In the process of product development, information sharing is critical to any product development team. The integration of CAX based on STEP provides the developers with a coordinated development circumstance and enables the use of CAX-based information as the only single front-end to the design tools and for manipulating design data. After stating the emergence, development file content and the architecture and components of STEP, this paper puts forward the integrative, model and critical technology of CAX based on STEP.


Abstract. Understanding the impact of tree structure on snow depth
and extent is important in order to make predictions of snow amounts and
how changes in forest cover may affect future water resources. In this work,
we investigate snow depth under tree canopies and in open areas to quantify
the role of tree structure in controlling snow depth, as well as the
controls from wind and topography. We use fine-scale terrestrial laser
scanning (TLS) data collected across Grand Mesa, Colorado, USA (winter
2016–2017), to measure the snow depth and extract horizontal and vertical
tree descriptors (metrics) at six sites. We utilize these descriptors along
with topographical metrics in multiple linear and decision tree regressions
to investigate snow depth variations under the canopy and in open areas.
Canopy, topography, and snow interaction results indicate that vegetation
structural metrics (specifically foliage height diversity; FHD) along with
local-scale processes like wind and topography are highly influential in
snow depth variation. Our study specifies that windward slopes show greater
impact on snow accumulation than vegetation metrics. In addition, the
results indicate that FHD can explain up to 27 % of sub-canopy snow depth
variation at sites where the effect of topography and wind is negligible.
Solar radiation and elevation are the dominant controls on snow depth in
open areas. Fine-scale analysis from TLS provides information on local-scale
controls and provides an opportunity to be readily coupled with lidar or
photogrammetry from uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) as well as airborne and
spaceborne platforms to investigate larger-scale controls on snow depth.


The contributions of Dioscorides in the field of materia medica and pharmacology are unparalleled in the history of medicine. This great botanist of the 1st century A.D. made personal observations of the specific properties of drugs and presented them through illustrations for the first time. Almost all the physician authors of Unani system of medicine from Galen to Azam Khan have quoted Dioscorides. Kitabul-Hashaish was rendered into English and arabic and published repeatedly in the West. The book has great value and is quoted widely due to its authenticity. This unique work needs to be edited critically and afterwards translated into Urdu and other languages for the benefit of the present day students and scholars.


Cryo-electron tomography is the highest resolution tool available for structural analysis of macromolecular complexes within their native cellular environment. At present, data acquisition suffers from low throughput, in part due to the low probability of positioning a cell such that the subcellular structure of interest is on a region of the electron microscopy (EM) grid that is suitable for imaging. Here, we leverage photo-micropatterning of EM grids to optimally position endothelial cells to enable high-throughput imaging of cell-cell contacts. This method increases the distance between contacts and the thicker cell nuclei such that the regions of interest are sufficiently thin for imaging. The resulting pipeline enables the observation of a diverse array of structures at endothelial cell-cell contacts, demonstrating the utility of this technique in enhancing the rate of data acquisition for cellular cryo-electron tomography studies.


This paper presents a power system using a high step-up converter for dc load applications. The high step-up converter adopts a boost converter with interleaved mode and a coupled inductor to raise its powering ability and increase its step-up voltage ratio, respectively. In order to increase conversion efficiency, an active clamp circuit is introduced into the proposed one to provide soft-switching features to reduce switching losses. Moreover, switches in the converter and active clamp circuit are integrated with a synchronous switching technique to reduce circuit complexity and component counts, resulting in a lower cost and smaller volume. A perturb and observe method is adopted to extract the maximum power from photovoltaic (PV) arrays. Furthermore, a microchip associated with PWM IC is used to implement maximum power point tracking operation, voltage regulation and power management. Finally, a prototype PV power system with 400 V/6 A has been implemented for verifying the feasibility of the proposed PV power system. It is shown to be suitable for PV energy conversion applications when the duty ratios of switches in the dc/dc converter are less than 0.5.


In this paper we consider posthumanism as a conceptual horizon to describe the world of relations where the human being lies once its characteristic of «measure of everything» is questionned; but also as a characteristic of contemporary capitalism, understood, not only as a way of organising the ways of economical production but also as a way of producing subjectivity and a sort of social bond. The object is to present a proposal in which ontology and politics interweave. This proposal is not a contents program, it is simply a reflection on some of the conditions to think about the political and politics today. Posthuman horizon is the actual frame of what is thinkable but restore the subject ideal of humanism does not appear possible, or even desirable. So, with posthumanism, and simultaneously against it, we suggest emphasising its materialistic dimension to recover a notion of fractured subjectivity, definitely far from any humanist point of view. This notion of subjectivity is a condition for any


At one point, China had a traditional flag culture influenced by its rich history. However, its modern flag culture is mostly inspired by Western influences and has only attained a moderate level of development. The study of vexillology is still in its early stages in China. The number of researchers studying Chinese vexillology is few in number. Cur-rently, there are no dedicated private or government research institutes. There is only a limited amount of research, mainly focused on the flag of China and various countries, the Chinese Communist Party's flag, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army's flag. There is also very little study regarding traditional flags of China and the flags of the Republic of China. Because of historical and legal rea-sons, the Chinese people and researchers have little exposure to western vexillology.


Today's trend is to analyse high-dimensional datasets through convex optimization. A famous example is the Lasso for estimation and variable selection in the high-dimensional regression model. Another currently very popular example is the so-called matrix completion problem, where the goal is to recover missing entries in large low-rank matrices by solving a simple convex optimization program. The main advantages of convex problems are that they can be numerically solved very efficiently and that they have a unique solution which can be mathematically analysed using powerful tools from convex analysis. Despite the advantages of convex optimization problems, we believe that convex functions are often too limited to take into account the complex structure present in real data applications. In this thesis, we therefore move on and use more advanced and flexible modelling techniques to describe high-dimensional data. The resulting optimization problems are very challenging, far from being convex and may have several optimal solutions. However, we demonstrate that in a sparse context, where only a small number of the model parameters are nonzero, it is possible to solve such problems very efficiently. Furthermore, we will also show on real datasets that there is a considerable gain in terms of statistical performance over convex methods. In a first project, Chapter 2 in this thesis, we extend estimation and variable selection in a high-dimensional setup to a finite mixture of regressions (FMR) model, which can deal with a heterogeneous population consisting of different unknown subgroups. We propose a penalized maximum likelihood estimator using a novel parameterization, analyse its asymptotic properties and derive oracle inequalities. From a compu-


There are few legal studies in China on developing investment abroad presently.Therefore,it is necessary to sum up the concept and risks of international investment and the influence on countries involved.Then the paper analyzes the actuality of investment abroad of our country from the legal angle,confronts and puts forward the countermeasures and methods of solving the existing problems on macroscopic and microscopic view in order to offer some help for investment in foreign countries.


Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings
Have you ever thought what McDonalds can learn from the operators of its franchises? What Uber drivers can tell the company they supply their services to? Or even what Airbnb can be told about hospitality from its would-be hoteliers? When it comes to organizational learning, it is clear that anyone selling their services to a huge multinational will be trained, and indeed learn a lot about such things as branding, range management and cost control. But few of us would stop to think what the big corporate can learn from the small supplier.

