The invention relates to NxMy high-entropy alloy with a shape memory effect and a preparing method thereof. The alloy comprises NxMy, wherein x is larger than or equal to 45 and smaller than or equal to 55, y is larger than or equal to 45 and smaller than or equal to 55, the N is any two or more of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo and W and the M is any two or more of V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Cr and Zn; and the content of the Ti, the content of the Zr, the content of the Hf, the content of the V, the content of the Nb, the content of the Ta and the content of the Mo in the N are each larger than or equal to 5% and smaller than or equal to 35%, and the content of the V, the content of the Mn, the content of the Fe, the content of the Co, the content of the Ni, the content of the Cu, the content of the Cr and the content of the Zn are each larger than or equal to 5% and smaller than or equal to 35%. A body-centered cubic single-phase solid solution with the volume fraction not lower than 95% and an intermetallic compound form the alloy phase structure. The alloy is prepared through an electric arc melting method. The alloy has the shape memory effect within a wider temperature range and meanwhile has the high-entropy alloy feature. The NxMy high-entropy alloy and the preparing method have wide application prospects in the fields of aerospace, mechanical electronic products and low-temperature industries.


Crystallographic and thermo-magnetic measurements have been made on the sintered RAl 2 intermetallic compounds, where R = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er. These Laves phase compounds are important ferromagnetic substances for the Ericsson type magnetic refrigerator in the temperature range above 10 K. The powder metallurgical approach was used to prepare the samples. The sintering characteristics in the R-Al system were clarified in the previous paper. Based on that result, the RAl 2.2 system was selected in this investigation. Thermo-magnetic measurements show that Curie temperatures for the RAl 2.2 sintered compounds are inclined to be about 2 to 15 K lower than those for stoichiometric compounds. In this paper, specific heat and magnetic entropy values for the above Al-rich RAl 2 high density sintered compounds are shown in respect to application to magnetic refrigerants in the above 10 K temperature range. Then, the RAl 3 phase contribution in RAl 2.2 sintered compounds to magnetic entropy and its magnetic properties are discussed.


Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata; Asteraceae) is a major woody weed that competes with the native legume Acacia sophorae in coastal ecosystems of eastern Australia. Three glasshouse experiments examined whether litter or soil from beneath bitou bush or Acacia plants could influence seed germination and seedling growth of A. sophorae. The presence of litter decreased seed germinability and this effect was greater for bitou bush litter than for Acacia litter. Shoot growth was increased by the addition of Rhizobium after 40 days, irrespective of soil type. After 78 days, shoot and root biomass were significantly lower for seedlings grown in bitou bush soil than for those grown in Acacia soil. There was a non-significant trend towards a lower median population of Rhizobium in the soil beneath bitou bush than in that beneath Acacia. The results demonstrated a slight effect of bitou bush on the growth of A. sophorae, which could, however, be overshadowed by the judicious use of herbicides or fire for weed control and revegetation.


During the last decade, Multi drug- resistant salmonella species have increased to a great deal, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of salmonella species among food handlers working at university of Gondar students' dining rooms. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, proportion, range, median and mean were applied to compute of the data. It was generated using the procedure of frequency (FREQ) and expressed in percent. In this regard, Thirteen(3.1%) were found to be positive for salmonella isolates as well as the result of antimicrobial susceptibility test that from a total of 13 isolates, 9(69.2%), 8(61.5%), 6(46.2%) and 6(46.2%) were resistant to amoxicilline, ampicilline, nitrofurantoin and tetracyclin respectively. In both addition, nearly half (46.2%) of the isolates were multi-drug resistant. However, all of them were sensitive for both ceftriaxone and gentamycine.


Our study was designed to investigate the role of mast cells in an experimental arthritis. We used antigen induced arthritis in mast cell deficient mice and their normal littermates for this purpose. Both the severity and chromcitv of infiltrate, exudate and tissue swelling appeared to be similar when the primary arthntis was examined. Cartilage damage as a result of chronic inflammation occurred to a lesser extent in masi cell deficient mice. The flare reaction of anti gen induced arthntis was significantly less vehement in mast cell deficient mice considering tissue swelling, but only tendentiously different when the exudate was scored. Our results indi cate that mast cells contribute to cartilage damage and may play an enhancing role in the flare reaction of arthritis in mice. (J Rheumatol 1988,15:544-551) Key Indexing Terms MAST CELLS ANTIGEN INDUCED ARTHRITIS MURINE MODEL In rheumatoid synovia, mast cells can be demonstrated in enlarged quantities as can one of its products, histamine ' This finding points to an activation and thus function of mast cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) It has been suggested that mast cells contribute to joint inflammation by releasing pro teases, exoglycosidases, sulfatases, chemotactic factors and vasoactive amines upon triggering The latter two might enhance the influx of effector cells at the site of inflammation during an exacerbation Mast cells also have been impli cated in joint destruction at the pannus-cartilage junction The real impact of mast cells in RA is very difficult to study in humans, so we designed our investigation to explore the role of mast cells in different features of an experimental arthritis For this purpose we used antigen induced arthritis as a model for RA and mast cell deficient mice (WBB6F1-W/W) and their normal littermates (WBB6FI+ / + ) Antigen induced arthritis is a model widely used for studying RA ' It can be induced in antigen primed animals by an injection of antigen into the knee joint In mice, for arthritis to be chronic, it is necessary to use a catrame antigen like methy lated or amidated bovine serum albumin (mBSA and aBSA, respectively, isoelectric point greater than 8 5) These catrame antigens display good retention in negatively charged cartilage' The importance of retention may be the fact that small amounts of antigen continuously leak into the joint space where it acts as an inflammatory stimulus From the Department of Rheumatologv Unnerstn Hospital St Radboud Sijmegen The Netherlands Supported by the Dutch League against Rheumatism (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Reumabestrijding} M F van den Broek MSc W В van den Berg. PhD L В A van de Putte MD Associate Professor Address requests for reprints to Dr MF van den Broek Dept of Rheumatology Unnersily Hospital St Radboud Geert Grooteplein zuid Я 6525 GA Nijmegen The Netherlands Submitted May 22 1987 revision accepted November 26 1987 Flare reactions of chronic arthritis can be induced by sys temic administration of antigen" " These exacerbations can be best characterized as an acute type of inflammation superimposed on the foregoing chronic one Histologically, these reactions are marked by a massive infiltrate of granulo cytes in the joint space and synovial tissue and by tissue swell ing From former studies it became evident that local hyperreactivity of the inflamed joint plays an important role in the flare reaction This local hyperreactivity is likely due to retained antigen specific helper Τ cells, for it has been proved that Τ lymphocytes play a critical role in at least the initiation of the flare reaction l7 Our results indicate that the induction and the chronicity of the mBSA arthritis in mast cell deficient mice (WBB6F1-W/W) showed the same characteristics as that in their control littermates (WBB6F1-+/-I-) Chondrocyte death and cartilage matrix depletion as a variable for car tilage damage were of a higher degree in WBB6F1-+/ + mice Thus mast cells probably play a role in cartilage des truction, The flare reaction appeared to be significantly diminished in mast cell deficient mice compared with nor mal mice, implicating not an obligatory but an enhancing role for mast cells in the flare reaction MATERIALS AND METHODS Мне Маы tell deficient mice and their normal littermates were purchased from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME) Mast cell deficient mice (WBB6FI W/W) and the normal controls (WBB6F1 +/ + ) were obtained by crosses between WB/ReJ W/+ and C57BI/6J W/+ mice At the time of the first immunization the mice were 8-10 weeks of age Mice were fed a standard diet and tap water ad libitum Immunization and induction of arthritis Mice were immunized with 100 /ig mBSA (Sigma Chemical Company, Si Louis, MO USA) emulsified in Freund s complete adjuvant (FCA) (Difco Laboratones, Detroit Ml) divided into 4 subcutaneous injections into the flank and the footpads of the forehmbs As an additional adjuvant 2 χ IO heal killed Bordetella pertussis organisms (National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Hygiene Bilthoven, The Netherlands) were injected intrapcntoneally After


Temperature-dependent irreducible water saturation has great implications for heavy-oil production. Especially in processes using thermal methods, the irreducible water saturation varies significantly when temperature rises from the initial reservoir condition to the temperature of injected hot fluids. In this work, the irreducible water saturation retained in a heavy-oil/oil-sands reservoir has been theoretically analyzed as a function of temperature in the view of thermodynamics. This analysis involves oil/water interactions, thermodynamic stability, pendular rings between particles, and a dense random-packing theory. The temperature-dependent irreducible water saturation in two heavy-oil reservoir samples (Coalinga and Huntington Beach) and two oil-sands reservoir samples (Cat Canyon and Peace River) have been analyzed using an oil/water/silica system. The computed results have been compared with published experimental data. The good agreements of the comparison demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed analysis to describe the irreducible water saturation in a heavy-oil/oil-sands reservoir up to 300°C. Through these analyses, the theoretical understandings of temperature-dependent irreducible water in a heavy-oil/oil-sands reservoir have been provided. As temperature increases, the mutual water/oil solubilities are increased by enhanced molecular interactions, as well as the surface energy at an oil/water connecting interface. As a result, the oil/water interfacial tension (IFT) decreases, which diminishes the contact angle and enlarges a water-filled pendular ring between particles at elevated temperatures. Thus, the irreducible water saturation is increased by the enlarged pendular rings in a dense packing porous medium. In addition, this study demonstrates the possibilities to alter the irreducible water saturation appropriately in a heavy-oil/oil-sands reservoir to enhance oil recovery, decrease water cut, save costs of surface oil/water separation, and reduce heat consumption.


