• Summary: For new social work researchers — especially those committed to using research to create a better society — research can entail a daunting series of challenges. In this article I review some of the lessons I have learned from the research I have undertaken over the last two decades, including those associated with, getting started; creating a focus; acquiring the requisite resources; using theory; using supervision; handling ethical dilemmas; writing up; and finishing the research. • Findings: Knowledge creation activities involve many potential opportunities and stumbling blocks. Emotions and politics are part of the process. Appreciating some of the easily overlooked dimensions of the research process may help new researchers avoid some of the problems. • Applications: This article is dedicated mostly to new researchers hoping to avoid commonly experienced problems associated with undertaking socially just and politically sensitive research. More seasoned researchers might use the article as guide to re-evaluate their own research histories.


An analysis is presented of the behaviour of capillary stress forces in expansive clays in roads and embankments, with reference to Spanish conditions. A population of 162 samples was subjected to Lambe pressure tests and the results correlated with other soil mechanics indicators: Atterberg limits, optimum Proctor moisture content, and hygroscopic moisture content. Tables and diagrams show the results. Corrective measures such as waterproof membranes, lime stabilization, and protection with a layer of nonexpansive soil or ballast to reduce seasonal earth movements and soil desiccation, have proven satisfactory in Spanish conditions. (TRRL)


The potential utility of using the mathematical operation of deconvolution to improve the resolution of the magnetic pair distribution function produced from neutron scattering data is investigated. A standard deconvolution algorithm found in the Python library SciPy shows encouraging results, but introduces artifacts that are difficult to remove. Modeling the convolution inherent in the magnetic pair distribution function as matrix multiplication and then using the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse to simulate deconvolution is also explored. We conclude that deconvolution holds significant promise as a method for increasing the resolution of experimentally determined magnetic pair distribution functions.


In this paper we show, using a Machine Learning Framework and utilising a substantial corpus of media articles on Brexit, confirmed evidence of co-integration and causality between the ensuing media sentiments and British currency. The novel contribution of this paper is that along with sentiment analysis using commonly used lexicons, we devised a method using Bayesian learning to create a more context aware and more informative lexicon for Brexit. Moreover, leveraging and extending this we can unearth hidden relationship between originating media sentiments and related economic and financial variables. Our method is a distinct improvement over the existing ones and can predict out of sample outcomes better than conventional ones.


A twin arm optical fiber bundle that can measure and examine NO gas is estibilished. An excellent arrangement of the fiber optic bundle end in gas room is fixed. An absorbance spectrum of NO gas for the light and absorbance characteristic for the different NO concentration have been investigated.The experimental results have indicated that the absorbance percentage have linear relations with NO concentration. The response time of the system is 5 s and the time of recovery is shorter than 10 s.


Energy harvesting models are the focus of most countries, given that governments are becoming aware of the limitations of natural resources and the need to optimize them. On the other hand, different systems used in everyday life and in industrial environments involve the use of heat cycles, but in most cases, their thermoelectric energy is not recovered from these processes. Accordingly, this paper proposes to implement a model based on a low-cost Peltier array that can be attached to commonly used devices with heat cycles involving small temperature differences (∆T=25 °C). A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method was used to extract the maximum power from this array. This device is thought to take advantage of home and industrial elements' heat to power low-power system applications. The results show that this technology allows acceptable use and represents an effective recovery mechanism. This work represents a new approximation of the energy harvesting solutions from thermoelectric energy with future benefits, especially on the Internet of Things (IoT) applications, which has been one of the technology areas of most significant expansion and growth in recent decades. The IoT has opened significant challenges in the scientific community, especially regarding the energy supply methods of the IoT elements or nodes, considering that these elements can be located in places where it is impossible to wire to supply power and that use of batteries is unsustainable in the long term, also generating a negative environmental impact. The proposed system harvests energy from the temperature difference generated at a window, considering that the device is controlled environment within a room


According to the mutuality between the spatial structure of the oil and gas resources and the spatial structure of the social economy, this paper preludes with the present condition of the oil and gas resources in the world, and then poses three major spatial structure patterns of the oil and gas industry, expounding the mechanism of them:1.Coordinative development pattern. That is to say, there are some oil fields close to the economic centers, making it possible that the oil and gas industry grows up there in coordination with the regional economic space. Take Atlantic mid-shore oil gas industry region of America for example.2.Passage development pattern. This pattern can be divided into two kinds of subschema. (1) Pipeline pattern. That is to transport oil and gas by pipelines from oil fields to consumer centers, forming a comet-like spatial structure of the oil and gas industry. One long-distance oil and gas pipeline is like a tail of comet, which trends to go to the developed cities, with which as pivots, an oil and gas economic network forms. Take pipeline networks of Soviet Union and North America for example.(2) Sea Routes pattern. That is to transport oil and gas to consumer areas by sea, forming a T-like spatial structure of the oil and gas industry. In this T, one line refers to the sea route, and the other represents the beads-like seaboard industry belt. Take the Pacific seaboard industry belt of Japan for example.3. Growth Poles Axes pattern. This pattern can also be divided into two kinds of subschema.(1) Geographical industry synthesis pattern. That is to open up the oil and gas industry as sunrise department in the developing regions, counting on its mighty driving function and wide contact, to lead these regions into integrative development. Take the oil gas industry synthesis along the Gulf of Mexico for example.(2) Growth Axis pattern. That is to cultivate a series of industry centering on the utilization of oil and gas along pipelines, forming a zonal economic system. Regions along pipelines are easy to get supply of good fuel and chemical materials, which will draw industrial elements to cluster along, forming new social economic axes. The authors hope that these analyses will offer an valuable practice way to the development of oil and gas industry in our country.


The utility model provides a tyre pressure type automobile self weighing device which weighs the weight of an automobile by the tyre pressure of the automobile, which is composed of a host machine and a plurality of branched machines, wherein each of the branched machines is composed of a pressure sensor, an analogue-digital conversion part, a data processing part and a wireless transmitting part, and the host machine is composed of a wireless receiving part, an MCN and a weight displaying part. The utility model has the core principle that the pressure of each wheel tyre of the automobile is detected by calculation by making use of the characteristic that the pressure of the type of the automobile varies following the self weight of the automobile so that the value of the weight of the automobile is gotten. The self weighing device has no need of refitting the automobile, and has the function of monitoring the tyre pressure.


Methyl 4-benzamido-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-α-L-erythro-hexopyranoside (methyl N-benzoyl-α-L-tolyposaminide)(6) and methyl 2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-4-dimethylamino-α-erythro-hexopyranoside (methyl α-L-forosaminide)(7) have been synthesized by way of an iodide displacement on the allylic sulphonate, methyl 2,3,6-trideoxy-4-O-methylsulphonyl-α-L-erythro-hex-2-enopyranoside (3), followed by an azide displacement on the resulting iodide (4).


A new method of counting polygons on a graph embedded into a torus is described. It is based on Vdovichenko's random walk approach to planar Ising models which uses a connected loop expansion. The Ising partition function of the graph is expressed as a single determinant with some nonanalytic operation. The most generalized version of Vdovichenko's formula for counting polygons on a plane graph is also presented.


This study assessed documentation status of each environmental assessment items by analyzing the 243 case of marine EIS on the Consultation System of Sea Area Utilization. Observed rate of tidal elevation, current, temperature, salinity in maine environment were below 20%. The EFDC tool is applied substantially in hydrodynamic modeling. The verification process, however, is very insufficient using the recent observed data. Also, in-situ assessment rate of pelagic organism such as phytoplankton was below 50%, and assessment for Chlorophyll a was not accomplished. Ecological index evaluation for zooplankton and benthic ecosystem were not considered in statements. Especially, the rational assessment on the fisheries resources and protected species were very limited. It was necessary that the core assessment items (checklists) were established for environmental scoping. Furthermore, suggestion of information related to development, regional coastal management plan, aquaculture farms, and facilities were enhanced. The redundancy problem of proceedings between Environmental Impact Assessment and Sea Area Utilization Assessment System was improved.


Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disorder characterized by an abrupt decline in kidney function over a short period of time. Published epidemiological studies linked AKI with the development of dementia. This meta-analysis aims to understand the pooled risk of dementia in AKI patients compared to non-AKI patients. MEDLINE and Embase databases, and the grey literature in five sources were searched to identify the studies assessing the association of AKI with dementia. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) will be used to determine the quality of included studies. The primary outcome of this study will be the risk of dementia among AKI patients compared to non-AKI patients. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis will also be performed. Review Manager version 5.4.1 will be used to perform the meta-analysis.


E-commerce has transformed the way business is done in India. The Indian E-commerce market is expected to grow to US$ 188 billion by 2025 from US$ 46.2 billion as of 2020. By 2030, it is expected to reach US$ 350 billion. In 2022, the Indian e-commerce market is predicted to increase by 21.5%, reaching US$ 74.8 billion.
India's e-commerce market is expected to reach US$ 111 billion by 2024 and US$ 200 billion by 2026.
Much of the growth for the industry has been triggered by an increase in internet and smartphone penetration. The number of internet connections in 2021 increased significantly to 830 million, driven by the 'Digital India' programme. Out of the total internet connections, ~55% of connections were in urban areas, of which 97% connections were wireless.