Practical implications
This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


" Two series of cases, one of 576 patients with cervical carcinoma in situ, and one of 1,235 patients with invasive carcinoma, both diagnosed and managed in the years 1946 to 1967 at National Women's Hospital, are presented; follow-up of both series is 100070. Except for a special series of 27 patients diagnosed and treated by punch biopsy alone, all those with carcinoma in situ have had at least a cone-type biopsy for diagnosis. In dealing with the "special series of 27 patients" who presented with cervical carcinoma-in-situ, Green noted:" The 27 treated by punch biopsy form part of a special series, commenced in 1965 relative to patients whose only abnormality at presentation was a positive smear and in whom invasive cancer has been excluded as far as is possible by clinical, colposcopic, and cytological examinations; the histological diagnosis rests on punch biopsy alone, and no further therapy is being undertaken. The minimum material used to establish the diagnosis in all other patients has been a cone-type biopsy. Despite what is repeatedly asserted in the literature, close follow-up is not mentally traumatic to patients treated conservatively, even to those with persistently positive smears [...J Nor is Green's last publication on the subject in 1974, "The progression of pre-invasive lesions of the cervix to invasion", any more illuminating. This stated:" In an effort to elucidate the problem of whether and how often the socalled precursors of cervical cancer do progress to invasion, some New Zealand data are presented. These consist of cervical cancer incidence and mortality figures for the Auckland provincial area 1946-72, and for New Zealand 1948-70; these are contrasted with similar data from British Columbia. Allowing for the uncertainties inherent in the population approach to such problems, the data do not suggest that the removal of large numbers of in situ cancers from the population has favourably influenced incidence and mortality rates, and it is therefore concluded that the concept of progression of epithelial changes through a spectrum to invasion is doubtful. The results from management of a series of 750 cases of in situ cancer in which 10 or 1.3 percent of the total cases appar232 March 6, 1989 Vol. 150 THE MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA entlyprogressed to invasion, but of which 10cases there wereonly two in which there wasno clinical or histologic doubt about the progression, suggest that the proportion progressing to invasion must be small and is unlikely to influence favourably incidence and mortality rates. It isconsidered doubtful that present population or pathologicaldata will ever solvethe problem completely and someother approachesto its solution are briefly mentioned. Green then proceeds to provide a detailed case report on each of the 10 patients whose carcinomas apparently progressed to invasion, noting that only two of the patients exhibited:" clearand unequivocal clinical (post-menopausal bleeding in oneand florid cancer in the other)and histological evidence that a different disease status had arisenand that after eightyearseachof negative clinical and cytologicalfindings. The number of these "new" casesis actually not quite the expected number in a series of 750 women of the age distribution of the present series followed for an average of 8.5 years each. Having read the above, one could be forgiven for missing the telltale warning signs of an impending disaster. Yet, Judge Cartwright observed that:' as the Inquiry proceeded, it became apparent that what had begun as a small domestic dispute in a hospital in Auckland, had come to have ramifications in other parts of the world. Dr Green's work, particularly as recordedin his scientific papers, waswell-known in the international community of gynaecologists. Manyof theseeminent gynaecologists were also aware of the world-wide debate surrounding Dr Green's work. All of them knew of his scientific papers and some had heard him speak. However, the only hard evidence of this "world-wide" awareness that was cited in the Report of the Inquiry is a notation that Professor Hugh McLaren from Birmingham was "very distressed at the trial which was being conducted in New Zealand". It seems that Professor Per Kolstad from Norway also was concerned about the study. Professor Kolstad is an internationally-renowned expert in cervical neoplasia, who was in Auckland in 1973, and had been invited by McIndoe, together with Green, to examine six of Green's patients with carcinoma-in-situ. He had disagreed with the "treatment" (observation only) in each case. When asked how forcefully he had voiced his criticisms, Professor Kolstad replied: "I think that I, at that time, was not aware of to what large extent he [Green] was doing this in the Hospital. So after I had explained my distress [...] that he didn't treat these patients that all had in situ, and perhaps especially the patient with in situ far down in the vagina, I didn't want to discuss it over and over again".' We believe it is fair to say that the state of Professor Kolstad's awareness sums up accurately what those in the field knew of the Auckland experiment. It seems that Judge Cartwright has confused Green's views on the natural history of carcinoma-in-situ with his regimen for treating the condition. It is true to say that Green's opinion that carcinoma-in-situ was being treated too radically was well known throughout the world of cervical neoplasia and was scoffed at. This was "the golden age of hysterectomies", and anyone who dared to question the encyclical as decreed by the Lateran Council of Gynaecologists was branded as a dangerous heretic. That is a far cry from concluding that it was known to anyone abroad or that it reasonably could have been suspectedthat there were patients in Auckland with untreated invasive cervical cancer. Having noted this, we only can echo Judge Cartwright's condemnation of the inaction within the National Women's Hospital and the failure to heed the ever-growing expressions of concern (which were voiced first by McIndoe and later by Dr Malcolm McLean, a pathologist), which finally persuaded the Hospital board after the genie no longer could be forced back into the bottle into holding a "Clayton's" enquiry (the enquiry you hold when you don't want an enquiry). Indeed, Judge Cartwright found that the resultant report did little more than reinforce the impression, which was redolent throughout her Inquiry, that a medical colleague's reputation always takes precedence over proper patient care. The details of the events that led to the report of the Working Party to the Hospital Medical Committee have been described eloquently by Charlotte Paul. 9 It follows that although we endorse Judge Cartwright's criticism of the investigation into this study, to the extent that her report contains wider implications, we reject any suggestion of collective responsibility on the part of the world's medical practitioners. It is self-evident that artfully-contrived damage control, as practised within a hospital, carries its own lead time before it is detected. If one lesson emerges from the Auckland experience, it is that an experiment that has gone wrong cannot be concealed for ever. In the Green study, it can be asserted confidently that it was only after the publication of the papers by McIndoe et al.'O and Jones and McLean" in 1984 and 1986, respectively, that the scientific world first was alerted to the magnitude of the tragedy. Yet, even then, the National Women's Hospital made no effort to locate those women who may have been in need of treatment. What are the consequences of this unfortunate experiment? By far the longest chapter in the Report of the Inquiry is headed "Ethics and patient rights". It seems that the failure to intervene in Green's study was "justified" by many of the medical witnesses in the name of clinical freedom. As Dr Robert Moody, the former Medical Superintendent-in-Chief of the Auckland Hospital Board, put it:' Surelyto goodness [00') you must givedoctors the benefit of being, the great majority, peopleof standing, of integrity, who are loyal to themselves and to their own consciences, basically to their own consciences, [00') honorably and accordingto the cloth. Whenyou take up medicine, you have it in your heart that you will do the best for the individual patients. Surely that's enough isn't it? Judge Cartwright's response to this was predictable:' Clinical freedom can no longer be permitted to imply the right to treat patients as one wishes without intervention from administrators or colleagues [00') As a concept, clinicalfreedom has been proved worthlessat NationalWomen's Hospital whenpatients' safetyor the rigorous testing of a new treatment protocol were at stake. Judge Cartwright then proceeded to quote an extract from "The end of clinical freedom" by Professor John Hampton:" Clinical freedom is dead, and no one need regret its passing. Clinical freedom was the right some seemed to believe the divine right of doctors to do whatever in their opinion was best for their patients. In the days wheninvestigation was non-existent and treatment as harmless as it wasineffective the doctor's opinion wasall that there was, but now opinion is not good enough. If we do not have the resources to do all that is technically possible then medical care must be limited to what is of provedvalue,and the medical profession willhaveto setopinionaside [00') Clinical freedom died accidently, crushed betweenthe rising costs of new forms of investigation and treatment and the financiallirnits inevitable in an economythat cannot expand indefinitely [...) Clinical freedom was a myth that preventedtrue advance. We must welcome its demise, and seize the opportunities now laid out before us. The thrust of Hampton's rhetoric seems to be that doctors have become the victims of the new technology; its relevance to the Auckland situation is not easy to comprehend.


Abstract : A lightweight, compact grip dynamometer and its associated circuitry was developed for use in studies pertaining to the cardiovascular effects of sustained submaximal contractions and protection of aircrew men against the effects of elevated gravitational fields. (Author)


This article situates historical struggles for supremacy in early modern Makassar within a framework of intrafamily rivalry in which cooperation and competition coexisted. Through a reading of two texts, it examines the connections between resistance and emulation in a society that viewed social and political relationships within the structuring context of kinship. These contradictory impulses produced tensions fostering cycles of alliance and rivalry characteristic of centre–periphery dynamics in South Sulawesi.


With a general concern for the role played by media and communication in individuals' mobility  in a world where national borders are dissolving and people's lives are becoming increasingly mediate ...


Perimeter-minimizing planar double soap bubbles in which regions are allowed to overlap with multiplicities meet in fours, fives, and sixes as well as threes. We further provide certain generalizations to immiscible fluids and higher dimensions, and an associated theory of calibrations. We work in the category of flat chains with coefficients in a normed group.


The purpose of this study is to identify which processed marine products have more potentials to be developed as marine based industry in Sumbawa's coastal region. The identified product would be chosen to create empowerment program in the coastal region of Sumbawa. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used as tool of analysis in identifying the potentials of those processed marine products. Respondents in this study consist of experts that are responsible to develop criteria of potentials as well as to weight such criteria. On the other hand, the common respondents that are selected from the local coastal society members of Sumbawa are needed to identify alternatives of processed marine products as well as to weight the alternatives for each criteria. The result of the study indicates that the Cooked Crab Product is considered to have highest potentials to be developed as marine based industry in Sumbawa's coastal region. Therefore, the empowerment program that is going to be implemented in Sumbawa should focus on developing the cooked crab product as marine based industry.


For decades, agribusiness has been one of the main sources of economic and social sustenance in Brazil. The conditions of climate, soil and territorial extension; the large number of producers with productive potential and the joint efforts of public and private institutions directed to the scientific and technological development of the sector differentiate Brazil from its competitors and make it one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters in the world. The technological innovation called the Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining more and more space. The Internet of Things plays a key role in the development and innovation of agribusiness, which for decades has been one of the main sources of economic and social support in Brazil, requiring a discussion on how this phenomenon occurs and its consequences. The objective of this article is to present some definitions about the Internet of Things, ubiquitous computing (understood as the omnipresence of information technology) and its impacts on agribusiness. It is concluded that there is evidence that the Internet of Things is a determining factor for the potentialization, and consequently the expansion of agribusiness in Brazil.


Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases Nevertheless diagnosed hypertension can be controlled and monitored with adequate drug regimens. Yet once cardiac hypertrophy is established, a number of patients develop diastolic cardiac dysfunction resulting from cardiac remodeling with fibrosis and cell death. The present study aims to test the hypothesis that animals with aortic stenosis for five weeks can restore cardiac function after the removal of the aortic constriction. Male mice with 10 weeks of age were randomized in three groups
 Sham
 ,
 Rem
 , and
 Tac
 . After five weeks of the establishment of cardiac hypertrophy the aortic constriction was removed and the animals were followed for additional five weeks
 Rem
 . The positive control group
 Tac
 remained with the clip until ten weeks. Echocardiography was performed after 72 hours of the removal of the five weeks stenosis
 Rem
 and at the end of ten weeks. We also used cutoff points based on sham group for the ejection fraction
 EF≥45%
 and the ratio of E wave per e'
 E/e'≤35
 . The Rem group was separated into two outcomes according to the presence of dysfunction. Results were expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean SEM. Statistical analyses were performed and p≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. Septum thickness increased after five weeks of stenosis in both Rem 0.812±0.01mm and Tac 0.764±0.02mm groups as compared to sham group 0.675±0.01mm p≤0.05. Left ventricle mass was significantly different in Sham vs Tac 73.98±2.40mg vs 111.79±11.81mg p<0.0001 After 10 weeks the REM group did not present any hypertrophy markers. Among 18 animals of Rem group, 9 had reduced EF compared to sham after 5 weeks 36.97±1.87%vs52,74±4.17% p<0.0001 and after 10 weeks 49±1.13%vs40±1.06% p<0.0001 constituting an occurrence of systolic problems of 50%. When we analyzed E/e' 13 animals presented diastolic dysfunction and an increased ratio compared to sham animals 41.07±1.12vs30.79±1.95 p<0.05 at 5 weeks. Therefore, the occurrence of diastolic dysfunction reached 72%. The proposed model induced hypertrophy. Despite that, only half the Rem animals had a reduction in ejection fraction, whereas most developed diastolic dysfunction. These findings open a new path for the investigation of these distinct outcomes


William Goodwin and Laura Driscoll have synthesized current major topics, issues, and concerns that relate to the measurement and evaluation of early childhood education programs. A voluminous amount of material has been covered. The result is a reference book with potential usefulness to a variety of professional audiences and students preparing for roles in early childhood education. The introductory chapter, "Status of Measurement and Evaluation," defines terms used in measurement and evaluation. The focus of the book is on those measurement and evaluation issues related to programming for children from 2 to 8 years of age, with particular emphasis on 3to 6-year-olds, and the authors succinctly outline the status of early childhood education as it has developed since the early 1960s. They conclude that appropriate measurement and evaluation in early childhood education will become even more important if education is to become "increasingly respon-


Liquid mirrors provide an exciting means to obtain large optical telescopes for substantially lower costs than conventional technologies. The liquid mirror concept has been demonstrated in the lab with the construction of a diffraction limited 1.5 m mirror. The mirror surface, using liquid mercury, forms a perfect parabolic shape when the mirror cell is rotated at a uniform velocity. A liquid mirror must be able to support a heavy mercury load with minimal flexure and have a fundamental resonant frequency that is as high as possible, to suppress the amplitude of surface waves caused by small vibrations transmitted to the mirror. To minimize the transmission of vibrations to the liquid surface, the entire mirror rests on an air bearing. This necessitates the mirror cell being lightweight, due to the limited load capabilities of the air bearing. The mirror components must also have physical characteristics which minimize the effects of thermal expansion with ambient temperature fluctuations in the observatory. In addition, the 2.7 m mirror construction is designed so that the techniques used may be readily extended to the construction of large mirrors. To attain the goals of a lightweight, rigid mirror, a composite laminant construction was used. The mirror consists of a foam core cut to the desired parabolic shape, with an accuracy of a few mm. An aluminum hub serves as an anchor for the foam and skin, and allows precise centering of the mirror on the air bearing and drive system. Several plys of Kevlar, covered in an epoxy matrix, are then applied to the foam. A final layer of pure epoxy is formed by spin casting. This final layer is parabolic to within a fraction of a mm. An aluminum ring bonded to the circumference of the mirror retains the mercury, and incorporates stainless-steel hard-points for the attachment of balance weights.


This paper empirically models Ghana's real import demand with respect to disaggregated expenditure components of final demand, relative price and international reserves. Using cointegration and error-correction models, the study finds significant differences between long-run and short-run import demand elasticities. Private consumption expenditure has the biggest impact on the demand for imports. Macroeconomic policies designed to influence imports should consider the relative impact and behaviour of each disaggregated import demand determinant.


same commercial antibody but with slight variations in the staining protocol (e.g. inclusion of a biotin-blocking step) at a different facility can also lead to highly variable staining (data not shown). Interlaboratory variability in staining results persisted regardless of the scoring system used, supporting the notion that standardization efforts are necessary for EGFR immunostaining before it can be used in the diagnosis of basal-like breast carcinoma in clinical practice. Easyto-interpret and robust biomarkers are needed to allow positive identification of basal-like breast cancer and facilitate the development of targeted therapies for this more aggressive breast cancer subtype through subtype-specific clinical trials.


Large array antennas are often assembled with several subarrays, and assembling errors containing position and orientation are the key factors determining the final radiation pattern. As an important feature of radiation patterns, the antenna gain significantly influences the design of the antenna. However, little research has been conducted on the accurate prediction and detailed compensation of gain with assembling errors. In this work, the authors propose an accurate gain prediction model using an improved extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm and the transfer learning method. Knowledge from both the simulation data and experience is converted to weights to help train the improved XGBoost model. Experimental data are then used to modify the model for complex factors, such as mutual coupling and element type. Compensation methods are proposed to provide directions to limit the degradation of the gain within a range by controlling the assembling errors. Experiments are conducted on a platform with a 3 × 3 subarray antenna. The results indicate that the proposed gain prediction model is more accurate than the model developed using artificial neural network, support vector regression, and existing XGBoost algorithms. The steps of gain compensation are also reduced with the proposed compensation methods.


In the complex environment of 21st-century public education, a consensus has emerged among policymakers, researchers, and educational practitioners that the single most important factor contributing to student learning is the quality of teaching. Despite this unanimity in principle, the practical matter of guaranteeing high-quality instruction for every student in every classroom poses a serious challenge with no simple solution in sight. Embedded in conversations about teacher preparation, induction, and professional development are dilemmas about how to properly support teachers and develop their capacities and skills while holding them accountable so that the best will stay and the worst are persuaded to leave. Calls for evidence of a more effective teacher workforce from policymakers, federal agencies, state departments of education, and local school districts have resulted in a trend of increasingly stringent accountability measures. Some fairly recent formulations—for example, the "report card" requirements for teacher preparation programs included in the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the "highly qualified teacher" provision of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001—emphasize punitive consequences for weak results. In the case of the Higher Education Act, teacher preparation programs that are judged to be "low performing" lose their accreditation. Similarly, No


Most control theory research is focussed on control law design, though this task requires only a small fraction of the effort necessary to "control" a system and may not be critical in making it successful. Other (often more important) issues are the design of the system itself, so that it is easy to control, developing a model to serve as a basis for control law design, the proper placement and use of actuators and sensors, scheduling the control law to account for nonlinearities, providing graceful performance degradation in the event of actuator saturation or actuator/sensor failure. The successes and failures of modern control theory in addressing these issues will be described and the definition of research goals for a practical theory will be attempted.


Spectrum splitting filter is a key element for imaging spectrum technique.Based on the high reflection feature of the metal film and induced transmission theory,a novel element transmitting in 0.45 μm~1.6 μm and reflecting in 8 μm~12 μm was introduced.The deposition materials and the film design were presented.By using JGP560A2 magnetron-sputter deposited device,the element was produced and its optical characteristics were tested.Its average transmission ratio is more than 80% in 0.45 μm~1.6 μm,and average reflection ratio is more than 91% in 8 μm~12 μm.


In this paper, a new multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission technique, which is called space-time quadrature spatial modulation (ST-QSM), is proposed. The ST-QSM scheme aims to provide a diversity gain for quadrature spatial modulation (QSM) by combining it with the Alamouti or ABBA space-time block codes (STBCs). In the ST-QSM scheme, the transmit antennas are subdivided into two groups and the information is conveyed with the indices of the antennas in these groups, in addition to the two complex modulated symbols. These two complex symbols are decomposed into their in-phase and quadrature components and independently transmitted through their corresponding active transmit antennas, whose indices are determined from the first and the second groups. Then, the Alamouti's STBC or ABBA STBC principle is applied to each group depending on the number of antennas in them. The superior error performance of the proposed ST-QSM scheme is shown by computer simulations compared to QSM, Alamouti's STBC and space-time block coded spatial modulation (STBC-SM) schemes. In addition, the pairwise error probability (PEP) of ST-QSM is derived and the average bit error probability (ABEP) over uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels is obtained for different MIMO configurations.


Technological developments in the textile indsutry have been very substantial, particularly over the last three decades, and this paper quantifies and illustrates the impact that these technologica...


Objective To study the result and its relative factors of treating knee osteoarthritis microtraumatically with arthroscopic debridement.Method 360 patients of knee osteoarthritis treated by arthroscopic debridement from March 2001 to March 2004 were reviewed in order to evaluate all cases preoperative and postopevative effects with WOMAC knee score system.Results We got 245 cases in excellent grade;83 cases in well grade;19 cases in acceptasle grade;13 cases in unacceptable grade.Conclusion Arthroscopic debridement for knee osteoarthritis is satisfactory,It can improve the clininal symptoms and knee function obviously.


The thesis, proceeding from the practice of protecting well-known trademarks, inquires into several issues on the protection of well-known marks and offers several suggestions on improving the legal system of protection.


This paper aims to reduce the specific nature of process models by providing allowances for deviations from the specified path to occur. It aims to create a more dynamic process model which provides alternative paths for a software engineer to achieve a particular goal, and then to even choose the best path, based on the resource-constraint. The multi model view of process modelling supports this dynamicity, and hence that'll be the focus of this paper. The eventual model will be similar to a weighted graph, where the nodes will represent the goals that the software engineer wishes to reach and the edges would represent what needs to be done (or the strategies) to move from one node to another. The edges would also be assigned weights, for each resource. Then, based on the developer's resource constraint, the best possible path will be chosen.


This paper addresses the problem of 3D neuron tips detection in volumetric microscopy image stacks. We focus particularly on neuron tracing applications, where the detected 3D tips could be used as the seeding points. Most of the existing neuron tracing methods require a good choice of seeding points. In this paper, we propose an automated neuron tips detection method for volumetric microscopy image stacks. Our method is based on first detecting 2D tips using curvature information and a ray-shooting intensity distribution model, and then extending it to the 3D stack by rejecting false positives. We tested this method based on the V3D platform, which can reconstruct a neuron based on automated searching of the optimal ¡®paths' connecting those detected 3D tips. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in building a fully automatic neuron tracing system.