Summary 1) Results of dose and time response studies in quantitation of atherogenic effect of pharmacologic amounts of estrogen on young cockerels have been used in formulating a method for the study of atherosclerosis. 2) The method is based upon response of immature birds to 2.5 mg of estradiol cyclopentylpropionate dissolved in cottonseed oil (ECP) administered intramuscularly at beginning of 7 day experiment. 3) Results suggest that feminizing effect and some degree of atherosclerosis result from ECP dosage levels lower than those required to produce hypercholesterolemia and other blood serum changes associated with atherosclerosis. There are indications that atheroma may regress with time.


regulatory actions and mediates and modulates inflammation.1 ~3) It. is generally considered that the amine is released from storage in mast cells and basophils upon activation of the cells with allergen-reagin complex.4) In contrast, evidence is mounting that Hm is produced through histidine decarboxylase (HDC) in non-mast cells5~7); bacterial endotoxin,5) enterotoxin,6) and a tumor promotor, 13-0-decanoyl-phorbol-12-acetate,5'7)


The main goal in the present paper is to provide a technique that considers the stochastic comparison approach for investigating monotonicity and comparability of an $M_{1},M_{2}/G_{1},G_{2}/1$ retrial queues with two way communication. This approach is developed for comparing a non Markov process to Markov process with many possible stochastic orderings. Particularly, we show the monotonicity of the transition operator of the embedded Markov chain relative to the strong stochastic ordering and convex ordering, as well as the comparability of two transition operators. Bounds are also obtained for the stationary distribution of the number of customers at departure epochs. Additionally,  the performance measures of the system considered can be estimated by those of an $M_1,M_2/M_1,M_2/1$ retrial queue with two way communication when the service time distribution is NBUE (respectively NWUE). Finally, we validate stochastic comparison results by presenting a numerical example illustrating the interest of the approach.


This article focuses on a comparison of knowledge management with information management, based on a model that embraces both information and knowledge. Founded on an examination of the unique characteristics of knowledge, the concept of knowledge management is introduced. To stay in synch with the pace of change in their operational and competitive environments, organisations require a balance of organisational competencies for knowledge management and change proficiency. The focus furtheron is on one of the six key factors facilitating knowledge management that is technology. An approach to classify knowledge management technology is introduced and a survey of the knowledge management software market is given. An overall outlook on where knowledge management is heading within the next years completes the explanations.


The statistical distributions of the counts of organisms are generally skewed, and hence not normally distributed, nor are variances constant across treatments. We present a likelihood—ratio testing framework based on the negative binomial distribution that tests for the goodness of fit of this distribution to the observed counts, and then tests for differences in the mean and/or aggregation of the counts among treatments. Inferences about differences in means among treatments as well as the dispersion of the counts are possible. Simulations demonstrated that the statistical power of ANOVA is about the same as the likelihood—ratio testing procedure for testing equality of means, but our proposed testing procedure also provides information on dispersion. Type I error rates of Poisson regression exceeded the expected 5%, even when corrected for overdispersion. Count data on Orange—crowned Warblers (Vermivora celata) are used to demonstrate the procedure.


In this work, we were interested in whether the fluorescently-labeled egerolysin proteins, ostreolysin A and erylsin A, bind to culture of differentiated nerve cells and to the human oral mucosal cells. We showed that fluorescently-labelled ostreolysin A binds to human nerve cells, since these cells contin lipid domains rich in cholesterol and sphingomyelin. On the other hand, erylysin A did not bind to this cell line. Simillary, fluorescently-tagged ostreolysin A binds to human oral mucosal cells, but the binding of fluorescently-tagged erilysin A was not observed.


The Methyl isobutyl ketone-Amine synerGistic Iodide Complex (MAGIC) extraction system offers the advantage that a large number of trace elements can be rapidly determined with a single sample preparation procedure. However, many of the elements extracted by the MAGIC system form volatile organometallic halide salts when the organic extract is heated in the graphite furnace. High concentrations of some elements such as Cu and Zn extracted by the system from anomalous geological samples produce serious interferences when certain other elements are determined by flameless atomic absorption. Stripping systems have been developed using solutions of HNO/sub 3/, H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, and CH/sub 3/COOH individually or combined with H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ in order to circumvent these problems. With these systems most of the elements in the organic extract can be sequentially stripped into an aqueous phase. Organometallic volatilization and the most serious interelement interferences, therefore, can be eliminated by stripping with various combinations of reagents in a series of steps.


The Nigerian population has a predominantly rural populace and over 90% of the population do not have access to the National Health Insurance scheme due to the highly informal nature of the economy. The use of the Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) is vital to health status especially among pregnant women given that the Nigerian economy is the second largest contributor to global under-five and maternal deaths. This paper examined the Willingness to pay (WTP) for the use of the CBHIS and premium amounts WTP in rural parts


The presence of methyl group at C2 carbon in {(2-C4H3S)–C2(Me)=N–NH–C1(=S)NH2} leads to the formation of a sulfur-bridged dinuclear complex [Cu2(μ-S–Hattsc)2(η1-I)2(Ph3P)2]·2H2O (1), in reaction of copper(I) iodide with the 2-acetylthiophene thiosemicarbazone (Hattsc), unlike the usual iodo-bridging in the absence of methyl substituent at C2 carbon. Water molecules are entrapped in eighteen membered cavities of 1D network.


The present invention discloses a working LTED2D ISM band communication method comprises: when a LTED2D transmitter sends a packet to the receiver can not LTED2D a pre-specified time-frequency resource blocks received correctly the receiver feedback LTED2D when the ACK / NACK signal, the transmitter continuously transmits LTED2D SREI LTED2D indication to the receiver; the receiver LTED2D claim SREI indication comprises the retransmission of ACK / NACK signal transmitter LTED2D not correctly received. The operation of the present invention is a communication method in LTED2D ISM band D2D communication designed to increase the transmission efficiency of ACK / NACK signaling procedure, this signaling process is applied to work LTED2D communication in the ISM band, by periodically transmitting SREI indication, so LTED2D transmitter may avoid unnecessary retransmission of packet data in high probability, so as to improve spectrum utilization D2D communication.


The growing number of sources of radiation exposure, both medical and nonmedical, past mistakes with radiation, long latent periods for tumor induction, and a number of other factors require continued alertness by physicians to the radiation-induced cancer hazard. Salient examples present unequivocal implications for current clinical practice and provide the basis for sound precautionary measures.


Model reference adaptive control (MRAC) can effectively handle various challenges of the real world control problems including exogenous disturbances, system uncertainties, and degraded modes of operations. In human-in-the-loop settings, MRAC may cause unstable system trajectories. Basing on our recent work on the stability of MRAC-human dynamics, here we follow an optimization based computations to design a linear fil-ter and study whether or not this filter inserted between the human model and MRAC could help remove such instabilities, and potentially improve performance. To this end, we present a mathematical approach to study how the error dynamics of MRAC could favorably or detrimentally influence human operator's error dynamics in performing a certain task. An illustrative numerical example concludes the study.


Objective To detect the encoding gene of efflux pump and two-component system, and investigate the effect of efflux inhibition on the multiresistance of Acinetobacter baumarmii. Methods PCR was used to detect the adeB, adeR and aries gene. Agar dilution was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations(MIC) of ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, amikacin and imipenem of 50 multiresistance Acinetobacter baumannii, with or without 25 μg/ml reserpine. Results 94%, 96% and 92% of 50 muhiresistance of Acinetobacter baumannii were detected for adeB, adeR and aries gene,respectively. At least four fold decrease of MIC was observed in 49, 50, 50 and 46 isolates for ciprofioxacin, cefotaxime, amikacin and imipenem, respectively. Conclusion The multiresistance of Acinetobacter baumannii is related to the effect of the efflux system.

Key words:
Acinetobacter baumannii;  Muhiresistance;  Efflux pump


The dyeing behaviour of cured films prepared from a polyamide–epichlorohydrin resin (Hercosett) was examined in orderto obtain a better understanding of the dyeing beha viour of Hercosett–treated wool. The polymer films swell by 500–1000%. The swelling decreases with increasing dye content in the polymer and with increasing temperature. The diffusion of acid dyes into the polymer is extremely fast (D =10-7 cm2/s), and can be accelerated by the addition of salt. The sorption of the dye is described in terms of a Langmuir isotherm, indicating that an ion–exchange mechanism is operative. The concentration of cationic groups in the polymer is very high (2. 4mo//kg) and does not depend on the curing conditions. The addition of salt reduces the exhaustion of the dyebath. Reactive dyes were found to be bound covalently to the resin. During industrial resin treatment it has been shown that the molecular weight distribution of the Hercosett in the resin bath changes markedly, molecular weight increasing with running time and the spread of values being much narrower. This may explain the variation in the dyeing behaviour of wool fibres that have been treated at different times in the same resin bath.


