport in fracture networks\char22{}non-Gaussian propagation\char22{}result from subtle features of the steady flow-field distribution through the network. This is an outcome of a theory, based on a continuous time random walk formalism, structured to retain the key space-time correlations of particles as they are advected across each fracture segment. The approach is designed to treat the complex geometries of a large variety of fracture networks and multiscale interactions. Monte Carlo simulations of steady flow in these networks are used to determine the distribution of velocities in individual fractures as a function of their orientation. The geometry and velocity distributions are used, in conjunction with particle mixing rules, to map the particle movement between fracture intersections onto a joint probability density $\ensuremath{\psi}(\mathbf{r},t).$ The chemical concentration plume and breakthrough curves can then be calculated analytically. Particle tracking simulations on these networks exhibit the same non-Gaussian profiles, demonstrating quantitative agreement with the theory. The analytic plume shapes display the same basic behavior as extensive field observations at the Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The quantitative correlation between the time dependence of the mean and standard deviation of the field plumes, and their shape, is predicted by the theory.


: In the past ten years, China's new energy industry has developed rapidly and is a world leader in wind power generation, solar thermal power generation, biomass energy utilization, and hydrogen energy development. In view of the current shortage of talents in the new energy industry, under the innovative and entrepreneurial mode of college students, combined with the characteristics of this specialty, cultivate multi-level talents that are in line with the new energy power generation industry. At the same time, promote the curriculum adjustment of the major, enhance professional vitality, and create a more professional team of teachers. After the implementation of the project, students will be trained and improved in many aspects such as professional skills, innovative thinking, entrepreneurial ability, management ability, and business ability. To a certain extent, they will increase the employment channels of the major and alleviate the social problems of employment pressure.


In December of 1998 during routine bombing practice at Fallon, NV, an F-18C released a Mark 82 JDAM bomb which impacted the Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared Pod (TFLIR) on the aircraft fuselage. This study investigated the efficacy of CFD to predict and explain the effects the TFLIR, the ATFLIR, and the Litening pod on the store separation characteristics of the F-18C. Mach sweeps were run on the F-18C aircraft carrying the TFLIR, ATFLIR, or Litening pod adjacent to a store. Analysis of the results revealed a large shift in the moments on the store above a certain Mach number attributed to surface pressure changes on the tail of the store due to changes in the local flow. It was found that the Litening pod, while larger in size, had less of an effect on the adjacent store than either the TFLIR or ATFLIR. Furthermore, while the TFLIR and ATFLIR are close in shape, significant differences were found between the two pods' effects on the adjacent store. Using data from CFD along with results from previous wind tunnel tests, trajectory simulation predictions were accomplished using the Navy Generalized Separation Package (NAVSEP). The results from these predictions compared favorably with flight test results.


The capacity and underlying mechanism of hydrochars derived from commercial D-glucose and wasted orange peels (designated as pristine-hydrochars) and further modified with nitric acid (designated as oxidized-hydrochars) to adsorb methylene blue were investigated. Both pristine- and oxidized-hydrochars were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller-specific surface area, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and mass titration. The maximum methylene blue adsorption capacity at 30°C estimated by the Langmuir model was found to follow the order: mGH (246 mg/g) > mOPH (107 mg/g) > OPH (59.6 mg/g) > GH (54.8 mg/g). Six adsorption mechanisms were elucidated, in which the electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding were identified as the primary methylene blue-hydrochar adsorptive interaction; furthermore, because the nitric acid modification process enhanced oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups and unsaturated bonds on the surface of oxidized-hydrochars, the π–π and n–π interaction became minor pathways for methylene blue adsorption onto oxidized-hydrochars. Our results suggest that modified hydrochars could be used as environmentally friendly adsorbents alternative to activated carbon in dealing with methylene blue contamination in aqueous solutions.


ABSTRACT This research is designed to improve the students' reading comprehension in English through Think Pair Share strategy. the objective of the research is to develop Think Pair Share to improve the students' reading comprehension. The research was  conducted by using  classroom action research. The finding showed that Think Pair Share strategy was successful in improving students' reading comprehension. The improvement couls be seen from the increase of students' reading scores. Besides, the finding also showed that Think Pair Share strategy was effective in enhancing the students' participation, especially in term of sharing ideas, asking and answering questions. Keyword : Think Pair Share strategy, improve, reading comprehension


The surface of a thin aluminum alloy with thickness of 0.103 mm was modified using immersion method to produce high water contact angle of more than 150° which constitutes a super-hydrophobic surface characteristics. Contact angle was measured using a digital goniometer and the modified surfaces were examined under a scanning electron microscope. Apart from immersion technique, spray-coating method was also employed to modify the surface of the aluminum alloy for comparison. The results of surface modification with immersion method shown a higher water contact angle than the spray-coating method by 56%. The weight of the samples were also measured before and after the etching process. Previously, the conventional immersion method is only well-suited for a thick material whereas the thin material can be easily dissolved with the conventional formula. Initial immersion method fully dissolved the thin aluminium alloy strip. Thus, the immersion method was modified and effectively produced a super-hydrophobic surface with contact angle of 160° for the thin aluminium alloy with only 10% weight loss.