An uncertain monthly reservoirs operation and multicrop deficit irrigation model was proposed under conjunctive use of underground and surface water for water resources optimization management. The objective is to maximize the total crop yield of the entire irrigation districts. Meanwhile, ecological water remained for the downstream demand. Because of the shortage of water resources, the monthly crop water production function was adopted for multiperiod deficit irrigation management. The model reflects the characteristics of water resources repetitive transformation in typical inland rivers irrigation system. The model was used as an example for water resources optimization management in Shiyang River Basin, China. Uncertainties in reservoir management shown as fuzzy probability were treated through chance-constraint parameter for decision makers. Necessity of dominance (ND) was used to analyse the advantages of the method. The optimization results including reservoirs real-time operation policy, deficit irrigation management, and the available water resource allocation could be used to provide decision support for local irrigation management. Besides, the strategies obtained could help with the risk analysis of reservoirs operation stochastically.


We have studied phenotypic and clinical features in a consecutive series of 45 patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) in blast crisis (BC). In addition, in 22 of these patients we have analysed the genotypic characteristics including immunoglobulin, T‐cell receptor (TCR) and major breakpoint cluster region (M‐bcr) gene organization. The granulomonocytic and megakaryoblastic lineages are the most commonly involved in these BC of CML (33% and 33% of cases, respectively); only 18% of our cases displayed a lymphoid phenotype. Moreover, both morphological and immunophenotypic studies revealed the frequent coexistence of two or three cell populations, especially when the megakaryoblast component is involved. The lymphoid BC displayed the highest incidence of complete remissions although this was not associated with a longer survival. Only minor differences between the different myeloid subgroups were observed. Immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangement was found in five of the six lymphoid BC and in one myeloid BC. Only one case showed k light chain gene rearrangement. In all but one myeloid BC the TCR‐β gene was in germline configuration. The TCR‐γ gene was rearranged in all lymphoid and one myeloid BC, while TCR‐δ gene rearrangement was detected in 67% and 16% of the lymphoid and myeloid BC, respectively. Most of the lymphoid BC (4/5) had the M‐bcr breakpoint in subregion 3, while the myeloid BC had the breakpoint either in subregion 2 or 3. No differences between the different myeloid phenotypic subgroups were observed in relation to breakpoint.


Combined antimycobacterial chemotherapy has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis hominis (MTH) pulmonary infections with a cure rate of >85% for short term (6 month) courses.1 Recent WHO initiatives have been launched and are aimed at eradicating pulmonary tuberculosis by intensive adoption of directly observed treatment (DOT) strategies in countries in which the incidence is high.

A new drug formulation has recently been produced which provides the three main first line drugs in the same tablet in a fixed ratio (rifampin (RIF) 120 mg, isoniazid (INH) 50 mg, and pyrazinamide (PZM) 300 mg).2 This formulation is likely to be extremely useful, particularly in developing countries where it can provide reliable simultaneous administration of all the drugs needed on bi-weekly or tri-weekly DOT programmes.3 However, it is …


Objective:To establish a RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of three major diterpenoid alkaloids,including guanfu base A(GFA),guanfu base I(GFI)and guanfu base H(GFH) in Radix Aconitinum coreanum(Levl) Rapaics.Methods:A Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C8 column(2.1 mm×150 mm,5 μm) and sodium heptanesulfonate(adding 0.2 % triethylamine,pH 3.00 adjusted with phosphoric acid)-acetonitrile as mobile phase were used at a flow rate of 0.2 mL ·min-1 and with a column temperature of 25 ℃ and a detection wavelength of 205 nm by gradient elution.Results:A good resolution(R1.5) was achieved for three diterpenoid alkaloids.Good linearities(r=0.999 9) of peak area-concentration in the ranges of 0.100-0.502,0.100-0.498 and 0.100-0.500 mg ·L-1 respectively for GFI,GFA and GFH were shown.The average recoveries(n=9) of GFI,GFA and GFH were 97.29 %,101.46 % and 102.33 % respectively.Conclusion:The method is simple and good for separation and repeatability.It can be used for the simultaneous quantitative determination of three diterpenoid alkaloids in Radix Aconitium coreanum(Levl) Rapaics and the quality control of the herbs.


The Schrodinger equation with attractive potential has been previously studied in the supersymmetric quantum mechanical approach by a number of authors, but they all used only the particular superpotential solution. Here, we introduce a one-parameter family of strictly isospectral attractive function potentials, which is based on the general superpotential (general Riccati) solution, we study the problem in some detail and suggest possible applications.


The invention relates to the field of video compression, and discloses a video coding method and device and a video decoding method and device. The coding method comprises following steps of analyzing at least one input image; selecting one image as a background image; carrying out intra-frame prediction coding to the background image, thus obtaining a background frame; obtaining a background frame reconstructed image by decoding; obtaining one input image as a first image; coding the first image into a refreshing frame by at least partially using intra-frame prediction according to the difference of the first image relative to the background frame reconstructed image; obtaining one input image as a second image; decoding the second image into an ordinary frame by at least partially using intra-frame prediction according to the difference of the second image relative to the background frame reconstructed image and the adjacent former frame reconstructed image, or the difference of the second image relative to the adjacent former frame reconstructed image; and generating video code stream according to the background frame, the refreshing frame and the ordinary frame. According to the differences of the input images relative to the background frame reconstructed image and/or the adjacent former frame reconstructed image, coding is carried out by at least partially using intra-frame prediction; and with respect to a scene with massive redundant background information, the same image quality can be obtained in a relatively low bit rate.


Recent exposures of high rates of death aboard live animal export ships, and the 'abuse and torture' of animals in some Indonesian slaughterhouses have brought cruelty to animals to public prominence in modern Australia.1 This mistreatment offends Australians' sense of what it means to be civilised, which is reflected in the fact that every Australian state and territory has passed complex and detailed laws declaring that the ill-treatment of animals is illegal.2 These statutes affirm that 'humans have evolved to the point that they no longer regard animals as pure objects or things, able to be treated in any way they choose'.3 As far as the statute law is concerned, society has expressed its 'collective choice' that anyone who subjects animals to pain, suffering or distress will be punished.4 While these statutes are a necessary protection for animals, they are not sufficient to guarantee that animals are protected. Peter Sankoff has questioned whether the animal welfare paradigm can work effectively for other than 'extreme' cases of cruelty, which represent a small fraction of all the harm humans cause animals.5 Much depends on the enforcement of the laws and, if a case makes it to court, on whether the pain or suffering is deemed reasonable and necessary. The courts rarely lay down in detail 'how the balancing test between necessity and animal harm should operate' and offenders often escape with lenient sentences.6


Strong summertime anticyclonic wind anomalies over the Arctic Ocean, with anomalous flow toward the Fram Strait, during summer months of 2007 contributed to the record‐low the Arctic sea‐ice extent observed in September of that year. Had the summer winds over the Arctic during the summers of 2010 and 2011 been the same as those in 2007, September sea ice extent would have reached new record lows in those years as well. By regulating the flow of ice toward and through the Fram Strait, variations in low‐level winds over the Arctic have contributed to the month‐to‐month, year‐to‐year, and decade‐to‐decade variability of sea ice extent.


I reply to a Comment by J Roche (2000 Eur. J. Phys. 21 L27-8) on my paper `Maxwell's displacement current revisited' (1999 Eur. J. Phys. 20 495-9), which contrasted commonly accepted views with those expressed by Roche in his earlier paper `The present status of Maxwell's displacement current' (1998 Eur. J. Phys. 19 155-66).


Hypoglycaemia-prone individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who use intermittently scanned CGM (isCGM) systems spend about 5 hours/day in states where self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is indicated. Here we present estimates of the need for SMBG testing by retrospectively analyzing isCGM data from a cohort of real-world isCGM users. Data from 67 individuals were included in the analysis. Mean (SD) 3.18 (1.63) hours/day was spent in an SMBG-indicated state and the number of transitions to an SMBG-indicated state was 3.86 (1.46)/day. Frequency of clinically important hypoglycaemia (<3.0mmol/L (<54mmol/dL)) was median (IQR) 1.5 (0.6 - 3.4) episodes/week, of which only 50% were associated with a scan during the episode, and the average duration was 75.2 (63.9 - 91.8) minutes/episode. The need for continued SMBG testing remains important for all isCGM users and may affect overall cost-effectiveness of isCGM. Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia and incidence of asymptomatic hypoglycaemia may be under-reported amongst real-life isCGM users in clinical practice.


CD34+ stem cells migrate from the bone marrow niche to sites of injury in response to various chemokines. We have investigated the influence of VEGF and complement peptides C3a and C5a, on the stromal derived factor‐1(SDF‐1)‐dependent migration of freshly isolated (from G‐CSF mobilized mononuclear cell preparations) and cord‐blood derived CD34+ stem cells. Freshly isolated CD34+ cells migrated in a dose‐dependent manner in response to SDF‐1, but were unable to migrate to the complement peptides C3a or C5a alone. However, both complement split products augmented the migration of CD34+ cells in response to low concentrations of SDF‐1. This augmented migration behavior was abrogated when CD34+ cells were incubated with anti‐C3a or anti‐C5a antibodies. Flow cytometry demonstrated that CD34+ stem cell express both the C3a and C5a receptors, and anti‐receptor antibodies also mitigated this synergy. Freshly isolated CD34+ cells responded initially to VEGF, but this response diminished after 1–2 days In contrast, with cultured cord blood‐derived CD34+ cells, we observed enhanced migration to SDF‐1 in the presence of VEGF compared to SDF‐1 alone. In conclusion, the migration of CD34+ stem cells depends on their source and ex vivo treatment, and may be enhanced to ischemic tissues (where SDF‐1 is produced) under the influence of other inflammatory and angiogenic signals.