The heats of adsorption of hydrogen on several Ni-SiO2 catalysts were determined from the dependence of the amounts adsorbed on the pressure and the temperature. Three systems were investigated: a sample obtained by reduction of an imperfectly crystallized Ni-montmorillonite, a coprecipitate and an impregnation catalyst. The three systems were only found to differ in the total amounts of hydrogen adsorbed. The following equation was found to apply for temperatures between 195° K and 673° K and pressures from 0.1 to 100 mm Hg.

In this equation μ°T-° °/T is the "free energy function" of gaseous hydrogen and ΘH is the fractional coverage assuming total coverage at 195° K and 1 atm.

Heats of adsorption deduced from this equation were found to be 5 kcal/mole−1 lower than those reported for Ni-films, but higher than others reported for nickel obtained by reduction. The possible causes of these differences are discussed.


Objective To investigate the application value of contrast enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) guided percutaneous biopsy in patients with various peripheral pulmonary lesions.Methods Totally 53 patients with various peripheral pulmonary lesions were divided into research group(n=31) and control group(n=22).Biopsy was performed under guidance of CUES in research group,while under guidance of conventional ultrasound in control group.The diagnostic positive rate of pathological results and occurrance rate of complications were compared between the two groups.Results In research group and control group,the average number of puncture was 1.19 and 1.86,respectively(P0.05),while the diagnostic positive rate of pathological results was 100%(31/31) and 86.36%(19/22,P0.05),and occurrance rate of complications was 0 and 4.55%(1/22),respectively(P0.05).Conclusion CEUS guided percutaneous biopsy is a safe and reliable method for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions,worthy to be widely popularized.


This paper estimates forecasting models using annual data for the income velocity of money in the G-7 countries. The predictions are conditional upon the realized value of the long-term domestic government bond rate. Such conditional forecasts did not deteriorate over the period 1980-1988 as compared with the earlier postwar period. Velocity of M1 is found to be very interest-elastic in almost all countries; velocity of M2 less so. The specifications (based on Kalman filters and smoothers) point to a non-constant (stochastic) trend in velocity, hence questioning the assumptions required for the cointegration techniques used in other research on the demand for money.


Pediatric ECG InterpretationTextbook of Clinical ElectrocardiographyElectrocardiographic ImagingMastering the 12-Lead EKG, Second EditionECGs for BeginnersSmall Animal ECGsClinical ElectrocardiographyElectrocardiography of ArrhythmiasBasic ArrhythmiasFoundations of Cardiac ArrhythmiasECG Interpretation Made Incredibly EasyECGs for NursesElectrocardiography of Arrhythmias: A Comprehensive Review E-BookElectrocardiography of ArrhythmiasElectrocardiography of Complex Arrhythmias, An Issue of Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics,Guide to Canine and Feline ElectrocardiographyClinical Arrhythmology and Electrophysiology EBookMultiple Lead ECGs: A Practical Analysis of ArrhythmiasAdvanced Concepts in ArrhythmiasABC of Clinical ElectrocardiographyMarriott's Practical ElectrocardiographyStrategies for ECG Arrhythmia DiagnosisChou's Electrocardiography in Clinical Practice E-BookEkg/ECG Interpretation: Everything You Need to Know about the 12-Lead Ecg/EKG Interpretation and How to Diagnose and Treat ArrhythmiasElectrophysiological Foundations of Cardiac ArrhythmiasElectrocardiography of Clinical ArrhythmiasECG WorkoutArrhythmia RecognitionElectrocardiography of Arrhythmias: A Comprehensive Review E-BookElectrocardiography of the Dog and Cat. Diagnosis of ArrhythmiasElectrocardiography of Inherited Arrhythmias and CardiomyopathiesCardiovascular DisabilityText Atlas of Practical ElectrocardiographyCardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside E-BookElectrophysiological Disorders of the Heart E-BookArrhythmia Essentials E-BookSex and Cardiac ElectrophysiologyElectrocardiography of Laboratory AnimalsAtlas of ElectrocardiographyUnderstanding Electrocardiography


Abstract A novel optical signal generator with purely sinusoidal waveform output has been demonstrated by applying a triangular phase modulation waveform to a fibre-optic gyroscope (FOG). A frequency-multiplied output in the format of an optical signal could be generated. An optical-type electrical phase-locked-loop system based on the intensity-modulated light source and this triangularly phase-modulated FOG has also been demonstrated.


A multimedia approach, coupled with an evaluation process, has provided the foundation for curriculum flexibility, competency evaluation, and increased student performance in the associate degree electronics technology program at the School of Technical Careers, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, The process model provides the needed latitude for rapid adaptation of course material. It allows for three avenues of information gathering by the student within the laboratory setting and also adds the valuable evaluation component. The evaluation technique inter‐correlates the cognitive and psychomotor domains. This intercorrelation allows for assessment of task performance at the time the task is being accomplished, thus improving on the pretest‐posttest method of competency attainment evaluation.


This thesis deals with the development of new reaction methodology as well as stereochemical investigations.
The first part concerns the investigation of 1,2- and merged 1,2- and 1,3- asymmetric in ...


News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: President Williams appoints ASM committee and council chairs for 2022-2023; report on the Perspectives for Emerging Materials Professionals symposium held at IMAT 2022 in New Orleans; professional profile for Aravinda Reddy Bommareddy; In Memoriam for Hiroaki "Hiro" Okamoto, a long-time contributor to ASM alloy phase diagram publications.


In this paper a notion of functional "distance" in the Mellin transform setting is introduced and a general representation formula is obtained for it. Also, a determination of the distance is given in terms of Lipschitz classes and Mellin-Sobolev spaces. Finally applications to approximate versions of certain basic relations valid for Mellin band-limited functions are studied in details.


Distribution systems are traditionally designed to meet a load peak demand, considering its growth in a certain time horizon. The possibility to use Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to shift the load demand from peak to off-peak hours has been receiving increasing attention by distribution utilities. Adequate management of the distribution system loading, propitiated by BESS, can rationalize the utilization of its assets and postpone investments related to expansion and/or equipment capacity upgrade. This paper presents a methodology for the assessment of the potential of large-scale BESS for distribution systems demand management. The methodology is then applied for a one-year data set comprising measurement collected by the SCADA from 831 primary feeders served by 175 power transformers of a Brazilian distribution utility. Results indicate that a 2.66 MW/10.54 MWh BESS can alleviate 7.5% of the peak loading for more than 70% of the transformers with capacity exhaustion expected within 10 years.


Western Economics is a major foundation course of studying finance and economy involving application,modernity and popularity.In the teaching process,the situation of life is created to develop the inquiring ability of the students and the situation of questions is aroused to develop their thinking ability on the connotation of situational teaching approach.Besides,the situation of practice is for the ability of resilience and the situation of performance is for strengthening the communication and innovation ability.Meanwhile,attention should be paid to: situational teaching means to teach students in accordance with their aptitude,to temper in using the teaching activities,to intensify the teachers' continued education and post training for the improvement of their comprehensive quality and to reform the existing course periods by increasing the practical proportion.


The two-step process of transfer followed by breakup is explored by measuring a rather complete set of exclusive data for reaction channels populating states in the ejectile continua of the $^{7}\mathrm{Li}+^{93}\mathrm{Nb}$ system at energies close to the Coulomb barrier. The cross sections for $\ensuremath{\alpha}+\ensuremath{\alpha}$ events from one proton pickup were found to be smaller than those for $\ensuremath{\alpha}+d$ events from one neutron stripping and $\ensuremath{\alpha}+t$ events from direct breakup of $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$. Coupled-channels Born approximation and continuum-discretized coupled-channels calculations describe the data well and support the conclusion that the $\ensuremath{\alpha}+d$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}+\ensuremath{\alpha}$ events are produced by direct transfer to unbound states of the ejectile.


Vehicle Ad hoc NETworks (VANET) can enhance traffic safety and improve traffic efficiency through cooperative communication among vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and traffic management centers. To guarantee secure service provision in VANET, message authentication is important. Moreover, a vehicle user's private information can also be leaked during service provision. A protection mechanism is needed to prevent such leakage. Therefore, we propose a conditional privacy-preserving and authentication scheme for secure service provision in VANETs. The proposed scheme not only satisfies the security requirements of VANETs, but also optimizes the calculation process of signature generation and verification. We carry out a detailed comparative analysis. The result shows that the proposed scheme is more efficient than existing schemes in terms of communication overhead and computational cost. Therefore, our scheme is suitable for secure service provision in VANETs.


How do nations emerge? What factors give rise to nationalisms? There is a considerable amount of theoretical literature on these issues and it is not possible to provide a representative summary of it in a mere article. However, I wish to introduce the reader to three works of scholarship which are considered mandatory readings for anyone seeking to investigate and comprehend the twin, entwined phenomena of nations and nationalisms.


