The invention discloses a method for selecting sensor resource nodes based on energy balance and quality of service (QoS) constraints. The method comprises the following steps of: classifying the QoS constraints of a task in a wireless sensor grid environment according to characteristics of limited sensor node energy and resource scheduling in the wireless sensor grid environment; differentiating influence degree of different QoS constraints levels on resource scheduling; preferably scheduling the task with higher QoS constraint level for the tasks with different QoS constraints levels under the condition of according with QoS constraints; for the task with the same QoS constraint level, evaluating a consumption value of resource scheduling in each time when the resources are selected by using an evaluation function; and selecting the task and the resources with the minimum consumption value as a mapping result according to the balance between energy consumption of the sensor nodes and power consumption of each node. In the method, the influence of energy consumption and the QoS constraints in the wireless sensor grid on resource scheduling when resources scheduling is performed is taken into comprehensive consideration.


ARK TWAIN first met Captain Edgar ("Ned") Wakeman in i866, when having just returned from the Sandwich Islands and completed some successful lectures in the West he was sailing by way of Nicaragua to New York on the North American S. S. Co. "Opposition Line" side-wheeler America. Wakeman was the captain. Twain, who always reacted strongly and quickly to other people, took this man, aged forty-eight, to his heart. "I'd rather travel with that old portly, hearty, jolly, boisterous, good-natured sailor, Capt. Ned Wakeman, than with any other man I ever came across," he wrote with characteristic enthusiasm in the notebook he was then keeping.' The reasons for this warmth of feeling are obvious. Wakeman, in his way, represented the younger man's boyhood idol, the lord of creation, the efficient master of a ship who, in fair weather or foul, could always control his vessel; he was Horace Bixby, the Bowen boys, Mark himself, and a way of life, all rolled into one. Furthermore, he was a great storyteller, a volcano of a talker, whose flow, gloriously flashing with irreverence and blasphemy, never slackened. Wakeman's influence began immediately. Several of Twain's letters to the Alta California, for which he was then writing, capitalized on him; they were filled with accounts of the Captain's character, of his actions on board, and with stories he had told. This influence lasted long afterward, for his notebooks, both published and unpublished, abound with references to the Captain. Usually, these references pertain to one of his stories that Twain in one way or another had used or planned to use. But often his presence was less tangible. Twain, who "used to talk to Twichell


The Internet is a huge collection of data. To get the appropriate information from it, using a search engine is the most effective way. Many Search Engines were introduced since 1990. In this paper we present a brief study on search engines. First, we present the definition of search engine, types of search engines and the general working process of a search engine. Then we give an example for the working process with a description of the Google search engine architecture. Later, we present a short description of the next generation search engines. Then we present comparisons among some major search engines. Index Terms— Internet; Search Engine; working; architecture.


We consider different classes of functionals defined on the set of continuous functions on ultrametric spaces. Similarly as in the case of probability measures, idempotent measures, max-min measures and upper semicontinuous capacities we endow the sets of functionals with ultrametrics. We consider some relations between the obtained spaces of functionals. We also discuss the question of completeness.


DETAILS ARE GIVEN OF THE HELICOPTER SERVICE AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE HOSPITAL CENTRE IN TOULOUSE. THE SERVICE OPERATES WITHIN A RADIUS OF 50 KILOMETERS. THE ARTICLE REVIEWS THE OPERATIONS OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. TABLES SHOW THE DISTRIBUTION OF CALLS AND CASUALTIES, AND THE TYPE OF CARE GIVEN DURING THE 153 FLIGHTS STUDIED.


We study the influence diffusion problem in online social networks. Formally, given a network represented by a directed graph G = (V, E), we consider a process of influence diffusion in G that proceeds as follows: Initially only the vertices of a given S ⊆ V are influenced; subsequently, at each round, the set of influenced vertices is augmented by all the vertices in the network that have a sufficiently large number of already influenced incoming neighbors. The question is to find a small subset of vertices that can influence the whole network (target set). This is a widely studied problem that abstracts many phenomena in the social, economic, biological, and physical sciences. It is known to be hard to approximate within a factor of 2log1-εn, for any ε > 0, and n = |V|. Despite the above negative result, some efficient heuristics have been recently proposed in the literature. In this paper, we present a scalable, fast, and simple algorithm (MTS) for the influence diffusion problem. Experiments conducted over real-world social networks show that the proposed algorithm produces solutions that substantially outperform those obtained by previously published algorithms. Experiments also show that the performances of the analyzed algorithms (measured by the normalized target set size) correlates positively with the strength of communities of a network (measured by the network modularity). Such correlation is even stronger using the results provided by the MTS algorithm, showing that the proposed MTS algorithm better exploits situations in which the community structure of the networks allows some influence between different communities.


Indonesia as one of the world also has a strong potential for the practice of transnational crime. Transnational crime is not only driven by factors that are wide open free trade or the lack of law enforcement in Indonesia. the problem is how law enforcement against human trafficking through Lampung province? Law enforcement against perpetrators of human trafficking through the Lampung province by the Immigration and other agencies joined in the criminal justice system by doing activities such as: Preemptive, preventive, Repressive


Adrian Hearn is one of a new generation of anthropologists to conduct research in Cuba since the early 1990s, when decline of the Soviet period prompted a relative expansion of economic, cultural, and academic exchanges between Cubans and citizens of capitalist countries including Australia. Over the past decade and a half, increasing numbers of graduate students and academics have been able to navigate the continuing challenges of long-term fieldwork in Cuba. As a result, in recent years there has been a steady and growing stream of journal articles, edited collections and manuscripts vying to make some representative claim to capturing or analysing the tumultuous experiences that have shaped Cuban society in a context of ongoing state socialism in a post-Soviet world. Despite this recent proliferation of work from across the humanities and social sciences, Hearn's book stands out as making a useful and original contribution to understanding the structural and cultural conditions in which Cubans negotiate to develop social capital and indeed political power at the beginning of the twenty-first century. At the core of the book are a series of chapters that deal with themes more frequently the focus of separate studies, each of which have thriving sub-fields in anthropology and across the social sciences. One theme is that of 'folkloric' organisations, the Afro-Cuban cultural groups that combine religious functions with community services, musical training and, increasingly, providers of cultural performances to tourist groups. Hearn has worked extensively with such groups in both Havana and Santiago de Cuba. In this book his focus is upon how the leaders of such groups work to achieve a balance between the spiritual practices of their community and the pragmatic need to keep organisations thriving both through economic sustainability and through maintaining political goodwill both to the state and to their members. Afro-Cuban groups flourished in the post-Soviet era, and other anthropologists have documented how increasingly Cubans have turned to religion not only for spiritual salvation, but also as an alternative form of economic mobility. Hearn's work contributes a particularly useful explanation of how collaborations between Cuban state institutions and community groups largely centred on traditional or folkloric practices that have been quite successfully negotiated. The relevant Cuban ministries that cover arts and culture maintain goodwill, both nationally and internationally, by tolerating or explicitly supporting organisations that are designated carriers of Afro-Cuban traditions, thereby maintaining the capacity to licence some organisations or withdraw support from others. From the other side of this collaboration, leaders of cultural and folkloric groups can improve their social standing, create new cultural events for communities that are typically marginalised within Cuban society, and generate new economic avenues by having state sanction to engage in paid performances. Hearn includes a connected case study of international development agencies andNGOs and their role in Cuban society. Although the economic collapse that overwhelmed Cuba in


The present invention relates to a thermoelectric module comprising a matrix comprising junctions (10) having two N-type and P-type thermoelectric chips (31, 32), said junctions being electrically connected to form an electric circuit. Flow of an electric current(I) in the circuit heats one surface of the matrix by Peltier effect. Heating of one surface of the matrix makes an electric current flow by Seebeck effect. The module comprises a first group (100) of junctions (10) of two N-type and P-type thermoelectric chips (31, 32) exposed to a first operating temperature (T1). A second group (101) of junctions of two N-type and P-type thermoelectric chips (31, 32)is exposed to a second operating temperature (T2). The second temperature (T2) is lower than the first temperature (T1) and the two groups of junctions (100, 101) are separated by a thermal insulator (50).


This article reports a protocol on the application of Amp-TB2 (single-amphibole thermobarometry) based on detailed electron-microprobe analyses performed on homogeneous natural standards and synthetic glasses, and amphibole crystals (mostly phenocrysts) of volcanic products erupted by the Bezymianny volcano during its activity through time. The application of this protocol is facilitated by a new version of the model (Amp-TB2.1.xlsx) including an equation to identify heterogeneous domains (disequilibrium; not suitable for thermobarometric constraints) and homogenous (equilibrium) zones within amphibole crystals, which can be used to quantify the physicochemical parameters (i.e., pressure, P; temperature, T; volatile content in the melt, H2Omelt; oxygen fugacity, fO2) of "steady-state" magmatic crystallization. Application examples of the protocol, showing detailed core–rim microprobe data and physicochemical parameter variations in representative amphibole phenocrysts of the Bezymianny are also reported. The depth (and P) estimated by Amp-TB2.1 for this volcano are compared to seismic tomography results. Amp-TB2.1 results mainly show (1) that the Bezymianny is characterized by a very dynamic feeding system where the magma is stored at shallow crustal levels before recent activity periods characterized by climatic events and (2) that the pre-eruptive depth of magma storage generally increases with the age of the investigated products.


. The following project contributes to the decrease of risks that meat products can suffer in the edible company DAN S.A. while they are handled during the packing. The decrease of risks can be made through an initial diagnosis evaluating BPM (good manufacturing practices) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.) in compliance with the criterion. In this project, a monitoring through observation was made to the meat-handling staff while they were normally working during March and April 2012. The monitoring was made with the intention of determining what the staff is doing, how they are handling the products, who is specifically doing it, and finally, when, where and why they are packaging meat products. In this way, deciding factors that can affect in the quality of the products can be complied.


