Lightweight concrete has been developed successfully for many
years ago, but which has not used widely because of it's low of
compressive strength. So lately high strength lightweight concrete,
which has the high compressive strength and low unit-weight, is
utilized as new construction material in the point of view of the
optimization of concrete. For achive this purpose, in this
experiment, the lightweight aggregate is used of scoria and
material of mixture is used by superplastic and silicafume.
Which lightweight concrete has a compressive strength above
240Kg/cm in 28 days in laboratory and achieve the air dried unit
weight of 1.85~2.0t/m.


Two- or three-dimensionally patterned subwavelength structures, also known as metamaterials, have the advantage of arbitrarily engineerable optical properties. In thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications, metamaterials are commonly used to optimize the emitter's radiation spectrum for various source temperatures. The output power of a TPV device is proportional to the photon flux, which is proportional to the emitter size. However, using 2D or 3D metamaterials imposes challenges to realizing large emitters since fabricating their subwavelength features typically involves complicated fabrication processes and is highly time-consuming. In this work, we demonstrate a large-area (78 cm2) thermal emitter. This emitter is simply fabricated with one-dimensional layers of silicon (Si) and chromium (Cr), and therefore, it can be easily scaled up to even larger sizes. The emissivity spectrum of the emitter is measured at 802 K, targeting an emission peak in the mid-infrared. The emissivity peak is ∼0.84 at the wavelength of 3.75  μm with a 1.2  μm bandwidth. Moreover, the emission spectrum of our emitter can be tailored for various source temperatures by changing the Si thickness. Therefore, the results of this work can lead to enabling TPV applications with higher output power and lower fabrication cost.


A method and apparatus for defining a cardiac time intervals using the improved provided A method and system before shrinkage diastolic filling period and systolic subsequent for cardiac measurement. Diastole, as defined by the ECG signal, beginning at the end of the T-wave and ends following the beginning of the Q wave it. Systole, as defined by the ECG signal, beginning at the start of the Q peak and ends at the end of the T wave. .FIELD 6


Male C57BL/6 mice received diets with either 10% kcal from fat (LF), a high fat diet [45% (HF45) or 60% (HF60) kcal from fat]. In the first study the diets were prepared with or without freeze dried powders from whole blueberries (BB) or strawberries (SB). In the 2nd study, a LF or HF60 diet was fed and purified anthocyanins (ACNs) from SB or BB (1 mg total ACN/mL) were added to the drinking water of the treatment groups fed HF60 diet. In Study 1, when whole SB or BB powder was included in the diet, plasma triglycerides were increased by feeding the HF diet but were elevated further when BB was included in the HF diet. Liver total lipids and triglycerides were increased in mice fed HF diet but were not altered by either SB or BB in the diet. Liver cholesterol was not altered by dietary fat level or SB or BB in the diet. In the 2nd study, after 8 weeks mice fed the HF60 diet plus purified ACNs from BB or SB in the water, had lower body weight gains and body fat than the HF60 fed controls. Remarkably, plasma cholesterol (mg/dL) was 128±12, 238±20, 151±18, and 166±10 and triglycerides (mg/dL) were 173±23, 312±39, 168±16 and 154±33 in LF Control, HF60, HF60‐BB and HF60‐SB, respectively. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels were elevated with a high fat diet and decreased to control levels when purified ACNs from either SB or BB were included in the drinking water. Purified ACNs prevented the development of obesity, but not in the context of the whole berry.


Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α is a transcription factor that regulates genes involved in fatty acid catabolism. Here we provide evidence that PPAR α is constitutively expressed in nuclei of hippocampal neurons and surprisingly controls calcium influx and the expression of various plasticity-related genes via direct transcriptional regulation of CREB. Accordingly, Ppara-null, but not Pparb-null, mice are deficient in CREB and memory-associated genes, and have decreased spatial learning and memory. While shRNA knockdown of PPAR α in the hippocampus suppressed CREB and NR2A rendering wild type animals markedly poor in consolidating spatial memory, introduction of PPAR α to the hippocampus of Ppara-null mice increased hippocampal CREB and NR2A and improved spatial learning and memory. These results together with detailed analyses of CREB, NR2A and spatial learning and memory in bone marrow chimeric animals lacking PPAR α in the CNS describe a novel mechanism for transcriptional control of Creb and associated plasticity genes by PPAR α . values are expressed as the mean ± SD. Differences among means were analyzed using one- or two-way ANOVA with time or genotype as the independent factors. Differences in behavioral measures were examined by independent one-way or repeated-measures ANOVAs using SPSS. Homogeneity of variance between test groups was examined using Levene's test. Post-hoc analyses of between-subjects effects were conducted using Scheffe's, Tukey's or Games-Howell tests, where appropriate. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. GABRA5 in WT, KO, CLV-, and *PPAR α -infected α KO hippocampal neurons. Results are analyzed from fetal neurons of either three or four different pregnant WT and KO mice (*p<0.0001 vs. KO). WT and KO mice. Transcriptional activities of PPAR β and γ was further validated by promoters of their known target genes PLP (proteolipid protein) a p < 0.05 vs. Lenti-shcontrol; b p < 0.01 vs. Lenti-control; and c p < 0.001 vs. Lenti-shControl. Results are mean ±SD of three independent results. I represents the velocity of animals on Barnes maze apparatus. (J) Novel object recognition test was performed to monitor the short-term memory. Results are mean ± SEM of five mice per group. NS = No significance.


It elaborates the meaning of constructing anti-quaking concept design,analyzes the reasons why high-storey concrete buildings should more emphasize the concept design.It also elaborates the basic contents of anti-quaking concept design,points out that the problems which should be noticed in concept design,so as to improve the structural design of high-storey buildings.


Objective: To determine the frequency and association of Interatrial block in hospitalized patients with Ischemic Stroke. Study Design: A case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of medicine, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1st Jan 2009 to 30 December 2009. Methodology: It included 64 patients, 32 cases of diagnosed ischemic stroke and 32 patients were taken as controls not suffering from ischemic stroke or ischemic heart disease. ECG findings of both selected groups were evaluated for presence or absence of interatrial block. Results: Out of 32 ischemic stroke patients, 14 (43.85%) were found to have interatrial block on electrocardiogram (ECG). Whereas only 6 (18.80%) controls were found to have interatrial block on ECG. Odds ratio was 1.66. Conclusion: Interatrial block is more frequent in ischemic stroke patients and may represent a risk factor for such stroke.


To truly create new value, you need a theory. A theory helps you see what others can't see. Contrarian or unique beliefs provide the underlying raw material of a firm's theory of value. But beliefs are just rhetoric and cheap talk, unless you identify the specific obstacles and problems that stand in the way of realizing your contrarian beliefs. This puts problem-formulation and problem-solving at the very heart of your theory of value. Identifying the right problems allows you to spot valuable solutions, to find asset bargains and to make the right investments. Importantly, a theory allows you to be more scientific about value creation and to perform the right type of experiments. A theory allows startups and businesses to learn the right lessons from their experimentation and, if needed, to pivot accordingly. Overall, in the context of strategy, you can't rely on generic approaches or best practices. You need to develop your own theory. It will allow you to see the world differently, to out-think competitors and to create value in unique ways.


This article aims to analyze various legal traditions working within the implementation of Islamic law after special autonomy in Aceh. Although Aceh's legal system follows the national legal system derived from civil law, diverse legal traditions still exist. The scope of this study is limited to the interaction of Aceh's legal traditions by taking the construction of juvenile and immoral criminal law and describing the social authorities who also operate the legal tradition to the parties in the case. This study presents the results using a case study model. Data obtained from interviews and documentation, analyzed using an interlegality approach. Based on the results of data analysis, it was found that the dialectic of legal traditions is determined by the role of actors acting as companions for victims to ensure that the rights of victims are not neglected. The traditions of Islamic law, customary law, and laws for protecting women and children are used interchangeably. The effort to combine these three legal traditions was carried out to obtain justice and guarantee the fulfillment of the victim's civil rights, such as the right to continue education, to relieve the trauma caused by the psychological pressure. The amalgamation of legal traditions in Aceh is an effective way to achieve justice for women and children and the construction of new laws to develop a national legal system that favors the interests of victims.


Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow individuals with limited speech and physical abilities to communicate with the surrounding environment. Such BCIs require calibration sessions which is burdensome for such individuals. We introduce a transfer learning approach for our novel hybrid BCI in which brain electrical activity and cerebral blood velocity are recorded simultaneously using Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD) respectively in response to flickering mental rotation (MR) and word generation (WG) tasks. With the aim of reducing the calibration requirements, for each BCI user, we used mutual information to identify the top similar datasets collected from other users. Using these datasets and the dataset of the current user, features derived from power spectrum of EEG and fTCD signals were calculated. Mutual information and support vector machines were used for feature selection and classification. Using the hybrid combination, an average accuracy of 93.04% was achieved for MR versus baseline whereas WG versus baseline yielded average accuracy of 90.94%. As for MR versus WG, an average accuracy of 92.64% was obtained by hybrid combination compared to 88.14% obtained by EEG only. Average bit rates of 11.45, 17.24, and 19.72 bits/min were achieved for MR versus WG, MR versus baseline, and WG versus baseline respectively. The proposed system outperforms the state of the art EEG-fNIRS BCIs in terms of accuracy and/or bit rate.


