Asymmetric transmission of light has important applications in integrated photonic systems for communications and information processing. Various Lorentz-reciprocal devices have been explored to achieve asymmetric transmission. However, the contrast ratio is limited. Here we show that the asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized and circularly polarized waves can both be achieved by combining polarization conversion and selective transmission. What is perhaps most important here is that the proposed asymmetric transmission devices for operation at wavelength 633 nm experimentally display asymmetric transmission with contrast ratio exceeding 37 dB and 34 dB for linearly polarized wave and circularly polarized wave, respectively. The high contrast ratios are much higher than previous results in published literature. The proposed reciprocal approach holds promising for utilization in integrated photonic systems.


Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, (CAELYX; Schering Plough) was introduced because of its low or totally absent cardiotoxicity and greater penetration in tumor tissue. Based on differences in clinical pharmacokinetics and clinical studies, the dose for PLD is lower than the standard dose for doxorubicin and epidoxorubicin. This feature makes it suitable for use in older patients and/or those with previous heart disease suffering from diffuse large B-cell NHL, by including Caelyx in 30 mg/mq doses in the classic CHOP regimen, in place of conventional doxorubicin. In this single-centre study, the endpoint were the therapeutic response and the incidence of cardiotoxicity, assessed by means of echocardiogram (LVEF),before and after chemotherapy and at a later stage following the last chemotherapy cycle. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin was administered in a dose of 30 mg/mq in association with standard doses of Cyclophosphamide 750 mg/mq, Vincristine 1,4 mg/mq, Prednisone 100 mg/mq p.o. day 1–5, and Rituximab 375 mg/mq at 21 day intervals.The trial enrolled 24 patients, aged between 65 and 83 (average age 75 years), in stage II-IV (15 patients in stage IV, 6 in stage III and 3 in stage II); in 65% of the patients, the International Prognostic Index was high-intermediate. An average of six chemotherapy cycles were administered per patients. No dose-limiting cumulative toxicity was observed. The objective responses observed were 85%, with 70% complete responses and 15% partial responses. The average duration of the response was 14 months (1.7–41.5 months). There was no decrease in LVEF associated with administration of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in combination with Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine and Prednisone in addition to Rituximab, was found to be active and safe in this series of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with complete remission in 70% of the cases, without this affecting cardiac safety.


Maize production is of critical relevance to smallholder farmers in Ghana. Various factors however continue to limit the productivity of smallholder maize farming systems undergirded by the lack of capital for critical investments both at farm and national policy levels. Using a value chain approach in a diagnostic study, we explain the enduring absence of credit support through an analysis of a complex configuration of actor interaction in the agrarian context. We find a cycle of credit rationing resulting from value chain challenges and credit uncertainties generated by both institutional and environmental factors. This condition is sustained by an interplay between mistrust, insufficient information across the value chain and inadequate control strategies in the maize credit system. We argue that Digital Information Systems (DIS) show potential under some conditions, to generate new networks and forms of cooperation which offer a means of overcoming some uncertainties impeding traditional value chain credit arrangements. This is promising in terms of aiding coordinated responsiveness to farm conditions and records generation. As a tool for mediating trust in value chain credit partnerships, strategic use of DIS could help initiate an entry point for recalibration of trust perceptions. However significant considerations and improvements are needed to harness this successfully in the maize farming context, not least being farmer access and use of digital technologies and effective intermediation arrangements. This approach to trust building should therefore not be viewed as a quick fix but a process of trial and error, and learning by doing.


The invention discloses a fermented beef ham, pertaining to the field of foods. The invention aims at providing a fermented beef ham prepared by a new preparation formula and technique. The effective raw materials for the fermented beef ham in parts by weight are as follows: preserved ingredients including beef, common salt, ground pepper, clove and nutmeg and ingredients for inoculating injecta including water, common salt, soybean protein isolate, pediococcus pentosaceus and sake lactobacillus. In respect of the fermented beef ham, materials selected are wide with either large-piece beef orsmall-piece beef. The technologies of injection inoculation and tumbling dispersion are applied, therefore, the strains can disperse evenly and rapidly in the beef, the fermentation is even and the speed of fermentation is accelerated greatly.


ABSTRACT An attempt is made in this study to verify Goncharov's sediment transport equation and to modify it using a large volume of data. In the present form the Goncharov's equation is found to be inaccurate. Keeping the functional relationship the same, the equation has been modified using a large volume of laboratory and field data.


Abstract Since its inception following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, safety culture has impacted a number of industries, including nuclear power, the oil and gas industry, rail, healthcare, and most recently aviation. In a number of these industries, it has become commonplace, and even integrated into the Safety Management Systems of concerned organisations. Yet there is a sense in some quarters that safety culture, while stabilised into a relatively mature process, has perhaps diminished in terms of the returns on investment for added safety. A new, inter-organisational approach to safety culture, called the Safety Culture Stack, may offer a way to rejuvenate safety culture and yield tangible safety benefits. This evolving approach is evidenced by a case study carried out at a medium-sized airport, currently involving fifteen organisations who are collaborating on safety.


A shock absorbing member which absorbs the impact energy by plastic deformation, the axial compressive load is absorbed, has a hollow member whose cross section is substantially constant, and the axis of which extends forward and rearward of a vehicle and a flange on the hollow member is formed along the axis of the hollow element is substantially and its Auskragungsbetrag gradually increases from one side toward the other side of the axis.


1134 Figure 1 Trend of endometrial CA from 2011–2020 Abstracts Int J Gynecol Cancer 2021;31(Suppl 3):A1–A381 A139 on O cber 0, 2021 by gest. P rocted by coright. http/ijgc.bm jcom / nt J G ynecol C acer: frst pulished as 10.11ijgc-2021-E S G O .32 on 12 O cber 221. D ow nladed fom types and grades, who underwent the Sentinel Lymph Node by immunofluorescence Technique and/or systematic lymphadenectomy between June 2019 and March 2020 at the Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital. We used indocyanine green powder. We proceeded to dissolve it in 10 cubic centimeters of distilled water. After which, we injected 2 cc of the prepared solution into the cervix at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions at a depth of 1 cm. Result(s)* Eighteen patients were included, analyzing a total of 26 sentinel nodes: 24 pelvic and 2 paraortic; and a total of 273 lymph nodes (sentinel and non-sentinel nodes): 83 right pelvic, 86 left pelvic and 104 paraortic. All nodes were negative for metastasis. Global and bilateral detection rates were 77.78% and 50% respectively. The Negative Predictive Value and sensitivity were 100%. No significant difference in morbimortality was found between performing only Sentinel Lymph Node technique or systematic lymphadenectomy; but the association with quality of life was significant, with better results for those who only underwent the sentinel lymph node technique versus systematic lymphadenectomy (0% vs 77%). However, we observed at the beginning of the study, bilateral detection was very limited. This could be due to a failure in the tracer injection technique in our first 10 patients. Because since from the standardization of the technique we obtained a considerable improvement in bilateral detection; 87.5% (before technical standardization 20%). This supports the theory that technique is the most important factor in detection (Rossi, 2019). Conclusion* The global and bilateral detection rates of the Sentinel Lymph Node Technique by immunofluorescence were 77.78% and 50% respectively, obtaining a Negative Predictive Value and Sensitivity of 100%. Sentinel Node Biopsy is a valid technique to predict lymphatic affectation in early endometrial cancer, with lower morbimortality than systematic lymphadenectomy 1156 ADOPTION OF MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY AND DECREASE IN SURGICAL MORBIDITY FOR ENDOMETRIAL CANCER IN THE CANARY ISLANDS V Benito*, A Lubrano, L León, F Molano, B Pinar. Hospital Materno Infantil, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Hospital Materno Infantil, Pathology, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Hospital Insular, Medical Oncology, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; University Hospital of Gran Canaria Dr. Negrin, Radiation Oncology, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain 10.1136/ijgc-2021-ESGO.233 Introduction/Background* After minimally invasive surgery gained popularity in gynecology oncology, laparoscopic operations became widespread among oncologic operations, however more studies evaluating safety and morbidity of laparoscopic surgery during the learning period of laparoscopy are needed. Methodology A prospective study of 895 consecutive patients diagnosed with clinical stage I endometrial cancer managed between January 2005 and December 2016 in a Department of Gynaecology Oncology in a tertiary center in the Canary Islands. The open surgery group was compared to the minimally invasive surgery group over these years. Both groups were compared for epidemiological and clinical characteristics, surgery outcomes, pathologic findings, hospital stay and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Result(s)* There were no differences between both groups in terms of median age, percentage of previous laparotomies and median BMI. Median operating time was longer for the laparoscopic group, although the observed differences were not significant. The estimated blood loss was significantly less for the laparoscopic group. There were no differences in intraoperative complications although postoperative adverse events were significant lower in the laparoscopic group. Hospital stay was significantly longer in the laparotomic arm. There were no significant differences in the percentage of readmissions, reoperations and death related to treatment between both groups. Conclusion* Laparoscopic surgery in early-stage endometrial cancer is a safe and effective surgical approach applicable in any center with appropriate training. It is possible to change drastically the surgical management of endometrial cancer thus reducing significantly morbidity: less blood loss, less postoperative adverse events and shorter duration of hospital stays, compared to laparotomic surgery. 1158 PREVALENCE OF ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA IN WOMEN WITH MYOMA UTERI ASSOCIATED ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING (AUB) IN A TERTIARY GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL JL Tanchuling. East Avenue Medical Center, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Quezon , Philippines 10.1136/ijgc-2021-ESGO.234 Introduction/Background* Myomas are the most common benign neoplasm of the female reproductive organs. They most commonly cause abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) which is also manifestation of endometrial carcinoma. These two conditions can co-exist due to their sensitivity to estrogenic stimulation. This association, as reported in few reported articles, was also reproduced in this paper. Methodology The study was a cross sectional retrospective in nature, which involves patients diagnosed with any kind of uterine fibroids presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding that Abstract 1158 Table 1 Factors associated with endometrial carcinoma among myoma uteri patients1158 Table 1 Factors associated with endometrial carcinoma among myoma uteri patients


This article contributes to our understanding of the development of the federal aspect of the Electoral College by analyzing how and why states adopted the general ticket method currently used by all but two states. I examine early state experimentation with methods of choosing presidential electors, at a time when several prominent founders viewed the district system as the most principled method. I also focus on developments after the 1824 election, when Congress rejected a constitutional amendment requiring states to adopt the district system and the general ticket system grew in popularity. I show that it was in the course of these debates in the 1820s that the general ticket system acquired a new principled defense: that it best represented state majorities in the presidential selection process. This analysis enhances our understanding of one of the political safeguards of federalism, by explaining the entrenchment of state authority over the mode of choosing electors as well as adoption and justification of the general ticket system.