This is the second of two issues to celebrate 40 years since the initiation of the Journal of Psychology and Theology (JPT). As you saw in the previous issue, a lot has happened in those years. We began that issue with a review by Grimm, Barnett, Bassett, Pearson, Cornell, Morton, Scott, and Stevenson. Integration had clearly matured within the forty years of writing since JPT began. We saw this in increased sophistication of theorizing, more edited books, and more empirical studies. In addition, psychoanalytic thinking and writing about forgiveness had made important appearances of a critical mass of literature. We grouped the first 12 essays by our guest commentators in the Journal of Psychology and Theology, 40(1) in two large categories--(1) Theological, Philosophical, or Metasystemic Perspectives and (2) Macro Integration with a Complementarity (Both-And) Approach. The take-home message was a conceptual splitting into more subdisciplinary conversations and a multitude of pleas that valued both theological and psychological perspectives as unique contributors. In this second issue, we begin with a continued empirical look at the published literature within the pages of JPT and the Journal of Psychology and Christianity by Barnett, Bassett, Grimm, and Repass. Barnett et al. found that there was a substantial increase in the frequency of citations for book chapters and forgiveness-related books. Important (heavily cited) articles were often either theoretical or scale-development articles. Barnett et al. found a low frequency of multiple-study articles, which they see as a weakness in the integration literature relative to trends in secular psychology. That pattern suggests limited programmatic research. Again in this issue, the articles from our commentators seem to group themselves--without the coaching of the editors--into a few large categories. Five addressed the interaction of integration with culture (Hook & Davis, Yarhouse, Erickson, Dueck, and Abernethy). Three examined specific sub-areas: Reimer (Christian caregiving), Aten (disasters), and Walker (psychotherapy with children and adolescents). Four experts look at anticipations for integration and for training in integration in the future. Clinton and Sibcy focus on the promise of neurobiology. Tan considers integration across different levels and roles. Ripley speculates about the future examining six specific trends that provide a hope for the future. Finally, Garzon and Hall discuss trends in teaching integration. Multicultural Competence/Multicultural Humility Hook and Davis kick off this issue with an excellent overview of many multicultural considerations. They also examine the push--at least within their discipline of Counseling Psychology--for social justice. They critically evaluate the multicultural counseling and social justice movements from a Christian perspective. They recommend three bits of advice to provide advances in dialogue: seek God's heart for the needy, empathize, and hold convictions with humility. There could not be a better start for the remaining articles in the issue. Yarhouse considers integration in the areas of homosexuality, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues, and sexual identity. He observes that, in contrast to (1) the secular gay-narrative and the Christian healing and reorientation narratives, there are new narratives being used. Some Christians do not engage in same-sex behavior or identify with the gay community but they acknowledge same-sex attractions and have come to terms with that reality rather than attempting to change to heterosexuality. Eriksson examines practical integration with helping missionaries on the field. Missionaries are often caught in a difficult catch-22. They have little support on the field. They have few people to reveal problems and doubts to because their supporters back home want to hear success stories, not struggles. …


In modern scenario, government and other agencies are using Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in different sectors like defense, society, roads, forest, railway etc. Due to existing node failure, energy consumption problems in WSN, its very complicated to deploy denser node network which is the current age requirement. Sensor nodes usually work on battery-powered source with manual intervention and it is a very tedious and time consuming task in forest and defense areas. Hence, it becomes a necessity to reduce energy consumption of sensor, it will also increase energy lifetime. Many algorithms like Radio Aware (RA), Distance Source Routing (DSR) and directed Diffusion (DD) could not solve problems like network connectivity & asymmetric links. To overcome this problem Optimized Mobile Radio Aware (OMRA) technique is demonstrated in this paper. OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is wireless communication system which is used for node to node communication in WSN. Hybrid system is proposed here by adding PAPR reduction algorithm for improving BER efficiency.


Electric arc erosion performed at low continuous voltages has been recently proven as a successful patterning technique for thin films of different conductive materials. In this work, we present an application of this procedure to materials typically aimed for device electrodes, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), gold (Au), graphene oxide (GO) or aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), as well as a more in depth study of the electrical discharge generation at submicron scale, which allows optimizing the procedure.


The PAUD head has a major role as responsible for the application of financial social education to the PAUD unit he/she leads, the role of which is also an external link, both in coordination and in building cooperation with other parties to support the successful application of social financial education in PAUD units or institutions he heads, designing learning programs. This research aims to (1) Describe the leadership role of the PAUD chief in developing financial social education; (2) Describes the strategy of the head of PAUD in creating a social education learning climate; (3) Describes the competence required of teachers in carrying out social financial education; (4) Knowing the chief PAUD performs supervision of the social education program; and (5) Knowing factors that become obstacles in implementing social and financial education. The researchers used a qualitative approach. The data was collected conducting interviews and observations. The results of the leadership research of the PAUD head in developing financial social education in PAUD Citra Indonesia and PAUD Amalia in Banjarbaru were able to be done well and successfully.


Excited states of {sup 153}Eu were observed using the {sup 150}Nd({sup 7}Li,4{ital n}) reaction at a beam energy of 40 MeV. Two rotational bands with levels of spins up to 45/2{h_bar} were seen; a positive parity band built on the 5/2{sup +} ground state, and a negative parity band built on the 5/2{sup {minus}} level at 97.5 keV excitation energy. Transitions were also observed from levels in a band built on a 3/2{sup +} state at 103.2 keV. Several features of the 5/2{sup {plus_minus}} bands suggest octupole instability or deformation, as may be expected for nuclei in this region. Levels of the same spin but opposite parity are nearly degenerate, and strong electric dipole transtions connect appropriate band members. Other features such as gyromagnetic ratios indicate an interpretation in terms of bands associated with separate orbits in a reflection-symmetric potential.


Modeling the growth histories of specific galaxies often involves generating the entire population of objects that arise in a given cosmology and selecting systems with appropriate properties. This approach is highly inefficient when targeting rare systems such as the extremely luminous high-redshift galaxy candidates detected by JWST. Here, we present a novel framework for generating merger trees with branches that are guaranteed to achieve a desired halo mass at a chosen redshift. This method augments extended Press Schechter theory solutions with constrained random processes known as Brownian bridges and is implemented in the open-source semi-analytic model Galacticus. We generate ensembles of constrained merger trees to predict the growth histories of seven high-redshift JWST galaxy candidates, finding that these systems most likely merge ≈2 Gyr after the observation epoch and occupy halos of mass ≳ 1014 M⊙ today. These calculations are thousands of times more efficient than existing methods, are analytically controlled, and provide physical insights into the evolution of halos with rapid early growth. Our constrained merger tree implementation is publicly available at https://github.com/galacticusorg/galacticus.


The compressor includes a sealed enclosure containing a compression stage, an electric motor having a stator and a rotor, an oil pump rotationally coupled to the rotor, including an oil inlet port connected to an oil sump, and control means arranged to command the operation of the motor in a start-up mode in which the rotor is rotated at a first speed of rotation included in a first speed range, and a normal operating mode in which the rotor is rotated at a second speed of rotation included in a second speed range higher than the first speed range. The compressor includes an oil injection device having an oil injection duct connected to a first oil outlet port of the oil pump and arranged to supply the compression stage with oil.


OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the status quo and tendency of the clinical utilization of antihypertensive drugs in Chongqing.METHODS:The utilization of antihypertensive drugs in Chongqing from 2005 to 2007 was analyzed statistically in respect of consumption sum,DDDs and DDC(daily drug cost),etc.RESULTS:The consumption sum of antihypertensive drugs in Chongqing during the period 2005~2007 increased year by year.The consumption sum of calcium antagonists accounted for 43.08% and that of angiotensin Ⅱreceptor antagonists accounted for 23.86%.Nifedipine occupied the first place on both DDDs list and consumption sum list.CONCLUSION:The utilization of antihypertensive drugs in Chongqing is basically in line with the general medication situation either at home or abroad and it also conforms to the current medication principle of antihypertensive drugs.


Systems for information commerce on the WWW have to support flexible business models if they are to cover the wide range of requirements that are imposed by the different types of information businesses. This leads to non-trivial functional and security requirements both on the provider side and on the consumer side, for which we introduce an architecture and a system implementation called webXice (Web-enabled eXtended Information and Content Exchange protocol). We focus on the question of how participants with minimal technological requisites, i.e. with just standard Web browsers available, can be technologically enabled to participate in the information commerce at a system level, while not sacrificing the functionality and security required by an autonomous participant in an information commerce scenario. In particular, we propose an implementation strategy to efficiently support persistent message logging for lightweight clients, which enables the clients to collect and manage non-reputable messages as proofs. We believe that the capability to support minimal system platforms is a necessary pre-condition for the widespread use of any information commerce infrastructure.


AIM To study the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) and colorectal carcinoma. METHODS HPV DNA was detected with general consensus primers and type specific primers by polymerase chair reaction (PCR).