Remote sensing in urban areas has been a challenge for quite some time due to complexity and fragmentation of objects and the combination of man-made features and natural features. Airborne laser altimetry data offer possibilities for feature extraction and spatial modelling in urban areas. There are many approaches of deriving buildings and other features currently available in literatures. However, there are many cases, which are still difficult for particular features to be extracted by using these approaches. For instance, in an urban area where many roads are raised above ground level with special characters similar to buildings. Building extraction in such a complicated urban context is still a difficult task for these available approaches. The proposed approach was developed to solve this type of cases. It tries to extract buildings through reasoning in a layer space in general. In the proposed approach, airborne laser altimetry data in raster format was segmented by using several thresholds with 1-meter interval of altitude. These image segments were then labelled and assigned with unique label values, which are treated as image objects. Hence, a number of properties can be derived based on labelled segments (image objects) such as size, shape, orientation etc. These properties are used for reasoning in the layer space. The layer space is defined as such that use altitude with 1-meter interval as a variable in X-axis and use these properties as functions of altitude in Y-axis. Vertically segmented image objects are linked and inferred vertically as well. A tree structure was created using links between different layers of segments vertically. Reasoning is based on patterns of these properties on the paths of each branch of searching tree in the layer space. Sequential experiments have been tested in a study area, southeast of Amsterdam based on the proposed approach. The test results show that the proposed approach is a robust and reliable approach in building extraction. It has potential capacities in extraction of other features. The theoretical framework, detailed description of major steps as well as experimental results are presented in this paper.


Background: This pilot study aimed to investigate the feasible effectiveness and safety of Bazhengsan formula (BZSF) as an adjunctive therapy to ceftriaxone for female patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea. Methods: This pilot randomized controlled trial compared BZSF as an adjunctive therapy to ceftriaxone with ceftriaxone alone for Chinese female patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea. A total of 40 eligible patients were randomly allocated to a treatment group (received BZSF and ceftriaxone) or a control group (received ceftriaxone alone). All patients in both groups were treated for a total of 10 days. The primary outcome included bacteriological cure. It was assessed by the eradication of urogenital gonorrhea at any site cultured after taken the study medications. The secondary outcome was clinical response. For the safety assessment, adverse events were recorded during the study period. Results: After treatment, patients in both groups achieved promising effectiveness. However, no significant differences in bacteriological cure (P = .34), clinical response (P = .11), and safety were found between 2 groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that BZSF as an adjunctive therapy to ceftriaxone may be not superior to the ceftriaxone alone for Chinese female patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea after 10 days treatment.


Abstract Sphenophorus incurrens Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an insect that feeds mainly on plants of the family Poaceae in the Neotropics. In Mexico, this weevil is an emergent pest of sugarcane. In this study, first the behavioral responses of both sexes to conspecifics were evaluated in a Y-tube olfactometer. Second, the volatiles of S. incurrens were sampled by the dynamic headspace technique and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD). Third, the antennal-active compound was identified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Finally, the biological activity of the identified compound was evaluated in laboratory and field tests. Our results showed that males emitted a pheromone that attracts both sexes. The GC-EAD analysis of the male volatiles showed that one peak elicited antennal responses from male and female weevils. The compound was identified as 2-methyl-4-octanol. Laboratory and field tests showed that the identified compound is attractive to both sexes of this weevil species, confirming its pheromonal activity.


Coagulation and sedimentation process is one of the most popular processes in drinking water treatment. Hydrodynamic breakage has a significant impact on the evolution of floc characteristic and the efficiency of turbidity removal. In this work, the effects of hydrodynamic breakage on floc size, fractal dimension, and floc morphology were investigated with an in-situ recognition system. The experiments were conducted in a continuous flocculation and sedimentation reactor equipped with perforated plates to provide different hydrodynamic breakage conditions. The experimental results indicated that the hydrodynamic conditions significantly influenced the floc destabilization and restructuring processes. A low hydrodynamic shear forces provided by P1 led to the increase of both bigger sized flocs but accompanied with small particles (0–10 μm). Excessive velocity gradient provided by P3 produced smaller and looser flocs. An appropriate velocity gradient (i.e., the flow velocity through the perforated plate P2 at 18.9 × 10−3m s−1) was conducive for the formation of larger and more compact structures, with higher average floc size and fractal dimension. This flocculation condition in turn resulted in effective improvements in the turbidity removal efficiency. Floc evolution models were described based on the mechanism of the breakage and restructuring process.


Objective To investigate the clinical outcome of single-door laminoplasty in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and analyze its related factors.Methods Retrospective analyzing 68 cases diagnosed with cervical spondylotic myelopathy who were performed posterior expansive single-door laminoplasty,JOA scors,the incidence of axial symptoms were recorded,preoperative and postoperative curvature angle were documented on by the cross angle between posterior vertebral body margins of C 2 and C 7 on cervical radiographs.Results There were significant differences with regard to rate of excellent and good result between group of course 6 months and group of course 6 months(P 0.05),group of age 50 years and group 50 years(P 0.01).The preoperative and last JOA scors were (9.6±1.3)、(14.7±1.9) respectively,the improved rate was 68.9%.According to JOA scoring,There was significant differences between group of excellent and good (10.4±1.6) and group of fair and poor(7.2±2.1),(P 0.01) indicating that the more JOA scors the patient had preoperatively,the more JOA scors the patient improved.With regards to cervical curvature angle,there was no significant differences between preoperative and last follow-up in group who had no axial symptoms postoperatively(P 0.05),but there was significant differences in group who had symptoms postoperatively(P 0.05).Conclusion Cervical spondylotic myelopathy,once diagnosed,should be surgical treatmented early.The severity,age,cervical curvature angle,operation technique and postoperative axial symptoms play a important role in the clinical outcomes.


The paper mainly introduces the structure features, working principle and operating situation on site of XJC30III waterflooding well washing truck and well washing condition. It compares the well washing operation cost of the moving well washing way with that of the fixed well washing way and analyses the costs. The paper analyses and appraises the advantages and disadvatages of the waterflooding well washing truck objectively, and finally points out that the waterflooding well washing truck is a kind of economic, environmentprotecting and special waterflooding well washing unit.It's worth popularizing application.


Instead of undergoing a conventional oxidative addition reaction, Pt(TMEDA)Me 2 (1) reacts with perfluoro-sec-butyl iodide to afford a rare example of a terminal Pt(IV) fluoride complex, trans-Pt(TMEDA)(I)-(F)Me 2 (2), along with a mixture of the trans- and cis-isomers of perfluoro-2-butene. Trapping experiments with CH 3 OD result in significant quantities of CF 3 CF 2 -CFDCF 3 , indicating the intermediacy of a perfluorocarbanion. Complex 2 has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, and a mechanism for its formation is proposed.


The implementation of higher standards for sustainability presents a challenge to the construction industry. Sustainable construction guidelines often emphasize the outcomes of a project rather than addressing the sustainability aspects of its delivery, management, and governance processes. Project management standards and frameworks recognize the significance of sustainability. However, they lack practical instructions for project managers on effectively integrating sustainability into their project management practices. This study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the perceived effectiveness and ease of sustainability interventions, with the aim of developing a 'minimum baseline' set of interventions that managers of construction projects can make in order to develop more sustainable projects. From the existing literature, 42 sustainability interventions by a project manager were derived. A quantitative survey-based research approach utilizing a self-administrated online questionnaire was employed to assess their effectiveness and ease of implementation. The questionnaire was distributed to the project managers worldwide, and valuable input was received from 105 respondents globally. The findings indicate that a minimum baseline of interventions can be formed with ten interventions that focus on the themes of communication, guidelines and regulations, and the supply chain. By revealing this minimum baseline, the study provides practical guidance for project managers of construction projects and fills the gap in the literature regarding the lack of a practical framework for improving sustainability in construction projects.


The International Association for the Study of Popular Music's biennial international conference took place in July this year in Mexico City. The facilities in the Universidad Iberoamericana, a modern private Jesuit University in the city's business quarter, were excellent, with video projection and a good sound system in all the air-conditioned rooms. The plenary sessions were translated to and from Spanish and also video recorded and streamed onto the Internet, with a blog where watchers could leave comments.


We propose an adaptive independent Metropolis--Hastings algorithm with the ability to learn from all previous proposals in the chain except the current location. It is an extension of the independent Metropolis--Hastings algorithm. Convergence is proved provided a strong Doeblin condition is satisfied, which essentially requires that all the proposal functions have uniformly heavier tails than the stationary distribution. The proof also holds if proposals depending on the current state are used intermittently, provided the information from these iterations is not used for adaption. The algorithm gives samples from the exact distribution within a finite number of iterations with probability arbitrarily close to 1. The algorithm is particularly useful when a large number of samples from the same distribution is necessary, like in Bayesian estimation, and in CPU intensive applications like, for example, in inverse problems and optimization.


Exposure to microgravity negatively affects human skeletal muscle health. This paper presents newly compiled evidence for the qualitative microgravity-induced fiber type shift in humans and discusses exercise countermeasures used during long-duration spaceflight.


Pituitary tumors are the second most common CNS neoplasia (~15%). Despite mostly benign and slow-growing, they may be nonfunctioning and invade surrounding structures resulting in significant comorbidities. Currently, classification of PT according to their risk for aggressiveness is mainly based on invasiveness detected by imaging methods and histopathological features which requires surgically resected tumor. Being able to detect molecular markers associated with tumor subtypes and behavior pre-surgically using minimally invasive approaches (blood draw) is desirable in these tumors and may help to address current diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. In tissue specimens, distinct DNA methylation patterns distinguish PT according to their functional status but their role in invasiveness is still unclear. We hypothesized that profiling cell-free DNA (cfDNA) released by PT into the bloodstream allow the identification of epigenetic markers associated with relevant clinicopathological features. Genome-wide methylome profile of paired serum cfDNA (EPIC array) and tissue from 13 patients with pituitary macroadenomas (9 males; median age: 62; 9 Nonfunctioning/4 functioning, 6 invasive/7 noninvasive) and 3 controls serum (patients with epilepsy). Unsupervised analysis of the serum methylome from patients harboring PT was distinct from controls and other diseases (hypopituitarism, glioma and colorectal cancer) and supervised analysis (Wilcoxon Rank-sum Test) identified significant differentially methylated probes (DMP) that segregated PT from control serum specimens. Nonfunctioning and invasive-specific DMPs identified in the serum also defined functional, and less prominently invasive status, in the tissue of an independent cohort of PT. This is the first study to show the feasibility to profile the serum methylome from patients with PT using cfDNA. In addition, we identified unique methylation signatures that distinguished PT according to functional and invasiveness subtypes. These results underpin the potential role of methylation profile and liquid biopsy as a noninvasive approach to assess clinically relevant molecular features in the serum of patients harboring PT.