ObjectiveTo investigate the MRI classification of cervical dumbbell-type tumor and its significance. MethodsThirty-four cases of cervical dumbbell-type tumors from 1998 to 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the manifestation of preoperative MRI, cervical dumbbell-type tumors were categorized into four types: type Ⅰ(extending through intervertebral foramen with its main body in the spinal canal), type Ⅱ(invading to the posterior and destroying the lamina), type Ⅲ(extending through intervertebral foramen with its main body beyond the spinal canal), and type Ⅳ(involving the vertebral body). Type Ⅲ tumor could be divided into subtype Ⅲa (pushing vertebral artery but not circling it) and subtype Ⅲb (circling vertebral artery), and type Ⅳ tumor could also be divided into subtype Ⅳa (involving vertebral body 1/3) and subtype Ⅳ b (involving vertebral body ≥1/3). ResultsAccording to the MRI classification, there were 7 cases of type Ⅰ, 9 type Ⅱ, 13 type Ⅲ and 5 type Ⅳ. The extended posterior approach was used in 27 cases, the combined anteroposterior approach in 7 cases. ConclusionThe MRI classification of cervical dumbbell-type tumor is helpful to plan optimal surgery.


Li2CrO4 in different amounts was used as an electrolyte additive for Mg-air batteries based on a 0.6 M NaCl solution in this study. The effect of Li2CrO4 content on the corrosion behaviour of AZ31 alloy in 0.6 M NaCl solution was studied by EIS curves, polarization curves and hydrogen evolution tests; the influence of Li2CrO4 content on the discharge performance of Mg-air batteries was studied by constant current discharge tests. The addition of Li2CrO4 in different amounts significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the AZ31 alloy and the anode efficiency of the Mg-air battery. The anode efficiency of the Mg-air battery increased obviously with the increase in the added amount of Li2CrO4 when this amount was less than 0.02 M but underwent no significant change when it was greater than 0.02 M. In addition, when the added amount of Li2CrO4 reached 0.1 M, the discharge voltage of the battery dropped dramatically, and the voltage lag time also increased greatly. Therefore, the optimal added amount of Li2CrO4 is 0.02 M.


Using a structural vector autoregressive model, this study investigates the extent to which international oil price shocks have influenced the Chinese economy over the period 1991–2014. Given China's intensified macroeconomic activity and its increasing demand for energy resources, we also examine the endogenous response of international oil prices to economic conditions in the country. To that end, we derive and empirically estimate a small open-economy New Keynesian model for China and the rest of the world. Our results show that the Chinese economy is relatively more sensitive to global economic conditions than to domestic policy actions. Global productivity shocks appear to be the most important variable causing Chinese macroeconomic activity through trade, where oil prices impact aggregate demand negatively.


Stereolithographic systems of methacrylic are commonly used in the large‐scale production of custom earmolds for hearing aids. In hearing aids, feedback occurs when energy from the receiver (earphone) is sensed by the microphone; the feedback manifests itself as an annoying whistle. One source of feedback is the mechanical vibration transmitted by the receiver to the microphone through the structural housing or earmold. Mechanical feedback can be reduced by appropriately designing the earmold housing to have proper isolation features and damping so as to minimize mechanical transmissibility. Toward this end, a procedure is described that utilizes both experimental measurements and finite element analyses to characterize an earmold material's stiffness and damping in the frequency range of 500 Hz–6 kHz. The experimental set‐up consists of an electromagnetic shaker, laser vibrometer, dual‐channel analyzer, and multiple cantilever (fixed‐free) sample beams fabricated from post‐cured, hybrid, methacrylic poly...


Purpose: the purpose of this article is to study the current and potential opportunities for using blockchain technology in systems for recording and registering property rights to land.Methods: the work was based on a comprehensive and system analysis, a comparison of international practices for working with blockchain technology, as well as the study and comparison of existing international practices in the subject area under consideration.Results: systems based on blockchain technology can be used in systems for recording and registering rights to land plots, however, they must be adapted to the existing procedure and consider legal requirements. Since an institutional infrastructure is needed to guarantee real estate rights, only the use of closed private or hybrid blockchain technology, administered by employees of a public institution and used by legitimate participants in real estate transactions (e.g., notaries and real estate lawyers) with the provision of proper user identification, can be accepted. into account. These theses are confirmed by practical examples based on the results of the analysis among 12 countries. In states with a high degree of digitalization of rights registration systems, a significant level of involvement of state bodies remains, and a system based on the principles of a private closed blockchain is used as an additional technology that supports existing registration systems.Conclusions and Relevance: blockchain technology can be used as a tool to improve the efficiency of existing land registration systems and increase the security level of ongoing transactions. At the same time, transactions will be transparent, immutable and recoverable. However, taking into account the specifics of registration and transfer of rights, features of legislative and legal norms. It is recommended to continue the discussion of the optimal legal and technical ways to use the opportunities offered by blockchain technology, in accordance with the main functions of accounting and registration systems for land rights.


Scholarship on tobacco industry documents has concentrated on the west. There have been two previous supplements on the documents published by Tobacco Control , which focused on the USA in 20021 and on Australia in 2003,2 as well as many individual papers. Hirschhorn has assembled a list of all publications that deal principally with the documents.3

This supplement contains the first collection of papers addressing Asian documents, which include diverse countries such as Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, with topics ranging from smuggling and subversion of proposed legislation to tobacco industry youth campaigns (see below).

This is not just an issue of academic inclusion; these articles represent a rare resource enabling governments, health advocates, and the media to gain an unprecedented insight into the minds, motives, strategies, tactics, and data of the tobacco industry. Appreciation of tobacco industry strategies over the past decades is essential for Asian countries to formulate an appropriate legislative and public policy response.4

It might be argued that some of the information revealed could be classified as "normal business practices" in the marketing strategy of any company. However, the fundamental harmfulness of the product taken with the industry's lobbying and public relations tactics makes these industry documents compelling.

Obstacles to tobacco control in Asia that were once puzzling may now be understood. The industry infiltrated some of the most respected scientific institutions (such as universities), and scientists who argued against the scientific evidence on the damaging effects of tobacco are now known to have been paid to do so.5

These tactics of the industry have, in general, been highly successful. In spite of decades of knowledge, World Health Assembly resolutions, World Health Organization plans including five year Regional Action Plans for Asia since …


In South Korea, a water supply enhancement project is being carried out to preemptively respond to drought and water loss by reducing pipeline leakages and supplying stable tap water through the maintenance of an aging water supply network. In order to reduce water leakage, a District Metered Area (DMA) was established to monitor and predict the minimum night flow based on flow data collected from IoT sensors. In this study, a model based on Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) was constructed to predict the MNF (minimum night flow) of County Y. The prediction of MNF results was compared with the MLP networks and the LSTM model. The outcome showed that the LSTM-MNF model proposed in this study performed better than the MLP-MNF model. Therefore, the research methods of this study can contribute to technical support for leakage reductions by preemptively responding to the expected increase in leakage through the prediction of the minimum flow at night.


Detailed examination of fracture surfaces reveals characteristic forms which have been incorporated in a system of mapping symbols. The symbols apply equally well for all nonshear fracture surfaces in a variety of materials and scales examined so far. It is believed that all such fractures can be described graphically in this manner regardless of material type and loading condition in a scale range of seven or more orders of magnitude. This fact needs to be clearly established and widely recognized in order that observations made at the submicroscopic, microscopic, megascopic, and perhaps larger scales can be interrelated for the benefit of investigators in different fields of physical science.


In this work, an attempt is made to induce porosity of varied levels in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy based polymer composite laminates fabricated using prepregs by varying the fabrication parameters such as applied vacuum, autoclave pressure and curing temperature. Different NDE tools have been utilized to evaluate the porosity content and correlate with measurable parameters of different NDE techniques. Primarily, ultrasonic imaging and real time digital X-ray imaging have been tried to obtain a measurable parameter which can represent or reflect the amount of porosity contained in the composite laminate. Also, effect of varied porosity content on mechanical properties of the CFRP composite materials is investigated through a series of experimental investigations. The outcome of the experimental approach has yielded interesting and encouraging trend as a first step towards developing an NDE tool for quantification of effect of varied porosity in the polymer composite materials.


The storage of the hard disk increases quickly,which make it real that the material used for storing video signal turns from tape to hard disk and the method of broadcasting turns from tape-and-disk to video server.But how to ensure the safty and stability of storing and broadcasting of hard disk?This article is about the development of RAID technology and how to solve the problem in the safty and stability of disk broadcasting.


Schemes of property rights rectification are seldom influenced in the real world by a profound understanding of property theory. Still, the political dynamics that drive such schemes are almost always informed by intuited understandings of the meaning and importance of property rights. And property theorists, for all their abstractions, often attempt to spell out the implications of their theories for real world problems. It would therefore be surprising if property theory had nothing to say about how schemes of property rights rectification ought to be implemented. It should also be possible to assess such schemes from the perspective of property theory, using competing theoretical understandings of property rights to explain the practical problems encountered, and, conversely, using practical problems to assess the relative merits of competing theoretical understandings. This chapter aims to construct a dialogue of this sort between Robert Nozick's historical entitlement theory of property and the


Along with our country tax system unceasing development,the enterprise is pushed to competition environment that is bound by the comprehensive tax systems.How does the enterprise carry on the tax planning in order to achieve maximum benefit and the tax-cost's decrease?It has already become an enterprise's important matter.The thesis takes the construction enterprise as an example and proposes the tax planning methods basing on analyzing its management characteristic.