Abstract Cyclopentane-1,2-dione 1 has been employed as a synthetic intermediate in the preparation of a variety of organic compounds including propellanes1a, b, iso-coumarones2, and pyrazines3; moreover, the dione 1 shows some promise4 as a potential precursor to the sesquiterpene, modhephene5. Most authors who have reported the synthesis of 1 in recent years have used the method of Acheson, who treated 2-bromocyclopentanone with ferric chloride/water6 and obtained a 40% yield of 1. We required a more efficient preparation of this material and turned to the bromine oxidation7 of the bis-trimethylsilyl ether 2 as a possible alternative. In this regard, diethyl glutarate was cyclized, via the modified acyloin procedure of Bloomfield8, to provide excellent yields of the bis-silyl ether 2; however, treatment of this compound with bromine furnished only small amounts


Objective To compare the effect of cemented prosthesis and biological prosthesis in the treatment of patients with development dysplasia hip(DDH). Methods 80 patients with DDH who would undergo total hip arthroplasty were randomly divided into research group(40 cases) and control group(40 cases). The total hip arthroplasty of research group was conducted with biological prosthesis while that of control group was conducted with cemented prosthesis. Then the safety and effectiveness of research group were compared with those of control group from the aspects of operation time, bleeding quantity, survival rate of prosthesis and Harris score. ResultsThe average operation time of research group was(98.7±18.9) min while that of control group was(140.7±51.9) min. The average bleeding quantity of research group was(280.0±60) m L while that of control group was(360.0±100) m L. The survival rate of prosthesis of research group was 95% while that of control group was 82.5%. The Harris score calculated at the last follow-up of prosthesis of research group was(91.7±9.8) while that of control group was(82.9±11.3). There were significant differences between research group and control group in operation time, bleeding quantity, survival rate of prosthesis and Harris score. Conclusion Total hip arthroplasty conducted with biological prosthesis which owns advantages such as high stability and ideal mid-term and long-term curative effect should be promoted in the treatment of patients with DDH.


Background: Different surgical procedures have been used for treatment of chronic ruptures of the Achilles tendon with varying results. This study assesses the functional outcomes and complications of chronic insertional tears of Achilles tendon. Methods: 10 patients with chronic ruptures of the Achilles tendon were followed for a mean period of 10.3 months. Only ruptures at or near (within 1 cm) insertion were included. They were treated by direct repair of tendon to calcaneum by suture anchor. Flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon transfer fixed to calcaneal tunnel with an interference screw was used to augment the repair . Results: Outcome was assessed by AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot (AHS) score. The mean preoperative score of 41.2 improved to 85.4 at final follow-up out of a total 100 points. We achieved excellent results in 80% and good outcome in 20% cases. No re-ruptures were noted. Conclusions: In insertional chronic ruptures of Achilles tendon, FHL transfer to calcaneum with interference screw fixation and repair of Achilles tendon with suture anchor is a reliable technique with good outcome and is recommended.


Background: Prostate cancer incurs a substantial incidence and mortality burden, and it ranks among the top ten specific causes of death in males. Objectives : To explore the situation of prostate cancer in a cohort of healthy population in Eastern Nepal . Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of General surgery at B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal in the department of surgery from July 2010 to June 2011. Males above 50 years visiting Surgical Outpatient Department in BPKIHS were enrolled in the study. Screening camps were organized in four Teaching district hospitals of BPKIHS in Eastern Nepal. Digital rectal examination (DRE) was done by the trained professionals after collecting blood for serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA). Trucut biopsy was done for all individuals with abnormal PSA, DRE or both findings. Results: A total of 1521 males more than 50 years of age were assessed and screened after meeting inclusion criteria. Maximum individuals 1452 (96.2% ) had PSA ≤ 4.0 ng/ml. Abnormal PSA ( > 4 ng/ml ) was found in 58 (3.8%) individuals. Abnormal DRE was found in 26 (1.72%) individuals . Both DRE and PSA was abnormal in 26 (1.72%) individuals. On the basis of raised PSA or abnormal DRE 58 (3.84%) individuals were subjected to digitally guided trucut biopsy. Biopsy report revealed Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in 47 (3.11%) individuals and adenocarcinoma prostate in 11 (0.73%) individuals. The specificity of DRE was 65.95% sensitivity 90.9% and positive predictive value 38.46%. The sensitivity of PSA more than 4ng/ml in detecting carcinoma prostate was 100% and the positive predictive value for serum PSA was 18.96%. Conclusion: The overall cancer detection rate in this study was 0.73% and those detected were locally advanced. Larger community-based studies are highly warranted specially among high-risk groups. INTRODUCTION Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in males, accounting for 14% (903,500) of the total new cancer cases and 6% (258,400) of the total cancer deaths in males in 2008.1 Descriptive epidemiology has shown wide ethnic/racial differences in the incidence of Prostate carcinoma. The highest incidence rate group (100/100,000/year) includes African Americans in the United States; intermediate rates (20–50/100,000/year) are observed in Canada, South America, and European countries; and lowest rates (10/100,000/year) in Japan, China, and India.2 Screening for prostate cancer aims to decrease mortality and morbidity from the disease by increasing the chances of successful treatment through early detection.3 Evidences clearly supports the use of PSA screening in conjunction with DRE as a means of early detection of Prostate cancer. Such screening has decreased the incidence of metastatic disease at diagnosis and paralleled the decrease of the mortality rate from Prostate cancer. 4 In Nepal, to the best of our knowledge, though accurate data regarding prevalence of prostate cancer has not been published, Annual Report 2009 from B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Bharatpur shows that out of 170 genitourinary malignancies, 31 (18.23%) were carcinoma prostate. Among the 31 carcinoma prostate detected 4 underwent radical prostatectomy for early carcinoma prostate and 27 received Androgen ablation/ hormone therapy for advanced disease. 5 Another similar


The energy-absorbing structures have been being developed for many years by various research centres all over the world. The article presents experimental test results obtained for selected structures designed for the absorbing of kinetic energy in order to reduce the loads on occupants of a motorcar when hitting the rear of a motor truck. The differences between selected energy-absorbing structures have been analysed, based on impact resistance indicators having been determined. The main objective of this research work was to verify the applicability of selected energy absorbers to the rear underrun protective devices as the truck parts accountable for vehicles' passive safety.


Among the many tales recounted about Bat Masterson, who gained fame as a lawman, gunfighter, and gambler in the Wild West of the 1870s and 1880s, is one that is alleged to have taken place in May 1902. Masterson, whose greatest feats as a gunman were behind him, reportedly was drinking at a saloon in Denver and entertaining a large crowd of hangers-on with his loud tales and boasts. In many ways Masterson was a relic of the Old West that quickly was disappearing from the American scene. He was forty-nine years old, and age and hard drinking had taken a toll on the man who was reputed to have thirty to forty gunfights and killings to his record. But Masterson still commanded an audience wherever he went, and he currently was drawing laughter from the crowd by relating an offer he had received to write for a New York City newspaper, the Morning Telegraph. "Imagine me working indoors," said Masterson. "Why, I'd shoot one man, and the bullet would go through him and hit six others." The laughter quickly died down when the new sheriff in town entered the room, walked up to Masterson and, with the same icy resolve Masterson had once used to back down outlaws in Dodge City, Kansas, informed Bat that he had two choices: Get out of town or be killed. Masterson paused in the sudden quiet that fell over the room and studied his drink for a moment before giving his reply. "Do editors spell for you?" he asked.1 Like many of the tales about Bat Masterson, this one is part fact, part fiction, and part hyperbole. Unlike the other tales, it touches on a lesser known side of one of the legendary figures of the American West. While most of his famous contemporaries from the Wild West met their end in violent deaths (Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back of the head while playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota, in 1876, the year Masterson first arrived in Dodge City) or drifted into obscurity (Wyatt Earp, Masterson's close friend and fellow lawman in Dodge City, quietly lived out his final years in Los Angeles), Masterson carved out for himself a second career that kept him in the public eye.2 As the above tale indicates, Masterson did leave Denver, not entirely of his own choosing, and headed east to New York, where he became sports editor of the Morning Telegraph. There is a touch of irony in Masterson's later career as a sports editor and newspaper columnist. To a great degree, newspapers and the loose style of reporting that was so prevalent in American journalism in the latter part of the nineteenth century were responsible for creating the legend of Bat Masterson and the fame that he would enjoy throughout his life. That Masterson himself would join the ranks of the newspaper writers certainly makes for an interesting twist to history. While Masterson's exploits in the West were greatly exaggerated, his success as a sports writer was not. His transformation from Western gunman to Eastern newspaper writer is significant because it occurred at a time when the sports page was in its infancy in American journalism. The first specialized sports writers began to emerge at the turn of the century, and Bat Masterson became one of the most visible symbols of this new breed of journalist.3 He was, as Charles Fountain, biographer of famed sports writer Grantland Rice, noted, perhaps the only "brand-name sports writer" in New York before Rice's arrival in 1907.4 That certainly was not the case by the time of Masterson's death in 1921. In addition to Rice, other popular sports writers in New York included Heywood Brown, Westbrook Pegler, and W.O. McGeehan, while across the nation such celebrated American writers as Ring Lardner and Jack London had developed their talents on the sports beat. Thus, Masterson not only was one of the last heroes of the Old West but also one of the first celebrities of the American sports page. As a newspaper columnist, he had a greater forum for his views and more influence than he ever did as a lawman or gunfighter. …


The intrinsic absorption spectra of evaporated thin films of various solid solutions containing KBr are measured at liquid nitrogen temperature in the photon energy range from 6 to 10.5 eV. The systems KBr-RbBr, KBr-NaBr, and KBr-KCl and chosen. In KBr-RbBr system, positions of peaks shift fairly linearly with the change in concentration. In KBr-NaBr, bromine doublet peaks show a remarkable red shift, while triplet structure around 8.5 eV, which is characteristic of KBr becomes indistinct and merges into a single broad band with increasing NaBr content. In the system KBr-KCl, peaks for both KBr and KCl are present in the samples of mixtures, but the relative intensities change markedly in varying concentration. The results are discussed mainly in connection with the theories developed recently.