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The article discusses the problem of innovation in agritourism, which was analysed based on literature on the subject and surveys conducted at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin among students enrolled in bachelor's and master's degree programs in Economics, Spatial Planning, Tourism and Recreation, and Landscape Architecture. The primary research problem is: do students acknowledge the important role of innovation in the development of agritourism in Poland? To gain deeper insight, it was also important to gather information about the opinions of the young people on the advantages of Polish agritourism and the factors driving its growth. The following research hypothesis is also put forward: "Young people value innovation in agritourism with regard to organisation and marketing; with regard to the agricultural product, they display a more traditional approach: scenic surroundings, traditional food, exposure to folklore, quiet surroundings, contact with nature," which has been confirmed by the study results.


With the continuous development of peoples' life, the skin-care is attracting more attention. There are so many factors affecting the skin condition, and there is nonlinear correlation between factors. However, the current research always use single index to evaluate skin condition which would not be accurate. This article is to introduce seven key factors which affect the skin conditions into the evaluation. The skin condition classification model is built by the BP neural network according to the skin condition index. Firstly, on the basis of age, the skin condition is classified into three type: youth, middle aged, and the old, then the feature of each kind is extracted, and then according to the seven key factors, the neural network calculation is used to study the skin condition, finally, the neural network classification result is compared with the real age to complete the evaluation. The result proves that, by using the method this article introduced in the classification of skin condition, the similarity with the real age can be 70%, BP neural network can evaluate the skin condition effectively. In addition, the method is simple and practical which supplies effective way to do the evaluation. The physical significance of the evaluation is clear and it uses the difference-information in maximum which is the accurate and effective way to obtain the skin condition information.


E XCAVATIONS in 1970 and 1971 in the Athenian Agora revealed a remarkable collection of sculpture from one of the largest of the late Roman houses on the slopes of the Areopagus.1 This house, now called House C, was built in the 4th century after Christ with a spacious plan including two peristyle courts, and it was filled with Greek and Roman marble sculptures of exceptional quality.2 Two significant works from the house have been


Excessive sub-grade deformation and settlement of embankment and back fill are major contributors to premature pavement failures and to surface irregularities in Malaysia. Current Public Works Department (JKR) specifications for earthworks are not optimised in terms of composition and strength of sub-grade materials. Currently, JKR uses traditional methods for determining soil moisture content and density, as well as soaked California bearing ratio CBR testing which are time consuming and cumbersome. A simplified sub-grade material testing and analysis program is proposed to provide essential input for the development of JKR Pavement Design Manual. The extension of this program is to generate sufficient research data for the statistical analysis and the formulation of recommendation for inclusion in future revisions of JKR specifications. This paper focuses on reviewing and improving specifications for embankment fill and sub-grade materials and investigates different methods of testing and evaluation of the materials strength and density. (a) For the covering record of this conference, please refer to ITRD abstract no E220164.


Monosodium glutamate (i?½MSGi?½) has become one of the most well-known and controversial food ingredients in recent history. Linked to the i?½Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,i?½ the use of MSG has caused an outpouring of anecdotal evidence alleging adverse effects caused by ingestion of the food ingredient. These claims have been fueled by the popular press which has devoted considerable coverage to the debate surrounding the food additive. Yet, scientific studies have repeatedly indicated that MSG is safe at ordinary levels of consumption for the general population. In response to the controversy, in 1995, the Food and Drug Administration commissioned the FASEB Report to provide a comprehensive review of the monosodium glutamate scientific literature. This paper will examine the history of the MSG debate, including the scientific evidence, the role of the media, the positions of both sides and the response of the FDA.


This study was an attempt to determine whether a genre-based instruction improves the L2 reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, thirty homogenous Iranian BA Students studying English at Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas Branch were selected as the participants of the study using a version of TOEFL test. The selected participants were 15 females and 15 males who were randomly divided into two groups (an experimental group and a control group). Nevertheless, the experimental group and the control group took a reading-comprehension pretest followed by sixteen hours instruction, the experimental group using a genre-based pedagogy and the control group through the traditional methodology conventional in teaching reading comprehension. The two groups took the same test that they had taken as the pre-test, albeit this time as the posttest. In analyzing the data, the researchers utilized t-test for comparing the two groups. The results of the study showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the L2 reading comprehension of the participants who went under a genre-based instruction and who did not. Furthermore, the study investigated the role of gender which led to non-significant differences between the performances of the two genders.


Abstract Splenomegaly is a common finding in chronic hepatitis B infection. We present the case of a man with an acute flare of chronic hepatitis B infection, where splenomegaly in absence of portal hypertension led to the diagnosis of splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) with bone marrow involvement. Adequate suppression of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral load with tenofovir resulted in complete remission of the lymphoma.


Parameters used in the physical models for nonrigid motion simulation are often not known with high precision. It has been recognized that the commonly used assumptions about the parameters may have adverse effects on the modeling quality. We present an efficient sensitivity analysis method to assess the impact of those assumptions by examining the model's response to the parameter perturbation. Numerical experiments with both synthetic and real models show that (1) the normalized sensitivity distribution can help determine the relative importance of different parameters; (2) the dimensional sensitivity is useful in the assessment of a particular parameter assumption; (3) the model is more sensitive at the property discontinuity (heterogeneity). The proposed sensitivity analysis method is general and can also be applied to the assessment of other types of assumptions such as nonlinearity and anisotropy.


Maintaining a state of compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) remains a challenge for manufacturing automated processes within pharmaceuticals industries. The challenge lies in dealing with integrated control systems and easy, user friendly and reliable monitoring approach that reduces the problem of manufacturing faults, which can lead to cost the organization a lot. This paper presents a mechatronics automated system for upgrading a tablet coating machine in pharmaceutical plant, in order to achieve a powerful control processing system, process monitoring and reporting while concerning in increasing process productivity and quality. The approach used in the mechatronic automated system, to Upgrade the tablets coating machine, based on investing in the power of two, relatively novel, technologies; Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA). The integration of both technologies provided a real powerful upgraded design that increases the efficiency, reliability and robustness of the control and monitoring process, and reduces time, cost and rework.


When high-speed train entering and exiting from tunnel, a series of aerodynamic effects are created, such as pressure variation in carriage, noises, which are harm to passengers and environment. Model experiment and numeral simulation are efficient methods to research these problems. In this paper, using these two methods, the pressure variation at tunnel measurement points are researched when train entering tunnel. From the results, it can be seen that their results matched well and can validate for each other and the pressure wave creation and transportation principles can be drawn out.


Upon formation of the Sn plating film hardly occurs eluted from the electronic component element of Ba, not only hardly occur coalescence between electronic component body by Sn plating film, manufactured solderability is good ceramic electronic component have a method. A step of preparing an electronic component body that is configured with a Ba-containing ceramics, and forming an electrode on the outer surface of the electronic component body, the electrode is, Sn plating film formed by electroplating the method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component having, as a plating bath used for forming the Sn plating film, Sn ion concentration a is from 0.03 to 0.51 mol / L, sulfate ion concentration B 0.005 to 0.31 mol / L, the molar ratio B / a is less than 1, pH is used plating bath in the range of 6.1 to 10.5, the production method of the ceramic electronic component.


This article presents the conclusions of the author's PhD thesis called " Raw-material sources, rawmaterial supply and production strategies in the Upper Paleolithic from the Valachian Sector of the Moesic Platform". The study area is the Lower Danube Valley and includes the Paleolithic sites of Vădastra-Măgura Fetelor, Ciuperceni-La Tir, Ciuperceni-La Vii 1, Giurgiu-Malu Rosu and Nicolae Bălcescu-La Vii, plus a series of sampling points (see map 1, tables 1 and 2). The raw-material taken in consideration is chert. For many years archaeologists supported two alternative hypotheses about the raw-materials provenance : Pre-Balkan Platform and the Danube's gravels. By means of macroscopic description in hand specimens, microscopic characterization in thin section (mineralogy, primary constituents, fossils), complemented by X-ray diffraction, the author has determined several varieties of chert for each site and sampling location and also three categories that exhibit macro-and microscopic features which surpass the local settings (see map 2, tables 4, 5 and 6). By analyzing the microscopic features and by directly examining the thin sections chert varieties with macroscopic similarities from different places, the author determined the provenance of some raw-materials in the Paleolithic sites. The two Ciuperceni sites are linked to the Frătesti Formation (Lower Pleistocene) gravels, opened in the vicinity by a modern quarry (Ciuperceni-La Carieră) ; some of the Giurgiu-Malu Rosu cherts were determined to originate from gravels of the Frătesti Formation, opened by modern quarries to the North-West (Ghizdaru-Cariera de la Haltă, Cetatea-Cariera Bălănoaia), and from gravels of the lower terrace (t1), opened in places such as Giurgiu-Cariera Malu Rosu ; the source of provenance for the main raw-material (grayish " granulated" chert – in fact a peloidal chert) of Giurgiu-Malu Rosu was not found ; for the other two sites in the study, Vădastra-Măgura Fetelor and Nicolae Bălcescu-La Vii, it was impossible to determine the provenance of the raw-materials. All cherts form the Paleolithic sites have external characteristics which are similar to materials transported and reworked by waters (despite of the " fresh cortex" found on many of the samples). The raw-material sources that were identified indicate short supply distances and a local exploitation of raw-materials (under 50 km).


lifestyle is an important factor that influences human beings'health in modern society.healthy lifestyles and healthy investment has become a fashion.Sports is taken as a part of a healthy lifestyle,and a variety of sports consumptionbased fitness club and agencies have been set up,whose investment objectives,investment environment,investment returns and Fitness consumers constitute a mutual impact on one another.The paper,taking small and medium-sized fitness club in Xi'an as a case study,analyzed the relationships among fitness programs,fitness environment,clubs,investment environment,efficiency and consumer investment intentions,and provided a reference for a health club fitness investment.


