In many applications, it is not easy to generate enough whole-life data for training a deep neural network, which may reduce the performance of a health indicator (HI). To solve this problem, a new HI construction method based on deep transfer learning is proposed in this article. First, a new multiscale domain-adversarial neural network is proposed to extract representative features from the data collected under different working conditions. By introducing the maximum mean discrepancy regularizer and the Laplace regularizer, this model can enhance features' discriminant ability for incipient fault and exploit overall degradation information simultaneously. Then, a new HI is obtained via dimensionality reduction based on the extracted features. Moreover, a new HI assessment metric is proposed to effectively estimate the performance of the obtained HI. This new index considers not only the nonlinear correlation but also the geometric similarity of the degradation processes under different working conditions. Comparative experiments are conducted on the IEEE PHM Challenge 2012 bearing data set and the XJTU-SY bearing data set. The results show that the proposed method outperforms several typical transfer learning methods and nontransferable deep learning methods in terms of monotonicity and correlation.


A method of overboarding and lowering a load from a vessel comprises using a vessel- mounted crane to lift the load from a deck of the vessel, to move the load off the deck into an outboard over-water position and to lower the load from the outboard position into the water. The method further comprises placing at least one guide member acting in compression between the load and an upstanding supporting structure of the crane to restrain horizontal movement of the load relative to a boom of the crane; and lowering the guide member to continue restraining horizontal movement of the load while lowering the load from the outboard position into the water. A related guide apparatus comprises at least one guide member that is movably connected to a mount for movement relative to the mount around and parallel to a slewing axis of the crane.


Alcohol has been observed to have teratogenic effects on humans and mice during different stages of embryonic development. These effects can be condensed under fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), exhibiting a variety of signs from growth retardations to neurobehavioral aberrations. Despite better understanding of several potential mechanisms, the question of how alcohol, as an environmental factor leads to brain growth delay in FASD remains elusive. DNA methylation is key to development and tissue specification. Studies have suggested that alcohol may alter gene expression by affecting DNA and histone methylation. Previous studies have demonstrated that 5-methylcytosine (5mC), a DNA methylation mark, is associated with histone 3 lysine-9me3, (H3K9me3) to play a role in gene repression. Recently another methylation mark, 5hydroxylmethylcytosine (5hmC), was found to prevail in the nervous system. However, its function has not been clear. Global analysis suggests that it is a transition of demethylation leading to transcription. The study will first identify its association with histone 3 lysine-4me3, (H3K4me3) a transcriptional activator in gene expression, and then study the 5hmC under influence of alcohol exposure. This study will utilize both an in vivo model—the vapor chamber, and an in vitro model—the embryonic culture system to address this question. Embryos were exposed to alcohol (400mg/dL, 88mM) from the beginning of embryonic day (E) 8 for 6hrs, harvested at E10, and processed for immunohistochemistry. Compare the DNA methylation marks, and histone modification marks to see if the spatial and/or temporal distribution has been affected by alcohol exposure. It is expected that in the alcohol-treated embryos, an overall retardation of embryonic growth, delayed neural tube formation, and altered expression of epigenetic markers will be observed. This study could indicate that alcohol, through alteration of DNA and histone methylation is a potential mechanism underpinning brain growth delay in FASD.


In this paper, we introduce smart multi-sensor and environment monitoring system for managing growth and development of the agricultural produces. This system is able to help to collect the sensor information about the growing environment and to monitor in wired and wireless environments. Existing systems installed each kinds of sensor to gather information. In this case, installation cost was incurred about each sensor and the position of sensor set up manually. Therefore, this paper designed and implemented smart multi-sensor that simplify sensors in order to minimize the cost for installing each sensor. In addition, this system is able to monitor position and data information of smart multi-sensor using RFID communication


The invention discloses a near-field communication antenna. The near-field communication antenna includes a first radiator and a second radiator. The first radiator is formed by surrounding an axis with a first lead, and the second radiator is formed by surrounding the axis with a second lead in a surrounding direction of the first lead. A second signal input terminal of the second radiator is electrically connected to a first signal input terminal of the first radiator, and an open circuit terminal of the second radiator is disposed adjacent to a first signal output terminal. Thus, the interference of metal elements to the near-field communication antenna is reduced, and the quality factor of the near-field communication antenna is enhanced.


In the article a leisure communication is considered as interaction of a person with a person, and also the author considers the subjective side of the process and the significance of leisure communication in development and consolidation of subjects.


It has great significance for editors of academic journals to insist on the combination of edit and research in order to improve the quality of journals. It not only enables editors to develop their learning standard and promotes the communication between editors and authors and the communication between revisers and readers, but it can improve editors' working style as well. Editors should do scientific research according to the editorial theory and their own special field of study. That will not only make the editing a scientific and standard one, but ensure the quality of journals as well. Editors also can accumulate information that is relevant to their special field of study to develop their learning standard by the way of editing articles.


(l) J,. Lattes: "Individuality of the Blood;', London, 1932. I".A. So Wiener: "On the Usefulness of Blood-Grouping in Medico-Lagaj Cases Involving Blood Relationship", The JOlwnal of Immunology, Volume XXIV, 1933, page 443. (3) K. Landstelnerand P. Levine: "On Individual Differences in Human Blood", Journal of Experimental Medicine. Volume XLVII, May, 1928, page 757. W A. S. Wiener, M. Lederer and S. H. Polayes: "On the Chances of Proving Non-Paternity. with Special References to Blood Groups", The JOlwnar of Imntt<ltology, Volume XIX, 1930, page 259. (5) A. H. 'I'ebbutt : "Comparative Iso-Agglutinin Index of Australian Aborigines and Australians", THE MF.DICAL JOURNAL m' AUSTRALIA. September29, 1923, page 346.


The respiratory organs and the maxillofacial apparatus are quite closely related to each other. Reducing the size of the upper respiratory tract is a factor that contributes to the development and formation of bite pathology and even dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of maxillofacial anomalies among children. The aim of the study Is to determine and to compare the position of the TMJ heads and the anatomical dimensions (anterior-posterior dimensions) of the upper respiratory tract in patients with malocclusion class I and II bite based on cone beam computed tomography findings. The analysis of 39 cone-beam computer tomograms of patients was carried out. According to the ANB angle, all patients were divided into two groups based on the type of malocclusion: group I included patients with malocclusion class I, and group II included patients with malocclusion class II. Measurement and interpretation of cone-beam computer tomography was carried out according to the method of N.A. Rabukhina and the McNamara's method. The dimensions of the joint space of the temporomandibular joint in three sections (front, top and back both on the right and on the left) had no statistically significant differences. The average value of the joint space on the left and right in the patients of the first group in the front section was 2.5±0.27mm, in the patients of the second group – 3.01±0.35. In the upper part these indicators in patients of the first group were 2.76±0.37 mm, in the second group - 2.65±0.32 mm. In the posterior part the average value of the joint's gap was 3.06±0.01 mm in patients of the first group and 2.28±0.27 mm in the second group. Measurements of the oropharyngeal area on cone-beam computed tomography were (according to the McNamara's method): the width of the upper part of the pharynx in the first group - 17.41±0.44 mm, and in the second group averaged 15.82±0.61 mm with statistical significance (р˂0.05). In patients with bite pathology of both classed, according to the McNamara's method, the lower part of the pharynx is narrowed compared to the norm. The study demonstrated the patients of the II group have a statistically significant difference in the reduction of the pharyngeal upper part width compared to I group and the displacement of the TMJ heads upwards and backwards.


Although there have been a number of studies on large scale implementation of proprietary enterprise information systems (EIS), open-source software (OSS) for EIS has received limited attention in spite of its potential as a disruptive innovation. Cost saving is the main driver for adopting OSS among the other possible benefits including security and reliability, transparency of development process, etc. Due to the costly implementation of proprietary EIS, small- and medium-sized organizations have given attention to OSS as an alternative. OSS EIS can also help create competitive advantage by enabling organizations to customize their information systems by modifying the opensource software codes without the dependency on vendors.


Many questions remain unanswered regarding therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) utility with thiopurines. This study aims to establish a relationship between thiopurines' metabolites and drug toxicity. We performed a systematic review with inclusion of studies evaluating the relationship between thiopurines' metabolites and drug toxicity. Meta-analysis of mean difference (MD), correlations and odds ratio (OR) was performed. We identified 21,240 records, 72 of which were eligible for meta-analysis. Levels of 6-thioguanine nucleotides (6-TGN) were higher in patients with leukopenia (MD 127.06 pmol/8 × 108 RBC) and gastrointestinal intolerance (MD 201.46 pmol/8 × 108 RBC), and lower in patients with hepatotoxicity (MD −40.6 pmol × 108 RBC). We established a significant correlation between 6-TGN and leukocytes (r = −0.21), neutrophils (r = −0.24) and alanine aminotransferase levels (r = −0.24). OR for leukopenia in patients with elevated 6-TGN was 4.63 (95% CI 2.24; 9.57). An optimal cut-off of 135 pmol/8 × 108 RBC for leukopenia was calculated (sensitivity 75.4%; specificity 46.4%). 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotides (6-MMPR) were significantly associated with hepatotoxicity (MD 3241.2 pmol/8 × 108 RBC; OR 4.28; 95% CI 3.20; 5.71). Levels of 6-MMPR measured in the first 8 weeks of treatment were associated with leukopenia. We conclude that TDM could be used to prevent thiopurines' toxicity. As optimal metabolites level may vary according to indication, physicians may adapt posology to decrease toxicity without compromising efficacy.


We find the greatest value α and the least value β such that the double inequality αH(a, b) + (1 − α)S(a, b) 0 with a 6= b. Here S(a, b) denotes the weighted geometric mean of a and b with weights a a+b and b a+b , T(a, b) and H(a, b) denote the Centroidal and harmonic means of two positive numbers a and b, respectively.