Large scale Bayesian nonparametrics (BNP) learner such as Stochastic Variational Inference (SVI) can handle datasets with large class number and large training size at fractional cost. Like its predecessor, SVI rely on the assumption of conjugate variational posterior to approximate the true posterior. A more challenging problem is to consider large scale learning on non-conjugate posterior. Recent works in this direction are mostly associated with using Monte Carlo methods for approximating the learner. However, these works are usually demonstrated on non-BNP related task and less complex models such as logistic regression, due to higher computational complexity. In order to overcome the issue faced by SVI, we develop a novel approach based on the recently proposed constant stepsize stochastic gradient ascent to allow large scale learning on non-conjugate posterior. Unlike SVI, our new learner does not require closed-form expression for the variational posterior expectatations. Our only requirement is that the variational posterior is differentiable. In order to ensure convergence in stochastic settings, SVI rely on decaying step-sizes to slow its learning. Inspired by SVI and Adam, we propose the novel use of adaptive stepsizes in our method to significantly improve its learning. We show that our proposed methods is compatible with ResNet features when applied to large class number datasets such as MIT67 and SUN397. Finally, we compare our proposed learner with several recent works such as deep clustering algorithms and showed we were able to produce on-par or outperform the state-of-the-art methods in terms of clustering measures.


Selection The presence of atopy does not determine the type of cellular infiltrate in nasal polyps. Park, H. S., Kim, H. Y, Nahm, D. H., Park, K., Suh, K. S., Yim. H. Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings (1998) November-December, Vol. 19 (6), pp. 373-7. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Any relationship between atopy and nasal polyposis remains to be further studied to determine the contribution of atopy to the pathogenesis of nasal polyps. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We have compared the inflammatory cellular infiltrate in nasal polyp tissue taken during resection from 10 atopic and 11 non-atopic subjects. We have used immunohistochemistry to enumerate the individual inflammatory cell types using monoclonal antibodies against tryptase (AA1) to identify mast cells, the secreted forms of eosinophil cationic protein (EG2) to identify activated eosinophils, neutrophil elastase (NE+) to demonstrate neutrophils, and T cell surface markers (CD3) to identify pan T cells. RESULT: The number of AA1+ and NE+ cells tended to be higher in atopies, but no statistical significance was found (p = 0.06, p = 0.12). Eosinophil numbers (EG2) were abundant in both groups and found to be not different between them (p = 0.65). Some subjects had CD3+ cells with no significant difference between atopic and non-atopic subjects (p = 0.21). Significant correlation was found between NE+ and AA1+ or EG2 cells (r = 0.59, r = 0.63, p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the presence of atopy does not determine either the type of extent of cellular infiltration of nasal polyps. Author. Oxygen modulates Na+ absorption in middle ear epithelium. Portier, E, van den Abbeele, T, Lecain, E., Sauvaget, E., Escoubet, B., Huy, P. T, Herman, P. Laboratoire d'Otologie Experimentale, Faculte Lariboisiere-St-Louis, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale Unite 426, Faculte Xavier Bichat, Universite Paris VII, 75010 Paris, France. American Journal of Physiology (1999) February, Vol. 276 (2 Pt 1), pp. C312-7. The physiology of the middle ear is primarily concerned with keeping the cavities air filled and fluid free to allow transmission of the sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. Middle ear epithelial cells are thought to play a key role in this process, since they actively transport Na+ and water. The PO2 of the middle ear cavities varies from 44 to 54 mmHg in healthy human ears but may be lower in the course of secretory otitis media. The effect of chronic hypoxia on ion transport was investigated on a middle ear cell line using the short-circuit current technique. Chronic hypoxia reversibly decreased the rate of Na+ absorption across the MESV cell line. Although a decrease in cellular ATP content was observed, the decrease of Na+ absorption seemed related to a primary modulation of apical Na+ entry. As revealed by RNase protection assay, the decrease in the rate of apical Na+ entry strictly paralleled the decrease in the expression of transcripts encoding the alpha-subunit of the epithelial Na+ channel. This effect of oxygen on Na+ absorption might account for 1) the presence of fluid in the middle ear in the course of secretory otitis media and 2) the beneficial effect of the ventilation tube in treating otitis media that allows the PO2 to rise and restores the fluid clearance. Author. The management of brain abscess in a developing country: are the results any different? Joshi, S. M., Devkota, U. P. Neurosurgical Unit, Bir Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. British Journal of Neurosurgery (1998), August, Vol. 12 (4), pp. 325-8. A retrospective study of 57 surgically-managed brain abscesses at the Neurosurgical Unit, Bir Hospital during a six-year period from October 1990 is presented. Detailed hospital case notes could be traced in only 37 cases, consisting of 25 males and 12 females with age range from five months to 60 years. Cryptogenic abscess was the commonest category followed by abscess caused by chronic ear infection. The diagnosis was made with enhanced computed tomography (CT) in all the cases. Positive bacteriology was found in only nine cases. The treatment consisted of six weeks of intensive intravenous antibiotics and emergency surgical drainage of the abscess. Five out of the total cases died (13.5 per cent). These patients were all in an extremely poor condition at the time of presentation. All the survivors made a good recovery. With timely CT diagnosis, surgical drainage and antibiotics, good results can be achieved even in a developing country. Author. Regrowth of the residual tumour after acoustic neurinoma surgery. Ohta, S., Yokoyama, X, Nishizawa, S., Uemura, K. Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu University, School of Medicine, Japan. British Journal of Neurosurgery (1998), October, Vol. 12 (5), pp. 419-22. Ideally, acoustic neurinomas should be completely removed without neurological deficit. In some cases, however, removal is subtotal in order to preserve anatomical continuity of the facial nerve. In this report we discuss the regrowth of residual tumour in these patients and the difference between regrowing and dormant tumours. Eight of 81 patients with acoustic neurinomas where the facial nerve was anatomically preserved leaving tumour overlying it were investigated and followed-up. Only one case with residual tumour along the 7th nerve from the intrameatal portion to its entry to the brainstem showed regrowth 3.5 years after the operation. In the other seven cases with residual tumour along the nerve from the porus to the brainstem, the tumour remained dormant during a follow-up period of 4.5-8.5 years. Removal of tumour in the internal auditory meatus may make regrowth unlikely. Author. Recurrence of vestibular (acoustic) schwannomas in surgical patients where preservation of facial and cochlear nerve is the priority. Cerullo, L., Grutsch, J., Osterdock, R. Chicago Institute for Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, Illinois 60614, USA. British Journal of Neurosurgery (1998), December, Vol. 12 (6), pp.


Background/Aim: Mutations of BRCA1/2 improve cancer prognosis due to their better response to platinum-based chemotherapy. This study evaluated overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) under similar conditions of first-line adjuvant chemotherapy within seven years in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Patients and Methods: A total of 160 patients were enrolled. The pathogenic BRCA1/2 variant group included pathogenic variant and likely-pathogenic variant, while the non-pathogenic group included wild-type and variant of uncertain significance. For first-line chemotherapy, delivered dose intensity, relative dose intensity, and delay of duration were calculated in all patients. Results: Of the tested variants, 108 (67.5%) were non-pathogenic and 52 (32.5%) were pathogenic. No significant difference was found in various clinical factors of cancer stage, surgery, or chemotherapy. There was no significance for OS or PFS within five or seven years. Conclusion: In patients with HGSOC, the OS and PFS for germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic and non-pathogenic variants were not significantly different under similar conditions of first-line adjuvant chemotherapy within seven years.


The invention relates to a differential-pressure measuring assembly comprising a differential-pressure measuring transducer (10) for detecting the difference between a first media pressure and a second media pressure and for providing a differential-pressure measurement signal that depends on the difference between a first media pressure and a second media pressure; a first effective-pressure line (25), which is connected to a first pressure inlet (12) of the differential-pressure measuring transducer (10) in order to apply the first media pressure to the differential-pressure measuring transducer; a second effective-pressure line (26), which is connected to a second pressure inlet (13) of the differential-pressure measuring transducer (10) in order to apply the second media pressure to the differential-pressure measuring transducer; at least one temperature sensor (30) for outputting a temperature signal that correlates with a temperature of the effective-pressure lines (25, 26); and a processing unit (14) for processing the differential-pressure measurement signal and the temperature signal; wherein the processing unit is designed to detect a significant correlation between a change in the temperature signal and the differential-pressure signal on the basis of the differential-pressure measurement signal and the temperature signal, and to assess the detection of a significant correlation as an indication of a plugged effective-pressure line.


Genetic variation, correlation, partial correlation and path coefficient of sensory quality traits of vegetable soybeans were analyzed based on 154 cultivars sampled from the major vegetable soybean producing areas. The results were as follows:The variation of the comprehensive sensory quality value,six first class sensory traits and five secondary sensory traits were all abundant enough; the variation of the first class sensory quality value was less than that of the secondary sensory traits; the genotypic coefficients of variation, heritability value, and selection potential were relatively large for 100-pod fresh weight, 100-seed fresh weight,and soluble sugar content(dry weight basis) ;but medium for pod length,pod thickness and pod width and relatively low for number of grain per pod. In vegetable quality breeding,the comprehensive sensor quality evaluation is the most important criterion. According to the correlation,partial corrlation and path coefficient anslyses, among the six first class sensor quality traits,i.e.appearance of grain and pod,cooked taste,mouth feeling of raw grain,grain color, cooked smelling,hand shelling of raw pod,the first three had significant and relatively large direct effect on the comprehensive sensor quality value; pod thickkness,pod length,and 100-pod fresh weight had significant direct effect on appearance of grain and pod; sweetness as well as soluble sugar content was a significant major factor to cooked taste;raw grain hardiness had significant negative effect on raw mouth feeling. In breeding for quality of vegetable soybean, the selection for comprehensive sensor quality should be based on the six first calss sensor quality traits with emphasis on appearance of grain and pod,cooked taste,and mouth feeling of raw grain;and the following component traits,such as 100-pod fresh weight, pod length, pod thickness, soluble sugar content, deli-ciousness,beany flavor,glutinosity and hardiness could be used as assistant indicators for a better evaluation of the sensor quality of breeding materials.