A state-of-the-art Source Term Code Package-STCP Mod1.1 is used for assessing the release of radioactive materials to the environment in severe reactor accidents. This paper introduces its structure and function,and its installation and development on CYBER computer in China. Through calculations and analyses for 4 selected severe accident sequences from ZION Nuclear Pcwer Plant of the U. S., it shows that the developed STCP Mod1.1 is suitable to calculate various scenarios as long as the selections of the model and parameters are reasonable.


Sb2S3 has attracted great research interest very recently as a promising absorber material for thin film photovoltaics because of their unique optical and electrical properties, binary compound and easy synthesis. Sb2S3 planar solar cells from evaporation method without hole-transport layer (HTM) assistance suffer from sulfur deficit vacancy and high back contact barrier. Herein, we developed a postsurface selenization treatment to Sb2S3 thin film in order to improve the device performance. The XRD, Raman, and UV–vis spectra indicated the treated film kept the typical characters of Sb2S3. TEM/EELS mapping of treated Sb2S3 film revealed that only surface adjacent section was partly selenized and formed Sb2(SxSe1–x)3 alloy. In addition, XPS results further unfolded that there was trace selenium doping in the bulk of Sb2S3 film. The treated HTM-free Sb2S3 based solar cells were fabricated and an improved efficiency of 4.17% was obtained. The obtained VOC of 0.714 V was the highest and the power conversion ef...


Identification of Early Duration and Tolerant to Drought During Reproductive Phase on F5 Soybean Lines. Soybean yield loss due to drought stress ranges from 25% to 46% depending on location, season, and duration of the stress. Currently there is one drought stress cultivar, i.e. Dering 1 which belongs to medium seed size and medium maturity. The availability of soybean cultivars tolerant to drought and early maturing are important to maintain or even to increase soybean productivity in Indonesia. A total of 900 F5 soybean lines derived from ten cross combinations, i.e. MLG 2805/Malabar, MLG 2805/SHR, ARG/GCP335/Baluran, ARG/GCP-335/SHR, DV/2984-330/Grobogan, DV/ 2984-413/Malabar, DV/2984330/Baluran, DV/2984-413/SHR, Tanggamus /SHR, and Wilis /Malabar were evaluated for drought stress tolerance in Muneng Exp. Farm during second dry season, 2013. Drought stress was imposed during generative stage, the plants were only irrigated from planting through flowering stage. Results showed that there were 300 lines that were tolerant to drought during reproductive phase, early maturity, with higher seed yield compared to that of the check cultivars. Those tolerant lines needs further evaluations to be developed as new soybean drought stress cultivars.


Waste lubricant oil (WLO) is an absolute hazardous entry in the European List of Waste that requires proper treatment. Solvent extraction is one of the most effective deasphalting processes for the regeneration of WLO, with a strong contribution to the circular economy. This study aims to propose a new methodology for the selection of solvents for WLO regeneration, which balances technical, economical, and greenness criteria. The method involves two phases for screening a list of 154 solvents. In the first phase, five criteria were used: water and acidic properties; selectivity toward the base oil and flocculation capacity; number of carbon atoms between three and five; melting point lower than 10 °C and a boiling point between 60 and 130 °C; and yield greater than 85%. In the second phase, three metrics of sustainability were employed: greenness, efficiency, and cost. Globally, a score was attributed to each solvent based on the assessment of the individual metric. From a list of 154 solvents, 1-butanol,...


Nadia Boukhelifa recently made the hop from England to Plaine de Versailles. This specialist in data visualisation and research scientist at the Joint Research Unit for Food Process Engineering and Microbiology enthusiastically shares the path that led her to where she is today, putting people at the centre of her work.


A review of the 2012 physical oceanographic conditions on the Scotian Shelf and in the eastern Gulf of Maine and adjacent offshore areas indicates that above normal conditions prevailed. The climate index, a composite of 18 selected, normalized time series, averaged +2.8 standard deviations (SD) with 16 of the 18 variables more than 1.0 SD above normal making 2012 as the warmest year in the last 43 years. The anomalies did not show a strong spatial variation. Bottom temperatures were above normal with anomalies for NAFO areas 4Vn, 4Vs, 4W, 4X of +0.5°C (+1.2 SD), +1.2°C (+1.8 SD), +1.7°C (+2.3 SD), and +2.1°C (+3.0 SD) respectively. Compared to 2011, bottom temperatures increased in areas 4Vs, 4W and 4X by 0.4, 1.5 and 1.7°C. The exception was area 4Vn where temperature decreased by 0.2°C.


This paper reports on the use of recent activity flags to exclude inactive cell phone telephone numbers from being worked. Utilizing a high-effort survey appended with recent activity flags from both Targus and Marketing Systems Group's Cell-WINS, we find that between 5 and 6 percent of cell phone households would be excluded by utilizing these appends. Furthermore, the bias inherent in excluding either Targus "unknown" sample or Cell-WINS "inactive" sample is t near negligible in dual-frame surveys. Excluding such sample can reduce the amount of labor hours needed for telephone interviewing by as much as 20 percent. As with the adoption of list-assisted techniques for landline samples, we find that using recent activity flags substantially improves survey interviewing productivity rates without causing a meaningful increase in bias. In the mid-1970s, telephone surveys suffered from an inherent lack of efficiency. As a direct result, survey costs were considerable both in terms of labor and of time. The efficiency problem was not satisfactorily resolved until the advent of the single-stage list-assisted approach in the 1990s. This approach has been "industry-standard" since, thanks to its lack of clustering, increased efficiency, and ease and timeliness of application (Kulp 1994; Lepkowski 1988). Now, we see history repeating itself with cell phones. They are significantly more expensive and inefficient to dial compared to landlines. Absent listed databases for cell phones, one cannot "scrub" zero banks out of the sampling frame to increase efficiency via the list-assisted method. Other methods to improve efficiency, such as the Mitofsy-Waksberg technique (Waksberg 1978) fail because there is little predilection for certain working banks of 100-series or 1,000-series telephone numbers more than other banks.


The paper analyzes the possibility of the deployment in distributed automated control systems of technological processes of specialized OLTP-oriented software for data control to distribute transactional load among multiple nodes.


Objective To explore the effects of minimal invasive operation(small bone-window penestration) and urokinase on hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage.Methods Directed by the patients'skull CT,32 cases are operated on using the minimal invasive operation with incisions measuring only 2.0~3.0cm long.Most hematoma was sucked out liquid direct vision and active bleeding was treated with electric coagulatio,and silica gel tube was put in hematoma cava;after 3 days of the operation,10000U urokinase were injected in hematom cava by drain pipe;meanwhile obsolete and dissolve hematom under was drained out.Then comparison between the minimal invasive operation and the general operation was performed.Results Among the 32 cases,2 cases died,and the fatality rate was 6%.18 cases completely recovered and 8 cases were semi-self-cared.Excellent rehabilitation rate was 81.3%.4 cases were in hemiplegia,and no patient was in persistent vegetative state.Conclusion The minimal invasive operation coalesced with urokinase to dissolve and eliminate hematoma exert their respective superiorities,while avoid their shortcomings.


An opinion is presented that the making of art is a process that lies in the space between labour and love. It is suggested that creativity can take the artist unexpectedly to unfamiliar territories of knowledge and also leads to a realisation about the self and the world.


The use of the technology has advanced from the automation of structured processes to systems that are truly revolutionary in that they introduce change into fundamental business procedures, work flow and the management of an organization. Indeed, it is believed that "More than being helped by computers, companies will live by them, shaping strategy and structure to fit new information technology" This paper presents the understanding of how information systems (IS) affect some key measures of work and organization structure. The study with users from different local organizations with exposure to IS was conducted to provide an in-depth insight into the impact of information systems on work and the business performance in the organization. As a result, observation has been made that changes in organization procedures, workflows and management require knowledge-based workers. This leads to recommendations on how an organization can develops its information systems to nurture knowledge workers.


Determining the suitability of aquaculture ponds is one of a valuable factor in sustainable aquaculture. One of the factors to consider in establishing a successful aquaculture is aquatic environment, i.e.: the primary productivity of waters and physical-chemical factors. The value of primary productivity describes aquatic trophic and natural food availability. This research was aimed to observe the suitability of aquaculture ponds based on primary productivity, phytoplankton abundance, and water quality (Physical-Chemical factors). The research was conducted on July to August 2018 in mangrove ecosystem at western and eastern coastal area of Banda Aceh with six observation stations, namely Beureunut, Amat Aramanyang, Ruyung, Tibang, Deah Glumpang and Peukan Bada. These stations were determined by stratified random sampling method based on water characteristic. The measurement of primary productivity was conducted by using the dark-light bottle method. The categorizing of suitability of aquaculture ponds was done by using the scoring method. The water quality parameters were given the value and score then following to be divided into four classes of suitability comprise Class S1 (Very suitable), S2 (Suitable), S3 (Conditional Suitable), and TS (Unsuitable). The results showed that the value of primary productivity ranged from 34.72 to 178.82 mgC/m3/hour and the phytoplankton abundance around 1.17 – 3.02 individual/Liter. Land suitability scoring ranged from 70.1 – 75.6%. It was concluded that the station 4th (Tibang) and 5th (Deah Glumpang) were a suitable area for aquaculture ponds with a score of 75.6%.