Address for correspondence Kwang Ik Yang, MD, PhD Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, 31 Suncheonhyang 6-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan 31151, Korea Tel: +82-41-570-2290 Fax: +82-41-592-3810 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Objectives: We conducted this study to evaluate the utility of the McGill oximetry score (MOS) to rule out moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in Korean children. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study by using medical and polysomnography (PSG) records from our sleep disorder center. We assessed 58 PSG records conducted from September 2011 to December 2015. MOS was calculated from the overnight oximetry tests performed as part of PSG. We also investigated age, gender, height zscore, weight z-score, body mass index z-score, obesity, underweight, and pediatric daytime sleepiness scale. Results: MOS revealed inconclusive (score 1) in 50 (68.2%), and abnormal (2–4) in 8 (13.8%) of PSG results. And moderate to severe OSAS were diagnosed in 20 (34.5%) records according to the apnea-hyponea index (≥5). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, age [adjust odds ratio (OR) 0.8; p-value=0.013] and abnormal MOS (adjust OR 39.5; p-value=0.007) showed statistical significance between normal/mild OSAS group and moderate/severe OSAS group. MOS had a positive predictive value of 88%, a negative predictive value of 74%, a sensitivity of 35% and a specificity of 97% for detecting moderate/severe OSAS. Conclusions: In our small group study, MOS cannot exclude moderate to severe OSAS. Further prospective studies are needed. J Sleep Med 2016;13(1):15-20


This study examines the influences of abstract and episodic representations of words in auditory repetition priming. Two manipulations of prime and target items were employed, token-change and voice-change. First, either the target item consisted of a different token spoken by the same speaker as the prime (token-change), or the target item was a token spoken by a different speaker/different gender (voice-change) than the prime. Second, lapse between prime and target varied across three conditions: no-lapse (no intervening trials between prime and target), medium-lapse (exactly ten intervening trials), and long-lapse (exactly 20 intervening trials). Stimuli were presented using an auditory lexical decision task (with an equal number of English-like nonwords). The reaction time data reveal the greatest facilitation between token-change no-lapse prime-target pairs (256 ms), followed by voice-change no-lapse pairs (182 ms). Facilitation effects were comparable across both the medium-lapse and long-lapse conditions, and there was no advantage for token-change over voice-change items. We interpret these results in terms of current models of lexical access in which episodic representation are available only immediately after presentation, while abstract representations are active for a longer time.


1.The rules of complex systems are recognizable and have inspiring value on methodology;2.Regarded as very large scale complex system, information society has some new essential features;3.The modeling skills of complex system and the interaction between model and prototype,virtual world and real world;4.According to the basic spirit of complexity methodology,we can propose proper design principles which can process complex system;5.The issue of the financial crisis is the propagation of oscillations through the financial complex system,which causes instability and may result in system disintegration.In order to achieve goals of maintaining stability of financial complex system,we must adopt relating major countermeasures though adjusting critical system parameters.


In this paper we examine different types of labour policies in the benchmark model of DMP in both cases where job-destruction rate is exogenous and endogenous. Our theoretical results show that the labour market tightness and the unemployment rate would be more volatile if job-destruction is endogenous.


This paper examined how universities make the commercial decision-making. Based on research data of 136 patents of 15 universities in Hubei Province, this paper did empirical test on the relationship of knowledge characteristics, knowledge commercial modes and knowledge commercial effects. The results concluded that the universities were inclined to commercialize knowledge with high uncertainty and low market coupling degree. It also indicated that university knowledge commercialization has not gained satisfactory effects. Policy supports performed certain moderating effects in this process.


Each of us processes our own experience in a special way. There is no right or wrong way to handle it. Different people have different thinking structures and often do not understand each other. But, on the other hand, exactly that complexity of the human being is one of the biggest challenges in communication as a universal process. Discovering and adapting the identity of individuals becomes the number one priority. Consumers are exposed to many stimulants that motivate them to behave positively or negatively, react and decide. As processes in our mind that clarify the decision-making structure, as well as how individuals are motivated to take action, are metaprograms that are unconscious schemes for ordering information. They act as filters and allow only what is important to the individual to be taken into account. The main goal of this paper is to emphasize the knowledge about the existence of metaprograms, their understanding, application in terms of motivation to achieve a result by recognizing them allows us to become more influential and more able to touch in a way that is appropriate for people around us.


A case of psychogenic hearing loss in a 16-year-old girl is reported. The patient complained of right facial nerve palsy initially, but had no hearing loss at that time. After the first steroid treatment for her facial nerve palsy, no improvement was noted. When the second treatment was started, bilateral hearing loss with tinnitus, right ear pain and dizziness developed. Neurological examinations were unremarkable, and a brain CT examination was negative. The bilateral hearing loss did not improve, and limited visual fields were also noted. A consultation with a psychiarist strongly suggested the possibility of a psychogenic origin for hearing loss. We assumed that the prolonged clinical course of her facial palsy might have resulted in hearing loss in this case.


We present the concept of an intelligent robotic agent that displays both learning-based and reactive capabilities. The learning-based components of the agent enable it to build up action strategies over its lifetime in a real world environment. Due to its complexity and dynamically changing nature, it is impossible to gather full knowledge about the environment. This necessitates the addition of reactive components that enable the robotic agent to carry out tasks in the presence of environment uncertainties. Our view of an intelligent robotic agent is based on the decomposition into a learning-based action planner and a reactive action executor part. We present an overview of the modules that implement the functionality of these two main components.


AbstractThe Box–Behnken design of the response surface methodology was employed to optimize three most important adsorption parameters (initial Ni(II) concentration, pH, and adsorption temperature) and to investigate the interactive effects of these variables on Ni(II) adsorption capacity of 110-H resin. According to analysis of variance and response surface analyses, the experiment data were excellently fitted to the quadratic model. The corresponding optimal parameters of adsorption process are listed as following: temperature at 35°C, initial pH of 6.57, and initial Ni(II) concentration of 0.33 mg/mL. Under optimum adsorption conditions, the adsorption capacity of Ni(II) was 188.5 mg/g, in well accordance with the predicted value by the model (192.88 mg/g). The adsorption kinetics and equilibrium data were well fitted to the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔS, and ΔH) suggested that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontan...


This paper investigates the e ects of funding from family and friends (i.e. informal funding) on rms' subsequent access to venture capital. I retrieve information on small and young U.S. rms' nancing activity and their use of informal funds from a novel hand-collected dataset based on SEC lings for private placements (Form Ds). To address potential endogeneity of informal nance, I use an instrument that hinges on founders' family size as an exogenous constraint on the supply of informal funds. This instrument is based on the frequency with which founders' last names occur in the Census survey, with infrequent last names identifying small extended families. My results show that informal nance reduces the probability of future nancing events. Marginal e ects range from -15% to -19%. I provide suggestive evidence that these e ects are due to con icts of interests between informal stakeholders and professional later stage investors. ∗Department of Finance, London School of Economics. Email: email@example.com. I am indebted to Amil Dasgupta and Daniel Paravisini for their guidance and encouragement. I thank Ashwini Agrawal, Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe and Dirk Jenter for their suggestions and support. I am grateful to Mike Burkart, Vicente Cunat, Andrew Ellul, Daniel Ferreira, Dong Lou, Maria Marchica, Tarun Ramadorai and Moqi Xu as well as seminar participants at the Manchester/Bristol/Lancaster 4th Annual Corporate Finance Conference, 12th Annual Corporate Finance Conference at Olin Business School, HEC Finance PhD Workshop and London School of Economics. I also thank the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) [grant number: ES/K002309/1] for nancial support.


This study was was aimed at identifing the most likely location of the tan-mite (Dichopelmus notus Keifer) in mate-tea orchards and to study the influence of climate factors in its population fluctuation. The study was carried out in orchard of ten years, in the arrangement of 2.5 X 4.0m with height of 1.5 m, located in Chapeco, Santa Catarina state, Brazil. In three areas of approximately 2,500m2, distant between itself about 100m, 30 plants had been selected randomly. Fortnightly, in the period of 27/01/2004 to 10/01/2005, were evaluated infestation of D. notus in 18 mature leaves of ten plants in each area, being six in the upper one-third, six in the medium one-third and six in lower one-third, three in each location of the crown, external and internal. The evaluations were executed directly in the orchard, using lenses with increase of ten times and 1cm2 of fixed field. The results had evidenced that: the mites concentrate themselves in the external part of the plant in the upper one-third part of canopy as well as in the medium part one-third. The greatest infestation of D. notus occurred between February and April, not having been found significant correlation between the climate elements and the average number of mite for cm2 of leaf.


Summary

Spray drying of flaxseed gum was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Water seed ratio (7–20), feed temperature (25–100 °C) and outlet temperature (60–110 °C) were the factors investigated with respect to yield, rheological characteristics (apparent viscosity, dynamic viscosity, storage G′ and loss G″ moduli), colour and cyanogenic glycoside contents of the spray-dried flaxseed gum. Optimization of the spray drying process was performed to achieve maximum yield and functionality (rheological properties) of flaxseed gum. Water : seed ratio and outlet temperature were the two major factors affecting the response variables of the gum. The highest yield of spray dried flaxseed gum was obtained at a water : seed ratio of approximately 18 L kg−1. Optimization for high yield led to the production of gums with low viscosities. Maximum stationary points for gum yield and minimum stationary point for rheological characteristics were observed at relatively high water : seed ratio (˜18), combined with moderate inlet feed temperature (61.7 °C) and high outlet temperature (92 °C).


Single solid source precursor of Copper–Aluminium dithiocarbamate was prepared and characterized by infrared spectroscopy. Thin films of copper aluminium sulphide were deposited on the substrate (soda lime glass) using metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) technique within temperature ranges of 420 and 450 °C through the pyrolysis of the prepared precursor. Morphological and optical characterizations were then carried out. Morphological study carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the deposited films are dense and polycrystalline in nature, uniform with the particle size distribution of the grains decreasing with increase in temperature. A direct optical energy gap of 3.28 and 2.88 eV were obtained for films deposited at 420 and 450 °C respectively. Other optical constants were found to increase as temperature increased.