We have traveled a long road since Victor Lindlahr, the late popular nutritionist grandiloquently proclaimed, "You are what you eat!" An essential part of our becoming what we eat is the absorption of nutriment by the intestine. How long and tedious has been our road of learning, even of this limited aspect of assimilation, is attested by Dr. Gerald Wiseman's compendium of 564 pages. This is, in fact, a compendium and not a textbook. Certainly it is not a vade mecum . The author does not state his intent in his preface; but if his intent was to abstract most of the significant reports pertaining to the phenomena of intestinal absorption which have appeared in English and to assemble these one- or two- sentence abstracts in a reasonably orderly form, then he has succeeded. The pity is that he has done just this and nothing more. For few of the topics


The aims of this study is to find out the influences of individual, organizational and psychological factors on employees. This research is a non-experimental study with a descriptive and analytic presentation that is to get a picture of the influence of individual factors, organizational factors, and psychological factors on the performance of Aceh Mental Hospital employees. The result shows that The performance of employees in Aceh Mental Hospital is in the bad category (60.2%). Individual characteristics that are not significant / not statistically related to the performance of Aceh Mental Hospital employees are age, education level. And years of service. The significant organizational characteristics statistically related to the performance of Aceh Mental Hospital employees are incentives, supervision, and work facilities. The significant psychological characteristic related statistically to the performance of Aceh Mental Hospital employees is motivation. While that which is not significantly related to employee performance is perception. The result of multivariate logistic regression analysis, Motivation variable is the variable that is statistically the most significantly related to the performance of Aceh Mental Hospital employees.


Resonant switched capacitor (ReSC) based converters are enticing with their high performance in high- and fixed-ratio applications, due to their efficient utilization of both active semiconductors and passive components. This paper proposes a bi-lateral energy resonant converter (BERC), that further improves the passive utilization by merging the inductors in two adjacent cascaded stages without additional components and switch stress; therefore, yielding simultaneously high efficiency and very compact size. The proposed BERC features a new current-type ReSC and comprises an interleaving technique that relocates the output inductor to the input for step-down applications, providing more design freedom when cascading multiple stages and allocating passive devices. To demonstrate the concept, a 48-to-12 V converter prototype, with a very small volume of 0.184 in3, is implemented. The prototype is tested up to 50 A, thus achieving an excellent power density of 3200 W/in3. Meanwhile, a peak efficiency of 98.9% is achieved by realizing a zero voltage switching (ZVS) technique designed for BERC.


Objective: To investigate the changes of sugar chain structures of serum amylase and difference in TCM syndrome patterns in primary hepatic cancer(PHC) patients and their relation with free radicals.Methods: Agglutinin precipitation assay was used to detect the binding ratios of serum amylase with various kinds of agglutinin in PHC,hepatocirrhosis,and hepatitis patients.The serum amylase activity and malindialdehyde(MDA) level were determined simultaneously.The association of the binding ratios of amylase with free radicals was analyzed.The difference mentioned above in PHC patients with different TCM syndromes was analyzed.Results: The binding ratios of serum amylase to ConA,PSA,PNA,and LCA were significantly higher in PHC and hepatocirrhosis patients than hepatitis patients and normal controls. The binding ratios of serum amylase to PSA and LCA were significantly higher in PHC patients with spleen deficiency and liver stagnation than those with liver and kidney Yin deficiency.PHC patients with spleen deficiency and liver stagnation had higher ConA-binding ratio compared with those with QI and blood stasis. A positive correlation was found between PSA-,LCA-,and PNA-binding ratios of serum amylase and MDA.Conclusion: For PHC and hepatocirrhosis patients,core-fucosylated high-mannose-type and hybrid-type sugar chains of serum amylase increased.The reduced terminal sialic acid and fucose on the sugar chain caused the exposure of the terminal galactose residues.In addition,the exposure of the terminal GlcNAc residues was induced by decreased terminal galactose on the sugar chain of serum amylase from HPC patients.These changes of serum amylase were also observed in hepatocirrhosis patients.It may be related with the damage of sugar chains induced by free radicals.In spleen deficiency and liver stagnation group,core-fucosylated high-mannose-type and hybrid-type sugar chains of serum amylase increased,and the terminal galactose on the sugar chain decreased,resulting in the exposure of the terminal GlcNAc residues.The changes were not observed in QI and blood stasis or liver and kidney Yin deficiency patients.It indicated that spleen deficiency and liver stagnation played an important role in generation of aberrant sugar chains of serum amylase for PHC patients.


The historical rise of irrigation has profoundly mitigated the effect of drought on agriculture in many parts of the United States. While irrigation directly alters soil moisture, meteorological drought indices ignore the effects of irrigation, since they are often based on simple water balance models that neglect the irrigation input. Reanalyses also largely neglect irrigation. Other approaches estimate the evaporative fraction (EF), which is correlated with soil moisture under water-limited conditions typical of droughts, with lower values corresponding to drier soils. However, those approaches require satellite observations of land surface temperature, meaning they cannot be used to study droughts prior to the satellite era. Here, we use a recent theory of land–atmosphere coupling—surface flux equilibrium (SFE) theory—to estimate EF from readily available observations of near-surface air temperature and specific humidity with long historical records. In contrast to EF estimated from a reanalysis that largely neglects irrigation, the SFE-predicted EF is greater at irrigated sites than at nonirrigated sites during droughts, and its historical trends are typically consistent with the spatial distribution of irrigation growth. Two sites at which SFE-predicted EF unexpectedly rises in the absence of changes in irrigation can be explained by increased flooding due to human interventions unrelated to irrigation (river engineering and the expansion of fish hatcheries). This work introduces a new method for quantifying agricultural drought prior to the satellite era. It can be used to provide insight into the role of irrigation in mitigating drought in the United States over the twentieth century.

Irrigation grew profoundly in the United States over the twentieth century, increasing the resilience of American agriculture to drought. Yet observational records of agricultural drought, and its response to irrigation, are limited to the satellite era. Here, we show that a common measure of agricultural drought (the evaporative fraction, EF) can be estimated using widespread weather data, extending the agricultural drought record decades further back in time. We show that EF estimated using our approach is both sensitive and specific to the occurrence of irrigation, unlike an alternative derived from a reanalysis.


Dying wastewater is one of the difficultly treated wastewater because of its high concentration of pollutants,complex composition and bad biodegradation.In this paper,the source and characteristic of dying wastewater and main treatment methods and processes are introduced.The development of all kinds of techniques in recent years is summarized.


Abnormal gastric motor function, a frequent complication among the increasing diabetic population of the world, also includes other patient groups such as those many patients with functional dyspepsia. These facts stress the need for a reliable, safe, cost-effective, and simple technique for measuring gastric emptying. To date the ultrasound technique for measuring gastric emptying has been regarded as time-consuming and laborious, making it less favoured for clinical use.

The aim of the thesis was to simplify and standardize a well-tolerated and clinically applicable ultrasound method for the assessment of gastric emptying rate in order to diagnose delayed gastric emptying in patients with suspected gastroparesis. Using a single section of the stomach at a specified level, to assess the change in the antral cross-sectional area at 15 and 90 min postprandially, as an estimate of gastric emptying, the ultrasound method has been simplified, standardized and adapted for clinical use. Good agreement in inter-observer and intra-observer variability and an ability to discriminate gastric emptying between healthy subjects and type 1 diabetic patients with suspected delayed gastric emptying, indicates that the method has good clinical applicability. A comparison of ultrasonographic measurements of changes in antral area, as an estimate of antral emptying, with scintigraphic measurements of total stomach emptying, showed good agreement.

Using the present, standardized ultrasound method, it was possible to elucidate the relationship between delayed gastric emptying rate and cardiac autonomic neuropathy, showing a significantly lower gastric emptying rate in type 1 diabetic patients with cardiac autonomic neuropathy than in those without this complication, and unrelated to symptoms of gastroparesis. By means of ultrasound, the effect of different food factors on gastric emptying was also studied, thereby showing that the addition of locust bean gum to the meal delayed the emptying rate, and that the ingestion of bread with added sodium propionate reduced the postprandial glucose and insulin responses because of the resultant reduction in the rate of gastric emptying.


