Objective To explore the difference of the professional self-concept in nursing staff of gynecology and obstetric department with the different career motivations in a three-level general hospital.Methods A total of 97 nurses were selected and investigated with professional self-concept scale and career motivation questionnaire.Results Among 97 nurses,44 nurses voluntarily chose the nursing job and their score of professional self-concept and job satisfaction was ( 3.04 ± 0.36),(2.91 ± 0.53 ),respectively.Fifty-three nurses passivity chose the nursing job by external factors and their score of professional self-concept and job satisfaction was(2.89 ± 0.29),(2.49 ± 0.53 ),respectively,and the difference between the two group was statistically significant (t =2.295,3.868,respectively ; P < 0.05 ).Scores of two groups except job satisfaction score in 53 nurses group were more than 2.5 and 2.5 was a level boundary value.Conclusions Nurses with different career motivation have different professional self-concept.It is important for nursing educator to pay attention on cultivating nurse students' professional interest and career motivation.

Key words:
Gynecology and Obstetrics, hospital;  Nurse;  Professional self-concept of nurses; Career motivation;  Three-level general hospital


The experimental fact of an essential increase in optical, radiation and degradation firmness of heterogeneous optoelectronic material CdS-PbS is explained in terms of a difference in defect diffusion intensification under irradiation in the wide- and the narrow-band-gap components of the material. A quantity model of the firmness is proposed, and results of computer simulations performed in accordance with it are included which show that under exposure to optic and other kinds of radiation the mentioned difference in defect diffusion intensification makes the defects accumulate in the narrow-band-gap inclusions of CdS- PbS, which in turn leads to the increase in the firmness of the material.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
It was a retrospective analysis of fetal echocardiography results (analysis of congenital heart defect (CHD) and functional abnormalities in normal heart anatomy) in 83 fetuses diagnosed and treated in the same institution.

RESULTS
In our group of fetuses, the most common structural defect, in addition to omphalocele, proved to be CHD. In the group of omphalocele, normal heart anatomy and functional abnormalities (tricuspid regurgitation, myocardial hypertrophy, arrhythmias), the hospital stay was longer comparing to the group of omphalocele, normal heart anatomy and normal heart study (t-test p = 0.005). CHD was a bad prognostic factor and most fetuses/newborns did not survive (Chi-square 0.0005, Fisher test 0.000032). In the group of omphalocele and normal heart anatomy based on fetal echocardiography, the survival rate was 70%. The omphalocele and CHD survivors (n=3) had been only those who did not require a cardiac surgery in first month of postnatal life.

CONCLUSION
Echocardiography exam of fetus with omphalocele and CHD and functional abnormalities has diagnostic and prognostic value.


The paper introduces three kinds of management mode in present international civil aviation airport,summarizes four kinds of civil aviation airport and discusses how to choose the management mode of China civil aviation airport industry after regionalization.


Abstract A "radome gust probe" system was installed on a twin-jet aircraft for the purpose of boundary-layer research. This system provided a useful relatively low-cost method for air motion and turbulence measurements on an aircraft already equipped with an inertial navigation system (INS) and a data acquisition system. An error analysis was made for the wind measurements and gave the limitations for the present system with an unmodified airliner-type INS, The major factors that limit the precision of the horizontal wind are the resolutions and accuracy of the aircraft ground speed components and the true heading. A simple method was devised to improve the heading resolution. From in-flight maneuvers, it was determined that the mean horizontal airspeed vector was accurate to <0.5 m s−1—limited by the long-term drift and oscillation errors from the INS-and that pitch and yaw contamination of the wind was less than 5%. The in-flight data indicate that there probably are unknown time lags within the INS, wh...


This paper presents a hysteresis band current control scheme for three-phase four leg voltage source inverter that compensates power quality problems. The inverter is capable of compensating power factor, current unbalance and current harmonics. Today most inverters are designed for balanced three phase loads and consequently the associated control Strategies are quite effective for three wire system but are not able to manage load that require neutral current compensation. If four leg four wire topology is used the controller can be simplified because there is no need to split DC capacitor.


H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) has become prevalent in the live poultry market (LPM) worldwide, and environmental transmission mode is an important way for AIVs to infect human beings in the LPM. To find evidence of human infection with the influenza A(H9N2) virus via environmental contamination, we evaluated one human isolate and three environmental isolates inside LPMs in Xiamen, China. The phylogeny, transmissibility, and pathogenicity of the four isolates were sorted out systematically. As for the H9N2 virus, which evolved alongside the "Avian‐Environment‐Human" spreading chain in LPMs from the summer of 2019 to the summer of 2020, its overall efficiency of contact and aerosol transmissibility improved, which might contribute to the increasing probability of human infection. This study indicated that environmental exposure might act as an important source of human infection in LPMs.


In 40 years, the architecture firm von Gerkan, Marg und Partner (gmp) has designed and built a great deal of influential work worldwide, but nowhere is it more concentrated than in Berlin. This album includes more than 25 buildings, from Tegel Airport to the new main rail station, Hlehrter Bannhof. In so doing, it offers a unique guide to the city.


The research aims to describe primary school teachers' conceptual understandings about states of matter and their changes. The method was descriptive which involved 15 primary school teachers from three different school locations. They were from urban school (CS1), sub-urban school (CS2), and rular school (CS3) at Ambon Island on 2016/2017 academic year. The research instrument was a multiple-choice test combined with both essay and confidence level of their answers. The test was used to measure teachers' understanding levels about states of matter and their changes. They were macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic levels. Teachers' understanding levels were classified into following categorization, they were understand, partly understand, misconception, and do not understand. The results show that primary school teachers' conceptual understanding is varied based on their job locations and primary school teachers' level understanding. Generally, primary school teachers' conceptual understandings at sub-urban location (CS2) are better than those of both of urban (CS1) and rular locations (CS3). The results suggest that teachers need improvement to make better primary school teachers' conceptual understanding. It can be on the job training and in service training activities. We also need a further research in order to investigate the program effectiveness.


The objectives of this study are:(1)to isolate and purify the SD rat sperm from epididymiscaput,corpus and cauda by Percoll centrifugal technique,(2)to estimate the changes of sialic acid,glycerol-3-phosphoryicholine(GPC)and proteins on the sperm membrane with methods ofthiobarbituric acid,enzyme and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. The results showed:(1)The content of the sialic acid on the epididymal sperm membrane are 10,18±2.82(caput),8.2± 3,07(corpus)and 7.83 ± 2.79μg/ 108sperm (cauda,-x±s) respectively. There is signifi-cant difference among these groups(P0.01).(2)The content of the GPC on the epididymal sperm mem-brane are 112.31 ± 28.14(caput), 109.33± 37.16(corpus)and 74.50±25.13 nmol/ 108 sperm(cauda,-x±s)respectively.There is significant difference between caput and cauda,corpus and cauda(P 0.01).Butthe change of the sperm membrane from the caput to corpus is not significant(P0.05).(3)The proteinson the sperm membane have been modified including loss of membrane proteins and formation of newmembrane proteins。The physiological significance of the sialic acid,GPC and proteins changes on the sperm membraneduring the epididymal trdnsit is:(1)The sialic acid level on the sperm membrane may be involved in themaintenance of the ionic balance,in the antigenic interaction between the epididymis and sperm, in thestabilization of the acrosome, in the sperm structural integrity and in the fertilized preparation。(2)TheGPC level on the sperm membrane is involved in the structural integrity and fluidity of the sperm mem-brane(3)The changes of protein in the sperm membrane are related to the formation of the sperm specif-ic antlgens.


Islamic banks in Indonesia have grown rapidly in the last fifteen years. These
banks operate based on guiding principles called Sharia. It will always be
embedded social dimension in sharia principles. This research aims to examine in
what extent Islamic bank in Indonesia disclose their social activities. Population of
this research is Indonesian Islamic Banks in 2009. The examination use disclosure
index that have been developed by. Using this index, content analysis is
undertaken to measure the volume of social disclosures. The results shows
Islamic bank in Indonesia have low level of social disclosure. Islamic banks do not
disclose information about activities that may attract criticism, such as unlawful
(haram) transactions on the other hand they provide more disclosures regarding
their charitable activities and their involvement in society


Cultural information signs are unconventional. Their meanings are rest ricted by cultural factors, varying with cultural varieties. Much attention shou ld be paid to their encoding, i.e. to take full consideration of the different p ragmatic effects in different cultural environments. The article analysizes the f ive categorizes of cultural information signs, pointing out that the pragmatic a pproach of translation for cultural information signs lies in two aspects of pra gmatic linguistic equivalent effects and social pragmatic equivalent effects. Ta king as a sample of Six Chapters of a Floating Life translated by Ling Yuta ng, the article makes a detailed analysis of the application of the pragmatic transl ation approach for the encoding of cultural information signs. The necessity and availability of interpreting the speech implication by pragmatic approach is po rved.


On‐chip multimode transmission has drawn tremendous interest for its ability to expand the link capacity with a single wavelength carrier. The waveguide crossing is a basic component in the on‐chip photonic circuit allowing the routing of a complex network. The situation has arisen where the multimode waveguide crossing is required to achieve the high‐density multimode networks. However, the conventional designs of the waveguide crossing only work for the single‐mode. Some works have been reported which realize the multimode crossing, but all suffer from significant losses. Here a multimode waveguide star‐crossing is proposed using the metamaterial‐based Maxwell's fisheye lens, where four multimode waveguides converge at a single junction. The index‐engineered silicon metamaterial is utilized to obtain the Maxwell's fisheye lens on the silicon‐on‐insulator platform. By combining the Maxwell's fisheye lens and tapered waveguides, both TM0 and TM1 modes propagate through the star‐crossing with low losses and cross talk. The fabricated multimode waveguide star‐crossing shows low losses of <0.3 dB and cross talk of <‐20 dB.