Reginald Charles Rainey, Reg to all his friends, died on 18 January 1990. His outstanding contribution to science was his theory of the downwind displacement of airborne populations of the Desert Locust, published in Nature in 1950. From this emerged, in his subsequent work, new interpretations of insect migration by flight, new possible explanations of pest outbreaks and new insights into insect ecology. Looking back over Reg's life it is difficult not to conclude that all his earlier experiences and training had been a preparation for him to make these outstanding contributions.


Welcome to the Proceedings of the 25th ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles (SOSP 2015), held at the Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey, California, USA. This year's program includes 30 wonderful papers which cover topics ranging from high performance transaction processing systems to formal specification for practical implementations, from techniques for energy-aware systems to experiences with globally distributed software in the wild, from bug finding to big data. The program committee worked hard to select some of the most creative and interesting ideas in computer systems research today, and each accepted paper was lovingly shepherded by a program committee member to make sure the papers are as readable and complete as possible. We hope you will enjoy the program as much as we did in selecting it.


The poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can lead to low productivity, reduced learning ability, health hazards, lack of concentration etc. Occupant's long exposure to poor IAQ can cause various health problems. If the building occupants repeatedly report a complex range of health complaints, then they might be suffering from sick building syndrome. The information about IAQ in schools in Hamirpur has not been investigated at any level in the past, though it is very important for children of 5–6 year age. This article summarizes the investigation of 8 naturally ventilated schools in Hamirpur city of Himachal Pradesh (India). The investigation had been performed for IAQ physical parameters i.e. carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM2.5), indoor temperature, humidity and wind rate. Higher indoor particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration was found influenced by many design parameters of school building. Some recommendations are made to reduce the exposure of pollutants to the occupants.


ABSTRACT:Hinting Pali is an attempt to find a middle ground on land-based conflicts. Culture isoften done when people who are involved in the dispute trying to find a way of peacewith the traditional ceremony hinting pali. This research seeks to provide a newperspective on efforts to mitigate conflict within the community, with the culturalapproach existing in an indigenous community in Tumbang Tanjung, Pulau MalanDistrict, Central of Kalimantan Province.This study, in addition to finding the form or effort to minimize the conflict, alsointends to provide a picture that the wealth of local communities in the deliberativeconflict-related deliberation is still relevant in the current conditions. This research isexpected to find a form of conflict resolution that is humanist without putting the effortsof violence vertically or horizontally.


—The environment faced by organizations request the adoption of more efficient management models and practices in order to increase their competitiveness. In this context, Lean philosophy, in particular Lean Manufacturing has proven to be an extremely powerful management paradigm. However, the Lean philosophy when is applied incorrectly may turn out to be a failure for the organizations. In this sense there are several factors that can hamper the correct development of Lean Manufacturing within organizations such as i) Lack of commitment by top management; ii) Lack of qualified and graduates employees without know how on this paradigm; iii) Lack of guidance on application of tools and methodology of Lean Manufacturing. This research shows that over the past few years, tools have been developed within Lean Manufacturing relating it to different types of industrial environments. However, guidelines for implementing this paradigm " step-by-step " is missing. Thus, this master research suggests a framework for implementing the Lean Manufacturing in industrial environments, in particular, Job-shop.


Abstract Oxidative stress (OS) plays a central role in aging and results from a variety of stressors, making it a powerful measure of health and a way to examine phylogenetic variation in life history. However, few urinary OS markers have been examined under field conditions, particularly in primates, and their utility to non-invasively monitor acute vs. chronic conditions is poorly understood. In this study, we examined variation in 5 urinary markers of oxidative damage and protection under 5 validation paradigms in 37 wild, adult chimpanzees living in the Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used 925 urine samples to conduct both cross-sectional and within-individual analyses of responses to acute infection and variation with age. Markers of damage (8-OHdG, F-isoprostanes, MDA-TBARS, and neopterin) and total antioxidant capacity were generally positively correlated with one another. Within individuals, all markers responded to at least one if not both types of acute infection. Markers of damage also varied with age, particularly in individuals near death. Unlike in human and rodent tissues, DNA damage in urine decreased with age, both across and within individuals near death, suggesting a potential decline in DNA repair and/or metabolic rate during senescence. Our results suggest that OS can be measured using field-collected urine and may be useful for both short- and long-term indicators of health. Our results further confirm that using multiple markers and longitudinal sampling within individuals is the most productive approach for studies that seek to determine the role of OS in health and lifespan in long-lived organisms.


The contributions to this discussion illustrate that interpretive questions themselves contribute substantially to the answers they seek to find. Setting out to explore 'The Sacraments in The Faerie Queene', our perceptions are already conditioned by the quest itself. Most seekers without hesitation design their search as an effort to discover the author's own definition of the sacraments and answer the question by inferring a definition from his works. That inferred definition will be used in turn to align Spenser with a doctrinal category: Catholic, Protestant, puritan or, in treating the sacraments, Zwinglian, Establishment or Catholic (see Kaske, King, Schiavoni and Weatherby). Although this search to discover the author's own ideas is quite natural and often enlightening, it is also circular. John King's essay in this collection illustrates most directly the decisiveness with which an inferred doctrinal allegiance supplies confident responses to an array of Spenserian passages. Yet as I have argued in detail elsewhere, by transferring our attention from the author's inferred doctrinal position to possible readings by modestly informed readers, we are less likely to underestimate the complexity of sacramental doctrines familiar to Spenser and his contemporaries. By acknowledging and becoming familiar with that complexity ourselves, we are far more likely to respond in detail to the rich, elusive complexity of his poems. Because readers' possible constructions, whether of theology or of poems, have the status of hypotheses, this search should not lead us back into the dogmatism that confidently assigns doctrinal positions to


The lawsuit to defend for Fengshui(风水)which occurred in Wuyuan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties actually was a fighting for local public resources between the gentry and the man who went in for exploiting ore under the signboard to safeguard the public interest in the whole county,and reflected the fact that the gentry made great efforts to structure and safeguard the local hegemony.This event proved that the gentry's hegemony was always challenged by several facets although the gentry owned social class and political privilege,and that in order to bring about local hegemony,the gentry not only thought highly of the reorganizing of their own social stratum,but vigorously sought and fully utilized the political resources,economical resources and cultural resources as well.


While it is commonly accepted that forgetting may serve to accomplish worthwhile goals, relevant social technologies require detailed analysis. We examined the literature on the social practices of the collective inhibition of unwanted memories. Complimenting the term 'sites of memory' introduced by Nora, we applied the term 'sites of oblivion' to the areas intentionally designed to protect visitors from specific unwanted memories associated with the disturbing affect. This study proposed a preliminary classification of the 'sites of oblivion'. This analysis identified four qualitatively distinct social politics aimed at evoking the transformation of existing sites of memory into memory-inhibiting areas. Each of these politics employs a specific psychological mechanism of memory inhibition and varies with concrete strategies to achieve the goal of not remembering. These basic high-level forgetting politics include: exploiting the natural fragility of human activity traces or destroying memorial sites, including various forms of ignoring (the 'no traces' politic); retracting attention from memory triggers to other intense stimuli (the 'switching memory to' politic); recasting 'sites of memory' into 'sites of oblivion' through functional replacement or reconceptualisation, including renaming (the 'recasting' politic); and the politic of 'hyper-evocation', that is, decreasing the probability of recall outside of memorial sites by rising the threshold of mnemonic response to those reminders that are weaker than hyper-reminders. The psychological mechanisms underlying the inhibitory mnemonic effect of 'sites of oblivion' are as follows: Pavlovian extinction, attention deployment, Pavlovian re-conditioning and Pavlovian discrimination, respectively.


The alpha‐2‐globulin previously reported as 'PAG' has been renamed Pa 1. It appears to be inherited by means of an autosomal gene, possibly recessive. There is no evidence indicating a genetic relation to 16 other independent grouping systems. The appearance of this protein seems to be under hormonal control.


Many-core architectures are becoming increasingly popular due to advances in open programming environments. Typical architectures are Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and Homogenous Computing Fabrics, offering high computing parallelism in order to decrease execution time of computationally intensive algorithms, for example in Computer Vision. In this paper, a low complexity interest point detector has been written in OpenCL language and executed on different desktop and embedded computing platforms. The algorithm performs interest point detection in an image, around which there is enough distinctive information to enable further description. The algorithm has been optimized on the targeted platforms and performance and accuracy comparison has been performed.


Objective:The purpose of this study was to obtain the normal value of McNamara analysis for Chongqing adolescents with normal occlusion of permanent dentition.Methods:Chongqing adolescents with normal occlusion were taken 55 lateral cephalograms.McNamara analysis was conducted and the obtained data were compared with that of Chengdu,Shanghai and McNamara,respectively.Results:There was significant difference in the normal values of McNamara analysis between male and female Chongqing adolescents by t test;there was significant difference between Chongqing and Chengdu,Chongqing and Shanghai,Chongqing and McNamara also.Conclusion:There is significant difference in values of normal occlusion of McNamara analysis in different regions and different races.


