1. Emend Improves Prevention of Chemo-Induced Nausea & Vomiting 2. Avastin + Chemo is Safe & Effective for Older Patients with mCRC 3. Adding Erbitux to Standard Chemo Improves Liver Resectability 4. Folfoxiri Prolongs Survival in mCRC Patients 5. Adding Irinotecan to 5FU After Primary Surgery Adds No Benefit & Increases Side Effects 6. Phase III Sunitinib (Sutent) Trial in mCRC Stopped 7. Two Avastin-Based Combination Regimens Are Equally Effective in Treating mCRC 8. Exiqon Dx Announces BRAF Mutation Analysis for Predicting Anti-EGFR Therapy Response 9. Lack of Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy Does Not Preclude Long-Term Survival After Liver Resection 10. Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy to Treat Peritoneal Mets 11. Treatment of Rectal Adenomas by Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) 12. Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Rectal Carcinoid Tumours 13. Preoperative Use of MR Colonography To Evaluate Synchronous Colorectal Cancer 14. Radiofrequency Ablation With Chemo Improves Outcomes in Unresectable Colorectal Cancer Liver Mets 15. Age and Illness Increase Colonoscopy Risks 16. CT Colonography (Virtual Colonoscopy) May Benefit Some High Risk Patients 17. Deep Sedation May Improve Cancer Detection in Colonoscopies 18. More Accurate and Less Invasive Colorectal Cancer Screening – iFOBT 19. TheraScreen Kras Mutation Kit Approved For Use in Canada 20. Capsule Endoscopy vs. Colonoscopy for the Detection of Polyps/Cancer 21. Vitamin B3 May Increase Neutrophil Count 22. Vitamin B6 May Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk By Over 50% 23. Low Folate Diets Increase Risk of Colorectal Cancer 24. Understanding How Vitamin D Can Prevent & Treat Colon Cancer 25. Colon Cancer Risk: Meat & How it's Cooked 26. Diet & Lifestyle Choices Can Prevent Colorectal Cancer 27. Diet & Exercise Produce Positive Results in Long Term Survivors


An experimental study of the flash filament technique of estimating residual gas pressures and measuring surface contamination by gas layers has been made. A tungsten ribbon filament of known surface area, the temperature of which is monitored by an attached thermocouple, has been used in a stainless steel chamber maintained at residual gas pressures between 10-9 and 10-8 torr and isolated from the ultra-high vacuum pump set. In previous work glass chambers have been used, direct temperature monitoring has not been practised in the same way and a gas throughput to the continuously operating pumps has been established. Marked saturation, at which the sticking probability of molecules on the tungsten ribbon decreases to very small values, has been found to occur after cold time intervals of six minutes at 10-9 torr increasing to twenty minutes at 1 × 10-8 torr as compared with times of several hours in previous experiments. The corresponding gas coverages of the filament surface are only 0.2 to 2% of a monolayer, whereas previous work has normally been based on estimates of full monolayer coverage. The flash filament method of estimating residual gas pressures is therefore considered to be of little value in that the two possible techniques of calculating the pressure depend on the assumption of either monolayer coverage or a linear relationship between the peak pressure obtained on flashing and the previous cold time interval, neither of which is valid. The results obtained are explained on the basis that the residual gas within a stainless steel chamber at pressures of 10-8 torr and below is predominantly hydrogen, and that the sticking probability for hydrogen on tungsten at room temperature is very small. It is concluded that the stainless steel chamber offers considerable advantages compared with the use of glass with regard to the production of atomically clean surfaces in ultra-high vacuum and is consequently preferred for such studies as the measurement of thermionic and photoelectric work functions, the release of electrons from surfaces by incident electrons or ions and the determination of accommodation coefficients.


A quantization scheme for discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients in the Joint Photographic Experts Group's (JPEGs) baseline sequential method for image compression is proposed. The DCT coefficients should be quantized to achieve maximum compression without degrading the visual image quality. The scheme is adaptive to the image characteristics and is statistical in nature. The results are evaluated in terms of compression, root-mean-square error, and subjective visual quality, 8-b/pixel monochrome images of size 512 * 512 have been compressed in the range 0.4-1 b/pixel with good to excellent quality.<<ETX>>


In this paper, we delineate the strategy employed by our team, DeepLearningBrasil, which secured us the first place in the shared task DepSign-LT-EDI@RANLP-2023 with the advantage of 2.4%. The task was to classify social media texts into three distinct levels of depression - "not depressed," "moderately depressed," and "severely depressed." Leveraging the power of the RoBERTa and DeBERTa models, we further pre-trained them on a collected Reddit dataset, specifically curated from mental health-related Reddit's communities (Subreddits), leading to an enhanced understanding of nuanced mental health discourse. To address lengthy textual data, we introduced truncation techniques that retained the essence of the content by focusing on its beginnings and endings. Our model was robust against unbalanced data by incorporating sample weights into the loss. Cross-validation and ensemble techniques were then employed to combine our k-fold trained models, delivering an optimal solution. The accompanying code is made available for transparency and further development.


Globally rice is one of the most important staple food crops. In India, rice is being grown on an area of 44.62 million hectares with a production of 93.08 million tones. Though, scented rice Production Potential, Nutrient Uptake and Factor Productivity of Scented Rice in Rice-wheat Cropping System Alongwith Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties Under Site Specific Integrated Plant Nutrient Management


The aim of this research is to know how the role of The Ombudsman in Indonesia
after the enactment of The Law Number 37 Year 2008 Concerning Ombudsman Of The
Law Number 25 Year 2009 Concerning Public Service. Before the two law enacted
Ombudsman in Indonesia only regulated in Predential Decree number 44 year 2000
concerning Nasional Ombudsman Commission. The changing on the legal base affect of the Ombudsman in the future.
Research conducted through field study and bibliography study and the field
research the Ombudsman office in Jakarta and interview to two resources person. The
resources persons are vice of chief Ombudsman Republic og Indonesia (2000-2011) and one Ombudsman Investigator.
Based on data analysis the conclusion of this research are first the supervision role
of Ombudsman of Indonesia based on The Law Number 37 Year 2008 Concerning
Ombudsman Of The Law Number 25 Year 2009 Concerning Public Service still has
problem on its implementation. So its need to explanation further on function, juridiction, instituion, complain handling, and the postion of the representative office at the region.
The wide scoup of the authority of Ombudsman cover also public service on the state
own enterprise and private sector. Some of the government regulation as the regulation as technical regulation for the The Law Number 37 Year 2008 Concerning Ombudsman Of The Law Number 25 Year 2009 Concerning Public Service had no been enacted yet.
Secondly the ombudsman has instrument which empower this role such subpoena
power, mediation, conciliation, and special ajudication on compesation but there still not clear how to implemented. There is some contradiction on article at The Law Number 37 Year 2008 Concerning Ombudsman Of The Law Number 25 Year 2009 Concerning Public Service, such in the complaint handling, the role og mediation etc. In the other side the empowerment of the Ombudsman can treat the Ombudsman to became not persuasive anymore like the general principles of the Ombudsman.


Abstract The effect of the supply of ammonium (NH4 +) and phosphorus (P) in gel on the amounts of hydrogen ion (H+) excreted from plant roots was studied with Brachiaria humidicola (a highly acid‐soil tolerant tropical grass) and B. brizantha (less acid‐soil tolerant) grown in soil in a glasshouse. The H+ production was measured over 24 h in agar gel containing full nutrient solution with a range of NH/‐N levels (0, 0.25, 0.5, and 5.0 mM NH4 +‐N). Highly soluble P, K2HPO4, or relatively insoluble P, rock P, was supplied at four concentrations (0, 11.5, 34.5, or 115 μM p) in the gel. Increasing NH4 + concentration in the gel increased H+ production for both grasses, but there was some inhibition of growth for B. brizantha at the highest N concentration. For B. humidicola, but not B. brizantha H+ production was greater with 34.5 μM K2HPO4 than 11.5 μM K2HPO4. At 34.5 μM P for both grasses there was no difference in H+ production when P was supplied as rock P or K2HPO4. With 11.5 μM P both grasses produced less acid in the gel with the rock P compared with K2HPO4. The reduced H+ production is probably due to a lower availability of P in the rock P compared with K2HPO4. This effect was greater with B. brizantha than B. humidicola, implying that 11.5 μM rock P was not able to supply sufficient P for the growth of B. brizantha. Brachiaria humidicola was able to dissolve more rock P than B. brizantha or alternatively, the growth of B. humidicola was less adversely affected by the low P supply from rock P than B. brizantha. Plant‐induced acidity does not seem to occur as a response to a lack of available P, but rather these grasses only produce acid if there are enough nutrients for growth, i.e., both NH4 + and P. If either N or P is limiting, growth is limited as is NH4 + uptake, so that H+ production is curtailed.


This paper presents a dual-band impedance transformer for real source and load impedances that is capable of providing matching at two arbitrary frequencies. There are two possible configurations of the proposed technique, and both the configurations are simple and possess flexibility to cater to wide range of impedance environments. A very useful feature of the design is its inherent ability to provide DC isolation. A prototype, which works at 1 GHz and 2 GHz, fabricated using Roger's RO4350B laminate validates the proposed design with a good match between theoretical and experimental results. In addition, a dual-band T-junction power divider is reported to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed impedance transformer.