The effects of various lipoproteins on the growth and the differentiation of cultured normal human keratinocytes were invertigated. Primary cultures of human epidermal keratinocytes were obtained from neonatal foreskin, and then added with lipoproteins, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL). Cell growth potential was examined using the 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. VLDL and LDL enhanced keratinocytes growth and LDL receptor expression at the plasma membrane level. These effects were more remarkably observed in cells cultured with VLDL than in cells cultured with LDL. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) was highly increased in VLDL treated cells. These results suggest that VLDL binds with high affinity to cell surface receptors and induces cell proliferation.


Forcipestricis portoricensis, spec. nov., is described. It and the type-species, F. gazeaui Burks are internal larval-pupal parasites of ceratopogonids in the genus Forcipomyia Meigen.


In the present paper we show that if $A$ is a set of $n$ real numbers and the product set $A.A$ has at most $n^{1+\varepsilon}$ elements, then the $h$-fold sumset $hA$ has at least $n^{\log(h/2)/2\log2+1/2-f_h(\varepsilon)}$ elements, where $f_h(c)\to0$ as $c\to0$. We also prove results on the $h$-fold sumset $h(A.A)=A.A+\dots+A.A$.


LINK, HENRY C. Education and Industry. Pp. xv, 865. Price, $2.00. New York: Macmillan and Company, 1923. Link's new book is one that cannot be reviewed by running over the table of contents or even subheads. He was inconsiderate of reviewers. It is a book to be read-and distinctly worth the reading. Personal experiences, facts, principles and prejudices are too closely interwoven to be put into air-tight compartments. Moreover, the author, by reason of his work in industry, cannot have his opinions passed


We present a new generation of tunable optical filters in the mid-infrared range using Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs), a form of "artificial muscle", for actuation. LCEs are elastomer-based materials which exhibit directionally-programmable strain of up to 50% and may thus be used to generate large stroke movements. The Fabry-Pérot-based tunable filter has a tuning range of 290 nm around a central wavelength of 4.5 μm. The spectral width of the transmission peak is 165 nm; power consumption is 520 mW. We discuss the system design, fabrication, measurement and evaluation of this novel type of tunable device.


Phase modulator linearity is an important concern for high dynamic range phase modulated optic links. However, the determination of phase modulator linearity is difficult as it requires an optical phase demodulator that generally contains nonlinear distortion that tends to contaminate the measurements. In this letter, we present a simple and effective approach for phase modulator linearity measurement that can be made into a photonic integrated circuit and does not require a reference linear phase modulator. We also present the measurement results.


Drastic disturbances during surface mining severely depletes the soil organic C (SOC), and reclamation or restoration of degraded land can lead to the increases in SOC concentration. This research project is aimed at assessing the SOC sequestration potential of reclaimed minesoils (RMS), which are characterized by distinct age chronosequences of RMS and located in Guernsey, Morgan, Noble, and Muskingum Counties of Ohio. Three cores and three bulk soil samples were collected from each of the experimental site and one unmined site (UMS) from 0 to 15 cm and 15 to 30 cm depths in October-November 2003. Soil bulk density was the highest for the site reclaimed in 2003 (R03) (i.e., 1 year old from date of sampling) for both depths (1.24 for 0 to 15 and 1.61 Mg m−3 for 15 to 30 cm depths). However, it did not vary among sites reclaimed in 1987 (R87), 1978 (R78) and UMS for either depth. For sites reclaimed without topsoil application, soil bulk density was significantly higher in site reclaimed in 1957 under grass (R57; 1.6 Mg m−3) than reclaimed during the same year but under forest (R57-F; 1.2 Mg m−3) for 15 to 30 cm depth only. No significant differences were observed in saturated hydraulic conductivity, volumes of transmission and storage pores and available water capacity of soil for 0 to 15 cm depth among sites reclaimed with or without topsoil application. Soil organic C and total N stocks were lower in R03 (3.5 Mg ha−1 and 0.6 Mg ha−1; respectively) than R78 (17.5 Mg ha−1 and 1.6 Mg ha−1) and UMS (18.7 Mg ha−1 and 1.8 Mg ha−1) for 0 to 15 cm depth. Soil organic C and total N stocks were also lower in R03 (3.1 Mg ha−1 and 0.8 Mg ha−1; respectively) than R87 (19.1 Mg ha−1 and 1.1 Mg ha−1) and R78 (9.2 Mg ha−1 and 1.1 Mg ha−1) for 15 to 30 cm depth. No significant differences were observed in SOC and total N (P < 0.05) among sites reclaimed without topsoil application. Overall, coal C concentrations ranged from 0.5% (R03) to 68.4% (R69) of total soil C in 0 to 15 cm and 0.8% (R03) to 77.0% (R69) in 15 to 30 cm depth. Ignoring the stochastic effects of reclamation methods and assuming SOC stock of R03 as baseline, SOC stocks increased at a rate of 0.53 Mg ha−1 yr−1 for 0 to 15 cm depth and 0.31 Mg ha−1 yr−1 for 15 to 30 cm depth. However, the rate of increase in SOC stocks for 0 to 15 cm depth was greater in soils reclaimed with topsoil application (0.45 Mg ha−1 yr−1) than without (0.25 Mg ha−1 yr−1). These results show that reclamation with topsoil application increases the rate of SOC storage in soil and enhances the rate of soil quality improvement.


During a Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) conference in 1998, a small group of lawyers representing patients and physicians agreed that something had to change in medical malpractice litigation — costs were skyrocketing and proceedings seemed endless.

The result was the Holland


In chaotic times like these, an executive's instinct may be to strive for greater efficiency by tightening control. At least two companies, CSC Germany and ANADIGICS, have done the opposite--to impressive effect.


In the literature, a large body of work advocates the use of log-ratio transformation for multivariate statistical analysis of compositional data. In contrast, few studies have looked at how data transformation changes the efficacy of machine learning classifiers within geoscience. This letter presents experiment results and empirical observations to further explore this issue. The objective is to study the effects of data transformation on geozone classification performance when machine learning (ML) classifiers/estimators are trained using geochemical data. The training input consists of exploration hole assay samples obtained from a Pilbara iron-ore deposit in Western Australia, and geozone labels assigned based on stratigraphic units, the absence or presence and type of mineralization. The ML techniques considered are multinomial logistic regression, Gaussian na\"{i}ve Bayes, kNN, linear support vector classifier, RBF-SVM, gradient boosting and extreme GB, random forest (RF) and multi-layer perceptron (MLP). The transformations examined include isometric log-ratio (ILR), center log-ratio (CLR) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) or independent component analysis (ICA), and a manifold learning approach based on local linear embedding (LLE). The results reveal that different ML classifiers exhibit varying sensitivity to these transformations, with some clearly more advantageous or deleterious than others. Overall, the best performing candidate is ILR which is unsurprising considering the compositional nature of the data. The performance of pairwise log-ratio (PWLR) transformation is better than ILR for ensemble and tree-based learners such as boosting and RF; but worse for MLP, SVM and other classifiers.


This article evaluates the relative strengths of different ways to make tactile maps, including new photopolymers (plastics that harden with exposure to light) and computer-assisted design (CAD). Photopolymers yield crisp and precise images and produce excellent masters for vacuum forming maps. CAD allows for quick design and proofreading and the easy modification of images and text. High-quality tactile maps can be easily produced and refined by almost anyone using this technology.


Modeling correlated or highly stratified multiple‐response data is a common data analysis task in many applications, such as those in large epidemiological studies or multisite cohort studies. The generalized estimating equations method is a popular statistical method used to analyze these kinds of data, because it can manage many types of unmeasured dependence among outcomes. Collecting large amounts of highly stratified or correlated response data is time‐consuming; thus, the use of a more aggressive sampling strategy that can accelerate this process—such as the active‐learning methods found in the machine‐learning literature—will always be beneficial. In this study, we integrate adaptive sampling and variable selection features into a sequential procedure for modeling correlated response data. Besides reporting the statistical properties of the proposed procedure, we also use both synthesized and real data sets to demonstrate the usefulness of our method.


In this paper wave propagation in the uniform and nonuniform elastic channels filled with fluid or gas is investigated. The weak discontinuities theory approach is proposed to determine the criteria of gradient catastrophe phenomena to occur for the cases of uniform and nonuniform channels. The results of the paper can be applied to studying of the nonlinear wave propagation phenomena in elastic pores, cracks and channels filled with fluid or gas.


Teachers of extraordinary school (SLB) have a heavier and more varied workload than general teachers. In addition of carrying out administrative works, extraordinary school teachers face challenges in educating children with special needs who also require special handling. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is required to overcome this situation. This study aims to test the model of transformational leadership effect and job involvement on OCB with job satisfaction as a mediator of SLB teachers. Participants in this study was 88 SLB teachers from State Extraordinary School "X", State Extraordinary School "Y", and State Extraordinary School "Z". The data collection method used the transformational leadership scale, job involvement, job satisfaction, and OCB. The data analysis technique used the Structural Equation Model (SEM) through the Partial Least Square (PLS) program. The results of the study showed that the effect of transformational leadership and job involvement on OCB with job satisfaction mediator is in accordance with the empirical data. Partially, transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction, transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on OCB, job involvement has a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction, job involvement has a positive and significant effect on OCB, job satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on OCB. Job satisfaction can be a good mediator between transformational leadership on OCB and job involvement on OCB. The OCB model has been tested and can be applied as an effort to improve OCB for SLB teachers.