Unusual congestion that could be caused by an incident or other traffic problems is a major source of delay for drivers in urban areas. Real-time traffic information, the building block for advanced traveler information systems (ATIS), has a promising potential for alleviating such congestion by encouraging and assisting drivers to divert to less congested routes. Traffic information is envisioned to help more informed routing decisions in case of incident-related congestion. Drivers' routing decisions made when they are faced with such unusual congestion are investigated. The factors that influence these decisions are explored, including the effect of traffic information. A nested logit modeling structure is introduced. This model proved that the nested logit approach is superior than the simple multinomial logit in modeling the choice in cases of incident-related congestion. The model also showed that the decisions not to divert from the usual route and to divert but only around the location of the problem share unobserved terms. Familiarity and usual use of alternative routes did not affect the decision in the case of an incident. Drivers who use more than one route to work do not necessarily switch routes if they encounter unusual congestion. The nested logit model also proved the significance of traffic information, indicating a promising potential benefit of ATIS in alleviating nonrecurring congestion.


Hua Wang (汪桦), Xiangjun Chen (陈相军), Dianhong Wang (王点红), Chen Yao (姚辰), Qian Wang (王茜), Jiayu Xie (谢家瑀), Xuanling Shi (史宣玲), Ye Xiang (向烨), Wanli Liu (刘万里), and Linqi Zhang (张林琦) From the Comprehensive AIDS Research Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, and School of Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Institute for Immunology, and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China


Results of numerical study of laminar free convection and heat transfer in a vertical plane parallel channel with two thin adiabatic ribs on its walls are presented. The channel had the open inlet and outlet, and its surfaces were maintained at the same temperature. The channel height was unchanged with elongation parameter A = L/w = 10, and the ribs were located in the middle of the channel towards each other. Rib height l/w = 0 ÷ 0.4 and Rayleigh number Ra = 10 2 ÷ 10 5 were varied in calculations. The effect of these parameters on the flow structure, temperature field, local and integral heat transfer, and gas flow caused by gravitational forces were analyzed in detail. Numerical analysis was based on the solution of the full Navier Stokes and energy equations in two-dimensional, non-dimensional statement and Boussinesq approximation. To determine the dynamic and thermal parameters at the inlet and outlet, the calculation was carried out with two large volumes attached to the inlet and outlet. The features of the flow and heat transfer at separated flow around the channel ribs were studied in detail in this work. The values of local Nusselt number are identical for the flow nearby the two vertical walls, due to the effect of rib. Also mean Nusselt number varies from high values at the channel entrance at the bellow to small values nearby the rib and the channel exit, where the mean air temperature inside the channel tends to be constant due to heat transfer between the air flow and channel walls. Reynolds number values increase with the increase of values of Rayleigh number, due to buoyancy effects, and nearby the rib due to increase of velocity at the contraction area. It is established, that with increase of a parameter Ra heat transfer is reduced, but Reynolds' number between the plates, on the contrary, grows. The article discusses the impact of the ribs on the amount of gas flow through the vertical channel which is important in the engineering applications.Good agreements with the published papers were noticed.


The fundamental issue in GPS positioning is the ability to mitigate all the potential errors and biases in the system. The atmosphere related errors of ionosphere and troposphere constitute one of these potential errors. The tropospheric effect is much more pronounced at the equatorial region due to its hot and wet conditions. This significantly affects the GPS signal due to the variability of the refractive index, which in turn affects the accuracy of GPS positioning, especially in the height components. This paper presents a study conducted in Malaysia located at the equatorial region, to investigate the impact of tropospheric delay on GPS height variation. Five GPS reference stations forming part of the Malaysian real-time kinematic GPS network (MyRTKnet) in johor were used. RINEX data from these stations were integrated with GPS and ground meteorological data observed from a GPS station located at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), at varying antenna heights for each session of observation in four campaigns with each campaign lasting for three days. A computer program called TROPO.exe was developed based on Saastamoinen tropospheric model. The result shows variations in the height component of GPS measurement with a maximum value of 119.100 cm and a minimum value of 37.990 cm. Similarly, the results show that the tropospheric delay is a distance-dependent error which varies with changes in meteorological condition. Furthermore, the results of simulated data show a decrease in tropospheric delay with increase in antenna height.


In 2019, the Alaska Supreme Court overruled the twenty-year-old precedent established in State v. Coon that limited appellate review of trial courts' rulings on the validity and admissibility of scientific evidence in a Daubert context. In State v. Sharpe, the court rejected the abuse of discretion standard, instead applying a more stringent de novo review in evaluating the trial courts' determinations about the reliability of the scientific theory or technique underlying an expert's testimony. Sharpe arose from three consolidated cases, all of which included evidence from the identical type of polygraph test admitted or excluded based on a single evidentiary hearing on the validity of the polygraph test. These conflicting and arbitrary outcomes demonstrated the real capacity for inconsistencies that appellate courts would not have been able to correct for under the old abuse of discretion standard, highlighting the very concerns raised by the dissent in Coon. Now, under this more stringent appellate standard, it is all the more important for practitioners to develop comprehensive records surrounding scientific evidence. In developing these trial records, practitioners should look to the supreme court's analysis in Sharpe for guidance on some of the most important factors appellate courts will likely rely on in their review. Copyright © 2020 by Sarah Laws and Ryan Kuchinski. * J.D. Candidate, Duke University School of Law, 2021; B.A. Public Policy Analysis, Pomona College, 2016. ** J.D. Candidate, Duke University School of Law, 2021; B.A. Government and History, Georgetown University, 2017. 37.1 LAWS KUCHINSKI FINAL (DO NOT DELETE) 6/29/2020 10:20 PM 120 ALASKA LAW REVIEW 37:1


Franchised distribution accounts for a substantial proportion of retail sales each year. This form of vertical integration is frequently found in the accompaniment of parallel distribution through company-owned establishments. Similarly, franchise contracts are characterized by mixed compensation strategies. This paper contains empirical models of the market for franchise opportunities where incentives for mixed distribution and compensation strategies are evaluated. Copyright 1996 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research


A wideband dual‐polarized microstrip antenna is presented. By designing the coplanar parasitic patches and modified feed probes, antenna profile is decreased significantly. Shorted pins are used and 34 dB isolation between input ports is then achieved. A phase difference feed network is introduced to suppress higher‐order modes and reduce the cross polarization to −27 dB. To verify the design, a prototype of the antenna is fabricated and experimentally studied. Measured results show that 30.3% operating bandwidth (VSWR < 1.5) and good dual linear polarization characteristics with a profile height as low as 0.08λ are achieved. Due to the very compact configuration, the proposed antenna is suitable for micro‐base‐station applications.


When the choice of the way of the rule of law has paradoxes,discuss in the context oo three comparative notions about "self-government"and "rule by others","leading by government"and"democratic participation","determinism"and"non-determinism".Analyze the paradoxes of the route of the rule of law,in order to correct and perfect the theory of the choice of the route of the rule of law.


: Principles of the tree risk management plan in Poland. Trees are important and provide us with many bene fi ts on which we rely. Trees can, however, pose a risk to people and property. It is important that we assess their risk to protect public safety. The overall goal of a community tree risk management program is to reduce the risk of injury and damage to people and property to levels that are considered acceptable in accordance with city policies and practices. Initiating a tree risk management program is an important step in developing effective tree management programs, and community tree populations. Tree-related risk management systems are developing rapidly, especially in Germany and in the United States. The aim of this study is to diagnose how trees are evaluated and managed in Poland. The research was carried out in the form of an electronic survey containing 25 closed and open questions. The replies were obtained from 422 respondents of municipalities across the country (city municipalities (CM) – 15.9% of all respondents, urban-rural communes (URC) – 25.6% of the total, and rural communities (RC) – 58.5% of all respondents). The results show that there is lack of standards and procedures associated with tree risk management in our country. It is necessary to develop the tree management system on the basis of the following conditions. The standards and criteria of the tree management system should be identi-fi ed in the program of environmental protection or other strategic documents for municipalities, implemented pursuant to resolutions and ordi-nances. It should be applied as standard, multitask and multipurpose risk management procedures. The inspection of trees should be conducted based on objective methods. It is extremely important to monitor the risk (collecting statistics of accidents).


Studies investigating financial ratio proportionality are incorporated with studies related to the empirical classification patterns of financial ratios. The proportionality assumption of ratios seems to hold rather well in a sample of listed Finnish firms. Furthermore, the results of the empirical classification patterns based on the alternative functional specifications of financial statement items are very similar to each other. The results suggest that the ratio approach is a highly useful tool in financial statement analysis, especially when a set of ratios is used to evaluate a firm's performance.


The passages discussed here are important, representative selections from the proclamation of salvation of the prophet known as Third Isaiah. In them, the prophet boldly proclaims that Yahweh will break in on the critical circumstances in which his people live and will transform their despair, poverty, and oppression. The setting for these messages is generally understood to be the early postExilic period, roughly 538-515 B.C.E. Israel was then in the initial stages of its struggle to resettle the land of Judah, rebuild the Temple, and reestablish the worship of Yahweh. The people were beset with economic hardship and hostility from their neighbors and suffered great despair over their unrealized hopes for a glorious return.'


Separate modeling systems have been investigated and set up to model various properties of dyestuffs, chemical auxiliaries, and polymers at the molecular level. Preliminary results show promise, particularly for modeling the fate of photo-excited dyes, finding stable ground state dye molecular geometries, modeling PET oligomer mobility and modeling supercritical carbon dioxide mobilities. In addition, we believe that estimation of the octanol/water partition coefficient can provide a better understanding of the toxicity of certain groups of dyes, as initial work on a series of anthraquinone dyes showed a good correlation between the predicted octanol/water partition coefficient and the measured butanol/water partition coefficient. Our preliminary work constitutes a tentative first step towards the development of standard protocols to be implemented in future molecular design work.