Free radicals ascribed to ascorbic acid (AscH2), vitamin C, in the solid matrix of synthetic calcium carbonate have been studied using electron spin resonance (ESR) after UV irradiation. A new ESR signal with g-factors of g|| =2.0024 and g⊥=2.0053 was found together with a broad singlet signal around g=2.005 and a doublet signal at g=2.0053 separated by 0.18 mT due to the ascorbyl radical (Asc•-). The molecular orbitals of Asc•- and two other types of ascorbyl radical (AscH•-) were calculated using the semi-empirical PM3 unrestricted Hartree–Fock (UHF) method, which indicated that the hyperfine splitting due to hydrogen bonded to one of the carbons in the pentagonal ring was dominant. The axial signal was ascribed to AscH•-, while the doublet signal was ascribed to Asc•- in CaCO3. Possible pharmaceutical and nutritional applications of embedding unstable active molecules into the crystalline lattice of CaCO3 and a new nondestructive method for determination of vitamin C contents are discussed because the vitamin C has higher thermal stability in the carbonate than that in aqueous solution.


A scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), entitled "100th anniversary of the discovery of cosmic rays," was held on 24 October 2012 in the conference hall of the Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS. The agenda of the session announced on the RAS Physical Sciences Division website www.gpad.ac.ru included the following reports: (1) Panasyuk M I (Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Lomonosov State University, Moscow) "The contribution of Russian scientists to the centennial history of the development of the physics of cosmic rays"; (2) Ryazhskaya O G (Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) "On experiments in underground physics"; (3) Krymskii G F, Berezhko E G (Shafer Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk) "The origin of cosmic rays"; (4) Stozhkov Yu I (Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) "Cosmic rays in the heliosphere"; (5) Troitsky S V (Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) "Cosmic particles of energies >1019 eV: a short review of results." Papers based on reports 2 and 5 are presented below. • On experiments in Underground Physics, O G Ryazhskaya Physics-Uspekhi, 2013, Volume 56, Number 3, Pages 296–304 • Cosmic particles with energies above 1019 eV: a brief summary of results, S V Troitsky Physics-Uspekhi, 2013, Volume 56, Number 3, Pages 304–310


covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva or external genitalia. The size of the hymenal opening increases with age. A microperforate hymen is a rare congenital anomaly frequently mistaken for an imperforate hymen having pinhead sized opening, permitting normal menstrual flow which lasts longer due to the fact that blood cannot come out at a normal rate. Pregnancy with intact hymen without emission of penis are very rare entity, and sexual intercourse leads to dyspareunia and disturbances in married life. A minor surgical procedure can be performed to correct the anomaly.


Sounding of a two dimensional(2D)) small air reed instrument with an open end was numerically studied with compressible Large-Eddy Simulation (LES). Open end reflection of a 2D pipe reproduced numerically shows good agreement with that given by the theoretical formula developed by ourselves. Vibrations of the air-reed instrument driven by an air jet were well reproduced. The spatial distribution of aerodynamic sound source calculated with Lighthill's formula almost overlaps with that of vorticity near the mouth opening. The pressure detected at a point in the pipe vibrates at the fundamental or 2nd harmonic resonance frequency of the pipe depending on the jet velocity. So it strongly correlates with the jet oscillation. The relation of the sound frequency with the jet velocity was discussed comparing with the prediction given by the semi-empirical theory developed by Cremer & Ising, Coltman and other authors.


The evidence theory is a useful mathematical tool for reasoning with uncertainty and has a wide range of applications in information fusion,pattern recognition,etc.How to construct a proper basic belief assignment(BBA) based on the obtained evidence information,i.e.,evidence modeling,is the premise of applying evidence theory.However,the evidence theory does not provide a universal method of evidence modeling.The existing evidence modeling methods are all application oriented.According to the Abstract level of available information,the exiting evidence modeling methods are classified into feature-based method and decision-based method and are summarized respectively.Finally,the problems in evidence modeling are disscussed and the future research directions are predicted.


Purpose – The paper presents an analysis of the broadly defined essence of competitiveness in the healthcare sector and the closely related issue of the competitiveness of healthcare organisations accounting for the specifics of key types of competition in healthcare. The objective of the paper is to demonstrate that the essence of competition between healthcare organisations is represented by a better use of resources by some enterprises and enhanced cost efficiency in the conditions of the increased demand for top quality services. Research method – The research methodology applied in the study was literature research, the analysis of available empirical research results and of the laws and regulations applicable to the healthcare market. The analysis focused on the specifics of the Polish healthcare market and the ensuing conse-quences for the competitiveness of healthcare organisations. Results – The results of the analysis show how complex the issue of competitiveness of healthcare organisations is and how relevant it is for the increase of quality, availability, and innovativeness of healthcare for patients.


In order to compete successfully in the marketplace, suppliers have to develop certain innovative capabilities that, in turn, depend on the type of relationship that is established with customers. Based on a study of 197 suppliers operating in the packaging machinery industry in China, structural equation modeling and multiple hierarchical regression are used to reveal the relationship between suppliers' innovation capability and their different roles in the supply chain. The research findings lend support to the hypothesis that the level of investment in technology and the acquisition of specific managerial capabilities are to a large extent, a determinant of supplier-customer interdependence.


Objective:To investigate the efficacy of anatomic locking plate fixation in the treatment of comminuted clavicle fractures.Methods:A total of 46 patients with comminuted clavicle fractures underwent anatomical locking plate internal fixation surgery.Results: Totally 46 patients have been postoperatively followed up for 6~16 months,and all fractures healed in 8~10 weeks after surgery with no incidence of non-union,internal fixation failure or refracture.According to University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA) shoulder rating scale,the shoulder function was excellent in 38 cases,good in 7 cases.Conclusions: Anatomical locking plate internal fixation surgery has good efficacy in comminuted clavicle fracture.


Approximately 20,000 children are adopted from foreign countries each year. Of these children, approximately 46% are adopted before they are 12 months old and 43% are adopted between 1 and 4 years of age. The development of children adopted from abroad before or by 2 years of age is the focus of this article. Given the impoverished language input and social interactions associated with institutional care and the disruption in communication and social–emotional development, children adopted from abroad may demonstrate different or delayed developmental trajectories than do children living with their biological parents in monolingual or multilingual homes. The dual purposes of this article are (1) to describe current developmental evidence on the speech, social, language, and symbolic behavior development for infants and toddlers adopted from abroad and (2) to recommend clinical practices for referral and assessment based on this evidence. This descriptive information is intended to inform parents and professionals seeking to make appropriate decisions about when and whether to seek speech–language assessment or intervention services for children adopted internationally. A case study is provided to illustrate the complexities of these decisions.


ABSTRACT Micropolar continua are shown to be the generalisation of nematic liquid crystals through perspectives of order parameters, topological and geometrical considerations. Micropolar continua and nematic liquid crystals are recognised as antipodals of and in projective geometry. We show that position-dependent rotational axial fields in kinematic micropolar continua can be considered as solutions of anisotropic Higgs fields, characterised by integers N. We emphasise that the identical integers N are topological invariants through homotopy classifications based on defects of order parameters and a finite energy requirement. Magnetic monopoles and Skyrmions are investigated based on the theories of defects of continua in Riemann–Cartan manifolds.


We studied the spatial distribution of galaxies with samples from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) including observational holes in the masks. From a multifractal formalism and using the sliding window technique for each sample, we have determined the fractal dimension and the lacunarity spectrum. Aditionally, the scale of homogeneity was determined for each struture parameter. Our results show that the galaxy clustering exhibits a behavior that depends on the radial distance, revealing that the hierarchical distribution is not a fractal at large-scales, with a transition to homogeneity on large scales below 130 Mpc/h. The large-scale structure of the Universe has been extensively studied since the publication of the first galaxy surveys. Some analysis with high-redshift samples shows the existence of fractal correlations (Celerier & Thieberger 2005). Fractal analysis is a useful mathematical tool that quantifies galactic clustering using data from galaxy surveys by calculating quantities such as the fractal dimension, making it possible to establish relationships between these values and other statistical descriptors. The transition to a homogeneity scale rH can be defined according to (Yadav, et al. 2010) as the value of r above which the fractal dimension Dq is equal to the dimension of the physical space in which the points are distributed, i.e., D = 3. We have take synthetic samples based on SDSS DR7, DR10, DR11 and SDSS-BOSS footprint. We determine the fractal dimension Dq using the sliding window technique, it was applied to the logarithm of the correlation integral as a function of the logarithm of the comoving distance r, i.e., log(Cq) ∝ log(r). From Fig. 1 it is possible to obtain the behaviour of


The aim of the study was to identify the effect of Carduus nutans L on the heavy metals and microenvironment biota. Ten plants of Carduus nutans L were collected togheter with the rhizosphere soil and as reference the soil was collectued from an abandonated pasture where no vegetation was growing. The metal concentrations in the filtrate were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and the total number of bacteria and actinomycetes from the average soil samples was established. Based on the mathematical models we managed to identify the effects of the heavy metals present in the Carduus nutans L rhizosphere soil samples on the development and presence of bacteria and actinomycetes colonies. We can state that iron and manganese influence the CFU of bacteria and actinomycetes and these in their turn have an impact on the zinc concentration in soil which will influence total chromium content and copper concentrations.


We present a class of bases sets of the algebraic matroid of the determinantal variety, which we also conjecture they completely characterize the matroid. For this we interpret matrix completion from a point of view of hyperplane sections on the Grassmannian and make use of a class of local coordinates described by Sturmfels $\&$ Zelevinsky. As a byproduct we prove a conjecture of Rong, Wang $\&$ Xu.


Paul Standish's fine essay, "One Language, One World: The Common Measure of Education," provides a Derridean interpretation of the possibility that language might be forced to take on an instrumental form, as opposed to a sacred form. I wholeheartedly agree and commend Standish's efforts to turn this Derridean essay on to educational concerns, and, in fact, I simply want to turn the Derridean account more sharply toward pedagogy.