GUEST, P. G., Numerical Methods of Curve Fitting (Cambridge University Press, 1961), xiv + 422pp., 80s. The fitting of curves to observational data, whether curves of a prescribed function or of a probability distribution, is one of the oldest applicational problems of the practical statistician, actuary, physicist, astronomer or meteorologist. Since about 1920 the whole subject has been reconsidered from modern standpoints, part practical, part theoretical. On the practical side there is the availability of superior calculating machines, electrical or high-speed electronic; these have reacted on the choice of theoretical methods, so that for example linear combination on a wholesale scale, or orthogonal functions, can be freely used. At the same time, and particularly since the pioneer work of R. A. Fisher, the theory of tests of statistical significance has been investigated in the minutest detail, so that side by side with the theoretical and calculative branches of curve fitting there is also the statistical testing of the results. A modern textbook will take full account of all three aspects. It can be said at once that the book before us does this, and handsomely. In fact it contains more than its title implies. Part I consists of four chapters on general theoretical statistics, in which probability, characteristic functions, binomial, Poisson and / 2 distributions are treated and the central limit theorem derived, not in full rigour but with broad sufficient indications; also such other typical test distributions as those of t and F. This ground being prepared, the book proceeds to the theme of the title, with such thoroughness that for example the fitting of a straight line, linear regression, occupies 62 pages, and the fitting of a polynomial more than 180. A profusion of methods is given and a complete discussion of standard errors and of testing. Part III deals with the fitting of harmonic and other functions more general than the polynomial, and with multivariate regression. Numerical examples and tables illustrate the discussion at every point; and in a final chapter five typical examples are worked out with full comment. The bibliography is extensive, covering eight pages. The text is singularly free from error, and the printing excellent.


This report examines the accomplishments of a collaborative project to enhance student learning and motivation in mathematics in a middle school serving a changing population of students, the majority of whom are Latino. The partnership joined together the mathematics teachers and site administrator of the school, university mathematicians and educational researchers, and the management and workers from a research-and-development-oriented electronics firm. The partners in the project believed that a thematic approach to mathematics instruction might address a number of the hypothesized causes of low achievement. Results suggest that the project school is doing an especially effective job at the seventh grade level. All students showed improvement against the national norms regardless of mathematics curriculum. Eighth grade data were less encouraging but the students who were taught using a thematic curriculum held their own against the national norms. Students in the thematic class scored better on the Mathematics in Manufacturing criterion test that sampled material covered in a manufacturing unit. Contains 33 references. (PVD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************


SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE MAINTENANCE FUNCTION Chapter 1: Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Maintenance Chapter 2: Operating Policies of Effective Maintenance Chapter 3: Area and Centralized Maintenance Control Chapter 4: Operating Practices to Reduce Maintenance Work Chapter 5: Incentive Payment of Maintenance Workers Chapter 6: Reports from Maintenance Chapter 7: Maintenance Skills Training SECTION 2: THE HORIZONS OF MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT Chapter 1: Corrective Maintenance Chapter 2: Components of Effective Preventive Maintenance Chapter 3: Predictive Maintenance Chapter 4: Maintenance Work Order Planning Chapter 5: An Introduction to the Computer in Maintenance Chapter 6: Computerized Planning and Scheduling Chapter 7: Maintenance Stores and Inventory Control Chapter 8: Maintenance Storerooms Chapter 9: Internet for Maintenance and Engineering SECTION 3: ESTABLISHING COSTS AND CONTROL Chapter 1: Economics of Preventive Maintenance Chapter 2: Work Measurement Chapter 3: Rating and Evaluating Maintenance Workers Chapter 4: Work Simplification in Maintenance Chapter 5: Estimating Repair and Maintenance Costs SECTION 4: MAINTENANCE OF PLANT FACILITIES Chapter 1: Maintenance of Low-Sloped Membrane Roofs Chapter 2: Concrete Industrial Floor Surfaces: Design, Installation, Repair, and Maintenance Chapter 3: Painting and Protective Coatings Chapter 4: Maintenance and Cleaning of Brick Masonry Structures Chapter 5: Maintenance of Elevators and Special Lifts Chapter 6: Air-Conditioning Equipment Chapter 7: Ventilating Fans and Exhaust Systems Chapter 8: Dust-Collecting and Air-Cleaning Equipment Chapter 9: Piping Chapter 10: Scaffolds and Ladders SECTION 5: MAINTENANCE OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT Chapter 1: Plain Bearings Chapter 2: Rolling-Element Bearings Chapter 3: Flexible Couplings for Power Transmission Chapter 4: Chains for Power Transmission Chapter 5: Cranes: Overhead and Gantry Chapter 6: Chain Hoists Chapter 7: Belt Drives Chapter 8: Mechanical Variable-Speed Drives Chapter 9: Gear Drives and Speed Reducers Chapter 10: Reciprocating Air Compressors Chapter 11: Valves Chapter 12: Pumps: Centrifugal and Positive Displacement SECTION 6: MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Chapter 1: Electric Motors Chapter 2: Maintenance of Motor Control Components Chapter 3: Maintenance of Industrial Batteries (Lead-Acid, Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel-Iron) Chapter 4: Illumination SECTION 7: SANITATION AND HOUSEKEEPING Chapter 1: Organizing the Sanitation-Housekeeping Personnel Chapter 2: Maintaining Plant Sanitation and Housekeeping Chapter 3: Industrial Housekeeping Chapter 4: Cleaning Industrial Plant Offices SECTION 8: INSTRUMENTS AND RELIABILITY TOOLS Chapter 1: Mechanical Instruments for Measuring Process Variables Chapter 2: Electrical Instruments for Measuring, Servicing, and Testing Chapter 3: Vibration: Its Analysis and Correction Chapter 4: An Introduction to Thermography Chapter 5: Tribology SECTION 9: LUBRICATION Chapter 1: The Organization and Management of Lubrication Chapter 2: Lubricating Devices and Systems Chapter 3: Planning and Implementing a Good Lubrication Program SECTION 10: MAINTENANCE WELDING Chapter 1: Arc Welding in Maintenance Chapter 2: Gas Welding in Maintenance SECTION 11: CHEMICAL CORROSION CONTROL AND CLEANING Chapter 1: Corrosion Control Chapter 2: Industrial Chemical Cleaning Methods


non-skeletal Al) > SiOH. In contrast to mediumpore HZSM-5 zeolite, which yields mainly aromatics and aliphatics (most abundant is isobutene), large-pore molecular sieves yield also mesityloxide and phoroncs, especially at low conversion levels. The formation of the latter compounds over Y zeolites is enhanced by the non-skeletal Al species, which also increase the deactivation rate and add carbonylate-like species into the deposit. The discussion considers also steric constraints imposed by the zeolite structure.


Ten years post–Hurricane Katrina, the authors reflected on the aftermath through the eyes of addiction treatment professionals to become better prepared for future tragedies. The lessons learned, the authors' personal reflections, and implications for clinical practice and counselor education are provided.


This study deals with the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by using filter cake known as zinc extraction residue (ZER) generated as a by product in a zinc production plant located in Kayseri-TURKEY. It was found that ZER, which is rich in lead compounds, has a great affinity for chromate ions. The Cr(VI) removal yield decreased with increasing initial concentration of Cr(VI) solution. An increase in the dosage of ZER caused an increase in the removal yield and the concentration of Pb, Cd and Zn released from ZER into the treated solution. The effect of temperature showed the removal process is endothermic. The removal process was highly pH dependent. 100 % removal of Cr(VI) was obtained at initial pH about 5.0 and 11.0 for the initial Cr(VI) concentration of 100 mg l−1 at 25 °C and 5 mg l−1 ZER dosage for contact time of 60 min. The removal percentage of Cr(VI) declined at pHs other than those mentioned above. Minimum removal (26.5 %) was observed at initial pH value of 3.05. XRD analysis showed t...


Manifestation and conservation of Leveillula taurica on tomatoes in Morocco

Powdery mildew of tomato, caused by Leveillula taurica, was considered a minor disease until 1978 when serious outbreaks occurred. These outbreaks coincided with periods of a draught and the introduction of new hybrids from Europe.

The pathogen infects a variety of plants, including eleven cultivated and five wild species. Infections of tomato plants were obtained by isolates collected from cultivated plants (Cynara cardunculus, Cicerarietinum, Medicago sativa, Capsicum annuum, Tropaeolum majus) and wild species (Chenopodium ambrosioides, Sonchus asper, Oxalis cemua, Urtica urens).


The development of PWRs in Japan has entered the period of maturity. However, circumstances around nuclear power generation have been drastically changing. As LWRs are expected to play an extended dominant role during the 21st century, there have been increasing demands for nuclear power generation, such as the enhancement of its reliability, the cost performance improvement, and a contribution to easing environmental problems. Given these circumstances, the development of a reactor well suited to the coming century has become an important task to be achieved.This paper summarizes the results of the comparative study of development status of future reactors and the social backgrounds at home and abroad. The paper also reviews the up-to-date status of the development of next generation PWR by nuclear power generation industry. The needs of society and of the utilities were surveyed in order to develop next generation PWR. This paper suggests plant concepts, specifications, systems and so on based on the survey. Furthermore, the paper presents future objectives to be focused on, having been identified in the course of the review.


— The objectives were to identify cyanide-degrading bacteria and study cyanide removal efficiency. Agrobacterium tumefaciens SUTS 1 was isolated. This is a new strain of microorganisms for cyanide degradation. The maximum growth rate of SUTS 1 obtained 4.7 × 10 8 CFU/ml within 4 days. The cyanide removal efficiency was studied at 25, 50, and 150 mg/L cyanide. The residual cyanide, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, and cell counts were analyzed. At 25 and 50 mg/L cyanide, SUTS 1 obtained similar removal efficiency approximately 87.50%. At 150 mg/L cyanide, SUTS 1 enhanced the cyanide removal efficiency up to 97.90%. Cell counts of SUTS 1 increased when the cyanide concentration was set at lower. The ammonia increased when the removal efficiency increased. The nitrate increased when the ammonia decreased but the nitrite did not detect in all experiments. pH values also increased when the cyanide concentrations were set at higher.