This paper presents the current state of rural development of the Sasca Montana commune, in Caras-Severin county and a SWOT analysis of the commune with strengths and weaknesses and also the measures and works taken in account in order to achieve a sustainable rural development. Some "opportunities" and "threats" will appear in the "strengths" and "weaknesses" of Sasca Montana commune. Following this analysis we can decide whether the locality can fulfill the plan, and under what sort of conditions.


Podocytes, highly-specialized renal epithelial cells, display the outer aspect of the glomerular filtration barrier. Changes of their complex 3D morphology with interdigitating foot processes are the leading cause for 80% of chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases. During injury development podocytes release increased amounts of extracellular vesicles like exosomes with disease-specific small RNA cargo composition. Exosomes are referred to as important means of cell-cell communication and display an interesting tool for understanding intercellular communication in CKD pathogenesis. It is not clear if exosomes could serve as delivery system for specific small RNAs to podocytes as potential therapeutic approach. To address this, we investigated if isolated exosomes, directly transfected with fluorescently labeled small RNAs, are suitable for exosomal cargo trafficking and for functional delivery of small RNAs in cultured podocytes.

 We isolated exosomes from cultured, murine podocytes and transfected them directly with Cy3-labeled siRNAs and miRNAs using ExoFect siRNA/miRNA transfection kit. The transfected exosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and Western blot. The fluorescently labeled exosomes were incubated with cultured, murine podocytes and exosome cargo uptake was observed time- and localization dependently by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Isolated exosomes were also transfected with filamin A (FlnA)-siRNAs and pre-miR-21 and were co-incubated with cultured, murine podocytes. Transfection- and knockdown efficiency were confirmed by RT-qPCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy, respectively.

 The isolated exosomes displayed a typical shape and size of 20 nm revealed by transmission electron microscopy. This was also consistent after transfection. They also exhibited exosomal marker proteins CD9 and TSG101 before and after transfection. We could show that cultured, murine podocytes take up fluorescently labeled exosomal RNAs. We could observe an increasing amount of fluorescently labeled RNA intracellularly compared to a decreasing amount of fluorescently labeled RNAs in the periphery over 1 week of treatment indicating a time-dependent exosome uptake by podocytes. Transfection of exosomes with FlnA-siRNAs led to a decrease of FlnA-expression in podocytes co-cultured with transfected exosomes as revealed by immunofluorescence microscopy and Western blot. Podocytes incubated with pre-miR-21-transfected exosomes exhibited a 338-fold upregulation of miR-21 in RT-qPCR.

 Here we show that direct transfection of exosomes with fluorescently labeled small RNAs is a useful tool for exosome cargo trafficking in podocytes. Additionally, we proved that small RNAs transfected into exosomes can be functionally used for RNAi in cultured podocytes. This might be a novel strategy for regulating protein and miRNA expression in cultured podocytes.


We examine optimal Linear Quadratic Gaussian control for a system in which communication between the sensor (output of the plant) and the controller occurs across a packet-dropping link. We extend the familiar LQG separation principle to this problem that allows us to solve this problem using a standard LQR state-feedback design, along with an optimal algorithm for propagating and using the information across the unreliable link. We present one such optimal algorithm, which consists of a Kalman Filter at the sensor side of the link, and a switched linear filter at the controller side. Our design does not assume any statistical model of the packet drop events, and is thus optimal for an arbitrary packet drop pattern. Further, the solution is appealing from a practical point of view because it can be implemented as a small modification of an existing LQG control design.


Even though research has suggested that supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability are distinct capabilities, little is known about their performance effects and about the contextual conditions under which they are effective. Based on a sample of 143 German firms, we empirically investigate the effects of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability on cost performance and operational performance using hierarchical regression analysis. We ground our investigation in the dynamic capabilities view and contingency theory. We find that supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability positively affect both cost performance and operational performance. We further find evidence for a mediating role of supply chain agility in the links between supply chain adaptability and performance. Product complexity positively moderates the links between supply chain adaptability and cost performance, and supply chain adaptability and operational performance. The results contribute to the literature by offering a more nuanced understanding of the performance implications of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability, thereby addressing the crucial question of why their benefits may or may not materialise under varying levels of product complexity.


Familiarity with these works would be helpful, but is not essential, for the reader of Cosmic Pessimism. At only 55 pages in length, this short booklet serves as a brief summary of Thacker's work on philosophy and pessimism, although not in any systematic way. Somewhere between a best-of album, a series of deleted-scenes, and a new work entirely, the summary offered in Cosmic Pessimism is presented in a series of aphorisms, much in the Nietzschean style. Consequent of its genre, there are no chapters in Cosmic Pessimism, but there are frequently occurring visual interventions by New York artist Keith Tilford. These visual accompaniments helpfully punctuate the movement of the text, each one taking the form of a complex ink blot and mutating throughout the work. The booklet revolves around the maxim: "There is no philosophy of pessimism, only the reverse" (1). Quite straightforwardly, pessimism, being the "nightside of thought" and the doom of extreme disenchantment, is the central figure of Cosmic Pessimism (3). Brief engagements with themes such as doom ("that all things inevitably come to an end") and gloom ("the stuff of dim, hazy, overcast skies") dot the bleak landscape of the book, leaving readers with little to hang on to should they desire a consistent underlying argument (20). However, that the argument is difficult to fix upon singularly should not be taken as a criticism. Instead, it seems to be part of Thacker's strategy to defeat easy summaries, clear arguments, and careful critiques. Thacker proceeds lyrically, and not argumentatively, although his individual arguments are compellingly drawn from experiences common to any postmodern individual. As well, figures such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche appear throughout the booklet, alongside Buddhist and Greek terms, and small quotations from lesser studied figures like Lev Shestov and Frognall Dibdin. In summary—if one can successfully provide a summary of a book that resists summary because of its brevity, and furthermore a summary of a book that is a sort of summary of the author's work to date—it bears keeping in mind the goals of any book review. Having situated the work in relation to others by the same author, and having given interested readers a look into the book itself, there is really not much more to do. This feeling of pointlessness in the face of an artificial conclusion resonates deeply with Thacker's reflections on the nature of books, appropriately found in what could be called his anti-book. Near the end of Cosmic Pessimism, he writes (after giving several obscure examples) that there are "works designed for incompletion—their very existence renders them dubious" (65). This is one of those works, and it is an enlightening look at the darkness of thought.


The woody perennials of four species of genus Moghania (M. chappar) (Benth.) Kuntze, M. bracteata (Roxb.) L., M. lineata (L.) Ktze. and M. prostrata Roxb.) contribute significantly to the understorey vegetation cover of sal dominated forests of Gorakhpur division. The main objectives were to determine the effects of disturbance on different Moghania spp. with reference to its genet and sprout/ ramet population and its biomass allocation pattern into different compartments. Genet density of Moghania spp. decreases with increasing the level of disturbances, while ramets were highest at moderate disturbance. M. chappar was the most dominant in all the sal forests. M. lineata showed better growth at high disturbance while M. chappar and M. bracteata commonly occurred at low to moderate disturbance. M. prostrata was very sensitive to disturbance and occurred at stands facing low disturbance. At moderate disturbance, the population structure of different Moghania species showed the dominance of young plants but the age pyramid showed normal or stable population structure. The total as well as above ground biomass showed significant difference (P<0.01) among the species and disturbance level as evident from Ftest. At high disturbance, the mean biomass allocation towards different compartments of Moghania spp. was significantly different and the total biomass was positively correlated to canopy cover at low as well as moderate disturbance. The ratio of shoot and root biomass ranged from 1.67 to 2.80 for M. chappar, M. bracteata and M. lineata at moderate disturbance. Irrespective of disturbance level, this ratio for M. prostrata remained close to 1. There was significant positive correlation (< 0.01) between number of shoots with shoot biomass and with root biomass for M. chappar at three disturbance level. The species of Moghania, especially M. chappar have considerable high potential of the production of nontimber wood in stochastic environment and can cope-up well with moderate disturbance. They can provide good understorey cover even in presence of considerable disturbance and thus can add to the maintenance of ecosystem attributes of the disturbed forests.


Abstract The Horn of Africa, a region that has acquired notoriety as disaster and conflict-prone zone in the 1970s and 1980s, has become the site of a pioneering African experiment in regional cooperation in the early 1990s. In spite of a few successes, the experiment went disastrously wrong, creating more conflict than cooperation. This essay subjects the experiment to close analysis, concluding that the problem is a fundamental one, inherent in the process of regional cooperation itself. Comparing the experiments of the East African Community and the similar unravelling of the Eritrean–Ethiopian economic union, the essay points out that, under certain conditions, regional cooperation schemes could actually generate conflict. The region's experiment thus offers some sobering lessons with regards to the relatively optimistic post-Cold War thinking on the potential contribution of regionalism to world peace and stability, and calls for a fundamental re-evaluation of current thinking on regionalism and regional integration.


High ownership concentration is generally regarding as an alternative to the poor investor protection in corporate governance. By a sample of 152 special treatment companies, this empirical study shows that there is a statistically significant positive relation between the controlling shareholder and management turnover. Different ownership structure has a different impact on management turnover in distressed firms. The evidence from this study support the argument by LaPorta et al.(2000).