The central focus of this thesis is the bush environment as depicted by the Australian author Henry Lawson which fosters a sense of loneliness in the characters that appear in his narrative. The stories included in the analysis include "His Father's Mate", "The Drover's Wife", "The Bush Undertaker", "The Selector's Daughter", "A Child in the Dark, and a Foreign Father", and "Drifting Apart". The textual analysis is guided by the principles of unity, complexity and intensity as proposed by Monroe C. Beardsley, a philosopher who specialised in aesthetic theory, thus illuminating the importance of the environment's role in shaping human lives. This research aims to provide a deeper understanding of the harsh environment which shaped the artistic sensibility of the writer, creating a mood of melancholy and loneliness that is ever present in these works.


Dragon's blood, which is widely used in traditional medicines, is a red resin that forms in the stem of Dracaenas plants after they are wounded. Flavonoids are the main compounds in dragon's blood. Research on dragon's blood has focused mainly on its chemical composition and pharmacological activity, whereas the molecular mechanism of dragon's blood formation is still unknown. Chalcone synthase (CHS) is the first key enzyme in biosynthesis of flavonoids. However, little information is available on regulation of CHS gene expression in Dracaenas plants. In this study, a 1404-bp promoter region of DcCHS1 was cloned from Dracaena cambodiana. A typical TATA-box was located at −24 bp to −20 bp upstream from the transcription start site (TSS) of DcCHS1. Several typical regulatory elements were found in the DcCHS1 promoter region, including cis-acting elements involved in light responsive, ABRE for responding to abscisic acid, TCA-element for responding to salicylic acid, TGA-element for auxin, and TC-rich repeat elements involved in defense and stress responsiveness. Promoter deletion analysis revealed that the DcCHS1 promoter induces the specific expression of the GUS gene, and 149 nucleotides upstream of the TSS were sufficient for the expression function. Transient gene expression assay revealed that the expression of DcCHS1 promoter was positively regulated by methyl jasmonate and 6-benzylaminopurine.


IgG Fc receptor Ⅱ b ( FcγR Ⅱ b ) is an inhibitory Fc receptor expressed on B cells and myeloid cells, and its coding gene is located on Chromsome 1 q23. These receptors are very important for the regulation of body' s responses to infection. The reduced expression of function of these receptors may predispose to autoimmunity. The FcγR Ⅱ b gene polymorphisms affect the affinity with which FcRs interact with immunoglobulin molecules. Correlation of the FcγR Ⅱ b polymorphisma with susceptibility of common rheumatic diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ( SLE ) , Rheumatoid Arthritis ( RA ) ,Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) , has been reported in various populations, but the results were inconsistent.

Key words:
FcγR Ⅱ b; Gene polymorphism; Ankylosing spondylitis; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Rheumatoid arthritis


Regular physical activities can produce physical as w ell as psychological benefits. While its physical effects have been acknowledged, the psychological benefits of regular physical need to be assessed through careful and systematic investigations. Psychological benefits including well being, positive mood e nhancement, stress reduction, and self-efficacy, and self-concept improvement are among some of the most important results of engaging in regular physical activities. Self-concept is generally defined as one's knowledge about his/her characteristics and personal limitations and a way in which one looks at such characteristics as different from or similar to others. It is one of the important aspects of social development that is formed through social experiences and interpersonal relationships. Scales have been purposed to assess self-concept PSDQ has been successfully used to study self-concept. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effect of participation physical activity in regular on body-image in the adult population. The subjects for this study included 120 adults (60 males 60 females) between 25-65 years who were randomly selected and then divided into two active and inactive groups through the Median Split Technique based on the Physical Activity Index scores. 2 x 2 MANCOVA (gender x group) with covariates of body for percent and BMI was used to analysis the data. The result on somatotype showed that, inactive group has higher score on endomorphy and mesomorphy but lower score on ectomorphy than active group.


A specified radiation pattern is achieved by shaping a reflector antenna to directly optimise the result in a diffractive analysis.


This study assesses captive breeding in Caucasian Viper, Gloydius halys caucasicus. Twenty three Caucasian Viper male and female snakes were collected from Taleghan and Damavand Counties to study the reproductive potential and assessment of captive breeding. The results indicated that the average weight of a pregnant female Caucasian viper was 68.92 ± 10.41g and the mean body length from snoutvent length (SVL) was 48.39 ± 2.69 cm. It is good to mention that the Caucasian Viper female has an annual reproductive cycle. Mating occurs in late spring (May-June) or early summer (July). Then, growth and maturation of follicles continues during the active season and stops during hibernation and will be resumed in the spring of next year. Due to giving birth in September (end of summer), the duration of pregnancy is estimated to be 2.5 months. The average litter size was 3–5. The average baby weight was 2.81 ± 0.39 g and the mean length (SVL) was 14.82 ± 0.84 cm as well. The Caucasian viper lives in mountainous areas and hibernates when the temperature drops during the winter. Hibernation lasts for three months.


A device for absorbing the torque variation is constituted by a drive plate 2 coupled to a drive shaft 1, a flywheel 6 having a body 6a and a driven plate 6bsont disposed on the same axis as the drive plate so as to be rotatably supported thereon. A mechanism spring 12, a damping mechanism and torque limit 15, and a hysteresis mechanism 18 are interposed between the driving plate and the flywheel. The hysteresis mechanism 18 includes a hysteresis plate which is in a fixed state against rotation relative to the drive plate. A rubber member and a gasket are interposed between the hysteresis plate and the flywheel and a spring biases the hysteresis plate against the gasket and the flywheel.


It is an undoubted fact that the actor of securities fraud should assume civil liability because his fraudulent behavior damaged other investors' behalf.This article has discussed the argument,deems that the character of civil liability for securities fraud should be tort liability,so that it can protect legal rights and interests investors of better.


Cooling means (50) for a motor vehicle drive train (10), comprising a first cooling pump (52) having a first cooling-pressure port (56) via the fluid for cooling at least one component (14; 22; 16) of the drive train (10) can be provided, with an electric motor (54) that drives the first cooling pump (52), and a second cooling pump (64) including a second cooling-pressure port (65) through the fluid for cooling at least one component (14; 22; 16) of the drive train (10) can be provided, wherein the second cooling pump (64) (via an auxiliary drive 66) of a drive motor (12) is drivable. The second cooling pump (64) as a variable displacement pump (64) is formed. ( 1 )


With the urbanizing development of Beijing, the planting area and spatial distribution structure of Beijing suburb crops are changing constantly. Because the TM (Thematic Mapper) images of Beijing area during 2003 summer suffered from weather conditions, such as cloud or haze, it is difficult to obtain the satisfying classification with only one kind of remote sensing data. To get the first data of the exact area and spatial distribution of Beijing crops, a perfect classification strategy is designed in This work. The images of 2003's TM/ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) in comparative better weather conditions, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) standard products in 2003 and DEM (Digital Elevation Model) at 30 m spatial resolution of Beijing area are adopted. The classification system for main crops in Beijing is constructed which includes winter wheat, maize, soybean, clover, garden, orchard, etc. Based on the phenological features of the main crops, the different crops extracting plan is constructed respectively. The orchard and vegetable in greenhouse planting information are from the supervised classification with maximum likelihood methods. By means of the decision tree classification function of the ENVI (The Environment for Visualizing Images) software, the winter wheat and clover planting information are extracted by the logic operation algorithm among the 4 NDVI data from the TM/ETM+ images adopted in This work while the spring maize and soybean are extracted with the logic algorithm with MODIS NDVI. The results indicated that this classification strategy can not only improve the classification precision, but also decrease the post classification work.


This paper reports the results of investigations into the effect of activated carbon pore structure on the process of carbon regeneration. The suitability of several different commercial activated carbons for biological regeneration was investigated. The pore volume, pore radii, and surface area of the carbons were determined by mercury intrusion and BET methods. The adsorption capacities of the carbons were measured in completely mixed batch reactor systems. Heterogeneous micro-organism cultures and crude cell extract were used for bioregeneration of the carbons. The comparative adsorption and bioregeneration studies showed that there was no correlation between the original adsorption capacity and the regenerated adsorption capacity of activated carbons under the range of conditions used. This is due to the pore structure characteristics of the carbons. It has been found that the regenerated adsorption capacity depends on the volume of the pores with radii, r, of 5 - 50 nm (50 - 500 A). On the basis of substrate bio-oxidation reactions and the results obtained from identification of some exo-enzymes involved in this bio-oxidation process, the probable mechanism of bioregeneration is discussed.


This article corrects port of the manuscripts in the book a collection of inscriptions,epitaphs and eulogies from the dunhuang manuscripts point out some mistakes and problem about the book and try to show the possible solutrons. And this is only for the reference of the readers and the author.


Abstract : The preliminary design of a plant to produce NFPA copolymer and TVOPA to support a 300,000-lbm-per-month propellant rate showed that scale-up to these production rates is feasible. However, much additional development work is needed to optimize the plant design. The capital investment cost for the plant, exclusive of land, buildings, general utilities, and propellant line, was estimated, and the plant operating cost was estimated. The use of NFPA and TVOPA as propellant ingredients would add about 85% to the cost of a typical low-performance solid propellant motor.


Aiming at the problems and the puzzles of the modern schools' moral culture through analyzing moral culture of the great ancient Greek ethicist, Aristotle, we can draw significant enlighting guidance from his thoughts, and apply them to the moral culture practice of the school: ie. to start "the second class "in order to improve moral education.