The childcare practices of mothers in suburban Boston seem to reflect the mothers' emphasis on cultural values such as independence and exploration to further cognitive development.


Objective: To investigate the use of mobile phone among the college students,and explore the relationship between the mobile phone dependence and compulsive tendency. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-one female students of nursing profession from a Anhui college were anonymously investigated using the cluster sampling,self-rating questionnaire for adolescent problematic mobile phone use and Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale,the general condition and mobile phone use were analyzed. Results: The total average score of mobile phone dependence was( 24. 45 ± 5. 807),the high scores in 80 cases were found. The differences of the mobile dependence between different daily usage time and years of usage students were statistical significance( P 0. 01 and P 0. 05). The differences of the mobile dependence between different scores ranking and make-up examination subjects students were statistical significance( P 0. 01). The phone dependence total score was positively correlation with compulsive symptom score( P 0. 01). A linear stepwise regression analysis indicated that the total score of mobile dependence can predict the total score of compulsive symptom( β = 0. 202,P 0. 01). Conclusions: The college student with more dependence of mobile phone is prone to compulsive tendency.Effective reducing the use time of mobile phone can help prevent the dependence of mobile phone and compulsive tendency.


Stator flux estimation using voltage model is basically the integration of the induced stator back electromotive force (emf) signal. In practical implementation the pure integration is replaced by a low pass filter to avoid the DC drift and saturation problems at the integrator output because of the initial condition error and the inevitable DC components in the back emf signal. However, the low pass filter introduces errors in the estimated stator flux which are significant at frequencies near or lower than the cutoff frequency. Also the DC components in the back emf signal are amplified at the low pass filter output by a factor equals to . Therefore, different integration algorithms have been proposed to improve the stator flux estimation at steady state and transient conditions. In this paper a new algorithm for stator flux estimation is proposed for direct torque control (DTC) of induction motor drives. The proposed algorithm is composed of a second order high pass filter and an integrator which can effectively eliminates the effect of the error initial condition and the DC components. The amplitude and phase errors compensation algorithm is selected such that the steady state frequency response amplitude and phase angle are equivalent to that of the pure integrator and the multiplication and division by stator frequency are avoided. Also the cutoff frequency selection is improved; even small value can filter out the DC components in the back emf signal. The simulation results show the improved performance of the induction motor direct torque control drive with the proposed stator flux estimation algorithm. The simulation results are verified by the experimental results.


Background: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a rare but severe neurological disorder most commonly due to lumbar disc herniation. The role of urgent surgery in improving the outcome of patients with CES remains controversial. Methods: In the present study retrospective evaluation of 44 patients with CES secondary to lumbar disc herniation treated at our hospital between 2009 and 2017 has been done. The patients were categorized into complete (CES-R) and incomplete (CES-I) types of CES and the relationship between timing of surgery and outcome were evaluated. Results: Out of 44 patients, 28 patients presented with CES-I and 16 patients presented with CES-R. In patients with CES-I there was statistically significant difference (p=0.0001) in all observed surgical outcome between the patients operated within 48 hrs and those operated after 48 hrs. In patients with CES-R, no correlation was found between onset of symptoms and timing of surgery as recovery was partial in all the patients except 3 who completely recovered, irrespective of their operative times. (p=0.494). Conclusions: Early diagnosis and treatment in form of emergency decompressive surgery done within 48 hours of onset of autonomic symptoms in CES-I patients can prevent further neurological damage and deterioration to CES-R. For CES-R patients operating within 48 hours made no difference to their outcome. However, necessary investigations and planned surgery by skilful surgeon should be arranged as soon as is reasonably possible for patients with CES-R.


The rising energy prices – particularly over the last decade – pose a new challenge for the manufacturing industry. Reactions to climate change, such as the advancement of renewable energies, raise the expectation of further price increases and variations. Regarding the manufacturing industry, production planning and controlling can have a significant influence on the inplant energy consumption. In this paper, we develop a scheduling method as a linear optimization model with the objective to minimise energy costs in a job shop production system.


Measurement of Cherenkov radiation (CR) has long been a useful technique for charged particle detection and beam diagnostics. We are investigating metamaterials engineered to have refractive indices tailored to enhance properties of CR that are useful for particle detectors and that cannot be obtained using conventional media. Cherenkov radiation in dispersive media with a large refractive index differs significantly from the same effect in conventional detector media, like gases or aerogel. The radiation pattern of CR in dispersive metamaterials presents lobes at very large angles with respect to particle motion. Moreover, the frequency and particle velocity dependence of the radiated energy can differ significantly from CR in a conventional dielectric medium.


This introductory text emphasizes practical applications and those aspects of nutrition and nutrition therapy that are of direct concern to the health worker. This easy-to-read guide provides a comprehensive coverage of nutrients, the role of nutrients, their role in healthcare maintenance, nutritional needs in the life cycle as well as in various cultures, and diet therapy in illness. Each chapter begins with Learning Objectives, which provide a format for study, and keys in each chapter to help your students understand the essentials. New features in this edition include: new and updated ADA exchange lists, expanded Canadian content and four new chapters covering Food Safety (including Foodborn Illness due to Pathogens), Nutrition During Infancy, Nutrition During Childhood, Nutrition During Adulthood and Older Adulthood


INTRODUCTION From the early 1980s to the present, the use of metal plates and screws has been widely favored as the method of choice to achieve internal fixation of the skull and facial bones. However, several concerns have been raised when using metal hardware in growing patients; as a result, clinicians have recently taken an interest in biodegradable fixation techniques. Several long-term clinical studies have documented the efficacy of bioresorbable plates and screws for a variety of procedures requiring internal fixation of the craniofacial skeleton. The features of an ideal bioresorbable fixation system include the following: 1) it provides sufficient initial strength to stabilize bone segments and allow uneventful bone healing, 2) it degrades predictably and completely after osteosynthesis has restored adequate intrinsic bone strength, 3) there is biocompatibility so as not to induce a significant inflammatory foreign response or immunological reaction, and 4) there is technical ease of use, and 5) it is costeffective. To date, development of resorbable hardware has focused mainly on polymers of polylactic and polyglycolic acid. There are currently five resorbable plating systems available in the United States market as detailed in Table I. Although the use of resorbable hardware during reconstructive surgery of congenital craniofacial anomalies and pediatric facial trauma has been widely documented, the use of resorbable fixation during cranial base tumor surgery is less well known.


The location of our great and rather well-defined forage provinces, such as the bluegrass, timothy, orchard grass, red clover, white clover, or bermuda producing regions, are determined primarily by the degree of adaptation shown by the respective grasses and legumes to prevailing climatic Conditions. Soil factors, while having local effects on the utilization of specific forage plants, do not exhibit the regional influences of the climatic factors. The distribution of specific forage plants is not as general as that of the cereal crops. This is to be expected, since perennial forage plants must survive through the favorable'as well as the unfavorable portions of the year. Grasses and small-seeded legumes produce plants very delicate during their early phases of development. Such plants are consequently not well adapted for a struggle against an unfavorable environment. The production of forage plants slow to establish themselves becomes especially hazardous in regions with severe climates. Yet, from an experimental standpoint, the specific ranges of adaptation of such plants may best be determined in such regions. Since the great forage provinces of the northeastern states do not extend as far to the west or to the south nor many of the forage-producing regions of the southern states as far north as north-central Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Experiment Station promised to offer a favorable location for a study of specific ranges of adaptation of northern and southern forage plants.


Inflammatory diseases cause health disorders which result in a reduction of the population. That is why this medical problem is considered to be a very important one. The human immune system is responsible for protecting the body from infections of various origins, while inducing chronic inflammation (characterized by a long, often invisible course) which can result in proneness to recurrence, complications and resistance to therapy. The authors of the article analyzed and proved that there are immune status shifts in patients with chronic nonspecific inflammatory processes depending on the pathogen, phase and level of damage.


Ecology, conservation, and other scientific disciplines have histories built on the oppression of marginalized groups of people. Modern day discrimination continues in these fields and there is renewed interest in dismantling these system of oppression. In this paper, we offer some examples of historical events which have shaped the field and argue that reckoning with colonial histories is part of the process to dismantle discrimination and achieve equity and inclusion. We discuss ways forward including incorporating different knowledge systems and reflecting on one's own biases and privilege. To truly achieve fields of science which are just, diverse, and equitable will be one of our greatest challenges, but one that is necessary to protect our environment, an endeavor which cannot be detangled from societal injustices.


Autoimmune herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) may present differently in adults than it does in children, and neurologists need to be vigilant for possible signs of the condition, according to a study in the October 21 online edition of Neurology. Children who develop immune-related relapsing ALS experts not involved in the study said the findings will need to be replicated and investigated further, ultimately INSIDE 11/5/15


The article highlights an art exhibition of the works of veteran Viennese Actionist Otto Muehl, focusing on innovation and tradition, performance and behavior, art and dirt. Muehl's material actions mimicked its essential structure by applying a colorful variety of liquids and semi-liquids including food stuffs and bodily fluids to a different sort of canvas, typically a naked body of a young woman.