On the assumption of the invariance of the molecular groups YZ3 and YX formulas are given connecting the potential energy constants of the molecules YZ4, XYZ3, ZYX3, and ZX4. The validity of the assumption is tested for the series CH4, ClCH3, HCCl3, and CCl4; the consistency of the results definitely shows it to be a very good approximation. The application leads to a determination of the general potential functions of all four molecules. Frequencies of HCCl3 and DCCl3 are calculated from those of CH4, ClCH3, and CCl4, and are found to be in excellent agreement with the observed data. Predictions are made for the frequencies of ClCD3. A certain ambiguity exists for the constants for the perpendicular frequencies of both HCCl3 and ClCH3, since two different chemically acceptable sets will account for the observed frequencies. A discussion of the methane constants shows that, while individual constants are quite sensitive to various methods of determination, certain linear combinations of them, to which a d...


A new selective medium to simplify isolate Verticillium dahliae in cotton from naturally infested soil was introduced. The medium consisted of following ingredients per liter distilled water: cotton leaves 100 g, sugar 5 g, agar 17~20 g, 40% PCNB 0.3 g, chloramphenicol 0.05 g, streptomycin 0.05 g and penicillin 0.05 g, pH adjusted to 6.4~7.0. The medium was simple and quick. The microsclerotia V.dahliae from naturally infested soil could be effectively isolated while it was rarely infected by other pathogens. The colonies of V.dahliae on the medium were large black-colored, and the mean recovery rate of the number of V. dahliae inoculated in soil could reach 82.88%. In addition, the microsclerotia Verticillium dahliae growth speed on this medium was the fastest. At the same time, the optimum determining duration was 21st days after microsclerotia V.dahliae from naturally infested soil were cultured on this medium. Alteration amount of leaves cotton quality in 1000 ml medium had great effect on isolating. When it was low than 0.05 g·ml~(-1) medium, the medium was rarely infested by other pathogens, but the rate of the number of the microsclerotia V. dahliae from naturally infested soil was lower, because there was insufficient nutrition. When it was high than (0.125) g· ml~(-1) medium, although nutrition was adequate for microsclerotia development and the growth speed of V.dahliae on it was faster, the medium was seriously infested by other pathogens and it was gradually changed no transparence, so the rate of the number of the microsclerotia V. dahliae was lower, too.


A retrospective chart review of 27 preschool children with ADHD who were treated with psychostimulants between 3 and 5 years of age, inclusive, was conducted at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.


Thirty two pregnancies with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and twenty seven control normal pregnancies were analysed with regard to maternal and fetal blood enzymatic antioxidants. In PIH maternal erythrocyte, platelet and serum blood and in umbilical cord blood levels of lipid peroxides were higher than in normal pregnancy. Also the activities of platelet and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were lower in PIH women. The concentration of lipid peroxides was higher, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase were lower in umbilical cord elements of women with PIH, than corresponding values of women with normal pregnancy. We suggest that disturbances in antioxidant enzymatic system are involved in the pathogenesis of maternal PIH, and it may also have effects on the function of antioxidant status of the fetus.


Based on the structural properties of the zinc-blende lattice, a model Hamiltonian is proposed to describe singly and doubly occupied impurity states with large lattice relaxation. One-electron impurity levels are proposed to be connected with the anomalous persistent free-particle excitations. The impurity band of the bound pair states might show Bose condensation and "superconducting" properties at high temperature. Combined with available band-structure data, the metastability and other properties of this model are discussed.


The present work suggests a modified gel casting process, including polyethylene wax spheres addition to the suspension with the objective of creating uniform and interconnected pores in the body of samples. In the present study, apatite powders were synthesized at pH 10 and pH 12 in order to give rise to biphasic and triphasic bioceramics after sintering.


Numerous video have been translated using "dubbing," spurred by the recent growth of video market. However, it is very difficult to achieve the visual-audio synchronization. That is to say in general a new audio does not synchronize with actor's mouth motion. This discrepancy can disturb comprehension of video contents. There-fore many methods have been researched so far to solve this problem.


Geometry, an important branch of Mathematics, has a place in education for the development of critical thinking and problem solving, furthermore, that geometrical shapes are parts of our lives as they appear almost everywhere, geometry is utilized in science and art as well. This paper defines geometry teaching and puts forth why it has been given an important place in teaching mathematics. The major issue the paper deals with is to facilitate teaching Geometry through employing same useful preaches.


Nonanastomotic biliary strictures (NAS) are a major cause of morbidity after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Although ischemic injury of peribiliary glands (PBGs) and peribiliary vascular plexus during OLT has been associated with the later development of NAS, the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that bile ducts of patients with NAS suffer from ongoing biliary hypoxia and lack of regeneration from PBG stem/progenitor cells.


Objective To discuss the effect of Qingdushuan on SiHa cells of cervical cancer proliferation and protein expression in PTEN-MDM2-p53 network from the level of cell biology and molecular biology. Methods SiHa cells were cultivated with 4% containing serum. Normal control group, blank serum group, Qingdushuan group, Baofukang group and interferon group were established. The influence of inhibiting and proliferating SiHa cell was detected by MTT assay. Three protein expression was detected by Western blot method. Results After cultured with drug containing serum, the number of cells decreased, 4% concentration of serum for 72 h was the strongest. Compared with the control group, there were significant differences (P0.01). At the same time, drug containing serum elevated expression of tumor suppressor protein of PTEN and p53, reduced cancer protein expression of MDM2. Conclusion Qingdushuan containing serum can inhibit tumor through regulating PTEN-MDM2-p53 network.


There is general agreement that the fall in haemoglobin after birth is an expression of the increased oxygen saturation of the blood when lung replaces placenta as a source of oxygen. We have sought to express this idea concretely, to show that the changes which occur in the form and number of red cells after birth are due to variations in the erythropoietic activity of the marrow, and finally to infer that this activity is itself governed by the need to maintain the oxygen content of the blood at a constant level.


A problem of gypsy cabs operating during the weekend evenings had developed in Tønsberg, a small Norwegian town of 36,000 inhabitants. The passengers and drivers of these unlicensed cabs sometimes got into fights, and there were also reports of drivers committing sexual assaults and rapes against female passengers. ANALYSIS: Police crackdowns failed to stop the gypsy cabs from operating and, as result of media pressure, the police decided to mount a problem–oriented project to deal with the problem. RESPONSE: Working with partners in the community they (1) blocked off pick up areas used by gypsy cabs, (2) made buses and taxis more accessible, (3) introduced stiffer penalties for those caught driving gypsy cabs, (4) informed suspected gypsy cab drivers about these consequences, and (5) informed the public about the risks involved and about legal alternatives. These measures substantially reduced the problem. According to the local taxi drivers and the police, fewer gypsy cabs are now operating and, even if there has been some displacement of the gypsy cab operations, they are much less blatant than they formerly were. Finally, there was no evidence of a predicted deterioration in public order.


Sudoxicam strongly inhibited aggregation of rabbit, dog and human platelets caused by collagen, but not by adenosine diphosphate (ADP). In human plasma, sudoxicam was more potent than aspirin. Sudoxicam inhibited the secondary phase of the biphasic response of guinea-pig platelets to ADP and suppressed release of ADP from human platelets caused by collagen. After oral administration to dogs of a single dose of sudoxicam, 1 mg/kg, impaired platelet responses to collagen were observed for 96 to 120 hours and were associated with plasma drug levels of less than 0.5 γg/ml; there was no effect on whole blood platelet count. In dogs, thrombus formation in the inverted artery model of thrombosis was diminished after intravenous injection of sudoxicam, 1 mg/kg. After oral administration to humans of a single dose of 50 mg of sudoxicam, platelet inhibitory activity was observed for at least 24 hours and was associated with plasma drug concentration of approximately 3 µg/ml. Administration of 50 mg of sudoxicam on each of three consecutive days was sufficient to elevate plasma concentration beyond this level, and 20 mg on each of two successive days sustained it; platelet responses returned to predrug levels 48 to 144 hours after treatment was terminated. There was no effect on whole blood platelet count.


Throwing ball velocity is one of indicator that determines the softball performance. However, most of the training on throwing only focused on the major muscles and they neglected the assisted muscles such as hand grip and trunk rotation muscles that also important in improving the throwing performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the effect of hand grip strength training, and trunk rotation strength training towards the throwing ball velocity among female collegiate softball players. 54 female collegiate softball players were equally divided into three training groups which are hand grip strength training group (HG), trunk rotation strength training group (TR), and basic strength training group (CG). All the groups performing the same basic strength training program with different additional strength training according to the group`s treatment. Each group trained 3 days per week for 6 weeks. Throwing ball velocity was assessed before (pretest) and after (posttest) the 6 weeks training program and one-way between groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the mean gained score in throwing ball velocity between each group. The result shows that all group significantly differences in throwing ball velocity (p<.05). The post-hoc test indicates that all training group significantly differences to each other except for HG and TR group. This study demonstrates that additional training of HG and TR are able to increase the throwing ball velocity rather than performing the basic strength training only. However, both strength training provides a similar impact on throwing ball velocity, therefore, both of the training are considered important to improve the throwing performance.


Objective To analyze the clinical application situation of antihypertensive drugs and the rationality of drug usage in Baoji Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in recent years.Methods The prescriptions of 1,860 hypertensive patients in Baoji Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 2009 to 2011 were randomly selected for statistical analysis.The common categories and the use situation of antihypertensive drugs were observed.Results Calcium antagonists were widely used in the clinical setting for hypertension,which included calcium channel blockers(44.14%),beta-receptor blockers(21.4%),ACEI(17.26%),ARB(6.67%),diuretics(5.49%) and compound preparations(4.95%).The usage rate of CCBs was significantly higher than those of other drugs(P0.05).Nifedipine controlled-release tablets and amlodipine were the two drugs with the highest utilization rates,and the rates were significantly higher than those of other antihypertensive drugs(P0.05).23(1.26%) cases of irrational drug use were found in 1,860 prescriptions,including 18 prescriptions with repeat medication,2 with high-dosage therapy,1 with unreasonable therapy,and 2 with low-dosage therapy.Conclusions The medication for hypertension should be guided by the requirements of "the Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension in China" and individualized combination therapy may be the best choice.On the whole,medication for hypertension in Baoji Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is basically rational,but it is still necessary to strengthen the guidance for clinical drug use and reduce the irrational drug use.