Abstract A low‐sized, uniform and polymer‐based high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) packing material capable of making reversed‐phase separation of proteins with high resolution and with high column efficiency was developed. By a multistage‐swelling and polymerization protocol, 5 µm‐uniform‐porous poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) particles with relatively larger pores particularly suitable for protein separation were synthesized by starting from a low‐sized seed latex with high average molecular weight and by using a diluent phase comprised of dibutylphthalate and toluene. By the use of synthesized beads as packing material in HPLC, high‐resolution liquid chromatograms were obtained in the gradient separation of selected proteins (i.e., ribonuclease‐A, lysozyme, cytochrome C, and albumin). In the chromatographic runs, the flow rate of the mobile phase was increased fourfold by preserving the resolution power of the column material under gradient conditions. The theoretical plate numbers (TPN) up to 12.500 plates/m were observed by using cytochrome C as the analyte. TPN values determined by the proteins were significantly higher relative to the similar uniform packing materials larger in size (i.e., 7.5–10 µm) obtained by different polymerization methods.


Iterative Learning Control (ILC) can yield superior performance for mechatronic systems that execute the same task consecutively. One major limitation of ILC however, is that the ILC algorithm has to relearn the optimal control input signal for every new task, which is time consuming. The convergence speed of the ILC can be improved by hot-starting new tasks, reusing data available from previous tasks. A hot-start is an improved initial input for a new task, which minimizes the need for additional learning. In this paper, a novel transformation-based approach to hot-start tracking or non-tracking tasks for nonlinear systems is derived. The proposed methodology is analysed in simulation examples and its effectiveness is demonstrated experimentally.


A new and straightforward proof of the unisolvability of the problem of multivariate polynomial interpolation based on Coatmelec lattices, also referred to as properly poised set of nodes defined by hyperplanes, is presented. The proof uses elementary techniques from computational mathematics and may be incorporated to current numerical analysis textbooks. If a conjecture of Gasca and Maetzu (Numer. Math. 39 (1982) 1) holds true, this result yields an alternative geometric characterization of properly poised set of nodes to that of Chung and Yao (SIAM J. Num. Anal. 14 (1977) 735) which is computationally easier to check in practice.


Techniques to improve upon the design of two-dimensional encoding masks for multiplex Hadamard spectrometric imagers are described. The technique to generate masks based on completely orthonormal codes is described. In some cases, self-supporting masks result which were not previously known. Transmission through the encoding masks (but not necessarily the signal-to-noise ratio) can also be increased.


[Objective]To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of measles and progress of measles elimination in Baoding City in 2010,provide a scientific basis for measles elimination by 2012.[Methods]By using the data reported from the Measles surveillance information management reporting system,the epidemiological characteristics of measles and the measures toward measles elimination in Baoding City in 2010 were analyzed by of descriptive epidemiology.[Results]The incidence rate of measles(26.61/lakh) rose greatly in Baoding City in 2010,which increased by 393% compared with 2009,and was the highest since implementation of measles surveillance in 1999.The peak season was March to May.The most of cases occurred in mountainous area counties and county-level cities.Patients mainly were children under 2 years old,followed by children aged 3-5 years old and people aged 20-34 years old.[Conclusion]The target of measles elimination by 2012 is in a severe situation in Baoding City.It is necessary to seriouslyimplement the measures of the National measles elimination plan,enhance the routine immunization coverage rate and the timely vaccination rate of first dose,strengthen the immunization program management in key areas and high-risk population,carry out the epidemic survey and disposal,and improve the sensitivity and specifiCity of the measles surveillance system.


Objective To study the effects of infrasound on the fertility and immunity.Methods Sixtx female and male BALB/C mice were randomly divided into 4 groups:①15 female and 15 male normal mice with sham infrasound exposure were used as controls;②15 male mice were exposed to infrasound(8 Hz·130 dB) 1 h per day consecutively for 7 days consecutively, then in the next day, pairs of male and normal female mice were put together into plastic cages, for mating for 5 days, then males were taken out, and females were kept in cages until delivery;③15 females were exposed to the infrasound at the above dosage, and pairs of exposed females and control males were put together for mating;④Both female and male, 15 each, were exposed to infrasound, and mated each other. Pregnancy frequencies, rate of living newborn offsprings and sex ratio were observed. Ratios of spleen and thymus mass to body mass,activity of NK cell was assayed and serum contents of IL 2 and TNF were determined.Results Compared with the normal group, the pregnancy rate of exposed mice, either female or male, was decreased significantly (P 0.01 ), especially for exposed both female and male; the rate of living newborn mice was significantly decreased in exposed mice. The ratios of spleen and thymus mass to body mass were both decreased significantly. The activity of natural killing cells and the content of interleukin 2 and tumor necrosis factor were all decreased significantly. Conclusion The decreases in pregnancy rates of exposed mice, rates of living newborn offsprings and immune function might be related to the disturbance of neuroendocrinological system.


A self-start-up energy combiner power converter architecture for two ambient energy sources (e.g., microbial fuel cells (MFCs)) is presented in this paper. The proposed architecture is designed with two charge pumps, two super capacitors and two boost converters. The architecture needs as an input voltage as low as 0.35V and its output can be boosted to 3.3V. A load of 5mW can be powered by the proposed architecture. Having two boost converter in design causes reverse charge which degrades the performance is addressed and the solution by deploying one boost converter instead of two boost converters is provided. The new proposed architecture increases the time for powering to the load (i.e., the time that the load is being powered to clamp to 3.3V) by nearly 30% - 50%.


Optimality conditions for a class of nonsmooth multiobjective fractional programming problem withconvexity are studied in this paper,sufficient conditions of efficient solutions and weak efficient solutions for the class of nonsmooth multiobjective fractional programming problem are obtained and proved,and some relate results are generalized and improved.


In previous work (Kevlahan, Dubos, Aechtner 2015; Aechtner, Kevlahan; Dubos 2015, Dubos and Kevlahan 2013) we have developed a general framework for a wavelet-based multiscale dynamically adaptive dynamical core. This method is based on iterative dyadic refinement of the icosahedron, which generates a sequence of approximation subspaces (i.e. different grid levels) with arbitrarily fine local resolution controlled by a single parameter controlling the errors in the tendencies at each time step. Biorthogonal wavelets are used to measure local error and to restrict or prolongate fluxes between different grid levels. The adaptivity is designed to preserve the mimetic properties (such as mass conservation) of the underlying discretization (e.g.TRiSK). In this update we present results for a hydrostatic implementation based on the DYNAMICO discretization. The grid is adapted horizontally using the strictest condition over all vertical layers and the Lagrangian vertical coordinates are conservatively remapped periodically onto the initial sigma grid using an ALE type algorithm. We will describe the results of a number of test cases from the DCMIP series as well as assess parallel performance. We will also discuss a the sensitivity of the Held and Suarez (1994) test case results to the vertical remapping strategy, which is also relevant for non-adaptive dynamical cores using a Lagrangian vertical coordinate. The goal of this project is to help assess the potential of dynamical adaptivity to improve the computational performance and numerical accuracy of climate models.


This paper examines the development of animal welfare in Scotland. Whilst the law developed in tandem with developments across nineteenth century Britain, the paper draws attention to the distinctive Scottish situation. By examining the development from disparate common law protections to the statutory interventions of the nineteenth century the paper charts that development, and begins to place it within nascent 'humanist' movements emerging around this time. The piece examines how the Scottish doctrinal law took a distinctive direction in decisions, and in particular considers contemporary opinion. The paper is the first to take a look at the particular Scottish development and opens up new avenues of research into the nineteenth century, and also frames developments in the modern law which I will pursue in future research.


In this paper it is presented the influence of weather conditions on the performance of the sensors of a mobile e-nose system that measures the atmospheric air, gas components' concentrations (actually CO2 and O2), into a rubble void, where humans are entrapped, after a disastrous event that caused the collapsing of a building/construction. In this case, the entrapped humans in the void, they affect the air composition and temperature into the void. Additionally to the human(s) created CO2 source(s), O2 sink(s), and heat source(s) (from body temperature), rubble openings (possibly too many), create sources of fresh atmospheric air and sinks for letting the air from the inside of the cavity to go out of it and vice-versa. The existence of the aforementioned sources/sinks constantly affect the air composition and temperature into the void and makes gas components' concentrations dynamic rather than static. There will be studied the fresh atmospheric air sources into a cavity taking into account also the outside weather conditions. The final goal is to estimate the concentrations of CO2 and O2 into the cavity as a function of time, having as parameters, the external weather conditions, the openings of the void and the number of entrapped humans. Estimating the concentrations it will enable the operator of a mobile e-nose system with sensors of a specific sensitivity and specificity, to determine the possibilities of detecting the presence of humans in a rubble void.


Abstract Research on the abscission in the olive tree. I. Morphogenetic study on leaf abscission. — The stages bringing the fall of olive leaves can be summed up as follows: 1) starting from the first stages of the leaf development, particularly when occurs the complete differentiation of the procambium and the lengthening of the other cortical cells, it is possible to locate, at the base of the leaf, the abscission zone formed by four or five layers of cells, which differ from those of the nearby areas on account of their smaller size, lack or scarsity of intercellular spaces, thinner cellulose-pectic walls, higher nucleus-cytoplasm ratio, presence of several binucleate cells, and absence of mechanical elements at the level of the vascular tissues. The appearance of thin dividing septa lead us to suppose that in the formation of the abscission zone partake also cellular divisions; 2) when the abscission is on the way, the first changes to be observed are: a) accumulation of starch granules in the absciss...