Aim.  The article presents the results of a study of heat-resistant binder based on Portland cement with the addition of a local mill ground minerals. Methods.  Activation is carried out on a planetary mill "Activator - 4M". Activation of the binder increases the strength of heat-resistant concrete by increasing the reactivity bundles "Portland is the active fine additive" to the mechano-chemical additive. Results.  It is determined that the mill ground additives result in the formation of low-melting and thereby reduce the temperature of the use of heat-resistant concrete with Portland cement binder. Conclusion.  It is proved that high mechanochemical strength refractory concrete samples on activated binder is caused by the process of increasing the chemical activity of the materials included in a bundle of "Portland cement is the active fine additive" which creates favorable conditions for hardening of heat-resistant concrete.


The invention relates to a playback system of a multisource information intelligent home and a method thereof; the playback system comprises a multisource rich media management control platform, and a plurality of home rich media servers which are respectively connected with the multisource rich media management control platform; wherein each home rich media server is provided with a plurality ofplayback devices which is respectively connected with the home rich media server, and the multisource rich media management control platform is connected with the home rich media servers by a resource regulation WEB service module. The invention overcomes the problems in the prior art that the media acquisition way is single, the connection and management of the home playback equipment are difficult, sharing media way of a user is deficient, and the operation of media playback is limited by regions, so as to realize rich and colorful digital home life at any time.


This study explores a transmasculine embodiment through bodies, acts, and objects,
from a new materialist perspective. The study is situated within the field of
transgender studies, and the research question, 'how can transmasculine
embodiment through the materialities of the body and everyday acts and objects be
understood through new materialism', is answered through an autoethnography.
Key findings are that a) a trans-becoming emerges through the phenomenon of
meeting someone's eyes, b) through material-discursive practices transmasculine
people work with and against the body, and c) onto-epistemologies of race and
gender emerge through the interplay of temporal, spatial, and corporeal processes.


When Caitlyn Jenner, former Olympian and erstwhile patriarch of the Kardashian clan, came out as a transgender woman in early 2015, magazine editors around the world rubbed their hands together in glee. This is, I should note, not a new phenomenon: transgender women have been a figure of public interest since Christine Jorgensen made news headlines around the world in 1952: 'Ex-G.I. Becomes Blonde Bombshell'. There was nothing new about Jenner's story - it is no news to the world that transgender women exist - and yet every development of her transition has been recounted with breathless enthusiasm in gossip magazines and on Jenner's own reality show, I Am Cait. In fact, what the Jenner story demonstrates is that there is a perpetual cultural rediscovery of transgender people, especially transgender women.


Simultaneous TV data of auroras were obtained at 3 nearly geomagnetic conjugate stations: Husafell in Iceland, and Syowa and Asuka in Antarctica, on September 9-10 in 1991. Active, pulsating auroras were found between 22:54 and 22:57 UT in both hemispheres. Pulsating spatial pattern, intensity variation, period and periodicity of periodic type pulsating auroras were used to examine possible conjugacy in the observational areas. The results reveal a distinct lack of correlation between pulsating auroras in geomagnetically conjugate stations during the event in question.


In the present study we investigated some pollen morphological characters and anther size of Cydonia oblonga. Anthers of cultivars with apple- vs. pear-shaped fruits were also compared. In 2005 the anthers of cultivars with oblate vs. suboblate pollen showed significant differences. Anthers of the oblate group were notably shorter and smaller in size, than those of the suboblate group. Equatorial area of pollen in the former group was also smaller. In 2006 P/E ratio of pollen also correlated with length, width and size of anthers. However, shape and size of pollen grains did not show any relationship in the latter year. Equatorial area of pollen grains was not connected with anther size in 2005-2006. Fruit shape correlated with pollen shape only in 2005. P/E ratio of pollen in cultivars with apple-shaped fruits was lower than in cultivars with pear-shaped fruits. We could not demonstrate any relationships between anther morphology and fruit shape of the investigated quince cultivars. Acta Biol Szeged 55(2):231-235 (2011) KEY WORDS anther Cydonia oblonga fruit shape pollen


Two polymer fractions, respectively with 28–38% and 6–9% sulphonated (SO3H) phenylene rings, may be isolated in the solid-liquid reaction between p-polyphenylene sulfide and SO3 in refluxing dichloroethane-liquid SO2. The products relative yield depends on the experimental conditions of the reaction. No solvent has been found for these polymers.

The reaction of the sulphonated polymers with SOCl2 leads to formation of higher substitution products containing both and functional groups. The polymers in chlorophenyl phenylsulphonylchloride form are soluble in excess SOCl2 and/or CHCl3, depending upon the concentration of ring chlorine.

The mechanism of sulphonation in the heterogeneous medium and the presence of cross-links in the reaction products are discussed.