In humans, premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is caused by autoimmunity and genetic factors, such as mutation of BMP15, a key ovarian determining gene. The cellular mechanisms associated with ovarian failure caused by BMP15 mutation and immune contributions to the disorder are not understood. BMP15's role in ovarian follicle development is conserved in vertebrates, including zebrafish. Using zebrafish, we established a causal link between macrophage activation and ovarian failure. We identified a germline-somatic gonadal cell-macrophage axis underlying ovarian atresia. Germline loss of Bmp15 triggers this axis that single-cell RNA sequencing and genetic analyses indicate involves activation of ovarian somatic cells that express conserved macrophage-activating ligands. Genetic ablation of macrophages blocks premature oocyte loss. Thus, the axis identified here represents potential therapeutic targets to preserve female fertility. One-Sentence Summary Sex reversal due to Bmp15 deficiency requires macrophage activation by Csf1a, which is expressed by specialized pre-follicle cells in zebrafish.


The Clip Type Manipulator, which includes moving unit and clip type manipulator unit, is designed for the Fast Medicine Dispensing System (FMDS). The modularization design technique is in favour of coordinated control among units and system maintenance. The permutation order of storage containers in the automatic refilling mode has been observed to have significant influence on the dispensing efficiency of the FMDS. Ant colony optimization (ACO) is used to simulate the picking route of the FMDS and optimized the picking order in practical operation. Test results show the picking route value simulated by ACO more than 43% compared with the commonly used picking route simulated by order-picking mode (OPM) in 20 picking points. According to the picking points resulting from simulation, theoretical optimization time calculated by ACO is over 50% better than that calculated by OPM. Operational test results show the optimization time of a route simulated by ACO had been optimized by more than 40% By increasing the picking point intensity, accelerating and decelerating processes existing in the short distance between picking points has a much more significant influence on optimized results.


The study aims to investigate the feasibility of small-scale electricity production with solar electricity systems, also known as PV (photovoltaic) systems, in Australia. Due to the global warming, sustainable energy has in recent years become an increasingly important issue, both internationally and in Australia. With one of the largest dependencies on fossil energy sources in the world, the country's abundant solar radiation is a possible solution to this issue.Both the technical and the economic feasibility of small-scale PV systems were investigated. On the technological side, the electricity generation, distribution and consumption systems were studied. On the economical side, the parameters that drive the profitability of a PV investment were investigated. The economic viability was thereafter modeled for 3 PV system sizes, 6 cities and 3 scenarios. On the basis of this, investment recommendations were formed for 2 risk profiles and 2 different investment horizons.The results show that the optimal system size differs depending on city, risk aversion and investment horizon. For short term investments (10 years), the smaller systems are generally advocated, regardless of level of risk aversion. In the longer term (25 years), the larger system sizes are – somewhat surprisingly – recommended for risk-averse investors, whilst the smaller systems are suggested for investors with more favorable attitudes towards risk.The study shows that both the technical and economic feasibility of small-scale PV electricity production in Australia overall is good. It also highlights some interesting future research areas where the developed model may be applicable.


The formal concept of logical equivalence in fuzzy logic, while theoretically sound, seems impractical. The misinterpretation of this concept has led to some pessimistic conclusions. Motivated by practical interpretation of truth values for fuzzy propositions, we take the class (lattice) of all subintervals of the unit interval [0, 1] as the truth value space for fuzzy logic, subsuming the traditional class of numerical truth values from [0, 1]. The associated concept of logical equivalence is stronger than the traditional one. Technically, we are dealing with much smaller set of pairs of equivalent formulas, so that we are able to check equivalence algorithmically. The checking is done by showing that our strong equivalence notion coincides with the equivalence in logic programming. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Non-halogen flame retardant ABS was prepared by using benzoxazine(BOZ)and triphenyl phosphate(TPP).The effects of components ratios and contents on the flame retardance,mechanical properties and gloss of ABS were studied.The results showed BOZ and TPP had excellent synergistic effects on the flame retardance of ABS.When the mass ratio of BOZ and TPP was 2∶3 and the total content was 30 phr,the LOI value of the flame retardant ABS was as high as 33.7%,and the mechanical properties of the ABS was good.TGA curves showed TPP can promote the formation of chars of BOZ.The results of gloss showed that addition of BOZ can improve the gloss of ABS.


With the increasingly in-depth reform in physical education,innovation tends to become the central concern in the succession of new ideas in this field.This paper attempts to expound the didactic,introductory,interactive,and emotionally creative way of teaching,and analyzes the significances of such innovative methods in physical education aiming at laying certain foundations for the deepening of this education reform.


The case of a premature infant with a simul- taneous occurrence of appendiceal perforation and in- complete fixation of the colon producing early obstruction of the duodenum is reported. The clinical examination and laboratory and radiological investigations were all negative for the diagnosis of appendicitis, which was found inciden- tally at laparotomy for duodenal obstruction.


The translational apparatus ribosome is in the limelight these days with the announcement of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The three winners have unveiled ribosome structures using X-ray crystallography. Ribosome 3D structures have also been studied by another emerging structural biology method named cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). In the study of the structure and function of macromolecules, the 'hybrid' strategy of combining available structural data derived from various sources has been proven quite successful. This review highlights how the hybrid approach in ribosome structure analysis paves the way for a more detailed molecular understanding of the structural basis of translation.


PURPOSE: A substrate processing method and a device are provided to perform the immediate monitoring in the surface state of the semiconductor substrate on the production spot, to control the processing condition based on the result of the immediate monitor, or to detect the processing end point. CONSTITUTION: The substrate processing device contains; a device(30) to condensing the infra-red radiation or the near infra-red radiation upward the outer circumference part of a processing substrate(12), and to send the infra-red radiation or the near infra-red radiation to the processing substrate(12); a device(42 to lead multi-reflections inside the processing substrate(12), and to detect the infra-red radiation or the near infra-red radiation emitted form the processing substrate(12); a device(60) to analyze the detected infra-red radiation or the near infra-red radiation; a device to immediately monitor the surface state of the processing substrate(12); devices(52,54) to control the substrate processing device based on the monitored substrate surface of the processing substrate(12).


The genes that transcribe 5.8S RNA in people and mice have been localized to the previously assigned sites for ribosomal DNA. No other sites of transcription for 5.8S RNA were detected.


We have lived through remarkable times. The period between the Second World War and the end of the Cold War has been one of the most creative periods of science and technology in the history of mankind. Propelled by the kind of enthusiasm expressed in Vannevar Bush's metaphor of the endless frontier, and building on earlier achievements, scientific and technological advances have created a novel world for us. The 50-year exploration ofthe endless frontier drew some of its strength from the premise that science in all its diversity contributed to the national security, a premise made more tenable by the collective social optimism about science engendered by successful construction of the first nuclear weapons during World War II. But, while national defense provided some of the motive for funding basic research, the real motivation for science has always been more fundamental: the sense offrontier, the sense ofexploration, and the natural human curiosity that has led us to explore the corners ofnature, from the vast reaches of the universe to the smallest building blocks of the atomic nucleus.


Previous studies have shown that the increase of liver lipogenesis observed in chicks after hatching is accompanied by an increase in the activity of acetylCoA carboxylase (Ryder, 1970; Arinze & Mistry, 1970) and citrate ATP-lyase (Felicioli & Gabrielli, 1967; Goodridge, 1968), enzymes that are associated with this pathway. Goodridge (1970) has suggested that the stimulation by dietary fructose of fatty acid biosynthesis in the livers of newly hatched chicks indicates that fatty acid-synthesizing enzymes must have been synthesized during embryonic life and were present in a latent form. The present study was undertaken to investigate the presence of hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase apoenzyme in the embryonic period of the chick. Fertile eggs and chicks were obtained from local farms. The reaction used to assay the apoenzyme was the ATPdependent incorporation of [14C]biotin into the protein fraction precipitated by 25 %-saturated (NH4)2SO4 from the 13000g clear supernatant (Gregolin et al., 1968), as described by Kosow et al. (1962) for propionyl-CoA carboxylase. These authors demonstrated that the rate of holoenzyme synthesis and the rate of [14C]biotin binding to the protein followed the same pattern. The reaction mixture contained 6OmM-tris-HCl buffer, pH7.3, 3mM-GSH, 5mM-MgCl2, 2mM-ATP, 0.25pCi of [carbonyl-14C]biotin (specific radioactivity 58Ci/mol; Amersham/Searle Co., Des Plaines, Ill., U.S.A.) and the enzyme preparation (dialysed overnight in 10mM-potassium phosphate buffer, pH7.1). The mixture was incubated at 37°C for 1 h in a final volume of I ml. The reaction was stopped by adding Sml of ice-cold 6% (w/v) trichloroacetic acid. The precipitated protein was washed as described by Kosow et al. (1962) and finally completely dissolved in 1 ml of Soluene TM 100 (Packard Instrument Co., Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.). The 14C radioactivity bound to protein was measured in a Packard Tri-Carb liquid-scintillation spectrometer, with toluene-based scintillation mixture, with an efficiency of 82%. Protein was determined by the method of Lowry et al. (1951), with crystalline bovine plasma albumin (Calbiochem, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A.) as standard. The amount of biotin bound was proportional to protein concentration. In 60min the incorporation


BRECCIATED METEORITES STUDIED FROM Sm AND Gd ISOTOPIC SHIFTS BY NEUTRON CAPTURE REACTIONS. H. Hidaka, R. Bartoschewitz, S. Yoneda. Dept. of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima Univ., Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Bartoschewitz Meteorite Lab, Lehmweg 53, D-38518 Gifhorn, Germany. Department of Engineering and Science, National Science Museum, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.