Abstract: Transcription factor NF‐κB plays a pivotal role in cancer cells in the resistance to apoptosis, since NF‐κB is frequently activated in many primary carcinoma cells. Indeed, several NF‐κB inhibitors are found to be promising anti‐cancer agents. However, some anti‐cancer agents activate NF‐κB signals and may reduce their potential, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. Recently, the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) sulindac and its metabolites have been shown to inhibit the NF‐κB‐mediated survival signals through inhibition of IKK‐β by their direct interaction. We thus investigate whether sulindac and its metabolite can augment TNF‐α‐mediated apoptosis in human carcinoma cells and be applicable for in vivo clinical usage. We here demonstrate that sulindac inhibited TNF‐α‐mediated NF‐κB activation and greatly enhanced TNF‐α‐induced apoptosis in human gastric MKN45 and cervical HeLa carcinoma cell lines. The in vivo tumor growth of MKN45 cells was most strongly inhibited by a combination of TNF‐α with sulindac compared with TNF‐α or sulindac alone. Moreover, we demonstrate that sulindac sulfide further augmented TNF‐α‐mediated apoptosis. Our data strongly suggest that combination therapy of TNF‐α with sulindac and its metabolites may sensitize cancer cells to TNF‐α and augment its pro‐apoptotic potential. Therefore, in combination with sulindac or its metabolites, TNF‐α may become a potentially useful anti‐cancer agent to suppress tumor.


Classroom tests from nine eighth-grade mathematics teachers were collected from the 2003–04 and 2005–06 school years. These years represent one school year prior to the eighth-grade Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) in mathematics being implemented and the year after the eighth-grade OAT in mathematics was implemented, respectively. In addition, teachers were interviewed to determine factors that influence classroom assessment practices. Classroom assessment data were compared between the two years, and interview data were examined, to investigate the impact that the new state test was having on classroom assessment practices. An average of 87% of teachers' classroom assessment items were at the lowest depth of knowledge level during both years. Teachers relied heavily on curriculum materials for their test items, and these items tended to only assess students ability to recall basic facts or perform straightforward procedures. The presence of a state test did not entice teachers to assess students at higher depth of knowledge levels.


Hydraulic safe rod drives have simple structure, inherent reliability, and good economics. The hydraulic drive system of the safe rods was analyzed from the hydraulic view. The computing model of hydraulic safe rod drives was set up. Computing equations for raising and lowering the rods were derived. The model predicted the variation of the displacement, the clearance and the resistance coefficient over time. The results show the rod drives have the advantage of raising slow, lowering fast, speed ajustable. The performance of the drives meet the design requirements of reactor.


A battery energy storage system, at least one cell, the cell module stack including a module, a battery management system for controlling charge and discharge of the cell module stack, and an input receiving system power based on the control signal of the BMS converted to, and transmitted to the cell module stack, it converts the energy stored in the cell module stack including a power conversion for transmission to an external load, and the cell module at least one cell, and the charging and discharging of the at least one cell at least one of a charger and a cell, each cell charger which is controlled by measuring the status information of the connected cell and transmitted to the battery management system, each cell charger operates based on the control signal of the BMS.


The invention relates to an electronic protection warning device, in particular to a noctilucent safety rail which comprises a band winding side and a band pulling side. The band winding side comprises a base plate I which is fixedly provided with a stand column I, a band winder is fixed to the stand column I, a warning band is wound on the band winder, LED modules are pasted to the warning band, and the LED modules are connected in parallel through connection lines. A connection port is arranged at the start position of the warning band for the connection lines. The band pulling side comprises a base plate II and a stand column II. The stand column II is provided with a connector corresponding to the connection port. The connector is led out by an infrared LED controller which is provided with a remote controller, and the stand column I and the stand column II are each provided with a sound-light alarming module, a switch and a power supply module. The LED modules and the sound-light alarming modules provide alarming information of high-voltage risks at the same time, so that irrelevant personnel are prevented from mistakenly entering a working area in the construction process at night and getting an electric shock.


Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion Fly Ashes( CFAs) were ground by SM-500 cement ball mill. The morphology,structure and dissolution characteristic of CFAs samples were characterized by FESEM / EDS,XRD,FTIR,HRTEM / SADP and the chemical titration. The results indicate that Ⅱ-Ca SO4 is a polycrystal which is composed of closely packed grains with all kinds of irregular shape. The grain size is about 100-1000 nm in diameter. The plain crystal morphology of Ⅱ-Ca SO4 is not easily observed after grinding,which is because Ⅱ-Ca SO4 crystal is covered with ultrafine oxide particles containing Si and Al elements. Grinding can result in the fast refinement of Ⅱ-Ca SO4 crystal and the increase of internal energy and crystal defects,and Ⅱ-Ca SO4 crystal gradually tends to undefined structures with the grinding time increasing. Grinding can enhance the dissolution rate of Ⅱ-Ca SO4 crystal,but the relation between grinding time and its dissolution characteristics is lack of regularity.


OBJECTIVES
To present and evaluate an automated method to correct scaling between Dixon water/fat images used in breast density (BD) assessments.

METHODS
Dixon images were acquired in 14 subjects with different T1-weightings (flip angles, FA, 4°/16°). Our method corrects intensity differences between water (W) and fat (F) images via the application of a uniform scaling factor (SF), determined subject-by-subject. Based on the postulation that optimal SFs yield relatively featureless summed fat/scaled-water (F+WSF) images, each SF was chosen as that which generated the lowest 95th-percentile in the absolute spatial-gradient image-volume of F+WSF . Water-fraction maps were calculated for data acquired with low/high FAs, and BD (%) was the total percentage water within each breast volume.

RESULTS
Corrected/uncorrected BD ranged from, respectively, 10.9-71.8%/8.9-66.7% for low-FA data and 8.1-74.3%/5.6-54.3% for high-FA data. Corrected metrics had an average absolute increase in BD of 6.4% for low-FA data and 18.4% for high-FA data. BD values estimated from low- and high-FA data were closer following SF-correction.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate need for scaling in such BD assessments, where our method brought high-FA and low-FA data into closer agreement.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE
We demonstrated a feasible method to address a main source of inaccuracy in Dixon-based BD measurements.


Chronic kidney disease is a disease in which the body's ability fails to maintain the metabolism of fluid and electrolyte balance and leads to death. The type of research used is descriptive research type with case study design. The subjects of the study were 2 patients. Data obtained by means of observation and documentation of patient medical records. The purpose of this study was to describe nursing care in patients with chronic renal failure with hypervolemia that included assessment, nursing diagnoses, nursing orders, nursing implementation, and nursing evaluation. The results of this study were the assessment of both patients complaining of dyspnea, the presence of peripheral edema, oliguria, neck venous distention, decreased Hb, decreased Ht, and positive fluid balance. Nursing diagnoses are hypervolemia. The planned interventions consist of fluid management and fluid monitoring. The implementation only implementation in general and only included three of the planned intervention. Evaluation of nursing documentation method used is SOAP. The result of research indicate a difference with the theory that has been submitted either form the assessment to the evaluation of nursing.


Max Müller's edition of the Sacred Books of the East (1879–1910) is doubtless one of the most ambitious and daring editorial projects of late Victorian scholarship. This essay examines the claim that these translations ratified a whole taxonomy of concepts and procedures that would characterize the academic study of religion well into the twentieth century. I argue that it is more appropriate to see the edition as a monument of the emerging comparative study of the religious Orient. The series textualized and religionized (if this word is permitted) the East. The edition also promoted the idea that religious oriental texts function as scriptures in ways analogous to the Hebrew and Christian Bible. This type of orientalism was no one-way street, but the conditions of the conversation were determined by the discursivity of a textualized understanding of religion.


We have studied the structural elements, including shock ramps and precursor wave trains, of a series of oblique low-Mach number terrestrial bow shocks. We used magnetic field data from the dual ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft to determine the scale lengths of various elements of shock structure as well as wavelengths and wave polarizations. Bow shocks structure under these conditions is esstentially that of a large-amplitude damped whistler mode wave which extends upstream in the form of a precursor wave train. Shock thicknesses, which are determined by the dispersive properties of the ambient plasma, are too broad to support current-driven electrostatic waves, ruling out such turbulence as the source of dissipation in these shocks. Dissipative processes are reflected in the damping of the precursors, and dissipative scale lengths are approx.200--800 km (several times greater than shock thicknesses). Precursor damping is not related to shock normal angle or Mach number, but is correlated with T/sub e//T/sub t/. The source of the dissipation in the shocks does not appear to be wave-wave decay of the whistlers, for which no evidence is found. We cannot rule out the possibility of contribution to the dissipation from ion acoustic and, or lower hybrid mode turbulence,more » but interaction of the whistler itself with upstream electrons offers a simpler and more self-consistent explanation for the observed wave train damping.« less


Background The most common cause of myocardial infarction (MI) is stenotic atherosclerotic lesions in subepicardial coronary arteries. Artery disease progression induces clinical signs and symptoms, among which MI is the leader in mortality and morbidity. Recent studies have been trying to find new biochemical markers that could predict the evolution of clinical complications; among those markers, free fatty acids (FFA) and oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (oxidized LDL) have a special place. Materials and methods Seventy-nine ST-elevation MI patients were enrolled. The first group included MI patients without the signs of acute heart failure (Killip class I) while MI patients with Killip classes II–IV made up the second group. Thirty-three individuals with no cardiovascular disease were the controls. The lipid profile, serum oxidized LDL, and their antibodies, C-peptide and insulin were measured at days 1 and 12. The level of insulin resistance was assessed with the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). Results MI patients had atherogenic dyslipidemia; however, the Killip II–IV group had the most pronounced and prolonged increase in FFA, oxidized LDL, and their antibodies. Additionally, positive correlations between FFA levels and creatine kinase activity (12 days, R = 0.301; P = 0.001) and negative correlations between the QUICKI index and FFA levels (R = −0.46; P = 0.0013 and R = −0.5; P = 0.01) were observed in the both groups. Conclusion The development of MI complications is accompanied by a significant increase in FFA levels, which not only demonstrate myocardial injury, but also take part in development of insulin resistance. Measuring FFA levels can have a great prognostic potential for risk stratification of both acute and recurrent coronary events and choice of treatment strategy.