Based on the hierarchical research of workflow model, it points out the problem of the AND JOIN semantic in WPDL. It is systematically and deeply study on every kinds of the pair structure in the extended Xinpai workflow model. It is formally defined the generous pair and the strict normal pair. The merit and shortcoming of them are analysed. Then it is defined a extended normal pair which not only have the strict sematic and determined performance of Xinpai driven model, but also is relatively generous and practical. It is formally defined the Xinpai workflow model by those concepts.


The present titling project developed in SANTO DOMINGO Pumping Station of the Esmeraldas-Santo Domingo-Quito-Macul Poliducto, of the PETROECUADOR EP, provides a significant contribution by controlling and communicating the 14 valves actuators controlled by the tanks' engine. Storage of clean products derived from petroleum. These devices are Rotork brand actuators type IQT2, which through a Packscan P3 master station control the actuators working through the master-slave communication protocol, using a Prosoft MVI56E-MNETR communication card which has the function of acquiring data emitted by the master station, which will be transferred in turn to the PLC, with the data obtained, it proceeds to the programming of the functions that it will be executed, such as opening, closing and stopping the valve, together with the configuration of screens HMI to which the operator can execute the orders that it requires from a computer operating . The data transmission speed is determined according to the Resistance and Capacitance parameters in the instrument cable.
The proper addressing of the registers issued by the master station generates a significant saving of variables and memory within the applications, as well as the efficient management of the memories occupied in the PLC through an Ethernet connection, within the Industrial Network of the company.
Once the installation, configuration, programming and testing processes have been executed, the system is controlled from the fully automatic operating room.


"When I feel like crying it's political is a performance created through devised techniques, combining director-driven dramaturgy with content generated by the actresses-performers, in a process shifting the role of the director into one of a curator. Centered on self-representation, the work proposes a frame for empowerment while approaching sensible themes, such as the hierarchy of power in theatrical contexts (vocational schools and professional theatres) and the objectification of female performers. This paper contextualizes the concept and artistic process of the work, while proposing a work model based on care and owning differences. Keywords: self-representation, performative theatre, agency, feminism, divergence, empowerment, pedagogy of care."


The present invention discloses an intelligent strength training equipment and training method based on measuring muscle mass, characterized in that: the apparatus by the control unit, muscle strength test and training unit, measuring muscle mass units, obtained by the constant motion of the heart the maximum power of people of all parts of the muscle mass obtain various parts of the human body by bioelectrical impedance method, by evaluating model muscle mass, get quality assessment body parts and muscles of the body, and in accordance with the measurement situation muscle mass, can be given strength training programs carried out in the equipment, training and assessment of the results. The present invention can be widely used in human muscle quality evaluation to assess the situation of human muscle aging, muscle mass and use evaluation results are given targeted training programs for the prevention and treatment of muscle aging, in order to achieve scientific movement.


Analyses of Greenland ice cores are an important approach in order to reconstruct the climate. A continuous flow analysis furnishes high resolution data of the chemical composition of the ice. Annual signals in the dust and conductivity record are used to determine the annual layer thickness of the DYE-3 ice core of the Holocene. The accumulation rate for the drilling sites GRIP, GISP2, NEEM and NGRIP has been calculated applying the Dansgaard-Johnsen flow model to age and depth data. By comparing the accumulation rate to the stable water isotope record, an intimate correlation between the accumulation rate and the temperature was ascertained. The relation between the change of the two parameters can be seen as linear and applicable to all the drilling sites investigated. However, a site-specific variation of the change in δ18O compared to the present average value has been observed. This indicates a changing shape of the Greenlandic ice sheet. Using a δ18O-height relationship calibrated for the current climate period, a decline of the ice sheet after the onset of the Holocene can be considered. During the glacial period, the locations of the current drilling sites NGRIP and NEEM are expected to have been respectively 300m and 600m more elevated than today.