The evidence suggests that the aplasia of the erythron can itself account for the clinical presentation of an anaemic crisis. In that case why the aplasia ? It has been considered that the crises in spherocytic anaemia are often precipitated by infection (Murray-Lyon, 1935; Scott, 1935; Dameshek, 1941 ; Home, Lederer, Kirkpatrick, and Leys, 1945), and recently it has been recognized that certain infections, notably diphtheria and infectious mononucleosis (Gasser, 1950; Chernoff and Josephson, 1951), may be associated with a transient hypoplasia of the erythron. In spherocytic anaemia we have to consider the effect of an infection upon a bone marrow in a state of prolonged and profound compensatory hypertrophy and therefore especially liable to a conditioned nutritional deficiency. The diversion of essential protein which is thought to be responsible for the anaemia of infection (Cartwright and Wintrobe, 1952), could thus be exaggerated in effect, and a relatively acute deficiency could occur, with resulting aplasia. Such an explanation would seem to us more likely than the postulation of a hypothetical hypersplenism, and would also account for the apparently increased tendency to crises during pregnancy. Summary Four crises in three children with spherocytic haemolytic anaemia were studied. All crises were associated with reticulocytopenia and with hypoplasia of the erythron in the bone marrow. Recovery from crises was associated with the reformation of the usual hypertrophic marrow. No evidence of increased haemolysis was seen in the


IN a recent article Mme F. Grillot deals with the intriguing problem of the verb ending -a in Middle Elamite.1 She most emphatically expresses her thesis that this ending always, and nothing else ever, indicates subordination. She then presents an excellent collection of text passages, which she translates in accordance with her thesis. In order to test that thesis it will be useful to reexamine many of these passages, each on its own merits, without any prejudgment.2 The first passage: hal appa kus'iha lupuruhni (IVa-1)3, "let me ... the town that I built," undoubtedly contains a subordinate clause. Mme Grillot makes the point that appa ("that [which]") and akka ("he [who]") are not relative pronouns (though normally translatable as such), but determinative pronouns, and hence do not in themselves express relativity. The point is somewhat specious, since any clause beginning with appa or akka has to be relative (and therefore subordinate). The next passage exemplifies an interesting word order: the main verb stands at the end, as normally, and its object at the beginning, with a secondary statement intervening: siyan DN(= divine name) . na .. erentum ... tipiha dh ilhah (IVa-2), which may best be translated: "I fashioned baked bricks, therewith 4 I strengthened the temple of DN." This rendering is supported by a parallel passage, more simply expressed: upat lansitipa tepuh ulhi i ahd kcusih (IIa-1), "I fashioned gilded bricks, therewith I built this dwelling." It is possible, however, to translate: "I strengthened the temple of DN with baked bricks (lit. baked bricks.., .therewith) (that) I fashioned," thus retaining tipiha as subordinate. Mme Grillot in this case, as in others, begs the question by translating "having fashioned."


There is a rapidly changing demographic of school-aged children in the United States. From 2003-2013 the percentages of English-language learners (ELL) in public schools grew from 8.7% to 9.2% (Ross et al., 2012). By 2025, one out of every four public school students will be an ELL (National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, 2010). A growing field of research focuses on identifying best practices that support ELL's in the classroom. Through best practices, teachers are able to meet the complex learning needs of ELL's. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a kinesthetic curriculum on the mathematics achievement of fourth-grade ELL's. After evaluating the effectiveness of the kinesthetic intervention, teachers had the opportunity to use best practices for ELL's. A significant increase in mathematics achievement levels occurred following kinesthetic interventions. This could further help ELL's to succeed in the classroom and on critical standardized achievement tests. Stapp, A. Volume 5, Issue 2, Fall 2015 47 © 2015 Delta State University


We investigate the direct numerical simulation algorithm on two-phase compressible spatial evolving particle laden circular jet with two-way coupling.The compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved for the gas-phase including the continuity,momentum,energy and perfect gas state equations.The Eulerian-Lagrangian point-particle approach is used for the solving of the particle phase.A new parallel particle algorithm is proposed in our paper,and we successfully track the particles crossing the computational boundary,which is subdivided by the domain-decomposition method.The diameter of particle is far less than the grid spacing and the mean kolmogorov scale is at the same order of grid spacing,which is largely restricted by the requirement of DNS simulation method.The simulation results of particle-laden circular jet are compared well with experimental data,and convince that our parallel algorithms are convincible for future research on two-phase particle-laden flow.


Abstract. A core goal of sustainable agricultural water resources management is to implement a lower water footprint (WF), i.e. higher water productivity,
and to maximize economic benefits in crop production. However, previous studies mostly focused on crop water productivity from a single physical
perspective. Little attention is paid to synergies and trade-offs between water consumption and economic value creation of crop production.
Distinguishing between blue and green water composition, grain and cash crops, and irrigation and rainfed production modes in China, this study
calculates the production-based WF (PWF) and derives the economic value-based WF (EWF) of 14 major crops in 31 provinces for each year over
2001–2016. The synergy evaluation index (SI) of PWF and EWF is proposed to reveal the synergies and trade-offs of crop water productivity and its
economic value from the WF perspective. Results show that both the PWF and EWF of most considered crops in China decreased with the increase in crop
yield and prices. The high (low) values of both the PWF and EWF of grain crops tended to cluster obviously in space and there existed a huge difference
between blue and green water in economic value creation. Moreover, the SI revealed a serious incongruity between PWFs and EWFs both in grain and
cash crops. Negative SI values occurred mostly in north-west China for grain crops, and overall more often and with lower values for cash crops.
Unreasonable regional planting structure and crop prices resulted in this incongruity, suggesting the need to promote regional coordinated
development to adjust the planting structure according to local conditions and to regulate crop prices rationally.


SAN DIEGO—It may be possible to treat HPV-associated throat cancer with a significantly reduced dose of radiation than the current standard of care, results of a phase II clinical trial indicate. Half the current dose of 60 Gray (Gy) after surgery was found to be sufficiently effective in treating many patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) linked to HPV, according to data presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA-14). Radiation therapy at doses of 30 Gy to 36 Gy provided cancer control in patients and reduced the severity of side effects, noted Daniel Ma, MD, lead author of the study and Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in a press briefing. "Patients in the trial received half the standard radiation dose but achieved equally high cure rates 2 years after treatment, with improved quality of life and lowered treatment costs." HPV-related OPSCC responds more readily to chemotherapy and radiation therapy and, therefore, has a high cure rate, but treating throat and neck regions often results in grade 2 or greater side effects, often difficulties in swallowing and salivation. Over the past 10 years, the incidence and prevalence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer have risen dramatically, outpacing the growth of most other types of cancer, said Ma. In the U.S., HPV accounts for about 70 percent of all new cases of oropharyngeal cancer, and almost half of all adults have been infected with the virus, according to the CDC. About 39,800 HPV-associated cancers occur each year, with an estimated 23,300 in women and about 16,500 men infected. Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-associated cancer among women, while oropharyngeal cancers are the most common in men. If current epidemiologic trends continue, HPV infection will account for half of all forms of head and neck cancer by 2030, Ma noted. Moreover, because the average OPSCC patient is younger and will live longer with permanent treatment side effects, it is important to find ways to reduce treatment's impact, he explained. Between 1988 and 2004, the rates of HPV-associated OPSCC more than doubled, while the rates of HPV-negative disease—which is typically caused by smoking and alcohol consumption—dropped by half. "The profile of the typical oropharynx cancer patient has changed, which means that our approach to treating this disease needs to change as well," Ma said. "Several research groups are pursuing an incremental approach to de-escalating treatment, such as using 15 percent less radiation dose. Our trial took a different approach—testing whether we could cut the dose by half. Our findings indicate that this more aggressive approach toward treatment reduction can be viable for appropriately selected patients."


A 55-year-old gentleman with underlying type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and end stage renal disease presented with shortness of breath, vomiting and worsening fatigue for one day after missing his scheduled hemodialysis. Physical examination in revealed tachypnoea with a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute, and fine mid inspiratory crepitations at the lung bases. Initial blood investigations in the emergency department revealed severe metabolic acidosis and hyperkalemia with a potassium of 7.6 mmol/L. A 12 lead electrocardiogram was done and several features that suggest hyperkalemia were detected such as a narrow based and symmetrical tall, tented T wave. In V1 the QRS complex is reminiscent of Brugada type 1 which is probably Brugada phenocopy and are often seen in hyperkalemia. There is ST elevation in V2, a single precordial lead. There is no reciprocal ST depression, and a lone ST elevation does not indicate ischemia. This may be caused by hyperkalemia as well. There is a broad QRS of 136ms, widened QRS is characteristic of hyperkalemia. There is a broad P wave and the PR interval is approximately 200ms. Left ventricular hypertrophy is also present. Due to impending respiratory collapse, he was subsequently intubated. His hyperkalemia was treated with intravenous short acting human insulin, dextrose 50%, calcium gluconate, sodium bicarbonate and calcium polystyrene sulfonate. He was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and had undergone emergency hemodialysis.


This work focuses on modeling and simulating the behavior of a real-time control system using the Goal Oriented Requirement Engineering approach and Discrete Event System Specification formalism for Realtime. This is the first attempt to combine the goal-based approach with a model of discrete event system to check the safety properties of a real-time control system. In order to bring more insight into the goal-based model and the behavior-based model, we illustrate our methodology by an example of the air traffic control system. To improve the decision making in the modeling process and to remove fault risk from the designing process, a simulation driven by a multi-agent systems is provided.


Ad blocking tools have become part of the unfair competition debate in China. Leading Chinese online video companies have initiated several lawsuits against Web browsers and software developers that provide add-ons or similar tools that let people avoid advertisements. Chinese courts have taken a strong stance in support of the online video industry's ad-based business model, ruling that Web browsers and software that provide ad avoidance plug-ins are liable for unfair competition. This paper reviews those cases dealing with ad blocking tools and explores the judicial approach taken by the Chinese courts as well as the implications of the courts' ruling on the related industry. Keywords—Ad blocking feature; unfair competition; online video sites; Chinese rulings


HEALTH PRATICES have always been determined by the orienting paradigms of the health sciences, which in their turn refer partly to the country's global technological social economic context. The authors of this text aim at comparing the different paradigms which have been governing public health practices in the last two centuries and at defining in further details the evidence-based conception that health is a social product, opposing the Flexnerian curativistic paradigm. A further aim is to present new practices resulting from the new conception whose focal point is preventive attention to health. New types of action, such as health promotion, are described and analyzed, as well as the need to engraft the new vision on the old prevention and cure practices. The new paradigm structuring projects are outlined in the description of Towns/Healthy Counties and of the Family Health Program. Concluding, the role the university and mainly the public health colleges have been playing vis-a-vis the innovations of the paradigm and the practices it originates is analyzed.