We review the ''slope anomaly'' data for 2-neutron transfer between heavy ions. Where one or both partners are deformed, the 2-neutron transfer always shows about the same dependence on distance-of-closest approach D as does 1-neutron transfer. Where both partners are spherical, the 2-neutron transfer falls off as the square of the 1-n transfer with one known exception /sup 208/Pb(/sup 64/Ni,/sup 62/Ni)/sup 210/Pb. We propose that the enhancement of 2-n transfer comes from the pairing attraction between the neutrons and that the enhancement requires availability of high-l orbitals to form a tight wave packet in angle. A simple model is derived for numerical estimation. Prospects for testing Coriolis antipairing by heavy ion 2-n transfer are re-examined. 10 refs., 3 figs.


-Relationships among lizards of the anole genera Chamaeleolis, Chamaelinorops, Phenacosaurus, and Anolis (sens,u lato) are discussed based upon a cladistic analysis of osteological, karyological, and albumin immunological data. Osteological data support a sister-group relationship of carolinensis subsection and beta section anoles, while anoles of the bimaculatus-cristatellus-cybotes, cuvieri series, and latifrons series are sequentially more distantly related to this terminal cluster. Karyological data support five major groupings. One of these groups represents those forms with the primitive karyotype for lizards and includes: Chamaeleolis, Chamaelinorops, and Phenacosaurus; the cuvieri, cybotes, and latifrons series; and most of the carolinensis subsection. Two groups with advanced karyotypes characterize the cristatellus and bimaculatus series, respectively. The remaining two groups of karyotypes characterize the beta subsection. One population of beta anoles possesses the modal karyotype of both of these groups suggesting a saltatorial evolution of chromosomes within anoles and making difficult the determination of relations among the five groupings of karyotypes. Albumin immunological data support a close sister-group relationship among the beta section, and the cristatellus and bimaculatus series, while the carolinensis series and latifrons series are sequentially more distantly related. Within Anolis (sensu lato), five distinct monophyletic lineages are recognized as genera. The latifrons series (placed in the genus Dactyloa) is derived relative to the primitive anole genera in the presence of autotomic septa on the caudal vertebrae and reduced numbers of aseptate caudal vertebrae. The cuvieri series (placed in Semiurus) shares with other advanced anoles the derived conditions for the shape of the parietal, parietal cresting, total number of parasternal ribs, and number of attached parasternal ribs, but lacks the derived condition of occipital region of more advanced anoles. The bimaculatus-cristatellus-cybotes series (placed in Ctenonotus) represents a lineage possessing a derived condition of the occipital region and a derived total number of parasternal ribs but lacks the derived shape of the interclavicle. The most derived lineagesthe carolinensis subsection and beta section-are linked by the derived shape of the interclavicle. The carolinensis subsection is diagnosed by derived numbers of lumbar vertebrae and constitutes the genus Anolis. The beta section is diagnosed by derived processes on the caudal vertebrae and is placed in the genus Norops. This systematic arrangement eliminates the paraphyletic nature of the alpha section and punctatus subsection. Although some aspects of current distribution patterns of anoles must be due to dispersal events, it appears that vicariant events provided the impetus for the separation of the anole genera into their current ranges. On the basis of a cladogram of areas and recent geological evidence of vicariant and accretional events in the Caribbean, it seems that a widespread ancestral distribution of anoles throughout Central and South America, connected by a protoGreater Antilles bridge, was fragmented by geological events forcing part of the proto-Greater Antilles northeastward towards their present location. This fragmented the distribution of primitive anoles in South America (Phenacosaurus and Dactyloa), and on Hispaniola and Cuba (Chamaelinorops and Chamaeleolis, respectively) from the ancestors of the advanced forms on Central America and associated portions of the rest of the proto-Greater Antilles. More advanced anole genera were added to the Caribbean by additional geological activity which separated the remainder of the proto-Greater Antilles into a Hispaniolan-Puerto Rican block and a CubanHispaniolan block. Separation and accretion of these blocks brought Semiurus, Ctenonotus, and Anolis to their present distributions, leaving Norops on Central America as well as on an attached block that later separated to become Jamaica. The closing of the Panamanian portal allowed extensive invasion of South America by Norops and less extensive invasion of Central America by Dactyloa. [Anolis; Iguanidae; cladistic; biogeography; Caribbean; osteology; karyology; immunology.] The iguanid lizard genus Anolis (sensu lato), among the most diverse (approximately 250 recognized species) vertebrate genera, continues to challenge attempts by systematic herpetologists to analyze its phylogeny. In spite of the pioneering ef-


In the early planting culture of rice at the northern parts in Japan, total number of spikelets per hill is increased, but sometimes percentage of fertile grains is lowered as compared with the standard culture. In the early planting culture, the air-dry weight of straws per hill was found heavier than that of standard culture during the initial stage of ripening and the weight decreased rapidly with the progress of ripening ; thus showing that the larger amount of reserve substances is stored in the straw and is translocated into the ears. This must be very favorable to the ripening. But when we consider the straw weight in proportion to the total spikelets, the value is always smaller during the whole process of ripening than that of standard culture. This fact may be one reason of lowered percentage of fertile grain. However, degree of decreasing of fertile grain % is smaller than degree of decrase in air-dry weight of straw per unit number of spikelets in comparison with standard culture. And, moreover, weight of 1000 hulled grains is heavier in early culture. Then, we can assume that in the early culture photosynthesis and translocation are going more actively than the standard culture during the ripening of grains, and this assumption is supported by the fact that the plants of early culture contain higher percentage of water during the period of ripening.


The barrier heights of NiPt silicide–n‐type Si have been determined from the saturation current density of diodes for various concentrations of Ni and Pt. Ni‐Pt films on Si were heated to 475 °C to obtain a NiPt silicide. The barrier height varies smoothly from that of NiSi‐Si to PtSi‐Si with increasing amounts of Pt in the NiPt films. For 19 wt% Pt the barrier is 0.69 eV and for 67 wt% Pt the height is 0.78 eV.


This study aims to explore performance based on the Balanced Scorecard in the public sector, namely the Center for Information Systems and Financial Technology. Although initially the BSC measurement system was designed for the private sector from the perspective of customer, financial, internal business processes, and learning & growth, public organizations have also adopted it, of course, with modifications to suit organizational needs. The Ministry of Finance began implementing the Balanced Scorecard in 2007, and until now it has covered all levels of the organization, including the Center for Information Systems and Financial Technology. The study results show a summary of the perspectives into three perspectives of stakeholders (customers), internal business processes, and learning & growth; The target achievement of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) based on the BSC can be achieved, thus encouraging improvements and improvements in future performance.


In this study, the rotating point spread function, previously demonstrated in optical imaging, is for the first time implemented in incoherent holography. Theoretical concept of defocusing induced rotation supported by the experimental results is presented and used for a precise axial localisation.


This study estimates the effective cost of borrowing to microcredit clients in Ghana. A simple open-ended questionnaire is administered to 35 microfinance institutions. The study finds that the major costs of borrowing are interest rates and processing fees. The study also finds that the minor costs of borrowing are registration fees, commitment fees, insurance and compulsory savings. In terms of effective cost of borrowing, the study finds that microcredit customers effectively pay at least 8.0 percent interest rate in excess of the stated interest rate


..................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iv Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................ v INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1. YUÁN HUÁNG AND LATE MÍNG CHINA ....................................................................... 13 1.1. Life: Establishing the fate ................................................................................................................... 13 1.2. Works and legacy: Ocean of Learning; School of Mind ........................................................... 21 2. THE MEDITATION ESSENTIALS AND THE SEQUENTIAL GATEWAY .................... 30 2.1. Zhìyǐ and Explaining the Sequential Gateway to the Perfection of Dhyāna ................... 31 2.2. The Meditation Essentials by Yuán Huáng ................................................................................. 34 2.3. Genre and title ....................................................................................................................................... 36 2.4. Structure, methodology and content ........................................................................................... 39 2.5. Provenance, transmission and afterlife ...................................................................................... 50 3. THE RELATION BETWEEN MERIT ACCUMULATION AND MEDITATION ........ 57 3.1. Correspondences between the Four Admonitions and the Meditation Essentials ..... 57 3.2. Rén 仁........................................................................................................................................................ 63 3.3. "No-desire" ............................................................................................................................................. 67 3.4. "No-mind" ............................................................................................................................................... 71 3.5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 76 4. NO-DESIRE, RÉN AND NO-MIND IN THE NEO-CONFUCIAN DISCOURSE ON MEDITATION ............................................................................................. 82 4.1. Lǐ Yánpíng, Luó Hóngxiān and Gāo Pānlóng ............................................................................. 85 4.2. Liú Zōngzhōu ......................................................................................................................................... 89 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 96 Appendix A: Partial Translation of the Meditation Essentials ............................... 99 A1. Notes on translation and conventions ......................................................................................... 99 A2. Translation of Preface and Chapters 1, 5 and 6 .................................................................... 100 Appendix B: Copy of The Original Text (靜坐要訣) .................................................. 113 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 131 Secondary literature ................................................................................................................................ 131 Historical sources ..................................................................................................................................... 137


...............................................................................................................................v List of Tables .......................................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Educating English Language Learners ..........................................................................3 Educational Policy .........................................................................................................4 School Structures ...........................................................................................................5 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................6 Purpose Statement ..........................................................................................................8 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................9 Research Questions ......................................................................................................13 Definition of Key Terms ..............................................................................................14 Significance of Study ...................................................................................................15 Limitations ...................................................................................................................17 How I came to the Research ........................................................................................18 Positionality .................................................................................................................22 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................23 Overview ......................................................................................................................24 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ........................................................................................25 The Landscape of ELLs in U.S. Classrooms ...............................................................25 ELLs: A Diverse Population ........................................................................................26 Language Diversity ................................................................................................26 vii Table of


We provide detailed information on breeding sites, release call, satellite behaviour, courtship, and embryonic and larval development of Odontophrynus cordobae. Field observations were carried out during two breeding seasons (2004–2005 and 2008–2009). Clutches were raised in captivity (artificial ponds) to analyse the development of embryos and tadpoles. Breeding sites were represented by streams and their backwaters, as well as temporary and permanent ponds of varying sizes. Operational sex ratio was male-biased varying between 0.154 and 0.25. Acoustic activity started about 8–10 pm and ended between 2 and 4 am the next day. Distance among calling males was approximately three metres. Male satellite behaviour was observed. Amplexus attempts among males were common. Release calls were structurally similar although shorter than advertisement calls. Courtship and formation of amplexus were documented.