Medical imaging and diagnostic techniques have become popular over the last two decades with the advancement of data science, data analysis, data storage, and the internet. The impact of this evolution can be seen in the fields of telemedicine and medical sciences, which allow more effective detection and treatment of various diseases. Like any other form of imaging technique, medical images are sensitive to noise and artifacts. The images become unclear with the presence of noise, and the diseases cannot be identified properly. Therefore, image denoising plays a vital role in the field of biomedical image processing. As a result, work must be done to minimize noise without sacrificing image quality. Various methods for reducing noise have already been proposed in the literature. Each method has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. In this paper, we introduce a bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD)-based image de-noising approach. The principal purpose of this research is to decompose noisy images depending on frequency and create a hybrid algorithm that incorporates existing de-noising approaches. The proposed algorithm is an image-dependent technique that decomposes the noisy image into several IMFs with residue, then considering the individual attributes of the IMFs, they are separately filtered. Furthermore equalization is applied to the residue for preserving the edge information. A comprehensive study is conducted over the experimental results of the benchmark test images using different performance measure matrices to quantify the effectiveness of the presented approach. In terms of subjective and objective evaluation, the reconstructed image is found to be more accurate and visually pleasing. It also outperforms the state-of-the-art image-denoising methods, especially in terms of PSNR, RMSE, correlation, and structural similarity.


Five problems that Yunnan paper industry may face in the beginning of" 11th Five-year Plan"are analyzed and it is pointed out that the right choice for Yunnan paper industry to develop is to get the policy support,use latest management,change the traditional concept,lay stress on the environment and put stress on competition and cooperation.


This paper will use Sigmund Freud's essay "The Uncanny" to analyse William Shakespeare's play Richard III. It will be argued that, although the play predates the ideas of Freud, it makes use of sev ...


Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the early and late outcomes after pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) compares with distal gastrectomy (DG) in early gastric cancer (EGC).
 Methods: We used PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to conduct a comprehensive search up to March 2016. All suitable studies comparing PPG with DG were included. Weighted mean difference (WMD), odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated in this meta-analysis.
 Results: Sixteen studies of 2,066 EGC patients that compared PPG (n=685) with DG (n=1,381) were analyzed. As for early outcomes, analysis of PPG versus DG showed that PPG had shorter operative time (WMD =−12.84; 95% CI: −16.76 to −8.91, P Conclusions: PPG has the advantage over DG in shorter operative time in EGC. Besides, there were no significant differences between PPG and DG in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, overall complication rate, number of retrieved lymph nodes, OS, RFS, recurrence and metastasis. More high quality trials are required to better evaluate early and late outcomes.


This is a report of 127 cases of carcinoma of the vulva from 1941–1943 at the Sheffield Radium Centre. The age of incidence is between 40 and 80 years. Only one case treated was less than 40 years of age. Treatment was by radium X rays and surgery, alone, or with various combinations. More than half of cases were treated in the first instance by radium. Survival rate for five years was 26 per cent., 10 years 11 per cent. Symptom free rate for five years was 16 per cent. and for 10 years, 11 per cent. Survival figures for radium and surgery were similar and were rather in favour of radium up to 10 years. In the cases that died, 41 per cent. still showed cancer in the vulva and 32 per cent. in the glands, of those treated by radiation only. Those treated by surgery, corresponding figures were 31 per cent. for the vulva and 31 per cent. for the glands. Recurrences after radium were more common than after surgery, but radium was more successful in dealing with "surgery" recurrences as was surgery in dealing w...


Dielectric constant e', loss tanδ and ac conductivity σ ac of 40PbO.xWO 3 . (60-x)P 2 O 5 (with 0≤x≤15) glasses are studied over wide ranges of frequency and temperature. The dielectric breakdown strength of these glasses is also determined at room temperature. The values of dielectric parameters, namely, e', tanδ and σ ac are found to decrease with increase in concentration of WO 3 ; the probable reasons for such a decrease are identified and explained with the help of infrared spectra of these glasses. Variation of tanδ with temperature at different frequencies of these glasses has exhibited dielectric relaxation effects with decreasing relaxation intensity with increase in the concentration of WO 3 from 0 to 5 mol%; such relaxation effects seem to have been absent in glasses containing WO 3 beyond 5 mol%. The relaxation phenomenon has been analysed by a pseudo Cole-Cole plot method and the possible mechanism responsible for such relaxation effects has been suggested. The ac conduction phenomenon in these glasses has been explained on the basis of both a quantum mechanical tunnelling model (QMT) and a correlated barrier hopping model (CBH); the CBH model seems to be more appropriate for ac conduction in these glasses than the QMT model.


Air traffic management plays a significant role in modern air transportation system, in case of emergency rescue, its emergency response ability directly determined the system's efficacy of the stricken area. This paper studied the classification of air traffic emergency response, according to the air traffic management rule of Civil Aviation Administration of China and its work situation, established an evaluation index system of the transferring controller handoff by utilizing the Delphi method. Through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive assessment, calculated the weight of each index, and established the airspace transfer gray incidence decision model of multiple-attribute. On this base, evaluated the vicinal region of one airspace of China. And depending on the simulation analysis by the system of "air traffic flow evaluation based on the aircraft circulation simulation", provided the result is reasonable and feasible, then, formulated the emergency response of transferring controller handoff scenario of this region. This method can primly reflect the ability of transferring controller handoff successor, and have high theoretic value and extensive application. Therefore, it provides a credible background for air traffic bureau to enact the emergency response airspace handover scenario.


Liver cancer detection using the computer vision methods and machine learning already received significant attention of researchers for accurate diagnosis and on-time medical attentions. The Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) preferred for cancer detection all over the world which is based on image processing functions. Earlier CAD tools were designed using conventional machine learning methods using semi-automatic approach. The recent growth of deep learning for automatic detection and classification leads to significant improvement in accuracy. This paper proposed the automatic CAD framework for liver cancer detection using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM). The input Computed Tomography (CT) scan images first pre-processed for quality enhancement. After that we applied the lightweight and accuracy Region of Interest (ROI) extraction technique using dynamic binary segmentation. From ROI images, we extracted automated CNN-based features and hand-craft features. The combination of both features formed unique feature set for classification purpose. The LSTM block is then perform the classification either into normal or diseased CT image. The CNN-LSTM model is designed in this paper to enhance the accuracy of liver cancer detection compared to other deep learning solutions. The experimental results of proposed model using CNN-based features and hybrid hand craft features outperformed the recent state-of-art methods.


Recent advances in the study of ancient demography have failed to shed much new light on conditions in the city of Rome. L. E. Tacoma sets out to change that in his ambitious study of migration to the imperial capital during the Principate: ranging well beyond issues of mobility, it is now the most comprehensive survey of the city's demography more generally. The book is the principal result of a Leiden-based research initiative that explored urbanization, labor and migration in Roman Italy. As part of this project, Tacoma also co-edited two collaborative volumes on population movement in the Roman world.1


Description of longitudinal dispersion in rivers is still at front of the research problems within environmental hydrologists. The simplest and most popular in practical approach is the model based on one-dimensional advection–dispersion equation. When assumption of almost uniform concentration distribution of admixture (C) in a river cross-section (A) is valid, what may be true in a far distance from the release point, and the channel geometry is relatively simple, this equation may be written in the form of


In the Middle East, as in much of the world, the demographic story of the past 50 years was rapid population growth, which placed a heavy burden on economies. Yet that is coming to an end, in no small part because of social changes, especially the modest progress toward women's empowerment. The Middle East is now making a "demographic transition" that offers the prospect of twin "demographic dividends" if governments can create the right environment-first the opportunity from much of the population being of working age with a low burden for caring for the youth and elderly; then, in coming decades, the opportunity of increased capital from the savings of middle-aged workers preparing for retirement.1 Yet these opportunities could turn into dangers if insufficient jobs are created for the youth flooding into the labor markets and if not enough is saved for what will within a few decades be a rapidly growing population of the elderly. Central to both challenges will be how women's social role evolves, especially women's employment opportunities outside the home.SLOWING POPULATION GROWTHFrom 1950 to 2000, the Middle East experienced explosive population growth. The region's population grew from 92 million to 349 million, a 3.8 fold increase, or 2.7 percent a year.2 All of the countries in the region had much the same experience; consider that Israel grew at 3.2 percent a year, Iran at just over 2.7 percent, and the Arab countries at just under 2.7 percent. For most countries, the reason for this increase was a sharp decline in death rates: infant and maternal care improved, the physician/population ratio rose briskly, and so did the hospital-beds/population ratio. For Israel, Libya, and the Gulf monarchies, immigration was another important factor.Indeed, the large number of resident noncitizens in Libya and the Gulf monarchies complicates interpretation of population figures in various ways.3 First, trying to minimize the importance of foreign residents leads some governments to exaggerate the number of their citizens; the most careful study of Saudi Arabia's 1970 citizen population suggest it was only 60 percent of the figure reported in the usual international statistics (which are those used here), and there is every reason to think that discrepancy remains. Another peculiar aspect of the noncitizen populations is that they are so overwhelmingly male-which obviously affects the birth rate, calculated as a percent of the country's population. The sex ratio in the United Arab Emirates, for example, is 67 percent male.Policymakers and the general public are only slow realizing that the Middle East's long population boom is coming to an end. The Middle East is experiencing the same "demographic transition" to slow growth that hit Europe and North America a few generations ago, and Asia and Latin America in the last generation.4 In some countries, the change has been particularly dramatic. In Iran, the number of births has already dropped to half of the 1980s peak; 2,259,000 total births were registered in 1986/1987, while 2004/2005 had only 962,000.In other countries, the demographic transition has not yet begun. In particular, in Yemen and the Palestinian-ruled territories, the UN projects that population growth rates for 2000-2050 will be about the same as they were for the 1950-2000 period, which is almost certainly incorrect: The experience of the rest of the Middle East and the rest of the world strongly suggests that eventually these areas too will experience a demographic transition.Estimates for the annual population growth rate for the Middle East as a whole from 2000 to 2050 are 1.3 percent, or less than half of the 1950-2000 level. From 2000 to 2050, estimates show the region's population will not quite double, compared to the almost four-fold increase from 1950 to 2000. Further, the growth rate is continuing to drop; in the 2020- 2050 period, it is expected to be 0.6 percent a year. …


Family is a multi-dimensional structure that has particular intricacies in its internal relationships which should be taken into account in the family studies. Differentiation is one of these intricacies that Bowen has established his Family Therapy Theory upon it. This study is aimed to consider the relationship between self-differentiation and psychological health. This study is a correlation study and the statistical population includes the clients of counseling centers of Tabriz city. To collect data, we used Differentiation of Self Inventory-2 (DSI-2) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) as instruments. Step by step Multiple Regression was used to analyze data. The findings indicates that there is a significantly positive relationship between selfdifferentiation and psychological health (P<0/001). Regarding to the findings, it could be concluded that those who apply appropriate Self-differentiation in their lives, they would have less psychological vulnerability comparing to the ones who lack Self-differentiation.