The structures of transition states and activation parameters of radical addition of tBuOO• and Ph(CH3)2COO• to the C60 and C70 fullerenes have been found by density functional theory method PBE/3ζ. Calculated by Eyring equation, the rate constants of the tBuOO• addition to C60 and C70, equal to 100 and 18.9 L mol−1 s−1, respectively; in the case of the Ph(CH3)2COO• addition, these are 14.5 and 17.7 L mol−1 s−1 (all reactions are in gas phase). The estimated inhibitor capacity of C60 equals to 3.7–5.3. According to calculated rate constants, C60 is more sensitive toward the structure of the peroxyls added. The calculated values agree with available experimental data on the reactions of these radicals with fullerenes. As follows from the calculated data, rate constants depend both on the nature of the fullerene and radical. The obtained data may be applied as reference values to the analysis of fullerene inhibition effect on the oxidation of organic compounds.


Background: cHL is a histopathologically distinguish cancer type with an interesting microenvironment. The number of malignant cells is small in relation to the dominant T lymphocytes that have lost their antitumor activity through different mechanisms. Therefore, reactivation of host antitumoral immune response is promising approach to convert cHL in amenable disease for the immune system. Nivolumab is a novel antibody that binds to program death receptor-1 (PD-1) and prevents immune tolerance. Recently, several published clinical trials confirmed the clinical efficacy of single agent nivolumab in patients with few cancer types. Publications on nivolumab in cHL are very scarce. The available literature is limited to only one phase 1 (Ansell et al., N Engl J Med 2015;372:311-9) and another non-randomized phase 2 (Younes et al., Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl; abstr 7535) clinical study that included 23 and 80 patients with relapsed/refractory cHL respectively. Case series: We report on three patients with heavily pretreatedcHL who failed several lines (mean 6.3, range: 3-9) of chemotherapy. Table 1 illustrates the patients9 characteristics. All patients had stage IV disease at initiation of nivolumab. Two patients had very poor performance status (ECOG 3 and 4) attributed to progressivecHL and were oxygen dependent. One patient was wheelchair bound and the other was bedridden. The patients were started on single agent nivolumab 3 mg/kg every two weeks. Impressive clinical responses were observed in all patients after just one dose of nivolumab. In particular, significant rapid clinical improvement was obtained in both patients with the worst performance status. Both patients became mobile and self-dependent within 2-4 days after the first dose. This pattern of clinical response resembles that seen on the 1stday of immune response mediated recovery from viral respiratory infection. All patients reached complete metabolic response after 4 doses with continuous improvement of clinical condition. Both oxygen dependent patients became oxygen independent. No treatment related significant side effects were observed. Conclusion: Pre-treatedcHL is amenable to novel immunotherapy. Nivolumab induces impressive clinical and radiological responses with excellent tolerance. The drug enriches our treatments options by reloading the immune system response against cancer. Further clinical studies are needed to determine the effectiveness on large patients9 cohort. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


This thoroughly updated edition of COMPUTER CRIME, INVESTIGATION, AND THE LAW provides a comprehensive overview of computer forensics, computer laws, and computer-related trials--written to be accessible to the layman as well as the professional. This revised edition includes new and expanded coverage of current computer laws and hacking techniques, as well as updates to sections covering evidence collection, litigation, and more. Unlike other books in this field, it covers a combination of both technical and legal aspects. It also includes numerous real-world case studies and coverage of expert witnesses. Keep up with this burgeoning high-tech/legal field with COMPUTER CRIME, INVESTIGATION, AND THE LAW, SECOND EDITION.


Photo of Norma and Buzzie Perry. The photo was taken by Woltz, Des Moines. From Group 13 (the Perry Family) of the Henry Homer Sears Estate Albums.


In the world educational, English lesson have given since the grade school. MI Al Islam Program Plus Dibal ones of school which give the English lesson for students 4th class. The material give about something in the house it is like curriculum 2013. At the activity English lesson in the class, some students have not can remind vocabulary and students low in activity studied. This experiment to make application game education learning English in Android based. This application game education is expected can to simplify the students remind vocabulary and skill of students in the study. In the design this game used methode Game Development Life Cycle (GDLC). Data collection is done in MI Al Islam Program Plus Dibal and meet the teacher for interview and observe. Make assets of the picture with CorelDraw X7. This game education plan with Construct 2, the next export to be file android with cocoon.io in online. The testing game with 36 students and 1 teacher, the next give questionnaire to user. Based on the testing game from 37 responden can presentation about 91,35% agree if game education in English can help to study English lesson about something in the house.


This work is to study the sensing properties of chitosanpolyvinyl alcohol film sensors upon hexanal gas exposure using vapour sensing technique. The sensor fabrication process was done using electrochemical deposition method by deposit the sensing materials on the gold patterned electrode with chitosan/PVA. The response value of chitosan-PVA film sensors towards hexanal was taken as an output voltage using electrical testing method. In this study, 1.75% of chitosan with 5% of PVA were mixed with the ratio of (95:5) was tested upon exposure to hexanal gas. The concentration of the hexanal was varied as 10 ppm, 20 ppm, 30 ppm. It was found that the chitosan-PVA film sensors showed fast response, stable, good stability, good recovery, repeatable and good sensitivity towards hexanal exposure. The morphology of the pure chitosan and chitosan-PVA was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the interaction between chitosan and PVA was examined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR results indicate the changes in characteristics of the spectral peaks due to the formation of the intermolecular bonds between chitosan and PVA. The SEM morphology of the composites showed flat smooth surface that be a sign of uniform distribution of chitosan and PVA mixture throughout the films.


Replication of research is critical to expanding the sample size and demonstrating applicability of research findings for different critical care patients or units. This author describes several options for developing a replication study in critical care.


The goal of the research is to describe and analyze the principal's skills in implementing the improvement of learning excellence. This study used a qualitative approach with the design of the multi-case study. Data collection methods used are interviews, observation, and study of the document. The validity of the data is done with credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The data collected from the three techniques were organized, interpreted, and analyzed repeatedly, both inside-case analysis and across-case analysis in order to draft concepts and the abstract of research findings. The results shows that theof research findings. The results shows that the principal's skills in implementing the excellent enhancement was proved by the results of principal's performance through the acquisition of academic and non-academic achievement which were accomplished by the students and determined by the prominent principal's skills in terms of: technical skills in the scope of learning, implementing the theory of recent learning, creating the program of staff development, computer skills and adequate foreign language skills. Keywords—managerial skills, the principal's skill in implementing, the learning excellence.


We prove symmetry results for solutions of elliptic and parabolic equations assuming that, on such solutions, certain functional conditions are imposed


The present invention discloses a selenium-enriched paliurus tea and its preparation method. Sodium selenite weighed 10-20 g / acre, adding cysteine, methionine and ferrous sulfate as 22-31 g / acre composite carrier mixture was dissolved in water formulated in the mother liquor, and then diluted with water to use 3000Kg / acre sprayed on green money willow leaf growth three years of age, 15 days after spraying can be harvested, shoots or leaves after the harvest made with this product that is rich in selenium Liu Qing money tea. This tea has a significant effect refreshing brain, nourishing the physical condition; especially for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other symptoms have a significant improvement.


Based on the seismo-geological field investigation,a co-seismic surface rupture zone in Changlingshan area,Gansu province,was discoved recently.The rupture phenomena include:rock collapse,landslip,downthrown-pit,earthquake slot,uplift,scarplet,earthquake fissure and so on.The distribution of the rupture zone is controled strictly by Changlingshan Northern Piedmont Fault.Through the comprehensive research on the characters of the rupture zone,TL age testing,data of the regional active tectonics and the relationship between rupture zone lengths and earthquake magnitudes,it is considered that this rupture zone was caused by Gulang M_S 8.0 earthquake in 1927.


Hospitals in Scotland are failing to invest adequately in medical equipment, which could result in putting patients at risk, says a report from the Auditor General for Scotland. It has recommended the establishment of a rolling programme of planned replacement.

Underfunding of around £8m ($12m) was identified in 1997-8. Although the report acknowledges that figures for one year need to be treated with caution, it added: "Our survey findings suggest that across Scotland, expenditure on new …


Ever-increasing design complexity and advances of technology impose great challenges on the design of modern microprocessors. One such challenge is to determine promising microprocessor configurations to meet specific design constraints, which is called Design Space Exploration (DSE). In the computer architecture community, supervised learning techniques have been applied to DSE to build regression models for predicting the qualities of design configurations. For supervised learning, however, considerable simulation costs are required for attaining the labeled design configurations. Given limited resources, it is difficult to achieve high accuracy. In this article, inspired by recent advances in semisupervised learning and active learning, we propose the COAL approach which can exploit unlabeled design configurations to significantly improve the models. Empirical study demonstrates that COAL significantly outperforms a state-of-the-art DSE technique by reducing mean squared error by 35% to 95%, and thus, promising architectures can be attained more efficiently.


This paper presents a new approach which can measure the frequency-impedance characteristic of the power line trap.It details the process of signal-phase-detecting by making use of a pair of orthogonal signals.A group of banausic formulas for calculating the impedance and resistive component is summarized to avoid the fussy triangle function calculation.A hardware implementation scheme of this measuring system is put forward as well.Simulation of a kind of wideband line trap with typical parameters is performed.The result of the simulation demonstrates the validity of the method.The testing system established with this method posesses the advantage of higher accuracy,high speed,being easy to realize and low cost.