Microalgae are highly effective in nutrient recovery and have strong potential as a sustainable wastewater treatment technology. For this experiment, we obtained microalgae cultivated in pilot-scale tubular photobioreactor (PBR) located in a glass greenhouse of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), in Wageningen, the Netherlands. The culture medium was vacuum collected and anaerobically treated black water. Here we describe the experimental set up and methods to determine the effects of inorganic NPK and organic microalgae biomass as fertilizer on soil chemical composition, soil CO2 and N2O fluxes, active bacterial and protozoan communities in soil and rhizosphere in different stages of barley development, abundances of functional genes of nitrification and denitrification in soil with barley at different stages of development, barley productivity, grain yield and grain nutritional quality. Additonally, we provide the statistical methods and scripts used to analyse the data. SPECIFICATIONS TABLE Subject Area Agricultural and Biological Sciences More specific subject area Microbial ecology Method name Methods to evaluate the microalgae biomass as biofertilizer, obtained by on-site wastewater treatment, on (i) soil and rhizosphere active bacterial and protozoan communities, (ii) greenhouse gases emissions, (iii) microbial processes of nitrous oxide emission, (iv) plant biomass and quality, (v) grain yield and quality. Name and reference of original method NA Resource availability NA 1. Method details 1.1. Experimental design and soil sampling The soil was collected from The Soil Health Experiment (SHE) located at the experimental field station in Vredepeel, in the south east of the Netherlands (51 32' 27.10'' N and 5 51'14.86'' E). The soil was homogenized and sieved through a 5-mm sieve to remove large stones, plant material, and macrofauna. The greenhouse pot experiment consisted of four completely randomized blocks containing three treatments with different N sources: 80 kg ha−1 of N provided by the microalgae, 80 kg ha of N provided by ammonium nitrate (NPK) and a control with no N input. In treatments with inorganic N, P and K were applied as recommend rates for barley in the Netherlands, P as single https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104924 Received 27 February 2020; Received in revised form 8 April 2020; Accepted 4 May 2020 ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel. +31 (0)317 473 502, Fax +31 (0)317 473 400 E-mail address: email@example.com (E.E. Kuramae). & Sharing first authorship Resources, Conservation & Recycling 161 (2020) 104924 0921-3449/ © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/). T


The problem of state feedback control design is conventionally handled by pole assignment or Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) method via Algebraic Riccati Equation (ARE). However, these methods still suffer from the disadvantage of trial and error approach for parameter tuning. To be specific, selecting the weighting matrices Q and R of LQR has to be done by trial and error approach. Hence to address this problem, an evolutionary algorithm based optimization methods are employed for the design of optimal state feedback controller. Considering some important indices such as closed loop pole locations, speed of response and combining them into an objective function, an LQR optimization problem is formulated for trajectory tracking of single inverted pendulum. To solve the optimization problem, three evolutionary algorithms namely GA, PSO and Adaptive PSO are employed and the results of the optimization methods are compared.


Harris and Gordon (1987) reviewed the distribution and status of 18 rare and /or endangered unionacean bivalve species (commonly referred to as clams, mussels, freshwater mussels, naiads) that occur or have occurred in Arkansas. They discussed four species that were federally listed as endangered, four species that were considered endangered or extupated within Arkansas, four species considered threatened within Arkansas, four species of special concern within Arkansas, and two species for which the conservation status was considered uncertain due to questions regarding taxonomic validity. Numerous unionacean field surveys have been performed during 1986 1996, and a substantial database of new distributional and relative abundance information has been accumulated. Two additional unionacean species have been listed as federally endangered, one additional species has been listed as federally threatened, and one endangered species has been newly discovered within Arkansas bringing the total number of federally protected unionacean species occurring within Arkansas to eight. The conservation status of 16 additional unionacean species occurring in Arkansas is discussed also. Arkansas River, Blue Mountain Lake and Lake Chicot (Harris et al., 1993). In addition, the authors have performed During the past 35 years, abundance and species numerous smaller scale surveys (with reports) during the diversity of native unionacean bivalves have declined past 10 years further elucidating the distribution, relative throughout the United States and Canada (Williams et al. abundance and habitat requirements of Arkansas 1993). The Nature Conservancy recognized 55% of North unionaceans. American unionaceans as extinct or imperiled (Master, S w e y methods included primarily Hookah diving as 1990). Harris and Gordon (1987) considered eighteen of the detailed in Harris et al. (1993), Rust (1993), and Christian 69 unionacean species (26%) known or thought to occur in (1995) and/or snorkeling techniques (Harris and Gordon, Arkansas (Gordon et al., 1980) as rare and/or endangered 1988). Qalitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative Samwithin the state. pling protocols have all been utilized (Rust, 1993; Christian, Approximately 10 years have passed since Harris and 1995; and Stoeckel et al., 1996). Gordon (1987) reviewed the status of the Arkansas The distribution and status of species discussed in this unionacean fauna, and substantial additional distributional paper were derived by plotting site occurrences and reviewand relative abundance data for Arkansas unionaceans have ing abundance data, relative or quantitative, for data includbeen obtained. In this paper, the purpose is to provide a ed in Hams and Gordon (1987) and those obtained in the comprehensive review of the conservation status for all ensuing 10 years. Taxa discussed in this paper are divided native unionacean bivalves known to occur in Arkansas. into two groups: (1) Federal Listed Species, and (2) Other Species of State Concern. A third category, Species Under Federal Review, utilized in Harris and Gordon (1987), has Materials and Methods been dropped from this paper because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1996) has revised its animal notice of The distribution and population structure of unionacean review categories. Former Category 2 and 3 candidate listaggregrations (= mussel beds) within approximately 1375 ings have been discontinued, and Category 1 species are kilometers (km)(860 river miles) and 182 impounded or now listed as taxa proposed to be listed as endangered (PE) oxbow km (114 river miles) were determined during large or taxa proposed to be listed as threatened (FT). There are river surveys conducted from 1991-1996. Surveys were conno mussel taxa that occur in Arkansas which have been ducted in the Black, Cache, Current, Little Missouri, included in the most recent review of plant and animal taxa Ouachita, Saline, Spring, St. Francis, Strawberry, and White that are candidates for listing as endangered or threatened rivers, the Lake Ozark and Lake Dardanelle pools of the species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996). Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51, 1997 Revised Status of Rare and Endangered Unionacea ( M o U m Margaritiferidae, Unionidae) in Arka,nsas The Nature Conservancy utilizes its central conservation databases and the network of natural heritage programs to determine a global conservation rank for mussels (C. Osbome, pers. comm.) Global Rank categories used by The Nature Conservancy are: G1 critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (five or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals or acres) or because of some factor(~) making it especially vulnerable to extinction; G2 imperiled globally because of rarity (six to'20 occurrences or few remaining individuals or acres) or because of some factor(~) making it especially vulnerable to extinction; G3 either very rare and local throughout its range or found locally (even abundantly at some of its locations) in a restricted range (e.g. a single western state, a physiographic region in the East) or because of other factors making it vulnerable to extinction throughout its range, in terms of occurrences, a range of 21 to 100; G4 apparently secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery; G5 demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery; GH of historical occurrence throughout its range, i.e. formerly part of the established biota, with the expectation that it may be rediscovered. Consewation status categories utilized in this paper follow Williams et d. (1993) and are defined as: Endangered (E) a species or subspecies in danger of extinction throughout all or a sipficant portion of its range; Endangered, probably extirpated (EX) a species or subspecies that is probably extinct from the geographic unit being considered; Threatened (T) a species or subspecies that is likely to become endangered throughout all or a sigrrrficant portion of its range; Special Concem (SC) a species or subspecies that may become endangered or threatened by relatively minor disturbances to its habitat, and deserves careful monitoring of its abundance and distribution; Undetermined (U) a species or subspecies whose historic and current distribution and abundance has not been evaluated in recent years; Currently Stable (CS) a species or subspecies whose distribution and abundance may be stable, or it may have declined in portions of its range but is not in need of immediate conservation management actions. Nomenclature follows Turgeon et al. (1988) as modified by Williams et al. (1993). Posey et al. (1996) recognized 74 taxa of mussels to have occurred historically within


This formal comment is in response to Siah et al. [1], Piscine Reovirus: Genomic and Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis from Farmed and Wild Salmonids Collected on the Canada/US Pacific Coast, with a subsequent correction (Siah et al. 2016 [2]). Although a correction for this paper was published on Oct. 12, 2016, (Siah et al. 2016 [2]), there continues to be inadequate supporting evidence for the primary conclusion that PRV genetic sequences are temporally and spatially homogeneous in salmonid species across the northeastern Pacific region.

The evidence in this paper warrants thorough consideration. Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) causes acute infection of the red blood cells in salmon (Finstad et al. 2014 [3]; Haatveit et al. 2017 [4]). It is the causative agent of the emerging farm salmon disease Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI) (Wessel et al. 2017 [5]) with clinical symptoms which can include lethargy, anemia, anorexia and mortality (Kongtorp et al. 2004 [6]). Palacios et al. [7] expressed concerns about the transfer of PRV from farmed to wild fish due to its contagious nature. PRV is now considered ubiquitous in farmed Atlantic salmon (Haatveit et al. 2017 [4]) and has an estimated 80% prevalence rate among BC farmed salmon (Kibenge et al. 2013 [8]). HSMI has recently been diagnosed in British Columbia (BC), Canada (Di Cicco et al. 2017 [9]). Hence, release of PRV from salmon farms into Pacific salmon habitat is a significant management concern in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

In the correction, Siah et al. [2] acknowledge that the conclusion that PRV has not been recently introduced to BC was overstated. However their supporting evidence that "… salmonids from western North America Pacific waters carried PRV RNA sequences for at least 13 years with little genetic differentiation among sequence types in selected samples spanning 2001 to 2014" remains insufficient.