Author(s): Cook, Matthew James | Advisor(s): Zumberge, Mark A | Abstract: The methods and tools available to make geodetic measurements offshore are still limited but increasingly important for studies of underwater subduction zones, volcanoes, and more. One method is to use ocean bottom pressure sensors, which can be used to measure vertical seafloor motion. While most pressure sensors inherently drift at rates that can exceed tectonic signals, some drift correction methods have been developed.Self-calibrating pressure recorders (SCPR) correct sensor drift using a piston-gauge calibrator (PGC) that produces a reference pressure whose value can be determined with a high level of accuracy. Changes in the reference pressure observed by the pressure sensors are attributed to sensor drift and are removed from the seafloor pressure. The resulting drift-free pressure record can be used to infer seafloor height. We successfully demonstrated an SCPR at Axial Seamount between 2013 and 2015, and later connected it to real-time cabled infrastructure in 2018.We also used an SCPR in campaign-style surveys to make absolute pressure measurements on seafloor benchmarks. In this absolute SCPR (ASCPR) we make accurate determinations of the parameters that affect the reference pressure to determine its absolute value. We use the true, absolute reference pressure and the difference between the observed reference and seafloor pressures to determine the absolute seafloor pressure. The measurements provide instrument-independent, fiducial values for calibrating nearby sensors or as individual points in long-term time series. We developed the campaign calibrated pressure measurements and conducted four surveys between 2014 and 2017 in the Cascadia subduction zone to measure the vertical deformation occurring offshore. The results serve as initial reference values that will be useful far into the future for marine geodesy and future surveys could be used to estimate the secular vertical deformation rate.I investigated additional methods, models, and avenues related to seafloor pressure measurements and marine geodesy. I computed elastic half-space boundary element models for scenarios we may expect to see in Cascadia, which highlight the need for geodetic measurements offshore. I also conducted tests of structure-from-motion photogrammetry as a cost- and time-effective method to monitor small changes within geodetically instrumented seafloor sites. Finally, I explored ocean models and satellite data as potential solutions to the oceanographic noise problem present in many marine geophysical measurements.


Bargaining e reti negli oligopoli bilaterali energetici (di Matteo Maria Galizzi) - ABSTRACT: The international gas and electricity markets could be described as bilateral oligopolies. Both sides of the market are formed by a limited number of firms; the few exporters on the supply side and the few importers on the demand side are unlikely to be price-takers. The paper aims at describing what the state-of-art in the economics research suggests about the determination of prices in such markets and about the role of the relative concentration of the two sides of the market. In particular, the paper focuses on the findings of three main strands of literature. First, it describes the results of bargaining theory when the agents negotiating over the price of an indivisible good are more than two. Even for the case of one seller and two different buyers, the price emerging from the negotiation while it is clearly different from the bilateral monopoly case it could also diverge from the competitive outcome, as well as from the prediction of the auction theory. For the case of bargaining between two sellers and two different buyers, some seminal models have recently been studied, confirming how sensibly the price is affected by the structure of a «thin» market. Secondly, the paper presents some considerations about the role of relative concentration of the two sides of the market. The hypothesis of existence of some degree of «countervailing power» is discussed. Finally, the focus on the infra-structural networks typically observed in the electricity and gas markets, leads to consider the findings of the recent literature on two-sided network markets.


Objective Explore the clinical efficacy of using adenosylmethionine joint tanreqing injection in the treatment of severe hepatitis with hyperbilirubinemia.Methods Divide randomly 60 patients of severe hepatitis with hyperbilirubinemia into 30 treatment group and control group of 30 cases.The control group would have conventional protect liver treatment and symptomatic treatment,while besides that,the treatment group would have adenosylmethionine and tanreqing injection.Observe the clinical symptoms and indicators of these two groups after treatment.Results At the end of the treatment,there is no significant difference in the decline of AST,ALT(P0.05),TBIL of the treatment group is obviously lower than that of the control group(P0.05).The ALB and PTA of treatment group is significantly higher than the control group(P0.05),and no adverse reactions occur during the treatment of these two groups;the total effective rate of treatment group is 73.3%(22/30),and the total effective rate of control group is 43.3%(13/30),thus the treatment group is better than the control group(P0.05).What's more,the clinical improvement after treatment of treatment group is better than that of control group(P0.05).Conclusion The adenosylmethionine joint tanreqing injection has an effective treatment on the severe hepatitis with hyperbilirubinemia,with no adverse reactions.


Information was collected from 158 consecutive new patients attending a Walk-in Clinic. Patients were called for a subsequent visit for a detailed interview. Thirty-nine percent did not report for the second interview. Suitability of &dquo;Customer approach&dquo; for both completers and drop-outs was examined. &dquo;Customer approach&dquo; correlated significantly with the &dquo;outcome measures&dquo; even when the patient became a drop-out. A greater number of completers felt that their problems had been understood and they had been helped during their first visit. Positive responses among the completers, under the category of &dquo;outcome measures&dquo;, were significantly different from those of the drop-outs.


Abstract Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the only curative treatment option for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). High 1-year ASCT mortality and relapse rates have necessitated the development of novel therapies to improve clinical outcomes. Recently, 5-azacitidine, a DNA hypomethylating agent, was reported to be used for graft salvage in patients undergoing cytogenetic relapse after ASCT. We report a similar case of graft salvage and maintenance after transplantation in an MDS patient using decitabine, another DNA hypomethylating agent known to induce cytogenetic remissions with a manageable side effect profile.


Many methods have been used to correct abnormal tongue habits. A mechanical device, such as tongue spurs or cribs offers help till they are in the mouth, but the habit often returns when the device is removed. Patients with a tongue thrusting habit complain to their clinicians, of spaces reopening, proclination of anteriors and contraction of the arch, though the clinician initially successfully treated the case.


Every scientific text is the product of a specific cultural and intellectual situation. When a text continues to be copied over a long period of time, and is translated into other languages, it is read and used in different ways, and adds nuances from the cultures through which it travels. Al – Qabīṣī impresses on his patron the necessity to discriminate between the large number of self-styled astrologers who surround him, and gives him a set of questions that are sure to separate out astrologers who know their craft from the ignorant and the charlatans. The vast majority of the manuscripts and all the printed versions of al – qabīṣī Introduction to Astrology derive from a translation of the text from Arabic into Latin made in or before 1135 by John of Seville, the most prolific of the translators of works of astrology and astronomy in the Middle Ages. Keywords: Al – Qabīṣī; judicial astrology


The pseudorapidity density and anisotropic flow of charged-particles provide fundamental information about global variables and correlations in heavy-ion collisions. The pseudorapidity density is related to the energy available for particle production while the anisotropic flow is related to collective effects from interactions between these particles. Extending these measurements to very forward pseudorapidities yields information about the longitudinal expansion of the system. The first measurements performed at the LHC over more than 8 units of pseudorapidity are presented. The longitudinal scaling of the measurements is analyzed and comparison to models is performed.


In March 2000, President Bill Clinton described South Asia as the most dangerous region on the globe. Less than two years earlier in May 1998, the two key players on the South Asian stage had proclaimed their nuclear status to the world by detonating nuclear devices in a series of tests. Although their leaders had assured the world that by joining the nuclear club that is how they perceived themselves to have acted they had brought stability to the region.1 This was not actually demonstrated in their relationship, which entered a new. phase and became more confrontationist than before. In fact less than a year after their nuclear tests, they went to war in Kargil in the disputed state of Kashmir in May-July 1999. Much later Bruce Reidel, Special Assistant to President Clinton for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, disclosed that the two countries had been close to a nuclear standoff and it was President Clinton's intervention which had staved off a


The effective combination of a bacterial Reverse Two-Hybrid System screening platform and a SICLOPPS randomised library has been previously used for the identification of cyclic peptide inhibitors of various protein-protein interactions. A more robust Reverse Two-Hybrid System was designed and constructed to utilise a fluorescent protein reporter as well as an antibiotic resistance gene and HIS3 to enable selection of an inhibitor. The functionality of the new system was tested with the HIF1[alpha]/HIF1[Beta] and p6/UEV heterodimeric interactions and the cyclic peptide inhibitors that had been previously identified for these interactions. Next, a split-intein with improved properties was used to construct a second generation SICLOPPS library, which was tested to show that it displayed more efficient splicing. The increased toxicity of the Nostoc punctiforme DnaE splitintein employed in the new library was reduced by the addition of the SsrA protein degradation tag to enable the identification of more varied cyclic peptide inhibitors in future SICLOPPS screens.


The main problems in the teaching of automotive project design was analyzed and summarized.To solve these problems,a teaching reform program and a project-based teaching approach based on auto energy-saving contest were proposed aiming at designing and comprehensive automotive project design.This reform enables students to complete the project by combining theoretical knowledge with practical ability.It stimulates students' interest and desire for knowledge,explores their creative potential,and develops their autonomous learning ability and the ability to analyze and solve problems.The actual teaching results show that students' learning enthusiasm and innovative ability has been improved with the teaching reform program.


Measurements with Gunn oscillators made from epitaxial layers of the ternary InGaAs lattice matched to InP are reported. Operation in the domain mode was chosen. First results are given demonstrating the potential of this alloy for high-efficiency Gunn devices.


It was found that the water solubility of saikosaponin-a (8), a pharmacologically active saponin of Bupleuri radix, was significantly increased in the presence of hemslosides Ma2 (2) and Ma3 (3), bisdesmosides of oleanolic acid (9) isolated from a Chinese folk medicine, rhizomes of Hemsleya macrosperma (Cucurbitaceae). The structure of a new saponin named hemsloside H1 (7), isolated from rhizomes of H. chinensis together with several known saponins, was elucidated to be β-gentiobiosyl oleanolate 3-O-[β-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)]-[α-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-glucopyranouroside.