Background Rituximab (RTX) is an effective treatment for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). 1000mg (1 × 1000mg or 2 × 500mg) has similar 6-month efficacy as the registered dose of 2 × 1000mg. Based on several case reports and a case series even lower doses might be sufficient for maintenance treatment, potentially improving safety and decreasing costs.(1) Objectives To compare effectiveness of RTX retreatment with ultra-low doses (1 × 500mg or 1 × 200mg) to standard low dose (1 × 1000mg). Methods A 6-month double-blind randomised controlled non-inferiority trial (REDO study (2)) was performed in 5 centres in the Netherlands. Patients with RA responding well to RTX (based on DAS28-CRP<2.9 or clinical judgement) were randomised (1:2:2) to 1 × 1000mg, 1 × 500mg or 1 × 200mg RTX respectively. DAS28-CRP and peripheral CD19+ B-cells were measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Primary analysis (per protocol with LOCF) consisted of a hierarchical testing procedure comparing ultra-low doses (1 × 500mg at 3 and 6 months, then 1 × 200mg at 3 and 6 months) to 1 × 1000mg using a non-inferiority margin of 0.6 (on DAS28-CRP). DAS28-CRP change of study groups was compared using linear regression, adjusted for baseline DAS28-CRP, RF/ACPA status and concomitant csDMARD use. Results The projected inclusion was met (n=142, table 1a). In both ultra-low dose groups 2 patients received an extra dose of 1000mg RTX due to a flare. The 500mg dose was non-inferior to 1000mg at 3 months (-0.04 (95% CI -0.39 to 0.30)), but not at 6 months (0.31 (95% CI -0.05 to 0.68). The 200mg dose was non-inferior to 1000mg at both time points. Because of our pre-defined hierarchical testing, non-inferiority could not formally be inferred for the 200mg dose. Mean DAS28-CRP scores remained low in all groups throughout the study, and B-cell counts decreased similarly at 3 months (figure 1). In the 200mg group, more patients received intramuscular corticosteroid injection(s) compared to the 1000mg group (table 1b). Conclusion Non-inferiority of retreatment with 1 × 500mg or 1 × 200mg rituximab versus 1 × 1000mg after 6 months could not formally be established. However, ultra-low doses appear similarly effective in the majority of RA patients, judged by DAS28-CRP course over time and B-cell results, with use of slightly more co-medication. References [1] Shenoy et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2015;67(suppl 10). [2] Den Broeder et al. Trials 2017;30;18(1):403. Disclosure of Interests L.M. Verhoef: None declared, Nathan den Broeder: None declared, R.M. Thurlings Grant/research support from: Congress invitations: Roche, Abbvie, Cellgene, W.H. van der Laan: None declared, W. van der Weele: None declared, Marc Kok: None declared, H.J. Bernelot Moens: None declared, Thasia Woodworth: None declared, Bart van den Bemt Grant/research support from: UCB, Pfizer, Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Consultant for: UCB, Novartis and Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Pfizer, AbbVie, UCB, Biogen, Sandoz, Frank van den Hoogen Grant/research support from: Grants, speakers fee, advisory boards: AbbVie, Actelion, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Biogen, BMS, Celgene, Celltrion Healthcare, Corbus, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi Genzyme., Alfons den Broeder Grant/research support from: Congress invitations: Roche, Cellgene, Abbvie, Biogen, Consultant for: Expert Witness for Fresenius, BI, BMS, Amgen


Case showing effect of Nirvanol on Subacute Rheumatism.-BERNARD SCHLESINGER, M.D. History.-H. S., a boy, aged 7i years, first came under observation in 1929, having suffered from chorea and subacute arthritis during the preceding three weeks. Mitral stenosis was present. There were also numerous large and painful nodules and intermittent pyrexia and tachyeardia. Nirvanol was given for ten days and omitted when the rash appeared. Chorea disappeared, temperature and pulserate dropped to normal, and nodules rapidly diminished in size and number. Acute tonsillitis, followed by relapse of rheumatism with slight pericarditis, return of chorea and many fresh nodules. Pyrexia and tachyeardia persisted after acute attack. A second course of nirvanol, administered for eleven days, cured the chorea and brought the pulse-rate and temperature down to normal again. By the end of two months most of the nodules had again disappeared but several small ones were still present; the pulse-rate also tended to rise again. A third course of nirvanol again brought down the pulse-rate without producing much reaction and little effect on the blood. Two months later, a fourth course of nirvanol brought down the pulse-rate for a short period. A fifth course two months later produced no reaction and was without effect. The child was discharged to a convalescent home with very few nodules still present, having gained 6 lb. during his thirteen months in hospital. He remained at a special rbeumatic heart convalescent home for over six months and when seen on discharge still had one or two nodules on his knees. Remained well during 1931 except for slight return of chorea in October. Present state.-No signs of active rheumatism. Heart: Mitral stenosis and no advance of disease during the last two years. No tachycardia, no pyrexia, nodules absent and child gaining weight. Sedimentation rate 4.


The main problem of adolescent reproductive health (KRR) in Indonesia, is the lack of information on reproductive health, the problem of shifting adolescent sexual behavior, poor health services and unsupportive legislation. The problem of adolescents in the Bandar Khalifah Health Center Work Area is that there are 103 teenagers who dropped out of school because of early marriage. The purpose of this study was to analyze factors related to adolescent knowledge about reproductive health at Gema Buana High School, with a correlation analytic research design.The population and sample were 72 high school students. The results showed that there was a relationship between the role of parents (p = 0.012), the role of peers (p = 0.000) and sources of information (0.030) with adolescent knowledge about reproductive health. For this reason, it is suggested to Gema Buana High School to establish PIK-KR as a means for students to gather information about reproductive health.


This paper introduces the TripleRM Sustainability Model as a tool for long term strategic Risk, Resilience and Resource Management (TripleRM) of Sustainable Cities. Through predictive scenario analysis, the model aims to help minimize social, economic and environmental damage due to infrastructure system failure, and assist cities around the world become more resilient to challenges such as flooding from storm surges during hurricanes. By aiding proactive planning for disruptive events, the TripleRM Sustainability Model assists in identifying, assessing, and reducing or eliminating the risk of failure of infrastructure systems, helps prioritize projects through a comparative study of quantified risk pre- and post-application of remedial sustainable solutions, and also aids in resource allocation. The TripleRM, Sustainability Model can be useful in preparing and responding to changes by helping adapt sustainably, by changing critical areas of weakness into spheres of strength and resilience, and by converting challenging circumstances into opportunities for growth.


Years ago, Grave and Romerl) prepared a hemolytic substance from gastric juice of patients with gastric cancer. Kimura2) separated from uterine cancers a toxic substance that will cause the decrease of blood pressure of rabbit and have the poisonous effect on a frog heart. Recently, Iwatsuru and others3) pointed out the ap pearance of a peptide (KIK-factor) in the secretion from cancer stomach. Nakahara and Fukuoka4) isolated a thermostable non-heat coagulable , water soluble and alcohol precipitable substance from the cancer tissues that reduced the liver catalase activity. The present writer separated water soluble proteins from carcinomatous and non-carcinomatous tissues and body fluids. The preparations and pharmacological observations of these materials was processed as follows :


The duties of the conservator-restorer go beyond the simple intervention of artworks. Maintaining heritage activation is a fundamental part of the conservation process, because as part of this there is a concern and interest in the protection of cultural property. For this reason, this work is intended as a first step towards the enhancement of the chapels of the parish of San Nicolás, objective accomplished through the historical study of the temple as well as reviewing and updating their information boards, which are the main dissemination method used in the church nowadays. Thus we have developed a literature review focused on the bibliography of the archives of the library of San Miguel de los Reyes, creating an accurate picture of the evolution of the church, then making a critical analysis of the information offered on posters and propounding the necessary changes to update it, by seeking data on works located inside the chapels, as well as proposing new posters that restore the missing.


In this study, the interaction of the magnetized axisymmetric blunt body with the hypersonic weakly-ionized flow was experimentally investigated. The magnetic interaction induces the shock layer enhancement and it is theoretically expected that the increase of the shock layer is correlated with the interaction parameter. By using a hypersonic flow generated by a expansion tube wind tunnel, we have examined the shock layer enhancement and its correlation with the interaction parameter. For this purpose, the radiating area in the shock layer was measured by a high-speed photography, and various interaction parameters were attained by altering not only the magnetic field strength but also the initial flow density and the model size. The correlation experimentally observed shows a good agreement with the numerically predicted correlation. Therefore it can be concluded that the correlation experimentally observed shows a correlation with the interaction parameter as theoretically predicted. For the comparison, the direct comparison was made using the numerical prediction of the radiating area.