Caregivers, family, and friends of people living with HIV often focus on how HIV impacts the infected, while neglecting themselves. Prayer, meditation, and conversations with supportive religious leaders may help caregivers address and understand their spiritual issues. By addressing their own spiritual needs and recovery issues, caregivers may become better able to provide support to the people in their lives who are living with HIV. Contact information is provided.


Polymeric foams are widely used in many industrial fields as thermal insulators, structural materials or shock wave mitigators. Polymeric foams would be valuable candidates to protect structures against intense mechanical stress wave loadings generated by laser irradiation or high velocity impact of very small debris. This article presents the results of laser-driven shock experiments performed on polymeric foams to investigate their mitigation ability. The targets consisted of thin aluminum front plate (250 μm-thickness), 1 mm and 2 mm-thick samples made of expanded polyurethane foam (320 kg/m 3 ) or syntactic epoxy foam (624 kg/m 3 ), and 12 μm-thick aluminum foil. The laser beam provided 20 J in 25 ns and was shot through water confinement of the front plate. The dynamic responses of the foams were investigated by measuring time-velocity profiles at the rear surface. Preliminary tests were performed on thin aluminum plate in order to calibrate the stress wave loadings. A dynamic explicit one-dimensional hydrocode was used to simulate the experiments and validate the calibration of pressure generated under laser irradiation. Then, the numerical simulations were used to analyze the velocity profiles recorded at the rear surface of both foams. The dynamic macroscopic response of the foams was described by a phenomenological compaction model. The model has been validated by numerical correlations with the experimental results. The input pressure (front aluminum plate) and the output one (fictitious PMMA plate placed behind foam samples) were compared by help of numerical simulations. The ratio between input and output pressures could achieve 75. Polyurethane foam better mitigated shock waves below 2 GPa, and epoxy foam was better above 2 GPa.


Objective:To observe the overall loosening after needle-knife techniques clinical evaluation of treatment of periarthritis.Methods:A randomized,placebo-controlled trial design method,60 cases of Periarthritis were randomly divided into two groups,treatment group 30 cases,using needle knife with the way the whole lysis treatment.Control group of 30 patients treated with traditional methods lysis,using VAS score and Periarthritis rehabilitation program of physical therapy functional assessment of pain and motor function separately from the two aspects of efficacy evaluation.Results:The cure rate was 56.7% and the total effective rate was 96.7%;control group cure rate of 26.7% and the total effective rate was 83.4%.two groups after statistical processing,there is significant difference(P0.01).Pain,there was a significant difference(P0.01).Aspects of motor function,shoulder internal rotation,touch back,touching ears and total score of motor function was statistically different(P0.05 ~ 0.01).Conclusion:The use of needle-knife treatment of frozen shoulder the whole way after lysis can significantly reduce the patient's pain,improve function,efficacy of the treatment group significantly better than traditional methods.


The processes of photosynthesis and photorespiration are initiated by Rubisco, but the enzyme must be activated before it will catalyse either the carboxylation or oxygenation of ribulose bisphosphate. Rubisco is activated in vitro by CO 2 and Mg 2+ . The dual roles of CO 2 as both an activator and a substrate led to anomalously high K m (CO 2 ) values until the activation requirement was recognized. During activation, CO 2 forms a carbamate at the e-amino of a lysine residue on the large subunit of Rubisco. Under conditions thought to exist in the chloroplast during photosynthesis (10 μm CO 2 , 5 mM Mg 2+ and pH 8.0), Rubisco is only partially active since the K act (CO 2 ) is in the range 25-30 μm CO 2 . Thus the mechanism of activation as deduced from in vitro studies is incomplete. Higher activation levels can be obtained by preincubating Rubisco with phosphorylated metabolites, but these occupy ribulose bisphosphate binding sites and thus inhibit catalysis. Recently, a naturally occurring effector, which binds tightly to Rubisco and inhibits activity, has been found. This compound is synthesized in the dark and metabolized upon illumination, but its identity and physiological function are not yet known. In leaves, Rubisco is nearly fully activated at high light intensities. By analysing an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant deficient in the ability to activate Rubisco, we have determined that a soluble protein is required for the in vivo activation process. This enzyme, designated Rubisco activase, reduces the high K act (CO 2 ), observed with the isolated enzyme, to physiological levels in an illuminated reconstituted assay system containing washed thylakoid membranes, Rubisco and ribulose bisphosphate.


This paper presents the requirements for the Design for Manufacturability (DFM) checks such as lithography, and Chemical and Mechanical Polishing (CMP) at 28nm technology node, and the need to perform these DFM checks, early in the design phase and with minimum overhead. As a result, this reduces the risk of uncovering some DFM issues at the design tape out time when the changes in a design become expensive. Because IP blocks can be targeted to multiple designs, it is a key requirement that the lithography and CMP checks are accurate and designer-friendly and are easily applied at block-level. This paper describes the block-based methodology that allows the IP designers to perform quickly a comprehensive DFM analysis, including lithography and long-range CMP effects. This paper also explains the integration of the DFM checks into the design flow and correlation results between the block and chip-level checks.


Synchrotron micro- and nanoprobe beamlines have demonstrated great potential to advance photovoltaic devices. Most importantly, their small X-ray spot size has enabled the direct correlation of ele...


Contrary to the conventional belief, time integrated asymmetry are measurable in selected final states in the neutral $B$ system at symmetric $e^+e^-$ colliders. They occur due to the interplay of weak and strong phases of two different amplitudes in addition to the $B^0 - \bar B^0$ mixing. Observation of these asymmetries would be evidence for direct CP violation in the decay amplitudes.


Background: Chronic disease self-management program is one important way to improve and enhance self-care. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the program on self-efficacy of patients with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Methods and Materials: This clinical trial, as a before and after approach, was performed on 46 patients with a history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery referred to cardiac rehabilitation units of Imam Ali hospital. Sampling was based on a convenience method. Education was performed based on chronic disease self-management. Data was collected by general self-efficacy questionnaire and demographic form. Then, the data was analyzed with chi-square test and repeated measures of ANOVA using SPSS software version 21. Results : The finding showed that most participants were men, married and living in Kermanshah. After conducting the program, the average score of the participants' self-efficacy showed improvement, but the difference was not significant. Conclusions : This study demonstrates that chronic disease self-management program for patients is not effective. Keywords : self-management program, self-care, self-efficacy, coronary artery bypass graft.


We introduce image-space radiosity and a hierarchical variant as a method for interactively approximating diffuse indirect illumination in fully dynamic scenes. As oft observed, diffuse indirect illumination contains mainly low-frequency details that do not require independent computations at every pixel. Prior work leverages this to reduce computation costs by clustering and caching samples in world or object space. This often involves scene preprocessing, complex data structures for caching, or wasted computations outside the view frustum. We instead propose clustering computations in image space, allowing the use of cheap hardware mipmapping and implicit quadtrees to allow coarser illumination computations. We build on a recently introduced multiresolution splatting technique combined with an image-space lightcut algorithm to intelligently choose virtual point lights for an interactive , one-bounce instant radiosity solution. Intelligently selecting point lights from our reflective shadow map enables temporally coherent illumination similar to results using more than 4096 regularly-sampled VPLs.


In the absence of precise etiologic and pathogenetic information, the diagnosis of the rheumatic diseases is based on a combination of clinical, laboratory, and pathological features. Serologic findings have assllmed increasing diagnostic importance since the discovery by Hargraves et al. (1948) of the LE cell, the forerunner of the antinuclear antibodies. Subsequent studies by Holman and Kunkel (1957) showed that the LE cell phenomenon was caused by a circulating autoantibody reacting with autologous nuclear material (DNA-histone). More recently, the widely used indirect immunofluorescent test has served as a sensitive screening test and has revealed the presence of circulating autoantibodies to nuclear antigens (ANA) in systemic rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), progressive systemic sclerosis or scleroderma (PSS), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), Sjogren's syndrome, and poly/dermatomyositis. During the past 30 years a variety of immunologic techniques (e.g., immunoprecipitation, complement fixation, hemagglutination) have been used to identify antibodies to specific nuclear constituents. Testing of patient sera by the immunofluorescent method (fluorescent ANA), typically using sections of cryopreserved tissues as substrates, has revealed a wide spectrum of patterns. Certain fluorescent ANA patterns were shown to


This article aims at critically addressing the role of language in highly sensitive "contact zones", such as the wide variety of encounters framed by tourist mobilities. It will particularly focus on the representations of these encounters disseminated by foreign language coursebooks for tourism purposes – a text genre which is generally hardly recognized as a tourism genre, but which is, in fact, as much responsible as any guidebook or travel phrasebook for the construction of "otherness", and for the consolidation of tourist-host identities and performances through the (pre-)configuration of communicative exchanges. Drawing on a selection of English and German language coursebooks, the analysis further attempts at providing insight into the way they replicate and reinforce the ideology, power relationships and the cultural politics of hospitality underlying the world of contemporary tourism.