Sex preferences for children are contingent on institutional and economic contexts, including family system. While the patrilineal joint family system of the Han Chinese tends to devalue daughters, the family systems of many of China's southern minorities are conducive to female autonomy and more equal sex preferences. The Li of Hainan Island provide an example. We examined household registers and surveyed women in a relatively isolated highland township inhabited by the Meifu, a Li sub-group. The Meifu depend largely on swidden agriculture, permit considerable sexual freedom to adolescent females, and, as expected, have more equal sex ratios among their children than other Hainan populations. There was a tendency for a preference for males in the one hamlet in the community with an exceptional endowment of irrigated land, suggesting that sex preferences are sensitive to local economic circumstances.


Over the years for enhanced resolution, electron beam exposure tools have migrated to higher accelerating potentials. High kV exposure requires faster resist to offset the loss of absorbed radiation. In addition, in order to maintain throughput in mask writing tools, photoresist sensitivities of the order of 5(mu) C/cm2 at 50 kV are needed and likewise 5 (mu) C/cm2 at 100 kV for projection exposure tools. To meet this sensitivity requirement there is a keen interest in using chemically amplified resists (CAR). The CAR resists offer additional benefits such as high contrast, improved resolution, larger process windows, and dry resistance. This study is focused on enhancing the sensitivity of a low activation ketal protected polyhydroxystyrene. One such resist, which has been reported previously, is insensitive to the post apply bake temperature and does not require a post exposure bake. To enhance the resolution, process latitudes, and chemical contrast, base quenchers are usually added to limit the diffusion of the acid after exposure. To improve the sensitivity of the formulation, the effect of the acid generator (AGX), type of base, base concentrations and ratios in combination with the polymer protection level has been studied. Yields of acid formed were measured by titration and NMR. It was also found that both the AGX and base has an inhibition effect on dissolution. By increasing the among of AGX and decreasing the polymer protection level, the sensitivity of the formulation was improved while maintaining the resist contrast, resolution, vacuum stability, and bake latitudes. In addition, the sensitivity of the resist can be altered by quantity and type of added base. We have also investigated the effect of Pka of the base on the sensitivity, and process exposure latitude. The ionic onium acid generators or non ionic hydroxyimides provide adequate acid when coupled with adjusted concentrations of base to achieve 5 (mu) C/cm2 at 100 kV.


In the paper is presented review of some approaches corelated with subject of using fractional derivatives in control system theory. Popular algorithms used in the industry are presented, along with relating designing methodology. Using of fractional derivatives calculations is relatively new concept, but constantly getting increasing interest. Deliberation in recent years indicate that many scientific problems like thermodynamic or biology problems can be well considered and modeled by fractional order derivatives. On the market there is available tools that support a processes of identification and regulators designing, based on experimental data. One of such tools are toolbox CRONE for MATLAB, which contains three modules: mathematical, identifying, system control designing. That toolbox allows implementation of CRONE regulators with different level of complexity. Other tool is FOMCON, which also is a toolbox for MATLAB and it is based on already existed toolbox FOTF. FOMCON allows to identifying of control system and PIλDµ regulator designing. This article is aiming to present current state of art, discussion about existing tools and concepts correlated with fractional order derivatives and their usage in control system theory, like: gamma function, definition of fractional derivative, Laplace transform and basics of control system theory.


The development of lightweight car bodies is the most prominent issue in the automotive industry today, in preparation of environmental regulations such as reduction of CO₂ emissions. Also, with the recent implementation
of mandatory off-set collision test, many studies have been carried out to enhance the safety of automobiles. Recently, TRIP(Transformation Induced Plasticity) steel has developed as a prominent alternative due to its high strength and superior elongation In this study, TRIP steel weldability is evaluated with lobe curve, continuous spot welds, shunt effect, and weld of edge position


The evaluation of the performance of search engine generally adopts qualitative method or quantitative method. This paper confirmed an index marks system for search (engine). On basis of that, it was studied for using fuzzy multiple attribute decision making in the question of evaluation of search engine. The approach was afforded for search (engine) of quantitative evaluation.


In the present study leaves of Barleria prionitis Linn was subjected to pharmacognostical studies such as macroscopic, microscopic and micromeretics parameters were also observed. Physicochemical studies such as ash values, extractive values of plant part were carried out to confirm the identity of plant. Ash values such as total ash, acid insoluble ash and water soluble ash were determined and recorded. Extractive values such as alcohol soluble extractives and water soluble extractive values were also determined. The leaves of Barleria prionitis Linn shows the presence of phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, glycosides and tannins.


Eimeria tenella is one of the most common and pathogenic species of the genus Eimeria in the chicken and is associated with many coccidiosis outbreaks and a high rate of mortality. Experimentally, Origanum vulgare proved to be an anti-Eimeria tenella regimen.


This paper analyzed the cause of off-specification of LPG copper-corrosion index and introduced three typical LPG extract desulfuration processes that widely used currently. After being applied and compared, it showed that all the three kinds of LPG extract desulfuration process had good effect for solving off-specification of LPG copper-corrosion index. Alkali-wash process should be limited for the reason of environment protection while Merox extract desulfuration should be chosen for the off-specification of LPG copper-corrosion index caused by high content of total sulphur, for the case that caused by high content of H_2S, the dry-method extract desulfuration process should be selected.


As Figure 1 shows, there is no great difference in the absorbance spectra at different thicknesses of the MoO thin films. However, greater changes can be seen in the extinction coefficient. One thing that is important to highlight in the absorbance spectra is that it shows a shift exactly in the absorbance zero value. This absorbance zero value means that at this wavelength the reflected light is small compared with the transmittance. It is essential to emphasize this behavior, because if the medium was switched to a non-absorbing medium, this behavior could be modified . Remember that the effective refractive index proposed by van de Hulst considers the whole contribution of the matrix medium (MoO ). For this oxide, the refractive index has a real and an imaginary part, which indicates that the main contribution of this phenomenon is the thin film of the MoO . This can be seen in Figure 1, where the cases of un-doped MoO films are presented. The figure shows the evolution of the extinction coefficient zero value as the thickness of the film increases. It is well known that the plasmonic nanoparticles (in this case silver, gold This entry focused on the application of the effective medium theory to describe the extinction coefficient (Qext) in molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) doped with different kinds of plasmonic nanoparticles, such as silver (Ag), gold (Au), and copper (Cu). Usually, in studies of these materials, it is normal to analyze the transmission or absorption spectra. However, the effect of this type or size of nanoparticles on the spectra is not as remarkable as the effect that is found by analyzing the Qext of MoO3. It was shown that the β-phase of MoO3 enhanced the intensity response of the Qext when compared to the α-phase of MoO3. With a nanoparticle size of 5 nm, the Ag-doped MoO3 was the configuration that presents the best response in Qext. On the other hand, Cu nanoparticles with a radius of 20 nm embedded in MoO3 was the configuration that presented intensities in Qext similar to the cases of Au and Ag nanoparticles. Therefore, implementing the effective medium theory can serve as a guide for experimental researchers for the application of these materials as an absorbing layer in photovoltaic cells.


This essay tackles the controversy of heterosexual-identified women who derive erotic and psychic pleasure from writing and/or reading popular literature in which the central romantic couple is two men. Such narratives are known as M/M fiction and comprise a subgenre within the larger romance market. Criticism directed at this cultural practice often argues that such narratives merely substitute two male bodies for a male/female pair without substantively altering the emotional and sexual dynamics of the relationship. Hence, the male lovers in such narratives are simply acting out a heterosexual fantasy of gay male intimacy. To challenge this view, this essay turns to revisions to Freudian understandings of bisexuality. In so doing, it attempts to relocate this pleasure in the repudiated male identities and homosexual object cathexes that all women are urged to give up in the pre-Oedipal phase as a condition of assuming (hetero)normative gender and sexual subjectivities.


The comparative analysis of the operated patients with "low cancer" of a rectum has been carried out for the period of 1999-2012 years in Irkutsk Regional Oncological Hospital.


A new formulation has been developed to represent the vapor pressure of heavy water (D2O) from its triple point to its critical point. This work takes advantage of several developments since the publication of the best previous formulation: the availability of some new data in the lower part of the temperature range, the adoption of the ITS-90 temperature scale, and the adoption of recommended values for the critical constants by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS). The new formulation fits the available data within their scatter across the entire temperature range, and is constrained to pass through the values recommended by IAPWS for the critical point. The previous formulation can be made to provide a similarly good fit if its input temperatures are converted from ITS-90 to IPTS-68 before the vapor pressure is computed. The new formulation offers the advantage of computation without having to perform a temperature conversion.


Dementia affects approximately 2.4 to 5.5 million Americans. Its prevalence increases with age, to 5% in persons aged 71 to 79 years, 24% in those aged 80 to 89 years, and 37% in those older than 90 years. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is different from dementia in that the cognitive impairment is not severe enough to interfere with instrumental activities of daily life. It is difficult to estimate the prevalence of MCI, and estimates range widely, from 3% to 42% in adults aged 65 years and older.


A new graph-based evolutionary algorithm named "genetic network programming, GNP" has been proposed. GNP represents its solutions as graph structures which have distinguished expression ability. In this paper, we propose GNP with reinforcement learning. Evolutionary algorithm of GNP makes a very compact graph structure and reinforcement learning of GNP improves search speed for solutions.


I READ with interest the paper by Schuhmann and Cope, entitled 'Medical treatment of 145 cases of gastric dilatation in rabbits' (Schuhmann and Cope 2014). This paper highlights the dilemma that practitioners face when presented with an acutely anorexic rabbit with an enlarged stomach and I would like to make some comments on the subject.