Variable Message Signs(VMS) system is applied in the trunk road networks in the major cities of China,and plays a positive role in releasing traffic jams.In this research,the development,working principle,information generation,etc.of the urban traffic flow guidance system which is based on VMS are introduced in detail.Meanwhile,the previous research on the traffic flow guidance at home and abroad is reviewed.With the analysis of the requirements of the VMS users and the factors influencing the site distribution of VMS,the location choice model of the VMS is improved by following the principle of the VMS location choices and analyzing the effect of the guiding information on route choices.The impact of the VMS applied for the roads near Beijing South Railway Station is analyzed.


AbstractClimate change is expected to impact both the operational and structural performance of infrastructure such as buildings, roads, and bridges. However, infrastructure design guides widely re...


Abstract — The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of urban sprawl in the Latkrabang District which directly affects to Hua-Takae Community. Effects of sprawl development were examined to understanding sprawl condition in the district. Calculating a sprawl condition in the district is equal to 33.5 of 100 that shown a low degree of sprawl. Nevertheless, Hua-Takae community are expected to be affected by urbanization and trends of growing population from various sprawl development factors including airport, industrial estates, educational center, and motorway. Lack of public transportation provision in the community by using automobile dependency that resulting air quality. The air pollution analysis based on traffic volume and population growth was found that the major sources were passenger car and pick-up and the major pollutants were CO and PM. The vehicle emissions of mobile sources in 2005, 2010, and 2015, are also found that higher emission standards. The emissions from mobile sources, therefore, it needs to be addressed the related policy for improving air quality of community in future.


We have generated parametric VHDL descriptions for two parallel multiplier architectures: the array-of-array multiplier developed at Delft University, and the classical array multiplier. Using the VHDL descriptions we have synthesized 32×32-bit signed (two's complement) multipliers, and we have implemented two prototypes in 1.6¿m CMOS fishbone sea-of-gates. The implementation was aimed to compare the two architectures in terms of speed and area. The implemented array-of-array multiplier is 6% larger and 1.7 times faster than the array multiplier. The array-of-array design contains 48036 transistors, and the longest multiplication time was measured as 42 ns.


1. Vascularly isolated but nervously intact rat right hind limbs were perfused with blood at a constant flow rate and changes in perfusion pressure (proportional to vascular resistance), heart rate and blood pressure were monitored.


limitations prevents the vast majority of Cuban citizens from ever accessing the Internet. The few who gain access are limited by extensive monitoring and excessive penalties for political dissent expressed on the Internet, leading to a climate of self-censorship. Access probably is restricted even further by the U.S. govern-ment's sponsorship of reverse filtering, which encourages Web sites to prevent access from Cuba and other countries. In October 1996 Cuba first connected full time to the Internet, and in 1998 Cuba had only a single 64-Kbps satellite connection run by Sprint in Florida and allowed by an exception for communications to the U.S. trade embargo. 1 More recent legislation forbids U.S. investment in Cuban telecommunications and hampers acquisition of Cuban IP addresses; these policies, as well as Cuba's own economic policies, have hindered connectivity. 2 Currently Cuba still uses its satellite connection with a 65 Mb/s upload bandwidth and a 124 Mb/s download bandwidth for the entire country. 3 In 1998, out of a population of eleven million , approximately 200 government-approved scientists, medical researchers, and government officials had Internet access from their desk-tops and 5,000 had e-mail addresses, used on Cuban intranets that remained entirely within the country. 4 By 2000 there were 6,000 computers linked to the Internet and approximately 80,000 Cubans possessed e-mail accounts, but only half of those accounts had full Internet access— accounts were selectively granted by the government, and development focused on government and tourism efforts. The country had only a single Internet café and banned personal computing purchases. 5 Currently Cuba has approximately 480,000 email accounts 6 and 190,000 regular Internet users (less than 2 percent of the population). 7 The cost of public Internet access (approximately USD4.50 per hour, or half the average monthly wage) and the very slow connections prohibit most Cubans from using the international Internet connections ; most Cubans choose the national intranet instead (approximately USD1.50 per hour). 8 In 2005 Cuban computer ownership was 3.3 per 100 inhabitants. 9 An unknown number of Cubans illegally access the Internet through black market purchases of access or illegally shared authorized connections. 10 Although the Cuban people primarily use connections to send e-mail, the Cuban government hopes to use the Internet to spread its political messages, promote tourism, and improve the efficiency of medical services. 11 Cuba ONI did not carry out empirical testing for Internet filtering in Cuba for this report.


The paper examines countering extremism, terrorist crimes, as well as legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime, as an important element of comprehensive measures undertaken to ensure national security. These crimes constitute global threats, and their suppression is one of the priorities of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. It should be emphasized that the public danger of legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime lies in the fact that it undermines the country's financial system by means of providing the material basis for corruption and terrorism.In modern conditions, the risks of legalization of proceeds of crime, as well as the use of digital currency for illegal or criminal purposes, may arise, for example, when converting digital currency. In view of this, according to the author, it is necessary to establish clear criteria for transactions for which criminal liability for the illegal use of digital currencies may arise, including cases when the digital currency acts as a means of payment for the illegal circulation of weapons, drugs or other items, for the circulation of which criminal liability is established, as well as when illegal gambling or illegal banking are organized. With this in mind, there is a need to introduce criminal liability for illegal circulation of a digital currency and violation of the rules for making transactions with it.One of the main tasks in the field of preventing financing of terrorism and extremism is to counter the spread of radical ideology. To effectively solve this problem, it is required to apply an integrated approach, and, above all, active participation in this process of not only state authorities, but of various institutions of civil society, the scientific community, educational structures, public and religious organizations, as well as the mass media.


Resumen en: This paper describes an algorithm for computing design parameters of Interpolated FIR (IFIR) digital filters with a low complexity (small number of produ...


The process of fish cage inspections, which is a necessary maintenance task at any fish farm, be it small-scale or industrial, is a task that has the potential to be fully automated. Replacing trained divers who perform regular inspections with autonomous marine vehicles would lower the costs of manpower and remove the risks associated with humans performing underwater inspections. Achieving such a level of autonomy implies developing an image processing algorithm that is capable of estimating the state of biofouling buildup. The aim of this work is to propose a complete solution for automating the said inspection process; from developing an autonomous control algorithm for an ROV, to automatically segmenting images of fish cages, and accurately estimating the state of biofouling. The first part is achieved by modifying a commercially available ROV with an acoustic SBL positioning system and developing a closed-loop control system. The second part is realized by implementing a proposed biofouling estimation framework, which relies on AI to perform image segmentation, and by processing images using established computer vision methods to obtain a rough estimate of the distance of the ROV from the fish cage. This also involved developing a labeling tool in order to create a dataset of images for the neural network performing the semantic segmentation to be trained on. The experimental results show the viability of using an ROV fitted with an acoustic transponder for autonomous missions, and demonstrate the biofouling estimation framework's ability to provide accurate assessments, alongside satisfactory distance estimation capabilities. In conclusion, the achieved biofouling estimation accuracy showcases clear potential for use in the aquaculture industry.


A study on the data-generation and flow process in manufacturing leads to the following primary responsibility protocol (PRP): at every hierarchical level, the design and decision output space can be partitioned according to its primary responsibility allocations. Based on the PRP, a computer integrated manufacturing, engineering, and sales (PRIMES) system with distributed decision making and database is described. It is shown that PRIMES is applicable to flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), robust, least costly to implement, capable of immediate return to investment, and adaptable to changing business and technological conditions.<<ETX>>


Up to now, unfaithful songs have continuously changed according to the dimension of relation to a society. The details of the songs show mutual experiences in terms of emotion and
thoughts of both males and females who are worried about unfaithful behavior of their spouse from different points of view. Unfaithful songs reflect males' mythology and power relationships existing in every dimension of Thai society. Meanwhile, the songs also reflect females' development of conceptual ideas and practice in sexuality, which is different from that in the past. The important point is that this type of song not only entertains Thais but also helps them release their frustration under social rules in Thai society.


Background: Panoramic radiograph is a dental radiodiagnosis which is often used to assist in establishing diagnosis and determining treatment plans using low dose x-ray radiation exposure.The basic working principle of panoramic radiograph is using ionizing radiation which causes ionization reactions on the affected objects. Radiation area in patients undergoing panoramic radiograph involves salivary glands, thus it generates certain impacts in the quality and quantity of saliva produced. Aim: To analyze the effects of panoramic dental x-ray radiation exposure on salivary pH. Research Method: This study used quasi experimental research method with pre and post test only control group design. Eight people were chosen as samples based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Saliva testing was performed to the chosen samples pre and post panoramic dental x-ray radiation exposure. The research data were measured using paired t-test statistical analysis. Result : There was significant difference on salivary pH pre and post panoramic dental x-ray radiation exposure (p<0,05). Conclusion : Panoramic dental x-ray exposure can decrease salivary pH. Keywords: Panoramic radiograph , Salivary pH


In this paper, we aim to examine the progress in making policy for gender equality in the European Union. First we will briefly discuss how this story...


The handloom industry, spread throughout the length and breadth of the country, is an important and traditional industry. ranking next only to agriculture in terms of size, income and employment potential. It is estimated that out of a total of 38.9 lakhs of handlooms. as many as 35.9 akhs accounting for 92 per cent are cotton handlooms and the remaining three lakhs comprise silk, woollen and other categories. About 10 million people are directly employed in the industry and almost an equal number in associate activities in the tehnical and commercial sectors during the pre-weaving and post-weaving stages. The industrial policy of the Government of India has also emphasised the need for greater handloom production to meet the clothing needs of the people.


Life as a doctor in the Royal Navy is incredibly varied and no two days are the same. You could be working on shore providing daily GP care to your colleagues or be the only doctor on board a ship searching for pirates in the Indian Ocean. You could be contributing humanitarian medical support in the Caribbean following a hurricane or dealing with casualties in a helicopter search and rescue operation.

All fully qualified doctors spend their first six months in the navy completing the new entry medical officer course, which provides specialist training in areas such as battlefield advanced trauma life support and pre-hospital care techniques—things that most civilian doctors don't get to learn.