Their conclusion appears to be highly dependent on six unique sequences of PRV segment S1, detected by Siah et al. [1]:

{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"KR478642","term_id":"931323276","term_text":"KR478642"}}KR478642: collected in May 2001

{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"KR478643","term_id":"931323280","term_text":"KR478643"}}KR478643: collected in Aug. 2001

{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"KR478644","term_id":"931323283","term_text":"KR478644"}}KR478644: collected in Aug. 2001

{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"KR347078","term_id":"931316047","term_text":"KR347078"}}KR347078: collected in Aug. 2001

{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"KR347079","term_id":"931316050","term_text":"KR347079"}}KR347079: collected in Aug. 2001

{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"KR347080","term_id":"931316053","term_text":"KR347080"}}KR347080: collected in Mar. 2005

These six Siah et al. [1] sequences collected in 2001 and 2005 (submitted to GenBank April—May 2015) predate those collected by Kibenge et al. [10,11] by seven years and are nearly identical to the isolates Siah et al. [1] collected in 2013 and 2014. Thus, these six PRV isolates appear to be highly resistant to mutation over a 13-year interval 2001–2014, which is atypical for RNA viruses, generally known to exhibit a high mutation rate (Chao et al. [12]). Drake and Holland [13] estimate the genomic mutation rate (U) to be between 1 and 0.1 for most RNA viruses, where U is G x u, G is the genome size in nucleotides, and u is the per-nucleotide mutation rate.

Weight of evidence for longer-term PRV presence in BC
Siah et al. [1] cite detection of PRV in a wild Steelhead trout (O. mykiss) collected in 1977 in support of longer-term PRV presence in BC. This result is cited from Marty et al. [14], who provided no S1 segment sequence information to verify the PRV strain identity as per the sequence groupings reported by both Kibenge et al. [8] and Garseth et al. [15]. The recent discovery of the widespread occurrence of PRV-2 across the North Pacific (Takano et al. 2016 [16]) raises the question: Was the 1977 steelhead infected with PRV-2 or PRV? In absence of S1 sequencing this uncertainty cannot be resolved.

Furthermore, this result could not be replicated by a second laboratory (Purcell and Thompson 2014 [17]) and therefore warrants qualification as a non-repeatable result and a suspect positive lacking sufficient robustness to provide evidence critical to the temporal presence of PRV in BC.


The utility model provides a BOPP film two-sided dust sticking and removing device and belongs to the technical field of machinery. The BOPP film two-sided dust sticking and removing device solves the problem that the dust removing effect of an existing splitting machine is poor in effect. According to the BOPP film two-sided dust sticking and removing device, an unwinding roller, a flattening roller and a winding roller through which a film sequentially passes are arranged on a splitting machine sequentially; the dust removing device comprises a support arranged between the flattening roller and the winding roller, an upper dust removal rubber roller and a lower dust removal rubber roller are arranged on the support and respectively provided with a plurality of layers of dust collecting paper which can be stripped layer by layer, an electrostatic eliminator is arranged between the upper dust removal rubber roller and the lower dust removal rubber roller, a pair of gas springs are further fixedly connected to the support, one end of each gas spring is provided with a bearing, the pair of bearings are arranged at the two ends of a shaft of the upper dust removal rubber roller in a sleeved mode, the gas springs provide elasticity for the upper dust removal rubber roller so that the height of the upper dust removal rubber roller can be controlled, and the lower dust removal rubber roller is connected with a motor. The BOPP film two-sided dust sticking and removing device has the advantage of being good in dust removing effect.


Some international guidelines recommend a risk‐based approach to screening for melanoma, but few suggest how to account for multiple risk factors or how to implement risk‐based screening in practice. This study investigated the acceptability and feasibility of identifying patients at increased risk of melanoma in Australian general practice using a self‐completed risk assessment tool. Stratification of risk was based on the validated Williams melanoma risk prediction model.


New policies are needed to reverse the trends which dominated the troubled history of South African education and training and to build a just and equitable system which provides good quality education and training to all learners throughout the country. This article investigates ways of promoting equity in education in South African on the basis of the principles and values of the White Paper on education and training. The Farrell model forms the theorical framework for understanding and evaluating equity in education


BACKGROUND
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a treatment option for elderly high-risk patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. Improvement of quality of life (QoL) is a relevant issue in this group of patients.

AIM
To assess changes in QoL after TAVI.

METHODS
Forty patients who underwent TAVI in our institution were included in this QoL study. All subjects were screened for TAVI in a standard fashion, including QoL assessment with the EQoL (EQ-5D-3L). The pre- and postprocedural scores obtained up to a 12-month follow-up were assessed.

RESULTS
Median of logistic EuroScore I was 21.5% (13.5-26.75%), and Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was 5.5% (4.0-10.75%). Comparison of baseline values with follow-up data at one, six and 12 months after TAVI showed significant improvement of QoL (p < 0.001). Visual Analogue Scale score (VAS score) was assessed. There was an incremental increase in VAS score during follow-up (p < 0.001). Median of six-minute walk test distance at baseline was 200 m (IQR 150-300) and 325 m (IQR 250-400) 12 months after TAVI (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
TAVI provides improved QoL and effectively relieves symptoms.


This paper mainly proposes six major regional geological events in the active continental‐margin mantle uplift zone and discusses the oscillation nature of the evolution of Mesozoic volcanic basins and red basins, origin of erosion in the late stage of red basins and mechanism of volcanism.


Weak neutral currents increase the coupling of neutrinos to stellar matter, yet do not inhibit their escape. We propose that this increased coupling transfers angular momentum to the neutrinos which spiral away, leaving a slower spinning star.


The objective of this study was to determine the ideal digestible arginine: lysine ratio in the diet of laying Japanese quails reared in hot climate, on the variables of productive performance and egg quality. Completely randomized experimental design was adopted with five diets and six replications containing eight laying quails (Coturnix japonica) per experimental unit, totaling 240 birds with an average weight of 169.6±0.005 g and 40 weeks of age with an initial egg production of 79.18±3.32%. The digestible arginine: lysine ratios were 110%, 120%, 130%, 140% and 150%. The arginine: lysine ratios analyzed were not able to influence feed intake, egg production, commercial eggs, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion per egg mass (FCEM) and per dozen eggs (FCDZ); however, there was a quadratic effect for the variation in body weight. There was no significant difference for egg quality characteristics. The 110% digestible arginine: lysine ratio in the diet of laying Japanese quails reared in a hot climate is sufficient to maintain the productive performance and the egg quality.


The annual variation and monthly changes of hail and its spatial distribution were analyzed in Hohhot city based on the climate data from 1971 to 2009 by six weather stations,with that,the disastrous weather dominated by hail hazard zoning has been conducted using GIS.The results showed that the frequency of hail reduced year by year on Hohhot regions,hailstones were mainly focused on May to September,number of hail days was greater in summer and hail happened occasionally in late spring and early autumn.Danger classes occurred hail had gradually reduced from the south to the north in Hohhot city,the highest of danger classes was in Wuchuan region,Tuo county,Helin and Qingshuihe belonged lower danger classes,other places were medium regions.


This is a very special issue of Clinical Hematology International, the official peer-reviewed open access journal of the International Academy for Clinical Hematology (IACH). This issue is being released during some extraordinary circumstances, namely, the infection called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has now spread worldwide. COVID-19 has been a challenge like no other. As hematologists, we are used to seeing a lot of critical illnesses in patients with advanced and refractory malignancies. However, when thinking of COVID-19, we can feel around us a general sense of hopelessness, and a constant self-questioning as to how we can help things get better. It is not an exaggeration to state that the whole COVID-19 experience "feels" simply surreal. So, for now, what is there to do?


Although several kernel design methods have been proposed for improved time-frequency responses (TFRs) for various signal classes, the family of simple periodic signals has not been specifically considered. Many signals, such as speech and music, which are analyzed using time-frequency techniques exhibit a strong periodic structure. Here we develop an improved TFR designed for periodic functions, under the assumption that the fundamental period of the signal is known or can at least be accurately estimated.


The aim of this thesis is to investigate what the effects are of over- and undereducation of workers on the productivity of the firm where they are working. Mismatches are estimated by a comparison ...


The evolution of recycling behaviour has been investigated during long pulse discharges in the HT-7 tokamak after ICRF boronization (C2B10H12) using the H/(H+D) ratio and the edge recycling coefficient R. After boronization, impurity reduction is observed, attributed to the fresh boron film, but the recycling coefficient can exceed unity due to a large amount of hydrogen absorbed in the film, leading to an uncontrollable density rise and discharge termination. When the H/(H+D) ratio was reduced to less than 25%, the electron density was easily controlled. The longest discharge, up to 240 s with central electron temperature Te(0) of about 1.0 keV and central electron density ne(0) of 0.8 × 1019 m−3, was achieved following boronization. After many discharges the effectiveness of boron film was weakened, and the density rise was correlated with an increase in both carbon and oxygen radiation which limited the duration of long pulse discharges.


89.49 A Ceva-type theorem for the cyclic quadrilateral One of the surprising results in geometry is that you can take a product of ratios of segments traversing a non-regular polygon and get a product of 1. Ceva's theorem is the most widely acclaimed result of this nature, but there are others such as [1], [2], and [3]. In this note we give two proofs of an unknown, or not widely known, similar result. Q


Nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most common malignancies in solid organ recipients. We investigated the incidence, clinical features, and outcome of solid organ recipients with NMSC of the head and neck.