In rabbits, intestinal obstruction by a pellet of compressed hair is the most likely cause of gastric dilation and many of these cases will resolve without surgery because the pellet can pass through to the hindgut (Harcourt-Brown 2007). Any supportive treatment can aid this process and the protocol that Schuhmann and Cope describe is an example. However, if the pellet does not pass through to the hindgut, the small intestine will remain obstructed and the rabbit will die (Harcourt-Brown 2013). Its death will be a painful one. Rupture of the stomach or small intestine and peritonitis are just some of the possible consequences of gastric tympany. The dilemma that practitioners face is to know which rabbits need surgery to relieve the obstruction and which rabbits will …


The levelness of asphalt pavement is a key index for the quality thereof, and immediately related to the safety, comfort and performance of vehicle travelling. In the works of Anxi Rd. reconstruction in Shanghai, factors affecting the levelness are pointed out, i.e. the levelness of road base, asphalt mixture, base face (line) and operation for paving and rolling. It is proved in practice that as long as construction operations are carefully designed, equipment and workmanship well selected and construction well managed, high levelness of the asphalt pavement can be ensured.


Obesity has been linked as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease including hypertension. Varying patterns of this relationship location. Body mass index (BMI), waist methods of assessing obesity. This study aimed to assess obesity using BMI, WC and WHR, and to examine the respective relationships with hypertension. study, 556 adult out analysed using Epi info 7 statistical software package. Confidence interval of 95% and significance level of <0.05 was applied. According to BMI cut obese; by WC cut abnormal WHR was found in 57.4% of the subjects. Fifty hypertensive. Subjects hypertensive population respectively. There was significant correlation between anthropometric indices (BMI, WC and WHR) and hypertension (p=<0.05). All three methods were useful in assessing obesity and correlating obesity with hypertension.


Abstract Our policy for insular glioma has achieved more than 90% removal. The policy influence grade 2 to postpone farther treatment and grade 3 to extend prognosis. In this study, we analyzed our clinical data to be sure how this policy effect to insular glioma. First-onset tumor since 2006 to 2015 were collected and following parameters were analyzed retrospectively, such as the tumor, extension, surgical removal rate, complications, pathological and genomic diagnosis. Of all 70 cases, the average age was 41 years old (24–76). The pathological diagnosis and number of patients were DAmt 20, DAwt 1, AAmt 8, AAwt 5, AO 5, O 18. PFS of each pathological grade(2,3,4) were 55,5m, 42,6m and 4,7m, OS were nr, nr, 32,8 months. 57 cases of IDHmt showed 60,2m of PFS and n.r of OS. 10 cases of IDHwt showed 19,9m PFS and 35,8m OS. The average and median removal rate were 91.4% and 95%. The number of complication case were mild 9 and moderate 2 at 3 months after surgery. The invasion pattern from temporal stem showed that frontal base invasion cases was resulted as poor prognosis comparing with temporal or parietal extension. Number of patients with IDHwt, Oligodedroglial tumor and GBM were relatively low. Surgical complications are mainly caused in the first half of the proficiency process, 15% had paralysis due to LSA infarction. Most of grade 2 cases were treated without post-operative treatment and the prognosis was almost same as grade 3 cases which were treated by chemo and radiation therapy such as 55m, 43m of PFS and n.r of OS. AA wt and GBM showed almost same OS of 32m.We have reconsidered a new classification based on temporal stem extension from surgical point of view. Insular glioma is somewhat different from the other location glioma.


To investigate the hydrocarbon redeposition process on the graphite tile surface, we developed a modeling code that considers a complete set of collisional reactions in the plasma, energy- and species-dependent reflection coefficients, and fragmentation at the tile surface. The model calculations revealed local redeposition characteristics. The redeposition rate, which is the number of redeposited particles on the tile surface per launched CH4 molecule, decreases with decreasing plasma temperature due to a steep decrease in the rate coefficients for electron impact ionization at temperatures of less than 10 eV. At elevated plasma temperatures, large numbers of singly or multicharged carbon ions are redeposited because of the high sticking coefficient of the multicharged ions, which is strongly accelerated by the sheath field. The hydrogen concentration of the deposited species increases because of a decrease in the number of dissociative reactions in the plasma with decreasing plasma density. Using energy- and species-dependent sticking coefficients, low-energy ion species are reflected by the tile surface where dissociation occurs and are subsequently dissociated due to transport in the plasma; accordingly, the hydrogen concentration of deposited species is low.


Consideration of the durability of building materials from a thermal fluctuation position is the most difficult, but at the same time the most adequate method now. Since this concept is insensitive to changes in the physical structure, it becomes necessary to consider not only the material, but also the configuration of the structure. This will make it possible to bring the simplified theoretical ideas about the performance of a building material in a structure closer to real conditions. Thus, the aim of the work is to compare the destruction mechanism of PVC sheet elements of solid section and composite section from the thermal fluctuation position. To achieve this goal, the initial data for finding thermal fluctuation constants (durability of PVC plates at non-critical stress) were determined by an experimental method. Based on the initial data, the thermal fluctuation constants for each section were determined by the graphic-analytical method. During the comparative analysis, it is proposed to introduce a coefficient into the Zhurkov's equation, which will consider the configuration of the section. It was also determined that for PVC sheet elements of composite cross-section in two layers, this coefficient is kc = 2. Considering the configuration of the cross-section when determining the thermal fluctuation dependences will increase the quality of predicting the durability of the building material.


Ecological conditions of habitats essentially influence on phenological phases terms at Leucojum aestivum, Galanthus woronowii and Pancratium maritimum on the Black Sea coast of Russia. The general duration of vegetation of Leucojum aestivum and Galanthus woronowii populations on the shaded habitats exceeds that for the opened habitats on 3 and 2 weeks respectively; Pancratium maritimum, on the contrary, differs continuous vegetation on open habitats. Despite earlier beginning of flowering in the shaded conditions, fruits maturing of Leucojum aestivum and Galanthus woronowii is noted for a week later, than on the shined habitats; flowering of Pancratium maritimum in the shaded conditions can not be observed.


Objective:  Australia and New Zealand are currently preparing a new food standard code, which will allow the use of health claims on food products and in associated advertising. The aim of the present study was to obtain preliminary information about the current use of health claims on the Internet and the level of compliance of these claims with existing regulations.

Methods:  From August to October 2005 a survey was conducted of 1068 websites associated with the top 20 food-processing companies in Australia, and an additional 683 websites for food products found to carry health claims in previous studies of product labels and magazine advertisements. The results were compared with those from a 2003 survey of health claims on the labels of 7850 products.

Results:  The survey found that 14.5% of food product websites carried a health claim, and 40.7% and 37.0% of products previously identified as carrying claims on product labels or in magazines, respectively, had Internet claims. Of claims 21.4% were located directly on the food product webpage, but the majority (78.6%) were on associated links within the manufacturer's website. Many of the claims (19.7%) were high-level or therapeutic claims not permitted by current food standards.

Conclusions:  Health claims are not being made more frequently on websites compared with product labels, but there is a greater prevalence of high-level and therapeutic claims made on the Internet. In future, food standards enforcement will need to give greater priority to monitoring the use of health claims on the Internet.


The work efficiency value on the TB Pemali mining front in 2018 is relatively low (57.16%), This condition means it required the improvement of the work efficiency in accordance with the good mining practice. Method used in this research including preparation, collecting data and field orientation, which is then processed as follows: counting work efficiency of the dig tools for load and hauling tools in mining area front, analyzing operator performance and equipments conditions in mining area front, and analyzing work efficiency improvements. The result showing that score of current work efficiency of the dig tools for load in the amount of 62.74%, and for hauling tools in the amount of 57.68%. This result shows that low score of work efficiency in mining area front caused by large breakdown time of the hauling tools and low performance of the operator, then improvement of work efficiency is carried out by reducing the operator's variable trouble limit by 35% and reducing indent time of broke sparepart, the final score of work efficiency of the dig tools for load in mining area front is in the amount of 66.27% and for hauling tools in the amount of 66.44%


The Palgrave Handbook is so far the most extensive effort to write a comparative political science of football. A programmatic introduction is followed by case studies on the history and politics o...


This chapter is a brief discussion on the fraught categories "the postcolonial" (world), "the Bible," and "race." It considers how they are complexly interrelated and how each sets conditions for the others. The chapter also examines how these categories invent, define, and delimit one another and thereby shape thinking, discourse, and politics. The categories highlighted in this essay are not inert, flat backdrops or contexts against which one then engages texts; they are themselves complex phenomena and dynamic "texts" to be interpreted. The challenge ahead has to do with how the imbrication of the intertextual dynamics will be perceived. Thus, this article is an attempt to demonstrate a defensible way forward that entails exploding rather sinking into traditional notions about the textual. Put more simply, it entails focus on lives, social relations, and power dynamics.


This paper presents intelligence capture, a novel technique for programming behavioral animation by demonstration. This technique operates in two modes: training and autonomous behavior. In training mode, the human user has direct control over the virtual character through an input device such as a joystick. The human user demonstrates the desired behavior for the character by dictating its actions during an interactive animation. This demonstration is recorded as a set of state-action pairs; each pair represents the specific action the human chose for the character when in the associated state. This data is then processed to ensure that any conflicts in the pairs are eliminated. Later, when the character is to behave autonomously, the recorded state-action pairs are generalized to form a continuous state-to-action mapping. This mapping dictates the action the character is to perform for any given state. Thus a behavioral model can be automatically constructed by an animator-programmer team in an intuitive manner, eliminating a programming bottleneck and making this process simpler and quicker. Moreover, the animator has greater control over the creation of the behavioral model, and stylized behavior can easily be realized. While not a panacea, intelligence capture can effectively produce many types of behavioral animation.