We have recently developed a self consistent light-emitting diode (LED) model that accounts for the current transport and internal heating in AlGaAs-GaAs LEDs. In this paper we extend the model to describe multi-quantum well (MQW) active regions and III-N materials, within the limits of the currently known values and temperature dependencies of the recombination parameters in these materials. The MQW description accounts for the effect of the reduced wave function overlap to the recombination. We present simulation results obtained for an InGaN MQW LED with 4 wells at selected temperatures and discuss the factors limiting the efficiency and luminescent output of LEDs.


Room-temperature ferromagnetic wurtzite CdS:Y semiconductor nanocrystals have been fabricated via an effective doping atomization method. The atomization is in favor of the Y3+ cations entering into the host CdS lattice.


Background: Diabetes is a very common disease now a days . It has adverse effect on many human organs as its duration increases. Many studies exist to show its bad effects on body organs in different parts of world. We have studied is there any relation between microalbuminuria with HbA1c levels.
Methods: we have done a cross sectional study from January 2016 to March 2017 in a tertiary health care hospital located in Jhalawar, Rajasthan. Our study includes all the known case of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients of age group of 45 years and above.
Results: Total 69 patients had Urinary albumin level less than 30 mg/dl out of which Hb1Ac was less than 6.5% present in 20.2% of patients and 79.7% of patients had more than 6.5%. Total 31 patients had Urinary albumin level more than 30 mg/dl out of which only 3% had Hb1Ac value less than 6.5 % whereas 96% had Hb1Ac value more than 6.5%. This association was found to be clinically significant (Pearson Chi-Square- 4.888, df is 1 and p value is 0.027, Fishers Exact test is 0.033)
Conclusion: Patients having microalbuminuria were associated with high level of glycosylated haemoglobin.
Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Microalbuminuria, Glycosylated Hemoglobin.


In this paper a comparison between microchip lasers based on Nd:YAG and Yb:YAG-generating media by means of the optimization problem solving is done. Such an approach allows to estimate theoretically the highest possible values of the laser irradiation parameters, particularly, the energy E in the laser pulse. This investigation is stipulated by such properties of the Yb/sup 3+/doped medium, as smaller, ir comparison with traditional Nd:YAG, Stox losses (24% for Nd:YAG and 9% for Yb:YAG laser), a low thermal load, a wider absorption band in the pumping region, a higher lifetime of the upper laser level, an absence of the concentration extinguishing and, consequently, the possibility of the ytterbium concentration increase.


has less to do with high ideals and much more with power struggles. It clearly explains how the regional mechanism of human rights protection was designed as a counter-balance to national politics. And that is where the past and the present presumably meet: today's criticism on the Court may equally come from those who, at present, are in power in the national states but feel their action limited by the Court. The counter-balancing mechanism strikes back: l'arroseur arrosé. I must admit that I can hardly hide my enthusiasm for this book. Duranti's approach considerably furthers a good understanding of how the ECHR came to be and, by laying bare the dynamics at play, Duranti offers the most valuable insights to understand even today's criticism. That is not to say that there is no critique possible. Lawyers may find that there is a certain imbalance in this book, for only at the halfway point do we get into the core of the debate. Nevertheless, it is a must read. At this point, I cannot wait to read a follow-up work. Precisely because the 'drafters' had such an outspoken agenda, I would be curious to see how they subsequently appreciated the Strasbourg case-law. Was it mission accomplished or would they have been surprised to see what had become of their creation? There is still interesting work to be done and Marco Duranti has proven to be the scholar to do it.


The electrical properties of porous silicon thin films were investigated as a function of applied rms voltage signal, of temperature and thickness using impedance dielectric spectroscopy. Plots of ImZ vs ω show two distinct arcs of two semicircles indicating the contribution of the bulk material and the interfacial barrier to the electrical properties. The experimental results were analyzed by considering two RC parallel networks connected in series. Two distinct frequency ranges are observed. In the high frequency range the electrical properties of the PS thin films are due to the bulk of PS contribution. In the low frequency range the highly nonlinear contribution of the interfacial barrier is dominant. The prevailing conduction mechanism, in the bulk of the PS thin films, is governed by thermally excited electrons hopping from one state to the other. This conduction mechanism is independent of the thickness of the PS structures. On the other hand the interfacial barrier contribution is thickness dependent and increases with decreasing thickness.


Expensive equipment materials of high-tech are more likely to suffer damage because of adverse effects from transport and storage circumstances. In order to keep materials in good state, the reference analyzed the characteristics of wireless sensor networks, and then designed an environment monitoring system by presenting its net-structure and proposing its software function modules and hardware structures of sensor network nodes.


e14101Background: Social media channels, such as Twitter, represent relatively new technology platforms for scientific users to disseminate research findings and communicate their views and interpr...


This paper empirically shows the influence of two contradictory institutional logics on practice variation by studying the case of an agricultural cooperative group in which cooperative and financial logics rub shoulders. It also explores how the link between institutional logics and practice variation leads to a particular performance level in the newly created practice. The Delphi research method has been used to test theoretical concepts, interviewing a panel of 24 experts. Results show that the influence of practice variation can become a key element in evaluating the performance of new practices in agricultural cooperatives. The results highlight the fact that it might be possible to find a balance between cooperative and capitalist logics, by implementing an appropriate governance structure. These results show how important it is for a cooperative group to communicate effectively, to maintain democratic management and links with the membership, and to give its administrators top-quality training.


As many errors were found in the translation of thesis abstracts in the Accounting Department of Brawijaya University, the study was conducted to see (1) the kinds of linguistic errors that exist in the translation of the S-1 thesis abstracts of the Accounting Department, and (2) the degree of informativeness in the translation of thesis abstracts. This study was designed by descriptive qualitative research, which intended to describe the fifteen pieces of abstracts taken from five pieces in each batch ranging from the academic year of 2000 to 2002, and then the data were analyzed using content analysis. The result of the study shows that the kinds of linguistic errors are grammatical errors (78%), followed by lexical errors (22%) successively. Although there are more than seventy five percent errors occurred, the translation of the abstracts was still considered positively informative.


We consider reconstruction algorithms using points tracked over a sequence of (at least three) images, to estimate the positions of the cameras ( motion parameters), the 3D coordinates (structure parameters), and the calibration matrix of the cameras (calibration parameters). Many algorithms have been reported in literature, and there is a need to know how well they may perform. We show how the choice of assumptions on the camera intrinsic parameters (either fixed, or with a probabilistic prior) influences the precision of the estimator. We associate a Maximum Likelihood estimator to each type of assumptions, and derive analytically their covariance matrices, independently of any specific implementation. We verify that the obtained covariance matrices are realistic, and compare the relative performance of each type of estimator.


Nature protection activity is characterized by a higher risk, capital intensive, non-commercial character, longer payback period of the investment, which requires improved information-analytical management tools. Updated the notion of nature protection activity as a set of specialized engineering technology, control and analytical, industrial, economic and administrative operations that make the process of creating an independent ecological utility commercial product. Designated non-traditional to modern practices factors simultaneously stimulating and destimulating effect: the territory, the assimilative capacity, the market is the best technology, urbanization, global natural processes, the business and investment climate, socio-economic globalization, public administration, internal resources. Defines the fundamental management principles: the principle of legality and civil liability, the principle of universal communication create value, the principle of balancing environmental and economic interests, constant measurement and analysis, delegation of authority and responsibility, regulation, adaptive management. Considered forms of nature protection activity: conservative (avoid the risk), adaptive (risk retention), active (redistribution of risk). The indicated objects of nature protection activity: material-technical base, labour protection, safety, materials and energy resources involved in environmental operations, accounts payable and receivable of the enterprise, goodwill, pricing, product policy, sales policy and others. Developed business model of nature protection activity to support sustainable socio-ecological-economic development of society. This model serves as a practical management tool that facilitates the understanding of the strategic objectives.


The use of interpolations in time, rather than the more widely used spatial interpolations, demonstrates several benefits in the application of the method of characteristics to wave problems in hydraulics. Two such time-line schemes are presented and analyzed in the solution of a linearized water hammer problem. Reachback time-line interpolations, where the characteristic lines are projected back before the current time step, demonstrate less damping than the corresponding spatial interpolation scheme at the same discretization. Implicit time-line interpolations, where the characteristic line is projected into the current time step, permit relaxation of the restrictive time step required by the Courant condition. An error analysis and numerical experiments demonstrate the degree of damping and dispersion introduced by both reachback and implicit time-line interpolation methods. The error analyses and their verification may encourage further application of these methods in appropriate problem domains.


Background : Alterations of lipid profiles are well known in thyroid dysfunction. Hypothyroidism is associated with premature atherosclerosis. This relation has been attributed to increased levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. However, there have been dissenting reports of abnormalities in serum lipid concentrations in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Serum Lp(a), an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis, is predicted according to thyroid function status. C-reactive protein (CRP) is very sensitive acute phase reactant and independently associated with the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Overt hypothyroidism is a cause of atherosclerosis, so it is expected that serum level of CRP may be related with thyroid dysfunction. However, no study has been performed about it. The objective of the study was to evaluate the relation of plasma CRP, apo AI, apo Band Lp(a) with thyroid function. Methods : We undertook this study in 54 patients with hyperthyroidism, 35 patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism, 29 patients with overt hypothyroidism, 194 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and 100 age and sex matched healthy control subjects. Serum CRP and Lp(a) were measured by immuno-nephelometry, Results : There were no significant differences of serum CRP, Lp(a), HDL-C and apo Al according to thyroid dysfunction. Serum total cholesterol level was lower in hyperthyroidism than in overt hyperthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism and healthy control subjects (p


The possibility to perform polarimetry in the soft X-ray energy band (2-10 keV) with the Gas Pixel Detector, filled with low Z mixtures, has been widely explored so far. The possibility to extend the technique to higher energies, in combination with multilayer optics, has been also hypothesized in the past, on the basis of simulations. Here we present a recent development to perform imaging polarimetry between 6 and 35 keV, employing a new design for the GPD, filled with a Ar-DME gas mixture at high pressure. In order to improve the efficiency by increasing the absorption gap, while preserving a good parallel electric field, we developed a new configuration characterized by a wider gas cell and a wider GEM. The uniform electric field allows to maintain high polarimetric capabilities without any decrease of spectroscopic and imaging properties. We present the first measurements of this prototype showing that it is now possible to perform imaging and spectro-polarimetry of hard X-ray sources.