Doctors are then streamed into the three different branches of the Royal Navy—surface fleet, submarines, or the Royal Marines. Where any doctor ends up working will depend on preferences …


Crystallization process and some properties of the calcium magnesium silico-phosphate glass containing small amount of fluorine have been studied. Calcium fluoride was added to a base glass with the molar composition of 3.5CaO-3.5MgO-P2O5-3.5SiO2, which belongs to the high oxygen type silico-phosphate glass (cf. T. Kanazawa, Yogyo-Kyokai-Shi 72, 27 (1964); T. Kanazawa, A. Nakai, H. Kawazoe, Kogyo Kagaku Zasshi 72, 2211 (1969)), in expectation of preparing glasses containing 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5wt% of fluorine. On these four glass samples heat-treated and untreated, DTA, electron microscopic observation, EPMA and measurements of thermal expansion, viscosity, acid solubility and others were carried out.In the DTA profile, the temperature (Tp) of the firstly exothermic peak, which appearance is due to the formation of fluorapatite (FAp) crystals, was reduced with increasing the fluorine content in the glass. It was seen that the introduction of fluorine resulted in a decrease of the viscosity of every glass specimen in its transformation range. These facts show that the change of Tp is considered to be related mainly to the viscosity change by varying the fluorine content.In the glasses containing fluorine above 0.4wt%, the crystallization of FAp was observed to begin at both the surface and the inside of the test piece simultaneously. The electron micrographs by the transmission method proved the formation of droplets with 200-400 A in size. These droplets were recognized in the untreated glass similar to the heat-treated. The fine crystals of FAp seemed to form at the interfaces between the droplets and the surrounding matrix region. The composition of these droplets is considered to be rich in magnesium. In comparison of the above-stated results with those of the glass samples containing fluorine below 0.1wt%, it was suggested that the homogeneity of the crystallization of FAp was attributed to the homogeneous dispersion of these droplets in the glass specimen.During the growth of FAp crystals, the glass specimen with fluorine content of above 0.4wt% was found to have a two-phase structure with Ca-rich and Mg-rich phases. As the Ca-rich phase contained numerous FAp crystals, which solubility to the acid solvent was considerably lower than that of the starting glass, the dissolving process of the fluorine containing test piece to N/2 hydrochloric acid was considered to be different in appearance from that of the glasses with fluorine content of below 0.1wt%.


In tokamak plasma, the edge region is characterized by larger gradients, higher resisitivity and a shorter distance to the critical compared to core plasma. By edge region, we mean the region where the pedestal forms when transiting from the L to H-mode: . This paper shows, using a three-dimensional electromagnetic fluid turbulent transport model, that the quasilinear hypothesis is valid in the edge region. The diamagnetic coupling is stabilizing while is destabilizing. The effect of on the characteristic times of turbulence is studied, as is its effect on the Reynolds stress and the Maxwell stress in these fluid simulations.


We study the Coulomb-interaction induced spontaneous symmetry breaking of the excitonic insulator state in the two-dimensional extended Falicov-Kimball model. Using the variational cluster approximation, we evaluate the order parameter, single-particle excitation gap, momentum distribution functions, and anomalous Green's function as a function of U at zero temperature. We find that in the weak-to-intermediate couplinb regime, the Fermi surface is well-defined and the calculated results can be understood in the close correspondence with the BCS theory, whereas in the strong-coupling regime, the Fermi surface is ill-defined and the results are consistent with the picture of BEC.


Unitarily implementable Bogoliubov transformations for charged, relativistic bosons and fermions are discussed, and explicit formulas for the two‐cocycles appearing in the group product of their implementers are derived. In the fermion case this provides a simple field theoretic derivation of the well‐known cocycle of the group of unitary operators on a Hilbert space modeled on the Hilbert–Schmidt class and closely related to the loop groups. In the boson case the cocycle is obtained for a similar group of pseudo‐unitary (symplectic) operators. Formulas are also given for the phases of one‐parameter groups of implementers and, more generally, families of implementers which are unitary propagators with parameter‐dependent generators.


By using the method of literature,questionnaire and so on,the article makes sample survey on current situation of middle class' participation in sports activity,gains some data on sports aims,sports consumption,degree of participation,exercise field,form,events and participation reason.Finally,the author makes further analysis and put forwards the countermeasure to develop the middle class' sports activity in China.


Summary
•Very few people can live without some kind of social relationship with others. The need for social support is universal–to deal not only with day-to-day events but also with times of crisis, change, or transition.
•A critical component of nursing practice is to provide support to promote health and wellness functioning in individuals, families, and the community at large.
•To date, there is no unified conceptualization and operationalization of social support and its relation to health-related outcomes. Furthermore, an understanding of the process of social support remains elusive (Heller et al., 1986).
•This paper is a description of the concept of social support based on a selected review of the literature on social support.
•A brief overview of the interest in the concept of social support is highlighted and the functional, structural, interactional, and other components of the concept arc described. Finally, a revised conceptualization of social support is discussed along with directives for future research.


To the Editor: C oronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an emerging disease of variable severity caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is primarily a respiratory illness, but manifestations vary widely, affecting multiple organ systems resulting in management dilemmas. Many aspects of the disease are just being studied. We report a case of severe acute pancreatitis (AP) in association with hypertriglyceridemia and COVID-19 infection and discuss clinical implications. A 40-year-old obese (bodymass index, 38.8 kg/m) male patient with no known comorbidity was admitted to the hospital with a 2-day history of severe epigastric pain radiating to back. Oxygen saturation on admission was 96% on room air. Laboratory tests showed blood glucose of 288 mg/dL, elevated serum lipase of 1544 U/L (reference range, 1–82 U/L), serum bicarbonate of 21 mmol/L (reference range, 21–33 mmol/L), and an anion gap of 14. A single view plain chest radiograph showed no acute cardiopulmonary process. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed extensive peripancreatic stranding and fluid around the head and tail of the pancreas, confirming the diagnosis of AP. The patient did not consume alcohol regularly, and transabdominal ultrasound did not show cholelithiasis or choledocholithiasis. The serum triglyceride level was 4245 mg/dL (reference range, <150 mg/dL), and hemoglobin A1C was 9.7%. A diagnosis of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertriglyceridemic AP was made based on our previous reports. Fluid resuscitation with lactated ringers at 200 mL per hour was initiated for the treatment of AP as per management recommendations of the American College of Gastroenterology. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit, and intravenous insulin infusion was given for the management of hypertriglyceridemia. On intensive care unit day 1, the patient developed a fever and acute hypoxic respiratory failure requiring incremental amounts of supplemental oxygen therapy.


Our rapidly changing labour market demands MBO graduates of a higher
quality who are more flexible (Ministerie van Onderwijs Cultuur en Wetenschap,
2017). A government plan called 'Focus op vakmanschap' implemented
between 2011 and 2015 made programs shorter, better and more
intense and was meant to increase the output of vocational education in
the Netherlands. Output is generally defined as what is produced by an
organization and is usually expressed in statistics. In vocational education
this concerns statistics such as dropout rate, study success, amount of students
that graduate in a particular year etc. From 2015 quality agreements
between MBO colleges and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
were introduced as a new steering device meant to shift the attention to
outcome: this is generally defined as the consequences and result of the output
of an organization which in vocational education concerns the quality
of MBO graduates and society in general. In 2015, the MBO colleges were
given the opportunity to draw up a quality plan in which they were to integrate
quality improvements.
Based on their quality plan, the MBO colleges received a budget from
the ministry. In this thesis, three governance paradigms are used to analyze
the impact of quality plans on the management of MBO colleges. Central to
this thesis is the paradigm of public value management: 'public value' is a
core concept in this paradigm and can be described as 'what citizens want'.
The aim of this thesis is to answer the following research question: "To
what extent can we observe a shift in management approach towards public
value management at the ROC van Twente following the introduction of the
quality agreements in vocational education in The Netherlands." Through
desk research and face-to-face interviews with staff members of the "ROC
van Twente", we analyzed the management and governance of the ROC van
Twente before and after the introduction of the quality agreements.
4
The interviewees thought that, regarding the characteristics goals and
stakeholders, elements of public value management are increasingly visible.
This is supported by an interesting finding from the annual reports which
regards the increasing role of the central student council.


Objective To investigate the incidence and the factors related to male senile osteoporosiswith dual energy X - ray ahsorptiometry (DEXA). Methods 139 cases of healthy elderly men were examined by WHO T - Score with DEXA to estimate the incidence of male senile osteoporosis. The relationshipbetween osteoporosis and various parameters such as age, body weight, smoking etc. was assessed. The resultsof DEXA examination were compared with those of plain X - ray film of lateral view of lumbar spine, hip Singhindex etc. Bone turnover markers were examined to study their relationship with osteoporosis by DEXA. Results The incidence of male senile osteoporosis was 26. 6%. Body weight and smoking were closely relatedto osteoporosis. No signifieant relationship was found between bone turnover markers and osteoporosis. PlainX - ray film of lumbar spine and hip Singh index bore a relationship with osteoporosis by DEXA. ConclusionIncidence of male senile osteoporosis is rather high, and it is imper'tant to pay more attention to the preventionand treatment of male senile osteoporosis. DEXA equipment is not popular in general hospital, therefore theplain X - ray film of lumbar spine and hip Singh index were found to have some value for the diagnosis of senileosteoporosis.