CD52 is a monoclonal antibody that identifies a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein expressed at high density on cell surface membrane of virtually all normal and malignant mature Tand Blymphocytes, monocytes, macrophages and eosinophils, but not on hemopoietic stem cells [1,2]. Its function, however, is still unknown. CAMPATH-1H is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody to human CD52 [3] that in vitro can cause lysis of normal and malignant lymphocytes by complement-mediated cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Both these mechanisms are probably involved in the in vivo therapeutic response to CAMPATH-1H and the sensitivity to cell lysis induced may be related to the antigenic density of such a molecule on cell surface [4]. In addition, CAMPATH-1H was shown to be effective in chronic leukemias such as B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) [5,6]. We used quantitative flow cytometry to explore the antigenic density of CD52 on Band T-lymphocytes from patients with B-CLL and normal controls. Peripheral blood (PB) samples were obtained from 16 healthy volunteer donors (8 males and 8 females; mean age 43 years, range 18–80 years) as normal controls and from 15 patients with previously untreated B-CLL (10 males and 5 females; mean age 62; range 42–83 years). The diagnosis of B-CLL was established on morphological and immunological criteria [7–9]. All cases displayed CD5 and CD23 positivity and dim expression of surface immunoglobulins. Samples were anticoagulated in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood collection tubes and stained within 6 h of collection. From each unfractionated sample, aliquots of 100ml were simultaneously stained with 10ml of the directly labeled monoclonal antibodies CD52 (clone number YTH34.5), conjugated with phycoerythrin (PE), purchased from Valter Occhiena srl, Turin, Italy, and CD19 (clone 4G7) or CD3 (clone SK7) conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), purchased from Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems (BDIS), San Jose, CA, USA. After incubation for 30 min at 48C in the dark, erythrocytes were lysed adding ammonium chloride (Auto Lyse Plus, BioSource Europe, Nivelles, Belgium). After centrifugation, cells were resuspended in phosphatebuffered saline (PBS) containing 0.1% sodium azide and 0.5% bovine serum albumin, then pelleted again, resuspended in 1 ml of PBS and analyzed by flow cytometry (FACSCalibur, BDIS). The commercially available QuantiBRITE PE Beads (BDIS) were used to set the Fl2-histogram and to determine the number of molecules bound per cell, as described elsewhere [10–13]. An acquisition gate was set on FL1-positive cells in a SSC and CD19 or CD3-FITC plot and more than 5000 events were recorded. The number of molecules per cells were expressed as antibody binding capacity (ABC) [14]. Higher peripheral blood lymphocytes were detected in B-CLL patients samples evaluated as percentage (78 ^ 15%; range 55 – 96) and absolute number (38; 300 ^ 43; 800; range 6; 000–155; 000) as well. Moreover, peripheral blood B-lymphocytes were found to be higher in B-CLL patients compared to normal


This letter presents an acoustic metasurface that converts longitudinal acoustic waves into transverse elastic waves in an acoustic-elastic coupled system. Metasurface configurations are obtained by a level set-based topology optimization method, and we describe the mechanism that changes the direction of the wave motion. Numerical examples of 2D problems with prescribed frequencies of incident acoustic waves are provided, and transverse elastic wave amplitudes are maximized by manipulating the propagation of the acoustic waves. Frequency analysis reveals that each of the different metasurface designs obtained for different wavelengths of incident waves provides peak response at the target frequency.


PUBLIC health workers have been greatly interested for many years in the presence of metallic substances such as arsenic and lead in foods and more recently in the presence of antimony. These substances have usually gained entrance to foodstuffs either accidentally or by technical methods designed to produce better quality foods. In general, however, such substances have not been deliberately added with the full knowledge that the consumer will ingest regular and definite quantities. Wre now have another member of the metallic group, namely, silver, which certain commercial organizations are recommending for use as a bactericidal and preserving agent. Before the general use of a method designed to add silver becomes widespread, public health authorities should consider whether or not the public health hazard from the ingestion of silver is comparable to the known dangers from other metallic compounds and, if so, what concentration of silver can be considered safe in foods and in drinking water.


Synthesis of 3,5-cis-3-amino glycals with a cis-fused cyclic sulfamidate group has been achieved by selective reduction of sulfamidate ketimine groups. The efficient access to the structurally unique glycals allowed the subsequent divergent synthesis of various naturally occurring 3-amino-2,3,6-trideoxysugars. In addition, Lewis acid-promoted glycosylation of the glycals provided a simple solution for the stereoselective installation of O- and C-linked aglycons on the amino sugar scaffolds.


Burn injury compromises the skin barrier and enables bacterial infection, hence delaying burn wound healing. This study aimed to determine the microbial profile of burn wounds, and resistance patterns of microbes with respect to the source of the injured patient's wound. From 130 wound swab samples were collected from burn patients at Azadi Teaching Hospital, Kirkuk/Iraq. Sterile swabs moistened with sterile saline were used to swab burn wounds. The swabs were plated on blood agar and MacConkey agar for 24 hrs at37°C. Biochemical tests were carried out on the representative isolate on each plate, and antibacterial sensitivity pattern was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The study revealed that the main source of burns was gas flames (60%) and scalds (29.23%). Out of the 130 samples analysed, (72.3%) were culture positive and 27.7% were culture negative for bacteria. The predominant gram negative bacteria isolated were, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 40(42.5%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae 23 (24.46%), Enterobacter cloacae 21 (22.34%) and Escherichia coli 10(10.63%) were the least frequently isolated bacteria. These isolates showed high resistance towards Beta lactam antibiotics and showed varying resistance levels towards non bata lactam antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin Amikacin and Gentamicin). Resistant gram negative bacteria are the most common isolates associated with burn wounds. Hence a careful selection of antibiotics to control the wound infection is required for proper management of burn wounds in order to help reduce morbidity and mortality.


The use of our proposed millimeter-wave self-heterodyne transmission technique is a simple and cost-effective way of solving frequency stability problems in constructing millimeter-wave access systems. However, there has been degradation in receiving sensitivity compared to conventional methods. We report how our newly developed 70-GHz-band transceiver using the millimeter-wave self-heterodyne transmission technique with a receiving module array can greatly improve the receiving sensitivity without affecting the signal reception beam pattern.


The article provides an analysis of the results of a study conducted by the author on the problematics of a universiry science in Russia, motivation to take an academic degree by young students. (Kazan, autumn 2009). The main trends of development the university science as a social institution are characterized.