Globally, clouds are known to warm the climate system in the thermal infrared because they typically emit thermal radiation to space at effective temperatures lower than the combined cloud‐free atmosphere and surface. However, here we show that ∼40% of low‐level clouds over sea ice tend to cool the Arctic system at TOA and contribute to a radiative cooling of the Arctic winter climate by −2.3 Wm−2, or a ∼16% reduction over the infrared warming effect of all clouds during winter. Based on satellite observations, low‐level clouds residing in surface‐based temperature inversions emit more longwave radiation to space than would occur in cloudless skies. While these clouds are known to significantly warm the surface, they cool the Arctic climate system overall. Our results imply that accurately representing the cloud radiative effects unique to the Arctic could help to constrain the regional energy budget.


This study aims at examining the nature of the rising trends in road traffic accident phenomenon in Nigeria, using data for the period 1990  1995. It examines the spatiotemporal variations of road traffic accident parameters, in addition to studying the fatality (severity) and injury indices as well as the health risk for each state, and the country in general. The paper observes a downward trend in all road traffic accident parameters, with fatal and serious cases declining as much as 33% and 24% respectively, although, the number of person killed during the period experienced an increase. Regionally, the performance varied among the states of the country, with Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Edo, Kano, Kogi, Delta, Jigawa, Sokoto, CrossRiver States and Abuja (Federal Capital Territory) recording high trends in all cases. These states thus need some more attention from all the agents of road safety in the country. The study concludes that, in addition to the behavioural modification approach which has not been emphasized enough, a lot more still needs to be done in such areas as maintenance of road transport infrastructure, vehicle road worthiness inspection, driver retraining and potential driver training, pedestrian education proper accident data collection, recording, storage and retrieval and finally law enforcement.


The utility model discloses a card slot type wire terminal comprising a pedestal; a mounting pillar is arranged in the pedestal; a connecting pillar is arranged in the mounting pillar; the mounting pillar is provided with a first wire terminal and a second wire terminal connected together; a card slot is arranged between the first wire terminal and the second wire terminal; the first and second wire terminals are respectively connected with the connecting pillar; an end portion of the first wire terminal is provided with a first wiring hole; an end portion of the second wire terminal is provided with a second wiring hole; a periphery surface of the connecting pillar is provided with a limit piece. The card slot type wire terminal is convenient in wiring, convenient in installation, antiskid, and has positioning function.


As well as active smoking, passive smoking is associated with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The antioxidant vitamin C may inhibit the unfavorable effects of passive smoking. In this study, we investigated the effects of vitamin C ingestion on changes in the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) at the brachial artery in patients exposed to transient passive smoking. The study participants included seven healthy adult males who were examined by high-resolution ultrasonography of the brachial artery before and after 15-minute of passive smoking. FMD was used to examine the endothelial function. Randomized crossover controlled trial, measurements were performed on two different days 120-minute after the oral administration of 1000mg of ascorbic acid (VC trial) or a placebo (P trial). Although the FMD values decreased after passive smoking in both trials, the FMD values of the VC trial were higher than those of the P trial, with significant differences between the trials observed immediately and 30-minute after passive smoking. The results of this study suggested that the ingestion of vitamin C may suppress the decrease in the vascular endothelial function caused by transient passive smoking. Jpn J Phys Fitness Sports Med, 68(2): 153-157 (2019)


Although follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) share similarities, the 2 diseases have distinct biologic differences that affect their presentation and treatment. Stage I disease is more common in MZL than in FL due to marginal zone biology, for example, and stage I MZL is curable by surgery or radiation therapy. Newer therapies for both FL and MZL provide chemotherapy-free options, but they are not identical. Brüton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors are active in relapsed or refractory MZL but not in FL, for example. CAR T-cell therapy has just been approved for treatment of FL and is an ongoing area of investigation for both diseases.


The combination of linguistics and anthropology has created two peripheral subjects: linguistic anthropology and anthrolinguistics. But the two subjects are usually confused in the academia. It is necessary to divide the two and redefine linguistic anthropology, and limit its research target and scope so that this subject can have clearer research content and thought.


This paper was presented at a conference on 'Labour market policies and the public employment service: lessons from recent experience and directions for the future' convened in Prague on 3-4 July 2000 by the OECD's Directorate for Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. The major themes of the conference were the 'activation' of the unemployed and the implementation of active labour market policies. During the 1990s, the United States (US) Government undertook to modernise the delivery of workforce development programs. The result was a one-stop delivery system that links and coordinates programs that provide labour market information, employment services, income support, skills training and education, and enables the unemployed to prepare for and find work, and employers to find qualified labour. This paper describes the restructuring of workforce development programs and the decentralised approach to public administration adopted in the US.


The European SkyRad users network (ESR) is a joint initiative from the Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences (ISAC) at the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy, the Group of Solar Radiation (GRSV) at the University of Valencia (UV) in Spain, and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in the United Kingdom. It was started as a Protocol of Agreement between the three institutions, in 2003. The main objective was to collaborate on the improvement of some technical aspects of the Skyrad.pack algorithm. Currently the network is addressed at European research groups that are users of sun – sky photometers and mainly focus their research on the study of atmospheric aerosols and their application to remote sensing or climatological studies.


A modified gap test using brass attenuators has been designed that can significantly heat explosive samples prior to testing. The sensitivity of PBX 9502 when heated to 180, 200, 230 & 260°C and soaked for 30 minutes was investigated. It was discovered that under the moderate confinement (0.46 MPa) of this test, the sensitivity of the material did increase close to literature data for LX-17 (a very similar composition) heated to 250°C under numerically unquantified 'heavy confinement'.


We present data that indicates that urban-based general practitioners in Dublin strongly prefer a consultation-liasion model to a shifted outpatient one in psychiatry-primary care liasion. Internationally, the need for greater integration between community psychiatry teams and local general practitioners has gained increasing acceptance in recent years 1 and has become a goal of mental health policy. 2 In Ireland a move towards community psychiatry is a cornerstone of official strategy. 3 Furthermore, overall health policy in Ireland emphasises the role of primary care in mental health. 4 Two major approaches to configuring consultation services have been described– a "shifted outpatient" model in which secondary care is provided in the primary care setting, and the "liaison-consultation" model, whereby the psychiatrist provides support and advice to the psychiatrist.


I examine the effectiveness of exchange rate intervention within the context of a Markov-switching model for the real dollar-yen exchange rate over the period April 1991-December 2003. The probability of switching between stable and unstable regimes depends nonlinearly upon the amount of intervention, the degree of misalignment and the duration of the regime. I find that intervention increases the probability of stability when the rate is misaligned, and that its influence grows with the degree of misalignment. However, intervention within a small neighbourhood of equilibrium will result in a greater probability of instability.


This paper aims at providing a comprehensive overview of recent developments in dialogue state tracking (DST) for task-oriented conversational systems. We introduce the task, the main datasets that have been exploited as well as their evaluation metrics, and we analyze several proposed approaches. We distinguish between static ontology DST models, which predict a fixed set of dialogue states, and dynamic ontology models, which can predict dialogue states even when the ontology changes. We also discuss the model's ability to track either single or multiple domains and to scale to new domains, both in terms of knowledge transfer and zero-shot learning. We cover a period from 2013 to 2020, showing a significant increase of multiple domain methods, most of them utilizing pre-trained language models.


until at least several typical organisms were seen, and always in two different slides. In favour of the last explanation, i.e., insufficient infectious agent, we would submit that the amount of material inoculated (1 cc.) was smaller than ideal; the objection to larger amounts being the high early mortality from non-specific infections; it is also possible that with larger amounts of material inoculated, some of the negative concentrations would have given positive pigs. All of the four cases, showing apparent discrepancies had moderate but typical parenchymatous tuberculosis. Three of the four had been positive by the direct method at previous dates, i.e., one, four months previously; one seven months previously, and one sixteen months previously. It seems therefore most probable that dearth of infectious material was the cause of the discrepancy, in at least the three previously positive cases. This technique in our hands has been useful in throwing light on a number of cases involving a difference of medical opinion, and in others has necessitated a revision of a previous non-tuberculous diagnosis. The history of several interesting cases in which the method was employed successfully was presented with the above description of the technique.


String-alignment techniques, which were introduced in biology to measure similarity between DNA strings or protein sequences, find increasing application in travel behavior research to analyze activity-travel patterns. This paper explores a method to identify common elements, referred to as skeletons, in multidimensional activity patterns by using a multidimensional string-alignment technique that the authors developed. The method identifies the skeletal information of the multidimensional activity patterns of a group and describes the results of an application to an activity diary set. The analysis reveals structural patterns in the activity patterns and well-interpretable differences in patterns between males and females. The method offers a promising approach to activity analysis.