The whole of France is now covered by quarterly hedonic housing price indices. They are the fruit of a unique collaboration between the notaries, who collect the data and do the computation, and INSEE, the French statistical agency, that provides the methodology and guarantees its proper use. The method relies on the econometric estimation of the value of xed baskets of apartments or houses in some 300 elementary geographic zones. The quarterly estimate is based on all sales recorded in a given period. Each zone has its own hedonic model of price. This allows to create indices at various geographic levels. The regular publication of hedonic housing price indices at a country level is rare, because it is costly. The French endeavor manages to be relatively cheap to the taxpayer because of complementary interests between the involved parties. It is an important step toward a better understanding of the housing market and opens new ways toward the use of reliable indices.


The importance of water use efficiency in crop productivity including oil palm is discussed. Effects of water stress in oil palm e.g. sex ratio and fresh fruit bunch yield are also emphasized. The importance of photosynthesis process and its limitations are also included. This review also includes carbon partitioning, hormonal effects e.g. absicic acid (ABA) and nutrient uptake in plants. Some of the parameters studied through physiological responses pertaining to water status in plants are technically discussed.


Abstract The preparation, physical and spectroscopic properties of l-amino-2-arylethylphosphonic, and -phosphinic acids as well as -phosphine oxides, the phosphorus analogues of phenylalanine are described, and the reactions of l-amino-2-(4-fluorophenyl) ethylphosphonates with acetals, isocyanides, esters, acid anhydrides, activated aromatic nitro- and halogen compounds, and with N-protected alanine are reported. It is shown that several of the 1-amino-2-arylethylphosphonic acids are strong inhibitors of PAL and anthocyanin synthesis and also are quite active botryticides. Among the active compounds were l-amino-2-(4-fluorophenyl)ethylphosphonic acid, 3f, and the methyl-substituted compounds 3k, 31, and 3m. The fluoroderivative 3f was also effective as a seed-dressing agent in barley showing a 100% protection against the fungus Fusarium nivale at 600 ppm.


Combining the equivalent circuit technique, the orthodox theory and quantum mechanics theory, a macromodel of single-electron transistor (SET) is presented and the current-voltage (I-V) relation is given. The equivalent circuit cell consists of some ca-pacitances, resistances, voltage-controlled voltage sources and voltage-controlled current sources. Using this model, we can simulate the steady-state process of SET, and then analyze the inverter and memory circuits. Therefore, the model can be used to simulate the SET/MOS hybrid circuits, which may promote the research of SET.


Ogawa Mimei (1882-1962) was a Japanese children"s story writer who was called as 'Anderson of Japan' or 'Father of Japanese children"s' literature. He increased his reputation from 1920s and left thousands of children"s stories, fictions and essays in his lifetime. These days Ogawa Mimei"s literary works are considered as required pieces among the Japanese children"s writers. However, Korean childeren"s literature was not established as a study and there were not many researches or studies about Mimei in Korea. Furthermore, Ogawa was on the coopereative side of the war and his pieces included contents which were not admittable in Korea. Meanwhile, he attained his literary movement for more than 50 years. At times his movement is devided as 'neo-Romanticism, socialism, living era, wartime and <Postwar>children"s literature era'. The thesis takes note of [MIDORIIRO NO TOKEI], Ogawa"s anthology and consider its characteristic. In one of the Ogawa"s story (MIDORIIRO NO TOKEI) shows the character (ozisan) which I think was Ogawa"s alter ego. The thesis investigated what exactly the (ozisan) meant and compared this work to the other works of himself. In addition, the thesis includes the analysis of how Ogawa tried to express his spirit as a writer through the character (ozisan) in his lifetime.


We consider the pricing of maturity guarantees for insurance contracts in a regime-switching lognormal market model. Regime-switching models have been empirically shown to fit long-term stockmarket data better than many other models. As the market is incomplete, there is no unique price for a maturity guarantee. We extend the good-deal pricing bounds idea to the regime-switching lognormal market model. This allows us to obtain a reasonable range of prices for the maturity guarantee, by excluding those prices which imply a Sharpe Ratio which is too high. As an illustration, we calculate the good-deal pricing bounds for maturity guarantees of various maturities.


2016 marks 60 years of UK Clean Air Acts. This presentation explores the challenges, opportunities and progress since the Clean Air Act, 1956. It reflects upon historical attempts to manage air pollution noting success factors and barriers to progress. Particular attention is given to the impact of the 1952 Great Smog and the role of National Smoke Abatement Society, the forerunner of Environmental Protection UK, in creating the momentum for the 1956 Act. The presentation concludes with a review of the contemporary air pollution challenge and the weakness of the governmental and societal response to the national and global public health challenge.


Type V intermittency is found to be exist widely in a electronic circuit with an analog switch controlled by a comparator. It has two characteristics: ① the preclude phase\|locking staircase to type V intermittency before entering chaos includes the traditional\|like and multiple\|like devil′s staircase structures; ② the chaotic attractor appearing after the staircase always is the end\|results of the image set of the discontinuous borderline.


Objective To study the effects of Nifedipine on the content of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA),activity of plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD),lesion of gastric mucosa barrier and pH of gastric liquid in rats with stress ulcer,and to investigate the preventive role of Nifedipine on stress ulcer.Methods 30 healthy adult rats were randomly divided into three groups:Nifedipine group (n=10),experimental control group (n=10) and normal control group (n=10).The rats of Nifedipine group and experimental control group were restrained and immersed in (20.0±0.5) ℃ cold water for 6 hours,rats in normal control group live normally.After the stress ulcer experiment,all rats were killed,and then blood from heart was drawn and the content of plasma MDA and activity of plasma SOD were measured.Cardia and pylorus were ligated,the rats′ stomachs were taken out,then the hemorrhage and ulcer spots were observed through eyes and magnifier,ulcer length was measured,average length of ulcer was calculated as ulcer index,the pathological change of gastric tissues was observed by microscope.Results (1)Compared with the experimental control group,the content of plasma MDA was significantly lower in Nifedipine group (P0.01),but the activity of plasma SOD was significantly higher (P0.01).(2)Compared with the experimental control group,the pH of gastric liquid was significantly higher in Nifedipine group (P0.01) and the ulcer index was significantly lower (P0.01).(3) In the normal control group,most surfaces of gastric mucosa were smooth;the cells of gastric glands arranged regularly,there were no hemorrhage and necrosis.In the experimental control group,there were many hemorrhage and ulcer spots on gastric mucosa,some ulcer reached mucosa′s lower strata,some cells of mucosa were necrosis,some gastric glands arranged disorderly and some blood vessels were congested.In Nifedipine group,the gastric hemorrhage and necrosis seldom could be seen through eyes,some epithelial cell of gastric mucosa droped in magnifier,and the shape of cells and glands were alike normal tissues.Conclusion Nifedipine could decrease the content of plasma MDA and enhance the activity of plasma SOD,increase the pH of gastric liquid,decrease the gastric ulcer index and the injury of gastric mucosa in rats being restrained and immersed in cold water.


The main focus of our study was to investigate differences in ripening time, vegetative and generative potential (number of canes per meter of hedgerow, cane height and diameter, number of fruiting laterals per primocane, yield per primocane and per meter of hedgerow) as well as fruit quality traits (fruit weight, index of fruit shape, number of drupelets per fruit, soluble solids content, total acids, total and inverted sugars, and sucrose content) in four newly introduced primocane fruiting raspberry cultivars ('Erika', 'Paris', 'Versailles', 'Satine') that are internationally competitive to both growers and marketers in the fresh markets. Studies were conducted at a commercial raspberry plantation located near Kraljevo (Serbia), in the period of 2015-2016. Results from this study showed that the average earliest harvest time was observed in 'Versailles' (11 August), whereas 'Paris' was the latest cultivar (10 September). Significantly higher cane height was registered in cvs. 'Erika' and 'Paris' (213 and 204 cm, respectively) in comparison to the two other tested cultivars. 'Erika' expressed the lowest values of all generative characteristics, while 'Paris' yielded much higher per primocane (840 g), followed by 'Versailles' (805 g). The latter one is also characterized by the highest average fruit weight (4.93 g) and the lowest level of soluble solids, total and inverted sugars (10.9%, 8.18% and 6.94%, respectively), whereas 'Satine' had significantly higher total acids content of the fruit (2.18%) compared to the rest cultivars. In general, cvs. 'Versailles' and 'Paris' demonstrated the best productivity and outer or inner fruit quality.


Driving to an unfamiliar location can be one of the most difficult driving situations a motorist can face. Age-related declines in cognitive abilities may make wayfinding while driving even more challenging for some older drivers. Unfortunately most previous studies have been limited by small sample sizes, and the true scope of this problem remains unknown. Additionally, most studies have focused on age as a whole rather than declines in health and cognition. A self-reported questionnaire was administered to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of drivers aged 65 and over who reported difficulty with wayfinding, and to determine strategies used to help with wayfinding. Drivers were recruited through an automobile club membership in the state of Victoria, Australia, and survey responses were received from 536 drivers. Over half of respondents reported some difficulty with wayfinding in unfamiliar areas, with 14% reporting that they avoided driving in unfamiliar areas often or always. Drivers within the overall sample were more likely to rely on their own wayfinding skills (e.g. using a street directory or their memory) rather than on external sources such as a passenger or an electronic navigation system. Nevertheless, almost one quarter of respondents reported using their passenger to assist in unfamiliar areas often or always, while 10% of respondents reported using an electronic navigation system often or always. Drivers who reported more difficulty with wayfinding tended to be older and also reported more difficulties with their health and cognitive abilities. They were also more likely to rely on passengers, ask for directions on-route or pull over to check the map. The study provided a rich data source for understanding the role of driving behaviours and driver characteristics associated with wayfinding difficulties and the results confirm that wayfinding is a challenging driving task for many older drivers. Moreover, this study has provided insight into the types of strategies utilised by drivers to assist with wayfinding.


This Project Report is Submitted in fulfillment for the
Award of the Postgraduate Diploma in Biomedical Research
Methodology (PGDRM).
University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious
Diseases (UNLTID).