Abstract Using the approximation of small fluctuations around a stationary solution, photon statistics and quadrature variances are derived in stimulated Raman and hyper-Raman scattering including the coupling of pumping, Stokes, anti-Stokes and phonon modes. The depletion of pump light is included. Compared to Raman scattering, additional regimes to generate anti-bunched, sub-Poisson and squeezed light were found caused by self-interaction of the pump mode. It was possible to include effects of nonlinear dynamics, initial squeezing of radiation and phonon system, external noise and losses.


Economic load dispatch (ELD) plays a very important role in the power system. Its main aim is to calculate the power generated by different generating units in a power plant such that the cost of fuel is minimum along with that the losses are also minimized. In economic dispatch of load, the sum of losses and the total power demand must me numerically equal to the total power generation. Many traditional or conventional methods like lambda iteration method, gradient method, Newton's method and intelligence methods such as particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization, genetic algorithm are applied to find the solution having combination of output power of all generating units for meeting the desired demand within consideration of generator constraint and the solution is optimal. The Lambda iteration method and Particle Swarm optimization method have been used in this paper for solving the ELD problem for IEEE 30 bus system including transmission losses. Index Terms —Economic Load dispatch (ELD), Fuel Cost, Lambda Iteration Method, Particle Swarm Optimization Method.


The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has a severe impact on global public health, and the emerging variants threaten the efficacy of the circulating vaccines. Here, we report that a single vaccination with a non-replicated Chimpanzee adenovirus-based vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 variant (JS1-delta) elicits potent humoral, cellular and mucosal immunity in mice. Additionally, a single intranasal administration of JS1-delta provides sufficient protection against B.1.617.2 challenge in mice. This study indicates that Chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 (ChAd3) derived vector represents a promising platform for antiviral vaccine development against respiratory infections, and that JS1-delta is worth further investigation in human clinical trials.


This article examines parental involvement in school collaboration. The study was based on survey data from Program for Learning Management gathered between 2015 and 2019. An analysis was performed on parent responses (N = 38,378) to elucidate their personal experience of school collaboration in Danish primary and lower secondary public schools. The results indicate that highly educated parents more often participate equally in school collaboration. Mothers are still more involved in school collaboration than fathers and more often take on the main responsibility, especially at higher grade levels. In general, fathers could be involved more.


The American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism embarked on a project to reevaluate classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The first phase of the classification project involved generation of a broad set of items potentially useful for classification of SLE and their selection for use in a subsequent forced‐choice decision analysis.


This paper presents the effects of thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC), one of the series connected flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices, on the measured impedance at the relaying point for faults on a double circuit transmission line in the case of inter phase, phase to phase and three phase, faults. The measured impedance at the relaying point is affected by several factors, including the line pre-fault loading, structural conditions, and specially the fault resistance. In the presence of TCSC, in addition to its compensation degree, its installation point affects the measured impedance at the relaying point. The variation of the measured impedance for different installation points and compensation degrees would be investigated.


The construction of scientific and characteristic talent training mode is the key factor in improving the quality of higher professional education. In recent years, Our college has already structured a characteristic talent training mode-----″post leading pattern″ and now, it has achieved notable success. This Article takes the tour management major as an example to illustrate the connotation , feature, the theory basis, the basic frame and specific measures of that talent-training pattern.


This study was conducted to determine the analysis of the factors that affect the price of shares in manufacturing companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange. This research was conducted at the companies listed on the stock exchanges of Indonesia. Data derived from the audited financial statements in IDX and ICMD. The samples in this study were taken by using purposive sampling method. From the results of research conducted by multiple linear regression analysis method is known that CR significantly positive effect on stock prices, then H1 : Liquidity significant positive effect on stock prices received. ROE no significant effect on stock prices, then H2 : Profitability significant positive effect on stock prices on the decline. Sales growth is not a significant effect on stock prices, then H3 : Sales pertumbuan significant positive effect on stock prices on the decline. EPS significant positive effect on stock prices, then H4 : EPS significant positive effect on stock prices received. Keywords : stock price, Liquidity, Profitability, Sales Growth , Earning Per Shere


In this paper, we propose a distributed estimation algorithm for the detection of the behaviors of a group of moving targets in the environment. We assume that there are only a limited number of sensors available for the measurement task. Each sensor can only observe the targets in its sensing range. Sensors can exchange measurement information with their neighboring sensors in their communication ranges. The problem we studied is how a distributed estimation algorithm can be designed such that each sensor can detect the behaviors of all targets in the environment. To solve this problem, we developed a distributed Kalman filtering algorithm which only requires limited information exchange among sensors in the network. We also designed a strategy to deal with the unpredictable change of communication connectivity. Simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Characterizing the intrinsic properties of low-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) is necessary for explaining how their novel properties arise and are modified by their local environment. Excitations in few-layer TMDCs and heterostructures are difficult to probe directly because of their low photoluminescence quantum yield. With time-resolved elastic scattering microscopy, we spatiotemporally resolve both in-plane and out-of-plane nanoscale transport in several TMDC species and architectures as a function of layer thickness and pump-induced carrier density. We directly observe interlayer exciton transport in TMDC heterostructures and find that these species diffuse an order of magnitude farther and faster than excitations do in their isolated counterparts.


pragmatic transfer has been becoming one of the most significant aspects of inter language pragmatics in the last 20years.This paper starts with the definition of pragmatic transfer and discusses 2 types of pragmatic transfer.Based on how to improve students'pragmatic competence and reduce the negative pragmatic transfer,we must pay more attention to culture teaching,encourage students input more the target language and cultivate students'cross-culture awareness and pragmatic competence.