We introduce a distributed opportunistic scheduling (DOS) strategy, based on two pre-determined thresholds, for uplink K-cell networks with time-invariant channel coefficients. Each base station (BS) opportunistically selects a mobile station (MS) who has a large signal strength of the desired channel link among a set of MSs generating a sufficiently small interference to other BSs. Then, performance on the achievable throughput scaling law is analyzed. As our main result, it is shown that the achievable sum-rate scales as K log(SNR log N) in a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, if the total number of users in a cell, N, scales faster than SNRK-1/1-ε for a constant ε∈(0,1). This result indicates that the proposed scheme achieves the multiuser diversity gain as well as the degrees-of-freedom gain even under multi-cell environments. Simulation results show that the DOS provides a better sum-rate throughput over conventional schemes.


Due to the recent environmental concerns and long-term challenges in energy security, the Global energy scenarios are shifting more towards sustainable and renewable energy resources. Brunei has planned to increase the use of cleaner energy technologies by contributing 10 percent or 954 GWh of renewable energy in its power generation mix by 2035. Out of the available renewable options, solar is the most promising one for Brunei, for example, the daily average solar installation is around 5kWh per day [1]. Though solar energy is an abundant resource, for optimally designing and successfully managing solar power projects, its availability in different time scales are to be analyzed and understood in a local context. In this paper, we present models for estimating the output of six different solar PV technologies using machine learning methods Performance data from the solar PV systems installed at the Tenaga Suria PV plant in Brunei are used to develop the models. Influence of relevant environmental parameters, such as irradiance, relative humidity, ambient temperature and wind speed on the power output has been analyzed for optimal feature selection. Performance models based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) were developed and tested for predicting the PV system performance. Both the models could estimate the system performance with reasonably high level of accuracy.


The invention relates to a filter manufacturing method and a filter manufacturing apparatus (1) having a device (31a-31e) for applying plasticizer (26a-26e) on filter material (3, 3a-3e) and a filter material conveying device (2, 9, 11, 28). DOLLAR A The filter production process according to the invention comprises the following process steps: DOLLAR A - Providing a web (3, 3a-3e) of filter material (3, 3a-3e), DOLLAR A - Applying a plasticizer (26a-26e) to the filter material (3, 3a-3e), DOLLAR A - forming a strand (32) from the filter material (3, 3a-3e), DOLLAR A - separating filters (34) of the strand (32), wherein at least in the conveying direction (40) of the Filter material (3, 3a-3e) is generated spatially resolved depending on the concentration of the plasticizer (26a-26e) signal and wherein filter (34) with filter material (3, 3a-3e), for which a signal below a first predetermined threshold or above of a second predetermined threshold, are discarded. DOLLAR A The filter manufacturing device according to the invention is characterized in that a measuring device (36a, 36b, 37, 38a, 38b) for generating a signal, the at least in the conveying direction (40) of the filter material (3, 3a-3e) spatially resolved concentration of the plasticizer (25a-26e) in the filter material (3, 3a-3e).


A knowledge-based system architecture for malfunction diagnosis and sensor validation in chemical process plants is discussed. The sensor validation is performed during diagnosis to identify sensor failures and determine alternate data for failed sensors such that correct symptomatic data are provided for the diagnosis of malfunctioning process equipment. The architecture consists of three distinct problem-solving modules and effectively integrates qualitative and quantitative knowledge for sensor validation and diagnosis. The diagnostic module involves a malfunction hierarchy which represents malfunction hypotheses in its nodes. A systematic functional decomposition strategy is developed to help identify process subsystems in levels of detail ranging from general functional systems to specific equipment components. It facilitates the construction of a malfunction hierarchy from the process flowsheet. Functional decomposition also identifies control system (Category I) sensors which need to be represented in the malfunction hierarchy so that their failures are explicitly considered in the diagnosis as the possible causes of undesirable operating conditions. For non-control system (Category II) sensors, their failures are considered to ensure that correct symptomatic information is used for diagnosis and process monitoring. For both sensor categories, four different modes of sensor failure are considered, which include mechanical failures as well as biases. Recognizing the characteristics of chemical plants and the validation problem, a novel sensor validation strategy is developed. The strategy streamlines the validation by leveraging functional and operational knowledge about the sensors. The knowledge for sensor validation, including the past operational sensor reliability ranking and the methods for determining alternate values for the sensors, is organized in the validation module. The knowledge representation is flexible so that any applicable methods for validation, ranging from qualitative estimates to quantitative process models, can be incorporated. The validation algorithm is integrated into malfunction diagnosis such that the diagnosis specifies which sensors need to be validated. Finally, numerical process data are stored in the data abstraction module, along with the various parameters for qualitative data abstraction and independent data checks. The computational architecture is demonstrated with a working prototype system developed for a dynamically simulated chemical process.


Background The guidance for Coeliac Disease (CD) has evolved over the last few years. The highlight of the ESPGHAN guidelines from January 2020 is that high serological markers (tTG and EMA) are now the requirements for confirmation of CD regardless of symptoms. Aims To review management of patients and compare it with the latest ESPGHAN/BSPGHAN guidelines. To review time to confirmed diagnosis from the start of symptoms. To look at provision of Gluten free products at schools and Primary Care service. Methods Retrospective data collected from Coeliac database from January 2018 till November 2020 in a District General Hospital with provision for a dedicated Coeliac Clinic supported by a Specialist Dietician. We reviewed the presentation of symptoms, methods of confirmation of CD, time duration from onset of symptoms till diagnosis, provision of gluten free meals at schools and availability of gluten free products on prescription. Results 35 patients were diagnosed with CD, 31 were symptomatic and 4 were asymptomatic. 27/31 of the symptomatic patients had high level tTG (>10 times the upper limit), 20 had positive EMA and HLA DQ2/DQ8 for positive confirmation. The two negative EMA were referred for biopsy. Three had HLA typing but had high tTG on 2 separate occasions which confirms diagnosis. 2 had only one high tTG and HLA but no EMA or second high tTG so they did not meet the diagnostic criteria. 4 symptomatic patients with low tTG Of 28 patients referred through Primary Care, 7 were screened and referred with symptom duration of circa 4 to 12 months, another 7 were diagnosed through screening due to positive family history or type1 Diabetes Mellitus and 14 cases had no specific duration of symptoms recorded. Remaining seven were diagnosed by hospital paediatricians due to different presentations. Most parents stated that they were providing packed lunch box even if the school provided some gluten free meals as the menu choice lacked variety. Patients with Type 1 diabetes found a packed lunch easier for carbohydrate counting. Parents felt tailor made menu recommendation from the dietician to the school would be beneficial for families and the school. Conclusion and Recommendation We thus identified that 82%(n=29) of patient had met the criteria for diagnosis of CD as per 2015 guidelines, but if 2020 guidelines were applied then 94.2%(n=31) would have meet the criteria. Recommendations Identifying duration of time needed for the child to be screened will help to raise awareness within primary care practice. This will be audited in the future. There is a large knowledge gap in schools about CD and the importance of convenient access to gluten free meals in enhancing compliance with gluten free food in children. Offering tailor made presentations to the local schools will address this issue. A further review to identify if similar knowledge gap exists in schools regionally is planned.


We propose and numerically demonstrate a microfluid-enabled spin-selective chiral metasurface with tunable circular dichroism. The chiral metasurface consists of periodic array of gammadion-like multilayer nanostructures. With the help of microfluidic technology, fine tuning of circular dichroism from the chiral metasurface can be achieved. Numerical results show that a broad tuning range of 40 nm can be achieved, while the circular dichroism only shows a slight decrease. Such a proposed device could be potentially useful for chirality detection, polarimetric imaging, and spin-communications.


A distance oracle is a compact representation of the shortest distance matrix of a graph. It can be queried to approximate shortest paths between any pair of vertices. Any distance oracle that returns paths of worst-case stretch (2k-1) must require space $\Omega(n^{1 + 1/k})$ for graphs of n nodes. The hard cases that enforce this lower bound are, however, rather dense graphs with average degree \Omega(n^{1/k}).
We present distance oracles that, for sparse graphs, substantially break the lower bound barrier at the expense of higher query time. For any 1 \leq \alpha \leq n, our distance oracles can return stretch 2 paths using O(m + n^2/\alpha) space and stretch 3 paths using O(m + n^2/\alpha^2) space, at the expense of O(\alpha m/n) query time. By setting appropriate values of \alpha, we get the first distance oracles that have size linear in the size of the graph, and return constant stretch paths in non-trivial query time. The query time can be further reduced to O(\alpha), by using an additional O(m \alpha) space for all our distance oracles, or at the cost of a small constant additive stretch.
We use our stretch 2 distance oracle to present the first compact routing scheme with worst-case stretch 2. Any compact routing scheme with stretch less than 2 must require linear memory at some nodes even for sparse graphs; our scheme, hence, achieves the optimal stretch with non-trivial memory requirements. Moreover, supported by large-scale simulations on graphs including the AS-level Internet graph, we argue that our stretch-2 scheme would be simple and efficient to implement as a distributed compact routing protocol.