As the VLSI design moves into ultra-deep-submicron technologies, timing margins added due to variabilities in the manufacturing process, operation temperature and supply voltage become a significant part of the clock period in traditional synchronous circuits. Timing resilient architectures emerged as a promising solution to alleviate these worst-case timing margins, improving system performance and/or reducing energy consumption. These architectures embed additional circuits for detecting and recovering from timing violations that may arise after designing the circuit with reduced time margins. Asynchronous systems, on the other hand, have a potential to improve energy efficiency and performance due to the absence of a global clock. Moreover, asynchronous circuits are known to be robust to process, voltage and temperature variations. Blade is an asynchronous timing resilient template that leverages the advantages of both asynchronous and timing resilient techniques. However, Blade still presents challenges regarding its testability, which hinders its commercial or large-scale application. Although the design for testability with scan chains is widely applied in the industry, the high silicon costs associated with its use in Blade can be prohibitive. Asynchronous circuits can also present advantages for functional testing, and the timing resilient characteristic provides continuous feedback during normal circuit operation, which can be applied for concurrent testing. In this Thesis, Blade's testability is evaluated from a different perspective, where circuits implemented with Blade present reliability properties that can be explored for stuck-at and delay faults testing. Initially, a fault classification method that relates behavioral patterns with structural faults inside the error detection logic and a new test-driven implementation of this detection module are proposed. The control part is analyzed for internal faults, and a new design is proposed, where the test coverage is improved and the circuit can be further optimized by the design flow. An original method for time measuring delay lines is also addressed. Finally, delay fault testing of critical paths in the data path is explored as a natural consequence of a Blade circuit, where the continuous monitoring for detecting timing violations provide the necessary feedback for online detection of these delay faults. The integration of all the contributions provides a satisfactory fault coverage for an area overhead that, for the evaluated circuits in this thesis, can vary from 4.24% to 6.87%, while the scan approach for the same circuits implies an area overhead varying from 50.19% to 112.70%, respectively. The contributions of this Thesis demonstrated that with a few improvements in the Blade architecture it is possible to expand its reliability beyond a timing resilient system to delay violations in the data path, but also advances for fault testing (including online faults) of the entire circuit, yield, and aging.


This thesis is concerned with representations and algorithms for efficiently solving large stochastic planning problems. A planning problem is specified in terms of a model of the environment in which an agent must execute actions to achieve a specified goal or attain a given level of performance. Executing an action results in a transition from one state of the environment to another state and, generally, the agent has to perform a sequence of actions and visit a set of states in order to provide a satisfactory solution to the planning problem. Stochastic planning problems are concerned with the case in which the state transitions are specified as probability distributions.
The class of stochastic planning problems is known to be computationally difficult and consequently techniques that take advantage of regularities in particular planning domains are necessary. Different types of regularity allow us to combine similar states to form a smaller set of aggregate states and to decompose large problems into sets of smaller sub-problems. In this thesis, we present exact and approximate algorithms that exploit certain types of regularities found in stochastic planning problems. We describe the computational properties of the algorithms and discuss their implementation and application.
We also present a framework that allows us to directly apply techniques cast in terms of vector and matrix operations even though the vector and matrix would be of a size exponential in the description of the problem if represented in a naive manner. The number of states in a typical planning problem is too large to enumerate. Hence, it is standard practice to encode such planning problems by factoring the description of the environment into component functions which together provide complete and compact factored representations for the whole problem. The framework includes factored representations for matrices and vectors and the basic operators that algebraically manipulate such matrices and vectors. We demonstrate the value of this framework by implementing a range of standard techniques designed for small problems and showing how the framework allows us to extend these techniques to handle large stochastic planning problems.


To transport block to generate a first 1CRC parity bit block, and a second 1CRC coder which performs association of the 1CRC parity bit block to the transmission block; a segmenter which divides the transport block into multiple code blocks after associating; respectively wireless communication device and a second encoder to the code block to generate a first 2CRC parity bit block, and respectively make the association of the 2CRC parity bit block to the code block (200). The 1CRC parity bit block and the 2CRC parity bit block, based on the first generator polynomial and a second generator polynomial. The first generator polynomial and a second generator polynomial can be different. 1 generator polynomial and a second generator polynomial same in another embodiment. Transmission block is either interleaved before the segmentation, code block are interleaved before being encoded at the 2CRC parity bit block.


Gastroparesis is characterized by cardinal symptoms of early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, belching and bloating, and objective evidence of delayed gastric emptying in absence of mechanical gastric outlet obstruction. It is associated with a significant decrease in quality of life. Multiple pathophysiologic factors have been implicated. These include delayed gastric emptying, impaired gastric accommodation, contractile abnormalities, visceral hypersensitivity, impaired antral contractions, and pylorospasm. Management is challenging, due to incomplete knowledge of symptom pathogenesis and limited treatment options available. First line treatment involves dietary modification, and prokinetics and anti-emetics are added for additional symptom control. Patients with refractory gastroparesis who remain severely symptomatic despite conservative measures can be considered for pyloric interventions, as delayed gastric emptying has been associated with pylorospasm. In recent years, gastric per-oral endoscopic myotomy (G-POEM) has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to surgical pyloromyotomy and pyloroplasty. However, comparative data between G-POEM and surgery for the treatment of refractory gastroparesis are limited. In this issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Pioppo et al. compared G-POEM with laparoscopic pyloromyotomy in the treatment of refractory gastroparesis. This was a retrospective study involving four referral centers in USA and Latin America. Treatment assignment was based on both patient choice and local expertise. Clinical success was defined based on improvement of gastroparesis cardinal symptom index (GCSI) score and gastric emptying as assessed by gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES). A total of 102 patients (G-POEM group: 39; laparoscopic pyloromyotomy group: 63) were analyzed. Technical success was achieved in all patients. Clinical success rate was higher, but not statistically significant, in the G-POEM group (92.3% vs 82.5%, P = 0.164). The size of reduction of mean gastric retention at 4 h post-treatment was significantly larger in the G-POEM group (43.1% to 15.9%) than the surgery group (42.1% to 39.6%). Procedure time and hospital stay were significantly shorter and adverse event rates lower in the G-POEM group. Symptom improvement was sustained at 6 months follow up. This study is important as it further demonstrates that G-POEM could achieve similar, if not better, symptomatic improvement compared to surgery, with lower morbidity. However, there are inherent study limitations due to the retrospective, non-randomized nature of the study design. The treatment allocation was not randomized, with the risk of selection bias and unbalanced confounders, and there is a real concern about data comprehensiveness and recall bias, especially in terms of symptom assessment, and how these factors can affect the internal validity of the study results. It is also noteworthy that despite procedural technical success, and clinical success, the mean gastric retention at 4 h remained above the normal threshold of 10% in both groups. A recent meta-analysis examined the outcome of G-POEM (11 studies, n = 332) and surgical pyloroplasty (7 studies, n = 375). All were single arm studies that did not directly compare both treatment modalities. There was only one prospective study in each group. Treatment success rates of G-POEM and surgery were similar, as defined by GCSI score (75.8% vs 77.3%, P = 0.81) and 4-h GES (85.1% vs 84%, P = 0.91). The overall adverse event rates were comparable. Landreneau et al. in a propensity score matched analysis reported that G-POEM reduced perioperative morbidity in terms of procedure time, adverse events and hospital stay as compared to laparoscopic pyloromyotomy with comparable functional outcomes. Therefore, it appears that G-POEM is likely less invasive with fewer adverse events as compared to laparoscopy. The main challenge regarding G-POEM has been clinical efficacy outcomes, which have shown significant variability in different studies. Published studies regarding efficacy and safety of G-POEM are mainly retrospective cohort studies, with limited prospective cohort studies and no randomized controlled trials. A recent prospective multicenter study of 80 patients reported only modest clinical success of 56% based on GCSI improvement at 12 months. The results were similar at interim time points of 1, 3, and 6 months. Mean gastric retention at 4 h decreased significantly from 39% at baseline to 21% at 3 months, and there was GES improvement in 64.2%, and normalization in 47.2%. A single center retrospective study of patients treated by G-POEM reported clinical response of 81.1% at initial follow up between 3 to 6 months and that among patients who experienced an initial clinical response, the rate of loss of that response per year was 12.9%. Other studies have reported clinical success rates ranging from 66% to 100%. The lower efficacy in the single prospective study compared to the retrospective studies raises concerns about the possibility of placebo effect and ascertainment bias which can exaggerate the true magnitude of treatment efficacy. In congenital pyloric stenosis, symptoms arise from the hypertrophic pylorus which causes gastric outlet obstruction. Hence, pylorotomy, whether by surgery or through G-POEM, will achieve symptom resolution and cure. The same argument could hold true for patients with post-surgical gastroparesis—those after vagotomy or esophageal resections and gastric pull-up reconstruction. However, the magnitude of the benefit derived from pyloric interventions in refractory gastroparesis, especially idiopathic or diabetic gastroparesis, wherein the pathophysiology is possibly more complex and not limited to the antro-pyloric area, is more variable. Therein lies the challenge in the use of G-POEM for treatment of refractory gastroparesis. There is a need to better predict which patients will respond to treatment with G-POEM in order to minimize futile interventions. In terms of clinical predictors of treatment success, baseline GCSI score greater than 2.6 (odds ratio [OR] 3.23, P = 0.04) and baseline gastric retention greater than 20% at 4 h (OR 3.65, doi:10.1111/jgh.15712