Studies of nearby galaxies reveal that roughly half of their low mass X‐ray binary (LMXB) populations are associated with globular clusters (GCs). We have established that the LMXB hosting frequency is correlated with various GC properties such as mass and metallicity. While the X‐ray luminosities of a few of the brightest LMXBs in GCs is consistent with the accreting object being a black hole (BH), the only definitive way of distinguishing between a black hole and multiple superposed sources in a GC is to detect variability. We have discovered just a variable 4×1039 erg s−1 black hole X‐ray binary in a low metallicity globular cluster in the halo of NGC 4472. The change in the X‐ray spectrum between the bright and faint epochs indicates that the luminosity variation is due to eclipsing by a warped accretion disk. The optical spectrum of this source also reveals strong, broad, [O III] λ5007 and [O III] λ4959 emission. An analysis of the X‐ray spectrum indicates that the [O III] lines are produced by the p...


Today's internet world becomes really introducing a landmark between Peta to Exa byte which is significantly generating an enormous size of data while computing the digital things including the format of each datasets which signifies highly unstructured because which could be generating from different social sites, IOT, Google engine, Twitter, Yahoo, monitoring and controlling through sensors essentially called big data. Because of this fast era, we apply just contemporary techniques with common tools regarding having focused performing, smooth process and to execute computations on huge data. Though such tremendous universal data has some shortcomings for getting effective processing, analyzing the universe immense datasets and scalability techniques. Apache open free source Hadoop does the latest big data weapon which can process Zetta byte dimensions of databases by its most developed and popular components as hdfs and Map Reduce, to make up vast storage facility plus great administration in the sense to process zettabyte of datasets as powerfully, flexible. MR likes more famous software popular structure for handling big-data existing issues with full parallel, highly distributed and most scalable manner. However, public and unrestricted source tools on Hadoop, map reduces become major limitations like poor allocate process on needy resources working regarding stream-oriented processing, Shortage significant viewpoints like latency, dynamic manner execution, optimization, computing as online and diverse logical solutions. We consider significant various complex data computing orientated techniques. This study paper address Apache fastest spark tool, online-oriented tool public and unrestricted source and Flink are in Apache project are efficient frameworks to conquer that limitation.


"Wise governments," an editor in the Economist opined, "will accept that paid sex is ineradicable, and concentrate on keeping the business clean, safe and inconspicuous." That third adjective, "inconspicuous," and its relation to keeping prostitution "ineradicable," is the focus of this Article. Why should the sex business be invisible? What is it about the sex industry that makes most people want to look away, to pretend that it is not really as bad as we know it is? What motivates politicians to do what they can to hide it while at the same time ensuring that it runs smoothly? What is the connection between not seeing prostitution and keeping it in existence? There is an economic motive to hiding the violence in prostitution and trafficking. Although other types of gender-based violence such as incest, rape, and wife beating are similarly hidden and their prevalence denied, they are not sources of mass revenue. Prostitution is sexual violence that results in massive


[Objective]To evaluate the results of the intervention measures of reproductive tract infection(RTI)to rural women in Xindu district of Chengdu. To improve and generalize the intervention mode.[Methods]350 married women in Majia township and Taixing township in Xindu district were selected by cluster sampling and investigated with the questionnaire.4 cadres of family planning were made in-depth interview.[Results]33.2% of the women had accepted the health education about reproduction. They favored the kind of education which were made during health examination or via the media,and they had 19.92 scores which was higher than non-health education women's 15.31 scores about RTI knowledge.17.6% of these rural women had the RTI symptom in pregnant period,and 53.8% of them in recent half year,18.1% of them had used condoms. Comparing the year of 2005 to 2002,the rate of RTI symptom occurring was lower,the scores of knowledge about RTI and the usage of condom were higher.[Conclusions]In the next process of generalizing the intervention mode,we should enlarge the range of intervention,educate husbands,and improve the cooperation with the family planning department.


The invention relates to a device for determining the position of a first shaft (10) and of a second shaft (12) that is joined to the first shaft by means of a coupling (14), with respect to each other, having a first measurement unit being placed on a circumferential surface of the first shaft and a second measurement unit being placed on a circumferential surface of the second shaft, wherein at least one of the two measurement units has means (20) for producing at least one light beam bundle (22) and at least one of the two measurement units has detection means (24, 25, 26) in order to detect the impingement position of the light beam bundle on at least one detection area (24, 25, 26), wherein at least one of the two measurement units is provided with at least one sensor (28) for detecting the angle of rotation of the shafts, wherein the respective angle-of-rotation position, angular velocity, and angular acceleration of the shafts are determined at a plurality of measured positions from the sensor data, wherein a quality rating of the associated data is performed for each of the individual measured positions on the basis of predetermined criteria, and wherein if the quality rating of these data lies below a threshold value, the data of a measured position is excluded from being taken into consideration in determining the shaft offset or the data is taken into consideration only with reduced weighting.