We test a theory of how the patterns of affect that exist among group members influence group creative processing. In doing so, we examine how individual affect and the cognitive frames individual affect influences drive group creativity through behavioral microprocesses. We find that having at least one member with negative affect leads group members to shift their group's focus from idea generation to idea selection, resulting in the generation of fewer ideas and the selection of less novel ideas. Alternatively, positive affect causes group members to favor idea generation, driving their groups to produce more and more diverse ideas, and to select more novel ones. Further, individuals experiencing negative affect tended to dominate their group's creative process, even when working with people experiencing positive affect. Finally, we compare groups to individuals to examine the differential impact of affective states on group versus individual- level creative processing.


Industrial IoT (IIoT) in conjunction with Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) often struggles with data-rich, information-poor contexts. Blind Source Separation (BSS) is one of the key technologies which can obtain the desired high-value information from all of the observed raw sensory data. As shown by recent studies, BSS can be both fast enough for low-latency requirements and sufficiently accurate to be a reliable method in large IoT deployments. Nonetheless, the trade-off between signal context usage and data recovery accuracy often affects the separation quality of BSS. In this paper, we propose for the first time a novel dual path convolutional neural network model, called Y-Net, for high accuracy BSS. Specifically, the separation quality is improved by the parallel perception and joint combination of both high-and low-level features of input signals, which we demonstrated through extensive numerical evaluations. In particular, Y-Net improves the Source-to-Distortion Ratio by 2.70% to 35.32% for different target signals, while the model size is only slightly increased, compared to other current solutions.


Disclosed is a system for recognizing a user location by using sensor-based activity recognition. The system for recognizing a user location includes a user terminal device comprising: a sensor module for sensing information on at least one among a user state and a surrounding environment; a first processor for extracting activity information based on the sensed information; a mobile device having a first communications module for transmitting the extracted activity information; a second communications module for receiving the activity information from the first communications module; and a second processor for determining a user location in a user space corresponding to user activity based on the received activity information. The present invention provides a service that can control electronic devices accompanied by user activity or monitor activity of the elderly and infirm or children by finding a location in the user space accompanied by the user activity.


– Air pollution is a problem in several mining and metallurgical operations, which can increase if the processing plants do not respect environmental standards. This work evaluates air quality with three monitoring stations in the years 1999, 2008 and 2014 in the city of La Oroya, near the Metallurgical Complex of the same name. The method used in this research was the grey clustering method, which is based on the grey systems theory. This technique allows working with data with a high degree of incertitude. An example would be the air quality analysis data. The results of this investigation reveal that in the year 1999 the air quality was extremely poor, while in 2008 it varied from poor to extremely poor; however, in 2014 the calculations show that the quality is good. These conclusions are obtained from the Ontario Ambient Quality Criteria (AAQC) and the Metropolitan Air Quality Index (IMECA). The results of this inquiry could motivate the competent authorities to carry out more studies to confirm that the air quality in La Oroya is good, since it was ranked as the fifth most polluted city.


W hat accounts for the impressive rural development seen in East Asia, particularly Taiwan, South Korea, and China? Starting from a low base, rural development in these countries in the past half-century has lifted millions out of poverty, improved income distribution and the living standards of many rural households, and released surplus labor that has fueled rapid industrial growth. And yet we know and understand very little about what makes rural development in these countries relatively more successful than in other developing countries. Kristen Looney's Mobilizing for Development: The Modernization of Rural East Asia fills this important gap in the literature. The existing literature has largely focused on two key explanations. The first, the developmental state model, was pioneered by Chalmers Johnson, Alice Amsden, Robert Wade, Rick Doner, and Stephan Haggard, among others, and has attributed successful development in these countries to industrial policy and governments "picking winners."1 However, as Looney rightly argues, the developmental state model has been inadequate in explaining why and how rural development took place. The second explanation, land reforms, which were undertaken by Taiwan, South Korea, and China in the early phases of development, improved the "initial conditions" of rural development, such as making land distribution more equitable across the board, and have been examined by scholars such as Chris Bramall and Julia Strauss.2 Looney argues that the answer behind the effective rural development in these East Asian countries lies in their successful rollout of "rural campaigns." The concept of campaigns (yundong in Chinese) is not new, but this is one of the first book-length manuscripts that puts it at the center


An object of the present invention is to, as well as there are no adverse effects on the environment and human physiology is not halogen, offers inherently flame-retardant resin composition reflecting the excellent flame retardancy imparted to the polyphenols having advantageous properties and thermal resistance. The present invention relates to a flame retardant resin composition containing a phenolic compound and inorganic ultra-fine particles, wherein the polyphenol compound is the structure are connected to each other through the organic units containing at least one phenolic hydroxyl group at least two carbon atoms, an aromatic unit having a respective to have the inorganic ultrafine particles is related to the alkoxide compound and / or a carboxylic acid product, the flame-retardant resin composition of the hydrolysis and condensation of the acid salt compound.


Background : The purpose of this study is to assess the functional outcome of the cases with advanced thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis treated with trapeziectomy and ligament reconstruction tendon interposition (LRTI) in terms of visual analogue scale (VAS), disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score, Kapandji score, range of motion (ROM) of radial and volar abduction of the thumb, grip power, key pinch and the height of the trapezial space. Methods : In a prospective before and after interventional study of 30 patients with the advanced thumb CMC joint arthritis underwent the procedure. An average follows up period was 17.9 months. Results: The mean VAS decreased from 8.17 to 2.70. The mean Kapandji score and DASH score improved from 3.47 and 71.62 preoperative to 8.23 and 14.46 postoperative.  Mean ROM for radial and volar abduction increased from 42.57° and 48° to 61°and 64.73° respectively. Mean key pinch power and grip power increased from 2.80 kg and 3.47 kg to 4.70 kg and 9.01 kg respectively.  There was a significant decrease in height of the trapezial space. Three patient complaint of the persistent pain at the surgical site and not much improvement in the DASH score. Conclusions: Trapeziectomy with LRTI using flexor carpi radialis (FCR) transfer is an effective treatment for the advanced thumb CMC arthritis. This procedure stabilizes thumb metacarpal and provide enough support which prevents the collapse of metacarpal into dead space.


From the perspective of water-saving irrigation,irrigation technology at home and abroad of research and trends were researched in detail,combined the characteristics of china's water resources,it introduced chinese rice irrigation research progress,at the same time,it put forward several kinds of high yield and water saving irrigation model,and then provide help for the future of cold rice water-saving irrigation.


Pork plays an important role in the manufacture and lives of residents in Jilin province.This paper analyzed the supply and consumption of pork in Jilin province,and the fluctuation of pork market price in recent years.It analyzed the main reasons for the fluctuation of pork market price and put forward the countermeasures to stabilize pork price fluctuation in Jilin province.It concluded that an early warning system of pork price fluctuation must be established,necessary adjustment for predictable fluctuation must be made,and producers′ ability to adapt to the market must be enhanced.


Objective To investigate the effect of monoclonal antibody against liver-intestine cadherin (CDH17) on the cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Methods Hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines MHCC97H, MHCC97L, PLC/PRF/5 and MIHA were examined for CDH17 expression by Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PGR). The combination capacity between bepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and monoclonal antibody Lic5 was detected by the way of immunofluorescence staining. The cell lines were treated with Lic5, PBS and mouse IgG respectively. Methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay, wound healing assay, Transwell invasion assay and colony formation assay were used to study the changes in cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Results High expression level of CDH17 was detected in MHCC97H and MHCC97L cell lines. CDH17 protein level was down-regulated but there was no significant effect on CDH17 mRNA after treatment with Lie5 in MHCC97H and MHCC97L. Cellular growth rate of MHCC97H in Lic5 (50 mg/L), Lic5 ( 100 mg/L) and mouse IgG groups was decreased by 26. 1%, 43.6% and 6. 4%, and by 26. 0%, 40. 7% and 7. 7% in MHCC97L on the 4th day respectively (P <0. 05 ). The inhibition rate of cell migration at 48 h was 36. 7%, 8. 4% and 5.6% in Lic5 ( 100 mg/L), mouse IgG and PBS groups in MHCC97H, and 42. 3%, 10. 2% and 7. 4% in MHCC97L respectively ( P < 0. 05 ). The number of invasion cells was ( 39. 20 t 9. 56),(106.50±7.56) and (96.60±13.02) in MHCC97H, and (26.00±8.61), (86.00±10.26) and (90.40±12.04) in MHCC97L in Lic5 (50 mg/L), Lic5 (100 mg/L) and mouse IgG groups, respectively (P < 0. 05 ). The number of colony formation was ( 59. 30 ± 11.68 ), ( 141.70 ± 19. 40 ) and (150.30 ±14.64) in MHCC97H, and (57.20 ± 10.21), (132.50 ±9.07) and (121.70 ±11.93) in MHCC97L in Lie5 (50 mg/L), Lic5 (100 mg/L) and mouse IgG groups, respectively (P< 0. 01 ).There was no significant difference between Lic5 treatment groups and controls in PLC/PRF/5 and MIHA cell lines. Conclusion The anti-CDH17 monoclonal antibody Lic5 can down-regulate CDH17 expression and inhibit the cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.