Abstract —The transformations of Au in aqueous solutions ( T = 20°C, I = 1) containing NH 3 and N (pH 8.1–8.5) were studied. The most pronounced changes in the system occur in the range 0 > > − 2.0(c Au = (1–10) × 10 –4 mol/L, the monitoring time was about two weeks). When > 0, Audominates together with the amido form Au(NH 3 ) 3 N ; when < –2.0, no changes in the spectraare observed, probably, because of the very low rate of the processes. As c Au increases in the indicated range,the polymerization rate grows. The equilibrium constant for Au(NH 3 ) 3 OH 2+ + NH 3 = Au + OH is = –4.2 ± 0.3. This constant was used together with other constants, taking into account possibleligand effects, to estimate the formation constant of Au : = 47 ± 1, E 3/0 = 0.64 ± 0.02 V, = –8.5 ± 1 (substitution of 4 NH 3 for 4 OH – in Au ), = 17.5 ± 1 (substitutionof 4NH 3 for 4Cl – in Au ). DOI: 10.1134/S0036023608040293 () NH 3 43+ ()OH 4– H+NH 4 log[]+NH 4 log NH[]+() 3 43+ H 22+


Abstract Let (S,Σ, λ) be a finite positive measure space. In their extension of Liapunov's theorem to infinite dimensions, Kingman and Robertson (in 1968) defined a subset N of the real L 1(λ) to be thin if for every A ∈ Σ with λ(A) > 0 there exists a φ 0 ∈ L ∞(λ) with φ 0 ≠O, supported on A that "annihilates N". We prove that the φ 0 above can be chosen to have values ±1 a.e. on A, i.e. a "sign" in terms of a (2009) paper by Wulbert. A result of his follows from the known fact that when λ is non-atomic every finite dimensional subspaces of L 1(λ) is thin. Further, in this case when S is compact Hausdorff and A compact, we show that φ 0 may be chosen in C(A). Next we have a "splitting" of Liapunov's theorem in any dimension into "convex ranges" and "weakly compact ranges", the latter for non-atomic measures. This approach is related to a 1978 result by K.M. Garg and the author. We observe the closed linear span of the Rademacher functions to be thin in L 1[0, 1].


In order to apply time-critical applications to wireless LANs, a seamless handover scheme is needed. Therefore, we present a novel micro-mobility scheme based on explicit multicast (Xcast). In our proposal, mobile traffic of its forward direction is delivered to the potential access routers (AR) of a mobile node (MN) by Xcast routing during handover. Since, for IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN, it is difficult to know the potential ARs of a mobile node, a new trigger, called the candidate AR trigger (CAT), is introduced to get this information from the link layer. The handover mechanism of our proposed scheme is depicted in detail and the merits of this scheme are also discussed. Finally, by using a combination of performance evaluation and simulation, we argue that our architecture is capable of providing seamless handover while introducing limited network bandwidth overhead.


In this study, thermal stresses in a double-wall cooling system are analyzed. We consider an infinite flat double-wall geometry and assume that it can be represented by an axisymmetric unit cell, wherein the thermal loadings and deformation at the boundaries are determined by periodicity conditions. A thermal model is initially developed to obtain the thermal fields using a combination of empirical correlations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The thermal fields are then analyzed such that both the first-order and higher order approximations are determined. A theoretical solution is derived assuming that the temperature gradient takes place only across the outer skin using the first-order approximations. The solution yields an equibiaxial stress state in the skins, which are driven by the thermal curvature of the outer skin. To investigate other geometrical features and higher order approximations, a finite element model is used to solve Fourier's law of heat conduction and mechanical equilibrium equations. The numerical and theoretical results are found to be in excellent agreement. We determine that the increase of distance between pedestals reduces the stresses. Furthermore, the stress concentration factor at the fillet increases with the increase of both the radius and pedestal diameter and the decrease of the skin thickness. Increasing the number of film holes limits stresses to the external surface of the outer skin. The increase of the Reynolds number in the impingement hole increases the Biot number in the outer skin, which increases the stresses. The higher order approximations of the heat transfer coefficients play a minor role.


The invention discloses the technology for cigarette production, belongs to a technology for cigarette production, and particularly relates to a method for leaf-beating redrying production, cut leaf storage alcoholization and cut leaf production. According to the technology, the leaf beating redrying production technical process, the storage alcoholization production technical process and the cut leaf production technical process in the prior cigarette production mode are integrated; tobacco flakes obtained after leaves are separated from stems in the redrying process are humidified to the degree that the moisture content is, by weight, 19%-21%; after the tobacco leaves are cut, the tobacco leaves are dried to the degree that the moisture content is, by weight, 11%-13%; the cut tobacco is boxed, stored and alcoholized for 6 months to 24 months in the storage environment that the temperature is lower than or equal to 32 DEG C and the humidity is smaller than or equal to 70% RH; the alcololized cut leaves are processed in a loosened mode; feed liquid is added until the degree that the moisture content is, by weight, 16%-18%; the flow of the cut leaves is controlled and the cut leaves enter a drying device for dehydration to the degree that the moisture content is 11% to 13%; blending, flavoring, cut tobacco storage and matching and coil making are conducted according to a factory formula. The method can effectively simplify production, reduce unreasonable consumption of energy sources and raw materials and improve the economical efficiency of cigarette production.


Abstract In this article, the complete convergence properties of the maximal partial sums of arrays of rowwise pairwise negatively quadrant dependent (PNQD) random variables are investigated, and some new theorems are obtained. These results generalize and improve the corresponding ones of Hu and Taylor (1997), Wan (2005), respectively.


Wear subject is of immeasurable economic value, because it is the factor that typically decides the useful life of the most farm implements and machinery. From the very beginning, important problems have been the production and adaptation of good quality materials for making cutting edges and soilworking surfaces of tillage devices. The cost of repairing the components for tillage implements was calculated to be about 8 million pounds per year in the United Kingdom (Moore, 1975), as well as the labor costs and replacement costs of these damaged parts was about 1.5 million pounds per year.


The first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was reported on 27 February 2020. By 30 March 2020, Nigeria had recorded 131 confirmed cases and two deaths. To mitigate the impending health crisis, the Nigerian Government quickly commenced a series of COVID-19 lockdowns across states in Nigeria on 30 March 2020. These lockdowns lasted for three months before a gradual relaxation began on 1 July 2021. However, infection and death cases in the country increased substantially during the months of substantial relaxation of restrictions between October 2020 and March 2021. This paper presents the results of the rapid assessment study in Nigeria between July 2020 and February 2021, which sought to document and understand the differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural commercialisation, food and nutrition security, employment, poverty, and well-being in rural households.


Ionic conducting polymers are of considerable interest recently, as they have wide range of applications including electrical storage devices. The present study is aimed at designing and characterizing one such ion conducting polymer complexed with various ionic salts. Here, solid polymer electrolyte films consisting of Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) complexed with various chloride salts (X) (X= KCl, NaCl, MgCl2) have been prepared by the solvent casting technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of polymer-ion complex. The ionic conductivity studies have also been carried out using AC impedance spectroscopy technique. Interestingly, the maximum value of conductivity (8.268 X 10-8 S/cm) has been observed for PMMA/NaCl complex at ambient temperature.


Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease. Early studies have indicated that genetic and environmental factors contribute to the risk of OA. However, the etiology of OA remains unknown. Our study aimed to evaluate the association of DNMT3B gene with the risk of hip OA in Han Chinese individuals.


geneous layering, the wet and conditioned recovery angles at 219" and 241", respectively, were considerably higher than the 159" and 195" of the unmodified cotton, or the 168" and 172" of the DEAEcotton control. The only samples in the DEAE-cotton series which showed layering response to the expansion technique were the DEAE-cotton control sample and the samples treated with the nonchlorinated propylene oxide, and with hexafluoroepoxypropane. Wrinkle recovery angles of reaction products of DEAE-cotton with the chlorinated epoxypropane were higher than those of DEAE-cotton treated with the nonchlorinated propylene oxide, and the expansion patterns of cross sections of the respective samples reflect this. I t would appear that the presence of chlorine alpha to the epoxide groups enhances the cross-linking ability of the epoxypropanes. Epibromohydrin seems to be an efficient crosslinking agent for DEAE-cotton as evidenced by agreement between microscopical and conditioned wrinkle recovery data.


O. C. P., a physician, aged 60, was taken with severe pain, April 23, 1929, following an attack of sneezing. The previous history was unimportant, except that the patient had had an appendectomy fifteen years before and had been in an automobile accident one year before, at which time he suffered injury to his head, causing a temporary unconsciousness, from which he recovered in a few hours. There was considerable soreness remaining under the upper abdominal regions afterward. The pain of April 23, was considered an attack of cholelithiasis; it required considerable morphine. The patient remained in bed. Morphine had to be repeated. The general condition was one of cholosis with cholelithiasis. On account of the general condition and a gradual increase in temperature, an exploratory incision was deemed advisable. A right rectus incision was made. The abdomen was found filled with serum slightly bloody and the left lobe of


UAVs demand more accurate fault accommodation for their mission manager and vehicle control system in order to achieve a reliability level that is comparable to that of a pilot aircraft. This paper attempts to apply multi-classifier fusion techniques to achieve the necessary performance of the fault detection function for the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (LMSW) UAV Mission Manager. Three different classifiers that meet the design requirements of the fault detection of the UAAV are employed. The binary decision outputs from the classifiers are then aggregated using three different classifier fusion schemes, namely, majority vote, weighted majority vote, and Naieve Bayes combination. All of the three schemes are simple and need no retraining. The three fusion schemes (except the majority vote that gives an average performance of the three classifiers) show the classification performance that is better than or equal to that of the best individual. The unavoidable correlation between the classifiers with binary outputs is observed in this study. We conclude that it is the correlation between the classifiers that limits the fusion schemes to achieve an even better performance.