Associations between students' socio-emotional learning skills and students' perceptions about their social sciences teachers' interpersonal behavior were investigated in this study. A primary level version of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) was adapted into Turkish in order to gather the data concerning teacher interpersonal behaviors in the Turkish elementary classrooms. This process together with the collection of data concerning students' socio-emotional learning skills was performed in several state elementary schools with 386 students from Grade 5 and Grade 6. Descriptive statistics, Canonical Correlation Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (with Mplus) were utilized for the purposes of data analyses. The results revealed that the Turkish version of the QTI for primary schools demonstrated a reasonable fit with the data with some minor deviations. The results also indicated that students' perceptions about their teachers' leadership, helpful, uncertain and understanding behaviors were positively but admonishing, dissatisfied and strict behaviors were negatively related to students' socio-emotional learning skills.


The article presents the results of a direct open-label study of the efficacy and safety of BINAFIN® for treatment of foot and hand
nail mycoses in 30 patients. Patients were administered one pill (250 mg) of BINAFIN® a day on a daily basis for 3-5 months.
Clinical and anti-mycosis efficacy was achieved in 92.6% cases of foot and hand nail mycoses.


Preface 1. What is the Ethics of Development? 1.1. Why Development Ethics? Cases and Questions Extreme poverty amidst immense riches Health and sickness, needs and profits Towards a 'calculus of pain': recognising varieties of suffering and violence The infliction of costs on the weak: the examples of dams, famines, debt, and structural adjustment Global obligations and universal values? What is development? 1.2. What? On Meanings and Agenda The core agenda of development ethics Emergence and contributors Definitions 1.3. How? On Methods and Roles Methods Possible roles of development ethics Global or Southern? 2. The Meaning of 'Development' 2.1. Purposes and Themes 2.2. Ahistorical Definitions Usages across the disciplines Usages in development studies 2.3. Historically Specific Conceptions Of Development: On Change, Intervention and Progress 2.4. On Improvement: Issues in Normative Ahistorical Definition Development as opportunity or as achievement? Universalism and relativism Commonality? 2.5. Conclusion 3. 'Efficiency & Effectiveness' - Mainstream Development Evaluation in Theory & Practice 3.1. Introduction: Mainstream Value Positions, and Alternatives 3.2. Effectiveness Towards What and For Whom? Effectiveness towards what? Effectiveness for whom? 3.3. Efficiency in Terms of Which Values ? What is efficient depends on what one's values are Tacit variants of economic efficiency: Paretian and utilitarian Concepts of efficiency and practices of victimization 3.4. Setting Economic Efficiency in Social and Environmental Context Limitations of a separate concept of economic efficiency Economic efficiency confined to a delimited role within a human and physical context Means and ends 3.5. Understanding Value-Systems Comparison of value positions in development evaluation The structure of market-oriented arguments 'Consumer sovereignty' 3.6. Conclusion: Beyond Economism 4. 'Equity' - Who Bear Costs and Who Reap Benefits? 4.1. Sacrificing the Weak 4.2. Aspects of Equity Criteria of distributive equity An application to the regulation of grazing in Zimbabwe An application to selection for resettlement in Zimbabwe Positive discrimination 4.3. A Deeper Analysis of Concepts Sen's framework for understanding different distributive criteria Land, returns, and the fruits of effort Whose are the international debts? 4.4. Assessing the Different Interpretations Equality of what? Why equality? Selecting from or interrelating the principles Socio-political contexts 4.5. Conclusion 5. Violence and Human Security 5.1. The Reemergence of Violence and Security as Central Concerns 5.2. Development and Violence as Value-relative? On Concepts 'Violence' 'Development' and peace 5.3. Development as Value-Damaging? Varieties of violence Violence and the economy 5.4. Downgrading the Cost of Violence and Denying Alternatives Market theory: only interests, no passions The downgrading and defining away of costs and alternatives 5.5. Real Alternatives and Painful Choices Notions of tragedy, evil, dilemma Towards a calculus of pain with a respect for persons? 6. Needs and Basic Needs 6.1. First Things First 6.2. The Language of Need Meanings and syntax of 'need' A unifying framework for needs ethics and policy Meanings of 'basic' 6.3. A Richer Picture of Persons Do we need a picture of persons? A better empirical base for prediction and evaluation Reinterpretations of poverty, luxury, and limitless demand 6.4. Dangers in Needs Theories and Ethics Passive and pacifying? Overextended? 6.5. The Discursive and Practical Strategy of 'Basic Human Needs' A required basis for other ethics Steps in operationalization A programmatic alternative to economism 6.6. Conclusions: Beggars can't be Choosers 7. 'Human Development': Capabilities and Positive Freedom 7.1. From Basic Needs to a Fuller Philosophy of Development 7.2. The UNDP Human Development School The Human Development Reports Human Development and Human Rights 7.3. Sen's Capability Approach and 'Development as Freedom' Freedom and Reason Development as Freedom Components of the capability approach Policy orientation 7.4. Doubts and Alternatives Sen's picture of persons, capabilities and freedom Nussbaum's capabilities ethic For and against a universal list of priority capabilities 7.5. Conclusion 8. Cultures and the Ethics of Development 8.1. Can One Criticise Cultures and Yet Avoid Ethnocentrism? Agenda Introductory cases Is liberalism illiberal? 8.2. Culture: The Underlying Issues Conceptions of 'culture' Roles perceived for culture Natural man, plasticine man, and nurtured natural man The uneasy balance between individual rights and group rights Women's right to employment? 8.3. Communitarian Ethics and Cultural Relativism The texture of communitarian ethics Walzer's worlds Communitarianism is based on poor sociology Cultural relativism is inconsistent The centrality of internal criticism 8.4. Cases and Procedures Criteria for just decisions An overview of cases 8.5. Conclusion 9. Epilogue Bibliography.


Dear editor, The tumor microenvironment (TME) heavily impacts disease biology and may influence responses to systemic treatments, and thereby, affects patients' prognosis. In our previous study, we found that immune features could predict prognosis and guide the therapy choices for stage I-III colon cancer [1,2]. Increasing evidence shows that therapyinduced TME changes can promote tumor progression, metastasis, and the development of resistance [3,4]. However, the TME dynamics in colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) under treatment are still incompletely clear. In this study, we surveyed the evolution of the TME under treatment stress from 15 CRLM patients via RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing (TCR-seq), immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and immunofluorescence (Supplementary Materials and Methods) (Supplementary Figure S1A, and Supplementary Table S1). During treatment, the fraction of epithelial tumor cells of regressive tumors (partial response [PR]) decreased significantly, whereas it increased in stable and progressive tumors (SD and PD) (Supplementary Figure S1B-D). Consensus molecular subtypes, which is one of the most robust colorectal cancer classifications, changed dramatically during treatment (Supplementary Figure S1E). Comparison of treatment-naïve patients with response (PR) and non-response (SD or PD) showed that along with the upregulation of interferon response, the expression of immune checkpoint-related genes also increased (Supplementary Figure S2A-C). Immune-related genes were significantly enriched in sensitive tumors after treatment whereas progressive tumors contained highly expressed


Among the features that distinguish the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAIT) from other international organizations concerned with the trade of less developed countries are two that are especially significant. GATT is the only interregional organization in which the undertakings by members take the form of contractual commitments. It is also an organization that is concerned with trade not only between developed and less developed countries but within these two groups as well. The question can be raised, however, as to whether an organization so constituted and oriented is suited to the task of facilitating the export earnings of the less developed countries or whether, on the contrary, a more specialized body, devoted exclusively to that task, is likely to achieve better results.


Africa is a continent wonderful with natural riches, a fascinating history and a population, still insufficiently known, appreciated and valued, which has changed considerably in the last 5-6 decades, when most countries this continent gained their political independence somehow.The changes in Africa are summarized formulated and implemented from the different perspectives on the evolution of this continent. The study identifies these different perspectives and emphasizes the need for new work assumptions in economic plan concerning future of the African continent.


With a lack of scientific literacy afflicting a large proportion of the U.S. population, the very survival of democracy may be at stake. That is a problem that worries James S. Trefil, Clarence Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. He voiced this concern to an audience at a plenary session of the Pittsburgh Conference & Exposition on Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy—Pittcon '94—held early this month in Chicago. Trefil, who has won acclaim for several books explaining science to a lay public, cited the many controversies, public debates, and political decisions that go on in the U.S. today involving scientific and technological questions. "The idea of a citizenry ignorant of science is scary," he says. "Can a public, lacking scientific literacy, go on voting on these questions, or will there be a 'priesthood' established to decide these matters?" Science literacy can be recognized when the public knows enough ...


Objective To study the prevention and cure of common postoperative complications following craniopharyngioma excision.Methods Various postoperative complications of 84 patients undergoing carniopharyngioma surgery were summarized and analyzed.The common causes of various postoperative complications and their reasonable prevention and cure were discussed.Results Diabets insipidus,high fever,imbalance of electrolytes,epilepsy,disturbance of consciousness and curlingl's ulcer were the common complications,there occurrence rate were 58.3%、47.6%、42.9%、16.6%、19.0%、6.0% respectively.Conclusions The reasonable choice of operation,identification and preservation of the pituitary stalk,dexterity skill of operation and disciplinedly postoperative care play and important role in improving the omni-cutting rate and dereasing the postoperative complications.