Key words:
Liver-intestine cadherin;  Monoclonal antibody;  Carcinoma, hepatocellular


The nature of and responses to population-resource imbalances have played an important role in debates surrounding the development of complexity among Chumash populations of the Santa Barbara Channel region. Faunal assemblages from Middle and Late Period deposits at CA-SBA-225 were analyzed to evaluate whether people occupying the Vandenberg coastline experienced conditions similar to those interpreted for mainland and island populations to the south. Regional data indicate that residents responded to stressful periods promoted by limited terrestrial productivity and increased population densities in the Late Period. However, reliance on lower-ranked shellfish species at CA-SBA- 225 and other sites through time does not conform precisely to expectations, thereby requiring additional explanation. It is argued that natural variation in resource availability and abundance contributes significantly to the character of these faunal assemblages. In sum, this analysis highlights the necessity of understanding local environmental variability before invoking models of resource intensification to explain subsistence data.


In this review,the development of crystal growth of Re123 superconductor and related historical roles in high temperature superconductor experiments and theoretical research.The significance of RE123 to the mechanism research of high-Tc superconductivity is analyzed.Meanwhile,our results are also reported on Y123-based single crystals,such as Y123,Sm123,Pr-doped Y123 and Fe-doped Y123 superconductors.


It is pointed out that every renormalizable field theory has a symmetry which is hidden in plain sight. In all practical cases, it is also broken softly, either explicitly or spontaneously. Implications for neutrino mass and dark matter are discussed.


Interaction between system and reservoir is considered to be linear in the coordinates of heat bath but nonlinear in the system coordinate and velocity. The reduced partition function of the system is presented and the corresponding effective classical potential is calculated by using the path-integral Monte Carlo method. In the presence of the nonlinear coupling, a dissipative threshold is observed at finite temperatures, and the decay rate of a particle in a metastable potential can be hindered by inhomogeneous dissipation above twice the crossover temperature.


Spiders of the genus Lutica are fossorial inhabitants of coastal dunes of southern California , Baja California and the California Channel Islands . They live in silk-lined burrows concentrated beneath dun e vegetation . Lutica are sit-and-wait predators that subdue insects that walk near or over burrows . They are sedentary and do not engage in aerial dispersal via ballooning . Adult males abandon their burrows during th e late summer and early fall to wander in search of females . Females produce eggsacs and guard them till the y die; spiderlings emerge in the spring . Dune trapdoor spiders (Aptostichus simus) prey onLutica, while the larva e of a therevid fly are external parasites .


Relevance of the conducted research consists in its orientation on the solution of search of regularities of interrelation of the problem of protection, recovery of health and ecological education of students in the course of physical training for the purpose of mastering the technique of increase of resistance of the organism to influence of the harmful factors of the surrounding air environment caused by waste chemical and other types of industrial production as a result of use of means of physical culture. In article there is an author's development of the ecological approach to physical training of the students of the higher education institutions, which are trained, in adverse conditions of gas-polluted atmospheric air that is connected with the actively developing various systems of environmental monitoring. Such monitoring would provide identification of the markers of ecological trouble and the reflecting influence of various environmental pollution on the person state of health and it can form a basis for development of the regional health-improving programs.


This article points to two limitations in the Latin American literature that analyzes the so-called crisis of political representation. The first one comes from the ambiguity that the term "political party" as a concept is dealt, and the second one stands out the scarce familiarity of the authors with the new perspectives on the political representation published in English. The diagnostic on the mentioned crisis, it is claimed, would gain, on one hand, if it is made from a quantifiably concept of political party, and on the other hand, if it incorporates some elements of the new, just mentioned, perspectives.


Antenatal glucocorticoids (AG) for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome in VLBW infants reduce the incidence of patent ductus arteriosus, intraventricular hemorrhage and necrotizing enterocolitis. In preterm fetal lambs, AG increase postnatal cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). We hypothesized that AG improve hemodynamic maturation in preterm infants. Twenty infants (750-1250 g; 24-31 wk) were enrolled in a prospective observational study. We measured middle cerebral (C) and superior mesenteric (M) artery Doppler blood flow velocities (BFV) and cardiac function at 6, 30, 54 and 168 hr of life. Infants were divided into three groups: non-treated controls (n=6), one dose (n=4), and two or more doses (n=10) of AG. Mean and end-diastolic CBFV increased (ANOVA, p<0.0001) by 83 and 230%, respectively, from 6 to 168 hr of age. Cerebral relative vascular resistance(RVR) decreased (ANOVA, p<0.05) by 27%. Mean MBFV and MRVR did not change, but end-diastolic MBFV increased (ANOVA, p<0.05) by 47%. HR, BP, and CO (fig.) increased (ANOVA, p<0.001) by 7, 35, and 60%, respectively. Contractility did not change. Mean and end-diastolic CBFV, mean and end-diastolic MBFV, CRVR, MRVR, HR, BP, CO and contractility did not differ among groups. We conclude that AG do not alter Doppler ultrasound indices of postnatal hemodynamic maturation in VLBW infants. Funded by Wyeth Pediatrics.


At present, the primary task of the economic reform in the rural area is to realize the growth of peasants income Thus, we must be active to seek for an efficient approach to the growth of peasants income The present author suggests that the adjustment of agricultural structure, the development of non-agriculture products and the growth of small towns are a good solution


Abstract The TiCl4-catalyzed reaction of a-phenylseleno esters with aldehydes in the presence of Ph3P or Ph3P=O gives aldol products with high syn selectivity.


The study of classroom discourse is central to understanding and supporting effective teaching practice. Recently, researchers have begun to explore the spatial dimension of classroom discourse. However, this work emphasizes the lack of methods, particularly visual methods, to fully explore the spatial dimension of classroom discourse. This paper uses an approach to studying collaborative interaction we have developed called interaction geography to revisit a classic case known as "Sean Numbers" from the work of renown teacher educator Deborah Ball. Our analysis highlights the value of interaction geography to visually and dynamically explore the spatial and temporal dimensions of classroom discourse. We also make a data visualization of this work available to support further discussion and work to describe classroom interaction geography.


Lactiplantibacillus pentosus strain HBUAS53657 was used as a starter in the production of fermented buffalo milk, with citrus added as a prebiotic to improve taste and antioxidant levels. Fermented milk products containing 6% starter L. pentosus HBUAS53657 and 20% orange juice produced the best results in physicochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic tests. This fermented milk product will also be used for intervention testing research to overcome children's nutritional problems. This is a descriptive study. This study aimed to analyse the composition of macro (protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre and total energy) and micronutrients (Ca, Na, K, Zn and phosphorus) content of fermented milk Lactiplantacillus pentosus strain HBUAS53657 with 20% orange juice. The data on the characteristics of macro and micronutrients were analysed quantitatively with descriptive analysis, presenting the data from the study using tables and graphs. The result shows the fermented milk served contains macro and micronutrients. Plain fermented milk has a high protein and calorie content compared to fermented milk with the addition of orange juice, while the mineral content is almost the same. Plain fermented milk is more recommended to overcome nutritional deficiencies.The findings of this study can be used to promote increased consumption or fermentation of milk


We study factorizations of operators between quasi-Banach spaces. We prove the equivalence between certain vector norm inequalities and the factorization of operators through Orlicz spaces. As a consequence, we obtain the Maurey-Rosenthal factorization of operators into Lp-spaces. We give several applications of our results. In particular, we prove a variant of Maurey's Extension Theorem.


Objective:To investigate the feasibility and appropriate method of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in early stage of acute calculous cholecystitis.Methods:The data of 136 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute calculous cholecystitis in early stage were retrospectively analyzed,compared with the data of 1 165 patients,who got cholecystolithiasis and underwent LC in non-acute stage,on operative time,postoperative complications and the rate of conversion to open surgery.Results:There were no significant differences between two groups in all the parameters observed above(P0.05).Conclusions:Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and feasible for acute calculous cholecystitis within 72h after acute attack,and dealing with Calot's triangle correctly is crucial.Decreasing and dealing with haemorrhage properly is very important in reducing the rate of damage to extrahepatic duct and conversion to laparotomy.


A fundamental reason of the outflow of talents in colleges in minority areas is the discordance between the individual behavioral rationality and the benefit objective. With the principles and patterns of game, this paper makes a deep analysis to the forming mechanism of the outflow of talents from colleges of minority regions from the aspects of the mechanism design theory and the stimulating conditions to attract the talents. At the end of this paper the author puts forward some suggestions concerned.


Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of early decompressive craniectomy on severe traumat-ic brain injury.Methods The clinical and neuroimaging records of early decompressive craniectomy in 29 patients with severe traumatic brain injury were collected.And the following information was analyzed retrospectively for each patient:GCS score on admission,pre-and postoperative midline shift,the state of the lateral ventricles and central pond,area of the craniectomy,and early and late neurological outcome.Results The average time to surgery af-ter trauma was 4.04 hours,which was related to clinical outcome(r=0.1507;P=0.0401).The average of the midline shifts decreased after decompression(P=0.0001).And the visibility of the central pond improved significantly after craniectomy(P=0.0002).Decreases in the midline shifts correlated significantly with an improvement in the visibility of the central pond(r=0.4209;P=0.0230).There was also a significant correlation between clinical status on admission and clinical outcome(P0.0001).Conclusion Early decompressive craniectomy can improve the clinical outcome of the patients with severe traumatic brain injury,which was related with the severity of the underlying injuries.


In recent years, lidar system has become a very successful tool in environmental exploration and remote sensing of the atmosphere. However, geometric form factor, which is inherently determined by the lidar structure, restricts the accuracy of the lidar data at nearby distances. In order to get the effective atmospheric parameter information close to the ground from lidar system, it is essential to obtain its geometric form factor. The ratio of the energy received by the photo detector to the energy reached the telescope primary mirror is defined as geometric form factor, which is affected by three facts. First, the overlap of the transmitted beam with the receiver system is often incomplete, so only a part of the return signal goes into the receiving telescope. Second, the backscattering signals from small and medium distances can not be focused well on the focal plane, so only part of them can be sensed by the detector. Third, the obstruction of the secondary mirror can also increase the light loss. By analyzing these three facts, we described a geometric optical calculative method for determining the geometrical form factor in a Cassegrain telescope system. By reviewing the structure of the coaxial and biaxial transmitter and receiver system, and considering the above three reasons, a simple model is applied to demonstrate the image formation of a circular object of diameter G positioned a distance R close to a lidar detection unit. Then the position between the illumination e of the focal plane and telescope aperture s is discussed, and a function to describe the geometrical form factor can thus be derived in both coaxial and non-coaxial lidar cases. Finally, two different lidar systems are compared with simulation method in order to validate the proposed model.


In the defect inspection method and apparatus capable of accurately classifying a defect on the inspected object, scanning a test body, and determines the time when the area to be irradiated with light changes on the test body. To load the characteristic parameters of the search range is changed based on the determined point in time by checking the result of scanning of the area, classifies the detected defects. In this case, the characteristic parameter is contrast, consists of intensity, brightness, size, and their two or more combination thereof. Characteristic parameter group is set to scan the reference area of the test body, which respectively correspond to the region of the subject. By being able to accurately classify defects can be prevented in time and financial losses spent on unnecessary recount.


In the tubular packed bed reactors used to effect catalytic reactions with large heat effects, it is often of crucial importance to achieve high rates of heat removal from, or addition to, the bed. The stratified packed bed achieves high heat transfer rates by using small catalyst particles near the wall to yield a high wall heat transfer coefficient, while using large catalyst particles near the centreline, to yield a high radial effective thermal conductivity. A brief account is given of experiments on bed-packing, axial dispersion, heat transfer and pressure drop. A simple analysis, supported by the simulation of an ethylene oxidation reactor, shows that an effectively identical reaction/heat transfer performance can be achieved by a stratified and a conventional bed. However, the stratified bed has a pressure drop of approximately one third of the pressure drop of the conventional bed, implying a major economic benefit.


Pro/E is widely used in machine design,but 3D model of some parts is difficult to obtain because of their complicated shapes,and advanced solid features can make the modeling of complicated mechanical parts simplified.This paper points out the adaptive range of several advanced solid features in Pro/E,i.e.helical sweep feature,variable section sweep feature,and sweep blend feature,by analyzing their characteristics,then the method of creating these features is introduced through the examples of typical mechanical parts,and 3D model of typical mechanical parts is obtain.


China auto market composite index model is created based on the comprehensive index method.The analytic hierarchy process and factor analysis method are synthesized,and the index model is designed based on the qualitative and quantitative method.The trend can be analyzed in the automotive market,and has a certain role in early warning.The improved methods and model will make the index calculation more meaningful and more scientific.


This paper describes the development of a paper and pencil instrument that classifies the principal motivations for students participating in study abroad programs. While many of the factors relating to relevant program parameters are readily apparent (Engle and Engle, 2003), it is important to understand how students' motivation for participating in a study abroad program mediates the magnitude of those gains. For research to advance on the moderating influence of student motivation, an instrument is needed to classify these motivations so that students can be sorted into appropriate categories.


The use of a brush was suggested by Anderson (1960) as an aid to highlight the separation of layers in the snowpack. Interpretation was briefly described in early U.S. Forest Service avalanche manuals (1961). Presently it is listed as an optional tool for snow profile studies in U.S. and Canadian recording standards (Greene et al. 2004, CAA 2002). During the winter of 2005/06 an analysis of key brush properties and performance characteristics was carried out using standardized tests. Field-testing was conducted on a selection of brushes of varying properties and characteristics for their effect in highlighting snow layering. A sufficiently general technique was developed and tried in the field that incorporated a relationship to the common hand hardness test. This poster presents a description of method, the results of the investigation, and brush selection recommendation for use in snow profiles. References Andersen, V.H. 1960. A technique for photographing snow-pit stratigraphy. Journal of Geophysical Research 65 (3):1080-1082. CAA. 2002. Observation Guidelines and Recording Standards for Weather, Snowpack and Avalanches. Revelstoke: Canadian Avalanche Association. Greene, E., K. Birkeland, Kelly Elder, G. Johnson, C. Landry, I. McCammon, M. Moore, D. Sharaf, C. Sterbenz, and K. Williams. 2004. Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States. Pagosa Springs: American Avalanche Association. USFS. 1961. Snow avalanches: a handbook of forecasting and control measures, edited by U.S.D.A.


Nobody could deny that the Cambridge world history offood is a bargain. For £110 the purchaser gets 2150 pages, with 224 contributors from 15 different countries. The six main parts are devoted to what our ancestors ate, staple foods, dietary liquids, the nutrients, food around the world, history of nutrition and health and contemporary policy issues. The text concludes with a 176-page dictionary of world plant foods; the two volumes are printed on good paper, the pages open easily, and the relatively large typeface of the index makes for easy legibility. The portents, then, are good, and are often realized by the excellent handling of the diverse themes. The introductory articles by the editors (one of whom, Kenneth F Kiple, of Bowling Green State University, also edited the Cambridge world history of disease) are among the exemplars, and other outstanding essays include those on the history of brewing, breast-feeding, famine, rice, coffee, and potatoes. Some topics are unexpected: the importance of food lobbies, foods as aphrodisiacs, and the psychology of food and food choice. And current controversies, such as the role of fat in atherosclerosis, or salt in hypertension, are well dealt with in a balanced way. The reader who stays the course will realize the continual evolution of globalization of food throughout history, and will hardly doubt another of the work's major themes: that every important agricultural breakthrough so far has had unhappy consequences for health. And he or she will have encountered a lively succession of facts, and often as comprehensive a coverage as is required. Collectors of the arcane or the fatuous will also have a field day. Naples, for example, was the last major city to rely on pigs to dispose of its night soil. In the 1830s, the annual consumption of spirits in the USA reached a peak of over 5 gallons per capita, while currently every day each member of the Buganda people consumes 4-4.5 kg of bananas. The Aztecs ate the arms and legs of their victims with a chimole sauce not dissimilar to today's salsa mexicana. Research in Helsinki has shown that the most annoying social odours are sweat and alcohol; the least, garlic and aftershave. And, in the nineteenth century, Oxford ditched an outstanding oarsman on the grounds that his vegetarianism might corrupt the rest of the boat crew. All this, then, might add up to an overwhelming success for this …