A gap in trust between patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and medical providers is well recognized, largely originating from repetitive requests for opioid analgesics. Although expert clinical care guidelines in sickle cell disease are available, they rarely address measures by which this endemic gap in trust may be narrowed to fulfill the goals of medicine. We hypothesized that an increased familiarity with the patient as an individual through exposure of physicians to first-person narratives of the life-world of SCD may allow reformulation of perceptions and narrow the gap between physicians and patients. In a pilot study, extended first-person narratives of the illness experience elicited from patients with SCD with a history of recurrent hospitalizations (n=10) point to the individualized impact of pain, illness and stigmatizing disruptions in life-building efforts imposed by SCD together with the recurrent conflicts with medical caregivers, particularly after transition from pediatric to adult medicine. Patient-elicited narrative fragments such as "You are constantly fighting with people who are supposed to be making us feel better", "You don9t know me, I am a church boy!" and "Put down your microscopes and talk to us" reveal the yearning by patients for individual integrity to be acknowledged, absorbed and interpreted by physicians. Additional narrative fragments such as "I hate myself. I hate my life", "Why am I broken?", "you don9t want to be the girl with jaundice", "I had to leave work for 2 months because I was hospitalized, it killed me, it killed me", "you never know when it9s going to be the last day, the last moment", exhibit the woundedness and fragility of existence experienced by patients. Narratives elicited separately from physicians caring for SCD (n=5) reveal anxiety, fear and distrust of the reported pain experience and opioid requests, and point toward deeper schisms that disparities may define: "I was very scared when I took care of my first sickle cell patient", "I came in with a bias already", "a similar frequent flier who had the same kind of behavior", "you have to be careful with empathy, people can take advantage of it", "I am not an enabler", "My grandfather told me about these people". Yet when the same physicians were invited to read and reflect on transcripts of the life-world stories of patients, reshaped perceptions of the stigmatized patient are revealed; "without knowing the story, you can9t put it all together", "this would change the way I view treating them", "I will have more patience now" as examples. However, "Why can9t they listen to our story? It could help them to be better patients," suggests that additional studies of the mutual intersections of patient and physician narratives are warranted and that these can offer insights and pathways toward mitigating distrust and conflict between medical care providers and patients with SCD. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The procedure known as translation consists in the expression, through the medium of the target language, of that information which is conveyed by the text in the source language. We shall not consider here the conveyance of anything apart from "information" in the narrow sense. We have further to consider that the information latent in the source text may not all be relevant for the purposes of the exercise. Languages differ considerably in the kinds of information which they consider as "relevant." For example, in English we cannot convey any verbal concept without at the same time adding information about when the action took place relative both to the moment of speaking and the moment of reference. In Chinese on the other hand all this extra information is regarded as irrelevant. Differences between relevant and irrelevant information are not only due to differences in linguistic habit, but may be due to the common human tendency to include irrelevant matter rather than to risk leaving out anything of importance. Theoretically, a "sufficient" translation could be defined as one which conveyed all the relevant and none of the irrelevant information. But this would be a poor aim for a computer program, (a) because when the same "irrelevancies" are present in both languages, trouble is saved by letting them pass, and (b) the rigorous pruning of, for example, English tenses, would lead to an undesirable "pidgin" effect which can in fact fairly easily be avoided.


The technologies with self-owned intellectual rights innovated independently and developed are used for the lime industry in China.Meanwhile the various kinds of conditions,such as adaptability,rational kiln type selection,full utilization of mine resource,fuel source and site and so on are recognized correctly.The work of new technology development and macro-scale operations technology of lime kilns,energy saving and discharge reduction is to be done well to promote the large-scale development of the lime industry.


Abstract. Presented in this report are new procedures for calculating fundamental design properties for both spliced and unspliced mechanically-laminated (i.e., mechlam) wood assemblies including: flexural rigidity values for bending about the X-X axis and about the Y-Y axis, minimum flexural rigidity values for calculation of column stability factors for bending about the X-X axis and about the Y-Y axis; adjusted design moment for bending about the X-X axis and about the Y-Y axis, adjusted design force for axial tension, and adjusted design force for axial compression. This material is proceeded by an overview of current design requirements as outlined in ANSI/ASAE EP 559.1 Design Requirements and Bending Properties for Mechanically-Laminated Wood Assemblies and from Section 15.3 of the ANSI/AWC National Design Specifications (NDS) for Wood Construction.


Although catering to our biological interests, food companies have recently been accused of also contributing to the growing problem of obesity. Marketers are in a sensitive position because they are torn between trying to satisfy consumers and trying to satisfy concerned public policy officials who bring threats of taxes, fines, restrictions, and legislation. Although the situation appears perplexing, there are reasonable "win-win" solutions. After examining three inarguable consumer demands that led us to this problem, this chapter outlines the five main drivers of food consumption. In turn, each driver is examined in terms of what marketers and motivated companies can do to reasonably counter it. When it comes to contributing most to the quality of life in the next couple generations, smart, well-intentioned marketers may be best suited to effectively help lead the movement. Obesity is a good place to start.


In the period of the Anti\|Japanese war,a number of famous national linguisticians went to work in Kunming.They spent a large amount of time and energies investigating on Yunnan Chinese dialects and minority nationality languages.They made great contribution to research of Ethnology in China.


Schilter KF, Schneider A, Bardakjian T, Soucy J‐F, Tyler RC, Reis LM, Semina EV. OTX2 microphthalmia syndrome: four novel mutations and delineation of a phenotype.


Background Informed consent is an obligatory requirement for research engaging human subjects. Informed consent form (ICF) should be provided for human subjects to confirm their willingness for voluntary participation in a study. Ethical and legal obligations necessitate the presence of informed consent essential items to be built into the ICF. Objective To evaluate the content of ICFs obtained from different genetic studies accomplished in Jordan and their adherence to ethical guidelines proposed by the International Conference on Harmonization—Good Clinical Practice (ICHGCP). Methods and Measures A total of 44 ICFs obtained from master theses and grant proposals at two major universities in Jordan were analyzed according to the good clinical practice criteria proposed by ICHGCP. ICFs were scored for the presence or absence of ICF main items/categories. Results Results show inadequate information present in the examined ICFs. The highest information score was 17 out of 20, while the lowest score was one out of 20. The average score for all studied ICFs was 6.18±3.65. Among essential items/categories that were absent from the majority of studied ICFs were a statement about voluntary participation, confidentiality of data, compensation to study participants, risk/benefits of the study, and researchers' contact information. Conclusion The ICFs were missing a number of required items. This could reflect inadequate knowledge about minimal informed consent requirements among Jordanian investigators highlighting the need for research ethical training in the country.


This paper proposes a novel fault detection and isolation (FDI) scheme for distributed parameter systems modeled by a class of parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) with nonlinear uncertain dynamics. A key feature of the proposed FDI scheme is its capability of dealing with the effects of system uncertainties for accurate FDI. Specifically, an approximate ordinary differential equation (ODE) system is first derived to capture the dominant dynamics of the original PDE system. An adaptive dynamics identification approach using radial basis function neural network is then proposed based on this ODE system, so as to achieve locally-accurate identification of the uncertain system dynamics under normal and faulty modes. A bank of FDI estimators with associated adaptive thresholds are finally designed for real-time FDI decision making. Rigorous analysis on the FDI performance in terms of fault detectability and isolatability is provided. Simulation study on a representative transport-reaction process is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of the proposed approach.


In this paper I defend two claims regarding complex demonstratives (noun phrases of the form "that F"). On the one hand I argue that, when one of these expressions misdescribes the referred object (i.e., when such object is not F), the right semantic analysis is to treat the expression as uninterpretable. On the other, I claim that the uninterpretability thesis finds itself in trouble when it comes to dealing with non-deictic uses of complex demonstratives, i.e., uses of "that F" in which the speaker has no acquaintance or direct perception of any object that could satisfy the predicative material. In order to make these two claims compatible, I set out to modify the way the uninterpretability thesis has been traditionally formulated.


abstract The good performance of seismically isolated structures during the 1995 Kobe earthquake persuaded structural engineers, isolator manufacturers and housing construction companies to undertake a cooperative research project to investigate the possibility of introducing the seismic isolation technology in Japan's private housing sector. As a part of this project, in this study, the seismic performance of a recently developed Friction Pendulum System (FPS) for houses is presented. In order to verify its behavior under recorded earthquake ground motions, 3-dimensional shaking table tests were conducted. A three-dimensional nonlinear model was used to simulate the experimentally recorded acceleration and displacement response. Experimental results showed that the FPS significantly reduced the acceleration response at both moderate and strong levels of input ground motion. The analytical model used in this study satisfactorily predicted the experimentally recorded acceleration and displacement response time histories.