Acetylthiophene condenses with different aromatic aldehyde in ethanol in the presence of aqueous NaOH to give 1-(2'-thienyl)-3-(substituted phenyl)-2-propen-1-one (Ia-e) which reacts with hydrazine hydrate in ethanol to give pyrazoline (IIa-e) and also treated with DMSO in presence of catalytic amount of iodine to give pyrazole (II'a-e) Similarly, 1-phenyl pyrazoline (IIIa-e) treated with DMSO/I 2 to give 1-phenyl pyrazole(III' a-e), 1-(2,4-dinitro phenyl) pyrazoline (IVa-e) treated with DMSO/ I2 to give 1-(2,4-dinitro phenyl) pyrazole(IV'a-e), 1-carboxamido pyrazoline (Va-e) treated with DMSO/ I 2 to give 1-carboxamido pyrazole (V'a-e), 1-acetyl pyrazoline (VIa-e) treated with DMSO/I 2 to give 1- acetyl pyrazole (VI'a-e), 1-benzoyl pyrazoline (VIIa-e) treated with DMSO/I2 to give 1-benzoyl pyrazole (VII'a-e) and 1-nitroso pyrazoline (VIIIa-e) treated with DMSO/I 2 to give 1-nitroso pyrazole (VIII'a-e). Characterization and structural elucidation was carried out on the basis of melting points determination, analytical and spectral studies.


Science – research transformation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has a number of colours and shadows, many dimensions including technical, social, community, financial, economic and civilization. This transformation has many wide development roads but also numerable pitfalls and traps. It does not take place solely at the level of scientific and technical progress and innovation. It preliminarily takes place in a complex socio-political-economic context, narrowed for simplification as social acceptance and education only. Such acceptance, for example expressed simply by demand and market popularity, for simple items supplemented by useful functions, such as an iron that recognizes the type of fabric and matches its work accordingly, a completely autonomous vacuum cleaner, etc., is trivial. We aim at much deeper relations of IoT with society. If IoT were only adding such functionalities, it would not be worth the time to consider it here. IoT causes a lot of confusion for much more important reasons in many areas of life. Somewhere further on the potential paths of IoT development, it has been noted with interest, but also with anxiety, the possibility of its empowerment as local but also global, superintendent surveillance system, gathering enormous amounts of information, creating knowledge and making autonomous decisions. Potential subjectivity must include such attributes as acquiting from the creator, autonomy, consciousness, morality and further building by the society the whole legal system around the new entity. It will not be a single entity, it will be a whole virtual society, with electronic people. The consequences can be far-reaching and appear as an inevitable option on such a scale for the first time in the history of our human society. Overcoming certain barriers recognized by us may mean that the intelligence and consciousness are not only attributes of the human biological mind. Such reasoning, not without a reason, encounters strong resistance. However, there is a fundamental difference between the opposition to some genetic research and the potential modification of man himself, and the opposition to machine building, a system of superintendence that far exceeds the possibilities of a single man and of entire societies.


The maximizers are more likely to pursue optimal solutions,while the satisficers prefer to seek satisfied ones.Based on Rational Choice Theory and The Bounded Rationality Model,the previous studies proposed the maximizing and satisficing styles and thus compared the two groups of decision-makers on their decision-making features and psychological indexes.With regards to pure economic effectiveness, subjective psychological meanings and practical decision-making choices,the question of'which one is better between these two decision-making styles'differs on individuals and decision-making targets.The future studies could focus on improving measuring tools basing on a clear distinction of those two decision-making styles.And then the domain specificity,the relationship between the two styles and the positive emotions and the origin of psychological paradox could be further explored.


INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVESType 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients present with overlapping signs as well as symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and Vitamin B12 deficiency. These patients are supplemented with oral Vitamin B12 but serum B12 level is not routinely assessed. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed Vitamin B12 deficiency among T2DM patients in Manjung district and the associated risk factors.
METHODOLOGYA cross-sectional study involving T2DM patients aged 18 years and above, with or without treatment was conducted at Outpatient and Medical Outpatient Department, Seri Manjung Hospital in 2016-2017. The sample size required was 245. Strict vegetarians, patients with excessive alcohol consumption, autoimmune disease, Crohn's or Celiac disease, history of stomach/small intestine removal, long term Proton Pump Inhibitor use, on Vitamin B12 3 months prior, gestational DM, Type I DM or involved in ongoing clinical trial were excluded. Patients were conveniently sampled. Patients were recruited after consent taking. Demography, T2DM duration, details of antidiabetic medications and history of metformin use were recorded in data collection form. Diabetic neuropathy was screened using Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). Blood taking for serum Vitamin B12 level and full blood picture was done one week before patient's next appointment. Patients with Vitamin B12 deficiency was treated and the blood testing was repeated after 6 months.
RESULTSA total of 301 subjects were enrolled. Only 291 subjects' data was analysed, after excluding those who withdrew, met exclusion criteria before blood taking and lost to follow up. Their median age was 56 years (IQR: 49, 62). Majority of them were Malay (53.6%), female (57.0%), had median T2DM diagnosis for 5 years (IQR: 2, 10). Only 2.7% of them were antidiabetic drug naive. A total of 260 subjects (89.3%) had current or previous metformin use. The median MNSI score was 2.5 (IQR: 1, 3.5). The prevalence of Vitamin B12 deficiency was 1.03%. Three subjects had the deficiency. The risk factors of Vitamin B12 deficiency could not be determined. Characteristics of the 3 subjects were as follows. All 3 patients were male, Chinese, aged between 59-71 years old, diagnosed with T2DM for 7-12 years, taking Tab. Metformin 1g bd for 0.92-7.00 years and sulphonylurea. One subject was taking Tab. Acarbose. Their HbA1c ranged between 7.1%-10.8%. One subject was anaemic with haemoglobin of 9.8g/dL. All 3 subjects were positive for neuropathy. One subject had MNSI score of 3.5 while another two had the same score of 5.5.
CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of undiagnosed Vitamin B12 deficiency among T2DM patients in Manjung district was 1.03%. The risk factors of Vitamin B12 deficiency could not be determined due to low prevalence as compared to other population. Larger scale study is needed for determining the risk factors.


The protective effect of phycocyanin compound on alcohol-induced liver injury in mice was studied.The mice were randomly divided into three groups according to their weight,the normal control group,diphenyl bibenzoate groups,phycocyanin groups.After feeding with phycocyanin compound for 42 d,the contents of ALT,AST in serum and the content of MDA,GSH-Px in liver were measured.The results showed that the phycocyanin compound could obviously control the contents of ALT,AST in serum,prevent the rise of MDA in liver and enhance the content of GSH-Px in liver.The pathological changes such as cell swell,grease denature,spot necrosis were few.The results indicated that phycocyanin compound has significant protective effect on the mouse liver injury induced by alcohol.


Background and aim: Repeat hepatectomy is increasingly performed for the management of recurrent colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term functional liver volume (FLV) after a second hepatic procedure and to measure survival outcome. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients treated for recurrent CRLM in the years 2005–2015 at two liver centers were included. Total FLV was calculated before the first procedure and before and after the second procedure. Overall survival was calculated. Results: Eighty-two patients were identified. The median follow-up was 53 (40–71) months from the first procedure. The median interval between first and second procedure was 13 (8–22) months. The initial FLV was 1584 (1313–1927) mL. The FLV was 1438 (1204–1896) mL after the first procedure and 1470 (1172–1699) mL after the second procedure (P<0.001). After the second procedure, a total of ten patients (12%) had a residual liver volume of less than 75% of the initial liver volume. The 5-year overall survival was 37 (26–54)% after the second procedure. Conclusion: Small changes in FLV were found after two hepatic procedures but with considerable inter-individual variation. Patients selected for a repeated hepatic procedure for recurrent CRLM had an acceptable survival.


The present invention discloses a rotary bag machine and method for making bags from a film. They include drum, an accumulation nip, a blanket that positions the film drum, and positioned away from the accumulation nip felt tensioner. The drum comprises at least one sealing strip is mounted thereon in, and the accumulation nip provides the film to the drum. Comprises various aspects, the accumulation nip is in a fixed position independent of changes of the drum diameter, and / or the path from the accumulation nip to the drum is fixed in length, regardless of variations in the diameter of the drum. In one embodiment, an accumulation sensor and provides a controller responsive to the sensor to control the accumulation nip and the speed of the drum speed. In various alternative embodiments, the speed control in response to the speed of the film, the rate of change of the input function, the response history, and / or setpoints. In another embodiment, the draw tape module and a powered unwind disposed in a single module with the rotary drum. In another embodiment, the alignment mark sensor to the drum along a path having a fixed length and is positioned upstream of the accumulation nip. The sensor may be a print sensor.


Underground space is considered as a new frontier space for sustainable and energy-saving urban development. Especially, a variety of underground space facilities have been increasingly used by utilizing lots of advantages intrinsic to underground space. However, a new construction method capable of minimizing environmental impacts and expanding underground facilities during their operation is highly in demand. In addition, close attention should be paid to underground ventilation, disaster prevention, lighting and more efficient space utilization for creating a safe and ecofriendly underground environment.


If we construct measurement equations on the impact of teacher,subject,funding,and hardware factors on university rankings,by using structural equation modeling(SEM),we will get a full model fo the factors influencing university rankings.,The content validity is high,so we can draw the conclusion that the teacher factor places the greatest impact on university rankings.


In this study the stability characteristics of uniformly elongating plastic jets exposed to axial electric currents are investigated. The objective of this study is to expand the results of previous analyses by Littlefield [''The effect of electromagnetic fields on the stability of a uniformly elongating plastic jet,'' Phys. Fluids A 2, 2240 (1990); ''Finite conductivity effects on the MHD instabilities in uniformly elongating plastic jets,'' ibid. 3, 166 (1991); ''Enhancement of stability in uniformly elongating plastic jets with electromagnetic fields,'' ibid. 3, 2927 (1991)] to include high levels of electric current, where thermal energy effects must be included. Coupling of the magnetohydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of the flow is accomplished through the variation of mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties with temperature. Phase change effects are also considered. The jet is assumed incompressible and perfectly plastic, with the Levy–von Mises criterion imposed to limit the effectiv...