The present work aims to analyze from a methodological and instrumental point of view the development of asynchronous motor propulsion systems. For this purpose, PWM and SVM modulation methods, FOC and DTC vector control techniques, as well as their advantages and disadvantages are described. The theoretical bases and functional schemes of FOC and DTC control are given, including the asynchronous motor mathematical model, similar to the direct current motor model. Special attention is paid to creating of a common meaning for describing the components operation equations of the traction system, equations that can be used for system modeling and simulation. The paper also refers to a series of modern voltage converters with vector control, which are produced by several companies in different countries and are intended for the control of three-phase asynchronous motors. The results of the study create a basis for research and development of traction systems with multiphase asynchronous motors for urban electric passenger vehicles.


procainamide, crosses the blood-brain barrier affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary secretory system of several hormones. The administration of pharmacological doses of MCP increases serum concentrations of Prolactin (McNeilly, Thorner, Volans and Besser 1974) and TSH (Scanlon, Weetman, Lewis, Pourmand, Rodriguez-Arnao, Weightman and Hall 1980) in both men and women, whereas growth hormone (GH) release by the pituitary remains unmodified, at least in normal men (Sowers, McCallum, Hershman, Carlson, Sturdevant and Meyer 1976). On the other hand, the administration of MCP to hypogonadal men significantly increases GH serum levels (Cohen, Hay, Beastall and Thomson 1979). Thus blood estrogen concentrations and/or the androgen/estrogen ratio may be important for the development of this response and may play a role in the control of the GH secretory system. To test this hypothesis the effect of an acute administration of MCP on serum GH concentrations in normal women was evaluated.


The spread of epidemic in social networks poses great challenges to the human health and public order. It is imperative to develop corresponding countermeasures to control the epidemic propagation. Most of existing works either overlook the reconfiguration of network topology or do not consider the cost of countermeasures. Motivated by these issues, this paper proposes a convenient strategy to control epidemic propagation dramatically based on limited temporary links removed (LTLR). The advantages of our strategy are the source-independent of infection and practical importance. Since the epidemic makes a detour round the hub nodes or be blocked by removing or deactivating links with large betweenness in networks. Simulation results also show that LTLR strategy effectively slows the speed of epidemic propagation and reduces the size of infected nodes in small-world networks. Our strategy can be used widely in the many fields, such as rumor spreading, congestion control in traffic networks, etc.


meters] × [height in meters]) of the recipient, was the single most predictive risk factor for the development of CAV. In addition, this study demonstrated that the luminal narrowing was progressive over time and that the impact of other risk factors such as total serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels was additive. Posttransplant obesity also increases the risk of hypertension and diabetes mellitus as well as graft loss. Eight years after a transplantation, dyslipidemia affects more than 90% of recipients, hypertension affects almost 97%, and diabetes is prevalent in approximately 35% of recipients. Although corticosteroids clearly contribute to the development of hypertension, it is most often attributed to use of cyclosporine. In addition to the potentially modifiable risk factors for the development of CAV identified above, there are immunological stimuli for the development of this accelerated form of coronary artery disease. Community-based weight management in long-term heart transplant recipients: a pilot study


Abstract—The traditional approach to epidemiologicalresearch is to analyse data in an explicit statistical fashion,attempting to answer a question or test a hypothesis. However,increasing experience in the application of data mining andexploratory data analysis methods suggests that valuableinformation can be obtained from large datasets using theseless constrained approaches. Available data mining techniques,such as clustering, have mainly been applied to cross-sectionalpoint-in-time data. However, health datasets often includerepeated observations for individuals and so researchers areinterested in following their health trajectories. This requiresmethods for analysis of multiple-points-over-time or longitudinaldata. Here, we describe an approach to construct a syntheticlongitudinal version of a major population health dataset inwhich clusters merge and split over time, to investigate theutility of clustering for discovering time sequence based patterns.Index Terms—cluster analysis; synthetic data


Abstract The purpose of this research is to study air classification and water flotation as techniques to recover a large percentage of the copper currently being sent to landfills by metal recycling industries. These are appropriate techniques because they utilize internal plant streams which are the plant storm water and air from air conveyors used in material transport. The waste stream studied was a copper plastic waste stream that contains 3–13% copper with particle sizes between 0.5 and 5 mm. It is a crude chopped mixture that cannot be easily characterized. Air classification of the crude material could achieve an average of 60% copper recovery with 40% purity. Water flotation of the crude material could achieve an average of 60% copper recovery with 90% purity. A separation scheme is proposed that uses air classification columns that are followed by water flotation separators. The air classification operation removes the lighter fluff material. The water flotation operation purifies the recovered ...


We examined the effects of adrenaline on the noradrenaline release rate and plasma catecholamine levels in the pithed rabbit with electrically stimulated sympathetic outflow (3 Hz). Adrenaline (0.06 μg/kg/min) increased the rate of noradrenaline release into the plasma. This increase was prevented by propranolol (0.2 mg/kg + 0.1 mg/kg/h) and probably involves activation of presynaptic β-adrenoceptors. A higher dose of adrenaline (1.0 μg/kg/min) significantly reduced the noradrenaline release rate. The reduction was "reversed" to a facilitatory effect by phenoxybenzamine (4 mg/kg). Propranolol alone slightly inhibited the noradrenaline release rate. After pretreatment with desipramine (1.0 mg/kg + 0.2 mg/kg/h), the inhibitory effect of propranolol on noradrenaline release was more pronounced and blood pressure was also lowered. However, in rabbits pretreated with captopril (1 mg/kg) in addition to desipramine, the sympathoinhibitory effect of propranolol was not observed. These results suggest that adrenaline can activate either presynaptic β-adrenoceptors to increase noradrenaline release or, in higher doses, presynaptic α-adrenoceptors to inhibit noradrenaline release in vivo. The decrease in the noradrenaline release rate produced by propranolol alone may not be due to blockade of facilitatory presynaptic β-adrenoceptors, but rather to depression of renin secretion. This would decrease angiotensin II formation and hence decrease the presynaptic release-enhancing effect of angiotensin II.


Moisture is one of the major causes of building decay, compromising the indoor air quality and the durability of building components. Infrared thermography is a non-destructive technique that can be used to prevent damage caused by the presence of water. In this study, the potential of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was assessed as a quantitative technique for processing the thermal images captured during 24 hours of water absorption by a lightweight concrete specimen. PCA showed that the first principal component is the one that better explains the phenomenon. The initial instant was the most interesting to identify the water level in the sample and the final instant allowed defining the first 8h as the most relevant.


PURPOSE: A multilayer tablet containing sarpogrelate hydrochloride of release controlled type is provided to immediately treat and to continuously maintain same concentrate of active ingredients in plasma. CONSTITUTION: A multilayer tablet containing sapogreleate hydrochloride of release controlled type contains: an immediate release part containing sapogreleate hydrochloride and short-acting excipient; and a sustained release part containing sapogreleate hydrochloride, hydrophilic polymers, and effervescent additives, or sustained release part containing sapogreleate hydrochloride, hydrophilic polymers, and release controlled type base.


A system of two gravitating bodies floating around a restricted region of strong gravitational field is investigated. We consider two concentric spherically symmetric timelike shells spatially constrained by a perfectly reflecting inner and outer boundary. It is shown numerically that even when the gravitational radius of a contracting shell is larger than the radius of the inner boundary, energy transfer occurs due to the intersection with the other expanding shell before the contracting shell becomes a black hole, resulting nonlinearly stable motion. The system appears to be in a permanently stable periodic motion due to the repetition of forward and reverse energy transfer. The larger the specific energy of a shell, the more stable the motion is. In addition, the motion of the null shell as the fastest limit of the timelike shell is also investigated. Unlike the timelike shell, the motion of the two null shells reduces to exact recurrence equations. By analyzing the recurrence equations, we find the null shells also allow stable motions. Using the algebraic computation of the recurrence equations, we show numerical integration is not necessary for the nonlinear dynamics of the null shells in confined geometry.


Domain As previously mentioned, these tools work by exploring paths and looking for anomalies in the abstract state of the program. The appeal of the symbolic execution is that each abstract state represents potentially many possible concrete states. For example, given an 8-bit variable x, there are 2 possible concrete values: 0, 1, ..., 255. The symbolic execution, however, might represent the value as two abstract states: x=0, and x>0. So where a concrete execution has 256 states to explore, the symbolic execution has only two. As such, the expressivity of this abstract domain is an important factor that determines the effectiveness of the analysis. Again, there is a trade-off here: better precision and recall can be achieved by more sophisticated abstract domains, but more resources will then be required to complete an analysis. Values in the abstract domain are equations that represent constraints on values, i.e., x=0, or y>10. As the analysis progresses, a constraint solver is used to combine and simplify these equations. A key characteristic of these abstract domains is that there is a special value, usually named bottom, which indicates that the analysis knows no useful information about the actual value. Bottom is the abstract value that corresponds to all possible concrete values. Reaching bottom is impossible to avoid for any non-trivial abstraction in general as this would require solving the halting problem. Once bottom is reached, the analysis has a choice of treating it as a potentially dangerous value, which would increase recall, or as a probably safe value, which would increase precision. Most tools opt for the latter as the former also has the effect of decreasing precision enormously. If there are program constructs that step outside the bounds of what can be expressed in the abstract domain, this causes the analysis to lose track of variables and their relationships. For example, an abstract domain that allows the expression of affine relationships between no more than two variables admits expressions such as x=2y. However, something such as x=y+z is out of bounds because it involves three variables and the analysis would be forced to conclude x=bottom instead. The consequence of this is the abstract domain that a tool uses determines a great deal about the kind of flaws that it is capable of detecting. For example, if the tool uses an abstract domain of affine relations between two variables, then it may fail to find flaws that depend on three variables. "If asynchronous paths can occur (such as those caused by interrupts or exceptions) or if the program uses concurrency,


The basic characteristics of the zone of active combustion that influence nitrogen oxide emissions from gas-oil-fired boilers are found. Curves showing the NO x emissions as a function of the basic characteristics of the zone of active combustion (ZAC) are obtained.