John van Loo, who at the time of his retirement in 2006 was Assistant Director at the University of Sheffield Library, was for most of his career a prominent and highly regarded health sciences librarian. Having graduated from the University of Lancaster, where he read history, John worked in both Italy and Hull before being appointed Oxford NHS Regional Services Librarian in 1980 as successor to Maureen Forrest, who had pioneered the regional scheme. He inherited a network of 20 or more independent nursing and post-graduate libraries which showed wide variations in resources, staffing, service provision and user communities. On coming into post, his priorities were to provide staff training and development and the creation of a regional ethos which would facilitate resource sharing. To this end, he organised regular training days throughout the region. At the same time, he was tireless in driving many miles to offer individual support to library staff and for crisis management. He was a determined negotiator with nursing school, postgraduate centre and hospital managements to improve resources and foster the concept of health care libraries open to all NHS staff and patients. To all these tasks, he devoted energy, enthusiasm, innovation and a high level of personal and communication skills. The present level of provision in what was the Oxford Region owes much to John's energetic efforts and his time in Oxford established him as a major figure on the health care libraries scene. In 1990, John moved from the NHS to the academic sector when he was appointed as Librarian of the United Medical and Dental School (which was then a single-faculty school of the University of London incorporating the medical schools at Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital together with the Royal Dental School, and latterly became part of King's College London). He was the second holder of this post, but the first without previous affiliation to the School, and based himself on the St Thomas' site, where the library needed more support and where, in 1992, he succeeded in adding another floor to it. John's time at UMDS coincided with the growth of computing generally, and the expansion of the School network. Probably his most significant achievement in this context (in close cooperation with the Director of Computing, with whom he formed close ties) was to make Medline available over the school network, downloading Medline discs onto a school server. This was installed in 1993, and it illustrated what the two


The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) offers enormous potential as a platform for sonar equipment requiring a high level of stability. The vehicles can be made to cruise close to the sea-bed allowing the use of high frequency systems, and allowing increased definition. The vehicle independence from surface support vessels allows missions to be performed regardless of sea-state conditions and with a minimum user intervention. The use of AUV docking stations allow virtually continuous surveying to be performed by one or more vehicles, supplied by a single support vessel. This potentially allows larger underwater areas to be surveyed in shorter time periods with fewer costly support vessels. A major limitation of the system is the power supply, which is supplied from batteries and is therefore limited. A system being developed at Loughborough aims to eventually integrate synthetic aperture sonar techniques into an AUV after initial testing using an automated remotely operated vehicle. (6 pages)


The paper concerns the reconstruction of a consistent FEM model of an in-line system of 2-dof elements, fixed at one end and free at the other. Such a system has tridiagonal stiffness and mass matrices, K, M. Because each element has one rigid body mode, K has negative codiagonal and is constrained to have a particular form. M has positive codiagonal. It is shown how to construct (an infinite family of) such models so that each has a specified undamped frequency response at the free end, and how to construct a system with a damper at the free end so that the system has specified (complex) eigenvalues. 7 1999 Academic Press


Front cover shows a coloured illustration of a can of cooked corned mutton. The inside spread lists prices for beef, mutton, tongues, fancy goods, potted pastes, and extract of meat. It emphasises the quality control, veterinary inspection and immaculate cleanliness exercised during the processing of the meat, "from paddock to package, from clover to can". It states that "the daily average consumption of water at the Gear Works approximates to 2,000,000 gallons, obtained from artesian wells.
Quantity: 1 sales brochure..
Physical Description: Chromolithograph, on folded pamphlet, 166 x 119 mm.


The efficiency of dataflow code generated from a high-level language can be considerably improved by both conventional and dataflow-specific optimizations. Such techniques are used in implementing the single-assignment language SISAL on the Manchester Dataflow Machine. The quality of code generated for numeric applications can be measured in terms of the ratio of total number of instructions executed to floating-point operations: the MIPS/MFLOPS ratio. Relevant features of the general-purpose single-assignment language SISAL and the Manchester Dataflow Machine are introduced. An assessment of the initial SISAL implementation shows it to be very expensive. A range of optimizations is then described. >


Contents: Introduction: The Yet Undiscovered Value of Social Capital, Viva Ona Bartkus and James H. Davis PART I: OVERVIEW 1. What is Social Capital? Elinor Ostrom 2. Network Duality of Social Capital, Ronald S. Burt 3. On the Costs of Conceptualizing Social Ties as Social Capital, Robert M. Fishman PART II: SOCIAL CAPITAL: REACHING OUT 4. How's the Job? Are Trust and Social Capital Neglected Workplace Investments? John F. Helliwell, Haifang Huang and Robert D. Putnam 5. Social Capital Effects on Student Outcomes, Maureen T. Hallinan 6. Communities, Schools and Voter Turnout: A Case Study in Social Norms, David E. Campbell 7. Experimental Approaches to the Diffusion of Norms, David W. Nickerson 8. Capitalizing on Connections: Social Capital and Strategic Management, Janine Nahapiet PART III: SOCIAL CAPITAL: REACHING IN 9. Social Capital Creation: Collective Identities and Collective Action, Roderick M. Kramer 10. Connecting to Brokers: Strategies for Acquiring Social Capital, Daniel J. Brass 11. Trust, Distrust and Building Social Capital, Roy. J. Lewicki and Chad T. Brinsfield 12. Understanding Social Capital: In Whom do we Trust? Darryl Stickel, Roger C. Mayer and Sim B. Sitkin 13. Organizational Trust and Social Capital, James H. Davis and Viva Ona Bartkus Conclusion: Frontiers of Social Capital Research, Viva Ona Bartkus and James H. Davis Index


The immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) suggest a protective role in rheumatic conditions1. A small but increasing body of evidence from randomised controlled trials demonstrates that increased adherence to a MedDiet in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) can have a beneficial effect on disease activity, pain levels and physical function2.The primary aim of the MEDRA study was to determine the effects of a MedDiet compared to the current food based dietary guidelines in Ireland (Healthy Eating Guidelines/HEG) on the physical function and quality of life in patients with RA.In this randomised controlled trial, 44 patients with RA were randomly allocated to either the MedDiet or the HEG arm of the study. The 12-week dietary intervention study was delivered online by a Registered Dietitian (RD) and included data collection at three time points: baseline, mid-intervention (6 weeks) and post-intervention (12 weeks). Participants in both dietary intervention groups attended three video consultations with the RD, at baseline, weeks 6 and 12, and two follow up reviews by telephone at weeks 3 and 9. All participants were provided resources designed to specifically explain the assigned diet and how it can be successfully adhered to. Primary outcomes were changes in physical function and quality of life measured using the validated Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RAQoL), respectively. Secondary outcomes included changes in physical activity and patient-reported pain levels.Forty patients with RA completed the study (mean age:47.5 SD10.9 years, females: 87.5%). No significant differences were found in the distribution of age, anthropometric measures, disease duration, physical activity, and quality of life between the two diet groups at baseline. However, the group assigned to the MedDiet had better mean values for quality of life compared to the HEG group; 0.9 ± 0.5 vs. 1.4 ±0.7, p<0.001, respectfully. Compared to baseline, there was a significant improvement in HAQ-DI scores in participants following both the MedDiet (0.9 ±0.5 to 0.5 ± 0.4, p<0.001) and HEG (1.4 ± 0.7 to 1.0 ± 0.6, p<0.001). Significant improvements in RAQoL scores were also seen in both the MedDiet (10.1 ±7.5 to 4.0 ± 4.7, p<0.001) and HEG (11.25 ± 7.2 to 7.9 ± 6.4, p=0.02) groups. At 12 weeks, participants in the MedDiet group reported a significantly better physical function status (mean difference -0.5, 95% CI -0.8 to -0.1, p=0.007) and quality of life (mean difference -3.9, 95% CI -7.5 to -0.2, p=0.04) compared to the HEG group. Participants in the MedDiet group demonstrated a significant increase in physical activity levels (56.7 ± 28.6 to 70.6 ± 33.5, p=0.01). Conversely, a non-significant decrease in physical activity levels was observed in the HEG group from baseline to post-intervention.The study indicates positive effects of a Mediterranean and low-fat diet as per the Healthy Eating Guidelines on physical function and quality of life in patients with RA. The MedDiet may be superior in improving physical activity levels. Further studies and a larger cohort are needed to confirm these findings.[1]Oliviero, F., Spinella, P., Fiocco, U., Ramonda, R., Sfriso, P. and Punzi, L., 2015. How the Mediterranean diet and some of its components modulate inflammatory pathways in arthritis. Swiss medical weekly, 145(4546).[2]Forsyth, C., Kouvari, M., D'Cunha, N.M., Georgousopoulou, E.N., Panagiotakos, D.B., Mellor, D.D., Kellett, J. and Naumovski, N., 2018. The effects of the Mediterranean diet on rheumatoid arthritis prevention and treatment: a systematic review of human prospective studies. Rheumatology international, 38(5), pp.737-747.This work was funded by the School of Allied Health Postgraduate scholarship at the University of Limerick.None declared


Intracranial stenting is associated with increased risk of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) when compared with medical therapy in patients treated for symptomatic intracranial stenosis, show the results of a randomised study1 that was stopped early because of the adverse findings.

The international VISSIT (Vitesse Intracranial Stent Study for Ischemic Therapy) trial, reported in JAMA , randomised 53 patients with symptomatic intracranial stenosis (narrowing ≥70%) to receive …


With Cu2+-NH3-Cl--H2O solution as ammoniacal solution, the copper extraction rate and ammonia extraction were investigated.The effects of concentration of Tributyl phosphate(TBP) in the organic phase, concentration of copper ion, total ammonia concentration and pH in the aqueous phase, phase ratio and concentration of LIX84 on copper extraction rate and ammonia extraction in the loaded organic phase were studied.The experimental results show that with the increase of TBP concentration in LIX84, copper extraction rate had little effect, while the ammonia extraction in the organic phase significantly decreased.When the copper concentration in the aqueous phase and total ammonia concentration were 25 g/L and 3 mol/L, respectively, the pH of aqueous phase was 9.1.The solvent extraction with 40%(-) LIX84 adding 0.1 mol/L TBP in the organic phase and a phase ratio of 1:1 in 30 min of contact resulted in 81% of copper extraction rate and 85 mg/L of ammonia extraction in the loaded oil phase, while the copper extraction rate and ammonia extraction in the loaded organic phase in the absence of TBP were 81% and 260 mg/L, respectively.


We developed new Sm-Fe-N plastic magnets that are heat resistant up to 473 K (200/spl deg/C). In order to achieve high heat resistance, we performed Zn treatment using a resin that was judged to be optimal. The Zn treatment of the Sm-Fe-N powder was carried out by Zn powder mixing using poly butylene naphthalate (PBN) resin. The Zn treatment raised the powder coercivity from 1040 to 1600 kA/m. In addition, since the melting point of PBN resin is 516 K (243/spl deg/C), a heat resistant plastic magnet was realized while maintaining the process temperature at 573 K (300/spl deg/C) or less.