This computer system comprises an intermediary device which is provided between a storage controller and a server, and which acts as an intermediary for information unit communication (communication according to PCIe). A first device (either the server or the storage controller) has a plurality of first queues, and the intermediary device has a second queue. A first index and a second index are provided for each of the plurality of first queues. Each first index is a value indicating the number of entries stored in the respective first queue, and each second index is a value indicating the number of entries constituting each information unit stored in the respective first queue. When a first index indicates the presence of an entry or entries in the respective first queue, the intermediary device fetches, from the first queue, the number of entries indicated by the second index for the first queue, stores the fetched entries in the second queue, and allocates the entries stored in the second queue to a selected one or ones of a plurality of processors, one or more information units at a time.


Magnetocardiography is one of the most progressive tools for diagnosis and investigation of heart diseases, such as coronary heart disease. Noninvasiveness, contactlessness, high sensitivity makes magnetocardiography suitable for this purpose and comfortable in use for physician. In this paper analysis of myocardium current density distribution maps is proposed. Current density distribution map surface area dependence on time and intensity threshold is obtained.


This paper provides a critical review of the impact of technical change on the structure of relative wages and employment, and considers some alternative explanations for the immiseration of low skilled workers. In the absence of any clear and distinguishing policy blueprint, the paper also seeks to clarify the major issues raised by our discussion for employment policy. Copyright Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2001.


Aim: To study of intrathecal bupivacaine with and without midazolam to assess its effect on the onset, duration of sensory and motor block in lower limb surgery. Place and Duration of Study: Fatemi Hospital, Ardebil University of Medical sciences, Iran. From March until September 2014. Methodology: Eighty patients were randomly allocated to two groups: 40 patients in the control group received 3 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine plus 0.4 ml of 0.9% saline intrathecally; 40 patients in the midazolam group received 3 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine plus 0.4 ml (2 mg) midazolam. The onset, duration of sensory/motor block, side effects, sedation score and time for request for first rescue analgesia were noted in two groups. Data collected by questionnaires and the data were extracted and analyzed by SPSS software with Ch-square and T-tests. Results: The deference in onset of sensory and motor block between groups was not significant (p>0.05). The duration of sensory and motor block was prolonged in the midazolam group significantly (p-value =0.005, p-value = 0.014 respectively). There were no episodes of hypotension, bradycardia, pruritus, vomiting and urinary retention in any patients. Incidence of nausea and sedation score was comparable in the two groups. Sedation score in the Midazolam group (3 patient had grade 1 sedation, 35 patients had grade 2 sedation and 2 patients had grade 3) was slightly higher than control group (1 patient had grade 1 sedation, 32 patients had grade 2 sedation and 7 patients had grade 3) (p=0.05). Request time for first rescue analgesia (Diclofenac) was longer in patients who received midazolam (147.38 versus 215.88, p-value<0.001). Conclusion: Intrathecal midazolam increased the duration of sensory and motor block without increasing side effects.


Polyacrylamide with an ultra\|high molecular weight suitable for driving crude oil in reservoir is prepared by homopolymerization cohydrolysis of acrylamide. In this technology, acrylamide taken as monomer together with sodium carbonate is initiated by self\|made initiator. The optimum parameters of polymerizing process are obtained as follows: pH value of solution is 12.5, the weights of monomer, oxidation\|reduction initator, the second initiator, the third initiator, the first auxilliary, the second auxiliary and chain\|transfer agent are 25%, 12.5×10 -6 , 5.0×10 -5 , 8.0×10 -5 , 2.5×10 -7 , 1.5×10 -6 , 2.5×10 -6 respectively. The initial reaction temperature is 18℃. The molecular weight of the product is 2×10 7, and the filter ratio is less than 1.3.


The problem of sparse wideband spectrum sensing (WBSS) of multiple primary users (PUs) is considered in this paper. Assuming all PUs have a similar brick-type spectrum, we can employ sub-Nyquist sampling for the wideband signal, while still being able to identify the activities of all PUs. First, we estimate the Welch power spectral density (PSD) of the aliased signal, and then apply the multi-scale wavelet product and CA-CFAR detector to capture the rising and falling spectral edges of the aliased wideband spectrum. Then the edge feature set is compared to all possible cases of a pre-computed database in terms of a well-defined matching score, and all the PU channels can be sensed at the same time. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed sub-Nyquist WBSS scheme is evaluated by computer simulation as well as instruments.


Looking at the devolved assemblies in Edinburgh and Cardiff, Diana Silvia Stirbu argues that ending gender inequality in UK politics requires serious structural and cultural changes.

Why is female representation in Parliament so low? How can the number of female MPs be increased? Looking at the devolved assemblies in Scotland and Wales, Diana Silvia Stirbu argues that ending gender inequality in UK politics requires serious structural and cultural changes.


In this paper, we present a conservative, positivity‐preserving, high‐resolution nonlinear ALE‐flux‐corrected transport (FCT) scheme for reactive transport models in moving domains. The mathematical model is a convection–diffusion equation with a nonlinear flux equation on the moving channel wall. The reactive transport is assumed to have dominant Péclet and Damköhler numbers, a phenomenon that often results in non‐physical negative solutions. The scheme presented here is proven to be mass conservative in time and positive at all times for a small enough Δt. Reactive transport examples are simulated using this scheme for its validation, to show its convergence, and to compare it against the linear ALE‐FCT scheme. The nonlinear ALE‐FCT is shown to perform better than the linear ALE‐FCT schemes for large time steps. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A 24-year-old woman presented with episodic palpitations usually associated with exertion. A narrow complex tachycardia was documented during one prolonged episode associated with a febrile illness. Electrocardiogram at rest showed occasional junctional ectopic beats and no preexcitation. During electrophysiology study, dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal physiology in the form of atrial-His (AH) jump was demonstrated and there was no evidence of accessory pathway conduction. No tachycardia could be induced with single and double atrial extrastimuli or atrial burst pacing. During isoprenaline infusion, repeated spontaneous initiation of tachycardia was seen without preceding premature beats or AH prolongation (Fig. 1). This was a regular narrow complex tachycardia at a cycle length of 365 ms with 1:1 ventriculo-atrial (VA) relationship, central VA conduction, and a VA interval of –10 ms. Premature atrial extrastimuli were introduced from the proximal coronary sinus scanning diastole. Shown in Figures 2 and 3 are two extrastimuli. What is the mechanism of the tachycardia based on the response to these extrastimuli?


Conversations between teachers have changed over time influenced by educational policy and practice on one hand and the intensification of administration on the other hand. Conversations appear to be increasingly associated with the management of assessment, professional standards and standardization, organizational development and performativity measures. These broader changes within the educational context impact on teachers' experiences of being in conversation with their colleagues; experiences that appear to be largely overlooked. This hermeneutic phenomenological research, explored the experiential and ontological nature of teachers' lived experiences and ways-of-being in conversation within the Australian Secondary school context. A number of phenomenological themes emerged from the research which have been described and interpreted against the writing of existential philosophers, specifically Heidegger and Gadamer, amongst others. The research uncovered a range of ontological understandings important to the current context and likely to be of great interest to practitioners and policy makers alike.


The increasing use of new technologies in the disciplines related to History, have given rise to new means for their study, analysis and dissemination. One of the technologies that has experienced great growth in recent years has been Virtual Reality. This paper presents the development of an interactive Virtual Reality application in which the aim is to disseminate the reconstruction of the Aeneas sculptural group that was found in the Adiectum Forum environment. First, all the pieces of the group found were digitized, as well as the remains of the forum. Second, we studied the process of adapting these data to be used in the Virtual Reality application. Thus, a new medium is proposed to show the Cultural Heritage that facilitates the learning process of the people.


The phenomenal resolution and versatility of the atomic force microscope (AFM), has made it a widely-used instrument in nanotechnology. In this thesis, a detailed model of AFM dynamics has been developed. It includes a new model for the piezoelectric scanner coupled longitudinal and lateral dynamics, creep, and hysteresis. Models for probe-sample interactions and cantilever dynamics were also included. The models were used to improve the dynamic response and hence image quality of contact-mode AFM. An extensive parametric study has been performed to experimentally analyze in-contact dynamics. Nonlinear variations in the frequency response were observed, in addition to changes in the pole-zero structure. The choice of scan parameters was found to have a major impact on image quality and feedback performance. Further, compensation for scanner creep was experimentally tested yielding a reduction in creep by a factor of 3 to 4 from the uncompensated system. Moreover, fundamental performance limitations in the AFM feedback system were identified. These limitations resulted in a severe bound on the maximum achievable feedback bandwidth, as well as a fundamental trade-off between step response overshoot and response time. A careful analysis has revealed that a PID controller has no real advantage over an integral controller. Therefore, a procedure for automatically selecting key scan parameters and controller gain was developed and experimentally tested for I-control. This approach, in contrast to the commonly used trial and error method, can substantially improve image quality and fidelity. In addition, a robust adaptive output controller (RAOC), was designed to guarantee global boundedness and asymptotic regulation in the presence and absence of disturbances, respectively. Simulations have shown that a substantial reduction in contact force can be achieved with the RAOC, in comparison with a well-tuned I-controller, yet with no increase in the maximum scan speed. Furthermore, a new method was developed to allow calibrating the scanner's vertical displacement up to its full range, in addition to characterizing scanner hysteresis. This work has identified and addressed crucial problems and proposed practical solutions to factors limiting the dynamic performance of the AFM. Thesis Supervisor: Kamal Youcef-Toumi Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering


To the Editor: Over the past year, we have observed three instances in which patients with advanced cancer received blood products solely for the purpose of altering a laboratory value to satisfy eligibility criteria for clinical trials of new chemotherapeutic agents. The first patient received a transfusion of 25% albumin to meet the albumin threshold of 30 g per liter (pretransfusion level, 22 g per liter). The second patient required a platelet count of 50,000 per cubic millimeter to meet enrollment criteria (pretransfusion count, 48,000). The third patient required a hemoglobin level above 9.0 g per deciliter for enrollment. Her . . .