A virtual lock-in amplifier was designed based on NI LabVIEW software platform and PCI-6251 acquisition card.A series of measurements like phase sensitive detection,noise suppression by even and odd harmonics and frequency response had been done with a good accuracy.The measurement results demonstrated that this virtual lock-in amplifier had a good and even better performance of noise suppression compared with normal instrumental lock-in amplifier.


Easement means, a right enjoyed by the owner of land over the lands of another: such as rights of way, right of light, rights of support, rights to a flow of air or water etc. The dominant tenement is the land owned by the possessor of the easement, and the servient tenement is the land over which the right is enjoyed. An easement must exist for the accommodation and better enjoyment to which it is annexed, otherwise it may amount to mere license. An easement benefits and binds the land itself and therefore continuous despite any change of ownership of either dominant or servient tenement, although it will be extinguished if the two tenements come into common ownership. An easement can only be enjoyed in respect of land. This means two parcels of land. The principles on an easement are: First there must be a 'dominant tenement' and a 'servient tenement'.Dominant tenement to which the benefit of the easement attaches, and another (servient tenement) which bears the burden of the easement. Secondly, the easement must benefit the dominant tenement. An easements can not consist of doing something for servient tenement. An easement shall be done in accordance with the principle of restrictions. This means that the less burden the servient tenement. When there is doubt about the extent of the actual easement shall take what easer the servient tenement. The new needs of the dominant estate does not result in the expansion of servitude. Draft Code of property and other real estate, provides for the possibility that the same person may be the owner of the dominant and servient tenement. Draft Code all easements divided into real, personal, real-personal and easement construction. Draft Code regulates all types of easements in great detail.


The present invention relates to a blood sample acquisition and analysis unit, the common driving source and the driving force transmitting gear for including a one-piece drive unit having a train, and to advance the lancet drive, the magazine 4 by means of this device, and a sample delivery device ( 12) it may be coupled to the drive source. Stress rotor 18 and drive rotor 20 is mounted to be rotatable coaxially with each other. A first cam control which converts the rotation of the drive rotor 20 in the radial direction before and after the movement of the drive rod (9). The second control cam converts the rotary motion of the rotor stress (18) into linear motion of the link slider 11 is in the slot. With a switching slot is moved by the link slider 11 in the slotted link 34 is then rotated one step to the magazine (4). A third control cam converts the rotary motion of the stress rotor 18 into a linear motion of push rod 37 forms a right angle with the axis of perforation.


By the means of bibliometrics and social network analysis, this paper was written to discuss therecent development and research hotspot of the public culture service supply research,using large andcomplex network analysis software—UCINET and SPSS to handle the datum. In the paper the author ana-lyzed the knowledge network character of the subject and emphasized to analyze the cluster of key words,which providing a better understanding for the evolution and development of scientific knowledge.


A new class of compressor and pump range and stability improvement devices has been demonstrated in a series of successful tests including a very stable Nss = 110,000 turbopump. Similar progress has been shown on a compressor and other pumps; taken together, the tests of the devices have included both radial and axial stages for both compressors and pumps. All applications have demonstrated improved stability; so far, 9 impellers and up to 21 cover variations have been built. These devices use passive flow control with endwall boundary layer bleed via cover suction plus jet reinjection into various upstream and downstream locations. While the concept feasibility is proven, additional work is needed to develop the design and optimization tools and to discover certain specific control options such as application to diffusers and fluidic control. The devices are expected to be low cost and reliable while offering design flexibility such as reshaping the head-flow curve and the cavitation breakdown characteristic.


A new class of binary quantum codes from cyclic codes over Z 2 Z 2 [ u ] / (cid:2) u 4 (cid:3) , u 4 = 0, is introduced. The generator polynomials of Z 2 Z 2 [ u ] / (cid:2) u 4 (cid:3) -cyclic codes of length ( r , s ) are obtained through the factorization of x r − 1 and x s − 1 into pairwise coprime monic polynomials over Z 2 ,where r and s areoddpositiveintegers.Aminimalspanningsetforthesecodesisobtained. Under some restricted conditions, the structure of the duals of Z 2 Z 2 [ u ] / (cid:2) u 4 (cid:3) -cyclic codes is also determined. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a Z 2 Z 2 [ u ] / (cid:2) u 4 (cid:3) -cyclic code of this restricted class to contain its dual or to be self-orthogonal are obtained. A new Gray map is defined, and the binary quantum codes are obtained by using the Calderbank-Shor-Steane construction on self-orthogonal or dual containing Z 2 Z 2 [ u ] / (cid:2) u 4 (cid:3) -cyclic codes. Some examples of binary quantum codes with good parameters constructed from Z 2 Z 2 [ u ] / (cid:2) u 4 (cid:3) -cyclic codes are given.


This article will deal with the theory of acoustical horns, in the way it applies to loudspeakers. The basic assumptions behind classical horn theory as it stands, will be reviewed, the di erent types of horns will be presented and their properties discussed. Directivity control, wave-front shapes and distortion will be discussed. In this article, I will try to keep the math simple, and where it is required, the meaning of the equations will be explained or visualized. The focus is on the understanding of what is going on in a horn. The practical aspects of horn design will not be treated in this article.


The aim of this study was to understand the definition of respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartoma (REAH) and the association between REAH and chronic sinusitis and nasal polyposis, and to describe the histology and management of REAH.


In this paper, a new derivative-free nonmonotone line search is presented. The proposed method combines a variant of the trust region method proposed by Ahookhosh et al. in [Applied Mathematical Modelling, 36:478–487, 2012] with a modified version of the spectral residual method. In our approach, the adaptive Barzilai–Borwein method is utilized for computing the spectral coefficients. Under some classical assumptions, the local and global convergence properties as well as its convergence rate of the new method is provided. Numerical results on some test problems show the efficiency and effectiveness of the new proposed method in practice.


1. The Planning Project goals are to: • Preserve a loop trail to keep the flow, recognizing that this is a popular trail, as it exists today. • Improve the accessibility and usability of the trail. • Increase access in the wet areas during the rainy season while avoiding the wettest areas as much as possible. • Protect significant trees. • Obtain permits/mitigation plans through Clean Water Services. • To keep the entrance to Beaverton School District for educational use. This entrance is not intended for the general public as the grounds are gated during the night and on weekends.


A discussion of interperiod tax allocation in the oil and gas industry distinguishes permanent differences from timing differences. Timing differences cause deferred tax credit balances. An examination of the deferred tax credit balances of six major oil companies illustrate both the magnitude and growth of deferred tax credit balances as a percentage of stockholders' equity. The importance of interperiod tax allocation is further evidenced by the increased attention devoted to the accounting and reporting of deferred tax credits by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB). Accountants need to be aware of these developments, since any changes could have a significant impact upon financial statements. 2 tables.


Background: While a number of safety checks are performed before a patient reaches the Operating Room, there is no multi-disciplinary check which occurs in the area where the patient will undergo the procedure. A number of serious incidents of incorrect surgeries identified in Ireland and internationally have highlighted the need to improve safety checks and the World Health Organisation launched the World Alliance for Patient Safety: Safe Surgery Saves Lives in 2008 promoting this. In order to improve Surgical Safety in St James's Hospital, a new initiative incorporating patient verification, surgical site marking and a 'time out' preoperative pause was introduced. Methods: Tools: A safety checklist was drafted and used for every patient undergoing an operative procedure. The circulating nurse was responsible for completing the checklist. Indelible markers were available across the organisation to ensure the operative sites were marked pre-operatively. Timeframe: 3 month pilot commencing August 2008. Key Steps: A Policy for the Prevention of Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery was drafted based on the Safe Surgery Saves Lives documentation produced by the World Health Organisation (2008). Briefing sessions were held with key stakeholders of the different healthcare groups to explain the background and aims of the safety initiative. A pre-operative checklist was developed which required documentation of the key checks necessary in the safety initiative. Compliance with the policy was audited over a three month period. Results: Three 'near misses' were identified during the pilot which resulted in errors being detected and corrected before the procedures took place. Compliance with the policy was measured by identifying the healthcare professionals who were required to be present during the 'Time Out' pause and comparing this to the numbers present during the pilot period. In addition to this, patients requiring surgical site markings were identified and compliance with this marking was calculated. The results showed that in 99% of cases, the surgeon was present during Time Out, 98% of cases had the Anaesthetist present and 88% of cases had all three nursing staff present. 94% of patients requiring surgical site markings had this complete before the operation. With regard to the surgical site markings, a number of additional exceptions were identified as necessary for inclusion in the policy. These were deemed necessary to ensure patient safety (e.g. extensive burns where marking could cause additional harm to patient). In addition, documentation of the 'Time Out' pause highlighted a need to include a "not applicable" option for patients who did not have a general anaesthetic. The rationale for this was that some of these patients do not require an Anaesthetist or an Anaesthetic Nurse to be present. Conclusions: The Policy for the Prevention of Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery allowed staff to engage in a multidisciplinary pre-operative pause. This surgical pause allowed protected time to ensure necessary safety barriers were in place. The stakeholders involved in the pilot agreed that the policy should be implemented fully to the organisation and the changes highlighted during the pilot were incorporated into the document. The final policy document complies with the World Health Organisation (2008) World Alliance for Patient Safety: Safe Surgery Saves Lives.


The Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920) was expected to resolve all the numerous issues after World War I, but the organisation of this gigantic event was rather insufficient. The conference was held in Paris, recognising the important position of the principal country of the Allied victors. In the past, conferences were predominantly attended by professional diplomats, capable of "coaching" their sovereigns or politicians. The Paris Peace Conference was officially supposed to be different in that secret diplomacy undertaken by diplomats was disavowed. The criticism of the old traditions prevalent in diplomacy resulted in a different composition of delegations. Rather than professional diplomats with a legal background as in the past, the participants in the conference were economists, soldiers, or experts in various branches of social sciences.


Ecuador is a small country located on the northwest comer of the South American continent. Intertwined within its boundaries abounds a wondrous array of diversity. Thee diverse regions encompass the geography of the land: the Costa, the Sierra, and the Oriente. The Costa region borders the Pacific Ocean and consists of lowlands, mountains, and rolling hills dividing the river valleys. The Sierra is composed of two major chains of the Andes: the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental. Traditionally untouched, the Oriente remained relatively isolated until the 1970's when the government began promoting the colonization of the rain forest frontier. Today, after rapid colonization and the oil reserve exploitations of 1967, the jungles ofthe Oriente are suffering and indigenous cultures are pushed further into the forests.


Ter(9,9-diarylfluorene) (TDF) neat film featuring oxygen sensing with advantages of fast response, reversibility and high efficiency is reported. The fast O2 fluorescence quenching process (4.0 × 1010 M−1 s−1) is unique and is mainly due to intact amorphous morphology of the TDF film, providing ample porous sites in nature so that O2 can travel therein freely. This, together with a large S1–T1 energy gap of TDF, leads to efficient O2 sensitization, i.e. the O2 induced S1–T1 intersystem crossing. The sensitivity can be further enhanced up to ∼10-fold and ∼20-fold in amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and lasing action, respectively. The work thus demonstrated a new class of organic materials suited for high-speed, high-sensitivity oxygen sensing.


We present a machine-learning based method for the exploration of remote sensing data. Our framework mixes an intuitive interface and a one-class support-vector machine to look for rare patterns in satellite images. It benefits from a fast implementation on the Graphics Process Unit that allows reasonable times for system-user interactions. We validate our approach with ground-truth experiments and demonstrate the method on real-world datasets. We achieve faster computations when compared with sequential implementations of the same methods (up to 80 times faster for feature extraction) and with other classification methods (such as local distribution comparison).


We propose a new all-planar technology scheme for coupling active gain or absorbing regions to low-propagation-loss, large-mode passive regions using monolithic waveguides vertically directionally coupled with a grating in an antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) geometry. Basic aspects of the concept have been demonstrated by laser action in an InGaAsP/InP ARROW grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy and optically pumped by a Nd:YAG laser. This is the first demonstration of interlayer vertical directional grating coupling in III-V waveguides.


The present invention provides a plant hydroponic cycle based disinfection system slightly acidic electrolyzed water. The bottom aqueous culture tank through a circulation pump and filter is connected; a first passage through the liquid infusion conduit from the pump outlet mixer circulating hydroponic tank upper portion of the access, the second access path chlorine concentration meter, passing the third solenoid valve Pumping electrolytic water reservoir connected to the reservoir; end of the electrolyzed water generator and water reservoir water level gauge is inserted, and the other end tanks; a plurality of spray nozzles above the pump reservoir to an end, the other end of the hydroponic tank connection; a controller connected to the solenoid valve and the chlorine concentration meter. Electrolytic water sterilization properties, part of the slightly acidic electrolyzed water generator electrolyzed water mixed by a mixer and a liquid nutrient solution to be sterilized, a portion of the room air to produce droplets sprayed on the surface of the plant cultivation, the nutrient solution implemented using a spray device , cultured plant surfaces and indoor air disinfection. The present invention can control the spread of disease grow room, safe and harmless, low cost.


An experimental program on fatigue of doubly notched [0/-60/+60] s graphite-epoxy specimens was performed which had two major objectives: 1. To adapt a photomicrographic technique, previously developed for detecting fatigue crack initiation in metals, for use with composite mate rials ; 2. To demonstrate the use of the technique in an exploratory fatigue program. Examination of enlarged images of photomicrographs, auto matically exposed at periodic interval during the tests, revealed that fatigue cracks developed early in the test. It was also evident that the test material had many manufacturing irregularities such as non-uniform ply-thicknesses and fiber distribution, incomplete ply bonding, and random voids. Two fatigue specimens sustained 10 Kc of high level cyclic loading and had a residual strength of approximately the static value; a third specimen frac tured on cycle 1 at 75% of the static strength. The inconsistent fatigue behavior may be due to the observed random distribution of manufactur ing irregularities.


This paper presents information about the examples of the design on Illumination of Structures(LED Light Pipe for lighthouse) in Korea. We have applied illumination by flood-lighting or facade-lighting in place of the 57 lighthouses (offshore structures) and 4 beacons. The ways of illumination of structures are using direct illumination with LED, halogen lamps and metal halide lamps, and indirect illumination with LED non-neon lamps. The illumination of structures helps a observer to identify the Aids to Navigation and waterway. The fabricated LED Light Pipe is a transparent acrylic round bar and easy to install. The Light Pipe is arranged in two rows of LED (78ea). It can be connected in series. It has 4 colours(Red, Green, Yellow, White). We analyzed and the horizontal divergence angle of the LED light pipe is defined as the range with 50% of maximum luminous intensity. Also, we evaluated the conspicuity on the original lantern and LED Light pipe for lighthouse. The field experiment was conducted in 'Yeosuguhang lighthouse' in Yeosu-city (Korea). From the experimental results, it was confirmed that the fabricated LED Light Pipe is clearly distinguished.


ABSTRACT Introduction Worldwide, children who acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at an early age, either perinatally or through blood transfusion, are reaching adolescence and adulthood due to successful antiretroviral treatment (ART). While many are thriving, a significant proportion face unprecedented multilevel challenges that can affect their long-term outcomes. Specifically, longstanding and poorly controlled HIV resulting from inadequate early regimens and nonadherence, along with the toxicities of some ART agents, can predispose them to sequelae including HIV-associated complications and other comorbidities. Areas covered This paper reviews and summarizes the unique issues facing adolescents and young adults with early acquired HIV (AYA-EAHIV), including ART challenges, emerging comorbidities, and complications, including mental health comorbidities, secondary prevention, and transition from pediatric/adolescent to adult care. Expert opinion AYA-EAHIV are a special population that have lived their entire lives with the physical and psychological toll of HIV mandating targeted and purposeful approaches to optimize their management and outcomes. Multifaceted inclusive and context-specific approaches focusing on heightened research, risk reduction interventions, and 'outside the box' thinking will be required to optimize treatment and reduce morbidity and mortality.


The duck and chicken are important hosts of avian influenza virus (AIV) with distinctive responses to infection. Frequently, AIV infections in ducks are asymptomatic and long-lasting in contrast to the clinically apparent and transient infections observed in chickens. These differences may be due in part to the host response to AIV infection. Using real-time quantitative PCR, we examined the expression of immune-related genes in response to low pathogenic AIV H11N9 infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from the blood of chickens and Pekin ducks. While chicken PBMC expressed IL-1 and IL-6 at high levels similar to mammalian species, duck PBMC expression levels were minimal or unchanged. Similarly, duck IFNexpression was nearly unaffected, whereas chicken expression was highly upregulated. Chicken IFNwas expressed to higher levels than duck IFN, while IFNwas expressed similarly by both species. IL-2 was elevated early in infection in duck PBMC, but returned to baseline levels by the end of the experiment; in contrast, IL-2 was weakly induced in chicken PBMC at late time points. TLR-7 and MHC class I molecule expressions were conserved between species, whereas duck nterferon gamma


Introduction: While the limited use of high-quality and appropriate media may have a positive influence, excessive exposure carries health risks for young children and their families. Research suggests that increased screen time in young children is linked to negative health outcomes, including obesity, decreased cognitive and language development and reduced academic success. In this study we aimed to characterize the screen-time habits in a healthy population of children, aged between six months and five years, of two Family Healthcare Units of an urban area in northern Portugal, and to review the current literature on children's screen time and health-related issues. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational and analytic study. We selected a convenience sample of children aged between six months and five years who were assessed at a scheduled surveillance visit and a questionnaire was applied to the caregivers between February and July 2018. Results: One hundred sixty-six children were included. The mean age was 30 months; 53% were males. Television dominated total screen time. About 85% of children under two years-old and 80% of infants six to 12-months-old were exposed to screens daily, with 79% of them spending up to one hour per day in front of screens. The majority of parents of children aged two years and older were present and set limits on their children's screen use. Overall, only 39% of parents affirmed to be aware of current guidelines for screen time. In our study, children's screen time habits were not related with parents' socioeconomic or academic status. Parents' knowledge about current guidelines also did not minimize children's screen use (p=0,094). Discussion/Conclusion: Young children are exceeding screen time recommendations. Given that parents play a key role in the development of their children's behaviors and that there is no evidence to support introducing screens at an early age, interventions to reduce children's screen-time in the current media environment are needed.


Abstract This reflection chronicles the academic journey of a Latinx scholar through an under-resourced public school system to the director and co-founder of a Criminology program at a four year university. This auto-ethnographic case study highlights the impact of community, social programs and personal resilience to escape a life on the streets and a broken criminal justice system. The reflection concludes with a discussion of prison education and the need to humanize the criminal justice system.