The results showed that although the three dimensions are not individually related to plant competitiveness (direct effects perspective), their co-alignment impacts strongly on plant competitiveness (co-alignment perspective). Furthermore, this co-alignment creates an environment in which employee suggestion and feedback can add innovation, leading to superior plant competitiveness (mediation perspective).


In our previous study based on a whole‐blood model of sepsis infected with trans‐anethole (TA)‐treated Staphylococcus aureus, we have found that innate immune response was more effective in comparison to non‐treated cells. Due to the previous observation, in the current preliminary study, a primary adaptive immune response was analysed. This study was conducted to evaluate the expression of selected cytokine (IL1B, IL2, IL6, IL10, TNF, TGFB1, IFNG) and Toll‐like receptor (TLR2) genes in lymphocytes isolated from whole human blood infected with S. aureus Newman strain treated with TA. The lymphocytes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation from blood samples infected with S. aureus, as well as from non‐infected samples. Gene expression was measured using quantitative real‐time PCR. The lymphocytes isolated from the blood infected with TA‐treated staphylococcal cells demonstrated significantly greater IL10, IL1B, IL6, TNF and TLR2 expression. Hence, it is possible that the previously observed changes in the surface structure of TA‐treated S. aureus Newman strain may significantly increase the relative expression of IL10, IL1B, IL6, TNF and TLR2 genes in lymphocytes; however, further studies are needed.


Risk assessment and environmental issues are among the most important subjects of research today. In an evaluation process, all sources, vectors and receptors are taken into account in order to achieve a description of territorial risk (infrastructural networks, transportation of hazardous materials, etc.) factors influencing the general evaluation framework. This validated integrated information system allows evaluations of the possible consequences of industrial disasters or spills regarding: new plants and installations, relocation of existing production activities; infrastructural modifications; and general planning activities by using specific models. The system which can be developed from this project would supply information services at several levels: to authorities charged with the control and the management of industrial risk; to managers of hazardous industries; and the information to the population.


The pattern of world politics which had developed after the Second World War seems to be breaking up and changing so that old assumptions of the relations of powers in the post-war period are now growing out-of-date. Upto 1914 there was a stable pattern of world affairs, based on the principle of balance of power. There were seven great powers in those days Russia, AustriaHungary, Germany, France, Italy, Britain and the United States. Then Japan defeated Russia and attained the status of a great power in the Far East. Those great powers gradually formed themselves into two groups which balanced each other. There was the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy balanced by Britain, France and Russia, which took a long time to form a common front. The United States and Japan stayed outside European politics, for the centre of world power was in Europe and those countries which were outside Europe were of less importance. The European powers who stretched all over the globe in forming colonial empires dominated the world. The rivalry for raw materials and colonising of space, and the tension and tussle for power in Europe led to the First World War of 1914-18 and the break up of the old system.


Form Approved OMB No. 074-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), Washington, DC 20503 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 7/30/2010 (FINAL) 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Performance 11/1/2006 – 4/30/2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Ultrashort Intense Pulse Propagator Applications: Light Strings, Higher Harmonic Generation and Extreme NLO 5. FUNDING NUMBERS FA9550-07-1-0010


It is the responsibility of the colleges and universities to provide the engineering student of today with a competent technical background without overemphasizing specialization. The education of the engineer should be founded on a broad-based program designed to equip the graduate with sociological insight and capability, thus providing society with a useful and cognizant citizen as well as a competent engineer.


COVID-19 pandemic is an enigma with uncertainty caused by biological and health systems factors. Although many models have been developed all around the world, transparent models that allow interacting with the assumptions will become more important as we test various strategies for lockdown, testing and social interventions and enable effective policy decisions. In this paper we developed a suite of models to guide development of policies under different scenarios when the lockdown opens. These had been deployed to create an interactive dashboard called COVision which includes the Agent based Models (ABM) and classical compartmental models i.e Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) and Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) approaches. Our tool allows simulation of scenarios by changing strength of lockdown, basic reproduction number(R0), asymptomatic spread, testing rate, contact rate (Beta), recovery rate (Gamma), incubation period and starting number of cases. We optimized ABMs and classical compartmental models to fit the actual data, both of which performed well in terms of R-squared, root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Out of the three models in our suite, ABM was able to capture the data better than SIR and SEIR and achieved an RSQ of 92.3% for India and 89% for Maharashtra for the next 30 days. We also computed R0 using SIR and SEIR models which were found to be decreasing over the different periods of lockdown indicating the effectiveness of policies and interventions. Finally, we formulated ICU bed requirements using our best models. Our evaluation suggests that ABM models were able to capture the dynamic nature of the epidemic for a longer duration of time while classical SIR and SEIR models performed inefficiently for longer terms. The visual interactivity and ability to simulate outcomes under different parameters will allow the policymakers to make informed decisions for estimating the strength of lockdown to be implemented and testing rates. Further, our models were able to highlight the differences at state level for the parameters such as R0 and contact rates and hence can be applied for state specific decision making. An interactive dashboard http://covision.tavlab.iiitd.edu.in have been hosted as a web-server for the war level monitoring of the covid19 pandemic in India in public domain


This study reports on the health and psychosocial wellbeing of caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and members of their households in a low-income South African community. Participants were 54 guardians of OVC registered to receive support at the school based support center. The guardians' age ranged between 26–65 years, with 4 participants being men. Data on the health and psychosocial wellbeing of the participants were collected using a questionnaire designed by the authors to suit the socio-cultural characteristics of the population. Descriptive statistics were obtained using a computerised statistical package (SAS). Findings suggest that caregivers of OVC are themselves vulnerable in terms of poverty, burden of care and mental health problems, especially depression.


In this paper, authentication technologies for X-ray inspection images in container merchandises are introduced and a method of authentication for X-ray inspection images is proposed. Until now, X-ray images of container merchandises have been managed without any authentication of inspection results and environments, it means that there was no any action for protection of illegal copy and counterfeiting of


A new distinct spring bearing variety of strawberry plant, characterized by its ability to produce a large spring crop when planted during the winter after a minimum amount of chilling both at the nursery and in cold storage. The variety is particularly distinguished by its good appearance, with a minimum of surface irregularities, high dessert quality, and consistent medium to good size, but with only a moderately firm skin. The large calyx with large individual overlapping sepals are conspicuous. The plant is vigorous, producing dark rugose leaves and an abundance of runners at the nursery and in the fruiting bed, if given more than ideal chilling.


Simultaneous occurrence of two differently structured islet cell tumors associated with nesidioblastosis in a woman affected by a Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is described. In Tumor I the ultrastructure of the cell granules, which have a dense core surrounded by an empty halo delimited by a membrane, and the lack of the metachromasia and argyrophilia suggests that the cells are of the alpha type. Histologically, the arrangement of the cells in cords and rows, the abundant fibrous stroma, the pleomorphism and atypism, and the richness of newly formed ducts seem to reveal a lesser degree of endocrine differentiation. Tumor II and adenomas have the same sinusoidal ribbon pattern. The morphology of the cell secretory granules, which are small and with a strictly apposed membrane, the metachromasia, and argyrophilia, suggest that the cells may be of the delta type.

The uncertainty in the identification and correlation of alpha and delta cells in normal islets and in tumors does not allow any definite conclusions.


Most common malignancy affecting women worldwide is breast cancer accounting for more than one million cases. The exposure to various risk factors attributes the geographical variation in incidence of breast cancer. Thus, study of risk factors of breast cancer is important and might contribute to current knowledge on this important topic. Hence the present study was carried out to study risk factors of breast cancer in Central India. In a tertiary care hospital based longitudinal study, 85 histopathologically or cytologically confirmed cases of breast cancer were enrolled. Particulars age at menarche, menopause and first full term pregnancy, marital status, parity of patient and history and duration of breast feeding and family history of breast cancer in first degree relative were taken. Mean age of occurrence of carcinoma breast was 50.01± 11.592 years, of menarche was 15.21 ±1.381years, of menopause was 44.94±5.016 years, of reproductive age was 29.52 ±4.661 years, of first full term pregnancy was23.13 ± 4.2556 years. Married patients were 82(96.47%) of patients, 81(95.3%) had no family history. 82(96.5%) of cases had breast fed their children and mean duration of breast feeding was19.2± 9.932 months.None of the risk factors described in literature were classically seen in present study further suggesting the awareness of breast cancer and breast self examination the need of hour in current scenario in rural India. Keywords: Breast cancer, Risk factors, Awareness


Objective To study the effect of preoperative chemotherapy on the pathological change and prognosis of Wilm's tumor. Methods A camparative analysis of pathological findings,apoptotic index(AI),proliferou index(PI) and survival rate was made in 59 cases of Wilm's tumor subjected preoperative chemotherapy,52 cases without any therapy before operation. Results The ratio of the average necrosis area and AI in the preoperative chemotherapy group(AI 11.67±15.44) were higher than those of without preoperative chemotherapy group(AI 7.37±4.53). PI of the group(PI 24.99±25.83) without any therapy before operative was higher than that of the preoperative chemotherapy group(PI 13.58±16.10). It was no obvious difference to the survival rate between the two groups,which might be related to the part patients accepted irregular chemotherapy. Conclusion The preoperative chemotherapy for Wilm's tumor can significantly increase the resectibility.