Access to general schools for people with disabilities is an advance in the history of education. However, barriers to learning and participation hinder the school routine of inclusive students, hence the need for resources – human, tangible, political etc. – from the schools and their communities. This study aimed at investigating the quality of inclusive service offered to a student with visual impairment enrolled in a mainstream class through the identification of barriers and resources to learning and participation. Results showed that in the school routine of the student subject matter of this study there are inclusion and exclusion situations. The lack of accessibility-oriented curriculum adjustments leads to the exclusion of content, which is briefly conveyed to the student. Therefore, the school can be considered as having a low level of inclusion. Although the student seems to socialize with others, her learning process is being partially neglected.


There has been a great deal of work establishing that random linear codes are as list-decodable as uniformly random codes, in the sense that a random linear binary code of rate <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1 - {H}(\text {p}) - \epsilon $ </tex-math></inline-formula> is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$( {p},\text {O}(1/\epsilon))$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-list-decodable with high probability. In this work, we show that such codes are <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$( {p}, {H}( {p})/\epsilon + 2)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-list-decodable with high probability, for any <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {p} \in (0, 1/2)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\epsilon > 0$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. In addition to improving the constant in known list-size bounds, our argument—which is quite simple—works simultaneously for all values of p, while previous works obtaining <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {L} = \text {O}(1/\epsilon)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> patched together different arguments to cover different parameter regimes. Our approach is to strengthen an existential argument of (Guruswami, Håstad, Sudan and Zuckerman, IEEE Trans. IT, 2002) to hold with high probability. To complement our upper bound for random linear codes, we also improve an argument of (Guruswami, Narayanan, IEEE Trans. IT, 2014) to obtain an essentially tight lower bound of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1/\epsilon $ </tex-math></inline-formula> on the list size of uniformly random codes; this implies that random linear codes are in fact <italic>more</italic> list-decodable than uniformly random codes, in the sense that the list sizes are strictly smaller. To demonstrate the applicability of these techniques, we use them to (a) obtain more information about the distribution of list sizes of random linear codes and (b) to prove a similar result for random linear rank-metric codes.


Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by massive myocardial hypertrophy leading to left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Clinical presentation ranges from absence of symptoms to sudden death. A 17 yr old male patient, known case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was posted for excision of pseudopancreatic cyst. Anaesthetic management of these patients poses considerable challenges. Factors like tachycardia, hypovolemia, vasodilatation and increased cardiac contractility lead to exacerbation of the obstruction.


The contributions of nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry to the improvements on human health were reviewed in this article.Firstly,the discovery history of radioactivity and other important discoveries,related to human health in the field of nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry,were briefly introduced.Secondly,the development history of 99 Mo/99 Tcm generator,the principles and major applications of 99 Tcmradiopharmaceuticals as well as other major radionuclides in nuclear medicine,were described.Thirdly,the imaging principle of PET radiopharmaceuticals,the development history and the wide applications in nuclear medicine of 18F-FDG,together with other important 18F-labeled imaging agents were depicted.Fourthly,the current therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals were summarized;then,223 Ra dichloride injection for the therapy of bone metastases was highlighted.Fifthly,the advantages and disadvantages of various imaging technology were outlined;then,the new developments of PET/MRI dual-modal imaging agents were emphasized.Lastly,the roles of nuclearchemistry and radiochemistry to the improvements on human health were prospected;then,the achievements and existing problems of China were discussed.


Sutures commonly found within the parietal and occipital bones of the skull due to their multiple ossification centers. These sutures exhibit a zigzag pattern with interdigitations and sclerotic borders similar to, and join and merge with the major sutures.


The study conducted in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) was to examine soil degradation and soil compaction in fruit tree plantations due to the impact of agricultural activities. The specific obj ...


This paper intends to present the transformative mediation, from the theoretical perspective of Luis Alberto Warat, as a proposal for promoting a culture of human rights, seen articular in your exercise the individuals's autonomy and the inclusion of alterity in the conflict. It is from this last element that will be further articulated discussion between human rights and mediation through the debate on the recognition of equality and difference, currently so expensive for human rights. The transformative mediation aims through a dialogic relationship building with the other, a participatory approach and shared the problems and dilemmas common to human and social life.


In this paper, we propose real-time reflectance transformation system using correlation image sensor and four LEDs. The reflectance transformation system changes object appearance into different materials one and displays it in the monitor. We have developed real-time surface orientation imager to add specular component according to captured normal vector map for reflectance transformation. Surface orientation of the object is encoded into amplitude and phase of the reflected light intensity by using phase shifted blinking LEDs, The correlation image sensor, provided by us, demodulates those amplitude and phase in each pixel during exposure time. Therefore, the surface orientation is captured by single frame, which can be applied to moving object. We developed reflectance transformation system using surface orientation captured by our real-time surface orientation imager. We demonstrated that the system provides relighting and changing reflectance property in real-time.


Abstract Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used regularly by 70% of Canadians, 2,3 but when compared to younger users ofCAM, seniors tend to use it less frequently. Using a phenomenological approach, this study sought to explore the attitudes and beliefs of seniors towards the use ofCAM.  Methods: This qualitative study used either in-depth personal interviews or focus group interviews as the primary means of data collection. Participants in the study were individuals who had either usedCAM in the past, or who were currently usingCAM. Results: Participants described that they would use conventional treatment for pathological disease, but would prefer to useCAM in certain circumstances as it was perceived to be a more natural approach. Exercise was also described as a form ofCAM. Deterrents forCAM use include: limited scientific evidence; cost; and the attitudes of others (e.g., physicians, the public).  Conclusion: Participants felt that they had positive experiences usingCAM as an adjunct to conventional medicine, and felt that they had no personal barriers to accessingCAM. A major deterrent ofCAM use was the limited scientific evidence, while minor factors included cost and the attitudes of others. Open discussion aboutCAM use should take place between physician and patients.


Introduction: Member States of the European Union ("Member State(s)" or "the State(s)"), are long
associated with seeking to preserve their authority over migration control and border
management. At first glance, the externalisation and privatisation of migration control
and border management seem to challenge that narrative. Member States have started to
embrace migration control and border management procedures which harness the
potential of cooperation with third States and which devolve their authority to private
actors. Modern border control is now being enforced at either side of the traditional static
external border. Migration control and border management are no longer left behind in
the airport after landing; they are increasingly being enforced internally. Likewise, the
idea that Member State migration control and border management do not occur before
getting on a plane to travel to the European Union ("EU" or "the Union") territory is also
proving to be highly questionable. Nowadays, the who and where of migration control
have become increasingly crucial. The questions are: who is it that is implementing a
specific function or service of migration control? And, where is it being implemented?
These questions have become decisive in the allocation of legal responsibility for any
breach of a migrant's fundamental rights which occurs during the implementation of
migration control and border management.


Objective This randomized, double-blind, crossover study was designed to assess the effects of trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide, alone and in combination with fructose, on postprandial serum insulin and glucose levels in obese men compared with a glucose control. Methods Participants (n=21) ingested one of three study beverages, providing 75 g total carbohydrate, at each test visit, and venous blood samples were collected immediately prior to consumption (0 min) and at 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 90 min, and 120 min post-consumption for assessment of serum insulin and plasma glucose levels. Results Consumption of beverages containing trehalose and the trehalose/fructose combination blunted glycemic and insulinemic incremental areas under the curve by 20–35%, as compared with the glucose control. Conclusions Trehalose, alone or in combination with fructose, elicited lower glycemic and insulinemic responses in obese men as compared with glucose alone, and may have advantages in the development of food products.


We consider a UAV employed in a perimeter patrol mission where m alert stations are to be periodically inspected. This is modeled as a single server servicing m stations arranged uniformly on the circumference of a circle. Thus, the problem of maximizing the throughput of a single server servicing multiple alert stations is addressed. The service time is assumed to be a known fixed constant, S. Messages arrive at each station according to a Poisson process and we assume each queue (at a station) to be a pure loss system with a single/unit buffer. We are interested in the dynamic scheduling of the server, so as to maximize the throughput of the system, where throughput is defined as the (average) number of alerts serviced in unit time. The problem is cast as a semi-Markov decision process with an average reward criterion. We investigate the Bellman equation that gives the optimal policy and exploit an order reduction scheme that reduces the size of the problem from 2 to 2m−1, without any loss in optimality. We also highlight qualitative differences with heuristic and sub-optimal strategies that are commonly espoused in the literature.


A wireless mesh network is a kind of multi-hop network and can be used as synonym for an ad-hoc network. It is a network having many to many connections with the capability of dynamically healing the network topology. Security is a challenging application of a wireless mesh network. The self configurable self organized nature makes a wireless mesh network more vulnerable to various types of attacks. Exploitation of a WMN can cause a large scale degradation of network performance. In this paper we have discussed some attacks that are performed on various layers of TCP/IP model. And we performed a comparative study for a specific network layer attack: grey hole attack. A grey hole attack is often difficult to detect and recover. There are different techniques for its detection which have their advantages and shortcomings. We have discussed some of them in this paper.