A GaInNAs∕AlAs∕AlGaAs double-barrier quantum well infrared photodetector was grown by molecular beam epitaxy and fabricated by standard device processes. The growth structure of the as-grown sample was verified by x-ray diffraction measurement. The photoluminescence emission peak, which is related to the interband transition in the GaInNAs well, was observed at ∼1.2eV. After annealing at 650°C, a large blueshift of 40meV was observed. The photocurrent peak at 1.24μm is associated with the intersubband transitions in the conduction band of the GaInNAs quantum well. The ten-band k∙p calculations agree with the above observations.


The incidence of mis-selling, fraud, and poor customer service by retail banks is significantly higher in areas with higher proportions of poor and minority borrowers and in areas where government regulation promotes an increased quantity of lending. Specifically, low-to-moderate-income (LMI) areas targeted by the Community Reinvestment Act have significantly worse outcomes, and this effect is larger for LMI areas with a high-minority population share. The results highlight an unintended adverse consequence of such quantity-focused regulations on the quality of credit to lower-income and minority customers.


The use of combined heat and power (CHP) systems has recently increased due to their high combined efficiency and low emissions. Using CHP systems in behind-the-meter applications, however, can introduce some challenges. Firstly, the CHP system must operate in load-following mode to prevent power export to the grid. Secondly, if the load drops below a predefined threshold, the engine will operate at a lower temperature and hence lower efficiency, as the fuel is only half-burnt, creating significant emissions. The aforementioned issues may be solved by combining CHP with a battery energy storage system (BESS); however, the dispatch of CHP and BESS must be optimised. Offline optimisation methods based on load prediction will not prevent power export to the grid due to prediction errors. Therefore, this paper proposes a real-time Energy Management System (EMS) using a combination of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks, Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP), and Receding Horizon (RH) control strategy. The RH control strategy is suggested to reduce the impact of prediction errors and enable real-time implementation of the EMS exploiting actual generation and demand data on the day. Simulation results show that the proposed method can prevent power export to the grid and reduce the operational cost by 8.75% compared to the offline method.


In the paper, authors present an example of a simple and cost effective system of electric power supply by means of optical fiber. In many cases of physical measurements, it is very important to avoid excessive distortion to measured quantity. One of this is measurement of electromagnetic field of radio frequency. This is of concern in both, far- and near field examination. RF field measurement can be performed by direct measurement of the field at a point of interest or by measurement of the field scattered by a dedicated probe. One of the most important properties of this method is its low influence to the field under test. The full advantage of the system can be taken when the probe can be powered and controlled be means of optical fiber.


Amid the landscape of con�dential computing, where security and privacy reign supreme, PRIVATON emerges as a pioneering and practical solution to safeguard sensitive data and computations. A veri�able proof of computation model, with one of its variant built upon the dual sandbox strategy, PRIVATON combines Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) technologies with WebAssembly (WASM) runtime environments to establish an ecosystem for privacy-preserving computations. This approach involves �ne grained modeling of computations as �nite state automatons, guided by veri�able proofs that attest to their unerring execution. PRIVATON is guided by the profound principles of "least privilege" and "intentional use." Through the former, each computation module's privileges are meticulously constrained, reducing vulnerability vectors. The latter ensures that privileges are allocated explicitly, fostering comprehension and security. This rigorous adherence minimizes privilege misuse and information leakage, bolstering the overall security posture. At its core, PRIVATON's innovation lies in its comprehensive assurance of data privacy and security. State machine proofs not only attest to the absence of data leakage but also prevent unauthorized data transmission. By providing unassailable proof of computation integrity, PRIVATON shields against code misuse within the system. This proactive stance forti�es its mission to safeguard the sanctity of data, computations, and the privacy of all stakeholders. Evidenced by its real-world application, PRIVATON has been validated within the cryptocurrency trading ecosystem, where it acts as a distributed and privacy-preserving credit oracle. Its implementation within Credora's landscape underlines its potential to transform data-centric paradigms, empowering stakeholders with an unshakeable con�dence in data security. In a world where data privacy is paramount, PRIVATON stands as a guardian, epitomizing the convergence of technology, security, and trust.


For three days, between July 27th and 29th 2005, nearly 300 tribal, federal and state court judges, court commissioners, court administrators, peacemakers, mediators, traditional forum practitioners, attorneys, lay advocates and other justice system professionals, met at a national conference entitled Walking On Common Ground: Pathways to Equal Justice, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance. The 133 tribal, state, and federal judges constituted the overwhelming plurality at the conference, which discussed issues such as judicial leadership, choice of forum, judicial review, recognition of each other's judgments and orders, judicial independence, and the Indian Child Welfare Act. All levels of judiciaries, save the United States Supreme Court, were represented. The centerpiece of the conference, which was held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center operated by the Oneida Nation near Green Bay, Wisconsin, was the ceremonial signing of a protocol by state and tribal judges from the 9th Wisconsin Judicial District. The second such protocol signed in Wisconsin in the previous four years, it established procedures for the determining jurisdiction in causes of action in states where tribes and states have concurrent jurisdiction. The former chief judge of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe reservation and current Wisconsin tribal appeals court judge, the Honorable Ernest St. Germaine, conducted the ceremony, smudging the signatories and the docu-


A light section method for evaluating the fiber concentration has been developed for flowing pulp liquid. This method was applied to a fully developed steady flow in ducts with a square cross section. The obtained results reveal quantitatively, in a definite form, the distribution of the fiber concentration, which has long been an interesting subject of discussion among researchers. The effectiveness and applicability of the present method are also shown. Furthermore, a discussion is given for the relationships of the nonuniformity of the fiber concentration to the flow rate and the pressure loss. The pulp suspension flows in ducts can be classified into five patterns, which are different from the previous classification.


Ischemia/reperfusion injury is a familiar pathophysiological process in clinic.Ischemic postconditioning applied at the onset of reperfusion following a specific prescribed algorithm is a series of brief mechanical interruptions of reperfusion,and affords protection in vivo.Pharmacological postconditioning which is defined as medicine administration before reperfusion or in the early minitues of reperfusion is a pattern against organ ischemia-reperfusion injury,Pharmacological postconditioning has similarly protective mechanism with ischemic preconditioning(IPC)and ischemic postconditioning(I-PostC).Compared to IPC and I-PostC,Pharmacological postconditioning is more worth of clinical application,and may provide a new therapy strategy for organ reperfusion injury.


AIMS
To provide information and comparison pertaining to visual impairment of Maori children with other children in New Zealand in particular: prevalence of blindness, causes of visual impairment, and avoidable causes of visual impairment.

METHODS
Retrospective data collection utilising the WHO/PBL eye examination record for children with blindness and low vision at Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ), Homai. Individuals not of Maori ethnicity or over the age of 16 were excluded from the study.

RESULTS
106 blind and 64 low-vision Maori children were studied. The main cause of blindness in Maori children is cortical visual impairment. Twenty-eight percent of causes of blindness in this population are potentially avoidable with non-accidental injury as the main cause.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of blindness and low vision in children amounts to 0.05% and 0.03%, respectively. The prevalence and causes of childhood blindness are comparable to the other ethnic groups in New Zealand. The main difference lies in avoidable causes of blindness, which appeared to be much higher in the Maori population. The leading cause of avoidable blindness in Maori children is caused by non-accidental injuries.


The main gate of the abbey of Montecassino is still an unsolved puzzle. It is a collection of different parts, by origin and date, and is the result - as often happens - of renovations, restorations and additions. The door is made of two panels with dedicatory inscriptions, recalling the date 1066 and the name of the person who paid for the work, Mauro de comite Maurone acting on the will of the powerful abbot Desiderius; traditional panels with crosses, constant of the Byzantine doors arrived in Italy between the eleventh and twelfth centuries; other panels with silver inlaid figures ('agemina'), representing patriarchs and apostles, inverted and reused, along with new panels, from the artisans at work for Oderisio II, abbot from 1123 to 1126, to him we owe the idea of the door as we see it today, that is a monumental written document on bronze (in fact, the panels show the list of the possessions of the abbey of Monte Cassino); and finally restoration panels with inscriptions simply engraved and not with silver inlaid.
This paper aims to analyze the version of Desiderius door of Monte Cassino (impossible, however, reconstruct the original iconographic program), which undoubtedly belong to the dedicatory panels and those with crosses (except for additions). More complex is the analysis of figurative panels, around these has been developed over the years a lively critical debate: for some experts they would be part of the door commissioned by Desiderius and made in Constantinople, after the admiration ("cum valde placuissent oculis eius") caused by the sight of the door of the cathedral of Amalfi, which had been produced in the Byzantine capital and donated by his son Pantaleone di Mauro; according to others, the panels would be part of the door of the church of St. Martin in the abbey, commissioned by Desiderius but probably made by local craftsmen.
Indeed, the group has inside inhomogeneity of style and technique. The panels can be split into two distinct groups from the point of view of the style: one hand, the patriarchs, classical in approach, represented by massive figures, plastically designed and covered by large drapery; the other, apostles that in the faces, in the low foreheads, in hair, resembling Monte Cassino typology. With regard to the technique, the Old Testament figures reveal expert hands in the use of 'agemina', the apostles, on the contrary, show an apparent experimental craft. A further contribution may come from paleographic analysis, although it has so far produced ambiguous readings.
Can we found a compromise solution between the different critical positions? If we answer in the affirmative, the question could be answered as follows: panels with the patriarchs constitute hidden 'relics' of the Byzantine door commissioned by abbot Desiderius, panels with the apostles belong to the bronze door of the church of St. Martin. Several, however, are the objections to this hypothesis: the reader will read in part, to him, then, the task of finding new ones and to find further solutions.
The puzzle around the Byzantine door of Monte Cassino remains, once again, unresolved.