Diabetes mellitus is a disease that affects millions around the globe. It also comes with a major complication, diabetic foot ulcers. Lower extremities having little to no vascularity in diabetic people leads to wounds that are unable to heal on their own. These wounds later become infected and cause osteomyelitis, a condition in which the infection in soft tissues of the lower extremities spread to the bones of the foot.Charcot arthropathy is one of the more serious foot issues that can arise from diabetic neuropathy. The soft tissues, joints, and bones of the foot or ankle are all impacted by Charcot. The joints in the foot or ankle might dislocate when the bones deteriorate and become brittle. Diabetes patients who have their soft tissues and bones infected might even have to get their extremities amputated if not managed right on time. We describe the case of a 66-year-old man with type 1 diabetes mellitus who presented to the emergency department with increasing pain in the right foot. There was a hyperemic discharge coming out of his wound which increased gradually over time. The patient's been using Lantus and Novorapid and his blood glucose measurement at the time of admission was 466. Our patient said that he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to diabetic ketoacidosis 20 days before he applied to our emergency department, and his wounds, discharge, pain, and redness increased after this incident. We requested his anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the right foot and a lower extremity CT. The scans were examined carefully and at last, amputation was recommended for the patient. The patient did decline our offer and wanted to go home with a dressing. Ampicillin/sulbactam and ciprofloxacin were started. We also recommended him see infectious diseases and plastic surgery consultants in the following daysI hope you may be interested in the results of our study in this direction.


Much applications based on cloud computing has emerged. This cloud print, such as HP ePrint, Google print is one of the typical. Archiving the vision of cloud print must solve two key problems. One is supporting the variety of the printing format; the other is how to locate the print devices on the INTERNET. In this paper, it aims to solve the two key problems and design a smart print System on the INTERNET. The smart print system is being applied on the Youth Olympics Game in Nanjing on August 2014. It has achieved great effect and to be proofed.


Since its discovery, the fractional quantum Hall effect has continued to surprise physicists despite 17 years of intense investigation. Recent experiments by Klaus von Klitzing's group at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Physics in Stuttgart, and co-workers from the University of Stuttgart and the Walter Schottky Institute in Munich, have revealed a striking new feature (S Kronmuller et al. 1999 Phys. Rev. Lett. 82 4070).


The integral equation \[ ( * )\qquad x(t) = \int_0^L {P(L - s)h(t - L - \tau + s,x(t - L - \tau + s))} ds\] can be viewed as a model of single species population growth as well as certain other biological or economic processes. Explicit bounds are determined for solutions of (*); these bounds are expressed in terms of the relative magnitude of $h(t,x)$, $\int _0^L P(L - s)ds$ and the norm of the initial function of the solution. These bounds are used to determine sufficient conditions for the existence of periodic solutions of (*).


In the beginning of the 90s,T.Taylor and his collaborators demonstrated ECR sources operating at low frequency(i.e.2.45GHz)are able to produce very intense single charge light ion beams. At CEA/Saclay,the SILHI source developments started in 1995.Since 1997 more than 100mA proton or deuteron beams are routinely produced in pulsed or continuous mode.To comply with ADS reliability constraint,important improvements have been performed to increase the installation reliability.Moreover,to optimize the beam transport in the low energy beam line,the extraction system was carefully designed and space charge compensation studies were undertaken.An important step has been reached in 2005 with the development of a permanent magnet source able to produce a total beam of 109mA at 85kV. A new test bench named BETSI,especially dedicated to permanent magnet source developments,is presently under construction.It will allow analysing positive or negative extracted beams up to 50keV and 100mA. In addition,for several years work has been done to optimize the production of negative hydrogen ion beam with such an ECR source.Recent analysis pushed towards the construction of a new set up based on a multicusp magnetic configuration. After a brief overview of the CEA/Saclay source developments,this article will point out on the recent results and present status.