The adhesive proteins employed by mussels have very specialized amino acid compositions undoubtedly related to the particular challenges of achieving permanent adhesion in the wet marine environment. Mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs) are known to contain high levels of the catecholic amino acid 3,4-dihydroxy-L-alanine (DOPA). Catechols are versatile in a chemical sense, participating in redox reactions, high affinity coordination of metal ions, and strong interfacial activity, leading to important roles for catechols in a variety of biological processes such as pigment formation, neurotransmission, iron sequestration, and in the case of mussel byssal proteinsmechanical adhesion. The rich chemical and biochemical landscape of catechols has led to numerous opportunities for the development biologically inspired materials for a variety of applications. In this talk I will summarize our work on understanding the mechanochemistry of mussel adhesive proteins and to design mussel-inspired synthetic catechol materials for use in surgical adhesion/wound closure, antifouling coatings and in drug delivery. Our basic research is devoted to undertsanding the role of DOPA in mussel adhesive proteins. For example, single molecule force spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for probing the mechanochemical behavior of DOPA at solidliquid interfaces. These experiments have revealed new details of the chemical interactions between DOPA and inorganic or organic surfaces. More recently, we have explored the unique role of Fe(III) in the mussel byssus, providing the strongest evidence yet for Fe(III) induced covalent cross-linking of catechols, and demonstrating the mechanical toughening of catechol polymer networks through the formation of coordination bonds between Fe(III) and catechols. On the translational side, synthetic catechol polymer medical sealants and adhesives are being developed, exploiting the same cohesive and adhesive interactions of catechols that are believed to be important in mussel adhesion. Examples of surgical applications where these materials are candidates for use in humans, include vascular wound closure and sealing of spontaneous or fetal surgery-associated cases of fetal membrane rupture. We have also developed a variety of surface modification strategies inspired by mussel adhesive proteins, involving catechol containing molecules Highly versatile in their ability to modify a variety of different materials by dipcoating, these coatings are able to confer a variety of functional properties to substrates. Several examples of these will be given, with an emphasis on grafting of antifouling polymers onto surfaces via catechol-based chemistry, for the purposes of controlling protein, cell and bacterial adhesion on surfaces, including the surfaces of nanoparticles. In the area of drug delivery, we are developing novel catechol polymer conjugates of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ) for pH-sensitive delivery to cancer cells. One design takes advantage of the facile conjugation of BTZ to catechols to form pH-sensitive drug delivery vehicles that are stable and inactive in the bloodstream but dissociate in the acidic tumor interstitium or intracellular environment to liberate the drug, activating its proteasome inhibiting function and thereby potentially increasing the efficacy and reducing the peripheral toxicity of BTZ.


National Social Assurance System (SJSN) in the health sector is the efforts to improve public access to qualified and safe health care. For the poor it help them
to get the required health care. Low utilization of health services by PBI's outpatient in RSU Haji Surabaya is an indicator of SJSN is not optimal. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between demand, quality
care assessment, and assessment of administrative procedures with the use of health care. This study is a observasional and cross sectional analytic design. Sample
calculated by the formula of simple random sampling, that is equal to 74 people and collected by systematic random sampling. Samples are outpatients who use health services in RSU Haji Surabaya in May-June 2014. Data were collected by questionnaires submitted through interviews. Data processing is done by the Spearman correlation test and Chi Square (α = 0.05). The results showed the majority of respondents have a high utilization. The majority of respondents were female, age range of majority respondents was 46- 65 years. Quality care assessment showed that patients lack to the quality attributes have low utilization. Significant factors associated with utilization are age (p = 0.001) and spending times to get care (p = 0.006). Another factor related to the utilization are referral access (p = 0.004), additional cost access (0,011) and assessment of registration procedures (p = 0.011). The conclusion of this study are age, spending time to get care, referral access, access to additional costs and registration procedure associated with the utilization rate of health care respondents. Patients who utilize health services tend to have high utilization.


We derive a governing equation for a Kelvin wave supported on a vortex line in a Bose-Einstein condensate, in a rotating cylindrically symmetric parabolic trap. From this solution the Kelvin wave dispersion relation is determined. In the limit of an oblate trap and in the absence of longitudinal trapping our results are consistent with previous work. We show that the derived Kelvin wave dispersion in the general case is in quantitative agreement with numerical calculations of the Bogoliubov spectrum and offer a significant improvement upon previous analytical work.


Due to the magnitude of the new coronavirus pandemic, the routine of the general population and health services were modified. Much of the service to the population has started to be done mainly at a distance, with the help of technology tools, for instance, phones and computers, avoiding possible exposures to the virus. The goal of this study was to evaluate the teleservice offered to the population of Rio Grande do Norte, through a call-center, from the website Orienta Coronavirus RN and WhatsApp. The work was carried out by students, teachers and health professionals from some institutions, all qualified to offer reliable information to society. Therefore, the project collaborated in reducing the population uncertainties about COVID-19, decreasing the search for information in the health system, as well as contributing to the academic training of students from the interprofessional perspective.


EDITOR,--I am surprised that Nicola Peel and Richard Eastell list oestrogen deficiency and monitoring the response of osteoporosis to treatment as indications for measurement of bone density, without qualification.1 An investigation is useful only to the extent that it affects management, and the decision to start or continue hormone replacement therapy will rarely be based on the result of a recording of bone density.

Hormone replacement therapy is indicated for women with a relative oestrogen deficiency irrespective of their bone density because of the greater attributable benefits of mortality and …


Background Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) of small-vessel coronary artery disease (SVD) is related to an increased risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR) and stent thrombosis (ST). The application of the drug-coated balloon (DCB) for patients with SVD remains controversial. Objectives Assess the outcomes of DCB in the treatment of SVD compared with DES in patients with SVD. Methods A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to June 2020, reporting the outcomes of DCB versus DES in the treatment of SVD, was performed. Results Four RCTs with 1227 patients were included. The results indicated that DCB was associated with the decreased risk for myocardial infarction (MI) compared with the DES, but the difference showed no significance (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.24–1.03, P=0.06). And, there was no significant difference in death (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.17–3.43, P=0.72), cardiac death (OR 1.92, 95% CI 0.74–4.98, P=0.18), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.51–1.28, P=0.36), target lesion revascularization (TLR) (OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.66–2.52, P=0.46), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.61–1.38, P=0.69) between the DCB group and DES group. Conclusion Compared with DES, DCB was associated with a decreased risk of MI among patients with SVD, but the difference showed no significance. The application of DCB in SVD is associated with comparable outcomes of death, TVR, and MACE when compared with DES.


Objectives: To know the impact of the first wave of COVID19 (March to June 2020) in the nursing activity in rheumatology and explore improvements in patient care during the pandemic situation. Methods: 2 surveys were sent to nurses working in the rheumatology area (Both in the Outpatient department and day care unit) during October 2020 in Spain. The first survey had 10 questions about what happened in the rheumatology units in the first wave of the COVID19 pandemic (March to June of 2020) and the second survey had 10 questions about the standards of quality of nursing care in times of pandemic. Google forms were used to collect and analyze data. Results: 32 nurses completed the survey (30 women (93.8%)) with an average age of 49.6 ± 10.2 years. 93.8% work in the outpatient clinics and 2(6.2%) in day care units. The main results of the effects of the first wave of the pandemic are as follow: 4(12.5%) nurses were transferred to other areas of the hospital, 27(84.4%) showed changes in their care activity;and in 12(37,5%) of the surveyed centers, (slightly less than half of the medical staff) left their usual activity to care for COVID-19 patients. In June 2020, at the end of the first wave, 17(53.1%) reported more decompensated patients and 22(68.8%) reported that they had both telephone and face-to-face consultations;15(46.9%) reported that their clinical activity had increased. Regarding the standards of quality during the pandemia: 27(84.4%) believed that rheumatology units should be strengthened,31(96.9%) reported the need to carry out COVID educational campaigns in rheumatic patients and 30(100%) stated that nursing education should lead that education;31(96.7%) believed that telephone consultation should be on demand and by telephone, 25 (78.1%) considered it necessary to include video calls and the possibility of receiving reports in non-face to face care and photos. Finally, 23(71.9%) centers recorded nursing and medical telephone consultations in their medical records. Conclusion: The pandemic had a huge impact on nursing care for rheumatic patients, with difficulties associated with extra work load and changes in the dynamics of care. A readjustment of assistance has been necessary and audiovisual aids were necessary to improve telephone (non face to face) service.


For the purpose of mastering the behaviour of sandwich structures through the knowledge of the mechanical properties, static strain measurement was carried out using the classical strain gauge method and reflection photoelasticity, and dynamic modal measurement was made using a FFT analyser and an impact hammer. The photoelastic technique has the advantage of yielding full strain field information in the form of fringes which give the difference in principal strain and their orientation. Photoelasticity, strain gauges and FFT measurements are compared to the numerical results obtained through finite element analysis. For orthotropic material such as the honeycomb cores, nine independant elastic coefficients must be known in order to be introduced into the program. The finite element package used for the modelisation is Ansys with two-dimensional shell finite elements. Knowledge of edge effects in composite with honeycomb cores is also essential for the design of sandwich structures. This paper deals with the measurement of strain by the application of reflection photoelasticity. Because of the geometry of honeycomb cores a classical method by strain gauges is inaccurate and unsuitable. The measurements by photoelasticity is compared to analytical and numerical results. The final aim of this work is to master the behaviour of such structures by the exact knowledge of its mechanical properties deduced in part from edge effect results.