With the development of internet, especially the widespread of network electronic map, the spatial information on internet is increasing amazingly. Then how to search the wanted information from the massive spatial information fast and accurately is needed to resolve. At this background, spatial search engine based on internet grows up quickly. At the same time, how to display map data in client by the map search engine is important in the research. In this paper, I will mainly introduce the current condition and key techniques of map search engine and design the system structure based on it. In addition, I will realize the work flow and give the prototype of map search engine in WEBGIS application.


Multimodality imaging,specifically PET-CT,brought a new perspective into the fields of clinical imaging.Clinical cases have shown that PET-CT has great value in clinical diagnosis and experimental reaserch.But PET-CT still bears some limitations.A major drawback is that CT provides only limited soft tissue contrast and exposes the patient to a significant radiation dose.MRI overcome these limitations,it has excellent soft tissue contrast,high temporal and spatial resolution and no radiation damage.Additionally,since MRI provides also functional information,PET-MRI will show a new direction of multimodality imaging in the future.

Key words:
Neoplasms;  Magnetic resonance imaging;  Positron- emission tomography;  Tomography,X-ray computed;  Imaging fusion


During anatomy lab dissections, paperback dissectors and atlases are frequently used tools navigating students through detailed dissection procedures and guiding them for structure identifications. Electronic devices such as computers and iPads consolidate these tools. The purpose of this project is to utilize computer technology and provide students an interactive video dissection guide so that the text descriptions are converted to spoken language and the still images are "live" to them. We hope that this will also save students time in dissection. In the past five years, with the help of a Sky‐Eye video camera, we have accumulated hundreds of hours of dissection video recordings done by our anatomy faculty for review purpose. These video recordings were reviewed and studied by three medical students in the summer of 2014. Short video clips that can be used as dissection procedure guidance were selected and composed into a dissection book on a computer. The dissection book contains brief text descriptions inserted with less than 5 minutes long video instructions for dissection. The completed dissection book was loaded onto iPads and made available to each dissection tank. Students can follow the video clip instructions throughout their dissections. The evaluation of this interactive video dissection guide is done by a post‐exam questionnaire and the answers are subjected to statistical analysis.


The upcoming Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) to be launched in August, 1997, will offer a much improved instrumentation. In addition to a cloud-radiation budget instrument (CERES) and a lightning detection instrument (LIS) which were developed as part of the Earth Observing System (EOS), the TRMM satellite will carry a set of three new instruments principally devoted to rainfall estimation. This package includes a visible-infrared radiometer called VIRS, a multi-channel dual-polarization passive microwave radiometer called TMI (with a 10.7 GHz capability), and a 14 GHz radar which will represent the first use of a precipitation radar (PR) in space. The addition of the PR instrument creates a new space-based capability for rainfall measurement, particularly when coupled with the TMI radiometer. The two types of measuring systems are based on entirely different physical principles and thus generate markedly different signatures of the hydrometeor profile. Either type of measuring approach by itself presents certain difficulties in retrieving vertically distributed rainrate information, but combined together present various new approaches for more accurate rainfall estimation. This presentation outlines a new type of combined algorithm scheme being developed within the TRMM project called the "Tall Vector" algorithm, representing the emerging technology for the TRMM era insofar as rainfall and latent heating estimation. The basic framework of this approach, which can be considered as a type of physical inversion scheme using incongruent measurement vectors, is presented.<<ETX>>


This book contains the following chapters: Hydrogen metabolism in Rhizobium: energetics, regulation, enzymology and genetics; The physiology and biochemistry of pili; Carboxysomes and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; Archaebacteria: the comparative enzymology of their central metabolic pathways; and Physiology of lipoteichoic acids in bacteria.


Objective. To study interobserver agreement in the assessment of intrapartum automated fetal electrocardiogram ST interval analysis (STAN). Design. Observational study. Setting. Labor ward in tertiary level university hospital. Sample. Two hundred (140 reassuring and 60 non‐reassuring) STAN recordings on non‐selected women with singleton, vertex, term pregnancies were selected from our archive. Samples of 60‐min were analysed from the end of each recording, excluding the last 30 min before delivery. Methods. Three consultants, who had undergone STAN training and had clinical experience in using STAN, reviewed the recordings using cardiotocography (CTG) and ST information with no clinical data. The reviewers were asked to follow STAN guidelines and (1) to classify the CTG as normal, intermediary, abnormal, or preterminal, and (2) to make a clinical decision on labor management. Main outcome measures. Interobserver agreement evaluated by weighted kappa (κw) values and the proportion of agreement. Results. In CTG classification, the interobserver agreement between three observers was moderate (κw, 0.47–0.48). The proportion of agreement was 56–59%. In clinical decision‐making, κw values varied from 0.47 to 0.60, and the proportion of agreement was 80–86%. Conclusions. In non‐selected term pregnancies, the interobserver agreement among experienced obstetricians in the classification of CTG and clinical decision‐making according to STAN guidelines is moderate at best.


About 200 natural substances are known to be phytoestrogens which are derived from plants with estrogenicity. Among them, isoflavones are the most potent, and coumestrol, genistein and daidzein show greater estrogenicity than other phytoestrogens. Estrogenicity of phytoestrogens is discussed in terms of endocrine disruption, since Japanese consume large quantities of phytoestrogens present in soy products, apparently having greater estrogenicity (in vitro assay) and daily intake as compared with general chemicals (such as Bisphenol A or 4-nonylphenol) frequently cited as estrogenic compounds. On the other hand, isoflavones are considered effective for preventing osteoporosis, breast cancer and prostate cancer and reducing blood cholesterol. The mode of action of phytoestrogens on the molecular level should be clarified so as to estimate risks and benefits of phytoestrogens.


The aim of the study is to examine the challenges of financing small and medium enterprises in Iraq and subsequently to proffer solutions to mitigate problems. These solutions are achieved by focusing on the role of accounting information on the financial projects in for example, hotel construction, and by providing the necessary accounting information for the concerned parties to finance these projects. In order to highlight the challenges associated with the funding of small and medium enterprises and the role of accounting information in reducing those challenges, a questionnaire was prepared. As the government authorities are the ones responsible for the accomplishment of these projects, a questionnaire form was distributed in the project department in the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The study found that, if project owners provide information with the specific characteristics of accounting information, there is a role for accounting information in reducing SME financing constraints in Iraq.


Abstract The relationship of eggshell quality to tibia status and production parameters in laying hens was evaluated in three trials. Hens were fed commercial-type layer diets for 12 wk, and data were collected for evaluation during the last 2 wk of egg production. Hens were killed at oviposition and 10 h postoviposition, and tibiae were removed to determine tibia status, tibia weight, tibia strength, and percentage bone. Eggs collected were used to determine shell quality, shell weight, shell thickness, shell strength, percentage shell, and specific gravity. There was no relationship between shell quality and tibia weight or tibia strength at oviposition. Percentage bone, however, was negatively correlated with shell quality (specific gravity, −.308; shell weight, −.363; and percentage shell, −.265). At 10 h postoviposition, tibia strength was negatively correlated with shell quality (specific gravity, −.184; shell weight, −.195; percentage shell, −.187) for birds with a shell-less egg in the oviduct. This negative relationship was also seen when birds had no egg in the oviduct (tibia strength and specific gravity, −.501; tibia strength and shell weight, −.181; tibia strength and percentage shell, −.160). Results indicate a relationship between shell quality and tibia status during eggshell formation, suggesting possible resorption of the cortical bone of tibia in conjunction with the medullary bone during eggshell calcification.


This paper introduces the profile of Canadian World Natural Heritage(CWNH) and the relationship between the CWNH Management Plan and the plan system of protected area,and points out that the principles of decentralization and local self-government system make a ternary system of heritages as federal,provincial,and local ones.The paper suggests there are two types of CWNH management plan on the basis of formal characteristic of plan,which are traditional statutory management plan and Outstanding Universal Value(OUV)-oriented ones.It takes National Parks and Jorggins Fossil Cliffs as the examples to illustrate the context and characteristic separately.The paper finally analyses the similarities and differences of the two types in terms of form and substance,and points out the situation that the Federal CWNH planning becomes mature and new trends of local ones emerge.


It is shown that three element equivalent circuit can be presented as two element circuit, if is applied only in lower or higher frequency range. This is valid particularly for the plethysmography, which is applied in higher frequency range so that series connection of resistance Rs and capacitance Cs has satisfactory fitting. The dependence of Rs and Cs on applied current is depicted for pulse plethysmography. It is shown that current sensation depends mostly on current and not current density and that pulse plethysmography with pulse duration below 10ms and duty-cycle lower than 1:50 allow very high current pulses (>80mA) without any sensation. The high current pulses enable, however a much better S/N (signal to noise) ratio of the measured signals, than continuos sinusoidal current.


The intestinal microbiota is a marker of the organism state, capable of direct and indirect interacting. The main mechanisms underlying interactions are immunoregulation and energy metabolism. Metabolites, formed during the life of microbiota, realize their actions through these engagements. Some metabolites arouse negative effects on endothelial vessels, causing and maintaining a systemic inflammatory response, which stands behind major cardiac risk factors. Metabolites and molecules such as lipopolysaccharide or trimethylamine N-oxide initiate endothelial dysfunction, and thus trigger the processes of atherogenesis, insulin resistance and even increase blood pressure by activating inflammasomes and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Short-chain fatty acids including the main metabolites such as acetate, propionate and butyrate are antagonists of lipopolysaccharide and trimethylamine N-oxide. These substances are a source of energy for intestinal epithelial cells. They maintain homeostasis, stimulate the production of anti-inflammatory components and activating reparative processes. Another important factor influencing levels on blood pressure and systemic inflammation is intestinal barrier dysfunction, which is determined by the regulatory protein zonulin. Besides, there are proved receptor interactions, as well as qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition of the microbiota that can influence blood pressure and atherogenesis. Each cardiovascular disease is characterized by its own microbiological pattern and the predominance of specific metabolites. The article presents a review, summarizing experimental and clinical data on the role of microbiota in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.