The underwater light field, both light intensity and quality, has a significant influence on phytoplankton abundance and photosynthetic activity in shallow lakes. Light conditions in the lake depended on the inherent optical properties of the water and the incident irradiance. In this study, underwater light climate, biological and optical properties in the highly turbid and eutrophic littoral region of Meiliang Bay in Lake Taihu were studied by applying in situ measurement data from 1998 to 1999 and total suspended solid, chlorophyll a and Secchi disc transparency of No.2 sampling station from 1992 to 2001. The seasonal dynamics and vertical profile of light attenuation, the spectral attenuation coefficients, and the relative roles of total suspended solid, chlorophyll a as light attenuators were assessed for the period 1998 to 1999. Incident photosynthetically available irradiance (PAR, 400~700 nm) at the water surface and at different depths was measured using a 192SA light sensor. Underwater spectral irradiance was measured with a high-resolution spectroradiometer (SR-9910; Macam Photometrics, Livingston, Scotland) equipped via a 4 m light guide with a spherical light collector of 0.7 cm diameter. Phytoplankton chlorophyll a concentration was calculated according to Lorenzen from spectrophotometric measurements after extraction in 90% hot ethanol. Other parameters including Secchi disc transparency, suspended solid (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD (Mn)), dissolved oxygen (DO), total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), total nitrogen (TN) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) were measured according to the Chinese CERN standard methods of "Observation and analysis of lake ecological survey". SPSS 11.0 software was applied to all data analysis. The attenuation of light in the waters of Meiliang Bay was rather high, with a downward attenuation coefficient of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) ranging fro 1.40 to 5.30 /m (mean value being 2.43±0.55 /m). The corresponding euphotic depths were 0.87~3.29 m with a mean value of 1.98±0.41 m, which indicated that phytoplankton and hydrophyte basically could not acquire enough solar radiation for photosynthesis below 2 m depth especially during winter. From the subsurface irradiance, on average only a mean of 3.00% reached a depth of 1.5 m. The highest attenuation coefficient and the lowest euphotic depth of PAR were found in autumn during the period of 1998~1999. The blue waveband was the most strongly attenuated because of the higher levels of colored dissolved organic matter. Red light basically penetrated as deep as green although green was the most penetrating waveband. An obvious absorption peak near 670 nm was recorded in spring due to high chlorophyll a concentration. The contribution of chlorophyll a to PAR attenuation coefficient was 1.59%~14.21% from 1998 to 1999 at No.2 sampling station using the value of 0.016 m~~2/mgChla as average specific attenuation coefficient of chlorophyll a. The higher correlation coefficient was obtained between attenuation coefficient and total suspended solid than chlorophyll a based on linear regressions between attenuation coefficient and total suspended solid, chlorophyll a concentration. The main light attenuators were total suspended solid and colored dissolved organic matter in the littoral region of Meiliang Bay in Lake Taihu.


The importance of English Language on the global level is undeniable and has been agreed upon in an array of discourses over this subject. This has also made it pertinent to understand how the English language has been affected by and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic that has touched almost every aspect of human life- Language being amongst the most affected. The present study has aimed to understand the multiple imprints of the pandemic over the English language and seeks to comprehend the ways in which it has posed challenges in front of the academia to understand the relevance of the language more profoundly during the time of crises. The paper has attempted to examine the evolving of English as a language during the pandemic and locates the areas in which the imprints necessitate further analysis.


The invention belongs to the field of traditional Chinese medicine and particularly discloses traditional Chinese medicine decoction for treating chronic pharyngitis. The traditional Chinese medicine decoction for treating chronic pharyngitis is made of active ingredients such as fineleaf schizonepeta herb, mint, wild ginger, angelica root, dried rehmanniae, dandelion, common cephalanoplos herb, dwarf lilyturf root, honeysuckle flower, forsythia, manyleaf paris rhizome, indian iphigenia bulb, figwort root, cicada slough, fried silkworm larva, moutan bark, poria cocos, Chinese yam, fried atratylodes rhizome, cortex phellodendri, rhizoma anemarrhenae, lotus plumule, fried cape jasmine fruit, buffalo horn powder, medicinal cyathula root, gypsum, fried medicated leaven, rheum officinale, fried olibanum, fried myrrh, angelica sinensis, red peony root, peach kernel and root of red-rooted salvia according to a certain weight ratio. The traditional Chinese medicine decoction is specially usedfor treating chronic pharyngitis, has evident lasting effect, is fast to absorb and take effect, is high in effectiveness, non-irritant, safe and reliable, is simple to take, has sufficient medicinalsources, is low in price, and can be used to basically treat pain of chronic pharyngitis to relieve the pain of a patient. According to 55 cases of treatment by the traditional Chinese medicine decoction, the total effective rate reaches 96%.


Abstract This afterword engages with the theme of this Special Issue by discussing the significance of urban slavery in slave societies and societies where chattel slavery existed in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It discusses how, despite the omnipresence of slavery in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, New York, and Charleston, the tangible traces of the inhuman institution were gradually erased from the public space. It also emphasizes that, despite this annihilation, over the last three decades, black social actors have made significant interventions to make the slavery past of Atlantic cities visible again.


Predicting Spiritual and Religious Competence Based on Supervisor Practices and Institutional Attendance by Andrew Secor MA, MidAmerica Nazarene University, 2007 BA, MidAmerica Nazarene University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education and Supervision Walden University November 2019 Abstract Counseling students report a lack of competence in spiritual and religious integration (SRI). As such, counselor educators and supervisors (CES) and students want to understand how to develop SRI competence. Although past research highlighted SRI dialogue in training, the problem is that no clear understanding exists about the role of faculty supervisor SRI on perceived student competence. The supervision models used to inform the study included the integrated developmental model, discrimination model, and spirituality in supervision model (SACRED). The purpose of this study was to determine if master's-level graduate counseling students' perception of their faculty supervisors' SRI practices predicted students perceived spiritual competence when considering attendance in faith-based and non-faith-based institutions accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP). A review of existing literature supported the use of a quantitative, cross-sectional design. An online survey was distributed to students (n=59) in master's level CACREP counseling programs currently in field experience to measure perceived SRI in supervision and perceived SRI competence. A multiple linear regression revealed there was a statisticallyCounseling students report a lack of competence in spiritual and religious integration (SRI). As such, counselor educators and supervisors (CES) and students want to understand how to develop SRI competence. Although past research highlighted SRI dialogue in training, the problem is that no clear understanding exists about the role of faculty supervisor SRI on perceived student competence. The supervision models used to inform the study included the integrated developmental model, discrimination model, and spirituality in supervision model (SACRED). The purpose of this study was to determine if master's-level graduate counseling students' perception of their faculty supervisors' SRI practices predicted students perceived spiritual competence when considering attendance in faith-based and non-faith-based institutions accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP). A review of existing literature supported the use of a quantitative, cross-sectional design. An online survey was distributed to students (n=59) in master's level CACREP counseling programs currently in field experience to measure perceived SRI in supervision and perceived SRI competence. A multiple linear regression revealed there was a statistically significant predictive relationship between supervisor SRI and perceived student competence as measured by the Spiritual and Religious Competence Assessment and the Spiritual Issues in Supervision Scale. These results inform CES about the importance of SRI and students' ability to work with clients' spiritual and religious beliefs. On this basis, it is recommended that supervisors focus on SRI in supervision. Future research should focus on additional factors related to SRI competence during counselor training. Predicting Spiritual and Religious Competence Based on Supervisor Practices and Institutional Attendance by Andrew Secor MA, MidAmerica Nazarene University, 2007 BA, MidAmerica Nazarene University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education and Supervision Walden University November 2019 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my grandparents, William Henry (John) and Phyllis Secor. While my time with you was limited, your example and commitment to faith, family, and hard work remain with me to this day. I dedicate this work to my parents, Randy and Judy Secor, and my wife and children, Jennifer, Keira, Reaux, Paisley, and Adriana Secor. I love each of you. Thank you for your encouragement and for modeling what it means to persevere through adversity. I would not be at this point without your love and support. Acknowledgments I would first like to thank Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for his constant faithfulness throughout this journey. Through moments of excitement and anxiety, he remained faithful and provided me the words and energy to get to this place. I would not be at this place in my life without his continued work in my life. I want to thank my wife, Jennifer, for her constant support, encouragement, and sacrifice. Thank you for the many hours you gave me to work on my dissertation while you carried the burden of caring for our home and kids. Words cannot express my gratitude for all you did to help me get to this point in my academic and professional life. I would like to thank my parents, children, siblings, and extended family for their constant support through this process. My children provided opportunities to break from the constant typing and reviewing of information to remember the more important parts of my life. Thanks to my sister, Tabitha, and my brothers Timothy and William for taking an interest in my education and for sharing this success with me. Thank you to my parents for believing in me and for never letting me settle for less than my best. Your love and support over the last 36 years enabled me to achieve this milestone. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Corinne Bridges, Dr. Michelle Perepiczka, Dr. Laura Haddock, and Dr. Melinda Haley for their time, energy, expertise, and support throughout this process. All of you gave of yourselves unselfishly and without hesitation to ensure my success. Thank you for all of the hours of review, discussion, videoconference, and phone calls. I am truly grateful and better for my interactions with each of you.


This research is descriptive research that is conducted by quantitative approach to find out the validity and reliability of an instrument. The population in this research is all active college students at the State University of Semarang in nine faculties, taking sample is conducted by probability-sampling that means all population has the same chance to be a research subject. The number of samples in this research is 300 of people. The technique of data analysis on the validity verification in this research used Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) technique. Meanwhile, for the estimation of reliability, the researcher used the formula of Cronbach's Alpha. The data analysis is supported by JAMOVI program. The result of research shows that a) the instrument of digital skill literacy has fulfilled the criteria of goodness of fit with the result; 1) x2 = 162 dan df = 143; 2) p-value = 0,133; 3) RMSEA 0,021; 4) SRMR = 0,026; 5) and CFI = 0,99; b) the result of CFA shows 20 items that is divided by the indicator such as functional skill beyond, creativity, collaboration, communication, the ability to find select information, critical thinking and evaluation, cultural and social understanding, E-Safety have fulfilled valid criteria with the average score of loading factor is 0.80. c) the reliability of literacy digital skill instrument shows the estimation value which is 0.943 or very reliable.


The SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), has rapidly swept across the world since its identification in December 2019. Otolaryngologists are at unique risk due to the close contact with mucus membranes of the upper respiratory tract and have been among the most affected healthcare workers in Wuhan, China. We present information on COVID‐19 management relevant to otolaryngologists on the frontlines of this pandemic and provide preliminary guidance based on practices implemented in China and other countries and practical strategies deployed at Stanford University. Laryngoscope, 130:2537–2543, 2020