Abstract Given a generically surjective holomorphic vector bundle morphism f : E → Q, E and Q Hermitian bundles, we construct a current R f with values in Hom(Q, H), where H is a certain derived bundle, and with support on the set Z where f is not surjective. The main property is that if ϕ is a holomorphic section of Q, and R f ϕ = 0, then locally fψ = ϕ has a holomorphic solution ψ. In the generic case also the converse holds. This gives a generalization of the corresponding theorem for a complete intersection, due to Dickenstein-Sessa and Passare. We also present results for polynomial mappings, related to M. Noether's theorem and the effective Nullstellensatz. The construction of the current is based on a generalization of the Koszul complex. By means of this complex one can also obtain new global estimates of solutions to fψ = ϕ, and as an example we give new results related to the H p -corona problem.


In the framework of Near-field (NF) UHF-RFID applications, printer-encoder antennas represent an interesting scenario to investigate. In commercial RFID printer-encoders, the distance between the encoder and transponder antennas is typically a few millimeters only, and the encoder antenna has to reliably communicate with only one targeted tag among a number of tightly spaced transponders in very close proximity. In this paper, a number of encoder antenna layouts have been numerically analyzed in terms of power delivered to the transponder chip, by considering two commercial RFID tags. Moreover, the spatial selectivity of the encoder antennas is estimated. As a result, a reader antenna identical to the tag antenna is suggested as an optimal solution for meeting the severe requirement on the spatial selectivity of the encoding process.


Railroads are not the dominant transportation mode they once were, but they still play a large role in freight movement and are the only practical means of transport for a variety of commodities. Railroads also comprise a principal component of a community's economic development infrastructure as rail service still ranks as a prime site selection criterion for many industries. As U.S. railroads continue to restructure and reduce the size of their physical plant in an effort to reduce costs, light-density branch lines will continue to be targets for abandonment. Effects of rail line abandonment on both public and private costs in a region are evaluated. Drags on economic development in the region caused by this structural change are identified. Specifically, methodology and results of a statewide examination of the rail freight system in the state of Washington are discussed. This procedure, developed for use by the Washington Rail Development Commission, details the revenue and costs incurred for the existing Class I railroads on each branch line segment in the state. Then, for those segments where the railroads experience a revenue deficiency an analysis is presented on the public impacts of increased transportation costs to shippers and damage to roads of any decision to abandon a line segment. The need and rationale of public acquisition to retain local rail service for economic development purposes are discussed. Low traffic levels and poor track conditions typical of light-density rail lines are not going to attract for-profit railroad operators, and thus many locales may have no choice but to acquire the lines to retain them. Examples of public ownerships in Washington State are provided.


. As working units of tillage mills, both curved (L-shaped) blade knives and straight blade knives are used. The soil reactions to these working units depend on soil properties, geometric parameters of the working parts, parameters determining the modes of their operation and the angle of rotation of the working units. When constructing a mathematical model for the interaction of working parts with soil, all these factors must be taken into account, while striving to simplify the proposed model. Accounting for the dependence of force characteristics of the working units on the angle of their rota- tion is not an easy task, and in most cases it is solved with the help of specially set experiments. A mathematical model is proposed for the interaction of a direct lamellar milling knife with soil, which makes it possible to determine the compo- nents of the resulting soil reactions to such a knife, the total moment of these reactions, and the power consumed for cutting the soil, depending on the knife rotation angle. This model takes into account the geometry of the working unit through the radii of the hub and cutters, the angle of installation of the milling knife and its length. The operating mode of the knife is set by the kinematic coefficient, equal to the ratio of the circumferential velocity of the knife end to the speed of the translational motion of a mill, and the maximum relative depth of the milling knife in the soil. The constructed model makes it possible to determine the dependence of the maximum values of the considered power characteristics of the knife on the indicated geometric parameters and the parameters of the knife operating mode, which makes it possible to simplify experiments to determine the power characteristics of the cutter and significantly reduce its volume. This model can be used to select the optimal knife parameters. In addition, the proposed model can be used to calculate the power characteristics of the rack of a curved blade knife, which consumes a significant amount of energy during milling.


Graph states are well-entangled quantum states that are defined based on a graph. Of course, if two graphs are isomorphic their associated states are the same. Also, we know local operations do not change the entanglement of quantum states. Therefore, graph states that are either isomorphic or equivalent under the local Clifford group have the same properties. In this paper, we first establish a bound on the number of graph states which are neither isomorphic nor equivalent under the action of local Clifford group.
Also, we study graph states in non-binary case. We translate the action of local Clifford group, as well as measurement of Pauli operators, into transformations on their associated graphs.
Finally, we present an efficient algorithm to verify whether two graph states, in non-binary case, are locally equivalent or not.


Objective To analyze the effects of treatment,safety,and economic rationality,to explore the treatment regimen for patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma,and to select the best regimen.Methods The therapeutic effect of the statistics from 2000 to 2005,a total of 173 cases of patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma of different treatment programs(efficiency,2-year recurrence rate and 5-year survival rate),adverse drug reactions,drug costs,and contact the recent research data were analyzed and compared,in which paclitaxel alcohol cisplatin treatment group(PP group) 41 cases,cyclophosphamide,5-FU treatment group(CF) 32 cases,cisplatin 5-FU treatment group(PF group) 33 cases,BLM,5-FU(BF) treatment group 30 cases,doxorubicin cisplatin treatment group(AP group) 37 cases.Results The PP group was up to 78% efficiency,the 2-year recurrence rate 31%,the 5-year survival 68%.The main side effects were myelosuppression,and neurotoxicity.The rest group had their own characteristics,different types and different degrees of adverse reactions.Each group of drug costs also varied.Conclusion The effect of integrated treatment,security,economic rationality,had to be considered.Cisplatin and 5-FU,for its higher efficiency lighter cytotoxicity,lower costs is recommended.


A process for producing a printed circuit board (A), comprising the steps of: Processing a substrate (1; 101) of a resin layer plate (1a) in which is applied onto at least one surface directly and closely a copper foil (9) to a circuit pattern (2; 102) form; Forming openings (3a; 4; 104) in the substrate (1; 101) of the circuit pattern (2; 102) back surface side of the substrate (1; 101) from marked by Irradiating the openings (3a; 4; 104) by means of an ultraviolet laser (E) 3 to 10 J / cm


We integrated two-dimensional photonic crystal patterns with triangular lattice of air holes in the amorphous Si/Si3N4 multilayer stack to compensate for the poor internal brightness. The significant light extraction enhancement can be observed in the third direction, implying the spontaneous emission band strongly coupling with the resonant radiation band or leaky conduction band modes of the photonic crystal slabs at Gamma point in the photonic band structures.


Aim. This paper analyzes the data on contamination of the Terek river basin in the period of 1978-2012. We give assessment to process of self-purification from oil pollution of coastal waters of the Dagestan coast of the


The present invention relates to a longitudinal adjustment device for a vehicle seat, comprising a lower rail (2) and the upper rail 3, the upper rail 3 is arranged displaceable in the longitudinal direction on the lower rail (2). According to the invention, the upper rail 3 is engaged with the lower rail (2), the holding and guiding element (15) or designed on the upper edge 14 of the lower rail (2), integrally formed or arranged and the element is held by the upper rail 3 on the lower rail (2) in the operating position, at least two locking elements (9) are arranged and / or integrated on the upper rail 3, that the locking element , located in the upper rail 3 and the predetermined position is a vehicle seat attached to the top rail it can be separated from the lower rail (2) is unlocked.


Magellan's abortive attempts to introduce baptism among the natives of the island of Cebu during the month of April of 1521 and the more successful efforts of the Spanish missionaries to preach the Gospel following the arrival of the Legazpi-Urdaneta expedition at Cebu on February 13, 1565 occurred during the initial and the culminating chapters respectively of the "spiritual conquest" of those native peoples of America and the Far East who were to enter the orbit of Spanish culture. During April of 1521, as Magellan was transforming himself into a lay missionary, Hernán Cortés was making the final preparations for the siege of Tenochtitlán. Its successful issue on August 13, 1521 laid the foundation not only of the Spanish Empire in the New World, but also it provided the Spaniards with the base of operations from which eventually they could extend their power to the Philippines. It was Cortés' conquest of the Aztec Confederation in 1521 which enabled the Catholic missionaries of Spain to undertake one of the most extensive expansions in the history of the Christian Church. In 1565 the Spanish Church for its Philippine enterprise was able to draw upon a vast storehouse of missionary experience acquired in both North and South America. Magellan's apostolic labors, ill-starred and brief though they were, exemplify many of the permanent features of the Spanish missionary enterprise. The Magellan episode also illustrates how his successors after 1565 did in fact profit from the Circumnavigator's errors of judgment and tactics.


The vertical root fractures are one of the most common and serious complications of the root canal treated teeth.Although various techniques, obturation materials and systems are available today which promises to reinforce these teeth,two widely used obturating systems-Thermafil and Guttaflow,seems to hold promise in reinforcing the endodontically treated teeth. Hence the main aim of this study is to assess the ability of these two obturating systems to reinforce the root canal treated teeth. 45 single rooted extracted mandibular premolars were collected and their crowns decoronated at the cementoenamel junction.Their roots were then cleaned and shaped till size F3 with the protaper rotary system and were then divided into 3 groups of 15 teeth each,The 1 st group , control group, were unshaped and unobturated,the 2 nd and 3 rd group were obturated using Thermafil /AH plus sealer and single cone gutta-percha/Gutta flow sealer respectively. These were then mounted vertically in coldcure acrylic resin and subjected to vertical forces using a spreader with a speed of 10mm/min using an universal testing machine. The results were then statistically analysed using ANOVA and Bonferroni tests. It was concluded that the Guttaflow system showed better reinforcement of the roots as compared with the Thermafil system.