Emotional tones of a speaker's voice and lexical tones involve similar acoustic correlates, but only lexical tones could change the meaning of a word in tonal languages. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between these two types of tonal variations by examining the acoustic and perceptual characteristics of the four Mandarin tones across different emotional tones of voice. In experiment 1, acoustic analyses of fundamental frequency, mean amplitude, and duration was conducted on a syllable with the four tones produced in a carrier phrase with four different emotional tones of voice (anger, fear, happiness, and sadness). The same acoustic measures were also taken on the Mandarin neutral tone produced with the four emotional tones. In experiment 2, speech materials from experiment 1 were used to investigate the effects of the emotional tones on the perception of Mandarin tones. The results showed that all four emotional tones had significant effects on the acoustics and perception of Mandarin tones. These findings suggest that emotional tones of voice impact both acoustic and perceptual characteristics of lexical tones.Emotional tones of a speaker's voice and lexical tones involve similar acoustic correlates, but only lexical tones could change the meaning of a word in tonal languages. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between these two types of tonal variations by examining the acoustic and perceptual characteristics of the four Mandarin tones across different emotional tones of voice. In experiment 1, acoustic analyses of fundamental frequency, mean amplitude, and duration was conducted on a syllable with the four tones produced in a carrier phrase with four different emotional tones of voice (anger, fear, happiness, and sadness). The same acoustic measures were also taken on the Mandarin neutral tone produced with the four emotional tones. In experiment 2, speech materials from experiment 1 were used to investigate the effects of the emotional tones on the perception of Mandarin tones. The results showed that all four emotional tones had significant effects on the acoustics and perception of...


Gravitational lensing, caused by matter perturbations along the line-of-sight to the last scattering surface, can modify the shape of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy power spectrum. We discuss the detectability of lensing distortions to both the temperature and polarisation anisotropy power spectra and we analyse how lensing might affect the estimation of cosmological parameters. For cold dark matter-like models with present-day matter power spectra normalised to match the abundances of rich clusters of galaxies, gravitational lensing causes detectable distortions to cosmic variance limited CMB experiments sampling high multipoles (higher than 1000). Gravitational lensing of the CMB, although a small effect, allows independent determinations of the curvature of the universe and the cosmological constant, i.e. breaking the so-called geometrical degeneracy in CMB parameter estimation discussed by Bond, Efstathiou, Tegmark (1997) and Zaldarriaga, Spergel, Seljak (1997). Gravitational lensing of the CMB temperature and polarisation patterns should be detectable by the Planck Surveyor satellite leading to useful independent constraints on the cosmological constant and spatial curvature.


A 56-year-old man who had been operated on for a cancer of the thoracic esophagus was admitted to the hospital with a suspicion of pleural recurrence on February 28, 1996. On March 14, dyspnea along with hallucination and disorientation appeared. Since severe impaired ventilation was noted, endotracheal intubation was emergently performed and the patient was entered the ICU. At that time, Ca level was 18.6mg/dl, showing significant hypercalcemia, and the white blood cell count increased to 18, 100/mm8. PTH-rP level in blood was as high as 260Pmol/ml. The elevated Ca level gradually decreased with a combinated use of elsitonine and bisphosphonate and his clinical condition became better, however, the Ca level converted to increase gradually since April 7, and appearance of arrhythmia and aggravation of ventilatory impairment were associated. On May 8, the patient died of abrupt cardiac arrest, when the white blood cell count was 21, 600/mm3 and Ca level was 14.8mg/dl. It is thought that hypercalcemia in this case might be caused by pleural recurrence of the esophageal cancer based on an increase in PTH-rP, and the cause of his death might be due to hypercalcemia crisis because the increase in Ca level was correlated with the clinical symptoms.


The area of intelligent robotics is moving from the single robot control problem to that of controlling multiple robots operating together and even collaborating in dynamic and unstructured intelligent environments. In such conditions, an intelligent robot control system is only part of general intelligent system. In this paper, we consider a model of such system.


This paper deals with the way in which some restrictions on the structure of Bernstein algebras and on the multiplication algebra of a Bernstein algebra interrelate, the first class of restrictions being expressed as the vanishing of some products between Peirce subspaces, and the second by bounds on the dimension of the multiplication algebra (or some of its key subspaces). The course of this enquiry leads to the introduction in Section 4 of some new numerical invariants of Bernstein algebras, namely, the dimensions of the subspaces .


A new Gaussian-fast median filtering algorithm is proposed to filter the image of tunnel cracks in view of the shortcomings of the traditional method of filtering the cracks in the subway tunnel. The algorithm calculates the weighted average value for the image filter template window, and compares the pixel gray value of each point in the image to the weighted mean value. If the pixel gray value of the point is greater than its weighted average value, the fast algorithm of median filter algorithm is used to process it, otherwise the gauss filter algorithm is used to process it. By comparing with median and gauss filtering results, the new algorithm proposed effectively reduces the image noise and improves the image quality, effectively protects the edge of image cracks, shortens the processing time and improves the efficiency greatly, and provides the foundation for subsequent crack recognition and segmentation. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has a good balance between the processing speed and the effect. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by the same segmentation method.


Physiological cross sectional area (PCSA) is used to compare force-producing capabilities of skeletal muscles. PCSA has been defined as the summation of the cross sectional area of the fiber bundles composing the muscle. As PCSA cannot be measured directly from a specimen, a formula requiring averaged muscle architectural parameters has traditionally been used. The purpose of this study was to develop a finite element method (FEM) to calculate PCSA of extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) and brevis (ECRB) directly from digitized fiber bundle data obtained throughout the volume of the muscle and to compare the PCSAs calculated using the FEM and formula methods. Differences were found between the FEM and formula method for both muscles. The FEM provides an approach that takes into account architectural variances while minimizing the need for averaged architectural parameters.